The Last Slayer Page 23

  My hands grew clammy, and the wound on my rib burned. As the new formation drew close, their deep green scales reflected the sun, gleaming like emerald steel. Silver crests adorned their armor.

  The lead wyvern hailed us as they fell in around our amphiteres. “My lord.”

  Opening his eyes, Ramiel nodded. “Captain. You understand the situation?”

  “Of course. It is my honor to serve you, my lord,” the wyvern said. “They shall perish this morning for what they’ve done.”

  “This is not an open war. We want to keep it quiet.”

  “I understand.” The captain bowed, a sinuous curve rippling down his neck like water down one of Lunar Garden’s terraced pools. He turned to his units and gave orders in one of the old dragon dialects. The wyverns roared, the sound deafening.

  The wyverns wheeled in sequence, their underwings catching the sunlight in a viridescent display of military precision. They fell off to our rear as we continued on to Besade.

  I glanced back. “Aren’t you going to lead them?”

  “The captain is more than able to handle the matter. And it behooves me not to stay here longer than necessary.” I must have looked puzzled, because he added, “If I’m present during a battle, there will be questions. If I’m not, I can say it was a misunderstanding between two groups of wyverns.” He gave me a wry smile. “It’s the way of dragonlord politics. Inconvenient but necessary. And given what pacifists some dragonladies are, I don’t want them to hear about how I didn’t try to stop a skirmish.”

  I nodded and looked back. The battle had been joined. Even at this distance, ferocious cries rent the air. Teeth and talons ripped into flesh, and blood sprayed the dawn sky. I shuddered at the scale of the carnage.

  Up ahead, the sun was rising behind Besade. Its silhouette looked so welcoming, so safe after all that I’d gone through, I wanted to fall to my knees and savor the moment. We were alive. I had the heartstone. Soon I could get the antidote for Valerie.

  When Ramiel hopped onto my amphitere and wrapped his arms around me, I sagged into him.

  For once, it was nice to work with someone.

  ***

  “Milady! Are you hurt?”

  Toshi’s high-pitched shout brought my head up from Ramiel’s chest. I looked at the fairy dragon in surprise—we were still a ways out from Besade, but he didn’t seem to be having any trouble keeping up with the amphiteres—and he gawked at me in return.

  “Lady…Ashera?” he said, his voice uncertain.

  Ah. I forgot. “Yes, it’s me. It’s a new look.” I didn’t have the energy to tell him the entire story. Maybe later after I’d showered and gotten my wounds taken care of. And had a goblet of melon wine in my hand.

  Toshi gave me a skeptical look and turned to Ramiel. “My lord?”

  Ramiel nodded gravely. “It is indeed Lady Ashera.”

  The spines running down Toshi’s back stood on end. “You—you look so…different.”

  “Thank you,” I said wryly. “I suppose that’s a compliment?”

  “Well…yes. Of course. You’re more beautiful than before.” He stopped, then cleared his throat. “Not, ah, that you weren’t beautiful before.” Suddenly he shut his mouth and laid a foreclaw gently against my cheek. “You have blood here.” His body trembled. “Didn’t you meet the guards I sent? The other ones…did they hurt you?”

  “It’s not my blood,” I said quickly. I didn’t want to cause him any undue worry. “Besides, I think Ramiel has more on him than me.”

  “I, however, am not wounded. You are.” Ramiel looked at my rib and leg meaningfully.

  No kidding. Now that the excitement had worn off and the adrenaline was gone, they throbbed like hell.

  Toshi flew alongside, examining my injuries, his tongue darting out and back. The one on my torso wasn’t too deep, but it continued to ooze blue-black blood. “This is from Lady Nahemah’s blade.” He hissed. “She is no longer welcome in Besade. At least not by me.”

  Ramiel landed our amphitere and stepped off. “The sentiment is most definitely shared.”

  I pondered the irony of having a couple of supernaturals getting indignant on my behalf as he helped me off the dragon.

  “I’ll have baths drawn immediately.” Toshi disappeared.

  I took a deep breath and fidgeted with the torn sleeve of my dirty dress. Ramiel tried to run his fingers through his blood-caked hair and cursed when they got tangled.

