And Eternity Part 18

Let's get out of here before we meet you coming in, Jolie thought. She was impressed by Chronos' behavior, but now was not the time to dawdle.

"You do it," Oriene said. "I'm hurting again."

Indeed she was. Jolie resumed control of the body and walked briskly away from the mansion in the direction opposite to the one from which they had approached.

"Tomorrow we can tackle Fate," she said. "But today we had better get established in Satan's residence, so that we have a suitable base for operations."

It was a fair walk, and in this mortal body she was unable to turn a page in the fas.h.i.+on of Gaea to reach her destination instantly, or to fly ghost fas.h.i.+on, so it was afternoon by the time they reached it. Actually, Purgatory did not have days or seasons; time was meaningless here. But they were on Vita's living internal clock, and didn't fight it, thinking of time as they did in the mortal realm.

Satan's domicile, as perceived through their mortal eyes, was impressive, even awesome.

From outside it resembled the most forbidding of castles, with huge stone blocks forming a wall rising to an alarming height, enclosing a cylindrical central turret extending even higher. From the apex extended a pole which branched into a three-tined fork, from which flew a flag with the shape and color of a flame. Outside was a moat on whose surface fire danced, forming fleeting figures of demons who alternately beckoned and made obscene gestures.

Horrible! Orlene thought, though not really shocked.

Great! Vita thought, delighting in naughtiness.

"Isn't it a marvel?" Jolie inquired, pleased. "For centuries Satan's Purgatory residence was unmaintained, and Lucifer's before that, because he had no interest in this region and no und.a.m.ned souls had interest in contacting him. But when I returned to animation as Gaea's companion, I did not deny my connection to Satan. I couldn't go to h.e.l.l on my own, only in her company, because I am not d.a.m.ned, but I wanted to maintain some liaison. So with the permission of the Incarnations of Nature and of Evil, I made a project of renovating the Purgatory Presence in my off moments. I made it a point to include all the cla.s.sical symbols of the Office. When Satan saw it, he laughed so hard he sank through the ground and disappeared."

They walked the path to the moat. Now the flame figures became quite clear, putting on a show for the visitor. Male flames pursued female flames, caught them, and indulged in vigorous acts of fornication.

Appalling!

I wish Roque were here!

The main entry resembled the mouth of a dragon, gaping wide, as if in expectation of excellent prey. Small flames flickered within its dark maw. "Fresh meat!" Jolie called.

The dragon's mouth opened wider. Smoke billowed out. Then a huge red tongue rolled down to extend across the moat, its tip landing at the brink of the path. The flame figures retreated in alarm, except for one couple still engaged in amour. "Drawbridge," Jolie explained. "I gave it the pa.s.sword."

They crossed the drawbridge and approached the giant, ugly portcullis. It resembled enormous teeth projecting down, syrupy saliva dripping from their polished tips. As they pa.s.sed under it, the teeth started down-and stopped, well above head height, after giving Orlene and Vita a scare. "Just a little extra fun," Jolie explained. "The mouth can't close without reprogramming, but it can give entrants a bit of a jolt."

Inside, two little demons appeared. One was male, wearing little trousers with a hole in back for his tail to emerge, the other female, with a skirt and a flamelike bow in her hair. "These are Dee and Dee," Jolie said. "Our poster models, for the lascivious recruitment campaign. They're not really demons, merely borderline d.a.m.ned souls who elected to work here. They were experienced; they'd been in Gaming before they died."

Oh, I've seen them! Vita thought. I remember the billboard with him peeking under the skirt of a luscious woman, and the legend "You Won't Find THAT in Heaven!"

"Yes, that has been one of our most popular numbers, dating from before my restored time," Jolie agreed. "And quite true too; G.o.d doesn't believe in fornication, once a soul has been Saved, so those who are interested in that sort of thing have to see to it as mortals, or in h.e.l.l."

I'm not sure I want to go to Heaven, Vita thought. I mean, bad s.e.x is awful, sure enough, but good s.e.x is great, with the right man. I know Roque's going to Heaven, and if I can't join him there and give him ah even better time than as a mortal, what's the point?

