Chapter 15
The rain felt like tiny bullets as it pounded against my skin, and the thunder’s roars became the perfect soundtrack for everything that went on around me. It wasn’t blood rain like we experienced in Scholomance, but it was still harsh enough to soak through our clothing.
I never looked away from the Elder Lord as I planned my next move, and I watched as he easily cleared a path with a swipe of his hands. Men, women, and creatures were forced to the sides from the power in his palms, and he strode along the grass like he owned the damn place.
Well, I was about to make him see things differently.
I thought through the various spells and charms I had at my disposal, and I briefly thought about which one would give me the outcome I most desired. As long as he died, that was all that mattered to me, but I wanted to do it in a way that gave me an added rush of adrenaline and excitement. I also knew this bastard was far more powerful than the others I’d faced recently, so it was likely he’d break free from any binding hex I threw his way.
But before I could finalize my plans, I spotted a burning ball of white light in the Elder Lord’s palm, and he threw it in my direction with a flick of his wrist. The light hurtled through the air at great speeds, but I had just enough time to crouch behind the stone statue before the light could hit me. The burning ball smashed into the statue, and pieces of rock exploded all around me.
His attack caused my anger to boil, and I jumped to my feet with a strong sense of determination. A red light formed in my hand, and as I stepped into the clearing, I eyed up the Elder Lord and threw the light in his direction. Fortunately, my army had the sense to clear out of the way, but the elder men weren’t as intelligent.
Before my shot could reach the Elder Lord, a feeble man ran into its path. The red light glanced off his side, and the strength of the charm caused his entire body to explode into chunks of flesh and bones.
Then, before his blood could settle, I formed a second red light and threw again.
I watched the light as it made its way toward my enemy, and it appeared as if the shot was going to hit the Elder Lord straight in the chest. The light drew closer and closer until it was barely inches away, but then it suddenly detonated like a bomb in mid-air. The Elder Lord hadn’t moved a muscle, and none of his men around him had caused the shot to fail, so I knew the Elder Lord had created some sort of invisible shield to hide behind.
“Motherfucker,” I spat under my breath. “Let the games begin.”
I didn’t know anything about the invisible shield, so I didn’t know what could and couldn’t penetrate it, and I also had no idea how long the feeble lord planned to stay behind it.
However, what I did know was that I needed to break it if I had any chance at killing him.
“My lord,” Theodora said as I sauntered across the grassy land. “What do you need us to do?”
The headmistress placed a caring hand on my shoulder, and although it wasn’t much, the touch alone helped my tense muscles to calm down, and I felt the release as the anger slowly subsided.
Although this was a one-on-one fight, I wasn’t alone in this war.
“We need to break that wall,” I said as I stared at my opponent on the other side of the field. “But it won’t be easy. It’s going to take something strong.”
“Then you’re the best person to do it.” Theodora smiled.
I brought my eyes away from the Elder Lord for a split second to look over at Theodora. Her purple, laced dress was ripped at the shoulders, and her black hair, which had been styled beautifully on top of her head, was now just a messy knot at the nape of her neck. The headmistress had some blood smeared across her cheeks, but it hadn’t taken away from her stunning beauty.
“Think about his weaknesses,” Lilith said as she joined us. “Think about what makes him tick.”
“Me,” I snickered. “There’s nothing he hates more in this world than me. However…”
I glanced over at the Elder Lord as I ran the thoughts through my head. There was one thing he wanted, and one thing he was after, which I now had in my possession.
The artifacts.
It had been his intention to take the five deadly objects to augment his power in the war, but I’d gotten to them first, and I knew how much that angered him. Now that I had the added power in my reborn body, I wondered if it would work in my favor. My mind-control incantation worked on Agelos, but would it work on the Elder Lord, too?
It could be his mind was too strong for me to take over, but if I managed to get into his head, I could potentially make him break down the wall. Then my army could fire their shots at him while I weakened him from the inside, and I could return to my body with just enough time to kill him.
I needed to make sure he didn’t create another shield to defend himself with, but it seemed like the only possible plan.
“I know what I need to do,” I said as I wiped my face clean from the rain. “But in order to do this, I need to have everyone’s full attention.”
“You know we’ll give you that,” Theodora replied. “Whatever you need us to do, we’ll do it, master.”
