Any Price

by Faulkner, Gail

  If an argument did arise, he’d easily put it down by pointing out the events of the rightful queen’s abduction had been desperate. Her instructions to her lover as she was dragged away by kidnappers had certainly been honored, but times had changed dramatically. There was no indication she’d meant for the guardianship of Kersonovia to last this long. The renaissance festival had served as a means to remind his people that at one time they had been free of any overseer.

  It was a very logical argument and he was pleased with how it flowed so naturally from current events. Hardly any need to manipulate at all. So much the better.

  A few minutes’ research on the computer found him the number-one company specializing in researching heritage and lineage, as well as investigating personal background information. Gregory’s title would get him a response to the computer inquiry. Ten minutes later the phone on his desk rang.

  A very proper British voice greeted Gregory. “Good afternoon, My Lord Leionoff. This is Simon Dahshur, president of Dahshur Enterprises. We are happy to assist you in whatever manner you require. I would like to extend my personal services to the first advisor of Kersonov. Please, what can I do for you today?”

  Gregory relaxed into his chair. This was the response he was used to. “I require information of a delicate nature. The situation calls for a face-to-face meeting, Mr. Dahshur. However, I would prefer no one other than ourselves realize we are involved in an investigation. You understand the need for discretion on occasion?”

  “Of course, my lord,” the polite voice agreed. “I assume you have a way to accomplish this?”

  Gregory smiled. Indeed, this was exactly how things should go. He was in control and would naturally have thought of all the nuances required to execute his plan. “I have. It would be best if you visited this country on the pretext of looking for a new site to build a facility. Your organization is large enough to lend credence to this possibility. We can discuss my requirements at that time. I’d like to start as soon as possible.”

  “Excellent, my lord,” Mr. Dahshur confirmed. “Would two days from now be convenient for you?”

  “Yes, very good.” Satisfaction rolled over Gregory. “Your arrival must go through official channels. However, I will make sure you are directed to my office for assistance. Thank you for your prompt attention, Mr. Dahshur, I am sure we will do well together.”

  “Please call me Simon, my lord. I am happy to assist. I will speak with you the first of next week. It’s been a pleasure.”

  “Yes, I will see you then, Simon,” Gregory confirmed. “Good day.”

  It felt good to have a plan set in motion. Gregory sat back and gazed out his study window. The events of the last twenty-four hours were disturbing in the extreme. Lore’s behavior was an aberration from his normal self. Obviously Lore’s judgment was compromised, along with several other normally sane men. That woman had done something to them. Perhaps it was a drug she’d used on them.

  Gregory made a mental note never to consume anything that it was possible for her to have touched.

  * * * * *

  London

  Simon Dahshur carefully replaced the phone in its cradle. He relaxed into his desk chair and looked across the room at the shelves housing his ancestors. Ornate canopic jars containing the mummified heart of each generation’s patriarch lined the wall from floor to ceiling.

  “We draw near, my honored fathers,” Simon murmured.

  Gazing at the unbroken line of ancestral remains, Simon silently acknowledged the purpose of every life represented there. Addressing their spirits, he mentally continued. “The Old One’s secrets will be ours. Their precious daughter will not escape us again. At long last, I fulfill your promise and vigilance. A pharaoh who lives forever will rise to rule, and Osiris cannot hold dominion over us.”

  His eyes caressed the small onyx statue of Osiris, potent god of the underworld. The depth of emotion in this moment meant he had to control the swirling power contained in his glance, Simon closed his eyes briefly.

  Simon’s place as the reigning family patriarch made him heir to every bit of magic and mysticism his family had perfected over thousands of years. The dark powers gathered by this heritage remained a closely guarded secret.

  Satisfaction at being invited to the Keepers’ country knew no bounds. Centuries of searching for the pale-skinned Key Keeper were about to pay off. Not exactly as he’d planned, but a good leader always made use of opportunity.

  The little dalliance with the fanatical idiots had done exactly what he’d hoped it would. Now there was no question who the current daughter of the gods was. It was unfortunate that she had not fallen for the second threat and boarded the plane for America. That was not important now. He would soon complete his mission.

  The invitation to her domain had been unexpected but an auspicious surprise. He could dispense with using lackeys and oversee her capture personally.

  The Dahshur had almost captured that fragile Key seven hundred years ago, but the event of the Mongolians kidnapping her had destroyed their own plans to do that very thing. They’d just barely learned how to detect a Keeper’s power signature when that generation’s first daughter had disappeared, her power turned off in a way that had originally led them to believe all was lost and she was dead.

  In the end, the Dahshur had been able to again feel the faint vibration that was the Keepers, Children of the Gods and they knew she lived. But where? It had taken generations but the location of the Keeper bitch was no mystery now. Her answer to his manipulations had been exactly as he suspected. Soon she would be his.

  Simon’s languid stroll to the liquor cabinet gave none of his fierce satisfaction away. Control and concealment ruled his actions even when alone. The only expression he allowed himself was a splash of aged brandy and the few moments it took to savor it.

