by Meg Xuemei X
Before the guards retreated outside the hall with Ashburn, Lucienne caught their awed looks. She hoped they would stop treating her like a fragile vase from now on.
Lucienne extended a hand to Thaddeus. He took it and sat up. Looking dazed, he tumbled off the table and struggled to stand as steadily as he could. Finally, he gave in and used the table to support himself.
“Would anyone else like to go next?” Lucienne regarded the rest of the candidates. “I’d love to comply in any fashion you choose.”
No one came forward.
“Not me,” said Patrick. “I’m not seeking humiliation.”
“What happened?” Thaddeus asked. “I was winning, then all of sudden I was on the floor. And then on the table. And a girl warrior was kicking my ass. It was the worst dream I’ve ever had.”
“It wasn’t a dream,” Alex offered. He was helping Thaddeus dab the blood off his face with a wet hand towel.
Thaddeus glared at him. “I know it wasn’t a dream. It wouldn’t hurt so much in a dream.”
“Never piss off the Siren,” Claude said in satisfaction. “Remember that next time.”
“But it was the best fight I’ve ever had,” Thaddeus said. “No one has ever hauled me into the air in my twenty-four years—until today.” Then in one big stride, he moved toward Lucienne.
Kian had moved, too, ready to strike down the younger man, but stopped just in time as Thaddeus went down on one knee in front of Lucienne.
“I used to hear your reputation. I believe it now. You’re the strongest among us and one of the most powerful in the world.” Thaddeus slammed his fist against his heart. “Siren of the Lams,” he said. “I, Thaddeus Lam, give you my sword and my life from this day on, if you’ll take me.”
Claude straightened his suit and knelt beside Thaddeus, his right hand on his heart. “Siren of the Lams, Siren of the world,” he said, “today, I, Claude Lam, representing my line, pledge my loyalty and services to you, until my last breath.”
Patrick followed suit.
Then the rest of the candidates went down on one knee, a right fist on each of their hearts, swearing their allegiance to Lucienne Lam.
Lucienne swallowed. The candidates never knelt when she was crowned Siren. But today, her family accepted her whole-heartedly.
Kian knelt the last, his hard fist on his heart.
You never need to kneel to me, Kian. Lucienne locked her gaze on his. The tremendous pride in his eyes made her throat tighten and her chest swell with profound love and gratitude.
But before she turned back to her cousins, she caught a quizzical look in his sapphire eyes. He trained her. He knew her better than anyone else. And he had never seen her fight like this. She was so inhumanly powerful that she almost lost herself.
Lucienne looked into Claude’s eyes. “Claude Lam,” she said, her voice bright, “I’m honored to accept you allegiance.” She extended a hand to him, and Claude kissed it.
She moved to Thaddeus, then the next kneeling cousin, and the next, until she sealed their sworn fealty.
Everyone knew this was a blood oath. If any of them betrayed her, the punishment would be worse than death.
“Come, cousins,” she said, gesturing for them to rise, and headed toward the inner room at the east side of the hall. “I have something to show you.”
They followed her.
“Make yourself comfortable,” she said, and the candidates settled down on the sofa around a glass column in the room.
Lucienne pulled out her encrypted phone and dialed Sphinxes’ Satellite Room. “Team,” she ordered, “show my family the lost city.”
The glass column swirled to life as light glimmered inside. A hologram expanded to the edge of the candidates’ seats.
Inside the hologram, a ring of snow-capped mountains encircled a futuristic town. Dragonfly—the satellite—led the group into the town and zoomed in on an ancient golden temple. It then continued to pan on the post-modern residencies and facilities. There wasn’t a single lamp along the marble streets, yet the evergreen Nirvana was lit like the daytime in the middle of the night.
The room was silent, other than the breeze whistling through the town’s gardens from the hologram. Dragonfly’s lens found Prince Felix in his royal dress and his guards roaming the streets.
“On Ghost House, please,” Lucienne ordered.
