by T. G. Ayer
Allegra raised a finger in the air. “Which also means Langcourt is working on only what he knows. He has no ability to foresee the future. Which gives us a small advantage over him. He’s unable to predict where I will be at any given time, which has made his attempts at assassinating me a reactionary one.”
“And Qusqu?” asked Xales, raising an eyebrow.
“What if that was entirely coincidental? Perhaps the gods had arranged for us to cross paths so that I may have kept my promise to Langcourt,” Allegra muttered, the urge to punch something sending her fingers curling into fists.
“Your promise?” Xales asked.
“I promised him a most gruesome death as punishment for the horrors he’d visited on so many innocent young children.”
Xales rubbed his chin. “And that promise has gone unfulfilled.”
“Much to my great displeasure,” Allegra said, then let out a sigh. “Again, we lack the means to shed more light on this particular man other than an old photograph of him on safari with what appeared to be his brothers and his father. What do you know about him?”
“My knowledge is limited to what I was told by the oracles I served, and I can confirm that they were always reluctant to provide me with details.”
“Sometimes that’s more a sign of not wanting to admit to the threat than of their lack of trust in you,” said Allegra, well aware of what Xales was thinking.
He dipped his head. “I thank you for saying that, my lady. It appears I know as much as you do about Langcourt. But I do know his name has not been the same through the ages.”
Allegra gritted her teeth. “How does a man become immortal? Do you think he had the help of the gods?”
“It is possible. The gods often give gifts to their favored mortals. It would explain why the gods have been reluctant to help or even to advise the Pythias.” Then Xales shook his head. “But, I think it unlikely.”
Allegra let out a puff of breath, scowling all the while. “Will they help me now? If I ask?” Xales frowned and Allegra clarified, “Do you have a direct line to Apollo?” she asked, smirking.
He let out a hearty laugh. “Not particularly. Apollo has become rather mercurial over the years. He will come if he is needed. Otherwise, I don’t believe he’s ever responded to a request to meet.”
“Always a first time,” said Allegra as she got to her feet and dusted her hands together. “So this form…will you walk around the estate this way?” she said, waving her hand at Xales’ body.
He chuckled. “I have a glamor that will hide the more animalistic portion of my form. But you need not be troubled. The people on the estate are familiar enough with me. I’ve lived here for the entire time that Pythia Aurelia has owned the property.”
Allegra stiffened as she thought of something. “Does Max know?” asked Allegra, already certain what the answer would be.
“No. Aurelia was adamant we keep it from everyone including Max.”
Allegra blinked slowly. Well, that proved Aurelia could be very very wrong.
With a sigh, Allegra headed out of the clearing, calling over her shoulder, “How can I make sure that you have the time to yourself that you need?”
Xales grunted in response. “You would do that?” Then he answered his own question. “Of course you would. You have her ways….”
Allegra smiled as she strolled off, finding herself particularly pleased at the thought that she may be anything at all like her grandmother, the Pythia Cathenna.
Chapter 17
Max paced across the tiled floor of the small office which Mara had allocated to him. He’d worked from the spartan room for long hours while Allegra and Athena had trained for weeks on end. Allegra’s injuries had healed unusually fast, so Max’s fears that she would open her wounds with her excessive physical exertions had been unfounded.
And while Allegra had trained, Max had continued to work, keeping up with the cases his team handled, receiving reports from Marcus Assante, his friend and second in charge at the FAPA head office at the Capitol.
Max had also—much to his dismay—been forced to evade General Aulus’ repeated attempts to gain access to Allegra.
And now, as Max paced, he waited for his satellite phone to ring at the appointed time. Aulus had confirmed that he had the president’s ear, and no matter what Max’s opinion was of the leader of the NGS, compliance was the only option.
Or at least the appearance of compliance.
The phone rang, the shrill noise echoing around the small space. Outside the patio doors—the only thing that was halfway pleasant about the room—a pair of doves took flight, the sound sending them fleeing.
Max shook his head and answered the call.
“Commander Vissarion? Greetings to you,” came Aulus’ voice, scratchy and tinny over the satellite connection.
“Greetings, General,” Max replied, keeping his tone formal and respectful. “How may I help you?”
Aulus let out a laugh. “Young man, who will have to allow me access to the Pythia at some point, I hope you know that. I’m quite certain there is something in your constant refusal that could be seen as breaking the tenets of the Treaty of the Pythia.” The man spoke with laughter in his voice, but his words were accompanied by more than a hint of iron.
“I assure you, sir. No tenet is being broken. I am, of course, the NGS delegate to the Pythia. And I am only relaying her wishes. She will let you know if any of her visions affect the wellbeing of the NGS in any way.”
Aulus’ grunt came through over the satellite line sounding more as though the man was choking. “I do believe the Pythia is not too busy to personally attend to the retrieval of refugees from a sinking slave ship in Mranma halfway across the world from Argentina, so I don’t see any reason for her denial for an audience. Perhaps you could tell her that the president wished to meet with her in person.”
