Graveyard Shift (26 page)

Chapter 35

“Friends applaud,

the comedy is over.”

-the dying words of Ludwig van Beethoven

“This has gotta be some sort of practical joke.” Josie winced at her reflection in the array of oval mirrors littering Cindy’s dressing room. The tailor had brought in a wardrobe of frilly, outlandish costumes for us to try on. I couldn’t quite bring myself to call them gowns.

Sequins spiraled over the scarlet fabric that looked like a turtleneck trying to eat Josie’s face. Revealing ovals had been cut out just below the throat and around the navel of the sparkly material before plunging into a snug, floor-dragging ruffle of tulle. Josie frowned at me and placed a hand on her bony hip. “I can’t decide if this thing makes me feel naked or smothered.”

“This one’s not so bad.” I brushed my fingers along the peacock feathers clinging to my dress and tickling my knees. The blue and green sequins were a little excessive, but the simple halter-tie around my neck seemed elegant enough.

I slid Saul’s crystal bands over my forehead, letting my ringlets tumble down just below my jaw. It felt strange wearing the bands outside of the Oracle Ball, but somehow appropriate. So what if Saul was gone forever, honoring his memory made me feel better. Sometimes the human thirst for spirituality really isn’t that hard to understand.

“I just don’t get it.” Josie stomped over to the wardrobe and parted the costumes with an agitated huff. “Cindy never wears stuff like this in Limbo.”

“But that’s Limbo, honey.” Amy waltzed out of a dressing stall and did a flamboyant twirl for us. She had chosen a black, st
rapless bodice and paired it with a deep red skirt that hissed like a choir of snakes along the dressing room floor. “This is Hell, the Vegas of Eternity. You know what they say, what happens here—”

“Stays here, thank God,” Josie mu
mbled.

“Don’t you mean thank Lucifer?” Amy crossed her arms. “I mean, he is the one who signed the treaty, vowing to maintain the borders of this territory. Old Jove may have thrown us out of the big house, but it’s not like he has some sort of border control set up around our perimeter.” Amy was sweet, even if she was a little dim at times. But at least Gabriel didn’t seem to mind.

“You want some help Josie?” I crossed the room to examine the crammed cabinet of flashy dresses.

“No, I’m only trying on one more of these monstros
ities, hopefully one without sequins.” Josie sighed and pulled down a silk gown in creamy gold and orange shades bouncing off of each other. Dainty little strings tugged at the pinched material of the bust and tied behind her neck. “Now this is more like it.”

“Definitely.” I bit my lip and gave myself another glance in the mi
rrors, wondering how the Hell Committee would be dressed. I just couldn’t see Beelzebub in sequins, or Lucifer for that matter.

“Are you ladies decent?” Gabriel shouted through the door. “Dinner’s in five.”

“Is this decent enough?” Amy giggled as she opened the door and posed in the frame for my feathered friend-
her feathered boyfriend.
Three hundred years of friendship makes me a little possessive.

My
feathered boyfriend and Kevin stood behind Gabriel. All three of them were in shiny, black robes, giving our wild dresses an even wilder appeal.

Kevin whistled and pulled Josie in for a quick squeeze. Maalik blushed at their display and wandered over to me, holding his arm out to escort me to dinner the trad
itional way, while Gabriel and Amy put on a steamy show that warranted a PDA trophy.

I rested my head on Maalik’s shoulder and stroked his arm like a smitten schoolgirl. I couldn’t help it. Why not? We were vacationing, weren’t we? Of course, sparkly dresses aside, having dinner with the Hell Committee stank of work and political hoopla. I quietly prayed to Khadija to make me impervious to all political mumbo jumbo until we got back to Limbo City. I just wanted to pretend that I was a retired and carefree goddess for one night. Was that too much to ask for?

“We’re in the main dining hall tonight,” Cindy told us excitedly, sending Gabriel’s wings twitching with every thrilling breath she took. “Construction was just completed last week, and this will be the first dinner held under the domed skylight spanning the entire dining room.”

The arched corridor Amy led us through glistened like a wet cave in the flickering light of burning oil dishes hanging from the ceiling by blackened chains down the hall. We came to the mouth of the passage and entered a grand room that swallowed us up.

Just as Amy had promised, a domed skylight bubbled above, giving a crisp view of the blazing night sky. Stray dots of raining fire kamikazied into the glass, bursting into multi-colored showers of sparks with a symphony-like rhythm. A glossy, black table stretched through the center of the room, looking majestic and just a bit dwarfed in a space that could easily hold the Titanic.

Tricked-out lava lamps fused with hellfire blazed down the table between dancing fire spirits, toeing the rim of their glass platforms to make soft, gothic music that sucked me into the setting. Hell had a seductive effect, as long as you weren’t one of the damned.

Through an opposite passage, Cindy Morningstar and her camarilla arrived, making a grand entrance that left me feeling a bit underdressed. Cindy smiled at our gaping and slowed her pace to give a catwalk performance to the dinner table. Black leather encased her, literally, from head to toe. The stiff gown brushed the floor and soared up into a sharp collar, framing her perfectly moussed curls, in a very rock-star-meets-evil-queen sort of way. The dress still managed a gluttonous amount of sex appeal with its thigh-high slits and plunging neckline.

Beelzebub and Lucifer were a step behind Cindy, both in sharp, deep red suits that managed to look formal and casual all at the same time. Beelzebub had spiked his hair into a wild Mohawk, while Lucifer’s shiny black mane hung in a loose ponytail down his back.

