Chapter Text
“You may call me Shadowbringer and nothing less!” the young demon proclaimed loudly from atop the boulder he was perched upon, his claw raised up, pointing to the ceiling. Seven bright eyes glared down at the lone figure below. The cold, white light of his gaze cast shadows about him and his shadowy body. His shaggy form bristled with the seriousness of his proclamation. A Surface dweller could easily confuse the demon with a scrawny werewolf, all thin limbs and rough fur. His seven eyes helped break that illusion. One in the center of his face, slightly larger than the others, and three eyes circling the middle one on either side. Each eye was a beacon of light in the darkness. That very light gleamed on his sharp fangs as he grinned proudly.
“Okay, drama queen, whatever you say,” the female voice of his friend answered from below. She had her legs crossed, leaning against the stone wall of the cavern in casual boredom. She lifted one of her large, knife-like claws and inspected it. “They run out of roast at Phila’s, and I will cussing roast your tail and eat it instead, Reide.”
The wolf demon groaned and dropped his arm. “No! No! I just said Shadowbringer! Shadowbringer!”
“Are you still a pup? A whiny little budling without his claws?” the female demon cooed at him.
“Shut up, Ava! Not everyone is a cussing high-class demon like you!” He sneered, flashing his fangs at her. It didn’t intimidate her at all. It never did. Little did. It was both extremely amusing when aimed at others and annoying when directed at him.
“I know,” Ava sighed, far too pleased with herself. “I’m just too impressive. Anyone here is outmatched.”
“Fluffbrain,” Reide muttered to himself.
“What was that?” Ava asked innocently.
“Nothing!” Reide said quickly. “Just looking for a way down.” It was true that Ava was a high-class demon while he had remained a middle class once he finished his fledgling period. It was far too irritating since he’d been so sure he’d out-match her. He had in their budling years. He’d kept her around as a lackey of sorts, but the roles had changed after they had come to their full powers. Well, he had. She was still a fledgling, but it was obvious that she would be very powerful. Now Ava was the one with all the cards.
It was frustratingly unfair. Of course, he was outdone by cussing fire. He had hoped physical strength and agility would give him the edge he needed in this world, and it had to a point. He wasn’t a cussing pushover. Still, magic was magic, and the luck of the draw was just in the fox’s favor.
Not that he thought she’d ever turn on him just because she was annoyed. They were close. They trusted each other as much as anyone could in this scum pit they called home.
Reide dropped on all fours and trotted down the boulder, jumping lightly until he was on the ground. Ava shrugged away from the wall and joined him at the cave entrance, his eyes illuminating their path.
“Well done, oh great Shadowbringer,” Ava said sarcastically. “A lantern couldn’t have done better.”
Reide sighed. “Oh, the torment! I give you the great title I plan to go by when I become a titled demon working under the king himself, and you mock me! What cruel fate has befallen me that I must call a creature such as you my friend!”
Ava rolled her visible eye. “Stars, Reide. You spent a week thinking about that and listening to those damn dramas instead of anything close to productive. How the hell are you gonna become a titled demon? You just finished your fledgling state. No high-class demon took you for training.”
“No-high-class-demon-took-you-for—Well! I will have you know not everyone needs a cussing recommendation, you snooty Anzu dog!” Reide again lifted a claw up in triumph.
Ava stared at him with a deadpan expression. “Dog?”
“Shut it!” Reide barked as Ava cackled. They walked side-by-side down the tunnel that gently sloped up back to ‘civilized Hell’ and Ava’s much-beloved steak.
“Puppy boy!” Ava cooed.
Reide lunged with fangs bared. Ava slashed up with her claws. They missed his face but cut his shirt. He growled and kicked her before jumping on her spidery form. The two tussled their way down the tunnel, hissing, growling, and barking at each other. It wasn’t until a flash of fire followed Ava’s claws that Reide backed down. “Oi! We agreed, no magic! You’re as stable as a house of cussing cards!” he snapped and rubbed blood out of three of his eyes.
Ava laughed breathlessly, her face lit up with his gaze, her eyes glowing red. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You just don’t want to be extra crispy.”
Reide huffed. “Hard to eat steak when you’ve been turned into one.”
“Steak? With what meat? You’re fur and bones.” Ava huffed and spat blood on the floor from a split lip.
“That’s a true insult and hypocrisy coming from the queen of twig limbs.” Reide straightened out his ruined shirt and retucked it in his trousers. “I mean, you have a literal cloud of fluff following you everywhere you go. You can’t even call it a tail anymore.”
“I strike a memorable image!” Ava protested and pulled a rock out of her tail.
“And a weird silhouette.” Reide smirked. “A twig with a puff at one end. I might mistake you for cotton candy.”
“That coming from the king of original over here,” Ava scoffed. “I swear everyone has a wolf phase.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I pull it off, doll.” Reide winked with three of his eyes. A fist connected with his jaw and slammed him into the wall. He saw stars for a second before he was able to shake sense back into his head.
“Don’t. Call me that,” Ava said flatly, already further down the tunnel.
“Stars, that was cheap!” Reide called after her. He rotated his jaw carefully. It cracked. Ouch. Well, that was a broken tooth. Meh, it’d be fine by morning, but a pain to chew with tonight. “You broke my tooth! The steaks, Ava! The steaaaaks!”
“Your fault for calling me doll! Cussing deal with it!” Ava snapped.
Reide pouted. Ava grumbled. “Fine! Fine! I’ll cussing pay for yours! Stars, you’re annoying!”
“Aww! You’re the best! Love you!” Reide cheered.
Ava narrowed her eyes and lifted a flaming fist.
Reide stilled and folded a little. “I’ll stop.”
“Good boy.” Ava put the fire out. “Why you are determined to be a cussing embarrassment to demonkind, I will never know.”
Reide snorted, which hurt his stinging jaw, but he stood by the action. “I am just true to myself! I’m not the one over here hiding her third eye.”
Ava narrowed her eyes. “Reide, that is a load of moonrocks, and you cussing know it! You are the least honest demon I know!”
Reide chuckled shamelessly. It was true. They both hid things about themselves, another reason they got along so well. They poked at each other about their insecurities and issues, but if some other schmuck tried it, their guts would paint the road. Ava had a third eye that she couldn’t get rid of, no matter what form she took. It wasn’t a part of her being a fire demon or anything. It was a physical formation of a gift she and her brother had. And Ava hated her brother. The gift also had a price with its use. When the third eye was open, Ava could glimpse into the future. She could see only a few seconds ahead but, in some fights and life-or-death situations, a few seconds made all the difference. The downside? With it open, Ava’s twin would see into her mind completely, and she into his. They both had it. Ava wasn’t willing to share her thoughts with a brother she didn’t trust, so she kept hers closed.
Ava used to use it, but Azazel was smart. He was a cussing schemer, and he used information he gathered from Ava for his benefit. Blackmailing her or anyone around her. Fair to say Ava didn’t scheme like Azazel did. She was a more direct sort of demon, and Reide appreciated her for it. He honestly hated her brother as much as she did. It was because of him that Ava had closed her third eye and now kept it hidden by her flowing bangs.
As for Azazel? He still kept it open. Maybe it helped him at some cussing dinner parties to entertain the stupid masses. Reide was sure the scum was just waiting for Ava to get desperate someday.
“Oi! I’m over here insulting your pitfallen mother and you are off in la-la-land!” Ava barked in annoyance.
Reide blinked. “Ah.” He really had checked out there for a minute. He had felt a . . . something, but whatever that had been was gone. “Right, and your mother is a fluffy cloud at a thank-you card gift shop.”
Ava stared at him. “The cuss is that insult!” The fox laughed. “You cussing weirdo!”
Reide grinned. “I’m the weirdo? Me? I think you need to have a talk with your mother. I saw her the other day! You should tell her to quit now! That sort of business will never stand in Hell.”
“Oh, cuss! Stop!” Ava cackled. “That isn’t funny!”
“I agree,” Reide said with a smirk. “Why the cuss are you laughing at your poor mother!”
“You’re a schmuck!” Ava wheezed as they finally pulled out of the tunnel and into the huge cave and the first ‘buildings’ of Hell. If carved homes in the walls and many stairs and paths connecting them all counted as buildings that is. They did to Reide.
“Oi, I forgot to ask,” Reide suddenly piped up. “What’s gonna be your title? You’re changing it, right?”
The fox folded her spindly arms and tapped her chin with her claw. “Hmmmm, nah. Ava’s fine.”
