by Lexi C. Foss
Never going to happen.
We’ll see, he murmured, glancing back at me with sin in his expression. I think I’ll like you on your knees, Zay.
Focus on the task, Grigory.
I’m focused, he promised, his gaze trailing over me as he continued climbing the stairs. Somehow, he managed not to trip, his footing sure with each step.
I was almost impressed.
You’re very impressed, he corrected.
Stop flirting with me.
Never, he teased but returned his attention to the winding staircase.
I followed just behind him, careful to remain silent on our ascent. My breath quickened, my heart speeding up the more we climbed. Not from exhaustion, but from expectation. Something up here was important. I could feel it in my—
Grigory halted, causing me to stumble into his back.
Oof, I thought at him. What the hell?
I think we found whatever they’re hiding, he replied, stepping to the side to show me the final set of stairs that led to a single door with two more stone-faced guards. Give me a second to compel them away from the door.
Have them unlock it first, I suggested, noting the mechanism near the handle.
Grigory nodded, then did exactly that before sending the soldiers down the stairs to join their buddy below.
It’s really creepy that you can do that, I admitted.
What’s creepy is how easy it is, he muttered. It’s like they have no will.
I shivered, knowing exactly how that felt after reliving my own memory of Yakariah’s death. There was no doubt in my mind that this was all related. And I suspected it had something to do with Napia.
I agree, Grigory replied, ascending the last few stairs to open the door. Either her or her fath—
“Napia?” he asked, freezing on the threshold as he started to enter the room.
My heart raced in my chest. Napia?
“Narissa,” a female replied. “Not Napia.”
“You look just like her,” Grigory breathed. “Minus the, uh, serpents.”
“Well, we’re twins. We’re expected to look similar,” the female replied. “And you are?” She didn’t sound frightened at all, just curious. Strange. If I were locked up in a tower, I’d be freaked out by a random guy bursting into my room.
“Twins?” Grigory repeated. “Napia doesn’t have a sister.”
I shifted forward to stand at his side and immediately saw the source of his confusion. The woman inside resembled Napia in nearly every way except her hair. She didn’t have snakes but had beautiful brown locks that hung in ringlets to her shoulders.
“Napia does have a sister,” Narissa replied, her expression sad. “It’s just not well known.” She cocked her head to the side. “Who are you?” she asked again. “You’re not one of Neptune, but of Noxia, yes?”
“Were the guards yours?” Grigory countered, ignoring her question. “To protect you?”
Narissa snorted. “More like to keep me here. Where did they go?”
“They’re taking a break,” Grigory replied vaguely.
“Interesting. I didn’t realize Napia allowed her minions to take breaks.” Her tone held a touch of sarcasm, indicating she didn’t believe Grigory at all. Yet, still, she didn’t react with concern, just more curiosity. She studied Grigory for a long moment before looking at me. “Who are you?” she repeated, her green eyes flaring with restrained power.
It occurred to me then why she didn’t fear us—because she knew how to protect herself.
What do you see? Grigory asked me.
I knew what he meant. He wanted to know about her aura. Green and blue, I said slowly. Hints of compassion underlined in sorrow. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but the deduction came naturally to me.
“Why has your family locked you away?” I asked her.
“You’re not from here,” she said rather than answer my question. She examined me with a keen eye that trailed goose bumps down my arms. “What kind of demon are you? He’s of Noxia, but you…” She trailed off, her expression taking on an eerie glow. “Your essence confuses me.”
“Tell me why you’re locked away, and I’ll answer you,” I replied, meaning it.
“Because I’ve inherited too much of my mother’s character.” She shrugged. “Lucifer forbid the wrong heir lead the kingdom, yes? At least according to my father. And I’m too flawed for the position, so Napia has taken my place.”
“What do you mean, ‘too flawed’ to lead?” Grigory asked.
“I believe I’ve answered enough questions to at least earn a name,” she retorted, arching a brow.
