Our true last stop was The Lion's Den. It was a decent little inn frequented by humans staying in the city. In the lobby, Jiles and I drank the dark red potion. It was a bitter draught that made me feel a little dizzy when I finished it. Jiles said that it would be great help in questioning Ms. Syllene, though he would not elaborate further.
"H'come I don't get a sip of it then?" asked Ajax with a slightly slurred voice.
"Because, captain, I believe the tonic you have been enjoying at The Dragon's Gullet will keep you safe from the danger of this young…lady."
He gasped the word "lady". I had never heard Jiles gasp before.
He was staring behind Ajax and me, looking slightly over our heads. I turned around and the captain followed my example. We turned to what had caught Jiles' gaze. It was Syllene, it couldn't have been anyone else. Though human, she would have been beautiful even by Elven standards. Her long and lustrous black hair fell across her shoulders like a shimmering black cloak. She wore a crimson silk dress with a white belt; on her it looked like the sort of outfit a noblewoman would wear, though Syllene herself was supposed to be a lowly apprentice. She moved with dexterity and grace as she took each step. Her dark eyes met mine momentarily and I could hardly think of anything other than her presence. Jiles and I were content to stare, but Captain Ajax (possibly because of his intoxication) whistled loud and long.
"'Lo there lassie, my my, you look good enough to ea-"
"That will be enough, Captain Ajax!" Jiles interrupted. "Please madam, join us."
She came down to the lobby where the three of us continued to stare. She smiled a very catching smile at each one of us and curtsied. All three of us gave a bow and no one said a word. After an akward silence wherein Syllene smiled patiently, Jiles introduced himself and me (she already knew Captain Ajax). After that he fell into looking at her again with a serene expression on his face. I believe I must have had the same expression on mine. Words cannot describe how pleasing this young woman was to the eyes.
After what seemed like minutes she gave a polite cough and said, "Your message said you needed to confirm my version of the events, Mr. Whitman. Is that all you needed?"
Jiles shook his head suddenly as if he just realized where we were. "Yes, Ms. Syllene. That is what I am here for after all, please recount what happened at your master's home the night of the murder and we will be on our way."
She nodded as he spoke and began her tale as soon as he finished.
"It is as I told the kind captain here. I was being instructed by Master Chelton in a spell when Kelner burst into the room with an angry look in his eyes. He said that I belonged to him and that Master Chelton could never have me. We barely had any time at all to react to the fireball he flung at us. Chelton pushed me aside and absorbed the whole blast himself. I looked up to see him burning…I couldn't help myself, I started screaming. My only thought was to get away before he did the same to me! Luckily the good captain was nearby and came to my aid." A tear snaked down her cheek as she spoke of Chelton's death.
Something strange happened to me as she spoke. The more I heard her voice, the less my infatuation with her grew. By the time she was done speaking my initial assessment of her had been greatly diminished. She was still an attractive young lady, but her hair was a bit stringy and her dress worn and dirty. Her eyes remained dark but lost their seductive edge, replaced instead by an almost sinister inner light.
I also found problems with her account of the story. Kelner had said he heard arguing, not a spell lesson. And why would they be learning a spell in the middle of the night? Also, if Kelner's motivation for killing Chelton was jealousy over Syllene, why did he throw a fireball at her as well? I did not utter my questions out loud, as I knew Jiles would ask them soon enough. Thus, I was a bit surprised at his next question.
By the way he looked and spoke I could tell his admiration of the girl had diminished as well, "How did you manage to kill your master? It defies the Laws of Summoning."
Syllene took a step back. "L-like I said, Kelner did it, not I."
"Speak the truth!" Jiles' voice carried across the lobby. I noticed that Jiles held a small glowing stone in between his fingers as he yelled.
Her expression became pained, and I could swear I saw a red light glinting in her eyes. Her voice sounded deeper than it had a moment before, "The fool Chelton did not place a subservian mark on his circle! I still could not harm him directly, but I could choose whom to enspell to do it for me!"
She waved her hands in an intricate pattern and a warm sensation fell over me. For a moment all of my previous feelings about her came back multiplied a hundredfold. I would have killed for her, I would have died for her. But another sensation arose inside of me to counter it, a cooling sense of logic overcame my passion and brought me back to my senses. I was no novice to magic, the woman had tried to charm me and Jeng'shaun's potion had stopped her.
"Chalintok Forthinion!" Jiles yelled. He threw what appeared to be dust at her and she screamed in agony.
Her skin bubbled and popped and her face contorted as acrid smoke began trailing off of her. Soon the beautiful young lady was replaced by what I knew to be a succubus. Her smooth tan skin was now pale and chalky. Her shapely legs now sported fur covered shins and cloven hooves. Two leathery wings stretched from her back filling up the space of the lobby. Her face was frightening to behold, razor sharp teeth snapped from behind ruby red lips and her eyes were glowing a bright blood red. As if to top the hellish picture off, two thick and twisted ram horns protruded from her forehead. Jiles had dispelled her cunning disguise.
I did not see him draw it, but Jiles suddenly had a shining curved sword in his hands. He pointed the tip at her and took a step forward. There was no mistaking his intentions.
She laughed at him. "Foolish mortal! You may have caught me in my game, but you will not send me back to the Twisting Nether! Ajax, defend me!"
I hate it when Jiles is wrong about something, it always causes us trouble when it happens. In this case his assumption that Ajax would not need some of Jeng'shaun's elixir was incorrect. The muscled dwarf turned to face us with a blank expression in his face. His knuckles were white on his axe as he swung it at us. Quick wits alone saved us as we dashed into opposite sides of the room to avoid the attack. I hate it when Jiles is wrong.
Ajax turned all his attention to Jiles as Syllene ran up the stairs. "Smit! You must follow her, do not let her get out of a window or all is lost!"
Swoosh!
Jiles dodged another strike from Ajax. I wanted to stay and argue, telling Jiles I had nothing but a pocket knife on me and that I would be no match for the succubus, but he was too busy to listen and so I ran after her sure that I was about to die.
She had pulled a table over in the upstairs hallway, and I jumped over it as lithely as I could. My bones groaned in protest but I cleared the debris and ran down to the only open door in the hall. It looked like it had been knocked off its hinges.
Inside the room, Syllene was smashing out the only window. I had no clue what to do in order to stop her. I reached over and picked up a piece of broken door and flung it at her as hard as I could. I missed horribly and the wood clanked harmlessly off the wall.
I did succeed in getting her attention though. She turned and looked at me with a frightening smile on her face.
She purred, "So Mr. Smit, it seems Mr. Whitman has sent you to my hotel room, whatever shall we do with our privacy?"
For a moment my desire for her returned stronger than before. A loud crash from downstairs and a muffled cry snapped me back to my senses. She was walking towards me languidly, a leather whip ominously trailing behind her.
I fell backwards as the lash suddenly darted at my face. I avoided the first strike but a second and third followed too fast for me to retreat. The leather tore through my suit and skin. The blows hurt like fire and my vision became blurry as the wounds festered with demonic taint. I did not see her approach, but soon she was picking me up by my collar with a strength that belied her feminine form. She was a demon after all.
She slammed me against the wall hard enough to knock me unconscious. My last thoughts as darkness surrounded me were for my wife, and how badly Whitman would get it from her when Whitman went to inform her of my demise.
