Into the Abyss

Damien answered the knocking on the door; Antefalken was heating his bath water; demons were really good water heaters, Damien reflected. He’d slept like a log after yesterday’s insanity. He hadn’t done that much physical work and labor in a decade; it had worn him out.

At the door was one of Gandros’ pages. “Are you ready?” The page asked surveying Damien in his dressing gown with puzzlement.

“Ready for what?” Damien asked.

The page blinked in surprise. “The purge.” The page answered.

“What is ‘the purge’?” Damien asked, waking up.

“The huge ritual the Council is doing this morning to evict all the demons. You were sent a missive from Gandros. The rest have been working all night getting ready and they sent me to get you when you still hadn’t shown up.”

Damien shook his head. “What rest? The entire council?”

The page shook his head, “No, just the critical ones for the wards and the spell.” Damien just looked at him waiting for more. “Uhm, Alexandros Mien, Gandros, Lenamare and Jehenna are taking the key positions; then the rest of Lenamare’s team, Gandros’ top rune wizards and conjurors; Zilquar, Sier Barvon and his top three wizards, Davron and the two main aides he had here along with Turelador and the ward team.”

Damien ran through his head at who was missing, “So no Exador, Randolf or Trevin?”

“Trevin was invited but declined due to health concerns on her part.”

“Ok, wait here.” Damien said as he rushed to his dressing room. He started changing into his ceremonial robes, bath be damned. “Antefalken...” he hissed at the demon.

Antefalken came out of the bath looking puzzled. Damien gestured him closer and bent down to whisper. “The Council is about to evict all the demons, forcibly. Find our friends and get yourselves out of town fast. I don’t know what they are going to do, but I doubt it will be pleasant given the fire power they’re unleashing.” He gestured for the small demon to get going as fast and stealthily as possible.

∼

Edwyrd and Rupert were wandering back from breakfast, taking a scenic walk along an upper open air walkway when Antefalken finally found them. “There you are! I’ve been looking for you for the last hour. Where’s Tizzy?”

Edwyrd and Rupert stopped as the bard came up to them. “Hi, what’s up?” Rupert asked.

“Haven’t seen Tizzy yet this morning.” Edwyrd replied.

“We need to get out of town quickly.” Antefalken stated.

Edwyrd looked at him in puzzlement. “The Council, with Lenamare’s guidance along with Alexandros Mien is doing something to evict all the demons in the city. Forcibly.”

“What do you mean forcibly?” Rupert asked, concerned.

“I don’t know, myself, but I’m thinking sort of like a banishment spell, a repelling spell, you know like the reverse of a binding pentacle that keeps us in.” Antefalken replied.

“So like we’re all going to feel an overwhelming need to flee the city?” Edwyrd said, thinking about the compulsion he’d had to get inside the wards. “What about the wards?”

Antefalken shook his head, “I have no idea, presumably they’ll be tuned to let us out.”

Rupert was lost in thought. “Do you suppose any of them thought to open the windows?” The other two demons looked at him in puzzlement.

∼

“Are you ready, Councilor Damien?” Lenamare asked.

“I believe so.” Damien said taking his place and staring at the notes that he’d been given.”

“It’s very short notice, I realize, but we couldn’t locate you that easily yesterday.” Gandros said.

“I was working to integrate Lenamare’s and Zilquar’s forces into the city guard and deal with getting them out of the dungeon.” Damien said.

“Yes, thanks, but this is truly important and we need your power and experience.” Lenamare said, rather tediously. “We are aligning these new parasympathetic pentacles and wards to the main city wards and then aligning them to create a demonic reverse vortex, that will basically suck all the demons, of whatever level, out of the city.”

Damien’s eyes were rapidly scanning the notes. “Insane, absolutely astonishing, I have to admit to being impressed Councilor.” Lenamare smiled coldly, a gleeful pride shining in his eyes. Jehenna grinned as well. “I would never have thought of something like this; and the scope, the sheer power we’ll be channeling...”

“Yes.” Lenamare agreed, positively beaming with the adoration. “Ready?” Damien nodded.

∼

“A very nice tea, I must say.” Bess complimented Exador. The three allies were in Exador’s suite enjoying tea, toast and fresh fruit as the morning sun filtered in through the wards onto the balcony and through the wide-open French doors in the suite.

“Hmm. Decent.” Ramses said.

Exador nodded. “I had it imported from the southern hemisphere, very rare down there even.

Bess paused while sipping. “Do you feel an odd thrumming noise?” She asked suddenly.

The other two stopped and listened, there was definitely a thrumming noise, a low-level bass droning that was getting steadily louder, they could even feel slight vibrations in the table.