by K. F. Breene
“Dara is up ahead,” Amber said, and a surge of excitement rolled through the soul link. Dara had helped them take Valens down. She’d shown up in the nick of time in response to Daisy’s summons, and at one point in the battle, she’d saved Daisy’s life. Clearly Lexi had a soft spot for her.
Nervousness rolled through Kieran’s middle as he passed a level-five ruler of no consequence, followed by a large but orderly crew. Dara was still a ways back, a crimson dress flowing around her legs and no one at her side. Behind her, her team stalked like predators, the best collection of elementals in the world, much smaller than usual for a non-Demigod. Dara was making a statement about her abilities. One she could back up.
He continued to move at the same pace, still holding Lexi’s hand, but looked at Dara in a way that communicated he’d like to stop and chat. He was putting himself at her social mercy. It was the first risk of many.
The distance between them lessened. The woman behind Dara leaned forward a little, her mouth moving, giving advice or reminding Dara of their previously laid plans. In a moment, it became clear what her advisor had said.
Dara continued facing straight ahead. She would ignore Kieran’s subtle desire to meet her on the path. She might’ve helped with Valens, but she was making it public that their connection ended there.
Fuck.
Frustration burned within him. He’d hoped for at least a nod—a small show of camaraderie to get him going. Careful not to sigh like a child who hadn’t gotten his way, he swiveled his gaze forward, respecting her decision. The snub would make things harder, but it wouldn’t sink him. Not yet.
“Wait, are you serious?”
Kieran jerked at Daisy’s raised voice. He whipped his head back to look at her, unable to believe it.
She stepped out of the line with a hand held out in a stop motion. Her expression held disbelief, matching the way he felt.
“Don’t you recognize me?” Daisy asked, her doll-like features and large eyes making her look delicate and vulnerable. Her pretty dress hung from her slim frame, her softness of face and slight curves shouting clearly that she was still a kid. Given the badge pinned to the light pink sash across her body, it would take but a moment for everyone to realize this was the Chester they’d probably heard about, crashing their magical party. Daisy was currently painting a huge “kick me” sign on her back.
“Lexi,” Kieran hissed. “Stop this. She’s putting herself in danger.”
“You incinerated a guy who was about to slice my head off, remember?” Daisy put out her hands, very sassy. “We battled together against that nut-sack Valens. Thank heavens you and Demigod Kieran finally did something about that guy—he had to go. He was full of the wrong stuff.”
Kieran’s stomach clenched. While everyone knew how he’d come by his territory, Daisy—already remarkable for being a Chester among magical people—had just made a very bold, very public statement about someone who’d had a lot of allies. Kieran did not want to make enemies before he’d even made friends.
Mordecai stepped in before Lexi could drop Kieran’s hand. “Daisy, leave her be,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “She’s playing politics right now. This is for show.”
“Do you know what’s not for show? The important things—like guarding each other’s backs during battle.” She shrugged off Mordecai’s hand. “And who cares? This is just a walk. The official thing starts tomorrow. Can’t two groups with history shake hands and talk about the good times? There will be plenty of time to play politics.”
Lexi was trying to make her way to Daisy, but Amber had stepped in the wrong direction and was standing directly in Lexi’s path. Kieran fought to keep his composure.
“What do you know?” Mordecai pulled Daisy’s arm, forcing her to take a step back.
“Sorry.” Lexi had finally made it to her kids. Face flushed, her dress and hair billowing in a wind that touched no one else, she smiled at Dara and then at Dara’s people, who stood stock-still behind her. The cats slunk through everyone, stopping at Lexi’s sides. She didn’t seem to notice, which made it seem entirely natural and, given their size and glowing eyes, probably nerve-racking. “I apologize. As I’m sure you remember, we didn’t grow up in the magical world. I’ve clearly done a terrible job explaining the nature of this walk. This is my bad. Kieran was going by the book”—Kieran contained a flinch at the blunt acknowledgement of his actions—“but Daisy here was just reacting to a familiar face. I thought she had a better understanding of these things.”
