Its front paws clawed at the rock wall outside the tunnel, tearing away stones as it sought purchase. Fire blazed from my hand until it fully engulfed the manticore and it screeched loudly. Releasing it, I watched its flaming body spiraling down before crashing onto the floor below. The lower-level demons tilted their heads back to gaze at us as a cry erupted from the tunnels leading into the cavern.
The skelleins were the first ones to burst into the cavern. They released a loud whoop as they swung their swords over their heads. More of the creatures from the seals poured in from the throne room, as more of my followers rushed forward to engage them in battle.
The hounds bounded into the cavern with the demons. Their jaws snapped as they struck down a wave of prey. Bale, Verin, and Morax led the next wave into the main cavern before Lucifer’s troops moved to block the entrance.
My fingers flexed as blood rushed through my veins. I was tired of fighting, but I wanted to give River a life of safety and happiness so I looked forward to destroying Lucifer.
River rested her fingers on my back as she stepped beside me to gaze below. “Where is he?”
“He won’t come out, not yet. We have to make him think he’s beating us first. It’s your turn, Magnus,” I said.
Magnus’s shoulders tensed. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep this up,” he stated, not for the first time expressing his doubts. “I’m a creator.”
“This is creating, in a way,” Corson said.
“Hmm,” Magnus grunted. “This is not the type of illusion I weave.”
“Can you do it?” Hawk asked.
“Yes, for a bit. It is tiring to me in a way that creating is not. I won’t be able to do any other illusions for a while after this.”
“That’s why you will remain here, out of the battle,” I replied.
I understood Magnus’s concerns, but for the plan to succeed, there was no other choice.
“I practiced the cloaking illusion over the years, but I was never able to master it. My father was far better than I at it, but my father never created anything solid as I have,” Magnus said.
River rested her hand on his arm. “You can do this.”
“Oh, I have no doubt I am capable of anything, my queen,” Magnus replied with a wink as his normally brazen attitude returned.
River smiled at him and her hand fell away. Bowing his head, Magnus clasped his hands before him as he closed his eyes. Stepping closer to the edge of the tunnel again, I gazed at the battle waging below.
Blood and body parts flew as the two sides clashed with each other. Angels and manticores dove down to snatch unsuspecting victims from the ground. One demon’s arms and legs flailed in the air before the angel released him. The fighters below scurried to get out of the way of the free-falling body before it plummeted into the river. Sparks and flames shot up; fire rolled onto the rocks before retreating into the stream once more.
“Now,” Magnus murmured.
Clasping my hands around my mouth, I bellowed, “Retreat!”
The word reverberated off the walls until it echoed throughout. None of my followers looked at me; they had all been expecting this command. The palitons divided and a large amount of them battled through the craetons trying to block off their retreat. The rest remained where they were, their number was small enough that the craetons didn’t notice they weren’t a part of the retreating group. Many of the craetons pursued the fleeing palitons.
An angel flew up to hover before us. Her blonde hair swayed to the sides when she craned her head back and forth to examine the tunnel. I studied the soulless black eyes before me, but though I could clearly see her, she couldn’t see me.
“Gone!” she shouted and dove down.
With the angel out of the way, my attention returned to the cavern. Of the nearly hundred palitons who remained below, no one dared to move as some of Lucifer’s followers patrolled the cavern. Cloaked by Magnus’s ability, the craetons didn’t see them.
Morax and Verin crept cautiously backward as a lower-level demon came within inches of where they stood. Bale shifted back when an angel landed beside her. The arm of the angel would have brushed against hers if she hadn’t moved. It would only take one of those creatures bumping into them for the illusion to end.
I glanced at Magnus. Sweat beaded his forehead and his jaw clenched. His pale skin had become nearly translucent. I didn’t know how much longer he could keep this mirage going.
A disturbance in the air brought my gaze back to the cavern. My fangs extended when Lucifer swooped into sight with the handful of angels who had remained in the throne room with him. He flew low across the fire before pulling up and setting down near the stream. He folded his black wings behind him.
The need to destroy him pulsed within me. We’d battled often over the years, but those battles would be coming to an end. One way or another, one of us would sit on that throne and the other would die.
River rested her hand on my arm. Her violet eyes were solemn when they met mine. As much as I despised Lucifer for all he’d done, for the many lives he’d taken over his years in Hell, I wouldn’t change any of what had happened.
If Lucifer had never walked the Earth, River wouldn’t exist.
