Phoenix Contract: Part Four (Fallen Angel Watchers)

by Melissa Thomas

  She sighed and ceased to linger since it wasn’t accomplishing anything. “I’ll be back in just a second,” she promised the slumbering priest.

  Aiden retrieved an armload of firewood from the closet and returned to the study. She’d have to make at least two trips, probably three, in order to transport enough wood to get a decent fire going.

  Two trips to the utility closet enabled her to transport enough wood to get a fire started using a small starter log. She also restocked the log holder. Aiden rubbed her palms against her jeans, attempting to remove the sappy residue.

  Her worried gaze strayed to Father Matthew who slouched forward in the armchair. His stillness was eerie and frightening, and Aiden felt her heart leap into her throat.

  “Father?” she said softly. Extending an uncertain hand, she took a step forward and reached for his arm.

  The priest awoke and burst upright, his eyes glazed and unfocused, the whites jaundiced. His expression was fevered.

  Aiden jumped reactively and stopped breathing as her heart gave a single hard thud. For a split second, she was positive he’d turned undead.

  Matthew drew in a labored breath, and the irrational fear deserted her as swiftly as it’d seized her. Exhaling, Aiden silently thanked God she’d come to grips with her fears before she had spoken them aloud.

  “A Curse of Chains!” Matthew exclaimed, weak but unbearably excited. He sat up straight, his expression one of a man possessed as he babbled on about his dreamtime epiphany. “Of course, it’s so obvious. We wouldn’t need his true name since the spell isn’t diablerie. A call name is good enough. That, and one of the demon’s possessions is all that’s required for a Curse of Chains!”

  “A curse of chains?” Aiden questioned, trying not to frown. She wasn’t familiar with the term, but she assumed it related to the magic he and Magnus had discussed. She’d been hoping Matthew would forget the dangerous plan to immobilize the Soul Eater in his exhaustion.

  “A curse of chains. It’s a simple binding spell,” Matthew explained hastily. “It’s not incredibly powerful, and it’s designed to restrict physical movement instead of command behavior. Once cast, it will hold the demon immobile so he can’t escape. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. I’ve been looking at things all wrong, looking for a spell to control the demon instead of simply trying to restrict its movement.”

  “Hold up a second. This is going too fast. We need to think this through,” Aiden said, alarmed with the direction the discussion was taking.

  Under normal circumstances, magic was a demanding and dangerous activity that required intense concentration and a hardy constitution. In Father Matthew’s current condition, even attempting a spell would surely kill him.

  “No, we can’t wait,” Matthew said, struggling to his feet. He swayed, looking like he was about to fall over, so Aiden grabbed hold of his elbow. How could he think of trying magic when he couldn’t even walk?!

  “The demon’s amorphous state is going to be a problem for Magnus, no matter how powerful the sword, because the Soul Eater can seep away through cracks. If it decides to run, which it no doubt will, given its cowardly nature, then it could be impossible to kill. Weeks ago, Magnus and I discussed finding a magical spell that would render it immobile long enough for him to deal the crucial blow.”

  The priest was talking in circles, over-explaining, and repeating himself. The frightening fanaticism which burned in his eyes made her fear for his sanity.

  “We don’t have anything that belongs to it,” Aiden pointed out, relying on logic and common sense to talk him out of his madness.

  “Oh, but we do!” Matthew threw up his finger, then staggered toward one of the oak tables. He depended heavily on Aiden for support, but she kept him upright and provided assistance, steering him toward the table.

  Matthew ran into the side of the table and leaned forward so fast he nearly fell as he groped across the polished surface for something. “Ah ha!” he exclaimed when his hand closed on something. Triumphant, he held his tiny trophy aloft for Aiden to inspect.

  She blinked and focused her eyes on a glint of gold and sapphire in the priest’s hand. Consternation drew her brow together. “That’s Troy’s ring,” she said, finally recognizing the band.

