Balance of Forces

by Ali Vali

  “You kill us and people will know.” She laughed as she repeated Piper’s threat. “Want to make a bet? See, people should take me more seriously about shit like this,” she said to the night air as she moved deeper into the woods, heading for the lake.

  At the end of a path cut through the trees was a long pier where Kendal dumped her load at the last piling by the water. “Wakey, wakey,” she said, slapping the woman’s face hard enough to get her attention after she used her whip to tie her up.

  When the woman found she couldn’t move, her blond hair whipped back and panic flooded her green eyes. “Please, let me go.”

  “We’ll get to that, but first I want to know what you’re doing here.” She leaned back on the bench Charlie had obviously added to fish from, crossed her booted feet, and waited.

  “You don’t understand. You’ve got to let me go now.”

  With her eyes closed she took a deep breath. “Smell that? Don’t you find the air changes just a tad before the beginning of a new day? It’s sweeter somehow.”

  “Please, I’ll do whatever you want. Just let me go.”

  “Oh, I’m thinking you’re in no position to be making promises, and since time is of the essence…” She stopped talking and pointed at her.

  “Veronica, master,” she said, her head slightly bowed.

  “I’m not your master, but I’m dying to see him, so how about you tell me where I can find him. If you do, I’ll consider your request.”

  Veronica acted innocent and lowered her head in a submissive way to beg again. “Anything but that. I’ll do anything but that.”

  “Okay,” she said, not falling for the act. Veronica was beautiful, but she was just like the rest of them. No matter how attractive, they all had the same monster living inside, and the instinct to kill was all they knew. She stood and started back toward the house.

  “Wait,” Veronica screamed.

  “Tell me or pray for a large vat of sunscreen to drop from the sky.”

  “I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” Veronica sounded desperate.

  She walked back and grabbed the bowed head. “Why do you think he sent you here, little idiot?”

  “He loves me and trusts me,” Veronica said with conviction.

  “He sacrificed you like a piece of trash he cares nothing about.” Kendal moved close to her, showing no fear. “Henri’s a simplistic thinker when it comes to strategy, and nothing’s wrong with that if you never care to learn any better. What’s wrong or stupid, depending on how you want to look at it, is thinking everyone else has the same mind-set.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Look at you.” She put her fingers under Veronica’s chin. “Young, beautiful, blond hair, green eyes. He thinks your physical attributes will tempt me. What was supposed to happen tonight?” She ran her fingertips from Veronica’s chin to her brow. “You seduce me into lowering my guard, and then what? What did you promise him?”

  For an instant Veronica morphed and let the beast out to scare her back, she supposed, but it didn’t work. “Your heart,” Veronica said, sounding honest.

  Satisfied with the response, Kendal moved back and sat on the bench. Her skin was starting to tingle, but for a completely different reason than Veronica’s probably was. “How long ago did he change you?”

  “Twelve years since I’ve been given the gift.” Veronica fought with the knots she’d tied, her struggle and her expression becoming frantic. “Why do you thrive in the sun when we don’t?” she asked, when the realization of her situation made her slump back against the piling.

  “Because I was given life by someone who believes in the living. You were given time by someone who believes only in death.” She sat in silence then, thinking hard about exactly how true her answer was. She took another deep breath before she stood and stepped closer to Veronica. “Today I’ll give you something precious to make up for what’s happened to you.”

  “What?” Veronica asked, as she started to sweat blood.

  She wiped her finger along Veronica’s brow, smearing the blood like war paint before running her finger along the woman’s lips for one last taste of what had up to then given her life as well as pleasure. “Release.”

  As she moved back, the first pink fingers of dawn crept across the sky, and Veronica stopped squirming and stared as if in awe. Veronica looked up at her, but didn’t make a sound as her skin began to blister.

  “Such a waste,” Kendal said as the sky grew brighter and Veronica started to moan. If the pain was severe it was short-lived, and with a small thump, the whip fell to the pier, no longer having a body to hold it in place.

