Queen's Move (Lilith's Shadow Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Halley can be a bit of a brat,” Gina muttered, then sighed as she admitted, “On the other hand, were we really that much better when we were her age?”

  “I have no idea,” Lilith said primly, smirking as she added, “Ask me in twenty years?”

  “Don’t you dare give me that!” Rachel scolded, blushing at the implication. “You’re a grown woman, and don’t you dare pretend you aren’t.”

  “As you wish, Lady Morgan,” Lilith said in amusement, and headed up the stairs. Rachel stared after her, her mouth working uselessly.

  Gina simply snickered softly, then darted upstairs as she called out. “Dibs on rooming with her!”

  “Oh, no you don’t! Get back here!” Rachel said, quickly scampering after Gina.

  She cast a spell a moment later, purple magic trying to snag Gina’s leg, but an instant before the spell could hit, Gina put up a shield that blocked it.

  On the other hand, Lilith’s laughter was absolutely infectious as it echoed through the house.

  Glendale, Utah

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have left home for lunch,” Lilith murmured, adjusting her sunglasses as she casually glanced around, seeing all the people watching them as they strolled down the street together.

  Gina and Rachel had both dressed like civilians, though they had chosen a bit thicker clothing than Lilith had expected. She didn’t think it was that cold out but apparently they did, and she wasn’t about to argue. Lilith had simply worn her usual style of clothing, which fit in pretty well. Not that it helped them avoid attention in the slightest. Lilith’s power ensured that, even if people hadn’t recognized Gina and Rachel.

  They had, of course, and the number of people staring was impressive. There hadn’t been many who’d approached them to ask for autographs yet, but her friends had treated those who had graciously while politely bowing out of further conversation.

  “We just have to get used to it, Lil. Rach and I had to deal with this a bunch when we went back, so we’re a bit more comfortable with it, but I’ll admit that it’s weird at first,” Gina said, her voice sounding surprisingly calm.

  That was better than how betrayed she’d looked when she found out that the bed Lilith had privately asked Circe to make was large enough for all three of them. At least she’d gotten over her disappointment quickly… though it made Lilith wonder how they’d get along in the future if Gina honestly wanted to have Lilith to herself for a little while.

  “If you say so. I’m just not sure how to react. Especially since a few of those people don’t look happy,” Lilith said, keeping an eye on several people that were watching her with scowls on their faces. There were at least four she could see, and they didn’t move like they were supers, which was a bit more comforting to her. If they were going to be ambushed she wouldn’t be happy, not since this was one of only a handful of trips she’d had in the past couple of months. It took a little while, but Lilith eventually realized that she was going a little stir-crazy.

  “Yeah, well, Shadowmind has made a lot of enemies, and while even she has a few fans, crazy as it may seem, there are plenty of people who’ll blame you for what she’s done,” Gina said, glancing at the people unhappily. “It isn’t fair, but there’s nothing we can do about it. You’ll just have to show that you’re not like her.”

  “In the meantime, the best thing to do is ignore them,” Rachel added calmly, taking one of Lilith’s arms happily. “Most people like that are too much of cowards to berate you in person. Those that are… well, we’ll have to deal with that when we come to it.”

  “Alright, if you say so,” Lilith agreed, relaxing slightly at their assurances. She wouldn’t know what to do if it wasn’t for Gina and Rachel, not really. After a minute she added, “Still, that doesn’t tell us what we want to do for lunch.”

  “Which is why we’re out walking,” Gina said promptly. “I know there are a decent number of restaurants out this way, and we just need to make a choice.”

  “I’m more in the mood for Chinese, myself,” Rachel said, looking around speculatively. “Not a buffet, but one of those smaller restaurants would be nice. It seems like the best Chinese is always the small, family-run ones.”

  “True, based on the handful of experiences I’ve had,” Lilith said, then paused as a building caught her eye, then held her gaze.

