Page 66 of Witch Queen

Azazel’s eyes widened.

“But—I’m not sure that’s even possible,” he protested.

Mae hesitated. “I can already do severalSoulspells. So, I think—” she fisted her hands, “no, I’mcertainI can release Rose’s soul from her prison.”

“Your daughter has achieved quite a few impossible things since coming into her powers,” Alicia muttered.

Azazel brightened. “She has?”

The Reaper queen shuddered. “Still, that newEclipsespell gave me the heebie-jeebies.”

Armaros frowned. “That’s a bold plan and everything, but this Vedran guy may already have theBook of Shadowsand the soul of the first Sorcerer King.”

Azazel seemed to come to some kind of decision. His eyes glittered strangely as he watched Mae and Nikolai. “There are two things that might still work in our favor if that is indeed the case.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

They emerged from the gloom,sometimes one by one, sometimes in trickles. Though the ghouls and devils kept their distance from him while he traversed the enormous caverns that populated the remotest regions of Hell Deep, Barquiel could tell the creatures were the remnants of the army he had once commanded.

He frowned.Where are the rest of them?

It was a while before he came across a ghoul who could converse primitively. The creature stumbled over its words as it told him of a great purge brought about by a mysterious event. Rage shook Barquiel when it described what it had witnessed.

Void?!That bastard Vedran usedVoidto steal my army?!

He punched a wall with his fist, causing several monsters to flinch.

Agony seared Barquiel’s insides the next instant. He grunted and clutched his stomach. It was a moment before he could breathe again.

The demon ground his teeth until he tasted blood.I swear, I will purge that bitch’s soul in the fires of Hell when I find someone else I can possess!

Rose Blake’s voice echoed dimly in his ears, the sound mocking.

Barquiel swallowed, pain making his vision swim. He had already examined the souls of the scant troops around him. None of the ghouls or devils who had been drawn to him was a compatible match.

I’ll find someone soon enough. But first I must go to Ran Soyun and ensure that my barriers are still holding.A wave of dizziness almost had him swaying as he clung to the wall.Damn it!I need to recover my strength or I won’t last another ten miles.

The demon straightened with some difficulty and studied his monsters with a calculating look. He raised a hand toward the ones he deemed would satisfy him the fastest.

“Come to me.”

The ghouls and devils he’d commanded to step forward crowded around him. They stayed still while he ripped their hearts from their chests and feasted on their flesh and blood, their brethren watching silently.

The demonic life force he consumed coursed through Barquiel, slowly replenishing the reserves that had been depleted byChaos Seal. By the time he’d sated his hunger, half the monsters were dead.

Not enough.The demon wiped gore from his mouth.I need to devour more powerful beasts if I want to open a rift to draw one of my swords!

He set off toward a dark lake in the distance, the rags of his once powerful army trailing in his steps.

* * *

“TheBookof Shadowsisn’t just an artifact I devised to hold the soul of Davor Lazar,” Azazel said solemnly. “It is a weapon. One that can annihilate what it contains—or used to contain—using the correct triggers.”

Mae’s pulse raced. “Davor Lazar?”

“That is the full name of the first Sorcerer King. He was a man like any other, except for his soul.” A humorless chuckle left the demon, his regret plain to see. “It took me a while to realize that his potential to wield magic was outweighed by his hunger for power and his wicked cruelty.” Lines wrinkled Azazel’s brow. “The current Sorcerer King reminds me of Davor in many ways. He too killed his familiar when he realized what Soul Magic could do for his powers.”

A sick feeling twisted Mae’s insides. Her hand automatically found Brimstone where he lay on her lap, just as Nikolai, Vlad, and Cortes touched their own familiars. None of them could fathom ever laying a finger on the creature they had bonded their soul with.

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