“Aren’t you going to invite us in my dear?” Lucifer hissed into Ana’s ear.
Ana, slowly, silently backed away from the door, bowing as the couple entered. Closing the door behind them, she turned and stood behind Lucifer as he examined the large room. It was very dark, the large floor to ceiling bay windows on the far wall heavily draped with black velvet. The ten foot ceilings were bordered by thick crown molding, the walls encased in rich mahogany paneling.
To the left was a gilded console table, the base a solid gold image of ‘Father Time’ supporting a table-top constructed of solid marble. On the wall to the right, each painting lit by a single display light, hung Martin’s ‘The Eve of the Deluge’ and Jean-Harriet’s “Oedipus at Colonus”. Completing the unusual décor and scattered haphazardly throughout the room were two Savonnerie couches, a number of oxblood leather chairs and an ancient Persian rug in a myriad of colors.
The only light in the room came from the flames flickering atop candelabras placed upon two mahogany tables set on either side of the couch and chairs. The focal point of the room seemed to be a massive black marble fireplace directly in the center of a wall of books, El Greco’s depiction of ‘Christ on the Cross’ hung in a large niche directly above it. With a sigh of appreciation Lucifer said, “My brother always did know how to live right.”
“Lu, why are they here?” Lilith whispered in his ear, spreading her arms wide to indicate at least six other woman, all equally as beautiful as Ana, lounging on the furniture throughout the room. The evil they possessed in life transformed them, in death, into Hell’s own version of the Seven Deadly Sins, a tool Lucifer used to his advantage on a number of occasions. “I thought the Sins worked for you?”
“They do, my dear so perhaps we should ask my apparently absent brother what they’re doing here—without my knowledge. Oh Samael—come out, come out wherever you are.” Lucifer called out in a musical voice as he approached one of the women. She was lovely—voluptuous—scantily clad—the embodiment of all a man desires. Her long blond hair curled across her bare breasts protecting what modesty, if any, she had left. “Ah, Jezebel, so wonderful—and surprising—to see you again,” said Lucifer as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
The woman began to rise slowly, the fear apparent in her large blue eyes. “My—my lord—I wish you to know that I am here at Death’s request and for no other reason. This is true of all of us,” she said indicating her sisters in sin.
Lucifer straitened; a mock expression of pain on his face as he looked around the room. “Someone is having a party and we weren’t invited, my lovely Lilith,” he said as he placed his hand on his heart.
“Tsk, tsk,tsk—what are we to make of that?” Lilith snickered. She was enjoying the fear that permeated throughout the room ever since their arrival.
From somewhere in the dark recesses of the room a door opened and a lone figure came into view. He walked gracefully forward, analyzing the situation as he approached Lucifer. Inching his way between the Lord of Darkness and Jezebel, Samael placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder nodding his head to indicate that she should go. As she moved away, Samael caught Ana’s eye. “Don’t you have an errand to run? Find out where they’ve been and what they’ve been up to.”
“Yes, my lord,”Ana answered as she scurried towards the door of the apartment, slamming it shut behind her in her haste to leave the room. When she was gone Samael turned to stare at the man before him.
“Well, this is a nice surprise, my brother,” and there was no mistaking the sarcasm dripping from the deep, baritone voice. “And look—you’ve brought your whore with you as well. Could my day get any better?”
Lucifer snickered, reaching out his arm to stop Lilith as she charged at Samael. “Calm down, my dear. Save that nasty temper of yours for something more appropriate. Now Samael, is that any way to talk about my precious consort. She is the best of her kind. You should know, you’ve tasted of her charms yourself.”
