It was a glorious spring afternoon in London; outside, fine ladies and well-dressed gentlemen promenaded in the park near Leatrix's stately home. A few wisps of cloud drifted lazily across the sky, creating soft fingers of shade that lightly caressed the lawns and pathways, keeping the temperature bearable. Here and there was the lighthearted laughter of the young and carefree, none of them suspecting - even as they passed just outside - the deeds that Leatrix and Lime were preparing for in the dark of the cellar.
In the tomblike stone enclosure below the townhouse, the two women had drawn a summoning circle in red chalk on the floor. In the centre of the circle stood an iron post, with several thick chains riveted to the floor at its base, barely visible in the murky candlelight.
"When the demon Imri has been summoned," Leatrix explained, "we will want both Asm-- er, Zillah... and the incubus bound in the centre of the circle. Lime, you will have to stand within the circle as well, so that you can take from Imri what we need. It's a dangerous place, but it is the only way. It is very important that you do not step outside the circle until Imri has been banished back to Hell. I will do all I can to keep both the fiends bound tightly - the stake is enchanted, it will keep both of them weakened and lethargic while they are connected to it. Do not touch their chains or the stake.
"You and Zillah will stand in the centre. I will call on Asmodeus to help me overpower the incubus. When they are both present, I will bind them to their station - from there on out, it will be up to you."
Lime nodded assent as she placed the last lit candles on their designated positions on the edge of the chalk circle. After close inspection of the handiwork they had constructed, Lime finally looked up to see the glints of candlelight in Leatrix's and Asmodeus's eyes. The demon Asmodeus stood off in the corner, looking quite bored, and Leatrix had put on this all-too-obvious flair of pretending to know what she was doing. "No funny business now Mistress, or the ghost of his child will haunt you," Lime sarcastically chimed. Directing herself back in the demon's direction, she beckoned at her ex-lover to stand in the circle.
With both of them standing within the confines of the chalk, Lime faced Zillah, and without taking her eyes off of his, she pulled a small dagger from her skirts. She pressed it on the palm of her hand and sliced evenly, letting the blood drip to the floor. "Now let's find out the truth," she muttered, not letting the sting of opened flesh show on her face.
Leatrix kneeled at the edge of the circle. Only her face and hands were visible as she began her chant, her black gown melting in and becoming one with the darkness outside the summoning circle; an eerie glow began to issue from the centre. The light grew in intensity as Lea's voice grew louder, more shrill. Tears glittered in her eyes, staining her cheeks as she cried out her summoning command:
Father Below, by your grace I pray thee grant me the power to conceive and execute my desire! In your name, the one True God and Master, I entreat thee to inspire the incubus Imri to manifest before me and answer to my command, that I may accomplish my desired end! With blood offering, I humbly beg in Your Name, Lord Satan, may you deem me worthy - send forth your emissary Imri!
Incubus Imri, by the power of Our Father Below, I command you come forth into this circle, answer to me as you would to your Unholy Creator, and obey me!
Prince of Demons, King of the Nine Hells, Demon Asmodeus - bring forth by necessary force your underling Imri, my servant, and hold him at your side until our work is done!
A loud crack resounded in the cellar as the stones in the summoning circle broke open and belched forth a cloud of black, sulphuric ash. From deep within the rift could be heard the tortured screams of a thousand souls. Black, fanged shadows whirled around the edges of the circle like a cyclone, their shrieks added to those of a newcomer. Asmodeus had dipped his arms into the crevice, and was wresting something out from the ruined cobbles: as he tugged violently, his victim slowly emerged: his hands were wrapped around the throat of the incubus, its face twisted horribly in fury and surprise.
Leatrix leaped up from her kneeling position and yelled into the whirlwind. "Lime! Be careful - the incubus has brought his servants, and they will fight to assist him!"
When Imri's writhing body was visible, Leatrix hissed a curse, and the chains on the floor began to rattle and twist upward like serpents. With sudden violence, they wound themselves around the two struggling hellions and snapped taut to bind the pair to the stake. The devils howled angrily, contorting in desperate weakened attempts to kill one another.
"NOW, Lime!" Leatrix screamed over the cacophony.
Lime's long ropes of hair blew around in a frenzy like angry snakes. Her eyes widened at the crumbling ground beneath her feet while droves of small imps climbed upwards reaching for her skirts. With a concentrated effort to ignore them, she muttered a quiet incantation and a grey-coloured light expelled from her fingertips, racing down towards the piles of imps crawling over each other like ants. The muted light hit their grimey flesh and spread like water, solidified into what appeared to be stone, and left the twisted faces of the imps frozen in place. With a snarl, Lime raised her bare foot, then stomped it down on the pile of petrified gremlins, forcing them to crumble and burst into a cloud of dust.
