***The Mortal Plane***

***Amon***

“Wârﬡaêrjﬡfae!”

My people replied with another roar before a deadly silence settled in, only to be disrespected by the garden's crickets. I looked at them proudly, not wanting to admit that we were missing another important piece of information.

Ultimately, the seven powerful demons once more had to turn to the shaking humans for help.

“Where is this Oaken Glade?”

Thomas let out a deep sigh and stepped forward. It was clear that he wasn't entirely sure whether we could actually achieve our goal. “I will guide you there.”

“No.” Uphir raised his palm to stop the human. “You can't come with us. You have to stay here and act as if you are trying to do everything in your power to save your demonling. Contact this ruling institution of yours. Reach out to other powers and beg for help, preferably in a way that makes sure that the fae learn about it. Act as if you hadn't summoned us and once that's done you can come to the glade with some witnesses. As long as the fae don't know what we are after, they have nothing to blackmail us with.”

My minion's train of thought rang true, so I could only consent. “That's right. Right now, they probably wouldn't guess that we are after the baby even if we charge their stronghold. If they knew that we are working for you they could hide the child or threaten to take its life.”

“I will bring you a map,” Loretta provided helpfully.

“Be that as it may. You can't walk around looking like that!” Betsy complained. “If someone sees you, the normal humans and the paranormal world would be out to stop you and to sweep everything connected to you under the carpet.”

I looked down at myself and then to the others. From all of us, Isabella, due to her nature, was probably the only one who could actually masquerade as a human.

She didn't fail to oblige with a smile on her lips while her clothes rippled and flowed into a new shape. Her wings folded in and moulded with her legs. Her horns retracted into her skull and she bit her lip as she guided the tip of her tail between her legs. There was a wet 'shlic' as the whole of her tail disappeared, causing the naughty succubus to let out a small gasp.

Thankfully, I managed to banish the memory of what she had just done from my mind.

At last, her skin colour changed, leaving Isabella in the form of a beautiful human woman in jeans and a black tank-top that boasted the words 'Natural is best!'.

Isabella looked down at herself, judging her new form to be sufficient. “Now we only need a big vehicle for transportation. I can drive.” She winked at us and Loretta covered her drooling husband's eyes. Jeremy was equally smitten with the demon who had just taken on the form of a sex magazine model. He received a kick to the shin from Betsy as a just punishment.

The succubus looked at the human men. “Would you please go and get us a big car?”

Both Thomas and Jeremy almost fell over their feet as they tried to fulfil their new mistress' wish which brought a satisfied smile to her face.

“I haven't lost my mojo.”

“Hey! No wooing my man!” Betsy complained.

Isabella waved her hand, dismissing the complaint like a queen. “Be glad that I sent them away. They were already close to dirtying their pants just from being in my presence for so long.”

The two human women bristled at the conceitedness of this demoness, but somehow they didn't dare to refute the fact that it was better for the men to be gone.

Getting the transport took them a little over an hour which we used to clean up the mess which we had made on Loretta's veranda, but eventually, the men returned with a rental transport car. They had also used the time to cool down somewhat.

“What did they do with the body?” Thomas asked his wife when he threw the keys to Isabella, not daring to come any closer to the succubus.

“They... cleaned it up,” his pale wife replied and shuddered. “Suffice to say that it will never be found.”

Shax let out a burb and nodded to himself with a satisfied expression. “... salt and pepper.”

The humans looked sick, but I couldn't care less about their cultural inhibitions, so I pointed towards the little transport that was now standing in the house’s driveway. “Get in! Isabella and Kitia in the front, and the rest of us in the back.”

While the men were gone, the rest of us had also tried to disguise as humans, but aside from Isabella, only Kitia with her pale skin had any success. There was just no getting over the fact that humans simply didn't have red skin. And running around covering our whole bodies in cloth during summer just made us look stupid and suspicious.

Because of her pale complexion, Kitia was fine as long as she wore a hoodie and wrapped her tail around her waist, but even she couldn't withstand a closer inspection. It should be fine as long as she just sat next to Isabella while we were driving to our target.

The succubus could have done that on her own, but I felt better having someone else also sitting in the front who could have an eye on her.

It was only a forty minute drive to reach the forest which lay silent and empty in the falling night.

I heard Kitia and Isabella exit the transport and take their time checking our surroundings for stray humans before they opened the loading door.

“The area seems to be clear,” Kitia informed us. “We drove up a trail as far as possible. It looks like it's just used for wood-cutting and there are no humans around.”

“Good, come in while Uphir searches for the entrance,” I instructed and gestured for Uphir to get going. He nodded and jumped out before his body was wreathed in shadows, allowing him to disappear in the dark forest.

The two females got in and closed the door.

“How exactly are we going to do this?” Philomena asked me.

