Sugar and Spice

by Temple Madison

  “You bloody bastard!” Judas hissed. “Whoever it was that said you were a man of God was a liar! If this is any example of what a priest is supposed to act like, you’re no different than the evil place I come from! What kind of god is it that has men like you running his business?”

  “No!” Father Jon yelled. “No, it’s not His fault. I’m weak. God is love, peace, all the good things of this earth. But evil comes in and tries to destroy all that He does. You must believe that!” He rose up on his knees and, in desperation, began to stumble toward Judas. “Don’t let any evil that I’ve done influence you.” He couldn’t meet Judas’s eyes, so he turned away, feeling lower than a snake. “I’m weak, and I’m sorry. Hate me, revile me. I deserve it, but don’t blame God.”

  “You seem loyal to this God of yours.”

  “Yes well, I may not be much good, but He’s not to blame. I guess He just made a poor choice in me.”

  “If God is so good, then why is this blasted world reeking of sin? Why isn’t it some kind of utopia where all is perfect?”

  Father Jon turned back to Judas, his eyes blazing. “Compared to that stinking world you come from, it is.”

  “My world may not be perfect, but at least we’re honest. When we sin, we call it sin. We don’t put on holy clothes and parade around like—”

  “Apparently you do. Don’t forget about Lupercus.”

  “Lupercus is a bad example. There’s no rhyme or reason to his killing. He doesn’t stop to consider the outcome. All he knows is evil. He lives and breathes it.”

  “Do you honestly believe that Lupercus is the only one in Hell who loves evil? Judas, wake up for God’s sake. You come from Hell, the ultimate place of evil. Think of all you’ve seen there. Hell is crawling with it. Infested.”

  A strange feeling came over Judas. “Then, what’s wrong with me? Why do I hate evil?”

  The look in Father Jon’s eyes softened. “Somehow you got misplaced, that’s all. You don’t belong in that world. You belong in this one. Jesus once said—”

  Something leaped inside Judas. “Jesus?”

  “You’ve heard of Him. He’s God’s Son.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard of him,” he whispered as his father’s words rang in his ears. He bragged about his son like other fathers did, but it wasn’t about his prowess with women or his triumphs on the battlefield. No. It was his unique name. If he’d heard the words once, he’d heard them a thousand times.

  “It was the name of a beloved disciple who betrayed Christ, God’s own son.” He remembered the uproarious laughter of his father and the others. “Can you see it? My own son a constant reminder of his son’s downfall! Hah! Why, Judas’s very existence is a thorn in his side. When he thinks of Judas, he is reminded of every bloody stripe on his flesh, every cut, and every torment Jesus had to endure that dark day on the cross. My son is his namesake…a namesake of the one who did it to him! Judas Iscariot!”

  His voice rang with pride when he told the story. Ugly pride, not love. Judas wondered, wasn’t a father supposed to love his son? Instead Judas had been raised by his father’s harlots. He had become a man at an early age, having been taught sin at its most decadent by these women. He had all the sex he wanted, but no love. What did it feel like to love? What did it feel like to receive love? Would he ever know?

  “Jesus was—”

  “No! I don’t want to know about Jesus. Nothing!”

  “I only wanted to—”

  Judas whirled around and grabbed Father Jon by the front of his shirt. “I said nothing! Do you understand?”

  “Why?” he asked, struggling to get out of Judas’s grip. “Afraid to learn the truth about how He died on the cross? How His death stuck it to Satan, forever crippling him?”

  “Shut up! I know all the truth I want to know.”

  “You know nothing but lies!” Father Jon shouted. “Satan lost. Did you know that? He lost paradise! He lost that utopia you’re always talking about. He rose up against God, and now you live on a burned-out cinder!”

  “I’m warning you!” Judas said as he advanced on Father Jon. “Say one more word—”

  “They’re doomed!” Father Jon said as he backed away. “No hope of redemption for any of them!”

  “I don’t care! Do you hear me? I know all I want to about your God. Both He and His Son were fools!”

