“We can discuss the logic of this theory until the world crumbles,” Lyre finally said, “but it’s still just speculation. We have no proof.”
“Then we need to get proof,” Piper declared. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think the idea that Samael is pulling the Gaians’ strings is too dangerous to ignore.”
Ash and Lyre exchanged looks but didn’t disagree with her. They knew just as well as she did that, if they were right, Samael’s plan wouldn’t end with the Gaians destroying the Consulates. Maybe the Gaians would start putting pressure on the government in the name of controlling daemons, or maybe they would outright attack the government. Samael would be the puppet master behind it all and could eventually come to control Earth.
“So what do you suggest for proof?” Lyre asked her.
“We need to find out more about the Gaians’ weapons supplier. They would never accept supplies from a daemon, but maybe they haven’t looked closely enough at their supplier.”
“Don’t forget the mole,” Kiev added from behind her, making her start in surprise after he’d been quiet for so long. “He receives monthly communications from Samael.”
“He would likely have many answers,” Ash said, “assuming we could get anything out of him.”
Piper nodded. “If either an investigation into their supplier or revealing the spy tips off the Gaians to Samael’s influence, they would cut him off completely. Maybe they would even back down for the time being.”
“Okay, well, we know where to find the agent,” Lyre said, “but how do we find out more about the Gaians’ supplier?”
Piper exhaled. “My mother.”
“Your mother?” Lyre repeated, not quite able to hide the note of disgust in his voice.
“She’s a member of the Council, we know where to find her, and I’ll be able to talk to her. If she doesn’t know anything about the weapons supplier, she’ll know how to contact the Gaian leaders.”
“Wait, I thought the Council was comprised of the Gaian leaders.”
“They only lead the—the civilian side, you could say. Uncle Calder told me the Gaians originated as a military group, and that they’re the real core of their organization. Those are the leaders who will need to cut Samael out, assuming we’re right. They’re also the ones most likely under his influence.
“If I can convince my mother that we have reasons to be concerned, she should know what the next step should be. Everything else aside, she truly believes in the Gaians’ mission and will do everything in her power to make sure a daemon isn’t corrupting it.”
Lyre nodded smartly and stood, followed by Ash.
“Okay then,” the incubus said determinedly. “What first?”
Piper stood as well. “I’ll start by talking to my father. If he comes with me to speak with my mother, it will add more authority to our argument. Between her daughter and the former Head Consul, hopefully she’ll take us seriously. I’m not sure how well she would listen to just me alone.”
“We won’t be any help with that part,” Lyre said. His lips curved in a dangerous sort of smile. “But that reaper, on the other hand ...”
“Yeah ...” Piper shifted her weight anxiously. She didn’t want him, Ash, and the others coming along. It would be just like before—them endangering themselves because of her. This was her theory so she should be the one taking the risks to prove it. They were supposed to go back into hiding, but telling them not to come would be a waste of time. She would have to figure out a way to handle this alone.
Ash’s gaze slid over her, burning through her skin. She suspected he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking—and he wasn’t happy about it.
She hastily brushed her hands over her pants, dusting them off. “I’ll go talk to my father right now, and we can go from there.”
Ash nodded. Piper headed back through the trees and into the empty yard. Unease danced in her belly. Months ago, when this had all begun, the demands on her had all been about survival—hers and her father’s. All she’d had to do was protect the Sahar, rescue her father, and clear her name. She’d never expected the chain of events to grow so large. She’d never thought that, in a few months’ time, the fate of her world might be resting on her shoulders. If she was right, the freedom and safety of everyone on Earth was in jeopardy. She couldn’t let her world become an extension of the Underworld.
But if she was right ... there was a significant chance it was already too late.
CHAPTER 14
PIPER lowered herself into the chair, trying to hide her nervousness. Across from her, her father sat at his desk, elbows on the dusty wood, fingers entwined and resting against his chin as he surveyed her with his good eye. To her left, Uncle Calder sat in a rickety wooden chair, not quite in a referee position but close.
She wished she’d had a chance to talk to Calder before this meeting. She could have really used his input on what exactly had happened when Quinn had confronted Ash. At this point, she was wondering whether she had two crazy parents instead of one.
“Piperel,” Quinn said, breaking the heavy silence. His gravelly voice was stern and hard but she wasn’t sure what emotions lay behind it. “I assume you’re here to explain yourself.”
“Explain what?” she asked, smothering her instant defensive response.
“This church is not a campground for homeless daemons.” His expression shifted from an analyzing stare to a glower. “At this point, I’m not interested in hearing your reasoning. The daemons need to go.”
“I already told Uncle Calder that it was temporary,” she said, struggling to keep her voice neutral. “I don’t understand why it would be such a problem. How is it different from daemons staying at the Consulate?”
“The last time Ashtaroth was in a Consulate, he stole the Sahar Stone from its rightful owner. I will not tolerate his presence here.”
Disbelieving shock combined with indignant anger. He didn’t mention Ash attacking him or almost killing Piper; maybe he realized how ridiculous any argument he made about that would sound since he’d provoked the entire incident.
