Chapter 29 The Call
Lilith stared at the mirror for three days before she used it.
It sat on her nightstand. Small. Ornate. Innocent-looking. But every time she picked it up, the weight of what it meant stopped her.
Calling one brother meant all of them would know.
No privacy. No discretion. Just choice. Visible choice.
Training helped distract her. Day four with Lucian was brutal. He actually attacked her shields, testing them with blasts of energy that left her ears ringing and her arms shaking. But she had held. Two minutes. Three. By the end of the session, five full minutes of sustained shielding.
“You are ready,” Lucian had said. “If they come, you can protect yourself.”
But protection was not what kept her up at night.
It was the mirror.
It was knowing who she wanted to call.
It was admitting, even just to herself, that her heart had already made a choice her mind was not ready for.
Evening of the fourth day. Sera had gone to the library. Lucian was in his chambers monitoring his mirrors. The Vestibulum was quiet.
Lilith sat on her bed, the communication mirror in her hands.
She had avoided it long enough.
Her thumb traced the ornate frame. All seven brothers would see. Would know. Would draw their own conclusions about what it meant that she called one before the others.
But she missed her.
Missed Cain’s voice. Her presence. The way she had called Lilith “sunshine” like it was something precious.
Four days felt like forever.
Lilith took a breath. Channelled a thread of golden power into the mirror.
The surface rippled. Came alive with light.
For a moment, nothing. Just swirling colours.
Then a face.
Not Cain.
Azrael.
His golden eyes stared at her through the mirror, surprised. Behind him, she could see what looked like a war room. Maps. Other demons moving in the background.
“Lilith?” His voice came through clear. “Are you alright? Is something wrong?”
“I” She had not expected him to answer. “I am fine. I was trying to reach”
“The mirrors are linked.” He understood immediately. “When you activated it, all seven lit up. I answered first.” A pause. “Who were you trying to reach?”
Heat flooded her face. “It does not matter. I am sorry, I did not mean to interrupt”
“Sunshine?” Another voice. Cain’s voice.
The mirror’s surface split, showing both of them now. Azrael in his war room. Cain somewhere dark, lit only by firelight. Her volcanic glass eyes looked tired.
“Hey,” Lilith said softly.
“Hey.” Cain’s expression softened immediately. “You used the mirror.”
“I did.”
“I am still here,” Azrael said. His tone was carefully neutral. “Should I”
“Stay,” Cain said before Lilith could answer. “We are all seeing this anyway. Might as well be honest about it.”
As if on cue, more faces appeared. The mirror divided into sections, seven windows showing the seven princes.
Mammon in what looked like a treasury. Lucian, wait, Lucian was in the Vestibulum. His mirror showed him in his chambers. He waved slightly.
Asmodeus was lounging in what was definitely a bedroom. Beelzebub in a kitchen. Belphegor half asleep somewhere dark.
“Well this is awkward,” Asmodeus said cheerfully. “Our Seraph makes her first call and we all crash the party.”
“I was not trying to” Lilith started.
“It is fine,” Cain cut in. Her eyes never left Lilith’s section of the mirror. “How are you? Really?”
“Tired. Training with Lucian is intense.” Lilith glanced at Lucian’s section. He smiled slightly. “But I am getting stronger. Learning control.”
“Good.” Cain’s voice was fierce. Proud. “That is good.”
“How are things there?” Lilith asked. “Your kingdom?”
“Tense. My people are scared. We have fortified borders and increased patrols. No attacks yet but” She stopped. “It is just a matter of time.”
“Same here,” Mammon said. His usual gold was absent. Just simple clothes. Exhaustion. “Trade routes are suffering. People are afraid to travel.”
“My kingdom is on lockdown,” Azrael added. “No one in or out without clearance. It is not sustainable long term.”
One by one, the brothers reported similar situations. Fear. Tension. Waiting for an attack that had not come yet.
“What about the Vestibulum?” Beelzebub asked. “Any activity there?”
“Nothing,” Lucian answered before Lilith could. “My mirrors show no movement toward us. It is quiet. Too quiet.”
“That worries me,” Azrael said.
“It should.” Lucian’s expression was serious. “They hit the Crossing, neutral ground. They are sending a message. But they have not touched the Vestibulum. The most strategic target. Why?”
Silence fell over the mirrors.
“Maybe they cannot,” Asmodeus suggested. “The Vestibulum has protections the Crossing did not.”
“Or maybe they are waiting,” Belphegor said. His eyes were actually open. Alert. “Waiting for the right moment. When we are most vulnerable.”
“We are vulnerable now,” Mammon pointed out. “We are scattered. Separated. If they wanted to hit us, now would be the time.”
“Unless they want something else,” Lilith said quietly.
All seven brothers looked at her section of the mirror.
“What do you mean?” Azrael asked.
