Queen's Journey (Lilith's Shadow Book 5)

by Benjamin Medrano

  Lilith nodded, and glanced at Emily as she smiled. “Well, Emily… if you really want a lunch date, you’ve got one. Thanks, Dec.”

  “Yay!” Emily exclaimed, and exploded into motion, leaving a trail of lightning in her wake as she almost slammed into the doors on her way out.

  Decarin laughed and nodded at Lilith as he smiled. “You two have fun, then. I’ll see you later, and try not to get electrocuted, would you?”

  “I’ll do my best,” Lilith assured him, taking the fuser and setting it to the side with the other tools she’d borrowed, then got up and moved to follow Emily.

  The bigger question was where the excitable woman had gone.

  Skyrail Grill, Paragon City

  “Okay, this is neat,” Lilith said, looking out the window as another person went whizzing past, propelled upward on a gust of air.

  The skyrail, as it was called, was an interesting building built into the mall. It had some sort of supertech that allowed them to reduce the effects of gravity, then they’d used the usual skydiving chambers to allow them to launch people upward, giving them the impression of being able to fly. There was even an entire room that had an obstacle course, which Lilith thought might actually be useful for teaching people how to not run into buildings if they awakened as a super.

  The restaurant they were in was on the third floor of the mall, and it had windows directly adjacent to the skyrail, allowing guests to watch as people did their best to control their flight. Some of them were rather skilled, while others could use a lot of work. But that was why the flyers were all wearing safety gear, she suspected.

  “Isn’t it? I’ve tried it a few times, but it’s really hard to keep your balance in there, and with my speed, I tend to overcorrect a lot,” Emily said, leaning forward to look through the window wistfully. “I guess I could do it with the suppressor, but I don’t know that I want to. I’m used to being able to react fast, and it’d probably screw up my reflexes.”

  “You’d know better than me,” Lilith replied, smiling as she admitted. “I ran into a similar problem when learning to pilot the power armor, as it couldn’t react as quickly as my reflexes. I ruined a large section of the obstacle course until I managed to figure it out… likely as not, it’s just a matter of time and practice.”

  “If you say so. I’m just not willing to pay through the nose to get the practice when there’s no real point to it. It’s not like I’m ever going to be able to fly, at least not without power armor,” Emily replied, letting out a sigh as she leaned back, and Lilith considered her for a moment.

  “You know, it is possible that you could go through another awakening and get that sort of ability,” Lilith pointed out gently, her gaze turning to examine the rest of the restaurant.

  The majority of the room was paneled in warm-colored wood, and there was a distinct jungle theme to the décor. Lilith wasn’t sure why there were nets on the walls, particularly when there wasn’t any sign of a water theme, but she wasn’t going to argue. She was sure it was some sort of reference she didn’t understand. The tables and chairs looked roughly cut, but were comfortable despite that, and each of the tables were widely spaced, even if the entire restaurant was packed with people.

  The waiters and waitresses were amusing, though. Some of them were dressed in old aviators’ uniforms, while others were wearing just the trousers and white shirts, and one woman had a cap that Lilith would have sworn should have come out of a world war one movie, complete with aviator goggles. It was an interesting theme that fit the skyrail, that was for certain.

  “Pfft. I’ve never heard of someone actually going through another awakening, other than you,” Emily replied, shaking her head as she settled back, the fingers on her left hand drumming nervously on the back of the booth. “Oh, I’ve heard that it’s happened, but I’ve never gotten any details. Most of us awaken, and then we’re stuck with what we’ve got pretty much permanently. If we weren’t, you’d see a lot less people researching how to adjust powers.”

  Lilith nodded in understanding, even as she grew even more conscious of the ankh hanging around her neck. It was reasonably heavy to begin with, so she normally noticed it, but knowing what she did about it… it made her a little uncomfortable. She could trigger an awakening whenever she wanted due to Ra’s gift, and that was something she hadn’t shared publicly.

  She paused for a minute, then asked, “So… how did you awaken?”

