Chapter 3

We're in the air for about an hour before Maria sets the helicopter down in an empty airfield. Andrea and I jump out and follow her to a small plane. Maria nods to the pilot before taking us back into the passenger area. It's first class, which I enjoy.

"We should be fairly safe now," Maria says as she falls into one of the seats. She hides her tiredness well.

"What was that thing!" Andrea asks her. Andrea is shivering slightly, as she has been since we took off in the helicopter.

"That was one of the demons or the angels. I'm inclined to believe a demon," Maria says as she closes her eyes for a long moment," but I can't be sure. Whatever it was, evil things are stirring. I don't think any of the demons were capable of actually organizing the others, but something has."

"What do you mean, organizing?" I ask her.

She opens her eyes," In the history of the Fallen, one of the Citadels have been attacked by an angel twice; once during World War One and the other was so long ago, we only know it happened. We've been attacked by a demon only once. Usually we find them, not the other way around. And for them to have attacked two of the Citadels in one day? Something must have told them to."
"Is that a bad thing?" I ask. "I mean, the Fallen seem like a massive organization to me. There must be hundreds of your Citadels."

She sighs," You flatter us. That was one of our largest strongholds. We have one on each continent, from the largest in South America to the smallest in Antarctica. The Citadels are sources of pride and comfort for the Fallen. They're the most defended of any of our other branches. With two of them destroyed, morale won't be looking good."

The plane begins to move down the runway and we're quickly in the air. She yawns and Andrea lets out a tired laugh. " Maybe you should get some sleep," Andrea says," Nothing's going to happen to us up here."

Maria starts to shake her head, but then she reconsiders," You're right. I haven't slept in forever. Wake me before we hit the ground." She pulls a blanket out of an overhead bin and hunkers below it. Andrea and I move away.

"I keep thinking that this'll be a dream," Andrea says as we sit down. er Her eyes are surprisingly bright. "I keep hoping that I'll wake up and nothing will have really happened. I'll have school tomorrow and see you and we'll both laugh at the crazy dream I had last night."

"Well, I know you're really desperate if you're wishing for school," I quip and we laugh. "I know how you feel," I say," Although I know it can't be a dream, part of me can't help wanting it to be."

Andrea sighs and suddenly, her hand glows and the glass sword appears in her hand," It's not a dream."

"What does that mean for us? The dark one and the wielder of the sword of light?" I say almost mockingly. Andrea giggles and for a few moments, it feels like we aren't flying away from the destruction of a safe place by a demon. But then the feeling fades and Andrea looks sorrowful again.

"I guess I'm going to get some sleep too," Andrea says. I hand her a blanket and soon she's fast asleep. I quietly sneak out from the seats and head towards the back of the plane. I find the seat that's the furthest away from everyone else and take out the box.

The box is made of blackwood. Symbols are carved into the box almost jaggedly, but they seem graceful and elegant at the same time. The front has a flat space where the key hole should be. The blank space is white. I try the lid, but it doesn't open. Then I search the box for a hidden switch or button that could open it, but I find nothing.

Then I look at the space on the front. It isn't supposed to be pressed or slid. I don't know why it's there, but it must be important. I press the tip of my finger to the space and nothing gives way. Nothing happens at all. It must just be decoration.

Then the space glows black for a second. When the glow fades, a scythe, identical to the ones on my arms, has appeared on the space, engraved into the wood. I touch the scythe and the lid pops open. Hands shaking slightly, I lift it open the full way and lift out its contents.

A pristine deck of cards sits in my hands. The design on the back is blank, just a field of solid grey. I flip the top card over: the ten of diamonds. There is no design on the front, the same as the back, only the '10' and the diamond symbol in two of the corners. I go through the deck, checking the back, and then looking at the front, trying to find some clue as to why the cards were in this box, why it was kept locked until I came along.

Then I find the Jack of Spades. On the back is the image of a dark forest, filled with gleaming eyes and dark mist. It sends a chill down my side and I flip the card over. The image of a boy fills the front. He looks like he's about ten or twelve. His eyes are yellow and he has long, dark, shaggy hair. Two pointed dog ears stick out of the top of his head. He wears only a tattered pair of shorts, leaving his chest and feet bare. He seems to be glaring at me. With a shudder, I place it to the side, and continue looking through the cards.

