Chapter Sixteen
Enthralled and completely overjoyed to have read Joe’s writing, Melissa decided to grant Joe’s wish. She could tell that he was much too tense to stay in her cabin. After all, she was probably just as anxious as he, and a visit to Helena was probably the only thing that would set them both at ease. However, his next request came as a surprise to her. Joe rejected the notion of driving up to Roman’s sanctuary, insisting that crossing the forest on foot appealed to him much more than a mere, five-minute drive. Melissa did not think twice about it. A stroll would be a lot more romantic, and was guaranteed to give her some alone time with him. Yes, she knew that she would have him all to herself until the end of the week, but a chat under the thick shade of the towering trees would be much more enjoyable than a conversation in her cabin.
The sun was still high in the sky, its stimulating light washing over every roof in Melissa’s birthplace, when she and Joe left the Bradford property behind them. Holding hands, they strolled down the short hill drawing close to the edge of the forest. Very soon, she discovered yet another reason why this was immensely better than just a drive. Sunlight and shade were flowing like dark and light ink over his face, as they strode through the trees, painting his light-brown hair darker or lighter.
“Beautiful,” Melissa commented, moving around a tall bush that blocked her path.
“Thanks a lot for the compliment, but there are a lot prettier sights in the forest than me. And I don’t mean just you,” Joe declared, scanning a massive cedar tree across from him, from top to bottom. “Look at that; nature at its finest. When you’ve spent your whole life in the city, you learn to appreciate it more.”
“It’s the same with me,” she replied as she gave a short chuckle, and he trailed his thumb up her wrist. “Living among brutes, I learned to appreciate the value of dating a refined man.”
“Refined men don’t give up on their souls, Melissa,” sadness sent his voice down an octave, as he clenched his jaw.
“Your despair got the better of you,” she lowered her tone, tossing a loving, sideways glance up at him. “You made a mistake; that mistake doesn’t change who you are.”
“Actually, it defines who I am,” he countered, bitterness spreading into his voice, as he passed by the cedar tree.
“Don’t think like that,” Melissa urged, squeezing his wrist in her hand. “You need to be more positive.”
“I keep trying, but…” Joe faltered, drawing in a sharp breath, as they headed towards the main road to the right. “Every time I try, I get this thought that just ruins everything. Imagine if my life story became public. ‘Underachieving lawyer loses his wife; then sells his soul to a demon, in order to get eight years of professional success.’ Nothing I did before that will ever change people’s opinion about me. To them, I’ll always be an evil bastard, a devil’s puppet.”
“I don’t care!” Melissa cried, her feminine voice echoing through the untouched forest, as she halted beside him. “Public sentiment isn’t always right, Joe. Why would you let it affect you? Are you trying to punish yourself?”
“Maybe I am,” he shrugged his shoulders, his tone calm, unaffected by her short outburst. “I knew what I was doing, Mel; but, I did it nonetheless.”
“I’m not having the same old discussion,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes at him. “The man who’s written that wonderful poem for me is no evil bastard. He was just vulnerable, and that demon exploited his vulnerability: end of story.”
Joe parted his lips, ready to come up with a rebuttal, but as he did, she noticed, a red, spherical object, hovering over a balsam fir tree, on the side of the road. It slowly descended, its color deepening, as Joe turned around to face it. Much to her surprise, the sphere began to expand as it approached them. This had to be Helena’s doing. The color and the fact that this bubble had a will of its own left Melissa with no doubt. The spot on the surface where it made contact with Joe’s hand shone black, as the sphere slowly engulfed him. Inch by inch, his entire body was being sucked in, right before her eyes. As soon as he found himself in that bubble, Joe spun around, and then leaned forward. Melissa’s gaze remained focused on his face. The movement of his jaw indicated that he was speaking to her, but she could not hear him. The surface felt soft on her fingertips, as a white sparkle spread across the bubble. She watched, asking herself why Helena had chosen to play this trick on them, as her entire arm got pulled into that odd object. What did the witch have in mind? Why didn’t she allow them to simply walk to Roman’s sanctuary?
