“No one knows,” she said. “It was rumored he was part leporcháin, but he didn’t require a caultin to create things. Some believed he was part illusion demon, like Magnus, but Magnus is the last of his kind, and there is no evidence of another line of illusion demons. Others believed he was part ogre, but I think that, like you, he evolved in Hell.”
“Part ogre? So, he’s a big fellow.”
“Very big.”
“That means he’s more of a challenge, which only makes it more fun.”
She gave me a look that clearly stated she believed I was insane, and maybe I was. No one survived being locked away for twelve thousand years with their sanity completely intact, but I would have enjoyed this before my imprisonment too.
“In the end, it doesn’t matter what kind of demon he is. All that matters is, he doesn’t get his hands on us,” she said.
“I’ll kill him before that happens.”
“If you plan to kill him, then you should put the sword away.”
I lifted the blade to inspect it. Though I remained focused on the sword, I saw her perfecting her glare on me. “Why?”
“His power travels through weapons,” she explained. “Don’t let him touch you or anything you’re holding.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
I could tell she was questioning why she gave it to me as I slid the sword back into its sheath. I found the fact she was trying to keep me alive encouraging. She may never admit it, but I was starting to get to her, and I was wearing her down. It was only a matter of time before she caved to me completely.
“If Mytaz is inside the palace, he’ll be almost impossible to kill,” she said. “Raphael would be a great weapon to have against him, but….”
“The golden angel isn’t here.”
* * *
Bale
“Exactly.”And then, unable to keep my curiosity at bay, I asked, “What about the other fallen angels? Are any of them still alive?”
“Trying to learn more of my secrets, Bale?”
“Yes,” I admitted because I was.
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Honesty, I like it.”
I almost told him that I didn’t care what he liked, but I refused to get sidetracked from my question by bickering with him. “Are they still alive?”
“You were at that battle at the wall, what do you think?”
“I’d like to think they’re all dead, but we haven’t been sure.”
He turned to study the golden palace again. I stared at his handsome profile while I waited for his response.
“They’re all dead,” he said.
Relief washed through me; our battle with the angels was over. It was finallyover!We still had so many more enemies out there, but the ones who upset the balance of Hell when they entered it were all dead. I almost shouted with joy, but giving away our location and dying wasn’t the best way to celebrate the confirmation our enemies were dead.
That’s if he was telling me the truth, but I didn’t think he was lying about this. It had been months since anyone saw a fallen angel, and they weren’t known to be discrete.
* * *
Wrath
“Dowe go forward or head back and see what’s at the other end of the tunnel?” I asked.
