Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  Lucienne nodded in appreciation. Vladimir was like Kian. They always thought three steps ahead.

  “I also hacked into other networks, browsing classified databanks, searching for any sensitive keywords,” Ziyi said. “You have me guarding our network, so we’re solid.”

  “And we’re exclusive.” Vladimir winked at the girl.

  Ziyi giggled.

  They were totally flirting. Was Vladimir trying to make her jealous? If so, then he was making a mistake. The Siren wasn’t known to be forgiving.

  “Good.” Lucienne kept her tone flat.

  Vladimir’s gaze flickered to her face, but Lucienne kept her blank stare on the screen.

  The dark dots shifted to an array of numbers, strange symbols, and glyphs.

  It’s happening just as the first scroll foretold: A burst of dark energy, then an indecipherable code. Lucienne’s eyes glistened brightly before they dimmed. The phenomena should happen only after she activated the Eye of Time, but she hadn’t. Something was wrong.

  “Record the numbers,” she ordered.

  The numbers and symbols flickered, then disappeared.

  Lucienne’s sharp stare snapped to Ziyi.

  Ziyi ran her fingers frantically over the keyboard, typing a sequence of commands. “I . . . I don’t know what happened,” she said, breaking a sweat. “I’m working on it . . . C’mon!”

  “Track the source,” Lucienne said.

  “Tracking,” Ziyi answered. A second later, she pulled up a map on the screen and zoomed in on the spot. “I have the coordinates. 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W / 71.38889°N 156.47917°W / 71.38889; -156.47917 (Point Barrow).”

  “Where is it?” Lucienne asked.

  “The islands of Alaska,” Vladimir said.

  “Precisely,” Ziyi said. “It’s Attu Island, the westernmost island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutians.”

  “That territory is the only World War II battlefield on United States soil,” said Vladimir, positioning himself behind a desk computer. “I’m checking if it’s the Attu Station, which is the only inhabited area.”

  Ziyi pulled another screen and started reading from it. “High-speed winds, lots of sulfur, more than 300 small volcanoes form a volcanic arc occupying an area of 6,821 square miles and extending about seven—whatever. Can people really survive there?”

  “Twenty-one native Aleuts still live there,” Vladimir said. “The signal came from the center of the island—Attu Mountain.”

  “Show me the map,” Lucienne said.

  A map of Attu Island zoomed in on the coordinates until a detailed framework of Attu Mountain formed. Lucienne felt her heart skip a beat. It shared the same rough outline as the drawings on the ancient map.

  “The map detailed lakes, mountains, and a village, but this satellite map labels the region as a multitude of mountains,” Vladimir said.

  “The land must have been cloaked,” Lucienne said, “impenetrable by the satellite—”

  “Until a high-particle outburst blew its cover,” Vladimir finished her sentence.

  Lucienne turned to her crew. “We might have found the lost city.”

  Her crew rose, cheering and applauding. Vladimir whistled loudly. He came back to Lucienne’s side. His warm hand reached for hers. “Lucia,” he said, eyes shimmering golden light. “It exists! A civilization hides itself in plain sight.”

  “You should never have doubted me.”

  “I didn’t doubt you.” Vladimir swallowed. “I just—”

  A thin smile at the corner of her mouth, Lucienne subtly slid her hand out of Vladimir’s and returned her gaze to the screen. “Dragonfly on the coordinates,” she ordered.

  Ziyi scurried after Lucienne and Vladimir to the adjacent satellite lab. Other crews continued to monitor the dark matter in action as Ziyi took over the operations from a technician, maneuvering the control panels.

  “Satellite coordination enabled. Uplink established,” Ziyi reported.

  On the wall-sized glass screen, a silvery, metallic gate stretched high into the sky. The gate looked ancient, yet futuristic. Can it be a gateway to a higher civilization? Lucienne’s heart raced. Her mouth went dry.

  “Dragonfly searched the area,” Ziyi said. “I swear to God: the gate wasn’t there before.”

  “Scan the gate,” Lucienne said.

  Dragonfly’s high-resolution camera roved over the gate until an eye-shaped, thumb-sized chip loomed into view.

  “On the eye,” Lucienne said, her voice shuddering.

  Vladimir moved closer to her, protective.

