Nerissa and I turned to see that Smoky had eviscerated his demon, the entrails splashing across the floor. Morio was in his youkai form, eight feet tall and engaged in a wrestling match. Trillian was having trouble, however.
Before I could move, Nerissa had joined the fray, launching herself onto Trillian’s demon from the side. She managed to knock him down. Trillian plunged his blade through the demon’s head, cursing as the tip of his sword broke against the concrete floor. But it had done its job. The demon thrashed, then lay still.
Panting, Nerissa pulled back, as Trillian tossed her a quick Thank-you.
I turned, intent on helping Trytian, just in time to see Yerghan plunge his blade through Trytian’s heart. The daemon let out a cry as Yerghan twisted the dagger, and then Trytian fell to the floor. Yerghan yanked his blade out of Trytian’s body and looked over at us, a smug smile on his face.
A dark fury filled my soul, and I felt the power of Hi’ran rise up in me as I bounded across the floor, launching myself onto Yerghan, knocking him down. I focused my attention into his eyes, forcing myself into his soul.
Ten thousand deaths weighed heavy on his conscience. Ten thousand screams of pain, and more—there were so many victims lined up, throughout his memory, to the point where they became legion, and then, a blur, and then, they faded into a whisper and a joke for him to laugh at.
The images flashed past.
Yerghan, a young and idealistic soldier, wanting only for a better world. And then came Telazhar, who promised him a new order, in which magic and might would rule hand in hand. Images of a bright future loomed large, filled with flame and drive and passion. But the brilliance promised turned into darkness. An ocean of blood descended as Telazhar and Yerghan drove the purifying flames ahead of them, purging the land of all that was fruitful and growing.
And Yerghan the idealist became Yerghan the Blade, became Yerghan the executioner, became Yerghan whose only hunger was for power and strength. It was at the tip of their fingers, right within their grasp until the opposition struck, driving them down.
And then he became Yerghan the enslaved when he and Telazhar were cast into the Sub-Realms, where Shadow Wing the Unraveller loomed like a hope and scourge in the night, and his will became their will.
The screams of ten thousand more voices blended into one cry in my ears, surrounding me like ghosts in the night, and I could feel their pain and Yerghan’s joy as he destroyed them.
A little girl stared up at me, or rather Yerghan, as I looked through his eyes. Her mother lay on the ground beside her, dead. The girl couldn’t have been more than five years old. And then Yerghan raised his blade, and as her eyes widened, he swung, cleaving her head from her shoulders.
No more, I whispered.
No more deaths. No more anger. No more terror. No more victims. No more existence.
I rose in front of him in my Death Maiden persona, cloaked in a flowing gown the color of the night sky. The crescent blazed on my forehead, brilliant against my skin. I caught hold of his soul and dragged him into the stars, into the space between worlds where his fate would be decided.
He stared at me, finally looking frightened for the first time. A swirl of mist rolled around us, and we were in that land that hangs between the balance, the land where I was at my full power, where I could easily destroy his soul forever and wipe him out of existence, sending him spiraling into the primal pool of energy, to erase his presence forever. Where I could consign him into an existence as mere energy to be used again, clean and clear, with no trace left of the corroded soul he had been. It was cold here, bone chilling cold, and it seeped through every cell in my body, every fiber of my being. I could see he felt it, too.
He was shivering as he fell to his knees.
“Who are you? What do you want?” His voice echoed through my mind, and I knew he wasn’t really speaking, but I could catch his thoughts as easily as I could catch my own.
“I am your end. I am handmaiden to the Autumn Lord, a servant of the Harvestmen. I claim your soul for the sins you have perpetuated against the innocent. I come to destroy you, Yerghan the Blade, to un-make you. I come to forever obliterate you from this world, or any world. I consign you to the emptiness, I consign you to the depths of the universe, I consign you to oblivion. It is the only fitting punishment for the crimes you have committed.”
I was towering over him now, so tall that I could barely see him from where he groveled below me. Around me, the stars wheeled in a spiraling gyre. I could feel Greta near, but she did not interfere.
