When Traitors Rise: The Daughter Of Lucifer's Epic Finale

By Kate Callaghan

Many can rise, but only the great will rise again.

Klara has destroyed the fae queen's diabolical factory and freed the creatures trapped within, only to end up caged within her own castle by the king of Hell. Enemies lurk around every corner, and with King Lucifer behaving strangely, Klara suspects Queen Aemel

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Callaghan
• Release date: Feb 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781739753719

Kate Callaghan

Kate Callaghan released her debut YA dark fantasy trilogy, Crowned A Traitor: A Hellish Fairytale in 2020. While the Hellish Fairytale universe is being expanded, she is also writing adult romance and fantasy. She loves dark tales, villains and happily-ever-afters-something you will find in all of her books. Chatting with readers and getting to share many different stories is her favourite part of being an indie author. Currently she lives in Dublin. She loves dramas with subtitles (to silence the characters), coffee, and reading too many dark romances. If missing, please check your local coffee shop. You will find her with her computer and an iced beverage. Follow below if you want to know to learn more about future stories! Signed copies are also available on the author's website. Reader Group

Book preview

1

KLARA STARED AT the sealed castle doors while the stone floor of the foyer bit into her knees. One more night gone, she thought, watching the descending moon through the arched window beyond the red haze of her father’s cage.

Weeks had passed since Lucifer had caged her within the walls of the castle; the place she had come to call home was now her prison. Klara wanted to stand and fight, but any thought or attempt to move on her long-gone-numb legs only exhausted her. She didn’t even bother to light the torches around herself, but the chill didn’t bother her anymore. All that mattered was counting down the days until she could escape the cage, bring her ward home, and get her revenge on Aemella and those who had dared to harm the creatures of Malum.

Lottie is in Matthias’s claws. Frendall has betrayed me to the Fae Queen. Henrietta sold me out for some gold and my father crafted the cage I find myself currently occupying. I destroyed one factory, but I don’t know how many more there are. Aemella’s silent army, the dark fae, is preying on those within the forest unhindered. The vote, the fight – it was all for nothing. Aemella might have resurrected the factory by now, completing her three, and all I’ve done is make it easier for her to take the creatures from my land. Are the dark fae rounding them up while I rot here? I only wanted to help them… Maybe I was helping myself. Trying to prove I deserved the crown, to my father, my mother…

Klara’s mind went over and over every detail, slowly driving herself mad.

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This is getting pathetic, Lilith said, standing behind Klara. The general was dressed in her usual trousers and shirt, acting as though they weren’t caged together for years to come. Hyde, the half-grown hound pup, sat at her side.

The chandelier in the foyer brightened upon Lilith’s sudden appearance; the flames threatened to blind Klara, who currently preferred residing in the dark. In the dark, she could focus on the reddish hue of her father’s magic running over the castle walls.

Klara had listened to Lilith scold, motivate and threaten her to move for hours each day. At least one person hasn’t given up on me… probably because she’s stuck in this cage with me. She had also heard Lilith roaming the castle and wondered what she was planning, but she was too distracted by her own defeat to truly care.

Are you going to sit here all day again? Your smell alone is enough to put me off my breakfast. But if you are, I would consider grabbing a cushion because your knees are going to waste away, Lilith snapped, though Klara heard the humour in her voice. Her bruised knees were the least of her concerns. She had lost her lover, her ward, the respect of her father… she only wished her mind could become as numb as her limbs.

I’ve lost everything and you’re laughing at me? The words escaping her lips surprised her; she hadn’t spoken in days except to tell Lilith to leave her.

Are you dead? Roaming Hell’s maze or being ferried down the River Styx by Kharon? Doomed to wander purgatory or the underworld of lost souls? Lilith stared down at her, her smile gone.

Klara wondered when her mentor would leave her in peace. Slumbering in purgatory must have given her all this energy. She kept the thought to herself.

