At this suggestion Lucifer received a shout of excitement from all present, except of course from Bruce and Oliver, who lay recovering on the floor. Unfortunately for both of them, recovery would not come, though Oliver would have a slightly more meaningful existence from that point forward than would Bruce.
Lucifer continued: ‘Although you are before me as an immense army some one hundred and eighty thousand strong, that is by no means enough. When it comes time for battle we will need at least a thousand times that number. For this reason our task is great. To train millions of spirits in but a few weeks is going to require an immense effort from each of us. I’ve not had a chance to instruct Generals Anas and Silick on this matter just yet, but I know that they will be supportive,’ said Lucifer looking at his two generals, who both smiled nervously, hoping that the looks upon their respective faces appeared confident enough.
‘As you know, each division has one colonel, one major, two captains, two lieutenants and four sergeants. I propose that each division be divided into ten and that each of the previously mentioned leaders assume control of a thousand men. Each unit of a thousand men can then be responsible for the training of ten thousand men, or a new division, if you will. By this method, with one hundred and eighty groups of trainers, we should be able to train nearly two million soldiers in the next week.
‘After the next week, once we have two million men at our disposal, we shall divide again into groups of one thousand to conduct the following week of training. After the second week, with two thousand groups of trainers, we will have nearly twenty million spirits battle ready. By the third week, almost two hundred million will have been prepared, and so forth. As you can see, by the time Father and Mother think to get around to their meaningless vote, we will have an army so great that nothing will stop us.'
The level of excitement at this proposal almost rivalled the level of torture that Bruce had just endured. It was true that none of them was able to calculate the mathematics of the proposal, but they were happy to take Lucifer at his word. Lucifer stood for a full two minutes and breathed in the acclamation.
Once the noise had eventually subsided, and before the meeting was closed, a certain spirit dared to ask Lucifer a question. His name was Austin and he was a sergeant in the ninth division. There was no malice in the question at all; he simply asked it because he was trying to understand how he would achieve the objective that he had just been set. He was very nervous about asking the question, but his desire to do a thorough job got the better of him, and he called out to his leader, against his better judgment.
‘Lucifer?’ he called out.
‘Yes,’ said the president, startled, but managing to keep a pleasant look upon his face.
‘If we are going to train so many divisions, where are we going to find all of the victims upon which to practice our attacks? asked Austin.
Although Lucifer didn’t expect the question he already had the answer, having thought this through beforehand.
‘That is a very useful question, my fine fellow; may I ask your name, rank and division?' Lucifer asked calmly.
Austin was relieved and disarmed by the demeanour of his leader and relaxed, providing the requested information.
Lucifer then answered the sergeant. ‘It is with great disappointment, Sergeant Austin, that I must inform you that Bruce’s treachery has penetrated so deep as to ensure that there are many more traitors among us than we would need to train even two billion men.’
There was a gasp from the surprised crowd, who all looked around suspiciously. Austin then thanked his leader for opening his eyes to this terrible reality. Unfortunately for that particular sergeant, by asking the question, he had just ensured that he would be identified as one of the traitors and condemned and tortured accordingly. A sergeant would be very easy to replace, and Lucifer was not one to be questioned.
With all business efficiently taken care of the meeting was closed.
80 an old friend
After dealing with Oliver and Bruce in such a pleasing manner, and seeing that his military training plans were on track, Lucifer felt reenergised. As clarity came he decided that it was time to visit his old friend Dujas. He took with him the tier two student who had been assigned to locate his old acquaintance. They travelled to the abode that was closest to Lucifer’s end of the Kingdom as this was far less light, better hiding Lucifer’s dark countenance.
Dujas wasn’t there, and consequently Lucifer was livid, venting much of his frustration upon the unfortunate student that he had taken as his guide. In desperation, the student told Lucifer that Dujas often frequented a nearby leisure hall. As a result, Lucifer calmed a little and the two of them travelled to that location, the guide silently praying that Dujas would indeed be there. The fellow was in luck. Before they even entered the hall, they heard the sound of Dujas telling one of his stories about the Sons of the Morning.
There was quite a crowd on hand that day, as was common of most days in that area. It seemed that those in that part of the Kingdom liked nothing more than sitting around all day swapping stories, it being an area of more talk than action. This suited Dujas down to the ground as he had an impressive repertoire of stories that were primarily fiction, but that he passed off as fact.
As Lucifer entered, his countenance was by far the darkest, but the other spirits in that hall were off white at best, and grey at worst, there being a sprinkling of tier one and two spirits on hand. At the front of the hall was a stage for performances and there the ‘great’ Dujas stood with all eyes upon him, as was his preference. Thankfully, there was a separate room with tables and chairs towards the back of the hall, which Lucifer and his guide quickly slipped into, so that they were not spotted by the spirit that they sought. Such was the prominence of Dujas’s voice that they missed nothing of his story telling, for being in a separate room. Having taken a seat, they were able to concentrate upon the story being told by the noble Dujas.
