Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
I hiss at him. “Go ahead and do it, you big old, winged bat. You don’t scare me.” I look around wild-eyed at this place called Hell and scream, “None of you scare me.”
The king arches an eyebrow and slowly rises from his throne, his massive wings stretching outward. I should be scared, but I’ve lost all common sense. I’m either immersed in the worst but most vivid nightmare imaginable, or I’m on the precipice of eternal suffering, which I undoubtedly deserve for killing Vince.
Looking like an angel of death, the king doesn’t walk my way. Instead, he pulls his arm back hard and as if invisible ropes were tied around me, I fly toward him. I crash onto the rock bridge, sliding to a stop right at his booted feet.
I look up, pushing my hair out of my face to find him staring down at me. He’s utterly terrifying as he towers above. The silky-looking wings arch high over his blond head as they settle against his back.
“Aren’t you quite the feisty girl?” he says in a rich baritone as he squats before me. His fingers come under my chin, pushing my head up for a better look.
I snarl at him. “I’ll have your balls for lunch if you let me have that dagger on your hip.”
Surprisingly, his lips twitch as if he’s fighting back a smile. But maybe I imagined it because he stands straight and looks to Calix. “The charges?”
“Murder,” the man replies as he consults the scroll. “Oddly, just before she died herself. Tied a man to her bed and slit his throat.”
The king’s eyes come back down to me. “You really do like cutting into men.”
“You’re not a man,” I snap.
“No, I’m not,” he agrees. “How did you die so suddenly after you committed murder? Did you kill yourself?”
I press my lips shut. I’m not about to provide fodder for him and those watching.
Calix chuckles, however, and my head turns his way. His eyes pinned on the scroll, he says, “It appears she tried to cross a street and stepped in front of a bus.”
The king winces. “Ouch. That had to hurt.” He then rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Murder usually earns you a one-way ticket into the river, but there’s a reason Zora sent you here for judgment.”
Zora. The person Calix called the god of Death.
“Are you sorry for what you did, human?” the king asks.
“I’d do it all again if you put me back in that same position,” I choke out. I’m operating on little control over my words and actions. I know my full demise is mere seconds away because I’ve watched this creature throw every other person into the river. He’s going to do the same to me, and I want everyone to know that I have no fucking regrets.
King Amell tilts his head, his brows furrowed. “Would you, now? You know you’re pretty much demanding I toss you over.”
“Do it, then,” I hiss, then to add insult, “You nasty buzzard.”
Pressing his thumb to his chin, he rubs his lower lip with his finger as he considers me. After what seems like forever, his hand drops and I close my eyes, knowing I’m about to be hurled.
“I think you might be fun to play with,” the king says, and my eyes pop open to stare at him in shock.
But he’s not looking at me anymore. Instead, there’s another wave of his hand and a thick metal collar appears around my neck. Chains are attached to the front and connect to shackles on my wrists.
He turns his back as he issues orders. “Take her to the castle.”
One of the guards jerks me up by the arm and drags me across the bridge toward the massive structure of spires. I don’t think to struggle against him because I’ve earned a reprieve from that river. I don’t know what awaits me, but it has to be a step up from eternal damnation.
I twist my neck and look over my shoulder just in time to see Amell flick another person over the edge. The screams shred my ears, and the cheers from the crowd terrify me. While I didn’t see any joy or pleasure in his task, the king doesn’t look distressed by his duties.
Just another day at the office.
As I’m brought into the castle, my jaw drops at the size of the building. In the massive entryway, the ceiling rises so high into spires that I can’t see the tops of some. The walls and floors are done in a black tile polished to such a sheen I can see my reflection clear as glass. It looks like a version of me walking upside down in pace with my own steps, and it’s disorienting.
I’m boggled as we pass people—no, not people—creatures. Some look like humans, some look like monsters. Some look like a combination of both.