Well, the Lord had never been a bright man. That is how Scelestus had managed to dupe him all these years.

A small knock came at his chamber doors, and Lord Gabriel summoned the visitor before he had a chance to request admittance. He assumed that every knock, every call, every sound would be about his daughter, and so it would be for the rest of his life. Fortunately, by Scelestus’s counting, that should only be a matter of days.

“Excuse me, my Lord,” Jinn said meekly, sliding in through a slit in the door. He never opened doors very wide, and Scelestus wasn’t sure whether it was out of habit from being sneaky, or if he wasn’t strong enough to push them all the way. “I don’t mean to disturb you in your time of need.”

“No, it’s quite alright.” Gabriel had already settled back down on the bed. He had never liked Jinn, and Jinn spoke to him as little as possible.

“I need to speak with the Lady for a moment.” Jinn looked at her.

“Now?” Scelestus kept her voice even, but her eyes shot daggers at him. She didn’t want to leave her husband’s side for fear that someone would come in and talk sense in him, reminding him that Lily would never run away.

“It’s of grave importance,” Jinn said emphatically, his gray eyes meeting hers.

“Is it about my daughter?” Gabriel perked up, hearing the insistence in Jinn’s voice.

“No, no.” Jinn answered too quickly, and Scelestus was already moving away from Gabriel. She didn’t wanted Jinn saying too much.

“Excuse us, my Lord, I’ll be right back.” Scelestus didn’t look back at him and hurried out the door before he could say anything. As soon as the door shut behind her, she hissed at him, “What is it?”

“Not here.” Jinn eyed the area around them suspiciously. “The walls have ears.”

The servants were notorious for eavesdropping, especially on Scelestus. Any gossip about her was worth her weight in gold, it seemed. She hurried Jinn along as fast as he could go and practically shoved him into a secret passage way. Once she was certain they were safe, she crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Well?”

“I am very sorry.” Jinn bowed his head, wringing his heads together. Whatever news he had, he was too afraid to even look at her when he delivered it. “I’ve just received word from Valefor.”

“That my package has arrived on time, in one piece?” Scelestus asked through gritted teeth.

“No, my Lady, I am very sorry,” Jinn repeated, his voice getting quieter. “She never arrived. Valefor doesn’t know where she, or the delivery boy, is.”

“You mean that horrible fool Lux has run off with her?” Scelestus had to use all her might to keep from yelling. She balled her hands into fists at her sides, her long nails digging into her skin.

“I’m not sure, my Lady.” He shook his head. “Valefor did not know, and I haven’t had a chance to investigate myself. I came to you immediately, for your wishes.”

“Valefor doesn’t know where his errand boy is?” Scelestus sneered and shook her head. “Maybe he’s not as powerful as I thought, if he can’t keep tabs on one stupid boy and one even stupider girl.” She exhaled deeply and unfurled her fists. She rubbed a hand on her temple and breathed again. “No matter. I’ll find them myself. And when I do, I’ll slaughter them both.”

“Would you like me to get your grimoira?” Jinn asked, looking up at her.

“No. I’ll use my cauldron to find Lily. All I need is a lock of her hair, and then I’ll be able to go out and retrieve her.” Scelestus smiled wider as she thought of something. “And maybe I’ll find that idiotic boy who thought it wise to double cross me.”

5

Ever since he’d met that girl, nothing seemed to be going right for Lux. He’d left her in the woods the night before with the full intention of finding a replacement girl for Valefor and returning to his normal life. Unfortunately, he’d been unable to obtain a girl.

Every time he met a suitable one, he’d feel this weird knot in his stomach when he thought about taking her back to Valefor. He’d never felt anything like it, at least not that he could remember, and he wondered if it was guilt. That seemed to be a common affliction among humans.

Valefor hadn’t tried contacting him yet, or at least as far as he knew. Lux had been avoiding his usual haunts, including his home. He didn’t want to hear what Valefor had to say about all of this, not until he had something better to give him than a lame excuse.

The night had felt long and exhausting, and he’d rented a room just so he could wash up and get some sleep. But sleep never really came. He tossed and turned, feeling a weird anxiety spreading over him. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get comfortable or shake the feeling of dread.

His solution to this was his solution to all of life’s problems: find a beautiful girl to help him pass the time. Lux didn’t even care about finding someone for Valefor anymore. He just needed someone to calm his nerves, to take the edge off the way he felt. He dressed to the nines in a new suit, his hair slicked back, and set out to find someone to do the trick.

Then Lux discovered a disturbing problem he’d never had before. He couldn’t do it. He could see a beautiful girl, even go up and talk to her, but the nauseated pit in his stomach only intensified the more he interacted with her. As soon as he’d lean in for a kiss, all he could think about was kissing Lily. Her lips had been cool and tasted of peppermint, and nothing would ever be as sweet. The hair on the back of his neck tingled.

And just like that, the very thought of kissing another person disgusted him. He tried three different times with three different girls, but he could never bring himself to kiss them. He could charm them as much as he wanted, but he got no pleasure from it. In the end, if he couldn’t have more than a conversation, he didn’t see the point.

At the very edge of Insontia, buried in a cave on the side of the cliff, was a dank little bar called the Devil’s Knee. The lights were dim, the patrons were ugly, and it smelled of wet dog and urine, so it was the kind of place that Lux never frequented. That made it perfect for avoiding Valefor, but that’s not why he went. On any given night, at any given time, he could find Gula seated there, getting sloshed on stale mead and eating barbecued goblin wings.

Lux didn’t really have friends. His lifestyle didn’t allow for that, but Gula was the closest thing he had to one. He’d known him the longest since they’d joined Valefor around the same time, and Gula had to be the friendliest of the peccati. In fact, out of the seven peccati, only Lux and Gula seemed interested in interaction on any level. The rest were happier doing their business and keeping to themselves as much as possible.