by Leji Albano
The floor beneath that would house the brick and mortar antiquities business, long-term storage for the artifacts I had on hand (once I could make the vaults secure, of course), and allow for future growth. Everything below that would be turned into offices and business spaces that could be rented out to bring a constant revenue stream….”
Excerpt from the diary of Alexander Matthews
August 1951, Spokane, Alexander’s apartment
Alexander lay tangled in his sheets, tossing and turning as yet another foreign vision played out in his head. This particular memory was new, one that he hadn’t experienced before….
The general’s footsteps echoed hollowly as he made his way inexorably toward the throne and the figure that sat waiting patiently for him. He studied her openly as he walked forward. This Anunna was ancient, older than any he had met before, and she radiated authority from her very pores.
The raucous sounds of a city being sacked filtered in from the open doorway that he had used just moments ago. “Your armies have been defeated, Lil-it, and this city is now mine,” he declared as he came to a stop not far from where she sat.
“Yes, yes, a great victory for you, I’m sure,” she responded, waving a hand carelessly through the air. “Tell me, when will your Master be satisfied? When all have fallen before his armies? When the world burns and all that we have built is gone? I wonder.”
“That is not for me to decide,” the general stated calmly.
Lil-it leaned forward and gazed down at him. “No. I suppose it isn’t. What comes next? Am I expected to commit suicide, or do you kill me in En’s name?”
“The choice is yours, Lady.”
“I see. Do you know what the greatest part of this tragedy is, human?” she inquired.
“I’m not sure I follow. What do you mean?”
“When I die, all of the accumulated knowledge that my mother, and her mother, and her mother before, have passed on, dies with me.” She snapped her fingers. “Gone as if it had never existed. My life, as such, is no great loss, except to me, but the story of my people will vanish, snuffed out like a candle with my passing too.”
“I don’t understand, Lady.”
She sighed. “Of course, you don’t. You cannot know that my family line has been the lore-keepers, tasked with maintaining the histories of the Anunna, a mantle that we have worn since my people came to this planet so long ago. And now En seeks to destroy that history so that he can re-write it in whatever fashion he desires.”
“Why must this history die with you?” the general asked, genuinely curious as to the answer.
“Because there is no one else to pass it to,” Lil-it snarled at him. “My daughter is dead…at your hands. She led my armies into battle, and since you alone stand before me, I must assume she is dead.”
“For what it is worth, I am sorry, Lady.”
“So you say. I suppose there isn’t any use in delaying the inevitable, is there.” She pulled a delicate, yet lethal-looking dagger from her belt and placed the point against her chest, fingers of one hand guiding the blade, and the palm of her other hand gripping the pommel.
He took one step forward, raising a hand in a gesture for her to stop. “Must the recipient of this knowledge be Anunna? Or would it be possible to pass it to a human?”
A thoughtful look passed across her face as she considered his words. “I am not certain. Such a thing has never been attempted, and while the technology is similar to that in the amulet you wear, it is far more powerful.” She paused and looked curiously at him. “It is possible that the attempt would kill you.”
“I am willing to accept that risk if you are willing to take a chance that your family legacy will live on.”
“Why do you make this offer, human?” she asked.
“Some things are more important than individual desires, Lady.” He bowed respectfully.
A tear glimmered in one eye as she said, “So be it. Come closer that I may touch you. There will be a considerable amount of pain, even if this succeeds.”
The general knelt at her feet and looked up at her expectantly. Lil-it took up the medallion that rested securely between her breasts and extended a hand, palm forward, and placed the circular disk upon his forehead. Gold and silver wires extruded from the disk and passed between her fingers, terminating in the bracelet she wore upon her wrist.
A faint glow sprang to life within the device and she commanded, “Prepare yourself.” A moment later, his world became a never-ending sea of agony and blinding white light….
It was an unusually lovely March day—blue skies, relatively warm, and no wind at all. Tina and Alexander were walking back to the office through Riverfront Park, chatting amiably. They had just eaten lunch at Clinkerdagger’s with a potential renter for one of their open office spaces, and while the meeting had gone well, it was uncertain yet whether a contract would be signed. Only time would tell.
Tina was bombarding him with useless information about people he couldn’t have cared less about…as usual, and his attention had strayed. His eyes roamed around, simply enjoying the spring scenery and the thundering water that passed just beneath them as they walked across one of the bridges that spanned both the river and the falls that shared the name. The bridge vibrated from the surging water, a low rumbling roar suffusing the air, and even though he knew it was safe, there was a bit of added spice in the knowledge that not even he would survive if the structure collapsed.
A hand on his arm, and the tone of her voice stopped him in his tracks. “Alexander?”
“Hmmm?” he asked, then noticed that six dogs were lying flat in a semi-circle before them. Each animal had its head resting on its forelegs, and their eyes were glued to him. Leashes were held by owners who were baffled by their pets’ behavior, and the most urgent of tugs were unable to force the animals to come back to their feet.
