He fought through the conflict, pushing demons aside as he charged toward his Prince. I’d never know if he’d made it in time. Flying monsters of all shapes and sizes swooped in, descending on the battlefield with fresh troops on their backs. My line of sight broke.
Sitri vanished beneath a sea of swords and wings.
I searched the mess of imps and beasts, looking desperately for Sitri and Apollo. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I trembled. Tearing agony scored my back with each of my captor’s wing-beats, its every move driving claws deeper into my shoulders, but that pain paled in comparison to the crushing weight of reality.
Sitri and I…wewere responsible for this.
He’d offered himself up as a sacrifice, told me how to escape with my soul intact. I’d still chased after him. Vapula would have everything he wanted—Sitri slain, Zephyr installed on the throne, a weak, helpless consort delivered to his doorstep. After two centuries of war, everything ended in a single morning.
But I had one last chance to deny the Duke his victory.
As the first tears rolled down my face, I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. My body protested as I reached upwards. My shaking hands found the beast’s leg, which I’d maimed earlier, and I searched its flesh by feel. There, buried in its muscles, was a long, slimy cord. I wormed my fingers around it, curled them into claws, and yanked.
The beast shrieked, and as I’d hoped, its grip on my right shoulder loosened. It couldn’t hold me when my weight shifted. With a bolt of blinding pain, its talons tore from my body, and I found myself in free-fall.
Wind howled in my ears, buffeted my skin as I plummeted. I kept my eyes squeezed shut. I already knew what I would see if I opened them. The badlands rushed up to greet me. Stone waited to break my soul apart, and a horrific demon dove, trying to snatch me midair. One of the two would catch me—either the ground or the amalgamate beast. I didn’t want to know which it would be.
The beast screeched in panic as it chased me, leathery wings flapping, maw snapping, drawing closer every moment. And the ground—how far above it had I been? How long would it take for me to reach it and be reduced to a red smear on white stone?
Each heartbeat felt like an eternity. I held my breath, waiting to learn my fate.
Clawed talons dug into my armor.
Something hard and wet struck my head, sending a jolt of lightning down my spine…
And everything went black.
