Her Favorite Demon
by Bill Prindle
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Table of Contents parts: 1, 2, 3, 4 |
part 3
The next morning, Lili awoke early from a restless sleep. In an instant she was stricken by the memory of the lost scholarship. Her heart ached, and she sat on the edge of her bed, her long arms wrapped around her chest, and rocked back and forth, snuffling quietly as tears coursed down her cheeks.
She was devastated at losing the scholarship, and what Barbatos had said about her mother and father was hard to believe. Kat’s betrayal humiliated her most of all when she thought of how often she had helped Kat with her homework, pushing her to study more, proofreading her compositions, and correcting her math homework. Kat had used her, plain and simple.
She tried arguing with herself that Barbatos might be lying, but why would he? What did he have to gain by lying to her? The spell said he had to tell the truth.
And Barbatos had called her “beautiful.” No one had ever called her beautiful. Was she?
She knew Kat would never admit what she’d done, and even if she did, it wouldn’t change anything. Lili at first bridled at how powerless she felt and was then overcome with a flash of blind anger, a desire to strike out at something or someone. Séraphine would tell her to confront her enemies and show them no mercy, but Lili decided she only wanted to hurt Kat enough to make her feel the way she did, bereft and wounded.
As soon as Edith left, Lili marched to the barn and conjured up Barbatos. This time he appeared in a perfectly-tailored, charcoal pinstripe suit, gleaming black shoes, red silk tie, and gold cufflinks.
“Wow! You look elegant,” she said.
He shot his cuffs. “Yes, I do,” he said. “Didn’t have time to change. Just came from a meeting at a private equity firm. Massive layoffs, outsourcing to India, big executive bonuses — foreclosures, unemployment, despair. Unparalleled misery for the many, riches for the fortunate few. All in a day’s work. What’s on your mind?”
“If I wanted knowledge of other spells that aren’t in that diary, all I have to do is request one from you, right?”
“Now you’re catching on,” he said.
“So if I wanted a love spell, you could give me one.”
“Got someone in mind?”
* * *
A short while later, Lili walked down the block and saw Lon and Kat, canoodling on the lawn of a house he was supposed to be painting. Lili leaned against the scaffolding and stared at him. He abruptly stood up, walked over to her as if summoned, hooked his arm around the scaffolding, and leaned forward until she could smell the cigarettes on his breath.
“How you doin’ today, Lili. Ain’t you lookin’ pretty.”
She smiled demurely and looked up at him. “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Ain’t but one pretty girl I see here and that’s you.”
Kat walked over to them. She put her arm through Lon’s.
“What time are you coming by for me tonight, Lonnie?”
He looked blankly at Kat. “What?”
“Our date. Tonight. What time are you coming by?”
“I reckon ‘round eight.”
“You reckon?”
“Christ Almighty, eight — okay?” He pulled his arm away.
Kat grabbed Lili’s hand. “Come on, Lili, let’s get the mail!”
As they walked away, they heard Lon call from atop a ladder, “Bye Lili.”
“What was that all about?” Kat sputtered.
“You’d have to ask him,” Lili said. “Probably just trying to make you jealous.”
She’d seen the glassy look in Lon’s eyes, as though she’d hypnotized him. That the spell seemed to have worked was both disconcerting and exhilarating.
After they picked up the mail, Kat brought up the scholarship.
“I wouldn’t have won it without your help,” she said as she hugged Lili. “Please tell me you don’t hate me.”
Lili whispered into Kat’s ear. “Of course I don’t. Why should I hate you? We’re best friends forever.”
Kat gave her one more squeeze and said she had to go shopping over to Ellsworth with her mother. Lili went back to the barn.
Barbatos appeared wearing a toga and sipping from a large goblet of red wine.
“I tell you, that old saying that there’s no rest for the wicked is true. I’ve been at a three-day Bunga Bunga party in Sicily with the Italian prime minister. Lust — my favorite sin!”
He slurped his wine, spilling some on his toga. “What’s up?”
“I guess I can sort of trust you after all. That love spell worked.”
“Oh yes, it’s guaranteed.”
“Please tell me if there’s a chance for me to get that scholarship.”
He sipped his wine and furrowed his brow. “Be more specific.”
“Please tell me if there is some way for me to get the scholarship so that I don’t have to do anything really bad.”
“There is,” he said. He set his wineglass on an old apple crate and sat in a rickety wicker chair. He gestured for Lili to sit across from him. “Within the next twelve hours, the circumstances exist for you to acquire the scholarship.”
“And?” she said impatiently.
“Request?”
“Just tell me what has to happen for me to get the scholarship.”
“Hey, what happened to ‘please’?” he said. “Before I answer, we need to have a talk. You’re getting into the deep end of the pool now. If I don’t give you some advice, no one else is going to. Do you remember what’s on the title page of the diary?”
