Lara took a moment to explain the situation to Masher, who grumbled, “Fine, but only the stuff that’s not dangerous. Do the rest with Ulmoch, because you know he’ll enjoy it.”
“Shaw, show Masher the garlic and crosses.” Lara instructed.
Shaw stepped up and tore a fragment of garlic off his necklace, holding it out to the kitten, who sniffed it, then took a bite, commenting, “I like garlic.”
Lara took what was left and popped it in her mouth, chewing and swallowing it.
“Yech!” She grumbled, “I like garlic, but that’s a bit much all at once.”
Next, Shaw held up the silver crucifix, which Masher nuzzled, demonstrating he could touch not only a cross without harm, but also silver. Lara grasped it for a moment, without any effect.
“I don’t know much about Jesus, but I like what I’ve heard.” Masher yawned again, “I think I would have enjoyed meeting him.”
The iron cross was held up and Masher nuzzled it without harm. Lara also touched it, demonstrating it didn’t work on her, either.
The kitten explained, “Iron only works on ghosts and the modern off-shoot of the fey that used to live on Earth.”
“Why does it work on the fey, at all?” Yasu asked.
“It was a curse from one of the most powerful Seelie queens, for being too capricious with the so-called ‘lesser races’ of their original home. It has no effect on us, because we’re a totally different branch of the fey.”
Lara instructed, “Try the holy water.”
“Not on my fur!” Masher hissed with annoyance, while Shaw removed the cork from one of his vials, “Pour a little in your hand and I’ll drink it.” Shaw obeyed and Masher lapped at the water, then chuckled, “Thanks, I was getting a bit thirsty.”
Shaw gave the kitten a look of irritation, while Lara dipped a finger in the water, with no effect.
Lara explained, “Garlic, silver, holy symbols and water blessed by a priest of any religion do work on vampires and an ultraviolet light will burn them just like the sun, but the only reason these things work is because vampires were originally born from human belief.
“Vampires are rarely an issue anymore, other than for one of our specialized units, which keeps an eye on them. Most of the vampires accepted a peace treaty with us, long ago, in which they gave their word to never kill humans. In exchange, we help them obtain new identities from time to time, normally pretending to be their own children, so they can pass their fortunes down to themselves. By the way, that’s a little trick demons also use.
“The wealthiest vampires mostly get the blood they need from goths. I don’t really understand it, but goths think it’s wonderful for a vampire to feed on them. The blood is taken under a doctor’s supervision, to ensure it’s as painless as possible, doesn’t scar and does no real harm. One bite a month and the goths live in luxury, because the vampires are embarrassingly wealthy. The rest are fed by one of their own, who works for the Red Cross. He gives them blood that would otherwise go to waste, because it will serve as a meal for a bit longer than it will still be able to help a human.
“On a side note, never allow a vampire to feed on a demon. The end result is very similar to a demon possessing a human; the vampire will lose control, sooner or later, and the demon will emerge the victor, far more powerful than ever before. They’ll have all the strengths of both demons and vampires, though at the cost of temporarily becoming sensitive to sunlight, silver, holy symbols and holy water, but it’s more of an irritation than a weakness. I believe this is the reason that legend claims demons share some of the weaknesses of vampires.”
Shaw frowned, “So, the reason I’ve never seen a vamp is you made peace?”
“Exactly.” Lara nodded, “Heck, there’s even a few of them in the Order, because they care about humanity and want to protect them, in a round-about sort of way, since they need us to survive.” Getting back to the subject at hand, “You have salt, right? Go ahead and try that.”
Masher suggested, “In your hand, please. I don’t want it in my fur.”
Shaw produced a large paper cylinder of salt, opened the little metal spout and poured a measure into his hand, offering it to Masher, who licked it, then complained, “Now I want more water.”
Lara touched the salt and explained, “As Shaw says, ghosts hate salt, though I’ve never heard of salt-filled shotgun shells before. What does that do to them?”
Shaw explained, “You know how they won’t cross a line of salt? Well, it’s kind of nasty, because it forces them to. It tends to blow their essence apart, which seems to really hurt them. The weak ones are permanently dispersed, but the strong ones will reform, though it does stun them for a while. It’s a good way to buy a little time to lay out a circle for protection or ready an iron weapon.”