  The frame of the camera froze on the metallic eye as it discharged faint static bursts.

  Lucienne held her breath, until Vladimir broke the spell. “The coordinates are three hours away if we take the Apache Longbow; less than half an hour if I fly BL7.”

  “Will you ever get tired of finding any excuse to fly BL7?” Ziyi asked.

  “It does feel like you’re a god flying the Black Lightning,” Lucienne said. A smile sparkled in her eyes. “You’re allowed to be a god today, Blazek.” She then turned to Ziyi. “Page Kian. I need him back to Sphinxes.”

  Eight

  Black Lightning Seven looked like three triangular lightning bolts slammed together. It was one of the best combat aircrafts on Earth. Upgraded from the F-22 Raptor, BL7 could break the sound barrier, shoot down eight types of missiles, disrupt radar and jam an enemy communication system with electromagnetic radiation and directed-energy weapons. Vladimir fell in love with the black beauty at first sight, but when he flew it, he never really came down again. Speed did such wonders to men.

  Lucienne settled in at the co-pilot seat, a code-secured briefcase at her feet. She’d changed her attire to an ultra-sleek, black leather jacket and a pair of stretch leather pants that embraced every curve. A combat knife fastened to her leather boots added a dangerous air to her sexy ensemble that Vladimir couldn’t ignore.

  He discreetly checked her out when he thought she wasn’t watching. She was talking to Orlando and the commandos in their form-fitting black suits. They evidently appreciated the new nanotechnology that provided the warriors the advantage of blending into any environment like chameleons.

  Her warriors talked to her casually. She knew they regarded her as one of them and Sphinxes as a home. Jed had been strict on rank. Everyone addressed him as Master Lam. Lucienne took a different approach, but her men respected her no less. As a mind reader, she knew they’d walk into a sea of fire for her. She firmly believed that congeniality and warmth weren’t weaknesses, even in a ruler.

  “But your grandfather never had so many enemies,” Kian had once said in dismay.

  “His enemies came from the outside; mine are family.”

  “You represent change,” Kian said, no longer troubled. “You’ll make history.”

  “We will, Kian McQuillen,” she said. “Together.”

  “We’ll arrive in twenty minutes,” Vladimir announced, his hand on the joystick.

  Lucienne watched BL7 pierce the sunlight-dotted clouds like a god’s arrow above the Pacific Ocean. Ziyi’s voice buzzed through the communication link. “Dragonfly spotted strange life forms heading toward the coordinates.”

  Vladimir touched screen next to the control panel. “Link.”

  The screen swirled to life—the strange life forms turned out to be a small group of mismatched individuals. Among them was a beautiful redhead about Lucienne’s age. A timid-looking farmer couple in their thirties shivered beside her. Following them were a stocky king, wearing a golden crown and royal purple, and his small-eyed queen. Stomping beside the queen was a big, blond boy, about the same age as Vladimir. Nine guards, all brawny and menacing and armed with daggers, flanked the royal family.

  The islanders dressed in period costumes and skirts.

  “The Aleuts don’t wear thin skirts in the winter,” Vladimir said. “Look at their features. They’re obviously a mixed race. They’re not Aleuts. And the guards are carry
ing Misericorde daggers.”

  “Have Research Team Nova investigate their costumes, Ziyi,” Lucienne said.

  Five minutes later, Ziyi’s voice came back. “The team can’t pinpoint the exact period. Their costumes are mixed from different times and different cultures.”

  “What about the skirts? Are they Scottish kilts?” Orlando cut in.

  Lucienne laughed. “Orlando is half Scott.”

  “And half Latino,” Vladimir said.

  “You have a problem with that, prince?” Orlando challenged.

  “No.” Vladimir shrugged. “Should I?”

  Lucienne smiled. “Vladimir, learn to get along with people, so no one will suspect your agenda when you actually don’t have one.”

  “Whatever,” Vladimir said. “This lot seems to have interbred for generations.”

  As an explorer, Vladimir had lived for short periods with different ethnic groups—an experience his uncle insisted he have. The man wanted his heir to influence the world and reignite the flame of Czech royal blood. He couldn’t fathom the thought of the world passing them by, leaving the monarch and traditions behind. Lucienne believed the old man suffered much worse blow than that when he watched his ambitions, visions, and money disappear as his heir prepared to serve the Siren of the Lams. In his rage, the old Blazek officially renounced Vladimir as a family traitor.

