For Love of Evil (34 page)

Returning to Heaven was no problem; the captive soul guided him. When they arrived, the soul reformed into the man. "But this is Heaven!" he exclaimed."My Lord, I thought You were going to take me back!"

"I am," Parry replied. "But I am going to make another attempt to negotiate here. You may remain in My pouch if you wish, and I will release you when we return to Hell."

"Thank you," the soul said, and thinned to evanescence. Parry rolled it up again and returned it to his pouch.

Now he needed to locate the Angel Gabriel. From his days as a friar he remembered that there were three broad classes of angels, with Gabriel in the top rank. That was probably in the Ninth Heaven.

He was about to set off when he saw the guardian angels approaching again. They evidently recognized him, for they looked angry. Well, perhaps they could be of some use to him this time.

"Take me to your leader," he said to the first.

"Just who do you think you are?" the angel demanded.

"The Incarnation of Evil," Parry replied evenly.

The angel did a double take. "You-how can you be here? This is Heaven!"

"Heaven is not as well run as it once was," Parry replied. "Now, are you going to guide me to the Angel Gabriel, or shall I find him myself?"

"I will have to consult with my superior," the angel said, disgruntled.

"Do that," Parry said. It was always better to go through channels, if that was feasible.

The angel's superior was a Dominion, a member of the intermediate class of angels. "The Incarnation of Evil? Here? Impossible!"

"Then who the Hell do you suppose I am?" Parry inquired with a sardonic smile.

In a moment he was before the Dominion's superior, who was a Seraphim, an angel in the First Circle of the heavenly hierarchy. He had six wings, which were independently flexible. He also had experience and a realistic approach. "How quickly can we cause You to depart these demesnes. Incarnation?"

"As quickly as you can get me an interview with Gabriel."

The Angel Gabriel was there, drawing a cloak of privacy about the two of them. "Yes?"

"I want to facilitate the processing of good and evil, so that needless suffering of souls may be abated," Parry said. "I attempted to talk with God directly, but he did not respond."

"God is temporarily distracted," Gabriel said.

"I am relatively new to My office. Only a century or so. I am not yet inured to needless suffering. I am ready to punish truly evil souls, but not to torment those whose only guilt is the coincidence of being wrought from the mixed thread of chaos. There has to be a better way."

"That would be for God to say."

"If," Parry continued evenly, "God does not say, then I shall be forced to take action on my own initiative."

"You have the temerity to threaten God?"

"Offhand I would say that God is not doing his job, and is due for replacement. I am trying to avoid taking that action myself, but will take it if you offer no alternative."

"God does not make deals with Lucifer!"

"I am Satan."

Gabriel was too old a hand to call a bluff he was uncertain of winning. "God may elect to deal with this matter directly in due course. Suppose, in the interim, we arrange an alternative contest?"

This could be interesting. "What do you have in mind?"

"We will designate a single mortal person whose influence can be critical. If You cannot corrupt that person, or that person's child or grandchild, to enable You to take power, You will forever abate Your effort."

Parry made a soundless whistle. "You are not an amateur at this sort of negotiation!"

Gabriel almost smiled. "I never claimed to be. This would represent a bloodless way to settle the issue, if that is truly Your desire. Are You interested?"

Parry pondered. A single mortal person? How could such a person possibly foil the wiles of the Incarnation of Evil? It was suspiciously simple. So was Gabriel's use of the capital when addressing him. There had to be a catch. In fact, it was evident that this was no spur of the moment deal; Gabriel had come well prepared. "Who?"

Gabriel waggled an admonishing finger. "I did not say I would give You that information."

Oho! "When?"

"Nor that."

"Where?"

"Nor that."

The nature of the challenge was becoming clearer. How could he corrupt a mortal when he had no information about that mortal's identity? "That is not a wager I care to risk."

Gabriel considered. "Perhaps if we provided one of those items of information?"

"Three," Parry said firmly.

"Two."

Parry pondered. "I select the two."

"You select one."

The Angel was a hard bargainer! But the notion of this challenge had an insidious appeal. Gabriel had said that this mortal's influence would be critical, and Gabriel's word was good. That meant that Parry really could win power over God if he manipulated the situation correctly. It certainly seemed preferable to allowing the continuing and needless suffering of a host of mortals.

"Agreed," he said. "Tell me the name."

"Niobe Kaftan."

The name did not register, but of course there were too many mortal identities for him to remember. He would research it the moment he returned to Hell. "And the information you choose to provide?"

"The time," Gabriel said. "That person will come into mortal existence early in the twentieth century."

"The twentieth century!" Parry exploded. "That's six centuries away!"

Gabriel shrugged. "You did not bargain for a particular time."

Parry realized that Gabriel had outsmarted him, and thereby bought six centuries of grace for his Master. He had been had-but he had to admire the finesse of it. He extended his hand. "It is not every day that someone outwits the Master of Deception."

Gabriel took the hand. "I daresay such a day will not soon come again."

"If you ever stand in need of a position-"

Gabriel smiled. "Perhaps in six centuries."

They had an understanding. Meanwhile, they remained opposed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13 - NIOBE

Parry, having been outsmarted by the Angel Gabriel, resigned himself to several more centuries of the present order and went about his business. He did not try to take power directly, because of the covenant made, but he did do his best to find more efficient ways to evoke the evil that was in mortal folk, simplifying classification. Ozymandias reorganized Hell, dividing it into militaristic segments that were run largely by the damned souls themselves; thus those souls knew that their suffering was largely of their own making. When Ozymandias began assembling attractive concubines from among the damned souls, Lilah became restive, and finally Parry took her back, allowing Nefertiti to take an extended holiday in mock Heaven. It was nice to be back with Lilah, after this hiatus; she did know well how to please him.

