by Irina Argo
All eyes on him, he again addressed Arianna. “You may stay with us as long as you like and we will guarantee your safety. You are, however, free to leave at any time. Should you decide to stay, you must abide by our family rules or risk losing the privilege of Sanctuary.
“The rules are simple. No fighting among family members; total respect and support for each other. The Alpha’s word is law, period. No exceptions. I am the Alpha. Is that acceptable to you?”
Arianna nodded, then decided she should provide a more formal response. “Yes.” Oh, yeah, that was totally official-sounding. Brilliant.
“My brothers,” he continued, though his eyes remained on Arianna’s, conveying that the message was intended for her as well. “No one is allowed to make advances toward any female in Sanctuary. Females are here to be protected, not pursued.” She saw nods, heard sounds of acknowledgment.
“Now, I would like you to meet the rest of our family. You already know Sargas. He is my second.” Sargas grinned and raised a beer can in the air like a salute. “If I am unavailable, his word is not to be questioned.”
“Rock, Bruno, and Lurr,” Antar continued, each warrior nodding as he was introduced.
Those last two felt ... weird. Oh, she knew this one! “Lurr and Bruno are vampires.” She couldn’t keep the suspicion out of her voice.
“We are Nightwalkers, no threat to Amiti,” Lurr replied politely. He had long, ash-blond hair that he had pulled back into a high ponytail, like a grand stallion. “We can’t sense your species and we don’t hunt you—though we’re happy to blood-bond with you. We also share your hatred for Sekhmi. Sekhmi think they’re superior to everybody else. But really, they’re nothing more than a bunch of snobs with super-inflated egos.”
Arianna giggled. His irreverence was such a relief after her terror earlier in the day. “I like that. Snobs with super-inflated egos!”
“Well I don’t like it. Nobody insults my people in my presence.” Simone suddenly stood up as though ready to fight for the dignity of her caste. Lurr and Bruno stood, too, prepared to defend themselves. What, now suddenly it was a bar fight?
“Easy. Easy, everyone.” Antar rose to his feet, positioned himself between them. “Nobody fights here. The Legacy is neutral territory. Peaceful coexistence of all species.”
Bruno and Lurr sat back down, and Simone, after one more glare at them, like she was trying to have the last word, did the same.
Antar, too, was back in his chair. “And speaking of species, it’s my understanding that your experience with immortals has been limited, correct?” At Arianna’s nod, he went on. “As an Amiti, you obviously know about vampires. Lest you missed this important detail—which Lurr neglected to mention—unlike Sekhmi, Nightwalkers don’t tolerate sunlight; please keep that in mind when you’re dealing with Bruno and Lurr.” Lurr looked sheepish, like he hadn’t wanted to admit a weakness.
“The other group you’ll be interacting with a lot in the Legacy is us”—he gestured at himself, Sargas, and Rock—“winged demons. As you’ve seen, we can move quite quickly.”
That’s an understatement, Arianna thought, remembering Sargas carrying her on the parking deck. They’d gone four flights faster than she could draw a breath.
“We’re also strong and heal quickly, like vampires, but we have sharper senses. And we have an extra sense. If someone, human or immortal, dies a violent death within about a forty, fifty mile distance of us, we can feel the energy, and we can sort of go there in our heads, visualize what happened, the location, who died and who’s responsible. And then we can track down the perpetrator—if they’re immortal. If they’re human, we don’t interfere. That’s one reason so many of us are involved in the Legacy.
“And this is the other reason.” He held out a hand, fingers together, then flicked them open. A brilliant turquoise-blue blast of energy like electricity sizzled across his fingers. It was compressed, controlled, but powerful, vibrating the air where Arianna sat. “We can render any immortal unconscious, kill them if they’re not strong enough. Questions?”
Arianna just shook her head. Her scalp still tingled from Antar’s finger-zap thing.
“Good. Now everyone may go. Arianna, have a good rest; we leave early in the morning.”
“Leave?”
“We’re going to Brazil. We have business there. While you are with us, you go where we go.”
Arianna clapped her hands, she was so excited. “Did you hear that, Sim? We’re going to Brazil tomorrow.”
