He started walking ahead of them. Mara and Lilith lingered in the room for another few moments.
“Lilith, what happened to him?” she asked.
“Being the King of Hell is a pretty solitary existence,” said Lilith. “With nothing really to do and no one around, Cross…kind of fell into a bit of a depression.”
“I thought he was going to make changes in Hell. Try to reform it,” said Mara.
“He tried,” said Lilith. “But the Infernal Court refused to work with him. Every time he tried to fix something down here, he was met with opposition. And finally, he just sort of…gave up. So now he just sits here in his tower and keeps to himself, no different than Lucifer once did.”
Lilith left Mara and followed Cross into the next room. Mara waited another moment before she joined them. In the adjoining room were two loveseats and a large recliner, arranged in a U pattern around a glass coffee table. Cross sat in the recliner and both Mara and Lilith claimed a loveseat for themselves.
“So what’s this about Lucifer?” asked Cross. “Hope he’s enjoying his retirement.”
He spoke that last word with no shortage of venom in his tone.
“The retirement hasn’t been going as expected,” said Mara.
“Good.”
“Actually, not so good,” said Mara. “When he left Hell, there was an unintended consequence. The walls of Cocytus became weakened without his presence and he’s been trying to take care of the inmates that escaped to Earth.”
Cross took a slow drag on his cigarette, his gaze fixed on Mara. “The breakout. Those prisoners that have been causing trouble in the Badlands. That’s all because of Lucifer?”
“You’ve had problems with them down here, too?” asked Mara.
“More than you can imagine,” said Cross. “Every time I hear from the Court, it’s a complaint about the prisoners. I even tried to go to Cocytus one time to speak with Erebus, but he refused to grant me an audience.”
“What’s been happening?” asked Mara.
“Most of them are in the Badlands,” said Lilith.
“At first I’d hoped it’d be a good way to get rid of them,” said Cross. “There’s not much that survives long in the Badlands.”
“But it didn’t quite work out as expected,” said Lilith, then she looked at Cross. “Beelzebub told her the rumors.”
When Cross looked at Mara, his expression was one of hurt. “You went to Beelzebub before you came to me? After all this time?”
Mara sighed. “Lucifer felt it was more important to give you your space. He wanted to keep this under the radar, didn’t want to be seen as potentially interfering with your rule.”
“Can we focus, Luther?” asked Lilith. “We have more important things to concern ourselves with than you feeling snubbed.”
Cross rubbed his face. “You’re right, it’s just…” He sighed. “I’ve been down here a very long time. This isn’t exactly turning out the way I expected.” He snuffed out his cigarette and then leaned forward. “So where is Lucifer now?”
“I don’t know,” said Mara. “We were traveling to Cocytus so Lucifer could meet with Erebus, but then our caravan was attacked by raiders. I was knocked out by an explosion and then I woke up in Lilith’s realm. But as for the Morningstar…”
“His body wasn’t among the dead,” added Lilith. “We think they took him. And it seems likely that this rumored ringleader in the Badlands might be involved.”
“And what’s worse is he’s lost his powers,” said Mara.
“What do you think the raiders wanted with him?” asked Cross.
“If it’s someone who escaped from Cocytus, then they would have reason to go after the Morningstar,” said Mara. “Maybe revenge or as some kind of a bargaining chip with the Court.”
“So how’d they find out Lucifer was back in Hell when I didn’t even know?” asked Cross.
“I think there might be a traitor in Beelzebub’s court,” said Lilith. “Would seem the first step is speaking with him. And you being the King of Hell means you have the authority to intervene in a matter like this.”
Cross gave Lilith an uncertain gaze. “You know I’m not too keen on getting mixed up with others like that. And Beelzebub’s hardly one of my biggest fans.”
“Maybe not, but the Morningstar is missing and whoever is in Beelzebub’s court may know something we don’t,” said Mara. “We have to try and for that, we need you to intervene.”
