Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) by Golden Czermak Page A

called you here, Lord Dajjal. Do you hear me?”
    He replied without the faintest hint of the nervousness that overcame Astaroth. “Who are you?” his voice rumbled.
    “My Lord, it’s Astaroth,” he replied, struggling to loosen his tie and unfasten the topmost button of his shirt. The heat was agonizing, taking a lot of energy to keep his host from burning away. Had he been mortal, it would have been fatal.
    “Ah, Great Duke,” Dajjal said with the tiniest modicum of happiness. “To what do I owe this unexpected… and delinquent pleasure?”
    Astaroth’s eyes darted around the room – the hardwoods were aflame, along with a large, ornamental floor rug; priceless possessions made worthless in no time. “I… have a message to convey,” he said without strength, “and also need for your help.”
    “Now of all times?” he asked sarcastically. “It must be urgent indeed for you to come to me now… and not before.”
    “Apologies, my Lord,” Astaroth said, cringing with anxiety. “I was blinded for some time by the promises of the new regime. Since Eligos was overthrown, I believed things would improve, but they have not. In fact, we seem to be failing much more than succeeding in our activities.”
    Dajjal was not impressed with what he was hearing. “Such as?”
    “To name but a few things: the Ire is gone, as are its shackles. They are in the possession of a human that is being allowed to gallivant around and collect the rest. Demons are being ordered about by earthbound monsters and though I understand the need to have alliances for an undertaking of this size, the ones that are being forged are extremely fragile.”
    “I see…” Dajjal answered. “Then it is much worse than I thought. There is no fear. No fear of failure, no fear of punishment, and certainly no fear of pain. The followers do not know who the leaders actually are. This. Must. Change.”
    Astaroth was terrified, but agreed. He still held onto doubt that he should ever have contacted this demon, but carried on nonetheless. “Yes my Lord. Additionally -”
    “There is MORE?”
    He recoiled as the heat intensified. “Yes… unfortunately. We are not leading incursions into Journeymen territory in order to gain ground. We sit idly by, pandering to Earth creatures, and just wait for things to happen. Operations have all but ceased in Karachi, Algeria, Easter Island -”
    “I’ve heard enough,” Dajjal thundered. “If you bring me there, I will guarantee change, guarantee you a greater place in the new era – directly at Lucifer’s side.”
    This was music to Astaroth’s ears. “I can certainly work on this for you.” He was hesitant to continue, not knowing where the conversation might lead. Yet, he had already opened the door and it was too late to avoid walking all the way through it. “There is another matter, the help I referred to.”
    The flames roared. “Go on.”
    “In order for the alliance with the monsters to continue for now and for me to work on getting you to the Earth, I must be able to gain Onoskelis’ trust. She has ordered that we attack Gage Crosse’s estate somewhere in Houston. Doing this will serve to satisfy all these proposals.”
    “Gage Crosse…” Dajjal said with hate. The abhorrence in his voice was palpable. “That name has even reached my ears in the depths of the pits themselves. Tell me, Great Duke, how is it a measly, little, pathetic human can exert dominance over the entirety of DEMON KIND? This is far more potent than anything the Journeymen themselves have ever done. If he gets them to rally, then our chances of success are greatly diminished, perhaps eliminated.”
    “Well, the Lodge as they call it, is protected by all sorts of warding, sigils and enchantments. It would be impossible for us to launch a strike, even if we knew where it was because we don’t know what has been included in their defenses. Do you know of a way to simply… erase all the warding?”
    There was an