Kobal pressed me closer against his chest, flooding me with his energy as he ran through the seals my father had brought down and into the chamber beyond. The rotting body parts of the creatures that my father freed, and the hounds killed, still littered the floor of the chamber. Amongst those remains were the newer ones of the skelleins, angels, and demons who had died here when we stopped my father from bringing down any more seals.
Now I had triggered a domino effect that would not be stopped.
Overhead, the angels flew into the spiraling cavern above us and toward the open gates on Earth. I sneered while I watched them flee like the cowards they were.
Behind us another seal fell with a resounding bang. One of the giant birds flew overhead and dipped down to snatch a demon from the ground. The demon screamed as he was lifted into the air, but his cry was cut off when the bird gulped him down.
“The Fires of Creation.” Kobal’s gaze drifted to the tunnel leading toward where he’d been born. “The chamber will strengthen you.”
“We don’t have time for that. We have to get out of here before all the seals fall,” Caim hissed from beside us.
“He’s right and you are strengthening me,” I told him.
Kobal’s lips brushed over mine again before he turned away from the Fires. He raced toward the tunnel that all the other demons were funneling into. The last time we were here, Kobal blocked the tunnel by bringing down the rocks above it, but at some point, those rocks had been cleared away.
“Who cleared it?” I asked as Kobal pushed his way into the tunnel.
“Lucifer’s followers,” Caim replied. “It was the only way for the craetons to get near the seals again.”
The clatter of swords and the cries of the dying rebounded off the walls in a near deafening pitch. The stench of blood permeated the air. Craetons, palitons, and seal creatures fell all around us. The enemies clashed against each other as they ran, but they all kept running for they faced certain death if they stopped.
Caim swung his wing out and sank his spike through the eye of a demon with the face of a dog. He pulled a small sword from his side and sliced the demon’s head off. Behind Kobal, Corson, Magnus, and Hawk battled more of the lower-level demons. Before us, Bale, the skelleins, Verin, and Morax carved a pathway through the craetons with the help of the hounds.
Calah’s head bobbed above the crowd before he bent down. When he rose into view again, he tossed something onto his shoulders. I didn’t realize what it was until Lopan hit him in the head with his caultin. However, Lopan held on when Calah swatted at him. I spotted two more of the leporcháins riding the shoulders of palitons as they ran.
The pounding of numerous feet caused the walls to shake. Dust and rocks rained down on us when the next seal toppled. Kobal held me so carefully in his arms that I didn’t feel the impact of his strides as he ran.
“The seals have fallen almost to the demons behind the hundredth seal,” Corson grunted from behind us.
The demons behind the hundredth seal had been locked away for breaking the laws of Hell thousands of years ago. Unlike the lower-level demons who fought with Lucifer, these demons were more powerful. They were also probably really pissed at the varcolac and all those who had kept them imprisoned. They would be ferocious enemies.
“We’ll be out of here before their seal falls,” Kobal replied.
I jumped in Kobal’s arms when a jackal-faced demon leapt out of a side tunnel at us. Its claws grasped at my leg as it tried to jerk me free of Kobal. Without missing a step, Kobal shifted his hold on me and sliced his claws across the demon’s throat. The demon fell back as black blood spurted from his wound. Crux pounced on him and tore the demon’s head away as more of the hounds rushed forward to circle us.
Caim sheathed his sword and swung his wing out to smash a craeton so hard against the wall that he propelled him through the rock. Corson gave him an approving look before slicing the demon’s head from his shoulders with his talons.
The growing pandemonium and stench of death battered my senses. It would only get worse as more of the seals fell, but I feared I wouldn’t be strong enough to do what needed to be done to stop this.
CHAPTER 27
Kobal
The walls of the tunnel gave way to reveal the open pathway that we’d traveled into Hell. On the way into Hell, I’d still believed there was a chance we could stop this without all the humans learning the truth. Now, there would be no keeping Hell’s existence from them.
Hell was on its way to Earth, and there was no changing that, but I would get River out of here. She wouldnotdie in this place.
Screams rent the air as both craetons and palitons were shoved over the side of the pathway. Their bodies bounced off the rocky walls as they tumbled into the abyss below. Normally, the fall wouldn’t kill them, but I doubted any of them would survive what was escaping below.
River grew stronger with every step I took. The holes in her hands were nearly healed, but it wasn’t happening fast enough for my liking. The rocks beneath my feet vibrated before heaving upward. Demons cried out and flung themselves against the wall to my left while others staggered to the side and tumbled over the edge.
Chunks of wall broke off and fell from above, crushing those unfortunate not to get out of the way in time. Rocks battered my back and split open my skin as I hunched over River while I ran.
Caim swung his wing out to block a small avalanche cascading toward us. I didn’t know why the angel had switched sides—I knew why he said he’d done it—but even the fact he’d returned River to me couldn’t make me trust him. However, I would use him in every way possible to get her out of here.
I leapt over a set of falling rocks as the ground shook again and a wave of creatures rose from the pit below.
“What are those?” River breathed as men and women floated past us toward the surface.
