Page 31 of Outcast

“Well, what are we waiting for?” I pushed through them and walked straight to the flame. Helheim’s presence urged me toward it, and I would not ignore it, the realm hadn’t steered me wrong yet.

I didn’t stop walking until I had stepped out of the flames and into the familiar courtyard. As Dark Haven came into focus, my jaw dropped at what I saw.

ChapterThirteen

Harlow

Dark Haven was a shell of its former self. The courtyard was barren and coated in embers and ash. The air was stale and smoldering as the blue fires licked the walls, not burning it but marking it as the connection to our new realm.

“It’s too quiet,” Hiro said. His voice was low like he couldn’t help but whisper among the lack of noise in the air. Even beyond Dark Haven, I couldn’t hear sirens or traffic.

“Agreed,” I muttered as I wrapped my fingers even tighter around my spear. Unease settled in my gut, but I pushed myself forward, regardless, stopping by the door to ensure the others had made it through.

When Monty was the last to step through, I pushed open the door to enter the first floor. What used to be brightly lit and buzzing with activity was again devoid of any signs of life.

“What the hell happened?” I breathed out. “Kol, there’s no gargoyles here?”

The demons all likely ran out of the walls, but the gargoyles should still be standing vigil. Kol pulled out the horn I hadn’t realized he’d brought back to this side of the portal. He put it to his lips and blew.

There was a hiss down the hall but no strong beating of wings or rumble of heavy stone men rushing to our aide.

“They’re gone,” he confirmed. “I just don’t understand how.”

“Wait,” I said, suspicious. Pushing my way through them and outside again, I glanced up at the rooftops. My stomach sank at the sight of the piles of rubble that stood on top. “Could the demons have really done that?”

“Demons are their enemy and likely could, but why,” Monty said. “Not when freedom was this close. I have a feeling this was also Hel.”

“Then why haven’t they reformed?” I shot back. “Take me up there.” My power and connection to Helheim still thrummed through my veins but I doubted that extended to flying to the roof. Kol wrapped one arm around me and flew me to the top, setting me down among the debris.

Or body parts. Even if they were stone, it was a pile of arms, wings, heads, legs, and torsos. Someone had made swift work of ending them.

“She likely threw them through the portal,” Drake pointed out. “Their job wasn’t just to stop demons from escaping, it was to keep anything from crossing the portal and out to the world.”

“Then we need to throw them through,” I yelled. My magic was weaker here but I tried to draw the power through the portal and wrap it around the stone. Sweat formed as I did what I could, but it wasn’t until an icy coldness spread around it and I glanced up to Monty’s shadows helping, that it actually worked.

We worked with the gargoyles flying down as many pieces as they could carry. When the roof was cleared, I had Kol and Roman sweep the grounds for more, only moving on when they came back empty.

“The elevator likely won’t work,” Roman pointed out. It seemed the electricity here was out altogether.

“This place has generators,” Drake said. “After we check the third floor we can head downstairs and check on them.”

“I’m worried,” I admitted. I was no longer confident. The entire building felt empty and devoid of life. How would Sarah or Layne have survived this? But that was something I couldn’t bring myself to voice.

“We don’t need stairs,” Monty said, breathing in deep as if our fear was aiding his magic. His shadows wrapped around us and in a blink we were standing in the common room.

Or what was left of it.

This floor was also dark and broken into pieces. The furniture was obliterated and splintered, much like it was after we took it back the first time.

Something stirred down the hall and hope bloomed in my chest.

“Layne? Sarah?” My voice echoed loud enough I winced. When a door creaked open and a dark-haired woman peeked her head out, I let out a sob.

“Harlow? How?” She gasped as she pushed the door open and we ran at each other. “I watched you die,” she sobbed the last part into my shoulder as I held her tight. From the smell alone, it hadn’t been easy and she looked absolutely broken.

“You’re back.” Stravos’s voice was solemn as he stepped around her, and I was relieved he was here to protect them.

“Crew left.” Layne’s words had me pulling back to study her face. The sadness and pain there had my heart clenching. “But Sarah is okay. I knew you guys would want me to keep her company.”

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