The Devil's Playground mk-5 Read online

  eighteen

  THIS DISCUSSION WAS TOO BIG—AND TOO IMPORTANT—to have in a hallway. So I called the remaining members of Lugh’s council—Andy, Brian, and Barbie—to come join us for yet another meeting. We’d met more often in the last week than we had all of last month.

  Of course, having a council meeting while William was around posed some logistical difficulties. Unless we decided we trusted him—which wasn’t going to happen anytime soon—we couldn’t leave him unguarded. There wasn’t a lock in the world that could hold a demon, and the only thing that made the Dreaded Black Room even marginally safe was the fact that it had no windows. I suspect that was a home improvement Adam had made personally, because I don’t think the house would have met building code as it was.

  Of course, if William was seriously trying to escape, he could break through the wall. But he’d make a lot of noise doing it, so we’d probably be able to stop him.

  In the end, we decided to assign Barbie and Andy to guard duty when they arrived. They were the two least likely to kick up a fuss about being left out of the council meeting, and, although no one said it out loud, the least likely to make a useful contribution—Barbie because she was a relative newcomer, and Andy because he could rarely be bothered to care.

  Barbie put up a token protest, but I think it was more out of curiosity than anything else. Andy just shrugged and said, “Whatever.” I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him to make him snap out of his persistent funk. God help me, I think I was beginning to understand why Raphael found my brother so annoying. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that Andy wouldn’t be this way if it weren’t for Raphael’s mistreatment. But for the first time, I found myself not entirely convinced. Raphael had told me once that Andy wasn’t as strong as I was. Maybe he’d been right.

  We stationed Barbie at the far end of the hall. That would give her ample time to get off a Taser shot if William should venture out of the room. We then stationed Andy at the base of the stairs. He’d have a clear shot as soon as the door opened, too. Between the two of them, surely one of them would hit him.

  Adam slipped into the Black Room alone to inform William that he had no chance of escaping and to describe what Adam would do to him if he was caught trying. I was just as glad not to have to hear that.

  I can’t say that any of us felt completely secure with our demon prisoner upstairs, but it was as secure as we were going to get. When we were all gathered in Adam and Dom’s living room, I turned to Raphael and said, “Spill.”

  He never much liked taking orders from anyone, especially from me, but he managed to contain his natural knee-jerk reaction and settled for giving me a dirty look before addressing the rest of the council.

  “We all know we can’t secure the throne for Lugh as long as Dougal lives,” he said. “Dougal will be in really bad shape if he loses most of his supporters, and he’ll be in even worse shape if the council makes him step down as regent. He’ll want to avoid that at all costs, and if it happens, it’ll make it much more difficult for him to get to Lugh. But it won’t make it impossible. Even if Dougal is ground into the dust, if he can eliminate Lugh, all his troubles will be over.”

  “We know all this,” Saul interrupted. “Quit grandstanding and get to the point.”

  Raphael gave him a bland look, though I’m sure Saul had been hoping to piss him off. “The point will make more sense when presented in context. No one here completely trusts me, so I’m going to give you my entire train of thought.” Usually, when Raphael made some comment about the rest of us not trusting him, he managed to sound sulky, as though it were somehow unfair of us to suspect him of shady dealings, no matter how many terrible things he had done, or how many times he had lied. But this once, he treated it like a matter of fact, rather than an insult. It made me think marginally better of him.

  “So,” Raphael continued, “no matter how badly things go for Dougal in the Demon Realm, we still have to kill him. We’ve known that from the beginning, but we had to get him to the Mortal Plain to do it, and we all know he’s not stupid or arrogant enough to put himself in harm’s way.

  “But if what William is telling us is true, Dougal is seriously feeling the heat. We might not feel safe with him still at large, but his life could become very difficult if his supporters turn on him. Hell, if enough of them turn on him to convince the official royal council that he tried to kill Lugh, he could find himself imprisoned.” Raphael shuddered, and I didn’t think it was entirely for dramatic effect.