The Elder Lord stood behind his shield with a smug smile on his fucking face, but I noticed he hadn’t aimed more balls of light at me. And it made me think perhaps his shield stopped him from firing his own weapons, and he simply stood there like the pussy he was.
I wanted to know what was going on inside his head, and why he’d decided to hide like a scared animal, but there was only one way to get my answers.
The war continued on either side of me, but it was clear my army was winning by a long mile, which made it easier to take a few people away from the fight. I discussed my plan with Theodora and Lilith, and both of them were just as keen on the idea as I was, so then I began to select certain witches to stand guard around me.
I chose some Viperian witches, some of my own coven, and even a few demons to create a wall as I summoned the mind-control spell. I didn’t want to take the strongest members away from the army, but I also didn’t want to leave myself in a vulnerable position, so I went for an even mix.
“Lilith and Theodora,” I said as I looked at each woman in turn. “I need you to aim for that fucking shield, and you’ll know once he’s managed to drop it. Don’t use anything too powerful, like one of the killing curses, because we don’t know what that would do to me, but make sure it’s strong enough to break through the barrier.”
“Of course,” Lilith replied.
“You have my word.” Theodora nodded.
“The rest of you,” I said as I peered at my chosen group. “Continue to fire at these men, and kill as many of them as possible, but make sure to protect me. My body will be weakened while I’m channeling that spell, so one shot could be fatal.”
The group nodded their heads, and all of them, including the demons, promised to work as a team. I never quite knew how the demons were going to react around the witches, but it pleased me to see they followed my commands despite how they may have felt.
Once everyone was in place, and the wall had been created around me, I took several deep breaths to clear my mind as much as possible, and then I sliced my palm and closed my eyes.
“Mentis imperium,” I said with a firm tone.
The same yellow haze from earlier returned, and like last time, I soared through the air with a perfect bird’s-eye view of everything going on down below. The yellow haze reached the elder army, but this time I didn’t have to decide who to pick.
Then I traveled closer toward the Elder Lord, and that was when I noticed his invisible shield was no longer invisible. This spell had shown its true colors, and the shield was nothing but a solid black wall that covered the Elder Lord from all angles. I forced myself further forward, but I couldn’t get any closer once I’d reached the black wall.
I used every ounce of strength and energy to try and break the barrier, yet it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard I tried.
But I wasn’t going to give up. The Elder Lord proved himself to be a pussy who hid behind walls and inside steel huts, but that wasn’t me. I wouldn’t have come this far if I was going to back down when things didn’t go my way.
There had to be a way to get through that shield. I just needed to find it.
It almost felt like I’d reached a bolted door, and no amount of force was going to break it down, but all I needed was a key to unlock it.
So, where did the Elder Lord hide his spare key?
As I pushed myself against the shield, I thought back to a time I’d been face to face with the Elder Lord, and when Samara and I had battled him together, I overpowered the asshole because I’d used his holiness against him.
And if it worked against him then, it should work against the shield now.
I’d pictured a spell burning through his clothing and penetrating his heart, but this time I imagined it tearing a hole in the black wall instead of his robes. I felt a thumping pain pound against the side of my head as I worked both spells at once, but I ignored the discomfort as best as I could and focused purely on reaching my goal.
A soft purple light then appeared in the middle of the wall, and it reminded me of a burning ember as it connected with a flammable item. The purple light increased in size, and it trickled further along the wall at a rapid pace. I threw everything I had at the glow, and the thumping pain continued to take over my head, but then something changed.
The light slowly dimmed, and a hole appeared in its place. I spotted the Elder Lord on the other side, but it didn’t seem as if he knew what had happened. His icy-blue eyes were set on something in the distance, and I could just make out his hands balled into fists at his sides. There was a clear look of anger on his face, and I knew he must have been looking at the wall of witches who’d surrounded my body.
His mind was within touching distance, and as the yellow mist seeped into his safety bubble, I traveled along with it and reached out to take the Elder Lord in my clutches.
Like with Agelos, a strange sensation washed over me as I connected with my victim, and the Elder Lord’s constant babble of thoughts were almost enough to drown out my own. Now that I was in his mind, the black wall vanished, and I once again had the perfect view of the war. Dragons soared through the air as they chased after the few remaining serpens, men shouted and screamed from all sides, and my witches and Hell creatures charged and cried out in anger. But I pushed that to the side and focused on the real issue at hand.
The Elder Lord thought about ways of killing me, how my lifeless body would look in his hands, but he also thought about the witches who protected me. He couldn’t understand how someone could side with someone like me, but I felt the same way about him.