Lili said she did.
“Do you have any idea what vires intus means?”
She said it meant “the force within.”
“Yes, but what does it signify?”
She shrugged.
“The force within signifies what is in your heart. It’s the intent behind an action. Depending on vires intus, the power of your will determines the results and consequences of your choices.”
Lili had no idea what he was getting at. “But you said yourself that I was the more deserving candidate.”
“Yes, that’s true, and see what that got you. Life ain’t a meritocracy, sweetie. You didn’t get the scholarship, and now, to change what happened, you have to make choices that will depend on vires intus and some arcane knowledge as provided by yours truly. Those choices engender other choices you’ll have to make. Nothing comes free, Lilith. There are consequences, especially when you deal with me. Are you certain that you want to know?”
“Tell me if I have to do something bad?”
“Not that bad. On a scale from one to ten, I’d call it a two. The far more important question is, what would you be willing to do to get the scholarship?”
Lili gave the question some thought. She definitely didn’t want to injure anyone, but if Kat wound up feeling as bad as she did, she wouldn’t mind that at all.
“I would do anything short of really harming someone. Hurt feelings are okay, though. Please tell me what I should do.”
Barbatos stroked his chin as if considering. “Drop by Lon’s house tonight at seven and allow events to unfold. The spell is still working. That should give you some idea of what might happen.”
“Tell me if that will get me the scholarship.”
“You will create conditions that may lead to the scholarship, but more may be required. Remember, you still have free will to make whatever choices you want. All I’m allowed to do is provide some advice and a little knowledge. The choices you make will be yours and yours alone.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get back to Sicily,” he said.
She spoke hesitatingly. “Please tell me if you really think I’m beautiful.”
“As far as I am concerned, you are beautiful in every possible way.”
She considered his words and then blew out the candle.
That night after supper, Lili went up to her room and looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
“Vires intus,” she said to her reflection. “Why not? What have I got to lose?”
Feeling as though she were about to do something daring and adventurous, she decided she should look more like her heroine Séraphine. She examined the cover of Dark Fury. Séraphine was running down an alley, looking back over her shoulder at a distant pursuer looming in the misty Parisian night.
Séraphine’s features were dramatic: dark eyes, high cheekbones, full lips, and a wild flowing mane of black hair. Her trench coat had fallen open, revealing her svelte but curvy figure and shapely legs.
Lili propped the book on the bureau next to her mirror and examined herself. She did not even slightly resemble Séraphine.
I’ve sort of got a figure, Edith, she thought, regarding herself. Just not a saggy one like you.
She decided some eyeliner and mascara might make her look more sophisticated. She examined Edith’s medicine cabinet and found both. It was the first time Lili had ever applied makeup of any kind despite Kat’s numerous attempts to give her a full makeover. The results looked odd for someone with such a fair complexion. Lili reexamined herself in the mirror.
“What do you think, Séraphine?” she said, striking a pose and trying to feel more confident. She certainly looked different but what surprised Lili far more was that she felt a little different, more Séraphine-like — powerful and unafraid.
She laughed and ran down the stairs and into the summer night.
At eight-twenty, Kat banged on Lon’s door and received no response. She then looked up and down the street and saw a couple appear under the light of a distant street lamp. They were walking hand in hand. As they came closer, Kat saw it was Lon and a girl, and she stalked up to meet them.
“Lon? Did you forget about me? Who in hell — it that you, Lili?”
Lili dropped Lon’s hand, kissed him on the cheek, wished him a good night, and approached Kat. “Thanks for the lovely walk,” she said to him over her shoulder. Under her breath she said, “He’s all yours” to Kat and walked away.
Kat lit into Lon for standing her up and shoved him so hard he fell back onto his ass. Across the street, Mrs. Perkins pulled her curtains aside to see what the ruckus was about.
Lili heard their voices and then heard Lon yelling, “No you don’t. Stop!” Kat had jumped into Lon’s car, started it up, and roared off. Lon ran after the car and caught up with Lili as the car flashed by them.
“She can’t drive no better’n a five year old. Goddammit!”
They looked at each other, and Lili said, “She’ll be fine. Nothing bad ever happens to Kat.”
Lili walked to the library and let herself in. She felt oddly disappointed by how docile Lon had been during their walk. He wasn’t good at making conversation and hadn’t even tried to kiss her. He wasn’t at all the Lon she enjoyed watching while he worked. He was just another boring boy.
But there was no doubt about it: the spell had worked and Kat had gotten her comeuppance.
For the next two hours, she searched for websites where people exchanged information about magical spells and grimoires. She posted a question on a couple of them under her real first name, Lilith.
“Has anyone heard of Augustine Naquin or Incantatorum Vires Intus?” she typed. She logged off, closed up the library, and walked home. It was so late she didn’t bother washing up.
