First of the demons, we had already met. For my own reasons I will call it Azoza, although you may be assured that is not its real name. I must mention this particular spirit for its actions throughout my adventures were affected. For one thing, we had already met Eibon, who happened to be directly descended from Araek, like a sort of 'grandson of Araek'.

Azoza had gotten free from where we had buried it, somehow. Then it had found us, first in dreams, then in person. It became very obnoxious. It finally went insane and wandered off, somewhere into the wilderness. It is needless to say that anyone near it was driven to the brink of madness as well.

There were dozens more. When I awoke in the mornings at La Cucharacha, they were out there in the mists, in the cold desert sands still in the shadow of night, just before sunrise. I wondered if there really would be over a hundred of those things. The demons shimmered out there and had no real form, except in the mirage. I wondered if perhaps it were from the original demon's work, or some other force, unleashing demons on us. All I could do was watch their approach. I became very terrified, seeing them get ever closer, shimmering into something with almost an outline, and then they started to fade in the sunlight, becoming invisible in the light.

I was simultaneously frightened both to see them take shape in the shimmering morning light as they emerged through the vague mist and also because they were becoming invisible again as the sun rose. I asked Cory:

"Do you see these demons?" I asked him.

"No, my Lord, let me look." And then Cory flew up and over them and squawked an alarm. "My, Lord hold still."

Cory dove to my shoulder and alighted. Then he told me the names of the demons and told me to repeat them. "Now tell them thy turn."

Which I did. I couldn't tell if they were still there or not; I peered into the places I thought they might be, frightened. "They are gone." Cory told me.

"That was clever, Cory." I said. "I forgot you know the names of all things. That is a convenient talent."

"Yes." Cory agree. "It is."

I worried at the wrath of such creatures, unsure how long a delay would be, or if they might stay away and later ambush me. I realized having the growing library of very dangerous books was possibly attracting them. I didn't doubt there would be more or that those same demons wouldn't return.

"Will they be diverted from us again?" I asked Cory.

"My Lord, those demons have yet to take form. Recognizing them by name gives one power over them, but it also gives them more settling to take form. Once they are born into this world, a demon can never be destroyed, only the shape of it may be changed." Cory reminded me what the Book of Sercil had said about demons.

"Is that information correct?" I wondered.

"We shall see." Cory concluded.

The investigation had led to the excavation, oddly it was bought by Fetter Industries. A series of break-ins to sabotage the place had increased security. It looked excessive, with barbed wire and assault rifles. Massive spotlights lit up the path. Everything else was ground made of excavated trenches and ancient catacombs.

"I don't think they have enough weapons" Cory commented.

"Why? What is down there?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said. "I'd like to fly down there and take a look."

Cory flew down into the excavation, tiptoeing past an exposed skull staring up from the dry earth. As he entered the unearthed crypt he hesitated and looked around at the variety of skeletons that stood with jewels and beads of amber decorating their rotting wrappings. Somehow these had stayed intact through countless centuries, guarding something that was no longer there. My crow hopped around looking at them and then turned, deciding which one

He found the nearest of the horrible skeletons that were desiccated and covered in tomb dust. The mummified lips groaned back and the empty skull sockets glared menacingly. Black dirt shot out of its nostrils and droplets of sod from its mouth formed like a foam as it spoke. I am thankful I could not hear its voice from where I stood gazing into its parcel of lingering night in the pit. The horrible sight of it was frightening enough.

Cory returned and recalled the conversation he had with the creature, doing his best voice imitation of it. He had cast a spell from Sercil's teachings and awoken a Son of Araek. I trembled at the name recalling that they were a very ancient cabal of sorcerers. He had introduced himself and discovered that its name was "Duerekaehe, God of Lemuria." Or something that was shortened to that, since its full name and title and all the other names it goes by was quite extensive. Those were the only words of it that I recognized. Cory had then silenced the creature with the same spell, which worked in a reverse form and caused a Son of Araek to wither back to sleep, as they were.

"If they actually inhabited their bodies, they would be unstoppable, I imagine." Cory told me.

"How many are there?" I asked, and instantly regretted it.

"Two?" Cory laughed.

"And I don't suppose there is any reasonable way you could tell me their names and I could tally them up?" I wondered.

"I don't want to do that." Cory kept laughing his various crow laughs.

The FBI began looking more closely at the seminal archaeological dig, seeing that there were bodies that were not the skeletons. It was going to take awhile. Agent Saint came and asked me:

"What are we dealing with?"