Yerghan the Blade stared up at me defiantly, holding his arms out at his sides.
“Then be done with it. Be done with it and have it over.”
I caught another wisp of his thoughts.
He was tired. He was so tired of the never-ending blood and gore and battle, but he didn’t realize it. He didn’t know that he was done. He had been going through the motions like an automaton, a puppet on a string, so numb to the world around him that he was numb to even himself. Nothing mattered anymore to him, not freedom, not glory, not even life itself.
“A change is as good as a rest,” I said softly.
I didn’t feel sorry for him, but a part of me understood his weariness, and I was grateful for it. It made my job easier. As I was about to send him into oblivion, I paused, realizing that I could look into his mind and find out what I needed to know about Shadow Wing. We wouldn’t have to question him. I could find out everything I needed to know right here.
I reached out, plunging my mind into his, ignoring his shriek of pain as I intruded into his thoughts. I didn’t care. He had inflicted so much anguish over the millennia that he could handle a little himself. I tore through his thoughts, sifting through his memory as I searched for any mention or vision of Shadow Wing. And there it was. Or rather, there he was.
Shadow Wing. In all his vile glory.
THE DEMON LORD rose up in front of me, complete with wings and horns that spiraled into the sky. Shadow Wing the Unraveller, Shadow Wing the Corrupter.
He was massive, terrifying in his size, and yet his eyes were more fearsome than his muscles or talons or magic. Because his eyes held nothing but madness, a spiral of insanity.
How he hated, hated everything that he could not touch or corrupt. There was no reasoning with this creature, for he was just that—a creature, not a being with whom we could reason or use logic. His hunger was a wound so deep that there was no filling it up. He was the pit and the void, a black hole embodied, sucking in everything that was good or caring, then spitting it out as a tainted version of itself.
Shadow Wing the Unraveller stood there, laughing at Yerghan as the warrior groveled on the ground before him. He lashed out with whip and flame, scarring Yerghan’s back, sneering as he kicked the soldier in the ribs so hard that they were permanently deformed.
I forced myself to watch as Shadow Wing used Yerghan as a toy, for his pleasure, whispering in his ear that if he behaved, if he willingly gave Shadow Wing whatever he wanted, Shadow Wing would make him his right hand when he broke through the portals. That together, they would rule. And Yerghan believed, because he had no other option. I began to understand Shadow Wing’s followers and their devotion.
If they had not given into Shadow Wing, thrown themselves in with his lot, it would have meant unending torture, with no hope for escape. And all beings needed hope to survive. So the hope that he offered them, even as he mocked them, was that of power and fame and fortune, and their choice of the spoils. And even though they knew it would never happen, they chose to believe in order to survive.
As much as I hated both Telazhar and Yerghan, a very small part of myself felt an empathy for them. They had met their match and failed.
I watched, steeling myself as I searched for any vulnerability.
Shadow Wing was definitely mad, so full of his own ego that he didn’t believe he could fail. And he hated us, I could hear it in his voice w
hen he ordered Yerghan to destroy us to win his freedom. He hated us with every fiber of his being, because we had disrupted his plans.
I didn’t reach out to touch Shadow Wing himself because I couldn’t bring myself to, but I knew that, in this space, the Demon Lord couldn’t follow us. It was better than the best safe room we ever could offer, this space between worlds.
As the Demon Lord ranted away, Hi’ran suddenly stood by my side. I looked up at him, my heart racing as he slid his arm around my waist.
“Please don’t stop me,” I said. “I want to end Yerghan’s life. I want to end him forever—I don’t ever want his spirit to break free and return in any form or fashion.”
“Oh Delilah, my dearest, I’m not here to stop you.”
“You aren’t?” I was surprised.
“No. Although you’ve taken this on yourself, and in doing so, you fulfill my hope. You are worthy of being my mate. You withstand this brutality spreading out before you, while you search for answers that will help you to save others. Your actions are those of a queen. Your courage is that of a warrior. You have become everything I hoped and believed that you would be. I leave you to your task, but I would say this. Look for the source of Shadow Wing’s power. It may not be what you think it is. Find the source, and you can find a way to destroy him.”
