Chapter 147

The faint smell of smoke reached me first, threading through the stew of food, garbage, exhaust, damp stone, and too many people packed too close together. Then the sirens - distant at first and scattered - began to rise and multiply.

Thae dropped from above, landing hard in front of us.

“The forest is on fire,” she said, breath tight. Her red eyes burned. “The TREE is on fire.”

“Move!” I barked, already breaking into a run.

Clo vanished ahead of us, leaving only a trail of afterimages flickering in her wake.

Nim surged forward and took the lead, plowing straight into the street. Tires screamed. Engines roared. Cars slammed into him with dull, crunching impacts, metal folding and hissing as it met him. He didn’t slow. Didn’t even flinch. He just kept going, shoving vehicles aside as we tore across one road after another.

Through a gap between the towering buildings, I saw it.

Fire. It climbed into the sky in towering waves, fifty feet high, maybe more. Thick black smoke churned upward in rolling columns, swallowing the fading light of day. The fire itself became the sun, painting everything in violent orange.

Lights blinked on all around us - great poles crowned with glowing orbs, windows blazing from within, even the cars carrying their own lights like caged stars. For a moment, I wondered if this city ever truly went dark.

White cars with flashing red and blue lights blocked the streets, forcing people back. Massive red vehicles screamed past us, racing toward the inferno.

Flames burst from shattered windows in the towers we passed, belching more black smoke into the sky. The air burned in my lungs, thick with heat and ash, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue.

The red engines sprayed torrents of water at the surrounding towers, trying to hold the fire in place.

We were still blocks out when three of the white cars broke off and sped straight toward us. They screeched to a halt, doors flying open as men in dark uniforms poured out, shouting, waving us back.

We didn’t slow. We cut hard into an alley.

The heat hit like a wall. I tore off the oversized coat Seth had given me and flung it aside without breaking stride.

Clo reappeared in front of us, her afterimages snapping back into her like ghosts catching up.

“The tree is destroyed,” she said. “Gallowborn are searching the area.”

“Fuck!” I snarled. I grabbed the staff, my grip tightening. “Seth!” I shouted into it. “We have a problem!”

* * *

Jenkins half-rose from his chair. “Hey - Seth. Sit down.” His hands came up, open, placating.

Donnelly’s eyes narrowed, his whole frame tightening. “What do you mean it’s on fire?”

Jenkins pushed in again, voice steady but strained. “This is Philly. Fires happen, right? Talk to us. What’s wrong?”

Donnelly didn’t look away from me. “How do you know that?”

“Hang on, Ashie,” I said, my voice raised and steady.

The two looked at each other.

“I need to go. Now.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Donnelly said, his voice flat as iron.

I met his stare and didn’t blink.

Jenkins keyed his radio, something sharp creeping into his tone. “Dispatch, unit twelve. You got anything active in Rittenhouse Square? Any fire calls?”

Static burst through, voices overlapping beneath it. Then, “stand by, unit twelve.”

A heartbeat later, “Unit twelve, be advised - multiple calls for a fire in Rittenhouse Square. Fire department en route. PD units responding. Stand by for details.”

Donnelly leaned forward, voice tightening. “You’re going to tell me exactly how you knew that.”

Jenkins cut in, faster, more human. “Is your family there?”

The radio crackled again, louder now, busier. “Unit twelve, update - Rittenhouse Square is now a multi-alarm fire. Be advised, we have multiple ignition points reported.”

“Come on, Seth,” Jenkins said, firmer now. “Sit down.”

“You need to calm down,” Donnelly added. “Right now.”

“My family is there,” I said, moving toward the door.

“All units, stand by - additional reports of secondary fires in the surrounding blocks. Repeat, multiple secondary fires in the vicinity of Rittenhouse Square.”

“Are they involved?” Donnelly pressed.

“Who? Your wife? Your kids?” Jenkins asked at the same time.

Competing questions.

