by Aubrey Law
I pinched my nose to avoid the nauseating odor. "She has a point."
"Believe it or not," said Logan. "The one thing a Hellhound will never eat is his own shit."
Sonja almost vomited. "Oh I believe it."
"Let's get some air," I offered. "And we need to find you a midnight snack." Stepping out of her contaminated apartment and enjoying a warm serving of blood would hopefully make Sonja feel better. "Wait here!" I hissed at Logan while I glared with evil eyes at his reckless Hellhound companion. I wholeheartedly despised the crossbreed of half-dog half-demon creatures and considered all the ways I could kill the abominable beast. Just looking at the monster was infuriating enough and now I'd been forced to inhale Hugo’s unholy excrement too.
"Don't worry! I'll clean up this mess," said Logan. "You girls just give me a few minutes."
"We'll be right back. Don't touch any of my stuff." Sonja rolled her eyes and we walked outside to the grass-covered lawn in front of her apartment complex. We'd unlikely discover any fat rats lurking around but there were other critters Sonja could catch and eat to satisfy her need for blood.
"I can smell them," she said and sniffed the air like an animal.
"Smell what?" I asked curiously. Accompanying a Blood-eater in search of nourishment was always an adventure.
"Frogs!" Sonja ran and reached into a row of thick evergreen bushes that surrounded the complex. She pulled out a giant bullfrog that was sleeping and immediately ate him. "Oh my God why does it taste so good?"
I laughed. "Would you prefer your food to taste terrible?"
She shook her head and wiped the dripping blood from her mouth. "No! I just never imagined a nasty bullfrog's blood tasting so delicious."
"It's all part of your new nature," I said. "Eating the blood makes you stronger and even allows you to heal faster.”
Sonja shrugged. "I guess. So how long do you really think I'll live?" She crunched on one of the frog's legs like a stick of celery.
"Long enough." One of my missions was to make sure Sonja experienced life to the fullest within the next seven years before her body shut down and she returned to the grave. I felt a sense of responsibility since she'd become a Blood-eater because of my decision to convince the Necromancer to revive her. I cringed when I thought about how easily that little old man had escaped from me. If our paths ever crossed again I would destroy him before he could even think about casting Teleportation.
"Feeling better?" I asked.
Sonja sighed. "I can't decide which flavor I like best. The rat blood was spicy and the frog blood was salty. I wonder if I mixed them both together how that would taste."
I smiled. "Feel free to experiment."
"I was almost ready to take a big bite of Logan's pet."
"Never do that."
"Do what?"
"Drink the blood of a demon. Or even a half-demon pet. It's deadly."
"Even for me and my condition?"
"Yes, even for a Blood-eater." The blood of demons was beyond toxic and fatal to all known creatures, including Vampires and Shifters. An entire clan of Werewolves once died because they foolishly fed on the corpse of the Archdemon Moloch. Dead demons were best burned to ashes in order to destroy their poisonous bodily fluids.
"Hey we better get back inside," said Sonja. "I don't trust that grungy Warlock in my apartment alone. Especially with that damn devil-dog. He better not shit on my floor again."
"Don't worry," I said. "I'm going to make him get rid of the Hellhound. Hey, have a look." I held up my left hand and proudly displayed my fully restored fingers that were previously ripped off by the explosion in the dungeon. I'd just felt the final bone pop into place.
Sonja gasped. "You healed!"
"Just like new."
"So if I lose a few fingers like that will they grow back?"
I paused before answering. "I hope we never have to find out." Sonja's healing was accelerated but a Blood-eater could never regenerate bone. As a Black Witch I was capable of healing only myself. My spells were designed for self-preservation and the destruction of others, not their well-being. Hopefully for Sonja's sake she'd never have any body parts removed in battle. We walked back up the flight of concrete stairs to the third floor and re-entered Sonja's residence. The apartment fumed with a thick fog as if the Warlock had simultaneously smoked a thousand cigarettes.
"Are you serious?" said Sonja. "You think smoking a bunch of cigarettes will cover up that smell? What did you do with it?"
The Warlock chuckled. "The shit? It's long gone down your garbage disposal. I'm sure your kitchen pipes can handle it. If they can’t, then we have a bigger problem."
