She sped through the air, carried by her vast black wings. Her black hair stretched straight behind her. The heat from the ground warmed her face and cinders fell around her. This was Hell, the base of operations for demons. Rosalina was returning for the first time in ten years, which wasn't long compared to eternity. Her last contract had ended and she had been called to headquarters for some unknown reason.
Planting her feet gently on the stone walkway, she shifted. Returning to her more human appearance, she felt her wings contract, her teeth dull, and she knew her eyes were now a bright shade of green. As she started towards the doors, the heels of her boots made abrupt clacking sounds and her purple coat billowed behind her. The ebony metal doors opened with her approach. Knowing her destination, she immediately began ascending stairs. When she reached the office she was looking for, she knocked.
"Come in," came a raspy voice from within.
Her fingers grazed the metal inlay of the heavy door as she pushed it open. "Sir," she announced with a small bow; a strand of her hair fell from her shoulder. Glancing up, she took note of the eerie candlelight glow casting shadows upon the demon's face. His eyes blazoned red despite his nearly human appearance, a common trait in demons of such age.
"Rosalina, please, sit," he motioned to the black leather chair in front of him, then returning his attention to the papers strewn across his desk. She did as she was bid, silently waiting for him to continue.
His name was Asmodeus. He was the demon in charge of the demons of "butler" ranking; he, of course, was much higher than that…the demon of wrath and vile revenge. He had only come upon his position, a very last minute decision, when his predecessor was promoted to Horseman status…yes, the four horsemen. So, it goes without saying that, though he is greatly feared, he isn't highly respected.
Asmodeus scrawled his signature across the bottom of a piece of parchment he'd been overlooking and looked to her. "Rosalina," he slurred hauntingly, slicking his hair back with his hand. "It's about time you finished that contract. Ever the patient servant, I see. But it couldn't have happened at a better time. You see, an old friend has made the grave mistake of letting his master become a demon and hasn't brought him in to pay his dues. I want you to visit him personally and…remind him of our laws."
"An old friend, Sir?" she asked, honestly confused.
"Yes. I was informed of your history and thought you'd be the better demon for the job, unless your human emotions still remain and will cause a problem?" he accused rudely.
She straightened in defense, knowing the demon of which he spoke. "Sir, I assure you, the only emotion I hold for that demon is one of disgust."
"Good. Then this won't be a problem for you. I trust you'll leave as soon as possible. According to my informants, he's taken his demon master to a residence outside the second level. You are to remind him of the laws and report back with his response. Take no further action; we'll handle the rest if he persists."
"Yes, Sir."
"You're dismissed," he said with a flick of his hand as he returned to the paperwork.
She rose from the chair and bowed slightly before retreating. Her mind was buzzing as she spun into a nearby hallway, heading towards a familiar place. She barely noted the nearing footsteps as she hurried out the door to the cliff that overlooked the entire city. Dis surely wasn't pleasing to the eye, but its constant blazing fires calmed her.
Stopping at the edge, she acknowledged the presence behind her. "Hello, Johan," she said crossing her arms.
"I heard and came to see if you were alright," he said approaching her left. He looked at her; his violet eyes, shaded by his long blond hair, showed his concern.
"I'm fine, just pissed is all."
"I figured you would be," he said stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black denim pants. Johannes Ferdinand was the only demon Rosalina would've called a friend. Many years before, she helped end a contract of his. A master who grows too dependent upon their butler can be a very dangerous thing, which was the case. He owed her big time, to say the least.
"Why me? If all they want is to just remind him of the laws, why are they sending me? Send him a fucking note!" she hissed through clenched teeth.
"We all thought the same. It's unusual for them to not just send Hunters after him. Maybe it's because he is a higher-up."
"Whatever the reason, I now get the undue pleasure of having to see him. What the hell do I even say to him, Johan?"
"Just cut straight to the point and leave. 'Hey, bring your demon master in and no harm done. Later!'" he joked.
"That's not a bad idea actually, but you know it won't be that simple. I'm damn curious, though. Why protect this young master when he turned his back on me once I was here…?" she whispered solemnly.
"Rose, don't let him get to you. It was so very long ago and it was what you said you wanted. Not to mention, those are the laws. But, I'm also like you…why decide to break laws now?" Johan grasped her shoulder. "Listen. Put it all out of your head and go, get it over with, and leave as quickly as possible. Don't let him distract you. If you need me to go with you, I will."
"No, unfortunately I need to do this myself. Asmodeus already assumes I'll let my human emotions get the better of me. It'll only prove his assumption if I can't do it alone."
"Asmodeus is an ass. We're still young in comparison so of course we still have some lingering emotions, which begs another question. Why would he send you if that were a concern? He should just send someone in the higher ranks. Dragus Verrine, I'm sure, would be more than happy to go after him."
"Yeah," she breathed, her mind elsewhere. Shaking the thoughts away, she sighed deeply. "I should get going. It'll take me a while to get to the other side of the second level."
"Why between the second and first levels, I wonder?" he asked himself quietly. Straightening the lapel of her coat, her eyes began to redden, her teeth lengthen, and her hair grew wild. "Good luck, Rose," Johan called out, watching her step off the edge, arms outstretched. He watched her release her wings and glide quickly out of Dis.
Thoughts clouded her mind as she followed the river Styx upstream, the wrathful and gloomy writhing it's depths, trying to reach the surface. The deep lamenting moans no longer bothered her. Not even the howls of Cerberus distracted her thoughts of the demon she was about to see for the first time in over three centuries.
Just do your job, Rose, and you'll be fine, she told herself. Fighting with him won't do you any favors. Feign indifference and get out as quickly as possible.
Distraction came at last when the winds began to pick up as level two drew near. She really needed to concentrate; avoiding debris and keeping her wings well controlled was a difficult thing in this area.
She barreled through the last blast of wind and landed, slightly out of breath. She took a mental note of the castle before her. Shaking her head, she recalled the previous ruin. Now, the newly repaired estate was completely lit indoors and seemed comfortably inhabited.
As she retracted her wings, her hair began to fall back into its tamed place. The grey ashen soil crunched beneath her steps until she reached the concrete stairs leading to the front doors. Her hand hesitated before she grasped the knocker in her hand. Seconds after the third knock, the handle turned. She held her breath as the white gloved hand caught her eye first. A noticeable stiffness came over the man before her.
"Hello," she greeted, glancing into his widened red eyes, "Sebastian."
A/N: So, this is just chapter one. Let me know what you guys think. I'm also in need of a Beta for this story, so if you would like to be considered, shoot me a PM. It may be a little while before I get the next chapter up depending on when I find the right Beta for this story and how well this chapter goes with the readers. ^_^ Much Love!
* Dis - The City Dis is the 6th level of Hell in Dante's Divine Comedy.
* Styx - The River Styx lies in the 5th level of Hell.
* Horsemen - The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as described in the Holy Bible.
* Hunters - this is a creature I have in mind…you'll see later on.
* Cerberus - the three-headed hellhound that guards the 4th level of Hell.
* 2nd level of Hell - home of the lustful.
