"You have the temerity to threaten G.o.d?"

"Offhand I would say that G.o.d is not doing his job, and is due for replacement. I am trying to avoid taking that action myself, but will take it if you offer no alternative."

"G.o.d does not make deals with Lucifer!"

"I am Satan."

Gabriel was too old a hand to call a bluff he was uncertain of winning. "G.o.d may elect to deal with this matter directly in due course. Suppose, in the interim, we arrange an alternative contest?"

This could be interesting. "What do you have in mind?"

"We will designate a single mortal person whose influence can be critical. If You cannot corrupt that person, or that person's child or grandchild, to enable You to take power, You will forever abate Your effort."

Parry made a soundless whistle. "You are not an amateur at this sort of negotiation!"

Gabriel almost smiled. "I never claimed to be. This would represent a bloodless way to settle the issue, if that is truly Your desire. Are You interested?"

Parry pondered. A single mortal person? How could such a person possibly foil the wiles of the Incarnation of Evil? It was suspiciously simple. So was Gabriel's use of the capital when addressing him. There had to be a catch. In fact, it was evident that this was no spur of the moment deal; Gabriel had come well prepared. "Who?"

Gabriel waggled an admonishing finger. "I did not say I would give You that information."

Oho! "When?"

"Nor that."

"Where?"

"Nor that."

The nature of the challenge was becoming clearer. How could he corrupt a mortal when he had no information about that mortal's ident.i.ty? "That is not a wager I care to risk."

Gabriel considered. "Perhaps if we provided one of those items of information?"

"Three," Parry said firmly.

"Two."

Parry pondered. "I select the two."

"You select one."

The Angel was a hard bargainer! But the notion of this challenge had an insidious appeal. Gabriel had said that this mortal's influence would be critical, and Gabriel's word was good. That meant that Parry really could win power over G.o.d if he manipulated the situation correctly. It certainly seemed preferable to allowing the continuing and needless suffering of a host of mortals.

"Agreed," he said. "Tell me the name."

"Niobe Kaftan."

The name did not register, but of course there were too many mortal ident.i.ties for him to remember. He would research it the moment he returned to h.e.l.l. "And the information you choose to provide?"

"The time," Gabriel said. "That person will come into mortal existence early in the twentieth century."

"The twentieth century!" Parry exploded. "That's six centuries away!"

Gabriel shrugged. "You did not bargain for a particular time."

Parry realized that Gabriel had outsmarted him, and thereby bought six centuries of grace for his Master. He had been had-but he had to admire the finesse of it. He extended his hand. "It is not every day that someone outwits the Master of Deception."

Gabriel took the hand. "I daresay such a day will not soon come again."

"If you ever stand in need of a position-"

Gabriel smiled. "Perhaps in six centuries."

They had an understanding. Meanwhile, they remained opposed.

Chapter 13.

NIOBE.

Parry, having been outsmarted by the Angel Gabriel, resigned himself to several more centuries of the present order and went about his business. He did not try to take power directly, because of the covenant made, but he did do his best to find more efficient ways to evoke the evil that was in mortal folk, simplifying cla.s.sification. Ozymandias reorganized h.e.l.l, dividing it into militaristic segments that were run largely by the d.a.m.ned souls themselves; thus those souls knew that their suffering was largely of their own making. When Ozymandias began a.s.sembling attractive concubines from among the d.a.m.ned souls, Lilah became restive, and finally Parry took her back, allowing Nefert.i.ti to take an extended holiday in mock Heaven. It was nice to be back with Lilah, after this hiatus; she did know well how to please him.

The world, as it turned out, had one or two additional continents, and Parry found distraction sowing mischief in the mortal exploration and colonization of the "New World." Because the majority of the mortals conducting the colonization were heretical Christians, this was a singular challenge. Soon he had them acting just the way the Church had, conducting witch hunts and martyring their heretics. The Incarnation of Evil might not have been gaining influence in the overall scheme, but certainly he was not losing it either.

The Renaissance arrived, and now Parry saw why Chronos had asked him to spare Milan from the Black Plague. It was indeed an artistic and cultural center, and though it sp.a.w.ned more good than evil, he was glad to see it.

The mortals became more clever at both magic and science, developing both to far more sophisticated applications than had occurred in the past. They would soon have seen through the devices of his mortality; now many mortals possessed similar competence.

He started an advertising campaign to make h.e.l.l seem more attractive. It remained of course a place of punishment, and everyone knew that; but it was also the place of expiation for the evil denned in the souls. It was evident that Heaven was not the place to expiate evil, so Parry simply established many levels with diminishing punishment as souls improved. Actually, after the first soul returned from Heaven with the report on its appalling dullness, few if any souls wanted to go there. The truth was that sin, particularly of carnal l.u.s.t, was far more interesting than the perpetual singing of hosannas. Mock Heaven became increasingly populous, so that even those souls that qualified for release to Heaven preferred to remain. Once he got things squared away with G.o.d, he would send up a shipment; the souls would be less reluctant to go if they could go together.

