A Scripta

Grimaulkin always found it amusing whenever she saw her charge running around in a panic.

He often didn't act this way. If he messed up a spell, he blamed it on the acolytes, the components, or the environment. Sometimes he had no excuse. This was one of them.

Grimaulkin rose from her cushioned dais as her charge and his bodyguard entered the room. She smiled, seeing that they actually had to work at getting this sacrifice. The dockworker struggled against the bonds that held him, and the bodyguard betrayed his strength by keeping him steady. The dockworker smelled of grease and sweat, just the way she liked them.

"My demoness," Maulkin said, and bowed. "I bring you this sacrifice, and ask a boon."

"You must be in trouble," she said, laughing. She slithered over to the sacrifice, who stared at her wide-eyed in terror. Now she smelled urine.

"My Lady, I need something, spells, stronger wards…"

She sighed. He certainly wasn't very creative, but that's not why she stayed with him. She liked this corporeal form – she was free here. And he thought she had limitless powers. Well, here she could easily fool such petty mortals, but in Hell, not so much. He brought her what she needed, and she fed him trifles. So what if she had to do the same spell two or three times. He seemed not to notice; his mind was like a sieve. All he cared about was sex and power, but without having to work at it.

She turned to Maulkin. "I will give you a powerful spell. But you must connect the results directly to me."

"Of course," he said without thinking. "What do I need to do?"

She smiled. Little did the mortal know that this spell would take all the magic from everything in this building and feed it directly to her as pure energy, so she could grow immensely powerful and not need these petty sacrifices. She wondered how her charge would taste. "Give him to me."

He handed her the dockworker, who started screaming the moment she put her hands on him. When she finished, and threw up the clothes and bones, she approached Maulkin. She whispered the dark spell in his ear, and fished out a vial from his belt. She cut open her wrist and let a few drops of black blood fall into the vial. "Use this with the spell," she ordered.

He nodded, taking the vial from her hand. She gave him a little shove toward his bodyguard, turned, and went back to sleep on the dais.

She didn't see or hear Grey Maulkin grin at his servant and whisper, "I have her now."