Red Queen

by Christopher Pike

  Kari boiled. Her eyes quickly scanned the table, as if looking for something to throw at him. Yet within seconds I could hear her straining to take deep breaths, to calm herself. That was unlike the Kari I knew, who had no control. It made me wonder if the Lapras had already begun to train her.

  “I shouldn’t have said that,” Kari said. “I apologize. All I’m trying to do is save our son. That’s my only concern. You can’t blame me for fighting for his life.”

  “Don’t get melodramatic on us,” I said.

  “Melodramatic? Has it occurred to you that because Huck’s not as special as Lara, he’s more expendable?” Tears welled up in Kari’s eyes. “I don’t know how all this is going to work out. But I get the impression if I don’t give them what they want, they’ll kill him.”

  Jimmy’s face darkened. “Did they say that?”

  Kari lowered her head. “No. But the threat . . . it sort of hangs in the air, you know?”

  Jimmy turned to me. “This is too big a risk to me.”

  I sat quietly a few seconds, trying to sense which way we should go. The words I said next, it was like they were given to me from above. “It’s too soon. They’re not going to hurt either child. The Lapras have been around a long time, they’re patient. For now, they’ll wait and watch and see how things develop.”

  Kari dried her eyes with a table napkin. “You guess,” she said. “That’s easy to do when it’s not your kid.”

  “Huck’s Jimmy’s child,” I said. “And since we’re together, I care about him. I’ll probably end up seeing a lot of him.”

  “Especially if something unfortunate happens to his mother,” Kari muttered.

  “I didn’t say that,” I said.

  “No, but you thought it.”

  I shrugged. “Well.”

  Kari threw down her napkin. “You bitch!”

  “You’re the one who came here with an agenda. Don’t think Jimmy and I can’t see how you’re trying to work all angles. Your problem is your little witch powers have gone to your head.”

  “Look who’s talking. The divine mother herself.”

  “I can’t help it if my child’s perfect,” I said.

  Kari turned to Jimmy. “Let’s go see Huck. Twenty minutes from now and you can be holding him in your hands. If she wants, Jessie can stay in the car. They just said I had to bring her to the house.”

  “They wouldn’t let her just sit in the car,” Jimmy said.

  “Actually, Kari might be right,” I said. “They’re trying to see if they can move us around like pieces on a board. This meeting, this whole carrot-and-stick routine, I think they just want to see if we take the bait. I think the best thing we can do is ignore them.”

  Jimmy took both my hands. “I’m scared to blow them off. You tell me they’re evil, and they have my son. None of us can be certain what they’ll do.”

  “But we can be certain that their offer sucks. They say you can see Huck if I come along. But they don’t say they’re going to let Huck go. Because they’re not going to let him go. At best you get to see your son for a short time.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Jimmy said. “If they don’t hand him over, we’ll go to the police.” He looked to Kari. “Right?”

  Kari shook her head. “Jessie would probably agree with me when I say that won’t do any good.”

  “It won’t do any good,” I muttered.

  “Then we’ll go to the FBI,” Jimmy said. “I don’t care who these people are. They’re not above the law.”

  “Want to bet?” Kari said.

  Jimmy glared. “You’re going to tell the police and the FBI that Huck’s alive. You’re going to take them to that house where you saw our son.”

  “Or what? You’ll sue me?” Kari asked.

  “Jimmy,” I said. “She’s finally telling you the truth.”

  “But the FBI . . . ,” Jimmy began.

  “Can’t help us,” I interrupted. “The Lapras would swat them like flies.”

  Jimmy took a while to absorb the information that was coming to him from two opposing sides. Not that Kari was suddenly trying to help him. But she finally saw that her lies were not working.

  Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Then let’s wait,” I said. “It’s not time to make a move.”

  He hesitated. “Is it still up to me?”

  “I told you, I’ll come with you if you tell me to.”

  He stood and looked down at Kari. “Tell your new masters that we’re not puppets. We don’t jump just because they tell us to jump.”

  Jimmy didn’t give Kari a chance to respond. He walked off, and I chased after him, proud that he was my boyfriend.

  But when we were outside, Jimmy spoke about just how screwed up our situation was.

  “This talk we just had, it was mostly about Huck. Like you said, he’s the Lapras’ carrot. But since we’ve chosen to ignore their demands, they’ll come after us from a different angle next time. You know what I’m saying.”

  “They’ll threaten Lara,” I said, and it was only then I realized I hadn’t told him that I was meeting with the Lapras on my own, in witch world.

  “Exactly,” Jimmy said. “And when they do, you’re going to know how I feel right now.”

  “I’m sorry.” I reached over and hugged him, kissed him. But the affection all felt a little forced. Like my next words. “I’m not going to let those monsters raise her.”

  He shook his head. “You’d sign a contract with the devil himself to keep them from killing her.”

  Before meeting Kari, Jimmy had picked up the Ford Expedition we had dumped at Circus Circus. We drove back in the SUV to where my father was staying. As we parked outside the condo complex, a long silence settled between us. Finally I said the only thing I thought that mattered.

  “I love you.” Yet when he went to reply, I put my finger to his lips. “Don’t say it. You don’t have to say it.”