He researched diligently, seeking the Llano, the ultimate song. But his success was imperfect; he was able only to acquire parts of it. The thing was somehow linked to the very foundations of the universe, not to be understood by any ordinary person.

The centuries pa.s.sed. Parry went to the furnace and interviewed Lucifer, his predecessor. "Are you ready to serve Me yet?" he inquired. "Give up your mortal life so that it is no longer possible for you to be an Incarnation, and I will a.s.sign you to some nefarious ch.o.r.e that takes advantage of your propensities."

Lucifer was proud; he declined. Parry came again, fifty years later; Lucifer declined again. But after several such visits, he finally relented, realizing that there was no hope of ousting Parry from the Office. He gave up his mortal life and became a truly d.a.m.ned soul.

Parry a.s.signed him to sundry tasks, lowly at first. As time pa.s.sed and Lucifer demonstrated increasing loyalty and reliability, Parry promoted him to more responsible tasks. The former Incarnation did have a talent for the business, and was excellent at evoking the hidden evil of mortals.

In this manner the twentieth century approached. "Lucifer, watch for the appearance of one mortal named Niobe Kaftan," he said. "Her presence will commence the final contest between Me and G.o.d, and I want to have the advantage from the outset. You will see that it is Mine."

"I shall see that it is Thine," Lucifer agreed.

War had been virtually continuous in the mortal realm, but now it spread more widely, involving most of the nations of the world. Mars, the Incarnation of War, was kept quite busy, and so was Parry. But it was a seemingly minor event relating to that war that abruptly claimed his complete attention.

Lucifer had found Niobe Kaftan in Ireland. She had come into existence as that ident.i.ty when she married a man some years her junior, Cedric Kaftan, and Lucifer had scrambled to set up a program of nullification. He didn't bother Parry with the details, and Parry had been too busy with the war and the hordes of mixed souls flowing to h.e.l.l from that altercation to inquire.

"You know he botched it," Lilah remarked one day.

"What?"

"Lucifer. He freed a demon from h.e.l.l to a.s.sa.s.sinate her, and the stupid demon got the wrong person."

"a.s.sa.s.sinate whom?"

"Your nemesis. That woman. Niobe."

Now it registered. "How could Lucifer fail? He's experienced!"

"It seems the woman's husband has a friend who's into magic, and he discovered the plot, and the husband took her place. I can't think why. So he's gone, and she remains."

Parry got busy. He fired Lucifer from the case as a matter of principle; failure in a simple mission was not to be tolerated. Then he went to spy on the young woman. He made himself invisible and entered the cabin where she dwelt with her baby.

He looked at her, and was stunned by her appearance. She was the most beautiful woman of her generation! No wonder the love-struck husband had sacrificed himself for her.

The Angel Gabriel had gained his Master over five hundred years by this deal. Now Parry understood that it was not close to ending here; Gabriel was really trying to win the contest. A woman so lovely that mortal men would gladly throw away their lives for her-and, indeed. Parry himself did not want her to die now. Not while her beauty was fresh. It would be like breaking a priceless vase.

How, then, was he to nullify her impact on the situation? For she would surely proceed to her mischief against him if he did not act to prevent it.

But what form would this mischief take? If he could determine that, then he could formulate a plan to deal with it. There should be many ways to divert the thrust without actually hurting her.

He watched her for a time, but she seemed wholly innocent, merely taking care of herself, her home and her baby boy. Nothing about her, other than her amazing comeliness, indicated any potential for the defeat of the Incarnation of Evil. Her appearance would fade with the years.

Perplexed, he returned to h.e.l.l. He summoned Mephistopheles, another former Incarnation of Evil. "You are the most sophisticated and devious of the Lords of h.e.l.l," he said. "Fathom the nature of this woman, the widow Niobe Kaftan, and inform Me how she can influence the tangled skein of destiny to give G.o.d the victory over Me."

"Gladly, Lord," Mephistopheles said, disappearing. In due course he was back with his report. "The woman is more than she seems," Mephistopheles said. "She is of only ordinary cleverness, and has no particular skill at management, but is extraordinarily attractive."

"What else is news," Parry said wryly. "For days after I saw her, her face appeared in my mind every time I closed my eyes. It put Lilah in a royal snit. But beauty alone no longer launches a thousand ships."

"I am not so sure. She finagled her way to Parna.s.sus in the living state and interviewed several Incarnations."

"She what?"