  “I’m penniless and homeless now.” Vladimir grinned after receiving the news. “I’m all yours, if you still want me.”

  Lucienne embraced him. “But I won’t be buying you any designer clothes from Saks.”

  “You mean my wages will be meager?” Vladimir asked, widening his beautiful hazel eyes into mock despair. “I’ll have to shop at Macys?”

  “You could do worse,” Lucienne said coolly.

  That was right before she and Vladimir had their second disastrous kiss. He lost his title and inheritance for her sake and received nothing in return. Lucienne’s eyes drifted to him, and he gazed back at her, eyes brightened with renewed hope.

  Lucienne’s throat tightened. This was the last straw for her and Vladimir. She turned back to the mixed-race group on the screen. “Scout the area within a ten-mile radius, Ziyi,” she said. “Let’s see what is terrifying them.”

  “Check to see if there’s a civilization around,” Vladimir added.

  Ziyi’s voice sounded stunned over the comlink. “Dragonfly located a climate-controlled town three miles from the gate.”

  “What is the town’s name?” Lucienne asked.

  “There’s no record.”

  Could it be Eterne? Lucienne felt her heart skip a beat before hammering her ribcage. The inscription on the scroll said the Destined One, descendent of the rightful bloodline, would activate the Eye of Time. Only when that happened could they find the path to Eterne. The unnamed village can’t be the quantum realm, merely one of the lost cities. “If the lost city exists, then the scroll is accurate. Eterne is real.” Lucienne gazed at Vladimir. Her eyes reflected the sunlight, turning the color of champagne.

  “We’re getting there, Lucia,” Vladimir said. His callused hand reached out and for the first time in months, their fingers interlocked.

  “Visual on the town,” Vladimir said.

  A futuristic town, embedded in an evergreen garden with lovely blossoms, came to light on the screen. The camera lens continued to pan, pulling in a long shot of snow-covered Alaskan islands, and then a bird’s-eye view of silvery mountains encircling the sparkling town.

  “A paradise on Earth,” Orlando murmured from the back of BL7 amid the humming of the machine.

  “How is it possible to hide a place like that for centuries?” Vladimir rasped.

  “A membrane.” Lucienne drew a shaky breath. “Forget about the town. We must secure the Eye on the gate.”

  The screen switched back to the bleak wilderness, where the gate had materialized. As the lens of the Dragonfly zoomed in on the Eye, the blazing Eye stared back, as if sensing it was being watched.

  “What are those people doing at these coordinates?” Lucienne scowled. “Pan on them.”

  The lens swept in an arc, catching sight of the group as the howling wind assaulted them, their thin outfits clinging to their trembling bodies. As the wind passed by, an empty wheelchair rolled toward the group out of nowhere.

  The blond boy stared at the wheelchair and cursed, and the redhead lunged at him. Three guards shoved the girl away. She fell, her back hitting the wheel of the wheelchair. Her head slammed against a button. A stream of blood mixed with sand shot straight out at the blond boy from the chair’s handle. Lucienne wondered why anyone would equip a wheelchair with homemade weapons.

  The queen rushed to the screaming boy, frantically wiping the blood off his face with her sleeves, saying something and looking daggers at the girl.

  “Can Dragonfly pick up sound, Ziyi?” Lucienne asked.

  “Sorry, there’s no audio sensor at the coordinates.”

  “Then close in on whoever speaks.” Lucienne leaned toward the screen to read the queen’s lips, but the queen’s words were beyond her understanding, even though she spoke seven languages fluently and could identify many others. “I’ve never heard a language like this before,” she said. But to her surprise, the boy answered in English mixed with Spanish. “Mother,” he wiped his face and stared at the blood on his fingers, “Ashburn Fury has been planning to murder me. He might have just done that!”

  “It’s not your blood, heart,” Lucienne lip-read the queen’s Spanish.

  “Then whose blood is it?” the prince demanded.