  * * * * *

  The commotion in the hall had succeeded in disrupting everything about Lore’s schedule. Now he had to meet his own appointments and find a way to excuse Gregory. As soon as the guards disappeared, there were secretaries and attendants to shuffle and reschedule. He needed a shower. Following Kenna into his apartment, he couldn’t even close the door as his efficient staff bustled in and started rearranging his schedule.

  Kenna stood silently across the room, watching as he was signing a document for the senior secretary while agreeing with his valet’s instructions that he needed riding clothes. The next interview was a horseback ride with the oil man from Texas who wanted to see the prize strain of war chargers still bred here.

  At the door to the queen’s rooms, she looked back at him and smiled. He was striding into the bathroom, but his thoughts reached her clearly.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized, frustrated he had to leave her again. They needed to talk about what had just happened. Powers they didn’t know they had were again appearing unexpectedly. She was uneasy with how vicious Gregory’s attack had been and he agreed with her. Jealousy was one thing, and perhaps they were not aware of how dearly Gregory clutched public perception, but what had happened in the hall had been a personal attack on Kenna. He needed to hold her.

  “No need,” she responded gently. “Take care of business. I intend to learn more about what and who we are. I think I know where the answers are.”

  “Where?” he asked urgently as she shut the door on the activity in his apartment.

  “Remember Yuri said they’d destroyed all documentation here to avoid discovery during the dark years of religious persecution?” Kenna mused as she allowed Julianna, who’d been waiting for her, help her undress for her own shower, her third this morning. “The last thing my grandmother gave me was the key to a safe deposit box. In that box were documents. I only looked in there briefly before this trip, I didn’t read much, but some of it I couldn’t read. The language they were written in was something I’d never seen before.”

  Kenna stepped into her shower as Lore responded. They were communicating with the people around t
hem and continuing a conversation between them.

  “Sh… Oh! You think records were preserved through your family?” Lore responded. “That’d be huge, baby. We need the box.”

  “Uh-huh, but I’m here with the key. The actual box is in New York, not to mention we just became Siamese twins who can’t be separated.” She sighed. “We need to get that box right away. I have a sort of heavy feeling that we shouldn’t mention it to anyone though. It’s dread really. Can you feel it?”

  “Yeah. Considering how long the box and its contents have been a secret, I suspect there are more reasons to keep it that way than we know,” Lore agreed with her as he dressed in riding gear. “Baby, we can send Thomas to collect some of your things. He swore allegiance to you in public. It’d be natural for you to trust him with a personal errand. He is a titled officer of the court so he can carry a diplomatic pouch that will not be opened.”

  Kenna was dressing as well, paying almost no attention to Julianna, who took the opportunity to dress her as she saw fit in the new clothes.

  “Do we have a jet?” Kenna asked. “If we do, can we get it back by tomorrow? Something dark is on the horizon. I don’t know how I’m sure of it. We need all the information, right now.”

  “Of course you’re feeling urgent,” Lore soothed her. “The incident in the hall was a fu…freaking excellent show of how delicate the situation is. How easily it can get out of control in the most unexpected ways.” Lore strode out of his apartment to meet the oil executive. “Tell Thomas what you need and give him the key. He’ll do it quietly and efficiently.”

  There was no other choice, Kenna agreed, but she wasn’t completely comfortable with it. The connection with Julianna and her brothers seemed very strong. Trusting them felt natural. On the other hand, even considering the thought of getting on a plane and going that far away from Lore caused an inexplicable wave of panic.

  He immediately responded to her spike of emotion with an almost harsh, “No. You will not do it.” Then more calmly as he tried to soften the command, “You know you can’t do it, Kenna. At least not yet.”

  “Relax, cowboy. No need to waste a command on me,” she shot back at him. “If you’re gonna piss me off, do it over something that we really disagree on.”

  “It is my mission to avoid such a confrontation,” he teased.

  “What about that other bomb threat?” Kenna wanted to know. “We haven’t resolved that issue.”

  “There has been a search. We’ve searched every closed or abandoned structure and found nothing. Obviously public spaces were searched as well. But, baby, if they really wanted to, they could hide something. I believe it was an empty threat to manipulate you.”

  “There is no way to be sure?” she pressed.

  “The Americans are sure there is nothing nuclear on the ground. It’s the best we can do right now. We have bigger problems at the moment. Like when do I get you to myself again?” He teased in an effort to distract her.

  Kenna chuckled and allowed Lore’s connection to slip into the background. Fully dressed, she thanked Julianna and strode out of her bedroom to view the front room of this apartment. It was elegant in an old-world way. Kenna instantly realized the queen’s rooms had not been used since before World War I. What furniture there was had probably been in storage until yesterday, though the musty smell was almost gone.

  Julianna was right behind Kenna and smiled as she verbally confirmed Kenna’s thoughts.

  “We retrieved the furniture when you arrived.”

  “It’s charming, Julianna. Thank you for arranging it.” Kenna glanced around again and continued briskly, “I need a desk, the most up-to-date computer and printer available in whatever this place calls its electronics store and a high-speed internet hookup. Do you know whom I should talk to?”

  “I’m the one who serves you, my lady.” Julianna crossed her arms in front of her and narrowed her eyes at Kenna. “I will make whatever arrangements are required. But my lady feels the need to hurry for another job. What it is that you have not asked for?”

