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The Devil's Heart

The Devil's Heart

A short story by Zwahk Muchoney

As a young shepherd boy he spent his days tending to his father's flock of goats. Every morning he led them through a narrow mountain pass, and dozed in the shade of a nearby tree or boulder while they ate and frolicked about.

On the rare occasion when a wolf came by, he'd load his slingshot with small stones, swing the leather thong overhead, and send the projectiles towards their target. He never missed, and would enjoy the startled look on the wolves faces, for there were few things he disliked more than the predators who tried to eat his flock.

He grew up, and left to live with his new wife's family. His father had many children, and considered the loss of one son to another home to be nothing noteworthy.

The boy had grown into an ordinary looking youth with sandy brown hair and tawny skin. He loved his new bride, but in a childish manner, as he knew little of relationships outside of what he'd seen in his own household.

Late at night, while his new family sat around the fire, his father-in-law told strange tales about the demons of the mountain, and how the darkest sorcerers might conjure such spirits and make them grant wishes. These stories always ended terribly, but the young man found himself wondering if there were some truth to them.

One night while his bride slept, the young man slipped out of the hut, fashioned a small torch, and climbed up a small nearby ravine. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he was curious, and wanted to find out what might be revealed under the moonlight.

He traversed the rocky terrain for some time, and had he been a dweller of the world that lay below he would have lost his footing, and fallen hundreds of feet to his death, but he'd only ever lived in the mountains, and knew the subtle ways one planted their feet on the uneven terrain.

Eventually, he came upon a small cave in the rock wall. He stuck the torch inside, and checked to make sure there weren't any wild animals present. When he was certain of his safety, he crept within, and took a look around.

He was disappointed that he didn't find any hidden food stores or other such treasures. Sometimes the people of the mountains hid tools, dried meat, and other useful items in these small caves. He shook his head, and was about to leave, when he heard a voice whisper his name...

He turned, wondering if he'd imagined it. The air was still, but somehow oppressive. He felt a presence with him. It was stifling, and fearsome, but he could not see or figure out what it was. The thing spoke in a voice than rang loudly throughout his mind-

"Why have you come here? What do you want from me?" The young man could not believe it, this was no dream, no fantasy, the words erupted so forcefully they could not have been of his own creation. He stammered-

"I...I have come seeking my fortune." It was all he could think to say. The thing in the cave bellowed-

"You come into my house without bringing any offerings, and expect me to grant you favors?! Begone, mortal wretch!" The man was frightened, but replied-

"I did not know of this cave or your existence until tonight, I meant no disrespect, please accept my apology." He heard no reply, but had the sense that the thing was listening. He continued- "I am not rich, but perhaps I could bring some cheese, or dried fruits? Would that make a suitable gift?" Laughter belted out throughout his mind, and the thing replied-

"If that is all you have, it will suit me, but never come to me empty handed again, or I will tear you to shreds." The man nodded, left the cave, and headed home.

Unbeknownst to him, he had stumbled upon the abode of an ancient angel who had once followed Lucifer into war against the creator. He had fallen like the rest, and wandered the Earth as an outcast. Without the light of God, much of his former beauty had perished, and he now resembled something more akin to a devil than any heavenly being. Whatever love that had once existed within him had long been extinguished, and he cared only for his own petty amusements.

The young man returned the following night with a small mound of cheese and a few dried fruits bundled together in a goatskin satchel. The evil angel asked him to extinguish his torch. He did so reluctantly, and as smoke filled the pitch black cave, he could finally see the spirit's outline. It was thick and muscular, with wings that reached the rooftop, and doubtless could have filled the entire space, were it to spread them wide. It's face was like that of a human, but fiercer and more malevolent. The man cried out in shock and fell onto his back, where he lay, frozen with fear. The angel considered him for a moment, and laughed, but in a good natured manner. It said-

"I see you have not witnessed one of my kind before, but no matter, present your offerings, and if I am pleased, we may speak of your wishes." The man blinked a few times before catching hold of his senses, and reached for the bundle. He knelt before the terrifying being, and lay the food out before him. It stood there, arms folded and impassive, staring at the meager gifts.

