Chaos god, p.30
Chaos God, page 30
“He has never sent the signal early before,” Ylva said, and her tone was as hysterical as the first time I’d heard her voice. “What does this mean?”
“What if he has found out about our plan?” Goren asked with intense anxiety on his face.
“Perhaps he is just extra hungry this evening,” Ayen said with forced casualness. He shrugged his shoulders, but his tension was clear in the movement.
“It doesn’t matter why,” I said in an authoritative tone. “We’re ready, so we’ll move forward with the plan.”
“Let us hurry.” Azariah clenched her jaw with determination. “We must gather our weapons and prepare for battle.”
“Bring only small weapons that you can hide on your person,” I advised. “There were some swords and axes in the dungeon that we can take if we need to. We need to play this as usual so the Demon Lord won’t suspect anything, or the plan might go right to hell.”
“I see your point,” Azariah conceded, and she handed a pair of matching axes to her sister. “Very well.”
Varian tucked a dagger the length of his forearm into the leather belt at his waist, and then he pulled his shirt loosely over the handle. Azariah handed me a similar dagger with a brutal serrated edge, and she tucked another six-inch dagger into a band around her calf. The blonde warrior covered the blade with the fabric of her pants, and then she nodded at me.
I slid the serrated dagger into my belt, and I turned to check on Elora and her team.
Elora slid a pair of daggers into the holsters on her belt, and she slung a short sword over her shoulder and picked up her spear. Elion picked up a narrow sword and twisted it once in his grip before he sheathed it at his side. Arlindra gripped her sister’s matching axes firmly in her hands and chewed on her lip for a moment.
“I will be joining you, Elora,” the taller sister declared.
“We would be honored to have you,” Elora said.
Azariah gazed at her younger sister for a moment, and then the corners of her mouth quirked up in a grin.
Ayen loaded his quiver with as many arrows as he could, and he slung the leather over his shoulder. He inserted a short sword into his belt, and then he pulled Sassa in for a firm kiss.
Sassa clung to Ayen’s chest for a moment as she sobbed silently in his arms.
“I will return to you, my love.” The big blond man swiped a river of tears gently away from Sassa’s cheeks, and he placed a firm kiss on her forehead.
“Is everybody ready?” I asked.
“I believe so,” Varian said.
Elora nodded with grim determination, and Ayen puffed out his chest like an alpha gorilla about to defend his nest.
“Be safe, my child,” Wyn murmured, and he waved his hands over Elora in a reverent way. “Odin’s blessings be upon you.”
“Do not worry,” Elora said firmly. “We will not fail.”
Ylva clung to her husband as she wrung her hands together at the base of her throat. Goren stood respectfully beside his father, and I half-expected him to throw a salute at us. Nestryn gave me a firm nod, and the others gazed at us with a range of sorrowful and hopeful expressions.
“Hang tight, everybody,” I said to the small crowd. “You’re all about to become free finally.”
“Let us begin,” Elora murmured, and she started to lead us north.
We strode forward in silent anticipation of the battle that lay in front of us, and before long, we passed out of the camp and began to make our way across the rocky ground to the Demon Lord’s castle. My thoughts bounced around like tennis balls, and I took a deep breath to focus myself.
One thought was particularly insistent as we drew closer and closer to the narrow path that led to the fortress. I shuddered to think how many souls had walked along this very path to their ends, and all because of that bastard Ryfon. It made my blood boil to think about that one-eared asshole. He’d been more than happy to let the others turn themselves over to the Demon Lord instead of doing what a real leader would do, and taking action.
My heart began to thunder with rage and the anticipation of an oncoming fight, and I leaned heavily into the sensation. My nerves were singing, but my brain was as focused as a world-class sharpshooter by the time we reached the entrance to the narrow pathway. We would be in full sight of the Demon Lord’s front gates in just a few minutes, so now it was time for our groups to diverge.
“It’s time,” I said, and I glanced at Azariah and Varian.