He sighed, then knelt before each dog and told them that they were a good boy, or good girl, depending upon their sex. These simple words seemed to energize the canines, and they sprang to their feet and danced around excitedly, all fighting for his attention. In between petting them, he tried to play off the behavior as something unexpected, explaining that animals seemed to like him…a lot. Skeptical looks greeted his words, but soon he and Tina were standing on the bridge alone once again.
“I don’t suppose you’d like to explain just what the hell that was about, would you?” The frown she wore told him just how little Tina believed the line of bullshit he had fed the pet owners.
Alexander thought about it for a moment. “Nope.” Then he started walking again, leaving her to catch up as she liked.
Melinda looked on as Tina sparred with one of the locals who owed allegiance to Alexander. The woman was another wolf who had lived in Spokane for the last fifty years. She ran a brewpub downtown and had never caused them any trouble, finding his rules easy to comply with. Although the Were was shorter than Tina, she was muscular and had the edge in both strength and speed, but was holding back as Alexander had instructed.
“Your protégé is getting better,” Mel conceded. “But Alice would wipe the floor with her if it was a fair fight.”
He nodded. “I know. But compared to where she was in September, there is a night and day difference.” Alexander couldn’t keep the pride out of his voice.
Melinda glanced sharply up at him. “Be careful there, big guy, it’s a very shaky tightrope you are walking.”
He sighed and bobbed his head. “Tell me something I don’t already know, Mel. It gets harder every day.”
She experienced a brief twinge of jealousy, then said, “Why can’t you ever do things the easy way, Alex? Pining away for someone that you can’t ever possess is just wasted energy.”
His head slumped and he mumbled, “No kidding, and just like a scab that itches unbearably, I just can’t help but pick at it. Fucking pathetic.”
Relenting a little, she sympathized. “I get it, really, I do. But you need to shit o
r get off the pot. The current situation is doing neither of you any good. How long do you think she will wait for you to decide to do something? At some point, she will just give up…and when that happens, Tina will leave you.”
“I’m well aware of the realities, Mel. You don’t need to rub my nose in it.”
The misery she heard in his voice nearly broke her heart, and she wrapped an arm around his waist. “Part of my job is to tell you the truth, no matter how hard it is. It’s not like I enjoy seeing you suffer…unless it is at my hands, anyway.”
He chuckled, “Fair enough. And I do appreciate it, but….”
“Yeah,” she murmured quietly and turned back to watch the combatants.
Tina was leaning over his desk while standing at his side and gesturing at a document she was holding. Alexander was finding it difficult to concentrate on what she was telling him. A combination of the perfume she wore, and the blatantly offered view down her shirt of the lace bra and what it struggled to contain, was robbing him of coherent thought. The wide, knowing grin that she wore told him that she was well aware of the effect she had on him, and there was no sign of repentance that he could see.
“I hope I’m interrupting something,” Melinda’s voice said from the open door, the mock-disapproval dripping from her words. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Tina, dangling forbidden fruit in front of a starving man like that.”
Alexander was grateful for the lifeline Mel had tossed his way, and he struggled to compose himself.
For her part, Tina just smirked at the elfin blonde, and her laughter trailed her as she swept out of the office, closing the door behind her.
“What was that all about?” she asked as she plopped down on the couch.
Alexander staggered to the wet bar and poured an almost full glass of bourbon, and slammed it back. “I have no idea.” He gasped, feeling the burn as the alcohol made its way to his stomach.
He held up his now-empty glass and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m good,” Mel declined. “I only have a few minutes, but there is a situation that has come to my attention that you need to deal with.”
“Oh?” he asked as he walked over and sat at the other end of the couch. “Is it something that will get me out of the office for a while?” He almost begged.
“You know what?” she teased in a slow drawl. “It just might be.”
Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls was blasting through the sound system of the Mustang when Alexander pulled into the private road that led down toward the beach. It had been years since he had had any reason to spend time at Lake Coeur d'Alene, and he had forgotten just how beautiful the body of water was.
The deep blue water surrounded by tree-covered hills provided the perfect backdrop for the mansion situated on a small bay several miles outside the city of Coeur d'Alene itself. He parked the car and was greeted by a sour-looking man as he got out of the vehicle. Alexander extended his hand and said, “Jacob.”
Seemingly against his will, Jacob grasped Alexander's hand and shook it. “Alexander.”
Pleasantries out of the way, the wolf gestured for his host to lead the way.
“I understand you have a situation.”
Jacob stopped and spun to face Alexander.
“I don’t have a situation…you do.”
“Fair enough. Why don’t you fill me in while we walk down to the dock,” the Master of the city offered.
“She showed up sometime after the holidays, we aren’t exactly sure when, and began making trouble almost immediately,” Jacob told him. We know that at least three human victims have fallen prey to her during that time, but it may be more.” He shrugged angrily.
“When we confronted her and told her to stop her activities, she refused.”
“You explained the rules and the consequences for ignoring them?” Alexander inquired.
“We did. The bitch told us that rules are meant to be broken, and she had never agreed to them anyway.” His eyes probed Alexander for any reaction to these words. Other than a slight tension in the shoulders, the wolf gave little indication of his thoughts.
