Chapter 32 #2
The Magpies obeyed, flying higher into the red sky. Selene struggled to stand, and I knew she wouldn’t last another hit. The Magpies would destroy her. I couldn’t just watch. I wouldn’t.
A whisper left my lips before I realised I was speaking. “Help me. I know you can hear me.”
“We are waiting for you.”
“How do I save her?” I gasped.
“Bring forth the fires.”
Something inside me cracked open – not by accident, but by will. I reached for what I’d seen in the vision with the Creator.
The burning shadows.
I practically felt them crawling through the depths of Hell. It was the Essence that fed every fire, fuelled every fibre in this realm. I called to the shadows, as I’d seen them summoned before. As in Temptation, I willed my desire into form.
They answered.
Darkness crept across the arena, slithering through the dirt, roots spreading outward until they coiled around Selene’s feet.
Above, the Magpies dove.
A spark bloomed in my chest – a pulse of heat, of agony, of power – and the shadows erupted.
Flames roared to life, twisting upward from the ground in screaming columns, wild and hungry . . . fury let loose.
I knew these flames. The same living fire that had broken free from the pyre on Firstfire . . . and had taken my life.
The first Magpie shrieked as fire licked its wings. It spiralled, losing control, and crashed into the dirt. The second veered away from the fire and retreated to the sky, shrieking through the pit.
Madalena’s laughter died. Her startled gaze darted to Selene and then to us on the edge of the arena. Those bulging eyes locked onto me. A small smile curved my lips. A show of defiance. The demon stood abruptly, her chair scraping back. “How dare—”
Then her gaze snapped to the first Magpie. The one I had fought. The one now standing beside her on the dais. Madalena’s fury heightened, and her lips curled back. “Get out of my way, Hector.”
The Magpie didn’t move. “My Lady, perhaps it was one of the demons.” His gaze flicked to me. “You know how they sow lies.”
Madalena’s nostrils flared, but she nodded. “You’re right. No soul could be this aligned with an infernal realm.”
The gong rang out through the arena.
I held still. Madalena didn’t look at me again.
Instead, she turned, grabbed a relic from the air, and threw it at Selene’s feet.
She whirled around, her silks pooling behind her as she stormed away through a tunnel, with Ronan trailing closely at her heels.
Hector gave me one final look and a nod before slipping away down the tunnel behind them.
“Burn me in the pit, what was that?” Felix’s eyes were wide.
“No idea,” I whispered.
“Was it Selene?” he muttered.
I shrugged.
And then he let out a huge laugh. “I can’t believe we’re all still here.”
“Me neither.”
Selene was still on the ground, struggling to get to her feet. Her opponents, the two Magpies, flew up into the sky and out of the arena.
I ran to Selene and cringed at the sight of gashes down her side, blood leaking onto her leathers.
“Well,” she muttered. “That was dramatic.”
I laughed. “It sure was.”
Selene winced as I grabbed her wrist and yanked her upright. She was unsteady on her feet, so I held onto her a little longer until she stopped swaying.
A chorus of hums filled the stands. My eyes went skyward to the levels looming above us. They were filled with Madalena’s wicked, oily soldiers. Their bodies slithered and twisted, not fully formed, but their limbs elongated and primed to pointed ends.
My stomach dropped. “We should probably get out of here now.”
Felix had hoisted a now-conscious but groggy Amabel onto his side, helping her limp towards one of the tunnels.
I turned to follow, but it was too late as the creatures dropped from the stands above, one after another, their oily bodies warping mid-air before slamming into the ground. They landed between us and the exit, dozens if not hundreds of them.
I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “You have got to be kidding me.”
The creatures oozed forward as more and more of them spilt into the arena.
I grabbed Selene’s arm, hauling her forward. “Go.”
“Where?”
“That tunnel.” I jerked my chin towards the same passage Madalena had disappeared into. Selene didn’t argue as we ran, her breathing ragged from the pain, no doubt.
The sound of the creatures humming and slithering behind us pushed us harder, and we slipped into the tunnel. But there were four ways to go, and no sign to tell us which would lead us back to the Heart of Hell.
A voice from above called down. “Go left!” Hector was positioned on a cliff above us.
“She is playing a dangerous game by sending her minions after you. The Cycle has laws, and even demons are forbidden to break them directly. Killing you outside of a trial? That isn’t allowed.