A wicked idea was forming in it's mind, but it showed no sign of this, and instead smiled broadly, and sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. It motioned for the man to follow suit. He complied, and the angel said-

"You have my attention, mortal, tell me all about yourself, and what you desire most." The young man considered the entity for a moment, and began to tell the story of his simple life as a shepherd. He spoke of his families, both by birth and marriage, of the love they all had for each other, of the satisfaction he felt when he scared off a wolf with stones, and the delicious dumplings his new wife cooked for him whenever she could get together all the right ingredients.

The angel grew bored, and asked- "I now know you well enough, mortal, what is it you long for more than anything?" The man didn't know, telling the angel about his life had made him realize how blessed he truly was, and he hadn't known until now that he already had all the things he wanted. Still, he didn't want the entity to think he'd been wasting it's time, so he tried to come up with an answer. Finally, he thought of something, and replied-

"Our goat pen needs repairs, I could use some help, the little rascals keep finding their way out."

The angel couldn't believe what he was hearing, this mortal could have asked for gold, power, revenge against his enemies, but all he wanted was... The dark entity grinned, and replied-

"That would be an easy task for one such as I, we may finish the job by morning even. Lead me to your domicile, and I will gladly work your will." The man smiled, relit the torch with his flint, and eagerly led the angel down the narrow pathways that led home.

It was a bit of a walk, but eventually he found his way to the hut where his new family resided. He pulled back the flap at the entrance, and saw that everyone was asleep. In the corner his bride stirred, and called out his name. He was about to answer, when he realized she was talking in her sleep. "How wonderful it is," he thought to himself, "she even dreams of me." A grin spread across his face, and he thought of shaking her awake and introducing her to the angel, but decided it was better to let her rest. Carefully, he re-fastened the entrance flap with various cords, and returned to attend to his guest.

They walked out back to the goat pen. The bleating of a kid could be heard. One of the mother goats had given birth two weeks prior, and her young required round-the-clock feedings. The man pointed to her, and with an air of pride, said-

"I delivered those kids myself, it was really messy, but it's always fun to watch when they get up and start walking around on their little legs for the first time." The angel feigned interest while eyeing the tools on hand. It saw a couple of stone scrapers for cleaning animal hides, but they wouldn't do for what it had in mind. The man walked around the perimeter of the pen, pointed to a particular spot, and said- "There, I keep trying to patch it up, but the goats are always managing to sneak out, maybe I'm just going about repairs the wrong way, what do you think?"

The angel glanced at the spot, and noticed the thing it was looking for set up against a nearby stone wall. It was all it could do to contain its excitement. The angel fully intended to teach the horrid talking animal a lesson.

The man stepped back a few feet, rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully, and looked in the angel's direction. It smiled at him, and replied-

"Oh, I have a few ideas about what we could do." He glanced at something behind the man, and asked- "Well, now, that's something I've never seen in all my years." The man turned to look, and replied-

"That? It's just a-" the angel laughed malevolently, and entered him as swiftly as a canyon wind. Had the man been a trained sorcerer he may have been able to shield himself from such an assault, but he had no education in the arcane arts, no magic ring, or even a protective talisman of any sort. The angel possessed him easily, and walked over to pick up the thing that had caught its eye. It used his hands to lift the stone axe, and tested its weight. Satisfied, it compelled him to enter the hut.

The man had no awareness of what was happening, he didn't see the stone axe coming down onto his father-in-law's head, or those of his wife's siblings. Blood splattered all over the walls and earthen floor.

Soon, he was drenched from head to foot in the red, coppery fluid. The hut had become an abattoir, with only his sleeping wife still left alive. The angel had saved her for last, as it wanted her to suffer the most. It placed the torch outside, leaving the room shrouded in darkness. It went to her, shook her sleeping form, and in a gentle, loving voice, it said-

"Dear, it's me, please wake up, I need to show you something." She gradually came to, and murmured-

"Oh, hello sweetheart, is everything all right?" She could not see the horror that had befallen her loved ones, nor could she see the vicious, hateful smile stretched across her husband's face. He helped her up to her feet, and said-

"I think your father might be very ill with a fever, I felt his forehead, he is burning up!" She gasped, her mother had died of such an illness in her childhood, and the thought of losing her father in a similar fashion caused her to rush over to his bedside. She stumbled in the dark, but her husband caught her, and led her to the patriarch's side. She placed a small hand on his forehead, and in terror, exclaimed-

"Dear father, you have been sweating so much!" She then noticed something peculiar, and remarked- "But you are so very cold." She shouted- "A torch, bring me a torch, I must see him!" The angel complied, and brought the burning implement in. She gasped, all around her was a scene of carnage, and when she looked down at her hand, and realized what she was touching...

