Descending (The Rising Series) (34 page)

“Oh, now, that’s just gross. And you call
me
revolting. You Dagonians are so uncivilized.”

He shook his head. “Are you serious?
You
are calling
us
uncivilized?”

“Absolutely. I have no idea what Ambrosia sees in you. She could do
so
much better.”

“Her name is Gretchen.”

“Such a crude name. The name I chose for her was much better. You know, she was my most-perfect creation. She had all my greatest gifts, and she also wielded the power given by her father.”

“I thought her father was a pathetic human.”

Aella smiled slyly. “Oh, you can’t believe everything you hear.”

“Who was her father?”

Her smile widened. “You think when you get out of here you can go and tell Gretchen, and she’ll have a nice reunion with her daddy?”

Kyros narrowed his eyes.

“Well, you might want to rethink that. Anyone who walks with him, walks the path of death. Her daddy is a dangerous demigod. There are few in the land of the humans who equal his power. Why else would I keep a child alive as long as Ambrosia? The trouble was that I couldn’t find someone as appealing as her father. And then, what were the chances I could bring forth another child as powerful as his baby? I waited a full year before having another one after she left. A year!”

“Who is
her father?” Kyros repeated.

“Why
, he is the son of death himself.”

“Hades?”

“Oh great gods, doesn’t anyone pay attention in school these days? Hades is the god of the Underworld. Thanatos is death himself.”

“So
Gretchen’s father’s name is…”

“Thane.”

“That’s anticlimactic. He sounds like a weakling.”

She smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be thinking that
as he sucks your soul from your body and thrusts you down to the Underworld.”

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “I think we’ve had enough
chitchat. It’s your turn now.” She turned her head toward the stairs. “Rhonda!”

“My turn?” Kyros asked.

Rhonda shuffled in, carrying a long, leather whip with shards of glass embedded in the strap. Aella took the whip and gave a flick of the wrist. It snapped against the wall, leaving deep gouges.

“I’ve had my fun with Drakōn
; now it’s your turn.”

This
was not going to be pretty.

The morning sun took its time getting there, but as soon as Gretchen could see a glow through the window, she shot out of bed. She threw on some clothes, yanked a brush through her hair, brushed her teeth, and raced out the bedroom door in less than one minute.

She was relieved to see Xanthus was already waiting
to speak to her. “I need you to understand how things are going to work. You will stay close to Pallas and follow every order given you.”

“By whom?”

“Each of us. I don’t want arguments, only cooperation. I’ll not tolerate you putting yourself in danger. Do you understand?”

“Are you serious?”

Xanthus frowned at her. Obviously, he was serious.

“Okay, I’ll do what you say as long as I agree with you.”

“No, you will do what I say whether or not you agree.”

“You’ve got to be joking. Listen, this is the twenty-first century.”

“Don’t give me that. I’ve studied you humans long enough to know you. This is a military operation. Even in the twenty-first century, soldiers must obey orders without question.”

“I’m not a soldier.”

“If you’re coming with us, you
will
play by a soldier’s rules.”

Gretchen huffed. “Fine.”

Each of the Dagonian men buckled straps across their muscled chest and slipped daggers, knives, and other weapons she’d never seen before into their scabbards.

Gretchen stepped up to Xanthus. “Do you have any weapons that would work for me?”

He frowned and handed her a long, narrow blade. “Don’t cut yourself.”

Sh
e held it for a second and cracked a smile. Flipping the blade around, she held it against her own arm, blunt side toward her flesh. She launched into a complicated kata, slicing and dicing the air so fluidly that Bruce Lee couldn’t have done better.

Xanthus raised an eyebrow. “That’s as beautiful as it is deadly. You’ll have to teach me sometime.”

Gretchen’s surprise at his words distracted her for a moment—allowing the knife to slip from her fingers. She sank down into a twist stance, caught the handle, and came back up in another fluid kata. “I’d love to,” she answered.

“Impressive.”

She smiled, proud he didn’t notice her blunder.

He stepped in close and whispered in her ear. “Nice save, by the way.”

Oh great.
He noticed.

“Okay
, everyone,” he announced. He went into commander mode, talking about maps, tactics, and all the best ways to kill a mermaid. Who knew there were so many things to consider?

Sara stepped out into the room, wearing a
dark, fitted dress and a leather strap around her waist with scabbards holding several knives. Xanthus’s face darkened.

Gretchen stepped over to her friend. “Sara. What are you doing?”

“I won’t be left behind.”

“This isn’t like you. I took you to see
The Hobbit
and you couldn’t even stay for the whole thing. How do you think you’ll do in a real battle?”

“Gretchen
, I’ve already seen a real battle, several in fact.”

Gretchen nodded, frowning at the memor
ies.

