rearrangement of his face, I was surprised he was even conscious, let alone able to stand and realize what was going on. It gave me a newfound respect for his endurance, even if I could never respect him as a man. He was one tough bastard.
For that matter, they all were. Beside him, barely able to stand, but doing it nevertheless, was McConnell, torn stitches and all. His shaggy head was turned to the side and he stared off into the fog, not interested in following Marcus’s vomitory lead. Of the three, only Poe held his ground steady. His face was a mask of cold indifference, though even he seemed to look without seeing, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
I’m not sure what that says about me, but I was all about watching. I can’t say it turned me on, even as depraved as I am, but somewhere deep down, somewhere dark and vindictive, a part of me cheered like I’d won the lottery. It was a petty part, but I’m at peace with my faults.
My amused attention returned to the show just in time to see Chatterbox’s eyes go dim, the remaining leathery flesh on his face pulling tight as Veronica fed on his energy. His tongue waggled to a stop and withdrew into his cavernous mouth, as she asserted her will.
The contest over, Veronica pulled away with a gasp, dropping the head into the clouds as she stumbled back. A moment later, she too christened the roiling fog with vomit. Sepulchral heaves rattled her ribs as she retched, her body wracked with trembling spasms. It wasn’t pretty.
With surprising restraint considering his recent mood, Baalth stood there quiet as she emptied her gut, his hands clenched into tight fists. Agitated sparkles of energy fluttered around them, like lightning bugs after a summer storm, but there was no other sign of his displeasure. A few moments later, Veronica still struggling to regain control, he at last turned his searing gaze to me.
“As promised, our pact is fulfilled.”
With a snap of his fingers a contract appeared, floating in the air before us. I had just long enough to recognize the mark at the bottom of it before it burst into reddish flames. Within seconds it was nothing more than willowy ash, fluttering down in wispy spirals of black and gray. However dramatic it sounds, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders.
“Now, for the rest of our arrangement-” He reached a hand out to me, his palm glowing scarlet.
I took a quick step back, avoiding it. “Hold on a second.”
His lip curled into a sneer and I felt the ground beneath me sway. The look in his dark eyes was murderous. He leaned in close, roaring, “You dare-”
“No, no, no. It’s not like that.” I waved my hands frantically to keep him from killing me before I could explain. “It’s just if I walk out of here stronger than when I came in, Lilith will know something is up.”He glared at me for a moment before his features softened, the fury in his eyes abating. His upper lip quivered for a heartbeat longer, before settling into a mirthless grin. His anger in check, he nodded for me to continue.
I did, as quickly as I could get the words out. “For whatever reason, she wants me dead. She’s already set me up twice and I’ve managed to walk away both times. I’m hoping she’ll be so pissed off when I reappear this time she’ll want to do the job herself. But if I pop up on her senses glowing like a Christmas tree, she’s gonna know better than to come after me. I need her to think she’s still got the upper hand.”
Baalth stared at me for a moment longer, pondering what I’d told him. Then suddenly, his eyes lit up and a crooked smile flattered his lips. “I’ve a solution that suits both our needs.”
He held his glowing hand out, the building energy shimmering as though it were alive. It danced and swirled about his palm, pulling together into a dense mass, roughly the size of a baseball. As it pulsed and throbbed, it cast off tiny red sparks, its mass condensing more every second until it was no larger than a pencil eraser. Shrunk down, he passed it to me.
A bit hesitant to take it, torn between the need to trick Lilith into coming after me and the desire for power, I gave in to the latter.
Greed is an amazing motivator. I’d never have another opportunity like this one. It was the quintessential offer I couldn’t refuse.
Its magical warmth caressed my hand as the tiny ball settled in my palm. I just stared at it for a moment, its power slapping against my senses like storm-driven waves against a tide wall. Baalth had told me he’d pass on a portion of his power, but I’d expected it to be a trifling amount, never thinking he’d be too generous. Given our history of butting heads, he surprised me.
