The Devils Due

Chapter One Sword play

She pulled the sword out of his chest with a heave. Without even bothering to clean her teaching tool she put it back in its sheath and waited. As she waited she leaned against the closet wall and crossed her arms over her chest.
     “Sometimes, I wish you idiots weren't immortal,” she grumbled under her breath as her final student of the day got up holding the center of his chest where he had been run through. “Okay Tomas,” she shoved herself off the wall and walked back to the tall, lanky being who had failed her class twice now, “Tell me what you did wrong this time,” she ordered.
    “I fell, and thinking that you would give me time to get up, I didn't keep fighting.” He answered flatly.
    “And what can you learn from that?”
   “I have to keep fighting even when I'm down because people always go for the kill?” he half answered, half asked.
   “Correct,” she announced looking up and down at her now grimy pupil, and grimaced, “I want you to do six laps around the palace campus, full gear then take a shower. I want to see you back in the duel room two hours before your class starts tomorrow. Got it?” Tomas nodded and made a mad dash for the exit.
    Her thoughts ran to her husband and son as she busied herself with the task of cleaning up after her students. Both had been dead for at least a century and her descendants would never know what she did to make their lives possible. Part of her agreement when she went back to work for Lu, was that her family would want for nothing, and he had made good on his deal. Her descendents were number three in the five most wealthiest families in the world. And like good little descendents, they were doing nothing but horrid things with the power that had been given them, and she couldn't be more proud!
    She had another decade before her soulmate would be reincarnated, and she had at least another two decades after that before she would leave for a while and be with them. She was kind of excited, her soul mate would be a woman this incarnation, and it had been at least three reincarnations since that had happened. And as fantastic as her husband was as a human this last go around he had earned his spot in the heavens for two lifetimes, and not knowing who his wife truly was, he took it, the bastard.
    There was a knock on the door that stopped her internal musings,  “Come in,” she commanded.
Morgana, Lu’s third (and most idiotic) assistant came in. Her large ass matched her poofy blonde 1950’s styled hair and overly zesty personality, and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, “What is it now Morgana?” She grumbled.
    “The boss sent me down here to remind you of your meeting in ten minutes.” Morgana's high pitched voice set her teeth on edge.
    “And he didn't send Britney because?” She much preferred the brat over the bimbo. Both were there because they had made deals with Lu’s past assistants to be able to travel around the world together. Gross.
    “Brit is busy with something else.” Morgana informed her, picking at some invisible lint on her shirt. She made all four of Lu’s assistants uncomfortable, and that gave her joy.
“I'll be up in a second. I just have to finish cleaning up the blood Tomas left on my floor.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder to the pool of blood on the hardwood floor.
Morgana paled and audibly swallowed, “Why are you like this?”
    “Like what? Clean?” she retorted.
    “No. So...so…” Morgana paused as if to find the right word.
    She rolled her eyes, "Spit it out, Morgana, or I'll have to tell Lu his assistants might need a brush up on their hand to hand combat.”
    Morgana’s jaw dropped at her words  “You're just mean.” she snarled. “And you never have a nice thing to say to anyone.”
    She rolled her eyes, and in the most preppy valley girl voice she could muster to mock the blonde woman in front of her, announced.      “Ah Morgana, I'm a demon. It's my job to not give a fuck what anyone else thinks.” She flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder to drive her point home, then spoke in her normal, sultry voice. “Besides, Lu doesn't seem to mind my  'meanness' too much.”
    “Well, the boss isn't the only one you work with, you know.” 
    She stood tall, done with this obnoxious soul. “No, but he is the only one I answer to. And honestly, that's all I give a damn about.
    “Well..”
    She cut Morgana off putting a hand up to silence her, “There are no wells, buts, or what ifs. I out rank every single one of you whiny souls and if you can't handle me, then why don't you transfer departments!”
    Morgana's mouth fell open once more before she closed it with a snap, stood up straight then announced, “Lu wants you on time.” And with that, the bimbo all but ran out of the gym.

She went to work finishing up her cleaning for the day. For a split second, she wondered if she had enough time to change. Instead, shrugging, she grabbed a bottle of water and walked out of the gym not bothering to change… Lu had seen her work. Hell, he had even been at the brunt of her training when he told her he needed a brush up on sparring.
When the elevator opened up to the fourth floor of the palace she stretched up and strutted her way to Lu’s pencil pusher.
“Hey Doris, Lu sent the bimbo down to tell me not to be late for our meeting. So I figured I should probably be early,” she shrugged.
The older soul shrugged and pointed to the big man's office door. “The boss is waiting for you. Seems pretty miffed if you ask me.”
Oh great, she thought, Lu hasn't been mad at me since back in 1914 or so for the assination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.
She swallowed and knocked on the door.
“Come in Maura.” Lu’s deep gruff voice came through the dark mahogany door.