Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Bartimaeus
I nfiltrating the University of Bologna was more challenging than I’d imagined. First I had to get rid of that scatterbrained Professor Sapienti. That was the easy part. I looked through the research he’d conducted, bringing evidence to the Council that proved his treason. Walking through the castle’s ancient halls, where they hid like sewer rats, accompanied by a woman dressed so immaculately that you couldn’t find even a single wrinkle in her clothes, my confidence faltered for the first time.
Much like those accursed demons, we have some tricks of our own up our sleeves. The members of the Church made sure to disguise my scent and appearance, but I admit that doubt crept into my heart when the heavy double doors opened and the woman gestured that I was permitted to enter.
The Council members are far more powerful than any other demon walking the lands of Adam. We are well aware of the powers that sisters Beatrice and Greta hold, and the abilities of Alfredo and Simon. But when it comes to Libretto, the head of the Council himself, we’re in the dark. We know that even the demons themselves are unaware of his true abilities. And from what I’ve learned so far, if someone’s hiding something from you it’s probably for good reason.
And if you know the source of the secret, you’ll almost always find its weakness too.
Because everyone has a weakness, especially the strongest. All I have to do is find this damned creature’s weak spot. I know he’s the key to the mission I’ve been tasked with – finding Lilith and banishing her from the land of Adam back to where she belongs.
The day Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof appeared in their human incarnations upon the lands of Adam attested to just one thing. Lilith is coming. If we know that, the demons must as well.
We lost the first battle. As long as humans are marked and soul incarnation is incomplete, the battle for their souls still goes on. It’s why we take them from their biological parents and take them under our wing. It’s our way of keeping them from our enemies and ensuring that they remain protected until it’s time for them to join our ranks. The accursed demons follow the same course of action. But the damned ones have found some mechanism that contaminates human blood until they’re deeply immersed in impurity. We still haven’t figured out how they do it, and every attempt to exorcise them has failed.
Unfortunately, Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof have been taken by the sisters Beatrice and Greta. And since they’re Council members, we had no way to get them back. We lost the second battle as well, probably the worst defeat we’ve suffered. We thought the manner of suicide the girl chose would work in our favor, her humanity hadn’t left her body as we were fighting for her soul, but the Devil is stubborn and managed to win that blasted fight too.
This time we had to take extreme measures. The Pope decided we had no choice but to directly infiltrate the enemy base and act from within. It’s the only way we can stop Lilith’s reincarnation into the land of Adam.
“Dr. Abano,” Libretto addresses me, and I kneel to him, showing him the respect he does not deserve.
Libretto sits on a throne in the center of the stage, as though considering himself a fucking king. He examines me for long moments, and I feel my jaw tighten until I’m sure my teeth will crack any moment. I recognize the sisters Beatrice and Greta sitting on his left side, each on her own throne. To his right are Simon and Alfredo, and a man I don’t recognize – if he’s present at a Council meeting, he must be valuable to them.
“I thank you all for agreeing to consider my candidacy for the position of university lecturer,” I bow my head.
“We must do so. After all, we need to know who will educate the best of our sons and daughters.”
“Of course, my lord,” I raise my gaze to him.
“We’ll see about that.” He smiles, stands up straight and walks towards me with confident steps. He stands before me and looks into my eyes for long moments. We know the eyes of demons are white, so in addition to cloaking my scent, I’ve had to undergo a painful medical procedure to change the color of my eyes. My superiors warned me that because my body purifies itself, the procedure won’t last long. I have to get the job and get out of here as soon as possible, before it fades and my true form is revealed. I just pray the damned ones will soon let me out of the most stressful job interview in the universe. He raises his hand in the air and the stranger approaches, standing at Libretto’s side.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he commands, and the stranger quickly obeys.
In one swift motion the stranger scratches my jugular, and I choke. Damn them. I press a hand to the wound to stop the torrent of blood, and hide the fact that my body will heal in a moment. The stranger licks my blood from his long, sharp talon, his eyes never leaving mine.
Time is relative. When I was informed that someday I’d leave this life, it felt like getting on a rollercoaster galloping towards the intended date. But from this day on it seems time is stretching out, losing its meaning. At this moment, with so many white eyes staring at me, time seems to have almost come to an absolute halt.
The hourglass turns again as the stranger looks away from me and nods at Libretto. What was that?
“You’re hired.” Libretto turns and goes back to his ridiculous throne. The stranger remains where he stands, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Thank you, my lord—” I start to say, but he waves a hand to dismiss me.
I don’t think twice and practically run out of the hall, still covering my neck with one hand. I can recognize Michelangelo’s work anywhere, and the ceilings stir up a powerful feeling of nausea in me.
Blatantly spitting at sanctity. Bastards. I’ll make them pay for debasing the Almighty. I grind my teeth and pass by the woman, not bothering to say goodbye. Once I reach my car, I cross myself and drive away from the accursed castle, my tires squealing as I go.
It isn’t until I’ve reached my new office that I realize I got the job suspiciously easily. We don’t know a thing about Libretto’s abilities, and I wonder just what he saw in my eyes when he examined them. And of course, what was the role of the strange man, and why did he take my blood? I decide to let it go for now, but I need to stay on my toes as long as I’m behind enemy lines.
When I’m finally done arranging my office as I like it, I feel a demonic presence unlike anything I’ve ever sensed before, not even the presence of Libretto, the most powerful demon we know.
