Page 52 of Ringmaster (The Kingdom of Shadow & Bone #1)

Strange to find them sealed, but it won’t stop me from reaching my mate.

I sprint forward, slamming into them—only to ricochet back.

Fuck. That was stupid. I push to my feet, plotting my next attempt.

This time I shift to shadows and try to slip between the bone-carved rods, but an invisible barrier stops me cold.

I raise my sword overhead and bring it down on one of the bones.

The impact sends brutal vibrations through my hands and up my arms, but the gate doesn’t yield. Impenetrable. Unless…

A key.

My fingers close around the chain at my neck, my father’s words echoing: If you ever find yourself locked out of the kingdom, this will open the way.

On the gate, a star-shaped hollow glints, the exact size of the key.

I press it into the carved bone and twist. Locks grind and whir.

The gate shudders, then slides open. I step through and pull it shut behind me.

The path to the kingdom stretches out ahead, endless and dark.

No time to waste. I sheathe Soul Slayer at my hip, spread my wings wide, and launch into the air.

Wind tears past me as I drive forward with everything I have until I drop before the front gates, landing with a menacing thud.

***

The guards stand ready to face me, and my father’s voice rumbles from overhead. “Ah. Azrael. You’ve arrived. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“I would’ve arrived sooner, but it seems I was locked out. Good thing you gave me this key.” I hold it up.

“Security measures beyond my control.”

“Bullshit. Let’s cut the back-and-forth. How about you give me back my mate, and then we’ll be on our way?” I snap, my patience wearing thin.

“You know I can’t do that, Azrael.” Shadows swirl above me.

Mine form a protective shield around me in answer. “Except I own her. Summon the book. You’ll find the blood contract complete and in order. So you can just give me what belongs to me, and there won’t be any trouble.”

“I can’t. But there might be a way. Come inside, and we can discuss it.” His voice sounds urgent, as if time matters—but here in the underworld, how can it?

The guards step aside as the enormous door carved from obsidian groans open. Mage-lights flicker, illuminating the path ahead. Each step is heavier than the last, but finally I reach the throne room, where my father stands—alone.

“Where is she?” I demand.

“Patience, Azrael. I can’t just give her back to you. It doesn’t work that way. There’s much to discuss, and things that need to be consummated.”

I tilt my head at him in confusion. “Whatever needs to be discussed, I’m all ears—but I’m in no position to make deals with a traitor who would hijack the kingdom. Only Grandfather can do that, and I can’t say I left things on the best of terms with him.”

“I know not what you speak of. Who is it you call Grandfather? For there are none older than us.” His words are laced with distaste and suspicion.

“The Ringmaster. Your father. The one you double-crossed when you sealed off access to this realm and all the others. The man who raised me like his own because my father abandoned me for power.”

His face twists in revulsion. “Stop! I’ve heard enough of these lies,” he hisses. “You’ve been tainted. Corrupted by a false storyteller. It’s much worse than I imagined. “

“Lies?” I roar. “How dare you accuse me of lying when you’re the one who fractured Hell and tipped the balance to begin with. The divine are causing havoc—freeing demons, feeding on humans, destroying towns. All while you sit here consumed by power.”

“Oh, but you’re wrong,” he challenges.

Magic crackles and snaps, freezing him as a voice I can only assume is Destiny booms: “It’s not your place to tell him. All will be revealed in time. Memories must be earned.”

Time springs back into place as I narrow my eyes at my father. “What are you not telling me?”

He shakes his head, unable to answer.

“Fine. How can I get Mercy back? What can I do if the blood oath isn’t enough?” I plead, desperate to hold her in my arms once more.

“Even completed, the contract binds you to her—but not her fate to yours. She chose to sacrifice herself. That changed everything.”

He bows his head. “A series of tests. Pass each one, and then all will be revealed.”

“And my mate will be returned to me?”

“That I can’t promise. It depends entirely on you and the path you choose with Destiny,” my father explains.

Anger and frustration bubble beneath my skin, ready to unleash destruction on the entire realm—but I calm myself, allowing it to simmer. Destruction will not bring her back to me. I must earn her.

“Fine,” I relent. “I will pass the tests.”

He nods his head, shoulders swelling with pride as he looks me over before muttering, “Let the trials begin.”

The world goes black, and the room spins.

I drop to one knee, centering myself and positioning my body low to the ground, one hand at the dagger in my boot and the other gripping the sword at my hip.

The black feathers of my wings blend into the darkness, wrapping protectively over me.

When the spinning subsides, I’m standing in an orchard.

It’s Mercy’s orchard—but not the real orchard.

I moved it so she could take it with her.

I rise slowly, alert and on edge. It appears I’m alone… until the snapping of branches draws my eyes to the middle of a tree. Three giant black ravens perch on a branch, swirling golden eyes identical to the one I saw before.

The birds must be a representation of the Fates. “Show yourselves,” I command.

One after the other, the birds explode into falling feathers—and the Fates: Past, Present, and Future, appear before me.

“Azrael,” they screech.

I bow. “Ladies.”

“Three tests. One for each of us,” they explain in unison.

“Mine first,” the Past croaks.

The world fizzles out, replaced by a memory.

My stomach twists. I know exactly where we are.

It’s the first time we met—the first time I ever laid eyes on Mercy.

The scene plays out behind me. She was beautiful beneath the sadness.

I looked at her and thought, Wow, that girl is pretty.

She looks like she could use a friend. It’s lonely around here.

The Past interrupts. “Make a choice, Azrael. Knowing what you know now, would you still seek her out? Remember—you had the power to choose your mate. The choice was always yours, and yours alone. A final gift from your mother.”