“Oh, come on!” Reide groaned. “Have a little creativity! A little pizzazz!” He waved his claws in jazz hands.
Ava huffed and gazed down at him. “I dunno Reide, I mean, titles are like an old man thing. Demons get titles after they do something.”
“Exactly!” Reide said. “So it makes sense to drop your name and title yourself when you are given a title by the king!”
Ava scoffed. “Wasn’t it that the cussing public gave demons the titles? I think I remember in starfallen history those name changes came after battles.”
“What? Nooo.” Reide flicked his claw dismissively. “Demons title themselves! Black Hat!”
“Old,” Ava said flatly.
“Uh, The Brass Boulder?”
“Old and dumb,” Ava said. “What the hell is a brass boulder anyway?”
“Bloodclaws,” Reide pointed out.
“Got it after the battle of the Geisuses,” Ava raised a brow, “remember?”
No, he didn’t. The wolf demon pouted. “Thornburn?”
“Killed a squad of angels that entered Hell,” Ava said. “Burned wings off.”
“So what? You can’t name yourself something flaming hot?” Reide huffed.
“Course you can, but it has to catch on.” Ava poked him. “And if it’s obvious you are looking for a name to be remembered by, you could end up being Reide the Shameless. Remember Coldins the Coward?”
Reide rolled his eyes. “Shadowbringer will be legendary.”
Ava scoffed a laugh. “Okay, buddy boy.”
“And you have to have something just as impressive sounding.” Reide pointed a claw at her. “If we are going to share a history page, I demand it.”
“Not all of us can be the Lady in Black, Reide,” Ava muttered.
“Not with that attitude they can’t! Just you watch! We’ll be in the books.” Reide grinned.
“Just don’t do it being a statistic,” Ava sighed. “I can see it already. The number of demons that slipped off the cliffs this year.”
“Oh, ha-ha!” Reide sneered. “Just you wait.”
“I’d hold my breath, but then I wouldn’t be able to smell my delicious meat.” Ava perked her ears.
“I swear you are sixty percent stomach,” Reide sighed. “Oh, what I would give for an engaging conversation!”
“Go talk to Stolas then,” Ava dismissed. Her eyes focused on the distance. That wasn’t promising.
“I said a conversation, not an interrogation.” Reide frowned. She was going to run, wasn’t she?
“Can’t hear you, smell steak,” Ava dropped on all fours and darted off. She skittered over walls and bridges in a blur.
“Cuss you, Ava.” Reide frowned. He dropped onto all fours too and dashed after her, zipping by demons as he raced the impatient fox to her favorite meat joint. Some things would always stay the same.
“Reide,” a voice called him.
The wolf groaned and rolled over. No, he wanted to finish his marshmallow. It was as fluffy and sweet as he had always heard.
“Stop eating your starfallen pillow and wake up!”
A sharp pain in his face snapped him to reality. There was a tearing sound and Reide discovered that the world had turned upside down on him. Oh no, wait, he was on his back. “Whu—”
“You slept in. Ava is heading out,” his mother said, her scaly, horned head sticking out from his doorway.
“What!” Reide turned over. Something dangled from his mouth. He lifted a claw and pulled the torn pillowcase from his teeth. Oh. Well, he liked feathers in his bed anyway! “How long ago?”
“A minute? I called up three times,” his mother stated flatly. “And I’m not getting you another pillow! That’s the fifth one this month.”
“If you could just find me a marshmallow, I could finally stop dreaming about them,” Reide grumbled as he scrambled up. He checked his reflection. Brushed the fur around his face quickly and was none too careful. He pulled on a loose tunic and pants.
“Was that you complaining about Surface food again?” His mother’s fork tongue flicked out.
“Nope! That expensive stuff? Ha! Never. What a waste!” Reide scoffed as he slipped past her, mindful of her shoulder spikes, and out the door with a bun in his mouth from the kitchen. It wasn’t like she was spending a tooth and claw on those clothes from the Surface. Or fabrics to make her wardrobe. With the way she dressed, one would think she was going to see the Devil. Hypocrisy aside, Reide had somewhere to be today.
He darted down a path, scurried up a wall and across a bridge meant for demons much smaller than himself. He hopped light-footed across it and jumped on the fence wall that divided properties.
“Hey!” Sacherliea, who was impressively grumpier than her usual grouchy self, growled. She spat an acid ball at him. He ducked, dodging the attack. “Reide!” With a cheeky grin and shrug, the wolf ran up the wall at the end of the fence and over the roof.
It took one more bridge and a dive through a private garden before he caught up to an easy-to-spot fox. Easy with that tail of hers. Reide plopped down right next to her, startling an imp who dropped his basket with a gasp. The little creature ducked in fear before realizing he wasn’t being attacked and quickly collected his basket before running.
“You left me!” Reide accused breathlessly.
“You were late, and you know Master Anzu doesn’t tolerate lateness. I have to be there on time.” Ava nodded in greeting.
“Then kick me out of bed! Pits Ava!” Reide swore.
“You’re here now, and you’re warmed up.” Ava smirked. She was in pants and a tight top—absolutely scandalous, of course, but it had a purpose. Today was training.
“Cuss you, fox!” Reide hissed.
“So grumpy first thing in the morning,” Ava sighed.
“It’s the cussing turkey—of course, I’m ticked,” Reide snarled. It was no secret that he didn’t care for Ava’s master. He was a high demon. A weather demon of class and intellect, well-versed in the politics of Hell, the Surface, and even the Upper. He was one of the few demons communicating with the angels regularly. And he had the ego to cussing go with it.
“You had the marshmallow dream again, didn’t you?” Ava raised an amused brow.
“If I could just taste one, I know I’d stop eating my damn pillows!” Reide howled. “My kingdom for a marshmallow!”
Ava chuckled. “I bet Master Anzu could—”
A claw barely blocked the view at the end of her snout. Reide stretched to get it up there. Why the hell did she make herself so tall? “Don’t you dare finish that sentence! That demon turkey would want my soul!”
Ava scoffed. “That’s illegal, you moron.” She gently pushed his claw down. “He’d probably ask for your firstborn offspring.”
“Ha! You see!” Reide ranted.
“Too bad. He has access to the Surface. You see all the Surface things around his office,” Ava mused. “It’d probably be easy for him.”
“And that’s the problem with this place!” Reide snapped. “The starfallen middle man! I’m cussing sure that marshmallows are an easy find up there. But since we’re trapped down here, any schmuck can jack up the price of anything they bring down!”
“Then you get into economics and do something about it,” Ava scoffed.
“Ha! Ava darling, you know I’m bad at math.” Reide ducked as she swiped at him.
“No pet names!” Ava bristled.
“Alright, alright.” Reide straightened up. “I’ll save it for the field.”
They continued through the crowded streets before they got to one of the pillars and climbed up to the third floor. The classy level of Hell with the ‘elegant’ fancy businesses and the high demons that could kill anyone with a glance.
Reide wondered if he’d be able to spot a celebrity today. He wondered that every time he came up. Maybe one of the movie star demons like Rutamin or Starfight. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to meet them. Sadly, the side of the cavern they were headed to wasn’t the more fun corner of the third level. The residents were usually calmer, and the spaces between dwellings were wider. Manors, castles, and other territories were organized more in Surface fashions. Like the high demons weren’t in this pit with the rest of them. Mock gardens with sundials or decorative jewels, along with rock patterns, worked as yards and territory markers. Honestly, after living his whole life in the crowds of the fourth level, the homes of the third seemed as cold and distant as the wastes in the sixth. There was always an ominous buzz around here that he couldn’t shake but ignored.
Today it seemed particularly cold—literally. As they drew near chicken breath’s tall, imposing castle, the temperature seemed to drop with every step.
Ava’s fur puffed out. “He’s in a rotten mood.” Her eye was locked on the place like she expected it to attack. Ava, of course, was sensitive to temperature and obviously hated the cold. She didn’t complain, but it was obvious. Of course it was. Cold was the natural opposite of her heat.
Though the entrance to the Surface was two levels away, wind beat at them as they walked, tearing at their clothes. It made the freezing cold bite into them and seep all the way to the bone.
“Maybe we could reconsider training for the day? He seems busy,” Reide suggested. And angry. Sure, he probably wouldn’t kill Ava, her being his fledgling and all. Reide didn’t have that same security. If the demon Prince was angry enough, he just might end the wolf.
