by Michael Todd
Ravi yawned. Is this different than any other morning? And what’s with the super-cheerful attitude? It’s giving me the willies.
Damian chuckled as he walked toward the door. I wasn’t stressed about anything last night. It was probably the most dreamless sleep I’ve had in years. I knew Max was on the right track, I knew Katie was safe and kicking ass, and I didn’t let the cardinal stuff get me in a foul mood.
I still wish you’d sleep in once in a while, she grumbled. I know I can stay asleep, but with all these happy emotions poking at me, I had to wake up. I couldn’t chance a dream about unicorns and fucking ponies.
Maybe a little rainbow sunshine happiness will melt some of that doom and gloom off your bones.
If you haven’t noticed, demons don’t really like sunshine. We also tend to eat anything that could possibly bring happiness, although I stick to a vegetarian diet when I’m in hell. I don’t do live animals, and they don’t like to cook stuff.
Damian wrinkled his nose in disgust. Strange, considering you could literally walk out your door and barbeque over the lava pits.
Ravi sniffed. Speaking of old cooked meat, you hear from Rose?
Damian shivered. That analogy was disgusting, and no, I haven’t. I hope she comes outside this morning. I’d like to talk to her about a few things. Maybe I can sharpen that idea of me helping her fight the demon.
He unlocked the door, whistling cheerfully, and stepped over the threshold. Something whizzed past his head and thwacked into the doorframe. Slowly, he turned to stare at a butcher knife impaled in the wood. His eyes flashed, and he swiveled to look across the courtyard. Rose rushed into her apartment and slammed the door behind her.
Ravi gasped. Oh no, she didn’t. That crazy old bat almost knifed you in the middle of this courtyard. Fuck holding back.
Damian gritted his teeth. “That’s exactly what I thought.”
He yanked the knife out of the door and strode across the courtyard, pausing only to set his coffee mug on the table. Rose’s door was locked, and he growled loudly and banged on the wood. “Ms. Rose. You forgot something…in my front door. Open up. I only want to talk.”
A whimper and a low snarl sounded from inside. Rose was obviously trying to fight the demon. Damian jiggled the handle again and glanced furtively around to check that no one was watching. Give me a boost of strength.
Ravi giggled. You got it.
The priest stepped back and kicked hard to slam the door off its hinges. It slid down the hall and fell in an eddy of dust, and he could see the particles floating in the rays coming from the open door. His eyes checked every shadow and crevice of the hallway. He knew she was in there but not exactly where.
Damian cleared his throat and tapped the knife against the wall. “Ms. Rose, come out. I want to talk to your demon. I have an offer for him.”
A small growl issued from the living room. Carefully, he walked down the hallway, alert for more knives or other lethal missiles. He passed the study and smiled sadly. It was obvious that the demon-induced stress had left Rose unable to really clean anything, and she had always been so neat and tidy that the current neglect was heartbreaking. It was another reminder that the church had abandoned her, leaving the poor, sweet old woman to battle the demon on her own regardless of the cost, which might even be her life.
The priest paused in the entrance to the living room, unsure where she was. “Rose, why don’t you sit on the couch? We can talk.”
A deep, menacing voice responded, “I’m not Rose.”
“No, of course not. Why don’t you tell me your name?”
Damian turned and saw Rose’s red eyes flashing from the corner. The demon growled and hissed loudly, but the priest simply sighed, shook his head, and marched over to her. “I had planned to do this nicely, but I guess you won’t let me.”
He grabbed the old lady tightly by the arm and held the knife in front of her face. Her demon growled loudly and blinked wildly at the blade. Damian dragged her to the chair and thrust her into it. He held the knife to her face and leaned in close, his eyes flashing red. “If I were you, I wouldn’t move. It’s obvious Rose isn’t here anymore, at least not in the front. I don’t have a problem releasing her soul and sending you back to hell. I know you want to be here in this body.”
The demon shut Rose’s mouth and gritted her teeth. He tried to shift her gaze to the right, but Damian grabbed her face with his other hand and forced the beast to make eye contact. “Give her back. This is your only warning. Let Rose take control of her body.”
