by Meg Xuemei X
He was being coy, and Kian had never been devious with her before. Which meant he already had a solid plan in place that couldn’t be swayed. He’d let Ashburn volunteer to sacrifice himself first, and if Ash turned it down, Kian would pounce and deliver a fatal strike.
She must stay a step ahead of her chief; a step ahead of all of them.
CHAPTER 30
RIVER OF FIRE
Lucienne put the platinum chain around her neck, the Eye of Time inside the gold locket at the end of the chain.
The ancient power was no longer safe in her most guarded treasure house.
Her chief would set it on Ashburn to save her. Very likely, Jekaterina could get her claws on it. Her Forbidden Glory had sensed the power in her mother, and the Eye of Time had made an effort to stay out of Jekaterina’s way.
It’d taken Lucienne to be the victim of this “grand design” to see beneath a train of sequences—her attraction to Ash, the Sealers’ avenge, her mother’s resurfacing, the prophecies, and the final, though partial, revelation of the code.
She was sure more of the chain reaction was on its way, but what was the endgame?
She’d rebuked Ashburn for his cosmic conspiracy—when the Eye of Time completed TimeDust in him, he’d come for her and force her to be with him. They’d then carry out the horrific purpose implanted in him and forged by the force behind the Eye of Time: to bring the human race to extinction.
What if Ashburn was right? But how could she tell truth from fiction when she was half mad? When she couldn’t hold onto one consistent thought for long? Her insanity had leaked into her sane consciousness. The poison was in her every pore. She hoped she was only paranoid. She also had this nagging feeling that her enemy had come to the heart of Sphinxes. Was it her mother? Her sister? They were former Sealers elders, and they'd gotten too close to her. Or was it herself who was becoming Sphinxes’ worst enemy?
The world had shifted. She couldn’t decide which side was up and which was down. But she knew her duty as Siren. She would serve and protect those she loved. She would defend her people from any harm, including any harm from herself. Mostly from herself.
So she must kill her dream of a magnificent future to preserve theirs.
Lucienne closed her hand over the gold locket. The weight of the Eye of Time was now a burden and grief rather than comfort.
“Wrong turn, Melton,” Ziyi Wen barked at a member of her team in the SX1 lab. “Don’t make me shriek at you again.”
Under the lab’s artificial sunlight, young, energetic scientists and technicians were monitoring broadband electromagnetic receivers, adjusting quantum devices, or just staring at the computer screens, their thoughts too deep for anyone else to track.
“But you just shrieked, Miss Wen,” Melton grunted, typing in a series of commands on the keyboard.
“Just follow the pathway I showed you earlier,” Ziyi said impatiently, then widened her eyes at the sight of Lucienne strolling toward her.
Lucienne wore a white blouse and pants, which brought a grin to Ziyi’s face.
“Lucia!” She flew from her chair in her pink qipao and stilettos, the gold chain bouncing up and down her slim ankle.
Lucienne hugged her friend with a doting smile. “Let’s talk alone.”
“When and where?” Ziyi asked.
As soon as they stepped into the satellite lab, Ziyi drove out everyone, and the soundproof glass door glided shut behind them.
“It’ll be a covert mission.” Lucienne leaned against the edge of a desk.
Ziyi threw a stick of gum into her mouth. “The more dangerous, the merrier.”
“First,” Lucienne let out a breath, “we’ll have to break a few laws.”
“But you’re the law here.”
“I wish. They watch my every move. I’m a prisoner in my own land.”
“I hear you, girl, but I’ll trade places with you any minute without blinking an eye.”
“You want my place? I’m like a mad cow two-thirds of the time now.”
“You’ll get well! Jekaterina has found the code. And Ash—”
“The code is a weapon against Ash. What I’m going to do is counter it and guarantee his safety and everyone else’s. What I need you to do is back me up and even go against Chief McQuillen. Do I still have your six?”
“Forever.”
“Then go with me on a short trip. It might involve kidnapping and hijacking. Are you up for it?”
Ziyi rubbed her hands together. “Anytime.” Then she appeared anxious. “I love to run on the wild side once in a while, but I’m not a warrior. I just date them. You think I can do what you do?”
