Unleash the Storm (37 page)

He flexed his jaw. “Of course not. I didn’t want the first one either.”

“Then why haven’t you withdrawn your forces?”

“I should think that was obvious.”

She looked back toward the Gaians, hanging around with their armored jeeps and mobile artillery aimed at the already smoldering embassy.

She turned to her uncle. “Where’s the Gaian general?”

Calder strode toward the Gaian side of the street. The rest of them stood in awkward silence, waiting. Miysis eyed Raum and Seiya curiously but didn’t say anything. Several minutes passed before Calder returned, a handful of Gaians in tow. She wasn’t surprised to see that Walter was not among them.

“General,” she said brusquely. “Why aren’t you preparing your troops to leave?”

The general cleared his throat. “I’m afraid we can’t do that yet.”

She inhaled slowly, praying for patience. “Why not?”

The general looked at Miysis. Miysis gazed stonily back at the general. Piper tightened her hands into fists, resisting the urge to throw them in the air—or punch one of the men. Idiots. They were too worried about what the other might do to go home and end this war already.

Zwi chittered softly, the sound almost … smug.

With a deafening roar, Tenryu swept out of the darkening sky on vast wings. Every single daemon and haemon soldier ducked as the dragon whooshed overhead. He wheeled around in the sky and plunged down, crashing to the ground almost on top of her group. His spread wings arched above him, making him look even more impossibly massive.

She gaped at Ash, crouched on the back of Tenryu’s head, casually holding one of his horns for balance, his face covered by black armor. Faint blue light smoldered from between his and Tenryu’s scales, an eerie glow in the dusk light. She knew Ash had planned to catch up with her, but she hadn’t expected him to bring Tenryu. A great dragon on
Earth
?

Turning back to the others, she cleared her throat. Miysis’s eyes were black in a ghostly white face. He’d never looked so shocked and, dared she say, afraid. He’d backed up several steps and she suspected only his pride kept him from bolting away from the colossal dragon. The Gaians clearly weren’t worried about their pride. Most of them had scrambled backward and several had fallen over. Only the general had managed to keep his same basic position.

“Gentlemen,” she said. Miysis and the general tore their stares away from Tenryu to look at her. She smiled sweetly. “The warlord of Taroth and his great dragon would really like you to take your soldiers and leave. How about you start packing up
now
?”

“The warlord …” Miysis whispered in disbelief. His eyes flashed from the dragon towering over them, to Ash perched on Tenryu’s head, then to Piper. He gazed at her speechlessly—then he laughed, the sound ringing with mirth.

“Ah, Piper, the secrets you’ve been keeping from me. So
this
is how the draconians took Asphodel.”

Not quite knowing how to respond, she turned to the Gaian general. Before she could say anything, he nodded rapidly.

“Since the conflict with Hades is over and our goal was accomplished,” he said, his eyes darting everywhere but the great dragon, “we will begin an immediate withdrawal.”

“Excellent,” she said.

He gave her another jerky head bob and backed away before turning and striding swiftly to his side of the street, his subordinates scrambling after him. As the haemons left, Ash jumped down from Tenryu’s head and unclipped his faceplate, dropping it over his shoulder. Zwi chirped a greeting and leaped from her shoulder to his.

“Ashtaroth,” Miysis said.

“Miysis.”

“You’ve moved up in the world.”

“You could say that.”

The two daemons eyed each other. Piper resisted the urge to tense, not knowing what to expect. They hadn’t seen each other since Miysis’s men had almost killed Ash. One wrong word and the wary silence would erupt with violence. But neither said anything. Instead, Miysis extended his hand.

Ash hesitated then reached out. They clasped hands.

“The balance of power is changing,” Miysis said. “On Earth, in the Underworld, and in the Overworld. When we have the leisure, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the coming evolution.”

Ash glanced pointedly at the Ra forces behind Miysis. “Daemon armies have no place on Earth.”

“I agree. My soldiers would like to go home.” He made a short gesture to his entourage and they marched back toward the embassy. “We will maintain the embassy, of course, but without Hades to worry about, there is no need to station extra forces on this world.”