  “The samael you stabbed—” Ramiel began, then paused. “He was your friend.”

  “What?” I couldn’t have heard that correctly. “Who?”

  “The one who helped you with Valerie.”

  “Andersen?” I shook my head. “That can’t be right. He’s a security expert. Besides, he’s old.”

  “Not everyone desires eternal youth,” Ramiel said.

  “But he looked nothing like…” I trailed off. He’d looked just like Ramiel. Except for his eye color, the one thing supernaturals can’t change. Eyes the color of rivets. How many people had eyes like those?

  “Nahemah’s specialty is illusions.”

  If Andersen had been Nahemah’s servant, then the demon I’d faced for my test had most likely been one of Nahemah’s underlings as well.

  You are marked.

  It made sense. That slimy crap on me…Ramiel had burned it off in my dream. And how Andersen had scowled at me the next morning. I’d thought he just hadn’t liked me, but what if there had been more to it?

  But why had Nahemah been working alone? Or had she? Andersen hadn’t handed me over to Semangelaf at TriMedica, even though Nahemah supposedly wanted the demigod’s body. Was the whole thing some elaborate ruse to get Leh’s heartstone? Of course, at that point no one had been sure that I was Leh’s daughter…

  Except Ramiel. Always, it came back to Ramiel.

  “Do you think Andersen or Nahemah poisoned Valerie?” I said.

  “With venom from Semangelaf’s wyrm?” He considered the idea. “Perhaps.”

  I let that sink in and began to feel a sort of helpless anger. Damn it, I had been so sure of myself.

  I hate being wrong, but a woman’s gotta own up to her mistakes. “You were right to warn me against Nahemah. I should’ve listened,” I said finally. “Thank you for your help.” I cleared my throat. “I guess I should clean up.”

  He nodded gravely.

  He could’ve given me a reply. Like “It’s okay” or something. Maybe I should’ve just been satisfied he wasn’t gloating. “All right then. I’ll see you later.”

  I spun around and walked into the castle. Ms. Dramatic Exit. Then I realized I had no idea where I was going. The place was so big I needed a map. Where was Toshi when I needed him?

  A bas-relief slayer above me smashed a wyrm and sent bits of rock spraying. A film of stone dust settled over me, and it didn’t even apologize. But then it couldn’t talk, only act. When I coughed rather loudly, they finally stopped their battle and stared at me.

  Seconds ticked by.

  They turned in unison and went back to fighting.

  Toshi flew up just in time to witness the interior decorations’ impertinence toward his honored guest. “I’m so sorry, milady. Those…things…they’re terribly rude. I don’t know why His Lordship tolerates them.”

  “Well.” I looked up at the bas-reliefs, engaged in some epic struggle, and pursed my lips. “I suppose it’s educational.”

  “Only to the ignorant who refuse to study our history from books, as all true scholars do. In any case,” he said, somewhat archly, “they’ll pay for it later when they’re turned into dust and reborn into something else. Possibly deformed slayers.”

  “Deformed slayers?”

  “After each major historical battle, the entire bas-relief is reset for another event. Else we’d have too many bodies.”

  That made sense. It wasn’t like stone could decay.

  Toshi beamed toothily at me. “Your medicinal bath is ready, milady! And I have moved
you to a special guestroom. I hope you approve.”

  “I’m quite certain anything you provide will be exceptional.” I was getting the hang of this lord and lady talk.

  Toshi led me to the new room. It was as big as my previous one and had more of the same lovely flowers. Crystal and pale gold provided the bulk of the decoration, giving it an air of opulence that rivaled Versailles. An angel bed with a canopy made of golden thread dominated the right corner of the room. It looked large enough for a whale.

  But most striking were the mirrors. Every panel on the walls had them. They lined the ceiling and some of the furniture. Hundreds of my reflections shifted when I moved.

  I’d avoided having a lot of mirrors in my condo. If they aren’t warded correctly, they’re good entry points for demons who know how to bypass thresholds. Besides, it wasn’t as if I had enjoyed staring at myself every time I glanced around the room. Now I didn’t even look like myself anymore. Hundreds of gorgeous clones seemed to be spying on me.