“Interesting. When you have the time, I want you to write up a report on that for the Order’s records.” Lara instructed, then requested, “Let’s try a binding circle with Masher. Correctly-shaped binding circles work on demons and there’s a totally different variation that works on fairies, but the thing most never learn is the fact they require magic to work.”
“Really?” Shaw looked disappointed.
“I’m afraid so, but it doesn’t hurt for all of you to memorize the correct shape and symbols. Artemis, I believe you had the handouts, right?”
Artemis set Masher on the ground, then reached into her hat, producing a stack of paper, which she passed out to the group. Yasu found the circle to be a largely geometric polygon with seven sides, though there were a series of evil-looking, rune-like symbols drawn outside the line. It was simple enough, but drawing a seven-sided polygon was not the easiest thing to do.
Shaw grinned, “I already know this one.”
“Good.” Lara nodded and requested, “Then set yours down for Masher to sit in and Artemis will charge it, because she’s also a witch.”
Shaw obeyed and Masher reluctantly stepped into the center of the circle drawn on the page, producing a frustrated sigh as he did so. While everyone watched, Artemis set her hand on the circle and appeared to stare with deep concentration for a time.
“A.” She spoke.
Masher complained, “Oh, I hate this part.”
He raised a paw and gingerly reached for the invisible barrier. There was a sharp scent in the air, like burning cat fur, and the kitten drew his paw away from it.
“That really smarts!” He grumbled and licked his paw where the fur had been slightly singed, then explained, “It doesn’t do much harm, at first, but the more a demon touches it, the more it will burn. If they try too hard, it can kill, but that only applies to a demon standin’ fully inside. You can use these circles like a trap. Get the demon to chase you, then run right over it. If they don’t notice, they’ll step inside, then won’t be able to leave. Demons use them on each other, all the time. They also work on half-demons, like Artemis.”
Lara pointed out, “But keep this in mind: the more powerful the demon, the less likely a circle is to work. Fortunately, you can layer them, putting one inside another. Weak demons, particularly imps, can be trapped by one. Full-grown demons normally require a minimum of two layers. Trapping an arch-demon requires at least three, but seven is recommended, though I know from experience not even seven works on the eighth arch-demon, Willful Insanity, though it took a lot of effort for her to escape that, which nearly killed her. In theory, eight circles would work, but the trouble with that is the fact that seven is the maximum number that can be layered without weakening the spell overall, reducing the efficiency.”
“This is the second time someone has mentioned the eighth arch-demon. Who is that?” Yasu asked.
Artemis grinned and raised her hand, in answer. The entire group stared with surprise.
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Lara explained, “Artemis has multiple personalities, based on what I’ve seen and been shown by her, in drawings. One of them represents her demon side, which calls herself Willful Insanity. Artemis has made a habit of eating Pride, one of the seven arches that rule over the demons, who happens to have the power to be in many places at once. As a result, her demon side has gotten more powerful over time and she’s become an arch-demon. Willful Insanity is both an ally and an enemy, at the same time.
“On the one hand, she’s sworn to wipe out the human race, multiple times, but on the other, she won’t let the demons do it, because she considers humanity to be her prey. Fortunately, Artemis keeps her under control and locked away, deep inside.”
The recruits looked at the girl, then several of them took a step back. Artemis laughed and Lara smiled.
“This is all very instructive, but could someone break this circle?” Masher demanded.
Artemis knelt and poked a fingernail through the paper, breaking the line of the circle, while Lara spoke like a school teacher, “And that’s all it takes to ruin a binding circle. Damage any part and it will fail. That’s another reason to layer them: if you’ve made a mistake on one, it may not work, but if you’ve layered them, a small mistake will be less costly. By the way, the better the outer line is drawn, the more effective it will be. Curved lines or an actual circle, instead of the seven-sided polygon, will still work, but the overall power of the circle will be reduced for each mistake. For example, using a circle cuts the power in half. If you use an egg-like shape, by accident, the power is about forty-percent of normal.”
As Masher was picked up by Artemis, he added, “There’s also a little-known technique you ought to know about: invertin’ a bindin’ circle does work. So, if you draw the symbols on the inside, rather than the outside, you invert the meanin’ and no demon will be able to cross into the circle. That changes it into a protective ward. My old master once used that on a muddy day to fend off a group of hell hounds, which are imps possessin’ dogs, by the way.” He spoke of his old master with some difficulty, which suggested it was an emotional topic for him.
