All three of those places had their own Ambassador, but Axel Reed outranked them all. His job made him, while being just an Affinite and possessing no magic, one of the most powerful people in the world.
He stood with his back towards the Asters as he leaned on the chest of drawers and looked out of the window to the island below.
Sylvia Allen was also in the room, standing near Axel by the edge of the window. She was a short, slightly round woman with grey hair and light eyes. For reasons Sky couldn’t begin to care about, but always picked up on, Sylvia always wore some form of clothing depicting any kind of flower. Sylvia was Saluverus’ Consul, and was in charge of all Saluverus’ internal affairs.
The other two people Sky had expected to be in the room were also there. Felix Hauser and Nicholas Nelson: the Spymaster and the Emissary. Nicholas, the African-American Emissary originally from Texas, United States, was in contact with every Affinite who didn’t live on one of the three islands. The only Affinites that he wasn’t in contact with were the Watchers, who were special agents in Felix’s service, and the Mergers. Also working for Felix, Mergers were spy-Affinites who went undercover into the Underworld and integrated into the life of Disciples to feed any information they could find on the Kings and their movements back to Felix.
The four adults in the room and Jackson Kelly as Commanding Chief, made up the Small Council, and made every major decision that had anything to do with the Asters.
Once the Asters took their seats and Jackson Kelly had closed the door behind him, Axel Reed turned around. Sky noticed the remote control the Ambassador held in his hand.
“Thank you for coming,” Axel said, his voice deep and strong.
The Asters nodded in silence.
“As you know, Gayle Mendosa’s arrival on Saluverus is planned for four weeks’ time. That has not changed,” the Ambassador continued.
Sky glanced at Sophie. She didn’t show her disappointment one bit. Her thunderstorm grey eyes were focused as she listened intently.
“But the Underworld knows her age, too. If you would all look at the screen.” Axel held up his hand and pressed a button on the remote control.
The Asters turned their heads and watched the television screen, that hung above the short end of the corner desk, turn on. It showed an image that Sky had seen a hundred times. It was a world map, covered in blue and black dots. The blue dots represented every living Affinite on the earth’s surface, while each black dot represented a Dark Disciple. Or at least, these were the locations and the number of Disciples detected on the Surface of the earth.
“Crap,” Sky heard Matu mutter under his breath.
Sky thought the same thing.
All across the world, on every continent, there were many more black spots than Sky had ever seen before. Most Disciples spent their lives in the Underworld, serving one of the seven Higher Kings in one of their Underworld domains. They often ventured up onto the Surface, and, if need be, the Asters could be sent in to bring one back for questioning. Or, if the Disciples were stirring up any kind of trouble, the Asters were allowed to capture them and send them off to the Frozen Dungeons; or kill them, if they were really posing a threat.
Sky had never seen so many Disciples on the Surface before. And it wasn’t hard to figure out who they were all looking for: Gayle Mendosa.
Axel turned back to the Asters. “We know that seventeen years ago, a captured Affinite told one of the Kings that Gayle would not be brought up on Saluverus, but on one of the continents, and without any knowledge of her magic. They didn’t learn Gayle’s location from the Affinite because she didn’t know it; as you know, only a select few do. In the first months of Gayle’s life the Surface was just as densely filled with Disciples as it is now. The Kings wanted to find her, raise her as their own, and harness her magic for their own destructive ambitions. Sporadically over the last eighteen years they have attempted to find her. Before you came of age, we sent your parents in to stop them on those occasions.” Axel took a short breath. “But the Disciples are active again, and will not be scared so easily back to the Underworld this time around. We don’t need to capture and interrogate one to know what their orders are: find Gayle’s location before she is brought here and starts her training to become, not only the strongest creature in the world, but also our Queen.”
Axel turned his gaze from the Asters to the television screen. “From their distribution across the world it looks for the moment that they still have no idea of where the Mendosas are.”
The Asters remained silent as the Ambassador spoke. Sky didn’t know Gayle’s precise location—none of the Asters did. Only the Small Council and Sky’s mother knew where she had grown up for the last eighteen years. The Small Council had preferred none of the Asters of that generation to know, but Madeleine Mayne had insisted that her transporting shimmer could get her and the other Asters there in seconds if something were to go wrong, and it could be too late if the emergency call had to go through the Small Council first.
“Why not bring her in sooner?” Matu asked. “Every day you don’t we risk her being found.”
Axel nodded, acknowledging the question. “Because the world right now is a magical minefield. There are detectors everywhere, and the second any Aster magic is used near the Mendosas, their cloaking magic will fail them and they can be found. We will be using the next four weeks to prepare for Gayle and her parents’ journey here with as little risk as possible. We will, for example, be making sure the airpaths are clear from any tampering, so that a shimmer can pass through with no detection and no interference.”
“So, why are we here?” Sky asked in a bored tone. He eyed what seemed like millions of black dots on the world map. “You can’t expect us to capture or kill every one of those Disciples.” Though Sky would love to try…
Sylvia Allen came up to stand beside Axel. Her warm smile was a stark contrast to Axel’s cold stare. “We’re not.”
