Flashing a toothy grin at Lucifer, he said, “I believe the attention I paid was adequate, my lord. Although I’m far more interested in the assignment’s more specific instructions, and I can assure you whatever they are I will handle it most sufficiently.”
“Yes, I know you will. That’s one of the reasons I picked you. Never a failure, you are quite the virtuoso Belial. You are one of the select few that I can place trust in, and that is not given lightly, as you know,” Lucifer said, gravelly.
“What exactly do I need to know, my lord?” Belial stopped walking as he said this, his impatience getting the better of him. Lucifer stopped a step ahead of him and turned around to face the unmoving participant.
“You will know what I decide to reveal to you, as some things I wish to keep to myself until further notice. Do not fret. You will know enough to deal with the situation properly. I trust you realize that any information I give you remains in confidence and cannot be divulged to anyone, I trusted you long ago, do not let me down now. This…female is very important to me, for reasons that need not make themselves known yet. She is quite powerful, I assure you. She has proven that in past incidents. You are not easily tricked, Belial, which leads me to believe that she will have a difficult time getting past you. She is not to be let out of your sight under any circumstances, unless you have direct orders from me. She obviously has a difficult time accepting anything she associates with imprisonment, so expect some resistance. I need for you to find out just how experienced she is in all fields. Report your findings to me directly. You are to retrieve her from her cell when you are finished here and she is to reside in your chambers until further notice. Are we clear?” Lucifer asked as he took a step and closed the distance between them. He looked down at Belial through sapphire eyes, hard but hopeful, in a way.
Belial returned the stare from below with a crystal gaze, unthreatened, even though Lucifer stood at least six inches taller.
“Yes, perfectly,” answered Belial calmly. He blinked heavy-lashed eyes slowly as he turned and began heading down the hallway once again. Lucifer followed closely. The two made quite the odd pair, one standing average height the other towering above him like a hulk. One with loose pale hair spread thickly over a black cloak, the other’s chocolate-colored and resting in a ponytail along his straight spine just below the shoulders. One dressed elegantly in all black, the other foppishly attired in clothes fit for a king. They shared their similarities as well. Both possessed broad shoulders, pale skin, regal features and an air of arrogance laced with supremacy.
As they walked, the atmosphere became less illuminated and more despaired. Belial concluded that this sort of change occurred wherever Lucifer advanced. How fitting, he thought silently, the bearer of light who now brings forth darkness to all he surveys. Belial truly did not mind the darker atmosphere. He much preferred it, in fact. So he continued, content with the dank air that filtered through him as they discussed some things.
It became apparent after a few more minutes of conversation that Lord Lucifer was quite intrigued by this Mara, though he tried to let it show very little. Belial quickly read into it, but had trouble figuring out whether Lucifer was interested due to her strong magical powers or her defiant attitude, which was evidently becoming quite well known in the lower regions. Belial was always well aware of the fact that Lucifer enjoyed a challenge, though not for the same reasons he himself did. Lucifer enjoyed the victory at the end of the challenge, while Belial enjoyed the game itself.
That’s what it all boils down to, doesn’t it? Lucifer wants me to play the game with this subordinate to break her, so that towards the end of the game she can be passed to him so he can enjoy the victory of her defeat, Belial thought. He quickly caught on to Lucifer’s ulterior motives, and though he was pleased that Lucifer had thought about him enough to give him what he craved, he couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated. After all, he held one of the highest ranking positions in the infernal regions, and yet he still felt as if Lucifer treated him lowly. The assignment he had been given was nothing more than a glorified babysitting job, or one of the exalted interrogator. She is probably nothing more than an oversized, inexperienced imp, and under my highly refined skills she will definitely crack most quickly. He sighed inwardly as Lucifer gave him his last instructions, wondering when this day was going to end.
***
After ridding himself of everyone’s presence, Belial started on his journey south. He arrived at his pet’s post in a matter of minutes after exiting the council building. Inigo was sitting lazily against the wall while Saraf busied himself with an itch behind his shiny head. Inigo snorted at Belial’s appearance around the corner, but stood up anyway. Belial finished replacing his leather gloves onto his smooth hands and grabbed the reins that held the two dragons steady at the post.
“Alright, shall we?” he asked while beckoning them to follow to the chariot, which was sitting where he left it earlier at the entrance. It was still scuffed in places, but Belial decided that he had not the time to fix it at the moment. It would just have to stay that way until he reached his chambers, although he cringed at this thought. Its appearance was hideous as far as he was concerned.
That incompetent lizard will pay for this; as if our entrance wasn’t bad enough, I now have to move about in a blasted tin can, he thought as he led them around the corner. The ground beneath them thundered as they walked and Belial noticed many moving out of their way as they approached. Terrific, I’ll never live this one down. He hooked their harness back onto the chariot and stepped inside, still retaining his dignity and pride, on the outside anyway. He decided it would be best to tie his hair back this time so it would not get into the way unexpectedly. After doing so, he held his chin high and gave the orders to reach the southern region. Within seconds they were in flight.
