While You Wait

When a SNAFU in the routing system for the afterlife causes Miriana to end up in Hell instead of Paradise, its ruler Djall must rescue her from it's residents. While negotiating her return to her rightful eternity, he allows her to stay in his manor, but keeping her safe even there may be harder than he imagined.

[whileyouwait-dm]

5

Chapter 4

Introductions and considerations...

“Before we start on anything else, I would like you to meet my two Demon Warlords: Ekkehard and Bellator.  Then, this afternoon, we’ll have a meeting with all of the Demon Overlords who run the torture pits.  I’ll give you an overview of them first, so you will have an idea who is who in that meeting.”  Djall was kind of enjoying the way that Miriana was watching him intently, and he in turn was studying her and her reactions as he was talking.  He could tell from her expression that she was a bit overwhelmed, but she was nodding along. Good…good…she would do nicely for the role he had in mind, maybe more than one.

“I guess Hell doesn't have a training period, huh?” She laughed nervously as she looked up at him.  Overlords and Warlords and demons…oh my!  This was going to be her life now.

“Do you need a little hand-holding, Miriana?” Djall gently took one of her hands in his much larger and battle-scarred one and brought it up to lightly kiss the back. His dark eyes stayed firmly on her lighter ones, a smirk on his lips as well. The way her eyes widened and her lips slightly parted delighted him. He could hear her heart speed and her breath deepen.  Yes, he had a feeling that he'd miss her when she was gone, possibly acutely.

“Well, I..” She swallowed, fighting getting lost in his dark eyes and saying her true thoughts. “Well, you see..” She once more stumbled over her words.  Djall’s power and handsome looks made her stomach do funny things and her heart skip, neither of which she was used to.

As if sent from some deity to save her, a heavy knock sounded at the door. Miriana jumped, emitting a small squeak from being startled.  Djall’s hand tightened briefly on hers, as he chuckled, before he released it and turned towards the door.  “Come in, gentleman.  Miss Miriana is waiting to meet you.” His tone carried his amusement at her reaction and at his anticipation of when he met the two men who were waiting on the other side of the heavy wooden door.

When the door opened, two tall and imposing men entered Djall’s office.  The first was fair-haired with blue eyes that sparkled like finely cut blue topaz, and they were focused keenly on Miriana.  He was tall, broad-shouldered, with short-cropped hair, seemed to fill the whole doorway, and emitted an air that said he would be deadly if provoked.  The male that followed him put him to shame.  His shoulders completely filled the doorway, and while devastatingly handsome, he made Miriana take a step back, which had her back now flush against Djall.  A head taller than Djall, having to duck slightly to come through the door, Bellator’s tanned complexion was the same, his hair just as black, but he somehow beat him on the intimidation factor, which was quite a feat.  His entire presence spoke of him being a Warlord, and the fear that coursed through Miriana had her wanting to run from the room and cower.  However, there was also something about him that had her unable to tear her eyes away from his, that seemed to oscillate between a dark grey and brown, almost swirling.

Djall’s hand landed lightly at first on Miriana’s hip, not wanting to startle or scare her more than she already was, then slid around her waist.  That, at his touch, she leaned back into him, rather than pulling away, delighted him.  For some reason, he was enjoying having this human in his realm more than he would have originally anticipated, and he most definitely found her alluring.  Keeping himself from smudging her further was going to be a true test of his will. As Miriana pressed herself back against him further due to her fear of Bellator, a common reaction, Djall’s hand slid further across her midsection until he had his whole arm around her, holding her securely to him.  A pleased grin firmly in place at this. Yes, this little human was going to be interesting to have around.

“Miriana, these are my two warlords.  Ekkehard, normally known to me as Eike,” he gestured with his free hand, “and Bellator, or Tor,” again he gestured, and felt Miriana once more press back against him as she looked at the larger man.  “You will be working with them to help align their troops to their leadership style, possibly reorganizing their command structure as well..  Djall heard the shakiness of Miriana’s breath, and it caused him to chuckle.  Something about her being comfortable with him and fearing the others pleased him greatly.  He wanted the little human to be his alone while she was in his realm, an unusual bout of possessiveness. It was something he would have to reflect on later.

While Eike was paying little attention to Djall’s newest toy, Bellator was studying her closely.  A human soul, a CLEAN human soul, completely spotless and pure, had landed in their realm.  A fuck up in the algorithm? Or..or..was Djall missing something more important transpiring around them?  Djall assumed that the fuck up in the algorithm was responsible for her being in their realm, since it had sent the soul that was supposed to be in their realm to a paradise. If that had been the case, then the beauty before him should have been able to have where she should have currently easily identified.  The opposite happened, however.  What if, just maybe, she was where she was supposed to be?  Not a soul damned to their hell world, but a bride delivered to her groom?  Warlords and Lords of the Afterlife could only wed pure souls, and here was a pure soul in their realm.  Coincidence?  Maybe...but maybe not.  Djall might overlook it, but Bellator was not so quick to, and he was going to challenge his boss on it later, especially with the way it seemed Djall was already laying claim to the female, a claim he might be ready to challenge.

