Soul Guardian

The next time Six summoned Bael they both received an unpleasant surprise, but Bael got the worst of it because Maharet got sea sick and threw up all over his leg.

“Oh that’s disgusting.” Bael moaned. “Do you know how hard it is to get puke out of fur? And tell me how exactly a major demon still manages to get sick after a little interdimensional travel. It’s hardly dignified.”

“Bite me, goat boy.” Maharet said savagely. “I had to follow and see who you had been talking to. What would the other lords say if they found out you had been spending so much time with a frail little human girl?”

Outside the circle Six was glaring at Maharet with intense concentration. There was a crackling of interdimensional energy around the edges of the protective circle and Bael felt his hair starting to stand on end. “Maharet,” He said quietly. “I really think you should apologize to Six.”

“No way.” The fire demon locked eyes with Six, daring her to do her worst. “What’s the little witch going to do, send us back to hell?”

“Seriously, I’m not joking. Apologize.” Bael pleaded, not knowing what Six was up to but guessing that it would probably be extremely unpleasant. “I don’t know what she’s planning but I don’t think you’ll enjoy it.”

“Do your worst, tater tot.” Maharet taunted.

“Alright.” Six said quietly as the runes around the circle started to rearrange themselves. “But don’t say Bael didn’t warn you.”

For a brief second nothing happened, then Maharet and Bael found themselves bouncing from dimension to dimension like ping pong balls. A few Bael recognized but most were so alien that even he had no idea where they fit into the cosmic framework.

He felt like his bones had been replaced with taffy and his brain was trying to climb out of his eye sockets. After what might have been hours or minutes they crash landed back on earth in a queasy heap. He felt like something scraped off the bottom of a fire pit and from the look of things Maharet was even worse for wear.

Bael looked over to Six in annoyance. “Warn me next time you are going to pull a stunt like that.”

Six seemed genuinely to be as surprised as he was. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” She said, “I was just trying to send her through on a loop and you somehow got brought along for the ride.”

“Well hurry up and let me out before Maharet wakes up. I have better things to do than be stuck with a seasick fire demon.” Bael whispered.

Six nodded and Bael just barely managed to jump out of the circle before it closed behind him. Maharet who had been faking unconsciousness was just a microsecond too late and slammed face first into the newly restored barrier. There was a bright flash of light and the smell of ozone followed by a torrent of cursing so foul that it could have tarnished brass.

“You know,” Bael said, “I’ve never been on this side of that particular trick before.”

“She seems to be quite angry.” Six observed. “Maybe we should give her some time to cool down.”

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“Agreed.” They retreated to the kitchen to make dinner and left Maharet to burn herself out.

---

Dull lights flickered across the walls of the summoning chamber and made the golden statues seem to almost come alive. Maharet sat cross legged inside the protective circle sending gouts of living flame from her fingertips to probe the magical barrier that kept her contained. There were no weak spots, no pinholes that she could escape through. If Maharet wanted out she was going to have to ask nicely. Still, there was more than one way to skin a human, or a goat for that matter.

“I would like to make a friendly wager.” She told Bael when he returned. The little girl with the strange name was curiously absent. “I understand that the child is an orphan, or at least I’m guessing that she is from the way this room is decorated.” Maharet waved her hand towards one of the statues. “If you can find her a suitable human family by the first day of the new year I won’t tell anyone about how you have been fraternizing with the living. If you fail I will expect you to step down as a baron of hell and never return to the infernal realm. You will be exiled to Earth, forever.“

Bael paced around the circle, his hooves clicking on the marble floor. He had played this game before, battles of wits were common avenues for advancement in hell. As always it boiled down to which player knew that one critical detail which changed everything.

“That sounds suspiciously easy, what are the conditions?” Bael asked. The devil as always would be in the details.

Maharet smiled, showing long sharp teeth that seemed to glow in the gloom. She knew that she had him now. “Until the task is complete you may not return to hell, not even for a moment.”

Now came Bael’s turn to counter. “If I accept, it will be on the condition that you never bring harm against Six and that you never allow others to harm her, not now and not ever so long as you walk this Earth. Do we have an agreement?”

The request seemed simple enough, in fact it was suspiciously reasonable. Maharet went over the deal in her mind trying to figure out what Bael was up to. She had expected him to ask that she offer no interference, after all it would be relatively simple to block any possible plans for adoption until after the new year. What is the old goat up to? Maharet wondered as she tried to read Bael’s poker face. What was he planning?

She considered her options. Even if Bael won the wager he would be absent from hell long enough for her to push through a few of her pet projects without interference, that alone was worth her silence. Still, Maharet couldn’t help but wonder what little detail she was missing. Bael was clever, even for a demon. He wouldn’t have accepted her terms unless he knew for sure that he had the upper hand. Still, what did she have to lose?

“Alright.” Maharet finally said. “I believe we have a deal. Now let me out so I can go home.”

Bael grabbed a broom from the corner and used it to break the protective circle. There was a brief flash of discharging magic but other than a few singed bristles Bael and the broom seemed fine.

The fire demon mentally prepared herself for the trip back hell and the inevitable nausea that would follow. Bael just stood there leaning on his broom and watching. Maharet closed her eyes and concentrated on her cozy little apartment, her luxurious double bed with altogether too many pillows and her loyal hellcats that would be so happy to see her.

When she opened her eyes there was no cozy apartment, no bed, no hellcats, just Bael leaning on his broom with a knowing smirk on his face. “What did you do?” She asked, a quiet sense of dread settling over her. Something was wrong, something was very very wrong.

“It’s Interdimensional travel 101.” Bael explained. “I figured that you would know since you’re such a high ranking demon, but in case you’ve forgotten when two objects are summoned together they both must return together. But don’t worry.” He assured her. “I’m sure we’ll find a nice new family for Six in no time at all with the both of us working together.”

“I really hate you right now.” Maharet groaned when she realized how easily and totally Bael had outmaneuvered her. “Hate! Hate! Hate!”

***

If you are reading this anywhere besides royal road or my patreon this ebook was ripped and posted without my consent... again. -TheDeliciousMeats aka Alex Karne