Page 112

Gaius smiled. He didn’t answer the question, but his next words demonstrated that he knew much more. “You work for Sonja. Or, rather, you did work for Sonja. You were the demon’s eyes and ears inside the Legion.”

So Aradia had been a spy for Sonja.

Aradia grew very still. “Are we going to have a problem?”

“Oh, I don’t care about the gods or demons,” Gaius said lightly. “Or about their politics.”

“Then what do you care about?”

“Larger issues,” Gaius said with a casual wave of his hand. “You’re loyal to Sonja, and yet you’ve run away—and with the child she ordered you to steal for her, no less.”

“I thought you didn’t care about demon and god politics,” Aradia said shrewdly.

Gaius chuckled.

“Sonja is the reason that Thea is dead.” Aradia’s voice teetered with emotion. “Sonja set her up to die.”

“The dark angel Thea was your friend.”

“My best friend,” Aradia declared.

“Then I can understand why you would not wish to serve Sonja anymore.”

“I’m not going to allow Sonja to use and abuse this child as she did Thea. I will keep her hidden from Sonja.” Aradia sighed. “I’m not sure why I’m even telling you this, except, well, Thea once told me you could be trusted. I hope she was right about you. Or this will be a very short-lived escape. For both me and the child.”

“I will not betray your secret,” Gaius assured her. “You’ve asked me to find you a safe place to hide with the child, and Purgatory is it. It’s an overlooked, out-of-the-way town at the edge of Earth’s Frontier, the safest place there is for you both.” He opened his hand to reveal a very old-looking key. “This is the key to your new life in Purgatory.”

Aradia reached over to take it.

He held back the key for a moment. “I said Purgatory is the safest place there is for you both, hidden beneath the deities’ radar, in this old, insignificant town. But be warned. There is no truly safe place in all the worlds for the child.”

Aradia looked down at the baby in her arms. “What is she?”

“One of a kind.”

“You know more than you’re saying,” Aradia accused him.

Gaius smiled. He handed her the key. Then he stood up and walked slowly away.

“Wait,” Aradia called out.

He turned around to look at her.

“You don’t wish to be paid?”

“You have saved this child from a terrible fate. There is no greater payment,” he told her.

The baby cried. Aradia looked down and rearranged the blanket bundled around her. One of the tucked corners had come loose and fallen away from the baby’s head.

When Aradia looked up again, Gaius was gone.

I glanced at Nero. “So Gaius Knight led Aradia to Earth. He led me to Earth. Where I would be outside of the demons’ reach.”

“He clearly knew what you are,” replied Nero.

“But what is he?”

“Hard to say, but he clearly does not serve the interests of either the gods or the demons.”