Samael stood silent before Lucifer, not showing an ounce of fear when the others in the room were drowning in it. He was a full three inches taller than his evil counterpart, with dark hair parted on the right and greased back. He had a large nose and deep-set eyes, the only color on him being the rose colored glasses covering those black orbs. The pasty white flesh of his face was stretched tightly over his skull, the thin lips hidden under a blanket of hair from an oversized mustache. He wore a three piece Brooks Brothers pin-striped suit, starched black shirt and matching tie. “It’s the only thing she’s good for,” he told his brother, “She is not one of us, Lucifer, yet you allow her such power. She is an abomination. The evil seed you implanted inside of her has flourished beyond even your wildest dreams and now there’s no controlling her,” the words hissed from his lips as he glared at the couple standing before him.
“It’s the same with all of them.” Lucifer said, gesturing towards the other women in the room. “I nurture my children well.” He took a step closer to the larger man, red eyes boring into black. “Which brings me to the question—why—are—they here?” he asked, enunciating each word clearly—precisely.
Samael held his ground. “You forget yourself, brother. You have no power over me.”
“Right, right—what is it they call you—Venom of God? How does it feel to be the only angel He allows to work both sides and however did you manage it? Never-mind, it’s not important because we both know that you do more work for me than Him. It’s true…” Lucifer pointed out when he saw that Samael was about to argue that point, “…there’s always been more evil than good in this world and Hell is like a Seven Eleven—it’s open all the time. So—I pretty much own you.”
Lilith snickered as Samael had the grace to look uncomfortable. She walked over to the nearest couch and, shoving Jezebel aside, took her seat. “I do so enjoy these verbal jousts,” she said as she leaned back, crossed her long legs and prepared to enjoy the show.
“Samael…” came Lucifer’s voice again and there was no mistaking the veiled threat it held “…I’ll ask you just once more. What are the, um, ladies, doing here?”
“Convention’s in town?” Samael replied with a slight grin showing Lucifer that his threats meant little to the angel. “They’re at the top of their game during one of those functions.”
Lucifer sighed, turning to step away from the taller man in an attempt to hide his frustration. Samael was right, Lucifer had no real power over him and it angered the Prince of Darkness to no end that his brother constantly threw it up in his face. Samael was an archangel regarded as both good and evil. He normally resided in the Seventh Heaven but was here on earth to work. It was said that he was the one who seduced Eve and impregnated her with Cain, but that was just a rumor—of course. In Jewish lore, one of Samael’s greatest roles is that of the Angel of Death. In this capacity he’s something of a paradox—a fallen angel that never-the- less remained one of God’s servants.
Lucifer took a moment to compose himself before turning back to his brother. “Your feeble attempt at humor is lost on me, Samael, so please—just answer the question.”
“Oh, alright,” replied Samael. “If you must know, it’s your fault that the Sins are here. I needed their assistance.”
“Oh this should be good,” stated Lucifer, “How, pray tell, is any of this my fault?”
“Well, you took away all the laborers I had to help me collect the souls of the dead. Cain, or Dragone—whatever you want to call him, was my partner in crime, so to speak. Lilith should understand that. He worked for both of us. When you decided to send him back to Hell along with most of his minions I had to recruit new helpers. Thus—the ladies,” Samael explained.
“Ahh, yes—Cain and his minions. That incident seems ions ago but…” Lucifer sighed deeply, “…I do see your point, brother. My apologies, it was not my intention to make your job any harder than it already i
s. After all, the fruits of your labor benefit me, also, so go ahead— take the ladies. Use them to your heart’s content.”
“Your generosity overwhelms me.”Samael said in a bored voice.
“Yes, well, I aim to please just don’t forget who’s in charge here.” Lucifer said as he stepped closer to Jezebel, the sharp nail of his index finger leaving a mark on her arm as he slid it slowly downwards. “Are we clear, my dear?”
“Yes my lord,” she replied in a shaken voice.
“Samael?”
“Yes, yes, whatever—now, I have work to do, Lucifer so—if there’s nothing else?”
“Oh—I have just one more small request—I need the hounds.” Lucifer said matter-of-factly. As he spoke, Lilith arose from the couch walking with a slow, sensual grace towards the two figures.
