“It appears…” He jerked his head to the right, tilting it slightly as if listening to something I couldn’t hear. “The sentry are coming for you.”
“What sentry?” I scrunched my brow, trying my damnedest to hear whatever he did. “Why are they coming for me?”
“Their job is to keep out those who do not belong.” He cut his gaze toward the darkness to his right. “You are not the first person who has attempted a rescue from this realm.”
“We need to hide.” I grabbed my backpack and tightened my grip on the knife. “Let’s go.”
“No.” He wrenched my arm behind my back and took my knife in one swift movement. Pressing the blade against my throat, he whispered into my ear, “If you ever wish to leave this realm, you will follow my lead.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A word of advice.”
I struggled against his grip, lighting fire in my palms and letting it lick up my arms to singe him, but he wasn’t fazed. Oh, right. Fire didn’t burn demons. I’d have to remember that.
I reached backward, grasping for his balls, but he pressed the blade harder against my neck. Searing pain exploded across my throat, and blood rolled down in ribbons. I had no choice but to stop struggling. I was technically dead, so I had no idea what would happen if he truly slit my throat in this realm. Now was not the time to find out.
Three winged demons approached. They were smaller than Discord, standing maybe six and a half feet tall, but they were just as muscled, and they radiated a menace that chilled me to the marrow. All three had long snouts and pointed ears like hellhounds, but they walked on two legs as if they were some kind of cross between a dog and a harpy.
The most disturbing thing about them was their eyes. They held zero intelligence. No apparent thoughts turned the gears in their primitive brains. One look at Discord and you could tell he was smarter than the average bear, that you could converse and reason with him.
These guys? I had a feeling they had the single-mindedness of rabid dogs. Attack, attack, attack.
“You’re throwing me to the wolves?” I whispered.
“You deserve worse for the trouble you’ve caused me.” He straightened, tightening his grip and forcing me toward the fiends.
“What took you so long?” As his deep voice echoed through the cave, the sentry demons froze. Their eyes widened, their mouths dropping open as they stared. The one in the middle lowered to one knee, and the others followed suit, bowing their heads.
“Sire,” Middle Guy grunted. “You returned.”
“And found an intruder upon my entrance. You have been slacking in my absence.” Regalness deepened his voice even more, his accusation sounding more damnation than chide.
The two sidekicks trembled and barked like dogs. One of them looked up at me and growled.
“Forgive,” the middle guy said, and he lowered to both knees, leaning forward and resting his forehead on the ground. The other two whimpered and did the same. These guys were scared shitless.
So was I. Finally, a normal reaction to my predicament.
“If you turn me over to these freaks, I will kill you,” I whispered, lacing my voice with as much menace as I could.
“I would love to see you try,” he replied before raising his voice. “Take her to my personal prison, but do not harm her. Speak of this to no one.”
“Sire.” The middle guy stood, and his posse followed his lead. “Small bite?”
“If I hear of a single tooth mark, you all will spend eternity in the tarpits. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” They nodded in unison, and he shoved me toward them, yanking off my backpack—with all my weapons and supplies—in the process.
The moment Discord released me, I ran for the ruins. If I could find a hidey-hole somewhere, I might have time to figure out a plan. My boots pounded the rocky ground, and I made it to the first dilapidated step when a harpy-hound dropped in front of me. I spun, but another already stood behind me.
Shifting my weight to my left leg, I kicked my right, my foot landing square in the fiend’s gut. He grunted, and I dropped to the ground, swinging my leg out again to knock the other guy off his feet. Before I could make impact, he flapped his wings, taking to the sky and hauling me up by my hair.
Pain exploded across my scalp. I flailed my arms and legs, but it was to no avail. Harpy-hounds numbers two and three grabbed my arms, their grips tight enough to bruise.
“Prison, prison,” they chanted and lifted me higher.
“Do not inform Lucifer of her presence or mine,” Discord said. “She will be my offering when I return to the castle.”
