The Red Queen (34 page)

Tens of thousands of warriors roared in one voice, “One nation! One people! One and true Siren Queen!”

Kian, her officers, and her cousins shouted with all the warriors, proud tears burning in their eyes. Ziyi wept, searching for napkins. Lucienne met her Czech prince’s gaze for a moment and saw an ocean of love, profound pride, and fierce protectiveness. There was no ache or torment in his hazel eyes for the first time since she’d been poisoned in the Temple of Lemuria.

The light that had once upon a time shone on Eterne in her heart reignited. One day, one among her people would find a way to bring the realm and a new future to Earth and to the human race. The hope was lost to her, but not to her people.

Under the crescent moon, the
Sphinxes flag—half red and half white, with the Siren’s symbol,
a full circle containing an all-seeing eye in the center
—rose to the tip of the pole atop the castle’s tallest tower.

A horn blew, and the trumpets joined in. A new nation’s pride vibrated in the air.

Every man and woman in Sphinxes stood tall and saluted the flag.

The nation of Sphinxes was born.

PART III

CHAPTER 32

THE CODE

The code Jekaterina had given Ashburn was a symbol of infinity. Three infinities—heads biting tails—locked in triangular positions.

The code appeared so simple, but when Ashburn tried to extract its meanings, his database flashed thousands of them.

No matter. With this code he could fix Seraphen’s broken memories.

The door to the Ghost House opened upon Spike’s approach. Ashburn rode straight through the ice-like pillar into the Rabbit Hole. The barrier was impossible for others to break, but to him, it was immaterial. This whole place was his playground, imprinted with his genetic code.

Ashburn flung himself off Spike and squatted before Seraphen's head.

Seraphen's golden eyes stared up at him. “How long have I been here, Ashburn?”

“Does it matter to you?” Ashburn asked, then felt like an asshole for saying that. The remaining humanity in him stretched thinner every day. His empathy was close to the dead.

Seraphen studied him. “It matters not. Time stopped having meaning ages ago. As the generations pass me by, I feel only the slightest echo of time. You’ll feel the same after the passing of this generation, if they survive.”

“They'll survive,” Ashburn said.

“So you still care. I see. You still have some humanity left. If you merge with the Eye of Time, you’ll have none.”

“I need answers from you, Seraphen.” The last thing Ashburn wanted to discuss with Seraphen was how he hung onto his fast-fading humanity.

“You keep coming back for the same answer. You need not look to me, but yourself. If you want an excuse to save her at the expense of mankind, you aren’t going to get it from me.”

Seraphen spoke the brutal truth.

Ashburn had thought he was ready to spend Lucienne’s last moments with her, but he could no longer stand it. He couldn’t watch her fade away. Every moment it killed him more than it did her. And how could he go on once she was gone?

Jekaterina had taught him to embed the code into his TimeDust so he could link to Seraphen's mind inside the Rabbit Hole. Without the vast noise of human consciousness crushing him, he heard only Seraphen's thoughts. Through their link, Ashburn sent the symbol of three locked infinities to Seraphen’s head.

Seraphen looked baffled before fear reeked off his golden eyes. “Impossible.”

“You recognize it,” Ashburn asked. “What is it?”

“Bad news.” Seraphen drew a breath, a habit he had, even though he no longer needed air. “Where did you get this?”

“From Jekaterina.”

“Jekaterina?”

“Lucienne’s mother.” Ashburn sent Seraphen Jekaterina’s image. “The Eye of Time said that Jekaterina has a thousand faces.”

“A thousand faces? It can’t be her, can it? No, she couldn’t survive on this planet when time formed on earth. Her race left, so did she.”

“Who is she?”

“The Queen of the Exiles, a goddess who once lived among humankind. She had a human daughter Niamh, who tricked me.”

Ashburn knew the tale of Niamh—the mythical princess of the Land of Promise. She was the mother of the first Siren. Niamh was also Lucienne Lam’s middle name, given by her Siren’s mark in the ritual. The subject of Niamh always riled up Seraphen, and he’d been hell bent on ending her bloodline. Lucienne was Niamh’s last descendent.

“Jekaterina can’t be the queen,” Seraphen murmured to himself, distraught. “She can’t be Niamh either. Niamh was half mortal. But if she turned into an immortal because of her mother’s blood … and the Exiles are coming. Niamh … the hybrid ….”

