And Ligeia interceded for the demoness. That caused the wavering Mars to decide to save Lila after all. It was in his power to do so, for he threatened to drive the Doomsday Clock to the dread midnight hour and precipitate the final war that would destroy all of humanity. Parry could not tolerate that; it had never been his intent to wipe out mortal man, only to facilitate the classification of souls. He had to back off again, yielding Lila, much as it galled him to do so. Wrongheaded righteousness had won the day yet again.
How well he remembered now that when Lilah had deserted his predecessor, Lucifer, it had led to Lucifer's undoing. Now she had deserted Parry, and the time of his final reckoning with God was drawing nigh. She might already have contributed to his downfall.
Parry retreated, and Mars took over his office, defusing the situation Parry had so carefully fostered. It was yet another humiliation.
Furthermore, it left him without a woman. He did not want to call Nefertiti back from her holiday, and he had not cultivated other damned souls. The truth was that no female creature matched his memory of Jolie. How he wished he could evoke her ghost again, just to talk to!
That reminded him of Heaven, because Jolie would surely go there if she ever could get free of the drop of blood he carried. He was now releasing souls to Heaven, per the agreement with Mars; the Incarnation of War thought he was doing the souls a favor. Well, time had passed; perhaps things had improved in Heaven.
Parry decided to check. He sailed up to the Void and called for JHVH. The Deity of the Hebrews was glad to guide him through. JHVH alone knew what Parry had done for His people, and that the Incarnation of Evil was not actually doing evil.
He reached the outer circle of Heaven. Indeed, it seemed brighter than it had five centuries before. Gabriel had been doing some reorganizing, in the name of God, and now the souls were engaged in various satisfying pursuits. Some were watching the new mortal television; the shows, though edited to exclude anything inappropriate to the exalted state, seemed interesting. Others were practicing various crafts, such as basket weaving with strands of ether, with evident pleasure.
All things considered. Heaven now seemed an appropriate place to be. He would make a report, and release those eligible souls who wished to go.
JHVH guided him through the Void again. Parry thanked him and descended on toward Hell. But still he was unsatisfied; he knew that he had no woman and no challenging project there, now that the business with Mars was done. The ennui of his long possession of the Office threatened to overcome him. Ozymandias was running Hell well enough, and needed no help; Parry could not blame the King for the rebellion stirred up by Mars. Only the Incarnation of War could have done it.
Was it time to retire? What was the point in continuing in an office that had become boring? He still had the challenge with Gabriel, but his successor could complete that. In any event, it seemed to be a losing cause; the massed power of the other Incarnations seemed to be too much for him.
The other Incarnations—actually they weren't all against him. There was Nox, the Incarnation of Night, with all her fascination. Lilah (now Lila) had feared that Nox would take him away from her. Well, maybe now was the time.
He oriented on Nox, and in a moment he was there in her encompassing darkness.
"What is thy business, Lord of Evil?"
Ah, that dream-memory communication! He had forgotten how evocative it was.
"Nox, I have alienated Lilah, and now have little interest in pursuing my office."
"What would thou with me?"
"I do not know. Perhaps it is advice. Perhaps love."
She opened her cloak and flowed about him. The intangible female nature of her encompassed him, and he felt as if he were floating. Why had he waited so many centuries before coming to her? She was all he could ever desire!
Then she withdrew, as she had before. "Not yet, Lord of Evil."
"But all I want is you!"
"Perhaps thou shallst have me, or I you. But not yet. Thou hast one more mortal woman to deal with, before me. Go first to thine Incarnation."
The disappointment of this final rejection surged in him. "No other Incarnation will touch me!"
"Thou must win her, Evil."
"Win whom?" he cried desperately as the presence withdrew. "How? I tell you, no other Incarnation will—"
"She has been given thee, Evil, but thou must win her from the others and from herself. Win her, and all is thine."
"Win whom!" he cried, but Nox was gone, leaving him with a greater emptiness than he had felt before.
He had come for relief, and had been turned away. What remained to him?
Then the significance of what Nox had sent penetrated. If he found this mysterious Incarnation and won her, all would be his. He knew from the context and significance of the thought that—this meant everything. That he would at last defeat God.
Nox had directed him correctly, if deviously, before. Perhaps this new challenge would be the most significant yet.
Parry moved on toward Hell, discovering his interest in the challenge being restored. Mars might have set him back, but the larger picture had not yet clarified.
The Lord of Evil might yet have his day.
Chapter 15 - GAEA
First Parry spent some time thinking. He retreated to the edge of the Void, where no one would bother him, and reviewed what had passed. Nox had said that the woman was mortal, and an Incarnation, and had been given to him, but that he had to win her from the others and from herself. There were only two major female Incarnations currently. Fate and Gaea, and neither one of them would touch him.
Then he remembered the prophecy he had discussed with Lilah. The business with Mars had blotted it from his attention. Two men, possessing the two most beautiful women, bearing each a daughter, one of whom might marry Death, the other Evil. One daughter to love an Incarnation, the other to be one.
