"This is a terrible idea," Charlie said at once. It had taken them hours to find the palace that the party was at. Worse, she could feel that her hooves were covered in ice. It hurt!
"This is the best idea," Vaggie corrected. Glancing at Alastor as they walked through the snow and ice, she asked Alastor, "Won't it be fun to rub the fact that you cracked one of their forbidden rituals in that ice bird's face?"
Alastor stopped suddenly and exclaimed, "That is a good point, Vaggie. I simply can't go like this!" A burst of dark green magic left him looking somewhat like his former self. There was definitely something weird about the arm.
It was a big, wild party from the Sin of Gluttony herself. No one would notice.
"Why hide the changes, Al?" Vaggie asked. "You're the Head of Hell. You can do whatever you want."
"My dear, one must know when to stir the pot. For now, as a fairly new Head of Hell, it would be better to ease things in," Alastor explained. "No need to ruffle their feathers so soon! Even with how delightful their reactions would be!"
"Alastor's right," Charlie added. "The Ars Goetia are very, very slow to change. If they found out a lesser Sinner had adopted their magic and appearance all at once? Things would probably explode. Literally."
"Ah." Vaggie sighed. "Things are changing."
"It's okay. It's all for the better!" Charlie cheered. "We can all protect each other better."
"That is correct! We are better capable of protecting each other from…things." Alastor was still paranoid, for good reason.
"I still wish that we could put surveillance magic in your parents' room," Vaggie grumbled.
"My dad would notice right away ." Charlie purposely didn't specify if it would be incidental or if it was from him entering the room himself.
Vaggie considered saying something else but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she skipped ahead and exclaimed, "Looks like we're here!"
Charlie shivered as they got to the top of the hill. " Finally !"
The castle was average for an Ars Goetia home. Large icy spires, big towers, all fantastical and awe-inspiring…if she hadn't seen it so many times in so many similar styles. The Ars Goetia lacked imagination.
"I sense someone trying too hard," Alastor quipped.
"Yeah, it really seems like it." Vaggie grabbed both of their hands and began dragging them to the entrance. "Let's join the party!"
"I can't wait to see what is offered and then leave!" Alastor's smile was false. Charlie couldn't blame him; a wild mosh pit of Hellhounds and Imps wasn't her kind of party.
For some reason, the front door was open with a shimmering barrier between it and outside. Charlie looked between her beaus before shrugging and walking through it. The temperature difference was instant. She felt much warmer in the ice palace. She waved the other two in.
Vaggie was the first to enter. There was a mild flash as she did so, and for a split-second Charlie could see her true form. Alastor's eyes narrowed but he still walked forward. Solidified shadows wrapped him up, preventing anyone from seeing him as he entered.
"Why can't they temperature control the entire Ring like this?" Vaggie complained as they walked down the hallway. There were no other doorways, no other halls. A simple entranceway and that was it.
"My dear, do you really think they care about the comfort of others?" Alastor tsked. "I'm surprised they even have THIS much of the castle warm! I would expect they would try to keep the 'riff-raff' out by some sort of means."
Charlie didn't add anything. She kept silent as they walked for a good couple of minutes. Finally, they came upon a large ballroom. It was, again, average for an Ars Goetia castle. But instead of hoity-toity decorations, there was confetti and various bar, food, and drug stations. Charlie could see Vaggie's focus land on the food section, especially the cotton candy.
In the middle of the room, Andrealphus and Beelzebub were arguing while various Ars Goetia were watching with amusement from the sidelines.
"-in the deal!" Andrealphus said smugly.
"It isn't a PARTY without guests. How the hell can I get guests in here when you set up that barrier?!" she complained.
"That isn't my concern," he sniffed in reply. "You should have been more careful with the wording of our deal."
"Rrrrrr…" Beelzebub grew slightly, her many eyes opening in anger. "Do you really think you should CHALLENGE me, little man?! I will FUCK YOU UP!"
Alastor tapped his cane against the ground from behind them and asked, "Should we come back another time?"
Andrealphus and Beelzebub's head both snapped towards them. Andrealphus was shocked while Beelzebub looked like she won the lottery.
"How did you get by the barrier!?" Andrealphus sputtered out. "Anything lower-tier than an Ars Goetia should have been teleported out of the Ring!"
Charlie immediately started sweating. She stumbled, "Well, uhm, maybe it was because they were with me? Or because they're the Head of Hell and the Supreme Magistrate?"
Andrealphus' eyes narrowed. "It doesn't work like that. It measures aura strength, not place in society."
"So you're saying you would have denied entry to myself and the magistrate?" Alastor asked leadingly. The way he asked it let Charlie know that he was redirecting the conversation and that she should stay out of his way.
Andrealphus blanched before covering it up. "Of course I wouldn't! Not to the Head of Hell!"
"Hey, speaking of 'Head of Hell', we got a dispute here." Queen Bee buzzed over and wrapped an arm around Alastor's shoulders. "Y'see, me and him made a deal. He's trying to break it. We need a mediator."
Alastor used his cane to hook her hand and drop it off of himself. "What kind of deal was it?"