The light of the candles had flickered with intense distrust, and after the wicks slowly regained their composure, they revealed the two demons still glaring murderously at one another. Attempting to keep her composure, Lime stared at the demon, Imri, who hadn't yet noticed the dust covered gypsy stepping dangerously close to his bindings. When she leaned in just out of reach, his eyes flared at her smirking face.
"Imri," Lime whispered huskily into the demon's ear, "You have something I want, don't you now?" She sauntered slowly around the demon, tracing the back of his shoulders while staying within the sound of the chalk-line. A smudge of red marred the left side of his once-perfect face and his candy-purple eyes glared as he realized he was intentionally entrapped. Lime looked over to see Leatrix still holding the binding spells, and turned herself in front of Imri.
"Look at me, demon, look at me really well. This is the last thing you will ever see with that lovely purple eye you have." She paused a moment, letting him angrily stare at her still smirking face. Nearly bringing herself close enough to embrace the demon, she popped a thumb into the inside of his eye socket and pushed in deeply. With a scooping motion, she popped out his eye and pulled the thin, bloody optic nerve from his skull, then placed the wet orb into her pocket. The demon's muscles flared as he attempted to release himself from his bindings, and a gush of red spilled down his body.
"There there, " she cooed, "What else do you have?" She traced a finger from his swollen, empty socket down his face, and further twirling and trailing blood over his chest, until she found a slight bulge in his jacket pocket. "Ah!," she exclaimed as she reached into the pocket and pulled out a small black box tied with a ribbon. She smiled triumphantly at the box, then back at the furious one-eyed demon and pet him affectionately on the cheek before stepping to the opposite side of the circle. "Lea--"
Lime turned to face Leatrix, but the young sorceress had collapsed to the floor. Imri laughed. "Give back that black little soul of his gypsy, and I'll go. Looks like Grey is a little too tied up to help you ladies... and Mistress Leatrix? You know you'll die if you step into that circle. What does that leave?" Imri turned his violent gaze upon Lime, leering. "You? Hah! Give me that fucking soul back, or I'll snatch you away into Hell as I leave."
Imri was right; Leatrix was slumping visibly under the strain of her own binding spells, and Zillah was still chained tightly to the stake, his back against Imri's, helpless.
Asmodeus turned a his face to Lime slowly, his gaze seething with primal hate and barely-contained menace. He grinned a toothy grin, like a hungry wolf. "Unchain me..."
Lime's eyes widened. "I'm not stupid... if I unchain you, anything could happen..."
"Unchain me and I'll dispatch the incubus back to Hell..."
The gypsy studied Asmodeus for a moment before hastily deciding to touch the bloodied blade of her dagger to his binding chains. Asmodeus lunged at the bound Imri before the chains had a chance to clammer to the ground. Lime stepped quickly to where Leatrix lay, reaching her hand over the chalk-line to check for the girl's breath. "Wake now!," Lime hissed at the young mistress.
With a snarl, Asmodeus was upon the incubus head-first. They dove into the yawning chasm in the floor, locked in a flurry of violence. Their animal growls sunk into the crevice, taking their melee with them.
For a breathless moment, the room was still and silent, the sorceress and the gypsy alone in the gloom. "Lea--!" Lime screamed, and with a moan, Leatrix raised her head.
"Asmodeus..." she whispered weakly. "Asmodeus, come back to me... do not linger--!"
The crack in the cellar floor closed with a boom, spewing dust as it did and sending a shower of debris flying. In its place lay the lifeless-looking body of Zillah Grey.
"The soul, did you get the soul? Put it back quickly; he's dying, Lime," Leatrix pleaded, but she was fading quickly, her eyes rolling back as she slumped once more to the ground.
Lime ignored the girl's faint and lunged towards Zillah, scraping her knees on the uneven floor.
"Zillah!" she gasped while taking his head in her arms. "Zillah, come back to me," she pleaded, tugging the top of the newly-acquired box off to expose a glowing, swirling orb. She carefully removed it from captivity and lay it on his chest, pushing it into his skin. The light disappeared like the sunset on the horizon, and Lime moved so she could place her head over his heart. Squeezing him tightly, she could start to feel signs of life in his bloodied body.
An agonized scream ripped forth from Zillah's throat. His hands flailed wildly, as if fending off some unseen attacker. He writhed on the floor, his spine twisting inhumanly, cracking audibly as he did so. Lime clung tightly, holding back his violent blows, crushing him closer.
He gulped in a great mouthful of air and his his eyes snapped open with sudden consciousness.
"No--" he whimpered. "Let me be dead..."
1 comment:
YAY!!
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