Piper managed not to sag in relief. No more daemon armies on Earth. Thank goodness.

“There is, however, one remaining item of contention.” Miysis faced her. “The unknown whereabouts of the Sahar is causing my family a certain amount of distress.”

“Oh, well,” she replied quickly. “I did have it, but it was destroyed.” She didn’t see the need to mention that she had been its destroyer.

His face blanked, then his eyes darkened. “Say that again.”

“The Sahar was destroyed in the battle in Asphodel. It no longer exists.”

He held his breath as she spoke, checking her truthfulness, then let out a harsh exhale. “Destroyed. Well. My mother will not be pleased.”

She relaxed a little when he didn’t ask for any details. “Honestly, the Sahar was more trouble than it was worth.”

“Perhaps.” He stepped away, his attention turning toward the embassy.

A sudden thought occurred to her and she looked at the great dragon behind her.

Tenryu?
she thought clearly.

Silver child.

Can I …
She quickly presented her idea.

You may,
he rumbled, humor lining his mental voice.

She quickly refocused.

“Oh, by the way, Miysis.” The Ra prince stopped and glanced back at her. She smiled in a friendly way. “Now that you don’t have to worry about Hades, I don’t know what plans you and your mother might have in the Overworld … territory expansions or things like that … but I thought you should probably know that Tenryu here”—she inclined her head toward the great dragon—“is related to the water dragons … and the ryujin.”

Miysis’s eyes flicked toward the dragon. Tenryu pulled his lips back, revealing rows of curved fangs.

“A pertinent detail,” Miysis replied, as casual as her. “One I will pass onto my mother.”

“Thanks.”

“Piper, if you’re ever visiting your kin in the Overworld, perhaps you will visit my homeland as well. I would be pleased to show you our lands and the desert where we scattered your mother’s ashes.”

She blinked. “Oh. That … that would be lovely.”

“Until next time then.”

She watched him walk away, then glanced at Ash. “Do you think his invitation was sincere?”

“Yes,” he said thoughtfully. “He invited you to see his home. A peace offering, I think.”

After glancing once more at Miysis, she turned to her father and uncle.

“Well, the Ras are leaving but the Gaians aren’t actually going anywhere.” She shifted uneasily. “They aren’t necessarily bad people and they’re right that daemons have had too much free rein here for too long, but I’m concerned about their weapons. They’re a little too quick to jump to violence.”

“Unfortunately,” Calder said, “they aren’t likely to disband at this point, especially after a hard-won victory.”

She frowned. “Do we want them to disband though? Humans and haemons haven’t had any real power in our world for a long time. We’ve had no effective way to defend ourselves against daemons.”

“One small army doesn’t solve that problem,” he replied. “Daemons will come back now that this conflict is over.”

“The Consulates are gone,” she mused, “but daemons might think twice about crossing the Gaians. On the other hand, we don’t want them running around attempting to police daemons. That would get ugly fast.”

“Having engaged in an actual battle with daemons,” Quinn said, “I think the Gaians may be ready to reevaluate their position. We will need to work with them on that.”

Well, if nothing else, the threat of a massive dragon showing up at any point would inspire some caution.

“What are your plans, Piper?” Quinn asked.

“Huh? Me? Uh.” She honestly hadn’t thought about it. “Well, back to the Underworld for now …”

“You have a decent rapport with the Gaians. We could use your help.”

Her help? He wanted
her
help?

“We need to leave,” she replied. “But I’ll … I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

She said quick farewells as Raum and Seiya took off, heading back toward the ley line. Ash lifted her onto Tenryu’s back, and every daemon and haemon in the vicinity stopped what they were doing to watch as the great dragon took flight. Her father and uncle shrank as Tenryu gained altitude, and then they were gone, lost among the skyscrapers.

T
enryu swooped
down to land on the mountain ledge. Piper hung on to Ash, glad of his arm around her waist. She didn’t trust her exhausted muscles not to give out. She hadn’t attempted to switch to her daemon glamour since returning from Earth. It would be a while before she had the magic for it.

