I stared at Beezle. “The whole power structure that Lucifer has built could collapse.”

Beezle nodded. “If Focalor attacks Azazel’s court openly, then other courts with grievances will see it as an opportunity to attack their enemies as well. The whole of Lucifer’s kingdom could fall to pieces in a few days. This is why Lucifer and the Grigori keep such a ruthless hold on the courts.”

“It only takes the tipping of one domino for the whole run to be knocked down,” I said. “I had no idea that the kingdom was so fragile.”

“Lucifer has kept control of some of the most dangerous creatures in the world for millennia. A lot of those creatures would be unbelievably deadly to humans if they did not abide by his rules and stay within his confines, and I’m not just talking about the demons, either.”

I couldn’t imagine what would happen to the world if Lucifer’s control was broken. Would there be demons running amok? Open warfare among the angels? Would demons rise up against their masters? All of those things would probably happen, and more. It would be horrible beyond imagining.

“Horrors beyond your comprehension . . .” That was what Antares had said. Had he known about this? If he was close to Focalor, he probably would have known of his master’s plans. And Antares certainly would relish an opportunity to get back at Gabriel, who had humiliated him in front of his demon buddies. Had Antares taken Gabriel in the alley for Focalor? Why would Samiel want him?

And was any of this connected to the hidden portal in Amarantha’s kingdom? I still didn’t know who had put that portal there, or why, although Antares had done a good job of using it to his advantage and destabilizing my relations with the faerie court before I even arrived.

I put my hand to my head in the place where a stress headache was rapidly forming. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate, I needed to prevent the total collapse of Lucifer’s kingdom as well?

Beezle watched me silently, and I’m fairly certain he guessed most of what I was thinking. He can be a pretty perceptive gargoyle when he wants to be.

The problem was that I wasn’t exactly sure what I should do with this knowledge. If I went to Lucifer, he might be able to stop Focalor before his plans unfolded but that would be a guaranteed death sentence for Gabriel.

I could try to rescue Gabriel. But, one: he had probably been moved by now. And, two: even if he hadn’t been moved, I wasn’t sure I could find the oubliette. It wasn’t as though I was an expert in the geography of the Forbidden Lands.

I wasn’t sure who might have him now, and what purpose he might serve for their plans. Basically, I wasn’t sure of anything except for the fact that it was half past five and there was no way I was going to be able to sleep again after that vision.

“Oatmeal?” I asked Beezle.

He made a face at me. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Chocolate-hazelnut spread on toast?” I guessed.

“Now you’re talking,” he said, and followed me into the kitchen.

After breakfast I was no closer to a solution than before. I felt that Gabriel’s safety was paramount, but Beezle argued that if there was a war between the courts, Gabriel probably wouldn’t be much safer than the rest of us. On top of everything, my trip to the faerie court was today, and there was no way that I could put it off after the burning-down-the-forest debacle.

So I packed my things with a heavy heart and made an effort to dress like a grown-up. I usually wear black boots, blue jeans, and black sweaters every day in the winter, but buried in the back of my closet were a couple of suits and a nice skirt and blouse. I tried everything on to make sure that it fit okay. The suits were a little tighter than they used to be—my curves were a lot curvier than I remembered. Beezle opened his mouth to say something and I glared at him.

“Not one word,” I said. “You’re the one who makes me keep all the junk food in the house.”

“I’m a growing gargoyle,” Beezle said.

“Yeah, growing horizontally,” I muttered, but not loud enough for him to hear.

Nathaniel came upstairs a little before ten. He was all spiffed up in a dark suit and a blue tie that made his eyes look electric bright. He looked over my gray pencil skirt and black blouse with a critical eye.

“Don’t you have any colors that are not drab as winter?” he said. “Amarantha is not going to be impressed by your appearance.”

“She doesn’t have to be. She just has to listen to me,” I said, my pride stinging. I’d actually made an effort to fix up my hair, put on makeup and heels, and generally look neater than usual. He could at least have offered a token “You look nice.”

He frowned. “I’m not certain that she will take you seriously when you look like someone’s secretary.”

I actually felt the blast of nightfire crackling under my fingertips before Beezle laid a restraining claw on my shoulder.

“You can kill him later,” he said, and I eased down. I didn’t need Nathaniel’s opinion to validate me, anyway.

The doorbell rang right at ten.

“That’s J.B.,” I said. “Let’s get this party on the road.”

10

AS SOON AS I STEPPED ONTO THE PORCH, J.B. WHISTLED at me.

“You look awesome,” he said, looking me up and down several times.

I said nothing but gave Nathaniel a pointed look.

“I still think you look like a secretary,” he said in reply.