Lilith Saintcrow

Right hand devil

Dante Valentine-3

Dante Valentine-3

Original: Lilith Saintcrow "The Devil's Right Hand"

annotation

In the blue crystal hall of death.

Transparent crystal souls swirled around me. I'm used to it - after all, I'm a necromancer - but there was one soul I didn't see among them. No unique features that I could recognize, no emerging crystal copy of wheat-gold tousled hair and blue eyes.

I looked for it and was glad when I didn't find it. If he's not here, then we won't meet.

My eyes fell on the other side of the bridge, where Death stood; his graceful canine head bowed slightly in greeting.

Behind my god stood a dark figure, flames crackling around female features. Orange light surrounded her lion's head. For a moment a torrent of fire and smoke blinded me; I raised my sword against the energy that could burn me to the bone.

The last theory is the most intriguing: what if the Awakening itself was caused by collective evolution human race. The psion talent, prior to the Awakening, was considered unreliable. The Parapsychology Act, which gave psions the opportunity to develop their abilities, could not independently calculate the appeared Talents and magical abilities until they were enshrined in law - despite the loud protests of the Hadrian Freemen.

The consequences of the theory of collective evolution are a clear concept for which other minds are responsible. The ancient sayings about demonic interference in the human genetic code were superficial and discussed so many times that they became clichés. But any Magicians will tell you that the effect of demonic charm on a person cannot be explained, besides, they helped our evolution, as they claim.

The first law when dealing with demons is their possessive nature. The demon would rather destroy the object of his love than let him escape; in this they are like humans. The second law is very important: for demons and humans different view about the truth. For demons, truth can be anything that helps to achieve a certain goal or a certain end. So there was a popular joke that lawyers make good Magi, which the author can believe. But one thing is for sure, we also learned jealousy and deceit from the demons, or they adopted this tendency from us as a disease - and the latter is unlikely, given how ancient their race is ...

– from Theory and Demonology: A Manual for Magicians.

Adrienne Spoccarelli.

Chapter 1

This is for you,” Japhrimel said shyly. For a moment, his eyes flashed green fire in an angular runic pattern, then faded again, almost human.

I blinked and took the package. It was heavy, wrapped in blue satin with a wide white silk ribbon tied into a bow. I pushed aside a large leather-bound book and rubbed the back of my head, my hair falling in a heavy wave over my shoulders. Due to the long reading and deciphering of the codes, I could not focus my vision, the white marble behind Japhrimel turned into a blurry streak. For a moment, his face looked strange.

Then I recognized him again and inhaled the familiar scent of burnt cinnamon and musk. The mark on my shoulder flared at his proximity, a familiar sweet pain that took my breath away. The room was dark except for a circle of light from a full-spectrum wall lamp with a green shade.

Certainly. Japhrimel touched my cheek with two fingers, slowly sending, even throwing, liquid fire down my back. His long black stand-up collar shifted slightly as he straightened up, reluctantly removing his fingers from my cheek. - The most beautiful necromancer in the world.

This made me laugh.

Flattery helps everywhere, doesn't it.

I think Gabe is prettier, but you're entitled to your own opinion. - I stretched, turned my head back, stretching my stiff muscles. - What is this? - The bag was about the size of my arm, from wrist to elbow, and weighed like metal or stone.

Japhrimel smiled, his lips curved and softened, his eyes dark with an almost human expression. It suits him very well - he was terribly gloomy, as always. His gaze was gentle and, as usual, my body was filled with a strange warmth. I looked at the package, touched the ribbon.

The last gift was a well-preserved copy of Perezrevertov's "Nine Portals of Hell", in excellent leather binding, written in old Venice about a thousand years ago - and has lain untouched since then. The house was also a gift, a snow-white marble villa on the outskirts of Tuscany. I said I was tired of traveling and one night at dinner he gave me the key to the house.

I was surrounded by the darkness of the library, not a single lamp worked anymore. Now that I was out of my study, I didn't have to listen to hear footsteps in the hallway - servants and cooks, security network buzzed around the house, everything is as it should be.

