I scanned it. Trytian’s father had put into writing that he owed us a debt and we could call on him at any time, and he would be bound to help us. It was kind of like someone handing you a blank check. You don’t cash it until you really need it.
“How is Shadow Wing doing? Any news on that front?” We hadn’t heard a word in the past week, and I almost didn’t want to know. But better to face your enemy head on and know what they’re up to than to find them creeping around your back in the middle of the night.
“He’s gone over the edge. We drove our forces in and cut down a huge swath of demons, but we couldn’t find him. When he found out you reclaimed the spirit seals and destroyed his faux knights, he lost it. There are deserters right and left signing up with us. Hell, if he keeps this up, maybe his own men will do the trick and destroy him for us, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Shadow Wing is smart and he’s also in a full-on rage, never a good combination. But we’re still pushing on, taking out as many of his demons as we can find.”
“Shadow Wing won’t let it rest—not as long as we’re alive. At some point, we have to face him and take him down, or we’ll live the rest of our lives in fear.” Camille leaned back, crossing her legs. “We can’t be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives, wondering if he’s going to pop up like the bogeyman.” She paused, then said, “Do you think we should take the fight to him? To the Sub-Realms?”
Trytian and I shook our heads at the same time.
“No, you don’t want to go down there. We have to find another way to dispatch him. I’ve been thinking about that, by the way. If we could find some sorcerer powerful enough, maybe he could directly gate Shadow Wing here, and we could destroy him when he showed up?” It sounded insane, but then again, we’d seen enough things that would be considered nuts that I decided to throw the idea out there.
Everybody stared at me like I had lost my mind, but then Delilah cocked her head. “Well, it might work. We could bring everybody and everything we have to bear on him.”
“What do you think?” I turned to Camille.
“You’re fucking nuts. But even if it might work, there’s no way we are ready for that. For one thing, the Keraastar Knights play a big role in his demise according to the prophecy, so I need to find that last spirit seal and then train them. Put the idea on the back burner. If Trytian and his father’s army can keep Shadow Wing occupied till then, your idea just might have a chance.” She looked over at Carter. “What do you think?”
“I think that if you plan it out, you may succeed.” The demigod shrugged, his horns gleaming in the dim light. “It’s something to work toward. And it’s a better idea than going to his home turf to attack him. Meanwhile, I’ll put out feelers for any sorcerer I can find who could handle gating over a Demon Lord.”
“You do know that if things go wrong, you’ll have unleashed a horrendous force Earthside.” Trytian’s voice was soft but firm.
I held his gaze. “Yes, but he won’t have his armies with him, and if we destroy the Demon Gate the moment he comes through, then they won’t have a chance to follow him. I have to ask, though, that you don’t tell your father or anybody about this plan. If somehow the demons find out about it, they might be able to plan ahead and find a way to wrest the advantage away from us.”
Trytian shrugged. “I’ll give you that one free and not even force you to call in your favor.”
“So, we have a plan of sorts . . . I guess, the next thing, we find that last spirit seal. Carter, keep your ears peeled for its whereabouts.” I gazed at my goblet of blood. We had a plan all right, and maybe—just maybe—for once we had a leg up on the Demon Lord.
*
The trip to Otherworld was coming up, and Chase was a bundle of nerves.
“I can’t believe I’m finally going to see Sharah.” He had Astrid with him, and for the first time in a long time, the detective seemed truly happy. We were all going, for a change, leaving a strong contingent of guards from Talamh Lonrach Oll to guard the house. Hanna would stay home with Maggie, and the Duchess was here to watch the twins, but everybody else was going with us.
The woodland near our house—about five minutes away by car—crackled with magic. The trail through the undergrowth and trees had at first been difficult to navigate, but over the years, Grandmother Coyote had given us permission to create a path, narrow but accessible. We wound through cedar and fir, through bracken and huckleberry and the stinging nettles that grew like tenacious warriors, barbed and ready to welt their adversaries.