Unleash the Storm (5 page)

Zwi arched around on spread wings toward the cluster of flapping wings, where Ash was fighting off the flock. Zwi roared as she charged straight into them, teeth flashing and front talons ripping at black feathers indiscriminately. Piper flung out her hand again, a band of magic severing the two nearest feathered wings.

Where was Ash? She couldn’t see him. She needed to see him.

Zwi suddenly disengaged, back-winging away from the flock. Then she tucked her wings and dove away from the raptors, leaving Ash somewhere in their midst.

Light glowed from within the center of the flock. With a silent detonation, black power exploded outward, blasting through the raptors. Feathers flew in every direction. The remains of the birds rained down toward the distant ground.

Zwi leveled out, gliding on outspread wings. His own wings beating with clear fatigue, Ash descended toward them and dropped onto Zwi’s back behind Piper. The dragon immediately banked toward the mountain slope. With a clatter of talons, she landed on an outcrop of rock and folded her wings.

Ash slid off the dragon and staggered with exhaustion. Piper leaped down too and grabbed his arm. She shoved him to the ground, surprising a gasp out of him.

“Piper …” he began hoarsely, struggling to catch his breath. He moved to stand but she roughly pushed him down again. Methodically, she examined his body for injuries. His bare arms and chest bore shallow scratches from raptor talons, but none were deep. She checked his legs, his wings, even his tail for damage.

“I’m fine, Piper,” he said, a note of caution in his voice. “You can relax now.”

She sat on her heels in front of him, eyes narrowed. “Did you kill them all?”

“I think so.” He hesitated. “Why?”

“They attacked you.” She grabbed his chin, tilting his face to examine a scratch down his cheek. “They hurt you,” she growled. “They aren’t allowed to hurt you. You’re mine.”

His head turned back to her. In an instant, his eyes went from stormy gray to pitch black. “What did you say?”

“You’re
mine
.” The words came out layered with challenge, daring him to deny it, her shaded calm somehow mixing with anger and possessive fury. Then she grabbed his head, fingers hooked in his horns, and kissed him. Her kiss was harsh, fierce, demanding. Aggressive.

He growled against her mouth, kissing her back just as ferociously.

All of the sudden, her legs gave out and she flopped down on him. Tingles rushed over her as she slipped unintentionally back into her human form. Exhaustion followed in a crushing wave, sweeping away her possessiveness.

“Owww,” she groaned.

She looked at her arm, surprised to see the deep gashes above her elbow and streaks of blood across her skin. Ash propped her up as her limbs trembled and fatigue gripped her entire body.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I—I think I overdid it a little,” she replied breathlessly. Her head spun. “Maybe a lot.”

He gazed down at her with dark eyes, analyzing her as if she were a strange specimen in a zoo.

“What?” she grumbled, feeling a blush coming on. “I get a little weird when I shade, okay?”

His lips curved and he leaned down, brushing his mouth over hers. “No complaints here. We should get back before they come looking for us.”

Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her to her feet. She leaned on him hard, her shaking legs barely supporting her weight. Spending all night in her daemon glamour had sucked her magic almost dry. Returning to her daemon glamour and using even more magic to fight the raptors had depleted her reserves and exhausted her body. The next few days while she recovered were going to suck.

As Ash led her over to Zwi, she glanced around at the empty sky. “Speaking of the others, why didn’t anyone come to help? I don’t see how they could have missed the commotion.”

“I had Zwi make sure Raum got the others to safety first.” He glanced in the direction where he’d blasted the flock to smithereens. “There were quite a few more than I initially realized, and it’s better that the others were protected. Rocs are aggressive, stubborn, and stupid. Not a good combination.”

He lifted her onto Zwi’s back, then let out a long sigh as he stretched his wings, probably steeling himself for the flight back. Piper slumped on the dragon’s back, weaving her weak fingers into Zwi’s mane and hoping she didn’t fall off.

As Ash stepped to the edge of the rocky outcropping and leaped into the air, Piper hunched lower on Zwi’s back. The dragon sprang off the edge, spreading her wings to glide after Ash. Pressing her lips together, Piper stared at the draconian.

