Ezra couldn't do his teleporting trick, but I bet Icould banish him.
Mammon watched me curiously, as if he had all the timein the world, though he took a moment to deflect another attack from Ezra,before smacking him hard with another spell. Ezra hit the ground and this timehe didn't move right away.
Shit.
Ignoring Mammon for a moment, I gathered my powers andfocused on Ezra. After a moment he stirred. Thank the fuck my prince wasclimbing to his feet, eyes slightly unfocused, though they settled on me assoon as he realized what I was doing.
"Price!" he shouted. "Don't!"
"Ezra, go home." The simple phrase seemed towork well enough down here, though I threw in the last few lines of theexorcism rite and hit him hard with both my energy and his.
He fought me, but as he'd suspected, I could banishhim despite the mark. His anger and fear washed through me as I sent him backto his domain. I grabbed my energy and threw up my shields, turning to face thedemon and wishing I could send Mayhem away, too, but not quite brave enough totry. This was likely a fight I couldn't win, and Mammon knew it.
"Interesting. Well done, exorcist. You areuseful. I can see why Lucifer marked you. I propose an alternate to me killingyou. Allow me to strip those marks away and pledge yourself to my service. I'llreward you greatly, and let you live."
"Didn't think anyone but Lucifer could take mymarks away."
Mammon's lips curved into an evil smile. Lucifer and Ineeded to have a chat soon. Or maybe I could get Ezra to pass that bit ofinformation along, if I survived this.
"Hell no." I didn't even have to think aboutit. I couldn't win this fight. Didn't mean I wasn't going to try, but there wasno way, even with Ezra's power, that I could match this prince, or whatever hewas. At least, not yet. I didn't even bother with the holy water I still had inmy pocket. I simply prepared to do my best before I died when an idea struckme.
A full exorcism might banish him, at least long enoughfor me to try and get away, and hell, maybe the holy water would give me alittle extra protection. I pulled it out and dumped it over my head.
Mammon raised his eyebrows, looking shocked. "Howdid you get holy water past the gates?"
I was surprised he hadn't sensed it before, but I wasn'tgoing to question my good luck.
"Trade secret. Mayhem, stand by me."
The hellhound moved to my side.
Pulling on all my years of training in the occult, Icentered my energy and reached deep inside for those extra reserves that alwaysserved me well in a tough exorcism. Instead of casting a containment circlearound the demon, I cast a protective circle around myself. In full ritualstyle, I cried out to the watchtowers for protection and observance, though Ididn't know which direction was north I was sure they'd forgive me for thatlapse. Was there even a north in hell?
"What are you doing?" Mammon stared at me,mystified.
Hopefully, he wouldn't figure it out before Ifinished.
Reaching the incantation for the last watchtower, Idrew the sigil for fire in the air with my finger, calling out to the southernwatchtower and feeling the protective circle snap into place around me.
"Do you really think your puny occultism willprotect you from me?" He swelled as if offended.
Ignoring his jab, I started the exorcism. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundusspiritus…"
"That won't work here," he said.
Not willing to take any chances, I didn't let himdistract me, shouting out the next few lines, before he seemed to get the ideathat I might just be able to send him away.
"No matter, it's my domain, you won't make yourway out of it alive," he snarled.
The ground rumbled underneath me and Mayhem whined ashe shifted his feet.
"…contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobissancto et terribili nomine…quem inferi tremunt…" I shouted.
Mammon took a step back before clapping his handstogether.
The ground split around me, but my protective circlekept me safe and on solid ground, while creatures slithered out of the fracturein the grassy plains. They crawled all over the magical shield around me and Itried not to let my fear into my voice as I gathered my power and prepared tobreak the circle so Mammon could receive the full brunt of it.
"Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi faciaslibertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos," I shouted and put my footover the circle, popping it.
For a moment, the demons over me hung suspended in airand then my energy blasted out around me, searing into the demons and slamminginto Mammon. I'd never forget the expression of surprise on his face as he, andevery other demon in the area except Mayhem, vanished with my exorcism.
I collapsed to the ground as the energy fled from mybody.
"Fuck," I gasped, not sure how I was goingto escape now. I could barely move.
Slowly, my energy returned, and I crawled to my knees.I had to move. Mammon would be back, and I would bet anything he was pissed. Ifnothing else, I'd wounded his pride and I doubted he'd let that stand. Therewas no way he'd want me to escape his domain and tell others what I'd done.
I could still feel Ezra panicking in the back of mymind, but he couldn't get to me, and he couldn't summon me like I could him.
Sorry, mate,I sent to him then tuned him out. There wasn't anything he could do.
Mayhem lent me his shoulder and I struggled to myfeet. We made it all of twenty feet or so before hooves pounded on the groundbehind us.
"What now?" I turned, unable to fathomfighting anything else. I would, but I didn't think I'd last long.
Mayhem woofed, sounding surprised. I just stared.
The mystery horse I'd seen a couple of times in thedesert heat over the last few months
