Page 120 of The War of Wings
She threw her head back, a throaty cackle tearing through the musty dungeon. “Spare me the theatrics, Belin.”
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t drive my sword through your chest right now, Irabel.” My words were hard, driven by the frustration I held toward the woman for being such a shitty mother for so long.
She stopped, turning toward me and wrapping her hands around two of the bars on her cell. “Do it,” she demanded. “Kill me. It won’t keep Malosym from crushing your precious Petra beneath his boot.”
“She’syourPetra too,” I growled. I could see no spark of the woman I’d known her to be, no clue she was still in there. Her soul was gone, but I knew right where it was. It was in the same place I was going to end up, on some dusty shelf alongside souls that had once belonged to the greediest and most wretched of humans. And for some reason, that made me even angrier.
I pulled Aegrabane from its sheath. Irabel didn’t so much as flinch as I held its tip to where she’d pressed her face to the bars. A manic energy radiated from her as she waited.
“Cal,” Whit said from behind me. “Take a breath.”
My jaw ground back and forth as my sword remained poised for one final moment before I sheathed it. I couldn’t kill Petra’s mother. Of course I couldn’t. Even if the woman standing imprisoned before me was no longer Petra’s mother at all.
I turned on my heel, making my way for the stairs out of this Saints forsaken dungeon. The moment I set foot on the ground floor, I laid eyes on Solise. Her gaze flew wide, her weathered face slackening as she took me in. “Petra?” she breathed shakily.
“She’s fine,” I answered, trying to eliminate the brusqueness from my tone. “How are you, Solise?”
She visibly relaxed, a hand covering her heart. “I’ve been better, dear,” she finally said, attempting to inject an air of normalcy into her tone. Her eyes flashed to Whit. “You showed him?”
Whit gave an affirming nod. “We did.”
“I tried everything I could,” Solise said quietly, folding her hands in front of her as a look of shame pulled down at her features. “I’m not sure there’s anything I can do to cure her.”
I wasn’t sure what to say in response at first. “Petra would be thankful you tried at all, Solise. You know that.”
Her answering smile was watery as she looked up at me. I cocked my head, trying to discern the look that had suddenly pooled in her eyes. “Thank you for saying that.” She took a tentative step forward, one dainty, wrinkled hand reaching up toward my face. I had to crane my neck lower for her to reach, but she smiled when her palm rested against my cheek. “I was wrong about you, you know,” she said. “You’re good to your core, Cal. I’m sorry I ever tried to convince Petra otherwise.”
I closed my hand over hers, giving it a light squeeze. “There’s nothing to apologize for, Solise. There was a time when I wasn't good to my core.”
“No,” she refuted, her tone suddenly firm. “There was a time when you were acting in accord with someone else’s will, but there was never a time you weren’t good.”
Unexpected heat flared behind my eyes. Shit. “Thank you, Solise,” I murmured, giving her hand one more squeeze before she lowered it back to her side.
“I want to come with you when you go back to Araqina,” she said suddenly, her voice matter-of-fact.
I opened my mouth to tell her I probably wouldn’t be going back to Araqina. It was likely I’d die in pursuit of Malosym’s life. I wasn’t sure what would become of Irabel if I was successful. I wasn’t sure what would happen to her if I was unsuccessful. But I nodded anyway, giving Solise this tiny gift of hope. “Sure. Though I must warn you, the ride there will be uncomfortable.”
“Inkwell raises us strong,” she said, a conspiratorial smile pulling up at her cheeks.
With a parting nod, I prowled through the castle, heading toward the front door. Heading for the Iron Rise. Heading for Hell.
Chapter 47
Cal
The smell that greeted me as I crested the edge of the crater atop the Iron Rise was nothing short of revolting. The red glow of lava came next, the heat slowly building until I felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath for fear I’d be roasted from the inside.
My mouth twisted as I eyed the thin ledge running along the crater wall, beginning sixty feet or so above the bubbling lake of lava and slowly descending toward its surface. A heavy breath left me as I muttered to myself, “This is not looking good.” I looked up to where Obitus peeked over the edge of the crater. “You’re sure this is where I have to go?”
Obitus. Sure, his thoughts echoed into my mind.
I was going to pass through to Hell. Somehow. I’d state my case and ask the Blood Saints to help me get to the Darkness Beyond. Petra had made her way there from Heaven with me in tow. There had to be some way for me to get through on myown. Maybe the imbued blade carried enough of her power it would allow me to cross realms. Or, if the Occulti had broken through to Hell already — and I was sure they had — maybe I could use their pathway.
Obitus chirped above me, his massive snout hanging over the crater’s edge as he peered down. His scales gleamed gold and red in the light of the lava’s glow, blue eyes molten as he watched me.
“Sure you don’t want to come?” I called, my voice echoing around me.
No. Eyrie. Stay. Here.
