Gods & Monsters, #2
The Throne of Broken Gods
by Amber V. Nicole
Contents
Chapter 90
Overview
Dianna wakes empowered beneath the blood moon as a rift tears the sky. Azrael, bound by a compulsion, tries to stop her but briefly regains himself, calls her Ayla, and urges her to kill him to break the command. The compulsion reasserts; Dianna unleashes her beast and escapes toward the rift to reach Samkiel.
Summary
Dianna jolts awake under a blood-red moon as a cosmic rift splits the sky and the ground heaves. She breaks her restraints, intent on reaching Samkiel, but Azrael seizes her by the throat, repeating, “You are forbidden to leave.” Dianna fights free, realizing Azrael’s eyes show pain and conflict.
Azrael attacks with blazing weapons. When Dianna is cut, he falters, calls her “Ayla,” and fragments of memory surface. He admits he visited her in disguise, gave her her first dagger, and tried to keep her safe. Cobalt-blue lines flare over his skin as he battles a compulsion, chanting the command while fighting to resist it.
Azrael reveals that the words binding him—the words of Ezalan—can only be broken in death. He begs Dianna to kill him. As the cavern collapses and a roar shakes the air, Azrael briefly stands on his own will before the compulsion hardens again, his expression turning duty-bound and implacable.
Recognizing his suffering yet driven to reach Samkiel, Dianna refuses to be trapped. She thanks Azrael for the life he secured for her and releases her inner beast. Scales replace skin as she roars fire through the cavern, blasts through the ceiling in a surge of bright blue light, and races for the rift.
Who Appears
- DiannaProtagonist; awakens empowered, confronts Azrael’s compulsion, learns her true name Ayla, transforms and escapes to reach the rift and Samkiel.
- AzraelDianna’s father; compelled to forbid her escape, briefly lucid, reveals past protection and that only his death can break the command.
- SamkielOffstage goal; Dianna fights to reach him amid the rift threatening the realm.