But trust me, she’s committed to killing you all after that display. ”
I didn’t stop to question what he knew or why he was helping us. I dragged Selene left, even against her protests.
“We’re trusting a Magpie, now?”
“Yes,” I said. “He’s imprisoned here, just like the rest of us.”
The tunnel narrowed, and the creatures were still following, but there were just too many of them. Selene was injured and slowing down. This wasn’t going to work.
“Go.” I gestured for Selene to continue.
I had to hold off the monstrous creatures of Torment on my own.
Selene stumbled to a halt. “What about you?”
“Just go . . . before I change my mind.” I grinned.
Something like worry came over her features. She looked like she wanted to argue, but she was already swaying. She didn’t have long.
“Get back to Fear,” I insisted. “I’ll be fine. You, on the other hand, won’t be fine if you stay here.”
She nodded and limped on through the tunnel. Then I ran the other way – towards the slick, oily creatures surging after me.
They didn’t rush me all at once. No, they were toying with me. Drawing it out.
I was still standing, and that had to count for something, because every scratch and every wound was another reminder that I was still here.
One of the creatures lunged. Its pointed limb was a sharp knife as it sliced across my thigh, and I bit back a scream, my leg nearly buckling beneath me. Pain flared, and this time, I embraced it.
I focused, breathed through it, and imagined a light sword, sleek and lethal.
My fingers curled, and in my palm, the sword materialised.
I swung it at the first creature, and it let out a high-pitched shriek as my blade tore through its form, splitting it open. I pivoted, swinging again, cutting through the black mass of another one lunging at my side.
But they kept coming.
The sword was light and easy to wield, but my limbs lost strength, and my vision blurred at the edges.
The creatures pressed in, and one lashed out, slicing a burning line across my shoulder.
Another came at my ankles, and I jumped back in time, but the movement cost me – pain seared through my ribs as another pierced forward with its pointed limb outstretched and sharp as a needle.
I staggered, and the ground beneath me swam.
This was the end.
I had no strength left to keep them back. Not even that strange well of power from within me. I could sense that it was empty, deep inside my chest, and there was no final magic trick that could save me now.
I was ready to face my defeat when a roar of smoke pooled before me. It spiralled up into the tunnel, taller than I was, a shifting darkness that writhed like a storm.
The creatures froze, watching the monster of smoke gain some semblance of a form, and then they dispersed, disappearing the way they came.
Golden, burning eyes locked onto me.
“Salazar,” I murmured. “What are you doing here?”
His dark, wraithlike form flickered as though it struggled to remain whole.
I clenched my jaw, tightening my grip on my sword.
“I heard your cries,” he said. “I came to help.”
I swallowed hard, keeping my stance firm. “Thanks, but I can manage.”
The ground beneath him sizzled as he approached me.
“I want you to free me, Nina.”
I blinked.
“My freedom would mean the end of The Cycle. It would mean freedom for you. Freedom for all the other souls the demons have no right to claim.”
“Like your Magpies? Madalena has them trapped here too, but you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Something shifted in his expression. A flicker of recognition, and he nodded.
“What do you want from me, then?”
“I can heal you.”
“And in return, I let you loose? That’s the bargain? How can I trust that you won’t betray me?”
“You can’t. But believe me when I say this deal is the truth.”
“How do I know you’re not manipulating me?”
His smoky form rippled. “I vow to you this is the truth.”
“Well, I don’t want to get wrapped up in bargains. Besides, I’m better off with The Cycle. It gives me a chance to escape Hell. No strings attached.”
“If you want to get out of Hell, then you know where to find me.” He sounded angry.
“I don’t know how I could ever trust you.”
“I may be in the game of bargains, but I’m not in the game of lies.”
“Funny, but I thought you were a demon, and I’m starting to get a good idea that all demons lie and manipulate.”
“When you learn the truth for yourself, you might reconsider our deal.” The smoke began to disperse. Salazar was leaving.
I took a step forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His form collapsed inward, curling into nothingness. I was alone again, and only the stench of Torment remained. I rubbed my temples, trying to will the frustration and anger away.
Salazar didn’t know I already knew the truth of The Cycle.
I had glimpsed his downfall, seeing the other demons overthrow him. The Creator showed me the making of The Cycle.
I was shaking, I was bleeding, and my limbs were screaming for rest. But I wasn’t about to take up a bed in the middle of this place. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my body, I limped down the tunnel.
