Page 48 of Immortal Throne

CHAPTERTWELVE

The second I stepped into the throne room from the portal, Ryker dropped my hand and stalked off into the stunned crowd. His friend and the demon familiar broke off from the group and left as well, trailing in his wake. Everyone else stared at me, their stunned silence making me freeze on the spot.

“Girl!” Chupey bumped into my leg. “Well, done. I’m so proud of you.”

I reached down and scratched his head, not taking my gaze off the waiting crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Chupey asked.

“They’re not exactly cheering,” I whispered back.

“They’re not booing either. Take this as a win.” Chupey nudged my leg with his snout. “Come on, let’s get you some food.”

Food was always Chupey’s answer for everything, even before I learned he was a talking demon familiar.

“Fine,” I said, knowing this was more for him than me.

He led me through the still-silent crowd and down the hallway, turning corners and leading me toward the warm smell of fresh bread and herbs. Without a word, he pushed through double swinging doors that opened to a grand room with rows of tables and benches.

Demons of various shapes and sizes already sat at a few of the tables, hunched over bowls of steaming soup with bread clutched in their hands.

“Is this some sort of demon cafeteria?” I peered around the room and took in the wooden beams and stark decor. Who paid for all this? How did the economy in the Underworld work? And if I won the throne, would I be expected to run all this shit right away, or was there some sort of apprenticeship program?

“Just sit,” Chupey growled.

I must’ve been more tired than I thought, which said a lot. I did as ordered and plunked my ass down on a solid wooden bench and waited for Chupey while my mind continued to spiral.

Somehow Chupey got food in front of my face, but I barely registered what I shoved in my mouth. I kept coming back to the end of the first trial. If I hadn’t pulled Ryker into my trial with me, I would’ve died. I would be drowning right now because I didn’t know how to speak demon.

I glanced up and my gaze snagged on another demon with blue skin. The other demons around him chatted, argued, and laughed, but not this one. This demon, with ribbed black horns that looked like they could rip the flesh from my bones, sat a few tables away from me and glared as if he imagined my gruesome death.

Lovely, but honestly, right now, I didn’t care. He could stand in line.

Stomaching as much food as possible without throwing up, I pushed the half-finished bowl away from me and left the demonic dining area and the angry demon behind. I just wanted to sleep.

No, that wasn’t quite right. I wanted to smash the demon responsible for that trial and then sleep for a thousand years.

I stomped down the hallway, Chupey quick on my heels. My wet sneakers slapped against the tile floor, and I left a trail of dirty cave water in my wake. The gold-plated frames surrounding painted portraits of long-dead rulers blurred by me as red stained my vision.

“They’re trying to kill me,” I snarled.

“Mobius?”

I faltered, my feet missing a step. “Who’s Mobius?”

“The asshole who glared at you while you ate.”

“The blue guy?”

“Yeah, him. He’s from Malachi’s domain and yes, he very much wants you dead. He’s also competing in the Inferno. He came out of the portal after you, but he couldn’t have been that far behind because he arrived in the dining hall while I was getting you food. He didn’t enter the Inferno by blood, so it means he’s powerful. Watch out for him.”

“I figured from his glare alone that he wants me dead. But I wasn’t talking about him.”

“Who, then?”

“The organizers,” I said. “The council.”

Chupey lunged forward to block my path. I skidded to a halt, the only option other than bulldozing over him.

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