Why was I so anxious? If I didn't know myself, I would say that my nervousness is a warning. Premonition, my little gift of foresight, works all the time.

Oh gods, not this. Now I have everything that one can only wish for.

I rubbed my eyes again and tugged at the silk ribbon slipping between my fingers. Another yawn escaped my lips. I've been deciphering the codes for three whole days and soon I'll have to let off some steam.

You shouldn't have given me... oh god...

The satin has fallen, revealing a figurine of a lion-headed woman seated on a throne, made of perfect shining obsidian. The sun disk around her head was made of pure gold and shone in the dim light. I let out an enthusiastic sigh.

Oh Japhrimel. Where are you…

He sat down in a chair across from me. The soft light from the spectral lamp cast shadows across his sullen face, making the green fire in his eyes look like the sparks of a campfire. The sparks in his eyes always lit up when he looked at me.

Do you like Dante? - The usual question, as if he doubts it.

I took it in my hands and felt the bumps on the smooth stone. Like all his gifts, she was

Dante Valentine - 3

Dedicated to Kazuo, my best friend.

Non satis est ullo, tempore longus amor.

We will, as long as there is an opportunity, indulge in love,

Since it is not durable, alas, but it is transient.

Sextus Propertius. elegies, 1. XIX . 25

Warlord: You look at a man who can pierce you with a sword without batting an eyelid.

Monk: You're looking at a man who won't blink an eye if you pierce him with a sword.

The most intriguing is the last of the theories: perhaps the Awakening was the result of the overall evolution of the human race. Prior to the Awakening, any manifestation of psionic gifts was notorious for extreme unpredictability, and even the Decree of Parapsychology, despite its raucous praise from Adrian Ferriman's apologists, only laid the foundations for codification and opened up the possibility for psionic training. However, the sudden rise and ubiquity of psionic and magical abilities cannot be explained by the simple fact that they were included in the legislative field.

The theory of general evolution with inexorable logic leads us to a hypothesis that considers this phenomenon as the result of the intervention of another mind. This conclusion seems self-evident, and the thesis cited by its supporters about demonic interference in the human genetic code has already set the teeth on edge, turning into a banal cliché. Any sorcerer will tell you that the human fascination with demonism can hardly be explained without recognizing that the demons, as they themselves claim, had a hand in our evolution in one way or another.

When it comes to dealing with demons, it is important to consider the following. First, their proprietary nature. Demons (in which, admittedly, they are similar to humans) would rather destroy an object dear to them than allow it to be freed from their influence. Secondly, when entering into a deal with demons, it is important to understand: as in the case of the loa or etrigandi, their idea of ​​\u200b\u200btruth does not at all coincide with the generally accepted human one. Often they consider "true" that the best way meets the requirements of the moment or contributes to the achievement of the goal. Hence the well-known joke that the best sorcerers come from lawyers, and the author of these lines is quite ready to believe it. As a matter of fact, in terms of envy and falsehood, we stand with each other's demons: we could learn from them, just as they do from us. However, the latter is unlikely, because their species is much older than ours ...

Adrienne Spoccarelli. Theory and Demonology:

guide for beginner magicians .

Chapter 1

“This is for you,” Japhrimel said in confusion, and before his eyes were almost human again, a runic pattern flared in them for a moment of green fire.

I blinked and accepted a heavy package wrapped in blue glossy paper and tied with a wide white silk ribbon. Then she pushed aside a thick leather-bound book and rubbed her stiff neck under the heavy wave of her hair. After many hours of reading and transcribing the text, my eyes clouded over. I could see the white marble behind Japhrimel as if through a veil, and even his face seemed unfamiliar at first.

Then I recognized him and sighed, taking in the familiar smell of cinnamon and musk.

Lilith Saintcrow

Right hand of the devil

Dedicated to Kazuo, my best friend.

Non satis est ullo, tempore longus amor.

We will, as long as there is an opportunity, indulge in love,

Since it is not durable, alas, but it is transient.

Sextus Propertius. Elegies, 1. XIX. 25

Warlord: You look at a man who can pierce you with a sword without batting an eyelid.

