Dark Queen’s Army

by I. T. Lucas

  Annani waved a dismissive hand. “That was not how the use of veils started. Did you not read the Bible? There is a story which demonstrates who wore veils and why.”

  “If I did, I don’t remember it.”

  Annani smiled. “Let me refresh your memory. It is in the story of Juda and Tamar. When Tamar’s husband dies, leaving no heir, Juda is bound by tradition to give her his second son, but when he dies as well, he hesitates to give her his third son, thinking that she is bad luck. Tamar wants to preserve the family line, so she takes off her mourning garb and puts on a veil, disguising herself as a prostitute. She seduces Juda while he is on the road to supervise the shearing of his sheep. Naturally, Juda does not recognize his daughter-in-law, for she has her face covered in the manner of prostitutes.”

  Alena laughed. “That’s the exact opposite of what the veil came to symbolize.”

  Annani nodded. “It is not the first or last thing that humans somehow managed to turn on its head. But I digress. I would like to speak with Syssi about her vision. Could you please call her and Kian and invite them over?”

  They were leaving for West Virginia the next day, while she and Alena were going home. For some reason, this time around, Annani found it harder than ever to part with her family. Syssi’s strange vision was a good excuse to spend a little more time with them.

  Alena pulled her phone out. “Do you want me to call Amanda and Dalhu too?”

  Her daughter knew her well.

  “I do not have a good excuse for inviting them.”

  Alena smirked. “You are the Clan Mother. You do not need an excuse. You issue a summons, and that’s it.”

  “That may be true, but I need to keep up appearances. I do not wish to be thought of as a dictator.”

  “Fates forbid.” Alena put a dramatic hand over her heart. “Not a dictator, just a diva. I’m calling Amanda.”

  Annani shook her head. Alena probably wanted to see her sister and brother one more time before leaving too, and she was using Annani as an excuse.

  When her children and their spouses arrived, she hugged each one a little longer, memorizing their scents and the feel of their arms around her. Except for Dalhu, who seemed so shocked by her embrace that she let go of him quickly.

  He bowed nearly to the floor. “Thank you, Clan Mother.”

  “No need to thank me, Dalhu. We are a family now. Although, I would have loved for you two to have an official ceremony, so I could call you my son by marriage.”

  The huge man swayed on his legs, and she had a feeling he would have toppled over if not for Amanda’s supporting arm.

  “Stop pestering Dalhu, Mother. We don’t need a ceremony.”

  “I know that you do not need it, but it would be nice to have a party and celebrate your union with the people who care about you.”

  “Are Mey and Yamanu getting married anytime soon?” Syssi asked, diverting attention from poor Dalhu, who looked like he wished for the floor to swallow him up.

  “They do not have a set date yet, but as soon as they locate Mey’s sister, they will start planning their wedding.”

  As Ogidu entered the living room with a tray of appetizers, Annani motioned for everyone to sit down.

  “I want to ask you about your vision, Syssi. Alena tells me that you have predicted a woman with fangs and something about the Odus.

  Syssi shifted her eyes to Ogidu, then back to Annani. “It wasn’t exactly a vision. It was more like a dream. I think I just fainted.”

  Kian wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her closer to him. “You need to take better care of yourself now that you are growing another person in your tummy. Eating regular meals and not skipping any is important.”

  She smiled at him and cupped his cheek. “I know, my love. And since that fainting spell, I always carry a snack or two in my purse.”

  He let out a breath. “I’m glad.”

  “You are married to a very sensible woman.”

  “I know, and I thank the Fates for that every day.”

  Annani had a feeling that Syssi was stalling, waiting for Ogidu to leave. Except, there were three more Odus in the house, and no one knew for sure how good their hearing was. They might be able to hear her despite the excellent soundproofing.

  As if to prove Annani’s suspicion, Syssi looked in the direction of the kitchen before continuing.

