I shouted until my throat burned. A couple more hours passed, and it got to the point where I no longer had the strength to try again. The determination I’d mustered earlier was starting to fizzle out. I could feel my resolve slipping through my fingers, and, based on the looks on Heron, Scarlett, and Patrik’s faces, they were going through the same.

Anger blossomed in my chest, filling me with heat as fire coursed through my veins. Dammit, I am not giving up! I can’t give up.

“Maybe he’s out,” Scarlett mumbled, staring at the dirty stone floor.

“Doing what, running errands?” I scoffed, then gathered the last sliver of energy I had left and shouted once more, this time with sheer rage. “Nevis, you coward! Come down here and talk to me, or I swear on everything I hold dear that I will let the whole world know how soft your spine is! And you know the daemons won’t kill me straightaway! By the time they’re done with me, the whole of Neraka will know what a candy-ass you are!”

“You’ve got quite a pair of lungs on you, you know that?” Nevis’s voice startled me. It echoed around us, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from until I caught movement above us.

Nevis lowered himself through the large hole connecting our level to his city at the top of the mountain. He used his frost to gently slide down on an icy spiral. He landed softly on his feet, then dusted off his white silken robe, his diamond chest piece crinkling gently, like crystal windchimes. Upon a second glance, I had to admit he was gorgeous. His pale skin gave off a slight shimmer, reminding me of Hansa’s succubus glow—that was what he looked like in the dark.

His cold blue eyes settled on me, while the corner of his mouth twitched as he stifled a smirk.

“Took you forever,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Nevis breathed out and put his hands behind his back in a dignified pose. “Well, I’m here now. In all fairness, I had to come down and put an end to this. You’ve literally scared all the wildlife off the mountain.”

“We need to talk, Nevis,” I replied, gritting my teeth and having a hard time controlling my anger. A quick glance to my left made me aware of the fact that Heron was seething, glaring at the Dhaxanian prince. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut.

“You will address me as ‘Your Grace’, Avril,” Nevis said. “We don’t know each other well enough yet for you to call me by my first name.”

“Yet? You’re carting us off to the daemons. I doubt we’ll get to know each other.” I sighed, then decided to comply. I needed to keep my head clear and not ruin what could very well be our only chance to get out of here, not via daemon cages. “Your Grace, please, listen to what I have to say.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, as if I were a fascinating creature he’d never seen before. Technically speaking, I am a creature he’s never seen before. “What will you tell me that I haven’t heard before, Avril?”

“I think you glossed over the implications yesterday and rushed to dump us down here,” I replied. He smiled, and not in a contemptuous manner. Scarlett was right. The Dhaxanian prince definitely had a bit of a soft spot for me.

“Avril, I like you,” he said. Hello, Captain Obvious. “I do apologize for not coming down here sooner, but I’ve had to go over your situation in full detail and consider every facet before making a proposal.”

My heart skipped a beat. Had he changed his mind? Was he going to let us go? Hope was a treacherous thing to feel. I knew it, but I couldn’t help it, either. Not after an entire day spent encased in weird Dhaxanian frost. “And?” I breathed.

“I would like to invite you to stay here with me. The entire mountain will be at your disposal, and my people will make sure that you are every bit as comfortable as you would be in your own home. With time, you might even consider this place home.”

I blinked several times, my mind somewhat sluggish. “You want us to stay here?” I replied, confused.

He laughed lightly. “Not all of you! Just you, Avril. You strike me as… different. Special. I don’t have the heart to hand you over to the daemons.”

“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” Heron blurted, no longer able to control himself.

Nevis gave him a brief sideways glance, then shifted his focus back to me. “You will be protected up here. Unfortunately, you’ll need to make your decision now. Daemon grunts will be here soon, and—”

“You’re not taking her away!” Heron barked, struggling against his frosty restraints.

“Shall I go ahead and assume that you two are together?” Nevis replied, pointing a thumb at Heron.

“Yes. Also, no, I’m not going to stay here while you send Heron and my friends to die. That’s insane,” I said, my brow furrowed.

“I’d call it survival, actually,” Nevis offered. “I would be nothing but courteous and respectful, should you decide to join me here. You’ll get over the Mara eventually, anyway. Nothing lasts forever.”

“Seriously, I’m still in the room. At least show some respect,” Heron mumbled, and I instantly shushed him, trying to regain control of the conversation.

“Your Grace, I will not stay here on my own. I didn’t come here to stay. I came here to help free Neraka, but I can’t do it alone, and I certainly can’t do it from inside a daemon cage,” I said. “You know, deep in your heart, that what I told you yesterday is true. No matter what you do to appease the daemons, as soon as Shaytan gets his claws on our dragon, you will all be screwed.”

It was Nevis’s turn to frown, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he crossed his arms.

“Blaze, our dragon, is susceptible to the Maras’ mind-bending,” I continued, thrilled to have his full attention. “Once he’s under their control, nothing will stop Shaytan from sending him over here. Blaze will burn the mountains down. I doubt your Dhaxanian frost will withstand the flaming inferno that a dragon is capable of. Shaytan will never allow the Dhaxanians to leave peacefully. The only reason you still have this mountain is because the daemons don’t have the literal firepower to take you down.”

