The creature facing Matthew was humanoid, but clearly not human. It was about the size of a five-year-old child, though its severe expression and ready stance belied its small stature. It was male, as the rather prominent member hanging between his legs proclaimed; and the organ seemed quite pronounced, slightly larger in proportion to the rest of his body. The creature had leathery, bumpy skin the color of forest mushrooms, and his face seemed almost drawn in caricature; with a broad, flat nose, slanted, gleaming eyes, and a bald pate.

“I am Jephel the Mighty! Who dares disturb my peace!” the creature intoned in a deep, sepulchral voice, glaring frightfully at Matthew from beneath his brows. It would have been truly frightening – from someone four feet taller. As it was, the young man had to hold back a smile.

“You mock me, puerile mortal? Torments I shall visit on your foolish head! You will know the power of Jephel, and despair!”

Matthew coughed to hold in his somewhat hysterical laughter. That’s… quite enough of that. So you’re a… familiar spirit?” The young man was feeling distinctly light-headed. Five minutes ago he had been convinced the book was pure hokum, and now he was actually conversing with a demon!

The creature looked at first taken aback, and then furious. “A fetch!” he spat incredulously. “You would so insult me? Did you not hear me? I am Jephel! I am no simple wight! Mock me at your peril!”

Matthew frowned. “Ok, ok. Don’t get upset. I’m not trying to insult you. I just… the spell was for a familiar spirit, so I assumed…” the young man’s voice trailed off under the demon’s searching gaze.

“You summoned me under a familiar casting?” Jephel said evenly. “Goddamn. You must be some kind of magus, boy. I’m sorry.”

Matthew swallowed nervously. “Sorry? Why are you sorry?”

Jephel regarded him gravely. “You really don’t know what you’ve done, do you? My Lord, Beleth, will know that you have called me, and to what purpose. By summoning me so, you have… hmmm… proclaimed your power for all to hear. Beleth will not let the boast go unchallenged. He will come to you soon, perhaps tonight, and test you to determine your worthiness.”

“Test? What kind of test?”

Jephel shrugged. “I don’t know. But not many survive it. The only ones I’ve heard of who have survived; Laroux, Jezebel, Gregory… all were experienced Magi who knew exactly what they were doing.”

Matthew felt a sinking sensation begin in the pit of his stomach. “Great. Ok, can I just send you back? Apologize?”

“Doesn’t work that way,” Jephel muttered, looking about the room. “You’re tied to me now, and I to you. I you tried to send me back, we’d both go to the Abyss… and believe me, you don’t want to go there.”

“So I’m stuck with you?”

“For as long as you have left to live, that’s about the size of it,” Jephel said cheerfully. “So, considering this is probably your last day on earth, what do you want to do?”

Matthew stood up, wincing at the soreness in his legs. “I don’t know. This is a little much to process all at once. Uh… what can you do?”

Jephel turned from his appraisal of the room to regard his summoner quizzically. “What d’you mean?”

Matthew shrugged. “Well, do you have any… I don’t know, demonic powers or anything?”

Jephel sniffed fastidiously. “Technically, that’d be ‘daemonic powers’. The whole ‘demon’ thing is very annoying. I prefer the term ‘wight’ personally. Less of a loaded word, if you know what I mean.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for the crash course in terminology, but you didn’t answer the question.”

Jephel huffed irritably. “Powers? Er… lessee… well… I can… uh… start fires?”

“Start fires?” Matthew deadpanned.

“Yes, absolutely,” Jephel assured him, warming to the topic. “If- if there’s adequate tinder, that is. You’ve you got tinder, I’m your wight.”

“Right. So you’re telling me that I am probably going to be killed for summoning a tiny daemon who can barely start fires!” Matthew’s voice increased in volume throughout the sentence, until he was shouting. “Oh, my day is going so well.”

Jephel rolled his eyes. “You’re a neophyte, so I’ll forgive you the ‘tiny’ crack. Look, junior, you don’t get something for nothing. You want to see some hell raising? Get me some juice.”

