I raised one eyebrow. “Um, I know you’ve been stuck down here and all, but youdoknow Lucifer has been shaping him to be his heir, right?”
His smile turned into a full-fledged grin.
I crossed my legs, resting my elbow on one knee and my chin on my hand. “Talk me through this.”
“You are correct in that Pischiel has been shaped by Lucifer. But if you ask anyone if he has given into bloodlust—if he has maimed or tortured or killed to gain his power—none would say he has. Do whatever you can to sway Pischiel to our side. There are many who are on the fence about joining the resistance. They wish for peace, but don’t trust that we have enough power. If we could tell them Pischiel is one of us, many would rethink their loyalties to Lucifer.”
Convince Pischiel that he doesn’t really need to sit on that obsidian throne. Sure. Piece of cake.
I shook my head. “Pischiel still supported the man who did all of those things.”
“Ah, Danica. You, of all people, should know that people who may seem evil at first glance are not always rotten to their core.”
“If you’re talking about Samael—”
“Shh.”
We were both silent as something scraped on the stone above.
“Disappear,” Agates ordered. “Now.”
I didn’t hesitate, shoving the ring in my mouth, and he let out a long, slow breath as I turned invisible. We waited for several minutes, but the scraping didn’t repeat.
“You should go,” my father murmured.
I spat out the ring. “Tell me what else to do first. You’ve clearly got contacts, and I’ve got this.” I held up the ring. “Help me make a difference.”
“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can. But you must be careful.” His gaze was steady as I nodded. “Lucifer has a stable of wyverns which he keeps half-feral, ready to unleash them on his enemies. I need you to find out how many he has. Before I was locked in here, there were several hundred, but he has been obsessed with breeding them. Find out, and tell your bondmate exactly what he should expect.”
Wyverns. And I’d thought we finally had an edge with our dragons.
“Okay. What else?”
He thought about it. “Nacheran. If you get a chance to talk to him, or even if you can somehow get a message to him, he hates Lucifer, but he doesn’t dare stand against him. He could be a strong ally if you can sway him to our side.”
“When Lucifer was playing with me, he talked about sending me to Nacheran’s territory. He knows Nacheran’s people would fight against his rule, and that Nacheran has other allies.”
Agates nodded. “Garadiel will help you where he can.”
“He didn’t seem enthused about Samael.”
“I will speak to him. Regardless of who ends up on the throne, Garadiel agrees that none are as bad as Lucifer.”
“That’s a low bar you’ve got there.”
Agates smiled. “I’m glad I got to speak to you, Danica. Got to see you in person, even if it’s just once.”
“Oh, it’ll be more than once. As soon as Lucifer is dead, you’re going to have your freedom back.”
13
DANICA
Isnuck down to see my father twice more, spending hours with him. I told him about my life, and he listened intently, laughing at my childhood antics. He’d often clasp my hand, his eyes burning as he seemed to memorize my every word.
Tonight, I told him about Evie, Kyla, and even Keigan, although my voice broke when I told him how Keigan was involved with my mom’s death.
Agates was quiet for a long time. Finally, he looked up, toward the cell where Keigan was held. “He was the closest thing you had to a father as an adult. I can hate what he did, but still feel gratitude for the way he was there for you. People aren’t merely black or white, Danica. Even my father was once both.”
