Inquisitor

The lost girl


1.
Portal had shut himself, buzzing and hissing. Runes faded from the air. He had entered the world.
"I had found you at last," said the demon.
"Noooo!" she screamed.
"I had found you at last Child, and now, I can take you back."
He extended his muscular hand as an offer to little girl and as a firm demand. There was no softness in his eyes, more of an expectation, slight shiver of anticipation. Behind there was cold soul of metal.
"Back!?!" She screamed.
"That is not - back!" She said and pointed to empty barrens behind him, where the portal stood moments ago.
"Your world never was my home."
"But it is now," his deep, gurgly voice said. She disgusted it. The voice. The sound of words, hissing between his spike-like teeth, of the way, his voice sounded within her head. He was a daemon lord. Very strong one. There were many Runes about his Word, let alone his entire body.
"But . . . it wasn't!" She almost cried.
"I never wanted this . . ." she would spread her hands and look upon her immature body, this . . . eternal youth."
"But you wanted it once, did you not?" His voice echoed in her head.
"It was all well once . . ."
"I did not know!" She screamed.
"I had no idea . . . ! Dad . . . Dad was there. . ."
"Dad Was there, wasn't he"? He said in mockery, his mouth salivating, so his words furthermore gained additional gushy tone to it.
"Yeeeeeeees. . . he waaaaasssss. . ." He grinned evilly. Her dad was dead. There was no one for her. No one but him. He grinned.
Tears ran down her cheeks.
"Now there, Child. Come to papa. Come to daddy" he said and extended all four muscular hands of his, those same hands which choked life out of so many little girls, slaves from Fringe worlds. When he grinned, his plump lips revealed two lines of healthy blue-white shark-like teeth, made for tearing tender flesh of untainted.
Come.
She cried. And while crying, she hugged him. Her small, childish body almost disappeared under vast corpus of centaur - like gray skinned, furless daemon. They were back together again.

And within his tall palace, there was another dose of white powder with her name on it.

She was daddy's girl no more . . .

But what daemon did not know, was that this Arika was not his Arika. In fact, child he stole from Daggor Earth seven thousand years ago, was still outside in Fringe worlds, thrilled over the success of her plot, which managed to exchange her with this unknown girl. She was free again, at least for a while.

