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СКАЧАТЬ was as good as his. Kaarl cracked his knuckles and went to work.

      As Mastema had predicted, Kaarl’s proposal was inspired and the parts he understood needed very little editing. During the week he had stopped in a few times to check on progress; not to micro-manage but to ensure he wouldn’t be left empty-handed come presentation time. On the whole, the thing had looked rather impressive. Whilst his faith in his apparently not entirely useless son’s ability was firm, one did not rise to the exalted ranks of the Board based on assumptions that everything was in order.

      The fact that he and his fellow Lords had done exactly that after achieving their positions was the reason he was in such a dire situation to begin with. Mastema was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He would not make the same mistake twice if it could be avoided. He spent the morning before the meeting revising Kaarl’s work and for the most part was delighted with the final result.

      The only part of the plan Mastema did not like was that it required Verin and Vetis, the twin sisters of Impatience and Corruption, to accompany Kaarl. It made sense in some ways; they had been to Earth before and could help Kaarl adapt to the Mortal realm. Their skills in manipulating Mortals would also prove invaluable. The main problem Mastema saw was the cost; Kaarl’s plan asked for three times the outlay that Abaddon had promised.

      For Perdition to send a single Demon to Earth, a sacrifice of one hundred thousand souls was required. Whilst in the grand scheme of souls already claimed by Hell it was a relatively small number, anything that increased the deficit in favour of the Hated One was considered very costly indeed. Asking for three hundred thousand to be struck from the tally was audacious, to say the least. Kaarl convinced his father that for the plan to work it was necessary and Mastema could only hope it seemed a worthwhile investment to Lucifer.

      He ordered Kaarl to join him at the meeting; he would be lost if any technical queries came up. If the need for the sisters to be sent was questioned, the boy could handle that as well. Mastema didn’t want to be begging for extra resources at a meeting where his life hinged on the outcome.

      As Mastema entered the meeting room, Kaarl in tow, his eyes were drawn to the throne at the head of the table. It sat empty, but even so the sheer power of Lucifer, Light Bearer and Son of the Morning, surrounded it. Carved from the purest white marble and inlaid with golden depictions of his heroic deeds, it was a stark reminder of the importance of the meeting. Samael, poster child of the fuzzy underpants movement, saw Kaarl and laughed.

      ‘I didn’t know it was “bring your daughter to work day”, Mastema,’ he said.

      The more sycophantic of the Lords joined in with him and Mastema strode up to the behemoth, oblivious to their mirth.

      ‘Ah, Samael, if only your intellect were as sharp as your wit. I see your proposal is a mere two pages.’

      Samael glanced down at Mastema’s much thicker and rather more academic-looking document.

      ‘It also seems that the first one is a covering sheet. I’m going to hazard a guess that the second has “Kill everything” misspelled horribly in large letters and a crude crayon drawing of you decapitating mortals. Laugh all you want for now, oaf; we will see who is smiling after this meeting.’

      Before the Lord of Death and Destruction could say anything in return, Mastema walked to a seat on the opposite side of the table, again thankful for the sanctuary the Boardroom provided from Samael’s wrath. Kaarl stood a respectful distance behind his father.

      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 СКАЧАТЬ