Iridescence

CHAPTER FORTY

EMILY

I had absolutely no idea where I could "safely" release a dragon in Queens. Artemis and Faith stayed with me as I searched for the right spot. I finally settled on the woods where we'd been doing most of our training.

Before I could release the dragon, several spirits came toward us. Like the others, they had red cords wrapped around them. I pulled out my dagger and started cutting the cords.

Faith looked horrified as she stared at one of the spirits. The girl looked around our age. Her eyes were fixed on Faith as the spirit army attacked us.

"Liana, stop!" Faith cried as the spirit lunged at her. "Please, Li, this isn't you!"

"This is your roommate's spirit?" I asked, remembering what Faith had told us about her.

"Yes... I have to save her, Emily. I can't leave her like this."

Liana tried to claw Faith's eyes out of their sockets. Before she could do any serious damage, I slashed the cord binding her to Altheos with tremendous force. As it fell to the ground, Liana tensed for a moment. She moved away from Faith and looked horrified by what she'd done.

"Faith..." She whispered.

"Li... Li, I'm so sorry!" Faith sobbed.

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who just attempted to blind you," Liana said in confusion.

"He killed you to hurt me. You weren't part of this."

"I don't remember how I ended up in that alley, but all of a sudden, there were snakes everywhere..." Liana shook her head. "It hurt, and I was terrified, but then he came to me. He promised he would protect me, and that I'd never feel pain again. His voice was so soothing... I should know better than to believe charming guys promising me the world. I'm a foster kid... I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid, but something about his tone made me accept his offer... I don't remember anything else."

"It's not your fault," Artemis said. "Altheos could sell water to the ocean. He has a way of speaking that makes everyone believe him."

"You need to cross over," I said gently. "Hades will protect you from Altheos."

Liana hugged Faith. "Be careful who you trust, Faithie," she said. "Stranger danger is a thing, but sometimes monsters hide in plain sight where you least expect to find them."

"I'll be careful," Faith promised.

Liana looked at me. "I'm ready," she said.

I focused. Hades appeared moments later. "This is Liana," I explained.

Hades looked at Liana and Faith and nodded. "I see," he replied. "I apologize for the actions of my abomination of an offspring. You are safe now, Liana. Come. I will give you a special place in the Underworld." He offered her his hand. Liana took it, and they vanished from sight.

Faith took a deep breath and released it. "Thanks, Emily," she said softly.

"No problem," I replied. "Are you alright?"

"I'm better now that I know Liana is safe." She smiled and said, "So, what are you waiting for? Release the dragon!"

I rubbed the marble between my fingers before tracing the symbol that would open the labyrinth with my index finger. Moments later, the labyrinth expanded and opened up. The dragon walked out, released a bit of fire, and started running around us in eager circles.

The dragon seemed relieved to be released. She looked at me and I suddenly realized I could understand her much more clearly than I had before.

I am Nomiki, she told me. Call on me if you are in peril. I am yours.

I was confused as to how I'd suddenly acquired a pet dragon, but somehow, it felt right. I had a flash of Anastasia playing with a much younger, smaller Nomiki and realized the truth.

"You were her dragon," I said aloud.

"What was that?" Artemis asked me.

"Nomiki was Anastasia's dragon... That bastard enslaved Ana's dragon! I'm going to slaughter him!"

"I support that idea," Faith said with a grin.

"How did he even find you?" I asked Nomiki.

He took me after Anastasia died, she replied. His spell was too powerful. Without you to anchor me, I could not fight him.

My heart broke for the beautiful dragon Altheos had turned into little more than a puppet for millennia. "I'll never let him harm you again," I promised her. "He'll pay for what he did."

Nomiki rubbed her face against my hand before taking to the skies and vanishing into the woods.

"Are you okay, Em?" Faith asked.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Just angry."

"You should talk to Jake."

"That came out of left field," I said in confusion.

"He's lurking. Emily, I know you think you're protecting him, but the two of you need each other. Stop pushing him away."

"Why do you suddenly know so much about us?" I asked.

"I can't really explain it. I just have this feeling you two need to work things out."

"This isn't the time. Krissy's missing, Faith."