I understand. I sentenced Mercy to this fate.

This was all my doing. Would I damn her all over again, knowing the price she paid for my love?

Why do I hesitate when I already know the answer?

“ Of course, I want to because I can’t imagine anyone else by my side.

And if I live for an eternity, then it’s her I want to spend every single one of those days with. I can’t imagine it any other way.

But I stole from her. Is it fair for me to take her life away? Her life was miserable. She was about to be sold off to some wealthy man. Maybe she would have lived an enjoyable life with him.

“The cycle repeats,” she hisses. “I know what you’re thinking, Azrael—and he won’t care for her the way you would.”

I shake my head. “Are you influencing me? I don’t think you’re allowed to do that.”

“Make a decision,” she snaps, knowing I caught her breaking a rule.

I smile at the Past. “Sure thing, oath-breaker.”

“You stop that. Don’t speak that out into the world.”

My smile grows. “I guess you owe me a favor, friend.”

The Past nods, recognizing her mistake. “One favor. Of my choosing. I may refuse you.”

“No. You may refuse me three times,” I counter, knowing I have the upper hand.

“You can ask a favor only once, and then you may not ask it again.”

“Fine.” The magical agreement snaps into place between us.

“Give me your answer.” Her words are sharp and icy.

“Yes. I will never stop saying yes to her.”

The scene replaying crumbles as this world falls away. It’s replaced by the Future’s world. Everywhere I look, visions of the future unfold around me. It’s hard not to get lost in what my life could be like.

“Azrael,” the Future coos.

“Future,” I reply dryly.

“My question for you is simple. If you free her, will you be her captor? There are three choices: make her queen and keep her forever, release her back to her human life, never to see one another again, or let her choose freely, even if she walks away?” The Future smiles, already sensing my distress.

I want to allow Mercy to choose, but what if she walks away? I’m not prepared to handle that. If I say one thing but do the other, will it matter?”

The Future clears her throat. “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, it would matter if you lie.”

“Are you meddling with the test?” I ask, demanding the oath be upheld.

“Do not speak of such disobedience,” she snarls.

“Give me a favor.” It’s worth a second shot.

The Future laughs. “You forget I’m the Future. I will not fall for your tricks. Answer the question or fail.”

I gulp. That was a bad idea. I know the right answer, but it might just break me. “I’ll give her the choice.”

Once again the world dissolves, revealing the final realm: the Present. We’re back in the throne room. My father is nowhere to be seen. Instead, I’m surrounded by hundreds of illusions of Mercy, each one slightly different than the rest.

The Present speaks. “Find her in this room. You only have one guess.”

I scan the chamber. Mercy isn’t here. None of them carry the scar over her heart—the one I gave her.

These are only an illusion, and I will not settle for an imitation of my mate.

She’s somewhere waiting for me to rescue her.

I turn to face the Present, a smug smirk tugging my lips.

“She’s not here. None of these are her.”

The Present’s eyes glow with what might only be described as pride. “One more test, Azrael, and then you shall find her again in the human realm.”

I start to protest. I don’t want to stumble across her in another lifetime—I waited long enough to find her the first time. But the world vanishes, and the Fate is gone, replaced by an empty void. Nothingness surrounds me. This must be Destiny.

“I’m not surprised you figured it out,” the voice booms. “You’re correct. I’m Destiny—and I’m infinite.”

A shudder runs through me.

“You’re right to fear me, Lord of the Underworld.” It snickers.

I swallow hard.

“Here is your final question: will you wear the name you once ran from, and the crown that burned you? Can you become what you were forged to be, knowing it will cost you everything you were?”

There’s no silence between us, or overbearing pause. Only one word, spoken without hesitation. “Yes.”

Destiny smiles. “Then our effort was never wasted. Not on you.”

I tilt my head, trying to gasp the meaning. Was I always meant for my destiny—even when I didn’t believe myself strong enough or worthy? Distant memories flicker, blurred yet illuminating something locked deep within me.

Overhead, stars spark to life in the void. They form the shape of a crown, and as the last star falls into place, it ignites—burning bright until it crumbles into ash, the remnants drifting down on a phantom breeze.

“Kneel before me, Lord of Darkness, King of the underworld,” Destiny commands.

I drop to one knee, wings spanning out on either side of me as I bow my head. The ashes swirl, merging with shadows until they reform into a crown. A swirling tentacle holds the crown in front of me before placing it on my head. A tendril of shadow lifts it, placing it upon my head

“There is yet one last battle to be won before you may ascend the throne and consummate your rule. Return to the human realm and destroy the one who has caused all this agony and suffering. Those who hide behind the disguise of something they are not.”

I dip my chin in understanding. I must destroy the cunning Ringmaster and imposter Lucifer.

There will be no redemption for their souls.

They are far too powerful, more than they should ever have been allowed to become.

As I rise, ancient armor snaps into place with a whisper of shadow and steel, a familiar ghost brushing my skin before vanishing into an unseen protection.

Destiny exhales, a murmur rippling across the void: “Let the seals break—and the world remember what it cost to bind you.”

The universe shifts, and I feel in my bones. The prophecy has unlocked; my destiny. But this is more than rescuing Mercy—it is the beginning of something far greater.

“And what about my mate? When do I get her back?” I demand as new knowledge pour into my head.

“She is yours. She has been returned to the mortal realm. Travel swiftly, Azrael. Infinite danger awaits you both.”

Darkness surrounds me once more, leaving me suspended in the liminal space between realms. One beat of my wings and I’m already soaring upward, faster than I’ve ever flown. The earth shatters as I breach the veil, shadows surging at my back, sword gleaming, my arrival heralded by ruin.