‘As the moment of battle approached us, I could see Michael’s knees shaking, and it was clear to me that he needed some assistance,’ said Dujas, shaking his knees as he spoke for effect. 'I hurried over to him the moment the battle commenced, just in case I was required. Within moments I realised that this had been a sound decision on my behalf, as the opposing Colonel was clearly overpowering him.
‘At just the moment when Michael was about to be defeated, I intercepted his opposition and overpowered him,’ Dujas stated, clenching his fist and demonstrating the force that he had used to defeat such a fierce opponent.
‘It was a good thing that I did because you could just imagine what might have ensued had Michael been defeated. It may well have dented the confidence of all of the other Sons and we might never have won the battle.’
Dujas was an impressive physical specimen, well built and standing better than six foot tall with a muscular frame. He was also handsome to look upon with black hair, deep blue eyes and a dimpled, square chin. His impressive stature, and his dashing good looks, appeared to the crowd to be in keeping with the heroics he had just described.
Unfortunately for Dujas however, there was, amongst the crowd, a spirit who had been in attendance on the day of first division’s defeat. Certainly an eye witness can be a real threat to one who would massage the truth. In the case of Dujas he had just massacred the truth, so an eye witness was even more threatening. The spirit in question had quite enjoyed the story but was troubled by the inconsistency between what she had seen and what had just been presented as a factual account. Intrigued, she questioned the orator.
‘Excuse me sir, I have very much enjoyed your story, but I witnessed that battle and I didn’t see you there,’ she said truthfully.
A hush came over the crowd, many of whom considered Dujas to be a great hero. Thankfully their hero was quick on his feet, and he responded without even the type of stammer that one who is caught in a lie often succumbs to in their reply.
‘Of course you didn’t, my dear lady. Can
you imagine the effect on the morale of my brothers if Michael’s weaknesses were to become public knowledge? Accordingly, whenever I come to his aid, in any way, I always do so as discretely as I possibly can. Therefore you wouldn’t have seen me, but rest assured that I was one of the officers nearest to Michael. Though it is a little embarrassing for me to say so in public, I must confess that I did notice you amongst the crowd. You are indeed a beautiful woman, and despite the impending danger I did take just a small moment to admire you, before the battle commenced.’
Had the woman been mortal she would have blushed, and of course she questioned the fearless Dujas no more on the matter. Instead she, like so many others of the females in that room, wondered whether he was still available.
The crowd relaxed, their faith in the hero vindicated as they expected it would be. Following the conclusion of his speech, it was begged of Dujas that he would favour them with just one more story. He declined, which was very unlike him. Truth be known he was far more alarmed by the female's question than he had shown, and he knew that it would be very foolish to risk another story when he had already been called into question on a point of accuracy once. Quitting while he was still ahead he left the hall, trailed by two spirits. As was hoped, Dujas headed directly for the abode that he kept in that part of the Kingdom.
Lucifer and his guide kept a healthy distance, once they saw that he was heading in the direction they expected. It was just as well they did as, upon arriving at his abode, the storyteller looked suspiciously in all directions before entering, in a fashion that indicated that he would prefer not to have been seen.
Before rounding the final corner, Lucifer dismissed his guide, preferring to handle this business alone. Once he was alone he wondered how best to introduce himself. Certainly, it occurred to him that Dujas may have kept this alternate location secret, as it was very unusual for a spirit to have more than one abode. Consequently, Lucifer resolved to act as though he was searching for someone else, and that he had come upon Dujas entirely by chance.
He nervously approached the door, hoping that he would be well received. He rang the bell and waited but Dujas did not appear. He rang again, cursing the guide under his breath. If Dujas wasn’t there, he resolved that the student would be used to train his new divisions. After a third ring he was about to turn angrily upon his heels, when he was surprised by the door opening just a crack.
‘Yes, can I help you?’ asked the occupant in a guarded fashion.
‘Ah yes,’ Lucifer replied, caught a little off guard.
‘Well?’ said Dujas impatiently.
‘I was wondering whether you know where Minette lives. I seem to have an incorrect address for her, but I know that she lives in this general vicinity.
‘No, I’ve never heard of a Minette,’ Dujas said, beginning to close the door.
This forced Lucifer’s hand.
‘A moment Sir, I seem to recognise your voice. My goodness Dujas, is that you?’ he asked in a surprised manner.
‘Who wants to know?’ replied the occupant, more guarded than before.
‘My word Dujas, my old friend, it is you!’ said Lucifer, feigning excitement.
Knowing that he was caught, Dujas opened the door wide enough to see whom he was speaking to. He was stunned by what he saw. The fact that he saw Lucifer was surprising enough, after not having seen him for many years, but to see him with a charcoal countenance also took him aback.
‘Lucifer?’ he asked, already knowing the answer.
‘Yes, it is I. How have you been? I’ve been meaning to try and track you down for the longest time.’
Although he was intrigued to see his old acquaintance, Dujas was still hesitant to invite him in, as he had never permitted anyone to enter his best kept secret. Consequently, it was up to Lucifer to invite himself in.
‘May I come in, Dujas? I would love just a few moments to catch up.’
