Chapter 3: Lesser Evils

Ryan rubbed his eyes, nudging Nahash to get her attention as he leaned across to show her the page. Her sisters were curled up nearby like giant cats, sleeping around them in haphazard piles. The roaring flames of the bonfire were now smoldering embers, he must have been researching for hours. He wondered idly what the logic was and if the Seirim had intentionally simulated the fire dying down, or if the illusory bonfire behaved as a real one would.

“I’ve got it down to two,” he said, trying to suppress a yawn unsuccessfully. “Gamori, number fifty-six. Her office is to tell of all things past, present and to come, and of hidden treasures. She can procure the love of women, and she governs twenty-six legions of spirits. The second is Vapula, whose office is to make men knowledgeable in all handicrafts and professions, also in philosophy and other sciences. She has thirty-six legions.”

“Gamori is a good choice,” Nahash said, “her powers may reveal what is happening. But why Vapula? She is a teacher, her powers cannot reveal hidden truths or grant you any protection.”

Ryan stared at the ground, his companion watching him curiously as he formulated his reply.

“Back in the apartment ... I felt so powerless. Armed men came into our home and tried to kill us, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“You killed one of them,” Nahash said in an attempt to reassure him, but he waved his hand dismissively.

“Luck. In any other situation, I would have been killed, and you would have been bound to a brazen vessel. You’d probably be cast into the ocean or buried in cement, never to be seen again. I can’t do anything about demon panthers spitting fire, but if we’re going to be facing off against humans again, maybe Vapula can teach me how to handle myself. Soldiery is a profession, isn’t it? Marksmanship, self-defense, they’re all skills that can be taught. It’s a stretch, but it can’t hurt to try.”

“Perhaps...” Nahash said with a nod. “I see that you chose two of the three females listed, is it your intention to offer them sexual energy in exchange for their help?”

“Do you ... mind?” Ryan asked sheepishly, turning his eyes towards the ground again. “This isn’t something that I’d ever do if I thought I had another choice, but...”

She reached across and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“You forget that I can see into your heart, Ryan. I can sense your emotions. You needn’t make excuses and justifications.” She closed her eyes, exhaling as she concentrated, a familiar sense of warmth and dizziness washing over him as she probed his mind with her magick. “I sense turmoil in you, guilt. You dread consorting with these demons and your heart breaks for me, you believe that you are betraying your commitments to me.”

“That’s pretty to the point,” he grumbled as the sensation faded. “I’ve been hurt in that way before. In fact, it’s only thanks to what Becky did to me that I’m here at all.”

“She broke your heart,” Nahash confirmed, “and her acts precipitated the events that led to you summoning Orobas.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change a thing. In a way I’m grateful to her, if she hadn’t been a cheating bitch, I would never have met you. But if there’s any chance that I might make you feel at all like I did when I uncovered what she had been doing ... I think I’d rather take the torture than the sex.”

“The two might not be as different as you imagine,” she muttered ominously, “and you don’t yet know for sure if either demon will accept your proposition. But your fears are misplaced, Ryan. Demons feed on sexual energy purely as a means to sustain themselves, any romantic attraction is merely simulated for the mortal’s benefit. I am a Seirim, my purpose for millennia was to extract energy by seducing mortals. I have been with countless men and women over many thousands of years. Do you think that my past experiences change the way that I feel about you, does it change the way that you feel about me now?”

“No...”

“I am a demon, my body is a mere manifestation. We do not place the same importance on physicality that humans do. Pleasures of the flesh are fleeting and transitory. If you should wish to revel and indulge in earthly pleasures, do you think that I would seek to prevent it?”

“I suppose not. Revelry is kind of your thing, after all.”

“In fact, I am surprised that you have not asked me to do more for you so far. I can use my powers to create any illusion that you can imagine. I could conjure a harem of women tailored to your every taste and fantasy, I can influence your senses to make their touch feel as real as the earth beneath your feet, monitoring your emotions so that every momentary desire is fulfilled. Yet all you seem interested in is me, at my most mundane. It is endearing, but there is so much that you have yet to experience, Ryan. You are mortal, your time on Earth is finite. I want you to enjoy everything that it has to offer.”