While she’d been shaded, the thought of anyone hurting him had filled her with rage. The quiet, fierce love she felt for him as a human had transformed into aggressive, furious possessiveness. She’d seen the same daemon reaction before when Lilith had dosed Ash and Lyre with her aphrodesia; they’d both reacted with similar possessive aggression. She was guessing her reaction was pretty typical for a daemon, and it didn’t seem to bother Ash—aside from bringing out his aggressive side as well. She was a little embarrassed about the way she’d reacted, but something else was nagging at her, chewing a little hole of anxiety in her belly.

If her reaction to Ash while shaded was to protect him, why had she tried to kill him while shaded at the Gaian facility? Had it been the Sahar’s poisonous hatred overriding her daemon instincts … or had something else been driving her to kill him?

She clenched her teeth. She wished she could remember what had happened in that fight—but if she remembered the fight, then she would also remember all the people she’d killed, and she’d probably never sleep again.

S
leep didn’t do
as much to restore her strength as she would have liked. Even after waking, she was forced to stay in her weak human form. When they set out again, the strange, gloomy twilight had settled over the land. Periskios hovered in the deep blue sky, half lit by the setting suns, the other half in darkness. When she’d first seen the planet, she’d thought it moved across the sky, but she’d soon learned it was the suns, stars, and moons that moved. Periskios never changed position, always hovering just above the mountains that formed the southern horizon.

They flew low in the valleys to stay hidden as twilight gradually—
very
gradually—deepened into darkness. The forests of tall, spindly, inedible trees they travelled over seemed endless, coating the slopes of the mountains, and when they landed in a sheltered hollow of the forest, she had to wonder if Raum was just saying that the terrain would soon improve merely to keep their spirits up. She hadn’t seen any signs of more hospitable land.

The suns were long gone from the sky when they went to bed, but it wasn’t dark. Though sunlight no longer touched the landscape, Periskios received the full light of the unseen suns. The planet glowed in the sky, its surface covered with swirling white and gold clouds, slowly waxing like the giant moon it so resembled. When the long night reached its halfway point, Periskios would act like a full moon, casting silvery light across the mountains.

As she lay wrapped in a blanket in a tiny tent with Seiya sleeping on one side and Raisa on the other, sleep tugged at her eyelids but she couldn’t manage to drift off. Ash was out scouting, forfeiting his rest yet again. A quarter cycle of travel more, Raum had promised as they ate another meal of bland soup, then they could set up a more permanent camp.

Her thoughts returned to the carved gazebo and pool. She hadn’t had a chance to tell Ash she was pretty certain it had seen the touch of draconian hands. The delay was mainly because telling him would involve explaining
how
she was so certain it was draconian architecture.

She’d never spoken to anyone about her shared dreams with Natania. The soul that lived in the Sahar was dangerous and insane, but she’d helped Piper more than once. As uncomfortable as the dreams were, she wished she could talk to Natania again and ask about the springs; if Natania had visited them in her past life, she could potentially offer insights into the area. Or maybe she would just taunt Piper and be supremely unhelpful. Their conversations could go either way.

She also wouldn’t mind the opportunity to ask Natania about what had happened in the Gaian facility. Had Piper gone insane because of shading? Or had her insanity come from the Sahar—as Ash and Lyre believed? Or had she gone insane … because she was actually insane? What if she’d become unstable after all the terrible things she’d experienced in the past months and another berserker episode was coming? Her mother had been crazy; maybe it ran in the family.

But Natania was even crazier, not to mention manipulative, and if it
had
been the Sahar’s overwhelming rage that had driven Piper to murder people, Natania wasn’t likely to be forthcoming about it.

She sighed in the darkness of the tent and smoothed her hair away from her face. A quarter cycle—about eighteen hours—of travel. Her body ached with exhaustion and her arm throbbed where the roc’s talons had cut her. Ivria had carefully healed the injury, but pain still lingered deep in the muscle and would take time to fade entirely. She would have loved another soak in those hot springs. She smiled a little to herself, picturing the smooth pool by the gazebo with its breathtaking vista of mountains.

In her mind’s eye, she saw again the strangely shaped peak in the distance at the farthest end of the valley. A sense of vague recognition trickled through her. Maybe because she had just been thinking about Natania and their shared dreams, she recalled the vision Natania had shown her of a colossal dragon carved into a summit in the center of the draconian community. That strangely shaped peak at the end of the valley … could it have been the carved dragon from a different angle? No. No way had that statue survived a war and five centuries of abandonment in the harsh mountain elements.

