Lyra's Magic: Witches of Manhattan Book One

by Langley Keaton

  Delphinia and Asmodeus had a passionate affair. Even then, Asmodeus’ sex drive was uncomfortably strong, but he found the woman that he wanted to be with, and he never strayed. It was his good fortune that Delphinia also had a healthy sex drive, so their lives were spent in passionate embraces in every place that the two could be alone. They often met by a river, or in the woods, and sometimes met in Asmodeus’ abode. Asmodeus knew that the affair would come to a tragic end, as Delphinia was a mere mortal and Asmodeus was a powerful Prince in the Infernum. Yet, Asmodeus could not stay away from her. She showed him the wonders on earth – the flowers and trees, the magnificent sculptures and the beautiful buildings that housed these works of art. The music. The fine foods. He indulged in all of the abundance that he could, guided by Delphinia, who gradually went from being his great love to being his great obsession.

  He finally had to kill her, because her father had found out about the two lovers and forbade Delphinia from seeing Asmodeus ever again. Delphinia became betrothed to another man, a mere mortal, although she tried to see Asmodeus as much as she possibly could. On the day that she informed Asmodeus that their meeting would be their last, Asmodeus did the only thing that he could – he slit her throat. He could still see, in his mind’s eye, the bright red blood running down the beautiful girl’s white tunic. Her head was almost severed, with her blonde hair, like spun gold, spread out on Asmodeus’ marble floor.

  Delphinia was the first woman who stirred his passions, and she certainly wasn’t the last. Although every other woman who had come after Delphinia were not loved or cherished by Asmodeus, so much as they were possessed by him. And it always ended up the same – Asmodeus would tire of them and would kill them and dump their bodies. He did not dump Delphinia’s body – he took her lovingly out to the woods, in the spot where they often met to make love, dug a hole, and put her into it. He adorned her grave with flowers and brought fresh flowers to the grave for many years afterwards. But the other women, the ones who resembled Delphinia, met a different fate. Their bodies were generally dumped in a river or thrust into the sea.

  Now here was Michelle, who looked like the living embodiment of Delphinia. Asmodeus was looking forward to getting her alone, hurting her and slaying her. He was hard just thinking about it.

  Then he got the vision. Lyra. She was coming into the club. Asmodeus looked over at Astoroth, who was standing against a wall, receiving oral pleasure from a man and a woman. He looked over at Asmodeus, and the two demons read one another’s thoughts. They knew that she would be at the club, although neither demon knew exactly when.

  Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, and looked over at Michelle. Stay here, he commanded her through his thoughts. Do not leave. I will be right back. Michelle looked back at him and nodded her head. She found a chair and sat down, refusing all the men and women who came up to her, wanting to play. She had settled on Asmodeus, just as Asmodeus had settled on her, and she was going to wait patiently for him. Asmodeus smiled, knowing that Michelle would definitely take her place on that chair and not move a muscle until he returned for her.

  Asmodeus and Astoroth quickly disentangled themselves from their respective partners, and both men headed to the roof. That was where Lyra was going to meet them, they both knew. This was their chance to kill her and send her to the Infernum. Asmodeus’ plan was that Lyra would stay there for eternity. She would not return. Asmodeus planned that this would happen because he was going to immediately go to Rome after he dispatched Lyra, and appeal the council’s ruling that Lyra could return 9 different times. That was unfair – before, in every other incarnation, Lyra was only killed once. After every time she was killed, she had to stay in the underworld – not the Infernum, but the Annwn, the otherworld that was the land of plenty – for a period of one hundred years. She did not get the chance to keep coming back. This new treaty between the Ars Goetia and the Maleficus changed this, and Asmodeus considered this to be unfair. If he killed her, he wanted her gone for all of eternity. He wanted the Ars Goetia to hear his appeal, and hopefully it would be granted, and Lyra would be gone forever.

  The two men got to the roof and waited for Lyra to arrive there.