  “That’s… not really that exciting of a story?” Spark said, frowning. “I mean, I was on the track team in high school. The one-hundred-meter dash, relay race, those sorts of things. Anyway, one day I was in a race, and one of the other girls accidently knocked me over. I know it was an accident, ‘cause she’s the type who is all about doing things fairly, but that didn’t matter to me. I was on the ground, and pissed. I was determined to catch up and pass everyone else… and then I did. I nearly electrocuted a couple of the other runners in the process, but fortunately I didn’t get too close. Then I got disqualified, since powers aren’t allowed in those races.”

  “Interesting. I always wondered, and it seems like, other than with mages, most people develop their powers when stressed.” Lilith murmured thoughtfully.

  “Pretty much, yeah. I mean, sometimes that ‘stress’ is just studying, but considering school these days, that means anyone who’s going to awaken probably will around that time,” Emily agreed, grinning. “Archon said hers was brought on by a raven flying directly at her face after school one day. One second wings coming at her face, the next, her hair is on fire and wings tore through the back of her shirt.”

  Lilith winced, shaking her head. “Well, that would be unpleasant, if you ask me. I always wondered about some of those physical transformations, but… ah.”

  Their waiter approaching distracted Lilith, and she fell silent. The handsome, brown-haired man grinned at them and spoke, sliding the plates in front of them. “Here’s your food, ladies! I have one French dip, no cheese, and a side of fries, and three barbeque burgers with cheese and a side of fries. Does everything look correct?”

  The man had neglected to comment on the aus jus that was served with her food, Lilith noted, but she didn’t mention it, instead examining the rest of her food. The fries had large flecks of salt and pepper scattered across them, with some other seasoning she couldn’t identify, and the sandwich itself looked like it was served on garlic bread, like the menu had said it was. It looked good to her, and she smiled, nodding.

  “It looks quite good, thank you,” Lilith told the server, who smiled a little more brightly.

  “Yep, looks like we’re good to go! Oh, and if you’d put in a to-go order for when we leave? A number six with fries and extra fry sauce,” Emily added quickly, rearranging her burgers on the plate so she had better access to the fries.

  “I’ll get that in for you. Will there be anything else?” the man asked hopefully. When they shook their heads he looked slightly disappointed, but added. “Well, I’ll be back if you need anything.”

  He wasn’t quite as quick about walking away, and Emily clicked her tongue, then said. “Looks like you’ve got an admirer, Lil. They never act quite like that when it’s just me.”

  “Maybe so, but a lot of people seem to forget that I’m a lesbian,” Lilith replied, shaking her head.

  “Eh, it doesn’t matter to some people,” Emily replied, picking up a burger and taking a bite. Her eyes half-closed as she chewed, then swallowed, sighing happily. “Oh, that’s good. Anyway, some guys seem to think that lesbians haven’t met the right guy yet. Or girls think a gay guy hasn’t met the right girl, or whatever else. I swear, being bi is the best of both worlds.”

  Lilith couldn’t help a smile as she considered, eating one of the fries. It was rather good, and made her curious to try the sandwich. Before she got into that, though, she had another question, and finally she asked it. “So… I have to ask. Why did you order three burgers, rather than a single one of the bigger ones? They�
�re a bit less expensive.”

  “Yeah, but there’s just one problem with that.” Emily replied, grinning broadly.

  “Oh?” Lilith asked, tilting her head.

  “I may talk a lot, but I don’t actually have a big mouth.” Emily replied succinctly, her smile widening even more, and Lilith couldn’t suppress a laugh.

  “That… is an interesting way to put it,” Lilith said, chuckling softly.

  “True, though,” Emily said, and with that bit into her burger again.

  Lilith took it as a sign that talking was done for the moment, and she picked up her sandwich and dipped it into the juice, curious how it would taste.

  As it happened, the flavor was absolutely wonderful, and Lilith immediately decided to learn how to make something similar at home. If nothing else, it certainly gave her something to work on that wasn’t fighting with the sewing machine.