2.
Ezru Manor Ragh leaped backward, his four hoofed feet crashing into firm ground with ferociousness of a genuine Inner Kath demon. He swinged his six feet long double schyte just in time to block Of's attack. Another blow toward his lower belly almost hit its target, but another blade of Ezru's other double warschyte deflected it also. He roared fiercely, both in anxiety and rage and pushed Blademaster brutally into the air, trying to throw him far away, on the other side of sandy, circular battleground. But thin limbed creature only gave a few feet.
Quickly, new attacks of four enraged blades in four different hands, grown to a single slim body rained on Ezru.
He got really mad now.
Best he could, he deflected attacks with his left hand, while extending right one far behind his back, over the back of his centaur-like body. His thick tail was wiggling angrily. Another clash of blades and he thrusted the weapon in his right hand with all power of his bulky body. If it were the like of him, who stood against Ezru, enemy would be dead for sure.
Of took the punch.
He took it right under his chest and was seemingly thrown off the balance, into the ground, a few feet away from muscular, four legged creature with four handed torso of a human grown on it, where the head should be.
Right after Ezru roared in annoyance, raising to his back feet, sending his right double schyte to the ground with immense anger of an enraged beast. Thrust was so strong, it seemed for a moment, the blade will break, stuck deeply into the ground, but swinging of a lenient metal reduced eventually.
"That was stupid" sound said. It was a sound of dry sand, scratching on metal, sound of hundreds of Sunyears of experience, sound of Greater Blademaster, Of.
Ezru's eyes still burned in anger. He was staring bluntly into brown dust of battleground.
Of helped himself back to his feet. He was tall, very, very tall. His limbs were long as of a spider, brown skinned and almost as thin than those of Lesser one's. His face was long, extended, with small mouth, nose and eyes, shut into two small lids, which revealed no feelings of Blademaster. But he was angry now. His voice revealed that.
"That was stupid" he said again.
Ezru was still stubbornly staring out into the open.
"I know" he said with his gurgly, deep voice. All of a sudden it was difficult for him to swallow. He was ashamed. He was fooled like a little kid.
"I did not need to take that blow. But I did. I did it to show you, how useless it was in its essence. Warschyte has no blade on its handle. Swinging it like a boxer serves to no purpose."
He knew. He, KNEW damn it! Once again his demon blood got the better of him. Against experienced master of Blade, like Of, he would have die. Moreover, he would have been humiliated.
Suddenly, on their right, glimmering and folding into itself, a portal appeared. It was black and small, the one Servants used.
Ezru looked toward the portal with bored expression on his face. He was not supposed to be bothered during Practice. From circular shape, a small man emerged, He had small body of a child and big, cute head with dark pink, spiky hair. His eyes were large, like deep black lakes.
Lins, the Servants all seemed alike to Ezru, Lesser master.
A silent whisper came from Servant's mouth, a sound so thin, human would not understand what he was saying. But daemons, Children of Dark Bull had many Gifts. Ezru could hear him just fine.
Also, whisper was a proper approach to Fortmaster, as manners demanded. Ezru frowned. It was the Moth-man. One of the feeble little creatures, parasites. He did not like the idea of him visiting him now. But two things outweighed Moth's insignificance. His name was Ariel and he had some interesting friends in his world. Also, he was not a common Moth. There was a funny curse about him, something that intrigued Ezru ever since. He nodded to the servant.
"This will be all for today, Blademaster Of", he said. Tall shape nodded, picked up a crystal from behind a nearby rock and formed a tall red portal in front of him. He had returned three of four of his blades into sheaths on his back, while one he always carried in his lower left hand. He disappeared trough the portal.
Moment later, on the other side of sandy circle, new portal appeared. It was blue and tall enough for human shaped creature, entering now.
Ezru grinned at the sight of him, but it was more he barred his teeth than smiled. Moth men were so funny in normal worlds. They looked dark, like some clumsy artist was constantly trying to draw them with charcoal, but never quite managed to finish it completely. Their movement was also jumpy, as at a movie, projected with too small frame rate. Then again, that was only when he had been looking with his Eye, another gift of the Dark bull to his Children.
Just peering at the Moth man, he saw there a young man in his early thirties, a man of a firm and decisive look in long raincoat.
"How's it been, moth man, har har?" he said, mocking.
Ariel was often feared in his puny little world, but here was no more then what his name described - a moth to be burned in flames of greater powers. His look was even sterner now and he seemed not amused by Ezru's comment.
"I came to ask you a favor," he said.
"A favor?" Ezru said and leaned forward. Being eight feet tall, and including his massive body, the gest turned out as obvious mockery to man in raincoat.
"And what would this favor be, Moth man? What is so . . . greatly important, you dare to disturb Master Ezru at his Blade practices?" he said.
"You had to be . . . persistent for my Servants to let you trough. . . I'll need to speak to them later."
"You keep your servants as you will, " Ariel said ", but aid me, in my hour of need."
"And what for little man?"
"What for?" daemon said.
"My friend got lost. She was taken from Earth to Scorched worlds. And you are a Scorched world's . . . being, are you not?"
"Har, har! Har, indeed!" Ezru replied "You expect me . . . to go back? Whaaaaat for, Moth man? I have it all. There is nothing you can do and I can't, so you have nothing to offer. I am an owner of seven Fortresses. I have hundreds of warriors, and thousands of slaves from Fringe worlds. I have had five from yours" he grinned evilly at that "and enjoyed them, enjoyed them , indeed."
"Why would I follow you?"
"Because you can name any price" Ariel said. He also tried for his voice to remain relaxed. He hated diminishing sound of "Moth man".
"Any price? Har . . . Moth promises to daemon Lord . . . What can you offer, little man?"
"What do you want?"
Ezru started to rub highest of his chins. He had three fat chins under his yaw, but his body was no less muscular for that.
"Brave you are, little man . . ." he said, deeply into his thoughts "Maybe you could be of use . . ."
"What is it exactly, I should do for you in this . . . matter?"
"My friend was taken from her homeworld. She was my friend. She is . . . "
"Is she a human?" Ezru interrupted.
"Of course . . ."
"HAR! You have nothing to ask of me, then, my friend. She is lost for you."
"No! What do you mean?"
"I really do not have the time to explain . . . social circumstances . . .of Kath worlds to every Moth man I meet, but . . . You see, little man, women and children from your world are, should we say . . . highly praised in worlds of Kath. They are soft, and fuzzy, like little creatures, which squeak when you walk over them." He grinned evilly at a shadow of worry on Ariel's face.
"Most just like to rape them. They have fighting spirit and are firm, also they breed good children for next few generations. But some just like to torture them. Those, most powerful, who can afford it, to waste such . . . treasure. Days of screaming and agony, twitching of young flesh, trickling of sweat, produced merely by prime fear . . . these are things, in which Kath daemons indulge in with most pleasure. I have no such . . . privileges. . . .with my meager seven fortresses. . .
Anyway . . . If she disappeared onto Kath worlds, she is eider dead - there are quite few vultures in all those sands and rocks, or she is being sold as we speak, to some Kath Greater master. Especially, if she is pretty, . . . fragile and slim."
Ariel clenched his fists with anger. He had no idea Venice had disappeared to such a place. He was a vampire all right and a strong one in his community, aligned with oddest of allies, but this . . . this seemed way over his head. Still, he worked with her a long time. And there was more then that. In time, his feelings toward her changed . . .
"What is your price?" he finally said.
"My price?" daemon grinned.
"I'll tell you my price in three Earth-days time. I should conjure something special for this one. . . But as you will soon see, there is nothin you could achieve and I couldn't. See you, Moth man." He turned and walked away from Ariel. He swung in front of him with his right hand - he still held double schyte in his left - and red portal appeared in front of him. He took another look at Ariel and moved on.
Tall man in black raincoat stood in burned fields of rocks and stones all alone now. His head was bowed. Rescuing Veny seemed further and further.