Matthew furrowed his brow in confusion. “Ok… what kind do you like? We have orange juice downstairs…”

Jephel groaned and smacked his forehead with one tiny palm. “No, you ingrate! My hold on this world is very tenuous right now, and I’m expending all the ambient energy I’m gathering in just to stay here. You’ll need to get me more power before I can do anything else.”

Matthew nodded slowly. “Alright. So how do you power up? Does electricity work?”

Jephel grunted. “Oh yeah, it works. Electricity, fires, running water… all those give me energy. But don’t get any bright ideas about plugging me into a light socket. I’d drain the power grid dry before I got enough power to singe a cat. No, the best source of energy is the traditional one.”

“And what’s that?”

“Intimate relations. Carnal congress. Fornication. The horizontal tango. Making love. Sex. Copulation. Boffing. Bonking. Getting it on. Getting laid. Screwing. Shagging. Fucking. Doing the nasty. Bumping ugl-”

Matthew held up his hands desperately to stop the flow of words. “Ok, ok! I get the picture!”

“If you like,” the small wight said helpfully, “I could draw you a diagram.”

Matthew scowled at him. “Pipe down. So, uh, any kind of sex?”

“For the most part. Both participants need to enjoy it, for starters. Masturbation doesn’t do much, so you can forget that. Also, same-sex relations don’t do a thing for me. The energy interplay is so hopelessly screwed up you couldn’t light a light bulb off what they do.”

“So just for clarification, I don’t have to be involved in the… er… relations going on for you to benefit?”

“Nope. You can keep your hands lily-white, if you so choose. If I had a little more power, I could go so far as to put people in the mood, make ‘em horny and suchlike.”

“How close do you have to be?”

Jephel shrugged. “Three to five yards. The closer I am, the more emanations I pick up, and the stronger the jolt is.”

“So you said you can cause feelings of passion,” Matthew mused. “That would explain last night…”

Jephel raised his eyebrows. “Last night when you…?”

Matthew flushed heavily. “I… well, I, uh, slept with one of my co-workers after reading from the Book. Normally she hates me, so I was pretty confused.”

Jephel nodded. “That’d be the Book. That was part of your dedication ceremony; the power from that night is stored in you now. It will also have taken just a bit to protect itself.”

“What would the Book need to protect itself from?”

Jephel sighed and rolled his eyes. “Ba’al’s blazing balls! You ask more questions than a Chinese philosopher! Who do you think? The followers of the Accursed One or the minions of the Void would face certain annihilation if it meant the destruction of the Book. It has been a potent weapon for our side ever since Gregory penned it all those years ago.”

“So you’re saying all these people are after me?”

“You’d better believe it,” Jephel told him seriously. “You need to be very watchful. Beware of strangers, and pay attention to those you know. If they start acting differently… they might have been subsumed. The slaves of the Void like to attack sideways, catch you off your guard.”

Matthew shook his head and sat down on the bed. “This is insane. You’re probably a figment of my imagination, you know, and I’m just sitting here talking to myself.”

Jephel snorted. “As if you could imagine anything as great as me.”

“I don’t know,” Matthew replied. “I have a really twisted mind, on occasion.”

“I resent that,” Jephel growled.

“Well, I do resent myself at times, so I suppose that makes sense,” Matthew said thoughtfully.

The small daemon threw up his hands. “Ach! This is pointless. If you’re insane, you might as well embrace it. But take it from me, boy. This is reality, as cold and hard as anything else. Accept it or not, this is how it is.”

Matthew sighed. “I believe you. I don’t know why, but I do. Mmm… let me think.” The young man was silent for a moment. “Ok, if you need power, the best way to get it would be to head down to the Old Ford Road once darkness falls. That’s the spot around her for making out and all that… or so I’m told. That’s the best I can do on short notice. If I don’t make it through the night…”

Jephel regarded him with a something that was perhaps a hint of pity glimmering in his strange yellow eyes. “Maybe you’ll make it, kid,” he said, almost gently. “All needling aside, you seem strong. You might pass.”

