---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 1 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 1: With Great Power...

“I hate being in charge,” I thought with a sigh as I sat in the lotus position on the ground, waiting for Narek and the Queens of the Four Courts and my party-mates to be ready for a planning session. “Maybe I did something horrible to Danu in a past life, it’s the only explanation for why She would want me to suffer like this.”

~Don’t be silly, my child. You have earned this by being the person that you are. You are the one who can unify the courts and the various races and restore the balance,~ my patron Goddess whispered in my mind.

Danu had been quiet since the night before when She had shown Herself to everyone on Varüus’kiel and changed me. Oh well, I had questions for Her anyway. ~Good evening, Great mother. Are my thoughts ever going to be private anymore?~

~Of course, dear child. You thought of me though, and that brought my attention to you. What is on your mind?~

~What did You do to me? What the hell am I now?~ I asked. I had felt different since She had changed me and I was much more powerful now. I had been practicing my magick just a short while ago to try to relax and not only had casting my Scattershot spell caused my spell focus and my Nature’s Crown to become smoking ruins but rather than the usual seven baseball-sized balls of blue flame, there were too many of the basketball-sized projectiles to count before they turned the boulder I had been aiming at to rubble.

~Worry not, you are still Yseil'dhraí, but you are more as well. Yseil'dhraí were created from my blood and magick but I have given you a portion of my divine essence as well, to bind you to Varüus’kiel and give you dominion over it. You are now a Demigoddess of magick, the moon, nature, and doves, and those aspects will strengthen you. The other Gods are not happy with me about that, or showing myself to mortals as I did, though there is little they can do about it except to sanction me or try to kill you,~ She explained far too casually for my comfort.

That whole statement was pretty shocking, though it was the last part that made my eyes go wide. ~Wait, Gods might try to kill me?~

The Goddess gave a dismissive sniff in my mind. ~I’d like to see them try. I am one of the most powerful of all of us and you are connected to my source of power. Gods also gain power from mortals believing in them and part of the problem is that few mortals believe in the old Gods anymore, so most of us are severely weakened, relying on our sources of power and our aspects to empower us. Showing myself as I did gave me a small boost in power, and you as well since your people now believe in you as much as they do me. And since you were born mortal, and are not bound to our laws, you are free to travel the mortal world, pop out a miracle or two, and get yourself quite the following if you wish it. Even as a mere Demigoddess with few followers you could be a match for some of us, as weakened as we are.~

~I can’t control this much power, just trying a simple spell with only the small amount of mana I had stored killed my spell focus and my Nature’s Crown,~ I griped.

~You are beyond needing to rely on such artifacts,~ Danu advised. ~You do not need to increase how much mana you can gather or how easily you can use it. Your mana pool is much greater now and your body can generate its own mana by being near your aspects so you must now learn to sense how much you have stored and limit how much you are using depending on the task. Only rarely will you need to use your full power, my child. Now, I must leave you to go to your meeting while I go to one of my own and see to other matters.~

~Thanks for the talk, Great Mother,~ I thought to Her as I felt Her presence leave my mind. “Just great, we’re at the start of a possible apocalypse, everyone is counting on me to lead them and save the world, and now I have to be super careful while learning to control my magick again. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just monsters we may have to deal with, but until we can make peace Humans are our enemies too. I’d rather not kill any if we have to fight them but if I can’t count on having proper control over my magick…”

My brooding was interrupted as I felt a hand gently squeeze my shoulder and turned to see my Attendant kneeling in front of me. Her face was bathed in the silver and violet light emitted by my hair and eyes and she was looking at me in concern. “Mistress, are you feeling alright? You’re wearing your brooding face.”

“I’m fine, Daenyss,” I told the Nymph with as much false bravado and cheer as I could summon as I reached down to pet Willow as the Wisp slumbered in my lap. “I just have a lot to think about if we’re all going to survive here and make peace with the Humans in the outside world.”

“Please, do not push yourself too hard, Mistress. Your people want to help you as much as we can, you don’t need to do everything on your own,” Daenyss said as she wrapped me up in a hug, earning a sleepy mewl of protest from Willow as the pink and black Wisp was jostled. When my Attendant finally broke the embrace she smiled at me. “Narek and the Queens have returned from taking a census of the Courts and Rei and the others are finished canvassing the non-Fae and talking to the former players. They’re waiting at the lakeshore.”

“Let’s go find out what the damage is then,” I replied with a sigh as I scooped Willow up in my hand and gracefully rose to my feet. Almost immediately, Nishalle and Lissany appeared from where they had been standing guard to accompany us as we left the edge of the forest to where it met the massive meadow cradled in the arms of what I privately called Lake Danu.

From what the Sprites, Fairies, and Pixies that I had sent out to scout had reported, the lake was approximately thirty kilometers long from end to end and nearly ten kilometers wide at its widest. It was shaped like a nearly perfect crescent moon and between its two points was the large flat ‘meadow’ where we first arrived the night before. There was a small narrow peninsula stretching nearly a kilometer and half toward the center of the lake from the meadow-side. It wasn’t really a meadow though, more of a plains area, since we estimated that it spread out over four hundred square kilometers in total.

There were also a few natural canals cutting through the meadow and, as I had discovered earlier in the day, the lake water wasn’t terribly cold despite the aquatic Fae, Merfolk, and Atlanteans saying it was fairly deep, and having no sunlight to warm it up for at least a few months. I figured that the fact that the whole island was resting atop a caldera was responsible for that. It did keep the island pleasantly warm even though we were in the Arctic Circle. The only real snow that we had was apparently on the peaks of the mountains surrounding our new island nation.

A large group consisting of Narek (representing the Winter Court as its new Warden), the Queens of the other three Courts, an elderly Atlantean man who I was unfamiliar with, and my party-mates from the game were waiting by the shore of the lake. Of course, as soon as we had gotten within conversational distance everyone bowed or curtsied and addressed me as ‘Your Imperial Majesty’. It had been less than twenty-four hours and I was already sick of the title and the bowing and scraping from everyone, even my family and friends when we were in public. And, since at the moment there was little privacy to be had on our new island home, ‘in public’ amounted to just about everywhere.

“Please, rise,” I said, managing to hold back the groan which had briefly threatened to slip loose. Then I wasted no time in getting down to business. “What’s the verdict? I’ve been noticing a lot more people milling about than since we arrived last night.”

Anatha had seemingly been nominated to speak for the Fae, and the Queen of the Spring Court was all business as she delivered her report. “Since we sent out the summons to the Fae of the Courts last night, our numbers have gone from the fifteen hundred people who first arrived to close to fifteen thousand, increasing our numbers tenfold. Nearly two-thirds of the new arrivals are Fae, mostly from the Spring and Summer Courts. Another two thousand are Atlanteans and the rest are a variety of other Races. Those numbers are still steadily increasing as more arrive and we’re hoping that continues since there are over twice that many Fae still unaccounted for, going by our numbers before the Veil was created.”

I sighed as I felt a headache coming on. “We barely had the supplies to last more than a few days with the numbers we started with. We can’t sustain that many people as things stand.”

Narek nodded grimly as he offered, “I have yet to see signs of any living creatures here on the plains but I’m sure that we Fae could survive on what’s in the forests, the lake, and rivers if it came to that. I fear though, that it wouldn’t be long before our numbers pushed those resources with the constant new arrivals. When we would come here for Councils, this is where we appeared. The island is sacred to the Great Mother so we never ventured further. We have no idea what is in those forests and I would rather we didn’t hunt creatures that may be extinct or never seen before in other parts of the world.”

“You’re right Pájar,” I agreed with a sigh, reluctantly granting Narek the title of a father while we tried to figure out what the hell our relationship would be. “We’ll need to send people into cities to gather food, supplies, and anything else that could be useful, I know that some of the Human employees of Pegasus Entertainment, and some of the players, have family who they want to check on as well. We’ll need to do it as soon as possible. We need infrastructure and contacts for trade if we’re going to survive, establish ourselves on the world stage, and bring balance back to the world.”

That’s when I let everyone gathered in on my plans. It was already looking like Varüus’kiel was going to become a refuge, and possibly even a homeland of sorts for non-Humans. It wasn’t just a magical island now; it was soon going to become a nation. If we were going to convince the Humans that we’re not monsters who needed to be hunted down, then we needed to become a nation the world could look to in awe; civilized, advanced, strong, and yet kind to our neighbors. We needed to lead the world by example.

Establishing ourselves as a nation and reaching out to nations who might ally themselves with us were our first tasks other than bringing in more non-Humans in need. I would need to establish things like government departments (and people to run them), currency, a capital city, and all the various little things that identify a nation; like a flag, national anthem, and so on. Most of that was stuff that could be decided on as we grew and found a need for them.

We needed to start building a city soon though. People were going to need homes, a sense of something familiar, and a place to set up businesses. They needed to know that I was trying to look after everyone’s needs, not just those of the Fae.

After my explanation, I said, “Ideally I would like to build the city here on the lakeshore where Humans, Fae from various Courts, and all other Races can live together. It’s an ideal spot and the lake would be good for the Merfolk, Atlanteans, and aquatic Fae. I would prefer to use magick and artificed technology where we can and try to keep everything as environmentally low-impact as possible. I’d like each of the Courts to establish their Glades in the forests; Winter to the north, Spring to the East, Summer to the south, and Autumn to the west. We’ll eventually have to establish laws for the city that are fair to everyone but the forests will remain under Fae jurisdiction and protection.”

Amoiraishe nodded. “We shall send out scouts immediately after this meeting to search for suitable locations.” Then my Mahair gestured to the elderly Atlantean as she smiled and said, “I would like to introduce you to Jhuras. He was the High Artificer for the Atlantean Council, back when such things still existed. They too took heavy losses before the Veil was erected. He was the one who designed the F.I.Ts and he has a request.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Jhuras,” I said, extending my hand to shake his own.

“The pleasure is mine, Your Imperial Majesty,” he replied before raising my extended hand to his lips to kiss it.

“Please, tell me of your request,” I offered with a smile as he released my hand.

I had a feeling that I knew what he was going to ask. The Atlanteans had suffered heavy losses and their population had dwindled to only a fraction of their original numbers long before the Veil was created. It wasn’t at the hands of Humans though since they seldom left the protection of Atlantis except to gather food and other materials. Their population had been in decline for centuries as their people grew tired of the immortality offered by changing bodies whenever they wished it, and many of their hunting parties never returned. The Finfolk were a constant danger to them when they left their city, and there are many other dangers in the depths of the sea as well.

“I fear that, after four hundred years without our artificed technology keeping Atlantis protected from the ocean depths, much of the city may be inhospitable and we will have no place to call home. We would like to live here, if possible, and I am certain that we can help you to build the city that you desire,” The Atlantean said, confirming my suspicions. As he finished though his eyes were sparkling much like Grell’s whenever he was working on creating something awesome.

“Your people are our allies and friends, of course, you are more than welcome to stay. I was honestly expecting you to stay with us anyway, and your contributions would be greatly appreciated,” I replied honestly. Then, as I caught the expression on his face I found myself smiling. “I see that you already have some ideas in mind, Jhuras.”

“Yes, my Empress,” the Atlantean confirmed. “The sinking of Atlantis was our own fault. At the time we cared more about creating wondrous new technologies than the long-term effects that they might have on the world around us. When we altered ourselves and our city to survive the inevitable sinking of our island, we also started to create cleaner technologies so we wouldn’t repeat our mistakes. Imagine a city that uses no fossil fuels, creates no pollution, and recycles all forms of waste. A city that has all of the modern comforts without requiring underground wiring, pipes, or sewers and where everything is powered by the natural currents of mana. Atlantis was such a city, and yours could be too.”

I could just feel myself grinning like an idiot as I found myself asking, “What do you need to get started? Make a wish list and I will try to get everything I can when we go to get supplies.”

“I would ask that you let me take an expedition of my people, Merfolk, and aquatic Fae to whatever remains of Atlantis. Even if much of the city is no longer suitable to live in, we could still salvage technology that could speed up our efforts here. Some of the areas of the city, such as the workshops and the crystal spire, were designed to remain secure and airtight, even should the shield holding the water outside fail. We could teleport to one of those locations, I remember them well enough,” Jhuras suggested. “I would suggest that you take an artificer when you do venture into the Human cities, one who knows what technologies might be useful.”

“You have my permission and may leave for your expedition as soon as you have gathered anyone willing to go, Jhuras. Don’t worry, I have just the guy in mind for our venture into the city,” I said with a smile as I looked briefly toward Grell. Then I turned to my party and asked, “So, you’ve finished canvassing all of the workers from Pegasus, our fellow players in the game, and the non-Fae new arrivals?”

Robyn spoke for our party. “Yeah, Your Imperial Majesty. Some, like Tien and Becky, have families that they’re worried about so we’ll want to take them along to the cities that their servers were based in so they can check on them. Only a little over a hundred of the players were returned to their original bodies by Danu, and that’s not bad since we had roughly a thousand players. Most of them want to stay and go through another run in the F.I.Ts though, as do some of the Human employees, but there are a few possible trouble-makers among them. And we might have another issue as well.”

“Trouble-makers? And what kind of issue?” I asked in concern.

“A few of the people who were returned to their old bodies seem to be awakening,” Grell explained. “It actually makes sense since they should have awakened when the veil completely fell. The only reason they hadn’t was because they were in the F.I.Ts and already being changed magically. We have two more Merfolk, what seems like a newly-awakened Witch, and a possible awakened Beastkin… which brings us to our trouble-makers.”

“I’d like to meet with them, this has got to be weird for them. They just got back to being themselves and now they’ve changed again,” I said as I tried not to frown and probably failed.

Rei nodded as she reached out and took my hand tenderly before saying, “We thought that you might say that. They’re waiting not far from here, though one of them isn’t really in any condition to talk. He’s running a fever and in pain. We would have thought he was sick if Rob hadn’t recognized the signs of a Beastkin going through the Call. Apparently, he was too out of it to defend himself and three other Humans jumped him and took his armor and equipment and ran off.”

Fury boiled up inside me. I barely managed to keep my voice steady as I asked, “Who did it? Which direction did they run off in?”

“From the descriptions that witnesses were able to give, it was those three jerks that I hung around with before Brynna changed me and I found some real friends,” Salem said, looking pretty damn furious herself.

“They went northeast along the lakeshore and into the forest and my Dad took a group of Fae to track them and bring them back here,” Kinara offered. “Rei managed to heal the victim’s injuries but he needs to go into the forest. The Witch already accidentally cast the spell to summon her familiar and let’s just say that what came bounding out of the woods to greet her was a surprise.”

I nodded grimly. “I want to know the second that those idiots are found and brought back here. Rei, I want you to take me to meet these four people. Venika, I want you and the others to start talking to those who are worried about their families and start arranging groups to go into New York, Tokyo, London, and Vancouver to do that and gather supplies. I’ll be in charge of the Vancouver group and I’d like Narek, Anatha, and Qwenyth to suggest people who can lead the other groups. We need to get moving, I want these groups ready to go by the time I get back from escorting our new Beastkin into the forest to do his thing.”

My fiancée held my hand and led me to a spot further down the lakeshore as Daenyss, Lissany, and Nishalle followed at a respectful distance to allow us the illusion of privacy, at least for a few minutes. It was nice to have a bit of time, just the two of us and Rei managed to calm me down somewhat as we walked. As we went I told her what I had learned from Danu and about needing to re-learn to control my powers. I swore her to secrecy though since I didn’t want anyone worrying.

It was an eclectic group awaiting us. My new little sister Tíana was there with two Nyiir'dhraí guards as she watched over a Human male who was laying on the grass and not looking very good. She had been out playing with her guards when they stumbled upon the group. The group was rounded out by a pair of Mermaids relaxing in the water and a tiny Japanese woman with what looked like a massive white wolf.

My jaw dropped in awe as I got a better look at both the Japanese girl and the wolf. The girl was somewhat pretty, thin, looked to be about nineteen or so, and she was as small as Salem at about five feet even. She had long black hair that reached her butt and large expressive eyes and it looked like right then she was trying very hard not to freak out as the massive wolf tried to snuggle against her.

The wolf was standing up on all fours and the top of the girl’s head barely reached the top of its own. It had crimson eyes and powerful-looking jaws with slightly oversized and very sharp-looking teeth. My eyes widened in sudden realization and I cursed, “Holy shit! It’s a fucking Dire Wolf, I thought that they were extinct!” Oops, it was a good thing that Venika wasn’t there to chastise me about my language.

“That’s her familiar?! Kinara has a gift for understatement if that thing bounding out of the woods at the girl only caused mere surprise. Most people would have soiled themselves at the very least. I really hope that she isn’t one of those who wants to go check on family members. There’s no way that she is going to be able to keep a low profile in a city with a Dire Wolf at her side. At least my magical animal companion is purse-sized, and glows less than I do,” I thought to myself with a sigh as we approached and I gently petted Willow.

It was as I was considering that, that the group noticed us approaching. Well, I am a living nightlight now. Again with the bowing, and I bet most of them didn’t even know me. Well, Tíana’s guards started it, though I guessed my odds of keeping a low-profile were pretty small right now too what with the glowing hair and eyes and my new Danann’syr. Once the bowing and titles were out of the way I was introduced to the newly awakened.

The Japanese girl was named Tsukiko Inouye, though she said that we could call her Suki for short. She had been playing a Nyiir'dhraí Magus on Spring Server so at least she already knew how to use magick and could speak Elvish. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to try out my Japanese though. Like many of the people chosen to playtest the game, she didn’t have any family or anyone to whom she was really close. Her massive new familiar she had decided to call Yuki.

The two mermaids were Felicity Knight and Kayla Kuvalis. They were both pretty with musical voices and very nice figures, though from the hips downward they now sported brightly colored fish-like tails. Both also admitted to some additional physical changes when they had awakened, saying that they were a lot prettier now.

Felicity was from London and had been playing a Warrior on Summer Server. She was a pretty blue-eyed blonde with pink streaks in her long hair, and the scales and fins of her tail were in shades of pink and rose. Before entering the game she had been barely able to make ends meet as a street artist and busker.

Kayla, on the other hand, was from Brooklyn and was only sixteen. She had been in the foster care system and things had been tense with her foster parents. They claimed that they signed the papers to allow her to playtest the game just to be rid of her for a couple of weeks. She had never really fit in with any of the social groups at school and spent a lot of time gaming just to escape from the real world. She claimed to have been plain and a bit mousey before but now she was a vivacious redhead with a tail in shades of mint and seafoam green. She jokingly said that she should consider changing her name to Ariel.

That brought us to the last of the four and as I looked him over Tíana looked up at me looking worried as she said, “He sick, Taya.”

I reached down to hug my sister from the Winter Court. “Don’t worry, I’ll help him, Tíana.”

I looked him over and saw a short and overweight man in his early twenties. His breathing was asthmatic and even as fevered and disoriented as he was, when he did manage to focus on something his eyes squinted heavily, making me think that he usually wore strong glasses. That squint was there as he looked at me in confusion and asked, “T-Taelya? I thought... that I dreamed that.”

My brows rose in surprise. He was from Autumn Server but I wasn’t sure who exactly he was since he was no longer in the form that he wore in the game. Who would choose to go back to a body like this, and why? I nodded though and gently took his hand in mine. “Yes, it’s me. I’m not sure who you were in the game though, I don’t recognize you.”

“H-Hawkin,” he croaked out.

I didn’t really have time to say anything to voice how stupefied I was at that revelation as Lissany knelt beside me to examine his hands and the violet-hued rash that was forming there. “He’s in bad shape, he should have gone into the forest to follow the Call by now. I’d say he started feeling it sometime last night after changing back, most Beastkin wouldn’t hold it off so long. He needs to find his animal and take its form soon. Hawkin, do you feel something pulling you toward the nearest forest?”

Hawkin gave a strained nod and managed to reply. “Taelya said… nobody is allowed in the forests… except the Fae.”

“I wasn’t exactly expecting this,” I said with a sigh. “You should have come to me Hawkin. I’ll escort you into the forest and watch over you while you follow the Call. Liss, can you carry him?”

My Guardian responded by shedding her armor and switching to her hybrid Jaguar form to give herself a strength boost before picking him up in her arms. Then she told him, “You’re going to need to tell us which way to go, only you can feel your Call.”

“We’ll take him into the forest and he’ll feel better soon,” I assured Tíana. “Don’t worry, we’ll have Lissany and Nishalle to protect us and Daenyss to keep us company.”

“I come, Taya?” The near-three-year-old Queen of the Winter Court asked hopefully.

“Not this time, little sister,” I replied with a shake of my head before glancing at Tsukiko and Yuki. “We don’t know what’s out there yet, except for Dire Wolves. There could be other dangerous creatures as well and I would worry about you. When we return we’ll come to find you and Hawkin can tell you himself that he’s okay.”

My youngest sister was obviously not happy about being left behind, but one look at Yuki seemed to convince her that it was for the best. She was pouting, but she dejectedly agreed, “Yes, Taya.”

With Lissany leading the way, carrying Hawkin, and following his directions we walked toward the area at the edge of the forest that I had used for privacy not long ago. I didn’t feel any apprehension as we stepped into the trees and moved southeastward, but I was pretty sure that nothing in this forest would attack me, just as they wouldn’t attack Danu. I also had Lissany and Nishalle with me and they were both pretty damn frightening in their own rights sometimes.

The forest was lit only by the light provided by Willow and my glowing hair and eyes as we walked along and Hawkin seemed to feel better the closer that we got to whatever animal was calling out to him. After a while, Lissany was able to put him down as he felt strong enough to walk on his own, and the fever seemed to be lessening the closer we got to whatever animal was calling to him. As we walked he told us why he had wanted to change back to his old self when Danu had worked her magick.

Ken Hawkins had been a fairly nice person, though a bit of a recluse, before joining the game. He had been a boy scout when he was younger and had taken the lessons that he had learned during that time to heart. Still, he had always felt inferior and weak and loathed his body and its health issues. He was short, fat, had asthma, and couldn’t see without coke bottle glasses. So, like many of us, he was drawn to gaming, and a chance to escape his painful reality.

When he got invited to the game it seemed like a dream come true to him. He could live for over three months, and possibly longer, as the large, strong, and healthy warrior that he had always wanted to be, protecting others and saving the day. He had gotten so caught up in being confident and strong for once that it had gone to his head. The change had been gradual, but he found himself becoming so immersed in being this new person that he didn’t realize what a jerk he was becoming.

Many people had seen Hawkin as a conceited, selfish, arrogant, condescending, and self-centered glory-hound, including me. Then I had briefly turned him into a girl and made him realize just what an asshole he was when we had left the game and discovered our new reality. After my apology to him, he had been doing some thinking on what kind of person that he wanted to be going forward.

He didn’t like himself as ‘Hawkin’. He liked the body but he disliked himself, and just how easy it had been for him to become the type of person who had used to bully him in real life. Since he had planned on returning to the F.I.T anyway, he had realized that he would much rather be his old self while he figured out who he really wanted to be.

He was still deciding whether he wanted to remain Human or choose another Race when he entered the F.I.T again and had been doing some serious thinking about it when the Call hit him not long after Danu’s appearance. Now it seemed that that choice was being taken out of his hands. The one thing that he had known for sure though wasn’t going to change now that it appeared that he was a Beastkin, he wanted to become a Guardian, like Lissany.

I thought that he was starting on the right path toward the person he wanted to be when he admitted to himself that he would rather be a person he liked in a body that he hated rather than the other way around. I made sure to tell him that too as we walked through the forest following his Call. I guessed that we had been walking for about an hour before I saw it lapping up water at a stream not far ahead.

“A Unicorn!” Daenyss whispered in awe and wonder as we stopped and knelt in the bushes roughly forty feet away to get a better look without scaring it off. It was pure white with deep blue eyes and a long golden spiraled horn. It was one of the most beautiful things that I had ever seen.

We had encountered a couple of other creatures on our trek, but neither the large saber-toothed cat nor the black and violet cabbit-like creature seemed to be what was calling out to Hawkin. I fully expected this to be another miss, but it was pretty amazing to see a real Unicorn this close and in the flesh. I was about to suggest moving on though when I noticed that Hawkin was stumbling toward the formerly mythical creature in a daze.

Nishalle made a move to grab him but Lissany quickly gripped the shoulder of my Tokh'dhraí sister and hissed, “No. That’s the creature that Called to him. We’ll need to stay here and watch, he needs to be alone for this. It won’t let him approach if we’re with him and he needs to touch it to make the connection. Once his body has accepted the new genetic material through touching, his body will change to an exact duplicate of that Unicorn. He’ll sleep for a bit and when he wakes up he should be able to return to a Human-like form as well as I can. He could change a bit though.”

“Change how?” I asked in concern as Hawkin stumbled forward and placed his hands on the Unicorn’s pure white hide.

Lissany shrugged as she responded, “Well when I went through this in the game my original Human form wasn’t as tall or muscular. My general appearance changed a bit too. Our new appearances seem to be heavily influenced by the genetics and general evolutionary characteristics of the creature that Calls us. I’m guessing that he’ll be taller, slimmer, and more graceful after his change is complete though.”

“Umm… Liss. You said that genetics count for a lot, right? And that he would become an exact duplicate of that Unicorn?” I asked as Hawkin fell to the ground and began to change. “I think that we might have a problem here.”

“Mistress, I don’t see what you’re talking about, He looks fine and he’s already changing,” Daenyss pointed out before gasping in realization. “Oh! Yes, Mistress, that could be a problem.”

“What could be a problem?” Nishalle half-growled in annoyance.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. “Sis, Liss, Unicorns have a distinct characteristic between the genders. Males have long goatee-like beards, and when that one turned its head just now, it didn’t. If that’s not enough for you, now that Hawkin is out like a light and it’s walking away, take a good long look with your night vision at her behind.”

A moment later there were two sharp intakes of breath and Nishalle muttered, “Well, shit. That could be bad, for Hawkin. Maybe while he’s still out cold and fully transformed we should take a quick peek.”

“Yeah, because if he is a she now, he’s gonna need someone to talk him down when he figures it out,”
my Guardian agreed. “He could use some friends right now. After all, friendship is magic.”

I just nodded and groaned at Lissany’s little joke as I stood up and started walking toward Hawkin. “Let’s go see what the damage is.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 2 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 2: Lost Girls.

I winced in sympathy for Hawkin as I visually confirmed my fears. Yup he, or rather she was definitely a girl unicorn. I quickly turned to my Guardian and asked, “How long do you think she’ll be out? Does it take long to get used to the new body? What about species dysphoria?”

Lissany looked up from her own assessment of Hawkin to shrug. ‘I dunno, Taelya, I’ve never seen it in real life before so it could be a few minutes or a few hours before she’s up. As for the dysphoria, I’m not the best person to answer that question. I barely felt any discomfort with my body because I was finally in the right gender and Beastkin are still mostly Human. Kinara told me that the main reason for the dysphoria for players was that their virtual bodies were so different than their real-world bodies and self-identities.”

I sighed but nodded. “Yeah, Mahair told me something similar. My dysphoria didn’t disappear until my real body was fully transformed and the dreams and stuff made me really start identifying as Taelya, not just a guy playing a character. We should probably be prepared for the worst though, he looked pretty horrified when I briefly changed him into a girl before.”

“She shouldn’t feel any species issues, at least not physically,” Lissany said thoughtfully, her tail swishing behind her. “The Call is actually supposed to make a Beastkin feel complete, like becoming who they were meant to be all along. She might feel fine physically, and just need to mentally get used to the idea of what she is now.”

“He did mention having body image issues before joining the game, Mistress,” Daenyss pointed out.

“I doubt he harbored a secret desire to be female though, judging from his reaction when I used my transfiguration spell on him,” I replied in concern as I looked over the unconscious now-unicorn in concern.

I really wished that I had a watch or the game clock still as we sat there and waited for Hawkin to wake up. I had no idea how long we were out there by the time she finally began to stir. I knelt to be closer to where she was laying on the ground as her eyes fluttered open, just far enough away to be out of danger if she started thrashing in panic. “Hawkin… Ken…you’re all changed now but I need you to think about becoming human again,” I told her as calmly as I could manage.

Her equine head tilted in what I assumed was a nod and then her features began to shift and flow as she shifted into a human form. As she got shakily to her feet I couldn’t help but notice that that form was a female one. Even if her clothes hadn’t been destroyed by her first transformation to her full animal form, her new gender would have been hard to miss.

She was like some sort of Beastkin fashion model. She was as tall as I was, not counting the golden horn still protruding from her forehead, and she was very slender with long legs, a slim waist, and breasts that couldn’t have been more than an A cup. She was almost delicate looking at first glance until one noticed the hard-toned muscles beneath her soft, pale white skin.

She had a very pretty face too though I couldn’t see any of the old Ken Hawkins in it; bright piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones, a delicate nose, and full pouty lips. She of course had horse-like ears atop her head, a bit behind and to either side of her horn, and her hair was long and white and seemed to be a natural mohawk, though with no hair product to hold it in place it just draped over the right side of her head. A long matching equine tail swished behind her. She was going to be a heartbreaker, I just hoped that she wouldn’t be too heartbroken by her new form.

“This feels weird,” Hawkin drawled before slapping a mouth over her mouth in shock. Then, hesitantly, she spoke again. “Was that my voice? It sounds weird, I…” Her hands cautiously caressed her face then patted their way downward until she paused to stare down in confusion as they reached her chest. Her breasts may have been smallish, but they were still noticeable on that slender frame. “I… I’m a chick?”

I nodded but it was Lissany who stepped up to explain. “I’m not sure why but the animal that called to you was female. So yeah, you’re a girl now but you’re a freaking unicorn! That is so badass and cute at the same time. Look… if you need any help dealing with the dysphoria… Her Majesty has been through it and so have Daenyss and me.”

“It… feels different,” the newly minted Beastkin said uncertainly after a moment of silence. “It doesn’t feel horrible and alien-like when Taelya transformed me. I mean… in my head I’m freaking out because I’m a chick and I have no idea how to be one or what to expect but… at the same time… I feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my life.”

Daenyss smiled at Hawkin and gently took her hand. “I know all about fashion and makeup and a lot of the really feminine things since I’m Mistress’s Attendant so I can teach you if you decide to learn that stuff. Other than social expectations and some biological differences, I don’t think there’s all that much difference between the genders though, especially among the Fae. Just figure out the person that you want to be, do what makes you happy, and don’t be afraid to explore new things and be yourself.”

“It worked for Daenyss,” I agreed as I smiled at my Attendant.

“I… I was an asshole to all of you and I never really apologized for that so I…” Hawkin started to say.

Nishalle quickly cut him off, rolling her eyes. “Please, let’s not make this into some fucking after-school special. We need to get back and you need to decide on a new name. I am not calling someone who looks like you Ken or Hawkin.”

“Wait! What do I look like?” the horned Beastkin asked nervously. Rather than explain that she looked part punk rock goddess and part runway model Daenyss summoned a mirror for her and with the light that I was giving off it was enough for her to get a good look at herself. “Whoa… that’s me?”

“Duh, that’s a mirror, it’s showing your reflection,” Lissany teased. “You look hot, you could really rock some piercings and they wouldn’t take more than a day or two to heal up with the accelerated healing. You should be pretty strong now too.”

“Ummm… I think I want to get used to this before I start making any other big changes to how I look,” Hawkin stated nervously as she handed the mirror back to Daenyss and looked down at herself. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

Hawkin seemed a bit uncomfortable as Daenyss sent her mirror back to her storage chest, despite what she had said about being comfortable in her skin but from the way she was trying to cover herself, I figured that was because she was naked. Her mind after all was Human and they’re uncomfortable with being naked in front of others. “Let’s get you something to wear,” I told her, trying to be reassuring.

I used the mark on my arm to change from my Lindwyrm-hide armor and back into the clothes I had been given when I left the game. Then, without a second thought, I removed the crimson satin dress and slippers and handed them to her to put on. I didn’t think that she would have been comfortable borrowing my underwear but she was my height and looked close to my size so the dress would preserve her modesty as the slippers protected her feet. A moment later I was back in my armor with my weapons at hand in case we needed to defend ourselves.

With that done, we started walking back in the direction that we had come from. I know that I could have teleported us all back but I had a lot on my mind and I was worried about carelessly using my magick before I could learn to properly control it again. My companions didn’t comment about us taking the long way, though I did catch the occasional concerned glances. Daenyss, Lissany, and Nishalle had all been there when my last attempt at magick had destroyed my Nature’s Crown and my focus.

Finally, Nishalle came and put her arm around me as we walked. “C’mon, Sis, stop worrying so much. Lissany and I can keep you and the others safe and you still have your swords and guns if there is trouble. As soon as we get back we can talk to Mahair about making you a new spell focus before we head into the city. You’ll be using magick again in no time.”

So they thought that I was depressed because I couldn’t use magick? Well, I guess that made sense since normal Magi need a focus to help them gather, control, and focus mana. It could be done without a focus but it usually caused massive migraines or other strain to the body so most people wouldn’t risk it. From what Danu told me earlier though I guessed that it didn’t apply to Demigods.

I tried to give my sister a convincing smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I don’t like not being able to use my magick, and I have a lot on my mind with everything that’s happened and everything I’ve learned since we got out of the game.”

At Nishalle’s insistence, probably to get my mind off other things, we all started to contribute new name suggestions for ‘She-Hawkin’, as my Tokh'dhraí sister oh-so-delicately referred to her. Hawkin agreed to listen to suggestions so long as Nishalle never called her that again. We had been at it for a little while and since Hawkin hadn’t liked any of the earlier suggestions the others had started coming up with silly ones, especially Nishalle and Lissany.

“How about Rarity? I mean you’re a Unicorn and all, and you’d kinda look like her if your hair and tail were purple instead of white. How do you feel about a dye job and getting a tattoo on your butt?” Lissany asked thoughtfully, though I could see her teasing smirk and her feline nose twitching in amusement. “Firefly kicks flank so I could see you as her, but she’s a Pegasus, not a Unicorn.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lissany,” Hawkin said, letting out a sigh. Then she narrowed her eyes at my giggling Guardian. “That’s from a cartoon, isn’t it?”

Lissany pretended to be insulted and sniffed indignantly. “Animated series. And not just any animated series, the best one... well for our purposes anyway.”

“It’s that pony cartoon, isn’t it? I am not naming myself after a cartoon character, so you can forget that right now,” Hawkin grumbled.

“How about Kendra?” I said, offering my first suggestion since the whole affair had begun. “It’s not that different than your original male name so it should be easy to respond to. Or maybe Harley? They both sound feminine but tough too, which suits your new look.”

The Unicorn Beastkin gave me a thoughtful look before nodding. “I think that I could live with one of those. It’s much better than Candy,” she said with a glare toward Nishalle.

“You know, ‘Harley Kendra Hawkins’ does have a nice ring to it,” Daenyss admitted.

The subject of the naming session smiled for the first time since she awoke. “Yeah, I think I like that.”

“Shhhh! I see something moving out there, it’s coming this way,” Nishalle whispered as she crouched down, her eyes locked on the forest ahead of us. After a moment I could see it too, a flash of white in the darkness, then another one, soon accompanied by the sounds of large animals moving through the forest. With the moon out from behind the clouds we would be able to better see what was approaching and I felt stronger and reassured somehow with its light shining down on me.

As we crouched there and watched the white forms become ever larger as they bounded through the trees I wondered how long the moonlight would last. The moon had been in the sky since we got here, though it was occasionally blocked out by cloud cover. As far north as we were though, we could get a week or more with it up there in the sky the whole time, but I also knew that we could go periods just as long where it only appeared part of the day and some when it wouldn’t appear at all. During those long dark days, Varüus’kiel was going to feel very spooky with only me, some Wisps, and other magical forms of illumination.

Not that it wasn’t spooky crouching in the forest and watching as that massive Dire Wolf come into view. Really, we weren’t even hiding since both Willow and I were giving off too much light for that, though willow made a solid effort as she scurried into my hood to hide amongst my braids. Fortunately, the Dire Wolf was Yuki, followed by Ghost with Tsukiko and Kinara riding on their backs. We quickly stood up so the pair could see us since I had to assume that they’d been tracking us. Once they were within speaking distance I approached to give Ghost a loving caress as I asked Kinara, “What’s wrong?”

“Sorry, Taelya,” the pink-haired Yseil'dhraí began as Kimmie glided from above to settle on her shoulder. “I know that you said that only Fae were to come into the woods but I thought that we could track you and get here faster with Yuki’s help. Suki said that Yuki had your scent and riding her and Ghost got us here so much faster than using a spell to track you. I would have teleported to you but I didn’t know what to expect in these woods and I know how much Ghost hates teleporting.”

“It’s alright Kinara, Suki was with you and I think that you were both as safe as anyone could be in this forest while you had Yuki and Ghost with you,” I assured my apprentice before gesturing to Hawkin, or rather Harley. “We were just on our way back.”

“Whoa! Bloody hell! Who is that and what happened to Hawkin?!” Kinara sputtered as she and Tsukiko both stared unabashedly at the newly minted Beastkin woman.

Harley’s face was bright red and she was looking at her feet under the pair of stares. ‘Umm… I’m Hawkin… or I was. You can call me Harley now, I guess.”

“Whoa, that’s gonna take some getting used to,” Kinara said, shaking her head in bewilderment.

“That’s what I said,” Harley grumbled self-consciously.

“Umm… Your… uhh… Majesty? If you were on your way back, why didn’t you just use a teleportation spell? Kinara was telling me that you were the best and most powerful Magus on your server,” Tsukiko inquired hesitantly.

“Whatever Danu did last night powered her up big time and her spell focus kinda exploded earlier today,” Lissany answered before I could.

“I was wondering why you weren’t wearing it earlier,” Kinara said with a wince of sympathy. “I guess it’s a good thing that I decided to track you down then. Dad sent a Fairy back to camp with word that there was something that you really need to see.”

Since I wanted to move quickly to see whatever Maekin had found while pursuing the three assholes who had attacked Hawkin and taken his stuff I taught Kinara a new portal spell that I’d been working on. There weren’t enough mounts for all of us, even if Harley had changed forms and I didn’t want to ask that of her regardless since she was still tired from her recent transformation. Once Kinara had the spell down and had cast the portal to her father’s location we all stepped through, though Tsukiko and I had to gently coax Yuki and ghost through and our Wisps remained hidden in Kinara’s and my hoods, where they settled in for a nap.

Maekin and those with him knelt and bowed their heads as we stepped through the portal. “Your Majesty,” Kinara’s father reported, “We think we found them, or what was left of them. It’s not a pretty sight, there is not even enough left to try to resurrect them, but that is not what I wanted you to see.”

