Piper flashed an alarmed look at Kiev as Melonie continued.
“We’re guessing the Ras had their own small army hidden in their embassy, because the next thing we knew, they were fighting in the streets and …” She took a deep, steadying breath. “We thought at first that the government would send in the military to stop them, or at least some extra prefects or something, but they’re all in a panic without the Consul Board to advise them on daemons and they don’t want to trigger something worse, I guess.”
Piper frowned. “I understand why they aren’t sending in a human military—they wouldn’t stand a chance against a daemon army—but how can they ignore it completely?”
“They’re scared,” Melonie replied. “They leveled buildings in Habinal City like someone dropped bombs on them.”
“We don’t have any bombs,” Randy interrupted, “because the daemons forbid us from making them. Convenient, isn’t it?”
“They forbade us from making weapons of mass destruction so we couldn’t destroy our planet,” Piper pointed out. “It was pretty necessary.”
“You always defend them!” Randy’s chest puffed out with fury. “The Consulates are failing and you don’t even care. You keep disappearing with daemons for weeks at a time and come back with all sorts of their shit. What are you doing with them? Where do you keep going? I want answers!”
“Well, we can’t all have what we want, can we?” Piper said, controlling her irritation. “And quite frankly, I don’t care what you want, Randy. I don’t owe you answers. I don’t owe you anything. I’m here to see my father and uncle, not listen to your paranoid crap.”
He surged forward a step but stopped, unable to reach Piper around Melonie. “You’re a daemon whore,” he spat.
“Would you like me to kill him?” Kiev’s quiet, menacing voice sent a visible shiver down every apprentice’s spine.
Randy’s gaze swung to the draconian and he backed away several fast steps. Retreating from a predator? Had he absorbed any of his training?
She waved a hand. “Nah, he’s not worth the effort. But thanks anyway.”
“I doubt it would take effort.”
Randy swelled again, his wounded ego overcoming his fear.
“Calm down, Randy,” Melonie said quickly. “Just let it—”
He immediately turned on the easier target. “Are you turning into a glam-girl like her?” he sneered. “Making nice with Piper so she can introduce you to her incubus pal?”
Melonie’s cheeks turned red.
“Oh, just shut up, Randy,” Piper said, her tone hardening. “You’re making yourself look like an idiot.”
“Don’t turn this around on me!” He balled his hands into fists, arms flexing. Jerome grabbed his shoulder but he shrugged his friend away. “You can’t fool me with your act. I can see right through your bullshit! I know you’re a traitor!”
The door at the back of the sanctuary banged as it was thrown open. A group of Consuls walked in, fronted by her father and Uncle Calder.
“What are you all yelling about?” Calder called in annoyance as he walked in. “We could hear you from—”
He broke off, stopping dead as his gaze landed on Piper. Lexa, coming in behind him, walked into his back. As Piper locked eyes with her uncle across the length of the sanctuary, a hundred emotions rose in her, closing her throat. Relief and delight at seeing him, concern for his pale face and the circles under his eyes, worry over how he would react to her long disappearance.
Her attention shifted to the man beside him. Quinn had taken a moment longer to stop, and he too gaped at Piper in shock. She couldn’t read his expression, and all those old feelings of hesitation and defensiveness crowded in to join the emotional storm inside her.
Calder recovered first. His green eyes snapped to Randy and the others.
“Apprentices! All of you outside and don’t come back until you’ve completed a full perimeter check.”
The apprentices groaned.
“But—” Jerome began.
“Out! Now!”
Piper waited as the apprentices reluctantly headed toward the doors. Melonie gave her a small smile as she followed the others. They stumped past the Consuls and out of sight. At a quick signal from Calder, the other Consuls quickly followed, heading right back out the door they’d just come in through.
As soon as they were gone, Calder rushed down the aisle. Piper stepped out from between the pews and met his hug with open arms. He lifted her right off her feet, squeezing the air out of her.
“Uncle Calder,” she gasped, half laughing. “I need my ribs in one piece!”
He chuckled and set her down. “You weigh an extra fifty pounds with all that steel on you.”
“Not quite.” Her eyes turned to Quinn, standing beside her uncle. They stared at each other, the awkwardness all the more obvious after her effortless reunion with Calder. The last time she’d seen her father, he’d backhanded her across the face. He’d been drugged at the time, but still.
After a brief hesitation, she lifted her arms. What might have been relief softened his face ever so slightly and he quickly wrapped her in a hug. She closed her eyes against a prick of tears.
He stepped back, holding her shoulders as his good eye searched her face.
“You’re back,” he said simply.
She nodded. Uncle Calder threw an arm over her shoulders, half-pulling her away from Quinn’s hands as he tucked her close to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kiev casually drift away from them, meandering to the opposite end of the sanctuary to give them privacy.
“I feared the worst when you didn’t come back, Pipes,” Calder said gravely, his relieved happiness sobering. “What happened? Did you meet with your mother?”
Her throat closed. She cleared it, the little cough tearing like a knife. “Yes. In Fairview, we found proof that Samael was interfering with the Gaians, and we went to Habinal City to warn the Gaian command staff. And … well, I guess you heard what happened.”
