Discouraged, I turned away from the gate and glanced out across the sputtering lava fields. They churned and bubbled in slow motion, the thick scent of sulfur from their gurgling exhalations tickled the back of my throat. I looked to the coal caves where those souls still serving penance would toil beneath the biting whip of the field masters. They too were empty, devoid of life. Even the sky seemed lifeless. The black clouds hung immobile, thick and threatening. It was as if Hell were holding its breath. Saddened, I looked once more to the gate. A pair of glowing red eyes stared back at me.
“What is your business?” the wrinkled face that Page 128 peered down at me from the top of the wall asked. Startled, it took me a second to answer. “I’ve come to see the duke.” The door guy must have been new. He didn’t seem to recognize me. Admittedly, it had been a while since I’d stopped by. I guess I couldn’t hold it against him.
“He’s not to be disturbed.”
“I need to speak to him. It’s of grave importance.”
The servant seemed unmoved by my grandeur.
“Nothing is of importance if the master does not declare it so. Go away.” He stepped away from the wall, out of sight.
“I am Triggaltheron, nephew of Lucifer.” Though I hated dropping my uncle’s name like that, I needed inside. “I must speak with the duke.” I tried my best to sound important.
I guess he wasn’t impressed, as he didn’t return. Fifty years ago, I’d have been let in so fast I’d have incurred whiplash. Today, my name and heritage didn’t carry enough wind to raise an ass hair. How quickly the past is forgotten.
I sat there for a minute longer until I decided I wasn’t gonna be let in. I’d have to make other plans. Just as I turned to leave, I heard a loud clack and the gate began to slowly rise. I looked back to see the great double doors behind the gate pulling open. Once both had cleared the way, I saw the servant waving to me from inside. I hurried through before he could change his shriveled mind.
Short, hunchbacked, and looking far too old and feeble to be of much use, the servant gestured for me to follow him. His sharp nose and disfigured arms made him look like an under cooked chicken. I doubted even Colonel Sanders would find him attractive. He hobbled along toward the main keep as I caught up.
“So, you’re the fool who refused Satan’s offer to be the Anti-Christ?”
That’s just what I needed, the help questioning my life choices. “Yeah well, the hours sucked and there weren’t any health benefits. What can I say? I could do better.”
He looked at me like I’d just praised the Pope.
“You utter such blasphemy.” A smile crept to his twisted, cracked lips. “It would explain why Lucifer held you in such high regard.”
I think I blushed.
We traveled the rest of the way in silence. At a pair of ornate double doors made of bone, we came to a stop. The servant tapped on the door and a basso welcome roared out. The doors swung open and I was ushered in.
The room beyond looked suspiciously like a church. A great red carpet led down the center of the room, rows of red velvet chairs lined either side. At the far end was a raised dais, a monstrous throne on top. The subtle scent of singed meat hung in the air, wafting up from the fleshy candles, which circled the room. My stomach rumbled.
Seated upon the throne was an old friend of my uncle, one of my mentors in the days when I lived in Hell. Duke Forcalor. He lifted his chin a bit and narrowed his eyes as I approached. He looked as regal as I’d remembered.
Clothed in the finest silks, he seemed the paragon of comfort. His long white hair was tied back tight, lending him a youthful appearance. His cleanshaven, unlined face added to the illusion. He waved me forward, his eyes sparkling. He seemed glad to see me.
“Come in, come in, young Trigg.” He remembered how much I hated my full name. It warmed my heart.
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. How are you?” He gestured to a nearby chair.
I gave a quick bow of respect, then dropped into the seat. “As well as I can be.” I tried not to sound too pessimistic. “How are you, my friend?”
“I’m wonderful, just wonderful.” He looked me over, an eyebrow creeping up. “I sense a burgeoning strength within you.” He paused a second, examining me further. A bright smile lighted across his face.
“You’ve blooded your hands.”
Though I knew it was a compliment, I felt a hint of shame well up. “I hadn’t really intended to. This war…” I left my sentence hanging.
He nodded. “It comes to us all, in its own time. Do not regret what you cannot control. Our existence is a violent one. We can do little about that. Relish what time you have and do not let your enemies dictate your emotions.”
Forcalor had always been a soldier, but he longed for peace. He had acknowledged his role in life, though he would never accept it. Unlike the majority of demons, the duke took no pleasure in death, or in destruction. He held no animosity for the angels still on high. In fact, he envied them. He did only what he had to do to survive, nothing more. ‘Live and let live, lest the wolves come knocking at your door,’ he’d always said. And he’d meant it. That made my mission even harder.
“I’m sorry to be so direct, but I need your help.”
He leaned back in his throne. It was clear by the look on his face he’d already known that. Why else would I come to Hell now that my uncle was gone? He gestured for me to go on.
“Asmoday has enlisted the help of Gabriel in his efforts to bring about Armageddon.”
Forcalor squinted. He hadn’t known that, or at least he put on a good act. Like with most demons, it was hard to tell the difference between their lies and the truth.
“Between them, they’re drawing power from the Demonarch, using an angel to store it until Asmoday can claim it as his own. He intends to kill Baalth.” I paused to let him take everything in.
“With Baalth’s power alone, Asmoday would be a formidable opponent. Add in what they’ve stolen from the Demonarch and he would be nigh unstoppable.”
The duke rubbed his hands together. I could tell he was thinking about the possible consequences of such a brazen move. “It makes no sense Gabriel would allow Asmoday to claim such power. It does nothing to benefit him, quite the opposite, in fact.”
I didn’t understand it either. “They’ve also badly weakened the dimensional wall through their rituals. It may soon break open, but I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“I’d sensed the damage, though its cause was a mystery to me.” He shrugged. “However, I trust in the wall to hold. It is far more resilient than most think. They’ll have to do much more to it before they run the risk of its collapse.”
That, at least, was a dab of good news floating in a sea of shit. “Even so, Asmoday is on the short track to bringing about Armageddon, wall or no wall. We’re hanging on the edge here.”
The duke leaned forward and met my eyes. His mischievous smile sparkled. “Aren’t we always? What is it you’re asking of me?”
Here came the hard part. “I know you’d rather remain uninvolved, as has been your wont since Lucifer vanished, but the time for neutrality has passed.
Asmoday is on the cusp of ending the world and those of us who know, don’t have the means to stop him. We’re all looking at being dead or enslaved, and that includes you.”
Forcalor sat back, but said nothing. I couldn’t read his expression. It was frustrating. I continued. “I know this is a lot to drop in your lap, but I’ve nowhere else to turn. You’re the only person I know who has the power to challenge Gabriel, giving us a shot at taking Asmoday down.”
“I have much to lose in a confrontation of that magnitude.”
“You have much more to lose if you do nothing.”
I couldn’t tell if I was getting anywhere. It was like trying to talk a woman into giving it up. The answer was always no until you weighted the offer sufficiently.