Monk: You're looking at a man who won't blink an eye if you pierce him with a sword.

The most intriguing is the last of the theories: perhaps the Awakening was the result of the overall evolution of the human race. Prior to the Awakening, any manifestation of psionic gifts was notorious for extreme unpredictability, and even the Decree of Parapsychology, despite its raucous praise from Adrian Ferriman's apologists, only laid the foundations for codification and opened up the possibility for psionic training. However, the sudden flowering and ubiquity of psionic and magical abilities cannot be explained by the mere fact that they were included in the legislative field.

The theory of general evolution with inexorable logic leads us to a hypothesis that considers this phenomenon as the result of the intervention of another mind. This conclusion seems self-evident, and the thesis cited by its supporters about demonic interference in the human genetic code has already set the teeth on edge, turning into a banal cliché. Any sorcerer will tell you that the human fascination with demonism can hardly be explained without recognizing that the demons, as they themselves claim, had a hand in our evolution in one way or another.

When it comes to dealing with demons, it is important to consider the following. First, their proprietary nature. Demons (in which, admittedly, they are similar to humans) would rather destroy an object dear to them than allow it to be freed from their influence. Secondly, when entering into a deal with demons, it is important to understand: as in the case of the loa or etrigandi, their idea of ​​\u200b\u200btruth does not at all coincide with the generally accepted human one. Often they consider “true” to be what best meets the requirements of the moment or contributes to the achievement of the goal. Hence the well-known joke that the best sorcerers come from lawyers, and the author of these lines is quite ready to believe it. As a matter of fact, in terms of envy and falsehood, we stand with each other's demons: we could learn from them, just as they do from us. However, the latter is unlikely, because their species is much older than ours ...

Adrienne Spoccarelli. Theory and demonology: a guide for beginner magicians.

This is for you,” Japhrimel said uneasily, and before his eyes were almost human again, a runic pattern flared in them for a moment of green fire.

I blinked and accepted a heavy package wrapped in blue glossy paper and tied with a wide white silk ribbon. Then she pushed aside a thick leather-bound book and rubbed her stiff neck under the heavy wave of her hair. After many hours of reading and transcribing the text, my eyes clouded over. I could see the white marble behind Japhrimel as if through a veil, and even his face seemed unfamiliar at first.

Then I recognized him and sighed, taking in the familiar smell of cinnamon and musk. Near him, the sign on my shoulder began to burn, burning with the usual sweet pain that made my heart stop. The room was dark except for the circle of light from an antique brass lamp with a green shade.

Alone with Japhrimel, there was no need to worry about softening the hoarseness. The tattoo on my cheek curved, the emerald flashing in greeting.

This is true.

Japhrimel touched my cheek with his fingertips, and the touch sent a slow, steady wave of liquid flame down my spine. As he straightened up, reluctantly retracting his fingers, his long, dark, high-necked cloak fluttered slightly.

A gift for the most beautiful necromancer in the world.

I involuntarily laughed.

With flattery you can achieve anything. I think Gabe is prettier than me, but you're entitled to your opinion.

I straightened up, tilted my head back and twisted my neck, working out the stiff muscles.

What is this?

The bundle was about the size of my arm from wrist to elbow and heavy as metal or stone.

Japhrimel smiled, and the pattern of his mouth softened, his dark eyes taking on an almost human expression. It suited him - usually the appearance of a demon was characterized by gloomy ferocity, but now it exuded tenderness, which made my body, as usual, languidly warmed up and relaxed. I looked at the package, touched the bow.

IN last time he gave me a leather-bound copy of Perez-Reverte's The Ninth Portal of Hell. The volume was in perfect condition, as if it had come out of an old Venetian printing house not a thousand years ago, but had just or all the time been in a stasis chamber. This house, a villa of gleaming white marble in the Tuscan countryside, was also his gift. I mentioned once that I was tired of traveling, and one evening after dinner he handed me the keys to this house.

In my dark library only one burned desk lamp, and everything froze, drowning in the dusk. But as soon as I looked up from the study of books, steps and other muffled sounds came from the neighboring rooms: the servants were doing their daily household chores.

