Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Nina
The barren wasteland stretched endlessly in every direction, a vast expanse of cracked red earth beneath the whorl of crimson building overhead.
Dominik stood at the front of the group, scanning the horizon. “We could head towards the mountains,” he said.
Felix crossed his arms. “What makes you the leader?”
Dominik sighed. “I don’t think I’m the leader. I just know The Crossing will take us nowhere. We want to head in that direction—” he pointed to the mountains “—towards the domains, and the Heart of Hell.”
“Oh, so you skipped out on us in Torment, but now you want to be helpful.”
Selene muttered under her breath while she checked the burns on her arms, “Felix has got a point.”
Dominik tensed. “Do what you like. I’m heading that way.”
“Fine by me, ‘cause I’m staying right here,” Felix said.
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Look, we need to get out of The Crossing, okay? Let’s all just go together.”
Felix looked at me, pleading. “You heard what he said back there, right? He’s no hero, and when the time is right, he’s going to betray you.”
“Yes, I heard. But I don’t want to be out here in the open just as much as Dominik, so—”
“Why not?” Amabel chimed in. “Those mountains look dark and smelly and damp. Who knows what creatures roam there? Maybe we should just try our luck out here.”
Felix opened his mouth, but a low, guttural sound cut him off. A screeching noise followed, setting my instincts on fire.
The sky above us darkened, shadows blotting out the red glow of Hell’s light.
I looked up.
And my stomach plummeted.
Furies.
And more than two dozen of them were diving straight for us.
“Oh, hell no,” Felix breathed.
“Run!” I screamed.
The five of us bolted across The Crossing, the cracked earth uneven beneath our feet. The Furies descended like eagles, shrieking as they tore through the air.
One of them clipped Amabel’s shoulder, sending her stumbling. She barely regained her balance before another dove, claws skimming her neck.
“Worse than the Magpies,” Felix shouted.
“No kidding,” Selene snapped, swinging her arm up to block a set of talons that nearly raked across her face.
The mountains weren’t close, but they were our only shot. They rose in the distance. We just had to keep running.
“This way,” I shouted, veering towards a rockier incline, hoping for cover.
The Furies weren’t just attacking from above. Some had landed and charged at us, their wings behind them, streamlined. And they were fast, right on our heels.
Dominik swore, skidding to a halt to fling something – a handful of glowing dust that erupted into a burst of violet sparks. One of the creatures reeled back, hissing, but another slammed into his side, knocking him off his feet.
Felix and I grabbed him, yanking him forward.
“Keep moving,” I gasped.
Selene was lagging. Amabel was struggling. We weren’t going to make it. And the Furies knew it.
I could hear their wings slicing through the air, the rasping screeches that sent ice through my veins.
A thick smoke poured from the foot of the mountains. It swept forward in a dense wave, and the Furies faltered, just for a second.
Two golden eyes locked onto mine.
Salazar.
His deep, echoing voice stopped us all in our tracks. “Take the path to the left.” His form flickered, shifting like an illusion, neither fully solid nor entirely smoke. But he was there, as accurate as anything in this damned place.
Felix skidded to a stop beside me. “Are you seeing this?”
I nodded. “Let’s do what he says. Follow me.”
Salazar’s eyes landed on me, unwavering. “Nina, there’s a path through the caves. You’ll be safe there.”
A Fury shrieked above us, diving. Salazar narrowed his golden eyes, and the creature lurched mid-air, its wings folding in on themselves, as though gripped by an invisible force. It screeched in anger, twisting violently before being flung backwards into the wasteland.
The others stared.
Dominik’s fingers twitched towards his belt as if reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there.
Felix’s eyes were wide in panic. “Who in flaming misery is this?”
I wiped the sweat from my brow, chest heaving. “Salazar.”
Selene was just as nervous as Felix. “Want to expand on that a bit?”
“Not right now,” I said and threw her an apologetic look.
Salazar barely acknowledged them. He was looking at me. His voice was coarse, ancient and heavy. “You need to hurry.”
There was no other choice. We had no weapons. No way to fight. So, I followed him through the mountains.
The entrance to the cave was a rip in the mountainside, and the inside was swallowed in darkness. Salazar’s smoky form curled in last, pushing us forward.
And behind us, a Fury followed.
It was relentless, its wings torn from battle, its eyes filled with hunger. It screeched as it lunged through the cavern entrance, talons outstretched, rage bleeding from its body.