“Where’s your dragon now?” Nevis asked.

“He’s probably in Draconis now, with the rest of our team, looking for the swamp witch. Your Grace, Shaytan isn’t interested in peace with the Dhaxanians. As soon as he has the tools he needs, he’ll bring the Athelathan Mountains down and put you all in cages. Your souls are high-end delicacies for those bastards, and you know it. Help us, and I promise we will help you. Once we get the swamp witch out of the daemons’ and the Exiled Maras’ reach, she’ll destroy the shield that’s stopping us from reaching out to our people. As soon as we can communicate with our world, we will bring down armies of incredibly powerful creatures to restore peace on Neraka. The daemons, the Exiled Maras, they won’t stand a chance. You’ll want to be on the winning side, believe me.”

“And if I let them take you all? What then?” Nevis replied, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll be done for, obviously. But our friends, our dragon, they’ll still be out there. They’ll move ahead with the plan. One way or another, they’ll find the swamp witch. With or without your help, they’ll get her out. Granted, it would be easier if we had your support on this, but my people are relentless. They will stop at nothing. The shield will come down. And GASP will bring down the fire and fury of all the elements, all the supernaturals and all the magic in this universe and the next, until Neraka is cleansed of its evildoers and peace is restored. If you decide to be a villain in this story, Your Grace, you, too, will burn.”

Nevis thought about it for a minute, then let out an audible sigh. “I cannot burn. Literally. It’s in my royal blood. My people, however… Well, that’s a different story.”

“They’ll light up like straws, huh?” Heron smirked, but Nevis refused to even acknowledge him.

“Your Grace, please think about it. No matter what you decide, I know my people will see this through. But, once they identify you as a hostile, they will seek revenge for our deaths. GASP is not merciful with those who choose evil,” I said.

Nevis took some time to look at each of us, his gaze dropping several degrees in temperature once it settled on Heron, then warming back up when it shifted to me. He was a devastatingly beautiful creature, not overly muscular, but not too slender either. His height and long, white hair made him seem almost ethereal, an impression accentuated by his silken robe and diamond chest piece. The blade of his nose cast a shadow on his pale, iridescent face, while his sharp cheeks emphasized the icy blue in his eyes.

His character pretty much matched his looks, too. He was cold, but capable of softening up if the right buttons were pushed. He was intelligent, and he knew it. He didn’t favor modesty, either. Most importantly, he seemed to enjoy his role as a leader to his people, and that was the button I’d been striving to push.

In some ways, he had more in common with Heron than he thought. They were both strong, determined, disturbingly sarcastic, fiendishly intelligent, and drop-dead gorgeous. I pressed my lips together, struggling not to let Nevis see my amusement. The last thing I needed him to think was that I wasn’t taking this situation seriously.

A vague scent tickled my nostrils. Something burning, somewhere in the distance. It came from one of the tunnels. Most likely a torch. Beneath that layer was the daemonic fragrance I’d dreaded. It was subtle, mixed with sweat and hunger, but it was there. I’d been around plenty of those creatures to instantly recognize them, even from far away. Judging by the intensity, they were at least ten miles away. Daemons were fast, though, so that didn’t leave us with much time. Half an hour, at most.

“Your Grace—” I wanted to get him to say something, but Nevis ignored me and stretched his arms out. Frost burst out from beneath his feet and acted as a propulsion force. He stood atop the ice column as it grew in height and carried him back to the top of the mountain. “Nevis!” I shouted, watching him go.

“Dammit!” Scarlett cursed under her breath.

My heart sank. My stomach dropped. But it was Heron who really surprised me. “Maybe he’s thinking about it,” he muttered. “You heard what he said. He can’t burn, but his Dhaxanians will definitely fall if Blaze goes full dragon on them.”

“Even so, we can’t wait any longer,” I said, tears stinging my eyes. I was disappointed that Nevis wasn’t more responsive to our pleas, that he’d chosen the illusion of safety over basic decency and a shot at real peace and freedom. “I can smell daemons coming.”

Heron’s forehead smoothed. “How long till they get here?”

“Half an hour. Maybe less,” I replied.

“Then we can’t stick around and wait for Nevis to make up his mind. If that’s what he’s doing now,” Scarlett interjected. “We’re better off getting out of here now. We can try reaching out to him later, again, if you think there’s a chance we can sway him in our favor, Avril. Otherwise, the clock is ticking, and we have to scram.”

I nodded slowly, then looked at Patrik. “It’s your turn, Druid. That frost is molded to your humanoid form, but if you switch to snake mode, you might be able to slip out.”

Scarlett was right. Our time with the Dhaxanians had come to an end. Based on previous experiences with the daemons, they were bound to come in higher numbers than before. After what we’d done to them in the Valley of Screams, and after the havoc Jax and the others had wreaked in Infernis, we were dangerous prizes for Shaytan.

We weren’t going to deal with a handful of daemons this time. They would’ve taken precautions to make sure they could deliver us to their soul-eating king. I sniffed the air once more and got my confirmation.

There were at least two hundred of them coming for us.