“Damn, that’s cool,” Iris said.
The black cloud swept around their feet and down the passage, guiding them onwards. Lily followed with complete faith in him to get them where they needed to go.
Now that they were together, they were safe.
* * *
A short while later,Murmur stood alone in the Hunter’s empty cave and dusted his hands off for a job well done. High above on the ground level, he could sense his souls still engaged with Paimon’s forces. Souls could not be eliminated, but they could tire, and his were nearing the end of their strength.
He needed to return to the frontline and declare himself the lair’s new master before he pushed them much further. Plus, he didn’t want to killallhis new subjects. Someone was going to have to clean up the mess in his shiny new castle.
But there was one thing left to do first.
The humans and Mishetsumephtai had returned safely through the hellgate, and Murmur’s bargain with Belial was complete. On Murmur’s end, at least. He was officially owed a favor from the King of Hell, and he intended to collect when the time was right.
The scent of Sheolic magic still tainted the air from the gate’s activation. As he’d vowed to the Hunter, he had not tried to track their passage.
He hadn’t needed to, to get what he wanted.
Mounting his torch on the sconce on the wall, Murmur crossed the dark cave and retrieved the tiny vial from the nook where he’d hidden it. Carefully, he lifted it before the torchlight and studied the contents. A smile spread across his face.
“Look what we have here,” he said to the souls at his feet.
The formerly black liquid was now a rich ruby red, indicating the spell had worked.
He dug out the vial’s cork from his pocket and sealed it tightly to ensure not a drop was wasted. What he had in his hands… He couldn’t begin to guess its worth. It may have been the most valuable item in all the underworld, in fact.
He couldn’t simply auction it off to the highest bidder, however. It had to end up in the right hands. It had to be given to someone who would further Murmur’s own plans. Someone manipulatable. Luckily, he knew just who to approach.
“Shall we?” he asked his souls, pocketing the vial. He chuckled. “Of course we shall.”
They had no choice. They were bound to him until he chose to release them, which might be never. It certainly wouldn’t be now, when things were finally coming to a head, and he had just secured himself one of the most heavily fortified territories in Hell.
As he strode down the tunnel, the smile never left his face.
Having his multitudinous schemes align and come to fruition was the greatest pleasure there was to be had in all the realms. He would know, for he’d tried them all. None matched the high he felt now.
He had not tried to prevent Paimon from finding the Hunter and the twins, as he’d said he would. In fact, he may have accidentally guided her toward the chamber.
He’d wanted the blood-borns to dispose of her, as he’d known they would. He’d wanted to be the one aiding them so he was strategically positioned to take the castle from the inside out. He’d been secretly weakening Paimon’s wards for months so that when he’d breached them tonight, it had taken but a moment.
It was all foreseen—the witches, the fall of the Queen of Hell, all of it.
It washewho had foreseen it.
25
Brand New
Mist awoke to the absence of pain. For the first time in a while, there was nothing wrong with his body. No broken bones or bleeding lacerations. Not even the brand on his neck was burning.
After all the suffering, the sensation—or lack thereof—felt like bliss. So much so that, even though he was awake, he kept his eyes closed and just breathed for a while.
He felt… peace. Deep peace. Contentment.
A lily flower scent tantalized his nose, adding to the joy of the moment. Lily. His Lily. She was here right now, she was—
In his arms. More awareness of his body returned, and he felt her warm skin against him, her soft hair tickling his chest. He lifted a hand, arm heavy from sleep, and petted those silky tresses, and she hummed softly and snuggled closer. His heart nearly burst in his chest.