The only other card in the deck with a picture is the Queen of Hearts. The back has a beautiful ruby red rose on it, the thorns dripping blood down the sides of the card. The front shows a girl with bat wings sticking out of her back. Her short black hair covers one eye, leaving only one purple eye to stare at me with glee. Her clothes are… minimal and she smiles enticingly at me. I put the card down quicker than I did the Jack.

I put all of the cards back in the box except for the two that have pictures. I stare at the backs, not wanting to flip them over and reveal the slightly horrifying pictures on the front. I pick up the cards and turn them around between my fingers.

The cards shine black and a spire of darkness emerges from both cards. The darkness quickly morphs into the two people that I saw on the front of the card. The outlines float in midair and seem to be made out of black crystal. After a second, the crystal shatters and the children drop to the ground.

"It feels amazing to be back out of those things!" the wolf boy says as he stretches his arms. His tail, hidden in the image on the card, wags excitedly behind him.

"Hello, my lord," says the bat-woman," I live to serve you." She elegantly drops to one knee.

"Oh, shut up Lilith!" the wolf boy snaps. "You're out five seconds and you are already trying to seduce someone."

Lilith glares at the wolf boy," At least I'm not a smelly freak like you, Pluto!"

Pluto snarls and lunges at her, clawed hands extended for her throat. The wings on Lilith's back lift her gracefully into the air and Pluto sails into the seat in front of me with a loud thud. I grab Lilith and pull her out of the air a second before Maria looks back at me. I wave at her and she turns back around suspiciously.

"Is this how you treat a lady in this age?" Lilith says angrily.

"But Lilith, you aren't a lady!" Pluto giggles and Lilith glares at him.

"What the heck are you two!" I yell at them, although in a subdued tone.

Pluto starts to answer, but Lilith cuts in front of him. "We are two of the angels who rebelled against God and were granted demon status. We were imprisoned in those cards by Michael and Gabriel after we… stumbled into each other. I am Lilith, the demon of seduction and temptation."

"I'm Pluto, demon of rage and fear!" Pluto interjects. "We've been stuck in those cards for forever! You wouldn't happen to have some grub, would you?"

I shake my head in astonishment," This is so insane."
"Yeah, well we've been trapped in playing cards for hundreds of years," Pluto says. "That kind of tops your wacky day."

"Why didn't you get sent to Hell?" I ask them.

"The gate to Hell was closed," Lilith says," and you can only get through them if you're dead. If we died, it would spread our respective elements throughout humanity, so Michael and his human friend found a way to seal us in these cards. That way, when the dark one-you- arrived, we could help him capture the other demons."

"So you're supposed to help me defeat the other demons? Why don't you just hide out in those cards and not help so that they win?" I ask the two.

"Because we're bored!" Pluto says with a whine. "It's been forever since we were put in those things. If we help you, we get sent to Hell and it's over with. Sure, if we go back to Lucifer and the others, we might win, but what if we don't? The Big Guy'll probably have something even worse in store for us."

"If we help you and you get defeated," Lilith continues," we can just tell the others that we were trying to stab you in the back. If we stick with you, we have the best chance of getting out of this whole mess on top."

I look at the two demons warily. Pluto has taken the seat on my left, by the window. His feet are propped up against the seat in front of him. Lilith sits on my right, hands folded daintily on her lap. "How exactly are you supposed to help me?" I ask the two.

"We're gonna fight for you, of course," Pluto says. "No offense, but no human, even the dark one, will be able to take one a demon alone and live. Well, except for that old bugger who trapped us in the cards, but he had a little help from Michael. Anyways, we help out in the fights,"

"I have to fight those things!" I exclaim. "What about Andrea?"

"Who's this Andrea?" Lilith asks. "If I may presume that she wields the blade of light, then she is responsible for rescuing the ten angels who fell from heaven. While she may help you if she pleases, it is most likely none of her concern."

"Hey! Of course she'll help me! She's my best friend!"

