Page 27 of Outcast
“Here you are, my queen.”
“What’s your name, quartermaster?” I asked before opening the box. He looked surprised at first, but answered, nonetheless.
“I’m Lir.”
“Well, Lir, I appreciate the gift,” I said, giving him a bow of my own.
The grin was back as he stepped away. “My weapons are forever at your disposal,” he promised. He seemed almost humbled by my response.
Bending down, I placed the heavy box on the floor and opened the lid. My excited laughter filled the air as I pulled a spear from its casing. The base was made from a black and white stone that swirled together like a dark mist. The tip of the spear was sharp enough I wasn’t even willing to test it out myself. A bright glow emanated from it as a sign that Helheim had assisted in making the weapon.
It was perfect and exactly what we needed to take back Dark Haven. I had little time left before the gods took it back for us, and I couldn’t let that happen. I’d worked too fucking hard to make this place my home, and I would not be unmade on the whim of an angry god.
“Put your weapons among the others for a moment,” I ordered. The demons did so without hesitation.
I moved in front of them, crouching down and holding my hands out, palms down over the collection of daggers, swords, and axes. The power of Helheim came to me before I even had to try and I pushed it into the weapons themselves, infusing them with even more power so we would be unstoppable. Instead of the soft glow, they burned a vibrant silver that had me blinking against it.
Standing up, I did the same to my new demon guards. Maybe I should have asked for consent but what demon would turn away power, and I wanted to show my appreciation to their loyalty. Not just to me, but to Helheim itself.
“You are now elite soldiers that serve your queen. You will remain here and away from the barracks. My castle will need protecting. As you can see, not all are loyal to the change and soon, I will have to face the portal before Helheim suffers further. You’ve earned your place here and anything you need to make weapons or do your job, ask.”
When the power finished filling their bodies, they had a glowing aura round them. They all hit their knees at once, foreheads brushing the floor as they bowed to their queen.
If someone would have asked me the night I escaped from my own version of hell, if I could see myself as a future ruler of the afterlife with demons on their knees before me, I’d have thought they were crazier than I was.
Now I knew it wasn’t psychosis. This was my new life, and I was damn proud of it.
“What’s our next step, Monty?” I asked. The guards all grabbed their weapons and moved to the side of the room, standing in silent vigil as we spoke. “We need the gargoyles. There is no longer a divide, everyone has a duty here and that means both are necessary for the balance. Now more than ever.”
Footsteps had us turning to Kol striding in, the rest of my guys, along with Elkan and Achar trailing in behind him.
“Then I can take you back to the gargoyle stronghold.”
“As will I,” Achar agreed.
“That would be amazing, but I can’t, I have other things to conclude before I can. You two can go in my stead. I can’t put this off any longer and we need to leave soon,” I said. There was disappointment on Kol’s face but he leaned down and brushed a kiss over my temple.
“We’ll see it through,” he promised as they walked out of the throne room.
“What is it that you have to do?” Hiro asked.
“Elkan, Drake, and I have some business.”
There was an angry growl as I walked away knowing they’d follow behind me. There had been enough tension, and I wouldn’t let him go through that portal without actually talking to his dad.
Regrets would slow us down and unfinished business could cost us our lives.
ChapterTwelve
Kol
Hel put me in Dark Haven centuries ago. I was nothing more than a stone statue, sentient in moments and long stretches of darkness. Helheim was closer to a distant memory than I expected.
Walking back in the stronghold was no different. The stone of this place forged me, but somehow it no longer felt like home. Everything was the same, yet different.
New buildings rested among the old, and I didn’t recognize the gargoyles walking the streets.
Hell, my brother was now twice my size and had taken the spot originally intended for me, before Hel got her prophecy and threw caution to the wind. When she was still invested in our realm and upholding its integrity.