“What’s the bad news, Seraphen?”

The head went into a tirade of gibberish.

“Seraphen!”

Seraphen wasn’t responding.

Ashburn flashed the code of three infinities in front of Seraphen, and his former protector jerked back to the present. “Destroy the code!” Seraphen yelped. “Never use the key. It’s the first beacon for the Exiles to come through the portal—”

“It has been embedded in TimeDust,” Ashburn said. “Now I’ll have to fix your damaged memories. I must know what else I can do to save Lucienne.”

“Your obsession with her has doomed your race.”

“I think not,” Ashburn said and burned the code into the depth of Seraphen’s consciousness.

A tiny, black spot emerged inside the maze of Seraphen’s mind, then exploded into bright light. The light spread like tree branches until all the “trees” were shining.

And Ashburn had the final answer—only by melding with the Eye of the Time could he purge the poison in Lucienne. There was absolutely no other way and no other cure in heavens or on earth.

So either he walked toward his own nightmare of losing himself or toward the other—losing Lucienne Lam.

CHAPTER 33

DEVOURER

The Sealers’ fighters came like numerous locusts. Lucienne’s warrior fighters met their enemy halfway, stopping them from reaching the soil of Sphinxes.

In the Defense Room, Lucienne stood with Kian, Prince Vladimir, and her high-ranking officers. A satellite hologram displayed the ferocious air battles.

Missiles, rockets, and lasers shot across the sky in all directions. In their wake came red fire and black smoke. Fighters broke into shards of metal, plummeting into the churning sea. It was hard to tell which remains were the enemy’s and which Sphinxes’ fighters.

The ground forces were like arrows notched on bowstrings, ready to spring into action.

The castle trembled now and then from the explosions miles away.

“The Sealers outnumber us seven to one,” General Fairchild said grimly.

Lucienne breathed deeply. It
was one nation against many.

“We’ll hold,” Admiral Enberg said. “Our warships have joined the fight.”

Kian gave Enberg a nod. “Give them hell, Admiral.”

Admiral Enberg spoke into a link, “Champions, go!”

Champions I, II, and III broke the water at the edge of the Sphinxes Seas and shot toward the enemy in the air. They were the first warplanes equipped with a force field that could absorb impact from more than one hundred missiles. Champions were Lam’s Industry’s new darling, and now the world’s most advanced fighters were unleashed.

The killing fighters pierced through the enemies’ ranks like blades cutting glasses. The rest of the Sphinxes fighters regrouped and flanked the Champions with renewed vigor.

A line of enemy fighters plunged toward the ground in a cluster of fire balls.

“Now who’s the bitch,” General Fairchild snorted.

“You
are
,” a voice came through the Defense Room’s intercom.

The room turned deathly silent except for the noises of the battle in the background from the hologram.

“I’m Mirrikh Schwartz,” the voice continued. “I’ve come for you all, especially you, little Siren.”

Mirrikh Schwartz, the ogre who had persecuted Kian. Old and new hatred roared in Lucienne’s blood. Before she found him, he’d come to her.
Good.
Then a dread fell upon her. 

Many nations’ intelligence agencies had tried to fringe her network, but Sphinxes kept those bugs out. How could the Sealers have access to Sphinxes’ most fortified communication channel? The enemy had heard all of their commands. A traitor must be among them, but Lucienne couldn’t think of who it might be with the battle raging on.

Before she and the generals called Ziyi, the girl pitched in through the comm link. “Lucia, Generals,” Ziyi’s voice was laced with terror, “our system has been compromised.”

“Uncompromise it,” Kian shouted.

“We depend on you and your team, Ziyi,” Lucienne said. “You can do it.”

“I know, but something’s very wrong.” Ziyi’s voice filled with panic. “I’ve never seen anything like this—”

The enemy fighters started to retreat, except one jet.

Its distinctive black plates featured giant red letters that spelled Predator. The Sealers’ menacing symbol—an arrow piercing the Siren’s all-seeing eye—stood carved on its snake-like head.

Lucienne felt her hair rising on her neck as a chill like no other surged up her spine. Her Forbidden Glory had sensed something terrible in the air, something so dark no words could define it.

