Page 185 of As Above, So Below

It’s then the first screams rise from the city.

Squeezing my eyes shut against the sound, I inhale sharply, continuing to pace blindly.

If I stop moving, I’m going to fall to pieces.

With a drawn sigh, I open my eyes, my attention darting to the open balcony doors. Ollora is blanketed in twilight, and the stench of sulfur has begun to float through the breeze.

They’re here.

Netharis sent demons as promised.

Some stupid, broken part of me hoped he was bluffing. That regardless of how angry I’ve made him, he wouldn’t risk the balance of an entirerealmto punish me. And like every other time I held out hope in the hells, believing this time might be different—that my father might change—I’m left holding the fractured pieces of my hopein my hands.

Netharis will never change.

It doesn’t benefit him to change.

My skin crawls and I suppress a shudder. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t return, but here I am, faced with my last few moments in the living realm.

Eve steps into my path, forcing me to stop.

“When?” she asks, her tone as anxious as I feel.

“As close to totality as we can manage,” I answer, my voice breathy as I clench my fists to keep my fingers from trembling.

Nodding, Eve swallows hard.

“We can always run, Ves,” Eve says softly and my eyes meet hers.

Her imploring gaze tears at me like blades down my back. I know she would travel anywhere with me. She wants to escape Ollora and I don’t blame her, not after losing Cora.

And now I’m leaving her too.

Who knows where she’ll go once I return to the hells. Surely Druka will consider their contract complete and release her from it.

“You know I can’t.” I manage a meager smile.

Returning my smile with one of her own, she huffs through her nose. “I know. But I had to try.”

Raising the hood of my cloak, I place the cowl over my face, hiding myself away. With a final check, I ensure the bloodstone dagger is strapped to my thigh, securely in place.

Eve and I move onto the balcony. The fleet of soldiers stand ready below. The tension in the air is heavy, palpable—a result of the sounds of fighting in the distance. Screams, cries, the clanging of metal, and upon the balcony, innate use brushes against my skin, causing it to pebble.

I don’t know where Ryc is positioned.

He never told me. But I have to imagine he’s not far from the castle. Not knowing feeds my apprehension, and I’m doing everything I can to ignore the pull in my chest when I think about him. The way he calls to me without trying, the way the urge demands I stand beside him seems particularly strong tonight.

Below, on the lawn, a few heads turn. A strange, jittering electricity clings to the air. The scent of sulfur reaches my nose and oninstinct I reach for the hilt of my dagger, reassuring myself with it’s presence.

In the center of the north lawn, the first hellfire portal appears. It tears itself open and streams of demons gush forth. Commands shouted in Malbolge send the demons into a frenzy. Scattered throughout the lawn and gardens, several more portals appear and open, tearing through the fabric of the veil.

Hell has broken loose.

The soldiers react instantly. Shouts rise, weapons are unsheathed, and bodies begin to rush toward the portals. Faster than I can draw breath, the north lawn has transformed into a battlefield.

Behind me, Eve shouts.

Whirling on my toes, a portal stands open in the middle of the room, hellfire drenching the room in blazing crimson light. A distorted figure steps through, heavy boots falling onto the floor as the portal closes.