by Lexi Ander
With a reassuring pat on the shoulder, I let the poor fellow off the hook before I entered the room. Or perhaps I ran from the painful reminder of Nathan's treachery.
Not long afterward, both Brian and Ushna arrived, closing the door behind them. The bigger my tribe had become, the greater the responsibilities, and the more time I spent in meetings. There were days when I wanted to say, "Just kill me now," but no one would find the humor in my dramatics. So I only thought it occasionally—well except for a day like today, when we planned for war.
Since my return, several changes had been made. I'd pushed for the Magi to officially elect a new Triad and was unsurprised when Jynx Roth, Devlin Nix, and Nacht Stone were selected by an overwhelming majority. It was imperative the Magi College had some semblance of stability before Inanna made her next move. Jynx and his bondmates were the ones who'd brought the Magi to me when the college split. Devlin sat in for Jynx and Nacht. He was the smallest Lycan at the table with his neon blue hair and freckled face, making him appear much younger than he actually was.
Since Jynx and Nacht were on another errand, I would be meeting them privately with Brian and Ushna to discuss their trip. Devlin's electric blue hair was a splash of contrast next to Gregori Borchetta, the Sami of the Magi and one of my closest friends. His long red hair was pulled back into a loose braid, and his yellow T-shirt had fresh grease stains, telling me he'd been working in the garage. The judge over the Magi lawbreakers, Elder Ion Argus, had been forced to step down. We'd discovered he had been aware that Kevah's Triad and his cohorts mistreated the students, yet did nothing. Gregori agreed to temporarily take the council seat until a new Magi Judge could be found for the Council of Five.
Further down the table were the other council members: Ajax Bacchus, Council at Large; Janis Koller, Head of the Enforcers; Miguel Luis, Keeper of the King's Library; and finally, Jasper Lewis, Overseer of the Detention Center. Between Ushna and I, we'd convinced Jasper to permanently take a seat on the Council of Five and swore him in before we sent out the announcement to the other two Tri-Cities, Shiloh and Susa.
Next came my childhood friend, Jory Swain, surfer-boy-golden all over, belying his serious personality. He was responsible for melding the electronic security with the magical measures of the Magi. Between the two, they ensured the ranch was safe from the human satellites as well as the same electronic infiltration the Council of Five had experienced. Next to him sat the Adon of the Ophidians, Bixx Decimus. He seemed to be saving the empty chair next to him, probably for Stan. The two had become good friends before Stan left to participate in the Ophidian trials. After Stan's return, their bond seemed to run deeper, for which I was glad, even if I was slightly jealous. I didn't have many true friends, and recently I found I didn't like sharing them with others. I kept myself in check because I truly liked Bixx, but Stan was family and I felt a certain proprietary bond with him, Jory, and Gregori. Lately, I became snappish when I felt I shared too much of them with others.
After the downfall of the head of the Order of Anat, Colonel Mani Koma, I decided to place Bixx in the position instead of Corey Bahar. For many reasons, I wanted Corey close to me. At the moment, he was the only person I trusted to be the Arms Master of the Royal Guard. The next best candidate to clean out and organize the warriors was Bixx. He already had experience leading the Ophidians and I trusted him and the vow he swore to me. If anyone could pull the warriors into a cohesive unit, Bixx could.
After much discussion, Ushna, Brian, and I agreed to include my sister, Neesie, and her fiancé, Lonnie Fowler, in our meetings. They had been working with a group of civilian Lycans who'd suspected the warriors housed at The Center were being mistreated. Neesie and Lonnie had skills I never anticipated, which was my fault. I'd underestimated them simply because they weren't born warriors or Magi. The shortsightedness wasn't uncommon among Lycans, and the oversight worked in their favor. Both Neesie and Lonnie proved to be as knowledgeable and dangerous as a born warrior. Granted, I'd had my reservations at first. Neesie was my baby sister, and Father had ingrained within me the need to protect her. Yes, she had grown up, and in many ways I recognized her as a fierce woman. But it wasn't until she and Lonnie demonstrated their expertise that I came to appreciate her, and him, on a more professional level. How could I not when she body-slammed a warrior twice her size and picked off targets at five hundred paces with her rifle? It would be foolish of me to put Neesie on the sidelines just because she was my sister. She wanted to be involved, and I'd eventually agreed. Through their connections, I planned to bring together not only the Magi and warriors, but also those from the civilian population who had skills similar to Neesie and Lonnie.