“Hmmm, did she indeed?” Spokane’s’ acknowledged Master leaned his head either direction and loudly cracked his neck. “And did she agree to this meeting?”
“Yes, she’s waiting for us now.”
“Excellent. Then let’s not keep her waiting.”
The gusting wind off the lake caused the flags on the house to snap and rattle as Alexander made his way to the large dock that jutted out into the bay. As he walked unhurriedly toward the tall woman standing with her arms crossed aggressively, he took some time to study her. The scent he was picking up was similar to, but unlike, the usual Mer marker he was used to. Ranker, more carrion-like, the smell of death personified.
She stood approximately 6’2”, and though still lean, had considerable muscle to back it all up. Sea-green eyes stared back at him steadily, and while there was a sense of uncertainty, he could smell no fear. Her long brown hair whipped in the wind, frequently prompting the woman to brush it out of her eyes. The early spring chill seemed not to bother her at all, considering that she was completely nude as she shifted to face him when he drew near.
Mismatched eyes met their sea-green counterparts, neither giving an inch. “Jacob, why don’t you do the introductions.”
Clearly disgruntled, but unwilling to make an issue of it, the local Mer leader spoke. “Alexander, Master of the city, meet Sandra, independent Siren.”
“What brings you to my territory, Sandra?” Alexander asked pleasantly.
She sneered at him. “I fail to see how that is any concern of yours. Count yourself lucky that I even agreed to this ridiculous charade of a meeting.”
He tilted his head, a curious look on his face. “Then, why did you? Agree to meet, that is.”
“I suppose I wanted to meet the man who has this entire section of the country terrified to step out of line.” Her expression showed just how unimpressed she really was.
“Well,” Alexander said softly. “Here I am.”
Sandra snorted rudely. “I suppose this is where you lay down the law and quote your meaningless rules to me?”
His head tilted from side to side, the loud cracks of vertebrae causing Jacob to take several steps back and mutter, “Oh shit.”
The Master of the city calmly stepped out of his shoes and slid his jacket off, tossing it at Jacob. “You see, my understanding is that you have already been made aware of those rules and have chosen to ignore my edicts regarding treating Normals as prey.”
Fingers unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing, and he shrugged out of it as he continued. “There is only one penalty for breaking my laws, and you have already been judged. I’m here in my capacity as Executioner.”
Sandra’s eyes widened, and he caught the acrid scent of fear for the first time. She glanced over her shoulder at the water, eyes dancing back and forth between him and the lake, seemingly unsure if escape was possible. Tension flowed from her body as some sort of decision was reached, but when she turned back, a self-assured smile greeted the wolf.
“You’ll not find me so easy to kill, Wolf.” Her hand shot out and latched onto Alexander's forearm, then she dived into the water, dragging him behind.
The shock of the frigid water nearly took his breath away, but he managed to hold onto it. She had already shifted into her Siren form, long muscular tail undulating through the water, propelling them quickly into deeper water. She was much larger in this shape…approximately fifteen feet long, most of it tail. Her tactic was readily apparent, and all she had to do was keep him submerged until he ran out of air. Sandra released him in fifty feet of water, quite some distance from shore. The shark-teeth smile that she turned on him was probably very effective on Normals, but Alexander was not so easily cowed.
He shifted into his Battle form and used his arms and legs to keep him facing her as she slowly circled him. The gills in the sides of her neck fluttered as she brea
thed in oxygenated water and forced the old out. Clawed hands clenched then released as she played with him, forcing him to hold his breath since he could not entertain the idea of fleeing. If he did, he knew that she would immediately attack.
After a minute of circling him, just out of reach, she shot forward and scored his torso with her claws, and battered him with her powerful tail as she passed. Two more times she was successful with this type of attack, and the water was rapidly becoming cloudy with his blood.
Alexander knew he didn’t have much time, and that she held all of the advantages in this fight. If he couldn’t come to grips with her, and soon, it would all be over. The very next time she propelled herself at him, he willingly took the hit but managed to latch on with his clawed hands. The skin beneath his fingers was not scaled like a fish, but rather what one felt if they were able to touch a Dolphin. Sandra did not like this at all, and immediately went into what is called a death-roll by those familiar with alligators, clearly hoping to dislodge him.
The Wolf dragged himself toward her upper torso using a combination of his legs and hands, digging his claws deep into her body with each movement. Eventually, he had advanced far enough that his legs were wrapped around her waist, and he had his left hand on her throat, squeezing it to provide purchase. His right hand snaked to the side of her neck and raked claws across the gills there, causing severe damage.
Her eyes were wide now, frightened, and she thrashed about in a panic. Her blood joined his in the murky water, but it was still clear enough for her to see the triumphant grin he flashed at her even as he reached over her head, the claws on his right hand digging into the back of her skull, penetrating deep into the bone and stabbing into her brain. With one titanic effort, Alexander pulled the top half of her head off and dropped it into the depths. The corpse twitched ineffectually as he pushed away from her, watching briefly as it spiraled into deeper water.