An avant-garde building made of shining metal appeared.
“Zoom in on the symbols,” Lucienne instructed.
Dragonfly’s lens closed on a triangular keypad in the massive metal door. Twelve celestial symbols swirled on it—a planet with wings, a ringed red star, and an eye of double-irises….
The candidates let out audible exhalation. They had all competed to study glyphs and symbols after eight-year-old Lucienne bested them in i-Ching.
“You can’t imagine what’s inside that building,” Lucienne said, turning to the glass column. “That’ll be all, Sphinxes team. Thank you.”
The image of Ghost House and the hologram faded away.
“After a decade of studying ancient symbols,” Randy said, “I’ve come to the realization that many such symbols buried deep in our collective psyche carry certain powers.”
Lucienne knew Randy’s passion was to find the connection between ancient symbols, political force, and earthly powers. Sphinxes’ Intelligence Division had been keeping an eye on him for years.
“My decoding team believes those symbols on the keypad are not only ancient, but from another advanced world.” She looked around at the rest of her cousins to see if they registered the significance of what she had showed them. “Through the second scroll you saw, my team and I have found Nirvana—a civilization that doesn’t operate on a traditional power source.”
“I’d love to see the lost city one day,” Randy said softly.
“Kian will arrange a tour,” said Lucienne.
“Let’s claim the city as ours before anyone else acts,” Richard said, greed glinting in his eyes.
“We can do better than claim it,” Lucienne said, smiling at their thrilled looks. “Nirvana is only the reflection of what we’re going to take. Did Grandpa tell any of you about Eterne?”
“Those secrets are for the Sirens only,” Bill said. “We’re excluded.”
“Not anymore,” Lucienne said. “I’m sharing with you as you’re now my family.” Even so, she knew the Eye of Time and Ashburn were off limits to anyone. “One of the Siren’s callings is to find Eterne—a quantum plane where an ultimate power gives birth to all powers.”
“Where the gods live,” Randy said, eyes sparkling with delight and expectation.
“That’s one way to describe it,” said Lucienne. “It isn’t an unattainable dream anymore. Even the Bible recorded once that the children of men were about to reach the gods’ dwelling place.”
“The Tower of Babel—” Patrick whispered, “Before the sons of God confused our ancestors’ speech and minds and made us abandon space exploration toward the Gate of God.”
“What really happened to the Tower—the space station?” asked Dan. “The myth says that the angels burned its top. Its bottom was swallowed, and the middle eroded in time.”
Thaddeus frowned. “What are you talking about? Is this for real?”
Was it? Or was it an illusion that she created for her cousins and herself?
Truth was always wrapped in lies, and lies inside every truth. Only when she had the third scroll and decoded Ashburn’s TimeDust would she find the path to Eterne.
“You’ve seen the lost city with your own eyes through the satellite’s live feed,” said Claude. “Do you need a god standing before you in flesh before you’ll believe?”
“I accept whatever the Siren believes,” Thaddeus said. “But do we still call those aliens gods? Maybe extraterrestrial is more politically correct.”
“We’re close to finding Eterne—the Gate of God,” Lucienne said. “I believe the portal is hidden somewhere in the lost city.
”
“We’ll search the city inch by inch.” Several candidates volunteered, dazed by what Lucienne had shared with them.
Suddenly, gunfire broke like sporadic fireworks in the distance.
A few candidates looked alarmed. Claude appeared poised, as did Patrick and Randy.
“We have company,” Thaddeus said giddily while he could barely open his swollen eyes. “Should I go take care of that, cousin Siren?”
“My men are good at entertaining uninvited guests,” Kian said, “but to be polite, I should go say hello.” He pressed a button on his earplug to listen to a briefing and strode out of the room.
Thaddeus looked at Kian’s receding figure with a longing for action.
“To find the portal, we’ll need the last scroll,” Lucienne said, untouched by the gunfire outside. “You’ll use your resources to search for it. I’ll need all the help I can get. The Sealers, MI6, NSA, CIA, and other agencies know about the scrolls. We’re in a race against them.”