Sonja held up her hands and simulated strangling Logan. "I really could kill you right now."
The Hellhound growled and showed his teeth. "Calm down Hugo. She's only kidding," said the Warlock. "You are just kidding, right?"
"She's joking. We aren't planning to kill you. Not yet anyway." I used my hands to fan as much of the smoke as I could out of my face. "Logan, we need to talk."
"I agree one-hundred percent," he said. "There's much to discuss if we're planning to work together."
Sonja grimaced. "Now my place smells like a monster took a huge dump inside a cigarette factory. Thanks a lot Logan."
He smiled. "I promise the scent and the smoke will fade. Eventually."
"Your pet needs to go," I said. "Summon him in battle if necessary, but not here."
The Warlock snapped his fingers and Hugo the Hellhound disappeared. "Satisfied?"
I nodded. "Yes. Now let's talk."
CHAPTER TEN
"Can't you guys just use magic to get rid of the smell?" asked Sonja. "Please! I'm dying in here." Her itchy eyes were bloodshot red from the fading smoke and the repulsive hints of Hugo's rear-end that still lingered. We’d opened every possible door and window of her apartment but it was taking time to clear the air.
Logan laughed and removed his enormous hat so he could use it to help fan away the smoke. "Unfortunately not. Dark Magic kills people not bad odors. Just pretend you're at a Los Angeles bar or dance club. Aren't they all polluted with smoke?"
Sonja shook her head and whispered obscenities about Logan’s mother.
"Enough fucking jokes," I interrupted with my sinister Voice of the Black Witch. "Tell us what you know about the Priesthood and their demon friends." Logan’s ridiculous grin vanished and Sonja’s eyes widened when they heard me speak with the spine-chilling tone.
“Holy shit that’s a scary voice,” said Sonja. “Teach me how to talk like that.”
Logan raised his brows in surprise. “Is this beautiful young ginger your apprentice?”
Sonja glared. “Don’t call me Ginger. I hate that name.”
“My apprentice? Possibly,” I said. “But now isn’t the time to discuss it. How long have you been in Los Angeles? How many of the Hellgates were discovered? Where is the High Priest of this city?”
“Interesting questions,” said Logan. “I hope you don’t mind answering some of my own.”
I sighed. “What do you wish to know?” I despised being questioned by strangers especially after enduring past Inquisitions and my own execution by the Church. My former body was covered with wounds from all the blistering torture before I was hanged.
The Warlock returned the tattered hat to his head and fiercely stared into my eyes. “Tell me about that goddamned angel I saw fall off your balcony and burn to death. Who was he? What was he doing in this apartment?”
“You first. Answer me and then I’ll tell you anything.” I wasn't going to offer my information for free. Logan needed to provide me with details about the local Hellgates, Priesthood, and his experience in Los Angeles.
"Fine. I'll play this game with you. The Hellgates were always known to the Priesthood but they just recently decided to start opening them."
"How recent?" I asked. "And why would they want to release demons into this world?"
The Warlock scratched his be
ard. "Within the last five years or so is when the demons starting showing up. As for why, the Priesthood became greedy. They wanted the demons to help them dominate the world. But the plan backfired."
"Backfired?"
Logan nodded. "Oh yes. The Archdemons have taken control over religion, government, law enforcement, and even the military. Which is why you don't see any police or soldiers trying to shut down the Hellgates."
"So the demons are manipulating the leaders of this city, including the Church?"
"Exactly," said Logan. "Are you planning to do something about it?"
"Perhaps. But I'm not here to save the world. I just want my revenge."
"A powerful Black Witch such as yourself could do a lot of damage to the Priesthood and Demon hierarchy. Especially with an equally powerful Warlock by your side." Logan smiled with tobacco-stained teeth and I could see the dreams of sexual intimacy within his dark eyes. I considered fulfilling his fantasy but the Warlock just wasn't my type of man. I was far more interested in a physical relationship with Sonja or even the gorgeous fallen angel Luke if he hadn’t prematurely transformed into a demon and tried to kill me.
"You wanted to know about the cremated angel? He fell from Heaven like lightning. Same as any other angel whenever their Creator banishes them. We met him in an alley."
"Why was he set on fire?" asked Logan.
"We had a disagreement?"
"About?"
"About him pushing me off the roof to my death."
