Achieving Heaven Through Hell Part 3: Only the Results

Chapter 5: Psychopomp

Chapter 5: Psychopomp

The royal limo growled to life, sounding to all around like a bellowing dragon, flames of every color belched from the elaborate headers like a demonic pipe organ. The Prince's steed set off down the road at impossible speed, arcs of lightning and streaks of fire filled the air around it as it sheared through the fabric of reality, vanishing in a starbust of light and a low, bass thud. Prince Stolas was off to conduct his mysterious business.

Octavia sighed as she watched the limo vanish, blaming herself for her disappointment. She should have seen this coming, her father was in a similar tizzy yesterday, too. Him cancelling their weekly father-daughter get-together shouldn't have come as a surprise.

It still sucked, though.

She walked down the hall to his office, hoping to pick the brain of her father's dutiful secretary. Few things got under her dad's skin enough for him to actually change his precious schedule, so it was a matter of some interest to her to find out exactly what had managed this time around. She approached the door, hand reaching for the door when she heard voices, obscured by the heavy Abyssal-oak door. Octavia leaned down and cocked her head, her keen owl ears detecting even the slightest sounds; their tones weren't raised, but she could sense the crackle of agitation in the air. There was a demon in there, a very powerful, very annoyed demon.

"I-I'm sorry! You just missed him!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

Another, far deeper voice resounded, carrying with it a very familiar Received-Pronunciation. "Call him back here."

"I can't, My Lord! I don't know which ring he's going to, I–"

" 'Your Excellency'," the deep voice rumbled, the air becoming electrified with outrage. "My honorific is 'Your Excellency', peon."

Octavia burst through the door, her expression hard-set. "Leave him alone! He doesn't know... anything..."

Her command tapered off as she looked up at the hulking figure towering over a cowering Moonchild. The huge, muscular demon straightened out and turned around. His skin was gray as ash and blemishless as marble, contrasting with the slick, creosote black of his three-piece suit and glowing crimson-red tie. His bald head shone in the florescent lights of the office, two orange-within-red eyes peered out from beneath a heavy ridge alight with burning brows. A large, perfectly sculpted beard grew from his lantern jaw, it was dusty gray and glowed dim orange from within, like old embers breathing their last. His massive shoulders bunched upon seeing her, his scowling face softening, his glowing eyes wide.

"Uncle Sally?"

His stern, severe features melted into a handsome, fanged smile. "Via?"

Octavia beamed and threw her arms open. "Uncle Sally!"

"Via!" He bellowed a laugh that shook the palace's foundations, rushing forward, his tree-trunk arms spread wide. "Look at how you've grown! Oh, how are you, poppet?"

"Well, I had some plans fall through, but I'm doing fine. How about you?" Octavia said as she disappeared in the giant duke's embrace, she looked up at him, a crease of concern spreading across her face. "You're not here on business, are you?"

"Er... well..." He released her, looking over her face. "Did I hear you have a free morning? Well, love, so do I! Why don't we talk about it over some coffee?"

She looked over his shoulder at Moonchild, who was silently thanking her with his eyes. She turned back to Sallos and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great. Just let me grab some things, okay?"