Chapter 2

People tended to give Edom a bad name. Yes, the place was literally hell, or at least one of them. And sure it was crawling with demons and there were vast waste lands as far as the eye could see. But, there was beauty to be found there as well. All you had to do was look past the glamour, and with an invitation from the king of course, step through the wards, and into the city of Sheol.

The city was a marriage between the best of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, large white columned buildings contrasting perfectly with the red bricked walk ways and the red cloudless sky. The people...well, magical beings, that called the city their home, added a certain character and charm that couldn't be found anywhere else.

At the very center of the city, the palace where Magnus and his father lived, the very defination of grandiose. It would cause the now queen of England to blush. From it's high marble walls and columns, to the large arched windows that were perfect for letting the light and view in. The garden of Eden, an unkept vampire's back yard in comparison to the one at the palace's entrance. Flowers beautifully color coordinated; reds, yellows and blues, forming elaborate designs that grabbed and held your attention.

The intricate, alluring, yet deadly maze at the east entrance. forever green. Magnus could remember getting lost in those maze for hours as a boy, his father having to come and find him. Or portaling anyone who had annoyed him there as a young warlock. Probably a few annoying vampires still trapped there even now, if he thought about it. He really should check on that.

Then there was the Red canals, it's waters the color of blood - where no one dared swim because they thought it home to deadly creatures, but infact was simply home to a few gold fish that Magnus had gotten as a birthday present and had placed them there as a child - snaking around the entire city like a ribbon tying everything together in a nice big bow. All in all, no matter where Magnus went, he always looked forward to returning home.

"So, when are you leaving?" Asked Asmodeus. He was sitting opposite Magnus at a large gray Arianna marble dinning table, covered with a very delicious looking breakfast spread.

Asmodeus was the king of Edom. Though if you asked Lucifer, he would say that he was the king of all the realms of hell, Edom included, and though Asmodeus was given rule over Edom for his loyalty in the war against the heavens, he was not a king but a prince under his command. However, which ever way you chose to look at it, Asmodeus was the ruler of Edom and in his eyes and the eyes others, it's king.

"In two days time, I think," Magnus replied, taking a sip of his coffee. He knew his father was against him leaving, that Asmodeus didn't think he'd fully recovered from what had drove him home from his last visit to the mundane world, though the ruler of Edom seemed to have given up trying to change his mind. And perhaps he was right, Magnus thought, but it's been almost tweenty years... And besides, one could only sulk for so long.

"And where will you be going this time around?"

"Thought I'd visit New York," said Magnus.

"Oh," his father replied, and what looked like sadness flashed in his eyes before quickly disappearing.

"Yes, a friend of mine, Ragnor..." Magnus began, picking up a piece of toast and smearing it with strawberry jam. "You remember him right?" Asmodeus nodded. "Well, he's been living there for a while now. Said it's changed alot since the last time I was there."

"Ok. And what is it you plan on doing there?" Asmodeus asked, his concern now clear. He knew is son, and if he didn't have something constructive doing to keep him busy, well, lets just say that Magnus wasn't called the great destruction for nothing.

"I'm thinking of taking over as the High Warlock of Brooklyn," Magnus shrugged.

"And the current high warlock?" Asmodeus raised his eye brows in question.

"He'll be coming here, to keep you company," Magnus smirked. "I'm sure he'll do well in keeping you entertained in my absence."

"Aren't you a wicked one?" His father smiled brightly. A look so devilish and sinister that it would scare anyone else.

"No, that would be you father," Magnus chided. "I'm simply repaying a debt. The idiot should not have messed with my friend." If there was one rule in the shadow world that you didn't break, that would be to never get on Magnus' bad side.

Asmodeus sighed, releasing a heavy breath, seeming to have forgotten his breakfast. "Just don't cause too much trouble this time, alright." A slight plea in his voice.

Magnus scrunched his face up, looking appalled at his father's suggestion. "When have I ever caused trouble?" He asked.

"Really?" Asmodeus drawled. "Do you want me to remind you of what happened in Peru?"

"That wasn't my fault and you know it. And besides," said Magnus, looking absolutely incredulous as he placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "I apologized."

"Yes it was," said Asmodeus in all seriousness. "And you're still banned."

"Oh please, no one can ban me." Magnus scoffed with a wave of his hand at the very idea. "I just decided never to visit there again."

"That may be true but..." Asmodeus trailed off, deciding it was best not to bother going down that bumpy road. "Just stay out of trouble alright. Believe me I love a good war as much as the next demon, and would welcome a bounty of new souls to torture, but your father has other plans and will be very busy."

"Doing what?" Magnus inquired.

"Redecorating!" Asmodeus exclaimed with a smile and a flourish of his hands.

"Again?" Asked Magnus, rolling his eyes. His father could be way too much sometimes, and that was coming from him. The president of club too much.

"What?" Asmodeus drawled. "Oh come on son, the palace is looking so last century, we need to update things around here a bit. I mean, I am the demon of lust after all. And what is lust if not desire. And I desire new furniture, son. Who knows..." he continued, standing up and waving his hands around. "I just might redecorate the entire kingdom. Don't you want Edom to be the best hell that it can be? Hmm?" He was looking at Magnus now, as if truely waiting for a reply.

