"Robert Weinberg - Logical Magician 01 - A Logical Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weinberg Robert)

demon. Evidently, the summoning spells only worked for distinct supernatural entities.
There was no generalized spell to produce a devil. Proper names were a must. Quite
handily, the paperback version of The Key of Solomon contained an alphabetical
appendix of famous demons. For his first try, Roger settled on Astaroth, the lord of Hell
most closely associated with the sciences.
Walking widdershins , counterclockwise and thus unnatural to the order of the
universe, Roger began the spell. Once, twice, three times he read through the entire
conjuration. Only then did Roger look up from the computer printout. And found himself
staring at a creature of nightmare.
It stomped about angrily in the magic circle drawn on Roger's living-room carpet.
Four feet tall, the being resembled a bizarre cross between man and lizard. Along with the
proper number of arms and legs, it displayed a multicolored crest that ran down its back
from the base of its neck to the end of its spine, where it terminated in a long, sinewy tail
some six feet long. Completely nude, it was obscenely male, seemingly in a constant state
of arousal.
In contrast to its grotesque torso, Astaroth possessed the head and features of a
handsome young man. Long brown hair fell to its shoulders. Its cheeks glowed with good
health. Bright white, perfect teeth gnashed in anger, while blue eyes that never blinked
surveyed its prison. Only an immense, forked tongue that darted in and out of its mouth
made mockery of its seeming humanity. There was no mistaking the devil's identity. It
matched perfectly the description given in several of the black magic texts. This horror
was Astaroth, demon from the foulest pits of Hell.
"Who dares disturb my rest?" hissed the creature, in a voice sounding like steam
escaping from a kettle. Its foul breath stank of sulfur and corruption. "Are you ready to
meet thy end, mortal?"
Roger licked his lips, feeling slightly numb. He actually had not expected the spell
to work. It took him a few seconds to gather his wits. Meanwhile, the demon peered
closely at the lines of the pentagram, searching diligently for any break in the pattern.
"I name you Astaroth," said Roger finally, remembering the necessary binding spell.
"And by your true and proper name I command your obedience for one task. Hear me and
obey."
Slowly, reluctantly, Astaroth nodded its head in reply. "You know the ritual. What
do you wantтАФwomen, gold.... revenge?"
"None of those," said Roger, on firmer footing now. "Women mean nothing to me.
Gold or jewels would raise tax questions I couldn't answer. Revenge is for impatient
fools."
"Then what do you desire?" asked the demon, sounding curious.
Roger told him. In great detail. Even Astaroth was impressed.
That night saw the beginning of Roger's empire. His scheme was brilliant in its
simplicity. Though the demons he raised were limited in their supernatural abilities, all of
them possessed enough skill for the task he required. He used the minions of darkness as
an unsuspected business fifth column.
Summoning demons wasn't particularly difficult once he got over the initial shock of
their unearthly appearance. Like any routine task, it soon settled into a familiar pattern of
behavior for Roger. One that paid incredible dividends.
Again and again, he sent the monsters out searching for secret information he could
use to his advantage. The diabolical creatures made wonderful spies. Invisible to all but
other magicians, they eavesdropped on confidential conversations and reported their
findings back to Roger. Nor did classified documents present any more of a problem.
Within weeks, Roger knew all of the innermost secrets of the major corporations in the