Epilogue

"You are excused."

Salazar brought a bony hand to relieve his forehead of perspiration. Beneath his robes he was drenched for his efforts.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Salazar asked, voice drowning in skepticism. He had asked the question no less than twenty three times in the past eight hours.

"I've no choice," was the answer he got.

Salazar sighed and shook his head.

"You say that and yet it seems you always damn yourself to the most arduous route possible."

"In the past, maybe," his employer replied. "But Mashadou is closing in on me, and I don't have the means infiltrate his lair."

"But to try and slay one demon with another?" Salazar asked, finally free to voice his concern now that he'd fulfilled his contract. "Do you even have a way to control her?"

A confident grin spread across his employer's face.

"No," he confessed. "And it's been four years since I banished her."

"Demons are not the forgiving type," Salazar warned. "Least of all she-demons."

A heavy hand was placed on Salazar's shoulder.

"Thank you for your help and your concern, Master Salazar. I'll take it from here."

Salazar was going to voice one more objection but then a heavy bag of rupees was presented to him. The summoner furrowed his brow, caught between his moral obligation associated with summoning a demon, and his monetary requirements to continue his research.

"If she arrives," Salazar said, sheepishly accepting the purse and hiding it beneath the folds of his robe. "And you decide you don't want to release her from the circle, extinguish the flame of the blue candle and she'll return to Hell."

A nod.

"And to release her?"

"The binding spell we spoke of earlier," Salazar answered.

Another nod.

Salazar shook his head one last time and headed for thick oak door that exited the small cellar.

"Give me a head start before you finish the summoning, please."

Salazar heard the other man chuckle from behind.

"A day's head start wouldn't be enough. Not with her."

The summoned touched where the purse sat beneath his robes, wondering if he wouldn't regret this decision.

"Good luck, Master Link," he said before slipping through the door.

xXx

xXx

A gust of wind, unlike anything she'd ever experienced, suddenly pulled at her wings.

Lili dropped low, flat on her stomach, hissing while she looked about. There was nobody there.

What was that? she wondered.

She was very familiar with this part of Hell and there were no random gusts of wind. Besides the rising currents of the inferno, there were no gusts of wind anywhere in Hell. Not unless one of the Superior Demon Lords was sucking you into their gaping maw. Just the thought of that possibility put Lili into a panic. It was bad enough she'd been returned to Hell.

Lili dug her talons into the obsidian rock as a second gust of wind threatened to pull her off the ground. She growled at her invisible enemy and poised her tail to strike at the soonest opportunity.

"Where are you?" she called, doing her best to sound threatening. She was nowhere near the largest demon in Hell but she'd be damned a second time if she was going to just roll over.

For a moment, it was quiet. Lili didn't dare lift her claws but she scanned the walls and chamber for intruders. How anyone had found her hiding spot in the first place she wasn't sure. Only Nani knew about this place, their one safe place in the entirety of Hell.

The third gust of wind finally appeared, tearing Lili from the rock with vicious, unmatchable strength. In vain the succubus kicked and lashed out with her tail but she could neither touch nor find her attacker. She jerked around so she could look up at the ceiling, where she was being pulled, only to find the ceiling was no longer there.

Blackness, the sort of which she hadn't seen since her sojourn through the Earth's mantle, met her when she looked up. Wind howled past her ears and sucked the breath from her lungs. A vibration started, shaking her every part of her body as its intensity increased. Lili wanted to cry out but her tongue felt as though it were being separated from her body, as well as all of her appendages. Her heart beat furiously until suddenly, it all stopped.

Lili was lying down, crumpled rather, with her wings draped around her protectively. She stayed perfectly still for a moment, waiting for the next attack. Without turning her head all she could see was a smooth stone floor, the light of multiple small flames dancing faintly back and forth.

"Where am I?" she finally asked.

"In the basement of a small, archaic tower," a voice answered.