He vanished, and I returned my attention to the Demon Lord.
I watched him through Yerghan’s eyes, and then as I tried to watch with a keen eye, I saw it. Or rather, I saw them.
Two jewels, embedded one to each side by the base of Shadow Wing’s horns. They glimmered. There was something about them that kept my attention. As I focused, I realized they reminded me of the spirit seals. And yet, they weren’t the same.
But they were magical, radiating a powerful force. And right then, I knew exactly where Shadow Wing sourced his power. Those jewels gave him the strength to command his armies. I forced Yerghan to look at them closely, and through his eyes I saw that they were a deep jet with a sparkling white center.
Yerghan tried to pull away. He didn’t want to look at Shadow Wing, just as he didn’t want to look at his own memories. But I forced him to concentrate as I reached out, trying to suss out just what the gems were. Yerghan screamed at that moment, and I felt him losing grasp of reality. He couldn’t look upon the Demon Lord for long without going mad.
Realizing that I had learned all I could, I loosened my grip and stood back. Yerghan cowered in front of me, his hands over his face.
“It’s time. We’re done. It’s over.”
I cut the cord, sending Yerghan’s soul into the depths of oblivion forever as I eliminated him from the wheel of life. He screamed once, and then disappeared, vanishing into the mist, vanishing into that primal pool that sources all life within the universe.
Yerghan the Blade would never again walk any world, in any form.
I let out a deep breath, and turned to leave. Hi’ran was there, and he pulled me into his arms. He kissed me deeply, and this time he didn’t suck my life out of me, but simply kissed me, sending every cell in my body into an orgasm. As he let go, holding my hand, he smiled.
“It’s nearly over. And our new life is about to begin. Yours, and mine, and Shade’s. Kiss him when you open your eyes. I’m sending him a gift through you.”
And then he was gone, and I left the realm of the dead.
SHADE WAS THERE by my side as I opened my eyes. Yerghan was dead on the floor, and I was in my two-legged form. “Are you all right? What did you do to him?”
Before I spoke, before I said a word, I pulled Shade into my arms and kissed him deeply. I could feel the transfer of energy through me, into Shade. I kissed him long and hard, a wave rushing through me into my love. Finally, whatever the Autumn Lord had sent to Shade was through and done. And as I stood back, Shade’s eyes widened, and he clutched my shoulders.
“What have you done to me?” The next moment, he vanished into a puff of smoke, into a wisp of shadow, and was gone.
Chapter 13
FRANTIC, I STUMBLED back, terrified. Something had gone wrong. Maybe the energy I had used to destroy Yerghan the Blade had transferred itself into Shade? Maybe I had sent his soul along with Yerghan’s into oblivion? Maybe Hi’ran had used me to punish Shade for something? I let out a cry and turned, wanting to run anywhere but here.
“Delilah, stop,” Smoky shouted. He reached out and grabbed hold of my wrist. “It’s all right, calm down.”
“How can it be all right? I just killed the man I love!” I struggled against him, but dragons almost always win out in a battle against the Fae.
He grabbed hold of my other wrist, holding me firmly. He gave me a little shake, staring down into my eyes. “Stop. Listen to me, Delilah. It’s okay. You didn’t kill Shade.”
I looked around, unable to see Shade anywhere. “If I didn’t kill him, then where is he? I don’t see him, Smoky!”
As I spoke, a wisp of smoke and shadow surrounded me, circling me, gently touching my skin. And then, it formed itself into a tendril, and stroked my nose. I suddenly calmed, looking up at Smoky, who nodded.
“But… How did he…” And then I knew. Hi’ran had given Shade a gift that no one else could. A gift I had prayed for, for months.
