Page 8 of The Eternal Mirror
He thinks for a moment. “During the last battle, the shadowguard and all the shadow creatures disappeared.”
“They were destroyed along with Hell.”
“But how?”
“Amber used a spell to destroy Lucifer and all of Hell.” That’s an oversimplification, but I don’t feel like going into details right now.
Something like awe fills his expression. He’s always had a hankering for Amber. Well, he can keep his hands and every other bit of himself off her. Amber is mine. Given to me by Selene herself.Mine!
“She has that much power?” he asks.
I nod. So much power… But all it takes to bring her down is love. What will she do to keep her brothers alive? What will my father demand of her? I can feel my panic rising again. Sweat breaks out on my forehead. I take a gulp of wine and place the glass gently down.
I can see the dawning understanding in Thanouq’s eyes. Everything has changed. This world has lived under the constant threat of Lucifer for thousands of years. It must be hard to comprehend that, just like that, the threat is gone. There will still be a lot to sort out. Many of the races of Valandria fought for Lucifer, and decisions must be made regarding how they are dealt with.
I spent years commanding my father’s army, dealing with insurrections and uprisings across Astrali. Usually ruthlessly and without question. And I realize that I can never go back to that life—that unquestioning loyalty, especially to a man I now know has no morals.
Grimlet crawls from my shoulder onto the table. He wraps his hands around my glass and tips it up, taking a drink. Then he sits on his haunches and stares at me. “We will get the pretty witch back?” he asks.
“Yes,” I growl. Because no alternative is acceptable.
Thanouq is studying Grimlet, a frown on his face. “What…who is this?”
Grimlet scowls.
“This is Grimlet,” I say. “He is my friend.”
“Then welcome to my home, Grimlet.”
Some of the tension goes out of the gargoyle. He takes another sip of wine.
“There’s something else,” Thanouq says. “Hecate is missing.”
I grit my teeth. I’m still seething from that betrayal. I know Amber has not forgiven Hecate, but she, at least, understands her actions, even if the betrayal nearly broke her. She loved her aunt. “The bitch is dead.”
Shock flashes across his face again. “Dead?”
“She betrayed us all. Lied to us all along. Told us she planned to destroy Lucifer when all along, she schemed to save him.”
“Save him from what?”
I don’t want to delve into this right now, but maybe he needs an answer. I try to sort it out in my head, to make sense of it all. “Lucifer was once an Astrali, a powerful man.” A good man by all accounts, one who stood up to my father—a fact that no doubt sealed his fate. “My father twisted dark magic and used it to turn Lucifer into the devil. Hecate had some misguided plan to reverse the spell.”
“Could it have been done?”
“No!” Grimlet and I speak at the same time.
“The devil was too steeped in darkness,” Grimlet says. “He would have been driven insane by the evil deeds he had committed. My lady understood that.”
“My Lady?” Thanouq asks.
“Amber’s mother. Grimlet was her companion in Hell. She created the spell that destroyed Lucifer but couldn’t bring herself to use it. She loved him.”
It seems to me that love has a lot to answer for.
I finish my food in silence, but I know he has more questions. I lean back and drain my glass. “You want to know about the dragon.”
“Hell, yes.”
