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“What’s happening?” I whispered, more to myself than to Hades.
The answer came not from him, but from the barrier itself. With one final flicker, it seemed to collapse inward, the light dimming to almost nothing before flaring back up in a blinding flash. For a heartbeat, it held, but then it faltered again, weaker than before, as though it was on the verge of breaking entirely.
And then it was gone and in its place was an army.
Sungard had come.
CHAPTER 17
Helheim
Hades
Fucking hellsfire.
The barriers between realms had been set in place by an ancient magic long ago. I didn’t know what I was seeing, but it certainly wasn’t good.
In fact, it felt like something was terribly wrong.
As we drew closer, the barrier’s once steady glow flickered violently, like a dying ember struggling to cling to life. It shuddered, its light pulsing one last time before it simply vanished.
And then I saw the army of Sungard.
Rows upon rows of soldiers marched through the broken barrier with relentless precision, their armor gleaming like gold in the dim twilight of my realm. The ground trembled beneath the weight of their advance, the rhythmic thud of their boots adeafening drumbeat that echoed across the desolate landscape of my home.
Banners fluttered in the air, emblazoned with the symbol of Sungard—a blazing sun, surrounded by rays of light. At the forefront of the army rode their commanders, clad in gilded armor that caught the faint light and refracted it in blinding arcs.
But there was more than that.
The Sun King had come too, not in his human form, but as a dragon.
His scales shimmered with a radiant golden hue, making him appear like a living, breathing star in the sky. His wings, vast and powerful, beat steadily, each stroke sending gusts of wind that rattled the branches of the twisted trees below.
His eyes, molten gold like the sun, locked onto me from across the distance. There was no mistaking the challenge in that gaze, the raw, burning fury of a creature that had been waiting for this moment for far too long. His jaws opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, and a vicious roar tore through the air.
His presence alone would have been enough to decimate entire armies, and now, he was leading his forces into my realm with one purpose—to destroy Helheim and everything within it.
My mind raced with strategies, with the preparations I needed to make, with magic I needed to cast, but one thought rose above all the rest.
Aria.
There wasn’t enough time to bring her back to the castle, not with the Sun King’s army already on my doorstep. With a snarl, I dove toward the ground, shifting back into my human form justbefore I landed, catching her in my arms as she fell through the air with a shriek.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice steady, but I could hear the underlying tremor of fear anyway.
“Sungard’s army has breached the barrier,” I said. “They’re marching on Helheim, and the Sun King is leading them.”
Her eyes narrowed, a spark of determination igniting within them. “What do we do?”
“I’ll handle it,” I replied, stepping closer to her, my gaze hard and unyielding. “You stay here. You will not get involved, Aria.”
She lifted her chin, defiance flashing in those golden eyes. “I can fight, Hades. My father taught me when I was young. I’m not some helpless damsel who needs to be protected.”
A feral growl rumbled low in my throat, my temper flaring at her stubbornness.
“This isn’t a skirmish in some village square, Aria. This is war. And out there,” I gestured toward the distant battlefield, “is a dragon that could incinerate you with a single breath. This is not the time for foolish bravery.”
“I’m not being foolish,” she snapped back, stepping closer until she was right in front of me, her gaze locked with mine. “I can help. I’m not afraid to fight.”
