Forged by Greed

  “Oh, Grannie… nothing really. I’m so happy you are here.”

  “Just think about it, only two more weeks. It’s a special birthday after all, and you deserve a special gift. It’s not every day the Summer Princess becomes the Race’s Queen, you know.”

  “I’m scared. I’m not ready to be the Queen.”

  “Nonsense. You will be just fine.” Holding Jasmira by her shoulders, Jousenne looked hard at her and added with her mind. “We have a lot to talk about.”

  “Mrs. Rosewater.” Penelope rushed out from another bedroom, her Hello Kitty t-shirt two sizes too large for her slender body.

  Jousenne Rosewater opened her arms, and hugged her. “Penelope, darling. I’m glad to see you.” She sighed, looking from one girl to the other. “Looks like you two just rolled out of bed, and didn’t even have any breakfast.”

  Jasmira smiled and shrugged.

  “I need to change and freshen up after my trip.” Jousenne slid her fingers over her up-do. “You girls get ready for breakfast. I assume we have food in this house?”

  “Ana has been taking good care of us. I think she bought groceries yesterday,” Penelope said. “She’s a wonderful housekeeper.”

  “Yes, she is. One of a few on our Society’s approved list of human contacts. Now, off you go. I want to see you both downstairs in a half hour.”

  ***

  “Follow me. I need to show you something,” Jousenne said to her granddaughter. She turned and walked toward the door that led to the lower level of the mansion. Her beautiful suit was gone, replaced by a tight-fitting black top and pants. “I had to wait until Penelope left to do this.”

  “But I told her all that Amber said about the Amulet and our Race.” A look of panic flickered through Jasmira’s eyes.

  Jousenne hesitated, and then nodded. “In any other circumstances I would say this wasn’t a smart idea, since this knowledge is not for everyone.” Jousenne looked hard at Jasmira. “But you might need your friends’ support so…” she trailed off lost in her thought. “And Penelope is a very smart girl, after all.”

  “The Winter kids were here when I was still in Santa Barbara,” Jasmira said in a rush, “I think they might be of some help to us—”

  “Jasmira,” Jousenne interrupted in a decisive, yet reserved voice. “They are the members of the rival Race.”

  “Granny, please,” Jasmira pleaded. “I don’t mean to be rude, but things have changed from what it was like twenty or more years ago. Our Races are not all that different after all.”

  “The Goddess won’t like it. I hope she doesn’t find out.” Jousenne sighed, shaking her head. She opened her arms and motioned to Jasmira. “Come here. You are your Mother’s daughter. She was such a peace-loving person.” She hugged Jasmira and pulled away to look at her, a small frown settling between her brows.

  “What is it, Grannie?”

  “When your father brought your mom here from Ethiopia, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After all, she was a complete stranger. I didn’t know her family all that well, just from the Historical Society conventions. Although those were not really social interactions. But there she was—a stunning tall dark beauty, so gentle and trusting. And she was a gorgeous black leopard. Just like you are. I could not have wished for a better daughter-in-law.”

  “You miss her,” Jasmira said gently.

  “Yes, I miss them both, your mom and your dad.” She sighed, and a shadow of a smile crossed her face. “You look just like her.”

  “No, everyone says I look like you.” Jasmira smiled too. “Like a darker version of you.”

  “Come. There’s something very important you need to know about.” Jousenne patted Jasmira’s arm. She opened the door and flipped one of the light switches, more to enjoy the look of the antique lamps than by necessity.

  Thin beams of faint light cast by the wall-mounted lamps lit the wide stairs. The staircase curved sharply to the left and vanished out of sight, behind the corner of a stone wall.

  They walked through the hallway, passing several closed doors on each side and the white marble statues of solemn-looking warriors. As soon as the corridor opened to the indoor pool area, Jasmira’s thoughts wandered back to Jatred. He had no idea how she had managed to escape him. She had never told him, or anyone else, about the two secret channels that could be opened in the walls of the pool.

  A few small chairs and tables were set around the pool, together with eight chaise longues. On each end was a wide, built-in cabinet that held towels and blankets. A tall curved water slide was positioned in the far corner of the pool, next to one of the ladders.