He and his search group led us safely through some thorny brush to a ledge overlooking a valley with a small river running through it that I thought might connect to Lake Danu. That was not what immediately caught my attention though. No, my eyes were locked on the tower of metal rising high into the sky and reflecting the moonlight. It was huge but with all of the imperfections and lumps and strange branches off the main tower, it didn’t look like it was created artificially. Was it some kind of strange natural phenomenon? This was a magical island so anything could be possible.

“What is that?” Harley, Tsukiko, and Daenyss all asked as one in whispered wonder.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out. Let’s go down for a closer look,” I replied before turning toward Maekin, “Did you find a safe path down into the valley, or are we going to have to get creative?”

“We’ve got a way down, and the path should be wide enough for Ghost and that Dire Wolf to travel safely enough,” Maekin assured me.

With Lissany and Maekin taking the lead, we made our way cautiously down the path that the search group had found. Since neither of them had good night vision, Tsukiko and Harley stayed close to me for the natural (or maybe supernatural) light that my hair was exuding. The closer that we got to the valley floor, the more we encountered huge chunks of metal that looked like they had just been haphazardly tossed aside and smooth patches of it on the ground that looked like it had just melted in place.

Near the valley floor, we stopped to examine one of the larger chunks we had seen. It was the size of a school bus and seemed to be some sort of silvery-blue metal that was smooth and cool to the touch. Kinara’s father gasped as he ran his hands over it. “I think this is Nythrin.”

“Huh?” Nishalle eloquently inquired.

At the looks of confusion from the rest of us, Maekin sighed and said, “I keep forgetting that some of you weren’t born and raised Fae. Nythrin was a metal that was said to only be found here on Varüus’kiel, the stories say that it was lightweight and stronger than any other metal we have found in the wider world. There is a legend that when we Fae followed the Four out into the larger world to bring balance, that the Great Mother gifted each of her four daughters with a ring made from the metal by the Sül’shael so that they could always have a piece of home with them wherever they went. Each of the Four was entombed with their ring when they died.”

“Sül’shael?” I asked, latching onto the word. “I’ve never heard of star maidens before.”

“The Great Mother supposedly named them for the heat and brightness of their fire and how they look flying high above in the night sky. As I said though, it’s a legend and since there’s nobody around who was alive back then to verify or make sense of it we should probably take it with a grain of salt,” Maekin said with a shrug. “Maybe this metal could be useful though, even if it’s not legendary. We wouldn’t even have to mine it with this much just laying around.”

That wasn’t necessarily true, I did know of one ‘person’ who was around back then. ~Great Mother, what is this stuff?~ I asked, hoping that she wasn’t busy and felt like giving me a straight answer.

~It’s Nythrin, of course, just like Maekin told you, child. You saw the great tree right?~ the Goddess asked with a knowing laugh.

~Tree? I just saw that massive metal tower thing,~ I replied in confusion.

~It is not just a big hunk of metal, dear daughter. It is alive in a way, an organic crystalline plant with metallic properties. The heat from the caldera and the plentiful mana on the island nourishes it. Pieces of it of course die and become inert metal when removed from the main tree but it’s a useful and valuable metal at the very least. It’s very light, stronger than the strongest steel, and has a melting point so high that only the Sül’shael, or one such as you or I could summon a flame hot enough to work with it.~

~Wait, so the Sül’shael are real?~ I asked.

~Yes, but their duties were to the Nythrin tree and not the outside world so they stayed behind when I sent my first four daughters and their Courts into the outside world. They never joined the Councils because they are not bound to any of the Courts and what happens in the outside world was not their affair. You should be meeting the girls soon. Give them my love and tell them that you are the moon-child, they’ll know what it means. I would come myself but I am due to meet Inari, Mórrígan, and Cerridwen for a planning session.~ I felt her wrap me up in a mental embrace and then her presence left my mind.

We were making our way toward the Nythrin tree when we saw what looked like a gathering of metal cottages. These weren’t roughly hewn metal slabs just thrown together though, each one was an indescribable work of art that took my breath away, it was like walking through a fairy tale. We eventually found ourselves in a village square of sorts that was well lit by the moonlight, where close to a thousand naked Fae women were gathered.

We were behind most of them, while the one that they were all facing seemed to be chanting some sort of prayer to Danu over three others. If the one praying was any indication, they resembled bald nymphs with dusky-rose skin though I could barely make out that much with only moonlight and my night vision to work with. I looked up as the one in front finished her prayer to Danu and opened her clasped hands before kneeling and doing something with each of the three kneeling women.

After a moment, she stood again and looked over the three, saying in Elvish. “Thank you for your seeds and for taking on the honors and responsibilities of being a mother. The seeds have taken root and in time our sisters will be born again. Thank you, Great Mother, for hearing our prayers.” And that was when she saw us standing at the edge of the square, not that it could be avoided with me glowing like I was.

“Great Mother!” she shrieked in delight as soon as she caught sight of me. White-hot flames erupted from the top of her head and her back, those from her back taking the shape of butterfly wings as she flew toward us squealing excitedly. All of the gathered Sül’shael turned as one, their erupting flames lighting up the entire square as the night air was filled with enthusiastic cries of excitement. Surprisingly the Priestess reached us first covering the distance in record time to excitedly bounce from one foot to the other in front of me.

Lissany and Nishalle had formed ranks around me and Ghost reared, not sure if I needed protecting or not, and everyone else was trying to keep far enough away from the intense heat of the flames from the gathering crowd of excitable Sül’shael. “It’s okay girls, they aren’t going to hurt me, at least that’s not their intent,” I tried to reassure my confused protectors as I slid gracefully from Ghost’s back and placed a hand on her head to calm her before stepping forward. I was very glad that I was wearing Lindwyrm hide to protect me from the flames, though they didn’t seem to bother me, they were actually pleasantly warm.

Nishalle and Lissany reluctantly stepped back and the Priestess, realizing that she had spooked us, managed to calm herself down and make the flames vanish. “Great Mother, it’s so good to see you again, I…” she started to say in Elvish before tilting her head and looking at me critically, “Wait, you’re not the Goddess. You look a little like Her, you have Her hair and eyes, but you’re not Her. You look like one of the Yseil’dhraí, like that pink-haired girl, but I don’t remember any of them having those colors in the stories She told us.”

The other Sül’shael were mostly adults but there were a couple of teens and some children amongst them as well. They were all peering at me in interest and looked a little unsure what was going on as I cleared my throat and tried to smile at them as I spoke. “No, I’m not the Great Mother, but She sends Her love and said that I should tell you that I’m the moon-child.”

There was a collective gasp as the Priestess beamed at me. “She told us stories about you! She said that if everything went well that you would come here to Varüus’kiel and be our Empress! I’m Xixie!”

“What’s an empress?” one asked. “We’ve never had one of those before.”

“Do you not remember Risha? The Great Mother said that it’s like Her. That she will be like a mother for all of us, and all those Court Fae, except she will be here a lot more,” another pointed out.

“She looks like the Great Mother and we are supposed to treat her like Her, but she’s not Her, does that mean she’s a little mother?” yet another said thoughtfully.

“Can we call you Inu’Mahair?” a chorus of voices asked at once causing Nishalle to unsuccessfully cover a laugh with her hand.

Poor Harley, who had never taken the Elvish language was lost and asked Lissany, “What’s going on? What’s an Inoo mahaiyir?”

“Taelya introduced herself and it looks like they want to call her ‘Little Mother’,” my Guardian informed her fellow Beastkin.

Xixie was looking over my companions now. She seemed to recognize the types of Fae but Harley, Lissany, and Tsukiko seemed to draw her attention. She leaned in close and whispered, “What are they, Inu’Mahair?”

I sighed as I realized I was likely never going to get them to stop calling me that now. Still, I pointed to each of my ‘interesting’ companions in turn and explained. “Those two are Beastkin, and Tsukiko over there is a Witch.”

“Inu’Mahair, why is the Witch riding a big fluffy?” Xixie asked, casting a cautious glance to where Tsukiko sat atop Yuki. “Big fluffies ate the creatures we saw coming to the valley earlier, I think they might have been Witches too. They had round ears like hers but they had lighter skin, were bigger, and they were male like him,” she whispered again, pointing a thumb toward Maekin.

“No those were Humans, Witches can use magick and Humans can’t. The big fluff… err Yuki there is Tsukiko’s familiar and helps her use magick,” I explained before asking, “You saw what happened to the Humans?”

“Yes, Inu’Mahair, they were coming into the Valley and ran right into the big fluffies. Then it was chomp chomp and they were screaming and then when the big fluffies left, their life-sparks were just floating around so I snatched them up and we just finished the ritual to resurrect them.” Xixie’s hands flailed wildly as she excitedly explained without stopping for air.

“Wait, you’re resurrecting them? Don’t you kinda need their bodies for that?” Kinara asked.

A confused expression covered Xixie’s face. “No, why would we? When one of our people dies a Priestess just takes their life-spark and then we stuff it in one of our seeds so it will take root in the seed carrier’s body. Then they can be born again to live new lives once they are ready and their new bodies have grown within their new mothers. The Hoomans’ life-sparks were not that different from ours, they were not animals or anything so I thought that the ritual would work and we can get three new children for the village.”

“Well, that should keep them out of trouble, for about nine months or so,” I muttered to myself before asking, “Will they remember anything of their past lives?”

Xixie quickly shook her head. “No, Inu’Mahair, we never remember anything from our before lives. We have to be taught everything all over again by our mothers.”

I talked with Xixie for a while, getting to know more about the Sül’shael. From what I figured they were an offshoot of the Moss Maidens, or vice versa. Both the Liyun'shael and the Sül’shael reproduced by seeds and each only had three to give their whole lives. But while the Moss Maidens placed those seeds inside another sentient being to change their bodies to that of one of their kind, the Star Maidens bound souls to one of those seeds to activate them and then carried the growing children to term to give birth like other Fae. I wondered if they could do both do it the other way around too and just hadn’t thought of the possibility.

There were several differences between the two species though. The Liyun’shael were designed to tend to the forests and blend into the background and hide. The Sül’shael, on the other hand, were designed to create and manipulate intense flames. They were tied intrinsically to Nythrin and could manipulate it with ease in its molten form. Their fiery wings and magick also allowed them to fly to get up to the top of the Nythrin tree to prune it and they were damn near as strong as Lissany, as I discovered when one of the children excitedly came up and gave me a bone-creaking hug. Fortunately, she had enough self-control to not have her head and wings ignited at the time.

During our talk, I also discovered that the Sül’shael were culturally a lot like other Fae, despite the separation when the others went to the outside world to do their duties. Some of that was because the Fae as a whole had gotten past the whole mating dances and primal urges thing, formed cultural beliefs, and developed their magicks and language before leaving Varüus’kiel. There wasn’t really much difference between the different Courts that had developed in that time either, except for their approach to their duties and general attitude toward Humans.

Danu had guided the early Fae a lot and when they had left Varüus’kiel and She had continued to do so through the Queens, as much as Her daughters each had their own way of doing things. It would seem that She had continued to take a more personal hand with the Sül’shael by visiting and telling them stories to guide them. This was Her domain after all and the Fae were all considered Her children since, even though only the Yseil’dhraí were made with Her blood, we were all created by Her magick.

So, culturally speaking, the Sül’shael were very much like other Fae. They loved sex and many were eyeing Maekin in keen interest, wondering what it would be like with a male. I was beginning to wonder whether sex was one of Danu’s aspects as well as those that I already knew about. I mean, She is a Mother Goddess, and like they say, getting there is half the fun.

They also believed firmly in self-control and ignoring the urges of one’s body until one was an adult, not only to because mental discipline was as important to them as it was to other Fae, but also because if they didn’t learn that self-control then they could burn down half the forests on Varüus’kiel. Just as the Moss Maidens were connected deeply to the earth element, their cousins were connected to fire. Their fire magicks were powerful and their duty was to prune the Nythrin tree once a year so it would not become too heavy and collapse and uproot itself due to its weight.

“Once a year?” I asked. “What do you do the rest of the time that you’re not doing what you need to survive?”

“Mostly we get to know one another better…some of us know each other sooo well. Sometimes we collect sparklies from the river to make pretty things. We like to make pretty things.” Xixie wore a pensive look as she spoke before the bright orange eyes focused on me once again. Then she proudly displayed the multitude of beautifully crafted earrings and bracelets she was wearing and the delicate pendant with tiny rubies that hung just above and between her bare breasts. “You need some pretty things Inu’Mahair. What kind of pretties do you like? We will make you some!”

“Well, since she’s an Empress she should have a really nice crown,” Nishalle jumped in with a teasing grin. “And you could make her all sorts of pretties to go with it.”

“She could really use some new earrings too,” Daenyss put in thoughtfully. “Gold isn’t really her color anymore. Silver or that Nythrin stuff would go much better with her complexion and her hair and eye colors.”

Apparently, I had no say in the matter because Xixie and Daenyss then started an animated conversation about what would look good on me and be suitable for one of my status as the Sül’shael invited us to share their evening meal. There were some white berries that they called nightberries, some kind of tubers and truffles, fish from the river, and some cooked meat that tasted like venison. That was when Harley discovered, much to her dismay, that she seemed to be a vegetarian now.

Dinner went by with every Sül’shael in sight trying to get to know me and my companions better, though they were particularly interested in me. I managed to explain what was going on with the Fae and other non-humans coming to live on Varüus’kiel, where we were camped at the moment, and the plan going forward. Our hosts knew about the lake and ‘meadow’ and seemed interested in meeting their long-separated cousins.

Since their Goddess-given-duties only needed to be done annually they decided to come and join us, so they could be closer to their new Inu’Mahair and get to know some of the other Fae and other Races better. They could also help with foraging until we could get the supplies we needed since they knew the terrain better than we did. By the time that I had had Kinara cast a portal to take us back to the lakeside, the Sül’shael were preparing to pack up everything important and enough Nythrin and sparklies to make me plenty of pretties, among other things.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 3 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 3: Expedition.

As promised, I took Harley to go see Tíana as soon as we were back at the lakeshore. Of course, my young Winter Court sister wasn’t really sure who Harley was until we explained it, but she seemed happy that Harley wasn’t ‘sick’ anymore. She was only three years old though and was playing with some other children who had arrived with some of the recent groups of new arrivals brought by scattered Fae in response to our call. Some were the children of newly-awakened Beastkin, Witches, or Merfolk but there were also some Dwarf and Kitsune children and even a young Púca girl close to Tíana’s age.

We left them to their games under the watchful eyes of Tíana’s guards and went to find see to other things. Jhuras had all of the Atlanteans and Merfolk who were ready to go on his expedition to Atlantis gathered, including our two newest Mermaids, Kayla and Felicity, who were excited to explore the ruins of the ancient underwater city. The expedition planned to bring back anything useful that could be salvaged but I also asked Jhuras to start thinking about defenses for the island. I knew that it was enchanted so that only the invited could find it, but that didn’t necessarily mean that we couldn’t be seen, or targeted, via satellite and I wanted to be prepared just in case.

After giving the Atlantis expedition the go-ahead and watching them leave through the portal that Jhuras had cast I went in search of my Mahair. I found her discussing things with the other adult Queens of the Courts and Narek. I informed them of our meeting with the Sül’shael, what we had learned from them, and their decision to come to join us and help where they could. Mahair was eager to meet them and seemed pleased that I had a group of Fae loyal to me who weren’t attached to a specific Court.

My Mahair and the others had already sent out scouting parties to look for good places for their Courts’ Glades but they felt that each Court should have an official representative living in the city once it was built. Kinara and Sahnae had already been decided on for their respective Courts since they already had a good relationship with me, and both my Mahair and Pájar were considering their own representatives for the Autumn and Winter Courts. They also wanted me to consider having an official guard retinue with me at all times, especially while not on Varüus’kiel.

I could understand their concerns and we agreed that I would have four official guards with me at all times, including two Guardians when we could get a second trained. Lissany, Nishalle, and Pete would be three of them, and I think that I surprised both of my Fae parents by asking that Harley be trained as my second Guardian. Harley was trying to find herself and had a lot to adjust to and about the only thing that she seemed to know for certain was that she wanted to be a Guardian. If she was mine, then she would be close and I could help her to adjust to her new life.

I also asked that they get the techies to get one of the servers and enough F.I.Ts set up for a Guardian training simulation for two dozen people and to start looking at potential candidates. Every Yseil’dhraí, including the Queens, was going to have at least one Guardian in their retinue. I wanted another server, and the remainder of the F.I.Ts, set up for a simulation for any of the Humans who wanted to be changed and learn new skills, especially since we may be bringing family members of former game players and Pegasus Entertainment employees back with us.

As that meeting concluded, my Mahair took me aside to ask, “Why are you not wearing your spell focus, little rose?”

I let out a sigh and shrugged. “It, and my Nature’s Crown, kind of exploded when I was practicing my magick earlier. I guess I don’t really need either anymore from what Danu told me, the rules are different for me now, but I need to learn to control my power all over again. If I use too much power for a spell I could seriously hurt or kill everyone around me.”

Amoiraishe’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “Guard this secret, it will be an advantage if only those closest to you know that you do not require a focus to use magick. I will have some things ready for you when you’re ready to leave for Vancouver.”

When I arrived where I had agreed to meet Rei and the others for our incursions into the Human cities, everyone was there waiting. I didn’t recognize the people who would be leading the teams to New York, Tokyo, and London but they obviously recognized me as once again everyone was quick with the bowing and the titles. I just sighed and did my best to take it all in stride.

I had given my fiancée a very specific task before running off into the woods to accompany Harley. Including Tien and Becky, there were almost thirty people who needed to check on family in Vancouver. That number went up by one when Harley insisted on joining us to check on her mother and stepfather. Most of those people were employees of Pegasus Entertainment but there were nine Apocalypse Dawn players as well, not including Tien, Becky, and Harley. Tien and Becky hadn’t changed their appearances in the game too much but most of the players were going to need a way to look like their former selves if they were going to approach their families.

With that in mind, I had had Rei work with those players and find other Kitsune who could work with those from the other servers who were in the same boat. Using her shapeshifting abilities, she had been altering her form with their guidance to as close as she could to matching their former bodies so that Magi would have something to base glamours on. Working together with Venika, Salem, and Becky, she had completed her task as best she could, and now all of those who required glamours had them.

“Great work, everyone,” I offered as I looked over the glamours and my party mates made no secret of looking over Harley in disbelief. “I guess that we just need to work on our own glamours now. Rei do you remember what Harley here looked like before well enough to copy him?”

“I don’t need to look like my old self, in fact, it’s probably better if I don’t. My stepfather and I never exactly got along and we didn’t part on the best of terms,” Harley interjected. “If we can just hide my Unicorn features and make me look Human, I’ll be good. I don’t need to talk to them, I just want to make sure that Mom is okay… you know… just in case.” As she said the last she pointed toward her horn and horse-like ears.

Most of my party had no family to check on, but we would need to blend in among the Humans since most of us weren’t Human now and Robyn was a celebrity. Venika could hide easily enough, Rei had her shapeshifting, and Pete could fit in easily in his casual clothes but the rest of us needed disguises. So, like Harley, we were going to use glamours to hide our non-human features, though for some of us, like Salem and Nishalle, that was a bit of work.

I wouldn’t be casting anything until Mahair showed up with my new ‘spell focus’ so Venika and my apprentices ended up casting the glamours on everyone but me. They all looked like average Humans wearing casual clothes by the time they were done. I would cast my own glamour since I figured it was going to take a lot of power to not only disguise me but also keep people from seeing the glow from my hair and eyes, especially if it was dark.

I thought that I should be safe casting glamours on myself and maybe a portal spell since I couldn’t think of any ways that could harm anyone. With a portal spell, too much power might be a good thing since they took a lot of power to keep open and we had a good-sized group. The other groups had left for their respective cities by the time Mahair showed up to hand me a black purse and a silver choker with an amethyst embedded that resembled my old spell focus, just with a change in the color scheme.

I could feel the power in the choker as I put it on. When I closed my eyes and tried to examine the spell with my magick sense I had to smile at Mahair’s deviousness. The only enchantment on the choker was a minor spell that had only one purpose, to radiate enough mana that it would feel like a powerful enchantment to others. “Here, my little rose, try not to break that one,” the Queen of the Autumn Court said with a slight smirk before offering me the purse.

“What’s this for? I already have a purse,” I inquired as she pressed it into my hands.

“Use the identity in there, it’s one of many that I developed once the Veil started to fail so I wouldn’t have all my wealth in one place. I have over two dozen all over the world and that’s the one in Vancouver. Each identity has a safe house, safe deposit box, a local bank account, and an account in either Switzerland or the Cayman Islands. Everything should be safe, I’ve been monitoring all of the accounts regularly and I have spells on the safe houses to prevent unauthorized access by Humans. I’ve put a note inside with instructions on how to access everything as well.”

I looked inside the purse and saw a folded piece of paper as well as a billfold with some cash and various identification, bank, and credit cards. There were also the usual suspects like feminine hygiene products, basic makeup, a small bottle of midol, and even a smartphone. I had to laugh when I saw the name on the driver’s license. “Autumn Cortez? Really, Mahair?”

“I am not without a sense of humor, little rose,” she replied with a smirk before producing a pair of matching rings. “Give these to Robyn and Roberto when you arrive. Robyn will need to start getting ready for her tour soon and these will help them both to blend in if they don’t return with you, saying ‘Aentuire’ will activate or deactivate the glamour. If they get into any trouble and need a quick escape they just need to say, ‘Uis’ and it will bring them to Varüus’kiel. They need to be worn to be active though.”

I nodded and placed the rings in the purse along with the ID card. I thought that it was a good idea to use Elvish words to activate the spells and the words for ‘me’ and ‘home’ would be easy for them to remember and relate to the spells since they both spoke Elvish. “I’ll make sure they get them.”

I tried not to show how much the thought of Robyn and Rob possibly not returning with us upset me. It just cemented in my mind that this might very well be the last time that all of us went on an adventure together. Though Robyn planned to move her actual home to Varüus’kiel once we were better set up, right now she and Rob had her tour to worry about. For the moment her job right now was doing what she does best. Using her music to inspire others out there in the wider world, drumming up support, and being an activist for those in need, and right now that was those of us who weren’t Human.

I knew that it wasn’t like we’d never see each other again, I would probably see the rest of them every day and we’d still hang out and be friends. I’d still be teaching Kinara, Becky, and Salem magick and once Rob and Robyn moved their permanent home to Varüus’kiel, I’d see them a lot too. But just going out on quests together, all of us, those days were probably done. Things had changed since the game and Robyn and Rob weren’t the only ones with jobs to do either.

I was an Empress now, I had to think about the needs of my people, and I wanted people I trusted to help me with that. Grell was probably going to be working with Ashura and other Atlantean Artificers on new tech, and that was where I needed him. I was also seriously considering Venika as my Minister of Finance and the Treasury and Salem as Minister of the Environment since they both had the backgrounds and a passion for them, though Salem seemed eager to do her duty as a Liyun’shael out in the forests of Varüus’kiel. Even Kinara was probably going to be kept busy as the Summer Court’s official representative to the city and its people.

Rei would likely be working with the priests and medical types, but she (or he, depending on the day) was my fiancée so we would spend as much time as we could together and she might be needed if anything were to happen to me or one of my entourage. So it was looking like I would only be regularly spending time with Rei, Daenyss as my Attendant, and my protectors. And even that would change with me having a foursome of bodyguards now with Pete and Harley in addition to Nishalle and Lissany.

I was distracted from my thoughts as my Mahair wrapped her arms around me and tenderly kissed my forehead. “Everything changes, little rose. Change can be good though, sometimes in the most unexpected ways, I believe that you know this better than most. Keep your chin up, I will cast a portal to the safe house so your group doesn’t risk appearing somewhere public. You can use it as your base of operations while you’re there.”

The safe house was a large two-bedroom open concept house in the Kitsilano area of the west side of Vancouver. The house was dark when we arrived and the only major source of light seemed to come from me and the three Wisps attached to my party, though there were the small led lights of the security system near the door and the digital clocks on the stove and microwave in the kitchen that indicated that it was 10:34 pm. We found the light switches and explored the house a bit but, while it was modern and spacious, it was going to be crowded with close to forty people.

As I had been instructed, I gave Robyn and Rob the rings from my Mahair as soon as we relocated along with the instructions on how to use them. I figured that the larger ring was meant for Rob and it seemed that I was right as the glamour hid his tail and replaced his cat-like ears and other features with more human-looking ones. Robyn’s glamour made me smile as her celebrity appearance was replaced by that of the ‘Lark’ that my party had grown to know and love over our time together in the game.

Once we were all settled as comfortably as we could with so many of us in the large living room, Tien asked, “So, what’s the plan here, Your Majesty?”

“It’s late now, so we’ll try to get some sleep and start fresh in the morning.” At the grumbling that followed that statement, I sighed before pressing on. “My group has a lot to do with buying supplies and other necessities and I know that all of us probably want to go to our old homes and get some things and contact our families if we have any, but I would rather we’re all safe rather than sorry. I’m going to send Nishalle out to do some scouting and try and figure out what things are like out there since the Veil fell, she should be safe with her skills and abilities.”

Nobody was really happy with my decision, not even me, but they all went along with it. I wish I could say that it was because it made sense, and that might have been part of it, but a large part of it was probably because of my new status. Once everyone was settled as best we could get and Nishalle was out scouting, Rei and I retired to the master bedroom where, with Daenyss’s help, we recreated our sahir kien. I then attempted to use as little mana as possible while placing an enchantment on Rei’s so that it would change size with her when she used her shapeshifting ability. It was weird, even when separated from my body my night-black hair still gave off that silvery glow once we turned out the lights.

It was nearly one in the morning and I was having trouble sleeping when I heard the sound of a motorcycle outside. After getting close to the driveway and light passing over the window the engine turned off and a moment later, Nishalle’s voice emanated from the corner of the room. “We may have problems, Sis.”

“Is it that bad out there?” I asked worriedly.

Nishalle’s head shook, though her face wore a grim expression. “No, it’s not that much different than normal if you don’t count the occasional monsters showing up and magical creatures being dragged off into the night to secret locations. I found a holding area after following a Beastkin being snatched, they’re being treated like animals, but it’s not like they’re being tortured or experimented on… yet. We may need to do something soon though. That’s not even the real problem though since we kind of expected that.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Nishalle may be scary as hell sometimes and a bit of a tease at others, but one thing that she does not do is try to exaggerate the seriousness of a situation. “We’ll try to extract those people as soon as we can, but if that’s not the real problem, what is?”

“I went by my apartment to get my bike and my stash of cash and somebody has been there. They were careful, only a few things weren’t exactly where I left them, but I found listening devices and there was a vehicle outside with people watching my windows. It’s a good thing I’m so stealthy and see better in the dark than during the day or they might have realized I was there. They couldn’t watch the garage since it’s secure and underground but I had to remove a tracking device from my bike before I used my shadow shift ability to get me and it out of there,” the Tokh’dhraí Assassin said with a frown.

I nodded, not really all that surprised, it was part of the reason that I wanted to be cautious. “We had to expect that interested parties might start monitoring high-level Pegasus employees.”

“Yeah, so why were they watching your place too? On a hunch, I swung by your house and there’s an unfamiliar black sedan parked outside. People were in your house, Tae. They were giving it the same treatment as mine. Now, it could be they want to use ‘Caleb’ to find ‘Karin’, or it could be that they’re going after anyone connected with Pegasus, including AD players, and maybe even family.”

“Which means that everyone’s families could be under a microscope right now. We’ll need to extract them soon and it might not be a good idea for our people to go visit them, at least, not as someone they’ll recognize. We need more information before we make a move, like who is monitoring our old identities and why,” I said with a heavy feeling in my heart.

“Do you want me to… uhh… interview, those guys at your place?” she asked.

I knew that she wasn’t squeamish about getting answers out of them, and they probably would talk, but even if I didn’t feel that would be a bad idea for future race relations, I didn’t want to use my sister like that. “No, we don’t want to tip our hand. Having someone who is very obviously not Human take an interest in why they’re so interested in our old selves could cause more problems. I think that we need to set out some bait and see who takes it.”

The next morning found me and Rei pretending to be our former selves, me under a glamour and Rei through the use of shapeshifting. The real problem was creating a glamour that not only looked like my old self but sounded like him too, or at the very least convincingly male. After grabbing a few things at a small store we headed through the downtown streets filled with people trying to act like the world was still normal toward our bank. We spent a lot more time at the bank than was normal.

“Mr. Sanders, Miss Phillips, we’re going to need you to come with us,” one of two large Caucasian men dressed in Vancouver PD uniforms said grimly from behind us as the teller finally completed our transaction. She had been taking her time closing our joint account and then doling out the little more than eight thousand dollars we had there, looking at her computer screen far more than necessary. Now I knew why, though to be fair I had suspected that someone might be at least watching our bank accounts, and we were bait after all.

I turned to look as ‘Jess’ and smiled. “Now this is service, Honey. They called an escort for us to make sure we don’t get mugged.”

One of the officers narrowed his eyes at me as I placed the massive wad of cash in my old wallet, shoved it in my backpack, and then slung the pack over my shoulder while being careful not to jostle its occupant too much. “Are you planning on going somewhere, Mr. Sanders?” he asked.

“Well, we were going to go get married, and then we’re going to spend our honeymoon in this wonderful little island nation, Varüus’kiel. You should visit sometime, I hear it’s a magical place and their Empress is simply divine,” Jessica provided with a grin.

I had trouble keeping a straight face, though I did give my fiancée a stern look. I had been having enough trouble adjusting to my new position, and being some sort of Yseil'dhraí Demigoddess, without her constant teasing. She was almost as bad as Nishalle. So I shot back, “Well, she’s not as foxy as you, my little Rei of sunshine.”

The second officer didn’t seem to have the patience for our playful banter. “We need you both to come to the station with us to answer some questions, Mr. Sanders.”

“Well, we haven’t done anything illegal and, since you’re not reading us our rights, I think that you know that. You haven’t even introduced yourselves, so we’re not going anywhere with you. So, why don’t you tell us what this is all about before I get my lawyer involved?” I insisted.

“Look, Pal, we were just asked to bring you to the station to answer some questions. You’d be doing us a favor if you could just come along quietly. We got a call that you were here, a general description of the two of you, and that some suit wanted you at the station for questioning. We don’t know anything more than that,” the second officer said looking really annoyed.

“Well, if this suit wants to talk to us then they should do it like a normal person and not have us treated like criminals. We’re going home to pack for our honeymoon, if they want to talk to us they can come to see us there. I’m sure they already know where we live, they already made themselves at home last night,” I snapped accusingly. “And if we’re there, then their buddies can listen in. In fact, I’d like to report a break-in and invasion of privacy.”

The looks on their faces told me everything that I needed to know, they wanted us out of here quietly without causing a scene and they knew more than they were telling. Someone way above their paygrade was calling the shots. That was when one of their phones rang. “Sgt. Curtis speaking,” he said as he answered the phone. Then he swallowed a lump in his throat and offered me the phone as he said, “Someone wants to talk to you, Mr. Sanders.”

“Hello, I’m assuming this is my stalker,” I said into the phone.

“Mr. Sanders, I would suggest that you come in peacefully. I have questions that need answering and you…”

I cut him off. “Yeah, well so do I, starting with who the fuck you are and why you broke into my house, conducted an illegal search, and invaded my privacy with listening devices.”

“How did you…” the voice started to say before quickly recovering. “The search wasn’t illegal, and neither were the devices. You’ll find that my agency has a lot of leeway when dealing with suspected terrorists, Mr. Sanders.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I said, having to carefully control myself not to crush the phone in my hand.

“I am deadly serious. Where is your sister, Mr. Sanders?”

“My sister?” What the hell was all this talk of terrorists?

“Karin Sanders, where is she?” he pressed. “We know that she works for Moira Llewellyn and our agency is currently working with agencies in the United States who have intelligence that her company is a front for a terrorist organization called Apocalypse Dawn. Or haven’t you seen the news reports about the nationwide manhunt for them and other members of their organization?”

“I haven’t talked to Karin since Christmas day,” I answered truthfully. She had been Nishalle since then after all. “She’s not a terrorist. She’s an artist and comes up with ad materials. Moira’s company makes VR games. Apocalypse Dawn is the name of one of those games.”

“Oh, that’s right, you and your girlfriend were playtesters, weren’t you?” the voice said with what sounded like disappointment as I heard what sounded like the tapping of a keyboard in the background. If you can tell me where they’ve gone to ground, then maybe your names can just be lost in the shuffle when we bring in them and your fellow players. And we will bring them in.”

“Fuck you, that’s where they are,” I snapped, glowering at the phone.

“If you want to play this the hard way, I can do that,” the voice said far too calmly. “I’d suggest that you think it over though. We have the building surrounded, and you and Miss Phillips are considered armed and very dangerous.”

“You have no idea,” I growled before throwing the phone to the floor. Of course, the witch hunt was beginning and they used the clarion call of terrorism to get the public and the police to cooperate. The Americans must have let someone in our government know about the F.I.Ts, and their suspected potential for training soldiers, and they were cooperating hoping to get a piece of the action. Now everyone connected with Pegasus Games was on some sort of watch list.

Sgt. Curtis didn’t look too pleased when his phone practically shattered on the ground. He was even less pleased when my knee lashed out and caught him in the groin. Even as he began to hunch over in pain and surprise I removed his gun from its holster, grabbed a teenage girl walking by, and put her in a headlock as I flipped the safety and trained the gun on Curtis’s partner. I didn’t want anyone seriously hurt, but that included me and Rei. “Well, Jess, it looks like it’s time for plan B.”

“Plan B, Caleb?” she asked as bank customers started to realize what was going on and ran screaming for the doors.

“Yup, Plan Bonnie and Clyde, we are in a bank after all. If these assholes want to make us out to be some sort of gun-toting maniacs, then I say we oblige them and go out with a bang. Please relieve the officer of his weapon.” The officer in question looked from me and the girl to Jess, weighing his options so I warned, “Don’t even think about it. Nobody needs to get hurt here if we all play nice.”

My fiancée stepped toward the officer and carefully removed the gun from his holster. Then she backed off and took her own hostage, a skinny man who was bent over and seemed to be having some sort of asthma attack.

“The place is surrounded, we need to get away from the windows,” I warned. ‘Jess’ nodded her head as we backed off with our hostages and made our way toward the back. “You doing okay, Liss?” I whispered to my human shield.

My Guardian gave a faint nod as she continued her pretend screaming. This was all part of the backup plan in case it was someone from the government who took the bait. I could feel her armor underneath the glamour and it had been Lissany’s idea to use her as a human shield in case someone got brave or stupid enough to shoot me. Her armor could take it.

Rei’s ‘shield’ was Pete since he had a flak jacket in addition to his Lindwyrm-hide armor. We were both wearing our Lindwyrm-hide armor under the glamours and they could stop small-arms fire, but we would still feel some of the impact and it hadn’t really been tested against anything with more stopping power.

It was as we were backing our way to the bank manager’s office that the sound of an annoying ringtone cut through the deadly silence that had fallen across the bank’s interior. The other police officer looked from me then down to his belt uncertainly. “Go ahead and answer it. If it’s for me, toss it to the girl. And she had better be able to catch it,” I said.

“Officer Hughes here,” he said once he had slowly retrieved the phone. After listening he lobbed the phone to Lissany who made a show of fumbling but caught it.

“Put it on speaker,” I told my Guardian, making sure to try to sound threatening. Then, once she had done so I said, “House of Hostages, we’re thrillin’ to be killin’. How can we help you?” That was followed by an Oscar-worthy whimper of terror from Lissany.

“This is Agent Jones. I told you, we…”

“Jonesy! How have you been, it’s been so long! You don’t call, you don’t write, you don’t care about hostages,” I rattled off, cutting him off. At least I had a name to put to the voice, though it was possible that it wasn’t his real name. From the sound of teeth clenching on the other end, I thought that I was beginning to piss him off too, which was a bonus. Especially since I took time to shoot three of the security cameras that had us in line of sight. It helped him think that I thought that I was in control and also took the eyes off of us.

“Just keep calm and don’t do anything stupid,” Jones encouraged trying to sound calm and friendly now instead of like an arrogant prick. He must have had someone looking over his shoulder. “If we talk things out we can all get what we want. Just surrender and work with us on this and we can work out a deal. If we have to come in after you, deals are off the table.”

“If you come in after us, someone might not come out alive; could be you, could be us, could be a hostage. Probably more than one of the above. In fact, I can guarantee you that Jessica and I will not be walking out that door and neither will these people we’re holding on to right now,” I said evenly.

“Give up now, cooperate, and things will go a lot easier for you. Think of your girlfriend,” he said, still trying to sound like he actually cared what happened to us beyond throwing us in a cell and getting the information he wanted out of us by any means necessary.

“I am thinking about her, and I’m thinking that neither of us wants the kind of talk you have in mind since neither of us is going to give up my sister. So, since you seem to be hard of hearing, I will repeat myself very slowly. Fuck. You.”

I could practically hear him sneering. “We’ll see about that, you’ll talk. You’re talking tough, but I’ve talked to your co-workers and they all say that you’re a spineless little shit who’s afraid of your own shadow. People like you, always talk with the right incentive. Even if you do manage to get away somehow, your faces are all over the news, just like your sister’s and all of those other people involved with that company. Everyone in the country is looking for you. Pictures of you and your little girlfriend there are trending on social media right now, hashtag terrorists. You have nowhere to run.”

Does this guy even hear himself talk? “Well, then that should make it that much more embarrassing for you when you when we escape, Asshole.” I dropped the phone and stomped on it as my own phone buzzed in one of my pouches. I quickly extracted it, looked at the screen, and tapped to receive the call. “Hey, Sis, you got our backs covered?”

Nishalle’s voice said, “Have I ever let you down? It was just like you figured, someone was really interested when you and Jess showed up, the cops and whoever the suit is in that black SUV got here in record time. Their coverage is mostly on the entrance with snipers covering the windows and the north side emergency exit. Not much coverage in the back alley since there’s no exit back there yet. The people covering the alley won’t be waking up for a while so we’re good to go but we should move fast.”

By then we were at the thankfully unoccupied manager’s office so after a check for any cameras, and shooting the webcam just in case, I opened up my backpack to let Venika out and hand a dollar store spice jar to Rei. Venika immediately gave me the Mom look once she was out and said, “Don’t think we’re not going to be talking about all of that swearing when we’re safe, young lady. I don’t know why you needed me along, you have a new focus.” Regardless, she drew in mana and drew and spoke the sigils for a spell. “Tierre-aeluine thren’dhal utaera!”