It occurred to Dujas that forbidding Lucifer to enter might just embed the location in his memory more than if he humoured him, so he consented and the two of them moved from the doorway inside. As Lucifer entered he was surprised to see many possessions stored within that abode.
‘Dujas, where did you get all of this?’ Lucifer asked in amazement.
‘Oh, I borrowed it, I’ll need to take it all back soon,’ Dujas said, holding Lucifer’s eye just long enough to reveal to the tempter that he was keen to assess his reaction.
Lucifer knew instantly that something was amiss, and he suspected that Dujas hadn’t borrowed the items at all, although he tried not to let on.
‘Tell me Dujas, what made you settle in this region of the Kingdom?’ asked Lucifer.
‘Oh I haven’t, I’m only borrowing this abode from an acquaintance,’ Dujas lied, wishing that he had also attributed all of the merchandise to someone other than himself.
‘I see. Where do you usually reside?’ Lucifer asked.
‘I’m still at the other end of the Kingdom, near to where I was when we last met,’ replied Dujas.
‘What about you, Lucifer? Where are you living?’ asked the host.
‘Not too far from here actually,’ Lucifer replied, not wanting to be too specific. Certainly he didn’t want his old friend to know that his abode was the epicentre of all darkness within the Kingdom.
‘Tell me Dujas, how are you going in your responsibilities as a Son of the Morning?’ asked Lucifer.
‘Very well thank you. Michael is as useless as ever, and there is much for me to do, but I still enjoy it,’ responded Dujas, forgetting that Lucifer knew only too well his tendency to overstate his own virtues and understate those of the other Sons, particularly Michael.
‘What about you Lucifer, how are you progressing in your service to others?’ Dujas asked.
‘Very well thank you,’ Lucifer lied, before introducing his agenda. ‘During this service, however, I’ve become a little concerned about the perils associated with the impending mortal experience’ he said.
‘Perils?’
‘Yes Dujas, I’ve taken a little time to study some of those things that are happening on other earths and I’ve been very concerned by what I’ve seen.’
‘Yes, I’ve seen it too,’ said Dujas thoughtlessly.
After seeing Lucifer’s reaction he wished that he had again been more discreet.
‘What, you have seen it also?’ Lucifer said, absolutely amazed.
Dujas confessed that the same friend who owned this abode had ‘borrowed’ some material from a library just recently, and that he had taken time to review the contents. Although it appeared that Dujas hadn’t watched any extreme material, this was indeed a revelation, and one that filled Lucifer with hope that he might find support for his cause in his old acquaintance.
Over the course of the next few minutes Lucifer espoused the shortcomings of his parents' plan, and how these must be remedied. Again he was slim on the details of his plan, as he was yet to finalise the particulars. Dujas appeared interested in what Lucifer had to say, but was a little non-committal. Ultimately though, Dujas did agree to meet with Lucifer again in the future to discuss the matter further.
After farewells, Lucifer left the area feeling very pleased with himself. Sure, Dujas was not quite as enthusiastic as he had dreamed, but certainly there was enough that appeared suspect in his old friend’s character to make him think that he could be swayed.
After Lucifer left, Dujas cursed himself for ever confessing that he had recently taken to studying other earths. That was supposed to be his little secret. He was not convinced by what Lucifer had had to say about mortality. Indeed, during the course of his studies, he had found it quite an appealing place. He had not taken to watching scenes of gore or filth. Rather, he very much enjoyed watching those that were able to accumulate great wealth, whether honestly or dishonestly. Within the Kingdom, possessions had become the lusts of his heart, and of course this flowed into his desires for mortality.
81 final days
T
wo weeks later it was announced that the grand council would be held the following week. Lucifer and his divisions had not been idle, and by that time they would have ready an army of two hundred million spirits. Jezebel had also been busy in her work of spreading lies and slander, in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of many of the most virtuous females in the Kingdom. Unfortunately for both Lucifer and Jezebel, their methods were so extreme that they marginalised many who might otherwise have been persuaded by their message.
Lucifer’s army grew and became more visible, which worked in opposition to his suggestion that he was simply targeting a couple of minor amendments to the original plan. Jezebel’s slander and gossip became so absurd that her penetration faltered, and in the end she struggled to have her lies break through the darker third of the Kingdom.
Michael, Rachel, and all of the supporters of Father and Mother, were greatly assisted by the tactical errors of Lucifer and Jezebel. Ironically, their extreme methods only contributed to the immense reclaiming of souls that occurred over that period. Father and Mother’s teachings were received into all but the final third of the Kingdom, and many that had ‘once been lost were found’.
Michael and Rachel reminded their listeners of all that they had received from their parents, and the perfection of their plan. They were also able to point to the actions of Lucifer and Jezebel as evidence of the evil nature of the opposing plan.
Caleb spoke in many forums about his experience with Lucifer, as did Ethan. This added greatly to the effectiveness of the missionary effort.
Lucifer was so busy training his army, and Jezebel so busy producing lies, that they didn’t even notice that the middle ground of the Kingdom was being lost. Consequently, the final weeks passed them by with Lucifer producing soldiers, Jezebel creating nonsense and Michael and Rachel saving souls.
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