Cale came out to stand by me. Together we watched Indar head to the house with Athena in his arms. His mother and grandmother followed on Indar’s heels, all but wringing their hands. The fight had entertained Cale, but now he was frowning too.
As usual, the only person celebrating my win was me. I finally understood what having a hollow victory meant. Hundreds of years of study and practice made Athena’s defeat possible. No other warrior would have done the enormous amount of begging I had done to get Zavak to craft fight strategies against my famous family.
My mental rant against the unfairness of my life ended when Duff fell out of a portal and landed face-first on the ground near where Cale and I were standing. Assorted weapons—or what I guessed were weapons—spilled out around her seconds before it closed.
Duff groaned and rolled over until she stretched herself out flat in the grass.
Cale and I walked the short distance and looked down at her. “Dark Elves again?” I asked, pitching my voice to make sure she heard me above herself panting.
“Yes… and Ewan too,” she spat out between gasps for breath. She raised a weak hand in the air. “I was too outnumbered to do anything but run. I popped into yer office before coming here, thinking to throw them off, but I guess they’re tracking both of us. Next thing I know, they were storming yer lobby.”
“Are the Muses alright?”
“Yes, but no thanks to me. Yer Sprite caught them barging in. She walked right up to those Dark Elves, brave as could be, and held out her hand to show them a sparkly green ball of something. It must have been scary because the bloody Dark Elves ran over each other, trying to back away from her. I took that opportunity to make an escape portal to here. I never meant to put yer sisters in danger, Atlanta. Otherworld’s elite guards keep out-thinking me.”
“It’s okay. Petal’s talented in a fight. She won’t let anyone hurt my sisters. I think the Muses want to adopt her.”
I looked over at the pups, who were cautiously creeping toward the largest tree in the Drakon’s yard. The hair on their backs raised as they stalked through a patch of grass nearly as tall as they were.
Duff rolled over to look at them. “They’re not expecting to find a squirrel in that tree, are they?”
“I don’t think so. They don’t see squirrels as a challenge,” I told Duff before turning to Cale. “Get Duff on her feet, move her weapons, and do your Dragon thing to let Indar know what’s happening. In the meantime, I’m going to go stall our incoming guests.”
“What are you going to do to them?” Cale asked.
I chuckled. “I’m going to extract the Light Elf from the group and get rid of the Dark Elves. Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
“You always do,” Cale said as he reached a hand down to Duff.
As I walked toward the tree, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a black four-sided cube that looked like a single dice. I rolled it over and over in my fingers. For this to work, the timing had to be exactly right. If I messed up, Ewan would be out of my reach and we might need to make use of him.
Demon and Moose were snarling up into the branches when I got there. “Your father would be very proud. Good job, boys,” I said, smiling down at them. “You’re both great guard doggies. Will you guard the Dragons for me while I’m gone?”
Demon and Moose stopped growling and swung their puppy heads to look up at me in shock. I sighed at how easily I’d distracted them with my news. How had I ended up accountable to even more creatures in my life? My heart was too soft, and that was getting worse as I aged. And mortals… don’t get me started on how soft-hearted they could be.
“Look, guys. I know you don’t like me leaving, but I have to go. When I get back, we’re going to take a trip together—me, you two, and Cale. I promise. I want to introduce you to someone I think you’re going to love.”
I took their rapid barking as agreement. The leaves on the tree shook and the surrounding ground vibrated. “Here they come,” I told them. “You two go back to Cale.”
Demon and Moose looked at me with worry. “I’ll be fine. Trust me,” I told them as energy gathered in the tree’s trunk.
“Go. Go.” I made a shooing motion with my hands, and finally, they obeyed.
The trunk of the tree split at that instant, and the opening widened as I watched. Three pale, red-eyed Dark Elves dressed in black robes emerged from the portal they’d opened. Behind them, Ewan stepped through as well. The portal quietly shrank and closed behind the four of them. That told me they didn’t have enough power left to keep it open. Duff and Petal had worn them down some, which was excellent news.
What meager power I had left might be no match for the joint efforts of the three of them working against me, so I needed to be clever. If I greeted them with my sword drawn, they would rush me. A plainly dressed woman brandishing no weapons, though, could be more easily dismissed as a threat.