The fireball blew out the back wall of the manager’s office and we all made out way into the alley behind the bank where Nishalle appeared from the shadows. We needed to work fast, that explosion was going to draw attention. As Lissany lifted the nearest manhole cover to make it look like we escaped that way and Rei scattered the cayenne all over the place, I quickly mentally tagged everyone and started to focus my intent as I drew and spoke the sigils for my teleportation spell. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe yasrin!”

The others were awaiting us eagerly when we reappeared at the safe house. Everyone looked at me expectantly as Daenyss asked, “How did it go, Mistress?”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 4 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 4: The Empress Strikes Back

I sighed as I considered my Attendant’s question and plopped down in the black leather recliner that had by some consensus been reserved for my use. Then I looked around at all of the people in the room, many of who were still very Human and now would need to stay in hiding for their own safety if Jones had been telling the truth. “We may have a bigger problem than we thought. I think that I need to check online and see what the news is saying. Also, I know that most of us still have cell phones but we need to destroy them, immediately.”

A chorus of “What?!” made me wince slightly but I knew that they weren’t going to be happy about that. I couldn’t risk anyone trying to contact their families that way though, or using the phones period, given the encounter with the police and Agent Jones. The only phone that was safe was the one for ‘Autumn Cortez’ because she had no apparent ties to Pegasus Games.

“I know that’s asking a bit much,” I said with a resigned sigh, “but until I know more, we can’t risk any of you exposing yourselves by approaching your families, there is too great a risk that they’re being watched. There is also a very good chance that our phone numbers are being monitored and could be used to track us, so don’t even turn them on. Remove the sim cards and we’ll destroy the lot, and destroy the phones for good measure, at least Grell might be able to use some of the parts. Let’s do it, everybody, right now.”

Nobody was very happy about the idea but I started us off by removing my phone from my time as Caleb, taking out the sim card, and then stomping on it as hard as I could. Soon, everyone else had followed suit and Grell was gathering up the pieces as I had Kinara place all the sim cards in the fireplace and destroy them with a fire spell. “Ah well, I wanted a newer phone anyway,” Robyn said, trying to make light of it.

I shook my head sadly. I hadn’t wanted to do it but my reasons were sound and as long as the phones were around they would be too big a temptation. It may have sounded paranoid to the others, but it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you. “I’m sorry everyone, I’m just thinking of our safety. Whoever is after us jumped on the appearance of Caleb and Jessica way too fast for my comfort. They got mobilized and had the place surrounded roughly ten minutes after us giving the teller our account information. Police response is never that good, and right now they’re dealing with monsters and shit too, so they wanted us bad.”

“So, what do we do then if we can’t contact our families?” Tien asked with a wistful look on her face once the phones were all smashed and the sim cards destroyed. “It’s getting kind of crowded in here and some of us are starting to go a bit stir-crazy.”

“We have eight thousand in cash here and our number one priority is still food and other supplies for everyone on Varüus’kiel. We’ll split the money between four groups and you’ll each hit different stores getting food, cooking and baking supplies, and various other staples that you think we might need. You can also get a cheap burner phone each so we can all stay in contact while we’re here, but they are for emergency use only for now. Cash for everything, no cards,” I announced.

“Well it’s a good thing we’re in Kits then, I know the Kitsilano area pretty well, my place isn’t all that far from here. It’s one of the best places in Vancouver to buy organic foods, there are some great places on West 4th and West Broadway.” Jen Gibson said. Like me, in my former life as Caleb, she was a computer programmer and had been one of the lead programmers for Apocalypse Dawn. And since she hadn’t been in the game like the rest of us, she would probably still be easily recognized in the area without a glamour.

Then after considering things carefully for a moment and coming to a decision I instructed, “Okay Jen, make a list of places for four groups to hit for food and those phones. We’ll have one magick user per group to make sure that everyone has glamours to blend in and to quietly portal the goods to Varüus’kiel when you’re finished but you might have to split into smaller groups on your own to avoid too much attention. Sprites, Familiars, and Wisps will have to be kept out of sight, backpacks and big purses will be good for that. Salem and Tien will be in charge of one group, Kinara and Rei another, Venika and Jen the third group, and Robyn and Becky the last group.”

I tried to put people who I knew had leadership ability in charge of those groups as much as possible. Being with Tien might help Salem’s confidence, though she was better in that regard than when we first brought her into our fold. Kinara was young but she was a Yseil’dhraí and Rei would make sure that she stayed safe while encouraging her to take charge. I knew that I could count on Venika of course, and I paired her with Jen since she knew the area well. As for Becky and Robyn, I knew that I could count on both of them.

“I take it that you’re not coming with the rest of us then?” Becky asked uncertainly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Nope, I have other things that need doing,” I clarified to my apprentice and the former Sheriff of Haven. “Whisper and Grell will both be with me and my retinue as well. We get the fun part after I contact my Mahair and the other heads of the Courts and let them know the current situation. I need them to contact the teams in the other cities and let them know what’s going on here and that they may be in danger too.”

“The fun part?” Grell asked though I could see from the smile on his face that he had a pretty good idea of what I had in mind.

“Yeah, after we’re done looking into what other assets we have available, we’re going shopping and I’m going to need you to work some of that Artificer magick. Whisper and I have some intel to gather, and I have a call to make,” I said with a grin.

Whisper looked at me in sudden interest and the tiny blonde Witch smiled, her blue eyes practically sparkling in glee. I hadn’t really spent much time with Whisper in the game but I was giving her this chance because two people that I trusted with my life thought that she had a lot of potential and that she could be trusted, and because of things that my Mahair had told me about her. Daenyss and Nishalle both seemed to like the tiny Witch and had said good things about her after training her to use the Dragon anti-materiel rifle, and she had certainly been dependable in the fight against the Redcaps.

Whisper was an Assassin like Nishalle, so sniper rifles and sneak attacks up close and personal were her favored combat methods. Sure an extra Assassin would add extra protection for me but it wasn’t for those skills that I wanted her along. She was a Witch and already seemed to have glamours down and Nishalle had mentioned her having some sneaky attack spells as well, but it wasn’t those skills that I wanted either, it was for her other skills that I wanted her with me.

Whisper hadn’t been invited to the game like the other players, or even the professional players and lightning tournament winners. Mahair had told me that Whisper had been very interested in the game and had hacked the secure company server to try to get herself an invite. What she hadn’t counted on was that the server was built and maintained by an Atlantean Artificer and that firewalls weren’t the only means of protection or detection. If that hadn’t been the case then she would have succeeded in her plan.

Melanie Walker, as Whisper had been known back then, was surprised as hell when the owner and CEO of the company that she had tried to hack showed up at her door in Burnaby the next day. She had been even more surprised that, instead of having her arrested, ‘Moira’ had handed her an Apocalypse Dawn Tester Pass and the game materials to review. Mahair had seen something in her, like with so many people in the game and she wanted her. And now, we were going to use those skills.

After apprising my Pájar, Mahair, and the Queens of the Spring and Summer Courts of the current terrorist status of anyone associated with Pegasus Entertainment, I looked carefully at the picture on the ID for my current identity of Autumn Cortez, memorized her appearance, and wrapped that appearance around myself. As with my ‘Caleb’ glamour, it took a lot of power to ensure that none of the light from my hair or eyes was escaping to give me away but at least I could use my own voice. When I was done I had the appearance of a young half-Latina woman with long dark hair and brown eyes.

While I had been otherwise occupied, Whisper had already cast glamours over herself and the others of our current group. Her Familiar, a black ferret that she had named Shadow, was napping in her purse and I quickly placed Willow inside my own purse after casting my glamour and moving all of the stuff for my Autumn Cortez identity into a larger purse that I had gotten when I bought the backpack and stuff earlier. I was willing to do communication and travel spells and passive ones such as glamours since I was hoping that they could give me an idea of my new power level and how much that I had stored at any given time. I knew though that I was still using far too much when casting and it was making me nervous about what might happen should I have to cast an actual attack spell.

I tried not to show my uncertainty though as we headed into the large garage of the safe house where Nishalle had parked her motorbike. When my sister had done so she had discovered a vehicle already inside. The metallic red Mercedes SUV seated seven and the keys were on the keychain along with the house key and a key that I assumed was to the safety deposit box tied to this identity. Nishalle would follow on her bike and keep an eye out for trouble so I tossed the keys to Grell so he could drive and Whisper took the front passenger seat. I was of course in the middle seat in the second row with Lissany to my left and Harley to my right, and Daenyss and Pete were taking the back seat.

Soon we were on our way to the local bank branch where I would access ‘my’ bank account and safety deposit box. I wasn’t quite sure what was in the box but Mahair had two banking apps on the cell phone that was in the purse so once I was able to find the passcodes on the note that Mahair had written for me I was able to check the accounts as we drove, as well as the internet and various news sites. The local account had nearly three million that had been gathering interest while not being touched except for automated bill payments and the Cayman Islands account had over ten times that.

I thought that I was going to faint when I saw those numbers. “And this is only one of dozens of such identities,” I muttered in awe. My Mahair had been very busy the past four hundred years, or so it seemed. I was not quite as thrilled with the results of my web surfing.

It would also seem that Jones was telling the truth, at least about the manhunt, as most of the news sites were running the stories and had a long list of all of our names and pictures, saying that we were wanted terrorists. Hell, there was more about us on the news than there was about monsters and shit appearing all over the place. They even had the news of our daring escape earlier. The story seemed to be that we were gathering funds for terror attacks and that we had escaped by taking hostages, used an IDE to blow a hole through a wall, and escaped through the sewers. There was currently a search for us and they were encouraging anyone with information about these ‘dangerous individuals’ to come forward.

While I did have a checkbook and Mahair had included a sample of the signature for me to practice I decided to use the more practical bank card for now and withdrew a few thousand from the ATM for things that I didn’t want to be traced, like some burner phones. The only reason we went to the branch at all was so that I could see the contents of the safety deposit box to see what else we had to work with. That tuned out to be some really expensive-looking jewelry, a satchel of diamonds, another of mixed gemstones, and several small bars of gold. I guess that Mahair wasn’t taking chances and wanted to saleable goods just in case.

I decided to leave the contents in the safety deposit box for the time being and we left the bank for the biggest electronics store that we could find. As we drove I noticed that there were still a lot of people walking the streets acting as if nothing had changed. I wasn’t really sure how those who were going about their daily business were able to do it with a flock of Griffins flying high above or police trying to take down a lone rock Troll just down the street. You would think that just the news of ‘terrorists’ loose in the city would have had people being more cautious.

Were people really that determined to pretend things were normal or were they just really self-absorbed? I was willing to bet on the latter. It’s not healthy to be that caught up in yourself, especially since the Veil had dropped, a person has to be aware of what’s going on around them. Most people think that the pigeons and seagulls are bad in Vancouver, just wait until you’re having to avoid Griffin droppings. At least the police seemed to have the Troll in hand as we passed by on our way to the store, it was a small one and Trolls might be strong but they aren’t very bright. They were being smart enough to keep their distance and just shoot the damn thing.

Once we were inside the Best Buy I sent Grell off with a shopping cart to go find everything that the Atlantean Artificer would need to make the various modifications that I was thinking of and Daenyss, Whisper, and I went to go look at computers. My four protectors never let us out of their site as they all pretended to browse, one of them always ready to jump in if needed. Even Harley was watching me like a hawk and she didn’t even have any weapons or armor at the moment. I would need to find her something that she could use for a weapon and armor until I could get some proper Guardian gear made for her. The only thing she had on her was my dress, which reminded me that she would need some clothes and undergarments if we were going to be in the city long, and she wasn’t the only one.

Fortunately, we didn’t have any helpful sales staff crawling out of the woodwork to help us. The store seemed to be short-staffed at the moment, they barely had enough people to run the checkouts, not that that was at all surprising with monsters showing up and people awakening throughout the city and the world. I wouldn’t blame anyone who called in sick and wanted to stay home where they could at least pretend things were safe and normal. There were other likely possible explanations for those missing staff members, such as awakening or death, but I had more important things to think about than why Sally Salesgirl wasn’t at work today.

It took a little while but we found a pair of high-end gaming laptops that Whisper said would be good for what we needed. They had one terabyte hard drives and an obscene amount of ram and processing power. Daenyss had only received general computer knowledge when she got her specialized download to fill in her cultural memory gaps so she had all sorts of questions about what made these laptops better than the others and why. Most people might have found all of the questions annoying but it actually cheered me up, especially since Whisper seemed to like showing off her knowledge and tried to answer her as best she could.

Daenyss’s childlike curiosity and wonder about things had become such a part of everyday life for me in the game that it made things feel somewhat normal for me and I could ignore how much things had changed for just a few minutes. I guess that I was no better than those people trying to ignore everything that was going on outside but I seriously doubt that any of them had to deal with becoming a Demigoddess or an Empress. Worrying about controlling my power and protecting my people were weighing heavily on my mind, and helping Whisper to educate Daenyss was a welcome distraction.

I had doled out some of the cash that I had gotten at the ATM to the others and we each bought burner phones and cards with plenty of minutes and data in addition to the laptops and all of the things that Grell got for his artificing. I figured that we might need to stay in communication and not all of us could use magick. I already had a proper cell phone in Autumn’s name but I bought a burner phone too, though I had a different purpose in mind for mine.

With our business at Best Buy concluded, we got some lunch at a drive-through and then drove back to the safe house so that Grell could get started on modifying the laptops and one of the burner phones. He said that it was likely going to take him most of the afternoon so, rather than just waiting around, we decided to stay busy while Whisper stayed behind to help him. My retinue and I went to the closest mall to get a few necessities.

“Do I have to wear this?” Harley asked, grimacing as she leaned out of the change room self-consciously and tugged at her bra strap. “It’s not like I’m that big and it feels weird.”

I sighed, shrugged, and replied, “Only if you don’t want your nipples showing through your shirt and giving the guys ideas. Look, Harley, I totally get it. I hated them at first too, and I’d rather be going around not wearing anything, but you’ll get used to it. We can get you a sports bra or two as well, they’ll feel tight but should keep you from jiggling too much when you’re active.”

“At least you can wear normal stuff,” Nishalle supplied in a hushed tone, “Tae and I need to wear natural fibers. It feels nicer on the skin, and sexy as hell, but it gets expensive. And poor Daenyss is uncomfortable wearing just about anything.”

“Well, we Beastkin do have to be careful with jewelry, Silver is as bad for us as Cold Iron is for you Fae and it’s a lot more common,” Lissany pointed out.

“Sorry, I’m not trying to be an ingrate or anything. I appreciate you helping me get clothes, and I know that you all probably think shopping is fun, but I’m kind of trying not to freak out about this dressing like a girl thing,” Harley offered morosely.

“You are a girl now, and you’ll have to get used to that,” I told her gently, taking her hand and squeezing it. “I’ve been there but at least you don’t seem to have any dysphoria so it’s just getting used to things being different and wrapping your head around that. I’m trying to make it as easy as possible, I feel bad about only having a dress for you to borrow when you first changed so we’ll try to get you some jeans and tops and ease you into the other stuff slowly. But you’ll have to get used to a bra, trust me, you don’t want to be bouncing all over the place if we get in a fight or something.”

“She’s right, that can be a real pain,” Daenyss admitted. “If wearing clothes didn’t make me feel extremely uncomfortable I would probably want to wear one. I am so glad that Whisper included clothes in this glamour.”

“Yeah, well ours only hide our animal features and I don’t think she’d be as comfortable as you in the buff, Daenyss, so Harley needs to wear clothes,” Lissany offered. “Other than feeling weird is there anything wrong? It’s not too tight or too loose in the cups? Do the panties fit okay? They’re not too tight in the hips?”

“Umm.. no, I guess not. Everything seems to fit okay, better than that first bra, it’s just the overall weirdness,” Harley reluctantly admitted before glaring over at where Pete was standing as far away from the changing room and conversation as he could manage and still be there in case he was needed. “Thanks for the solidarity, big guy! Do you have anything to contribute to this at all?!”

“Only that I’m glad it’s you and not me!” Pete called back with a grin.

Harley scowled at him and I tried to give her an encouraging smile as I said, “Okay, hand me the tags for the bra and panties and I’ll go pay while you get the dress back on, and then we can get some clothes for you other than my dress.” Once Harley had done so, I went to the nearest cashier to pay with Pete and Lissany keeping close. By the time that I was done paying Harley was dressed once more and we were able to get to buying her some other clothes.

Since we were already in the lingerie section of the department store we got her a package of panties and a pair of sports bras and the same for Lissany. Then we made our way to the teen girls’ section where Lissany tried to find some clothes for both herself and Harley while Pete went to quickly grab a few changes of clothes of his own. I made a mental note to take anyone who might be staying with us in the city to get a few changes of clothes to get them by as well when the opportunity presented itself.

Since they both had tails to work around, Lissany picked out low-rise jeans for her and Harley and, while she chose a few cute and girly tops for herself, her choices for Harley were just normal t-shirts. I was glad to see her being restrained and thinking of Harley’s mental comfort, given her teasing about the Unicorn thing. The shirts may have been a little form-fitting, but they weren’t midriff-baring and they were something that Harley was comfortable with. She also got them some socks and a pair of high-top sneakers and a black denim jacket for Harley.

Once I had paid for their clothes and Pete’s, we made our way to a lingerie store that stocked silk and satin bras and panties to get some undergarments for me and Nishalle. They were lacey and sexy, but I didn’t think that Pete or Rei would mind. Then it was off to one of the high-end designer clothing shops for the rest of our clothes. Nishalle went for designer jeans and silk blouses but I let Daenyss help me with my clothes, to help present the proper image of the Empress of the Fae should I need to remove my glamour for some reason.

Daenyss did not disappoint. She found some stunning satin dresses that were both sexy and high class and accessories to match. My favorite was the violet one that would go nicely with my eyes and one of my new panty and bra sets. Daenyss had even found a nice black bolero jacket with violet trim that would go really well with it.

Following that we went to the drugstore for necessities for personal hygiene, or in my case my daily pampering with Daenyss. We would likely also need monthly supplies with so many women in our group and since we hadn’t been out of the game long we couldn’t tell if one of us might start our periods soon. Then it was a quick trip to a grocery store to get some things to fill the fridge and freezer. The back of the SUV was pretty full by the time we were finished.

When we returned to the safe house I let the others put our purchases away while I went to join Grell and Whisper in the living room. “How are things coming along?” I asked the pair.

“The other groups have been popping in and out to bring in groceries and portal them back to Varüus’kiel. They felt safer making the trips back and doing that here in the safe house than trying to find a quiet place out there and they’re spreading out purchases as much as they can to try not to get too much attention. We already have a list of numbers for everyone’s new temp phones on one of the laptops,” Whisper reported as she leaned back on the couch and petted Shadow in her lap.

I let Willow out of the purse and she immediately leaped onto my shoulder to nuzzle affectionately against my neck as I turned to Grell. The Atlantean looked up from the phone he was working on and assured me, “I’m just starting on modding my phone and Whisper’s like I did in the game to vastly increase the signal range and replace the batteries with something that will charge from ambient mana. The phone and the laptops that you wanted are ready to go.”

“Great work, Grell,” I said with a grin. “You were able to do everything I wanted?”

The Atlantean looked up from his work to nod and give a grin of his own. “The phone will do exactly what you wanted. It’s completely secure and there’s no chance of anyone tracing the call while you’re on the line, I added a scrambler to prevent it and it’ll show like your GPS is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It doesn’t even have a sim card in it, Whisper and I came up with a sim card emulation program, each time you use it the phone will emulate random sim card information. I’ve disabled or removed any software that could be used to track the laptops and if anyone tries to trace a hack done by one of them, then the only IP address they’re going to get is their own. It’ll look like it’s coming from their own servers.”

“Let’s get this started then,” I said. Whisper handed me the phone and pulled one of the laptops in front of her on the coffee table. I entered the number that I remembered from the incoming call during the bank incident (thank Goddess for my Yseil’dhraí memory) and then I tapped the call icon.

“Agent Jones speaking,” a familiar voice spoke from the other end.

I could have used a spell to change my voice to sound like ‘Caleb’ again, but as much as Jonesy probably hated me now I wanted to give him a target that he really wanted to sink his teeth into. “Hello Jonesy, I hope you don’t mind me calling you that, my brother told me how much you like it.”

“Who is this?” Jones asked, his voice tinged with both anger and suspicion. “How did you get this number?”

“My brother can be very resourceful. This is Karin Sanders, Caleb said that you were looking for me,” I taunted. I could hear a rush of movement and then I was pretty sure that he covered the speaker to talk to someone. I let it go on for several long seconds and then smiled as I added, “Well, I guess that you don’t want to talk to me after all. I’ll let you go then; I have plans with Moira anyway.”

He spoke again in a hurry. “You all need to turn yourselves in, your brother killed two people in that bank incident.”

“Oh please,” I scoffed. “We both know that statement is as true as this whole terrorist bit that you people have cooked up, which is to say, not at all. Now, why don’t you tell me who you work for and why you’re so interested in us.”

“You’ll find out as soon as we find you and bring you in,” he snapped.

I was watching Whisper as I spoke and she suddenly grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled and asked, “And how is that working out for you so far, Jonesy? We’re as free as the wind right now and intend to stay that way. Maybe you’ve noticed that this is reading as an unknown number on your phone. Now, you’re probably hoping that if you keep me talking long enough that whoever you’re with right now can trace this call somehow, good luck with that.”

“If you think that then why are you still on the line? Your confidence is going to be your undoing,” the agent threatened.

I sat down beside Whisper and started looking over the information she was getting as I made a long thoughtful humming sound and then paused as if in thought before answering his question. “Oh, well, I wanted you to try to keep me on the line, Jonesy. Not that I like talking to you or anything, but because I have been trying to keep you on the line. I hope you have a really good data plan because this whole time we’ve been talking I’ve been downloading everything of value from your phone. I never pegged you for a Thomas, I can see why you wouldn’t go by Tom. Is that your wife and son on your wallpaper? A cute kid he has your hair, hopefully, it won’t recede like yours.”

Jonesy sputtered angrily on the other end, “What!? How!? If you…”

“We’re very resourceful, Jonesy,” I said, cutting him off. “We don’t want anyone hurt, we just want our names cleared. You know, you really shouldn’t have your phone remember secure information like passwords, credit card info, or email logins, bad things could happen. One would think that a CSIS agent would know better. Buh-bye, Jonesy.”

I disconnected the call, turned off the phone, and then turned to Whisper who shook her head. “There wasn’t much there but basic personal stuff and website passwords and stuff. I was able to access his agency email account but there’s not much of value in there. It looks like he cleans his messages often, Your Majesty.”

“You don’t need to be so formal right now, it’s just friends here,” I told the blonde Witch. “At least we know who he works for. So now we can go after them. I think it’s time for a little transparency, Whisper. How do you feel about us hacking the CSIS server?”

Whisper just grinned at me and cracked her knuckles. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Whisper was damn good. So good that I was glad that she was on our side. We were in within fifteen minutes and browsing the most secure files on the CSIS server. Everything that we wanted was there; all of the real information that they had on Pegasus Games and anyone involved with it, the information that they had received from the Americans about the possibilities for the F.I.Ts, and orders to cooperate in the terrorism sham, find us, and get the F.I.Ts by any means necessary. Just like the Americans, they wanted the F.I.Ts and anyone who had been granted special skills by them to fight the monsters that had begun to appear.

They didn’t just plan to use the F.I.Ts for that though. We found information on black sites where confirmed non-humans were being taken to see if they could be ‘made cooperative’ with the end goal being using them to fight monsters. They didn’t seem to be any indication that they were even thinking of properly training them, it was more like attack dogs or cannon fodder. To them, it was basically using one group of monsters to fight another.

We also discovered that Robyn and Rob weren’t on their list and that they were on the trail of four former players and likely close to catching them. The first wasn’t too much of a surprise since Robyn had said that they had done everything possible to keep the general public from knowing where she was. She and Rob had both come to the Pegasus Games building by cab wearing disguises. At least Robyn wouldn’t have to worry about this mess affecting her music career.

As for the four that they were on the trail of, H3lls-Pwn didn’t really know much that could help them to find the rest of us. but I was slightly worried that they might put two and two together if they realized that Beastkin, Fae, and other creatures from the game were showing up in real life. As much as I hated the idea, we might have to help them for our own safety.

I had Whisper send everything that could clear our names, and damn certain government agencies in at least two countries, to every major news agency that she could and send it out to the CSIS’s own information mailing lists. She was also to distribute it in every other possible way that she could think of to get the information out there fast and make sure that it wouldn’t be easy to take down. I also had her transfer the files about the black sites, the lists of captured non-humans, the latest known whereabouts of the H3lls-Pwn members, and any other useful information to the other laptop so I could look through it all while she was doing her thing. We had a lot of work to do and I knew that even if our names were cleared they weren’t going to stop hunting us.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 5 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. Sorry it was a bit late this week but I was still having issues focusing and then when I did get it finished I had trouble with my internet connection. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 5: H3lls-Pwned

I left Whisper and Grell to handle the information dispersal and enlightenment campaign and ordered a dozen pizzas since it would seem that we were going to have a busy night ahead of us, there were roughly forty people to feed, and it was nearly dinner time. The other groups were all back from their shopping missions and I decided to let them all in on who was after us and what exactly we were in for. When I was finished, Jen snorted in disgust. “Idiots, going to all this effort for something that they won’t even be able to use.”

“What do you mean?” Venika asked, arching an eyebrow at the pretty brunette game programmer.

“They don't realize that they won't be able to use the tech,” Jen said with a shrug. “Even if they got a F.I.T they couldn't use the skill teaching option without one of the Aen’kuorüis that contain the central skill archives. Those aren't in the F.I.Ts, they’re in the servers. The crystals in the F.I.Ts were only there to give memories to those who needed mental conditioning and implanted memories to feel right in their new bodies. Also, the game, the F.I.Ts themselves, and the servers are all programmed in Atlantean. The tech is largely magick-based and very advanced, even for Atlantean technology, so one would need to be a very adept Artificer who can read Atlantean just to figure out the basics.”

“But weren’t you, like, one of the game’s lead programmers? How did you learn Atlantean to do it if everything is based in Atlantean and there was no interface to teach you before the game was ready?” one of the other Pegasus Entertainment employees asked.

“I already knew the language because my father was the one who designed the F.I.Ts,” Jen commented casually with a shit-eating grin.

“Wait, you’re Jhuras’s daughter? That would mean that you’re…” Rei gasped in sudden realization.

“Yup, I was Atlantean,” Jen admitted, still grinning from ear to ear. “My real name is Jhena, and I used a F.I.T in the prototype stage four years ago to take on a Human body so that I could blend in as one of our programmers. All our programmers were Atlanteans, and Becky was taught Atlantean and the programming language derived from it as part of her GM data package.”

“I was wondering why you weren’t using a more standardized programming language. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it until I got into the game and got my GM download,” Becky muttered. “So, if you weren’t born Human, who are you here to check on, Jhena?”

“I want to make sure that my girlfriend is okay, and bring her to Varüus’kiel with us if she wants to come. When we get back I’m going to take another run in the F.I.T though, I miss artificing and I’m an Atlantean at heart,” she explained.

“We’re getting on retrieving our people after dinner,” I told her with a grim nod.

As we ate I considered the problem of getting everyone’s loved ones safely extracted. As we had suspected, all family members of people with a known connection to Pegasus Entertainment were being monitored, both physically and electronically, and that meant that just walking right in and taking them was a risky prospect. In the end, I decided to do just that.

Throughout our meal, I asked who everyone had wanted to come and check on. In most cases, it was a parent, both parents, a sibling, or a girlfriend/boyfriend. The only one who had more than two people to extract was Erica Dunn who had worked in public relations with Pegasus Entertainment. She had two-year-old twin daughters and her husband, so she was pretty sure that they would all be together.

So, as dinner came to a close I found myself revealing my plan to the others. “Here’s the plan. We know that your families are all under surveillance but I’m hoping that our little information bomb might be giving those watching them other concerns at the moment, so this is probably a good time to retrieve your families. We’re going to ninja them away, a quick in and out, so you won’t have time to answer their questions until both you and they are safely in Varüus’kiel.”

“How are we going to do that?” Tien asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re all going to call them to tell them you’re okay and to ask where they are. In your case, once you’re sure that both of your parents are together and at home, or somewhere else that is relatively private, you’ll teleport in, get them to Varüus’kiel, and then explain the situation and answer any questions that they may have. Those of you who need glamours to be recognizable will have them,” I explained.

“How are we going to manage that? “Erica inquired with a slight frown. “Not all of us are Magi, and what if they don’t want to go to Varüus’kiel?”

I sighed and shook my head. “They have very little choice in the matter. Right now they’re just being monitored, but once all of this hits the news in a few hours, how long do you think it will be before someone decides to use them as hostages instead to get what they want from us? If they don’t want to stay in our new home, then we can set them up somewhere else with a new identity. As for how we’re going to manage it, I have a plan.”

My plan was simple and while my apprentices and the other Magi were working on casting glamours to make those who had changed look and sound as close to their old selves as possible, I gathered some spare change and began to create the artifacts that they would need to get in and out without a trace. I would have thought that creating over twenty fairly potent little artifacts with my magick would have tired me and drained my reserves a bit, but I was hardly feeling it at all. I was still using far too much power though, just how big was my damn mana pool now anyway?

With the artifacts created I began to hand the coins out to those who would be retrieving loved ones as I clarified, “These will be keyed to the first person other than me to hold them so that nobody else can use them. The key phrase is ‘Huffelump’ to confuse any listening devices at your families’ homes. The first time that you say it, you will be teleported to the person you are thinking of, so make sure that you’re thinking of whoever it is that you want to retrieve. The second time that you say it, you and anyone that you are in physical contact with will be teleported to Varüus’kiel. The third time, it will allow you to wind whisper me so I know that you made it there safely. Any questions?”

“Yeah, what if something goes wrong?” one of the former players who had returned to his original body asked.

I didn’t even need to think about my reply since I already had considered the possibility. “If I do not receive the whisper from you after an hour, I will assume that something went wrong and will come after you and your families as quickly as possible. My group will be trying to track down the members of H3lls-Pwn before those idiots get captured though, so hang in there and don’t say anything if we can’t get to you right away.”

Over the next hour and a half, almost everyone who had family members to retrieve had managed to do so without any major problems and they and their loved ones were now safely in Varüus’kiel. The only ones who had yet to attempt to do so were Whisper and Harley. Harley had made the call, only to get into a shouting match with her stepfather after she found out that he had beaten her mother and turned her over to the government agency that was dealing with the ‘changed’, probably our friends at CSIS.

Before furiously crushing the phone in her hand, Harley had gotten enough information to deduce that her mother was indeed a Beastkin like herself and that she was likely being kept with other non-humans at the local black site from the list we had gotten on the CSIS server. It was the same one that Nishalle had discovered on her scouting foray the previous night so we wouldn’t have any problem finding it later that night for the planned raid. Harley was visibly worried about her mother and anxious to do something about it but we had a plan and I managed to convince her that it was best to wait and that a few hours weren’t going to make much of a difference.

Whisper was even more pissed than Harley. She hadn’t called her boyfriend but rather had used her laptop to hack their building’s security cameras and the camera’s on both of their home PCs to see if he was there before making a move to extract him. That was when she discovered that her boyfriend wasn’t near as worried about her as she was about him. She caught him on the webcam of his computer screwing some other girl and we had to talk her down from going to kill him rather than just sweeping him off to Varüus’kiel. Since she was an Assassin that was a very real possibility.

Now Whisper was keeping herself occupied by trying to figure out a general area where H3lls-Pwn might be from the most recent sightings that had been reported to the police. She had also gotten us some photos with their names from the CSIS server to help track them down. I could have just used that information to teleport right to them but I didn’t want to risk just magically appearing in a public location and both giving myself away and losing the element of surprise.

“I think I got something,” Whisper grumbled just after eight o’clock that evening. “They’re not exactly being original. Most of the recent sighting reports have been around the East Side and Chinatown, in the East Hastings area. Lots of homeless, drug trafficking, and generally questionable people and activities there so it’s a good place to get lost in the crowd. The hotels there generally don’t ask questions and there are some abandoned buildings that they could be hiding in too. You’re going to have to hurry to get to them first though because I’m pretty sure that the police and CSIS will be going over the area too.”

I quickly nodded. “We’ll get over there and I’ll use a tracking spell to find them from there. I want you to keep up the information distribution on social media and various news outlets. Grell, Robyn, Rob, Salem, Daenyss, and Kinara will stay with you.”

Whisper flushed and anxiously stroked Shadow, who was curled up in her lap. “You don’t need to leave people here to keep an eye on me, Your Majesty. Sure, I would like to go and make Eli suffer for being an asshole in person but he’s not worth the time and effort. I have more important things to do, like clearing our names.”

“I’m not leaving them here to watch over you, Whisper. And, please, it’s just friends here so call me Taelya,” I told the tiny Assassin gently. “Too large of a group would draw attention, it’ll be safer here, and Salem and Daenyss won’t have to worry about wearing clothes to blend in. I wouldn’t want them walking barefoot in that area of the city, who knows what they could step on. Grell, I want you to look for wholesale suppliers of any tech that might be useful for artificing. Robyn, you’ll be looking for food wholesalers that we can contract for our long-term supply needs on Varüus’kiel. I also want you all to consider other things that we might need and look into them.”

It was just under an hour later that we got off the bus near our target location. The metallic red Mercedes SUV would stand out too much in the area and I wanted us to be as low profile as a group of six people sticking close together could. With that in mind, I had woven glamours over each of us, even Pete and Rei who could blend in among humans. I made us look not only human but also a bit scruffy and dirty like life had worn us all down. The glamours would also keep people from focusing on us so we could avoid being questioned by the cops or suits. Inside the backpack that I wore securely on my shoulders, Venika hid with Willow, and her own Wisp, Silverheels.

As soon as we were off the bus I hid amongst the others and quickly drew and whispered the sigils for my Trail of Light spell. “Kiara naethrin tiurin’híel Nick Olsen!” I had memorized the names and faces of each of the members of H3lls-Pwn, but I was really hoping that my instincts were right and they were sticking together.

We also needed to find them soon, the area was crawling with cops and people in dark suits who stood out like sore thumbs. I figured that they were going to have to search visually though since most of the people that they were canvassing for information wouldn’t help a cop if their lives depended on it and the suits only attracted the attention from the pickpockets and panhandlers. They might give someone else up if the price was right though so I felt it was best to hurry. The others felt as uncomfortable in this area of town as I did, as was demonstrated when Lissany muttered, “I hate this part of town, I always feel like I’m gonna get stabbed. At least I’m wearing armor this time.”

My companions and I followed the glittering trail, stepping around the garbage that littered the street and keeping our eyes on the people around us for our targets or danger. The trail turned off East Hastings Street and into a narrow, filthy, and smelly alley that we followed, occasionally passing people either passed out on the ground or watching us carefully until the glamours made them forget about us. They really fought the effect, but they were probably worried that we were going to attack them. Eventually, that alley and the glittering trail that we were following led us to an old apartment building with boarded-up windows and doors.

We turned off the alley and found that the boards to one of the ground floor windows had been moved recently, flattening the grass and leaving a slight furrow in the dirt, before being clumsily put back in place. Through the long-broken window, I could hear low voices coming from inside.

“What the fuck do we do? We can’t stay here forever but if we go out to get food and stuff someone is going to recognize us and report us to the cops, our pictures are all over the place.”

“It’s dark so we can probably move again soon, Vic. We just need to remember the rules of being a fugitive. Move when it’s dark, keep our faces hidden, and use cash instead of cards,” a second voice assured who I assumed was Victor Finch.

“Fuck you, Casey! This isn’t some stupid movie or game!” a third voice snapped angrily. “I don’t know why I fucking listened to you and tossed my phone!”

“Because they could use it to fucking track us, any idiot knows that, Dave!” Casey shouted back. Well, that accounted for Casey Krieger and David Greene, and since I had been tracking Nick Olsen that meant the gang was all here.

Dave’s voice snarled, “Who the hell put you in charge anyway?! I should have never listened to Razor when he said that we could make a big name for ourselves in that game. Now we’re on the run and he can’t remember his own fucking name! We wouldn’t be in this mess if we hadn’t listened to that overcompensating neurotic asshole!”

“It was your idea to mess with the redheaded bitch, Dave!” a fourth voice that I assumed belonged to Nick shouted. “He was against the idea at first until you harassed him into it! You’re the one who told us all, ‘it’s just a game, nobody is really getting hurt.’ Yeah, well people did get hurt, us!”

“Speaking of you getting hurt,” Nishalle’s voice spoke in cold fury. “Hey, boys, remember me?”

Screams of fear rang out from behind the boarded window and I looked quickly to my side but Nishalle must have used her Shadow Shift ability to get inside. I could sense that she had let the glamour I had placed on her drop and she sounded really pissed. I hoped that she wouldn’t decide to solve our little problem by killing them all, as much as they might deserve it after everything they did. After a quick look around to ensure nobody was watching, I quickly tagged the others, dropped my glamour, and formed the sigils for my mass teleport spell. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe Nishalle!”

We appeared inside the remains of the dilapidated ground floor apartment as Nishalle approached the four college-aged guys cowering away from her in the corner with her katana drawn. “No killing them please, Sis. You know our laws; they have paid for their crimes against me.”

“Can I at least maim them?” my sister asked hopefully, her crimson eyes locked on the four douchebags in the corner.

“They have wronged another since they paid for their crimes against us,” I pointed out helpfully. “She has the right to determine their punishment and whether or not they should go through the Wild Hunt first. You guys remember the Wild Hunt, don’t you?”

From the expressions on their faces, it was apparent that they remembered the Wild Hunt very well. They also remembered us, though they seemed confused by my new appearance. The one with Victor’s voice kept mumbling, “This isn’t real,” over and over while the others looked like they were ready to try to bolt. They figured out who I was pretty quickly as I gestured to the ground and roots burst through the floor to ensnare them.

“I’m afraid that it’s very real, and so are we,” Venika calmly confirmed as she and the Wisps made their way out of my backpack and settled on my shoulders. “Monsters, magick, Fae, everything that was in the game is real now that the Veil has fallen, isn’t that right, Your Imperial Majesty?”

I tried not to roll my eyes and to attempt to look imperious as Venika addressed me formally but I figured where she was going with this as the members of H3lls-Pwn stared at me. “Yeah, I’m not a princess anymore, I’m the Empress of all Fae and a Demigoddess now, so you should feel honored that I took time out of my busy schedule to find you and keep you out of some government black site where they probably plan on getting information that you don’t have out of you by any means necessary. Daenyss, join us please.”

A moment later the naked Nymph appeared before me. “Yes, Mistress? How may I serve you?”