“Coward.” Ava looked at him expectantly.
Reide scowled. The wolf demon growled, pulling his lips back a little too far to be natural for a Surface wolf. With a challenge like that, he couldn’t back down without seeming weak. Cuss Ava! She did this once in a while. A test that he was still able to keep up with her. That he refused to be weak. Ava didn’t tolerate weakness around her. He didn’t either, honestly. They both had their fair share of fights with school peers to prove it.
“Matchstick pom-pom,” Reide hissed and marched past her. He didn’t have the inner fire Ava did. He couldn’t thaw the cold that sank into him from all directions, but he also didn’t have to worry about going out like she did. He swished his tail irritably as he banged on the door. “Oi! Open up!”
Ava smacked him on the back of the head. “Holy cuss. It's a titled demon, for Devil’s sake!” Her eyes glowed lightly, showing that she was using her magic to keep the chill back.
She pushed him out of the way. Ava used the knocker. “Fledgling Ava is here for an appointment,” she called.
The door was pulled open and a blast of freezing air hit them. Reide bristled his fur more and shivered. It was a blizzard! A cussing blizzard! An imp peered up at them from the doorway, a thick coat over his small frame. “Ava, the master is in his study.”
Ava and Reide entered the castle. The glass was frosted over in delicate patterns. Small waves of heat rolled off of Ava. Reide stuck close to her as their clawed feet clicked over frozen floors and carpets.
Of course, the cussing turkey’s office had to be in the highest tower at the very top of the castle. It was the start of a bad movie. Reide was pretty sure that one had a princess up there or something. Well, that pillow stuffer was no damsel in distress, that was for sure. More like the evil wizard who kidnapped her. And even if he were, Reide would be the last schmuck to try any saving. He’d more likely laugh and wave from across the moat.
Ah. That’s what this place was missing. A cussing moat. Reide mused if it’d have sharks or crocodiles as they climbed up the stairs of the ice tower. It reminded him of another fairy tale. What was it called? It started to snow little snowflakes on the staircase.
Ava raised a hand to knock on the door. “Mas—”
“Ice Queen!” Reide suddenly said. That’s what it was called! Ava jumped, her hand brushing the door. It opened a crack as she turned a glare on Reide.
“What?” she hissed.
“Oh, nothing,” Reide whispered. “I was just thinking about this old fairy tale about a queen with a heart of ice. Well, the words said heart but the picture was a soul, so that was odd. But anyway, she wanted to freez—” Ava clamped his snout shut with her hand.
“Shut up about your Surface junk,” she whispered and perked her ears. Reide blinked his seven eyes and followed her lead. He perked his ears and could make out voices on the other side of the door. Annoyingly familiar voices. Unhappy voices.
“Nothing. All the official channels are entirely silent,” Anzu’s silky voice said in a strained tone. “Including my own connections involving the cult. The bird’s bank account hasn’t been touched. None of my pawns have seen beak nor feather-tip of him on any of the buses and trains out of the desert. And there’s been no sign of contact with his protege even after weeks of watching him.” There was a heavy pause. Anzu continued, his tone wry. Someone who didn’t know him well could confuse it with humor. But Reide knew this tone as ‘someone was about to lose a limb’ funny. “It’s like he just walked out into the sand and vanished. Which, if he did, he’s dead. Not a total loss, but it will make finding it a little harder.”
“He sounds a bit ticked,” Reide muttered quietly.
“Shut it!” Ava hissed. “If we get caught listening in, you can bet we’ll be in a world of hurt.”
“Well yeah, but what do you think ‘it’ is?” Reide asked curiously.
“Dunno. Important if it’s the cause for the ice storm in here,” Ava said. She raised her hand to try to knock again. The fox had a point. The weather demon didn’t just let his magic ‘slip up’ all over nothing. Most demons as powerful as the Princes couldn’t afford for their magic to slip. They could blow something up. Or, in Anzu’s case, freeze his entire tower. Not that Reide really cared if the pillow stuffing wrecked his house.
The room fell silent.
Then the room flared with cold. Reide watched crystals form on his whiskers. The air was so cold the demon was struggling to breathe. Ava’s floof fluffed up even more. Her face twisted with discomfort. They both stepped back. For one heart-stopping moment, Reide thought the demon prince was going to come storming out of his office at them. Then his silky voice continued. “There is one last thing. They found remnants of a letter. It looks like someone might have warned him. Before the cult even got there.” Another short silence passed. “No. It had been burned.”
The chill tempered a little as time passed. “To be fair, this has gone beyond a cute little surveillance operation,” Anzu’s slick voice coaxed. “My pawns aren’t skilled enough for this work. We need those two. If the bird is buried in the sand somewhere, my pets will find him. But if not . . .” Anzu gave a slow exhalation of breath. “Of course, My Devil.”
Reide’s jaw dropped. The cold air stung his throat with his gasp. He choked. Ava clamped his muzzle shut and gave him a blazing red glare. Reide, with tears in his eyes, silently swallowed his coughs. If the Devil, as in the Devil, found out they were nosing around in his business they weren’t just dead. They were royally cussed. So desperately, Reide remained in silent agony while Ava’s glare swore to kill him twice, way before the Devil or even Anzu could get their claws in them.
“Yes, my Devil,” the demon repeated. There was a click as the phone call ended.
Ava practically picked Reide up and headed straight back down the slick stairs. “What are you doing?” Reide hissed in Ava’s ear.
“We were never here,” Ava said. “We were in the cussing lobby the whole damn time!” Ava hissed back. “Otherwise, we can kiss our tails goodbye!”
Reide very much liked his tail, and it would be a crying shame if Ava lost hers, though he doubted they’d get away with such a light punishment if they overheard a call with the Devil. The two made their way back. They slipped and slid but somehow managed not to fall. They had just shaken the ice off, and Ava steamed them dry when the great prince of feathers appeared. The two young demons, of course, were relaxed and completely nonchalant in the lobby. Just as Ava had said, they had no idea what had transpired in the tower. They had no clue as to the reasons behind the freezing temperatures. Devil? What Devil? Reide doubted he was even real!
Okay, that might have been taking it a step too far.
Anzu was smiling when he made his way down to the lobby. It was a flip some days whether he’d be in his human form when they saw him or his demon one. But today was demon. It was everything threatening Reide could think of. He had the sharp eyes and razor-beaked head of a black eagle. Three eyes leered out from it. Jutting from his head were two large horns that went out and then curved inward. He was on four legs. The front two were the gray, scaled claws of an eagle. His back end was that of a lion. Two enormous wings were folded along the length of his long body, all of it in the same black as his head. Finally, as the finishing touch, Anzu had a snake as a tail that watched them ominously, also in gray. Reide hated that tail. He always managed to forget it and find it cussing watching him. It was creepy as hell.
He had a grin of bloodlust on his beak if Reide had ever seen one. His large talons dug marks into the stairs as he moved step by step. “Ah, Ava.” He glanced at Reide. “And the pet. Just the demons I wanted to see,” he purred.
Oh, stars. They were cussed anyway. The weather feather was in a rotten mood and wanted blood. Cuss them.
“M-Master Anzu?” Ava muttered uncertainly. Reide was already writing his will in his head. “We’ve arrived for training, sir.” She bowed appropriately in greeting to her mentor. Reide decided it was best to keep his muzzle shut but bowed the same as her.
“Clearly,” Anzu replied sarcastically. His snake tail swayed slowly back and forth behind him. “I have a special little exercise prepared for you today. A ‘test’ as it were. To see if any of our little chats have managed to make their way through that incredibly reinforced skull of yours.”
Ava’s lips pressed together to hide the displeasure she felt for being talked down to. It was a common occurrence from high-class demons. Reide was used to seeing her snap limbs over comments like that, but not with Anzu. Instead, she nodded, accepting both the test and the insult. Reide felt one of his eyes twitch. Anzu was sadistic at best, and a test from him couldn’t be anything but a nightmare. Part of him wished he really had stayed home, but then Ava would be here alone. Cuss that.
Anzu settled back on his hind lion’s legs. “The game is relatively simple,” Anzu crooned with a knowing smile. “You’ll be playing a game of fetch and return.” He tapped a point on the floor, scratching a deep x into the marble with his talon. “A keepsake of yours will be hidden from you. All you are required to do is find it and bring it to me.”