  “Believe me, that’s a fate worse than death in the Demon Realm.”

  “A fate you, yourself, deserve,” Saul muttered under his breath, but no one would believe he hadn’t meant Raphael to hear it.

  Raphael’s fists clenched at his sides, and his eyes closed. It seemed Saul’s barb had hit its target. Raphael had said long ago that Lugh was such a stickler for the law that he would put Raphael in prison for his crimes even if Raphael was instrumental in putting him back on the throne.

  Would you really put Raphael in prison? I asked Lugh silently.

  We’ll talk about it later. Tell Saul from me that if he makes one more comment that is not constructive, I will send him to replace Barbara on guard duty. Lugh’s mental voice was thick with irritation. We don’t have time for his pettiness.

  Reluctantly, I relayed Lugh’s message. Saul didn’t know me as well as the others and still didn’t quite appreciate what a terrible liar I am. The rest of the council would believe the words really came from Lugh, but Saul might not. He shot me a lethal glare.

  “We should be talking about how to catch and stop this Julius character, not wasting time trying to unravel the knots in my sire’s thinking. We don’t need the distraction.”

  Raphael rolled his eyes. “William’s right; Julius will have pulled up stakes and relocated by now. And it doesn’t matter how many of Dougal’s supporters we take out if Dougal is still alive and kicking.”

  Saul’s face said the reasoning didn’t convince him, but he refrained from arguing any more.

  “Go on,” I urged Raphael. “I’m anxious to hear where you’re going with this, even if Saul isn’t.”

  Raphael gave me a faint smile. “Right. So, my point was that Dougal might find himself in deep shit if he doesn’t eliminate Lugh fast. Possibly deep enough shit that he’d risk coming to the Mortal Plain in person if he thought that was his best shot at eliminating Lugh.”

  “What exactly are you proposing?” I asked.

  “I’m proposing we send our friend William back to the Demon Realm and let him stir up some trouble.”

  The rest of us all started talking at once, our voices blending into such a babble that I couldn’t tell who was saying what, and I bet the others couldn’t, either. Raphael held up his hand for silence, and surprisingly everyone, even Saul, obeyed.

  “It’s a risk,” Raphael said into the sudden, tense silence. “I don’t believe William’s an innocent victim in all this, no matter what he’s said. I think he’s just a weakling who will change sides in a heartbeat if he feels he’s found a stronger position. But I can promise to issue him a royal pardon if he contacts Lugh’s supporters in the Demon Realm and tells them Lugh unequivocally does not approve of Dougal being his regent.”

  Adam shook his head. “Lugh’s supporters will believe it. But then they probably believe it already. It’s not like William could bring any proof with him.”

  “Maybe not,” Raphael agreed. “But if the rumor gets around, it will turn up the heat even more, and make Dougal even more desperate to get to Lugh. And don’t forget about all the demons Dougal’s been sending to the Mortal Plain. If he’s got some kind of mysterious plan in the works, we need to disrupt it as much as possible, as fast as possible.”

  It was my turn to toss out an objection. “You know as well as the rest of us that William’s just as likely to go blabbing to Dougal that you’re Lugh. And Dougal will sic his minions on you.”

  “Like I s
aid, it’s a risk. But it’s only really a risk to me, not to Lugh. Besides, since I’m playing the king, Lugh can give me William’s True Name, so I can summon him back to the Mortal Plain at a moment’s notice. Which means I will have more power over him than Dougal. And greater means to make him suffer. He’ll have to choose whether he’d rather cross Dougal or me. With the right incentive, I’m betting he’ll cross Dougal.”

  “It’s a ridiculous plan,” Saul said, his face set in such a scowl it looked almost painful. “And I don’t see how it helps us. So what if we make Dougal more desperate? It doesn’t follow that he’d show his face on the Mortal Plain. He’ll just whip his supporters into even more of a frenzy.”