  *

  Morgaine was sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee as if waiting for her. “How’d it go?” Morgaine stopped her on the bottom step so they were at eye level.

  The contents of the mug smelled so good, Kendal took a sip before answering. “What’s that old Queen song you like so much?”

  “‘Another One Bites the Dust’? I always thought that should be your theme song.”

  “Multiply that by a lot and it sums up last night. I’ve been behind a desk so long I forgot how great it feels to protect and defend.”

  “You look like a caped crusader in this outfit.” Morgaine kissed her, pulling on the lapels of the long coat.

  “Yeah? You want to come upstairs and see my special powers?”

  The joke made Morgaine turn away from her, but not to laugh, and she instantly realized why Morgaine was so quiet. They had been through this many times before, but it only got harder. “When do you have to leave?” she asked as she took Morgaine’s cup and set it on the table.

  “I’ve got time to have breakfast with you.” Morgaine leaned back into her, laying her hands over hers. “They said I’m too emotionally involved to be of any use to you.”

  “That’s bull.”

  “Maybe they’re right. We need time apart so we can remember our place and our purpose. I care for you, Asra, but I’m not your destiny.”

  She laughed and kissed Morgaine’s neck. “My destiny is to be alone. I’ve never had any other fanciful illusion.”

  “No, don’t ever believe that. You’ve been so good for so long that life will reward you. Because of who you are in here,” Morgaine placed her hand over her heart, “you won’t continue this journey alone.”

  “I hope for my sake you’re right,” she said, turning Morgaine around and kissing her until she forgot why she was sad. “Are you hungry right this minute?”

  “Let’s go, superhero, show me your stuff.”

  The staff working nearby smiled when they heard Morgaine’s laugh as Kendal carried her up the stairs. Morgaine was on a timeline to leave, and Kendal wanted to mess it up.

  They left a trail of clothes from the door to the foot of the bed, neither wanting the encounter to end soon. They wouldn’t see each other for some time. Once Henri was destroyed, Kendal could continue to find new ways to reinvent herself until the next challenge came along, and only then would Morgaine return to her life. The Elders would keep them apart to assure that no further feelings grew between them to upset the balance of their teacher/student relationship.

  Morgaine slumped limply to Kendal’s chest when the intense orgasm was over. “That was incredible.”

  “Thank you, and the feeling’s mutual. I’m thinking those were your hands somewhere in there making me lose control. Unless you snuck someone else in here when I wasn’t looking.”

  “Are you kidding? I know how you feel about group sex.” Morgaine lifted her head and smiled. Morgaine had always kidded her about how old-fashioned she was.

  “Sex is not a group activity. I don’t care what other people may think.”

  Morgaine laughed and she joined her, thinking about the history of man and what was acceptable in different eras when it came to pleasures of the flesh. The Romans and their orgies certainly contrasted to the Inquisition. Whatever the era and whatever the practice, though, K
endal had been fairly predictable in her tastes—always women, and always one at a time.

  “Lucky for me you’re so focused,” Morgaine said as she rolled off to the vacant side of the bed.

  Kendal held her in place and kissed her. “Stay for just a minute,” she said, running her finger softly along Morgaine’s brows, then tracing her lips. “I’d like a long stretch of time with you like we had in the beginning. When we arrived at that oasis, I seriously thought I’d go insane in a matter of days, but when we had to leave I thought I’d lose a part of myself.”

  “Thank you. Of all those I’ve had to teach, you were the only one I wanted to share myself with. You have such a good heart, Asra.”

  “A large part of it belongs to you.”

  Morgaine nodded. “I treasure it, which is why I know you’ll be rewarded for all you’ve done. Perhaps here where so much was taken from you, you’ll find what you seek.”

