The Demon Behind Me

by Christopher Nelson

  I nodded and he turned back to his other advisor. A formal relationship with Kyla would smooth over a host of old issues between our Houses. I was infamous for a number of reasons. She was a rising star. She was also gorgeous, blatantly interested, and if I ever brought her home, Tink would shank me. I sighed and resisted the urge to slam my head into the table. Moving out sounded better and better all the time.

  A tall, muscular demon with scars down his cheeks clapped his hands three times. “House Amon calls this meeting of the Infernal Host High Council to order,” he called out. Conversations died down and demons took their seats. “As host, House Amon reminds all present that we are still in a state of hostilities with the Angelic Choir and we are bound to secrecy concerning all discussions of this meeting, upon pain of treason and death. As the situation bringing us together this day is urgent, House Amon moves to expedite due ceremony and consider roll to be called and quorum present. Do any stand in opposition?” I rolled my eyes. Tradition died hard. The Choir didn’t want to have a damn thing to do with us right now.

  After a brief pause, the High Prince of House Amon started to speak, but the scraping of a chair across the floor cut him off. “House Mammon stands in opposition.” Their High Prince stood. His suit fit him perfectly and probably cost more than my car. “My fellow Princes, how can we consider the roll called when one of our seats is empty? House Lucifer’s chair has remained empty ever since the Second War ended. They were once first among equals, yet now, they cannot fulfill their responsibilities to the Host. We do not have a full quorum. Can we truly call any of our decisions binding in their absence?”

  Amon glared across the room and shook his head. Opheran sighed audibly next to me. “House Mammon, your opposition is so noted. Let us proceed with the roll.” He called upon each House in turn, pausing at the silence for House Lucifer. “Let the record show House Lucifer is not represented at this session.”

  Mammon’s High Prince leaned forward on his table. “Let the record show House Lucifer has fallen!”

  A chorus of growls broke out. Opheran cracked a smile. “Overplayed, Mammon. Well done.”

  “Fallen?” House Leviathan’s High Prince stood, tall and slender. Kyla sat next to him. She tossed me a wink as our gazes met. “While none can deny House Lucifer’s nobility has been shattered, neither can we confirm it has been irrevocably wiped out. They have not fallen until we can verify the line of Lucifer himself is no longer viable. Can you prove such a thing, Mammon? Of course not. Rather than fallen, would you not say they are forgotten, only to be remembered when convenient to you?”

  Opheran laughed aloud, earning stares and glares. I tried to hold back my own smile. Mammon cleared his throat before speaking again. “Fallen and forgotten, Leviathan. My House has searched the world for months since their destruction at the hands of the angels. We have found scores of survivors, yes, but none of their nobility. We can find nothing to prove their viability.”

  “Lack of evidence is not evidence of lack,” Leviathan pointed out. “What proof do you have?”

  Mammon gestured to the eighth table where the imps congregated. The Chairman phased into visibility, his suit also impeccably tailored. I wondered who on Earth actually made suits small enough to fit imps. “At House Mammon’s request, the Consortium provided assistance in their search. While there are some survivors of House Lucifer’s nobility, there were none above the rank of Count, and none of those have lineage traceable to Lucifer. The Consortium, regretfully, agrees with House Mammon’s assessment.”

  Another chorus of growls rang out through the room. “If that’s the truth, we’re in trouble,” Opheran said to me. “Leviathan won’t stand up for a dead House. If they believe the imps, they’ll vote to dissolve.”

  “And we can’t stand alone, can we?”

  “No.”

  “How long has the search gone on for?” House Leviathan pressed.

  “Does it matter?” House Beelzebub rose to join the battle, their second Prince splitting the difference between corpulent and fit. “The Consortium has confirmed our suspicions. House Lucifer is no longer viable. It is a shame the first House is the first to fall, but-“

  “Point of order.” Opheran stood. House Amon nodded to him. “Chairman, a point of order for historical accuracy. Has a House ever fallen due to no longer having nobility, a command structure, or a viable bloodline?”