  It was a little freaky.

  I turned to Toshi. “What’s this room called?”

  “This is the famous Chamber of Reflection.” He searched my face. “Do you not approve?”

  “It’s quite…nice.” If it weren’t for all those mouths moving in unison with mine.

  He rose up into the air and touched some crystals. “These are diamonds of the first water. They should make you feel better. Diamonds are ladies’ best friends, are they not?”

  Oh god. De Beers’ influence had reached even to Besade. And if all those chunks of crystal were actually diamonds, one chandelier alone was probably worth about fifty times more than my condo. Maybe more than the entire building my condo was in. “I guess that depends on the lady.”

  Toshi’s foreclaws came together in front of his face. “Do you not like this room?” He began to tremble. “Is it unfit?”

  “Not at all. I love this room.” I smiled at the poor fairy dragon. “Let me bathe, and then I’ll have breakfast.”

  “As you wish.” He looked somewhat reassured. “I’ve added healing agents to the water, so your wound should be fine after your bath. Please soak for at least an hour, however. A cut from a dragonlady’s sword takes that much time.”

  “Thank you.”

  “As for your breakfast, would you like the famed Chicken of Tso again?”

  I bit my lower lip to hide a grin. “No. Just scrambled eggs and sausage. And coffee with extra cream and sugar if you have any.”

  “Yes, milady.” He made a little hovering bow and left.

  A small folding screen hid the bathtub from the entryway. White rice paper stretched between rosewood struts, providing a bit of simple Asian elegance to the atmosphere. The tub was round, and large enough for me to submerge completely without bending my legs. This was one luxury I would definitely miss once I went back to northern Virginia. Maybe Toshi would want to tag along. I could use some domestic help. Probably couldn’t afford him, though. I looked up at the diamond chandeliers, feeling glum.

  I discarded the ruined dress—so much for “You can keep what you wear to the banquet”—and stepped into the tub. The hot water fizzed and bubbled over my skin. The sensation was unfamiliar but nice, almost ticklish. Once seated, I undid the coil my hair was in. Charity had done an amazing job. It had held through my duel with Nahemah and an amphitere flight.

  In the mirrors on the wall, blonde women tugged their hair free and started scrubbing their faces. The water in my hands turned the colors of blood and dirt and dropped back into the tub, where it became clear again almost instantly.

  My previous looks—the mousy brownness—had been glamour to hide me from the Triumvirate. But they’d found me anyway.

  What would my life have been like if I hadn’t been so plain? I’d certainly have had more dates. A better high school life. The faces in the mirrors twisted as I remembered the cruelty of boys and girls, the in clique.

  But if I had been this beautiful back then, I might not have studied so hard. I might have tried to get by on just my looks, and it probably would have worked. Dragonlords’ beauty and radiance made lingerie models look like gorgons. Hell, men might have dated Valerie just to get into my bed.

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the rim of the bathtub. What was the point of having studied hard if I couldn’t even recognize a disguised samael? What was the point of being smart if I wouldn’t listen to people who knew more than I did? It looked like the only thing I’d done right was having Ramiel by my side, and he had practically had to force me into that.

  And what was his deal, anyway? We had shared something amazing back in Nahemah’s bathhouse. Aside from the way I’d felt, when you can see Sex being created from a union like that it’s pretty much impossible to fake. Ours had sparkled and danced like fairydust. But since then, Ramiel had seemed a bit distant.

  But I knew what I wanted now. Despite my determination to have a “normal” man as my next boyfriend, it wasn’t going to be possible. Not when I had so many feelings for Ramiel. They were new and unexpected, pleasant but confusing at times. I preferred to keep all my relationships clean and simple, especially considering the way my first lover had died. On the other hand, Ramiel was nothing like Miguel. For one thing, it’s damn hard to kill a dragonlord.

  I spun the ring around my index finger. I still had unfinished business—finding the incubus who’d killed Miguel. And dragonlords are technically a sort of demon, which meant Ramiel knew their world. Maybe he could help me find some closure.

