Chapter Twenty-Two #2
If this all ended with me a pile of ash, he would know—without any question or any doubt—how much I loved him. I would show him in every way I could, as many times as it took, until we were both too spent to move.
So I gave myself to him wholly, fiercely, desperately. Not because it was easy. But because it was the only true promise I could keep.
We marched.
But there was no fanfare, no speeches, and certainly no songs. This wasn’t Earth, and hellspawn didn’t need rousing words to drive them forward. They marched to war because they revelled in spilling blood. For them, that was motivation enough.
I led from the front, while Rathiel matched my stride on my right.
Gorr lumbered along to my left, solid and silent as ever.
Mephisar and the dragon flew overhead, their shadows cast over us all.
Eliza had asked me if I intended to name him, but I’d just shaken my head.
It seemed silly to give him a name when I had no idea what his—or our—future held.
For now, he was just Dragon. And he seemed perfectly content with that.
He was, however, less than content with the tiny menace riding between his horns.
Vol had somehow claimed that spot as his personal command post, his arms wrapped around one horn for dear life as he whooped and shouted directions like he was leading this charge.
Every so often, Dragon gave a low rumble that sounded suspiciously like a growl, and I couldn’t tell if it was annoyance or regret for not shaking him off when he’d had the chance.
Behind me came Levi, Calyx, Eliza, Calder, Varz—each one a reminder of just how strange this little army of mine had become. Angel, fallen, siren, hellspawn, wyrm, dragon. A mismatched family, to be sure. But one I wouldn’t trade for all the world.
Farther back were Korrak, Rathgor, and Drek’thar.
They barked orders as they drove their individual ranks forward in neat blocks, each formation moving like a single beast with a thousand limbs.
Among them was Purrgy. I’d tucked my ginger beast into his carrier and handed him to a venerath with strict orders to put him somewhere safe before battle.
It wasn’t safe to bring him, and I understood that, but I hadn’t wanted to leave him behind at camp. If I failed, if I fell, I wanted to give Rathiel his best chance to escape. Returning to our camp to collect those we’d left behind would only slow him down.
Before we’d left the outpost, I’d sat Vol down and given him strict instructions to protect Purrgy, to find somewhere safe to hide once the battle started.
I’d also explained there was a chance I wouldn’t see them again until it was all over—and that was only if I survived.
My little imp had puffed up his chest and taken my words seriously for once.
It’d made me wonder if Hell was about to freeze over.
Which, honestly, I might have preferred because it seemed this realm was determined to make this trek as difficult as possible.
Hours away from the outpost, the ground suddenly grew treacherous.
And not just by surprising us with hidden crevices or sinkholes the size of my former apartment, but with sudden tremors.
Twice now, the ground shook so hard beneath us that it’d sent my soldiers to their knees.
Once, the ground split and a river of molten lava rose from the depths, as though daring us to cross it.
That one had required me to expend a little power and bend the ground itself until it swallowed the lava back down.
Every obstacle felt like the realm was trying to prevent us from reaching the palace—except, I knew that wasn’t possible. My connection told me it wasn’t Hell resisting me.
It was him.
Lucifer.
He knew we were coming.
I hadn’t shared that thought with anyone else, but from the looks Rathiel and Levi kept throwing my way, I clearly wasn’t the only one who’d made the connection.
As though mocking me, the ground rumbled again. Strong enough this time to cause a nearby landslide. A few of the hellspawn cursed and muttered their displeasure. I didn’t blame them. This was slowing us down. And I had places to be and a specific evil person to kill.
Then, without warning, the ground ahead split wide, tearing open into a raw, gaping wound.
“Perfect,” Calyx muttered behind me. “What’ll it be this time?”
I braced for lava, the way it had erupted before.
Instead, something else burst free in an explosion of dirt and fire—a hulking, armoured beast with a cavern for a mouth and far too many teeth and claws to count. The second it surfaced, it released a screech sharp enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.
Another one tore its way up beside it. Then another. And another. The ground practically boiled with movement as more and more of the creatures forced their way through, each one seemingly bigger and meaner looking than the last.
“Holy shit!” Eliza shouted. “What the hell are those things?!”
I had the same question, though I didn’t echo the sentiment out loud. Leaders didn’t have the luxury of panicking. Outwardly, I steadied my stance. But inwardly, I screamed. I’d never seen anything like this before.
“Another present from Lucifer,” Levi growled as he readied his sword.
“Korrak, Rathgor, Drek’thar—get ready!” I shouted, my voice cracking like a whip. “Prepare yourselves!”
The three generals barked their own orders, and their platoons responded, immediately snapping into formation.
A heartbeat later, they surged forward to meet the threat, without any hesitation.
They lived for carnage, and I saw the excitement light up their faces as they attacked these new creatures.
The first beast crashed into the front ranks with the force of a wrecking ball. It snapped a soldier in half before anyone could stop it, then swatted another aside like a rag-doll. The line buckled but didn’t break. Instead, they tightened their approach and began their own assault.
I lifted my arm, signalling Mephisar and Dragon, then swung it down, silently ordering their attack.
The two dove from above with matching roars, fire spewing from between their lips.
Vol cackled with glee as he clung to one of Dragon’s horns, his legs flailing comically behind him as the beast plummeted.
He looked like a deranged gremlin strapped to the wing of a crashing airplane and loving every second of it.
Because of course he was. He was insane.
Dragon and Mephisar were careful not to hit my ranks, and one of the attacking creatures shrieked as Dragon’s flames ate through its plated hide. Another barrelled right through, as though it didn’t care a lick about the fire.
“Varz, Calder, Gorr,” I ordered, pointing at the closest creature.
Levi took off with them, his blazing gold hair practically lighting the way. Together, the four of them dove beneath one of the monsters’ legs, severing it at the knee. Without a word from me, Eliza darted in at Levi’s side, slicing at the creature’s undercarriage with her daggers.
Rathiel, Calyx, and I were next. We took to the air alongside Mephisar and Dragon.
I drew Inferno’s Kiss in one hand, Dragonbane in the other, and dropped. Clutching both hilts tightly, I aimed them at the nearest creature’s skull and landed, immediately cleaving it in two. Rathiel and Calyx adopted my technique, apparently finding it rather useful.
One by one, we took them out. Thankfully, my soldiers outnumbered and easily rid us of this newest obstacle. The last creature fell by my blade, driven through its eye. The thing screeched its death cry, thrashed for a moment or two, then collapsed, the ground shaking beneath us.
A moment or two passed, and then my hellspawn suddenly cheered their victory. Chest heaving, I took stock of the surrounding area and scanned the wreckage. We’d lost a dozen or so soldiers during the battle. But that meant nothing when I could simply resurrect them.
I was already stepping toward the closest fallen soldier when Rathiel caught me by the arm.
“Lily—”
“It’s fine,” I told him.
“It’s not,” he cut in. “The darkness is growing within you. You’ve lost control twice in as many days. What if that happens again? Or worse? We can’t risk that right now, not when we are so close to ending this. We can spare a dozen soldiers.”
The urge to resurrect my people, to bring them back from the edge, to give them another fighting chance was overwhelming. I clutched my swords’ hilts so hard, I thought they might break.
“Please, Lily,” Rathiel said. “Now is not the right time.”
The shadows within me writhed, hungry, whispering promises I almost wanted to believe. But slowly, I forced them back down.
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to carry over the field. “We press onward.”
I lifted my chin and stared into the distant horizon where Lucifer awaited. If he thought he could bleed us dry before we reached him, he was dead wrong.