The angel took great delight in watching her reaction, and as she turned to look at her beloved, she was greeted with something that looked like her husband, but was not him at all. It grinned, and swung the axe, splitting her forehead open. The angel laughed with glee as it struck her with his hands again and again, until she was completely unrecognizable as a human being. When it was finished, it helped itself to their provisions, and found they didn't have much to go around. It mused to itself-

"So it seems the cheese and fruit really were the best he had to offer, oh well." It rested, and waited for daybreak. The Sun starting climbing over the horizon, and the angel yawned and engaged in a good, long stretch. The body it inhabited was very tired, but it would be finished with the thing soon enough. It got up and walked inside the hut. The scent of death was heavy in the air, and the monstrous being took a moment to enjoy it's handiwork. It spoke-

"You filthy vermin, you thought my kind should serve YOU, you, who are beneath us, you, who are nothing next to us, how absurd." It chuckled, and gave control of the body back to the man. He stood there, and could not believe what he was seeing. The family he had grown to love, and his...

He looked around desperately, hoping that somehow his beloved had escaped, but then he saw her little hand protruding from under a pile of straw. He wailed in grief, and knew not what had happened, until the evil thing within him whispered-

"Look down at your hands, mortal." He did so, and saw that he was the one holding the axe. He dropped it to the ground, and fell down onto his knees.

His screams echoed throughout the mountains as his mind shattered to pieces. Deep within himself he heard the angel laughing, and then he knew nothing.

The angel had taken back control of its host. It directed the man's body toward the edge of a nearby cliff, spread his arms like a bird opening its wings, and made him jump off.

He hurdled down hundreds of feet, but right before his body hit the rocky surface below, the evil spirit left him, and flew into the sky, howling with amusement all the while.

It was a few days before anyone came by. A neighbor wanted to trade some vegetables for one of the baby goats, and was unable to fathom the sight that greeted him. In the years to come, the story of the family's tragic fate were told among the mountain people. The elders had some inkling of what had happened, and shared the tale to warn youngsters to steer clear of the caves, lest they also become victims of an evil spirit.

The man's soul could not reside in Heaven or Hell, he'd died under such unusual circumstances that the angels had no idea what to do with him. His soul had a very strange appearance, and so Zadkiel, Raziel, and Dumah were called upon to investigate the matter.

They examined the soul, and found it an odd thing to behold. It contained fragments of the fallen angel that had ended his life, and was a source of great curiosity. After months of research, they'd collected an extensive series of notes, but were no farther along when it came to deciding the soul's fate.

Finally, Raphael, who was chief physician among the angelic host, was called upon for assistance. He was always busy patching up the wounds of the warrior angels who did battle with demons and the fallen, and normally wouldn't have prioritized such a venture, but the lord spoke unto him, and said-

"Raphael, this is a work of utmost importance, leave the mending of the wounded to your assistants, I have need of a new angel, and you will be in charge of his construction". The Heavenly father went into great detail about how this latest angel was to be formed. Raphael found many of the particulars rather perplexing, and couldn't even fathom why he was being asked to make such an angel in the first place, but he had no right to question his creator, and so he went to work designing a series of blueprints.

He labored over the writing of the angel's configuration for seven days. When he finished, he called for a minor angel, and loaded the subordinate up with several sealed rolls of parchment.

Zadkiel and Raziel were grateful to receive the documents, until they started reading through them. They looked at each other in disbelief, and remained silent, until Raziel said-

"It... he... is this angel a fallen one? He's designed to walk among men in the mortal realm, but he serves our father, how can he..." Zadkiel had been wondering the same thing. They discussed the instructions for some time. Meanwhile, Dumah studied the material. He was the angel of silence, and thus never said a word, but he was very intelligent, and quickly noticed something the others had missed. He tapped on his brother's shoulders, and when he had their attention, he held up a page that featured the image of a viper. He tapped the picture, and looked at them expectantly. Raziel and Zadkiel furrowed their brows, and Raziel said-

