“Yes sire, anything.”
“Would you kill women, children, innocent newborns, and drink their blood? Would you blow up cities full of unsuspecting people, cut the hearts out of priests and nuns? Would you burn churches to the ground, rape virgins?”
“I would do anything! Name it! I’ll do it now.”
Satan’s red lips stretched in satisfaction as his eyes danced with fire. “Too bad, because I want none of those things.” With a quick movement, he brutally grabbed at the Demon Lord’s wealth of hair and yanked his head back so he could glare into his eyes. “I—want—his—head!”
“Surely, you don’t mean—”
“Oh, but I do. I want to get rid of Lupercus and the trouble he causes.”
“But sire, I haven’t been to battle in—”
“Not you, you pitiful excuse for a lord. I want Judas. He’s the only one that can do the job the way it should be done. You will send a messenger to Earth to tell Judas of your plight. Tell him the only way to help you is to deliver to me the head of that mad wolf god, Lupercus. If you can accomplish this, only then will I restore you to your former position.”
“But if Judas is…uh…redeemed, as you say, what…what if he won’t? I understand this…this ruler teaches against any kind of killing in his tablets.”
“That’s just it. He will have to purposely go against this ruler, as you call him, and he will if he has any feeling for his father.” Satan eyed the Demon Lord closely and added with a taunting voice as he buried his taloned fingers into his hair once again and yanked his head backward, “If not, then you should try and find a dark corner and pray. Perhaps your son’s God will take pity on you and send one of his angels to storm the gates of Hell to free you from your misery.” Satan released the Demon Lord’s hair, causing his head to abruptly fall forward. “It will take only one heinous sin to color Judas’s soul black again. And who knows? Maybe Hell will receive Judas back into its ranks after all.”
Satan’s laugh built to an awful crescendo as it traveled down the corridors of Hell and out into the small city. With the sound whirling around him, the Demon Lord rose slowly and turned to slink out of the vast chamber while dragging his ripped-up cloak behind him.
* * * *
The next morning back on Earth…
Fury! Wild unquenchable fury!
Darkness! Sinking back into the pit!
Fingers reaching for him, and then sinking back into the night!
But he knew they would come again.
And the smoke, the fire, the—
Judas lunged forward, coughing. He looked around wildly, realizing he’d been dreaming. Dreaming of Hell, of the smoke, the fire, the gagging atmosphere. He never knew how much he hated it until he managed to climb up out of it. Now, for some reason, he lived in fear of having to go back, of having to live there again.
He wouldn’t! He couldn’t! He’d die first!
He slung his feet over the bed and jumped up. Without hesitating, he ran out the door and into the woods. Before he knew it, he was at his favorite place. Its beauty filled him with such tranquility he was at last able to breathe again, to think straight. He looked around at what to him looked like paradise. He’d found it one day while exploring the woods. When he first saw the profound size of the waterfall, it took his breath away. Only the vastness of the ocean could compare to how he felt when he looked at it. He’d never seen anything so beautiful or so big that it sent chills along his arms. It roared. The water thundered down the side of a hill and emptied into the clearest and most beautiful lake he had ever seen.
Being sure no one was about, he pulled off his clothes to go swimming. He loved the feel of water on his body, and as he played like a child in its depth, he smiled while watching the sparkling fish streak from one place to the other.
Judas escaped into the woods so often that the animals had come to trust him. He gradually began to feed them from his hand and talked to them as if they were friends. He knew why others couldn’t appreciate it as much as he did, and he really couldn’t blame them. They didn’t grow up around burning lava lakes, mountains of burnt cinders, and valleys full of burning ash as he had. He took a deep breath and smiled. So clean. So cool.
Suddenly he smelled cinders.
His lazy eyes flew open. He looked around. The ground vibrated. And the water in the lake shivered, causing tiny waves to slide across the surface, as the rocks and pebbles on the ground trembled.
He knew the feeling all too well.
