Rise of the Beast (41 page)

Bedillia spoke of the function that the demons were serving—food for ACs. Though Lenar seemed mildly amused by the concept, it made Abaddon cringe.

“That is a problem,” confirmed Abaddon. “I take it that Tim isn’t negotiable on the issue of releasing them.”

“Not likely,” said Bedillia. “I’m not even sure if it would be a wise move on his part.”

“Catch 22,” noted Kurt.

“Pretty much,” replied Bedillia. “And right now, I can’t think of a way around it.”

“Catch 22?” asked Abaddon.

“A no-win situation,” replied Bedillia. “I can’t tell you, given his situation, that I wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

“I will have to think on it,” said Abaddon. “I suspect that there is a solution.”

“In the meantime, we can continue to build a relationship with them,” noted Bedillia. “Despite a rough start yesterday, he was quite a gracious host this time. I want to continue talks with them tomorrow. Tim and Megan have granted me permission to gate directly into their quarters.”

“I will allow it, said Abaddon. “However, I will want a daily report on your progress. Indeed, I want you to give a full report to the council following each meeting, starting with the one you had today.”

“Of course,” replied Bedillia.

And so the negotiations began. It was only three days later that Tim and Megan came through the ring with Bedillia on a tour of Refuge. Tim’s attitude was changing. They were winning him over. All the while, Abaddon pondered a way to give Tim the same level of security that they enjoyed. Still, a solution avoided him. How could he place Tim’s community under his protection without jeopardizing the treaty with the demons? It was a thorny topic indeed.

In three weeks they would be meeting with Cordon and his committee once more. That was, assuming that the committee would convene again. He had heard nothing from Cordon since the return of General Krell. That as much as anything would impact how he would solve the problem of the captive demons.

It had been several weeks since Cordon had last been in Satan’s old audience chamber. General Krell had taken it over upon his arrival. Cordon had been given but a few minutes to gather up his things and vacate the premises. On that day, Cordon had ceased to be the master of Hell. He had been given Governor Molock’s old position as administrator of the region of Hell that included the Valley of Noak. It was a figurehead position, really. Still, it gave Cordon and Rolf time to work on their prototype of a new generation of teleporter rings. They had made significant progress.

Cordon had been surprised when he was summoned to General Krell’s audience chamber. He was apprehensive as he awaited Krell in the anteroom. He had been kept waiting for over an hour before one of General Krell’s aids conducted him into the presence of the lord of Hell.

In a way, General Krell did not fit the mold of so many of the other minions of Satan. He took the appearance of a middle-aged man with great bat wings. He appeared rugged, yet handsome, in his own unique way. He had a long reputation of being very unemotional and very slow to anger, not at all like Satan.

As Cordon entered his chamber, he found it little changed. It was practically empty, an indeed Spartan environment. Krell did not even look up to acknowledge Cordon’s presence. He sat on a simple, black metal chair that acted as his throne, and seemed engrossed in a document that Cordon recognized as the one he had composed at General Krell’s request, a report on his two-plus years of service as Hell’s chief administrator.

At Krell’s side was his lieutenant, a rather innocuous minion by the name of Min. Cordon didn’t know too much about Min. He had been returned to Hell following his judgment by the saints. Like all of Satan’s minions, he had been found guilty. Right now, Cordon felt like a defendant standing before the judge for sentencing.

Krell placed the report on the table to the right side of his throne. “So you discovered the exact location of the rebel base, but you have not moved against them? Indeed, you have developed a cooperative relationship with them.”

“That is correct, my lord,” confirmed Cordon.

“It says here that you have been involved in active peace negotiations with them for nearly two years now and that you have made progress to those ends.”

“Yes, my lord,” said Cordon, his tone totally without emotion.

“And you thought this wise?” asked Krell.

Cordon did not hesitate in his response. “Yes, my lord. Under the circumstances, I thought it to be the best course of action. We needed their help in solving a grave problem of mutual concern.”

“Yes,” said Krell, “a problem that their own actions precipitated.”

“That is true,” admitted Cordon. “However, it might be noted that we were at war at the time.”

There was a long pause. Krell gazed deep into Cordon’s eyes, a gaze that Cordon returned unflinchingly. Then he looked briefly at the stack of papers. “I am not unreasonable, Cordon. Nor am I unfeeling. I bear no ill will toward the humans. I approve of your actions. Under the circumstances, they were prudent. You gave certain assurances of safety to these humans and dark angels of Refuge. You claim that they have lived by the terms of the agreement up to this point.”

“Completely,” assured Cordon. “We have even embarked on several small
ventures of mutual benefit.”

The general nodded approvingly. “And you feel that they had no part in this incident at Noak?”

“I am sure of it,” replied Cordon.

“Very well,” said Krell. “It is my understanding that you have scheduled another round of negotiations to be held just five standard days from now.”

“Yes, my lord,” replied Cordon, who did his best to contain his amazement.

“I wish the negotiations to continue,” replied Krell. “I wish for you to remain our chief negotiator, but you may dismiss our other delegates. I don’t need them. Here I am the law.”

“I understand,” confirmed Cordon.

“I’ve outlined a few things that I wish for you to relate to the human delegation at the negotiations. They are not unreasonable. I do not believe that these humans will object. In essence, it establishes that they are dealing with me and not a committee of my minions. The opinion of our people regarding the worthiness or unworthiness of humans is irrelevant to me. I’ve proposed a procedure by which these humans may win the freedom of others of their kind—those who have (and I believe this was the term you used)
repentant hearts.”

