The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 217: Setting him free.

Chapter 217: Setting him free.

Present...

Standing at the jagged edge of the rift behind the temple, Ren stared into the darkness below. The air rising from the depths was warm and smelled faintly of earth and ash. She glanced at Ogain.

"We go down," she said with quiet resolve.

Ogain lowered his massive head and knelt so Ren could climb onto his back. His feathers gleamed with frost, and his breath clouded the air around them.

Calisa bowed respectfully. "Let me come with you," she offered. "I’ll keep watch from above, extra eyes in the sky."

Ren gave him a grateful smile but gently shook her head. "No. Stay here. You and Arkilla must make sure nothing slips through that rift."

The Demon God, watching her, felt a strange ache, moved by how willingly this young woman was throwing herself into danger for her husband.

"Take this," he said at last. "Elcasore is strict in her bargains. If she asks you for something in return for Kaisun... give her back her monster."

The small glass vial in his hand hovered in the air and floated into Ren’s palm. She glanced down at the sandworm, now fast asleep. Not long ago, it had nearly swallowed Ogain whole.

"I can protect you," Arkilla said, stepping forward, her voice serene and urgent. "Let me come."

Ren shook her head again. "Ogain can’t carry that much weight. You know me. Nothing down there can hold me."

Arkilla frowned, unconvinced, but she relented. It was true, Ogain couldn’t bear three passengers, and Ren was not someone easily detained.

Ogain shifted his massive body carefully, mindful of the lives Ren carried. "We are ready... are we not?" he rumbled, his voice deep and steady.

Ren leaned forward and caressed the feathers along his neck. "Yes, my brave Ogain. We’re ready."

With a powerful flap of his wings, snow burst around them in a flurry of silver and white. He rose into the air, circled once above the rift, and then dove into the darkness below, vanishing into the earth with his queen.

Ren stared in disbelief at the wasteland around her. The terrain was merciless, black, jagged rocks jutted like broken fangs from the earth, and far in the distance, a volcano smoked against a blood-colored sky. The rift had opened at the surface of the Gods’ prison, and the air here was brutal, dry, searing, hostile to breath or thought.

She squinted downward. Below them, the ground was riddled with craters and crevices.

"The Demon God said he’s in the tunnels of the future... but which one?" she murmured, panic rising in her throat. "Ogain, there are more than a hundred holes!"

Her voice cracked as the suffocating heat peeled at her skin. Even her sweat dried before it could fall.

Ogain hovered steadily, his wings beating slow and strong. "Yes," he said, "but I can feel him. Remember? Our bond. If you link your mind, we might find him."

Ren inhaled sharply, but the air burned her lungs, and she broke into a cough. Closing her eyes, she gathered her thoughts and reached out across the veil of time and space.

"Kai," she whispered aloud, "where are you?"

No reply.

She opened her eyes, fear flickering behind them. "He’s not answering."

"Try again," Ogain urged gently. "I can feel his heartbeat, faint, but there."

A cold wave spread down Ren’s spine.

Slow heartbeat...?

"Kaisun," she called again, her voice trembling, "my love. Answer me. I’m here."

Again. And again. Her heart thudded like a war drum in her chest, until finally, she heard it:

A strained gasp, then a whisper in her mind, hoarse and struggling.

"Here... wife... close... to the... rocks..."

"Ogain, did you hear that? He’s alive!" Ren gasped, her voice cracking with relief.

Ogain had already seen him, Kai stumbling weakly toward the light, and he dove without hesitation. Amid the scorched black rocks was a narrow crack, barely wide enough for two men to crawl through. It wasn’t a full tunnel, more a gash in the earth.

The griffin landed gently. Ren slid down his side and bolted forward, catching Kai just before he collapsed. She threw her arms around his waist, steadying him.

His lips were cracked and parched. Without a word, Ren unclipped her waterskin and tilted it against his mouth. He drank greedily, barely able to keep his head up.

"Can you lean on me?" she asked softly.

Kai gave a weak nod, and she pulled his arm around her shoulders. He sagged into her, and as she helped him walk, he leaned close and whispered into her ear:

"I saw our kids."

Her heart clenched. That was a conversation for another time. She swallowed her emotion and forced a smile. "I’m pregnant," she told him gently.

They were just nearing Ogain’s flank when the ground trembled.

A roar split the air, and then, like a nightmare tearing from the sand, a monstrous sandworm burst forth. Its enormous, coiling body towered over them, casting a shadow over the rocks. This one was even larger than the beast that had threatened the Cave Temple, three times the size.

"Stay here," Ren said quickly. "I know why this one is here."

Kai tried to grab her arm, but he was too slow, his strength slipping from him like blood through his fingers.

"Wait..." he rasped.

But Ren was already stepping forward. "I know what you want, Saint Elcasore!" she shouted at the towering beast.

The sandworm reared back, its segmented mouth opening wide with a guttural hiss. But it didn’t strike.

Ren held up the tiny glass vial Axaxeal had given her. "Here is your mate."

To her surprise, the massive worm stilled.

She uncorked the vial. A small sandworm, now awake and squirming, wriggled out onto the scorched ground. The towering beast lowered its massive head, studying the creature. Then, with a deep rumble, it leaned in closer and spat a thick stream of foul-smelling saliva all over Ren.

She wiped her face with a grimace. "Ugh. Disgusting," she muttered, then raised her voice again. "Saint Elcasore, I brought your monster back unharmed. It’s just a little worm now. I’m sorry. Please... stitch the rift after we’re gone."

The giant worm let out a final, rumbling exhale, and then went still. Ren backed away cautiously, returned to Kai, and helped him climb onto Ogain’s back.

The Griffin beat his wings once, twice, and took to the sky without hesitation, heading straight for the rift. Ren held her husband tightly as they flew, wrapping both arms around him. This time, she wouldn’t let him fall away again.

"Wife..." He muttered in her mind.

"Yes!"

"That wasn’t Elcasore!" he grinned and then the world turned pitch black before his sight.

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