"And Jake is one more person we can trust to help us. Get over your issues and talk to him." Faith smirked at me and added, "Trust me, life is better with your consort."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll try to talk to him," I agreed.

"Good. Come on, Artemis. Emily's safe, and it's time for me to go home."

"Be careful, Emily," Artemis advised me. "Go home as quickly as you can. We will see you in a few hours."

I headed toward Jake, knowing exactly where I would find him. "Hey," he said a bit awkwardly. "I see you found Nomiki."

"Yeah. Altheos captured and enslaved her," I replied.

"Want me to set him on fire?"

"I can handle him myself." I paused. "Jake... Walk me home. We need to talk."

"Sure," he replied. I could see the surprised look in his eyes. He didn't push for me to speak, letting me take the lead.

"I know I keep pushing you away," I began. "I suck at letting people in... The people around me tend to die."

"I'm not going anywhere, Emily."

"You can't know that."

"I already died once."

I watched him, searching for the truth in his eyes. "You mean that literally, don't you?" I asked. "You're dead?"

"I was dead. I died in 1994."

My eyes widened in shock. "1994?" I repeated.

"Yeah. My mom wasn't such a nice person. She had a drinking problem, and she liked to beat the crap out of me. I could have defended myself, but she was my mom, you know? Anyway, one day, she really flipped out on me. She took it too far and bashed my skull in."

I was speechless. "Jake... My Gods," I finally whispered.

"It's alright. It was a long time ago. I'm over it."

"You don't just get over being murdered by your mother," I protested.

"It took me a while," he admitted. "They didn't find my body, and I got stuck earthbound for over a decade, lurking and frequently reliving my death in vivid detail. Then, one day, Hades found me. I was broken and depressed, but I still had my sarcasm and sense of humor, and he liked that. He took pity on me and gave me the power to walk the Earth in my physical form whenever he needed errands run. It seemed like a pretty sweet deal, so I accepted his offer. He sent me on missions whenever he felt like it, and every time I did, my body was temporarily resurrected. I'd get to walk around in the flesh for a week or two at a time, and the rest of the time, I got to hang out in his palace in the Underworld. When he sent me to you, he promised I could keep my body for good... He gave me a second chance to live the life my mother stole from me, as long as I kept you safe. So I'm not going to die on you, Emily. Not unless I screw up and you die, too."

"He tied your life to mine?" I asked.

"Yeah... So don't go getting yourself killed, Pumpkin, or I'm coming along for the ride."

"You almost died on me in the cemetery," I said in confusion.

"I would have been fixed by Hades... Just not as quickly as you did it."

"You can't die," I said, more to try to process it than to state the obvious aloud.

"I can't die unless you die," he corrected me with a laugh. "So you don't have to push me away to keep me safe, Emily. I'm not going to leave you. I literally can't."

I nodded slowly as I tried to accept that. "I guess I'm stuck with you then," I said.

"Yep. You're a lucky girl, Emily Kang." He grinned.

"Krissy's missing," I said, abruptly changing the subject.

"What? Why didn't you start with that?" Jake demanded.

"It's a long story. We're going to get everyone together to try to find her at sunrise. I want you to come with us."

"You know I'll be there."

"Good. I don't know what we're walking into, but I have a feeling there's no turning back now."

We arrived at my house. "Come on in," I said.

"Won't your dad mind?" Jake asked. "I could always sneak in through your window so he doesn't see me."

"He wouldn't notice even if you tap-danced through the living room wearing a frilly pink tutu," I replied. I led him into the house. My father was sitting in the dining room looking over paperwork. He didn't look up or acknowledge me as I walked by. I led Jake upstairs and into my bedroom.

"You weren't kidding," he said.

I turned on my television and curled up on my bed. I left enough room for Jake to lay down next to me. I put on a horror movie and tried to get comfortable.

"I thought you were supposed to be resting," he teased me.

"Horror movies relax me," I replied. "Less judging, more holding."

He looked at me in surprise. "You want me to hold you?"

"You're in my bed. I'm cold. Don't make this a thing."

Jake grinned and opened up his arms. I curled up on him, resting my head on his chest and listening to the sound of his beating heart. It was extremely comforting, and I soon found myself drifting off to sleep.