  Chapter 32

  Thursday, September 18th, 2031

  Eden Manor, Glendale

  “Where even were you?” Apollo spluttered, the deity sounding incredibly put out. “I was completely alone! No one was even in the same area as me, and blam, my head exploded!”

  “That’s for me to know, and you to figure out,” Lilith replied, hitting the button to reload her sniper rifle.

  “Mortals. They get so uppity,” Sól murmured, her voice surprisingly lackadaisical despite her words, and as she spoke, Lilith spotted the goddess’s character meandering along the valley floor, bobbing between different rocks and barriers on her way to the tank.

  Lilith decided that she couldn’t have that, and took careful aim, gauging how fast the deity was moving, then pulled the trigger. An instant later Sól’s shields flashed, and her character went flying like a rag doll as its head exploded. The goddess let out a soft sigh and spoke up.

  “Ra, do you really need to win so badly that you bring in someone else?” Sól asked, the Norse goddess sounding faintly disgusted.

  “Someone has to teach us how to play properly. I certainly can’t, and the last time Apollo asked one of his followers to teach us… well, you remember what happened,” Ra retorted in a very, very smug tone.

  “I vote the next game is a free for all.” Apollo said, a challenging note to his voice as he added, “Or is my Egyptian compatriot afraid of going up against a mortal?”

  “Afraid? Never!” Ra replied heroically, then promptly ruined the effect as he continued. “I’ll just head the leaderboard with my deaths, yes?”

  Lilith laughed, shaking her head as she considered, then decided to reposition. While she enjoyed sniping, it wasn’t really nice to completely annihilate the other side without giving them a chance to fight back. Instead, she swapped to her pistol and started circling around to the tank herself. Even they could take her out in it, if they managed to get to the rocket launcher, which made it a somewhat fair contest.

  “How is your dating going, anyway?” Apollo asked after a minute, just as Lilith had almost gotten to the tank.

  “Fine, really,” Lilith replied, spinning around to look for the man. Just as she’d expected, he was lining up a shot, and she dodged to the side, avoiding the first burst of his assault rifle, and shot him several times in the head. He clipped her shield before dying, and she continued. “Spark is fun to be around, but she’s pretty enthusiastic, which can cause problems. I’ve got a date with Archon tomorrow, then Spark and I are going on a hike this weekend.”

  “Argh! You’d think I wasn’t a godly archer, with how badly I’m doing. I regret ever suggesting this game,” Apollo muttered under his breath. Then he spoke a little more brightly. “But that sounds good for you! I heard Eris talking about you the other day, saying that you were all sorts of fun!”

  Lilith’s hands almost cramped in response, and she blanched, as she’d heard about how Eris’s attention could cause problems. Or disasters. Or wars. The idea of Eris paying attention to her was… disheartening. Then Sól giggled, and Lilith heard the odd, low-pitched thumping sound of a rocket launcher.

  “Oh you…” Lilith began, only to let her voice trail off as the rocket hit, sending her character flying through the air, and the tank was knocked to the side. She chuckled, then spoke again, a little more relaxed as the two laughed. “Well, that was an excellent distraction. Dare I hope that’s all it was?”

  “Oh, don’t you wish. No, we were having a discussion of ‘favorite mortals’ at a banquet, and you were on the list of her top ten favorite mortals, simply due to the chaos that seems to follow in your wake. I don’t think you’re in any danger of her paying you personal attention. Yet,” Apollo replied smugly. “At least my sacrifice wasn’t in vain!”

  “Ah, but now I get to respawn, and I have a reason to enact retribution,” Lilith replied, grinning broadly.

  “Uh, oh. I suppose I won’t dominate the death leaderboard,” Ra murmured, prompting more laughter.

  “Ah… I don’t suppose you’d believe me if I said that I got a call from a priest of mine who’s looking into starting a space program for me, would you?” Apollo asked weakly.

