“You will not need to enter Lux,” Haldi clarifies. She is expressionless once more, and it’s as if her attack on Koda never happened. “The Demon King is being held within the forest ahead, so that is the only place you will need to go.”
The trip down the other side of the hill toward the next forest takes longer than it looks like it should, some of the distance deceptive with the endless green expanse. I don’t see any angels on this side, although there’s a steady stream of them across the ridge of the hill behind us and down into the city on our right.
I look forward to the shade the forest might give us, but when we finally enter it, the trees are tall, with thick trunks and foliage that only starts about two-thirds of the way up—five or so feet above my head—and doesn’t spread much beyond the trunk. All of the trees look the same, almost like a field of Christmas trees, even if the leaves are not exactly pine needles.
“The Demon King is through here,” Haldi says, quickly catching up with Adriel and leading us forward as we weave our way around the placement of the trees.
I have a brief thought that this could all be a setup, but I quickly dismiss that possibility. If they wanted us dead, they could have attempted to kill us all at the lake when we were powerless. Unless they’re about to imprison us, siphon our power, or worse—
Before my thoughts can run away with me, the trees open up, and we step into a wide clearing.
A glint of glass catches my eye.
I pull up short, squinting and trying to focus on the shining structure.
When my vision clears, I can finally see that it’s a cage.
A large glass cage that sits alone in the center of the clearing. There’s no canopy above it, and the wash of light against its surface reflects so brightly that it conceals what’s inside.
My father? Is he in there?
I shouldn’t be surprised that they might imprison the King of Hell, but within such a stark structure seems excessive.
Adriel steps aside to allow us through while the other two angels join him. His expression is closed off, and I again remember his warning that my father won’t be as we remember him.
Malia turns swiftly toward me, her eyes wide, as if she can see more clearly than I can right now. “Nova…”
Roman strides forward, taking me with him since our hands are still linked. We stop a foot from the cage, and I hold my breath as I try to see past the light and its reflective brightness.
“I don’t understand—”
My confusion turns to shock when a giant body smashes against the inside of the glass, right in front of where I’m standing.
In that moment, I’m confronted with the nightmare monster that my father has become.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Ijolt away from the cage.
The Demon King no longer resembles anything humanoid. He’s at least eight feet tall, his skin crimson with a scattering of black markings that I’m sure are runes, although I don’t recognize any of them. He has four horns on his head, black and curved. His eyes are also black and large, and his face is shaped more like a bull’s than a human’s.
He’s completely naked, and I make a concerted effort not to look lower than his large chest. A chest that appears leathery and unlike any demon’s torso I’ve seen before. At the tip of each finger is a lethal-looking claw, which does remind me of Roman when his demon side emerges.
Jareth roars against the glass, gnashing his razor-sharp teeth as if he’s desperate to eat our fucking faces off.
“What happened to him?” Malia asks, stepping up to my other side. Taniya follows next to her, along with Koda and then the demon wolves.
No one touches the side of the cage, but our presence seems to stir Jareth up further. He thrashes and howls against the glass.
I don’t expect anyone to have an answer to Malia’s question, but Roman says, “He lost his soul. I should have anticipated this change and prepared you for it. This is the pure energy of his demon side, the darker power that is only tempered by our soul.”
“He’s been in this cage the entire time?” I direct my question to Adriel, who’s stayed back and is giving us a chance to observe the caged demon.
“He has,” Adriel confirms.
Haldi adds, “It took a legion of angels to capture him when he arrived, and many were injured. This cage, fashioned from the same material that coats the entrance lake, is the only means we have to hold him.”
“We had to usemalinium,” Galvin explains. “It’s a natural element here on Stella-Astrum, and it’s infused into the glass.”