"That's not for the Bride of Satan to say," Jolie said, smiling. They followed Dee and Dee through the castle, getting the introductory tour. There was a central court with a garden of bloodsucking flowers and a pit of fire, with erotic statuary strategically placed. There was an excellent kitchen in which all manner of delicious foods were being prepared. There was a chamber for the storage of wealth, with gold and silver coins piled high, and buckets of gems: faceted diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires of many colors nested in beds of garnets. Pearl necklaces hung on racks, and iridescent opals sat on shelves. "Symbolic of the vices of man," Jolie said. "Gluttony, and greed for money."

But like the stuff in Mock h.e.l.l! Vita thought.

"No, actually these jewels are real. But their threat to man's virtue is the same. Wealth is perhaps Satan's most potent tool for the evocation of the evil that lies in mortals. But they cannot take it with them to the Afterlife, while the evil on their souls does indeed go with them. That is the disastrous nature of the choice they make."

You mean the food here isn't garbage?

"It isn't garbage-but it won't sustain your body, either. However, your body can exist for an indefinite time here in Purgatory, in much the way the souls here do; we don't need to eat."

I don't get it. What happens if we do eat here? ' "The danger, if we were going back and forth between Purgatory and the mortal realm, and only ate here, would be in thinking that it was pointless to eat there when all this excellent free food is available here. The body might feel satisfied, but it would be illusion; it would be running out of sustenance while in the mortal realm. So it is better to eschew the food here and eat only when in the mortal realm: that way natural hunger is a good guide." Too bad. Vita thought sadly.

They settled in the family room. "You should find Purgatory video interesting," Jolie remarked as the screen came on. "But it can be disquieting too."

A neutral announcer appeared. "Two ghosts and a mortal woman have taken up temporary residence in h.e.l.l's Acres," he said. "One ghost is Jolie, the former wife of the man who later a.s.sumed the Office of the Incarnation of Evil: she is unable to visit him in h.e.l.l, though it is rumored that she has found a way to get around that restriction. The other is Oriene, who committed the sin of suicide after losing her baby. Her history is becoming more interesting. She seems to be seeking out each Incarnation in turn, beginning with the nebulous Nox, who may have played an unkind prank on her."

What is this? Oriene demanded.

"The Purgatory News Service is always current and personal," Jolie explained. "It relates to whoever is watching it. So when Thanatos relaxes, he gets news of his doings, and when Gaea watches, she receives news others. I have never quite understood its mode of operation, but its targeting is always perfect."

But it didn't mention me. Vita fussed. "As for the mortal, she is Vita," the announcer said immediately. "She is the fifteen-year-old daughter of Vera, a leading researcher for Luna, the central figure in the approaching confrontation between Good and Evil. Raped by her father, she fled home and was driven to prost.i.tution. Her mother was too upset by her unexplained absence to concentrate, so Luna arranged to have the visiting ghosts animate Vita's body and extricate her from a developing drug habit and life of sin. This was only partially successful: she instead became the mistress of a leading local judge, encouraging him to walk in the path of the unrighteous." That's a lie! Vita thought, furious. Roque's a good man! "The threat of scandal caused the judge to expel her from his residence," the announcer continued, unperturbed. "But her hold on him was too great, and the affair continued. It is difficult to tell at this stage how much harm will be done to the judge's reputation, let alone the balance of evil on his soul."

d.a.m.n! d.a.m.n! Vita thought, rage and pain mixing. I wouldn't hurt Roque for anything! They make it seem so-so sordid!

"Of course, the encouragement of such behavior might have been expected from the Bride of Satan,'' the announcer said smugly. "But it is a mystery why Oriene, a relatively chaste woman at the time of her death, should-"

Turn it off! Oriene thought.

"You mustn't take it too seriously," Jolie said as the screen went blank. "It speaks from a very moralistic view, because Purgatory is the place of moralism, where borderline souls are sorted for destination. Some of us disagree with this att.i.tude, but it is best to be aware of it."

You're right, Orlene thought after a moment. We should hear it through.

Yeah, Vita thought. We shouldn't let it get to us. It's just twisting things.

