Saviour of Souls
Selphien

Selphien

The war camp was nothing but carnage.

Demon blood covered a majority of the planks and boardwalks, their blood like holes bore into the wood, and coated even more of the soldiers who fought along them, battling various Demons that struck the camp, tearing into tents and killing in unknowable amounts, the noise deafening, and enough to turn anyone’s head in circles. Around us, the dark power that had swept in was spreading, reaching inward with long, spindly pieces that, when they touched against the skin of soldiers, melted flesh and bone, boiling blood, siphoning it away. This had to be an attack from Nihila.

We stood, Syrphien and Kynal at my back, Lucifer and Tatiana at my side, defending the supply area, the only real important part of the camp. It was the lifeblood of this operation, the only thing that stopped us from starving, or freezing, or burning in the heat.

We had already long ago given up on the main tent, which had collapsed. We had thought it was well fortified enough, with the other tents surrounding it, but the pathway of destruction, broken beams and fabric leading up to the main tent, which had also fallen, the body of a Streaker Demon lying among the demolished, ruined rubble, spoke volumes for how much replanning we needed to do in terms of security. We had thought it would be enough, and against a normal army, perhaps it would have been, but this was not a normal army. These were Demons. Tatiana was doing most of the defending for now, her magic pulsing around the tent, seeking out enemies to crush beneath vines, or opening up crevices in the dirt that swallowed Demons whole. Lucifer kept her stable, his own magic pulsing alongside hers, and we made sure nobody could reach her in the pathway, cutting up any Demon who wandered too close, while knowing we couldn’t stray too far.

A clear mind was important while fighting, I knew this better than anyone, and I could feel that my brother, and Kynal, were clear-headed, nothing but instincts guiding them. For me, I couldn’t keep my mind off the conversation I’d heard between Seth and Desterium, the plan they had.

He was working with her. The suspicion Opaleen had told us about, and had prompted Syrphien and I to try and capture Seth, the suspicion that had made me writhe in guilt until Syrphien had assured me that Seth held no grudge, was right. I had not made many friends in life, fewer had remained friends, but I had thought that Seth, who had seemed to be kind and light-hearted and good, would be one of the ones to stay.

I shook my head, trying to clear the tears that had formed, and sliced at another Demon, falling into step beside my brother as we both killed it, Syrphien giving me a curious, concerned look. I nodded, trying to assure him, but he didn’t look convinced, handing the reins over to Kynal while he pulled me aside, asking, “Are you clear-headed enough to fight on the battlefield?”

I nodded, unsure whether to tell Syrphien what I had heard. Maybe I owed Seth an explanation first. There had to be a good reason for him working with our enemy, right? Maybe she’d threatened him, and he’d had no choice? Yes, I should give my friend a chance to explain himself, before handing him in. He would do the same for me, and Seth was a good person. He wouldn’t work for her for no good reason.

That silent reassurance was enough to calm my raging heart somewhat, and in a clear voice, I said, “I’m fine. I was just worried about Seth.”

There, it wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth. Syrphien couldn’t blame me, I needed to get all the facts before I began accusing Seth of being a- a- traitor to the camp. I couldn’t even think it! It was such an impossible, ridiculous notion, that Seth would betray his family!

He nodded, and Kynal shouted for his help, Syrphien giving me a final nod, and running back into position. I joined him, somewhat slower, exhaustion beginning to set in now that we had taken a break, but clear-headed once again, able to launch back into the routine of slice-step-slice-step, blood continuing to coat us, the boards becoming slippery beneath our feet. Tatiana’s magic showed no signs of running out anytime soon, but it looked like we were going to have to move, because now that the Demons had figured out that this area was fortified, they were building up in another area, overwhelming the four soldiers Tatiana had fighting there.

A majority of our soldiers couldn’t even fight properly, too many of them crowded together in the middle of the camp, having to step down off the stilts and fight on the ground beneath the tents, praying that they didn’t collapse atop our heads.

Syrphien killed one final Demon, and looked over his shoulder to shout at us, “Kynal, Selphien, go help the others!”

His hair was swept back over his head, plastered down with blood and sweat, and his eyes were as wild as an animals, but I heard the order, and obeyed, Kynal doing the same. He pulled back, motioning for me to follow, and we fought our way across the bridges that separated us from our fellow soldiers, others moving out of our way as best they could, still fighting. Seth was nowhere to be found, probably hiding in Desterium’s tent, with Tiskial guarding the two of them, but it didn’t matter. I had orders to commit to.

