After some discussion it was resolved that Ethan should move into Michael’s abode so that he could better minister to him. With some coaxing, Ethan left with Michael for his home. He did so a little suspiciously though, having been scarred by the evil that he had so recently dealt with.
Later that day Michael received word from Father that he had been relieved of the responsibility of interviewing repentant spirits, so that he might devote his whole attention to Ethan. Sarah and Rachel too took special interest in Ethan, assisting and encouraging him wherever they could.
63 disappointment
The following day, as fourth division prepared for their attack, there was anticipation and excitement in the air. The brutes in that regiment had delighted in destroying Sturd and they looked forward to inflicting pain on Ethan. There was no way that he deserved the office of colonel and they were going to make sure that he didn’t get it. Each member of the division prepared himself for the attack in his own manner, some by cursing their parents, some by hurling abuse at another spirit, and yet others by launching themselves in a hateful attack on a weaker spirit within the division. While all of this transpired, Generals Anas and Silick looked on like proud parents.
As they walked, each individual spirit within the unit reflected upon the disappointing fact that he had not already come upon Ethan that day so that he could direct some aggression at him. Collectively though, they had not yet come to the realisation that he was not among them. As for those in his dormitory, they assumed that Ethan had remained with the generals in preparation for his attack. Consequently, the division all moved towards the training ground in an excited manner, assuming that their victim would present himself at the appropriate time. As they approached the pre-appointed location, their hatred boiled even more furiously. The cursings became more hateful, the abuse more personal and the attacks more prevalent.
Upon arrival at the training grounds, the generals could scarcely keep a lid on the mood as they addressed the gathering. Nevertheless, the purpose of their speech was actually to increase the level of aggression towards Ethan. Like the rest of their men the generals too had failed to realise that Ethan was not with them.
‘Fourth division, I request your attention briefly,’ commenced General Silick. ‘We are gathered here today so that we can test the noblest spirit within your division.’
To this there was a murmur of anger. Every spirit in attendance was at an absolute loss as to why Ethan was constantly spoken of in such glowing terms by the generals. As a consequence every member of fourth division was determined to show the generals that their faith in Ethan was entirely misplaced, and this, of course, was exactly what the generals were seeking. As he spoke, General Silick scanned the crowd trying to locate Ethan. He couldn’t see him, which was a little odd as Ethan was ordinarily in one of the front few rows, trying to be as close to his mentors as possible. Silick assumed however, that he was just a little nervous and had remained towards the back of the gathering.
‘Now my brothers of fourth division, it is my privilege to deliver some good news to you today. We are extremely privileged to have Lucifer with us to watch your first official attack,’ said the worthy general, implying that the attack on Sturd was unofficial.
There was a huge cheer from the battalion as Lucifer, who had kept himself hidden for effect, revealed himself to the crowd.
General Silick continued to bait the gathering. ‘Lucifer is very keen indeed to observe Ethan. We have assured him that he has the greatest potential out of all of you, and Lucifer has come to see this for himself.’
‘We’ll rip him in two!’ screamed Blain, one of the most venomous spirits in fourth division.
Blain was a personal favourite of General Silick, who secretly was extremely proud, but he didn’t let on and merely continued as though he hadn’t been interrupted.
‘While there is always the slight possibility that you will overcome Ethan, we don’t think that this is likely.’
This final comment had the desired effect and anger became outrage. Every spirit gnashed his teeth and wanted to murder the victim as slowly and as painfully as possible. Lucifer had observed this process in the three other divisions and it amused him no end. To watch the collective anger within a division reach fever pitch, and then for this venom to be harnessed and directed solely at the weakest spirit within that unit was very enjoyable, and such a course of events was entirely in keeping with his personal code of ethics.
The climax of anger had arrived, so Silick made one last attempt to harness it for attack.
‘Alright fourth division, the time has come. Are you ready to compete with your future colonel?’
This comment drove a stake right into the heart of every spirit in the division, topping up each cup of anger so that the meniscus broke and the fury ran over. Attacks between spirits increased and a general free for all was about to ensue. Seeing that the moment was just right, General Silick called for Ethan.
‘Alright colonel, present yourself to your division,’ he yelled above the din of the crowd.
The generals and Lucifer awaited a response but there wasn’t any.
‘Ethan, your division awaits you!’ screeched General Silick above the noise, which had doubled in just a few moments.
Still there was no movement and both generals began to fear.
‘Ethan, where are you?’ shrieked Anas, but to no avail.
In the next few moments it dawned on all of the gathered spirits that they had been betrayed. The outrage quadrupled instantly and the whole division began to fight fiercely with one another. Lucifer was furious. How dare that insignificant and useless piece of garbage shirk his responsibility. He would see to it personally that he suffered horribly for this. Lucifer didn’t mind seeing the odd skirmish break out among his troops, but to see harnessed aggression being wasted on all out divisional fighting, annoyed him no end.