“Better.”
“You aren’t kidding?”
“Look into my eyes.”
“Clear. No red rings.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
Ziyi narrowed her eyes to look menacing. “Looking forward to it.”
“Send in a request to have Valkyrie take you to pick up a personal package for me. I’ll confirm it when the base calls. Don’t leave without me. We’re making the trip together.”
“But Kian will never let you get in that jet. The guards would rather take a bullet from you than let you march out Sphinxes.”
“Leave that to me. But will you take this risk for me? For Ash? I might lapse in the middle of it. I know I’m asking too much of you, but I need you, and only you can help me.”
“I’m with you,” said Ziyi, “even when you’re your evil twin. If we die, we die together. I don’t have a warrior’s skills, but I have a warrior’s heart. I suggest we both carry an instant death pill. If shit happens, we won’t die slowly and painfully.”
“This won’t be a death trip. I’d never ask my best friend to go down that path.”
“Okay then! Since I’m more relaxed now, let me backpedal a little. You said this covert mission has something to do with Ash. Are we going to sneak out to see him? Is that it?”
“I’m not that clinging,” Lucienne said with a sigh. “And Vlad is here. How will he think of that? I hurt him. I hurt both of them more than I thought I could. But what I’m about to do is to protect Ash, you, and everyone. Kian went to Nirvana to hunt down Ash an hour ago. This is the only time window for me to get off Sphinxes.”
Ziyi’s eyes went wild. “What is chief planning to do to Ash?”
“Misguided by Jekaterina, he thought he could save me by sacrificing Ash.”
“But—” Ziyi hesitated. “Is it true—if Ash goes down, then you’ll live?”
One glance at her friend, and Lucienne knew Ziyi would go along with Kian’s arrangement if the girl was convinced that Ash’s ultimate sacrifice could save Lucienne.
“No,” Lucienne lied. “It’ll only clear the path for Jekaterina to take what she came here for— the Eye of Time.”
Ziyi hissed, “I thought she came to find the cure for you. What kind of a lousy mother is she?”
“One of a kind.”
“I’ll punch her in the eye!” Ziyi balled her fists. “But first let’s make sure she’ll get nothing.”
As Lucienne and Ziyi emerged from the satellite lab, Melton stepped up eagerly. “Miss Wen, your pathway turned out to be brilliant!”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” said Ziyi with a dismissive wave.
Lucienne, however, eyed Melton with interest. He was almost her height and as slender as her. “Come with us, Melton,” she ordered, jogging toward the lab’s exit.
Ziyi shifted her perplexed gaze from Lucienne to the geek, then back to Lucienne.
“I didn’t break security protocol, Miss Lam.” Melton hastened after Lucienne and Ziyi. “I, at best, participated in a few games for a million bucks. No one could trace me—”
“Ziyi won’t fire you,” Lucienne said. “We need to discuss the pathway, and you’ll be accompanying your boss to pick up a package.”
“Okay,” Melton said, looking relieved. “What package?”
Melton stepped inside the White Mansion, looking giddy and awed until he received threatening glares from the guards for following Ziyi and Lucienne all the way into her vast bathroom.
The guards were evidently puzzled why their Siren summoned a male geek into her bathroom. “The pathway Ziyi and Melton found might help me solve an ancient code,” Lucienne told them. Everyone knew how obsessed she was with ancient technology, symbols, and codes.
“But why do you have to discuss it in the bathroom, cousin?” Thaddeus asked. “Isn’t the sun room brighter and more comfortable, or the library quieter?”
“Why not in the lady’s lounge?” Lucienne asked back. “Lately, I find it’s the ideal place to think clearly.”
“I’ll be with Lucia,” Ziyi said, “and Melton isn’t going to do anything. He’s a sheep.”
“I’m not a sheep,” Melton said, his face reddening from embarrassment. “I challenged someone last month!”
Ziyi ignored him and barked at the guards, “Why should your boss even explain to you what she’s doing? Do not overstep your boundaries!” She slammed the bathroom door in their faces.
“You’re good, Ziyi,” Lucienne whispered.
“Where are Aida and Bayrose?” Ziyi whispered back. “If the guards send them in, they’ll break up our plan.”
