The Warlord

by Gena Showalter

  You know what? Yes. I summoned them on accidental purpose. “Here’s what is about to happen, girls.”

  She explained the ceremony and Erebus’s part. Just the mention of his name earned curses, promises of violence and soul-searing aggression.

  “You should get to face your tormentor, and you will. In the next ten minutes, in fact. However,” she added, “you can’t attack him until after the ceremony, no matter what happens. Do you understand?”

  Hisses of assent sounded. Another glance at the clock revealed 11:51 p.m. Oops. Past showtime.

  Feet suddenly as heavy as boulders, she trudged to the door and turned the knob. Hinges squeaked as she exited. The army let her pass, ghosting through the midst, then followed behind her, embodying as they marched.

  Only yesterday, the palace had overflowed with immortals. Today? The rooms remained empty. Through the throne room she went. The doors to the altar, to Roc, waited ahead. Her tremors intensified. Head high. Shoulders straight.

  She strode outside, a cold wind blustering, though the newest storm had passed. The trio of blue moons decorated a clear night sky, each one full and luminous. The stars around them appeared brighter than usual, as if every celestial body stared into the garden, waiting to discover what would happen next.

  She paused when she reached the walkway to the altar. Her army paused with her. Roc stood in place, and her breath caught at his magnificence. He was a dark god alight with stardust. A warlord without equal. And he was looking at her as if he’d never beheld a more glorious vision.

  Four of his men stood to the right, and four to the left. All Astra were shirtless, their alevala on display, wearing leathers and combat boots.

  Harpies fanned out everywhere. They perched on statues and trees and crouched before bushes. Her mother, sisters, consorts-in-law and even Hades observed from the sidelines. Everyone watched her with pride. They still expected a win.

  Behind the altar stood Chaos, draped in his black robe. A sullen Erebus towered next to him, shirtless like the Astra, his muscular chest dominated by a tattoo of his brother’s face. Aurora and Twila watched from behind Chaos.

  Wings fluttering, Taliyah lifted her nose into the air and met each man’s stare. Erebus. Chaos. You mean nothing to me. Less than nothing.

  Without saying a word, she raised a hand and motioned for the harphantoms to join the others, which they did, spreading out. They glared at Erebus all the while. No matter where or how they moved, they never veered their gazes from him.

  Had he just shifted from one foot to the other, as if uncomfortable with their scrutiny?

  Good! Hatred for him threatened to boil over. Stronger tremors invaded. She returned her gaze to Roc and strode forward, closing the distance, approaching the male she loved. The man she would die to protect.

  When she halted before him, drawing in his beloved scent, she forgot everything else. They were the only two here, the only beings who mattered. His heat prickled her skin, warming her. Always he warmed her.

  Golden eyes tormented but determined, he raised his chin, telling her, “You have no reason to worry, love. I won’t fight you, and I won’t kill you.”

  Okay, so pretending they were alone stopped working when a collective gasp rose from the crowd. Only the Astra remained unfazed. Rather, they, too, tilted up their chins. Because they agreed with him?

  A light bloomed inside her heart, her mind. Suddenly Taliyah knew the answer to the question in the center of her struggles: Would she become his willing sacrifice, giving all of herself to ensure his—their—well-being?

  She offered her husband a sad smile. “It’s okay, baby.”

  “No.” He gave a clipped shake of his head. “Don’t insist I kill you.”

  “I won’t. You have my word.” Most of her life, she’d fought to become harpy General, to lead and protect her people to the best of her ability. Finally, she’d done it, and she’d gained an amazing consort in the process. He’d given her everything, and she would do the same for him. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Taliyah.” He sounded relieved. Resolute.

  Erebus’s laughter rang out, raising her hackles. The fool thought he was winning. Just wait until he had to battle her harphantoms. Then he might not ever laugh again.

  Ding. The first toll of the bell rang out. The curse approached.

  Roc offered Taliyah his hand. “When the ceremony ends, we’ll flash away and hibernate. We’ll figure out a solution when we wake.”

