BAELFIRE
Almost a full dayhas passed since the battle officially ended, and color is beginning to saturate the world once again.
So are the idiots.
“But what is she doing now?” one of the reporters demands. “Everyone wants to see her!”
“Is your quintet the new Immortal Quintet?”
“Tell us what happened to the Entity!”
“What will happen to the Nether now? Is it still spreading?” another shouts. “Is it gone? What about Limbo?”
“The world needs to know what happens next!”
They’re all speaking over each other. Cameras flash as I stand beside Silas, glowering at the massive crowd of humans, legacies, and Nether humans gathered outside of Everbound Castle.
This is where we brought Maven’s body yesterday, after Galene put her into some kind of trance. My mate is inside the heavily guarded castle, inside our apartment with Crypt guarding her closely.
After the Entity took his final breaths and Maven’s mom reaped his soul, everything happened so quickly. What was leftof Silas’s Undead army came back to their graves in this area. Fiends and monsters ran to hide deeper inside the Nether, which is no longer growing further into the mortal realm. The Reformists and all our allies have been recovering, burying the dead, and mourning—but they’ve also been celebrating.
A lot of people have started celebrating, even if they’re a little confused about what the hell went down in the Nether yesterday. As the leader of the Reformists, my mom’s been dealing with a shit ton of cameras in her face, just like this.
Everyone has questions, and they keep coming to us. It’s annoying as hell that they can’t read the room and leave us alone when we just went through so fucking much. Especially when I can barely think about anything except Maven’s current condition.
She’s still unconscious as she talks with the gods. Which means my quintet’s extremely on edge, which means Everett keeps freezing anyone who looks at him wrong, Silas is a breath away from losing his mind again, Crypt is a nightmare as usual, and I’mso fucking donewith being apart from Maven.
I need my mate. I’m so desperate to hold her and covet her after all the chaos that it fucking hurts.
Finally, Silas steps forward, drawing everyone’s attention. He adjusts his gloves. Probably a good thing that he’s wearing them—a lot of people already know he’s a necromancer, but with so many Nether beings being killed off and driven back into the Nether right now, it’s smart of him not to remind the humans what he’s capable of now.
“As with any great change in history, much will remain unclear until everything has had time to settle. All you must know is that the Entity is dead,” he announces.
Gasps ring out through the crowd, and a microphone is quickly shoved at his face. My temper sparks. Gods, these peopleare so fucking entitled. Would it really be that bad if I set them all on fire?
Temper,Silas reminds me telepathically when he sees the blue flames flickering under my skin.
Let’s just get this over with and get back to her,I grumble back.
It’s a good thing he and I agreed to deal with this shit together, because if an annoying but innocent human shoved anything in Crypt’s or Everett’s faces right now, they’d be dead.
Not that my patience is much better when a frantic human demands, “How do we know you’re telling the truth?”
Silas’s expression almost makes me laugh. He looks at this guy like he’s a moron and enunciates slowly, gesturing at his pointed ears. “I’mfae. We are literally incapable of lying.”
“And do you have concrete proof that fae can’t lie?” the human asks like he’s onto something big.
I thought brainlessness was reserved for the Undead,he grits through the bond. When he sees that I’m trying not to laugh out loud, he huffs.Prick. Your turn.
Fine. Sighing, I shove the microphone out of our faces and look out at everyone here. “Look, the Entity’s dead as a fucking doornail. Anyone with half a brain has started rebuilding the things we lost during the Upheaval. We don’t know what the hell is going on with the Nether yet, but when we do, the Reformist Council will issue an official statement or something. Until then, I’d better not see my keeper’s precious name in any of your motherfucking headlines.”
“But what about—” another one starts to whine, shoving another mic in my face.
My inner dragon growls at the same time I do, beyond pissed that they’re not getting it.
I’m back,Everett informs us all through the bond.
Thank all six gods. That’s our cue.