"So what? She might have more important things to do," Pluto says with a chuckle.

"I know she'll help," I say. "One quick question: how are you two supposed to take down a demon? I know that you are demons and that you must be very formidable, but that thing I saw was horrifying!"

"Are you callin' me weak?" Pluto hisses at me.

"Ignore the buffoon," Lilith says. "These are not our true forms. These are the forms we were required to take because of our powers being sealed away. Only once we form a contract will you be able to see our true forms."

"What is involved in this contract?" I ask.

"Well, you don't have to sell your soul or anything," Pluto says. "Although if you want to give it to me, I wouldn't say no."

Lilith sighs," The best way to explain it is to show you." She puts a finger in her mouth and I notice her razor sharp teeth for the first time. She bites down and then holds her finger out over the ground. A single drop of scarlet blood falls onto the plane's carpet. When it touches the ground, the blood starts to sizzle and spread out.

The blood traces out a large rose into the carpet. Out of the center rises a slim wooden staff. On the top is a white rose and green vines curl around the entire length of the staff. Lilith reaches out and takes the staff in hand.

She turns to me and closes her eyes before holding the staff out so that the white rose is almost directly in my face. "Cole Westwood, I bind myself to you. I give you my powers, my wisdom, and my body. I pledge myself to your protection and safety. I shall not move until you desire it, nor shall I appear unless it is your wish. I offer you my flesh, my mind, my eternally damned soul. Until the darkness shall overcome you, I shall serve."

The blood rose on the floor flashes brightly and the rose on top of the staff starts to lose petals. They float towards my face and as each touches me, they vanish, leaving behind only their scent. I blink and both the blood rose and the staff have vanished as well, leaving only Lilith standing in front of me.

"What was that?" I ask her.

"That was a bonding ceremony. Now I am pledged to serve you," Lilith says as she opens her eyes, or at least the one I can see. "In case you were wondering, I haven't returned to my true form because there isn't a reason to yet."

"No fair!" Pluto says angrily. "You said I could go first!"

"I said no such thing," Lilith says with a smile. "But please, feel free to go ahead now."

Pluto mutters angrily under his breath and then holds out his hand. One of the talons detaches and falls towards the ground. When it hits, sharp end facing up, the talon starts to grow. When it stops, it is about the size of its owner. Pluto puts his hand on top of the talon's point and says," Cole Westwood, I bind myself to you. I give to you my strength, my fangs, and my claws. I shall make you devoid of fear and your anger shall be feared. I shall not strike unless you wish it, nor shall I appear unless it is your wish. I offer you my flesh, my mind, my eternally damned soul. Until your scythe breaks, I shall serve."

His eyes flash momentarily and the claw begins to grow again, spiraling towards my face. I try to flinch away from its cold touch, but I find myself paralyzed. When the tip of the claw touches my face, it pricks my forehead and then begins to vanish. Once more, I blink and the claw is gone.

"I guess now I have to start calling you 'Boss'," Pluto says with a smile.

"In that case, I'll have to call you… 'Master'," Lilith says.

"How about you stick with Cole?" I say wearily.

The two demons smile at each other. "Well, unless you have need of my services, I believe I shall retire," Lilith says.

"I'm gonna catch a few z's as well, 'kay?" Pluto asks.

"Um… go ahead," I say. It's kind of strange, ordering around two demons. Lilith curtsies and Pluto bows awkwardly before they both turn back into black crystal. The two demon-shaped crystals shrink into smaller orbs and fly back into the cards. I pick up the Jack of Spades and see Pluto on the front. Lilith has also returned to the Queen of Hearts card.

As I'm returning the cards to the wooden box, I notice something nestled to the side. I reach in and pull out a black key. It looks like a key in a game, with two simple prongs and a circle as a hilt. I put in my pocket and then decide to keep the cards on me. I remove them from their box and slide them into a pocket.

I stand up and walk back up to the front of the plane. Andrea and Maria are both awake, which I find odd. "You're up pretty quickly," I say to them as I slide into the last seat open in the row.

"What're you talking about?" Andrea asks. Her hair is mussed from sleeping on the seat. "We've been asleep for two hours."