I show loyalty to my army, I said in a mocking tone. Your men are nothing but fucking cowards, but I guess that sums you up perfectly.
“Ah, I wondered when you’d arrive,” the Elder Lord cackled.
I’d prefer it if you’d drop your shield, but clearly you’re too scared to face me in person, I replied. You’ve spent the entire time hiding in that pathetic hut, creating a poison which is now rotting through the floorboards. And all for what? What were your plans?
The Elder Lord tried his best to keep his thoughts at bay, and he did whatever he could to hide the secret from me, but my spell was far too powerful, and it wasn’t long before I knew the entire thing. He’d wanted to wait on the sidelines as our armies battled each other, and then he’d go after me once my defense had dropped, and my energy was limited. That was his incredible idea, and he was certain it was going to work.
Clearly your plans weren’t as strong as you thought they were, I snickered. You’re nothing but a terrified elder, and this shield you’ve created says it all.
“I’m strong enough to kill you,” he spat. “But I’ll make you watch your fucking witches suffer before that happens.”
As he said those words, strings of light rained down against the wall, and I looked through the elder leader’s eyes to see Lilith and Theodora in the distance. They’d summoned a few more witches and undead warlocks, and everyone shot at the shield with everything they had.
Drop your protection, I ordered. Go on, I dare you.
The Elder Lord wanted to obey my rules now that I controlled him, but he was adamant it wasn’t going to happen. I repeated my command, but it felt like I was battling with myself. One side of me ordered the demand, yet the other side refused to listen, and I knew it was going to take much more power on my half to get this miserable motherfucker to play along.
You’re pissed I got to the artifacts first, I said. You wanted to wipe out every realm, and keep the objects for yourself, but now they’re in my control, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“Oh, you sad, puny little Wicca,” the Elder Lord laughed. “You really believe those five objects were going to be enough to overrule me? You clearly know nothing about me, or the god-power I hold. I am the creator of all light and goodness in the universe, and I cannot be stopped.”
Was that why you hid? I asked. Why you’ve barely been seen since the battle began? Because you hold more strength than anyone on this field? Sure, that makes sense. Now, drop the shield.
I could sense the Elder Lord was tempted to remove his protective shield, and a string of profanities entered my mind as the leader shouted at himself. Then, as he refused for a second time, I conjured up a different plan. The spell had worked to penetrate the black wall, so now I needed to see if it had the same effect on the Elder Lord.
I imagined the same purple light as before, but this time I directed it against the leader’s brain. A burning sensation pierced me in the chest as the light took over me, but I fought through it and focused on the body I was inhabiting.
My army continued to aim their wands at the shield, the harsh rain and thunder attacked us from all sides, and the constant screams echoed through the clear wall. The Elder Lord mentally shouted and roared as he tried to fight me off, but there wasn’t much he could have done.
Motus.
I silently mumbled the ancient, Satanic spell, and the purple light began to deepen in both color and size. No matter how much the Elder Lord tried to fight it, nothing could defend him from this spell, but still his holiness ordered him not to succumb to my force.
The leader let out an ear-splitting scream as I pushed my sinful, Wicca being further into his brain. Every cell in his body refused my presence, and his holy nature battled against my dark, Satanic force.
Give up, I teased. Admit to yourself that you’re incapable of fighting me off.
Then a dark, dirty laugh filled my head, and as the Elder Lord mocked my abilities, a white light appeared in his vision. He wrestled against my spell with one of his own, and I could almost see the purple and white lights connecting together. The more I forced into the spell, the more the purple light took over, and I knew it was only going to be a matter of minutes before one of us won.
And I was determined to be the victor.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, or how long I’d been in the Elder Lord’s mind for, and then suddenly it all stopped.
A flash of blinding, purple light hit the Elder Lord straight in the eyes, and he lost his footing as the glare knocked him off-balance.
I instantly knew I had full control, and had I not cared about how the war ended, I would have made the Elder Lord kill himself there and then.
Drop the shield, I said one final time. Otherwise, I’ll transport you to Hell quicker than you can even mutter my name.
“You’re going to suffer a slow, painful--” the Elder Lord growled.
Ah, ah, ah, I said before the man could finish his sentence. That doesn’t look like you’re dropping your guard.
