Page 13 of The Witching Hours

“Judson’s?”

“Yes.”

“You’re very astute. I’m sure he has that quality as well, which makes him all the more attractive for my purposes. Fine potential, that one.”

“Answer the question.”

“Judson has and will retain free will like everybody else. At the end of his three-year apprenticeship, if he decides to work for me permanently, he will keep all the perks and be immortal.”

“Immortal?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you required to answer my questions honestly?”

Amon’s face spread into a grin. “More and more delightful. You are one of a kind. The answer is yes. I must answer honestly.”

“Very well then. I have a couple of questions, maybe more. We’ll see. First, are you happy?”

What ensued suggested that the demon had not only never been asked this question, but that the idea was alien to his thought processes. When the perpetual smirk fell away from his face, leaving him expressionless, the impression he made was quite different. “Happy?”

It was Brigid’s turn for snark. “That’s right. You’re familiar with the concept, I’m sure.”

“I’m acquainted with the concept in the abstract, but I do not categorize myself in terms of this or that emotion.”

“Alright. What standard do you use to judge your state of well-being?”

He briefly stared into the fire then repeated, “Well-being. I’m obligated to answer your questions, Mrs. Carmady, and am doing so to the best of my ability, but I just don’t think that way.”

“Let’s come at this from another angle. How old are you?”

“I gave you permission to use the term fallen angel. This means I’ve been around since the beginning of creation. Bada boom. Bada bang.”

“Since creation.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure you’ve had other human apprentices.”

“Countless.”

“And how did things go for them? Were they happy to be bound by a deal that requires them to send people to Hell?”

“Ah!” Amon barked out a laugh. “I see our problem now. You’re thinking Hell is a bad place, but that’s where you’re wrong. I’m just a recruiter for one side that’s no better or worse than the other. We all play a part. Those like me simply help maintain balance.

“I fear you’ve been brainwashed by fiction likeThe Devil and Daniel WebsterorMephistopheles. Perhaps you could think of us as age-old rivalries. Army versus Navy. University of Texas versus Oklahoma. Like that.”

“You’re saying there’s no good side and bad side? Just two sides that are… Isn’t balance maintained by polarity?”

He was shaking his head. “Not necessarily. Picture a playground seesaw. You could achieve balance by placing two fifty-pound weights, one at either end, in which case the bar would be perfectly horizontal. Or you could place two fifty-pound weights precisely in the center, in which case the bar would be horizontal. Two paths to the same destination.”

“You have an answer for everything, don’t you, Amon?”

“Well, I’ve had a long time to work on my pitch.” He smiled. “There’s good and bad in everyone and everything, Mrs. Carmady. Even the force you think of as God. Every person who’s read the Bible from beginning to end knows that. The most appalling horrors that have been visited upon humankindhave been done by God and in the name of God. Ask Job.” He took a sip of wine. “I think you know this.”

Brigid sighed. “I do. But I still don’t have an answer to my question. Were these former apprentices happy?”

“To the best of my knowledge, some yes, some no.”

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