Riley, Son of the Sorceror Ch. 02

I had the number dialled before I caught myself. I mentally scolded myself for even thinking of calling her, let alone picking up the phone. I looked at the phone and debated, not for the first time, just getting rid of it. I don't need a phone anymore; the only one who was going to call me isn't going to use a phone. I mentally scolded myself for what seemed to be the hundredth time for thinking of....her, part of me wanted to contact her to ask what I was supposed to do the other half wanted to run and keep running. It's been 8 months and she hasn't contacted me in anyway, 8 months since I'd talked not just to her but to anyone for more than a few seconds. I'd become what I always thought my father would become, a hermit who sat home, reading his books, making his notes. I knew there wasn't much else I could do but try to find out as much as I can about Morgana. Try being the operative word. It didn't matter what book I read, all I could find about Morgana were mere sentences all saying the same thing. "Morgana, better known as the 'Mistress of Sorrow' is widely believed to be one of Lucifer's most powerful generals." I said the quote out loud to myself at least once a day, partly to try and gleam a hidden meaning, partly to remind myself what I had done.

One thing I was sure was that in making my deal I had allowed Morgana to freely roam Earth whenever she wanted. The most powerful Succubus, maybe even the most power Demon in existence and I had handed her the key to her cell in the underworld. My dad will be remembered as one of the most powerful men in the world, while I'll be remembered as the man who had killed my own brother and freed the Mistress of Sorrows. I'd thought about how I'd be remembered a few times since Halloween and the only conclusion I've been able to come to was that I needed to do something good before Morgana killed him. It was a foregone conclusion in my mind that she would kill me. Now that she was free she didn't need me to satisfy her rampant lust, she'd have anyone she wants on earth. All I could do now was continue my father's fight.

The few times I had ventured away from his parents cottage for something other than groceries were due to the occasional email I'd get from my father's friends. With my father gone, it was my duty to take up the fight against evil. I didn't have my father's rings but I did have weapons, spell books, and my father's journal; everything I'd need to vanquish evil. Sure I couldn't tackle Demo-Demons or Vampire Overlords like my father could but I was more than a match for most other things. I've answered half a dozen such calls and was getting stronger each time. Before Halloween I'd needed one of the rings just to make a pencil move off of a desk, now I could create a concussion wave with nothing but my bare hands. A simple two word phrase and I could throw a small fireball, and I could now exorcize demons two-three at a time. Not that I used my new found abilities in combat very often, I still had more faith in a gun and my fists than I did in a fireball. It was also extremely tiring to use my magic and fight at the same time. Still I've fantasized about becoming strong enough to fight Morgana myself, with or without the rings but I knew she would never allow me to become that strong. Plus she owned my soul, so if she didn't want me to lay a hand on her no force on earth, heaven or hell could allow me to touch her. After Christmas I had brought every book, journal, and scroll my father had collected or written to the cottage in hopes of finding a way to free myself. I knew there was no spell that I could do that would break my oath to Morgana; she was the only one that could do that. I had then looked for a way to kill her but aside from some serious angelic assistance there wasn't even a hint of something that could kill her.

Even if I pulled the Arch-Angel Michael's sword from my ass and by some twisted bit of luck Morgana allowed me to attack her she was still a Succubus. Not even my father aided by the mystic rings could have fought a normal Succubus, let alone the queen of the Succubi. It just couldn't be done; with the right look I knew Morgana could have me at her mercy. I just had to keep plugging away and killing anything and everything I could until Morgana killed me, which I knew she would eventually, or until I could find a way out of this deal.

As for Morgana, I had been reading papers from all over the world, as well as weather patterns, for any sign as to where she was or what she was up too but there hadn't even been a hint of her. It worried me, I just didn't know what she was up too, where she was or when she'd come calling. Last month, after months of waiting for her to show up, I got all the materials I used before as well as few specific items in order to perform a summoning ritual. At the last second I had chickened out and decided to wait until Halloween. It wasn't too far off and considering it was when I had done it before I knew she would come. Plus if she hadn't showed up by then I'd have the right to ask what the hell was up, and I'd probably have the pent up frustration to go through with it.

