Page 107 of Bellamy

“Of course.” Penemuel nodded. He swept aside his brown bangs, and they fell right back into place. Flying had loosened the hold he normally kept them in. Some messiness did him good though—made him seem less uptight. “As I said earlier, the four of us Fallen agreed to follow Belphegor when he told us of Light Bringer. The sword is key to all of this.”

“Because Asa can wield it,” Lazarus stated. “We know this already.”

“You only know a piece, I’m afraid.” Penemuel rose from his chair and walked over to the piano in the corner, lifting the lid. He pressed a single key, and the note rang out in the room before fading away. “Belphegor’s the one who told Asa of the sword, you see. He played into Asa’s ego by saying with Light Bringer, he’d be unstoppable.”

“I don’t understand,” Gray said before yawning. “With Lucifer’s sword, Asaissuper powerful. So it wasn’t a lie.”

“A lie? No.” Penemuel turned back to us. “But it was a clever manipulation.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. A weird feeling swirled in the pit of my stomach.

Penemuel regarded Clara. “It was your ancestor who was tasked with storing Asa’s soul in the ring.”

“Mhm.” Clara crossed her arms. “What of it?”

“Belphegor was the one who asked for it to be done. At the request of Lucifer.”

“Yeah, because Lazarus had already killed Lucifer’s other sons,” Galen said, standing behind the couch. Simon sat in front of him, and Galen’s large hands rested on his husband’s shoulders. “Lucifer was ensuring one of them survived.”

“That’s partly true.” Penemuel sat down on the piano bench but continued facing us. “However, you give Lucifer too much credit. Yes, he wanted Asa’s soul stored and kept safe. But it was a selfish request. He knew he was about to be defeated.”

“What does fuckboy’s soul have to do with that?” Bellamy asked.

“Patience, child,” Penemuel said. “I’m getting there.”

I bit back a laugh. But the laugh came anyway when I glanced at Bellamy’s face and saw he was furrowing his brow like an impatient little kid.

“Can ya get there faster?” Gray’s eyelids fluttered closed. Sloth always needed a nap after breakfast. “I’m sleepy.”

“Lucifer suspected you were going to cage him,” Penemuel continued. “So he formed a plan. Of course…” He turned to Clara. “Then your ancestor ruined that plan by having a conscience. Instead of handing the ring over to Belphegor after the war, a heavily warded box was built to house the ring.”

“My family protected it ever since, keeping it behind a barrier,” Clara said. She snarled her upper lip. “But then my dumb dad sold my grandmother’s things after she died, including the box.”

“That’s when Belphegor sensed it again, yes,” Penemuel said. “The plan was set in motion once more.”

“Okay.” Bellamy slid his fingers through his wavy blond hair. “That doesn’t explain the sword. At all. A huge chunk of your story isn’t adding up, Penny Boy.”

The fallen angel regarded Lazarus. “Are they always like this?”

Lazarus shrugged. “Depends on the day. I suggest you get to the point though, or they won’t be the only ones losing their patience.”

“I had to explain that in order for you to understand what I’m about to tell you,” Penemuel said. “Asa’s soul being stored in the ring. The fight to retrieve the ring. Asa coming into power. And then the fight to find Light Bringer. It’s all related. All pieces of the puzzle were needed to make it whole.”

“Anyone else suddenly feel like they’re gonna puke?” Raiden asked, resting a hand on his stomach.

“That’s because you ate too much,” Castor told him.

“Impossible.” Raiden then belched, and a lazy smile reached his lips. “That was it. I feel better now.”

“At least it came from that end and not the other,” Alastair mumbled. “Otherwise, we’d need to flee the parlor.”

Gray giggled.

“Asa is just as much Belphegor’s tool as Light Bringer is,” Penemuel continued, ignoring the brothers’ banter. “He needs both to achieve his goal.”

“What goal is that?” Lazarus asked. “To fulfill Lucifer’s vision of destroying humanity? He wants Asa to wield Light Bringer to bring that vision to life.”

“No.” A solemn expression crossed Penemuel’s face. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet. You’ve always been quite the strategist. Belphegor can’t rule the underworld by himself. The past has proven that.”