  Ding.

  No. She had already figured out the solution. “When the ceremony ends...” she told him, accepting his hand.

  Ding. As he drew her closer, she peered up at his beautiful face.

  “...kill Erebus. Make him scream.” That said, she unsheathed one of Roc’s three-blades, ripped off her breastplate and thrust the weapon straight into her heart.

  Horror contorted his face as pain exploded through her. Then she knew nothing more.

  * * *

  Ding.

  “No!” Roc caught Taliyah as she collapsed.

  As gasps, curses and denials rose from the crowd, the Astra closed in around him, forming a wall. Just before the ceremony had begun, they’d come to him as one, supporting his cause. He’d been humbled. He’d been overjoyed. More time with Taliyah, even slumbering—it was an end worth any price. But she...she was...

  Ding.

  “Wake, Taliyah! Revive! I command it,” he shouted down at her.

  “No, no, no.” Erebus tore at his hair. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to die like that.”

  Ding. Shock punched him. As the warmth faded from her skin, cold spreading, grief finished the job, slashing him to ribbons.

  She had sacrificed herself.

  Ended her life.

  Ding.

  She was dead, parts of her already evaporating. Soon, her body would be no more.

  Different faces displayed different levels of shock.

  Chaos...grinned.

  Rage hit Roc with the force of a nuclear bomb. Rage like he’d never known. Something beyond anhilla. He focused on it, letting it blanket everything else. He’d told Taliyah he would follow her, and he’d meant it. With her, he lived. Without her, he merely existed. He could no longer do the latter. He wouldn’t. But first...

  “Flash our sisters to safety,” he commanded Ian, barely able to recognize his own voice. The stone's effects failed when they stood near Chaos, the bond between god and guards an invisible shield. He unsheathed Taliyah’s handcrafted blade and leaped to his feet, facing Erebus.

  The frantic god paced, running through his playbook. “Create the army of phantom-harpies, spawn a Skyhawk daughter, defeat Roc.”

  Roc would deliver Taliyah’s vengeance before turning his focus to Chaos and delivering his own.

  All around, the phantoms whom Erebus had tortured for so long screamed so loudly that Roc’s eardrums burst. Then they charged at Erebus. The god vanished before contact. Many of the phantoms gave chase, quickly returning him. Gashes littered every area of visible skin. Blood soaked his torn robe.

  Not escaping me. “Release him,” Roc thundered, the entire realm shaking. “His death is mine.”

  The phantoms...obeyed, releasing the god and floating back.

  With a war cry that sprang from the depths of his soul, Roc launched forward. His feet hammered at the ground. In his bid to reach his enemy, he knocked over anyone in his way.

  Two cannonballs of hatred, he and Erebus slammed together, flung to the ground and pinwheeled.

  Roc slashed, bit and clawed with a savagery that surprised even him. He showed no mercy. Erebus was unprepared—at first; he sustained injuries that would’ve killed any lesser being.

  “Drink them,” Erebus bellowed at his army when Roc circled him. “Drink them all!”

 
War erupted around them. Astra, harpies and harphantoms swarmed by the enemy.

  For a moment, a split second, Roc caught sight of Chaos’s smiling face. His grin had only grown wider.

  Bellowing his wrath, Roc advanced on Erebus once again. Flames sizzled over his skin, the fiends who threw themselves into his path evaporating upon contact. Nothing possessed the strength to stop him.

  Roc slashed and ducked, locked in hand-to-hand combat until...he stabbed Erebus in the gut. Bits of firstone crumbled into the wound, weakening the god further, preventing him from healing.

  Brilliant Taliyah, designing a weapon meant to cause maximum and lasting damage.

  “It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” Erebus spit. “The blade showed me the arrival of the curse. You were to refuse to kill her. The two of you were to fight, and she was to kill you. The curse...the others should be cursed. It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” he repeated, swinging his dagger.

  “Your daughter is not only smarter than you, she’s better. She bested you.” Roc grinned. “Ruined your plans.”

