She raged down the battlefield as if she’d been born to fight on it. She may not have the muscle of the guys, but she was so fast, it was almost difficult to keep track of her.
Lilith had spent so much time lounging around like a cat that I’d never realized just how quick and deadly she could be. As I watched, she ducked past a swinging sword, her movements so fast the demon swinging it looked like he was in slow motion. The demon shoved his power at her and it bounced off her shield, leaving him wide open as she cut him down with demon fire of her own.
But it wasn’t just the high demons that fought for Lucifer. He’d ordered lesser demons to join the ranks, and they snarled, giving into their own bloodlust as packs of them aimed for individual soldiers in our army.
On the left flank, Nathaniel and his wolves ripped demons apart like they were made of fabric, the wolves’ claws and teeth dripping blood. A wolf went down and was instantly dragged away, replaced by a wolf I recognized. Liam.
In the air, dragons raged, spitting fire and setting Lucifer’s soldiers alight.
Bael’s soldiers advanced, no longer outnumbered by Lucifer’s. Hannah’s laugh rang out, hoarse and wicked. Someone had sat her on a horse, and she was feeding on the fear and pain of Lucifer’s soldiers as they died. She raised her hand and sent her death magic into their lines, laughing again as ten or twenty soldiers dropped to the ground.
A roar sounded, and the underworld showed me more.
Lucifer had released his hellhounds. Seven of them.
Selina fought them like a wild thing, cutting at one of them with both her magic and the longsword she swung as if it was an extension of her arm.
Aubrey strangled a hellhound with long, thick vines. His smile was feral, his eyes hard, and he moved as if he was dancing. Meredith fought on Aubrey’s other side, a dagger in each hand. She wasn’t as fast, but Aubrey was keeping an eye on her, stepping in when she seemed to falter. More of Samael’s demons had joined them, keeping the hellhounds from creating devastation in their right flank.
And there was Virtus. The gentle griffin plowed through the hellhounds with a roar, looking for all the world as if he was frolicking through a field of daisies.
My gaze shifted to the palace gates.
Somehow, the demons and unseelie had cleared a route to the wall. They held off Lucifer’s soldiers now, preventing the guards stationed at the top of the wall from slaughtering the witches down below.
Gemma stood in front of the huge stone wall encircling the palace, her eyes narrowed on the lethal flowers of the garthia plant. Her coven stood behind her. Behind them, more witches waited, standing in some formation known only to them. I spotted Siobhan, Riona, and Maeve amongst them. The Allen coven was here, along with a witch I recognized as belonging to the Jefferson coven.
At least six other covens were gathered behind them. The witches had united. At least for this one battle.
Evie approached, and my hands began to sweat. She reached for the bag Gemma held out. Then, with a small smile, she pulled out a single bone.
Each coven leader had their own bag, their own witchbones. One by one, they reached into their bags, handing out bones to all of the witches in their covens.
More of the wolves pushed close. There was Nathaniel, roaring as he cut into a demon who attempted to send demon fire barreling into the witches. Any of Lucifer’s people who came close were ripped apart. Behind the witches, even more werewolves waited to get into the palace grounds, trembling with anticipation.
Evie spoke a single word, and the witchbone she was holding burst into flame. She threw it at the wall, and it blasted a hole the size of a gnome. The witches spread out, throwing their bones, one after the other, taking down the wall, and the garthia plant with it.
Fire spread, crackling against the stone, until the garthia plant was engulfed. Above the palace wall, Scylla appeared, inhaling once, and the fire was gone. All that remained of the plant was ash and embers.
I could feel the black books. Hidden on our people, approaching the palace from all angles, as people bled and killed and died to guard them, to keep those holding them safe.
They’d come. All of them had come. For me. For us. In an effort to free the demons, and to save my life.
I was aware of everything.Everyone. Kyla was pacing down in the dungeons, her wolf yearning for her pack. Oh God, she was alive.
Pischiel had joined Samael now, swinging his own sword with our people. Even Keigan…
I ground my teeth. He was supposed to sneak out. To run like hell. So why was he still in the palace?
Lucifer screamed, falling away from me, and I crawled backward, gasping for air as I had a brief reprieve from the drain on my powers. His blood had been used to keep the garthia plant strong. Now that the plant was dead, was Lucifer weakened somehow?
Seeing the people I loved was enough. Enough to give me hope. Enough to make me strong.
I’d tried killing Lucifer with the rowan arrow, but in my heart I’d known. I had one more card to play.
Even if I couldn’t kill the psychopath, I could sure slow him down.
21
