IX.
As the dense fog was sluggishly lifting over the cold waters of a creek he was following, Cocytus' desolation came into view. While travelling to Antarctica had been fun, a cruise on the Silver Cloud during February with sun, immoderate amounts of hot lava stone cooked steaks, an exquisite one-thousand-feet-suite almost always immersed in the sunlight of the long summer days, heaps of entertainment and more than willing humans at the outdoor bar next to the warm swimming pool, this was as opposed to it as it could get: a dark, tundra-like desert garnished with nothing more than ice rain and solitude. The snow-covered landscape went on forever, only once in a while interrupted by some small plants grouping together, almost huddling, trying to withstand the many howling winds and extreme low temperatures.
Arctic winter.
If it were the Arctic, there would have been an aurora borealis to admire, or the Northern Sky with its beautiful twinkling stars that would make even the purest diamonds blush in envy.
His creations! He missed them even more than in Los Angeles. Not being able to see them, made the longing even worse. He swallowed the bitter taste on his tongue.
This landscape had nothing to offer but wandering, dim grey clouds. Hell frozen over. Not even a growling thunderstorm… Lightning strike would have been massive entertainment!
The Devil had little time to acclimatize to the harsh conditions and was almost grateful the winds hadn't peaked. The windchill factor in Cocytus was something else. Much, much worse than in Whistler. Temperatures could drop by forty degrees Celsius when a snowstorm roared, and visibility would make it impossible to see one's own claws. To the improperly dressed that would cause immediate frostbite. Lucifer Morningstar could feel the icy air freezing the blood in his wings, the soft glowing white the only source of light. He kept himself flying close to the ground, one of his hellhound chasing after him. It was probably an ill attempt to stay hidden while covering as much territory as possible. The small creek had disappeared, and he followed a glacier, the only clear landmark at this desolate frontier of his kingdom. It meandered in a valley, forming ice caves. Possible hiding spaces of that defying demon he needed to punish asap.
Lucifer gritted his teeth. The feet started to feel the chilly environment, too. When he had been to Ushuaia and the Southern Sandwich Islands, they were protected by thick merino socks, thin cotton ones inside, and sturdy boots on top. His current boots were not made for this climate. Another reason why he wasn't travelling on foot. Determination had to suffice as additional insulation.
Although Lucifer had taken good care of covering almost every part of his devilish physique; a thick ski mask protected all but his eyes, thin gloves were inside his thick leather ones and hid the claws - he was dressed in many layers but his red skin was much more sensitive. The continuous pain just made him hate Dromos even more.
The hound was growling after picking up a scent. He decided to check out the large cave the loyal company had discovered, panting at his side.
Faintly reminding him of the mirror gallery of Versailles, the high walls on both sides of him were glittering in his wing's light. Versailles… or had it been Herrenchiemsee where he seduced a pretty blonde tourist with Sauterne and sweet words? A l'ancienne mode! They had sneaked back in at night after a candlelight concert and used the parade bed for more pleasurable things, including a petit couvert. A human lifetime ago, and it had definitely been Versailles. He had remarked that she had probably been the first woman in that bed ever as not even the French queens were allowed there.
Busy with reminiscence, Lucifer didn't pay attention to the crack on the left wall opening into a broader fissure and the ice above shifting just enough to close the part off through which he had entered. He resumed his walk to the other side of the cave where he sensed something not belonging to this place while his large hellhound barked loudly. Curiosity had always been his weakness, and so he followed Garm.
Taking large steps, the Devil stumbled over a white Koguhpuk before he ordered his companion to heel.
"So what brings you here?", he murmured, more speaking to himself than to the creature. "I certainly didn't." The animal gaped at him, not acknowledging the superiority of the Devil or intruding his realm. It hissed, trumpeted, and slashed at his wings with its trunk. Lucifer flapped and held them out of reach of the large feet but didn't back off.
"I see. You don't like them. Too bright for you?", he growled, and the ice walls shook and cracked from the low tune. "Well, I suggest you return from where you came from. I don't need any mammoth-hybrids running free in Hell." Another wormhole to Earth. It wasn't likely but nonetheless possible that an Inuit came back from Hell and told his folks about it. He needed to fix this.
