Page 92 of Witch Queen

The spell he had been working on ever since he returned to New York grew in power, fiery runes searing his consciousness. It left his lips on a roar that rose from his and Alastair’s very souls.

“HELL STORM!”

Flames exploded on Barquiel’s barrier, their power and potency making the air inside the cave tremble and robbing Nikolai of breath. The fire grew, an invincible tempest that swarmed the demon’s defensive wall and consumed it in a violent flash.

Azazel gasped behind Nikolai.

The brightness sparking the air around Ran Soyun expanded to fill the entire cave as she was finally freed from her prison. The first Witch Queen shuddered.

Nikolai’s heart swelled. Her white magic washed over and through him, replenishing his and Alastair’s cores.

“Thank you, child.” Ran Soyun floated down to him and caressed his cheek. Though he could not perceive her ghostly touch, he felt her magic where she stroked his skin. “Thank you for believing in yourself and for saving me.” She hugged him and kissed his brow before moving past him to embrace the demon who had waited thousands of years to take her in his arms. “Az.”

“Ran!” Azazel sobbed.

Alicia backed into the cave behind the demon, her scythe sparking as she strained valiantly against Barquiel’s sword. Her robe was in tatters and her bones bore scratches where the demon’s blade had made contact.

Barquiel faltered at the sight of the ethereal figure in his rival’s arms. Horror widened his eyes. His face crumpled.

“Nooooo!”

Ran Soyun’s eyes glittered with a mixture of emotions as she observed the demon who had helped the first Sorcerer King destroy the kingdom she had built with her husband. The demon who had killed her and her daughter. Her face hardened. Magic brightened her pupils.

“Reverse.”

Barquiel grunted and bent over. His nails scored his stomach, like he was trying to rid himself of a fire no one could see. His legs buckled.

“My daughters created that spell to defeat you,” Ran Soyun said calmly as the demon fell to his knees with a tortured groan. “You should not have angered them, Barquiel. Because they are a greater Witch Queen than I could ever be.” She looked lovingly at Azazel. “In that sense, they are truly their father’s daughters.”

Azazel smiled tremulously.

The scream of rage and pain that left Barquiel made Nikolai flinch.

“Curse you!You belong tome!” Crimson boiled in his pupils, jealousy and rage distorting his features in a hideous mask. “I will make you mine if it’s the last thing I do, Ran Soyun! I swear upon my dark soul!”

The demon tore open a portal with his bare hands and escaped inside it. Alicia’s scythe missed his back by a hairbreadth as it closed. She cursed, frustration tightening her face.

Ran Soyun turned to Azazel and Nikolai. “He will go after Davor’s soul and Mae’s core. You must hurry and stop him!”

Dread knotted Nikolai’s stomach.

Azazel stared at his wife, his expression torn. “What of you?”

Ran Soyun indicated the sarcophagus on the plinth. “I cannot leave my remains unguarded here. Alicia can help me take them to a safe place. Besides, I need to free the soul of my familiar. I can sense where he is, now that I am outside Barquiel’s barrier.”

Nikolai blinked.Her familiar?!

“We will follow you afterward, I promise.” She kissed Azazel’s cheek. “Hurry, my love!”

“But—!” Azazel protested.

Ran Soyun pressed a spectral finger to his lips. “Hush. You know I’m right.” She looked at Nikolai and smiled faintly. “Besides, now that I know there’s a ley line in Hell, I’ll be practically invincible.”

Azazel’s expression turned rueful. “It’s incredible how much of your stubbornness our daughters have inherited.”

Nikolai made a face. “He’s right.”

“Yeah,” Alicia muttered.

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