Asphodel was destroyed. The draconians had transported their injured and dead back home. Ash and Tenryu had been the last to leave, waiting until everyone else had headed for the ley line before unleashing the full might of their combined magic on the estate, burning every building to the ground. Piper had watched the demolition from a mile out; she could have left with the others, but she’d waited for him. She didn’t want to be away from him.

Considerately, Tenryu lowered his chest to the ground to reduce the drop off his back. She slid down. Despite her caution, her knees buckled on impact. She fell forward and Tenryu’s nose appeared in front of her, pushing her upright again. She caught her balance with a hand on his scaled muzzle as Ash jumped down beside her.

“Thanks, Tenryu,” she said tiredly.

You have done well, silver child.

She rubbed a hand over his nose, awe overtaking her fatigue. “Has the Underworld magic returned to normal?”

The healing has begun
, he rumbled softly as he lifted his head. He spread his wings, stretching the leathery membrane tight. His head tilted to one side.
Silver child. Offer my gratitude to my sister, should you return to her waters.

“I will.”

Tenryu turned and launched off the ledge, his vast wings beating the air. In the sky above, the first rays of sunlight slipped past Periskios, gleaming across the great dragon’s obsidian scales before he vanished amongst the mountain peaks.

She leaned against Ash as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Gazing at the spot where the dragon had disappeared from sight, she felt a pang of sadness.

“He’s not coming back, is he?” she whispered.

Ash lifted one shoulder in a little shrug. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

She looked at him curiously but he merely pulled her into motion. She barely noticed the dark corridors they passed, lost in an exhausted haze as he led her … somewhere. She hoped wherever it was had a bed. Food could wait. Just the thought of eating made her feel sick.

A burst of sound startled her back into alertness. Coby and Ivria reached them first, hugging her and Ash, then the rest of the draconian women piled on them. All the former Asphodel draconians were in the large room, even Raum, Kiev, and Seiya. Lyre sat in one corner. An over-sized black shirt—to replace his torn, burnt one—made his normally golden skin look bleached. Or maybe he was just that pale.

Gently disentangling herself from Raisa’s enthusiastic hug, Piper slipped over to Lyre. The others surrounded Ash, wanting confirmation that Samael was truly dead.

She sank down beside Lyre and leaned back against the wall.

He gave her a weary smile. “You look even more tired than I feel.”

“I could pass out right here,” she admitted. “But I’m afraid to close my eyes.”

A haunted look crossed his face. “I know what you mean. Is everything done in Asphodel?”

“Burnt to the ground,” she murmured, letting her head fall back against the wall. She glanced at him. The burns on his face were healed, but three faint red lines ran horizontally across one cheek. Mahala would have been careful, but she hadn’t had an unlimited amount of time to make the healing perfect.

“Can you believe it’s over?” she whispered, half to herself. “The Sahar destroyed, Samael dead, the draconians free. It’s just …” She shook her head.

“Give it a few days to sink in.”

Ash managed to duck out of the group and retreated to her and Lyre’s corner. As Kiev told the others about their adventure beneath the Chrysalis building, Ash shimmered into glamour before dropping down beside her. She was so tired that it took her a moment to realize he’d used glamour because his wings would have been in the way otherwise. Well, that worked for her. She tucked herself against his side, resting her head on his shoulder and entwining their fingers. The voices of the others washed over her.

They’d done it. It really was over. The Hades family was broken and scattered as the draconians had once been. And the Sahar was gone. A soft, peaceful feeling slipped through her. Natania’s soul was free. Her suffering, the greatest of any individual who’d been caught in the endless daemon war for power, was over.

Groggily, she realized she’d closed her eyes without noticing. She squinted them open. On one side, Lyre leaned against her, his head on her shoulder, fast asleep. On her other side, Ash’s head was tipped back, resting on the wall, eyes closed, breathing slow. He was asleep too.

She smiled and closed her eyes again, wiggling a little closer to Ash and hugging his arm to her chest. Lyre’s warm weight on her other side was as much a comfort. With the murmur of the draconians’ voices filling the room and her two daemons beside her, she gave in to sleep.

“
A
nd this is
my
room
.”

