Keep holding on, When my brain's ticking like a bomb. Guess the black thoughts have come again to get me. Sweet bitter words, Unlike nothing I have heard. Sing along mockingbird. You don't affect me.

That's right. Deliver it to my heart. Please strike. Be deliberate.

Wait. I'm coming undone. Unlaced. I'm coming undone. Too late. I'm coming undone. What looks so strong so delicate. Wait. I'm starting to suffocate. And soon I anticipate. I'm coming undone. What looks so strong so delicate.

Choke, choke again. I find my demons were my friends. Getting me in the end, They're out to get me. Since I was young, I tasted sorrow on my tongue. And this sweet chugga gun does not protect me.

That's right. Trigger between my eyes. Please strike. Make it quick now.

Korn, "Coming Undone"

Today

Belial hangs crucifixion style from the magically enhanced chains; her feet dangle inches from the floor while blood drips from the numerous wounds that litter her body and face. She is unable to teleport away or to go insubstantial, they've made sure she couldn't escape her bonds" they were made to hold one such as her and so far the bonds were doing their job rather nicely. Belial is stuck and not at all sure what her next grand move should be in this game she's started.

The energy she'd been imbued with still soars through every particle of her, however it gives no comfort or relief. She heals quicker from the abuse but there is little joy in such a fact as it seems to incite her captor to further extremes. However she must confess it may be the main reason why she's still in existence. Perhaps the extra energy keeps her alive and free of certain destruction' She doesn't know the answer although she's plenty of time to contemplate it since she's unable to contact anyone, even those with whom she shares an open mental bond with.

The room in which she's being kept stinks of burnt flesh and spilt blood, all hers, and not a thing she can do to stop it from happening again and again? She's no idea how long she's been here, for time has become something marked by the attention of her captor, rather than by the rise and fall of a sun. Here, she's caged and tortured upon the whim of her greatest enemy and the most she can do is ponder what drove her to this madness"

Why had she thought that after all those who'd come before that she would succeed where they had failed" She has no real answers except one: she was tired of waiting. Waiting for assassins to fall upon her from Above or Below, waiting for Corwyn to return and explain what was going on, waiting for DCH to go away, waiting to find Lucien, dead" Alive" Or waiting for Jodiah to die....Yes, she was sick of waiting and it is what drove her to action.

Not the smartest of actions, she would readily admit at this juncture, but all she'd been able to come up with' Ok, maybe not all, but it was the one thing she knew needed doing, so it was the thing she did. She'd intended to take DCH down by eradicating the heads, Dewey, Cheetham and Howe. Obviously her plan had serious flaws, like they'd known she was coming" and they'd been prepared. How they had known remains the mystery as she'd not confessed her plan to anyone. How'd they been prepared" Deepens the mystery indeed"

In the distance she hears him coming. A brief, if futile, effort is made to free herself yet again, knowing what will happen when he steps inside the room which has become her prison. She feels compelled to try although so far it has proven useless; energy misspent. As usual it is to no avail, the chains remain steadfast, unrelenting.

If only' What"! If only she knew how to break free of these chains? If only she hadn't gone on this suicide mission of hers to begin with' If only she'd had a better plan' If only' It haunts without giving insight or wisdom and the footsteps merely grow louder as he gets closer.

The door opens, revealing a silhouette of a figure. At least she is spared from seeing the smile upon his lips. She can be grateful for that at least.... This is her last coherent thought because all too soon he's getting down to business: Pain....hers.

Belial Blood

Today

Belial is floating in and out of consciousness, a rare occurrence for her race that can only be attained through great concentration or severe wounding.

She's not concentrating.

Although she's still imbued with an overflow of unknown energy, the abuse at the hands of her captor has driven her to this escape. Anything is better than waiting and anticipating.

Having recently discovered the joys of dreaming, she seeks reprieve from this dreary existence by wandering a land where she holds control. It is her way of getting even" Ok, it's all that's left open to her" Otherwise she'd gladly rip out his eyes and heart and see him cast into the pits of hellfire.

In her dreams Bel lays beside Jodiah, they speak in soft whispers as lovers are want to do. He is alive, strong and confident as he once was. With the tip of a slender finger she traces the scar along his cheek gently, reveling in the warmth of his smile.

