A bit hesitant to take it, torn between the need to trick Lilith into coming after me and the desire for power, I gave in to the latter.
Greed is an amazing motivator. I’d never have another opportunity like this one. It was the quintessential offer I couldn’t refuse.
Its magical warmth caressed my hand as the tiny ball settled in my palm. I just stared at it for a moment, its power slapping against my senses like storm-driven waves against a tide wall. Baalth had told me he’d pass on a portion of his power, but I’d expected it to be a trifling amount, never thinking he’d be too generous. Given our history of butting heads, he surprised me.
Contained inside the tiny sphere was more mystical energy than I could have imagined possessing, at least in any realistic way since I’d turned down my uncle’s offer of Anti-Christ. It wasn’t enough to tip the balance in any sort of cosmic way, and it definitely wasn’t anything compared to what Baalth still held, but it would be one hell of a boost; a satisfying one, for sure.
Now, with it in my grasp, I began to second guess my plan, wondering what I could do to Lilith with my newfound magic. Images filled my head of the potential carnage I could wreak upon her, the ruin I could bring to the backstabber who’d betrayed my uncle and who’d set me up to die. There was no bottom to the well of inventive agonies my sudden inheritance inspired. Baalth, however, apparently not interested in letting me revel in the moment, yanked me from my delusional tangent with a perverse command.
“Swallow it.”
Sudden flashbacks of prison assailed me. “Woah there, buddy. I’m all for helping a guy out, in times of need, but I have to draw the line somewhere.”
He was not amused. Limbo seemed to teeter, the clouds almost frantic, feeding off his agitation. “Until you ingest it, it’s nothing more than an extension of my power.” He grabbed my shoulder in a painful vise and pulled me in close, our noses nearly touching. His breath was hot and musky. “Once in your possession, inside you, I am freed of its burden. Now swallow it before I find a more creative way of honoring our bargain.”
Cursed with a vivid imagination, I took the first option. Head tilted back, I tossed it in my mouth and swallowed my reluctance along with the sphere. It tickled as it slid down my throat, fleeting electrical sparks striking off in its wake, goose bumps exploding across my arms. I felt it hit my stomach with a heavy thump, lighting it up like an overdose of orange juice and napalm, before calming a few seconds later.
The unexpected side effect of ingesting such a powerful dose of pure magical energy was that my wounds began to heal. I stared in surprise at my injured side as the flesh rippled and began to pull together, the same happening to the gash along my skull. It wasn’t anywhere near as fast a process that occurred under the influence of my uncle’s blood, but it was still amazing it happened at all outside of a soul transfer. Until then, only God and Lucifer had had the mastery to work such a miracle as true healing. The realization that Baalth could now be counted among their number was terrifying.
Feeling a little weird about the whole experience, rattled by my comprehension of Baalth’s power, I looked at him and tried to smile. “Sorry. I’m not usually on the receiving end, know what I mean?”
He shook his head, dismissing me, but I could see the relief in his weary eyes. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs before letting it out slowly. Then suddenly, without warning, he winced, his jaw clenching for just a second. The tenseness faded so fast I wasn’t sure I’d seen it at all, his manner remaining composed.
“Damn it,” he whispered, his voice fading off like distant thunder.
Apparently the transfer hadn’t been enough. Though his face no longer showed any expression, no sign of his torment, his plan to bleed off his excess power had obviously failed. Even with my senses reined in and tucked tight, Baalth’s aura still glowed like a fiery sun, way too close to going supernova. I hadn’t expected a major change in his magical presence, but I figured there’d be some discernable difference. There wasn’t any. The realization sent a chill down my spine. He was still the only god left among men.
I thought about offering to take a little more power off his hands, but I didn’t think he’d respond too kindly of the suggestion. Our first deal was born of necessity, desperation even, but things had changed. In an unguarded moment he’d shown weakness, letting me see the truth of his condition. Though he made good on his word, he would never let me capitalize on his vulnerability again.
You don’t get to the top of the demonic food chain by empowering your enemies, and that’s all we were. No matter how chummy we could be on occasion, how interdependent we seemed, we each knew our place. Mine wasn’t to ask for anything not freely given.
Besides, I wasn’t even sure I could handle all the power I’d been gifted, let alone more. I didn’t have any interest in ending up like Baalth; a bubbling volcano on the verge of a major eruption. Though things didn’t turn out as planned, we’d both have to settle for the cards dealt. All-in-all, I got the better hand, but it wouldn’t mean much if Baalth couldn’t contain the power eating away at him. It also wouldn’t mean anything if Lilith could sense the magic nestled in my gut.
“I know this is probably a bad time to ask, but will Lilith be able to detect this?” I rubbed my stomach, not quite comfortable with the warm, leaden lump buried inside it.
Listless, Baalth muttered a quiet no. “Though excised from me, it has yet to be absorbed. It will remain inside you until such time as you willfully accept it.” He lifted his eyes to meet mine, a somber reticence swirling in them. “Be warned, however, the experience is…overwhelming.”
As I’d been through a couple of soul transfers, I had a vague idea of what he meant. I’d also watched as Baalth absorbed Glorius’s grossly inflated power, its grandeur bringing even him to his knees. Though I doubted the feelings could ever compare to that, all things considered, the scale was still relative. It was gonna knock me on my ass.
I nodded to Baalth, thanking him.
He waved it off. “Despite our obligations being concluded, I presume you will continue in your hunt for the necromancer, to satisfy your keepers at DRAC?”
While I didn’t like the way he phrased it, he knew Abraham would keep me working toward his best interest because it was DRAC’s as well. He just wouldn’t have to pay me for it. I sighed and confirmed it. No sense lying to either of us.
“Veronica will go with you, of course, but Poe will accompany you as well.” He motioned them over, Veronica wiping incessantly at her mouth while Poe politely ignored her doing so.
I knew I’d have to put up with the ex-after the kiss, that was gonna be a real pleasant experience-but I hadn’t counted on Baalth’s mentalist tagging along. Capable of keeping in contact with both Veronica and Baalth, at all times, I wasn’t sure if having him there was gonna be a benefit or liability. I did know it wasn’t being done to make things easier for me. It never was. But it was okay. DRAC had its own telepaths.
“Fine,” I agreed. “I figure you’ll be easy enough to reach, should you be needed?” While a bit childish of me, I didn’t want Baalth to think he’d slipped something by.
He chuckled, looking almost like his usual self. “I’ve masked Poe so Lilith cannot detect his energies.” He gestured toward his other two goons, and in whirl of darkness, they disappeared. He looked back to me with eyes a blazing. “Should Lilith come to harm during your mission, I would be most appreciative.” With that, he too vanished in a cloud of inky black vapors, the subtle tang of brimstone tickling my nose.