“Well…” Seraphine dropped her arms to her sides and then crossed them, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “They have a blood bond.”
“Which I have with Hecate, yet I cannot find her.” His temples darkened, blackness spreading through his hair as he shot to his feet. “Think, you imbecile.”
The beastie in the tunnel screeched. Chains groaned and snapped. I swallowed the lump in my throat, backing away and scanning the ground for weapons or pieces of debris. Hell, I’d have settled for a big stick at this point, but it seemed Seraphine had thought of nearly everything.
“Is that a basilisk?” Lucifer tilted his head, listening to the creature’s sounds of struggle.
“It is, sire,” Seraphine bowed her head. “Your favorite…and he’s hungry.”
Lucifer arched a brow and sank onto his throne. “I do love a good basilisk fight.”
He flicked his wrist, and the sound of chains dropping to the ground echoed through the pit like a death toll.
What the hell was a basilisk?
Another squawk drew my attention to the tunnel, where a pair of glowing yellow eyes with vertical pupils stared back at me.
“Nice kitty.” I lit fireballs in my hands and braced myself, but what emerged from the tunnel wasn’t a feline at all.
The beastie had the head of a rooster, and as it squeezed its massive body through the opening, I took in feathered wings and chicken legs. I squinted, blinking rapidly and trying to understand why my arch nemesis thought sending in an overgrown cock was a good idea.
I let out a breath, relaxing slightly. I’d be serving blackened chicken breast in no time.
Only…the poultry part was just the front half of the creature. It took a few more steps and straightened to its full height, which had to be nearly eight feet tall, and the backside…? Think giant green sea serpent with armored scales and spikes running all the way down to the tip of its tail.
It screeched and roared, both sounds emanating from its throat at once, and spread its wings, revealing taloned claws like a pterodactyl. The creepy combination of bird and reptile was somehow both laughable and terrifying. Apparently, Jurassic Park had gotten it all wrong.
The basilisk’s beak clicked in anticipation, saliva dripping from the corners as his feathers bristled with hostile energy. I swallowed hard, suddenly less confident about my dinner plans and more concerned about surviving the encounter.
Fried assault chicken might not be on the menu after all. Hopefully, fire witch wouldn’t either.
The beastie stomped and squawked, lowering its head and charging. I threw a fireball—and missed—before lunging left and landing on my shoulder. I rolled twice and shot to my feet, igniting more flames and facing my attacker.
“Impressive.” Lucifer clapped slowly, his bored voice echoing through the pit, sounding from all around me, though he still sat in his throne above.
I glanced up at him, my momentary distraction giving the basilisk a chance to whip his tail around, lashing at my abdomen and sending me careening into the wall. My head hit the stone with a thwack, and I slid to the ground, stunned and in more pain than I could ever remember feeling. If I made it out of this alive, my entire body would be one giant bruise.
“Get up,” Lucifer commanded. “Don’t tell me that’s all the fight you have left in you.”
Honestly? It kinda was. I’d done nothing but fight for my life at every turn since I got here, and I was so over it.
“I’m noticing a theme here.” Gritting my teeth, I pushed to my feet and braced myself against the wall. Searing pain shot through my side, making it difficult to breathe, much less talk. But speaking was my inborn gift, so I continued despite the agony.
“You created a court of cowardice.” I cringed and pressed a hand to my side. It seemed I’d broken a rib. Lovely. “Bedlam was the only one of your minions who willingly fought us himself. The others hid behind tricks and crossbows to get the job done.”
“You mistake strategy for cowardice.” The imaginary wind surrounding Seraphine whipped her hair, rustling her silver trench coat. “Survival is an art, and I excel at it.”
“From a distance.” I tried for a dismissive shrug, but my face pinched with the pain.
Her eyes glinted with challenge, daring me to argue more as the basilisk circled me, his claws scraping against the arena floor. My pulse thundered in my ears, but I refused to let either Lucifer or Seraphine see just how rattled I was. If survival really was an art, I was a Picasso—abstract, kinda weird, but incredibly bold and valuable.
“If you really want to show old Luci how great you are, you should lock up the beastie and fight me hand to hand…element to element.” I curled my fingers inward, sparks dancing across them, my fire begging to be released. I tempered it, though, letting the heat build in the core of my being and focusing on the tether connecting my soul to Discord’s.
Seraphine arched a brow, clearly amused by my challenge. “Brave words for someone barely standing.”
I smirked, not rewarding her with another response, and searched the ether for my demon. If I could reach him without scrying, if I could somehow use our connection to let him know I was still alive—though barely kicking—maybe he could find me.
The basilisk paused, sensing my shift in focus like static in the air, and with a deep inhale, I dared to close my eyes. It took less than a second for me to pick up my demon’s vibration, low and strong, yet on a frequency all its own. I pushed my magic outward across the tether, hoping to Heca?—