The sphere began to pick up altitude, as Melissa noticed Joe, with his arms folded across his chest, still talking. Once more though, she could not hear him. Frustrated, she lifted her hand to her face, and tapped her index finger on her earlobe. He shut his mouth, shaking his head in disapproval, as the bubble hovered over the trees. By now, Melissa could see the dozens of tree tops that separated them from the root of the mountain. Unwilling to let any unpleasant thoughts cloud her mind, she smiled herself, enjoying the breathtaking view from above. The trees were rustling, as the wind blew through them, picking up leaves and dust from the soil, as the bubble flew higher. In a matter of seconds, the trees left her line of sight. Sadly, barren rocks and small, dry bushes replaced them, as they neared the entrance of her grandfather’s sanctuary. For some reason she could not fathom, it was wide open. Furthermore, the ground before it seemed intact. A landslide could have motivated Helena to use this strange method of transportation, but there was no sign of a landslide whatsoever. Steadily, the hovering bubble made its way through the gate. The witch was standing right inside in the hallway; eyes closed, arms open, palms facing them. A rumbling noise startled Melissa, as Helena tipped her head down. A simple glance over her shoulder told her that the gate was sliding down. A powerful shockwave shot forward, bursting the bubble, as her eyes snapped open. The entrance was sealed, causing the walls around them to vibrate, as they tumbled to the floor.
“Pardon me, my young one,” Helena spoke in her usual, feathery voice, as Melissa landed hard on her chest. “I had to project my life force to bring you in safely. Azazel is watching Joe. My life force is protected by a spell, as is this structure. Had I not used this trick, this location would have been made known to the demon. Now, follow me,” she added, turning to the left to enter Roman’s library.
“Smart move,” Melissa said, dusting herself off, as she rose from the floor.
“This place looks like a medieval castle,” Joe remarked, staring at the torches on the left side of the corridor, as they ambled off towards their destination. Melissa’s face tightened with worry. Her boyfriend’s life depended on what Helena had to say to them. Her heart skipped a beat, as she remembered their brief discussion in the forest, in particular, the witch’s conclusion:
“He’s beyond redemption.”
“Please, tell me you were wrong,” Melissa thought to herself, joining Helena in the large hall. The witch stood behind her desk. Three, tall stacks of books almost completely covered her form. Helena picked a book from the middle one, and put it down on the desk, as Joe closed the door behind him.
“Azazel,” the witch began, assuming a businesslike tone, “translates from the Hebrew as ‘scapegoat.’ According to the book of Enoch, Azazel was one of the chief ‘Grigori’, a group of fallen angels that married women. He was responsible for teaching people how to make weapons and cosmetics. God had his archangel, Raphael, cast Azazel into the darkness, for shedding blood and bringing lawlessness upon the earth. The Latin Bible doesn’t mention the demon by name, but only speaks of an ‘emissary goat.’”
“What’s with the history lesson, Helena?” Melissa asked while taking a few, slow steps towards her desk. “Is any of that supposed to help us?”
“I am only trying to illustrate that you are up against an ancient demon,” Helena explained, shrugging her shoulders. “He is immortal. You can kill his human vessel, but you will not harm him. Eventually, he will come back.”
“There has to be a way,” Melissa whispered, intensifying her stare. “What about Kate’s book?”
“Marianne’s legacy might be an excellent source of spells, hexes and all sorts of incantations, but it does not mention anything on the subject of eradicating demons,” Helena replied, turning her gaze away from Melissa, in order to look at the book before her, as she wrested it open. “But, do not lose hope. Just because we cannot kill Azazel, that doesn’t mean we cannot break the contract.”
“Break it? How?” Melissa spoke too fast, her voice a mixture of tension and enthusiasm, as the witch flipped through the pages.
“There!” Helena exclaimed, pointing down at a circled passage. “Alistair Baines, a witch much before Khalista’s time, says that the first step to loosen the demon’s grip on a person’s soul is to give up every luxury they have acquired, ever since they made that deal. It makes sense, really. The demon feeds off the power that those acquisitions have over the person. The more the luxuries, the harder it is for the human to forsake them. Baines also quotes a spell to send the demon back down to where he belongs: Hell. Should we succeed, your contract will be void.”