I gape at her, and then mentally curse Lilith and Pluto. The bonding ceremony must have taken longer than expected. Maria eyes me strangely, so I focus on her and Andrea. "Where exactly are we going?" I ask Andrea.

"We're heading to Arizona," she replies. "From there, we'll go to the Citadel in South America. They probably received the S.O.S. from the European Citadel as well. There, we can regroup and plan for the next battle."

"Quick question: how are you the head of this massive organization?" Andrea asks. "I mean, there must be a hundred of more capable people." When she realizes what she has said, she blushes. "N-not that you aren't perfectly capable of running the Fallen!"

Maria smiles," I understand. In the Fallen, the top dogs are always a set of twins. Ever since the original Twins, the heads of the Fallen have had twins. The elder is always the head of the Fallen, while the youngest has always been the Prophet. My mother was the Prophet of the last generation."

"So, you're the leader for better or worse," I say.

Maria nods," Thanks for your vote of faith. But don't worry. I've been training to battle demons and angels since I was four." She pulls out the twin pistols she used to fight the first angel. "I'll be the one who helps defeat the demons."

Andrea smiles," And then the cycle will end, right?"

Maria flinches, and then turns on Andrea. "How do you know about that?" she yells at her. Before Andrea can answer, the plane shudders. Everyone freezes. I can feel my heart pounding.

The plane shakes again, just before the intercom clicks on. "Ms. Ryan, please come into the pilot's chamber," the pilot says. Maria curses under her breath and flicks the safety off of her guns.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"That wasn't Phillip's voice," she says. "Both of you go to the back of the plane. No matter what happens, stay back there." Andrea and I nod in silent agreement and make our way towards the far end of the plane. Maria waits until we're all the way to the seats where I accidentally summoned Lilith and Pluto before heading into the pilot's cabin.

"What do we do?" Andrea asks me. I can hear the fear in her voice.

"What she told us to do," I say, trying to put bravery into the words. "We stay in the back of the plane. We don't move a muscle, no matter what." I'm so nervous; I flinch when the box in my arm shakes. Andrea doesn't even notice when I move to the aisle across from her.

I pull out the wooden box and quickly unlock it. Lilith's card floats out and hovers in front of my face. She doesn't come out, but the picture is looking more agitated then it did before, although it's a subtle change. I reach out, touch the card, and say,"Lilith."

The card reacts to my touch and Lilith is soon standing in front of me. "You're in deep trouble now," she says, looking around fearfully.

"What's going on?" I ask her urgently.

"Baal is on this plane," Lilith says with a shudder," or rather, he's outside of the plane."

"Who's this 'Baal'?" I ask her.

"He's what you might call a 'sadist'. He was in charge of control and order while he was an angel. But even then, he was partially insane. After we fell, it only got worse. I had the good fortune never to run into him. But before I got caught, I summoned an imp to inform me on what was going on in Hell and how my other brethren were doing. The imp tore itself to shreds when I mentioned Baal's name.

I gulp," We're so doomed."

"Maybe not," Lilith says. "We have the wielder of the blade of light and the dark one on our side, along with me."

"What about Pluto?"

"He can't fight in here. It's too confined. I'm the only back up you have."

The plane shakes more violently than the past two times and I'm thrown to the ground. When I pick myself up, I see Maria running back from the front of the plane. She wheels around and fires a bullet back into the control area, and then continues running. "Get down!" she yells at us. But it's too late.

The pilot steps out of the control room. "Well, that wasn't very nice," he says as he advances towards us. I can see a bullet hole in the front of his head, but even as I watch, the hole starts to heal. The pilot's eyes are rolled up in the back of his head yet he moves almost elegantly.

"Get out of Phillip!" Maria commands as she fires another round at the pilot's body. As the bullets strike, the pilot jerks back slightly, but keeps walking towards us.

The pilot laughs darkly," Why should I? I do so enjoy having a human form." He scans the seats as he advances until he sees Andrea and me. "So, you must be the 'wielder of the blade of light' and the 'dark one'. I've heard so much about you. Unfortunately, none of it was very good!"