  “Why not?”

  “You just proved your love far beyond what any words could. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to walk away from Kari’s offer. I know you did it for me. And I know it’s driving you nuts.”

  He nodded. “It wasn’t easy.”

  I held him close. “I wish we could make love right now.”

  “Whip will be awake soon. He’ll be looking for us. We can’t just dump him on your father.”

  “I know. I just wish . . .”

  “Jessie?”

  “I’m dying to lie beside you in bed and hold you.”

  He had to add the fatal words. “Until you disappear.”

  I hesitated. “Yes.”

  “You don’t have to see Russ or anything?”

  I kissed him again, quickly. “I swear there’s nothing going on between us.”

  “Why did he give you a hundred thousand dollars?”

  “He was just trying to get my attention, so he could teach me what I was. Like I told you, money is meaningless to him, to all of them.”

  “Are you one of them?”

  “I’m the same as I’ve always been.” I kept kissing him but he suddenly pulled back. I wondered if it was because I had just lied. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I’m thinking of what I said a moment ago. About you disappearing after we fall asleep. I know you’re not going to literally disappear. You’re going to be there when I wake up in the morning. But each day I wake up you’ll be different, more a witch than a human being. And you’ll be surrounded by enemies.”

  “Don’t think of it that way. You exist in that world, too.”

  “That sounds great. It’s probably true. But it doesn’t help me because I’m not aware of that world. And from what you’ve told me about my other self, James, he’s just as asleep to me as I am to him. All these incredible powers you’ve demonstrated, I’ve got none of them.”

  “But you heard what my father said. They’ll come to you in time.”

  He snorted. “When I’m th
irty? My son, my daughter, you—you’re all in danger now.” He turned away. “I don’t know how long I can wait.”

  I felt a chill inside. “What are you saying?”

  He just shook his head and got out of the car.

  We were halfway to the high-priced condo my father was renting when I noticed a man and a woman sitting in a car not far from where my dad and Whip were staying. They startled us because the man’s head was on the woman’s body and the woman’s head was on top of the man’s body.

  I felt sick to my stomach.

  A voice spoke at our backs.

  “Kari alerted the Lapras when you left the Mirage,” a man said, wiping blood from a long sword with a white handkerchief. “These two were ordered to follow you.”

  He was dressed entirely in black leather, down to his boots, and there was a wild energy in his black eyes, even without the bloody sword. His dark blond hair brushed his shoulders. He reminded me of a vampire, but surprisingly I felt no fear of him. Before saying good-bye last night in witch world, my father had briefed me on two of the Council members: Cleo, naturally, since she headed the Council, and Kendor, because my father had a feeling I would run into him before I met the Council as a whole.

  Kendor was the one the Council turned to when force was necessary. A master swordsman and an expert at virtually all forms of warfare, he was supposed to have greater speed and strength than any other living witch.

  He was a handsome devil and I loved his name—Kendor. To me, he sounded like a hero. My father had told me Cleo was the only one who could control him.

  I had to wonder at her degree of control. The windows to the car where the dead couple sat were all the way down. From their expressions, they looked as if they had been taken completely by surprise. There was plenty of blood and already flies were gathering.

  They were young, in their mid-twenties, and even if they had possessed the healing gene, it wasn’t going to do them any good now. My father had made it clear that this was the sort of injury even that gene couldn’t fix.

  Jimmy stared at the dead bodies. “Jesus Christ,” he gasped.

  “You must be Kendor,” I said, offering my hand. “My father told me I might accidentally run into you if I wasn’t careful.”

  “I’m here because you weren’t careful enough,” he replied, gesturing to the beheaded couple before shaking my hand. He had a firm grip and an accent laced with various European countries. He had a powerful voice; he did not need to raise it to be heard. He gave off an aura of utter confidence. He was fearless, it was clear, and I sensed the killer side to him even without the presence of the bodies.

  My father had said that in age he was second only to Cleo and—as if I truly needed the warning—that he had a wicked sense of humor.

  “Sorry. We were careless,” I said.

  “No harm done.” Kendor turned to my boyfriend and offered his hand. “You must be Jimmy.”

  Jimmy shook without hesitating, no doubt trying to show he wasn’t afraid. “How do you know my name?” he asked.

  “I’ve met your alter ego,” Kendor said.

  Jimmy nodded to the two in the car. “Did they come here to harm us?” he asked.

  “Probably to spy. But I do so hate snoops, don’t you?”

  Jimmy smiled and turned to me. “I think I’m going to like this guy,” he said.

  Kendor spoke to Jimmy. “I need to ask a favor. May I borrow your girlfriend for two hours or so?”

  “Fine with me. But you better ask Jessie,” Jimmy said, letting Kendor know I made my own decisions.

  Kendor gave me a penetrating look. “I realize this probably isn’t the best way to introduce myself,” he said.

  “What you lack in subtlety you make up in flair,” I said.

  He bowed his head. “Thank you, Jessie.” He spoke to Jimmy. “Don’t tell anyone I was here.”

  Jimmy nodded. “No problem.”

  “What are we going to do?” I asked.

