“Or we could get slaughtered and lose the whole mission,” Lys countered, crossing their arms over their chest with a glower. “I’m all for sticking it to Gilgamesh, but we came here to get Bex’s sword and horns back. Freeing every demon we can get our hands on is a nice bonus, but if we jump straight to full-scale war before we’ve even gotten what we came for, we’ll never make it out of the Middle Hells alive.”
“Who says we can’t make it?” Desh demanded, shoving his thumb over his shoulder at the crowd of scowling demons behind him. “I’ve been talking to the blokes here, and shocker to no one, they’re not exactly keen about being used as a distraction. They were still gonna do it out of respect for the queen who set them free and because it was the best option on the table, but that’s not the case anymore.”
He flicked his hand back over to point at Leander. “We got him now, and it sounds like we’ll be picking up a witch aswell. That’s two heavy hitters who can’t be dropped by a true name added to our roster, which gives us enough for a real assault.”
It did sound plausible when he put it that way, and Bex wasn’t the only one who thought so. By the time Desh finished, the whole tunnel was nodding in agreement except for Lys.
“Didn’t youjust saynot to trust Leander?” they snapped at Desh.
“And aren’tyouthe one who’s always telling me to trust our queen?” Desh snapped back. “If Bex is ready to roll the dice on this, then so am I. ’Specially if it means I’ll get to punch back at the wankers who put this collar on me.”
An enormous cheer went up at that, and Leander broke into a grin. “The keys that unlock the collars are all kept inside the central tower,” he told them. “They’re in the big metal cabinet four floors up. If you can get your hands on them, you’ll be able to uncollar and unchain every demon in the Middle Hells.”
“I like the sound of that,” Bex said, smiling at the tunnel full of demons, who’d gone from sullen acceptance to actual excitement. “This plan has the potential to net us way more than just creating a distraction, but Lys is still right. If we charge into a tower full of warlocks, a prince, and a princess, we’re going to get hammered. That’s true whether Prince Leander’s on our side or not, especially since our witch’s status is still unknown. I’m still for a direct assault, but we need a better way in. Something that’ll let us blindside and bowl the enemy over before they even realize they’re under attack.”
She turned back to Leander, which, now that he was on his feet instead of the ground, meant that she had to crane her neck back to look up at him. “You said you knew all the secret passages through the Hells. Do you have anything that fits that bill?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Leander replied, brushing the black Hells grime off his white silk shirt and trousers, which Bex suddenly realized must be what princes wore under their golden armor. “I can lead you to a path that will put you right under their noses, if you trust me enough to follow me there.”
Bex glanced at Lys, who nodded their head with a sigh.
“Looks like we’re in,” she said, holding out her hand for the rope General Kirok had already rolled back into a neatly bound coil. “Let’s go kick the hornet’s nest.”
Another cheer went up as she finished, making Bex feel better than she had since the bombardment. She especially liked how fast the demons sprang into action. She’d barely finished the order before everyone was on their feet with their new guns ready in their hands. Even Streya had a petite submachine gun dangling off her shoulder as she clung to Desh’s back like a little winged monkey. They might not have been much of an army by the numbers, but looking at all those armed demons crammed into the tunnel made Bex feel like they could actually do this as she moved to stand with Leander at the front of the crowd.
“Which way are we going?”
“Straight ahead,” Leander replied, pointing into the dark.
“That’s the direction Adrian is in as well,” Boston said from his perch on the broom, though his voice sounded more worried now. When Bex glanced up to ask why, the cat hopped off Bran to land on her shoulder.
“Not to pile on additional complications,” he whispered, “but I’m close enough now to start picking up on Adrian’s mood, and he’s understandably very nervous. That could be due to the Hells themselves, but I suspect he’s under guard.” Boston’s ears went flat against his head as he leaned even closer, his whiskers tickling Bex’s ear as he whispered, “Dropthe steadfast leader act for a moment and give it to me straight. Can this lotactuallybeat a prince?”
“I’d say we have a solid shot,” Bex whispered back. “Though whether any of this pans out or not largely depends on him.”
She nodded at Leander, who wasn’t supposed to hear that. The prince’s ears must have been incredible, though, because he pulled himself straight as a sword. “I wouldn’t have suggested this if I thought it was a suicide mission,” he informed them crisply. “Unless Alexander himself is waiting for us, I’m confident I can stand against any of my brothers, provided you can keep them from getting on top of me. I’m a damn good sorcerer, but I’m afraid my sword skills are lacking.”
“What are you talking about?” Bex asked. “I fought you on the bridge. You’re a fantastic swordsman.”
“Not if I don’t have my sword,” Leander replied with a sad smile. “And before you offer, I’ll never use another. My sorcery should be sufficient provided you keep the enemy at least five feet away from me at all times.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said. “But my real worry is reinforcements. I’m confident we can take one prince, but if the Queen of War shows up, it’s over.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem if we’re quick,” Leander assured her. “There are alarm bells all over the tower, but ringing one is the same as admitting you failed to keep Gilgamesh’s Hells secure. No warlock or prince is going to risk that unless they have absolutely no other choice, which means we shouldn’t have to worry about reinforcements until the main force is already routed.”
“I’d rather not have to worry about them at all,” Bex said with a sigh. “But I’ll take what I can get.”
“Adrian should be with us by that point,” Boston offered. “He’ll be able to tell us what’s going on.”
Hearing that brightened Bex’s mood enormously. “How close is he?”
“Very,” Boston said, jumping off Bex’s shoulder to start running down the tunnel. “This way!”
Leander looked miffed that a cat was taking the lead, but he got over it a second later, summoning a blue ball of sorcerous fire to light the way as he followed Boston into the dark. Iggs trotted after next, shooting a curious look at Bex as he passed, but she shook her head and motioned for him to go ahead.
She did the same for every other demon, shooing the whole group ahead of her down the tunnel until, at last, she was alone with the one member of her crew who kept sitting out important discussions.
“Hey, Nemini,” she said when everyone else was gone. “Are you okay with this?”