‘You worthless trash! Control yourselves!’ he screamed so aggressively that it silenced every spirit in the division and focused their attention squarely upon him.
Suddenly there came into the eyes of many within the division a look that Lucifer didn’t like. Foolishly, he had managed to focus all of the attention of a pack of fighting dogs squarely upon him, and had insulted them in the process.
One spirit then voiced the feeling of many of his colleagues and whispered loudly, ‘Attack Lucifer!’
This feeling very quickly gathered momentum and more and more within the division started to whisper the same thing, such that it was heard of Lucifer and his generals. The generals, seeing what might happen, stood at either side of Lucifer, hoping that this might dissuade the division from taking its intended course. This brave action slowed, but did not stop, the momentum of the chant.
Meanwhile, Lucifer was hotly indignant and inwardly he resolved to obliterate the entire division at some future time, nevertheless for the moment he was wise enough to fear for his existence. Although in his anger he was tempted to command the division to comply with his orders, he realised that this would almost certainly spell his doom. He knew also that calming the crowd was going to be incredibly difficult, particularly in the mood in which he now found himself. The likelihood of his being able to praise them into submission via a display of kindly flattery and peaceful calm was very remote, especially when he felt like torturing and killing the lot of them.
In that desperate moment, Lucifer realised what was needed. What he needed to find urgently was a scapegoat, a spirit who could be used as a substitute for him, one whom he could force to endure the suffering that he so richly deserved. It was he who had brought this anger into the Kingdom. It was he who had worked the hardest, and most deviously, to corrupt this gathering. It was he who had put all of their souls in jeopardy. No spirit deserved the centred hatred of fourth division more than Lucifer, yet he was desperate to bestow his much warranted punishment upon another. Instead of suffering for others, Lucifer would prefer others to suffer for him, involunta
rily if necessary.
He scanned the crowd desperately, knowing that he would have to identify his replacement speedily. Just in the nick of time he spotted him. The spirit was right at the back and was not getting involved in any of the fighting. He was not chanting and did not have the same look of aggression in his eyes. In comparison to the balance of fourth division one might even say that he looked gentle, to the extent that any within a pack of wild hounds can ever be considered genteel in any way.
‘Who is that spirit at the back with the red hair?’ bellowed Lucifer to General Anas, who was literally two feet away.
General Anas understood the reason for the query immediately, and he was intimately aware of the weakness of that spirit. Indeed he had proven to be a poor selection. If Anas had been called on to render a personal appraisal of that particular spirit, prior to the proceedings of the day, he would have assessed him as the next weakest after Ethan.
‘That is Antim,’ screamed back the general.
As Lucifer looked from Antim back to the crowd, he saw the entire unit begin to move forward in his direction as one, all except Antim who stayed back. Consequently, Antim became even more isolated from his division.
Without a moment to lose Lucifer shrieked ‘Fourth division attack Antim!’ whilst pointing over the top of the crowd.
Upon hearing this, the whole division turned as one to see Antim, now standing by himself, with a look of death in his eyes. A huge cry of excitement escaped the joyous division who launched themselves headlong into one of their own. The attack was prolonged and brutal and Antim would never be the same again.
Initially, Lucifer breathed a huge sigh of relief at having averted such a severe situation, following which he settled back to watch the show. He thought briefly of joining the fray and beginning to secretly administer punishment to some within the division, whilst in the throes of battle, but he thought better of it in case he was detected. Division four would have to keep.
After the gallant display from fourth division had run its course, the unit received some praise and instruction from their esteemed leader. He said nothing of their intended rebellion as he did not want this to become widely known or even acknowledged. Rather, he praised them heavily for their bravery, and for their ability to adapt their aggression from Ethan to Antim. He also took the opportunity to refocus their attention upon Ethan. He insisted that, in due course, Ethan would be located and that he would be punished as was Sturd. This thought excited fourth division, who were already looking forward to their next attack.
After this stirring speech, fourth division were dismissed and Lucifer had some harsh words for his generals. He dressed them down severely for not teaching sufficient reverence for him. That the division would even think of attacking him was a testament to the fact that his name was not sufficiently revered. He insisted that henceforth all divisions spend an hour each day focusing purely upon reverence for him.
After his tirade, Lucifer left the generals and returned to his abode. He spent the next two days absolutely fuming about what had transpired. His anger at fourth division was only exceeded by his hatred of Ethan. If Ethan had taken on his responsibility then none of this would have happened. Anyone who was foolish enough to approach him over this period wished that they hadn’t.
Any feelings of self-worth that Lucifer had were constructed upon a sandy foundation of vanity, pride and unwarranted self-elevation. When these falsehoods were challenged to any degree, as they just had been, great was the fall in his self-esteem. Consequently, the absolute depths of misery and depression followed as night does day.
In the end, it took Lucifer four full days to re-establish in his mind the falsehoods upon which his self-esteem was built.
