When Heaven meets Hell

Chapter Twenty

A letter arrived early in the morning, delivered by a silent Amaki messenger. It called Joan for a meeting with Alastair that very evening at the church. Joan wondered, not too enthusiastically, what new targets she would be assigned that day.

But Alastair seemed to have other things in mind. Leading her through the cloister running parallel to the dark courtyard, they stopped near a statue of an angel. They were alone and well out of earshot of any of the other members. This struck Joan as strange. Had he wanted to assign her new targets, he would have done so in front of the other Elders. He must have had another purpose for calling her here.

"As you may know Miss Hale, Hallows Eve draws near and it is time for us to pay tribute to our Lord." He started, quickly getting down to business. "You are aware that means we require sacrifices."

Joan nodded grimly, fully aware what he spoke of. The Amaki had certain days of the year set out to perform sacrifices in order to please the Devil and show their undying devotion. Such barbaric events where the victims were butchered and offered to demons was a rather common practice among the group, however Joan had so far avoided joining in. She had more important things to do than chant utter nonsense and bribe demons. Nevertheless, she had been a witness to a few such rituals and was somewhat familiar with them.

"And how does all of this concern me?" She asked.

"I have noticed that you have so far not bothered taking part in these events." Alastair said and Joan could sense the disapproval in his voice. "Perhaps, this time, you should contribute. You are a member, and a descendant of our founders. I choose you to provide us one sacrifice."

Joan arched an eyebrow, but did not seem overly surprised. She knew Alastair was not a religious person, none of the Amaki were. These rituals were only a way for them to seek favors from hell, whether it was in the form of fame, wealth or success. Nevertheless, these rituals were the group's centuries old traditions and he could not have her openly defying them.

"I see." She said, sounding bored. "Very well then, I will provide a sacrifice, but do not expect me to join in and perform those silly rituals. Now, is there any particular criterion the sacrifice is to fulfill?"

Alastair smiled slightly, as though this was the topic he hoped to touch upon.

"Yes, there is. We would prefer our sacrifices to be young and innocent, preferably females. Thomas informs me that you have a young girl living with you..."

For the first time during their conversation, Joan was surprised. There was a flash of alarm in her eyes, quickly replaced by a dull, bored look.

"You are asking me to hand over a child to be sacrificed?" She said in clipped tones.

"I am." Alastair did not seem perturbed by the slight accusation in her voice. "Does this child mean something to you?"

"Of course not." Joan said, rolling her eyes. "But I'm sure Mr. Colton would have also mentioned that she is the daughter of a family friend who is temporarily staying with me. How do you expect me to cover up her disappearance when her family comes to collect her?"

"You are resourceful Miss Hale. I'm sure you can think of something." Alastair said smoothly.

Joan's eye narrowed. "Why her of all people?"

"She is an easy target." Alastair explained offhandedly. ""It would be a simple task of leading her to us, since I have no doubt she would trust you. She would be the perfect candidate."

"No." Joan said bluntly, surprising herself at her sudden protectiveness she was displaying for Heidi. Alastair too narrowed his eyes at her disobedience.

"Hmm, well then Miss Hale, if I were to tell you that if you bring us this girl, I could possibly persuade Lord Satan to pass you information about your parent's killers, specifically their names."

Joan looked up at him quickly, scowling at the smug look plastered on his face. He knew he had just spoken the magic words, giving her the right incentive. It made Joan realize that, all this time, Alastair had been working up to this moment. The information he was already supplying her was only meant to tease her, to frustrate her and make her desperate. It had been an effective strategy, for Joan truly was desperate to get better leads. There was no doubt that Satan had the information she needed, he was the devil after all, which meant he knew exactly who had committed which sin. Both Alastair and Joan knew that fact.

This made Joan wonder if his interest in Heidi extended to more than her being a sacrifice. It certainly was odd that he seemed to want Heidi of all people. What was this man playing at?

"Well Miss Hale, I'm waiting."

Turning her attention to the man before her, Joan resisted the urge to wipe that smile off his face.The offer however was tempting. There was risk involved however. There was no telling if the Devil would give her the names she wanted. And then, of course, there was Heidi. Alastair was sure to have some other purpose for the girl.

But she made sure not to show her suspicions to the man. Pretending to consider it, she asked. "How can I be sure you will actually fulfill your end of the bargain? You haven't been very helpful of late."

"Fret not Miss Hale, I will fulfill my promise." He smiled, but there was no sincerity in his eyes. Joan noticed this, but nonetheless played along.

"I shall see what I can do." She said at last. Alastair seemed satisfied with her answer and called their meeting to an end. As they parted ways, Joan came to a reluctant resolve. She had to do it. She had been putting off the inevitable for too long. It infuriated her that, in the end, it would all come to that. But she needed answers, and she could see no other possible way of getting them. She would have to do that which she had been avoiding for too long.

It was time she paid her parents a visit.