I leaned back and thought. “It depends on what Uphir finds. From what the humans told us, it appears that there must be a dimensional gateway somewhere in this forest. If there is only one entrance, then there might be no other choice but to choose a straightforward attack. If there is another way, we will go for a more sneaky approach. In any case, getting to the child and keeping it in one piece and alive is our contract's utmost priority.”

“We are not going to kill them all right away?” Jebril asked.

I smiled. “Why should we? If we put too much effort into fulfilling the contract, it might cut down on our training time. That said, we have to set up a few safe locations where we can resummon should we get killed. I don't expect these fae to be on our level, but there could be a lot of them. And on that note, do you have any ideas about how we can make this look like we aren't after the child? What Uphir told the humans still holds true, but the fact remains that Loretta is a known demon summoner. They might make the connection, although I doubt that they would believe her to be able to pay the price for seven demons.”

“The contract you made was indeed rather generous, but the fae wouldn't know that,” Kitia admitted. “I wondered about that, but if it means that we can stay in this world and train...”

“I could shape-change into a fae and try to influence them from the inside,” Isabella suggested.

“How would you do that?” I asked. “Not to underestimate your powers, but that fae was relatively unimpressed by you.”

She huffed. “He was a stubborn one and a eunuch on top of that. The little prick didn't even have balls. There must be some fae who I can influence.”

“Yet, it would take only one of them to point out that something is wrong,” Philomena argued while playing with her hair. “I guess we could summon you again afterwards, but our game would likely be given away if you fail.”

“Which isn't to say that she has to actually influence them,” I pointed out. “Isabella, Philomena is right that after what we saw with the prisoner, outright trying to influence them wouldn't be advisable. But you might be able to sneak into their base and get to the baby if we provide a sufficient distraction.”

Isabella looked a little awkward at the suggestion, but she relented. “I am not that good with babies, but I will try to regard taking care of one as training.”

I gave her a curious look, but couldn't pursue what she meant because Uphir returned at that moment and threw open the doors.

“I have found the entrance, but it could prove difficult to get in.” He jumped into the loading area and closed the door behind him. “There are trails and marks all over the forest, but just a few actually hold a residue of magical energy. All of them congregate around a large oak at a glade in the center of the forest. I didn't dare to get too close, but judging by the magical signature I assume that the oak is the entrance to a pocket dimension.”

“Any other entrances?” Philomena asked.

Uphir shook his head. “Not nearby. I can search the whole forest, but that will take some time. It's likely that they have some hidden ways out of their realm, but the fact that there are no other frequently used trails hints that they aren't used often if they exist. That would make them hard to find.”

“Hmmm.” I regarded Uphir as I thought. “So, that leaves us either with doing more investigation or with a frontal assault to test our opponent's strength.”

Kitia raised an important point. “The problem is that we have no clue what these fae are intending to do with a baby. Loretta told us some stories, but it was clear that the humans have no clue why the fae would actually abduct their offspring. We may have all the time in the world, or it may already be too late.”

I turned to Isabella. “Can you get in and search for the child while we make as much noise as possible?”

***The Mortal Plane***

***Isabella***

“Of course, dear.” I smiled, happy that I could be of help with Amon's training. “I will make sure that your contract is honoured, trust me.”

Sadly, his expression said that he didn't trust me at all and that he was opposed to me calling him 'dear'. He probably thought that I was influencing his mind somehow, but the truth was that he just couldn't hide his thoughts from someone who was trained in reading expressions.

I sighed dejectedly, wondering how long it would take him to trust me. Yes, he was right that I had plans for him, but it wasn't like I planned for this to be a one-sided deal. What I desired was a lot to give for any demon, and I was sure that the Infernum would strike me down if I didn't repay him in kind.

For now, all I could do was to continue assisting him. I was sure that he would see reason sooner or later. Amon was young, even younger than me. He wasn't one of those old demon lords who were set in their ways and unable to deviate from their nature in the slightest. My mother always told me that the most likely dagger to pierce a man’s heart were true feelings and as much honesty as possible.

As long as I stayed true to him, he would have no choice but to reply in kind.

“Alright then. Let's see how our skills measure up to these fae!” He opened the door and we filed out of the transport. “Isabella, I want you to hold back once the fighting starts and search for a way in. Your only job is to get to the baby and to protect it until we reach you.”

“I see.” I nodded. “Do you have a good way to track and find me?”

“I can follow your mana signature,” Uphir offered.

“Yes, but what if you are taken out?” I asked, pointing out the weakness in their plan.

Their silence said it all, so I offered Amon a little improvement. “I could weave a little succubus magic to give you the ability to find me. But I would have to kiss you.”

“Ah...” Amon sounded insecure about it.

“Dude, don't kiss a succubus!” Philomena warned. “Never kiss a succubus.”

“Already... corrupted.” Shax shrugged. “Won't matter… much.”

Amon looked between Philomena and Shax, weighing each standpoint with the importance of our mission. Finally, he sighed. “Promise that this won't do anything aside from giving me the ability to sense you.”

