Page 108 of Bellamy
“It’s true,” I spoke up. “He and I have ruled side by side for years, but even so, only a small number of demons followed us. The rest refused to.”
“Exactly.” Penemuel nodded. “Neither of you have a claim to the throne. But Belphegor knew demons would follow the son of Lucifer. So he’s been using Asa, offering him counsel and gaining his trust. He needed an army to storm the celestial realm for Light Bringer. Asa gave him one.”
“Why?” Bellamy asked. “The sword is useless to Belphegor. He can’t wield it.”
“Wielding it is not his goal,” Penemuel explained. “He intends to use it as a sort of compass. One that points to exactly where he wants to go.”
Lazarus sharply exhaled, shock morphing his expression. “No. That can’t… I would’ve known…”
“You see now,” Penemuel softly said.
Raiden raised his hand. “I don’t see. Can ya explain?”
“The higher class of angels have soul weapons,” Lazarus said, voice shaking just like his hands. “As you know, my whip is one of them. These weapons were forged using our life force. It’s why we couldn’t destroy Light Bringer after caging Lucifer… becausehestill lived. Only upon our death do our weapons lose their power.”
Suddenly, Alastair leaned forward in his chair, lips parted and the color draining from his face. He’d figured it out too.
“Oh shit,” Castor said, eyes wide. He’d probably read Alastair’s thoughts.
Bellamy touched the small of my back. His hand trembled. I flicked my tail against his leg before gently curling it around his calf. The extra hold on him did little to ease his sudden tension though.
What the hell had they realized? I was still in the dark. Seeing Kyo, Simon, and Mason’s confusion, it was evident they were as well.
“Belphegor plans to use Light Bringer to find the location of Lucifer’s cage,” Penemuel explained. “The life energy in the sword will lead the way when paired with a strong tracking spell. No matter where Lucifer is, either in this world or another, the sword will find him.”
Everything made sense now. So many times, I had sensed hostility from Belphegor when he’d been around Asa, but I had written it off as him not liking someone younger telling him what to do. But the entire time, he’d been manipulating Asa, just as the king of the underworld manipulated everyone around him.
It was one mindfuck and backstab after another.
“Belphegor’s plan from the very beginning wasn’t to help Asa rule. It was to free Lucifer.” Penemuel clasped his hands together, brow furrowed. “And now he has all he needs to do it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Bellamy
A deafening silence hung in the air.
It was Lazarus who finally broke it. “Even if Belphegor manages to find Lucifer’s cage, he won’t be able to free him. The door was sealed with the blood of the cursed sons, the only beings in all the worlds who have the power to subdue him.”
“That’s why Asa is so important to Belphegor’s plan,” Penemuel said. “It’s also why he hasn’t killed the boy yet. He needs him.”
“For what?” Alastair asked.
“A sacrifice.” Penemuel breathed out, giving a sad shake of his head. “While I hold no love for the son of Lucifer, I do pity him. He’ll be slaughtered, and as his blood is spilled, the seal on the cage will be broken.”
“How is that possible?” Lazarus asked. “The curse in these boys’ blood has no equal. Nothing can combat it. The seal can’t be broken.”
“Asa was the first of Lucifer’s sons and the ninth Nephilim born into this world,” Penemuel explained. “As he drew his first breath, he absorbed a fraction of the eight sins that came before him.” He swept a gaze among us. “It’s why you react so strongly in his presence. The sins inside you recognize the curse inside his blood too.”
“That also explains why he’s more powerful,” Alastair said. “I assumed it was because of Lucifer’s blood in his veins, but he has a piece of each of us. He has our strengths.”
“Correct. Lucifer knew this even back then. The seer that showed Lucifer a future where he won the war also showed him one where he lost. Asa’s birth was a contingency plan. As the war years later began turning for the worst, he ordered Belphegor to save Asa so that plan would work. He never viewed Asa as his son. The boy was his pawn from the very beginning.”
Alastair stared at the floor, a hard set to his brow. He’d thrown up a wall to keep us out of his head, but I suspected where his thoughts had taken him.
Lucifer hadn’t viewed Asa as a son… but he’d seen Alastair as one. Did it please Pride? Stroke his ego?
“Vepar and Purah… they know all of this too?” Phoenix asked.