  “Fools?” Father Jon shouted angrily. “Can a fool make a blind man see? Can a fool heal the lame? Can a fool raise the dead? No, he wasn’t a fool.” Father Jon indicated toward the ocean. “Can you imagine anyone parting these waters? He did it to the Red Sea, and with nothing more than a mighty gust of wind.”

  “You lie!”

  “No, Judas,” he yelled, “it’s not a lie. It’s true. All of it!”

  “If He is as mighty as you say, why has He left the other worlds out there alone?”

  “Who says He has? Who’s to say that God hasn’t sent His Son to every one of them?”

  “Another lie! If He had, my world—”

  “Your world is hell! The ruler of Hell made the choice for all of you a long time ago! The only time Jesus ever entered Hell was after He arose. That day He broke down the gates of Hell and took the keys away from Satan and set the captives free!”

  “That isn’t fair! There are those he forgot!”

  “He didn’t forget them. He—”

  “—abandoned them,” Judas said softly. “Just like He abandoned me.”

  “He abandoned them because they’re lost, Judas, but not you. I don’t believe it for a minute. He would give every man a chance, even you,” he whispered.

  “No!” Judas yelled. “If he has abandoned them, then He has abandoned me!”

  “Judas, He loves you. He brought you here, didn’t He? To His world?”

  “It’s a lie! If my own father didn’t love me, why should He?”

  “Because that’s what God is, love. You see, God can’t help being what He is any more than you can help being what you are, or me being…” A sob welled up in his throat, and the tears began to fall again as he sank back down on the sand.

  Judas felt a stab of compassion and knelt beside Father Jon. “You don’t have to worry. Your God has forgiven you.”

  Father Jon looked up at him. “Forgiven…me?”

  “Of course. If what you say is true, you cannot help being what you are, a dirty old man.”

  Father Jon laughed softly, and then looked steadily into Judas’s eyes. “You are also forgiven, my son.” He gave a small shrug and then said sadly, “Oh, I know I’ve sinned, but if there is any power left in me as a priest of the church, then I would like to welcome you into God’s world and proclaim you as one of His sheep.” He reached down and scooped up a handful of water and drizzled it down on Judas’s head.

  “Is that all there is to it?” Judas said with a mixture of doubt and tears shining in his eyes.

  “Judas, think back. Do you remember the first time you began to love this world? The soft breezes, the sunrises, the tiny birds, the trees, grass, flowers—”

  “Every day was a new discovery for me,” Judas said wistfully. “So different from my own world. Yes, I do remember.”

  “That’s when you began to love Him. You can’t love those things without loving Him. He created this world for those He loves and gave it to them. That includes you, Judas.”

  “He didn’t give it to me,” Judas said bitterly. “You forget. I came from a burned-out cinder.”

  “You were only a visitor, Judas. This is your true home. As a babe you were taken out of this world and placed in the arms of a devil. That’s why you love it here. It’s your home. You’ve simply come back home.”

  The truth of these words jolted him.

  “You love Him, Judas, admit it. You have a father now. A real father. A father of love. Believe me, He would have never turned His back on you.”

  “No!” Judas insisted. He tried with all his heart to deny it. He lowered his head and began to rock b
ack and forth shouting, “No, no, no!”

  “Then go back to that burned-out cinder and live with a creature who—”

  “Shut up!” Judas yelled and jumped on Father Jon, his large hands about his throat, squeezing.

  “Judas,” Father Jon rasped out as he struggled. “You’re…”

  Judas suddenly realized what he was doing and let go. “Oh, no,” he agonized. “I would have killed you.”

  Father Jon pulled away quickly and coughed, trying to get his breath. “But you didn’t, Judas,” he rasped. “You couldn’t because there’s no evil in you.”

  “Please forgive me.”

  “Don’t ask me. Ask Him. Ask your father.”

  A lonely echo of lapping waves sounded as Judas looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. “If it were only true,” Judas whispered as all resistance left him. “I want Him to be my Father, but…I mean…how will I know…?”

