FOR THE UNKNOWN KINGDOM | BOOK 1

CHAPTER 40

I crossed my arms. "He could have made someone else kill him, then."

Vanensera let out a long breath as if she was already tired by my childish questions, but I curled my hands at my sides, squaring my shoulders. Normant didn't so much as look at her side.

"You can't fool the Devil, Velian," he replied, unwavering and calm. "He will never allow something like this to happen. He wants us to suffer and he will always find a way to achieve that. You can die only by the hands of his men."

And that was that. At least I somehow knew how Hell worked.

Pacing around the room, around lifeless bodies, I found Ian doing the same. We stared at each other for a long minute before he trudged to Vanensera, placing his hands on her waistline.

Wiping my face on the arm of my cloak, I cleared my throat. "So what now?"

"Yes. What now, Normant?" The filled with hatred black eyes of Vanensera made her words sound even more desperate.

Freeing herself from Ian's touch, she took a steady step toward Normant and nudged him in the shoulder. He didn't look surprised at all.

"He will come. We have killed his people and he will come to kill us too---or even worse---to enslave us to him forever and we will be forever locked in his cells. Were you out of your mind?" She was furious and mad and she was right. But that didn't stop me from thinking that maybe this wasn't as bad as it seemed to be. Because if the key for Denfer's new kingdom wasn't here and if I'd searched everywhere for it, the only one who could have it was the Devil, or someone really close to him. So having him before me would be a bless and a curse. And I was ready for it. At least I pretended I was.

Normant's red hair was nothing compared to the wrath that was ensnared in Vanensera's face and words. Yet he didn't step back, like Ian did. As for me, I only watched them with my face blank of emotions, trying to understand their motives.

Normant offered her his wildest grin as he hissed, "I did what I had to do. And I will not apologize for it. I will not apologize for anything."

Interesting. But suspicious.

"Who are you anyway?" My voice broke the silence and filled the air with doubts.

Vanensera laughed, a low and dark sound. "He's a traitor and someone you should never trust. He is friends with everyone, even with the red-eyed men. He knows their secrets. Damn, he knows everyone's secrets. And right now, he just provoked a fight for the Devil to come and finally punish you. Yes, he warned us that you were here, but I'm sure he knew that the Devil's pets wouldn't have killed you anyway. So . . . he made us all come here and we, like fools, believed him. And then he started a fight and made you kill the Devil's pawn for the Devil to come here. Now, we're all doomed. And I'm sure he did that because he wanted to please his master---even though in reality he serves no one but his own desire for power."

I didn't manage to say something. I didn't have the time.

"He's coming," someone announced from the corridor, and Vanensera closed her eyes in pure despair.

"He's coming!" Vanensera repeated, terror in her voice, and even Normant went still.

"Open your eyes, Vanensera," I commanded. "I'm sure this isn't the end."

I wasn't sure. And she didn't open her eyes.

"Come on, I have the suspicion that Normant is not a traitor to us, but to the Devil," I murmured because what Normant had done could turn out to be life-changing. He may have brought me a step closer to my goal.