by R. W. Holmes
Gael, Kennedy, and Zinerva were a good five minutes behind Jacky when they themselves arrived at the college despite being in a hurry themselves, but found their way through the stark entryway, down the student-filled, callous gray, fluorescent light lit main entry hall, and into Kennedy's dorm without incident.
“Yeah...” Kennedy said as he stepped over to his bed and scooped up his baseball bat. “They've got knives? I've something better.”
Gael meanwhile had already stepped over to Kennedy's matter printer and had it start with the process of printing the materials he'd need.
“What're you cookin' up?” asked Kennedy.
“Cinnabar, an olive branch, a small dagger, a silver plate, and some mercury to fill it” replied Gael. “It's all part of the spell to make contact with War.”
“Yay!” Zinerva said excitedly. “Give me the dagger!”
“Yeah yeah, hold on” Gael snapped as the matter printer dinged to signal it had finished synthesizing his request.
“This is kind of weird...” Kennedy said as he watched Zinerva cut herself with the dagger and toss it into a bowl alongside the cinnabar and olive branch. The plate was then placed on top, and the mercury was poured into the plate to create a mirror.
“I mean, it's magic” Gael replied with a shrug. “It kind of flies in the face of all known science in the universe, so yeah, it's a little weird.”
Kennedy shrugged acquiescently and stared down at the strange array of goods Gael had amassed. “Now what?”
Gael cleared his throat and prepared himself to invoke the spell. “Lord of the bloodthirsty, sire of war dogs and anguish alike, cry out from the pits of the first circle and speak with me!” he called, his voice booming and taking on an unearthly quality that almost seemed to shake the dorm.
Then, the mercury in the dish shimmered, and War's image appeared.
“Ah, my favorite reluctant savior of Hell” War said levelly. “You're less innocent than the last time we met. I can always tell when someone has tasted battle for the first time.”
Kennedy stepped over to Gael's shoulder and asked, “Can he see me too?”
“Yes, other mortal” War mused. “I can see you too.”
“Ignore him” insisted Gael. “If me staying alive is so important to you, you might want to tell me how to deal with the Fae.”
“They've already arrived?” War queried in surprise. “Information and people must travel remarkably fast these days.”
“Yeah, I was a little surprised when a bunch of elves tried to kill me” said Gael. “The next time someone discovers demonology you should lead with that. Also, one of your demons killed my friend.”
War blinked. “Mine?” he said confusedly. “What do you mean?”
“My friend Angelica summoned a goat” explained Gael. “It killed her before she could give it any commands, and then it stomped around campus and blew my cover. How do you think 'the Fae' found me?”
War audibly groaned and stood up from his throne, but the image of him stayed fixed on his face within the mercury. “This is what I get for slacking off all these years” he said bitterly. “I'll have to make an example of that goat now.”
“How about you tell us how to make an example of the Fae so that they fuck off?” said Kennedy.
“If you want to make an example of the Fae, you should have your friend there summon another demon” said War. “Otherwise, all I can tell you is what you've seen, and what to run from.”
“Then let's start with what I've seen” said Gael. “And then never talk about Kennedy summoning a demon ever again. One of them was just a curly-shoed thing a bit smaller than Zinerva, and the other-,”
“Zinerva?” War murmured thoughtfully. “I've always liked that name.”
“Really!?” Zinerva exclaimed excitedly from her seat on Kennedy's bed.
“Listen, the other elf had pale eyes, longer ears, and it's already dead” said Gael. “The first one I described made people invisible, the second put Kennedy to sleep by touching him.”
“The first one was an elf, obviously” said War. “And not the Tolkien kind.”
“Oh good, he does classic pop culture references” said Kennedy.
“The second one was an alp” War continued. “Also an elf, but this time of Germanic origin. There's no sunlight sensitivity or aversion to garlic, but you could describe alps as the vampire version of an elf, or even a bloodsucking incubus of sorts.”
“Okay” said Gael. “What happens to these creatures when they die? Do they stay that way, or do they go 'home' somewhere like Zinerva does?”
