“I am fit to be queen. I’m more powerful than any who have come before me, and I will lead without having others fear me because I won’t need to. They will follow me because they respect me. And yes, you can try to take my key, but trust me when I say none of you are strong enough. Now, get out of my way.”
They would let me pass, or I’d skewer them on the spot. It was one of those kinds of days. They didn’t budge so with a wave of my hand I sent all seven of the demons careening into the rocks to the right of me.
I waited for an agonizing fifty minutes, wondering who would show up and who wouldn’t. Finally, almost three hundred new subjects appeared before me and the portal opening. Before I could speak, they all dropped to their knees. Trying to reign in my shock, I looked over at Tally and Austin, who had also taken a knee. My heart flipped in my chest. My sinuses acted up as they made a vow to protect and serve me as their queen, and for the first time, I truly felt like a queen. I cleared my throat and told everyone to rise. Austin opened the portal, and we exited as a group full of hope for a better reign and a better tomorrow. Our first mission was to go to the underworld and fight for what was ours. There couldn’t be two self-proclaimed rulers. Besides, the crown was mine.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It took us time and energy to teleport that many beings into the underworld. No one seemed pissed that their first mission was about to begin. So far, everyone was all smiles because they had their powers back.
A smoke demon who seemed to be the leader of his kind came to a stop beside me. “Queen, can I say that I love it here.”
My eyebrows rose. “In the underworld?”
“Yeah, totally. It’s got a creepy vibe, but I’m feeling it.”
“Huh. What’s your name, soldier?”
He tipped an imaginary hat. “Thane, my queen.”
“Nice to formally meet you, Thane.” I gave my attention to the demons, who gazed at me with adoration, which was a total one-eighty of my standard treatment. “You guys like it here, too?” They gave me a nod. Interesting.
I addressed my new army. We were all crowded in the center ring of level one. Demons who had been milling about stared at us in shock. If the under lords didn’t know we were here yet, they would soon.
“I want you to divide yourselves into teams. If you feel like you work well with someone, or you know your power might not be incredibly strong but it can help someone else be more powerful, buddy up with them. No one is to go solo. Level twelve is where my uncle Maligno will be. So, that’s where we will go. I’d like for the witches to seal off the exits. I understand it’s not going to hold the under lords out for long, but it’ll slow them down, and honestly we don’t want them to not enter. We would just prefer not everyone enter at once.”
I looked at all of the eyes staring back at me. “Going into battle is never easy, and I wish I could give each of you a clear plan, but the truth is I can’t. A soothsayer has brought us to this path. Any plan I come up with would be totally useless. Our goal is to go in, defeat the under lords, kill anyone that refuses to kneel, rescue a man named Dansby, and do all of this without dying.”
They all nodded. I looked around for my bug before I remembered I had sent Tally on a wild goose chase. I told him I needed him to report to Ariana and the Fae King, just to make sure we were on the right path. He hesitated, but in the end, he’d decided to do my bidding. It was for the best. Worrying for him would distract me in the fight. Fairy dust didn’t work on fire demons. He would be outmatched, and I had grown way too attached to my bug to let anything happen to him.
Austin and I made our way to the front of the tunnel, so we could be the first ones to enter level twelve. We were side by side, as we readied ourselves for the final showdown. We both had dropped our walls, letting our powers dance together. He reached out and grabbed my hand.
“When this is over, and we get your crown back, I want you to marry me.”
We were forty seconds from the door that would lead us to our battle ground. “Dude, are you asking? Because that sounded more like a demand.”
His blue eyes twinkled. “I’m sorry. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I patted his chest while continuing to walk. “I know we’re mates, but I think we have already mated. You know when our powers rubbed together for too long? Yeah, well, I think it’s already a done deal, but if you need a fancy wedding to make yourself feel better, then I guess I could wear something non-leather and white for a short period.”
