Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) (7 page)

“That’s great Ash, you can stop now!” Yazma’s voice rang out.

The teen’s fireball was far too large to hold on to anymore. The boy wasn’t sure what to do with the giant ball of flames now. He thought about letting it dissolve, but that might be dangerous. Instead, he came up with a more practical solution: he aimed toward the artificial sun and fired it off. Only after he let it go did he think about the safety of anyone who might be flying directly above him.

Ash’s big ball of flame traveled slowly and safely through the sky, making it to the artificial sun to be absorbed. The sun shined a little brighter that afternoon, bathing the Kingdom in a beautiful, hot, sunny day.

“Again,” Wilhelm ordered.

“Excuse me?” Ash said.

“Quickly now, again!” The old Satan barked at the boy.

Ash obeyed. This time he stuck out his arms up and began forming another fireball. It took only a few seconds longer this time, but still his fireball reached a size he could not hold on to for very long. Yazma and Wilhelm watched in silent admiration. It could have just been Ash’s imagination, but he could have sworn Aura looked jealous. Shiva
definitely
looked jealous.

“Now separate it into two fireballs,” old Satan ordered.

Ash tried pulling the fireball apart by separating his arms, but the two halves quickly sputtered out of control and burnt out. Ash dropped his arms to his sides, disappointed at failing.

“His refresh rate is incredible, and I’ve never seen such a flame stock for a beginner,” Yazma said to Wilhelm.

“Is that good?” Ash asked. “That
sounds
good…”

“Indeed,” Wilhelm confirmed. “The boy could become a master if he learned some control.”

“
What!”
Shiva exclaimed. Aura grinned pleasantly, suddenly okay with his best friend being better than him at something, as long as it annoyed Shiva.

“I could be a flame
master
…?” Ash repeated, loving the sound of it.

“Yes, but it will take a long time and a lot of effort,” Yazma said. “Lady Shiva, Aura, please create another fireball using as much of your fire power as you can.”

Shiva and Aura obeyed and created more flames, but neither was comparable to Ash’s. The two admittedly felt inferior now, and their flames showed it. Neither could manage to create a fireball larger than their previous attempts. But there was another reason their flames were weaker, as they were about to find out.

“Our next exercise is to work on our flame refresh rates,” Yazma explained. “That is, how long it takes to create more flames at your maximum output.”

“I don’t get it,” Ash said.

“
Figures,
” Shiva scoffed, fed up with his stupidity and natural talent.

“Lady Shiva, would you like to explain?” Yazma asked.

With determination in the presence of her family, Shiva launched into her explanation. “
As we’ve all clearly seen
, everyone has a different amount of flame stock they can draw from inside them. When this stock is depleted, the amount of time it takes to replenish is called the ‘refresh rate.’ Obviously the quicker your refresh rate is, the faster you’ll be able to conjure more flames.”

“That’s correct,” Yazma smiled. “Good answer.” Shiva beamed with pride as her grandfather shot her a pleased smile and a thumbs up.

“So I have an impressive stock and a fast refresh rate?” Ash asked.

“Correct, but the brunt of
your
training will be focusing on control. Without control, your fireballs will be wild and nowhere near as strong as your potential allows.” Yazma turned to the other two. “You two will be working on increasing your flame stock and refresh rates,” she said to Shiva and Aura.

Shiva drooped, disappointed at being lumped into training sessions with
Draxler
. Her grandfather put a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled, while twirling his big white mustache.

“Do not be disappointed,” Wilhelm said. “I am impressed with your friends, but you too have come a long way since our last meeting.” Shiva cracked a smile and turned red with embarrassment. Her grandfather always had a way of making her feel special.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Yazma said. The rest of the afternoon was spent working on their flames. Shiva and Aura practiced by creating fireballs as large as they could stand to make, dissolving them, and then immediately trying to recreate another fireball. They quickly discovered the limits of their own flame stocks.

Shiva exhausted herself quickly by trying to rush through the exercise. By the time they were ready to break for lunch, she could hardly create a flame at all. Aura was doing better, but still could not create any more than two fireballs of differing sizes within a ten-minute timeframe. Sweat dripped down his forehead, as it was the hardest he’d worked himself in years.

Why am I working so hard?
Aura pondered to himself while taking a break. He thought on as he wiped more sweat from his body.
It’s not like I need to impress Yazma anymore…
Is it because Wil’s here? Or maybe, because of Ash… That kid’s got talent. Just when I think I have him figured out, he finds new ways to surprise me. Maybe we really could go to Earth some day. That’s why I have to work hard. I have to keep up with Ash!

Their training paled in comparison to the half-human’s, who had been instructed to work on separating his fireball into smaller increments. He’d start by forming an orb the size of a basketball, and then trying to split it down the middle. Most of the time it would result in him pulling it apart too forcefully, causing the flames to rage out of control and die out quickly. Then he’d have to work at calming those flames once more and forming them back into balls.