Matthew grunted. “But you can’t count on that. I’m right in thinking you’ll go back to the Abyss if you die, unless you have enough power to anchor yourself properly?”

“That’s about the size of it.”

“Then you can’t take any chances. You’ve got to try.”

Jephel nodded slowly. “Very well.” The wight seemed about to say something else, but stopped. “It’s still a while until nightfall,” he said at length. “What do you want to do until then?”

Matthew waved him into a seat. “I’ve got a friend coming by later, but until then, let’s talk. I want to know more. Tell me about the Abyss, the beings who dwell in it, and the way this world really works…”

The light was beginning to fade from the sky when there was a shout from downstairs.

“Hey MATTHEW!”

Matthew went out onto the balcony outside of his room, and looked down into the foyer, where Jessica was standing. “Yes?”

“There’s some loser at the door looking for you,” the young woman said dismissively. “You really associate with the bottom feeders, don’t you?”

“Why, thank you, Jessica,” Matthew returned pleasantly. “I’ll be right down.”

“Whatever.” Jessica walked off, her ass swaying gently. Matthew noticed from his angle that he had a great view down her blouse. He didn’t bother looking.

Matthew went back to his room and nodded at Jephel as he retrieved his shoes and put them on. “It’s time. Thanks for the talk.”

The daemon stretched and hopped to his feet. “Don’t mention it.” Moving to the window, he opened it just enough, and pulled himself up to the sill. Before he went over the edge, Jephel paused and looked back. “Kid? Good luck.” Then he was gone.

Matthew threw on his old leather jacket against the slight evening chill and hurried downstairs. Opening the door, he smiled reassuringly at Aidon, who was perched nervously on the doorstep.

“Sorry if Jessica was rude to you,” he apologized. “She’s socially challenged.”

Aidon grinned, more at ease. “How… politically correct of you,” he observed. “I’d have just said she’s a bitch.”

Matthew shrugged. “To each his own. So, what do you feel like seeing tonight?”

To his surprise (he was expecting Aidon to suggest an action flick), the other youth hesitantly asked if he would mind seeing the new romantic comedy. Matthew agreed cordially, and the two walked shoulder to shoulder, chatting easily as they headed for the theater.

Jephel cursed wearily as he stubbed his toe on another pebble, nearly pitching face-forward into the dirt. It was growing quite dark now, and the small wight had no night-vision to speak of. He hoped he was nearing his destination. If he had just a little more power, Jephel would’ve masked himself from human sight and just walked on the edge of the road; but as it was he was stuck scrambling through the undergrowth on the side of the road. The small wight bitterly missed the old days, when the magicians had eager virgins ready to go as soon as a daemon was fully corporealized.

Jephel found Old Ford Road by the simple expedient of tripping over a rut and falling into it. Gritting his teeth, the small wight laboriously climbed to his feet. Peering down the overgrown path, he thought he could just make out a dim glow somewhere in the dark.

A few minutes later, Jephel pushed his way through a last clutching fern and arrived at his destination. The path widened as it came to the river, feeding into a wide open space one the banks of the waterway. Bounded by thick, wild-growing birch, ash, and oak trees, and with the rippling, slow-flowing river reflecting the light of the silver moon, the spot possessed a quiet beauty that would’ve entranced a less focused individual.

Three cars were parked there; one still running quietly, it’s headlights producing the glow Jephel had seen earlier. The daemon raised his head, sniffing like a dog after an elusive scent. After a moment, he stiffened is concentration, staring at the leftmost vehicle. There…

Creeping closer, Jephel half-closed his eyes in pleasure as the emanations issuing from the dark car caressed his form and were greedily absorbed. Gripping the back bumper, Jephel clambered quietly up onto the back of the vehicle, and peered inside.

The interior of the car was dark, and the small wight could barely see two forms, pressed together and writhing against each other. Deciding that using his night vision would not be too risky a gamble, now he was so close to a serious influx of power, Jephel closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, the pupils glowed an eerie red, and he could see everything going on inside the car.