Taking the chair next to Corey, I sat down at the head of the table. The beads on his tiny braids were colorfully hand-painted and clinked lightly together when he bent his head toward me in silent greeting. Of all the revelations over the past couple of weeks, discovering Corey was the twin brother to one of my reincarnations was a balm to my soul. After I was reborn, I remembered our life together, and of dying in his arms. Swearing to protect our family from Inanna's threat, Corey went on a harrowing journey and came out the other side immortal, at least as far as we could tell. He'd spent his life following and protecting our descendants from the shadows. Looking at him, I couldn't help but think he'd put everything aside to protect us—me; no mate, no Twin Flame, no children. He'd been alone for so long, but not anymore. I would make sure of it.
Behind Corey, sitting in chairs along the walls were his captains of the guards, including Juan Ybarra. I'd noticed Juan and Gregori had been spending a great deal of time with Ace Cimarron, one of the True Bloods who'd saved my hide. Even though Ace and his brothers had kept Daniel's men from capturing me, I wouldn't include him yet. Even with acquiring the alliance between our peoples, the Lycans and the True Bloods, I would hold the Cimarrons at arm's length. Although it was heartening to discover not all True Bloods thirsted for the destruction of the Lycans, I remained wary of trusting the tenuous truce we'd gained. Why Gregori and Juan were spending so much time with Ace, I didn't know, but neither had I been given the chance to ask. Later I would have to make time. Perhaps Gregori had a special insight to the True Bloods.
Ushna and a freshly showered Brian followed Stan into the room. With a proprietary hand on Brian's back, Ushna guided him to the seats on my left. He pushed Brian into the one next to me. For a moment, Brian looked uncomfortable, as if he wanted to protest, then he relented, sitting next to me. Under the table, I slid my hand along his thigh, attempting to give him some comfort. Ushna was correct when he stated Brian stood on the periphery of our relationship, hanging back from Ushna and me. What had I said or done to make him feel as if he wasn't completely a part of our lives? As much as I wanted to take Brian aside and speak with him, now wasn't the time. So I shoved my worry away, but didn't remove my hand. On the other side of Brian, Ushna held onto him as well.
Once the door closed, the Council of Five gave their verbal reports. This was a war council, where we assessed the possibilities of Inanna's attack. None of us had any doubts there would be one. She couldn't allow me to be crowned King of the Lycans. My first instinct was to hunt her down and be done with her, but she wouldn't make things easy for me. She'd been fighting from the shadows too long to become careless now.
"I have to agree with Corey," Brian said, leaning his elbows on the table. "Inanna has a flare for the dramatic, the few times she's shown herself. She's bound to be pissed and will want your death to be public, with as many witnesses as possible. She'll also want Randy to be there to witness the demise of his legacy. She hates the Lycans, but she despises Randy more."
Brian had more individual knowledge on Inanna's personality and motivation than I. He'd spent time between incarnations under the Goddess Tiamat's tutelage. None of us dared discount his wisdom. The witching hour was drawing closer. All of Inanna's subtle machinations to kill me had been fruitless so far. The public coronation was swiftly a
pproaching, but this time I would be the one to set a trap for her. If what Brian said was true, then I'd use her desires to my advantage.
I met Ushna's probing gaze and as if he read my thoughts, he nodded. "Instead of reacting to her attack, let's pick the place. If she wants a scene, then we'll give her one." He'd brought to the meeting three cardboard tubes containing maps. Ladon hopped down from Ushna's shoulder and popped the tops off the cylinders. As Ladon chewed enthusiastically on a plastic lid, Ushna rolled out the maps, each one a copy of the same location, and passed them down the table for people to share. The aerial view of the city looked familiar.
"Is this Sanctuary?" I asked, though the three circles around the pond were a dead giveaway. Ladon chirped as if to say, Yes. How had Ushna created these so quickly?