He experimented with flames of various sizes, going smaller and smaller figuring it would be easier to control a smaller amount. When he reached the smallest size possible and still could not do it, Yazma thought it would be appropriate to break for lunch. It was much later than noon, after all.

Ash and Aura headed for the castle’s free cafeteria, while Shiva and her grandfather broke for… wherever they ate at. Yazma mentioned how she didn’t expect them all to advance so quickly in their training. They had reached the next stage, advanced flame control, and headed back to her school to retrieve something she said would help the group to learn some control.

When everyone returned an hour later, Yazma had already set up her teaching tools. All around the courtyard were hoops of various sizes attached to poles sticking out of the ground. Some of the hoops extended a few feet off the ground and a few of them were barely hovering inches above the grass.

“We’ll all focus on learning to control our flames more precisely now,” Yazma instructed. “The goal of this exercise is to pass a fireball through each of the hoops. You’ll have to go slowly and guide it carefully, adjusting the height and size of your fireball as you navigate it through the course of hoops. Lord Satan, would you be so kind as to give us a demonstration?”

“Certainly, I’d love to,” Wilhelm responded jovially. He stepped forward to the first hoop. With a fireball readied in his hand, he pointed it at the hoop and shot it forward. The ball of flame blasted forth directly through the center of the hoop but did not stop there. It continued to fly forward to the next hoop, adjusting its height as it passed through the next hoop without slowing down.

The hoop after that was placed at an angle, but Wilhelm’s fireball managed the sharp turn without delay. His fireball continued to rocket through each hoop of the course, navigating the more complicated sharp turns and height adjustments without ever slowing down. It was obvious to all that Wilhelm Satan was a professional, and deserved every bit of respect he earned.

“Ash, would you like to go next?”

“I’m just going to say right now, there’s no way I’m going to top that,” Ash said. He stepped forward, not feeling so hot anymore. He aimed at the first hoop and blasted a shot of flame at it, missing the hoop entirely and hitting the brick courtyard wall. Shiva laughed at his attempt, but when it was her turn she could hardly do better. Both she and Aura were able to get their fireballs through the first hoop, but lost control shortly after.

“It seems we’ve found what we’ll be working on over the next couple of weeks,” Yazma said. “You’ll all be working on your control, but Ash, this will be the primary focus of your training. Lady Shiva and Aura will also need to work on their flame stock and refresh rates.”

“This has been a very educational day,” Wilhelm congratulated the team. “I do hope you invite me back again soon.”

“You may sit in on as many practice days as you wish, my Lord,” Yazma said.

“That sounds like a most enjoyable way to spend my break from work,” Wilhelm smiled. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“Really? You’ll come back and watch us some more?” Shiva asked, showing her excited childish side again.

“Of course.”

After an insightful and encouraging first day the group disbanded. Ash felt a sense of pride and accomplishment he hadn’t felt since defeating Apsat and declaring his worth to all of Hell (whether they knew it or not). With experts like Wilhelm and Yazma at his side he knew he was in good hands. He would become stronger, of that he was certain.

It felt good.

Dark grey clouds set in overnight, covering the Kingdom of Hell. Ash awoke to the sound of thunder followed by brilliant flashes of lightning. Since it was still dark outside, the boy figured he had plenty of time to sleep yet. He awoke again several hours later, this time to a very dim light outside which he took to be the early morning creation of the artificial sun. When he peeked out his window to confirm this, he saw that the sun was already formed.

It was the dark clouds and pounding rain that obscured the sun. On rainy days, forming an artificial sun was no easy task for the citizens of Hell. Many people’s flames were simply not strong enough to make it through the icy rain, and so the sun was significantly weaker on these days. It was particularly troubling for Ash as he came to the realization that he and Aura slept in. They were now late for their morning training session, and Shiva would be furious.

“Aura, get up,” Ash said. “We’re late. The sun is up already.”

“Hmmm?” Aura said, stirring from his deep slumber. “Already?”

“It’s raining. That’s why the sun is so dim. Shiva’s going to kill us.”

“Well crap,” Aura said as he sat up. “I was having the nicest dream too. There were boobies everywhere.”

The boys rushed to get dressed. For once, Aura did not take thirty minutes in the bathroom. As Ash threw open the door to leave, a random flash of lightning illuminated the silhouette of a man blocking their exit. His hand was raised, as if ready to strike. Ash screamed and Aura jumped back. A second later they saw it was only Goddard.

The Royal Advisor had one hand raised to knock on the door. In the other hand he carried an umbrella that was full of holes. The man’s clothes were soaking wet and his drenched hair was a tangled mess that stuck to his face. He didn’t wait for an invite to step inside and get out of the rain.

