RISE

22 - Aftermath

Captain Quincey returned to their ship, where the human crew was recovering and beginning to repair the craft. They had a few of their men haul a set of old-looking chests out of the rubble and to Gourmal, placing each of his limbs into a different chest. Amelia had clung to Aaron as soon as he separated from El, retelling him the entire experience in a rapid, frantic voice. Aaron nodded along patiently, eyeing the cleanup operation while El talked with his friends.

The last piece to be locked up was Gourmal's head. He looked furious, snarling at anyone who came near, and trying to shout what Aaron assumed to be obscenities at them, but without the rest of his body, all that came out were a series of chokes and growls. Amelia cowered behind Aaron when his fiery gaze turned toward them, certain that her betrayal would make her a target for any desires of revenge. She could only hope that the chests would be sufficient in keeping him contained.

Aaron and Amelia both jumped when there was a loud crash behind them. An enormous, elegant carriage had dropped to the ground, pulled by two dragons decorated in pink and blue jewels. It was even more elaborate than the carriage that took Aaron and Elvorix to the mall, so he assumed it was El's parents.

He turned out to be correct when a long, thin demon stepped off the carriage and opened the passenger door. The first to emerge was the Queen, who threw her hands up and cried out cheerfully, moving to embrace her son.

"Congratulations, my love!" she said to him, her tone slightly less care-free than usual. "You've truly become a worthy king!"

Elvorix, surprisingly, leaned away from her, looking hurt. Aaron remembered that he still believed his parents had refused to help him because they were considering allowing Gourmal to replace him. He wanted to reassure him, but the Queen turned to address him, seemingly unaware of her son's coldness.

"Aaron, my dear, you are a more perfect partner than we had hoped for, you will be as beloved to my son as my own husband is to me!"

Aaron blushed at the praise, accepting her hug. The King had exited the carriage, as well, and was congratulating his son, also lacking his usual bored and uncaring attitude.

"We have a surprise for you, both – all three of you, actually!" The Queen said this with a kind smile toward Amelia, who was staring with wide eyes at the two royal demons. The Queen gestured to the carriage, where even more familiar faces emerged.

Out of the carriage poured Aaron's cousins – Avery, Meredith and Lydia, then Tyler and Hayden and Sascha, Natalie and Maybelle – all of the cousins who had been considered for the Queen's payment were here, in Hell, with them.

Amelia gasped with delight and rushed forward, embracing Avery, who was nearest. Aaron was shocked; not displeased at all, but confused. The group rallied around them and offered congratulations and supportive words.

"What are you all doing here?" Aaron asked with a joyful laugh.

"It was Meredith's idea," Lydia answered, wrapping a proud arm around Meredith. "She wanted to come here to help you. Then, when we realized Amelia was missing, we all volunteered to come here and see what we could do to help."

"We didn't know how to get here, of course," Avery added. "We stood in that circle in Grandpa's foyer and called out to the Queen. Apparently, she was listening."

"They wished to aid you in battle," the Queen interjected. "Of course, I couldn't allow it, but I thought it would be a lovely treat for your family to be reunited after your victory."

"We could watch the fight from the castle," Maybelle explained. "It was like a movie on a screen."

"I about had a heart attack when you were stabbed!" Sascha exclaimed, putting a hand to her chest. "But the Queen assured us that you would be okay."