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The man’s plan was simple: get here to this clearing and we’d shoo Luri into the barn. From there, we could coral her through the portal that acts as a backdoor to Purgatory. This field just so happens to be where we bury the dead–the executed.
It was the only outcome short of death that the villagers would accept. They didn’t even want to try taking her to the Realm of Monsters. As if that task was too much for their poor souls to handle. So, my father agreed to let Luri be used in Purgatory, much like how the gladiators fought lions in the Roman era. Only, he doesn’t know about the conclaves. Alice’s cat would replace the guards in their freedom fights, and all it would take is one prisoner to get the upper hand. She’d be dead.
I won’t subject Luri to that fate. Even though we don’t mesh, she’s important to Alice and that’s enough for me.
“I think the other hunting party has already done the job, anyway,” the crooked nose man says as we cross the field toward the building.
My heart stills in my chest as I turn my attention to Finn.
“Otherhunting party?” he whispers.
Fuck…They didn’t mention more than one group. Maybe they did that on purpose. They couldn’t possibly know that I was going to try something. Maybe it was an afterthought?
We near the front of the building to find the doors busted through and two bodies littering the ground.No…No, no, no. I glance at Finn, who’s smiling so hard his cheeks have turned bright pink.
“She did it,” he whispers, keeping his voice quiet enough that the crooked nose man is none the wiser.
“You don’t suppose we could blame this on the cat?” I ask, nudging one of the bodies. This man was stabbed in the eye.
“Not a chance,” Finn nearly squeals.
“The kingdom is going to have a fit…”
“Oh, I’m sure they’re not going to be happy, but maybe they should’ve thought twice before fucking with the most powerful woman in the realm. But if there are no witnesses and these were to say disappear…”
I flick out my wrist, and my magic heeds the command, snatching the crooked nose man from where he stands. His body jerks as it collides with mine. Nails dig into my flesh as my fingers latch around his throat. I rip off the mustache, facing the man I nearly begged to kill hours ago. I want him to see my face as I drain the life from his soul. Only before I can kill him, Finn’s sword swings, detaching the man’s head from his shoulders, slicing just below my hand. The body collapses to the ground and I move the guy’s head to the right to find Finn, wiping off his sword.
“I helped,” he says as if that makes perfect sense. His gaze is glued elsewhere, not wanting to look at the severed head in my hands. He’s been fine with blood, but his stomach draws the line at body parts. I wish I could say it’s a one-off thing, but the most renowned warrior in Hell has to carry around a bucket when we collect our dead after a battle. Maybe I should’ve had him bring it… I didn’t intend to kill anyone tonight, or I would’ve.
“You okay? You didn’t have to kill him. I had it.” Finn doesn’t answer. His eyes slip to the headless man and he takes off toward the haystack in the corner. “That answers that.”
Pressing the mustache back on, I wait.
***
Alice
Muttering a spell to cloak myself in silence, I backtrack through the building so I can check the other wing. Not wanting to waste another second, I sprint at a breakneck pace, and as I move around the curved edge, two men come into view. I need a hostage. Someone I can pester for information. Otherwise, I’m looking for a needle in a fucking haystack.
They’re homeless-looking and scraggly. They definitely don’t belong here or else they’d be in pristine armor, like the guards I typically find roaming about Purgatory. That can only mean one thing. They’re villagers, and that’s precisely who I need right now.
One has dark wavy hair, and a thick, surprisingly well-maintained beard, and the other with long white locks that are half falling out of the topknot on his head. Topknot is clean-shaven except for a handlebar mustache attached to his top lip.
I speed up, taking advantage of the fact they haven’t noticed me yet, thanks to the spell. Dropping and sliding my body across the smooth, glossy concrete, I barrel through them, launching them off their feet like a bowling ball hitting pins.
Strike.
Using my magic to split the dagger in two, I take one in each hand, stabbing the blade into the ground to slow my momentum. Sparks fly as metal grinds against stone. I push back to my feet, leaping off the ground and roundhouse kicking the dark-haired man in the face. Blood spews from his mouth as I recoil, landing gracefully on my feet. Spinning, I strike hard with the dagger in my right hand, but he simply swats it away.
He tries to speak, as I uppercut with my fist, connecting to his jaw and knocking him backward, rendering him silent. Grunts and groans fill the air as the dark-haired man gets to his feet. With a wave of my wrist, the floor opens up, swallowing the man whole as I counter Topknot again. His scream is smothered as the floor closes. It’s as if it was never disturbed. This time I spin, aiming my dagger at Topknot’s throat. He slaps it away at the last second but doesn’t attack. Likely still disoriented from my previous blow.
Using the wall, I push off, punching him in the face before spinning my back to him and slicing the blade behind me. Just as the tip is about to sink into Topknot’s face, a sword flings up, stopping it.
“Alice!” he gets out, and my name causes me to stagger.
I know that voice, but not that face. This is a trick. One I won’t fall for. My eyes flick dark, and the veins pulse beneath my skin as I summon my power, lighting myself on fire.
“I only need one of you alive,” I say, circling him, and not recognizing the menace in my tone. His eyes grow wide as he stares me down like he’s seen a ghost. Sheathing my dagger, I yank the sword from where it dangles on my waist and take my stance. “The choice is yours, asshole.”