64 a cunning invitation
Towards the end of this self-imposed isolation, Lucifer’s mind began to shift focus from the fourth division debacle to how he might secure the majority that he so desired. Eventually, he settled upon Caleb as his last chance. He desperately hoped that Caleb had not received word of the defeat of first division, or alternately that he had heard one of the many lies that he had immediately dispatched in order to put a positive spin on a terrible defeat.
One of these lies was that first division had been instructed to lose the battle on purpose, in order to lull Father and Mother into a false sense of security. Lucifer hoped that Caleb had not heard that version of events as it was too extreme. He had always maintained to Caleb that his plan was a mere massaging of their parents’ plan, not a rebellious alternative. The lie that suited his purposes better was the one where he divorced his cause entirely from the actions of first division.
It was very tricky trying to manage multiple lies about the one event, but if anyone could do it successfully it was the ‘father of lies’. The combination of falsehoods that he dispatched had eventually stopped the leakage so that his support settled at approximately seven billion spirits. Lucifer desperately hoped that Caleb was among those who had been retained. He resolved that regardless of what Caleb had, or hadn’t heard, it was absolutely essential that he meet with him as soon as possible. Accordingly, he sent an urgent message requesting an audience with him.
To his delight, the invitation was accepted and later that day Caleb entered Lucifer’s abode at the appointed time. On this occasion, Caleb was not entirely blind to the dimness of the region, or the shade of Lucifer’s countenance, but he did not comment on these things.
‘Caleb, I’m so very glad that you could come,’ said Lucifer, in his softest and most kindly tone.
‘Thank you for inviting me. How have you been, Lucifer?’
‘Well enough thank you, but I have been a little troubled by some rogue forces who claim to be aligned with our cause. They have conducted themselves very poorly,’ he said, sounding truly troubled.
‘I have heard,’ responded Caleb candidly.
‘What are spirits saying about what has transpired, Caleb?’ enquired Lucifer, hoping against hope that Caleb had heard the lie that best suited his purposes.
‘Some are saying that the forces were aligned with you and were solidly beaten. Others are saying that they acted against your instructions,’ said Caleb.
‘I can assure you, Caleb, that the latter is correct. Our plan is a plan of peace so it is absurd to suggest that I would approve some sort of skirmish,’ said Lucifer innocently.
Lucifer looked carefully at Caleb and his target appeared partially satisfied, which was about all that he could hope for under the circumstances.
‘It is such a shame, Caleb. I want nothing but the very best for all of our brothers and sisters,’ said Lucifer, rising from his chair and pacing with arms folded and his face looking at the floor, as if the shame of these developments was almost more than he could bear. ‘We have devised a plan that remedies the small imperfections in our parents’ proposal and provides a sure passage back to the Kingdom. All I ask is that this plan be presented fairly, for all to judge, but it appears that some within the Kingdom do not want this to occur.’
Lucifer paused again and feigned becoming quite emotional about the events that had transpired. Madeleine would have been proud of his dramatic performance and, having collected himself, he continued.
‘Before the actions of that rogue force we had already persuaded many spirits of the virtue of our plan, and we were ever so close to obtaining the majority that we will need if we are to secure passage of our plan. Now, because of the actions of a few that have nothing to do with us, our numbers have fallen appreciably. It is such a tragedy. All of this and it appears that the final vote is just moments away,’ bemoaned the leader with fresh tears in his eyes.
‘It is certainly unfortunate for you,’ responded Caleb.
‘Not me Caleb, it has nothing to do with me. It would be far easier for me to just accept Father and Mother’s plan. I know that personally I would have no trouble making it back here following mortality and every now and then, in the selfishness of my heart, I am tempted
to simply adopt that path. Every time I think to do so however, the faces of all of my brothers and sisters come into my mind. Faces such as Tara’s haunt me and cause me to hate the selfishness of my soul. It is at these times that my resolve strengthens and I know that I am destined to secure their safe passage back here, no matter how great the personal cost.’ Lucifer gazed heavenward at the end of this touching soliloquy, purely for additional effect.
‘Lucifer, it would appear from what you say that your motives are pure. I wish there was something that I could do,’ responded Caleb.
‘Caleb, it is an absolute honour that you would offer, and I think that there may be a little something that you can do to assist.’
Lucifer pounced on this opportunity eagerly. He had been struggling with how he might come at the request for assistance from Caleb, so to have Caleb all but offer was a gift.
‘How could I be of assistance?’ Caleb asked, sounding surprised.
‘Caleb, I think that you fail to comprehend just how well respected you are within the Kingdom. I don’t think that it would take very much from you at all, by way of endorsing our plan, to influence a great many,’ said Lucifer.
‘Do you really think that I could be an influence one way or the other?’ queried Caleb, again appearing surprised.
‘Most assuredly you could. I wouldn’t dare to ask you to speak in favour of our plan if I wasn’t so very concerned for Tara, and so many others of our brothers and sisters, who will be placed in great peril under the original plan’ answered Lucifer eagerly.
‘To whom would you have me speak?’ asked Caleb.
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