Marker of Hope (31 page)

After seeing how David marveled at my
skintight selection, I decided to go a step further and throw on a
pair of heeled boots—a Christmas present from Galilea—which sent
him into overdrive. I’d never seen him so frisky. I gave myself a
mental high five as I thought back to the way he’d skimmed my
now-wider hips. Oh, the look of hunger in his eyes…

I glanced at David, who stood by the door. He
gave me a sly grin, and I wondered what was going through his mind.
Focus, Isis.
I turned my attention to Frederick and the four
deities standing before me.

Among Frederick’s handpicked warriors was
Cezario, the young, lanky deity who possessed the power to
camouflage anything and anyone for miles. Today, Cezario sported a
buzz cut, a drastic change from the curly mop top I’d grown used to
seeing hanging over his deep-set black eyes. Before I had a chance
to study the rest of the group, Frederick stepped in front of the
four warriors, his back to me, his hands clasped at his back.

“Madam Isis would like you to carry out a
very specific duty for her,” Frederick said. “She’d—”

“Thank you, Frederick,” I cut him off. I
moved next to him, skimming the four deities before me, two females
and two males. “In light of recent events, you should know I don’t
trust a single one of you. But I’m willing to let you earn my
trust. We had a security breach six days ago. We’ve learned our
enemies can be anywhere and be anyone. So before dictating the
reason you’ve been called here, you’ll have to pass a series of
tests.”

“Madam,” the older female with black bobbed
hair stepped forward. “Permission to speak?”

“Go ahead,” I said.

Frederick leaned into my ear and whispered,
“Ideally, your response should be ‘granted’.”

“Ideally,” I whispered back, “shut up,
Frederick. I’m doing this my way, okay?” He nodded, and I turned to
the woman. “What’s your name?”

“Vasilika, at your orders, Madam Isis.”

“And what’s your question, Vasilika?”

“Are we being tested for strength, madam
or…?” Vasilika’s hazel eyes disengaged from mine. Her head bent,
and I noted the tense discomfort in her and the other three
deities’ shoulders.

Normally, I’d be bothered or concerned, but
not today. I knew why their demeanor had changed. It was with
purpose I’d altered my eyes to look as wicked as my demon enemies’.
From the other side of the room, David’s disproving stare met mine.
I ignored him.

“You’ll have your answers soon
enough—provided you pass the test,” I said to Vasilika.

“Thank you, madam.” She stepped back into
formation.

“Any other questions?” I asked the group.
“No? Let’s begin.”

Frederick cleared his throat. “Uh, Madam
Isis, may I speak to you—in private?”

“Maybe later,” I said. I pivoted, turning my
back to the group. I looked up to the ceiling, choosing the
chandelier as my focal point for the words I was about to say.
“Warriors, your test is as follows—on my signal, you must attack
First Commander Frederick. Go at him with all your might. And
warriors,” I paused, “aim to kill.”

“What?” Frederick shrieked.

“Now!” I commanded.

CHAPTER 35

Trampling feet on the wooden floorboards
created vibrations that made the crystal chandelier dangling from
the ceiling dance around. I twisted my neck to view the scene. The
young, curvy girl was swinging like a crazed monkey on Frederick’s
back. Her soft, golden curls bounced as Frederick tried to shove
her off with one hand and fight the rest of his opponents with the
other. Cezario threw a punch, impacting Frederick’s face. In turn,
Frederick kicked him in the stomach, leaving Cezario puffing on his
knees. The bald guy took a swing at Frederick, but hit the curvy
girl’s shoulder instead. And, to my surprise, curvy girl didn’t
even blink. From somewhere in her camouflaged pants, Vasilika
pulled out a knife.

“Isis…” David motioned to her hand.
“
Weapon!
”

“Stop!” I ordered. They didn’t hear me. “I
said stop!”

The fighting ceased.

“Are you,” Frederick panted, “crazy?” His
tone was bold, brows knit tight. “Why did you give those
orders?”