***
Lucifer watched Belial from inside the council doors. He smiled slightly at his determined manner as Belial haughtily boarded his worn chariot. As he watched the demon ascend in the air, his smile turned rather smug, turning up slightly more on the right side than on the left. It had gone rather well, and he was certain that Belial would pull off his assignment and deliver that disrespectful spirit to him. Of course, she doesn’t have to be so disrespectful, he thought. It might be better to have a submissive mistress around than a spirited one. Lucifer did, in fact, know Mara to be an imposter. He was aware that most of his disciples considered him to be a distant king, watching over things from afar, but the reality was that he kept a close watch on all who arrived and departed from his kingdom and found the arrival of this 'newcomer' to be quite suspicious, as he'd had no prior signs of her arrival like he did with the numerous other souls that he ruled over. The sketchiness of her character intrigued him as much as it baffled and angered him.
He did not know her exact reasons for being in his domain, only that there was something in her making that didn’t sit well with him no matter how much she tried to fit in, but was confident that Belial would somehow squeeze the information out of her during the course of their stay together. Wondering how Belial would feel about a slight alteration to his assignment, Lucifer turned from the window to think. Though he knew Belial to be incapable of love, he was not incapable of showing lust, especially if his object of desire would be residing in the same chamber, thus causing Lucifer to mull over the possibilities of the situation for several moments, before heading back to Bael’s chamber.
Soon after, he decided it would be less time-consuming and necessary to break Mara before she reached her final destination in his grasp. Knowing he would have to pay a visit to Belial’s chamber soon, he went to find Paymon among the monarchs to give him an assignment as well.
***
After landing at the gates of the southern region, this time with poise and ease, Belial descended from the chariot and stepped through the iron bars, removing his gloves as he did so. The walk to the holding chambers was a long and perilous one, but he made i
t seem rather effortless. He faced windstorms without breaking stride. He quickly dodged any stray boulders that made their way onto the path from time to time before coming to the inevitable Hadean Bridge. Its width was narrow, its length rather abundant. The ropes on each side with which one would normally cling to were in fact not ropes at all, but thick strands of barbed wire that stretched down its length with menacing prediction.
Gorson, you always were a sadistic bastard. How I love you for it, Belial chuckled to himself as he started across the bridge. Perhaps he would hint around at using it for a game of tug-a-war later, should make things quite…interesting. The boards creaked under his booted feet with each careful step he took. They threatened to give out as his pointy toes touched down, but he glided across without difficulty. Well, at least there are a few bonuses to being a higher rank, he thought. He finished with the tattered bridge and came to the holding chambers entrance. Grasping the wrought iron knocker he made his presence known to the inside guards which inhabited the prison. After getting no answer he glanced around, arching a brow in annoyance.
He slammed the knocker against the door a second time, this time with much more force as he yelled “Guards! Unseal the doors!” his tone was more annoyed than furious but it gained him entry just the same. The doors quickly flew open on their hinges as two guards unfolded them to the sides, allowing Belial entry to the inner chamber. They bowed their apologies as he stepped through the entry and past them. As he walked, one stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“State your business, sir,” the guard commanded, a stern look upon his mature face.
Belial looked him up and down, and then drew his eyes back up to match the guard's, fixing him with a rather penetrating stare.
“I am here to retrieve a prisoner. Now, if you’d kindly show me the way to her cell, I shall be on my way momentarily,” he all but spat at the guard, annoyed that an inferior would attempt to stand in his way and question his presence. But the guard stood his ground.
“On whose orders?” he asked, assuming some authority, apparently having no idea who stood in front of him.
“The emperor, Lord Lucifer,” Belial retorted gravely, as he watched the smugness drain from the guard’s dark skin. He couldn’t help a smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The guard bowed slightly and whispered, “My apologies, your name, sir?”
Belial waved him off, “My name is of no importance right now. I am pressed for time. The prisoner, if you don’t mind,” he waved his hand towards the cells.
The guard knew better than to question a direct servant of Lucifer, so he let the name pass. “Yes, name of the prisoner?” he asked, all business.
“Mara,” Belial answered curtly.
“Oh, yes,” the guard replied, raising his eyebrows before turning towards the desk. “I must say we will be happy to be rid of her, sir,” he continued as he wrote something on a paper, no doubt signing her out before fetching her.
Great, thought Belial from his position, the holding guards can’t even stand her. Several minutes passed before the guard returned with what Belial could only assume was Mara.
***
Sitting in her cell, dangling her bare feet over the edge of the cot, Mara was overrun with boredom. Not a single soul had come within ten feet of her cell since she awoke from her state of unconsciousness. Furious that they rendered her helpless for her journey here, she had awakened to find herself in this inadequate dungeon-like room, which could only be construed as a prison cell to punish her. The ceiling was too low for her to stand up straight, so she had to hunch down if she decided to walk, and even upon doing that there was nowhere for her to go since the room could not have been more than nine feet wide.
