Page 165 of An Unexpected Ascension
Achaz draws up two fingers and simply brings them down, dragging Lynx back to his knees with the movement.
“You welcomed her rapist like he deserved it.” He seethes.
“Yes, and our gift to you was his soul, was it not? Are you saying that didn’t satisfy your complaint?”
As my demon tries to bring himself back to his feet, Achaz twists his hand, eliciting a breathy sob from Lynx. My heart stutters in my chest at the sight.
Suddenly, this feels like checkmate. Like we’ve lost. All our pieces on the board have been wiped out. The queen is captive and the king... There’s nowhere for him to go.
If Lynx conjures the Mortifier and impales Achaz right now, he’ll have to deal with the rage of the other Gods. This is starting to feel like it was always a means to an end. He knew all along that one way or another, his eternity would vanish along with his vengeance.
And I can’t let that happen.
Jutting my elbow backwards, I dig my bone into Ambrose's ribs,and he hisses in pain. His hold lessens just enough to slip from his grasp causing the blade to drag along my flesh in a jagged trail.
Except, that isn’t what brings me to my knees in the very next moment.
Fingers curl into my hair and I’m tugged backwards into my captor. With a forced effort, Ambrose shoves his knife into the side of my neck. At first, the shock steals every bit of pain and awareness from me. Even takes my breath. But it doesn’t last long because the sharp pain like acid eating away at flesh begins to seep in.
The agony is unbearable. It’s surreal. It’s the only thing I can focus on as my vision tunnels and the world becomes bleary.
Lynx’s screams are muffled and diluted, the battle cries become noise in the wind, but Ambrose’s snickering turns to a haunting lullaby. It molds into the new soundtrack of my existence.
He yanks the blade from my neck, allowing my blood to coat me in a warm bath and as he plunges it back in, I fight to keep consciousness.
The roar that bursts from my demon’s chest rivals that of Greygore’s, earsplitting and a promise for Hell. When he lunges forward towards the God before him, I claw at Ambrose’s arm in an attempt to have the blade removed enough to speak. My fingers slip and without any grip, I fail, so I merely mouth a single word.
Don’t.
A wicked grin splits Achaz’s face in two as Lynx aims for him and once again, time suspends. I watch the world spin in slow motion. Every movement pronounced and foreboding.
The God brings his hand up and his fingers press together while Lynx lowers his shoulder mid-air to prepare for impact. A single snap sounds out, and I still, paralyzed with devastation.
Lynx disappears.
He’s gone.
My body slumps to the ground. The sheer will to keep going evaporates along with my demon. Silence casts over Primordialis as if this little pocket realm understood the gravity of what justhappened, and the universe seems to take this moment to mourn a vital soul.
“No,” the Devil whispers in disbelief. “No!”
“It’s over,” Achaz states. “You and I are at a stalemate. Neither of us can die, but claiming your Second should suffice as a win if you ask me.”
“How can you feel so little?” Lucifer breathes as if the loss of his friend is a weight crushing his chest.
“These people.” He flicks his hand out towards the battle that still rages on. “They’re like toys. We fight over them, we grow bored of them, then we throw them away to make room for the new. What use is it to grow attached to these meaningless objects?”
“You were never human.ThatI know. So how can you understand such a sentiment?” There’s no fight left in Lucifer now, only raw acceptance.
Something inside of me sparks to life at Lucifer’s accusation. Like kerosene to smoldering coals, it ignites a wildfire in my heart burning bright with a deep, brilliant hatred. He needs to know. This God needs to know that he will pay for what he’s done.
“He's wrong.” I croak, the words cutting through my throat like glass, but I shuffle to my knees anyway to stare down the wretched God. “You do know such sentiment.”
“And I thought this day couldn’t get any more entertaining.” He chuckles, waving me off.
With a hand on my neck to staunch the bleeding, I rasp, “So you claim you have no love for your sons?”
“What a stupid question, girl! Of my own kind? Pfft!”
