Page 56 of Hell's Queen

War begins. The fae rush to slay the vampires and demons while Hazen shifts as we get closer, firing electricity in our path.

I slide, grab a sword from a downed vampire, and hop on Hazen’s back. I look back at my men, who are all helping. Ledger has shifted while fighting alongside Khazon and Jigsaw.

Khazon meets my eyes and nods. He is going to catch up.

Ozias leaps towards us, jumping at least twenty feet over the vampires. His demon is a deep purple and… hot. I’ve never seen his adult version. His hair is a bit longer and black, and he has a tail. I wonder if he will use that tail on me after…

Focus, I yell at myself.

With that, I push closer to Hazen’s white fur as he treads us right where Circe is doing the ritual.

Something hits me and knocks me from Hazen’s back. I tumble, trying to stop myself with my sword. But something—someone—stops me.

I look up to see Ryker. He doesn’t take his eyes off the thing that hit me as he pulls me to my feet. His hellhounds surround me. He pulls out his telum and wraps it around Evara—the one who tackled me.

“I have her,” Ryker mutters. “Get Circe.”

Evara meets my eyes, and though I want to fight her, I have more pressing matters. I touch his shoulder before moving, and Evara struggles to break free and get to me.

Hazen and I slash and fight through the crowds of demons standing in our way. I can damn near hear Circe’s voice.

I wield the sword shakily as I’ve never touched a sword before Edris’s. The closer we get, the more I can see her, but an enormous red door forms as she pieces the sword together.

The air stiffens, and I look up. It’s been a while since there was a real Hell Storm. The clouds are rolling in while I can see the blood-red moon behind it. Soon the acid rain will fall over us and destroy everything in its path. We don’t have time.

I let out a battle scream, releasing power and energy. Demons fly away from us, parting a path for me.

Circe’s eyes land on me as I rush toward her, and she doesn’t have time to move far. I hit her, dropping my sword and reaching for Edris’s.

Circe kicks me in the face. “You’ve always been so weak! The kingdom would benefit from a ruthless queen like Evara.”

“Yeah, so you’re okay with her killing Fenric?” I spin, kicking her jaw and her back with my other leg. I swallow my blood, getting up.

She doesn’t expect me to be faster than I really am. She tries to grab my leg as she stumbles back. She rushes at me as I reach for the blade again. She grabs my flying fist, spinning and pinning me right next to the sword, with my arms around me, constricting me. Straddling me, she pulls out a dagger. “I could kill you right now, Asura.”

I struggle to break free as fear builds.

Everyone around us is fighting. Evara is fighting Ryker and his hellhounds, and Hazen has a bunch of goblins attacking him. Further back, more are fighting their way to the front.

Circe puts her blade to my throat, and I freeze. “I could kill you.” She hesitates as she repeats herself.

I feel the blade press into my skin, and I hold my breath, waiting for her to kill me like she said she could. But blood drips onto the blade, and she moves the dagger to the ritual, and then she says the final words. The blade comes alive, burning the same flame embedded in my skin. It flies overhead and slams into the massive gothic red floating door. Then it twists until the door is flying open. A vortex of air comes, pulling on me and the others.

The vortex swirls around as I see ghost-like souls flying up from the depth of Hell and moving through the portal. Even the split in Lucifer’s palace has souls coming up.

Fuck, I am too late again.

I try to hold on to the ground while Circe lets herself be taken by the wind.

“Asura!” Ryker calls, grabbing hold of a pillar of the house still standing.

Evara flies overhead, waving at me.

I look at the door as I dig my toes into the ground to stop myself from flying. The sword is over the door, floating. With a deep breath, I push from the ground upwards.

“Asura! No!” Ozias screams.

I ignore it, twisting through the air and grabbing the top of the door frame. Reaching for the sword, the air leaves my lungs as I hit my chest against it.

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