The others were barely able to stand against the tirade of Demons, and we arrived at the same time Tiskial came sprinting into view, waving his arms, and shouting. Behind him, Madorinne was running around, peering into each and every tent, searching for something, a familiar blade in her hand- Inferos.

Tatiana had allowed her to stay, because she had seemed to be firmly against anything Maladur, including the Princess of Hell, but here she was, holding Inferos, and running around in the chaos, completely unmonitored. She could be a spy of Desterium’s.

Tiskial gripped my shoulder, shouting at me to pay attention, calling, “Where’s Tatiana?!”

I pointed in the direction Kynal and I had come from, and Tiskial began running again, Kynal pushing to the front of the fight, out of reach for me. I stood at the back, juggling between defending the war camp, and figuring out what Madorinne was doing.

My decision was made for me when the Northern Isles girl stepped into the medical tent, and emerged once again, tucking something into her pocket. She resumed her search, darting from tent to tent, and I ran after her.

“Hey!” I shouted, Madorinne turning to look at me innocently, looking panicked, frightened by the fighting around us. She ran to greet me, flinching as another tent collapsed nearby.

“What are you doing?!” I demanded, and she frantically shrieked, “I can’t find it!”

“Find what?”

“My ring! I lost my ring!”

I gaped at her, and she began scouring the ground at our feet, peering through the boards. How was that important right now?! Shaking my head, vowing not to be deceived again, I pointed my sword at her, snapping, “Empty your pockets!”

She stood up, her eyes widening, and slowly began emptying her pockets.

There was nothing in them. Not wanting to believe my eyes, or the fact that I had been humiliated yet again, I patted at her pockets myself, finding them completely empty of anything. What had she been putting into her pocket, then? Madorinne lowered her hands slowly, shakily asking, “What’s wrong?”

“N- Nothing. Sorry,” I stammered, blushing furiously, and behind us, the soldiers I had been fighting with shouted suddenly, Kynal and a few others running from the area just as a wave of shadows broke across the boards, shattering the bridge. Those who could not get out of the way in time disappeared into the mass, and I ran, abandoning Madorinne on the bridge in my embarrassment, screaming for Syrphien as around us, more and more shadows rocketed in, joining in the centre of the camp, where the main tent sat. They circled around it in a writhing mass, a storm cell building up, and Kynal caught me around the waist before I could try and find a way across the broken bridge, my brother stuck on the other side. I had to get to him!

“Selphien! If he’s been hit, he’s dead already! Leave him!” Kynal shouted, pulling me back toward Madorinne, who was staring at something in the darkened fields beyond the main tent, and he gripped her arm, asking, “What is it?”

When she gave no answer, both of us turned to look, and gaped. There, in the middle of all those shadows, was a bright ball of silvery light, and suddenly, she lifted Inferos in her hand, before looking back at the ball of light, awed. Understanding flashed across her face, and she whispered, “Caelum.”

Kynal stared back at me, asking, “Caelum? What does she mean by Caelum?”

“The blade? Do you mean the blade? Is that Caelum?!” I pointed to the ball of light, and Madorinne nodded, looking at Inferos again. Kynal, seeming to notice what blade it was that she held in her hand, took it, saying, “Where did you get this from?!”

The last time I had seen Inferos, it had been locked in our weapon cache, in an iron box, chained and padlocked to prevent thieves. The only person to have a key had been Tatiana, and she’d kept it in her room at all times.

“I found it on the ground,” Madorinne said, looking upset, and Kynal sighed, explaining as he tucked Inferos into his back pocket, “This is a really dangerous blade, okay? I can’t leave it with you. I hope you understand.”

She nodded, and said, “That blade is Caelum. It can protect people from dark magic and powers, but only certain people.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, suddenly feeling uneasy, and Tatiana’s magic flared without warning, turning the sky green. We dropped to the ground, covering our heads, and Kynal leapt for the side of the bridge, wrenching Madorinne and I with him just as shadows shot over where we’d been laying. We screamed in surprise, and Kynal covered us, silence swallowing our screams.

It was like the shadows blocked out sound. That, or the entire camp had been killed, because there wasn’t a single sound to be heard, not even the Demons in the fields could be heard anymore. Kynal’s arms were the only warmth I could feel, the rest of it sucked from the air, and we shivered, a chill settling over us. Behind Kynal, a small red light began pulsing, and then grew, engulfing us.