Her words calmed him, and he began to feel a little better. Of course, Nahash was not a jealous creature, her reason for being was to tempt people into indulging in all manner of carnal extravagances. She knew that he loved her, she could smell it on him like a bad cologne, and that seemed to be enough to clear her mind of any doubts.

“If I seem worried it is not because of possessiveness,” she continued, “but because I fear for your safety. Some demons can be ... tricky. I am certain that this will not go the way that you expect it to...”

“You’re probably right,” Ryan sighed, “but I have to try. It’s either that or spend the rest of my life living in this forest. I’ve gained so much, I can’t lose it all again so soon.”

“If your mind is made up, then we must proceed,” Nahash said as she rose to her feet and extended a hand to him. “This time I can help you prepare. These demons are not of high rank, but they will not be as easily controlled as Orobas. The proper precautions must be taken.”

He nodded, taking her hand, and she lifted him up from his cushion.

“Let’s summon some demons.”

“The salt circle is still functional,” Nahash said as she paced around it on her cloven hooves. “There is ambient energy collecting here, I made use of it when I manifested. You will need both a Triangle of Solomon to confine the demon if it should become unruly, and your own protective triangle to minimize the risk to yourself.”

“I have chalk, but no salt,” Ryan said as he appraised the circle. It was just barely visible beneath the tall grass, the plants unable to grow on the salted earth. “I can’t use chalk to draw on the ground like I could on the floor of my apartment. How are we going to draw them?”

Nahash shrugged, an oddly human gesture coming from the goat-like demon. He had noticed that she was starting to pick up modern mannerisms, her archaic speech patterns too were becoming more contemporary as she adopted new words and phrases.

“I’m not sure how this is going to work,” Ryan grumbled as he searched through his pack. “I managed to swipe everything that was set out on the table in my apartment, but I’m missing a lot of important stuff. You’re supposed to bathe thoroughly before summoning a demon, and I can’t do that here. I don’t have any linen robes, I don’t have any candles or incense. I have my oil of Abramelin and my wards, it’s a good job I kept them handy. I was kind of worried that something might come through the circle into the apartment uninvited.”

“A wise precaution, it has been known to happen. As for the candles ... there may be something that I can do about that.”

Ryan watched as she stood still, her eyes closed, seeming to concentrate intently. Movement near her feet drew his gaze, and he noticed that the blades of grass around her hooves were growing. They sprouted from the soil like video footage playing in fast forward, colorful flowers blooming on the nearby weeds as if the forest was flexing like a living organism. Flying insects seemed to be drawn to her, the bright glow of a swarm of fireflies hovering around her like a tiny field of stars. Moths flitted about on the breeze, as well as large beetles whose iridescent shells reflected the light in shades of blue and green.

He heard a loud droning coming from somewhere in the forest, growing louder and louder as if it was getting closer. The droning became a distinct buzzing, and then Ryan’s eyes widened as he saw a gigantic mass of bees fly over the protective wall of plant matter. There was a solid mass of insects hovering a few feet off the ground, probably the size of a football. Nahash held out her hand to them as they drew nearer, swaying erratically, before landing at her feet. The bees scattered, forming a vague cloud, the sound of it alarmingly loud now that they were close. He watched as the insects retreated towards the forest, leaving a roughly spherical mass behind that looked like it was made of wet tissue paper.

“Is that...”

Nahash knelt to pick it up, showing it to Ryan as he gawked.

“It’s a beehive, wax for the candles.”

“What are you, a Disney princess? I didn’t know that you could take control of animals like that.”

“We Seirim are deities of the wilds,” she explained, setting the hive down on the grass and beginning to break it open with her clawed fingers. “We hold dominion over all creatures of the forest.”

“Makes sense I suppose,” he muttered as she cracked open the beehive like an egg. The interior was lined with honeycombs, the syrup seeping out of them like yolk. Using the forest to procure what she needed ... it gave Ryan an idea.

“You take care of the candles,” he said, walking towards the edge of the clearing. “I think I have some idea of how we can draw the triangles.”

The officer marched into the inner court of the lodge, one arm suspended in a sling across his chest, his police jacket draped over his shoulders. He had bandages around his head too, and he was walking with a noticeable limp.