  The building itself wasn’t anything particularly unusual, as it was part of a strip of storefronts, all of them of rather ordinary construction. The oddities were mostly that two adjacent storefronts had much taller and wider doors than she was used to seeing, and their names were… odd. One was named the Beastro, and the other the Herd Garden, and on the window of the first was a sign, proclaiming ‘This week’s special, Tuna Delight!’

  “What… is that? It looks like a restaurant, but the names…” Lilith asked, slowing down and looking at the building, somewhat puzzled.

  “Hm? Oh, the Beastro!” Gina said, grinning suddenly at the sight of the buildings. “If you get a look inside, you’ll probably understand… remember Doctor Therian?”

  “Of course. He’s the one who Blooming Orchid talked about when she was trying to find a way to turn herself back,” Lilith said, nodding as she considered. “He also made all the pills that allow people to gain animal features and the like.”

  “That’s right. Well, the thing is that the changes are pretty extensive, and they also affect the dietary requirements of the user,” Rachel agreed, nodding toward the buildings. “The Beastro is aimed a bit more toward carnivores, while the Herd Garden is more for herbivores, but they both specialize in getting proper nutrition for people who’ve changed themselves. They’re really quite good, if you’re wanting sandwiches or salads.”

  “Ah, that makes a lot more sense!” Lilith said, understanding rushing through her as she looked at the shops more curiously. She wasn’t really in the mood for either of those types of food, but it was interesting, so she hesitated before asking, “Is it owned by Doctor Therian, then? The chain, since I’m assuming that’s what it is.”

  “Oh no, of course not! Apparently, he has some stock in the company and supplies a lot of the dietary information to them, but it was started by someone else,” Gina quickly said, shaking her head as she frowned. “I know I heard about it, but I can’t quite remember the details…”

  “A contestant on one of those cooking shows came up with the idea and approached the person in charge of the show for advice. The chef bankrolled him to start the company, as well as getting them in contact with Doctor Therian,” Rachel said promptly, smirking at Gina as she added, “I don’t blame you for forgetting, since I can’t seem to remember the names of the people involved either. I’m sure it’ll come to me later.”

  “Show-off,” Gina replied, rolling her eyes. “Anyway… you in the mood to try them, Lil?”

  “No, not right now, anyway,” Lilith said, pulling her gaze away as a man with antlers got out of a jeep and headed for the Herd Garden. “I’m more interested in either Chinese or pizza, honestly.”

  “Ooh, pizza sounds good!” Gina said, her eyes lighting up.

  “In that case, how about we just go to whichever we run into first?” Rachel suggested, shrugging as she admitted, “While I’d prefer Chinese, pizza certainly doesn’t sound bad.”

  “That sounds like a good idea to me,” Lilith agreed, relaxing as they continued down the street. “Agreed, Gina?”

  “Sure! I’m just getting hungry, so the sooner we find someplace to eat, the better,” Gina said, looking around as she admitted, “Maybe we should’ve checked a map of local restaurants first, but I think walking around downtown is more fun.”

  “Plus it lets you scope out the area in case you have to deal with thieves on the run, hm?” Lilith suggested, prompting a grin from Gina and a laugh from Rachel.”

  “Exactly! You’re getting to know me really well, aren’t you?” Gina said, her grin broad and infectious, helping relax Lilith even further.

  “I
do try, you know. If I know what the two of you are going to do, or what you want, then it helps me anticipate things,” Lilith said, hesitating before she admitted, “I suppose it might be me trying to make sense of things that aren’t predictable, but I have to try.”

  “Yes, yes, we know you’re very trying,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes, and a burble of laughter escaped Gina.

  Lilith laughed along with her, relaxing as she realized the two didn’t seem to be all that upset with one another.

  Relationships were hard.

  Chapter 13

  Sunday, April 27th, 2031

  Federal Reserve Bank, Paragon City

  An explosion shattered the early morning air, and splinters of bulletproof glass went flying in all directions as a handful of pedestrians ducked, screaming in shock. At the same time, Dreamer smirked at how the civilians quickly turned and ran, trying to get to a safe distance rather than freezing in place. That was typical for natives of Paragon City, she’d found over the years. The locals were used to villains coming out of the woodwork on a regular basis, and almost instinctively cleared the area. It was mostly tourists who didn’t have the same survival instincts.

