The Politics of Hell by Shawn James
Swimming to the surface at this depth would be futile in my weakened condition. I’d drown before I reached the surface. Maybe I can teleport to the island shore there in time. I think about the shore of my island and in an instant the light envelops me and takes me there. Drenched I stagger into the beach crashing into the sand and everything turns black…
Chapter 9
I wake up lying on one of the guest beds. As I open my eyes I look out the window and see the sun high in the sky. It’s noon now; hours must have passed since I blacked out on the beach early this morning. In my warm dry bed I notice my wet clothes lying in a pile on the floor. When I see Osiris sitting at my bedside next to them I know who brought me in the house. Thank God my father was watching over me.
I wrap my sheet around me and sit up in bed. When I catch his smiling brown eyes he smiles at me. He’d like to know what happened to me. Unfortunately I don’t have many answers for him or myself. Maybe I can make what transpired this morning make sense if I start talking about it.
“Isis, are you all right?” Osiris asks. “What happened to you this morning?”
“I had a fight with E’steem.” I answer. “I’m fine now.”
Osiris’ eyes grow wide. “E’steem? She’s dead.”
“Well she’ found her way back to the land of the living.” I say. “She snuck in here with my own spear trying to kill me. Unfortunately for her she found the replica I had made to display in the library.”
“She must have been here trying to get revenge for you killing her and Seth.” Osiris says.
“No, she was here for other reasons. Something about killing a god to become a Lord.”
“It could be more of her lies. Don’t let her confuse you.”
“That part I believe is true.” I continue. “It would explain why she continued to try to kill me after Seth died. It would also explain why she sought me out in the first place. She knew I was extremely naive about life as a goddess and I was eager to leave here. My heart being filled with hate and me being totally powerless at the time, she would have easily killed me and got her title.”
“Perhaps my brother did not even know what treachery his herald had planned.” Osiris says.
“She definitely kept her information close to the vest.” I reply. “I wouldn’t have figured it out if she hadn’t told me.”
“It still doesn’t explain why she attacked you now.” Osiris continues.
“I’m still figuring that one out myself father.” I say. “Someone cunning as E’steem wouldn’t just participate in a such a sloppy scheme. It’s just not her. I think someone else is pulling her strings this time.”
“It could be the mysterious entity who resurrected her.”
“Maybe.” I reply. “The way E’steem acted this morning was so disorganized and unfocused. Like she was trying to prove something by attacking me. Whatever that is, she failed at it. I left her at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Did you-”
“I doubt she’s dead.” I say. “If I could escape from the deep I know she did too.”
“Perhaps even E’steem is unaware of the subtle politics transpiring around her.” Osiris says. We’d best keep out eyes open daughter. Whoever is pulling E’steem’s strings may soon be after you again.”
I agree with you there father. This isn’t over. Not by a longshot.
Final Chapter
I wake up from my state of unconsciousness sopping wet. Cold air swirls around me as I violently cough the bitter saltwater of the Pacific out of my lungs. I feel the familiar mosaic tiles of Lucifer’s palace underneath me. He saved my life again. I wish I were dead. I’d rather be tortured in the lake of fire rather than face him.
I look up and see Lucifer sitting in his throne with his legs crossed and a gold goblet in his right hand. He takes a sip of wine and smiles at me. He doesn’t have to gloat.
“You promised me that you would attain Lordship today. Where is the body of Isis?” Lucifer taunts. “I see your carcass in front of my throne but I don’t see hers.”
“I had a setback.” I snarl.
“Setback? I thought you were ready to compete in the realm of the Elect. Those who are among my Lords don’t have setbacks. When they promise me something they deliver.”
“I guess they don’t make mistakes either on the road to fulfilling those promises.” I snap.
“They don’t make me promises that they can’t keep.” Lucifer replies.
“I knew you were going to lose.” Lucifer continues. “That’s why I took your power at the last moment and brought you back here. There was no need in continuing your humiliation any further.”