I know that voice, Lili realized. She turned slowly, rising to her feet, trying to remember where she'd heard that gravelly voice.

"It was a watch tower on the edge of some country that no longer exists. But right now it's my temporary home."

Lili remembered who the voice belonged to even before she saw his green tunic.

"YOU!"

She lunged forward reaching out with her claws to rake that putrid confident grin off his face. Her outstretched hands and arms crashed against an invisible wall, more solid than anything she'd ever encountered. Several of her broke on impact but Lili payed them no mind. Not when object of her animosity and rage stood mere inches away from her.

She changed her angle of attack and tried to move to the side, around the invisible barrier. Her wing crumpled against another invisible way.

A hiss of defiance.

Not ready to give up Lili leapt straight into the air. With unconcerned eyes "he" watched her sail into the ceiling and crash.

"What is this?" Lili growled, rage foaming out of her mouth.

Link coughed into his hand.

"This," he said calmly. "Is a Daimonikos Circle. A summoning circle that protects the mage from –"

"I know what it is!" Lili snapped. "Why have you brought me here?"

That incessant smirk spread across the Hylian's face.

"And here I thought you missed me, Lilly-like-the-flower," Link said.

Lili examined the Daimonikos Circle before narrowing her eyes at Link. This was the first time in her life she'd ever been summoned but every demon knew about these circles. If made properly, they were impenetrable by even the most powerful demons. But if there was even a single mistake in the rune calligraphy, candle placement, or salt line, she would be able to escape.

Link, upon examination through narrow, hate filled eyes, had aged since their last encounter. What stood out the most was the Hylian's beard. It was a short tangled mess with strands of light brown and blond hair. He still wore a green tunic and green hat but his shoulders and chest were noticeably burlier. The same sword still peeked over his shoulder, and his eyes were still the same. The same blue as the ocean's perilous depths.

What does he want? Lili wondered. Truthfully, she'd imagined this moment a million times over however many days it had been since she'd been killed/banished back to Hell.

Her fondest daydreams consisted of climbing through the mantle of the Earth again, finding Link and his red donkey, and murdering them both in their sleep. Sometimes she imagined finding that Sheikah Link had been obsessed with so she could conjure the woman's form. Then she'd find Link and steal his heart before literally stealing his heart and ripping it from his chest. She'd even imagined being summoned by a lustful Link who missed the excitement he felt when he was with her. In her head she'd always played along until he let his guard down then she'd latched her fangs around his neck and feasted on his life-force.

But now that she was really here, staring at Link, she wasn't sure what she should do.

Link raised an eyebrow. "Conflicting emotions?" he asked.

Lili shook her head, a plan falling into place. "Just trying to figure out what climbed onto your face and died," she said, taking care to filter the venom out of her voice.

Link's smirk spread into a full smile as he reached up and touched his small beard.

"Does it look that bad? I saw it only recently and thought it looked fine. Makes me look more mature."

Slowly Lili reached out with one of her unbroken fingers until she found the invisible barrier. Once she found it she casually started walking the circumference of the circle, finger pressed against the barrier the whole time.

"You looked better without it," Lili stated.

She swung her hips while she walked and let her tail hover just an inch off the ground. Her wings were neatly folded against her back, and she tossed her long white hair behind her with her free hand.

"How long have I been gone?" she asked.

"Just over four years," Link answered.

"Hmm," Lili offered as she finished testing the entire circle. To her dismay the circle and all its pieces were perfectly placed.

"Did you make this circle yourself?" she asked.

"Is it to your liking?" Link asked.

Lili shrugged then crossed her arms over her bare chest.

"A little cramped for my liking but I suppose it's a nice enough circle."

"To be honest, it cost me a small fortune. Not to mention how difficult it was to find someone willing and able," Link said.

His eyes quickly danced up and down Lili's body before returning to her round green cat eyes. Despite herself she was becoming self-conscious of her nudity.

Subtly she draped her wings around her shoulders to cover her like a cloak while she spoke.

