Whatever made Allegra the keeper - she had given it to Schuyler for safekeeping.

The Order of the Seven had been sent out into the world to find the Paths of the Dead and build gates to keep the demons in the underworld. But what if one of them had found something else... not a path to the dead but a path back to Eden. What then? Why had Allegra not chosen to use the key herself ? What was she hiding? Why did she hide it in her daughter?

Gabrielle's daughter will bring us salvation, Lawrence had told her. She will lead the Fallen back to Paradise.

It was all up to her. Schuyler Van Alen was the keeper and key. The Key of the Twins.

"We have to find it before the Silver Bloods and Nephilim do. And we have to defend it. Oliver, Kingsley... you have to help me."

"Already there, Sky," Oliver said. He looked up from notes that Lawrence had left, and read the passage that had led them to Cairo. "'On the shore of the river of gold, the victor's city shall once again rise on the threshold of the Gate of Promise.' The Thames is named after Isis, the golden goddess.

And as for the victor's city - the City of London was estab-lished by the Romans in A.D. 43."

"What do you say, guys?" Schuyler asked.

"Londontown," Kingsley mused. "Good place as any."

"I'll get our tickets changed," Oliver said, standing and feeling exhilarated to find himself useful again.

Schuyler felt her heart calm. There was so much to do before the end. She thought of Bliss out there - she had been charged with finding the wolves - but from what she had seen of the Hellhounds, she knew that her sister had a tough task ahead of her. They would need the Hounds of Hell in the end, if they were to destroy the Silver Bloods, her mother had said.

When the time came, when the battle was fought, she hoped she would find Bliss by her side.

Kingsley gathered their empty cups and tossed them in the trash. Schuyler took a moment to herself while she was alone. She could not feel Jack in the glom anymore. The telepathic bond between them had gone dead, and she did not know if he was alive or dead. She had to carry on without him.

She had promised him that. Just as before, she would have to find a way to survive, and she was glad she would have her friends with her this time.

Chapter Fifty-eight

Bonded Servants

The Dark Prince sat on his golden throne. One day, not far in the future, he would no longer need this facsimile of Paradise. One day, he would return to his former glory.

"I was wondering when you both would realize that the Uncorrupted will never appreciate you like I do." Lucifer smiled when he saw the latest additions to his royal court.

Abbadon and Azrael shone in their golden raiment. They were dressed for battle, as they had been that day so long ago, during the glorious rebellion, when Lucifer had first tried to take Paradise for his own.

Their wings beat against their backs, and their golden armor glowed like beacons in the night. Their faces were calm and serene, extraordinarily beautiful. His lovely dark angels.

Lucifer sat in his white robes, gleaming, shining with a light more wondrous than anything they had ever seen. This was the morning Star. The lost prince of Heaven.

They walked up to the throne and knelt at his feet.

"We come to pledge our allegiance in return for an unmaking," Abbadon said.

"Our swords are yours to command," Azrael added.

"What proof do I have of your loyalty? You betrayed me once before," Lucifer demanded.

Jack was prepared. "You shall hold our souls hostage until we are free. When our debt is paid, we will regain them along with our freedom from the bond and each other."

Mimi nodded.

"So be it." The Dark Prince smiled. With Azrael and Abbadon at his side, his return to Paradise was assured. "Arise, my friends. Welcome back to the fight."

Epilogue

The White Darkness

Allegra waked into the White Darkness. It was over twenty years since she had broken her Bond. Not long ago, she had left her two daughters back on earth with their tasks, and she had journeyed down to the center of Tartarus. She found Charles in a smoky nightclub. They had not seen each other since that night when she'd left him in New York.

"There you are," she said gently.

Charles wore a sharp black suit and was sitting in front of a piano, idly playing the keys. "How did you find me here?" he asked.

"It's one of our favorite memories, isn't it?" Allegra looked around. "1923. The Cotton Club. Before the fire."

Charles sighed.

"Shall I play you something?" Allegra asked, sitting next to him. "Will you sing for me?"

Charles nodded. He stood to take the microphone and began to sing. "'Unstop the day, you'll rise again...'"

Allegra listened, her eyes glistening with tears as she played. When he was done, she clapped.

"Shall I tell you the story? Of Florence," Charles asked. "I do not know if you are strong enough to hear it."

"Begin from the beginning," Allegra said. "I only know my side."