“Lady Miriana, tis a pleasure to meet you.  I am sorry if I have given you reason to feel intimidated.  I promise you that I mean you no harm, and no harm shall come to you when you are in my presence.  I fear that you have fallen victim to the aura I give off, which does affect many.”  Bellator greeted Miriana, bowing deeply.  His swirling eyes remained focused solely on her as he did, still gauging her reactions and studying her acutely.

“What the asshole next to me is trying to say is that he scares the fuck out of most people, and he’s sorry that you look like you’re about to pass out.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miriana, and we’re both looking forward to working with you. Both of us,” he elbowed Tor, “and our legions will always work to keep you safe from anything that tries to harm you while you are with Djall and us.”  Eike shook his head and rolled his eyes before bowing.  He was far less formal than Bellator, but he had a feeling that the other Warlord was up to something, something he hadn’t caught onto yet.  Yet. 

“Uh...thank you.  It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.  I hope I’m able to help both of you.”  Miriana’s voice was shaky, and her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but she was trying.  Djall’s arm around her waist, with his thumb gently caressing her side, did help quell her nerves somewhat.  When did they become so familiar?  She wasn’t sure, but it felt natural somehow, and she wasn’t going to argue with it. No matter what Tor said, he still scared her and she felt the need to run.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Mir.” Djall shortened her name without even asking, simply because he wanted to and he liked the sound of it.  It made her his, and he liked making things his. He studied his Warlords before him.  Both were studying Miriana, which he expected.  What he hadn’t expected was the way Bellator was looking at her.  His expression was not one of curiosity regarding someone that would be a coworker, but rather he was looking at her as one might upon first meeting a prospective mate.  Something primal in Djall reacted to this, considering it almost a challenge against him, and a deep seated part of him felt the need to stake his claim on her even though it would permanently smudge her.

“When will we begin to work with Miriana?” Tor could see Djall reacting to him and Eike, the possessive and dominant part of their boss rising.  He had to wonder if their boss even realized what he was doing and the change in his stature since Tor had started studying the svelte female that Djall currently embraced.  Then there was the human, herself, and her reactions to Djall.  It all seemed to indicate that Miss Miriana was not there by accident.  However, that did not mean she was there for Djall. Tor was going to find out who exactly she was there for and if it was for only one of them.  A bride of Baratrum? Bellator was certain she was, but for whom?

Djall was fighting changing his mind about having her work with either Tor or Eike, and he didn’t know what was causing that.  This was, after all, his idea.  She couldn’t just follow him around all day, could she?  Suddenly, that idea appealed to him more than her working with the other men that worked for him. He had always been possessive of things that belonged to him; that had to be the problem. She was just a thing to him.  That was it.

“Djall?”  Miriana asked softly when he didn’t answer Bellator’s question.  Her head tipped to look up at him, her warm breath fanning across the skin of his throat, and the soft curls of her hair cascading across his hand that was holding her waist.  The combination of sensations pulled him reluctantly from his thoughts. “Sorry, I was contemplating how best that would be accomplished.” Djall lied to the three of them.  From the narrowing of Eike’s eyes, it was not a fully believed lie.  “You can begin immediately.  I think getting to know one another-” his hold on Miriana tightened, a wave of possessiveness he wouldn’t have been able to explain if he tried coming over him suddenly, “would probably be best before getting into troop assignments and legion divisions. Miriana is not to leave the mansion compound.  She is not to step foot outside for any reason.  Am. I. Understood?”

Eike’s brows drew together.  He understood but wondered why.  “Do you not trust us with her?   We wouldn’t let anything happen to her, Djall.  If you’re afraid of her running away or a kidnapping, we’d guard her with our lives, you know that.” He was not challenging Djall, but Tor was studying the human a bit too closely, and Djall was acting weird.  He seemed to be the only one not affected by whatever shift in dynamic was going on.

“She is not meant to be here, Eike.  Everything here can smudge her and damn her to our realm eternally.”  Djall sighed.  There were reasons he wouldn’t say, but he’d go with the easiest.  “She already has a smudge from where she got dropped originally before I got to her. I just wish for there not to be an accident that adds to it and for her not to be able to get to where she is supposed to be.” Again, he held her tighter for a moment, he was going to miss her when she was gone. Already, he could tell that allowing her to leave would not be easy and that wherever she went might require visits from him. What was wrong with him?

“You’re sure she is not meant to be here?” Bellator figured he might as well put it out there now.  His chin rose as he spoke; now, the challenge had been made.  He just waited for it to sink into Djall’s brain exactly what he meant by the question.

