Page 31 of Blood of Two Crowns

“All of this, along with Avernus and Bellorum, will be destroyed if the beings of Vassileo break through its barrier.” Azrael’s gaze shifted from the beauty of his city to hers. “So you see why I must protect it.”

“The beings I speak of are in the eleven hell realms I rule, only two of which are reserved solely for the dead.”

Azrael gave a subtle wave of his hand and black vapours spilled out of thin air, growing in size until an opaque black portal formed in front of us. Mareina hesitated before Azrael held open his hand to Mareina like a father would his child. Mareina didn’t accept his hand, instead stepping beyond the portal ahead of him. My eyes narrowed as I watched Azrael give a small, appreciative smile at her backside.

The world shifted, replacing Ouranissa with bleak stone buildings and icy mountains surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds so dark they were nearly black. Fiveredsuns, all of varying size and local, peppered the sky as they kissed the horizon in their lazy descent. In seconds, the sweltering, oppressive heat had sweat seeping from my pores.

The sound of thundering beats had Mareina and I bolting around, whereas Azrael took his time. A black, wolf-like creature of gargantuan size with three heads ran straight for us. Each ofits fangs were the length of my forearm and its eyes glowed the color of lava.

“You have nothing to fear, Mareina. Her will is my own.”

Mareina’s four wings stretched wide as if in anticipation of taking flight. The beast skidded to a halt in front of Azrael, dousing him in slobber and kisses as she whined and lamented his absence, making my heart clench for Peanut and Bellona.

Azrael stroked and affectionately gripped the creature’s fur as he cooed to her. “I missed you too, my sweet baby. Look how gorgeous you are. Such a good girl. You wanna give her a tour of Malovada city, hm? I brought sometiramissujust for you, sweet girl.”

Cerebus yelped excitedly before laying down, pressing her neck flat against the ground, and Azrael slipped over her shoulders before looking over at Mareina who hesitated. “Unless you’d prefer to fly? But I can’t promise you’d be the only one in the sky…”

Cerebus titled her head as Mareina approached, sniffing her in rapid breaths that sent a gust of wind through the thick black sheet of her hair as she extended her hand for Cerebus to sniff. The creature’s tongue lapped, covering Mareina’s arm in drool. A grin spilt Mareina’s face and Azrael’s expression lit up as he gave her thickly muscled neck a heavy pat.

“Cerebus is the only true light in this place. Aren’t you, baby girl? She’s myacranum.”

Mareina stilled for a moment as if surprised by the news. I had no idea what anarcanumwas, but I would be sure to find out. Azrael extended a hand to help Mareina settle herself in front of him between his thighs. A flare of jealousy seared my veins, but Azrael’s hands didn’t wander in the slightest. He curved his broad chest over her in an attempt to give her a respectable amount of distance between her back and his front as his fingers sank into Cerebus’ fur.

Without any other visible direction. Cerebus rose to standing, causing Mareina to give a little yelp of surprise just before it took off at a galloping pace.

I half-expected The Well itself to take me with them, but I only found myself standing in the wake of their dust. My wings heaved, launching me into the air to fly beside them.

As we rode through the small city, depravity that I’d only witnessed on occasion proved to be common place. Every manner of violence and indulgence unfolded around us. Murder. Brawls. Theft. Sex of debatable consent. And no one batted an eye outside of Mareina, whose face was set in a grim line.

“My father’s after realm is nothing like this. There is anguish and all manner of suffering but only in the way of the soul’s grieving at its wrongdoings in their former life that they purge until their karma is cleared from it….”

The familiar mask of guilt lined Azrael’s features. “First and foremost, this is one of thelivinghell realms. I won’t burden you with visiting the hell realms of the dead. I wish they were as peaceful as your father’s, but unfortunately, my hell realms are exactly that:hell.I cannot fathom how your father created a world that heals instead of destroys. In Avernus they have hope. Here we are bereft of it. And it because of that, for many centuries, my people have been restless and determined to break free.”

Mareina’s scowl deepened as she takes everything in, both our surroundings and Azrael’s words. “You make it sound as if you are losing control.”

Cerebus kept at a trotting pace, weaving around the pedestrians in the street who maintained their distance. Though it was impossible to miss the sinister glares of many of them as they watched Azrael and Mareina pass. My hackles rose and my anger burned brightly like wielding iron in my chest. I wanted to eliminate all of them.

Azrael took a deep breath, gaze fleeing Mareina’s to pass over his people, each of them watching with expressions ranging from wariness to fear to outright glaring.

He heaved a sigh as if his next words cost him to speak aloud.

“That’s because I am. I do not know how much longer my power, already being stretched so thin between eleven hell realms and one divine realm, can hold them back. When I threatened you saying that you do not have a choice in the matter, it was because I don’t have a choice either. Such an event isinevitableif we do not appease them. If we do not give themhope.”

Mareina shook her head as despair began to seep in. “Sogivethem hope… I cannot allow you to destroy Avernus and Bellorum?—

Before Mareina could reply, a deep voice echoed from the skies just as a shadow crept over us.“What a pretty consort. I cannot fathom why you would bring her here.”

Tipping my head towards the orange and red sky revealed a dark-scaled drakonati soaring over us before diving down. Just before it crashed into the ground, it shifted into the form of a male.

“Unfortunately, this is not my consort. She is your chance at freedom, if you have any, and you will pay her the respect of one, Erius.”

Erius approached Cerebus with a fearlessness that could only come from a larger predator. Still, she gave a low growl in warning. Erius raised his hands as if to appease her, and he gave a dramatic bow. The male was dressed in tattered fighting leathers. His black hair was shorn close to his scalp, and his skin, littered with even more scars than my own, was nearly as dark as the black scales of his drakonati. His eyes devoured Mareina in a way that made my hackles rise. “Is that so? Do you plan to liberate us? Or oppress us? My guess would be the latter...Did he tell you what happened the last time we were promised freedom?”

Realization hit me like a hammer.The drakonati genocide.

Azrael frowned. “It was an unfortunate event.”

That earned them Erius’ cackle; a dark, raspy sound. The crowd surrounding us—including every being from demon to human and orc to fae—began creeping in on us.

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