Page 232 of The Spider Queen
“As you wish.” He cocked his head to the side and pressed his hands together. “What may I do for you?”
“I need you to ward the entrance of Hell. We need Lucifer contained.”
The mage’s gaze remained on me, despite the fact that Thane stood by my side. The dragon shifters and the fallen angel were a few feet behind us, guarding our backs. Their presence was a comfort.
“I’d be honored to ward the entrance to Hell for you.” He bowed slightly and then stalked away, heading for the River Styx.
“Why does he talk to me like that?” I asked. When I’d freed him, the mage hadn’t appeared to have had a subservient bone in his body. But now his actions and tone were bordering on obsequious.
“You freed him from his imprisonment,” Thane said softly. “It inspires loyalty.”
I looked up at him. “I freed you and you’re not subservient.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up into a devilish smile. “A little upset about that?” He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Want me to get on my knees before you, Poppy? To lick your—”
“What’s he doing?” Auri asked, interrupting our moment.
The mage was bent over at the bank, his hands under the water. His mouth was moving, and his eyes were closed. As he continued to chant, eddies and currents began to splash and crash against the grassy, muddy sides. Finally, the river stilled, and the mage removed his hands. He stood up and returned to the five of us.
“I’ve warded the entrance to Hell,” he said. “However, Lucifer is not there.”
“Not there?” I asked, a frown furrowing my brow. “How can that be?”
“He must’ve left when he realized he wasn’t going to win the battle,” Gabriel answered, his tone dark. Rage was back in his voice, and I could only imagine what it would mean when he took that information back to Lux and the other angels.
“So where is he?” Auri demanded.
The mage shrugged, appearing unperturbed. “Cannot say. I didn’t ward the entrance to Hell shut, but I did ward it so that when Lucifer returns, we will know.”
“A magical tripwire?” I asked. “Clever.”
The mage bowed and smiled. “Once he trips the magical wire”—he winked—“he will be incarcerated in his own domain, unable to leave unless I release him.”
“He won’t like that,” Thane muttered.
“He has two choices then,” Argentum stated. “Live in exile or live as a prisoner.”
“There is a third option,” Gabriel interjected. “Kill the mage and break the spell.”
The mage interjected, “And on that note, I think it’s time I did some traveling. If my Queen has any more need of me…”
I shook my head.
With a dramatic sweep of his robe, he disappeared.
“How did he do that?” Auri breathed in awe.
“He ripped open the fabric of space and moved through it,” Thane explained.
“Mages.” Argentum shook his head. “There’s nothing to do but wait, I guess.”
“I’ll report to Lux who will give a report to the Big Guy. No doubt, he’ll send a trusted few to find his brother,” Gabriel said.
“What will he do if they find Lucifer?” I wondered aloud. “Punish him for his wrong doings?” I could only hope. Maybe that would mean Thane and I would escape without having to owe Lucifer anything.
“Probably not.” Gabriel shrugged. “There has always been a check and balance system. Good cannot exist without evil.”
“Lucifer keeps things interesting,” Auri commented. “You guys ready to go home?”