The court was empty save for the Grand Master, who was seated in a golden throne at the far end of the lavishly decorated room. The officer took a moment to admire the purple carpeting, along with the paintings that lined the walls. The ceiling was adorned with a blazing star that seemed to be made from solid gold, held up by Romanesque pillars that were as thick around as stout trees.

The Grand Master waved the man forward, stroking his greying beard, the elaborate pendants and medallions that hung around his neck reflecting the light. They were symbols of his high rank within the organization, inscribed with Masonic symbols and runes, as were the cuffs and the apron that he wore.

The officer walked up to the foot of the bench behind which his superior was seated, the oak carved with elaborate reliefs that were inlaid with gold and purple. It was more than a little imposing. The bench before him and the rows of seats to his left and right were all raised off the ground, the Grand Master peering down from above like a preacher in his pulpit, or a judge ready to slam down the gavel and pass sentence on him. It made him feel like he was shrinking into the carpet.

“I am glad to see that you’re up and about, Corporal.”

“Thank you, most worshipful Grand Master.”

“I’m going to assume that you know why I have summoned you here,” the Grand Master continued, straightening his spectacles as he examined the wounded policeman. “I wanted the report on what happened on your mission to be delivered to me in person. Usually I would be speaking to your Sergeant, but it appears that he was ... trampled to death, I believe.”

“Of course, Grand Master.”

“Why don’t you give me a play by play of what happened? Start when you arrived at the target’s apartment.”

The Corporal took a moment to compose himself, remembering how it had all gone down. It had only been a few hours prior, but it had all happened so quickly, it was like trying to remember a dream.

“We were stacked up outside his apartment,” he began, “and the Sergeant had taken point. He knocked on the door, and a few moments later a tall, blonde woman opened it. We had orders to leave no witnesses, and so he hit her with the shotgun at point blank range.”

“But it wasn’t a woman,” the Grand Master volunteered, “it was the target’s familiar?”

“Yes, Grand Master. We had been expecting to face off against a familiar, and so when she didn’t go down, it wasn’t a surprise. The Sarge hit her again, in the head this time, and her physical form dissipated. We moved into the apartment, and the target was just sitting on his couch. He was an average looking guy, in his mid-twenties maybe, nothing remarkable about him. He seemed surprised, he didn’t react very fast, so we moved into the apartment and prepared to execute.”

“And that was when the familiar manifested again?”

“Yes, Grand Master. Based on the available information she shouldn’t have been able to recover so quickly. Before anyone could pull the trigger on the target, she had manifested again, with a physical form that was cohesive enough to block our bullets.”

“Investigators found a summoning circle drawn on the floor of his apartment,” the Grand Master said, “it must have been collecting ambient energy there for a long time. It’s possible that he was prepared and that he had planned for a situation where his familiar might be in urgent need of energy. That would suggest that he is far better informed and more dangerous than we could have anticipated. It seems unlikely that he simply left an open circle in the middle of his living room, anything could have made its way through.”

“That’s not all, honorable Grand Master,” the Corporal added. “It was like his familiar was drawn to him, even after her form had been dissipated. She was juiced up on energy for sure, which made her far more powerful than we had expected, but she must have been bound too. There’s no other way to explain it.”

“You think the Seirim was bound to an object in the apartment?” the Grand Master asked skeptically. “Someone of his level couldn’t possibly be a knowledgeable or skilled enough magician to accomplish that feat on his own. Am I to understand that your Sergeant could not contain the Seirim?”

“The familiar was strong, but the incantation and the wards were doing their job. A little longer and he would have managed it. The target interfered, however, caused enough of a distraction that she broke loose. Once she was on us, we didn’t have time to do much besides try to fight her off.”

The Grand Master sighed in exasperation, rubbing his wrinkled forehead, the officer waiting nervously for him to continue his interrogation.

“The moment that it broke loose, the mission was over. How many times must it be explained to field operatives that if you interrupt the damned incantation, the demon will break free and come straight for you? They’ll take advantage of any opening that they can get, you’re trying to seal them in a brazen vessel for Solomon’s sake, of course they’re going to fight tooth and nail to prevent that.”

“I-I’m not a skilled magician, worshipful Grand Master, I just-”