by Kristie Cook
“Yes, they could have,” Tristan agreed. “But they would have anyway. Maybe not at that exact place at that exact time, but they will continue serving the media whatever Lucas fancies to make us look bad, no matter what we do.”
“But your actions last night only helped them,” Attair, a Middle Eastern warlock, said from his end of the phone line in Jordan. “How can we know you two aren’t serving Lucas? That vampire, too.”
Vanessa glared at the black device in the center of the table.
“Attair, you’re dismissed from the council,” I said without further ado. Such outright finger-pointing couldn’t be tolerated. I looked at Owen to disconnect Attair’s line into the conference call.
“He has a point, though,” Armand said. “You’re willing to risk yourself, the only matriarch we have, and look at the results.”
“You may go,” I said.
He stood up. “Of course you want rid of anyone who disagrees with you. You only want sock puppets.” He looked around at my core team. “You all have ties to the Daemoni, including that boy of yours!”
I jumped to my feet and glared at him. My words came out through a clenched jaw. “I said you may go.”
“Behavior like this will be the downfall of the Amadis,” he declared. He returned my glare, his eyes hard as marbles. “You will be the end of us all.”
Now Tristan rose to his feet and leaned over the table toward the vampire. I couldn’t see Tristan’s face well or the look in his eyes, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end. “Leave. Now.”
“Gladly,” Armand snapped. “I will not be a part of this fiasco.”
He strode out of the council hall.
“Anyone else?” I knew full well there were more as thoughts screamed accusations at Tristan and me. I looked at Robin and waited with a lifted brow.
“I’m not accusing you of working with the Daemoni,” she began, “but I do have to question your actions. You are the last of your kind. Our last hope. You should be kept safe at all times, concerning yourself with making a baby, not making war.”
A few others agreed out loud.
“Here here,” Marta, who had replaced Adolf when he’d died in battle, said through the speaker. “We need another daughter. A true second. Tristan should not be your second. If something happens to you, do you really expect him to lead the Amadis?”
I chuckled darkly and shook my head. My patience was waning.
“Are you people serious?” I demanded. “Have you seen what’s going on in the world? Do you realize that if we don’t act—if I don’t serve my purpose—there won’t be a need for the Amadis? The world as we know it will be over. Norman souls—the very ones we are here to protect—will cease to exist! And so will we. It won’t matter who’s next in line to lead if we’re all gone anyway!”
“We can’t just focus on the here-and-now,” Savio, an Italian were-shark, argued from across the table. “We must look to the future, too.”
“If we don’t focus on the here and now, we won’t have a future,” Charlotte said. “Alexis is right. We’re at true war here, fellas.”
Solomon sat back in his chair and crossed his thick arms over his chest. “Agreed. Katerina saw this coming when she knew she’d be ascending. She knew the Amadis needed someone who could fight a full-on war, not quiet, covert tussles. She saw what could be our final battle on the horizon and knew she was not the right matriarch to lead it. Neither was Sophia. Alexis is.”
Warmth flooded my heart with his support, spoken in his deep voice with the beautiful island accent. I hadn’t felt such confidence in me from Solomon before, and this meant a lot.
“Of course you would say that,” Marta said. “You don’t see things the way some of us do. How convenient that Ms. Katerina and Ms. Sophia were fed right into Lucas’s hands at the same time. How nice for him that his daughter instantly became leader of his enemy, and how fortunate that a Summoned son was allowed to return to the Amadis, which has never been possible for a son to do before.”
“Dorian has not officially been summoned,” Solomon said, but Marta ignored him, carrying on with her horrid accusations.
“How interesting that our leader is the enemy’s daughter, and her second had once served as the enemy’s second. I could continue with those whom you just swore in as your counselors—the son, in some weird, twisted way, of a Daemoni sorceress who caused the murder of our matriarch, and who’d been serving the enemy that very night; the wife who supposedly didn’t know her husband had been possessed by said sorceress for decades; a half-sister who’s also the daughter of the enemy’s leader and whose twin brother is that leader’s new second . . .”
Her words felt like a knife to the gut. As much as she twisted everything around, enough truth remained that her accusations could be believable. Did others really believe such things?
“Enough!” Tristan barked, cutting them off. “You will not disrespect your matriarch and my wife like this.”
He glared at them all. The room fell quiet, but with a tension blanketing us. After another peek into everyone’s minds, I realized the futility of this conversation. Some of Rina’s council would never trust me or anyone else as their leader. Their minds would never be changed, and they’d constantly be nitpicking at everything we did.
“You all are dismissed,” I said. “We have more serious topics to discuss and worry about than petty accusations. I didn’t ask for my grandmother and mother to be murdered before my very eyes. I didn’t want for them to leave this world, to leave me and my family and all of you. I didn’t have any desire to become matriarch so soon. But it is what it is. None of us can change what happened regardless of how much we hate it. What we can do is stop arguing amongst ourselves and start planning to battle the real enemy. If you can’t see that, then I’m done with you.”
