He bowed his head before releasing my hand and turning to Kobal. “It is good to see you again, my king. It has been too long.”
“It has, my friend.” Kobal took Calah’s hand and squeezed it. Though Calah was taller and broader than Kobal, the amount of power Kobal exuded made him seem larger than Calah.
The other demons who had entered the room came forward to introduce themselves to me and to reconnect with Kobal before stepping back.
“We must figure out what Lucifer is plotting,” Kobal said when the last demon retreated from him.
“We moved everyone here when we realized he was trying to bait us,” Morax said.
“How was he baiting you?” Kobal inquired.
“He was keeping us busy by engaging us on one side, but with only a small number of lower-level demons. We destroyed them without much effort, but we know he has more troops centralized around the throne room and he is inside the room,” Calah answered.
“Is it possible retreating is what Lucifer intended for you to do?” Lix asked.
“If it is, then he didn’t expect us to move here. Few know of this place, or at least few used to know of it,” Morax said and clasped Verin’s hand. I realized this had been their private chambers.
Kobal led me over to one of the quartz seats and maneuvered me onto it before taking the seat beside me at the head of the table. Lix sat on my other side and Calah moved to sit beside Kobal. Corson took a seat near the end and Morax helped Verin sit before stepping behind her. All the others spread out to stand behind those seated at the table.
Kobal opened his mouth to start speaking when a solid knock sounded on the boulder blocking the entrance. Morax strode over and pulled the rock out of the way. He stepped aside to allow someone entrance, but I couldn’t see who entered over the top of the table. I glanced at Hawk as his eyebrows shot into his hairline. His lips compressed into a flat line and he looked as if he were trying not to laugh or gawk.
I went to rise to see who had entered, but Kobal seized my hand and flattened it on the table, holding me in place. I frowned at him as Verin rose from her seat and strode over to stand beside Bale. A scraping sound filled the air, and I thought the seat Verin vacated was pulled back, but I couldn’t be sure.
Straining to try to see what was going on, I nearly toppled out of my seat when a forehead and eyes popped over the table. A pair of deep-set chestnut eyes met mine over the slab separating us and a bulbous nose with a reddened tip rested on the top of the rock. A gnarled hand rose and plopped onto the table beside the eyes, which twinkled with amusement. The demon hoisted himself onto the rock seat before leaping nimbly onto the table.
I understood Hawk’s reaction as I tried not to gawk at the three-foot creature striding across the table toward me. His red outfit reminded me of Santa’s suit, only the belt was green, as was the top hat he wore slightly askew. A red belt ran around the middle of the top hat.
The man’s brown hair hung in ringlets, and with every step he took, they bounced against his shoulders. Due to his knobby knees bowing out to the sides, his gait was awkward and hitching. If he’d been wearing shoes with bells on them, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from laughing, but his hairy feet were entirely bare and his pink toenails neatly trimmed.
Stopping in front of me, he tilted his head to the side to study me and set down the small, black pot he’d been holding. I blinked at the yellow liquid swirling within the pot as a wave of steam wafted from it.
It can’t be! My mind screamed at me. However, when I lifted my head to take in the little man as he crouched before me and rested his hands on his knees, I couldn’t deny I was waiting for a rainbow to sprout somewhere behind him.
“River, this is Lopan,” Kobal said.
Lopan the leprechaun.I almost laughed, but I had a feeling this little leprechaun would tear my throat out instead of granting me wishes or giving me his pot of steaming yellow stuff.
“It is good to see you, Lopan,” Kobal said.
The little man’s eyes darted to him. “You also, my king. You have been missed. There are still five leporcháins on your side.”
Leporcháins? That must be what type of demon Lopan was, but were they pulling my leg with this? Was this one of Magnus’s illusions? I glanced at Magnus, but I knew he wouldn’t try something like that right now, and Kobal wouldn’t play along with it. Not while they were discussing how to kill Lucifer.
“The other five leporcháins remain on Lucifer’s side?” Kobal asked.
“Four. I killed Dragsi,” Lopan replied.
When he spoke, he revealed his mouthful of razor teeth. He may not look overly intimidating, but this leporcháin could inflict a lot of damage. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t a formidable opponent.
“I am sorry for the loss of your friend.”
“Dragsi stopped being a friend when she chose the false king over our true king,” Lopan replied. “Jumping Jehoshaphat! She has angel eyes, my liege.”
I somehow managed to keep my shock hidden over this abrupt shift in conversation and his choice of words.
Rising, Lopan extended his tiny hand to me. “Howdy!” he greeted. “What’s cracking?”
“Ah, I’m not sure,” I replied and glanced at Kobal. He’d propped his chin on his palm and conveniently placed his hand over his mouth to hide a smile. I stretched my hand out to take Lopan’s. “Hello.”
