Queen's Journey (Lilith's Shadow Book 5)

by Benjamin Medrano

  The police were escorting the last of the attackers into a van, and Lilith… well, she was wondering what she was going to do when they were done. Her car was thoroughly dead, and she didn’t exactly have another. Beyond that, she didn’t have anyone waiting at home to help her, either, which was… not good, when she thought about it, and her mood crashed. Hard.

  “Hey, Lilith. I heard you could use a ride,” someone said behind her, and Lilith paused, blinking at the vaguely recognizable voice, and she turned, only to raise her eyebrows as she saw the man behind her.

  Shade looked surprisingly mundane out of his superhero outfit, aside from having a darker skin tone than most people in the area. He was wearing a long-sleeved, button down shirt that was a deep blue with gold embroidery, and his jeans looked well-worn as he stood next to a small pickup truck with a sparkling blue paint job.

  “Ah… Shade? I thought you didn’t like mixing your public and private personas,” Lilith said, blinking at him a couple of times.

  “I don’t, which is why I have a ride-share sticker on my window,” Shade replied easily, gesturing at the car, and Lilith saw the sticker a moment later. “Not that it’ll fool anyone if they do much research, but it’s amazing what people will overlook if you give them an easy explanation.”

  “If you say so,” Lilith said, a smile growing on her face, and she shrugged. “Mostly, I’m surprised you’re the one who showed up. I thought you didn’t like me as much as the others.”

  “Nah, it isn’t so much that, and more that you aren’t my type,” Shade said, looking Lilith over for a moment as he considered, hesitating, then admitted, “You’re pretty enough, but something about you makes me uneasy. It’s like… looking at a fire, if that makes any sense? Pretty enough to look at, but it’ll burn you if you actually touch it.”

  “I’m not sure how I should take that,” Lilith told him, slightly taken aback, since she’d never thought of herself as frightening.

  “It isn’t supposed to be an insult, it’s just… one of those ideas of look, but don’t touch,” Shade explained. “Anyway, as to why me? Archon and Spark don’t drive, so they can’t, really. Hell, I’m pretty sure Spark doesn’t have a driver’s license, and Archon let hers lapse years ago. Decarin doesn’t leave the compound much, so since I was already closer, I went ahead and came over.”

  “That… makes sense. Wings would be difficult to work around, and I suspect that Spark hasn’t gotten along with vehicles for a while. Combustion- or battery-powered, the chances of her causing them to burst into flames are just a little too high,” Lilith admitted, still a little off kilter from what she’d been through, as well as finding out about Shade’s discomfort with her. “Thank you, though. I do appreciate you coming out, since I had no idea how I was going to get home.”

  “I’m sure that the cops would’ve given you a ride if you’d asked, but yeah, it’s definitely something that’d make things difficult,” Shade replied, giving her an easy nod. “Why don’t you chat with them and see if you can go? I’m pretty sure they’ve wrapped up, from the way they’re moving, but it’s best to be sure.”

  Lilith nodded, smiling at him as she spoke, “Sure, I can do that. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  He nodded, leaning against his truck comfortably, and Lilith turned to find the officer who was in charge. She had no idea what rank the brunette was, but she’d been brisk in their interactions so far.

  “Yes? Do you need something?” Officer Adams snapped, looking at Lilith through her sunglasses.

  “I was just checking to see if you need any more information from me. I have someone to give me a ride home, but I know that the other officer said they might need more information,” Lilith explained.

  “Let me see… we got a call from your contact at SuperNet, who gave us your insurance info, so that’s taken care of, we have your statement, and I believe the medics looked you over and didn’t find anything?” the officer said, looking up from her tablet with a quirk of her eyebrow.

  “That’s right. I’m afraid that my car took all of the damage, as well as my attackers,” Lilith confirmed, though she was somewhat surprised she hadn’t been injured at all. Not even a scrape.

  “In that case, you can go. All the paperwork is sorted, and if you aren’t hurt, we don’t need to take you to the hospital,” Officer Adams replied. “The sooner you get out of here, the faster we can clean up.”

  Lilith nodded, opening her mouth to reply, then stopped herself. Instead of what she was going to say, she simply stated. “Thank you, I’ll get out of your way, then.”

  The officer just waved her off, and Lilith took a step back before turning away, resisting the urge to shake her head. She couldn’t help feeling that there was something wrong with her, with the way she kept attracting trouble. Which wasn’t a good thing, and could lead to more depression, so she firmly stepped on the feeling. She couldn’t control what other people did, so she shouldn’t feel guilty about being attacked. Sympathy for others who got caught in the crossfire, sure, but since no one had been injured, she didn’t even have that excuse for guilt.

  “It seems that I’m free to go,” Lilith told Shade as she returned, shrugging as she added. “They seem to be eager to get rid of me, for whatever reason.”

  “You attract attention, which means they have to spend more time worrying about the perimeter than on cleaning up. It’s one of the reasons heroes can get released more quickly sometimes,” Shade said, smiling as he opened his door and climbed in. “Come on in, and we’ll get you back to your house. Unless you need to go somewhere else?”

  “No, fortunately or not, my appointment got changed,” Lilith replied, circling around to get into the truck.

