Page 109 of Not Today, Satan
I fix my ponytail and the dagger within it. “It’s fine. Thanks for the assist.”
“Any time, boss.” He winks at me and holds his sword in front of him as we start across the bridge.
Boss. Not getting used to that any time soon.
My heart thuds loudly as I draw my own sword from my belt. I squint as I follow Atty across the bridge. Nate was right. It’s really dark down here. I’ve been spoiled by my mother’s sun-yellow walls.
Sweat builds on the back of my neck as the heat from below spirals up to meet us. Which is suspiciously the only thing waiting to meet us.
I frown as we make our way across the bridge. “Where is everyone? Why aren’t there any souldiers here? I figured we’d be in for a fight the moment we came out of the portal.”
“I don’t know,” Attero says through a clenched jaw. “But I don’t like it.”
My stomach flips at the silence surrounding us. “Me neither.”
We exit through the wall into the city of ice, and I gasp, my breath smoking from my lips.
Shadelings of all statures barrel toward us. Along with the half-frozen residents of this city are the naked, mud-coated shadelings from Greed, shivering violently in the snow. They’re joined by souls from everywhere in Hell. Even the walking wounded from Nate’s lot have somehow made it this far. One screeches at me, seemingly unaware that his stomach is carved open and his guts are spitting red onto the white at his feet.
They toss what they can our way: snowballs, batons they’ve wrestled from souldiers, and even their own limbs. I’m pretty sure one of them tosses a kidney over my shoulder.
No freaking way.
I blow out a long stream of air that ruffles the bangs plastered to my forehead.
Atty really downplayed this.
“How did they all get here?” I shout at my friend as we dodge a chunk of what I hope is bloodied ice.
“Overpowered us and confiscated our vehicles,” he says. “That’s when I left to get you. Luckily, the wall’s contained them for now. But it won’t be long before they force their way through.”
I squeeze the bricks closed behind us as Attero slashes at a sinner with his sword. Souldiers dot the wall beside me, but they’re frozen—not from the cold, as they wouldn’t feel that, but something else has them at a standstill.
What in the Underworld is happening?
“What are you doing?” I bark at one of them as I duck under a flying foot covered in blood. “Get these shadelings back to their lots. Now.”
The souldier’s eyes widen when he realizes who I am. “We’ve received no orders from Ferus, Your Majesty.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I pick up the foot and whip it at a shadeling’s head. He grunts and falls backward into a pile of snow. “Why the here would you listen tohim?”
“He occupies the throne, Your Majesty.” He raises his visor, revealing yellow scales surrounding emerald eyes. “Without you or your father, we receive orders from whoever sits there.”
A shadeling grabs my arm, and I blast a fireball into its chest. It sails into the air and lands on top of the other one in the pile of snow. They screech at each other.
Of course Ferus is on the throne instead of out here. It’s the only thing he’s ever cared about.
I can’t wait to tear him from it. Limb by limb if necessary.
Marching to the middle of the line of souldiers, I close my eyes and brace for their wrath. There’s the sound of weapons lowering and the crunch of snow. When I open my eyes, every souldier is kneeling, their heads bowed.
“What’s happening?” I whisper to Attero.
He smiles. “They’re waiting for your instructions, Your Majesty.”
I narrow my eyes. “Everyone keeps calling me that.”