It is a moment of tenderness that will never be shared again? For according to her captor, Jodiah walks with the dead now, repenting the sins of his Gods in a Hell created especially for him alone. What terrible things could he have done, this man she cares for" She had seen the darkness around him, and she had tasted of the Gods he once served, The Nihil. Yet within the man there had been so much more.

Bel had always believed Jodiah could free himself from the bane of the evil he'd gotten entangled in. Now he would never have that chance"

There is nothing she can do caught like a bird in a cage as she is" but when this is all over, she will find him and grant him the rest he deserves.

When this is over" Will it ever end"

She's been here for an eternity with no relief in sight...

Her dreamscape shifts and she's at the Red Dragon. Lucky is sitting in a bar stool, Bel is leaning up against it. Sid is tending. The banter is light and witty. A time before" Before the troubles that came.

Lucky and Sid" She'd had no word from her captor on Lucky; perhaps he doesn't know they were friends" Perhaps he simply doesn't care" Whether Lucky walks in Heaven, Hell or In-Between, remains a mystery to her" But Sid"

The things he's said of Sid" How the White Dragon calls, how she is inextricably drawn towards it. The images he paints of all that will be lost when the Maiden falls"

Yes, Bel knows the power Sid wields; she also knows that Sid likes to pretend otherwise.

She would taunt her capture with such revelations but Bel knows what path that would take" They would certainly kill Sid, not to hold her power but to ensure that she never uses it against them.

And Sid" In her intense desire to remain deluded will not realize that she has the power to stop them' Or maybe Sid won't want to stop them' If they take everything precious from her, then Sid could easily believe there is nothing left to exist for" and they would do such a vile thing; it is within their nature.

So Bel keeps Sid's secrets safe" But worries that should she answer the call of the White Dragon, as Bel's captor insists, it won't be the end of the Bloods or the Three but more like the end of all that is familiar" for everyone.

"Psst, Belial, wake up! Wake up, now!"

An unfamiliar voice indeed, pulling her from her dreamscape back into her prison.

It had once been second nature to retain her human visage, but all that has bled away with time spent in captivity. Eyes that once shone brilliant green are black, starlit orbs now. They flicker open to be presented with an odd and unexpected sight of a child.

In one hand the child holds a stuffed teddy bear, glassy eyes stare lidless, wide, unblinking while the expression of the plush toy infers gentle comfort. The bear is more substantial than the child which is why she's focused on it first.

The child is like a painting smudged: features indistinct, body nearly transparent almost as if it isn't really here. Belial blinks as if to clear her vision but the image doesn't grow clearer.

"Listen carefully, for we've little time." The child leans in close to Bel's ear to whisper, "The time is upon us, this will all be over soon."

"Who ar?"

"Shhh!" The child interrupts before Bel can complete her sentence, "He's coming! He'll hear you!" The child turns to look at the door then back to Belial, "Soon. You will be free soon, Belial."

"Wha?"

"He comes! Do not tell him of me!" Again the child does not allow Belial to question and in the distance Bel hears the faint footfalls of her approaching captor.

Its an old trick, one she's used many times with the same purposes he intends; to incite dread and fear. Yet because Bel understands such machinations it only provokes disgust.

The child leans in close again, "Do not speak of me to him! Do not even think of me around him! Remember soon this will be past and he too shall pay!"

Odd words from an unknown child" Belial's confusion grows as she watches the child "hide" in a room where only shadows linger. Yet even as she struggles to wrap her mind around this turn in events, the door opens and he steps inside.

Belial ~Blood~

Two and a half months ago Part 2

Bel hated the stench of the sewage system, and a large city like Los Angeles has a lot of it. The smell alone made her wish she had taken a more direct route. Blowing up the building didn't seem nearly as awful as it had only fifteen minutes ago. But it was too late; she was committed.

She made her way through the sludge filled tunnel until she found the junction she was looking for. She wouldn't be able to access DCH's office from the sewage system directly, but it would get her as close as anyone can get without alerting or triggering DCH's security.

Finding the cables was easy; they had been left unprotected just in case they ever needed any maintenance. Bel took out the slender tool as she spoke softly to Tix.

"Ok, I'm there."

"Ya have to cut through the outer casing, but be careful, ya don't wanna cut any of the wires inside. Remember what I showed ya!" Tix's voice seemed eerily clear and close as if she were standing beside Bel rather than talking through an ear piece.