  I took a deep breath and submerged myself completely.

  ***

  After the bath, I found my old suit on the bed. Although it wasn’t made of luxurious silk like the dresses Toshi offered, it was the only thing that was really mine. I appreciated having something from my old life to anchor me. Toshi had had it repaired and cleaned, and it smelled lightly of lilac and pear. Despite my transformation, the suit still fit, although it was a bit snug around my chest and loose in the waist. The narcissist in me rejoiced.

  Someone knocked on the door. “Come in!”

  Toshi entered and bowed. “Milady, your breakfast is ready.”

  “Great. I’m starving. By the way, can I see Valerie before we go?”

  Toshi’s mouth opened slightly. “Your sister Valerie?”

  “Is there another Valerie around here?”

  “No, of course not. But, milady, it is likely dangerous. The poison—”

  “Now that I have a heartstone, I think I’ll be all right.”

  “The stone undoubtedly confers some resistance. Still—”

  “Only for a moment. I just want to take a look at her, that’s all.”

  “Ah.” He turned his body slightly, and the sunlight reflected from his eyes in rainbow shades. “Of course. Please follow me.”

  Toshi flew out the door and we turned right into the long hallway. He preceded me, blinking at each stained glass window we passed as if the light blinded him.

  He stopped before a heavy wooden door and waved a foreleg at it. The door opened, and I took a step inside.

  Valerie’s room was large, tastefully decorated and airy, with a lot of leather-bound volumes on magic and wardings. I walked toward the four-poster canopy bed, where she lay on brilliantly white sheets, looking like something out of a fairytale even when she was comatose. Pale skin stretched over the fine cheekbones and a tinge of red stained the skin there. I laid a hand on her chest. Her heart beat very slowly.

  There was a quality to her breathing that made me pause. It had lost its earlier odor. But everything else indicated she was still poisoned. I ran my hand over her face, traced the delicate eyelashes. She didn’t move, and something clung to my skin like the residue from sticky candy.

  “How long has she been asleep?” I said.

  “Since you brought her here, milady.”

  The rather rosy hue of her skin made me disagree. I looked steadily at Toshi, whose hover lost a bit of altitude.


  “Truly, milady, it is dangerous for you to—”

  Maybe the fake Ramiel episode had made me paranoid, but I trusted my gut more than ever before. I raised a hand and sent waves of vivification magic over her, enough to jolt her from any web of power she might be under. My heartstone effortlessly amplified the potency of a spell that was normally too weak to fight against even an incubus-induced sleep. Toshi squeaked and pirouetted in the air as the shield around her first became visible, then shattered, its bits vanishing like snowflakes on a frying pan.

  Valerie let out a long shuddering breath, and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up, her loose hair falling and softening her face. She looked at me and frowned slightly. “Who are you?”

  Toshi quivered, but rose to the occasion as Besade’s castellan. Good thing too, since I was speechless. “Lady Ashera of Eastvale,” he announced, bowing.

  Valerie swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood up. “Wow. A real dragonlady.” She grasped my hand. “Honored. I didn’t know Eastvale had a dragonlady, but then we don’t always get the la—”

  “Valerie.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it trembled a little. “You’re okay.” Releasing my hand, she took a step back. “It’s me, Val. Ashera.”

  She stared. “Ashera?” She looked at me, at Toshi, at the walls around her. “What’s going on here?”

  I wasn’t getting through. “Okay, fine. I guess I have to prove it. Let’s see…something really embarrassing. Oh, I know. You remember how, when you were twelve, you had this huge crush on Leif—”

  She put a hand to her mouth. “Ashera?” She glanced at Toshi again, as if looking for his help.

  Toshi looked extremely uncomfortable but swooped in gamely, positioning himself behind her head and slightly to one side, the best location to give unobtrusive prompting and advice. “This is Lady Ashera del Cid,” he murmured. “There was some glamour, you see. Well…that is…it’s rather difficult to explain…”

  Valerie stared at my eyes, and I saw her get it. It was a shock, of course, but then she was used to dealing with the unusual.