Paul Kemp: Shadowstorm

"Hurt you so you remember it," Riven added.

Unholy power, dark and cold, flared around Mephistopheles's form.

"Do not," Magadon said, and Cale was not certain if he was speaking to his father or his comrades.

Mephistopheles kept one hand possessively on Magadon and held his other out at his side. A wickedly pointed iron polearm as tall as Cale appeared in his fist. Magic crackled on its point.

"Hurt me? Think you so?"

Cale stared into the face of his own death and affirmed his claim.

"Think we so."

Shadows haloed him, thick and dark, and he drew strength from them. Riven twirled his blades and invoked Mask's power until his sabers bled darkness.

"Seems Mask is here after all," the assassin said, and spat in the archdevil's direction.

"But not for long," the archdevil said.

A soft popping sound heralded the arrival of a gelugon beside Mephistopheles. It stood nearly as tall as its master. The white orbs of its insectoid eyes stared down at Riven and Cale. It held a huge hooked spear in its clawed hand. Frost and soot covered its naked exoskeleton. Wet, steaming respiration leaked through its clicking mandibles. Another gelugon appeared on the other side of its master, another, another. A dozen popped into existence around Mephistopheles, then a score materialized around Cale and Riven and Magadon.

Cale stood in the midst of threescore devils certain in the knowledge that he would die. But he resolved to give Hell to the Lord of Hell before he did.

He called to mind the words to a spell that would charge him with divine power, Mask's power. He looked at Riven and said farewell with his eyes. Riven looked back and nodded.

They turned to Mephistopheles.

"Enough," Magadon said.

The mindmage's words hung in the air, as frozen as the ice. Magadon looked up at his archdevil father and, for the first time, Cale noticed the uncanny resemblance between father and son-the eyes, hair, horns, and jaw.

The archdevil cocked his head with curiosity and the unholy storm of dark energy gathering about him subsided to a simmer.

"Enough, father," Magadon said.

As sudden as a lightning strike, Mephistopheles backhanded Magadon across his head. The force of the blow knocked the mindmage sprawling to the ice. The gelugons clicked eagerly, shifted on their clawed feet. Cale and Riven started forward.

"No!" Magadon said, halting Cale in his steps. He rose to all fours.

Mephistopheles loomed large over Magadon's prone form.

"You dare speak thus to me, half-breed? You are the happenstance of my spraying seed, nothing more. Your life has provided me with a measure of amusement, but that life is over now. I will kill your soul, the same as theirs, but your suffering I will prolong."

Blood trickled from Magadon's nose. He spit out a tooth and lifted his gaze to his father, but only for a moment before he bowed his head in despair.

Cale realized that he and Riven could fight before they died. Magadon could not. It was not in him, not then. Cale had to find another way. He said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"A bargain, devil."

Mephistopheles kept his eyes on his son as he answered.

"You possess nothing of interest to me except your pain. And that, I claim as my own."

He raised his polearm high. The wind howled.

Cale's mind raced. He tried to imagine what he could offer that might appease the archfiend.

"Kesson Rel," he blurted, and the shadows around him swirled. He swore he heard chuckling on the wind. He had gambled. He knew only a little of Kesson Rel.

The archdevil cocked his head, his weapon leaking evil into the cold air. The gelugons clicked and grunted.

"That is an old name," Mephistopheles said softly.

Cale heard the curiosity in the archdevil's tone.

"Will you hear more? I have more to tell."

Mephistopheles regarded Cale with a thoughtful look. He lowered his weapon and signaled his gelugons. They gave disappointed grunts and blinked away, one after another, back to their sport with the damned.

"What more is there?" Mephistopheles asked. "Choose your words well, shade. There are not many left to you."

Cale debated on how much to say, what to offer. He looked at Magadon, prone and bleeding, afraid. He glanced at Riven, who stared at him intently.

Cale took a deep breath and did what he must for his friend- he defied his god. He had no choice.

"Kesson Rel possesses something that belongs to another. You know what it is. I will get it back… and give it to you."

The archdevil's eyes flared, but with anger or excitement Cale could not tell. Cale didn't know what Kesson Rel had taken, only that Mask wanted it back and that Mephistopheles seemed intrigued.

Mephistopheles said, "The divine essence of your god, stolen by the first thief of the Lord of Thieves? You make a promise you cannot keep. Have you not already promised it to another?"

Cale quailed when he learned what he had offered, but his words bound him. He nodded. "I have made a promise to another," Cale said softly, feeling Riven's eye on him. "But I will keep my promise to you nevertheless."

Mephistopheles stared at him, into him, through him.

"Words have meaning in Cania, shade. Promises are nor idle here-not to me."

"I know what I have done," Cale answered.

What he had done was make conflicting promises to Mask and Mephistopheles. He owed a god and an archfiend the same thing-the divine power stolen by Kesson Rel.

Mephistopheles looked out across the plain.

"Speak," Cale dared say. "I have made you an offer."

Mephistopheles grinned, showing fangs. "I am considering it."

Cale moved forward and helped Magadon to his feet. He whispered a healing spell to Mask-expecting full well that the god would not answer him-and sighed with relief when healing energy flowed out of his hands and into his friend.

Magadon squeezed his shoulder gratefully and did not let him go.

"Erevis…" Magadon began.

"Quiet, Mags. It is not over." Cale looked up at Mephistopheles. "I have given you my terms. Do you accept?"

The archdevil said, "Your god would not be pleased if he knew what you offered."

"My god often finds me displeasing."

"So do all fathers their sons," Mephistopheles said, looking at Magadon. "If I accept your offer, how will you guarantee payment of your debt?"

"My word is all you get. It was enough for him. It is enough for you."

The archdevil shook his head. "No. I am not as trusting as the so-called god of thieves." His eyes hardened and fixed on Magadon. "I shall keep my son to ensure you do not default."

Cale put himself before Magadon. "No."

"Erevis," Magadon said, and tried to step out from around Cale. "I will-"

"No," Cale said to Magadon, to Mephistopheles. "Non negotiable."

"Everything is negotiable," the archdevil said.

"Not this."

Mephistopheles stared into Cale's face, measuring his resolve.

"Very well," Mephistopheles said at last. "I will accept a compromise."

The archdevil waved his hand in the air and motes of sickly green energy sparkled over Cale and Riven's skin.

"What is-"

The magic cut Cale's words short and held him immobile. He could not speak, could not move. His heart hammered against his ribs as Mephistopheles grew to twice his already enormous size and reached around him… for Magadon.

Magadon tried to hold onto Cale, but Mephistopheles peeled him loose.

"I will keep half of him instead of the whole," the archdevil said.

The mindmage, unaffected by the spell that held Cale immobile, squirmed like a fish in the archdevil's hand.

"Father, no!"

Mephistopheles wore a smile that Cale had seen before only on madmen. The archdevil stepped back so that Cale and Riven could see everything.