Page 133 of All's Hell That Ends Well

“We can figure out the why and the how later,” I said, peeking around the corner to check the hallway. “But what are we going to do right now? Ashtaroth and the others will stop fighting at some point, and then they’ll come looking for us.”

Azazel nodded and held up his bound wrists. “First, we must get these off. We need full access to our regular power as long as we don’t dare use the new one. We have to find some of our people, and if there are seraphim among them, they can remove the shackles.”

“Lower ranks can’t?”

He shook his head. “Not enough power. Once we’re free, we’ll have to gather what’s left of our forces and leave.”

“You don’t want to wait for Daevi or Verrin?”

“How long ago did Lucifer send word to them?”

I chewed my lip and thought. “About an hour ago?”

A defeated look crossed his face. “Not even the fastest fliers will have gotten there yet. Which means neither Daevi nor Verrin will even know what’s happening here at this point, and even if they got the news right now, it would take them some time to gather their armies and fly them over here. No, we’re alone. Whatever fighters we have here is the extent of our defense, and it won’t be enough to withstand the hosts of fourterritories. If we’re lucky, we can round up enough of our people to beat a retreat and regroup in a safer location. As long as both of us make it out of here, anyone else’s claim to the throne is contestable.”

“Okay.” I pulled myself together, trying to calm my racing thoughts and soothe my anxiety about all the shit that could still go wrong. “Let’s find our people, then.”

We encountereda group of ten warriors made up of demons from Azazel’s and Daevi’s domains just a few minutes later. They were led by Shemyaza, and from the looks of it, they’d been through some fighting already.

Shemyaza’s face lit up with relief when she spotted Azazel and me. “Your Graces,” she said and fell to her knees, and her warriors followed suit.

Shit, I so wasn’t used to being addressed as queen yet.

“I am so glad you’re safe,” Shemyaza said as she got to her feet again. “We didn’t have information about what might have happened to you.”

Her gaze fell on our manacled wrists, and Azazel quickly explained what had transpired.

“And Lord Lucifer?” Shemyaza asked.

Azazel shook his head, and dejected silence fell over the group.

“I’m sure he’s still alive,” I offered. “Ashtaroth didn’t want him killed. She said she had plans for him. Our best bet is to make it out of here safely, and then when we regroup, we will try to save him in the process of getting back at whoever takes over.”

At least, that was what I’d been telling myself ever since we’d left him behind. I couldn’t contemplate the possibility that he might be dead or that we wouldn’t be able to free him at a later point.

Azazel nodded, though the look on his face was doubtful.

“For that, we need these removed.” I raised my wrists with the manacles. “Can you help us?”

Shemyaza gave me an apologetic look even as Azazel said, “She’s a cherub. We need to find someone else.”

“I saw Lord Ramiel earlier.” Shemyaza jerked her head in the direction from which they’d come. “He was covering a hallway over?—”

A wave of power hit us. Shemyaza spun to cover us, and the other warriors moved into a formation. Behind them, a group of demons ran toward us, weapons raised and magic sparking around them. Within seconds, they clashed with our soldiers. Metal clanged as their blades met, and the air vibrated with the pulses of power.

Teeth gritted, I moved back a few steps, frustration souring my blood. I couldn’t help. With the manacles still on me, I couldn’t use my power, and I didn’t even have a sword or dagger left to manually join the fight.

The same was true for Azazel. His fingers twitched as if he was trying to summon a weapon, and I realized that our summoning ability might be impaired by the shackles as well.

One of our demons fell. Struck through the neck, his head detached from his body, and he dissolved into a thousand sparks of light.

Another one of our warriors died just moments later. The group of attackers outnumbered ours nearly two to one, and they pressed their advantage without mercy.

With mounting horror, I watched as two more demons from our side were killed, bringing us down to six warriors—plusAzazel and me, useless as we were. With our backs to the wall and the enemy warriors closing in, we couldn’t even escape down the hallway.

Azazel’s frustration and despair crept along our bond, and beyond that flickered burning rage. It echoed the fury heating my blood. Goddammit, I hadn’t felt this helpless since I’d been a human ghost during the near apocalypse.

One more of ours fell to the blade of an attacker. Our decimated group—Shemyaza still at the helm—valiantly held the line to defend Azazel and me, and seeing them give their lives for us shattered some restraint deep within me.

---