Daenyss’s former guildmates stared at her naked body even as they attempted to struggle against the roots holding them captive. “Boys, this is Daenyss Filipovic, my loyal Attendant, and good friend. I believe the four of you knew her once upon a time, or rather the person she was before.”

Her name didn’t sound too different from her former name so it didn’t take long for their eyes to go wide in realization. “Dennis?” one of them asked in a mix of wonder and horror.

“Yes, that was once my name before I swore my oath to serve Mistress,” my Attendant replied absently before asking me, “Are these the men that you went out to search for, Mistress?”

“Yes, Daenyss. These are your former guildmates; I wouldn’t call them friends though. When you lost your memory, instead of sticking by you and trying to help you as a real friend would, they betrayed you. They attempted to get you to take sole blame for actions that were done as a group, actions that you were apparently originally against,” I said with a meaningful glare at Dave. “You have the right to choose their punishment for that betrayal and whether they should face the Wild Hunt.”

For a moment, Daenyss wore a thoughtful expression. “Maybe they could make up for the things that they did if given another chance? They could get a new start, like I did, and become better people,” she suggested hopefully.

Dave was a manipulative asshole but it seemed that he was smart enough to realize that their fate was in her hands. I could see the wheels turning in his mind from the expression on his face. Since she couldn’t remember them and she was a Nymph, he figured that she would be easy to manipulate. She was offering them another chance and he had learned nothing. It was confirmed as he smiled and nodded, “Yeah, give us a chance to start over.”

The others quickly nodded their agreement, their eyes calculating. None of them had learned a damn thing. Daenyss was sweet, caring, and often innocent but she was not stupid. She sighed and gave a slight shake of her head at their far too eager reaction so I asked, “Is this what you want, Daenyss?”

“Yes, Mistress,” she replied with a sad smile, surprising me with her answer. She couldn’t lie to me, her oath prevented that, but it also prevented her from doing anything that would allow me to come to harm and I had a feeling that as soon as these guys no longer had eyes watching them they would try to stab us all in the backs. “I think that if they can start again as I did, with their pasts not holding them back, that with the right influences they could become as loyal to you as I am. We can bring them to Varüus’kiel where it’s safe. I think that Xixie could help them to get a fresh start, and she and the other Sül’shael would be very happy to welcome them into their group and set them on the right path.”

I barely stopped my eyebrows from shooting upward in surprise. That was so devious, such an appropriately Fae solution. It wasn’t something that I would have come up with or chosen but it was her decision to make and I knew that she was making it for the greater good. The others looked as surprised as me and Venika and Rei didn’t seem happy at all. “Babe, are you sure this is a good idea? After everything that they’re done already?”

I took a deep breath, looked at my fiancée as impassively as I could manage, and said, “It is Daenyss’s decision to make. I cannot and will not overrule the decision of the victim if she is certain that this is the right thing to do.”

“Yes, Mistress, I feel that this will be for the best and that in the future these four can become good people with the right guidance,” the Nymph confirmed.

Those four bastards looked so smug, so I guessed that it was time to pound the final nail in the coffin, now that the decision was made. “Miska niest jhaith! Do you all, victim and accused, agree to the course of action proposed by the victim, Daenyss Filipovic? That you four will take the opportunity to start your lives anew under the guidance of the Sül’shael? Swear it to your names. If you do not swear it to your true names, then I will know and I will dream up my own punishments for you.” I gave the four a disgusted look that showed just how unhappy I was with the fact that they thought that they were getting off with a slap on the wrist.

“I, Daenyss Filipovic, daughter of Naerysse and Nymph of the Hawthorne Clan and the Autumn Court, swear that I agree with and will abide by this decision,” my Attendant stated first.

Dave was only too quick to follow suit, looking like the cat that ate the canary. “I, David Greene, swear that I agree with and will abide by this decision.”

Each of the other three followed his example and I smiled as I felt the binding that I had cast take hold. “You are now each bound to this course of action. Let’s be off to Varüus’kiel so we can get started. Nishalle, do you think that you can make their deaths quick once we find Xixie?”

“It’s more than they deserve, but yeah, they won’t feel a thing,” my sister replied, giving the four a disgusted look.

Poor Venika, Pete, and Rei had no idea what was going on, and Harley was a bit confused about why the Sül’shael were being brought up, but the others seemed to have caught on and whispered explanations since they had been there for the Sül’shael resurrections of Harley’s attackers in the forest and spoke Elvish well enough to understand what had been happening. As for the four members of H3lls-Pwn, they looked confused and terrified but they didn’t move a muscle. Couldn’t move a muscle was more like it, even without the roots ensnaring them unless it took them toward the course of action that they had just bound themselves to.

“But… you said that we could start over…” Dave sputtered frantically, his mouth now the only thing under his control as I had the roots withdraw and slip back into the earth below.

“Don’t you douchebags know never to make a deal with the Fair Folk? You got played,” Harley said, trying and failing to cover a smug grin now that she knew what was going on. “I can’t believe I used to look up to you assholes.”

“Daenyss offered you a second chance and you took her kind nature for stupidity and a means of getting out of the punishment that you deserve. Still, she is giving you a chance to start your lives anew under the guidance of the Sül’shael, and you have bound yourselves to that course of action. Once you are dead your freed souls will be bound to the seeds of Sül’shael women who will be only too happy to raise you and guide you once you start your lives anew as their children, just as we agreed to,” I told them, letting that sink in before I cast a portal to Varüus’kiel.

“Inu’Mahair!” Xixie squealed in delight once we had found her talking with my Mahair of all people. The Sül’shael rushed toward me bouncing all the way and her hair and wings flashed, nearly igniting before she managed to remember that she wasn’t only among her kind and that other Fae were considerably less fireproof. “We are making you sooo many pretties and a short hairy man is going to teach us how to make something called armor for you and your Guardians! We are going to make yours so pretty! Ooooh! That’s the hairy man, there!” she babbled excitedly before pointing at Hadrick.

It figured that the Dwarf would want to try and make armor, and possibly other things, from Nythrin once he found out about the strong and light metal. And since the Star Maidens were the only ones who could make a flame hot enough to melt it and could shape and control the metal once molten he had found the perfect students to help him. “That’s great, Xixie, I’m sure that Hadrick will teach you to make many new things and that the armor you make for me will be wonderful. There was something else that I wanted to ask you about though…”

“What are they doing here?” Amoiraishe asked pointedly, her tone venomous as she glared at the members of H3lls-Pwn. If they had control of their own bodies at the moment the four would have run as far and fast as they could, judging by the look of terror in their eyes when they saw my Mahair.

“Daenyss has decided upon compensation for their betrayal and they have bound themselves to it, Mahair,” I explained. “They have agreed to start over, under the guidance of the Sül’shael.”

“They have, have they?” my Mahair asked, her eyes lighting up. “And how did you convince them of this, my little rose?”

“They were so eager to accept her generous proposal that they didn’t think to ask for details. Therefore, I was not obligated to share them,” I replied, much to the Queen of the Autumn Court’s obvious delight.

“That’s my girl,” she said with a smile. “I assume that they weren’t very remorseful if you of all people were to agree to this course of action?”

“Not in the slightest, and they tried to take advantage of Daenyss’s good nature. They can’t be trusted and are a danger to us and themselves as they are now, whether here or in the outside world. Daenyss’s solution is a sound one and hopefully, they will grow up to be happier and less selfish than they are now with a proper guiding hand,” I told her, hoping for the best.

Xixie was uncertain about what I was asking her to do at first but she could see that the binding upon them was agreed upon and sworn to by them. She did agree once I explained the situation, that we wanted to give them a new start in life, and that I trusted her people to raise them properly and with love. I also promised her that Nishalle would make their deaths quick and clean so that they didn’t have to suffer, which set her mind a little more at ease.

As much as I had agreed to the plan though, I didn’t want their blood spilled on the soil of Varüus’kiel. I didn’t want blood spilled period, but I consoled myself with the fact that it wasn’t really death that we were doling out but a chance at a new life, and the Sül’shael obviously loved their children and would raise them well. They would probably be very happy in their new lives.

So after telling Amoiraishe about all the black sites where non-humans were being taken, making a rough plan, and promising to send her the addresses back with Xixie, I cast a portal back to the condemned apartment where we had found the members of H3lls-Pwn. We would do the deed there and leave the bodies for the police to find. So once we had returned and found it as safe and unoccupied as when we left, I cast a spell to put our four troublemakers to sleep.

As much as I hated them, as much as they had tried to make me suffer, I couldn’t find it in my heart to feel the same for them. I didn’t want them to suffer needlessly, this was a rebirth, not an execution. Between their slumber and Nishalle’s skills, they never felt a thing and soon their life-sparks were in Xixie’s capable hands, to be bonded to the seeds of volunteer mothers when she returned to Varüus’kiel. Once Nishalle and Venika had made certain that we would leave no evidence of our presence behind we teleported back to the safe house where the others were waiting.

Xixie was curious about everything she saw, much like Daenyss on the first day that we met but then, it was her first time away from her home and out in the wider world. Everything in the house caught her attention and fascination and I was a little sorry that I couldn’t let her stay longer but I had a list of cities and addresses that I had written down for her to take back to my Mahair and she probably needed to get those four souls bonded to seeds before they went stale or something. So it was nearly eleven o’clock and time for the late news when I opened a portal to where Mahair was waiting so I could send Xixie back with her cargo.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can, Xixie. Please get that information to my Mahair as soon as you arrive and I can’t wait to see all of the pretties you’re making for me when we get home,” I told her, reaching out to hug her. “Please, take care of yourself and the other girls for me.”

Xixie was practically vibrating in my embrace as she hugged me back. When we parted her face had exploded into the biggest grin I had ever seen and she could hardly stand still. “I will Inu’Mahair! You can count on me!” Excitable as Xixie was practically all of the time, I knew that she was right. She and the other Star Maidens would do anything for me and always to the best of their ability. I hoped that I deserved such loyalty and devotion as she stepped through the portal and I allowed it to close once she was through.

Checking it with Grell and Whisper informed us that every major television network, radio station, and news website in the country were pursuing the information that we had sent out like rabid dogs. Whisper had also been storming every social media site with the stories about us being falsely accused and the non-humans being moved to government black sites. It was a circus, though the reactions of people about the non-humans were largely mixed. Some people were rightfully incensed while others thought that the government should keep non-humans locked up and throw away the key.

It was about what we had been expecting but at least we had a plan in place. During my talk with my Mahair about the black sites in Canada (there were twenty-eight of them across the country) we planned to hit them all at one o’clock in the morning, local time. My group would of course hit the one in Vancouver while Mahair was assembling teams to go after the other sites with the plan being to incapacitate any Humans guarding them and to bring all of the prisoners safely to Varüus’kiel. I did not want anyone on either side dying in these raids if at all possible.

Tomorrow Robyn would get in on her part as she and Rob would go pick up her car from her place, replace her phone, and then she would start a very public campaign for the rights of the ‘changed’. Since she was well known for fighting for equality and the rights of abused minorities we doubted that anyone would be surprised by this turn of events. She and Rob would continue things on their end while she worked on her new album and prepared for her next tour and she would use her burner phone to send me and the others from our party hers and Rob’s new contact information so we could touch base once in a while.

Tonight though, we had a raid to prepare for. We would all be joining in the raid and we carefully went over our plans until it was time for Nishalle to head off to the black site where she would sneak inside using her abilities and find a place to hide until it was time for us to join her. At one o’clock she would phone me to let me know that she was in position and I would use her as the focus for my mass teleportation spell, getting us all inside the facility to do our thing.

I thought that I was going to go crazy waiting and I wasn’t the only one nervously tapping my foot or watching the clock. Rei tried to keep me calm though, telling me that we could do this and they wouldn’t know what hit them. Finally, at one o’clock on the nose, my phone rang. The second that I connected the call, my sister’s voice said quietly, “I’m in the security room now, the guards are out cold and I’ve disabled all of the cameras. Give me a ten count once I hang up and I’ll be in position on the detention floor.”

The call disconnected and I slowly counted to ten in my head before tagging everyone and drawing and speaking the sigils of the spell that would take us into the lion’s den. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe Nishalle!”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 6 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but some technical issues cropped up. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 6: Dungeons and Dragons

We appeared in a large, depressingly grey chamber made of concrete. There was a freight elevator to our backs, along with two unconscious guards, and most of the floor in front of us was divided into holding areas with chain-link fencing. The holding areas held various newly awakened Beastkin, Merfolk, Dwarves, Kitsune, and humans that I had to assume were Witches. There were even Fae, though they were mostly too young to have been trained in magick. Off to one side was a haphazardly stacked pile of animal kennels and hamster cages containing Pixies, Sprites, Fairies, and small animals that were probably the Familiars of those Witches.

I could feel my blood boiling at the sight. Many of these people had been beaten severely and most of them were little more than children, close to Lissany’s and Kinara’s ages. Most were in filthy and sometimes bloodied clothes, except some of the Beastkin who had to make do with blankets wrapped around them. The Merfolk hadn’t even been placed in water, just thrown to the concrete floor, and most of them looked dehydrated. The prisoners that were conscious and within hearing range, all looked hungry, exhausted, and terrified as they looked up at the sound of the muttered curses from my companions.

“Let’s get these cages opened and get these people out of here,” I ordered after a quick look around. The fact that there were only two guards was somewhat concerning for me, so once the others started going after the cages to release the prisoners I turned to Nishalle with a frown. “Sis, does any of this feel too easy to you?”

The Tokh’dhraí nodded grimly. “I keep wondering when the other shoe is going to drop too. Two guards here, two at the main entrance, two in the security office, and a few science types upstairs, it’s a bit of a skeleton crew but I guess there’s a reason for that. Something big is happening downtown and they called in everyone who could be spared. Good timing for us, but I have to wonder what’s going on downtown.”

“Well, I’ll take every advantage that we can get,” I grumbled. “We may have to go downtown and see what the trouble is though, people may need our help. Did you get anything useful for us to go on?”

“Yeah, one of the idiots in the security office was playing solitaire on the computer in there so I didn’t even have to worry about a password. These guys are calling themselves the Department of Changed Affairs, they’re under the umbrella of CSIS and it looks like your friend Jonesy is in charge. They don’t have any real official government backing as an agency yet though.” Nishalle paused and gave an involuntary shudder before she spoke again. “I want to personally kill each and every one of these people, Tae.”

That shudder and her words worried me, as did her trembling voice and gritted teeth as she spoke the last part. “What’s wrong, Sis?” I asked in concern.

“There’s a morgue on the level above this one and most of them were beaten to death. Some of the bodies, or what was left of them, were Fae. Most though were probably just everyday people, just as scared and uncertain about what was happening to them as these assholes,” my sister said through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists beside her and glared at one of the unconscious guards. “It’s like Alien Autopsy 101 up there, they’re trying to find out what makes all of us tick.”

Between that bit of news and the deplorable conditions, I was furious. I closed my eyes and took several deep calming breaths. I needed to control myself. The last thing that this city needed right now was me summoning a hurricane because I was pissed off, especially because I wasn’t sure exactly how powerful I was anymore. “Go up there and destroy any data that they’ve gotten so far. Take Venika with you so she can cremate the bodies. We’ll see to the prisoners.”

We went to join the others where, Venika, Salem, Kinara, and Whisper had made short work of the locks on the main holding areas. As my sister went to inform Venika of their new assignment and spirit her away to the house of horrors upstairs I made my way to where the prisoners were beginning to gather. Harley was looking around frantically trying to find her mother, but it was possible that she wouldn’t recognize her, given how much that she herself had changed. We needed to stay organized and keep these people calm.

“Everyone, may I have your attention?” I cleared my throat loudly, and once I was certain that I had everyone’s attention I continued to speak. “I’m Taelya and we’re here to rescue you and take you somewhere where you will be safe, and where those of you who have questions about what has happened to you can get some answers. In a few minutes, I will cast a portal and ask you all to calmly walk through it. Kinara and Salem, please get to work on freeing those smaller Fae and the Familiars. Harley, feel free to ask this lot all at once now that I’ve got their attention, it’ll save time.”

The Unicorn Beastkin wasted no time. As Salem and Kinara set off toward the stack of cages and kennels she tentatively said in a voice loud enough to carry, “I’m looking for a woman named Darlene Nelson.”

A tiny Beastkin woman, probably a few inches under five feet tall, stepped forward. She was wrapped in a blanket and had long brown hair and small round furry ears high on the sides of her head, she was probably an otter with that cute nose and the ears. She had some nasty-looking bruises all over her face and one of her chocolate brown eyes was swollen shut. If she was that bad now with the slightly accelerated healing that Beastkin possessed, how bad had it been when she had been brought in? “I’m Darlene Nelson,” she said, giving Harley a curious look.

“M… Mom?” Harley sputtered wide-eyed. It wasn’t her mother’s new appearance or Beastkin nature that prompted that reaction but the bruising. She had her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists and she all but growled, “I’m going to kill that piece of shit.”

I placed a calming hand on my Guardian-to-be’s shoulder and guided her and her mother away from the crowd, even as her mother said gently, “I think that I would remember having a daughter, especially one as pretty as you.”

“I… umm… you’re not the only one who has changed. It’s me, Mom, Ken. I’m going by Harley now though.”

She didn’t seem to believe it so I offered, “This is Ken Hawkins, Ma’am, I was there when he changed. You’re both something that we call Beastkin. You take on the characteristics of an animal that calls out to you and then you’re able to change into forms based on the animal. Her animal just happened to be a female Unicorn. She may need your help adjusting to being female but at least she doesn’t need an inhaler or those thick glasses anymore.”

Her little round brown-furred ears twitched slightly as she seemed to remember her own situation. “I was taking a walk in Stanley Park when I saw an otter, I don’t really remember much after that until I woke up. I wasn’t human anymore and I started to panic and somehow changed back, but I had these ears and tail and this strange little nose. I went home in a panic but I guess that wasn’t a very good idea, because Paul…”

Harley looked furious once again as her mother’s voice trailed off, her face contorting in anger, so I gently took the older woman’s hands in my own and promised, “We’re here to help. We came to bring you and all of these other people to a place where you will be safe and accepted for who and what you are.”

Darlene eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then her brows slowly shifted upward as she looked from me to Harley and then repeated the process. “And how do you know my Ken? He didn’t mention a girl in his life. Are you two special friends?”

I managed not to let out an undignified giggle as Harley turned bright red and said, “Moooom! It’s not like that! Geeze, this is like Jenny Fraser all over again! Taelya is engaged! To someone else! She’s my… umm… new boss. I’m going to be one of her bodyguards, she’s the Empress of the place we’re taking you to, you’ll be safe there.”

Whatever had happened with ‘Jenny Fraser’, Harley mentioning it while flustered was apparently enough for Harley’s mother’s eyes to go wide. “Ken, that’s really you?”

“Yes Mom, geeze. Like I said though, I’m going by Harley now, Harley Kendra Hawkins,” she replied, still a bit flustered.

“That’s a nice name,” her mother agreed. “Your father would have liked it.”

Now that I was sure that I had gotten the ball rolling between the two of them I said, “Well, I will be opening the portal now so that you can all go to Varüus’kiel. Harley, I want you to help get people settled for now since you’ll be needed there anyway. The Guardian training program should be ready to run soon and I want you in a F.I.T as soon as it is. Since we’re not doing any physical changes for you for the moment, it should only take you a few hours in real-time for the skill downloads and some hands-on training practice to get used to the new skills.”

Harley snapped me a quick salute and a quick, “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” that I think was for her mother’s sake as much as mine.

I just nodded and after checking to ensure that Salem and Kinara were finished releasing the Familiars and Fae of the smaller variety from their captivity I started to draw and speak the sigils for the gate. “Kaida kathair aentuire tiurin’híel uis!” The portal formed and I called out, “Okay, everyone! Please make your way calmly through the portal and the people on the other side will see that you get food, water, and explanations. They’re going to try to pair you with people who can help teach you about what you are now and how to use your new abilities as well. Those of you that are Fae, there will be people from your Courts to explain things as well.”

By the time we got the last of the refugees through the portal, Nishalle and Venika were finished with their own task. Once I had teleported us all back to the safe house we had other work to do. I placed a glamour on Grell so he could drive Robyn and Rob to the pop starlet’s home. Despite their names not being on the watch list, Rob wanted to check the house for listening or other monitoring devices and Grell would be able to help him with that while Robyn got a good night’s sleep in preparation for her campaign for the rights of the changed.

Whisper would be continuing to monitor the national news and social media feeds for a couple of hours before sleeping and putting out or starting fires as needed. Meanwhile, I was going to be checking the local news on the other laptop to try to find out what the disturbance downtown was. It didn’t take long to find what I was looking for.

“Well, sh… poop,” I corrected myself as I saw Venika hovering with the others, waiting for news. The breaking news was live, showing some kind of monsters that I wasn’t familiar with. They resembled small wingless dragons roughly eight feet long, not including the tail, and were covered with iridescent blue scales that the police couldn’t penetrate with their handguns. There were roughly three dozen of the creatures, which had come from the water at Kitsilano Beach and they were savaging anyone that they came across.

“It’s a damn good thing that anyone with any sense is at home and in bed right now,” Venika grumbled. “What the hell are those things?”

“Whatever they are, those cops obviously can’t handle them,” Pete said with a grimace.

“What do you want to do, Babe?” Rei asked though I was pretty sure she already knew what my answer would be.

“We need to go help,” I said with a sigh. “We find weak spots and take advantage of them. Rei, you’re on support duty, heal any injured civilians and try to stay safe. Salem you’ll assist her and try to keep you both covered with magick. Daenyss and Nishalle, I’ll want you up high where you can do your thing. Daenyss you’ll set up the Dragon and cover us, but don’t waste ammo unless someone is in a pinch, you have the only one of those monster guns for the moment and there’s not much ammo in your storage box. Nishalle, use your sniper rifle and look for weak spots; eyes or inside the mouths might be good. Venika, you’ll get above them and cast while Kinara looks for a good spot to cast from out of the line of fire. Pete and Liss, you’re with me.”

After a quick enchantment to Pete’s big-ass claymore and both of my swords to make them preternaturally sharp I teleported Daenyss and Nishalle to a high-rise rooftop where they would have a good view of the scene playing out below. Then I went back for the others and, once we were all geared up, I teleported us to the beach itself and behind the creatures which were charging the police cordon at the far end of the parking lot. This could be bad if more came at us from the water but it kept the creatures between us and the bullets until we could all get into position. It would also allow us to attack them from the rear.

It seemed that Nishalle was already set up because the moment after we appeared one of the creatures went down with a ruin where its eye used to be, causing its brethren to roar and intensify their attack on the line of police officers and suits taking cover behind squad cars. We wasted no time either. As soon as that deafening roar rang out through the night air we were on the move.

Rei cast several ghost lights and she and Salem began looking through the prone forms on the beach for any injured to heal or possibly revive. Fortunately, there weren’t many since the attack had happened after midnight, and the Moss Maiden quickly cast the shielding spell that I had taught her over both of them as they headed for the nearest prone form. Hoping that they would be safe enough with her magick I turned my attention to the problem at hand.

Even though there weren’t many, there were injured laying around and there were all those cops, suits, news reporters, and cameramen to worry about too. I couldn’t risk any of my usual spells, I was still using far too much power and I could end up wiping out those people along with our opponents, and on live television no less, if I used offensive magick. Nope, I was going to have to do this old school and hope that Venika and Kinara could pick up the slack magick-wise.

While Venika took to the air and Kinara swiftly made for the cover of a flipped and mangled car at the edge of the parking lot, I led the charge with Pete and Lissany at my sides. Being careful to keep the dragon-like creatures between us and the bullets as much as possible we went on the attack. Pete’s ginormous claymore slashed along one of the creatures’ sides and as it howled in agony it was dropped as Pete swung for its neck, lopping its head clean off.

The creature’s howl got the attention of its brethren and they swung about to face the attackers that were actually able to damage them. Maybe they were smarter than the average draconic offshoots. A half dozen screaming blue balls of flame peppered another from above and I took the opportunity as it was turning and roaring in anger to dive in and slit its throat. Another lunged for me but I rolled aside and it got Lissany’s war hammer to its head instead. She followed up with a shield bash and I rolled back in under its extended neck to slash at it as well, eliciting a spray of blood before it fell to the ground, lifeless.

A rain of icicles showered several of the beasts from above, courtesy of Venika, as Kinara peppered them with a scattershot spell, and Pete once again dove in to slash at another of the draconian creatures. It was a glancing blow and the creature reared, flames glowing in its mouth before Lissany backhanded it with her war hammer, dazing it and allowing Pete to stab it in the chest and bring it down. As he was wrenching his claymore free of the now-dead creature I dove in at another, my swords biting deep and causing a crimson eruption from its throat.

These monsters really didn’t like us. They were rushing us now and being blasted from both sides by a pair of fireballs only seemed to annoy them further since it seemed that they were fire-resistant. Lissany placed herself and her shield between me and one such advancing creature, its head connecting with a sound like a gong. “It’s hard to keep you covered like this, Your Majesty,” my Guardian muttered as her war hammer connected with the creature’s head with a sickening crunch and it fell to the ground in an unmoving heap.

“Well, I glow in the dark now so at least I’m easy to keep track of,” I countered while slashing at an advancing dragonoid’s outstretched neck.

Pete slashed at another, having more luck than me as he opened a deep wound in its chest but not enough to kill it. “Yeah, it’s weird as fuck having you in the thick of the fighting with us though.” A second slash found the creature’s neck and with a spray of hot crimson, it fell to the ground.

“Why the change in tactics? You’re our most powerful Magus, shouldn’t you be hitting them with AOEs and attacking from a distance?” Lissany asked in concern as she smacked the creature that I had landed a glancing blow against with her weapon, allowing me to jump in and open its extended throat.

“I can’t risk it, Liss, there are too many people around,” I told her grimly. “I’m a fucking Demigoddess now and I’m still trying to figure out how much power I should be using for everyday spells. If I try using attack magick I could end up killing everyone in the area if I overdo it. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if I overdid it with an AOE. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take, especially with those news cameras pointed in our direction and me glowing like a nightlight. It’s going to be hard enough making peace with the Humans without causing mass destruction on live television.”

“Unless your goal is to terrify the world’s governments into negotiations, I agree,” Pete contributed as he slashed at another creature causing it to back off a bit. “Besides, I like being alive. Feel free to carry on as you were.”

That was when I noticed that several of the creatures were looking around for the source of the barrage of icicles that hit them from above and to the side. They didn’t do much damage for the most part but some of them had penetrated. A couple managed to, through sheer luck, penetrate the neck of one and kill it, putting the others on guard. I can’t be sure if they saw Kinara moving behind the ruined car or if they thought that the toppled vehicle itself might somehow be responsible for the attack but three of them sent a torrent of flame toward my Yseil’dhraí apprentice.

It was a combination of the car that she was using as cover, her hastily cast shield spell, and her Lindwyrm-hide armor that protected my Yseil’dhraí apprentice from serious damage. There were still the three beasts to worry about though, and the gasoline dripping from the ruined car that had caught fire. “Kinara, the gas! Move!”

The pink-haired Fae took off at a run as I took cover behind Lissany. When the car blew, the draconian beasts hardly seemed to notice but I saw that Kinara had managed to get clear and take cover behind a bench as Lissany protected me and Pete by intercepting the brunt of the blast and shrapnel with her shield. Unfortunately, the three mini-dragons had seen Kinara when she made her run to safety and they were stalking her as she cast another shield spell.

That was when a high explosive Dragon round hit one of the creatures that we were facing in the back of the head, splattering that head everywhere. Five more shot’s quickly followed the first as Daenyss took down a beast with each shot causing the rest that were in front of us to look around for the newest threat. There were still the three stalking Kinara to worry about though, so I decided to use the confusion of the main group to my advantage.

“I’m going to go save your girlfriend and try to give her some cover, Liss. Try to keep up, guys,” I called over my shoulder as I took off at a run. Swiftly and silently I approached the rearmost of the three from behind, dancing around its tail and diving between its rear legs. While underneath I slashed upward as I rolled forward, barely getting out from under the beast as first its innards and then the creature itself fell to the pavement. Using my momentum from the roll I ran toward the second, grateful for my Fae agility and balance as I dashed up its tail and along its back to drive both of my swords into the back of its head. Its brief shriek of agony at so close a range nearly deafened me and I was almost thrown aside as it twitched and bucked wildly before finally going still.

The last of the group, attracted by the death cries of its companion, turned to lunge at me, only to receive the head of Lissany’s flying war hammer to the side of its head as Lissany’s voice rang out through the night air, “For the Empress! For Varüus’kiel!” As it was still staggering from the blow she closed in and landed a punch with her armored fist that sent little dragon teeth flying everywhere as the beast fell to the ground unconscious. I could practically see her grin through her faceplate as she picked up her weapon once more and said, “Welcome to Earth. Now that is what I call a close encounter.”

“Liss, you know that you’re scary sometimes, right? You just punched out a dragon,” Pete said with a shake of his head as he finished off the unconscious beast and we turned back toward the dozen or so remaining creatures. Two of those searching for the source of the explosive rounds went down as Nishalle put bullets through their eye sockets.

“It was only a small dragon,” I clarified before adding with a shake of my head, “She’s a nerd too, I mean she does that and then goes quoting Independence Day?”

“I couldn’t think of a good Lord of the Rings reference,” my Guardian admitted with a smirk.

“Well, since Daenyss and Nishalle seem to have whittled them down, maybe we should finish this off,” I told them with a grin. We made a run for the pack of beasts as I heard Kinara casting another spell. A large spear of ice went hurtling past us as we closed in, impaling one of the creatures in the chest and killing it and Kinara let out a whoop of joy behind us.

Venika apparently noticed because another massive spear of ice took out a second of the draconians from above and to the left. Then we were once again in the thick of it as we slashed, hacked, and stabbed at any of the creatures in our way. Between our melee efforts and the spell and sniper coverage it wasn’t long before we were able to finish them off and in the brief silence that followed I breathed a sigh of relief as everything seemed to be over and the others who weren’t on rooftops somewhere came to join us.

Thank goodness for Lindwyrm-hide armor and Lissany’s massive shield, it was only because of those that Pete and I weren’t filled with holes as the sound of gunfire filled the air. From the corners of my eyes, I saw Rei and Salem moved behind the corner of a building, the people they had treated having already fled the area. Kinara dove behind the cover of another car but I thought that she might have taken a hit from the cry of pain that I heard from her direction. At least they were mostly safe for the moment and Lissany was providing us decent cover. I still stung from a few of the hits my armor had taken though.

“What the hell do they think they’re doing!” Venika hissed as she dove from above to share our cover behind her daughter and her shield.

“I imagine they think that they’re trying to kill us,” I offered graciously as we all hid behind the cover Lissany was providing.

“Seriously, what the fuck?!” Pete yelled. “We’re on your side! We just saved your asses!”

“Screw this,” I muttered as I sheathed my swords so that I could draw the sigils for my spells. “Kaida ikandiir ysoldir aentuire! Kaida liantuir ophaíne!” I frowned as I felt the magic armor and my shield spell both settle over me and muttered, “Still too much power, though I guess there’s no chance that their guns can hurt me now. Venika, Pete, when I start walking I’ll need you to move to Kinara, give the signal to go back to the safe house, and get going.”

“Are you crazy, Tae? I’m supposed to protect you,” Pete snapped. “Your sister would kill me if anything happened to you.”

“Kinara needs medical attention, she took a hit and we all need to withdraw before things escalate and someone else gets hurt,” I insisted with a worried glance toward Kinara’s hiding spot. “Trust me, these guys don’t have anything that can hurt me right now with the protections that I just cast over my armor. I only even did that on the off chance that they think to try to shoot me in the head, the Lindwyrm hide can take the bullets to my body, even if it hurts. Besides, Lissany will be with me and her armor and shield can take the small arms fire too.”

I stepped out from behind Lissany and we both calmly walked toward the line of suits and police officers behind the cover of patrol cars as Venika and Pete made a break for Kinara’s cover. Bullets fell to the ground around me as I walked, their momentum stopped by the shield spell as others rang against my Guardian’s shield and armor. I found myself smiling as they started to reload and I realized that the news cameras were still filming. Time to be a badass.

I was within ten feet of the cordon line when they started shooting again. I coolly raised my eyebrow and focused my glowing violet gaze on a certain balding CSIS agent that I recognized from the photo on his phone while I waited for the gunfire to stop. “You and your friends are welcome to keep wasting your ammunition if it makes you feel better, Agent Jones, but there is something that you need to realize. You are not in control of this situation. You were never in control, which is why I was kind enough to bring my people to take care of your little monster problem. That’s what we do, we hunt monsters and restore balance to the world.”

I was about to go on about how didn’t appreciate them abducting and experimenting on my people but it was about then that I noticed that they weren’t looking at me anymore. Given that I effectively glow in the dark and it was night, people’s attention being drawn to something other than me when I was standing right in front of them was alarming, to say the least. Lissany had realized the same thing and when she turned to look behind us, she let out a gasp. I sighed as I turned just enough to catch my glow reflecting off my Guardian’s armor as I whispered, “Liss, there’s something really terrifying behind me, isn’t there?”

Her slow nod was all the confirmation I needed. “Well, crap, of course, something had to come and ruin my moment, I might as well see what it is,” I thought bitterly before turning around. I was presented with the sight of a golden and white dragon of gargantuan proportions approaching from above the water, gleaming in the moonlight. Each flap of its wings as it reached the shore sent sand and anything unfortunate enough to be below it and not solidly connected to the ground flying. This thing put a Kraken to shame, it was like kaiju-sized. “Oh. My. Goddess.”

~I am afraid not, my daughter. That is Tiamat, one of the ancient gods, worshipped in Babylon, a goddess of the sea and chaos. Her specialty though is making monsters, those beasts that you slew were some of her children,~ Danu’s voice slipped into my mind to inform me.

~I thought that you Gods had rules against showing yourselves to mortals. What the hell is she doing here?~ I inquired, swallowing a lump in my throat as the ginormous dragon came to a hover above the beach and parking lot and turned her gaze toward us. I quickly turned to the line of police, newshounds, and suits. “You need to evacuate the area, right now.”

~Tiamat’s worshippers are long dead and, though she is powerful when near the sea, she has nothing else but the chaos that the world is in now to give her power. It could be that she hopes to cause destruction and chaos by announcing her presence and gain enough worshippers at the same time to make the punishment she would receive for oath-breaking worth it. I would imagine though, that her primary purpose is to kill you while you are near her primary aspect and not in my domain, she could gain some of your aspects and power by doing so,~ the Great Mother explained. Then, with an indignant sniff, she added, ~She would just love to foil my plans and kill my daughter at the same time.~

~Please don’t tell me this is personal,~ I thought back at Danu with a groan. Tiamat collapsed several trees beneath her massive bulk and caused the ground to shake violently as she hit the ground. Lissany was sent crashing into one of the police cruisers and I barely managed to stay standing while everyone behind the cordon were knocked on their asses and/or sent flying from the shaking ground and the flapping of her great wings as she landed.

~For her it is. We are both goddesses of the sea and she creates monsters while my children destroy them. Do not let her get you into the water, my child,~ the Goddess replied before her presence slipped from my mind.

That was when the colossal dragon crouched down, leaned her head close to me, and laughed. She could have tried to swallow me whole right there but it seemed that the drama queen wanted to make a show of killing me and puff herself up. “Puny little demigoddess. So, this is who Danu has entrusted the fate of humanity to, one of her pitiful creations given a spark of divinity. All that it took to lure you out were a few of my children, Danu’s spawn are so predictable. I am Tiamat, a true goddess, and you shall die by my…”

That was when she was interrupted by a really large bullet between the eyes. It was like a mosquito bite to her though and even as Daenyss emptied the rest of the clip into her face the rounds barely penetrated. I saw the glint of crystal in those shallow wounds though and I really hoped that it would weaken her a bit as the great dragon shook her head in annoyance.

Lissany wasn’t going to be able to help me with this, this was a Goddess that we were facing and my Guardian seemed to be fighting just to move, her motions sluggish under the petrifying influence of the Goddess’s aura as she tried to extract herself from the police car. I was surprised that Lissany could fight it well enough to do even that, but my Guardian was a genuine badass. The aura wasn’t near as powerful as Danu’s had been, but the power that she exuded was still terrifying. How the hell did Daenyss manage to not freeze up? Maybe the fear effect was lessened with distance? Maybe it was Nishalle who was shooting? It didn’t matter because I needed to keep Tiamat’s mind on me and not all those people.

I reached slowly for my colts as I tried to appear thoughtful. “Tiamat, huh? Can’t say that I can place the name. Oh wait, I know! Yeah, Mother told me about you, you’re that lesser sea goddess.” Then I emptied my clips into those big beady eyes of hers, holstered the colts, and ran for all I was worth across the parking lot, down the beach, and away from the crowds while she was shaking it off.

She recovered too damn quick, I barely managed to avoid her massive flailing tail with a tuck and roll and then a handspring as I shouted behind me, “Are you sure you shouldn’t be attacking Tokyo instead?! I could give you directions!”

Tiamat swung around in a rage, quickly catching up to swat at me with one of her massive forefeet and send me flying high into the air. Holy crap, that single blow took out both of my protective spells, I was lucky that every bone in my body wasn’t crushed. It was as I was considering the wisdom of taunting an ancient dragon goddess that I noticed the water coming up fast. "Oh shit," I thought, "this is going to hurt."

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 7 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but writing and editing went slower than I would have liked. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 7: Duel

The water seemed to be coming at me ever faster and then, suddenly it wasn’t. I felt a brief sharp pain followed by an odd pulling sensation in my upper back as my downward momentum ceased and I hovered roughly twenty feet above the surface of the water. I looked down for a moment in stunned surprise before the strange sensation of motion at my back and the brief bursts of moving air against my arms caused me to snap out of my stunned reverie enough to look behind me.

The cause of those sensations was the pair of graceful and delicate white wings flapping behind me. It was the strangest feeling in my life, stranger than being a girl was at first and stranger than when Danu had infused me with her divine essence to change me. I couldn’t just feel the effects of those wings, I could feel them. I could feel the air rushing against the soft white feathers and I could feel the muscles in both them and my back that were making them move.

“Blessed Mother… what the…” I gasped as I stared at one of the moving wings in wonder and confusion.

~You called upon your dove aspect to protect yourself, my daughter. I believe that I told you not to let Tiamat get you in the water. If she pulls you into the deep and away from the moonlight then she will have the advantage. You would still be able to draw from your nature and magick aspects but not as well as you could otherwise, and her aspects would give her a distinct advantage. You must attack her heart, that is her weak spot,~ Danu’s voice advised. ~She comes, and she is intent on your death. You must defeat her here and now.~

“Dammit. Okay, so I’m going to be learning to fly and trying to defeat the dragon queen at the same time. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun,” I thought sarcastically to myself. “Oh well, at least if she’s coming here over the open water then I’ve gotten her away from where we might hurt innocent people. I’m still too close to the city though, those city lights are still too close for comfort. I’m not sure if I want to risk AOEs but it should be safe to let loose with single target attacks out here.”