3.
Ariel.
It's been so long since anyone called him anything but that. In time, even he himself forgot who he was. And now, he got lost.
Oh, he had his part of the pyre. Revolutions, uprisings, times of turmoil and bloodshed, when his kin could slaughter humans at will and with no prejudice. . . He had his part of cruel schemes by means of which vampires would entertain themselves. And before that, roaming the lands . . . Spain, France, England, especially London - he liked that place a lot in his time - then Bulgaria, Romania, and cities of frozen North . . . a few decades in China, and finally, in 1866 New World. US of A. That still were the Old times.
When he was not yet cursed.
Or was it a blessing? He did not know. He only knew, this curse made him kill his kin. He killed all those he roamed with once and more, much more. He had aligned with strange group of Exorcists, a special organization, built with a devious goal . . . to tame True Light of good, when it became too bright. They had their part in Inquisition too, in their times. But these days they were just watching over those who stood first lines of defense against forces of the Dark, mostly those like him.
When he thought of it, that was not entirely true. There were many sects and religious groups which had fought-against-or-partly-cooperated with the Enemy, still Exorcists did not watch over. The only kind they had their Eye on, were the Slayers. Young girls and women gifted in ways like no other man.
No other man, indeed, he grinned bitterly. As much as they supervised, they also in part restrained. Powers of Great Mother were always a bit feared by Men and they always strived to tame them in a way. They sure had taken that seriously during Inquisition and for that he never liked them much. In fact for that matter, he thought Exorcists to be a form of cruel jape, pervaders of Light. But now he was one of them . . . in a way. The man he cooperated with was really a rebel, an outlaw, regarding the Exorcists. And there was also her . . . the three of them. Two now.
He bowed his head.
It did not rain, but he felt like whole world was flooded with desperacy.
He could not twist Ezru's hand. Kath worlds were places, where even such daemon lords were of little significance. What could he, Moth man, do?
Veny was lost to him as never before.
He stopped. He was in strangely familiar part of town. Streets were abandoned mainly, there even weren't any gangs here at the time. Then it shined upon him. Delia lived here! He started to run. It couldn't be more than two blocks away. Delia. A seer. She could see things . . . maybe, he was driven here by something more then just luck, he hoped . . .

4.
"You amuse me, Moth-man," Ezru said, with his mocking, partial grinning expression on his face. They stood again under wide, open skies of a scorched world, where daemon lord teleported for his blade practice. "Of" was there too, but Ezru ordered him to leave as Ariel entered.
"Half the time I have marked for you to return to me has . . . not passed, and still, you come back after Earthly day and a half, annoying me again. You are brave. Or foolish. Or maybe, you are just what you moths really are . . . insane spirits, powerless in presence of the Flame."
Two blinding suns hung like eyes of some displeased God over them, baking the land into red and brown landscape.
Ariel was mad. He felt anger stirring within him like an eel, waiting to be released. But he could contain it. He could not go against Ezru. He could not do many things. But within dark clouds of his mind, there was a shard of Light. His visit of Delia was not in vain. She had told him . . . some. She had told him to listen to her if he wanted to save Veny. She knew. It was maybe not enough for Ariel, but it was some. It was what helped him constrain himself. And there was also something else. . . Ezru was fairly known daemon in lands of Men, yes. . . But he would not take into his places most of those who knew him. Ariel knew, coming to this being was a long shot, as much the first as it was the second time, but it was him, who was closest to the place Veny has disappeared to - the Kath worlds.
And against all hope, Ariel was allowed admittance on both occasions. Even the next time, when he came, out of order of things, a small lesser-demon creation, known to world of Men as vampire, to distract a True daemon at his practices, he was again allowed to approach and parley with him . . . There was something odd in such course of events. Something, that kindled hope.
"Speak . . ."said Ezru, graciously raising his left arm ". . . and bring forth thy feeble words, for my time is short."
"I have but a message to pass on, no more" said Ariel in a grim voice.
"It goes like this." Ariel silenced for a moment.
"Mir Azriel Er Verzelis Imaru - Ezru Manor Ragh - Izn Antaris Serecan - thy quest ends here. This moth man is a Cup. One of many, but you know his genuinity, do you not? Seeking the one of the Enslaved is a path. Thy tale ends in Inner Kath, but fail to grasp this chance and Palement awaits you as predicted by the elder. Pick up the Cup if thy blood is true." Ariel vent silent. He was repeating this text all night and had hoped to have put it right. His meaning was hidden to him, but apparently not to the daemon. For a moment, he saw shiver pass Ezru's body which concentrated in his feverish eyes, and then, by immense power of will, died in there.
"Who . . ." he choked on the word "told you that?" he said. Ariel felt wrong answer was to be greeted by one of Azru's blades, he had thrusted in the ground, waiting to be picked up for further practice.
"It was . . . Delia . . . the one you may know as . . ."
"I know who Delia is!" he almost screamed in a lion-like roaring tone.
"A petty, little seer, gifted with a speck of fortune telling . . . and still . . ." he seemed to be deeply entangled into deepest of his thoughts for a moment.
"Go, Go, Moth-man." He said.
"I will contact you soon, probably by the end of this Earth-day."
"I have things to do" he said, paying no heed to Ariel, and just disappeared trough red portal, which appeared in front of a massive beast.
More and more ancient vampire felt, he is not turning things. But things to be turning him their way. Grimly he opened a portal to Earth, too and disappeared.