  “Correction, it was Troy’s, but that monstrosity made it perfectly clear that he claims both the soul and the possessions of his victims,” Matthew explained. “Which makes this ring—”

  “His,” Aiden finished. She scowled and scolded, “Even if it would work, you’re in no condition to perform magic.”

  “Not me, you,” he said, focusing on his student with intent brown eyes which shined with zealotry. “You’ll have to cast it.”

  “Me?” Aiden regarded him with incredulous surprise. “Don’t be absurd. I’ve never attempted to cast even a simple spell.”

  In fact, Matthew had insisted that she never experiment with the mystic arts. He always cautioned against its inherent dangers and maintained that he wasn’t a competent enough sorcerer to teach her the art. He’d even asserted that she wait until a skilled teacher could be secured to instruct her. Magic had never been a high priority for Aiden, so she’d been content to wait as Matthew suggested.

  “I’ve been overly cautious. For your own good, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “But this should be well within your abilities.” Matthew wheezed and sank into a chair. “The spell is basic, so I can walk you through it. And since you’re of House Shemyaza, magic should come as naturally to you as breathing.”

  Aiden’s expression went slack as she struggled to keep her reaction from her face. She wasn’t going to argue with him, not here, and not now. She wouldn’t scream or retaliate or express her displeasure in all of the things that had been done or all of the lies that had been told in the name of her best interests.

  “What about the threefold rule?” Aiden asked, still seeking an excuse to divert him from his madness. “Using magic to cause harm is supposed to bring about a threefold return of negative karma.”

  The priest snorted. “I’ll be instructing you in sorcery, not witchcraft, and while the Wiccan Rede is a sound principal, using magic to destroy a demon shouldn’t bring about karmic punishment or there’s something very wrong with this world we live in.”

  Aiden locked gazes with her mentor and stared into his determined brown eyes. His unwavering resolve suggested that he wouldn’t be argued or reasoned with.

  “Fine, why not? Aiden muttered and threw up her hands. Grim and resigned, she concluded in a hasty and impulsive fashion to go along with his madness to see where it led. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “At worst, the spell backfires and you wind up paralyzed until it wears off.”

  Aiden stared at her mentor in disbelief and then sighed. “Fine. Then I’d better not mess up. What do I do?”

  “You will call upon the element of Fire, which is associated with change, since an alteration of physical form is what we seek to impose upon the Soul Eater.”

  Aiden sank cross-legged to the floor and settled atop a small flame resistant braided rug that had been laid out before the massive stone fireplace. Matthew’s hand-woven Persian rug now leaned against the wall in a roll and his armchair had been dragged aside to safety in case Aiden unwittingly started a conflagration in the study.

  Armed with a fire extinguisher, the priest watched from one of the oak tables. He committed to stay silent so he didn’t distract her.

  Aiden methodically laid out the items she’d gathered at Father Matthew’s behest. She’d chosen a thick candle the color of ripe red currants to serve as her primary focus. The other objects she’d use in the spell included the sapphire ring, a length of steel chain, and a book of matches. Her first attempt at magic excited her, but she also expected nothing to happen.

  Aiden had studied metaphysical theory. She understood the basic terminology and methodology of magic, but she’d never attempted to put h
er knowledge to use. She’d never experienced the strange satisfaction of arranging spell components upon an altar. A tingle ran down her spine, and an indefinable sense of rightness filled her as she placed each piece in perfect proportion to the others. A thrill resonated throughout her being. I can do this! I won’t fail!

  With a surge of confidence, Aiden struck a match and lit the wick of the candle. A moment later, the room plunged into darkness when Matthew flipped the light switch. The single flickering flame provided the only illumination.

  Breathing rhythmically, Aiden began a meditation exercise and focused on achieving a deep state of relaxation. Within her mind, she summoned energy and constructed a cone of power as she’d been instructed.

  “Fire is your element, and it will be the easiest for you to call. Aiden, you have an immense untapped potential, but much of your power is unrealized, and the key to discovering and mastering it will be asserting your will over that which would oppose you.”

