by A C Wilds
“Woah,” I blurt out.
“My mirror is bigger,” Torque whispers in my ear from behind. His breath touches the shell of my ear, and a shiver runs through me.
“Watch yourself, Blood,” Uriel scowls before he walks through the mirror.
The beauty on the throne jumps down with lethal grace and runs into his open arms. Their reunion causes a tug in my heart. Family.
“Anima, follow Namir in. I want to escort the Bloods in case there is a problem. I didn’t exactly relay to Umbra I’d be bringing so many with me.”
Disappointment crosses his face, and I can’t tell if it’s in the Bloods behind me or me. I’m the reason they’re here.
The portal feels like cool water on my skin without the wetness. It’s an odd sensation because my brain expects to be wet, but I’m dry as before I stepped through.
The air shifts, and silence fills the room. A glance behind me shows all the guys standing there. For what, I don’t understand.
“Anima, come here,” Uriel says, holding out his hand.
I ignore the outstretched palm, eyeing the female beside him. No one will see me hiding or being protected by another. I stand alone and for myself. I may be the only one who can wield this magic, but I’m no damsel.
He drops his arm, turning to the goddess before him. “Umbra, this is Anima. My soul-merge offspring.”
She raised her eyebrows, looking between us. I don’t look like Uriel, but I look like someone else she knows. Hands fly to her mouth as Nox steps through the mirror with the rest of the guys.
“Sister!” Nox’s voice booms across the room. Everyone in attendance besides Uriel and I bow down. Some even place their heads to the floor as if they’re frightened. What type of ruler is Nox?
Umbra wastes no time is running to him. He catches her in the air, and they twirl around in happiness. A pang of envy goes through me. None of the other witches at the citadel would give me such a greeting.
“What’s this?” she asks, gesturing toward the Blood demons after Nox releases her from his arms. Her stance becomes stiff and body tight, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
“Bloods. They are helping us,” he says, lips pressed in a thin line. Still not over the whole Torque thing, I see.
“What do Bloods know of Dark dealings? And what trouble is it you’ve brought to our door, brother?” She’s more of a queen than I thought.
“All in due time. I must request that we convene in the war room. Certain matters need attending.”
His voice is all commanding. Umbra straightens herself and starts barking orders at servants. I stand with my hand on Hubris, waiting for something to happen. The chill of a fight is upon us, and it’s making me anxious.
“Are you all right?” Torque asks. His fingers brush along my shoulders, and a shiver runs through me.
“I’m fine,” I say, trying not to show him how affected I am by his touch.
Namir comes up to us, bumping his head at my side. A murmur runs through the crowd, and Umbra gasps. Namir growls, but he stays by my side as I comb my fingers through his downy coat.
“The white tyger,” Umbra whispers. Her eyes are as wide as saucers.
“Let’s go, Umbra. We can explain everything.” Uriel ushers her through the hall into a doorway at the far corner.
I get a good look at the people of my father’s court. Most look like regular demons, but some are creatures of the night. Their shadow smoke leaks from their pores while horns and knobbed flesh cover others. This is the Demon Realm they taught us about—not the city under the stars like Torque showed me.
The war room isn’t far past three doors and down another corridor. It’s outfitted like the one in the citadel. There are maps and papers spread on the tables that line the walls, but there’s an obsidian stone table in the middle.
It reflects the torchlight, making it look like it has caught on fire. The effect is mesmerizing. Eight chairs circle it with beautiful carvings of swirling designs, making me think of the midnight sky.
Three guards come into the room, then immediately drop to the ground in front of Nox. He touches each on the head before they rise.
“Your Majesty, it is an honor to see you again. We have missed you at court,” the tall one says. He’s built like a tank. Arms the size of tree trunks and horns that curve up and behind his ears.
“Togmerin. It is good to see you are well,” Nox says, bracing a hand on the demon’s shoulder.
