The Demon Deception (33 page)

There was a power surge. Everybody felt it.
Dogs in Bisbee started barking. The magical potential was building.
The energy in the area was increasing. Dust devils swirled across
the ground. Then it stopped, silence fell, and everybody was very
still, waiting for what was going to happen next.

A low, calm, voice spoke, sounding distant as
the magical forces coalesced. “I’m going to see Mommy and Daddy
again,” Darcy said.

----------------------------------------------------

Across the
darkling plain, lurid lights danced across the bruised sky, dark
magic energizing the air. The world was dead. Nothing was left. The
jagged mountains bled on the plains below as throats were cut and
lives were sacrificed. The priests cried their prayers to the great
destroyer, Ragosh, as they sliced the throats of the few thousands
left. The people walked to the priests, all hope driven from them,
knowing that only death and damnation awaited them. Struggle was
futile, struggle was pain. Death was the only thing that could ease
their misery. Souls destroyed, lives erased, their throats slashed,
corpses dropped to tumble down the mountains, lying in pyramids of
extinguished potential.

Flutes carved from the leg bones of
sacrifices wailed through the air. Drums covered in the flayed
skins of Ragosh’s victims throbbed in time to the beat of the
destroyer’s immense powers. Rogosh sat, elephantine bulk driving
down the thousands of slaves carrying the immense, hewn throne.
Tentacles writhed where head should be, reaching out to grab
corpses by the hundreds, stuffing the great gaping maw. The bulk
was enormous, four legs setting to the sides of his dark throne. He
fed, two great hands at the ends of arms that could hold up
mountains crushed corpses into mush. Whorled tattoos splayed across
red skin, shunting elder, darker magics in a whirling display. Dark
gems shimmered against the skin, punctuating the tattoos,
glittering as they sucked in the damned souls. In the middle of
them all, one great jewel fluoresced as throats were slit, and the
bound, wailing souls perished.

Corpses fed the bulk, souls powered the
magic. Soon, the portal would open, and Ragosh would move onto a
new world, a new dimension. Life was done here, ground down. There
was nothing left, no animals, no plants, no life at all. The
destroyer needed new corpses, new souls. He needed a new world. A
billion, billion had died to bring him here. The carnage increased
his hunger more than satiated it, the paste of the bodies flowing
down the immense throat. Now, all of those destroyed souls would
power his assault on the new dimension.

A dark figure stood on the peak, looking down
at the hellish display below. Dargonth was Rogosh’s greatest
warrior, destroying countless worlds for his master. He was first
through the portal to secure it, established the bridgehead, and
then summon his master’s army across the dimensions to the new
world. There, Rogosh would bring damnation and despair. His arrival
would herald a new slaughter.

Dargonth smiled, his sharpened teeth
displayed. His was a long, lean muscularity. His dark hide was ink
black with dark, dark indigo fur rippling across his skin. His
hands held the great blade before him, a blade of power. He whipped
it around his head, and heard the howling as it cried for new
souls, the sword wailing its frustration as it hungered. The
sacrifices on the plain shuddered upon hearing the keening sound
over the wailing of the flutes and the drums, and they knew that
there were other miseries worse than the one facing them.

Soon, Dargonth would reave new souls for his
master. Soon, but not now. Now he needed to hunt, to feed. He
looked at the pile of corpses, and knew that this would not satiate
him. Instead, he looked at the lines of sacrifices walking to their
doom. His eyes were sharp, and he found his prey. He walked down
the slope of the mountain, the trembling sacrifices hoping they
would not attract his attention. These shattered, damned creatures
would not be as much fun, their spirits crushed, devastated. Still,
he needed to hunt and chase. He needed terror. Terror would spice
the meat perfectly.

He found a family with children. The children
weren’t too young, and would be able to run for some time. He
killed the father, feeding his sword, satiating it for the moment.
The mother begged, though she knew there was no hope for the
damned. She cried as her children were driven from her and beaten
until they ran, their tears piteous as they were chased away. He
gave the children time to run as he ravished their mother, hearing
their cries, knowing that their tears would make the meat sweeter.
Then he sent her to the priests, and began the chase.

