Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
B y the time we flew over the Oranthan Mountains and reached the edge of the Drathen Sea, my dread was a living thing.
After my last visit to Dorthus, I had no desire to set foot in the Dark Kingdom again.
I could still feel the penetrating chill of that courtier’s gaze and smell the scent of charred flesh as that demon had burned alive.
The plan was simple, albeit risky. I would pose as Kaden’s concubine again, and the two of us would distract the king and his court while Adriel searched for the Death Bringer’s hands.
I didn't ask what sort of distraction Kaden had in mind, but it turned my stomach to think that I would have to walk into that cesspit of evil again without the benefit of my full powers.
Though it was only midmorning, the approaching darkness told me we were nearing Dorthus. Soon we reached the endless expanse of cinder fields and the glowing lava flows that converged with the Adraeis River.
This time, when I shored up my mental shields, I pictured them as thick, thorny brambles that would eviscerate anyone attempting to breach my defenses. I grew the vines thicker and tighter until they formed an impenetrable hedge around the inner sanctum of my mind.
When we landed near the base of Mount Dorthus, Adriel was already waiting. A simple nod from the royal guard told us that he’d delivered Sorsha safely to Cragsmuir, and I felt Kaden’s shimmer of relief down our bond.
He opened the familiar rowan-wood box, and I shuddered as my fingers closed around the apokropos stone.
Inside, my magic thrashed — shrinking away from the stone’s terrible power as it drained my very essence. I gritted my teeth as the stone did its foul work, leaving me hollow and helpless.
A shiver of dark magic ghosted over my skin, and when I looked down, Kaden’s glamour was in place.
I wore a top of pure spun gold and a skirt made of sheer gold panels that were barely more than cobwebs. Every inch of me was on display, apart from the opaque golden underthings beneath. At least he’d magicked me some boots instead of those flimsy beaded sandals.
Around my waist was a golden belt, which held a small pouch to conceal the stone and a sheath for my witchwood blade. My dagger had been glamoured to appear unremarkable, though I could still feel the hum of its power against my thigh.
Long copper tresses floated over my shoulder, and Adriel gallantly averted his gaze from the generous amount of skin I was showing.
Kaden had magicked away his leathers, replacing them with a snug-fitting velvet tunic and pants. His face was unreadable as he took me into his arms and launched us skyward, circling over the rim of the volcano and the bubbling pool of molten lava below.
Though I was prepared for him to play the part of the cold, sadistic prince, Kaden’s hands were gentle where he held me, his thumb making reassuring circles along my outer thigh as we made our descent.
Adriel and Kaden landed side-by-side on the gleaming obsidian walkway, and Kaden set me on my feet without so much as breaking stride.
He didn’t tug on my golden leash as he had before, instead giving me ample time to catch up before he pulled the chain.
I hurriedly checked that my wall of thorns was still in place as we approached the arched tunnel, which was empty apart from a few lower demons.
At the sight of the prince, they flung themselves to the polished floor, prostrating themselves at his feet.
One demon with a horn at the center of his skull turned and fled in the other direction, but with a single flick of Kaden’s hand, flames engulfed the male.
The demon’s shrieks echoed off the high ceiling as he writhed in the hellfire, and I had to work to keep my expression blank as the smell of burned flesh reached my nostrils.
I glanced over my shoulder for Adriel, but he had already disappeared — a shadow in the obsidian palace.
Just then, another demon emerged from the antechamber, stepping into our path.
“Fleshtalker,” Kaden growled, his wings flaring in irritation.
My stomach clenched at the familiar name.
This male wasn’t monstrous looking like the lower demons. He was well-muscled with pale skin, pale hair, and razor-straight teeth. I might have even said he was beautiful, if it weren’t for his eyes, which were a solid, gleaming black.
“My prince,” Fleshtalker simpered, sparing a glance in my direction before dropping into a stiff bow.
Ice formed around my bones, and a shimmering hatred crystallized in my heart. This was the demon who’d been sent to hunt my mother. If it weren’t for Kaden, he would have tracked her down in the Quarter, brought her to Dorthus, and tortured her for sport.
Then he would have come for me.
“So good to see you, Highness,” Fleshtalker crooned. “We were beginning to grow . . . concerned.”
“You need not concern yourself with me. My business is well above your pay grade.”
