Malevolent

The Brotherhood Of Demons

The big, formidable cathedral on 8 Mile and Houston overlooked foot traffic of downtown New York. People going about their nightly business glanced at the cathedral and shivered in fear as they doubled their pace. Far below ran the East river, braceleted by bridges and flecked by boats that looked tiny from the distance.

Although the night was thick with mist from the river, the top of the Statue of Liberty was visible from the cathedral.

However, the woman who stood in the shadows of the cathedral's stained glass windows couldn't be less concerned about the view of the city. There was a frown on her white, almost marble-like face as she glared impatiently at the short, white-haired witch trying to create a Pentacle in the middle of the cathedral.

"What is taking you so long?" The woman demanded "It's been several minutes"

"It's the mist, my Lady Aosoth. It's making it hard to perform magic" The witch replied petulantly as she continued to draw the Pentacle. "The Pentacle is an elemental part of any demon-raising ceremony. If not done properly..."

"I know that, you old hag." Aosoth snapped "If I were stronger, I'd have done this myself"

The witch said nothing, only turned on the Pentacle with renewed energy. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead. "Done" she said eventually "The Pentacle is done, my Lady"

Aosoth moved from the shadows in front of the windows to the five-pointed Pentacle in the middle of the room. It glowed with a faint, greenish light and throbbed where Aosoth placed her feet. Up close Aosoth's eyes were still completely black like a beetle's, her tar-like hair turned green by the Pentacle's light. She sighed and raised her hands over the Pentacle.

"Soon, my brothers. You will be let out of your infernal cages." She turned to the witch. "Get me a Celestial Blade" The witch pulled out a knife from her robes and handed it to her with bowed head.

Aosoth raised her hand over the Pentacle and, with the Celestial Blade, slashed her palm. Black, tar-like poison spilled from her cut palm into the middle of the Pentacle. The poison sizzled where it dropped on the floor. She started to chant a line of Latin words:

"Facilis Descensus Averni, durum est ortum ab inferno. Abyssum abyssum invocat, videte me hac nocte"

The witch knew enough Latin to decipher the meaning of the words "The descent into Hell is easy, but the rise from Hell is Hard. Deep calls into deep, rise and heed me to night"

Soon enough, the ground began to rumble and fissures appeared, dividing the Pentacle into two equal parts. A spear of white-hot light shot up from the centre of the fissure to the roof, causing a glimmering net of thin silver-like wires to be flung across the roof of the cathedral, and the wires of light shone bright as nail heads hammered into the darkness. Despite the light emanating from the Pentacle, the air was icy cold.

Then the ground seemed to crack wider open like a glass and pouring through the shards came a horde of dark shapes, humanoid but twisted, gnarled and faceless, howling out a soundless scream that punctured the ears of the witch. It did not seem to affect Aosoth though. She cackled and her beetle-like eyes grew bright with a manic light as she raised her hands higher and the demons poured forth. Icy wind burned the witch as more humanoid demons came through the band of light within the Pentacle. The air stank of sulphur and ashes.

Aosoth dropped her hands and the fissure in the ground closed up, swallowing the band of light and plunging the whole cathedral into thick shadows. The only illumination came from the. Around them the shadows churned with demons like a poisonous stew. The creatures that surged from the ground were human-shaped creatures but with scales and bloody saucerlike eyes and tentacles for hands. They were as much as twenty. They moaned loudly as they regarded Aosoth for a moment

Then they turned their orb-like eyes on the witch.

"Food..food.." They all seemed to utter with one mouth. Slowly they glided towards her as if sharing a pair of legs. A tentacle from the mass stretched towards the witch as she stood, paralyzed by fear.

"My Lady... please–"

But Aosoth watched with impassive silence as the horde of demons edged closer to the old witch. Then, with a surge, the horde seethed past the edge of the Pentacle, poured over the border like a wave breaching a barrier.

The demons moved closer to the witch as, screaming, she stumbled backward. She was chanting now, in rapid Latin, spells of restriction and banishment. But nothing happened. The black, smoky mass of humanoid demons came on inexorably, and soon came crashing on the witch. There were sounds of brutal tearing and ripping of flesh, before the demons retreated. In the place where the witch stood only seconds before, there only remained her cloak, now in tatters, a few bones, and slimy, black poison.

"Welcome my brothers, It's been long" Aosoth said. "Alas, this world we all share a hatred for is the place we have been destined to meet again. Fortuitous, isn't it?" She walked forward slowly and the demons formed a loose band around her.

"Ah, but this world is a beautiful place. Pity it will be destroyed soon enough. We have destroyed other worlds more beautiful than this, haven't we?" She cackled again, looking around at the demons.

"It is, however, most unlucky that my stay in this world away from my home dimension has left me quite weak. Fifteen years in the wrong dimension will do weakening things to a Greater Demon like me. I've had to feed off the blood of puny little Mortals. I'm not the same Aosoth you used to cower in fear of. In order to be restored to my former glory, it is highly imperative for me to perform the Ritual of Infernal Transformation, and as you know, this ritual requires the blood of a spawn, the bones of a servant, and the flesh of my spouse " Aosoth paused and regarded the demons.

"The bones of a servant I have conveniently been able to acquire, and the flesh of my spouse can be easily retrieved. Now, the blood of my spawn has proved very difficult to obtain. I even went as far as arranging for the abduction of her father in order to lure her here. She, however, seems not to care less about what happens to her father" At this point she stopped and looked up. Hanging among the rafters of the cathedral's roof was a bound and gagged human shape, slowly twisting and clearly unconscious.

"This is why I need you, my brothers, to help me retrieve my long lost child. Bring her to me, and such reward as you could never imagine will be yours. We can destroy this world together! You will be at the forefront of the c*****e I will wreak on this world." The demons howled with excitement as Aosoth cackled.

"Away, my brothers!" She shrieked as she threw open the doors of the cathedral and the demons flew out in twos, howling and screeching "Bring Madeleine to me!"