Jolie turned the screen on again. "... support such mischief," the announcer continued, picking up precisely where cut off. "Now the three of them have taken the extremely unusual step of coming physically to Purgatory and staying at h.e.l.l's Acres. It will be interesting to see what activity they indulge in on the morrow."

Yeah? Well, you'll just have to wait, gossip monger!

Vita thought fiercely.

"But we can tune it in to anyone we wish," Jolie said.

"Ozymandias, for instance."

The dour face of the erstwhile King of Kings appeared. "A greeting, Jolie," he said, recognizing her despite her current host. "Satan is out at the moment. May I take a message?"

"We are borrowing h.e.l.l's Acres while interviewing Incarnations," Jolie said. "Our next interview will be with Fate, and it could be awkward, because one of her Aspects is Orlene's grandmother. Is there anyone there who could give us good advice?"

He frowned. "This really is not the locale for good advice. However, evil advice is available. Here is the Magician."

A new face appeared on the screen: that of an aging, worn man, the set of whose jaw suggested a determination that mere death had not eclipsed. "h.e.l.lo, Jolie; do you know me?"

"You're Luna's father!" Jolie exclaimed. "You spent a lifetime opposing Satan, only to finish in h.e.l.l! What an irony!"

"I did what I had to do," the Magician said. "Black magic is less limited than white magic, and the task was great, so I knowingly garnered evil on my soul in order to serve the greater good. I succeeded in guaranteeing the continued life of my daughter, so that she will be able to balk Satan's final ploy of this sequence, and I am satisfied to pay the price."

"But all that you did was for the cause of Good! To have you confined to h.e.l.l for that-"

"The end does not justify the means. I used unauthorized means. I do not protest my fate."

"I think I'd better put Orlene on," Jolie said. "She was left as a baby, to be adopted by others, and only after her death did she learn of her natural ancestry." She turned the body over to Orlene.

"So you were left as a baby," he remarked, interested. "So was I. It must run in the family."

"Magician, if you are Luna's father, what are you to me?" Orlene asked, fl.u.s.tered.

"I am in a manner your uncle," he replied. "And Luna is in a manner your cousin, despite the differential in your ages. You see, your mother Orb and I had the same mother Niobe, who is now Lachesis, the central Aspect of Fate. Orb and Luna thought of each other as sisters or cousins, but they were of different generations. Orb's parents were Luna's grandparents: Niobe and Pacian. Certainly we are close kin."

"Uncle," Orlene said, fastening on that. "Then you will give me apt advice, though you are d.a.m.ned?"

"I will. What is it you intend to ask of Fate?"

"I need a thread of life, so that my baby's Afterlife can be changed and he will no longer have his malaise."

"You ask for a lot!" the Magician said. "She may be your grandmother, but she will not give you that without excellent reason. You will have to persuade her that it is somehow in me interest of the larger framework to do it."

"But it is only in my personal interest!"

He frowned, thinking. "You ask for this, for your baby? I think she will understand that, having had to leave her own baby and then having seen her daughter leave her baby. You represent the third generation in the family with problems with babies. Perhaps she will be moved." But he did not look confident.

"Thank you. Magician," Orlene said.

"I am glad to have seen you, Orlene, however late."

He clicked off.

The announcer reappeared. "There is an interesting development in the case of Orlene, who it seems is unashamed to contact h.e.l.l itself to-"

The screen went blank as Jolie took over the body. "Why don't we retire now? We don't need to sleep here, but we can if we choose, and I think it would help. We may have a big day tomorrow."

The other two agreed.

Chapter 8 - FATE.

They did sleep, unnecessary as it might be here, and were refreshed in the morning, pointless as that designation might be, here. Then they set out on foot for Fate's Abode.

Jolie was familiar with it, of course, but it was new to the others. It was in the form of a huge spider web, with the residence fas.h.i.+oned like a coc.o.o.n of webbing.

"Fate is a triple ent.i.ty," Jolie reminded them. "I believe that Lachesis would not try to interfere with any person's thread of life for purely personal reasons, and probably neither told the other Aspects which thread yours was nor paid any special attention to it herself. So the chances are that she won't recognize either Orlene or Vita.''