He laughed as his hand squeezed mine. “So, you’ve known this whole time we were mated?” At my grin, he laughed again. “And this whole time, I was worried you were going to bail on me when you figured it out.”
“Nah. I’m kind of liking you around.”
He tugged me into his side where he crushed me in a half embrace.
“Not that I don’t love this PDA, because I do, which I’m sure you can tell, but we’re kind of in the middle of a battle, so rain check, Romeo.”
He chuckled, giving me a bow. “Yes, my queen.”
Both of us were consumed with emotions as we opened up the steel door leading us to the top level of the underworld. I felt his apprehension through the new bond we had created. Our end goal was to rescue his friend and not get killed. He thought at some point he would have to decide between helping me fight the under lords and saving his friend. He already knew the decision he would make, and his guilt poured through our link. I knew Austin would have a hard time living with the weight of that decision, so it was up to me to make sure he didn’t have to make it.
The truth was I was more powerful than the twelve under lords, but my anxiety rose when I thought about how they could use Dansby against us. With Austin by my side, it wouldn’t be that hard of a challenge, but what if the thousands of demons residing under each under lord attacked us at the same time? No matter how powerful we were at the end of the day, we were vastly outnumbered.
What awaited us on level twelve had my palms sweating. All twelve under lords stood facing us with at least a thousand fire demons behind them. My uncle, who wore my crown, held up a hand to stop the idle chatter behind him. He looked at the group standing behind me and roared with laughter.
“What is this, niece? Have you found a group of has-beens that might follow you?”
A werewolf somewhere to my right growled.
“What I’ve found, Uncle, is that people follow me because I offer them hope of a better tomorrow, not because I hold a blade to their throat.”
A look of disgust crossed his face. His eyes swiveled to Austin. “You made a vow to me.”
“One that I honored,” Austin said. “I delivered her to you without her powers. Then I rescued her and gave her powers back.”
My uncle’s voice shook with rage. “I thought we had an understanding.”
Austin shrugged, as if he was bored with my uncle. “That was before I recognized her as my queen.”
“You,” my uncle snarled, “a Power Eliminator, would stoop as low to call her your queen?”
Austin’s eyes turned to glaciers. “I cannot think of a better person than Carmen to rule, and I think you know that as well. She is everything you will never be.”
My uncle seethed. “I will kill your friend after I’m done killing this ragtag group of misfits.”
“You can try,” Austin said.
I was glad one of us was sure of ourselves. I had a group of three hundred or more behind me, and I couldn’t fail them.
My uncle shouted, “Fight ’til the death,” and then mayhem exploded.
Shouts and cries rang through the underworld. As I roped in an under lord about to take down a smoke demon, I saw witches gathering their powers to lash out at any demons who made it past where I stood. Other witches were sealing the exits. Tiny demons ran through the crowd, tripping up the larger fire demons. They might not have been significant or powerful, but wherever they went, they created chaos and enough confusion to allow a larg
er force to make a kill. The werewolves had transformed. A true wolf, contrary to what Hollywood studios portrayed, didn’t take on the shape of a wolf but just became larger. Even their faces widened.
There was such a raw, brute force in their movements. It was completely different than watching Austin. He had two blades in his hands, and with an athletic grace that surpassed anything I’d ever witnessed, he moved through the fire demons with deadly accuracy. The under lord that I currently had hooked with my wisps was screaming. I unsheathed the blade from my back, and with quick work, there were eleven under lords now. A sea of red washed towards me. I was quickly surrounded by fire demons. My smoky tendrils held all those I wished at bay; the rest I let slip through, so I could dispatch them quickly. No matter where I went, Austin kept an eye on me.
Witches were now fully engaged with the demons, and I always kept swiveling around, making sure no one needed my help. There were a couple close calls, but through the crowd, my ropes would find the demon who was about to take one of my soldier’s life, and I would bind him until someone decapitated the trapped demon. If Austin was tiring, he didn’t show it. Every thirty seconds, he brought down two demons. The werewolves hunted in a pack. Their backs were to each other as they fought in a tight circle. It seemed to be working for them. I snatched another under lord up and then another. The bold ones cursed me as life left their bodies.