The shadow moved away from me. Then, slowly coalescing into a shape out of the shadows surrounding him, stepped Shade. His face was filled with wonder, and a joy that I hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
“I can’t believe it. How did you do that?” He shook his head, looking overwhelmed.
“The Autumn Lord did it. He told me to kiss you when I got back. He said he had a gift for you. I had no clue.”
And then I realized Trytian was still on the floor.
“Trytian? Is he all right?” I hurried to his side, sliding onto my knees beside him.
The daemon stared glassy eyed at the ceiling, his chest unmoving. Trytian was dead, and there would be no bringing him back. All of the conflicting emotions of the past week or so snowballed into one giant mire, sucking me down. I began to cry, not realizing until now how deeply I had valued Trytian’s help. He had been an asshole at times, but he was our ally, and he had given his life protecting me. I reached out, closing his eyes, and then looked up at the others.
“He’s dead.”
“We know.” Menolly crossed to my side, kneeling beside me. She took my hand, holding tight. As she cleared her throat, I tried to find my voice.
“What was life has crumbled. What was form now falls away. Mortal chains unbind and the soul is lifted free. May you find your way to the ancestors. May you find your path to the gods. May your bravery and courage be remembered in song and story. May your parents be proud, and may your children carry your birthright. Sleep, and wander no more.”
Even as our words faded away, I slumped down on the floor, leaning against Menolly, who rocked me gently. The damage in this war had grown old, and yet every time we lost someone it was a new wound, cleaving deep into our hearts. Trytian may not have been our favorite person, but he had been on our side and he had helped us time and again. And he had paid the final and highest price.
WE REGROUPED AT the Barrow. Camille took one look at us, scanning our faces, and she knew.
“We lost Trytian, didn’t we? How do we get word to his father?”
Vanzir’s expression was bleak. “I can send word through the Demon Underground. It will get there. I don’t know how long it will take, but it will reach his father’s ears.”
“Tell him that Trytian fulfilled his mission. He prevented Yerghan from killing us. Tell him… Tell him that we will avenge his son’s death.” It was the only thing I could think of to say.
“And what of Yerghan? Does he still live?”
I shook my head. “I took him out. For good. Forever. He will never cross the wheel again.” But I felt no joy in the victory. So much had happened. I was just tired. I wanted to rest and sleep and forget about all the dam
age and death that we had been through. As joyful as I felt over Shade recovering his powers, right now life felt a lot like an albatross around my neck and I just wanted this fucking war done. And afterward, I wanted to retire from the OIA. I wanted to kick back, and raise a garden, and live a quiet life.
Camille must have sensed my weariness, because she motioned for her servants to help us. “Go, bathe, eat, and rest. We can talk tomorrow morning. If Yerghan is dead, then we have a little breathing room.”
But the thought hung heavy in the room between us, unspoken, but as vocal as if someone had given voice to it, that we were one step away from the end. One step away from finally putting a stop to all the pain and anguish that this demonic war had cost us. I knew how to kill Shadow Wing, but that didn’t mean that it would be easy. But I knew where his powers were hidden, and that was half the battle right there.
Wearily, we all trooped to our private chambers.
Shade sat on the bed, slowly removing his clothes. He looked up at me, his eyes warm and luminous.
“Did you have to promise him anything for this? Please tell me you didn’t make a deal for this?”
And right then, I realized that he was terrified that I compromised myself for his comfort. I crawled on the bed beside him, folding my legs cross-legged, and rested my head against his shoulder.
“It was a gift, as I said. Hi’ran didn’t make me promise anything. I didn’t offer him my life. Or anything else. He already has everything that I own. Sweetie, he gave this freely and I was just the go-between. Welcome back. But I need you to know something.”
“What?”
“Even if you never got your Stradolan powers back, it wouldn’t matter to me. I have never seen you as impotent, or as half a man or anything like that. You’re the man I love, powers or not. Even if you somehow ended up human, with nothing but your heart, I would love you until the day you die. Until the day I die. You are my heart and soul, Shade. You are my mate. Hi’ran may have brought you to me, but it was fate. We’re meant to be together.”