  28

  Lyra

  “Okay, Peter, let me ask you something,” Lyra said nervously to Peter as the two approached the Club. “These guys are demons. They’re going to know that we’re coming, aren’t they? If they’re smart, they’re going to high-tail it out the back door. Won’t they?”

  Peter shook his head. “No, they will not. They know that we’re coming, and they’re prepared for us. They’re going to meet us on the roof. They want this battle between us. They’re looking for it. You will find that to be the case with most demons that you will encounter in the future – they will not try to hide from you, because each of these demons want a chance to slay you. They all want their chance to make sure that you die at their hands. They’re ready for the fight.”

  “Oh, great, great. I should have expected that answer. Of course these demons are lying in wait for me. They all want to the chance to be the big hero.”

  Peter nodded his head and looked solemn. “Asmodeus has a different plan. He wants to kill you and send you to the Infernum, and he wants to keep you there.”

  I stopped walking. “What? What does that supposed to mean? They had that little agreement, my mom’s council and the demon council, and that agreement stands.” I peered into Peter’s eyes, and saw that he looked worried. “Right? That agreement stands, right? He can’t just kill me and send me to the Infernum and keep me there, can he? Can he?”

  Peter looked uncomfortable, and it looked like he was listening carefully. “Your mother is sending me a message.” He nodded his head, and his face looked even more worried. “Lyra, there has been a change. A possible change. I am so sorry.”

  “What kind of change?”

  “Asmodeus is going to seek special dispensation to keep you in the Infernum if he kills you.”

  “He can seek special dispensation all he wants, but come on? On what grounds can he do this?”

  Peter looked like he continued to listen. “There’s a possibility that the appeal that Asmodeus will seek to the council will be granted and you will have to remain in the Infernum.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The rules were changing right before my eyes, and this was one helluva rule change. “Why? Listen, this is bullshit. I’m really close to just sticking my finger into that lying Rhiannon’s eye and telling her to forget it. I know my rights, and if you agree to something and the rules change in the middle of you carrying out whatever it is, you have the right to renegotiate. And I want to renegotiate, at the very least. I certainly didn’t sign up for the possibility that it’s one and done. And I suppose that I would just go straight to the ninth circle, too, huh. Not pass Go, not collect $200?”

  To my dismay, Peter nodded his head. “The grounds that Asmodeus will seek is that you never got the chance to live nine different times before. But, before, you went to the Annwn, which is the land of peace and plenty.”

  “Heaven,” I said, nodding my head. “Sounds a lot better than having to go to Hell. I mean the Infernum. What’s wrong with that?” A part of me felt relieved that this might be the new paradigm – I’d only get one chance, which sucks, but I wouldn’t have to deal with the Infernum.

  Peter shook his head. “No. Asmodeus wants you to spend your time in the Infernum, not in the Annwn.”

  “He won’t get away with that, will he?” I was beyond irritated.

  Peter continued to look worried. “There is a chance that he will prevail. He is going to make the argument that the Council decided that you would get 9 chances when they had less than a quorum, which is true. The case would come before a higher court, which is the Daemon Pax. They’ll decide if the Ars Goetia acted improperly.”

  “Now you tell me. This is getting worse and worse.” I steeled my back and lifted my chin. “But I’m not going to back down. I won’t let
those demons beat me. Yeah, I didn’t ask for this job and I didn’t want it, but I have to do it. If I don’t, poor James Woodson will remain down there in that Gloaming place forever, and that’s not right. Not to mention all the others down there. I’m going to do this for them.”

  My words might have sounded brave, but, inside, I was a bowl of jelly. I might be sent to Hell and just have to stay there. In the ninth circle, no doubt. The place of everyone’s nightmares, where you burn alive and are tortured non-stop. I didn’t deserve it, but it was what it was. I just had to make sure that I stayed alive.

  We stood outside the building and I tried to steel myself for this. “Peter, now, how can that demon kill me? I remember that last demon, and he threw me around the room, but I seemed to be just fine.”