Azariah gave her sister a firm hug and then pressed a loving kiss to Arlindra’s forehead. Varian gazed at the pair like he wanted to be included in the moment, but he waited respectfully on the side.
“Make sure to give us enough time to get to the castle,” I reminded Elora. “Then wait even longer. We need time to be taken to the Demon Lord, assessed, and then brought to the dungeon. I don’t want you arriving at the castle before I have the chance to lock away the other guards in the dungeon, or it will be a massacre.”
“I understand.” Elora nodded.
“The only massacre that will be happening this evening is that of the Demon Lord himself.” Ayen’s bearded chin jutted forward with determination.
“That’s right.” I smirked at my friend, and I stepped closer to lay a hand on his shoulder as I glanced between him, Elora, Elion, and Arlindra. “Look after each other. Stay focused. I’m pretty sure the front gate demons are like the one I fought when I first arrived. So watch out for their spit, it’s acidic.”
“We will do what must be done,” Elion said, and he straightened his back proudly.
“I know you will.” I smiled slightly at the honorable elf. “Okay, we have to go now.”
“Yes, you must,” Elora agreed, but she just stared up at me with love in her amber-and-ruby eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I murmured, and I let the strength of my love pour into my words.
Then I cupped Elora’s beautiful face in my hands, and I pulled her toward me. I matched Elora’s body against mine, and I kissed her with all the passion and love I felt in my chest. She softened against me, and she hummed deep in her throat. Then she raked her hands up into my hair, and she delved her tongue into my mouth. I would have loved to stand there kissing her until every star and galaxy in the entire universe fell down around us, but Ayen cleared his throat.
“You must go,” the big blond man said apologetically.
I led the charge, and we stalked doggedly forward. Once we turned around the first bend, and the Demon Lord’s castle came into view, my brain started to buzz with the pending dump of adrenaline. I forced my breathing to remain slow and calm, though, and I held off the fight or flight response. I needed to save my shift for later.
When we were about thirty yards away from the gate, one of the demon guards seemed to notice us. He turned away and called something over his shoulder, and a second later, two more guards appeared at the wall’s edge.
“We have been seen,” Varian muttered.
“Good,” I mumbled under my breath. “Here we go.”
“Uhrit ovatt taaahla,” one of the demons growled.
“Ugh,” Azariah groaned at the hideous beast’s face.
“Steady,” I reminded my team.
Two of the demons disappeared from the castle wall, and a moment later, the huge wooden doors opened. The black-skinned demons stood with long polearms in their pointy-fingered hands, and they quickly pointed the business ends of their weapons at our chests.
I raised my hands submissively, and I bowed my head just a tick to show them we were prepared to cooperate. I was pleased to see that Azariah and Varian followed my lead immediately.
The demons huffed with annoyance as they moved around behind us, and then they prodded us forward with their weapons.
We walked obediently forward, and the demons guided us through the front door. I peeked slyly over my shoulder and out of the corner of my eye to see that the other three demons were watching us from the top of the castle’s outer wall. The demons herded us like sheep to a literal slaughter through the castle’s front doors and into the main entrance hall.
Varian stifled a gasp as his brown eyes flicked around the cavernous space. Azariah held on to her composure, but I could still see the surprise in her eyes at the opulence of the space.
I’d thought the entrance hall had felt so massive because I’d been a small field mouse the last time I’d passed through here, but in my human form, I could see that the space was really just that big. The ceilings were easily thirty feet high, and the winding staircases that led to the second floor were fifteen feet wide. I also noticed another wrought-iron chandelier hanging high above the marbled floor of the entrance hall. It was probably twice the size of the one in the dining hall, and I quickly scanned the chain that the chandelier hung from. It was anchored much more securely in the stone wall than the rope of the other chandelier.
The demons led us toward the hall, and I did my best to inconspicuously inspect the chain as we passed. It looked like it was held in place by a mechanism of cranked gears. I was pretty sure that with one firm press on that lever to release the crank from its lock, the entire thing would come crashing down.