“They go 'home'” confirmed War. “It takes them much longer to recover, though. What you need to realize is that the power of an individual fae can vary wildly from another of even the same species. The ones you dealt with were ordinary, I imagine. They must be! You don't even have the fire of limbo at your disposal yet.”
“Yes we do” called Zinerva. “Gael figured it out.”
War glared up at Gael incredulously, but then paused to inwardly scold himself as his first, prideful reaction was to reject what had been said.
“We need to bring up the subject of your friend having a demon again” he said instead.
“Why, because me coming around doesn't seem so likely anymore?” challenged Gael.
“No” said War. “Because the Fae are ruthless, and if they did send powerful faeries to deal with you then they're not going to back off anytime soon. Were there any survivors?”
Gael shifted uncomfortably as he recalled his decision to spare Jacky from earlier.
“Yeah, there was one” said Kennedy. “And her elf.”
War nodded knowingly and sat back with a smile. “Congratulations, Kennedy. You've just inherited a problem that will never go away. The Fae will kill you for having any knowledge of demons at all.”
“Kennedy comes from a family with a lot of money” countered Gael. “He's got better alternatives to demons.”
“I won't contest that” War acquiesced. “But is it really wise to refuse additional help? Regardless, come to me if you decide to go through with it. I will ensure you prepare to receive one of my demons, and not one from the other horsemen. As much as you detest me, I think you'll find that at least the Embodiment of War has a sense of honor. Pestilence, Famine, and Death hardly concern themselves with the concept of what's fair...”
“Wait, what about weaknesses?” asked Gael. “For the Fae?”
“They're obsessive” War offered with a shrug. “Take salt, for instance. They'll sit there and count out every grain if it's spilled, but only once they have the time. Deliberately spilling some for them to see can agitate and frustrate them greatly, to the point that it impacts their decision making skills. You'll understand why this is important once you've come to see how clever they can be.”
“Right, thanks” Gael said as picked up the silver plate. “We'll be in touch.”
The last vestiges of stable mercury revealed War to be smiling as Gael poured it into the bowl and ended their 'call'.
“Bro, I think I need a demon” said Kennedy.
“No!” snapped Gael. “Call your parents, tell them someone is terrorizing the campus. Maybe they can convince the school board to let you keep a gun around.”
“C'mon man, you and I both know the second amendment doesn't exist at colleges” Kennedy replied incredulously.
“Yeah, I also know that the last time this was done, someone died” said Gael.
“It's true” Zinerva added sadly. “It's so weird that we're never going to see Angelica again... It makes me feel all bad inside when I think about it.”
“Okay, yeah, that sucked” admitted Kennedy. “Counter argument: I'm fucking involved no matter what now, and you two are here to make sure I don't die like Angelica. Can you really sit there and say you won't be telling the next person who gets dragged into this that they should have a demon because you 'don't want them to die like Kennedy did'?”
Gael l
urched forward and cradled his head in his hands and Kennedy's words hit him.
“Fuck, it's true, isn't it?” he said in horror. “The next person I drag into this. I can never see my family again, or make another friend. If I do, it'll just put more people in danger.”
“Another argument for why you having little miss badass to protect you while I've got jack shit is a bad idea!” proclaimed Kennedy. “Think about it, man. What if we had a goat of our own? One that wasn't crazy? Or another imp like Zinerva? We'd be a lot safer, and it's like you and War already said: I'm in it regardless.”
Gael groaned aloud and shook his head. “I need to think about this” he said drearily. “I need to think about a lot of things! Just... give me an hour to sort things out in my head, alright?”
Ragged, terrified, and still clutching Ginger to her chest, Jacky finally found a moment to drop her claustrophobic invisibility as she came upon the college campus's cafeteria and spied Deacon speaking to a teacher at one of the tables.
“Ginger, stay hidden” whispered Jacky.
“I know” Ginger squeaked back dutifully.
