It was a week later when Giblis set up a summoning. Candles giving out sweet aromas were at the four corners of the compass just outside the summoning circle. A brazier full of incense was also nearby, as well as her Tome. "Gritchlaudroneckstis is the most reasonable of the Lower Demons. This summoning is just to show you how, next time you'll summon him yourself. After this, we'll fuck like rabbits in celebration."
"You'll celebrate any day with a sunrise, won't you?"
She kissed him and smiled broadly. "We'll exchange pleasantries with him, see what the gossip is down there, share a few things up here. Be sure and not get straight to what you're looking for, you've got to circle around, so to speak, let him think he's volunteering what you want to hear, distrust anything he says unless you know better. He'll try to upset you, tell you things to make you mad, you have to ignore them. Any questions?"
He shook his head. "No, mistress. I am here to watch and learn."
A smile and she sat with legs crossed in front of her beside the brazier. Her voice started its incantation low, murmuring and swelling gradually until the main invocation: "Gritchlaudroneckstis, I summon you! Gritchlaudroneckstis, I summon you! Gritchlaudroneckstis, I summon you!"
On the opposite side of Giblis, an ember started glowing and growing, reaching demonic form and size: eight feet tall, barely contained in the circle, with long fingernails, deep red skin, goatee, a ferocious grin, and horned feet. "Hi, Mapsie," he started in a conversational tone. "Congrats on the new boy toy. Glad you're getting your chimes rung, there's nothing like getting fucked good and hard, is there?" Moving closer, he sniffed the air in Ian's direction and made a face. "Interesting," he commented. "Someone who's more than just a pretty face or a fantastic body. A sailor, definitely, with the salt fresh on him. Not from the coast, from inland, around the mountains far west of here. A hint of Goat, oh, nicely done, nicely done! Something's out of whack on his timeline, he's not from around Now, either. Disgusting scent of goodness and virtue, don't like that! There's a twinge of something special in the bloodline, I know that feel, Oh Deomonus! Mapsie, I'm not giving you that tidbit for free, it'll cost you if you want to know. Oh my, this is personal: you've been in contact with my brother! But you're not a demon magician; that's what you're here to learn from horny old Mapsie. How could that happen?"
"What do you know of your bother's last whereabouts?" she asked him, calmly. She had seated herself on a favorite chair, her robe open enough to give him a hint of cleavage, and she twirled a strand of hair with her fingers.
"Oh a few centuries ago he was on the Far Continent, trying to seduce some sirens, daft bitches didn't give him the time of day. Must have gotten trapped."
"Trapped? I thought that impossible."
"Usually, yes, but there's a couple of gems out there that make good prisons. The Gloach Diamond, for one, but that's at the bottom of the sea right now. Churnwith's stuck in it, and the bastard can stay there for all I care. It's said the Pearl of Oncona could imprison a demon, but I doubt it. Haven't seen the thing. Then there's the Ruby of Picaya, up in the mountains in the west, maybe in a dragon's hoard. I think that's probably where he is. He always liked to taunt dragons, but he was always very careless. Daft idiot Cranebreak is."
"What do you hear from down below?"
"Oh, nothing much new. Last assault on heaven failed again, just like the rest. I keep telling Deomonus to give it up, but he doesn't listen. Belphotra is sulking because no other demon will play with her. Jinnstile wants to bag a mermaid, but can't convince them he's real. Mermaids are such atheists. How's tricks here?"
"Oh, nothing much new here, either. Trade with the south has fallen off, but trade across the ocean's making up for it. Royal family is poisoning each other again."
"Yes, I know that. They keep showing up pretty regularly down below. Damn idiots don't think they're dead when they get here, takes a lot to convince them. Which is fun when they find out."
"Good to know, they don't listen up here either. Rumblings the Deathless Emperor is bothered about something, but nothing clear. Melanthalia is spending a lot of her time casting on her husband."
"Oh, that dummy made a bad deal. Gave us 20 members of his family for immortality, said he wouldn't need an heir, his wives, all his children and grandchildren were sacrificed to us. But he forgot to ask for eternal good health or eternal youth. So he seduced Melanthalia to give him youth and strength, but the spells don't last long. Poor witch; if she ever stopped, he'd wither to a husk of a man, barely able to move."
"Wow, that's pretty bad."
"And you've gotten a lover who blows your mind. And you blow him back; is she good, young man?" Ian didn't respond with anything other than a smirk. "Well done, young man, well done. You may go far. So will this be a long visit, or will you send me home early?"
"Just wanted to chat a little. Until next time." Giblis started the banishment, and a half hour later the demon was gone. "See how that went. You'll notice the speck of blood and strand of hair were consumed when he appeared."
"Very good, I understand, my love. How would one bind a demon to his or her service indefinitely? What would it take?"
Giblis shuddered. "I know, but I've never tried. Never wanted to try, I'm not that greedy after all, except for your fine body, love. Subduing a demon takes courage, preparation and perfection. Make one mistake and you belong to him. You're not a hero solider or magician from what I see. It'll probably have to be something else, something rather elemental. Probably have to rape him."