Now, shall we think about this?Faerie suggested.
Dexter stirred and lifted his head. It was late in Faerie.
“Sorry, honey,” I cooed. “Go back to sleep.”
Dex wagged his tail even as he lowered his long, fox-like snout back to his pillow.
I waved Arach out of the room. We went down the hallway and into his office. After the door was shut, I plopped down on the couch across from Arach's desk. He joined me. That alone told me how worried he was about me. Maybe even about Viper. Arach was bonded to Viper too, after all. They'd slept in the same bed as me to lock in the lion magic.
“Any ideas, Faerie?” I asked.
First, we can determine the day the trickster will arrive,Faerie said.
“How?”
You said Azrael brought the heads of state here two days ago.
Arach concluded, “That means the trickster will take Viper in three days, our time.”
Yes, and Vervain's timelines will align in two days. It's perfect.
“All right, that's a good start,” I said. “We won't have to post guards at the Great Tree until then. We could even wait for them ourselves.”
“We'll have a picnic,” Arach said with a smirk.
“You are adorable.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “Some wine, maybe some meat pies, and then we can slay a fresh trickster for dessert.”
I snorted a laugh. “Who said romance is dead?”
“There is nothing more romantic than the blood of our enemies.”
You say the trickster chained a god in fey manacles, Faerie mused, ignoring our antics.And this is the clue that led you here?
“Yes,” I said.
You also say that they've been two steps ahead of you.
“Yes.”
So we need to think ahead of them. Why bring Viper here?
“I don't know. It doesn't make any sense.”
“They also have Lucifer's pitchfork,” Arach reminded us. “So they're bringing Viper and the pitchfork to Faerie. What could they do with those two things?”
“Well, the obvious answer is not one I want to speak aloud,” I muttered.
“They've already had the chance to spear a god with it, and they threatened a dog instead.” He paused and cocked his head to ask, “Have you ever noticed that god is dog spelled backward?”
“Yes, Arach, I've noticed that.” I rolled my eyes. “And technically, they threatened the dog with Aaron's rod, glamoured to look like the pitchfork.”
Those two items are very similar,Faerie said.Both are made to channel god power. Of course, the pitchfork was actually used by a god and is therefore stronger. But if this is a faerie trickster, that doesn't matter. They can't use god tools.
I sat back. “You're partially right. I don't even know if another god could use the Devil's pitchfork. Luke has got some serious juju. I wouldn't be surprised if his pitchfork only responds to him. But Aaron's rod was made for a human, so a faerie might have been able to use it. And the trickster did use it. They disguised the rod and rooted it to the ground. Even the Devil couldn't move it.”
But they left the rod and took the pitchfork. So this probably isn't about the power.She paused, then asked,What is it about?
