‘Hang on, where are you?’ Oleg asked into thin air.
‘I’m here,’ the voice rang out from the boulder again.
Oleg peered around even more thoroughly but still didn’t spot anyone.
‘But you can see everything!’ the female voice said indignantly. ‘It’s just that you humans have no imagination.’
And the lizard jumped off the boulder and slithered towards Oleg. With each step, it grew bigger and changed its appearance, so that it was no lizard that came up to Oleg but a beautiful young woman, taller than average, with a splendid figure, eyes like the work of a Japanese cartoonist, and fiery auburn hair. She was dressed in a short red frock.
Oleg was conquered in the blink of an eye.
‘And who might you be, beautiful stranger?’
He was answered by heartfelt laughter. When she’d laughed her fill, the girl smiled kindly at Oleg and said: ‘You, my young man, have a very original way of dealing with women. First you give a girl an expensive present, accompanied by a signed card, and then when you’ve got her attention and are invited over, you ask her name!’
Having delivered this tirade, she looked into Oleg’s astonished eyes and, reading absolute bewilderment there, burst out laughing again.
The mocked Oleg decided to protest: ‘But what present are you talking about? I don’t remember anything of the sort! If it had been something valuable, I’d have known about it. And besides, how could I forget a beauty like you?’
The girl suddenly grew serious.
‘You want to know my name? Ok, I’ll give you a clue. And explain something at the same time. You see, your present was very valuable. You gave me everything you had: blood, life, body. That’s why I came when you called; there was no way that I would refuse such a gift. It’s been three thousand years since I’ve received anything like that. And even before, such gifts were extremely rare. I never demanded human sacrifices, I always preferred willing gifts…’
Her story gradually sunk in. Finally, Oleg cried out in shock: ‘You’re Clear Flame!’
‘So you finally figured it out.’ The girl smiled. ‘That’s what the people of one smallish tribe called me. They lived around three thousand years ago, far away to the south-west of where you arrived from… By the way, I have other names, too. If you like, you can call me Heliona. That’s what the only representatives of the human race who were my friends called me. They sailed over from a country you call Greece and they called Ellada. Their leader took me for Heliona, the daughter of their sun god. I had nothing against that. I liked the name.’
Oleg had kept a discrete silence. Finally, he risked asking the question that was burning him: ‘Tell me … er... please… if you would be so kind … are you a goddess?’
Bearing in mind the possible status of the person he was talking to, Oleg decided to be polite. Impudence is, as they say, the second happiness, but it did seem rather out of place to adopt a casual tone with a being who, even though she appeared to be his peer, was in fact far older than any modern civilization. Zeus, he remembered, had immediately snatched up his lightning and knocked it on an impudent human’s head.
This change in address didn’t go unnoticed, and provoked another outburst of laughter from the purported goddess.
‘You don’t need to stand on ceremony,’ she spluttered through her laughter. ‘I’m not a goddess any more. And anyhow, I never did have time for those fools who propped up their reputations that way. So you don’t need to worry yourself about your head.’
Evidently Oleg’s thoughts were no secret for Heliona, goddess or no goddess.
When Oleg tumbled to this fact, he blushed deeply, remembering some of the indecent thoughts which had gone through his mind when he had first seen Heliona’s female form.
This time the girl’s laughter was closer to hysterics.
‘Have mercy!’ she said, trying to pull herself together. ‘Oh, that’s it! The last time I had such a good laugh was four hundred years ago when some half-baked wizard was trying to invoke a succubus but got his spells mixed up and called up one of the dullest, lowest ranking demon-destroyers. And he, as if to spite the wizard, was in female form. So there they were, the two of them, and the wizard was hinting strongly that he was prepared to give up his soul in exchange for a night of fiery passion, while the demon was trying carefully to understand what he had to burn in order to get this fool’s soul.’
Oleg chuckled, and then asked curiously: ‘So how did it all end?’