  “Remember what your mother said?” Peter looked at my necklace, in an effort to give me a hint.

  I touched the necklace and nodded my head. “Right. They have to get my necklace. And how can they do that?”

  “A really powerful demon can do mind control, which will cause you to give him the necklace. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of the demon getting close enough to you to pull it off your neck.”

  “How do I prevent the demon from doing mind control on me?”

  Peter just shook his head. “You need to be strong. Your mind has to be strong. You have to have a certain amount of consciousness, to realize what is happening.”

  I took a deep breath. “You’re not reassuring me.”

  “Believe me, you will find out what I am talking about when we get in there.”

  I unconsciously touched my necklace, and felt a jolt of electricity go through me. It was as if the magic in the necklace was trying to reach out and touch me. Reassure me that everything was going to be fine. “So, when my necklace is off…”

  “Anything that would have killed you before you knew that you were a witch will kill you. If he stabs you in a vital organ, you will die. If he throws you off the roof, you will die. If he throws you across the room, you will be badly hurt, to where you will be vulnerable to him killing you.” He smiled wanly. “So, please, try not to lose that necklace.”

  “And with the necklace?”

  “Nothing can hurt you. If he stabs you, your body will heal immediately. If he throws you off the roof, you’ll simply get back on your feet and can come back at him. You will literally be invincible.”

  I nodded my head and touched the necklace again. “Okay, good.” Another deep breath. “Well, there’s no time like the present. Let’s go.”

  29

  We walked into the red door, and were greeted by an enormous man who was dressed in leather. Leather g-string, leather suspenders that were crossed on his chest, and leather boots. He had a whip in his hand. He saw me, and nodded. “Hello, Mr. O’Neill,” he said. “Good to see you back.”

  I let out a breath. “Yes,” I said, “I’m glad to be back.”

  He looked over at Peter and opened his mouth. “And you are?”

  “Peter MacGregor,” Peter said. “I’m a regular here as well.”

  The man nodded his head. “Yes, of course. Good to see you again as well.”

  The two of us walked past the man, and I looked over at Peter. “Is that really your last name?” I just realized that I never got his last name before this moment.

  “Yes, it is.”

  I cleared my throat. “Are you really a regular here?”

  Peter rolled his eyes. “No. I told you, I have the power to convince anybody of anything.”

  “I thought so,” I said, but I had to admit, it was weird seeing that Jedi mind trick in action. It certainly did seem like that man knew Peter, but, then again, he didn’t know who Peter was until Peter said that he was a regular. It was only at that point where the man appeared to know Peter. Maybe there’s something to that whole mind-control thing.

  Peter and I walked through the hallway and saw the open-door activities of the people in the rooms. In one room, there was about ten people on a huge bed, all naked and intertwined. In another room, there was a blind-folded guy who was on some kind of a cross – not really a cross, but more like a giant X – and there was a woman who was stalking around him with a whip. In yet another room, there was a transgendered man who was dressed in high heels, a thong and a blonde wig and was getting drilled from behind by a very handsome man.

  I closed my eyes and saw that transgendered man in his every day life. He worked on Wall Street, wore three-piece suits and made multi-million dollar transactions. He also had a wife and two children and wasn’t really transgendered – he was actually a transvestite. In other words, he didn’t identify as female in his daily life. He just apparently enjoyed dressing as a woman and have sex with other men. His wife didn’t have a clue, either. Right at that moment, she thought that he was simply working late. To be fair, he did work late quite a bit.

  I looked at Peter. “Wow, this is kinda fun.” I felt somewhat guilty for invading this man’s privacy, but, at the same time, it was just a bit fascinating. “I can see these people in their daily lives,” I said, focusing on a woman who was naked on the bed. She was surrounded by five naked men, all of whom were crawling all over her. As I focused on her, I saw her at home. Three children, bored housewife, husband was a traveling salesman. Had a slight alcohol problem, but, otherwise, was a typical soccer mom. Right now she had a sitter watching her children, all of whom were under the age of 10.