'Technology sure is something', Bel thought as she sliced through the outer cable revealing a nest of wires within. "Ok, I see the wires."

"Ok, pull out the green and the gray ones; you wanna make sure you strip about an inch off each. Just like I showed ya, remember?"

"Yeah, Tix, I remember?" Bel was already pulling the two wires out and away from the others. Quickly she stripped about an inch of their rubber housing free, careful not to scrape or severe the fragile filaments beneath. From the open pouch hanging from her utility belt she pulled out the clamps with some kind of gadget hanging between that Tix had given her. "Ok, ready to clamp."

"Hold on, one second?" The sound of typing can be heard before Tix replies "Clear, go ahead and clamp "em, I'm ready!"

Bel placed the clamps on the exposed wire and waited.

"Ok, ok!" Tix's excited voice came through the ear piece. "I'm in! I'm IN!"

"Great?" Bel smiled as she tucked the gadget and the exposed cable up and over the others, to hide it from any casual eyes.

"Lemme see, about fifteen feet Bel then turn down the right tunnel, that's the one ya want."

Bel nodded as she began creeping down the tunnel per Tix directions.

"Ok, looks like they are still pretty full down there tonight, I count about forty. Ya may wanna rethink this one, Bel?"

"Too late, sweets, I'm already slimy."

"Yeah, thought ya might say that. Ya there yet?"

"Yup, just reached the wall?" Bel eyed the wall and wondered if it could be penetrated without too much noise as Maddy and Bert had insisted. It looked really intimidating; all metal no seams. "Hmmm' looks pretty thick?"

"Doncha worry, Bel, me and Bert got your back!" Maddy chimed in. "You got that thing I gave ya?"

Maddy had given her many *things* over the past weeks" Bel scowled as she shook her head. "Maddy, sweets, you are going to need be a bit more specific, I'm afraid?"

"Oh, yeah, right!" He laughed. "That silver thing that kinda looks like a writing pen, ya know, but shoots a light beam?"

"Thanks, sweets" and yes, I have it?" Said as she dug it out of her pouch, eyeing it skeptically as it didn't look like much and were this a bet' Her money would be on the wall. "You sure about this Maddy?"

"Yup."

"Ok" well here goes nothing?"

"Have a little faith Bel; me and Bert, we know our stuff!"

Bel shrugged as she put the end of the device to the wall and pushed the small green button on the side. Green eyes widened as it began cutting through the thick metal like butter without more than a slight whishing noise. "It's working! By the Nine Planes, it's working!"

"Yeah, yeah, Bert, I hear ya." Maddy's voice came over the com-link before he began yelling, "Bel, BEL! Ya did put the handle on the wall first, right"!"

Green eyes rolled towards the heavens as she dropped an inaudible sigh shaking her head. "No, Maddy, I haven't done that yet?"

"What"! Well, ya better do it now! Ya don't want the wall to fall on ya do ya" And she was worried that we'd make too much noise, Bert!" Maddy commented to his invisible companion.

"No, Maddy, I don't want the wall to fall on me." Bel chuckled as she paused in her cutting to rummage in her pouch of holding for the "handle" Maddy was talking about. The item was large and rather bulky, easy to find with wandering fingers. She pulled it out and stuck it to the wall as Maddy had instructed when he'd given it to her. It took practically no time and she was back to cutting.

"Now, before ya get to the bottom hold on to that handle. That wall might be kinda heavy, Bel." Maddy warned unnecessarily.

"I got you, Maddy."

"It aint me ya need to get, Bel, it's the wall!"

"Thanks."

"Anytime.?

Belial ~Blood~

Two and a half months ago Part 4

"Things are gonna go fast now, Bel. I've got the elevator, it's ready and open. Remember it's down that same hall to your right. Ya better be ready to move like lightening." Tix was beginning to sound anxious.

"Yeah, Bel, this is where the fun starts. When ya hit that button, say "mark", okiedoke" I'll start timing." Maddy on the other hand sounded as if he was at a party. "No, Bert, I'm gonna do it, we agreed! We're ready Bel, pay no attention to him!"