I quickly drew and spoke the sigils for a trio of spells. “Kaida ikandiir ysoldir aentuire! Kaida liantuir ophaíne! Kiara ikandiir aeluine aentuire!” The first two spells were of course my Magick Armor and Aegis spells that I had used earlier, though this time I wouldn’t be trying to limit how much mana that I pumped into them. I was going to need them at full power if I was fighting a Goddess. The third was a spell that I called Radiance.

Magick Armor was basically an envelope of hardened mana that covers the target’s body and protects from physical damage, while Aegis was a bubble that did basically the same thing but stopped physical attacks and projectiles further away from the body for added safety. Both of those were useful while I was being shot at. Radiance was similar to Aegis but I had designed it to protect from less corporeal attacks such as spells and things like dragon fire. I had a feeling that I might need it now but it had a small side effect. It was a bright ball of light around me so it was a bad idea to use it unless I really needed it or wanted a lot of attention.

Subtlety had kind of gone out the window the moment that Tiamat had chosen to come after me personally, so I needed to pull out all the stops here. I barely had the spells in place before Tiamat came at me roaring flames. My Radiance spell held but it was down by about a quarter of its full power from when I had first cast it and those flames were hot. I couldn’t keep taking hits like that, I needed to be quicker and dodge her so I could hit her with my magick.

The dragon goddess followed up by once again trying to slap me with her giant forefoot, like a volleyball player going for a spike, in an attempt to send me down into the drink. It was only panic and instinct that saved me as I felt my new wings beat the air to carry me out of the way of the blow. Okay, so now I knew what it felt like to flap my wings, I just needed to do it consciously and try to get some air. I was still far too close to the water for my comfort after Danu’s warning.

Instinct saved me once again as I tried to gain altitude and only just managed to avoid a swing of Tiamat’s massive tail. Okay, so stop flapping and lean in the direction that I want to turn. I was totally learning here, I just hoped I lived to use these lessons another day. The good thing was that even though I was smaller, I seemed to be quick and more maneuverable in the air than the monstrous dragon that I was fighting. The bad thing… she was fucking huge. She took up a lot of sky and I didn’t want to even think about how thick those scales likely were.

Another problem was that I had to go for her heart to take her down. At her size it was going to be difficult just penetrating that deep with an attack, not to mention that getting into a position to do so would put me in a position for her to use more flame attacks or take another swing at me with that massive draconic fist of hers. I wished the others were here, but I couldn’t risk it in this fight, even if they could somehow manage to get past that fear aura or whatever it was that Gods had going for them.

I managed to get above her, feeling the moonlight and drawing on its power. I needed to try an attack spell and get a feel for how strong she was. “Luin’tierre hannira utaera!” As soon as I finished speaking and drawing the sigils, a bolt of lightning that lit up the night sky even more than my radiance spell flew from my outstretched hands to strike Tiamat’s massive draconic form.

The air practically shook with her roar of anger but the attack seemed to do little more than singe her scales. She stopped in a hover and turned her serpentine neck and head to send another jet of flame toward me. I barely managed to dodge and save my magical protections from taking another beating. “Surrender now, little Demigoddess, and I will make your death a quick one.”

“Geeze, I get it, you and Danu don’t get along but what did I ever do to give you a hard-on for killing me?” I snapped back as I mentally prepared another pair of spells. “Tierre kiara tala-aeluine utaera!” My scattershot spell peppered Tiamat’s face with a barrage of countless basketball-sized blue balls of flame. There were so many that their brief screaming sounds filled the night air with a chorus of high-pitched shrieks that was almost like music, punctuated by the staccato drumbeat of the projectiles pounding on her scales.

“Aes’Suvas soldis utaera!” I quickly drew and spoke the sigils of the second spell while she was getting a face full of the first one, sending a massive icicle at least twice my size hurtling toward her chest as quickly as I could. I only succeeded in pissing her off more and the ice shattered against the thick scales on her chest.

“Danu and her children,” Tiamat spat in fury, her scaly muzzle still smoking from my scattershot spell. “Constantly undoing all of my work, smothering the freedom of chaos with your attempts to bring order and balance! Order is an illusion! Balance is an impossibility!”

“Shit! Okay, ice isn’t going to be enough to penetrate those scales. I could try to shred her wings, but even if that worked it would probably only piss her off and force me to fight her on ground level. Too many people could get hurt that way and fighting a pissed-off dragon backed into a corner is never a good idea. She’s not just a dragon either, she’s THE dragon. If I force her to fight on the ground she could take out most of the city. Hell, she’d probably do it just to spite me and cause chaos. I need to weaken her and maybe limit her movement before I can try a direct head-on attack like that again,” I thought to myself as I tried to come up with some sort of plan.

“Kaida kiara tala-fluivhas miska!” At my command, gargantuan chains of golden light appeared, wrapping themselves sinuously around the dragon goddess, binding her body and wings tighter and tighter cutting off her ability to fly for the moment. With us being over water I hoped that the impact and waves caused would do less damage than if she hit the ground directly.

I quickly drew my swords, hoping to drive them into her chest as she fell from the sky but both swords snapped at the hilt. Dammit! My Pájar might be an asshole sometimes but he was still my Pájar and he had those made for me. I had hoped that the enchantment I had placed on them to make them preternaturally sharp would make them able to pierce Tiamat’s scaly hide since they had worked on her creations earlier but it seemed that it wasn’t enough to slice open the dragon goddess herself. My Vorpal Blade spell might work if I had the time.

It seemed that I didn’t have that time as Tiamat’s fury loaned her the strength that she needed to break my chains of light and she batted me aside like an errant tennis ball sending me spinning through the air and trying to right myself as she did the same. My Aegis spell was now down by over half of its power, and I grimaced at the thought of taking too many more hits like that. By the time I had managed to get my wings steadied enough to put myself into a hover and get a look around, Tiamat had already done the same and her massive maw was opened to deliver another torrent of flame as she flew toward me.

I grinned as an idea came to me and quickly started drawing and speaking the sigils for a variant of my Icicle Shower spell. “Kuorüis tanuus tala-aeluine utaera!” As I finished my casting a barrage of razor-sharp and jagged pieces of sea-green energy-sapping crystals the length of my arms emerged from in front of my outstretched hands and were launched through Tiamat’s gout of flame to embed themselves in the soft tissue inside the massive dragon’s muzzle and the back of her throat. Landing that attack was worth my Radiance spell being down to about half power as Tiamat screamed in pain and fury.

I was actually feeling like I might have an advantage then and was about to cast a follow-up spell when, of course, the shit hit the fan. I only had a moment to catch the malevolent glare that Tiamat threw my way before she launched herself higher into the sky with a series of powerful wingbeats. “What the hell is she doing? Going up there is closer to the moonlight, I’ll only be stronger up there.” And then I saw the anti-collision lights of a commercial plane flying above us, probably circling for a landing. “Shit!”

I flew upward in pursuit of Tiamat as fast as my wings would let me, but where my wings seemed to allow me to maneuver better at high speeds and avoid her attacks, she was built for power and raw speed. She couldn’t maneuver worth shit in the air but on a straightaway, she was faster than me. I could only watch on in horror as she tore the right wing off the plane and sent it hurtling downward.

I needed to think of something fast. I probably had the raw power to easily teleport the plane safely to the ground but that wouldn’t stop its momentum or spinning and the results would be disastrous. No, I needed to take control of its descent and try to ease it down to the ground. “Kaida siashe!”

Once my spell was cast I grabbed hold of the plummeting 737 with my thoughts, slowing both its spin and descent as I flew downward alongside it, trying to ease it to the ground on the closest beach that I could find, unfortunately, that was the same beach that I had started out at. This was a minor spell but it took a lot of concentration to hold and control something so big, especially while calculating and casting a second spell. I had managed to get the damaged plane righted and slow its momentum enough to safely teleport it to the beach below so I quickly cast the spell as a look above showed Tiamat diving toward me in all of her terrifying glory. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe yasrin!”

I had just enough time to see the people through the plane windows staring at me and the oncoming dragon goddess in confusion and terror as the plane vanished and then to see it appear safely on the beach below before I heard Tiamat gleefully say, “So predictable.” An instant later her massive draconic fist slammed into me from above, the force of the blow sending me crashing like a missile into the beach below.

“Ouch,” I managed to groan as I climbed out of the small crater that my impact had made. That blow, and the resulting impact with the ground, had killed both of my physical shielding spells and that wasn’t the only damage. I was pretty sure that one of my wings was broken and I hurt all over. “Kaida liantuir ophaíne!”

I barely had the time to re-cast one of the spells before Tiamat landed half in the water and half on the sand and gave me a draconic grin before making for the plane and its occupants. “Going for the innocents to try and generate a little chaos and so I’ll try to put myself between them and you, Tiamat?!” I called out derisively. “Some goddess of chaos you are, that’s so predictable! No wonder you don’t have any worshippers! It must really piss you off that I, a mere Demigoddess, probably have more believers than you!”

My taunting worked, she was pissed and came right at me, snarling in fury. “You are bleeding and broken, you cannot hope to stand against a true goddess. I will finish you now and once I have taken your essence I will lay waste to this world and bathe it in chaos,” she said as she approached and her mouth glowed with the flames that were to come. I just hoped that those crystals did their job and were sapping her strength.

My Radiance shield could still take another hit or two from her flames, so I ignored the flames that assailed me as once again I cast a spell to contain her. “Kaida kiara tala-fluivhas miska!” Once again, golden chains of light appeared around her, quickly wrapping themselves tighter and tighter around her, entangling her wings and legs, and wrapping around her muzzle to cut off the flames before my shield could fail altogether.

“Kaida kuorüis poshe thren’dhal!” I quickly cast the spell as I limped toward her and a long-bladed sword made from energy-sapping crystal appeared in my other hand, its edge razor-sharp and humming with powerful destructive magicks. With the moonlight bathing me from above I could feel practically my whole body tingling and there was a brief moment where I had to smother a yelp of pain as my wing reset itself. “Goddess did that hurt! What the hell?”

~Your aspects fuel your powers, my child. You are no longer mortal and as long as you are exposed to one of your aspects you will heal rapidly from any injury that is not immediately fatal,~ Danu’s mind slipped into my thoughts to explain. ~You must hurry and finish her off, she is still close to the sea and can draw on its power. You have weakened her, but her aspects strengthen her as much as yours do you.~

“Damn, I am ridiculously overpowered,” I mumbled to myself as I avoided a lunge from Tiamat’s massive head as she struggled against my chains. I had considered using Nature’s Call but I wasn’t sure if seaweed and tree roots were going to be able to hold her. I just hoped that my Vorpal Blade was going to be enough to pierce her scaly hide and end this.

I dodged another wild swing of her head and neck and once I was close enough to her massive chest I thrust my magicked blade as hard as I could. It sunk into her flesh, burying itself to the hilt and eliciting a muffled roar of pain and outrage as I released the destructive magicks along the weapon’s edge and sent them into her heart. Tiamat began to spasm wildly for a moment before going completely still. I instantly regretted having to kill her when she was bound like that but if I hadn’t done so, she would have had another chance to kill both me and the innocents in the plane and further up the beach.

I didn’t have long to think about it as I felt a slight rush of energy. I could feel a portion of the divine essence from Tiamat being transferred to me even as her massive corpse faded from sight. It didn’t really feel like a lot of essence though and after a moment there was no trace of her. ~Great Mother, what is with the vanishing corpse?~ I asked.

I heard Danu speak in my mind once again after a snort of distaste. ~The other gods will not let Tiamat’s body fall into human hands. They claim that it is to enforce our rules about gods not appearing to mortals…~ She trailed off leadingly and I could almost sense Her rolling Her eyes.

~Yes, because they did such a great job of that when she showed up to kill me,~ I replied, my distaste mirroring Danu’s.

~The others who are not in my small alliance were hoping that she would succeed, most likely. If she did they could lay the blame on her and keep their hands clean, and you would no longer be around to complicate things. As for the true reason that they retrieved her corpse, I suspect that they fear that the humans may have tried to use it to attempt to find some weakness among us gods,~ Danu offered.

~They would certainly try,~ I thought back bitterly, thinking about the black sites and what Nishalle had found there. ~They have already been trying it with various non-humans. At least she won’t be coming after me again.~

~Other gods may be reluctant to as well, now that you have bested one of us. Tiamat was weak though, you barely got any divine essence from slaying her, less than ten percent of the small portion of my own that I infused you with. It would seem that you gained one of her aspects though. Tell me, my child, can you now feel the rhythmic pull of the sea?~ my patron Goddess asked gently.

I was about to deny it but then I felt it, a very faint rhythmic pulling that reminded me of the feel of moonlight on my skin. ~Whoa… okay that’s new. Umm…. About these wings, I can’t be having them around all the time, I have enough trouble getting attention with the glowing hair and eyes.~

~Feel your wings and command them, they are tied to your dove aspect and respond to your thoughts. Just as you used them during flight, you can make them retract or emerge by thinking about it. I will leave you now, to deal with the mortals. You have made me proud this night, my daughter.~ Danu’s voice slipped from my thoughts and I found myself being wrapped in a hug as Daenyss appeared, not giving me the time to try to retract the wings. I could see Lissany and Nishalle rushing down the beach toward me along the beach as well. There were suits and cops in pursuit, though even with Lissany in full armor they couldn’t keep up with the pair.

“I am so glad that you are alright, Mistress,” my Attendant said as she held me close. “That dragon was enormous, I thought that it was going to kill you.”

“Good shooting there, Daenyss,” I told her, hugging her back. “You distracted her long enough that I was able to get her attention on me and away from the bystanders.”

Daenyss seemed about to say more as she gazed at the white wings emerging from my back but Nishalle managed to speak first. “Nice wings, Sis. What the hell was that thing?” my sister asked, slightly winded as she and Lissany approached.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I really wanted to attack that thing but I couldn’t move,” Lissany added, looking ashamed.

“That was Tiamat, a goddess of the sea and chaos,” I explained quickly. “Apparently, she didn’t care much for Danu and decided to kill me since she wasn’t powerful enough to take on the Great Mother. And nobody can blame you for not being able to move with that fear aura she was pumping out, Liss. I think that’s part of the reason that the gods made the rules about not showing themselves to mortals, their presence paralyzes most of us with fear. I think Yseil’dhraí may be partially immune though since we could handle it when Danu visited.”

Seeing the cops and suits approaching, and not looking happy at all, I took a moment away from my explanation to cast a quick force field spell over my group and the downed 737 that sat further down the beach. “Kaida liantuir aeluine ophaíne!” I was down to about a quarter of my full mana at my best guess but I had already been starting to run low and that was a power hog of a spell, even if it only lasted a couple of hours, and I did have to make it pretty big. I seemed to be building my reserves up again fairly quickly anyway though by being under the moonlight, and so close to the sea and nature in general.

The power use for that spell was so satisfying though when Jonesy ran face-first into the barrier and fell on his ass. I managed to contain my giggles though as I gave those on the other side of the barrier a stern look. “I have cast a barrier because, quite frankly, I don’t think any of you can be trusted not to shoot wildly at us and possibly injure or kill someone as we evacuate that plane and make sure that the people inside are okay.”

With our safety assured for the moment, I ignored the cursing and pounding on the other side of the barrier and sent a wind whisper spell to Venika asking her to teleport to me with Salem and Rei. I had to give them the highlights and promise them all a more detailed explanation when we got home, but right then I was more worried about the people on the plane so we made our way over and found that one of the doors had been opened and people were gathered and looking outside. I was also worried about the hit that Kinara had taken and was greatly relieved when my fiancée assured me that the Lindwyrm hide had stopped the bullet and that the cracked rib that Kinara had suffered was now healing nicely.

With that off of my mind, Venika and I flew up to the opened door as the emergency slide was being deployed by a stewardess whose eyes went wide at the sight of us. “We’re here to help, is anyone seriously hurt?” I inquired.

“I… uhhh…” she stumbled uncertainly.

“We have some people to help the injured on the ground,” I explained as patiently as I could. “I know we may look strange, but we’re here to help, I promise.”

She was slowly nodding, still wide-eyed, when she managed to finally find her voice. “Umm… everyone was buckled in for a landing. There are some head injuries and whiplash but nobody seems to have broken any bones or anything.”

“Good, you were spinning pretty bad up there and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to give you a gentle landing. Could you send down the injured first, so we can take care of them?”

Thankfully, the stewardess was right and the injuries weren’t all that serious. A few concussions were the worst of it but it was mostly just scrapes, bruises, and some whiplash. The worst of them didn’t take us long to care for between Salem and Rei. Daenyss used her minor healing spell as well and Venika and I were both able to use our spells to accelerate healing for a short time. Some of the people that we treated seemed genuinely grateful while others watched us suspiciously. Most of them were settled down on the sand just trying to deal with their near-death experience, though sadly I didn’t think that we would be much help with that.

The plane had finally been completely evacuated and once Rei finished with one last healing prayer for one of the concussed I would be dispelling the force field and taking us home. We were still waiting on my fiancée when an excitable child’s voice shrieked over the murmuring crowd and caught everyone’s attention. “That’s the angel that saved the plane from the big dragon!”

“Huh?” I was momentarily stunned as I turned in the direction of the shrieking voice and saw a little blonde girl, perhaps 6 years old, wearing a pink t-shirt and denim romper pushing toward us and half-dragging a flustered and stunned-looking woman in her mid to late thirties who must have been her mother from the similarities in their appearances.

The girl continued to move through the crowd toward us with her mother and started babbling almost faster than I could follow as the pair approached. It seemed that they had seen what had happened through one of the windows, and they weren’t the only ones. “Are you really an angel?! Mommy and I saw you out the window and she said that God saved us. Omigod! A Fairy!”

“I’m a Sprite, not a Fairy, little one,” Venika told her patiently and I had to stop myself from giggling at Venika calling someone that.

“My name is Taelya, Sweetie. I’m not an angel though,” I said, afraid that my cheeks might be glowing as bright as my hair and eyes.

“No, she’s not an angel,” Daenyss agreed in a calm voice that carried across the crowd. “You were saved by Her Imperial Majesty, Taelya nír Keshwaindyr: Chosen daughter of the Goddess Danu; Demigoddess of magick, the moon, the sea, nature, and doves; Empress of Varüus’kiel; ruler of all Fae; and slayer of Tiamat the Dragon Queen.”

My blush intensified with each new title that Daenyss managed to conjure up. What’s worse was that she had actually gotten the attention of the plane survivors, most of them anyway. The world kind of sucked right now especially with monsters and shit showing up and some people wanted a reason, an explanation for why. I could also understand wanting to believe in divine intervention after an ordeal like that but I didn’t really want to use this situation to my advantage. Daenyss was my Attendant though, she saw to my needs as she saw them, even when I didn’t.

I could actually feel the belief coming from some of those people, including the little girl and her mother as they both stared at me in awe and hope. “What are your names?” I asked, hoping to make myself more approachable and less frightening.

“I… I’m Vivian Murdock, and this my daughter Lucy,” the mother managed to get out. There was something in her eyes. She looked tired and her eyes were locked on me in a strange mix of uncertainty and hope. I hadn’t noticed before but her eyes were a bit sunken and she was several shades paler than her daughter.

“As I said, I’m Taelya. The Sprite is my friend Venika, my Attendant here is Daenyss, and these three are Salem, Lissany, and Nishalle.” I tried to be friendly and approachable and not show my concern over Vivian yet.

Nishalle seemed to scare them a bit, but Nishalle scares everyone so that’s not really much of a surprise. Lissany made up for it though by removing her helm to look less terrifying and reaching down to ruffle Lucy’s hair, her swishing tail, jaguar ears, and kitty nose and eyes immediately catching the girl’s attention as she gasped out in awe, “You’re a kitty.”

“She’s a Beastkin actually, she’s not that different than you or your mom and she’s sort of like my knight. That’s why she wears the armor,” I explained to the girl, her mother, and the other people watching the exchange in interest.

“Yup, every Empress needs at least one knight,” Lissany agreed with a smile.

The little girl’s head swiveled from me to my Guardian in awe. “Girls can be knights?”

“Girls can be anything we want, Lucy. We just need to work hard and never give up on our dreams,” the jaguar Beastkin said seriously before ruffling the girl’s hair again.

Rei returned from doing that last healing prayer and was approaching when she stopped abruptly, her eyes locked on Lucy’s mother. She quickly sidled up beside me and whispered in my ear, “Tae, that woman is dying. She has one foot in the grave already. Her spirit is fighting but if I can see it without using a prayer, it’s probably bad.”

“Do a scan to see if there’s anything that you can do for her here,” I whispered back while Vivian’s attention was on Lissany being an awesome role model for her daughter.

Rei began to pray, mumbling silently beside me and a moment later she let out a long sigh. “It’s Cancer, Tae, really advanced and all through her body. I’d say she has a month or two, at the most. I don’t think that I can do anything for her and, at this point, all a doctor could do is make her comfortable. We could…”

“Get her in a F.I.T?” I finished. “It could probably save her, and I think that she knows she’s dying so she may accept our help if we offer it. Let’s see how she reacts to us and the offer.”

I walked up with Rei’s hand in mine and spoke up to get Vivian’s attention. “Vivian, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Rei. She’s a Kitsune but she’s also a Priestess of Inari, and a Healer.”

Vivian was surprised by the fiancée bit and Rei’s ears and tails definitely caught her attention but I couldn’t see any signs of disgust or even discomfort, just the weariness that showed when she smiled and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Rei.”

Rei seemed to see the same things because she tenderly placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder and asked, “How much time did the doctors give you? Does your daughter know?”

“They said three months,” the woman replied with a despondent sigh, her voice barely loud enough to carry to me and Rei. Fortunately, we both had excellent hearing. “That was four months ago. I’m living on borrowed time. Lucy doesn’t know, she thinks that we’re here for a vacation. I’m trying to get one of my husband’s relatives to take her in when I’m gone but we’ve never really gotten along, less so since he died. Do you… you’re a healer… can you do anything for me?”

Rei shook her head sadly. “There’s nothing that I can personally do for your Cancer, it’s too far advanced. There is a way to help you but it will depend on how open-minded you are. We could take you and your daughter to Varüus’kiel, we have the means there to help you.”

“This is a real place? I’ve never heard of it. I wasn’t sure if your friend was just entertaining Lucy,” Vivian said uncertainly.

“Every word that Daenyss said was true, even the unbelievable stuff,” I told her seriously. “Varüus’kiel exists, it just isn’t on any maps yet and only the invited may travel there. Most of the people living there aren’t Humans, we do have some Humans living there but you would have to be comfortable with being around people like us all of the time.”

Vivian was just as serious as she raised an eyebrow. “People like you? More Demigoddesses, or just kind people who seem to care about others? You saved all of our lives and put yourself in danger doing it, and all of you helped the injured afterward instead of just leaving us here. Lucy half worships you and your knight already and my kid is a pretty good judge of character. If you can make it so I can see my baby grow up, then I will pay any price.”

“You wouldn’t need to pay me anything, just raise Lucy right and be a productive member of our community. We’re still getting ourselves established so everyone contributes how they can,” I explained, relieved that she seemed to be as open-minded and accepting as I had first suspected.

“I doubt that you’d need any doctors if your people can heal by magic, especially if you have techniques that can save someone as far gone as I am. I’ll be happy to do whatever I can though,” she offered.

Rei’s eyebrows rose as Vivian mentioned being a doctor and she asked, “What type of doctor? We’ve been thinking of having hospitals with both medical professionals and healers of the magick variety once we’re all set up.”

“I have a lot of experience as an OB/GYN but most of my work for the past few years has been as a reproductive endocrinologist,” she replied. “OB/GYNs are usually fairly useful, even in smaller populations, so I can probably contribute.”

I blinked in stunned silence before turning to Rei who was grinning like a fox, the ears and tails just made it more obvious. I could feel my own lips curling up in a smile as I said, “Let’s get you and Lucy to Varüus’kiel, my people are going to loooove you, Vivian.”

“No kidding,” Nishalle said with a smirk, showing that she had been following the conversation. “She might just have a line of Fae waiting for her when she’s finished baking.”

I purposely strode over to the barrier where Jonesy was slumped on the ground on the other side looking very pissed off. I gave him the universal gesture for ‘I’ll be watching you’ and told him. “I guess you found out that we took all of your toys away. It’s over, either you put an end to the black sites and experiments, or I will put an end to you and everyone else involved. This is your only warning and I suggest you take it.”

I returned to where the others were waiting and mentally tagged Lucy, Vivian, and all of my people before turning to all of the plane passengers that had been watching us in interest but were too uncertain to come to talk to us beyond getting their injuries looked after. “It’s been lovely meeting you all, please remember to show love and kindness to all living creatures and respect nature. This rescue has been brought to you by Taelya, that’s T-A-E-L-Y-A, Demigoddess of magick, the moon, the sea, nature, and doves.” I figured that Daenyss had already started the ball rolling with this group and a little belief and nudging in the right direction might go a long way in the future. Then I allowed the force field to drop and teleported my group to Varüus’kiel.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 8 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but its a bit longer than usual so writing and editing went slower than I would have liked. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 8: Seeds of Doubt

I hadn’t thought to de-manifest my wings while we were checking on the passengers of the plane, and it once again slipped my mind when I teleported my group along with Vivian and Lucy back to Varüus’kiel. I’ll blame Jonesy for that. Remembering to nix my wings just wasn’t as important as making sure he got a warning to behave himself and ensuring that the timing of the teleport and dropping the force field was just right so he couldn’t shoot any of us. Besides, I was having too much fun getting him all torqued up since that first phone call, and that was entirely his fault for being such an easy target. Bad Jonesy, he really needed to watch that blood pressure.

So, when we appeared in Varüus’kiel I was suddenly quite aware of the looks of interest that I was receiving from my loyal subjects as we looked for my Mahair and the other Queens. The nearby Sül’shael were particularly excited about this turn of events, especially when I told them that I had, in fact, already learned how to fly. Eventually, though I had to de-manifest my wings as we walked through the crowds so that I wasn’t bumping them into people. Once I had finally willed them away I sighed in relief and said, “Much better, having extra appendages feels weird.”

Lucy seemed disappointed to see them go as Venika alighted on my shoulder and offered, “You get used to them eventually. They really did a number on your Lindwyrm-hide armor though, the back of your tunic is completely blown out from just beneath your hood to your butt.”

“Yeah, it feels pretty breezy back there,” I agreed with a sigh. “It was not a pleasant feeling when they first manifested and burst through, so I kinda figured that the back of this was toast. I hope Yola can repair it.”

“The tattoos are pretty though,” Salem offered absently.

“I’m sure they are,” I started to reply before catching myself. “Wait, what?”

“You have these stylized wing tattoos on your back,” Nishalle confirmed, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. “They look Celtic and they’re glowing violet, like your eyes.”

“Of course they are, let’s go find Mahair so we can see how soon it will be before we can get Vivian into a F.I.T,” I said with a sigh.

While in search of my Mahair we were led to the narrow peninsula that led out a kilometer and a half toward the center of the lake, where my eyes were immediately drawn toward a large crystal formation at the tip of the peninsula that had definitely not been there before. It was white in color, iridescent in the way that it sparkled and reflected the moonlight, and I could feel the magick in it. “That’s sooo pretty!” little Lucy said in awe as her mother and the rest of my group stared.

“That’s new,” my fiancée muttered beside me before her eyes widened and she tilted her head slightly as if to get a better look. “Wait, is that getting bigger?”

She was right, it was growing. Not just that, it was growing fast as Mahair, the other Queens and Narek looked on beside a very pleased-looking Jhuras. I picked up the pace to approach the group and asked the High Artificer, “So, was your expedition fruitful then?”

They all turned to look at my approaching group and the Atlantean was beaming like a kid in a candy store shopping spree when he replied, “Very fruitful, Your Majesty. The Crystal Tower and the workshops were both intact and there is a lot there that can be used. The other members of the expedition are transporting everything useful as we speak. The contents of the workshops will be particularly useful since we can use them to begin mass production of mana batteries and other technology that we will need for building the city. That though is the crown jewel.”

“Well, it is shiny,” I agreed as I looked again toward the crystal that he was pointing at. “I can feel some major magick at work too. So, what is it?”

“It is a programmable crystalline matrix, one of only two ever created, and what I was most hoping that we would find. Now that it has been activated, it will continue to grow by gradually feeding on ambient mana until it reaches its programmed size and configuration. The other was used to create the Crystal Tower and this one was created as a backup in case anything happened to the tower,” the elderly Atlantean explained almost giddily.

“What? So you’re going to create a copy of Atlantis’s Crystal Tower here?” Lissany asked.

“Not exactly,” Jhena said as she stepped from behind the growing crystal formation. The Atlantean in human-guise was grinning as wide as her father. “I wasn’t about to let our Empress have some cheap knock-off of something that my ancestors thought would look cool at the time as her palace, she needs something impressive, something that people will look on in awe. I’m familiar enough with the programming language that I was able to upload a new design through the interface. I call it the Moon Palace. I developed a thing for fantasy architecture when I was learning how to create virtual environments and studying other VR games on the market but Moira wouldn’t let me program anything like that into Apocalypse Dawn because it wouldn’t fit the theme.”

“You shouldn’t be building me a palace; we have thousands of people who need homes right now,” I argued with a frown.

“Now that it’s started the palace will build itself,” Jhena assured me. “We’ll just need to add proper doors and windows in the spaces for them and all of the modern artificed conveniences. We used the crystal matrix to build it because we want the palace to be secure, and this crystal is almost as strong as that Nythrin stuff that your fiery friends work with. We have some ideas for the city as well, don’t you worry. We’re assuming that you’ll want something environmentally low-impact and that isn’t a complete eyesore?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, we have plenty of Magi that can manipulate stone, earth, and wood into comfortable living spaces.”

“How do you feel about hobbit-holes?” she asked with a grin. “These plains are pretty vast and we were thinking of a massive hobbit-like city with farmlands for crops along the outer edges of the plains. The natural canals could give access to most of the city for those of us of a more aquatic nature and we could reserve the canal areas for stores and other small businesses. I was thinking that for things like hospitals, government buildings, other necessary large-scale services, and bigger businesses we could just create larger hills for more space and then build downward rather than upward. With earth, stone, and wood magick and some artificing, we could make the structures really sturdy and secure and easily add new levels further underground as needed.”

I found myself smiling as I thought about rolling hills with the occasional chimney, windows, and brightly painted doors in the hillsides facing cobblestoned streets. Finally, I admitted, “I like the idea, It’s charming and it would be confusing as hell for any visitors to find their way around if they’re used to towering buildings to find their way by, giving us an air of mystery. Cobblestone streets would look nice with that style and be easy to make or repair with earth and stone magick. You mentioned farms though, and I’d love us to be able to grow crops to be more self-sufficient but do you have any ideas for how we could do that year-round?”

“We did grow some crops in Atlantis year-round with rooms containing artificed devices on the ceiling that produce artificial sunlight and the occasional ‘rain’, so the same could be used on those farms in the winter months since it doesn’t get that cold here. Maybe we could create smaller versions of the crystal matrix to produce large greenhouses. We’ll about it and let you know what we come up with,” Jhena said thoughtfully with a look toward her father.

“Ohh!” Salem interjected with a sudden grin. “On the grassy hills above the homes and such, we could graze useful animals like dairy cows or goats for milk and sheep for wool, if the structures beneath are sound enough. Possibly chickens too for the eggs, but free-range, no coops. Have you noticed how much fresh grass there is here, even though there’s been no sunlight?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, “when I met the Sül’shael and had dinner in their village, Xixie told us that the grass here grows year-round, and fast too. It will use just about any light source it can get, and some wild grains do the same. They only really start to wilt during the longer moonless periods in the night months.”

“How is that possible?” Daenyss asked, looking a little confused.

“The abundant mana here has helped some plants to adapt and there are a few that only bloom or produce fruit in the night months, like those nightberries and some small pink plum-like fruit that the Sül’shael call hoshan, both of those grow in clearings with a type of phosphorescent moss,” I offered in explanation. “You Nymphs and Liyun’shael are going to have an interesting time when you go to tend these forests.”

“Are the grains edible?” Salem asked. “They might be useful as feed if we do end up keeping chickens.”

I nodded my head and smiled. “Yup, Xixie told us that the Sül’shael use them to make a type of bread sometimes when they can get eggs,” I offered in explanation. Then I turned to Jhuras and Jhena. “I’d like the two of you to get started on figuring out what materials you may need for artificing your ‘modern conveniences’ and for building homes and other buildings so I can add them to the list of resources that I need to purchase outside Varüus'kiel. I would rather buy supplies that are already on the market than cut down any trees here and the same goes for metals other than Nythrin.”

“Except for doors, hinges, and a few other things we should be able to form most of the homes here by growing wood into the correct shapes with magick, or Nature’s Call if we need to. It’s what we do in the Glades, by making the homes an extension of the tree they’re built on or, in rare cases, by hollowing out trees. It could be adapted to grow underground structures; we’d just start from seeds instead of using existing trees,” Queen Qwenyth of the Summer Court suggested thoughtfully. “Nymphs, Liyun’shael, and others gifted with a high aptitude for nature magick should be able to do so.”

Narek looked thoughtful for a moment. “They can’t do much to build help build the Glades until the scouts return from finding suitable locations. We can get them started on some homes for people here while we wait, and a secure location for the servers and F.I.Ts until then. At least t will give people something to do.”

“I was thinking that I’d like the F.I.Ts in secure chambers beneath a hospital since we’ll be using a lot of them for medical purposes. That might be another good building to start with, so our Healers and Doctors have a place to work on any sick or injured, I was thinking we could put it alongside one of the canals near the lakeshore so it’s easy for everyone to access,” I said before looking toward Vivian and Lucy standing back and trying not to get in the way. “Speaking of F.I.Ts and the hospital, I would like you all to meet Dr. Vivian Murdock and her daughter, Lucy. I need Vivian in a F.I.T as soon as possible.”

Once I explained that Vivian was living on borrowed time and what exactly she was a doctor of, the discussion became very animated. It seemed that the programmers had just finished the simulation for the Guardian training program and that Harley and the other candidates were being prepped for their tubes at that very moment. Since they only needed the skill downloads and a bit of training, they were expected to emerge from their tubes the next evening.

The simulation for the second server for those among our Human population who wished to try living as another species and learn new skills was expected to be ready in a few hours, hopefully by the time all the sleeping Humans awoke later in the morning. We had arrived in Varüus’kiel very late, or rather very early in the morning. As soon as the simulation was ready Vivian would be the first person in a F.I.T. We would have put her in one immediately but that would only monitor her health, it couldn’t actually start changing anything until it interfaced with the simulation’s character generation program.

We couldn’t be sure how much time she had left and Rei was very concerned. She was putting up a good front but now that I knew what to look for, I too could see that Vivian was in pain, extremely tired, and was mostly putting on a show for Lucy’s sake. She could barely stand and she had had barely any color in her face when we first met, and she had even less now.

Mahair did want to know if Vivian would volunteer her knowledge for the skill archives though, once she was stable. They hadn’t gotten the chance to acquire knowledge from an OB/GYN or a Reproductive Endocrinologist before the game started and she was eager to have those skills in the archive so she could train others who might be interested in learning. She had acquired skills from various types of surgeons and general practice doctors but Vivian’s occupation was of special interest to the Fae, and important to the growth of our dwindling population. It could change everything for us.

Vivian had agreed and even went so far as to say she would do it right then, in case something happened before she could get placed in a F.I.T. My Mahair looked uncertain about that, not wanting to risk weakening her further but Vivian insisted so that, no matter what happened, we would have that knowledge available. So someone was sent to fetch the Aen’kuorüis that held the skill archive for the server being programmed for the new simulation.

We found a comfortable patch of the meadow for Vivian to rest while Amoiraishe had the doctor close her eyes and held the violet-hued crystal to her forehead. She silently uttered the incantation that would dredge up all of the memories and knowledge related to her medical training and channel them into the crystal. She tried to take it as slow as she could but it was still taxing for Vivian in her current condition and by the time that Mahair was finished and had sent someone to place the Aen’kuorüis back in the server, the doctor was as white as a sheet.

As Jhena and her father looked into their assigned tasks and what resources we would need, my Fae parents and the two other Queens of the Courts left us to look into people from their Courts who might be interested in gaining Vivian’s medical knowledge for the benefit of their Glades and the city that we were planning to build. While they were busy with that, I and my small group explained everything to Vivian as she rested; how her knowledge could be shared, what exactly the F.I.Ts were, and what they did and how. I even stressed how they could change her into another species or they could just give her a healthier and younger version of her own body. I wanted her to go into this with full knowledge of what would be happening and what her options would be.

We explained about the game and how the F.I.Ts that we had been convalescing in had changed us and though Lucy was fascinated, Vivian was perplexed. The doctor was a little disbelieving about what we had told her and downright shocked when Venika told her that Lissany was her daughter. She just looked from the tiny Sprite to the powerful Beastkin teenager in the heavy armor and her jaw dropped. “How… can you say she’s your daughter, you’re not even the same species?” she asked after a moment of stunned silence.

The Sprite smiled patiently as she flitted over to land on Vivian’s shoulder and gave her a more serious look. “Vivian, it’s not all about genetics, and I think that you know that. We both like who we are now and what species we are doesn’t matter to either of us or lessen our love for one another. I gave birth to her, I raised her on my own, and all that I want is to watch her grow up and live a good life, happy with who she is. Our bodies might have changed, but who we are to one another never will because that’s in our hearts and minds, not just genetics.”

Rei snuggled up against me as she allowed herself to briefly shift to a male form, just long enough for Vivian to see and her jaw to drop once again. Now that she had her attention she smiled and kissed me lovingly before speaking. “We don’t love people for what they are, Vivian, we love them for who they are. My gender changes based on how I feel inside and I could be any species that I want physically. Taelya wasn’t female or Yseil’dhraí when we went into the game, and she changed again when Danu ‘promoted’ her. None of that has changed the way that we feel about one another though, because real love isn’t about the flesh a person wears but the soul inside of it.”

For several minutes Vivian just laid there quietly as she considered their words and looked at her daughter thoughtfully. Eventually, she smiled wanly and watched as her daughter played with Daenyss and Lissany. Seeing that she was starting to think about it with a more open mind, I began to tell her what her options were so far as the various Races, explaining the benefits and downsides of each. I was really glad that Lucy was occupied when I explained everything about being Fae.