A young man and woman were making out in the front seat, faces flushed and breathing heavy. Jephel noted with a flash of disappointment that no clothes had been removed, and the boy, while insistent in his touches, stayed carefully on the outside of the girl’s clothing.

Jephel bit his lip as the two broke apart for a minute, breathing erratically. “Sorry,” the girl said softly. “I just don’t want to go too fast, you know?”

The boy stroked her face. “Whatever you want, Lyn. Just go with what you’re comfortable with. I’m ok.”

Jephel rolled his eyes. This was totally pathetic. The girl clearly wanted him – anyone with a working sense of smell could tell as much – but this dickless wonder was just going to sit around with his thumb up his ass. Something had to be done, or the daemon’s last chance of staying free of the Abyss would be gone.

Jephel closed his eyes and concentrated hard, gathering up every last drop of power he possessed. What he was about to try was very risky, but the wight knew he had no choice. If this didn’t work, it would leave him so drained he would be unable to move… leading to discorporation shortly after.

Pushing the thought from his mind, Jephel took a deep breath. It would have to be the girl; she seemed in charge of the situation, and it would obviously take the direct and furious intervention of a major deity to make this blockhead assert himself.

Amitto, Jephel whispered, his eyes boring into the girl. Puter ferrum in vestri volo. Audio vestri votum. Occupo is!

The girl seemed to quiver, and her breathing picked up again as her eyes darkened. She leaned forward, one hand stroking the boy’s inner thigh as her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips.

“Do you know how hot you make me?” she breathed.

The boy gulped and froze, tensing as the girl’s hand crept closer and closer to his straining cock. “Uh… Lyn?”

The girl shuddered and bit her lip. “Oh, God! It makes me sooo wet when you say my name like that.”

Reaching her goal, her hand stroked his erection, and the boy bit back a moan. “Lyn!”

The girl captured his lips in a hungry kiss before breaking off and whispering in his ear as her hand busily unzipped his jeans and pulled out his cock. “That’s right, baby. You’re all mine. Come on… say it. Say it for me.”

The boy groaned. “All yours, Lyn… ah, fuck!” Panting, he ached into her touch, thrusting against her palm.

“Mmm, that’s it, baby,” the girl murmured. Swiftly, she divested herself of shirt and bra, before leaning down and engulfing his cock in her mouth. The boy moaned out loud, his hands balling into fists as he date sucked avidly on his engorged member. The girl’s little pink tongue darted out of her mouth, and she trailed it up the side of his erection as the boy whimpered.

“Yeah, you like that, don’t you?” the girl whispered, her eyes burning. Her hand stroked up and down his length before gripping him more firmly and beginning to pump. “You wanna come, don’t you. Come for me, baby. Fucking come all over me. I want to see it, want to feel it on me.” Her other hand was rubbing between her legs, fingers damp with her excitement.

The boy groaned again, straining into her touch, sweat standing out on his forehead. “Fuck! Fuck, Lyn, so fucking good… so… fucking…” He convulsed and came on the girl, his seed pumping out in glistening arcs on her rounded breasts and her mouth and neck.

Jephel shuddered as well, raw power flooding his veins as the boy’s ecstasy hit him. His skin prickled and itched, his forehead throbbed painfully, and somewhere nearby, he could hear singing…

Then as quickly as it had come, the tide passed, and Jephel collapsed limply, taking deep shallow breaths. An exultant smile was on the small daemon’s face as he held back nearly hysterical laughter with an intense effort of will. He was safe, he was free! Whatever happened to the boy, the wight would not be returning to the Abyss just yet.

Hard on the heels of his joy came worry. Matthew seemed a good sort; even threatened with his own immanent demise, he had worried about Jephel’s wellbeing, and had done what was in his power to ensure the daemon would not return to the Abyss.

Jephel owed the boy a debt. But how would he repay it if Matthew died tonight?

Matthew and Aidon were just entering the movie theater when Matthew heard his name being called. Looking to the source, Matthew broke into a welcoming smile.

“Celia, Amber! It’s good to see you!”