Someone from the Black Heavens had just entered the earth’s atmosphere. He knew it would take only seconds for this person to appear, so he waited until the tremble of the earth subsided and a shimmering vision of a doorway came into view. Flames leaped out of it, and after several chilling seconds, Judas saw someone step forward. Putting his hand up to shield his eyes from the brightness of the flames, he gasped when he saw his father.
Judas’s eyes widened. “Father!” he shouted, grabbing his shirt and tying it around his waist. “What in thunderation are you doing here?”
“Judas!” he gasped. “Thank all that is evil I found you. Satan knows everything…about Lupercus’s fleeing, even your change in loyalties, and he blames it all on me. He’s on a wild rampage, Judas. If you don’t do as he asks—”
“What are you talking about?” Judas asked, his mind whirling as he tried to take it all in.
“I’m saying that this is no longer a battle to help the moon-cursed beauty. You must kill Lupercus and present Satan with his head.”
“Father, you know I can’t do that. I know Lupercus must die to remove the curse, but there are other ways. My God, to cut off his head, it…it’s too ghastly! Satan can get his trophy somewhere else.”
“You have to, Judas. I’ve been stripped of my rank, and I’ll only be reinstated as a lord if you do this.”
“It’s not my fault, Father. You made a mistake, a bad one, and Satan found out. Did you think he wouldn’t? Why do you keep so many secrets? You even kept the truth of my birth from me. I cringe when I think of the countless battles I fought and the chances I took. And you never batted an eyelash. Did you care, Father? Did it bother you that your only son, your only mortal son could have died any moment at the hands of the enemy? No! You had what you wanted, so to hell with me!”
The Demon Lord fell to his knees before Judas, bowed his head, and cried. “I beg you, my son. I know I’ve done wrong, but don’t let this terrible thing come upon me. If you care at all for me, do as Satan asks.”
“Why should I? All my life you’ve taught me to hate, not to love. To harden my heart against any kind of compassion. You made me ashamed when I felt it. You even refused to help me the last time I was there. I found my help from others.”
“It’s true, I know.” He looked up at Judas, tears shining in his eyes. “But I’m begging you, son. Here you have found your life. Do not take mine from me.”
Judas knew he was trapped. Restless, he began pacing and raking his fingers through his hair as he recalled his life before. Now he became almost sick when he thought of all the killings, the slaughters he had seen, even commanded. The blood he shed in those days could have easily filled a river.
Blood, to Satan, was sacred. Important documents were signed in blood, and the blood of witches and warlocks were kept in vials. Sacrificial blood was drunk like wine, and it was said that the blood of hardened criminals who died of execution possessed enough power to raise the dead.
He had told himself many times that the fighting he did was to protect his home, to defend his world against the enemy who threatened. But did he really believe it? He wasn’t sure anymore. The more horrible the battle, the more lives that were taken, the more he was decorated when he returned home. A big parade was always planned for his triumphant drive along the winding streets of Hell. Hails and accolades flew around him, and admirers ran alongside reaching out to touch him.
Inside he was still that same man today. The only difference was, to
day he fought a different battle. Bloody killings revolted him. Now he wanted peace, and if he battled at all, it was to right any wrong done to him or someone else.
Judas stood tormented, knowing he didn’t have a choice.
He finally whispered, “All right, Father. Go back and tell Satan he will have the head of Lupercus.”
“Thank you, my son,” the Demon Lord whispered, his relief shown in the flood of tears that blinded his eyes and the sobs that shook his shoulders.
“But this is it,” Judas continued. “It’s my last battle for the rulers of the Black Heavens. I will not be called on to be your butcher again. I’m not stupid. I know what Satan’s plan is and am well aware that I may lose my place in God’s kingdom, but even if I have to wander in limbo the rest of my life, I will not return. I’m closing the door between us this night.”
“Then let me tell you one last thing, and listen well, my son. Before I left, I found that since Lupercus’s death has been ordered, he has been stripped of his powers. You will no longer be battling a god, but a man.”
“So what Harz told me was true.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you telling me this now? Why not then, when I asked you?”