The rest of Cindy’s camarilla had been outfitted in complementing shades of yellow and red, elegant enough on their own, but together, they looked somewhat like a McDonald’s advertisement.

Th
rough a third passage, the rest of the Hell Committee joined us, led by Iblis Shaitan, the Islamic devil, and a handful of his Djinn followers. Iblis nodded to Maalik and shot me a flirtatious grin. Maalik’s jaw went rigid and his grip on my hand tightened. Hell may have been his home, but he still considered himself a servant of Allah. The same couldn’t be said of Iblis.

We gathered around the table as Cindy stilled the tiny fire dancers’ music with a menacing glance. She seized the attention of everyone else by swiftly clasping her hands t
ogether. “As always, it’s a pleasure to be home.” She nodded to Amy. “The Inferno Chateau is quite impressive, and I am honored to dine here with you all tonight.”

A cork popped, interrupting her speech. Cindy gave the horned server a wide-eyed glare. He blushed and squeezed the fizzing bottle to his chest before quickly to
pping off the champagne glass in his hand and scurrying out of the room, spiked tail between his legs.

Cindy’s smile returned as she co
ntinued. “Before we begin the evening, I would like to congratulate Ms. Lana Harvey and her team for putting an end to Caim’s tyranny over the Sea of Eternity. Also, I want to remind everyone of Coreen Bendura’s valiant efforts and unfortunate death. She is with us always.”

Was that a tear I saw in Lucifer’s eye? Huh, who would have thought? The Devil may care.

After a guilty meal of sauced-up red meats and just as many sugary desserts, Amy dazzled us all again with her architectural expertise. Beyond a set of glass doors off the dining room hall stretched a concrete balcony over the back courtyard. A blazing stream from the lake of fire trickled around the chateau and fed into a small pond.

I shivered, despite the oven-like atmosphere. The view from the balcony was narcotic. After the bout of rai
ning fire, a soft sprinkle of ash had begun to fall like a gentle winter snow. The ash stifled the flaming pond, forming a layer of smoky, swirling lumps over the dark waters. The pasture surrounding the pond looked like frosted grass on an autumn morning, the soft gray piercing the ruby-stained night sky.

Saul and Coreen bellowed into the void as they tu
mbled over the yard, sending up dusty clouds whenever they pounced on the leather ball Maalik had bought for them at Hades Hound House. He was determined to make good on his promise to help take care of the pups. I smiled as he waved up at me from the picnic table where he and Gabriel were solemnly playing cards with the Death Deck. Neither of them seemed to be enjoying their stay. Well, that was angels for you.

Amy had run off to take care of some chateau bus
iness and Josie and Kevin had made themselves scarce as soon as dinner was over. Most of the Hell Council had adjourned to their rooms or were puttering around the private museum inside the chateau featuring work from the latest possessed Picasso. Amy pouted when Gabriel excused himself from visiting the historic exhibit. I’d go see it with him later, without three dozen demons breathing over my shoulder, thank you. Why take the risk?

“Lovely view, isn’t it?” Cindy Morningstar slid up beside me, the co
rners of her lips twitching at my spooked shiver. She rested her arms on the concrete ledge of the balcony and held her face up to breathe in the violent night, catching a flake of ash on her cheek.

I blushed and hugged myself, staving off the imag
inary chill. “All the beauty of Antarctica cross-bred with the warmth of Hawaii. It’s phenomenal.”

“Yes,” she sighed. “Fifty years left on my term. Daddy didn’t tell me how homesick this position on the cou
ncil would make me.” She hung her head and then turned to smile at me. “Not that your realm isn’t extraordinarily designed. I’m just partial to my homeland.”

I glanced back over the foreign landscape. “I can see why.”

Cindy eased closer, gliding her arms along the ledge. She lowered her voice so it wouldn’t carry over the yard. “I’ve received your placement proposal from Horus.”

“Oh?” It was all I could do not to groan.

“But before I sign it, I would make one request of you.”

I tried too hard not to grimace and ended up giving Cindy a phony smile. She saw through in a heartbeat.

“Don’t look so glum. I haven’t even told you what my request is.”

“Well?”

“I want you to complete a two week training course here in Hell to better prepare you for demonic encounters.”

“Do what?” I stepped back as she grabbed my arm and shushed me, casting a nervous glance towards the a
ngels.

“Look, Coreen was Grim’s second-in-command. She died at the hands of renegade demons. Saul, Grim’s prev
ious second-in-command, was more than likely killed by demons too, even though Grim would have everyone believe his death was inconclusive,” Cindy smirked.

“What’s that have to do with me?”

“As Grim’s new and improved second-in-command, you should be skilled enough to elude a similar fate. If another reaper dies at the hands of demons, things could get ugly for us down here.” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m trying to live up to my title as a respectable ruler and as a woman. You should be doing the same. Just take the training course. Then, you and I can both sleep better at night.”

She had lost me somewhere around “Grim’s new and improved second-in-command.” What the fuck? I could have cried, but I just laughed instead. Doubled-over, gasping for air, ridic
ulous laughter.

Cindy drew away too quickly and nearly tripped backwards. I reached out and caught her arm, still wildly laug
hing.

“I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll do it, just leave out the se
cond-in-command bit. You couldn’t have possibly heard that from a reliable source.”

Cindy raised an eyebrow and stea
died herself before pulling her arm out of my grasp. “Reliable enough, but no matter. Take the course and you can count on my signature.”

“Everything okay?” Maalik ascended to the balcony with a worried frown.

“Fine,” Cindy answered. “Lana just saved me from a dreadful fall.” She cast me a pleading smile, wanting our little discussion kept private.