Case 30: Entry 5

I've decided the only way to deal with this problem is to go to the source. So I decided to find the crossroads fiend who had put out the hit. Although I'm not sure "hit" is the right word. I called some of the reputable mediums and seers in the area, and I soon had a name, one which didn't surprise me in the least. It's a demon commonly known as Gil-Martin, who is known to assist in monstrous activities and to have a particular fondness for games.

I have a couple rugs in my trunk with different kinds of circles inscribed in them. As soon as I knew who I needed, I grabbed a summoning circle, rolled it out on the floor of my hotel room, and went about preparing for the summoning. It took me about fifteen minutes to get everything I needed, but it took another forty or so minutes of prayer, study, and rest before I felt I was ready. Then I stood in front of the circle, and said the words. Half a second later, a tall, slightly bulbous man with slitted, vibrant green eyes stood in the middle of my rug.

"I'd heard this might happen," said Gil-Martin with a Southern drawl and revolting smile. "You must be Mr. Underhill."

The demon offered me its hand, and I was immediately glad I lacked any kind of social impulses. Putting my own hand out over the line in the rug might break the circle's integrity and leave Gil-Martin free to move about as he pleased. I didn't have any illusions about keeping him locked up long-term, but I generally prefer to negotiate from a position of power. So instead I started reciting the Nicean Creed. Then I went on to the Beatitudes, and I finished with the Shema.

"What the hell was that for?" demanded the demon after I had finished.

His ears were bleeding.

"There's plenty of reasons," I said with a shrug. "Do I really need to pick a specific one?"

The truth was that I wanted Gil-Martin to be thoroughly pissed with me. I needed my own doom to be an enticing prospect for him. When I made this deal with the fey lord I used the game as bait, but I needed something else to draw the demon in.

"Now that we understand each other, I'd like to make a bet with you. If I win, you cancel whatever bounty you have on the collection and hand over any information you have on anything not inclined to back down. If you win, I will be your servant (body and soul) for one hundred years."

I could see the greed on Gil-Martin's face as he considered the offer. Then I reminded myself not to be an idiot. A tempter is never more dangerous than when you think you're the clever one. Even if it's true. Which it probably wasn't. In any event, we reached an agreement, and everything was put on the line for a single showdown between myself and a devil of a man who had been reborn to dark, Aztec witchery several centuries ago.

There's several entries in Los Susurros about such creatures, even apart from the story of the trickster and the three fiends I mentioned before. I'm still not sure that'll actually help me, though. I could always get some help from the Lord of the Wilds. Actually, it might be safer to just take large amounts of cocaine.