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Leviathan let out a feral growl and I spun, pressing my back against the bars, expecting the end, but Leviathan’s attention was focused on the dark beyond us. He slowly turned, blocking whoever it was from entering the small courtyard.
His tail whipped towards me and looped around my waist. I had a moment of panic, and I reached for my knife. Leviathan lifted me before I could unclasp my weapon, but his grip, while firm, was not crushing like it would have been if he meant harm. Besides, my knife was only vibrating on low, which meant the danger wasn’t close.
When Leviathan placed me on the back of his neck and released, I blinked at the awe-inspiring view. Beyond the desert-like ground we were standing on lay a great chain of mountains that looped around this barren plain. The mountain range split in two distinct landscapes, one lush and green with snow-capped peaks and the other as dark as the desert with a vast opening to what looked like the belly of a volcano carved into the mountainside. The glow was as chill-inducing as the army marching towards us like a dangerous lava flow, and there was no escape.
Leviathan stood, growling at the army of reapers collected in the distance. When he turned toward the direction I had come from, I saw three lumbering figures, two dressed in black and the third looked completely out of place on the desolate plains of Purgatory.
“Is that Promethis?” I asked calculating the distance.
Leviathan sniffed. “No,” his voice pierced the air. “Promethis leads the demon army.”
I inhaled, my gaze bouncing from the mass of doom to the trio and I narrowed my eyes, studying the party of three. The two reapers were easy to identify, and I could almost bet they were Ben and Danny, but it took a moment to identify the third and my heart doubled-down.
The third was human and I stared, my throat barely able to draw a breath, looking for the long blonde mane blowing in the gentle wind. After a few strides, I got enough of a glimpse to confirm the figure was not female. Or at least it wasn’t Julia and relief swept through me.
“I think those are the friends I asked you to leave alone.”
“Mhm,” Leviathan confirmed and licked his lips. He turned his head so he could see me out of the side of his left eye. “I agreed to not harm the reapers.”
I glanced back at the small party approaching, still unable to identify who was with Danny and Ben, but my guess was Noah and a twinge of regret blasted through my form.
“He’s probably the only one that can open the cell,” I said, meeting Leviathan’s gaze. “So you can’t have him for lunch.”
Irritation made a brief appearance and then Leviathan nodded. I waved from my perch and the reapers stopped. Their white faces visible in the recognizable glamour of Ben and Danny and they stared with wide eyes and dropped jaws. The kid behind them stepped into view and my heart dropped into my stomach. All illusions of setting my father free just vanished.
“Well, maybe you can have him for lunch,” I muttered, knowing it was petty, but seeing Joe instead of Noah really made for a colossally shitty day.
Leviathan’s stomach rumbled and his eyebrow rose.
“Long story,” I said and gave him a soft pat. “And I’m just kidding. You can’t eat him.”
Disappointment traced its way through his features and we both refocused on the small band.
Ben stopped at the edge of the building, sparks forming on his fingers in uncertain flashes.
“Leviathan’s cool,” I said and pointed toward the advancing army. “But they aren’t.”
The beast lowered his head to the ground, allowing me to hop off onto the dirt next to him. I gave him a nod of thanks and faced my two friends and my earthly nemesis.
Joe’s face held a paper-white quality as he stared up at Leviathan. Fear radiated from every pore, and I cleared my throat, capturing his attention. He blinked and met my gaze, his fear transitioning to that belligerent anger I was used to.
His fists clenched and he stepped toward me but the growl Leviathan let loose stopped him in his tracks.
“Cool pet,” Danny said from behind.
“He isn’t my pet,” I said, setting the record straight. “He’s free to do what he chooses.”
The surprise on their face made me chuckle and I looked up at my new alliance. “Right?”
“Yes,” he said and the two reapers stepped back in utter shock. His chuckle rocked the landscape.
“I told you he was too intelligent to be faked out,” I said and shoved my hand in my pocket, pulling at the key.
“It’s just we never heard him talk,” Danny said.
“An unfortunate side effect of the chain that bound me,” he answered and looked down at me in that fiercely protective way that made me shift. It was like having a starving but loyal wild dog as your ally. You never knew when they might turn.
“We never saw you unbound,” Ben said and bowed his head, acknowledging the creature’s greatness.
I twirled the key between my fingers. “He needs to unlock the door behind us.” I nodded toward Joe and the bastard crossed his arms, putting on a defiant expression that made me want to punch him again.
I pressed my lips together and traded glances with Ben and Danny before returning my gaze to Joe’s. “My father is being held in there and I can’t open the door. Neither can they. It seems any bloodline relative of my father’s doesn’t have the ability to make this key work.”
“Fuck you, Ramsay.”
“You realize I’m the only person standing between you and my friend here,” I said and gave Leviathan’s leg a pat. “He would prefer to have you for lunch.”
I nearly laughed when Leviathan leaned forward and sniffed Joe, before licking his lips.
“He smells quite tasty, are you sure I can’t eat him?”
Danny and Ben looked down, hiding their smirks, but I played on Leviathan’s lead.
I looked up at the dragon-beast and then tapped the key to my lips before meeting Joe’s gaze. The arrogant defiance had crumbled to shaking fear and his eyes pleaded with me to reconsider my position. I waited for him to retract his statement out loud. When I kept silent, he shifted, glancing up at Leviathan before looking back at me.
“Come on, Ramsay,” he started and flinched when Leviathan shifted. “You’re the reason I’m here,” he added, his voice cracking with the strain.
“True,” I conceded and glanced toward the fiery gate in the distance. Pointing my finger, I said, “If it wasn’t for me, I gather you would have already been introduced to that.”
His face paled even more. “Wha... what’s that,” he stuttered.
“Hell.”
The word hung like dirty laundry and Joe’s expression crumbled. He turned toward Ben and Danny, looking for confirmation and they shrugged.
“You’ve been a jackass all your life, picking on weaker kids, what’d you expect?” Danny said.
Leviathan growled a warning. “You might want to speed this up. Promethis is gaining ground.”
“This is your one chance to redeem yourself,” I said, not really knowing if we had the power to change his destination or not, but it was worth a shot.
I didn’t get the same type of warning glare from either Ben or Danny, so I assumed my option was valid. “Unlock my father and he will take you to heaven, or I’ll let Leviathan chomp you to pieces, bit by bit, before they drag you to hell.” I pointed to hell’s gate.
The army crested the horizon and Joe’s head bobbed in a continuous nod like he suddenly became a bobble-head.
“Joe,” I snapped and he briefly diverted his gaze from the blood-chilling sight. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched but his dread-filled gaze turned back to Promethis and his burning henchmen.