“I’m Grigory of Noxia, your sister’s former betrothed,” he replied without missing a beat. “So I’m very interested in knowing what the hell you mean about being too flawed to lead, because I was promised to the Neptune Kingdom heir, not an imposter.”
Narissa gaped at him. “You’re Prince Grigory?” She glanced at me. “And who are you?”
“Zaya.” I meant to tell her more and admit to being a halfling, but Grigory spoke before I could continue.
“My true betrothed,” he added, folding his arms. “I’m not marrying your sister. Or you.”
Narissa grimaced. “I would not wish to marry you either, My Prince. No offense.”
“None taken, but I’d like an explanation, and quickly, before your guards return.”
She considered him for a moment, then nodded. “Napia isn’t the true heir of Neptune. I am, as the older twin. But as I said, I have too much of my mother’s character. I refused to follow my father’s orders, so Napia has taken my place. She accepted the ascension from my father, embracing the darkness of our kind, and has inherited powers that are rightfully mine. She was also gifted the form of a snake.”
Grigory and I shared a long look, his mind racing with a convoluted mix of anger and shock.
“Their intentions are not true,” Narissa continued. “They’re amassing an army with the goal of taking Noxia Kingdom from you.”
“Why?” Grigory asked, needing that final piece of the puzzle. I felt his yearning for it in his mind, his desire to understand Napia’s true desire. Because he suspected it wasn’t about dominating his kingdom but about something more.
Narissa smiled. “Power, of course. My sister is obsessed with it, as is my father. She’s been amassing it for years, using the techniques of our heritage.”
“Which are?”
She looked at him. “Do I really need to describe what you’ve already seen, Prince Grigory? You’ve met the guards and soldiers outside. Where are their souls? Their will? Their purpose?” She lifted her shoulders. “An army of walking dead, really. It’s sad. But that’s my sister’s true desire, to rule all.”
Rather than reply, Grigory’s mind raced with the knowledge, his strategic responses firing left and right so quickly that I barely caught them. Each notion was more brilliant than the next, revealing to me the true prince beneath all the layers. This was the Grigory who was meant to be king.
He didn’t lose his cool.
Didn’t scream and shout.
He just nodded in acceptance, then looked at Narissa. “We need to get you out of here.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. I can’t. My—”
“I wasn’t asking, Princess,” Grigory drawled.
“You don’t understand. My sister has woven so many spells around my existence that if I even think…” She trailed off, her eyes flashing to the ceiling, sending a chill down my spine.
“What is it?” Grigory demanded.
“I thought about leaving,” she whispered, flinching.
I swallowed, my instincts firing inside me just as the building began to shake.
“What’s happening?” Grigory demanded, searching for the threat.
Narissa sighed. “Napia has a spell for everything.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, just as the roof was ripped off the tower.
Staring down at us were several sea dragons
, their teeth sharp and ominous.
“Oh, shit…,” I breathed.
They flapped their wings and dove for us, their beady eyes intent.
“Run!” Grigory shouted.
His command was lost to the wind as the dragons ascended, the one closest snapping dangerous jaws in my direction.
I didn’t think.
I acted.
Blades falling into my hands, I prepared to fight.
Right.
Napia had a spell for everything.
Which was probably how she’d found us in London, too.
Fuck.
Yeah, fuck, Zaya thought back at me, her tone sarcastic as she hopped onto the back of a dragon and stabbed it in the head without flinching.
Nice, I told her.
Stop praising me and start killing, she snarled back at me.
“Is there anything else I need to know about the magic guarding you in this tower?” I asked Narissa as Zaya took down another sea beast.
“Every creature in this realm has been spelled against me and will fight like hell to keep me here,” the Neptune princess replied, sounding nervous. “You’d be better off leaving me here right about now.”
“Not a fucking chance.” We needed her alive. Not only did her existence prove foul play, but her knowledge of the army would be incredibly useful with my mother.