Everything went as usual, but for some reason I felt uneasy. I really wanted to get rid of some premonition. Looks like my little precognition was working overtime.

"Gods, I hope it's not. Something, but entertainment has already fallen to my lot in abundance, more than can be sustained in one life.

I rubbed my eyes again and untied the cool and smooth silk ribbon while trying to control my yawning. I was engaged in decoding for three days, my strength was running out.

You don't need to give me... gifts. Oh Gods!

A figurine of perfectly polished obsidian appeared from under the glossy paper: a woman seated on a throne with a lion's head, above which a golden disc glowed faintly in the twilight. I let out a sigh of amazement.

Oh Japhrimel. Where are you…

He sat down in a chair across from me. Soft light the full-spectrum lamps cast shadows across his scowling face, causing the green flashes in his eyes to dance like flames. When he looked at me, green sparks flashed in his eyes.

Do you like Dante?

Well, a question! As if there could be doubt.

I took the figurine, stroked the polished stone. Like all his gifts, it was perfect, and from this perfection my heart melted familiarly. However, a strange premonition has not gone away.

Beautiful.

I heard you call out to Sekhmet.

He stretched out his long legs, just like an ordinary mortal man. His eyes darkened again, his gaze caressing my skin.

Do you like her?

Of course you do, idiot! I ran my finger along the smooth shoulder of the statue, lightly scratched it with a long black-lacquered fingernail. - She is gorgeous.

Our eyes met, and the demon mark on my shoulder warmed up, sending warmth across my skin and deep into my body, down to my bones. This non-physical contact was very intimate.

Is there something wrong?

His smile faded slightly.

Why do you ask?

I shrugged, feeling the slightest pang of guilt. It is simply indecent, in response to such courtesy, to show one's neurotic inability to believe in something simple and disinterested.

I guess I have a residue of human relationships. You start to fill up with gifts, as a rule, for a reason.

“I receive gifts every other day. Books, antiques, weapons that I don't even know how to use. I feel like I'm being spoiled too much. Or like I'm being paid. Dante Valentine, necromancer and kept woman. What does it sound like?

Ah, that's it. He smiled again in relief. So it's just human suspicion.

I made a face and stuck out my tongue. Japhrimel laughed.

Well, stop having fun, - I said, with difficulty restraining myself from laughter.

I just enjoy making you happy. Also, remember that it's time for lunch. He tilted his head, hiding a smile. - Emilio tried his best, wanted to distract you from dusty papers.

I grimaced again, put the figurine on the desk, and stretched, my knuckles cracking.

So I'll probably get fat.

“This cipher seems to be a little easier than the previous one. Probably a Ronson code with a shifting alphanumeric base. I hope that in his diary there will be new information about the psychology of demons - this will always come in handy. The treatise on wings proved invaluable."

Previously, I had no idea that a top-ranking demon becomes very vulnerable by closing the protective cover of its wings around another being.

You think? Japhrimel's smile widened. - It would suit you. Let's go. I need your company.

I suddenly felt warm from this recognition: he not only likes my company, he needs it.

Great. You know, I was really, really into this research. I used to never have enough time for this.

“I was too busy paying off my loan. And she preferred to spend what she got as quickly as possible, if only not to think about anything.

Stretching again, I rose to my feet in a fluid motion, picked up the figurine, wrapped it back in blue glossy paper, and held out my hand to him.

You probably want to talk me into changing for dinner.

I so rarely see you in a dress, hedaira. And black velvet really suits you.

He covered my hand with his hand and stood up, and I did not feel his pressure at all; stepped towards me and ran his hand over my forearm. I was barefoot, in a silk T-shirt and jeans. From the equipment nearby was only leaning against desk a sword imbued with energy. This weapon almost did not leave the scabbard, with the exception of training battles. I continued to practice so as not to lose my fighting skills. Perhaps now that I had a demon at my side, whose muscles were much more agile and strong than a human, I should not have worried about it, but a life spent in battles develops habits that are not so easy to give up. It doesn't matter how secure you feel.

