Soul Anchor?Alora sent the thought to Rune, but he did not answer. His crimson gaze burned like coals, fixed on the Dominion.
“There are many demigods roaming about who may serve well enough,” Morvenna suggested uneasily, though she was wise enough not to look at Lady Zinnia. “Let us find a divine soulto anchor the Rift. Even a mortal one will hold it long enough for the Netherworld Gate to open. Then we can go home while Vorak takes his due.”
The words made Alora’s stomach curdle with fury.
They would be so callous as to throw away another life for their security. The Mortal Realm be damned.
Alora rose from her seat, magic flaring white beneath her palms. “No.”
The word cracked through the chamber like a whip. Shadows stirred, restless, answering her fury.
“I will not abandon my people to slaughter. If you would hide while the world burns, then I will drag you into the sun myself.”
Her voice rang with such conviction that the chamber fell silent.
Then Ira threw back his head and laughed, the sound booming like thunder. “Ha! She speaks with fire!” He slammed a fist onto the table, leaving a fractured web in the polished glass. “For you, I will ride to my death, my queen.”
The Harbingers murmured approval, tension easing.
Rune let their voices fade before rising. “We have called on your legions, and you will answer. Prepare to march to the Hydell Hills in three days’ time.” His gaze swept over the Dominions, crimson eyes burning. “Vorak may be a Titan, but even Titans fall.”
Dinner was an abysmal affair.
The Court of Sin and Ruin feasted and rutted with an urgency that bordered on panic. Wine spilled. Demons danced around a roaring fire. Music carried like a hypnotic hum. Laughterdrowned out the moans lingering in the shadows, entwined bodies finding pleasure in the dark.
Alora’s stomach churned as she watched from their table in the dining hall.
This was the way of demons, and Rune carried on with no reaction. But she could see from his blank expression, he was present in body only. She wanted to retreat to their bedchamber so they could discuss the Soul Anchor or even work up the courage to tell him about Vorak haunting her like a chill in her bones.
But before she could gather the words, Rune rose from his seat.
“I must step out for a moment,” he said quietly.
He glanced at Hadeon and Calla and they dutifully stepped forward, already taking their places behind her chair as her personal guards. Though she really didn’t need protection anymore.
“Where are you going?” Alora asked, her brow furrowing with worry.
“I will be back later tonight.” Rune kissed the top of her head, then slipped away into the shadows.
That was all.
No reassurance. No explanation.
The air beside her cooled far too quickly.
She sighed down at her plate of untouched mortal food. There was no point in staying here then.
Rising to her feet, the Harbingers followed as she slipped into a dark hallway. The torches lit up at her presence. She descended into the mountain’s hidden veins, where the displaced had been sheltered from sight and flame. The mountain’s heart breathed with shadow the deeper she went.
Tunnels opened on their own for her, Karag Dûr already sensing what she wanted.
Alora knew she was close when the cavern walls glinted with Moonstone crystals embedded in the rock. Ore to keep demons at bay. Here, Calla and Hadeon halted and took their places guarding the opening of the tunnel.
Alora strode further in until she reached the carved stone door at the end. It stood sealed with glowing glyphs, ancient wards etched deep into its surface, each sigil pulsing with quiet intent to bar demons from passing. Alora pressed her palm to the cold stone, and the magic yielded at once, the light dimming as the door gave way beneath her touch.
Warmth greeted her on the other side.
The dining hall beyond was hushed and welcoming, long tables set with simple fare, the low murmur of conversation threaded with soft music. Laughter drifted gently through the space, unhurried, unafraid. Her people moved through the space with careful purpose, tending wounds, sharing food.
