Page 90 of Clash of Kingdoms

I know.

She pulled her face away. The only way to reach the cryssstal is to climb the fortresss. It’ll be quicker if I take you to it. The othersss will need to fight the Demon Lords to give you the chance. Once that cryssstal isss gone…ssso are their powersss. The quicker you accomplisssh thisss, the quicker the fight will turn in your favor.

I understand.

And Vine will be there…and he’sss angry.

What are his abilities?

He’sss their chosen sssuccesssor. He’sss ssstronger than the other demonsss, blesssed with unparalleled ssspeed and ssstrength. Once the cryssstal isss dessstroyed, he’ll have the abilitiesss of a normal man, but I sssussspect he would ssstill be a worthy foe.

I turned to look at Kingsnake and Cobra. “Did you hear all that?”

They both nodded.

I’ll take you all to the fortresss. The sssecond we arrive, they’ll know.

Will you help us?

I fight for the livesss of my hatchlingsss. They will receive the bite of my fangsss and the sssting of my venom. Once the attack beginsss, the demonsss will come to their aid. I’ll fight them off.

I looked at my brothers. “Ready for this?”

Kingsnake had a hint of hesitation in his eyes, but he didn’t give voice to it. “Yes.”

Cobra didn’t have any more jokes up his sleeve. “Let’s kill these motherfuckers and destroy that crystal so we can get back to our wives.”

Beast dipped her head so we could walk onto her body and down her neck.

“Let’s go.” I took the lead, stepping onto her hard scales and waiting for everyone else to walk on.

My brothers came next, followed by everyone else, taking a spot on the beast’s neck or farther down her body. None of them was hesitant, not when snakes were such an integral part of who we were.

Let’sss kill them all.

Beast slithered through the different chasms, knowing her way underground even though everything looked the same to me. There were small clusters of different-colored crystals stuck into the walls and ceiling, and they must have been what Beast used as markers for guidance.

Twenty minutes later, we returned to the place where she’d taken us before, giving us a view of the fortress behind the tall iron gates. In silence, she studied the area, seeing the bright-blue crystal that shone right above the fortress, the tip poking through the hole in the ceiling. It was quiet. There were only two guards posted, both on the other side of the gate, like even they weren’t allowed entry.

Beast moved, gripping the chasm walls and sneaking around the sides, staying out of sight as she approached the fortress from an invisible angle. She was quiet, her scales sliding over the rocky terrain without making a sound. Rocks didn’t come loose and tumble down. She was a professional at stealth.

Get thossse explosssivesss ready.

I readied my bag. I’ve got them.

She exposed herself for the first time, climbing up the chasm and then the walls of the fortress, reaching the top in a few seconds.

I quickly jumped off, my eyes squinting from the intense light of the crystal.

Good luck. She slithered away, back down to the ground so the rest of the vampires could jump off. Just as she’d said, the second we arrived, they were aware, because a loud horn sounded from nowhere, deep in tone, reverberating off all the walls of the chasm.

The guards quickly unlocked the gates even though they were outnumbered, being cut down by the vampires and their black blades.

I pulled out the explosives one by one and stuck them to the crystal, using the sticky solution one of Huntley’s men had made for me. I had to hold each explosive for several seconds to make sure it was truly attached before I moved to the next one. I was unable to watch the battle below, unable to check on my brothers because I had a job to do and I couldn’t deviate from it.

One by one, I attached the explosives to the crystal, moving higher up, as high as I could go to cover it all.

Then an earthquake erupted, and I tripped forward, catching myself with my hands but hurting my wrist to break the fall. The vibrations continued, so intense that my body bobbed up and down uncontrollably with the movement.