“The hounds,” Samael said in surprise. “No way, they’re working for me right now.”
Lilith approached the angel from behind, her body pressing tightly against his tall form as she whispered in his ear. “But we’ve lost something, Sammy, and the hounds are the only ones who can retrieve it for us,” she said as she teased his earlobe with the tip of her tongue.
With lightening speed, Samael grabbed Lilith by the arm and, with a firm jerk, sent her stumbling back towards Lucifer. “Your feminine wiles won’t work on me anymore, my lady. I said the dogs are working for me and their job is far from over,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Why you…!”
“Lilith!” the word was uttered with such force that the entire room froze in place. Lucifer’s eyes spit fire as he stared at the woman before him. Then, with a smirk, he shoved her behind him as he faced the taller man. “Enough of this petty arguing. Listen brother, I’m sure I don’t have to point out to you that those are my dogs and when I say I need them—I need them now! You’ll understand when I tell you about the item we’ve lost—and under what circumstances.” Lucifer could tell by the expression on Samael’s face that he had piqued the angel’s interest.
“Go on, I’m listening.”
“Well…” Lucifer slowly began to pace back and forth in front of Samael. “…it would seem that our brother, Michael, has even less respect for your work than I do because he took back one of the souls you’d already claimed in death.”
Samael was visibly irritated by Lucifer’s words. “What are you talking about? Michael would never change the course of destiny.”
“He would if it suited his own purposes,” replied Lucifer.
“Oh really—and who’s soul is so important to our brother that he’d go against his own beliefs to reclaim it?” Samael demanded to know.
“No-one of great fame or prominence if that’s what you’re thinking. But the person in question is someone very special to Michael and…” Lucifer began but Lilith interrupted him, her voice filled with anger and disdain.
“Oh for Pete’s sake, why don’t you just tell him the truth, lover? Then we can get what we came for and leave this blasted shit-hole.” Turning on Samael she said, “He took the vampire priest—the one that belonged to Cain. The priest was promised to me when he arrived in Hell and I want that little shit back. Our fearless leader here let himself be duped by the angel so—I thought that since you’d claimed his soul once already you’d be more than willing to help me get the priest back. Since its obvious I can’t retrieve our unhappy little vampire on my own I need the hounds to go and get him for me. You may as well know, Samael, I will have them— one way or…”
“Stop all—of this—infernal —blabbering!” The words reverberated throughout the large room. Lucifer stood near the fireplace, head bent, hands at his side. Slowly he turned to glare at the room full of people behind him. “You all seem to forget that I am the original puppet master. I and I alone control the darkness and all that is in it. Were it not for my influence none of these ladies would be here to do your bidding,” he said as his red eyes burned into Samael’s. “I corrupted their souls and those of the hounds therefore—they—are—mine—to—command!” he shouted as he suddenly appeared before a cowering Jezebel. He raised a finger; claw-like nail extended, and began to stroke her face. Little by little he applied more pressure until the Sin screamed in pain, a trail of blood flowing down her cheek. “Get them here now, Samael, or I will destroy this little beauty before you can raise your hand in her defense.”
Before Samael could speak, a raucous was heard out in the hallway as the door to the apartment burst open. “There’s no need, brother. It seems they’ve arrived on their own.”
Lucifer released Jezebel, moving slowly to stand before El Greco’s painting as three figures entered the room. Samael moved forward, acting as a buffer between the new arrivals and the Prince of Darkness. “Ana?” the angel greeted her with a questioning look.
“My lord, I found only two at the lair. They…” but before Ana could finish Lilith interrupted,
“Two—two? Well that simply won’t do. I need all three of your mangy hounds to accomplish my mission. Where, pray tell, is the other one? What have you done with it, angel?” she asked, glaring at Samael.
The tall form of Samael turned to face her. “I do not answer to you, woman. Why don’t you slither back under the rock you crawled out from?”