Djall opened his mouth to reply, then stopped.  At first, he had thought that Bellator meant that Miriana wasn’t pure, but then he realized there had to be more to his Warlord’s statement.  There was something he was missing, and Djall rarely missed anything.  For another moment, he turned over the question in his mind.  What could Tor mean that she was meant to be there?  How could she be meant to be there if she was pure, a virgin even?  Those weren’t sent to hell realm unless………...unless they were a bride for the Lord of the Afterlife or one of their Warlords.  His eyes met Bellator’s and widened. The smirk that Tor gave him meant that was exactly what his Warlord was insinuating.  

“We will talk later about this, Bellator.”  Djall’s voice was strained.  “You will follow my directives or face the consequences.” His eyes became hard.  “Do either of you have an issue with this?” He looked between his two Warlords, expecting an answer.

“No.” They answered in unison.

Djall looked down at Miriana, who was still looking up at him, confused.  His eyes softened significantly.  “You will be kept safe, Mir.  Don’t worry.  They will ensure you are as safe as if you were with me.”  He gave her a soft smile. “And Bellator just looks imposing, he would never hurt you.  Okay?” It was all he could do not to place a kiss on her forehead, a further indication that Tor possibly had a point.

Miriana nodded, knowing that there was something that Djall wasn’t saying.  Something that had to do with whatever Bellator had just said.  It scared her, but she had to trust Djall; he was the one that had saved her in the forest after all, and he had taken care of her so far without hurting her.  If he had meant her harm, he certainly could have done it before now.  

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[whileyouwait-dm]

When the algorithm that determines the fate of souls after death malfunctions, Mariana finds herself in one of the many hell realms. Thankfully, she is under the protection of Djall, the Lord of this realm. Now, she has an exciting opportunity: she will become the Lord's assistant.

But did the algorithm screw up? Is she supposed to be there? There are those within the realm that you have questions. And Djall does no people that have the answers. But will it be too late by the time that he goes to ask?

[whileyouwait-dm]

4

Chapter 3

A new day dawns...

The morning after her arrival, Miriana awoke and looked through the closet.  She was surprised to find a wide variety of clothing, and all of it in her size.  There were some that weren’t quite her style, but most of them seemed like something she could at least make work.  Shoes lined the floor as well, once more in sizes that would fit her.  The dressers contained everything else she’d need for outfits.  From the amount it looked like she was going to be Djall’s guest for a while.  She guessed if he was going to provide for her like this, it wouldn’t be all bad.  How he, or someone he’d hired, had known her sizes was a mystery, but then maybe when you are the Lord of Hell, somethings are just known.

After dressing in something comfortable, she opened the door to the hallway, and found herself facing a large and rather imposing male across the hall.  She guessed this was some kind of guard, meant to keep her from just wandering around in the mansion aimlessly.  “Good morning.” She attempted a smile, but wasn’t sure how convincing it was.  “Umm…I really don’t know where I’m supposed to go or what I’m supposed to do.  Are you supposed to take me somewhere, or is Djall going to show up?”  Her face scrunched up and her shoulders rose as she talked, her voice also a bit strained as she looked down both directions of the hallway before back at the man’s face.

This apparently amused him a bit, as he chuckled before answering.  “Miss Miriana, I can take you to Djall.  No worries.  You don’t have to be so nervous.  He’s let us all know you’re here, and to help you out while you are.  You may be in Hell, ma’am, but you’re in the boss’ house.  It’s a lot different in here than it is outside.”  He gave her a wink and slightly jerked his head in the direction they were going to go.  “Follow me.”

The guard’s manner made Miriana relax and she thanked him, with a far more genuine smile, before falling in line behind him.  They made their way through the beautiful mansion into what almost seemed like an office building from the way that it was decorated.  Her brow creased as she looked at everything.  Was Hell a corporation?  It kind of made sense. What could be worse than spending your life in a cube farm being endlessly tortured by customer service calls?  It was almost enough to make her shudder at just the thought.  Please don’t have him plan on making her work at a phone bank!

When they stopped at the end of the hallway, it wasn’t hard to tell that the office before her would be Djall’s.  The door was a dark and heavy wood, intricately carved with scrolls, fleur de lis, and faces of many kinds along with a handle that was shining brass.  It was stunning to look at and the detailing was exquisite.  It looked like something that would be more at home in a regal castle than in an austere corporate hallway.  Hell was certainly much different than she had expected.

The guard knocked and when Djall’s voice was heard from inside, the guard opened the door and gestured for her to enter.  As Miriana did, she was as awestruck by the interior of his office as she was the door.  It too could have been from some fairytale like castle rather than a corporate office.  Dark, intricately carved woods adorned everything, a spiral staircase in the corner led to a second floor, floor to ceiling bookcases, plush leather furniture set in seating areas, two small meeting tables with four and six chairs respectively, and at one end was Djall’s massive desk with a beautiful leather chair behind it. Behind that were the two story windows, the first floor in clear glass and the second in stained glass with nature scenes.  She almost forgot to walk down to where he was, she got so focused on taking all of the details of his office in.

