Panic seized my chest. We had to get there. Now.
“What are we walking into?” I asked.
The man shrugged. “Erik needs human sacrifices as well as his prizes. Across three villages. He was going to use this fishing village in Greenland, but the Ice Queen froze the entire town to prevent him from gaining the powers he deserves.”
The Ice Queen … had beenpreventingErik from seizing power? I felt suddenly nauseous. I hadn’t thought for a second that what the Ice Queen had been doing could have been construed as anything but malicious. But she could have stopped this entire thing.
“And you’re using a loophole in our laws to funnel that power outside of the Council’s jurisdiction,” Freya frowned. “But why New York? Why is Lucifer involved?”
The man elaborated, “Saint Akilah. The bastard-child of God’s angels who’s gaining support in the city? She’s growing too powerful. Lucifer wants her gone. And we need a good deal of power to take her on.” He crossed his arms. “It would have all fallen apart without that fishing village. Luckily, he ran into some witches who informed him of another village ripe for the taking,” the witch continued, unaware of my dawning horror. “In the Ember King’s domain. Or whatusedto be the Ember King’s domain, from what I understand.”
I met Freya’s eyes. Kingsbury. The very town we had freed from the Ember King was now being sacrificed to another power-hungry witch.
And we had created a portal right to them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I was ina full-blown panic as I consulted my pocket watch. Twenty-five minutes until the witching hour. Twenty-five minutes before Auggie was sacrificed, unless I was able to track him down and rescue him.
Freya, sensing my anxiety, aimed an explosive force of wind through the group of witches, sending them flying back, many of them striking one another or blowing past the encircling trees to be caught by thorny shrubs.
“We don’t have time to lose,” Freya stated the obvious, stalking toward the portal.
I hurried to catch up.
“Will Auggie be okay?” Therese asked, worry thick in her voice.
“I’ll make sure of it,” I said through clenched teeth. Anger flooded through me: anger at the situation Auggie was in, anger at how Erik had taken advantage of us, anger at Lucifer for supporting a sadist like Erik in the first place. All of them could go to Hell. Well, Lucifer wouldn’t be fazed by that, but the intention remained.
“We should be prepared for anything,” Freya said, stopping short of the portal and drawing her blades, arming all three hands. Narcissa nodded her agreement, nails out. Even Therese’s chin was set with determination.
“Let’s get Auggie to safety and see to it that Kingsbury doesn’t suffer any more,” I said, nodding. “And if someone wants to tear Erik’s bloody head from his body, I won’t complain.”
Narcissa’s eyes sparkled. “So, I can incinerate him?”
“Into Gods’ damned ash.”
I would see Auggie to safety this night, even if it meant that I forfeited my own soul.
I closed my eyes. I had been so close to earning the freedom I’d longed for. So. Close. But Auggie was more important. I would deal with whatever punishment Lucifer dealt. I would complete his other tasks, no matter how long it took. But Auggie would live.
“Let’s go,” Freya said. I nodded and watched her step into the portal, disappearing.
I followed, that familiar tug whisking me away, before I reappeared in the midst of absolute bedlam.
It was hazy, and shouting echoed all around. A huge gaping hole stood like a wound in Kingsbury’s city wall, offering a glimpse of clashing bodies within, although through the haze, it was hard to make out exactly what I was seeing. However, I could tell that the salt surrounding both the portal and Kingsbury itself had been compromised, allowing access for anything that wanted inside. Likely the work of Erik and his witches.
I stepped off the teleportation platform as Freya put a steadying hand on my shoulder. Behind us, the forest was dark and silent, as if bearing witness to the battle of Kingsbury, waiting to see if it would fall under siege.
I gasped as a green-bodied demon with a pointed tail leapt from the hole into Kingsbury, hissing and bounding for Therese, who gulped with wide eyes, unmoving. Thankfully, Narcissa was quick to defend the girl, spitting a ball of fire at the creature that screamed briefly as half its body was charred, before it fell limp.
“What is going on here?” Freya breathed.
“Demons,” I said, frowning. “Perhaps Lucifer sent Erik additional aid to take Kingsbury.”
“Then we’d better hurry.”
I followed her through the hole in the wall, careful not to trip over the rubble. We came out to two young men with spears attempting to stave off a red, slim-bodied demon with powerful arms walking on all fours. Freya stepped in to help the humans as a crash and rush of heat from my right made me spin in that direction. The building in front of me was on fire, flames licking up the wood greedily, belching black smoke.