I even told her that if she decided to just go with a younger and healthier version of her own body that it would only take a day at most before she was finished baking, whereas with another Race she was looking at four to five days out in the real world and around a month in a simulation from her perspective. Not that that would be bad since she could use that time to grow more comfortable with her new self and learn new skills. I also told her that she could have Lucy join her in the simulation so she could learn new skills and get used to her mother’s new form in the simulation if she chose to change Races.

She seemed surprised that we were doing our best to keep her well informed on all of her options but she understood once I told her that we hadn’t had the reality of the situation revealed to us until after getting out of Apocalypse Dawn. So she could completely understand why I wanted everyone who goes into a F.I.T from now on to know exactly what they’re getting into. She was also eager to have Lucy with her for however long she stayed in the simulation. She didn’t want to be separated from her daughter and I couldn’t blame her.

Vivian wasn’t quite sure whether she wanted to stay as herself or try something else, though she did want to learn to speak Elvish and about Fae culture since she would be living with us and a good portion of her patients were likely to be Fae. She felt that it wouldn’t hurt Lucy to learn those things either, and possibly to speak Japanese as well since other than English and Elvish it would likely be one of the three main languages spoken in Varüus’kiel. She was leaning toward becoming a Nyiir'dhraí with a similar appearance to her old self, with blonde hair and brown eyes.

I was growing more concerned as we got to that part of the conversation though as she had tried to hide a coughing fit but it had gotten Lucy’s attention enough that she was watching as her mother tried to decide on a new form. That was when Lucy looked from my playing with my Guardian to her mother and said with all seriousness, “Mommy, can I be a Kitty an’ a Knight like Lissy?”

We all had a bit of trouble not laughing but it did get a tired-looking smile out of Vivian as Lissany reached down to ruffle the girl’s hair. “Well, Lucy, I’m sure you’ll make a great Guardian for somebody one day. Maybe even Taelya or her little sister, but you don’t have to be a Beastkin to do it. Beastkin like me usually don’t figure out what animal Calls us until we’re teenagers and you might not even end up being a kitty like me. You could end up being any animal, and you wouldn’t know which one until it happened.”

Vivian gave another tired-looking smile as she watched Lissany try to gently steer Lucy away from her focus on Beastkin. She did raise an eyebrow though as she inquired, “What do you mean by usually, Lissany?”

“Umm… well, I talked to a few of the Beastkin who were pulled out of the Veil to provide DNA samples and help with the AD project. They said that it usually happens around when puberty hits, they think the Call might be triggered by the changes in hormone balance and stuff. Some have been Called earlier though, I guess, when they’re under a lot of stress or sometimes with major illnesses or medical conditions,” Lissany admitted uncertainly.

“It could be triggered by severe or sudden changes in the endocrine system,” the doctor said pensively. Then she turned to her daughter and asked, “Lucy, do you really want to be a Beastkin? I need you to think about this carefully, Sweetheart. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay as you are or be one of the Fae, or a Kitsune or something? I’m not trying to make you be something you don’t want to, you should decide for yourself, just like me. I just want you to be happy with who you are.”

To her credit, Lucy took a long and careful look around her, and while her eyes did linger a moment on Venika and then Rei, she shook her head. “No, Mommy, I wanna be like Lissy.”

As luck would have it, that was when another coughing fit hit Vivian and she bent over, coughing into her hands as she turned away and tried to keep her daughter from seeing. When she was finished she all but collapsed, laying on her side and breathing in heavy rasps that didn’t sound good at all. That was when Nishalle slipped between me and Rei and whispered, “She’s coughing up blood, I can see it and smell it, and Lissany probably can too.”

I could smell it faintly and frowned in concern as I knelt beside Vivian. From the silvery glow of my hair, I could see the blood all over her hands as I gently wiped her hair out of her face. “Vivian, hang in there a few more hours. Lucy needs you to stick with us just a little while longer.”

“I…” she began tiredly, barely able to rasp out the words, “If I don’t make it, please take care of Lucy.”

“Oh, hell no.” I turned to the sound of Salem’s voice. There was a faint green glow around her, and as she allowed her clothing illusion to drop for a moment I could see a tiny little sprout growing from just beneath her navel. She snatched up the small seed that it bore and joined me at Vivian’s side, pressing the seed to her lips. “Dr. Murdock, I need you to swallow this. You’ll fall asleep for a bit but when you wake up in a few hours hopefully you’ll be feeling better. Everyone else, I need you to back away and give me a bit of space here.”

Lucy was frantic now, trying to reach us as Lissany held her securely but gently in her arms. “Mommy!”

“Shhh, it’s okay, little one,” Venika tried to assure the child. “Salem is trying to help your mother; she’s giving her a gift. She was given the same gift once when she was dying and she’s still here.”

“Wha…” Vivian asked, barely able to focus on Salem and me as I backed up several feet and made sure the others did the same.

“We can’t wait for the F.I.Ts to be ready, Dr. Murdock. I think that I can save you but you need to trust me and swallow this right now,” Salem explained as calmly as she could, a determined expression on her face. “You won’t be Human anymore but you’ll be alive for your daughter, I’ll make sure of it.”

Vivian’s tired eyes drifted lazily toward her daughter’s anguished cries from where Lissany tried to comfort her and calm her down. She didn’t hesitate but allowed Salem to push the seed between her lips and swallowed. It was an effort and a slightly pained expression briefly broke through her weariness as she managed to get it down her throat and rolled tiredly to her back to look at Lucy. “Don’t worry, Baby. Salem is helping me; Mommy just needs to sleep for a bit.”

Then Vivian’s eyes fluttered closed and her labored raspy breathing eased a bit as Salem called upon her magick and Vivian slowly sank into the earth, leaving a patch of moss in her wake. Once Salem seemed satisfied she sat cross-legged in front of the mossy patch and turned to me and the others. “She’s alive and the induction process is starting. From what my mother told me it will take a few hours but now that my seed is inside her I can keep her stable until the process is complete.”

“What can we do to help?” I asked in a mix of relief and concern.

Salem shook her head as she replied, “Not much, I’ll need to stay here with my new... umm… daughter to monitor the process and keep her stable. Maybe Lucy can keep me company and get some rest while I do that, it was like, after four a.m. when we left that beach so we’re probably all getting tired. You should all try to get a few hours of sleep too. It’s going to be a long night and you might as well get something out of it.”

When I checked my cell phone upon waking, the time said 8:37 so I guessed that I got about three to three and a half hours of sleep. It seemed to be enough and I could see Nishalle beginning to stir as well. The only other person awake nearby was Salem, still seated in the lotus position with Lucy sleeping on a bed of cozy-looking moss beside her. The Liyun’shael thought that it would be another hour or so before Vivian could be unearthed but promised to wind whisper me when the time was at hand if I needed to get anything else done while we were still in Varüus’kiel.

Sadly, there were things that I needed to do so I took off to do them with Nishalle shadowing me. I didn’t want to wake the others, especially since Lissany and Rei needed more sleep than us Fae, at least a few hours more than they had gotten so far. I decided to wait until the other Fae of the group were up and Vivian was revived to eat breakfast though since Vivian was likely to be very hungry from her induction and most of us could eat with her that way.

It was as I walked through the maze of people, many of whom were still asleep that Danu’s voice slipped into my thoughts. ~Good morning, my daughter.~

It was a bit strange since usually it was only when my thoughts strayed to her that she spoke with me, or when she wanted to advise me, so I was a tiny bit concerned as I replied, ~Good morning, Great Mother.~

I had tried not to let my concerns about her contacting me out of the blue reach my conscious thoughts but I guess that didn’t work so well as she teased, ~Can I not just say good morning to my child without there being something important going on?~

~I… well…~ I mentally stammered as I tried to gather my thoughts.

~You are the only one that I can talk to directly like this and I find that it is nice to have a child that I can do so with again,~ she said, warmth filling my mind before she moved on to what apparently was the reason for her contacting me. ~In this case though, you were correct. There is nothing to worry about but I would like you to pass on a message to your Mahair when you see her later. Tell her to use a locator spell to find all those of her lineage.~

~But she knows where Nishalle and I are, why…~

~There is another. Amoiraishe’s son sired another child that he was not aware of before marrying your human mother. The child has awakened and your Mahair must find her new heir to the throne of the Autumn Court before the humans do. I shall do what I can but I cannot show myself directly to anyone in the mortal world, even one of my own children. I can only help her directly when she is asleep, alone, and in the presence of one or more of my aspects.~ A pregnant pause settled in my mind before she added, ~I will leave you now to your tasks, rest assured that the one known as Vivian will emerge from her induction healthy and whole.~

I stopped walking as two conflicting thoughts warred for dominance in my mind. I was relieved at her assurance that Vivian would be okay but I was also completely freaking out about her assertion that Nishalle and I had an older half-sister. The latter won the battle, hands-down as I muttered, “Holy shit.”

Nishalle stopped at my side taking a moment to look around for whatever made me curse but seeing nothing, she turned to ask, “What’s up, Sis?”

“We have an older sister,” I told her wide-eyed, barely able to get the words out.

The Tokh’dhraí’s jaw dropped and she stared at me for a long moment before she managed to utter in a near-whisper, “What?”

“Danu just told me that our Dad had a kid that he didn’t know about before he married our mom, and she’s awakening so she wants Mahair to find her and bring her here. And from what Danu said, I think she may be a Yseil’dhraí,” I explained, still trying to wrap my head around it all.

“Holy shit,” my sister half-gasped.

It was several minutes before we both snapped out of our dazed state enough to get some directions and make our way toward where Hadrick and Yola had set up shop with some of the Sül’shael. To my relief, it seemed that they were already awake and working when I got there. Hadrick was the first to notice my purposeful stride in their direction, not that I was easy to miss with the light that I was giving off. “Yer Majesty, what can I do fer ya today.” He called out in greeting.

Then I found myself mobbed by a group of excited Sül’shael, with Xixie at their lead as delighted cries of “Inu’Mahair!” filled the air. They examined me in confusion for a moment, Xixie practically bouncing around me in her excitement before she too looked at me with a confused pout. “Risha said that you had wings Inu’Mahair. We wanted to teach you to fly,” she said sounding very disappointed.

“Good morning, everyone,” I said trying to calm the Star Maidens a bit. Then, figuring that I wasn’t going to get that disappointed look off their faces until I did, I concentrated on manifesting my wings. “Yes, see I do have wings but I had to learn to fly already. That’s why I’m here. I got in a fight with a Goddess and I find myself in need of some new equipment. My wings blew the back out of my tunic and both my swords were broken. I was wondering if they could be fixed or if we’ll have to replace them.”

Hadrick and Yola both looked on wearing distinct smirks while Xixie and the other Sül’shael excitedly confirmed the presence of my wings by caressing the soft feathers. That felt weird and I briefly wondered why the sensation was causing a wet warmth to build up between my legs before Xixie beamed at me. “These aren’t like our wings at all, they’re soft and white and there are no flames. They’re so pretty, like a bird’s wings.”

And of course, the word ‘pretty’ set them all off. They were all suddenly eagerly babbling about all the pretties that they had made me. They wanted to show me right then and there but Hadrick and Yola interrupted by asking what the damage was. The swords had been connected to me by my mark along with the Lindwyrm-hide armor and other gear so I used that connection to summon both the hilts and the blades from wherever they had been lost to in the fight with Tiamat. While Hadrick had a look at those, Yola looked at the tattered back of my hooded tunic.

Sadly, both the tunic and the swords were a lost cause, they couldn’t be repaired and still have the structural integrity of the originals. “One good pull and the whole back will rip,” Yola said sadly of the tunic. I could make you a new set if I had more Lindwyrm or dragonhide to cure.”

“How about those nasty little dragon-things we were taking down before Tiamat showed up?” Nishalle suggested thoughtfully. “They were tough fuckers. Daenyss had to use the Dragon’s high explosive rounds on weak spots like the base of the skull or joints to damage them, she said that the crystal shells barely tickled them. I couldn’t pierce their hide with a sniper rifle, that’s for sure, it’s why I went for the eyes.”

“We probably wouldn’t have been able to cut them either if I hadn’t put such a strong enchantment on Pete’s claymore and my swords,” I admitted.

Yola nodded. “I’ll need something that can cut the hide but If you can get it here then I can prepare it so Shaoli and I can get to work on something once it’s cured. I’ll get Shaoli to measure you so we have your current measurements when the time comes and so we know where to put slits for your wings, so this doesn’t happen again.

“I’d like to make ya more durable padded grieves, bracers, and a breastplate from Nythrin as well, Yer Majesty,” Hadrick added. Then he quickly assured me, “Nothing too bulky that will restrict yer movement, just some extra protection. We’ll make yer new swords from Nythrin as well. We’d like to get Lissany and the other Guardians equipped with Nythrin gear as well eventually.”

I couldn’t blame them for wanting to make armor and weapons from Nythrin, the stuff was lighter and stronger than steel and damn near indestructible. We were going to need that dragonhide though so I cast a very small portal to the beach and parking lot where we had fought them the night before. It was just big enough for me to see through. It was light out there, it looked like the police still had the area cordoned off, and they had what I assumed to be forensics people going over the whole area.

I was grinning mischievously as I cast tiny portal after tiny portal so that I could mentally tag each and every dragon corpse, even the one that a group of people was currently examining. My grin only got bigger as I watched the examiners and teleported all of the scaly corpses to a space near the Dwarves’ work area that was currently unoccupied. The looks on their faces were priceless. Then with a bow to the Dwarves and Sül’shael, I inquired, “Will that be enough?”

I made sure to enchant a knife for Yola to cut the hide with before Nishalle and I said our goodbyes to head back to Salem and the others and the female Dwarf got to work. With my new armor planned and Hadrick planning to make my new swords similar to my old ones, I wanted to get back to check on Salem and the others, eat something, and talk to my Mahair and a few other people before we had to go back to Vancouver since we still had a lot of supplies to get. Nishalle and I were about to do that when Xixie bounded toward me carrying a Nythrin box about two feet long by one foot wide and deep.

“Inu’Mahair!” she squealed excitedly as she fell in step with me and my sister. “We made you so many pretties! Would you like me to keep them safe here for you, or will you be taking them with you, so you look your best?”

I peeked into the box and holy crap, it was damn near filled to the brim with Nythrin jewelry. It looked like there was enough there to cover every part of my body at least once. I had no idea what all was there, let alone what I was going to do with all of it. And there, atop it all, was a Nythrin crown inset with large amethysts and intricate patterns resembling Celtic knotwork that looked engraved but had to have been purposely made in the metal before it had cooled and become impossible to even scratch. It seemed like most of the pieces had similar ‘engraved’ designs in them, even the simple ones without gemstones. So, it wasn’t just the volume that had me in awe, but also the artistry that had been imbued into seemingly every item.

It took me a moment to speak and I just couldn’t say no, they had worked so hard on them and Xixie was so eager for my reaction that she was practically vibrating. Finally, I managed to smile at the Priestess. “Thank you, Xixie, they look beautiful. I appreciate you girls going to so much effort for me, you have all done your Inu’Mahair proud. Why don’t we see what my Attendant thinks I’ll need and then you can keep the rest safe for me, I wouldn’t want to lose any of it.”

From the look on Xixie’s face, she probably would have glomped me then and there if she hadn’t had her hands full. She continued to beam happily as we made out way to where Nishalle and I had left the others. We were nearly there when Salem’s voice whispered, “Vivian is almost ready to be unearthed.”

We double-timed it and found that Venika and Daenyss were awake now though they were trying to let Lissany and Rei get a bit more sleep. Salem was gently waking Lucy though. The girl might need more sleep afterward but she needed to be awake when her mother was unearthed just for her peace of mind. Salem had had to cast a sleep spell on the poor worried little girl just so she could get some rest before her mother was ready to awake.

We waited a few minutes before Salem was sure that it was safe to return Vivian to the land of the living. During that time Xixie eagerly showed Daenyss my new massive jewelry box and Daenyss chose some things that I might need. There were replacements for my multiple earrings, the large ring that gathered my braids above my head, and the ornaments that adorned the end of each braid as well that would go better with my new coloring and new ‘spell focus’.

Daenyss was eager to make use of all of them and some other assorted jewelry as soon as we could get me some pampering time in. Luckily, I had some spare pouches on my belt because my attendant had no place on her illusion-clad body to put the growing collection, small as it was in comparison to what was in the box. Thankfully she was distracted from adding to it any further as Salem said, “It’s time.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 9 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but I didn't finish it until nearly 3 a.m. and didn't edit it until I woke up. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 9: Family Ties

The moss-covered ground parted slightly as Vivian emerged. Lucy’s mother looked younger, healthier, and very much like a Liyun’shael. That was to be expected though, at least by those of us who were familiar with Salem and Brynna. It brought back memories of Salem’s own rebirth in the game as we waited for Vivian to open her eyes.

Her eyes fluttered open and I saw from the light of my hair that they were now bright green like Salem’s rather than the slightly dull grey that they had been before. Her hair was now replaced with a thick and luxurious mane of leafy vines and her skin was a coating of olive green moss. Even just waking up and not completely alert, she had a healthy glow about her now that she had been sorely lacking before. She was brimming with life and I could see in her eyes as she looked around at us that she felt rejuvenated, even in her weakened post-rebirth state.

“Mommy!” Lucy scrambled toward her mother and once she caught a good look at her, looked uncertainly toward Salem.

“Careful, little one,” Venika cautioned. “Your mother has been through a big change and she’s probably tired. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. It’s only her body that’s changed, she’s still the same person inside, just healthy now and a bit different on the outside.”

“She’s gonna be okay?” the young girl pressed, looking again from her mother to Salem.

“You’re looking a lot better now, Vivian,” Salem said with a smile and a nod toward Lucy. “You should take it easy for a bit though and eat something, the induction process can be exhausting and you were near death when you started. I know from experience how that feels. I need to warn you, you’ve changed, you’re a Liyun’shael like me now and… uhh… technically my daughter.”

Vivian’s eyes drifted over to Salem and she nodded tiredly. “Thank you, Salem. How did you…”

Salem seemed reluctant to answer the unfinished question, not wanting to pressure Vivian with the knowledge of what she had been given. Salem had given a part of herself though, one of her few chances at having children someday, so I jumped in. “She gave you one of her seeds. It’s how her kind reproduces, and now you’re one of them. Liyun’shael are a type of Fae related to Nymphs and they only have three seeds to give over their lifetime, which can be hundreds to thousands of years. It’s considered a great gift to make someone their child, one that they don’t give lightly.”

“And Salem hasn’t been a Liyun’shael for long,” Nishalle added. “Only a few weeks from our perspective.”

Vivian’s eyes widened as the realization of what Salem had given struck her. “I… thank you, Salem. I guess I’ll be a Fae after all, and I won’t have to go through the simulation, though I had hoped to get a few of those skill downloads that you all talked about.”

“There’s no reason that you can’t,” I told her with a smile. “There are F.I.Ts with only water inside for those who don’t want to change their bodies. Even the ones with the transformation mixture inside will only change you if one or more genetic samples are provided to do so. We probably won’t need you out here immediately so I was actually hoping you would consider going into the simulation anyway. Volunteers are being gathered to learn your skills and while the skills and knowledge are great, practical hands-on experience is important too. You could help give those volunteers that experience while learning new skills of your own and adjusting to your new self.”

“If she does that, I’ll want to go in with her, Tae,” Salem told me apologetically. “There are things I’ll need to teach her about being a Liyun’shael and she’ll need to be taught the basics of using her magick too. Especially glamours.”

I nodded as I followed Salem’s subtle tilt of the head toward where Vivian was unconsciously tugging at her soil-covered clothes. She would need illusions to fit in among Humans, not only because wearing clothes would be uncomfortable for her but also because I was going to need her with me at some point to buy all of the necessary equipment for her practice and that of any others who learned her skills. “I understand, Salem. We’ll miss you but it’s only going to be a week at most from our perspective before the sim is finished. Why don’t we work out the details while we get something to eat?”

After I had reluctantly woken up Rei and Lissany, my Guardian followed her nose to lead us to one of the areas where the morning meal was still being served. Tsukiko was there with her massive familiar and was able to tell us what exactly we were having for breakfast besides fish and rice since apparently we were mostly surrounded by people from Spring server at the moment. She explained that the green stuff was nori, a kind of dried seaweed that’s high in protein, and that the hot soup was miso soup. I had heard of them before but never been able to try them and I found them tasty, even if they were a bit different from what I was used to.

Lucy didn’t seem so sure about trying it but relented and did so after a stern look from her mother. I guess that she was taking better to her Mom’s change than I had thought and though she made a few faces at first she managed to eat her entire meal. She stayed close to Vivian the whole time though, seemingly unwilling to let her mother out of her sight again. It was a good thing that Vivian was planning to take her daughter into the simulation as well, they both needed time to get used to Vivian’s changes and prepare for their new lives in Varüus’kiel.

As we ate we talked about what they both might want to learn in the simulation and Lucy was still determined to become a Guardian like Lissany. Vivian compromised with her. She told her that if when she was Lissany’s age she still wanted to be a Guardian then she could take the training for it. As for her daughter becoming a Beastkin, she was willing to allow it.

If later on Lucy found that she really wasn’t happy that way she could always be changed again with the F.I.Ts and there was also the option that Vivian might be able to offer her daughter one of her seeds. While we couldn’t determine exactly what animal might Call to Lucy it could be somewhat influenced by the personalized simulation for her race and class after she was done character creation. She would be a Beastkin with the child class for now and we would talk with those controlling the simulation about placing her in an area with a lot of felines to increase her chances.

Vivian thought that having the F.I.T attendant monitoring her tube briefly elevate the levels of certain hormones in Lucy’s virtual body should cause the character to go through the Call without any risk to Lucy’s real body if it didn’t work. Lucy would be happy that she was being allowed to try to become a ‘kitty’ while Vivian would know that it was being done safely and her daughter still had other options available later. It was the best of both worlds.

Tsukiko also let us in on what she’d heard from Sahnae, who was leading the team in Japan, when they had come to drop off family members of players and employees a few hours earlier. It seemed that, unlike Britain, the United States, Canada, and several other countries that were sending all non-humans to camps or otherwise detaining or outright attacking them, the Japanese were going more on a case-by-case basis. They were killing any that proved themselves to be violent or dangerous but the government was setting up a registration system with those who wanted to live peacefully or help to fight the various monsters and hostile Yōkai that had been showing up there since the Veil fell.

The Japanese Emperor and Prime Minister had gone as far as to make a public announcement decrying the treatment of peaceful and innocent non-humans by other countries. It looked like we might actually be able to make an ally out of Japan and Sahnae and her team were going to look into contacting the right people about that as they attempted to acquire more supplies for Varüus’kiel. That news had me pretty damn excited and I hoped to talk to Sahnae about it before she and her team returned to the Japan safe house.

Since I needed to find my Mahair anyway to talk to her about the simulation and so I could pass on Danu’s message, I cast my Trail of Light spell so that I could find her quickly. As luck would have it she was with Narek, the other Queens, and a group of other miscellaneous Fae near where the servers and F.I.Ts were temporarily set up. Humans who wanted a go in a F.I.T to change their forms and/or learn new skills were starting to trickle into the area as well.

After pointing out the simulation programmer to Salem and sending her along with Lucy and Vivian to speak with him about their request, I made my way to the assembled Queens and Warden where I found Sahnae reporting to her mother, Queen Anatha of the Spring Court. I quickly caught my Mahair’s attention and motioned her toward me. As she approached her eyes darted around and I had to assume that she was looking for Vivian because when she saw Lucy with Salem and a second unknown Liyun’shael her eyes widened in surprise.

“I take it that Vivian took a turn for the worse while we were out finding people interested in learning her skills and preparing people for the simulation?” she asked with a glance toward the group talking to the sim programmer.

“Yeah, Mahair, she was in bad shape so Salem offered one of her seeds to save her. We didn’t think she’d have enough time left to wait for the sim to start. Salem is going to join her and Lucy inside so she can start teaching her about magick and her new self. I’ve got a bigger surprise for you though,” I replied seriously.

Copper eyebrows inched higher for a moment before settling back in place as she asked, “Oh, and what would that be, little rose?”

“Danu asked me to pass on a message to you. She wants you to use a locator spell to find all the children of your lineage,” I told her in a quiet tone. Then before she had a chance to ask why, I quickly explained. “She said that your son had another kid before me and my sister that he didn’t know about and that she’s awakening.”

Amoiraishe’s amber eyes went wide as she considered that information. “Did She say anything else?”

I shrugged since Danu had implied a lot more than She had actually said directly. “Not specifically, she didn’t sound in a rush so I think we have a bit of time but I still think that we should bring her here as soon as possible, Mahair. If I’m reading between the lines properly, she’s a Yseil’dhraí. Danu called her your new Heir and said that you need to find her before the Humans do.”

“I will go and begin working the spell immediately. If you think that you can…” my Mahair said hesitantly. It was the first time that I had really seen her hesitant and uncertain about official business and there was this faraway and determined look in her eyes.

“Go, Mahair. I’ll tell the others that something important came up,” I told her, gently squeezing her shoulder and shooing her off before going to join my Pájar and the two other Queens. “Sorry everyone, but Mahair had a matter of urgent importance to the Autumn Court to see to. So, what business is there to discuss?”

The first order of business was introducing me to the nearly two dozen Fae from across all four Courts who wanted to gain the knowledge and skills offered by Vivian. Half of them were Pixies, Sprites, or Fairies so it looked like the Fae of the smaller variety would be able to benefit from those skills as well. Most of them would work together to set up clinics for their Courts but five had been selected because they were also interested in living in the capital and serving those who would live there alongside Vivian once she could establish a clinic of her own.

It was almost an hour before we got all of them, the humans who wanted to try new forms, and some people to act as skill trainers set up in the F.I.Ts and ready to go. Salem volunteered to be a skill trainer and to teach beginner magick skills to those interested in becoming Magi. At my request, the programmer also tweaked a doctor’s office in the simulated town so that Vivian could help those learning from her skill memories to get some practical experience as well.

Once all of those entering the simulation were undressed and inside F.I.Ts with attendants assigned to watch over the tubes of those changing forms, we were able to get on to other business. Jhuras and Jhena had materials wish lists for both artificing and for constructing homes and other buildings. I also got status reports of how many new arrivals we had gotten since my last check-in and progress reports from the New York, London, and Tokyo teams.

I had gotten a general idea of what was going on in Japan from Tsukiko earlier but Sahnae was able to provide more details. It seemed that the Fae, Namahage, Kitsunes, and a few other allies who had appeared or recently awakened there were actively protecting people and just generally kicking ass against outbreaks of dangerous Yōkai and it had earned us a lot of goodwill among the Japanese, who seemed generally more accepting of us in the first place than some other countries. Sahnae and I exchanged cell phone numbers in case she was able to open up diplomatic relations and needed me.

Things in London were a bit shaky with non-humans being dragged off the streets, violently in some cases, by overzealous police officers. People on both sides of the issue were protesting and those protests were getting violent. At least the team there had managed to get most of the family members of AD players and Pegasus Entertainment employees out of London and to Varüus’kiel. They currently had people watching for snatchings of non-humans under glamours or invisibility spells to see if they could track down the rest, or any black sites, and mount rescue missions.

A couple of our people in New York had almost been captured by military forces when launching an attack on a black site there. It was the only black site that they had found so far and fortunately, they had managed to turn the tables and disable the soldiers without killing any of them. Just like in Canada, it seemed that family members of anyone connected to Pegasus Games were being heavily monitored, and in some cases taken into ‘protective custody.’ Most of them had been quietly extracted but those in custody were proving as hard to locate as the black sites. The Winter Court had put tracking spells on some of the higher-level people from the black site they did find while escaping with the captives and were hoping to use them to find a bigger fish who might know more.

It was nearly lunchtime by the time we returned to the Vancouver safe house with lists of needed supplies and materials to look for. Whisper and Grell were both passed out on the couch and the former had her familiar, Shadow, snuggled up in her arms. We had barely materialized in the living room from the teleport when Venika and I were both pounced by our Wisps. Poor Venika, Silverheels was going to hurt one or both of them one of these days if she couldn’t get him to be less exuberant in his greetings, especially as he got bigger. I really tried not to giggle as I showed Willow some affection.

It turned out that Pete and Kinara were both awake, Pete at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee and Kinara seated across from him with a half-eaten sandwich and a glass of juice. Kinara was the first to see us and a relieved smile touched down on her face. She practically jumped out of her seat to hug Lissany and then me before admitting, “We were getting worried.”

“Sorry, Kiddo, we had to make an unexpected delivery to Varüus’kiel, and then there was a bunch of things that needed to be taken care of while I was there. How are you doing?” I asked pointedly.

“I’m good, my armor stopped the bullet, the impact just cracked a rib. I’m fine since Rei did her thing and I got a good night of sleep,” the pink-haired Yseil’dhraí insisted. “How’d things go? I was freaking out a bit. I would have expected our fight on the beach to make the news last night with all of those cameras there.”

Rei asked cheekily, “So Taelya kicking a Goddess’s ass didn’t make the news?”

“Whoa, she fought a Goddess and we missed it?” Pete complained.

Nishalle slipped behind him and playfully nibbled on his earlobe. “We wouldn’t have been able to do much, Lover, at least not up close. Tiamat was scary strong and had that whole godly fear aura going. Daenyss did a great job buying some time for Tae with the Dragon though, and Tae didn’t just fight a Goddess, she killed her and saved a plane full of people while doing it.”

My Attendant flushed, “I… wasn’t going to let her hurt Mistress.”

“Maybe we should give you the highlights,” Venika suggested as she and Silverheels got comfortable on the table.

One very long recap later Kinara was frowning and shaking her head. “I didn’t see anything about that. It’s like there’s a total news blackout about what happened last night. There was no footage on any of the stations. The only mention of an airplane on local news was about a flight out of Toronto that had to make an emergency water landing.”

“Humph, how much do you want to bet that our pal Jonesy and his goons confiscated all the news footage and the cameras and phones of everyone at the beach after we left?” Nishalle spat bitterly.

“I knew we should have stuck around to make sure they didn’t harass those people but we needed to get Vivian to Varüus’kiel,” I grumbled in response. “I’m probably going to have to get Whisper to try and get the passenger manifest for that plane and try to track some of them down, to make sure that asshole isn’t holding them somewhere.”

“You mean the plane that you snatched out of the air while fighting a massive dragon goddess and then placed down on the beach real gentle-like?” Whisper asked as she entered the kitchen. She made like she was covering a yawn but I could see the mischievous grin that she was hiding as every set of eyes in the room snapped on her.

“Why are you smiling like a kitty who just swiped the last of the cookie dough ice cream from the freezer?” Lissany asked, peering at the little blonde witch intently.

I wasn’t the only one to turn and give my Guardian a long look. “That… was oddly specific, Liss.” Kinara pointed out.

“Ummm… well, yeah. She looks like did something... really sneaky yet satisfying. What’d you do Whisper?” Lissany stammered, giving an innocent look that wasn’t really all that innocent as she directed our attention back to Whisper.

“It wasn’t me, it was Grell’s little doohickey, I just have all of the footage to ready to upload to YouTube, social media sites, and all of the news stations that we sent all that other stuff to as soon as Her Majesty gives the word,” the Assassin said with a shit-eating grin as she produced a small black sphere roughly the size of a golf ball.

“Is that a…” Rei started to ask, peering intently at the device.

“It’s a tiny little artificed stealth drone camera,” Whisper confirmed with a predatory gleam in her eyes. “Grell thought that we might need something like it for the raid on the black site last night. I brought it with me and then sent it to follow Nishalle and Venika to the morgue after I got footage of all the prisoners. Then I slapped it on Lissany’s shoulder when you all headed off to deal with the dragons on the beach. I just had to wait until you were all there and have it follow Taelya at a safe distance. It was sending footage directly to my laptop until you all ported off to Varüus’kiel and I piloted it back here. That big ass dragon bitch nearly destroyed it and bumped it around a few times, but I’ve got footage of everything.”

“Everything?” I asked, in concern.

“Yup, after Grell got home from Robyn’s place, he and I spent half the night going over the footage to keep anything incriminating but making sure that sensitive information, like the reports from their little autopsies, were cut out,” she said, looking very pleased with herself.

“I thought that you two were watching something on T.V. the way you were going on while I was trying to sleep,” Pete grumbled.

“Yup, and while the raid stuff was disturbing on so many levels, the rest was quality entertainment,” Whisper agreed, still grinning from ear to ear. “We must have watched Lissany punch that dragon’s teeth out, zoomed in and in slow motion, ten times. That chain spell of Taelya’s was wicked too, I have got to learn that.”

I tried not to encourage her by covering my smile and rolling my eyes as I told her, “Okay, let’s get some lunch made, and then we’re sitting down to watch that footage.”

The footage was only slightly grainy and overall surprisingly good for coming from such a small device. Whisper and Grell had indeed edited out anything that I considered sensitive information that could be dangerous to our people and I approved both clips for dispersal along with some of the information on the new ‘Department of Changed Affairs’ that Whisper had gotten from the CSIS server. I wasn’t really looking forward to being plastered all over the news but people needed to know what was going on and what was being kept hidden.

For the rest of the afternoon, we were fairly busy, or some of us were. Grell was getting everything he needed ready to drastically improve our cell phones' signal ranges and creating mana batteries for them. He also planned on installing the sim card emulation program on them until Varüus’kiel could eventually get an official cellular service provider. The time that he wasn’t working on those he would be building us a secure, and hopefully untraceable, web server.

Whisper was going to be working on our information distribution campaign, looking into the status of the other people who were on the plane, and laying the groundwork for starting to design some websites. It wouldn’t be long before we and Varüus’kiel, in general, would be appearing on the world stage and we would need an official online presence. I also planned on having several government-run businesses to bring income to our young nation and provide a livelihood for our people that would need an online presence.

We could provide services that nobody else could: Monster hunting services (we have millennia of experience), specialized training for groups via the F.I.Ts, charitable medical assistance for terminal patients, transformative therapy for people with gender or quality of life issues, eco-friendly artificed technology, and magical security and consultation services. We could even start up a teleportation travel industry for fast, eco-friendly, and inexpensive travel. Some of that would be charitable work, but for the rest of it we could name our price and bring in a lot of money or trade for them. I just needed to invest the capital and place people that I trusted in charge.

While they were both busy with the fun stuff I, of course, was busy trying to spend a shitload of money with my entourage making sure I was safe while doing so. My first stop was a realtor so I could look into buying a local warehouse. I was going to need a local address that I could have large-scale deliveries sent to and once placed inside they could be quietly moved by portal to Varüus’kiel. I found that it was much quicker and less expensive to lease a warehouse for a year than to buy one and it would be more convenient on a short-term basis as well.

By the time that I was able to find a place that fit the bill and was available for lease immediately, it was too late to do any shopping for other important stuff. I was a little bit disappointed but the food situation at home wasn’t desperate yet, especially with all of that dragon meat that Yola had been planning on taking to be cooked up once she had the beasts skinned. I promised myself that I would just get a good night’s sleep and we would make an early start on looking into food wholesalers and places where we could get the Atlantean wish lists filled.

Daenyss spoiled us all by cooking a nice dinner for us and we spent a lot of our time for the rest of the evening discussing our plans as Grell and Whisper worked on their various tasks. Whisper was able to find out that the people from the plane were all accounted for and not in government custody. She was able to hack into the cameras at the police station that they had all been taken to for their interviews. They had been set free but all photos and video footage of the incident had been erased from their confiscated phones and cameras before the devices were returned. Some footage had briefly made its way online but it had been quickly removed.

Were Jonesy and his ilk really stupid enough to think that they could keep what was going on in the world covered up? They couldn’t keep everything hidden in the shadows forever, even without our help this stuff was all going to see the light of day eventually. Were they trying to cover up their actions or ours, and to what purpose?

Unfortunately, I believed that I knew the answer to that. Their actions and goals so far had painted a pretty good picture. They wanted to be, or at the very least appear to be, in control of the current situation. Trying to get their hands on the F.I.Ts and the black sites were both attempts at finding ways to fight not just the monsters, but us as well. To them, everything that wasn’t human, everything they couldn’t understand was a threat. We were fighting an unseen war, and it was one that we needed to win if we were going to survive.

Jonesy was just a yes-man though, a convenient patsy; this went much further up the totem pole. Fighting them by bringing the truth into the light was a good start but we needed to fight this war on two fronts. First, we had to cut off the head of the snake and stop this inquisition, and second, we needed to hit the public with a PR campaign and show that we weren’t a threat but were willing and able to help humanity. We were starting on the second, but for the first task, we were going to need more information. Whisper had managed to put a full dossier together on Jonesy from the information we had gotten from his phone and the CSIS database but so far we had nothing on whoever was pulling his strings.

By eleven o’clock Whisper had our footage all over the internet despite numerous attempts to quash it and it was going viral. With the internet going crazy over it I figured that it wouldn’t be long before the mainstream media picked it up as well. Hopefully, it would be a good start to building a good reputation with humanity. It was as I was considering our other problem and looking through the various information in Jonesy’s dossier that I looked at the photo of his family that we had downloaded from his phone.

Something bothered me about that photo and despite my Yseil’dhraí memory, I was having trouble placing what it was. I was about to give up and crawl into bed with Rei when the realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. My hands were shaking as I moved my finger along the laptop’s trackpad to open the file I was looking for, clicked on the file, and let it play. I hadn’t looked at it too closely the first time, I hadn’t wanted to. Then I saw it and I paused the video, just staring in horror for a moment as my suspicions were confirmed. “Oh Goddess, Jonesy. What did you do?”

Raw fury gripped me as I stood up, my hands clenched tightly enough for my nails to draw blood briefly before the wounds began to heal. Carefully controlling my voice, I said, “Sis, Pete, Liss… get into your gear.”

Rei was back in male mode and my tone had gotten his attention from where he had been drifting off to sleep on the sofa. After seeing the look on my face he quickly stood up to give me a measured look. “Whatever it is you’re doing, Babe, I’m coming too.”

“Oh shit, I know that look,” I barely heard my sister mutter.

I said nothing, I merely nodded my acceptance to Rei, and barely gave the four of them the time to switch to their combat gear before I was casting protective spells over all of us, uncertain of where he might be or what we might face when we got there. Then I cast the spell to take me to my target. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe yasrin!”

We appeared in what looked like somebody’s backyard in the middle of suburbia. Most of the lights in the house were dark and Jones was sitting in a patio chair with his suit jacket and tie gone and a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the ground beside him. He turned his head at our appearance, shielding his eyes against the light that I was emitting as he mumbled, “Hmmm?”