Ava’s ears perked. “That’s it?” Her ears folded back. Both she and Reide knew it was never as simple as Anzu made it sound. There was always something crawling up his sleeve, ready to strike at the worst possible moment. Reide wondered what it could be this time. A volcano trap? A big ol’ beastly? Maybe he would sink the thing Ava had to get in one of the icy river caverns and force her to swim down to go get it. Either way, it was going to be cussed up.
“That’s it. Well, there is one other thing.” He tilted his head. “A time limit. You have twenty-four hours to find the item and bring it to me. After that—You’ve failed. And you know what the consequences of failure are.” Anzu smiled pleasantly.
Both Ava and Reide hid their gulps. Yes, they knew very well. It was the source of numerous fights between them that Ava should find a new master and get as far from this cusser as possible. Sadly, it’s hard to escape a Prince of Hell. Practically impossible. Yet, Reide couldn’t help bringing it up every single time it happened or nearly happened. Ava cleared her throat. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
“Good,” Anzu hummed. “Then we should be going, shouldn’t we?” He waved a hand, and a dark hole appeared between them. Ava moved to jump in, but Anzu stopped her. The demon prince paused. “Hmmm, there’s something I’m forgetting, isn’t there.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Oh, right. That’s it.”
Something spiraled up Reide’s body in an instant, crushing him in a binding hold. Reide’s yelp was cut off. Ava spun and gasped. “What the cuss!” Ava demanded.
“I’m just preparing the little keepsake you’re supposed to find,” Anzu said calmly.
“You called me a what?” Reide wheezed in outrage. The snake head hovered in front of his face.
“Um, sir, when you said bring you an item, I didn’t think you meant a person.” Ava looked between Reide and Anzu. She’d schooled her features to show indifference, but Reide knew she was not happy with this twist in the test. He could only hope the prince didn’t know.
Anzu sighed in disappointment. “That’s what I’ve been trying to teach you, little pup. Don’t assume anything.” He waved his claw dramatically. “Ah, the struggle of a teacher. Oh, well. Into the hole now.”
Ava’s ears folded back. She glanced at Reide apathetically and jumped into the hole, her long tail rippled behind her. The wolf knew that was the closest he was going to get to reassurance and comfort. Ava would save him. Though he could annoy Anzu and save himself, Reide was sure he would try. He feared Anzu knew that too and would make escape very unpleasant for him. Reide really hoped it wasn’t the bottom of a cave lake or over one of the magma flows.
Anzu slipped into the hole after Ava without even a glance in Reide’s direction. It was black. So black.
And then suddenly blindingly white.
Reide was freezing. The wind around them howled like a beastly on a rampage. Snow, in ice-like needles, attacked his face. Space. Reide felt dizzy. There was so much space around him. He was somewhere very high, an open landscape stretching out as far as his eyes could see. An endlessness like the darkness of a cave but in reverse. In washed-out, blinding light. Had that cusser just killed Reide? No, it wasn’t painful. Couldn’t have a death by Anzu without pain. Also, no tunnel to light or whatever people had said.
There were . . . trees. They were on cliffs. But higher cliffs than he’d ever seen before. He craned his head behind him and saw the craggy white landscape continue up before disappearing into clouds. It was all too big. It seemed too big for Hell. He’d never heard of any place like this. Had Anzu prepared this whole blizzard in advance? Had—Reide’s jaw dropped as there was a slight break in the cloud line. He saw the barest opening of space above the clouds. Just pure space, going up up up and never-ending. It was dizzying to see, to imagine. It almost felt like he could just fall up and never stop falling. His stomach did a flip.
Was he . . . Was he on the Surface?
There was no way. No cussing way had the prince brought Reide to the actual Surface. Why? How! Was this even legal!
It took a moment for Reide to realize that Ava was nowhere to be seen. The only things he found with a closer search were more trees. A lone post sat under one with a chain and a single large cuff attached to it. Anzu dropped him unceremoniously in front of it and, a moment later, the cuff snapped shut around his neck. “Ava will be picking you up.” He hummed. “Eventually. The two of you are to make it to the bottom of the mountain before sunrise.” He turned to walk away.
“Uh, so you’ll come back if she doesn’t make it, right?” Reide asked with just a tiny spark of hope. After all, they were demons! He wasn’t supposed to be up here! What if angels or a dragon showed up? What was he supposed to do? Hell, he didn’t even know how to get back to Hell! He’d never opened the gate before in his life!
Anzu gave him an amused smirk. “Stay, dog.” Then he opened a hole and stepped into it.
Reide scowled. Damnit. He was cussed.
After stepping through the portal, Ava had nearly gone blind with the light that had poured through. She’d been disoriented, freezing. She thought the weather around Anzu’s castle had been bad. This was worse. It cut through her like knives. She could hardly see in front of her. And then her paw had landed on something slippery. She’d fallen to her side, over an edge and down, down, down—her fur dragging against ice. She slid at an incline, falling into a V shape. When she hit the bottom, the top was a pale slash above her. She was pinned at the bottom of the V, two walls of ice pressed against her on either side.
A splash of swear words filled her head as she glared at the walls. He’d dropped her into cussing ice! Starfallen damnit! Cuss Anzu! She hoped he got sunblazed. She could feel the biting cold melt into her fur and sink its icy teeth further into her. Steam rose from her back, the wall getting slicker with water. No. Getting upset and hot would only make everything worse. She could melt this whole damn thing on top of her, and then she’d be in real trouble. She turned and slashed the ice. Her claws cut deep into the ice.
The fox looked up again and sighed. Her breath came out in a cloud. This was stardust. Ava flexed her claws before sinking one into the ice. Her claws hissed and melted the ice. Ava growled. She’d have to cool down. She took several deep breaths and tried again. Her claws pulled her up. She clawed her way up the wall calmly, tempered, if not extremely reluctantly. The water in her fur began to freeze, stinging her back. It felt like hours, though it was probably only minutes before she crawled out of the crevasse and back onto the snowy surface above. She huffed and shivered, looking around the too-bright area.
“Good, I was getting bored waiting for you to crawl out of there,” Anzu said in a monotone voice. He had exchanged his traditional form for his human one, a dark-skinned, long-haired man with gleaming silver eyes. He stood in the howling wind and snow, wearing only a suit as though he were at some cussing fancy party.
Ava narrowed her gaze. His words stung as much as the cold. She bit her tongue on it. He wouldn’t take insults well. “What are we doing up here, Master Anzu?”
Anzu looked up and around. “I told you before. You’re performing a test. You find your little pet and come to me at the base of the mountain. We’ll all go home and have a nice cup of magma chocolate. I’m afraid I’m a bit busy, though. If you don’t manage to make it down the mountain before sunrise, I’ll just have to leave without you.” He clucked his tongue. “Even you can find your way home, can’t you?” He smiled at her.
Ava’s brows rose in shock. Leave them? Here, on the Surface? For a moment, just a moment, she was tempted. How hard would it be to find Reide and the two of them just disappear? Sure, Anzu could hunt them down in Hell, but up here? Here with the sun and the wide, wide world? Then the thought of angels crashed into her dream, and she came tumbling back to reality. “Yes sir,” she agreed sullenly.
“That’s a good girl.” He put a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in. “Don’t disappoint me, Ava,” he said with a sudden, serious tone to his voice.
Ava straightened. “Of course, sir. See you at the bottom,” she said with as much confidence as she could muster.
“Good.” The smile was back. “Look forward to festivities when you succeed.” Then, he was gone, leaving her to the swirling, frozen cold of the mountain.
Ava turned and looked up at the mountain she’d literally have to climb. “Cuss. Me.”
Reide attempted to chew on the chains until he was sure his tongue had frostbite. “Shwupid tuwrkey!” he muttered to himself. This was the last time he ever went with Ava for training! His teeth were leaving cuss all marks on the chains. Not even a damn scratch. They were probably enchanted. Damnit. He needed to think. The wolf dropped the chains and looked around his snowy prison-ground. He was on a slight slope—the snow was thick everywhere. There were a number of trees around with needle thingies instead of leaves. The sky was bright but also empty, save for the clouds. A storm, most likely Anzu’s work, blocked any real view of the space above. Just his luck! Finally on the Surface, and he still couldn’t see the damn sun!
Reide circled the post to see if any of the trees were within reach, but no luck there. He went to the post he was chained to and started to dig. The snow went deep and, as he kept digging, it got harder as the snow gave way to ice. If he were Ava, he’d just melt it away and pull the stupid post up. He wasn’t Ava, though, so that plan was useless.
