“He was what?” I said softly, as gently as I could. I took ahold of one of his hands and looked at him. I hoped that my face was soft and encouraging. I didn’t want him to think that I was pushing him, even though I was.
“He was a very rich man. He was a Duke in Edinburgh. At least, he became a Duke in Edinburgh when it was established in the year 1125. That was the year that the town of Edinburgh was established.” He swallowed hard, his eyes not meeting mine. I sat there silently, waiting for him to continue.
He furtively looked at the altar, thinking that he was going to stall me again. He was beating around the bush, and, truth be told, I was more than a little worried that my mother would make her appearance out of the blue, and I would miss my chance to find out all about Peter and his history.
“Right,” he said, nodding his head again. “So, yes, my father was the Duke of Edinburgh and we lived in a castle. We had ladies in waiting, servants, everything.” He seemed to shiver. “It might seem like a great life, but it wasn’t at all, of course. That castle was extremely cold in the dead of winter.” He smiled ruefully. “Imagine having to heat 10,000 square feet with nothing but fireplaces. To have only candles for lights. You really don’t know how well you have it now.”
I shivered just thinking about it. I had seen many movies, of course, that were set in the “castle days,” as I liked to call them. Those places looked miserable to me – dark, dank and drafty. To some people, they looked like heaven. Not to me. All I could ever think when I saw these places was that I was glad that I didn’t live back then. I also thought that I would prefer to be a peasant – those small houses with the wood-burning fireplaces looked much more cozy and appealing.
Peter once again looked anxiously towards to altar.
“She’s not coming,” I said. “At least not any time soon. Hey, maybe that’s by design. Maybe she’s secretly watching us, thinking that you need to give me answers, so she’s not going to bug us just yet.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “Whatever you’re going to say isn’t as bad as all that. Really. I mean, I went to Hell. Apparently I’m in real danger of going back there again and again. Whatever you have to say to me is something that I can handle. Now, out with it.”
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “My mother was a beautiful woman. She was a peasant, and my father was still allowed to marry her, even though that sort of thing simply was not done. My father, however, was able to do anything that he pleased. He never had to face any consequences, and what he wanted was my mother, even though she was born to a penniless family.”
I smiled, thinking that was a romantic thing. A nobleman, royalty at that, going into the villages and finding a young maiden who was born to poverty. Just like Cinderella, really. “That sounds pretty awesome,” I said. “Very romantic.”
Peter shook his head. “I don’t think that you quite understand, mate. And that’s my fault. I haven’t given you the information that you need to understand.”
“You’re right about that. So, tell me, Peter, why your dad was able to do all this? Accumulate wealth, marry a commoner, etc.? I get the feeling that maybe your father wasn’t born to royalty at all either, yet he attained a station.”
“He did attain a station. He wasn’t born to nobility. You’re right.” He cleared his throat again. “He was able to because attain wealthy, power and nobility because….”
I nodded my head. I was finally going to get to the bottom of why Peter was immortal, and hopefully would also understand why he and I couldn’t be together.
Then I groaned.
In a flurry of smoke, my mother finally appeared.
21
“Hello, mother,” I said to the figure that had just appeared before me on the altar. Boy, did she have good timing. I was close, thisclose, to finally finding out the story behind the mysterious Peter. It occurred to me that I didn’t even know his last name. He was just about to confess all, and I looked over at him to see his expression. Just as I thought, he had a look on his face of absolute relief. Bastard. Well, he’s going to have to tell me at some point, so he had better know that he didn’t get out of anything. He thinks that he did, but he really does have another thing coming.
“Lyra, it is so good to see you again. I knew that you would be back.”
“Of course you knew, mother. What did you think was going to happen when you sent that demon to take over Olive’s body and try to kill Jordan? Did you think that I would just let that go? You’re really good mom – put not one but two of my loved ones in jeopardy for a double whammy. Way to really drive home the point that I have no choice but to take your stupid demon assignment.”
My mother looked at me with a tut tut expression, as much of a tut tut expression a thousands-year-old-woman-who-looks-25 can make, but spread her arms. I refused to go to her, though. I was still kinda pissed that she arranged for all that to happen. “Lyra, I am sorry that I had to do that. But I knew that, once you went down to the Gloaming and saw what was at stake, that you would know that you had no choice. Not only are there innocents out there who will be the victims of demons, but there are thousands of innocents in the Gloaming who need you to vanquish their possessors. Thousands of people just like young James Woodson who need you.”
I crossed my arms in front of me, but I had to admit that she had a point. After meeting James, I knew that this demon slaying business had to be my calling. My mother was right – I was the only hope for salvation for James and all others like him. Others who were forced to live in that hazy netherworld, where time did not stop, and their emotions were still intact. The face of James haunted my dreams, and I knew that I had to get that demon who occupied his body and get him quickly.
I finally just sighed. “Okay. I’ll take that assignment. Now, I’m here to get the rest of the story. Peter said that you had other important bits of information for me. Things that I’m going to need to know to kill these…” I was going to say the words mother fuckers, because that was the term that entered my brain right at that moment, but I saw mom’s delicate face and decided against it. “Demons.”
