Chapter 63 The devils warning
The portal spat them out into the Vestibulum’s courtyard with less ceremony than usual, as if even the magic knew something had changed. Lilith stumbled slightly as her feet hit the dark stone, her equilibrium still adjusting from the sudden shift between realms, but Lucian caught her elbow and steadied her without breaking his stride toward the palace entrance.
Guards lined the walkway as always, their expressions carefully neutral, but Lilith found herself studying each face with new suspicion. Any one of them could be the traitor, could be watching her right now and cataloguing every detail to report back to Armageddon. The thought made her skin crawl.
“Lord Lucian, Lady Lilith, welcome back.” The greeting came from a servant who had bowed to her dozens of times before, someone whose name she’d never bothered to learn. Now she wondered if that had been a mistake, if overlooking the people in the background had left her vulnerable to someone hiding in plain sight.
“Where is my father?” Lucian’s voice was clipped, professional, giving nothing away.
“In his private chambers, my lord. He left instructions that you were to be brought to him immediately upon your return.” The servant’s expression flickered with something that might have been curiosity or concern. “He seemed most insistent.”
Lucian’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, a tell that Lilith had learned to recognize during her time in his kingdom. “Of course he did. Take Lady Sera to the guest quarters and see that she’s comfortable. Lady Lilith comes with me.”
They walked through corridors that Lilith had come to know over the past months, past tapestries depicting battles between demons and divine beings, past windows that looked out over the twisted landscape of the Vestibulum. Everything looked the same as it always had, but nothing felt safe anymore. Lucian walked slightly ahead of her, his posture rigid with tension, and she noticed how his eyes tracked every servant they passed, every guard who stood at attention, cataloging and assessing each one.
The Devil’s private chambers were located in a part of the palace Lilith had only visited once before, during her very first days here. The guards at the door stepped aside without question when they saw Lucian, pushing open the heavy doors to reveal a room that was surprisingly sparse compared to the ornate throne room. The Devil sat in a chair by the window, looking even more frail than he had when she’d left for Lucian’s kingdom two weeks ago, as if those fourteen days had aged him several years.
“You discovered the spy,” he said without turning around, his voice carrying despite its weakness. “I wondered how long it would take.”
Lucian stopped so abruptly that Lilith nearly walked into his back. “You knew there was a traitor?”
“I suspected.” The Devil finally turned to face them, and Lilith was struck by how much vitality had drained from his eyes since she’d last seen him. “When Armageddon’s attacks became so perfectly coordinated, when he seemed to know exactly which territories were most vulnerable and when, I realized someone had to be feeding him intelligence. I simply didn’t know who.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” The accusation in Lucian’s voice was barely restrained. “We could have been investigating, could have been protecting ourselves…”
“And accomplished what exactly? Creating paranoia, turning my sons against each other, making everyone suspect their closest allies?” The Devil’s smile was bitter. “No, I chose to watch and wait, to see if the traitor would reveal themselves through action. Apparently, they grew bold enough to access your mirrors directly, which was a mistake on their part.”
Lucian moved further into the room, his hands clenched at his sides. “They’ve seen everything, Father. Every private conversation Lilith had in my kingdom, every vulnerability she exposed, every moment of weakness. Armageddon knows her fears, her doubts, her feelings for Azrael and Cain…”
“Then he knows she’s human despite her divine blood, that she’s capable of love and confusion and all the messy emotions that make us vulnerable.” The Devil gestured toward chairs. “Sit, both of you. We have much to discuss and little time to waste on standing around posturing.”
Lilith sank into the offered chair gratefully, her legs suddenly feeling weak as the enormity of the situation crashed over her again. The Devil knew about the traitor, had known for who knew how long, and had simply been waiting. The calculation of it was chilling.
“Do you know who it is?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I have suspicions but no proof, and without proof I cannot act.” The Devil leaned back in his chair, his breathing labored. “Accusing the wrong person could shatter the fragile unity we’ve built, could turn the kingdoms against each other and hand Armageddon the chaos he desires without him needing to strike a single blow.”
“So we do nothing?” Lucian’s frustration was evident in every syllable. “We just let the spy continue reporting back while we pretend everything is fine?”
“We investigate quietly, carefully, without alerting the traitor that we’re looking.” The Devil’s gaze shifted to Lilith, studying her with an intensity that made her want to squirm. “And we use what we know to our advantage. If Armageddon believes he has complete intelligence about our defenses and strategies, then we feed him false information through his own spy, let him think he knows our plans while we prepare something entirely different.”
