by N. P. Martin
“What do you think?” I said, still recovering from those Hell-shattering orgasms. I thought if he touched me again I would explode.
“Hope it didn’t scare you too much.”
“I’m not scared of you.” I wasn’t, though maybe I should have been. He was a demon after all.
“As a demon I take offense at that.”
“Take offense all you want.”
He sat up. “Drink?”
“Yeah, why not.” I got up of the bed and went to get dressed when he stopped me.
“Don’t get dressed yet. I’m enjoying admiring your beautiful form.”
I thought he was joking until I realised he wasn’t, and that I was also getting a perverse kick out of seeing him walk around without his clothes on. I shouldn’t have been, but I felt comfortable with Lucas.
I threw my clothes back on the floor and walked naked over to the table where he stood pouring vodka into two glasses. We drank in silence for a few moments, sort of admiring each other’s bodies, even though I knew his didn’t really belong to him.
“So who was the guy you stole that meat suit from?” I asked.
“Just a guy,” he said. “Does it matter?”
I shook my head. “How often do you change suits then?”
“When I get bored with them, or when I need to be someone else.”
“Don’t go changing anytime soon.”
He smiled. “I’ll try not to.”
I walked back to the bed and sat with my back against the headboard, staring into my glass. He came and sat beside me, bringing the bottle of vodka with him. “So,” he said, refilling my glass, “I sense you are struggling with something. Would you like to tell me what it is, now that we’re friends?”
“Who said we’re friends? We just slept together.”
He put a hand to his chest as if I’d wounded him. “You just killed me.”
I laughed. “Get a grip.”
“I like you, Leia. I can’t help it. You have the depth of a woman twice your age.”
I looked at him to see if he was serious. Despite his constant look of amusement he seemed sincere, though that didn’t mean I was going to start trusting him. “You’re okay, I guess, for a demon.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He looked pleased as he refilled our glasses.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything, as long as it isn’t about what we discussed this afternoon with your uncle. I meant what I said. That shit is heavy and above my pay grade.”
“Well it is kind of. You remember my brother?”
“The one who was taken? I remember.”
“Well, he wasn’t just taken. Who ever took him made him into a demon.”
Lucas looked away, a grave expression on his face. “So he’s going though with his plan then.”
“You mean this Abigor character? Yes, he is. He practically killed my brother. Josh isn’t the same person anymore. He’s…nasty, horrible. And so…cold.”
“Wait, you’ve spoke to your brother? How? When?”
“We summoned him earlier.”
He nodded. “And as you managed to summon him, he must therefore be a demon.”
“Correct.”
“I see.” He was thinking.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m just wondering what Abigor is up to. I’m wondering what the old dog plans on doing with this army he’s creating. Knowing Abigor it can’t be good.”
“That makes me feel much better, Lucas. Thanks.”
“It’s the truth. I told you before, I don’t lie.”
“I’m just having a hard time dealing with this on top of everything else. I was living in hope that I could get my brother back. I don’t think I can now.”
Lucas thought for a moment. “Maybe not.”
“What do you mean? If you know something, tell me.”
“Most demons are made in Hell. We were all human once, or angels. Our souls were made black in the pits of Hell after we fell or died, whichever. But that’s not the only way to make a demon.”
“Yeah, you mentioned before about feeding a person demon blood to turn them, like a vampire can turn a person. Frank talked about that as well. He talked about drying a person out to make them normal again.”
“That’s one way, though I’m not sure if that will even work. Another way is to kill the demon who gave them the blood. Kill the demon that turned your brother and he may return to normal again.”
I looked at him, half astonished. “You mean if we kill this Abigor fucker my brother will return to normal again?”
“Don’t quote me on that. It’s a long shot at best. It’s just something I heard in Hell once. I’ve never heard of anyone actually doing it. And there’s no guarantee your brother will return to normal again. My guess is that the longer he stays a demon, the harder it will be for him to regain his humanity.”
I sat in silence for a long time, thinking. If Lucas was right then there was a chance that I could still get my brother back. There was a flicker of hope. I didn’t care if it was a long shot, it was the only shot I had.
“Okay,” I said finally. “So how do I kill this Abigor ?”
Lucas looked at me like I was crazy . “Are you kidding? You have no idea what you’d be going up against. You can’t just kill a demon like Abigor. It doesn’t work that way. He can’t be killed.”
My heart sank. “Then why the fuck did you even tell me all that in the first place?” I got up of the bed and paced around the room, opening and closing my hands into fists.
“Hey, you asked,” Lucas said. “I told you what I know.”
I continued to pace around the room, my mind working overtime as I tried to figure out a solution to the problem. Not much was forthcoming. “This is bullshit,” I said. “Everything can die, surely? Even demons.”
“Look,” said Lucas. “I don’t know, honestly. I’m just saying if Abigor can be killed I’ve never heard of a way to do it.”
“But that’s not to say it can’t be done.” I picked my clothes up from off the floor. “I just have to find a way to do it.”