“We are better now that you are here. There have been things that need your attention.” His gaze flicks to Umbra. She’s murderous. Her hands fisted in her dresses and eyes awash with fire. I like her instantly.
“There are more pressing matters,” Torque interrupts. The demons notice him for the first time. All three pull their swords and standoff.
“Put them away,” I command. “We can all measure our manhoods later. Right now, we have a king to destroy.”
I walk into the room, taking a seat at the right of what looks like the king’s chair. Namir sits behind me, rubbing his head on my shoulder. I push him with my own, and he lays down at my feet. He’s too big to fit under the table, so he rests his head on my lap instead.
Everyone has a seat, but Nox remains standing. “Scur has become a problem. He’s violated the treaty by kidnapping and torturing Anima. He will come for war, and we will end his reign.”
He makes it seems like a piece of cake. No big deal—we’re just going to kill a king.
“Start at the beginning. There are too many unfamiliar faces at this table,” Umbra says, a sneer pointed at the Bloods.
“I am Anima, a former assassin for the Tenebris witches in the Mortal Realm. I came here to find Nox. My former high-priestess Rahna is controlling New City. She possesses holy magic, and she wants to reshape the worlds. We need the magic of the Demon Realm to stop her.”
“Holy magic?” She looks to Uriel for an explanation. I’m sure there aren’t many angels in this Realm.
“She stole it. I don’t know whose it was, but I intend to find out and make her pay for it.” Uriel’s power leaks out, and I feel the brush of it over me. It’s soothing.
“We have to end her. She won’t be happy with just New City. She’ll continue into the Demon Realm. Anima is the only one who can stop her,” Torque says.
She turns to me then, measuring me to see if I’m worthy. Her face is a mask of indifference, but if she’s anything like Nox, there is a war of emotions behind it.
“How will you do that, witch?” It’s not condescending, it’s curious.
“I’m not just a witch. I am witch, demon, and angel. A part of all magics lives in me.”
“How is that possible?” Togmerin asks. His hands rest on the black stone. They’re bigger than my head.
“She is our soul-merge,” Nox says, having a seat at the head of the table and slipping his hand inside Uriel’s.
“The creator blessed us with a healthy soul-merge, and Rahna stole it. How—we don’t know. They implanted it into a witch, which gave Anima some of her powers. She’s a tri-bred.”
Shocked faces all stare at me. I shrug my shoulders. I’m used to being the freak. The one whose magic isn’t normal. Nothing they can do or say will affect me. I’ve grown a thick skin.
“I have a niece.” Umbra’s smile stretches across her face. I return it, hoping we’ll have a moment to speak before the battles begin. I want to know her.
“And she’s more than we ever imagined. You should see her shadow smoke. It’s perfectly formed.” Nox’s gushing has my cheeks tinting. I can deal with ridicule, but praise is something I’m not used to.
“How did you piss off the Blood king, not that it’s hard?” another demons asks. His stature is lanky and unassuming, but the knives strapped to his body tell a different tale of blood and death.
“That would be my fault,” Torque admits. “We are in the Demon Realm for Nox, but Scur found out about us before we could cross into the Darklands. Now he will br
ing war to your door. Anima bested him, and my being alive only makes him angrier.”
“I would have loved to see his face. That asshole deserves to be put into his place.” The last demon says, leaning back in his chair. He’s the prettiest of the three. His golden hair reminds me of Uriel’s. There’s something about him that’s similar.
“We must strategize how to defeat him, so we can return to New City. There’s more than one war we will have to fight.” Mammon speaks for the first time. His scowl is familiar, but his eyes betray him. He’s nervous.
“The castle is a stronghold. We have over ten thousand soldiers, and we can call back five thousand from the lands. It will take time for them to arrive, but it is possible. Tell me what you need, brother.” The beautiful demon gives all this attention to Nox. Brother?
“Donaas, that will not be necessary. Scur will not be traveling with that many soldiers, and once he’s in the Darklands, the magic will tell me.”
