With both Mugger and Mother gone, Pestifere had been free to devote his time to Zarek. In truth, he doted on him. Meanwhile, the boy never failed to please. Indeed, he committed his own first murder shortly after Mother’s death.
Yes, the boy was strong, bright—and best of all—without restraint.
He introduced the child soon after he met him—in his seventh year—to Daeva. Fortunately, the underlord approved. Seven years later, he re-introduced him. Now old enough, mature enough, aware enough, to make decisions and to appreciate the consequences of them, he asked Zarek if he wanted to swear his allegiance to the underlord.
He did.
I wanted to get rid of Lucy—but a simple murder wasn’t good enough for her. No, that which she perceived as her first interest—the Select—should go down with her. So, I made my plans, while Daeva made his. Fortunately, they coincided.
About that time, the underlord discovered Lilith’s hatred for her sister. When, in her childish anger and resentment, she’d vowed with the vigor that only a young one could, that she’d do anything to destroy Rowena, he visited her. It was a connection the two would maintain over the years.
Time passed. Finally, when Zarek’s twenty-first year arrived, he once again, re-committed himself to the lords of the underworld. Meanwhile, Lilith reached the ripe age of fourteen. She hadn’t given up on her hopes of destroying her sister. Thus, she confirmed with Daeva that she would follow him; she needed him.
Since Lilith was willing to do what it would take to bring Rowena down, Daeva agreed to help her. It was unlikely, after all, that her own Oathtaker—Marshall—would ever notice her change in allegiance. He’d sworn his oath for her protection when she was just an infant—back when she was fully innocent.
Daeva knew the Oathtaker’s bond to her would be severed as a consequence of her actions, but doubted the man would ever notice. It was more likely that he’d blame himself for failing her in some regard. Who, after all, would ever expect that such a young one could turn so completely against her own kind? But she, like Zarek earlier, had been fully aware in her teen years of what it was that she was doing. And so, Daeva would use her.
It was then that their plans truly began to take shape.
Over the years, until Lucy took refuge at the compound where he was unable to locate her, Pestifere left Zarek from time to time to return to Oosa—to spy on Lucy. He recalled in detail, the day he’d discovered her connection to Rowena. He knew it would devastate Lucy to lose her. Thus, he contemplated a simple assassination. But upon informing the underlord of all he’d learned, Daeva urged him to exercise patience, as his goal was to destroy not only Rowena, but the Select as a whole—once and for all. Wouldn’t that be better, the underlord reasoned? Wouldn’t Lucy suffer all the more?
Yes, she would—and Lilith had offered the perfect opportunity to bring that suffering about.
Rowena continued with her mission to bring about a seventh born daughter of a seventh born daughter of the Select. As she concentrated on her interests, he helped Daeva with plans for Lilith and Zarek. He was devastated when those plans did not work. Then he and the underlords spent the next two decades coming up with a new scheme.
And finally, it was coming to fruition.