  “The woman in my dream looked a lot like Mey. She didn’t have her exact features, but she had similar height, coloring, beauty, and also very distinctive fangs. What makes me think that it was a dream and not a vision is that I invented a species of people called the Krall for the virtual company that Kian and I have bought, and those were the people in the dream. What I don’t understand is how the Odus got mixed up with the Krall in my head. Alena suggested that since Okidu’s accident, I might have been thinking about him more like family, and that’s why the Odus were on my mind.”

  “What were they doing in your dream?” Annani asked.

  “Not much. The Krall, the vampire-like people who I made up, were loading them into space shuttles, and everyone looked kind of depressed except for the queenly woman.”

  “Interesting.” Annani pursed her lips. “What did those Krall people look like?”

  “Very tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed, olive-skinned, and with fangs that didn’t retract all the way like our males’ do. They were the size of about a quarter of fully extended fangs, but that was enough to make them look vampiric. They all had long hair, the males too, and they wore it in different styles. Some wore it loose, some had it in long ponytails, and others had it braided either in one or two braids or more. The only female in the entire spaceport was the majestic one, and her fangs looked the same size as the males’.”

  “Anything else that you remember from that dream?”

  Syssi twirled a strand of hair round her finger. “The sky was dark with a reddish tint to it, it was very windy, and everyone’s eyes were glowing.”

  Annani nodded. “Fascinating. Your dream could have been made into a Star Trek episode.”

  As everyone started commenting about the show, Annani took a moment to digest the information.

  Had Kian told Syssi about the Odus having been used in battle and then decommissioned?

  What Syssi had described could have been a scene from when the Odus had been ejected into space. Except, the gods had been pale, light-haired, light-eyed. They had not looked like vampires either unless they had been fighting or having sex, which would have caused the males’ fangs to elongate. Syssi’s explanation made sense. Part of what she had seen might have been indeed a vision, but the rest was probably conjured up by her own mind.

  42

  Mey

  “We are about to land,” the pilot announced. “Please fasten your seatbelts.”

  Mey did as he asked, as did Syssi, Callie, and Ella. In short, all the former humans who were programmed to respond to the pilot’s command.

  The others ignored him.

  Wonder was asleep, her head resting on Anandur’s lap. Amanda was reading a magazine with Dalhu’s head resting on her shoulder. He was snoring softly. Kian was on his laptop, Julian was talking with Ella, and Brundar was imitating a statue, staring into the void and not moving a muscle.

  Arwel, who was the only one without a mate, was reading something on his phone. Probably a book.

  A total of thirteen immortals were being flown by a human crew who had no idea how unusual their passengers were. Mey smiled. It was good that thirteen was a lucky number in Judaism, or she would have been worried.

  A lot of thought had gone into making their presence in West Virginia not only anonymous but also untraceable.

  Instead of using one of the clan’s jets, Turner had arranged their transport with a buddy of his from his days in the military so they could fly incognito. They were leaving no trail that could lead back to their home base.

  Turner had also used another contact to secure a cabin for them, again, tota
lly incognito.

  Mey still hadn’t met Bridget’s fascinating mate, and she was really curious about him. He was also a former human who had transitioned not too long ago, and yet he appeared to be one of Kian’s right-hand men.

  It was good to know that the clan didn’t have a hierarchy in which newcomers were thought of as lesser members. That would have sucked.

  Shifting in her seat, she tried to rest her cheek on Yamanu’s shoulder, but the sharp pain that followed reminded her of why that wasn’t a good idea.

  “Do you need more meds?” Yamanu asked.

  “No, I’m good. I just forgot that I shouldn’t put any pressure on the area.”

  When she’d woken up in the morning and patted her sensitive gums with a gentle finger, Mey had discovered that two tiny but very sharp tips had broken the surface.

