“I learned that even those who have been hurt in unforgivable ways will rise up and fight for their people.” Her eyes filled as she angled her head toward Kazbiel, who stood with several other demons, all of them with half-grown wings.
“But most importantly, I learned that all of us, no matter how small, are responsible for peace. All of you helped us attain that peace in some way. But today is for our gnome friends. Without them, none of us would be here.”
Shocked whispers broke out, and I smiled. Danica had wanted this to be a surprise for the gnomes, and she’d obviously succeeded.
Samael opened his mouth, and the room was instantly silent once more. “Before I met Danica, I never paid much attention to lesser creatures, particularly those of fae descent. That was a mistake. Through my little witch, I learned that those we would calllesserare lesser in name only.
“More importantly, while we were all fighting for our lives, I learned that sometimes the smallest of us are also the strongest and bravest of us all. There are no words to express what you did for us that day, with such a short amount of time to put our plans into place. So this is for you.”
He lifted his hand, and the sheets covering the wall fell to the floor.
My throat tightened, my eyes filled, and for a long moment, I couldn’t speak.
The paintings were huge—more like murals. Someone exceptionally talented had painted the battle, separated into four different paintings.
In the first, Bael stood on the front line, alone. On the other side of the battlefield, Teremos lay, the destroyed artifact next to him. The painter had kept Teremos’s head on his shoulders, which I appreciated.
The second painting showed the gnomes, small and deadly, as they made their way through the battle. Many of them were cut down that day, and the artist hadn’t hesitated to show just how many gnomes had lost their lives. In the midst of the scene, Gary had his hands raised, about to catch the artifact. Several feet away, his friend burned.
I’d heard all of this, of course. But I hadn’t seen it.
The third painting showed Pischiel killing a demon who’d attempted to light Gary up. Gary was in the air, flying toward Garadiel.
The fourth painting showed Garadiel holding the artifact in his arms, his head tipped back as he screamed the incantation.
Tears rolled down my face. That was where the paintings ended. Neither Samael nor Danica was anywhere to be seen. Because Samael had been in the pocket realm, and Danica had been in the castle. The message was clear—today was about recognizing the many gnomes who’d sacrificed themselves, and the others who’d risked their lives.
I let my gaze wander over the rest of the paintings. There was Vas, kneeling by his uncle’s side. And there I was, fighting next to Aubrey. Truthfully, he’d been doing most of the work, but I’d managed to distract the hellhounds as Aubrey and Selina kept them from raging through our people.
Vas wrapped his arms around me. “It’s difficult seeing it,” he whispered in my ear. “But it feels right. Dani and Samael did good. Whenever anyone walks into this throne room, they’ll see exactly what happened here. They’ll see the day so many factions cooperated in order to stamp out Lucifer’s evil. And they’ll see it was the gnomes who saved us.”
I glanced around at the room. No one was speaking. Many of the gnomes had tears running down their faces, as did most of the rest of us. Someone began to clap.
Applause spread throughout the room, until the sound of it was almost deafening. Gary wiped at his eyes, while Cil and Zip pointed out different parts of the paintings.
Ten minutes later, we were all led out of the throne room and into a huge ballroom. Danica sidled up to me and gestured at the room, where there were somehow enough tables to seat everyone.
“These rooms were already obnoxiously big,” she confided. “But I explained what I needed to the underworld, and it cooperated.”
Evie had joined us. “You know that’s weird as hell, right?”
Danica shrugged. “My whole life is weird.”
Vas was quiet as we ate. The food was delicious, but I was so concerned about him, I could barely taste it.
Had seeing Ag on that battlefield undone all the progress Vas had made? I reached for his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. If it had, I’d go through the grieving process with him once more.
He smiled at me, and I glanced around as desserts were starting to be served.
“You want to get out of here?”
He raised one eyebrow, and I smiled at him. “Danica won’t mind. We’ll have breakfast with them.”
“I never thought you’d be the one to suggest bailing, but I’m down.”
I waved at Danica to get her attention. She glanced at us and winked.
My stomach fluttered at my plans for tonight. I just needed to keep Vas busy for the next hour. That shouldn’t be too difficult.