I glared at him for a moment, burning with rage. The heat of my anger was a stark contrast to the carefully controlled glacier cold tone of my voice as I asked, “Tell me, Agent Jones, are you a god-fearing man?”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 10 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I actually got it done and on schedule this week. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 10: Justice

Jonesy’s eyes widened as his drunken brain caught up with what was happening around him and he reached for the gun in his shoulder holster. Lissany and Nishalle were faster, each grabbing one of his arms and pinning him onto the patio chair. He looked up at me in fear and confusion as he started to ask, “How…”

“I am a Demigoddess, Agent Jones. If I really want to get to someone or something, nothing on this planet can stop me,” replied, barely containing my anger. “You have kidnapped, tortured, and murdered my people. You have done the same to people who have been changed through no fault of their own, people already confused and frightened by what was happening to them. Many of those who we found in the ‘care’ of your organization were barely more than children. Tell me, did you kill your wife and son yourself, or did you have someone else do it for you?”

“I’m betting on someone else,” I barely heard Nishalle mutter in disgust.

“It was a mercy,” the agent spat. “They were dead to me the moment that they became those monsters. At least by studying them we could learn how to fight this invasion.”

“Monsters?! Fauns are among the gentlest and most peaceful of magical creatures and you murdered them and desecrated their corpses with your experiments! Your own wife and child!” I snarled, aching to make him pay for his crimes.

“Let’s go and ask those two spirits haunting your home how they feel about your mercy,” Rei added in a carefully controlled tone. “I can feel them from here. The anger, pain, and betrayal that they feel are… Tae, I need to go ease their spirits and help them to pass on. Will you be okay out here, Babe?”

“He can’t hurt any of us, we’ll be fine,” I replied curtly, not taking my eyes off Agent Jones.

“That’s not what I meant, Babe. You’re understandably pissed about this, but please, don’t go all vengeful Fae and do something that you’ll regret later.” With that, my lover softly kissed my cheek and made his way toward the back door of the house.

Rei was right, I was so furious that I could barely think straight and I wanted so damn badly to make Jones suffer for what he had done, but I couldn’t act rashly. As much as I wanted to punish him for his crimes, that punishment needed to be appropriate for what he had done. I needed to think about that punishment not just shoot from the hip in my anger, I was better than that. I wanted to be better than that.

First, I needed to find out who was pulling his strings and put an end to this madness. “You will pay for your crimes, Thomas Jones, but first you are going to answer some questions for me. And you will do so honestly.”

“Fuck you! You claim to be some sort of god… but I’m not falling for that shit like those people that you duped on that plane. This is an invasion, an assault on our way of life, and I’m pretty sure that you’re the one in charge of it all. You’re not getting anything out of me,” he replied, leveling me with a cold glare.

I spoke as calmly and coolly as I could, holding back the urge to do something that I would only regret later. “There is no ‘invasion’, Mr. Jones. The Gods and magick have returned to this world and most of the Gods want to wipe humanity out wholesale, we’re working to stop that. Those people that you caged, beat, killed, and desecrated are all victims in this. They just happened to have non-human bloodlines and they were scared and didn’t know what was happening to them, and you and your lackeys increased their trauma and murdered some of them in cold blood. Make no mistake, Mr. Jones, you will tell me the truth.”

“You can torture me all you like; I’m not giving you anything,” he said, his glare still focused on me.

I could have had him tortured. He probably even deserved it after what he had done to those poor people. After what she had seen in his house of horrors Nishalle seemed willing enough to get the answers out of him, I could see it written all over her face. I had no doubts that she would get those answers eventually, but that was a dark path that I didn’t want either of us to travel. What I had in mind was more effective and a lot faster.

“Yes, we’re all very impressed with your display of bravado, Mr. Jones but you haven’t been paying attention. Why use torture when I can use magick? Naethrin fluivhas aen viyr gahäil!” I quickly drew the sigils as I spoke the words and then reached out to touch Agent Jones’s forehead. I could feel the magick of the spell settling upon him, binding him, and I smiled. The smile was more for his sake than mine since internally I was still trying to calm down and not give in to the urge to use some other more permanent spell on him. “Be the better person Taelya,” I told myself, “that isn’t who you want to be.”

It seemed that Jonesy had felt the magick of my spell take hold as well. His eyes widened in sudden fear before he narrowed them to glare at me once more. “What did you do to me?”

“I have bound you, Agent Jones. I’ve bound you to me, and the truth. Until I release you, you will answer all questions that I ask you honestly to the best of your knowledge. Why do you look so worried? Now we can skip all of that torture that you were so worried about and get right down to business,” I told him, and this time the smile on my face was real.

I questioned Jonesy for over an hour. I didn’t want to know just who was passing down their orders and what those orders were, but also about the organization’s connections, goals, and structure. Another matter of interest to me was whether we had hit all of their black sites, or if we still had more people to free.

It seemed that their orders were coming straight from the Minister of Defense though there were no official documents that would support this. Everything was being done through proxies and secret phone calls so that the Minister had plausible deniability. This made things problematic, we couldn’t just charge into the Minister of Defense’s office and threaten him in broad daylight without the possibility of harming future negotiations and starting an international incident once we were officially recognized as a country on the world stage.

Sure, we could go in there all glamoured up to hide our identities, but I wanted to try and limit any negative press concerning magick or non-humans until we could officially inform the world about what was going on. I wanted to build up a good reputation for us to stand on when we dropped that little bomb. And, while I was just fine with releasing information that the government was hiding, I didn’t want to start being secretive and burying information that I didn’t want seeing the light of day myself. The best way not to have your dirty laundry aired by somebody is not to have any in the first place.

So, in the end, my questioning didn’t give me much that we could act directly on at the moment, at least not any more than we had before. We couldn’t prove the connection between the Department of Changed Affairs and the Minister of Defense but we had plenty of information linking them to the CSIS, who were coordinating with several three-letter agencies in the United States on the manhunt for people connected with Pegasus Entertainment. Since we released all of the information we had about that to the media already, it probably wouldn’t be long before they started sniffing around at the doors of certain Cabinet members.

While most of my questions only confirmed what we already knew or suspected, we did at least find out that we had hit all of the black sites they currently had running. We also know knew for certain that their theory was that what was going on in the world was some sort of twisted alien body-snatchers type invasion. Their goals were to find ways to fight and kill us and to attempt to get technology such as the F.I.Ts that they thought would help with that goal.

We seemed to have Japan on our side now, or at least well on the way, but we needed to hurry and get some good press in other parts of the world so that people would take me seriously when I dropped the bomb about the Gods and magick situation. My people were under orders to help out with any monster-related incidents they saw but it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye on breaking news and the internet to deal with problems as they surfaced too. I was considering that as I finished questioning Agent Jones, who was none too happy with me, and even less happy giving me the information that I had asked for.

Rei had finished putting the two distraught spirits in the house to rest and had gotten enough information out of them to be able to tell us that not only had Jonesy killed them himself, but he also had a secondary cell phone that he would occasionally get calls from. He hadn’t mentioned that, but then I hadn’t asked him directly about it either. Questioning Jonesy about it revealed was that this was how the Minister of Defense was contacting him to receive updates and give any updated orders.

Soon, that phone was resting in one of Rei’s pouches and Pete asked, “What do we do with him? We can’t really leave him running loose.”

“Yeah, especially with all that he has to answer for, “Nishalle added, casting a glare of undisguised loathing at the agent.

“Oh, we’re going to give him exactly what he wants. We’re going to take him to see a F.I.T, from the inside,” I said with a satisfied smile. I had come up with a fitting punishment for Agent Jones, and delivering it through one of the F.I.Ts that he so desired was so delightfully ironic that my Fae sense of vengeance and my more humane sense of justice were both equally satisfied with the idea.

Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes and dropped jaws, especially Jonesy. Pete and Lissany weren’t about to question my orders and Nishalle’s face quickly morphed into a very satisfied grin at whatever she thought I had in mind but Rei stopped gaping to give me a serious look. “Tae, I thought that you weren’t going to go there again. You said that transforming a person against their will is a violation. That’s why you want everyone to know exactly what they’re in for before getting into a F.I.T.”

I felt bad that he doubted me, but I had to admit that I had been really angry when we had arrived at Jonesy’s backyard. Hell, I still was. So I tried not to take it to heart since he was trying to be my conscience. “Don’t worry, my love, the F.I.T that he will be going into will be filled with water. It won’t even have a simulation running or be connected to any of the servers. Just sensory deprivation and a very special Aen’kuorüis that I’m going to have made just for him. I stand by what I said, transformation without information is a violation. I also don’t want people thinking that becoming Fae, Beastkin, or any of the other non-Human races should be seen as a punishment. It makes us seem lesser than we are and supports the belief of those Humans who think that they’re superior and that we’re no better than monsters.”

“What exactly are you planning then, Sis?” Nishalle asked, now looking slightly confused. She probably thought that I was going to put him in a particularly nasty simulation or something but my comment about sensory deprivation had likely thrown her off.

“Let’s make this official, we need to follow the traditions of our people after all,” I said before turning my very satisfied smile on Jonesy. “Agent Thomas Edward Jones, you are guilty of crimes against my people. Once we get to Varüus’kiel you will be subject to the Wild Hunt. You will be given an opportunity to escape but should you not find a way off our island before you fall or we catch you then you will face the punishment that I have decreed for your crimes. Do you understand this?”

“Fuck you, you crazy bitch!”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I replied coldly, not allowing him to anger me further. “When you fail to escape, you will face my judgment and be punished for the crimes that you have committed against my people.”

Jonesy was now struggling against Nishalle and Lissany with new vigor, but there was no way that he was going to be able to break free from my Guardian and Nishalle wasn’t about to let him go either. She wasn’t above flashing him a grin though, her white teeth and fangs standing out against her dark skin as she taunted. “I wouldn’t use up all your energy now, you’re going to need it to run.”

Once I had cast the portal back to Varüus’kiel and we had arrived I had Pete remove Jonesy’s gun and search him for any other weapons. Then, rather than trying to get everyone gathered the hard way I wind whispered Nakir, the Huntsmaster for the Autumn Court, to ask him to prepare his men and the Cú sídhe for the impending Wild Hunt. I also contacted Sahnae’s older sister Laneera, asking the Princess of the Spring Court to create an Aen’kuorüis and giving her instructions on what I wanted to be done. I would have asked my Mahair to handle it but she was off searching for mine and Nishalle’s half-sister.

Then I used Nature’s Call to connect to the very air of Varüus’kiel to send make an announcement. “People of Varüus’kiel! Many of you are refugees, after facing persecution in the nations that you once called home for no longer being human. I know that we have rescued a great many of you from black sites in Canada. We are working on finding these types of sites in other countries as well and freeing those held there, but you are the ones that may now find justice for the way that you have been treated, for those who died under the thumb of the ‘Department of Changed Affairs’. Though we have no way of making the man pulling the strings of this organization face justice yet, we have captured Thomas Edward Jones, the man responsible for those sites and your suffering.”

I paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing. “All those who wish to join in the Wild Hunt please meet at the edge of the eastern forest. After the Wild Hunt, he will suffer as those he captured have. I ask that, rather than joining in the hunt, all of you who we rescued from those black sites speak with Princess Laneera of the Spring Court. She will be waiting where the Moon Palace is growing by the lakeside. I assure you all that you will bear witness as he pays the price for his crimes once the Wild Hunt returns.”

With my proclamation finished, I severed my connection to nature and took a deep breath as we frog-marched Agent Jones to the edge of the forest. “Sorry everyone, we should be in bed sleeping right now, not dealing with this because I got pissed off.”

“I think that we can all agree that he deserves whatever it is that you’re going to do to him, Sis,” Nishalle assured me. “You’ve got me wondering just what that is though, you’ve been deliberately vague and you have that self-satisfied smirk on your face that Mahair gets when she’s planning something especially diabolical.”

“I think that I’ve figured out what she has planned, or at least a general idea,” Rei offered with a smile. “I’m not going to ruin the surprise though.”

“Have you ever been in sensory deprivation, Tom? I’m sure you’ll love it, though you might end up going crazy if we leave you in there too long. It’s not unusual,” Pete taunted as he took my sister’s place in helping Lissany march Agent Jones along through groups of watching people and toward the edge of the forest. As we walked he hummed a familiar song, probably just to piss Jonesy off.

We were nearly there when we found Hadrick and Shaoli waiting for us, along with Xixie and some of the Sül’shael. The Dwarf was holding a pair of Nythrin swords that matched my old ones, except for the beautifully intricate designs carved into the flats of the blades. For never having made weapons before, Xixie and the others had done an amazing job under Hadrick’s coaching. I was glad that he was holding them because Xixie and the other Sül’shael were so visibly excited to see my awed reaction that they might have hurt themselves.

“As you can see, Yer Majesty, we finished yer new swords,” Hadrick said with a beard-splitting grin as he offered them to me.

“They’re even more beautiful than the originals,” I said as I carefully took them and gave them a closer examination before quickly enchanting them to be as supernaturally sharp as their predecessors. Once I was done that, and admiring them, I reached behind my back to place them in the loops on my belt behind my back. I had placed an enchantment on those simple leather loops to protect myself from being cut by the bare blade of my previous swords; anything pushed through the openings of the loops would be covered in a form of force field to protect both the blades and me.

“You and the girls did a wonderful job but didn’t have to give them to me now, this could have waited,” I told the small group. “But since you have Shaoli with you as well, I assume there are other matters that you wish to discuss?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, don’t worry about being late for the Wild Hunt. People are still gathering and getting organized, and they won’t start without you,” Shaoli teased playfully. I liked her, she was such a friendly and down-to-earth Nyiir'dhraí. “I just wanted to ask if you and Lissany would come to see me before you leave Varüus’kiel again. Hadrick and Yola wanted me to get you both measured for new armor. We’ll get Harley’s measurements as soon as she’s out of her F.I.T.”

“We’re making you a new shield, sword, and war hammer too, Lissany. All of it should be much lighter and much more durable than what yer usin’ now. I think you’ll like what these fiery lasses have planned fer yer armor too,” the Dwarf told my Guardian, still grinning.

“Sweet!” the Guardian in question replied, grinning right back at him. “I was wondering about something though. The inside of my armor and shield are lined with Kevlar to give extra resistance to heat and bullets. It’s a synthetic though and Fae who become Guardians wouldn’t be able to use it without an allergic reaction.”

“We’ll be using the Dragonhide that Her Majesty provided fer the inner lining on all Guardians’ armor and shields. It’ll give even better heat and bullet resistance but be lighter and less bulky,” Hadrick explained, causing Lissany’s grin to become even bigger. “We should have enough to outfit Her Majesty, you, and all the guardians being trained right now, and maybe a bit left over if we’re careful.”

“We’ll be sure to come to see you before we leave,” I promised Hadrick and Shaoli.

The pair bowed and thanked me but before they could get on their way I was glomped by Xixie and the other Sül’shael with her. I was actually surprised that they had managed to wait until the conversation was over. Once they had given me enough space to breathe again Xixie asked, “What is the Wild Hunt Inu’Mahair? Do you need help gathering food?”

I shook my head and thought for a moment. The Sül’shael were so peaceful, innocent, and carefree and I didn’t want them to lose those qualities. It was bad enough that Xixie had been there when Nishalle had ended the lives of the members of H3lls-Pwn.

Finally, I gestured to where Lissany and Pete were holding Jonesy not far away. “That is a man who did very bad things to many of the people who have come here. During the Wild Hunt, we will chase him through the forest like a wild animal and make him feel the fear that he made others feel. When he can’t run anymore we will bring him back here and I will announce a punishment for what he did. The Wild Hunt can be harsh though since there are a lot of bad feelings involved so, even though we won’t kill him or let him die by other means, he will suffer during the Hunt.”

The girls looked uncertain but nodded in understanding. “Do you need us to come with you Inu’Mahair?” They’re such good people, not wanting to see someone hurt but still determined to be there if I needed them to be.

“I don’t expect you girls to join in the hunt, in fact, I would rather you didn’t,” I told them honestly. “You’re all good girls. Such wonderful and pretty girls should be making wonderful and pretty things and not making someone suffer. Please, Xixie, you and the girls stay with Hadrick, Yola, and Shaoli. I look forward to seeing the beautiful things that you make.” The girls looked relieved and once they had nodded in acceptance I gave them each one last hug and a kiss on the forehead before we parted company.

The moon was still gibbous and high in the starry sky, providing plenty of light. It was a good time for the Wild Hunt. People of all the races on the island were waiting for the hunt to get underway at the edge of the eastern forest. A pair of strong Nyiir'dhraí held Jonesy firmly in place by the tree line and the agent was not looking very comfortable at all with the large group of non-Humans gathered around us. He was surrounded, his only path of possible escape the one that I had chosen for him, through the forest.

He had been stripped down to his tighty-whities since he would need his clothes again eventually and I figured that it would be better if they were undamaged and unbloodied when that time came. He had already ruined the underwear. I had had Tsukiko introduce him to her Familiar Yuki so that he knew what denizens awaited him in that forest and I could practically smell the fear on him, not to mention the urine when he came face-to-face with the massive Dire Wolf.

The taunts and jeers had begun and everyone seemed eager for the first cut to be made so the hunt could begin and they could get a piece of him. As eager as they were though, nobody would touch him until the Wild Hunt had officially begun. I took my time mounting Ghost, making sure to first give her a bit of affection in the form of loving pats and caresses as she nuzzled me lovingly. “I’ve missed you too, girl. What do you say I mount up and we get started so this prick can pay for what he’s done?”

Ghost eagerly bobbed her head up and down, her crimson mane fluttering with each motion before turning to cast a baleful look toward Jonesy as I gracefully mounted her. Her golden eyes fixed on him and she stared him down conveying the wild savagery and intelligence of her kind. And yet, under my touch, she was as gentle as a lamb. If Jonesy hadn’t already wet himself earlier, he probably would have at that.

The moment that I was seated comfortably upon Ghost’s back, Nakir, the dark-haired Nyiir'dhraí with the stony expression who was the Huntsmaster of the Autumn Court, let out a shrill whistle. A moment later he and his Huntsmen were mounted upon their Cú sídhe as well. Nishalle mounted her Cú sídhe as gracefully as I had mounted Ghost a moment before but it took Pete, Lissany, Rei a little while longer since Pete wasn’t used to riding one and the shaggy, horse-sized, and savage-looking emerald-hued hounds still made both the Kitsune and feline Beastkin nervous.

“Here we go again, one of these days maybe I’ll get used to riding them and lose this fear of them chasing me instead of the asshole we’re hunting,” my fiancé grumbled behind me and to my right.

“Yeah, cats and foxes shouldn’t be riding dogs, it freaks me out,” my Guardian agreed dismally.

Once the pair were mounted and had stopped complaining, Nakir looked to me to start things off so that he could give the signal for the hunt to begin. He was as eager as everyone else it seemed. For the moment though, even though both Huntsmen and Hounds were enthusiastic to get underway, everyone remained still and waited for that signal to be given.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and began to address Jonesy at a volume and clarity that all of those assembled could hear. “Agent Thomas Edward Jones, you are here to answer for the following crimes against the people of Varüus’kiel and all of the races gathered here tonight. You have cast a black mark that will likely never fade on the reputations and livelihoods of the Canadian players of Apocalypse Dawn, employees of Pegasus Entertainment, and anyone associated with them. You have had innocent people kidnapped, tortured, and murdered and then desecrated their remains simply because they are not Human. You murdered your own wife and child and desecrated their remains for the same reason. There are likely other crimes that you are guilty of but I can only deliver justice for those that I know about or that affect my people. With that in mind, you now face the Wild Hunt.”

“Being a gracious Empress, I will allow you an opportunity to escape, should you do so and evade the hunt before you tire, or escape our island nation, then we will pursue you no longer and you will be a free man.” Then I paused and, taking a page out of my Mahair’s book, I smiled maliciously before adding, “When you fail to do so, those whom you have wronged will be granted their fair retribution, as is the custom of our people.”

Nakir looked toward me, inching his shaggy green mount closer and holding out his ornate ritual dagger. “This man has harmed many and the first wronged is not clear. Who would you ask to make the first cut, Your Majesty?”

I took the dagger from his hand and announced. “As one of the former players of Apocalypse Dawn and a friend and relative to others and people associated with Pegasus Entertainment, I will claim the first cut for myself and represent all those whom he has wronged.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” he replied with a solemn nod.

I leaped from Ghost’s back, landing adroitly before Jonesy and the two Nyiir’dhraí holding him in place. Then I gave him a long look, considering exactly where I wanted that first cut to be. I delivered a long shallow cut along the length of his outer thigh. It wasn’t deep, barely more than a scratch. and wouldn’t prevent him from running but it would sting like hell with every stride that he took. Then I leaned in to whisper, “Try not to worry too much about the Dire Wolves and other nasty beasts out there, we’ll be right behind you the whole way. We won’t let you out of our sight until you fall.”

“This is barbaric,” he snarled back, spitting at me though I deftly stepped aside to avoid his loogie. “You have no right to hold me or do any of this.”

“I have every right. I’m one of the wronged and you’re on my turf now, I make the rules here. What’s the matter? Do you really think that holding people against their will and torturing them is just your shtick? We’ve been doing this for as long as Humans have been around to persecute others who aren’t like themselves. I would have thought you’d be a fan of manhunts after the way you put us on that terrorist watch list and turned the whole country against us though,” I replied thoughtfully before turning around and walking back toward Ghost. I paused before mounting though and smiled at him over my shoulder, “You know what they say. Karma is a bitch, Jonesy.”

As I mounted and then handed the ritual dagger back to Nakir I could see the fear and confusion on Jonesy’s face. He had only heard two people, or what he thought were two different people, call him Jonesy before, Caleb and Karin, though both of them had been me. Combined with the other hints that I had casually dropped he was trying really hard to figure out the connection.

He didn’t have much time to think about it because the instant that Nakir had restored his dagger to its sheath the Huntsmaster sounded his horn to signal the start of the hunt. The raspy ghostly voices of the hounds resounded in the night air in the form of spine-chilling howls and then the huge shaggy canines rushed toward Agent Jones. Their riders and those on foot laughed and taunted as they all moved in shouting war cries, eager to deliver cuts of their own and teach him the meaning of true suffering.

For a moment Jonesy just stood there, as if the sheer belief that this couldn’t possibly be happening might offer him some measure of protection. Small cut after small cut, delivered by the Fae and anyone else with an interest darting in and out to slash at him convinced him otherwise. He took off running eastward into the forest as Cú sídhe nipped and barked in their ghostly voices and everyone else pursuing him shouted taunts and slipped in close, delivering quick cuts before swiftly getting back out of range before he could react.

We pursued him through the moonlit woods, mostly staying just far enough behind so that he knew he wasn’t going to lose us at first. Dire Wolves and other denizens of the woods didn’t make an appearance, wisely avoiding our large hunting party as we harried him. As we were wont, we sometimes fell behind enough to let him think that we were tiring and he might have a chance of getting away, only to fall upon his heels again or have those scouting ahead appear before him or block his path with barriers made from magic.

As was customary, I brought up the rear of the hunt where my companions and I would be safe, so I didn’t really get to see all that much aside from the scenic forest views and a hell of a lot of angry Fae, Beastkin and others chasing our prey. Poor Jonesy didn’t last very long though, so it was only a couple of hours before he finally collapsed on the forest floor. He really needed to work on his cardio.

Once the hunt was over the crowd parted so that my companions and I could make our way through to address the prisoner. Jonesy was being secured by Nakir with a metal collar with a chain that was attached to his Cú sídhe. All of the taunts and verbal barbs faded into silence as I approached, holding up my hand for silence and looking over Jonesy, who was wheezing and giving me a look of pure hatred.

Once the last of the chatter died down, leaving the woods eerily quiet, I turned to address Agent Jones. “You have failed to win your freedom, so retribution is now at hand. Once we have returned to the settlement you shall face those whom you have wronged and I will deliver justice. I think that we’ll take a nice leisurely walk back to that you can consider your failings and your fate, Agent Jones. Please gag him as well, Nakir, I doubt that anybody wants to hear what he has to say once he can breathe again.”

As I had promised, we took our time walking back to the others. It took another four hours, and it was inching close to eight in the morning Vancouver time by the time we returned, but I had wanted to give Laneera time to finish the task that I had given her. It seemed that she had since when we exited the woods she was waiting with a large crowd of those we had rescued from black sites and a single F.I.T. I rode ahead to join the Princess of the Spring Court and asked, “Is it done?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the green-haired Yseil’dhraí confirmed with a grim nod. “It was a lot of people to go through but all of their traumatic memories about their awakenings, capture, and treatment while in custody have been stored in an Aen’kuorüis that has been placed inside this F.I.T, just as you asked. I also filled it with saltwater as you requested. It will help his wounds heal faster but…”

“Yeah, it’s going to hurt like a bitch,” I finished for her in a conspiratorial whisper that made her grin. “He deserves at least that while his other senses are deprived. Did you let them know why we needed those memories? I hate having to make you dredge them up, but it will help to deliver justice to the man who wronged them all.”

She nodded sadly. “What some of them… most of them went through was horrific. I told them that the shared memories of their suffering at the hands of the Department of Changed Affairs would be used to ensure that the man responsible for it, shares them. It is a small comfort for them, hopefully knowing that he shares those memories and will suffer from them as well will help them to heal.”

I nodded in satisfaction, hoping that she was right. Then, as the returning hunt caught up with me and Nakir threw Jonesy to my feet, I spoke up once more so that everyone gathered could hear. “Agent Thomas Edward Jones, your punishment will be as follows: You will be placed in this F.I.T, in sensory deprivation, and be burdened with the memories of all of those who have lived through torment at the hands of your organization. Their confusion and fear at what was happening as they changed or faced a strange new world after the fall of the veil, and their capture and treatment at the hands of you and your minions. Every injury, every insult, and every trauma and humiliation that each one of them has endured will haunt your mind as they do your victims’ until the day that you die. Once all of those memories have been fully absorbed by your mind, we will release you into the care of a psychiatric hospital where you will spend the rest of your days, unable to harm yourself or anyone else.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 11 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy. This one could be a tear-jerker and there is implied suicide. You have been warned. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 11: Uninvited

Agent Jones did not get into his F.I.T quietly or without a fight. Not that he had much fight left in him after the Wild Hunt. As much as he could try to tell himself that magick wasn’t real and I wasn’t the Demi-Goddess that I claimed to be, sensory deprivation is pretty damn intimidating and he knew that the F.I.Ts could at the very least teach people skill, so memory transfer wasn’t that far a step. He was scared shitless that I wasn’t bluffing and since I wasn’t, I could understand that feeling.

To his credit, he didn’t scream as he was placed in the saltwater of the tube, though he did look very uncomfortable. I supposed that the saltwater on the many open cuts he had received during the Wild Hunt contributed to that discomfort as much as the punishment that he was about to receive. I will admit that using saltwater instead of regular water may have been a bit petty of me but it would also ensure that his cuts would stay clean and promote healing during his time in the F.I.T. That discomfort would also be brief; he would probably be used to the stinging sensations and able to put them out of his mind before the real punishment began.

This was a punishment that he had more than earned. His victims, or at the very least the ones who were still alive, deserved to know that he would not escape justice. Perhaps he could even learn empathy from this experience, though I had to wonder if he would be even close to sane when he emerged. It was unlikely with so many traumatic memories originating from a plethora of different points of view. He could come out of that F.I.T a very special kind of crazy if he didn’t hold on to the core of who he was.

He was mostly hooked up now, despite his struggles, he just needed to have the helmet/breathing apparatus put on. I looked down at him past the two Nyiir’dhraí holding him in place and gave him as sympathetic a look as I could muster. “It has been your own actions that have brought you to this point, Agent Jones. Unlike you, I am capable of mercy. So, allow me to give you some advice before your punishment begins. These memories are not you, think of them as home movies from other points of view showing what a colossal dick you’ve been. Do not fight them, it will only make things worse. Try to learn from them, from what your victims felt, and consider whether that is the type of person that you wish to continue being.”

With that done, and the hope that he would take my words to heart, I nodded to the attendant. As she placed the final piece of equipment on him and secured it in place, I hoped that he would take my advice. I doubted that he would, given the type of person that he had proved to be, but I felt better having given him the opportunity.

Once Agent Jones was completely submerged and the F.I.T was closed, those gathered watched for a moment before going their separate ways. I would have a couple of attendants monitoring the F.I.T constantly until all of the memories were transferred into Jonesy’s mind to ensure that there were no physical health issues but everyone else was to stay away from his F.I.T. As soon as the deed was done and he was ready to be taken to his new home the F.I.T attendants would contact me.

With my duty done, I had a promise to keep. So my companions and I went to look for Shaoli so that Lissany and I could get measured for our new armor. I knew that they were working somewhere near where the Spring Court had set themselves up until their scouts found a good location for a new Glade. With that in mind, rather than wading through various groups of people, we walked with Laneera. The Princess of the Spring Court knew where they had set up shop and we were able to talk as we walked.

I liked Laneera. Much like her younger sister Sahnae, she was friendly, slow to anger, and had this deep wisdom that she was happy to share with others when asked. As we talked I was surprised to learn that she was close to the same age as my Mahair. Sure she was wise, but she didn’t seem to carry the burden that Mahair did.

“We have lived very different lives, your Mahair and I,” she explained sadly. “The Spring Court has always had a somewhat less hostile relationship with the Humans near our Glades and she has borne the fate of all Fae upon her shoulders for four hundred years. As you have probably come to understand, that is not an easy burden to bear, Your Majesty. I have also not been blessed with any children yet, let alone endured the loss of them.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I hope that she’s safe out there and finds what she’s looking for,” I replied with a sigh.

“Amoiraishe is cautious, powerful, and intelligent. She is also very stubborn, so I pity anyone who gets between her and whatever it is she is searching for,” the Spring Court Yseil'dhraí offered with a smile. “Enough talk of worriers and dismal topics, would you all care to join me for breakfast before you and your Guardian go to get your measurements taken?”

We accepted Laneera’s offer and for the second time, I found myself eating a somewhat traditional Japanese breakfast. The only one of us new to the experience was Pete but he seemed to enjoy it. I had never known him to be a picky eater and, while he gave the nori an uncertain look at first, he quickly shrugged it off and was soon eating with his usual gusto.

I was getting worried about my companions though. It was nine a.m. Vancouver time by the time we finished eating and none of us had gotten any sleep. I knew for a fact that Lissany and Rei hadn’t gotten near enough sleep the night before that either with the raid, fighting dragons, helping the people on the plane, and then everything with Vivian. Pete had mentioned not getting much either when we had returned to the safe house from Varüus’kiel. They all looked very tired and none of them were Fae, Nishalle and I would be fine getting three or four hours of sleep at some point but they all needed to get some proper rest.

With that in mind, I made an announcement to the three of them as we headed toward the group of Sül’shael that was where I was pretty sure we would find Hadrick, Yola, and Shaoli. “Liss, you’re getting measured first. As soon as you’re done I will set a portal for you, Pete, and Rei to return to the safe house. Nishalle and I will follow once I’m done.”

“But, Your Majesty, I’m…”

I quickly cut off the argument that my Guardian was about to make, placing my hands gently on her shoulders and giving her a sympathetic look. “This is an order, Kiddo. I know that it is your duty to protect me but the three of you can barely stay awake right now, you haven’t gotten proper sleep in at least two days. I need you at your best but you’re not right now. You’re exhausted and that’s when mistakes happen. Besides, I’m in my center of power and Nishalle will stay with me just in case. We won’t be long and all of you need rest.”

Rei looked like he might refuse as he said, “I don’t know Babe, you’re kind of a trouble magnet. I don’t feel good about leaving you and Nishalle behind alone, even for a few minutes.”

“Honey, please,” I insisted. “I’m serious, you all look like you’re about to fall over. Even if something did happen, would you really be effective in a fight right now? I’ll have Nishalle here and I’ll be surrounded by Sül’shael and other loyal Fae. Do you truly think any of them are going to let anything happen to me?”

“Those Sül’shael do seem to adore you,” my Kitsune fiancé reluctantly admitted.

“Yes, so they’ll take care of me, my love. Besides, if anything bad were to happen here, of all places, it would likely be something that I could easily handle myself or that none of you would be able to help with anyway. I’ll be fine. So when Liss is done just go to the safe house, curl up in bed to wait for me, rest, and keep that phone that we snatched from Jonesy nearby in case his boss is feeling chatty,” I told him before kissing him tenderly.

“Fine,” he said simply, once my lips had relinquished his own.

Pete looked like he was about to say something but Nishalle quickly put a finger to his lips. “My sister is right, big boy. You all need sleep and we’ll be fine for the short time that it will take for her to get measured. So there are only two words that I want to hear from you right now. You know what they are, and you know that I wouldn’t push this if I didn’t think that Taelya is right and you need rest.”

The large Human warrior looked like he was torn for a moment before sighing and saying, “Yes, dear.” That reply earned him a kiss as she caressed his cheek. It was actually nice seeing my sister being openly affectionate with him rather than her usual teasing and I had to wonder just how serious their relationship was becoming.

Lissany frowned as any support that she had crumbled. “I’ll go since you ordered it, Your Majesty, but I don’t like it,” the Beastkin girl said, not looking at all pleased with the idea.

“I’m not asking you to like it, Kiddo. I’m asking you to do it, for both our sakes,” I told her, wrapping her up in a hug. Once I had released her we continued on our way.

If either Lissany or I thought that Shaoli would be measuring us like a regular old seamstress with a measuring tape and stuff, we were in for a disappointment. Or perhaps not with all of the measurements that the Nyiir’dhraí would have had to do that way. The method that she did use was hardly standard, but probably a lot more efficient in the long run, even if I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with claustrophobia.

“So, who wants to go first?” the cheerful and down-to-earth Nyiir’dhraí asked once we had arrived and the Xixie and the other Sül’shael had stopped mobbing us and excitedly telling me about all of the wonderful new things that Hadrick was teaching them to make.

“Lissany will be going first, she needs to go get some rest after this,” I informed her, motioning for my Guardian to go ahead.

“I guess that you need me to take my armor and stuff off?” the Jaguar Beastkin asked as she stepped before the Fae seamstress.

“Yup,” Shaoli agreed with a smile and a nod. “it would be best if you can actually get down to your underwear, Lissany. I really hope that you’re not afraid of enclosed spaces though because what I’m going to do will completely cover you from head to toe since Hadrick wants to make sure everything, including your new helm, will fit properly. Since you’re still growing though I’ll try to put a little extra room in the hips and chest so that you don’t need to immediately need to get your armor adjusted if you hit a growth spurt. We can put padding there and just remove it if you grow into it.”

“I’ll be havin’ the lasses make the armor in a way so that we can adjust the plates as bit as you grow too, Lissany. Hopefully, you won’t need to have a new set made for a couple of years, if then. Even then, as long as the Nythrin and the inner layer of dragonhide are still in good shape, we’ll just rework it for a better fit once yer finished growin’,” Hadrick offered.

My Guardian dismissed her armor with a sigh and began getting out of her outer clothes as the Dwarf spoke. “What do you mean, by completely cover me?” she asked cautiously of Shaoli.

“Oh, I’m going to use a spell I created called Clay Clone to create a mannequin with your dimensions,” the seamstress replied. “And since Hadrick wants to make the helm more comfortable for your feline ears we’ll need to include your head. It’s a good thing the ground here near the lake has a high clay content, it’ll make things a lot easier. You’ll probably want to take a shower later though. So here’s what I need you to do, Lissany. I want you to keep perfectly still and take a deep breath and hold it because the clay is going to cover you completely for a moment.”

Lissany frowned for a moment but then nodded her agreement. “My current helm kinda squishes my ears, it’s a little uncomfortable. I’m ready when you are, Shaoli.” She took a deep breath and held it as she attempted to stay perfectly still.

The moment that my Guardian had given her consent and taken that breath, Shaoli’s lips and hands began to form the sigils for her spell. “Tiihal kaida nihala!” No sooner had the words left Shaoli’s lips and her finger finished drawing the last sigil in the air in front of her than a large pile of clay flew through the air toward Lissany, spreading and moving along the surface of her body and for a brief moment, the Beastkin girl was completely covered before the clay exploded outward.

The clumps of clay seemed to just sit there on the ground for a few seconds before they all started to move toward one another with frightening speed. All of it shlorped together into one big blob that twisted and bubbled before flowing and coalescing into a perfect likeness of my Guardian; from head to toes and tail. The only difference was the lack of hair on the likeness’s head.

“That felt weird, and I think I have clay in my hair and some really uncomfortable places,” Lissany said as she tried not to stare at the clay construct while getting dressed. Once she had done so she reached up to fluff her hair. “I’m gonna need a shower after that. That’s a cool spell but why does clay-me look bald?”

Shaoli let out a musical laugh. “Yeah, some of the clay can stick a bit. I could have had it copy your hairstyle too if I had wanted it to, but your hair is really long and with it loose like that it’s in contact with the rest of your body, so I didn’t want that throwing things off.

With my Guardian finished with her turn I quickly cast the portal back to the safe house. “We’ll be back soon. All of you get some sleep, please,” I suggested gently before ushering them through. Once they were gone and the portal was closed behind them I switched from my weapons and damaged Lindwyrm-hide armor to my more casual clothes and stripped down to my birthday suit. It wasn’t like I was shy or had anything to hide.

“Am I going to need to hold my breath too?” I asked Shaoli as I attempted to hold perfectly still.

“No, Your Majesty, I should only need to do from the neck down for you,” the seamstress told me with a smile before starting to weave and speak the sigils for her spell. “Tiihal kaida nihala!”

It was around the time that the clay started to mold itself to my body that I felt it. An odd tearing feeling in the magick of Varüus’kiel. My wings were out in an instant and Shaoli’s spell fizzled from my movement as the sensation caused me to react instinctively. “Great Mother, what in the hell was that?”

“What was what?” Nishalle asked as she, Shaoli, Hadrick, and the Sül’shael all gathered around to look at me in concern.

I‘m not sure if it was my thoughts turning to Danu or the intrusion itself but Her voice was in my mind almost immediately. ~Someone has entered Varüus’kiel uninvited, my daughter.~

“What?! But who could do that?!” I thought back in a panic.

~Only gods could enter my domain uninvited,~ She told me simply. ~It goes against our rules though; no god may enter another’s domain without consent. I can feel their presence, there are two of them, but they are very weak. No more powerful than Tiamat was. You will have to deal with them, my child.~

“Me?! But I barely beat Tiamat, if there are two of them…”

~Calm yourself, my daughter. You are in the seat of your power and much more powerful there than when you fought the Dragon Queen in the outside world. I would come to take care of them myself but we have a situation among the gods. Some of our adversaries are attempting something previously unthinkable and our coalition is attempting to do what we can to protect those in need and bring them into our fold if they are willing.~ She told me sternly. Oh, that did not sound good. ~I have confidence in you, my daughter. I must go, I am needed. Follow the sense of wrongness.~

I clenched my fists by my sides, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. “Sis, we’ve got uninvited guests on the island. I’m going to need to go face them. I… I don’t think that you can help me with this one. Whoever they are, they’re Gods, so you’ll likely freeze up when you see them.”

