Asmodeus. That's who he was — who he finally revealed himself to be with a mocking flourish of his robes. The one responsible for bringing me to Faerûn, for killing Emma, and for convincing me to kill Mephistopheles. The person — or rather archfiend — responsible for taking me away from Valen and back to Cania.

He was responsible for every terrible thing that had happened to me.

And I wondered, looking at the smug smile on his lips, if the worst was only just beginning.

"Why?" I hissed, not trusting my voice to say anything more.

He chuckled, and — as I saw the flash of something otherworldly in his eyes; darkness hidden just below the surface — I wondered how I had been so stupid. How I had let him trick me so thoroughly into an unbreakable devil's bargain.

'He's not called the Lord of Lies for nothing,' Enserric hummed, feeding me information as I spoke to the man I had thought to be Shaundakul.

"Why?" he asked, as if the answer was obvious. "Because Mephistopheles was getting greedy," he gave a knowing little smirk. "And I couldn't kill him directly — no, it would have been far too messy. And could you imagine the backlash from the others?" he chuckled. "He was already putting everything into motion for me, smart as he thought he was. I just had to make sure the right person got his little relic."

He paced, the clop, clop, clop sound all wrong for his big booted feet, and — as I squinted, for a split moment — I saw hooves, massive and covered in thick black hair.

Icy cold dread gripped my heart. I did my best to swallow down on my panic.

After that, I stopped looking quite so hard.

"You think you're special," he continued. "But you were just easy to manipulate — easier than Emma would have been. Whiley enough to succeed, desperate enough to agree to anything."

"But we had a deal," I said bitterly. "This isn't my home."

He scoffed. "You were living in Cania at the time, and you didn't specify." He considered me, all mock sympathy. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to read the fine print of an agreement?"

Dick, I seethed, despite my growing dread.

I felt Ensderric's humm of agreement, followed by an exasperated; "I mean, I did warn you…'

"So why bring me here at all?" I pressed, crossing my arms to hide the shaking in them. "I killed Mephistopheles. You got what you wanted. Why not send me home?"

But, all the while, my heart cried; Why not leave me there?

"Because someone must rule Cania," he said matter-of-factly, cleaning something from beneath his nails in disdain. "But it can't just be anyone; they must be an archdevil or archduke." He grinned at me over his nails. "Or they must have killed one."

I sucked in a breath, fighting against every instinct that told me to run, to hide.

His voice was a vicious rumble. "And you, my dear, will be so much easier to control than the alternatives."

Rule Cania… My heart thudded in my ears.

'You can work with this,' Enserric assured me, sensing my rising panic.

It helped.

Very quietly, I said; "So now what?"

And I felt my stomach drop at the words, so similar to those I had asked Valen just an hour ago.

Then, they had been filled with hope and trepidation. Now, there was only fear.

In answer, Asmodeus clicked his fingers.

I felt the humm of another portal as it opened up behind me and bit down on a whimper at the sight of the two devil's that came stalking out. They were all long limbs, covered in sharp pointed barbs. Their yellow eyes snapped between the two of us, feral smiled on their lips

Before I could even think of attempting to use the portal, it snapped closed in a spark of light.

"I believe you've met some of my hamatula before, yes?" he pressed.

I remembered a dark night filled with terror. Remembered Emma fighting to her death, spots of blood on her shirt. And then another, of the blood soaked snow of Cania, as a clawed hand reached out for me.

Before I could bite out an answer, Asmodeus was already talking again.

"They'll show you to your new quarters," his smile was crooked. "I do hope you'll find them accommodating. You'll be there for quite some time." His eyes flashed in delight as he tilted his head, taping a long finger to his chin. "Did I mention immortality comes with your new title?" At my wife eyed surprise he laughed. "You can't say I don't do anything nice for you."

I swallowed at the thought of eternity in this horrible place. Eternity tired to him.

"Can't I do as I wish?" I pressed, trying the fight the desperate hope from my voice. "If I'm to rule Cania?" My voice sounded frail to my ears and I was tense all over at the thought of those things being anywhere near me.

