* * *
Piper 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 behi
nd 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.
She assessed her surroundings, slowly exhaling more bubbles. Nervously, she swam a little closer to the first fish. It darted away another couple feet. Blowing out more air to make her body less buoyant, she pushed down to the bottom and braced her feet against a large rock. Taking aim, she launched off the rock at the fish. Grabbing it halfway up the body, she sank her claws into its scales—but she had no idea how to kill a fish. Where was its jugular? Did it even have a jugular?
The fish thrashed violently, throwing her off it. She expected it to swim off at top speed, all her efforts wasted. Instead, it spun around—and charged her. She threw up an arm as it slammed into her, driving her down into the bottom. Sharp fish teeth scraped the scales that protected her forearm.
“Holy shit!” she exclaimed in a burst of bubbles.
Heart pounding, she kicked the fish hard in its underbelly. It let her go. She pulled her feet back, planted them on the bottom, and launched upward with every bit of force she could muster. She shot toward the sparkling surface, and her senses screamed at her that the entire school of fish was rushing up after her, led by the one she’d scratched up. She would reach the surface at the same time they reached her—and then they would take some very large bites out of her mostly unprotected flesh.
As she closed in on the surface, a dark shadow from near the shore flashed toward the center of the pool. She crashed through the surface, sending water spraying everywhere, and flung her hands into the air. Ash grabbed them as he swooped over her, yanking her out of the water.
Right behind him, Zwi swooped down on huge dragon wings. As the school hit the surface in a thrashing, churning mosh pit of enraged seafood, the dragon snatched one giant fish in her jaws and another with her front talons. Ash banked back toward the shore with Piper hanging from his hands by her wrists. Her audience had multiplied—pretty much everyone was standing there, watching.
Raisa, Coby, and Ivria cheered as Ash set Piper down on the shore and landed beside her. Zwi flew over their heads and dropped her catch on the ground. The two fish looked even more massive out of the water. One was dead, its head crushed by Zwi’s jaws. The other flopped violently, throwing itself in every direction, gills pumping.
“You did it!” Raisa bounced up and down, clapping her hands together. “That was awesome!”
“First you were almost bird food,” Coby said with a smirk, “and now nearly fish food. You seem determined to feed the local wildlife.”
Piper threw her hands up. “They didn’t look that big from the surface. Is everything here so oversized?”
“No, you’re just extra lucky.” Coby rubbed her hands together. “I’m starved. Let’s get camp set up so we can start cooking.”
Laughing and talking, the draconians headed back to the unpacked gear, passing many thanks and congratulations to Piper as they went. She couldn’t help her embarrassed smile, standing beside Ash in her underclothes as she dripped water everywhere. As the others moved away, Lyre came to join them.
“Um,” he said, holding her clothes in his arms with a towel folded on top, “I, uh, owe you an apology. I had no idea those fish might be dangerous.”
“Really? I assumed it was all a devious plot to get rid of me. How could you not know that those were super murder-fish, just waiting to rip me apart?”
He snorted and held out the towel.
She grinned and accepted it. “Don’t worry about it, Lyre. We might need a different strategy for next time though.”
“We’ll come up with something.”
She quickly dried off and Lyre passed over her clothes.
“Where did everyone come from?” she asked as she pulled her garments on. “Did they all run over the moment I dove in?”
Lyre glanced at Ash before answering. “They had lots of time to wander over and see what was going on. You were underwater for over ten minutes.”
She froze halfway through shoving her right foot in her boot.
“Ten minutes? No way.” She looked at Ash in disbelief.
He nodded. “At least. We didn’t know what to do. You didn’t look distressed, but …”
“But we couldn’t believe how long you were down there,” Lyre finished, his eyes alight with admiration. “That was damn impressive.”
She stared at them. “Ten minutes?”
“Yup. Are you sure you aren’t hiding gills anywhere?”
“Very sure,” she said weakly. She hadn’t noticed the strain of holding her breath. It really hadn’t felt like she’d been underwater that long.
Shaking her head, she hastily finished putting on her boots, thinking it was too bad she’d had to leave the ryujin after only a few days. There was so much she didn’t know about her caste. Their ability to communicate with the ancient elemental power in their territory, their bonds with the silver water dragons, their capabilities underwater, their mysterious telepathy—she knew almost nothing about any of it.
She, Lyre, and Ash approached the two fish Zwi had plucked from the water. Back in dragonet form, Zwi sat on top of the dead one, head high and mane fluffed proudly as she supervised the second one. It had stopped struggling and lay on its side, gills still pumping. Piper stood beside it, feeling small. It was about five feet long with a jutting jaw full of sharp teeth. She absently rubbed the scales on her forearm as she stared at those teeth.
Lyre and Ash discussed how best to fillet the fish, neither sounding particularly confident in his skills. She lost track of the conversation, her eyes sliding toward the waterfall. Glancing back at the guys, she drifted away from them and returned to the edge of the pool. The shadows of the fish had returned to their spots at the bottom. Stepping into the shallowest edge of the water and hoping her boots didn’t get too wet, she crouched down until her dairokkan touched the water.
Her mind overflowed with sensations, but still no hint of a presence or power in the water. She ran her fingers through the ripples, watching the light shimmer across the scales on the back of her hand. Maybe there was a similar elemental power in this world that she just couldn’t sense. Her dominant bloodline was Overworld. Ash had talked before about how his Underworld magic didn’t mesh with the Overworld’s inherent magic, making his presence dangerously conspicuous in that world. Maybe her Overworld magic was
n’t compatible with the elemental power here.
When Natania had first told Piper about entering the Void to unlock her daemon blood, she’d explained that Piper’s form would depend entirely on her dominant bloodline. If her dominant line was Underworld, coming out of the Void into the Overworld wouldn’t have done anything. Even though she had Underworld blood, she would never be able to unlock it. When it came down to it, she was more half-ryujin than one-quarter Underworld, meaning she would probably never feel that sense of home here that she’d felt in the Overworld.
She stood and turned. Ash and Lyre were still standing by the fish but they were watching her, waiting silently. Her gaze slid over Ash’s three horns and the dark designs that swirled elegantly wherever scale transitioned to skin. As she understood it, all the ruling families had dominant bloodlines; otherwise, they would have had to inbreed to keep their lines pure. Ash had inherited most of his genes from his father. Even though he and Seiya were born from the same mother, in reality, Ash was barely related to his half-sister.
“What’s that look for?”
Ash’s voice broke through her thoughts. She realized she’d been staring at him as though she could x-ray him with her eyes. She quickly shook her head and started toward where the other draconians were setting up the tents.
“Come on, Piper,” Lyre complained, hurrying to catch up with her, Ash trailing after him. “That was the weirdest look. What were you thinking?”
She shook her head again. Nope. She wouldn’t tell Ash that she’d been thinking about how he wasn’t related to the rest of the draconians, who were like one big family. She wasn’t that cruel.
“I don’t think she’s going to tell us,” Lyre commented to Ash.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“Hey, I think she’s blushing. Maybe we don’t actually want to know.”
“Probably not.”
“Would you two shut up?” she grumbled, quickening her stride. Of course she was blushing; it was a natural reaction to being scrutinized, but now they probably thought her mind had been in the gutter.