“I have a great understanding of human decency,” Daisy said.
“Just no understanding of timing, that’s all.” Mordecai’s smile and body language hinted at the ridiculousness of the situation.
Other groups veered to the sides, both in front and behind, watching the circus. Many faces held wide eyes, a Demigod Kieran couldn’t place stared at the scene in clear disapproval, and a few snickered. This whole walk, the beginning of the Summit, was unraveling before Kieran’s eyes.
Take matters into your hand and punish them! Show everyone that you are not weak. Show them that you rule with an iron fist and you will be respected!
Fear bubbled through Kieran. He’d seen his father “handle” his staff countless times. He’d routinely punished them in public, leaving them a bloody mess and walking on, not allowing anyone to help them. He’d even killed a few staff if the grievance was bad enough.
This grievance would’ve been deemed bad enough. Daisy was embarrassing Kieran in front of his peers. She was hurting his chances of success. She was making him a laughingstock.
Kieran clenched his jaw and his fists, freezing. He dared not move a muscle. He was not like his father. Whatever this cost him in status, he would not lash out. He was better than that, stronger, securer. He could bounce back. He had allowed Daisy to come, and so he was ultimately at fault for her actions.
Lexi pulled her ward back a step, but then she hesitated. Into Dara’s continued stare, she said, “Look, we’re forever grateful to you, you know that. I think I gushed enough for a lifetime when you were in magical San Francisco. You saved our lives. Mordecai is right—this is a bad time—but just in case you and Kieran don’t see eye to eye down the road…” Lexi brushed her hair away from her face, the wind no one else felt still blowing her clothes, reminding everyone what she was. “I stand by what I said way back then. If you need backup, call me. I owe you that and more. I might be rolling by myself, because no way would I let the kids endanger themselves again, but I’ll do what I can.”
Lexi nodded, seemed to notice her dress swirling around her legs, and suddenly the spirit wind stopped. She nodded again, and then marshaled Daisy and Mordecai back into place. She put her finger in Daisy’s face. “Do something like that again, and you will rue the day, do you hear me? Rue the day. And you!”
She moved her finger in front of Mordecai, who now topped her height and breadth by quite a lot. It mattered not at all. Mordecai’s back bent and his head lowered.
“What did I do? I was helping,” he whined.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Her eyebrows settled low. “I will give you a thump you won’t soon forget, do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mordecai said glumly. Daisy stared in defiance.
Kieran could hardly control his anger when Lexi resumed her place by his side. He hardly knew where to look, or how quickly to start walking. His focus had been shattered, his hold on the situation lost. In any other place, he’d just call it a night and go home, but he couldn’t do that here.
Reaching for the one thing that had always balanced him, he took Lexi’s hand and slowly let out a breath.
“Demigod Kieran, might I have a word?”
It took him a moment to realize it was Dara who’d spoken to him.
She hadn’t moved, blocking the path just as he was. Her eyes had warmed, and her body language had defrosted.
She gestured to the side, indicating they might find a couple o
f benches and have a chat.
He couldn’t do much more than stare at her in confusion.
“She means you, dummy,” Daisy said through clenched teeth.
He wasn’t sure if he was awake. Had he slipped into some sort of strange dream turned nightmare?
Lexi stepped forward and all but dragged him along. He allowed her to lead him, their group stopping to wait for Dara’s group to go first, giving way to those of higher status. Even Daisy and Mordecai hung back, a show that they weren’t nearly as ignorant to the nature of this walk as they appeared to be.
“Just go with it,” Lexi murmured, warmth flowing through the soul link. “Just go with the crazy. It’ll work out. It always works out.”
“Can we speak plainly?” Dara said once they were off the path and seated on a wide bench, in clear view of those passing by.