  Perhaps by the end of the day, she was going to have teeth instead of gaps, and hopefully, they could pass for sharp canines. She wouldn’t mind tiny fangs like Amanda and Wonder’s. They were kind of cute, and she could see why Yamanu found them sexy. If hers grew to be as big as his, she doubted he would still think that.

  In the meantime, Mey had decided against wearing a dust mask. Instead, she was going to open her mouth as little as possible, and when she absolutely had to talk, she was going to cover it with her hand.

  Problem solved.

  Besides, once they arrived at the resort, it would be cold enough to justify a scarf covering her entire face except for the eyes.

  The weather in Lewisburg, the tiny town where they were about to land, was mild. But they were going straight into the vehicles waiting for them near the runway, and an hour and a half later, they were going to arrive at the resort where it was going to be cold.

  The private runway in Lewisburg was used primarily by crop dusters and the occasional delivery of supplies to the nearby farms, so the plane’s arrival would not be something out of the ordinary.

  Its passengers hadn’t been registered.

  “Touch down,” Anandur called out as the wheels made contact with the ground.

  Mey started clapping, but when everyone regarded her quizzically, she stopped. “Where I come from, it’s customary to applaud the pilot for landing the plane safely. After all, our lives are in his or her hands, so I think that showing gratitude is a nice sentiment.”

  “It is.” Yamanu started clapping and then leaned and kissed her forehead.

  The others reluctantly joined in.

  Mey laughed. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

  A burgundy Suburban and two gray minivans waited for them next to the strip. None was new, or clean, and Mey wondered where Turner had found them. Was there a special rental place for nondescript cars that aroused no suspicion?

  Anandur wrinkled his nose when Kian handed him the keys to the Suburban. “Do you want me to drive that?”

  Kian cocked a brow. “Do you prefer one of the minivans?”

  The Guardian let out a tortured breath. “I’ll take the Suburban.”

  Nearly two hours later, when they arrived at the chalet, Anandur’s mood improved dramatically. “Now, that’s what I call a cabin.”

  It was as big as a mansion and looked luxurious.

  “The place has eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms, and the couches in the living room and the loft open into beds.” Kian helped Syssi out of the SUV. “It can sleep twenty people, has all the amenities and even internet, which is a big deal in this area. It’s not Wi-Fi, but there are ports all over the cabin so everyone can hook up their devices.”

  The only cellular reception that worked in the area was AT&T’s, and they had all gotten simple phones that they could use in the resort. The satellite ones were prohibited in the Quiet Zone.

  After Anandur put in the code to open the door, they all scattered to choose their bedrooms. Syssi and Kian naturally got the master.

  “Hey, there is even food in the fridge!” Callie called from the kitchen. “Who wants to help me start dinner?”

  43

  Ella

  The next morning, Ella woke up early and padded to the kitchen, lured by the smell of coffee.

  Callie turned around and cast her a smile. “Want to help?”

  “Sure. What do you want me to do?”

  “Set up the table. Breakfast is almost ready.”

  Ella opened a cabinet and pulled out a stack of plates. “How long have you been awake?”

  “An hour. I wanted to surprise everyone and have breakfast ready when they woke up.”

  “That’s so sweet of you.”

  Callie was awesome.

  Ten minutes later, the table was set, and more people started drifting down, lured either by the smell of coffee or the mountain of hash browns Callie had made. There were also pancakes and eggs and toast, enough to feed an army.

  “Thank you for making breakfast,” Kian told Callie.

  “It was a joint effort, right, Ella?” Callie winked at her.

  “I just set the table. Callie did everything else.”

  Syssi waved her fork. “Thank you both. Tomorrow, though, it should be someone else’s turn.”

  Callie shrugged. “I don’t mind doing it every morning.”

  When they were done eating, Kian lifted his phone and waved it from side to side to get their attention. “Does everyone have Eleanor’s picture on their phones?” When people nodded, he opened his. “Please double-check before we go out.”