“When you are in the camp of the enemy, there are many eyes and ears. I couldn’t take the chance. I am glad you escaped. I know now that the war in heaven was wrong, and it was wrong to go against the god of this world, but what’s done is done. Now I must live with my mistake.”
Just then, a small creature from the woods approached him as he had Judas many times, catching the Demon Lord’s attention. The tiniest smile played along his lips as he lifted a hand to pet him, but he stopped. Sadness clouded his eyes as he reluctantly turned away from the animal and got to his feet.
Emotion tightened his throat as he said to Judas, “I must go.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he began to slowly back away, his figure becoming surrounded by a fire that reached for him all the way from Hell. As he disappeared into it, a hollow echo sounded in the darkness.
“Goodbye, my son. Be happy.”
Chapter 25
Later that night…
Sugar slowly awoke, feeling herself in a haze. What had happened? She remembered a man, no, two. She looked down at herself and saw a crimson stain on her naked skin. Blood, she thought and reached down and touched it. She brought it up to her lips and tasted it.
Wine.
Yes, wine. She remembered now.
For days, or had it been weeks, she had been on the prowl for blood. Everything was distorted, as if she saw it out of someone else’s eyes, having someone else’s consciousness, a wolf’s perhaps. Everything she looked at seemed to stretch and bend. Shadows that appeared on the walls were like objects of horror, growing, stretching, breathing, and whispering.
There were times when she found herself crawling on the floor, feeling a strange desire to run through the woods, to howl. And then, a moment would come when everything would become normal. She recognized those around her. The food smelled good, not like raw blood, but spiced and hot. For a moment she wanted it, but then the moon would appear through a window, and its shimmer would hypnotize her. Her fangs would grow and drip with saliva. She would begin to hunger for blood, any blood. At times like these she was only one step away from becoming completely bestial.
She must not let it happen, but how could she stop it?
She remembered seeing someone in these dreams, someone who fed her from his veins. He was a devil, a devil in a white collar. She could hear his voice in the back of her subconscious.
“You are like a small babe suckling at its mother’s breasts.”
She remembered seeing his thick veins throbbing with blood as they leaked through the opening he had created in his wrist. The truth flooded through her. She no longer prowled only during full moons, now she was constantly hungry for prey, and this man, this white collar had been controlling her.
She jumped up from the bed knowing that all too soon she would turn into a wolf again. She must find Judas, and then remembered that this devil said he had left. It couldn’t be true! He had promised to help her, and she needed him. She ran down the hall to his room, but he wasn’t there. She turned when she heard something downstairs and ran toward the stairway.
“Judas!” she called out when she saw him coming through the front door. “Thank God it’s you! I was told you were gone!”
“Sugar! What’s wrong?”
“Help me! Please help me! Something’s happened. I’m…” Just then she felt the effects of the moon grab her. “No, it’s too late!”
She tried to get past him and head for the front door, but before she could get out, Judas grabbed her and held her struggling body. He looked around and grabbed a tie holding the drape back. She struggled as he dragged her to one of the decorative columns in the foyer. With the voice of a demon, she threatened him and struggled wildly as he tied her to it. First a snarl and then a growl dug deeper and deeper into her throat while the light of the moon pierced her body with its hellish rays. She knew her mutation into Spice was only minutes away. Then a voice she remembered boomed from the doorway.
“Judas! What are you doing here? I thought you were gone from here for good.”
Judas whirled around. “No, not for good, Lupercus. When I saw what happened at the club, I knew you had come out of hiding and had to act quickly. When I returned, I learned that she no longer goes from moon to moon, but almost every waking minute she is stalking prey. I demand that you release her or I will kill you.”
“Kill me? Judas, there is much wrong with what you say. Number one, we both know that I am a god and far above your warrior capabilities. Number two, I am immortal.” He shook his head. “I must say, I’m disappointed in you, Judas. It’s not like you to forget so easily.”