Bel shrugged as she shook her head, glad it was Maddy doing this particular job and not his constant companion Bert. The guy she can't hear or see" "Alright, here goes nothing?" The dainty tip of her finger pressed the green button as she said "Mark."

Tiny red numbers lit up on a small screen on the face of parcel; seconds already ticking away"

"Timing in progress. Like the wind, Bel, like the wind!" Maddy urged.

But Bel hadn't needed any urging, she'd made sure the timer was working and on, then she was sprinting out the door and down the hall towards the elevator. "Nearly there?" A hop and quick body roll lands her inside and she's already speaking over the com link. "In, Tix, take me up?"

"The security section takes up all of the basement's first floor as ya know. Got it on the monitors now, more than a few, Bel; lots of activity and some don't look at all human." Tix reported, using DCH's own system against them.

"Well, let's hope this second orb works?" Bel was already tugging the orb from the left leg pocket. "Otherwise, I may be down here when it blows?" Not a happy thought.

"You're there, Bel, opening the doors just an inch then closing them again. Ya should be safe inside the elevator." Tix added the last more for her benefit than Bel's.

"Ready when you are Tix?" Bel replied, holding the orb for a quick lob out. If she had Gods to pray to, she'd be praying now, but Bel has only the Fates and Luck"

The elevator doors crept open just an inch as Tix had planned. Bel didn't hesitate; she tossed the orb out aiming for the furthest end of the long corridor quickly exclaiming "Launched."

The doors snapped shut just as Bel was watching the orb fall towards the floor" "Whew, that was close" Did it go, Tix?"

"It's a go, Bel! Checking impact now" Frak! Three big brutes, I think their demonic, heading for the elevator right freakin" now, Bel! They aint frozen, I repeat, they aint frozen!"

Bel shook her head as she drew her blaster, she didn't have time for this" the first timer had been set and she was on the clock now, literally. She needed to make quick work of them to keep pace.

"Open the doors Tix."

"Ah' Bel that might be a problem?" Tix warned. "That blaster of yours may set off alarms. Working on shutting them down now, but that was kinda the point behind blowing that box downstairs, remember"!"

Tix was obviously watching Bel through the elevator's camera; otherwise she wouldn't have known Bel had her blaster out.

"I can't waste the time with hand to hand?"

"What about using one of Tash's spells?" Tix suggested.

"No frelling way, Tix, those are for the attorneys!" Bel snapped in response. She wasn't about to waste Tasha's spells on DCH's Brute Squad when they may be the only weapons she had to take on the demonic lawyers!

"What about them swords ya got from Luc?" Maddy offered.

"Aaah' right!" Bel would take the time to feel stupid later, but, lacking in just that; time, she quickly holstered her blaster and drew the two short swords. Their blades were thick, double-edged, worthy of battle and heavy.

If one were to do the math they would expect the swords, short though they were, to bring the seemingly delicate physique tottering to the ground face first, but Bel's looks are deceiving. Stepping deep into the back of the elevator she held the swords at ready. "Ok, Tix" open the frellin" doors?"

Tix was nodding as she replied, not that Bel could see it, of course, "Doors opening."

Two and a half months ago Part 6

The senior attorneys" offices and meeting rooms were located on the thirteenth floor, appropriate if you think about it, but one heck of a long climb up stairs. Bel would have teleported, but when you don't know where you're going it's a really bad idea. She could end up inside a wall or some furniture, or maybe even inside another person"

Yuck!

Simply not a feasible option unless one knew the territory. So up the stairs she bounded hoping that the people who worked in the building weren't health conscious nut balls who used the stairs rather than the convenience of the electric boxes, (i.e. elevators.)

She could have sealed the doors she passed, but when the explosions hit she wanted the employees to be able to escape should more damage be done than they'd anticipated. (When working with Maddy and Bert it is only realistic to assume that this is a possibility") She knew that many of the employees of DCH weren't tainted by the evil stain of the lawyers themselves, they were innocents and hence didn't deserve to die just because they needed the fat pay checks. Sure, greed is one of the seven deadly sins, but taking a job that pays well didn't necessarily qualify as greed as much as need, well, at least not in Bel's mind anyway.

DCH's employees come in two varieties: either they're there for the money, or they have been persuaded to join the company through other nefarious means. The law firm has been collecting the most skilled and best in their fields for centuries, and from multiple dimensions. DCH culls their employees carefully and once they get a good one, they rarely let them go.

