Page 125 of The Road to Hell

“Yes. You were born from him. You are his true spawn, not a forged creation. And that means, whether you realize it or not, you likely have this power.”

I shook my head hard. No, I absolutely did not. Nor was I willing to explore my powers to find out. I had powers, yes—control over flame and shadow. I didn’t resurrect the dead. That type of magic was Lucifer’s territory—not mine.

Rathiel’s hand came to rest at the small of my back, a quiet, steadying presence, but it did nothing to loosen the knot forming in my gut.

“I don’t have that power,” I said. “I don’t. I would know.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Would you?”

I opened my mouth, ready to snap back, but nothing came. The words stalled, caught on something unspoken. Because deep down, in all my efforts tonotbecome my father, I had buried the darkest parts of me. Exploring my powers to see if I could create hellspawn felt…wrong. That washisthing.

“You are his child,” Levi said, not unkindly. “And whether you want to admit it or not, you are the one the prophecy spoke of. You have a connection to Hell, stronger than anyone else. Eliza told me you opened the gate without any difficulties at all. No one’s ever done that before. Not even Lucifer. When he opened the gate for Deidre, it drained him more than he’d ever admit. But you? You walked through untouched.Youare the one. Andyoucan do this. You can resurrect your rebellion.”

My stomach curdled at the thought.

Calyx let out a low whistle. “Well, now. Guess you really are just a mini-Lucifer.”

I shot him a glare, but he only grinned, utterly unbothered. Of course he found this amusing.

“She is nothing like him,” Rathiel said, voice low, dangerous.

“We’re not talking about his morality,” Levi said. “We’re talking about his abilities. You are his blood. In theory, any powers he possesses, you could as well.”

I sucked in a slow breath, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Even if I do have his abilities—” I refused to confirm it, refused to even acknowledge the possibility “—it doesn’t mean I can use them. It doesn’t mean Ishould. Creating hellspawn is…evil.”

Levi tilted his head slightly. “Would you rather leave them there, suffering eternal punishment?”

I stiffened.

“They died for you,” Levi murmured. “They still suffer because of their choice to fight with you.” He held my gaze, unwavering. “If you had a way to save them, can you really turn away?”

“But even if I could reforge their bodies, what about their souls?”

“You have two of Lucifer’s fallen currently standing at your side. You can merge their essences with the souls of your fallen soldiers,” Levi said. “You have all the same tools your father used. It’showyou use those tools that makes a difference.”

A heavy silence followed, pressing against my ribs.

Eliza shifted at my side, arms crossed. “Look, I’m all for finding an army in the most unexpected places, but let’s be real for a second. Even if Lily could do this—and that’s a big if—how exactly are we supposed to test it? Just drag her out to that battlefield and hope for the best?”

Levi’s lips curved slightly. “Something like that.”

Eliza snorted. “Fantastic.”

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting. This was too much. It was too much.

But Levi was still watching me, waiting.

“I don’t know how,” I admitted. “Even if I wanted to—I don’t know where to start.”

Levi’s expression softened, just slightly. “Then I think it’s time we found out.”

I glanced at Rathiel. His eyes met mine, dark and storming, but he didn’t speak.

After everything—after all we’d lost, all we’d suffered—if there was even a chance that I could undo what my father had done, that I could give my soldiers another chance…

My thoughts circled to Korrak, Calder, Varz, Sareth, and the countless other hellspawn my father had murdered. If there was even the slightest chance I could save them, I couldn’t walk away from that.

I let my gaze sweep over the tent, taking in every face.

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