5.
Amazement after amazement engulfed Ariel in a single evening. He came home, and while pondering should he again call James to tell him he had once again found nothing in LA, he leaped from his couch when Ezru, the Kath daemon materialized in front of him. He did not enter trough a portal this time, but more of a melted together from nothingness, like an image in water, after being disturbed by a stone, tossed into the lake.
When his appearance finally took his usual shape, a huge daemon looked like a bull, standing within a living room. But that did not bother Ariel, he was just too shocked to say anything. He was very old and yet he never saw anything like it. Obviously, daemon was also in a hurry. It could be a good sign for him.
"We leave tonight" said Ezru in deep voice.
"But first, we must go and visit someone else."
"The seer?"
"The SEER!?!" erupted daemon. "No wonder you lesser demons are such meaningless creatures! Noooooo, NOT the Seer! I've had council with her . . . and it is imperative we get your friend and get her fast. But first, we go get someone else."
"I have to get someone else, too" Said Ariel, as if opposition. Then again James was not to be left out of this, no way.
"Fine" replied Ezru. "Take anyone, I don't care . . . just come already."
Another monstrous spell was cast on him and all of a sudden a huge daemon turned into a bat. He bolted out of the room and changed into his primary form again on the cold pavement of the street. It was dark, but Ariel ran after him, screaming to get back. After all, you do not see such a beast-man walking the streets every day. But vampire's concern was not necessary. As soon as he flew out, daemon made a sophisticated set of moves with his right hand and fingers and had paled completely, becoming invisible to all humans - even Ariel saw him only in misty, hard-to-pinpoint shapes.
"Let's go."" Daemon said.

Ariel was not long in LA, but being a vampire he traveled far more than humans and had far better memory of streets and places. Yet as he roamed with Ezru, he found out he had little idea where they were going. They were leaving slums where Ariel lived and were entering similar part of town, only there were more of abandoned industrial complexes here, with more stragglers and bums. He also noticed them two were not moving the way they should if they would walk in an ordinary fashion. About them was an unknown spell, an aura, barely noticeable with its light green glow, which made them slide and move faster than any normal creature could run. Noticing this, Ariel felt smaller and smaller in front of Ezru. What seemed a brute thug at first glance was a powerful conjurer, at least. How powerful, was yet to be revealed.
Finally they stopped.
They were in front of a huge, abandoned structure, which could once have been something, to be constructed into a mall. But it seemed builders ran out of money half way there and four stores high building was now but a skeleton of its planned appearance.
They entered and were no more than a small gust of wind to a couple of bums, sleeping in one of the lower corridors. Then they descended into first subterran floor, right under street level. And vent on. And on. Lower levels were all abandoned, until they came to the last, forth level. Perhaps this part of the building was meant as a garage once, but now floor was covered with garbage, there were some empty barrels tossed about and a large proportion of the place seemed to have sustain a major fire once.
Being a vampire, Ariel had no problem seeing in darkness and it seemed the same to apply for Ezru. All of a sudden daemon stopped. Just moment before, it seemed to Ariel he heard something, but now it became very clear - somebody was talking in the darkness.
Daemon entered a remote door entrance on the far side of a huge underground hall, Ariel followed.
Odd scene waited them there. There was a man in a small room there, filled with a few wooden boxes and a broken metal table. There was a small lump of cloth, lying on the floor next to the door, something Ariel assumed to be man's bed. Man was kneeling, turned away from them, talking to himself in short, torn sentences:
"Radzha . . . kill them all . . . and they came . . . and he swung his sword . . .swoosh . . ." Ariel felt something odd about whole scene. Right under the melodic sound of a man's voice he heard another language, spoken in a same voice, but in a different language. He looked at Ezru and again noticed receding glow of a spell. It seemed demon knew the spell that made man's babbling understandable to them.
"Lost, the bladebearer," said Ezru all of a sudden. And now, conversation really took some odd curves, as far as Ariel could understand. Man turned and vampire noticed him to be fairly young, maybe in early twenties. He was very slim, dressed in simple brown pants, with a red scarf, made of silk around his hips. Over his shoulders he had dressed light tunic of brown color. His eyes shone in pure madness, reflecting a mind, so overwhelmed with "voices", it could not distinguish them from reality anymore. Tips of his fingers were bitten, skin torn and nails blooded.
"Thee call Lost?" man said, tilting his head to one side.
"Yes", daemon responded, radiating power and self-assurance.
"Thy skill is to be invoked once again into existence, on the planes for which thy skill was crafted."
"My skill. . ." young man's eyes seemed to drift into some far, far off place.
"No!" he yelled all of a sudden, in a revoltive tone. "No longer is my path the one of Blade. No longer . . . No longer . . . My body is not willing as is not my mind! My past is gone. I am no longer . . . " His gaze drifted again.
"Lie is but a feeble spirit" Ezru said. "Its wings shatter upon hitting the truth and its essence fades as sunlight of revealance enters the day. Do not deny thy urges. You may be Lost the Misshapen, but you were born for Kath worlds. Come, and visit thy destiny once again" said the daemon, extending his right hand in an offer of good will. Yet Ariel noticed s shade of doubt in his eyes. Or was it . . . fear he saw?
Young man tilted his head the other way, then started to swing it from one side to the other, like he was in great doubt. He stopped in a single moment and feverish eyes turned upon them.
"I come." he said.
He gripped daemon's hand and they exited the room. As they walked, Lost all of a sudden stopped. He had a worried look on his face and it seemed for something to burden him. He looked Ezru as in great contemplation.
"Maybe I should get my Blade too." He said.
"Maybe you should." Said Ezru in soft, fatherly tone.
"We'll wait."
Young man ran back to his dark home. Since he was a human, Ariel had no idea how he could see them in complete darkness, but there was more about him, he could sense that.
"Who is he?" he asked Ezru.
"Blademaster" latter answered.
"He was known as The One Hero in last of Inner Kath wars. A slave, born on Earth, only to be kidnapped from his parents as a child and raised as a slave in green world of Zerebor. He killed his master with a Greatblade when he was nine and by sixteen he already led a Horde of his own. At the age of nineteen he was hired by Huuth lord as Hordelord of his personal forces and after a year he passed to Silkshadow, the strongest lord of all Kath. In last war he lead his forces and slaughtered hundreds of daemons, warriors, lords and maybe thousand of slaves. Silkshadow provided him with fresh slaves of best quality every day only for him to butcher and get blood, as much blood he could.
"What did he do with all this blood?" Ariel asked. It was a funny question, coming from a vampire but not an unexpected, anyway.
"He drank it. Blood made him mad, completely insane."
"He's not mad now?"
"Oh no, not by far" Ezru explained as young man was returning with ten feet long battle schyte in his right hand, dragging it behind himself, like it was a broom.
A large grin danced on daemon's face.


