Chapter 42: Lana

R olling over to my other side, I pull the covers over my head. Two days ago, we walked until late into the night, across all of Ashtaroth's territory, before crossing the fire river into the lands I've patrolled hundreds of times. Everything hurts now and I'm somehow more exhausted than when I returned from Asmodeus' ziggurat fortress, which now feels like years ago.

I settled into living with demons with alarming ease and now feel displaced in my own room. There's no breakfast waiting for me to share with Puck. No water left by an archdemon to ensure I'm hydrated after our nightly activities. Growling, I throw my damp pillow onto the floor. I'm not usually a crier. I tend to run or fight away any anguish I feel, and I haven't cried since those first weeks here, but my exhaustion has left me unable to get out of bed for anything other than a stumble into the bathroom .

A familiar weight lands on my ass, and it takes me a second to realize that it's not meant to be there. "Puck?" My voice sounds like I deepthroated a cheese grater. "What are you doing here?"

Chirping and squeaking, Puck answers my question in great detail. I just don't understand any of it. He clambers over me until he's so close to my face that I go cross-eyed trying to focus on his baby bat features.

The door bursts open, bouncing off the stone wall and two muscular figures try to enter at the same time.

"Why is there a demon in your room, Lana?" Corson asks incredulously, while Maalik looks like he's trying to hold back laughter.

"He's mine!" I hiss and tug Puck closer, hugging him like a teddy bear, as his wings bat against my arms and muffled chirps vibrate through my body. Oops. I slacken my hold a bit so he can breathe.

"Of course he is," Maalik drawls. I have a feeling he would have rolled his eyes if he didn't find it beneath him. He grabs the handle and, shooing Corson out, starts closing the door. When it's just his bald head poking in, he gives me an evil smile. "You have until morning to finish moping. I'll be dragging you onto the training grounds in your pajamas if you don't show up dressed and ready after breakfast."

With that, he shuts the door and I groan pathetically. "I should never have gotten that beer with Mike," I tell Puck. "I should have changed my last name and moved to Zanzibar." Puck chirps solemnly.

I look into the huge black eyes which are focused on me unwaveringly. "Did you leave, sweetie? Or did he kick you out?"

Of course, Puck can't answer me. Instead, he burrows under the covers and settles down for a nap.

???

The next morning, after breakfast with Daniel, Puck and I head out to the training fields outside of the fortress. Daniel accepted Puck easily enough, but it wasn't him I was worried about.

We're followed by curious glances and, yes, some hostile ones too. The way they glare at Puck like he's the fox in the henhouse makes their feelings clear. I disappear for over a month into an archdemon's stronghold and come home with a baby imp. Nick's old friends look especially miffed. I just smile stiffly at everyone and try to steer Puck away from objects that aren't nailed to the ground or wall.

Outside, I see Jess, Ethan, and Liam waiting for me, standing by Maalik's side as Kev is stretching on the ground. He hasn't noticed me yet, but Jess is practically vibrating with excitement. I reach them and pull her into my arms. A couple of seconds later, I feel more sets of arms around both of us. "Group hug," I mumble into Jess' citrus-smelling hair.

"Alright," Maalik interrupts our reunion. "Let the girl stretch before I wipe the floor with her." When I extract myself from the many limbs around me, I can see the relieved look in his eyes. Guess he didn't expect me to show up so easily.

"Oh, it's on," I tell him, then turn to Jess. "Hold my baby," I tell her, pointing towards an oddly subdued Puck. He's peering up at us clutching the tomato Daniel gave him at breakfast, before promising to request some of the cherry variety for him.

Ethan's choking pulls my gaze away from the imp. "R-really?" he sputters. I eye him with confusion until it hits me.

"No, you dumbass! He's mine and a baby, but not my baby. Do I look like an imp to you?" I growl at him.

"Well, I don't know, Lan." Ethan raises his hands defensively. "You've been gone a while, doing who knows what with who knows whom."

"I know who she was doing what with," Liam's sly voice interjects and I gasp.

"Liam! Et tu, Brute? " I place my palm on my chest in a show of betrayal.

"It was too easy," he says semi-apologetically .

I shake my head and begin stretching out my stiff muscles. It's only been a few days since I last trained, but Armaros' death and Ashtaroth's dismissal took a toll on my stamina.

Everyone including Puck takes a seat while I unsheathe my spare shortswords. They don't feel as nice as the ones that were made especially for me, but I shoo that thought away. I don't want to think about all the things that will never feel as good anymore.

Warming up my wrists, I ask Maalik what his weapon of choice will be today. He ponders for a moment, then summons a greatsword using the ether. I press my lips together to hold my thoughts in. Cracking my neck, I fall into the familiar stance.

Not giving Maalik a chance to consider my moves, I dart forward and test his reactions with a few quick jabs. Trying to push me into the defensive, he executes an overhead swing, which I easily sidestep. He's not half as fast as the opponent I trained with most these last weeks.

I arch a brow at him in a challenge. He grins and sweeps his weapon, cutting the air between us with a whoosh and I barely jump back fast enough. Guess the challenge was accepted. When he advances again, I duck and slash at his exposed torso, sword hitting leather. The only thing that kept it from penetrating the cured hide was the thin shield of ether Maalik called up in the last second. Emerging behind him, I aim a kick to his back, but he spins around and grabs my foot.

