This time the demons stayed back. They were quite, quite focused on the fight.

 

I dropped back, glancing at Kanesha.

 

“Maybe you should send me back to Earth.”

 

“Earth’s in as much trouble.” Then I walked over to my father.
“Using me as a bluff.”

 

I grinned. “Was it a bluff?”

 

“I thought Lucifer had a leash on him,” Loki grumbled.

 

“Apparently not a tight enough one. He’s doing this to get his rank back. With no understanding…”

 

“Oh, demons have no clue how anything works outside their own realm.”

 

“But we need to get rid of him.”

 

“I could take Kanesha somewhere he can’t get to. Want to talk to her anyway.”

 

I looked at Kanesha. “I know…”

 

“I’d rather stay and fight, but if removing me gets rid of the demons.”

 

“Tyz’vel could have been lying.”

 

Loki shrugs. “Demons tell the truth occasionally. I tell the truth…occasionally.”

 

Kanesha laughed. “I’ll go with him. If it doesn’t work he can bring me back.”

 

“I will bring her back. At the right time.” It had the tone of a promise.

 

A promise from a trickster. But then, the times Loki had said he would do something he always did.

 

He just never made promises. He had never actually promised fidelity to my mother. He had never promised he would not hurt Baldur.

 

This time he was making a promise and I trusted him.

 

Kanesha reached for his hand. “I’ll be back soon.”
And then they were both gone in a swirl of rainbow.

 

And a moment later, the gates of Hell began to close. He had told the truth.

 

He had told the truth thinking I would not send her into danger or expose the dwarves to attack. But Loki had taken her somewhere.

 

Somewhere he claimed was safe.

 

I would know if she was not safe. I would know if anything happened to her. And I knew if anything did it was not his fault.

 

Even gods could make mistakes.