  Jasmira glanced around. She enjoyed swimming but was surprised that her grandmother suddenly wanted to do a few laps with her. “I’m not wearing a swim suit. Wait, I think I’ve got one in the cabinet here.”

  “We won’t be changing into the swim suits. Come.” Jousenne answered calmly and lowered herself into the water.

  “Grannie! Swimming in your clothes?” Jasmira’s mouth dropped open. She could hardly believe her eyes. “What are you doing?”

  “I told you, I need to show you something. Don’t worry, just follow me.” Jousenne waddled in the water toward the pool’s wall, getting deeper with each step, until she had to swim. Treading the water, she turned to look at her granddaughter.

  “You remember, there are two secret passages—each in the opposite side. This one here,” she spoke using her mind and nodding toward the nearest wall of the pool with her chin, “leads to a small chamber. The second one, over there,” she looked to the other side, “goes up and outside into the garden.”

  “Yep, I know.” Jasmira shrugged. “Grannie, really, the water is heated so why the clothes?”

  “Never mind that. We have to dive to get to the chamber. Do you recall which block of stone to press to open it?” Jousenne looked at Jasmira who walked alongside of the pool.

  Jasmira took a deep breath and jumped in.

  They swam the length of the pool. Their eyes opened wide under the water, scanning the wall. Jasmira’s long hair flowed behind her in a train of loose curls. Small bubbles of air escaped their lips and nostrils, rushing to the surface.

  Brown and gray stone tiles covered the walls and the floor of the pool. Jousenne pointed at one of the square tiles. She pulled a silver chain with a small key from under her tightly-fitting top. She slipped it over her head and tried to fit it into a lock hidden between the decorative tiles.

  When Jousenne turned the key, they both came up for a quick breath of air, dived back down, and put both hands flat on the wall, next to the lock. They pressed with their bodies, their feet kicking fast in the water. A long crack appeared in the wall, making a shape of a small door. The right side of the door started to swing inside the wall, while the left side swayed out, revealing a dark passage behind.

  The Shifters disappeared inside the pitch-black entrance. Adjusting to the lack of light the irises of their eyes contracted into thin slivers of color around their enlarged pupils. They came up, gulping the air in deep, fast mouthfuls, the hair plastered to their heads like shiny wet scarves. Soon the floor went sharply upward, and they felt the ground under their feet. Bolstering themselves on the rough rocks that protruded from the walls, they waddled in the water. A wall ended the passage in front of them.

  CHAPTER 39

  Human World, November 18, late morning.

  “There are towels and blankets inside.” Jousenne approached the wall and squatted down, running her hands over it, right above the floor. When she found another hidden lock, she fit the key in and turned it once. With a series of clicks, a newly outlined door in the wall started to swing in the same fashion as the one that opened the passage earlier.

  Past it, a metal vault gate guarded the access to whatever was hidden behind. Jousenne slid open a metal flap on the left side of the door. It uncovered two squares—one was shiny, silver-like, and the second, directly above the first one, looked like thick dark-gray glass. S
he placed her hand upon the lower square, letting it scan her palm. Next, she put her left eye close to the glass-like square. It scanned her retina with a slide of dim blue-light. Immediately after the scan was complete, the gate glided to the side, revealing a closet-sized dark chamber.

  Jousenne stepped in, motioning for Jasmira to follow. Inside was a massive safe. A small stack of blankets and towels was placed on top. Jousenne offered a towel and a blanket to Jasmira and took some for herself before entering a number combination into the safe’s keypad. With a single click, the heavy door of the safe popped open. Jousenne reached inside and pulled out a dark-blue velvet box with a domed lid. She turned to Jasmira.

  “Ten years ago, after your parents’ death, I had this chamber built. Nobody except the people who constructed it for me, knows about it. And they are friends sworn to secrecy.” A small smile crossed Jousenne’s face. “And absolutely nobody knows what I hide in here.”

  “What is it?” Jasmira moved closer, her eyes on the domed lid.

  “An antidote.”