  Ella lifted her new phone and opened the photo application that had only one picture in it. Her aunt’s. It wasn’t a good one, driver’s license photographs were usually the worst, but she could imagine how her aunt looked in a better light.

  She was dark-haired, like Ella’s father, and she had the same striking eyes that were a beautiful shade of greenish-blue. But hers lacked the mirth that Ella remembered her father’s always held.

  Or perhaps what she remembered was the photograph of him in uniform that her mother still kept on the fireplace mantel.

  It was nice of Magnus not to object to the prominent place his mate’s first husband’s portrait took in their house. He probably did it for Parker’s sake. That picture was what kept his father’s memory alive in his heart, and that was important.

  Joshua Takala was not going to be forgotten by his children. Ella just wished that his sister was more of a family person. She had disappeared from their lives long before joining the paranormal talent collection program.

  Not that they knew for sure that she was part of it.

  They were basing their assumptions on circumstantial evidence. All they had was a fake West Virginia driver’s license with the name Marisol Ortega on it, and Ella’s suspicion that her father had been a Dormant, which meant that his sister must be one too.

  That, combined with Mey finding a West Virginia travel guide with an earmarked page about the Quiet Zone, was what had brought them here.

  It was flimsy, but that was all they had. And as Julian had pointed out, if they didn’t find Eleanor or Jin, at least they could enjoy a ski vacation and a fun time with friends and family.

  Except, Ella didn’t know how to ski, while Julian was an experienced skier. He would be tackling the intermediate and advanced slopes, while Ella was going to take a beginner’s class.

  “Remember,” Kian continued. “She is not going by Eleanor. She might be going by Marisol, or she might have another alias.”

  “What do we tell the people we question?” Anandur asked.

  “That you are looking for a girl’s long-lost aunt. The girl’s father was killed in the war, and the aunt is the only family she has left. Last she heard, her aunt worked in a ski resort.”

  Except for the part about working in the resort, the rest was true.

  Several eyes turned her way, making her uncomfortable. But when Kian kept going, their attention returned to him.

  “Those of us who are experienced skiers will take the red and black runs and question the people operating t
hem. After you do that, thrall the memory away.”

  “I have another question,” Anandur said. “Brundar and I are supposed to be glued to you. Do you suggest that we spread out?”

  Kian cast a quick look at Dalhu and smiled. “I’m nominating Dalhu as my temporary bodyguard. He and Amanda are going to join Syssi and me on the reds.”

  “I can go on a black,” Syssi protested.

  Kian reached for her hand. “I know that you can, and after the baby is born and is old enough to travel, we can go skiing down any run you wish. But until then, I want you to take it easy.”

  Amanda leaned toward Syssi from the other side. “I can do the black, but I prefer the red. I don’t like the intensity of the black.”

  That seemed to placate Syssi. “Okay. I’ll do it for you.” She winked.

  Anandur shook his head. “I’m not happy with Dalhu taking our place. He is only one man.”

  The former Doomer folded his muscular arms over his chest and grinned. “Are you questioning my abilities?”

  Anandur waved dismissively. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. Other than in the safety of the village, Kian is supposed to have two bodyguards at all times. You are big, but you are not two men.”

  Amanda scowled at Anandur. “Dalhu can take on an entire unit of Guardians on his own. Give it a break, Anandur. Since when you are such a stickler for the rules?”

  “Kian can do as he pleases, but if Annani finds out about this, I’m going to blame him for breaking her rules.”

  “Fine with me,” Kian said. “Here is a map of the runs.” He held it up for everyone to see. “Syssi, Amanda, Dalhu and I are going to take this one. Anandur and Wonder, you take this one.” He pointed.

  “I can’t ski,” Wonder said.

  Ella perked up. She wasn’t the only one. “I can’t either. Do you want to take a class with me?”

  “I would love to.” Wonder turned to Callie. “How about you? Can you ski?”

  “I’m a beginner, but I’m just going to stay here, keep Mey company, and prepare lunch.”