“I’m going to assume that my office is to your liking?”  Djall asked with an amused smirk on his lips.  “Altaire, please have the kitchen send breakfast, coffee, and tea in now.” He nodded to the guard who returned the nod and left the room.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in real life.  I’m sorry if I’ve been rude.”  Miriana’s cheeks flamed a bright pink as she walked down to where he was still standing behind his desk at the other end of the room.  Her eyes couldn’t quite meet his, she felt embarrassed for being caught gaping at everything.  “Thank you for everything in my room, Djall.  I feel spoiled.  You really didn’t have to give me quite that much.”  The pink darkened and her eyes dropped to the floor, her smile did not falter a bit however.  

“You can continue to look around the room if you like, you’ll be spending quite a bit of time in here with me. That is, if you accept my offer.” Djall’s smirk did not fade either.  His eyes were keenly on her as her expression changed to one of surprise; and was that a touch of fear?  “And, you are welcome for all of your clothing and needs.  If there is anything missing or lacking, you have only but to ask.  It appears you will be here a while and I do want you to be most comfortable. Getting you what you want and need is not an issue.” Once more he was struck by her beauty, the way the morning light came streaming through the windows and made her light brown hair sparkle. Thankfully he did catch himself before he reached out and touched it, his hand lightly fisting at his side.

“Thank you.” She said again, feeling like her cheeks were on fire.  He was studying her, something people rarely did and it made her self conscious.  “What is it that you are offering that would keep me in your office?”  She decided to ask, since he hadn't elaborated and she felt a strong need to change the subject before she said something to embarrass herself.

“I am the Lord of Hell, which is just a fancy way of saying I’m the administrator.  I keep it running efficiently and make sure that we have no issues.  I’ve looked into your life on Earth.  You were very good at managing and assigning manpower.  I could use that skill.”  He gave her a smile, still studying every detail about her.  “Normally, the algorithm that decides where souls go after they die does not fuck up like it did with you.  Souls destined to be here are delivered to a holding area, and there is a meeting once a day where they are divided up amongst my Overlords for their eternal damnation and torture. Following so far?”

Miriana nodded.  “Sounds pretty logical.  So what is it that you would like me to do?” Her head cantered as she listened to him, taking in all the details.

“The Overlords are not always happy with my choices.  They end up having another meeting and discussing who they have been given and what they think should be done with them, then end up trading.  I have a lot on my plate with running an entire realm, and I would like you to become my assistant.  You will help me handle the Overlords and my two Warlords.  Determine their strengths and styles then assign the souls to the Overlords, new demons to the Warlords.  Do you think you can help me with that? Anything you need, anything at all, you can have it.  ” Djall’s brows rose as his head slightly tipped to the side.  He could already see her turning it over in her head.  Good.  Come on little human.

Spending the afterlife doing HR?  This was not exactly what she had anticipated, but there were worse things to do.  She was in Hell after all.  She’d be safe, she’d be in this amazing office, and she could ask Djall for anything she wanted.  There really wasn’t a downside that she was seeing.  “Okay, yes. I think that I can help with that.  I accept your offer.  You have yourself a new assistant.”  She gave him a smile, still a little unsure.  She was, after all, making a deal with the literal Devil.  Miriana didn't add that spending the day where she got to look at the hot Lord of Hell was also a nice bonus to the position.  She didn't want him to rescind the offer, or get angry with her for flirting.

“Splendid!”  Djall grinned as he snapped and a smaller version of his desk appeared perpendicular to his at one end.  A leather chair matching his but smaller was behind it.  A laptop appeared on top, but instead of an apple logo, there was a little demon head.  Miriana had to fight a laugh at the detail.  “There are office supplies in the desk, but if there is anything you need, we have an intranet page for ordering office things.  Also, Amazon delivers, you’ll already be logged into our account.  Feel free to order any hair and makeup things I didn’t think of or that you prefer a different kind.” He inclined his head, smirk firmly in place at her wide eyed look. “I prefer to gift jewelry myself..call it a personal touch.” He winked.

“This is all real, right?  I’m not just in a coma or something?”  Miriana asked, still feeling a bit disoriented by it all. 

Djall walked around the desk, standing before her, and taking her upper arms lightly in his hands before leaning his head down towards hers so he could look directly in her eyes.  “I know this is a lot to take in, but it is real.  You are dead. This is Hell.  And you are now Hell’s HBIC, my darling.  It will take a while to all sink in.  Unfortunately, you’re going to have a crash course in Hell life, because my job never stops.”  He gave her a reassuring smile as he inhaled the slight scent of her perfume that lingered from before she had come to his realm.  He was putting the scent to memory to order more for her, a personal gift.  There was a feeling in him that working with her was going to be a pleasure, and he might just miss her when she was gone. 