"How did you summon me?" she asked. "There isn't a soul on Earth who knows my real name."

"Ah," Link said holding up his index finger and wagging it. "You told me yourself, you have a sister."

Lili blinked, incredulous. "You found Nani?"

Link nodded.

"She, uh, she was not quite as charming as you were."

"So she's . . . "

Link shook his head. "No she's still alive."

Lili snorted.

"So you let Nani go yet I catch an arrow in the chest?"

Link held out one hand while reaching into his tunic with the other.

"It wasn't like that! The banshee attacked me as soon as she saw me. When I defeated her I gave her a choice, your true name or her life."

That bitch!

Link pulled something out of his tunic and held it out for Lili to inspect. An unrighteous smugness washed over Lili when she realized what she was looking at.

"I also made her swear not to kill any more humans or I would crush this and then return to her mountains and finish her off."

Lili looked at Link skeptically. She knew he was a thrill-seeker but blackmailing a demon, especially Nani, was suicide.

"She'll come back for that you know. I can't imagine anything being more important to a banshee than her larynx," Lili said.

Link tucked it back into his tunic and gave it a careful pat.

"I was worried about that at first but then I realized that whenever she is within a mile of me her voice box starts singing. The closer she gets, the louder this thing sings." Link smiled triumphantly. "She'll never be able to get the drop on me, and believe me, she's tried."

Poor Nani, Lili thought. What could possibly be more embarrassing than a banshee without a voice.

Lili was genuinely glad that her older sister had been equally embarrassed by her favorite/least favorite demon hunter. Almost glad enough to forgive her for betraying Lili's real name to Link.

Besides being able to summon you from Hell, if a mortal knew your true name they could also enslave you. That, was the part demons feared. No demon lacked the pride to be content serving a mortal's whims. Given how flawless Link's circle was, she doubted he'd make a mistake during the enslavement incantation. Even if he didn't entirely enslave her, he could bind her to anything. Once bound, he could banish her just by destroying whatever it was he bound her to. Instead of battling her or chasing her if she ran away, her demise could come from something as simple as tearing a piece of paper.

"So why have you brought me back?" Lili asked.

Link's smile went away. Lili raised an eyebrow, intrigued to see the mighty warrior suddenly look less confident.

"Do you remember that princess I told you about? The one that fell in love with me?"

Lili nodded, not sure where this story was going.

"Well," Link said. "She finally married a prince from another kingdom. During their honeymoon, supposedly, Princess Zelda drank too much wine and began calling her new husband "Link" while they were making love."

A wicked smile started to creep across Lili's face.

"Understandably," Link continued, ignoring the fanged grin of the she demon. "Prince Yusef, now King Yusef, was very upset. He did nothing for a while, allowing his anger to fester. But when Queen Zelda died during childbirth, he was consumed by his rage. He hired assassins from all over the world to hunt me down. This was two years ago, and I've already suffered through a dozen attempts on my life."

Lili clicked her tongue against her teeth. "It doesn't look like you've suffered much."

Link gave Lili a look.

"I didn't at first, but King Yusef became more and more obsessed and more and more willing to reach out to darker corners of the Earth. He's got a very dangerous man looking for me. I've only heard him called 'Mashadou' but I know he is a very powerful mage in his own right, and a kingpin on top of that."

Lili licked her lips. In all of her musings and daydreams she'd never considered Link reaching out to her as an ally needing protection.

"So you need my protection?" Lili asked.

Link frowned. "I don't need you to protect me, Lilith. I need you to help me murder him."

"And why would I help you?" Lili shifted so that she was leaning to the side with her hip sticking out and her tail flicking back and forth. "Your last sendoff was a little. . ." she touched the spot on the center of her chest where Link's arrow ended her first visit. ". . . invasive."

Link's lips almost tugged upwards into a smile.

"To be fair, you had already made at least three attempts on my life. I think you even tried to rape me once."