“Yes, of course.” Kieran still struggled to regain focus. He was grateful Alexis sat beside him, grounding him.
“How you allowed Alexis to handle her ward just then reminded me why I stayed to help you keep magical San Francisco in order after Valens…” She let her voice trail away out of respect, he knew. Valens had been a tyrant, but he’d also been family. “It reminded me of why I didn’t oppose you taking his territory. Hell, why we came to help in the first place. There is no way in Hades’s underpants that Valens would’ve calmly stood by while one of his people stepped out of line. He would’ve painted the footpath red with them—I can think of a few examples.”
“I know,” he said, clenching his jaw.
“What I’m saying is, when you’re with Alexis and her kids, I see a side of you that I feel I can trust. A side of you completely unlike the composed man who approached me on this path. Which man are you? I’ve paid attention to your activities after I left magical San Francisco, and I can’t say I like what I’ve seen. You conquered the giant’s mountain, you infiltrated a Chester town and stole a rare talent… Sure, you managed to actually acquire those talents, which speaks to your ability, but the act of trying, when neither of them wanted to be bothered, is an issue. I will not support someone like your father. I’m sure you can understand that.”
Kieran clasped his hands together, hardly daring to breathe. This was a time for blunt honesty if ever there was one.
“We didn’t conquer anything—Jerry could’ve killed us many times over. He didn’t because Alexis was able to act as a middleman between him and his deceased fiancée. I wish I could say I convinced him to join us, but he came because of Alexis. Neither did we steal anything. Dylan, the Lightning Bolt, came to us after our battle with Demigod Flora. We’d left without him. You can check with the townspeople on that, since I doubt you’d believe Dylan.”
“And Amber, Valens’s right-hand snake?” Dara asked without lowering her voice.
“I had to allow logic to overrule emotion. Magnus sought to hire her, and Aaron attempted to kidnap her. I couldn’t let either of those things happen. You must understand, Alexis puts me in a…sensitive position. My goal has been to gather the best team possible to help me defend her. I have not forced anyone into my employ, nor will I. Red, back at the homestead, does not have a blood oath. You are free to ask her questions if you doubt me. Please be aware, though, that I have excellent training, designed and governed by my father. I will use it to gain the status I need, just as I will use the other tools in my arsenal. I will even attempt to sway some of my father’s old allies to my side. Some of them are uncommonly stupid, or so my father had always said. If those blind sheep want to follow me, I’m more than willing to lead.”
“Even stupid gets a vote,” Dara said softly, looking at the people strolling by, everyone playing the game. Everyone but Kieran and Dara, at present.
“My father always said that a crowd of stupid or ignorant people looking to be led is great for getting your desires achieved. If you are clever enough to manipulate them, you turn their vote into your own.”
“A clever enough strategy…for a Demigod. My words can be as sweet as anyone’s, but this place is full of elitists, and they look at me and see a level five.”
“They look at me and see a child.” Kieran shrugged, taking Lexi’s hand again. “For now.”
Silence fell between them, broken by Lexi.
“He won’t turn into his father.” She leaned around him to look at Dara. “You can trust Kieran. He’s done great things for magical San Francisco. In just a short time, he’s already made improvements for the people he governs. He can make a difference on a larger scale, too. If it makes you feel better, though, share a meal with Daisy. She’ll tell you all you need to know about his faults.”
A moment passed in silence. Dara’s and his teams waited around them, silent and watchful. Patient.
The verdict was coming, Kieran knew. It was a chore to continue breathing evenly.
Finally, Dara stood. “I haven’t taken a chance like this in a long time.” She turned, waiting for Kieran to stand beside her. She put out her hand, her hard blue eyes rooting to his. “Let’s see what you’re made of. Maybe you can succeed where I have continually failed.”
Kieran took her hand, hardly able to believe it. The communication with her had been going so badly—nosediving into tragic, even. But Dara had just publicly done a one-eighty and stuck out her hand for all to see. She was creating an alliance with him before the Summit had even officially begun.
