Page 58 of The River of Fire

“No, you dumbass! He’s mine and a baby, but not my baby. Do I look like an imp to you?” I growl at him.

“Well, I don’t know, Lan.” Ethan raises his hands defensively. “You’ve been gone a while, doing who knows what with who knows whom.”

“I know who she was doing what with,” Liam’s sly voice interjects and I gasp.

“Liam!Et tu, Brute?” I place my palm on my chest in a show of betrayal.

“It was too easy,” he says semi-apologetically.

I shake my head and begin stretching out my stiff muscles. It’s only been a few days since I last trained, but Armaros’ death and Ashtaroth’s dismissal took a toll on my stamina.

Everyone including Puck takes a seat while I unsheathe my spare shortswords. They don’t feel as nice as the ones that were made especially for me, but I shoo that thought away. I don’t want to think about all the things that will never feel as good anymore.

Warming up my wrists, I ask Maalik what his weapon of choice will be today. He ponders for a moment, then summons a greatsword using the ether. I press my lips together to hold my thoughts in. Cracking my neck, I fall into the familiar stance.

Not giving Maalik a chance to consider my moves, I dart forward and test his reactions with a few quick jabs. Trying to push me into the defensive, he executes an overhead swing, which I easily sidestep. He’s not half as fast as the opponent I trained with most these last weeks.

I arch a brow at him in a challenge. He grins and sweeps his weapon, cutting the air between us with a whoosh and I barely jump back fast enough. Guess the challenge was accepted. When he advances again, I duck and slash at his exposed torso, sword hitting leather. The only thing that kept it from penetrating the cured hide was the thin shield of ether Maalik called up in the last second. Emerging behind him, I aim a kick to his back, but he spins around and grabs my foot.

“You’ve been training,” he says, releasing my foot with a slight push that has me stumbling to catch myself before I hit the ground. Asshole.

“Yup,” I confirm. When I see the fight is over, I sheathe my swords, then tuck stray strands of hair behind my ears. Free to turn around, I can see that more than just my team has been watching the clash, conversations and exercises stopped. Great. I’m the main attraction again.

“Against a greatsword,” Maalik continues. “Wielded by an archdemon?”

“Mhm.” I hum and tighten my ponytail, not knowing what todo with my hands.

His brow furrows and he steps close enough that only I can hear his next words. “Why did he let you go without a fight?”

I try to swallow the lump that seems to have taken up permanent residence in my throat. “I know as much as you do, Maalik.”

“Mmm,” he muses quietly, then raises his voice back to its usual booming quality. “Looks like Lana will be teaching you today, everyone!”

“Oh, no you didn’t!” I hiss through my teeth.

The evil grin on Maalik’s face fades as fast as chalk being wiped off a board. “Belial is here.”

“What?” I look around, not seeing anything at first. But then a cloaked figure emerges as if from a fog, the oppressive aura reaching us at the same time.

Belial strides straight towards Maalik. Thankfully, he’s wearing his cloak, hood pulled up, so no screams of terror ring out across the field. Just some whimpers. I grit my teeth through the feeling of wrongness that surrounds him like a cloud of cheap perfume.

“Why are you in Purgatory, Lord Belial?” Maalik sounds on edge, much more so than he was in Ashtaroth’s stronghold. And he’s in his own territory now.

Belial tuts. “Granted, I do not remember much of your time at my court, Fallen, but I daresay you were more respectful then, seeing as you’re still alive now.”

Maalik doesn’t back down from the thinly veiled threat. “I was given responsibility over these soldiers by the Council. An archdemon showing up in the middle of Abaddon is alarming.”

Belial lazily gestures at me. It’s impossible to know where he’s looking with the way his head is tilted down under the hood. “What if another archdemon came? But, oh, I have heard he’s done with you now, girl. I had forgotten.”

I refuse to show any kind of reaction to his drawled words, even though it feels like someone shoved a dagger down my throat. Forgot, my ass. Did he just come here to gloat?

“Why are you here?” Maalik repeats his question in a clear voice.

“Since the girl enjoys demonic company so much,” he says, nodding towards the side where Puck is half hiding behind Liam’s thick legs, his boots nearly as tall as the imp. I have to fight the urge to pick the bat baby up like a football and run inside with him. “I thought I would extend the option to live at my court,” Belial finishes.

While his offer stupefies me, the sensible part of my brain must still be online and I blurtnothankyouwithout even thinking to form the words.

Belial doesn’t even twitch, surely expecting my denial. “Are you sure?” His voice is singsong and so sweet it turns my stomach. “Your grandfather was the commander of my legions for centuries.”

---