Despite how much he didn’t want to back down, there was only so much the Elder Lord could do. Then, as he thought about how much he hated my fucking guts, the leader muttered a spell under his breath, and a silver shimmer appeared in front of him as the wall slowly fell to pieces.
Theodora and Lilith’s spells rained down on the Elder Lord, and I felt the rush of pain he experienced as they hit his bare flesh.
“Fucking whores,” he spat. “I’m going to kill every last one of you.”
I was about to remind the Elder Lord who he was talking about, but I had to get back to my own body as quickly as I could, and I wanted to leave the depths of his mind as quickly as possible.
Then I forced myself to leave the Elder Lord, and the yellow mist formed around me as I swooped back over toward the wall of protection my body stood behind. I slammed into my body at such speeds that it felt like I’d hit a brick wall, but I was too busy concentrating on the war to feel any possible pain or discomfort.
When I’d returned from being in Agelos’ mind, it had taken a second for me to fully function again, but I used every ounce of energy I had to get my body moving so I could aim for the Elder Lord in my physical form. I stumbled around on my feet for a brief moment as I found my bearings, and then I pushed two demons aside to let me pass.
“My lord, are you okay?” Evanora asked as I wandered into the clearing.
“I’m more than okay.” I smirked at the pink-haired professor. “It’s time this asshole receives the death he deserves.”
I glared down the grassy field at the Elder Lord and watched his every move. Theodora and Lilith were still aiming at him, but he hadn’t summoned another shield, so he was out in the open like a vulnerable animal.
Just where I needed him.
“Stand down,” I said to the women as I came up beside them.
“My lord, are you sure?” Lilith asked. “Do you need a second to recover from the spell?”
“I don’t need any time at all,” I replied.
“Then you know what you need to do.” My mother smiled.
And Lilith was right, I did know what I needed to do, and so did everyone else on this bloody field.
I raised my right hand in the air and waited for the Elder Lord to catch sight of me, and then I attacked.
“Motus!” I shouted.
“Minimo!” the Elder Lord called out at the same time as I did.
It was the same thing that had happened while I was in his mind, but this time it happened right in front of me. The purple light from my spell smacked into the white light of his own, and I put everything I had into pushing back against him.
My feet slipped against the sodden ground as the thunder and lightning crashed and boomed around me, but I focused solely on the Elder Lord. He was too far away for me to see his reactions, but if he was anything like me, then I knew his tense muscles would have been straining against his flesh, and a pool of sweat would have covered his forehead.
I ignored the cramp that formed in my legs, and then I planted my feet firmly against the ground in order to get as much grip as possible. The Elder Lord could have killed me in a split second if I lost my balance, and from the amount of rain that fell, it was possible it could have happened.
“Come on!” I yelled as I pushed my body even harder.
The purple light slowly creeped further forward, but there was still a long way to go before I’d overpowered the Elder Lord.
“You’ve got this, Cole,” Della said.
“Keep going, master, you can do it,” Vesta added.
“Kill that son of a bitch,” Samara snarled.
I faintly heard the women around me offering their words of support, but I had to drown them out, despite how much I loved hearing them. One tiny mistake could have been the difference between life or death, and I could celebrate with everyone later once we’d won the war.
Then I began to take slow, short steps toward my opponent, and I noticed he started to do the same. It wouldn’t take long for us to reach each other, and I knew I needed to have the upper-hand by the time I got there, otherwise it would have been too easy for the Elder Lord to win.
I pushed myself harder with every step I took, and my entire body vibrated from the force that raced through me. My hand began to cramp in the position I held it in, the sharp raindrops battered my face, and my clothes were stuck to me like a second skin, but I powered on and continued to charge forward.
The closer I got, the more I managed to see. The Elder Lord’s face strained from the pressure, and he grasped onto his arm with his spare hand to keep his spell in place. His toga was so wet I could see through to his chest, and his golden crown sat at an old angle on his head. It looked as though he was struggling to stay upright, and I used his sign of vulnerability to keep going.
It felt like I was pushing against a brick wall that refused to budge, or perhaps a creature as large and as powerful as Japner. I knew the Elder Lord would have felt the same thing on the other side, but I just needed to find his weakness, and then his life would be mine to take.
His men around him were all but gone, and I hadn’t lost a single member of my army. The Elder Lord was alone on his field, and he knew that. He didn’t have the ability to summon any other holy followers while he channeled his minimo spell, but even if he did, there wouldn’t have been enough of them to do any damage to us.