6.

James was an Exorcist. His father did same job as did his grandfather. Once, James was a man of the code, a man of principles. He vas raised in London, old London, untainted by Moors, men of brown and black skin. For his Order was one of purity, control and true sight. That, which was missing to most, and was often used by the Enemy against them. He left London and School at the age of sixteen and spent two years in Scottish highlands. Those lands still had strong roots of the Wild within them, something that hated him and his folk greatly. But he fought. He fought dark dreams and bad omens, he would dispense of traps more and more efficiently until, finally, he was sent to Wales. He remained there, under watchful eye of the Masters for another eight years and once he could roam those places unafraid, he was given a title of Lesser Master himself. His first task was to go to a little town, half the world away, to US and to amend the situation there. Obviously one of their elite Exorcist was not doing his job properly. In those days, that still meant he was a bad guy. He came there, a legendary place of a Broken pillar, where Dark plane energies of Blood god were emanating into this word and he met old man, his protegee, Slayer, their friends and Venice. A funny name. A funny girl. . . Pure lust. He always considered himself more of a bookworm then a lover. He . . . she had swept him of his feet completely.
Then things sort of a broke . . .
But not for them. They came along Ariel to LA and worked here. There were still sparks between them . . . but then . . . then she disappeared. It was not something completely unexpected. Aiding a Slayer makes you lots of enemies, those at least who manage to survive her wrath. But things got odd. The demon and monster community knew nothing of her disappearance. It was an outside job. But even in that case something should be known. In the end, Ariel went to ask a favor from someone he described as "demigod among demons of this world".
James just took his Jack off the shelf and poured a full glass. Now he had an awful hangover, invisible dagger picking his head and somebody banging on the door. For a moment pain and noise dimmed suicidal grief and feeling of loss of only girl he ever madly loved, but part of him was sad already. Sad, because soon feelings would be back.
At that moment, however, he was straggling toward the door in his dark living room, illuminated trough the windows only by street lights. Damn lights. So shiny. Damn banging. Who the f . . .
All of a sudden he fell. Something pushed him to the ground, a force pushed him away, so he fell and a Chinese vase in his head shattered, causing detonations of pain. Again.
He starred numbly at scene in front of him.
Jesus, it was must have been three in the morning - what were they doing . . . ?
Small red vortex, just about five feet from the floor grew, a huge shape grew out of it, something which first roughly resembled a bull by its size, then something different . . .
Slowly, human torso and four hands became clear, attached to a stout body with four thick, muscular legs. And yes, there was very well recognizable grim face of a daemon lord. Like the one he saw on the pictures in the books . . .
He was trying to connect this pic to any association, but nothing came to his pained, heavy thoughts at the moment. After materializing, daemon crashed on the floor, all four of his great legs caving a bit into wooden floor. This sort of a waked him up. He still could not get it. What the hell was going on?
Daemon turned toward the door all of a sudden and opened them wide. Ariel entered.
Ariel! Right, he was that guy he worked with . . . Suddenly his face paled in recognition. His eyes shifted from dim figures in his room.
Ariel - Daemon lord.
Ariel - Daemon lord.
Ariel . . .
"Jesus, Ariel, there's a daemon lord in my house!", he screamed suddenly, terrified and tried to jump up. Room detonated in spinning at this attempt and James would fall hard if it were not the vampire there to catch him.
Ariel whispered:
"Yes, he is. He is here, to help us get Veny. He entered the way he did, because you did not open and because I told him not to tear down the door. Will you get up now, get some of your books and come with us to get her?"
He said it all in a very calm, quiet tone, to get trough to the part of James's brains which was not completely clouded by alcohol.
"Jesus, Ariel" James said, holding him to his shoulders, looking in his eyes with dazzled sight. He took another look at the daemon lord, then stumbled over to the bathroom.
Ezru gave a meaningful look to the vampire.
"What you looking at?" he said "yours' a loony."
"Yeah" Ezru grumbled "and yours' a drunkard."
"Wonderful company."
James was retching loud in the bathroom.