"This will be the map of Sanctuary once it's completely uncovered. I asked Elder Luis to search the King's Library for Tiamat's temples and cities prior to the Igigi War." He tapped his finger on a horse shoe shaped building. "Here is an amphitheater. I say we have the elders perform the Rite of Birth there. Sanctuary has an energy of its own and is the one place where the three of us will be the most powerful since we hold dominion there. We set the stage and make her come to us. Plus, there is something else." Ushna tapped an area of the map with a hand drawn building. Ladon gave a haughty sniff, suddenly swished his tail like a lazy cat, and climbed up to his spot on Ushna's shoulders. For all the dragonet's flamboyant colors, the little guy disappeared at will. "Ladon tells me the King's Tomb appeared on Sanctuary grounds after I was reborn."
That was surprising. A building suddenly appearing was… "Are you sure? The King's Tomb has always been in Susa." For almost five hundred years, the Lycan city holding the famed treasure stores, the King's Tomb, was across the Atlantic. "How did it get here?" Only members of the royal house or a large circle of powerful Magi could move our cities, or so I'd been told.
Brian cleared his throat, his skin blooming a bright pink. Under my hand, his thigh tensed. "When we were there earlier, I may have wished aloud that the King's Tomb was closer. I know you said… But I didn't realize Sanctuary could do something that difficult."
Adapa had warned us to be careful what we said in Sanctuary. What we requested, the magic of Sanctuary would provide. It was how I held Leora and her hunters to the grounds without imprisoning them. I understood why Brian wanted access to the King's Tomb. Inanna wanted a mirror, and I was pretty sure what she searched for was held in the Tomb's suppository. The only people with access to the Tomb would be the Lycan king and his heir, as long as they'd been declared by Mithra. Just a few short weeks ago, Mithra declared me the King of the Lycans and Little Brian and Ramsey my heirs to the Seat of Zeev. The roil of anticipation in my gut intensified when I thought about opening and exploring the building.
"This is a good thing. The change in location will confuse Daniel and Inanna," I pointed out. "If they don't know where to find the Tomb, then while they're scrambling to locate it, we can search the inventory. If the mirror Inanna wants is truly housed there, we now have a chance to find it first and move it to a safer location." Brian's shoulders sagged as the tension went out of him. Had he worried I'd be upset? I slid my palm along his thigh. He responded by pressing his shoulder against mine, seeking comfort.
Gregori shifted in his seat, drawing all eyes to him. "If we have the ceremony at Sanctuary, how will we transport everybody there? It's out in the middle of nowhere, with no roads leading there. We shouldn't utilize the Shadow Movers. We want them fresh if a battle does happen."
Devlin agreed with Gregori. I tapped my fingers on the tabletop, wondering how far Sanctuary was from Bahbelle. Ushna said he'd run the distance, but I couldn't ask the civilians to do the same thing. Plus, they would want to bring their children. How was I going to keep them safe when I knew Inanna wouldn't spare them?
"Why don't we have a road built from Bahbelle to Sanctuary?" Ushna offered. Ladon chirped in his ear. Stroking the dragonet's scaly head, his eyes gained a faraway look, as if he listened to an internal voice. "Ladon says, yes, they can create a road to connect with Bahbelle for the coronation, but afterwards, the city would need to be moved to a new location. Sanctuary is a place for those in need. The holy ground where Tiamat's children can rest. If too many know the location, then Sanctuary will evolve into something different. Becoming a metropolitan area stained by negativity, leeching away the cleansing quality of the magic. It isn't meant to be a place where people settle, but a waypoint for those in need."
The hunters called Ushna the Heart of Sanctuary. I'd assumed the reference came from one of their prophecies. I wondered if there was more actuality to the title than I'd first believed. "Okay, we build a road to Bahbelle. There will be an influx of visitors from not only the Lycan cities of Susa and Shiloh, but also from the Tribes living among the humans. The coronation will be the biggest event in the last three hundred years. We have to be prepared. We need to create a window the Goddess Inanna believes is the prime opportunity to attack. What I don't want to happen is her striking the day of the crowning, where her followers can mix with the crowds and use civilians to shield themselves."
The rest of the meeting didn't go as easily. There were too many questions and differences of opinions. We needed answers in order to hammer out some of the details. More than a couple were concerned we placed all our eggs in one basket. There was no guarantee Inanna wouldn't attack before the coronation, or that she wouldn't send the assassins in for a full out assault the day of. We had to set the perfect conditions to force her hand.