Miriana nodded, so far life in Hell didn’t seem too awfully bad, but then again she was the guest of the ruler, so she had a feeling that helped.  Blowing out a breath, “okay, where do we begin?’  She gave him a rather nervous smile and shrugged.  Might as well get started, after all, it wasn’t like she had any other plans.

“That’s my girl.”  He winked at her with a grin, and maybe a little flirtation.  Just a little though.  She was going to have to leave and nothing could happen between them, such a shame really.  He had a feeling that he was going to enjoy having her around, and having someone to keep him company and help with the workload would always be welcome.

[whileyouwait-dm]

3

Djall visits the other Lords of the Afterlife...

 “What do you mean you don’t know where she goes?! You accidentally sent her to HELL and now you don’t know where to put her?  I’m not running a fucking soul daycare down there.  Why can’t you just put her in one of your happy worlds and call it a day?”  Djall was absolutely flabbergasted as he looked at the other Lords of the Afterlife that had convened to deal with the six remaining souls that were not where they should be.  The problem was that no one was quite sure where any of them WERE supposed to go, and no one wanted to just take one.

“Now, Djall, you know it doesn’t work that way.  We can’t just take a soul and treat it like a lost puppy.  Here, don’t pee in the River Styxx, enjoy the Elysian Fields.”  Hades was none too happy either, he had a small child suck in his realm that he wanted to give to anyone else before Persephone showed back up and decided they should keep it.  The thought almost gave him hives.

“She’s not mummified or even embalmed, so I don’t know why anyone’s looking at me.”  Anubis sat back.  At least he could sit this one out and didn’t have anyone he needed to get rid of.  Somehow he’d lucked out on this SNAFU.  Last time…he didn’t want to think about last time.  He was still trying to calm Maahes down about that fiasco.

Gefjon looked around, glad Freyja had sat this one out. “Technically she is a virgin, so I could take her, but I’d have to get Odin’s approval.  She wasn’t a warrior, so I’m not sure he’s going to approve.”  She turned her attention to Hades, “and you’re shit out of luck. Kids don’t count.”  She was pretty sure Odin was going to say no anyway.  He and Djall had a falling out a few centuries before, so it wasn’t like the All Father had any reason to do the Lord of Hell a favor.

Next it was time for Mantus and Orcus, who somehow had gotten two souls redirected to their realm that didn’t belong there.  “I think one of ours belongs to Hades, she’s Greek and believes in the old gods.  I don’t know where the other goes.  I don’t think we need Djall’s either.  Djall, just keep her or something.  At least she’s not trying to kill you constantly, count your blessings, dude.”

Djall could absolutely not believe this.  None of them acted the least bit worried about the six souls that were in their care or finding out where they should go.  Add to that Odin, Baal, Shiva, Amun, Yahweh, and the other ruling gods had gone off on some “team building retreat” and would not answer summons, prayers, or offerings.  So, now he had an innocent soul in his realm that could get stuck there because a bunch of fuckwits didn’t really care.  Why did he care more than they did?

“Listen, we have to do something.  The longer that innocent souls stay in hell realms and not in at least neutral territory, the greater the risk for smudges.  Miriana already has one because she got dumped in the Forest of Beasts and a hellcat attacked her.  I have to watch how long I touch her, how close she gets to my staff, and a myriad of other things so that she doesn’t get so smudged that she can’t leave.  Am I the only one concerned about the damn souls we’ve got all fucked up?”  Djall looked around the room.

“No, but we don’t know what to do.  Right now, no one’s happy but everyone’s safe.  What if we change something and make it worse, Djall.  Your soul is alive and you’re keeping her safe.  If she came to our realm, she might get injured or obliterated.  There are no guarantees.  Until the ruling gods come back, I don’t know what we can do since we have no idea where they go.”  Orcus sounded as stressed at Djall, and that did at least make the latter male feel a little better.  To know that he wasn’t the only one worried about the soul in his care.  

“The other consideration is that if we move them to another realm and they get all comfy and cozy, what happens when it’s wrong?  What if they’ve made friends or met someone that steals their heart?  Do you want to be responsible for moving them twice and causing a broken heart the second time?  At least this way we only have to deal with the upset once.”  Djall hated it when Hades made sense, but the man had been married forever, so he did have a clue about a few things.  He too didn’t look all too happy, more resigned to his fate. “Fine, but I hope that the ruling gods know that none of us can be held responsible if something happens to the souls in our care while they’re out….doing whatever the fuck gods do in order to team build.”  Djall shook his head, trying not to grind his teeth, then he disappeared.  He’d had enough of the other Lords of Death.  He needed away from it.  Strangely, he found himself wanting to go talk to Miriana, but since it was the middle of the night and the poor girl had been flat out exhausted, he decided better of it.  Instead he would go back to his study, he had an idea of what Miriana could do until they figured out where she belonged, at least it would keep her too busy to think about the fact she now lived in Hell in the home of the proverbial Devil.

