Chapter 10 A Brief History of Demons
It was a short run to the town of Lamont, Merlin managed to get there before the sun had set and began looking for Alice. Merlin was rather pleased with himself from the time he made, since he had been able to change his shape almost instantly he abandoned riding a horse unless he was in a group. He felt that it was the only way he was physically getting exercise but he was happy with the progress. As he walked into the small town he approached a middle aged woman who was sweeping the steps of her home.
"Excuse me," he asked politely, "I'm looking for a woman named Alice, do you know where I can find her?"
"Are you injured dear?" the woman asked with motherly concerned.
"No I'm fine," he assured her. "My master is an old friend of hers and he asked me to deliver this message for him." He held up the note Gaius had written for Alice to show the woman. The woman smiled and gave Merlin directions to where she could be found. As Merlin made his way to Alice's small home he knocked a few times on her door. He waited for a few moments until the door opened to reveal a surprised Alice in the door way.
"Merlin, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"I need your help Alice," Merlin said simply. He didn't want to say what was wrong out in the open and was relieved when she invited him in. When he entered her home he saw many of the ornaments she had hung in Camelot after healing someone in the corners of her home along with ancient magical books surrounding her desk. As he removed his pack and staff from his back he took a seat at the table while Alice brought him a cup of tea.
"So what's the problem Merlin, is Gaius alright?" Alice asked. Merlin nodded as he brought the cup to his lips, it scalded his tongue and throat but he ignored it, he needed something to drink after the run over here. "He's fine Alice, he actually wanted me to give you this." He reached into his pack and handed the letter to her. She took the letter from him gently and opened it, as she read the letter she smiled warmly and put a hand over her heart.
"Gaius was always a charmer," she said, whether to Merlin or herself he didn't know but Merlin was more stunned to hear his mentor referred to as a charmer. Alice set down the letter and took a seat across from Merlin at the table.
"I'm guessing you're not just here to deliver letters though Merlin, what's the problem?" Merlin went on telling her the story of meeting Marion and about the demons she had been summoning along with the pack of them that had attacked a few days ago and Henry's description of a black shadow taking Marion's body. Alice's gaze turned glassy for a while as she listened and Merlin worried he had touched a sore subject bringing up the demons.
"Well if this Marion girl does live she's messing with dark and forbidden magic. Messing with the veil is one thing, but to pull demons from it is against the rules of magic." She said with a hard tone.
"I thought that the High Priests and Priestesses allowed the practice of all magic," Merlin stated recalling Gaius saying that he and Alice had both practiced black magic for a time.
"They do, but this is an exception Merlin." Alice said, she looked reluctant to continue but saw the concern in Merlin's eyes and sighed.
"Across the veil are both creatures of evil, demons, and creatures of purity, spirits. The spirits are nothing to be worried or afraid of, they want nothing to do with the mortal world or its inhabitants. Demons on the other hand despise the land beyond the veil, they see it as a prison and always struggle to escape."
"Do they escape often?" Merlin asked. Alice shook her head.
"No. Most demons while in the veil can't use the required magic to travel through the veil. They require a human sorcerer to summon them, and in most cases they possess the one who summoned them." She paused for a moment as her gaze turned glassy again before finally muttering sadly, "Like when I summoned the Manticore."
"I'm sorry to make you go through this Alice, but I need to know anything that could help fight these things, or to at least prevent them from crossing the veil again." Merlin said, regret and apology in his voice. Alice nodded and grabbed an old, tattered book from the shelf behind her. She turned through several pages until she found the page she was looking for, she then turned it to Merlin.
"Most of the demons from beyond the veil represent a sin of men: Wrath, Greed, Lust, and Pride. With the exception of Pride, which is the strongest of the four, they generally are weak and are able to be controlled by a powerful enough sorcerer, but Pride demons are. much more powerful. They can use dark magic's to pierce the veil and coerce weak minded sorcerers to summon them. It doesn't take long after that for them to possess who ever summoned it." Merlin looked over the book and saw something that confused him.
