Short Stories by Robert A. Heinlein Vol 2 Part 173

Royce picked Out the sabbat, though I could see nothing until we let the ground come up to meet us and proceeded on foot. Then there was light and form. Ahead of us, perhaps a quarter of a mile away, was an eminence surmounted by a great throne which glowed red through the murky air. I could not make out clearly the thing seated there, but I knew it was himself' - our ancient enemy.

We were no longer alone. Life - sentient, evil undeadness - boiled around us and fogged the air and crept out of the ground. The ground itself twitched and pulsated as we walked over it. Faceless things sniffed and nibbled at our heels.

We were aware of unseen presences about us in the fog-shot gloom: beings that squeaked, grunted, and sn.i.g.g.e.red; voices that were s...o...b..ring whimpers, that sucked and retched and bleated.

They seemed vaguely disturbed by our presence - Heaven knows that I was terrified by them! - for I could hear them flopping and shuffling out of our path, then closing cautiously in behind, as they bleated warnings to one another.

A shape floundered into our path and stopped, a shape with a great bloated head and moist, limber arms. Back!' it wheezed. Go back! Candidates for witchhood apply on the lower level.' It did not speak English, but the words were clear.

Royce smashed it in the face and we stamped over it, its chalky bones crunching underfoot. It pulled itself together again, whining its submission, then scurried out in front of us and thereafter gave us escort right up to the great throne.

That's the only way to treat these beings,' Joe whispered in my ear. Kick em in the teeth first, and they'll respect you.' There was a clearing before the throne which was crowded with black witches, black magicians, demons in every foul guise, and lesser unclean things. On the left side the cauldron boiled. On the right some of the company were partaking of the witches' feast. I turned my head away from that. Directly before the throne, as custom calls for, the witches' dance was being performed for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the Goat. Some dozens of men and women, young and old, comely and hideous, cavorted and leaped in impossible acrobatic adagio.

The dance ceased and they gave way uncertainly before us as we pressed up to the throne. What's this? What's this?' came a husky, phlegm-filled voice. It's my little sweetheart! Come up and sit beside me, my sweet! Have you come at last to sign my compact?'

Jedson grasped my arm; I checked my tongue.

I'll stay where I am,' answered Amanda in a voice crisp with contempt. As for your compact, you know better.'

Then why are you here? And why such odd companions.' He looked down at us from the vantage of his throne, slapped hairy thigh and laughed immoderately. Royce stirred and muttered; his grandfather's head chattered in wrath. Seraphhi spat.

Jedson and Amanda put their heads together for a moment, then she answered, By the treaty with Adam, I claim the right to examine.

He chuckled, and the little devils around him covered their ears. You claim privileges here? With no compact?'

Your customs,' she answered sharply.

Ah yes, the customs! Since you invoke them, so let it be. And whom would you examine?'

I do not know his name. He is one of your demons who has taken improper liberties outside your sphere.'

One of my demons, and you know not his name? I have seven million demons, my pretty. Will you examine them one by one, or all together?' His sarcasm was almost the match of her contempt.

All together.'

Never let it be said that I would not oblige a guest. If you will go forward - let me see - exactly five months and three days, you will find my gentlemen drawn up for inspection.'

I do not recollect how we got there. There was a great, brown plain, and no sky.

Drawn up in military order for review by their evil lord were all the fiends of the Half World, legion on legion, wave after wave. The Old One was attended by his cabinet; Jedson pointed them out to me - Lucifuge, the prime minister;

Sataniacha, field marshal; Beelzebub and Leviathan, wing commanders; Ashtoreth,

Abaddon, Mammon, Theutus, Asmodeus, and Incubus, the Fallen Thrones. The seventy princes each commanded a division, and each remained with his command, leaving only the dukes and the thrones to attend their lord, Satan Mekratrig.

He himself still appeared as the Goat, but his staff took every detestable shape they fancied. Asmodeus sported three heads, each evil and each different, rising out of the hind quarters of a swollen dragon. Mammon resembled, very roughly, a particularly repulsive tarantula. Ashtoreth I cannot describe at all. Only the

Incubus affected a semblance of human form, as the only vessel adequate to display his lecherousness.

The Goat glanced our way. Be quick about it,' he demanded. We are not here for your amus.e.m.e.nt.'