“I-Infe-feros,” Madorinne shivered, reaching for the blade, and she held it up, showing it to us. The entire blade was glowing red, the dark twin to Caelum, and I paused. Caelum and Inferos were like Desterium and Reannatiel. Dark and light. Deadly and a saviour.

Madorinne shivered, and said, “Don’t hold them together. Ever.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Why?”

“Because you can open the Paradoxin Rift with them.”

Both Kynal and I went pale, having not even known there were other ways to open the Rift, and it now made a lot more sense for why Desterium kept such a close eye on Inferos. She must have known, and kept it as a backup plan in case we got to the Sacreds first. The silver light on the other side of the camp began growing, writhing and pulsing wildly, sending out ribbons that curled around different areas, before disappearing, stretching further each time, and in Madorinne’s hand, Inferos began doing the same.

“What’s happening?!” I shrieked, clapping my hands over my ears, the blades beginning to sing, as if someone was clashing them together. Madorinne tightened her grip, but she was beginning to look ill. Around us, Tatiana’s magic collapsed in on itself, the little light it had provided going dark, and Kynal slumped against us. We weren’t going to survive this. I leaned back against Kynal, my brother’s friend, and he squeezed my shoulder comfortingly, knowing what I was thinking. Barely a month into the war, and we were doomed.

“They can feel each other nearby! When the blades aren’t activated, they’re useless, but this power, it must activate them! They’re trying to connect!”

“What happens when they connect?!”

“They open the Rift!”

Madorinne screamed in pain, Kynal and I jolting, and she dropped Inferos, which landed on the deck, and disappeared. She lifted her hands, her skin smouldering, and showed us the burns on her palms. Seven symbols had been burnt into her skin, and she blew on them, whimpering.

Behind us, I heard someone swearing, and chains rattling. The tent opened behind us, and we tumbled back onto a hard, wooden floor. Desterium was behind us, half bent over in pain, clutching at her head, and she wrenched us inside, slamming the tent shut, and a sliver of shadows made it in, dissipating harmlessly, not enough of it present to hurt us.

The Princess of Hell was alone in the tent, her chains still in place, and she fell back onto the bed, exhausted. Jason had drugged her before we’d brought her in here to stop her from escaping, but seeing her so tired she couldn’t even stand made me wince. No. No, she deserved it, especially if she’d threatened Seth into working with her. I glared at her, and she smiled tiredly, the smirk on her face infuriating.

“You’re welcome,” she breathed, something bursting into flames outside, and she whistled appreciatively, saying, “Your camp lasted all of a month, and it wasn’t even pitted against my court! I’m almost sorry I abandoned my court, now. I would have enjoyed watching your subtle destruction.”

I swore at her, and she blinked, surprised, sitting up to check that it was really me who had spoken, before saying, “I’m impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“My brother is dead because of you!” I shouted, urging myself not to cry in front of her. She would only find it pathetic. Looking around at all of us, she said, “No, your brother isn’t dead, and even if he was, it wouldn’t be my fault. I didn’t cause this attack.”

“It was your Ancient!”

“Nope! Ask Tiskial! I tried to call off the attack, but it wasn’t Nihila attacking. That’s not why you’re angry at me, however, is it, Princess?” She baited, and Kynal demanded, “What? Selphien, what does she mean?!”

I glared, and the Princess of Hell winked at me, saying, “Oh, nothing, I’m just being a pain in the ass. Does anybody know where my Connected is? Tiskial left to find him, and never came back.”

“Tiskial was looking for Tatiana the last time I’d heard from him. Why are you looking for Seth?”

Before she could answer, the ground beneath us rumbled, and Desterium’s face paled, looking around in panic.

“What did you all do?” She breathed, and Kynal hissed, “We didn’t do anything!”

“You didn’t open something, did you?!”

This was too planned. I looked to Madorinne, who was beginning to look equally panicked, staring at the ground in true horror, making me realise just how fake her fright had been earlier. This time, however, the feeling was real. Had Desterium and Madorinne planned to join Caelum and Inferos together? Destiny began wrenching at her chains, hissing something under her breath, and she looked at us, shrieking, “You have to let me go!”

“What’s happening?” Kynal said, looking around at the tent, the light of the moon beginning to peer through, the shadows pulling back.

“Please, I can’t stay here! He’s coming!”

