Lopan lifted his other hand and clasped mine within both of his as he leaned forward to peer more intently at me. “Much power, much strength, a fine queen, for a mortal,” he said as he patted my hand.
I was saved from having to think of a response when he released me, turned away, and bent over his pot. He waved a gnarled hand across the top of it before dipping his hand inside and pulling out a perfect, golden rose. My mouth dropped and Hawk’s breath exploded from him when Lopan extended the rose to me.
“Unlike Magnus’s tricks, you’ll find this will remain intact when touched,” Lopan said.
“I’ll show you a trick,” Magnus muttered.
“For you, mah rejant,” Lopan said, ignoring Magnus. “Please, take it.”
I stretched my hand out and took the stem of the rose. Solid beneath my fingers and cool to the touch, the rose looked so real that I was tempted to sniff it.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured. “Thank you.”
“A rose for a flower,” he replied, and I couldn’t figure out if he didn’t know the saying, or he didn’t know any other flowers. Either way, it didn’t matter. Lopan bowed his head and lifted his pot. He tottered back to the other side of the table and set his pot down. Settling himself on top of the slab, he sat crossed legged as he gazed at all those within the room. “Now, where were we?”
I kept the rose in hand as I drew it closer to me. Kobal leaned over to whisper in my ear. “The leporcháin do not often part with their treasures. That is a rare gift from one such as them. I think he has also tried to learn some human sayings for you and might be confusing them.”
“It’s sweet that he tried,” I murmured.
A smile curved Kobal’s mouth as he leaned closer to me. “I’ve never heard another refer to the leporcháin as sweet. Murderous fiends, yes. Bloodthirsty, most definitely, but never sweet. Lopan is a strong ally.”
“You sent the demon in the cavern to find him and bring him here,” I said.
“Yes. When I learned Lopan still lived and had simply been elsewhere engaged when we arrived, I wanted him here for this.”
He’d been with the nymphs most likely, or some other demon, I realized. I turned and pressed my lips to Kobal’s ear as I spoke. “Is he really a leprechaun?”
“Yes and no.” Kobal clasped my hand within his. “The leporcháin certainly aren’t friendly creatures who have a pot of gold and chase rainbows, but they most likely spawned the leprechaun myth amid humans.”
I looked from Lopan to the rose and back again. “What’s the stuff in the pot?”
“It’s not a pot but a caultin. They carry it with them wherever they go, and it is the source of the leporcháin’s magic. Their magic keeps the caultin bound to them when they carry it, but it is possible to steal it if they set it down. If it’s ever stolen from them, so is their source of power.”
“So that’s where the myth of a pot of gold came from, and that if you steal one from a leprechaun they have to do what you ask.”
“Yes. The leporcháin will do almost anything for their power back; it’s their main defense. They can conjure anything from within, as long as it’s the size of the caultin or smaller. It’s where their clothes come from; for some reason they enjoy wearing those things. I think one of them saw the myth the humans had turned them into and decided to have fun with it, or they are trying to make themselves look even less threatening to demons by wearing the outfit. Though, those who cross a leporcháin know just how lethal they can be.”
“Amazing.”
I ran my fingers over the rose. A single, midnight blue spark flickered across the tip of my finger to the rose.
“A child of the angels,” someone in the room murmured.
I lifted my head to find everyone staring at me. Lowering the rose, I placed it carefully on the table.
“What is the next step, my liege?” Lopan inquired.
Beside me, Lix uncapped his flask and took a swig before turning it over. Not a single drop fell out. I expected him to complain; instead, he recapped his flask and folded his arms over his chest.
“We go after Lucifer,” Kobal said.
“No one fighting Lucifer has made it into the throne room since he seized control of Hell,” Calah said.
Kobal tapped his fingers against the table. “No one has been able to lure him or his followers out of that room once they hole themselves up in it. We will be able to do so now.”
“How?” I inquired.
A muscle in his jaw twitched when he turned his eyes to me. “Bait.”
