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Behlial's laughter rang through the hall, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Only the true King of Darkness could pull the swords from their embedded sheaths. Did I dare hope Seth had been chosen by the throne?
Had fate truly chosen Seth to replace the King of Darkness?
I noticed Marduk and Grigori move closer toward the men guarding the steps of the throne and followed their example. Blood rushed through me in anticipation of bloodshed and hope of finally ending Behlial's reign of terror.
From the corner of my eye, I saw other guards step forward. Those had to be the ones Seth mentioned being on our side, and I committed their faces to memory so I didn't slay one of them during the upcoming battle.
The gargoyles growled and whined, sensing our threat against their masters, but having been bred not to harm royals, they could do nothing more.
Their masters looked up at Behlial for guidance, unsure if they should stop and attack us or stand down.
Behlial's full focus was on Seth though, his expression turning from disbelief to stunned when the sword left its sheath as Seth pulled on it.
"You realize that there can only be one son left standing?" Behlial snarled at Marduk, Grigori, and me.
"We'll see, old man," Grigori replied with hate in his voice, slicing the first approaching guard's throat.
"Decide now which side you are on!" Grigori yelled at the remaining guards, and I pulled my blade as well.
Behlial furiously screamed at the guards. "What are you waiting for? Seize them!"
That was all the invitation we needed. I still wasn't completely sure my brothers wouldn't turn on me or each other once the fight was over, but for now, we were on the same side.
At any given time, the hall was filled with thirty guards and their gargoyles. Besides the six I had noticed, I wasn't sure who was on our side, but it didn't matter. Years of hate for Behlial exploded inside me, and I could have taken the thirty guards on single-handedly.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Lilith join the fray and swore I would acknowledge her as my queen if she and all of us survived this battle. She fought magnificently, and I was glad Fay wasn't here because I was sure she would have fought at Lilith's side.
For a while I lost sight of Lilith, until she reappeared from out of nowhere, attacking a guard who snuck up on me from behind, saving my life.
From then on, I didn't let her out of my sight. I was on my way to save her from trouble when, to my surprise, Marduk's bride joined the battle and saved Lilith, raising my respect for the females even higher.
Several guards attacked me at once, but years of training with my brothers, who had loved making me bleed, paid off. In the end, the guards were no match for my fury, which had finally found an outlet.
It didn't take long for the fight to wind down as more guards died or gave up, and I rushed to Lilith's side, as she had been injured. Marduk beat me to her though.
He offered his blood to quench her bleeding wound, but she stubbornly shook her head. "Help Seth."
I stared at Seth, who was crossing blades with a tiring Behlial. It was only a matter of minutes before he would defeat the King of Darkness. I replied, "He is fine by himself."
"Aren't there any other guards?" Lilith asked between clenched teeth. She was in pain, but too stubborn to ask for our blood, and my admiration for her grew.
"They're all locked up in their quarters." Grigori smirked. His words surprised and relieved me. "Take some blood; it will ease the pain."
"Only Seth can do that," she replied, and then, using her sword to stand up, she challenged us, "Are you with Seth?"
"Yes, we're all on the same side," Marduk confirmed.
"Then go help him!" she nearly screamed.
I looked at my brothers, still uncertain about our truce, before I shrugged and challenged them. "You heard the lady."
Seth and Behlial were still engaged in a hard fight, but Behlial had slowed even more since I last saw him. When he noticed my brothers' and my approach, he closed his eyes and, with a curse, dropped his sword. "I yield."
AfterIshoweredanddressed, I paced the small room like a caged tiger, hoping to see Azazel step through the door at any moment.
But as time wore on and he didn't return, worry gnawed a hole into my stomach, eating at my confidence in Azazel. Remembering the many times I watched him die didn't help my disposition and only added to fuel my already overactive imaginings of what might have happened to him.
I nearly screamed when the door finally did open, and I flung myself at a blood-spattered Azazel. Most of the blood on him was black, but with horror, I noticed red blood as well.
