Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Nothing felt right. Kora stood before the door where Miena and Daelya were but couldn't lift her hand to reach for it. At one time, she'd had Derek , Merrill , and Katla ready to help her. The Druid was now in the priests' hands, and Kora didn't know how Derek and Merrill fared or if they were even still alive. Surely , they would've returned to the city by now if they had been victorious.

Once more, everything rested solely on her shoulders. Perhaps it was the universe telling her this was how it was always meant to be. It made it easy for Kora not to have to think too hard about trusting Derek now that she knew he was a dragon. Her family would be outraged to know she'd had any kind of relationship with dragons.

But her family wasn't here. She was. She was the one making the decisions—the kind with no right choices. There only seemed to be bad and worse. Kora didn't know what that said about her, but there wasn't time to delve into that now. Maybe later. If she survived. Now , she had to focus on Villette .

Kora reached for the door handle and dropped her hand. She reached a second time but still couldn't close her fingers around the lever. She had already opened the door and spoken to both Miena and Daelya . What was the problem now?

She fisted her hand and lowered her arm to her side. It had to be Miena . As a Star Person , she posed the greatest threat. Although , she also claimed to want Villette . So , what was the problem? It wasn't as if Kora could release her.

Or could she?

What if she could free Miena ? Sure , no Star Person could be trusted, but none of the others were siding with Villette . In fact, Miena wanted to stop her sister. Why not use that?

On the other hand, neither Merrill nor Derek had released Miena . That had to mean something. Or was it that they just didn't trust her? Kora didn't trust Miena at all, but sometimes, a person had to side with the lesser evil for a win.

All of it might be for naught. Kora didn't know if Miena could be released, and the only way to find out was to open the door. She flexed her hand before reaching out. Unease weighed on her, but she didn't stop. She wrapped her fingers around the handle, released a sigh, and pulled.

The door didn't budge. In fact, it felt as if something was sucking it shut. She frowned. Now that she had touched it, the apprehension that'd gripped her tapered off, but it wasn't gone completely.

She propped a foot on the wall and used both hands to pull. Her entire body strained against whatever held the door shut. She leaned as far back as she could, smoke wafting around her. The flames wanted to be released, but burning the door wasn't an option. It was there for a reason, and she wouldn't be the cause of it being destroyed.

Kora was about to give up when the door finally gave way. She quickly put her foot down, barely catching herself before falling. She shook out her arms and stared at the now-open door. Her grip was sure when she wrapped her fingers around the lever the next time. The door swung open more with barely a tug.

Kora spotted Daelya first. She stood against the wall, as limp as her strawberry-blond hair. Daelya's hazel gaze immediately slid to Miena . Kora moved to stand between the exit and the doorway to look at the Star Person .

" What could possibly bring you back to us?" Miena asked. " Is it perhaps because you lost Katla ?"

Kora glanced at Daelya . She didn't blame her for telling Miena what was going on outside the palace walls. Kora would be hard-pressed to remain silent while alone with someone for weeks on end. " I didn't lose her."

" Right . The priests have her now. I wonder what they'll do to her."

The smile that filled Miena's face sent a chill through Kora . " She can take care of herself."

" More than you realize."

" What's that supposed to mean?"

Miena shrugged, making the chains rattle. " I doubt you came for a rousing conversation on the merits of uncovering things for yourself. Why are you here?"

" I want Villette's location."

Miena's bright green eyes flared with something before she looked away. " You still intend to go after her?"

" I'm a hellhound. She's weakened. It's the perfect time to strike."

" Not on your own. You need help."

Kora wiped the sweat from her forehead by swiping her face on her shoulder. " I came for her location."

" You need me."

Kora had known she would say it, but it didn't stop the chill from running through her a second time. " How do I know you won't betray me?"

" You don't."

" How do I know you won't take her place?"

Miena laughed. " Do you have any idea how many worlds there are? Can you even fathom the sheer size of the universe? Why would I stay when there are so many other places to visit and see? Are any of my siblings here? Don't you think they would do something if they were?"

To trust Miena was like embracing the sun and expecting it not to consume her. It wasn't a question of if Miena would betray her. It was a matter of how and when .

No one else was going after Villette . Vengeance had once pushed Kora toward Stonemore , but that emotion no longer ruled her. There were so many other reasons to bring an end to Villette's rule. And if Kora had to side with someone as wicked as Villette to do it, then so be it.

" And there it is," Miena said with a triumphant smile. " You recognize I can help. Now , do the right thing and release me."

Kora glanced at the lava. " How ?"

" You're a hellhound. How do you think?"

" I can't walk through that. I might have fire within me, but that doesn't mean I can't be killed by it."

Miena rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. " Must I explain everything? Dragon fire kills hellhounds. You can survive lava."