Andrea crams her eyes shut and holds her hand out. The glass sword appears in her hand, materializing from the hilt up. "It'd be much better for you if you just left now," she says as she steps out from the seats and stands with Maria. "I'd hate to get this pretty blade covered in blood."

I join them. "You don't scare us, Baal." Lilith stands next to me, holding on to my arm.

Baal stops," I don't scare you? Well, you must be stupider than you look." Suddenly, the pilot's body starts to swell. "I suppose I'll have to remedy that." The pilot collapses to his knees as his body continues to grotesquely blow up. His eyes have returned to normal and he looks at us. "Help me," he manages to say before his body explodes, sending gore splashing over the walls of the plane. A few drops of blood make it to me and I feel their warmth on my chest.

Maria curses and runs towards the front of the plane, stepping through the remains of poor Philip. She disappears into the control area. Andrea and I try to follow, but we're slightly less willing to run through Philip's remains. Andrea works up the courage to run through it, gagging slightly, while I just close my eyes and run.

When we enter the control area, Maria is pushing buttons and moving levers. Gauges stay stationary, which I assume is a good thing. "What are you doing?" I ask her.

"Someone has to fly this thing," she responds. "Luckily for us, I know how to fly a plane. Unfortunately, we still have Baal to take care of."

Lilith pokes her head in from behind us. "I thought you might want to know, Baal is approaching the plane from outside at a rapid pace."

Maria whips her head around," Who is that?"

"I'll explain later, just concentrate on flying the plane," I reply. "How far away is he?" I ask Lilith.

Before she can answer, something rams into the plane. Lilith is the only one who avoids falling to the ground. The plane is hit again and Maria curses as she struggles to her feet. "Everyone, get to the back!" she yells.

"Master, you have to unlock my true form!" Lilith yells as she pushes past Andrea to help me up. "Otherwise I can't fight!" Maria grabs Andrea and pulls her out of the control room.

"How do I do that?" I ask her as the plane is hit again.

"There should have been a key!" she says. I remember the black key that was enclosed in the box. I pull it out of my pocket just as a terrible ripping noise fills the plane. "Hurry!" Lilith screams as I shove the key towards her. Then the plane gives way and with a loud snap, the plane is torn in half.

The wind tears the scream from my mouth as I'm hurled out of the plane and into the air. I'm hit by debris as I fly out. The world spins out below me. The earth flashes beneath me, then the plane looms close, then a black mass of air that roars triumphantly as I fall. My arms and legs scream in pain as they try to tear away from my body.

After a few second of freefall, something grabs me. Terror fills me as it pulls me towards the ground, spiraling towards the land below. I struggle against the demon's grip as we fall, but it holds me tight. Just before we crash into the ground, the demon slows and touches down lightly.

"That was a close one, Master," a woman's voice says as the demon releases me. I whirl around, ready to confront Baal, but freeze in shock when I see the voice's owner.

She has long black hair with streaks of purple running through it that covers one eye and stretches down to her waist. The eye that I can see is a stormy grey. She wears a low cut purple gown that barely manages to not touch the ground. Her nails are black and sharp enough to gouge out an eye. Around her neck sits a simple silver band. She's of average height, slightly taller than my five feet and nine inches. Out of her back sprout six bat wings, three pairs stacked on top of each other, that flutter as if brushed by a breeze.

"Lilith?" I say in astonishment.

She smiles regally as she flutters her fingers at me," Who else? Do you like it?"

I blush, and then remember my friends. "What about Andrea and Maria?"

Lilith shrugs," I didn't have time to catch them. They're probably still falling, or maybe they're still stuck in the plane."

My face pales as I look towards the sky. Lilith must have brought me away from the plane's crash site, because I have to look around before I find the plane, slowly sinking in the sky in two pieces. Baal is nowhere in sight. From all the way down here, any one of the small specks of debris could be Maria and Andrea.

But then, one of the specks breaks away from the rest of the plane and shoots away from the falling plane. It spins around in a circle before shooting down towards it. Lilith steps in front of me, but as the speck moves into view, it turns into Maria clutching Andrea tightly. Andrea has her eyes closed and in her hands is a conductor's baton made of glass, which she waves around delicately.