"We will need to spread misinformation so neither Inanna nor her pet assassins will be able to pinpoint where you'll be until the day of the trap." Corey exhaled loudly. "We have to lure them in. It won't be easy and will take secrecy and the cooperation of everybody sitting at this table."
There were a couple of grumbles, but I didn't take their dissent as anything other than concern over my wellbeing. If we miscalculated, then everything we had built so far would be for naught. There was no room for error. But one by one, each person present backed the plan. For better or worse, our course was set.
Corey gave a satisfied nod. "Tristan, I'd suggest you, Brian, and Ushna consider searching for a new location for Bahbelle as well. Afterwards, we can move the city to the new location, since the government's military knows Bahbelle's current location. Even with our new security measures keeping the humans out, they can pinpoint the site on a map."
We split the responsibilities for the preparation of the coronation. The Council of Five would be in charge of coordinating the communications with the civilians as well as arranging transportation to and from Sanctuary. Corey and Bixx would handle security, including support from the Magi. With plans ready to set into motion, I convened the meeting right before a frantic knock sounded at the door. Corey frowned, his eyes narrowing as Juan stuck his head out in the hall.
The panicked high-pitched voice on the other side had me rising from my seat, but Brian blocked the path to the door. "Just wait," he soothed.
When Juan turned back to me, his face was set in a grim mask. He dismissed over half the meeting's attendants with no one questioning his authority to do so. Once the room cleared out, Bixx, Stan, Devlin, Jory, Gregori, Corey, Neesie, and Lonnie were all who remained when Juan closed the door again.
Juan rested his fists on his hips, his gaze unwavering on mine. "The prisoner transport to Bahbelle was intercepted." My heart beat hard in my chest. If it was possible, Juan's expression turned grimmer. "The warriors are dead, and the prisoner—Nathan—he's missing."
Without warning, my knees gave out. Ushna caught me around the waist and held me tight against him. Brian wrapped his fingers around my nape, squeezing gently in silent support. Relief flooded me and all I could think was Nathan was alive. Then I grew angry with myself for this sudden weakness, for allowing the shock to rock me to the core. Overwhelmed, I couldn't form words into the necessary questions. The warrior who relayed
the news was brought into the room.
Ushna pushed me back into my chair, his heavy hands a soothing weight on my shoulders. The guard was wide-eyed, but his worried gaze met mine before both Brian and Corey questioned him.
"Was Nathan taken by force?" Brian poured a glass of water at the sideboard. A cold anger rolled off him.
"As far as we can tell, there aren't any signs of a struggle."
Corey's hands rested on his hips as he regarded the warrior, his face unreadable. "Do we know how many attacked the transport?"
"Our tracker said at least a half dozen men, perhaps more. They killed the escort before opening the back." While he spoke, the warrior's hands clenched as if he wanted something to hold on to.
Corey asked more questions. Where? How? Had a cleanup crew been dispatched?
Even as I gave thanks Nathan was okay, my mind reeled. I had a problem following the calm questioning. All I wanted to know was why? What had Nathan gotten himself into? Why didn't he talk to me? Why was he so angry with me? Why? Why? Why?
My beast rolled underneath my skin, agitated by the ache squeezing my chest. He wanted to be let loose to hunt our kin. We'd find him, and then what? Shake some sense into him? My attention was caught again by one name.
"They were sure Daniel took Nathan?" Corey reiterated.
The warrior's glance was apologetic. "The patrolman said graffiti covered the inside of the van clearly stating the Servants of the Glorious One would reclaim more of their own."
My stomach churned. I thought I would be sick.
The Servants of the Glorious One were the assassins directed by Inanna to murder my ancestors. How could Nathan align himself with people who made it their life's mission to kill us? Someone had to be lying. I refused to believe my brother would simply walk away with Daniel. He'd made some poor choices recently, but to… to… No, I couldn't. Nathan hadn't suddenly become my enemy. He'd never turn his back on Neesie and me. Sure I'd made him angry, but I didn't imagine his love for my children. It wasn't all a ruse, was it?