Zay. Head for the stairs and take Narissa with you.
Sure. I’ll get right on that, she thought at me, her knife gliding across the throat of a third creature. Green blood painted her clothes, causing her to scowl in annoyance.
“Watch out!” she called as another dragon swooped toward us. It tried to capture me but only succeeded in ripping the realm-jumping gem from the chain around my neck. The jewel smashed with a loud sound on the floor.
Fuck!
Zaya pulled hers out of her pocket. I still have—
A beast snapped the trinket between its jaws, causing Zaya to curse.
Shit.
I didn’t have time to react to that, as the beast that shattered my own portal charm came for me again. I tried to duck a second time, but the beast’s sharp claws hooked into my jacket, lifting me into the sky. Guess we’re not taking the stairs, I thought at Zay.
Always making light of situations, she muttered and jumped up to grab my foot. Then she climbed me like a tree while another dragon snatched Narissa.
We flew upward over the castle, into the starry night sky, leaving the city behind.
“What’s happening?” I shouted across to Narissa.
“They’re taking us out to the barren lands,” she called back with distinct terror lacing every syllable of her reply.
“What are the barren lands?” Zaya asked as she wrapped herself around me, holding me tightly. I returned the embrace, my arms circling her lower back. No way would I allow her to fall.
“It’s the place my people fear the most,” Narissa replied, pointing to a horizon lined in mud and fire.
That looks ominous, Zay thought, shivering.
I tried to find another place for them to drop us but found nothing of purpose. If we fell from this height, we’d suffer significant damage. And Zay likely wouldn’t survive it.
Shit. I studied the approaching swampland and the rivers of lava flowing between spots of murky brown. We should not have left our helmets at the tower.
Zaya grunted but remained otherwise silent.
Narissa just seemed… defeated. Which was strange because I sensed the power lurking beneath her skin. Had she been enchanted not to use it?
I didn’t get a chance to ask, the dragons swooping low to indicate our impending release.
Get ready, I told Zaya.
She nodded against me, her lips ghosting over my cheek.
Then the claws opened, releasing us to the muddy swamps below.
We landed in a creek of mucky brown water, the stench immediately making me gag.
Ugh. It reminded me of burnt flesh. Probably a result of the lava eating dying animals. Fucking hell. Only here would this chaos exist.
“We need to get out of the water,” Narissa yelled.
She considers this water? I thought, staring at the bubbling mud.
A zap to my thigh brought me out of my head and had me cursing out loud. “There goes my damn phone.” Which could have been useful.
What’s next? I wondered. Flame demons?
Don’t even joke about that, Zay replied, her mind rioting at the very notion of fiery minions running after us with flame breath. Some of hell’s creatures really deserved their isolation. Those little fuckers were among that designation.
Narissa cried out as her long dress snagged on a rock, yanking her backward. I treaded my way toward her, the thick substance resembling liquid molasses as I tried to swim through it. It took several firm strokes to reach her. I yanked her dress free, and Zaya yelped behind me.
“Something’s got me!” she yelled, disappearing beneath the putrid surface as I faced her.
Fuck! I boosted Narissa up onto a piece of solid black land—away from the lava—then turned for Zaya. Only, she was already on the surface, holding what appeared to be a severed fin.
“Narissa’s right,” she said, swimming toward me. “Get out of the swamp.”
Don’t need to tell me twice. I pulled myself up onto the piece of land beside Narissa and reached in to help Zaya follow.
“Should I even ask what’s in this… river?” I questioned Narissa as I stared into the deep, murky substance.
“All Neptune’s people descended from sea creatures,” she replied softly. “Some of us evolved into more human forms. Others weren’t so lucky and kept to the waters.”
“But you all shape-shift into something, right?” That was my understanding of Neptune’s inhabitants—they took on various sea beasts when in their demonic form.