  The Chairman frowned. “No.”

  “Forgive me for such an obvious question. Let me clarify. Are there any cases where a House has nearly fallen due to one or more of those three tragedies?” Opheran continued.

  I could almost hear the Chairman’s teeth grinding in the silence following Opheran’s clarification. “In the middle of the sixteenth century, shortly after the end of the First War, House Mammon’s nobility was nearly eradicated due to an angelic strike against their Council meeting. One of their surviving minor nobles claimed to have a bloodline traceable to Mammon himself. That demon took the title of High Prince, reconstructed their nobility, and rebuilt their command structure.”

  Opheran assumed a look of surprise. “Why, Mammon, I believe the demon in this story was you, wasn’t it?”

  The High Prince of House Mammon gave Opheran a look I had previously only seen on Tink’s face. “What are you implying, Asmodeus?”

  “I merely stated a point of order for our Council to take into account.” Opheran brushed invisible lint from his shoulder and sat back down.

  House Amon cleared his throat. “We thank the High Prince of House Asmodeus for this information and clarification. Chairman, to sate my own curiosity, how long did it take to track down the bloodline of Mammon?”

  “Almost three years,” the Chairman snapped. “But we were not in a state of active conflict at the time.”

  “Every meeting of this Council for the past two millennia has acknowledged our state of conflict with the Choir,” Amon shot back. I traded looks with Opheran. Was House Amon siding with us?

  Opheran rose again. “I ask for the indulgence of the Council.” Amon glanced around the circle for objections before nodding. “Let’s stop dancing around the topic here. The Choir eviscerated House Lucifer. Without their vote, we’ve been deadlocked on everything of importance, and the current situation with humanity demands a solution. Some of you believe dissolving House Lucifer and handing the Consortium the ability to break ties is the best way to proceed. With all due respect to the Chairman and Consortium, House Asmodeus disagrees. We’ve all focused on putting our own Houses back together since the war. Have any of us, besides House Mammon, truly put effort in to tracking down the survivors of House Lucifer? I dare say we have not.”

  “Why should we put effort in?” House Beelzebub’s High Prince stood. Beelzebub, Mammon, and Asmodeus had been allies for centuries, but it seemed to me the alliance was breaking down. “House Lucifer wouldn’t lift a finger to help us, were the situation reversed.”

  “Because we need them,” Opheran said. Both Princes of Beelzebub frowned. “My Princes, this is an extraordinary situation. The Gates of Hell are open, giving us the opportunity to return home at last. A strong faction of human mages has openly declared to the world we exist, and the world is not friendly. We need a strong, unified front. We need House Lucifer, first among equals as was said earlier. Or will we leave their remnants to die at the hands of humanity while we bicker?”

  “Then what do you propose?” Mammon demanded.

  “I propose two motions, my Princes. First, let us collectively search for the survivors of House Lucifer. With all due respect to House Mammon and the Consortium, I believe this is a task the Host should undertake as a whole.”

  “You dare impugn-“

  Amon slammed his hands down on the table. “House Amon does not disagree with your motives, Asmodeus,” he said, cutting off Mammon’s attempt to break in. “However, if the Consortium has not found them in the span of time since the war, how could we find them? Tw
o years have passed. That is more than enough time to investigate.”

  I leaned toward Opheran. “Lucifer had developed something to block imps from certain areas, even while phased. I don’t know what it was or how it worked, but the Consortium knows about it.”

  Opheran smiled. “Thank you for the timely information. My Princes, I have been advised by the Gatekeeper that at one time, House Lucifer had developed a way to keep the Consortium from entering certain areas. Is this accurate, Chairman?”

  The Chairman and every imp in the room focused on me. It was unnerving. “That is correct,” he rasped. He wouldn’t have admitted to it if he didn’t have to. The imps simply didn’t lie. They would omit information, they would embellish or downplay, but if you asked a direct question, you would get a direct answer.