She squeezed her eyes shut to banish the idea. But she ended up lying awake for far too long, wondering if the ancient settlement had really been that close—or if it was just the wishful thinking of a homesick haemon who didn’t belong in this world.

P
iper decided
she should have a little more faith in Raum.

The mountains were still in the deep embrace of night when they resumed their travels, but building excitement permeated the long hours. The glowing face of Periskios in the dark sky revealed a transforming landscape that grew more inviting with each mile they flew.

The steep, barren peaks of the mountains softened and the valleys grew deeper and wider. Unfamiliar species of trees overtook the slopes, their bizarre, fiery red leaves adding spectacular bursts of color to the landscape even in the silvery light. As they descended into one of the smaller valleys, protected by steep cliff walls, she spotted a narrow waterfall plunging down the nearest mountain, the water disappearing into the forested valley.

Raum led the descent, gliding toward the base of the waterfall. As they neared it, a pool at the bottom was revealed, glittering in Periskios’s light, and she could hear the rush of the falls. Raum drifted across the water and landed on the far side. The others followed, and Piper let out a relieved sigh as Zwi’s feet touched down. She slid off the dragon’s back, landing on oddly cushioned ground. She poked one toe bemusedly at the carpet of low, vine-like plants with tiny green leaves and orange flowers that coated the ground as thickly as any grass on Earth. It was oddly spongy to stand on.

After catching their breaths from the flight, or stretching after dismounting their dragon rides, the others quietly explored the immediate area. Raisa and Netia ran to the edge of the water, peering into the crystalline liquid.

Piper did nothing more than stand in place, shifting her weight from foot to foot as her eyes scoured the dark sky. Periskios’s immense round face was fully lit, reflecting light that, while not as bright or warm as actual sunlight, was more than enough to see by.

Ash swooped into the clearing, landing beside Zwi. She huffed in relief and joined him as he folded his wings, breathing hard. She touched his arm, unable to do anything else for him.

“No more flying for a while, huh?” she asked with a weak smile.

He grunted. “Give me a day or two.”

“Look!” Raisa exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the water. “Fish!”

“Oh thank the Moirai,” Coby proclaimed. “Actual
real
food.”

With an excited giggle, Yana ran heedlessly toward the water. Raum scooped his daughter into his arms before she could reach the dangerous depths and swirling current.

“We picked this spot,” he told them, “for the access to fresh water and meat, as well as the shelter of the mountain and forest. We should be comfortable here for the next few weeks.”

“But there’s nothing here,” Jezel said flatly, eyeing the trees with distaste. The teenage girl swung her eyes back to Raum, unintimidated by his disapproving stare. “This is just a forest in the middle of nowhere. We can’t live
here
.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kiev snapped, sarcasm coating each word. “Let’s just fly back to Asphodel. That’s way better.”

“We can’t go anywhere else,” Shona, the second eldest woman, said sternly. “We can’t hide among another caste; they are too afraid of Hades to keep our presence a secret. This is the only option we have besides returning to slavery.”

“Unless you want to go back to Samael and start breeding some new slaves,” Coby added, pointing aggressively at her huge belly.

Jezel sneered and turned away, stalking off into the trees.

Shona let out a loud, frustrated sigh. “Kiev, follow her, would you? Let her cool down alone, but make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.”

Grumbling, Kiev traipsed after his cousin. Raum and the three older sisters walked around the clearing beside the waterfall, discussing the best layout for a permanent camp. Piper inched closer to Ash, sliding her hand into his while no one was looking. His fingers curled around hers, warm and comforting even though he’d closed his eyes, practically falling asleep where he stood.

“Hey, Piper,” Lyre called.

He stood beside the pool at the base of the waterfall, Raisa and Netia beside him as he waved her over. Glancing at Ash, Piper reluctantly slipped her hand out of his and trudged over to Lyre. Ash followed wearily.

“What is it?” she asked, glancing between him and Raisa with narrowed eyes. They both had the same mischievous grins.

“Well,” Lyre drawled, nodding toward the waterfall, “we were looking at those fish down there and wondering how to catch some for dinner …”

“Oh?” Piper squinted past him. The water was so clear that the pebbly bed was perfectly visible even at the deepest point, where sleek shadows hovered peacefully, occasionally darting around with shocking speed.

“And then,” he continued, “Raisa very astutely observed that you are, in fact, a—”

“—water daemon!” Raisa blurted eagerly.

