mentioned was a coven called Blackhorn and a high priestess named Saphora.
It seemed silly to Crescious that they would put so much information about their coven in a book if they didn’t want anyone who picked it up to know that they were dealing in demon magic. But then what did he know? He was just a low-level peon demon.
“Stupid curiosity is going to get me tortured and then tossed into the lake of fire,” he fumed as he walked down the street unseen by any prying eyes.
He saw the large manor down the road and chuckled at how cliché it looked. Dark and gloomy, complete with gargoyles. Humans had been around long enough now that one would think they could come up with some new ideas for those who practiced dark magic.
When he reached the door, he didn’t bother knocking. He didn’t have to. Dolion’s magic was all over the place, which meant the underworld had marked the house as friendly to demons. Crescious simply walked straight through the door.
As he stepped into the entryway, the smell of incense hit his nose, and he sneezed. He preferred the sulfuric fumes of his home but to each their own.
He heard voices coming from up a grand staircase in the center of the house and followed them. His short legs had a difficult time climbing the steps, and he felt like a waddling duck. He was tempted to quack but refrained, thinking about how Osiris would have rolled his eyes at him and called him a less-than-flattering name.
On the second floor, he turned right and headed for the hallway where the voices grew louder. One female voice was practically shrieking while the other kept trying to interrupt, with no luck. Whoever the dominant female was, she was putting the inferior one in her place.
When he reached the opened doorway where the two women were arguing, Crescious stepped inside and folded his little arms in front of him.
His thin lips spread into a gleeful smile and, had he been visible to the humans, they would have seen his pointy teeth and probably screamed in fear. Though he was a small demon in the underworld, he was still a frightening sight to humans. His black eyes unnerved them, and his bat-like ears hugging pointy horns in the middle of his skull never gave the humans any warm fuzzy feelings.
He stood there, simply taking in the ugly scene and relishing in the hate radiating off both the women. Demons drew strength from negative emotions, and cruelty was an especially addicting taste. Crescious wanted to roll around in delight but figured that would be most undignifying for the servant of the lord of the underworld. Instead, he giggled occasionally and sucked up the power from the hostile witches.
Deciding he’d wasted enough time, Crescious allowed himself to become visible. It took a minute for the two females to realize they were no longer alone. When they finally did, their heads moved in unison, slowly turning toward him.
Their eyes widened as they looked down at him. Then the more dominant female threw up her hands and muttered something in Latin.
Crescious lifted his hand, blocking the curse she’d thrown at him.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he said through his pointy teeth. “Is that how you welcome the servant of the lord of the underworld, witch?” he asked.
The woman’s eyes widened further. She seemed to gather herself and then her gaze settled on him. “What is your name, demon?”
Crescious chuckled. “You take me for a fool if you think I would give you such power over me.” He shook his head as he walked closer to them. The two witches backed away, their eyes trained completely on him.
“What do you want?” the dominant witch asked.
“I need to speak with Saphora Blackhorn,” Crescious said.
“You are speaking with her,” she replied. The woman pulled back her shoulders and raised her chin.
“Fabulous,” Crescious said gleefully as he clapped his hands. He had been in the human realm for less than ten minutes, and he’d found the person he needed. Perhaps he wouldn’t have his hide peeled from his bones after all. “Let me come straight to the point. I need a spell that counteracts one you gave to the demi-lord, Dolion.”
Saphora’s mouth tightened. “I don't know what you’re talking about. I’ve had no dealings with a demi-lord.”
“Is that why I feel his specific brand of power radiating off the walls in this very room?” Crescious asked. “Or didn’t you know that demons can recognize