Magnus just stared back at his father, who then waved him off and started pacing the dining room explaining all of his decorating plans, waving his hands around like a lunatic. He couldn't be leaving at a better time, he thought for a moment. His father seemed to be about getting into one of his moods again. Then again, maybe it wasn't the best time to be leaving.

It still amazed Magnus sometimes that his father was an actual demon...and, a greater demon at that. One of the seven princes of the realms of hell...that his father's day to day job was to torture damned souls. Demons were supposed to be evil, and they were. But some how his father had managed to hold onto his heart; to some of what he was when he'd served in the heavens. Because he was a really great guy, a bit eccentric, but a great father non the less. At least in Magnus' eyes he was.

Magnus had been raised only by his father. His mother died when he was just a boy. His father had told him that she had died giving birth to him, but he'd later found out that that wasn't the case. His father had posed as a mundane and lived for a while in the mundane world where he'd met and fell in love with Magnus' mother. He'd taken her as his mate, and they had gotten married, performing all of the mundane mating rituals. She had no idea that she'd mated with a demon. That wasn't until he was born. When Magnus was born and she saw his eyes, as he didn't yet have the power to glamour them, she knew something was wrong. After fighting with his father and threatening to kill herself, his father had confessed to her who he truely was.

You would think finding out that she was married to a prince of hell, a demon, she would have ran for the hills, ran mad, or even worse, carried out her threat to kill herself. But no, she did non of that, she loved her husband and loved her child. And so she decided to live her life as she had been, as though nothing had changed. It wasn't until Magnus was about three years old that his father had told her of his need to return to Edom.

His father had told her that she had to remain in the mundane world, raise their son. That even if they were to perform the mating rituals of Edom, he was afraid that as a mundane, she might not be able to survive living there. But she was determined to travel to Edom with her husband and child. Magnus supposed he had gotten his stubbornness from her.

And so it was that after only a year of living in Edom, even after being brought back to the mundane world, she died. His father, in his grieve stricken state, had erased all of Magnus' memories of her. It was his way of protecting him, believing that he wouldn't miss what he never had. But as with most secrets, the truth eventually came out. Magnus had spent decades being angry and rebeling against his father for what he'd done, but in the end, he had to forgive him.

~ooOoo~

"What in the hell!" Ragnor shouted as a portal burst open in the middle of his living room. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." He sighed when Magnus stepped through, closing his fist to put out the fire ball he'd conjured.

"You scared me you little shit," said Ragnor in way of greeting, pulling Magnus in for a hug.

"Don't know why. You knew I was coming," Magnus retorted, stepping back, and with a dancer's spin, gracefully seated himself on plush black suede couch.

Ragnor Fell was Magnus' oldest and dearest friend. He was like a brother to Magnus, and not because they liked each other, on the contrary, they couldn't stand each other. At least that was what they told the other every chance they got. Ragnor was one of the few people who has managed to put up with Magnus and his many...many quirks.

But that was family, they loved to hate and annoy each other. And no matter how many years had past since they last spoke to each other, they always seemed to be able to pick up right where they had left off, as if no time had past at all. Magnus supposed that it had to do with them being immortal, as time past differently for them. Then again, it could just be a Ragnor and Magnus thing.

"And where is the lovely Caterina?" Magnus asked, looking around the room as if he expected her to pop out of hiding at any moment.

"She's working late at the hospital," answered Ragnor, joining him on the couch. "She spends most of her time there now. It's like she can't bear to be around me, Magnus."

Caterina was Ragnor's mate. Their story was turly a tragic one. Romantic, but tragic non the less. They have been together for over a century, and have spent half of that time trying to have a child. About thirty years ago they were finally able to create the right potion to aid their quest, and Caterina had gotten pregnant. Then, of all the ways for a warlock to loose a pregnancy, a mundane car accident had seemed an especially unlikly culprit.

Caterina was on her way home from the hospital where she worked as nurse. She'd been spent, barely able to keep her glamour up, having used all her energy healing people. Her protection spell had worn off, leaving her vulnerable... She still blamed herself till this day.

"I'm sure that's not the case, old friend," Magnus assured. "Just give her time." He was never really good with the comforting others, or figuring out what the right words were to say. He tended to drink his own problems away, or simply get new ones.

"So how have you been?" Asked Ragnor after a few beats, needing a change of topic. "How's your father? Still crazy?"

"I'm great, as you can see," Magnus started with a smile. "And father... still crazy of course. I left him redecorating the Kingdom."

"Oh." Ragnor said knowingly.

"Yeah," Magnus' smile fell. "I mean, it's been over four centuries since mother died. He needs a new mate...and not his usual conquests. Plus, to make matters worse, you know who, has been lurking around. I just know she's up to something."

"Who? Lilith?" Ragnor asked with a frown, though he already knew the answer.

"Please don't say her name," Magnus scowled. "The demon is like Beetlejuice. You say her name too many times and she just pops up out of nowhere, ruining your whole day."

"Ok but..."

The rest of the conversation went on much the same, the two of them catching each other up on what has been going on in the other's life, until after about fifteen minutes when Magnus had had enough and said, "you know what, you're making me depressed, and I came here to have fun," snapping his fingers causing a drink to materialize in his hand. "Now, let's talk about more pleasant things, like finding me an apartment."