Reide flopped back with a groan. “Well, cuss.” This was great. He felt around the collar to see how it was locked around his neck. It felt seamless, one continuous strip of metal. Either it had been made by a cussing dwarf, or it was magical. Cuss. His options were growing slimmer. Okay, the collar was out. He looked closer at the chains and post, hoping to find a weak point. Sure, the collar was most likely magic, but maybe he could do something about the other two. The chains had the same unnatural, seamless feel to them. The post, however, was strange. It was broken up into sections that could be rotated, a series of surface symbols written around each. Depending on how he twisted them, they would line up with each other.
Reide perked his ears. Now, this he could work with! He had no cussing clue what any of these meant. Reide lifted his claws eagerly but paused. It was too easy. There had to be a sadistic twist here somewhere. A trap of some kind. Would he die if he got it wrong? Burn? Get shocked? It could be anything. Even this cussing collar tightening until he couldn’t breathe.
“Well, what choice do I have? Sit here and freeze or cussing try?” Reide huffed to himself. He grabbed the top section and turned it. He lined all the symbols up to match. There was a violent crackle and a spike of ice grew from the base of the chain towards him. He yelped and hopped away, not that it helped. The momentum of his jerking back and the chain stopping him made him slip and plant face-first into the snow. Reide groaned and lifted his head. He coughed out snow and slush. “Ugh. Winter is awful.”
He pushed himself up and glared at the post. “You don’t scare me.” He marched back to it and eyed the symbols again. He couldn’t force it. He’d probably kill himself first. What the cuss could he do with this? He didn’t know these symbols well enough to read them. He couldn’t guess what it was without them. There wasn’t a clue anywhere, and he couldn’t ask Anzu. Hell, no. Never. Chicken face wouldn’t have the satisfaction!
So what the cuss could he do? Reide walked around the post, glaring at it. He found a tiny triangle at the top of the post, pointing down. Okay, it’s a lock. Reide figured. He could pick a lock. He’d done it before. He just had to listen. He wrapped his hands around the top section again and leaned over to listen as he turned it carefully. A subtle click reached his ears. He just had to keep going until the tumblers moved.
CRACK.
A sound like thunder came from above and light brightened the sky. For a second, Reide wondered if it was Ava, but then it occurred to him that Ava couldn’t fly.
Reide growled and let go of the post. It shuddered and ice again burst forth. This time, Reide knew to step back. “I’m a bit busy!” Reide snapped. Couldn’t Anzu leave him alone to escape in peace?
The figure flying above him was hard to make out with all the light coming from them. But it dimmed after a moment, and then the person became clear.
“Uh oh,” Reide muttered. That wasn’t Anzu.
The man who landed in front of him had cold, steely eyes. He had long, black hair half pulled up behind his head, and he wore full gleaming armor in the color of the frozen landscape that surrounded them. Most startlingly, he had two eagle wings behind him.
“Oh, cuss me,” Reide said. An angel. He had to run into an angel! Fate hated him.
The man took a wary step towards him, his gray eyes taking in the predicament Reide found himself in. The angel drew his sword.
“Oh, come on! I am literally chained up here! What am I gonna do? Talk you to death?” Reide gestured to the sword. “Aren’t angels supposed to help people in distress? Well, look! I’m people! I’m very much in distress!”
“You’re a demon. Within miles of the Upper,” the angel warrior replied coldly.
Reide’s eyes widened. “I’m what?” Oh, Anzu! You chicken-brained cusser! He should have broken every expensive thing in that stupid castle! That bird was going to get him killed!
“How did you get here, demon?” The angel took a step towards him, a dangerous look in his eyes.
Reide held his hands up. “Would you believe I was kidnapped?” He smiled nervously.
The angel snorted. “And who is it that would kidnap a demon?” he asked, taking another step closer.
“Good question.” Reide gulped. “I mean, there are so many possibilities. Other demons, witches, traders. I mean there could be a talent business, too. I am a looker, after all.”
The angel’s brow twitched, his cold eyes not wavering. “And who was it that kidnapped this demon?” He lifted his sword to tap Reide’s shoulder.
“If I knew, I’d gladly tell you so I could get some re—uh, justice.” No, he cussing wouldn’t. Anzu would cook his tail alive. “Sadly, I don’t know a cussing thing. I’m walking along, and then I fall into a hole. Bam! Here I am. Chained, cold, and so alone.” Reide shivered and fluffed up to prove his point. “I just wanted to get some eggs from the market!”
The angel’s face twisted in a sneer. “You’re a liar.”
“That’s a rather harsh stereotype, don’t cha think?” Reide folded his ears back. “I mean, what do I get for hiding my kidnapper?”
The angel lifted his blade beneath Reide’s throat, forcing him to raise his head up. “How did you really get here, demon? And what malice are you planning?” The blade nicked him just a little and Reide could feel its heat, like the blade hungered for his blood.
Reide gulped. “Well, it seems to be freezing to death, which I was doing great at until you showed up. You gonna mess up my evil plans of chewing on this post with your, uh, shiny stick there?” Reide struggled to hold down his panic. Holy cuss, this really could be it! Ava, where the hell are you?
The angel tensed, gritting his teeth. His other arm came up, and he backhanded Reide. Reide’s head snapped to the side. “It will do you no good if you continue to mock me like this. Do you know what the sentence for an unauthorized demon found sneaking onto the Surface is? Much-the-less one within miles of our home?”
Reide spat some blood onto the snow, staining it. Cuss, he bit his tongue. Ouch. Reide rubbed his cheek. “Is it a faster death than freezing?”
The angel smiled, no mirth reaching his eyes. “That’s right. I could cut your head off your shoulders right now, and no one would look twice. Would you rather I do that than tell me what I want to know?”
“Oh, then just another Tuesday for me.” Reide smiled. It probably looked gruesome. “Look, it’s a good threat, really. Probably perfect for some Surface mook, but you’re gonna have to try harder. I’m not really scared of death, so death threats don’t really do it for me. Now, take me out to dinner, and I’ll sell you my mother.” He shrugged. “Though, I can’t really tell what I don’t know. So we’re both outta luck here.”
The angel snorted. His blade lowered. “Fine then, dark one. Tell me what you know and, if I consider it worthy, I’ll take you back to the entrance of your pit and let you go.”
Reide widened his eyes. What he knew? Don’t look around for Ava, don’t look around for Ava. He was alone on this mountain. Yep, completely alone. “There’s a lot I know, but uh, I don’t think you’d be all that impressed,” Reide warned. “Like I almost know the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by heart and my family’s roasted centipede stew recipe.” He was so going to die now. Stars, he hoped Ava was smart enough to escape and not try to do something stupid like avenge him.
This time, the angel backhanded him with the hilt of his blade. Reide landed face-first in the snow. He felt the angel’s knee go down in between his shoulder blades, pinning him there. He felt something cold and sharp touch the back of his neck. “This is your last chance, demon,” the angel warned.
“Cussing angel!” Reide growled. His claws wouldn’t do stardust here. He was sunk. “Hey, before you, ya know, could you tell me what a marshmallow tastes like?” Reide squeezed his eyes shut, expecting pain and heat and cold and whatever would come after he died.
Stars, all the things he didn’t get to do. All the Surface foods he never got to try. He didn’t even get to see the damn sun! And he was even out here! Damn you, Anzu! He should haunt the cussing chicken! He cursed the bird and his descendants for a thousand years! Damn, Reide hoped that’s how curses worked from beyond the grave or whatever. Oh, and Ava! She would be devastated! Cuss, how would she survive without him? His wisdom was her guiding star! She would be lost! Forced to deal with her idiotic brother and that damned, cursed— twice cursed chicken! His life was worth at least two, after all. What bird brain dropped a couple of fledglings off right next to enemy territory? Reide would send in a complaint to the Devil if he had survived! He’d have to haunt—oh wait, demons don’t really do the whole ghost thing. Maybe he could be the first. And the angels! Oh! Three curses on them! All of them! And this cusser specifically! Reide was innocent, and this is what he got? It was too short! A real tragedy! What would Mother say? What would his sister say? Then again, he didn’t want to know. Actually, shouldn’t he be having some sorta flashback? A montage of his amazing but oh-so-short life? It was taking a while. Had it happened? He hoped death wasn’t this cold. No, that’s not right. He was still alive. What the cuss? What was taking this feather brain so long? He was getting a shoulder cramp here. If he kept this up, maybe he really would freeze to death here.
