Page 251 of Season Warriors & Wolves

“I shall be the one to thank,” he said. “The seat by my side is filled again. I shall no longer remain bored.”

“For saving him.”

“He saved himself. I only asked for the gates to this world to open back again for him. Even Celesteel did not need much convincing. Your husband swam the river of sorrows back to you. Fought spirits and divine to return to you. No man has ever done so. But he is no man, is he?”

“For the visions.”

He smirked. “You knew it was me who opened the portal?”

“And you knew I would kill Aurora. You wanted me to see what would happen if I did kill her.”

“Your anger is strong. We all had doubts. Fader did, too.”

“You grew the galanthus.”

“Spring should show itself when it comes.”

“And the gates to Numen?”

He shook his head. “I only let the signs show. I knew they would find a way to save you.”

“You helped. They said you cannot help.”

“Did I?” he asked, retreating back. “Did I help? Have your check mate, Snowlin. You won this game all by yourself.”

Once again, I walked the Deadlands. The skies were still red, the ground still barren, the air still warm. Fascinating that after all that had happened it felt just like any other day, as if I’d imagined it all.

I crossed the monolith, tugging on the chains that bound a man more than a beast. Vas, no longer Demir. Visha had managed to draw all the essence of Caligo he’d consumed to turn into the green lizard and left the shell of the immortal man behind. Most had not been so lucky as him. Others had been so infected by the seedling planted in them that they had passed long before their souls had departed, leaving behind only a rotten body.

“No blanket or leather boots for me,” I said, manoeuvring the thick forest of branches that concealed the scorched lands. “I’m beyond disappointed.”

He didn’t speak.

Could be because of the sock I’d stuffed in his mouth. Or not. I’d never had a sock stuffed in my mouth so I would not know.

The flaky woman was still there, still reciting her gibberish when I stepped through the thick gelatine-like shield and into the small land of hell in Numengarth that no one knew existed.

Vas fell to his knees, struggling to breathe and I tugged hard for him to stand. Finally, I even pulled the sock out of his mouth in need of some conversation to pass this lonely time. “Up. Up. Don’t make me drag you there.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“To fulfil a bargain.”

He clutched onto my jacket. “You cannot take my life.”

I pried his hands off me. “I never intended to take it. Much rather see you burn for eternity. Deathless. Painfully. Everyone has heard hellfire is not so kind to selfishness. It despises the unheeding. Won’t you burn so lovely.”

The way Vas’s irises trembled and sunk drew such happiness on my face. Now that his soul was fully stitched back to his body, he looked much more of what he truly was—just a man.

He was already there. The Prince of Ustrina leaned back on one of the walls, his eyes closed and a small smirk splayed in his rather handsome face. “I’m impressed,” he said, keenly observing me, my price and something behind me. “Your lover worries too much.”

“Not enough, would you believe,” my husband said, stepping right beside me and shooting a ‘we will talk about this’ look down at me. “She comes to bargain with hells, I come as a reminder of what happens when you do such dangerous acts.”

Shit. What was he doing here? I looked around. How had he gotten down here?

“Lies are such impractical but gentle cover ups,” Ezekiel said, raking a look over Kilian. “Is that what they keep telling you still? That a Henah blessed Aura made a deal with a guardian of Caligo and ended up cursed? My aunt would have ripped my father a new one if he would have allowed such a bargain.”

“What do you mean?” I asked when Kilian remained silent, only scowling distrustfully at the prince.