“Yes, I heard.”
Was it just her, or did Simone seem a little sullen?
* * *
Jealousy stabbed Simone; even she could hear the petulance in her voice, and she hoped Arianna wasn’t paying attention. When she’d made arrangements for Arianna’s Sanctuary, she had planned to help Arianna settle in, then leave her with the Legacy and return home. But after seeing Antar again, her plans had changed dramatically.
Simone pictured herself sitting on her bedroom floor six years earlier, sobbing from a broken heart and a blow to her dignity. After Antar left her room, she had vowed that she would become the kind of female no male could resist. She would cultivate herself to perfection. One day Antar would fall hopelessly in love with her—and then she would break his heart and abandon him. Let him grieve over his loss, suffer as much as she had, feel his heart being torn from his body! Or ... maybe she would just bask in his love, in the joy of knowing that he was finally hers. She’d see how she felt when the time came.
For two years, obsessed, she could think of nothing except her revenge, do nothing except ready her body and her mind for it. Her body was already a masterpiece, even by Sekhmi standards, so she honed her ability to use it in every way, mastering agility, balance and coordination by learning fencing, archery, marksmanship, yoga, Asian and Brazilian martial arts, and new styles of dancing. Her brain, too, already razor-sharp was challenged with new languages, philosophy and science, and activities that developed her creativity, like music and art. She was a winner, an overachiever; Antar was her only remaining challenge. Well, Antar and her father, but there was nothing to be done about Tor.
Now, watching Antar, Simone realized that her time had come—the time for her counterblow. She was no longer a teenager in ridiculous red silk stockings. She was a sophisticated adult female skilled in the subtle art of seduction. Let the games begin.
“Don’t worry; I’ll go with you.” Simone put her hands protectively on Arianna’s shoulders, then glanced at Antar. “I can’t leave her here alone just yet. She’s had no experience at all with immortals. I can’t just abandon her. I’ll stay with her until she feels comfortable in her new environment.”
They both turned to Antar, but he didn’t answer right away. In fact, he looked none too thrilled by the idea. Dammit, he had that look on his face like she was a child, independent and unmanageable, and he was the baby-sitter, with better, more important things to do. He doesn’t have to love the idea, Simone, he just has to agree to it.
Finally Antar sighed. “Fine, but I have one condition. You may be the King’s daughter, but you don’t have Sanctuary. That means you follow the rules. Zero tolerance. If you break them you go home immediately.”
“Agreed.” Her heart was doing a little-girl jig inside her chest.
“Now go and rest.”
They were heading to the exit when Antar stopped Simone. “Sim, stay for a moment. Arianna, you may go.”
“I’ll be there in a just a sec,” whispered Simone into Arianna’s ear, nudging her along. When Arianna was gone she wheeled to face Antar, striking a bit of a pose, channeling all the enigma and allure she could muster into her deep blue eyes. Look at me; am I not perfect? Tell me how much I’ve changed. Tell me you are awed.
But he wasn’t biting. “Call your father. Let him know about your plans. We accept you only with his approval.”
It felt like a slap. Simone was even left momentarily speechless. Wh
at! That’s it? He still thought that she was a baby? He hadn’t even noticed all the hard work she had done for him? For him to love her? Her ego deflated, punctured.
To make matters worse, she abruptly remembered that she was going to face the music for what she’d done to Anock and Odji. She stifled a groan. Tor was going to chew her out so badly. “But—”
“No buts. Remember, the Alpha’s word is the law, and I am the Alpha.”
Simone bit her tongue. Fine. She’d suck it up and play along with his rules for as long as it took. After all, he’d spend the rest of his life playing by her rules.
Chapter 8
On the Legacy’s private jet, soaring toward Manaus, capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, Simone fidgeted in her leather seat, sucking a paper-cut on her finger. She’d been flipping through a magazine, pretending to be absorbed in its captivating colorful images, unaware of how relentlessly she’d been thrashing through its pages until she felt the slice of paper through skin. What was it about her father that could leave her unsettled for hours, even days, after just a phone call?
