Chapter 3

The Meeting

~Humans do not naturally posses magic. A child of dust and mud can only achieve power through four ways. They may pledge themselves to either the Light or the Dark, and be rewarded with a sliver of their power. They may channel the inherent magic of the Earth.

The fourth way is to steal it. These thieves are called The Afflicted and they are abominations- The lecture Notes of Father Fredrick~

-Daniel Fleeting-

I knew it the moment it happened. One moment I was riding into the rising sun, mere minutes from confronting Devnikolus and earning my salvation. The next, I sensed the familiar swell of teleportation magic ... and then he was gone.

I had screamed then.

My horse reared back and I toppled from my saddle. Hard stone rushed to greet my less hard head ... and I lost consciousness.

The waking world greeted me with a sharp pain at the back of my skull.

~You're lucky to be alive ... again, Vraiel, the Angel in my head stated wryly.

~How long was I unconscious? I asked through the throbbing.

~You cracked the back of your skull~ Vraiel replied, The damage was severe, and you would have died had your stone heart not used its unholy magic to heal you and stop the bleeding.

I winced. The next time I had to use Light magic the residue from my Demonic core would cause me terrible discomfort.

"We missed him," I said out loud.

This always happened. The power of travel by magic was beyond me, but the Prince of Destruction used this ability with impunity. But he hadn't teleported for so long ... I had thought ... had hoped ... that I would catch up to him this time. Now he was too far away to even sense, and I would have to start all over.

~We will just have to hope we stumble over him again, Vraiel said in my head, We have no idea how far he has gone. We should just pick a direction and commit to it.~

I looked around, hoping that my horse was still nearby.

~When the unholy magic began to work upon us the horse became spooked and bolted~ Vraiel told me bitterly.

My sword was poking uncomfortably into my side, but at least it hadn't been in the saddle bag.

I stood up slowly, and brushed the dirt from my travel clothes. The saddle bag filled with my tools was gone. My vial of holy water, my scroll of earth moving, and my ever precious thrice blessed cross. Without that cross I didn't stand a chance against the Demon Prince.

~The cross is safe, along with the scroll Vraiel said cheerfully, I'm glad I insisted you have that leather smith make you that hip pouch.~

With budding joy, I touched the small bag looped to my trousers.

~That is another thing that I am in your debt for Vraiel, I said.

He didn't reply, but I could tell he was happy.

I was just stretching and limbering out my sore shoulder, when something caught my senses. In the distance, in the direction that Devnikolus had been in, I caught a faint trace of his power. It was starting to move north quickly, as if it was moving by horseback

~How is this possible?~ I asked Vraiel silently.

~It is possible that we are sensing one of the Prince's servants, Vraiel responded with glee.

I would have to run using Light magic to keep pace with a horse, and it would be agony. But, this traveling flicker of unholy power was all I had to continue my search, and I was willing to bear it.

"Let's go introduce ourselves," I said as I began to run.

-Alarial-

The cart trundled along at a maddeningly slow pace. My head bobbed as I tried to keep myself awake against the gentle motions of my wooden seat. Jon sat beside me looking straight ahead.

I dared not fall asleep, because if I fell asleep all I saw was his face, and that caused me misery when I woke and found I had only been dreaming of my Master.

"I'm surprised he hasn't come to find us," Jon said suddenly.

His voice was a welcome break in the monotony.

"We don't know where he is Jon," I said softly, ready to defend my Master, "He might be safe but unable to travel back to us."

Jon shook his head, "I know we don't know anything for sure, but Devnik can travel great distances at a moment's notice. His magic has few limits."

I shrugged, and voiced a concern that had crept into my mind unbidden, "Maybe my wish sent him back down to hell?" I asked.

Again his head shook in the negative, "No, I'm almost positive that your wish would have sent him to his house in Ireland. That was where he first crossed from Hell to Earth, and he is at his strongest and safest there."

I nodded and looked back at the road, "I'm sure he has his reasons Jon," I replied sleepily.

The butler shrugged and fell silent. He wrapped his hands around in the reigns.

We didn't reach a village like we had hoped we would before the horses tired. Jon decided that a small stream a few paces into the wood away from the road would be ideal. The ancient man's young face looked haggard as he unbuckled the horses from their carriage and brushed them down.

When he was done the beasts trod over to the stream and began to take water.

I was tasked with gathering small twigs and brambles so that we might have a fire for the night. My mind wandered back to my Master and the ease at which he commanded fire.

My sex pulsed and I felt a wave of arousal travel from my belly to my breasts. It would do no good to think of him, I reminded myself. This excitement is empty without him.

Jon sat down next to me as I began to arrange the brambles and stones I had collected.

"I don't have any flint or tinder," Jon said, "Do you think you can use magic? I haven't used my blade to strike a fire in decades and I would rather not dull the edge."

"I don't know the Angelic words for fire," I said glumly. My vocabulary was rather limited. The only words I knew were 'free me.'

