Her eyes rolled back. Darkness spread across her. She struggled for consciousness. She blinked feebly, and through smoke and flame, she saw Angel battling soldiers, tossing them aside, cracking their bodies, tearing off their limbs and guzzling them down. Issari tried to raise her hand, to shine the light, but she was too weak, and the glow of her amulet dimmed. In the darkness, Angel's fire grew, licking the ceiling, blazing over men.

"You have failed, Issari!" Angel's voice rose from the battle. "Eteer is mine. Requiem will fall. Your long night begins. Your—"

Angel screamed.

She stumbled back.

Tanin stood before her, no taller than her waist, driving his dagger into a crack along her belly—the same place where the grapple had cut.

"If light will not tame you, metal will." Tanin twisted the blade and tugged it back; it came free covered in ooze. The demon crashed down, wailing, clutching her belly. At once soldiers leaped around her, tossing chains.

My brother. The thought rose through the fog enveloping Issari's mind. My brother is in her belly. He's hurt.

As Angel writhed on the floor, chains wrapping around her, Tanin ran toward the fallen throne. He gripped the seat, strained, and pulled it back upright. He knelt above Issari, concern softening his eyes. A bloody gash dripped upon his forehead, and he touched her cheek. His voice seemed to come from far away.

"Issari! Issari, oh stars. Can you hear me?"

She nodded and, with his help, rose to her feet. She stared at the corner where Angel was screaming. Chains engulfed her, the grapples digging into her innards. Her tongue flailed, and soldiers slammed shields against her head, knocking it against the floor. But Issari knew that mere mortals could not keep Angel down for long; the Queen of the Abyss had reigned in the underworld for millennia, and already her wounds were healing, the cracks on her stony body closing up. Already fresh fire blazed in the demon's eyes.

Issari looked back toward the throne.

The throne of Eteer. The throne that will give me power over her.

She walked toward it, each step feeling like a journey of many marks. With a deep breath, her fingers trembling, she sat upon the throne.

Angel screamed.

The demon convulsed, her tail cracking the wall. Bricks fell. The floor cracked open. Fire leaked and lava flowed along the floor. The demon's eyes blazed as Angel struggled to rise.

"You will scream, harlot! You will be eating your own hands with hunger! You will tear apart your own body to end your pain but live on! You—"

"I am your queen!" Issari stared down from the throne, palm raised. "I sit upon the throne. The army of Eteer obeys my command. You are bound to this throne, Angel, and you will serve your rightful ruler."

Tanin raised his dagger and shouted, "Queen Issari!"