The man was a total enigma. As she’d expected, Anock and Odji had made him abundantly aware of Arianna’s escape and Simone’s part in it. But the King had been neither angry nor disappointed. She’d been flabbergasted. And then it had gotten even more astonishing: when she’d asked to stay with the Legacy, he’d been uncharacteristically supportive. In fact, compared to his usual attitude, he’d been ridiculously supportive, volunteering the idea that of course she’d want to stay with Arianna—indefinitely, to use his word—and “do whatever is necessary to ensure her safety.” If she’d felt a touch of suspicion about Tor’s attitude toward her sister before, now she was downright freaked out. Well, her father was always a mystery to her. She never could understand motivations behind his actions or commands; he was always so remote, and she’d never felt like she could question him. It was unbearable to live like this, always off balance, never knowing what he thought. Simone just hated it. She threw a quick glance at Arianna asleep in the seat next to her, envying her serene look. Now that her sister had Sanctuary, she seemed to have no worries.
Simone nudged Arianna awake when the jet touched down at the small private airport in Manaus. They were in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, along the northern bank of the Rio Negro above its junction with the Amazon river. In the midst of the jungle, Manaus was the only major city within six hundred miles.
As Simone stepped off the plane her senses were assailed, first by the thick humidity of the air, then by the exotic fragrance of tropical flora. Beside her, Arianna was practically bouncing with excitement. Sometimes Simone forgot that Arianna hadn’t travelled much.
“Amigos! Bem vindo ao Brasil.” A woman and two men in camouflage strode toward them, smiling broadly and hugging the Legacy warriors like family as soon as they were within reach. Then they turned to Simone and Arianna, greeting them with warm handshakes and kisses on the cheek as Antar introduced them—though Simone sensed that they’d been briefed before their arrival.
“Boas vindas, senhoritas,” said the female, Shaula. Antar had mentioned on the flight over that winged demons were traditionally named after stars. “Welcome to our country! Our dragons are here to take us to our castle!” She gestured toward two helicopters waiting across the tarmac from them, their sides bearing the words ANAVILHANAS TOURS.
“What’s Anavilhanas?” asked Arianna.
“It is the most amazing place that exists in the world, as you will see with your own eyes, senhorita.” Shaula led the group to the helicopters where they boarded and belted themselves in.
* * *
The helicopters surged upward. Arianna’s stomach lurched at the abrupt vertical movement. Ugh, she was going to be sick. She never got sick on airplanes, but this was her second helicopter ride—in twenty-four hours; how her life was changing!—and while the first one had been scary, she’d been so distracted by the crisis of Simone’s accident and the thrill of having saved her that she hadn’t, she supposed, had a chance to be sick. She’d heard that if you focus on one stationary object, you could avoid motion sickness. So she tried concentrating on one of the tallest trees in the jungle below them, praying that her trial would soon be over.
It didn’t seem to be working.
Shaula seemed to sense her discomfort and turned to her from the pilot’s seat, shouting, “Don’t worry, honey, the flight is less than an hour!”
An hour? That’s a lifetime. Arianna would be lucky if she could survive another five minutes! “Please ... a bag ... I’m going to be sick.”
Panicking, she turned to Antar who was sitting next to her. Hmm, bad idea; if she threw up, she’d vomit all over him. She turned to face forward again. The looking-at-the-tree thing had been a total bust. She tried to hold very still, taking deep, gulping breaths.
She felt Antar’s large, warm hand on her back, moving in soothing circles. Then he yelled to Shaula. “Hey Shaula, I have an idea. Open the door!”
He yanked his shirt off, and before Arianna had time to wonder what was happening, grabbed her around the waist, her face pressed against his shoulder. His lips whispered into Arianna’s hair, “Don’t be afraid, just hang on tight and think of flying with angel’s wings.”
Then ... he just jumped. Out of the helicopter. Pure survival instinct had her throwing her legs around his waist.
“See you in the village!” he yelled back as they swept away.
Arianna screamed into Antar’s chest. Gravity pulled at her like a bowling ball. She braced herself for the inevitable: smashing into the earth and exploding like ripe watermelons. But they just kept drifting ... What was going on? Cautiously, she opened her eyes and forced her face away from Antar’s chest.
