“Don’t worry, I left an escape valve this time. Just say ‘return’ in Infernal and you’ll be yanked back to our reality.”
“That’s a relief, not that I intend to fail.”
“No one intends to fail, but it still happens. Good luck.”
She patted him on the knee as he and Prime stepped into the center of the circle. He touched the Death Stick to the central rune and willed it to activate.
He blinked and found himself surrounded by darkness. A rough, dry tongue licked his left cheek while a giant head rubbed his right side.
“Good boy.” Conryu rubbed Cerberus behind the ears and the giant demon dog groaned like a puppy. He really needed to introduce Cerberus to Kelsie. If she saw him like this she wouldn’t be at all afraid of him.
Cerberus’s heads all popped up and a deep growl rumbled through his chest. Something moved out in the darkness. “It’s okay, boy. I was expecting him.”
Cerberus whined and Conryu knew how he felt. Just because he was expecting Lucifer didn’t mean he was looking forward to the confrontation.
When he could make out the horns on the demon’s head he began the domination spell. “By my will be bound, oh child of Hell. Your thoughts are my thoughts, your desires, my desires, Domination!”
The massive power gathered in the Death Stick by his spell lashed out and crashed into Lucifer’s mind. Unlike the weaker demons he’d subjugated, the Prince of Lies resisted with more strength than even Conryu had expected.
Lucifer clutched his skull, his handsome, arrogant face twisted in pain. Over and over in his mind Conryu commanded the demon to submit.
Lucifer snarled. “You think you can command me, mortal. Me! Who is more akin to a god than a demon. I will break your spell and rend you limb from limb.”
Conryu ignored the threats and continued to press his commands with everything he had. Lucifer continued to resist just as fiercely.
Cerberus’s head brushed his hand and a jolt of power ran through him and out into Lucifer as the demon dog joined his will to Conryu’s.
Lucifer howled and thrashed. For a moment he feared their combined power wouldn’t be enough. Then Lucifer’s face went slack and the spell settled into place.
Conryu didn’t dare let out so much as a sigh of relief lest he break his fragile spell. “Remove your brand from my arm.”
He raised his arm and pulled the sleeve of his robe back revealing the mark underneath. Lucifer raised his trident like a zombie and waved it over Conryu’s arm. The mark burned even worse for a second then it was gone.
“Leave this place and never show yourself before me again.” He combined that command with an overwhelming desire for Lucifer to be gone.
The giant demon fled back the way he’d come as fast as he could fly. Conryu held the Death Stick up and ready until Lucifer had moved fully beyond his sight. Only then did he release the sigh he’d been holding back.
“That was impressive.” Soft hands massaged his shoulders while a tail wrapped around his thigh and worked its way up toward his groin.
They’d been so focused on Lucifer neither he nor Cerberus had noticed the Dark Lady’s approach. That she hadn’t interfered was a point in her favor, but she was still a demon.
Conryu pulled away and spun to face her, the Death Stick between them.
She raised her hands and her perfect lips curled into a smile. “I have no wish to fight you. Your display with Lucifer got me all excited.” She ran her hands down her breasts and stomach.
Conryu had more trouble concentrating now than he did when Lucifer burned his mark off. “What do you want?”
Her lips parted revealing elongated eyeteeth. “I want to be your friend, your special friend.”
He raised an eyebrow at that. If Maria was jealous of him and Kelsie how would she react to him being special friends with the Dark Lady? “I’m not really looking to form another demon contract. Cerberus is a fine partner and Prime is an outstanding familiar.”
Cerberus barked once as if in agreement. She glowered at him prompting the demon dog to shy away and whimper. “I can offer you far more than these limited allies you’ve chosen.”
He allowed himself another long look at her perfect figure. That brought her smile back.
“I know you desire me, mortal. Accept me in Cerberus’s place and I shall give you pleasure beyond anything you can conceive of. We can seal the bargain with a kiss.”
She leaned in, her lips glistening. Conryu’s head swam and he couldn’t focus. This was wrong, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why.
Prime flew in front of him, blocking off his view of the Dark Lady. The moment he did Conryu’s mind cleared.
Bitch! She’d used some sort of magic on him. “Cloak of Darkness.”
The anti-magic coating covered him and Prime a moment before the scholomantic went flying. When she saw Conryu covered in darkness the Dark Lady bared her fangs and hissed. “You would have had much more fun if you’d just played along.”
“I will not be your slave.” He raised the Death Stick between them and held his free hand out for Prime.
Her expression smoothed as though nothing had happened. “Perhaps I was a bit forward. It is my nature after all. What if we tried something else, sort of a getting to know you phase. I could be your agent. All powerful dark wizards need a demonic agent to keep them abreast of what’s happening in Hell. If I was your agent I wouldn’t be able to work against you.”
Prime slapped into his hand, but he never took his eyes off the Dark Lady. “What’s in it for you?”
She pressed a hand over her heart. “I only want to help.”
“Then don’t lie to me. If you say there’s nothing in this for you then I call bullshit. You’re looking for a power boost.”
