Almost Demon (The Sigil Cycle) (27 page)

 After setting the parchment on the warm floor by the mantelpiece to dry, I walked around the room, taking a closer look at all of Sam’s treasures. 

If this is the stuff he keeps out, I wonder what’s in his safe? 

When I felt that the parchment had had enough time to dry, I looked it over and folded it into my bra, not having recognized the symbol at all.

“How are you feeling?” I heard Sam’s voice behind me.

“I think I’m alright.”

“I told Max to get you some clothes. He should be back soon.”

“Max?”

“He usually stands guard there.”

“Oh, Mr. Muscle.”

Sam laughed at the moniker and then let his gaze fall to the floor. “Gemma, I think I’ve found someone who can help with your problem topside.”

“Really? That’s good, right?” I said. The two of them didn’t seem as excited at the prospect.

“There are some issues,” Sam continued. “You’re going to have to summon him and then perform a banishing ritual.”

“Is that hard?”

“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s not hard but it can leave you with a hell of a debt.”

“That’s fine. Everyone up there needs our help. You don’t know what it’s like up there.”

“I can imagine,” Sam replied. “Then I’ll give you the true name and this.” He pulled a round metal disc from the pocket of his black blazer. The cross around his neck shone in the light as he placed the warm amulet in my hand.

It was engraved with letters and looked vaguely familiar. I tried to rack my brain on whether I had ever seen a symbol like this before. Then it hit me.

“This is the symbol on the cover of the grimoire.”

“Which one is that?” Sam asked.

“Just the one Thom was using with her,” Ian interjected.

“Do you have it?”

“No.” Heat began to flood my face as the anger coursed once again through my veins. “It’s gone.”

“Isn’t that convenient,” Sam said. “In the middle of a crisis and everything. You keep that in mind lest you forget.”

“So if I summon this demon and perform this spell, the Dybbuk will go away?”

“In essence. There are a few minor details. You must perform the spell by a chamber. That can make your task a bit more difficult. The location of these chambers are a heavily guarded secret. But I’m sure, with your wiles, you can coerce another one to tell you.”

“In the woods near my house. I can’t believe this.”

My luck was finally turning.

“And you must wait until his sigil has bonded into your skin before you can perform the banishment.”

“Okay then. I’m game.” 

“It’s good to have you, Gemma,” Sam said. Those words sounded heavy in the air, like I had no idea how far it went.

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It was nice to see that Tat Man, or Max, had reliable, yet classic, taste in clothing. 

“Here,” he said, closing the door behind him and tossing me the garments.

I feared he would come back with something with more spandex and a lot more revealing so I was thrilled to put on the black jeans and a wife beater. The sweater was a bit grungy but it was the kind people paid lots of money for in the hopes of replicating a street trend. 

“Can I get some privacy?”

“Sorry. Boss said I either leave the door open or get in here with you. Don’t know yet what could have followed you back so I can’t leave you locked in here on your own. I thought you might prefer one set of averted eyes to a crowd full of onlookers.” He gave his back to me and I jumped at the chance to put on the clothing.

“Alright. I’m done,” I said.

“Good.” He turned back to me. “Because I wanted to let you know that I knew your mother. She would have been proud to see you here with Sam.”

I didn’t know how to take that comment so I asked a question instead. “Do you know where she is?”

“Not exactly. But we used to spell cast with each other and having that type of relationship gives me the ability to sense her presence. She is close. Always has been.”

“Well, isn’t that just great?” I gave him my most sinister smile. “But I don’t really care. In fact, I’m more pissed than ever. She leaves, and was right here all along. Not dead somewhere in a ditch or off in Maui with a boyfriend.”

“I’m trying to help. Focus on your work and you will surpass both her and I in power. That ominous day will come soon. Just know that I will be here then.” He left me with my own thoughts and anger. I stormed out right after him, ready to tell him off but found a smiling Ian instead.

While Sam worked the crowd of patrons, Ian led me to the dance floor. 

“Do it,” he said. “I can see it in your face. You’re pale and need the energy.”

“I don’t think it’s right,” I said.

“But they do. You can’t imagine what torture waits for them beyond these walls. They’re the lucky ones with enough soul energy left for Sam to take in.”

I took his advice and leeched a bit of energy off the senseless people around me. I even went ahead and made physical contact with one to see what would happen, and was rewarded with a double shot that buzzed through my fingers. The guy looked at me and gave me a brief smile before the muscles of his face caved into his cheekbones. The process continued, hollowing out his eyes until he collapsed in a pile of boneless flesh.

“What was that?” I screamed.

“His time was up.” Ian replied.

Before I could react, Sam found us and led us to the elevator. “Good luck,” he shouted over the music as he handed me a small book. There was a scrap of paper sticking out. “I marked the page for you and the name is on the paper.”

Ian and I held hands as the doors closed onto the club.

“I’m not so sure about this anymore,” I said.

“I’ll be there the whole time if you need me.”

When we reached the front of my house, I was shocked at what I saw.

 The sky looked like it had been blacked out, a starless expanse that held an artificial quality. The entity the Dybbuk had become had cloaked itself over the entire city. It didn’t look like anything could pierce the bubble. 