Not yet – though I believe the lycaons posted outside are merely waiting for the opportunity to get at me, she muttered, her tight fists resting on her knees. The lycaons were loyal to Alpha Matthias, the Fae Queen’s new pet. Her enemy was so close, and yet she could do nothing to stop them. Lucifer’s cage keeps them out as much as it keeps me in. Her own guard had been sent to Hell with Larkin and Bromwich; Lucifer and Aemella wouldn’t have left her with a small army.

If you’re alive, then you haven’t lost. This is merely an interlude. Lilith kicked the side of Klara’s shoulder, shoving her to the stone floor. Stop feeding your guilt and sorrow, she ordered. Klara’s palms hit the rough floor with a scrape, catching her before her head hit the stone. Another day watching you stew in your own pity might tempt me to usurp you for all our sakes. Hyde growled softly.

Usurp me? You hate the weight of the crown. Klara glared; Lilith only returned the stare with raised eyebrows and folded arms, daring her to get up and fight. Klara didn’t take the bait.

Your recent failures make ruling look easy. Lilith appeared healthy now; her wasted muscles from months of lying on the healing slab in the secret room had returned.

I dare you to try. You might be able to command an army like no other, but being a lone queen is… Klara let her words drift off. She couldn’t even describe the pressure of sitting on the throne – but for the first time in weeks, she felt the desire to fight for her crown again.

Then get up! Queens don’t kneel. Lilith gripped her arm, her eyes black. I didn’t lose months of my life to purgatory so you could wallow in your own filth. She released her, and Klara found her feet beneath her to stand.

What would you have me do? Klara demanded, walking on unsteady legs to the open castle door while Lilith frowned. She wanted Lilith to face their imprisonment, their hopelessness.

Klara lifted her hand and let the red magic burn through her skin, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. She’d hoped the pain would distract her from the crushing guilt, but she only succeeded in weakening herself further.

What are you playing at? Lilith yanked her hand away, her features creased with anger.

"I can’t leave this place. I can’t stop the dark fae from taking the creatures to Kalos, I couldn’t protect Lottie, I didn’t even see Frendall betraying me," Klara spat, snatching her hand away from Lilith’s grasp.

Forget the past. As for your general, we hurt the ones we love. Even when we think we are saving them, we can hurt them the most. Klara couldn’t help but wonder if Lilith was talking about Frendall or her own past. The destruction of the factory, the failed plot with Mila, were half-cocked attempts against an ancient being. You failed because you didn’t stop to consider the best plan of action, Lilith went on, jamming a finger into Klara’s forehead. As for leaving – there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I don’t have a cat. The witches might have some, but I don’t know how felines are going to help us escape our cage, Klara said.

Lilith placed her hand on Klara’s shoulder and led them further from the hiss of the magic covering the castle door.

Human phrase; forget it, she explained, brushing her long braids over her shoulder. When the time comes, escaping this place will be the least of our worries.

You can get me out of here? Klara didn’t believe her, looking back to the high doors.

Nobody can break through Lucifer’s cage, but there is a way. Lilith circled her, mischief in her eyes.

You aren’t going to tell me, are you?

Not at this moment. I fear you would run off and do Lucifer knows what, and in your current abhorrent state, you might scare the creatures more than any dark fae out for blood could. She looked Klara over, her nose turned up in disgust.

How could you let me just stew in misery this whole time? How long? How long will you keep me here? Klara demanded.

Lilith appeared unfazed by her temper. I think a few weeks of humility did you good. Bathe, sleep, and then meet me in the conservatory, she ordered, pulling at the long, loose sleeves of her tunic, belted at the waist.

I see Purgatory didn’t make your answers any less cryptic, Klara muttered. She clenched her fist, feeling the cracking of her burnt skin. The smell of charred flesh lingered but she didn’t care. She enjoyed the pain; it was preferable to the crippling self-doubt and guilt.