When they touch the ground, Andrea opens her eyes and lowers the baton. Maria removes her arms from around Andrea's neck and shakes herself. "Good to see you got out of there," she says when she sees me and Lilith.

"Same to you," I reply. "What happened in there?"

"When the plane split, Maria grabbed onto me," Andrea says. "I was sure that we were doomed, but then the glass sword started glowing. Then the baton was in my hands and… well, I kind of started conducting the music that popped into my head."

I look closer at the glass baton. On the side, the word Kiriel is engraved. Other than that, it looks like a normal baton. "Whatever happened, I'm glad it did. I really didn't want to have to save the world on my own."

"Did you see what happened to Baal?" Maria asks me. When I shake my head, she looks perplexed. "All I could see was something enormous, but how could something that big just vanish out of the sky?"

"He didn't vanish," Lilith says. "He just made himself smaller. He's coming towards us right now. He's aiming for Andrea with his claws." Baal must have amazing hearing, because the second she says that, he appears again, just above our group. Now we can see the evil underneath that dark cloud.

Baal is a black dragon. A massive black dragon. His body stretches out, almost covering the sky. His body is covered with black scales. His huge eyes are yellow and two spiraling horns curls up out of his head. He has only two arms, each with three ivory fingers. He bares his yellow teeth at us and roars, shooting a blast of flame into the sky.

"Move!" Maria yells as she pulls out her pistols and starts firing bullets into the demon's massive stomach. Andrea closes her eyes again and starts to move her baton again.

"Do I have your permission engage the enemy?" Lilith asks me.

"Um, go ahead," I reply. She smiles as she reaches under her dress and pulls out a black whip out from some hidden pocket. The wings on her back beat fiercely and she lifts off the ground. She flies towards Baal and strikes at him with the whip, but it bounces off of his thick scales. Baal roars in laughter and swipes at her with his claws, but Lilith moves back and dodges, then attacks again.

On the ground, Maria is still firing bullets at the dragon, pausing only to quickly reload. Unfortunately, her bullets have no effect. Andrea is still conducting with the baton and I can hear an orchestra playing somewhere far away. Suddenly, she lifts off the ground and lifts up towards Baal. She slowly floats up to him, but then she passes up above him and keeps floating. When she's above Baal, just a smallish speck, she lowers down onto his back. After a few seconds, the music has stopped.

Baal roars in pain as Lilith's whip catches his eye. He rears back in pain and Andrea is thrown off. Long before she hits the ground, she slows and floats gently down to earth. "That thing's bigger than it looks," she says just before Baal sends a burst of flame down at us.

Before the flame can reach us, Lilith appears next to me and pulls me out of the line of danger. Andrea grabs onto Maria and begins playing a different song. A shimmering wall appears in front of the two and the flame disperses against it.

"Master, this may take a while," Lilith says. "Baal has grown in power since I last saw him, while I have weakened from so long in that card. I might not even be able to defeat him."

"Just do your best," I say. Lilith looks shocked for a second, and then she nods and pushes off into the sky.

I pull out the deck of cards and grab Pluto's card. Within seconds, she has appeared in front of me. "What is it, boss?" he says with a nonchalant smirk.

"Baal attacked us. Go help Lilith," I say, not wanting to waste time on lengthy explanations.

"Cool, sign me up!" he says with a laugh. I take out the key and press it to his forehead. His body shines and I'm forced to look away. When I look back, a massive grey wolf stands in the boy's place. Pluto growls softly and bounds towards Baal.

Andrea is already back up in the air and she and Lilith are doing some damage. Baal's body has a series of long red marks from their weapons. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near enough. Baal is still going strong. I'm more than a little apprehensive about what Pluto can do against such a massive dragon.

But then Pluto roars. Suddenly, I'm back in that clearing being clawed to death by the angel. Then I'm running to the helicopter at the Citadel, but now Baal breathes fire at me and I die a charcoal death. Then I'm in the plane, being imploded by Baal. Thrown in the air and getting cut to shreds on the plane's wings. Falling without having Lilith to catch me. Lilith not making it in time to save me from Baal's fire. Dying at Lilith's hands, dying at Pluto's hands, dying in ways too gruesome to imagine.