In short, I planned to out-think them while waiting for Dragon backup.
These elves were not ordinary soldiers. They were Otherworld elite guards. Like all intelligent armies, I felt sure they would prefer to settle things peacefully to minimize their losses.
“Greetings,” I said to them all, bowing from my waist as if they were honored guests. The Dark Elves looked at each other and then back at me with wariness in their gazes. It was hard not to grin at them, but smirking would for sure give my intentions away.
“Hello, Goddess Atlanta,” Ewan said with a smile. He was comfortable enough to walk to the front of his trio of Elvish goons. “I see ya escaped yer cell. King Hamlin’s still grieving the loss of his Dragon chains. Rumors of a recent attack on the castle have him worried. He heard ya involved yer Dragon friends in yer escape.”
“And I heard you made another deal with your personal devil, Ewan. Didn’t Prince Hamlin give you back your magic yet?”
“No, but he gave me a small entourage of magic wielders as an apology for his mistreatment. When I bring his rebellious sister home, we’ll be fixing things then. The king and I have a better understanding than before.”
I smirked for real and lifted a shoulder. “What if Hamlin’s lying to you again, Ewan? I mean, you lied to me, didn’t you? None of that stuff you told me was true. I don’t even know why you bothered to entertain me with those tales.”
“Oh, my stories were all true. As for why… well, telling you was immensely cathartic. Plus, I never expected ya to get out and tell anyone because Dragon chains are allegedly unbreakable. I confess I left out the part of my story where I was working toward redeeming myself with the devious Otherworld king,” Ewan declared.
“Surely, you’ve at least told your beloved brother you’re safe and sound. Liam’s not the quickest to see what’s going on in front of him—I’ve seen that for myself—but he didn’t strike me as stupid either. Once he knows you’re free, he might talk to your parents.”
Ewan laughed. “I can tell Princess Duffinnia been telling stories too, but trust me, Liam will never be king.”
“He will if Duff becomes queen. Liam is her chosen one.”
“Their relationship is ancient news now,” Ewan said. “We could save ourselves a ton of trouble if you’d simply hand her over. I could even make it worth yer while to do so.”
I mirrored his laugh. “We didn’t meet over dinner, Ewan. You met me in a dungeon, and you’re here with Otherworld elite guards to kidnap my best friend.”
“True. That is an excellent point. Trouble does seem attracted to you,” Ewan said.
I smiled at him. “We didn’t have time enough for me to share my stories. Have you ever been to the Underworld?”
Ewan smiled back. “I read about it in your pantheon’s mythology. No, I’ve never considered visiting a place of fiery torment for a pleasure trip. Why do you ask?”
“If you don’t want to go, I suggest you dive to your right,” I said, tossing the black cube into the air above their heads.
I pointed a finger and sent a tiny lightning bolt into it at the same time I saw Ewan dive out of the group as I’d suggested. The cube instantly expanded into a swirling red portal that fell around the Dark Elves. When it closed, they were gone, and Ewan was curled into a fetal position on the ground nearby.
My adorable hellhounds were back, growling as they glared at him. Ewan looked up, saw them, and tried to crawl backward toward the tree. I went to the treachery-loving Light Elf and jerked him upright. Unlike his older brother, Ewan didn’t clear my chin.
“Stand there and don’t move until I tell you. If you try to run, I’m going to let my demon dogs eat you.”
I turned to look for Duff, but she flew around me before I spotted her. The Leprechaun princess picked Ewan up by the throat and slammed him against the tree trunk.
“Did you and my brother betray my parents?” Duff demanded as Ewan pushed at the small hand around his throat. “I’ll cut off yer wind for good if ya don’t answer me with the truth right now.”
Ewan pushed her hand away just enough to speak. “Betrayal is such a strong word. Hamlin was the one who convinced me to help.”
Duff let her hand go lax for a moment, then tightened it again before slamming Ewan’s head back hard. He bounced off the bark and went limp in her hand.