“What plan?” Melton joined the whisper. “And why are we whispering?”
“I sent them both on an errand that should take a few hours,” Lucienne said, then turned to Melton. “You go to sleep,” and hit his Meridian point.
“Awesome. You gotta teach me that trick.” Ziyi stared at Melton’s slumbering form on the cushion on the bathroom floor. “What are we going to do with him when he wakes up?”
“Say we’re sorry and give him a raise, and he’ll probably get over this.”
“Mmm,” Ziyi pondered. “Let me think about it. I don’t want anyone to overspend your money.”
“Don’t think. Help me strip him.”
“Then we really need to give him a raise.”
They quickly undressed Melton, and Lucienne put on his T-shirt, cargo pants, and hooded jacket. “It’s nice of him to bring a jacket.”
“Yeah,” Ziyi said. “However, if you want to impersonate Melton, a hooded jacket might cover your big boobs, but your face is still Lucia’s.”
“Go out and flirt with the guards, then come back in half an hour. I need you to distract them.”
“What about discretion? You have a man in your bathroom. Even your guards gossip among themselves.”
“My guards trust that even the mad me wouldn’t stoop so low to make out with your assistant. Just go make tea and chat with them. A handful of them are already smitten with you.”
Ziyi smirked knowingly.
Lucienne closed the door behind Ziyi, pulled out a disguise kit from a hidden closet, and started to transform her looks. She learned this art from a master of disguise when she was in Desert Cymbidium, just as she learned the ancient Meridian—the lost martial arts so few on earth still grasped—from Master Nameless.
Half an hour later, she was almost done when Ziyi rapped five long beats on the door. Lucienne opened the door a crack, and Ziyi squeezed in and shut it.
“Blazek is here!” the girl said, and she threw her hand over her mouth, staring at the new Lucienne.
“How?” Lucienne said. “I gave him a strong sedative tea last night to make him sleep through the day.” Then she frowned in realization. Vladimir could absorb her ancient poison after the ritual in Tibet. A sedative might not have much effect on him.
“You!” Ziyi searched between Lucienne and the unconscious Melton on the cushion. “Lucia, you look like his twin.”
“I have to if I want to sneak out with you,” Lucienne said. “But we have a new problem.”
“Blazek.” Ziyi nodded. “When is he not a problem? But even he can’t tell that you aren’t Melton.”
“He can tell,” Lucienne said in frustration. “He and Ash.”
“Ash might know, but Blazek has no superpower.”
“He’s attuned to my scent.”
“Wicked,” Ziyi said.
“You need to get him out of here before we move.”
“That devil is the most devious. If I try, he’ll know we’re up to something.” Ziyi darted her eyes left and right. “Think. Think. Think.” Then she grabbed toothpaste from the cabinet and squeezed it all over Melton’s T-shirt Lucienne was wearing.
“What are you doing?” Lucienne protested.
“To cover your natural scent,” Ziyi said, tossing the empty toothpaste tube away and zipping up Lucienne’s jacket. She then found an expensive perfume, sprayed it on her neck, armpits, and wrists with the full bottle, and grinned. “Now the smell will confuse Blazek.”
“You’ll do the mean talk if he asks something,” Lucienne said. “He’s gotten used to that side of you.”
“I’ll guarantee he gets more of it today.”
“Just don’t bite him too hard.”
Lucienne, as Melton, followed Ziyi out of the bathroom. Ziyi shut the door behind them.
Vladimir leaned against a sofa, his muscular arms folded across his broad chest, his eyes fixing on the inner room, obviously waiting for Lucienne to emerge. He straightened up, ready to pounce, as soon as he saw a “guy” coming out of the bathroom.
Lucienne stationed herself on the other side of Ziyi, away from Vladimir, and jogged toward the door as steadily, casually as she could manage.
“Hey, dude!” Vladimir called. “Stop.”
Lucienne wanted to flee out the door, but she knew Vladimir would give a chase and grab the collar of her jacket to find out why her feet were on fire. So she stopped, shoulders sloughed, and turned to Vladimir with a confused nerdy look of “Were you talking to me?”