So do we make our ident.i.ties clear at the outset, or wait? Orlene asked.

"I'd better identify myself first, and explain why I'm in a living host," Jolie said. "Then I'll introduce the two of you and turn the body over to Orlene."

They approached the structure, treading carefully on the huge web. Vita had nervous thoughts about big spiders, but Jolie rea.s.sured her: any spiders here were sure to be manifestations of Fate.

Jolie knocked on the web door. The surface yielded and sprang back as her knuckle touched it, but there was a sound, and in a moment the door was opened from inside.

A voluptuous black-haired girl stood there, her l.u.s.trous hair literally sparkling. "Oh, you're not an Incarnation!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"No, I'm Jolie," Jolie said. "In a mortal host. h.e.l.lo, Clotho! Do you have time to-"

"Oh, Jolie! I didn't recognize you, but now I do! No, actually this isn't a good time; we have an emergency and are just about to go to the mortal realm."

Jolie hadn't antic.i.p.ated this. Of course, she couldn't interfere with the business of an Incarnation. Yet it was in her mind, and the minds of her companions, that after this interview they should return to the mortal realm, to eat and to a.s.similate what they had learned. It would be awkward to come here a second time. "Maybe if I state my business quickly?"

The woman blinked into middle age. "Jolie, we really are too pressed for courtesy at the moment. I am sorry."

"I bring your granddaughter, Lachesis."

The Incarnation did a double-take. "Oh, my! Very well, come inside while we prepare. We can talk while I orient on the appropriate threads."

Jolie entered. The Abode inside was fas.h.i.+oned of web also, with floor, walls, ceiling and even furniture all of the grayish material. She turned the body over to Oriene.

"h.e.l.lo, I am Oriene," Oriene said awkwardly. "I lost my baby, and died, and now-"

Lachesis spun on her. "You what?"

"You didn't know?" Oriene asked, taken aback. "I a.s.sumed I was only reminding you."

"My dear, I know nothing of your activities. This is deliberate, so that I will not play favorites with mortal threads. I did know that Jolie was keeping track of you, and though she a.s.sociates with Satan, she also a.s.sociates with your mother, who likewise does not follow your activities. We have been satisfied that Jolie would notify us if something important came up in your case, and I a.s.sumed that this visit represented such a notification. But-you died?'

"Yes. When my baby died, I-I committed suicide. I realize I shouldn't have, but-"

Lachesis plumped into a chair, appalled. "I hoped I had misheard or misunderstood. Where was Jolie while this was going on?"

' 'She was observing a candidate for a future Incarnation, and I was doing well-there was no indication, because it happened fairly quickly, and-"

"So now she brought you here, in an effort to make up for the oversight that allowed you to die?"

"I don't blame her!" Oriene exclaimed. "I was responsible for what I did. Now she is helping me seek my baby, and I thank her for that."

Lachesis paused, as if listening to an inner voice. Then she stood. "I can see this is going to be complicated, but we really are busy, and can't take the time to investigate your thread. We shall simply have to take you along with us and discuss your situation as we go." She made a curious motion with her hand, and a length of thread flung out, la.s.soing Oriene. "This will keep you close; don't be concerned if strange things happen."

"Oh, I have already seen some pretty strange-" Oriene started. But she broke off as Lachesis became a huge spider.

The spider jumped through the wall of the Abode-and Oriene followed, drawn by the thread. There was no jerk or vertigo, just an abrupt change of setting, as they pa.s.sed through the wall without resistance and hovered over a giant tapestry in another chamber. The tapestry was fas.h.i.+oned of many thousands of brightly colored threads, and each of these followed its own course without regard to the patterning of the tapestry as a whole. Yet, overall, it was a marvelously unified construction, and beautiful in its variety and depth.

"This is the Tapestry of Life," Lachesis explained.

"We are about to search out several particular threads, each of which represents the life of one mortal person." They floated down-and instead of landing on the Tapestry, they approached it as if from an enormous distance, and it seemed to grow larger with changing perspective.

Awed by this vision, Orlene for the moment forgot her own quest. "If I may inquire-what is the emergency you are in? I thought Fate controlled the destiny of all things, so would be the last to suffer a problem."