From Hell with Love (39 page)

“So you respect us enough to show up, but not enough to be on time, brother?” the demon in the center asked, his face twisted into a malicious smirk.  He was taller than average and wearing tattered, white robes, but Niccolo was staring at the former angel’s face.  It was withered and gaunt, rotting just like the rest of him, and was framed by long, dark hair that reminded Niccolo of a corpse, hanging down sparsely as most of his scalp was barren.  However, his dominating feature was the lack of eyes in his face.  Instead, the black pits seemed to ooze out darkness and shadows, making Niccolo wonder if he had ever been an angel in the first place.

“Belial, how are you today?”

“Impatient, Lucifer,” he said, gripping the sides of his podium with bony hands, his skin white at the knuckles.  “We’ve been meaning to have some words with you.”

“About what, dear brother?” Lucifer asked, crossing his arms and looking oblivious.

“
You
know
what
, Lucifer!” shouted a woman two podiums down.  Aside from her eyes, which looked feline, the auburn-haired woman looked almost normal.  She wore a simple grey shirt and pair of slacks, both of which clung to her slight curves and exposed very little skin.  “Things have not been going well.”

“God, Viné, shut up,” Zagan groaned from the left end of the semicircle, propping himself up with his right elbow.  “Nobody wants to hear your nagging.”

“It’s not nagging, you imbecile,” Beleth sneered at his brother from the other end of the semicircle before turning to Lucifer below them.  “We’re holding you accountable for your negligence.”

“What negligence is that?” Lucifer asked innocently, bringing a laugh from the cat-eyed woman and a roar from the demonic bear on the other side.

“That you choose to ignore it is evidence enough, brother!” Balam shouted, exposing his unnatural goat teeth set in the jaws of his ursine face, but the king next to him put out his hand.

“Now, now,” the demon said with a lazy roll of his tongue.  The fallen angel looked like a toad, extending his neck before croaking in a low pitch, “we should at least hear his side.”

“Bael, he doesn’t have a side!” Belial shouted, darkness flaring out from the space where his eyes should be.  “He’s just
at
fault
!”

“You can’t blame Lucifer for the feral problem, Belial,” Paimon interjected, tapping her fingers against her face as she held up her head.  “It’s happening all over Hell, not just Dis.”

“Exactly!” Viné shouted before pointing at her brother standing in the middle of the podiums.  “It encompasses
all
of Hell, sister!  Since we appointed him as our leader, nothing good has come of the arrangement.  This
feral
problem
is just more evidence that Lucifer is not fit to rule Hell.”

“What do you expect him to do, Viné?” Asmodeus said as he slammed his podium with his fists.  “Go around and tell demons who are about to turn to
not
do
that
and slap them on the wrist?  We don’t know why they’re turning and we certainly don’t know how to stop it.  The best we can do is what Lucifer
has
done.  He told Buné to start up the reaper program.  He asked those of us who could stomach it to become slayers.  What more do you want?”

“How about figuring out what the damn problem is?” Balam shouted, the small eyes in his bestial face contracting in anger.  “For the last thousand years, we’ve been losing our subjects to some disease.  A
thousand
years!  That is a lot of time, Asmodeus.  Enough time to figure out the problem and stop it.  We were angels, my brothers and sisters, not humans.  We can expect better and more from our leader,” he argued, making Niccolo’s lip curl in anger.  Balam was getting on his nerves.

“What sssay you to that, brother?” Purson asked, his tongue flickering in and out with interest.  Niccolo could see that he had coiled his entire body around his podium.  Lucifer nodded, considering his words before looking to Viné and Belial in turn.

“You’re right.”

“They’re
right
?” Bael asked, his neck extending out before he let out a croak.  “You’re just going to admit to your faults?”

“You should be able to look to your leader for guidance, for action.  I completely agree.  For the last thousand years, I haven’t really acted on the feral problem,” Lucifer said, breathing in deeply as he looked to his brothers and sisters standing behind their high podiums.

“You
admit
to this crime?” Viné almost squealed in delight.  Niccolo could tell she had not expected to win her argument so easily.

“Sister, you should just listen.  You’re missing the obvious,” Amdusias said with a stone face, not bothering to react as the yellow-eyed woman hissed at him.

