bedeviled & beyond 03 - bedeviled & beleaguered by sam cheever Page B

This...layer...of twisted magic?”
    The prophet nodded. “Humans have co-existed with magic as long as its elements, both good and bad, remained at an acceptable level. But this veil of twisted magic grows stronger every day and their tender psyches can’t deal with the levels that are coming.”
    “How can we stop it?”
    “Prophecy has many forks in this area, with many variables. Many battles will be fought over this. But one thing is clear and constant. The Old Serpent set this plague upon the world of man, he will bring it forth, killing all that is non-magical and good. But he cannot do it alone.”
    I didn’t like the sound of that. “Just tell me whose ass I need to kick.”
    Her thin, pink lips bent into a sad smile. “It is not that simple, of course.”
    “Of course,” I groused.
    The prophet suddenly stiffened and her head dropped back, her eyes closing. Her arms resumed their position across her knees and her palms slid skyward. Her body pulsed under a fine and constant tremor.
    Her lips started to move and prophecy emerged.
    “The layer cannot fully fall until the circle of twelve is set. One conduit for each month of the human year. These twelve will bear the Serpent’s mark and lend their unique power to the Serpent’s dark plan.
    “The Serpent will call his conduits one by one and court them. Some will come easily, willingly, others will try to withstand his will. Whether these will succeed will mean all.
    “Once the Serpent has his conduits set, he will bid them join their power. Each will provide a piece of what is needed to draw the veil into its fullest form. Together, these conduits will pull the layer over the Earth, closing out the light of humanity for all time.
    “In the void left behind by eradication of the light, darkness will thrive. Those who have forged the mantle of leadership in dark power will lead this new world. They will be nearly omnipotent in their power. Nothing will stop them.”
    The words died away and she shuddered. Lowering her head, she focused those scary eyes on me again. “That is the fork that poisons all.”
    I felt my stomach drop. “So what you’re telling me is...”
    “I speak of the end of the human race and complete rule by the Royal Devil Court. And prophecy tells me that you might be the only one who can stop it.”
    “Well fork me,” I murmured.
    ~SC~
    I didn’t talk about what I’d learned when Flick came to get me. I wasn’t ready to discuss my part in it yet. I had a feeling the task before me was the one that would finally be beyond my abilities to accomplish. All my years of preparation and training could not possibly be enough to allow me to fight the Serpent and his diabolical plans and come out ahead. I was just one young halfling. I didn’t even really know how to use my magic properly.
    Prophecy sucked.
    I checked in at the house when I reached the Phelps fortress but my father hadn’t returned. There was a note from Darma for him on the kitchen table, telling him she’d returned home. I climbed into the booger and set the directional panel for home. On the way I checked in with Emo.
    “Hey, boss.” His gorgeous face looked tired but he had good color.
    “Hey yourself. How’re you feeling?”
    He tried a smile that didn’t quite make it all the way to his eyes. “I’m great. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”
    I frowned. “Are you sure? You need to get your strength back.”
    “I need to get out of this damn bed. I’ll be fine.”
    “I’m not gonna let you vanquish a demon the first day,” I warned him.
    He fake scowled. “Hell. I was really looking forward to that.”
    I laughed. “See you tomorrow.”
    “Night, boss.”
    ~SC~
    The booger slid out of the sky and hovered over my street, staying just above building level. It was relatively quiet. Most of the activity had left the street. A few small fires still burned here and there and debris from the riot crunched under the feet and blew against members of