  “In that case, there may plausibly be locations where survivors of House Lucifer are inaccessible to the Consortium. Considering this possibility, House Asmodeus believes it prudent to have the Host bend its will to searching for any House Lucifer survivors who may have his bloodline.” Opheran was giving the Consortium a way to save face. They hadn’t put much effort into the search and everyone in the chamber knew it.

  “House Leviathan supports this proposal.” Kyla winked at me again as her High Prince stood.

  “House Mammon opposes! This is an insult, Asmodeus! Your implications are meritless! You risk our old alliance. Is that your goal?”

  “I seek nothing of the sort,” Opheran said. “I feel the resources of a single House would be inadequate, given the circumstances.”

  “House Beelzebub stands with Mammon. We believe House Mammon and the Consortium performed a more than adequate search. The Host as a whole cannot contribute significantly more than they already have.”

  Amon sized up the chamber. “What say you, House Belphagor?”

  “We would hear the second proposal of House Asmodeus before we decide where we stand.”

  Opheran nodded. “The second motion is contingent upon the first. If we cannot restore House Lucifer within a reasonable period, I move to modify the rules of order of our High Council. We consider the absence of a vote to be a vote against the topic or motion at hand. I propose we consider no vote to be an abstention instead.”

  Belphagor’s High Prince laughed aloud and slapped his hand on the table. “Yes! House Asmodeus brings us the easiest and most reasonable solution, cutting through the bullshit! House Belphagor will gladly stand with Asmodeus with that consideration!”

  Opheran glanced down at me with a slight smile. If his compromise passed, it meant we gave the Consortium some of they wanted, but if we ever found someone who could bring House Lucifer back, they would return to the Council as normal. It gave the imps more power in general, allowing them to break ties when a single House abstained. No one would be truly happy with the outcome, which was the sign of a true compromise.

  Amon’s High Prince looked to Beelzebub and Mammon, neither of which seemed to be willing to reverse their stance. He looked back to Opheran and nodded. “House Amon will accept your motion, but only if amended.”

  “What is your amendment?”

  “As you indicated before, with humanity rising against us, there is a limit to the resources the Host can commit to the search. With all due respect, if the Consortium has performed a search, our efforts are likely to be fruitless. Our amendment is to allow three months for the search. Three months is a reasonable period. If we do not restore House Lucifer by then, your second motion shall be passed without debate by the same majority.”

  Kyla caught my eye and shrugged. “Seems like Leviathan is fine with the time limit,” I whispered up to Opheran.

  “Unsurprising. It’s not as long as I’d like, but it’ll have to do. Can you do it?”

  “Me?”

  “Who did you think I was going to ask to lead the search efforts?”

  “House Intelligence? One of the Dukes? Maybe someone competent?”

  He smirked and I sighed. “House Asmodeus finds your condition to be reasonable. Let our motion be so amended.”

  “House Amon stands with House Asmodeus,” Amon announced. “This is a majority vote, with Beelzebub, Mammon, and Lucifer opposed. The motion passes.” I snorted. Technically, House Lucifer had to oppose their only chance to survive. “House Amon moves for a fifteen minute recess before moving on to the rest of the agenda. Do any oppose?”

  No one opposed. I stood up and stretched before walking to meet Kyla. The Chairman phased into view nearby before we could say anything, arms crossed and expression stony. “Isaiah Bright, I am displeased with your actions against the Consortium today.”

  “Sorry, but I had to do it,” I said. “Chairman, you have your own interests and they don’t necessarily align with ours. I don’t think you should have the right to force all of demonkind to follow your will.”

  “Yet you force us to follow your will.”

  “Force you? Come on. We all know you didn’t look very hard for Lucifer. You saw this as your chance to gain power.”

  “Is that what you think?” The imp’s eyes burned green. I was hitting all sorts of nerves today.

  “Am I wrong?”