Champion I immediately fired at Predator, its laser beams hitting its head and engine. But instead of blasting Predator to pieces, the green laser beams dissolved as if they were toy beams. The black jet pulsed, and a gray mass of mixed smoke and fog crept out of its head.

Now all three Champions fired upon the black jet, but their missiles melted to drops of liquid.

“What the hell is that thing?” General Fairchild demanded, wiping sweat from his brows.

Airbase and the fleets launched a hailstorm of missiles and rockets toward Predator, but all the weapons dissolved.

“Fall back!” Lucienne cried into the command com.

“Disengage!” Kian, Fairchild, and Enberg’s shouts overlapped her.

The smoke from Predator moved at lightning speed. It tossed Champion I up. The fighter flapped like paper in a storm. In the blink of an eye, it disintegrated, leaving a small flame in its wake. The flame plummeted toward the ground.

“No!” Lucienne screamed.

Her cousin Thaddeus was inside Champion I. He’d been fidgeting miserable as her guard and nurse all these months. A born warrior, he’d craved the thrill of battle, so she’d indulged him and let him fight on the frontline. Now, he was dead. One of her tight family members was gone. Grief blinded her vision.
Grieve later
.
Put it inside a box for now.
She forced herself to breathe in and out. Tears still streamed down her face.

The storm of smoke wrapped the other two Champions, and the two fighters turned to tiny flames instantly. The smoke and fog kept expanding until it blotted out the sun and half the sky.

Sphinxes sank into darkness. Three small flames that were former Champions swayed and fell from the darkened sky.

“Isn’t the candlelight beautiful?” Mirrikh’s holographic image appeared in Sphinxes’ Defense Room, right beside Lucienne. Kian and Vladimir both lunged and pulled her away from it.

Mirrikh’s image smirked. “This is just the beginning, I promise.” He gestured, and a section of the smoke moved like a spear with supernatural speed, piercing hundreds of Sphinxes’ fighters. Hundreds of flames dropped from the sky like flickering candles.

The rest of the Sphinxes’ warplanes and battleships all fired at Predator. The blanket sky became a web of fire from missiles and laser beams, but the lasers dissolved and the missiles melted inside the net of smoke and fog.

“The world has never seen such a spectacular sight!” Mirrikh was choked with tears, the
n
chortled with pride. “Devourer can destroy the whole world’s population in mere seconds if I’m in the mood!”

His hologram flickered off.

Ziyi’s voice came through. “Lucia, I blocked his access. The channel is secure for the moment. My team is working on fortifying our network.”

“Keep at it,” Lucienne said in an even voice.

“We can’t fight this thing.” General Fairchild turned to Kian and Lucienne, his face drained of color. “Nothing can touch it.”

Lucienne knew what the general meant. Soon the smoke and fog were going to descend upon Sphinxes. Her people would all become flames that would burn for a few second, and then nothing would be left of them.

“Take the Siren under,” Kian ordered.

He wanted her to escape with the civilians and scientists through the underground tunnel. He thought he could still save her. “No.” Lucienne raised a hand to stop her guards as they moved toward her. “I won’t flee while my men fight. I’ll live and die with you all.” Over Kian’s furious look, she said softly, “Besides, there isn’t time. You know that.”

“Ziyi,” she called, “hail the Sealers elder.”

A faint chime bleeped. Mirrikh's image appeared on the screen in the Defense Room.

“Mirrikh Schwartz,” Lucienne asked, her voice emotionless, “are you the true founder of the Sealers—the Ghost in the Machine?” 

“I will be,” Mirrikh said, “after this war.”

A light of illumination passed by, and Lucienne drew a breath. “You launched this war against my country to rid yourself of someone higher than you in your Brotherhood’s rank, but haven’t you come to the wrong place?”

Mirrikh gave a low chuckle. “I’ve never hit a wrong target in my life.”

“So you believe your superior is in my land, and you’re eager to remove him or maybe her,” Lucienne said. “Tell me who the Ghost in the Machine is among my people, and I’ll give you your founder as a peace offering. You can go home happy.”

“Razer-sharp.” Mirrikh roared with laughter. “They say with you there is never a dull moment. We’re much alike. It’s a shame we’re at war, otherwise we might become friends.”

