[1] Nothing to See Here, Just a Demonic Ritual

Jericho United Church was essentially what one would expect when they pictured a modern church. It had all the basics: dwindling and mostly elderly population, atrocious mid-century architecture, a constant smell of soup in the air, and a severe sense of guilt in regards to all the atrocities Christianity had committed in the past thousand or so years. It was not exactly thriving, nor was it dying. It was simply an average house of worship designed for people who needed a little bit of togetherness or greater meaning in their life.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about the church. Except perhaps it's destiny.

On that particular fated night in the middle of May, the reverend of Jericho United had stayed in late to finish his sermon. Normally, he would have gotten it done earlier in the week, but there was a fundraiser potluck that had taken up most of his time. So he found himself working late that night, in his office where it was quiet and had good air-conditioning. Lo-fi beats on full blast, important events of the week open in about seven different tabs on his desktop, religious texts and other helpful books scattered everywhere —the general set up for any great writer.

Reverend Wilson Montgomery —usually just known in the community by his first name— was on the older side of middle-aged, but had kept his progressive views pretty well despite this. He had a very kind face, and large hands that when held by congregation members felt so calm and holy it was like he was born to be a minister. Born to preach the word of God. He was well spoken, kind to all living creatures, and a very good listener.

Well, a relatively good listener. Despite being able to comfort the dying and ease the pain of weary human souls just by using his ears, somehow he didn't happen to hear the two literal demons bursting into the sanctuary just down the hall that particular night.

Xander followed Bentley down the aisle as the lights overhead turned on by themselves. It's a common myth that demons aren't able to enter churches or temples or anywhere with a particularly strong God-influence. However this is not the case. Though it is true that some places deemed as being 'Holy Ground' have restricted entry for creatures of Hell, the restrictions are only in place because they have actively been warded against them either by angels or educated humans. Demons, despite their false reputation, only find their personal powers mildly weakened at most, and that is only if there is an angel present on the same ground or they spent too much time in the area. General spell casting was actually enhanced in such places, which is why Bentley had taken the 'it' and her brother to a church such as Jericho United.

"We'll need to set up a communication spell if we want Hell's help on this one—" Bentley started, but Xander interrupted her.

"That's not necessary,"

He held up his cell phone. Upon seeing it, Bentley gawked.

"You have one of those too?" She looked intrigued, which made sense as she had missed out on a considerable amount of technological evolution, "What are they?"

"They're telephones," He explained.

She grabbed the little glass rectangle out of his hand and flipped it over a couple times, examining every inch of it's smooth surface. The sight was so bizarre. A demon, completely entranced by a single piece of human technology. Xander wasn't sure whether to make fun of her or tell her about the camera feature just to see what she would do.

"This thing??" She was so interested in it, it seemed as though she had forgotten what they needed it for to begin with.

Xander snatched his phone back.

"You've missed a lot these past few years, Bentley," He told her.

Trying not to show the utter delight he was getting from watching Bentley's reaction, Xander unlocked the screen and pulled up the phone app. She watched, wide-eyed in awe as her brother called Smythe and explained a somewhat jaded version of what had happened and how they planned on getting the 'it' to hell safely. Then he hung up and put it the ENTIRE TELEPHONE INTO HIS BACK POCKET like it was nothing at all. Already Xander knew that showing Bentley around all the new technologies would be beyond delightful.

After this, the two then toiled away for a while, preparing the spell that would temporarily open a gate to Hell. Unfortunately, it had to be done very carefully and with much attention to detail as the smallest error could change the meaning of the spell completely. Not to mention the fact that the main trap had to be painted in demon blood, which despite Bentley's indifference to the pain, still took a while to spread onto the hairy church carpet.

Even after Xander had gathered all other things required for the spell, she was still only halfway through her gruesome masterpiece. This made him grow impatient and anxious.

"How much longer is this going to take?" He asked her.

"Creating a temporary gateway to Hell isn't exactly a walk in the park," She said, "It's difficult magic and it has to be perfect,"

"Well can you make it perfect a little faster? Angels sometimes wire-tap places like this,"

"Yeah well it's this or somehow getting to the main gateway and that is definitely more dangerous than risking discovery here,"

She was right, so Xander didn't respond.

When she was finally finished drawing the spell, Bentley rose back to her feet and flicked her hand a little. The wound she had been drawing blood from healed instantly.

"So Hell's expecting us, yeah?" She looked at him.

"Are you going to tell them you're alive again? Or should I go back to calling you 'Bartimeaus the Blind'?

This made her laugh, "Ah, why not?"

Bentley quickly spun around. A gesture similar to a pirouette, with the same level of dramatic air —As was the way Bentley did anything in any situation, appropriate or otherwise. When she was done spinning around, her clothes had turned themselves back into the black robe she had been wearing earlier, with the same blindfold hiding half her face.