Go get some rest and wash, or I will throw you in the ice baths, Lilith threatened, heading down the corridor. Without rest, the burn will fester. You are too weak to heal quickly, she called over her shoulder.

Klara remembered the strain in Lottie’s eyes when she had used the ice baths on the lycaon as a punishment after she had tried to poison Matthias. She placed her head in her hands and took a deep breath.

I was too harsh on her. I should have been around more to care for her; instead I left at every opportunity. She never should have been placed in my care. What do I know about raising a child? Never mind an alpha. She tried to suppress the tears, desperate to hold Lottie in her arms. To hear her claws against the stone floor, racing to tell her how quickly she was learning to shift, what potion Henny had taught her. Klara wiped the falling droplets from her cheeks.

Reaching for the staircase, she stumbled. Days of no food or sleep had weakened her more than she had realised.

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Alone in her chambers, Klara kept the candles around the room dimly lit for her own comfort. She studied the silver crown on her dresser before glancing at her reflection in the mirror in front of her. She had expected to grow in confidence the longer she donned the crown, but it only grew heavier.

She rubbed her eyes, hoping it would remove the dark circles under them, but when she removed her hands the circles remained. Her white eyes shone back at her: eyes she shared with her enemy, her mother. The combination was truly harrowing. She’d thought demon eyes were creepy, but the white and dark shadows made her look haunted and disturbed.

If the shoe fits… she thought, getting ready for bed. Just the sight of her expansive bed with soft, inviting sheets caused her eyelids to droop. Flexing the fingers on her burnt hand stung; her skin was tightening, slowly healing from touching her father’s cage.

Gone were her soiled clothes, and the warmth of a bath had helped ease her intensified emotions. The curse of the power of revelation: she felt others’ feelings, revealed their deepest secrets, but if she didn’t keep a handle on her own, they would spiral and ensnare her.

As she rose from her fitful nap several hours later, she coiled her magic deep within herself. She could barely contain her own emotions, and the last thing she wanted was to pick up on anyone else’s. Even if it meant not being able to sense her enemies, she still wasn’t ready to face it.

Getting dressed, she felt the scar from where Jasper’s spear had bitten into her thigh and remembered the delight in his eyes. I should have taken Abadan’s advice and let him perish. The wound had healed but the scar remained, like the silver strip in the centre of her chest from where the ghouls had torn out her heart. The moment that set all this in motion.

She pulled on her pale grey dungarees and strapped her blade to her thigh out of habit. Frendall’s clothes stared back at her in the wardrobe; she reached out to touch them but instead slammed the doors.

He betrayed you, she reminded herself in a whisper, and forced him from her mind.

The exhaustion and melancholy had left her hair a pale grey, matching her clothes. She pulled it back from her face and tied it in a knot at the nape of her neck, letting it strip back to black, concealing her emotions, pushing them deep down until she could no longer feel her doubt gnawing at her.

The pot of lip balm on her dressing table caught her eye, and Lottie appeared in the mirror behind her, her blonde bangs covering her eyes. Klara instinctively reached for her, but she knew it was only a memory trapped in time.

Can I try it? Lottie asked, and Klara allowed her magic to replay the moment in the mirror: Lottie on the stool, legs dangling with a curious smile while she attempted to open the balm.

When you’re older, Klara told her, only to watch Lottie’s frown disappear from the reflection, along with the memory. Klara picked up the small pot, feeling its weight in her palm.

I should never have let them take you. She clenched it in her fist until she felt the metal bend before she hurled it at the wall. The tin came apart on impact and the balm plastered the stone wall. Ceylon said she would protect her, and God help her if she doesn’t. Klara thought about the cabin filled with other lycaon children and how Lottie had called them her friends, while her enemies lurked outside.

Distracted, she began searching for her crystal necklace on her dresser. She opened her jewelled box only to find it empty, and she was brought back to the moment in Hell. Her mother, the Fae Queen, had crushed it to dust in her palm. Klara’s neck suddenly felt very bare. Still, it felt like she was missing something else. Her axe?