“Don’t kill him yet. We need Ewan to tell us how he did it,” I said, snatching the Elf up as Duff let go. Ewan was already on his knees and unconscious. We had no time for him to heal a concussion. He might remember nothing if Duff smashed him on the ground too.
Duff was vibrating with anger. “I heard him tell ya that everything he said about my parents and Hamlin was true.”
I nodded. Hoping Duff would hear it was the sole reason I’d taunted him.
Spitting out snarling words in some ancient language, Duff started back toward the pavilion.
The puppies looked at me like they were waiting for an explanation about what was happening. Maybe they were. “Everything’s fine. Your Godmother just likes to leave me with the dirty work.”
They barked as I hoisted Ewan up and over one shoulder. I walked back with him in a firefighter’s carry, taking the same path as my angry Leprechaun friend.
Duff’s temper ran hot anytime her family caused her problems. My temper had been like that once too. She needed to learn how to keep a cool head. It kept you from making mistakes.
On my way, I saw Duff sit down on a bench near Athena’s Dragon statue. She leaned forward and covered her face with both hands. Brooding didn’t stop her from talking to me, though.
“Thanks for carrying Ewan here. The urge to kill him is still strong.”
“Completely understandable,” I said.
“And I saw yer fancy red portal. Where did ya send the Dark Elves off to?”
“Oh, to visit my Uncle Hades. The portal he gave me opens into the deluxe suite he made for me in his realm. He said I was the only one who could activate it, so they shouldn’t be able to use it to return.”
“God of the Greco-Roman Underworld. And that would be another uncle of yers?”
“Don’t worry. My Uncle Hades simply loves company. He’ll keep them entertained.”
Duff laughed through her fingers. “I keep forgetting that ya have yer own problems. This is one big shite of a mess I’ve gotten ya involved in.”
I rolled Ewan off my shoulder and onto one of the pavilion’s wooden tables.
Cale rolled his eyes at me. “I would have carried him for you if you’d asked.”
His response made me giggle. “I appreciate how willing you are to always do chores, Cale. You’re going to make some lucky woman a great husband.”
Cale crossed his arms. “Is that a proposal?”
“Just an innocent observation,” I said with a giggle.
“How innocent?”
When I continued to smile at him without answering, Cale wisely let it go. Someday he was going to call my teasing bluff. Suddenly, I found myself looking forward to it.
“Okay. What do you want me to do with him now?” Cale asked.
“Put the Dragon chains on him and toss him somewhere uncomfortable until we decide what to do with him.”
Duff jumped in before Cale could respond to my suggestion. “Keep a trained eye on the bugger, Cale. He’s a Light Elf and they heal fast,” she said without looking at either of us.
Cale gave me a questioning look, and I shrugged. “Give Duff a pass on her attitude. She’s practicing to be queen.”
Duff’s head snapped up so she could glare at both Cale and me. “There will be none of that nonsense from either of ya. I’m nobody’s queen. I’m nothing more than a royal on the run.”
Closing her eyes, Duff hung her head again and stared at the pavilion floor. “But I’m sorry for being bossy, Cale. Will ya watch my future Elf-in-law and make sure he stays put? I have to keep the traitor alive until his lying brother marries me. I swear author George R. R. Martin couldn’t have written my royal life to be any worse than it is.”
Cale blinked at me. He mouthed, George R. R. Martin? I rolled my eyes and shook my head. If he laughed over Duff’s self-pity rant, I was going to laugh too. What Cale said to her was almost as bad as laughing.
“Your wish is my command, Queen Duffinnia.”
When Duff gave Cale an exasperated look, he laughed at her expression. “That was almost too easy,” he told her.
Duff presented him with her middle finger. “Fine, Dragon boy. Ya can have that one because I owed ya. Any more of those snarky salutations, though, and I’ll be slaying a Dragon in his own backyard.”
Cale’s satisfied chuckle over Duff’s threat made him as happy as the quiet cuss-out I got in Duff’s magic language made me. If my hair fell out because of anything she’d said, though, I’d be making the next set of Dark Elves who found us much happier with the gift of what was left of my best friend.
As I was aging, my hair and abs remained some of my best qualities. Nobody better mess with them.