Lilith (Demonology I)

XXI

We couldn't hug for long. We had to figure out a way out of the tomb.

  "My powers are much weaker in here," Eva said. "I can't open a gate. Not even a tiny one."

  "Same here," I said. "I can barely get a fire going in here." I tried, but only managed to start a small fire on my fingertip. "But you can still open a gate. Just use me as a vessel again."

  "I can't do that again. When we were in Hell, I didn't need to draw as much power from you. Here, I'm going to need twice as much power from you. It'll destroy your body and your soul." She paced the tomb, trying to find another way out. We were stumped. Unless . . .

  An idea popped into my mind. We couldn't get ourselves out, but what if we got someone else in? I bit down on my hand and began to draw on the floor in my blood. It was the sigil for Surgat, the demon who opens all locks. Summoning a demon was costly, as the host - the person whose blood was used to draw the sigil - had to use their own life force to contain the demon. If I could stay focused, I would be able to hold him still until he opened the seal.

  "Are you insane?!" My mother snapped at me. "You have angel blood. Summoning a demon goes against every fiber of your being. It can kill you."

  "It's a risk I'm willing to take." I said. "If it'll get us out of here, I'm willing to do anything." I turned my focus back to the sigil. "Eva, if you'd please?" She was reluctant, but she stood in front of the sigil and began to chant. I braced myself. As soon as Surgat appeared, it would take all of my strength to keep him under control.

  Marc, who had been thrown in here with us, watched in awe. I turned to all of the ghouls and gave them a reassuring nod.

  The sigil became laced in fire. My legs trembled, but I stayed strong. The ground shook, and a figure rose from the fire. It was a middle aged man in a suit. He was tall and thin with graying hair. This had to be Surgat.

  "Why am I being summoned by a Nephilim, a rogue demon, an angel, and some ghouls?" Surgat asked with disgust.

  "It's been a while," Eva said casually. "The last time I saw you, you were begging at my father's feet. You were at his mercy then, and now you're at my mercy."

  "What do you want, rogue child?" He ask. "I need to get back to hell. Your father needs me to reconstruct his altar."

  "You see that seal over there?" I pointed at the wall. "You're the demon who opens all locks. If that's so, let's see you work your magic."

  "They are dark arts, not magic," he said, clearly unaware that it was an expression. With a sleight of hand, he removed the seal. The stone opened up. We were free.

  "And one more thing." Eva said, stepping towards him. She put her hands on his head, and fire danced across his body. He screamed and crumpled to the floor.

  "What did you do?!" I screamed. It felt like a large weight was lifted off my shoulder, but I was still weak from summoning him.

  "I destroyed his vessel," She said simply. "His soul has returned to Hell, but now he can't physically interact with anything. At least I have something to sustain myself, now."

  "Let's go," My mother said, grabbing me by the arm. "We need to leave now before they notice." As soon as we stepped out, I felt ten times better. I hadn't even noticed how much the tomb was affecting me until I was free of its grasp.

  "Where do we go from here?" Marc asked. "If we go back into the fight, they'll kick our asses again."

  "We go back to Earth," I said. "There are some things that I need to do."