Mephistopheles smiled. "As You said, she is beautiful. She set fire to a funeral boat she was on, bringing Thanatos, and of course he could not take her soul because she was not yet slated to die. When he saw her-he is after all a man. So he took her to his mansion and had his staff tend to her burns. Then Chronos-"

"Chronos is in on this? He's my friend!"

"She must have smiled at him," Mephistopheles said, enjoying this. "He took her to Fate, who was evidently quite impressed-"

"What would impress that three-headed hog?" Parry growled.

"I wouldn't know; I can't snoop directly on Incarnations. Then he took her to War, who recognized her potential. Then on to Gaea, who told her that her husband had sacrificed himself in her place because she was destined to make much trouble for Satan. That was all; they do not seem to know any more than we do in what manner she will affect You, but they a.s.sist her because of it."

"Most of them have always conspired against Me," Parry muttered. "But Chronos-he has always been my friend. I can't understand why he would be involved in this."

"If he is your friend, why don't you ask him?"

"I shall." Parry conjured himself to Purgatory and knocked on the door of the mansion of the Incarnation of Time.

Chronos had changed officeholders since the last time Parry had visited, and this new one was distinctly less friendly than the prior ones had been. What had happened?

"Your office and Mine have always gotten along well," Parry said. "Have I in some way alienated you, Chronos?"

"You gave me a real workout when I a.s.sumed the office," Chronos said tightly. "You posed as my friend, but you used me to achieve your own ends. I had to-but why should I tell you, and give you another chance to interfere?"

Parry sighed. "I apologize for what I may do in your past, my future. Evidently things become very difficult then. For several centuries I have been friends with the holders of your office, and I regret learning that has changed."

"It has changed. If that is all-"

"Please, Chronos! Certainly I will leave you alone in the interim, with regret. But I came to ask one question, and if you would be so kind as to answer that-"

"One question," Chronos said grimly.

"Why is the mortal woman Niobe Kaftan important to you?"

"d.a.m.n you!" Chronos exclaimed. "Are you trying to torment me worse?"

"No, no! Remember, I am from the other direction! I do not at this stage know. I had no intent to-"

Chronos straightened his expression. "Of course that is true, though you are the realm's most consummate liar. I will answer you, though I curse myself for doing so. Niobe was my lover, and I miss her-" He was unable to finish.

Astonished, Parry made his way out. He had never known Chronos to take a mortal lover! Evidently Niobe's widowhood had made her vulnerable, and the Incarnation had taken advantage of it despite living in the opposite direction. Now that she was, by Chronos' reckoning, about to be married, his affair with her was over, and he was hurting.

The lover of the Incarnation of Time! Now it was easier to comprehend her significance. Chronos' Hourgla.s.s was the most powerful magical instrument known, and if she were able to influence him, her mischief could be magnified in ways that h.e.l.l itself could hardly combat! No wonder the friendship between their two offices had been sundered; a woman had in her fashion come between them.

What a canny conniver the Angel Gabriel had proved to be! To select a woman so beautiful that she snared the Incarnation of Time himself! It was too bad Gabriel had not been in h.e.l.l's employ. Parry had to respect the superior nature of this ploy.

But it had not happened yet. Could he act to prevent the woman from seducing the Incarnation? This was uncertain, because of course Fate was on the other side. Parry could pluck the threads of Fate, but only when she wasn't paying attention; each Incarnation was supreme in his or her own bailiwick. Fate would be protecting Niobe, now that they had met; it would be prohibitively difficult for him to do anything directly.

He had to admire the developing prettiness of this trap. Gabriel had set him up for as nefarious a situation as any demon could have devised. Of course angels were but the positive aspect of demons, formed from ether. Evidently they were not as different from each other as he had a.s.sumed.

Well, there was no help for it now but to go home and wait for his opportunity. He would have a demon watch Niobe constantly, and notify him the moment she did anything significant. Meanwhile, he would proceed with his normal business.

He had to admit that despite the awkwardness of his position, he was discovering a certain infernal joy in the challenge. Niobe's beauty was not the least of it; it was much more fun to corrupt a lovely woman than a plain one.

His first alert came several months later. Niobe, after remaining quiescent, had abruptly taken a ship to America for no apparent reason. She was definitely up to something!

Parry joined her on the ship, watching her constantly. But she acted quite normally, avoiding the predatory men and remaining mostly in her cabin, reading.

Then, abruptly. Fate came to her, in the form of a spider. And, while Parry spied from cover. Fate took Niobe in as an Aspect of herself, leaving a prior Aspect of herself in Niobe's body to complete the voyage.

Niobe had become an Aspect of Fate!

Now Parry understood how she was to become Chronos' lover! The Incarnations did indulge each other in this manner on occasion, because they understood each other far better than any mortal could. Niobe was now the youngest and by far the prettiest Aspect of Fate, so this duty naturally would fall to her. He should have realized!