"Off you go!" Lucifer shooed the creature with his gloved claws. It wasn't very impressed but flapped its ears and trumpeted in response.
"Oh, for Dad's sake! Stay away! I almost got your mucus on my jacket. You are worse than a small human, Dumbo!" Now he was annoyed. He expanded his wings to their maximum length and almost reached the icy walls. The mammal retreated several steps but trumpeted, again. The frozen walls didn't take the vocal dispute well and cracked further.
"See what you have done? Destroying my place. My place! Not yours!" The Devil's eyes glowed ruby red and he took two steps toward the furry Inuit nightmare. "Go home!" He let his demonic voice fill the whole long hallway and rushed towards the beast wings held high and moving his arm wildly to scare it away. The Koguhpuk finally knuckled under, turned around, and trampled into a smaller cave where Lucifer found more traces of the beast. Meanwhile the larger hallway collapsed completely.
"Marvelous! Just bloody marvelous!"
For now the only option was following the animal fleeing him. The cave led to another gallery and after a little while he surfaced on a landscape, where he could actually appreciate his creation above.
He was on Earth again, the second time within three twilights. How was it possible that the frontier between the realms had turned into a Swiss cheese? Into a Dad forsaken Emmental! A Gruyere would be easier to fix. He inhaled, taking in the fresh, cold air and looked and used all his other senses for clues. No demon had found this place, apparently. There were two red buildings on the horizon. Perhaps a scientific station, or worse, military? Lucifer's curiosity spiked, but concern took over. The first hole had been in a backyard and now this one was also in reach of humans? And then mythological creatures appeared out of thin air. Or ancestral, supposedly extinct ones.
This was bad. Really bad.
The Devil's will made the cave collapse and disappear for good. He hid his wings immediately after, not wanting to draw any attention right now. He needed to make some reconnaissance and stay incognito for as long as possible.
Adjusting ski mask, gloves, and hood, he stalked towards the distant constructions. The temperature was similar to Cocytus, so he assumed he was somewhere around the Arctic Circle, but on which continent? Greenland or Siberia were less populated than Alaska. He needed to know where he was and why there were these gaps, holes or tears between the worlds.
Without using his wings it took him almost two hours getting to the station. Lucifer was somewhat relieved it didn't military but like a plain science base. When he approached it, he was greeted by a couple of LiteTrax vehicles and more than a dozen dogs which howled and then whimpered when they picked up the presence of the large hellhound. Luckily, he found some goggles to cover his eyes before two alerted men with beards showed up.
They shouted, something Lucifer heard with relief. Canadian and Italian accents. It was most likely the Northern Hemisphere and very much civil.
"Hello scientists!" He opened his arms and continued walking towards them, the hellhound at his heels.
"Good evening! I am Lucifer. Morningstar. Such a pleasure to meet you. I do hope you have something stiff to warm myself up. Not really used to these temperatures, I'm afraid."
Both men frowned, taken by surprise, but invited him in. The huge black dog, almost doubling the size of the malamutes whose appearance it had taken, remained at the door when Lucifer ordered it to stay.
Warmth surrounded him. Just what he needed.
"I hope you forgive me for not taking my clothes off just yet. It has been freezing and I rather had you and me warming up slowly. So, do tell. Where are we?"
The bearded hulk in front of him stared at him. The Devil was taller than him, the apparent lumber jack was probably over two meters tall and surprised by not being the largest man in a group-
"Don't you know where you are?"
"I just said that. Is your clothing preventing you from hearing?"
"This is PEARL." The much smaller Italian in a flashy red down anorak replied.
"What do I do with that? Be more explicit. This is certainly no climate to grow pearl oysters." He rubbed his gauntlets and stomped to get rid of the snow on his boots.
"This is an atmospheric research station." The Canadian answered, offering Lucifer a seat at the table. "Care for a coffee?"
"Very much, indeed. Can it be spiked?" His voice became genuinely friendly. Coffee two days in a row! This was almost the Silver City!
"With rum?"
"If you must. I'd very much prefer an Irish Coffee, but I shall take whatever you have. I gather you don't get supplies very often, do you?"
"Every couple of months."
