Gabriel gave my waist a little squeeze of confidence. I took a deep breath and continued. “We knew that Chuan Ren was a dragon, of course, but my experience with dragons has been limited until the last two months, and it just didn’t strike me that although everyone is treating Chuan Ren like Bael’s minion, she’s not. She can’t be; dragons can’t be servants of demon lords. It’s just impossible.”

Aisling nodded. “That’s why we can’t summon her, as we could a demon, not that I could think of a conceivable reason to even want to do that.”

“Exactly. But it also means that we don’t have to go through Bael to get her.”

“Why do you want to get to her? I’m sorry,” Aisling said, smiling. “The pregnancy is draining all my brain cells obviously, but I still don’t see your point.”

“If I say the obvious, will you banish me to the Akasha?” Jim asked, its eyes hopeful.

“Yes.”

“Damn.”

I leaned back against Gabriel, seeking strength. “The point is—and don’t beat yourself up for not seeing it; I certainly didn’t and I know Abaddon better than you—the point is that Bael is holding Chuan Ren against her will. She’s his prisoner, not a minion. Which means the only way she can leave him is either for him to give her up or for her banishment to be reversed.”

“A recall,” Aisling said, enlightenment finally striking her. “Well, yes, that would work. I did banish her, so I have the power to recall her. But for one thing, of course.”

My heart, which had begun to soar at the possibility of a solution to the problem of Chuan Ren, fell at her words. “What one thing?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’d have to be insane to do it. I’m sorry, but I can’t recall Chuan Ren. I sent her to Abaddon for a reason. She’s just too dangerous to the green dragons. I really wish I could help you, May, but I can’t.”

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-three

It took longer than I expected to recall Chuan Ren from Abaddon. The problem ended up being Drake rather than Aisling, the latter of whom, like any intelligent woman, immediately grasped the finer points of the argument Gabriel and I put forward.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea at all,” she said after Gabriel explained how we saw things. “It might work. If Chuan Ren wants out of Abaddon bad enough, she’ll have to agree to ending the war with us; otherwise, pfft. Right back she goes. And you said she’s not having fun there. Heh-heh-heh.”