sight, in order to preserve my reason and remember that in all likelihood I had been drugged by the accomplice of a man who was nothing more than a charlatan sorcerer of a very high order.
“Now,” said the Prince of Darkness, “will you not accompany me to Hell, captain?”
“What?” said I. “Am I damned already? And dead?”
Lucifer smiled. “I give you my word that I shall bring you back to this room. If you are uninterested in my bargain, I will allow you to leave the castle unharmed, to go about whatever business you choose.”
“Then why must I come with you to Hell? I have been taught to believe that Satan’s word is in no way to be trusted. That He will use any means to win over an honest soul.”
Lucifer laughed. “And perhaps you are right, captain. Is yours an honest soul?”
“It is not a clean one.”
“But it is, by and large, honest. Yes?”
“You seem to place value on such honesty.”
“Great value, captain. I admit to you freely that I have need of you. You do not prize yourself as highly as I prize you. Perhaps that is also one of your virtues. I am prepared to offer you good terms.”
“But you will not tell me your terms.”
“Not until you have visited Hell. Will you not satisfy your curiosity? Few are able to sample Hell before their time.”
“And the few I have read of, Your Majesty, are usually tricked to return there soon enough.”
“I give you my word, as an angel, that I am not about to trick you, Captain von Bek. I will be candid with you: I cannot afford to trick you. If I gained what I need from you by deception, then what I gained would be useless to me.”
Lucifer offered me His hand.
“Will you descend, with me, to my domain?”
Still I hesitated, not entirely convinced that this was not a complicated and sophisticated enchantment wholly of human origin.
“Can you not bargain with me here?” I said.
“I could. But when the bargain was struck—if it was struck—and when we had parted, would you remain truly certain that you had negotiated with Lucifer?”
“I suppose that I would not. Even now I think that I could be in some kind of drugged glamour.”
“You would not be the first to decide that an encounter with me had been nothing but a dream. As a rule it would be immaterial to me whether you decided you had experienced an illusion or were utterly sure that you had enjoyed a meeting with the Prince of Darkness. But I am anxious to prove myself to you, captain.”
“Why should Lucifer care?”
A trembling of old Pride. Almost a glare of anger. Then it was gone. “Be assured, captain,” replied Lucifer in deep, urgent tones, “that on this occasion I do care.”
“You must be clearer with me, Your Majesty,” It was all that I could do to utter even this simple phrase.
He exerted patience. “I cannot prove myself to you here. As you doubtless know, I am largely forced to use humankind for my purposes on Earth, being forbidden direct influence over God’s creations, unless they seek me out. I am anxious to do nothing further in defiance of God. I yearn for freedom, von Bek.” His copper eyes showed a more intense version of the pain I had observed in Sabrina’s. “I once thought I could achieve it. And yet I know now that I cannot have it. Therefore, I wish to be restored.”
“To Heaven, Your Majesty?” I was astonished.
“To Heaven, Captain von Bek.”
Lucifer applying for a return to Grace! And suggesting that somehow I could be His agent in effecting this! If this were indeed a spell, a trance, it was a most intriguing one.
I was able to say: “Would that not produce the abolition of Hell, the end of Pain in the world?”
“You have been taught to believe that.”
“Is it not true?”
“Who knows, Captain von Bek? I am only Lucifer. I am not God.”
His fingers touched mine.
Unconsciously, I had stretched my hand towards Him.
His voice was a throb of pleading, of persuasion. “Come, I beg thee. Come.”
It was
“Now,” said the Prince of Darkness, “will you not accompany me to Hell, captain?”
“What?” said I. “Am I damned already? And dead?”
Lucifer smiled. “I give you my word that I shall bring you back to this room. If you are uninterested in my bargain, I will allow you to leave the castle unharmed, to go about whatever business you choose.”
“Then why must I come with you to Hell? I have been taught to believe that Satan’s word is in no way to be trusted. That He will use any means to win over an honest soul.”
Lucifer laughed. “And perhaps you are right, captain. Is yours an honest soul?”
“It is not a clean one.”
“But it is, by and large, honest. Yes?”
“You seem to place value on such honesty.”
“Great value, captain. I admit to you freely that I have need of you. You do not prize yourself as highly as I prize you. Perhaps that is also one of your virtues. I am prepared to offer you good terms.”
“But you will not tell me your terms.”
“Not until you have visited Hell. Will you not satisfy your curiosity? Few are able to sample Hell before their time.”
“And the few I have read of, Your Majesty, are usually tricked to return there soon enough.”
“I give you my word, as an angel, that I am not about to trick you, Captain von Bek. I will be candid with you: I cannot afford to trick you. If I gained what I need from you by deception, then what I gained would be useless to me.”
Lucifer offered me His hand.
“Will you descend, with me, to my domain?”
Still I hesitated, not entirely convinced that this was not a complicated and sophisticated enchantment wholly of human origin.
“Can you not bargain with me here?” I said.
“I could. But when the bargain was struck—if it was struck—and when we had parted, would you remain truly certain that you had negotiated with Lucifer?”
“I suppose that I would not. Even now I think that I could be in some kind of drugged glamour.”
“You would not be the first to decide that an encounter with me had been nothing but a dream. As a rule it would be immaterial to me whether you decided you had experienced an illusion or were utterly sure that you had enjoyed a meeting with the Prince of Darkness. But I am anxious to prove myself to you, captain.”
“Why should Lucifer care?”
A trembling of old Pride. Almost a glare of anger. Then it was gone. “Be assured, captain,” replied Lucifer in deep, urgent tones, “that on this occasion I do care.”
“You must be clearer with me, Your Majesty,” It was all that I could do to utter even this simple phrase.
He exerted patience. “I cannot prove myself to you here. As you doubtless know, I am largely forced to use humankind for my purposes on Earth, being forbidden direct influence over God’s creations, unless they seek me out. I am anxious to do nothing further in defiance of God. I yearn for freedom, von Bek.” His copper eyes showed a more intense version of the pain I had observed in Sabrina’s. “I once thought I could achieve it. And yet I know now that I cannot have it. Therefore, I wish to be restored.”
“To Heaven, Your Majesty?” I was astonished.
“To Heaven, Captain von Bek.”
Lucifer applying for a return to Grace! And suggesting that somehow I could be His agent in effecting this! If this were indeed a spell, a trance, it was a most intriguing one.
I was able to say: “Would that not produce the abolition of Hell, the end of Pain in the world?”
“You have been taught to believe that.”
“Is it not true?”
“Who knows, Captain von Bek? I am only Lucifer. I am not God.”
His fingers touched mine.
Unconsciously, I had stretched my hand towards Him.
His voice was a throb of pleading, of persuasion. “Come, I beg thee. Come.”
It was
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