My breath dried up. Chills broke out down my arms. A bead of sweat dripped down my neck.
And I felt them. All of the eyes on me, from across the mine. Guards watched, waiting for their friend to strike me down. But prisoners watched too, likely peeking through cracks in the walls of their windowless sleeping quarters.
“This little gift is from Samael,” I announced, my voice echoing across the mine. Then I reached into my pocket and threw the paperweight into the air, murmuring the incantation.
My heart leapt in my throat as the guard pulled his sword. Gloria had assured me that the cuff on my wrist wouldn’t interfere with a pre-made spell, since it didn’t require any of my own magic. But I didn’t trust her entirely. I could feel Pischiel in the dark somewhere above me, ready to drop and haul me back into the sky.
The spell unfurled like a rose as the white paperweight hung in the air. Pink sparks fell from it, one by one. Then they shot into the sky like a firework.
That’s when the screaming began.
Vomit crawled up my throat. And every guard in the mine erupted into fire.
They hadn’t expected it. None of them had shielded themselves from what had looked like an unassuming spell. Now they were burning alive.
The scent of burning flesh filled the air. I leaned over and puked. Then I lifted my head and made myself watch until it was done.
The scent of charred meat filled my nose and I heaved once more, but I had nothing left in my stomach. Finally, I wiped my mouth and lifted my head.
“They’re all dead,” I said.
Pischiel dropped to the ground next to me, his expression sick as he took in the ashes floating on the slight breeze. He couldn’t look at me, but he did something with his power that made my voice carry over the entire mine.
It took me a couple of tries before I could speak properly. “Please come out so I can help you lose the cuffs around your wrists.”
They came then. The strong first, striding out of the sleeping quarters, disbelief on their faces as they took in the piles of ash where the guards had been. It was ironic, really. The only way Gloria had been powerful enough to wield such a spell was because Lucifer had been giving her an all-you-can-eat buffet of sacrifices and horror.
One of the prisoners leaned over and spat on the ashy remains of a guard. Others were helping those who were weaker, leading them from the wooden buildings. Several of them lifted their heads, taking in the stars falling above us.
Even in their sleeping quarters, the prisoners were trapped with no view of the sky. The only time they’d gotten to see it had been when they were walking to and from the mine entrance.
My grandfather was an expert when it came to torture.
I cleared my throat. “Anyone who has enough power needs to get to the closest portal. It will take you to the human realm. There will be guards on the portal, but they won’t be expecting so many of you, so you can take them by surprise. If you have enough power, you’ll need to help those who can’t cross.”
Samael wouldn’t be expecting this many demons to show up in our realm, but I knew he’d help get them settled.
“Why are you doing this?” A voice asked. “What’s in it for you?”
“I get to see the expression on my grandfather’s face when he realizes you’re gone. Maybe his eye will even twitch.”
A few laughs broke out. Near the back of the crowd, someone coughed hoarsely. Typically, demons couldn’t get sick. Perhaps being cut off from their powers for so long had weakened them. I shook my head, hoping they could make it to the portal. They had no wings, and it seemed as if many of them could barely stand.
The demon was still studying my face. I sighed.
“Because no one deserves to be a slave. And because I represent Agates and Samael. Not my grandfather.”
“What do you want from us?” another demon spoke up. I recognized him. This was the demon who’d lost his wings. The one who’d looked at me, clutched in Lucifer’s arms as the underking enjoyed the show.
“I want you tolive.”
Murmurs broke out at that. More demons were joining the crowd, and next to me, Pischiel was tense.
There were thousands of demons here, so we needed to hurry this along before Lucifer noticed us missing.
“This is going to take some time. The spell needs to touch all of the metal bracelets around your wrists. I need some volunteers.”
I showed them how it worked, holding my breath as Pischiel opened the container. I dipped my finger into the liquid spell and pressed it to the metal cuff of the closest demoness. She gaped as the cuff fell off, and I blew out a deep breath.
