Page 135 of Demonic Cage
“I offer a deal!”
Lavian is shocked. “Lotte, what the…”
I silence him with a gesture, then refocus on Nárs. “Sylla is dying in her cave! You can still save her. We’ll let you go if you let us go.”
Nárs’s lips curl in anger, a bitter laugh escaping him. “Why would that be good for me, Flower? I’ll kill you all and then thaw her.”
I slowly step in front of the two angels as if I’m protecting them. “First,” I begin mockingly, knowing I need to be quick, “it would take some time for you to finish us off. By then, Sylla would be dead. Imagine how weakened Darya’s team would become! I could have killed Sylla, but I didn’t. Secondly,” I add, my lips curling into a faint smile, “no one can break your soul like she can.”
Nárs glares at me menacingly.
“You have less than a minute,” I urge him.
The demon hisses, retracting his vines into the ground, and steps back. I sigh deeply.
But too soon, new vines burst from the ground, catching all three of us off guard, pinning us to the wall. The demon hisses with bloody teeth, more unhinged than ever. “Maybe I can manage my time better, after all.”
He lunges at me, but I am ready. As he sees the gray-glowing object at my neck, he stops. For the first time, I see real fear in Nárs’s eyes.
“Do you know what this is, Nárs?” I hiss at him angrily. The demon snarls.
I nod and laugh. “That’s right. I have it. The key to Hell and Heaven’s gates is with me, and you know it becomes useless if blood stains the blade, even if it’s mine. And I’ve already killed myself once. Do you think I wouldn’t do so again?” I hiss through clenched teeth, pushing the dagger closer to my neck.
All three men shout at once.
“No!”
“Lotte!”
“Stop!”
The demon releases his vines from us, but I don’t move the blade from my neck. He snarls at me.
“Nárs,” I begin calmly, “Sylla is still alive, but not for long. Save her!”
My voice pleads, and Nárs raises an eyebrow. His face twists with the familiar madness, his smile chilling.
“I am so proud of you, Lily Girl!” He claps once, then spreads his wings and flies away.
I lower my arm, trembling, barely having any strength left. Lavian is immediately by my side. His expression is serious.
“Put the dagger in your bag!” he commands. After I comply, he lifts me into his arms. I rest my head on his shoulder.
“Lavian?” I whisper.
“Yes?” he asks, looking at me hesitantly.
“Please, get me out of here!”
The angel’s gaze softens, then turns serious again. He spreads his bloody wings and we fly up.
“I’m on it,” he says, and we soar away. An angel holds me in his arms.
As we emerge from the cave system into the volcano-shaped chamber, my eyes widen.
The battle is horrific. Limbs are everywhere. Both sides are welding burned bodies to the ground and walls. They are burned beyond recognition.
In the distance, among the gray mountains, demons and angels clash in the sky. Their screams fill the twilight, and the sun bids us farewell with a bloody hue. My vision blurs, the sounds meld together, death permeates the air, and the ground and sky tremble. Weapons clash, and bloody demon limbs fall beside us. Kripot, once again a cyclops, grabs angels and crushes them. The sight makes me clutch Lavian’s clothes, and he holds me tighter. The dark-skinned angel beside us blows a horn, signaling their retreat. This is the sign. We have the dagger.