Rogosh watched Dargonth hunt and feed, and a
deep laugh boomed from the great bulk, resonating through the bones
of the doomed and dying mortals. Ragosh could feel change in the
air as the quality of the magic shifted. Reality was starting to
change as power surged. Rogosh could feel the other dimension,
tasting the diversity of life, knowing the new world would be
unlike any other. He could sense the other across the divide of the
worlds. The being was easily manipulated. A promise, a diversion, a
prevarication, and he was able to lead the child down the path he
desired.

Ragosh felt around for the context he needed.
He found what he wanted, and shaped his thoughts around it. The gem
scintillated as Ragosh initiated the connection. Power surged from
Ragosh to his puppet, feeding the Judas Goat.

The final souls were being sacrificed on this
side of the portal. He felt power grow as each soul was destroyed,
each sacrifice claimed. Now, it would start, all components in
place. Dargonth leap onto the throne. The general was miniscule
compared to the great bulk, barely as big as a finger. The general
had power, though. His strength would be needed as an anchor to the
new world. A door opened in front of them, and wind howled as dust,
rock and a few damned souls were sucked into the vortex and ripped
apart, the path opening. Dargonth stepped through the open
portal.

An uneasy feeling hit Ragosh. He felt an
ancient enemy behind him. He knew that power, had fought it before.
It chased him across numerous worlds, endless dimensions. It was
too late though. Before him lay a new world, and once he was in it,
the other would have to find a different way through, giving Ragosh
a long time to prepare for the combat he knew was coming. That
enemy was behind him. Now, he concentrated on the enemy in front of
him.

----------------------------------------------------

“Ah, sweet child, what have you done?”
Lazarus turned to look at Darcy. A nimbus of spectral light
surrounded Darcy as the power increased. Dust devils whirled around
her feet. She glowed in the power of the magic that was forming.
The intensity of the wind swelled. Dust, sand, and small rocks
tumbled away from her. Energy was building.

Sam started to walk towards Darcy, but
Lazarus put a hand on Sam’s arm and shook his head. Lazarus moved
back, and Sam followed. Lazarus didn’t know what was about to
happen, but he wanted to be in a position to fight without being
surprised. The biker gang and FBI agents spread out as well. Lilith
laughed, and Mephistopheles yelled at Lazarus, “I told you that
Lilith was going to betray us all.”

Lazarus heard a voice in his ear as Major
Hartman spoke, “Eli, we have a problem. Visibility is none
existent. Plus, that wind is going to play hell with any precision
shots.”

Lazarus gave a quick, “Roger,” to indicate
that he understood what Hartman was telling him. He turned his
attention back to the drama before him.

Lilith spoke loudly so that Lazarus could
hear over the increasing cacophony, “Oh, no Mephistopheles, I’m not
going to betray you, or my master. I’m not going to betray
anybody.” She laughed, “I don’t have to. That’s already been done.”
She pointed at Darcy, “Sam’s delusional girlfriend has betrayed the
world. But it doesn’t have to end here, Eli.” Lilith pointed at
Lazarus, “You can still be the hero. You can save the world. You
just have to make a choice.”

Lazarus yelled back, “What are you talking
about, Lilith?”

Her smile was mischievous as she explained,
“You have three choices, Eli. Unfortunately, none of them are good
for you. You can do nothing, and Darcy opens up the portal, and the
alien monsters from another dimension come in and destroy this
world. You can kill Darcy, and the portal will never open. But, she
is an innocent, just like you said.”

Lazarus shielded his face from the flying
sand particles, “You said three choices, Lilith. What’s the third
choice?”

She pointed at Sam, “She’s going to need a
human sacrifice, Eli. You have to take that pawn off of the board
before the portal opens. You can kill Sam, and they won’t be able
to bring their army here.”

Sam yelled, “What do you want to do, boss
man?”

Lazarus suddenly understood. The ghoul
crushed in the sphere was the clue. He had a good idea of where
Darcy’s parents disappeared to. That kind of thing would really do
a number on a child.

“You knew what happened to Darcy’s
parents.”

“Of course I did, Eli. I put it together very
quickly. Quicker than you ever would, I think. I tried to warn you,
but you wouldn’t listen to me.”

A light went on in Lazarus’ head. Lilith knew
him very well. She knew that he would never kill an innocent.

Mephistopheles stood to the side, “What do
you mean, Lilith? How does this help our master’s cause?”