“Who?” Oh, Heaven above, she didn’t mean Abel, did she? My back began aching at the thought of him, and Destiny slumped in defeat as the shadows pulled back entirely, looking up at us and breathing, “You’re dead. All of you. We’re all dead.”

“Why? Who are you talking about?” Kynal asked, and it was Madorinne who answered, breathing, “The Ruler of the Void.”

“Belial,” Desterium added in a broken whisper, “The King of Hell is here.”

*

The camp was no longer carnage, it was just rubble, dust and blood. Plenty of blood. Only a few tents had remained standing, but already, soldiers were busy, split into three groups. The first buried the dead, and they had perhaps the most monumental task, since there were many who required graves. The second group was rebuilding, gathering wood from the nearby forest to build bigger, stronger tents, and already, I could see the outline of a fence being dug into the mud- a better protection for the new camp that would be built. Despite Desterium and Madorinne’s claims, there was no sign of a Belial anywhere, but there was someone else missing as well. Seth.

We hadn’t even noticed he was gone until Karla, tears streaming down her face, ran into our small meeting area with Darcie, set up in one of the only tents remaining. It had been Ash and Tiskial’s tent, and luckily, they had both survived. As had my brother. I’d held his hand since, Syrphien inclined to do the same, looking relieved. He had been crying when he’d found us, and he’d pulled me to him in a flurry of prayers and gratified mumbles to the Heavens. Desterium had been dragged along with us, and now sat in the corner, sulking. She no longer pulled at her chains, or screamed about a Ruler of the Void, but she seemed on edge, flinching at every outside noise. Madorinne was the same, looking terrified where she sat at the table, a cup of tea in her hands. Out of politeness, and since she’d looked pale enough to faint, Jason had given Desterium a cup of tea as well, promising that this one wasn’t drugged. She’d sniffed at it regardless, before slowly drinking it, her hands shaking.

“This is a disaster,” Lucifer groaned, dropping his head into his hands as he looked over the map we’d created of the new war camp plans. Desterium had offered to help, and had received eight frustrated glares in return, none of us appreciating her smart-ass replies. She seemed particularly angry at Tiskial, and every now and then, he glanced at the bruises on her neck, the marks the exact same size as his fingers.

“We were useless against it. The Demons, we could handle, but whatever that power was? Not a chance. We lost forty-thousand.”

“It’s called Devastation. Fitting name, I know. It resembles Nihila’s power, but it’s not the same. Devastation draws on other magic or powers. The more magic or power used in its presence, the stronger it gets. Why do you think your Queen is over there, taking a nap?”

“How do you know that’s how the power works?” Kynal asked quietly, earning a glare from Tiskial, who had ordered us not to interact with Desterium.

“Because the Void is made of it. Belial, the Ruler of the Void, uses it to keep himself in power. It’s very draining.”

“I thought your family were the highest rank of Hell, but you said he was a King of Hell.”

Desterium nodded, sipping at her tea, and said, “We are the highest rank, so long as he remains in the Void. If he comes looking for me, I would have lost my status, had I not already. In Hell, ranks are decided by power. I have more power than the Lords of Hell, but I haven’t bothered to claim a higher status. Belial could decimate me in a split second- That’s how powerful he is. To answer your question, he isn’t technically a King of Hell. There is no King of Hell, but we give him that title because, for whatever reason, Ruler of the Void isn’t scary enough.”

“Why would he come looking for you? Do you have a quarrel with him?”

Tiskial hissed at Kynal to stop talking to Desterium and focus, but Kynal was too enraptured, and now, so was I. I wanted to hear more about this King of Hell. Maybe we could convince him to destroy the Maladur family.

“Far from it. We get along marvellously, or at least he likes me enough to enjoy my company, and that’s the problem. The first person he’ll try and find is me. He’ll want a tour around, and a few meals caught for him.” I shuddered, knowing what she meant by ‘meals’, and Desterium winked at me. I turned away, still angry with her, even if she had saved our lives. Tatiana and Lucifer had revealed a half hour earlier that she had also saved them from being crushed in the Ordeallan Palace. Tiskial had told us that it shouldn’t change the way we viewed her, she was still evil, and she was still a traitor.

“In what way do you get along?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking,” Desterium purred, and Bal’gag, who had also been dragged into the room, side-glanced me, before grinning at his Princess. She shook her head, ordering for him to keep quiet, and I said, “What secret are you keeping?”