[whileyouwait-dm]

2

He's been searching for her, but will Djall find Miriana before it's too late to keep a smudge from her soul, and how will that meeting go?

Miriana could hear things moving in the forest around her, but was unable to see anything.  So far, nothing had come out of the trees or underbrush to show itself.  She hoped that would remain the case until she could find someone else.  While she had no clue where she was, she knew enough about most forested areas in her country to know that the wild animals could be dangerous if provoked, wounded, hungry, or around their young.  It would be preferable to not find out if any of those were true the hard way.  Stumbling on a road or someone’s home would be much better, but so far that didn’t look like it was going to be happening soon.

The sky was darkening, but she wasn’t sure if a storm was coming or it was becoming evening.  She couldn’t really see clouds, but she couldn’t see the sun either.  She felt so lost and hated the feeling.  Miriana was not someone who went hiking often, so she was totally out of her element and now wished that she had accepted those invites form her friends to go to the State and National Parks and go on the trails with her friends.  Sure they were going for Instagram and TikTok, but at least then she might recognize something.  The only thing she did know was that the large branch a few yards from her that she could see up against a tree was something she would want.  A weapon or something to help her traverse the uneven and densely covered ground, it was at least useful.  

*****

Djall saw the sky darkening and knew he had to hurry.  He’d teleported to the forest, but it wasn’t like it was small.  Ravens were out searching, but so far none had returned to him with any reports of a female with the aura of an innocent.  If anything happened to her, he would go up personally to see the feathered fucks who were supposed to control the automated algorithm that sorted souls as they passed on the Earthly plain to make sure that this didn’t happen.  Trying to restore souls was hard enough, trying to restore a pure soul, in Hell, without leaving a smudge was impossible.  Then she’d be trapped.

Thankfully he’d received the name of the female at least, so he had a starting point.  As he went, he called her name, making sure to project his voice so she’d hear.  If he didn’t find her by dark, there was no doubt that he’d be picking up pieces of her when he did find her.  While the creatures that inhabited the forest could come out at any time, and were known to, they preferred to hunt at night when their prey could not see them.  It would also make it harder for him to find the poor woman.  

As he went deeper into the forest, a raven swooped down and landed on his shoulder.  Chattering in his ear, the location of Miriana was relayed so that Djall could go find her before any of the vicious beasts within the forests pounced.  The raven indicated that there were many circling, seeming to try to ascertain the best angle of attack.  The girl had only a large branch for protection and the raven did not believe she would survive the hour.

Djall swore under his breath and teleported to the location that the raven had given him.  Sure enough, just in front of him was the female, long curly hair blowing in the breeze and just about to get caught on a branch.  She was definitely not dressed or prepared for the forest, nor did she appear to be at all familiar in moving through one.  The bastards upstairs had really fucked her over.  Time to at least rescue her and keep her safe till he could fix their fuck up.

Just as Djall had stepped forward to approach Miriana, a hellcat lunged at her, biting her hand.  Now he’d have to heal her, and most likely that was going to leave a smudge. FUCK!  Lashing out, the hellcat was turned to dust.  

In a blink, Djall had Miriana and teleported them both back to his manor.  Putting her up against the wall, his hand went over her mouth when she started to scream.  He had not the time or the patience for her to panic or freak out.  Not today.

“You’re probably wondering what is going on.  I am Djall, the ruler in these parts and you, my darling, are in Hell.  Don’t scream.”  He started to remove his hand, she started to scream, back it went.  “Now, Miriana, if we’re going to get along, you are going to have to stop that.  I will explain everything, but no screaming.  Can we try this again?”  He raised his brows, and when she nodded, he removed his hand.  “Now, that is a good girl.  Let me see your hand.  You were scratched by the hellcat. I need to see how bad it is.”

Miriana slowly raised her hand and held it out to the strange man in front of her.  Somehow he knew her name and she really hoped that she’d been hit by a car and this was all some kind of dream in a coma, because being in Hell wasn’t on her list of things she wanted to do.  She couldn’t deny, though, that something strange was going on, because one second they had been in the forest and the next they were in some mansion.  That was not normal.

“Shit!  I can heal it, but it’s going to leave a smudge.”  Djall gently ran his finger over the open wound that was bleeding, causing it to close completely and leaving a pale grey scar on her hand.  His head rose and his eyes met hers.  “You’re not supposed to be here, but the pricks upstairs made a mistake. I’m going to try and convince them that since this little smudge is their fault they should still let you in.  I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”  He really was trying to control his temper, the poor woman looked absolutely terrified, beautiful, but terrified.