I leaned back in my chair, wincing slightly when my lower back came into contact with the chair's wooden frame. I had just come back from a demon job in Seattle during which I had taken a bit of a fall onto a trash can and was still feeling the effects. Aside from my back I was in better shape than I'd expected considering the demon I'd tangled with, Reavers could be a real pain in the ass. I'd expected to have some major cuts from the twin blades on the demons right wrist but had, surprisingly, managed to avoid it. I still questioned my state of mind when I had accepted the job so soon after a bitch of a weekend dealing with a Poltergeist on the Saturday and a werewolf the Sunday. I knew my father would say that I was knowingly pressing my luck in an attempt to deal with the real problem. It was completely true as well, I was slowly killing myself by taking so many jobs so close together but I just didn't care.

I leaned my head back against the chair and closed my eyes, just trying to relax and enjoy the sounds of summer all around my cabin's porch. Some days I could just sit for hours listening to the rustle of the trees in the wind, the birds chirping, the squirrels running around. A rare smile flashed on my face as I realized it was one of those days. I started to lose myself when my mind was assaulted with the image of flames and the sound of screaming. I jumped up instinctively, pulled my trusty Smith and Wesson semi-auto pistol from my side, cocking it and scanning the area all in one motion. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, heard nothing but the various sounds that I was just enjoying and smelled nothing but the dewy sweet of the various flowers. I sat back down after a minute more; setting my gun beside me once more as I tried to recall what had startled me. Flames and screams. That's all I could come up with and after a few more attempts to find anything else I leaned back and tried to come up with a reason why. I wasn't prone to waking nightmares whenever I closed his eyes, and I hadn't seen anything remotely similar to what I had just pictured in the past few months.

"I just need some sleep, exercise and some socializing." I said to myself after dismissing the image as nothing terribly important. I grabbed my gun and headed inside for a much needed nap.

"Then I'll do what I always do when I'm in need of socializing, shop." I said to myself, making a mental note to take out some money, before lying down on the couch and falling quickly to sleep.

'I haven't smiled this much in months!' I thought to myself as I observed all the young girls in their mouth-wateringly-tight short shorts and tight, cleavage exposing tank tops. I had nearly forgotten being woken up by the same thought of flames and screams, this time I could even catch slightest whiff of smoke as I had bounded off the couch, pistol in hand. All of that worry and fear were now forgotten as I walked around, pretending to look at clothes I didn't need. I had caught the cute young salesgirl checking me as I looked at a rather expensive shirt and was about to make a move when I got lightheaded and nauseous. I swallowed hard as I waited for the feeling to pass. I had to clutch my head as it began pounding before I gave up on waiting for the feeling to pass and ran to the nearest bathroom.

I nearly knocked some guy down as I ran past him into the men's room. By the time I was on my knees in one of the half a dozen stalls, however, the nausea was gone. I waited for a few seconds to be sure, before getting up and heading to the sink, my ever cautious mind noting that I was the only one in the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror for a few seconds before splashing water in my face and closing my eyes.

As I turned off the water it all came hurtling back, ten times worse and I vomited in the sink until I had nothing left inside of me. I fell to my knees, eyes closed, hands clutching my head as I vomited pure bile on the floor in front of me. Then, as if it never happened, it all went away, I felt as good as new. I got to my feet and looked in the mirror and let out a gasp before turning around. Where it was stalls, urinals, and white walls before I had fallen to my knees had become cloudy, black skies, scorched and barren ground, and yet everything was light as if it were a perfect midsummer day.

I took a few steps before noticing that where the wall had once been, had become a cliff of jagged, black rock. I took a step closer to lean over and saw that it went down at least 300 feet and ended in sharp, red rocks that looked to have some sort of safety net intertwined around them. I took another cautious step to get a better view and saw that there was indeed a net, but of barbed wire that was partly rusted, partly perfectly clean. I realized that the rocks were as black as the cliff he was standing on; they were just covered in blood.

