Christine Warren - Huntress

“Okay,” he said softly, lifting his head. “I still think that deliberately summoning Samael in the flesh is the dumbest thing that any human being has ever attempted in the entire history of human stupidity, but if you think this is what we have to do, why don’t you run me through it?”

Lilli smiled, and despite all her reassurances, Aaron thought he detected a hint of nerves. “Sure.”

She stepped back and gestured briskly toward the area she had set up in the center of the open area of the floor. The white chalk stood out starkly against the dark gray of the cement floor, and fourteen stout black and white candles, seven of each, ringed the outer perimeter of the space. In the middle of the circle, she’d laid down the soft fleece lap blanket his uncle had always kept folded neatly over the back of the desk chair.

“We’re going to cast a basic circle of protection first,” she explained. “I’m sure you know how to do those, so I won’t bore you with details.”

Aaron shook his head. “I’m far from an expert. I’ve done one or two, of course, but not since I was still studying with my father. I’m more of a magus than a summoner. I generally leave circles to the people who know how to use them. I just work in the open and rely on my personal words to keep away the baddies.”

“Oh, right. I see. Well, um, it’s really pretty simple. You can just watch me and follow along.” She cleared her throat, her glance sliding away from his and toward the center of the circle. “We’ll need to raise a pretty intense level of energy, though, Samael isn’t a garden variety demon or a low-level devil, so it’s going to take more than a quick chant to get the job done. Then once he’s in the circle,” she continued hurriedly, “I’ll ask him what the price is for his agreement not to break the seals to Hell.”

“See, this is where things start to break down for me,” he said. “I know what you read in the Praedicti , but what could either of us be able to offer than would make a Prince of Hell give up the quest for world domination? That’s like asking how much a bird would want in exchange for giving up its song.”

Lilli nodded, her mouth settling into grim lines. “He’s going to ask for a soul. At least one of ours, maybe both.”

“And you think that’s a fair exchange?” He tried not to sound as appalled as he felt, but wasn’t sure he succeeded.

“Of course not. We’re going to negotiate.”

“I thought there was supposed to be a battle.”

“A battle of wills.”

Aaron knew his skepticism was showing. “I’m not quite sure prophecies are really as elastic as you seem to think they are. When they talk about battles, they usually want battles, complete with injuries and the potential for death and/or putrescence.”

“Don’t worry. If it does come down to an actual fight, just remember two things. Number one: even in the flesh, Samael’s powers are limited in this realm—severely limited as long as he stays inside the circle—so whatever you do, don’t open the circle. Keep everyone inside and he’ll be at most equivalent to an elder master magus.”

“Oh, right. No problem, then. Do you have any idea how many elder master magi there have been in recorded history? Three! Three out of all time! But sure, piece of cake. I can take him with one hand tied behind my back.”

“And number two,” she continued, her mouth curving into a smile that both infuriated and tempted him, “remember that you have a secret weapon.”

“What?”

“Me.”

Lilli glued her smile in place like a Kabuki mask. She could feel her cheeks threatening to quiver from the strain, but she ignored them. She had no intention of giving in to her own fears, especially not when Aaron obviously had so many of his own. To be honest, she had no idea whether or not her plan was going to work, but she didn’t see any choice but to give it a try. Their current choices consisted of dying now, together, in an attempt to save the world from Samael’s apocalyptic war, or dying in a few weeks or months along with every other human being who resisted his dominion. She’d rather die on her own terms.

She thought Aaron would feel the same, but thankfully he wouldn’t have to make that choice. If a sacrifice had to be made to keep Aaron alive and avert the apocalypse, Lilli would make it herself. But before it came to that, she had a plan that would make the next few moments ones she would always remember, whether or not they ended up being her last.

“Are you ready to get started?” she asked, her voice already gone husky with anticipation. She held her hand out toward him and saw him hesitate for an instant before he took it and clasped it warmly in his own.

“Ready,” he smiled.

“Then come into my parlor.” She chuckled as she stepped into the mostly completed circle and tugged him in behind her. She gestured toward the blanket spread on the chilly floor. “Have a seat while I finish this up. It’ll only take a minute.”

Once he had folded his long legs beneath him and settled himself on the floor, Lilli turned away and picked up a book of matches, a small bowl of salt, and the chalk she’d used to draw the outline of the incomplete circle. First, she moved around the circle and lit all of the white candles. When she got back to her starting point, she repeated the process with the black ones. The tiny flames didn’t look like much, but when they were all lit, their collective warmth began to raise the temperature in the circle by a couple of degrees. She knew they’d be glad for that in a little while.

Lilli pushed back a tickle of nerves and knelt down to close the gap in the drawing, making sure the line was thick and solid with no blank spaces. Then she set aside the chalk, returned to her feet, and began to sprinkle salt along the edge, making her third trip all the way around the circle. She might not be a magician, but even she could feel the way a wall of energy seemed to form around the perimeter of the space, stretching into a dome above their heads. When she glanced back at Aaron, she could see him staring at it with a hint of a smile on his face.

He must have sensed her eyes on him and glanced back at her. “Nice work,” he said. “That shade of blue is a good color for you.”

Lilli looked back at her handiwork, but she could see nothing, just the light of the candles rendering the room beyond them shadowy and indistinct. Still, it was nice to get the vote of confidence.

She completed her binding of the circle by spreading the salt back to her starting point. Setting aside the tools she’d used, she dusted the chalk off her hands and took a seat on the blanket facing Aaron.

“Okay, so that was the easy part,” she said with a wry smile. “From here on out, things might start to get tricky.”

“Devils and demons and apocalypse, oh my?” he grinned back. “Bring ’em on.”

She laughed. “Down, big boy. You’ll get a chance, but first I want to go over just a couple of things.”

He took her hands and held them between their bodies. “Shoot.”

Lilli took a deep breath, blew it out long and slow. Then she looked directly into his eyes and said, “I want you to know that I’m sorry for getting you into this.”

“What? Why? What are you talking about? You didn’t get me into anything.”

“Yes, I did. If I hadn’t broken into your house and tried to steal the Praedicti , you might not be caught up in all of this.”

“That’s a stupid thing to think,” Aaron said, squeezing her hands gently. “I got caught up in this, so to speak, the minute my uncle left me his house and the contents. He’s the one who got me involved with the Praedicti , not you.”