My blade was covered in demon blood, as it made a figure-eight through the air. A wave of demons crashed through the witches. My wisps spiraled from me in different directions, creating a barrier between the witches and the demons. I sent them images that would break even the hardiest supes. While they were stunned, Austin and I made short work of taking the head of each one. With a few Latin words, I pushed a third of the remaining demons against the wall. A look of fear showed upon their faces.
Austin shouted above the clanging of metal. “That’s it. And there is so much more. Now’s the time to let loose. Just make sure you don’t expel all your power. Save some.”
I had a brief moment of fear. What if I liked the feeling of being all-powerful? Would I become addicted to that amount of power? No. No, I wouldn’t let myself. I wasn’t evil, and for the first time in my life, I was more than okay with that. While swinging my blade, I fully committed, as I concentrated on letting my walls down. I immediately felt Austin’s powers meeting with mine. They danced around each other, like long lost lovers. My whole body hummed, as I looked at the demons pinned up against the wall. Ropes of smoke flew out of me yet again, but this time they braided together before circling the demons, bringing them to their knees. They thrashed against my hold, but it was pointless.
The wolves shouted with triumph as they descended upon the group. The witches made catcalls as they watched with fascination. The remainder of the demons stormed us, but we were ready. Austin had a fine bead of sweat on his upper lip, as he wielded his blade. As our powers still danced with one another, his sword became untraceable. Heads would hit the ground, and I just assumed it was because they had met his blade. Within minutes, a task that had seemed daunting came to a close. Together, we really were unstoppable.
There was only one under lord left to finish, but I couldn’t be the one to end him. I had made a vow to Tally. Austin would have to be the one to send him to the underbelly of the underworld. I searched everywhere for my uncle, but he was nowhere in sight. Witches, wolves, tiny demons, smoke demons, and a few fire demons were celebrating without knowing the predicament we were in.
“Someone blew through my protection ward,” a witch shouted. “I’m drained. Someone find Raquel. Tell her to hurry.”
It was too late for Raquel to help. I felt power closing in on us. Austin’s eyes met mine, and his grief came through our connection. I knew what he was thinking. What if my uncle didn’t just go for reinforcements; what if he had gone for Dansby? The witches had done their part by making it harder for the demons to enter, but the truth was we were vastly outnumbered. Demons from levels one through eleven were coming in fast. Knowing my weakness for humanity, my uncle could use Dansby to get what he wanted. The crown. And he knew I would give it to him. Everything we had done would be for nothing. My uncle teleported in front of me. I heard his laugh before I could see him, and I knew deep in my bones what he had brought with him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Whether the dread pooling in my belly was from Austin’s emotions or mine, I couldn’t decipher. I only knew in the next few moments, I was going to let someone down. Whether it was Austin, the army behind me, or Dansby, who was currently being held in my uncle’s arms, was beyond me. A league of demons surrounded us, waiting for my uncle’s command. With one nod from my father’s brother, the enemy separated the witches from the rest of us and then forcibly moved the wolves to the center of the level to make sure they didn’t try to escape. The demons in my army stared at their fellow faction with pure hatred. We were surrounded. I couldn’t begin to help them out without risking Dansby.
Could I listen to Jo? Trust her? What if she was wrong? Could I sacrifice so many for one? Was it even my call to decide who lived and who died? I stared at the boy who was going to be our downfall. Dansby was everything Austin wasn’t. He was of average height, a little pudgy, and was so scared I was shocked he wasn’t trembling. He looked at his friend with almost hero worship. However strong the bond was between Austin and Dansby, one thing was for certain: Dansby put all his faith in Austin to get him out of this mess. Dang Arianna to hay.
My newly acquired army showed no fear as they waited for what I was about to do. They just saw us annihilate a group where the odds were twenty to one, so they were unsure as to why I just stood, unmoving and staring at my uncle.