“So, all I have to do is quit my job?” Joe asked, narrowing his eyes to slits in nervousness.
“No,” Helena replied, putting her hands on her desk, as she looked up at him. “You have to get rid of every single thing you have purchased since ‘Cross and Associates’ hired you at a very lucrative salary: real estate; cars; jewelry; furniture; electronics… the works. Also, you can’t just quit your job, Joe. You are an established lawyer now, because of that contract. Every law firm in New York will jump at the opportunity to hire you. You have to change your name as well. I know I just said that abandoning these worldly matters would loosen Azazel’s grip on your soul. There is still much to be done to drive the demon out of this world. I will need three of your hairs, Baines’ spell, and one of you will have to drive a silver knife through the vessel’s heart.”
Joe dragged his gaze away from Helena, as she completed her small – but informative – tirade. Melissa’s heart fluttered upon hearing what they had to do. By no means would it be easy; yet, she had faith in herself. She would not think twice about engaging the demon. Still, her boyfriend’s silence, and the fact that his face was twitching with conflicting expressions of guilt and dismay, confused her. Helena had found a way for him to live a normal life. Why was he being so abstruse about it?
“Joe, may I talk to you for a second: in private?” Melissa requested, turning to him. A nod served as her answer. Sinking in frustration, the young blonde turned around. In the few seconds that it took her to stride across the hall, she attempted to guess what had been troubling him, but she found herself at an impasse. Stepping onto the hallway, she crossed her arms over her chest, as she impatiently tapped her right foot on the floor.
“What’s wrong, Joe?” she inquired, her voice monotonous, as he joined her. “I thought you’d be a little more excited. I mean, you just found out that you can break free of this curse.”
“Mel…” Joe began in a whisper, pressing his lips together as a veil of sorrow shadowed his eyes. “My childhood dream was becoming a lawyer. That’s all I know. In order to do what Helena said, I’ll have to give up that dream. I’m going to have to start from scratch.”
“If you don’t, you’re going to have to give up your own life!” Fear cracked Melissa’s voice, her heart thumping against her chest, as tears pooled in her eyes. “Do you want to die?”
“Of course not!” his trembling baritone echoed back at the walls of the hallway, his face twisting in agony, as his arms shot out and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I especially do not wish to die now that I’ve met you.”
“More fancy words…” she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut, as she ran her hand through her hair. “You’re good at that. But talk is cheap. If you really want to live freely…” she paused, “…prove it. Do what it takes.”
“It’s an impossible decision,” Joe whispered, his fingers shaking, as he leaned over her. His words cut like a knife. She couldn’t understand his hesitation. Maybe it was because Melissa didn’t have a childhood dream to pursue. Females of her kind made great cooks, and caring mothers, not career professionals. However, she could comprehend the value of life, and Joe was gambling with his and hers alike. Was this a good time to share the secret of her weakness? No, absolutely not. Melissa would not put him through emotional blackmail. She would not force his decision.
“Not to me,” she countered, as a tear streamed out of the corner of her eye. “You have to choose between less than seven years as a lawyer and a violent death, or a lifetime as a free man.”
“I need some time to think about it,” He muttered, snorting back a sob. “I’ll spend the night at my sister’s. I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?”
Melissa didn’t speak. She merely tipped her head down lightly, realizing that whatever she said to him would not really make any difference. He had been clear, and so had she. Nevertheless, Joe’s indecision hurt and inflamed her. She couldn’t even consider being in the same room with him at this moment.
“Open the gate, Helena!” Melissa shouted, spinning around and walking away, as she struggled to hold back her tears. She expected him to try and stop her. Besides, she had not bothered explaining to him how much his attitude had stung her. Still, Joe did no such thing. The only sound that rang in her ears as she closed in on the opening gate was the one of her own footsteps. Halting a few inches away from the entrance, she looked up at him, over her shoulder. His hollow gaze was blankly staring at her.
“Please, don’t fail me, Joe. Choose life. I’ll be waiting.”