“Good luck with that. You’re leaving?”
“I can’t afford to waste anymore time.” I hastily put my clothes back on. “The longer I delay, the less chance I have of saving my brother.”
“Leia, babe…”
I flashed him a look. “Don’t call me that.”
“Okay. Just don’t get your hopes up on this. You don’t know this demon. I do.”
“What choice do I have? I’m not about to give up on my brother. No way.”
I headed for the door.
“Hey,” Lucas called after me. “No kiss goodbye?”
“Some other time. I’ve got a demon to kill.”
Chapter 18
Dawn’s early light broke through the dark sky as I arrived at the cabin. It was quiet inside and no one stirred. I thought about grabbing a couple of hours sleep, but I had too much energy to sleep and my mind buzzed with thoughts about how I was going to kill Abigor, so I decided to go outside and train some more, thinking it might use up some of my excess energy. I had no idea sleeping with a demon could be so invigorating.
There was a slight chill in the air and just a mild breeze that felt good on my skin as I took my jacket off and tossed it to the ground beside the tree from which the heavy bag hung. I drew in a few deep lungfuls of cold air and went to work hitting the bag with punches, kicks and various combinations of the two; doing as Frank had taught me and letting my instincts run the show, allowing the Light Energy to come through on every strike in a controlled way. Light Energy vibrated like a separate power source as I let it fuel my actions, amazed at how much speed and power I could actually attain with it. The heavy bag swung wildly from side to side as I abused it with everything I had for over an hour. When I finally stopped, I was barely out of breathe. I felt strong, powerful, like I had just begun to tap into my abilities.
After I stopped hitt
ing the bag, I stood for a few moments, taking in deep breaths. I thought of my mom’s two short swords. I quietly went inside and retrieved them from my room before going back outside. For the next hour, I practiced wielding the swords until they felt comfortable in my hands. Then I started again, this time putting more focus and intent behind my actions.
After some time the swords were like extensions of my arms, like I could make them do whatever I wanted. The whole time I practiced, I thought about Abigor. Even though I had no idea what this demon looked like, I imagined some sort of demonic-looking figure in front of me; that I was fighting this figure, avoiding its blows, slashing into it, stabbing it and finally slicing its head clean from its body.
I stopped at the sound of clapping behind me. I spun around and pointed the swords in the direction of the clapping. Eva stood there, dressed in skin tight black leggings and a black top that was just as fitted and running shoes on her feet. She looked fit, athletic, glowing even, for that time of the morning. “How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“Not long,” she said walking towards me. “I was about to take a run through the woods. You’re not bad with the swords, although you still need some work. Your footwork could be better. Good balance is important.” I watched as Eva searched around for a moment until she found a large branch, which she picked up before facing me. “Attack me.”
“These are real swords.”
“Just attack me.”
If you say so.
I lunged forward with the swords, aiming one at her midsection. Eva neatly sidestepped my advance, parried the sword with the broken branch before redirecting the branch towards my neck where it stopped just inches from me. “Again,” she said, a playful look on her face.
This time I came at her with a downward slashing movement with one sword, quickly followed by an upward slash with the other, followed by a sideways slash with both. I was amazed as Eva effortlessly avoided every blow before slicing the branch across my stomach.
“How are you able to avoid me?”
“Footwork,” she said. “Footwork is everything when it comes to sword fighting. If you learn to use your feet properly you’ll make it hard for your opponent to hit you.” Suddenly she stepped forward and attacked me with various blows from her branch. I did my best to block and avoid them, but eventually I ended up off balance, which allowed her to land a killing blow to my neck. “See what I mean?”
“I see. I’ll keep practicing. What are doing up so early anyway?”
“I always rise early to train. Even though I’m not in the field much anymore I still like to stay sharp.” She gave me a sly look. “More to the point, where have you been all night? Frank was worried.”
“I was just driving.”
“All night?”
“Pretty much. I may have stopped off to see someone.”
“And who would that be?” Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
I looked away. “No one you’d know.”
“I see. It’s like that, is it?”
“Like what?” I tried not to makes things as awkward as they were and failed miserably.
She gave me a wry smile and shook her head. “I’m going for my run now.” I was glad to see her go as she nimbly ran off into the woods at a steady pace. I watched her until she disappeared out of sight, then I went inside the cabin to take a shower in case I smelled of demon.
After I got showered and dressed, I went into the living room and the first thing I noticed was the sweet skunky smell of marijuana. Eva sat in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, a book in her lap and a joint in one hand. She was still dressed in her figure-hugging black outfit. A lazy smile spread across her face when she saw me looking at her. “I didn’t have you pegged as a stoner,” I said to her.
“It helps me relax,” she said offering me the joint. I declined and asked her where Frank was. She said he was off on business again, which didn’t surprise me. Frank was always doing something or other. That suited me anyhow. It was Eva I wanted to talk to. I sat in the other chair opposite her.