“I think you’re aware of it, Princess,” she said, and I glared again. She was working with Seth, but in what way? I shuddered to think that it could be anything other than a blackmail sort of situation, and Desterium, seeing that I was thoroughly disgusted, added loudly to the group, “I personally think you would all be better off calling an Immortal War on Zeella than me. If he dies, then I have to return to Caliem to take the throne he sat on.”

“What does that make you? You’re obviously the Demi-Sin of Deceit, but you’re the daughter of the Sin of Lust. Does that make you the next Sin of Lust?”

“No, the throne changes based on what Sin, or Demi-Sin, the person who takes it is. When Zeella dies, the throne, and the Sin, becomes the Sin of Deceit. Which I like significantly more.”

“ACTUALLY,” Tiskial interrupted loudly, making Tatiana, who was sleeping peacefully, jolt awake, Lucifer joining her on the small lounge, “if Zeella dies, you’re executed, and nobody takes the throne. We won’t let you go just because Zeella dies.”

“Nope. I have younger siblings. Four of them. Michael, Chaos, Phoenix and Angel. Michael will take the throne, if he can survive the Dome. But that isn’t important, because guess what? None of this is! Belial has been awakened, and nothing, not even your war with me, matters anymore, because once he finds us, we are all dead.”

Her words rang out like a death knell, and Merry, who was comforting Mira, lifted his head, the first time he had done it all night. When his eyes met Destiny’s, they widened, and he blurted, “You-”

“Hush now, if you don’t want your brother killed.”

Merry clamped his lips together, and Tiskial growled, “Stop threatening people! We can handle Belial, alright everyone? Don’t let her scare you into submission!”

Destiny stood, shouting, “I’m not trying to scare you all! I’m telling the truth! Belial will kill all of us! He’s dangerous! He’ll trick you because he’s charismatic, and then he’ll-”

“Shut up! Just shut up! We can handle some stupid King of Hell!” Tiskial roared, and Desterium screamed, “Then where is Seth?! Where is he?! You can’t even handle finding him, let alone besting Belial in a fight!”

Karla stood, and with a firm voice, staring down at Desterium, said, “Look, I don’t know who you are, or anything about you other than the fact that you are a prisoner of this camp. To my knowledge, you are nothing more than another enemy to these people. That gives you no right to ask about my son, or any of my children.”

“I have as much right as you, Night-Hunter!”

Lucifer raised his eyebrows, and Karla said, “I may have made my mistakes as a child, but I outgrew them. From what I’ve heard, you’re thirty-three-thousand years old. That makes you older than me, yet you lay on the floor like a toddler and scream. Even my youngest behaves better than that. I don’t know what upbringing you had, maybe that behaviour was the only way you were listened to, but that is not the way things are done around here. If you want people to listen to you, then you’ll have to grow up, or nobody will take you seriously.”

Desterium paused, stunned into silence, and Lucifer, taking advantage of the silence, “You were a Night-Hunter?”

“I was the best of the best, for a time. I was a Maiden of Midnight. I decided to leave after I had Seth. I vowed that my children wouldn’t have the same path. From your demeanour, Madorinne, I’m going to guess that you are also a Night-Hunter.” Merry gaped at his mother, having not even been aware.

Madorinne nodded curtly, and said, “I’m the Maiden of Midnight to the Northern Isles Night-Hunters. I hope you’ll take my advice when I say that Desterium is speaking the truth. If Belial has been released, we’re all doomed to die.”

Desterium leaned back against the wall, looking smug, and Karla calmly asked, “What kind of an opponent is he?”

Desterium opened her mouth to comment, and Karla pointed at her, saying, “I didn’t ask you. Madorinne, continue.”

The Princess of Hell turned red with rage, and huffed, muttering something under her breath. Madorinne said, “I don’t know much, but I do know that he’s the Ruler of the Void, and he’s considered a King of Hell, although no title actually exists. His power comes from stealing others, and wielding it the same way Nihila drains your life force, and feeds off your blood.”

Karla looked to Desterium, and asked, “Is that correct?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, do we need me now? How delightful! How about you figure it out for yourself, instead of asking me, since we unanimously decided earlier that because I’m a prisoner, I don’t have any useful information. I’d have thought a Maiden of Midnight would know better.”

Karla smiled slightly, and said, “How are you treated at home, Desterium?”

“It’s Destiny, and that’s none of your business.”

