Tempted by K.M. Liss Page A

and
unfortunately there are many small minded in my charge.
    He had never understood the torturing of the
pathetic souls who had fallen from grace. It was like plucking the
wings from a half dead butterfly, which lay helpless on the ground.
Pointless and unfulfilling. A pastime only to be indulged in, by
those with very little imagination.
    Uvall shifted his stance, leaning on his arm
against the stone doorpost. He had higher interests filling his
thoughts. He imagined the pleasures open to his brethren after
their coming.
    This underworld was nothing more than his
prison. The shackles of heat, despair, and pain. It was Hell in
every sense of the word. Devoid of beauty and of pleasure. The
upper echelons were much better. Cooler, more luxurious and quiet.
But Hell wasn't a place of comfort. It was unfortunate he was bound
to live in it for all eternity. Unlike the creatures swarming the
caverns, Uvall was a man of taste. He liked the finer things in
life. And there was nothing fine in the depths of Hell.
    He left his cell doorway and walked to the
adjacent stair, descending, and crossing the busy space before the
fiery pool. “Out of the way, you fools,” he boomed.
    The imps in his path received a kick of his
foot if their departure was not swift enough, and they yelped and
scurried away. He stood on the side of the pit, the heat of the
fire scorching his skin, casting his razor-sharp blue eyes around
the edge, until he found his first lieutenant.
    Ah, there he was.
    He smiled to himself. The little demon
was idly swinging his legs, toasting them, just inches above the
pool, the flames licking at his ankles. Xonil possessed an
extraordinary ability to withstand extreme heat. Uvall was sure he
could take a bath in the fiery pool, and survive the ordeal
unscathed, if he chose.
    “ Xonil, our Lord has spoken.
It's soon time to rise,” Uvall called out to him. “Awaken the
Legatus, ask them to dress and lead them to Infamy, and quickly.”
He raised his voice loudly, so as to be heard above the incessant
hum of the agonized moaning, a few feet below. Xonil stood and
bowed his head in greeting.
    “ Yes, Master, right away,” he
answered loudly.
    Uvall turned and stalked off on his muscular
legs, to await his Lord's instruction in the unhallowed Hall of
Infamy.
    As he made his way up the wide stone-stepped
channel to the upper echelons, his mind focused itself. If he
hadn't misread the importance of this meeting in Bael's tone, he
could be on the upper surface very soon.
    Maybe as soon as tomorrow?
    He craved some excitement. A visit to the
realities would be more than welcome. It had been quite a while
since he'd set foot on the surface. Bael did not allow too frequent
visits. He kept Hell inside Hell where he could control it
properly.
    The human world tempted him
with its unique pleasures. He wanted to taste food in his mouth
again and drink raw whiskey ― to indulge in a spot of gambling, perhaps ― and of course,
women. How he loved human women. He'd have his fill of all of that
when he could spare himself from his duties.
    And perhaps during my duties as well.
    He chuckled happily.
    It was one of the benefits of rank. Being
able to do as he pleased. And, of course, he held very high
rank.
    He was one of the fifty nobles of the
Underworld. One of the six cavern ruling dukes, alongside Vepar,
Shax, Biffrons, Stolas and Naberius.
    And even more importantly, he was but one
small step away, from being third in line to the throne of the
Underworld, preceded only by the two dark princes, Mammon and
Lucifer.
     
    It seemed the time had arrived at last. How
long they had awaited this fine moment. Uvall was more than ready
to sweep the earth in the first phase of its enlightenment. There
had been many battles for power in the realities before. Many times
he had been called to action on behalf of his Lord. But they were
minor disputes compared to this day. This was a new dawn, a new
age, and soon it would be a new world.
    Uvall