Devil's Workday (Devil Aster Days Book 1) (4 page)

When Aster returned an hour later, he found the hole in the Southern gate in the process of being repaired. Extra men were patrolling the area, and all was well. As it turned out, there were no casualties during the demon’s attack. Aster tiredly made his way back to the castle to make sure all was well there. The night was quiet, and the streets were deserted. Quite a contrast to the day he had been through. At the castle, it was much the same. The halls were devoid of any life, save for the night patrol guards.

Aster made his way to the barracks, his mind already made up that he would spend the night there. He was far too tired to trek all the way back to his house. As he entered the barracks he saw a familiar face waiting for him: Venus Fayth. She was sound asleep, head down at one of the tables. She had two plates of food prepared for them to eat together. It was a sight that made Aster feel terrible about turning her down so often. For a moment, he even allowed himself to imagine what it’d be like if they were together. It felt good; so much that he had to stop himself immediately, for fear of finally giving in to it.

He quietly made his way into his office to retrieve a spare blanket he kept for occasions like tonight where he planned to stay over. Instead of using it himself however, he wrapped it around the sleeping Captain. Once she was covered, he grabbed a few select items off the plates of food and retired to his office. The next few minutes were a mix between taking off his heavy armor and eating. He leaned Infernos up in the corner of the room where he could always see it. Finally ready for sleep, he prepared to climb into his tiny hammock in the back corner when he heard a door close. It could just be a night patrol guard coming and going, but he thought he should check anyway.

Before he could reach his own office door, he heard a light tapping followed by the door cracking open slowly. He expected to see Venus pop her head in, but was caught completely off guard by Lord Satan instead.

“May I come in?” he asked, as if it were even possible for Aster to say no.

“Yes, come in my Lord.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t wake your sleeping friend.” Satan said with a friendly smile. His eyes were immediately drawn to Commander Clarus’s blade, Infernos, standing in the corner. “I had heard you disappeared into the desert again. I’m glad to see you found your way back safely, and with your father’s sword none the less.”

“Thank you, my Lord. I think…I can move on now.”

“It’s okay to have feelings, Commander. I know you have a large heart. Commander Honore and I were good friends. Your father spoke very highly of you.”

“Really? I thought he didn’t know I existed...”

“Who do you think recommended you to be his replacement? We’ve both lost our families too soon, Aster,” Satan told him, “lots of people have. It’s the one thing we devils can not escape here in Hell.”

“It’s all God’s fault!” Aster shouted, the sleep deprivation and hunger finally making him lose his temper.

“Why do you think that?” Satan asked.

“So what if a few angels rebelled with the original Satan? We had nothing to do with that! He can’t keep holding us responsible for the sins of our ancestors! But he marooned us here in this world, where we’re constantly living in fear of demon attacks! I hate him…I hate God!”

A strange thing happened: Satan suddenly looked depressed. Aster had never seen him with such a dire look on his face, even at his father’s funeral. “My boy, what you have said is true; it is certainly God’s fault that we are here. But consider this:
We are here
.”

“What?”

“If God had simply decided to execute the first Satan and his followers, none of us would be alive today. Had you ever thought of that?”

“No, my Lord, I hadn’t…”

“Your father and I shared the same dream; did he ever speak of it to you?”

“No, my Lord.”

“Your father and I had always dreamt of restoring our relationship with God.”

“Why,” Aster scoffed, “so that he ‘forgives’ us and invites us all back to Heaven?”

“No,” Satan answered firmly, “our place is no longer in Heaven. This is our home now. I simply want to feel the love of our Father again.” Aster thought his dream was incredibly stupid, but could never openly mock his Lord. Instead, he posed a simple question.

“How do you intend on doing that, my Lord?”

“The only way I know how: by continuing to lead a good life, be a good ruler, and lead my people to prosperity. Do you find my dream foolish, boy?”

“It is not my place to question my King,” Aster said. “I will merely continue to do as you command me to.”

“Perhaps one day you will understand,” Satan smiled.

“Perhaps.”

“I can tell you need your rest, so I’ll be taking my leave now.” Aster gave a weak bow as Satan headed for the door. Before he exited, he turned around and said one last thing to him. “I’ve always felt that you will play a large role in making my dream come true.” Unexpected, and Aster hadn’t a clue as to what he meant by that. Instead of replying, he simply stared blankly, waiting for him to say more. “Goodnight,” Satan said, exiting the room with a smile on his face.

Aster crawled into his hammock and wasted no time succumbing to sleep. And so this workday was done, but tomorrow would be more of the same. Indeed the future held many tough battles, life threatening situations, and strong opponents for him to face. And even though he didn’t believe it, Satan was correct about him playing a large role in repairing the devils relationship with God. In fact, the fate of not only Hell, but Earth and Heaven as well was highly dependant upon Aster’s future actions. 

To him though, it was just another devil’s workday.

###

About the Author

Mitchell Olson lives in the cold-as-Hell state of Minnesota. He enjoys anime, video games, and comic books, as well as punk rock music. He has two demons of his own, a dog-type named Charlie and a cat-like creature named Bob.

Like Devil Ash Days on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/devilashdays

Visit
www.devilashdays.com

Join the mailing list for updates:
http://eepurl.com/zjYZf

Follow me on Twitter:
@immitchellolson

Say hello to me at:
[email protected]

Thank you for reading!