I almost jumped with giddiness. Was he offering me another olive branch? “I swear on the Infernum that this won't do anything aside from giving you the ability to sense me!” Although, I won't be responsible for any other feelings once I show you what you could have every day...

He nodded and closed his eyes. Then he leaned forward and pursed his lips like a little, innocent schoolboy.

I rolled my eyes and jumped him, locking my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck. Our lips touched and I pushed my tongue inside to fence with his. He tried to say something while trying to push me off, but it only came out muffled. Meanwhile, I pushed my energies into his body and writhed in ecstasy while I formed my seal within him.

Amon sunk to his knees once it was over and I let go, shooting the other females in his party a superior and satisfied smile. They were clearly envious that I had gotten some action without them, especially Kitia who I had gained a somewhat special relationship with. Maybe, just maybe, I would let them get in on some fun if the opportunity arose. I wasn't so prude as to deny a catch like Amon some innocent fun on the side as long as I remained his only true...

“What the heck did you do?” Amon asked as he got up. “You used magic to paint a rune into my soul-space?”

“Yeah.” I clapped my hands. “Try supplying it with your own mana and you will instantly know where I am. As long as you don’t do that, the rune will be completely inactive.”

He still looked suspicious, but he closed his eyes and turned a few times on the spot before he concentrated. A second later, he raised his arm and pointed in my direction. The whole scene was so innocent that I couldn't help myself. Following an impulse, I stepped forward and pushed my chest into his hand while letting out a small, “Eep!”

Amon jumped and retracted his hand. I could have sworn that he looked guilty, but just for a mere second before he realized that I had come onto him and not the other way around.

“Wench!” he accused.

“Guilty as charged,” I admitted freely. It was so much fun to play with someone so innocent.

“Could you guys get back on track,” Jebril grumbled. “Any more of this and I will want a good fuck too.”

We finally managed to get our act together and left a general summoning circle in the transport.

Then we formed a line to wander into the dark forest with Uphir and Amon in the front, followed by Shax, Kitia, and Philomena. Jebril and I took over the rear, with Jebril's job to assist from afar and to run away as soon as the fae managed to turn the tables on us. Her job was to resummon anyone who died while it fell to me to find the right opportunity to sneak behind enemy lines.

Uphir's speed had allowed him to search a huge area within a relatively small amount of time, but it took us several minutes to slowly wander towards the glade with the large oak.

We walked so slowly because we were paying close attention to our surroundings, but the forest seemed dead and empty. Either the fae had sentries that were really good at hiding, or they had utter confidence in their defences. Another possibility was that they simply didn't care about what happened in this realm and that their defensive measures concentrated solely on their pocket dimension.

There were no issues right up until we entered the glade and walked up to the oak which was a huge tree. I could feel suggestive magic trying to repel us, but the effect was weak and barely enough to turn away average humans.

The oak’s trunk was wider than my outstretched arms and I sensed the magic coming off of it. Due to the richness of the mana, the vicinity of the tree almost felt like the Infernum. Uphir was right that someone had created a pocket dimension, but it wasn't necessarily its own dimensional plane. What the fae had done was to fold a part of this dimension in on itself.

It was comparable to the spacial magic that Ebandon's Warband used for their headquarters and it was woven into the tree. I had seen magic like this between dryad-demons and their bonded trees, but I never knew that a supernatural mortal would be capable of weaving something such as this.

Kitia was the first to step forward and touch the tree. “I guess that's why they are so sure of themselves. From this close, the repelling effect is pretty strong and I can feel a substantial barrier around the tree. How are we going to get in?”

I smirked. “Dryads use similar magic and they get very pissy if someone hurts their tree. I have seen their personal doorways split open once the magic got affected.”

“Then I think that I have just the right thing,” Amon replied and drew his dagger. His hand clenched the hilt and a red band of energy grew out of the blade, solidifying into an extension of the dagger that made it more alike to a short sword.

He pointed it at the tree and stabbed. There was a shower of sparks as the wicked blade encountered a green barrier that sprung into existence right in front of the bark. But Amon pressed forward, pouring more power into the strange weapon until the blade's energy adjusted from red to a ghostly green. Then it suddenly overpowered the tree's defences and the barrier broke, shattering into a thousand pieces.

Without any further resistance to overcome, the blade's energies sank sizzling into the tree until the dagger's hilt slammed into the trunk. Crackling dark veins of burned bark started spreading on the surface, showing that the dagger's magic wasn’t only cutting the tree, but the spell that was embedded into it.

Grunting, Amon pushed the blade down, slicing a long and deep wound into the trunk that spilled green blood as the magic came apart. The wound rippled and opened into a doorway as the lower part of the tree split. What came into view on the other side was a lush forest that reminded me of the Infernum with its alien vegetation. Two surprised fae guards gaped at the demon who had cut himself a path into their realm.

The demon smiled. “Greetings!”