7.
They were in Gladsbury Park, in front of a large monument which resembled a bit an old Greek temple. No one was around but birds, hint of dawn and four of them, waiting for James to do his rites.
After he came over initial shock, James quickly pulled himself together. There really wasn't any time for them to dress the way the dressed on Kath worlds, so all he took with him was four of his Books - Tericlion, book of Blacksilver magic, Atrinalon, book on Bluesilver magic, Scarlet curses and most general-purpose book for magic practitioners - Efharisto's "Babylonian weird ways". He had put these four books in a leather pouch, along with some canned food, gourd, knife, a few torches, rope, marbles, some small ropes, matches and a few more small boxes, containing essential herbs and substances for certain magic. After locking the door, he touched a small silver cross he was wearing on a necklace - a habit he had developed in Wales, when leaving house. He was ready.

Now, he also was standing in front of "Monument to the unknown hero" in Gladsbury Park. He had Tericlion opened in his hands, starting to chant Travel spell of Fourth House. It was not easy to get to Kath worlds. There were but few mortals in this world which could perform Fifth House spells, but those were far beyond James's capabilities. He thought, however, he might just be able to put this one together.
Others were waiting along. Ezru took some previously prepared "equipment" along the way, as they were going to the park. Now, his back was covered in bizarre shaped armor, made of series of metal layers, covering one another, beginning at his neck, going over his back of his human torso, only then to expand over the animalistic part of his body and conclude over his hind parts. It was like he had another bone spine of armor on him, and out of each disc a rib grown to each side. His helmet was an odd one too, at least as Ariel saw it. It only protected him above eyebrows and ears and did not prove as any protection to his face or neck. It seemed good sight and undisturbed hearing were of greater essentiality. Two double-bladed warschytes he held in each of his hands, however, looked very wicked. Double edged blades were each almost five feet long and handle bar in the middle was protected by a small shield, which prevented hand and lower part of the arm to be cut. There were powerful spells about them, also. Ariel could see some, but he knew there was more to it.
Daemon was an odd creature. Fiercely powerful, yes but Ariel sensed a broader agenda, hidden about whole thing. He would not oppose to the delay they made for getting James, neither did he made the teleport spell to Kath worlds himself, which was odd since he was such a powerful creature. This daemon lord had an Achilles heel, he only had to find it. He greatly hoped he could achieve that during their quest for finding Veny.
Suddenly, James started to chant. Words were unknown to Ariel, but it seemed Exorcist knew his work. A huge rotating portal of green color appeared on front of them, large enough for a bus to drive trough. James became quiet and looked at others. Tightlipped as he if he was holding his breath, he began to advance toward the portal. Others followed, Ariel most reluctantly. He never trusted magic all the way. It felt something happened. There was no tunnels to rushing trough, and no sounds, but they all felt for a moment, they were not Here nor There. Then, they fell.
James screamed as he hit firm ground, for his yell to be surpassed by fall of Ezru's monstrous body. Ariel rolled over as he fell and got up quickly. He took a look around and helped James on his feet. Daemon lord was getting on his feet too. When Ariel looked for Lost, he saw him standing barefooted a few feet away, looking at them as if nothing happened. He must have landed on his feet like a cat, holding his Blade the whole time.
Four feet from the ground huge green portal was still shinning for a short time, then slowly folded and collapsed into himself to disappear in the end.
"I hope you do it better on the way back" said Ariel to James. "Are we here?"
He looked around, to get a good view of where exactly is "here".
What he saw was a desert of dirt and stone. Portal had thrown them out at a basis of an enormous light brown stone boulder, and there seemed to be some similar tossed around the dessert, too. There were no trees, no visible water and no animals. Just tens of miles of burned land, being heated again and again by the great Sun, hanging in the skies. James wiped his forehead. It was hot. In fact it was damn hot. They were in a shadow of a boulder now, but outside of it, things had to be unbearable.
"Well that be all of our travelling for the night. Find yourself a comfortable place by the rock and watch out for rikkters. We are not mowing for nex fourteen hours. Then a long walk awaits us. "
James asked:
"What are rikters?"
"Rikkters are small black insect, as large as your palm. They have a nasty bite, but mostly they leave you alone. As for the Swarm . . . we'll hear it soon enough, if one comes, but there's not much we can do about it anyway."
"What's . . ."
"You don't wanna know, human and you do not need to. Rest" Said daemon lord, when descending on his belly and closing his eyes. He still held both warschytes.
Lost sat in a shadow crosslegged and shut his eyes too. Since the heat did not bother him, Ariel decided to lie down, too. His curse had a funny aspect. Being immune to effects of sunlight was one of these things. James stared around miserable. Instead to run off to rescue Veny, everybody just sat down and took a break. And the heat . . .
After a while, he sat, too. Their journey began in a very strange way.

