Auggie blinked. “You brought a guest.”
“Unfortunately, we did,” I agreed. “This is Erik. If he tells you he imbues weapons with magic, he’s lying.”
Erik smiled at Auggie. “I wish we were meeting under different circumstances. And you are?”
“Auggie.”
“Auggie?” Erik echoed, tilting his head. “As in Augustus? Where are you from?”
“Just outside of London,” Auggie told him.
“Interesting. I love London. Where, exactly?”
I caught the movement of a shadow at the back of the cell and tensed before breaking out into a wide grin. “Narcissa!” I laughed. Narcissa stood in a large birdcage that hung from the ceiling, tail swishing behind her.
“I know,” Narcissa lamented. “It’s utterly humiliating being stuffed into this contraption like some common finch.” She sniffed. “I don’t think the Ember King is very smart. Probably thinks I’m a bat because of my wings.”
“A black cat?!” Erik crossed himself. “You keep a black cat as a pet?”
“So what if I do?” I retorted. “And she’s not a pet, she’s my familiar. We’re friends.”
Erik scoffed. “Black cats are schemers. They should be killed on sight. It’s simply asking for bad luck to have them around. The humans got that much right.”
“Oh, that’s so ignorant. Black cats arelucky.If anyone’s unlucky, it’s me, for being forced into your company.” I crossed my arms. “You just want another death on your hands so you can grow stronger. That’s why people don’t trust blood witches. You always have to watch your back around them.”
“Okay, okay, we’re all on the same side at the moment,” Freya said, holding up her arms in a placating gesture. “Let’s just release our friends so we can leave.”
Erik looked like he wanted to argue, but he turned away. Just to be clear, I added “I will push you into the lava if you lay a hand on her.”
Erik’s jaw twitched, but he nodded.
I spied a ring of keys beside the door and retrieved them, trying each in the lock to the cell until one opened it with a soft click. Then I suddenly found myself in Auggie’s embrace. He hugged me with surprising strength. “I never thought I’d see you again,” he said into my chest, voice muffled.
I relaxed into the hug and wrapped my arms around him as well. “I’m sorry it took so long. We made a little detour.” I pulled away and smiled at him. “I won’t let you out of my sight again, if I can help it.”
“I’m frankly more surprised that you’re alive,” Freya told him. “The Ember King seemed keen on eating you.”
“You’re welcome,” Narcissa said, licking a paw in her cage. “I told him about the bounty on Auggie’s head. He seemed very interested in keeping him alive after that.”
I frowned, walking over to her as I searched for a key that would fit the lock of the birdcage. I got it on the first try, and Narcissa leapt out and onto my shoulder, whereupon she stretched out her batwings. “You told him about the bounty?” I asked.
Narcissa seemed unconcerned. “It kept him alive, didn’t it? Otherwise he would probably be on the dining table right now, an apple in his mouth.”
I shuddered. “Thank you. I guess.” Freya had been right. The promise of a reward, likely in the form of negotiable power if someone was challenging Lucifer, had been too much for the Ember King to pass up. I shook my head. “I don’t suppose he knows who put the bounty on Auggie’s head?”
“Oh, he knew. He didn’t share who it was, but he’d heard about the bounty. They’re coming to the castle, I believe.”
I shared an uneasy look with Freya. “Then we should probably get out of here. Like now.”
“And leave so soon?” a garbled voice observed from the doorway. “But you’ve only just returned.”
My heart went cold, which was saying something, given the current temperature. I turned to find the Ember King in all of his glory, staring at us like a living nightmare. My mouth went dry as his figure brought to mind our previous confrontation. He had seemed unstoppable then. He didn’t look any less unstoppable now.
His cloak was aflame behind him, sending more shadows across the room, and causing the black husk of his face to give the illusion of movement, like something was crawling around beneath his flesh, causing it to bubble like lava. The reds of his eyes blazed as he stared us down.
“I don’t suppose we can talk about this.” Freya smiled at him sweetly.
He growled and threw his hand out at us in an arc, releasing gobs of lava that melted what it hit like acid. I had to leap sideways into Auggie to keep from being hit and knocked us both to the floor.