  “You may decide for yourself.” The Chairman drew himself up straight and glared at me. “The Consortium will not support you in your fruitless search, Baron. Good day.”

  He vanished, but Kibs popped into view in nearly the same place. “Some of us might be willing to do some freelance work, though. Don’t get your panties in a wad over this. We thought there might be a chance for freedom here. Strike while the iron is hot, yeah?”

  “There still is,” I said. “I sympathize with you, but the timing is all sorts of bullshit. Opheran let the Chairman save face, and then gave him most of what he wanted with the contingent motion. We just want an actual chance to find House Lucifer. One step at a time. Isn’t that fair?”

  “Maybe.” Kibs phased out without a goodbye. I wondered if the Chairman had been listening in.

  “That’s uncharacteristically blunt of the imps,” Kyla said. “You have a strange relationship with them, Zay.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said. “My life is a string of strange relationships. Demons, human, angels, imps, I have friends and enemies everywhere. I should probably work on the archons next just so I have all my bases covered.”

  She laughed and touched my arm. “Our High Prince has asked me to coordinate the search efforts for our House. We’ll be working closely with you. As closely as possible.”

  “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

  She gave me a smile and a look. Most human men on the receiving end of her gaze would have been out of their clothes before they could think twice about it. “You’ll be in touch soon, won’t you?”

  “Of course, my dear Baroness.”

  “Excellent.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “I look forward to it.”

  I leaned back against the wall as she walked away. Tink was going to murder my ass once she found out about this, especially since I’d be running the search efforts out of her house. She’d just have to learn to deal with it.

  Chapter Three

  “Deal with it?” Tink’s knife jabbed deep enough between my ribs to draw blood. “Help me understand this, demon. My house is the headquarters of the effort to find House Lucifer? House fucking Lucifer? And I’m supposed to just deal with it?”

  I held my hands up. “Hey, I was deputized by Opheran. What was I going to say?”

  “I know you don’t have the balls to say no to him, but seriously? Why would you volunteer to run it from here?” she snapped. “Why couldn’t you go someplace else? Anywhere else? Hell sounds good right about now, doesn’t it?”

  “Hell’s not the best place for this,” I said. “We don’t really have the resources there to coordinate the search effort. No internet.”

  “I was being figurative, not literal, asshole.”

  “Oh.”<
br />
  She pushed the knife in deeper. “Did you think about me at all with this idea, demon? You’re searching for House Lucifer? Lucifer! Do you remember what we went through with those assholes? Do you remember how they killed our friends? Do you remember fucking Azriphel murdering my family for generations?”

  “That was just him!”

  “I know!” The tip of her knife sliced down across my ribcage, leaving a red trail soaking into my shirt. “I know, demon. I can’t blame all demons. I can’t even blame his whole fucking House. I know, rationally, but for fuck’s sake, how do you expect me to be rational at all when it comes to dealing with Lucifer?”

  I opened my mouth to respond, thought better of it, and snapped my jaw shut. Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You were just about to say you never expect me to be rational, weren’t you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She jammed her knife to the hilt into my chest, taking care not to pierce my heart or anything too vital. I snarled a litany of curses in demonic as she stalked away.

  Another voice spoke up. “You know, you really did deserve that one. Are you going to bleed all over the floor when you take it out? If you could get to the bathroom first, it’d be a lot easier to clean up. We’re running low on peroxide and I hate scrubbing the carpet.”

  I looked over to see Grace, Tink’s “little” sister leaning against the doorway to the living room. They looked almost like twins. Both had long, golden blonde hair, both were fit and thin to the point where they seemed delicate at first glance, and both had a serious case of resting bitch face. Grace had two major differences from her sister, both of which I appreciated. First, she was a good six inches taller, so I didn’t have to look down all the time. Second, she didn’t stab me any time she got annoyed. “No, I’m not going to bleed all over. She didn’t hit an artery or anything that’ll spray this time. I think.”