“She lives in opulence,” Syrphien offered up, “but she’s had a rough upbringing, I’ll give her that. Her twin died when she was nine, her mother at the age of ten. Her father stopped being her father, and became her Lord. She was trained in a place known as the Dome, where Heirs are taught to become killers, and since then, has been sent out as an Assassin whenever she’s needed.” The others in the room winced, and I said, “It’s sad, really.” And it was upsetting, that Desterium had grown up in such conditions. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to grow up in a court where every word you spoke was used against you, and your rulers were tyrants that you couldn’t escape because they were family.

“So you haven’t been raised very well. That’s not an excuse. You know better,” Karla said, and Desterium blushed, furiously arguing, “I was not raised badly!”

Tiskial said, “Pity. You don’t like pity, do you?”

“Stop trying to dissect my mind, and find Seth!”

“So you can do what? Sacrifice him?”

“If I were to free you, in exchange for you working around the war camp, what would you say?” Karla asked, and Tiskial shook his head, “Don’t be fooled by her, Karla! She isn’t some wayward child for your family to take in! She’s a monster!”

“I’d tell you to shove your offer up your-” Desterium was cut off yet again by Karla, who said, “You will be facing the execution post in a month or two, at the most. I might be the only person here willing to save your life. Think carefully about your response.”

“I would sooner die. I don’t need saving.”

Karla shrugged, saying, “Then it’s your choice. Now, to move onto more important things, what are we doing to find Seth?”

“There isn’t much we can do. Providing he’s not part of the dead, he could be anywhere, especially if he was taken. Tatiana and Lucifer are planning on going back to Tarvenia to retrieve Genevieve’s stone, and the final Sacred, while Kynal and I are preparing to make a bargain with Zeella; His daughter, in exchange for the Sacreds.”

Desterium laughed incredulously, and Karla asked, “What’s so funny?”

“You’re mad if you think Zeella will take that offer. He’ll just tell you to kill me, and dump my body in the fields.”

“All the better for us, then,” Tiskial said, strolling out of the tent with a called, “I’ll start looking for Seth now! I’ll come back when I have confirmation that he’s not among the dead.”

“The longer you wait, the larger the chance that he is dead grows.”

Tatiana sat up, having grown bored, like the rest of us, of Desterium’s comments, and she said, “Kynal, put Desterium back in her tent. Then, I want you to go out there and help the camp recover. Lucifer and I have to deal with the Royals of the cities. The rest of you are free to make yourselves useful as you see fit.”

Kynal dragged Desterium up, holding tightly onto her chains, and the Princess of Hell called, “Good luck with your meeting, Tatiana!” Tatiana rolled her eyes, and turned back to the rest of us.

“Now that she’s been dealt with, let’s get back to the problem at hand. Our war camp has been decimated just three days from when our planned attack on the Caliem Manor was. This seems too planned to be a coincidence, but perhaps I am wrong. How likely is it that we can restore everything in time to continue our attack?”

Syrphien whistled, shaking his head, and saying, “It’s not likely at all. I mean, we can still attack, but the likelihood of them retaliating is high, and if we aren’t prepared…”

“Our war is with Desterium, not Zeella.”

“Yes, but we need the Sacreds, and we need revenge for the attack on the Sun Palace, as well as Ordeallan. We swore to Leena that we would protect her city.”

“Then we need to find Leena as well,” Kynal remarked, strolling back into the tent with Tiskial, who confirmed, “Seth isn’t among the dead. Neither is Lucy.”

Merry sighed with relief, and Karla said, “Then we need to find him and Lucy.”

Madorinne mused, “Inferos vanished at the same time the light from Caelum went out. Could it be connected, somehow?”

“Tiskial, I need you to take Lucifer and I to Tarvenia, and then bring us back. Kynal, if you could stay, that would be great.”

Kynal nodded, assuring that if they needed him later, they could find him along the ditch they were digging for the wall. Tatiana and Lucifer rose, and Syrphien asked, “What do you want us to do?”

“I want you to go to Jason, and ask him if he can make a truth tonic for us. Selphien, I want you to go to Desterium, and question her. Try and annoy her so she doesn’t notice that we’re bringing the Sacred back.”

We nodded, and left, striding out into the cold night, Syrphien’s hand still in my own. After a while, he said, “They’ll find him.”

Lost in my thoughts, having been thinking about Desterium and the fact that I now had an opportunity to question her about how she was working with Seth, I blinked, saying, “What?”

“They’ll find Seth.”

I nodded as my brother squeezed my hand, and mumbling, “I hope so,” I entered Desterium’s tent…

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