Quinn frowned. “If Samael was involved with the Gaians, why did he bring in a company of soldiers to destroy their base of operations?”
“Because we revealed that he was involved,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to the floor. “The Gaians were only useful to him if no one knew his secret. He did it to erase the evidence of his involvement.”
“It’s not your fault,” Calder said gently. “If that was his plan, Samael would have done it sooner or later whether you went there or not.”
“What about your mother?” Quinn asked. “Has she been with you this entire time?”
She clenched her teeth, fighting the crushing surge of grief that wiped out every other emotion inside her. She pressed her shaking hands against her legs.
“She … She … died.”
Calder’s arm tightened painfully on her shoulders.
“He … Samael, he was there.” She swallowed, struggling to get the words out. She forced her eyes from the floor to Quinn’s pale face, his expression frozen in place. “He came with his army, and he … he killed her. Right in front of me.”
Calder pulled her into his arms again, his hand on the back of her head pressing her face into his shoulder. A single sob shook her before she swallowed back her anguish. She didn’t have the leisure to grieve. She had to be strong.
Pulling gently away from her uncle, she wiped a hand over her face to erase her tears and straightened her shoulders. Quinn’s expression was unreadable and she had no idea how he felt about the death of his ex-wife, but either way, she didn’t expect him to mourn Mona in front of her.
“A lot has happened since I left,” she told them. “I need to know what I missed here—everything that’s going on with Hades and Ra.”
“Pipes, you only just arrived,” Calder protested. “You should rest. We can catch up on everything in the morning and—”
“There’s no time for that. I’m on a tight schedule.”
“A tight schedule for what?”
“Yes, Hades forces are entrenched around the embassy but they haven’t been able to breach its defenses, and so far they’ve refrained from a large-scale attack like in Habinal City.”
“What are they waiting for?” she asked. “I can’t imagine why they’d purposefully drag this out.”
Calder glanced at his brother and shrugged. “We don’t know. It could just be the Gaians throwing them off.”
“What do the Gaians have to do with anything?”
“After Habinal City, they pulled all their forces together here in Brinford.” Calder rubbed a hand over his stubbly jaw. “We’re not entirely sure what’s going on, but they’ve been attacking Hades forces downtown. Or Hades has been attacking them. It’s not all that clear.”
She began to pace, striding up and down the aisle. Kiev drew closer, not quite joining the conversation but listening in.
“So we have Hades pinning the Ras down in their embassy and the Gaians messing around downtown.” She looked at her father and uncle. “How many Hades soldiers? Do you know?”
“Several companies at least,” Calder said. “It’s difficult to get a count of them.”
“And how many Ras?”
“We have no idea. All they’ve done so far is defend.”
She swore under her breath. “Several companies” could be six hundred or more soldiers, probably more than enough to crush the Ra embassy if they wanted to. Without knowing what was holding them back from finishing off the Ras, she didn’t know how long their mission would occupy them. Three days. What were the chances the Hades force would stay put for another three days?
Her steps slowed. Six hundred Hades soldiers. Even if the draconians’ attack on Asphodel succeeded, those were six hundred soldiers who could immediately withdraw from Earth and retaliate against the draconians. She doubted any of the draconians would be up for another battle that soon; they would be exhausted and injured, and—she swallowed hard—their numbers would undoubtedly be reduced from all the casualties.
“How many Gaians are we talking about?” she asked abruptly.
“A couple thousand,” Calder answered, watching her with narrowed eyes. “We think they pulled in everyone they have, soldiers and civilians both.”
An unknown number of Ra soldiers in the embassy, two thousand Gaians, six hundred Hades soldiers, all in the same city. It was an explosion waiting to happen. And she was thinking maybe an explosion was what they needed.
She turned sharply to Kiev. “Those Hades soldiers could withdraw at any time. The Ras aren’t even fighting back.”
He tilted his head. “But what are the chances they’ll pull out in the next three days?”
“Can we take that chance? And what about afterward? Will you be prepared to take on three or four companies of fresh Hades forces when they come charging back to Asphodel?”
“We’ll be gone by then.”
“And they’ll know where to find you.”
His mouth twisted unhappily. “There isn’t much we can do about that.”
“But maybe there is.” She surged back into motion, pacing frantically. Quinn and Calder watched her with wary confusion. “The Ras are just holding their position, but what if they went on the offensive? The Hades forces aren’t likely to go anywhere if they’re engaged in battle.”
Kiev tugged at his face wrap. “Well, yeah, but the Ras aren’t on the offensive.”
“Maybe they will be,” she muttered, coming to a stop again. She looked at Calder. “Do you know if Miysis is in the city?”
“I don’t know,” he said cautiously.
She drummed her fingers on the hilt of her sword, thinking fast.
“What is all this about, Piper?” he demanded.
She didn’t answer, focusing on Kiev again. “I know we only came for information, but I can’t just leave it like this. We’re leaving too much to chance. Even if the Hades force doesn’t budge in the next three days, they’ll pour back into the Underworld the second they hear about the attack.”
“What attack?” Calder exclaimed.
“What are you thinking?” Kiev asked.