"You've been training," he says, releasing my foot with a slight push that has me stumbling to catch myself before I hit the ground. Asshole.

"Yup," I confirm. When I see the fight is over, I sheathe my swords, then tuck stray strands of hair behind my ears. Free to turn around, I can see that more than just my team has been watching the clash, conversations and exercises stopped. Great. I'm the main attraction again.

"Against a greatsword," Maalik continues. "Wielded by an archdemon?"

"Mhm." I hum and tighten my ponytail, not knowing what to do with my hands.

His brow furrows and he steps close enough that only I can hear his next words. "Why did he let you go without a fight?"

I try to swallow the lump that seems to have taken up permanent residence in my throat. "I know as much as you do, Maalik."

"Mmm," he muses quietly, then raises his voice back to its usual booming quality. "Looks like Lana will be teaching you today, everyone!"

"Oh, no you didn't!" I hiss through my teeth.

The evil grin on Maalik's face fades as fast as chalk being wiped off a board. "Belial is here."

"What?" I look around, not seeing anything at first. But then a cloaked figure emerges as if from a fog, the oppressive aura reaching us at the same time.

Belial strides straight towards Maalik. Thankfully, he's wearing his cloak, hood pulled up, so no screams of terror ring out across the field. Just some whimpers. I grit my teeth through the feeling of wrongness that surrounds him like a cloud of cheap perfume.

"Why are you in Purgatory, Lord Belial?" Maalik sounds on edge, much more so than he was in Ashtaroth's stronghold. And he's in his own territory now.

Belial tuts. "Granted, I do not remember much of your time at my court, Fallen, but I daresay you were more respectful then, seeing as you're still alive now."

Maalik doesn't back down from the thinly veiled threat. "I was given responsibility over these soldiers by the Council. An archdemon showing up in the middle of Abaddon is alarming."

Belial lazily gestures at me. It's impossible to know where he's looking with the way his head is tilted down under the hood. "What if another archdemon came? But, oh, I have heard he's done with you now, girl. I had forgotten."

I refuse to show any kind of reaction to his drawled words, even though it feels like someone shoved a dagger down my throat. Forgot, my ass. Did he just come here to gloat ?

"Why are you here?" Maalik repeats his question in a clear voice.

"Since the girl enjoys demonic company so much," he says, nodding towards the side where Puck is half hiding behind Liam's thick legs, his boots nearly as tall as the imp. I have to fight the urge to pick the bat baby up like a football and run inside with him. "I thought I would extend the option to live at my court," Belial finishes.

While his offer stupefies me, the sensible part of my brain must still be online and I blurt nothankyou without even thinking to form the words.

Belial doesn't even twitch, surely expecting my denial. "Are you sure?" His voice is singsong and so sweet it turns my stomach. "Your grandfather was the commander of my legions for centuries."

I shiver and wonder what kind of person he must have been to lead this slimebag's armies. My mother was adopted as a baby, barely a few weeks old, and never knew who her biological parents were or what they were like. I guess if they were a demon and angel, they didn't exactly have social security numbers to find them by anyway.

"It's such a shame he's not around to do so anymore," Belial continues, interrupting my thoughts. Something about the way he said it brings my hackles up.

"Well, apparently I'd be a shit general anyway. Something about reaction versus long-term planning. So, best of luck elsewhere." My voice is breezy despite the anger I'm starting to feel.

Belial pulls his hood down, exposing that monstrous face. I hear yelps and gasps from the soldiers but show no reaction myself. He grins widely, exposing those shark's teeth. "It is not for underlings to plan wars, girl." A patronizing voice if I ever heard one. Movement at the corners of my vision makes me turn my head in time to see the rest of our mentors and any other Fallen in residence joining us on the field.

But Belial merely looks at Maalik before issuing a command: " Give her to me, boy."

I cough in shock at both the outrageous demand and equally absurd moniker; Maalik is as far from a boy as anyone could get, with that towering build, his dark, menacing looks, and a deep, rumbly voice. He schools his reaction better and speaks calmly. "She is not mine to give. And she already politely declined your invitation."

Daniel steps up to my side, back ramrod straight, and an anger in his eyes that I'm not used to seeing.

Displeasure is now obvious on the archdemon's face, and he takes in the two Fallen who taught me the most, baring his horrifying teeth. "It would be better for you and every pathetic creature living in this ruin if you bowed now." A shiver of fear skitters down my spine. Is he going to attack Purgatory? The rest of the Fallen step up into a line of defiance between the archdemon and our home.

I have a second to feel guilty and contemplate just going with him to spare my friends a battle with an archdemon – he could wipe us Elioud off the map in a minute. Maybe the Fallen could get some strikes in, but they're no match for that power either.

Belial, however, doesn't attempt to grab me and he doesn't start decimating our numbers. No, he instead disappears and then materializes at the edge of our realm's border to Hell. Soon he's no longer a lone figure as dozens upon dozens of demons file into rank. He's not going to risk himself, as minuscule as that risk may be, the coward.

My body feels numb as I slowly unsheathe my twin swords again. Somewhere behind me, Ramel is yelling at the soldiers who expected to train today, not fight an archdemon and his army. "Arm yourselves!"