Chapter Forty-Four
W ith little effort, I grabbed at O’Malley, whispering into his mind.
Did they warn you of my tricks, filthy pirate?
He froze mid step, eyes bulging and flying to me. His mind raged with memories. Mia telling him I would be skittish from mistreatment. That I was powerful, but they had likely been feeding me little and left the blocker on. Xavier had reassured him I was unskilled without my power, that I would be frightened and desperate to get home. They had prepared for a complacent and weak fae.
They had underestimated me.
Foolish of you, O’Malley, to trust royalty.
I stepped forward, a smile on my face as I took in his worried expression. He did not back down, readying himself. In his head he wondered if killing me would lead to his own death, and then I watched as he concluded it would be worth it to suffer the consequences of ending me if it meant saving his pride. He decided it would be an easy kill—after all, I was still a young and sheltered princess. Then he glanced over to Bellamy, and the way he gleefully pictured ripping his intestines from his stomach had me seething.
I shall show you who the weak one is.
Then I was upon him, drawing my sword from my back and striking swiftly. Lian had given me this weapon. It was a perfect match to the dagger, though far larger, the runes even more eye catching—even more unsettling. She said it was lighter than most, but it still had taken me awhile to learn to wield it. I was not perfect, but I was fast and strong. Not to mention I watched as he decided his moves, reacting before he could blink.
Without realizing it, I had held back with Bellamy and his Trusted, scared to hurt them while practicing. Now, I had no such qualms. I wanted to hurt this demon. He was the perfect image of everything and everyone who had beat me down. This would be my chance to show myself just how strong I could be. To remind myself that in the end, I needed no one.
That I was no one’s but my own.
None of the others moved, opting to watch as we struck at one another, swords slashing through air and steel colliding. Each time he thought he had me, I adjusted just in time. He became sloppy with fury at my ability to hold him off, his pride becoming his downfall.
I simply laughed, enjoying the way my arms burned and my power hummed. Never before had I unleashed myself this way, controlled but free, like a waterfall. For the first time, I was flowing as I had always been meant to, and it was addictive.
Moods spiked at the sight of my growing advantage, and I felt the exact moment that O’Malley’s group decided they might need to intervene. Which sadly meant my fun had ended.
I turned in a circle, whipping my foot around to catch the back of the demon’s calf just as he had stepped back. He stumbled, crashing to the snow. As quickly as I could, I took my sword and stabbed it through his stomach, pushing until I felt it stick into the dirt below the snow. His scream was horrific, and also somewhat pleasing, sending birds flying from nearby trees. I threw my power out, grabbing hold of the minds of all sixty-three of O’Malley’s group.
Stay, I told them. Watch.
None of them moved, though their eyes bore into me as I unsheathed my dagger from my thigh. I pressed the tip lightly against O’Malley’s cheek, running it down his skin softly in time with a falling tear.
Did his victims cry as well? Did the slaves he bought, sold, and transported beg for a mercy he would not give?
His mind seemed to suggest he enjoyed their pain, relished in the way they grew weaker. He had taken many professional contracts, but when he transported goods and defended territories, he also committed atrocious crimes. His death would be a justice.
I leaned into his face, smelling heavy tobacco and nearly gagging. “Do remember my face as you burn, demon.”
With speed I had not known I possessed, I took my dagger, cut a hole in his trousers, and sliced off his pitiful penis. He howled, vomiting from the pain and choking on it. But I was not done. I took the severed member and shoved it into his mouth until I heard him gag. The runes on my weapons seemed to glow, as if feeding on his terror.
Then I gripped my sword and yanked with all my strength, ripping it from his gut in one smooth motion. O’Malley sobbed in the snow, one hand freeing his mouth and the other holding his upper wound. Just to make sure I followed through with Bellamy’s promise, I shoved both of my thumbs into his eyes, digging until a loud pop sounded.
He screamed until his voice became rough, cracking and breaking. I looked up, staring down his lackeys. As I released them, I pointed my bloody sword their way, eyes wild with wrath and eagerness.
“Think twice about your choice, now,” I warned.
Some part of me deep inside begged them to lay down their weapons.
Of course, they did not. Instead, they charged me, screaming. I rolled my eyes, though I would not pretend like I was not eager for more. Behind me, Bellamy and his Trusted snapped out of their stunned daze. They too pushed forward, all eight of us rushing to meet the far larger group ahead. My well of power was nowhere near depleted, but it had lost a significant amount after holding them all still and forcing them to watch.
Still, I was ready when two males raised their swords to me. I swung, and then I was dancing, channeling everything I had learned these last two months. I cut through two, five, then six of them, blood soaking my white blouse. Each life I took made the runes on my sword glow brighter, until it was nearly as captivating as the demon light being wielded against me.
When someone landed a blow with shadows as sharp as steel, slicing a narrow cut to my side, I roared. I was not weak. I would never be weak again.
Sterling, Mia, Xavier, the two demons who had attacked me in Haven, even Bellamy flashed through my mind. Never. Again.
I ducked out of the way of a stream of light, rearing back and swinging to behead the demon. Her blood splashed across my face, momentarily blinding me. Wiping my eyes with the back of my sleeve, I steadied myself.