“Maybe the Ras can do more than just defend their embassy. Maybe we can defeat Hades on both worlds.” Her hand closed tightly around her sword hilt. “I need to talk to Miysis. And the Gaians too.”
“Wait, what?” Calder interrupted. “What the hell are you two talking about?”
“I’ll explain in a moment.” Piper took Kiev’s elbow, guiding him toward the door. “You need to go back and tell Ash everything.”
“You want me to leave you?”
“He needs to know. I’ll stay here and see what I can make happen.”
He hesitated before nodding. “All right. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“No, you should stay. You’ll have preparations to make too and I don’t want you exhausting yourself flying all over the Underworld. I’ll signal from the ley line when I’m done here.”
“Are you sure?” His eyes crinkled and she suspected he was making a face. “Ash won’t be happy with me.”
“He can deal with it.”
“All right.” He clasped her arm, giving her a brief squeeze. “Good luck.”
He strode away, gone from the sanctuary in seconds. She hoped she was making the right choice.
“Well, Piper?” Quinn demanded.
She reluctantly turned back to them.
“Right now,” she said, “a draconian army is mobilizing in the Underworld to attack Asphodel. While Samael’s forces are divided between Earth and the Underworld, they’ll destroy his base and break his power.”
They stared at her, dumbfounded. Why was it so shocking? Hadn’t they gleaned as much from her conversation with Kiev?
“We came to find out how much of Samael’s forces are here,” she continued, “and I want to make sure those forces can’t turn around and reinforce Asphodel.”
They gaped at her like she’d sprouted two heads. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“So …” Calder said, his voice slow with incredulity. “You’re planning to somehow convince the Ras to attack Hades?”
“Pretty much.”
“It won’t work,” Quinn said flatly.
She scowled at him. “It can work. It needs to work. Assuming Miysis is here, he can be reasoned with, especially with Samael’s defeat on the table. The Gaians are less reasonable, but I can at least find out what their plans are.”
Quinn’s good eye narrowed. “How do you propose to get in contact with Miysis? I hope you aren’t thinking of walking up to their embassy; they’re in the middle of a war zone. You’d be killed on sight. Without your mother, you have no way in with the Gaians. And what about the city? How many casualties will there be if you do convince Miysis to launch a major attack downtown? It’s too—”
She raised her hand as she cut in.
“Father.” She met his gaze, calmly resolute. “I won’t discuss whether this is a good idea or whether I should do it. I am doing this. I need to do whatever I can to make it happen. Samael intends to rule Earth—he’s already started—and this is our best chance to stop him. This is our future. This is saving our planet.”
She glanced at Calder before refocusing on her father. “We can discuss how to mitigate as many risks as possible, but there’s no point in telling me that it’s dangerous. I probably know better than you do what I’m up against. I will either succeed or die trying, no half measures. There’s an army gathering in the Underworld and every daemon is prepared to die to stop Hades. Thousands of lives depend on what I can accomplish here in the next three days.”
He leaned back a little, absorbing her words. She didn’t break eye contact, holding his gaze with a steady look. She could feel him measuring her, analyzing her words against the daughter he knew—the one he’d never had faith in, the one
he always pushed onto the sidelines. She didn’t flinch under his stare like she once would have.
He finally gave a slow nod. “What do you need from us?”
She exhaled, a wave of tension releasing from her muscles. Even though he hadn’t agreed with her or retracted his doubts, his question in itself represented his implicit support. He wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t intend to follow through. A slow smile spread across her face.
“Thank you. We have a lot to do and not much time.”
* * *
Piper threw open the car door and hopped out. From the driver’s seat, Uncle Calder climbed out and shut his door. The street was quiet—too quiet. The drive through downtown had almost finished off her nerves. She’d seen more than enough of the state the city was in after weeks of daemon battles. She wasn’t sure it could recover. If this didn’t end soon, Brinford would become just another abandoned metropolis that the surrounding wilderness would slowly reclaim.
The building in front of them was just as silent and lifeless as the rest of downtown. Fire had blackened most of the familiar warehouse on one side but the structure was mostly intact. On her previous visits to the Styx, she’d used the front door, but it was boarded shut. Luckily, Calder knew where the back entrance was.
While they were paying a visit to a certain succubus, Quinn was working on his assignment: locating the Gaians’ current leadership. All the Consuls at the church—more having joined Quinn after she’d left—were working on it. It boggled her mind that she was the one directing their efforts, not that anyone besides Quinn and Calder realized that.
Calder led her to the recessed metal door and knocked. She huddled beside him, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow in the dark alley. The air stank of old urine, garbage, and burnt wood.
“Are you sure she’s still here?” she whispered.
He knocked again. “I doubt Lilith would ever abandon her club, even if the city burned to the ground around it. She’s spent her whole life building this place up from nothing.”
Calder knew Lilith better than she did; he’d spent quite a bit of time at the club when the situation in the city first started going downhill. She grimaced and folded her arms, hugging herself against the chill in the air. Not as cold as Underworld nights. Surprisingly, she missed the somewhat bitter, crisp tang of the air there—or maybe that was just the alley’s stench talking.
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