  Her initial attempts to summon magic produced no perceivable results, and Aiden felt more than a bit silly and self-conscious. Father Matthew had been so confident that she’d succeed, but self-doubt plagued her.

  Exhaling, she concentrated on driving all of the tension from her body. Gradually, her mind drifted into a state of blankness, and the shackles of stress loosened. At long last, the magic flowed into her as essential and vital was the air filling her lungs.

  It began as tingles in her fingers and toes and expanded until it surrounded her, shimmering and vibrant like a cloud of fairy dust. Her body temperature rose, a definitive warming that spread outward from her abdomen.

  The study heated, a sudden and noticeable increase in warmth that drew a soft murmur of encouragement from Father Matthew. The air crackled about her, feeding the building energy aura which pulsated with a deep, steady throbbing. The sensation was so immediate and so real that Aiden imagined each expansion and contraction of magic beat in time with her heart. This is power! Real magic!

  The power built until she reached what she felt was her limit. Certain that she could summon and command no more, Aiden opened her eyes and focused upon the red candle. Matthew had instructed her to channel the energy into it, so Aiden took a deep breath and attempted to do just that.

  The summoned magic did not manifest in the form of a cone as she expected, but rather it seemed to flow around her with volatile randomness like a raging storm. The magic had the essence of barely controlled chaos since she lacked the training or discipline to command it.

  The disorder was enthralling and hypnotic, so fascinating and beautiful that Aiden’s presence of mind slipped away. A part of her wanted to just get lost in the magic.

  “Aiden, you need to transfer the magic into the candle.”

  Father Matthew’s voice came as a jarring interruption, and Aiden blinked startled eyes that had grown fuzzy.

  Focus. Aiden scowled and grabbed at the power around her. With a sudden burst of determination, she flung it outward and into the candle. It left her with a great WOOSH of hot air that blasted her hair and made it fly wildly about her face.

  The wick burned bright, and then the flame turned into a conflagration that consumed the entire wax column. For a second, it was a neat torch, but then she lost all control over it.

  Swelling to an enormous size, the fire literally roared, and heat blasted Aiden in the face. She instinctively flinched and thought about jumping to her feet to retreat. The magic no longer felt good. It had suddenly turned very scary.

  Only Father Matthew’s shouted instructions kept Aiden from losing control of her spell. His voice rose loud and strong over the fiery din of crackling flames and urged her to take command of the fire.

  “Back, back, obey my command,” Aiden whispered, licking dry lips. She regarded the raging bonfire uncertainly but rallied to the challenge. The red head exerted her will and imagined bringing the fire under control with her mind. Amazingly, the flames did die down and gradually resumed the shape of a column.

  “A length of chain to bind the demon, symbolically restraining his essence and physically preventing him from movement.”

  She extended her hand and picked up the length of chain that had been hastily salvaged from the janitor’s closet. Aiden had cut away an equally corroded lock with a pair of bolt cutters to obtain the short and rusted piece. It had spent years threaded between holes of the chain link fence gate, but Matthew claimed it was sufficient for the task.

  Holding an end in either hand, Aiden pulled the chain taut for inspection. In spite of the red powder the steel left on her skin, the large, solid links possessed unyielding strength, and she grew certain the chain would hold on both a physical and mystical level.

  Freeing her right hand, she released one end of the chain and allowed the length to dangle from her left. The column of fire continued to burn steady, pulsating with the heartbeat of magic which waited to be directed. She was ready for the last and most difficult part of the spell.

  “The final step is forging a psychic link with the demon in order to bind it. This ring will provide the necessary foci, and once the connection is established, you must work quickly. The Soul Eater will be aware of what you are doing and resist, making the enchantment even more difficult.”

  After a considerable hesitation, Aiden finally picked up the sapphire ring. She held it in her right hand between her thumb and index finger with the gem toward her face. The brilliant cobalt blue sparkled and gleamed, refracting and reflecting the firelight. Troy’s eyes had taken on the exact same shade when he was happy, and Aiden’s vivid recollection easily turned up a hundred images of him laughing.

