Melanthe of the Deie Sorceri was an empowered sorceress on the prowl. Even hell should tremble!
When those sentries approached with swords drawn, she smiled. “Well, hello, boys.” With a wave of her hand, she mesmerized the pair, commanding them to lead her into the cavern, protect her with their lives, and tell others that she was their leader’s female.
Then she bade them to take her to the key.
Easy as easy pie.
THIRTY
For most of the night, Thronos had grappled against her sorcery.
He didn’t know what shocked him more: the revelation about his brother, or that Melanthe had bespelled him—without hesitation.
But her persuasion would be useless against demons, or the pest! If she perished, he would . . .
He would what? Vrekeners simply didn’t go on without their mates.
Ages ago, after he’d healed from the worst of his injuries, his own mother had found solace in suicide, unable to live without his father.
Thronos’s brows drew tight. By that reasoning, so long as Melanthe’s life was in danger, then so too was his.
At once, he felt her command fading. In minutes, he’d freed himself from her invisible bonds.
His head swung upward. If he took to the air, he couldn’t see markers warning of danger zones. Chance I’ll have to take. He swooped his wings, shooting into the sky with his usual grinding pain. He hovered over the canopy, tracking her by her sorcery and her entrancing scent.
While he trailed her, he replayed all the things she’d told him about Aristo. Over the centuries, Thronos and Aristo had grown apart, seeing little eye to eye. There wasn’t a Vrekener alive who reviled Sorceri more than Aristo. His brother’s voice echoed in his head: “They murdered my father and crippled my younger brother. Death to every last one of them!” Aristo had even threatened the Sorceri wards within the Air Territories, until he’d seen how unpopular a move that would be.
Melanthe’s accusation was possible, logistically speaking. It’d taken Thronos years to heal, to learn how to walk and fly again. He’d been in his teens before he’d been able to travel long distances. Consumed with locating her, he’d had no interest in politics.
Had he suspected things were amiss? In the last century or so, worrying accounts had made their way to him, but his mind had remained focused on the search, and he’d easily discounted them.
Because they’d all concerned the King of the Skye.
And now his mate had added her own account. Yes, Thronos had learned her tells. When she’d told him about Aristo, she’d been leaning forward aggressively, eyes wide. His wings hadn’t twitched.
No wonder she was desperate to avoid his home. He had to convince her that he could keep her safe. He had no doubt of it; a Vrekener protecting his mate was stronger than any others of his kind.
And no male would fight more savagely for his female.
But once Thronos caught up to her tonight, what would stop her from commanding him again? What if she ordered him to forget her, as she’d threatened on the island? Before, he’d questioned if that mightn’t be a boon.
Now the idea made his heart pound with dread, sweat beading on his forehead.
The closer he got to the demon strongholds, the louder the skirmishes grew. In the sky over the plateau, Thronos saw more Volar demons locked in combat. So members of the same demonarchy had become enemies?
If what Melanthe said was true, then those creatures were his demon brothers. Of course, if what she said was true, then the Volars would be preferable to Aristo.
Thronos breathed deeply for her scent, seeking her sorcery. Her trail was confusing, seeming to lead to both encampments.
The freshest was to Deep Place. With its maze.
Thronos could fly over it, but would those Volars spot him? And if the maze was meant to keep out enemies, there would likely be air mines planted above it.
He descended, hastening by foot to the labyrinth. The ruins were a riot of shapes—pillars, disks, remnants of arches and walls—creating misleading plays of light and an infinite number of hiding places.
Threats could be anywhere. Everywhere. Would he find her mauled body in these ruins? Hear her screams as she was attacked by demons?
His lungs burned; he increased his pace even more.
At the entrance to the maze was a sign inscribed with those foreign glyphs. The markings seemed to vibrate, before growing legible to him.
Behold Deep Place, lair of the Abysmals, possessors of the First Key, guardians of the Second Gate of Hell. Woe to all who enter the bowels of this realm.
Exactly how deep was this den? Vrekeners hated all things deep. He charged forward anyway—
His eyes widened. Melanthe!
Apparently, she was just leaving, looking bored as she strolled from the labyrinth.
Great. Killjoy had freed himself. He was dripping sweat, looking like he’d run or flown marathons to get to her.
The unbidden thrill she felt to see him only worsened her already bad mood.
He hurried toward her, but she kept walking, her portal plans on hold for tonight. Escaping hell wouldn’t be as simple as she’d envisioned.
“Melanthe, wait!”
Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to command him so easily after her sorcery outlays. She’d drained much of her power, though she hoped not in vain.
Thronos caught up to her and reached for her arm, but her withering look made him drop his hand.
“Are you safe?” he asked between breaths.
“How did you get free? Did something attack you?” She was already looking past him, debating her next move.
“Not in the strictest sense. What were you doing in there? Have you lost your mind, going into that lair alone?”
She shrugged.
“You just walked in?” He frowned. “Wait. You’ve got two keys. My gods, you’ve been to Deep Place and Inferno!”
Around her neck, on either side of her priceless medallion, she’d strung two ancient-looking keys to a gate of hell—because she’d already stolen both treasures.
Nearly identical, each key was the length of her little finger. At one end was a filigree bow; the other end was flat, notched, and engraved. Overall, they were as dainty and elegant as Pandemonia wasn’t.
Bonus: they too were made of dragon gold. She now wore three pieces of priceless silisk gold.
Lifting the keys had been the easy part. Hidden within each stronghold was its portal. Beside it? A key. She’d thought she would have to go all Italian Job for her mission, but the only security had been manual: hulking guards.