Above her, two colossal shapes were silhouetted against the navy-blue sky. Antar’s wings. They sprouted out of his back like the wings of a giant bat or dragon from some sci-fi movie. Other than the wings, his body looked the same. Seeing it all in action, working just fine, Arianna allowed herself to relax and enjoy the ride. She sighed with pleasure. Seriously, her life was becoming a fairy tale.
They were floating above the world. Beyond the mists of brilliantly peach tinged clouds skimming by, billions of stars winked to life. Antar held Arianna effortlessly in his strong arms. She probably could have let go entirely, but she wasn’t taking any chances, clinging to him with a vehemence that would have embarrassed her if the situation had been any less crazy.
Finally she allowed herself to look down. They were gliding over a mass of green vegetation and what looked like an inland version of a gigantic river delta that encompassed hundreds of islands. The water appeared as strips of black against the lush dark velvet-green of the trees, and the sun’s last glimmers airbrushed the treetops and splashed mirror-like reflections onto huge patches of river. It was beyond breathtaking.
“What’s that?” Arianna shouted.
“Anavilhanas!” Antar shouted back.
Chapter 9
Aldeia Alada, Anavilhanas Archipelago, Brazil
Eventually, Antar started drifting downward, taking his time, catching the wind and updrafts, the sensation what Arianna imagined hang-gliding to feel like. The closer they came to the jungle, the more Arianna could distinguish small cabins nestled in the vegetation along the riverbanks. Antar swooped down and landed softly, close to one of the larger structures.
“What are you doing?” Arianna yelled, panicking. Lowering her voice, she added, “... letting humans see your wings.”
“They’re not humans,” Antar laughed. “It’s Aldeia Alada, the village of the winged demons.”
Stunned, Arianna looked around. The entire village had been built to integrate with the jungle. Several wooden bungalows were raised high above the ground on sturdy poles fixed with thick rope. All of the bungalows were interconnected with raised wooden-planked walkways like bridges. Their roofs were covered with vegetation. Here and there she coul
d make out demons flying through the dark sky above her, and she heard the shushing of wings.
A group of the demons surrounded them and began enthusiastically speaking a foreign language; Arianna didn’t know whether it was Portuguese or some winged-demon tongue. Antar appeared to be very well liked by the demons, who clustered around him—especially the females, several of whom held onto him like ripe apples on a tree, refusing to let go. Antar laughed and joked with them while gently struggling free from their grasp.
“Welcome, senhorita Arianna, to the Winged Village, Aldeia Alada. I am Girtab, Alpha of this clan,” The voice came from another enormous guy who was making his way through the crowd, his arms spread wide.
“Thank you, Mr. Girtab,” Arianna replied, smiling. She hoped he was just gesturing to their surroundings and not about to hug her. These guys were all incredibly good-looking, and clearly friendly, but they’d just met.
“No mister, just Girtab, please, or just Gir. Allow me to show you to your cabin.”
He took her hand like a child and pushed his way through the crowd. In a moment, they arrived at a charming little cabin. “Here we go! Welcome to your new home away from home.”
The entire interior of the cabin was constructed of wood. Two single beds against the walls were covered with intricately stitched bedspreads, and the same design adorned a linen tablecloth on a small table in the middle of the cabin. Two heavy wooden chairs stood on either side of the table.
“Your luggage will be delivered shortly, as well as some food and drinks; you must be hungry. Meanwhile, let me show you around the village.”
He took her on a grand tour around the village, educating her on the intricacies of the rain forest, local traditions, family history, flora and fauna, and emphasizing safety precautions. Arianna learned that Anavilhanas was the world’s largest freshwater archipelago of river islands, a natural labyrinth teeming with diverse landscapes and wildlife. The Rio Negro, or black river, got its name from its rich, tannin-stained waters. The hundreds of islands provided a paradise for different life forms—including several tribes of demons and multiple parks of were-animals such as jaguars, Bengal tigers, harpy eagles, vampire bats, and all sorts of other variations. Most of them worked in the tourist business.