He chuckled again. "I can't have you getting in my way, dear sweet Jane." The barbed devil's stepped closer at some silent command. "And don't bother running to your dear Reaper — he is currently… indisposed." He smirked at some private joke. "Not that you can leave the hells anyway, not whilst you rule here."

The band on my finger flashed red hot. I couldn't hide my hiss of pain.

Again, the barbed devil's stepped closer, shouldering in on both sides.

I felt the loss of my armour and bow in that moment, naked in the face of such power. But my hands twitched towards Enserric all the same.

In a moment — spurred by either mind-numbing fear or last-ditch heroics — I almost drew him; prepared to fight until I could no more. But Enserric stilled me with a flash of silent warning.

'Now isn't the time,' he said to me.

I let my hands drop to my sides in defeat.

Asmodeus chuckled in delight as he saw the fight go out of me.

"Good," he hummed. "I knew I could count on you." He waved a hand at me dismissively. "Now I must be off, there's so much more to do."

But then he paused, his smile plastered back onto his lips once more. He turned to me.

"Congratulations, again," he winked. "We'll be seeing each other."

I didn't let the two devil's touch me as they lead me from the room, snatching my arms away and storming towards the only door in sight. The sound of another portal humming in and out of existence behind me — chuckle cutting off short — was the only sign of Asmodeus' passage from wherever we currently were in Cania.

They led me through one passage and the next, each no more discernible than the last, as I tried to keep track of our movements

My breath fogged the air, but the chill was nothing like I had come to expect and for that alone I was grateful.

Within the fourth hall, we approached a metal door cut into the ice. One of the devils brushed past me without warning — dangerously sharp barbs scratching my skin — to open the door with a flat palm. In reply to its touch, the door popped open on its hinges. Wordlessly, we passed through.

From there, we began our slow decline down a spiral flight of ice, so clear it appeared to be glass.

Each step was faultless, smooth and dangerous, and one wrong move would lead to a painful fall the rest of the way down. Hands braced on the curved wall, carved ice cool against my fingers, I walked with careful, steady steps; one devil in front, the other behind.

And it was there that I finally made my move, Enserric's humm of approval spurring me on.

I planted feet and hands against the walls with a grimace, pushing my whole body back against the soft belly of the devil behind me. I shoved with all my might.

With a hiss, it toppled back on the slick floor, feet kicking out from under it. I heard a rumbled growl, and immediately flattened myself against the wall as the one in front spun to grab me.

I braced as the one I'd knocked skidded down a couple of steps, forcing its comrade to pause and brace. But the spikes and claws slowed its fall, and what followed wasn't the rush of flailing bodies that I had hoped for.

Shit.

Yellow eyes snapped to me, and the one still standing pulled back its green lips in a toothy smile. It ran long pointed claws along the icy walls and leant forward, prepared to leap.

Hissing out a curse, I darted over the felled devil's flailing limbs.

It attempted to stand with a snarl, and I stomped a booted foot down hard on the inside of an arm. Grinding my foot in, I vaulted over the devil, feeling a flash of satisfaction as I heard a bone crack against the lip of the step, followed by a roar of angered pain.

Enserric shouted for blood, but I ignored him. There wasn't room to draw him. Wasn't time.

I darted up the stairs two at a time, hands braced against the walls and the air in my lungs impossibly cold. I kept my vicarious balance as I ascended, boots barely touching the ground before I was taking another leaping step.

I was so close to the door. So very damn close. I hadn't yet considered what was next; I only wanted to find more room.

The door! I could funnel them there, could force them to fight from the stairs. Let them worry about me and Enserric on one side and the drop on the other.

High ground; I thought with each ragged puff as I neared the top.

I just needed to deal with them first. The rest would come after.

But then a clawed hand wrapped around my bicep, shredding skin.

White hot pain lanced through me, wet warmth running down my arm in rivets. I cried out, tears springing to my eyes.

Desperate, I reached for Enserric, but it was too late.

I didn't have time to do anything more, as I was yanked back, away from the light shining beneath the door.

I fell back; felt myself falling down, down.

My satchel had beeb flung wide, fruit falling all around us.

As I fell and the world tipped, I felt a flash of blinding pain at the base of my skull. And then everything went black; the smell of blood and peaches mingling in the air.