  In spite of her ridiculous, hopeless crush, Troy had been like a big brother to her. He teased her constantly about one thing or another, and yet he’d been so wonderfully protective. Smart and caring, courageous and cynical. Aiden’s eyes filled with tears as she confronted the reality of his death for the first time.

  Melancholy seized her, and the mood of the magic altered, causing the pillar of fire to burn just a touch dimmer. Aiden could sense Troy’s essence within the ring, a residual aura as if he’d left a piece of his soul behind. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she smiled, because she could feel Troy flowing through her, connecting to her on a spiritual level. It was a tiny balm, a source of solace and comfort, and her grief was momentarily eased. She sank a bit deeper into the connection, opening her mind more fully to the empathy.

  Then the illusion ripped away.

  The vision of Troy’s smiling face underwent a horrid transformation. Holes of blackness replaced his eyes and mouth and writhing tentacles spewed forth. The oily flesh was covered in an array of large yellow eyes arranged around a single sucker mouth ringed with sharp teeth. From the end of each tentacle sprouted needle thin ganglia, which whipped wildly about as the barbed ends fished for flesh.

  Fear coursed through Aiden, because it was pure ugliness: cold, malicious, evil. Images flooded Aiden’s mind: a patio table outside of a coffee house, throngs of passing pedestrians, and busy streets rumbling with traffic. The Soul Eater had taken on Thrash’s appearance in order to converse with a pale man of unspeakable beauty. The pair were seated.

  “What is it? Who are you talking to?” The pale man made his demands in French-accented English, a voice both aristocratic and charismatic which immediately commanded attention. His manner toward the Soul Eater was sharp and condescending, like a master addressing a disobedient servant.

  “A moment, Master,” the Soul Eater replied, confirming Aiden’s suspicion. He held up a fending hand.

  “I sense magic,” the Frenchman breathed, gazing at his minion with the most startling blue eyes Aiden had ever seen.

  She shuddered. It felt like the pale man was staring straight at her, even though she knew that would be impossible.

  “Someone is attempting to bind me,” the Soul Eater announced.

  Abruptly, Aiden realized that she’d waited too long and lost the element of surprise
. The Soul Eater had sensed what she was doing. Anger and fear formed an iron lump in her stomach, and she was immediately furious with herself wasting her only advantage.

  “Damn it,” Aiden muttered. She fumbled with the ring just as the Soul Eater launched a psychic assault. The demon reached for her, bringing Aiden to the sudden and jarring revelation that the connection she’d opened worked both ways. She flew into a blind panic, closing her entire fist around the sapphire ring. Dropping it wouldn’t terminate the spell or end the demon’s ability to attack her, but she would not be able to bind it, so it was imperative that she not release her grip.

  “Stupid girl, did you really think to hex me?” he taunted. “With your pathetic kitchen magic and your weak will? I eat children like you for supper.”

  She instinctively flinched from the tentacles as they lashed toward her face, and the demon chuckled, his course laughter echoing through her mind.

  The chain! Abruptly, Aiden remembered that she still held a death grip on the steel chain. It sprang into her thoughts while her mind groped for a course of action. As the demon’s dreadful visage bore down upon her, she blindly fumbled with the chain and struggled to wrap it around her clenched fist which held the ring

  Distantly, she heard Father Matthew shout over the roar of the fire which had flared into a towering inferno. She had him! The Soul Eater was physically bound, unable to move, and the magic she’d summoned in the form of fire poured into the spell.

  Through the two-way connection, the demon fought back. Dark tentacles lashed themselves around her, clutching so hard that Aiden felt the crushing pressure of each individual appendage. She gasped for air and inhaled smoke and heat, fighting with everything in her to drive the demon away.

  With every bit of will and power at her command, she attempted to sever the connection and end the spell, but she couldn’t break the link. Unknowingly, due to inexperience and a terrible mistake, Aiden had committed a gross error in judgment. The chain wrapped around both her hand and the sapphire ring also held her bound.