“The attacks have been strategic. Testing defenses. Mapping responses. Learning how you coordinate or do not.” She had been thinking about this during training. Piecing it together. “But they destroyed the Crossing completely. Killed everyone. That was not testing. That was”
“A message,” Cain finished. “They wanted us scared. Scattered. Divided.”
“And it worked,” Lilith said. “You are all in your kingdoms. Separated. Exactly what they would want if” She stopped.
“If they were planning something bigger,” Azrael finished. His jaw tightened. “Something that requires us to be apart.”
“Like attacking the Vestibulum while we are not there to defend it,” Lucian said.
The implications hit like cold water.
“You need to come home,” Cain said immediately. “All of you. Lilith is there with minimal protection”
“I can protect myself,” Lilith interrupted. “Lucian has been training me. I am not helpless.”
“I know you are not.” Cain’s voice was gentle. “But training for four days does not mean you are ready for an army of constructs.”
“She is stronger than you think,” Lucian said. “She held shields for five minutes today under direct attack. She can hit moving targets with precision. She is”
“She is nineteen years old and should not have to defend herself alone” Cain’s voice cracked.
Silence.
“I am not alone,” Lilith said quietly. “Lucian is here. Sera is here. And I am getting stronger every day.” She looked at Cain’s section of the mirror. “I can do this.”
“I know you can.” Cain’s volcanic glass eyes were wet. “But I do not want you to have to.”
The rawness in her voice made Lilith’s chest ache.
“We need a plan,” Azrael said. His commanding voice. Taking charge. “Lucian, your mirrors can monitor everything simultaneously?”
“Yes.”
“Then you stay there with Lilith. Continue training. Keep watch.” He looked at the other brothers. “The rest of us coordinate a rotation. Two kingdoms at a time. We secure what we can, then move to the next. Faster than staying put.”
“That could work,” Mammon said slowly. “My second in command can hold things for a few days while I help with Beelzebub’s territory. Then we move to”
They started planning. Strategy. Logistics. Coordination they should have been doing from the beginning.
Lilith watched them work together. Actually work together. No fighting. No posturing. Just brothers trying to protect their people and each other.
Maybe the Crossing had been worth something after all.
“Lilith?” Cain’s voice pulled her attention back. The strategy discussion continued around them but Cain was focused only on her. “Are you really okay?”
“I miss you,” Lilith admitted. “I know that is, I know we are not supposed to”
“I miss you too.” Cain’s smile was soft. Sad. “Every day. Every second.”
“When can you come back?”
“Soon. Once my territory is secure. Once I know my people are safe.” A pause. “But I think about you constantly. About that night. About” She stopped. “About what happens after all this is over.”
“After?”
“When you have to choose. When the prophecy comes due.” Cain’s voice dropped. “I know I said we would not talk about it. But I need you to know, whatever you decide, whoever you choose, I will still” She could not finish.
“I know,” Lilith whispered.
The moment hung between them. Tender and painful and real.
“Alright,” Azrael’s voice cut through. “We have a plan. Lucian stays with Lilith. The rest of us coordinate in pairs. We move fast, secure what we can, then regroup at the Vestibulum in two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Lilith’s stomach dropped.
“Maybe sooner if things stabilise.” His golden eyes found hers in the mirror. “Can you hold out that long?”
“I can hold out as long as I need to.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Lilith met his gaze. “Yes. I can hold out two weeks.”
He nodded. Satisfied.
One by one, the brothers started disconnecting. Mammon first. Then Beelzebub. Asmodeus with a wink. Belphegor simply closed his eyes, asleep again or just done with the conversation.
Until only three remained. Azrael. Cain. Lilith.
“I should go too,” Azrael said. “Coordination to manage. Plans to implement.” He looked at Lilith. “Thank you for calling. Even if I was not who you were trying to reach.”
He disconnected before she could respond.
Just Cain now.
“Hi,” Cain said softly.
“Hi.”
“You look tired.”
“You look exhausted.”
“Fair.” Cain’s smile was slight. “Training is that intense?”
“Lucian does not believe in breaks. Or mercy.”
“Sounds like him.” A pause. “Be careful with him. He is helping you, yes. But he is still Envy. He wants what he wants.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” Cain’s voice was serious now. “Because he is good at making you think he is genuine. Making you trust him. And then”
“Then what?”
“Then you realise you gave him exactly what he wanted without even knowing it.” Cain’s jaw tightened. “Just be careful. Please.”
“I will.”
They looked at each other through the mirror. Miles apart. Separated by kingdoms and duty and prophecy.
“Two weeks,” Cain said.
“Two weeks,” Lilith agreed.
“And then I will see you. Touch you. Hold you.” Cain’s voice dropped. “And maybe we can talk about what happens after. About choices. About”
“About us,” Lilith finished.
“Yeah. About us.”
The mirror started to dim. Connection fading.
“Goodnight, sunshine,” Cain whispered.
“Goodnight.”
The mirror went dark.
Lilith sat in silence, holding the cool glass. Her chest felt too full. Too tight.
Two weeks.
She could survive two weeks.
She had to.