Fleshtalker’s nostrils flared, but he merely inclined his head. “Of course, my lord.” His inky reptilian gaze flicked to me, and my heart stuttered. “And what is this ravishing creature?”
My skin crawled everywhere those creepy eyes roamed, but I worked to keep my expression bored and sultry.
“She is no concern of yours either,” said Kaden.
“I can speak with Xadorsch about providing more scintillating entertainment if none of our concubines suits your tastes, Highness.”
My stomach roiled.
“No need,” said Kaden. “I can find my own entertainment.”
“Of course, my lord. While I’m sure you would prefer to retire to your rooms, His Majesty is most anxious to see you.”
“Very well,” said Kaden, managing to look both annoyed and weary.
Fleshtalker stood aside to let him pass, and Kaden led me down the obsidian corridor, the rattle of my chain deafening as we stalked past the silent demons toward a glistening black staircase that seemed to float alongside the entrance to the chamber beyond.
Kaden’s long strides quickly ate up the distance, but he was careful not to outpace me to avoid pulling the golden leash taut.
Unease settled in my gut as we began the climb, careful to avoid the shards of obsidian along the edge that stuck up like so many jagged teeth.
Up, up we climbed, my apprehension mounting with every step. Somewhere in the palace, Adriel was searching for those severed hands. Our role was to provide enough of a distraction that no one would wonder where the prince’s royal guard had gone.
The second floor of the palace was darker than the first, with narrow slits in the gleaming walls to let in the amber glow of the bubbling lava below. It flickered off the rocky inside of the volcano, giving the impression that we were venturing into the bowels of some ravenous beast.
Kaden led me down a long, polished corridor to a set of enormous doors flanked by flaming torches.
The hairs along the back of my neck prickled. Even with my hunter magic trapped in the stone at my waist, my instincts were still there. They roared at me to turn and run — to put as much distance between me and whatever awaited us behind those doors.
Kaden flicked his wrist, and they swung open, unleashing a tidal wave of power so vile that I felt my knees buckle.
It was a sickness. A perversion. A power so warped that it repelled all life. My heart clenched, and my skin seemed to tug at my flesh, as if it might peel from my very bones rather than come any closer to the source of that magic.
I couldn’t breathe . Couldn’t bear the sensation of that ominous power washing over me — scenting, tasting, discerning. As if I were some strange, delicious new prey.
Forcing my feet to move, I tripped after Kaden before the chain pulled tight. It was dark and gloomy beyond the doors, the burning torches along the walls sputtering in the shadows that spanned from the center of the room.
We were not in a throne room, but rather the king’s private chambers. Heavy, masculine furniture was scattered about, upholstered in black silk.
The room was still. So cloaked in shadows that I almost didn’t notice the figure hunched in a wingback chair.
He was clad in onyx robes, and his head drooped forward as though he slept. At the sound of our footsteps, his head lifted a fraction of an inch, and I quickly checked my wall of thorns, winding them tighter around my mind.
A pair of coal-black eyes raked over Kaden before narrowing in dislike. They were sunken, like two drops of oil shimmering from grayish pits.
The male’s head was shaven, adorned with a crown of obsidian shards set with smooth scarlet stones that looked horribly like droplets of blood. His skin was yellow and pallid, and though he bore the same sharp features as his son, the demon king’s face was devoid of beauty.
Spindly fingers gripped the arms of his chair, his long nails blackened and broken. The way his head sank into his bony frame, he looked like a starved animal.
“What is this?” the king hissed. His voice was deep and refined but with a cruel edge that made my insides clench. “ My heir has deigned to pay me a visit? What an auspicious occasion.”
“My king,” said Kaden, his tone flat. Emotionless. Devoid of any of the humor or cunning I’d come to associate with my prince.
“ Am I?” Semphrys flexed his slender fingers before curling them tighter around the arms of his chair. “After so long without word, after my summons was denied — not once, but twice — I began to wonder if you’d forgotten who ruled these lands.”
Shadows lashed up the walls at his words — the only indication of the king’s fury.
“I have not forgotten,” said Kaden, inclining his head. “I denied your summons because I was occupied. You asked me to deliver the witch. She has proven more challenging than the others.”
My spine stiffened at his choice of words. He hadn’t uttered a single lie — only careful truths to mislead his father.