  Kendal closed her eyes for a few breaths, losing her smile. “I haven’t forgotten the bargain I made when you gave me that cup to drink from. Time never stops, and enjoying the gift of keeping pace with it doesn’t come free.”

  That was true, but Morgaine knew not only how Asra’s mind worked, but also her heart. She might not have constant contact with Kendal, but the reports she received often related not only where she was and what she was doing, but also who was sharing her bed. She could see only one potential problem that could derail Kendal’s concentration in the coming conflict.

  “Before I go, can I ask you something?” she asked.

  “You have the right to ask me anything.”

  “Why are you taking time to mess with this girl? Can you really afford any distractions?”

  Kendal ran her hands down Morgaine’s back until she reached her bottom, making Morgaine’s hips move toward her when she caressed the smooth skin. They wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. “Are you talking about Piper Marmande and her trusty sidekick Hill Hickman? Thank you, by the way, for your excellent imitation of a nun.”

  “You know exactly who I’m talking about. But I don’t understand why. Is it because she can’t stand you?”

  “If she just couldn’t stand me, I’d be better off. She hates me, and I don’t know why I’m fooling with her. Not because of a bruised ego, since I’m not narcissistic enough to believe every woman I’ve ever met has fallen madly in love with me. Maybe I tend to take my entertainment wherever I can find it instead of truly committing for short periods of time.”

  “So this is a quest for a short night of entertainment?”

  “No,” Kendal said, then sighed. “I feel bad for her and her family, but she doesn’t want my help. The tragedy is, Piper has the potential to set the world on fire, but she’s too angry to recognize it.”

  “It sounds like you like her.” Morgaine’s eyes dropped to her chest.

  Kendal placed her fingers under Morgaine’s chin and made her focus on her face. “Don’t be jealous. It’s only…well, do you know how much it takes to make me angry? I don’t think I’ve felt a good case of outrage in decades, but it took her all of ten seconds to make my blood boil. And her grandfather reminds me so much…”

  “Of Tomas du’Pon,” Morgaine said, not needing any more guesses.

  “Sounds crazy, huh?”

  “No, but you do realize these people aren’t Tomas and Angelina, right?”

  She rolled them over so she was now covering Morgaine. “Trust me, the day I lose my grip on sanity, I’ll throw myself down whatever pit you find suitable. I know who they are, and, more important, who they aren’t. I probably won’t get the chance to sit and talk with Mac like I did with Tomas, or develop the same relationship we had, but before I’m done here I might find some way to help them,” she said as she put her hand between Morgaine’s legs.

  “Enough talk,” Morgaine said when her touch became more intimate.

  After they finally left the room, the staff served them a late lunch.

  “Remember to be careful. And send word if you need me. This time I don’t care what my colleagues say. If you’re in trouble, I’m coming back.”

  “I’ll be fine, but you can still tell them that the world won’t fall apart if they let us see each other more often. They’ve got to know by now that we know the rules and are willing to somewhat abide by them.”

  “It’s the somewhat that forces them to keep us apart, warrior mine,” Morgaine said, laughing. Morgaine pressed her palm to her cheek one last time, her eyes glassy. “I’ll miss you.”

  “Take care,” Kendal said before she whispered the rest into a delicate ear. “I love you.”

  Morgaine nodded as some of her tears fell. “And I you.” Her men moved to the car as their mistress kissed her one last time. “Remember to follow your heart in all things,” Morgaine said before she closed the door.

  The Genesis Clan had existed for decades, and their rules were literally set in stone. Because Kendal had broken so many, beginning with falling in love with her watcher, the Elders liked to flex their power to corral her back into the role they’d granted her eternal life to carry out. It was their way, and the Elders felt the rules had assured their success in keeping the sometimes-fragile balance between good and evil.

  Morgaine was leaving her again, though, only partly because of that. This was a punishment for mixing the elixir for Charlie. She’d done it without the Elders’ permission, and this was her payback for ignoring the first and most important rule about giving the gift of life to someone the Elders didn’t deem deserving.