The four deities turned to view me. Their
faces paled as they met my gaze. A scream hitched in Vasilika’s
throat. The curvy girl, losing her grip, fell off Frederick’s back
and landed on her rear with a broadened stare. Cezario and the bald
young male who stood next to him were motionless by a bookcase,
agape. I took one step in their direction, and they took two steps
away, hitting the bookcase with their backs and knocking a handful
of hardcovers off the shelves. Thanks to my newfound self-control,
I’d transformed easily into the beast I’d once hated. Strange how,
in a matter of hours, I’d grown fond of my inner monster. She was
coming in handy after all. And though it was but half my face that
suffered the change each time I morphed, it was more than enough to
scare the pants off anyone.

“Congratulations,” I said, glancing around
the room at their perturbed faces. “You’ve passed the first test.
Now comes the second.” I summoned the bald guy with my index
finger. “You first.”

“Me?” He gulped.

“Isis…” I shifted my sight to David. He’d
been standing by the door observing the entire time. “You should…”
He raised his hand to his face. “He seems tense.”

“Does my appearance make you uneasy?” I asked
the bald guy. He nodded. “Good. Step forward, please.”

The bald guy glanced at Frederick, who gave
him a curt nod. With hesitant steps, baldy approached me.

“What’s your name?” I asked him.

“P-Pluto.”

“Like the yellow dog?”

I heard a snicker behind me, which made
realize how dumb I’d sounded. I was running on a few hours of
sleep, and my brain was hazy.

“My name is Pluto like the god of the
underworld, madam. What yellow dog are you referring to?”

“Never mind. Are you the god of the
underworld?”

“No, I’m simply named after him.”

“Oh.” Disappointing. I could’ve used Hades’
famous helmet of invisibility, assuming it existed. I took a whiff
of his flesh, but I found nothing abnormal in his scent.
“Congratulations, Pluto, you pass.” I eyed the young girl.
“Goldilocks, you’re up.”

The curvy girl with golden curls didn’t
hesitate. She walked across the room briskly and positioned herself
in front of me. She smelled good. Palatable, if it weren’t for the
excessive perfume.

“Your name?” I asked.

“Persia. Like the empire?”

“Yeah. I knew that one. But thanks for the
clarification.” Her perfume tickled my nose. “You pass,
Persia.”

“Woo!” She fist pumped. “I mean, thank you,
Madam Isis.”

Vasilika and Cezario, I knew were no threat.
I’d caught a trace of their scent as I walked into the room: sweat,
earth, and a blend of aromatic oils embedded in their skin, which I
now knew was typical of god and goddess flesh. However, to put my
doubt at ease once and for all, I stepped in their direction,
pausing for a moment in front of them. Little did they know I could
discern odors. That was how I knew they weren’t rotten
egg-and-ammonia-stinking demons. But in order to be sure I wasn’t
dealing with first-order Turpis who I’d learned were hard for me to
sniff out, I’d had to get their skin to expel their natural odors.
The way to do it was to get their sweat glands working. In the
process, I managed to kill two birds with one stone, which was why
Frederick had to take a beating. I felt guilty for it, but it was
necessary.

“Warriors, in demonstrating your degree of
loyalty to me by turning against your first commander, you’ve
gained my trust,” I said. “In addition, I’m relieved to say none of
you are covert Turpis. Now comes the final test. Each of you must
give a demonstration of your skills. Cezario,” I called out to him.
He tensed. “You can sit this one out. I already know what you can
do.” I sat on the sofa and made myself comfortable. David took a
place next to me, while Frederick stood by the window with an
annoyed frown.

“You can lose the face now. I think they got
the idea,” I heard Galilea’s voice in my ear. So that was who was
giggling behind me. I should’ve known.

“I thought I told you to take a nap,” I
said.

“I did.” She materialized, sitting on the
floor next to my leg. Then she reminded me, “The face?”

The skin on my face tightened as my
appearance reverted to its human form. The group stared at me in
awe. In the same instant, I noticed how the heaviness in the room’s
atmosphere seemed to lift and vanish. Was I so bloodcurdling to
look at?

“Volunteers?” I asked.

“Improper command,” Frederick mumbled from
the window. I pretended not to hear.

Vasilika and Pluto stepped forward at the
same time, but Pluto stepped back and gestured her to go on.
Vasilika stood in the center of the room.

“On your command, madam,” she said.

“Proceed,” I told her.