“As usual you underestimate me, Lupercus. Perhaps you’ll allow me to tell you why.”
Lupercus threw back his head and laughed. “You’re very amusing, Judas. A little strange, but amusing.” He quirked his eye at him and continued. “All right, what is this bit of news you have to tell me?”
Judas cut his eyes toward Sugar, who growled and struggled against her tight bonds.
Listen to me, Sugar, he thought, willing his words to enter her mind. Hear me! Let what I say sink into your psyche!
He could tell she was resisting the moon’s rays with everything in her. He had to hurry before she stumbled over the edge and changed into her bestial sister. He turned his eyes back to Lupercus.
“Lupercus, did you ever think that the very thing you care about the most might be the thing that kills you?” He nodded toward her. “What if she turns on you? What if some night, beneath the shimmering moon, you become her prey?”
“We seem to be going around in circles, Judas. As I said before, I’m immortal and cannot die. Besides, she couldn’t get along without me. I protect her. She hears my voice and obeys.”
“She’s full of evil, Lupercus, and evil is your master. You love it, bow down to it. You are driven by it. Mark my words. It will defeat you in the end. And it will be a merciless ending.”
“You speak the words of a fool! My reign will never end.”
“Be warned. The clock is ticking, and I’m afraid you are in for a rude awakening.”
Lupercus frowned. “Why is your mouth filled with such stupidity?”
“When I returned to the Black Heavens, I learned something about you that even you don’t know.”
Lupercus laughed. “How could you possibly know anything about—?”
“You’re mortal, Lupercus,” Judas said quickly, “mortal like me.” He turned his head and looked at Sugar, wondering if she had heard, and more, if she understood.
Lupercus boiled with rage. “I don’t know who told you this abominable lie, but you really shouldn’t be so gullible.”
“It’s not a lie. I found out from two different sources.”
Lupercus was so enraged he couldn’
t speak. Finally, he said with a deadly voice, “You dare to tell me…a god…that I am a mortal being? I’ll destroy you. I have been a god of the Black Heavens for as long as I can remember.”
“You’re a half-breed, Lupercus. Like me, you bleed.”
“Of course I bleed. Everyone does.”
“No, Lupercus, gods don’t bleed. Any wounds they receive heal up immediately. My father is only a lord, and he never bleeds.”
“You lie.”
“Put it to the test. Scratch yourself.”
Lupercus thought of the many times he had scratched his wrist for Sugar to feed from. It was never much of a wound in the beginning, and in a matter of minutes the blood stopped. Now, he lifted his wrist and scowled when he saw a nasty raw scar. He called it a feeding scar. “I don’t have to put it to a test. You’re a liar. If I were mortal, how could I have become a god?”
“You had become a danger to the Black Heavens. Still little more than a child, the evil in you had begun to grow, and you were put under a strict set of rules. When you grew into a man, you became rebellious and slowly turned into an arrogant monster, spreading evil everywhere without considering the danger you were causing to our world. Making you a god seemed the easiest way to keep a rein on you, so they elevated you. Not because of any wisdom you possessed, but because of your madness. Those around you were supposed to keep an eye on you, but they failed.”
“What a bunch of rubbish. Hell is full of evil. Why pick on me?”
“Yes, evil is a way of life in the Black Heavens, but even evil has to be contained until it can be used at the right time, the right way. Used the wrong way, it can kill even the one who causes it, become chaotic, spread disaster with no rhyme or reason.”
“I have powers beyond the imagination. No one can defeat me. Not even you.”
“You were outfitted with powers as a soldier is outfitted with weapons and armor. They are not yours, Lupercus. They belong to the gods.”
“This cannot be. You lie. My powers are legendary. They’re…” His words faded as a look of pure hatred settled in his eyes. “You have been a thorn in my side for long enough. I don’t know if what you are saying is true, but I have one thing you will never have, and that is Sugar.” His voice softened with evil. “Since I am so unwelcome in the Black Heavens, I will stay in this world. The powers I have will—”
Sugar and Spice Page 17
