“Not many out there,” Bale said. “But enoughto keep Lucifer busy while we come at him from behind.”
“More than enough,” Magnus said. “I willmake it appear as if there are thousands of troops with them.”
CHAPTER 26
Kobal
I watched as River washed the blood andflesh from her body. There was nothing sexual in my appraisal ofher this time. I simply couldn’t get enough of looking at her asshe moved in the water. The pensive expression on her face neverchanged. She’d been withdrawn since Magnus’s illusion hadended.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked as I perchedon a rock at the edge of the small pool.
She brushed a strand of wet hair from herface and glanced at me. “They have too much faith in me.”
“They have as much faith in you as theyshould.”
“I am mortal—”
“You are much more than that.”
“I am Lucifer’s descendant,” shemurmured.
“River—”
“Just because you and the other demonsconsider him to be my father doesn’t mean I have to,” she saidbriskly and snatched a piece of the black lava rock we used toclean ourselves in Hell from a small shelf next to the pool.
The abrasive quality of the soap rubbed herskin raw, but she didn’t stop. I covered her hand with mine whenshe scrubbed at her right arm for the fifth time since she’dstepped into the pool of water.
“Stop,” I said. “Your skin is clean.”
Her gaze fell to her abraded skin; with asigh, she returned the rock to the shelf. “I still feel likethere’s stuff on me.”
“There’s not,” I assured her.
Her amethyst eyes shimmered when she lookedup at me. “I identify more with the angel part of me, shouldn’t webe enemies?”
“The angels may be the pricks who startedall of this, but they are not our enemies. Their fallen brethrenare. We’ve never encountered any angel other than a fallenone.”
“But if you consider me Lucifer’s child, amI not one of the fallen?”
“Do you identify with the more malevolentnature that drove him from Heaven and into our world?”
“Sometimes. I would do anything to protectthose I love.Anything.”
“That’s not darkness. That is light. Do youwish for us to be enemies?”
“Of course not! I just feel…”
“What?” I prodded when she stoppedspeaking.
“When the lanavours took hold of me, theysaw all of my fears, and they gave them all back to me.” Her handunwittingly fluttered up to touch beneath her right eye. Her eyeswere haunted. The fading bruises on her face from what she’dendured during Magnus’s illusion made the violet color of themstand out starkly in the candlelight. “They showed me failing,Kobal. My brothers were dead. You turned against me—”
“That wouldneverhappen,” Iinterjected. “No matter what befalls us, I will not turn againstyou.”
“But the demons will all be going in to facehim because of me. Some, maybemany,will die because theybelieve in me.”
“Manyhave followed me to theirdeaths also and will continue to do so. It is the way of our worldsince Lucifer entered it. He will eventually leave this place, andwhen he does, you will learn the true meaning of Hell onEarth.”
Stepping away, I lifted one of the thickdrying cloths Magnus had brought in earlier and held it open forher. She walked from the pool and into my arms. I draped thematerial around her and rubbed over her arms to ease the rattlingof her bones.