Though her hands were tied by Ashburn, Vladimir, and the war, she had sent expeditions to trace and locate the scroll, but the teams hadn’t had any luck, and some of the crew had been lost to her forever.
“Let the race begin, then,” Claude said.
“Let’s beat them,” the other cousins said.
Motivation is essential, thought Lucienne.
“Cousin Siren,” Thaddeus said. “Take me with you when you leave for Sphinxes. I want to fight beside you and defend you.”
“You’ll go with me to Sphinxes, Thaddeus.” Lucienne regarded his bloody face.
“Siren,” the others called, “we’ll follow you, too.”
“The rest of you have different roles,” Lucienne said. “Some of you need to stay here. Claude Lam will head the Red Mansion operation.” She scanned each face in the room as she continued. “We must purge the Sealers’ infiltration and influence from the Lams’ global business.”
“We know some Sealers already,” said Alex. “We’ll take them out.”
Lucienne nodded. “The majority of you will take pivotal positions in our corporations where I need you the most. I know your training, strength, and weakness. Every one of you.”
“You’ve been watching us all these years?” asked Richard.
“What do you think?” she said. “You were my opponents even when you were boys. And none of you were very nice.”
The candidates shook their heads and laughed.
“Your childhood homes on the premises and your frozen assets will be returned to you,” she added. “I’ll brief you on your tasks in a few days. Now let’s celebrate.”
She led the candidates out of the room with a warm smile. “Welcome home, cousins.”
Patrick opened the champagne in the ice bucket.
Claude handed a tall V-glass to Lucienne, but then withdrew it. “Sorry, Siren,” he said ruefully. “You aren’t old enough to drink.”
The cousins roared with laughter. She was the only one who was under eighteen.
Lucienne rolled her eyes and snatched the glass of champagne from Claude, raising it. “To family.”
“To family!” the cousins shouted. “To our one true Siren!”
“And to the Lams.” Lucienne drank to the toast.
“We’ll remake history.”
Among them, Lucienne knew one was Judas. And she had a plan for that poor soul.
The next day, Lucienne went to see Angelfire.
Two guards followed her on their horses; the other five guards tailgated her in an open jeep.
At the sight of Lucienne, the palomino made a nickering sound, then snorted in excitement. As she drew near him, his nose nuzzled against her neck.
“I know,” she said, “I missed you, too.” She put her face against his and handed him an apple—a peace offering.
Angelfire ate the fruit slowly.
Lucienne hadn’t ridden Angelfire since Vladimir fell from a black stallion, poisoned by her first kiss. But today, she mounted the palomino. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, patting his proud neck. “I’ll never leave you behind again. I’ll take you with me to your new home after I go see an old friend.”
The horse raised his head up, his ears pricked.
“You’re curious,” she said with a smile. “You want to know who the old friend is, don’t you? You know him. You threw off the Czech prince five times to make sure he’d never ever get on your back again. But you like him. Don’t lie.” Her inner thigh gave Angelfire a nudge, and the stallion flew out like a golden arrow in the wind. Lucienne threw her head back and laughed in delight.
At the edge of the forest, she hesitated, but then she saw a streak of brilliant light descending into the forest.
The horses behind her galloped forward. The guards shouted urgently for her to pull back. The men leapt out of the jeep and dashed into the forest after her, their weapons drawn.
“It’s Ashburn,” she called.
“Let’s go,” she urged the horse. “He rides a flying horse that’s made of light.” Then over the palomino’s snort, she added, “It’s true, and you might like him, too.”
Angelfire reared, then shot deeper into the thick forest to meet Ashburn Fury.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Lucienne waited until her guards finished their routine security sweep and took their stations outside the study. She ordered them not to disturb her, then closed the door and retreated to the windowless inner room.
Extricating a disguise kit from a vault behind a painting, she sat on the floor, applying her make-up.