Axel looked at Sky directly. “The Disciples don’t know that outside of this room only your mother knows Gayle Mendosa’s precise location. We expect that the search they’ve been on for the past weeks will soon stop, and that they will use other, more direct, means. From this moment you are now on strict orders to rest when you can, as much as you can. Because any second, any Disciple can turn violent in their desperation to find Gayle Mendosa before it is too late.”
Axel turned away from Sky and looked at each of the other Asters in turn. “And you need to be ready for when they do.”
Chapter 4
When Axel had warned the Asters that they could be summoned at any second, Sophie hadn’t really expected it to be that same night.
At two in the morning.
Sophie shot out of bed the second the chip in her arm started buzzing.
Every Aster had a chip implanted in their upper right arm. They were a mix of technology and magic that allowed the Asters to be tracked and their well-being monitored during a mission. And when they weren’t on a mission it was used to summon them for one.
Within seconds Sophie was wearing her loose fighting trousers, stretch top and leather jacket. She was tying her hair into a plait as she stepped out of her room and into the common room. The Asters lived in the top half of one of the bigger circular towers of the castle. Divided over two floors were six bedrooms and a small common room. Sophie, Lian and Nathan’s bedrooms were on the bottom floor, while Sky’s, Matu’s and a third empty room were on the second floor. A narrow staircase spiralled up to a balcony, which gave access to the three bedrooms on the second floor. The common room contained two deep red sofas and a lounge chair that encircled a large fire. Against the only free stretch of wall stood a large bookcase made of dark wood. A thick, patterned rug covered most of the stone flooring.
Sophie looked up to see Sky practically jump out of his bedroom and onto the balcony. His face was flushed and his eyes were sparkling. Sophie didn’t want to ask why. The two nodded at each other once, when a second late
r the other three bedroom doors opened and Matu, Nathan and Lian stepped out. All dressed in the same fighting gear and leather jackets, the five Asters made their way to the centre of the common room. They stood in a circle and held each other’s hands while Sky’s Band started pulsing blue and the five of them shimmered.
Once the blue light vanished from Sophie’s eyesight, she found herself standing in the Board Room. Only Sylvia Allen, the island’s Consul, was there. She and the other members of the Small Council had inter-changeable nightshifts so that there was always someone to call on the Asters in case of an emergency.
Without saying anything yet, the Asters moved quickly to the oak table in the middle of the room. Each of their signature weapons lay on top of it. There was a closet in the back of the room filled with weapons for whenever the Asters were sent on a mission. Whoever was on duty at the time would lay them out on the oak table while the Asters made their way to the Board Room.
Sophie strapped on her belt from which her rapier hung in its sheath and pulled the miniature cross bow over her left hand. Lian grabbed his bow and quiver, and took a simple sword as well. Sky picked up his short spear and sheathed another two short swords to the outside of his thighs, while Matu took a single dagger in addition to his knuckle knives, and Nathan strapped his two broadswords to his back.
While the Asters were getting ready, Sylvia explained to them why they had been called in. “An emergency call has come in from the Okoth family in Nairobi, Kenya.”
“What?” Matu snapped round to face Sylvia. “Are they all right?”
Sophie didn’t bother to glance at her brother. Now was not the time to be concerned, even if any of them knew the family personally. If Matu wasn’t up for whatever they might face, he should stay behind. Matu knew it, and was rational enough to pull back if necessary.
Sophie knew that the Okoth family consisted of Reth and Eidi Okoth, and their thirteen-year-old son Yaro. Reth and Matu’s father had been friends for years. They had trained together on Saluverus ever since they were children, before they both moved back to their home town, Nairobi. Sophie knew Reth was like a second father to Matu. When he had returned to Nairobi, Reth had taken over the main Affinite training programme in the city, and was always in close contact with Jackson Kelly and the other members of the Small Council about the progress of the Affinites training with him.
“I have no more information other than the signal. I have tried to call, but with no answer. You are to go there immediately to see what has happened. Expect anything,” Sylvia answered. She looked at Matu for a moment. “Are you all right to go?”
Matu gave a short nod. Sophie expected nothing less. Matu was always the calm, calculating, rational one. He would be able to separate his personal feelings and possible fear from the mission. Maybe not as well as Nathan, but not even Sophie understood exactly how Nathan could turn from warm and kind to cold and clinical like flipping a switch.
Sylvia nodded too, then turned her attention to the television screen still showing the map of the world. Saluverus’ Consul pressed a button on the remote, which caused the map to zoom in on Africa, then to Kenya, then to Nairobi, and then even closer to one of the streets. “Good. Now as you can see, there are no Disciples at the house, but they can arrive while you are there. Be careful and be on the alert. Find out anything you can. Now go.”
Sophie turned to Sky. Her brother didn’t need any other order than that. No sooner had Sylvia spoken the last word than the blue light filled Sophie’s vision and the five Asters shimmered from Saluverus.
The second the blue light vanished the Asters found themselves standing in a dark living room.