  A new dance ensued, the force of Roc’s blows unleashing one avalanche of pain after another upon Erebus.

  “I can see you tiring. Do you sense your own death, Phantom? Know that I plan to make it hurt.”

  The male grew paler than usual as Roc herded him into the arms of the other Astra. They shackled his wrists and snaked their arms around his throat. A team worked together. With no hesitation, Roc drove his dagger home—

  The blade cut through Chaos rather than Erebus. He struggled to make sense of the mistake. The god had materialized?

  Will kill him, too. Roc gave the blade a cruel twist, but Chaos remained in place, seemingly unharmed.

  Roc released the hilt and drew back his elbow. Putting all of his strength, all of his might, into his fist, he rammed Chaos’s face. His former mentor bobbled a moment. As he straightened, he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth.

  “Son,” he said, speaking to Erebus while staring at Roc, “the Blade of Destiny reveals exactly what will happen...but it doesn’t account for free will and a goddess’s ability to change her mind, and her destiny, with a single decision. Which Taliyah did today. Quite spectacularly. Leave now, before I give Roc another crack at you.”

  “You don’t deserve to be proud of her,” Roc spit at Chaos as Erebus flashed away. Will hunt him, find him, end him. “You will move out of my way. You cannot deny me my right to avenge my woman.”

  “What crime did my son commit?” Chaos asked.

  “Roc?”

  Taliyah’s sweet voice pierced his mind, a whisper from the beyond. His guts twisted as if he’d driven the blade there.

  “Roc?” she asked more forcefully.

  Taliyah? His heart leaped and he spun, gaze darting. Enemy phantoms evaporated on the ground. The winning team was spread throughout the garden, daring anyone else to appear. The Skyhawk sisters surrounded Taliyah’s body and—

  She lived!

  He flashed over, shoving everyone out of the way to crouch at her side. She was alive, her eyes open, her chest rising and falling. With a cry, he yanked her into his arms.

  38

  Seconds after stabbing herself and awakening fully healed, Taliyah found herself in bed with Roc. He’d flashed her out of the garden, away from the action and her concerned family. Not to mention the prying eyes of both Astra and harpy alike.

  He eased her onto the foot of the bed and knelt before her, his body between her legs. Gripping her thighs, pouring warmth into her flesh, he issued a one-word demand. “How?”

  “I don’t know!” Darkness had come; then consciousness had returned. As if her pilot light had been blown out, then relit...with a hotter flame. Power flowed through her veins, a newly awakened river of lightning.

  “How else?” The harsh voice came from across the room, where Chaos appeared. “A true sacrifice is power, and power is life. Had you, Ian or Solar ever earned such devotion from a bride before, you would have returned to your brides, the cycle ended.”

  Roc bowed his head with shame. “You told me she would not recover.”

  “No. I told you Taliyah would not return, and she hasn’t. She is a new creature.” The god continued, oddly proud. “She made her sacrifice, earning her ninth star. As the current harpy General, she has now fought herself and won, earning her tenth. She has ascended. Death won’t come so easily for her.”

  She glanced down at her wrist and gasped. He was right. Ten stars!

  Chaos shifted his gaze to Roc. “You made your sacrifice, as well, by placing another’s well-being above your own. But you will not ascend until and unless your men complete their coming tasks, as well. You entered the cycle of blessing and cursing together, and you’ll leave it together. Just know the tasks and the order are...twisting. Prepare your men.”

  Maybe PopPop wasn’t so bad? “What of Erebus?” She wanted her father dead as soon as possible.

  “Like you, Erebus won’t be so easily defeated next time.” Chaos arched a brow. “He has won the newest weapon, after all.”

  Roc tensed up. “Which is?”

  The god shrugged. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “What of you? Have you ascended?” Bitterness, joy and fury layered her husband’s tone.

  Chaos merely smiled and flashed away, husband and wife alone.

  Roc wasted no time, throwing his arms around her. “You were willing to die for me.”

