Black Night

She gestured imperiously to Violet, who quickly came forward to lead the way. There was a door just to the left of the throne and we all filed in behind Violet. I didn’t look at J.B. or Nathaniel. I didn’t want to see the disapproval that was definitely on Nathaniel’s face, and probably on J.B.’s. We’d only been here a half an hour and I’d already managed to bring the negotiations to the brink of total collapse.

Just before entering the receiving room, I noticed five individuals who stood out among the staring crowd. They were all male, dressed in leather, flannel and denim instead of silks and jewels. As we entered the receiving room, Tyrone Wade winked at me. Jude and James both gave me hostile stares. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I definitely did not want to run into either of them in the hallway in the middle of the night.

So the wolves were here, too. I wondered if they had discovered who had slaughtered their pack mates. It seemed like a million years ago since I’d fallen out of the sky and discovered the body of the first wolf.

The receiving room was just as plush as I’d expected, with red velvet pillows scattered everywhere and a profusion of gleaming wood. As soon as the door closed behind J.B., Amarantha turned on me.

“Tell me what happened.”

I bristled a little at her peremptory tone but decided it was best to just give her what she wanted. The sooner this was resolved, the sooner we could get on with the negotiations and the sooner I could go home. I still had Gabriel burning in the back of my mind, and I needed to figure out what to do about Focalor and Samiel.

As succinctly as I could, I summarized Beezle’s kidnap, the hidden portal, our accidental arrival in the outlands, the abandonment of her warriors and my reasons for burning the leviathan and the spider. Amarantha listened with an impassive face. I did not attempt to apologize or make excuses. I simply presented the events as they had happened and waited. She would either accept it or not.

Long minutes passed. I was amazed at Beezle’s restraint. He did not make a single smart comment.

“Very well,” Amarantha said. “I will verify the presence of this mysterious portal, and have the warriors questioned more closely.”

The look in her eye was a little bloodthirsty as she said this, and I thought that the questioning would probably involve pain for the warriors.

She continued. “I accept that wrong has been done to you when they abandoned you in the woods, and in the course of the kidnapping of your gargoyle. I also accept that any offense, if given, has been accidental. However, the fact remains that restitution is owed for the loss of my creatures and my forest.”

“What kind of restitution?” I asked warily. I wasn’t keen on using Azazel’s money, but if Amarantha wanted repayment, I would definitely be sending the bill to Daddy dearest.

She looked at me, and again I could see the careful crafting going on behind her green eyes.

“I wish for you and your party to stay in my court for three days,” she said.

Three days? I thought. How would I ever find Gabriel and prevent a demon uprising if I was trapped in Amarantha’s court for three days? Plus, I wasn’t sure I had enough food to last that long, and I wasn’t about to be tricked into drinking or eating anything from Amarantha’s kitchen.

“May I ask why you would like us to stay an extra three days?” I asked.

“Perhaps I am interested in you, Ambassador Black,” Amarantha said, and showed her teeth. “Perhaps I simply wish to enjoy the company of my son, whom I see so rarely.”

As she said this, I realized that this was the first time she’d acknowledged J.B. since we had entered her court. Not exactly a paragon of motherly love, our Amarantha.

I would have liked to have had a quick consult with Beezle to be sure I wasn’t missing anything important—and I was sure that I was. There was no way Amarantha would make such a proposal unless it benefited her first and foremost.

Three days was a long time for me to try to avoid putting my foot in the trap I was sure she as setting for me. On the other hand, I was unlikely to be presented with another form of repayment that would be as relatively easy and cheap as this one.

“Very well,” I said. “We will remain in court for three days.”

“I could not be more pleased,” Amarantha said.

I wished I could say the same.

Amarantha dismissed us shortly after that, saying there was no point in rushing to negotiate, now that our stay had been extended. I hoped she wasn’t going to keep giving me the brush-off until it was time to leave. I didn’t want to have to rememorize Lucifer’s stupid speech every morning.

We were shown to our rooms by more of the silently appearing servants. J.B.’s rooms were in the royal wing, of course, and he left us at the junction of the stairs to go right while we went left. He gave me a little wave but his face was troubled. I wondered if he knew, or suspected, what his mother was up to.

The room was decorated like something from Amadeus , of course—frilly and velvety and not very comfortable looking. Beezle stuck out his tongue in distaste while the servant plumped up the pillows and drew down the covers on the bed.

To my chagrin, I discovered that there was a connecting door between my room and Nathaniel’s. I made a mental note to put a heavy chair in front of that door.

As soon as the servants were dismissed, Beezle began a flying circuit of the room.

“Looking for bugs?” I asked, putting my clothes away in a closet the size of my entire bedroom at home.