However, the thought of having a demon next to me and not having a sword at hand no longer made me feel insecure or panic like it used to.

"Wow - he's the only creature on earth I trust when I'm not armed myself."

I leaned over to Jaff, put my head on his shoulder and felt how tense he was. I had not noticed such tension since the first days after leaving Saint City. He was comforted by my closeness, and I learned that it's best to just freeze in his arms from time to time, letting him touch me. It brought relief to both of us. I was already getting used to the strange feeling of being unarmed in the presence of a demon.

Fallen demon. "A" nankimel "is a word that I have not yet been able to understand.

Are you talking about that black velvet case? My chest will just fall out of it! - I said cheerfully, remaining motionless in his arms.

Little by little, the tension eased.

And what a chest! The very first thing I noticed when I saw you,” he said, as usual, in a calm and ironic tone with a hint of slyness.

"The first thing you noticed was my annoying human habit of asking rude, offhand questions."

I rubbed my cheek against Japhrimel's shoulder to calm him down. It took a long time for me to stop paying attention to what his long black cloak was made of. This is where I made progress.

He stroked my hair, running his fingers through long, inky black strands. I often thought about cutting my hair short, but every time after Japhrimel caressed it, I put off the inevitable haircut. It is enough that I can no longer paint my head, the hair has taken on its natural color - it has become black. Black and silky.

Exactly the same as his. And my skin was only a few shades paler than his, and my personal demonic scent, although lighter, was essentially the same.

What, my inquisitive?

Is there something wrong? - I wrapped it around free hand and squeezed lightly, making it clear that she was serious. - You…

“I know this is your mood, Jaff. It's like you're listening to something I can't hear, and it's wary, and it makes me nervous. You are very delicate and try not to hurt me, but at such moments I want you, as it happened once, to forget and let me feel your claws.

What could be wrong when you're in my arms, hedyra? He lightly touched my cheek with his lips. - Let's go to. Dinner is waiting for us. Then, if you want, I'll tell you a story.

What story?

“You want to distract me like a child who needs to go to bed. Well, have it your way."

I rarely let him know how old he was, and I suspected that Japhrimel himself refrained from reminding him of it either. Amazing tact; It had never occurred to me before that demons could do such a thing. It's funny how strictly they observe all laws and formalities, even if their idea of ​​objective truth does not coincide with the human one. Another question, the answer to which you will not find in any book: can such formalism be considered a manifestation of tact?

Japhrimel made one fluid motion and handed me my sword and then kissed me. A chaste kiss on the forehead.

Any story you want. Choose yourself.

Emilio has outdone himself. Bruschetta, squid, soft garlic bread and fresh mozzarella cheese, spring lemon cake, creme brulee. Fresh strawberries, stewed asparagus. Olives - I did not like them, but Emilio adored and did not allow the thought that someone could not stand them. After all, we are in Tuscany. What is a meal without olives?

The olive trees on the reddish-brown hills were older than the Hegemony itself. I spent many evenings under their crowns, leaning intently over the encrypted diary of the magician. Japhrimel lay beside him, basking like a cat, stretched out in the dappled shade of a gnarled tree with leathery greenish-yellow leaves as the afternoon heat slowly bled off the sloping hills and the sky became like velvet, dyed indigo and dotted with dry stars. Then we slowly made our way home along the dusty paths, his arms around my shoulders, and my books dangled in an old-fashioned strap fastened with buckles. The schoolgirl and the demon.

Like all psions, I received a basic education as a mage. Since before the Awakening, magicians have dealt with both energy and psychic phenomena, so they have mastered all the techniques, so the set of disciplines in the early stages of training did not differ too much for a necromancer, shaman, skinlin, or whatever you call it. . True, in our time, real magicians receive in-depth magical training to weaken the barriers between the worlds and establish contacts with hell. It took decades to master this complex program. That's why most mages have taken on jobs of some sort during their training, most often in corporate security jobs. Japhrimel didn't stop me from buying shadow diaries at not-quite-legal auctions, but he would never explain what "fallen" meant. Moreover, he did not agree to help me in deciphering these scriptures ... I will be very lucky if the magicians agree to take me as a student when Jaff is constantly rubbing off next to me. He is more interesting to them than I am, even if I manage to persuade at least someone to accept into the circle of psions a person a little old for an apprenticeship.