Max raised his eyebrows at that. “He wants a personal meeting?”
“Yes, he does. But of course, he will visit with a delegation.”
Max grinned, thinking of the last time general Aulus arrived at the estate with an unwelcome delegation. They’d been summarily dismissed by a coldly furious Pythia Aurelia.
Max chuckled. “Sir, I think you will find that this Pythia is not that much different to Pythia Aurelia in her requests.”
The silence that followed confirmed that perhaps Max had overstepped in mentioning the embarrassing incident to Aulus.
“At any rate, sir,” Max kept talking, “the Pythia has assured me that she will make time for the president. I will have to get back to you with the dates she will see you.”
“Dates?” asked Aulus, his voice rising.
“Yes, sir. The Pythia is arranging a summit and is opening her calendar to personal visits from dignitaries around the world. She’ll be only too glad to set aside the time to sit down with the president and address his question.”
“I see,” Aulus replied coldly.
Max smirked. For some reason—purely perhaps because Allegra had been born on NGS soil—the president, the Senate, and every other legal representative of the country, seemed to believe they held a larger stake in the Pythia than any other country of the world.
No. It wasn’t Allegra they wanted. The president and his senators wanted access to Allegra’s visions. And perhaps having Max as the most senior delegate to the Pythia had also allowed them to believe they held a higher stake in her.
The problem was, Max had spent years working for the government and was familiar enough with their motivations. And while he didn’t know the true reasons behind Aulus’ and the president’s sudden desire to meet Allegra, Max was well schooled in the way the political wheel turned and was experienced enough to hazard a guess as to the reasons behind them. Max had found it exceedingly difficult to identify one among them who acted for the good of anything other than lining his pockets and acquiring more power.
And General Aulus was well aware that Max did not play his game, political
or otherwise.
It was a wonder as to why Max still retained his position within the government. But it made perfect sense. The Senate believed Max was their key to the Pythia, so they tolerated his opposition. Which undoubtedly infuriated them to no end each time Max had to turn them down on her behalf.
“Very well, Vissarion. I shall await your confirmation of a date.”
The satellite phone emitted a sharp click and Max stared at the receiver. Aulus had cut the call without another word. Max shook his head then tossed the phone onto the desk.
He walked over to the small patio and stood in the small patch of sunshine, soaking up the rays as he tilted his face to the sun. Things had been moving at breakneck speed these last few weeks and Max needed a breather. Allegra probably needed one too.
And, there was also the matter of Langcourt’s movements. Max was attempting to ignore the surveillance details and search reports of the man’s activities since his departure from Peru.
Though he’d said nothing to Allegra, Max had maintained an open and busy investigation on the man’s movements and had tracked him all across the world until he’d lost him only two weeks ago.
The lord was slippery, and he seemed to know all of Max’s moves, to a point that Max had considered that he’d had a mole placed inside FAPA or the NGS.
And, given that Langcourt was centuries old, he’d no doubt have amassed an extensive network of illicit contacts. But Langcourt had no idea what kind of adversary Max could be.
Max wasn’t about to let the killer harm Allegra. He’d kill the man with his bare hands before he allowed that to happen.
Chapter 18
Sparring with Xales was an unusual experience for Allegra; the sight of the half-man half-boar swinging a heavy sword with ease and skill was enough to make her lose her concentration.
Which she did at various points in the past hour of their training session.
At last, when her frustration had built to a level that she felt anger beginning to filter through, Allegra gritted her teeth and charged, seeing only her familiar’s grinning smile.
Their swords struck hard, the sound high-pitched and sharp enough to jar Allegra’s ears, the impact sending strong vibrations through her bones.
Allegra sucked in a sharp breath at the odd pain in her inner ear. And that inhalation, accompanied by the sound still ringing in her ears, sent Allegra slumping toward the ground.
As hard as she tried to remain conscious, Allegra couldn’t hold on any more than she could have held onto a puff of smoke. Blackness filled her sight, and she didn’t even feel it when her body hit the ground.
Allegra blinked slowly, her eyelids unnaturally heavy, and she forced herself to open her eyes. Around her should have been the sparring ground, and Xales with his sword in hand, probably staring down at her in amusement.
But instead, Allegra saw undulating grassy hills, low buildings lining stone-paved streets and then plumes of smoke and ash in the distance.
Allegra squinted and sat up, a little wary about passing out again. When the world around her didn’t spin, she pushed to her feet, knowing almost instantly that what she was seeing was a vision.
Her ears no longer rang with the sounds of the clashing of swords, and she felt completely in control of herself. The only problem was the utter mayhem that surrounded her.
The streets across from her overflowed with cars, the stalled traffic bumper to bumper all the way into the distance. The caravan of vehicles idled, filling the street with exhaust fumes and noise, and only adding to the smoke and ash showering down onto the city.
Long lines of foot traffic snaked away from the hilltop, and from where Allegra stood they looked like nothing more than ants as they flowed down the mountain and away from their homes.