Amabel was the closest. She raised her arm as if to block the attack, but the Fury’s claws raked across her side, sending her crashing against the wall. She gasped, hand clutching her ribs as she slid down, her face contorted in pain.
“Oh shit.” Felix lunged towards her, pulling her back in time to avoid a final blow.
The Fury landed on all fours, coiling its body to strike again.
Salazar turned to me and handed me a dagger. It wasn’t like any weapon I’d ever seen before. The blade was blackened metal, carved with spiralling inscriptions, and the handle was bound in something deep red.
Dominik stiffened. “You’re giving her a weapon?”
Salazar didn’t look at him. Didn’t look at anyone but me. “Use it.”
The Fury lunged.
I didn’t have time to think or weigh my options. I stepped forward, blade in hand, and met the creature head-on.
The moment the blade sank into its chest, the world seemed to tilt.
The Fury convulsed, a horrible, high-pitched wail tearing from its throat.
A rush of heat surged through the dagger, and I felt the Fury’s life force shudder, draining into the blade like a dying breath. The dagger absorbed it, drank it whole, and the creature collapsed, silent, empty.
My hand shook as I yanked the blade free. The metal still pulsed, faintly warm, as though it were full.
The cavern was quiet.
I looked down at the lifeless body of the Fury, then at the dagger, then back at Salazar.
“What was that?”
“You killed it, obviously,” Salazar said.
“I’m talking about the dagger. It was like magic.”
“It consumes energy. Keep it close. There might be more Furies that come tonight.”
“Why do you keep helping me?” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
He didn’t answer. Not with words. But his gaze was knowing, as if he already had a reason.
And that, somehow, was more terrifying than the Furies.
***
The fire crackled low, throwing flickering shadows against the cave walls, the embers burning red like the fractured ground outside.
We sat around it, all of us exhausted. Amabel had fallen into a deep sleep, while the rest of us struggled to relax.
The silence hanging between us was apparent, but not entirely uncomfortable.
After every trial, every near-death, every horror – we’d survived. And yet, there was no celebration or relief, because our fates weren’t clear.
Salazar had disappeared, though I had a feeling he might be lurking in the darkness, watching and listening. He seemed to always show up at the right moment.
Felix stretched out on his back, hands tucked behind his head, gazing at the cavern ceiling. “I think I’m done with this whole ridiculous game.”
Selene raised an eyebrow, tossing a twig into the fire. “Oh?”
Felix sighed. “It’s been real, truly, but I think I’d rather not come to a horrible end in the next domain.”
I smirked. “Coward.”
Felix grinned. “Coward? No, no. I like to think of it as making an informed decision. I’ve got no relics left.” He nudged me with his boot. “And frankly, I’m not in the mood to start all over again. These demons are sadists.”
I snorted. “So, what, you’re just going to bow out? Go frolic in Hell?”
He turned his head towards me, eyes glinting with mischief. “Who says I need to frolic? I’ll find a place. Might even take up residence in Temptation. So, I can drink, dance, and spend eternity in a silk robe.”
Selene rolled her eyes. “You’d last a month before getting bored.”
Felix sat up, pressing a hand to his chest in mock offence. “You wound me.” Then he stretched, rolling his shoulders lazily. “But you know what, you’re probably right. Maybe I’ll make a deal with Corruption instead.”
I frowned. “You’re actually considering making a bargain with the demons?”
Felix tipped his head back as though the thought had weighed on him longer than he wanted to admit. “Maybe. The Cycle’s too much of a gamble. And let’s be honest, none of us has seen proof that winning gets you out of Hell. At least with a bargain, you know what you’re getting into.”
Selene hummed, tracing a scar along her palm. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too.”
Felix turned to her. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I might bargain with Madalena.”
Felix let out a low whistle. “You sure? You’ve seen what she does.”
“That’s why I want to go there,” Selene said. “At least I can make sure the worst people get what they deserve.”
I studied her carefully. This wasn’t just about survival for her. It was purpose, like Hell had given her something the world never did: the power to matter. The power to make a difference.
“You sound like you’ve made up your mind,” I said quietly.
Selene didn’t flinch. “I have.”
Felix made a face and muttered something about people being insane.
“Eternity’s a long time to exist in Torment,” I said.
Her eyes met mine, and something passed between us for a moment. Selene had become a true friend. Who would have thought it?
It hurt to think of her struggling, enduring, in Torment.
“I thought Hell would break me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But I think it’s made me stronger.”