Chapter 37 #3
Lucifer’s family, who had come as everything other than human, took their places near Hagnar.
Gavin, his son, and their family had seats in the front, as Lucifer felt Gavin was better off observing than attempting to once again step into his true role.
With the location of blood descendants of his lost people, he might one day be able to find his place in the world. While nothing remained of his pantheon, he remained a creator-god.
He could bring a new one to life as needed.
The ceremony represented the collision of the old and the new, and I looked forward to discovering what our future would bring.
* * *
I spent two weeks with Yuless at one of Lucifer’s cabins located within his many hells, where a clear stream cut through a steaming landscape laden with jewels.
To give Gavin a chance to come to terms with his changed circumstances and Caleb’s mother an opportunity to spend quality time with his other father, Lucifer had made the recommendation for the teen to accompany Aramathea and serve as her hands while hunting for shiny rocks.
Where the pair went, numerous demons and devils, in all shapes, accompanied them, turning Lucifer’s many hells into a lively circus.
Armed with enough gemstones to keep the homestead trucking along for decades without a worry in the world, we returned home long enough to visit the animals, drop off our loot, check on everyone, and collect Belinda’s ashes.
Anthony, who had returned to his home with his new herd of horses, met us at the gate wearing a suit I suspected he’d hoped to marry the woman in.
The knowledge they would one day meet again helped.
Rather than take a plane, Lucifer guided us to one of the gateways into his many hells, which was less than an hour away from my home.
From there, we rode for an hour to a crystal cave filled with shimmering curtains of light.
“This is a nexus point. My many hells connect to just about everywhere. Mount Everest is one of the places I have a connection to. I thought about having everyone make the journey from the basecamp, but that wasn’t what she wanted.
It wasn’t the climb. She wanted the view. ”
“Yes, she did,” Anthony said in a quiet voice.
“And until she has finished her rest and is reborn, she will enjoy that view she never witnessed in life. It will fill her dreams and bring her the joy she was denied in life,” the Lord of the Morning promised. “We have as long as you need to let her go.”
“But what if I never do?”
“Then you never do,” Lucifer replied in a gentle voice. “You can hold on to her memory and your love for her until the next life, and you can chase after a second chance to your soul’s desire.”
“Will we meet again?”
“You will, and the road for your happily ever after will be before you should you both choose to take it. That’s the beauty of mortality.
When two souls share love, second chances are always possible.
That’s the pain of mortality, too. Your chance was taken from you this time, I know.
But there will be a next time for you both. ”
Anthony took his time thinking about it, and then he nodded. “She is worth waiting for.”
“Then you will wait, and you will find peace in that, and when your soul does find its rest between this life and the next, it will know better days come. But for now, it is time to let her go as best you can. She sleeps, but she will not sleep forever, and neither will you.”
“Thank you, Lucifer.”
* * *
A bitter wind blew snow and ice over the peak of Mount Everest, and the neighboring mountains peeked through banks of thick clouds. A hiss filled the air, and without Lucifer’s help, I doubted we’d be able to breathe at all.
He’d allowed us to experience the suffocating thinness of the atmosphere before waving a hand and enveloping us in a protective bubble of warmth.
I pulled out the heavy box, ornately carved with the horses she had loved, which contained Belinda’s ashes. I waited for Anthony to slide off Death’s back before offering it to him. “Whenever you’re ready. We have as long as you need.”
I had expected a wait for the man to muster his courage, but he opened the lid, stared out over the view, and sighed before asking, “Should the box stay here?”
“It can if you wish, or it can return with you. There is no right answer, nor is there a wrong answer.”
After a few moments, he nodded, gathered himself, and flung the box, lid and all, off the side of the mountain. A gust of wind caught it, sending Belinda’s ashes swirling into the misty clouds below. The box thumped into the snow and bounced down the slope, never to be seen again.
Only when the last of the gray ash dissipated, mixed in the blowing snow of the encroaching storm, did Anthony sigh, return to the Pale Horse of Death, and scramble onto his back. “I guess that’s it, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Lucifer confirmed. “But for every door that closes, another door opens. For every ending, there is a new beginning. It will just take a while for you to get there, but mark my words, Anthony. One day, you will, and she will once again be at your side. The hole in your soul will not be empty for long. Every time you try to fill your life with the things she loved, she will be with you, and not even death can take that from you. You will find peace. It will take time, but you will find it. And I recommend that on the bad days, you call Crystal. When you feel like you don’t have the strength to get back up from your knees, she will throw baby horses, alligators, and perhaps even children at you as distractions, and it’ll work.
And when it is time for you to rest, you will be ready for the tranquility in death you will have rightfully earned. ”
“I could use some time with some baby horses and alligators right now,” Anthony admitted.
I smiled at him. “Then we go home, and I will throw baby horses, alligators, and others at you. You can even try your hand at babysitting an infant dragon, but I warn you, he’s adorable enough he will lay claim over your soul, and you will be forced to visit him for all major holidays, armed with presents.
” Aware he was curious about the pies we kept talking about, I added, “And I’ll make you a peach pie, and when you’re ready to get up and dust yourself off, you can dive back into life.
I have it on the best authority your boss will give you time off until you can handle the work. ”
My husband sighed. “You’re already taking over my job?”
I grinned at him. “Yes. And when you pitch too much of a fit over my executive orders, I will be happy to punt your scaly ass across the lake. I rule your roost. I hope you’re ready for a long life of putting up with me, Yuless, because I’m not accepting no for an answer.”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I am.”