Farrah’s Correction Officers went straight on the offense, but we rose to the occasion—and then some. Jax and I went against Farrah at the same time, while Caia, Blaze, and the others fought her guards.

“Come on, Jax, let’s take these vermin down and go lend Harper a hand. I have a feeling Shaytan’s after her,” I said, then brought my sword down on Farrah.

She dodged my hit and took a couple of steps back. Jax moved in for his chance, but she muttered a quick spell and sent out a pulse that knocked him back. Farrah had learned some swamp witch magic, it seemed.

“Hah!” she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve never expelled one so fast before.”

That little moment of truth told me a lot about her. It also gave me an idea, as Jax took several steps forward, shaking his head and blinking rapidly. The pulse had dazed him a bit.

“The sides, Jax,” I muttered.

He heard me and replied with a brief nod. We moved around her and attacked her simultaneously. She muttered another spell and sent out a second pulse, but she could only aim it at one of us. She chose me this time but couldn’t push Jax away.

He slashed at her with both his swords. I had to give her credit, though: she was fast and light on her feet. I felt blood dripping from my nose. That pulse packed a punch, after all. I wiped my nostril and checked my hand. There was a silvery smudge that confirmed the tickling sensation. As a Mara, Jax took that spell in differently. I didn’t want to give her the chance to launch another swamp witch magic attack, though.

I quietly moved around and stayed out of her sight, watching her as she fought Jax.

Growls erupted from below. Adlets climbed up the stairs. My heart soared at the sight of those magnificent beasts with luscious red fur and large, sharp fangs. They spared none of the fiends as they tore through the CO’s.

It got so bloody so fast that Caia, Blaze, Scarlett, Patrik, and the rest of our crew had to pull back, just to make room for the Adlets. One by one, Farrah’s Correction Officers dropped dead—most of them mangled and dismembered.

I recognized Colton as he killed one of the last remaining Maras, then stood on his hind legs and shifted back to his humanoid form. Hundurr growled as he tackled another CO behind him.

“The daemons are coming,” Colton said, panting. “We made it up to the third level, but they hit us hard. I left Nevis and Neha with the others down there.”

A nightmare unfolded below on the lower levels. I looked over the edge and broke into a sudden, cold sweat. Dhaxanian frost exploded all over the third level, as hordes of daemons fought their way up. Blood sprayed all over. Our allies struggled to keep the enemy at bay. We had already known it would come to this, sooner or later, but it still made my stomach churn as I watched the horror transpire.

“I came up to help you guys,” Colton added. “I heard the screams and the walls coming down.”

I gave him a brief and thankful nod, then looked at Blaze, who had just torched another Mara—whom Caia then decapitated with one swift blow.

“Blaze! I think it’s time you go dragon, kiddo!” I said. “Daemons galore.”

Blaze smirked. “I thought you’d never ask,” he replied, then ran to the edge of the terrace and jumped. He burst into his full dragon form in midair and flew down the mountain. A literal hell was about to swallow the daemons.

I watched him fly for a second, until movement to my left caught my eye.

Several Correction Officers ambushed Colton. He didn’t have time to turn back into his Adlet form, but his pack mates were quick to intervene. He got cut by a Mara’s blade in the process but managed to take a couple of steps back.

“Colton, watch out!” I cried out, as Farrah was just a couple of feet away and headed toward him.

She’d kicked Jax away and had caught a window of opportunity to sneak up on Colton. She moved faster than he could turn around and rammed her sword into his back.

“Colton, no!” I screamed.

The Adlets roared and rushed to finish off the other Correction Officers, while the rest of our crew stayed back, unable to advance because of the bloody and somewhat confusing scuffle.

Colton collapsed to the ground. Farrah pulled her blade back, then turned around to block one of Jax’s retaliating blows. He growled furiously as he struck again and again, moving to her side and forcing her to turn her back to me.

Perfect timing.

Hundurr’s wail made my heart twist itself into a painful knot.

I dashed forward and drove my broadsword through her spine at the same time that Jax moved away. I heard the blade shatter her vertebrae as she froze.

A split second later, Hundurr reached her and snapped his jaws into her shoulder, ripping her entire left arm off in one devastating bite. Farrah screamed in agony and dropped her blade. I withdrew mine, then came around and pointed it at her throat.

Her legs gave out. She dropped to her knees, coughing and groaning from the pain. Blood gushed out from her shoulder, pooling beneath her.