Bel knows" She knows a lot about DCH.

Bel has been studying DCH for nearly seven years, ever since the first sighting of trouble: when Howe had threatened Sun and the Oak and Ash.

Back when the bastard was in a wheelchair and looked the ripe old age of 500 years old. Talk about corpse like"!

As the situation got heated and the Bloods were drawn in, her interest mounted. In no time, DCH found their names at the top of the Bloods "Most Wanted" list. They'd earned the dubious honor of contracted eradication; the Bloods were more than happy to pay outrageous bounties for the heads of any one or all of the three. They rank right alongside Khorathil and Daugolozan. Dead was preferred, alive was easily remedied.

Reaching the top floor Bel shook the thoughts out of her head as she whispered through the com-link "I'm here. Time Maddy?"

"Ya got about one and a half minutes Bel. You be careful now!"

"Yeah, Bel, be careful!" Tix joined in. Both sounded worried, but Bel was feeling awesome. Overconfidence has that effect. She'd gotten this far and that was supposed to be the hard part, this next bit she felt was sure to be a cake walk. As long as Tasha's spells helped slow them down, Bel should be able to take them out"

"No worries, I've got this covered. Going dark, sweets" see you on the other side!" She tugged the ear piece off and stuck it inside her bag as green eyes scanned over the small, square ventilation shaft.

Bel could, if she wanted to, glide like air down that shaft' It would be easy; a being of energy is insubstantial. But for Bel this is an untrained skill, one she'd only been aware of for a few years now, ever since that damnable spell Corwyn cast' And it is unreliable at best. The three times she'd done it, the time lost between dimensions has been significant. Bad idea when timing is everything"

So she didn't have a choice. It was wiggling like a snake through the slender ventilation shaft or nothing. She prayed to any God kind enough to grant her an ear that the top floor hadn't been remolded since the last time the blueprints were updated.

Hopping up the wall next to the ventilation shaft, much like a spider, Bel grabbed hold of the grating. She tested its strength with a few experimental tugs. Then nipping at her lower lip she blithely ripped it off. With a whispered word she let the grating slide down the wall; it made no sound as if cluttered to the floor below. Bel reached inside the right leg pocket of her battle armor, producing a small round metal disk. She sat this just inside the mouth of the shaft before dropping back to the floor to land beside the grate.

Another nifty gadget from the Bloods arsenal, the disk is a mix of magic and technology. Merging with the properties of the metal it will strengthen as well as sound proof the somewhat flimsy shaft casing ensuring a quiet and sturdy passage. Plus, she won't have to strip down to her underwear"

Pulling the special tape of Maddy's and Bert's out of her pouch she made quick work of the stairway door. No way in or out except through the air shafts. She tried to imagine any one of the three attorneys attempting to crawl through such a small space as she hopped up into the shaft. It brought a satisfied grin to impish features while snaking her way through the tight, cramped space.

If the blueprints were updated, there should be a turn coming up soon. She felt along the sides as she squirmed and slithered forward. To her surprise she found another grating, not a turn. Green eyes peeked out through the thin slates on to an opulent hallway. A bit overdone for Bel's taste, but this was their LA offices after all. The d"cor wasn't what really caught Bel's attentions; she did that kind of assessment out of habit. It was the six immaculately- dressed but nevertheless brutish bodyguards sitting or lounging against the walls obviously on duty. They looked ready to kill one rather than shake their hand. They reeked of their profession; she's had a few herself and Corwyn tends to travel with an entourage of them.

Besides, if she were as evil and despicable as DCH; she'd have three or four bodyguards, ready and willing to die for her, watching her back twenty-four-seven. Desperate people do desperate things and when you exploit their weaknesses you inherit desperate attentions. Any one of the employees in this building alone could be a potential suspect; an assassin just waiting for the opportunity to strike. If you live by that code, you have to defend yourself appropriately.

Luckily, Bel no longer lived by that code? but she knew how it worked.

Two and a half months ago Part 8

Belial has honed the talent of situational awareness. She's had to in order to survive. In what may appear a casual glance Bel absorbs many details. It is what has kept her alive. She has learned to rely on this skill for many reasons but primarily for battle strategies.

