“I can’t. But there might be a way. Come inside, and we can discuss it.” His voice sounds urgent, as if time matters—but here in the underworld, how can it?
The guards step aside as the enormous door carved from obsidian groans open. Mage-lights flicker, illuminating the path ahead. Each step is heavier than the last, but finally I reach the throne room, where my father stands—alone.
“Where is she?” I demand.
“Patience, Azrael. I can’t just give her back to you. It doesn’t work that way. There’s much to discuss, and things that need to be consummated.”
I tilt my head at him in confusion. “Whatever needs to be discussed, I’m all ears—but I’m in no position to make deals with a traitor who would hijack the kingdom. Only Grandfather can do that, and I can’t say I left things on the best of terms with him.”
“I know not what you speak of. Who is it you call Grandfather? For there are none older than us.” His words are laced with distaste and suspicion.
“The Ringmaster. Your father. The one you double-crossed when you sealed off access to this realm and all the others. The man who raised me like his own because my father abandoned me for power.”
His face twists in revulsion. “Stop! I’ve heard enough of these lies,” he hisses. “You’ve been tainted. Corrupted by a false storyteller. It’s much worse than I imagined. “
“Lies?” I roar. “How dare you accuse me of lying when you’re the one who fractured Hell and tipped the balance to begin with. The divine are causing havoc—freeing demons, feeding on humans, destroying towns. All while you sit here consumed by power.”
“Oh, but you’re wrong,” he challenges.
Magic crackles and snaps, freezing him as a voice I can only assume is Destiny booms: “It’s not your place to tell him. All will be revealed in time. Memories must be earned.”
Time springs back into place as I narrow my eyes at my father. “What are you not telling me?”
He shakes his head, unable to answer.
“Fine. How can I get Mercy back? What can I do if the blood oath isn’t enough?” I plead, desperate to hold her in my arms once more.
“Even completed, the contract binds you to her—but not her fate to yours. She chose to sacrifice herself. That changed everything.”
He bows his head. “A series of tests. Pass each one, and then all will be revealed.”
“And my mate will be returned to me?”
“That I can’t promise. It depends entirely on you and the path you choose with Destiny,” my father explains.
Anger and frustration bubble beneath my skin, ready to unleash destruction on the entire realm—but I calm myself, allowing it to simmer. Destruction will not bring her back to me. I must earn her.
“Fine,” I relent. “I will pass the tests.”
He nods his head, shoulders swelling with pride as he looks me over before muttering, “Let the trials begin.”
The world goes black, and the room spins. I drop to one knee, centering myself and positioning my body low to the ground, one hand at the dagger in my boot and the other gripping the sword at my hip. The black feathers of my wings blend into the darkness, wrapping protectively over me. When the spinning subsides, I’m standing in an orchard. It’s Mercy’s orchard—but not the real orchard. I moved it so she could take it with her.
I rise slowly, alert and on edge. It appears I’m alone… until the snapping of branches draws my eyes to the middle of a tree. Three giant black ravens perch on a branch, swirling golden eyes identical to the one I saw before.
The birds must be a representation of the Fates. “Show yourselves,” I command.
One after the other, the birds explode into falling feathers—and the Fates: Past, Present, and Future, appear before me.
“Azrael,” they screech.
I bow. “Ladies.”
“Three tests. One for each of us,” they explain in unison.
“Mine first,” the Past croaks.
The world fizzles out, replaced by a memory. My stomach twists. I know exactly where we are. It’s the first time we met—the first time I ever laid eyes on Mercy. The scene plays out behind me. She was beautiful beneath the sadness. I looked at her and thought,Wow, that girl is pretty. She looks like she could use a friend. It’s lonely around here.