“Yeah, I get that,” said Cross. “I just want you to know that if I get involved, there’s no guarantee we can keep a lid on this. The rest of the Court will find out about this. Not only would they learn that Lucifer is back, but it might also come out that he was indirectly responsible for what happened to Cocytus. You sure that’s a risk you want to take?”
“No, I’m not,” said Mara. “But the Morningstar is out there somewhere, possibly in grave danger. Do I really have any other choice in the matter?”
Cross nodded. “Guess it’s about time I got out of this tower, huh?”
Lilith held out her hand and gestured to Cross’s entire body. “You might want to consider cleaning yourself up a little bit. If you go into Beelzebub’s court looking like a college graduate who moves back home and can’t find a job, I doubt it will project the right image.”
Cross looked down at his clothes and ran his fingers through his beard and hair. “I kind of like the new look. Think it conveys that I’ve got a relaxed personality.”
“Right now, you need to convey strength,” said Lilith.
A grunt was Cross’s reply. He picked up the scotch and finished what was left in the glass, then set it down and stood. With his arms held out to the sides, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Ringlets of magical energy started to form around his hands and flowed inward, passing over his body. The clothes he wore started to shift, transforming into a three-piece power suit with a bold, red tie and a long, black trench coat. His hair receded back into his skull, until he was left with a smooth, clean dome. And the beard shrunk down, most of the hair retreating beneath his face, the end result leaving just a short, neat goatee.
Once Cross opened his eyes, he then reached inside his jacket pocket and drew a pair of sunglasses. He slid them onto the bridge of his nose and smiled.
“Okay, let’s go save the motherfucking day.”
18
The scene changed again and now Lucifer watched the memory of himself standing before the Divine Choir once more. But this time, he hadn’t knelt before the seraphim. Instead, he stood tall and defiant, even though he was wrapped in chains, seemingly tethered to nothing.
Raum circled the memory of Lucifer, admiring the then-angel’s defiant stance. He gestured to the memory as he looked at the present Lucifer.
“You see? Now this is the Morningstar I idolized. This revolutionary who stood up to the greatest force of oppression in the universe and told them to fuck off,” he said. “But I’m curious to see how this scene actually played out and if it’s the same as the legends say.”
The scene proceeded as it had in Lucifer’s memory. They watched as the angels were dismissed, so only Lucifer and the seraphim that made up the Choir remained.
“Exile.”
The memory of the Morningstar looked up, the ethereal chains heavy around his neck. His yellow eyes had burned bright, and he then asked them a simple question.
“If my crime was so heinous, then why exile?”
“Because, Morningstar, you still have a role to play. One that will continue to serve our cause for generations to come.”
“‘To serve our cause’?” asked Raum, looking at Lucifer. “What exactly did he mean by that?”
“To the Divine Choir, having a Devil proved to be a remarkable marketing tool,” said Lucifer.
The floor dropped away, revealing clouds spiraling below, spinning off into a darkening void. Raum and the present Lucifer fell with the memory down the tunnel. The chains fell from the memory first, and the m
emory of Lucifer had screamed as he descended through the clouds. The darkness approached, and after what felt like forever, light appeared at the end of the tunnel. A harsh, bright light that seared the souls of all who fell.
Lucifer and Raum now found themselves standing in the desolation of Hell. They saw as the rest of The Fallen gathered around the memory of Lucifer. One by one, the blue light of their eyes was burned to a bright yellow by the powers of Hell and the feathers fell from their wings.
But Lucifer’s wings remained the same. He went to the edge of a cliff and looked out over the horizon. The skies were a dark, ominous crimson. And when he looked down from the cliff, there stood the legions that had followed him into damnation.
Raum listened intently to the words of The Fallen—all of them expressing uncertainty and doubt for the first time in their lives. But then, the memory of Lucifer held up his hands and began to speak.
“I hear your despair. We’ve been cast out, separated from the light that had once nourished us. No more Elysium fields, where joy seems to dwell. Instead, hail this new infernal world we now rule. And in this place, I see a new vision of our existence. Where you see horrors, I see opportunity. Because it’s not the location, but the perspective. The mind can make a Heaven of Hell or a Hell of Heaven.
