“You mean we are really engaged, you really meant it?” Alexia asked in shock.
“Well I sort of enjoy the kissing bit you get to do when you’re engaged,” Eloim said absently, turning the ring around on his finger.
“Oh my poor Eloim, I could have taught you so many other things we could have done too, if we had the time. Let us lose ourselves in a kiss while we wait for the creatures to catch up and rip apart our bodies, lost in each other and the moment of our love.” Alexia reached out toward Eloim.
“Let’s not,” Eloim said, scrambling to his feet. “Let’s start running instead, but kissing later sounds good. We can kiss a lot, later on, while we wait. It can be only a matter of time before my family or your loyal subjects work out a way to get us back.”
“There can be no rescue, any spell has to have a fix in time, Eloim, and there is no real time here.” Alexia explained as she got to her feet.
Looking back down the ravine, she saw a host of the creatures as they became visible in the gloom of the world they were in, slowly creeping forward.
“Erm Alexia,” Eloim said, looking into the sky.
“Yes my beloved?” She replied in a soft voice as she began to pull her great sword.
“What does that vortex above us mean?” Eloim asked, raising his hand to shield his face as a wind began to whip up the dusty earth of the ravine floor.
“Impossible!” Alexia gasped, letting her half drawn sword fall back into its scabbard. Quickly she grabbed Eloim and pulled him into an embrace, because of their height difference, Eloim found his face pushed into her cleavage again.
“Someone has found us,” Alexia said happily as she unfurled her wings and wrapped them around them both just as the vortex engulfed them.
The old priest stepped forward and blew out one of the candles on the pentagram. At the centre lay a single ring with a purple gemstone. His life’s work was almost complete. He had studied the arts of magic for forty years in order to gain control of the ring. It would be a talisman he could wield to rid the world of the evil creatures that infested it. Using one of their own kind to bring about their end had a justice to it that he found amusing. Alexia, Demon Empress of the Fifth Circle was trapped within the ring and he would learn how to summon her to do his bidding. He had stolen the ring from the Vatican vaults, along with the scroll that contained the spell of summoning before fleeing to England. Tonight he had tried to summon the demon but nothing had happened. He was disappointed but he would try again after further studying the scroll.
Stepping into the circle, he bent down to retrieve the ring just as a great wind blew up within the room. He staggered back with his arm raised to shield his face from the sudden gust. As the wind died down, he lowered his arm and looked in shock to see Alexia standing before him. With infinite slowness, the demon unfurled her wings and he caught sight of a second, strangely dressed figure with her. Then the demon crumpled to the floor, partly caught by the second figure. With rising panic, the priest looked at the candles; every one of them had blown out. The circle was not sealed and he was in danger because he would not be able to compel the creature until he sealed the circle. With no further thought, he lunged towards the fireplace to get a taper, hoping to relight the candles before the demon acted.
To be continued.