No, it was much more than that. It was her family.

2

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WELCOME BACK TO the land of the living. A bit of rest and you look far less like the souls confined within the River Styx. Lilith smiled at Klara as she pushed open the glass doors to the conservatory. The sound of stone grinding distracted her, and she watched Lilith combining ingredients in a pestle and mortar.

I feel much more like the demented souls who roam Hell’s Maze, she said, finding a faint smile on her own lips. Her bare feet tingled against the stones, but she needed to ground herself. The conservatory was the warmest room in the castle. The glass helped amplify what little sun Malum got, and the rays helped keep Eve’s enchanted flowers and plants alive.

Once you drink this, you will forget all your troubles, Lilith assured her, holding out a clear glass jar filled with a thick, deep green liquid tinged with brown.

The scent of bewitched flowers and earth overpowered Klara’s sense of smell and yet the presence of nature, whether tainted by magic or not, soothed her. She walked towards Lilith, in the shade of overgrown giant leaves to escape dawn’s beams.

What’s in it? she asked, taking the jar. She knew better than to refuse one of Lilith’s requests. The smell of earth wafted from the jar, catching in the back of her throat. Klara hoped the concoction tasted better than it smelt, though she doubted Lilith cared much for that.

Don’t cringe; you’re not a child, Lilith snapped, rolling her eyes. It will help boost your strength. Eve used to make it for me when I returned from Hell’s campaigns or after visiting the Elders of Malum. Exhausting business, being Abadan’s emissary to the forest.

Klara wanted to ask her about her time with the elders, but now wasn’t an appropriate time. Doesn’t answer my question. How do I know you aren’t trying to poison me? she asked, narrowing her eyes at the liquid. Though she sensed no ill intent in the ingredients, she wanted to know what it contained. The longer she went without drinking it, the thicker it became.

For the love of Lucifer. Lilith snatched the jar, which spilt a little on her hand. She took a sip herself, and Klara stifled a laugh as even the fierce general winced at the taste. See? No harm done. Get it down you or I will force it down your gullet!

Klara waited for the list of ingredients. She had witnessed the effects of poison in Frendall, and she was suffering enough already; she didn’t want to add a fever and projectile vomiting to her plight.

Your father’s daughter. Your stubborn streak will be the death of us. Lilith sighed. Nothing but the goodness of the three Bs.

"‘Three Bs’? You have been in Eve’s grimoires," Klara commented, looking at the open volumes on the table.

I had to do something to pull you from this melancholy before you became utterly useless. Lilith winked, but Klara knew she was serious. She picked up a leaf from the table and twirled it between her fingers. A few pressed bay leaves for protection, strength, and healing; it will also increase your powers. Help you regain your full strength. Then benzoin, or sap from the tree trunk: it will lessen your irritability, allow you to focus, and give you the strength for portalling, which you will need if you plan to get out of here.

Klara figured the sap must have come from the ancient oak at the centre of the conservatory, since Lilith couldn’t leave the castle. Or can she? She was starving, so she downed the potion quickly. The thick liquid coated her tongue, and to say it was vile was an understatement, but the properties were worth the discomfort.

What’s the last? she asked, taking a breath between gulps and sensing Lilith’s hesitation.

Drop or two of belladonna. I was amazed to see Eve still had some lying around, Lilith said, and Klara nearly choked. What? It’s only a small dose. Eve told me it’s perfect for forgetting past lovers and for the heartsick.

It’s toxic! Hence ‘deadly nightshade’! Klara panicked, plonking the rest on the wooden table, filled with the herbs and plants Lilith had chopped and dissected for the potion.

Usually toxic, Lilith corrected, but it was only a drop or two, and it will help you put aside any thought of your general and the child. You have more important tasks to focus on, rather than longing for them.

Is this how you forgot about your wife? Did you ask Eve to erase her from your heart to soothe your guilt? Klara sneered, letting her temper get the better of her. She didn’t want to forget her feelings; she needed them to fuel her.