As her eyes had scanned the meeting room she'd committed every detail to her memory. From the entrances and exits, to the patterns on the furniture; the room and its contents were easily recalled in her mind's eye.

The glass wall between them and her was thick, very thick. It looked nearly impenetrable by most weapons and definitely sound proof. There were double glass doors, but they were obviously locked; she could see where their locking mechanism had been engaged. She wasn't going to kick them down. Her blasters weren't going to cut through that glass but on the other hand she could teleport inside"

The interior of the room looked elegant and tasteful; the carpet wall-to-wall, thick and plush, the furniture classic and inviting. Books lined one side of the wall, while dark paintings and plagues the other. The far wall was all glass too; the view spectacular. No doubt this was the reason why they chose this location in the first place.

"Only the best offered at DCH." The thought brought a sneer to full lips as she pressed her body back against the hallway wall, keeping her out of their direct line of sight. Her mind was already working out the best possible line of attack for this situation.

The lawyers looked at ease, comfortable and confident. Dewey was sitting at the head of the round highly-polished mahogany table, while Cheetham was standing off to his left, fingering books in one of the built-in bookcases. Howe was pacing to and fro beside the table off to Dewey's right. They weren't acting like people whose building had just gotten bombed"

Bel heard one of the sets of bodyguards arguing as they headed her way. They were angry that the two guys sent to turn on the backup generators hadn't done their job. Sliding further down the hallway, she slipped back inside the closet. Cautiously she stepped around the headless corpses as she took up a new position, somewhat behind the door she'd used earlier.

She knew she needed to take the bodyguards out before tackling the attorneys. She didn't want them behind her" and they'd given her the perfect trap" again.

Bel knew these two would be harder to kill than the last. There was no way around the corpses, they couldn't miss them. Trying to place their individual heights by listening to their voices, she aimed at the wall in the approximate places their mouths should be once they were close enough to the doorway to spy their fallen comrades. Seconds crawled by and she waited with bated breath, keeping her stance steady, her aim trained. When she heard one of them mutter "Oh, shite!" she quickly adjusted to that voice and fired; two shots from each blaster, first aimed for the head, second for the chest.

There was a flash and the scent of fire and smoke as the wall disintegrated to ash in front of her, leaving a gaping, raggedly burnt hole big enough for her to step through. The two bodyguards were winged, but not dead. They'd been knocked off their feet but they were quickly regaining their senses, hands automatically going for their weapons.

She didn't pause however. And she didn't need time to recover"

Sighting down the one nearest her she shot him twice, one to the head and the other to the heart. He flopped backwards, gun falling from dead hands even as she turned her attention to the other. He had his weapon out and was sighting down on her as she swung her blaster up for a head shot. Green eyes saw the slight tug at his lips, noticed the flexing of his finger on the trigger but he was too late. She easily hopped to the right, while keeping her blaster aimed on him. He had time to turn his head in her direction before it and the surprised expression it wore exploded from a direct blaster shot.

The noise hadn't been dampened this time and the other two guards were running in her direction. She didn't have to see them to know they had their weapons already in hand. She hadn't wanted to announce herself so openly to the demonic attorney's, but' there was little doubt; the bodyguards left would alert them, its part of their job.

Bel darted forward, moving to gain the best view of the incoming guards while remaining in the narrow constriction of the hallway. Its one thing that the lawyers knew someone was out here, another if they knew it was her specifically. Best leave that for a surprise"

Bel lifted her blasters up sighting down the slice of hallway she was able to see, but she knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Intuition or charitable Fates whispered and she listened. Bel moved to the other side of the hallway and looking down the opposite corridor she picked her spot. In a blink of an eye she teleported right to it. In a fluid motion she spun about, crouched low and lifted her blasters, waiting for the last two bodyguards to arrive.

Two and a half months ago Part 10

Reappearing down the untouched hallway, Bel was already busy pulling the six orbs needed for the next phase of her attack out of her pouch. These were her weapons of choice for facing down the attorneys". The orbs had been made for her by Tasha but they had been modified by the Spider Mages with a single goal in mind; trapping the energy of the three demonic lawyers".