  “Yes you can,” Peter said. “But Lyra, you have to concentrate. You cannot get distracted by trying to see these people in their everyday life. If you want to do that, you can in the future, but for now, you have a job to do.”

  “I know. I just have these new powers and, I have to admit, they’re fascinating. I hope I get a chance to actually realize them.”

  Peter nodded his head. “They’re on the roof.” Then he closed his eyes, and I knew what he was doing. He was communicating with somebody. I hoped that he wasn’t communicating with the people that I was thinking he was communicating with.

  “The demons are on the roof. Sybil, Maddy and the pack better not also be on that roof.”

  Peter didn’t say anything, and I felt slighted. “If they are, I’m going to be pissed.”

  “They’re not.”

  “Okay.”

  We got to the stairwell, and Peter grabbed my hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  My heart started to pound, but not out of fear this time. My mind went back to that moment in the closet, the moment when my lips met his. That moment had taken my breath away, and, I had to admit, I had thought about it many times since. Now he was holding my hand.

  “Peter,” I said with a whisper.

  “Yes?”

  “Do you love me?” As soon as I said those words, though, I wondered where they had come from. Of course he didn’t love me. He barely knew me. Right?

  No, not right. There was a certain part of me who remembered him. Remembered what it was like to be touched by him. Remembered his hand on the curvature of my back while I stood in the kitchen of a turn-of-the-century apartment. Turn of last century, that is. I was wearing an apron, my hair on top of my head, baking a pie crust. His hand was on the small of my back, and his nose was nuzzling the back of my neck. I could feel his breath as his teeth found my earlobe and his hands started to wander all over my body. I could see myself smile as he spun me around and planted his mouth on mine. We soon were locked in a passionate embrace, the pie forgotten as he carried me off to the bedroom.

  I suddenly felt startled, wondering about that memory. Why that memory? Why was it so strong? And why now? There was a part of me that knew that the reason why that memory was haunting me right at that moment was because my life was in danger, and I wanted to remember. I wanted something to cling to, because who knew if I had many more moments on earth?

  Peter looked ashamed. “Lyra, I-“

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I understand.”

  He continued to hold my han
d, gripping it tightly. “Lyra, yes I do. I love you. I’ve loved you for centuries. But it cannot be. I have to explain this better at another time, and I am sorry for bringing this in now. I want you to know how I feel about you just in case…”

  “I bite it. I know.” There I was, still trying to make light of the situation, when I scared to death. “I’ll get through this, though, and then you’re going to have to come clean on what’s going on between you and me. Remember that.”

  “I will.”

  We made our way to the roof, which actually wasn’t a part of the club, so there wasn’t anybody up there.

  Nobody up there except for two men, though.

  I assumed these men were Asmodeus and Astoroth.

  I looked at one of the men, and realized that he was just a boy. Of course he was – he

  was James Woodson. I remembered that scared kid in the Gloaming, and that gave me courage. I was going to have to fight this bastard, and get him dead, so that I could get James. I touched my necklace, remembering Peter’s words. You have to be strong. Your mind has to be strong. You have to have consciousness and know what is happening. I could almost remember those words to me, word for word, which was odd. I usually didn’t have total recall like that.

  The other man was taller and looked like a real man. Dark hair, steely blue eyes, and full lips. His eyelids were hooded, like he just woke up from a sleep, but he was undeniably handsome. Virile. Masculine. He exuded a certain kind of charm, even though he hadn’t opened up his mouth.

  Peter looked at me, and, to my surprise, I now could read his thoughts. He must have been going out of his way to telegraph his thoughts to me, because they were loud and clear. Don’t let him mesmerize you. Have a strong mind, he is very seductive. They are both very seductive. Remember that.

  I nodded my head, but I had to admit, Peter was right. I could see how both of these men managed to seduce anyone that they wanted to, because their charisma and charm were staring at me. Just by looking at their faces, I felt a certain stirring.