“The strongest of us, yes. But the creatures here can’t take on a humanoid body.” She swallowed and ripped the fabric from her long gown, freeing her legs. “We need to stay out of the swamps as much as possible because otherwise they will drag us down to the depths, and we won’t be seen again.”
Zaya stepped forward and used her knife to help Narissa remove the final scraps of her dress. “How do these creatures compare to the River Styx inhabitants?” she asked.
“About the same, just different in formation. River Styx drowns souls. This place consumes all life, regardless of if the body still thrives.” Narissa glanced at the murky waters. “These creatures have never been shown any compassion. They’ve been forgotten and starved, treated as unworthy. All because of their inability to shift.”
Sadness filled her expression.
“This is what my kingdom has become beneath a dispassionate rule,” she whispered. “All traces of humanity gone.” She studied the swamp for a long moment before releasing a humorless laugh. “I should have known this would be my fate. My father always said he should have buried me out here with the other broken members of our kind.”
“Your father’s a dick,” Zaya said bluntly.
Narissa merely shrugged. “He’s a king driven by a need for power and by a daughter who longs to follow in his footsteps to greatness. I don’t see them as family, really. Although, I would have liked to say goodbye to my mother.”
“So those dragons were programmed to bring you here to die?” I asked, arching a brow. “Seems rather harsh considering your royal status.”
“Neptune is not what it once was.” Her gaze returned to the mud. “No one fights my father’s rule. No one questions his laws. Everyone just… complies. So yes, he sent me here to die. And no one will think much of it.”
“Because you left a room,” I replied.
“I betrayed his orders,” she corrected, glancing at me with a note of defiance in her gaze. “Many times,” she clarified. “He set up strict rules in his absence, Prince Grigory. I was instructed not to cross the threshold. I knew what would happen, which is why I told you not to take me.�
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“You didn’t exactly fight for your freedom,” I pointed out.
“I could say you startled me.” Her lips curled. “But it’d probably be a lie. Defying my father is a game of mine.”
“Then you have a plan for escaping this hellhole?” I asked, standing up with Zaya at my side.
Narissa shook her head and pushed up off the ground as well. “All I do is survive. Which I’ve proven rather resilient at.” She lifted her face to the dark sky. “We should probably start moving. The sun will be up soon, and it’s my understanding that Noxia demons prefer the night for a reason.”
I followed her gaze upward. “A little sunlight won’t kill me.” It would just make it hard to see. My kind was weakened by brightness, our eyes sharpened for the dark, not the light. It would also likely redden my pale complexion.
I’ll protect you, Zaya said, reaching for my hand.
I know, I replied, giving her fingers a squeeze. “So which way should we go?” Falling from the sky had screwed up my sense of direction, and every angle appeared the same.
Narissa shifted her focus around us, spinning in a slow circle. “Perhaps that way?” she suggested.
“You don’t know your way out of here?” I phrased it as a question, but I could read in her expression that she didn’t. Which wasn’t a great sign for us.
“This is admittedly my first trip to the barren lands,” she replied. “So I don’t have a built-in map quite yet.”
Her comment had me glancing at Zaya. What about you?
She gazed up at me. You think I have a map in my head?
Maybe. You knew your way around the city.
Zaya’s throat worked, her cheeks losing a touch of color. Right. Puzzle in my brain.
It’s a beautiful puzzle, I whispered to her, my lips curling on one side.
Even if I have a map, I’m not sure we can trust it.
I’d prefer to rely on your mind over a suggested direction, I replied. Give it a try, Zay. See what you find.
She stared at me for a long moment before dipping her head in a nod.
“What’s happening?” Narissa asked.
I held up a finger, silencing her for a moment. “We’re conferring.”
Zaya ignored our comments and knelt, placing her palm on the solid rock we stood upon. She shut her eyes, focusing inside her mind. I followed her train of thought, watching the magic unfold inside her as a wisp of information led her to the details she sought.
