Chapter Eleven
––––––––
THE MESSAGE ARRIVED at dawn, carried by one of Dimri’s spies—a scarred demon with bat wings who looked like he hadn’t had a good time flying to the palace.
One of his wings had a tear in it, and Dimri winced at the thought of how painful it had to be.
He didn’t have wings, but he didn’t need to have them to know.
“They’re moving,” the messenger gasped, leaning against the doorframe of Berith’s office as his wounded wing hung down. “Ramiel’s people are coming, but it’s not just the main army.”
Dimri felt his stomach drop. He’d been expecting this moment for days, but knowing it had finally arrived freaked him out. Around the room, everyone’s expressions turned grim. This was it.
“Explain,” Berith ordered. His tone made it clear that he was done playing. He wanted this mess to be over. They all did.
Dimri’s spy straightened, his good wing fluttering slightly. “The main army is approaching as expected. But there’s a second smaller one headed for the old tunnel entrances on the north side of the palace.”
Berith frowned. “Those tunnels have been sealed for decades.”
“Not all of them,” Dimri said quietly. He’d explored those tunnels as a kid when he’d started working at the palace. Some of them had never been sealed, while others had been, but those seals had failed. They made good places to hide for a kid—and for enemy forces. “If they get inside...”
“They could come up anywhere in the palace,” Berith finished. “Even behind our defenses, maybe in the throne room. There was a tunnel that ended there, right?”
Roque nodded and turned to Dimri’s spy. “How many demons will be sneaking into the tunnels?”
“Maybe thirty or forty demons. I didn’t stick around to count them. I didn’t want to risk it.”
“How do they know about the tunnels?”
Dimri chuckled darkly. “That’s anyone’s guess, but Ramiel’s been here before, and he had at least one spy in the palace.” It wasn’t like the how actually mattered, anyway.
“We have to split our forces,” Mikal said. His tone suggested he didn’t like the idea. He’d have limited resources already since they were sending guards out to protect the vehicle Berith was supposed to be in.
“If we don’t, they’ll hit us from behind while Berith is fighting Ramiel,” Dimri said. “Ramiel doesn’t know we’re aware of his plans. We can use that to our advantage. I won’t deny that dividing the guards we have is a gamble, but there’s no other way.”
“You know the tunnels?” Berith asked.
Dimri nodded. “Like the back of my hand.”
“How many guards would you need?”
Dimri hadn’t known exactly where he’d be during the fight.
He’d been planning to move around the palace and help wherever he was needed.
Apparently, he’d be needed in the tunnels.
“Not many. The tunnels are narrow, so having too many guards would just mean we’d get in each other’s way. Give me eight, maybe ten.”
“That’s not enough,” Roque said. “Not if you have to fight forty of Ramiel’s people.”
“We won’t be fighting them head-on. We’ll use the tunnels against them, hit them where they don’t expect it.
” Dimri looked at Roque. “It’s what I’m good at.
I sneak around and hit from the shadows.
Even though they know the tunnels exist, I guarantee that I know them better.
I’ll use that knowledge to keep them out. ”
“It’s too dangerous,” Roque insisted. “You’ll be outnumbered four to one.”
Dimri understood where Roque was coming from, but he was getting annoyed.
He didn’t need Roque to try to convince him not to go when he already wished he didn’t have to.
His job was to protect Berith. Roque should understand that and focus on what he’d have to do while Dimri was lurking around the tunnels.
“And you’ll be facing Ramiel himself with whatever force he brings to take down Berith.
Don’t talk to me about dangerous.” Because Roque would also be in danger. There was no way out of that.
They stared at each other across the room. Dimri wanted to reach out, but he couldn’t, and it had nothing to do with the people surrounding them. He couldn’t afford to let himself weaken.
Yesterday, he’d told Roque that he wanted a future with him. That future might be about to get taken away from him—from both of them—and there was nothing either of them could do to stop that from happening.