I needed to get back to Temptation and find Leander.
I knew I couldn’t tell him about the burning shadows. The power still hummed beneath my skin. Selene was alive, breathing, and whole, but I didn’t understand how I’d done it.
That hadn’t been instinct. That had been something else.
Hell had moved through me. Not against me.
I’d reached for power, and it had answered.
But why me?
***
The path back to the Heart of Hell felt longer this time. My limbs were heavy with exhaustion, my wounds throbbing in protest. But I kept moving, one foot in front of the other.
Torment was behind me, and Temptation was ahead. I reached the threshold of the Heart of Hell before my legs finally gave out.
The last thing I saw was the familiar flicker of firelight before the world tilted sideways.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.
"Again?" The voice sounded smooth and pleasant. "This is getting to be a regular routine for us, isn't it?" A low chuckle cut through my tiredness, and I was raised with muscular arms under my legs and back.
I inhaled deeply, the scent of fruity cherries wrapping around me.
I couldn’t even find the strength to roll my eyes at him. “I didn’t think you came here.”
“I don’t make a habit out of it,” Leander said. “We demons tend not to leave our domains, because this is a neutral zone.”
I only half-registered the world moving as he carried me through the shimmering veil and into Temptation.
I was slipping between reality and sleep when my back met soft sheets.
“You’re worse off than last time,” Leander said.
I cracked one eye open as he settled onto the edge of the bed, a wet cloth in his hand. “You’re still carrying me around like I’m fragile,” I muttered, voice hoarse.
He grinned. “What do you expect when you keep collapsing at my feet?” He ran the cloth over my arm, carefully but efficiently wiping away blood and dirt.
I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of him . . . a no-good, stinking bastard came to mind . . . but I bit my tongue. He was actually helping me, after all.
An ointment materialised in his palm, and he rubbed it across my arms, and then gently at the gash across my neck. His touch was light and careful, and I couldn’t help but glance away from his gaze, because I was afraid he’d notice my breath catching.
“Your cuts and grazes will heal. Nothing fatal,” he said, as though it was just a fact, and he wasn’t rubbing his fingertips across my body.
“Good to know,” I muttered. The pain was already ebbing, thanks to his magical ointment.
“A missive from Torment came while you were gone. Madalena accused me of breaking our laws and giving you power to wield inside her domain.”
I blinked, forcing my thoughts to refocus.
Leander smirked. “Clearly, you made quite an impression. What happened?”
I let my head drop back against the pillow.
“She said you bested her Magpies.”
“I guess so,” I muttered. “But I still came out looking like this.”
“How did you do it?”
I shrugged, my body too drained to explain, or maybe I just wanted to see if he could figure it out himself.
“Madalena also mentioned the burning shadows.”
I stared at him through half-lidded eyes. “She’s a maniac.”
He scanned my face, looking for answers. “No one has the power to bring forth the infernal fires. No one since Salazar. So, it’s strange that Madalena believes that you had that power. A mortal soul.”
“Those burning shadows saved Selene, not me,” I said. “Maybe it has something to do with Dimitri.”
“Hmm,” Leander mused. “If Hell favours Selene, it’s not out of kindness.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Hell has its own agenda, and it doesn’t side with any soul unless it wants something in return.” Leander studied me, then rose from the bed.
The demon Salazar came to mind. What was his agenda in all of this? He wanted freedom from his prison, but what did that mean for the rest of Hell? What would it mean for me?
“Would you tell me about Salazar?” I asked.
“What do you want to know?”
“What happened to him?”
“I enjoyed Salazar’s company, a very long time ago. But his rule was not a kind one.”
I scoffed. “What is kind in Hell?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Salazar was . . . a dark ruler. Demons suffered just as much as souls, and their torment was endless, without mercy or distinction.” He sighed and straightened. “Get some rest.”
“Leander,” I whispered. “Is there anything about The Cycle you’re not telling me?”
“We can talk about it another day,” he said, and then stalked from the room and left me to settle into silence.
Sleep almost took me, but first, I retrieved the steel key safely tucked into my fighting leathers and slipped it onto the chain around my neck, joining the locket from Fear and the ring from Corruption.
As I fell asleep on Leander's silk sheets, I couldn't help but worry if I was on the verge of returning to Tobias or facing a far worse fate.