“Vargroth, do we have maps of the highlands? I want to see what his point of entry will be,” Uriel asks. The slender demon gets up from his chair and goes to the far table. He grabs an enormous map, then lays it on the table in front of us.
The Demon Realm is much bigger than I thought. The Darklands take up most of the map, but the Bloodlands have more resources. There is a little territory to the left of the Darklands. It’s not marked.
“What is there?” I ask, laying my finger on the map.
“The Deathlands. It is a place where no one goes. The mad king lives there. He is the original Fallen,” Uriel explains.
“You mean Lucifer?” I ask, eyebrows furrowed.
“This isn’t Hell, Anima. Lucifer is in a cage within the fires. The king of the Deathlands is Caedis. His name means murder. He’s the one true Fallen. The god-killer.”
The foreboding feeling I got when we entered the hall has just heightened. The mention of his name is bad. It’s like calling to your own death.
He will come.
I jerk my head toward Namir, who is awake and watching everyone. His eyes shine gold, and there is something wrong about the way he gets up from the floor.
“Namir says he will come. Is that a bad thing?” I ask. The room stiffens as if it’s an old towel hung on a line in the scorching sun.
“It’s a terrible thing. We must rid ourselves of Scur before he gets here. There is no way we can fight two kings,” Umbra says, leaning her elbows on the table, her face in her hand.
Donaas rises from his chair, then crosses the room. He kneels next to her, rubbing her back. “It will be okay, love. Nox has returned. Uriel is beside us once more. We will not fail.”
She rubs her face before steadying herself. “It has been hard without you, Nox. There are games at court that I didn’t think I could win. If it weren’t for my mates, we would have lost the throne.”
“It will never happen again. I am home. Anima is here. The succession of our line lives on.”
“My place is not here,” I say, spitting it out without thinking. Defiance is etched on my face, daring them to tell me otherwise. I never agreed to stay in the Demon Realm. I’m not a ruler.
Nox’s stare bores into me. There’s nothing he can say to change my mind, but that won’t stop him. If I’ve learned anything about Nox, I know he gets his way.
“When will Scur come?” Donaas asks.
Tell him within one month. He is still recovering from our attack. He’s gathering more troops for the attack.
“Namir says it will take him one month to recover from the last battle,” I repeat.
“You speak with the white tyger?” Umbra asks, eyebrows raised.
“He is my soul-bonded.”
I recognize it for the first time. Of all the things that have happened with my magic, he’s the one thing I know for certain the Fates got right. He’s a part of me like no other. Torque is my fated mate, but Namir exists inside of me.
She swallows, and her eyes dart to Namir. He gives her a toothy smile, and her face pales a bit. She’s a warrior, but Namir is something different. The Realm created his magic. It’s rooted to the land. And now so is mine.
“If it will take him a month to come for us, we have enough time to prepare. Togmerin, gather your troops and set the command. Send messengers to have the others on standby should we need them,” Nox orders.
“Sister, let us show our guests to their rooms, then you and I will talk about what has happened at court. I’m eager to spill some of this anger.” Nox rises from the table, and the rest of us follow suit.
Seven
TORQUE
There has only been one other time I’ve been inside the castle of the dark king. I was a boy, and my father took me to celebrate the birth of the new princess.
Umbra has changed much in that time. Her power shows through her as if she was born into grace. Anima shows the same strength and perseverance.
“Torque, we need to talk,” Mammon says, bursting through the door of the bedroom they assigned me. It isn’t close enough to Anima.
“I can see you are keen to do so. Come sit.” I wave my hand to the couch in the sitting room.
“Taking up the regal tone, I see. What happened to our pres?” he asks. He plops onto the couch, reaching for the decanter on the table.
He pours two glasses of demonwine. It’s been ages since I’ve had a taste, and my mouth waters at the thought.
“I have to play the part. I can’t let them see me as anything less than royal. Even if Anima stands between us, they’re still the Dark. The hatred between our kinds will not go away because I’m fated to the princess of the Dark.”