Vasilika raised both arms over her black,
bobbed hair. As she brought them down, she transformed into a white
cloud of smoke and floated up, higher and higher, until she hit the
ceiling. The cloud swirled above us, turning a deep shade of gray.
The low rumble of thunder filled the room, and then, without
warning, lightning hit the table on David’s side with an
electrifying boom. Everyone jumped.

Three seconds later, the rest of the Chioses
were in the den asking about the commotion. David explained we were
conducting assessments of each warrior, which caught the interest
of the twins and Alezzander, encouraging them to stay for the
viewing. However, Nyx, who was trying to console my weepy daughter,
opted to leave, but not before scolding the entire room for being
too loud.

Next up was Pluto. Unlike Vasilika, he didn’t
become part of the moisture in the atmosphere and turn into storm
clouds, as Vasilika had explained her power. Pluto’s skill was
duplication. He produced four replicas in the likes of me, each
Isis clone carrying out a different activity: reading on a chair,
kissing David on the cheek, standing next to Frederick, sitting
next to me. By far the strangest thing I experienced was staring
into my own eyes. The most interesting part of the copies was their
form. I thought they’d be three-dimensional hologram, but instead,
I found myself touching my clone’s very solid hand. So creepy, yet
so incredible.

Persia was the last to show us her skillset.
She said she required a glass of water for her demonstration, and
Eryx fetched her one. Persia took a sip from the glass, then dumped
the remainder of the water over her neck and chest. I waited.
Waited some more.

“Is something supposed to happen?” I asked
Persia.

She turned slightly and lifted the hair on
the left side of her head, making her neck visible. Behind her ear
and at the joint of her jawline, was a curved line. I was about to
ask what it was when the curve opened up like a—a flap of skin. I
was a tad disgusted. So much for my poker face.

“What am I looking at?” I asked.

“Gills,” Persia said. “I can breathe
underwater. Live underwater, too.” I suspect she saw the question
in my eyes because the next thing she said was, “Oh, I’m not a
mermaid. I’m a sea nymph.” She pointed to her legs. “See? No fish
tail. And I smell much nicer.”

“Your perfume is intoxicating,” Galen said
from a corner.

“Awe, thank you!”

I couldn’t tell if Persia was aware Galen’s
comment wasn’t a compliment, or if she was as much a smartass as he
was.

“So a sea nymph, huh?” I glanced at
Frederick, and then back at Persia. “Is that all you can do?”

Persia looked indignant I’d posed the
question at all. Maybe it’d been the sound of disappointment in my
tone that upset her. I hadn’t meant to sound rude.

“Pretty much,” she said, looking at the
floor. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet your expectations, madam.”

“She forgot to mention one thing,” Frederick
said. “Persia, tell Madam Isis about how you can have underwater
guests.”

“Oh, I can do better. I can show her,” Persia
said. “Madam, would you like to come see where I’ve set up camp in
your lake? We won’t take long. It’s right across the front
yard.”

“
In
the lake?” I rubbed my chin. “Uh…
Thanks, but maybe some other time. Can you elaborate about how you
can have underwater guests?”

“If I invite people underwater, they don’t
drown. Because I breathe for them—with my gills. It’s like a
mystical connection. Oh, and their skin doesn’t get all gross and
wrinkly, either. I’m very cool like that.”

Persia’s verbiage was more modern than the
rest of the deities’ in the room. I wondered how old she was.

“What’s the longest you can sustain it—having
guests underwater?” I asked.

“Humans or gods?”

“Does it matter?” I asked, and she nodded.
“Humans, to begin with.”

“I’d have to experiment with someone human to
know what my limit is,” she said. “And as for gods, they require a
lot less energy on my part since we’re the same species. I can keep
a deity underwater for up to three days with no problem.”

“I see.” I thought for a moment. “Frederick,
explain how—with the exception of Cezario who’s helped us before
and Pluto whose cloning abilities I already see promise for—the
ladies in the team you’ve assembled would serve the purpose I
need?”

“It’s obvious,” Frederick said. “Vasilika’s
and Persia’s skills both use an element Turpis won’t go near.”

“Which is what?”

“Water,” Frederick said. “You know this.”

“I didn’t get the memo,” I said. “And I
believe you’re wrong. Turpis chased me through the lake nine months
ago. I remember it clearly.”

“But did you see them
in
the water?”
David asked me.

“I was running from them. I assumed they
were.”