Jax put his swords away and immobilized her, pinning her down with his body weight. Caia rushed to her side and pressed the tip of her flaming sword against her wound. Her shrieks tore through the air itself, as her flesh simmered until it was cauterized, and the amputation was complete. She cried out, covered in sweat and blood.

Hundurr spat her arm out, then sat next to Colton’s body. He whimpered and licked the Adlet pack leader’s face as Colton gave his last breath. The other Adlets finished the last COs off, then gathered around Colton. Together with Hundurr, they howled from the bottom of their lungs.

I could hear their grief. It gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. I breathed deeply, then looked at Farrah.

“Darius is dead. Emilian is dead. Rowan is down,” I said, gritting my teeth. “It’ll take a while before you regain the feeling in your legs, Farrah.”

“You’ll never get that arm back, either,” Ryker added, moving closer and pointing at her shoulder. “A pit wolf’s bite is permanent. The wound will heal, eventually, but the arm won’t grow again. There’s something in the perverted swamp witch charm that forces Adlets into pit wolves. It amplifies the damage that they can do. Their saliva is so toxic, it counteracts any growth enzyme, natural or otherwise.”

“Concede now, and I will make sure you get a fair trial,” I continued.

In any other circumstance, I would’ve felt a sliver of mercy for someone like her. But Farrah, just like the other Lords, had proven herself to be the worst of her kind. No moral compass, no intention of ever redeeming herself. She was done for.

She sobbed, overwhelmed by the circumstances—not just her physical injuries. Farrah was helpless and at our mercy. She’d played fast and loose with morality, and she was paying a steep price for what she’d done already. She knew, deep down, that this wasn’t the end of her punishment.

On the contrary, it was only getting started. She and Rowan were the only Mara leaders left alive at this point. Someone had to answer for all the crimes committed. Of course, there would be individual trials. But Farrah and Rowan were going to receive the harshest punishments, as they were entirely responsible for all the policies and actions that had led to the enslavement of the Imen and the deaths of many innocent creatures.

Jax gave me some of his blood and spread some healing paste on my more serious wounds, giving me a couple of minutes to recover. My body had taken quite the beating, but, with a little bit of care, I could go on and chop off more enemy heads.

The battle continued to ravage the lower levels, but our mission on the seventh had come to an end. I walked over to Hundurr and the other Adlets as they sat around Colton’s body and whimpered, overcome with grief.

I rested my hand on Hundurr’s back and stroked him, gently.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I whispered. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Colton. He fought well. He’ll always be remembered as a hero.”

Hundurr shuddered, then slowly raised his head to look at me, tears glazing his big red eyes. I understood then, effortlessly, that he wouldn’t leave Colton’s body until his funeral. Hundurr’s fight was over, in a way. He’d lost enough as it was—his Adlet body, then Rover, and now Colton. I couldn’t ask any more of him at this point.

“I get it,” I said, then let out a heavy sigh. “Keep him safe, buddy,” I added, shifting my attention to the dozen Adlets around us. “We’re done here, but they need our help down at the Palisade. Are you still with us?”

The Adlets growled, then stood on all fours, lowering their heads as a means of telling me that, yes, they were most certainly still on board with kicking as many Mara and daemon asses as possible. My broadsword was already itching for more.

I nodded slowly, then walked back to our crew and quickly scanned the seventh level.

“Peyton, I need one of your guys to stay here and keep an eye on Farrah and Rowan,” I said. “I wouldn’t leave Farrah, in particular, alone with Hundurr. As little as I’d mind if he finished the job, we need her in one piece. Well, most of her, anyway,” I added, chuckling softly. “For the trial. She will testify on the record, whether she wants to or not.”

Peyton smirked and motioned for one of his rebels to assume a guard position next to Farrah. She was close to passing out anyway. I wasn’t even sure she could hear us anymore. Her eyes kept rolling into her head, and she let out a moan, every now and then.

“Ready to go down there and take on the daemon king and his armies?” Jax asked, giving me his signature half smile. It filled me with the much-needed energy and confidence I needed to keep going.

“Oh, absolutely,” I replied. “We’re not done here.”

We certainly weren’t.

We regrouped and made our way down the main stairs toward the sixth level. Until the shield came down, we had no choice but to keep fighting. We’d lost valuable people along the way, but, in the end… I had known this would happen.

Nevertheless, I could almost taste freedom on the tip of my tongue.

As long as Lumi was kept out of Shaytan’s reach so she could complete her part of the mission, we were going to be okay. We had to be okay.

We have to be.