The one thing the Elder Lord hated more than me was the feeling of being alone and unloved. He was used to his followers dropping to their knees, believing the bullshit that spewed from his mouth, and sacrificing themselves for him. But now he was alone, and there was no one around to speak crap about how brilliant and wonderful he was. Even the majority of the faithful, fucking serpens had died, and the dragons only needed to kill off one more.
That was the weakness I needed to focus on.
“Look around you, you pathetic fuck,” I growled as I continued to push my body. “Look at what’s left of your miserable army.”
“I’m not like you, Wicca,” he snorted. “I don’t need these whores to spread their legs for me like they do for you.”
“Funny, that’s not what you said when you lost Samara,” I laughed. “In fact, I think you were desperate for her to return.”
My plan was working.
I felt his spell ease up with every word I said, so I continued to remind him about how alone he was in this world. Minutes passed, and the imaginary wall I faced moved back further and further as I took a step closer.
Then, suddenly, before either of us could prepare ourselves, an almighty crash echoed around us as the Elder Lord’s spell broke, and I took full control.
I wanted to laugh and celebrate my victory, but he wasn’t dead yet.
The purple light from my hands worked its way up the Elder Lord’s body, and it slowly began to wrap itself around his neck. As the light constricted him, the Elder Lord let out a strangled groan, and his eyes widened, yet I just tightened the grip around his throat.
He still had the ability to shoot his spells in my direction, but he didn’t have an army behind him for defense. I always had someone at my sides to force the spells back in his direction, and the witches seemed to take it in turns to step forward and offer me their protection.
Then I tightened my hand into a fist, and an evil smirk crossed my face as I felt the pressure that wrapped around his windpipe. His neck was close to snapping, and he only had a few seconds left before he stopped breathing. Then the Elder Lord lowered his hands as his body slumped, and he no longer had the ability to summon any spells.
This was it, the moment I’d been waiting for, and now it was finally happening. I used my final ounce of strength to force everything I had into my incantation, and as the purple light twisted around his neck like a snake, I heard the beautiful sound of his bones being crushed inside his body.
Then his blue eyes rolled back into his head, and the color instantly drained from his face.
At long last, the Elder Lord was dead.
The only sound I heard as the pathetic god dropped to the ground was the constant thumping of my heart. For a second, I’d almost thought the war wasn’t going to end, but the gray and lifeless body at my feet was proof that only one of us was ever going to win.
But then an idea came to mind as I stared down at his corpse. I could have easily thrown the Elder Lord into a fire, but there was no fun in that, so instead of leaving his body to rot, I crouched down beside him and clicked my fingers, and a glass jar appeared in my palm.
I wanted to take the Elder Lord’s soul with me, so his torture could live on forever.
I held one hand over his cold, dead heart, with the jar positioned at an angle beside my hand, and then I mumbled an incantation. “Anima.”
The Elder Lord’s chest vibrated beneath my hand, and I felt the sensation move further up his body until it bubbled in his throat. Then his mouth opened, and a string of silver light lifted and twirled out from his body. I followed his soul with the jar, and I used the cork lid to trap it in the small container. The Elder Lord’s soul took up every inch of space, and the silver light floated around the jar like water.
I slipped the small container safely into my pocket until I found the right person to deal with it. I couldn’t allow his soul to disappear now that I literally had it in my hands.
Then I stood up straight as the real world came crashing down.
It took a minute for me to fully grasp onto what had happened, and it took another minute to realize what would happen now.
The Elder Lord was dead, his deceased army of holy followers littered every inch of the ground around me, and now the universe was mine to control. Every living creature would follow my rules and leadership, and nothing was ever going to change that.
My entire existence had been spent fighting against these holy fuckers, but it had all vanished in the blink of an eye, and I had a feeling it was going to take a while for that realization to fully sink in.
I’d been so busy wrapping my head around what had happened that I hadn’t noticed the uproar from the people around me.
Witches and warlocks cheered and clapped, Dolroth and the Hell creatures laughed and celebrated in their own special ways, and I smiled as I took in their excitement.
“Cole, you did it!” Faye shouted from somewhere behind me.
“I knew you could, my lord,” Revna added.
“I never had any doubt,” Circe said.
Then I turned around to face my women and noticed the entire coven standing together. Astrid and Freyja held each other in a warm embrace, Theodora, Lilith, and Vanessa had their arms linked together, and the rest of the coven simply grinned and clapped their hands.