  “The thing is,” Raphael said, “at some point, it’s going to occur to Dougal that the one thing he can do to flush Lugh out of hiding in time to keep himself out of prison is to come to the Mortal Plain and set himself up as bait. He knows we have to kill him, and he knows we can’t get to him in the Demon Realm. But if he can come here and lure Lugh into a trap, he might finally be able to secure the throne.”

  Saul waved his hand dismissively. “That’s not a plan. It’s just wishful thinking.”

  “I disagree,” Raphael said, still calm and reasonable. “I’ve been involved in many a plot with my dear brother, and I know how his mind works.” He turned to me, but he was looking right through me, his gaze and his words meant for Lugh. “You and I will never fully understand one another. But Dougal, I understand.”

  “And he understands you,” I countered, not waiting for Lugh’s reaction. “Won’t he see your handiwork in all of this and know it’s a trap?”

  Raphael shook his head. “He thinks he understands me, but he doesn’t. If he truly understood me, he’d never have let me in on the conspiracy to kill Lugh in the first place. He knows I’ve betrayed him, but I’d stake my life that he still doesn’t understand why. I’m sure he thinks I did it because I felt it was in my best interests. The idea that I might actually be loyal to Lugh would never occur to him.”

  “Me either,” Saul mumbled, though again it was clear he meant Raphael to hear him.

  Raphael turned to glare at his son, and he had that weird glow in his eyes that demons seemed to get when they were well and truly pissed.

  Uh-oh, Lugh’s voice whispered in my head.

  “I’ve heard just about enough out of you, son,” Raphael said, and the frost in his voice made me shiver.

  Saul leapt to his feet so fast he knocked his chair over. He never took it well when Raphael called him

  “son,” which was no doubt why Raphael did it on a regular basis.

  Raphael stayed seated, but the glow in his eyes brightened. “Get over yourself!” he growled. “Is berating me really so important that you feel it appropriate to disrupt a council meeting for it? We’re talking about killing Dougal, preserving Lugh’s life, and putting him back on the throne, and all you care to contribute is the occasional insult in hopes that one will wound me?”

  Saul stopped dead in his tracks, his face reddening with something other than anger. I was impressed with Raphael’s strategy. There was nothing that Saul could say now that wouldn’t make him look like a selfish hothead who’d be more useful guarding our prisoner upstairs than participating in our meeting. He swallowed hard, his cheek muscles twitching as he ground his teeth. But he managed to tamp down his rage.

  Saul righted his chair and dropped into it without another word.

  “Do you really think this plan will work?” I asked Raphael, trying to get our meeting back to order.

  Raphael blinked a couple of times, like he’d forgotten where he was for a moment. Then his eyes focused on me.

  “I think it might work. Nothing even close to a guarantee. But don’t you think a plan that might work is better than no plan at all?”

  I had to admit he had a point—if William was telling us anything that resembled the truth. “How confident are you that Dougal really is feeling the heat?” I asked. “If we’re not sure we believe the rest of William’s story, why should we believe that?”

  “I’m pretty confident that he’s telling the truth about Dougal’s difficulties. People—both demon and human—are more apt to support a winner, and I’d say Dougal is looking less and less like a winner as time goes on.”

  “Since you were part of Dougal’s inner circle once,” Adam said, “you know a lot of the players involved, right?”

  Raphael nodded. “Indeed. And I see where Alexander’s defection would make them very uneasy. There are a handful who are as loyal to Dougal as we are to Lugh. But there are more than a handful of opportunists like William. And, apparently, Alexander. I would have pegged him as one of the loyal handful, but I guess I was mistaken.” He turned toward me. “I believe William’s story, and I believe Dougal’s troubles give us a legitimate chance to lure him to the Mortal Plain. But it’s up to Lugh to decide whether he thinks it’s worth a shot.”

  “One question before we make a decision,” I said. “What are we going to do with William if we don’t want to try Raphael’s plan?”

  The silence in the room was deafening, and suddenly no one wanted to meet my gaze. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that meant.