Then I'm back on the ground, collapsed onto my hands and knees while vomiting onto the ground. The images feel like they've permanently branded themselves onto my eyes. With a herculean effort, I manage to stand on my feet. Nearby, Maria is also losing her lunch. Andrea and Lilith have both fallen back down to the ground and are shaking with terror.

Baal was hit the hardest by Pluto's attack. The dragon spasms in the air, claws ripping at enemies only he can see. Fire roasts the air, but it hits nothing. Baal's eyes are spinning around in their sockets with fear, seeing something that must be truly terrifying.

"Well, that's all I can do," Pluto says as he lopes back over to me and changes back into his humanoid form. "It's all up to Lilith now."

"Next time, focus on the enemy," Lilith says with a snarl as she lifts back into the air.

"What… what was that?" I yell at Pluto.

He scratches his head," That's what I do, of course. I'm the demon of fear, remember? You all just saw the fears that are foremost in your heads at the moment. Yours was being afraid of death." He chuckles," Right now, Baal's being tormented by the seven Princes. He's always been terrified of them. Well, he was last time I saw him."

I look up and see Lilith raining blows upon Baal's head. The black dragon screams in pain and terror, but it's too late. Lilith slashes at its eyes and blinds it before flying back down to land next to me. "It's all up to you now," she says as she curtsies, offering me her whip.

"What?" I exclaim.

"You are the dark one, the only one who can defeat the demons. You must seal Baal into one of the cards, otherwise he will reincarnate and continue to attack," Lilith says.

"Yep, so on that note, I'm gonna go back to bed now, 'kay?" Pluto says with a nod. I nod and dismiss him.

Lilith holds out her arms," I would be honored to carry you to Baal, Master." I blush as I step into her embrace. Thank god Andrea is still too stunned to see what's happening. She'd never let me live it down.

Lilith swiftly carries me up to Baal's head. The dragon is still thrashing about wildly, so it takes a bit of maneuvering to get me safely on its head. When I'm securely holding onto one of Baal's horns, I ask Lilith," How exactly do I seal him away?" Lilith just shrugs. I sigh and close my eyes, hoping that something comes to me.

I can feel something growing warmer in my pocket. I reach in and pull out the deck of cards. I choose a card at random and flip it into the air as I open my eyes. The card is floating in midair with the grey back facing me. Baal senses that something's wrong and roars, but it's too late.

"Foul demon, I banish you to the depths of eternity, to the ends of a second, and to the point of life and death!" The words pore out of me and I don't know where they come from. "I seal you in the moment of sadness and the eternity of joy. I take your powers and expel you to the prison of chaos! I seal you, Baal!"

Baal roars again, but it's too late. The playing card flashes and the dragon's body starts to glow white. Lilith grabs ahold of me just before Baal starts to flow into the card. I really don't know how else to describe it. In a matter of seconds, all but Baal's head has been trapped in the card. I can almost feel the demon's glare as its head is absorbed into the card.

The card suddenly drops out of the air and Lilith has to dive so I can grab it. Lilith drops me on the ground a little ways from Maria and Andrea. She curtsies and I send her back into her card. I walk over to where Andrea and Maria are sitting on the ground, still a little out of it from Pluto's attack. "Thanks for your help," I quip.

Maria glares at me," I would keep quiet if I were you."

Andrea giggles a little as she stands," It was kind of cool, though."

I bow," Thank you m'lady." I hold out my hand, but Maria stands on her own. I stick my tongue out at her," So now what do we do?"

Maria shrugs," We try to find a phone. Until then, we're stuck out here."

"Where are we going to find a phone in the middle of nowhere!" Andrea exclaims. For the first time, I look at our surroundings. Andrea's right; we're on a grassy plain. The only landmark I can see is the rolling grass.

Maria shrugs again," No clue. But I say we go that way." She turns and starts walking in a random direction. Andrea and I exchange a glance before reluctantly following her.