‘With the Fire of London,’ she said indifferently. Then after a moment’s thought, she continued: ‘Seems I’ll have to give you a short lecture, otherwise you won’t understand anything. Yes, I was a goddess. Not the most powerful, nor for very long, in terms of divine time. And what do you think lends such power to gods and demons?’ Without waiting for Oleg’s answer, she went on: ‘Faith! In one of your most holy books it says: “According to your faith be it unto you.” It’s a very accurate observation... When I decided it was entertaining to appear to humans in the form of a goddess, they believed in me and I became a goddess. But then I got fed up with it and left. I was gradually forgotten, and I once more became what I had been earlier – a free-willed fire spirit, a fire elemental, or a salamander as you used to call the likes of me in the Middle Ages. As for your thoughts, the ones you are so embarrassed about… There’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m not just a fire spirit, I’m a woman, too, and there’s nothing wrong in your interest. Some of the variations quite took my fancy. It’s a shame that virtually none of them can be realized in the near future.’
At these words the blushing Oleg raised his head and looked at the salamander with amazement and hope. He tried to find a reason why two free adult people (well, one person and one former goddess) could not satisfy their mutual desire.
Suddenly a horrible thought came to him. He looked into the salamander’s eyes and asked softly: ‘Is it because they killed me? I don’t have a body? I’m just some sort of phantom now?’
‘No – to all three questions.’ Heliona gave a gentle flick of the wrist and a flicker of silvery flame darted up from the ground, becoming a perfect mirror when it cooled. Looking into it, the ex-goddess gave an approving nod, adjusted her hair and went on: ‘First of all, you haven’t died yet. Or rather, you’ve died, but you’ll resurrect very soon. With your last spell you handed your blood, your life and your strength over to me. I’ll return them to you, if you wish. And what’s more, you have a pretty good body right now. Take a look at your new body!’
So saying, she moved slightly to one side. Oleg came closer and looked in the mirror. In truth, he wasn’t thinking about the mirror right then but about how best to embrace Heliona, standing so temptingly close. But the first glance in the mirror swept all “foolish” thoughts from his head.
Looking at his reflection, he saw a demon. Over six and a half feet tall, his powerful body was covered in greenish scales. Huge wings hung like a black cape behind his back. The muscled five-fingered hands were also covered in scales, and huge claws stuck out from each finger. The face still had several of Oleg’s features, but something had been added to them, and the eyes were like two lakes filled with darkness and dread. Instead of hair, his head was wrapped in long, thin snakes.
‘What is that?’ Oleg gaped in amazement at the mirrored demon which copied his every move. Despite its highly unusual appearance, the demon was far from ugly. On the contrary, you could call him handsome, but it was the blood-curdling and enchanting beauty of a perfect murder tool. Besides, Oleg didn’t feel like a demon. All his senses told him that he had his usual, own dear body; looking at himself, he neither saw nor felt any scales, claws, wings or snakes.
At a loss, he turned to Helonia. Seeing his reaction, she smiled. ‘Yes, that is your outward appearance. That’s how you appear to everyone except yourself. Well, and to me, too, when I look into your thoughts.’
‘But why?’ Oleg asked in surprise.
‘It’s a peculiari
ty of our world. Here, everyone appears the way they subconsciously want to appear. And if what they want and what’s convenient don’t match, then the guest gets two appearances. Others see him as he wants to be seen, but he himself has the sensations of the appearance which is convenient for him. By the way, you shouldn’t be disappointed. Your new appearance is fetching. You look like one of the highest demons of the Dark Circle. And your fighting capacity is way beyond that of your human body. I reckon it wouldn’t be so easy to kill you now!’
At these words Oleg sighed sadly.
‘Don’t get so upset,’ Heliona guessed the reason for his sorrow. ‘I told you: I’ll return your body to you, almost as it was before.’
‘Almost?’ There was a note of alarm in Oleg’s voice.
‘Yes.’ The ex-goddess looked at him like a strict teacher looks at a naughty pupil. ‘You did die after all. In order to bring your body back to life, I had to pour a particle of my fire into your blood. I think you’ll like it. Magicians often request a similar procedure to increase their capacities.’
