The name of the vision lingered unspoken between them, sharp as the scent of steel before a strike. Seraphira's blood still tingled from the cut, the sting reminding her that bargains always drew their price in more than flesh.
Kaelreth did not pace, pacing was for men. He prowled, each stride measured and deadly, the air thickening with his temper.
A mortal king, he said at last, voice low enough to scrape against bone. One bold enough to curse a royal heir of the shapeshifter clans. His gaze snapped to hers. You should not exist.
Seraphira bristled. I'm standing right here.
That's the problem. His mouth curved, not quite a smile, more the ghost of one. A curse like that… it wasn't meant for survival. If you lived, it was because someone interfered.
The witch's spirit drifted lazily along the circle's edge, clearly savoring the chaos she'd lit. Perhaps, Devil King, you should be asking why the curse was made. Or better… what fear drove it.
Kaelreth ignored her, though the flicker in his eyes betrayed that he'd heard. If this king is still breathing, he's a threat. If he's not… He turned toward the obsidian wall, where a faint shimmer of magic marked the hidden doors to the Underworld's map chamber. We will find him. And I will carve his heart from his chest.
Seraphira crossed her arms. And what then? I've been cursed for years, killing him won't undo it.
No, Kaelreth agreed, his tone like the promise of a storm, but it will end the hand that holds the blade. And if your curse was bound by mortal power, the key to breaking it may lie in mortal blood.
The logic chilled her, but the fire of her vision, the cruel amber eyes, the words that had doomed her burned hotter. Then let's go.
He gave her a long look, one that weighed the cost against the necessity. You'll travel in shadow. Few mortals survive seeing the Devil King on their soil, and fewer still survive recognizing him.
The spirit drifted closer, her voice a silken thread. Take her into their lands, and you'll draw more eyes than the sun itself. Unless… Her gaze slid to Seraphira. You change what they see.
Kaelreth's eyes narrowed. I will not hide her.
Seraphira stepped forward. If it gets us there faster, hide me. I don't care how.
The Devil King's jaw flexed. Care, little flame. Because once I set that spell, you won't look like yourself again until I undo it. And I will not do it until our hunt is over.
She met his gaze without flinching. Then do it.
The corner of his mouth curved, dark and approving. Very well.