Amanda ignored him, but led us towards the leading squadron. Come back!' he bellowed. And indeed we were back; our steps had led us no place. You ignore the custom. Hostages first!'

Amanda bit her lip. Admitted,' she retorted, and consulted briefly with Royce and Jedson. I caught Royce's answer to some argument.

Since I am to go,' he said, it is best that I choose my companion, for reasons that are sufficient to me. My grandfather advises me to take the youngest. That one, of course, is Fraser.'

What's this?' I said when my name was mentioned. I had been rather pointedly left out of all the discussions, but this was surely my business.

Royce wants you to go with him to smell out Ditworth,' explained Jedson.

And leave Amanda here with these fiends? I don't like it.'

I can look out for myself, Archie,' she said quietly. If Dr Worthington wants you, you can help me most by going with him.'

What is this hostage stuff?'

Having demanded the right of examination,' she explained, you must bring back

Ditworth - or the hostages are forfeit.'

Jedson spoke up before I could protest. Don't be a hero, son. This is serious.

You can serve us all best by going. If you two don't come back, you can bet that they'll have a fight on their hands before they claim their forfeit!'

I went. Worthington and I had hardly left them before I realized acutely that what little peace of mind I had came from the nearness of Amanda. Once out of her immediate influence the whole mind-twisting horror of the place and its grisly denizens. .h.i.t me. I felt something rub against my ankles and nearly jumped out of my shoes. But when I looked down I saw that Seraphin, Amanda's cat, had chosen to follow me. After that things were better with me.

Royce a.s.sumed his dog pose when we came to the first rank of demons. He first handed me his grandfather's head. Once I would have found that mummified head repulsive to touch; it seemed a friendly, homey thing here. Then he was down on all fours, scalloping in and out of the ranks of infernal warriors. Seraphin scampered after him, paired up and hunted with him. The hound seemed quite content to let the cat do half the work, and I have no doubt he was justified. I walked as rapidly as possible down the aisles between adjacent squadrons while the animals cast out from side to side.

It seems to me that this went on for many hours, certainly so long that fatigue changed to a wooden automatism and horror died down to a dull unease. I learned not to look at the eyes of the demons, and was no longer surprised at any outre shape.

Squadron by squadron, division by division, we combed them, until at last, coming up the left wing, we reached the end. The animals had been growing increasingly nervous. When they had completed the front rank of the leading squadron, the hound trotted up to me and whined. I suppose he sought his grandfather, but I reached down and patted his head.

Don't despair, old friend,' I said, we have still these.' I motioned towards the generals, princes all, who were posted before their divisions. Coming up from the rear as we had, we had yet to examine the generals of the leading divisions on the left wing. But despair already claimed me; what were half a dozen possibilities against an eliminated seven million?

The dog trotted away to the post of the nearest general, the cat close beside him, while I followed as rapidly as possible. He commenced to yelp before he was fairly up to the demon, and I broke into a run. The demon stirred and commenced to metamorphose. But even in this strange shape there was something familiar about it. Ditworth!' I yelled, and dived for him.

I felt myself buffeted by leather wings, raked by claws. Royce came to my aid, a dog no longer, but two hundred pounds of fighting Negro. The cat was a ball of fury, teeth, and claws. Nevertheless, we would have been lost, done in completely, had not an amazing thing happened. A demon broke ranks and shot towards us. I sensed him rather than saw him, and thought that he had come to succour his master, though I had been a.s.sured that their customs did not permit it. But he helped us - us, his natural enemies - and attacked with such vindictive violence that the gauge was turned to our favour.

Suddenly it was all over. I found myself on the ground, clutching at not a demon prince but Ditworth in his pseudo- human form - a little mild businessman, dressed with restrained elegance, complete to briefcase, spectacles, and thinning hair.

Take that thing off me,' he said testily. That thing' was grandfather, who was clinging doggedly with toothless gums to his neck.

Royce spared a hand from the task of holding Ditworth and resumed possession of his grandfather. Seraphin stayed where he was, claws dug into our prisoner's leg.

The demon who had rescued us was still with us. He had Ditworth by the shoulders, talons dug into their bases. I cleared my throat and said, I believe we owe this to you-' I had not the slightest notion of the proper thing to say.

I think the situation was utterly without precedent.