Liliana - The Pact

"Good." The dragon's breath was close, scalding the back of her neck. "But a soul isn't a trinket you can hand over to a demon, or an ember it can seize upon your death. You'll give up your soul, all right—because no one with a shred of soul could possibly undertake the tasks you will perform to pay off your debt."

***

For the fourth time, Nicol Bolas led Liliana from his great marble hall to a plane she didn't recognize. After forging three pacts with three different demons, power surged through her body—yet she was still a rag doll in the dragon's claws.

***

The incision made, the demon peeled back her age-worn skin, pulling it off her like a rabbit's hide. But what Liliana saw beneath was a younger body, slick with blood but supple and smooth. Kothophed set her back on her feet, and she felt solid marble beneath her. The charnel field melted away and she stood once more in the demon's pillared hall.

***

The demon stifled his laughter and lowered his face until his yellow eyes gazed right into hers. "It was not a test. It was a lesson—one I trust you will never forget."

He reached a claw toward her face again and she winced in anticipation, bringing another barking laugh. "Hold still," he said. "I'm not done with my end of the bargain."

His touch was more gentle, but still agonizing, as he traced the claw in whorls across her face. "You are a Planeswalker," he said as he worked. "That makes you special. You are also one of the most powerful mages in all the planes, and that makes you extraordinary."

***

The lines traced by Kothophed's claw didn't bleed, but they glowed with pale, violet light as if the power they granted her was spilling out. Despite the agony, despite the demon's threats, she felt the shadow of death recede from her. She was young and powerful, and she would stay that way for ages.

***

LILIANA'S ORIGIN: THE FOURTH PACT