"Cory says the older skeletons are the Sons of Araek. They are powerful wizards." I told her.

"What about the newer bodies in the strata, those are more recent, some a hundred, some fifty, some three years ago." Agent Saint asked.

"This is where those slain in battle lay at rest. Battles against the Lilim." Cory claimed.

"Is that right?" Agent Saint wondered.

"The bodies from the collapsed tunnels at their chambers, in the excavation, are ancient skeletal remains of wizards." I told her. "Cory just has a theory that the rest died in similar battles. Much more recently." I surmised.

"So there is a cabal of wizards out there." Agent Saint concluded. "Trying to steal magic from these Lilim creatures."

"Something was buried here that they had all along, under the revered dead of their ancestors." I pointed out something Cory was pointing at. "Possibly what the Lilim mentioned to me, a crown of flames."

"Who has it now?" Agent Saint wondered aloud. We left the excavation after that, on a break. We might have to come back later, as it always seemed to be the case.

We sat alone in the diner, somehow the locals found me scary. Cory got some food. Eventually Detective Winters and Agent Heller arrived. Agent Heller asked me:

"Why don't you just have your bird ask the skeletons who put the bodies in the ground?" Agent Heller suggested.

"We could try that, right Cory?" I agreed.

"Yup." Cory said between mouthfuls.

It started pouring down rain suddenly, flashflooding a certainty. We opted to stay in the diner for coffee and dessert. Detective Winters stated that he didn't like it, didn't like Cory talking to the Son of Araek. I agreed it was horrifying to witness.

He went outside to smoke.

The rest of us stayed there and waited. The other team arrived, having the security request an evacuation, due to the flooding at the site. Agent Gilbery called it "Hogwash."

Cory found that hilarious.

"Where is Agent Iscariot?" Agent Saint asked, looking around and noticing that everyone that had investigated the dig site was present, except one Agent from the other team. She looked worried.

"The same man who stared at the books my Lord possesses and asked nothing about them? I found that to be strange." Cory spoke up in the moment when all of the FBI present were looking at each other and had stopped chatting.

"Son of a bitch!" Agent Meroë cursed explosively as he received a text message. He didn't explain but instead called whoever had sent it. I guessed it was his two agents that were back at La Cucharacha. "Is she alright?" He asked, worried. Then: "That goddamned traitor! I'll find him. I will." And then he hung up. He sighed and then realized that everyone was waiting to be briefed. "Agent Ravine is in the OR and she probably won't survive the night. She was gunned down by Iscariot and Agent Grayson was also shot, although he suffered only a minor injury. The books you had were taken." He spoke to everyone and then directly to me.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"He is with the cabal. They were robbed of their treasure and now they are taking action. With those books they can resurrect their greatest warriors that were buried at the site and possibly even the Sons of Araek." I told everyone.

"Who ordered the pie?" The waitress of the late night diner asked, interrupting. She was ignored as Agent Saint added:

"The ones who were considered gods?"

"In Lemuria and older worlds, yes. Long time ago, Detective Winters and I met a similar skeletal creature that was the spawn of Duerekaehe. It was quite powerful and the Folk of the Shaded Places feared its ghost. Cory learned that one of these Sons of Araek is Duerekaehe, an actual god of some kind." I attempted to explain.

"Slow way down." Agent Meroë requested. "I need to know why my two best agents were shot and robbed by another of my agents."

"Agent Iscariot must be working for the cabal of sorcerers that derive their power from the graves. A mole, a double agent, a traitor. He was one of them all-along. Who knows what they are capable of. My guess is that when Fetter Industries bought the excavation and took the treasure, your agent was activated by the cabal. They are making a desperate move. They are probably going to try to raise the dead. It is dangerous for everyone, including them. They did not have the Book of Sercil before to use in such a way. Now they have the means and the motive to try something incredibly dangerous and destructive. It is the equivalent, in occult powers, to a nuclear bomb." I detailed for Agent Meroë.

"You are just guessing at all of this?" Agent Meroë asked me with a strange calmness. I nodded.

"My Lord is making a very educated guess. There is no other explanation." Cory defended me.

"I sense that something terrible beyond words is happening. I can see that a darkness will spread and all of our lives are in danger. Perhaps the entire town." Agent Saint muttered.

"What did you say, Maia?" Agent Meroë asked her gently. He was trembling. He had heard her and believed her. He just didn't want to accept it.