‘But then why can’t we be together?’ Oleg asked, puzzled. ‘Is it that you have such strict moral codes of conduct here?’
‘No.’ Heliona suddenly pulled in her waist and wiggled her shoulders slightly. The way she did so was charged with such passion and suggestion that Oleg, unable to contain himself, turned his eyes away and began reciting the multiplication tables, cursing his too-tight jeans. Then he remembered the salamander’s ability to read minds and blushed again.
With a contented purr, Heliona answered: ‘Morality, in terms of sexual taboos, was invented by Christians and I’m a pagan goddess, albeit a former one. I’m not talking about any such nonsense’. She arched herself again. The former pagan goddess obviously enjoyed tormenting Oleg, who finally tossed all do’s and don’ts to the wind and began openly ogling the girl. But she merely smiled approvingly and continued her movement, which was like a mix of aerobics and blatantly erotic dance.
Oleg was finally able to take his eyes off her cleavage and asked: ‘So then what’s the matter?’
‘It’s our nature, yours and mine.’ Heliona gave a sad smile and stopped dancing. ‘I’m a salamander, you’re a human. Like any other elemental spirit, I often lose control of myself in moments of passion.’
‘And?’ Oleg didn’t understand. ‘I like passionate girls.’
‘I’m not just passionate. I’m fiery! Literally. If I lose control of myself you’ll be burnt to a crisp in the blink of an eye. In normal conditions my body temperature is over six thousand degrees Celsius. When I get aroused, it can reach tens or even hundreds of thousands degrees. Now, as always when I’m dealing with humans, I maintain a barrier which doesn’t allow my heat to touch you. But in moments of passion this barrier gets weaker and can even collapse totally. Believe you me, it isn’t pleasant finding nothing but ash left of your beloved when you come to after an orgasm.’ Heliona’s eyes clouded over and filled with sorrow. ‘That’s why I don’t consort with males of the human race who don’t have magical powers sufficient to maintain their own barrier.’
Oleg latched onto that last phrase at once.
‘But that means that unions between elementals and humans are possible?’
‘Yes. If the human is a powerful enough magician, he can maintain the protective barrier.’
‘And could I become such a magician?’ Oleg asked.
‘You could. After all, you already have great potential, and now, after proper study and training that potential, you can become one of the most powerful human magicians in all the history of that troubled tribe.’
‘Where can I sign up?’ Oleg tried to make a joke, although he was actually very intrigued by the idea of becoming a mighty magician.
‘In some world where magic is well enough developed. There are even magician’s academies in some worlds. And by the way, any magician would be glad to teach such a gifted student.’
‘Great.’ Oleg rubbed his hands. ‘So we’ll send me off to the nearest world where there’s a magician’s university, I’ll study, and…’ He paused. “…But how, then, will I get back to my world, my life?”
“I’m afraid that won’t be easy…for a number of reasons. Please believe me when I tell you that you’re not ready yet. You may never be ready; only time will tell. Until you have enough power and experience to even begin to consider that possibility, I suggest that you make do with these other worlds.”
Swept away by his feelings, Oleg got up, strode across the clearing and, turning back towards the salamander, said, “Well, alright, if that’s the way it has to be then that’s that.” He gave her a sly wink. “So, let’s get back to us…”
She just smiled.
‘If you really want to lose your human essence in the pursuit of mightiness, then there is another way, and for you it would be much easier,’ she said after some hesitation. ‘Demons – well, and gods, too, of course – are endowed with a natural immunity to the manifestations of elementals’ powers…’
‘But what’s that got to do with me?’ Oleg asked in surprise.
‘Well, you’ve got the body of a demon, and what’s more, obviously a high-ranking one. That means that somewhere in your soul there’s a bit of demon and the wish to become one completely. So I would advise you to keep that body, even after you return to your own…’
At this point Heliona cut her speech short and listened very carefully. Then she said hurriedly: ‘Which will happen any second now.’