The world, as it turned out, had one or two additional continents, and Parry found distraction sowing mischief in the mortal exploration and colonization of the "New World." Because the majority of the mortals conducting the colonization were heretical Christians, this was a singular challenge. Soon he had them acting just the way the Church had, conducting witch hunts and martyring their heretics. The Incarnation of Evil might not have been gaining influence in the overall scheme, but certainly he was not losing it either.

The Renaissance arrived, and now Parry saw why Chronos had asked him to spare Milan from the Black Plague. It was indeed an artistic and cultural center, and though it spawned more good than evil, he was glad to see it.

The mortals became more clever at both magic and science, developing both to far more sophisticated applications than had occurred in the past. They would soon have seen through the devices of his mortality; now many mortals possessed similar competence.

He started an advertising campaign to make Hell seem more attractive. It remained of course a place of punishment, and everyone knew that; but it was also the place of expiation for the evil denned in the souls. It was evident that Heaven was not the place to expiate evil, so Parry simply established many levels with diminishing punishment as souls improved. Actually, after the first soul returned from Heaven with the report on its appalling dullness, few if any souls wanted to go there. The truth was that sin, particularly of carnal lust, was far more interesting than the perpetual singing of hosannas. Mock Heaven became increasingly populous, so that even those souls that qualified for release to Heaven preferred to remain. Once he got things squared away with God, he would send up a shipment; the souls would be less reluctant to go if they could go together.

He researched diligently, seeking the Llano, the ultimate song. But his success was imperfect; he was able only to acquire parts of it. The thing was somehow linked to the very foundations of the universe, not to be understood by any ordinary person.

The centuries passed. Parry went to the furnace and interviewed Lucifer, his predecessor. "Are you ready to serve Me yet?" he inquired. "Give up your mortal life so that it is no longer possible for you to be an Incarnation, and I will assign you to some nefarious chore that takes advantage of your propensities."

Lucifer was proud; he declined. Parry came again, fifty years later; Lucifer declined again. But after several such visits, he finally relented, realizing that there was no hope of ousting Parry from the Office. He gave up his mortal life and became a truly damned soul.

Parry assigned him to sundry tasks, lowly at first. As time passed and Lucifer demonstrated increasing loyalty and reliability, Parry promoted him to more responsible tasks. The former Incarnation did have a talent for the business, and was excellent at evoking the hidden evil of mortals.

In this manner the twentieth century approached. "Lucifer, watch for the appearance of one mortal named Niobe Kaftan," he said. "Her presence will commence the final contest between Me and God, and I want to have the advantage from the outset. You will see that it is Mine."

"I shall see that it is Thine," Lucifer agreed.

War had been virtually continuous in the mortal realm, but now it spread more widely, involving most of the nations of the world. Mars, the Incarnation of War, was kept quite busy, and so was Parry. But it was a seemingly minor event relating to that war that abruptly claimed his complete attention.

Lucifer had found Niobe Kaftan in Ireland. She had come into existence as that identity when she married a man some years her junior, Cedric Kaftan, and Lucifer had scrambled to set up a program of nullification. He didn't bother Parry with the details, and Parry had been too busy with the war and the hordes of mixed souls flowing to Hell from that altercation to inquire.

"You know he botched it," Lilah remarked one day.

"What?"

"Lucifer. He freed a demon from Hell to assassinate her, and the stupid demon got the wrong person."

"Assassinate whom?"

"Your nemesis. That woman. Niobe."

Now it registered. "How could Lucifer fail? He's experienced!"

"It seems the woman's husband has a friend who's into magic, and he discovered the plot, and the husband took her place. I can't think why. So he's gone, and she remains."

Parry got busy. He fired Lucifer from the case as a matter of principle; failure in a simple mission was not to be tolerated. Then he went to spy on the young woman. He made himself invisible and entered the cabin where she dwelt with her baby.

He looked at her, and was stunned by her appearance. She was the most beautiful woman of her generation! No wonder the love-struck husband had sacrificed himself for her.

The Angel Gabriel had gained his Master over five hundred years by this deal. Now Parry understood that it was not close to ending here; Gabriel was really trying to win the contest. A woman so lovely that mortal men would gladly throw away their lives for her-and, indeed. Parry himself did not want her to die now. Not while her beauty was fresh. It would be like breaking a priceless vase.

How, then, was he to nullify her impact on the situation? For she would surely proceed to her mischief against him if he did not act to prevent it.

But what form would this mischief take? If he could determine that, then he could formulate a plan to deal with it. There should be many ways to divert the thrust without actually hurting her.

He watched her for a time, but she seemed wholly innocent, merely taking care of herself, her home and her baby boy. Nothing about her, other than her amazing comeliness, indicated any potential for the defeat of the Incarnation of Evil. Her appearance would fade with the years.

Perplexed, he returned to Hell. He summoned Mephistopheles, another former Incarnation of Evil. "You are the most sophisticated and devious of the Lords of Hell," he said. "Fathom the nature of this woman, the widow Niobe Kaftan, and inform Me how she can influence the tangled skein of destiny to give God the victory over Me."

"Gladly, Lord," Mephistopheles said, disappearing. In due course he was back with his report. "The woman is more than she seems," Mephistopheles said. "She is of only ordinary cleverness, and has no particular skill at management, but is extraordinarily attractive."