"We are quite off from civilization I reckon." He folded his hands, making them rest on top of his crossed legs, elegantly as if he were still in his angelic form and wearing a tailored lambswool coat instead of having a rather massive body and a cumbersome leather getup on top of it.
The two men looked at each other before staring bewildered at their guest.
"You could say that. What brings you here? You are far away from the British Isles. The next settlement is Eureka on Ellesmere Island." the Canadian demanded to know.
"A good hunt. You haven't met a fellow named Dromos by any chance?" The Devil answered cheery. He was sure that the usurper hadn't resurfaced on Earth, but it was wise to ask.
"No. Strange name. Just as yours. Nicknames?" The Italian narrowed his eyes.
"Dromos? In a manner of speaking. Mom always called me her Lightbringer, though. Perfectly legalized in California." He chuckled. "But do tell, what are you doing here? Just looking at the clouds? Probably not." He was stalling, looking for an excuse to stay a bit longer. He liked talking to any random human if alcohol was involved. More so if an interesting chat came along. He felt the need to treat himself a little longer.
"That would be too easy. But as a hunter you might not be interested." The Italian interceded, while taking off his Ferrari red anorak.
"I am hunting, but not a hunter. Don't underestimate me, my new Italian friend. I am interested in everything between Heaven and Hell. Do you have any upbeat music? It has been quite a while since I heard some." Millenia, that was!
"So you are from California? You have quite the Queen's English going for you." The Canadian's voice was soothing and a full bass. The man had gotten rid of his red outdoor gear as well, and it seemed he did a lot of workout although he looked like he was chopping wood for a living because of how the plaid fleece shirt fit him. Lucifer would have indulged in those arms a long time ago but now he just admired the fine human specimen.
"No. I just resided there for about nine years. Had an outstanding nightclub if you must know and consulted for the local police. But I do intend to return. Much nicer climate for my sore skin and bones. And better booze!" He downed the steaming cup of coffee and handed the empty to his host. "But first I must find and punish Dromos. He brought a lot of trouble to my friends and kidnapped my nephew."
"You? An owner of a nightclub and you came to the end of the world to punish a criminal all by yourself?"
"Well, the latter has been my job since the dawn of time. I am the best at punishing bad guys if you must know. But enough about me. Tell me a bit about yourself and your work. I don't mind hearing an 'Eureka!' at all." Lucifer made a flamboyant movement with his right, encouraging the lads.
If the Devil was good at something, it was eliciting desire and sustain small talk. His host weren't suspicious after an hour, even if he didn't take off goggles and ski mask. They were delighted with the occurrences of their unexpected guest and several mugs of spiked hot cocoa were emptied. Lucifer Morningstar listened about their funding troubles, of the groundbreaking work they did, made the pertinent questions and learned more about the Arctic spring and summer that he had in all of his long, long life. He could imagine how Global Warming might influence the Swiss cheese dilemma he was encountering on his side. Many people might find research boring, but not him. It was astounding how and why humans searched for meaning in their lives and why they came to service people they didn't even know personally by devoting several months of their short lifespans in an ice hell. Paolo from Alto Adige and Chuck from Alberta were easygoing guys, single, hard-working, and having the adventure of their life.
"If you could make a wish, what would it be? What is it you desire above anything else? I am genuinely curious." The Devil didn't use his mojo, it seemed unnecessary, they were already in a state of mind where they felt at ease. Both sought for approval, of course, as so many humans did. Either from a family member or from society.
"And why shouldn't you? You are on top of the world doing important work."
"Sometimes it feels more like sitting at the ass of it!" Paolo grumbled while sipping on his mug. "And without proper funding this place will be closed up again."
"Well, you wouldn't like to sit here forever, would you?"
"Obviously not!" said the Canadian and the words gave Lucifer's heart a pang and reminded him of his duty. He should go instead of idling here and wasting precious time.
"I must beg you farewell, now. It has been a pleasure, but it is getting late for me." The Devil stood and motioned them to stay. "Do not worry. I'll find my way." With those words he left the building.
When the two scientists went looking, they couldn't spot their guest nor his dog anymore. There was no trail either, as if they had vanished into thin air.