Logan snickered. "How'd you survive? Let me guess. Stoneskin?"
The Warlock was aggravating me with his foolish attitude and I began to envision his demise. "Yes. Stoneskin."
He slapped his knee and chuckled. "I knew it!"
"Anything else you want ask me?"
Logan's annoying smile faded and his tone became serious. "Why was the angel here?"
"He'd joined forces with us. As an exiled angel he didn't mind the company of a Black Witch and Blood-eater."
"Can't say I blame him," said the Warlock. "Considering how attractive the both of you are. But then I guess he turned demon on you, as all fallen angels eventually do."
Sonja frowned. "I was really starting to like Luke. He saved me from Jezebel."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "You mean Jezebeth? The Archdemoness Mesmerizer?"
"Yeah her," said Sonja, nodding. "She was a real bitch."
"Impressive kill! How'd you manage to take down Jezebeth?" Logan looked at us with skepticism in his eyes.
"Luke stabbed her in the heart," answered Sonja. "With his..."
I interrupted her. "Enough about the angel." I didn't want Sonja telling Logan about the serrated silver Judas Dagger that was hidden within my robe. The Warlock didn't need to know all of our secrets.
"You do realize Jezebeth can create copies of herself?" said Logan. "Are you sure you didn't just kill one of her clones?"
"We don't know," I said. The Warlock had a valid point but I wasn't concerned. "If that was simply Jezebeth's clone then we will find the real Archdemoness and kill her too."
Logan scoffed. "Good luck with that. She won't go down easily. I honestly doubt the two of you have any chance against her."
"Are you here to help us or mock us?" I was one step away from telling Logan to leave and forget he'd ever seen us.
"I'm here to tell you the truth before you get yourselves killed," said Logan. "A Black Witch in a sexy new body and her spoiled little rich Blood-eater girlfriend need to be very careful challenging Archdemons."
Sonja sneered. "Spoiled? Little?" She looked down at her sizable breasts.
The Warlock narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger at Sonja. "I know what the rent on this place is. And I doubt you pay for this luxury apartment or all of this expensive furniture on your own."
"I inherited some money. So what? That doesn't make me spoiled. You're becoming a real asshole Logan." Sonja grimaced and shook her head in disgust.
"Becoming?" I said. "He was a bastard from the start."
Logan held up his palms. "Hold on a minute ladies. Let's not start insulting each other. I'm your friend not your enemy."
"With friends like you we don't need enemies," said Sonja. "Your pet ruined my carpet and now you're talking shit to me? I think you need to get out of my luxury apartment."
I was impressed by Sonja's spine and ferocity especially in the face of a dangerous Warlock. But then again she did have me sitting by her side. "Logan, I agree with her. We should part ways for now and we can consider another meeting in the future. Sonja and I need some time together." I caressed the soft skin of her hand and gently squeezed. "Feel free to take what's left of the cigarettes as a parting gift."
"Whatever you say," he chuckled. "I don't want to ruin our relationship so soon. One last question before I leave you two alone to have your wicked fun?"
I exhaled a deep breath. "Yes?"
"Where did the exiled angel hide the Judas Dagger?"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Warlock's question nearly caused me to kill him but I wanted to know how he knew the name of the stolen silver blade that was concealed within my robe. "Judas Dagger?" I said. "Sounds like an interesting weapon. Tell me more about it."
Sonja's wide emerald eyes revealed the truth and her look of surprise at his inquiry was enough evidence to the Warlock that we weren't oblivious about the blade's existence or location. "Yeah sounds like a cool knife." She tried and failed to feign ignorance.
Logan laughed and placed his hat on the living room table while he stood up as if he were preparing to fight us. "So you two are planning to just play dumb? Are you sure that's how you want this to end?"
I raised an eyebrow. "End?"
"Yes. If I don't leave here with that dagger then it's the end of you both."
I mimicked his laughter and moved in front of Sonja. "Logan, you're a very entertaining man. I hope for your sake that was some kind of joke. Threatening us will have fatal consequences. You won't be the first or last Warlock to die by my hands."
"Is that a fact?" said Logan. He sat back down and smiled. "And how do you plan to kill me with a Dead Tongue and Dead Hands?" He spoke the Language of the Dead which I recognized but didn't understand. The words from the Warlock's grinning lips were not from the Book of Black Magic but they came from the Book of the Dead. A book studied only by Necromancers.