“If I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it, brother,” she said, the hair on her neck rising at the threat.  Amdusias turned from her and instead looked at his leader.

“The problem, Viné, is that you deserve to hear it much more often than when you ask for it.  So, Lucifer, what would you suggest we do to punish your…inaction?”

“I suggest that you help me,” Lucifer said, surprising ten ancient demons with six small words.

“Help you?” Belial spat out, the darkness retreating to his eye sockets.  “We are to
help
our leader?  The very fallen we have found
wanting
?”

“Pretty much,” Lucifer said, which drew a hearty laugh from Zagan, who had stopped leaning on his arm.

“God, I missed you, Lucy.  You need to visit more,” he said before lifting his bottle to his lips and taking a few gulps of red wine.  He brought the glass back down and breathed out in satisfaction before slapping the surface of his podium.  “So what help do you need, brother?”

“So there’s this thing,” Lucifer said before scratching his cheek and looking at his siblings, who were all ensnared by his words, “it’s called the Cult of Ascension. 
Real
pain in my side.”

“Oh, that’s just a myth,” Beleth groaned, but Lucifer continued over him.

“See, they’re led by this
Shroud
character and this guy,” he said before looking down and laughing, “this guy keeps making these strong fallen and demons, well, he keeps turning them into animals.”

“You expect us to believe in some rumor?” Viné said with a look of disgust, her eyes narrowed to slits.

“I know, I know, sounds ridiculous.  The thing is, he was really active back when Adonai gave us his
revelations
and Amon and Räum deciphered them for us.  Then he kinda disappeared,” Lucifer continued, which made Niccolo smile.  He had been disappointed in his mentor earlier, but now all he felt was pride.

“Brother, even I cannot endorse this,” Bael croaked, but Lucifer just stamped the ground with his right foot, abandoning pretense and looking at his siblings in complete seriousness.

“And now he’s back.  He’s turning the Fallen, now, including Räum, who had visions where I, where your
ruler
, was killed.  It was disconcerting, but what is more disconcerting is that this Shroud has help.”

“So I turn to you,” Lucifer said, projecting his voice so his siblings would not interrupt.  “If
he
has help,
I
need help.  I’m declaring war on this Cult, this Shroud and whoever is helping him.  So, quit your bickering, quit your blaming.  You accused me of not acting, brother, sister,” he said as he turned to Belial and Viné, “so let’s act.”

“You don’t deserve this position, Lucifer!” Viné screamed, exposing her fangs along with her anger. “You expect us to believe that this Cult is responsible for demons turning feral?  The Apocalypse is upon us, brother, and there’s no time to waste with little rumors.  I suggest you resign now and spare yourself more embarrassment.”

“Why do you have to be such a bitch?” Zagan asked, which made the furious demon turn to him.  “You’re not even listening.”

“Oh, she’s listening, alright,” Belial interrupted, darkness flaring from his eye sockets and fuming above him, “and I agree with her.  This ridiculous farce shall end, we’ll appoint a new leader, and get on with preparing for the Apocalypse.  According to the prophecies, we need to be ready if we are to survive.”

“Now,” Bael croaked, drawing the fury of the withered demon and Viné, but continuing nonetheless, “we can’t just ask for his resignation without investigating his claims.  We’re to be civilized, my friends.  Now, Lucifer,” the toad addressed his brother and ruler, “what proof do you have?”

“These two behind me,” he said before motioning to the Horsemen, making them feel entirely exposed.  “They are my source.”

“Lucifer,” Amdusias muttered with disappointment before a cackle of laughter went up from the cat-eyed woman, who had turned her head to the ceiling.

“Humans! 
Humans
are your proof.  My GOD, brother, I didn’t expect the years to be so cruel on you,” she said before lowering her head to bare her fangs at the Devil.  “You must have gone insane again.”

“These two have led an investigation which has led me to believe that the Cult is real.”

“You expect us to care what two
humans
think?” Belial asked, crossing his arms over his podium and leaning down to look at them.  Niccolo was about to step forward and speak, but the reaper tapped his scythe and shook his head.  The two of them turned back just in time to see Belial dismiss their inclusion as proof.  “They’re barely more than toddlers.”

