Within minutes the Lords were all seated and Abaddon had joined them, sitting to the left of Lucifer’s throne. A lanky, light red minion collected the proposals and stood beside Abaddon, waiting. The air grew thick and heavy as darkness began to seep from the throne. It started to form a vaguely humanoid shape before it wavered and exploded outwards. For a split second the room turned black and the laughter of a million children filled the air. Kaarl went rigid as the noise died. Lucifer, in all his unholy glory, had taken his place on his throne. The sound of Lucifer’s coming had always unnerved Mastema. He often wondered why it couldn’t be tortured screams instead of what sounded like an endless crowd of happy fat children in a vast cavern.
Lucifer, as always, appeared as an immense and heavily muscled man with skin of white gold. His pure violet eyes, Romanesque features and perfect white smile did nothing to detract from the aura of fear and power that surrounded him. His black wings flared outwards as he sat down upon his throne and surveyed the assembled Lords. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, he held out his massive hand. Abaddon took the pile of documents from the attendant and handed them to the Light Bearer. For the next hour the entire room remained silent. The assembled Lords’ breathing slowed to the minimum required for survival. No one wanted to draw undue attention from Lucifer at such a meeting.
As soon as Lucifer had read the last report’s final page he turned to Abaddon and imparted his will. He did not speak, as to hear the voice of Lucifer was an honour and the Board’s abysmal performance deserved no such privilege. He instead pierced Abaddon’s mind, planted his orders in it and disappeared. Mastema cringed again at the sound. The Board waited anxiously as Abaddon processed Lucifer’s message. There was a very real chance that it would be their, and indeed their bloodline’s, last moments of existence. The Chairman’s lack of emotional range and facial expression did nothing to alleviate this fear.
‘We do not die today,’ he said finally and the Board heaved a collective sigh of relief. ‘It was a close thing indeed, but Mastema has saved us all from Lucifer’s merciless yet totally justifiable vengeance.’
A round of applause came from the Board and beneath his icy demeanour Mastema rejoiced. He was in Lucifer’s favour. He could walk up to Samael and punch him in the face, slap Abaddon’s mother and kick Buer’s dog and still be untouchable. Mastema would do no such thing, of course, but to have the option without fear of reprisal was just as good in his eyes.
‘The Light Bearer and Son of the Morning would like you and your son to attend him immediately, Mastema,’ Abaddon said before he turned to address the other Lords. ‘As for the rest of Lucifer’s orders; firstly, could someone please find Samael a dictionary? Kill has two Ls and his illiteracy reflects badly on all of us. On a more positive note; your work with crayons is coming along nicely.’
Mastema pointed at the Lord of Death and Destruction and laughed before leading his son from the room.
Kaarl was still in shock as he and his father ascended to Lucifer’s private chambers. ‘The Light Bearer wants to see me as well?’ he asked Mastema as they flew up from the tower.
‘Do you think I would’ve used your plan and then taken the glory of entering the Mortal realm all for myself, despite my promise?’ Mastema replied.
‘Well, yes, actually.’
‘Then you do not know much about me at all.’
For instance, thought Mastema, you don’t know I view that place as torture and would happily send you, your mother and all your siblings there before I ever set foot in that cesspit of a realm again.
The rest of the journey was conducted in silence; the boy had served his purpose and, despite doing so admirably, Mastema had little desire to foster a relationship with him. Kaarl, for his part, was enjoying the view as they rose higher, too much so to bother speaking. He had spent so much time in self-imposed seclusion that the majesty and vastness of Perdition was often lost on him. Father and son finally floated to a halt in front of immense golden doors which swung open to allow entrance to a place very few Demons would ever have the privilege of visiting.
Kaarl could barely comprehend what he was seeing. The majority of Lucifer’s chamber was a lush tropical rainforest; golden sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters were just visible in the distance. Unseen from their viewpoint, beyond the ocean, walls of what was best described as crystal kept the noise of Perdition at bay and provided the chamber with a panoramic view of the Light Bearer’s domain. As soon as Mastema and Kaarl had crossed the threshold the doors closed and Lucifer himself appeared before them, without the accompanying theatrics, Mastema noticed gratefully. Kaarl was surprised when Lucifer first spoke. The Light Bearer’s voice was soft, almost a honeyed whisper, which was unnerving coming from a being of such tremendous size and obvious power.
‘Mastema, Tempter of Men and Cursed Accuser, I thank you for bringing your son to me; you may go now.’
Mastema obeyed immediately but the confused look on his face as he turned to leave was not lost on Lucifer.
‘I know your reasons for the plan I received and Kaarl’s involvement in it, but fear not,’ he told Mastema. ‘You can still brandish your achievement over your fellow Board members as it was you who brought it before me and your offspring that devised it. You must agree, though, it is pointless for you to remain here. You did nothing more than proof-read it.’
‘Of course, Master. I am honoured to help our cause in any way I can,’ replied Mastema.
‘The fact that this was all the fruit of your laziness and unwillingness to go to Earth yourself is irrelevant. As always, I care only about the ends; the means matter not. Your self-serving nature has once again proven useful. Leave us and enjoy the accolades and envy of your peers.’
‘I most certainly will, Master,’ Mastema said as he left the chamber, ‘especially the envy.’
As the great golden doors closed behind him, Kaarl was again in awe of his situation. Only five hundred years old, barely into what would be considered his early twenties in human terms, and he was in the presence of Lucifer himself. As the Light Bearer appraised him with piercing purple eyes, Kaarl stared at Lucifer’s feet. After a short and uncomfortable silence the Master of Perdition spoke.
‘It was refreshing to get a younger Demon’s assessment of the situation and how to change it,’ he said. ‘The Board is so entrenched in the old world and its ways I was certain I would be destroying them today. They have become exactly what the Mortals view all of us as. Pointless evil, malice and wanton destruction may have their uses but, as always, those times and places are few and far between. The world is changing and Perdition needs to change with it. You represent that change, child.’
Bolstered by Lucifer’s compliments, Kaarl found the nerve to look the Light Bearer in the eye.
‘I did not understand many of the terms and ideas in your plan,’ Lucifer continued. ‘Much like your father and the rest of the Board, I regrettably am too far detached from the modern Mortal to comprehend most of it. What I do understand is your method and I must say I am impressed.’
‘Thank you, Master,’ Kaarl said, remembering the title his father had used in Lucifer’s presence.
‘Temptation and doubts to erode the defences of the less corruptible. Dreams and desires for the masses, if only they are willing to step a little out of light to reach for it. A slow pervasion instead of brute force and blatant attempts at encouraging vice and sin. You have even included the children,’ Lucifer said with a smile. ‘Fun for the whole family. It reminds me a lot of my earlier work. None of the abrupt descents into damnation favoured by those fools on the Board, rather a smooth slide down; like taking a warm bath and then drowning in it.’
Lucifer closed the report and sat cross-legged on the soft grass beneath them. He motioned for Kaarl to join him.