The impostor who called himself Logan wasn't a Warlock at all. He pushed his fingernails deep into his cheeks and pulled off the fabricated skin like a mask of melting flesh that covered his ugly face. "By the way," said the familiar Necromancer. "This cloneskin is courtesy of Jezebeth. You failed to destroy the real Archdemoness. Congratulations on killing one of her many clones." He tossed the slimy ball of fake skin and synthetic hair down on the floor. The Mesmerizer's cloneskin was perfectly crafted by Jezebeth's Dark Magic and had even altered the Necromancer's beady eyes to mirror a Warlock. I couldn't have possibly known his true identity until he chose to reveal it to me. The clever and short son of a whore even equipped himself with stilted boots hidden underneath his long pants and cape to appear taller. I was speechless with embarrassment but more than that I was afraid. Not for myself, although if the Necromancer killed me I would wake up in the Lake of Fire and be forced to find another way out which was no easy task. I'd have to escape my demon tormentors again to locate an open Hellgate at precisely the right moment and find a suitable person to possess. Ashley's timing had been perfect even if it took four-hundred years to happen. I didn’t want to give up my new body or my friend and potential lover. The perverted Necromancer would claim my corpse as a trophy for Jezebeth and take Sonja back to the dungeon for more of the violent sex games that killed at least one prisoner each week. I didn’t fear for myself but I was overwhelmed with dread for Sonja.
"If you cure yourself then she dies,” he warned me. I was powerless to lift up my crippled hands or speak any words with my paralyzed tongue. Sonja was petrified and she didn't move a muscle
while we listened to the Necromancer berate us. "You stupid Black Witch! Did you really think a Warlock could ever summon a Hellhound from the Lake of Fire? Only the Book of the Dead holds such secrets." He laughed in our faces. "I wasn't sure if you'd believe my lies but you swallowed them heart and soul. Both of you are too weak and foolish to ever challenge the Archdemons. How you managed to kill Zaebos is a mystery but the demons are considering it a miracle gift to you from the Creator. You have no chance of successfully hunting demons in this city and you will return to the Flaming Lake where you belong. Black Annis, unfortunately it has been decided that your presence in Los Angeles is a threat and as much as I argued to keep you alive for sexual purposes, the Archdemons have decreed you must die. As for this beautiful red-headed Blood-eater, she will keep me and the Priesthood entertained as long as her flesh survives.” He eyeballed Sonja up and down while licking his cracked lips and smiling with rotten teeth. "Since the silenced Black Witch cannot speak with her dying tongue, I will ask the Blood-eater. Where is the stolen Judas Dagger? I know Luke took it from the Archives of Heaven before he was banished. There are many angels searching for that weapon and I intend to find it before they do."
Sonja glanced over at me and I slightly shook my head while the Necromancer confronted her. I had plans for that priceless dagger and no intention of giving it away to anyone, least of all one of my most hated enemies. If the pathetic old man wanted the weapon so desperately then he'd have to search my robe and nude body underneath to find it. "We don't know anything about a stolen dagger," said Sonja. "Luke didn't have any weapons on him."
"Oh really?" said the Necromancer. "Then why did the Dark Cherub from the Hellgate report a fallen angel used a silver blade to stab the heart of Jezebeth's clone?"
Sonja shrugged. "I don't know but I wouldn't trust anything those nasty naked mole-rats said."
"You think this is a game, little girl?" said the Necromancer. "Tell me where the dagger is and I'll consider sparing the life of this Black Witch that you're so fond of. Otherwise prepare yourself to watch her die horribly before I escort you back to the dungeon." He returned his attention to me. "My Finger of Death can kill her instantly. Shall I touch her with it?" His trembling crooked finger extended from his wrinkled hand and he stopped it only an inch away from my forehead. The Necromancer and I shared the ability to immediately extinguish the life of a lesser enemy once per day. My Death spell was simply spoken and his fatal curse only required a single press of his finger to his victim's skin. I'd never been touched by a Necromancer's Finger of Death and didn't know for certain if I could survive it. Maybe I would still live but I had no fucking desire to find out.