  “When Henri’s no more, my debt for Charlie will be paid,” she said to the taillights of Morgaine’s car as it disappeared through the gate.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After Kendal showered and dressed for another night of hunting, one of the servants gave her a note from Charlie saying he’d left for the city to search for clues as to where Henri and his followers were spending their days. It was admirable of him to try, but he’d find dragons in the bell tower of St. Louis Cathedral before he found Henri’s crypt.

  Her brother had survived so long because he never told anyone where he slept. His followers might not have the same self-preservation priorities, so Charlie might get lucky.

  Kendal decided to go in early as well, to have a drink and think. She needed time alone to quiet the parts of her mind that still dwelled on the past.

  She chose the same bar in the Piquant where she had enjoyed the cigars and scotch before, leaving her long coat and weapons in the back seat of the SUV she’d driven. The front desk had a few messages for her, none of them important, so she strolled through the lobby in the sweater and brown suede pants she’d chosen for comfort. The feel of the slightly rough material against her legs reminded her of her time as a trapper and hunter in what was once known as northern Britannia.

  The same table she’d occupied on her last visit was available, and the bartender arrived promptly with a drink before she had relaxed in the leather seat. “Welcome back, Ms. Richoux.”

  “Thank you,” she held up her glass, “and thank you.”

  He placed a small wooden humidor on the table and opened it to an excellent selection of cigars. “Ms. Morgaine called and said you might enjoy a smoke before you have to go to work.”

  “Never argue with an intelligent, beautiful woman.” The bartender nodded and put down another glass so he wouldn’t have to bother her again for a while.

  She let her mind wander wherever it chose, remembering things from different lifetimes with no set pattern. In her time on earth, which she was still convinced wouldn’t last forever, she’d tried to experience as many things as possible.

  She still hadn’t tried to learn and master a few trades, but she was willing to experience anything, so she’d never get bored unless she gave up on life. She’d put away the money she’d made in banks that only dealt in numbers, so she could live another three thousand years and never have to work again. To her, that wasn’t as important as the knowledge
she’d gathered. If she chose to sit and write a book, it would change the history books dramatically, if anyone believed it.

  She laughed at people’s notions about topics such as the importance of women and their place in the world of the past. Men had written most of the history books, so they’d had the edge on marketing their version of history. And like any writer, most men focused primarily on their accomplishments and conquests.

  The same could be said of the Bible and other books men now used to keep their faithful flocks in check. The teachings of most philosophers and holy men lost so much in translation and the passage of time that very little of the lessons they’d hoped to teach their followers was left.

  The heated voices across the bar stopped the mental collage of images of the people she’d met and what they’d taught her. When she saw who it was, she shook her head and concentrated so she could catch every word.

  “The bank will be calling in your loans by the end of the week. Either you have the money to pay them off or we move in and take over. It’s that simple, Piper.”

  “I trusted you, but you’re nothing but a bottom-feeding scum sucker.”

  Kenny Delaney laughed and lifted his empty glass in the direction of the bar. “That’s a mouthful, honey, but is that how you should be addressing your new boss?”

  “I’d never work for you, and you’re not taking the company from us.” Piper held her glass in a way that made Kendal think she was about to crown him with the heavy crystal.

  “You’re so good in bed I might just give you a corner office. We’d never lose another contract if I put you in charge of entertaining the clients.” He closed his eyes before the contents of Piper’s glass hit him in the face, but he grabbed her arm and slammed her back in her seat. “You’re going to pay for that one.”

  “Let me go, you’re hurting me,” Piper said, grimacing.

  “I haven’t begun to hurt you, bitch. You’re going to find out what it’s like to get fucked in every conceivable way. Your family’s responsible for me almost losing everything, so I’m going to enjoy this almost as much as getting to fuck you. Allowing you into my bed was charity, but this is business, and we’re not finished, so sit down and shut up.”