There was only one conclusion to be drawn from those prophecies, assuming they were true ones. One daughter was to associate with Thanatos, as Luna was doing; the other was to associate with Satan, and become an Incarnation herself. What a concatenation of threads!
Which Incarnation? While it was possible for a male or female mortal to assume any Incarnation office, the sexes had been unchanged throughout Parry's tenure. So it seemed likely that she would become either an Aspect of Fate, perhaps joining her mother, Niobe, or Nature.
Nature. Gaea. The Green Mother. She had been in office since Parry had worked her over with the plague. She was still on the job, but might be getting tired.
If that other daughter—what was her name? Orb—if Orb became Gaea, and associated with Parry—
It burst upon him like an explosion from the fires of Hell. If he won that girl, and she was Gaea, her power would be joined to his! He could use that mergence to tip the balance against God!
No wonder Nox had elected to wait, foreseeing this! Why should she distract him from the biggest chance of his career in office! Nox preferred to see what he would do with it. If he lost, there were was time for Nox. If he won—
The prospect awed him. All he had to do was—
He quickly sobered. Orb was Niobe's daughter! She was protected by Fate. There was no way that girl would walk innocently into his embrace!
But Niobe had, in a fashion, turned Orb loose. She had agreed to divert her from politics. He had intended that to be Luna, and had been deceived. He had agreed never to harm her. But by the same token, Niobe had left her to him, because his agreement meant that she had no cause to fear what he might do to Orb. The logic was somewhat obscure, but the interpretation was viable.
But what was the girl like? He had never seen her. He knew only that in childhood she had been like a twin sister to Luna, with buckwheat-honey hair to match Luna's clover-honey hair. Luna had grown to be a beauty, talented artistically—and politically. Orb—her talent was music, for she had claimed a musical instrument from the Hall of the Mountain King. How did that qualify her t
o assume the office of the Incarnation of Nature?
Parry realized that it was time to take a look at Orb. He would not interfere with her in any way; he would simply observe her. After all, if she was destined to be his companion, he had a right to know!
First he had to locate her. That was simple enough; he went to Purgatory and used its computer. These new-fangled scientific devices did have their uses. He was after all an Incarnation, and this was neutral territory; the computer served him as well as the others.
She was in America, on a tour with a musical group called The Livin' Sludge. That made sense, because of her music. But that group jogged a memory; perhaps he had encountered it in his quest to evoke evil among mortals.
He returned to Hell and delved into its own records. Sure enough, the members of The Livin' Sludge were considered to be prime prospects for residence in Hell after they died, because all three males were hooked on Spelled H, one of the most addictive and degenerative of modern drugs.
But what was Niobe's daughter doing with such a group? She was surely a disgustingly good girl, and would be unlikely to associate with evil in any form. This was becoming more interesting.
Then he discovered that in addition to the three male musicians, there were two young woman and a succubus in the group, besides Orb herself. More interesting yet.
The succubus was of course a damned creature, a female demon who seduced men in their sleep. Her name was Jezebel, and she was not associated with Hell; she was an independent agent. The male musicians would enjoy her company, of course, but Niobe's daughter and the two other girls, who were innocent creatures, would hardly feel the same!
The group was conveyed from site to site by a huge magic fish known as Jonah. Most interesting of all!
Jonah he knew about already. He was the monstrous fish who had swallowed the Prophet Jonah some millennia back, and was being punished for it, now having assumed the name of the one he had wronged. He was forbidden to touch water, he had to swim instead through air or earth. Why would he do such a service for this motley assemblage?
Parry located the site at which they were currently performing and went there to take in a show. He assumed the form of a somewhat seedy middle-aged man, and paid for his ticket with legitimate money. This was of course an anonymous visit, just for information.
The group looked every bit as disreputable as he had expected. The boys were somewhat shaggy, and even from his distance in the rear of the audience he could sniff the aura of evil associated with their addiction to H. Ordinary H was bad, but Spelled H was truly hellish; it never let go until its victim was securely in Hell proper.
Then the girls came on. Two of them; evidently the others served other functions in the group. One of these was black and rather pretty, and she was a virgin with so little evil on her soul she seemed unreal. The other was Orb: conservatively garbed, buckwheat-honey tresses, and reminiscent of her real mother though not as beautiful. She had a little harp that seemed out of place among the more conventional instruments of the boys.
A harp? He remembered how Jolie had played a little harp. That jolted him, even after seven centuries.
They began to play, the organ, guitar and drums. There was really nothing special about it. The audience quickly became restless, and there were discontented murmurings. "You mean this is it?" a girl near Parry whispered to her companion. "I thought they were supposed to be hot!"
He smiled knowingly. "They are. Just wait."
After a moment, the black girl began to sing. Her voice was good, but not spectacular, and the fact that she sang an old folk song did not help.
"I didn't pay good money for this junk!" the girl in the audience muttered. All through the packed hall there were similar rumblings; it would not be long before balls of paper were flying.
"You'll see," the companion said smugly.