“I’ve missed being a general,” Mammon says. He sips his wine, getting up from his seat and going to the hearth. He grabs the fire poker, moving the burning logs around. Bits of ash fly out, landing on the carpet.
“That’s not permission for you to shed unnecessary blood. Even if you don’t like it, we’re to behave like a court again.”
“I fucking hate politics. I make a much better soldier.”
“It’s something I don’t miss either, but I’d do anything for our people.” My thoughts travel to Gesa and the villagers. They begged for protection against Scur. I should have taken more with me into the Mortal Realm.
“What’s the plan then? We go along with what they want? Puppets to the Dark?”
“Our goals align. Scur’s reign will end, then we will destroy Rahna. After this is over, our people will be free and the Mortal Realm will be safe for the Bloods to flourish if they don’t want to return home.”
“Sounds like we’re getting a sweet deal.”
He guzzles the wine before reaching for the decanter again. I sit back and think about all the moving parts in this puzzle. While the Bloods benefit, so does the Dark. We formed an alliance once Nox discovered Anima and I were mated.
Even if she refuses, it is born of our magic. There’s no denying it. I will wait for her to come to her senses. I’ll gladly do so for however long it takes.
“Anima is their long-lost princess. Nox has gained an heir, and his mate has returned. There will be peace in the kingdoms. My only worry is Caedis. If what the White Tyger says is true, and Caedis will come, he must side with us. Without the king of Death, we could all die. He’s much more powerful than any of us.”
“Have you ever met him?” Mammon’s face turns ashen.
“No. He is a nightmare my parents told me about when I was young. I don’t imagine the tyger is wrong.”
“Three evils to conquer.”
A knock sounds at the door. Mammon places his glass down on the table and answers it. A servant stands at the door with a letter in hand. It bears the crest of Dark Royalty.
Mammon takes the envelope, closing the door before the servant can get a word in. Handing me the letter, he takes up his glass again and sits in the chair by the fire.
The paper is heavy, cursive writing across the top. I crack the wax seal, then flip open the letter.
/> Gardens. We must discuss our shared interests.
“What does it say?” Mammon asks.
“The king is requesting my presence. I imagine to speak about Anima.”
I stand from the chair, making my way into the closet. They have hung proper court attire for me, and if I play the king once more, I’ll start with this type of armor.
An oxblood suit hangs with a crisp white shirt. There’s a tie, but I’ve never been a fan. A sash with my family’s crest drapes over on a nearby stool. I don’t know how they could have gotten it, but it’s a welcome sight. It’s been too long since I’ve stepped into this role.
“Here,” Mammon says as I walk out of the dressing room. He hands me a ring. It’s my royal symbol. A gold ring with a blood-red ruby in the center. Its weight in my palm reminds me of the day I took it off.
“Thank you for bringing it.”
“I thought we might have to look presentable.” Speaking of, Mammon has changed into a similar suit, but he drapes a sword on the side, the show of his stature as general. If we were in the Bloodlands, he’d be wearing his general’s uniform.
“Let’s find out what the king wants.”
NOX
“I told you I do not understand what’s wrong with it,” Uriel says for the third time. Every time I look at him, my heart does a double beat. His strong shoulders and beautiful wings. It’s taking all of me not to pull him back to our rooms.
“There must be a reason for it.”
“There is. We’ve been apart for too long. It’s shredded with trauma. It will have to heal. Time is the only thing that will help.”
This isn’t what I wanted to hear. If someone expects that our mating bond isn’t what it once was, we’ll be vulnerable to attack. I can’t let that happen. I’ve only just gotten my family, the one I craved for so long.
I move to him, cupping his face in between my hands. “I will never leave again.”
He pushes my hands away, then takes a step back. “It’s what you say now. But don’t forget I was there when you threw us away. If it weren’t for Anima, we’d still be apart.”