“Yes. I am here to answer your questions, but also to explain to you your origins. Tell you why it is that you were chosen for this.” She paused and looked meaningfully at Peter. Peter simply nodded his head and looked over at me. He had a peaceful look on his face.
“Yeah? Well, this better be good, mom. There better be a darned good reason why I would be put in this position. I’m not really happy about constantly having my life put into danger, and I’m really not happy that I have to visit Hell each time. So, please, mom, explain to me why I have to go through this.” I didn’t necessarily know what she was going to be able to tell me that would make it better.
“First of all, Lyra, you have to understand that I am working with the Ars Goetia council to lift that curse.” At that, she looked at Peter meaningfully again, and, this time, he averted his eyes from me.
Now what was that look all about? “Ars what council?”
“Ars Goetia. This is a council that oversees the demons throughout the world,” my mother said.
“What? I don’t understand. There’s a council that oversees demons too? What do they do, mom? I mean, these demons are taking over the world, running roughshod over innocents, and that’s their purpose, right? Why would there be a council to try to reign them in?” That made no sense to me, none whatsoever. I thought that the very notion of demon was equal to the words “evil” and the word “chaos.” That would imply that there wouldn’t be any kind of order over them.
“Lyra, there is a council for every type of supernatural being. There’s a council that oversees shifters, one that oversees pixies, one that oversees angels and goddesses, one that oversees vampires, one that oversees shifters, one that oversees fairies. There is a council for every type of being. We do have to have a cooperative society, or else this world would descend into chaos. There is no one entity that can grow more powerful than the others.”
&n
bsp; I crossed my arms in front of me again. “Mother, let me ask that question in a different way. The demons love chaos. They thrive on it. They thrive on power. Why would they form a council that would try to get them to play by a set of rules?”
My mother sighed. “That is difficult to explain, Lyra, although I will try. Up until recently, there has been a balance on this earth. A kind of harmony. There has always been a war against the demons, mainly being fought by angels, but also by witches and even certain chosen mortals.”
Chosen mortals – like Sam and Dean Winchester or Buffy. I didn’t say as much to mom, but those were the names that popped into my head.
“Go on.”
“Nobody wants the end of the world,” my mother said. “The demons do not want the end of the world, at least the Ars Goetia does not want that. They have never wanted the demons who roamed the earth to gain too much power, because if they did, that would throw off the balance and our earth would soon cease to exist. The evil would become too great, for it would multiply once there reached a certain point of no return. So, there formed, many millennia ago, a council of demons that made sure that the minions were kept in check.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And why don’t the demons want the end of the world?” That was news to me. I always thought that was what demons were angling for. Bring an end to humanity as we knew it.
“Lyra, if there is an end of the world, then that would be it. The demons would not be able to occupy a space on our earth anymore. They like it on earth. It provides them with the creature comforts that they crave, along with the power that they need. They like mankind, if only because they enjoy tormenting humans so much. They get a thrill out of it.”
I nodded my head. This all was making a strange type of sense. “So, the demons want to torment us but not end us.” I shrugged. “It makes a perverse type of sense, actually.”
“Yes. The reason why you are here, Lyra, is that it has become increasingly clear that the balance of power is shifting. It is shifting away from the good and the light and towards the evil. You are the deliverer. You are the one who will vanquish the most powerful demons on earth. Once the most powerful demons are gone, then the balance will be in check once more.”
I nodded my head. “So, basically, you want me to get rid of the big league demons so that the world only has the little junior leaguers running around.”
Peter smiled. “That is one way of putting it.”
I turned back to mom. “Mom, again, I mean, I have to point this out. I know nothing. I mean, I got this great necklace and all, and it’s gotten me out of a couple of jams. But that stupid demon you sent up my apartment was a real weakling. I mean, a real weakling. All I had to do, literally, was turn into a cat and I made him squeal like a little bitch.” I saw my mother wince a bit at my salty language, but I pressed on. “I showed myself that I can fight off this little gnat of a demon, a guy who would be considered not even a hamster, and you want me to fight off these lions. I can vanquish a hamster just fine, but a lion?” I shook my head. “I’m not prepared for that at all.”
My mother looked over at Peter, who again nodded his head.
“Lyra, you have the power. Once you know what I am about to tell you, you will realize that you have the power. You do need training, and Peter will provide that for you. He has been instructed on all the ways that you will find these demons and vanquish them. At the moment, there are 72 of the original fallen roaming the earth. There can be no more than 8 of these demons roaming the earth for there to be a healthy balance.”
I gave mom my best bitch please look. “72? 72? I need to get the number of 72 down to 8? That means that I have to vanquish 64 of the most powerful demons the world knows? Me?”
“You will not be alone, of course. You will meet others who will help you. Among those will be your sisters, who will also be training with Peter.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You mean my sister and my cousin, don’t you?”
She sighed. “Lyra, please do not be pedantic. You must consider both Sybil and Maddy your sisters.” She hesitated. “Because Sybil is also not your full sister. She is only your half-sister. Maddy is your cousin, for she is the daughter of my own sister, whose name is Brigid. Both of their fathers are mortals, and I am a descendent of Rhiannon, the Celtic goddess of fertility and the moon. Brigid is a descendent of the Celtic goddess of fire, whose name was also Brigid.”