Dinner served in a spacious dining room with high ceiling and dark oak table for sixteen people, covered with a crisp white tablecloth, dragged on. I savored the food, and Japhrimel amused himself by folding the pages of my notes into origami animals, challenging good manners. Even if some extracts were lost at the same time, it was worth it: the figurines themselves were beautiful, and the surprisingly graceful movements of his golden fingers, and the way he presented me with the fruits of his labors, almost with an embarrassed look.

Emilio, a portly New Talian with a thick moustache - he was justly proud of them - waltzed out a dish on which lay something ... which could not be there.

His sonorous voice echoed off the warm white stone walls. A crimson tapestry from an antique shop in Arrieto fluttered against the wall, disturbed by a slight breeze. warm air, penetrating into high open windows. The sword leaning against my chair chimed softly.

It's my fault. - Japhrimel's lips again, which happened infrequently, curved into a smile. - This is what I suggested.

Did you suggest "Chocolate Murder"? I had to struggle to keep from laughing. Japhrimel, you don't eat that at all.

But you love it. Japhrimel leaned back in his chair, an origami hippo perched on his palm. The last time you ate chocolate...

My cheeks felt hot, and I was glad that I didn't blush often.

Let's not talk about it.

I glanced at the china plate Emilio had brought. Flawless, moist, airy, fluffy, chocolate cake with almonds - real almonds grown on trees, not syntoprotein imitations of natural fruits. For the fallen and his hedaira - the best!

Sobered by the thought, I stared at the still-hot treat topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips, brandy-soaked cherries arranged in a perfect arc along the edge of the plate. I felt the aroma, which still guessed the delicate moment of the transformation of sugar into caramel.

Oh, I sighed. - It's amazing, Emilio. You are worth far more than what you are paid.

He waved his broad hands with plump, soft fingers. He didn't have calluses, not like me. Our cook was not trained in military affairs, and there was no need for this - who would want to kill a portly Talian culinary expert who wore stained white aprons and accompanied every word with sweeping gestures of chubby hands. With me, Emilio behaved easily - he was one of the few normals who was not afraid of my presence.

Ch "cosa, s" gnora, I'm not cooking for him, signora, I'm cooking for you. Help yourself. At least one.

I'm even scared! It is so beautiful.

I carefully picked up my fork and squinted at Japhrimel, who seemed to be amused by what was happening. The paper hippo vanished from his palm. Emilio waited, trembling with impatience.

No, I don't have the courage. You will have to.

Emilio was frightened as if I suggested that he cut and taste his own mother, his mustache even trembled. I offered him a fork.

After another task, the necromancer mercenary Dante Valentine, along with her lover, the fallen demon Japhrimel, barely alive, come to their senses in an old house in Tuscany. But they fail to enjoy the rest and heal the battle wounds to the end. Suddenly, they are again summoned by the Prince of Darkness, this time the devil wants to hire Dante and her friend in order to destroy the four demons who escaped from hell. The trail of demons leads them to the east of Europe, to Sarajevo, the abode evil spirits and all kinds of dangerous creatures, people from the underworld. Only here Dante and Japhrimel begin to guess, little by little, which true purpose pursued by the devil, sending them in pursuit of demons.

One of the brightest mystical series recent years brings to the stage a new cult heroine - an experienced necromancer and a desperate fighter against evil spirits Dante Valentine!

The work belongs to the genre of novels. It was published in 2010 by the Eksmo publishing house. This book is part of the Twilight series. On our site you can download the book "The Right Hand of the Devil" for free in fb2, epub format or read online. The rating of the book is 4.21 out of 5. Here, before reading, you can also refer to the reviews of readers who are already familiar with the book and find out their opinion. In the online store of our partner you can buy and read the book in paper form.