The demon looked maliciously at him and began to spit and snarl. “Muyt esaeu suzor scum. I lizz nid esaeun entrails aeuq oth aoq yaz maen girrabbi.”
Damian narrowed his eyes. “Now, that’s rude. You know I can’t understand that.” He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. “English.”
The fiend laughed menacingly. “Fuck you, human scum. I will rip your entrails out and eat them for dinner. You can’t do anything to me. Your precious church forbids it.”
The priest then squeezed tighter, shutting the demon up. “Do you see shackles on my wrists?”
He loosened his grip, and the demon coughed. “You will burn in the fires of hell, just like the rest of your meatsack kind. Lucifer will wear your skins as clothes, and your souls will forever roast in Moloch’s fireplace.”
Damian sighed and poked the knife far enough into the demon for him to wince. “Shut your fucking mouth, demon. You let her back, or you won’t have a soul to go back to hell. You think I don’t know that you can be killed here on Earth?”
Ravi cleared her throat. You should let me have a go at him. Maybe I can help.
Damian eased the knife back. You can speak to him? I thought—
She cut him off. It doesn’t really matter what you thought at this moment, does it? You want me to talk to him or not? I can’t promise it will do any good. I don’t quite have the fear factor your Katie does, but I’m more than some low-level demon. He will know this. It will be up to him whether he fears me or not.
The priest studied Rose and glimpsed the sweetness under the terror. All right, give it a shot.
Ravi breathed deeply, calmed herself, and pushed her awareness into the helpless woman. She spoke in demon so Damian couldn’t understand. S’es ona esaeu doing yiz? Chq yiz laezor kae. Ya priest gaeaz raeq k’oes xes ya rules aem ya khunkh aen oresaera ahza maen yoq zoqqabbi. Sa lizz zota zuna esaeu gaer’q zota iq xoyt qae sazz.
Rose’s demon went silent for a moment before he laughed again. “I don’t fear you, bitch. You have no power here. You were cast away like the others. I will do as I please.”
Damian scowled, wondering what he meant by that. Ravi snarled, Believe me, you are messing with the wrong fucking priest. If you don’t bring Rose back up, he will kill you both.
“He cannot kill me.” The fiend smirked. “I will simply come back for a new body, and then I will find you and kill you myself.”
Ravi growled again and pushed her anger into Damian. He squeezed the demon harder. It doesn’t seem to be working.
She shushed him. I need to think. What are all demons afraid of? Wait, that’s it. Ravi took another deep breath and thrust in once more. He may not be able to kill you, but he is kin to one who would not think twice of sending you to nothingness.
The demon snorted. “What? Is he friends with Gabriel?”
Ravi smirked. No, even better than that. One all demons fear. Shall I say her name? I think I will.
She whispered in a way that pierced the air, filling them all with fear. The echoes of Lilith’s name dribbled into the demon’s head, and Ravi could feel him pull back. She switched to demon again. The priest listened, waiting for any sign of success. Rose’s eyes were still bright red, and her breathing was heavy and fast.
Ravi pulled out of the body and shivers rippled through Damian. When I tell you, I want you to let her go, she said quietly
Damian frowned. Are you sure?
Positive. I don�
�t want her to come back with your hand around her neck. You will scare the ever-loving shit out of her. Okay, on my count. One…two…let go!
The priest released his hold and jumped back in case she attacked. He watched as her eyes closed and her head slumped forward. His chest twisted painfully, and he wondered if he had somehow killed the old woman. Is she—
No, Ravi whispered. Wait a moment.
Damian could still see her breathing, but she sat entirely motionless. He leaned forward, trying to see her face as his finger pressed lightly on her arm. Suddenly, Rose’s head raised and she gasped and lifted her hand to her chest. Bewildered, she looked around the room, her eyes fading slowly from bright red to brown. She blinked several times at the closed curtains.
Rose pointed at them. “Can you open those?”
He nodded and pulled the curtains, and the light spilled into the room. Still holding the knife, Damian waited for her to speak. Her gaze settled on the blade and she clasped her hand over her mouth and shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. He put the knife down hastily. “I am not here to hurt you, Rose.”