That last comment strikes a nerve in me. The son of a bitch never had any intention of making me a lady! This was all one big set up and I fell for it. I’m angry with him and angrier with myself for letting him embarrass me. I shouldn’t have been so eager to do his bidding. If I had been patient and taken my time to think things through I could have figured out what his scheme was and outsmarted him.
“You took my powers!” I yell. “You could have killed me!”
“You only got a little wet from your dip in the ocean.” Lucifer replies indifferently.
“If you knew I was going to lose then why did you send me out there?”
“You were the one who said you were ready to be a Lord. It was only fair to give you a chance to see if you were capable of achieving what you boast. You’ve proven to me that you still have much to learn.”
“And you could have told me the truth from the beginning. I’m beginning to think that this was one big joke to you.”
“It is amusing how someone so wise still cannot see the simple mistake that caused her downfall.” Lucifer says smiling at me.
“I almost had her. If my power hadn’t been taken from me-”
“You would have bested her. I am familiar with the excuse. I am also not interested in hearing it anymore. When are you going to stop being so arrogant?”
“I know what I’m doing-”
“You do? You were so greedy to get your title that you couldn’t even see the trap I set for you. A child could have figured it out.”
“Trap-I did everything you told me to do.”
“And that was your mistake. What is the first lesson everyone learns in associating with me?”
“Always be aware of the subtle politics transpiring around you?”
“Never trust the father of lies.”
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Death Kills the Flesh.
Compromise Kills the Soul.
The Devil doesn't like John Haynes.
To take his soul, Lucifer recruits E'steem a beautiful she-demon to seduce him. If she can persuade John to compromise his beliefs and values, he'll allow her to join his Elect, a cadre of powerful demons in his inner circle.
To balance the playing field in E'steem's favor, Lucifer isolates John by having him fired from his job. Unemployed and emotionally vulnerable, John eagerly takes what he thinks is the job opportunity of a lifetime as CEO of Morris Phillips. Distracted by his new high-powered job and its many duties, he has no idea that Lucifer secretly controls the multinational corporation or that his live-in assistant is a she-demon placed there to corrupt him. However as E'steem becomes romantically involved with John, she's torn between achieving her theocratic aspirations and saving the man she loves from eternal damnation.
And the previous story :
ISIS
Paperback ISBN 1-58939-236-1
Paperback retail price $12.95
Also Available as an eBook for a reduced price.
Also Available as an eBook
In the aftermath of a horrible tragedy, Isis the long-lost daughter of Osiris has committed a heinous cr
Osiris and Queen Isis reunite with his long-lost child to begin the difficult process of establishing a familial relationship. Hoping to guide Isis towards the greater destiny she’s supposed to fulfill, her parents begin teaching her the ways of the gods. However, Seth’s herald E’steem lurks in the shadows offering Isis freedom for a price. Caught in the middle of a never-ending war between the gods, Isis must choose to either return to the troubled world she knows all too well, or take a journey down an unknown path where faith is her only guide.
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About The Author
Shawn James is the author of the novels Isis, The Cassandra Cookbook, The Temptation of John Haynes the screenplay All About Marilyn, and the Fabulous First Season of All About Nikki. He is also a feature columnist for African–American social media site Onixlink.com. A graduate of Monroe College he’s been writing for over fifteen years.
Connect With Shawn Online:
Other eBooks by Shawn James
Isis
Isis: Trial of the Goddess
Baptism of Blood
The Saga of MastiKatious
The Temptation of John Haynes
A Recipe For $ucce$$
All About Marilyn
All About Nikki- Three Episodes from the Fabulous first Season
All About Nikki- Four More Episodes from the Fabulous First Season
All About Nikki- The Fabulous First Season
All About Nikki- Sesnsational Season 2 Sneak Preivew
The Sneakers
Spray em’ Up
Non-Fiction by Shawn James:
Stop Simpin- Why you Don’t need Finance to Get Romance
The Invisible Black Men
The Myth of the Strong Black Woman
Why Black women choose thugs over good Black men
Also published by SJS DIRECT
Commencement Book One
Commencement Book Two
Commencement Book Three
Commencement Book Four- The Conclusion
Twitter: www.twitter.com/shawnsjames
LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnsjames9973
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