Dancing With Fire - Chapter 6
#6 of Dancing With Fire Act 1 - The Kindling Ignites
Harper made no effort to approach Loona. He had seen her hiding behind the front desk as he emerged from Blitzø's office. No matter, he could smooth things over with her at his leisure, at least if he cared to.
The employees he was most interested in were the husband and wife team. He found Millie and Moxxie sitting together in the break room. The two imps didn't appear to be saying anything, just quietly gazing into each other's eyes. Moxxie's hand was on top of Millie's, and their tails loosely twined around each other.
The Overlord took a moment to admire the scene before he spoke to them. "One of the things that most pleasantly surprised me upon my arrival to Hell was to learn that love could not only survive here, but thrive," he said.
The wedded couple jumped at the sudden intrusion. Moxxie was on his feet in less than a second. "L-Lord Harper! Wh-what can we do for you?" he stammered nervously.
The draconic demon chuckled and raised a placating hand. "At ease, Moxxie. I only wish to talk to you and Millie. Please, sit back down." Harper took the chair across from the two imps as Moxxie nervously sat back down.
"As I was saying, it was a pleasant surprise to find happy couples down here in Hell. True, they are not as common as up above, but I still see them often enough." Harper smiled warmly at both of them. "I can see how close you two are, and it warms my heart. You both remind me of myself and the Missus when we were alive."
"Awwwww, that's mighty sweet of you!" Millie exclaimed as she leaned in. Moxxie smiled nervously, but hung back. "I'll bet she was a real sweetheart."
"The sweetest and most beautiful woman you can imagine," Harper readily agreed, "I cherished every day I spent with her."
Millie squealed in delight, and even Moxxie's expression softened. With the ice broken, Harper moved on to the matter at hand. "Of course, that is not the reason I wished to speak with you. Rather, I have some questions about your employer."
"Blitzø? What do ya wanna know about him?" Millie asked. Moxxie sat up a bit straighter. His tail found its way back to Millie's and coiled around it.
"He took a rather strange phone call as we were concluding our business," Harper continued. "He seems to have a level of familiarity with Prince Stolas of House Goetia."
Moxxie and Millie both tensed a little as Harper leaned forward. "Tell me, what business does Prince Stolas have with I.M.P.?"
"W-well," Moxxie spluttered as he scratched the back of his head, "It's a bit of a long story."
"I am confident you will be able to summarize it well," Harper simply said.
Moxxie swallowed hard, then looked at Millie. She nodded with an encouraging smile. Returning the smile, Moxxie turned back to Harper. "Well, sir, until you came along, Stolas was our only regular client. He'd provide us with a steady line of work."
So that was one mystery solved. Prince Stolas was the one keeping I.M.P. afloat for so long! But why? Harper took a moment to choose his words before probing further. "I'm surprised that His Highness would have an interest in interfering with Earthly affairs. It was my understanding he took more of an interest in the stars and botany."
"Weeeeeeeell it's not so much that he's interested in human affairs as he is in Blitzø himself," Moxxie continued. "Blitzø is using one of his grimoires to access the living world. Prince Stolas arranged a deal with him after he caught Blitzø trying to steal it."
Now it was Harper's turn to recoil from surprise. "Your employer attempted to steal from a senior member of the House Goetia???"
"Yeah!" said Millie, "Isn't that cool? And it all worked out in the end. His Highness was real understandin' about the whole thing, and lets us borrow the book so we can do our work, and he even sends contracts our way."
Harper quirked a brow. He folded his hands on the table and leaned further forward still. "And what does Prince Stolas have to gain from lending you his grimoire?"
Again, Moxxie scratched the back of his head. "Well, the thing is," he awkwardly cleared his throat, "He agreed to let Blitzø borrow the book in exchange for, ah, spending time with him. Every full moon, Blitzø goes over to the Goetia estate for a...I mean, he..." The imp gestured with his hand as words failed him.
"He goes and fucks Stolas six ways from Sunday!"
"MILLIE!!!"
Harper was unfazed by the bluntness of Millie's statement. He leaned back in his seat, turning thoughtful. "Hmm, that would definitely explain why Blitzø saw fit to mention using lube on his phonecall." This got a blush and a facepalm from Moxxie. The Overlord stood up and smoothed out his jacket.
"That was all that I needed to ask you. Thank you for being so open with me." He shook each imp's hand in turn, then donned his overcoat and strode out.
Millie and Moxxie watched Harper leave with trepidation. "Ya think we made a mistake telling him all that?" Millie asked. Moxxie scooted over to squeeze his wife. "I don't know why he wants to know, but would you want to be caught lying to an Overlord?"
Millie emphatically shook her head.
"I don't like this."
Harper turned to regard his valet after emerging from his limo. "Would you care to elaborate, Drek?"
Drek closed the car door and stuffed his hands into his pockets as both men hurried into the house. As much as living mortals joked about Hell freezing over, winters could get pretty damn cold this time of year, even in the Pride Circle.
"You said it yourself," Drek continued once they were inside, "I.M.P. is a pawn of Prince Stolas, and Blitzø appears to be in an intimate relationship with him. We are playing a dangerous game if we interfere with the company. It's in House Goetia's sphere."
Harper grinned like a hungry predator, "All the more reason for me to deepen my involvement," he said.
Drek spluttered, "S-sir?!"
"Remember what we discussed earlier? Blitzø and his associates are diamonds in the coal. Prince Stolas lacks the vision to see their full potential, and how he may benefit from it. Rather, he is only interested in its owner's body. He has scarcely even noticed that Blitzø has been taking contracts from myself and my surrogates."
Harper slipped out of his overcoat and hung it on the rack in the antechamber. "Prince Stolas has been trying to stamp out my business empire and retake the territory I liberated from his subordinates for decades," he continued, "And now a golden opportunity has turned up right in front of us. If we pry I.M.P. away from Stolas's sphere of influence it will be another blow to him, even if he does not yet know it."
"But sir! Stolas is the commander of twenty-six of Hell's Legions. If you start another war, it won't end well for us. Need I remind you of the last time you and he came to blows?"
The draconic demon got down on one knee and rested his large hands on Drek's shoulders, almost enveloping him in the process. "Drek, you have always been the pessimist and the contrarian in my ranks, and I value that. It is why I have kept you around for so long. But please do not insult my intelligence by assuming I do not know any of this." He extended one of his wings. A patchwork of scars ran along the membrane. "I'm reminded every day of my foolish mistake, and it is not one I intend to make again."
Standing back up, Harper directed his valet to follow, then headed upstairs for his office. "What you Hellborn fail to realize is that we Sinners know a few tricks that you don't. I have studied every member of House Goetia for decades after my defeat, and it has become increasingly apparent that he doesn't know what a proxy war is." That predatory grin returned, "And I plan to teach His Highness first hand."