Leading Piper through the doorway, Raisa declared her ownership with the possessive fervor of a child who’d never had a space of her own. The oval-shaped room was small and simple, containing no more than a wooden cot, a chair, and a chest for belongings, but it was more than she’d ever possessed before.

“Isn’t it great?” the girl gushed to Piper, waving her arm at the bed. “I don’t have to share it with anyone, and if I close the door,
no one
is allowed to come in without my permission.”

Piper smiled. Privacy was probably another thing Raisa had known little of in Asphodel.

“It’s an awesome room.” She tilted her head toward a little square of blue cloth that had been carefully spread out on the bed. “What’s that?”

“What—oh. It’s, uh …” Raisa’s cheeks turned bright red. “Some of the kids were talking about sweet buns but I’d never had one before and, well …” She blushed more deeply. “One of the boys brought me one.”

Piper quashed a smile. That little bit of cloth the boy had wrapped the bun in would be cherished alongside her burgeoning crush.

“It was really good,” the girl said hurriedly in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “The sweet bun, I mean. You should try one before you leave.”

“I’ll try to get my hands on one,” Piper said, letting her grin break free. Looking at Raisa’s innocent blush at the attention of a boy, she was caught off guard by a rush of emotion. Not all that long ago, Raisa’s future hadn’t included sweet buns or crushes on boys. Romance would have been as strange a concept as having her own bedroom, and the life of a forced broodmare would have killed her playful spirit.

But that future would never claim her now. She was free to have a childhood, to date draconian boys and fall in love. She would grow up free and happy. Piper was sure of it.

Blinking away a couple stupid tears, she abandoned dignity and pulled the girl into a tight hug.

“Piper,” Raisa complained, hugging her back despite the protest. “You’re not leaving
yet
. Why are you all emotional?”

“It’s nothing.” She furtively brushed away the one tear that had escaped. “Show me the others’ rooms.”

Raisa bounced out into the hall and pointed at a neighboring doorway. “Jezel’s room is next to mine. Hers is a little bigger, but I think mine is better.”

Piper followed Raisa through a tour of the rooms of all her family members. The entire hall, with a dozen rooms, had been given to the former Asphodel draconians—the first time any of them had had a place truly their own. A home.

Seven cycles—three Earth weeks—had passed since Asphodel’s defeat. The draconians had resettled in their hidden city and life was resuming with a sense of normalcy. Sorrow had mixed with equal triumph as the community mourned the loss of so many lives, but more than half of the warriors who’d gone to Asphodel had returned, and that was cause for celebration.

“Do you
have
to leave?”

Piper started slightly, realizing she’d spaced out. She and Raisa were back in the hallway again after a tour of the suite where Raum, Ivria, and Yana would be living. Piper had no idea what sort of relationship Yana’s parents had and she wouldn’t ask.

Raisa stared up at her plaintively, her mouth turned down in a frown. “You don’t have to go. The draconians said you could stay. And Ash wants you to stay too, and no one’s going to argue with
him
.”

“I’m not leaving because I’m being forced to,” she said. “I just … need to go? I’m not a draconian or even an Underworlder. I’ll definitely be back to visit though. So much that you’ll probably get sick of me.”

With a snort, Raisa shook her head. “The last room is Seiya’s, here.”

She led Piper to the last door in the hall. Unlike the others, it was closed. Raisa tapped on it and Seiya’s voice answered.

Raisa slid the door open. “Hey, Seiya! I’m giving Piper a tour.”

Seiya was lying atop the blankets on her bed, fiddling with something in her hands. She waved them in, stretching her legs out in a sleepy way. She wore loose, dark pants and a sweater, her long hair undone from its usual high ponytail and spread across the blankets. Piper was surprised but happy to see Seiya looking so relaxed and comfortable.

Her room was a little larger than Raisa’s but still pretty barebones. Like Raisa, Seiya didn’t seem to mind.

“And how is the tour?” Seiya asked, amusement in her eyes as she sat up and crossed her legs.

“Very impressive,” Piper said.

“If you ask, I bet they’d give you your own room too,” Raisa said, a not-so-subtle hint about Piper staying permanently.

“I don’t think Piper needs her
own
room,” Seiya said. She flicked a glance at Piper, one eyebrow arched.

