The Deal by David Gallie Page B

sounded a lot more hopeful than I should
have.
    ‘ The deal is still unbroken for
now, but with your soul now protected by our original creator our
dark lord can no longer create a link with you. In essence, it
makes you invisible to him when you decide that you need some time
alone.’
    ‘ Well, that could come in very handy.’ I said, looking
at the ancient and foreign symbols on my wrist. ‘Is it an automatic
thing or do I have to utter some secret incantation?’
    ‘ All you have to do is trace
infinity on your right wrist and you will become invisible to him
and any other demon. And of course, you should trace it again to
release the magic.’
    I looked down at my right wrist, a little
puzzled at first and then I saw it. Dead centre in the middle of my
wrist was the number eight. The sign of infinity. I had to fight
the temptation to trace my index finger around the
shape.
    ‘ I understand that it may not be
what you were hoping for.’ Said the big monk, and I could
definitely hear a note of sadness in his voice now. ‘But there are
many artefacts just like that one, which when combined can give you
the power you need to break your deal with Satan.’
    It didn’t really take a genius to figure out
what the monk was aiming at. I already understood that the only way
I was ever going to break my deal with his royal darkness was to go
head to head with him. And you know what, I was starting to warm to
the idea of the day when that might come.
    ‘ Thank you Pertilius. I know you
don’t have to help me at all.’ I said, still in awe at my new
golden tattoos.
    ‘ Well, I did say I wouldn’t forget your kindness.’
    I looked up just in time to see
Pertilius peel back the hood on his robe. I could feel my jaw
slacken as the face that was revealed belonged to the young man I
had set free from the demon lord Hermetia’s kitchen.
    ‘ You! But how? Why?’ I was
flabbergasted and unsure what to make of it all.
    ‘ I wanted to make sure you would
actually find your way into the great hall and the only way to do
that was allow myself to be taken as a lost soul.’
    ‘ But what if I had left you
there?’
    ‘ We are practitioners of black
magic. There are no objects or demons which can keep us bound.’ A
wry smile crossed his thin lips. ‘It’s time for you to go back to
the Earthly plane, Samuel. I sense our lord will be
looking for you soon.’
    ‘ Great. That’s just spoiled my
day.’ I said trying to be jovial but I couldn’t hide just how
depressing my life had become since I made that damn
deal.
    ‘ When you find the time, I would
suggest that you pay a visit to St Helen’s Elementary school and
kindergarten. You may find something there that can illuminate your
path.’
    I looked at Pertilius, even more, puzzled than before, and I was about to ask him what he was
talking about when he suddenly shoved me backward. I tried to
steady myself but it was no good, I was falling straight back into
the passageway .
     
    The light of the world vanished quickly as I
fell. Air rushed around me at an alarming speed and I had no option
but to brace myself for a hard landing.
    The hard landing never
came. Instead, I landed on something soft, and as I scrambled to
my feet I realized that I had landed on my own bed.
    I was back in my own apartment. Back in my own
bedroom which was still in the soft darkness I had become
accustomed to. Sitting on the edge of the bed I tried to get myself
together. My thoughts seemed broken and scattered, yet there was
one thing I remembered very clearly:
    The name of the elementary school Pertilius
had mentioned. It had sounded so familiar and now that I was back
in my own world I understood why. It was the same school where Lisa
had once been a teacher before she had been cruelly snatched away
from me.
    During the time after making my
deal with Satan, I had never thought to actually
look into my wife’s life on this plane. Instead of choosing to
try and figure out why she was in