‘Where did you get this book, you say?’ Sergey asked, clicking the scans.
‘An old woman sold it.’ Victoria was busy with her own business.
‘It’s a good book. I’m sure there’s only one version of it… Keep it in safe.’
‘Where did you get yours?’
‘My great-great grandmother left it.’
‘Are you a witch?’ Vic asked amazed.
‘A witcher. In the 6th generation. I’m studying to be a witcher. You, on the contrary, seem to know nothing how the magical world is organized.’
‘I don’t conceal it. I’ve discovered this world since recently. Honesty I’m not still sure that it really exists. It’s too much unusual…’
‘You have lots of time to make sure that another world exists. You’ll understand that we are always observed. We have guardians, they guard us. Surely, you had such moments when you wanted to take a step on the road and in the nick of time you stepped back. There were good reasons why. A car rushed out of the corner at the last second and if you had taken that step, then there’d have been coronach at your home. We have those who misdirect us. Bogies, witches, pucks and water spirits, all of them are real. Why do you need Lucifer, by the way? What a dispute does he have to settle?’
‘Nothing. I just wanted to ask him for help.’
‘To ask Lucifer himself? I’m not sure he’ll want to interfere in the petty crime of the lowest level demons.’
‘What is he so busy with? Formalizing vacations and recalculating?’
Sergey looked at the girl and smiled.
‘If he were, people wouldn’t be so afraid of him. You can find an active ritual in the scans which I gave you. I don’t know if that ritual which you sent works…but you can try. But I advise to start from mine. If Lucifer doesn’t come, you’re doing something wrong.’
‘What if he doesn’t want to come, is it considered to be?’ the girl cautiously asked
‘Maybe it is…But there is no “he doesn’t want” in demonology. If you call, then a spirit must come. If you call in a wrong way, a spirit, probably, won’t come but it gets you’re calling him, anyway.’
‘Have you ever summoned Lucifer?’
‘No, I’m not so cocky and bold to come into a contact with Lucifer himself. It’s too dangerous. There’s also information how to tie a demon to. Be careful with that.’
‘Yeah, I’ve got it. May I get your phone number to connect with you if something goes wrong?’
‘Are you getting to be friends?’ Sergey smiled again.
‘Well…’ Vic was confused. ‘Yes, I think, I am.’
Of course, she would be against a friend-witcher when she almost got directly across to The Dark World.
They exchanged phone numbers and went out to on their own errands. Victoria was burning up the road home at rapid-fire pace. She wanted to tie Kharon to her. Then he was going to be near her, supporting and protecting. His face didn’t come out of her head. She was buried under devilish beauty press and weight. Vic didn’t know his personality and his soul if he had the one, she just saw his face and felt his touches. It was enough to bog down in marshy quagmire of love.
There was a cup of hot coffee. The midnight. Victoria was seeking for the needed spell and she found it on one of thousand pages. She needed next components: to draw a pentacle in a circle, five candles. She had to picture the demon’s seal, which was going to be tied to, in the pentacle centre. Then she had to depicted planetary symbols in the corner, begin with Uranus in the upper corner and against the clock there should be: Mars, Saturnus, Neptune and Pluto. That was all. And the last was to read the spell at every pentacle corner.
Victoria couldn’t believe her eyes. Could that be really all? There was no need of nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis’s legs, boiled with psychrolutes marcidus’s gills, no need of flowers which died out last century…there was need of a couple of pictures and easy spell. The girl was glad not to call Lucifer and communicate with him indeed as collaborate in any way. She was glad to manage on her own. She couldn’t even believe in it.
Despite that it was midnight, Vic didn’t think of sleeping. What a sleep when her mad dream was about to float into reality?
The girl was tracing the even circle with a piece of chalk on the floor, then a pentacle in it. All the planetary symbols were found in Internet. Kharon’s seal was on the paper in the book. There were lots of candles at home.
As soon as all was done Vic started reading the spell in each corner. When she finished reading the last lines in the northwest corner, a man appeared on her bed. He was looking at the floor. There was solid disappointment on his face.
Vic gave a start of surprise, having seen the man on her bed. The man kept silence. Victoria looked intently at him. She didn’t like his countenance, but she liked the feeling she had in the first seconds when the demon appeared.
‘Kharon…’ she whispered.
Suddenly the window opened because of unexpected mad wind. The candles were blown out one by one. The light twinkled and was gone. The scans flew up, curling into an amazing whirlwind. Pens, pencils, brushes, small objects began to turn under the unusual wind pressure, fluttering the red hair, endlessly throwing it on the eyes.
Victoria was nervous. She was scared. The boisterous weather in the flat pretty enough frightened the girl.
‘Kharon!’ she said louder, trying to get fluttering spikes away from her face.
The wind didn’t stop. The man, keeping the deadly disappointment on his face, was sitting and looking at the drawn pentacle. He didn’t see the scared girl.
‘Kharon. Please…’ panic tears ran down her cheeks.
Fear almost provoked hysteria. The girl was shacking. There was no light, but the feeble moon threw off its rays at the sad demon’s face.
Having heard “please” Kharon finally lifted his eyes and stood up sharply. The rough weather wasn’t going to calm. The wind was getting stronger, pieces of paper were flying, light twinkled sometimes.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked in a sepulchral voice and looked down into her eyes.
At that moment Victoria understood what to be feared meant. There was a real fire in the demon’s eyes, and the tongues of fire seemed to be about to break away and burn it all down the tubes. His hands, holding the girl, were deathlike cold. His lips were pale-blue-violet colour, compressed so strong to turn into a thin thread that was going to tear.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked his question again, pressing her shoulder stronger.
Victoria was staring at the flaming fire in the demon’s eyes, being afraid of looking away.
‘I…’ she stuttered.
‘You.’ The demon’s voice thundered in her ears.
‘I wanted to see you’ at least Vic lied and closed her eyes.
Kharon grinned but didn’t let the girl.
‘See me?’ he asked. ‘Do I have to trust you? A human child… full of ancient malice… You’re lying!’
Slowly the rough weather in the house was coming to rest. The mad album pages, wrinkled and torn in places, began to get down in a gentle leaf fall; the wind calmed; but there was no light still.
‘I…’
‘You’re shaking…’ the demon tucked her fluttered hair behind her ear.
‘You’ve scared me,’ Vic answered, gave a sob, trying to relax in the divine beauty arms.
‘You want to tie me to, don’t you?’
Having noticed no her complain, Kharon stared into her eyes, waiting for the answer. Vic turned away and took a sigh to calm down her animal fear swarming in the depths of her soul and consciousness.
‘No…That means, actually, yes… Kharon, I don’t know what to say…’
‘Tell me the truth. Do you know what the truth is? It is what you have here.’ The demon touched her chest. ‘And here,’ he put his finger at her temple, ‘here’s a lie…’
Victoria said nothing, was scared to look into the man’s eyes. He’d been still holding her shoulders, silently demanding her responsibility for her actions. But there was nothing of that.
