“No. Don’t be sorry. You know it was right. Whatever we are, we both needed that.” Kenna turned her face up to him, her chin resting on his chest. “We are different, really, really different. I suspect our difference has something to do with those gods Julianna is so reluctant to talk about. We both know one exists and we’re connected to him. I’m afraid of that. Afraid of what we’re becoming. It’s going too fast and not fast enough. What if he comes back and we have no idea what to do?”
“I know, baby. I can feel him,” Lore confirmed. Looking down into her worried face, he wished he could conceal the violent urge to kill the ones putting her through this. She needed him calm, not the brutal creature he was becoming.
Her fears were so far out on the edge of reality and she was terrified. Not of him, of herself and what the two of them were becoming. The changes all pointed to dark, ugly tales of evil predators doing the vilest acts imaginable. The thought that they were becoming those beasts known only in myths and legends was unimaginable, yet the most logical answer with the facts at hand.
The reality was, they had unknowingly entered a battle game and found themselves central players. Lore was very tired of stumbling about, being shocked at every development. Apparently there were all manner of monsters as children’s stories reported. What he wasn’t sure of was—which monster was he?
“We need to know who this threat is,” he stated to distract her from the path their thoughts were taking. Focusing on the events and preparing to meet a threat wasn’t his first choice in distractions but it was an urgent one.
They knew Boris, Yuri and Julianna were all awake as well. The threat to Thomas had them on edge. “Time to tell us about the Asp,” Lore summoned the group.
Julianna entered from the queen’s rooms using the private door. Boris and Yuri used the apartment’s front door. Julianna paced to the windows, her tall back straight with tension as she stood gazing into the night. All of them were dressed casually, having been awakened from a few hours’ sleep by Thomas’ call.
Coffee arrived, carried by a sleepy kitchen assistant who was not a member of Keeper society. All five of them eyed it wearily and realized things had changed. No one was going to drink it.
“It would be nice to have Thomas’ talent for feeling evil in an inanimate object,” Boris commented as he looked at the coffee longingly.
Julianna huffed and strode from the window, putting her hand on the top of the coffeepot, using the common path, she connected with Thomas. They all heard her ask him to feel it through her. Thomas was amused as he acknowledged them and confirmed that the coffee was fine. Then he quickly asked her to touch each cup. Thanking him and checking how he was feeling, Julianna served the coffee.
Lore and Kenna took a seat on the sofa. Kenna curled her legs under her and leaned into Lore’s side as he slid an arm around her. Yuri stretched his long frame in an easy chair and Boris remained standing as Julianna finally sat with her own cup of coffee. No one spoke as they waited for Boris to start.
“What I know is a story passed down verbally in my family. As you are aware, written records were destroyed,” Boris began. “The exact dates are lost, but as far as we can tell, the story started back in the twenty-seventh century B.C. in the time of the Egyptian Third Dynasty ruled by King Djoser and his architectural genius, Imhotep.
“My family are Keepers. We apparently had knowledge of the same people living here. It was the time pyramids first appeared and the inspiration for that is accredited to Imhotep. Imhotep is a name our family does not mention, so he became the Asp.
“We know there was a mass murder of the Egyptian Keeper society. One father and his young daughter escaped that day of death. Perhaps they were not where they were supposed to be. We’re not sure of the exact events. He did not return home but went into hiding. The butcher of his family was a non-blood cousin named Imhotep.
“We believe the Asp thought he’d capture the secrets of our people if he killed every member of the actual Keepers. He was already a powerful priest and even a crime as large as that could be done with no consequences. He was also a magician and practiced the dark arts.
“My ancestor knew his daughter would be found if he remained in Egypt so he fled with her. It is said as soon as they left Egypt, Keepers from the north contacted their sister and drew the two refugees here to hide.
“Obviously the journey in that time was fantastically difficult, but the strength of the northern sisters brought them here. From that point our history coincides, but the importance of being of the Egyptian linage has always been protected though the reason is now shrouded in mystery.
“With the reemergence of a royal first daughter here, my brother, sister and I have felt the same revitalization of our talents, but we feel it differently than the rest of you. It is not the strong surge of power others receive. More a low, steady burn and the promise of things we do not fully understand.”
“Your sister?” Lore interrupted to question.
“Yes, my lord. You know her as your senior secretary,” Boris clarified.
“Not the same name?” Lore stated sharply.
“She is a widow.”
“Wow,” Kenna breathed, “almost the exact thing that happened here. Cousins of the family attempting to take whatever it is Keepers have. And how does a blood line last this long? Are you sure we are the children of these people?”
“How can we not be sure, my lady? You are here,” Yuri responded. “Even if we didn’t believe before, we have to now. I’m not a scientist, I can’t explain the details, but it seems we are made in such a way that our differences can be concealed for long periods of time.”