She sniffled, shook her head, and patted his arm. “No, I know you aren’t. I remember the knife. Oh, good Lord in Heaven, I am so sorry about that. He was so strong. He wouldn’t let me eat or sleep, and finally, he took over. I was too weak to fight him. I tried desperately, but all I could do was shift his aim.”
Damian chuckled. “I appreciate that. It almost hit me.”
Rose let her hands drop into her lap and sighed. “What a fight. I’m so sorry, Damian. I don’t know why they don’t put me out. It’s dangerous now.”
He shushed her and gathered her hands in his. “We will fight for your life together. Wait here. I’ll fix you a nice cup of tea. How do you take it?”
“One sugar and a splash of milk. Thank you.”
Damian searched the kitchen until he found the teapot. The place was a disaster, so he cleaned two teacups while he waited for the kettle to boil. He was a little startled that things had happened the way they had but relieved. Using Ravi to push the demon back was the best he could do at that point. The church wouldn’t allow any more.
When the tea was ready, he handed her a cup and sat in the chair opposite her. He noticed that her hands shook as she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. She closed her eyes as the warmth refreshed her. “Leave it to an Englishwoman to take tea over water after days without anything.”
Damian chuckled. “I think we have the demon under control for now, but eventually you’ll have to let someone do something about this. Your life is too precious to be taken over by this beast.”
Rose nodded and stared out the window. “I don’t know what you did, but he is deep inside and terrified as hell.”
Chapter Twenty-One
When the conversation dwindled, Damian covered her with a blanket and set to work in her kitchen. He did the dishes, threw the trash out, and mopped the floor. As he worked, he found all the dangerous chemicals and tossed them out as well. He didn’t know how desperate the demon was to stay away from Lilith and wanted to avoid him forcing her to harm herself. He found potatoes, leftover chicken, carrots, celery, and spices and prepared a pot of hot soup. She needed something that would nourish her body quickly and help her regain her strength.
Rose was thankful for his help since she was too weak to do it on her own. After he served her on a tray in the living room, he ran out to the local hardware store for new hinges. Carefully and quietly, he hung her door back where it belonged. He had kicked it down, after all. She smiled as he tested it. “You are pretty strong to kick that door down.”
Damian chuckled. “I had a bit of help.”
She rubbed her head absently. “Was that the other voice I heard? Was that your demon?”
“Yes, her name is Ravi.”
Rose smiled. “Tell her thank you as well.”
He took the tray from her, helped her up, and guided her into her room. “I think you should get some sleep. I will come back and check on you later, or I’ll send Max over. The soup is in the fridge if you want more.”
She stretched out on the bed and Damian pulled the covers up. “Thank you, Damian. You truly are a messenger of God.” She put her hand on his and smiled.
He smiled and patted her hand, then flipped the light off. Before he could leave, Rose called him. “Yes?” He paused in the doorway.
“I wouldn’t call Ravi a demon. She is also known as Ameretat.”
His eyes focused on the floor as he considered this. “But Ameretat was a man in folklore.”
Rose laughed and shifted to a more comfortable position. “Only because a man wrote it.”
Damian nodded and closed her bedroom door. Ravi was silent as he returned home, saying nothing about what Rose had revealed. He stopped at the table and picked up his coffee mug, grimacing at how cold it was. Oh, well, it was for a good cause, I suppose.
The priest hurried inside and set his cup in the sink before retrieving his two fallen angel books from the safe. He looked at his normal seat by the fire and shook his head. “I need more concentration than that.”
Within minutes, he’d donned his coat, grabbed his umbrella, and headed to the local church library six blocks from where he lived. He had discovered it on his second day, but he found it too quiet for him. Now, though, he needed the silence to allow his head to absorb all that had happened.
When he entered the library, the sound of the door opening echoed through the silent reading area. The nun at the front desk looked up from her book and smiled kindly. She had seen him a couple of times and knew he was permitted entry. He nodded a greeting and found a table tucked away from the others at the back. The people who frequented the library rarely paid any attention to anyone else, but he wanted to be safe.