* * *
Edith threw open Lili’s bedroom door and shook her awake. “What do you know about last night?”
“What are you talking about?” She pushed Edith’s hand away.
“Gladys Perkins told me everything. She saw you and that no good Wardwell boy together. Then Kat caught you two and stole his truck. She crashed into a parked car all the way over to Prescott.”
Lili was alarmed. “Is she hurt?”
“Walked away without a scratch, but that don’t matter. She’s in plenty of trouble and so are you.” Edith grabbed Lili’s shoulder and shook it. “What in hell’s got into you — and what are you doing with my makeup all over your face? You look like a goddamn raccoon. You got some explaining to do, missy.”
Lili got out of bed and stood toe-to-toe with Edith. “I don’t have to explain anything to you, Edith. Not anymore.”
Edith eyes widened in fury. She drew back her hand to slap Lili, but Lili caught her by the wrist. Edith struggled to pull away, but Lili held tight and calmly returned Edith’s outraged stare. Scooping all that ice cream had given Lili a vise-like grip.
Lili finally let go, and Edith stomped down the stairs, muttering threats of retribution to come.
After her shift at the Variety, Lili walked along the rocky beach and into the woods that grew right down to the shoreline.
She knew she’d caused Kat’s accident — but had she? She hadn’t stolen Lon but only sort of borrowed him, and that was nothing compared to what Kat had done to her. Kat wasn’t even her friend; what kind of friend would say the things Kat said about her? But still, as Barbatos had promised, Kat hadn’t been injured. Still...
She found a clearing carpeted with pine needles and drew a triangle on the ground, the apex pointing south. “Barbatos, Barbatos, Barbatos,” she said, and he appeared wearing a Red Sox jersey and cap, ear buds dangling from an iPhone clipped to his belt.
“This better be important. They’re tied with the Yankees at the bottom of the seventh,” he said.
“Stop being so inopportune!” The word didn’t quite sound right to her.
“Don’t you mean ‘inappropriate?’” he said
“I’m the reason she crashed, aren’t I? I did what you told me to do because I wanted that scholarship. She could have been hurt — or killed.”
“First of all, I didn’t tell you to do anything. I gave you a choice and you took it. Second, she sustained nary a scratch — not this time anyway. Listen, Kat stole that scholarship from you and betrayed your friendship every chance she got. Those were her choices and that’s why she crashed. Did you force her to steal the pickup?”
“No, but—“
“The correct answer is ‘No’.”
“Tell me what’s going to happen to Kat.”
“Kat not only totaled Lon’s pick-up but the car she crashed into, as well. And as fate would have it” — Barbatos chuckled as though amused by his own handiwork — “that car belongs to one of the trustees of The Benson School. What with the wrecked cars and the charges against her, she won’t get the scholarship.”
“Well, I don’t want it now!” Lili paced back and forth, kicking up dust.
“It’s not yours yet.” Barbatos regarded her and said softly, “But don’t be silly. Of course you want it.
“No, on second thought,” he resumed, “maybe you don’t want that scholarship. So off you go to one of the worst high schools in Maine, which is saying something. Maybe you want to be like the other girls from Dark Haven and Prescott who get pregnant, drop out of school, work in a convenience store and mow lawns, have five perpetually sticky and dirty kids with an idiot like Lon, gobble up Doritos and swill quarts of Mountain Dew, gain two hundred pounds, live on food stamps, and buy their clothes at Goodwill.”
She stopped pacing, stared at him, and took a deep breath.
“Please tell me what I have to do to get the scholarship. But I don’t want anyone getting injured, and I mean it.”
He held up his right hand, forefinger raised. “David Price just struck out three in a row. Looks like the Sox won’t blow it after all.”
“Barbatos,” she said, “pay attention.”
He took out a small note pad, wrote a sentence on it, folded the piece of paper twice, and handed it to her. “The Benson trustees are going to invite you and the other candidate make a presentation on why you deserve the scholarship. At some point in the proceedings, if you want to be absolutely certain of getting the scholarship, hand this note to the headmaster and, when you do so, look him straight in the eye. At that moment, you must want that scholarship more than anything. Your intent will make the difference. If it’s not there, the note won’t work.
“If you don’t give him the note, I can’t say whether you’ll win or not. We both know you’re the best candidate, but you’re walking in with a few strikes against you. Hand him the paper with vires intus, and you’ll get the scholarship. You have to choose what you’re willing to do to get what you want.”
“Tell me what you wrote.”
“You already know I wrote something that will affect him,” he said. “And I warn you: if you read the note, it will go up in flames.”
“No one will get hurt? No accidents or anything like that?”
“Not right now but, down the road, who knows? Remember, Lili, you are making use of what I know. That is the crux of your choice — hidden knowledge. It’s serious.”
She said his name three times and he vanished.
* * *
Copyright © 2021 by Bill Prindle