Parry was more curious than bored. He knew that young folk had a low tolerance for boredom, and conventional values bored them. How had The Livin' Sludge managed to develop such popularity with such ordinary stuff?
Then Orb touched her harp and joined in, adding a slight additional theme hardly audible through the existing sound.
Something happened. It was as though color developed after an image had been established in limited black and white. The black girl's voice filled out, becoming beautiful, and the boys' instruments assumed authority they had lacked before. Suddenly the music had conviction. It spread out through the audience, an almost tangible wave, and replaced fidgeting with rapture. The mouth of the nearby complaining girl froze in mid-mutter; her eyes glazed. Her companion did not even say "I told you so"; he, too, was rapt.
Yet the music had hardly changed. It was still the old folk song, still the motley collection of instruments.
Then it touched Parry, and he felt the magic.
Now Orb joined in singing, her voice added to that of the black girl. The magic intensified. The listeners nearest the stage seemed almost to float, and even way back here, where the effect was diminished, the sound became wondrous.
Orb had the same magic he did! But hers, enhanced by the harp from the Hall of the Mountain King, was magnified, so that its power touched thousands. It spread to the other members of the performing group, enhancing their otherwise ordinary skills. It hardly mattered what music they played; anything became marvelous.
Now Parry knew the secret of The Livin' Sludge. Magic talent enhanced by magic instrument. He understood it readily enough; after all, he himself had enraptured listeners with his voice alone on many occasions. He could depart; he hardly needed to sit through the entire performance.
But he did not move. He remained, as did all the others, silently taking it all in. At the end, he joined in the applause as ardently as the others.
As the folk departed, he remembered his mission. He wanted to know more of the situation of Orb and The Livin' Sludge. Much more!
He conjured himself to Jonah, the big fish floating invisibly in the air near the city. Jonah was aware of his coming, and shuddered, but could not protest; Parry was after all an Incarnation.
The girl Betsy was there, sitting at a desk in her office inside the fish, sorting through the voluminous correspondence the group received and dictating answers into a recorder. She was, he understood, the organist's girl. He ignored her and sought instead the succubus.
Jezebel was fixing an evening meal. Because night had fallen, she was in her exotic form, a supremely luscious young woman. But instead of seeking sleeping men to seduce, she was working patiently at this mundane chore, with seeming satisfaction.
"What are you doing here, demoness?" he inquired, materializing beside her.
She turned, annoyed—and did a humanlike double take. "Satan! You have no call on me!"
"I have no interest in you, demoness. All I want is information: why does a creature of your kind associate in a menial capacity with a mixed bag of mortals?"
"I don't have to answer You!"
"Would you prefer that I inquire of one of the mortals? That fair girl in the other chamber, perhaps?"
"Leave her alone, Satan! She's innocent!"
"Then I think you will answer Me," he said grimly. It worked. The succubus knew his power, and feared for her companions. "If I do, will You go?"
"Not only that, I will erase any signs of My visit."
"It's the Llano," she said.
"The Llano!" he exclaimed. "What do you know of the Song of the Fundament?"
"Only that it will free me," she said. "And them. They all want it too. The boys to get off the H, and Jonah to be released from his curse, and Orb—"
He nodded. He knew of the Llano, having searched for parts of it for centuries. It was the ultimate melody of power, carrying magic that reached back into the nature of chaos itself. A minor aspect of it lent magic to his own singing.
Then he realized how this related to Orb. She, too, partook of an aspect of the Llano when she sang. Naturally she wanted more of it, for a person
who could tap into the Llano had the potential to do much more.
His question was answered. The quest for the Llano was indeed what unified this motley group. They were on tour not for money or fame, but to search out the Llano.
That gave him the key to his approach to Orb. He could help her to achieve a portion of the Llano.
There was a noise outside. The others were returning to the fish—or perhaps Jonah had gone to their location to take them in.
Jezebel glanced up in alarm. "Satan, You promised—"
Parry nodded. "You answered, demoness. Now I depart, and you will carry no memory of this interview." He made a gesture, as of nipping something at her.
She jumped, alarmed. Then it hit her, and her expression straightened as he faded out. She had forgotten his visit.
Parry smiled. He had not been sure that a demon who was independent of Hell would react in the same way those within Hell did. Now he knew: he had the same power over outside demons as over inside demons. The power over their belief. He had not performed any magic; he had simply made a gesture, and Jezebel had erased the memory herself, obeying the power she believed he had.
He remained, invisible, just to make sure she was not trying to trick him. In a moment the party boarded. One of them came straight to the kitchen chamber. It was the guitarist. He swept the demoness into his embrace and kissed her ardently, and she responded with complete abandon.
Parry was amazed. Demonesses seldom gave their love, particularly this species, but this one had. He could tell when they were deceiving and when they were true; he had centuries of experience. Certainly Jezebel did not want Satan interfering; she just wanted to be left alone with her lover.
He would leave her alone. He remembered Lilah, who had been true to each of her lovers until they tired of her. He had lost Lilah because he had lost respect for her; he had brought it on himself.