Piper’s cheeks heated. She was
pretty
sure Seiya was teasing her about sharing Ash’s room—where she’d been blissfully spending every night since their return—but her tone was difficult to decipher. Seiya smiled a little, her expression equally as ambiguous, and fiddled idly with the small object in her hands. A glint of shiny green caught Piper’s eye.

“Oh,” she exclaimed. “Is that the spell Lyre made for you?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes.” Seiya turned her hand up, displaying the gem on her palm. “Did he show it to you?”

“Yeah, a little while ago. Do you like it?”

Seiya’s whole expression softened as she looked at the gem. “It’s wonderful.” She huffed a little sigh. “I’m going to miss that incubus.”

“Miss him? What do you mean, miss him?”

Seiya looked up. “He came by to say goodbye earlier. Didn’t you see him?”

“No, I—He’s leaving? When? Why?”

A loud chirp at her feet made her look down. Zwi stood beside her, twitching her tail in annoyance that it had taken Piper so long to notice her.

“Zwi!”

Another commanding chirp. The dragonet turned and trotted toward the bedroom door, then looked back in a distinct “what are you waiting for?” way.

“I think Zwi is here to fetch you,” Seiya said. “You’d better hurry if you want to say goodbye.”

“Lead the way, Zwi!” Piper exclaimed with a quick wave to Seiya and Raisa.

She rushed out the door after Zwi. The dragonet chirped again and bounded down the hall. Piper jogged after her through the twisting, turning corridors of the mountain city, moving steadily upward. They were heading for the north landing, which appeared to confirm Seiya’s guess.

Lyre was leaving? She’d been making her own plans, but she hadn’t thought about what he would do. She was so used to him and Ash as a duo that she’d assumed that wherever Ash went, Lyre wouldn’t be all that far away. And what was he thinking, saying goodbye to everyone else without even
hinting
to her that he was taking off?

The north landing was the largest entrance point into the city, a natural-looking platform near the summit. The corridor lightened with sunlight as she neared it, then she strode out into fresh air, squinting through the brightness. Zwi ran ahead of her.

Ash and Lyre stood at the other end of the platform, the sprawling mountain range spread out behind them. They were speaking, quiet and solemn, before Lyre reached up and gripped Ash’s shoulder in a sort of older brother way, saying something as he grinned.

Piper’s steps slowed, her eyes flashing over them. How different they seemed from the pair she’d first met in her Consulate: Ash, the powerful, decisive draconian with all his dark secrets, and Lyre, the playful, almost superficial incubus with his over-the-top flirtations and heart-on-his-sleeve simplicity. They hadn’t changed—not much, anyway—but she’d since come to see so much more. Ash, beneath his cloak of secrets, was motivated by desires that were simple yet profound—passionate fearlessness, enduring loyalty, a fierce love for those he cared about. Lyre, beneath his easygoing, mild-mannered exterior, was a creature of mystery, far more complex than she’d ever imagined an incubus could be.

Said incubus spotted her and that mischievous, flirty little half-smile curved his lips. The expression stretched the faint but noticeable scars on his cheek—three thin, horizontal white lines. She hurried over to him.

“Where do you think
you’re
going?” she demanded, planting her hands on her hips. “And without saying goodbye!”

“Of course I was going to say goodbye,” he said, all innocence. “That’s why I waited for you.”

She scowled. “But why are we saying goodbye at all? Why are you leaving?”

“For the same reason you are.”

“But … where will you go?”

“Oh … places.” He grinned and shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters! You don’t need to go off by yourself. If you don’t want to stay here, you could come with me.”

Lyre’s smile gentled. “You have your own things to do, Piper. You don’t need me tagging along.”

She paused, glancing at Ash. Lyre’s words resonated too strongly with her worries—ones she’d been working hard to ignore—about Ash’s path in life diverging from hers, going places she couldn’t follow. Lyre saw the same thing, except he saw
her
path going places too. Behind them, Zwi began a game of pounce with an innocent pebble, batting it enthusiastically across the rocky ground.

“But what about you?” she whispered.

“Don’t worry about me. There are untold numbers of gorgeous women out there just waiting to meet me.”

