Jar of Souls (27 page)

“I’m fine, Mr. Stillman. Jackson is actually a really great guy. A girl could do worse for herself.”

“Thank you, Britta, for keeping us updated. It’s of vital importance that I know of anything that happens to him as soon as possible. We are counting on you.”

“I understand. I won’t let you down.”

“I’ve moved the first set of funds to your family; they won’t have to worry about anything as long as you can do your part.”

“Thank you for making sure they are ok.”

“It was the least I could do for you.”

“I really have to go; I need to be back in bed before he wakes up.”

“Then go, and Britta, Jackson can never know about this. Not ever. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Good, because if he ever found out, there would be consequences, and not only for you.”

“I understand.”

“Then goodnight.”

I slipped the cell phone back into my things and crawled back into bed. Jackson barely even stirred as I slipped in next to him. I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and wondering about just what I had gotten myself into. He really was a good guy, and he didn’t deserve to be spied on, but my family didn’t deserve to have nothing. If spending my time with a great guy was all that I had to do to secure my family’s future, then I could do that. Sleep came easily as I listened to the rhythm of his heart and the soft slow sound of his breath.

I
mpatience crawled
over her skin like goosebumps stirred up from a cold breeze. She hated waiting for the dream bender to do its work, but that was the price she paid for leadership. The dream benders fingers were knuckle-deep into the head of the human kneeling before her. His willing sacrifice insured his family was well taken care of. It still sat funnily in her stomach to give anything back to the humans, but for this particular spell, the participant had to be willing or it failed.

The bender raised its head as if awaking from a nap that had lasted too long. It shook itself free from the lethargic grip of sleep and let the human’s head slip from her overlong fingers. Each one of the slender fingers made a wet sucking sound as it slid from the human’s head, each one ending with a wet plop as they finally pulled free. The lifeless body fell to the floor as the creature turned back to face its master.

“Is it done? Was it successful?”

“It was successful, although it is growing harder to influence his dreams. Something inside of him is fighting against my influence.”

“Tell me there is something we can do to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“I wish that were the case, but individuals with a strong willpower can often block or fight against our influence over time.”

“Then we must make the most of the time we have left. You have to push harder.”

“I will do what I can, my queen,” the dream bender said, kneeling.

“You will do more than that if you wish to please me.”

The queen exited the room, motioning for two of her four guards to enter the chamber and dispose of the body. It would be sent to the kitchen and separated to feed their growing numbers. Her minions that inhabited the meat shells preferred to eat as their human hosts had, but since her awakening into this world, they had been able to summon more demons to the surface in their true forms, and those forms craved flesh.

The good news for her was enough of their magic required a human sacrifice, so there had been plenty of bodies to dispose of. If their numbers continued to swell, they would have to start looking into other means of acquiring humans to feed the horde. They had been able to keep suspicion off of themselves by preying on the tourists to the great beacon of Las Vegas. The city had proved to be the perfect place for their headquarters. The humans here engaged in every kind of deplorable act under the sun, and it almost made her feel as if she was at home.

It also made depraved or lost souls easier to find. Her dealers had returned after securing contracts with some of the elite, and now she had them making much shorter deals with the cattle. Bet your house on a game of cards and lost? We could fix that for a price. Cheated on your spouse and needed them to forget it happened? That could be arranged. Accidently killed the neighbor when you found out he slept with your daughter? We could make that disappear as well. All you had to do was be willing to sign a deal.

Business had been good so far, and over the course of the next few years, they would be able to force their client’s souls from their bodies and put demons in. That would help with the day to day, and lend them some cannon fodder in the fight to come. The thing they needed now was to find out how to bring more demons here in their natural forms. They would need that kind of power to stand against the Gifted and the magic they wielded.

She stepped into the room, and every head turned to watch her if only for a moment. That was the kind of respect that money couldn’t buy, the kind of fear that only power could bring. She watched the heads turn back toward the tasks they had been assigned and made her way back to her desk. She had a call to make before reporting to her own boss. She felt a small shiver of fear at the thought of delivering any kind of bad news, but they had time on their side for now. If it didn’t happen soon, then it would eventually.

