Part 15 (2/2)
”Well, where's the woman?”
”The semblance of a woman,” the demon muttered.
”I don't care what you call her! The deal's not complete until you deliver her, and then leave us alone forever. You can't do a thing to me, because of the contract.”
”True, sir,” the demon said. ”I will send in the woman.”
By this time Esk's sympathy had transferred pretty much to the demon. The youth was a spoiled brat, while the demon was honoring the letter of his contract.
The demon walked offstage, while the boy pulled luscious fruits from the cornucopia, bit once into each, and tossed them away, reveling in the horn's plenty.
In a moment a truly striking woman walked onstage. She undulated in her revealing gown, she almost flowed from her long golden tresses to her dainty slippers; she was the most luscious creature Esk had seen in all his life. He was half smitten with her himself, foolish as he knew this to be. The curse fiends had produced an actress to portray the most totally beautiful woman alive-and she was that.
”I have come to please you, you handsome man,” the woman announced in a sensuous tone.
The youth looked at her. His eyes widened appreciatively. ”You're the one?”
”I am the one,” she said, doing a little pirouette that flung her gown out, showing a flash of her awesome legs. ”The semblance of the perfect woman.”
”You'll do anything I want?”
”Anything,” she breathed.
”Take off your dress.”
”As you wish, O virile man,” she said, and opened the upper section of her gown as the light dimmed and the curtain came down. Esk strained to see her body, but could catch only the most tantalizing glimpse as the scene was cut off.
When the curtain lifted again, the two were in bed, having evidently completed a scene Esk wished he could have watched. But this was a family-rated play, where suggestion was prevalent over reality. The youth was asleep, the woman awake. She stage-whispered in his ear: ”Is the contract safe? Is the contract safe?”
The youth stirred. ”The contract!” he muttered blearily. He lurched up in his nightclothes and lumbered to a cabinet, where he drew out the scroll.
”Is it the right one? Is it the right one?” the woman whispered.
The youth peered at it. ”I can't read it in this light!” he exclaimed. ”If anyone stole it, and put another paper here-”
He fumbled for a candle, and lit it from a live coal in the fireplace, almost singeing his fingers. He held the candle above the parchment. ”Yes, it's the right one,” he said, peering down.
”Does it protect you from the demon? Does it protect you from the demon?” the woman whispered.
He looked more closely finding his place. The candle tilted precariously. ”It says '. . . said demon shall not harm said beneficiary in any way, nor seek to have any other party do so.' That's tight; the demon can't touch me.”
”Are you sure? Are you sure?” the woman whispered.
”Sure I'm sure!” he said irritably. ”See, right here it says-oops.” For a drop of wax had fallen from the tilting candle, landing with a splat on the parchment. There was a puff of smoke as the hot wax interacted with the ink.
With a curse of annoyance, the youth grabbed at the solidifying wax with his fingers and yanked it off. A bit of the parchment adhered. ”Only a spot,” he muttered.
”Where did it strike? Where did it strike?” whispered the woman.
”d.a.m.n! It blotted out a word! Now it says . . . said demon shall . . . harm said beneficiary. The word 'not' is gone.”
”Well now, isn't that a coincidence!” the woman said. But she wasn't the woman anymore. From the bed rose the horrendous shape of the demon. ”I wonder how that drop of wax could have landed right at that particular spot?”
The youth looked at it with appalled realization. ”You did it!” he cried. ”You used your magic to make the wax fall right there! You cheated!”
”I did not harm you,” the demon said. ”I only guided a little wax so that it would not burn your hand. I honored the contract, and shall continue to do so.”
”You will?” the youth asked with sudden hope. ”Then turn back into the woman!”
”But now the wording of that contract has a new directive for me,” the demon said. ”It directs me to harm you. So-”
The youth screamed as the demon advanced menacingly on him, but the curtain dropped, concealing what happened next. The play was over.
Suddenly Esk was glad he had not made the deal with Metria. Demons were too clever, too slippery! The youth in the play had deserved his fate, but it was still a scary reminder.
And the Vale of the Vole was overrun by demons. Now Esk appreciated Volney's quest much more directly. They had to get those demons out!
”Your visa has expired,” the Magistrate informed him. ”You must now depart.”
”But first I must ask my favor,” Esk reminded him.
”Oh, that. Very well, let's hear it.”
”I want the curse fiends' help in ridding the Vale of the Vole of demons.”
”Get rid of the demons? Why?”
”So that the voles can restore the nice curves to the Kiss-Mee River.”
The Magistrate laughed. ”What do we care about the voles? We have problems enough right here at Gateway Castle! The level of the lake rises and falls erratically, alternately flooding our farmlands and dehydrating them. Our crops suffer, and wild animals run amuck. We are hardly about to sacrifice valuable manpower to help stupid animals put curves in a stupid river!”
”But I served as a good sample audience for two days!” Esk reminded him. ”Now you folk know how to tailor those new plays more precisely to your audiences. Don't you feel you owe me anything?”
The Magistrate frowned. ”Perhaps there is a small debt owing. Very well, we shall a.s.sign you a person to investigate the situation.”
”A person?” Esk asked doubtfully.
”I'm sure she can do what is required,” the Magistrate said with a quirk of a smile.
”She?”
”Her name is Latia. She will meet you at the exit.”
Esk groaned inwardly. How could a single woman help against demons? But it seemed that this was the best he could get. ”Thank you,” he said, with what grace he could muster. The effort strained his own acting ability.
”You will depart these premises in the morning. I am authorized to extend to you the appreciation of Gateway Castle for your service.”
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