"If I testified, I could have a party at his place," Beelzebub explained, glaring at Andrealphus. She muttered under her breath, "Pride wouldn't have to put up with this. She'd squash you like a bug!" Louder she said, "Your word is your word. I'm supposed to have a party!"
"And you can have a party. I merely enforce my requirements for those entering my residence!" he replied.
"Did you make a pact?" Alastor asked, "Or was it a by-word deal?"
"I did not think this required a pact," Andrealphus sniffed.
"And the exact words?"
"'If I testified in court on the temperament of Loona the Hellhound, I would have free reign to throw a party in his place of residence'," Beelzebub said.
Alastor looked at Andrealphus. "Do you agree, little bird?"
That caused mutterings around the room with the various Ars Goetia. As before, Andrealphus swallowed his pride and responded respectfully, "Yes, that is the general wording of it."
"I see." Alastor nodded, then turned to Andrealphus. "You lose!"
Andrealphus blinked. "What?"
"You doomed yourself. 'Free reign'. What does that mean to you?" Alastor asked, amused.
"It means that she has the ability to throw a party. The GUESTS, however, are a different matter!" Andrealphus argued.
"As I interpret it - as I am allowed to as the authority here - it means that she is in control of your residence for the time of the party. That includes who is allowed in and out. Take the barrier down and allow her to take her boon!" Alastor commanded.
Andrealphus' beak ground together. "I do NOT want those lower-class creatures in my home!"
"You should have thought better on your deal then. Wording is very important." Alastor said to Beelzebub, "Go on and throw your little shindig. This is your residence until the party is over."
Suddenly Alastor was grabbed hard and twisted around. Andrealphus started shouting loudly into Alastor's ear-
-to turn to stone in the next instant. Charlie was baffled until the undignified gasps and finger-pointing at Alastor alerted her to what happened.
Alastor's glamour had partially fallen at the attack. His left arm was clearly not like the other and his second set of eyes were cooling down from a bright blast of something. His hand shot to his face as the darkness slowly receded from his eyes. The panic in his eyes reminded Charlie of his panic attack the day before. Charlie was hurt that he hid it like he had until it burst out.
"Vaggie!" Charlie shouted as she grabbed Alastor. Vaggie ran up to them from the food bar, her aura expanding to cover Alastor. They held him close, hoping they could head off a breakdown.
Then the three of them vanished into clawing shadow through even the blinding light.
"I must apologise, my loves." The three of them were sitting on the couch in the main living area. Alastor and Vaggie had both dropped their forms. As before, Alastor could see Vaggie with his second set of eyes. The holy aura helped to keep Alastor calm. "I didn't think… I thought I was okay."
"It's okay to not be okay. Don't hide it from us next time?" Charlie held his clawed hand. "I know things are starting to get dicey. We're solving the mystery, getting closer to freeing you. We'll inevitably have something big happen. I know we need to be prepared. But," she squeezed his hand, "you can't be tense the entire time waiting for disaster. I think we'll get some warning if things start moving."
"Trust us to be there for you, please," Vaggie asked, holding his other hand.
"...you two don't know the dangers of what we're doing. 'Poking the bear' I believe is the phrase? Once I'm free - maybe even before - we'll be in the fight of our lives. I don't want to be unprepared."
"How about you trust us to know what to do in an emergency and we trust you to know when something is starting to happen?" Charlie suggested.
"What, like come up with an emergency plan?" Vaggie asked.
"Ohhhh, that's a good idea!" Charlie exclaimed. "Why don't we-"
BAM!
None of them jumped. They all looked at the floating parchment, a dark feather decorating the top of it. Charlie could tell from the magic that it was a higher-tier Ars Goetia that had sent it.
Alastor reached out and took the letter. He opened it so both Charlie and Vaggie could read it.
"What kind of language is this?" Vaggie asked.
"I don't think you'd recognize it," Alastor said as he scanned the document. "It's High Lege-"
"I can read it. I just don't know the language," she replied.
"Huh." Alastor chuckled as he muttered, "Babel…"
"Oh no." Dread filled Charlie's gut as she got to the end of the document. She'd never had this missive sent to her. Her dad never had it sent to him! This was an emergency doctrine, something that even the Head of Hell had to follow.
"What is it?" Vaggie asked. Charlie could tell from Alastor's frown that he, too, was understanding what it was.
"It's a summons to review the capability of the Head of Hell. Tried by a jury of their peers. The Princess of Hell, the Queen of Hell, and the King of Hell," Alastor said.
"I don't get it. How is this bad? Charlie can just clear you."
Charlie shook her head. "You don't get it. Me and my dad will be forced to go to court. Even my mom if she's on the same plane of existence." She rubbed her head. "Do you really think that my dad would be fair with this?"
"Alastor did use forbidden magic," Vaggie noted.
"Not helping, my dear," Alastor mumbled.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. It's okay! We have this!" Charlie clenched her fist. "This will give us a chance to talk with my dad!"
"What's the date on it?" Vaggie asked.
Alastor looked pained as he said, "In three days. It will give the Royal Family enough time to clear their calendar and appear."
"Let's get started on our defence," Charlie said. "So, let's start with why you used the ritual…"
