The Return of the Order - Act 7

The explanation came in the form of a knock at the door late the following morning. The knocking woke Margaret and the twins from their uncomfortable slumber. Raven moved to answer the door, but Margaret motioned for him to stay with his mother. It was better that they remain close to her and that she dealt with any unwanted attention.

When she returned to the bedroom, there was a ghost of a smile on her face. She moved to Louisa’s still sleeping form, “Louisa, wake up, there is an old friend to see you. He is waiting where he always waits.”

Louisa woke, pain seared through her face from the still healing wounds that crisscrossed her eyes. It took her a moment to register what Margaret had said,

“An old friend?”

“Yes, dear, waiting where he always waits.”

As the sleep lifted from her, she realised who was waiting. The twins made to follow her as she left the room.

“No, my darlings, stay here, there will be a time for you to meet him, but it is not now.” Louisa continued out of the room, ignoring the sighs of disapproval emanating from the twins. Keeping some distance between her family and their old friend was as much for his safety as it was her piece of mind. Shaking her head, she made her way to her mother’s grave.

There he was, the man who had loved her mother as much as her father had. He sat at her grave, talking to her as freely as if she were able to answer him. Many men would have allowed rejection to eat away at them, to make them bitter, even twisted that love into something darker. He hadn’t, he had continued to love her. He had insisted on being the one who reaped her soul at the end. He had pulled her from the fire and sat with her in her final moments. As Louisa neared the grave, she remembered how he had told her of her mother’s final moments, how he had given her the chance to call on the demons, to create a contract that would have saved her life. Jayne had refused, not wanting to be bound to anyone but Typhon, despite his pleas she had remained steadfast until her last breath, asking only that he find and protect her child. It was a promise to which he had readily agreed.

“Undertaker.”

"Ah, dearie, there you are," looking at her closely, he continued, "it's a good job you heal quickly, or you would end up looking like me." He giggled at his own joke as Louisa's hand went to her face. Smiling, she settled on the ground next to him.

"While I am always happy to see you, Undertaker, why are you here?"

“Ah, yes, the reason, I have a message from Malphas.”

“He’s alive.”

“Very much alive and kicking, and very, very angry, hehehe, angry even for him.”

“Undertake, what has happened.” Louisa was exasperated with him, getting straight to the point had never been a strong suit of Undertaker’s.

“He has been summoned and bound by a new master against his will.”

“Against his will, that’s no longer possible.”

“Well, apparently the human knew the words and the rituals needed to summon a specific demon and to bind them to this reality and to them.”

As she gathered her thoughts, she considered what all this could mean. Malphas, like her father, was one of the Lords of the demon realm, he was feared and respected throughout the realm and among the demons that occupied the human world. To use his name was to invoke his anger, and few would risk imparting it to a human. Any trace of it among the humans had been lost to history, along with the incantations required to summon and bind demons. Her father and Malphas had seen to the destruction of these tomes themselves, as part of the agreement with the ancient Order, giving demons the right to choose who to serve while accepting punishment when they broke covenants. While some among the humans had attempted to reconstruct such rituals, they had always met with failure, and those that had got too close never got to see their work fulfilled.

“Those tomes were destroyed; you know this as well as I do.”

“Well dearie, somehow this human has the words and now has Malphas. The binding leaves him unable to access the space between worlds or the demon realm.”

“The binding, that is why I cannot feel his presence?”

“Yes dearie, but he is well, and you will see him sooner than you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I’ve said too much again. Too late to stop now, the visions are real, dearie.”

“What do you mean?”

“What you already know to be true, though you do not want to admit it to yourself, it is not over.”

The sights and smells of the visions coursed through Louisa's mind. If Undertaker was right, then everything they had worked to protect was at risk. Lost in her thoughts, she barely registered that Undertaker had stood.

“Now I really must stop talking before I get myself into more trouble with William. I will see you all very soon.”

And with a tip of his hat, he was gone before Louisa could ask what he meant.

Confused but with her heart lightened by the news that Malphas was alive, Louisa headed back to the house. She knew instinctively that he would make them pay for this, and the thought of his revenge brought a smirk to her face.

On her return, she broke the news to two very relieved, if angry, children.

“Margaret, I must go to the demon realm. If this news has reached there, then some may take the opportunity to challenge my father.”

“Yes, go, do what you must and then return to us. The children and I will be safe until you return.”

“Call if you need me, I will hear you.”

Louisa hugged her and the twins, then went to her room, removed her dress, and opened a portal to the demon realm. The change in the energy around the house as the portal opened did not go unnoticed by the grinning figure that had just settled in the trees not far from the house. Peter contemplated making his move now and finishing those left in the house. While it was tempting, he had other plans, he smiled at the dark thoughts that crossed his mind as he leapt from the tree and made his way back to the manor.