Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Nina
The snufflebeasts grunted softly as I scattered seed across their troughs. They were clumsy creatures, forever banging their heads, but their eyes were wide and patient. I liked that about them. They didn’t judge or demand, like most of the monsters did in Hell.
The stables were one of the few places in this domain that didn’t feel overwhelming. Here, the ground was solid, the heat gentle, and the quiet almost kind. Feeding them gave me something to do with my hands, something to tether my thoughts when the rest of this realm tried to pull them apart.
I’d lost track of time long ago. Days slipped into one another until the measure of them stopped mattering. I told myself it had been a few weeks since I’d fallen here, but that might have been wishful thinking. Maybe it had been months. Maybe Tobias had already forgotten me.
I brushed my palm along one beast’s coarse flank. It rumbled deep in its throat, leaning into the touch. The sound reminded me of a heartbeat.
“Domestic,” a voice said behind me, low and amused. “Didn’t expect that.”
I didn’t turn. “Try the word human. It’s closer.”
Leander’s reflection rippled in the water trough before I saw him in full. He leaned against the fence post, silver-blond hair catching the faint glow that passed for sunlight here. His shirt hung open at the collar, revealing taut muscles beneath.
“Did you try to poison me?” I asked as I tipped the bucket, letting the last handful of grain fall into eager mouths.
“I've heard all about that from Kob,” he said. “You should choose your allies more carefully.”
“Who says it was an ally?"
"You can never trust anyone in Hell, Nina."
I snapped my head around to him. He never called me by my name. This had to be serious.
“Come,” he said. “You owe me a session.”
“Really? I don’t recall owing you anything.”
His smile deepened. “Well, you look like you need a break."
I sighed, setting the empty bucket aside. The snufflebeasts nudged the fence rails, grunting, their breaths warm against my arm. “Fine. Let's train."
The courtyard looked unchanged from the last time we’d sparred. But the way Leander moved, the quiet intent in his stride, made something coil in my stomach.
He stopped at the centre and turned to me. “Today, we’ll switch it up.”
The sand shuddered like an earthquake had struck. The ground cracked apart. I stumbled back as slabs appeared, arranged in a grid of wide square tiles. The edges glowed gold and red.
Leander stepped onto the far edge, hands loose at his sides.
“The rules are simple. You start on one side, and I start opposite. The first to the middle wins. Along the way, we ask questions. You answer, then take a step. The board rewards honesty and punishes lies.”
“Punishes?”
He smiled faintly. “You’ll see.”
I glanced at the glowing tiles. Some shimmered softly gold, others a dull obsidian tone that seemed to swallow light. The pattern looked random, but I doubted anything Leander created ever was.
Heat rippled beneath my boots as I stepped onto the first tile. Leander mirrored me.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I suppose.”
I doubted I had much say in the matter.
Leander was demanding to the point of absurdity.
“Good. First question.” He tilted his head, eyes fixed on me. “What did you fear most the day you died?” My pulse stumbled. The day of my death felt both distant and too close. I could still feel the fire in my veins, the helpless certainty that everything was ending.
“I feared leaving my brother behind,” I said quietly.
The tile glowed a soft golden hue.
Leander smiled. “Honest. Your turn to ask a question.”
I lifted my chin. “What did you give up to become what you are?”
“Choice,” he said, and the tile flared golden. “And I’ve spent eternity pretending I still have it.”
We moved in measured rhythm, step, question, answer. The glow from the board painted his face in a warm yellow light.
“What do you dream about?” he asked.
“Nightmares, mostly. Me and Tobias as children, losing our parents . . . they were murderers. And we were cast out as their evil spawn. My childhood plagues my dreams almost every night."
His eyes glittered – interested, maybe too much.
“My turn,” I said. “Why the serpent tattoo?”
“I was tired of pretending Temptation was my enemy.” His gaze flicked to mine. “Better to wear the sin than hide from it.”
I stepped again, and the tile shuddered under my foot but held.
“What did you want from me when we first met?” Leander asked.
“To wipe that smirk off your face.” The gold beneath me blazed brighter, light licking my boots.
“And now?” His voice was almost a whisper.
I hesitated. The truth rose uninvited, hot in my throat. “Now, I seem to have grown fond of your smirk.”
His eyes darkened. “Careful,” he murmured. “That sounds dangerously close to wanting.”
“As the Demon of Temptation, you must be very familiar with that.”
His laugh was quiet, not mocking.