“I know I don’t know how to fight, but I’m not a weakling. I’m valuable. Like you said, I have a sight. I can tell when bad things are about to happen. I can warn us of danger.”

“All right, I’ll support you. But…”

“But what?”

“How do you intend to convince Xanthus?”

“I already have.”

“Oh, so that’s why he looks so angry. He’s already lost the battle.”

“
He’s lost one battle, but I’ll help him win this war. We will get Aella. She’ll never kill again.”

Gretchen popped her head above the surface of the water and searched the shore. She couldn’t see any sign of Kyros and Drakōn from there.

“Are you sure this is where they went?” Xanthus asked.

“No, I’m not sure. I’m just telling you what I feel,” Sara said.

One by
one, they rose from the water, stepping out onto the small island.

Gretchen scanned the beach and saw something
—footprints in the distance. “Look,” she shouted. She pointed to the telltale signs of Kyros and Drakōn. She sprinted to it.

When she got there, she dropped to her knees and touched the large prints. “It’s got to be them. You Dagonians have
huge feet.” She looked up at Xanthus, who was sniffing the air.

“It’s them,” Xanthus said.

“You’ve married a
bloodhound,” Gretchen whispered to Sara.

“You’ve no idea,” Sara answered.

“There’s a house on that ridge.” Pallas pointed in the distance.

“He has to be there,” Gretchen said as she stepped forward. Xanthus’s hand reached out to stop her. “Kyros and Drakōn were
most likely captured. We probably don’t want to take their same path. We need to find another way in.”

They took the long—really long—way around. Coming around the
backside of the house, they stopped among the foliage. They could see the house with little chance of being spotted. There were several lights on inside.

“Pallas,” Xanthus whispered. “You and Amar split up and see if there are any open windows. But don’t go in
—just come back and let us know.”

They both nodded and slinked stealthily toward the house.

Gretchen looked over to see Sara gnawing on her bottom lip. Gretchen stepped up to her and took her hand. “It’s going to be all right. We have the numbers, the element of surprise, and our voices.”

“I know. I guess old fears don’t die easily.”

“Bravery isn’t about not
havin
g fear,” Gretchen said. “It’s about not letting it rule your actions.”

Sara jerked a nod. “I know. I keep telling myself that. Don’t tell Xanthus
, but I’m kinda freaking out.”

Gretchen looked over at Xanthus. He was looking back at
Sara, frowning.

“I think he already knows.”

“Oh great, he already isn’t happy I’m here.” Sara looked down, avoiding Xanthus’s gaze.

“That’s ‘cause he loves you,” Gretchen said. “And he’s a tad overprotective.”

“I guess I’m glad for that at times like this.”

“Yeah, he won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know.”

Pallas burst through the bushes and made straight for Xanthus. He told Xanthus something that turned
his expression murderous.

Gretchen let go of Sara’s hand and strode toward them. “What is it?”

“I don’t think you want to know,” Xanthus growled.

“I don’t care what you think. Tell me.”

“Pallas said he got a look at Drakōn and Kyros through a locked window.”

“And…?”

“They’re both beaten severely… Pallas couldn’t even tell if they’re still alive.”

Everything in Gretchen
’s vision glowed red. Her anger, fear, fury, and desperation churned in her head as she marched toward the house. She was going to kill that mother of hers with her bare hands. So help her, she would show no mercy and slaughter her in the most painful way possible.

Xanthus grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back. “What in Hades are you doing? You’re going to get yourself killed storming in like that.”

“I don’t care. I’m going to kill that mermaid. She’s not going to get away with it this time. She’s destroyed enough lives. I won’t allow her one more—least of all mine. She can’t have Kyros. I love him!” Gretchen sobbed. “Why does she do this? How can she be so cruel?”

Sara’s arms came around her. “I don’t know.”

“I loved her too, once,” Gretchen sobbed.

“Of course you did,” Sara said.

“She didn’t care,” Gretchen said. “The only reason she kept me around is because she hates being alone. She didn’t love me. She didn’t even like me. Everything I cared about, she destroyed. She destroyed it because it caused me pain. And my pain was her entertainment.

“But I escaped her. I left. I made a life. I was happy. I had a future. Kyros and I were going to get married.
And now she’s killed him. She’s succeeded in destroying me. I’m not dead, but I may as well be.”

“No.” Sara turned Gretchen to face
her shook her hard. “No, she hasn’t succeeded. Gretchen, you need to snap out of this. You’re stronger than this. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known—much stronger than I am. Now, I know you’ve had the worst mother in the history of the world, but you can’t let her have that kind of power. You’ve got to fight. You don’t
know
if Kyros is dead. Don’t you give up on him. He wouldn’t give up on you.