Jenkins was worried - about me, about my family, about the fire spiraling out of control. Donnelly was different - focused, suspicious, chasing control he didn’t have.

“That’s our way home,” I told Jenkins, ignoring Donnelly outright. He could think he was in charge all he wanted. He wasn’t. And Jenkins was the only one here trying to keep this from getting worse.

The radio cut in again, louder, urgent. “Units responding - be advised, scene is chaotic. Reports of individuals refusing to evacuate and behaving erratically. Crowd control requested. Traffic gridlock forming. Expect road closures in all directions.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Donnelly said. “You’re going to explain what that means.”

I spun on him. “Have you not been listening to a fucking thing I’ve been saying? If that tree burns, we’re trapped here!”

“Okay, okay,” Jenkins said quickly, trying to get a handle on both me and the situation. “We hear you. But running out there isn’t going to help anyone. That place is locked down already.”

“If your family is there, then they’re already being handled by responding units.” Donnelly’s gaze hardened on me. “You’re more useful to them right here, talking to me.”

“Your responding units aren’t going to be handling anything,” I snapped. “My family includes six gods of ****, a dragon, an unbeatable warrior, and a magic-wielding mother who can throw buses - all defending my daughter.”

Donnelly stilled. “Okay,” he said after a beat, voice level. “Let’s assume for a second that’s true.” Something shifted behind his eyes - less disbelief, more calculation. “Then I’ve got first responders walking into something they don’t understand.” A pause. “And you’re the only one in this room who might.”

“Six… what?” Jenkins muttered, then louder, grounding himself. “Seth, those are cops and firefighters out there. Good people.”

“And I want them to stay that way,” I said. “But they’re running into a situation they can’t read. **** people just trying to get home. People who don’t recognize uniforms. Who don’t know what a gun is. People who’ve fought wars against things you can’t even imagine.”

“Start over,” Donnelly said. “No metaphors. No titles.”

I clenched my jaw. “The second **** starts against my people, I’m gone.”

Donnelly flicked a glance at Jenkins.

“And I don’t mean over the radio,” I added. “I can see my family right now. What’s happening around them.” My voice tightened. “And they’re panicking.”

“Vel, Thae, Clo, Moss, Tansy, and Nim - they fight as a pack. Fast. Strong. Bulletproof. Shooting Clo will just piss her off. Nim won’t even notice. Serah’s a dragon in human form - if she changes, she’s a three hundred foot long nightmare that can melt stone and steel. Mirri’s a healer, but I’ve seen her sink people into the ground up to their necks for less than a bad look. Ashlara’s the least of your problems, and she could still crush a tank.”

Jenkins looked between us, the weight of it settling in. “And are they gonna hurt anybody?”

“They’ll try not to,” I said. “But if they’re attacked first, they’ll defend themselves.”

Jenkins exhaled, low and unsteady. “Jesus…”

* * *

“Fine,” I said. “You want cooperation, you’ve got it. My people are in danger. How do you want to handle this?”

Donnelly didn’t hesitate. “Your people stand down. They comply with responding officers. No sudden movements. No resistance. We get them out safe and sort the rest after.”

“Not gonna happen.” I shook my head. “The Covenant is out there. They’ll blend in - responders, civilians, whatever they need to be until they move. They’re the ones who started this.”

“Give me names.”

“I don’t have names,” I snapped. “I have behavior. If someone escalates - pushes panic, starts labeling my people as threats, throws the first punch - that’s your problem.”

Jenkins looked between us. “You’re saying someone’s trying to make this go bad.”

“They already have.”

Donnelly’s jaw tightened. “You’re asking me to take your word over my people on the ground.”

“I’m asking you to keep your people alive,” I shot back. Then, quieter, “And mine. If your officers engage my family like a threat, people are going to die. Fast.”

Jenkins swallowed. “How bad?”

“Worst case?” I said. “You lose the square. Maybe more.”