The atmosphere was much like the church he had grown up in—serious and silent, with ornate fixtures and solemn furnishings. He hadn’t brought Max there yet, but he planned to. The only thing he didn’t like was that it seemed to put Ravi in a very quiet coma-like state. She was almost asleep and rarely paid attention to what he said. He wasn’t sure why it had that effect on her, but it didn’t seem to hurt her.
The demon cleared her throat and yawned. She had heard his thoughts. To answer you, I struggle with how holy this place is, so I go into hibernation. Wake me when you’re done.
Damian narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he didn’t believe her. She had been in some of the holiest churches on Earth and hadn’t reacted that way. He had a hard time believing that a library, church-owned or not, was holier than those. Nonetheless, he let her sleep and focused on his task.
He settled and retrieved the books from his well-worn bag but made no move to open them until he had taken a good look around. There were only four or five other priests in the library, and none paid him any heed. They tended to notice him more when it was full, but only because of the clothes he wore. He didn’t look like a typical priest, and several Catholics came there to study. They frowned on those who didn’t follow the church culture to a T, although Damian didn’t care. After one look, they quickly put him out their minds.
He shrugged his jacket off, draped it on the chair behind him, and rolled his shoulders. Unsure where to start, he shrugged and picked up the book Lilith had annotated. He had already started it, so why not continue? He flipped through the pages again to where he had left off but thought better of it. The words in the corners and sides weren’t really appropriate for a church setting.
The next chapter was titled, Walking on the Earth. Next to that Lilith had snarked, As opposed to swimming on the Earth? Flying on the Earth? Idiot. Damian smirked and turned the page, trying to ignore the notes and focus on the text. When he finished, he already knew the comments would be harsh. Lilith cussed the writer up one side and down the other, making her feelings clear.
Please, we eat only berries and drink wine? I mean, sure, give me some fucking booze, but berries? Try fucking double cheeseburgers an
d donuts, bitch.
Damian stifled a laugh with his hand over his lips. On the entire right side of the page, Pandora had played her own game of connect the dots. The words were strung together by etched vines shaped like an erect penis with two overly large dangling testicles. At the bottom the note read, Short and stubby, this is how I think this writer walks around. His balls make him walk like he has a shoe up his ass, or maybe his fucking head.
He closed the book slightly as a priest walked by and nodded a greeting. Damian smiled back and waited for him to pass before resuming. He read through the rest of the chapter and shook his head. She must have had no friends at that point. I hope she never met this poor soul. He flipped the page, and two folded pieces of paper dropped into his lap. His eyes narrowed, and he closed the book and placed it on the table. The old paper looked fragile and scorched at the edges. Carefully, he unfolded both letters and smoothed them carefully on the desk in front of him.
A furtive glance assured him that no one was paying him any attention. Damian hunched over the table and ran his finger across the papers. Strange energy seemed to rise from the first. He jerked his hand back and cleared his throat, feeling Ravi wake. She must have felt the same surge as he had. For some reason, Damian had the oddest feeling that he shouldn’t read it, but it was too conspicuous not to.
Finally, he slipped his gloves on under the table and stretched his fingers to loosen the cold leather a little. He held the first letter in his lap and covered the second with the book.
Dearest New Wife,
It has been 3567 very long and chilly days in the caverns. Your robes still lay across the throne of bones, awaiting your return. At first, I must admit, I was angry. However, after torturing a few thousand souls and feasting on their skins, I began to feel better. I remembered that you have a free soul, and this “vacation” you have taken is only temporary. I need to let you spread your scales and do what you must to be happy.
Nonetheless, you are the Queen, and as such, you have certain responsibilities. Your brother has picked up the slack, but let’s be honest. He is nowhere as cruel and evil as you are. You must return to the inner rings immediately. I know you like to defy my rule, but it is imperative that you do not thwart me. You know my wrath can be harsh and swift, and my love for you is stronger. Do not be fooled, though. I will do what is necessary to secure your presence. We took the unholy vow, which means you are the only one who can rule as Queen for eternity.