She dialed the phone, making sure to keep her head up and her back straight. No one could see that she was uncertain about the outcome of the call. Any ounce of weakness was something to be exploited, and she would never show it. Most of these demons had been out of the pit too long to remember what it was like, but for her, the torments were still fresh in her mind. The easiest way to find yourself begging to be released was to show weakness. Her eyes glared red as the phone rang for the third time.

Maybe it was time to make an example out of someone again. Maybe she hadn’t done that enough lately. Three rings was far too long to keep her waiting, especially if you were delivering bad news. If the news was better, the response to the delay could be overlooked, this time. That didn’t mean the rest of her people didn’t need a subtle prodding.

Her eyes flickered around the room, watching them scurry about their daily routines. Which one of them was expendable enough to lose? There had to be one. Her eyes continued to move around the room as the phone continued to ring. Five rings into the call her fury was starting to creep through her guarded expression, and people found other places to be. She had already trimmed most of the fat; the demons that hadn’t been pulling their weight had been removed. All except for one apparently.

Her eyes settled on Stewart as he reclined in his chair, eyes fixed firmly on the ceiling. It seemed as if he had some kind of music playing. There was too much to do for him to be taking any kind of break. She had been lenient enough by letting them work in shifts, understanding their human bodies couldn’t keep up with her. In the pit they would have been worked until they fell into exhaustion and then tortured until the work seemed like a mercy. Stewart had forgotten his place in the world, and that was fortunate because tonight he would remind others of theirs.

The phone in her hand kept ringing, only adding a sense of impatient rage to her steps. As soon as she was done with Stewart, she would be making a personal trip to visit the demon that kept her waiting. He still sat leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, music thumping into his ears. The sound coming from his earbuds could be heard easily from where she was now, almost ten feet away. The room grew silent as she continued walking toward him.

She set her phone down on his desk, listening to yet another ring. Stewart still hadn’t noticed that she was there. Lowering her hand toward his head seemed to do the trick. Stewart’s eyes flew open at the last second, but it was too late. She placed her hand firmly against his forehead. Stewart tried to throw himself backward out of his chair, to no avail. She let his body slide down to the ground with his head locked firmly in her grip. The smell of burning flesh filled the room, and a few wisps of smoke escaped from under her hand. Stewart cried out in agony as she burned the brand into him.

She pulled her hand away, satisfied that the mark would hold him. She signaled to two of her guards to come and fetch him. They lifted Stewart up, holding him under the armpits as he struggled, feebly trying to get away. The brand on his forehead would keep his essence trapped inside of the body, letting him feel all of the sensations as the demons ripped him apart. Then he would return to hell where his days of torment would start all over again. Maybe after another thirty or forty years, he would be allowed to return.

“Take him to the chamber of the Baphomet. Let the demons inside do whatever they wish to him.”

“No, my queen. I’m sorry; I will do whatever you require of me. Please . . . please, give me another chance, another day to prove my worth to you,” Stewart pleaded, his eyes filled with panic.

She turned away and waved her hand to the guards over her shoulder as she walked back to her desk. She only turned around once she realized that she had left her phone on his desk. She watched for a moment as her guards dragged the screaming demon from the room. The demons in the chamber should enjoy her gift; it turned out Stewart was a screamer. She walked back to her desk, realizing that the phone in her hand was no longer ringing.

A male voice spoke through the receiver. “My queen.”

“It’s about time that you picked up; your delay forced me to amuse myself.” She made sure to say it loud enough that the entire room would hear her. She hoped it would reinforce what she expected of them.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“See that you don’t do it again, or the next person I bind to this realm and send to the Baphomet will be you.”

“I understand. Maybe some good news will bring me back into your graces.”

“So you have found a way to tear open a rift?”

“Ok, so maybe good news was overstating it just a bit.”

“Damn it, just tell me what you have discovered and if it helps us at all.”

“We have discovered how to keep existing rifts open longer. It’s not an exact science and we would have to know when and where one was opening for it to work, but it should triple the time one remains open.”

“That’s not much; in fact, it’s basically useless until we find out how to create our own rifts.”