He dragged a hand over his head. “Jesus…”

Donnelly grabbed his radio. “Dispatch, patch me through to units at Rittenhouse. I want eyes on crowd behavior and anyone resisting evacuation. No escalation unless absolutely necessary.” His voice had gone tight, controlled.

And then it happened.

I saw it like something playing on TV in the background - something I wasn’t paying attention to until it was already too late.

Vines snapping out of the smoke toward Nim. His enormous hand snatching someone up and hurling them. The body slamming into a patrol car with a crunch of metal. Tires screaming.

“Get on the ground!”

“Show me your hands!”

“No,” I breathed.

Gunshots. The duffel bag falling, hitting the pavement in slow motion. The dark edge of Ashlara’s axe catching the firelight. Tansy’s roar tearing through everything.

“What?” Jenkins asked.

“They engaged,” I said. My voice was flat.

The radio exploded.

“We’ve got a hostile!”

“Officer down!”

“Shots fired! Shots fired!”

“Multiple unknowns moving through the smoke-”

“I told you.” I looked straight at Donnelly.

“Seth,” Jenkins said quickly, closing the distance. “Listen to me, we can still-”

“No.” My voice cut through him, sharp and final. “You can’t. They’re defending themselves now.”

My eyes met Jenkins’. “You said they were good people. So are mine.”

Donnelly’s jaw clenched so tight I thought he might break teeth. “You’re not walking out of here alone. You move, you move with us.”

I was already at the door. “Then keep up. You move with me.”

I didn’t wait to see if they agreed.

Footsteps thundered behind me - Donnelly and Jenkins giving chase as I pushed into the hallway. The place was crawling with cops, but the usual rhythm of a hospital was gone. Staff had scattered. Patients had been moved. What was left felt hollow - tense.

I crossed the hall without breaking stride and flung open the door where Lilae had been held. The handle slammed into the drywall behind it with a dull crack.

They were still chasing when I moved. I grabbed both of them - my arms wrapping around their waist before they could even think to resist.

Then I jumped through the hole in the wall.

Cold air slammed into us as we cleared the building. My cloak snapped outward, splitting and unfurling into vast, draconic wings that caught the night.

We dropped for a heartbeat, then lifted.

Both men shouted, hands locking onto me as the ground fell away beneath us.

The city opened up below - lights, smoke, and sirens - as I drove us forward, climbing hard, flying as fast as I could toward the fire.

* * *

Thren, Mirri, Ashlara, and Serah were all gone - off to rescue Lilae. Elise was the only adult left, and even with Torvek helping, there was no way they could keep track of all of us.

I was supposed to be grounded - whatever that meant.

They’d all freaked out when they found out Sszarik and I had eaten that little bit of human flesh, but it wasn’t a big deal. He said the body was already dead. It’s not like we hurt anyone. And it was a naga marriage rite. We were married now, even if they refused to admit it.

The thought still infuriated me. They said they respected naga culture - made a show of learning the language, celebrating our holidays, cooking our food - but when it mattered? They didn’t respect my culture. Or me. Or my choices.

I was seventeen. I was a woman. I could decide for myself.

But they still treated me like a child.

A week. No leaving the demesne. No seeing my friends. No anything.

A week.

Thren had wanted a month. I would’ve died.

So I left.

The sun was setting when I slipped out. Thren wasn’t there to stop me, and whatever he’d done to block me before - it wasn’t working anymore. I stepped home, then snuck out of the keep, and into the open air. To see my husband.

My husband.

The word sent a flutter through me - light, electric, and impossible to contain.

There was so much ahead of us now. We hadn’t even finished the rite - the guard had interrupted us before we could - but we’d done enough. It still counted.

The rest would come.

I couldn’t stop smiling. Couldn’t hold the excitement in - it kept building, bubbling up until I felt like I might explode.

By the time I reached Highstone, I didn’t bother hiding. No one knew I wasn’t supposed to be out.

I went straight to Sszarik’s house.

It was dark. Quiet. His parents were probably still working - and he’d slipped out to find me.