“It’s the only way to do this,” Berith said. “We can’t let them surprise us from behind.” He didn’t sound any happier than Roque, but he’d put his own safety before Dimri’s. He didn’t have a choice. He was the prince, and keeping him alive meant keeping his entire territory safe.
“We’ll have surprise on our side,” Dimri said. “A small group will move fast and stay hidden longer. If we’re lucky, we’ll take them out before they even realize what’s happening.” They could use the labyrinth-like nature of the tunnels and his knowledge of them to their advantage.
Berith was quiet for a long moment, weighing their options. Dimri could hear the sound of guards and servants preparing for the fight. People were shouting and running around, and Dimri wished he could have a little silence, just for a few minutes.
“All right,” Berith said. “Dimri, take whoever you think is best suited for this with you.”
Dimri had hoped he’d be sent to the tunnels because he was the only one who could defend them effectively and because he’d volunteered for it, but knowing it was coming didn’t make it easier to accept that this might be the last time he saw Roque.
“When are you going?” Mikal asked, no doubt aware that Dimri would take some of his people with him. He already had a few names in mind.
“Now. Ramiel’s forces will reach our first defenses soon. If his tunnel team is moving at the same time and using the distraction to sneak in, we need to be there before they get too deep into the palace.” They couldn’t afford to lose even one of them in the tunnels. Who knew where they’d pop up?
Berith looked around the room. “This is it. Everything we’ve prepared for comes down to the next few hours. Be safe, everyone, and try to survive.”
There was nothing else to say. Everyone moved since they all had their orders.
Mikal left the room, his assistant running after him to keep up.
Zeno, who’d once been a mercenary, hovered in the corner of the room.
He wasn’t one of Berith’s bodyguards, but he’d offered to stay with Berith during the attack, and Dimri had been relieved.
Zeno had a well-earned reputation as a dangerous killer, and he’d defend Berith with his life.
His partner and his brother both lived at the palace and would be killed if Ramiel won.
“You know those tunnels better than anyone,” Berith said to Dimri. “But don’t take unnecessary risks. We need you alive.”
“I’ll be careful,” Dimri promised, even though they all knew he might not be able to keep that promise.
It was time for him to leave, but he couldn’t do so without talking to Roque. He moved closer, not surprised to see his own fear and desperation reflected in Roque’s red eyes. They’d known this moment would come, but that hadn’t prepared them for how it would feel.
“I should be going with you,” Roque murmured.
“Berith needs you here. This is what we do, right? We protect him from different perspectives. I move in the shadows while you take things head-on.”
“Dimri,” Roque’s voice cracked slightly. “What if—”
“Don’t start thinking about what-ifs. We do our jobs, we survive, and we find each other afterward, okay?”
“Promise me.”
“What?”
“Promise me you’ll come back and that you won’t do anything stupidly heroic down there.”
Dimri chuckled. “You’re the one facing Ramiel himself, and you’re worried about me being heroic? That’s more your thing, isn’t it?”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” Dimri reached out to grab Roque’s hand. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to come back to you. But you have to promise me the same thing.”
“I promise.”
They stood there for a moment, watching each other. They weren’t alone, but they might as well have been. “I have to go,” Dimri said.
“I know.”
Neither of them moved. Dimri had to stop wasting time, but he couldn’t leave without one last thing. “Fuck it,” he muttered. They’d agreed to wait, but he couldn’t allow this to possibly be their last goodbye.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and kissed Roque hard. It was desperate and clumsy and over way too fast, but Dimri didn’t care. Roque tensed, but he cupped the back of Dimri’s head, pulling him closer.
When they broke apart, both of them were breathing hard. The office was completely silent, even though they weren’t alone. Dimri didn’t look around.
He stepped back, still not looking away from Roque. “I’ll be back.”
“You better come home to me,” Roque agreed.
The words hit Dimri in a way he hadn’t expected. When had Roque become home? He wasn’t sure.
