Chapter 68 The Right Hand Man
Lilith didn’t sleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Theron’s face twisted with that sick devotion, heard him say “I love her” like it justified months of violation. She’d pulled every curtain closed, checked every mirror twice, and still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
The summons came early. A guard knocked just after sunrise with orders from the Devil himself—immediate attendance required in his private chambers, both her and Lucian.
She dressed quickly, not caring that she looked exhausted. Vanity seemed pointless when someone had been cataloguing her appearance for months anyway.
Lucian was already waiting in the corridor. “Did you sleep at all?”
“No. You?”
“No.” He started walking. “Father’s not going to be happy about Theron.”
That turned out to be a massive understatement. The Devil was sitting in his chair when they entered, and the rage radiating from him was almost physical despite his weakened state. Machala stood beside him as always, the Devil’s right hand and closest advisor, his expression neutral.
“Tell me you have good news,” the Devil said without preamble. “Tell me Theron confessed to being Armageddon’s spy.”
“Theron confessed,” Lucian began carefully, “but not to espionage. He was stalking Lady Lilith for personal reasons. Obsession, not treason.”
The silence that followed was dangerous. The Devil’s hands gripped the arms of his chair hard enough that the wood cracked. “So we wasted an entire day interrogating the wrong person while the actual traitor continues operating freely.”
“We eliminated a threat,” Lucian offered, though even he didn’t sound convinced.
“A threat, yes, but not THE threat.” The Devil’s breathing was laboured. “We’re running out of time, and we’re no closer to identifying who’s feeding Armageddon intelligence.”
Machala stepped forward slightly. “Did Theron reveal who he was working with? Even obsession doesn’t explain how he knew to access those specific mirrors at those specific times.”
Lilith’s attention snapped to him. Something about that question felt wrong. Lucian had gone very still beside her.
“We didn’t say he was working with anyone,” Lucian said slowly. “Theron specifically claimed he acted alone.”
Machala’s expression didn’t change, but Lilith saw it anyway, the tiniest flicker of something in his eyes before his professional mask reasserted itself. “I simply assumed, given the complexity of breaching your security, that he must have had assistance. My apologies if I misunderstood.”
“No need to apologise.” The Devil waved a dismissive hand. “Machala’s right to think strategically. One person acting alone does seem unlikely.”
The meeting dissolved shortly after. Lilith waited until they were well away from the Devil’s chambers before grabbing Lucian’s arm.
“Did you notice?” she whispered urgently.
“Notice what?”
“Machala. He asked about accomplices before we mentioned anything about how Theron accessed the mirrors. How did he know to ask that?”
Lucian pulled his arm free gently, his expression shifting to something between concern and exasperation. “Lilith, you’re exhausted. You haven’t slept. Machala made a logical assumption based on the complexity of the breach.”
“But how did he know it was complex? We didn’t tell the Devil those details yet.”
“He’s the Devil’s right hand. He probably reviewed our preliminary report before we even arrived.” Lucian’s tone was patient, like he was explaining something obvious to a child. “Machala has served my father for over three centuries. He’s the most loyal person in this entire palace.”
“I know, but—”
“But nothing.” Lucian’s mirror eyes reflected her tired, anxious face at her. “I understand you’re paranoid right now. After what Theron did, after learning someone was watching you, it makes sense that you’d see threats everywhere. But Machala isn’t the enemy.”
Lilith wanted to argue, but how could she? She’d been here for months. Lucian had known Machala for literal centuries. Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe the violation of Theron’s surveillance had broken something in her ability to trust anyone.
“You’re right,” she said quietly, though the unease in her stomach didn’t fade. “I’m sorry. I’m just… everyone feels like a potential threat right now.”
Lucian’s expression softened. “That’s understandable. Go rest. We’ll continue investigating, but we need to focus on realistic suspects, not people who’ve proven their loyalty a thousand times over.”
She nodded and headed back to her chambers, but the conversation with Machala kept replaying in her mind. The way he’d asked that specific question. The way his eyes had flickered when Lucian answered.
Over the next few hours, Lilith found herself watching Machala whenever their paths crossed. Not obviously, just paying attention in a way she hadn’t before. She saw him three times. Each occasion, he was exactly where he should be, doing exactly what his position required.
But there was something. Every time she appeared, even when she tried to stay hidden, his attention would shift briefly in her direction. Like he knew she was there. Like he was tracking her the same way she was trying to track him.
Late afternoon found her in the training yard, working through combat drills to burn off nervous energy. She was halfway through a sequence when a voice interrupted.
“You’re favouring your left side.”
She spun to find Machala at the edge of the yard. How long had he been watching?
“Just tired,” she said, lowering her practice blade.
“Understandable, given yesterday’s ordeal.” He moved closer, and Lilith had to fight the urge to step back. “Such a violation of your privacy. I hope you know we’re doing everything possible to ensure your safety.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Your visit to Lord Mammon’s kingdom is still scheduled for next week?” His tone was casual, conversational. “I need to coordinate security arrangements with his household.”
“Yes, as far as I know.” Why was he asking her instead of just checking the schedule himself?
“Good. I’ll make sure everything is properly arranged.” He smiled, and it didn’t reach his eyes. “We can’t be too careful, not with a spy still operating somewhere.”
He left after that. Lilith stood frozen, her heart pounding. Something about that conversation had felt wrong, like he’d been testing her somehow.
She found Lucian in his study an hour later, surrounded by access logs. He looked up when she entered, and his expression immediately shifted to concern.
“Machala approached me in the training yard,” she said before he could speak. “Asked about my schedule for Mammon’s kingdom. But he already has access to all that information through official channels. Why ask me specifically?”
Lucian set down the document he’d been reading with slightly more force than necessary. “Because coordinating your security requires confirming details directly? Because he’s thorough? Lilith, you need to stop this.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop seeing Machala as a threat. I know you’re scared, I know Theron’s violation has you questioning everything, but you’re fixating on the wrong person.” His voice was firm but not unkind. “Machala has been my father’s most trusted advisor since before I was born. He’s saved our family from countless threats. He would never betray us.”
“But what if—”
“There is no ‘what if.’” Lucian stood, moving around the desk to face her directly. “You’re letting fear cloud your judgment. Machala is not the spy. I need you to accept that and let me continue investigating actual suspects.”
The dismissal in his voice stung, made worse by the certainty she could hear behind it. He thought she was being irrational, paranoid, seeing threats that didn’t exist because her trust had been shattered.
Maybe he was right. Perhaps she was losing her grip on reality, letting anxiety turn innocent interactions into sinister plots. Machala had served the Devil faithfully for centuries. What possible reason would he have to betray them now?
But as she left Lucian’s study, heading back to her chambers with Sera waiting, she couldn’t shake the memory of Machala’s eyes. The way they’d tracked her movements. The way he’d smiled without warmth when mentioning the spy still operating somewhere.
She was probably wrong, Lucian certainly thought so. But something deep in her gut kept screaming that she wasn’t, that everyone’s trust in Machala was exactly what made him the perfect traitor.
She just had no idea how to prove it when no one would even listen.