Page 13 of Ringmaster (The Kingdom of Shadow & Bone #1)

Azrael

The cellar is atmospherically dark. It’s thick with shadows that don’t answer me when I call for them.

The air is musty and unfamiliar. In the far corner, bright lights glow, emitting a low hum only sensitive ears like mine can pick up.

Rows of plants in crisp white containers grow upward.

It’s perfectly neat and tidy. The sickly sweet smell of the blooming devil’s bane makes my stomach churn.

Sweat dribbles down my forehead, but when I try to lift my hand to brush it away, my arms refuse to obey.

They feel heavy, numb. I’m chained in iron.

Now that I’m assessing my situation, I realize my shoulders ache from being strung over my head and secured to the iron hooks in the stone wall of the cellar.

It’s no wonder I feel weak despite draining a soul before my big performance.

My wrists burn with a searing pain, as do my legs and abdomen.

This isn’t ordinary iron. The Ringmaster has saved only the finest iron in his collection for me.

It weaves around my ankles, threading through lower wall hooks, then loops around my middle and winds multiple times tight around my wrist. A shudder from the agonizing pain ripples across my sweat-soaked body.

Tilting my head, I listen closely. A faint melody stirs, low and haunting, filling my ears.

The iron sings the siren’s spell, whispering it into existence and rendering me helpless.

Every inch where the iron-spelled chains touch burns like a thousand fires blazing at once.

My body screams in anguish as the metal burns against me.

These chains hum with old magic—a gift my grandfather acquired long ago.

Forged by a sea siren to bind a demon, even those with Lucifer’s blood surging through their veins.

Which is exactly why they are so good at holding me here against my will.

I never expected him to use his tools on me.

When Henry hauled me away and they stuffed the poisonous purple flower in my mouth, I thought I’d wake in my bedroom like countless times before.

But here I am, suspended in this cellar.

The Ringmaster hasn’t ever gone to this extreme of a punishment.

I try to gulp but my throat is dry, and it still burns from where the flower slid down.

I wonder how long I’ve been out. Has it been hours…

or days? I won’t know until he releases me from this torture.

Until then, all I can do is hang here and wait.

As I hang from the chains, my mind continues to spin, replaying the series of events.

He struck her right in front of me. I can still hear the echo of the smack against her skin.

He’s lucky I care for Mercy enough to resist snapping his neck in front of her.

I would’ve taken great satisfaction in watching his lifeless body dangle from my clutches.

My jaw aches at the thought of devouring his soul.

But I can’t. I will not allow myself to do it. He deserves a far worse fate—judgement.

This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed her like that.

Anger bubbles beneath my skin, but it’s quickly squashed by a steaming burst of power coursing through the iron chains to nullify my own.

The chains react as I writhe, fighting against their control.

I howl as my back arches while the pain consumes me, and then darkness washes over everything once more.

Cold water splashes over my body, running down my face, and I sputter, ripping my eyes open. I once again have no idea how long I was out. The Ringmaster stands in front of me, wearing a condescending sneer and holding an empty bucket.

“Look who’s finally decided to join us,” he says, his words indicating I had some other choice rather than being locked down here like some kind of dangerous beast.

I look up at the Ringmaster through wet strands of hair that hang into my eyes. “What are you so afraid of that you went through all this trouble?” I ask, my words filled with disdain.

“You know how you get, Azrael. All this,”—he waves at the chains—“this is to protect you, and to protect that girl. But most of all, it’s to protect the circus and this extension of the Kingdom.”

I scoff. “Protecting the girl. That’s a new one for you. Since when have you done anything but hurt her?”

“Azrael, while I may not condone your childish infatuation with the girl, it doesn’t mean I want her subjected to watching you murder her father in cold blood.” He turns from me, reaching his hands up to rub his temples in slow, circular motions.

“Look at me.” I demand. “Do you really think I’m that far gone? Do you honestly no longer see me as a man, and only the monster you’ve forced me to become?”

“That’s enough, Azrael.”