Looking at her, Xander was honestly dumbfounded that Camael had not recognized her. But then again, nobody was looking for a face that had been dead for years. Nor were they quite as familiar with Bentley's face as her own brother, but still. The disguise left a lot to be desired

"Alright, lets get this going, then?" She smiled.

Xander nodded. But as soon as he had done so, the entire room started trembling with a terrific force, causing their spell elements to topple over each other, making quite a mess out of it. The rumbling was not part of the spell, nor was it brought on by either of the demons present. Which left only one other option.

The angels had already found them.

Xander swore loudly.

...

The doors to the sanctuary burst open and Camael the angel entered like a wild animal in a gladiator ring. Her eyes were glowing such a bright gold that one could almost mistake her for an oncoming semi-truck. Behind her was a slender and masculine angel dressed in a white suit. He didn't say anything, or even show any reaction to anything at all, instead leaving that all up to his superior.

She took only a second to observe the scene before them, from the shifted altar, to the bloody symbol drawn on the floor. Then she immediately began shouting.

"Are you honestly this foolish?" Camael began, "Did you not realize we would find you no matter where you go?"

Xander didn't even have to look at her to tell Bentley had already opened her mouth to give some dangerous and cocky reply, so he did the unthinkable and actually beat her to it.

"You are good at tracking me down Camael. I'll give you that," He said, "Reminds me a bit of a dog,"

As he had anticipated this caused Camael to strike. A white blast of light was thrown forcefully in their direction. However it was abruptly stopped by a transparent wall of red that had seemingly materialized between the two parties. It seemed Camael had also noticed the shield and immediately lowered her hand.

"If you hand that thing over," She told them, "We promise to spare your miserable little lives,"

Having just been almost hit in the face by a glowing death ball, Xander simply knew that this was a complete and total fib. He laughed.

"Yeah, I'm not believing any of that bullshit, sorry,"

Caught in her lie, Camael just played along. "I figured it was at least worth a try. Oh well,"

She raised her arm again, but instead of another ball of light forming, the same golden spear she had been carrying earlier suddenly formed itself in her hand from thin air. All she had to do was tap it once on the ground and Xander could already sense that she had done some sort of damage. A singular, yet intense ringing like the toll of a bell echoed from the floor to the tall pointed rafters of the sanctuary, causing the whole building to shake slightly.

Immediately, white bursts of light flashed all around the two demons. And from those lights, around ten more angels appeared. All of them wore the same look of severe dislike as they gazed upon Bentley and Xander. They didn't strike yet, but Xander could tell it was only a matter of time. Being outnumbered was not a good feeling. Especially with so much on the line.

But despite his own nervousness, Xander noticed that Bentley looked as relaxed as ever. Perhaps she had some sort of trick up her sleeve. Or perhaps it was because of the blindfold preventing her from seeing just how great of a threat they were up against. Still, seeing her so calm made him relax very, very slightly.

"What is this?" Bentley's voice was as lazy as her expression, "It sounds like you brought a whole party here. War criminals do enjoy company, don't they?"

Even though he had just blatantly called Camael a dog, Xander didn't want Bentley taunting them too much. He was well acquainted with how dangerous she could make her words if she wanted.

"Barty," He warned, "Be careful,"

A devilish smile crossed her lips, and she said nothing. A heed to her brother's warning.

"This little adventure of yours is over now, Xander," Camael went on, ignoring the entire interaction between the two, "Please just make it easy and hand over what we want. Your death, however inevitable, will be easier if you cooperate,"

At this, the blind demon beside him just could not keep her mouth shut.

"Wow you really have a way with words, you know that?" Said Bentley, "I'm practically sacrificing myself at your feet just listening to you,"

By now Xander had completely given up on finding an escape route or a clever way out. Of course, he didn't mind all that much. Like many demons, he had been itching to ruffle some feathers with his angelic counterparts for quite some time now. His only concern was Bentley, who he knew would not participate in anything more than banter without revealing her identity. So unless she found some miraculous way to resolve the situation, Xander was going to have to be ready to be a weapon for her.

"There's no way this ends without a fight, Camael," He said, voicing his thoughts. Then after a moment, he added a little false note of confidence, "Nor does it end with you winning,"

The angel sneered.

"Really? The numbers say otherwise,"

"And what numbers would those be?" Asked a new voice.

Xander turned around. Standing calmly beside the main altar table was the familiar face of Smythe. She gave the illusion of calmness, but anyone who knew her as well as Xander could see the extremely dangerous look hiding behind her eyes. Still, she stepped forward and politely saluted everyone in the sanctuary in proper angelic fashion.

Seeing her immediately cause a rush of relief to wash over Xander's body. But Bentley, on the other hand, tensed slightly at the sound of the voice —so subtly that Xander was the only one who could take any notice. As expected, Camael's eyes grew even brighter with hatred, though she was civilized enough to keep any further reactions under control for the time being.

"Smythe," She said coldly.

"Camael," Smythe said, nodding in return. "It's been quite a while."