  “Five minutes,” Dreamer murmured, reminding herself of what Spark’s average response time was. Not that it mattered with Acheron Dreadnaught on the scene.

  The villain strode out of the cloud of smoke like a dark god, his armor shimmering with every step he took, and the first of the bank’s defenders finally began to respond. The popping sound of pistols came first, and several bullets whined off his armor, proving that the pedestrians had been wise to clear the area. Seconds later there were the more distinctive sound of assault rifles, and Dreamer couldn’t help but click her tongue.

  “Foolish little guards. That is just going to piss him off,” Dreamer said, grinning in amusement.

  “What’re you talking about?” Vincent asked, adjusting his suit irritably. “Those’re machine guns!”

  “No, they’re automatic rifles. And I sincerely doubt they’re using armor-piercing rounds, considering our surroundings, so all they’re going to do is annoy Dreadnaught,” Dreamer said, sniffing derisively. “Any moment, and—”

  “Knock it off, you dumb punks!” Acheron Dreadnaught roared, and one of the rifles cut off, and was quickly followed by a screeching sound. There were screams of panic, and Dreamer couldn’t help a smile, breathing in the heady scent of destruction and panic.

  “There we go. I think it’s time to go in, now that we’ve sent our herald,” Dreamer said, nodding as she got out of the back of the van, adjusting the dark cloak which she was using to mask her identity.

  Vincent gave her an odd look, but hopped out of the van as well, muttering, “Crazy broad.”

  Anger flared up inside Dreamer, and it took everything she had to control herself, giving him an icy glare instead. She had to remind herself that crushing his mind, while satisfying, would make it incredibly hard to hire any other villains in the future. Not that she’d have much need if this succeeded, but it wouldn’t do to burn that bridge yet. She could always hire someone to deal with him subtly afterward.

  The minions quickly piled out of the van as well, checking their rifles. Most of them were made up of her thugs from the other night, and they were obviously unfamiliar with the weapons and armor they were wearing, which was closer to a wetsuit with several armor plates over vital points.

  More sounds of combat came from inside the building, but the amount of defending fire was falling off rapidly, while Dreamer could hear sirens starting to approach. She didn’t much care about that, not with what they actually had planned, and she passed the concrete barriers which kept vehicles from approaching the front of the building, resisting the urge to help Dreadnaught or toy with the bystanders. She was trying to keep from making her presence obvious, since that might make Archon wary.

  They got into the building’s foyer, and the floor was covered in shattered glass and chunks of concrete that’d been dislodged in the initial explosion. Dreamer did so love rocket launchers. Also scattered around the room were a multitude of guards, many of them bloodied, and one woman had an assault rifle bent around her neck, which she was struggling with. Dreamer doubted the woman would be able to get it off, though it probably wouldn’t kill her.

  Acheron Dreadnaught tossed a man to the side and shrugged, a bullet popping out of his armor, mostly flattened at this point, and glanced at Dreamer. “I’m guessing that’s most of them. Not everyone, obviously, but most.”

  “Lovely!” Dreamer said, clapping her hands together gleefully. “That means now we just have to let our little trap close! I’ll get out of the way for now, and half of my minions will help you secure the entrance from any police or minor heroes. The others can help Vincent loot the vault here.”

  “How am I supposed to crack it, anyway? There’s no guarantee that it’ll be open,” Vincent said, and Dreamer gave him an exasperated look.

  “Did you sleep through the planning session? Perhaps, if the vault-cracker doesn’t work, your thick skull can!” Dreamer said tartly, glowering at the man for an instant, then made a shooing gesture. “Now go!”

  “You bloody—” Vincent began angrily, taking a step toward Dreamer, but Dreadnaught interrupted.

  “Vincent, do your part or I’m going to crush you into a pulp,” the big villain said, his tone flat and deadly. “You took her money, and I’m not going to let you screw this up.”

