Page 51 of Ringmaster (The Kingdom of Shadow & Bone #1)

Azrael

Distress bursts down our bond. I drop to my knees, roaring in agony, unraveling at every seam as pain barrels through my body, shredding my heart. I’m too late. She’s fading out—the sensation of our bond merely a trickle of what it was seconds ago.

A snarl rips from my throat, raw and guttural, echoing in the hollow of the Ringmaster’s office. I reach for her, pushing through wave after wave of pain emanating from her side. Terror grips me, threatening to swallow me alive.

“No!”

Shadows summon themselves to my aid, surrounding me in their cool, wispy tendrils, stroking soothingly over my body. Their touch is comforting, but only a soft hum, as they wrap me in a protective embrace. I lean into them, allowing the darkness to numb my emotions.

“Mercy!” I reach for her again, but my connection sputters.

It’s no match for the wrath of the universe. She’s slipping away, and soon my entire world will shatter.

Fire burns in my chest as if her soul is being severed from its contract with me.

I won’t allow it! Mercy’s soul is mine—bound by blood, sealed by oath.

Not even the Fates can undo what was consecrated in our ceremony.

Blood is binding. The ceremony has withstood the test of time for centuries, and it will not fracture now.

Mercy’s dying. I must go to her. I try to stand and stumble, collapsing on the hard floor. Screams claw their way out of my chest one after another as our bond snaps, splintering the silence forming between us—and then it fades away.

Defeated, I pound the floor with my fist until my knuckles are busted and bloody. My glamour fades, revealing my true form. Snarling. Hideous. Demonic. Shadows swirl over my body, my wings beating to the throbbing ache in my chest as I unleash a roar that makes even the shadows uneasy.

The RIngmaster smiles from behind his desk. “It has begun.”

“What have you done?” I growl, ready to attack.

“It’s not what I’ve done, it’s what you’ve done, Azrael. I warned you there’s no place for love in your destiny. Choose power and you’ll be free.” The Ringmaster drums his fingers against the desk, a smug expression on his face.

“And just what is it you’re accusing me of doing?” My voice is clipped.

“You’ve triggered destiny; the prophecy awaits. This is everything you’ve been working for. Power is infinite and eternal, but love… well, it never lasts. The choice will be yours. Don’t you dare disappoint me. Lucifer will end us both if you do.”

Power simmers at my fingertips, but the Ringmaster doesn’t flinch as I hurl my questions at him. “Where is she? What have you done with my mate?”

“Why Azrael, I’m disappointed. You know exactly where she is and how to find her,” he muses.

“I’m not playing games,” I snarl, leaping across his office to slam my hands down on his desk. “I’m going to ask you one more time: where the fuck is she, and what have you done?”

His lips curl up in a mocking grin. “I’m going to answer you one last time.

You know what you did. You brought destiny to your doorstep, and now you must choose.

” He twirls his mustache. “As far as where she is, as I said earlier, you already know. She’s the same place everyone else goes when they’re soulbound. ”

My lips pull back, revealing ominous rows of jagged teeth, all sense of control gone, as a silent warning flies through the air.

I want to rip his head from his body and devour every soul he controls.

I want to take his power for myself. There’s no bringing her back, but I would raise Hell to the mortal realm if it meant a chance at walking alongside her once more.

“You did this. You knew. It’s why you were so adamant we had to meet this morning.

You just couldn’t bear to see me happy. You’re jealous that I was given a mate despite being unworthy in your eyes.

” I pace in front of his desk, my anger and resentment growing with each step.

“You did this, and I’ll never forgive you for it.

She was a gift from the universe, not yours to take away. ”

The Ringmaster stands, growing taller as he shifts into his own grotesque, demonic form. “I took nothing from you, Azrael. Your quarrel is with destiny, not me. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s that I shielded you and protected you from the truth of why love can have no place in your heart.”

“Bullshit!” My magic crackles, poised and ready to destroy him. But if I spill his blood, what does that mean for the prophecy and the realm? My father is a traitor, a defector—I won’t follow in his footsteps.

“You’re a weapon, Azrael. You’re not meant to fall in love.

Perhaps we made a mistake in our negotiations with the Fates.

It’s imperative you forget this mortal girl and choose power when the time is right.

Should you choose wrong, Hell will fall, and Lucifer will bring his iron fist down on us all, starting with you.