He nodded and turned. He didn’t look at Berith or anyone else and stopped by Sabin’s desk just long enough to give him a list of names of the people he wanted with him in the tunnels. They’d meet at the entrance off the throne room.
Dimri wasn’t looking forward to being in the tunnels because they were dark and damp, but it was a necessary evil. The memory of the kiss wasn’t much to carry on with, but it was more than he’d ever had before.
And it would have to be enough.
* * * *
ROQUE WASN’T SURE HOW long he stayed there, staring at the door Dimri had just disappeared through. He hadn’t expected the kiss. He was pretty sure that no one in the office had, and he could hear people snickering, but he didn’t care.
This couldn’t be a surprise for anyone. People had to have noticed how Dimri and Roque hovered next to each other these days. Besides, even if people were surprised, Roque didn’t care. He hadn’t expected the kiss, but he was glad he’d gotten it.
It was too easy to imagine that he might have died without ever kissing Dimri.
Since Roque and Berith would be facing Ramiel, there was a high chance they wouldn’t make it out.
Even though Mel had told Roque that neither he nor Berith wanted Roque to sacrifice himself for the prince, it was Roque’s job to do so.
More than that, Roque would happily sacrifice his own life to save the life of a friend, which was what Berith was.
He’d always been more than a prince, and that meant a lot to Roque.
“I can’t say I expected him to do that,” Berith remarked.
Roque finally looked away from the door. Dimri had vanished from sight a while ago, anyway. “I didn’t, either. We’d agreed to wait.”
“Until after the fight?”
“Yes. Neither of us wanted to be distracted.”
Berith snorted. “You would’ve been distracted anyway.”
“I know.” Because no matter what had happened or hadn’t happened between him and Dimri, Roque couldn’t change his feelings.
They were already there, which meant that he’d worry about Dimri.
He’d do his best to focus on his job, but after Berith—in a way, even before him—Dimri was the most important person in Roque’s life.
Of course he’d be distracted. Of course he’d think about Dimri and what he was doing and would wonder if Dimri was okay.
“For what it’s worth, I’m happy for both of you,” Berith said with a smile. “It was about time he found someone. You, too. Mel was starting to get worried.”
Roque glared at him. “I knew you were playing matchmaker.”
“You can’t tell me you regret it.”
“Maybe I can’t, but you shouldn’t have meddled.”
“I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t know whether or not it would work. I just thought you two needed to learn to work together.”
“And you hoped we’d fall in love.”
Berith’s smile was soft. “I did. We need more love.”
Hell definitely did. Roque had seen how much things had changed after Berith had found Mel.
It was a good thing. Mel hadn’t solved all their problems, but he’d made those problems easier to deal with.
He’d shown demons they weren’t the monsters they were expected to be.
Of course, some of them always would be, but Berith’s territory was a small oasis of peace and happiness, and Ramiel was trying to ruin that.
Berith wouldn’t allow him to.
Roque turned toward the prince. “Let’s get to work.”
It felt like they had too much to do in too little time. Roque couldn’t say it was easier to focus on his work after what had just happened with Dimri, but he’d do what he had to do, just like Dimri was.
Roque gave Mel and Berith time to talk and say their goodbyes. Mel would be hiding with the rest of Berith’s family, and they both knew this might be the last time they saw each other. Roque tried not to think about that. He couldn’t afford to. He had to keep hope.
They all did.
Yes, the fight would be dangerous, and some of them would die, but they would win.
Berith’s goal was to make Hell a better place, while Ramiel only wanted power and to terrorize people.
They couldn’t allow him to take over Berith’s territory.
They couldn’t allow him to take on Lucifer and try to mold Hell to his image.
Berith had worked too hard to change all of that.
It was why his people would be fighting for him.
It was one of the reasons Roque would be fighting for him.
But Roque had even more to fight for now.
He had Dimri to come home to, and he would.
He wouldn’t accept any other outcome. Ramiel might be convinced that he would win this fight, but he was wrong.
Love didn’t make people weaker. Caring about people made everyone stronger, and they would show Ramiel that.