  “A what?” Jasmira’s eyes opened wide and her brows arched.

  “This is the counterpart to the Amulet’s powers. I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to explain this whole thing to you.” Jousenne looked away. “My plan was to tell you about the Amulet, its powers, and the ten-thousand-year mark when I returned from Hawaii. But, from what you told me today, Amber had a different strategy.”

  “Grandma, don’t blame yourself.” Jasmira rubbed her wrist absentmindedly. “You couldn’t predict what she was doing—”

  “I should’ve predicted,” Jousenne interrupted in a level, decisive voice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Jasmira, before I show you what’s in the box I need to tell you more. Your father… my son, was the Summer King. The Kings and the Queens hold the highest positions in our Race, everyone knows that. But what nobody else around here knows is that your mother was a direct descendant of one of the Magicians who created the Amulet. This knowledge has been always kept a secret. Only the line of descendants and the Summer Royal couple would know that. Even our Goddess has been always kept in the dark about it.”

  Jasmira gasped. “How is this possible? I knew Mom wasn’t Royalty, but she became the Summer Queen after she married Dad.”

  “No, Asteron wasn’t of Royal blood, although she carried herself like a true Queen.” Jousenne smiled at her thoughts.

  Jasmira shivered and pulled the towel closer around herself. “The Magicians weren’t Royalty, right?”

  “The Magicians weren’t even Shifters or humans. Think of them as spirits; or like the angels in some of the cultures are believed to be. They’ve produced children with the Shifter women.” Jousenne looked at Jasmira, expecting her to question this statement.

  Jasmira gaped.

  “The first Royal couple was called into being after the creation of the Amulet. The same happened with the Winter Race. Actually…” Jousenne hesitated. “Amber has already told you this—the Amulet was commissioned by the Winter Goddess, and she chose her first Royal couple shortly after. Amber had chosen her first Royal couple too. But each Goddess had a different way of deciding on the whole process. Both Goddesses required the candidates to the throne to fight to the death, which back then was nothing out of ordinary.”

  “What? Why?”

  “At the beginning, both Races were more animals than humans. They hunted on a daily basis, just like the regular leopards and wolves do. Fighting and killing was a part of their very nature. I hope it doesn’t surprise you that the first Summer Royal couple won the competition by slaying their opponents. This was a fair and square fight, but… what I’m trying to say is, our Races have evolved so much that we aren’t the same anymore.”

  “I guess not. I don’t particularly feel like a blood-thirsty animal.” Jasmira made a disgusted face.

  “It’s not only that we’re more human than our predecessors have ever been. Somewhere during our evolution we became non-violent, and so did the Winter Race. This was really a big step. Besides, we don’t even have to live in hot climates, like our ancestors had to. In the same respect, the Winter people live outside of cold places because they, like us, adjusted to different temperatures.” Jousenne sighed and pursed her lips, considering.

  Jasmira looked at her with increased interest.

  “Although the world has changed, and both of our Races have changed, our Goddesses still hold an amazing power, and—even after all these millennia—they want complete obedience from us. We have no choice but to do what’s expected of us.”

  “The Goddess says ‘jump’ and we do?” Jasmira asked incredulously.

  “Pretty much. Or you risk putting yourself and your loved ones in danger.”

  Jasmira backed to the wall. She bent her legs and sat on the cool stone floor. Without taking her eyes off of her grandmother, she quietly asked, “She did it, right? The Goddess. She made that plane crash?”

  “I don’t know for sure, dear. Nobody knows,” Jousenne said, looking at the floor.

  “What’s in the box? What did you mean by the counterpart to the Amulet’s powers, Grandma?”

  “In spite of all the precautions the Magicians took, they were still concerned that one Goddess might eventually find a way to gain power over the other and her Race.” Jousenne sat down next to her granddaughter. She put the velvet box on the floor and took Jasmira’s hand in hers. “Don’t be afraid, child. I’ll try to help with whatever is expected from you.”

  Jasmira leaned toward her and wrapped her arms around Jousenne.