Fireworks exploded through his middle. An incredulous grin threatened to break free.
He shook her hand firmly and felt the power curling around them. She’d been his father’s biggest roadblock, unraveling his plans when no one else had dared to try. She’d spoken up for those afraid to use their voices, giving them courage. She would be a hell of an ally. They could make headway together, he knew it.
Daisy hadn’t unraveled his walk at all…she’d saved the day.
“Sir, we have word…” Amber stepped closer, facing the trees, a finger to her earpiece. “Aaron and Magnus have both entered the promenade on the west side, half a mile from here. Zander has left his homestead with his team, heading this way. The big dogs are coming out. They must be curious about some of the new people at the Summit.”
“Nah.” Dara grinned, her eyes sparkling. “They’re curious about you. Everyone is. You’ve got people talking. Watch yourself—friends and enemies are often the same in this place.”
5
Alexis
As Kieran waited for Dara and her people to head off, I grabbed Daisy and Mordecai by the arms and dragged them away from the others.
“What were you thinking?” I demanded, so mad I could spit nails. I knew for a fact Daisy was well versed in the protocol of this walk. She’d known exactly what she was doing. And she wasn’t the only one in trouble. Mordecai had pretended to restrain her, but it had been all for show.
“Trying to help Kieran, obviously,” Daisy said, full of indignation.
I barely stopped myself from stepping forward and shaking all the teenage angst right out of her.
“You took an incredible risk, and while it might have turned out okay for him—thank your lucky stars—now you have a big target painted across your back. Did you see all those people staring? All anyone will be talking about is the Chester that got out of line and stopped a leader.”
“So what?” she said, putting her free hand to her hip. “We’re a team. I had a way to help, and I did. I’ll take what comes.”
I clenched my fists, still struggling not to grab her and start shaking. “You didn’t need to do it. Kieran would’ve been able to talk her around. He would’ve been able to recover.”
“Kieran would’ve been publicly rejected by a level five,” Mordecai said, sounding knowledgeable and therefore really annoying. “It would’ve been a bad start to the Summit, especially since they’ve fought together.”
“Dara is of high standing—”
“She’s a level five,” Daisy interrupted. “You heard her: the elitists out there look down on h
er. They would look down on Kieran, too, if it got around that she’d snubbed him. At least now he has come out on top, creating an alliance without even discussing details or making concessions. That is a good look. That makes him look better than when he first got here.”
“He knew the risk he was taking,” I said.
“So did I. I’m a Chester”—she jerked her head at Mordecai—“and he’s a wolf without a pack. We’re a couple of teens Kieran allows to hang around in order to please his Soul Stealer. If Dara had turned away from me, we would’ve spread the rumor that you punished me severely. Since she didn’t, Kieran gets a win without having to beg her to reconsider. Why do you think Zorn let me intercept her? If it had been Magnus, he would’ve stabbed me in the back to stop me. Why do you think Amber got in your way to give me more time? She saw what was happening.”
For a moment I was struck mute. She sounded like an adult who’d been sitting in on strategy meetings. Her understanding of the situation was incredible.
But she was still my kid. A kid without magic and without the power to heal quickly.
“You just put a target on your back, Daisy. You need to realize that. You helped Kieran, yes, but to do it, you put yourself in incredible danger.”
Daisy laughed without humor, acting far beyond her years. “I put myself in incredible danger just by showing up…and by being your ward. Wait a minute, let’s go back further, shall we? Let’s not forget I put myself in danger by trying to sell fake drugs for a little money before we met Kieran. By stealing medicine for Mordecai. By running away from a foster dad who beat me. By not running away from all those other homes. My life is danger, Lexi. For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in constant danger. At least now I’m useful. At least now I have a group of people at my back that will help me through it. Kieran succeeding is the best thing for this family, and so I will do whatever it takes—I’ll face whatever it takes—to help make that happen.”