Suddenly a huge pillar of flame rose up in the middle of the clearing. Already used to various fiery phenomena, Oleg stared at it curiously. The flame, however, didn’t cool down nor did it turn into any useful object, but went out slightly. The outline of something in its midst could be discerned. That “something”, like a gigantic vacuum cleaner, drew unto itself all the flames raging around it; finally, when the flames had all but died down, that mysterious “something” became clear. To Oleg’s great joy it turned out to be his body, his own dear body, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, with his guitar on its back – in short, precisely that body lost as result of a fight in a dark alleyway, which it was so hard for him to part with.
Forgetting himself in his delight, he rushed closer, but was stopped at once by the salamander.
‘Stop. I wouldn’t recommend you touch it yet.’
‘Why not?’
‘If you touch it, you’ll immediately reincarnate and lose the body you are in now. And you’ll need this one – really need it--to go to some world different from your own, for example. The most convenient way to transport to a suitable world is to use some invocation of a demon. So I would advise you to try and keep both bodies.’
‘How does that work? Do I need to tear myself in two?’ Oleg didn’t find the idea inspiring.
‘No, you’ll become a shapeshifter. If you want, you’ll be a human, at least, as far as that’s possible for you now. And if you want, you can crawl into the demon-body. By the way, if you are in demon form for long enough, and if you fortify it with the corresponding actions so people believe that you really are a demon, then you will be. And that’s exactly the path I would advise you to take.’
‘No, I’d rather turn myself into a magician. I don’t fancy the idea of ripping heads off and torching cities.’
Having said this, Oleg began nervously pacing about, looking at the body lying in front of him. He obviously couldn’t wait to return to it, although Heliona’s publicity for demonic capacities hadn’t fallen on deaf ears.
‘And how am I supposed to keep this appearance?’ Oleg stopped at last and stared straight at the salamander.
‘It’s very easy. Feel that it’s yours. Feel yourself as a demon…’ Heliona’s voice changed, it became deep and broad, with hypnotizing power. ‘Feel the cold fury and the hot hatred of a demon… the ability to fly and the thirst for the torment of your enemies… don’t feel hair on your head but malicious snakes ready to pounce on anyone who is careles
s enough to approach you… feel the reliability of your armour and the sharpness of your claws…’
As the former goddess pronounced these words, Oleg fell into some sort of deep trance. Her words went through him, imprinting themselves deep in the twilight of his soul, dissolving in it and giving birth to an answering reaction.
Hatred was the first to come; a bright red burning wave flowed through his body, making him feel every muscle in his mighty body. Yes, Oleg felt his strength and power which needed no other support because it stemmed from the sharpness of his fangs and claws, the strength of his muscles, the resilience of his armour of scales, and the lightness of his wings which enabled him to overtake any enemy trying to escape. That was the second feeling to overwhelm Oleg, and for long seconds he revelled in the sense of incredible physical strength which was new to him.
But then Oleg was covered by the next, the third wave, and he shrieked in pain and amazement. In the blink of an eye he understood why there are so many strange legends about demons and he understood that the legends don’t contain an ounce of truth. The third wave was thirst. Thirst for the blood and pain of his enemies, the thirst to kill and terrorize, to lord over slaves and throw down adversaries.
Then it all passed. Oleg stared at Heliona, dumbfounded.
‘What was that?’
‘A few emotions of a real demon of the High Circle. Now you can imagine what it means to be a real demon.’
‘But what did you do that for?’
‘You liked it, didn’t you?’
‘N-no.’ Oleg’s answer sounded hesitant.
‘Oh, really?’ The girl smiled her most cunning of smiles.
But Oleg stood firm.
‘Well, yes, that is, I liked it at that moment, but not now. I don’t want to be such a …’ he thought, searching for a fitting description. ‘… joyful killer.’
‘If you don’t want to be, then you won’t be.’ Heliona answered calmly. ‘But I needed to do it so you would completely unify with your demon body… OK, what’s happening behind you? Don’t turn round!’
The Road to Magic (Book 1 of the Way of the Demon Series) Page 3