Yuri frowned darkly. “Even so, we should have been more careful. We knew of the events in Egypt, but by the time it happened here, that story was ancient history. Our ancestors became complacent and once again greed almost succeeded. It will not happen in this time, I assure you.” Around them flowed his complete commitment to his sworn duty of protecting the royal first daughter and the One.
“Boris, how do you know the threat stalking us now is the other side of your family?” Kenna asked worriedly.
“After World War I, my family was able to track the Asp. One of our members had been in the Foreign Legion and was the first of us to return to Egypt. What he found led him to believe the Asp had survived, or his family had, and they were still hunting Keepers.
“The young legionnaire’s study and reading of hieroglyphics showed him more than the Western archaeologists saw at that time. The one thing we had retained was knowledge of the ancient written language. The language spoken and written in the third dynasty was preserved because that is what was spoken when our ancestor left. The legionnaire did not need to guess what hieroglyphics meant.
“He clearly read sinister prophesies and long lines of a family who practiced the most horrific atrocities known to man. After Egypt faded from the world stage, it is more difficult to follow the Asp’s movements. In short, he felt they had found some way to track Keeper society to this place around the time Annedrine Franziska was abducted in 1204 A.D.
“We lose them in history for many years after that event. It was the Dark Ages and they would be considered devils by inquisition types simply because of skin color and the threat coming from Muslim countries.
“The family we believed them to be showed up at the start of WWI and again we were very sure we saw their hand in WWII’s Nazi Germany. Certainly the idea of cleansing a society through extermination of unwanted individuals is one of their trademarks, along with world domination. The Nazi fascination with Egyptian and other religious artifacts and relics was their influence as well. Directly after that war they disappeared again.
“We think they reappeared in the United States briefly during the sixties and had a huge commune. One of those places that brainwashed its followers and cut them off from all outside associations. The leader of the cult was considered god on Earth, very similar to how a pharaoh was regarded.
“Yes,” Lore mused, “the legend of a key to unlock unimaginable treasure.”
“The story of actual riches, such as gold or gems is false,” Julianna scoffed. “That was the story meant to throw off greedy relatives. He, the old king who was the father of Annedrine, told it in an attempt to protect his daughter. But evil, money-hungry ones believed it too much. They did the unimaginable because they wanted this to be true.”
“There was no treasure brought back from the Third Crusade?” Lore questioned in amazement.
“No.” Julianna dismissed that thought with a wave of her hand. “The old king returned from his long absence too late. It was the day his wife died. He knew it was her in-law who had murdered her, but could not prove it with evidence. There was so much confusion. He was mortally wounded and had barely survived the trip back from the crusade. Knowing he would die soon, he was trying to make his daughter precious to the relatives.
“He pretended to hide a treasure to send them searching for it. That distraction at least gave her time to gain safety so he said she had the key. He thought they would not harm her. Sophie, my ancestor, and Annedrine knew the truth, and the plan worked. Greedy relatives very much wanted treasure. They also feared her future husband. The first Alexander, also the One, he knew the treasure was something else.”
Julianna glanced at Lore and Kenna. “Perhaps this treasure is simply what you and my lady give us all. In any case, the old Alex knew the joining was not completed. Meeting in bed is not what binds you together.”
“She was pregnant. Seems pretty complete to me,” Kenna stated.
“Ask your One. He will tell you the same,” Julianna stated confidently.
Kenna glanced up at Lore, who was frowning at Julianna.
“What completes our joining is personal,” Lore informed Julianna with quiet calm.
Julianna shrugged. “We know there is completion, but the mystery remains with you. Your completion made changes in you, and in us. Others who understand nothing will look for an object, a magic. Greed requires something to steal and cannot accept that the treasure is not physical.”
Following Julianna’s train of thought, Lore continued. “Obviously the wedding ceremony was going on but not complete when Annedrine was kidnapped. That couple had to know that was not the joining.”
“Yes, they knew it,” Julianna confirmed. “That ceremony was for the powerful Christianity religion. This was the accepted faith and very strong with the world rulers. It was best to act its acceptance rather than face a crusade against themselves. Royal joining is done in the old way. From before Christian times. But the ones who wanted to take the power apparently did not know this.”
“They would see old Alex as the last person who knew where the treasure was, or perhaps Annedrine,” Kenna said. “With the death of her Alex, Annedrine knew real knowledge would be lost. She would have wanted to pass vital information to her descendants. She had fled to a strange land and her future had to be wildly uncertain. The deposit box might be full of answers she needed to pass down. Damn, how bad would it be if the other side of Boris’ family got a hold of the package?”
“Hey. They are not my family. They are about as far removed from me as you can get,” Boris insisted. Everyone ignored him.
Lore’s analytical mind was going over the known facts, verbally he posed the question, “What do we actually know? Originally there were two communities of Keepers. According to legend, both connected to the gods and we have no idea what the gods are. The Egyptian tribe was wiped out but it’s unknown if the murderers realized there were survivors. They did know there was another Keeper group. Someone tested and identified Kenna with the bomb threat. The thugs in New York think Kenna has a physical item they want.”
