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“We’d be in a bigger mess because you’d have done something reckless,” Valeen whispered. “We’re here now anyway.”

Thane’s magic flared again. “We can destroy him. There are three of us.”

“A prince of the underworld?” Valeen hissed. “Are you mad? They’ll send legions to attack the realms. Protecting the realms is more important than anything. It is our duty.”

“I thought they couldn’t get through the door,” Thane said.

“If we kill the demon prince, they’ll find a way.” Hel’s jaw muscles flexed. “Even if it’s five thousand years from now. Demons never forget.”

“And once they notice one of their rings is missing?” Thane whispered.

“I knew I smelled outsiders,” a demon cooed in a gravelly voice, creeping out of the shadows, far enough away he wasn’t an immediate threat but close enough Thane could see every detail. He stood at least eight feet tall, with curling black horns growing out of the top of his head of white hair. He was humanoid, with striking features, gaunt cheeks, a dark blueish-gray complexion but the veins going up his bare arms were lighter, and his fingers ended in snow-white nails that were pointed like talons. His deep blue cloak floated behind him as if air pushed it to ripple and wave though there was no wind to speak of. “The gods don’t belong in my world. You may rule in the other realms but not here.”

When he walked forward, his blackened, dirty bare feet didn’t touch the ground. He floated above the craggy forest floor.

“It was a dare,” Valeen said, tying the small brown sack to her belt. “To see if we could sneak inside without you knowing. Looks like we failed.”

He let out a low, menacing growl. “You know better than to trifle with me and my brothers over a dare, goddess. This is not your playground.”

“You know how we arrogant, asshole gods like to test one another,” Hel said, waving his hands around as if it was all a simple misunderstanding. “And to come here is the greatest test of bravery. It’s a testament to your power, demon. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

“You don’t come to the underrealm unless you’re dead. Since you are not, you don’t get to leave without payment.” His red eyes fell to the golden dagger on Valeen’s hip. “I’ll take that.”

“If you come near me, I’ll cut off your head with it.” She scowled at him with such steely assurance Thane believed her. “You may rule the underrealm, but I rule the night. I do not fear the dark, demon, I was born of it.”

Hel leaned closer to Thane bumping his shoulder into his. “Gods, I love her,” he whispered with a sly grin.

Thane smiled and although this felt real and dreamlike at once, he began to think this had all happened before, that he was awake in Hel’s memories somehow, but it also reacted to who he was in the present. Hel certainly was the god of magic.

“A hair from the primordial goddess’s head then.”

“No,” Hel said, immediately, and stepped forward—the move was a threat of its own. “You will not touch my wife’s hair.”

Thane instinctively knew or remembered that a hair with the correct magic could be used to track someone anywhere at any time, maybe something even worse. Other pairs of eyes began to pop up in the shadows, watching, waiting. Something growled, gurgly and wet. The thick air smelled of rot and although it had been cool when he arrived, the temperature began to rise as if the presence of so many demons produced heat of its own.

“We need to leave,” Thane said through clenched teeth, heart hammering. He tried to tell himself this wasn’t real, and he was standing in the training yard back at Castle Dredwich, but he wasn’t sure if this was entirely true. He couldsmellthem,feelthe heat on his skin. Even Hel promised that getting his memories back would hurt.

“Wecannotopen the door,” Valeen snapped and jerked her sword from her back loose; the golden blade glinted off the dim light. “Not until we know we won’t be followed.”

Thane reached back and found he suddenly had a weapon—two. A sword and an ax.

“But we need to get closer to it. We’re three hundred yards away.” Hel grabbed Valeen around her waist and tugged her backward. “Demon bites are poisonous even to us.”

“How do you even know that?” she questioned and the three of them sprinted for the door, jumping over, and slipping through massive protruding roots and tangled vines.

“If you won’t give it freely,” the demon prince called, “I’ll take your blood instead.” He raised both hands and the hundreds of eyes that lurked in the shadows sprang into the pale blue light. The pounding of beasts bounding after them thudded loudly. Thane didn’t dare look back as he sprinted.

The three of them made it to the door and whirled around, weapons ready. Hel’s fingertips sparked with bright white volts, black shadow rolled off Valeen making her difficult to see, and Thane held an ax in one hand and sword in the other. A dog-like beast crept toward him, all black, no hair, the hump of its shoulders behind its head reminded Thane of a bear but its slender sleek body had rib and spine bones protruding. Its massive jaw with three rows of hundreds of serrated teeth dripped saliva that sizzled and burned the ground with each drop.

“And the reason I know, love,” Hel began, “is because this isn’t my first time here.”

She glared at him. “You came here alone?”

“Not the time for arguing,” Thane said. The beast lunged toward him, and he swung, cutting its head clean off. It plopped to the ground and bright green blood spurted out, pooling around it. More came, Thane went into a frenzy, cutting through demons, with his blades like slicing through warm butter. Volts of lightning lit up the darkness, Valeen shifted to shadow, disappearing, and reappearing to cut down demons.

“They just keep coming!” Hel hollered.

A great troll-like beast, twelve feet tall, a protruding gut with slashes of scars across its gray skin, no eyes, no ears, horns that dropped the length of its body. With each step the ground shook, bringing it closer. Even the dog-like demons began to whimper and back up. It bellowed, spewing saliva, and showing off thick tusks.