Jacky took the seat beside Deacon inconspicuously, and almost immediately wished she hadn't when she remember how beat up she looked.
Deacon's guest, none other than Gael's teacher Clarissa Thomas, looked over at the roughed up and slightly singed wreck that was Jacky worriedly.
“Oh my goodness!” she said immediately. “Are you okay?”
Jacky gave an uncertain shake of her head as she replied, “I'm fine. There was an accident over at Tennerman's Pub just now, a lot of chaos... I heard someone died, I'm not sure.”
Deacon looked over at Jacky expectantly and asked, “Someone we know?”
The grim look Jacky shot back at Deacon told the normally brooding young man everything he needed to know.
“Jacky, this is Clarissa Thomas” said Deacon. “She was just telling me about a student of hers who was studying the supernatural.”
“Uh, y-yes...” muttered Clarissa, who was still too concerned with Jacky's condition to think straight.
“Deacon, I think we need to go” said Jacky. “Tell your friend she's been a great help, but that your friends have found everything we need elsewhere.”
Deacon nodded shakily, before looking back to Clarissa and donning his best nervous smile. “You heard her” he said with an awkward laugh. “Thank you for everything, though. One last time, what did you say your student's name was? I think I'd still like to meet with him sometime.”
“Oh, Gael” replied Clarissa. “Gael Walsh.”
“Hey, he didn't tell you any of the details behind his project, did he?” Jacky asked suddenly.
“Um, no?” Clarissa replied thoughtfully. “I imagine the process will be in his thesis though, and we publish those at the end of the year.”
Jacky smiled back at Clarissa appreciatively and said, “Thank you so much. Now come on, Deacon. We have to get going.”
Deacon sheepishly waved goodbye as he abruptly stood up from the table alongside Jacky and followed her out of the cafeteria. No sooner than when he and Jacky were alone though did she shove him into the alcove created by a classroom doorway and start slapping.
“You useless piece of shit!” she hissed at him. “Cody is dead! Do you have any idea what that means?”
“We underestimated-,” Deacon started, before finding Jacky's fist planting itself directly into his jaw.
“Jacky...” Ginger murmured concernedly from her unseen perch atop Jacky's shoulder.
“SHUT UP!” Jacky shrieked wildly.
Deacon reeled as Jacky hit him again, before finding his jaw held fast so she could hit him in the same spot once more. He knew when Jacky hit him again by the fresh taste of blood in his mouth, but had otherwise gone numb to the punishment he was receiving, until a sharp and severe pain caused him to cry out.
Jacky grinned as Deacon spit one of his teeth out onto the floor. “Good” she said, her breathing still heavy. “Deacon called both of us for backup. You don't sit here and chase leads when someone has an in-person confirmation.”
“I have his name...” Deacon murmured indignantly.
“We'd have him right now if you had showed up!” snapped Jacky. “Stop complaining and get that through your head!”
“We could have ambushed him in his dorm instead!” Deacon countered aggressively. “If Cody hadn't of been so hasty-,”
Deacon's vision flashed red for a moment as Jacky hit him again, and he cried out fearfully as she lined up his jaw for another pummeling. He doubled down on his attempts to break free, and even threw a few half-hearted swipes of his own, but was easily overpowered and forced to endure the loss of another tooth.
“Ptoo!” Jacky spat at Deacon. “You should have died!”
Deacon spat his own blood at the floor and looked up at Jacky hatefully. “I'm telling Bernard” he said defiantly.
“See if I fucking care!” Jacky snapped back bitterly. “Where the hell is Aoife?”
“Remember the college junction we came through on our way here?” replied Deacon. “Everyone entering or exiting the college concourse outside has to go through that spot, so I had her wait there and chase anyone suspicious who was seen making a run for it.”
“Oh gee, Deacon! That's so clever!” Jacky said sarcastically, before brutally slapping him again and adding, “It's a good thing no one died because she wasn't around or anything!”