I turn my head and find a lanky girl standing there. She doesn’t even look fourteen. Hair as black as night, wearing a summer dress, and looking exactly as lost as her expression radiates. And yet her eyes and the aura her slim body is broadcasting leave no doubt in my mind. This is the girl the Pope was talking about in his revelation.
“Can I help you?”
She seems surprised, scanning me with a look, and I grow angry when she practically strips me naked with her eyes.
“Are you Prof. Sapienti’s assistant? I’m looking for him.” She clears her throat and tries to seem indifferent. It doesn’t help.
“No.” I put the most fake smile on my face that I can manage, but it seems to only stir her excitement further. “I hate to be the one to tell you, but Prof. Sapienti has returned to our creator, and I’ve taken his place.” I reach out a hand to shake hers, and her nose wrinkles in confusion.
“Prof. Sapienti’s dead?” She seems broken by this, which surprises me. Does she not know the ways of their world?
“Technically, he was already dead… were you close with him?” I ask.
“No, he was doing research for my father.” She peeks past my shoulder. “Is there anything left of his research?” Her face falls as she surveys my organized office.
“I’m sorry, a Council representative came and collected all his belongings.”
“Ugh…” she exhales like a five-year-old would do when they don’t get what they want. Did the Pope misidentify the target? This girl looks nothing like what I imagined she would. It’s practically a joke.
She gives me a lustful look and I don’t like it. Even if she weren’t the demon I’d dedicated my life to destroying, I wouldn’t give her the same look. She’s no more than a child. Honestly.
“Sorry, your eyes…” she starts to say, and I feel hysteria welling up in me. I force myself to smile and disguise the distress I’m feeling. Has the effect started wearing off, and she’s noticed? I decide to follow my instincts and fake my response.
“I could say the same thing about yours. I know the change is a bit volatile for first-years, but I’ve never come across pigmentation like yours.”
“Yeah, it’s a long story.” She’s trying to be evasive, but there’s no way I’ll let her get away with that.
“I’ve got time.” I gesture to the chair by my desk with one hand, inviting her to sit, but she hesitates. She looks back, considers, and just as I’m sure she’ll run for her life away from here, she approaches the chair.
I gently close the door, but the sound of the click still makes her jump up. As I circle the desk and take my seat, I feel her eyes fixed on me, and the sense of discomfort increases. Her presence is just driving me out of my mind.
“How old are you anyway? You don’t look old enough to be a lecturer, let alone a history lecturer,” she blurts out. This girl doesn’t have even the slightest bit of manners.
“Didn’t your father teach you anything about us? Appearances never reveal our true age.”
“Alfredo needs to receive criticism from time to time, I don’t think it goes well with your position.”
I laugh in response. I have to lie to keep her from getting suspicious.
“I’ll pass that along the next time we see each other. So what exactly is this research Prof. Sapienti was asked to do for your father? Does it have something to do with your special eyes?”
“Are you a demonologist too?” She ignores my question, and I barely keep myself from exploding at her. I should be pumping her for information, not the other way around.
“Among other things,” I say, and start drumming my pen on the wooden desk. I note that it greatly irritates her, and wonder if she’ll show her true face if I annoy her enough. It’s clear how much I’m affecting her, even if she’s nowhere near my league. It’s pretty amusing, actually.
“And what about… theology?”
Is she onto me? First my eyes, now she’s asking about God?
“Why are you asking about that? What's it to you?” I practically growl.
“Is that what got Prof. Sapienti in trouble?”
“I don’t know about his return to the creator. But I know that anyone asking questions about theology usually doesn’t stay on this Earth for very long.”
The harshness in my voice frightens her, and she stands up in order to escape. I curse myself for letting my emotions get the better of me, and decide to stop her.
“Sit down at once, Bellcolor, we’re not done yet!” I command her, and she recoils.
“How do you know my name? I didn’t tell you.”
“The Dean of the University briefed us all about your situation, you must have known that.” I try to put as much coldness as I can gather into my voice. It’s absolute nonsense, of course, but anything goes.
“So… have you run into a case similar to mine, Barty?”
I chuckle. It’s been too long since anyone’s called me that. “Barty?”
“I thought it was appropriate, since we’re already on a first-name basis.”
“What makes you think I’ve encountered a case similar to yours?” I lean back and continue drumming with the pen, this time on my cheek, continuing to test her nerves.
“Aren’t you a historian?” She raises an eyebrow.
“Among other things.”
“Well, if you’re not going to answer any question of mine, I think we’re done here after all.”
“You’re not asking the right questions, Bellcolor.” I fake a smile, and it seems she’s exposed me.
She offers no less of a fake smile and says: “I prefer Belle.”
“Well, Belle, if you ask the right questions, I might be able to answer them.” I was always good at laying traps, and it seems innocent Belle has walked right into them. I feel her eyes following the pen as I toy with it, and a blush colors her pale face. We’ll see if this game will be as enjoyable as I think it will.
She stands up and straightens her dress. “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” she says, and leaves my office.
I don’t hesitate for a moment, removing a mirror from the first drawer in my desk and examining my eyes. Indeed, my left eye has returned to its original blue color.
Fuck. That was careless of me. But in my defense, I hardly expected her to just fall into my office before I even started looking for her.
I thought it would be harder. And not only had she popped up here out of nowhere, she’d walked right into the trap I’d set for her.
I realize I’ll have to go through the whole loathsome procedure again. It’s not the pain that bothers me, it’s the desecration of my body, which no longer belongs to me.
I’m tainting God’s sacred property. Finding myself in Hell is surely my punishment for that.