My uncle’s smile showed me he wasn’t confused at all. “Do you wish to save this pathetic being?”
I cocked my head to the side, unwilling to play his game. His smile grew wider.
“Kneel,” he commanded.
Austin shoved himself in front of me. “This has nothing to do with the queen—this is between you and me.”
My uncle, Maligno, procured a small dagger and pressed it into Dansby’s skin. Blood trickled down his throat. “I said kneel.”
Wordlessly, and to the shock of everyone behind me, the cold marble ground met my knees.
My uncle laughed. “This is hilarious. I can’t believe you found a group that would follow someone like you. Someone who would so easily give up everything and for what? For some sorry excuse of wasted space to live?” I eyed the blade cutting deeper into Dansby’s flesh. My gaze followed the slow trickle, realizing that this moment was what Jo had spoken of. Dansby’s faded blue eyes darted between his friend and me. Austin’s fist clenched. I wondered if he was going to be able to control his rage long enough to see if Jo told the truth. One lone wolf slowly started making his way over to my uncle while everyone’s attention was on us. What was he doing? He was going to get himself killed.
“I’ll have your vow now. Vow to give me the crown. If you do this, I will vow to let your band of misfits leave here unharmed, along with your new friend, and the back-stabbing Power Eliminator,” he said, as he gripped Dansby tighter.
He didn’t mention my freedom because we both knew as soon as I took that vow I would be dead. I’d knelt and seen blood flow as Jo suggested, and yet no help came. There was nothing left to do but make the vow. At least none of my army would die here today, and Austin and Dansby would leave in one piece.
The knife’s tip was pressed so hard into Dansby that his skin folded around the tip. Blood poured down his skin in a steady stream.
I opened my mouth to make the vow when Austin cut me off. “Carmen, you can’t trade your life.”
I gave him a ghost of a smile. How far we had both come. In the beginning, he had one goal. Save his friend. That was it. No matter the fallout. He was more than willing to trade my life for his friend, and now he was unwilling to let me sacrifice myself for the greater good, and not too lo
ng ago, I would have only thought about the crown and nothing else.
The only way to avoid bloodshed was to take the vow. Before my mouth could open, I felt a familiar presence. A slight figured appeared to the right just to disappear again. At first I thought it was my imagination, but when Jo reappeared behind my uncle again wielding a blade, I smiled. With one whack, a part of my uncle’s spinal cord was severed. His head was still attached as he hit the ground. No one moved.
“Ahh hell,” Jo said. “I need to work out more. Hold a plank or something. My muscular system is complete shit.” She tossed the blade to the werewolf, who had been easing towards us. He stood gaping at her. “You, kind sir, with the bulging muscles, be gentlemanly and finish him off for me, will you?”
The werewolf blinked at her for several seconds before he swung the blade, finishing the job Jo had started. The crown had rolled in between a couple of gaping fire demons. It was clear no one knew what to do without their leader.
Jo shoved Dansby towards Austin then made a heart symbol towards me with her hands. “There you go, bestie. Like a wise man once said, ‘if you have a problem, yo’ I’ll solve it.’”
I stood. “Vanilla Ice?”
She nodded. “Dude’s right up there with Shakespeare.”
She made a little gesture with her hand. “So, I assume you got the rest of this.”
“Yep.”
“Cool then. See you at the wedding.”
She went to disappear only to reappear four more times. No one moved. They were all riveted to the gothic beauty. “For the love of Pete. Really? Get your shit together, Jo. Everyone’s staring. Talk about performance anxiety,” she said. Finally, she disappeared for good.
The remainder of the fire demons no longer knew whether they were to continue to fight or not without my uncle leading them. After a few moments, they started swinging their blades in a hurry. I sent them images of what was to come. With the protection spell down, more demons from the different levels entered rapidly. Before we knew it, my army was pressed up against the wall.
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