“Such a charming mortal expression. Fine, I want a power boost. The stronger the wizard the more powerful I become. Why do you think Lucifer was so eager to kill you after you refused him?”
“He didn’t want anyone else to form a contract with me and grow stronger.”
She nodded. “With your power you’d have your pick of demonic servants. Now that you’ve cut ties with Lucifer others will come calling. With me as your agent you’ll have someone to warn you when the next one decides to try and strike a bargain.”
Conryu lowered the Death Stick slightly. If she was telling the truth there was certainly something to her suggestion. It was simply too much for him to decide in his exhausted state.
She seemed to sense his wavering and leaned closer, giving an up-close look at her exquisite chest. “I have much to offer.”
No kidding. “I’ll think about it. Return!”
In a blink he and Prime were back in the dark magic classroom. Returning to the real world drained the last of his strength. He wobbled and barely made it to a nearby chair before his legs gave out.
“Is it done?” Mrs. Umbra hobbled over to him and reclaimed the Death Stick from his nerveless fingers.
“Yeah, but there’s something else we need to discuss when I’m less exhausted.”
“My office, after the evening meal tomorrow.”
He nodded and fell asleep in the chair.
Conryu’s head throbbed, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t from magical backlash. He was sitting in the cafeteria waiting for Maria to join him for dinner. The voices of the other students chattering about this and that, none of it remotely serious, set his nerves on end. What he wouldn’t have given to talk to Jonny for an hour about sports or bikes or just about anything besides magic or demons. He might as well have wished to visit the moon, he had about as much chance of having that granted.
He’d woken up half an hour ago in the dark magic classroom, alone and with a blanket draped over him. He’d have to remember to thank Mrs. Umbra tomorrow, which brought him back to the source of his current headache. Despite his most earnest wish to have as little to do with the politics of magic as possible he kept getting dragged deeper into it.
“Have you been waiting long? I was practicing bone fusions and totally lost track of time.”
“I’ve been here maybe fifteen minutes. How’s your…?” He brushed his cheek with his index finger.
“Not a single hair in twenty-four hours. I think it’s run its course. Thank goodness for that. What about you? You’re looking a little rough around the edges.”
“It was an eventful afternoon.” He filled her in on his confrontation, careful to keep his voice low. It wasn’t necessarily a secret that he was having demon issues, but he didn’t want to announce it to the whole world either. When he finished Maria was staring at him. “I’m supposed to talk to Mrs. Umbra tomorrow about the whole agent thing. Do you know anything about it?”
Maria shook her head. “Mom never wanted to get mixed up in politics, either human or spirit. It’s one of the reasons she doesn’t work for the Department. That and private practice pays better.”
“I never wanted to get mixed up in it either, but from the sound of it, now that I’ve chased off Lucifer, I’m going to have a bunch of other demons looking to make use of my power. I swear I wish I could rip this power out of my body and stick it in someone else.”
Maria reached out and took his hand. “I’m glad you’re the one who got it. I know you don’t want it, but can you imagine what someone inclined to evil could accomplish with your magic? The world should be grateful someone as kind and honorable as you were born with it.”
Conryu kissed her cheek. “Thanks. Let’s find something to eat.”
They collected their food and while they ate Maria told him about her studies. She’d healed a bird’s wing, enabling it to fly again. Only her and two others had succeeded at that complex ritual. He smiled as she went on and on in fine detail as only Maria could when she was fully engrossed in a subject.
Her absolute delight in her studies was infectious and his headache faded away. She said it was lucky that he was born with the power, but Conryu thought it would have been much better if Maria had been the one to get it. On the other hand, he doubted she would be as happy if she had to spend her afternoons in Hell or worrying about whether the religious nuts, the crazy wizards, or the devil would be the one to succeed in murdering her.
The thought of Maria having to deal with all that made him glad, just for a second, that he was the one with the power and not her.
As Conryu made his way upstairs to Mrs. Umbra’s office he wondered for the hundredth time why he bothered going to dark magic class at all. He sat there for two hours watching the girls doing circle casting and studying Infernal with Prime. He gained nothing from the former and could easily do the latter in the library or his room.
If nothing else he could now carry on a reasonable conversation in the demonic language. He wasn’t fluent yet, but he was getting there. Mrs. Umbra’s door opened at his approach. It was like the doors at the grocery store only with magic instead of electronics. Probably shouldn’t make the comparison to his teacher.
Mrs. Umbra was seated behind her desk scowling at the Death Stick which rested in front of her. She looked up when he entered and waved him to an empty chair.
“Everything okay?” He settled into the guest seat.
“I’m just reminding this ungrateful artifact who its proper master is. You spoiled it and now it’s trying to refuse my magic.”
“Sorry.”
She waved him off. “It’s fine. I sorted it out, but you can’t use it again. If you do I fear there’ll be no getting it back.”
“I didn’t want to use it the first time, but circumstances forced my hand.”
“Shit happens, as the kids like to say. So what’s so important?”