  Before his words were said, he was caught up in a power so strong that every empty space within him was filled with something so indescribably beautiful his eyes closed in rapture. When his eyes opened again, he saw a ray of light from heaven break through those foreboding black clouds and surround him with a warmth that melted the chill and washed his black soul clean.

  Was it simply the end of a storm, or the beginning of his salvation?

  Chapter 24

  The Black Heavens…

  The rumble began low, almost like a whisper.

  Finally, little by little, it grew, infusing fear into those who inhabited the burned-out little city because they knew what it was.

  It was Satan’s anger. An anger so evil it had taken the form of a beast. A beast that was created out of fire, brimstone, sizzling hot rocks, and fiery ash. The whirl of hot wind was like a blistering tornado as it skulked down the narrow streets and alleyways like an animal of prey. Snarls from deep within were heard as it grabbed at tall structures with a gigantic hand and heaved them to the ground. It whistled down alleyways, whipped around buildings, lifting objects into the air and throwing them for great distances.

  When Satan’s anger had reached its peak, it erupted, exploding into the atmosphere in the form of a huge firestorm. While balls of fire fell to the ground like autumn leaves, the population screamed and ran, scattering into their dens and watching fearfully through cracks in doors and windows.

  The burned-out cinder quaked!

  Fissures in the rock moved and widened, exposing leaping flames.

  Hapless wanderers grabbed at the sides of the holes they found themselves falling into. They scratched wildly to get out, while their voices rose in terror. From down beneath the surface, a voice was heard. A voice so terrible it sounded like the explosion of many bombs as it echoed along the wreckage in the streets.

  “He belongs to me-e-e-e-e-e!”

  The Demon Lord cowered before Satan, who sat on his throne glaring at him. “But sire, I had no one else to send!”

  Satan jumped up from his throne and leaned toward him, his glaring, burning eyes stabbing at him unmercifully. “You bumbling idiot! There was no reason to send anyone! With something of this magnitude, you should have waited until I returned! How dare you take things into your own hands? How dare you touch my top-ranking warrior and make him do a job that any minion could have done?”

  The Demon Lord stood shaking in his boots, realizing now what a stupid move it was on his part to try to score points with Satan. Ander had tried to tell him, but his pride had made him deaf to his words. Now it might cost him everything. He had intended to tell him, of course, but not until after the job was done to perfection. He had the loyalty of those around him, but it had never occurred to him that Satan’s right-hand man would open his big mouth and tell him everything. Now, instead of smiles and accolades, the big man was looking down at him as if he were a Christian he was itching to feed to the lions.

  “Because of your stupidity, I have lost an important emissary, and you, a son!”

  “Lost?” the Demon Lord squeaked out. “You mean…dead?”

  “Worse than dead!” Satan shouted as he whirled on his heels, his red cape flying out around him. “He has been redeemed! His black soul has been washed clean in holy blood.” Satan cocked his head and cast him a smirking look. “Need I tell you whose?”

  “Blood…you mean…it was pure? But he was a man who lived on Earth. There were women…Mary Magdalene, the most vile whore of his time, was thrown in his path. Even the women taken in adultery…my God, there were hundreds. How is it possible? His blood had to be corrupted!”

  “As pure as a newborn babe,” Satan growled, throwing his hands into the air. “And now he has Judas!” His evil face crumpled in agony as he lamented his loss. “Judas, Hell’s bravest, most capable war hero lost to us, unfit for Hades!” His evil eyes shifted and burned into the Demon Lord. “And it’s your fault!”

  “But sire, if Lupercus had not…”

  “Don’t try and blame Lupercus. You know him as well as I. He’s devious, sneaky, and has to be watched constantly. If you’d done your job with him, there would have been no need to send Judas, and he would still be in our ranks. As it is, you have cost me my most valuable warrior. Your job was to control that mad wolf god, not let him run wild. If you’re not completely stupid, you might have expected something like this. Now that he’s out from under the control of the gods, nothing can stop him. If I know Lupercus, he’ll keep that moon-cursed woman under his control until she either goes insane or dies. Since it’s not her time that would mean absolute chaos. There’s only one answer. Lupercus must die!”