  “We’re going to kill him,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. I’d been involved in a peripheral manner with the death by fire of several demons now, but each time it happened it was because someone—

  either Raphael, or Lugh, or, most recently, the state of Pennsylvania—had taken the decision out of my hands. I wasn’t sure I had what it took to participate, or even look the other way, if I had a choice.

  Raphael broke the silence. “If we don’t have a use for him, then we can’t afford to keep him alive. You know that.”

  I did, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it. I turned to Brian, who’d been avoiding my gaze just like everyone else.

  “What about you?” I asked. “Can you really just sit by while we commit premeditated murder?” He’d managed to stomach killing Der Jäger, but that had been in the heat of the moment, with a more tangible and immediate danger. This was an entirely different kettle of fish.

  Brian shrugged. “I’m really hoping Lugh will go for Raphael’s plan so I don’t have to deal with it.” He swept a glance over Lugh’s assembled supporters and shook his head. “If these guys decide William has to die, there’s no way you or I can stop them.”

  An uncomfortable truth, but truth nonetheless.

  I decided I’d join Brian in hoping not to have to deal with it. “What do you think, Lugh?” I asked. “Do we go with Raphael’s plan to send William back to the Demon Realm?” Please say yes, I added as a mental aside.

  Yes. With some conditions.

  I relayed his answer to the council while sighing in relief.

  nineteen

  LUGH’S CONDITIONS MADE A LOT OF SENSE. THAT didn’t mean I had to like them. To guard against the possibility that William would continue to side with Dougal, we had to take extra precautions to ensure our safety, with Raphael being the most vulnerable of all. Therefore, Lugh decreed that none of us should be living alone right now, and every “household” should have at least one demon in it.

  Even though the words came from Lugh himself, and were therefore tantamount to law, there was a lot of bickering about who would stay with whom. No one, of course, wanted Raphael, but Adam and Dom bit the bullet and invited him to stay with them. Brian could stay with me, and Barbie could stay with Saul—I think they were practically living together already anyway. That left only Andy. I wasn’t real anxious to have him moping around my apartment, but neither Saul nor Barbie had a spare room in their apartments, and Andy and Raphael in the same house seemed like a recipe for disaster. That left only me.

  With the living arrangements worked out, the council meeting broke up. Only Raphael, Adam, and I entered the Black Room to speak to our prisoner.

  William was no longer huddling in the corner when we stepped in.
He’d lain down on the enormous black bed, but with his arms crossed over his chest, and his legs crossed at the ankles, he looked anything but relaxed. He sat up hastily as we filed in, and he got that white-eyed frightened look on his face again. I guess he knew his life was in the balance.

  Raphael, back in Lugh mode, stood slightly ahead of Adam and me. I guess we were kind of playing royal bodyguards, though I’m not good at “playing” anything. William slipped off the bed and rose to his feet, straightening his shoulders and making a reasonably successful attempt to look dignified as he waited for “Lugh” to pass sentence.

  “Is your host intact?” Raphael asked, and William looked completely flummoxed by the question.

  “What?”

  “Is your host intact?” Raphael repeated. “Meaning, would he function without you in his body, or have you damaged his brain?”

  William paled a little. I guess he knew Lugh didn’t much approve of demons mistreating their hosts.

  “He was already damaged when I took him,” William said. “He was a longtime drug user.”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “I … I think he can function without me. But I don’t know. I’ve been keeping him happy from the moment I first took him. I’m not sure how he’d take to returning to reality.”

  “Keeping him happy as in keeping him high?” Adam asked.

  William nodded warily. Considering the truly awful ways some demons abused their hosts, I supposed keeping his drug-addict host in a permanent state of euphoria was fairly decent, but I would never feel comfortable with the idea.

  Raphael pursed his lips, which was not an expression I’d seen on his face very often. He was usually so sure of himself. But then, he was pretending to be Lugh, and Lugh always thought things through before he acted. Eventually, he reached some kind of decision—or pretended he did.