“So, we’re all descended from goddesses. That’s pretty cool. But why did you feel the need to tell me that Sybil and Maddy have mortal fathers?”
“Because your father wasn’t a mortal.”
I shook my head. “This is getting too weird. I mean, now I know that Sybil has a different dad from me. Maddy has two completely different parents from me. I always grew up thinking that the three of us had the same two parents – Ruthann and George. I’m sorry mom, but my head is spinning just a little here.”
“Lyra, you need to know about your father. Once you know about him, then you will understand why you, among all other beings in the universe, are uniquely qualified to vanquish these powerful demons.”
I sighed, feeling defeated. “Okay, mom, tell me who he is. Actually, I’m pretty excited to finally find out this piece of information. What was his name?”
“Michael.”
The name didn’t really strike me when she said it. There was no way that I would have ever associated the name Michael with The Michael. The Archangel Michael who was tasked with fighting Satan’s minions. After all, mom was a Celtic goddess. Well, she wasn’t, but she was descended from a line of them. What the hell would she be doing messing around with an Archangel? So, when she said the name of my father, my mind didn’t really go there.
“Michael. Okay. Sounds like a modern name. What’s the big deal about him?”
“Michael is an angel. One of the most powerful angels in Heaven. He is the angel who was sent by God to defeat Satan.” She shook her head, and I could see that she was thinking that I had to be the dumbest person in the world. I mean, who didn’t know about the Archangel Michael?
“Oh, come on, mom, do you expect me to believe that? You’re a witch and you got with an angel? And not just any angel, but the baddest ass angel there is. He’s the dude who’s supposed to defeat Satan, and is supposed to be a leader against evil. But as far as I know, he’s an angel, so how is an angel supposed to have kids?”
“He briefly took a human form. He walked the earth as a handsome man. Kind, gentle, yet fierce. Fiercely protective. I was chosen to give him what he needed the most – a human child. A human child who would be gifted with the profound ability to find evil and vanquish it. I did not know that I was chosen, however. I did not know who he was. I only knew that he was the most beautiful man that I had ever known, and I fell very much in love with him. And he with me.”
I thought about Peter’s story – about how his powerful father found an ordinary maiden and married her. Mom’s story was much the same, except her suitor wasn’t just any ordinary nobleman. He was the King of the Angels, just about. “Yeah?” I tapped my foot. “Now how am I supposed to believe all this? And you haven’t really answered my question. Why would you, a Celtic witch, be the chosen one for an Archangel? I mean, I’ve heard of mixed marriages, but that story takes the cake. You’re pagan, he’s Christian. You’re a witch, he’s an angel.” I shook my head. “Why didn’t he choose another angel or somebody?”
“Lyra, he chose me because he fell in love with me. And I with him. It was nothing more than that. He also knew that I had powers, powers that he knew that you could benefit from. He knew that I didn’t believe in the same God that he does, but that did not matter to him. He really only knew that my daughter would always be gifted, powerful and protected. He could not choose another Angel to give him a child. Angels do not take human form. They can only walk the earth by possession of humans who have already been born, and then only temporarily, because they displace souls, much like demons do. He had a c
hoice between mortal women and immortal women, and he chose me, an immortal woman.”
I still didn’t really understand. “What does that matter? That you are an immortal woman?”
“It mattered to him very much. He knew that vanquishing demons would be an undertaking that would take millennia. He needed a woman who would be able to guide her daughter through thousands of years of training, which is what it takes to become an expert demon slayer.”
“Well, I’m not thousands of years old. So, there’s a hole in your whole theory right there.”
Mom looked sad. “No, you are not thousands of years old. Not as I am. But you have lived, died and been reborn through thousands of years. Just as Sybil had been, and Maddy as well. And, with each lifetime, you have only gotten stronger. You have inner powers that are immense, perhaps the most immense this world has ever known. You need training, but you can, and you will, be able to defeat any demon that you encounter.”
“Okay. So, I’m a demon slayer and I have some wicked powers.” I nodded my head, feeling pretty proud of the whole situation. Perhaps for the first time, I felt a sense of pride about who I was and what I was tasked to do. “But tell me about that curse? If I’m this powerful girl, whose father was the Archangel Michael, how do I have a curse? Why do I have one?”
Mother sighed. “That is a long story.”
“I got time.”
22
Mother looked at me. “Actually, my dear, you do not have time. I explained to Peter, and perhaps he did not explain to you, that you may only stay here for a certain allotment of time. The reason for this is because you must get back to New York City to help your sisters find the demon who is occupying the body of James Woodson. He is your first assignment. That demon’s name is Asmodeus, and he is powerful. His powers are so great, however, that you might not be able to find him right away. That is why you must return to New York. You must return, you must find this demon, and you must vanquish him. Once you do this, then Peter will help you to continue with your training.”
Lyra's Magic: Witches of Manhattan Book One Page 15