After standing there for a few seconds, just staring at the rocks I looked towards the sky. Off in the distance I saw the sky light up bright red for a split second, like lighting. after a couple of seconds there was a scream off in the distance and what looked like red rain following from the clouds in the same place as I had seen the lightning. It hit me about a second before I felt the presence behind me, it all made sense. "Flames and pain," I said to myself, "I'm in Hell."

"Don't feel too bad about puking your guts out on the way here." I heard her say behind me, "It happens to everyone the first time they get transported here." I didn't need to turn around, didn't even need to hear her voice really, I knew Morgana was standing about 15 feet behind me. It was a given that'd she bring me here eventually, it was just a shock that I had been foolish enough to ignore the biggest sign I could have gotten. "It's really rude to not look at someone when they're talking." I just sighed and turned to face her, trying to keep my emotions under control. "That's better."

Her smile was just as devious as I remembered; as were her gorgeous, deep brown eyes. Her midnight black hair went down to her breasts, just as I remembered, however now it had purple and red streaks in it instead of the blue and blonde I was expecting. She was wearing a tight fitting, dark purple coat, which covered her shoulders and arms while it left her chest and legs exposed. Her coat had one button that connected it at her waist, separating her skin tight, white shirt and just-as-tight, dark blue jean shorts. Her shirt should very little cleavage but was close to see through, leaving little to the imagination; while her jeans were cut roughly 8 inches past her waist. My mouth watered as my gaze took in her gorgeous, tanned legs and the nearly knee high white boots that accompanied them. I quickly tore my eyes away from her legs, back up to her knowing smile and predatory brown eyes.

"Took you long enough, I thought you'd forgotten me." I said, causing Morgana to laugh.

"Aww, did you miss me my pet?"

"Not overly." I replied coldly.

"Don't lie; I know you were just dying to see me again."

"Don't flatter yourself." I said calmly before walking past her to take another look around Hell. Morgana just stood there, watching me and smiling to herself.

"Like your new home." I stopped and slowly turned around to be greeted by Morgana's smiling face. She was beaming as if she had just bought me a house. "Relax Riley, I'm just joking." I barely held my anger back, I knew that I was just a source of entertainment for her; she wanted to see me lose my cool. "What not even a smile?"

"Why'd you bring me here, just to show me you could?"

"Is it all business with you?"

"Is it all a game to you?"I replied harshly, taking a step towards her. I instinctually balled his fists, preparing for a fight. I instantly regretted it.

"Fool. I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to think that just because you can throw a ball of fire or a force wave, that you'd be able to challenge the Mistress of Sorrow." My eyes widened and my mouth went dry, to which Morgana smiled cruelly. "Surprised? Did you think that I wouldn't be keeping tabs on you?"

"I expected you to watch me like a hawk, I expected you to know everything about what I've learned to do in the past several months. I'm just surprised that I'm wrong." The smile instantly vanished from Morgana's lips, replaced by a scowl and the brown in her eyes replaced by deep purple.

"What have you learned?" She asked sternly.

"What's wrong? Has the great Mistress of Sorrows missed something?"

"Fool." Morgana replied. Even with all of my skills I barely saw the three, dark blue tails whip out from behind Morgana towards me. She appeared to barely move a muscle while two of her tails wrapped around my arms, lifting me from the ground. The third wrapped around my throat, the sharp, black point sticking into my chin as Morgana looked up at me coldly. "What have you learned, I won't ask again."

"Relax; I'm going to tell you. I was just surprised."

"What have you learned?" Morgana emphasized her point by pressing her tail into my throat, drawing blood.

"Acute precognition." At the sound of the words Morgana's eyes widened and she let me drop to the ground. I landed on my feet, my hands going instantly to my throat. It was a small wound that drew very little blood, yet it was right in front of a vein. "Overreacting much." I said as I looked at her. I was surprised to find her looking away from me, her eyes still purple but a lighter shade of it.

"Either you're lying to me or you're overestimating your abilities." She said coldly, turning back to me.

"I'm telling the truth, not that it matters to you." I replied, maintaining eye contact. "It only affects me, and only happens when something big is going to happen. I can't even control it enough to accurately read tea leaves."

"Wait, you actually believe that you can see the future?" She said with a small laugh. "Interesting."