Deacon clenched his fists in frustration as his eyes welled up with tears against his best efforts to remain stoic, until finally a telling sob escaped his best attempt at a tough facade. Jacky laughed at it gleefully, and then dragged Deacon out of the alcove so the rest of the college could see him crying as they made their way back out to collect Aoife.
“I almost died because of you” Jacky whispered to him as they continued their parade of shame. “And you're going to pay for it.”
“So?” said Kennedy.
Gael sat up and looked over at the nearby clock. It was nearly morning now, and he hadn't slept for far too long. This was something he'd already thought about, but the reality attached to it wasn't something he enjoyed playing with.
“We're screwed” he said plainly. “You know that, right Kennedy?”
Kennedy shrugged and said, “We'll figure it out. Those guys don't seem so tough.”
“There's a lot of them, though” replied Gael. “And you know what? They're going to send more people if these ones don't get the job done. What do you think that means?”
A look of consternation came over Kennedy's face, before a light bulb went off and he said, “We need bodyguards. Good ones.”
“No, Kennedy” Gael said grimly. “We need to leave Academy Nine, and we need to leave Enterprise Island. And then we need to go somewhere where we won't be found.”
A low, somewhat disappointed sigh escaped Kennedy as he mulled over Gael's words.
“You might be right” he admitted unhappily. “What do you know how to do?”
“You mean aside from summon demons?” asked Gael. “Nothing. I'm came to college to fix that.”
“You're pretty smart, though” said Kennedy. “You got Angelica to print that story on me like it was nothing. Maybe we do what all the greats did and drop out of college to start a business.”
“I would call you insane, but there's no doubt in my mind that you have the financial backing we'd need” admitted Gael. “There might be less of these people with the Fae further away from Earth, too. Like on another planet, or another system, even.”
“Proxima Centauri B is nice” said Kennedy. “I went there for my birthday two years back. Great beaches, sky is kind of purple. Oh, and the grass is blue.”
“You're taking this news really really well” Gael said concernedly. “Do you just not care, or is there a mental breakdown in the immediate future?”
“Honestly man, this is all crazy” Kennedy admitted concernedly. “But it's kind of cool, too. Personally, I t
hink we should just go see my father, show him the demon stuff, and then get the hell away. They're not going to come looking if there's never another demon sighting, right? They'll just assume you clammed up, and it'll cost too much money to track us down again.”
Gael sighed despondently, until a thought struck him.
“Or” he started mischievously. “We go public.”
Zinerva sat up from Kennedy's bed confusedly.
“What does that mean?” she chimed in lazily.
“It means we tell the whole world about you” replied Kennedy. “And honestly, yeah, that's kinda smart. Hell, we could just threaten to go public. That's enough to make a truce maybe, right?”
Gael nodded and stood up to stretch. “It's worth a try” he acquiesced. “For now though, let's focus on getting the hell off of Enterprise Island. As much as I hate to admit it, we're going to need to call War, because getting out of here with two demons is a whole lot more likely than getting out with one.”
“Oh, hell yeah!” Kennedy said excitedly. “I don't care what I get, so long as it blends in alright like Z does.”
“This is going to be so weird” Zinerva called lazily from the bed. “You're going to tell us not to fight, aren't you? That means I'm going to be friends with another demon.”
“You didn't have any friends in Hell?” Kennedy said in surprise. “Really? Not even other imps?”
“It's Hell” said Zinerva. “The only thing that's certain is that everyone wants to stab you in the fricken back!”
A few minutes later, Gael had finished cleaning out the original bowl used to contact War and replaced all of the contents to do so again. He then spoke the words to summon War through the mercury, and braced himself for what he knew would be telling the demon exactly what it wanted to hear.
“Let's skip the formalities” War said immediately as his visage appeared in the mercury. “I know why you're here.”
“Okay” said Gael. “Then tell us: how do we make sure the demon is one of yours?”
“I suspect you've been doing it already without realizing it” replied War. “It'd be incredibly unlikely that you'd just so happen to pull from my domain twice. Regardless, the traditional symbol for my domain is the baphomet symbol.”