  “Talk,” Kendor said.

  “I’d like that,” I replied, before pointing to the dead couple again. “What about them?”

  “Them? Why, they’re the least of your worries.” Kendor finished cleaning his sword and sheathed it in a leather case he wore close to his waist. “Do you want to drive or should I?”

  I glanced at the dead couple one last time. I kept thinking I should exchange their heads atop their bodies. Kendor did indeed have an unusual sense of humor.

  “I’ll drive,” I said.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  WE LEFT TOWN IN THE opposite direction jimmy and I had taken, heading west into a sun that was drifting toward the horizon. I wore a heavy pair of sunglasses but the glare did not appear to bother Kendor. A half hour outside the city, he instructed me to pull off onto a dirt road as we approached a row of rocky hills. The path was heavily pitted and I was glad for our sturdy SUV.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, one of the few things he had said to me since getting in my vehicle.

  “About Lara. Can I ask you about her?”

  “Let’s wait and discuss her later.” He added, “Ask another question.”

  “All right. Do you still enjoy killing?”

  “Still?”

  “My father said you were quite the warrior in your youth.”

  Kendor was thoughtful. “When I was young and fought with others toward a common goal, I found killing satisfying, but only if our purpose was noble. Otherwise, no, I take no pleasure in hurting any man or beast.”

  “Does that mean you’re a vegetarian?”

  “Yes.”

  I chuckled. “Sorry.”

  He was not offended. “I amuse you. Why?”

  “It’s just that you remind me of a vampire.”

  “I didn’t know you believed in vampires.”

  “I don’t.” I paused. “Should I?”

  He smiled but otherwise did not respond. We drove on. Long stretches of silence did not appear to bother him. After living a few thousand years, I suppose even I would have worked out my chatty nature.

  “What was the last battle you did enjoy?” I asked.

  “The Battle of Alesia. 52 BC. I didn’t enjoy it but it was important for several reasons.” He looked over. “Did you read about it in school?”

  I hesitated. “Did it have something to do with Caesar?”

  “He was a true friend.”

  I had to struggle not to squeal with pleasure. “You knew him? That is so cool!” I cried.

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  “Did your Council even exist in those days?” I asked.

  “Your father has spoken to you about us?”

  “Yes. Is that all right?”

  “My feeling is, the more you know, the better. In those days the Council was present, but we were loosely organized and didn’t do much to influence humanity. However, we did see the Roman Republic as having the potential to unify Europe, and for that reason we supported its development, in Cleo’s usual low-key manner.”

  “I detect a note of sarcasm,” I said.

  “Your father has probably told you Cleo and I don’t always see eye-to-eye. We share the same desire to help mankind but our methods differ. She feels humanity is best served by learning from its mistakes. But I tire of its unlimited ability to repeat the same mistakes.” Kendor shook his head as if remembering a thousand arguments with his associate. “Sometimes I wish she’d let us take a more proactive role.”

  “Like a Caesar?” I said.

  “Yes. Every now and then someone appears in history that the Council recognizes as having the ability to take mankind to a higher level. Whether they’re a witch or not is unimportant. In many ways it’s better if they’re not, although certain witches have managed to contribute to humanity before faking their deaths and disappearing from view.”

  “Can you give a few examples?” I asked.

  “Later. For now let’s stick with Caesar. I fought alongside him simply because I wanted him t
o win his battles and return to Rome and bring a new system of order to a society that was already showing promise. At the time I had no idea his reign would be so short-lived. Even now I feel his assassination was one of the major turning points in history, much the same way modern historians see the death of John F. Kennedy. For Caesar was that rare leader who didn’t crave power for power’s sake. He took on the mantle of emperor only because he saw the desperate need for a unified government.”

  “I’m surprised. From what I’ve read . . .”

  Kendor interrupted by raising his hand. “Please don’t quote your history books. Should you be fortunate enough to survive the coming centuries, I can assure you that you won’t recognize future historians’ accounts of these days. There’s a saying that history is written by the side that wins. The remark has some truth to it but it would be more accurate to say that historians decide what is history.”

  “Are you saying the best story wins?” I asked.

  “More often than not. But in real life Caesar was equal to the biggest star in one of your most famous blockbusters. I knew him, I was close to him, I understood his mind. It was my faith in him that inspired the Council to back his lightning rise to power. Even Cleo, who seldom believes in supporting warriors, felt Caesar could seed a golden age that could last for centuries.”

  “Excuse me, it looks like the road is about to end.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Keep driving until we reach the hills. There will be a place to park.”

  “Park? Are we going for a walk?”

  “Yes. Is that a problem?”

  “It’s more than a hundred degrees outside.”

  “The walk won’t be long and the day’s heat will allow you to appreciate our destination that much more,” Kendor said.

  After I had parked the Expedition, I went to fill my day pack with bottles of water. Kendor told me they wouldn’t be necessary. He did, however, ask if I had a bathing suit.

  “Not on me,” I said.

  “Are you shy?”

  “Are we going swimming?”

  “I am. And I hope you’ll join me.” He added, “As you can probably guess, I’m older than I look. The thrill of seeing a naked female no longer applies to me.”