Allegra tore her gaze away from the escaping residents and spun around to scan the part of the city around her, a little shocked to see that she recognized the place. She’d visited Pompeii once, when she was still a teenager, having joined Xenia and her parents on a trip there on summer vacation.
Their dour tour guide had shown Xenia and Allegra around the city, identifying the locations of the earthquake-meters buried deep within the earth. Research stations around the world constantly monitored ground activity sending alerts to the city’s councilors who in term notified businesses and institutions around the city.
The people had grown used to being immediately moveable, with a bag prepared for departure in an instant. All valuables were kept in secure heat-resistant boxes within their homes, and residents of the city were trained from a young age to identify the dangers early and how to react in case of an eruption.
Allegra had left the city somewhat disturbed, unable to understand how an entire city of people was happy to remain in such a dangerous environment, and then too, to live lives constantly on edge, waiting for the next disaster to happen.
Now as Allegra stared up at Mt Vesuvius and watched plumes of smoke and bursts of flame flung from the mouth of the volcano, she shook her head and studied the cars and the people around her. How can she identify when this was going to happen?
Allegra hurried along the path, hoping she’d come across a newspaper stand that would give her a date.
But as she stepped forward the scene around her changed, and she was standing again in a most familiar street.
Across from her was Khan’s Koffee and up the street was her favorite bakery. Allegra’s heart twisted as fear ripped through her. For a moment she froze, terrified of what she was about to see.
And then she took a breath and forced herself to remain calm. Whatever she saw could be averted if she learned as much as she could from what was around her.
Allegra hurried along the street, instinctively avoiding people who were running in both directions, clearly afraid and fleeing.
Beyond the hospital, Allegra could see the hillside where a number of residential communities had been built. But not much remained of them. The mountain was in ruins, the ground split apart with everyone that had once been on the hill now gone, leaving a gaping hole.
A woman was crying in the distance, staring up at the destruction, tears streaming from her eyes as a couple tried to comfort her.
Allegra felt tears burn the back of her eyes, but again she forced herself to focus. She spun around and raced to the coffee shop in search of the weekly specials. The owner often included the date of the Monday.
Skidding to a stop outside the store, she found the place locked up tight, everything inside left as it was before the alarm would have gone off. Tables were strewn with half-eaten sandwiches and mugs of unfinished coffee.
Leaning as close to the window as she could, Allegra squinted at the counter toward the back of the coffee shop and found what she was looking for.
The date on the specials board was two weeks from today, and Allegra filed it in her mind, hope rising within her that she and Max could help do something to stop this destruction.
Heaving a sigh of relief, though still a little concerned that she hadn’t awaked from the vision considering she now had the information she needed, Allegra stepped away from the window.
As she turned to survey the small town, she found the view before her shifting to one Allegra was unable to identify.
She was standing within a small market, amidst a screaming mob as people streamed toward the hills. The stalls around her had been tossed aside, as though an earthquake had shaken everything so hard that tables and display walls had all fallen apart.
A rush of sounds behind her had Allegra spinning around in time to see a long caravan of military Jeeps transporting people away at top speed. Everywhere, people and cars streamed away from the shoreline that sat slightly below where Allegra stood.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of the bare sand. Where the beach with its tumultuous waves should have been was now bare sand littered with rocks and dead fish, all the way out almost to the horizon.
And in the distance an enormous wave rose, so
high that even from where Allegra now stood it appeared to be tall enough to engulf her entirely.
A resort vehicle raced past Allegra, and she caught sight of a golden emblem, a Balinese dancer, her jewels, and headdress glittered in the sunlight.
The dark man in the Jeep shouted, “Faster, you have to get me out of here.” His driver didn’t reply although the vehicle did seem to increase in speed. As the Jeep disappeared, Allegra frowned. She knew that man. He was an actor, one she remembered had been cast in the lead role in a retelling of Helen of Troy. He’d played the part of Menelaus, the cuckolded husband, and had received accolades for his performance.
Pedro de la Corta.
That was his name, Allegra was certain.
And now as Pedro’s Jeep disappeared up the mountainside, Allegra took a breath and studied the surrounding roads and buildings in the distance, private holiday resorts with beach access to each room.
And all those buildings would soon be engulfed in water. Allegra stilled as she watched the tsunami reach the shoreline, starkly aware that there were still hundreds of people attempting to flee on foot who were not going to make it.
And there was nothing she could do about it. Not yet anyway.
And then the wave swept over Allegra, and she let out a low scream, reaching out to grab onto something, anything.
Allegra’s hands hit a warm body, and she blinked, opening her eyes to find both Max and Xales beside her. She found her fist embedded in Max’s gut, but he appeared to have not noticed, or cared.
“Allegra? Are you all right?” he asked, his tone low as he studied her face. Then he paused and nodded. “A vision?” he asked, already grabbing the notebook he kept in his pocket at all times.
His pen hovered over the paper as he waited for her to catch her breath. She shook her head, still confused. “It was a vision, but it was nothing like my normal visions. It was like I was seeing three visions at once. All happening almost at the same time.”