“Nevertheless,” Lucifer said before stepping in front of them again, crossing his arms.  “I trust them, which is more than I can say for most of Dis and, for that matter, most of Hell.  These two inherited the memories of Räum and Valefor; they have fought their way through the underbelly of Dis and told me what they have learned.  Now I know the truth.  One of our siblings is determined to spread chaos and death, determined to turn us into beasts so they can take power.”

“Why should we believe this?” Bael asked, but Belial stood up to his full height and pointed down at his brother.

“Lucifer.  You insult us.  Not only do you trust humans over your brothers and sisters, but you bring them into our council!” he shouted, darkness pouring out of his eye sockets and running down the hard edges of his withered face.

“That’s right!” Viné shouted, gripping her podium tightly and extending her claws, sending splinters of the podium to the ground.  “I was so surprised by your
idiocy
that I didn’t even realize it.  How could you insult us so?”

“They’re just humans, sister,” Asmodeus argued, “and from what I’ve seen, damn good ones.”

“You always had a weakness for them, brother,” Beleth said as he shifted in his armor.  He loomed over his podium and the air around him fell into darkness.

“A weakness you gave to us,” Belial said as he joined his brother in his accusation.  “If not for them, and if not for
you
, we would still be in Heaven!”

“That’s not fair!” Zagan shouted, slamming his podium so hard that it split down the middle.

“You apologissse, Belial!” Purson joined him, his hood flaring from his reptilian head.  Niccolo was shaking with anger as Belial stared at his brother, unable to believe that a sibling could say such a thing to Lucifer.

“I move for Lucifer’s impeachment,” Viné said, knocking against the wood of her podium, bringing every demon present into a shouting match.  There seemed to be no hope for recovery until Cadmus slammed the end of his scythe against the floor, sending echoes throughout the massive chamber and bringing the attention of eleven fallen angels.

“I SAW him, Lords and Ladies!” Cadmus shouted, doing his best to keep his fear hidden.  He did not stop to consider the look that Lucifer gave him or the pride that radiated from the fallen angel.  “I saw the Shroud holding a knife as Lucifer lay dead beneath him.  Clearly you can’t believe a human, even though you fought for us, but I can tell you
with
certainty
that vision did not come from me. 
That
came from your brother, Räum, who was turned feral by that very same Shroud.  The same Shroud who caused Crocell, Ronové and Astaroth to hide away; the same figure who now threatens your provinces.”

“Now is not the time to impeach Lucifer, even if you don’t agree with his actions!” he declared, looking at each fallen angel in turn.  “Now is the time for us to -”

“Further
INSULT!
” Viné shouted before turning to the other kings at their podium.  “Now we have to hear the words of a human?  We cannot trust our brother if he brings such reckless souls before us!”

“Will you shut up for one second, you harpy?” Niccolo shouted, his rage finally unable to be controlled.  Unlike Cadmus’ interruption, none of the demons were shocked by this development and instead their reactions were a mixture of concern and fury.  “Since coming down here, all I’ve heard is a lot of a finger-pointing and blaming for NO FUCKING REASON!  Scratch has done the best damn job possible and none of you could do better.”

“This human,” Balam roared, but Niccolo instantly grabbed his gnarled bow and an arrow from his back, whipped them around and sent an arrow into the bear’s podium, silencing the fallen angel.

“THIS
HORSEMAN
!” he shouted before bringing down the weapon and stepping forward, “HAS HAD ENOUGH!  I wouldn’t be surprised if one of
you
was the Shroud!  I’m a human, obviously, but that doesn’t make me worth ignoring!  My fellow Horsemen and I are tasked with
starting the Apocalypse
and I don’t want to hear
jack shit
about how I’m just a human!” he screamed, glaring at each antagonistic demon with his good eye.  Then he used his spare hand to point at the reaper behind him, who was frozen in shock.

“And I sure as hell don’t want to hear you insult my best friend.  This man is worth more than half of you, combined, and the next person to doubt his word gets to have an arrow in their throat, because I’m just going to assume that you’re allied with the Shroud, or worse, that you
are
the Shroud!” he threatened raising both his hands in challenge.  “Any of you have
ANYTHING
to say?”