ahead of you. He said it was very dangerous. Are you sure you want to do this?”
I nodded, almost unable to speak.
The end was so far away, and yet so close.
Belial had already agreed on the way home from Wayland. I knew he’d support me wherever I wanted to go, even if it was into the furthest depths of Hell. The Between was just another day for him.
“Like I told Azazel, everything is dangerous. But if it means ending this and getting them back, what’s a little danger?”
“‘What’s a little danger’?” Tascius repeated, closing his eyes. Silvery light drifted off him, the antithesis of the Spear’s golden light. “Right. Let’s do this, friend.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, rising up to kiss him. I knew he’d have faith in me. We’d come this far, and we’d keep going, no matter what.
“I’m going with you.”
Haru’s sharp voice rang through the arena. I turned around, still in Tascius’s arms, and found the kitsune standing only feet away.
He wore a red kimono and black hakama, his sleeves finally pulled up to hide his lean physique. He’d tied his deep red hair in a ponytail, but his ears were perked straight up, his amber eyes narrowed.
“You don’t have to go, Haru.” I tried to sound gentle, but if the Between was that terrible and he died, I’d have the guilt of it on my chest forever, especially knowing he did it just for Vyra.
“I do.” He didn’t say anything else, just spun on his heel and headed to the armory.
Michael jumped off the upper balcony as Haru strode away and hit the floor next to us. He gave the Spear a sidelong look. “I’m going, too. I haven’t felt a hint of Raphael here in Dis, so if he’s in Hell, it’s somewhere else.”
“It’s not a cavalcade,” I snapped, but Tascius laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.
“The more firepower we have, the better a chance we stand,” he murmured. “If Michael comes, we’ve got two archangels against Lucifer.”
I looked up at him, searching his blue eyes, but there wasn’t so much as a hint of reproach there.
There was every chance Lucifer would attack us. The Morningstar was deadly enough to match another Prince; Tascius was right. We needed strong people on our side.
“Fine. I’m going to get prepared; Azazel will be here soon, and he’ll show us how to get there.”
I brought the Spear with me, even though no one else would be able to touch it. That was the problem in itself; if I wasn’t paying attention to it every second, I might accidentally touch one of them with it. Even a brush could be deadly.
I found a thick leather bag in my dresser and slid it over the pronged points, tightening it carefully, then wrapped the shaft. It wasn’t much protection, but it was better than nothing.
Then I pulled on a fresh set of demon-leather armor and went to Vyra’s room. She’d always been working on something for me, ‘fashion imbued with death’, as she called it.
I inhaled her spun sugar scent as I pulled open a chest in the middle of her work area, knocking over a half-clad wire model in the process.
Here was where she kept armor; bits and pieces of it were scattered inside the chest, but it was the golden gleam of chainmail that caught my eye.
I pulled it out, letting the links chime as it spilled downwards like a metallic waterfall. It was a full cuirass that would cover a small woman from chest to knee, but the protection was right where I needed it: over my heart and abdomen. I couldn’t forget for a second that Sarai would always be in danger.
I pulled it over my armor, fastening the buckles that would hold it in place, and ran my hands over the lightweight links.
“There’s a spell on that.”
I whirled around and found Michael standing in the doorway, bracing himself with a hand on either side. His golden eyes bored into me.
“Do you want me to come, or not?” he asked. “You’re a sister of mine, in a way, but I get the sense that you don’t like me very much.”
I licked my dry lips. What could I say? He’d done nothing but prove himself trustworthy since we found him, but my experience with archangels had always been… less than pleasant.
“It’s not you,” I finally said. “It’s just an automatic reaction. Gabriel trained me too well, I think.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of