Page 52 of The Assassin and the Libertine
“No,” he said.
“No—what?”
“No, I don’t want to leave. The Comtesse de Brionne has asked for my assistance. I will stay to help.” He faced Charlotte and smiled charmingly at her. “What are we looking for, Madame?”
I seethed with anger. Charlotte raised her brows at me.
“Pseudomonarchia Daemonum,”she said.
“Traitor.” I folded my arms against my chest.
Étienne’s smile dropped.
“Daphne,” he said in a warning tone. “This is extremely dangerous. You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
I raised my chin haughtily. “Oh, and you do? Well, by all means, share it with me. You forget, Étienne, I was in that cellar, too. I want to know what we’re up against, be it ghost, supernatural beast, or demon. Whatever it is, I will defeat it. We have no other leads to follow, and I don’t think I need to remind you that time—and The Order’s patience—is running out.”
“The Order’s patience? Because it’s not enough to simply find Jeanne’s murderer—we have to do it so that your masters will welcome you back into their good graces,” he scoffed.
“How dare you!” I growled. “If it wasn’t for my intervention with The Order, you’d probably be returned to dust from some other assassin’s stake.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Stop! Both of you. We’re wasting time. Help us look for the book, Étienne, and then you two can spar all you want.”
Chastened, I returned to my spot at the bookshelves. I resolved to ignore Étienne as best as I could, but it was difficult with him smiling smugly a few shelves over. I cut my eyes to him. He was scanning the titles with inhuman speed and I swallowed an oath. Charlotte had been right to ask him for help. I’d almost forgotten about his supernatural speed. I could only hope I found the book first, just so that he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of?—
“Found it,” he called.
Merde.
He pulled a thick, leather-bound volume down and placed it on a table near the middle of the room. It looked almost identical to the one from the cellar. Without hesitation, I flipped through the pages, looking for the one that had been seared into my mind.
The Demon Asmoday.
Charlotte and Étienne stood on either side of me, reading over my shoulders. The page detailed horrifying rituals for summoning and controlling a demon. In exchange for sacrifices of blood, the demon Asmoday was said to bestow wealth, charm, power, and all-compelling allure upon his summoner, in addition to granting any number of requests. The demon could appear in his own form but had the power to both remain unseen and inhabit bodies. With the illicit gifts listed, I could suspect any number of people of summoning him—especially at court. Who didn’t wish for wealth, power, and the lust of others? The only thing that didn’t make sense to me was Henri’s involvement. Why would he have summoned a demon to give him everything he already had?
“What does this mean?” Charlotte’s humor had faded, replaced with a look of horror.
“We’re dealing with a serious force of evil here,” Étienne said, turning the page. “Someone has summoned the demon Asmoday and somehow, he is connected to Henri’s body, or his spirit. I can’t be sure which. We will need to petition the Vatican for an exorcism. That’s the only way to defeat the demon.”
“Are you certain? There has to be another way. Holy water, prayers, silver—something like that,” I offered, desperate and starting to panic.
“Well, I don’t know for certain about the holy water and prayers, but I believe silver only works on werewolves,” he said thoughtfully.
“We don’t have time to petition the Vatican,” I said. My voice sounded on the verge of hysteria, even to my own ears.Henri is connected to a powerful demon! As if he wasn’t terrifying enough as a mere mortal man. What has he sought and gained in this new supernatural state? Strength? Immortality? Other unnamed dark powers?Each prospect became more terrifying than the last, but I willed myself calm with a steadying breath. “You read the text. There will be more deaths—more sacrifices until the summoner has what he wants. If we don’t stop him, who knows what will follow? To stop Asmoday, we must stop the summoner.”
“How do we do that?” Charlotte asked. Worry lines creased her forehead.
“We don’t,” Étienne said emphatically. “We must have help—someone who has performed an exorcism before. I’ve certainly never done one and I doubt either of you have. I do know that if it isn’t done properly—safely—it can go very, very wrong.”
I ignored his words. “Perhaps there’s another book in here…a book about exorcising demons. Charlotte, help me look!”
“What the Hell is going on in here?” Philippe threw the library door open, knocking several books from their shelves. He tore his mask off and threw it aside, face purpling in anger. His eyes lit upon Étienne and he practically vibrated with violence.
“Philippe!” Charlotte laughed to cover her nerves, but her voice shook. “Nothing,mon cher, nothing! I was just having a quiet moment with Daphne when Monsieur de Noailles came in and?—”
“Not another word, Charlotte. Not another lie shall cross your lips tonight. Get your things. We are leaving.”
“Philippe, please, it was my fault. I—” I stepped toward him. He held up his hand to stay me.
