Chapter 2
Uraziel
I felt the tugging in my essence. This was not fair. It had barely been ten years since I had escaped the Ring. Not enough time to replenish my energies from my last stay on Earth. How had magicians even gotten my name? Surely all records of me had been destroyed by now. The only other time I had actually been summoned was millennia ago, when locked me up in the Ring. By all rights, I should have been recorded dead.
I shot through the gate, ripped from my place of healing. I appeared in a pentacle, a particularly large one, based on what I had seen in Jerusalem. What now? I had no experience transforming, changing guise. What form should I take? My old friend Solomon came to mind. I discarded the idea. He had betrayed me. He might have done it out of ignorance, he might have not known better, but he still prolonged my stay on Earth for more time than I could count. I flipped through the other guises I had seen spirits take. None were particularly inventive or awe-inducing. They didn't give my power justice. Because of Solomon's edicts, everyone took the shape of humans. Whoever had summoned me would think that I'm not up to the task. On the other hand…
I took the shape of a typical human slave of that time; dark of skin with cropped hair the colour of coal. I sat down and waited for the magician to finish his summoning. I was in some sort of empty storehouse. It was of rectangular shape and had grey walls and a very high ceiling. It had only one light source, at the other end of the building. It was very different from what I was used to. Once again, I wondered how much time I had been buried underground. It did not look like a candle, for its light didn't flicker in the faint breeze coming from the high windows. Perhaps it was magical and contained spirits that made it light.
In front of me were ten circles with a magician in each. One was doing the actual summoning; the others were lending their strength to restrain me. The foremost magician, the one who was droning on was, by name at least, my master. He stopped speaking and stared me down. His face was hidden by the shadows, so I couldn't make out any features. If he was in any way disappointed with my guise, he didn't show it.
I looked around at the others in the pentacles. They were, also hidden by the shadows caused by the magical light. Then I took my eyes off the magicians and noticed something about the pentacles themselves. All save for one had a missing rune. Obviously, the one in the remaining circle had set the rest of them up. Well, that wasn't stopping me. Something told me this was going to be a long stay; I'd better save up my strengths. I leaped out of my circle and devoured the magicians, one by one. Unfortunately, the one that had been saying the summons was the one with the safe pentacle, so I couldn't touch him. I was stuck on Earth. Oh, well, he'd make a mistake soon enough now that he didn't have others strength backing him up.
He was still looking at me, unimpressed. I slowly returned to my pentacle. All that magician-eating had made me full. He'd better not send me to do any running about.
"Demon, are you the great Uraziel, once the inhabitant of the Ring of Solomon." Inwardly I rolled my eyes. Of course I was. Hadn't he used my name to summon me? But I couldn't show any unprofessional actions in front of the magician. That was one of the reasons I took to liking Solomon. He was brief and to the point. He didn't entertain in useless talking.
"Yes, human. What is your wish?" Even though I couldn't see him, I could tell his eyes had a greedy glint in them.
Ten minutes later, I flew out of the grey building in the guise of a pigeon. I had a lot of work in front of me; I'd better get started. Magicians don't seem to understand a spirit's need to rest after he has a banquet like that.