“Sorry about last night. Seeing my brother like that, it all got too much for me.”
“That’s quite alright, I understand. This world that we inhabit can get quite overwhelming sometimes.”
“Tell me about it.” I paused for a second. “I need to talk to you about this Abigor character.”
Eva nodded. “Yes. I’ve been looking into him. I was up all last night actually, going through Frank’s books.”
“And?”
“Well,” she said opening up the small book that was in her lap. I could see stitching through the leather cover. The book looked handmade. “Not a lot, I’m afraid. Abigor seems to be very illusive. Not much has been written about him. I found one passage in this old notebook, although there are still some more books I have to look through. Plus, I will check my own library later when I get home.”
“What does the passage say?” I sat forward and leaned on my knees so I could see the notebook. The pages where yellowed and stiff and the ink looked faded. I couldn’t make out any of the writing. I wasn’t even sure if it was in English.
“This book was taken from the Vatican many years ago. It’s a demon encyclopaedia of sorts. It was written a long time ago by one of our ancestors, I believe. It mentions Abigor but only briefly.” She looked down at the book. “According to this, Abigor was the architect of Hell. Along with Lucifer, he was one of the first fallen ones and was tasked by Lucifer to design Hell, which he did. He was considered the greatest architect since God himself. His hellish vision has remained ever since. Lucifer made Abigor his commander-in-chief. It was Abigor’s job to oversee the demon armies of Hell, which explains why he is leading an army here on earth. By all accounts, Abigor was a ruthless leader and every demon in Hell feared him, including Lucifer.”
“Does it say if he can be killed or not?”
“It makes no mention of that here. Although if he really is that powerful, I doubt it.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I was holding on for dear life to the notion that Abigor could be killed, that he could be stopped. “So what are you saying, that we can’t stop him?”
“I don’t know yet. At the moment, it’s not looking too likely. That’s the reality I’m afraid.”
“I spoke with someone last night and they told me that my brother could be saved if the demon that turned him was killed. Is that true?”
“Who told you that?”
Lucas’ demon face flashed in my mind then and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “It doesn’t matter. I just want to know if it’s true.”
Eva considered for a moment as she exhaled the sweet smelling weed smoke. “It might be. I’ve never had to deal with a situation like the one your brother is in. Demons normally just possess, kill or torture people. Turning them into demons is not something I’ve encountered before. I’d need to research it.”
“It’s the only chance we have as far as I can see. We need to kill this bastard and return my brother and all the other Nephilim to normal.”
Eva gave me a look that indicated she was surprised and impressed at the same time. “There’s something different about you,” she said, her large eyes probing me. For a fearful second I thought she was going to suggest that I had gotten laid last night, but that wasn’t what she was getting at thankfully. “You seem more…strong-minded maybe.”
I shrugged. “I’m going to kill this demon if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
Eva nodded approvingly. “There’s something else. We may be able to summon Abigor here.”
I thought about that for a moment. “So we can kill him you mean?”
“I was thinking more about talking to him. Find out what he wants, what his gameplan is. Know your enemy and all that.”
That sounded dangerous to me, but not unthinkable. “You think that’d work?”
“No, but it’s worth a try. At the very least we’ll get a look at him up close, see
exactly who we’re up against.”
“Have you told Frank this?”
“Not yet, but I will. I’m not sure he’ll be impressed by the idea. But then again, what choice do we have at this point?”
“I can do this alone, without involving any of you. I know it isn’t really your fight.”
Eva gave me a sharp look. “Nonsense, girl,” she said. “Of course this is our fight. It’s what we do. And your brother isn’t the only one who was taken. We have counted over a hundred Nephilim children who have been taken so far, from all across the country. And that’s not even including those in the rest of the world. This has seriously compromised our race. We’re in danger of becoming extinct if this demon isn’t stopped, so don’t tell me this isn’t our fight.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Eva took a last pull on her joint before tossing the butt into the cold ashes in the fireplace. “As for summoning a demon like Abigor, we’ll require some specific items that aren’t easily obtained.”
I frowned. “Like what?”
“One gallon of demon blood for starters, plus a hell hound’s tooth and a few other things. Some of those things I already have at home. The rest will have to be found.”
“The demon’s blood? It can be from any demon?”
“No. It must come from a high-level demon.”
“How high?”
“Not as high as Abigor but still high. Talk to Frank. He knows them all. I’ll work on getting the rest of the items.”
“So are we going to try and kill Abigor when we summon him?”
“I’m not sure if that would be wise. He may just kill us for trying.”
“But we have to try surely.”
“Listen, girl, there is a fine line between courage and foolish risk. Know the difference.” She got up and left to shower after that, leaving me to stare into the ashes of the fire.
Later, after I’d come back from a walk in the woods, Eva’s car was gone and Frank was behind the cabin, splitting logs with an axe.
“So did you talk to Eva?” I asked. “Did she tell you about her plan to summon Abigor?”
“She did.” He placed a log on the large chopping block.