“You know he didn’t steal the Sahar for Samael,” she said. “He stole it to give it to me, and if he hadn’t, I’d be Samael’s prisoner and you would be dead.”
“The end result is irrelevant.”
She stared hard at her father. When she’d found him in the ruins of the Consulate after returning from the Overworld, she’d thought maybe he’d changed. She’d really begun to think that his attitude was evolving, that he was starting to respect her—her judgments, her decisions. But it looked as if that had just been wishful thinking on her part. The man sitting across from her was the exact same man whose respect she’d been striving—and failing—to win her entire life.
She glanced at Calder, hoping for some insight. Her uncle gave his head a slight shake, warning her to drop it.
She cleared her throat. “There’s something I need to discuss with you. It’s about the Gaians.”
Calder sat up a little straighter, his full attention immediately on her. Quinn, however, leaned back in his seat. Though subtle, his body language clearly suggested he wasn’t expecting to hear anything of importance. She gritted her teeth and began to speak anyway.
She told them about how she’d discovered a reaper spy among the Gaians. As thoroughly as possible, she revealed what she had learned from Kiev, though she didn’t state her conclusion. Instead, after laying out the facts she fell silent and folded her hands in her lap, waiting to see what they had to say.
“You suspect Samael is the mystery backer providing the Gaians with weapons?” Calder said after a long moment of silence. Disbelief touched his voice, but it was more in the vein of dread than skepticism. “But why would he—unless he knows about the Ra family and the Consulates ...”
“If the Ra family controls one thing,” she said, “then it is only logical that the Hades family controls the other. It also explains why the Consuls and the Gaians are so dead set
on destroying each other.”
“Does the Ra family know that Samael may be influencing the Gaians?”
“I don’t know. But if they did know, I bet the Ra family would be attacking the Gaians directly, not just through the Consulates.”
Calder rubbed a hand across his chin, a deep wrinkle of thought and worry between his brows. He turned to his brother, who hadn’t spoken since she’d begun explaining her theory.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Quinn folded his arms. “Although there are certainly some suspicious connections, I see no definitive proof that Samael has anything to do with the Gaians. A single spy is hardly indicative of some kind of deep infiltration.”
Calder frowned at his twin. “Although we have no proof, clearly there is something suspicious going on. It might not be as dire as Samael supplying or controlling the Gaians, but it certainly warrants investigation. If it’s true, it’s far too dangerous to ignore. We need to confirm this either way.”
Quinn eyed Piper. “Which of your daemon friends suggested this theory to you?”
“I—What? Excuse me?”
“Which one?” he repeated more forcefully. “Who fed you this idea?”
“No one!” she exclaimed, realizing what he was suggesting. “It was my own conclusion. I was the only one who had all this information. It was my idea, and I asked them if they agreed.”
“And you don’t think it is suspicious,” he pressed coldly, “that this Kiev boy just happens to know the same spy you encountered? Does it not seem a little coincidental to you?”
“Everything about this is suspicious,” she replied flatly. “That’s why we need to investigate it now, while there’s still a chance to fix things if we’re right.”
Quinn continued to watch her, tapping his fingers impatiently on his desk, and as the silence stretched once again, she wondered just how gullible her father thought she was. He really believed her evil, corruptive daemon friends had fed her all this information just so she would leap to this ridiculous conclusion about Samael and the Gaians. Even if they had, and her theory wasn’t true, what was the point? What would the purpose be in making her believe that?
“Okay,” she said, glancing at Calder for support. “Even if you’re not entirely convinced that this theory has merit, don’t you think the chance that it is true—however slim you think that chance is—makes the possibility too dangerous to ignore, like Uncle Calder said?”
“Besides wasting time and effort investigating it,” Quinn answered, his words clipped with annoyance, “I see no realistic method by which we could confirm it either way. And should it turn out to be true, again, there’s no realistic method by which we could intervene.”
He leaned forward in his chair. “Perhaps you’ve been too distracted lately, running around with your daemon companions, to notice that we are just a few facing the deterioration of the Consulate system, as well as the possible deterioration of the lawful control of daemons on Earth. We do not have the manpower or the luxury to chase after wild theories that, even if true, we would have no way to fight.”
Her hands coiled into fists. “So which is it? You don’t think there’s any possibility that my theory is true? Or you think it might be, but you would rather ignore it?”
“I’m not ignoring anything,” he said, his tone heating slightly in response to her anger. “I’m saying that even if you are right, there is nothing we can do about it. We can only tackle so much, and saving the Consulates is already a monumental challenge on its own.”
She forced her hands open before her fingernails punctured her palms.
“I already had a plan in mind,” she said, forcing her voice back into a neutral tone. “It wouldn’t severely deplete your resources for ‘saving’ the Consulates, if that’s such a big concern.”
Quinn made a harsh, exasperated noise in his throat and leaned back again, waiting for her to explain. She took a couple deep breaths, trying to keep her cool in the face of his blatant dismissiveness.