Soon after, she turned herself into a brunette with short hair and a round nose. Her forest green eyes sparked mild intelligence behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
She wondered whether Vladimir would appreciate her new look as she shoved on a silk shirt and tight jeans. She finished the outfit with a wide belt before slipping into the secret passage through the hidden closet.
She exited the broad tunnel and emerged in an empty warehouse three miles from the Red Mansion premises. She strolled toward a Chevrolet Cruze, knowing the plain car wouldn’t draw attention. She got in, turned the engine, and hit the gas pedal.
She drove under the speed limit.
Play it safe, she reminded herself.
Contrary to the car’s moderate speed, her heart was racing a hundred miles a second. Soon, she would see Vladimir.
Somehow he had found out about her presence in Chicago before she had a secured line to contact him.
Lucienne repeatedly checked her image in the rearview mirror like any teenage girl going on a date.
When Vladimir first came to the Red Mansion, they often snuck out at midnight. When he bought her a full plate of junk food—a greasy double cheeseburger, french fries, and chips, she had abandoned her table manners and licked the sauces off her fingers, feeling rebellious and liberated.
Vladimir was smitten, no matter what she was doing. They went to see an animated movie, drinking coke and sharing a large bag of popcorn topped with rich butter. That was one of the best times she could remember, free of all inhibition.
But Kian found out about their adventure. He was so furious that he almost kicked Vladimir out of her life for good until Vladimir and she both vowed to never violate the security protocol again. But Kian still grunted, “That darn Czech kid is a menace!”
Lucienne parked her Chevrolet on the street and jogged toward a Hungarian café, famous for its elegant ambiance and vibrant collections of contemporary European art.
As soon as she stepped in, she sensed a setup.
The patrons in the lounge were trained military men in plain clothes.
Her back stiffened. Her hand went under her wig for the hidden beads. She only relaxed when she recognized Kurt, the guy with a tattoo of Chinese character for “tolerance” on his jaw, and his men. They aided her in Schmidt’s lab. Lucienne slowly removed her hand from under her wig.
Kurt moved toward her and blocked her entrance. “Sorry, miss,�
� he said, “The café has been reserved for a private party.”
Lucienne grinned.
Untouched, Kurt gestured with a stony face for her to leave. “Please, Miss.”
A familiar whistle rose brightly. A figure in a gray pullover stood in a semi-private salon.
“If you insist, Kurt,” Lucienne said, “but Prince Vladimir might protest if I leave.”
Her gaze flickered toward the loft. Vladimir was leaning on a rail, watching the show below with a dazzling, amused smile.
No matter how she changed her looks—she doubted even her guards could identify her—he always spotted her right away.
“How?” she once demanded.
“The look in your eyes,” he had said with a lopsided smile. “Only my Lucia has that kind of look—predatory and sweet at the same time.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, irritated. “I do not have a wolfish look. It’s my height. My six-feet-two-inches betrayed me.” She could transform herself to another person, but she couldn’t make herself any shorter.
“I like your height,” he said fondly. “And I like your look.” But later, he confessed that her Nectar scent gave her away. No one was as attuned to her scent as him.
From the loft, his gaze grew so hungry that Lucienne almost believed she was the only girl in the world. Her breath hitched. But regardless of her joy at the sight of him, she also felt a tinge of disappointment. She could never have a normal date. Vladimir wouldn’t take a chance anymore when it came to her safety.
Kurt widened his eyes, and then blinked. “You—you are—”
He finally realized who she was. She winked at him, pushed her glasses up the bridge, and moved across the room toward the stairs.
She wanted to take the stairs three at a time to get to Vladimir, but held back and climbed like a lady.
Before she reached the top, he was down and holding her in his arms. He lifted her up, spun her, and crushed her against his hard, warm body. As tall as she was, her feet dangled in the air. And she liked it very much.
She clasped her hands behind his neck. “Hi,” she said, smiling at him.
