Chapter 29 Chapter 28
Infiltrating a demon fortress turned out to be exactly as difficult as it sounded.
We made it past the outer perimeter by following Azrael through servant passages he'd used as a child. The fortress was massive, all black stone and sharp angles, designed to intimidate and oppress. Demons patrolled the corridors in coordinated groups, and I could feel the wards humming through the walls, waiting to trigger at the first sign of unauthorized magic.
"The tower is three levels up," Azrael whispered as we pressed ourselves into an alcove, waiting for a patrol to pass. "We take the servants' stairs, avoid the main corridors, and pray my father hasn't changed the guard rotations since I left."
"And if he has?" Kael asked.
"Then we improvise," Azrael said grimly.
We moved quickly and quietly, Azrael leading with Kael and me following close behind. Through the bond, I felt Kael's hyperawareness, his every sense on alert for danger. My own heart hammered against my ribs, and I focused on keeping my breathing steady.
The servants' stairs were narrow and poorly lit, which worked in our favor. We climbed three flights without encountering anyone, but I could hear voices echoing from above. Guards, discussing something in a demon language I didn't understand.
Azrael held up a hand, signaling us to stop. He listened intently, then cursed under his breath. "They've doubled the guard on the tower. My father knows something is happening."
"Can we still get through?" I whispered.
"Maybe. But it'll require fighting our way in." He looked at both of us. "Once we engage, we'll have minutes before reinforcements arrive. Seraphine, you need to reach the Crown and disrupt it fast. Kael and I will hold off the guards."
"I've never disrupted a demon artifact before," I said. "What if I can't figure it out?"
"Then we're all dead," Azrael said bluntly. "But I believe in you. Trust your instincts."
Not exactly reassuring, but I nodded anyway.
We emerged from the stairwell into a corridor lined with demon warriors. They turned at our arrival, eyes widening with recognition when they saw Azrael.
"Prince Azrael," one of them said, confusion evident. "You're not supposed to be here. The King ordered—"
"I know what my father ordered," Azrael interrupted, power crackling around his hands. "Stand aside or be moved."
The guards exchanged glances, then reached for their weapons. "We can't do that, my lord. Orders are orders."
"So be it," Azrael said, and attacked.
The corridor erupted into chaos. Azrael fought with brutal efficiency, his demon powers manifesting as black flames that engulfed anyone who got too close. Kael moved with vampiric speed, striking faster than the demons could react. And I summoned shadows, using them to entangle and trip opponents, to create barriers and weapons.
But there were so many of them. For every demon we dropped, another appeared. And I could feel my power draining rapidly, the Shadow Realm's hostile energy making it harder to maintain my connection to the shadows.
"Go!" Kael shouted, deflecting a blade aimed at my head. "We'll hold them. Get to the Crown!"
I ran. Through the corridor, past fighting demons and vampires, toward the door at the end that led to the tower chamber. A demon blocked my path, but I swept his legs with shadow tendrils and kept moving.
The door was warded. I could feel the magic pulsing from it, designed to repel intruders. But I was a Shadow Witch, and wards were just another form of magic to be disrupted. I placed my hands on the door and reached for the shadows within the spell itself, unraveling it thread by thread.
The ward shattered, and I burst through into the tower chamber.
The Crown of Shadows sat on a pedestal in the center of the room, radiating dark power. It was beautiful and terrible, wrought from black metal and studded with gems that seemed to swallow light. I could feel it reaching out, trying to dominate my mind, to bend me to Malakai's will.
"No," I said aloud, approaching the pedestal. "You don't control me."
I reached for my shadow magic, pulling from every dark corner of the room. The shadows responded eagerly, wrapping around the Crown like living chains. I could feel the artifact's power fighting back, could feel Malakai's will infused into every molecule of its construction.
But Shadow Witch magic was older than demon artifacts. Older than Malakai's reign. Older than the division between realms.
I pushed harder, pouring everything I had into severing the connection between artifact and king. The Crown screamed, a sound that existed only in the magical spectrum, and I felt something snap.
The connection broke.
The Crown went dark, its power disrupted. Not destroyed, but neutralized for now. Throughout the fortress, I felt the effect ripple outward. Guards losing their coordination. Lower demons breaking free from Malakai's absolute control. Chaos spreading through the ranks.