She rolled her eyes and looked at Ash. “Are you okay with this?”

“Of course,” he replied. “I was beginning to think he would never leave.”

“W-what?”

“Have we ever spent this much time together before?” he asked Lyre, clearly amused.

“Not even close,” Lyre said. “At this rate, people will start thinking we’re an item.”

“Yeah, you’d better get your ass out of here then.”

Lyre smirked and cast a look at Piper. “It’s her fault. Ever since she dragged us into her Sahar mess, we’ve been stuck together taking care of her.”

“Hey!” she protested. “I didn’t drag
him
into the Sahar mess. He was trying to steal it, remember?”

“Well, you got us accused of the theft, so I think it’s your fault. Right, Ash?”

“Definitely.”

“No way, that’s not fair!”

“All’s fair in love and war,” Lyre purred, winking at her. He let out a long, wistful sigh. “And despite all my best efforts, I never
quite
managed to get you out of your clothes.”

She snorted. “You never had a chance.”

“Hey, that time in the car—”

“
Lyre!
”

He snickered, and his expression softened. “You and Ash are perfect together.” His wicked grin returned. “You’re both bullheaded and reckless. I don’t need that kind of stress in my life.”

She blinked quickly, fighting to keep her composure. “Do you really need to leave now?”

“Yep,” he said brightly. “Already said my goodbyes. And I saved yours for last because I knew you’d argue with me.”

She grimaced. “I don’t know that I like being that predictable.”

His eyes lifted from her to something behind her. She turned to see Mahala walking over, her dragonet on her shoulder.

“Ready?” the draconian woman asked.

Piper looked between her and Lyre in confusion.

“Mahala is flying me over to the ley line,” he explained. “Ash is still on the no-fly list after that wing injury.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip. She wanted to argue more. She didn’t want him to leave.

He had no trouble reading her thoughts. His hands captured her shoulders and he pulled her into a hug, engulfing her in the spicy cherry scent of incubus.

“This isn’t goodbye forever,” he chided gently. “I’ll catch up with you for the next adventure, don’t worry. Ash knows how to track me down too.”

She squeezed him in return. He let go—too soon for her taste—and stepped back. He turned to Ash and they did one of those brief, backslapping man-hugs before clasping forearms.

“Take care of yourself,” Ash said.

“You too, man.”

Piper frowned at the casual exchange and realized this wasn’t a final farewell for them, but rather a temporary parting of ways, something they had done many times before. Lyre had his own life, goals and dreams and experiences she didn’t know a thing about. He had his own path and following her or Ash around wasn’t what he wanted. And he didn’t need help from either of them to forge his own road.

In fact, she suspected that Lyre was the one who would be showing up to help
them
if they needed it, not the other way around.

Ash wound an arm around her waist, startling her out of her thoughts. “Time to go.”

“Huh? But Lyre—”

“Is ready to go. And you don’t need to hang around and watch him fly off into the sunset.”

She glanced at the bright sky. “But sunset isn’t—”

He half-dragged her back toward the corridor. She dug in her heels, looking over her shoulder. Standing beside Mahala, Lyre gave her a casual wave and his trademark crooked smile.

“See you around, beautiful.”

She stopped resisting—both figuratively and literally—and waved back. She would see him again. She knew she would.

She and Ash entered the stone corridor, Zwi trotting after them, and she managed not to look back. Instead, she looked at Ash. Lyre was on his way and it was almost time for her to go too. It seemed silly that she hadn’t figured out sooner that Lyre wouldn’t hang around the draconian city forever either.

Now that they didn’t have to hide from Hades, the draconians were planning to reclaim the ancient city with the dragon statue. Ash had suggested it and the draconians were excited to begin. Soon they would send a group to set up a few dwellings. It was the first step in a long process to rebuild their culture and territory, and Ash would be busy leading the efforts.

And Piper didn’t have a place in any of those plans. That’s why she needed to leave.

They walked through the quiet corridors, hands entwined. She chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking about what to say to him. He knew she’d been making plans to depart within the next cycle but they hadn’t talked about it. Neither of them wanted to. Neither of them was ready to talk about their future together.