that they don’t raze the world to the ground and leave us with nothing?”

Maaz eyes me, her lips curled with rebuke. “Nothing they conquer for us will be ours, Cleo. It is for the Dark One.”

“Will the Dark One live in solitude while there is nothing left for us to survive?” I snap.

Maaz turns away, ignoring my reply. She sighs, watching as the black horde scrambles over the mountain like flies on a carcass. “We will take Alnembra, and then we’ll take the world,” she says.

“So, they are to your liking?” Sadal asks, his silky voice floating from the shadows on the balcony.

Maaz turns towards his voice and bows her head reverently. “Master,” she murmurs. “They are more magnificent than I dared dream.”

I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to scream at him for what he did to my sister. Instead, I stare at him with narrowed eyes, listening to the chorus of howling demons behind me.

“Cleo?” Sadal asks, melting out of the shadows. “You’re quiet.”

I meet his dark gaze. Sadal’s ivory skin almost glows in the dark of night, his black eyes filled with danger. He leans against the wall, cocking a brow. I dip my head in a shallow display of insincere reverence. “They look formidable, Dark One,” I say stiffly.

“They are.” He smiles wickedly. “One can shred through three Fae soldiers in seconds.”

Sadal moves to Maaz’s side and slips a lean arm around her waist. She leans into him, her eyes hazy with desire. I turn away and pretend to study the masses of demons at our doorstep. I was the first to give myself to Sadal, and she followed my footsteps. In the many years since, she devoted herself wholly to his dark enterprises. But her devotion to him sickens me.

“You know this doesn’t come without a price,” Sadal says, his fingers digging into Maaz’s side.

My stomach drops like a stone and I turn my head slightly, eyes slipping towards them. “Did she not already pay the price?” I ask coldly. “Years of torture in the ether isn’t enough for this army?”

“Consider it a first payment.” Sadal smiles at me, studying me. “Now I require the second.”

“Tell me, Master, and it will be done,” Maaz says. She turns towards him, her hands on his chest.

Sadal’s black eyes glimmer. “I want the walls of the keep soaked in blood.”

“Whose blood?” I ask before Maaz can make any promises. The Dark One’s requests are often laced with hidden punishment.

His eyes dart towards the door leading into the keep. “An entire Bloodbane coven.”

My mouth falls slack and my heart stops in my chest. The Bloodbane are loyal on only two accounts; to Sadal and to ourselves. To kill an entire coven, dozens of witches, in return for an army of creatures from the darkness is impossible. My stomach churns at the thought.

“No,” I say softly. “It can’t be done. It won’t be done. Each of these witches has given herself to you already; you own us. How can you ask for our blood?”

“Silence, Cleo,” Maaz hisses. She swats at me, raking her fingernails over my cheek.

I snarl as my cheek stings and hot blood drips from the scratches. “These are our sisters.”

Maaz glowers at me. “We all belong to our Master. He can do what he wishes with us. And we will follow his every command.”

“Maaz,” I say warningly.

“Dark One,” Maaz says, turning back to Sadal. “Which coven do you desire?”

Sadal makes a show of deciding, stroking his clean-shaven chin with his hand. “The youngest. These dark creatures prefer young blood, it’s sweeter.”

I pale as Maaz turns to me. “Find Hamala’s coven and bring them to the Holy Rite,” she demands.

I stumble from the balcony as Maaz wraps herself in Sadal’s embrace. The youngest coven has a girl, only sixteen years of age. She joined us only a month ago after escaping her cruel father. We promised her an eternity of pleasure and power. Now, she’ll be dead; ripped apart by the foot-long claws of demons. Cold washes through me, turning my blood to ice in my veins.

Every cell in my body screams at me to turn back as I stride through the halls. Bile rises in my throat but I swallow it, eyes hard. I have a duty. I spent years working in the shadows, doing Maaz’s bidding. Years of building my influence and power until it rivaled Maaz herself. I won’t risk it all now.

I find Hamala and her coven in the great hall and I lead them to the Holy Rite wordlessly. As the youngest coven leader, Hamala knows not to question me. She’s always been obedient and loyal to Maaz’s leadership. As I close the great doors of the Holy Rite and lock them in, I sense her trepidation. The large, circular room is filled with blood-red cloaks. The witches cluster around the well, exchanging curious glances.

I wait on the sidelines, knowing Sadal and Maaz will join us soon. Sadal appears on my left, smirking. The young witches gasp at his sudden presence. The air feels electrified, charged with excitement at the sight of our Master. I cross my arms and drop back a few feet until I’m lingering in the shadows.

Sadal spreads his arms wide. “Die,” he says, his powerful voice shaking the room.

I curl back into the wall as demons shatter through the balcony doors and fall upon the witches. They scream, shrieks of terror as the beasts tear through them. Bones crunch and the sound of squelching bodies fills the room. And over it all, the growling of the creatures. In seconds, blood pools around my feet, soaking my boots.

Sadal turns to me, smiling pleasantly. Behind him, the demons turn their yellow gaze on me in unison. I curl my hands into fists at my side, resisting the urge to reach for the dagger at my waist. It wouldn’t do any good if Sadal made me their next meal.

“Cleo,” Sadal croons. “I’ve always admired your stubborn and skeptical nature. I expected more

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