“It’s a lake of fire where Earth can be looked on by those who reside in Hell. It’s the central focus of all the heat in Hell,” I explained. “Before I left here, there had never been an angel spotted near the oracle.”
“But they could frequent it often now,” Hawk said.
“They could,” Corson replied, “but it is unlikely. It’s a place to look upon Earth, and in case you’ve forgotten, the fallen angelsreallydislike your former species.”
“They really dislike all species other than theirs,” Magnus said. “And let’s face it, they don’t like their own kind much either. They wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“True,” Corson agreed.
“We’ll go through the oracle and on to my chambers. We’ll rest there before joining with Morax and the others,” I said.
“Have you spoken with Morax recently?” Bale inquired.
“Yes,” I replied crisply. It didn’t matter that Morax was five-hundred-twenty-years old and had followed me since he’d been old enough to fight, didn’t matter I knew he would do everything he could to defeat Lucifer, I hated letting him into my head. Most times, I kept my mind shut down to any type of telecommunication, but it was necessary to stay in contact with Morax now. “They are battling Lucifer’s troops. They’ve sustained losses, but they’re holding their own. They haven’t gained much ground against him.”
“Are you thinking about bringing down more of the demons still on Earth to join us?” Bale asked.
River stiffened beside me, and I knew her thoughts had turned to her brothers. If there were less demons guarding the gateway and the wall, there was a better chance something could happen to her siblings.
“No,” I said. “The seals may not be falling anymore, but far too many creatures escaped them before we stopped their collapse. We can’t leave the humans guarding the gateway above unprotected. We also need the demons at the wall to remain there. They won’t be able to stop everything from getting past them, but they’ll stop a lot of it.”
“The humans outside the wall will learn of our existence if the wall is breached,” Corson said.
“You meanwhenthe wall is breached,” I replied. “There will be no stopping that from happening.”
“No matter how many walls are built, there is no stopping the truth. It always comes out,” Magnus said.
Bale scowled at him. “That’s insightful, coming from one of the most manipulative beings I’ve ever met.”
Magnus spread his elegant hands before him. “I manipulate what others see. I get them to do my bidding, or punish souls with their worst nightmares. A manipulation of the mind is one thing, but I will always give you the truth if asked for it. I can create images, I can make myself something I’m not, and I can make others something they are not, but eventually those images fade and the truth comes out.
“I brought my carnival to life and made it arealthing hewn over centuries of magic, practice, and work. It is no longer make believe; it is reality. However, evenIcannot make a lie a truth, Bale. Though I thank you for believing me powerful enough to do so.”
Bale’s eyes became slits as she stared at Magnus. Over the centuries that they’d fought by my side, there had always been an animosity between them. Bale was a ruthless fighter; she went at everything head-on. Magnus was more strategic with a wait and see approach to combat. They were complete opposites who would battle each other until the day one of them died.
When Magnus retreated from the war with Lucifer three hundred years ago, he’d never revealed that he was doing so because he wanted to become better at weaving his illusions. Magnus’s reasons for retreating were sound, he’d proven himself loyal since, and put River’s life and safety ahead of his own, but Bale remained uncertain of him.
“Play nice, children, or I’ll take your toys away,” Corson said, drawing lethal looks from Magnus and Bale.
“Enough,” I said. They all stopped speaking and looked to me. “The humans will learn at least some of what has happened. There is no stopping that. We can only continue with what we are doing here, and traveling through the oracle is the best way to go.”
I slid my arm around River’s waist as I turned away from them. Her hand settled on my stomach as we continued along the shoreline and past the pathway leading out of here. Wraiths and tahanusis continued to occasionally break the surface of the Asharún, but the tahanusis’ rattle did not sound again.
“Your back is a lot better,” she said as she craned her head to look at it.
I had always been a fast healer, but the strength of my Chosen bond with her caused me to heal at a much faster rate than I had before. “It is.”
“Will I be able to see my brothers through the oracle?” River asked.
I wanted to tell her yes, to give her that bit of hope in this place of despair, but I couldn’t. “It doesn’t work that way. The oracle only reveals what it decides to reveal.”
“Did you ever look into it andwantto see something?”
“No,” I admitted.
“Then maybe there is a chance it will show me my brothers.”
I brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder. She smiled at me and took my hand to flatten it against her face. Healthy color crept across her cheeks as she drew on my life force. My gaze fell to her mouth when a sigh parted her full lips, and her black lashes swept down to shadow her eyes.
