Hurt of Darkness, or Lighten Up! (Circles in Hell Book 11) by Hurt of Darkness or Lighten Up (epub)

Author:Hurt of Darkness, or Lighten Up (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER 7

Waiting Game

“W hat’s taking them so long?” Satan grumbled.

Satan and Beelzebub were cooling their heels in the dressing room. The Earl of Hell was chewing nervously on one claw, while his left hoof tapped the floor at a jackhammer pace.

“They’re judging, of course. Judging takes time, and will you stop with the foot? You’re setting my teeth on edge.”

With an effort, Satan ceased his tapping.

Beezy exhaled heavily. “Thank you. Let’s talk about something else. I could give you an update on what’s going on downstairs.”

Satan looked at him with feigned interest. “Anything to report?”

“Not really. Same old, same old.”

“What about the departmental annual reports? The deadline I gave the princes is coming up. Have any come in yet?”

“Only mine. Leviathan and Belphegor are busy with the contest, and you know what huge procrastinators Asmodeus and Mammon are.”

“What about the sulfur mine? Are the workers meeting their quotas?”

“Close enough. They’re damned, you know. They’re supposed to miss their goal. Still, the sulfur reserves are as high as they’ve ever been.”

Satan yawned. “This is a pretty boring report.”

His friend shrugged. “It’s a boring time to be in Hell right now. Except for the Damned, of course. All the action is up here.”

The report over, the two went back to staring at each other. “Seen any good movies?” Beezy ventured.

“No. Next topic.”

“I’m fresh out. Let’s go back to staring.”

After two more hours, Satan stood. “I can’t stand this anymore. I’m going out. I may not be able to leave Gates Level while the contest is underway, but I don’t have to stay confined here.”

Beezy got to his feet and did a few stretches to get out the kinks. “Good idea. When they’re ready for you, I’m sure they’ll hunt you down. I think I’ll head downstairs and give Mammon and Asmodeus a nudge. Can I bring you anything?”

“Maybe a few Harlequin romances from my stash. Pull some of my Fabio’s, would you?” Satan was a fan of bodice rippers, though he did not advertise the fact. Beelzebub knew all about his friend’s guilty pleasure. Beezy also knew the secret place in Satan’s office where the books were kept.

There was an explosion, followed by a mushroom cloud. By the time the latter cleared, Beelzebub was gone.

Satan coughed on the sulfurous smoke. “He should know better than that. This room is far too small for his signature disappearing act.”

Victory Village was quiet. Satan got a corn dog from a street vendor and strolled down Demiurge Drive, window shopping. He stopped in surprise when he saw Steve Minion standing under a street sign, talking on his phone. With an effort of will, Satan did not hiss. Instead, he waited until Steve got off the phone.

Steve nodded once to whomever was on the other end of the line. The call over, he put the phone in his pocket. That’s when he saw the Lord of Hell glowering at him. “What?” Steve asked.

“What are you doing out here, Minion? Don’t you have some judging to do?”

“We’re taking a break.

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