Containing their energy could be considered a form of death and definitely end their evil careers". Besides, Bel considered it justice for all the horrible things they'd done. She may not be able to kill them, but she can bury them so deep they never see light again! Or at least' that was the plan"

She had six orbs which meant she had six chances. It was tricky, she knew that, but she'd been practicing for days; Bel felt confident she could pull it off. (Being blessed with an abundance of overconfidence can be a real pain sometimes" she'd never admit to it of course.)

Green eyes inspected the orbs one last time. All of the orbs were small in comparison to image orbs; she could easily fit three of them in one hand and she has small hands. Bel had been specific about their size when asking for them to be made. She wanted them to travel fast and be hard to track with the eyes. She wanted them to be easy to hold and throw yet hard to swat away. She'd gotten exactly what she'd requested. The orbs were perfect, now all she had to do was make them work"

Summoning the image of the area in her mind's eye where she knew the lawyers" were lurking she rapidly chose the best strategic placement; equidistance between the three. Taking in a deep breath she rolled back her shoulders preparing herself for the upcoming confrontation. Relaxing the tension in her body to ease fluid of movement, she found that cool, calm place inside and then in less time than it takes to blink an eye she vanished.

From the moment her quest began Bel had felt something was off. It wasn't that getting inside had been too easy, but neither had it been the challenge anticipated. That little voice inside warned vehemently of danger yet unable to pinpoint where the hazards lay she felt she had no choice but to press forward. Now, at last, she'd reached her goal; the heads of DCH were merely a few feet away from her. She couldn't stop this close to the finish no matter how loud her instincts were shrieking.

Appearing in the room she immediately sprang into action: her right hand lifted and sent the first of the three orbs sailing towards its intended target. She'd decided to work counterclockwise, better to throw them off, as any advantage is better than none at all. She began with Cheetham. He was standing near the bookcase to the back of the large meeting room making Dewey the next in line and leaving Howe for last.

As the first orb flew from her fingers, she sensed the thick cords of building energy.

Ancient magic, Angelic magic; so familiar....yet"

She can't place it. Much like a vague memory or a sense of a name to a face that somehow eludes immediate recognition. It throbbed and pulsed around her like a snake tightening its grip on its prey. No time to think, Bel ignored the energy, hoping to stop whatever it was by soul trapping the attorneys.

The second orb was off, hurtling towards Dewey, the seeming leader of the evil Triad, just as the first orb hit Cheetham dead center in the chest. The orb activated upon touching the lawyer. Cheetham went pale and began to crumble towards the ground. Her plan had worked, but Bel didn't have time to celebrate" She had to stay with the flow and hope she was fast enough'

As the third orb left her fingers aimed at Howe, Dewey lifted his hand. It was a regal yet dismissive gesture that froze the two remaining orbs in midair. The one intended for Dewey was an inch from his face, the orb headed for Howe hung suspended an equal distance between he and Bel.

Whatever advantage she'd had was lost.

However Bel wasn't about to let parlor tricks stop her! The last of the orbs were launched; two this time at Dewey, since Cheetham was already down, only one sent towards Howe. It felt to Bel as if everything had suddenly sped up. Tiny details were registered as flickering images but with no time for interpretation, just movement.

She knew there wouldn't be any 'do-over's". This was it; her final chance. If the orbs didn't get them then combat would likely ensue and Bel wasn't sure if she could handle both of them at the same time. She was going to need a new plan"

Too late!

She nearly missed the subtle, almost imperceptible, movement of Dewey's hand but it was already too late. As Dewey made his gesture the vague memory crystallized into recognition but the trap was sprung. Energy surged to writhing, screaming life, closing in around her, like a thick viscous blanket, intent of suffocating the life-force right out of her. She hadn't seen any runes, although she knew at that moment that there had to be one somewhere in the room, either under the carpet below her or invisibly grafted to the ceiling above but she knew. She'd been set-up!

The ancient magic of the angelic rune coded to her specific energy held her as effectively as a prison cell holds its inmate. There was no escaping for Belial, not this time" This fact was shocking enough; however married to it was the reality that the Angelic had betrayed their secrets to the demonic attorneys; there was no way for the lawyers to know this magic unless someone Above gave it to them'

The orbs never reached their targets. Instead they bounced off invisible barriers to fall harmlessly to the carpeted floor but Bel was oblivious. The overwhelming tide of energy crashed down upon her sending her into blackness. The last thing she would recall was the sound of Dewey and Howe laughing?