I failed. Failed! And I’d broken my promise to my brothers and torn Kobal’s heart out of his chest in the process.
Then, the golden-blue light encircling my hands became the golden-white sparks they’d been before I journeyed this close to Hell. Those sparks swirled over my blood before following the trail of it into the gateway like fire racing over gasoline. There, the sparks became entirely gold in color as they surged into the air.
The feet racing toward me skidded to a halt and staggered back as the sparks rolled across the gateway like a wave breaking on the beach. From within the gateway, a shriek pierced the air.
***
Kobal
I kept my shoulders down to barrel through the light flowing over the gateway. A sizzling sounded in my ears. I realized my flesh was burning seconds before a blast of energy flung me back. The force of my body bouncing off the rocks tore boulders free of the wall before I came to a stop against it.
Smoke drifted from my charred skin; I took a second to steady myself before leaping to my feet. I prepared to lunge back at the opening and tear my way through it. A púca shrieked when it hit the golden light. Smoke streamed from its scorched body as it was flung back. It made no sound when it spiraled into the pit.
Already dead, I realized.
My eyes narrowed on the swelling power of life above me. There would be no tearing my way through that. I might be able to break through it with a wall of fire though.
“What is that?” Bale demanded as she gazed at the growing light.
“River.” Anguish tore at my chest as I recalled her plunging the sword into her chest. No matter how fast she healed now, she couldn’t survive that, not while she was still mortal anyway.
I stumbled back as around me the rocks quaked and a grating noise filled the air.
“What has the World Walker done?” Lix breathed.
“What the angels guided her to do,” I growled. “I’ll tear everyfuckingone of them apart for this!”
Rocks fell and clattered about my feet as the grinding noise became louder. The hounds all snarled when larger boulders broke free around us. The boulders bounced down the path. I jumped out of the way of one that crashed into a demon behind me and rolled him off the side.
Fire burst from my hands and raced up to circle my wrists before slithering over my shoulders. My markings all shifted toward my fingertips in preparation for trying to break through the wave of power cascading over us.
I was about to unleash my wrath when I realized that the closing of the gateway was the source of the grinding noise. My flames burned hotter as I stared at the shrinking hole over my head.
No matter how badly I wanted to get to River and do whatever it took to save her, I couldn’t stop the gateway from closing.
This was what we’d been working for, and River had figured out how to do it. If there was any chance for demons and humans to survive, the gateway had to be closed. I roared in fury, but the fire encompassing me died away.
“I think it would be best for us to get out of here,” Lopan said as more rocks fell and shattered around us.
Some lower-level demons raced past us, screeching and grunting as they ran toward the light. What happened with the púca didn’t deter them from their course. They never made it to the gateway as the golden glow spilled down the rocks in a cascading waterfall.
It’s following River’s blood,I realized when the light flared outward from there and across the lower-level demons. Three of them were flung off the pathway. The one that fell against the rocks near my feet still had smoke coiling out of its now empty eye sockets.
“Best to leavenow,” Magnus said.
The grinding sound of the Earth continued as more and more debris tumbled around us and the gateway crept closer together. Screeches filled the air as creatures and demons rushed toward their closing escape.
***
River
I struggled to keep my eyes open, but my lids grew heavier with every passing second. Then I realized they weren’t closing, but blackness was coming and going over my field of vision. In the beginning, the blood rushed out of me with every beat of my heart. Now, only a small trickle ran down my flesh with every slowing thump.
My mouth parted, I tried to draw a breath, but it was too much effort. Coldness seeped through my limbs, but it wasn’t the same kind of chill as the wraiths. This coldness felt… inevitable. Terror clutched at my chest. I was dying. This was the end of everything I’d ever known. I’d chosen this course. Iknewit was the right one, but still I didn’t want to die. I wanted the life I would never have.
The golden light spreading in front of me flared higher before abruptly dying away. Gazing across the scorched Earth, I saw nothing but dirt before me.
In the following silence, I realized my heart no longer beat.
