"If I may..." said a deep voice from the door. All heads turned to see Archduke Beelzebub crawling through the door. Lucifer's best friend and confidante approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Michael fumed; he had disliked his brother's old friend since their days in Heaven together. The rebellion had been more than half Beelzebub's idea, and Michael could tell Beelzebub's motives were nowhere near as altruistic as Lucifer's. Unfortunately, Lucifer trusted his oldest friend deeply. Whatever the insectoid demon was about to say could only be bad for Michael's plan.
"What is it, Beelzebub?" Lucifer asked.
"I couldn't help but overhear your angelic brother's strategy as I came in," said Beelzebub, spitting out the word "angelic" as if it were a deeply vulgar profanity. "Perhaps he means well... perhaps." He scanned the room, smiling as he watched the demonic nobles begin to murmur and whisper. It was all too easy to play on the hardliners' mistrust of angels. "Even so, I have to advise against it. How can we risk sending the assassination targets so far from home while desperate, crafty men are hunting them? It's madness!"
Beelzebub glanced around at his audience. The vast majority of the demons were nodding, seeing wisdom in his words. Even Lucifer began to slowly nod. "Furthermore, how can we dare contemplate sending them straight from one danger to another?"
"Do you dare to imply that the angels would try to murder Lady Tenebra and her mother?!" Michael snapped, his hand going reflexively to his sword. "Are you somehow not aware that Heaven and Hell have been at peace since the wedding of Prince Charon and Princess Remeila?"
"Your loyalty to your King does you credit, Michael," Beelzebub said icily, "but it seems to have rendered you naive and blind. God and your brother may have ended the state of war, but many demons and angels alike have never forgiven the other side for all those years of bloodshed. Angels have killed demons, and demons have killed angels. Surely there are angels who would jump at the chance to strike at Hellish nobility in such a moment of vulnerability! They could even easily deflect blame onto these dimension-hopping Iron Knights, given the circumstances. Do you really think Kushiel would be able to refrain himself from arranging a few 'well-deserved' demonic deaths? And considering that he has access to Heaven's entire inquisition..."
Michael groaned. That did it; Kushiel was the perfect trump card for Archduke Beelzebub. The Grand Inquisitor was renowned throughout Heaven and Hell for his absolutely psychotic hatred of demons. During the rebellion, Kushiel was even briefly exiled to Earth by God after slaughtering a legion of Lucifer's rebels who were trying to surrender. Invoking his name was all Beelzebub had to do to convince Lucifer that Rachel and her mother wouldn't be safe in Heaven.
"Besides," Beelzebub said to Lucifer while faking a friendly smile, "wouldn't you like to keep your future daughter-in-law close to you during these difficult times?"
"Your words make sense, old friend," Lucifer sighed. "You may have just saved me from making a huge mistake." He turned to Michael and Baal. "I know your hearts are in the right place, but I'll have to say no. Lady Tenebra and her mother will remain in Hell. I... I can't let them anywhere that Kushiel has even a scrap of authority. I know both of you remember his war crimes well."
"But Your Majesty!" Baal protested. "I know the Iron Knights are somewhere down here! I can't tell you the exact circle, but I know they're somewhere in Hell, and deep!"
"Then I trust you to surround Lady Tenebra and her mother with your finest warriors," Lucifer said. "They just made short work of the fugitives' comrades, after all."
"May I at least stay, brother?" Michael asked. "I want to aid in the investigation, and you know you can trust me."
"Trust YOU?!" Beelzebub spat. "Why should our king trust the brother who betrayed him to God during the rebellion?"
"With all due respect, Beelzebub," Lucifer interjected, "a brother is a brother. I owe Michael this much." He turned to face Michael. "I would be honored if you came to search for Lady Tenebra's would-be killer. Do you think God will allow it?"
"The hidden assassin is Rev. Church, the man who struck Princess Penemue," said Michael, relieved that he had just eked out a small victory. "To help Tenebra is to help God."
"And Parthenope won't mind?" Lucifer chuckled.
Parthenope was the Heavenly name of Michael's wife, better known in human history books as Joan of Arc. When God sent Michael to save Joan from the English, the angelic general fell in love with the famed Maid of Orleans. She agreed to become an angel and marry Michael, and a flesh puppet was left behind for the English to burn at the stake. The two had been the ultimate power couple in the celestial army ever since.
"Parthenope knows that the demands of our military positions sometimes force us to spend extended periods of time apart," said Michael. "She'll understand if I'm doing this to prevent a murder. I'll write to her and God at once."
"Very well, angel," Beelzebub sneered. "Play detective if you like. Just don't expect the locals to be too cooperative with Heaven's greatest general as you poke your nose in everybody's business." With that, the Archduke of the Eighth Circle crawled out of the room.