Two girls carrying large shopping bags dashed up and skidded to a halt in front of him, beaming excitedly. Both looked about fourteen years of age. Celia’s dirty blond hair hung to her shoulders and her clever grey eyes sparkled with mischief. Amber was a little more reserved, with a shy face and wide green eyes framed by long, wavy auburn hair.

“Hi Matthew, great to see you!” Celia exclaimed. “How are you? Have they given you a promotion at work yet?”

Matthew laughed a little as Matthew looked on, bemused. “No, not yet. I’m sure it’s right around the corner, though. How are you?” He cut his eyes over to Amber to include her in the inquiry, and she blushed and smiled.

“Oh, we’re good, we’re good,” Celia replied, obviously trying to appear mature and self-possessed. “Mom’s doing some big house-cleaning thing, so we’ve been out doing this and that all day.” She paused, then continued, ultra-casually, “Sooo… what’re you up to?”

Aidon his laughter behind a sudden coughing fit.

“We were just going to catch a movie,” Matthew replied. “Oh, which reminds me. Girls, this is my friend Aidon. Aidon, this is Celia, and Amber.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Aidon said neutrally. Celia flashed him a big smile, and Amber ducked her head shyly.

“Well, perhaps we could come with?” Celia offered, as if the answer were of no consequence to her, the effect being somewhat ruined by Amber’s vigorous nodding. “Unless… it’s like, a horror movie of something. ‘Cause Amber doesn’t do horror.” Amber shook her head hard in agreement.

“Sure, we could go together,” Matthew said, after looking at Aidon and getting his somewhat reluctant approving nod. “And there’s no horror billed for tonight. Romance is the venue of the evening.”

“Cool!” Celia said rather squeakily, turning a little red.

Matthew smiled and held open the door of the theater for them. Après vous , mesdemoiselles.

“That was good,” Amber sighed as they left the theater. Celia nodded, uncharacteristically silent. Her eyes were still damp; she had been strongly affected by the emotional reunion at the end of the movie.

“It had some pretty funny parts,” Aidon assented gruffly.

Matthew smiled. Aidon was putting on a tough show in front of the others, but he had seen his new friend surreptitiously wiping at his eyes during the show. It amused him that Aidon was such a softie at heart, what with his fearsome reputation.

“So what were you shopping for?” Aidon asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Oh, just clothes and some school stuff,” Celia answered.

“So how does that tie into school stuff?” Matthew inquired curiously, indicating a large mirror poking out of Amber’s bag.

Amber blushed. “The school counselor told her to get it,” Celia answered for her friend. “He thinks she has a poor self-image, so she supposed to spend some time looking in it every day so she can see she’s not ugly.”

Matthew frowned. “You’re very pretty, Amber. You shouldn’t worry about it.”

Amber turned scarlet and looked at her shoes.

The girls left soon after, needing to get home. Matthew hugged them both goodnight and waved goodbye. He saw Aidon regarding him with a strange expression.

Matthew raised his eyebrows. “What?”

Aidon shook his head. “You’re an odd one, buddy. You don’t find those two at all… annoying?”

“No. They’re nice girls, very smart. I like talking to them.”

Aidon grunted. “You talk to them like… I don’t know… like they’re people, you know?”

Matthew frowned in confusion. “Uh, they are people, Aidon.”

The other youth sighed in frustration. “Yeah, I know. What I mean is, you talk to them like they’re our age, ok?”

“Ah.” Matthew nodded. “You mean I don’t talk down to them. Yes, well, that always used to drive me crazy when I was their age. I just give them respect. They’re very bright. They deserve it.”

Aidon shook his head. “Like I said, very odd. But in a good way. This is my street.” He gestured with one hand. “Thanks for tonight, Matthew. It was fun.”

Matthew nodded. “No problem.” They shook hands, the semi-awkwardness of the moment all but dispelled by Matthew’s ready smile, and they parted.

Matthew looked around carefully when he got back to his room, but Jephel was no-where to be seen. The young man’s last thought before drifting off to sleep was to wonder if the small wight had succeeded in his mission.