"I think I would know if I could see my future or not." I replied somewhat harshly. She just stood there looking at me, her tails whipping around behind her back.

"Ok then, if you're so sure give me an example."

"I had a dream that I was walking down a side street and I heard what sounded like an owl screech in the middle of an afternoon. Two seconds latter a Honda Civic lost control and smashed me into a pole. Like a month and a half after that I was walking home one afternoon when I thought I heard an owl screech and was struck by a sense of déjà vu. I stopped for a second trying to think where I remembered this from, when a Civic swerved right in front of me, crashing into a pole."

"Precognition." Was all she said before her face lit up with a huge smile, her eyes returning to brown. "Is it just in dreams or..."

"I've had some visions, why? It's not like it benefits you in any way. "

"Oh doesn't it? My sweet little Riley, are you forgetting how powerful and knowledgeable I am? You have the rarest of abilities and all I need to do is make you loyal to me. Then your visions will be my greatest weapon."

"Me, loyal to you? Keep dreaming."

"It's infinitely more attainable than your dream of killing me." She replied arching an eyebrow at me, a fiendish smile playing across her lips.

"I'm sure that after a couple hundred years of my servitude, I'll be closer to attaining my dream than you." I replied, smirking at her.

"A couple hundred years? Dear boy I'll need a couple weeks to turn you into my little obedient, puppy dog. I've broken priests, angels, demons and virgin school girls what makes you think that you'll be able to do what they couldn't? Your puny powers? If you had your daddy's rings you'd be able to hold me at bay for a few months before running out of steam. Without them you're nothing. A human girl has you twisted around her fingers." My eyes widened at her mention of Amy.

"Had, she had me wrapped around her fingers but she wasn't a demented bitch and didn't take advantage of that fact."

"Have, you still want to see her, you miss her. Don't even pretend that you don't. You know what maybe I'll let you see her and just for that comment you can watch her become my bitch. You can sit and watch her beg to please me, beg to have access to my pussy. You can watch as I fuck her with my tails, watch as I turn her into a whore." My blood was boiling from the minute she mentioned Amy but now I was ready to explode. Morgana knew and could barely contain her laughter. That was the final straw; I took a deep breath and turned away from her, pretending to gather myself.

I felt her walk towards me and waited until she was 5 feet behind me before turning and hitting her with the strongest force wave I could muster. She laughed it off as I chanted a few quick words, hitting the ground in front of her with my strongest fireball, bringing up dust and smoke. I used the smoke screen to do the unexpected and stand there, waiting for her to make a move. The second the smoke cleared enough to make out her silhouette I leaped at her. I had my legs wrapped around her waist as my fist struck her face. I was able to strike her once more before I felt her hands wrap around my wrists. All my momentum and strikes didn't even move her back; she didn't even use her tails to fend me off. She just cocked her head to the left and smiled at me. It was time to let loose my secret weapon, just as she opened her mouth to say something I uncoiled my fists and pressed my two index fingers to my head and opened my mouth. Instead of a scream, I let lose a wave of fire from my mouth, hitting her squarely in the face. I could only hold it for 4 seconds before I closed my mouth and dropped my head down in exhaustion.

"If I wanted a blow dryer I'd tell you.'" The calmness in her voice scaring me, as I looked up to see her smiling face. "That was slightly impressive. But still a very foolish move." Her grip on my wrists suddenly tightened and she savagely moved my heads to the back of my head, my own knuckles smashing into me. I blacked out for a second, my legs going limp, then looked at her smiling face as she throw me backwards. My back hit a tiled wall with enough force to crack several tiles and drive the air from my legs. I dropped to the floor in a heap, barely registering where I was. I laid there for a minute, my head spinning, before getting to my knees and spitting blood into the trashcan beside me. I looked back to see the interior of the men's washroom and no Morgana as I pulled myself to my feet.

"At least I didn't puke this time." I said aloud, before I wiped the blood from around my mouth and steadied myself against the wall. After a few minutes I walked out of the washroom, hunched over half debating about going to buy a cane. I decided that I needed to get home and went to my car, nearly throwing myself in.