Page 44 of The Light Falls
We stroll out of the cellar. Once we’re out of sight from the house, we cruise the shadow stream to where I left Ren and grab him. Fleeing, we get to the spot where we stepped out of the portal earlier. Sika’s waiting for us.
Muttering obscenities to myself, I turn to Callyx and hold out my hand. “Thank you. We probably wouldn’t have made it without losing a man or two.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to remind you in the future,” he jokingly says, shaking my hand. His expression turns serious. “I’ve been following Brixton for days. They’re planning one hell of a coup. A lot of men and firepower. More than they had at the Fire Fae Rebellion. I have to report to Lucifer but expect me at the palace soon.”
Callyx steps in close with a fierce expression on his face. “My family is in that palace. Don’t let anything happen to them. Do whatever it takes to protect them.”
I flash a grim smile. “I plan to.”
He creates a red portal under his feet and disappears.
What a day. Vargas choosing Kaius’ body just gave us one hell of an advantage. It tipped the enemy into unknowingly revealing themselves and their plans. Unfortunately, our enemy now knows Kaius is a fake, putting a huge target on his back.
I shake my head. They’re damn good. There hasn’t been a whisper of a coup. By the time we would have realized what was happening, the Light Fae Kingdom would be burning to the ground.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
CORMAL
Lucifer’s office is brightly lit by the faux sun shining into it. An idea he stole from me. Originally dark and gloomy, and filled with body parts, he recently updated it to something that pleases him instead of his predecessor, the Devil.
Striding into Lucifer’s office with Tarquin in my arms, I set him gently down on the carpet. “He can’t change for some reason.”
Lucifer’s brows come together in a fierce frown. “It’s terror. What happened?” Hands scarred from sword nicks reach out to the hellhound, palms glowing bright red. Placing them on his body, frozen muscles begin to thaw, the hound stretches out, then slowly transforms into a man with black shaggy hair and red eyes.
“Same mission I told you about last week. He was looking for the Phoenix,” I say with a perplexed look on my face. “He found one. Brixton, Rivan’s father.”
“Callyx told me,” Lucifer admits with a frown. “Tarquin, what happened?”
Tarquin scowls. “He caught me. I refused to answer. He tortured me to death.” When we look puzzled, he throws his hands up. “Hello. Phoenix. He kills you. Resurrects you. Kills you. Resurrects you. Worst fucking torture I’ve ever been through. Almost broke me.” In the depths of his eyes, the truth of his ordeal lies in the terror still lingering in their depths.
“How did he catch you?” I ask him.
“Apparently, Phoenix can sense powers. He essentially sniffed me out,” he reveals, to my astonishment. “When I wouldn’t answer his questions, he tortured me. After about the fifth time, my body transformed into my hellhound state and locked up. He decided to take me to Fisk.”
Rivan never said a word about this ability. With a grimace, I hold out a hand to help him up. “Sorry. Wasn’t aware of that, but the good news is he brought you back. Could have left you permanently deceased. And we wouldn’t have known he was a part of this coup until it was too late.”
Lucifer raises an eyebrow at my lack of empathy. “Tarquin, take some time off and relax. I’m sure Cormal will give you a big bonus for all your trouble.”
“I’ll send Kavi over with your payment and a bonus. Before you go, how many more Phoenix did you see?” I ask, quickly texting the order to Kavi.
“Thousands,” Tarquin replies hoarsely. “They’ve been living in the old mines on the dark Fae side. Looks like they’ve been there a long time.” On unsteady feet, he leaves.
I wait until Tarquin is out the door. “This isn’t something they planned overnight. My guess is they’ve been waiting for a sign to put it into play. Nyssa’s death gave them a golden opportunity.”
“Callyx gave me the same assessment,” Lucifer admits with a sigh. “To be honest, I can’t fault them for it. The aristocratic Fae have mistreated the Lesser Fae for thousands of years. From a governing perspective, they continuously refuse to let them have representation and a say in the laws. In their eyes, Lesser Fae only exist to serve the aristocracy, so they shouldn’t need a voice. I’m not sure I could support Meri in a war against them.” Intent blue eyes meet mine.
Mentally kicking myself for missing the obvious, I sigh. “When Meri took the crown, my biggest concern was a coup from inside the aristocracy, not the Lesser Fae. I should have realized Nyssa’s death would precipitate a grab for power from all sides.” For the first time in a long time, I’m feeling outmaneuvered.
“Have you ever met Lord Basilus and Lady Kyra?” I ask, taking a wild chance Lucifer might have met them at a function.
Lucifer pauses, a strange look on his face. “No, but I saw Basilus. Rumor has it he betrayed the Fire Fae, and when he was given their land as a reward, they took their revenge. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but over three hundred souls arrived on our shores without the proper burial rights, including Basilus and Kyra. All of them had been burned to death.”
I nod. Still leaves a lot of questions, but it gives me something solid to go on in my investigation. “Thanks. I need to get to Meri, but I’ll keep you in the loop as things progress.”
“Callyx will be there in a few days. He’s running down a lead for me on another matter,” Lucifer informs me.
I wave to indicate I heard him, then slide into a shadow.