“You bastard! You…”
“Ah, ah, ah…” Lucifer said in a slow, controlled voice as he stared at the painting before him, his long nails traced the outline of Christ’s face as he shook his head back and forth. “Can’t we all just get along? After all, we have the same goals in mind, don’t we?” he asked as his finger slid slowly down the painted form hanging upon the wooden cross.
Lilith turned to face Lucifer, irritation plainly visible on her perfect face as her eyes followed his finger. Slowly she walked up to him, leaning close to whisper in his ear, “Really lover, your per-occupation with Him…” she said, nodding towards the painting, “…is becoming annoying,” stepping back from Lucifer’s tall form, she said, “Very well then, if you want me to be co-operative, I will if—you find out where the other beast is. After all, don’t you want to know what Samael is doing with your creatures?”
Lucifer turned to stare at the woman beside him, tiny red flames flickering in his otherwise black eyes. Running his clawed hand down her arm he began to squeeze, “There is nothing I do not know, my love—concerning Samael or anyone else. You might want to try and remember that,” he said as he shoved her aside, watching her struggle to stay upright as she rubbed her injured arm. Moving forward, he approached the new arrivals. Ana bowed, shrinking back in fear as he came closer.
“Leave us.” Lucifer ordered and Ana retreated to the couch in the far corner of the room where she joined Jezebel. Motioning with his finger, he barked out an order to one of the hounds, “Robert—come here.”
A portly man in his mid fifties stepped forward. He eyes were deep set, cold and lifeless. He possessed a wide brow and a large white mustache that encompassed the entire width of his face. He was dressed in a double breasted suit with a red and white tie, a long, flowing cape finishing off the ensemble. In life, Robert Stephenson had been a former resident of a hospital in the White Chapel area of London. He was also one of the main suspects in the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murder case. Some would say he was barely human then. If that were true he was something far worse—and much more deranged—now. “My lord, I am here to serve,” the man said with a bow.
“Then if that is the case, Robert, you must learn to follow my orders.” Lucifer said as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. The blank look on Robert’s face was soon replaced by a look of pain as his body doubled over, his portly frame falling heavily to its knees. “As much as I appreciate your deviant behavior…” Lucifer jerked his hand away from the tortured body, “…I would much rather have you do as you are told.”The hound fell forward on all fours as Lucifer roughly stroked his bent head.
“My orders were to recruit—to create your monstrous beasts from the human population. And what do you do while patrolling Central Park? You allow your—cravings—to take charge and you destroy a perfectly good specimen. We can’t have that, Robert, not anymore. Are we clear on that, my pet?”
“Yes…yes, my lord.” Robert said as he struggled to rise.
“There’s a good doggie—now get up— we have much to discuss.” Turning to the other figure standing before him, Lucifer asked, “Grigori, are my intentions clear to you as well?”
The figure behind Robert stepped forward and bowed, “Yes, my lord,” was his only response. He was a tall man, nearly six inches taller than his counterpart, Robert. He was dressed in a long black cassock and thick soled boots covered with mud. In life, Grigori Rasputin had been an illiterate peasant monk that had developed a mysterious hold over the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family. His hold was so strong that thousands, the Tsar included, perished because of it during the Bolshevik revolution. His mystical talents were so powerful that, legend has it, even after being poisoned, shot stabbed and drowned he rose from the funeral pyre that engulfed his mortal body. His black soul was highly prized by Lucifer and his talents were put to good use by the Lord of Darkness. “I am here to serve,” he added just as another man entered the room.
Lucifer turned to Samael with a smirk on his face. “Ah, now here is a well trained dog. It’s all in the breeding, you know.”
“Is this the third hound?” asked Lilith with excitement.
“Yes, my dear, it is. Do I not take care of all of your needs?” Lucifer responded. Lilith —meet Roman Von Sternberg.
“My lady.” Roman said as he bowed deeply.
“At least one of these dogs has some manners. He’s not just a dumb animal.” Lilith spat out.
A Soul in Torment Page 12