Artemis appeared likewise affected.
Yasu knew better than to prod for more, based on the way both of them were acting, but Shaw displayed his usual lack of tact by asking, “Who was your old master?”
Masher sighed and spoke with sadness, “Annmarie Nossett, the mother of Artemis, who was a demon witch. Rather than allowin’ herself to die and go to Hell, she turned herself into a livin’ protective spell, to keep Artemis safe. She’s been doing that ever since. She keeps people from touchin’ her daughter by arranging magic accidents and also prevents sensory magic from workin’ on her.”
Yasu was glad she hadn’t taken the girl’s hand, after all, and was pleased to have confirmation her gut instinct had been correct.
Lara added, “And that’s why I was so surprised our young witch friend was able to see Annmarie standing behind Artemis. I’ve never seen any kind of sensory or detection magic penetrate that spell, because Annmarie is a top-notch and very creative witch. Her final spell is so strong, in fact, that it prevents anyone from being able to smell Artemis, making it impossible for demons to pick her out by scent the way she does with them. Likewise, she’s invisible to scrying magic. The only kind of detection magic I’ve seen work on her are her own spells. There’s also a tracking curse on her hat that can lead someone to her, in case she ever loses it, but that’s based on the metaphysical connection between an object and its owner, which is a sneaky and indirect way around the effect.
“Anyway, Shaw, I believe you mentioned witch-killing bullets. Please explain them.” She asked.
Shaw drew his left pistol, revealing it was a Colt Single Action Army, a vintage pistol from the old west, which was in excellent condition, despite its age. That was an extremely reliable weapon, which had seen active service until 1945. Though that was no longer the case, they were still manufactured, because collectors loved them. He popped open the revolver’s cylinder and hooked the rim of a bullet with a fingernail, sliding it out. There were runes marking both the slug and the brass jacket.
He handed it to Lara as he explained, “It’s covered in runes that are supposed to make witch magic fail, on contact. The idea is, you shoot a witch with it and they can’t heal themselves.”
“And you’ve never tried it, have you?” Lara asked, in a skeptical tone.
“No, but my great granddad drew the runes in great detail in his journal. He swore they did the job for a witch that tried to kill him.”
Lara grumbled, “But bullets work on most everything. You don’t need special ones for witches.” She turned back to the group, “Can I have a volunteer from the witches present?”
One of the teens stepped up and Lara handed the bullet to the girl.
“Now, try to cast a spell.” Lara instructed.
The girl tightly clenched the bullet in her left hand, then began muttering in what might have been Latin, “Ignis!”
Her right hand was shrouded in flame that produced a fair bit of heat, though it didn’t harm her.
After a moment, she let the spell lapse, then declared, “I’m afraid your special bullet doesn’t work, Mr. Shaw.”
She opened her hand and offered it back to him, while one of the women stepped closer and looked at the bullet as Shaw reached for it. She grabbed it and looked closer, while Shaw lowered his hand.
He asked, “What is it?”
“I’ve studied runes.” The woman declared, “I think there’s something to this, after all. If they’re strung together correctly, runes can sometimes shape magic into an effect, very much like electrical circuits are powered by electricity, but they require activation with magic, before they’ll work.” She stared closely as she read the runes, then explained, “This one reads like a curse, so if you can find a witch that knows curses, she should be able to make it work.”
Shaw grinned as the woman handed the bullet back to him.
Lara suggested, “Shaw, you ought to speak with Mrs. Bagley this afternoon, once we’re done for the day, because she knows curses inside and out. She usually uses her magic to find a way to counter them, but she does occasionally use them in battle.”
“Thank you.” Shaw bowed his head to the two women.
“For testing the rest, we’ll need a subject we don’t care about.” Lara chuckled, “Artemis, go get Ulmoch, but make sure he’s blindfolded and spray some of that ghost pepper hot sauce you brought up his nose. I don’t want him to be able to smell.”
Artemis mock-saluted, put Masher back in her hat, put it on her head, then once again shot into the air, raising her fist like a superhero.