The strategy was elegant in its simplicity, and Lilith could see Lucian’s expression shift as he processed the implications. “You want to turn the spy into our weapon.”
“I want to survive long enough to see this prophecy fulfilled and my kingdoms secured.” The Devil coughed, a wet rattling sound that made Lilith wince. “I don’t have time for conventional warfare or lengthy investigations. We use every advantage we have, including the spy’s arrogance in thinking they haven’t been discovered.”
Lilith found her voice again, though it took effort to push past the fear. “What do you suspect about the spy’s identity? You said you have suspicions…”
The Devil was quiet for a long moment, and when he spoke, his words were measured and careful. “I suspect someone who has access to multiple kingdoms, someone who moves freely enough that their presence wouldn’t be questioned, someone who has been close to this family for long enough to understand our deepest vulnerabilities.”
“That could describe dozens of people,” Lucian pointed out. “Advisors, guards, ambassadors between kingdoms…”
“It could,” the Devil agreed. “Which is why we move carefully. But I will tell you this, the spy is not one of my sons. Of that much I’m certain.”
The relief that flooded through Lilith at those words was almost physical in its intensity. She hadn’t realized how much the possibility had been weighing on her until it was removed. “How can you be sure?”
“Because I know my sons, their ambitions and their flaws, their desires and their fears. None of them would betray their family for Armageddon’s promises, not when they stand to gain everything through the prophecy.” The Devil’s smile was slight. “They might betray each other for your hand, might scheme and manipulate to win your favor, but they would never hand you over to our ancient enemy.”
Lucian absorbed this information silently, and Lilith could practically see him recalculating his suspects, eliminating possibilities and focusing on new targets. “Then we’re looking at someone in a support role, someone with legitimate access who wouldn’t draw attention by being present in multiple kingdoms.”
“Precisely.” The Devil shifted in his chair with obvious discomfort. “Now, when you tell your brothers about this, and you must tell them because they need to be vigilant, you will emphasize that the traitor is someone close but not family. The last thing we need is them suspecting each other and tearing apart any chance at unity.”
“When should we tell them?” Lilith asked, dreading the moment when she would have to face Azrael and Cain with this news, when she would have to admit that her most private moments had been watched and recorded and studied.
“Now, immediately, before the spy has time to report that you’ve returned and discovered their surveillance.” The Devil began to stand, the effort clearly costing him, and both Lucian and Lilith moved to help him. “Summon all seven of my sons to the throne room. It’s time they learned what we’re truly facing.”
The walk to the throne room felt longer than it should have, the Devil leaning heavily on Lucian’s arm while Lilith walked on his other side, ready to catch him if he stumbled. Servants scattered before them, and Lilith noticed how their eyes followed the Devil with expressions that ranged from concern to something that looked uncomfortably like anticipation. How many of them were loyal? How many were simply waiting for him to die so they could align themselves with whoever won the inevitable power struggle? And how many of them were working for Armageddon, counting down the days until they could help bring everything crashing down?
The throne room was empty when they arrived, but guards were already rushing to summon the seven princes. The Devil lowered himself onto his throne with a pained grunt, his breathing ragged, and Lilith found herself wondering if he would survive long enough to see the prophecy fulfilled or if Armageddon’s patience would outlast his.
“Your Majesty, are you certain you’re well enough for this?” she asked quietly, and the Devil’s laugh was dark.
“I’m dying, child. I haven’t been well in decades.” He settled back against the throne. “But I’ll survive long enough to see my sons united or dead trying. Now prepare yourself. They’re coming, and when they learn what’s been done to you, when they discover someone has been watching you in your most vulnerable moments…” He trailed off, letting the implication hang. “Let’s just say their reactions will be instructive.”
Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, multiple sets, moving quickly. Lilith’s heart began to race as she recognized the patterns and could identify which brother belonged to which stride even before they entered. Azrael would arrive first because Pride never kept anyone waiting, then Cain because Wrath moved with purpose, then the others in whatever order they’d been when the summons reached them.
The doors opened, and Lilith braced herself for whatever came next. The truth was about to come out, and there would be no taking it back, no returning to the careful ignorance they’d all been living in. Everything was about to change, and she had no idea if they would survive what came after.