“So why should we care about Heaven? A beautiful prison with glass walls instead of bars is still a prison. Leave it to the angels and the ‘Divine’ Choir. Here, at least, we can be free. Here we are secure. They may have damned us to this hell, but I welcome their damnation and their hatred. And do you know why?”
There were shouts asking him to continue. And Lucifer smiled as he heard their chants. He raised a defiant fist high above his head, and then spoke a rallying cry that would define this new place for centuries to come.
“Because it’s better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!”
The cheers echoed throughout the desolate landscape. Lucifer wore a broad, defiant smile on his face as he looked back to see his lieutenants similarly cheering him on.
The scene froze like that, with defiant fists raised to mock the Heaven that had rejected them. Raum watched with a broad smile on his own face.
“Impressive to see how they all once worshipped you so. But what happened next, Lucifer?” asked Raum. “What happened when it came time to actually rule?”
“Reality happened,” said Lucifer.
Raum gestured and the scene changed. Now it was in a large room with a long table. There were eight chairs on either side and one at the head of the table. The former angels were in the seats. Raum walked around the table, making note of all the demons.
“Beelzebub and Leviathan, transformed the most by Hell’s touch,” he said. “Abaddon, Mammon, Vassago, Nergal. The ones rewarded for their role, though they’ve largely been insignificant. And then there’s Asmodeus and Abraxas. The ones you betrayed.”
“I did no such thing!” Lucifer protested. “Asmodeus and Abraxas made their choices and they had to deal with the consequences.”
“Of course,” said Raum before turning his attention back to the scene.
The Hell Lords were animated, all standing out of their chairs and shouting past each other. Their screams and insults blurred together in a deafening cacophony. And as they shouted, the memory of Lucifer sat at the head of the table. His elbows were propped on the armrests, his fingers steepled together. The Morningstar’s eyes were shut and his face bore a look of exhaustion.
“This is what the reality of ruling Hell is, Raum,” said Lucifer. “Presiding over an unruly group of egomaniacs who all think they should be in charge. Arguments like this would happen every single time the Infernal Court held session. Border disputes, accusations of fomenting dissent, petty feuds, you name it.”
Lucifer walked closer to the memory of himself. He looked at his own face and his expression reminded him of the dejected melancholy he had felt in those days.
“This was when it happened,” said Lucifer.
“When what happened?” asked Raum.
“Lilith had been imprisoned in Cocytus, we allied with Heaven to overthrow the Nephilim and I signed the armistice which proved unpopular, and which in turn led to more sessions just like this.” Lucifer turned and looked at his tormentor. “This was when I truly gave up all pretense that I was ruling anything. After this day, I essentially quit and resigned myself to my tower.”
The landscape changed again and now they stood inside that very same tower. The Morningstar’s memory was on the top floor, staring out over the landscape. Raum and Lucifer watched as someone entered the room. Seeing an angel in Hell was a strange sight, but there was Gabriel himself, casually strolling up to his brother.
“Lucifer,” he said. “How are you, brother?”
“What is an angel doing in Hell?” asked Raum. “Is this what the Choir talked about? Have you been serving them the whole time?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” said Lucifer. “Gabriel had tried to be a mediator between Heaven and myself. He could understand my rebellion, even if he didn’t agree with it. And the Choir felt it was useful for him to act as a liaison.”
“Thank you for coming,” said Lucifer’s memory to Gabriel. “Before I tell you why I’ve called you here, I want to start by saying that I’m not accusing Heaven of anything.”
Gabriel sighed. “That’s not a good start.”
“Asmodeus is missing,” said Lucifer.
“What?” There seemed to be genuine concern in the angel’s voice. “Since when?”