The air within the town was cloying catching in my throat and sending me into a coughing fit. Smoke rose up to the air as a fire blazed within the forest while shadows zoomed and whipped all around me.

We didn’t say a word to each other on our way to the chamber. I led the way and used all my effort to remain undetected. An occasional howl pierced the silence beyond the roaring inferno that seemed to be contained in the east. My legs knew the way and we arrived without any problems. Ian helped me brush away the leaves and moss that had covered the indentation where the chamber gate lay. The place still made me feel sick.

“I don’t have any salt or anything. I guess if I use the chamber as the circle, I can kill two birds with one stone and hope the demon doesn’t get a chance to kill me.”

“I told you I’m here.” Ian rubbed my shoulders and I looked down at the small black book. The scrap of paper curled up when I opened to the page. It was the sigil I had prepared for Ash that night at Charlotte’s house. 

WTF?

The spell in the book was handwritten in a sweeping cursive that echoed from a time long past that included hoop skirts, corsets and bloody wars. 

“It says here that I just need to place the amulet in the lock. Do you see a lock?” I asked.

Ian investigated along the perimeter. It wasn’t until he reached the center that he called me. “Over here. I think this is it.”

My heart dropped when I realized that I would need to be steps away from the demon when I summoned him. “Alright. Here goes nothing. You should get on the grass. It won’t do me any good if you get eaten by it while I’m doing the spell.”

“You’re stronger than you think, Gemma.” Ian leaned in and kissed me on the lips before taking his place against a nearby tree. He saluted me and I took that as my cue to start. I sat on the cold hard gate and pulled out a pen. I checked to see if I had the spelling down. 

“Gemma!”

I whipped my head around only to find Charlotte in her platform silver sandals struggling to keep her balance on the dirt path. She was wearing a red strapless chiffon dress. The beading started on the edge of her sweetheart neckline and cascaded down the side.

“What’s going on?” I asked. 

“There’s one more detail I neglected to mention.” Sam appeared from the darkness as he pushed Charlotte forward. “You need a sacrificial lamb.”

“Are you nuts?”

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but it’s not going to work without her.”

“Can’t we find someone else?” I was surprised at my willingness to offer up another human life but there was no way I was putting my best friend in the middle of this mess.

“Afraid we can’t. This one’s special. She’s lucky.”

“Wow. I promise you it’s my charms. Look.” Charlotte pulled her key ring from the small silver clutch that coordinated with her shoes. Leave it to Charlotte to look perfect. I, on the other hand, still smelled of rotten fish. “I’ve got a rabbit’s foot, a horseshoe, my leprechaun.”

Sam didn’t let her finish and took a swing at her head. Charlotte dropped like a sack of potatoes.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought I was helping you. Go on,” Sam’s sneer rubbed me the wrong way.

My eyes met Ian’s and he nodded at my questioning look. Around me the shadows of the Dybbuk were creeping in through the trees and converging around us. My heart was tearing into pieces; it’s shards piercing me from the inside out.

“I can’t do this,” I said, shaking my head.

“You have to,” Ian’s voice was concerned but unyielding. The rich timbre evoked the deep emotions I had developed for him. He had become the constant in my life that I could rely on.

“But Charlotte,” I heard the quiver in my own voice.

“Everything will be okay but you have to do it soon,” He pointed to the approaching flames. 

“That’s enough chit chat,” Sam said. “Do it or I’ll make sure Charlotte’s soul finds its way to my club. She’s got plenty of juice to power everyone up for a few millennia.”

The threat to my friend’s soul was all that I needed to make up my mind after seeing the bitter remains of the man whose soul I had leeched to its very end. This was how I was going to make things right; by saving Harrisport.

Reluctant to waste any more time, I set on my task and created the sigil. I unfolded the crisp paper only to find my own handwriting. I had forgotten how interesting Abbadon’s shape was; tall and narrow with a curve at the top. I cleared my throat and began the summoning. I didn’t have any real texts with me but I went with my gut and spoke from the power that was seated inside of me.

“I summon thee, Abbadon the destroyer.” My voice was clear and the Dybbuk were melding into one entity of infinite darkness. “I call you by the fire that consumes us. I call you from the bottomless pit.”

At first, I thought it hadn’t worked so I pushed away all my thoughts and focused on my surroundings. The great mass of shadows was beginning to obstruct my view of Ian and Sam as it thickened like a wall around me. I prayed that, if anything, Ian would try his best to save Charlotte. When I was about to give up, I felt a faint tendril of power and latched right on. It was unwilling to come, something that I had learned in theory but had yet to experience. I drew the power towards me and started reeling it in until it slammed right into me, knocking me ass over to the ground.

“Oomph,” I said as my back connected to the floor. “Some manners would be nice.”

I brushed the hair out of my eyes, hoping I wouldn’t have to shave it all to get the smell out and looked up, only to have my heart sink like a punch in the gut.

“Thom?”

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“Thom, what are you doing here?” I stood up and brushed myself off, cranky at the prospect of having to redo the summoning.