  The interior of Shade’s truck was incredibly clean, and the seats were a fine fabric weave, one that didn’t seem to have gotten much sunlight. Lilith took a seat and buckled herself in, letting out a sigh of relief as she did so.

  “Thank you for this. I’m not sure if I’d have thought to ask the police for a ride,” Lilith told him, and Shade laughed, hitting the key to power his truck up then got them moving.

  “It’s not a huge deal, but you’re welcome,” Shade replied, slowing for a few moments while he waited for traffic to clear enough for him to merge, then accelerated into a gap. “Besides, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a few weeks anyway.”

  “Oh?” Lilith asked, glancing at Shade curiously. She should be worried, she supposed, but the casual way he was talking, as well as the fact they were driving… well, if he was going to be interrogating her for anything important, Lilith doubted he’d have done it in his civilian guise.

  “Archon and Spark,” Shade said simply, glancing at her. “What’re you planning, regarding them?”

  Lilith couldn’t help a soft laugh, shaking her head as she spoke. “Planning seems like a strong term for it. They’re the ones who approached me, you know.”

  “Yes, but you have to have some idea of what you’re going for, right?” Shade countered, a slight smile on his face as he continued. “Planning to go for another three-way relationship?”

  That brought Lilith up short, and she looked at him curiously, wondering what he was getting at. Despite that, she couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking, as he seemed to have better control of his expression than, say… Emily did. So Lilith shrugged and settled back.

  “I have no idea,” Lilith said. “If I knew what I wanted, it would be a lot easier. I’m in therapy, and still recovering after what Amber did to me. Gina and Rachel…”

  Lilith let her voice trail off as she thought about them, pain aching in her chest at the memories that sprang to mind. They hadn’t been gone for much more than a month, but that felt like an eternity to her. Memories were fading, whether she wanted them to or not, and that irritated her immensely. She didn’t want to lose the memories.

  “I don’t blame them for leaving, yet part of me does. It hurt, a lot,” Lilith said at last, glancing over at Shade ag
ain. He seemed to just be listening, so she kept going. “They were my only real friends. Sure, Blooming Orchid is a friend, too, but she hasn’t been back in ages. I thought she might, but Doctor Johnson gave her the slip at the last second. At this point, I won’t be surprised if she chases him to Africa or something. So, I don’t have any plans, where Archon and Emily are concerned. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a serious relationship, or even if either of them feels that way about me.”

  “Really? I’m pretty sure that Spark is ready for more than that,” Shade replied, sounding skeptical. “Though I’ll also concede she tends to jump into things before thinking. I swear it’s a personality trait of speedsters.”

  Lilith laughed again, inclining her head. “You’re right about that. I likely should have specified that it’s more Archon than Emily, in that regard. I’m just… trying to take things slow. My therapist says that I should wait until I’m ready for another relationship, not to just jump into things because I feel I have to.”

  “Seems reasonable enough. I just wanted to see what you had planned, and whether I needed to tell them to back off or not,” Shade said, letting out a sigh as he moved into the turn lane. “I know that both of them are grown women, but with everything that’s happened, I don’t want them to get hurt. Or them to hurt you, for that matter, as I know you’re really fragile compared to Archon, and I think Spark, for that matter.”

  “I think everyone is fragile, compared to Archon. Except for people on the same scale as her,” Lilith replied, a smile playing across her lips as she relaxed a little. “Believe me, though, part of why I’m dating them is because I don’t want to hurt them. And as for multiple relationships… I doubt that will happen. If they were attracted to one another, I suspect they’d have formed a couple a long time ago.”

  “Point,” Shade said. After a few seconds, he added, “That said, there is another thing. So… the bowling alley banned Archon after the last time we went there. Well, technically they didn’t ban her, they just asked her not to break their equipment again, so we haven’t gone out in a while, even when the city’s been quiet. We could really use a fourth, if you’re interested.”

  “Bowling?” Lilith asked, raising her eyebrows, and paused, considering what little she knew about it. That wasn’t much, but at least she’d heard of it, and she thought for a few seconds before shrugging. “Why not? You’d have to teach me, but I’m sure I can look up the basic rules once I’m home.”

  “Great!” Shade exclaimed, then flushed as he cleared his throat, focusing on driving. “Ah, sorry, I just like to do things that are a bit more mundane from time to time. Not all of us are incredibly strong or fast, and bowling is mostly about skill. Which is why Decarin always kicks my ass.”

  Lilith’s eyebrows rose, and she looked at him. “Really, Dec does?”

  “Yup,” Shade confirmed, smiling a little more. “I’m no slouch at figuring out angles and how much force is needed, I do a lot of that with my spells, but he’s really good at it, and it only takes him one or two throws to nail things down. It’s impressive, and I consider it impetus to improve. I’ll beat him one of these days.”

  Lilith couldn’t help another smile, and she nodded. “Well, if it’s not based on chance, that sounds like my sort of game. When it comes to anything which is purely chance, I’m terrible.”

  That got an interested look from Shade, and he grinned. “Really, is that so?”

  Suddenly, Lilith got the impression that she’d made a mistake.