I added the contraption to my mental map of the castle, and I turned my eyes down the hall that led to the Demon Lord’s feast.
Ingrid stood beside the door that led into the dining hall, and she held a silver tray loaded down with a massive wine goblet. Her green eyes were locked on the floor, and she took a trembling breath.
“Welcome,” Ingrid said in a hushed voice, and she glanced up at me for the briefest of seconds. “His Lordship awaits your arrival.”
I knew that Ingrid was required to say this line, and it only worked to heighten my rage even more. The Demon Lord had this whole thing planned out like a Broadway play, and he expected all his servants to play their parts. A slow and painful death was surely the fate they risked if they refused to play along.
Varian, Azariah, and I walked through the wide doors and into the Demon Lord’s dining hall. The Demon Lord wasn’t in the room yet, but I could hear the stomping of his big hooves coming from the other direction.
The room looked much the same as the last time I’d seen it. There was a massive feast of roasted vegetables, cooked meats, and freshly baked breads spread across the long wooden dining table. The chandelier had fresh taper candles in each of the spots, and they dripped slowly down onto the food-laden silver trays below. Ingrid bustled forward with a huge silver decanter in her hands, and then she stood by the corner of the table as she tried to keep her eyes away from me.
The guards nudged us forward until we stood about two-thirds of the way down the length of the massive table.
“Kneel for your new master,” one of the demon guards behind us growled.
The other guard braced his polearm across my shoulders and shoved me down to my knees. Varian hurried to follow the order, and Azariah knelt as well, although she did so a bit more slowly.
The Demon Lord burst into the room like a pompous king arriving at a celebration dedicated to his own ego. He threw his massive arms out wide and cackled in that disturbingly rasping voice of his.
“My offerings!” The huge fucking bastard stomped over in front of us and peered down his ugly nose at us. “Ah, excellent. Quite a sturdy lot they’ve given me this full moon.”
The Demon Lord stomped forward even more, and in a single step, he towered over us. I could smell the wretched stench coming from his body, and it turned my stomach. I had to force my body to remain still, and I took several calming breaths through my mouth. It wouldn’t do me much good to shift yet from pure rage.
“What a delightful specimen you are.” The enormous bastard eyed Azariah with a grotesquely intense grin on his face. “You look quite strong, and I am in need of a new bath wench.”
I heard Azariah swallow forcefully, and I suspected she was focusing hard on keeping her last meal in place. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shudder run down her spine.
“You will be useful somewhere,” the Demon Lord said as he glanced quickly over Varian before he turned away dismissively. Then he leaned close over me, and he sniffed deeply at my hair. “And this one… mmmm.”
I locked my muscles in place and allowed the beast to smell me like a fine wine. I thought about all the people who had come before me and had to endure this kind of appraisal, and my temper turned icy cold in my veins.
I could tell by the thin line of drool that escaped from the corner of the Demon Lord’s mouth that he intended to have me for dinner.
“An excellent offering this month,” the tyrannical bastard concluded. He turned around, stomped over to his huge chair, and lowered himself down. The Demon Lord waved his hand in the air and propped his massive cloven hooves up on the edge of the table. “Take them away.”
Ingrid stepped forward and began to fill the Demon Lord’s massive silver goblet with a smooth red liquid. She glanced pointedly at me from the corner of her eyes as she poured, and I caught her gaze for a fraction of a second.
The plan was set in motion.
The demon guards walked around in front of us and jabbed us once again with the long handles of their polearms. Varian, Azariah, and I stood up, pivoted back around to the door we’d entered, and walked out into the hallway.
A loud chomping sound echoed out from the dining hall a second later, and I knew the Demon Lord had begun to dig into his feast. I forced my feet to keep moving, and I reminded myself this was all part of the plan. As much as I longed to burst into the dining hall and let my adrenaline shift me into some kind of ferocious beast so I could kill the Demon Lord, I needed to wait.