“Oh, is it enough for you, Grandfather? The way I see it, you’ve created a monster you no longer know how to control.” My words are bitter, filled with an unspoken hate for everything he’s ever made me do in order to serve Lucifer.

“This isn’t about me, Azrael. I know my limits. I understand the consequences of my actions.”

“Well, are we done here? Have you deemed the monster safe for humanity?” I snarl.

“We are far from done here, Azrael.” His eyes bore into mine with a steely gaze that would make anyone—but me—submit.

But I refuse to break for him. There’s no part of me left to bend to his will, and he’s made sure of it.

“I see how it is. I’m still not unhinged enough for you. Tell me, and be honest, is this why he left? Did you drive every ounce of humanity from him too, so he had no problem double-crossing you?” I know the moment the words leave my mouth, I’ve gone too far.

A shadowy hand wraps around my neck, squeezing with rage as the Ringmaster turns, teeth clenched. “It’s none of your business why he left. You aren’t worthy of that information. You can’t even find your mate and end the curse.”

I bite my tongue to keep from telling him—again—that I want to be with Mercy.

If I could, I’d run away with her. But there’s nowhere I can go that Lucifer won’t find me.

And if I run, if I deny him what he wants, he will take the thing I care about most. I will never sacrifice Mercy for my selfish desire to be with her.

“I know what you’re thinking, boy, and I’ve told you a hundred times—she’s not the one. There’s no magic in her body. She’s a worthless human. There’s nothing extraordinary about her.”

“Is that all? You’ve made your opinion clear, and you have your monster ready and waiting to do your bidding. Are you going to release me now, or is there something else you plan to take from me?” I ask, irritation coating every word.

“You’ll know when we’re done,” he snarls, nose nearly brushing mine.

I should back down. Stay quiet. But I press my luck instead. “And what if you’re wrong? I feel something when I’m with her. Something I can’t explain. I care for her. And if I can’t find my soulmate, then I at least deserve to be happy. There’s no rule that says I can’t take another.”

Smack! The Ringmaster lashes out, slapping me across my face the way he used to when I was a child asking too many questions. “Never again. You are not to see this girl ever again. I forbid it. So help me, Azrael, if you force my hand—”

I cut him off before he finishes his sentence. “If you touch her, I will never help you. I would sooner join my father than help you break this curse if you harm her.”

Anger surges through me, and against my skin as the iron answers, but this time I overpower it. It no longer burns me. My shadows wrap around me, protecting me from the pain the chains promise. The Ringmaster looks down his nose at me, unimpressed at my ability to fight the chains.

“Love,” the Ringmaster spits vehemently. “Love does not exist in our world, and the sooner you learn, the better. I’m warning you, Azrael. Fall in line, and find what we’re looking for before the Divine does. The Seraphim will destroy us all should you fail.”

I hang my head in defeat, and he grabs me by the hair, lifting my head to look him in the eyes.

“Stay away from the girl. This is your final warning.” The Ringmaster releases me, walking to where the devil’s bane grows.

Malicor appears at his side, carefully plucking a small bloom from the plant. He turns to me with a sinister smile, then hands it to the Ringmaster, who is careful to only touch the stem with a shadowed hand. In a matter of seconds, his shadows converge on me, forcing another flower down my throat.

Before I pass out, I feel the restraints loosen as they prepare to move me to my bedroom, where I’ll awake, who knows how long from now.

I fight the urge to sleep, but my eyelids grow heavy and soon blackness surrounds me, and I’m once again tugged under where nightmares flash, each one worse than the last.

Once the poison burns from my system, the nightmares relent, giving way to a misty, shadow-steeped dreamscape.

It seems familiar, like a distant memory.

Darkness surrounds me as tendrils of mist swirl through the air, carried like a breeze.

Beneath my feet, the ground crunches as I shift my weight.

Looking down, I find the streets are filled with bone and dirt.

Bone pathways spread out in every direction.

As I spin slowly in a circle, taking everything about this place in, I spot the towering palace glittering and forbidding in the distance.