Lilith slammed the grimoire shut.

Don’t talk of matters you don’t understand. I’ll see her again. In a far better world than this, she said softly, and Klara felt her genuine belief.

Blinding sun rays took them both by surprise, and they shielded their eyes, watching the thick, dark clouds struggling to suppress the sun.

The Fae Queen’s influence is spreading. The sun wouldn’t dare shine so bright in the north, Lilith said, as though she had read Klara’s mind.

I can see that, Klara said, taking her eyes from the sun: an omen of Aemella’s influence, her encroaching power. Picking up the jar, she finished the concoction in one gulp. She would need all the strength she could get.

Lilith went back to whatever it was she was working on, leaving Klara none the wiser about what the former queen was up to.

Are you going to tell me what you’re planning? She watched in confusion as Lilith began pulling leaves and petals from one area of the conservatory to the next. She felt sorry for the blue-backed toad Lilith plucked from its lily pad in the spelled pond that fed the flowers, thus keeping the conservatory alive. The toad belonged in the ogre’s swamp lands; Klara didn’t know how it could have found its way here.

You’ll know soon enough.

Klara winced as Lilith sank a small knife into the toad’s swollen breast, but considering it was extremely poisonous, would have grown to three times its original size and probably destroyed Eve’s conservatory – and could have swallowed the hound pup whole – she wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it. At least it suffered a quick death.

Please tell me you don’t expect me to eat the toad? she said half-heartedly.

Not this time. Lilith winked as she lanced the warts on its back for their poison.

I think I preferred it when you didn’t speak, Klara mused, while Lilith rolled up her sleeves, removed the guts from the toad and put them in a separate jar. The smell was enough to make her cover her mouth and nose.

"I preferred it when you had some fight in you," Lilith said, taking some of Eve’s dusty pots of herbs from the shelves.

What do you need with agrimony? Klara asked, picking up the jar of dried yellow petals. It was usually used for powerful spell reversals.

Lottie’s pup, Hyde, the surviving pup of the two Frendall had brought to the castle, nudged Klara’s leg. She picked up the growing pup; he whined against her chest while she brushed his ears before putting him back down.

This is the first step; the toxins will add a bit of punch to the effects of the agrimony. Lilith grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the table, giving her the pestle and mortar filled with the pale yellow petals. Put some elbow grease into it. It has to be paste, she instructed.

If you were hoping to give me a potions lesson, I’m not interested, Klara said, wondering if the irritability property in the concoction Lilith had forced her to drink would kick in soon.

I wouldn’t dream of teaching you, since you already know everything, Lilith sniped, gesturing to the red hue of Lucifer’s magic that encased the outside of the glass.

Subtle. Gut-punch noted, Klara grumbled, grinding up the petals.

Lilith took them from her and combined them with the toad innards. The resulting paste thickened and was stuffed back inside the toad’s skin like a poultice. Klara had never seen this type of spell before. She hadn’t even known Lilith knew how to do something like this, but then she noticed Lilith was glancing at not one but two of Eve’s grimoires open on the table.

Are you sure you’re supposed to combine a strengthening and summoning spell? Klara asked, reading the page that was illustrated with the petals and toad.

We’ll soon find out.

Did Eve bring those toads into the castle? She would have had to kill them off before they got too big.

The ogres who guarded the palace supplied them to her from the southern swamps for an ample fee, Lilith admitted, sewing up the breast of the toad with a fine needle and thread to keep the ingredients within. The toads came from the giants’ territory – it’s why they grow so large – but they prefer the swamp waters to the ponds within the forest. The ogres do what they can to get rid of them.

Klara was taken aback by her words. There was still so much she didn’t know about the forest, and it only played on her anxiety.

Who are you planning to summon? she asked indifferently, knowing it wasn’t going to work. It’s naive to think a meagre spell can get through Lucifer’s cage.