"So he's fallen, yet not fallen, and has the appearance of a serpent? Are we meant to fashion him with scales? He'll look ridiculous." Dumah trailed his finger down to a section of writing at the bottom of the page. The others read it aloud-

"He has the character of a serpent." They looked at each other, confused. Dumah stared at them, and Zadkiel asked-

"What are serpents like?" Raziel and Zadkiel thought about it, and Raziel replied-

"They're cold-blooded?" Zadkiel nodded, and Raziel continued- "They shed their skin? I know they stick their tongues out a lot." Dumah rolled his eyes, and pulled a quill from the folds of his robe. He furiously scrawled a picture on the back of one of the scrolls, and showed it to his brothers. It was an illustration of a serpent swallowing a nasty looking rodent. Raziel and Zadkiel looked at each other, and then at Dumah, whose eyebrows were raised at them expectantly. Zadkiel and Raziel finally understood, and said in unison-

"They hunt rats!"

☆☆☆

After months of painstaking work, the angel was finished. All that was left was final approval from Michael, the leader of the Heavenly host. He was a large, imposing individual, easily three times the height of most angels, and covered in the armor of a decorated soldier. He took his position very seriously, and was feared and respected by most creatures both above and below.

Raphael was waiting with the new angel at the gates of his offices. He worked in a large domed structure with several marble pillars. The building floated among the clouds. The realm of Heaven wasn't literally located in the sky, but angels had a certain bird-like quality, expressed not only by the presence of their wings, but in their general disposition, and usually felt most at home in such surroundings.

Michael flew in between two great pillars, and landed on his feet. He stood before them, and gazed down at Raphael's patient. The new angel's form was very different from his human self, he was thin by angelic standards, with a head full of blond curly hair, pale skin, and intense, piercing blue eyes. Michael nodded, and said-

"Hello, Satan" He glanced over the angel's frame, and concluded- "You look sturdy enough." Satan grinned in a way Michael didn't care for, and replied-

"Who are you?" Michael hadn't expected this, angels were always born knowing the names of each of their brothers. The young angel looked the giant up and down, and continued- "Oh my, you're huge! Are there others here like you?" He moved closer to Michael, and with reflexes as fast as a serpent, he grabbed ahold of the tip of one of his commander's wings. Satan marveled at them, and said- "These feathers are so soft!"

Michael, enraged, struck him, and sent Satan flying backwards. He hit a pillar, and fell to the floor.

Raphael rushed over to make sure he was alright. Michael, fuming, glared at Raphael, and shouted-

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?!" Raphael was helping his patient to his feet, he'd hoped this whole encounter would go better, but Satan had unknowingly committed one of the worst taboos recognized by their kind.

There was only one thing an angel could do that was considered worse, and it was an act so disgusting none would even describe it aloud. Raphael turned to Michael, and said-

"He didn't know any better, he was only curious, he's... different." Michael stomped over to them. The ground trembled beneath his feet as he went. The giant towered above them, pointed at Satan, and bellowed-

"HOW IS HE DIFFERENT?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Raphael angrily replied-

"I will tell you, but you need to calm down, this is a medical facility!" He may have been far smaller than Michael, but the physician angel refused to tolerate any nonsense where his patients were concerned. Michael bit his tongue, and fought to control his rage. Soon enough, he'd gotten ahold of himself. Raphael handed Satan off to one of his minor angels, and led Michael down a long marble corridor. They turned a few corners, passing a heavily battered warrior angel along the way. It wasn't long before they were standing in front of a large set of white stone doors.

Raphael traced a series of symbols on the marble with his pointer finger, and after hearing an audible *click*, he pushed the heavy doors open. The room was filled with various measuring tools and stacks of ancient scrolls. The ceiling was high enough that even Michael was able to enter without stooping. The physician angel closed the doors behind them, and secured the lock. He turned to his brother, and asked-

"How familiar are you with Satan's case? Did the others tell you anything about him?" Michael shook his head, and replied-

"I've been busy on the battlefield, and haven't had time to listen to all the gossip that travels around the spheres." Raphael frowned, and said-

"That angel was formed from the soul of a mortal man, he is not like the rest of us." Michael crossed his arms, and replied-

"That's no excuse for his behavior, Metatron was human once, and he never acted in such a fashion." Raphael very sullenly answered-