I grinned.

Of course he had. We were the same like that. He knew me. Knew I wouldn’t stay put.

My heart fluttered as I imagined it - him scaling the walls of the keep, finding a way into the demesne, coming to steal me away so we could run north and live among our own kind.

I knew he couldn’t actually get into the demesne. You needed Faith for that. Only my family could open the way.

But the idea that he would try-

That was enough to make me want to scream and laugh and run and dance.

I turned back, circling the edge of the village instead. If he was coming for me, he’d have to avoid his father. Avoid the guard. Take the long way around.

So I did the same.

I slipped south into the trees, moving quietly - just like Ashie had taught me. Every step careful, controlled. It took everything I had not to run. I wanted to surprise him. Didn’t want to ruin whatever plan he had to rescue me.

Voices drifted through the trees ahead - low, hushed. His. Others. Planning, I thought, my heart racing. Something big. Something romantic. Not everyone got to be rescued by their husband.

I crept closer, silent as I could manage, and slipped in behind him - wrapping my arms around his chest.

“Gotcha,” I whispered.

He jumped, then relaxed as he turned. “I thought your parents were pissed. Thought you couldn’t come out.”

“I snuck out to be with you… husband.” I let the last word linger, savoring it.

He blinked - like it had just hit him again.

We were married. I wasn’t the only one still getting used to it.

Then his mouth curved into that smirk - that confident, easy grin that made my heart stutter painfully fast. “I’m glad you’re here.” He kissed me.

My knees went weak. I clung to him like I might fall apart otherwise.

“I want to show you something,” he said, lowering his voice. Of course he did. It was the night after our wedding.

“Show me,” I said, soft and teasing, lost in the deep blue of his eyes. I could have stayed there forever.

He took my hand and led us deeper into the woods.

The others followed.

I didn’t question it. He had a plan.

Kip and Fizzi walked behind us, fingers laced together. They were goblins and had been together almost a year now. Fizzi once told me they’d had sex with three other people at the same time. I’d called her a liar until Kip confirmed it with that crooked grin of his.

I still couldn’t imagine how that even worked.

But I didn’t need that. I had him. My husband. That was enough.

Behind them came Mal, Ron, and Eira. Two boys and a girl - humans. Reckless, fearless, always pushing boundaries I didn’t even dare think about. They called themselves the Vanguard and they took care of things the guard ignored. When Falk had cornered me once, they’d broken his nose and sent him home crying.

They’d gotten in trouble for that, but they didn’t care. They were standing up for what was right.

Sszarik let go of my hand, grabbed a thick branch, and jogged ahead. He tapped it against the trunk of a dark, twisted tree. “Wake up, sleepy head.” Then he jumped back.

In the darkness, the branches moved.

I froze.

“Sszarik,” I hissed. “Get away from that!”

“Come on, Issa,” he said, smiling. “Just stay out of reach. It’s safe.”

I circled wide, heart hammering. “It’s not safe - that’s a Weeping Gallows. They eat people.”

“Yeah,” he said easily. “I know.”

I didn’t like this. Not this close.

There was one outside my home. I heard it sometimes - soft whispers curling through the air, coaxing, convincing.

Even now, I could hear it - telling me he was in danger. That it was going to hurt him. That he was still within reach. That it was him or me.

I shoved the thoughts away and pressed into him, trying to push him back. “Please,” I said. “Sszarik, it’s not safe.”

He laughed, hands on my shoulders, gently forcing me back instead. Toward it.

Panic flared. I twisted away, hugging myself tight.

The others laughed.

“Come on, Issa. Lighten up. This is a celebration.” He stepped toward me again, voice warm, coaxing. “Don’t be scared. This is where we take control. Where we tell them they don’t get to push us around anymore. We’re not children.”

He pulled me into his arms. “Come on. Let me show you.”

He guided me forward, keeping himself between me and the tree. Then he stepped aside. “I did this for you,” he said, pride bright in his voice. “For us.”