” He’s just as menacing as I always remember him to be in this form.

I hear what he’s saying. I understand, but it changes nothing. “I will have both my mate and power. Even if it means destruction. Mercy’s soul is mine, and I will travel to the kingdoms to find it and take possession of it. She’s mine, and divine law will see my contract upheld.

“Where have you hidden her body? I want it.”

“What makes you think I have it? I’d check with your friends,” The Ringmaster gloats.

I clench my fists, turn on my heels, and yell over my shoulder, “We aren’t finished. I will return to seek my vengeance.”

When I step outside of the Ringmaster’s office, I transform into shadow, walking through the planes of time as I sprint full speed to Zora’s boxcar, where I left Mercy earlier.

Blinded by my agony, I waste no time. I walk through the door uninvited, blowing past her wards and spells, destroying each one layer by layer until I find her.

She’s seated at the round table with the crystal ball glowing and swirling in front of her.

Strewn across the table are a series of tarot cards, flipped up in a pattern.

I take my form and glower at her. “What have you done, Zora?”

But it’s not her who answers. The crystal ball snaps full of electricity, and the Fates appear suspended within it.

“She did as she was bound to do, carrying out our orders, Azrael—Prince of Shadows,” they hiss.

“What did you command her to do?” I demand. “What is it you bound her with?”

“Orders, Azrael,” they spit back.

I open my mouth to demand what orders, but the Future cuts me off. “Be careful, dear one,” she croons. “You’ve asked two questions; only one remains.”

It takes everything in me to swallow my boiling rage. Silence hangs between us for several beats —they’re testing my patience.

Finally, they speak. “Go to her, Azrael, Prince of Shadows. All will be revealed soon enough,” the Present instructs.

I exhale hard. “That’s what I’m trying to do,” I mutter.

“Make the right choice and unlock your destiny,” the Past warns.

How am I supposed to know what the right choice is when their messages are riddles?

“There will be many battles ahead. Love will always be your most powerful weapon, “ the Future says.

“Please, just tell me—what am I supposed to do? How do I make the right choices? Is there any future where I can save my mate?” I blurt, afraid they’ll disappear without giving me the answers I need.

“Questions woven inside questions, Azrael—that’s very sneaky,” they snicker.

The Past speaks first: “You must do what you were born to do. Fulfill your destiny.”

“There are no right choices, only choices, Azrael.” the Present answers.

The Future whispers, as their images begin to fade: “There’s always been a future where you save your mate, Azrael. Trust yourself. All is not lost; there’s still hope.”

Before they disappear completely, they deliver one last message.

“Keep your sword close, enemies are all around you.” The crystal ball fogs, and their final words echo hollow and soft.

Zora eyes me wearily, waiting for my reaction.

“Tell me everything,” I say through clenched teeth.

“Poison, my lord. Still on her lips.”

“What kind of poison?” My fingers are clenched into fists as I fight the urge to lose control.

“Red Lily,” she winces. “The death flower of queens.”

“Zora, how could you?” My voice trembles.

“It wasn’t my choice,” she answers. “I do not have free will.” She holds up her hands to reveal ancient iron shackles around her wrists.

“I shouldn’t have told you,” she gasps as the shackles heat to red. “She’s listening.”

“I don’t understand.” I gasp, looking over the shackles but not willing to touch them. “Does it hurt?”

Zora nods. “It’s destiny, and she’s preventing everyone from intervening. Azrael, please forgive me.”

She falls against the table as a sob escapes. I bow my head in understanding. She lost her free will. If it weren’t for the chains, she wouldn’t have completed her task—risking the path destiny selected.

“I forgive you, Zora, “ I whisper.

Another sob rips from her chest. “Go, Azrael. Bring her back.”

I set my jaw, square my shoulders, and summon Soul Slayer. Magic tingles through my hands, sparking across my fingers. In a flash, the blade materializes in my palm—gleaming, hungry, waiting. We are ready for battle.

A fissure forms in the middle of the room, swallowing me into the underworld. In a matter of seconds, I’m standing at the gates to the Kingdom of Shadow and Bone, shocked to find them closed and locked. I’ve never been shut out of my own realm before.

The bone-white bars glow in the abyss, carved into towering rods and flanked by walls of shadows that wouldn’t think twice about devouring a soul. I shiver, sensing their ancient power and strength. More shadows swirl around the gate.