Behind, another demon came for me. This time, I allowed the fight to last, eagerly slicing him throughout our battle. When I heard Winona howl in pain, I shoved my sword through his face, kicking his body off with the heel of my boot.
Then, with little care for whatever morals I might still possess, I grabbed onto every enemy mind and slowly squeezed. One by one they fell to the ground, similar to the way the afriktors had. I watched with glee as they screamed, begging for help. Suffering was the least they deserved.
Inside, I felt that part of me, the one that had wanted to be better, tell me to stop . End them quickly and be done with it, the voice seemed to say. I wanted to argue, to resist and rain fire down upon the crying demons. I wanted them to feel every ounce of pain I had in my life, to know that, in the end, it was a foolish princess who bested them.
A hand on my shoulder brought my mind back into focus. I looked back to find Bellamy there, face unreadable and palm warm. I shuddered at the contact, at the way it grounded me.
“I see you, Asher. All of you. And I am not afraid,” he whispered to me.
Just like that, I was reminded of who I was. Who I wished to be.
I shattered their minds.
All but O’Malley, who Bellamy then urged Ranbir to go to.
“Heal him only enough to speak,” he ordered. Ranbir nodded, rushing over and bending to place his hands on the demon’s stomach, eyes raking over his mutilated genitals and shivering.
I watched, thinking of all the horrible things I had ever been called, and knew they were all correct. The bodies that surrounded us were gruesome to view. Warm blood coated the snow, melting it in places and staining the world red. I wondered how many of them I had killed, and how many Bellamy and his Trusted had taken care of.
Noe walked over, eyes wide and hands raised in the air. Each of her steps were slow, calculated. She reminded me of someone approaching a caged beast. Looking down, I realized I still held my sword grasped firmly, knees slightly bent and eyes alight with havoc.
To our left, Bellamy called upon his fire, burning the bodies. I let my sword drop, taking in a deep breath and allowing a gore-soaked Noe to wrap me in her arms. When I felt her hands drag up and down my back, I exhaled the heavy breath and returned the hug.
“I know, Ash. The first time you take a life like that is never easy. I wish I could say that you will forget one day, but you will not. Personally, I can still feel the blood of my first kill dripping down my cheek. We all know that pain, and we are all here to help you,” she reassured.
Part of me thought I should tell her just how many lives I had snuffed out, like a strong breeze blowing over a table of candles. These demons were not the first to have been ended by The Manipulator, nor would they be the last.
Ranbir stood, walking over to Bellamy to speak softly, then heading to Winona and pulling her into a gentle kiss. When they parted, he assessed her, eyes roaming from foot to head. Then he kissed her once more, and I watched as her body quickly healed, how she relaxed into the touch and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Lian was once again unscathed, using a cloth to clean the blood from both of her long swords. Cyprus had barely been hurt, and I watched as his black mist slithered across the bodies before a flick of his hand snuffed it out. Noe released me, turning to face the whisp, who had on a face far more stern than his usual easy smile. Beside him, Henry let his narrow gaze roam over the carnage, blood that did not seem to be his coating his tunic.
Winona made her way to us, hair falling out of her braids. When she was close enough to smell her honey scent, the Sun pulled me into a tight embrace. Just like Noe had.
“You were so brave, love. You saved us all, do not let the weight of this burden overshadow that,” she said against my ear.
I nearly burst into tears, unprepared for the onslaught of emotions that would surface within me. Regardless of what my actions cost my soul, I would have done it again. Anything to stop the image of Bellamy’s head in Xavier’s hands from playing in my mind.
When she too released me, I forced myself to watch the many bodies burn to ash. Forced myself to see what I was at my core. I had liked hurting them, killing them, and I could not bring myself to regret it. So the pain I felt at the sight of it all, it would be mine alone to shoulder.
Across the clouds of smoke, Bellamy stood, covered in more blood than any of us and still burning black fire around his arms. He had his eyes trained at his feet, where O’Malley Harligold lay clutching at his groin, as if he could will the appendage back onto his body.
“Nothing to say? Strange, you seemed to really enjoy the sound of your own voice before,” he said, dripping rage. O’Malley moaned, body tensing at the sound of Bellamy’s voice. When the prince reached down and grabbed at the pirate’s jaw with a flaming hand, ripping it to the side so he could look into his bloody eyes, O’Malley began to sob.
Taking that as my cue, I made my way around the bodies, coming to a stop before the two of them. The pirate flinched when I dug into his mind, seeking out information about the royals and what they wanted. He knew very little, only having met with them once and then portaling back to Eoforhild and seeking out our group. It had taken him two months to find us, and he was running out of time.
I nodded to Bellamy, letting him know I had everything I needed from the demon at our feet. Then an eerily familiar smile formed on his lips, as if he had been holding back his blood lust and this signal was a relief.
“We are on a bit of a time crunch, so I am unable to take my time with this,” Bellamy said. I could not force myself to look away as he lifted his blazing arm and seethed, “Perhaps we can settle this in the Underworld.”
Then his arm swung down, fire ripping through the skin and bone, severing the demon’s head.