“I’m not certain, all we know is that he was last seen on Earth. And I just wanted to be sure—”
“Heaven had nothing to do with it,” said Gabriel. “The Choir knows what a violation of the armistice capturing or killing a Hell Lord would be. In fact, we’re currently missing one of our own, too.”
Lucifer’s eyebrow raised. “Who?”
“Raziel,” said Gabriel.
“Do you think it’s related?” asked Lucifer.
Gabriel shrugged. “Possibly. But there’s a more immediate concern. If Asmodeus is gone…”
Lucifer sighed. “Lilith, I know.”
“She’s your responsibility, brother,” said Gabriel. “You know the agreement we came to.”
“Agreement?” asked Raum.
“When she was human, Lilith had an affair with Asmodeus. She gave birth to the first cambions, some of whom evolved into the first monsters. The angels killed her and her soul ended up in Hell, becoming the first human who was transformed into a demon,” said Lucifer. “After we cleared the field of the Nephilim, one of the terms of the armistice was confining Lilith to Hell. They felt she was too great a threat.”
“So you betrayed one of your own in order to maintain positive relations with the very enemies you rebelled against?” Raum shook his head in disbelief. “You are an unbelievable hypocrite.”
“I did what at the time I felt had to be done. Politics is about compromise. Sometimes it makes for strange bedfellows,” said Lucifer. “It’s easy to be critical when you have none of the responsibility.”
The memory continued and Lucifer had said to Gabriel, “I’ll see to it Lilith is contained. You have my word.”
“Thank you,” said Gabriel. “And if I learn anything about Asmodeus, I’ll bring it directly to you.”
Lucifer’s memory gave a nod of understanding. Some silence passed before he then said, “How is she?”
Gabriel looked down at his feet. “Why do you want to know?”
“You know why.”
“Lucifer…”
“Please.”
“No, she hasn’t said anything about you. Anael has maintained her vow to never speak your name,” said Gabriel.
“You’re still obsessed with the angel you left behind,” said Raum. “One of your loyal soldiers was missing. Heaven was demanding you keep a demon in check. And in face of that, your biggest concern was whether or not your ex still talked about you.”
Lucife
r turned angrily towards Raum. “You have no idea what you’re saying!”
“Anael betrayed you and you still care more about her than your own people,” said Raum. “Even now, you’re associating with her after leaving Hell in the hands of a half-breed.”
“I failed, okay?” said Lucifer. “I know I failed as leader. That’s why I felt Hell could use a different perspective on the throne, and so I gave it to Cross. You may call him a half-breed, but he’s the son of Abraxas. He has the blood of The Fallen in his veins. What are you, Raum? Just a damned soul that used to be human.”
“I see that streak of heavenly elitism is alive and well in you, Morningstar,” said Raum. “I know now what an idiot I was to believe someone like you could ever stand up for the rest of us. Even in Heaven, you were considered to be one of the privileged. So what exactly was it that made you decide to rebel?”
Lucifer turned away from Raum. “You know what. I saw the spark of free will in humanity and I wanted the same thing for us.”
“No…you’re lying,” said Raum. “I can see it now. You’re trying to hide it from me, aren’t you?”
“You’re in my mind, Raum. I can’t hide anything from you.”
“Liar!” Raum jumped on Lucifer and somehow, was able to make contact when Lucifer couldn’t do the same earlier. Raum’s hands were around Lucifer’s neck, squeezing it tightly. “Enough with these digressions, Morningstar! Show me what you’re trying to hide! Show me why you rebelled!”
Lucifer had a sensation that felt like hot spikes being driven into his head. He had managed to keep Raum away from the truth, but now he had reached his limit. Raum was about to learn the truth and once he did, there was no telling what he would do with that information.
His defenses were at their limit. The scene of the tower and his memory of speaking with Gabriel melted away. And it was quickly replaced with another memory. The banks of the Styx, with a ferry arriving on the plane of Earth. Lucifer watched the memory of Michael flying off the boat, and just as his memory was also about to fly, Charon’s voice kept him back.
Lucifer Damned (Morningstar Book 3) Page 12