“Hey! Airhead! Can we get with the times here? What happened? A tea break? C’mon! I’m not getting any deader here.” Reide tried to turn his head to glare at the angel in annoyance. “Didn’t think I’d have to tell you how to do your job! Stars! Maybe we should reschedule? Reverse roles here? I could give you pointers if you’re getting cold feet.”
“Are those flames?” The weight on his back lifted. Reide twisted to see the angel looking out over the snow. The angel ignored him. In the far, far distance, barely visible, was the tiniest light. The angel’s face contorted. “There are more of you?” He turned to kick Reide in the gut. The wolf grunted in pain. Ouch! Metal cussing boots much? “I’ll be back to deal with you later,” he threatened, taking to the air a moment later.
Reide coughed. “Oh. Great. Looking forward to the date. Don’t miss me too much.” He was so standing this cusser up. The angel disappeared into the foggy snow and wind. Reide groaned and pushed himself to his knee. He survived! He was cussing alive! “I hope Ava cooks you to a crisp!” Reide said. He giggled. “I’m alive! HA! I lived!” He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled to the post. He was bruised but otherwise okay. “I knew you didn’t have it in you! You couldn’t handle all of this!” he declared to the emptiness around him. “Take that cusser!” He laughed, probably a little hysterically. No, definitely hysterically. He was so sure he was dead.
“I should get out before he comes back,” Reide told himself. “Or worse, more show up. The Upper? What the hell was Anzu thinking?” He leaned into the post again and started turning the sections. He stopped when he heard the clicks of the tumblers. He worked his way down the post—each part felt like it took longer and longer. He swore he heard wing beats twice and expected that damn angel to reappear.
Ava was so killing Anzu after this. She’d been working her way up the mountain for the last few hours, avoiding death traps and solving riddles that tested her on the knowledge the demon prince had taught her. In order to avoid another trap, Ava was attempting to climb a sheer cliffside. The demoness clawed her way up the ledge a second time, this time not using her heat, and pulled herself onto her stomach. “Ugh.” She groaned, annoyed. She hated snow. Ice was cussed. Mountains were stupid. Who the hell came up with mountains? Cuss them. She wasn’t about to be beaten by a pile of cold rocks!
She pulled herself to her feet and glared at the expanse of snow. “Okay, more death spikes if I mispronounce my French? Maybe falling logs if I can’t add fast enough? Stars, this is stardust!” Ava swore. “What is it, Anzu! C’mon! I know this isn’t just some stupid field I get to skip across! You aren’t nice enough for that!” Only the howling of the raging winds and the icy needles of the snowflakes answered her. Ava gave the snow a deadpan glare. “Alright then!” She didn’t have the time nor the patience for this. She marched forward confidently.
Her foot found empty air. Immediately, she plunged downward and started to roll. She slid down a slick slide, dropped again, and landed at the bottom of a pit. Metal clanged shut ominously above her.
“Cuss you, ANZU!” Ava howled. She threw a fireball above. A splash of water landed on her. Ava growled as steam rose from her fur. “I am going to kill him and his underlings and those underlings’ underlings. That castle will be washed in blood and fire if I ever get out of here.”
Looking around, she found herself in a prison of solid stone. Above her were latticed metal bars. They were spaced close together, so she could forget about trying to wiggle through them. She growled in annoyance before noticing a complex set of runes written around the edge of the metal grate. They weren’t demonic. English. French. Or any other surface language she’d been taught. She squinted and double-checked. She had to be wrong. They couldn’t be angel runes! What the cuss would they be doing here?
“That’s pretty cussed up, Anzu! Why the hell is an angel trap here?” Ava called up. She didn’t expect an answer. She flexed her sore claws before jamming them into the stone and climbing her way up on her thin, spindly limbs. She looked closer at the angel runes. There had to be a spot she could slash, and the trap would open. Why was this here? Did Anzu just have angel traps lying around? That was cussed up. Actually, that was exactly something Anzu would have.
As if sensing her, the runes started to crackle. A painful jolt of electricity shot through her.
Ava hissed and slipped a little lower. “Cussing angels.” Okay, so how the hell did one escape angel cussery? When magic wasn’t the answer, non-magic options existed. She clawed down and ripped a chunk of stone from the wall. “Alright, let’s see if angel doodles or solid rock is stronger.” She craned her arm back and threw the rock, aiming for the magic runes.
The stone burst into a dazzling ball of electricity as it struck. It was far more powerful than what she’d experienced from a few feet away. Then it came hailing back down on her. Ava screeched and ducked, her fur standing on end. When the light show was over, she peeked back up at the runes. The rock had scratched the rune just a bit. It had nearly plasma-fried her, but it could work. “Cuss yeah!” Ava pumped her fist. “Point for the demons! Eat that feather freaks!” She went to carve out a new rock to attack again. She wound up her arm to throw, aiming for the same spot. The rock sailed up through the air.
A blade jutted through the opening in the bars, batting the rock away. Ava jumped, a yip escaped her, and she pulled back with a hiss. A man crouched at the top of the prison. He wore shining armor and had long black hair, gray eyes, and two large eagle wings. He looked down at her, leaving his blade in place. “I didn’t expect to find two demons in one day,” he said.
Reide! No, maybe Anzu. She couldn’t be sure. She had to keep her cool. Ava doubted angels were a part of this training. Her gaze went from the angel to the runes. Oh cuss, was this a real angel trap? Used by those cussers? This wasn’t one of Anzu’s damn tests? Her heart skipped a beat. “Is that so?” Ava called out. “Two? You must be one unlucky cusser.” He didn’t look injured, so it was probably not Anzu. Unless the prince refused to fight. Wouldn’t that cause an incident? Was any of this cussing legal? Oh cuss, were they in actual trouble here?
“I’m assuming you don’t have papers like the other one,” the angel said, sounding monotone.
“Papers?” Ava asked. “Uh, they’re in my other furs?”
The angel’s expression didn’t change. “The other one thought trespassing on the Surface was funny, too.”
Well, damn it. “Next, you’ll tell me I’m prettier, right?” Ava said sarcastically. She planted her claws on her hips carefully. “Can you get to a point here?”
“What are you two plotting up here? You are aware that I could kill you on sight, aren’t you?” he asked with that same expression.
“Gee, ya don’t say?” Ava sneered. “Plotting? Do I look like a plotter? I’m a girl stuck in a cussing hole.”
“Where you belong. You should have stayed in the right one. Far below the ground.” He rose, letting the tip of his blade clang against the bars as he circled the cage.
“Ha-ha! Good one. Very funny,” Ava said. She clapped, her claws clanged together metallically.
“How did you get to the Surface, demon? I tire of your games as quickly as I did of your companion’s.” He did not smile.
Ava felt a twinge of genuine fear for the first time. She refused to show this angel anything. “Boo-hoo. Da poor widdle angel doesn’t wanna play!” Ava mockingly pouted. “Tough cookies, kiddie.”
The angel gave her a long look. Sighing, he reached for something out of sight. A powerful shock ran through Ava, twice as powerful as the one from before. Ava howled and dropped to her knees. The pain stopped as fast as it had started. She’d been shocked for barely three seconds, but it left her head spinning.
She gasped for air and caught herself with her hands. She threw back her head and laughed. “That tickled!” She could hear her anger in her growl.
“What are you doing on the Surface, demon?” The angel repeated his question.
“Bird watching,” Ava spat. “Didn’t know angels were cowards.”
“My kind don’t steal souls.” The angel planted his sword near the edge of the hole. “How about a deal? You tell me why you are up here, and I’ll take you back to Hell. If it leads to the incrimination of an important demon, you’ll even be rewarded. You’ll suffer no more pain. No death. Don’t be stupid like the other one. Taking one life is enough blood on my sword for today. I don’t desire another.”
The words struck Ava like a knife. Reide. The cusser had really done it. Damn it. The urge to toss Anzu under the bus rolled through her, but she hesitated. Revenge was all fine and good, but this could stir trouble for others. She didn’t really care, but she was not about to use Reide’s murderer for her revenge. She wanted to kill them both herself. This cusser for doing it and Anzu for bringing them here. “A deal, huh?” She pushed herself up onto her feet. “You want information?” She lowered her voice. “You want some dirty little secrets?” she whispered. “I can tell you.” She stretched up.
“That would be wise,” the angel replied.