  “No, I don’t think I would,” Lilith said, spawning in their base again, and she double-checked her weapons, then nodded in satisfaction. “You did suggest the game, after all.”

  “Drat. It was worth a try,” The deity muttered in return.

  Lilith smiled a little more, and as she moved, she reflected that it was really strange how comfortable she’d gotten with interacting with deities.

  Chapter 33

  Friday, September 19th, 2031

  Guardian Compound, Paragon City

  Archon slowly turned in the middle of her living room, making a last sweep to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. No yarn was visible, nor any of her crocheting needles, paints, beads, or any of her other craft tools. While she was certain that Lilith wouldn’t mind their presence, there was something to be said about first impressions, and she was determined to start things off on the right foot.

  Finally finishing her sweep, Archon relaxed and nodded. If nothing else, she’d done the best she could to clean up and prepare the room, as unlike Spark, she wasn’t the type to jump in without preparing beforehand. That had both good and bad aspects to it, though, Archon had to admit. It meant that Spark had been able to get to know Lilith more than her, which was… Archon wasn’t sure how she felt about that, actually. Uneasy, perhaps.

  “I wish I knew how to interact with others better,” Archon murmured, taking a deep breath, then settled into her chair to wait.

  Lilith would be here soon, and Archon didn’t want to appear overly eager by going to meet her at the front door. That could also cause some issues if there were reporters following Lilith again, which there almost always were. Archon rarely answered the door, so she didn’t want to give them any indication that this was different than the other days that Lilith had come to visit.

  Time passed, one minute at a time, and Archon took the time to think about what had been happening recently. The interest in Lilith had faded slightly over the last couple of weeks, but it never truly went away. No, Lilith had to deal with attention constantly, much like Archon did.

  On the other hand, the interest in Morgan Le Fay and Warden had faded quite a bit, aside from among their fandoms, where debates on what had happened were still raging. Most of the speculation Archon had seen was completely off the mark, but a handful of people had made guesses that were surprisingly close to the truth, even if they weren’t quite right. That was the only reason Archon didn’t think that the fans in question had inside information. Besides which, she’d learned that people could come to amazingly accurate conclusions off little information. Sometimes that disturbed her.

  At least Paragon City had been relatively quiet since Ivanova’s departure, though the city was never truly quiet. In any given week the Sentinels had to deal with dozens of incidents, but most of them were small, like helping the fire department evacuate a house, or when Shade was scandalized by a young girl askin
g for help getting her cat off the roof. Never mind that the cat had managed to get down on its own before he could get near it, but she’d treated him like he was the greatest hero in the world. Shade’s embarrassment when Spark had teased him that evening had been palpable, especially since the girl’s mother had posted a video of the entire incident on the internet.

  Then there was a knock on the door, and Archon paused, looking at the door with a sense of… trepidation. She shouldn’t feel that way, Archon knew, but she couldn’t help it. It didn’t matter that Lilith wouldn’t be able to injure Archon in any meaningful way even if she was asleep, the power difference between them was so great, but emotional injuries were a lot harder to deal with. The ones from her family still lingered, Archon admitted… and finally forced herself to stop delaying.

  Standing, Archon approached the door and opened it, suppressing the fluttering nerves trying to get to her. On the other side of the door was Lilith, just as she’d expected, and the other woman smiled brightly at Archon, like she didn’t feel any of the anxiety that Archon did. Lilith had stopped experimenting, for the most part. Instead of the oddly colored outfits she’d been trying for a little while, Lilith had chosen to arrive in black slacks and, unusually, a light pink button-down shirt.

  “Hello!” Lilith said, her voice warm and pleasant.

  “And to you as well,” Archon said, smiling as she took a step back. “Come in. How are you, Lilith?”

  “I’m doing as well as can be expected. I’m not sure I like therapy, but it seems to be helping,” Lilith replied, stepping into her room and looking around curiously. She paused on looking at the divan, but didn’t say anything more about it, asking, “What about you? I haven’t seen you in the news as much, lately.”