“We will continue to work on it, my queen. I am sure we will have a breakthrough soon.”

“See that you do or I will put someone in your place to drive results.”

“Yes, my queen.”

She hung up the phone and rubbed at her temples for a moment. She looked up, pleased to see that no one had been looking in her direction. A small amount of frustration had settled into her bones. She hated this place, the smell of it, like something was wrong with the air itself. She longed to go back to her castle where she could spend her days training the souls of the damned. Breaking them and rebuilding them into something more useful was something that she enjoyed immensely. Instead she was stuck here doing her master’s will, and before she could go home, she would have to take control of this plane.

She walked slowly toward her chambers. The failure of her scientist to come up with any real answers left her weary of making her monthly contact with him. Everything else was progressing smoothly, and as far as she knew, the Ascended had not caught wind of any of their operations. If they remained unimpeded, then they might be able to strike out sooner than expected. Right now there were just too many variables in the air to know. If she knew anything about the gifted, it was that they wouldn’t go undiscovered for too much longer.

Her servant was waiting in her quarters and collected her clothes as she undressed. She moved through her rooms until she reached the summoning chamber. The gold door opened in front of her, and she entered the room. The human sacrifice’s eyes widened as she entered, no doubt wondering about her naked appearance. He had been stripped down as well and was huddling in the far corner of the room. She could see a small glimmer of hope enter his eyes; maybe this was some kind of weird sex game and not the place where he would die.

She held out her hand to him, and he slowly rose from the ground. Shuffling toward her from across the room, she took in his nakedness. He wasn’t bad looking as far as humans went, and if she didn’t have a schedule to keep, she might have indulged herself. She saw something flash across his features, and moved to the side as he lunged at her. The blade he had been carrying missed her completely, and with a thought, she pushed herself into his mind.

The man’s body froze, his arm still extended from his thrust. She slowly walked around him, trailing her finger across his chest. It had been a valiant effort, but it was over now. She reached out a hand, and the blade fell into hers. She let it scratch across his chest, just soft enough to not draw blood. Moving toward the altar, she commanded her human to follow, and although he fought her, her control over his mind was unbreakable. She placed the knife back on the altar and commanded the man to his knees in front of it. Readying the spell that she would need to reach out through the planes of existence to her master, she slowly began to chant.

She moved outside of the pentagram that would bind her master to this plane and dropped to her knees, continuing to chant. Her third time through the chant, she commanded the man to pick up the knife. The fourth time through and he brought the knife to his throat. The fifth time through he lowered his throat over the basin. The sixth time through he slit his throat and his life’s blood spilled into the basin. His blood raced down the carved channels, filling the pentagram before her. It started to steam as her connection to hell was established.

“Adramelech, I summon you!”

The room grew intensely hot and then cold as the human’s blood contained the demon into the center of the pentagram. The blood started to boil, and when it was gone, their connection would be broken. Adramelech looked down at her kneeling form as he stood in the center of the circle. His smile looked out of place because his eyes watched her with cool disdain.

“You have an update for me.” His voice whispered at her from all sides; it was as if a wind carried it to her from each corner of the room.

“Our scientists have yet to find a way to open a rift on their own, but they have found out how to prolong a rift that has already been opened.”

“That won’t be very useful. Maybe I have misplaced my faith in you.”

“I think we both know that you haven’t. We will find a way to force a breach into our realm, and now when we do, we can hold it open longer.”

“Continue to push them, and I will look into breaching the veil from this side.”

“Thank you for your patience, Master.”

“This is something that we need to do right; we may only have one chance. To waste that opportunity would be pointless.”

“I agree.”

“Speak now; I have other matters to attend to.”

“Our ranks and finances are swelling. Demons that have managed to breach between realms have come and pledged their fealty to you. Soon it will be too late for the gifted to act against us.”

“It is not time yet to rise from the shadows. Do all that you can to remain hidden, and do not initiate a confrontation.”

“Yes, Master. Holding this many demons in one location will start to draw unwanted attention at some point.”

“Then expand, grow, but stay in the shadows.”

“As you command.”