“How does she fly like that?” Yasu asked as she stared into the sky.
“The hard way.” Lara shook her head, “In 1972, she was attacked by a nature spirit, which she defeated. She gained access to its powers as a result and it’s been stuck inside her head, ever since. That was the Jungle Spirit, which might more accurately be called the Wood Spirit. In ’86, the Water Spirit noticed the fact she had the Wood Spirit serving her and attacked, to free it. Artemis barely won that fight. More recently, she faced and defeated the Air Spirit, which is the one that allows her to fly.”
“Are there other nature spirits?”
“Air, Earth, Fire and Water are the primary four, then there’s Wood, Animal, Smoke and Metal, which are the secondary elements. Last of all are Life and The Void.” Lara looked sad as she held back some tears for a quiet moment, “Last year, the Metal Spirit killed my husband, Clayton, but he made quite the impression on it before he died, because he forced it to serve him for a short time. Just a matter of months ago, it came to Artemis to apologize for killing Clayton and offered to willingly serve her, to atone for what it did. It was just in time to save her life. Artemis is currently trying to learn a complicated torch-juggling dance from Macie, to appease the Fire Spirit, which hasn’t been going very well, because she isn’t very good at dancing.
“Unfortunately, she has to defeat them all or die trying, even though the Wood Spirit was the one that picked the fight in the first place. That method of gaining elemental magic is extremely dangerous and most that force a nature spirit to submit are eventually killed for their arrogant hubris.
“Artemis, on the other hand, is the only person in history to have forced more than two to serve her. I’m confident she can win the war, though it might take centuries to pull off. However, if she can get the Fire Spirit on her side, she should have an easier time with the rest. The Animal Spirit, for example, should be afraid of the Fire Spirit and the Smoke Spirit, if she can ever find the mysterious thing, is rumored to fall in line behind Fire, due to their linked nature. The biggest hurdle will likely be the Earth Spirit, which might be the most powerful, though it sleeps for decades at a time.
“I’ve seen Life twice and that odd woman seems to consider the Ashen Blades allies, so I doubt she’ll ever pick a fight with Artemis. As you should know from this morning’s lecture, The Void is the force pushing the demons to kill us. Artemis faced it in combat last year and was completely trounced. As far as I know, she’s planning to take in all the other nature spirits, possibly even Life, then she’ll face The Void again. I doubt anyone could ever win that kind of fight, because it should have power commensurate with the size of the multiverse, but Artemis is convinced that defeating it is the only way to stop the demons, once and for all.”
“That’s crazy.” Shaw muttered, “Does she think she can actually do that?”
“Yes.” Lara admitted, “Artemis has never been one to let logic and reason stop her. There’s always been a crazy streak in that girl and when she’s in a confident mood, very little can stop her. If anyone can pull off such a monumentally insane task, it’s her. If I had to take bets, I’d give her even odds for success versus failure and I can guarantee The Void will have a very bad day.”
Yasu was about to ask another question, but was interrupted by the distant sound of someone yelling at the top of their lungs. It sounded like Ulmoch.
Everyone turned their heads and looked, spotting Artemis dragging the shackled demon through the dirt. She didn’t seem overly burdened by her prisoner or his irons, which was a little shocking, considering how heavy they were.
His voice came into focus as he screamed, “Can you do that harder? I like road rash!”
Artemis had a disgusted look on her face. Yasu shook her head. She’d arrested a masochist once and was forced to get a bit rough with him, which had only caused him to enjoy the experience. It had been one of the more creepy experiences of her life.
“How often do you deal with that lowlife, anyway?” She asked.
Lara shuddered and rolled her eyes, “Killing him is like swatting roaches in an infested house; it’s never enough and there’s always more. The last time we dealt with him, I asked Artemis to eat him, so we could be permanently done with him, but she shuddered and shook her head.
“The trouble is, demons literally are what they eat and according to the drawings she’s shown me, she sometimes deals with Pride inside her head, because she tends to get rid of his many bodies by eating them. I gather he’s bad enough on his own, so she doesn’t even want to consider the possibility of Ulmoch doing the same thing. Could you imagine a drug-obsessed, masochistic demon, that’s always high, constantly looking over your shoulder?”
Everyone shuddered at the very thought and Yasu almost gagged.
