Queen's Gambit (Lilith's Shadow Book 6)
Page 33
Then there were all the clones to deal with. By Cassiphone’s best guess, seventy-three clones of Amber had survived both Circe’s final counterstrike and the battle in orbit. Of those, sixteen had been captured outright, and nine more had been captured when their escape pods landed, which left forty-eight clones at large. Lilith wasn’t sure what was going to be done with them, as there was a great deal of debate in the government regarding their status. Mostly whether they were liable for the original Amber’s crimes since they had her memories. Lilith wasn’t sure how that would turn out and was glad she wasn’t directly involved in it. She sort of pitied some of the clones, since a few of them seemed a bit more reasonable than Amber was when she’d met them.
After healing and getting back to the planet, Lilith had been forced to deal with the media being out in force, SuperNet pretty much demanding that she come back for another evaluation, and the attention of all the others. She’d finally demanded some space to think, and now… well, they’d all come to a resort that could house them comfortably for Christmas, and Osmar had done wonders to get them somewhere nice, all paid for by a sponsor. She admired his skill, even if he scared her from time to time. She’d even made him a scarf, as well as one for Marge. The ones for Emily, Gina, Rachel, Tania, and even Daemonia were wrapped and waiting for the next day next to the fireplace, though Lilith gave even odds that Emily was going to steal hers, with how her gaze kept flickering to the pile of presents.
“So, what’re the others up to?” Lilith asked after a moment.
“Morgan and Daemonia are arguing about whether to give the cake a filling, Archon is telling Warden that she is not a glorified fire starter while Blooming Orchid cuts the steaks, Circe Beta is charging while playing virtual chess with Cassie from what she said, you’re hiding in here, not making a decision… and I’m sneaking away from making the salad to try to get a leg up on the others,” Emily said, grinning as she offered a plate with several dark cubes of something chocolatey on them, caramel drizzled across the top. “Fudge?”
“Bribes will not sway me,” Lilith replied dryly, but she couldn’t help a smile as she reached up to snag one of them, taking a bite and savoring the flavor for a few seconds before swallowing. Then she admitted, “They’ll help, a bit, but they won’t sway me.”
“Have to do what I can, when you’re letting Daemonia in here,” Emily said, making a face. “I can’t say that I like her.”
“Mm… fair. The problem is that I like all of you, and I can’t honestly say that I’d be happy if I chose anyone over the others,” Lilith said, feeling just a little uncomfortable as she thought about the idea. She glanced at Emily, debating for a moment as her pulse quickened. Emily seemed to realize what Lilith was thinking, and she slowly began to lean over, inching toward Lilith, her lips pursed…
The doorbell rang, and Emily jerked backward abruptly, swearing.
“Oh, damn it, of all the timing! I’m going to tase whoever that was!” Emily snarled, glaring toward the front door angrily.
“I think that I should get the door, then,” Lilith said, twisting around and standing up, her heartbeat slowing again. She regretted the interruption, but she also wasn’t going to let Emily hurt an unsuspecting guest. “We can’t have you getting in trouble, can we?”
“Sure we can. If they never find the body…” Emily said murderously.
“Shush, that’s not the way a heroine should talk,” Lilith chided her gently, then headed for the door, Emily just behind her. She reached the door and opened it, only to stop, blinking in surprise.
A man in white robes trimmed in teal, blue, and gold was on the other side of the door, wearing a wide necklace of gold and turquoise, sandals, and with a gold circlet around his head. His hair was black, his skin bronzed, and his dark brown eyes were lined with kohl. He also looked extremely uncomfortable, given that the ground was covered in snow except on the sidewalk, and he wasn’t dressed for the weather. Lilith noticed a letter in his hand and raised an eyebrow.
“Hello?” Lilith asked, feeling like he reminded her of Abasi and Sabra.
“Are you Lilith Carpenter?” the man asked, his voice faintly accented.
“I am,” she confirmed.
“Lilith? Who is it?” Rachel asked, coming out of the kitchen with Daemonia just behind her.
The man didn’t wait for Lilith to reply to them, as he bowed his head, offering the letter he was holding with both hands.
“Lilith Carpenter, Blessed by Ra, I have come on behalf of the Grand Conclave of Atlantis. They ask you to visit the blessed isle and partake of its wonders.”
“They what?” Rachel exclaimed, and Lilith stared at the invitation in shock, as she knew that those who were allowed to visit Atlantis were incredibly few in number.
This was going to make her life more interesting… but Lilith found her curiosity roused, and she smiled. She did rather want to explore the world, and this could be an excellent opportunity.
“Thank you. Why don’t you come in and tell me more?” Lilith said, taking the letter, and stepped out of the way to let the man inside.
Her whole life was ahead of her, and she could hardly wait to see how things would work out.
The End
Author’s Note
I can’t quite express how I feel about finishing Queen’s Gambit. Excited, sorrowful, anxious… all of those emotions are present. This is my longest series so far, and while it is not the end of Lilith’s story, it’s the end of the arc I intended to write ever since I started on Down with the Queen. This story has been a long time in coming, and I really, really hope that I did it justice. I cannot express my appreciation for my wife and my friend Joe who gave me feedback on ideas, and who helped me finish it. Sure, I didn’t tell them everything ahead of time, there have to be some surprises, but I got their feedback on a lot.
I hope that you all enjoyed Queen’s Gambit, and Lilith’s journey!
About the Author
Benjamin Medrano is a Utah native who lives along the Wasatch front with his beloved wife Jessica. Benjamin loves fantasy, science fiction, reading, and tabletop roleplaying games, all of which has inspired his imagination to wider horizons. Eventually he decided that if he couldn’t find exactly what he wanted to read, he’d write it himself and took the plunge without ever looking back. Lilith’s Shadow is his second series.