Contained inside the tiny sphere was more mystical energy than I could have imagined possessing, at least in any realistic way since I’d turned down my uncle’s offer of Anti-Christ. It wasn’t enough to tip the balance in any sort of cosmic way, and it definitely wasn’t anything compared to what Baalth still held, but it would be one hell of a boost; a satisfying one, for sure.
Now, with it in my grasp, I began to second guess my plan, wondering what I could do to Lilith with my newfound magic. Images filled my head of the potential carnage I could wreak upon her, the ruin I could bring to the backstabber who’d betrayed my uncle and who’d set me up to die. There was no bottom to the well of inventive agonies my sudden inheritance inspired. Baalth, however, apparently not interested in letting me revel in the moment, yanked me from my delusional tangent with a perverse command.
“Swallow it.”
Sudden flashbacks of prison assailed me. “Woah there, buddy. I’m all for helping a guy out, in times of need, but I have to draw the line somewhere.”
He was not amused. Limbo seemed to teeter, the clouds almost frantic, feeding off his agitation. “Until you ingest it, it’s nothing more than an extension of my power.” He grabbed my shoulder in a painful vise and pulled me in close, our noses nearly touching. His breath was hot and musky. “Once in your possession, inside you, I am freed of its burden. Now swallow it before I find a more creative way of honoring our bargain.”
Cursed with a vivid imagination, I took the first option. Head tilted back, I tossed it in my mouth and swallowed my reluctance along with the sphere. It tickled as it slid down my throat, fleeting electrical sparks striking off in its wake, goose bumps exploding across my arms. I felt it hit my stomach with a heavy thump, lighting it up like an overdose of orange juice and napalm, before calming a few seconds later.
The unexpected side effect of ingesting such a powerful dose of pure magical energy was that my wounds began to heal. I stared in surprise at my injured side as the flesh rippled and began to pull together, the same happening to the gash along my skull. It wasn’t anywhere near as fast a process that occurred under the influence of my uncle’s blood, but it was still amazing it happened at all outside of a soul transfer. Until then, only God and Lucifer had had the mastery to work such a miracle as true healing. The realization that Baalth could now be counted among their number was terrifying.
Feeling a little weird about the whole experience, rattled by my comprehension of Baalth’s power, I looked at him and tried to smile. “Sorry. I’m not usually on the receiving end, know what I mean?”
He shook his head, dismissing me, but I could see the relief in his weary eyes. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs before letting it out slowly. Then suddenly, without warning, he winced, his jaw clenching for just a second. The tenseness faded so fast I wasn’t sure I’d seen it at all, his manner remaining composed.
“Damn it,” he whispered, his voice fading off like distant thunder.
Apparently the transfer hadn’t been enough. Though his face no longer showed any expression, no sign of his torment, his plan to bleed off his excess power had obviously failed. Even with my senses reined in and tucked tight, Baalth’s aura still glowed like a fiery sun, way too close to going supernova. I hadn’t expected a major change in his magical presence, but I figured there’d be some discernable difference. There wasn’t any. The realization sent a chill down my spine. He was still the only god left among men.
I thought about offering to take a little more power off his hands, but I didn’t think he’d respond too kindly of the suggestion. Our first deal was born of necessity, desperation even, but things had changed. In an unguarded moment he’d shown weakness, letting me see the truth of his condition. Though he made good on his word, he would never let me capitalize on his vulnerability again.
You don’t get to the top of the demonic food chain by empowering your enemies, and that’s all we were. No matter how chummy we could be on occasion, how interdependent we seemed, we each knew our place. Mine wasn’t to ask for anything not freely given.
Besides, I wasn’t even sure I could handle all the power I’d been gifted, let alone more. I didn’t have any interest in ending up like Baalth; a bubbling volcano on the verge of a major eruption. Though things didn’t turn out as planned, we’d both have to settle for the cards dealt. All-in-all, I got the better hand, but it wouldn’t mean much if Baalth couldn’t contain the power eating away at him. It also wouldn’t mean anything if Lilith could sense the