  “It’s . . . pig’s blood,” the male farmer said sheepishly, also in Spanish. “A few nights ago I saw him mixing the blood with sand. He was only experimenting. He didn’t mean harm—”

  “Didn’t?” the prince yelled in English. “He’s built many nasty things trying to get to me, the Crown Prince!”

  “I’m very sorry for my son, Your Highness,” the female farmer explained in Spanish. “There must be a misunderstanding. I—”

  Lucienne had a hard time keeping up with this multilingual group.

  “There’s no misunderstanding! You raised a rotten son!” The king backhanded the female farmer across her cheek. He was a big man and she was petite. The force of the blow sent her to the ground. The king rotated his wrist, as if he had hurt his royal hand. He then cocked his chin toward the guards, and two of them advanced on the woman with a lewd smirk.

  The male farmer lunged, covered his wife with his body, and looked over his shoulder at the king, pleading. “Please don’t hurt her, Your Majesty. I’m the one who spoiled my son.”

  A leading guard, whose legs were thicker than tree trunks, delivered a hard kick to the man’s gut. The other guards joined him.

  Lucienne narrowed her eyes. “How soon can we land?”

  “One and a half minutes if I push it,” Vladimir said. “We’ve entered the sky over Attu Island.”

  “Push it,” Lucienne said, her eyes locked on the screen.

  The redhead slammed into one of the guards beating the couple, but the youngest guard grabbed her from behind. The girl fought to break free but was overpowered.

  “Peder, no. No!” the female farmer shouted, trying to shove her husband off her. “Let them hit me! You’ve just recovered from pneumonia. You can’t take any more blows.”

  But the husband shushed her, hugging her tightly to protect her.

  “The king could have thrown you out to the wilderness and fed you to the beast. Your son stepped into this forbidden place and caused the realm of Nirvana great trouble,” the queen said. “But I’m merciful.” She looked at the wheelchair wearily, then at the gate. “I will let you stay.”

  The bulky guard raised his boot, about to stomp the male farmer’s head. His wife shrieked in horror while the guards guffawed at her reaction. She threw her hands over her husband’s head helplessly.

  BL7 swooped down with a roar.

  The bulky guard s
topped in his tracks. Everyone looked up at the sky, spellbound. The king recovered first. Lucienne lip-read his shouting, “The outsiders have come! Kill them! Kill them all!” He then motioned for his wife and son to follow him as he scurried back toward town.

  The guards pulled out their daggers. “They can come, but they won’t go back!” the lead guard vowed.

  The youngest guard broke into a cruel grin. “My dagger wants the taste of new blood.”

  “Be aware,” Lucienne turned to her crew, “the natives want a war.”

  “Then they’ll have it,” the soldiers answered.

  With a boom, BL7 landed twenty yards before the royal family, cutting off their retreat. The machine’s triangle door slid open. Orlando led the commandos out. The warriors advanced with automatic rifles before them. Lucienne stepped out of the aircraft after her soldiers.

  The king swung his arm in the air and shouted in French. “Take them down!”

  The guards wielded their long daggers and charged.

  “I need them alive,” Lucienne told her men, “if possible.”

  Vladimir hacked his sanjiegun in the air, and rushed toward the guards with a battle cry. Slinging their automatic weaponry over their shoulders, Orlando and Cam, a giant commando at seven-feet-one-inch, drew their combat knives. Duncan, a member of the team that rescued Lucienne from Tibet, caught up with Vladimir.

  The two sides crashed; the sound of clashing steel echoed.

  Lucienne made her way toward the king and queen. She knew her men hated the idea of her facing a threat without them by her side, but they were too busy to mind her now. They’d complain later, and that was fine.

  Three feet from the king, Lucienne stopped. Producing an ID badge from the pocket of her leather jacket, she held it up. “My name is Lucienne Lam, an agent from the Geographic & Abnormal Weather Investigation Institute. We’re here to investigate abnormal climatic activities in this area.”

  The king spat. “This is my land. You’re not granted entrance!”

  “This land is on the soil of the United States of America. Every American can come and go freely in the fifty states.” Lucienne let her cold smile carry weight. As a child, Jed had trained her how to make a look kill, and the king, who was double her age, cringed. Lucienne dove into his opponent’s mind. The king and his people had never heard of the United States. How long had they been isolated?