"But Alice, it says right here that a demon needs permission to possess someone though, otherwise it harms the 'host'," Merlin pointed out.
"Your right Merlin," Alice agreed. "That's the one thing that makes the lesser demons rarely a problem, but you have to remember that normally who ever summons them wants the demon's power. That allows the demon to trick the summoner of the demon to allow it to possess them."
"Is there a way to separate the possessed person from the demon?" Merlin asked. Alice shook her head sadly.
"No, unless the demon in control's physical form is destroyed no there's no way, you would have to kill the possessed person. It's unfortunate but necessary, but even these monstrosities aren't the worst of the veil's creatures."
"What do you mean?" Merlin asked.
"As I said before Pride Demons are the most powerful demon in the veil, some reach such high levels of power they become entities known as Greater Demons. If one was brought into the living world, by accident or on purpose, could bring the world as we know it to its knees." Alice said grimly.
"Has this ever happened before?" Merlin asked.
"Once," Alice said. "It was centuries ago before the ban was made on messing with the veil. It was the Caileach was the one to do it accidently, guarding the veil was to be her eternal punishment entrusted by the High Priestesses and spirits of the fade."
"What happened?" Merlin asked interestedly.
"She tried to summon a demon to lend her power in a spell, I know not what spell but it went horridly wrong. She summoned a Pride Demon and allowed it to work the magic through her. It possessed her body, destroyed her essence and razed half the world for 50 years unopposed."
"How'd they stop it?"
"The High Priests and Priestesses formed a deal with the Dragons and a spirit of the veil to destroy the demon."
"The Dragons?" Merlin asked.
"Yes, demons are immune to most forms of magic, but Dragon fire is very lethal to them for some reason. Anyway it took three Priests, three Priestesses and a Dragon to perform the act. The Priests and Priestesses channeled the spirit into the living world and the spirit combined its self with the Dragon giving it the necessary power to kill the Demon, the battle between the two lasted for a week but the Dragon finally won."
"What happened to the Dragon?" Merlin asked.
"The Dragon and the spirit were unable to separate, since the spirit wanted nothing to do with the living world it agreed to remain combined with the Dragon until its death, where it would then return to across the veil. It's unknown if the Dragon is dead yet because the spirit greatly increased its life span to surpass most Dragons." Merlin's mind was blown from what Alice had told him, what he had made out was that it took 6 of the most powerful Sorcerers and Sorceresses of the time along with a Dragon to kill one Greater Demon, there was no way that he could allow Marion to summon one, IF that was her plan.
"I need to know how to prevent this Alice, is there anyway?"
"I'd say kill the girl, that's the easiest. If she's dead and whatever demon possessed her isn't in too much control you may end it quickly. Otherwise it may be near impossible." Alice answered bluntly.
"So she is possessed then?" Merlin asked.
"From what you told me yes, the only question is by what." Alice said. Merlin rose from his seat with his bag and staff already on his back.
"Tell me what I need to do Alice, what needs to be done to prevent this?"
"Kill the girl and her demon Merlin, if she becomes a Greater Demon all is lost. But if that does happen we will need the most powerful remaining Priests and Priestesses alive to aid us. The demon will know this and will plan to kill them off, you must prevent that Merlin! No matter the cost!"
"I will Alice, thank you!" Merlin said rushed as he ran out the door, he transformed mid jump into a stag much to the surprise of a young couple passing by who yelped and fell to the ground. Merlin ran into the sunset towards where the only High Priestess he knew of would be, with Aithusa. As much as it pained him (and somewhat thrilled him) that his destiny was intertwined with Morgana's once again he knew he'd need her help in the coming battle. All he could hope was that she'd be willing to help and that he wasn't too late to find her.
AN: Hey guys sorry this one took so long and I apologize that it's both short and not my best work. I promise to have the next one out ASAP and much longer and more action packed just please have the same faith in me you've had this far and I promise not to disappoint you.