Pausing, he took a deep breath, his voice deepened as he continued. “The apartment is a declaration of war. A move they would not make unless they are confident of success. They have people here as evidenced by their knowledge of where Thomas went and his plan to pick up something in Kenna’s apartment. A safe deposit box at the bank Kenna worked for is too obvious. Probability of success retrieving the contents just dropped through the floor. Damn it.”
Lore looked at Boris. “Your family may not be a target. I doubt they actually know about you if they’re aiming at Kenna. Who knows of your heritage outside this room?”
“My younger brother, our sister and Thomas. That’s it,” Boris stated. “We have been a secret that only Julianna’s family has known about since the disappearance of my lady’s ancestor. Through the centuries we’ve obviously married and become fully integrated with this country, at least to all appearances. There should be no memory of when we arrived. The Asp would not have known about this place in that time. There was nothing here but scattered tribes.”
“Is your family large? Are there many to protect?” Lore wanted to know. “Who is first daughter among them?”
“My sister is first daughter. Our family is small. Currently we are Celina, our younger brother Landor, the second chef whom you met last night, and me,” Boris responded. “There are branches of the family we’ve lost track of. They left this place long ago for whatever reason and are now scattered in the world. Celina’s husband died shortly after their marriage and there were no children. Our older relatives have all passed. We let time lull us into a sense of safety, consigning the Asp to history.”
Lore nodded and Yuri stood up to start pacing.
By now the horizon was coral with the Monday morning sunrise and the room fairly vibrated with men determined not to make a mistake this time.
“You have not discussed the possibility of a threat among yourselves?” Lore asked as he glanced between the men present. “I sense surprise.”
“No,” Yuri confirmed. “I did not focus on it, sir. Boris and I have discussed it casually in the past. It is my failing that I did not feel these things were a current threat. As we said before, we do not discuss our knowledge outside the very few of us we know of. This secret has been kept a long time.”
“None of it would have affected anyone if Kenna and I had never met,” Lore commented. “There was no need to discuss it.
“The best way to protect Celina is leave things just as they are,” Lore continued. “Her position as my secretary ensures she receives all the protection of the royal entourage without being singled out as a target.
“Her husband was not her One, was he?” Lore asked Boris cautiously.
“No. It seems not,” Boris agreed. “In all the generations in the north, we have never had one who responded as you two have. We think it’s because we are not where we should be.”
“I’m not so sure,” Lore mused. “Look at how far apart Kenna and I were. There is no way our paths would intersect in the normal train of events.
“Her grandmother made it her dying wish that Kenna attend the festival. Our faceless enemy used extreme measures to test her. I am beginning to suspect something about this time in history dictated the return of Keepers to the world community.”
There was silence. Thoughts were whirling as they absorbed the certainty that they struggled with an ancient enemy in a battle they didn’t understand. Being the target in a hunt and not knowing it was a distinctly haunting feeling. Not knowing exactly who the current hunters were made it intolerable for the men present.
Lore broke the silence. “We are responding to events, not causing them. We’re in a defensive position. I’m not comfortable with that. I want answers. We’ve been handed a great deal of power. We are not alone and must expect an equal and opposite power to oppose us. Gentlemen, time to s
top reacting.”
Lore calmly regarded the intense faces in the room. “Make no mistake, there has been a declaration of war. War like this planet hasn’t seen since there were wizards and dragons. I don’t know if we’re the metaphorical wizards or the dragons, but we damn well are going to become the aggressors.
“There is something you need to know. You have called me the One. That term has been handed down through unknown generations and I believe its meaning lost. Kenna is your first daughter, there is no doubt of that, but we have not been clear on the reason her mate is called the One. Let me explain it to you.”
Lore’s eyes went to the large easy chair that was empty. There was a snapping pop and suddenly the chair condensed into a perfectly formed one-foot square of material. There was no flash of light or blurring of lines, it simply sucked into itself and crushed down.
Complete silence met his demonstration of power. Lore hadn’t even stood up to do it. This expression of the power thundering through him was a minimal example. It wasn’t something he’d planned to do, but he needed to impress on them what he was. Knowing he could do something like this wasn’t comfortable, but it was undeniable. Like so many other components of the changes he and Kenna were experiencing, the development seemed stealthy. Increases in abilities suddenly appeared and some part of him felt he should have known they would.
Kenna fought the urge to hold her breath. Lore was taking command but he wanted voluntary allegiance from the Keeper community. He wanted them to understand the dynamic that created this power. He needed them to accept it and him as its instrument.
“The startling truth is, it isn’t actually my power. It is yours. My connection to Kenna is simply the conduit through which all of you flow,” Lore explained.
This arrangement created the ultimate balance. She, the weaker sex, held the power. He, the physically stronger one, could only access his full potential through complete union with her.
Any Price Page 19
