Page 49 of The Road to Hell

The imp gave an obedient nod and took off toward the back of the cave, chasing off the damn cat. They disappeared into the shadows, out of sight.

Good. One less thing to worry about.

“Should we meet them outside or—” A snarl cut Lily off.

Her grip tightened on her swords, her stance shifting. Eliza, still wet, moved into position, daggers at the ready.

A dozen hellspawn stepped into the cave, their movements slow and deliberate. They weren’t in a rush. They knew they had us trapped.

Their armor was piecemeal, scavenged from whatever unfortunate hellspawn they had slaughtered. Spiked shoulders, plates of blackened metal, cracked obsidian skin glinting faintly under the dim glow of Hell’s skies. Some bore fresh scars, others still had dried blood smeared across their faces.

Recognition settled like a weight in my gut. I remembered them from Fellmoor, watching us from the shadows, their eyes full of cruel amusement.

They had followed us.

Lily shifted beside me. “They tracked us,” she said, coming to the same conclusion as me.

“Great. But it doesn’t look like they’re interested in joining our side,” Eliza said.

I clenched my jaw, sizing them up. No, they weren’t. Their expressions lacked hesitation. They weren’t here out of curiosity. They hadn’t followed us to weigh their options or listen to Lily’s offer.

They had already made their choice.

And that was to kill us. To tear us apart and drag our bodies back to Lucifer like trophies, proof that they’d stamped out his lost daughter and her so-called rebellion before it could truly begin.

The biggest of the group—of course, another brimlord—stepped forward, his eyes flicking over each of us before landing on me. A slow, knowing grin spread across his face. The hellspawn fanned out, silent and sure, cutting off our escape with precise efficiency. This wasn’t about intimidation. It was about capturing—or killing—us for Lucifer. Especially Lily.

I adjusted my stance, shifting slightly in front of her.

Lily immediately stepped to the side, forcing herself back into position beside me, her shoulder nearly brushing mine.

I should have known better.

She wouldn’t want me shielding her. She didn’t need anyone standing between her and a fight.

The brimlord leader watched us. Then, without another word, he lifted his rusted blade and pointed it straight at her.

“You shouldn’t have come back.”

Lily tilted her head, her grip tightening around her swords. “Too late,” she said, voice flat.

The leader bared his teeth, not quite a grin, not quite a snarl. “You should have stayed dead.”

“I was never dead,” she said. “Lucifer lied to you. Because that’s what he does. He twists the truth, bends it to suit him. He tells you what you want to hear, right until the moment he doesn’t need you anymore.”

She wasn’t just trying to get under their skin—she was giving them a choice. Even now, facing enemies who had hunted us across Hell, she was offering them a way out.

The brimlord let out a low, humourless chuckle. “You think we don’t know exactly who Lucifer is?” He adjusted his grip on his hilt. “We don’t serve him because we believe his lies. We serve him because heisHell. Because he always wins.”

Lily shook her head. I could see it in the set of her jaw, the fire in her eyes—she had been prepared for this answer, but it still pissed her off. “Then you’re a fool.”

The hellspawn’s grin vanished. He lifted his blade in a deliberate movement. Then he attacked.

Lily moved first, meeting his strike with a clash of steel. Sparks flew as their blades connected, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the cave. She didn’t hesitate—she adjusted, twisting her second sword up, forcing the hellspawn leader to retreat a step.

The other eleven attacked, and Eliza and I burst into action. The cave exploded into chaos, bodies colliding, steel clashing, the snarls and growls of hellspawn mixing with the heavy grunts of battle. Twelve against three. Those weren’t good odds for most people.

But we weren’t most people.

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