Vladimir narrowed his suspicious eyes, his jaw tightening in jealousy. “What the heck are you doing in my girlfriend’s bathroom?” He then frowned in displeasure, sniffing the air.
The smell of toothpaste and absurdly strong perfume had succeeded in covering up Lucienne’s scent. But Vladimir was Vladimir. He’d figure it out if she and Ziyi lingered for his interrogation.
“Stop harassing my assistant!” Ziyi hissed. “Lucia called me and Melton to verify the code to the cure Jekaterina cracked. She doesn’t trust Jekaterina. And thanks to you, we’re all in this mess!”
Lucienne winced at Ziyi’s harshness. She’d advised her friend to show Vladimir her bad side in order to disarm him, but not like this. However, she couldn’t voice her objection under the circumstances.
Vladimir’s face paled, then he swallowed and looked at Ziyi hopefully, totally ignoring “Melton” now. “There’ll be a cure soon?”
“Do I look like the one who owes you an explanation?” Ziyi barked. She then turned to shout at Lucienne, “What are you waiting for, Melton? Wait at the rooftop! If the jet arrives, tell the pilot to wait for me.”
Lucienne reached the door, about to slip out.
Vladimir moved. “I need to talk to Lucia.”
He was going to knock on the bathroom door, which couldn’t be securely locked. Lucienne felt her heart fling to her throat. If he thwarted her plan today, she might not get another chance. Kian would return with Ash any time now, if Ash obliged him.
“Stop, Blazek!” Ziyi shrieked at Vladimir. “Lucia needs a quiet time to figure out the final link of the code in her bath. I’m going to pick up a tool for her so we’ll all finally know the answer. You don’t just go interrupting her bath.”
Vladimir looked at Ziyi with reservation and displeasure.
“Thaddeus,” Ziyi called, “make sure no one disturbs your cousin, especially Blazek, before I come back. Blazek is the one who got her into this bad shape in the first place. This code is very important to the cure. If you’re loyal and able to protect your cousin Siren, as it says in your résumé, you—”
“I don’t have a résumé. Never needed one!” Thaddeus said tersely.
“And I don’t care you’re my cousin’s best friend. You’ll never again show me disrespect and doubt my skills and loyalty, Miss Wen!” But he stepped up and blocked Vladimir from going toward the bathroom.
The guards outside the door gave “Melton” an annoyed look of “Are you in or out, dude?” before turning back to the drama in the room.
Hearing the mechanical humming outside, Lucienne knew Valkyrie had arrived. She gave the guards an apologetic glance and ducked out the door.
~
The girls boarded Valkyrie.
The pilot flirted with Ziyi and completely ignored Lucienne/Melton.
When the jet put in some distance from Sphinxes, Ziyi and Lucienne entered the cockpit cabin. “Ethan, let my assistant Melton fly Valkyrie,” Ziyi said, “and feel free to sit back in the passenger cabin and enjoy a drink.”
The pilot had a brief laugh until Ziyi pulled out a gun, aiming at him with a shaking hand. “Now, Ethan! I’m not joking! And I don't have time to waste.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ziyi,” Ethan said. “You—”
Lucienne’s hand struck out like a cobra, hitting the Meridian point at the joint of the pilot’s jaw and neck. He sagged in his chair, unconscious at once. Lucienne and Ziyi dragged him from his seat. Lucienne let her friend keep hauling the man toward the back of the jet as she took over as pilot. “You stay with him in the back, Ziyi.”
“The man’s damn heavy,” answered Ziyi. “And I’m wearing stilettos.”
“Take off your stilettos then,” Lucienne said as she entered a series of commands on the dashboard.
The jet no longer headed to California as the pilot had reported to the control tower.
Ashburn had once flown Lucienne over an endless sea of rainforest on Spike. She’d tried to seduce him, spurred by her insanity and maddening lust. Ash had resisted. He’d tried to distract her with the spectacular view. He’d told her that the uncharted jungle was the most dangerous place that housed deadly species and that a volcano would erupt within two months from one of the mountains.
The volcano was right on time. Through the lens of the satellite Dragonfly, Lucienne had seen the river of fire flowing from the top of the brown mountain.