  Chapter 35

  Tuesday, October 14th, 2031

  Final Countdown Redoubt, Kansas

  Sabra flinched as she heard the footsteps coming. Each heavy thud echoed through the halls, practically shaking the floor, which was impressive with how solid everything was. She was certain that the sound of the steps was on purpose at this point, as sometimes Black Harbinger was perfectly silent, and capable of sneaking up on her in a way that was eerie for such a large man, but she kept that thought to herself. He’d taken far too much pleasure in torturing Masuda for her to share her suspicions.

  “I’m going to kill him one of these days,” Abasi muttered under his breath, fortunately in Atlantean, but Sabra shot him a warning glare, once again annoyed that he was putting both of them at risk. He didn’t even glance in her direction, though.

  “What was that?” the other man in the room demanded, glaring at Abasi suspiciously. He was a short man, with broad shoulders and a wiry build. The scar across his mouth and chin was unpleasant, and his brown hair had been cut short. Sabra didn’t care for the look of him, and also didn’t know his name. Regretfully, that might be about to change.

  “He was saying that he could hear Black Harbinger coming,” Sabra said, giving Abasi another look, and this time he returned it. Not with guilt, but with defiance, which made her think he was going to get them both killed.

  “Is that so? Well, it’s obvious, ain’t it? He’s the only one who walks like that, here,” The man replied, sounding somewhat suspicious, but he seemed to lose interest as he turned back to the door.

  The room they were in wasn’t large, with a chalk board on the back wall, something which startled Sabra with its presence, and benches forming an auditorium behind them. It looked like a small classroom to her, which made no sense. Why would a villain have something like this in their hideout?

  The door creaking open distracted her, and Black Harbinger stepped through. The man was huge, with black armor encasing his entire body, crimson runes glittering along the edges, and one arm was a massive cannon. His entire body oozed entropic shadows, which ate away even at magical spells, and Sabra suppressed a shudder. She freely admitted that he frightened her.

  “A decision has been made,” Black Harbinger said in his booming voice, stepping in front of them.

  “What decision, boss?” the other man said, his voice no longer containing the sharp edge that it had before.

  “We will be acquiring Lilith Carpenter within the next month,” Black Harbinger said flatly, and turned toward Abasi. “How long will it take you to create the first stage of the portal?”

  “Two weeks, possibly as little as a week and a half,” Abasi replied grudgingly, a hint of fear on his face as he added. “It depends on how many people you want to take through. Six would only take a week.”

  “You. How long?” Black Harbinger demanded, his glowing red eyes focusing on Sabra, and she resisted the urge to shiver.

  “The same. My portal has to be able to move, which makes it more difficult, but this is more of my specialty,” Sabra replied calmly.

  “You will begin preparations. The portals must be able to allow at least two dozen individuals to pass through them each way,” Black Harbinger ordered, and Sabra did wince at that. She knew better than to argue, though, as she just inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. She’d be sleeping less for a good part of the next couple of weeks, she suspected.

  “But… that’s going to take even more time, and—” Abasi began, only to be cut off as Black Harbinger aimed his cannon at Abasi’s face.

  “You stated you could create the portal in two weeks. You will do so or suffer the consequences,” Black Harbinger told him, absolutely no sense of humor in his voice.

  “Y-yes,” Abasi stuttered, and only then did Sabra realize she could see faint wisps of energy pulsing inside the barrel. It must be like staring into the void of death.

  “Good,” Black Harbinger said, holding the cannon like that for a few more seconds, then lowered it, turning to the other man. “Craig. You will be responsible for returning the woman here undamaged. I will make clear to the mercenaries that they are not to harm her in any significant way.”

  “Right, boss,” Craig replied, giving a nasty grin. “What ‘bout anyone who gets in the way?”

  “As long as it doesn’t slow the job down, do as you like,” Black Harbinger said. “Any questions?”

  Sabra shook her head, and when no one else replied, Black Harbinge
r spoke again. “Good. Get to work. I expect to be able to act in two weeks.”

  With that he tromped out of the room, and Sabra gave Abasi a cold look as she whispered. “Would you attempt not to get both of us killed?”

  “Shut up,” he snapped in return, then stormed off.

  Sabra shook her head, waiting for both men to leave as she lingered in the room for a moment, then reached up to tap the collar around her neck nervously. She desperately wanted to be anywhere else, but Sabra also liked living. If only she knew more about technology, then she might be able to get out of the collar, but she didn’t. So, after a few minutes, she sighed and made her way out of the room. She was going to have to do an enormous amount of work over the next two weeks, and she didn’t look forward to it.

  Chapter 36

  Thursday, October 16th, 2031

  Iver, England

  “Isn’t this a bloody mess?” Madison said tartly, and Rachel twitched in surprise.

  She was sitting in the recliner that Madison used for their treatments, a comfortable chair which allowed them to sit for hours without too much discomfort. It still wasn’t incredibly comfortable by the end, but Rachel was willing to deal with that. At least when Madison wasn’t startling her into jumping halfway to the ceiling.

  “What’s a mess?” Rachel asked carefully, fully conscious of the tendrils of magic reaching deep inside her.