Jon leaned back against a tree trunk and straightened his long legs. I sat down on the ground and stretched mine out as well. My dress flared up my legs, exposing a great deal of thigh.

In my current state of exhaustion I didn't care. Besides, I was no lady. The ex-whore in me giggled.

The butler smiled, "I don't think magic requires the words of Heaven or Hell to work. I think it is more an exercise of will."

I eyed him suspiciously, "Are you questioning my strength of mind Jon?" I asked icily.

He gave a great belly laugh, and after a moment I joined him.

We enjoyed our camaraderie.

We were only just beginning to relax, when something unexpected occurred.

A voice shot out from amongst the trees, "Hello the camp!" Cried a voice tinged with an English accent.

Jon shared a brief look of puzzlement with me before he replied, "Hello the traveler!" he replied loudly, with his hands cupped about his mouth.

Out from the underbrush came a rather bedraggled looking traveler. His dirty blond hair was mussed and had a leaf nestled in it. His clothes looked dirt stained and well worn.

At his hip a rusty sword swung loosely on a belt.

I quickly glanced at Jon's sword next to his feet ... and reassured myself that we were not without protection. Again, I missed my Master, and the overwhelming safety he could provide.

"I'm afraid we don't have much to offer stranger," Jon said wearily as he got to his feet, "We don't have any fare with us," he paused and looked down at our unlit fire, "I'm afraid we don't have a tinderbox to offer you a fire either."

The dirty blond haired laughed, "Perhaps I can be of some assistance somehow," he replied as he unbuckled his sword from his hip."

Jon tensed, and with a neat flick of his foot he kicked his sword up into his hands.

"Peace my friend," said the stranger, "I simply need the pommel of my sword, a handful of that dried grass, and the stone next to my lady's foot."

Jon relaxed slightly, "I thought about doing it the old traveler's way ... but it has been so long I didn't know if I could do it."

The man nodded, "Some skills fade with time," he said in a faraway voice.

With that, the ragged man went about his business, and within a minute he had the dry grass spitting up glowing embers. Within three a small fire crackled.

The man sat, "There," he said, "That should keep the cold away. Name's Daniel by the way," he said with a nod to each of us.

"Jon," said my companion.

"And I am Maria," I said with a small smile.

True night had fallen, and the fire's glow seemed to be all one could see.

"Thank you for your help," Jon said, "I wish we had something to offer you, but I spoke truly when I said we have no food."

The man shrugged, "In truth, providing me with company and conversation will be enough, my trade does not leave me much time to simply talk."

"What do you do Monsieur?" I asked. I decided I liked this man, despite being rough around the edges.

Daniel shrugged, "Oh, I must beg your pardon my lady, but I am hesitant these days to discuss my profession. Many don't believe me when I tell them, and those that do shun me ... but the people who have seen what I have seen thank me."

Now I had to know, "Please Monsieur, we will give you the benefit of the doubt."

He seemed to pause, and then decide.

Daniel smiled, "Tell me my lady, do you believe in Monsters?"

My mind instantly flashed to Devnik. I could see his blood red eyes glowing beneath his dark locks, and the fearsome bolts of magic he had hurled at Cariel. Then my mind flashed again, and I was pinned to the bed, his arms around my wrists like shackles as he pounded into my body. I could feel him sinking into my wet and throbbing core ... sounds of moisture revealing my humiliating level of arousal.

Yes, I believed in monsters. I waited for one to visit my dreams each night.

"Why, yes Monsieur Daniel," I said slowly, "I think monsters must exist, especially when I am out in a dark wood."

Daniel smiled, "That's good," he said lightly, "You will have no problem believing me when I tell you my profession."

He leaned closer, as if whispering an illicit secret, "I'm a Monster Hunter."

-Daniel Fleeting-

~These two reek of magic, I thought to myself and Vraiel.

They were an unlikely pair. The man was wearing the common cuffs and coat of a Parisian Butler. He had thick dark brown hair with matching brown eyes. His face was riddled with scars, all of them looked old and well healed. He had seen violence early in life.

That and his little trick with his sword made me keep my eye on him.

~There is something amiss with his ring, Vraiel whispered in my head so I wouldn't miss any of the conversation being spoken aloud.

~Magic?~ I queried silently.

~If it is, it is buried too deeply in the metal, and I cannot get a feel for it, replied Vraiel.

"Would you be an official Hunter then?" Jon asked slowly.

Inwardly I smiled, it would have been much harder if they hadn't risen up to my probing about the supernatural, and had pretended to be unaware.

"Why, yes I am," I said as I rolled back my sleeve to reveal my right wrist.

A small tattoo of a weeping eye glimmered in the firelight.

Jon leaned forward to get a better look, then sat back with a grunt of affirmation. "That looks real enough for me," he said.

"What does a Monster Hunter do?" asked the girl.

I gave the young woman an assessing look.

She looked to be about eighteen, maybe nineteen. Here light blue eyes were incredibly pale, and her blonde wavy hair shimmered all the way down to her lower back. She was beautiful in the way an Angel might be. Less desirable because of overwhelming perfection.