  “Die? But your ma—”

  “Yes, die! If only he’d used his evil the way it was intended, he’d be one of Hell’s most valuable demons. Instead he uses it only for himself, for his delight and his pleasure. Well, I’m tired of it. Death is the only answer and Judas will kill him!”

  “Judas? But sire, Judas is no longer ours.”

  “Silence!” he shouted and then began mumbling to himself as he paced. “Yes, death is the answer. Lupercus I can afford to lose, but not a man like Judas. I must get him back at any cost. I don’t care if he’s a half-breed, has been redeemed, and has a soul as pure a baby’s. I’ll get him back!” He stroked his chin. “Perhaps if I…Yes, that might work.”

  “But his name,” the Demon Lord said, grabbing at the same old tired excuse he’d been using for years. “I would have never thought God would have taken him into his good graces with a name like, Judas. It would remind him of that dark day, of the beatings, the cat-o-nine-tails…”

  “You blazing idiot! Do you think God cares what his name is? And that dark day you so stupidly refer to was His triumph, not mine. It was a trick. We played right into his hands. He wanted to be led to the cross…to die…to shed that pure, lamb-like blood for the salvation of the world. Don’t you understand? It was the only way. He used Judas Iscariot, and he used my stupidity. I thought I was killing him, ridding the world of good once and for all. When darkness fell on the face of the earth, I knew I had won, but I was wrong. Oh, he made use of those three days before he arose. He not only invaded Hell and set my captives free, he took the keys to Hell and still has them!” His face crumpled in sorrow. “What a crushing defeat it was!” Suddenly he whirled around as if he couldn’t stand to look at the Demon Lord one more moment. “We were a joke then, and we’re an even bigger joke today.”

  The Demon Lord looked up timidly, thinking Satan was finished with him, when suddenly he whirled around, his red-rimmed gaze stabbing into his own.

  “And do you know why?” he said softly, and then roared out, “Because of you!” His face was livid with rage. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? I’ll tell you what you’ve done! You gave Judas to him! You pushed him out the door! You insisted that he go! You presented him as a gift to the enemy!” His voice lowered to a soft threat. “If I don’t get Judas back, I swear by all that is vile, ugly, wicked, and evil, someone will pay!”

  “I d-don’t
know what to say. I knew sending him was a risk, but one I was willing to take. After all, my loyalty is to you, your highness.” The Demon Lord sank to his knees and bowed his head. “Even over my own son.”

  “You make me sick with your groveling. The only good thing that came out of you being a lord was Judas, but now that he’s gone, I’m going to remedy that situation right now.” He rushed down the few steps of the dais, and with a brutal hand, he ripped the decorated cloak from the Demon Lord’s shoulders and flung it to the floor. “From this moment on, you are stripped of your rank!” He pushed his ugly face into that of the Demon Lord, forcing him to back away as he continued. “You will move from your luxury apartment in the Royal Palace and live in the dungeon! Those on the street will eat better than you, and you will sleep on the floor. Your only company will be mice, snakes, and bugs. Your royal vestments will be replaced by a rough, itchy, lice-infested potato sack, and your only pastime will be counting the flies that buzz around your head!”

  “No!” he said, covering his head as if the words were darts. “Please, your majesty. What can I do?”

  Satan backed away, a plan lurking in his evil mind as he watched the Demon Lord beg.

  “Tell me, my king! I’ll do anything to keep my place as lord. I’ll kill, destroy, commit the most heinous of sins to correct this awful mistake!” Again, he lowered his head before Satan. “You have but to command me.”

  Satan’s flashing eyes looked down at the pitiful hulk who groveled on the floor before him, and allowed his lips to twist into an evil smile. “Anything?”