She took a deep breath and blew out a torrent of flames. The angel sprang back, out of range. Her flames barely missed him. What they didn’t miss, however, were the great swaths of ice around them. A horrific crack sounded from above and water torrented down on her, starting to fill the cell. Ava kept a string of swears to herself as quickly cooling water crashed down on her and flooded around her legs. Steam rose from her fur as her anger flash-heated some of the water into vapor.
The angel above peered over the edge, his chin high and eyes cold. “Well, it looks like I probably won’t even have to go to the trouble of bringing you in myself. You’ll get yourself killed here without my doing anything.”
“Lucky you,” Ava sneered. The cold already bit through her fur even as steam continued to rise off her. “You can brag to all your cussing bird-brained friends.”
“Maybe I’ll bring them a nice pelt to show off as well,” the angel countered.
“You’ll have to come down and get it.” Ava grinned, her fangs flashing in the dim light of the cave. She took another deep breath, and a cyclone of fire spiraled out of the hole. The walls of the cavern shuddered. The angel glanced around, wariness in his eyes. More water—and ice—rained down on Ava. A few rocks came loose and clattered into the growing pool. She was floating now, swimming in a pool of water. The bars at the top of her cell were scorched, glowing red hot.
“You’re a fool,” the angel told her, looking back down. “Do you think doing any of this will make a difference? You’re going to die here unless you comply.”
“Cuss you,” Ava sneered. This was going to hurt and be stardust. It was the only thing she could think of, though. She didn’t exactly have a lot of time before she’d be at the bars and drowning. With one last deep breath, she shifted her body to pure, raging fire. The water stung like thousands of knives, hissing and cutting into her being, trying to extinguish her completely, but she kept her focus and nerve. The demon poured her rage and desperation into her magic and blazed with a heat so intense she couldn’t see. Either she’d burn through or burn out, there were no other options.
The angel fled up the tunnel she’d fallen from. He disappeared into it just as the bars of her prison started to melt. She barely made them out over the torrent of water coming down on her. It almost wasn’t enough. She was pressed against the bars, the water rising above her cell. The cold of the water fought the heat of her flames and, with another burst of pure crazed power, Ava liquified the metal of the bars.
The sound of a waterfall filled her ears, mixing with a tremendous, heart-stopping crack. She was surrounded by water, floating in it, boiling it, and then she was falling. More ice attempted to crush her within the lake of ice water that threatened to drown her. She turned her blazing fury on it, fighting back, liquifying anything that dared touch her. Her lungs started to burn. The ice seemed never-ending. She was still falling. How long had it been? The mountain was thundering its fury around her, enraged that she fought against it. It kept on trying to smother her, again and again and again. She clawed—the pricks of frantic desperation and the desire to breathe making her head spin. It had been too long. When would it end? Where was the ground, and where could she find the surface?
A stone struck her from a blind spot. Ava’s vision blurred, and consciousness tried to escape. She clawed at it, digging her talons in to keep it with her through the agonizing burning in her lungs and pain in her head. The blackness tried to overcome her vision. She would win this. She wasn’t gonna die in such a stupid and pointless way! Cuss that angel. Cuss this ice. Cuss Anzu! She was going to—
Ava’s body slammed into something hard, covered in tiny needles. Everything went black.
When Ava came to, her whole body was in pain. Her head ran with a headache worse than when she’d drunk all night in celebration after being picked as a prince’s cussing fledgling. She could feel countless tiny, sharp objects embedded into her fur and even her skin. She was pretty sure she’d broken at least one rib and, if the blood covering her face was any indicator, that rock had opened a head wound. Worst of all, she felt truly cold. A chill that ran into her bones. Her inner fire felt like a weak flickering candle, threatened by the lightest breeze.
Dazed, she managed to take in her surroundings. Trees. Dirt. Shrubs. The landscape was a mess. There was snow on either side of her in enormous heaps, but the area around her was ice and water. Clearly, her fire had caused an epic avalanche. There was a cliff nearby. Cuss, she’d been that close to falling off it. Wait. She recognized that cliff. A dawning realization came to her. She was back at the bottom of the mountain.
She would have screamed if she had the energy to. It wasn’t like it mattered anyway. Reide was dead. That cusser had done him in.
There was the fluttering of wings and then something large landed a few feet behind her.
For. Cuss. Sake.
Ava warily turned her head.
Her chin touched the edge of a sword held at her neck. The gray-eyed angel looked down on her. “Beg for your life,” he told her.
Ava chuckled. “Say please .”
Angelic fire burst from the blade and he drew it back to deal the finishing blow. How cussing stupid. Killed by one of the few fires she didn’t have control over. Reide would laugh if he were here. Maybe she could get in one last slash before her head was gone. She lifted her claw, not caring where the blade landed. She’d just have to strike through the heart and they could die together. That was fair, right? That meant she hadn’t really lost, even if she hadn’t won. At least the cussing angel wouldn’t win either. The moment he moved, so would she.
The blade came down. Her body twisted and her claw came up. The blade changed course at the last second, slapping her hand back. The angel kicked at her knee, causing her to fall onto her face. He knelt on top of her, pinning her down. Ava let out a nasty, guttural snarl that ended in a threatening hiss. This was it. She lost. Ava waited for the pain.
“That’s enough,” a familiar lilting voice said.
The angel stilled.
“What?” Ava gasped. She would try to look around, but she was pinned. Her mind was spinning with confusion.
Anzu chuckled. “Let her up.”
The angel moved off of her back, stepping aside. He hesitated, his sword still in his hand. “Put it away,” Anzu warned. The angel’s face was unreadable, his eyes emotionless. He slipped the sword into his scabbard.
Ava flopped over and sat up to gawk at the weather demon. “What the flying cuss! The cuss is this! The cuss is him!” She pointed accusingly at the angel. “The cuss are you doing? The cuss is happening right now? ”
Anzu chuckled. “This?” He reached out and grabbed a handful of the angel’s hair, pulling back the man’s head and exposing his neck. The angel stumbled as he was pulled back, but he didn’t flinch and made no motion to resist. “This is one of my debtors.” Anzu smirked. “He was part of your test.”
Ava gawked at him again, this time speechless. An angel debtor? Anzu had an angel in a soul contract? How! She’d heard stories, but to see one was—No! Ava grit her teeth. “You had Reide killed! I was going to make it!” Ava accused. Using a cussing angel, of all things!
Anzu started to laugh—really laugh—at her. He wiped a tear of mirth away. “Ava,” he said, growing serious. “Stop thinking with your emotions and think with your head. Would I have Reide killed?” He paused.
Ava gave him a deadpan look. “Yes.” All Reide would have to do was annoy Anzu just enough.
That made the prince laugh again. “Well, yes, you are right. But would I have him killed pointlessly?”
Ava tilted her head and considered for a long moment. “Probably not?”
Anzu gave her a side-eye. “Brimming with confidence, this one,” he said, sighing. He let go of the angel’s hair and shrugged. “My point is that he isn’t dead. Congratulations, you both passed the real thing being tested here. Your ability to keep your mouth shut.” Anzu leaned in, his eyes glinting. “I couldn’t help but notice you two were doing a little bit of snooping earlier.”
Ava’s eyes widened before one twitched. That was the cussing stupidest test she had —wait. She had passed. Holy cuss, she’d been so sure she’d failed miserably! Nothing had gone right for her or Reide! Both. He’d said both. He had actually considered Reide in this test. Anzu had never done that before. Was that good or bad?
Anzu snorted. “Well, you passed half of the test. But you didn’t reach your little pet. And you pulled a very foolish stunt back there. You’re lucky this mountain isn’t really next to the Upper. I would have killed you both if it had been.” An ominous smile filled his face. “As it is, we’ll have to intensify your mental and physical training in the future.”
Ava groaned. He was going to kill her. Slowly and painfully. Possibly with homework assignments. Anything but essays.
“I’ll expect a ten-page strategy on how you could have gotten out of your little predicament without blowing up a mountainside by this day next week,” Anzu added as if hearing her thoughts.
Ava looked at the angel. “Just kill me.”
The man met her eyes. He didn’t respond. A moment later, his eyes flicked away back to the ground.
“You’ll find that this one isn’t very much fun to play with,” Anzu commented. “Even his fear tastes bland. Sometimes I wonder if his head is hollow.” He reached out and rapped his knuckles against the angel’s skull.
Ava groaned. Just her luck. A bland angel, not even a spark to save her from her horrible future. Then a new thought occurred to her. “Wait, if Reide’s alive, where is he?”