  “I’m scared, Grannie. I don’t know what to do. Amber wants me to get back together with Jatred, but for all wrong reasons.”

  Jousenne took Jasmira’s face in her hands and said, “You will make an excellent Summer Queen, child. Just give yourself time to adjust. Besides, there is not much to it.” She nodded reassuringly. “We have the Historical Society and the Accords in place. You won’t be expected to do much. And you are not alone, remember that.”

  Jasmira looked at her grandmother. Despite sitting crossed-legged on the floor, with her hair and clothes dripping wet Jousenne still looked elegant. She lifted the box off the floor and offered it to Jasmira.

  “Open it, darling. Brace yourself though, you will experience something new. But don’t be afraid. This is Dasht-e Kavir, the Amulet’s twin.”

  Jasmira gingerly took the box but hesitated for a moment. She looked at her grandmother, waiting for her to say more, but Jousenne remained silent. Jasmira grasped the domed lid with her fingers and very slowly lifted it up. Tiny droplets of sweat formed above her upper lip and forehead when a red light escaped from the box. It illuminated the chamber, bathing it in a soft glow. Both Shifters’ skin and hair took on a pink-red hue. Their black, almost iris-free eyes shone with anticipation.

  Suddenly Jasmira’s vision went colorless. Everything became black and gray, and she felt a salty taste in her mouth.

  “Are you okay, child?” Jousenne asked.

  Jasmira simply nodded, lost for words. A small whimper escaped her throat, and her lips parted in surprise. She heard a low murmur of far-away voices: a chant repeated over and over. The inside of the box was layered in white silk. In the middle lay the source of the light—a small round jewel set in a wide disk of polished gold. Jasmira lifted it from the box. A long gold chain of interlacing ovals trailed behind it. She put it in her hand, and the jewel started slowly spinning inside the disk. Images of the running wolves came to life on the gold surface surrounding the stone. Mesmerized, she watched as they chased an invisible prey. She lifted Dasht-e Kavir and turned it around to look at the back of the gold disk. It was gently vaulted to accommodate the jewel, enclosing it like in a solid-back showcase. An image of the sun face was etched in the gold, its twenty four rays stretching out. Twelve wavy rays alternated with twelve straight, triangular ones. They slowly rotated around the outline of the sun face, releasing thin golden tendrils of smoke into the air.


  “The sun face,” Jasmira whispered. “The same as in our house.” She looked at Jousenne, her eyes full of surprise. “There are symbols of both Races engraved in here. Why both?”

  Jousenne nodded. “The Magicians created Dasht-e Kavir simply to offset the powers of the original Amulet, in case one of the Goddesses tried to misuse what was actually meant to provide stability in the world. Think of it as a liberator of sort. You see the symbols of both Races because the Magicians made Dasht-e Kavir to equally serve and protect both Races.”

  “Dasht-e Kavir? What does it mean?”

  “The Magicians made it in the area that’s now known as the Dasht-e Kavir desert in Iraq,” Jousenne said.

  “How did you get it?” Jasmira’s words came out in a breathy whisper.

  “Your mother inherited it. Remember, she was the direct descendant of one of the Magicians. Dasht-e Kavir has been handed down from generation to generation and kept a complete secret, especially from the Goddesses. Can you imagine what Amber or Crystal would do if they found out?” Jousenne’s face looked calm, but her eyes were troubled. “You have to swear not to reveal this knowledge to anybody. I mean it.”

  Jasmira flinched at her grandmother’s raised voice and whispered, “I promise not to tell anyone.”

  The older woman nodded and, closing her eyes, sat in silence for a moment, as if listening to her own thoughts. Jasmira looked at the wolves running around the jewel. The voices, which she heard before, faded away, and the colors slowly returned to her vision. Everything seemed too bright, so she deliberately blinked a few times and, when this didn’t help, she squeezed her eyes shut. When she looked again the brilliance of the colors returned to a normal range, and the salty taste was gone from her mouth. Jousenne was watching her with kind eyes.

  “Grandma, when I touched Dasht-e Kavir all the colors went black and white, like in an old photo. I tasted salt in my mouth, and I heard voices.”