What if she couldn't? Then no one could take down Villette . Kora swallowed and considered Miena . She wanted out. Would she really put Kora's life in danger on the off chance she'd survive? That would never serve Miena's purposes. Which meant Kora really would survive.

She looked at Daelya . " I'm not stepping into the room unless you're here at the door, keeping it open."

" Forget the damn door," Miena snapped. " Once free, I can take us anywhere."

Kora felt the weight of the cuff against her wrist when she moved her arm. She had her own way out. She kept forgetting that.

" Are you insane?" Miena shouted. " Take the cuff off!"

" It's Derek's . It belongs to him," Kora argued.

Miena's nostrils flared with anger. " By all that is sacred. You humans are imbeciles. Who do you think made that piece of tasteless jewelry?"

Kora's eyes lowered to the silver cuff. " Villette ."

" Aye . Which means she has sway over whoever wears it."

Kora immediately yanked it off. It tumbled through the air before hitting the ground and rolling to Daelya's feet.

" Kick it in the lava," Miena ordered.

Daelya looked at Kora . " She's right. It needs to be destroyed."

It was Kora's last link to Derek . She didn't know if she would ever see him again. She wanted to hold on to anything that belonged to him but couldn't put herself in a situation where Villette could control her. " Do it."

She watched the cuff sail through the air after Daelya reared back her foot and kicked it. It landed atop the moving magma and held for a heartbeat before the silver turned liquid and flowed into the red-orange river.

Chains rattled. " Time to free me, hellhound."

Kora lifted her head and took a deep breath. Every instinct told her not to leave the door unguarded, but she walked into the room. She jerked as the door banged shut loudly behind her. She didn't turn to look at it. She had made her decision, and the only way to see what happened next was to move forward. Her steps inched toward the lava, but she stopped at the edge.

" Call your fire," Miena urged.

Kora sought the fire inside her. Her skin cracked, revealing the flames beneath before engulfing her body.

Miena smiled and motioned her forward. " Now , walk."

Kora's clothes had disintegrated, along with her boots. She lifted her bare foot and set it in the magma. Nothing happened. She took another step, still expecting pain. Once again, there was nothing.

" I told you," Miena stated. " Trust what I say."

There wasn't a chance in all the universe that would happen, but Kora kept that to herself. Let Miena believe she had earned her trust. It might take Kora a few times to learn a lesson, but she did learn.

She waded through the magma as it deepened, rising to her ankles, then her calves and knees, finally halting at her thighs where it was the deepest. But why lava? There had to be a reason Villette had used it to hold her sister. Could it be to deter anyone who tried to get to Miena ? That seemed too simple.

" The chains are locked below me," Miena instructed as Kora neared.

She looked at the flowing lava. " Below ?"

" You'll have to go under."

" For ?"

Miena shrugged. " I don't know what's there. I woke up to find myself here. First and last time my sister will get the better of me."

" Why lava, though?"

" Because my sister is a bitch."

Kora couldn't argue that point. But that hadn't really answered the question. " Villette doesn't do anything without a reason."

" You'll have to ask her if you want to know."

Kora was sure Miena was lying. Something about the lava bothered her, but since Miena stood in the middle of it, looking fresh and beautiful, it couldn't be pain. If not that, then what?

When Kora reached Miena , she walked around her for a better look. Then she traced the chains from Miena's wrists into the magma. Kora had to kneel, but even that wasn't enough for her to reach the end. She glanced at Miena before sucking in a breath and putting her head in the river of fire. Kora followed the chains down with her hand until she found where they disappeared beneath a small mound that Miena stood upon. Kora surfaced and gulped in air.

" It didn't work. I'm still chained," Miena snapped, angrily yanking again and again at the bindings.

Kora shot her a dark look and dove into the lava again. She swam down to the mound and felt around until she found a space big enough for her arm to fit through. She put her hand inside the opening and patted around until she found where the chains were gathered.

Something thin was coiled around the chains. Kora slowly began to loosen whatever it was. It was so long, and twisted so many times, that she had to come up for air twice before she pulled it free. She held it as the chains went lax.

Kora breached the surface to find Miena gone and the chains floating atop the magma. Daelya let out a sigh when she saw her. Kora got to her feet and looked down at her hand to see a small pink flower with eight slim petals. It hadn't withered in the lava. What was the flower, and what made it so special that it had been used to hold Miena's chains?

Kora walked to Daelya . " I guess I should've seen that coming."

No sooner were the words out than the door was yanked off its hinges and tossed away. Kora's clothes once more covered her body. Miena filled the doorway in a body-hugging green dress that matched her eyes, her long, black waves pulled elegantly away from her face.

" Come ," she said to Kora . " I've waited a long time to bring my sister to her knees."