“You’re right that there is nothing we can do directly to stop Samael if he is controlling the Gaians,” she said evenly. “Short of wiping out the Gaians entirely, cutting off Samael would have to come from within their organization. So obviously, the best approach is to make the Gaians aware of the danger and let them handle it. Since I already know where to find Mom, and I know she would—”
“Your mother?” Quinn spat the words, what was left of his composure shattering in an instant.
She recoiled from his tone. “It’s not my first choice, obviously, but—”
“You are not to speak to your mother under any circumstances,” he barked.
She exhaled carefully, trying to control her temper. “This is bigger than family squabbles. If my theory is right—”
“Your mother is insane and delusional. Speaking with her will accomplish nothing.”
“She has influence among the Gaians. If I can convince her—”
“You won’t be able to convince her. She only hears what she wants to hear. After what you told me about your last visit with the Gaians, I can’t believe we are even discussing this.”
“I don’t want to talk to her,” she said angrily, “but this is too important to let my personal feelings stop me from doing what needs to be done. Mom is our only possible access point to the Gaians and—”
“We are not discussing this. You are just wasting my time now.” Quinn jerked his head toward Calder. “Escort Piperel to the sanctuary so she can tell her ‘friends’ that their stay is over.”
“Hold on, Quinn,” Calder said, deep furrows contorting his forehead. “Piper has a good point here. The possibility that Samael is involved with the Gaians is too hazardous to table. As much as we don’t want to deal with her, contacting Mona is an easy way to warn the Gaians without putting any of our people at risk.”
Quinn slammed a hand down on his desk, making her and Calder jump.
“Not a risk?” he exclaimed, his voice rising. “I’m not sending Piper back there. I won’t allow her anywhere near her mother’s insanity.”
“We can’t do nothing—” Calder started to say.
“We will do nothing,” Quinn snarled. “I will not hear another word of this ridiculous theory. It’s insanity all on its own.”
“It’s a lot more logical than anything you’ve said today,” Calder snapped.
“Why are you buying into this madness?” Quinn shouted, his face turning red. He shoved his chair back and stood. “Get out! Both of you, get out!”
She and Calder hopped to their feet. Her wide-eyed stare flashed back and forth between the brothers. She’d never seen them argue. She’d rarely even seen her father raise his voice.
“Hey now,” she began in a soothing tone. “Let’s just—”
“What’s the matter with you?” Quinn strode around the desk to face Calder. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks. I’m starting to wonder whether I can even trust you.”
Calder took a step back, the shock of betrayal splashed across his face.
“Father!” she gasped in disbelief.
“Leave, Piperel.”
“I’m not leaving! Not when you’re acting even crazier than Mom!”
Quinn spun toward her, his hand flashing up, but she didn’t recognize the motion for what it was until it was too late. The back of his hand connected hard with her cheek. Pain exploded through her face. She stumbled backward into her chair, falling over it and crashing to the floor.
“Quinn!” Calder roared. He reached for Quinn to yank him back.
Quinn’s hands flew up and blue light flashed. The spell flung Calder backward, slamming him into the wall.
The door to the office burst open. Ash strode inside, menace swirling around him like an invisible cloak. He closed the distance to Quinn in a blink. Her father threw another blast at point-blank range but Ash deflected it with a flick of his fingers. His other hand snapped toward Quinn. For just an instant, fear shot throu
gh her—fear that Ash was out of control and attacking her father. But instead, his hand clamped onto Quinn’s jaw. Magic briefly sizzled the air and Quinn collapsed backward onto the desk, unconscious.
Wincing, Calder clambered to his feet and leaned heavily on a corner of the desk as he stared at his brother.
“Holy shit,” Piper panted, pulling herself up with the chair. She touched her throbbing cheek, looking from Quinn to Ash. “Where did you come from?”
He stepped back from her father and glanced up. She followed his gaze to the wood ceiling. In the corner, a pair of golden eyes blinked at her. Zwi’s scales turned from brown back to their usual grey and she sprang down to land on Ash’s shoulder. Piper blinked at the dragonet. Had Ash sent her to eavesdrop on their conversation? She really needed to find out exactly how draconians and their dragonets communicated.
Lyre poked his head in the open doorway. His eyes travelled bemusedly over the room.
“Huh,” he said lightly. “Family dynamics are par for the course, I see.”
“Uh, actually, no,” Piper said, her voice a little weak with shock. “That wasn’t remotely close to normal.”
Ash turned to Calder. “How long has Quinn been acting strangely?”
Calder looked from his brother’s prone form back to Ash. “For the last two weeks or so, I would guess. I assumed it was from stress.”
“How long have the whites of his eyes looked yellow?”
“What?” Calder quickly stepped around Ash, noticeably limping on his bad leg, and reached for his brother. He peeled one of Quinn’s eyelids back and took a close look.
“I don’t believe it. I hadn’t even noticed.” He turned to Ash. “When did you—”
“Earlier today, when he was shouting in my face.” Ash nodded in the direction of the sanctuary. “Which one of your Consuls joined the group approximately two weeks ago?”
Calder stared at him, saying nothing.
Piper looked between them. “Uncle Calder? Did anyone join up with you two weeks ago?”
“Well ... Drew arrived from the West Coast about that time ...”