Down Below

Luci paced back and forth. The expressions on her face seemed like a small fire, constantly changing but emitted enough heat to be felt. Soutares couldn’t keep looking at her face, because he didn’t want to lock onto her eyes. Her eyes were a piercing black that had no end in them. He didn’t want to go down that path. 

“You are sure it was him? This is an unexpected move.” She asked. He noticed her voice was smooth and continued to stare at the floor. 

“You are sure it was him?” she repeated.

“Yes, I saw him with my own eyes.” Soutares said. 

“What… What did he say to you?” she said

“Nothing, I.. I.. I didn’t want to get close to him”

“What! You are telling me that the leader of my most trusted, most well trained, best and strongest legions was afraid?”

Soutares noticed the tone in her voice was shifting. 

“Well, I was not…I just wasn’t sure.. Luci something is different” he said.

“Nothing is different, we have him where we want him. He is wounded, he has been brought to his knees and his very own ‘creation’ turned on him” 

“We own this, we own all of this don’t you understand?” 

Luci continued pace back and forth. Her dark eyes squinted even more. Soutares continued to squirm uneasily. His large frame towered over her and yet all he could do was continue to stare at the floor. What he didn’t want to admit was that there was this deep and inner gnawing feeling in him that was afraid of this newcomer. It was the first time he had that feeling and didn’t know why.

“Soutares, you will find him and you will bring him to me.” Luci started again. The anger in her voice was pushing through. 

“Listen to me and listen to me carefully. He may have ownership of all that is up there, but down here we own this world. We own this place. Him coming here is strange, but there is nothing to be afraid of… he is just a man.” 

“I know, and we.. I mean, I am not.” Soutares said.

There was a pause that seemed to last an eternity. Luci continued to pace at an even quicker level. Her long red hair danced behind her and she continued to look at the pathetic beast that was in front of her. 

“Luci, it is just…it is just that something is different. I understand we are in our home and I understand where the lines are between him and us. But he came in and destroyed Beel and B-moth. I mean, just destroyed.”

“When you say he is different, what do you mean?”

“Well he still had that calm about him, but now he seem to have this sense of power or almost strength” 

Luci laughed. “ What do you mean strength? We destroyed him, put thorns on his head, kicked him and beat him. He is a weak, weak pacifist.”

“That is what I thought and when we saw him walking alone I sent my ten best to go grab him.” Soutartes paused.

“He tore them apart, and I mean literally tore them apart. I had never seen anything like it.” 

Luci was perplexed. Every other move she could see and anticipate, but this one she did not. Why would he come here, what was the end game of coming to this place. Clearly he had to know that she would get the better of him. 

“Why do you think he is here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he is after someone?”

“That doesn’t make sense. Beside that rogue group, everyone that is here wants to be here.” 

“Then maybe he wants something…maybe he is after our prized weapon.”

“Yes…yes he might be after that.” Luci paused and then chuckled to herself “He certainly can try to get that weapon, but there is no way to get to it unless it is through me. It requires me to take him to it and get him passed all the measures I have in place.” 

“He would never be able to get to it, without me.”

She seemed to drift off in that part of what she was saying. Soutares began to look around the room. There were numerous jewels and riches around the room. He knew that Luci had a weapon. He had never seen it, but had only heard of it. Luci was not going to ever share it with him, that was not how she operated. He wasn’t even sure what this weapon was. Luci continued to pace and at this point the pace seemed to pick up. 

“Do you think you can destroy him?”

“Luci, I don’t know. He is stronger for sure. He has..”

“Is he stronger than you?” She interjected. 

“Well, I don’t think.. I mean I don’t think he is.” Soutares started to shift his feet a bit. 

“Maybe we don’t need to destroy him just yet” she said. 

“What do you mean?”

“I need to understand this game plan, this strategy. If you were able to destroy him then I will never know. He is in our world. Let’s use that to our advantage. He will be weaker and grow weaker the longer he is here. If we can get him to this chamber ” 

“You must find him and bring him to me.” she said. 

“What if he doesn’t want to come?” 

“Then you must force him to come…you ARE afraid!”

“I am telling you, something is different.”

“There is nothing different, nothing has changed. I want him in front of me and on his knees begging. I want him in front of me.. NOW!”

Soutares turned and walked away. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get this man to her, but his desire to get out of the room outweighed everything at the moment.  

Luci continued to pace back and forth, further and further complexed by this turn of events. It infuriated her that she couldn’t understand the plan. She continued to pace even with no one there. She was rethinking the conversation she just had and hoping that he didn’t pick up on the deep fear she had. Yes, something is different for sure.