Anzu smirked at her. “At the top of the mountain. Just like I told you. Leashed and waiting for you to come save him like a proper little dog.”
Ava groaned. How the cuss was she supposed to climb there in this state? He wouldn’t freeze to death if he had to wait a night, right?
“You haven’t forgotten you are under a time limit, have you?” Anzu asked, cocking his head, his eyes seeming to delve into her soul.
“No, master,” Ava muttered. She had other words, but master was the least painful to say out loud. She gathered her half-numb limbs underneath her and pushed up. Her body felt like gravity had doubled on her, yet she managed to claw her way onto her feet. The fox swayed a bit for a moment, then steadied herself. This mountain wasn’t going to climb itself. “See you back here in a bit.”
“Oh, and Ava, before you leave, I don’t have to tell you that the existence of my debtor here is a secret, do I?” he said in a musing tone.
“Of course not.” Ava glanced back at him. She would snap something if she had the energy, but she didn’t. Getting to Reide was all that mattered now. Stars, may she make it.
“Good,” Anzu purred.
With that, the fox made her unsteady way up the slope. Every step hurt, the cold was biting and her balance was off. She fell to her knees often enough that, eventually, she adjusted herself to move on all fours—going quadrupedal. It took more energy, but it warmed her and she didn’t fall as she worked her way up the easiest routes she could find. It was far from the pace she had before, but she crawled her way up the unforgiving mountain step by step. She did her best to find ways around cliffs, sometimes walking a mile one way or the other. Only the stars and Anzu knew how many hours she spent. Ice built up on her fur, weighing it down. She had to crawl up the steeper it got. To her relief, she didn’t run into another cave trap. She was going slow enough that she’d notice before she came to it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t wary. Anzu wouldn’t take the excuse that she was bone-weary, and she doubted he’d fish her out if she fell in one. She’d be on her own. So, she made sure another fall didn’t happen.
The light of the day had changed by the time she reached a clearing and dared to check her progress. The top of the mountain was near. Maybe just a few more minutes away. Was she really going to make it? Was Reide okay? Ava’s footsteps picked up as hope sparked next to her raw determination. She was out of breath when she reached the top. The fog of her breath blinded her for seconds as her legs threatened to give out. From her vantage point, she could look down the mountainsides for her friend, silently worried about what state she’d find him in. The snow made it difficult but, eventually, she was able to spot the saggy figure. He was heading down her way.
“Reide!” Ava croaked. She rushed, her feet tangled, and she more or less rolled toward the wolf.
“Ava!” Reide gasped. He danced back and forth on his paws, looking shocked and uncertain. For a second, Ava thought he was going to jump out of the way and let her continue to tumble down. Luckily, he caught her, and both of them fell and slid a few feet in the snow until they came to a stop.
“You’re alive!” Ava gasped.
“Me? You’re alive! Did you see the angel? Did you kill it? What about the Upper?” Reide asked. He looked her over. “Stars, you look like a popsicle. Did that cusser hurt you?”
Ava opened her mouth to expose Anzu’s lies and then remembered his warning. Damn it. “I—yeah! I cussed him up! Dead as a doorknob.” Ava coughed.
“No wonder you’re a mess,” Reide chuckled. “Congrats on killing one of those freaks. Maybe we should get a tattoo. Halos with an x through them. One for every freak killed.”
Ava forced a smile. “With our fur? It’s a cussing waste.”
Reide huffed. “True.”
“What happened to you?” Ava changed topics.
“Anzu tied me to a cussing post! Like a damn dog!” Reide sneered. “Got out, of course, though I think it was a puzzle for you. Had characters I didn’t recognize. If he asks, you did it. I don’t wanna answer any more questions than I have to after this stardust.” They both sighed, exhausted and cold. “Think you can start a little forest fire for some heat?”
Ava gave him a deadpan look. “How the cuss is that discrete?”
“I said little!” Reide protested. He pouted. “Fine. Lemme help you down this sad rock then.”
“Do we have to? Can’t Master Anzu show up?” Ava looked around with a pout.
“You know he’s not gonna do that. And I wanna get to the base of this damn thing and find a hot spring or something. Maybe I’ll eat a merchant just to tick him off,” Reide grumbled. His eyes wandered. “Hey,” he muttered. “I think I got an idea.”
“What is it?” Ava groaned. She just wanted to lie down in the snow and pass out.
Reide jerked his head at a hollowed-out log. “What if we climbed in that thing and slid down this cussing hill of rocks?”
“That old thing? It’ll shatter to a million pieces on a pebble.” Ava changed her paws to hands and pushed herself onto two legs again. She swayed, but Reide caught her. “We’d be lucky to make it twenty feet.”
“That’s twenty feet less I have to walk.” Reide grinned and dragged her to the damn log with the confidence of a seasoned mountain man or a complete fool. She knew which one he was. But in the end, she didn’t protest. She should have. She considered it. But before she could really get around to working the words out of her mouth, he’d shoved her into the log all snug and climbed in after her. At that point, she just resigned herself to whatever doom awaited her. At least she wasn’t dying alone.
“How do I get this thing started,” Reide mumbled, leaning out of the log and shoving at the snow to try to get it moving. He pawed at the snow and rocked himself back and forth, pushing against the insides of the log.
“You have to push harder than that,” Ava said. She was stuck firmly in the log—otherwise, she would have smacked him.
“I’m trying,” Reide complained. “It just needs a little more wo—”
And they were off. Ava would have thought they would start slow. But no, once cussing gravity got a hold of them, it shot them off like a magma spurt at the beginning of an eruption. They both were screaming. The sky was spinning, and Ava’s arms were getting splinters through her fur. She was getting splinters. They bounced off a rock and Ava thought they would shatter like she’d claimed earlier, but then she realized they’d gone off a cussing cliff. The two of them fought over who could hit the highest note while they fell. Then they hit the snow again, bouncing off trees like they were in a whiffle board. Reide got sick all over her, which made Ava get sick all over him, which made Reide get sick all over again.
The log hit a tree at an awkward angle, which sent it flying end over end this time. It was like each of them was one end of a boomerang, and they just kept spinning. The world was a blur.
The log finally shattered when they hit another rock, spilling the two of them into a messy heap. Ava planted in the snow on her face, her legs in the air. She never wanted to see snow. Ever again.
They lay there for a good while before Reide rolled over, groaning. “Did we make it twenty feet?
“I am going to kill you,” Ava promised. “Then I will bring you back as a snowman and kill you again for good measure.”
Reide let out his husky laugh. He knew she wouldn’t. “At least you didn’t walk?”
“My splinters have splinters,” Ava groaned.
“At least you can burn them off.” Reide rolled over and flopped on his side a foot closer to her. “I have to get rid of them the old-fashioned way.”
“I can burn them for you,” Ava offered.
“I prefer splinters over blisters,” Reide said deadpan, staring at the sky.
“Well, now you’ll just have both,” Ava promised.
“C’mon!” Reide whined. “It worked! We didn’t even break anything!” Ava gave him an unimpressed look. “Okay, yeah, let’s just clean up and get outta here.”
With that, the two of them made their way down the last stretch of the mountain. They had made it farther than twenty feet, much to Reide’s delight. They’d pretty much made it all the way down, just a mile shy of the base. It was a miserable mile, and Ava spent the entire time complaining to Reide. But somehow it was easier than that horrible, lonely night before had been. The sun was high above their heads when they reached the bottom. When Ava caught sight of her master, she’d intended to give him a piece of her mind about this cussing test, but for some reason, her brain wasn’t listening to her anymore. And before she knew it, she had collapsed on the ground.
Reide stumbled and fell with Ava. He tried to catch her but ended up using himself more as a cushion. He looked up at the demon prince, his head spinning.
Anzu looked down at Ava and chuckled. “Good job, pup,” he muttered. “At least your endurance is something quite precocious to behold.”
There was something off about this situation. It took Reide a moment or two to put a paw on it. He tilted his head to the side, bleary-eyed. “Wasn’t the time limit before sunrise?” He looked up at the pale clouds, trying to see the sun hidden behind them. It was daytime now. Even in his stupor, he could see that.
Anzu raised his brow. He turned, opening a portal in the ground. He glanced back at Reide. “You didn't really think I'd abandon my own fledgling on the Surface, did you?” He chuckled. “It would put me in a rather bad position with the angels, now wouldn't it? Foolish mutt.” He turned back to the portal, and with that, they stepped through.