“A haemon with roots in an aquatic caste,” Lyre continued smoothly, “and that perhaps you would have some ideas on an efficient way to procure some fish.”

Piper looked at Lyre, at Raisa’s beaming face, then back at Lyre. “Are you serious?”

Lyre’s eyebrows shot up. “I was, actually. Those fish are too deep to spear from the surface and we don’t have any fishing rods. Someone is going diving.”

“And why not you!” Raisa bubbled. “We haven’t seen you swim yet, even though you have fins!”

“Fins?” she repeated blankly. In her opinion, her
dairokkan
didn’t look much like fins at all. “Those aren’t really for swimming. I don’t think I’ll be better at it than anyone else.”

“Why don’t you give it a try?” Ash said unexpectedly. “You were more than agile in the river in the Overworld.”

She flashed him a questioning look.

He shrugged. “Zwi saw you in action in the water.”

“Oh. Right.”

She shifted her weight uncomfortably. She might have been able to swim like she’d been born underwater while in the Overworld, but she’d never had the opportunity to explain to Ash and Lyre about the strange, ancient elemental power that ruled the rivers in the ryujin’s territory. Except for that one time, she’d always been a terrible swimmer barely capable of a doggy paddle, and she really didn’t want the entire group to watch her flounder like a drowning fledgling.

Ash, Lyre, Raisa, and Netia were watching her expectantly. She sighed, resigning herself to the coming embarrassment. Grumbling under her breath, she unbuckled her sword and passed it to Lyre, then removed her boots. As swiftly as possible, she stripped down to her undergarments—this time, draconian-style mini-shorts and chest wrap—and dumped all her clothing on the ground.

Pointedly ignoring Lyre’s crooked smile and the appreciative glint in his eyes, and not daring to look at Ash at all, she dipped her foot into the water and shivered. It was no hot spring. Gritting her teeth, she stepped in and waded up to her calves. The smooth, slimy pebbles shifted under her bare feet.

“Holy shit, this is cold,” she gasped. She glanced back pleadingly at Ash, hoping he would call her out, but he looked far too amused.

“Why don’t you try using your glamour?” he suggested.

“What? Oh right.” Heat rose in her cheeks. Duh.

Briefly closing her eyes, she called on her magic and tingles rushed over her skin. The icy touch of the water instantly muted to a pleasantly cool temperature. Opening her eyes, she steeled herself. The shallow, pebble-covered shore dropped off a couple yards out, getting very deep very quickly. At least the water was clear as glass; everyone would see her drowning.

The others would start laughing soon at her hesitancy. Time to get it over with.

Clenching her hands into fists, she took three running steps through the shallow water, sending it splashing in every direction, then dove forward as the bottom fell away. Cool water rushed over her as she went under, eyes squeezed shut.

The moment she was submerged, a switch flipped in her brain. Her eyes opened. She could see perfectly under the water. Her
dairokkan
flowed out behind her, sending a thousand messages per second to her brain—the flow of the current, the depth of the pool, the disturbances far below as the fish hovering at the bottom flicked their fins. No ancient presence permeated this water like in the Overworld, but she still felt more at home than she had since arriving in the Underworld.

Stretching her arms in front of her, she dove toward the bottom. Her ears popped rapidly as she descended and everything took on a strong bluish-gray tint. As the bottom grew nearer, she realized she’d misjudged its depth from the surface. It was deeper than twenty feet, though by how much, she wasn’t sure. Her senses told her how far she was from the surface in relation to the bottom, but she had no idea how to translate gut instinct into measurements.

The light dimmed more as she reached the bottom. She let out a small stream of bubbles to reduce the pressure in her lungs. Ahead, the slim, dark shape of a fish hovered just above the bottom. Goddamn it, why hadn’t she brought a weapon? She flexed her fingers. Claws it was then.

She kicked her feet and shot toward the fish. She was practically on top of it when she realized that her misjudgment of the depth of the pool meant she’d also misjudged the size of the fish. The monstrosity in front of her was almost as big as she was. She flailed in the water, recalibrating her perception of everything around her. Her senses told her all the fish were around the same size.

The beast she’d charged darted a few feet away with one flick of its tail, turning its head to eye her with one black orb. Its heavy body was dark, almost black, with bluish-silver streaks along its sides and a silver underbelly. A spiky fin on its back rose up like a warning flag. Other sleek shadows drew closer, the rest of the small school coming to investigate the intruder. Oh boy.