“You call the shots,” Lucienne said. “You and I have the power to create different reality. Let today be the start of a new relationship.”

“Siren, Siren,” Mirrikh shook his head, an amused smirk on his face, “you’re indeed a seductress.”

“I do not try to seduce you,” said Lucienne, “but I am eager to open a dialogue so our people can have peace.”

“Did you request a peace talk when you blew up my father and his fleet in Polynesia? Oh, no. You completely forgot. But I don’t come to avenge him. As a leader of high vision, I’m not that petty. However, the world is too small a place for two superpowers. If you had what I have, you’d have struck me long ago. So today I must bring the powerful Siren to her knees and establish my sole leadership in the world.”

“You’ve brought me down,” said Lucienne. “You’ve displayed Devourer’s power. There’s no need to shed the blood of the innocent. Nations won’t regard you as a benign superpower if you commit a massacre today. Mirrikh
Schwartz, show the world you have mercy, and the nations will follow you willingly.”

“A valid point,” Mirrikh said. “Mirrikh Schwartz is also merciful. I like that. My benevolence will depend on your next performance. I'll spare Sphinxes if you kneel before me. My operatives will
videotape this grand historical event
for the whole world to see
.
”

“You and the world will see my humble side,” said Lucienne.

The elder laughed again in delight. “You aren’t as horrible as they say, little Siren. You put your people before you. After your unconditional surrender, your people will be mine. They’ll live to serve me since they all owe me their lives.”

It would be a horrible fate for her people to be under the whip of a psychopath. He would have to slaughter most of her warriors to enslave the rest of Sphinxes’ residents.

Cold rage filled her veins, but Lucienne kept her unreadable mask in place. “I’ll yield to you on the rooftop of my castle. It’s spacious enough for your filming.” She’d need the open space to unlatch her power and not hurt her people.

“I appreciate you being mature and considerate, Siren,” Mirrikh said. “But be warned: if you fail to show up in three minutes, I’ll unleash Devourer on your island
.” He wiggled his pampered pinkie at Lucienne. “And all of you will become my big collection of little flames.”

Lucienne ordered Ziyi to turn off the communication to the Sealer elder, and his image vanished along with his sneer.

“I won’t let you sacrifice yourself.” Kian gritted his teeth. “We’ll fight the prick!”

“Even if you surrender to save us, he’ll still level Sphinxes,” Pyon said. “I saw the kill in his eyes, and I haven’t read people wrong.”

“We’d rather turn to flames than serve that snake!” the officers declared, fury burning in every one of them. “We’d rather die free than live in chains!”

“If we go down,” Vladimir roared, “we take down as many mutts as we can!”

“We’ll fight, but my way.” Lucienne scanned the fierce faces of her officers. “Can you trust me?”

“With our every breath,” they said in chorus, pressing their fists against their hearts.

“I'll never let my people be slaves,” said Lucienne.

CHAPTER 34

DOUBLE BETRAYAL

Bayrose stood with a few soldiers on the platform while the rest of the civilians waited anxiously inside the underground train. At the first signal when the combined nations’ armies breached Sphinxes, they’d leave through the tunnel, across the ocean, and to the safe shore beyond.

Bayrose didn’t plan on leaving with them. She was only to lay low, away from the raging war outside, biding her time. As soon as the island fell, she’d move up to the ground to join her army and take command.

Aida, Ziyi, and many civilians refused to leave without Lucienne. Even Mom stood with her firstborn. Well, they would all perish. Bayrose couldn’t get to her mother. Mom knew about the Shadow in her. She would know that it was Bayrose who had summoned this war and brought Devourer upon this land. If Mom’s loyalty wasn’t with the Sealers anymore, then sadly there was nothing Bayrose could do for her.

Prince Vladimir would fall too. Bayrose wrung her hands. She hated him for his heartless nature, but did she really want him to die? No, she shouldn’t think of him right now. She was the true Siren and Sealer. A great leader must learn to accept a personal sacrifice.

She jolted as the image of
Mirrikh Schwartz suddenly
flickered on screen on the station’s wall.

“Mirrikh Schwartz, are you the true founder of the Sealers—the Ghost in the Machine?” Bayrose heard her half-sister ask.

“I will be,” Mirrikh said, “after this war.”