I sat down and waited for the room to clear out and the callers to disconnect. After the first three left the room and a few calls dropped, several minutes passed as I studied those who still sat in their seats. I couldn’t get a feel for the callers, but when Owen told me who remained connected, I felt like I could trust them.
“Okay, then,” I finally said. “Now that that’s over, let’s get down to what’s really important—discussing our strategy in this war.”
“Do you want to replace any of the vacant seats?” Solomon asked.
Oh. I should have expected that question. Tristan and I had already discussed it.
“For now, I’d like to keep my council as it is,” I said. “Those who have been dismissed can still command their regions, or their seconds-in-command can take that responsibility, but I don’t want to add anyone to the council at this time. We have a war to plan, and the more nimble we are, the better. So let’s get down to it.”
“Should we get an update on where things stand with the Amadis and the rest of the world first?” Charlotte asked, another reminder of normal procedure.
“Of course,” I said hurriedly, giving her a mental thank-you. Damn. I was doing a lousy job already, and we hadn’t even started the strategy making part. “We all know the Daemoni have revealed themselves worldwide and have brought us into the fray in the worst way possible. We tried to counter them last night, but Lucas pulled out his trump card.”
“Oh, that’s not the worst of what he has,” Vanessa muttered.
“No, it’s not,” I agreed, “but it certainly beat our first move. Those of you on the phone, any more news from your regions?”
“Nothing I haven’t reported yet,” Jelani, a wizard from Africa, said. None of the others had more news to report either.
“Many of our business interests have suffered,” Tristan said, bringing up another topic I almost forgot to address. “We’ve lost almost every business we own. As of yesterday, the millions in stocks we possessed were sold off at my direction.”
“Just in time, Tristan,” Jelani commented. “Even in Kenya we know the stock markets are crashing.”
&nbs
p; Tristan nodded. “We need to stockpile resources while we’re able to so we can be prepared to support our people. The world is definitely changing and headed for war.”
Taking that as my cue, I turned toward the large vampire sitting on the other side of Owen. “Solomon, can you tell us about the U.N.?”
He nodded and leaned closer to the phone device.
“For those who haven’t seen it on the news right before this meeting, the United Nations has officially collapsed,” he said. Someone on the phone must not have known because a gasp sounded through the line. “The vote was made and confirmed this morning. All treaties and alliances are officially null and void.”
“This is the work of the Daemoni?” I clarified.
“Indeed,” Solomon said. “They have been working on tearing down the U.N. for many months. The attacks and bombings the other day almost backfired on the Daemoni. The Normans started the meeting with a proposal to ban together against the supernaturals, and I thought for a moment the world might actually see complete unification among humans. But Lucas’s people quickly interfered with their powerful influence, putting a stop to that kind of thinking. They convinced the delegates that all countries should have autonomy to handle this situation as each sees fit. Many are already prepared to go to war, blaming each other for harboring the monsters, as they called us.”
“Which is exactly what the Daemoni need,” Tristan said, resting his forearms on the table. “They need chaos, not any kind of unified fronts. They need Normans slaughtering other Normans, not making treaties with each other and playing nicely.”
“But if they’ve turned the norms against us, and don’t need their huge army to defeat us anymore, why are they bothering?” I asked, my naïveté about politics and strategies for taking over the world showing.
“They need the world to hit rock bottom so they can come to the rescue with promises of a new and improved society,” Vanessa said.
Solomon nodded. “I agree that is exactly what they’re doing.”
“Very Hitler-esque,” Sheree murmured.
Charlotte let out a quiet huff. “Who do you think was behind that movement?”
“Aren’t most of the countries in the U.N. sided with the Daemoni?” I asked, ignoring her rhetorical question. Mom had mentioned this several months back. “Wouldn’t the Daemoni just be fighting each other?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring any more leaders to our side,” Solomon replied. “I’m afraid Lucas’s accusations have lost us any allies we already had.”
“But it will be the norms who will be fighting each other,” Vanessa clarified. “It’s just a game to the Daemoni because they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They’ll have fun with their war, creating violence and chaos, and amusing themselves with the battles between norms. Their very favorite form of entertainment.”
“And when he’s bored and ready to end it all, Lucas will use his Norman super-soldiers to win, leading the world to the future he wants,” I concluded, catching on.
The grim look on everyone’s faces confirmed my conclusion.
“So we need to figure out how to disable the stones in the Norman soldiers,” I said.
Tristan nodded his agreement. “Yes, that will be paramount to our strategy.”
“Are the soldiers in one location?” Chandra, a were-leopard from India, asked.
“Not likely,” Tristan answered. “I’m sure Lucas dispatched them around the world before the Daemoni came out to the Normans. The Summoned sons and their offspring are like the remote controls of the soldiers, and they may still be in one place. That would make it easier for Lucas to control them and orchestrate his war.”
“Do you think they’re still at the Defense buildings in Virginia?” Chandra asked.
“It’s been a few weeks since we were there, but if Lucas is still set up in that building, it’s possible.”
“We need to go there immediately,” I said hoping we could figure out how to break the curse on them while we were at it.
