All That Lives Must Die

80 THE LAST MOMENT WHEN EVERYTHING WAS STILL POSSIBLE

Knights and shadow creatures hacked one another to pieces, but Mephistopheles’ army had encircled and guarded him and Fiona (a relatively easy thing. . because they were trouncing Sealiah’s soldiers).

Fiona sat with in a clearing twenty paces across: a spot of peace among the chaos and bloodshed-not that that made figuring out what she was seeing any easier.

“This is a trick,” she whispered to the thing that looked like Mitch.

Mitch was from the Stephenson family, wielders of white magic, and enemies of the Infernals. How could he be in Hell? He’d told her that he had to deal with “family matters. .” that was back in Germany, wasn’t it?

“It was a trick,” Mitch-or Mephistopheles-or whatever he was said. “At least in the beginning.” He held up a hand and indicated the war. “All this, a plan concocted by the Infernal Board of Directors to draw the offspring of Atropos and Lucifer into our influence.”

Fiona heard the words but they didn’t make any sense. Her face contorted with confusion.

“It was actually your father’s suggestion.”

“Louis!”

Of course that made sense: him being the cause of their trouble. With all the restraint she could muster, however, she focused back on Infernal Lord standing in front of her. Fiona was going to ask how a war-of all stupid things-was supposed to get her and Eliot to like the Infernals.

Her mouth hung open, however, as the answer slammed into her brain.

She’d seen it happen: Eliot enraptured with Jezebel from day one at Paxington-her injuries during the school year calculated to yield the maximum sympathy-his rushing to her rescue like an idiot-Eliot almost gambling his life and soul away for her-and her “tragic” loss an hour ago at the tower.

The heroic drama would be irresistible to Eliot; that, and the honey-dipped, platinum-bleached bait.

Mephistopheles nodded as he saw her get it.

“What about me?” she asked.

If Jezebel had pulled Eliot into this, how was Mitch supposed to have gotten her involved? They’d been friends. . he’d taken her on those wondrous walks. . and there’d been that kiss. There could have been a lot more, too. Fiona had been willing and ready, but it’d been Mitch who’d stopped.

“I was supposed to bring you in,” he told her with a sigh. “Everything fell into place. The Stephenson boy was going to Paxington. I have a connection with their clan from the time of Dr. Faustus, so I approached him.”⁶⁷

“You killed him?”

“No. . and yes,” Mephistopheles said slowly as if he were explaining this to a child. “Young Master Stephenson saw the wisdom of an alliance. I could help him in school and he would succeed beyond his wildest expectations.”

Fiona shook her head. Mitch would have never done that.

But what Paxington student wouldn’t have jumped at the chance at passing their classes-guaranteed? Mitch had been the only boy at school not obsessed with winning. . but maybe that’s because he knew he already would.

“All he had to do was let me possess him-but as deep a possession as our kind can commit to with mortals to avoid detection of the other Immortals. It is a melding of personality and souls.”

“So you’re Mephistopheles and Mitch?”

“Yes.” Mephistopheles examined his bare hand. “But in truth, very much more of one. . and very little of the other.”

Her stomach twisted. She had kissed him! The thing that had fangs and claws and had been a hundred-foot tall monster. She struggled to push down her rising bile.

Months ago Mitch had used white magic in that alley by Paxington to repel shadows creatures. He’d looked pained, and she’d thought then it had been the strain of producing such a powerful magic. But that hadn’t been it at all. The white magic had burned him because he was part, or mostly, Infernal.

Fiona wasn’t strong enough to stand. . so she scooched back from him. “Was everything you said to me this past year a lie?”

She bet normal girls didn’t have to go through this when they broke up with their boyfriends. A little shouting, some hurt feelings, and it was over. Not a full-scale war; fighting with your about-to-be-ex until he almost kills you; and having thousands of broken, damned souls lament along with you.

Lucky her.

Mephistopheles looked as if she’d struck him. “I have never lied to you, Fiona.”

Fiona looked into his smoky brown eyes. She didn’t believe that. .

He took a step closer. “Everything changed once I knew you. I could not use you and I would never endanger you.” He glanced away. “So I left school to finish this war without your involvement, even if that meant losing my lands. . and my life.”

Fiona snorted. “Looks like you did okay to me.”

Mitch smiled. It was the same smile that made her feel warm and loved, but there was an edge to it, something that reminded Fiona of a wolf.

Mitch’s voice became deeper. “Sealiah lost focus on the war, obsessed with wooing Eliot to her side. She succeeded, but his help was too little, too late.”

Eliot. And Robert.

Fiona had almost forgotten them, she was so engrossed in her own drama.

“Then why kill Robert?” she said, struggling to keep her voice from breaking with sorrow. “And why fight me if you cared so much?”

“I didn’t realize it was you and Robert until too late. I mean, I knew. . but the blood. . when it burns. .” Mephistopheles looked exasperated as he tried to explain. “I would have never consciously harmed you.”

Fiona had felt that way before. When her blood ran hot-she could have killed without thinking.

But what about Robert? Dead on the field somewhere. How could she ever forgive that?

She couldn’t. But she couldn’t think about Robert anymore. Her blood would demand revenge. . and that mustn’t happen now-not when she was on the verge of being able to accept Mitch’s mercy and get Eliot and herself out of here in one piece.

Oh, but Eliot! He’d never leave without his stupid Jezebel.

“Okay,” she said, lost for a moment as she struggled to hold her anger in check. “You were attacked. You got hot. You defended yourself. I get that. But winning isn’t everything.”

Mephistopheles gazed down at her, suddenly wary. “What do you mean?”

“Can’t you stop? Leave Sealiah one scrap of land so she can fix Jezebel?”

Mephistopheles looked like this was a bad joke-then his face fell. “For Eliot. Yes, as he goes, so do you.”

Was that true? Would she stay and fight even now for Eliot? After she had been so badly beaten? Amanda and Robert were gone, and she was tired of always fighting. There’d been so much bloodshed. She was sometimes even tired of being Eliot’s sister.

But that was the right thing to do. Family stuck together. No matter what.

Fiona looked up into Mitch’s face. Even if it was Mephistopheles. . it was Mitch Stephenson, too. She couldn’t stop thinking of him as the boy she knew.

Eliot was playing his music again, that same song, the one full of hope.

The sky brightened.

Mephistopheles winced, but he didn’t notice the strange orange half light as he continued to stare into her eyes.

“Yes,” Mephistopheles told her. “For you I would leave on the brink of my victory.” He blinked, surprised by his own words. “What an impossible thing you have made possible.”

An impossible thing: hope in Hell, and mercy in the depths of darkness.

“Thanks,” she whispered.