6

The Devil's Assistant clicked his tongue and looked at the demon disapprovingly. 'You talk about me like I'm an absolute menace; when in fact you should be pleased I graced you with a visit at all!'

'Oh, cut it out and say whatever you came here for,' said the demon, who sounded more irritable than ever.

'That insolence could get you in trouble some time, you fool,' said the Devil's Assistant with a dangerous look, before he turned to Grace and gave her a sharp-toothed smile which must have been intended to be soft. 'And with the way you've all been portraying me, what must the young lady think of me?'

Grace frowned and said nothing. She didn't like him very much already.

'I sent one of my girls to fetch you to my mansion,' said the Assistant, 'but it appears she frightened you considerably. My apologies. I only wanted to meet you, you see.'

'What for?' said Grace. 'And if you're the one who sent that banshee, I must say that's awfully inconsiderate!'

'Ah, I forgot,' sighed the Assistant. 'But the thing is, those 'banshees' turn into very beautiful girls from the stroke of midnight to the sunrise... not scary at all!'

'Well, I didn't know that,' said Grace, surprised. 'But why did you want to meet me?'

'The understood rule around here is that every new arrival in Hell has to meet me at least once,' said the Assistant. 'And if I like them, they can have a far more pleasant time here than they would have had... and Grace, I like you already...'

'How do you know my name?!'

The Assistant chuckled. 'Oh, Grace... I can see right through your very heart and soul, and they are so beautiful... the more I gaze into them, the more I find out about you – your name, where you used to live, how you got here... and the more I wish to unlock the secrets you've got locked away...'

Grace took a step backwards. As the tall demon talked to her, his voice seemed to grow softer and silkier, closer... as though his words were wrapping around her ever so slowly, like velvet drapes, and tightening almost suffocatingly as he continued. The world around her seemed to grow smaller and insignificant, until all she could see was his terrifying form that was barely restrained in a strange form of beauty that enraptured her in spite of herself. It wasn't right.

'This is wrong,' she said firmly, and the spell seemed to break.

The Assistant smiled at her again, and this time, his red eyes glowed brighter and seemed to pierce into her with an odd charm. 'This is going to be fun,' he said, and his form began to fade away. 'We'll talk again some other time.'

Before her very eyes, he disappeared completely, and she stared at the empty space he left behind.

'Is he gone now?' she whispered.

'Yes, finally,' said the demon, who looked completely unimpressed. 'Gosh, he's so dramatic and pompous and stiff, ugh!'

'He seemed to know an awful lot,' said Grace worriedly. 'I hope we don't get on his wrong side!'

'Oh, human, everyone is on his wrong side,' said the demon. 'The sooner you get that, the better! You heard Squeaks's story, didn't you? That's his true self! Cold, cruel, and true to his name! Devil's Assistant indeed! He'll try to coax you and charm you and terrify you until you lose your guard, then use your fears and desires as weapons to control you!'

'That's awful, but why? Why would he do that?'

'Beats me! That's how he is, that's all! And let me clarify that rot he told you about the banshees: they were once beautiful girls, indeed; until he messed with them and made them who they are!'

'What?! How?'

'He lured them and promised them he'd, I don't know, love them or whatever, and then, when they least suspected it, he took their souls from them! He's got a whole collection of them stored away somewhere. And that's how they turned into soulless banshees that only know how to do what he tells them to!'

'That's terrible! He's quite hideous, I must say!' said Grace, disturbed.

'So, in that light, maybe you can appreciate me more now,' said the demon with a grin.

'If you need comparison with the Devil's Assistant to prove yourself, you're a lost case,' said Grace, shaking her head.

'Oh well, one's got to start somewhere,' said the demon. 'I'm Lucien, by the way – might as well introduce ourselves properly now that you're a long-term resident and all.'

'Lucien? That's a nice name,' said Grace. 'I'm Grace, but you've already heard that from the Assistant, I guess.'

'It's better from your mouth than his,' said Lucien firmly. 'Come then, human – I mean Grace – and enter your new abode; right through this gate, together now!'

As they stepped through the gate, it disappeared at once, and for a moment Grace was afraid she was back in the Mainland. But this place looked different. It was almost morning now, and in the dim blue light, she could make out a large, stony building with high walls not unlike the one she had landed in when she had been summoned. Next to it was a tall, dry tree which made her look anxiously at Lucien with questioning eyes.

'It isn't sentient or anything, is it?' she asked.

The demon laughed and walked up to it. 'I don't think so,' he said, wrapping his arms around it before his expression suddenly changed to one of fake alarm and fear. 'Oh, no! It's not letting me go!'

Grace looked at him crossly. 'It's not funny! Those trees terrified me, okay?'

'Well, these ones are quite safe,' he said reassuringly. 'No dirty tricks here!'

They walked on for a while, as Lucien led the way and Grace followed him, looking around at the same time and soaking in her surroundings as the light got brighter and she could see more and more.

'Why are there so many stones everywhere?' said Grace, as she tripped over one for the fifth time.

'That's just how it is,' said Lucien.

'The trees are all very dry, too...'

'Yeah, well, that's how they are.'

'The buildings all look like they're made of the same material... there's not much variety in the landscape, is there?'

'That's the way it's always been.'

Grace grew silent and walked quietly next to him as it grew brighter.

'It's getting a bit warm...' she noticed suddenly.

'That's because the sun is rising,' nodded Lucien, slowing down. 'It's a grand sight, but maybe a bit different from your Earth version, so be prepared – wait, stop and stand over here to watch it.'

Grace stood still as she watched the horizon anxiously, but she was curious as to what she would see. Within a few minutes, the first ray of sun beamed across the sky and lit up her face; it felt warm, but it also warned of the intense heat it would give off soon. As it rose completely, Grace was stunned. The sun was twice the size of Earth's sun, and far more red than yellow. Its orange rays lit up the high grey and burnt sienna walls and buildings that Grace now realised were everywhere. All of them were made of stone or brick; some were broken-down and small, while others seemed to be part of taller, larger structures that almost resembled castles.

'It's all so strange...' said Grace, looking down at last.

The ground was so dry and sandy that it looked as though it had never seen rain. The dirt was clay-red in places and yellowish in others, and withering clumps of grass clung to the tiny stones and huge rocks embedded in it. A hint of green showed in a shaded nook between two rocks, but it was only a small weed. Most of the trees were barely alive, and the few with some leaves upon their branches looked completely dehydrated.

'Welcome to Sheltered Hell, human,' grinned Lucien.

'It's so...' said Grace, at a loss for words.

'Barren? Beautiful? What?' said Lucien.

'A bit of both,' said Grace thoughtfully. 'It seems like a hard life here, though...'

'Hard?' said Lucien questioningly. 'Oh, no, not really. Not for me, anyway; so, not for you, either. Ah! We've arrived! This is where I live! – and your new home!'

Grace looked ahead and her eyes widened. In front of her was a large castle-like building that looked like it had stood there firmly for years before being hit by a comet on the west side. Despite the battered appearance on that end, it still stood there, grand and majestic, and undeniably beautiful.

'This is where you live?!' she exclaimed.

'Yeah,' said Lucien nonchalantly. 'Most of us hellborn demons live by ourselves in castles like this, while the humans usually share rooms in similar, smaller buildings.'

'You say castle like it's a common thing – and maybe it is here – but on Earth they're only for kings and queens,' said Grace.

'Well, I guess I'm a prince of sorts, then,' mused Lucien.

'Oh, don't be so full of yourself!' said Grace, facepalming.

The demon grinned. 'Let's go in. You'll see it's not as grand as it looks like from the outside, but it's not bad either.'