The demon guards led us quickly down the first flight of servants’ stairs and past the kitchen.
Astrid was working on some dish at the massive table in the kitchen, and I felt a rush of panic as her eyes went wide with recognition when she caught sight of her eldest sister. Azariah barely registered her sister’s presence in the Demon Lord’s kitchen, but I saw her shoulders tense with fresh anxiety and determination.
“Go,” one of the demon guards growled at us, and they shoved us forward with their polearms once more.
We walked past the kitchen, down the dimly-lit hallway, and began to descend the narrow stone stairs into the dungeon. They were slightly damp and slick from the moisture that permeated the entire dungeon.
Varian’s foot skidded out from under him halfway down the stairs, and he slid the rest of the way to the dungeon on his ass.
“Uh!” Varian grunted as he hit the bottom, and then he rubbed at his backside a bit.
One of the guards edged around Azariah and me, and he jogged down the second half of the stairs.
“Get up,” the demon growled at the brown-haired man.
Varian stood up as Azariah and I walked down the last few steps.
There was a jangle of iron keys behind us, and the other demon guard at our backs walked around and inserted a key into the dungeon’s locked door. Then the both of them pushed us roughly through the open door and into the cell.
The prisoners in the dungeon were huddled in the far corner, and they peeked out at us from around one another. The black-haired woman I’d seen during my recon mission stood at the front of the group, and she held her hands out in a defensive position like she could protect her fellow prisoners from the demon guards.
The demon scoffed at her actions, and he slammed the cell door shut. The iron rang loudly in my ears, and all the prisoners in the corner jumped from the sudden noise.
“Insects,” the demon guard cackled. Then he turned toward the open doorway between the two sections of the dungeon. “You have new arrivals.”
“Feirskt kjuut!” came the response from the other room, and the unfamiliar words were followed by a chorus of demonic laughter.
I focused on the two guards who had led us down to the dungeon, and I listened for the ring of keys. Just as the second demon passed through the doorway toward the stairs, I heard the distinctive jangle of iron keys being replaced on the rusty nail. I smirked to myself, and I was pleased to see that everything was going exactly according to my plan so far.
Then I turned around to greet the people I was about to free from horrific fates.
“Azariah,” the black-haired woman raced forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde warrior.
“Shalanna?” Azariah gasped, and she returned the black-haired woman’s embrace. “Goodness, I never expected to see you again, although I never expected to see Astrid again, either, yet there she was, plain as day.”
“You saw Astrid?” Shalanna asked, and she pulled away far enough to glance at me and our other sacrifice. “Hello, Varian, and who is this?”
“My name is Levi,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for this.”
“What do you mean?” Shalanna asked, and she glanced around as if we had nothing but time.
“We are here to free you all from this fate,” Varian whispered.
By this point, a few of the other prisoners had risen to their feet and came over to greet us.
“That is impossible,” an older man said, and his tone was heavy with sadness. “Nothing but death can free us from the Demon Lord’s clutches.”
“We don’t have time to discuss everything,” I said, and I turned to the beautiful woman. “Shalanna, was it? I get the feeling you pay attention to what goes on around here, am I right?”
“Yes.” Shalanna nodded, and she narrowed her dark blue eyes at me. “What is happening right now?”
“I’m going to kill the Demon Lord,” I said quickly, and I pointed to the first doorway where the demon had hung up the ring of keys. “Now tell me, are those keys the only ones for this entire dungeon?”
“They are,” Shalanna confirmed. “I do not understand…”
“Thank you,” I said to Shalanna. Then I turned to Azariah, and I started to loosen the iron grip I’d maintained on myself. “Would you explain to them, please? I have to get going.”
“Of course.” Azariah nodded.
“Go,” Varian urged, and he laid his hand briefly on my shoulder. “We will take it from here. Odin’s blessings be with you.”
