“My lord. The witch had elemental magic, was in fact allied with Earthbound elementals, while the fallen angel is far, far more than anything we’ve been told. But this,” she said, moving her head painfully to look around the destroyed chamber, “this was done by the technology of the Ancient Enemy.”

Complete silence greeted her pronouncement. She turned her head and met her lord’s eyes, holding her head high. “I faced enough adversaries to bring ruination to an entire legion, nay, two legions of my prince’s best shock troops. I faced a male witch who commanded the loyalty of not one but two Earth elementals. And they lent him their power—willingly. I fought a member of the host who was armored and armed like an Archangel, but fought like a ranked demon lord of Hell and commanded the powers of an ancient vampire. Then there were the weres, the vampires, and most of all, the machine. A machine that watches the whole planet and seems to have harnessed the exact weapons of the Enemy.”

Belphagor turned his massive head, like black volcanic stone twisting on rocky shoulders. “You held back!” he accused Zinnia.

The queen was white-faced and sitting upright, anger still the primary emotion, but there was also something that just might have been uncertainty.

“The witch is gifted; we told you that. He commands elementals here, but no one commands elementals on Earth. The denizens of Air, Fire, Earth, and Water on that world listen to no other race,” she said. “Your illustrious agent is mistaken.”

“By my presence, I differ with your statement. He was allied with Earth and Air, he had access to a magic weapon I have never before witnessed, and the world machine protects him like it gave birth to him,” Lilith said.

“Ah, actually it’s the other way around,” Eirwen, Princess of Summer, said.

Everyone turned to look at her.

“What?” Lilith asked.

“He helped create the computer. It is, apparently aware of this,” Eirwen said. “But it doesn’t, to my knowledge, have any Vorsook resources.”

“You are mistaken. The weapons that destroyed this chamber and a sizable portion of your hallowed tree were completely Vorsook,” Lilith said. “We’ve,” she nodded her chin at her liege, “seen them firsthand. As has your mother and aunt, if I’m not mistaken.”

Eirwen turned to mother, who was glowering at Lilith but otherwise not speaking. After a moment, she twitched her eyes to the gaping holes in her tree.

“Still, you have failed. Our deal is in default. And I will point out, Prince, that you were well aware of the boy when we bargained. Any lack of knowledge on your part is your own problem.”

Lilith could feel anger welling off Belphagor in waves. She spoke before he erupted.

“Well, you did share one important detail about the witch with me… he’s gifted with portals, no?”