“We need to make finding the Summoned sons a priority,” Tristan agreed.
“My core team here will take this mission,” I told the others. Not surprisingly, many people had something to say about that, most of it protests. I made everyone quiet down. “You all have your own regions to worry about. You’ll need to carry out your own plan of action where you are, and eventually, be ready to take down the Norman soldiers so you can extract their stones. But first, we need to cut them off from their controllers.”
“We’re already familiar with what they’ve done,” Tristan added. “We have firsthand experience with what the stones can do, and we know how to locate and extract them. And because of the situation and the danger, Alexis should be there to monitor our enemies’ thoughts, especially if she’s able to reach Lucas. Learning his plans for all fronts of this war could be all we need to succeed.”
Nobody could argue with him about that. Yet, a tingling came in the back of my mind. When I checked those around me, though, their thoughts showed agreement.
“I suggest you gather as much intelligence about Lucas’s whereabouts as possible first,” Solomon said.
“He was at the White House this morning,” I reminded him.
“And since we and the rest of the world know that, he may be on his way out of the area,” Tristan countered. “There’s a good chance he’ll go into hiding from everyone since he’ll be pitting them all against each other. And he can move quickly.”
“If we go to Virginia when he could already be in Hades, taking the Summoned with him, we’d be wasting our time,” Vanessa said.
Tristan nodded. “Exactly. Also, the Daemoni had obviously been expecting us last night, so we need to revise our strategy and make it look like we’re retreating for now so we can surprise him later.”
I didn’t like the idea of waiting—which could also be a waste of time—but everyone else agreed with this proposal, and they had much more experience than I did, so I went along with the plan.
“As soon as it makes sense, we’re moving,” I said. “I’d rather have to chase after Lucas and the Summoned than be sitting here doing nothing when he lets those soldiers loose.”
“What about the people here on the island when we go?” Blossom asked. “Without Owen and Charlotte here to give the shield the most power, the island will be left quite vulnerable.”
“We need every single body who can fight to leave the island and do just that,” Tristan replied. “The elderly and the young can and probably should be moved to safer locations. I expect the Daemoni will continue targeting the island, and if not them, the Normans will, based on the information they’re being fed.”
“There are a few villages that remain untouched,” Minh, an Asian witch, said from the phone. I couldn’t help but picture her wearing the ridiculous green hat she’d worn the first time I’d met her. “The Daemoni apparently don’t know they’re there.”
“Dingo Bend?” Jax asked.
“Yes, that’s one,” Minh confirmed. “Kuckaroo was hit, but not too badly. Dingo Bend, though, remains a good place for our weak to hide. It’s shielded and cloaked well in the middle of the Outback.”
Another, stronger prod in my mind. My first thought was my instinct or even Mom or Cassandra or the Angels trying to tell me something. But then I latched onto it . . .
“If we can get people to go, we probably should,” Tristan said. “I don’t know how much longer this island will continue to be safe.”
At the same time, Dorian screamed into my mind: “MOM!”
Chapter 6
Dorian, I called back, the hair on the nape of my neck rising. What’s wrong? Are you okay?
“They’re coming back.”
The unmistakable fear in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, and then I picked up on the mind signatures. I jumped to my feet. “The Daemoni.”
Without further explanation, I flashed to the mansion on the other side of the island and sp
rinted inside and up the steps.
“Dorian!” I screamed all the way up, my heart and my thoughts racing even faster than my body.
Had they really come back for him? Lucas had made it sound like he’d wait for Dorian to make his choice. Were these rogues? Or had Lucas only been telling his usual lies?
I barely reached our wing and his door when Dorian plowed into me.
“Mom! I was trying to get your attention,” he accused. “They’re coming.”
As if to punctuate his statement, the ground and the walls of the mansion shook.
“Get down!” I threw myself on top of him, flattening both of us to the floor as the building continued to tremble. Dresser drawers shook open, and long forgotten toys fell off the shelf. Sasha stood over us, the size of a horse, growling.
“Alexis, they’re already in,” Owen said. “It’s not good here. Not good at all.”
We’re coming. I wrapped my arms around Dorian. “We need to get to the council hall again.”
“I can fly us there.”
I shook my head. “My way’s faster.”
After a quick mental check to make sure everyone had vacated this end of the island, as we’d instructed them after last time, I flashed to the main room of the council hall, taking Dorian and Sasha with me.
Pull the shield in again, I told Owen the moment we appeared.
“I can’t.”
What do you mean, you can’t?
“I don’t know. All I can figure is the bombs the other day weren’t your everyday explosives. They must have left some kind of magical trace that’s interfering with our shield. We have no control over it, and they’re blasting right through it.”
I looked through his eyes to see what he saw from his vantage point on the council hall’s roof: Smoke and fire throughout the village. Buildings seeming to spontaneously combust.
“They’ve cloaked the bombs this time,” Charlotte explained. “So we can’t see them to reroute them.”
I pressed my lips together before the scream of frustration building in my chest could fly out.
You all need to take cover then. I hoped they couldn’t hear the defeat in my thoughts as they would have in my normal voice.