"Such unkindness," Dean says through the thick wood. "And here I was, just coming to tell you Sly is ready to see us."
There is silence for a moment, then the sound of heavy boots stalking away. Fen tosses me some clothes from his dresser. "These should cover you well enough for now. Undoubtedly Sly will just transform them to something he prefers regardless."
"He likes dressing his guests, I take it?" I ask, pulling on oversized pants and using a leather belt to keep them up.
"It's one of the necessary evils of coming to The Black Lotus," Fen says with a frown.
I laugh. "There are worse things than nice clothing," I remind him as we leave the room and head to Sly's office.
Fen side-eyes me. "I'd rather deal with the worse things," he says.
The hallways are long, wide, and elaborately decorated with art and artifacts that look foreign to our world: A carving of a creature that looks half-snake, half-bird. A statue of a stumpy beast resembling both a turtle and a mouse. Not like anything I’ve seen in Inferna or Avakiri. "Where is all this stuff from?" I ask.
"Different worlds, different realms," Fen says. "Sly's a bit of a collector. It's considered courtesy when staying as a guest to bring something from your world to gift him with."
"Did we bring something?" I ask.
"Not this time, but we've given him many artifacts from Inferna."
Sly and Dean are sitting in front of a fire sipping drinks when we arrive. Sly stands, arms outstretched, greeting us as if we haven't seen one another for months, rather than hours. "So good to see you both well and refreshed, if so poorly dressed." He pulls out his wand and without another word, spells us into new clothes.
Both of us now wear the same regal costumes he put us in last night. "I'm surprised," I say. "I didn't think you were the type to wear an outfit twice in a row."
He laughs. "You know me well, already, my lovely kitten. But you had so little time in this beautiful ensemble, it seems only fitting." He hands us each a drink and gestures to platters of food on the table. "Help yourself to anything you fancy. I apologize for the unpleasantness of last night." His smile slips and his eyes glow red for a moment. "The Prince of Envy has some explaining to do," he says with a fair bit of menace.
Fen and I sit, with Baron at our feet. I notice Fen's glass contains a dark red liquid that I'm guessing isn't wine. I sniff at my glass, but it seems to be ordinary orange juice. I sip it cautiously, just to make sure.
"The Prince of Envy is my problem to deal with," Fen says. "He won't live long enough to explain anything to you, Sly."
I purse my lips and as I take another drink. I don't disagree with Fen, but I hate that after so many years of immortal life, their family is falling apart and going to war because of me.
"Be that as it may, I've taken the liberty of increasing security here," Sly says. "No one gets in without my permission."
"So we're safe?" I ask.
Sly nods.
But Fen doesn't look convinced. "There are always ways to get to someone," he says.
"That is true," Sly says. "I can only control The Black Lotus. Are you vulnerable in other ways?" he asks, addressing me.
"What do you mean?"
"Is there anyone else Levi can use to get to you?"
Blood drains from my face as his meaning settles into me. "My mother," I whisper. "He could go after my mother's body at the hospital."
Fen shakes his head. "Won't happen. The contract protects her. Levi can't break the contract."
I let out a deep breath. "Are you sure?"
Fen and Dean both nod.
"Okay then. That's good. But… what about my friends? Es and Pete?"
Sly shrugs as he pulls out a cigar from his black silk robes and lights it. "In his position, I would target them."
The smell of pine and smoke fill the room as Sly puffs on his cigar. It's a musky scent, but not unpleasant.
"I need to warn them."
Dean shakes his head. "And what good would that do? Your friends know how to fight a Prince of Hell?"
My hand tightens around my drink, my brain scrambling for ideas. "Can they come here? For protection?"
"No," Fen says.
"Of course," Sly says, cutting him off with a smile and a flourish of his hand. "For a price."
Fen looks at me. "Don't bring them here. It's not worth it. Sly always takes more than he gives."
Sly clutches at his chest. "Please… you wound me."
I ignore him and turn to Fen. "Can you promise me they will be safe if I don't?" I ask.
I see him struggling to answer, because I know what he will say if he's being honest, and he knows what I will do with that answer. Finally, he speaks. "No."
"Then I have no choice." I look at Sly. "I will owe you a favor, if you keep my friends safe until the threat against me is eliminated."
Sly claps his hands and grins from ear to ear. "Wonderful. You must summon them at once then."
I nod. "Great. How? Do you have some kind of portal or spell I can use?"