Quietly, she said, “Thank you. I had no idea you’d helped with that.”
Ambriel inclined his head to her.
“The amulet…” she began, and Ambriel leaned forward in interest. “What exactly does it do? How does it tie into the portals? Is it a key of sorts that makes the portal work?”
Ambriel was silent for a moment. “I will tell you everything in due time. For now, yes, you can think of it like a key.” He paused and said cryptically, “One leads to the other.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“It is my goal to find the portal long before war comes to our doorstep.”
She cleared her throat. “So, this—er—amulet, what happens if you can’t find it? Surely there’s another way to prevent a war?”
It would be silly if the only way to prevent a catastrophic event was by finding a piece of jewellery.
Ambriel looked down, and the mirth dropped off his face. “Destroying the portals is our only hope. If we do not, the witches have foretold that demons will flood these lands, and the world of men will fall.”
Her heart sank.
Thinking she already knew the answer but needing to be sure, she asked, “And what happens to all the demons, if you find both portals and destroy them?”
Calmly, Ambriel said, “All demons would be banished from this realm and sent back to the Seven Hells whence they came. Never to return.”
She winced.
She didn’t want to stop Caspian or Fiza from staying in their world. Asmodeus wasn’t bad either, as far as demons went. And she liked Iago. But the rest of them … she thought of the demon who had chased her across the field. Then she thought of the dressmaker and the young women who had gone missing all over the kingdom.
Perhaps it was for the best if they were all banished.
Maybe she could wait to see if war came to their doorstep before doing anything—give herself a little longer with Caspian before fate inevitably came to call.
She stared at the green lagoon, her thoughts a jumbling mess.
Gently, Ambriel said, “You’ve become friends with them.”
She pressed her lips together, unable to admit it out loud.
“Perhaps this is why it is you. Not someone who hates them, but someone who was able to see the good in even creatures of evil,” Ambriel mused. “The hand of fate is never idly placed.”
“I—I would never choose demons over humans, I just—” She shrugged. “They’re not as bad as I once thought. Not all of them.”
She hesitated. “But I agree, it’s probably best if they were in the Underworld, where they belonged.”
“It gladdens me to hear it,” Ambriel said. “Another woman was found murdered in the woods last night. Near Oswald this time.”
“No,” she whispered, horrified.
He nodded gravely. “Sooner or later, you will have to choose which side you will stand on.” He paused. “I will not tell you which to choose. The choice must be yours, and yours alone.”
“I—of course, I stand with humans.”
Ambriel nodded calmly.
Silence stretched between them for a time.
“When do you plan to leave the demon?”
She realized that her three months were nearly over. Only a couple of weeks remained.