"We had several weeks to begin Metatron's transformation while his soul was still in a living body. Gabriel spent that time instructing him in our ways, so that by the time he arrived in Heaven he was ready, and since his life was a happy one he was able to keep his memories. Satan's situation is very different, his soul's final moments were so horrible we had no choice but to erase everything. Were he to recall his mortal past, he would go completely mad." Michael asked-

"What happened to him, exactly?" Raphael drew in a sudden, sharp breath, and recounted the tale. Michael's eyes widened as the story grew darker, and by the end his jaw was hanging, his expression a mixture of wrath and despair. He angrily murmured-

"The fallen, oh, what depraved, malicious..." For thousands of years he'd been fighting against those twisted, vindictive creatures who were angelic in form only. He'd seen their handiwork enough times to have a pretty good idea of what Satan's former kin had endured. Michael stood there, silently stewing in his hatred. Raphael sensed the burning fire within him, and asked-

"Are you in need of one of my tonics, brother? It might help soothe you." Michael shook his head and waved him away. They headed back to check on Satan, who had a few bruises, but was none the worse for wear. Michael felt pity for him, and told the medical staff-

"See that he's patched up properly." He turned to Satan, who eyed him fearfully, and said- "I am sorry, brother, I didn't realize you were unaware of our customs." Satan hung his head, and Michael took his leave. There were entire battalions to command, and he couldn't keep them waiting any longer.

Raphael called Satan into his study. He wanted to avoid further such mishaps, but didn't want to embarrass the angel in the process. If the fledgling could not know their ways by instinct, he would be taught in the same way as mortals. The physician motioned for his patient to sit on a wooden stool, and Satan complied. Raphael pulled a series of notes off his desk, turned to him, and asked-

"Other than that misunderstanding outside, how has your experience been since awakening?" The pale angel stroked his chin for a moment, and said-

"I like my wings, it's fun to open them and see all the feathers spread out, and I've had a great time talking to the staff here, especially Suriel, he's so very sweet, and quite lovely." Raphael knew the angel Suriel well, he was a healer, but also a bringer of death to those who suffered agonizing, incurable illness. Suriel was one of Raphael's best assistants, and golden in every sense of the word. He looked at Satan sternly, and asked-

"When you say he's lovely, what do you mean?" Satan smiled warmly, and replied-

"He has such a beautiful face, and a wonderful voice, like a songbird. I'm sure one as attractive as him already has a mate, but I do enjoy looking at him." Raphael was horrified by what he was hearing, but tried his best not to show it. He queried-

"When you say "mate", what do you mean?" Satan elaborated-

"Well, a mate is a partner who is there when one is sick, or lonely." He paused for a moment, and continued- "and that one engages in pleasure with, like when a male goat mounts a doe." The physician was stunned, they'd erased everything from this angel's memories, how could he know of such things?! Satan stared off into the distance, and suddenly seemed as if his thoughts were elsewhere.

The angel could not consciously remember his life from before, but somewhere deep within the darkness of his psyche a scene played out. It was the moment of his greatest joy as a mortal. Late one night, he'd been preparing a fire to cook some meat, when his wife had come over to stand by him. She was smiling so brightly, and when he'd asked her about the source of her happiness, she'd put his hand on her belly...

His heart could remember what his mind could not, and Satan began screaming. The angel's eyes bulged, and he furiously gripped the sides of his head with his hands. Raphael rushed out to find help.

When he'd returned with a few members of his staff, they found Satan curled up on the floor in a fetal position, wailing in a state of unbridled terror. Tears streamed down his face, and it was all the angels could do to try and lay hands on him.

There was only one thing that could be done to save him from the dark oblivion that awaited. In that moment, the Heavenly father reached into Satan's chest, grabbed ahold of his heart, and made it as cold as ice.

There was a sudden shift in the air. The angels all felt as if a terrible chill had filled the room. Satan stopped crying, stopped screaming, and became calm. He got himself up off the ground, and grinned at the others in a most frightening manner. He then wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his robe, and said-

"Oh dear, I'm quite sorry about all that, how rude of me to make such a scene." He laughed at this, as if he'd just told them a rather funny joke. Raphael and the others stared at him, not knowing what to make of what had just happened. Satan put his hands on his hips, stared back at them, and asked- "Alright then, what's my job?"

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