BEYOND THE RAINBOW

CHAPTER EIGHT - THE ACCOUNTING

"Open!" The office door opened to Nitas's command, to reveal a white haired lady of smart appearance and piercing vision. Albeit over half glasses, typically worn by those of a bookish disposition, and rarely absent from the nose of Hattie, the cashier and keeper of all accounts. Especially those to do with cashing in one's chips and ending up in any of Hade's establishments. She was one of the few on his staff that Nitas had a modicum of trust in, but Hattie was on no one's side and she travelled the levels with impunity. Keeping account of souls, situations and the journal records of antiquity, and up to the present. Hattie was known to be sharp as a tack, and just as puncturing if one got on her deficit column.

Hattie entered the room smoothly, apart from a slight limp. Her arms were quite loaded with the books of her trade. Innocuous looking books, but once opened, an intricate indexing system made available the records of every transaction and individual soul journey in the Universe. The pages were magically replenished and once written, words disappeared into the akashic records of all time. There could be no retractions. All would be called to answer any complaint made against them on the Judgement day. All intelligent life had, if it but knew it, the capacity to psychically connect to the information in the stratosphere, but physical access to the books was limited to the Heavenly Council and select adjudicators of the game. Hattie held such qualifications. What she was not carrying she could call out of time and space, with a click of her fingers. Hattie was not an inmate of Hades, and very close mouthed about her business. She stood in the ante-room, politely awaiting a directive. By which she would know if this was a business or personal summons.

"You requested an accounting, Mr D'Angelo?"

"I did," Nitas waved the lady in and indicated a black padded seat on his right. "Have a seat, Hattie. We have a situation, do we not?"

"We do, sir," Hattie gave the red seat on his left a wide berth and settled herself on the black chair, and her books on the desk, in a businesslike manner. Nitas noted that even she was nervous of the seat on his left, commonly known as 'the hot seat'. It was as well for them all to be on their toes. But he liked the no-nonsense brevity of the cashier, and afforded her an approving nod.

"So what can you tell me about how an innocent got delivered to me through my private door? I know about the Prophet's stupidity, so you can skip that part. But I want details of how she got here, on her own."

Hattie cleared her throat delicately, "It appears she came out of the woods , delivered up by the Crow. She had the foresight to bring a handful of worms to distract the Banshee. Then entered the vortex to escape them. They admitted telling her she was headed for the beast's pit, via their escort. She chose to go it alone, but without their masking vileness, the vortex intervened. As is the protocol. She is not only innocent, but pure. Since the dawn of time, though many have been discomfited by her disobedience to their doctrine, the Lady of Light has not transgressed from her mandate. She has been selflessly dedicated to the welfare of her people, and the guidance of mankind in the best interests of their enlightenment. Not always to their liking, but the vortex finds no fault with her intentions." Hattie paused to take a breath and then looked over her reading glasses as she further informed him. "The Banshee expressed concern for the missing queen's welfare, which is unusual. I believe she gained their respect. Do you want them punished for letting her loose, sir"

"No, she has that effect," Nitas said wryly, he had never heard such a long account from the cashier, though no bias was stated, it hardly needed to be. The bare facts spoke for themselves. Either a grave injustice had occurred or – . Nitas decided to keep his own counsel on the other possibility for the time being. "You can give them extra rations to make sure no one ever bribes them to act against her best interests again, under any circumstances. If any plot against her comes to light. I want instant knowledge of it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. I will always pass on what is in your best interests to know." Hattie's expression was non committal. Her lack of excess, for once annoyed Nitas. He wanted to rage at the animals who had almost succeeded in extinguishing the brightest light of mankind and laying the blame at his door. For they were surely gunning for two birds with one stone. The game was hotting up.

"So do we know who prompted her to carry food for the predators?"

"She was delivered to the Crow by the imposter, Zeldara. And rumour has it she was a favourite of the great wanderer, Kaltazar. If that suggests anything."

It did. But he kept his own counsel on that, too. Nitas's nostril's flared, smelling a multi layered plot in which the innocent fairy queen was the pawn. The heartless bastards have no right! Hasn't she given enough, already? He fumed inwardly, but controlled it.

"So who was it ordered her to the pit?" He prompted.

"The Banshee informed me it was Peter, sir."

"And do we have a reason other than his pricked vanity?"

"Apparently he is pushing for breach of contract with the Fay and wants only celestials to guide the humans from now on. He is busy brainwashing the citizens of Nirvana into being equal for the task. Without her possible return to lead them to rebellion, he believes it will be a simple matter to chuck the Fay out of Heaven. He is not fond of their decadent frivolity and says their flashy colours are a distraction for the pious."

"Idiot! It is foul attempted murder!" Nitas bashed his fist on the desk. "If war comes of it, he will be the first I will personally cast into the fires of damnation! Make a note of it. From this moment, Peter is in the book of the damned!"

"Yes sir." Hattie, calmly reached for one of the books – whilst a click of her fingers called up the akashic quill – and proceeded to make a notation of the Saint's eternal death warrant. Nitas felt slightly mollified, but not appeased. Graphics played in his head of what could have happened had the little queen not used her own wits. Fearless, even stripped of her magic and made human. He had seen for his own eyes, her quick witted reaction to being catapulted from those bleak woods to this wildly opposite arena He now believed the legends were all true. She is magnificent! But, he reminded himself, he could not be seen interfering in her welfare other than as a fair adjudicator and a luring demon. Hattie was watching his reactions with more than a little interest.

"Good. Thank you, Hattie. Now let us discuss ways to make our new guest prosper without resorting to transgressions that will get her access to Hades. It would not surprise me if she is not smarter than all of them, and on a suicide mission to rescue the damned. We don't want that, do we, just when we are winning?" Nitas was smoothly on track again. "So let's arrange for her to win a luxury holiday, all expenses on the management, and book her into the penthouse tower so I can keep an eye on her. Now about the security issues, she must be kept to this level at all costs so – "