He gave her the gist of his conversation with the Dark Lady. “She seems to think other demons are going to come calling. I’d really like to dismiss that out of hand, but I can’t. Everything she said makes too much sense.
“You’re right and I should have considered the repercussions of driving off Lucifer more closely. That said, I don’t see any alternative to removing his brand since he kept trying to kill you.”
“Agreed. But that begs the question of whether I need an agent in Hell or not. Do you have one?”
“I do. An imp I call Zippy because he’s always flitting around like a humming bird. He keeps me abreast of what’s happening in a general way, armies of demons gathering, two of the princes going to war, that sort of thing. Zippy doesn’t have the access to find out detailed plots so he’s less useful than he might be. I made the deal with him when I was young and never bothered ending it.”
“So what should I do? Do I take the Dark Lady up on her offer or do I find an imp or some other minor demon?”
“An imp wouldn’t do you any good.” She sighed. “I hate to let that harpy get a single talon into you, but I fear she’s your best bet. You’re already partially connected anyway. If you form a proper contract she’ll be unable to take any action against you and likewise you’ll be unable to harm her.”
“I wasn’t planning on trying to harm her.” In fact he’d prefer to have nothing at all to do with her.
“I know, so the contract gains you a great deal and costs you nothing. I’ll write it up for you like I did with Cerberus then you can copy it and show it to her during our next class.”
“You’re going to have to teach me that spell circle you use so you won’t have to keep drawing it for me.”
“Your book should have the circle, it’s a standard spell.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s your homework. Memorize the circle so you can draw it when we meet the day after tomorrow.”
That’d teach him to open his big mouth.
Conryu appeared once again on the border of Hell, contract in hand. He’d drawn the circle to Mrs. Umbra’s satisfaction on the first try, which both pleased and surprised him. As always Cerberus was on the other side waiting for him. The demon dog seemed anxious and he suspected he knew why.
He scratched the central head behind the ear. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to end our contract. She’s going to be busy spying on the other demons so your job isn’t in danger.”
Cerberus barked and gave him a playful butt with his right head. Conryu laughed and gave him a swat on the flank.
“A boy and his dog, how sweet.” The Dark Lady appeared from above and to his right. Her flimsy black dress swirled around her as her wings flapped and she landed in front of him. “I assume you’ve considered my offer.”
“I did. Here’s my counteroffer.” He handed her the contract.
The Dark Lady’s expression went from cool to bright and back again as she read the various clauses Mrs. Umbra had included. The whole thing was only a page long. She said the simpler the contract the less chance a wily demon might find something to pervert to her benefit.
At last she lowered the paper and looked at him. “This is more generous and detailed than I expected. I assume you had help writing it?”
“I consulted a more experienced wizard, yes. So is it a deal?”
“It is. With this I’ll move into the upper echelon of Hell.” She scratched her finger and let a drop of thick black blood drip onto the paper.
A cord of power shot from his chest to hers. For a moment his mind was overwhelmed with visions of lust and power. Every act of domination or perversion conceivable flooded into him. There was no rhyme or reason to it, just a riot of images coming and going so fast he could hardly separate one from the next.
It was over in seconds. When he recovered his wits he found the Dark Lady licking her lips and smiling. Her presence had expanded, that was the only way to describe the feeling he got when he looked at her. The contract had served its purpose and been consumed.
“Was that your mind I saw?”
“Only the tiniest piece of it.” She glided closer and rested her hands on his shoulders, her face just inches from his. “I could teach you so much more. You’ve only scratched the surface of your capability. It’s going to be a dark and glorious journey, Master. I am eager to begin.”
“You’re eager to show off your new power.”
Her smile grew and her grip tightened. “I can’t keep any secrets from you, can I. You’re right. I’m looking forward to returning to the Black City and putting several of my ill-mannered former peers in their proper place. With the power I’ve gained it will not be difficult.”
“How much has our bargain increased your strength?”
“I’m half again as powerful as I was. Alas, you won’t receive a similar boost. Your gains will be much more focused. You will find spells that affect the minds of your targets simpler and more potent than they otherwise would be. That is my area of expertise after all.” She leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “Call me some evening, Master, and I will be happy to instruct you.”
Prime flew closer. “I will handle the master’s instruction.”
The Dark Lady flicked a glance at the scholomantic and immediately dismissed him. Conryu had the impression using magic was the last thing she planned to instruct him in.
He needed to move this conversation in a different direction. “How will you contact me if there’s a threat?”
“In your dreams. When your mind is free our link will allow me to create a lucid dream where we can interact.”
“Okay, good luck. Return!”
He was once more back in the classroom. Mrs. Umbra was staring at him while leaning on the Death Stick. “How’d it go?”
“She accepted and seemed well pleased with the terms. She plans to use her newfound power to put some rivals in what she considers their proper place.”
Mrs. Umbra snorted. “Typical demonic behavior. You’ve made a lot of progress this year and we still have months to go. If anyone had told me how far you’d advance in seven months I would have said it was impossible.”
The Chimera Jar: The Aegis of Merlin Book 3 Page 12