It was made of stone, crudely constructed. The floor was rough and cut into her skin causing it to scrape uncomfortably against the unwelcoming cold rock. The air was cold. It felt like a constant breeze was blowing through the middle of her cell. The cot was rather hard and unclean but she succumbed to its beckoning escape from the rocky floor. She had no idea how long she had been in the cell, since it was constant darkness where she was held. Frankly, at this point she would do just about anything to be relieved from the unrelenting torture of being locked up, as she was not used to being barred in. The sound of approaching footsteps halted her thoughts and brought her back to reality. A guard came into view and stopped at her door. She heard the door unlock and it swung open, the guard’s silhouette casting a shadow over her from the doorway.
“You are being released,” he said leaning on the doorframe.
Mara quietly stood up from the cot, hunched over she glared at him with contempt.
“Come on then, the emperor has given you a pardon,” the guard said and smiled a sadistic grin.
“Is this a trick? What would the emperor want with me?” she asked before pursing her thick lips together.
“A trick? No, he has sent someone to retrieve you. He’s waiting in the entrance hall. Though I have to say I do feel a bit sorry for you, being summoned by the emperor and all, can’t be too good,” he drew air through his mouth roughly and quickly, and mocked her with his tone. He waved a finger at her and made a tsk tsk sound.
Mara clenched her jaw. She wanted nothing more at the moment than to claw his eyes out and remove his tongue for his condescending behavior. But instead, she was happy to finally be rid of this place, even if it was to stand in front of Lucifer for whatever punishment he saw fit. Punishment for what, exactly? What had she done? She couldn’t even remember. Maybe she would be lucky and he’d grant her a quick demise thus sending her back to where she came from, with or without the relic. The mission was already getting off to a troublesome start, obviously, and she began to wonder why she had ever volunteered for it. Then again, this was Lucifer they were talking about, Old Nick himself, she could not imagine him granting a quick anything to anybody. Not from the teachings she had received.
Casting off her pessimistic thoughts and reminding herself that she had a job to do she gulped and started for the door, wincing as her feet grazed the sharp edges of stone. She was relieved when she exited the cell, being able to stand fully erect. Her back ached and felt stiff as a board as she stretched momentarily before following the guard to the entrance hall. She limped behind him until he stopped and motioned her to the figure standing by the chamber doors. Clothed mostly in shadows, she could barely make him out.
“Here is your prisoner,” the guard said to the dark figure. “Go on, have fun,” he said to Mara, smirking.
Mara glanced unsurely at the figure as he stepped from the shadows to reveal his noble form. He appeared rather supercilious from the looks of him, but Mara noticed that didn’t stop him from possessing an alluring air, no matter how much she tried to steel herself from the feeling. Physically he was quite impressive, almost as impressive as the beings from above that she had resided with before coming to this wretched place. Standing straight as an arrow, he was topped with back-styled champagne hair and strong but delicate features. She noticed he did possess a rather icy glare, though. The light blue irises of his eyes were so clear they almost appeared non-existent next to the whites of his eyes. Mara suddenly found herself wanting to stare into them all day long, intimidating as they were. His skin was a perfect alabaster white, complementing his hair and eyes beautifully, his curved lips a very light pink, from what she could see. But she was still too far away to make out any other distinguishing features. He was dressed in black, quite elegantly but not overdone. Before turning to leave, he reached out a hand and beckoned for her to follow with long fingers. She complied rather hesitantly, as he had not spoken a word, which for some inexplicable reason unnerved her greatly as she came forward. She looked back at the guard once, but he had already resumed his patrol of the cells. The double doors opened and she followed the blond man outside into an unknown future.
Chapter Five
When the doors closed behind her with a loud thud, causi
ng Mara to wince at the sudden sound, she glimpsed the scenery around her for the first time. She had not been able to study the surroundings upon her arrival here due to the fact that she had been positively rendered unconscious. The foreboding sky above them was dark with malice as thunder crashed in the distance. Directly in front of them was a wooden bridge, looking quite tattered as it stretched across the gaping hole that lay in wait between the two cliffs.
Other than that, there was nothing. Nothing else caught her eye and held interest, it was just void. The gloom that seemed to wholly encase these regions was a far cry from the paradise-like atmosphere she had spent basking in after being inducted in the Order. The blond man began his walk to the bridge entrance and stopped before stepping onto the first rotting board. Then, turning towards her in haste, he motioned for her to inch closer.
“You coming?” he asked, though she had a feeling he did not mean it as a question. His suave voice traveled to her and jarred her from her previous evaluations.
She said nothing but moved toward him cautiously. She wasn’t quite sure what provoked more unease within her stomach, him or the mysterious journey ahead. As she reached him, he placed a leather-clad hand against her back and gestured towards the front with his other.
“Ladies first,” he offered with a dry smile. She sensed a bit of mockery in his voice and it seemed he was making no attempt to hide it. She glanced up at him as she was pushed steadily in front of him by his hand and made her way onto the bridge. The wood beneath her feet was rough and splintering. Nevertheless, she made not a sound of protest and clenched her jaw at any slivers of wood that pushed their way into her soft flesh and began walking.
The Threshold Page 6