“Its just Goddard,” Ash said, breathing a sigh of relief. For a moment he thought some kind of swamp monster was about to attack. “Sorry we’re late.”

“Yes, well, your flame training was cancelled by Yazma late last night anyway,” Goddard said. “Not the best conditions for outdoor activities, I’m afraid.”

“Dang,” said Ash. “I was looking forward to it.”

“She did send this letter with a few basic exercises you can work on by yourself, however,” Goddard said. He pulled from his pocket a sopping wet letter and handed it to Ash. Yazma’s instructions were clear and easy to understand, even though the ink was running.

“
Practice emitting flames from your fingertips
,” the note read. “
Try to ignite as many flames as you can while switching fingers simultaneously. For the next exercise, make a fireball and work on splitting it in two. Then put it back together again. Finally, create a small fireball in one hand and pass it back and forth between both hands. Change positions with your hands so that you’re never maneuvering the flame the same way. Good luck!
”

“
Finally
,” Ash remarked after reading the note. “Homework I don’t mind doing.” He committed the instructions to memory and tossed the soggy wad of paper in the garbage bin. Goddard sloshed around their tiny flat looking for a place to sit down.

“Do you have a chair for me to sit on?” Goddard asked.

“No, we just sit on our beds,” Ash said.

“Very well then,” said Goddard. He then sat down on Ash’s bed, soaking the boy’s sheets. “You haven’t done much with the place,” he said, looking around the bare room. The only sign the boys even lived there were their wardrobe trunks and the various piles of clothing scattered around the hotel room-sized flat.

“There’s not much we can do with it,” Aura said. “Now, maybe if you found us a nicer,
larger
place…”

“It seems like you’re managing just fine here,” Goddard said as a demon bug of some kind scuttled across the floor. “Now, on to business.”

“It’s raining,” Aura said. “Don’t we get the day off?”

Goddard chuckled. “No, I’m afraid I have a different sort of job for you today.”

“Afraid? Why? Why afraid?” Ash asked, fearing another dirty job like cleaning the prison air ducts.

“Would you like to hear the good news first, or the bad news?” Goddard asked.

“I could use a little good news right now,” Aura said.

“Lady Shiva will not be joining you for today’s job.”

“That’s
the best
news,” said Aura.

“But the bad?” asked Ash.

“Yes,” said Goddard. “The clients I’m sending you off to may be
somewhat difficult
for you to handle.”

“Define ‘somewhat difficult’,” said Aura.

“They’re
nobles,
” said Goddard.

“Well then
somewhat difficult
is an understatement!” Aura said, not the least bit happy with the information.

“Nobles…” Ash said. He recalled reading a small section on them in the book Goddard gave him. He struggled to remember exactly what he had read though.

“There is an association of families living in North Hell that call themselves Nobles,” Goddard explained. As he spoke, he wrung out his wet clothing and hair on Ash’s bed. “They claim their ancestors played key roles in Lucifer’s uprising and the establishment of our Kingdom. Back in those days, the nobles were important members of our society. They helped keep the Satan family in power and united everyone to build the protective walls around the Kingdom. They were considered heroes, once.”

Aura scoffed in disapproval of that last statement.

“They sound like good enough people,” said Ash.

“That was a long time ago,” Goddard said. “More recently, the nobles of North Hell have taken steps backwards in the public eye. For one thing, they love to flaunt their nobility. They see themselves as high-class citizens, second only to the Royal Family. Frankly, they treat everyone else like trash. They wouldn’t dishonor Lady Shiva by allowing her to work for them, that’s why she can’t accompany you on this job.”

“Now
that
sounds more like the nobles I know,” said Aura.

“So the nobles today act like jerks because of their ancestor’s accomplishments? Why does anyone let them get away with that?” Ash asked.

“Because they’re
rich
, of course,” said Goddard. “Once the nobles realized that bravery in combat tends to get you killed more often, they decided to assist our Kingdom in
different
ways. Ways that made them very wealthy.”

“So they’re rich jerks, got it,” said Ash.

“Rich jerks that have unfortunately set their sights on the two of you,” said Goddard.

“What do you mean?” Ash asked.

“The rumors have only continued to flourish about you two in the past month since the Apsat incident. Honestly, I’ve been expecting the nobles to take an interest in you for quite some time now.”

“Why would they take an interest in
us?
” Ash asked.

“
Human
,” Goddard said pointing at Ash. “
Death toucher
,” he said pointing at Aura.

“What did the work order ask for?”

“They left it blank,” Goddard said. “They probably didn’t think I’d really send you to them. I doubt if they even had a specific job in mind. My guess is that when you show up they’ll most likely have something
unpleasant
planned for you. They probably just want to see you up close and study you. See what you’re capable of.”

“Sounds annoying,” Aura said. “Maybe we shouldn’t go.”