8.
Four days later, James was walking over the burned rocks, cursing his aching loins, cursing himself for being so much into books and not into sports. Others had easy time, sure. Deamon lord felt like home, Ariel was not bothered by heat one bit, and the schizophrenic madman had put up with heat, sun and cold as if this was a stroll in a park. He however cursed the moment he decided to take four books and all the junk he was carrying now with him. He'd thrown damn paper-millstones away days ago, but they belonged to his Order and they'd skin him alive if he'd not return them. It was like leaving a loaded gun in middle of a street, only worse. Anyone could pick it up at any time and use it with most sinister purposes. At least that was how he saw things. He did not see much otherwise. It was thick darkness round him, only dim shapes of his moving companions could be told apart from the surrounding landscape of a genuine Kath world night. Nights were longer in this world, then on Fringe worlds, then is Earth. He calculated they had about sixteen hours of light each day and about twenty-four hours of darkness each night. Since they rested over the day, nights were no picnic with miles they had to walk.
Daemon lord proved as a true native to these lands. He told them once, millenias ago these lands were covered in forest, there were many rivers. Now, all water was gone, and almost all life. After hundreds of Old wars, there was little left but sand and rocks. But there were many sinister things moving in the deep rock-desert, James sensed that. There were critters about. Ezru killed one with his blade when little black, beetle-like creature wanted to approach James while sleeping. Daemon lord had hearing and a scent of a dog. He also knew how to survive in these harsh lands. There were stone mushrooms around with water their mushy bodies. There was still some water in the air, only it was all vaporized. James and Lost made their supply of drinking water from them. Ariel, being a vampire did not need one, while Ezru declined water also. In fact he would rest only when James got tired and seemed to be able to go on just forever.
They have found first pile of rocks two Kath days ago. Ezru noticed it in a dark night miles away, and got really pleased by it. He said this was "the way".
Well, James surely saw no "way", he just felt books could be really much easier to carry without their heavy covers.
Now, after hours of relentless tempo, they stopped. James hit Ariel from behind and looked up. His gaze engulfed a sight of brutal power, rising in front of small group, some twenty miles away. He wondered, how he could not saw it before . . . For miles, it rose from flat ground, a fortress, a mountain of rock, shaped like a dark finger, a thumb, rising into a starless, dark sky. There was light about it. Hundreds of tree-sized torches were stuck in walls and ramparts, burning wildly. There were numerous smaller skeletal towers round it, with deep ditches round them; some filled with sharps stakes, some with fire. Far to their right, there was a wide, dark crag, reaching maybe hundreds of feet into the ground, bridged by a marvelous construction of wood. Over it horrendous creatures trotted, with great beasts pulling heavy loads at their sides, walking toward the burning tower.
There was a hum. A muffled sound of thousands of feet, going about, of heavy cargo being lifted and lowered by strained machines of wood and steel, of forging, burning, sound of war beasts impatiently walking the cages.
"A siege?" Ariel asked in awe?
Ezru grinned proudly
"Why no. Daemon lord's fortress. One of the smaller one's."

As they closed, James noticed things moving in the darkness. They were not quiet, nor stealthy, with rings of fire, surrounding the citadel to their backs, daemon warriors charging, painfully vivid. Main two groups of fifty perhaps encircled them, leaving no escape. They seemed to be of very similar statue to Ezru.
Horde leader stopped in front of Ezru, grinding his front legs into the ground, such was momentum of great corpus. He roared theatrically, making James feel like sound liquefied for just a moment. Ezru roared back in light of several torches, now wildly burning in the circle around them, and hit himself on the chest with his right hand. A blow strong enough to take human's head off, James was sure.
Then, they talked, their long, gurgly words completely incomprehensible to young Exorcist.
While Ezru talked to horde leader, others could take a good look at their captors. They were much similar to Ezru, only far better armed. They were in clad armor mostly, some yielding heavy hammers, some huge, rune-engraved cleavers. They all had richly ornamented helmets with odd forms of animals and beast.
Suddenly, conversation between Ezru and horde leader stopped. Two of them turned toward citadel one by another, while other monstrosities closed on them. Since Lost moved after them too, other two followed. They walked a short distance, closing the burning reaches of citadel, tall, ominous looking towers.
James asked Ezru:
"Now what? What are we to do?"
A quick glimpse from Ezru to Lost was enough for handle of warrior's long war scythe to crash into James's head. He fell like a stuffed dull. Ariel picked him up. Obviously, James was only to begin to comprehend the idea of being into daemon world. Them two were dust at the feet of monsters now, Ariel knew that.
After a moment of silence, undisturbed by this event, Ezru turned his had a bit, to speak to James.
"These fine warriors consider you slaves. If you were to be considered anything else, my reputation could be seriously . . . endangered. So in the future, when addressing my almightiness, knell and bow your head. Also, this lesson had several more positive aspects. Firstly, surely you will not forget this lesson. Secondly, as slaves, you need a bruise or two, har. Ask your moth-man friend. He seems to comprehend things far more clearly then you."
"Bas . . ."
Pole came crashing on the back of his neck once again. Again with swiftness of a butterfly flapping his wings. Pain detonated in James's head.
"Angry grimace and insults are not a way to behave in this world, when one is in your position. None of these warriors is able to cast "Lingual bridge" spell and understand our language, yet they understand mimics very well. If I were to let you go with such stubborn behavior, I would be a lord to them no more. Please absorb that and absorb it quickly. If you want to live and find your precious girl. Now bother me no more. Horde leader is giving me a funny look already."
They reached tall towers and entered outer defense circles. Fire was blazing around James, being supported by his friend. But fire blazed in his head also. Fire on pain, helplessness and lust for revenge.

