It took more effort than she was used to. Unlike rage, the tears of sorrow were wet and cold. They didn’t burn easily, but Bex had always been a bonfire. Her new name didn’t change that, and eventually, everything was consumed. The prince, the sorrow, the suffering, the pain—she ignited them all, transforming the Prince of Fear into a pyre that rose to the sky. She burned until even the ashes were consumed, and when she pulled her flames back at last, the only thing left on the ground was a woman’s severed hand curled into a terrified fist.
“It’s okay,” Bex whispered as she reached down. “I’ve got you. You don’t have to be afraid any—”
A blast of noise knocked her off her feet. It was so loud that Bex didn’t even recognize the sound as a bell until she saw Gilgamesh’s fingers reaching through the air to grab her sister’s hand just like he’d done in Adrian’s clearing. Bex surged back to her feet with a roar, but even with all her new powers, shewas still too slow. Gilgamesh grabbed the Queen of Fear’s hand and vanished before she could reach him, leaving her diving at nothing.
“Youthief!” she screamed, bellowing up at the golden palace that still towered above them. “I’ll burn your whole kingdom to ash!”
“I wonder why he did that,” Leander said in a much calmer voice. “Does he still need the queens’ hands for something, or did he just not want you to have it?”
“Either way, he’sdead,” Bex snarled, brushing the ash off her tattered clothes.
As always since she’d learned to control it, her fire hadn’t touched anything she wasn’t furious at, but the fight had still taken a toll on her outfit. Everything was technically still in one piece, but her leggings were sporting some unfashionable new holes, and her beloved black bomber jacket definitely looked worse for wear. That was her fault for wearing it into battle, but the damage on top of Gilgamesh’s thievery still had Bex seething as she reached up and mashed the button on her comm.
“Iggs,” she barked, “is the fight at the plaza finished yet?”
“Yeah,” came the tired reply. “It was rough. The front hall was packed to the rafters with sorcerers, but we pushed them all back with minimal casualties on our side. I’m guessing you took out the prince?”
“Like trash,” Bex said, zipping up what was left of her tattered coat. “Leander and I are headed your direction. Don’t go any deeper in until we get there.”
“We won’t,” Iggs promised. “We need a breather after that fight anyway. I thought we’d have bigger numbers for the main assault, but half our army still hasn’t made it up the damn road. If the witches hadn’t rolled in with their death storm, we’d all be goners.”
“Good thing we’ve got reliable allies, then,” Bex said, smiling at the swarms of witches she could see flying around on their brooms now that the thunderstorm was breaking apart. “It’s like I said back in Adrian’s clearing. Gilgamesh made enemies of the entire world, and he’s paying the price.”
“You reap what you sow,” Iggs agreed, his voice oddly tight. “I’m afraid I have to pass out now. See you when I wake up?”
“I’ll be there,” Bex promised, calling Drox back to her finger as she ran into the still-flooded plaza, leaving Leander trailing far less urgently in her wake.
CHAPTER 11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THE FRONT OF GILGAMESH’Spalace was swarming with witches by the time Bex arrived. They were everywhere: using their brooms to sweep the rainwater dumped by the storm into buckets, picking up bones dropped by the undead dragons, helping the vines that grew everywhere get better traction on the palace’s smooth white stone. Several were tending to demons who’d been wounded during the assault while others were up on the battlements, sorting through the scrap left by the lightning-struck constructs. A whole team was up on the roof between the towers, taking apart the giant lion cannons with blowtorches, while their cat familiars watched from a safe distance like a line of furry vultures.
It seriously looked like the witches were scrapping Gilgamesh’s army for the gold, which Bex found both hilarious and practical. As she’d seen from the Pumpkin Festival, there wasn’t much money to be made off a forest, and pillage was the victor’s right. Gilgamesh had certainly helped himself when he’d invaded Paradise. Bex found it delightfully appropriate that he should suffer the same, especially since her demons were also helping themselves.
They should be focusing on what comes next,Drox muttered, turning nervously on her hand.We haven’t won yet.
“Oh, let them have it,” Bex scolded, smiling at the demons who were gleefully prying the gold decorations off the palace doors. “They deserve a little joy.”
The sight certainly made her smile. They’d been fighting a losing battle for so long that even something as small as stealing Gilgamesh’s porch décor felt like a life-changing victory. The forces from the Seattle Anchor were still arriving, which meant most of the demons who’d participated in this fight had come from the Hells. They’d lived and died in toxic darkness, scraping sins out of filthy water, while the warlocks who commanded them lived in luxury. If anyone deserved a little looting, it was them.
“Great Queen.”
Bex tore her eyes away from the pillaging just in time to see the war-demon leader Roga kneel at her feet.
“We’ve taken control of the plaza and the entry halls,” he reported as he lowered his helmet of broad, flat horns. “The Queen of Pride and General Iggs await you inside.”
Bex arched an eyebrow. She wasn’t sure when Iggs had become a general, but she wasn’t about to undermine him in front of the war demon. He’d certainly been doing the job, which was good enough for her.
“Thank you, Captain Roga,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the river of demons that was still marching toward the palace from the giant tree. “I want you to hold this position and organize the new arrivals. We’ll use this opportunity to rebuild our forces while I go find our next target.”
“Yes, Great Queen,” the war demon said, then he flicked his dark eyes up. “Um, about the looting. Should we—”
“It’s fine,” she assured him as her face split into a grin. “This city was built on our people’s backs. Way I see it, they’re just taking back what’s owed.”
The war demon looked extremely relieved to hear that, probably because it meant he wouldn’t have to tell a bunch of delighted demons they had to stop.
“Just keep order and don’t let any fights break out,” she said. “I’m going to talk to our allies.”