Lilith yelled, “He has to choose. Darcy can
open the portal, but a sacrifice is required. Sam is that
sacrifice. Lazarus can kill Sam, and make sure the others can’t
cross over, or he can kill Darcy, and the portal will never open.
But either way, he’ll damn himself with the murder of an
innocent.”

Lazarus looked at Sam, his good friend. He
looked at Darcy, a sweet, tortured young woman. Both were
innocents. Darcy was delusional, but she was being manipulated, by
whatever was on the other side, no doubt. She had no idea that what
she was doing would kill everybody on earth. She thought she was
bringing her mother and father back from wherever she had sent
them. Ultimately, it was Lazarus’ choice to make, though. Uriel’s
admonition came back to him.

The power grew. A small pin prick of light
appeared in front of Darcy. The point of light was stationary, but,
at the same time, it seemed to be rushing towards them.

Sam looked at Eli, “Boss, even Abraham was
told to sacrifice his son.”

Lazarus looked at Sam, knowing what was being
offered, and appreciated his friend even more because of it, “Yes,
but Abraham didn’t have to sacrifice his son in the end. I’m not
going to sacrifice you, Sam.”

Sam looked over at Darcy, his heart
breaking.

Lazarus put his hand on Sam’s arm, and shook
his head, “I’m not going to kill Darcy either.” He looked at
Lilith, “I choose neither.”

Lilith smirked, “So, you’ll let the demon
horde attack this world?

Lazarus smiled at her, “If that’s the only
choice in front of me, yes. I choose to protect the innocent. I’m
not going to kill either one.”

“You’re going to let them destroy the
world?”

“No, I’m going to do what I came here to do.
I’m going to fight the forces of evil. And, unless your boss wants
to share the world with a new demon lord, you’d better help.”

Darcy was fully in the thrall of the magic.
Lazarus wasn’t sure he could get to her anyway. A sphere of light
and magic surrounded her. Lightening flashed around the sphere. She
was floating above the ground, her arms spread wide, her head back,
and eyes closed. Lazarus never had any indication that Darcy had
that kind of power, not with the little parlor tricks she had done.
There was no way that the power she was welding came from her. He
would have felt it before now.

Lazarus’ attention was diverted from Darcy. A
great ripping sound boomed through the pit as air pressure evened
across dimensions. The portal opened, and a horror stepped forward.
A voice sounded in Lazarus’ mind, and he assumed, everybody else’s
in the pit as well.

“I am here, child. Where is the
sacrifice?”

Lazarus looked at the fiend. It was
physically imposing. Dark blue fur rippled across its lean body. It
was taller than Sam, with bestial facial features. It had no
clothes, it’s manhood on display, and it held a sword that was
longer than Lazarus was tall.

The winds decreased, and Darcy slowly
dropped, until she stood on terra firma. She bowed to the alien
being, “Lord Dargonth, I have your offering.”

Lilith’s yelled at Lazarus, “You may not be
willing to kill Sam, but I bet he is.”

Darcy’s hand closed in a fist, and Lilith’s
laughed cut off, “What the hell?” Lilith’s arms snapped to her side
as if a large hand had gripped her around the chest. Darcy turned,
and looked at Lilith, pulling her fist into her chest. Lilith’s
feet cut a furrow into the sand as she struggled against Darcy’s
power. Understanding blossomed on Lilith’s face as she was pulled
towards Dargonth.

“Darcy, what are you doing? You can’t do
this.”

Darcy shook her head, “You’re a liar, Lilith.
You told me I was a witch. You were going to make Eli kill me.”

Lilith shook her head, “No, that’s not what’s
happening here, Darcy. He wouldn’t have touched you!”

“How’s that supposed to make me feel better,
Lilith? If he doesn’t kill me, then he has to kill Sam. I love
Sam.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open at this
pronouncement. It closed quickly as sand flew in. Sam spit the sand
out.

Lilith couldn’t stop the attack. The
intensity of her struggles increased as she was pulled forward.
Lilith was in danger, and she began to lose control, fear taking
over. Hellfire was in Lilith’s eyes. Her red hair stood up on the
wind, whipping back and forth. Her eyes smoldered as hellfire
emerged. Smoke rose from her body. Lilith grew angry, “Darcy, stop
this. He wouldn’t hurt Sam either. He’s not capable of that. You
have to stop, or I have to defend myself.”