Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(52)

I ripped my gaze away from him. I was keeping that mental lock on my thoughts.

The rules of the Demon Trials required that we start in the City of Thorns itself. From here, we’d be racing to Sudbury.

Turning from the wall, I glanced at the crowd around us. I recognized Lydia, the duchess who’d once tried to murder me. Apart from Amon, I didn’t know most of the other demons yet.

To spare us from any leaks that could alert the demon hunters, no one in the crowd had any idea exactly where Orion and I were going today, only that I could be queen by tonight.

Mistress Blacknettle pushed her way from the crowd, draped in silver robes that matched her hair. “Today, you leave from the City of Thorns. The first of you to return with the grimoire wins the trial and the crown. While none of us know where you are headed, we eagerly await your return from this journey. May the gods bless you both.”

I nodded at her. My blood pounded in my veins, a steady war drum of nerves. As soon as the clock struck with the ringing of bells, we’d be racing through the skies.

I stole another quick look at Orion. A sly smile curled his lips as he looked back at me, like we shared some kind of secret.

I took a deep breath, and my body jolted as the bells began to peal, signaling the start of the trial.

My wings burst from my shoulder blades, and I shot into the air, soaring beneath the cloudy sky. The sea wind tore through my hair as I headed southwest toward Sudbury. As I flew, I chanted the cloaking spell, and magic hummed over my body as it took effect. Adrenaline raced through me.

When I reached my hand out before my face and saw nothing, I had a dizzying sense of madness. It took me a few minutes to get comfortable with not being able to see myself.

Scanning the skies, I searched for Orion, but all I could see was a faint twisting of shadows under the clouds. Good—the Malleus Daemoniorum wouldn’t see either of us coming.

Orion had been right. I’d been craving this kind of wild flight, spiraling free through the air above the earth, the way a succubus was meant to be. His intoxicating scent floated on the wind, wrapping around me like a caress.

But as I flew, my phone buzzed in my pocket, jolting me out of my exhilaration. Really? Now?

Immediately, my pulse started to race. Only Kas, Legion, and Shai had this number. I’d been very clear that they were only supposed to text me if something had gone very wrong.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and stared in horror at—nothing. The fucking phone was invisible, too.

With frustration mounting, I pushed the side button and yelled at Siri to call Shai.

I pressed it to my ear, and my blood pounded when it went straight to voicemail.

Fortunately, Legion picked up immediately, barking, “This is Legion,” into the phone.

Breathless, I shouted at him. “What’s happening? I can’t read the text. I’m falling behind, Legion.”

“Something is wrong, Rowan. I think the hunters knew you were coming.”

My blood turned to ice. “The demon hunters? How? No one except us knows where we’re headed.”

“I have no idea. Someone tipped them off. Because it’s not just the three or four guards—there’s a whole army out there.”

I scanned the clouds, but I saw no trace of Orion’s shadowy presence. “Where’s Shai? She didn’t pick up.”

“She’s fine. She told me she’d be waiting for you at the southern wing if you need help getting out. I just can’t see her because she’s invisible.”

“Legion, it’s too late for me to stop this. I’ve lost Orion, and I won’t get the chance to tell him before we arrive. This is happening, no matter what. All we can do is fight our way in and out.”

I shoved the phone back into my pocket and focused on my flight, trying to pick up speed.

My heart pounded hard as I raced further west and the land beneath me grew greener. Drawing closer to Sudbury, I swept closer to the ground, my eyes sharp on the earth beneath me. If I overshot the mark, I’d find myself in the underworld again, and the last thing I needed was another angry Puritan mob…though I supposed I was heading for an angry Puritan mob either way.

And there it was—the outer edges of the Great Meadows conservation land stretched beneath me. In the cool autumn air, the trees had turned the color of flames.

As I homed in on the Noyes Mansion, the metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air.





29





ROWAN





My stomach turned at the sight of the slain mortals—some of them decapitated, others burned. Blood pooled over the earth, staining the grass. Feeding the soil, just as the Puritans had done.

And for a moment there, I’d almost been worried for Orion’s safety.

I swallowed hard, ignoring the shaking in my legs as I found the stone slab that marked the entrance to the invisible mansion. I pressed my hand against the spot where the door should be for the unlocking spell, but Orion had left it open for me.

Inside the mansion, distant shouts rang across the building. This place was far grander than I’d ever imagined, with towering arched windows that let the forest’s light spill onto an old stone floor. Oil paintings of demon hunters festooned white walls above mahogany wainscoting. At either side of the hall, sweeping stone stairwells led upstairs.

But the chancery was on this lower floor.