At this Cordon was truly amazed. “I believe that act in itself will make you very popular with the humans and dark angels of Refuge.”

“That is not my intent,” said the general. “My concern is preventing anarchy. I know this was your objective these past two years, though I do not completely agree with your approach. This is not a democracy, Cordon; it never will be. My unconditional rule over Hell is not negotiable. I want it to be understood that I am in charge. However, I am not a tyrant. I am not opposed to granting the humans some degree of autonomy. I am not even opposed to listening to their petitions, so long as they acknowledge the fact that mine is the final word.”

“I am confident that they will be your loyal subjects,” confirmed Cordon.

“I expect nothing less,” said the general. “There is one additional item I wish for you to see to. Find out who was behind the incident at Noak. I want them dealt with and order reestablished. I will give you full authority in this matter and hold you fully responsible for its execution.”

“Of course, my lord,” confirmed Cordon. “I will see to it at once.”

For the first time a slight smile came to the general’s face. “I know you will. You have done a good job of managing things these past two years. I could not have asked for more. Serve me with the same dedication and enthusiasm you have shown up to now, and we will carry this realm into a golden age. Again, well done, you are dismissed.”

Cordon bowed low before his new master and departed from the chamber. He thought of the relief this news would bring to the people of Refuge.

Abaddon, Lenar, Kurt, and Bedillia waited anxiously before the teleportation ring. Cordon had sounded very upbeat over the telesphere. He had spoken of favorable developments.

Cordon and his lieutenant Rolf stepped from the ring and into their presence. They both seemed very pleased with themselves.

Rolf turned to Cordon. “I do believe congratulations are in order,” he announced. “Your new ring worked perfectly.”

The others seemed a bit confused. “New ring?” asked Bedillia.

“Yes,” confirmed Cordon. “Since I no longer have access to Satan’s old audience chamber and his teleportation ring, I was compelled to construct my own. That is how we arrived here.”

“Congratulations,” said Bedillia.

“I have much news,” confirmed Cordon, “good news.”

The group proceeded to Abaddon’s audience chamber, where Cordon told the group of General Krell’s terms. Abaddon and the rest spent 20 minutes looking over the document that outlined the general’s terms. It was relatively short and concise. It was quite reasonable, even generous. It gave them reason for optimism.

“The full council will need to vote on this proposal,” said Abaddon, laying the document aside. “But I believe that I can assure you that we will ratify it. I will not challenge the general’s claims of dominion over this realm. I believe that I can assure you that we will cooperate with him fully.”

“Yes, we will,” confirmed Bedillia.

Cordon smiled. “That is all that the general asks of you. I do believe that he will be pleased.” There was a pause. “We need to move onto another topic. The general has asked me to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the humans and demons in the Valley of Noak. I am certain that you have also launched an investigation into this matter. Am I correct?”

Well, there it was. Bedillia cringed. What were they to do now? Only Abaddon could make that determination.

“You are correct,” confirmed Abaddon. “Furthermore, you will not need to launch an investigation of your own. We have completed our investigation already. We have your answers for you.”

Bedillia looked at Abaddon incredulously. The relative quickness of his response told her that he had indeed arrived at a solution, though she had no idea what form it might take.

Cordon cocked his head in surprise. “Indeed, my friend. Would you be willing to share your findings?”

“Yes,” confirmed Abaddon. “To do anything else would not be an act of good faith. Your original thoughts on the matter were largely correct. Your forces were attacked and quickly overwhelmed by a large group of rogue ACs under the command of an escaped human. It is he, and those that he freed, who are currently holding your people prisoner.”

Bedillia glanced over at Kurt, whose look of astonishment mirrored her own. Could it be possible? Was Abaddon going to sell Tim and his people down the river just to protect Refuge?

Cordon nodded. “How is it that you know these things?”

Abaddon’s eyes seemed very cold. They showed no trace of emotion whatsoever. “Because we encountered them. Indeed, we are in the midst of negotiating with them. I believe that we can secure the release of your people without the need for force of arms. Furthermore, I believe we can intermediate a treaty between your people and theirs. I assure you, they have no aggressive intentions. They only did what they had to do. Now, they simply wish to be left alone. Grant them a small parcel of land within the valley and freedom from persecution, and they will accept the general’s rule, becoming his loyal subjects. Their leader also has something to offer you, beyond the release of your
people. He is currently in control of about half of the ACs in all of Hell. He is willing to command those ACs to cease their attacks on your people and feed only upon the more unrepentant humans of Hell, those too vile to ever be released.”

Bedillia had never seen such an expression of amazement on Cordon’s face. It was clear that he had been unprepared for this revelation. Now it was his move.

“You ask much of me,” he finally replied. “Negotiating such a treaty will be difficult.”

“Think of it this way,” continued Abaddon. “In doing this, you not only recover your missing people, but you do so without spilling a drop of demon blood. You also save much time and effort. You do not need to burden your already overextended forces with the task of guarding additional humans. The humans in question will stay within agreed upon boundaries and will not interfere with the operation of the general’s realm. In addition the problems you have experienced regarding the ACs will end. The general wants to restore order. This does it. If Hell is to enter a golden age of cooperation, as your master desires, this is a good first step. Many years ago, I witnessed a courageous human standing in Satan’s audience chamber. She boldly and very eloquently proposed a plan of cooperation not unlike this one. Satan laughed at her and sentenced her to the Great Sea of Fire. He lost a valuable opportunity that day. Now that opportunity stands before us again. Shall we once more cast it aside?”