“You’re going,” Goddard said. “Now that they’re interested in you, you’ll have to deal with them eventually. Better to get it over with now. And don’t forget: you are
my
team. If you look bad, I look bad. Just be polite and do whatever job they give you quickly and efficiently. I want you to really make them see how useful you are. Can you do that for me?”

Ash and Aura exchanged looks. Suddenly Aura’s eyes lit up with excitement as if he just had a stroke of genius or saw a naked lady. “Okay, let’s do it,” he said.

“Really?” asked Ash. This didn’t seem like the normal Aura he knew.

“Goddard’s right; there’s no use in running. Those stupid nobles have been breathing down my neck since I started gaining a reputation for being so awesome! Its about time I had the chance to shut them up by proving it to them!”

That’s putting it kinda strongly, Aura,
Ash thought. “I guess if Aura’s confident, I’m okay with it,” he said to Goddard.

“Excellent,” Goddard said standing up. “The job request comes from a man named Glebeck Lowdly. It’s a fair bet that his two associates, Bliley Bragger and Rumbaugh Jest, will be involved as well.” Goddard dug in his pocket for the work order, which he handed to Ash. It was slightly less damp than the letter from Yazma. 

“They’re a troublesome trio of nobles. They run the largest information network in the Kingdom, so make sure you work hard and don’t screw anything up. If you leave now, you should arrive just in time to catch their little show.”

“Their
show?
” Ash asked.

Goddard readied his tattered umbrella and headed for the door. On his way out, he turned back to Ash for one last word.

“Oh, and Ash…” he said. “They’re not very friendly, especially to
humans
.”

The walk through the streets of North Hell was, well,
hellacious
. Ash soon understood why Goddard’s umbrella was punctured with holes. The rain came down in a mixture of freezing water and ice pellets. Those chunks of hail sometimes reached the size of golf balls, and after getting pegged in the head by enough of them the boys realized they needed to invest in a good umbrella. One short run later the boys arrived at the location indicated on the moist work order.

To their relief, the building was open and they were able to get out of the rain. They looked around, realizing they were in some sort of dingy warehouse. They weren’t alone; there was an enormous crowd of people gathered in the rear. The boys followed the crowd over to an area where everyone was seated on benches facing a small stage. The crowd was an odd mixture of people from all walks of life, from the raggedy poor and bejeweled rich folk.

Ash and Aura had no idea how to find Glebeck. The boys took a seat on the bench furthest from the stage. The crowd seemed to be getting antsy. Whatever show was about to happen would soon start. A single woman appeared from a backdoor followed by a team of sturdy men hauling enormous stacks of papers.

“There’s Machmann!” someone in the crowd said.

“It’s about to start!” another person said.

The men put the paper stacks down against one wall. The woman known as Machmann took the stage, slowly rising above the crowd. The boys got a clear look at her aging features now. Ash thought she could have looked good a hundred years ago, but those days were long gone. Her skin was tight and creased with wrinkles so that she looked more like a frightening skeleton than a woman.

Machmann raised a cone to her thin lips. Her voice was as unpleasant as her appearance. “Good morning, North Hell!” she said. The throng of people erupted in cheers and applause. For some reason, they loved this scary skeletal woman. Machmann drank in their affections as if it were sustenance for her. “I can see you’re all anxious to find out today’s headlines. So without further waiting I give you the man who keeps you all informed, the honorable, the
Noble
Glebeck Lowdly!”

The crowd continued to go nuts while another man marched out from the backdoor and took to the stage, replacing Machmann. The nobleman known as Glebeck raised his hand to greet the crowd. Ash and Aura were surprised to see that Glebeck was a middle-aged man. He had short silvery hair and a big plump belly.

I guess being a noble means you never go hungry,
Ash thought.

“I know what goes on here now,” Aura said. “I heard about this before, but I’ve never seen it. I never used to hang out in North Hell, and even if I did I’d just be waking up at this time so I’d always miss it.”

“Headline!” Glebeck shouted, throwing off Aura’s explanation. “Tainted meat has been sold in market shops. We have the complete list of affected vendors.”

At this, several members of the crowd pushed their way forward. When they reached the stage where Machmann stood, they held up money for her. The woman collected their skorch and the sturdy men passed out papers off the stacks. Ash finally figured out that these were newspapers being sold.

“Headline!” Glebeck said. “New recruits to the Royal Guards are graduating from training academy today. We have the exciting new prospects and the list of recruits we expect to perish first.”

This was a popular headline, as nearly half of the crowd pushed their way forward. ] Machmann held out a collection tray for the people to toss their skorch in, while the sturdy men passed out more newspapers to anyone who paid.

“It’s a morning news show that doesn’t actually give out the news,” Ash said. “Unless you pay for it, I guess.”