Before either of them had a chance to develop the conversation further, one of the doors leading off to a side room threw itself open and another demon entered. This one certainly had a much less polite atmosphere about her, with a look of disgust plastered on her face. Despite this, Xander was also relieved to see her.

"Ew, it reeks in here," Yardley said. Then she turned to Smythe, completely ignoring all the other eyes on her as though they weren't all filled with killing intent. "Building's clear, Smythe,"

A loud POP came from the chancel. Xander looked just in time to see Knox burrow his way out of a trap door in the floor. He didn't say anything, but sniffed the air aggressively before getting to his feet.

Still in her position at the back of the aisle, Camael continued to put on a face of false respect.

"Ah, so. What brings the High Council of Hell here this evening?"

"Right. About that." Smythe smiled the exact kind of smile that made everyone in the room shudder in fear. The kind of smile that is so extraordinarily dangerous that it has been used for years as a weapon in the private offices of mafia bosses and corrupt politicians. Even Xander was nervous, having never seen this look on his friend's face before, "I got a very odd call from my dear friend Xander here. From what I heard, it sounds as though you folks are considering breaking our peace treaty,"

The quiet angel standing beside Camael tilted his head and looked at her. Though he said nothing, his eyes were filled with warning and something that could even be considered concern. She completely ignored him, proceeding to say the one thing that nobody, not even the other angels, were expecting her to say.

"That's right," She announced shamelessly.

Everyone in the room had thought she would have tried to cover this fact, whether through blatantly lying or coming up with some sort of jaded half-truth of an answer. No one was prepared to hear her openly admit that her and her fellow angels were actively seeking to violate a clear contract that had been upheld for the most part for nearly a century. All eyes turned to Smythe, anticipating what she would be able to say to such a blatant response.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Smythe kept her voice low and relaxed, although that dangerous smile was gone. "Might I ask the reason why?"

"Ask these two," Camael nodded towards the two Hellbournes who had miraculously been able to remain quiet for the past couple minutes.

For the first time, Smythe looked at Xander and Bentley standing side by side. Her eyes passed fleetingly over the first, but came to a halt at the sight of the demon in the black cloak. Though she said nothing directly, her eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Without really thinking, Xander took a step backwards to shield his sister from any suspecting eyes.

Camael, as always, plowed on with her words, catching on to none of this.

"Heaven has come to the conclusion that the item they possess, the fragment of God's Soul, is far too dangerous to be left in the hands of demonkind,"

Yardley spoke up again, her high-voice filled with the spite that only a creature as small as she would able to house.

"Oh yeah? Are we so incapable of taking care of—?"

Smythe raised a gentle hand. Even though they were technically the same level of authority, Yardley abruptly shut her mouth.

"Well what would Heaven do with such a dangerous power?" Smythe asked, feigning innocence.

"Keep it with the angels, where it belongs." Everyone in the room could tell that Camael was telling a barefaced lie, and it was obvious she knew this as well. Still she continued, her voice light and arrogant as always. "After all, we are God's chosen. The higher beings,"

"The only thing you're high on is your own egos!" Yardley spat, this time ignoring the warning look from Smythe.

Beside him, Xander heard Bentley mutter quietly.

"Oh I missed this." There was a smile on her face.

Yardley continued, "If we let you anywhere near that thing, you'll turn it into a weapon and—"

She was abruptly cut off by a slash of white light striking her across the face. It instantly shut her up, but made her infinitely more angry. Everyone else in the room was startled that Camael would be bold enough to aim a hit at such a high ranking demon while both powers were watching. However, Camael just looked at them all indifferently. A moment of shocked silence filled the room.

"Camael!" Bentley's voice shattered the air.

It was evident that she was no longer playing around. Now that someone had been hurt, Xander was not at all surprised that she had suddenly changed attitudes. Even through the blindfold, he could make out the glow of her eyes, red with rage.

"Who do you think you are?" She continued, "Is this how you treat members of Hell's High Council?"

"This is how I treat all demons from now on. Like I said, I'm ending the peace treaty." A grossly false smile had plastered itself across the angel's face.

Then she nodded to the angel beside her. However reluctant he looked, he still obeyed and drew out a golden blade. The same action was repeated by the other angels present in the room. None of the demons made any similar moves of retaliation, but the air of hatred and anticipation in the sanctuary was denser than the thickest fog on earth.

Bentley turned her head subtly towards Xander and muttered quietly.

"Let's get the soul out of here," She said.

"Good idea," He replied.

From her sleeve, Bentley produced the little glowing pouch that had caused everyone so much trouble. While the attention had been diverted from them, Xander tried to very subtly allow her to pass it into his hands. But before they could pull this stunt off successfully, another slash of white light shot between them, separating the two.

"You wanna fight? Alright then, let's fight!" Knox spoke for the first time that evening.

"No," Bentley said, but nobody except Xander seemed to hear her.

"Finally," Camael said.

And then the room dissolved into chaos.

...