Miriana studied the man in front of her, trying to get some idea if he was a hallucination or not.  He had to be close to six feet tall, slim but definitely strong from the way he’d just handled her, definitely handsome with his dark hair and eyes, and what must be a perma-tan.  This Djall also had the intimidation factor down, he had her utterly petrified.  

“Hell?  I…I..I’m in Hell?”  She finally stuttered out, breaking through the shock of trying to digest everything he’d just thrown at her.  “I’m dead?” Her eyes darted around the room, sweeping over every detail, but not really taking any of them in as she fought terror overwhelming her.

“Look at me, Miriana.”  Djall kept his tone and volume soft, having her completely melt down was not going to be conducive to anything.  “Miriana,” saying her name, the second time, got her to meet his gaze, “there we go.  We’re going to take this one step at a time.  Yes, you are dead. I don’t know how.”  He saw her start to tremble, and wrapped his fingers gently around the hand he still held.  “As I said, you’re not supposed to be here, and I’m going to work to get you where you are supposed to be.  Are you following me so far?”  Normally he didn’t have to have this conversation with souls.  First, he didn’t care if they knew they were dead or where they were.  Second, they were supposed to be in Hell, so whether they liked it or not was not of any kind of consequence.  Normally he was just the administrator over the realm.

Miriana nodded, “yes, I think so.  So, you’re not going to hurt me?”  Her brows slowly came together in confusion.  Was he a demon?  Didn’t he say he was the ruler?  

“No, I’m not going to hurt you.   Outside of this manor are many beasts and beings that would love to, but inside you are safe.  So, please, do not go outside without me.  You are not a prisoner, but you are, unfortunately, in Hell.”  He sighed.  There were things he could do that would ensure her safety, but all of them would add additional smudges to her soul.  A smudge from a hellcat scratch that attacked her when she was in the forest, that he could probably get by the feathered fuckeheads upstairs.  Putting his seal on her, that one would keep her out of Paradise.

“Okay, so inside only.  And Djall, right?”  Her eyes narrowed as she tried to keep it all straight.  “So, are there any other rules?  Things to avoid?  And what about clothes?  Food?  Oh G-” Once more his hand was over her mouth and her eyes were huge.  She already knew what she’d done.

Djall had to fight laughing, but he needed to be serious.  It was clear she already figured out her misstep with the name she’d about dropped.  “Yeah, let’s just leave that name out of things.” He winked at her as he let her take his hand off of her mouth with a smirk.  “Other than that, avoid mentioning holy things, crosses, do not have sex with any of my employees…trust me on that one…and if you ever have questions, just come and ask. As for what you’ll need to survive until I can get you upstairs, I’ll take care of it.  Don’t worry about any of that.  Just, do not go outside.  No matter what you think or see out there, do not.  Even if it looks and sounds like me.”  He tilted his forehead towards hers and his expression made it clear how serious he was.

“How will I find you if I need you?” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as Miriana cataloged everything that she was and was not supposed to do.  “And what are you?  Demon?  I mean, if you want to tell me.  You don’t have to if it’s private.  I mean, I’ll understand if it is.  I just wondered.  I mean…” Once again she was cut off, but this time by one finger and he was chuckling.  He actually found her being nervous now amusing. “I am the Lord Of Hell.  I am not a demon, angel, or other.  I guess you could say I’m the brother of the big guy upstairs.”  He chuckled and let his finger slip off of her lips.  She was definitely going to keep him on his toes till she was gone.  “If you need me, just call me,” he leaned in closer to her, enjoying the slight shift she made due to her nerves, “and say you need me.  I’ll be there.”  He winked as he backed up, he could hear her pulse pounding and her breath having quickened.  Djall wouldn’t tease her too much, poor thing, but the flush that had come to her cheeks was flattering to her complexion.  At least she’d be nice to look at for the short time she’d be with him.

“O..Okay.”  Miriana nodded, glad he had backed up.  There was something about him being so close that made her nerves rise and her heart pound.  It wasn’t bad, but he certainly had an effect on her. Maybe it was some kind of Hell thing that he was doing, but then why warn her of the demons who would seduce her?  She was so confused.  “Is there somewhere I could lie down?  I just need a rest or something, I’m feeling so overwhelmed?”  Her eyes closed and scrunched a little as she was still trying to make sense of everything.

“Of course, Miriana.  Whatever you need, you just need to ask. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a tour of the manor.”  He turned and offered her his arm. “Come with me, I’ll lead you up to a guest room for tonight.”  Djall gave her a soft smile, hoping that she had listened to everything that he had said. He knew that it had to be a shock and overwhelming.  While she was resting, he was going to go have a conversation with his counterparts and see how soon he could get her where she was supposed to be.