Am I one to doubt? Eve was incredibly intelligent in her combinations. She would have made a great coven leader, had Lucifer allowed it, Lilith said, her tone threaded with regret.

Eve would never have gone against Lucifer; her love for him outweighed any wants she had for herself. If there was one thing Klara knew, it was that.

I bet you a thousand gold pieces that the poultice explodes when it touches the water, she said.

They moved through the overhanging branches down the path until they reached Medusa’s fountain.

Then I guess we’ll have to take a trip to the market. Lilith winked, bouncing the toad in her hand.

The market? Klara frowned. Lilith tossed the toad into the fountain, splashing cool water on Klara’s feet.

So I can spend your thousand gold pieces… Lilith smiled, and Klara stepped back, watching the water calm.

A moment passed, and Klara folded her arms. Impressive. Would you like to pay in full or in instalments?

She laughed, turning to leave, but Lilith grabbed her shoulder and pointed to the fountain. The water coiled and mist, thick and expanding, surrounded them until Klara couldn’t see a foot in front of her. It only lasted a moment before it began to clear, and she noticed the water lay calm once again.

At the very least, Klara had expected a portal to open. Instead, Medusa’s stone face seemed to mock their attempt.

Congratulations, you created mist. Eve would have been proud. Klara swished it away from her face so that she could see clearly. Was this the way out you mentioned? I should have known better than to get my hopes up. I think you’ve forgotten who forged our current prison. A summoning spell isn’t going to free us.

Who said anything about freeing us? Lilith asked, her eyes still trained on the statue. Klara froze as the remnants of the mist disappeared and she saw him sitting on the edge of Medusa’s fountain.

3

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PUNCTUAL, AS ALWAYS, said Lilith, sounding surprised. I didn’t think the poultice would work immediately. Klara watched her mentor; there was no hesitation or concern as she greeted the King of Hell’s advisor.

Lokey stood, performing a deep bow in jest.

What a pleasure it is to be in your presence once again, General, he said, straightening his purple waistcoat. Klara’s mouth gaped open and all she could do was stare.

This can’t be… she started, her eyes hunting for a glamour, but she found none. You knew she was alive?

Close your mouth, dear, you might catch a vamp beetle, Lokey said, kissing her cheek. From his touch, she knew he was real. I found your little secret when you asked me to step in as proxy. Hiding her behind a portrait was a fool’s error.

Klara looked to Lilith to confirm his words. You spoke to him and not to me?

His energy helped me awaken. You didn’t think I was able to recover so quickly on my own, did you? She smirked.

Did you bring her back?

Merely offered my dear friend a helping hand, he said smoothly, and Klara wished he could be serious for a second. She looked to Lilith, who looked utterly indifferent. All the times we spoke, and he said nothing about her being alive. Did he tell the king? She didn’t dare to share the thought for fear of the answer. There was no telling what the king would do if he found out she had kept such a secret from him.

Swiftly moving on – a little less toxin from the toad next time; it would have made for a much less immediate effect. I was having my nails done, and Glaudine will be less than pleased by my sudden disappearance, Lokey said, picking at his half-finished nails, which were bright orange.

I’m sure you can send her a message assuring her of your safety, Lilith said, and Klara sensed the genuine friendship between them.

You have looked… Lokey ran his eyes over Klara’s tired appearance. Well, let’s not dwell on appearances, shall we? he concluded with a wince, confirming she looked as wretched as she felt on the inside.

Ever the charmer, she snapped, noting how he looked perfectly manicured and refreshed. Like the Realm wasn’t metaphorically going up in flames! She would have expected a half-warlock to be more concerned about the place his leprechaun wife called home.

Don’t take your defeat out on me; I warned you to bide your time, Lokey said, raising his arms in defence. Here I am to help, and I’m feeling awfully underappreciated.

Her pride is wounded, but she needs your help, Lilith said, and suddenly Klara was reduced to her former awkward, pre-queen self.

"I can