A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

I let that thought sink in for a moment as she continued to burn them down and the demon swarm started to break up and scatter.

Fuck. I would grit my teeth if I had access to them. Fuck! He’s playing us. He’s stalling us. Call everyone in. Let these demons scatter or leave some of the dragons to chase them and burn them. We have to get ready to go.

You think the demon king is already heading to his fortress to lock himself in? my dragon asked before roaring her command with will.

Yes. He knows we’ll follow. Of course we will; we’ve been gearing up for this for months. Dolion knows he doesn’t stand a chance on our soil, so he’s going to give himself the best odds. He’s way ahead of us.

She landed at the hole in the wall closest to our staircase. Nyfain joined me there a moment later, shifting after us and walking closer.

“He’s already headed home,” Nyfain said, and waited for my affirmation. “Fuck.” He shook his head. “I thought he’d play the game a little bit first. But Starvos is clearly in over his head, and the Flamma wolves are obviously hiding. We’re the only ones Dolion actually fears. We’re the only ones he hasn’t manipulated into a corner. My father—the mad king, I mean—was always beyond his control, I think, and then they made their deal. It allowed Dolion to get the dragons out of the way, and the former king was just mad enough, and desperate enough, to fall for it. Dolion probably thought he’d kill me during the curse. I was a useless playboy back then. Flippant. It was an act, mostly, but he didn’t seem to know that. He was trying to shut us down.”

Arleth landed, followed by Delaney and Micah. Nyfain repeated his musings for their ears.

“It stands to reason,” Arleth said. “Dolion did effectively get rid of the dragons, and he then bullied his way into a sly sort of power over everyone else. He needs you dead.”

“And we need him dead.” I spread my hands. “Govam is about to earn his keep. We’ll need to get into the demon fortress.

“Who is going to tell Hadriel we’re headed back to sea?” Delaney asked with a slight grin.

“Not it!” the group chorused.

That chore ultimately went to Vemar, who didn’t mind in the least. He broke the news and then laughed at Hadriel’s tirade about puking and shitting over the bow of the boat.

Starvos had regained his composure by the time we returned to his rooms, and though he didn’t say anything, I could tell he was embarrassed by sending his warriors with Nyfain and not even following or standing in a place where he could watch the battle. He’d let himself and his people down, and he knew it.

To make up for it, he had his fastest ship send word to Wyvern to get everyone moving. The battle was on. It was time to meet Dolion where he felt the safest and prove to him that nowhere was safe on the run from a very determined dragon.

“This place is a shithole,” Nyfain said as we drifted toward the dark shores of the demon kingdom. It barely qualified as such. It was more like an insufferable island with constant wind, rain, and darkness, with only one useable beach and crashing waves along the cliffs.

The castle, which looked more like a multilevel fortress built by a drunk designer and finished in different eras, sat on top of the highest part of the island. The long, dark building plunged down into the roots of the land.

“The ground levels have arrow slits,” I said. “I’m sure they’ll use them. They are covered over in glass, but that’s easy to get through.”

I held a large sack containing Arleth’s sword. Well, technically it was my sword now, since she’d given it to me, but it felt like a gray area. Hers or mine, it suited my purpose. Many places inside that castle weren’t big enough for my dragon. I’d need something to fight with, and since this sword and I had history here, it was perfect. Hopefully I’d get the chance to kill Dolion with it.

“They’ll use arrows, yes,” Govam said, standing to Nyfain’s other side with the rest of the demons gathered close. It was time to see if he’d been playing the long game on Dolion’s behalf, or if he genuinely did want change.

Nyfain studied the castle. “That is stone, right?”

“Right,” Govam replied. “It isn’t going to burn.”

“Not with dragon fire,” Hannon murmured, rubbing his chin. “I don’t have dragon fire. I have brimfire, apparently. I borrowed a few books from the faeries, and I’ve been reading up on phoenixes. Brimfire can slice through almost anything if used right.”

A loud, slightly worrying burp announced Hadriel’s arrival. “But do you know how to use it right?”