The Kingdom of Shadow and Bone hums to life, acknowledging my presence.

An unsettling feeling gathers in my chest. This isn’t just a dream.

It feels more like I’ve been summoned. Shadows converge around me, I’m surrounded by blackness, and suddenly I’m falling.

When my feet hit the ground, I land with a thud, stumbling from the impact before careening face first. Brushing myself off, I stand, but my feet carry me against my will—up the bone-carved steps of the palace.

I try to fight the invisible force, but it’s no use.

I walk right past every horrifying guard without a word, through the palace doors, and into the throne room.

There, a man sits on a throne crafted entirely of bone.

I assume he’s my father, considering he looks like a younger version of the Ringmaster. He stands to greet me.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Azrael.”

I say nothing. I open my mouth to speak, to hurl accusations at him, but no sound comes out.

“This is a warning. Not everything is as it seems. Trust no one but yourself. Listen to your instincts. We’ll meet again soon.

Until then, take this—” He reaches into his pocket for something.

I barely catch a glimpse, just as an ink-drenched raven lands on his shoulder.

My father drops whatever he was holding back into his pocket.

I get the clear impression it’s not something he wants the raven to see.

Its golden eye glows in the darkness as it twists its head to speak to my father.

But I can’t hear what they’re saying. Without warning, I’m whisked away.

The shadows shriek and tear me backward—away from him.

The raven’s glare sears into me, its molten eyes are the last thing I see before it all unravels.

Everything vanishes around me, and I’m dropped into another nightmare. A valley of dust. Of decay. Of bone. And of shadow.

A thick rolling storm cloud, the deepest of reds and grays swirling within it, blows across the barren skies above me.

Thunder cracks, booming so loud the earth shakes.

I stumble, waiting for the dirt to give way, to crumble out from under me, but it doesn’t.

Lightning flashes, striking the ground inches from where I stand.

Smoke and dirt fill my lungs. When it clears, three terrifying figures have appeared before me.

Instantly, I know it’s the Fates. They’re dressed in long black gowns, layers of sheer black veil engulfing each of their faces.

Each veil is held in place by a small, intricate crown that glows gold in the darkness of the dream realm they’ve trapped me in.

The three women don’t move any closer, even as I take a few steps back away from them.

They don’t look happy, and I know it’s because I interfered with Mercy and the snatcher. I wait for the impending wrath.

A scream splits the air—so wretched I feel it in my soul.

The furthest one throws her head back, her jaw unhinging wide and gaping.

It’s unnatural. I take another step back, afraid she might try to swallow me whole.

Then they’re nothing more than howling, snarling, viscous creatures, snapping their sharp teeth at me as they swirl around, carried by cloud and mist. I blink, trying to wake up from my dream.

When I open my eyes, they’ve surrounded me—once again, physical beings.

The first one whispers, “Two fates combined. Two souls intertwined.”

Her voice is horrid and cold. It makes me feel empty. Then the others screech in unison, “And one must die.”

The second Fate sings at a pitch that has me covering my ears. “Her death unlocks the gates.”

They scream and howl, twisting and turning back into their misty forms. Then all is still and silent… until the third Fate screams, “The undertaker will enter, presenting her soul. Then, and only then, can you claim her.”

The first Fate adds, “Sealing your ascent to the throne.”

They speak in riddles and rhymes that I don’t understand. I try to speak, but can’t. I have so many questions. Nothing they say makes sense.

A thunderous crack sounds above us, followed by a burst of light. Fuck. A glowing angel appears.

“Wake up, Azrael.” The Fates hiss in unison. “Be gone.”

My eyes fly open. I’m panting, body aching.

I jump out of bed, but nothing happens. I’m all alone, no longer in the dream realm.

It all felt so real. I shudder, not ready to relive the dream just yet.

I can still hear the echo of the Ringmaster’s words about love.

Could he be right? Does love—or even the thought of it—exist in our world?

Or were my dreams a reminder to follow my heart?