Lili waved Link off.

"No, no, no. We agreed that YOU were the one toying with ME the whole time," she said. "I have no interest in being toyed with again, enslaved, or bound to some Goddess forsaken object."

With that she turned away, chin pointed up and to the side disapprovingly.

"Well, I can't guarantee anything about being 'toyed with'," she heard Link say with what she had little doubt was a despicable/brilliant smile. "But I can promise not to enslave you."

Lili didn't budge.

Why am I doing this? I don't want to go back to Hell.

"Killing Mashadou is going to be no easy task. The trip alone is going to take a few months. I'd wager the whole ordeal is going to take about a year," Link said.

Lili looked over her shoulder. Link was wearing an honest expression but she knew how good of an actor he was.

"Since when does it take 'about a year' to kill anyone?" Lili asked.

"He's dangerous," Link said in a serious voice. "And I've fought some powerful mages. But despite all his prowess, he is still human. More specifically –"

"He's still a man," Lili finished with a nod.

"It might not be as exciting as the time you hunted that dashing Hylian swordsman, but it'll be a kill worth remembering. Certainly worth postponing your return to Hell."

Anything is better than that.

With an exasperated sigh Lili turned around.

"Fine," she said. "I'll help kill your assassin. Scratch a line in the circle and we'll go get him."

"Lili," Link said with a scoff. "I'm not an idiot. You ARE still getting bound."

Lili stuck out her bottom lip, retracted her claws, and dipped her wings so that her bare shoulders were exposed.

"Is that really necessary?" she asked.

Link smiled ear to ear.

"Hell yes its necessary!"

Clicking her tongue off her teeth Lili returned to her normal stance, slightly annoyed by her predicament.

"Well go on with it then," she said. "Bind me to whatever useless trinket you've got."

Link chuckled softly and pulled out a small knife. Lili watched curiously as Link brought the blade to his hand and cut himself.

"What are you –"

Link crouched down and set his bleeding hand on the salt line of Lili's circle.

"ADIURO VOS, LILITH DE GEHENNA, AD ME," he said, then smeared the salt away with his bloodied hand.

Lili felt the tingle of magic in the air but didn't quite understand what just happened.

Link stood up and glanced at the wound on his hand, wincing as he flicked some of the salt out of it.

"Did you just -"

Link nodded.

"That is the deal I offer you. Help me defeat Mashadou and you will have an anchor in this world for as long as I live."

Lili was still stunned.

"And if I refuse?"

Link took a breath.

"Well I can't destroy your anchor without killing myself so . . ." Faster than Lili could blink the Hylian's sword and shield were in his hands.

". . . if you refuse I will have to send you back in a much more invasive way."

They stood like that for a second, Lili planted in the center of the now broken circle and Link poised to strike at any second. Lili had no doubt that Link was fully prepared to run her through if she tried to fight. But now she couldn't even kill him late without instantly being sent to Hell. She also couldn't let Nani kill him.

"I accept," Lili finally said.

Link let out a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword and replaced his shield.

"Good, then come out of that circle. We've got a long trip ahead of us and you need to regain your strength."

Slowly Lili stepped beyond the edge of the invisible barrier. Link watched her calmly as she stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of him.

So bold, she thought. One second ago he had his blade drawn and now he lets me stand inches away, relaxed, based on nothing but my word.

"Welcome back," Link said quietly.

Lili smiled sweetly (as sweetly as a demon can smile) and brought her index finger up to tap Link on the nose.

"You must have missed me," she purred, stepping even closer to Link. She let her finger slid down from his nose to his lips, through his beard, down to his collarbone and chest.

Link shrugged. "Eh, you were never really my type."

Lili let her hand slide down between Link's legs then pressed herself against him. She grabbed hold of him gently with her hand and smiled even wider when she felt his excitement.

"Oh no," she practically whispered. "Lilly-like-the-flower, wasn't your type. I'm a whole different type."