"We are all in great danger." She came out of her momentary trance and replied. At this, both teams were getting up from their seats with grave looks on their faces in the dim diner. I stood and Cory went to my shoulder.

A sound like rolling thunder and flashes of man-made lightning came from the direction of the excavation. Detective Winters came inside from smoking outside and yelled: "Hey! There is shooting going down at the site! Those are machine guns!"

As the FBI shuffled out to their vehicles the sound of police sirens could be heard.

"So nobody ordered the pie. That's just great." I heard the waitress saying as we all left.

"We shouldn't go to the excavation site." I told Agent Saint.

"Why's that?" She asked, driving her small rental. Detective Winters was riding shotgun and Cory and I in the back. I wondered how to put it and said:

"Because I want to see if Agent Iscariot got everything." I said.

"Seriously? Why now?" Detective Winters demanded.

"If there is anything left back at La Cucharacha, it will be our only hope for surviving this." Cory articulated.

"I'm listening to that bird, it always says to run away and it is always right." Detective Winters sighed.

"Oh good, maybe we wont die today." Cory laughed.

Agent Saint's phone was ringing in her pocket. She sensed it was Agent Iscariot calling. She pulled over, wasting valuable time. When she had her vehicle in neutral, she dug the phone from her pocket and fumbled to answer it. The call hung up.

"Damn." Agent Saint cursed.

"Must go now." Cory clicked away in Corvin and squawked it too. Then he calmed down and spoke:

"We are wasting precious flight time. The Sons of Araek are continent-destroying gods, in the Book of Sercil, which my Lord read to me." Cory said, as calmly as he could.

"Why don't you just fly there, then?" Detective Winters suggested.

"And how would I get inside the hotel room if I did fly there right now?" Cory wondered. "I cannot even get out through the windows of this stuffy car."

Then Agent Saint's phone rang again and it was from the same caller. "This is Agent Saint."

"You know who I am." Agent Iscariot stated. "I'm calling to make a deal. I'll bring back the book in exchange for immunity."

"It sounds like a trap." Cory said.

"What did you do? You killed Agent Ravine." Agent Saint was angry.

"They tried to stop me. I don't know how they caught on to me. It wasn't my fault they got shot. I'm sorry about Agent Ravine." Agent Iscariot said. Then he hung up.

"Let's get going, I should drive." Detective Winters suggested.

"No. I've got this." Agent Saint then drove us very fast to La Cucharacha and even Cory agreed she had gotten there as the fast as a crow.

Back at La Cucharacha all the lights were on and there was police tape we had to cross. The police were gone somewhere.

I looked around and found that only the first copy of the book of nightmares was gone. The second one was still there and so were all of my notes on the first one. I collected it all and looked through it. Hours went by.

"We should get to that excavation site." Detective Winters complained.

"If the cabal of sorcerers raised these god things, everyone who went there is dead." Agent Saint realized.

"Damn." Detective Winters sat.

"There is a spell to induce the voice of the dead Sons of Araek and to silence it. There is another to revive one of them, calling their spirit from slumber to inhabit a new body, from their old body. So the spell and the corpses have met, thanks to Agent Iscariot. Great." I surmised from what we had of the Book of Sercil.

"It is an incantation in different parts." Cory agreed.

"What about destroying these creatures, or at least protection from them?" Detective Winters was reading through my notes.

"I've got nothing, we would need the actual book of nightmares, the Book of Sercil." I said. "Do you remember such a spell?" I asked Cory.

"I've got nothing." Cory cawed.

"I hope those creatures destroyed Iscariot and the cabal of sorcerers, too." Detective Winters said.

"That would be ironic." Cory laughed.

As the morning sun caught us all with our notes on the floor, there was a consensus to go investigate the excavation and see if there were any survivors. Cory took off flying there without us.

When we got there the excavation was sunny and cloudy and full of rainwater. The place was a scene of battle carnage. National Guard medics were arriving to deal with the hundreds of dead, so close to the border. The town was in ruins, bricks smoldering as though lightning had crumbled them into burning piles of rubble. Squad cars twisted up like cans and tossed onto the flames with their contents to burn alive. The horror of the bodies all scorched and delimbed and beheaded in piles of body parts all around. And hovering in the skies were the skeletal Sons of Araek, in tattered wrappings and golden jewel infested crowns.

"What can we do? Those medics don't stand a chance." Detective Winters pointed out the arriving vehicles.