The rows narrowed as we moved closer, the space between us shrinking until I could feel the warmth radiating from him. The void hummed below, hungry and still.
He raised a hand, and the board rippled. A seam opened down the middle, the tiles splitting apart to form a narrow gap. “Serpent’s stretch,” he said, as if naming a card trick. “Pick a side.”
I stepped left. “You like games, don’t you?”
He grinned. “Next question. Would you take freedom if I offered it?”
“Yes,” I said, the word sharp in my mouth. The tile beneath me flared gold, steady as a heartbeat.
He smiled faintly. “Honest again. I was expecting a few more lies from you, little Champion.”
“What about you?” I asked, ignoring his comment. “Would you take redemption if it were offered?”
He hesitated, then shook his head. “Redemption is a cage with better lighting.”
We were three rows apart now. He smelled faintly of cherries, but something acrid sat heavy beneath it. My pulse matched his steps.
“Why did Hell choose you?” he asked suddenly.
The question caught me off guard. I thought of the shadows inside me, the way they’d risen when I fell. The way this realm seemed to know me.
“I have no idea." The tile burned bright, almost too hot to stand on, but I didn’t move.
He studied me for a long moment. “Shame,” he said softly.
He closed the distance between us with a single step, the board humming beneath our feet.
His voice dropped. “Would you ever bargain with me?”
I shook my head. “No.”
He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Not even for power?”
“I’ve seen what your kind does with power.”
“You’ve seen what happens when it’s misused,” he corrected. “But you could wield it. You already do.”
He reached out, his fingers brushing my wrist. The touch was light but electric, heat travelling up my arm in a wave that left me breathless. “Show me,” he said. “Control it.”
I focused on the pulse in my chest, the ember that lived under my ribs. It had burned since the night I fell.
Salazar had warned me to stay away. My Essence would drain too quickly if I relied on the magic in Hell.
But there was something in Leander's gaze, and I wanted his praise.
Shadows slipped along my arms, and heat coursed through my veins. I shaped them, contained them, and forced them to move where I wanted. It was harder than breathing, but I managed.
Then the shadows ignited.
Flames burst from the palms of my hands.
I heard Leander’s sharp breath beside me, that brief crack in his composure.
It was enough.
I clenched my hands into fists, and the burning shadows disappeared.
"You wield the infernal fires," he whispered.
I stared at the demon, who looked suddenly terrified.
"I think I've had enough of this game," I said, feeling a little bit woozy.
Leander clicked his fingers, and the courtyard returned. The tiles disappeared. But the shock on Leander's face remained.
"You can't trust Hell," he whispered. "You need to make a bargain with me before this gets out of hand."
Why does everyone keep telling me who I can and can’t trust? It’s infuriating.
I stepped back, eyes wide. "I'm not making a bargain with you."
"Nina, Nina, Nina," the whispers wailed. “Leave, or fall. Leave, or fall.”
"I think that's enough games for today," I murmured, and just as I had in the forest when the red-eyed beast chased me, I ran.
I couldn't help but worry if I'd made a mistake calling the burning shadows, because I'd never seen the Demon of Temptation look so terrified – and his fear had been as bright as day.***
When I returned to my chambers, something smelt off like damp cloth. My stomach dropped. I was not alone. “Who’s there?”
The scent of smoke encased me. I froze as a familiar voice sounded from the armchair.
“You waste time with training.”
Salazar’s smoke-encompassed form reclined in the chair. His presence filled the space like a growing storm cloud ready to consume the entire room.
“What are you waiting for?” His voice was calm, almost gentle, but it carried an edge that made the hair on my neck stand on end. “You stumble through these domains as though there’s an end worth reaching. There isn’t.”
“Then why are you here?” I snapped, crossing my arms. “If it’s all pointless, why waste your time on me?”
His laugh was soft, almost pitying. “Because you have a choice.”
I glared at him, refusing to show the unease creeping up my spine. “And what’s that?”
“Free me,” he said. “Break my chains, and I’ll give you what you want. Freedom. You can reunite with your brother.”
I hesitated, my breath catching. “It seems as though all the demons are offering the same prize.”
“Leander, The Cycle – it’s all a distraction. I was Hell’s ruler before this began, and I can end it. But I need you, Nina.”
I wanted to believe him – so badly, I could feel the hope rising in my chest. But something about his tone and presence left a shadow of doubt.
“What happens to me if I help you?” I asked quietly.
He stepped closer, his form swirling. “You’ll be free. Truly free. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along?”