Her hand slid into the crook of his elbow and she felt a vibration of some sort that seemed to come off of him, it was deep like the heavy bass of music, but not wholly unpleasant. She tightened her hold on him as they moved through the large house, seeing the number of large males that seemed to inhabit it. There was something about the way that they looked at her that made her uncomfortable and move closer to Djall.  For the Lord of Hell, he made her feel safer when she was close to him.

Djall, for his part, was watching everything that she was doing.  He could hear the beating of her heart and the cadence of her breath.  She was still scared, but she was doing better.  Having her around for a day or two wouldn’t be all bad, but he had to remind himself that she didn’t belong there and whatever breath of fresh air she might be, she wouldn’t be there for long.  He wondered if he could bribe the feathered fucks to send someone down every once in a while just to lighten the atmosphere for a day or so, the souls that inhabited his realm were a little heavy.  Unfortunately, he had a sneaking suspicion that the mark on her hand might make Miriana his problem permanently, then she would get a lot “smudgier” and he’d have to see how that affected her, and he truly hoped not at all.

banner credit @cafekitsune

[whileyouwait-dm]

1

So it begins...

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.  Miriana had been crossing the street with a group of people one minute and the next she was in a strange dark forest.  Obviously she was at least unconscious and this was some kind of dream; at least that was what she was hoping.  The alternative was that she was dead.  Were that the case, then where exactly she was confounded her.  This certainly did not resemble any description of Heaven that she had read of, but it didn’t exactly resemble Hell either.  She hadn’t read up on all mythologies though, but she doubted Hell as supposed to look like a dense forest with lush vegetation.  So, exactly what happened and where was she?  Two questions that she hoped would be answered by someone in at least some kind of decent timeframe.

Miriana turned in a circle, but saw no path or anything that gave a clear direction out of the clearing that she was in.  There was just this jagged oval of a clearing where the underbrush was lower, then it grew higher again and the trees were closer together.  The canopy was still lush and green, keeping everything below in shade and relative darkness.  There were no sounds of birds or active wildlife that she could ascertain, which seemed odd for the middle of the day, but she wasn’t any kind of wildlife or forest expert.  Trying to decide which way to go was not easy, since she had no idea where she was and there were no ambient noises to guide her.

Finally, she just picked a direction and headed into the thicker underbrush and darker canopy cover.  There was no better or worse option, none of them seemed any different than the other at this point since there were no indicators of where she would find someone else.  Hopefully when she did find someone else, they’d be able to tell her where she was and how she got them from the middle of a busy intersection with no memory of it.  She’d never been camping or hiking, so this definitely wasn’t one of her friends playing some messed up kind of a prank, they’d know better than to drop her city girl ass out in the middle of the wilderness. Fending for herself meant using the microwave to heat up leftovers, not making her way through the wilderness.

****

“SIRE!”  A messenger came running into Djall’s  office.  He was out of breath and flushed, looking almost on the verge of panic.  This could mean nothing good for the ruler of the underworld, so there went his afternoon. “Yes?  What is it?”  He asked, leaning back in his chair.  Hopefully it wasn’t something too bad and he could get back to organizing the newest batch of arrivals according to what demon would be overseeing them.

“There was a problem with the afterlife routing algorithm and we’ve received…………a mistake.”  The color seemed to drain from the demon’s face.

“A mistake?” Djall’s dark eyes narrowed at the demon, who was nodding and simultaneously looking like he wanted to become one with the wall behind him.  “What kind of mistake?”  His head cantered to one side as he tried to figure out how they could receive any kind of mistake.  This was Hell.  Mistakes didn’t happen in Hell and you didn’t end up in Hell by mistake.  You earned your way here.

“Sir, the algorithm sent a murderer to Paradise, and an innocent human girl here.  She just landed in the forest of beasts.  She was supposed to go the other way.  There are a few beings arguing over whose fault it is, but we need to find her before the beasts do.  She’s done nothing wrong to be here, Sire.”  The demon’s back was pressed against the wall and he was truly terrified that his liege was going to cause him great pain from the look of displeasure currently upon his face.

“I have a completely innocent female IN THE FOREST OF BEASTS?!” Djall almost roared at the information.  Of all of the places for her to land, the one that was the most violent and vicious.  Of course, because having her land someplace “safe” in Hell would be to easy when the pompous pricks upstairs fucked up.  Instead he was going to have to go find her before she was hurt and he had to put a bunch of pieces back together.  Had he fucked over some deity that he’d forgotten about?  He didn’t think so, but the day was sure shaping up that way.

Pushing on the armrests of his chair, Djall came to standing.  “I will be off finding this female.  Can you please find out who I’m supposed to call once I have her back here to the manor?  Getting her out of Hell promptly is, I'm sure, on the top of everyone’s agenda.  And, also, find out how the fuck this happened!”  He gave the demon a tight smile and teleported to the forest.  This was not going to be fun, and someone would definitely pay for the inconvenience later.

[whileyouwait-dm]

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