Page 80 of Prince of Ruin

Their dark, star-flecked gaze slides to mine. “I knew you when you were a child. When we were both children. You were pure, then. We’d climb the rocks of the caverns, explore the caves while your father and my grandmother performed the sacrificial rituals. The person I see in front of me is the same lighthearted boy I once knew.”

The path, clear of anything but pebbles, plunges deeper into the belly of the mountain. I clutch the torch tighter, slightly terrified that it will slip from my clammy palms and snuff out on the cavern floor, leaving me in complete darkness.

Wolfsbane locks their hands behind their back and looks forward toward the yawning darkness ahead. “I didn’t know you when you’d turned into the power-hungry bastard, as Hemlock claims. I want to trust my instincts about you. But I also want to trust my partner, who leans more towards Tarsus’ suspicions about you.”

I swallow the sudden dryness in my throat. “I appreciate your…belief in me. Not that any of it matters now. Either Mother Terra will end me the moment she sees me, or Tarsus will end me the moment I’ve done my work.”

“Unless you come out the powerful Spine Sovereign we all fear,” Wolf says.

I hadn’t bothered entertaining that fear any longer than a few moments. Because the thought of being trapped in Sovereign Clavicle’s cruel, sadistic mind sounds so much worse than death.

“If I come out as Sovereign Clavicle,” I say, my voice low. “Swear to me you’ll kill me the moment I step out of the caves.”

“We won’t be able to,” Ash says, her voice much too cheery for a vampire inside a cave, whose russet eyes now glow a bright red against the darkness. “Mother Terra, if she restores your powers, will make sure you re-emerge as the most powerful sovereign in the Five Empires.”

“Then I suppose you should have traps waiting for me at the mouth of the cave.”

Ash snorts. “As if Abaddon will let us anywhere near the cave. Once Wolf and I step out, there will be bats guarding this cave, protecting their sovereign within.”

We continue on in silence. Wolfsbane studies me, those inky black eyes seeming to absorb the torchlight. But despite their eerie appearance, their energy makes me feel safe. For some reason I don’t understand, I know that I can trust them.

“I can see why you and Aden have developed such a strong relationship,” I say to the Terra Sovereign.

Wolfsbane blinks, and even in their black gaze, I can see a hint of surprise by the arch of their brows before they look forward, into the heart of the cavern. “Aden is the one who opened my eyes to see humans as equals and not beneath us. When my Shadow threatened to drown me in evil, Aden was there to stretch out his hand and help me keep my humanity.”

The path grows steeper as we travel down, down, down into the waiting abyss. My calves are burning from the sharp decline, my mouth parched.

“Before Aden,” Wolfsbane is saying, “every human I’d ever known cowered in my presence. I saw them as mindless drones going about their work. I know now, they were only terrified for their lives, and trying their best to remain invisible while doing the duties expected of them.” Wolf shrugs. “You were ambitious, even as a child, but you were also innocent. It’s how I know you’re telling the truth—that you don’t remember anything from your past self.”

“You…believe me?” I ask.

Wolf nods, a muscle jerking in their jaw. “The person standing before me now is very similar to the young Clavicle who accompanied his father to the sacrifices, but cared nothing for them. You didn’t have a hunger for power, Clavicle, until you had something—or rather,someone—worth protecting.” They run their hand down their braid. “It was when you let that power blind you of the reason you wanted it in the firstplace that you turned…evil.” They shrug. “At least, that’s what I gathered from Tarsus and Hemlock. I was taken from my palace when I was still a child, and shoved into temple where I would remain as a protected virgin until Elderberry claimed me as his own while all that with you and Tarsus hashed out.”

I shudder. Aden told me how Wolfsbane was stripped from their family and home at such a young age, and the first thing they did when they got out was sell their soul to some deadly Shadow magic in order to get revenge on the Sovereign who imprisoned them. Only in the past few months did they find some semblance of normalcy with Hemlock and Ash. Now they finally have their throne back, only to have their entire empire threatened to be buried beneath ash and smoke.

I guess…I guess I’m doing this for Wolf, too, then.

Abaddon appears at the end of the hall when we reach the place where sacrifices are usually held, the river of lava making the large cavern glow. Once a terrifying monster, the love and reverence in Abaddon’s expression only warms me. Extending those large, leathery wings, he draws me into a firm embrace.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice deep as his chest rumbles comfortingly against my ear. But I shove him away, despite how warm he is.

“Youliedto me.”

He blinks and takes a startled step back, his upturned nose scrunching in disgust, glossy black eyes narrowing. “Did Tarsus already get inside your head?”

“Tarsus is trying to end the human sacrifices. You knew that, and you knew that if you’d given me that information, I wouldn’t have marched into battle with you.”

His jaw hardens. “And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.” He gives me a disgusted once-over. “You’re confined to a weak human body, with all those unpredictable human emotions, and no memory of the powerful Sovereign you used to be. Once you have your powers back, though, Clavicle, you’ll understand why I withheld information about Tarsus. You’ll understand why we had to march against Tarsus. And you’ll understand why Aden must be thrown into the volcano.”

Fear clutches at my throat, because what if Abaddon is right? What if this cruel creature inside me re-emerges into the infamous Prince of Ruin and I destroy the people I’ve come to love? What if, instead of listening to my plea, Mother Terra returns my powers and memories to me, and demands I hand Aden over?

No. I can’t think about that right now. If it comes to that, I’ll fight with everything within me to keep my human heart intact.

“Show me where to go.”

Wolfsbane and Ash say their goodbyes. I guess Mother Terra doesn’t want them in her depths, since they won’t heed her wishes to sacrifice Aden. And it’s just me and Abaddon. I won’t be surprised if he tosses me into the lava himself, but despite our argument, he seems genuinely concerned for me.

“Did they feed you?” he asks, casting a sidelong glance at my body.

---