  “Um, I did die for you,” she teased, returning the hug with all her strength. “You gave up everything for me.”

  “You are my everything.”

  The door burst open, her family flooding into the room, demanding a full accounting for what had transpired. Even Strider, Sabin and Lysander entered, though her consorts-in-law glared murder at Roc the entire time. The Astra arrived next, barely beating the harphantoms, who ghosted through the walls.

  A thousand voices tangled together. Some she heard louder than others. “What happened?”

  “Did you see T-bomb defeat death itself?”

  “Now can I punish the Astra for putting my sis in danger?”

  Well. He’d once wanted a family of his own. Now he had a brood.

  Taliyah laughed at his bemused look. “Christmases are going to be fun.”

  * * *

  Roc sat on the Harpy throne, with the General perched on his lap. Only a day had passed since the ceremony, but so much had changed.

  Taliyah had already received six challenges for General, all of which she’d won. Actually, she’d received eight others, but those eight eventually rescinded their challenges after watching her fight. She no longer hid her phantom abilities and utterly destroyed her opponents, misting and embodying at will. They survived only because she had willed it so.

  Roc had cheered her on, calling out, “She’s mine. Do you see her? Mine.” His men might have been a little impressed, as well.

  Usually after a ceremony, the Astra returned to Nova to prepare for the next task. This cycle, they’d chosen to remain in Harpina and celebrate their victory with everyone involved.

  The harphantoms stood lined up by the walls, watching with haunted eyes. They had suffered for so long. With time, effort and Taliyah’s help, they would recover.

  The Lords of the Underworld had decided to mingle a bit longer, as well. No matter where they stood, they continued to glare at Roc. Apparently, his I will not apologize for aiding my wife speech hadn’t gone over well.

  Blythe sat on one of the many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, observing Roux’s every move. Judging by the stiffness of the warlord’s posture, he was not unaware.

  Isla danced in the middle of the room with Taliyah’s sisters. The little girl smiled, yet she projected sadness. She’d lost her father, and Roc...regretted. If there were something he could do, he would.
Already he had an idea. But Roux would need to spend more time in the Hall of Secrets first...

  Laughter caught his attention. He glanced about the room, where his army mingled with Taliyah’s. Both groups were having fun.

  The Astra stood in formation behind the throne, choosing to remain set apart from the crowd. Roc had delivered Chaos’s message, so the warlords remained keyed up. They didn’t know what weapon Erebus received, or who would be given the next task, or even what that task would be.

  What Roc did know? With a woman like Taliyah on their side, they couldn’t lose. Failure wasn’t even a possibility.

  “I wish Aurora and Twila were here,” Taliyah said.

  “One day, they will be. When I ascend, I’ll be taking them from Chaos.” The god might have come through in the end, but he’d also made a choice. He’d saved Erebus from Roc’s sword, proving where his loyalties lay. So, he would share his son’s fate.

  “I’ll help.”

  As soon as she’d learned how Chaos shielded Erebus, she’d viewed the god as a major foe. Because of this, Roc knew both males had numbered days. Taliyah the Terror of All Lands didn’t accept defeat. Ever.

  He traced his thumb over the seam of her cherry-red lips. “You appear starved. Shall we adjourn?”

  She snorted. “I fed this morning.”

  “Who can survive on one meal a day?” He loved feeding her. Loved providing for his wife, his family. He had so much to give. Whatever she took, he regenerated—and then some! Truly, the more he gave, the more he produced. Roc’s body hummed with power. He’d never felt stronger. “Also, you need more stardust.”

  Another snort. “Baby, I’m a walking glitter bomb. I sparkle from head to toe, which makes it a little hard to intimidate my foes and my people, by the way. But okay, you talked me into it.” Smiling, she smoothed her hand over his cheek. “I love seeing my stardust on your skin.”

  Powered by his soul and her return as a Goddess General, she’d begun producing a stardust of her own. He loved it, too. More than he could ever say. “I want more.”