Hulking guards who were now sleeping like little babies.
With her talents, the keys might as well have been under the front doormat. “I stole these with ease,” she told Thronos. “Your ‘lacking’ mate is still a thieving sorceress, remember?”
“So all these brutal demons have been locked in endless warfare, and you managed to do what armies couldn’t over an eternity?” He looked a little . . . awestruck.
She brushed off one shoulder, then the other. “Just let me do like I do.”
Unfortunately, the portals had turned out to be trickier than she’d suspected. Each one was ensconced in stone, with etchings all around the opening. In Deep Place, clouds and vines were depicted, indicating a heaven plane. The one in Inferno was surrounded by dripping fangs, as if the opening were a ravenous mouth.
Should be a no-brainer—I’ll take the heaven plane, Alex—but then, this was Pandemonia. Could be a trick or a test.
Worse, they were old-school portals, basically huge vacuums, which meant she couldn’t dip a toe and then return.
Worse still, she couldn’t steer them. Even though she had the keys, those portals were permanently pointed in one direction like subway tubes—and she had no idea where they led.
“I can’t believe you’ve seized these.” Thronos reached for her chain, raising the keys. He inspected the engraved ends, one depicting dripping fangs and one those vines. “Why do you remain here? Were you . . . had you been coming back for me?” The hopefulness in his tone tugged at something inside her.
She snatched her keys back. “Nope.”
Scowl. “Then why are you still here?”
“Because the portals are more complicated than I expected.” Not because she hesitated to abandon Thronos on a hell plane.
Not at all.
“I don’t want to rush anything.” She might be better off in the Zero-G Glade for another day. She might be better off waiting to create her own portal.
She gazed past him. Dawn was finally breaking. Her crime-playtime was over for the day. In any case, before she made another foray into either camp, she should probably recharge. Remarkably, she hadn’t tapped out her persuasion, but a top-off wouldn’t go amiss.
Without a word, she headed back toward the glade.
“Where are we going?” he asked as they neared the brush.
We? Optimist. “I just burgled the two most valuable possessions in this realm.” She cast a wary glance over her shoulder. “Eventually those demons are going to want them back. I’m returning to the glade.”
“I’d fly you there, but the dragons will be out foraging soon,” he said. “I’ll guide you back.”
“Clearly, I don’t need your help.” No sooner had she said that than they reached a junction where the path forked out three ways, engraved stones marking each. She didn’t remember this from before.
Mental shrug. Eeny, meeny, miny . . . She turned toward the one all the way to the right.
“You don’t want that one.”
She faced him with pursed lips. “Why not?”
“The marker reads: The Long Way. Which doesn’t sound very promising.”
“And the other ones?”
“One reads: To the Frozen Lake. The other: Hell Beast Trail.”
She headed toward the frozen lake, intending to step off the path as soon as things got close to chilly.
He remained by her side. “Melanthe, I need to talk to you about what you told me. About my brother.”
“You’ll find out the truth for yourself soon enough. Everything I’ve told you can be verified.”
“You were young, and it was so long ago. Perhaps you mistook him? Aristo’s talons are silvered—his wings would be like any other knight’s.”
“He used to swig from a golden flask.” When Thronos paled, she said, “Oh, so you remember it? Even if I could forget his face, I’d never forget his gold.”
Thronos swallowed. “Maybe he didn’t mean to hurt you in that haystack.”
“After my hand got stabbed, the next pitchfork jab nicked my ear. Before another one could land, Sabine ran to distract them. If not for her, your brother would have gored me to death. Look, I don’t care if you believe me—”
“I . . . believe you.”
“You do?” In spite of how gut-wrenching that must be. “Then do something about it. You should go to the Skye—and clean house.”
“I intend to. I will make my brother see reason when we return.”
She stutter-stepped. She didn’t know which part of his statement mystified her more—the fact that he still intended her to go with him, or that he planned to rehab Aristo. “I hate to tell you this, but your brother is evil. EVIL. The kind you can’t rehabilitate. Face it, Thronos—in the brother department, we both lost out.”
“Do you expect me to kill Aristo without trying to reach him? I also thought you were evil, but decided not to harm you.”
“He’s not going to turn out like me. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Which is your business. I just want to return to my home.” She started forward again. The brush began to thin. In the distance, she could see a field.
He walked backward to keep his gaze locked on hers. “I can’t allow that. We will not be parted. After this long without you, how could I release you now?”
She waved a hand shining with blue energy in front of his face. “You won’t have any choice.”
He glowered at her hand. “Melanthe, just stop and discuss this with me.”
“The same problems as before apply. When you can see past my number, then maybe we’ll talk.”
“So if I could see past it, you’d come with me to the Skye? Then use your power to make me forget the men you’ve been with,” he said, as if he’d just lit on the idea and found it excellent. “If that’s what it takes, then I’ll subject myself to your sorcery once more.”
She clenched her blue fists, hating him for hurting her yet again, hating that he didn’t even understand how he was hurting her. “Should I make you think I’m totally a virgin, or maybe that I only had a couple of f**k buddies? How about one conquest per century?” Voice rising with each word, she yelled, “I hate the way you make me feel!”
“I don’t want to! But I don’t know how to handle this. I can’t just act like I haven’t felt wrath. Like I haven’t been brought to my knees with jealousy. . . .” He trailed off, frowning at a pair of marble markers that bordered the path. Only two lines had been carved on them.