  “I… but… fine!” Vincent snarled, spinning around and walking away in a huff, gesturing at a bunch of the thugs as he snapped, “Come on, let’s get moving!”

  Dreadnaught watched him go, then spoke a bit conversationally. “You know he isn’t very reliable.”

  “He’s a snake; of course he isn’t reliable,” Dreamer said, then smiled at Dreadnaught as she added, “But then, so am I. I’m just the type to carry out my part to get what I want, so you don’t need to worry about me not dealing with things here. I want this, so badly I can practically taste it.”

  “Then you’d better get ready,” Dreadnaught said, turning toward the entrance and grinning, which was barely visible beneath his mask. “This will be fun.”

  A couple of police cars came to a screeching halt, and Dreamer smiled, then sidled off to the side to use the cloaking device she’d purchased. It wouldn’t hide her if she moved, but that wasn’t the point of it. The point was to make sure other people didn’t see her.

  “DamndamnDAMNIT!” Spark muttered under her breath, rushing through the city at top speed, her hair quickly drying out. “Why do villains have to do this? They have the worst timing!”

  Spark had just barely gotten the tub to exactly the right temperature, and the jets at the perfect setting to massage her back when the call had come in, which was just typical. So here she was, wet, annoyed, and frustrated to hell and back that the villains had chosen her day off to attack the Federal Reserve Bank. And of course, Shade was up the canyon rescuing a group of young idiots who’d gotten themselves trapped in a cave, which was why they’d sent her.

  “If you need backup, just let us know,” Archon said, her voice calm. “I’m armoring up now.”

  “It probably isn’t necessary, but I have to say I’m pissed,” Spark replied, her voiced clipped at the speed she was talking. “What’s it sound like, Dec?”

  “The police chatter is hard to parse, but it sounds like Acheron Dreadnaught and a group of thugs with sonic rifles,” Decarin said, hesitating before he added, “At least he’s not supposed to be resistant to electricity.”

  “Good, because I’m going to give him a tasing he’ll never forget!” Spark snapped, circling a building.

  It was obvious where she was going, as the popping of guns and crashing sounds of wreckage were dead giveaways. So was the crowd gathered to watch from a relatively safe distance, though Spark could never understand why people stuck around, not when bullets didn’t care if you were a civilian if you got in their way.

 
; The building itself didn’t fit most of the surrounding city, either, and stood out due to how drab it was. The Federal Reserve Bank was made primarily of concrete and relatively dull colors, while most of the buildings around it were shimmering glass and steel which soared into the sky. Right now, though, the front doors and windows were a shattered, gaping hole, and several police cars were overturned and smoking in the street, the police trying to take cover as a man in black armor lifted a police car and threw it at another car, resulting in a loud crunching sound and shattering glass.

  Strange ripples in the air betrayed the sonic weapons as well, and Spark saw that there were people who’d taken cover inside the bank and were firing, including a couple with mohawks or other brightly-colored hair. She didn’t have much time to think about it, though, not if she wanted to deal with Acheron Dreadnaught quickly.

  Spark took in the battlefield with a glance, thankful she was fast mentally as well, and quickly came to a decision as the villain turned toward her.

  A few quick steps brought Spark to a fire hydrant, and she jumped off it, reaching out to snag one of the horizontal bars on a lamppost. Her time in gymnastics stood her in good stead as she used it to launch herself over the crowd and straight toward the villain.

  She was in midflight when Acheron Dreadnaught finished turning, but he was just a bit too slow, and Spark grinned, her hands darting down to her holsters, and she pulled out her pistols and channeled electricity into their capacitors, causing lightning to spark along them as they whirred to life.

  Spark hit the ground running, and the villain was just so slow as she rushed toward him, though at a slight angle to help avoid any attacks he might make. She grinned, aiming the pistols at him as she prepared to fire, and—

  The bolt of sonic energy seemed to come out of nowhere, giving Spark only a heartbeat to react, even with her heightened reflexes. She recoiled but wasn’t quite fast enough as the distorted air clipped her shoulder. Spark hissed as pain lanced through her arm, but most of the force dissipated into her suit.