  “I thought you couldn’t read me?” Kenna questioned in surprise.

  “It’s not words I feel from you. I feel the need,” Julianna tried to explain. “Your attention is not on these things you have asked for. I am sorry if this bothers you, my lady.”

  “Relax, Julianna. You’re feeling my need to send Thomas to get some of my things. You saw how I get a bit homesick,” Kenna explained, unwilling to disclose the true nature of those things, even to this benevolent woman who’d barely left her side.

  “The clothes you left?” Julianna wanted to know politely.

  Kenna raised a brow to let Julianna know she’d felt the little spike of subterfuge. Julianna was not about to budge on the clothes issue and probably had plans for disposing of unacceptable items if they appeared.

  “No, not clothes, family mementoes,” Kenna replied.

  Julianna nodded and turned to the door, bellowing Thomas’ name in a half scream. The door burst open and Thomas entered in a battle crouch, scanning for a threat.

  Kenna gasped and backed up into a laughing Julianna. Thomas straightened immediately and said something in his own tongue to his older sister. Kenna realized Julianna had done that on purpose and was getting a chuckle at her massive little brother’s expense. Even though there was a general connection, the force of a scream triggered his natural responses.

  The family horsing around made her suddenly lonely. The feeling of family had been taken from her with the death of her grandmother. Attending the grand festival had been something she was forced to do long before she’d been through mourning.

  Lore flooded her mind with his presence, his response so powerful and immediate she knew he’d been much more aware of her activity than she’d been of his. Julianna and Thomas turned to her with distressed faces, and it was apparent they’d felt her pain on some level. Allowing Lore’s strength to soothe her, Kenna tried to smile and realized it was an excellent time to ask the errand of Thomas. Her strong emotion was a blind to shield these two from how she felt about asking Thomas to do this for her.

  “Thomas, I asked for you because I need a favor.” Kenna grabbed the tissue Julianna handed her and marveled briefly at the woman’s ability to have on hand exactly what was needed. “I’d really like some of my things from home. I recently lost my grandmother and, well, I just need something of my own. You understand?” Kenna sniffed again and dabbed her eyes.

  “Of course, your highness!” Thomas came forward, relieved the tears had a remedy. If he could do something to remove them from his lady liege, he would. “Tell me what you want and it will be sent for.”

  “No, Thomas, I want you to do this personally. One of the things I need is the contents of a safe deposit box, the last thing my grandmother gave me before her death. I want to be the only one who sees it until I know what it is.”

  Kenna couldn’t risk actually lying until she knew more of the connection she had with this family. But nor could she reveal why the documents were so critical. What if there was a way for someone to read it from Thomas? Who knew if they were all walking billboards to paranormal-inclined humans? There were so many questions.

  An air of danger inevitably surrounded any old secret. As Lore had said, this collection of documents had been a secret for so long, there had to be a reason, something that ensured silence.

  “I’d like you to retrieve it and bring it back in a diplomatic pouch. I consider this a private matter. Also there is a short list of things from my apartment.”

  “Of course, I understand, my lady,” he assured her as her true feelings of sadness surrounded them.

  The one thing Julianna had not dispensed with was Kenna’s purse. It was sitting on the table and Kenna handed him the safe deposit box key and a business card with the bank name and address, her apartment key, and once again Julianna handed her exactly what she needed. A pad and pen to write out the list of what she wanted from her apartment.

/>   Lore remained in her consciousness and approved, assuring her, “You’re protecting him. Knowledge of what those papers are could be dangerous. This way there is no hint of suspicion around him.”

  “Yes,” Kenna responded then changed the subject cautiously as she made her list. “Have you felt something reaching for us?”

  “Well, not sure I’d call it that,” Lore hedged, “but I am getting something like that. It’s very weak though. Do you know what it is?”

  “No, I’ve no idea what’s happening most of the damn time,” Kenna grumbled to Lore while handing the list to Thomas and rubbed her temples, thinking the term “too much information” could have been made for her. “All this craziness is making me look for trolls under the bed and orks in the closets.”

  Thomas took his leave, promising to be back the next day with his lady liege’s possessions. Before he left, he assured Kenna that Boris, the man currently outside the door, would be her constant guard in his place. Kenna nodded and agreed to let the Boris person follow her around if she left the apartments.

  Julianna moved to the phone to arrange for the items Kenna had requested, and in the absence of a person watching her, Kenna turned and wandered into the queen’s bedchamber. She was looking for something, searching for it without being sure what it was. Then she knew. With all these new ways to see with her senses, she wanted to feel a place her ancestor had been in.

  As Kenna saw it, she had two options. Be terrified of the new her or be in charge of the new Kenna. Being in charge, as in making use of her abilities instead of letting them use her, was definitely the only way to remain sane. Being excited about the new features was way better than being afraid of them.

  She had no other responsibilities in this place and nothing else to do but investigate. Chances were she’d find nothing. People had been searching for anything that queen left behind for hundreds of years.

  The first bit of useful information her senses told her was that this was not the original queen’s chamber. It could be logic of course, but she felt the age of these rooms and it didn’t seem old enough.