"We tell them there are terrorists active here, though it would make it worse, it would spare their lives." I suggested.

"We tell them the truth, the Sons of Araek are killing everyone." Agent Saint decided.

She drove out and stopped and showed them her badge. A vehicle drove up and Agent Saint explained that everyone in town was dead and ancient Lemurian gods had risen from their graves.

"We need that book, right?" Detective Winters asked me.

"Indeed. It is now our only chance." I explained.

"We have to go back in there then, to look for it." Detective Winters decided.

"I agree, although it is likely to get us all killed." I agreed.

"Death will always happen." Cory laughed.

"We need one of these vehicles, can we borrow one to look for survivors?" Detective Winters asked. The Medic General said:

"You can take my vehicle. I will drive it though." Said Medic General Lothstone.

We went with him, along with two volunteers from his staff and Agent Saint.

Detective Winters got into the turret and worked out how to install Streetsweeper into it. We drove off, leaving the National Guard Medics behind. When we reached the town we were ready to look for any survivors.

The town was in crumbling and smoking ruins of brick piles and body parts and then there were huge spires of twisted black rocks that crystallized like swords. Nothing lived or moved anywhere and the Sons of Araek weren't to be seen floating around. We drove through and found two people wandering around in the ruins.

Then we realized they were skeletal remains, mummified and bedraggled, mouldering and cruel. "What on Earth are those things?" Medic General Lothstone cried out.

Everyone was gasping in terror. Cory squawked some crow profanity and said: "Those are sorcerers of the cabal that were buried above the Sons of Araek. I would advise staying clear of them, they are very dangerous."

"I'll stay us clear of them." Detective Winters got to Streetsweeper in the turret and started shooting at the feet of the approaching horrors. They kept coming and her said:

"Stop or I will stop you!" Detective Winters ordered the creatures. One of them raised its hand and began saying the names of demons we had met already, calling them from nearby.

"Those would be demons." Cory advised us. "As in, must go now!"

"Cory wants to run away, again, Detective Winters." I said.

The vehicle suddenly stopped and Medic General Lothstone screamed out from the possession of a demon. Cory began exorcising the creature by name, but each time he did, two more demons entered the poor victim.

I had to help, along with Agent Saint. When he was alright, he smiled and then fell asleep on the horn. We moved him from the driver's seat and Agent Saint drove us to from there. The two shambling creatures didn't approach, afraid of Detective Winters. The didn't have to get close to use magic, though. I worried we might not survive long.

The remains of Iscariot's vehicle got us out and searching on foot. "Let's split up." Agent Saint suggested.

We split up and went different directions. It wasn't long before the path Cory and I chose led us to Iscariot's remains. "We found him." I told them when we met back at the vehicle. I led them to the dead body of Agent Iscariot.

"What happened to him?" Agent Saint felt ill. They had hung Agent Iscariot upside down and flayed him into spaghetti and dissected him while he was alive. Then they had unleashed some kind of parasitic beetles into his flesh that had slowly eaten him alive while the gods watched.

"He got a very special punishment." Cory laughed.

"I found the Book of Sercil." Detective Winters pulled the brown leather briefcase out from under some dust and rubble where it was hidden. "It's gonna be in here."

"Allow me." Agent Saint produced her razor sharp kukri-styled bush knife with its signature boomerang shape and slashed into the briefcase, making an opening to remove its contents from. She reached in and took out the Book of Sercil.

"Let's have a look." I took out a pen light from the Medic General's vehicle. "It says that there is a prayer."

"What kind of prayer?" Detective Winters.

"A prayer to Araek." I gasped.

"Well that is both good news and bad." Cory cawed.

"How's that good news?" Agent Saint demanded of the bird.

"Araek is far more terrible and powerful than the Sons of Araek, I believe." Cory stated.

"Still, how's that good news?" Agent Saint wondered.

"Well the bad news is that Araek will obliterate everything, including the Sons." Cory told her. "That means us."

"This means we have to destroy these pages of prayers to Araek." I said.

I tore them out of the book and ripped the pages into confetti.

"Nice work. We could have just burned them. Now it would be harder to burn them." Detective Winters flicked his lighter. He eyes the scattered scraps.

"I remember how it went." I recalled with tear filled eyes. I was terrified to remember the words.

"So do I, my Lord." Cory added.

Then as we drove back Agent Saint pointed out: "At least now we have some kind of chance, some kind of hope in solving this case."

And Cory added: "And we solved the case of the missing books!"