"One down," I gasped, stumbling back from the pedestal. "Two to go."
I ran back to the corridor to find Kael and Azrael standing over a dozen unconscious demons. Both looked battered but alive.
"It worked," Azrael said, relief evident in his voice. "I can feel it. The Crown's influence is gone. My forces are moving now, engaging my father's loyalists throughout the fortress."
"Where's the next artifact?" Kael asked.
"The dungeons. Deep below us." Azrael wiped black blood from his face. "The Chains of Binding are kept there, used to suppress imprisoned demons."
"Then we go down," I said.
We ran through the fortress as the rebellion erupted around us. Demons fought demons in every corridor, Azrael's supporters clashing with Malakai's loyalists. The fortress shook with the force of their battles, and I heard the distant roar of something massive and angry.
"My father knows we're here," Azrael said as we descended into the dungeons. "He's coming."
The temperature dropped as we went deeper, and I could hear screams echoing from below. Prisoners, tortured and bound by the very artifact we were coming to disrupt.
The dungeon level was a nightmare. Cells lined the walls, each containing demons in various states of suffering. And in the center, suspended in midair by ethereal chains, hung the Chains of Binding.
Unlike the Crown, this artifact was actively in use. I could see the magic flowing from it to every cell, suppressing the prisoners' powers, causing them constant pain.
"This one will be harder," Azrael warned. "The chains are actively channeling power. Disrupting them might cause a backlash."
"Might?" Kael repeated.
"Definitely will," Azrael corrected. "But it's a risk we have to take."
I approached the chains, feeling their malevolent energy. This artifact wasn't just about control. It was about cruelty, about breaking spirits as well as bodies. Malakai had poured his hatred into its creation.
I reached out with my shadows, but the chains fought back viciously. Pain lanced through me as the artifact's power struck, and through the bond I felt Kael's answering agony.
"Seraphine, stop," Kael gasped. "You're hurting yourself."
"Can't stop," I gritted out. "Have to finish this."
I pushed deeper, ignoring the pain, ignoring the way my power was draining faster than I could replenish it. The chains resisted every step, fighting to maintain their grip on the prisoners, on their purpose.
Then I felt it. A weak point in the magic, a flaw in the construction where Malakai's power didn't quite mesh properly. I focused everything on that single point and pushed.
The chains shattered.
The backlash hit like a physical blow, throwing me backward into Kael's arms. Every cell in the dungeon opened simultaneously, and dozens of imprisoned demons poured out, freed from their torment.
"Two down," I whispered, barely conscious. "One more."
"Seraphine, you can barely stand," Kael said, his voice thick with concern. "You need to rest."
"No time," I said, forcing myself upright. "Where's the Heart?"
"The throne room," Azrael said. "Where my father will be waiting. This was always going to end there."
We climbed back up through the fortress, accompanied now by freed demons who'd chosen to join Azrael's cause. The rebellion was in full swing, battles raging on every level.
The throne room doors stood open, and beyond them I could see Malakai waiting. He sat on a throne of bones and shadow, the Heart of Chaos floating before him, pulsing with stolen fear and suffering.
"My son," Malakai said, his voice echoing through the chamber. "And his pet witch and vampire. How predictable. Did you really think I wouldn't anticipate this?"
"I counted on you anticipating it," Azrael said, stepping forward. "That's why I brought help."
The freed demons poured into the throne room, surrounding Malakai. Azrael's supporters flooded in from other entrances. Within seconds, we had him outnumbered three to one.
"Numbers mean nothing," Malakai said, standing. "Not when I have this."
He touched the Heart of Chaos, and power exploded outward. Demons screamed and fled, unable to withstand the concentrated fear the artifact projected. Even Kael stumbled, his ancient vampiric nature recoiling from the primordial terror the Heart channeled.
I stood my ground. Barely. The fear threatened to overwhelm me, but I focused on the bond, on Kael's presence anchoring me. Focused on Azrael's determination burning bright despite his fear. Focused on everything worth fighting for.
"Your turn, little witch," Malakai said, his eyes fixed on me. "Disrupt this artifact and save everyone. Or fail, and watch them all die in terror."
The Heart of Chaos pulsed, waiting.
And I gathered what remained of my power for one final attempt.