Page 110 of Galen

Laughing again, he stirred whatever was inside said pot. He seemed to be a different species of demon. Shorter than me with pointed ears and two pupils in each eye like some kind of weird insect. His skin had a yellow-green pigmentation, and don’t get me started on his teeth. Even without my glasses, I saw how sharp they were.

The kitchen reminded me of the ones from medieval shows. I felt like I’d been transported to a different time as well as to a different realm. Did they not have electricity in the underworld? Toilets that flushed?

The maniacal chef held up a knife and waved it around to get my attention. “Flayed human?”

“Um.” I scooted closer to the wall I was shackled to and swept a glance around me, searching the counters for something—anything—I could use to defend myself. I squinted at a handle poking out from a wooden container. I leapt forward and snatched it up.

What amazing weapon did I find?

A spatula.

The demon cocked his head. “What will human snack do with that?”

“Did you really just call me human snack?”

“Sven!” a female demon yelled, barging into the kitchen. Her long black hair had streaks of green, and her nails matched. “Quit playing with the king’s dinner. He’s expecting roasted human tonight.”

“Roastedhuman,” the demon chef said, nodding as he looked at me.

I groaned and held the spatula in a firmer grip. If I was going down, I was going down swinging.

“He’s an interesting one. I’ll give him that.” She came closer to me, eyeing the spatula in my hand as I swatted at her. “Too bad we have to kill him.”

“You really don’t have to,” I said. “I wouldn’t taste good anyway.”

The female demon sniffed the air before smiling. “You smell delicious to me. I’d love to sink my teeth into you. The thought alone is orgasmic.”

“Well, that’s the first time a woman has ever used the word orgasmic in reference to me. Men, on the other hand…”

She laughed. “I like you, human.”

“Do you like me enough to let me go?”

“No.”

Shouts came from outside, the sound traveling in through the two open windows. Sven hopped up on the table along the far wall and peered through them. That’s when I noticed his antennas. They wiggled as he checked for the cause of the shouts, and then he jumped back down.

“Too dark,” he said before walking over to a cutting board and chopping weird vegetables I’d never seen before. They gave off a sweet aroma when cut.

“Must be part of the entertainment,” the female demon said before unhooking my chain from the wall and tugging me forward. “I heard your companion is fighting in the pit. By the time he falls dead, you should be nice and roasted.” She looked at Sven. “Should we add potatoes?”

“No potato. Onion better.” Sven chopped a purple vegetable before grabbing a white onion. “It good with human. Enhances flavor of juicy meat.”

Commotion sounded from the corridor behind me, and the female demon turned to look. I didn’t know what came over me. I wasn’t usually impulsive or quick on my feet, but I took advantage of the distraction and pushed her away from me, grabbing the end of my chain as her hold loosened.

And then I ran.

“Hey! Get back here!”

“Human snack! You forgot spatula.”

The shackle around one ankle made me feel a little off-balance, and the metal cuff cut into my skin, but it was better than being flayed. Or roasted alive. I ran faster. The passageway curved to the right, and then I reached a set of stairs, which my clumsy ass tripped on going up. Thankfully, I regained my footing fairly quick and burst through the door at the top of the landing, finding myself outside in the night air.

More screams reached my ears. Amidst the smoke rising from the various fire pits, I saw absolute chaos.

Was this part of the celebration? It looked like a battlefield, fire burning high, bodies unmoving in the grass, and bloodcurdling cries piercing the air. Demons ran past me, some missing limbs. They didn’t pay me any attention. They were too focused on fleeing whatever had torn them apart.

Iwould be torn apart if I didn’t move—roasted over an open fire with onions to make me taste better. Knowing the female demon was hot on my heels, I dashed to the left and ran toward the trees on the other side of the castle. Just until I could figure out what to do.