For a second Link tried to maintain his statuesque pose but then he lips twitch and he had to swallow his saliva and pride. Admitting defeat he took a step back and swatted Lili's hand away from his crotch.

After clearing his throat he said, "Come one, I've got a present waiting for you outside?"

Content that this was just a small victory preluding many delicious future victories, Lili headed towards the door.

As she opened the door she heard a noise she'd prayed to her Demon Lords she'd never have to hear again.

"You brought the donkey!?" Lili asked with groan.

Epona snorted and stomped the ground, equally displeased by the reunion.

Link laughed when he cleared the cellar door.

"Easy girls," he said, convinced he was the most hilarious jester in all the land.

"You two are going to have to get along from here on out."

Lili hissed at the sun burnt donkey.

"I'll eat you I swear to –"

"Your gift is there on her saddlebag. You'll have to convince her to let you close otherwise you'll never see it."

Lili caught herself and instantly folder her wings and hid her fangs. Nobody had ever gotten her a present. She wasn't going to let a mule ruin that.

"I missed you SO much Eponie."

"Epona," Link corrected.

"Epona! Who's a good horsie? Hmm?"

She held out her hand and made an absurd clicking noise while she stepped forward. Epona flattened her ears and lunged forward to bite the hand.

In the blink of an eye Lili bolted past her head, grabbed the wrapped present hanging from the saddle and leapt straight up, uncurling her wings and filling them with air. In just two strokes she was one hundred feet in the air and still climbing.

"Yes!" she cried triumphantly.

I'm free! She'd realized after Link bound her to his body that he had no way to punish her if she escaped. She was practically free! She couldn't wait to find Nani and rub it in her face.

Once she was far enough out of the range of Link's bow she stopped and hovered to gather her bearing. Only then did she realize she was still clutching her present in her hand. For a moment she considered dropping it, letting it fall down to Link below, unopened and unappreciated. But curiosity got the better of her and she pulled the brown wrapping away.

In her hands was the most beautiful, ornate, golden mirror. The handle was solid gold, chilly to the touch, and along the sides of the perfectly cut glass were tiny intricately carved angels. No, Lili realized as she brought it closer. They weren't angels, the were demons. Beautiful winged demons with horns on their heads and pronged tails. There were six of them flying around the edges merrily in their golden damnation.

It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever held.

On the back was a note. Careful not to let the piece of paper fly away Lili took it between her fingers and read it.

To replace the one I broke. I shouldn't be the only one of us who gets to look at you, even if you choose to fly away. – Link

xXx

xXx

Link watched the speck that was Lili disappear in the clouds. He let out a sigh and quietly berated himself for being so naïve.

"Well," he said to Epona as he grabbed her reigns. "Eventually we're going to have to track her down but for now, let's worry about Mashadou."

Epona let out a happy whinny. Link chuckled and patted her on the neck.

"I know, girl. We're probably better off against him than with her anyway."

Link gave the abandoned tower, his base of operations for the past few days, one last look then turned Epona away.

When the two of them had covered enough distance and the sun began to set, Link stopped to make camp. After dinner Link assumed his regular position, resting his head and shoulders against Epona.

"Good night, Epona," he said as closed his eyes.

The sound of crackling fire and chirping started to gently carry Link to sleep when a sudden weight on his lap jarred him awake.

"Can I help you?" he asked the creature that seemed to have materialized in his lap.

The green cat eyes of Lilith and the pale round face of Lilly-like-the-flower looked up at him innocently.

"Just trying to get comfortable," she said, then buried her face in Link's chest and wiggled into a more comfortable position.

Quietly Link chuckled to himself and smiled. He put a hand in Lili's hair and began massaging her head.

"Shhhh," he said. "Go to sleep."

Author's Note: Well, there it is, the epilogue to IMPREGNABLE. I hope this offers you guys some of the closure you were missing from the official ending. As always, let me know what you thought and keep your eyes peeled for the next story. Thanks!