Matu glanced out through the nearest window and found that it was just as dark here as it had been on Saluverus. He knew it was around four o’clock in the morning here, two hours later than where they had come from. He had visited his parents often enough to know the time difference. It was strange to think that his parents were asleep not so far away from here.
Matu looked around him. He had been in this very living room many times before, but never had it looked like this. Even though the lights were off, Matu could see by the moonlight that a struggle had taken place. Knowing exactly where the light switch was that would turn on the lamp on the ceiling, Matu took two steps to his right and reached behind him.
Nothing happened as he flipped the switch. Matu tried again, but nothing changed.
“The lights won’t come on,” Matu said. He could just about make out who was who in the darkness.
“Classic,” Sky mumbled.
One by one, torches illuminated the living room. It was a small space; Reth had never been one for luxury. As long as they had a kitchen to cook in, a sofa to sit on, and a bed to sleep in, he hadn’t cared what his house looked like. He spent most of his time in the training centre, anyway. Eidi had been the one to ensure that they didn’t live in a hut, but in a house with three small bedrooms with a warm feel to it.
For Yaro and for visitors, she had said.
Matu couldn’t smile at the memory as his torchlight danced over the discarded books on the sofa and the floor. Everything that had been on the shelves above the sofa, including a potted plant, had been violently swept off. The rug had also been tossed aside and the small coffee table had been flipped over. The cushions from the sofa had been thrown everywhere; they were sliced open and the stuffing was all over the place.
“We’ll check upstairs,” Sophie said. No one disagreed when she and Nathan headed up the stairs.
Matu continued to shine his torchlight through the living room. Knowing that something bad had happened here, the place suddenly had a different feel to it. The air seemed to stick to his skin and the shadows had a more sinister look to them. Matu tried to keep his breathing under control as he spotted drops of blood on the floor. He forced himself to keep calm and continue to survey the living room. The small television in the corner had been turned upside down and the little table it used to stand on had its drawers pulled out, and they, too, were lying on the floor, their contents scattered.
“Matu…”
The alarm in Sky’s voice had Matu dreading to turn around. When he did, and pointed his torch in Sky’s direction, his breath hitched.
He was in motion before he had even thought of moving his legs. A second later he was standing over the body of a woman, lying face-down. Sky was kneeling at her waist, fingers at her wrist. There was blood pooling all around her middle, and she lay there as still as death.
The woman didn’t need to be turned around for Matu to know that this was Eidi Okoth, Reth’s wife and Yaro’s mother. He recognised the delicate frame, the shape of her hands and the style of her hair.
There was blood surrounding her head as well, but not nearly as much as around her abdomen. Matu glanced at Sky who had his eyes closed as he searched for the woman’s pulse.
“Sophie!” Matu yelled.
Sky lifted his head up from the body. The light in his always so lively blue eyes seemed to have gone out as he shook his head.
“No…” Matu whispered. He didn’t look up as he heard footsteps on the staircase behind him. All he could think about was the woman lying before him. The woman who had always been so kind to him. Who had such a brilliant smile it lit up her entire face, and who, as human, had accepted her Affinite husband and the magical, dangerous world he came from with fascination and pure openness. She didn’t deserve this.
“What are you—oh God…” Sophie said as she realised what Matu, Sky and Lian were all standing around.
“She’s dead,” Matu said softly.
At that moment Nathan also re-appeared from upstairs.
“No sign of anyone up there?” Lian asked before Nathan could form any words about Eidi’s death.
Nathan tore his eyes away from the body in their midst and shook his head. “No, no one.”
Matu clenched his fists. “Then where are Reth and Yaro?” he demanded.
Lian laid a hand o
n Matu’s shoulder. “We’ll find them.”
Matu loosed a deep breath and closed his eyes. Yes, they would find Eidi’s husband and son. They owed that to her. They had to, because they hadn’t been fast enough to save her.
Sophie knelt down at Eidi’s head. Her long, dark and frizzy hair reached halfway down her back. Sophie leaned over, and as she lifted some of the hair away from Eidi’s face Sophie’s hand stilled.
“What the…” she whispered. With her other hand she angled her torch in such a way that the woman’s face was suddenly bathed in light.
“Turn her over,” Sophie snapped.
Matu frowned.
“What?” Sky said.
“Turn her over,” Sophie repeated more sharply.
Sky didn’t ask again as he leaned over and started to turn over the body.
Matu helped him. “What’s going on?”
“She’s not dead.”
“What? But I—” Sky started.
“You’re a dumbass, that’s what. Get out of my way.” Sophie didn’t even look up as she continued. “Lian, keep an eye out, make sure we’re still alone here.”
And then Matu saw it, too. As they rolled the body over there was a tiny flutter of Eidi’s lashes and a slow movement of her eyes as she realised what was happening to her.
If that movement had given Matu hope, the sight of the front of Eidi’s body ripped it all away again. Her whole belly had been sliced open from side to side, and part of her small intestines were hanging out.
A Queen To Come Page 4