9.
Time within the citadel passed quickly for James and Ariel. They were shown to a huge room just by the outer fortress wall, something between a warehouse and a living room. It was full of rugs and heavy curtains of scarlet, green and dark brown. Walls were not straight, rather bent outwards a bit. It was similar with corridors by which they were brought here. All had a bit of a circular shape, like they walked trough a huge tube. Central part of the room was rather empty, with all other space being crammed by huge clay jars, taller then a man and wide as a car, wooden boxes of all sizes and bags, made of very strong leather. At first Ariel only tried to wait patiently and look at James here an there - he still had a nasty looking bump on a back of his head. After almost twelve hours James sort of woke up. He was groaning and every move seemed to be pain, but from his persistent complaining Ariel suspected man will be ok. He was not so sure about what were daemons planning to do with two of them. He did not know much about daemon worlds and their habits, but he expected for at least another Kath day to pass, before Ezru and others reached their conclusions. If he expected one thing, it was to anticipate an unusual decision, since there was nothing very "usual" about this whole trip. In the evening one of two round shaped doors with enormous hinges opened and one of the daemons entered. He had an odd, mirror - resembling artifact within his left hand and had asked them if he was to get them anything. Ariel asked for some water and fruit. He did not want to push his luck, regarding his status of a slave, no matter how special "slaves" were they with James suppose to be. He expected food and drink to be quite different then back on earth and he was right. A small jar daemon brought water in was no less then a little amphora, when he placed it in front of a vampire, as for fruit; it resembled oranges, size of a man's head. There was also a difference in skin tone these "oranges" being dark green.
He offered some water to James and tore one of the fruits apart for him, too. He estimated it would be almost impossible to get to the core of this fruit single-handed, especially if you were an ordinary man. It seemed all things here were just a bit harder, a bit sterner then back on earth.
James spent long Kath night in half-sleep, not even complaining too much. On the morning of second day Ezru came to visit them again.

Round shaped door creaked as lumbering monster entered and had shut them with humming bang. While Ariel was lying on the ground, with his hands behind his head, staring at red-and-black ceiling, James was walking around the room, loosing his patience. As daemon lord entered, he fired questions and complaints at him:
"Where were you so long? What the hell were you doing that is so important, you left us here to rot for two whole days? And the food is awful! Do you see where they have stuck us!?!"
Daemon lord took a good look at him, then at Ariel.
"Slaves are often accommodated far worse than this. You should not complain." At the word "slaves", James went red, but kept his mouth shut. Obviously, daemon had some news. Ariel stood up and came closer.
"Festivities and fraternizing with fort lords takes its time," he said in a deep tone.
"Much is eaten at festivities, many drinks are drunk and much is said. Fort lord greets his noble guest, by offering his roof, food, drink and most of all - his time. Think not, feeble human . . ." he said, turning to James "I was spending merry hours in past days. Every visit gets repaid, every favor returned. Some strong pacts were made among me and this fort lord, pacts which will have to be respected by my house, even in case of my death."
"I have learned much and fulfillment of our quest draws nigh. For pacts made, I have gained a location of a seer. A very important seer. You see . . ." he said, "Kath worlds are not like any other. All you see here but rocks and stones must be brought here by cargo beasts or on the backs of slaves. All of them, however, enter this world by means of Magic of portals. Portals are thus essential to this world. There are those, ready to pay good money, skills, knowledge, pleasures of flesh or any other price for an exact information of what exactly is entering and exiting these portals. It takes a man of very special skill, to be able to sense all arrivals and departures and furthermore, to remember them. Gel Daranegath is one of them. A member of a race, almost extinct, spends his old days within a dark cave, feasting upon gifts of high lords, requiring his information. He is too valuable to all, to be kidnapped or killed, yet precious enough to be rewarded for right information. He is who we should seek out."
"And he will know where Veny is?"
"Hmmm. Seer is a volatile creature. First, we must please his desires, then he will speak. And even then, he will tell us no more then when she came here, and where. That should ease things for us, however. There are few markets here, which sale slaves. Few, but those very great. They are very well organized however, and we should thus quite accurately find out, to whom was your friend sold."
"So, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go" James said, taking his bag and escorting daemon outside, into a circular corridors of tall fortress within burned worlds of Kath.

. . . to be continued. . .

__________________
Brightest fire casts the darkest shadows.