“The Elder Lord is dead!” I shouted with my arms raised up in the air.
My army cheered louder, and the ground vibrated beneath my feet as everyone jumped up and down in delight. I returned the hugs that came my way, and my women gave me a kiss on the cheek as they thanked me for everything I’d done. Undead warlocks shook my hand, the hellish beings bowed their heads, and I knew it would take a lot to wipe the grins from their faces. Then the sky lit up with fire as the dragons celebrated in their own special way.
The evening’s celebrations were definitely going to be something to remember, and I couldn’t wait for them to get started.
But first, we had to deal with the mess we’d left on the field.
“We’ll work together to burn these bodies or send them straight to Hell where they belong,” I announced as loudly as I could. “Once the dead have been dealt with, our festivities may begin.”
“Can’t we just start the celebrations now, and leave the men to decompose into the ground?” Akira asked as she kicked a random elder corpse.
“No,” I replied. “We must show respect to the people of Dirotall, and at least attempt to clean up the mess we’ve made.”
“Okay, fine,” she sighed with a playful roll of her eyes. “But can I eat something first? I mean, this baby needs to eat.”
Akira rubbed her flat stomach with one hand, and I noticed how Faye had copied the black-haired witch’s movements.
“Of course, you can,” I said. “Just make sure you help the others while you do it.”
Then, with a click of their fingers, Akira and Faye made a shiny, red apple appear in their hands, and they each bit into the fruit with a satisfied look in their eyes. The witches let out moans as they chewed and swallowed each bite, but everyone else simply laughed at the women’s sudden need to eat.
There was a wonderful, pleasant feeling in the air, and that same sensation continued as we worked together to clear the field. Several bonfires were created, which the elders were thrown into, and I noticed some people were using Japner to transport large piles of bodies. The giant held at least fifty corpses in his arms, and then he stormed across the field and practically threw them into the flames. The fire crackled and popped as the bodies were dropped into it, and the delicious scent of burning flesh wafted through the air.
I noticed the storm had helped to wash away the majority of the blood on the grass, but a group of undead warlocks had been put in charge of cleaning up the rest. All they had to do was click their fingers, and the stains would vanish.
It was up to me to decide what to do with the Elder Lord, and I got to decide which punishment he deserved. I’d already planned out the first part, so now I just had to put it into place.
“Dolroth,” I called out and motioned the demon over with my hand.
“My lord,” he said as he came near. “How can I be of assistance?”
I reached into my pocket and brought out the glass jar, and I noticed the look of confusion that covered Dolroth’s face.
“This filthy excuse of a man will be transported straight to Hell.” I smirked and then handed Dolroth the jar. “I want you to take his soul with you when you leave, morph him into any creature you please, and then keep a close eye on him.”
“You know I will, master,” Dolroth replied. “Perhaps I could show him the torture chambers, and practice a few of the devices on him?”
“I’ll leave that up to you to decide,” I said. “However, I want him to feel fear every second he’s there, and I’ll travel down to see him every once in a while.”
“Of course.” The demon nodded. “You know I’ll create the cruelest, most delightful punishments for our special guest. I can already feel my palms tingling with excitement to get started.”
Dolroth wriggled his long, black fingers, and a grin crossed his ghastly face. The two of us let out a wicked laugh, and I was just as eager as Dolroth was to see the Elder Lord writhe in pain, or scream until his dead lungs gave out. I couldn’t wait to see which creature Dolroth decided to turn the soul into, but I knew it was going to be something creative.
“Now, unfortunately, we can’t plan his torture just yet,” I said once our laughs had come to an end. “But it will happen soon, very soon.”
“I’ll be sure to start taking notes once we’ve dealt with the dead bodies,” Dolroth replied.
“And, of course, there’s the celebrations to take part in, should you wish to join us,” I said as an open invitation.
“We’d be honored, my lord.” The demon smiled and bowed his head.
“Very well,” I replied. “In that case, let’s continue what we were doing. The festivities will begin soon, and it’ll be a night no one wants to miss.”
Then I created a fire, and Dolroth assisted me in throwing the Elder Lord’s soulless body into the flames. The fire crackled, popped, and let off small explosions as the Elder Lord melted from the heat. I felt the grin that covered my face as I watched him burn, and the stench of charred, holy flesh wafted through the air around me.