“Screw that, I’m coming with you, Tae. You’re my sister and I don’t care if you’re a Demi-Goddess or who the fuck it is that’s trying to mess with you, if you don’t make them pay, I will. Maybe I can do something and maybe I can’t, we won’t know until I try. Besides, if they’re here for you then they won’t be interested in me and I blend into the shadows well enough if I do freeze up.” Shit she wasn’t going to take no for an answer and I didn’t want to order her around, she was my sister not just some lackey who happened to be my protector.

“We’re coming too, Inu’Mahair!” Xixie said with a determined look on her usually cheerful face. A chorus of affirmation rang out from the twenty or so Sül’shael at the improvised forge.

If anyone other than the Yseil’dhraí could handle the intimidation aura that Gods cranked out it was probably the Sül’shael. They were regularly visited by Danu before we arrived on the island and seemed to have genuinely enjoyed interacting with Her. As much as I appreciated the thought though I shook my head. “Girls, please, I appreciate the sentiment but none of you know how to fight and I don’t want you getting hurt, I’d rather that you didn’t have to see it either. You’re so peaceful, innocent, and gentle and I don’t want you to lose those qualities.”

I felt bad for the disappointed expressions on their faces as I reached out for the feeling of wrongness with my mind. My eyes shot open in surprise as soon as I found it. Whoever they were, I wasn’t going to have to go looking for them. They were close and they were coming right at me. “Shit!” I muttered, “I was really hoping that if this came down to a fight there wouldn’t be anyone nearby to get hurt.”

My head swiveled in the direction that they were coming from and I could already see groups of people frozen in fear by their mere proximity. I stepped in front of Xixie and the other Sül’shael, hoping that I could offer them some protection and hopefully keep them from doing anything foolhardy once the fighting started. I was already trying to figure out how I could draw them off when a swarthy-skinned woman with dark hair and eyes and dressed in black robes stumbled through the crowds carrying someone in her arms.

The woman fell to her knees just short of our group and gently lowered the woman that she was carrying to the ground as she looked up at me imploringly. “Please… Taelya, daughter of Danu, we ask your mercy and a favor.”

I stared at her in stunned disbelief for a moment. I was expecting a fight and was completely blindsided by whatever it was that was happening. The woman was definitely one of the Gods, they both were, I could feel the divinity in them. They were both wounded though, light bleeding from their wounds. “Please,” the Goddess who had been placed on the ground said weakly, golden eyes looking up at me. “A…apologize for entering your… domain without consent. You slew Tiamat… I can… trust you.”

Whereas the one who had been carrying her was dark and swarthy and beautiful in a Mediterranean Goth kind of way, this other woman was breathtakingly beautiful with golden hair and bright blue eyes. Even in the armor that she wore and as wounded as she was, she embodied feminine beauty and raw sex appeal. Long legs, wide and shapely hips, a waspish waist, and generous breasts. Her face was both hard and beautiful, even scrunched up in agony as it was. They didn’t seem to be here to fight so I pushed that aside as I asked Xixie, “How good is your healing magick? Rei is probably out cold by now.”

The golden-haired woman shook her head, looking up at me sadly. “You cannot… heal me. Mine… was a fatal blow… struck from the shadows… like a coward.” Her hand trembled as she took a wickedly curved dagger from her belt and held it out to me with her shaking hand. “I ask… that you finish me off. I do not wish… for my divine essence or my aspects to go… to that coward Zeus. Already killed Utu.”

“Wait, you want me to kill you?” I asked gaping at her in horror. I couldn’t just kill somebody in cold blood like that.

Her shaking hand pressed the dagger into my own. “I am already dead, you… would be showing me… mercy. Please… I do not have… long. Finish me and take… my power for your own.”

“Please,” the Goddess on her knees asked imploringly.

The golden Goddess gently pressed my fingers around the hilt of the dagger in my palm. Her hand practically fell to the ground then, before she placed it over the center of her chest. “Here… it will be… quick.”

My hand was shaking as badly as hers had been as I moved the dagger to the indicated spot. Tears were flowing down my cheeks and I was having trouble breathing as I sniffled. She didn’t seem like a bad Goddess, why did she have to die and why did she have to ask me of all people to kill her? “I don’t even know your name,” I whispered, my throat tightening in anguish.

“Inanna,” I heard her say weakly as I turned my head away and thrust the dagger home. Then the rush of energy hit me as her divine energy was added to my own. My body felt strange, different in a way. Almost like when Danu had first infused me with her divine essence. I was tired and something had changed but I was too emotionally raw from the act that I had just committed to even think about what that might be.

I turned to the other woman with tears still in my eyes. “Why? Why me? You’re obviously close, why couldn’t you do this?”

“Because we were close,” the swarthy-skinned Goddess said with a despondent shake of her head. “Inanna was my sister. Utu, who fell before her, was her twin. I have lost my brother and my sister today when I was already weary of this existence. Me taking her power would have done no good, for I will soon breathe my last as well. I will tell you what I can before I find my release.”

Her name was Ereshkigal and she had been known as the Queen of the Underworld to the ancient Sumerians. She was essentially a Goddess of Death with the aspects of earth, darkness, and owls in addition to her death aspect. And, as she had stated earlier, she was Inanna’s older sister. Her younger siblings, Inanna and Utu were twins. Inanna was the Queen of the Heavens and her aspects included sex, love, war, justice, lions, doves, and political power while Utu was a God of the Sun, justice, morality, and truth.

They had had their sibling rivalries during the height of their power, usually due to Inanna. She was a War Goddess first and gained much of her power and aspects through battles with other Gods and taking their domains by force. She had even attempted to do so with her sister once. It had not ended well for Inanna. But as their worship and power waned the three siblings had gradually become closer.

Once the Veil fell they decided that rather than choosing a side in humanity’s fate or trying to get new worshippers that they would try to live quietly neutral among mortals, content with the power that they got from their aspects alone. They weren’t the only ones among the Gods to choose such a fate. Apparently though, the group that was all for wiping the slate clean, led by Zeus, held the belief, “You’re either with us or against us.”

I imagined that that was the problem that Danu and her group were facing. The more powerful Gods of Zeus’s little cabal were hunting down the neutrals with no or few allies and murdering them in cold blood for their divine essence and aspects. Usually, Gods only fought to the death in formal duels. Now though, it was like some gang war between the powerless and those looking to increase their power; all drive-bys, shanking in dark alleys, and shit like that. Shit just got real and my God-mother and her allies were now trying to bring some of those neutrals into their fold just to keep them safer.

Ereshkigal and her younger siblings had been caught blindsided by Zeus and a bunch of his buddies. Zeus had pretty much stabbed Inanna in the back while she was fighting one of his cronies and their brother had been killed in the exchange before Ereshkigal was able to get away with Inanna and bring her to Varüus’kiel at Inanna’s request. It seemed that Inanna and Tiamat had some bad blood between them that went way back. So, between all the gossip about me traveling through the ranks of the Gods and the fact that I had killed her once-enemy, Inanna asked her sister to bring her to me so that I could receive her aspects rather than Zeus. It sounded like she had only stayed alive long enough to do that through sheer spite.

The Goddess broke down into tears as she finished her explanation. I could feel for her, I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost Nishalle. Little Tíana had quickly found a place in my heart as well. I didn’t know what to say so finally I said, “I’m sorry for your loss, I don’t think I could ever bear to lose my sister…. Sorry that I was the one who took her from you.” I turned my head to look away, fixing my eyes on Nishalle.

My sister, like most of the people gathered, was still frozen in fear, watching us talk through wide eyes. The only ones that seemed immune were Laneera, who had come to see what was going on, and the Sül’shael. After they had stopped giving me strange looks, the girls had flown off briefly during the Goddess’s explanation to gather some luminescent purple flowers and were placing them carefully around Inanna’s body. I planned on giving the deceased Goddess a proper burial later and placing something for people to remember her by. No Gods were going to shwoop the body away this time, not in my domain.

“It was not you who took her from me, you merely showed her mercy,” Ereshkigal told me in a sad yet gentle tone. “Had you not, then I would have been forced to kill her myself to prevent Zeus from getting what he so desired. I am grateful for that and glad that some of her will live on in you, Queen of the Heavens. You have received her essence and three of her aspects, I hope that they serve you well.”

Whoa! I just gained three new aspects? Sure Inanna had had quite a few but that couldn’t be right. Maybe she was making a mistake, we both had one similar aspect after all. “Umm… I already had the doves aspect,” I told her. I was burning with curiosity about what other ones I picked up though. I didn’t want to push her with too much though, I mean, she just lost her brother and sister and I had been the one to kill the latter and gorge myself on her divine essence.

“I realized that when I first saw you, you have the same wings as she did,” the Goddess admitted with a sad smile as she nodded her head toward said wings. “You gained her sex, love, and justice aspects. Very appropriate, I think. Political power and war would not have suited you.”

“Wait, what?” I had to admit those aspects would suit me as a Fae. But a sex Goddess? Really? Didn’t I get enough attention glowing in the dark? Did I really need to make people lust after me too? Now I had a bad feeling about those odd looks that Laneera and the Sül’shael had been giving me earlier and the strangeness I felt in my body after absorbing Inanna’s essence. A look down confirmed my concerns. I was still naked so it wasn’t hard to notice that there were a lot more noticeable curves down there than there were before.

I was well aware that I was very pretty before but when I first got this body I was willowy with the subtler curves common to Fae women and without much up top, again common for my kind. Now I was more… abundant. Yeah, I was going to have to have a good look in the mirror later. I definitely had wider hips and I had gone up at least a cup size up top, maybe more. It was a good thing that we hadn’t gotten me measured yet.

Dammit, I could worry about that later. Right now I still had a mourning Goddess on my hands. A Goddess who abruptly stood up and walked toward Nishalle. Her fear aura suddenly dimmed down to practically nothing as she asked, “You are Taelya’s sister from her mortal life, yes?”

Nishalle seemed as surprised as I was that she could move again. It took her a moment to nod and say, “Yes.”

“You seem very protective of her; you were certainly resisting my aura enough when we arrived. I gather that the two of you are very close. What would you do to keep your sister safe?” Ereshkigal prodded.

“Anything,” my sister answered without hesitation. “She’s not just my sister; she’s my best friend and I would do anything for her. I would kill for her, I would die for her.”

“Yes, you have an intimate relationship with death and the darkness, I can see that. But would you live for her?” the Goddess asked, her expression and voice filled with determination.

“What part of ‘anything’ aren’t you getting?” the Tokh’dhraí replied grimly as she stared the Goddess down.

Ereshkigal didn’t back down either and I could swear that I saw sparks flying between their eyes as the Goddess spoke again. “If you would kill for her, if you would have the power to protect her, then kill me. Feed on my divine essence and gain my aspects. You would become a demi-goddess like your sister, immune to the auras of the gods and able to fight at her side. I have far less essence than she was originally given by Danu, less even than my sister, but it would be enough.”

“You want me to kill you?” Nishalle asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

“I grew weary of this existence long ago and now my brother and sister are gone. There is nothing to keep me here any longer. If you do not kill me then I will merely find someone else to do it, but I would prefer it to be you. Your sister has Inanna’s essence. If you take mine, then we will both live on as sisters in a way. Please, do this. For me, your sister, and yourself,” the Goddess pleaded.

I wanted to tell Nishalle not to be hasty, to think before she did this but that would have made me a massive hypocrite. I had just ended the life of this woman’s sister as an act of mercy. She was asking Nishalle to do the same and as much as I was worried about what could happen, this was her decision to make. My heart seized in my chest as seconds passed silently.

Finally, Nishalle gave a grim wordless nod. Ereshkigal turned toward me with a wan smile on her face and said, barely loud enough for me to hear, “Thank you. Both of you. Please, entomb us together somewhere peaceful where the earth and the heavens meet.” Nishalle and I both nodded in silence as my sister held Ereshkigal close and then sank her fangs into her neck.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 12 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. It took a bit longer than I wanted to finish and edit but hey, it's still Monday one the west coast. I hope you all enjoy. This one could be a tear-jerker again and there is implied suicide. You have been warned. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 12: Doubts and Goodbyes

I couldn’t watch as my sister drained Ereshkigal of her life force. Time seemed to pass far too slowly but finally, Nishalle gently placed the now-drained corpse of the former Queen of the Underworld beside her sister’s remains. Nishalle hadn’t changed much physically, the only real physical difference was that her crimson eyes now glowed, much as my violet ones did.

She was trying to keep it from the others around us, who were now free of Ereshkigal’s fear aura, but she wasn’t quite her old self. I knew her better than anyone though and there was a weight there in her glowing eyes. As much as Nishalle had leaned into the whole dark elf femme fatale thing that she had going since starting the game, I could see that this death was going to haunt her. She might never forget this, and maybe that was for the best. Inanna and Ereshkigal deserved to be remembered.

I turned to Xixie and found that the now depressing atmosphere around me included her and the other Sül’shael as well. It hurt seeing their usually smiling faces looking so sad. “Xixie… did you…?”

I couldn’t finish the sentence but the Sül’shael Priestess seemed to understand what I was asking and shook her head sadly. “No, Inu’Mahair, I tried. Their life-sparks were different… I couldn’t hold on to them. I don’t think that they would have been able to bond with one of my people’s seeds.”

I gave a despondent sigh and nodded. “Thank you for trying, Xixie, we should give them a proper burial. Are there any high hills nearby? Maybe somewhere that overlooks the meadow and the lake?”

“There is, Inu’Mahair. Would you like us to take you there?” the Sül’shael Priestess asked.

“Perhaps later tonight, Xixie? They deserve a proper send-off and I would like to make some preparations. I have a favor to ask of you and the girls though. Could you have one of the girls keep watch over their bodies while I’m gone? And there’s something that I would like you and the other girls to create at the site if you could.” I quickly whispered my instructions and Xixie gave a solemn nod. “We would be happy to, Inu’Mahair. We’ll have it finished when you return tonight.”

Xixie quickly spoke with the other nearby Sül’shael who were learning to make weapons and armor from Hadrick. One of the teens was left to watch over the pair of deceased Goddesses while Xixie and the others went to gather more Sül’shael to work on the task that I had requested. I turned to Hadrick, Yola, and Shaoli who had been watching, and gave a weak smile. “Sorry, Hadrick, I kinda co-opted your apprentices without asking.”

“They’re only here because you allow it, Yer Majesty. Those girls would do anythin’ fer you, an’ I think I have an idea of what you have planned. I have plenty of other work that I can be doin’ while the girls do yer good deed,” the Dwarf Smith replied with a brief nod of his head.

“We should get you measured now, Your Majesty,” Shaoli suggested gently. “Yola and Hadrick want to start working on your armor as soon as that dragon hide is properly cured, and from the looks of it, you’ll need new clothes too. I’ll make sure to pass on your updated measurements to the Brownies for when they have material to work with. They’ve been itching to make you some ‘proper’ Fae clothing since we got to Varüus’kiel.”

“Sure, Shaoli. You may need to measure Nishalle too though,” I agreed after a moment to clear the cobwebs from my mind. “If she has an Owl aspect, then she may need openings for her wings in her Lindwyrm hide armor. It would be nice if she could avoid destroying the back like I did and still use hers.”

Hearing her name seemed to snap my sister out of the daze that she was in. “Huh? We can’t even be sure that I gained all of her aspects. She made it sound like I would but I might have only gotten one or two. Even if I did gain that aspect, I have no idea how to use it.”

She was in rough shape, and I knew how she felt to some degree. We had both just killed people who didn’t deserve to die and who seemed to be genuinely decent. Sure, I had just struck the finishing blow to prevent Inanna’s power from falling into the wrong hands but that didn’t make my hands any less bloody. Ereshkigal wasn’t even dying though. She probably would have found someone else to do the deed if Nishalle had refused but Nishalle had been the one to sink her fangs in and drain the life out of her. All so she could protect me.

Was I worth it? Was I worth my sister killing her? Was I worth Inanna’s sacrifice, or Ereshkigal’s? People that I didn’t even know were willing to give me and Nishalle their power but did I deserve it? I had willingly thrust the knife to take that power, so what kind of person did that make me? I needed to shake this off, pretend that everything was fine. Nishalle probably had enough on her mind right now without worrying about me too.

With that in mind, I considered my sister’s dilemma for a moment before offering, “When I’m near one of my aspects I can feel a sort of connection to it, each one feels a bit different. Magick I can feel all around me, especially here in Varüus’kiel, Nature is similar but not very strong in the city, the Moon feels like a cool comforting touch when I’m in moonlight, and the Sea is like I can feel the ebb and flow of currents and the tide. Focus on the different things that she mentioned and see if you can feel a connection.”

Luckily there was plenty of earth and darkness around for her to try to connect with. Probably death too with the two dead goddesses so close. Nishalle closed her eyes and tried to focus on them while I let Shaoli attempt to measure me again. I kept my wings manifested so that it would be easier for anyone making my armor or clothes to know where they would need to leave space for them. By the time we were done, Nishalle had opened her eyes. “Okay, I could sorta feel the darkness, earth, and death but nothing on the owl thing. Maybe I just don’t have that one.”

“I didn’t really feel a connection to my dove aspect before, but it’s easier now since I manifested my wings the first time, and I was in raw panic mode at the time. Just get undressed and think about your owl aspect and how it would be really nice to have wings right now. Think about soaring through the air,” I told her as I looked over the headless clay statue of me.

Shaoli was right, I was going to need new clothes. I didn’t seem that I had lost any of my height, in fact, I may have gained an inch, but I was a lot curvier than I used to be. Nothing that I had was going to fit me properly anymore. My figure was no longer slender and athletic like most Fae. Well except maybe a Nymph’s, it was pretty close to that. Now my body was much like Inanna’s had been, all feminine beauty and raw sex appeal with long legs, wide and shapely hips, a waspish waist, and abundant breasts. I wondered briefly if my face had changed any as well but I was quickly distracted as Nishalle let out a startled, “Eep!”

My sister was naked, as I had suggested, and staring at the pair of large wings that had sprouted from her back. They were different from mine in both shape and color. Where my wings were starkly white, hers were a mix of dark brown and bright gold that went better than white would have with her dark coloring. Shaoli burst out laughing at the look on my sister’s face. “Well, I guess that answers that question then. Hold still, Nishalle, while I do my thing.”

Once Shaoli had created a headless clay copy of my sister she was allowed to de-manifest her wings and get dressed again. I did get a glimpse of her back as she was doing that and saw that she now had what looked like a tattoo of a pair of wings on her back. It was bright gold and really stood out against her dark blue skin.

As soon as she was dressed she summoned her Lindwyrm hide armor so that Shaoli could use Yola’s dragon skinning knife to cut slits for her wings in the back. The Nyiir’dhraí seamstress had her stand side by side with her clay likeness so she could determine the right placement and length for the slits. Hadrick was going to work with the Sül’shael to make her a chest piece similar to the one they were planning for me with spring-loaded flaps to cover the openings for the wings when they weren’t manifested. He was worried about someone trying to stab us in the back otherwise, and that was a very real possibility given how Inanna had been attacked.

Getting dressed was a lost cause for me. There was no way that the clothes that I had worn before were going to fit and I had to peel off what was left of my Lindwyrm hide armor when I tried summoning that because it was way too tight in places. I had to hope that nothing was going to attack me for the next few days because the new armor was going to take time to make. And that was after the dragon hide was cured.

It was almost eleven-thirty by the time Nishalle and I got back to the safe house. Thankfully, Rei, Lissany, and Pete were all getting some much-needed rest. Whisper and Grell were both passed out in the living room as well, so I had to assume that they had been up late again working on the tasks that I had assigned them the day before. Daenyss, Venika, Kinara, and the Wisps were the only ones awake in the house and they were in the kitchen preparing lunch.

Almost the instant that we stepped out of the portal, Willow zipped out of the kitchen to land on my shoulder and start trying to snuggle. I gave the pink and black Wisp a tired smile and some affectionate petting as the others followed her out of the kitchen. “Oh good, you’re back. We were starting to get worried about you two. Rei said you’d be coming in a few minutes, did something…” Venika’s inquiry was cut off as she, Daenyss, and Kinara stopped where they were to stare at me.

Well, this was awkward. But at least this couldn’t get much worse, right? Wrong. Because that was when I caught the very strong scent of Daenyss’s desire. “So, yeah… stuff happened. Oh, look! Nishalle is a demi-goddess now!” Okay, so I maybe threw my sister under the bus there. It didn’t quite work out how I was hoping though since it was like the three of them were watching a tennis match, their eyes darting back and forth between me and Nishalle.

Nishalle put an end to that when she finally spoke, her eyes downcast and her voice barely audible. “I’m gonna go lay down for a couple of hours… try to get some sleep before we have to run errands.” Without another word, she headed off to the second bedroom where Pete was probably sleeping since Lissany was curled up on the loveseat in the living room.

Everyone was silent as my sister shuffled off until the door closed behind her. Then, all eyes were on me once again as I considered pulling a disappearing act of my own. I was about to excuse myself when Kinara muttered, “Bloody hell, you look like… umm… and Nishalle is… I keep missing the good stuff.”

“There was very little good about this, Kinara,” I said a bit more harshly than I intended. I quickly apologized. “Sorry, Kinara. I shouldn’t take this out on my friends. I’m a bit tired, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”

“What happened, Mistress? Is everything alright?” Daenyss asked in concern, making a heroic effort to clamp down on her desire and focus on my needs.

“If everything was alright, Nishalle wouldn’t be acting so down. There was no snarky comeback. She’s my best friend, and I’ve never seen her act like that before. You’re not really acting like your regular self either, Taelya. What happened?” Venika pressed, still looking toward the door that Nishalle had disappeared behind.

“Look, I… I’d rather not talk about it right now. I don’t want to have to tell this story more than once, okay? Can this just wait for a couple of hours?” I asked hesitantly. “I… I need to go to the bathroom, and then I need to rest for a bit and process things.”

Venika was concerned and looked like she was about to say more when Daenyss cut her off. “Go and rest, Mistress. I will call you if anything requires your immediate attention. What time would you like me to wake you?”

“Two o’clock?” I more asked than answered. “It’ll give me about two and a half hours of rest and still give us time to do errands this afternoon, I guess. Maybe the others will be ready to get up then too.”

“I will come and wake you at two then,” my Attendant agreed. Then she carefully guided the other two and their Wisps back into the kitchen while I shuffled off toward the bathroom.

I didn’t really need to use the facilities, I just wanted to get a good look in the mirror. It turned out that I looked the same and yet different. People would still recognize me, mostly because of my Danann’syr and the fact that I was the only Fae who had glowing purple eyes and black hair, but my face wasn’t all that different now. I looked like a much hotter version of myself. I had been very attractive before, I was well aware of that, but there were a bunch of small and subtle changes to my face that had made ‘very attractive’ become smoking hot.

My eyes seemed a little bit bigger, my eyelashes thicker and lusher, my features softer, and my lips fuller. I looked like, well, a sex goddess. Between the changes to my face and body and the obvious effect that I had had on Daenyss, I had to wonder whether I should start wearing a glamour all of the time. I looked like a freaking elvish porn star. With a sigh, I turned away from the mirror, shut off the bathroom light, and made my way into the master bedroom, where I placed Willow on the pillow beside me, curled up with Rei, and tried not to think about what had happened.

I awoke from a terrible nightmare where I was stabbing Inanna over and over again and couldn’t stop myself. Her golden eyes looked at me imploringly until finally the life left them and I was left with my hands strained red from her blood. Even as I awoke I knew that it was just my guilt eating away at my subconscious. I remembered the scene all too well. I had only needed to thrust once and there had been no blood, only the golden light of her bleeding essence.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and checked the time. It was 1:37 pm. Even if I did feel like going back to sleep, I wouldn’t get much more than I already had. I worked on controlling my breathing instead, I needed to pull myself together before Daenyss came to wake me. I needed to be the strong and decisive leader that everyone needed.

In truth, I wished that Mahair were here. She would have had some advice for me and Nishalle, and she would tell us whether or not we had done the right thing. In my heart, I thought that we had. Inanna had fought to stay alive long enough for me to kill her so that her power would go to someone that she could trust, she and her sister had practically said as much. Ereshkigal was going to look for death regardless but she chose Nishalle. They had asked for mercy and we had granted it, right?

There was one other that I could talk to. I picked up my slumbering Wisp and started to gently pet her for comfort, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath before allowing my thoughts to focus on Danu. “Great Mother, are you busy?”

~I am helping to ferry those in need to Inari’s domain for now but I will always try to have time for you in my thoughts should you need me, my dear daughter.~

~Do you know what happened?~ I inquired uncertainly.

Her voice was gentle and soothing in my mind as She confirmed, ~Yes, I have been watching the current timeline whenever I can spare the attention, with everything that is going on. This turn of events was a bit of a surprise. In very few timelines did Inanna survive Zeus’s attack long enough for Ereshkigal to escape with her. Only in one of those did she seek you out. And so you have gained three aspects, and your sister Ereshkigal’s legacy. This is a positive turn of events.~

~Yes, I guess it’s better than Zeus gaining more power,~ I admitted reluctantly. ~Did we do the right thing though? Nishalle is shaken up by this and I’m not doing much better. I can handle killing someone in combat. With Tiamat, it was either her or me but this feels different.~

~Taelya, you are aware of the saying, “Mercy is for the weak,” correct?~ the goddess asked gently.

~Yeah,~ I replied, not quite sure where she was going with this.

~That statement couldn’t be further from the truth,~ She clarified. ~As you discovered today, showing mercy can be one of the hardest things that anyone can have to do, whether god or mortal. It takes great conviction and strength of will to show mercy when it is the right thing to do because, in doing so, you can leave yourself vulnerable. Inanna asked you to take her life because she trusted you with her power, she believed that you would use it to do the right thing. Had you not accepted, then her last moments would have been spent in anguish. By granting her request you allowed her to die at ease and with a clear conscience. There is nothing wrong with that, and I am proud that you had the strength and kind nature to do so.~

She sounded so sure, and a lot of what She was saying was echoing some of my own conflicted thoughts on the matter. I still wondered if there was anything that we could have done differently though. ~Was what Nishalle did a kindness as well? She crossed a line that she never would have before, killing someone who didn’t really deserve it, and I’m pretty sure that she did it for me.~

~Nishalle chose her own actions, my daughter. Her reasons and motivation were pure, even if her actions may not have seemed it. Sometimes you need to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Ereshkigal believed in Nishalle, much as Inanna believed in you. They had much in common. You hold part of Ereshkigal’s sister within you now and she wished to protect that but she was too weary so she chose Nishalle to do so for her because she knew that your sister would do anything for you. In a sense, she manipulated her into doing it, though she did so for the right reasons,~ my God-mother said somewhat sternly.

She paused for a moment before adding, ~You know as well as I do that Ereshkigal would have found death at someone else’s hands had Nishalle not done so. Perhaps that person would not have been as committed to the greater good as you and your sister. She has offered the release of death to others for almost as long as mankind has worshipped gods and has longed for that release herself since long before I erected the Veil. Her siblings were the only thing keeping her here and with them gone she had nothing left to live for. This is no different than any other time that Nishalle has ended a life to ensure that someone does not have to suffer needlessly. Death too is part of the balance. Nishalle will come to this conclusion in time.~

~She’s not really acting herself, I think that this has hit her pretty hard. I feel like there’s nothing I can do for her,~ I admitted.

~You can do what you have always done, child. Be her sister, be there for her if she should need it. That is worth more to her than anything, or she would not have chosen this path. I should let you go now, my daughter, your Attendant comes to wake you. Remember what I said, and know that Inanna and Ereshkigal were both at peace when they died because you and your sister showed them mercy.~ With that, I felt Her presence fade from my mind as a gentle tapping sounded from the door.

“Coming, Daenyss,” I called out. I wouldn’t say that my heart felt lighter following my discussion with Danu, but it did feel less heavy. I kind of felt bad that I was going to have to wake everyone up to explain things though, especially since I had errands to do and I was going to need my bodyguard contingent with me. That, and I really didn’t want to explain this any more times than I absolutely had to. I turned to Rei and kissed him softly, whispering, “Rei, honey, sorry that I couldn’t let you sleep longer but you need to get up.”

He did get up, in more ways than one. It was as if the instant that my lips touched his own he was hard as a rock. “No! Bad sex aura! We don’t have time for this right now,” I thought frantically as his eyes fluttered open.

An instant later his eyes were wide open as he stared at me. “Tae… is that you, Babe? I’m… not having some weird guy dream am I?”

“I’m afraid not. Stuff happened after you left, I’ll explain once everyone is awake,” I replied with a sigh. Then I looked down at his crotch, “And as for you, down boy! We don’t have time right now.”

Nothing changed down there so I guess that what the sex goddess giveth, she cannot taketh away except by the more mundane means. That was a bit of a disappointment but not entirely unexpected. Rei chuckled and tried really hard not to stare at my breasts for a moment before finally deciding to try and get some clothes on. My keen and pointy ears could hear him quietly muttering something about baseball as I got up and left the room with Willow gliding over to land on my shoulder. Ow, I knew what it was like being left in that condition, I was going to have to make it up to him later.

Lissany, Grell, and Whisper were all awake now, and pretty much everyone but Pete, Rei, and Nishalle were in the living room, likely waiting for an explanation. Grell’s jaw had dropped at the sight of me, Whisper was trying very hard to keep her expression neutral, and Lissany was staring until I realized that I was still naked and cast a quick glamour to cover myself. I sighed and walked over to the second bedroom to knock on the door and call out, “Sis! Pete! Wakey wakey, we have things to do!”

It was roughly ten minutes later that we were all sitting in the living room as I explained what had happened and those of us who had just woken up ate some sandwiches that Daenyss had prepared. I added the stuff that Danu had told me as well as how conflicted I was feeling. As much as I thought that they needed me to be a strong leader, they also needed me to be honest when I was having doubts so that they could support me if I was going to be a true leader. I needed that too.

Nishalle was quiet throughout the whole explanation though sometimes she cast uncertain glances at the rest of us. She was worried about what we all thought of what she did, it was written all over her face. Usually, she didn’t give a fuck about what anyone thought of her, but we were her friends and family.

Venika was the first to speak. “I think that you both did the right thing. Not only are you both more powerful now, but you also eased their suffering and stopped that power from going to someone who wants to eradicate us all.” Then she fluttered over to get right in my sister’s face. “You can protect Taelya better now too, Nishalle. You are two of my best friends, we’re practically family, and the health and safety of my family will always be the most important thing to me. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that, so stop looking at us like we’re going to hate you because you made a judgment call, especially when it was the right call.”

The others were quick to agree with the Sprite so Nishalle’s mood perked up a bit. She wasn’t back to her normal unrestrained self yet but it was a step in the right direction, and that made me feel better too. With that dealt with, we were able to get to our errands for the day.

While Grell would be continuing his artificing, Whisper would be doing website design work and trying to hack a certain three-letter agency in the United States that was likely to be operating black sites for non-humans. Kinara would be acting as my secretary, making calls to wholesale businesses for food distribution, lumber and hardware, sewing needs, electronics, and everything else on our list of needs to make appointments for the following day. She was also going to try to contact some businesses directly to enquire about large orders of things like monthly supplies made from natural fibers. The rest of us had some running around to do.

First, we had to go to buy three caskets. Two were of course for the deceased goddesses and the other was for my grandmother Seshaire, the former Queen of the Winter Court. She was in stasis but she still needed to be put to rest. As per Winter Court traditions she would be entombed beneath snow and ice so that she could return to the element that the original Winter was formed from. My Pájar planned to do so in the mountains north of the forest where the new Winter Court Glade would be set up.

Sadly, with the way the world was going, the casket-makers were doing pretty good business. I went for the nicest caskets that I could find, I could afford it after all. It was probably silly of me but I wanted them all to have a comfortable eternal rest. I chose a nice white one for my grandmother and a matching pair of black ones for Ereshkigal and Inanna. They offered to send them to the funeral home of our choice but I told them that the burial would be on a private plot and that we would take them with us. The moment that we were outside and I was sure nobody was watching, I sent them through a portal to Varüus’kiel.

The rest of our time was spent getting me some new clothes, again. All that I had to wear that would fit me were socks, shoes, and glamours. I would need some regular everyday wear as well as some business wear if I was going to be going around to wholesalers and businesses to spend obscene amounts of money. Everything was going to have to be made of natural fibers too which meant that Daenyss and I were going back to the high-end specialty clothing stores.

We managed to get me some underwear, casual stuff, and business wear that Daenyss approved of for my image. It took almost three hours though and almost half of that time was finding undergarments. Much to my chagrin, I had gone from a B cup to a double D. I wasn’t happy about that, I liked when they were small and didn’t get in the way. I was going to have to be careful trying to fight until I got used to their new size.

We actually got Daenyss some underwear too. Venika had started her period and even Daenyss had to admit that it would be a good idea for her to have something to place panty liners and such in when hers came along. My Attendant was a little jealous of Salem and the other Liyun’shael not having to deal with that problem every month and I had to agree with her there.

Once we were finished shopping, we made our way back to the safe house where Kinara informed me that I had a very busy schedule the next day. I was hoping that after the funeral we could just come back and get some rest without something crazy or anger-inducing happening. We all needed proper rest and I needed a somewhat normal day, even if it was all business.

It was raining hard as I opened the portal to the site that Xixie had chosen for the burial of the two goddesses. We hadn’t seen much rain since arriving on Varüus’kiel and it seemed appropriate in a way that we would get it now. For now, the camp with all of the F.I.Ts and other important equipment and projects had been covered by a small shield generator that Jhuras had scavenged from Atlantis but the burial site had no such protection. We were going to get wet but it was well worth it to give Ereshkigal and Inanna a proper sendoff.

Xixie and the Sül’shael had completed their task by the time we arrived and I had had her take me to the burial site once we arrived back in Varüus’kiel so that I would know the location well enough to cast the portal. I didn’t really know what customs the gods might have for such things, but Ereshkigal had asked that they be entombed so I figured that a standard funeral would be appropriate. They did want to live peacefully among the mortals after all.

With the portal cast, we lifted the caskets and made our way through into the pouring rain. I was bearing Inanna’s along with Rei, Kinara, Lissany, Daenyss, and Harley, who had emerged from her Guardian training in a F.I.T earlier that evening. Nishalle bore Ereshkigal’s casket along with Pete, Grell, Whisper, Hadrick, and Shaoli. It was a good thing that I had the power to keep that portal open for a while because we had quite the procession following us.

Word had traveled fast among the residents of Varüus’kiel about the arrival of the pair of goddesses, what they had asked of us, and why. Almost everyone on the island who wasn’t in a F.I.T or watching over one had wanted to come in a show of support. I had had to limit the number of people coming because there just wouldn’t be room for our fast-growing population of twenty thousand people. Others who wanted to pay their respects would be able to do so when they wished later. The Sül’shael had even offered to gather flowers for those who were interested.

The hill was high, overlooking the lake and from the sight of the iridescent Moon Palace growing in the distance, I was sure it would afford a great view of our future capital as well. The plateau was maybe fifty feet across and there were a pair of large trees with pale blue luminescent leaves that bathed the hilltop in peaceful radiance. At the center was the large hole that I had unearthed with magick during my previous visit. At its head was the monument.

My girls had done an amazing job in such a short amount of time. I knew that the Sül’shael were artistic, but they had truly outdone themselves. The detail of the Nythrin statue was amazing, almost lifelike. Ereshkigal and Inanna stood side by side at the head of the grave with sad smiles on their faces as they looked toward where the city would someday be. There was an engraving at the base, written in Elvish. “Here lie Inanna and Ereshkigal: Sisters forever.”

It took almost half an hour for everyone to exit the portal and even though I had limited the numbers, a mass of people soon covered the hilltop, the slopes, and part of the surrounding area. Even the sky above was filled with the fiery-winged forms of the Sül’shael. Both caskets were lowered gently into the hole and then I reached out with Nature’s call to make my voice heard by everyone, even those still at the camp. “We are here today to say farewell to Ereshkigal and Inanna, may they rest in peace. They were goddesses and I did not know them well but I think that they were good people who just wanted to live out their lives in contentment.”

I took a deep breath before continuing. “They weren’t all that different from us and they came here because Inanna was dying and did not want her power to fall into the hands of those who would exterminate us. She wanted me to have it. She trusted me to have it. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m worthy of that gift but I will do my best to be. Ereshkigal gave her power to my sister so that she could protect me and so some part of them could always remain sisters. They believed in us and they believed in different peoples living together in peace. They are gone, but we will never let them be forgotten.”

A murmur of, “Gone, but not forgotten,” ran through the crowd and I had trouble keeping back my tears.

Another use of Nature’s Call shifted all of the muddy soil back into the hole to cover the caskets. Once that was done I carefully dropped the luminescent purple flower that I was holding atop the grave. The Sül’shael called them Jyn’kiara, the fading light. They grew like weeds in some parts of the forests during the night months but only bloomed for two days before dying. There were always Jyn’kiara blooming and dying in an endless cycle until the daylight months. It was common for the Sül’shael to place them around the deceased when available, as they had earlier with the pair of goddesses.

Everyone here had such a flower, gathered from where the Sül’shael had placed them around the bodies earlier. That was how I had limited the numbers, by how many that my girls had been able to gather before and after finishing the monument. Once I had dropped my flower, Nishalle dropped hers. And so followed the others who were gathered until the grave was awash in violet light. Only once the last flower had been placed did I reopen a portal to the camp and lead the silent procession back home.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 13 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. It took a bit longer than I wanted to finish because there were scenes I wanted to get just right. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 13: Rule 34

The morning after the funeral, Daenyss woke me early for some pampering in the ensuite bathroom. It felt so good to have a nice relaxing bath after the past few days and my Attendant made sure that I was once again looking, feeling, and smelling my best. I still felt that sense of loss and guilt from Inanna’s and Ereshkigal’s deaths, but my talk with Danu the day before had helped to put it in perspective.

I was going to have to learn how to adjust the sex aura though because the closeness and intimacy were having a definite effect on Daenyss. Being a Nymph, she had a difficult time containing her sexual urges at the best of times but being constantly around someone who actively generated sexual desire through proximity and touch had to be driving her crazy. Hell, it was driving me crazy. My sex drive had definitely been amped up, which was a scary thought since I was Fae, to begin with.

I was beginning to think that the only thing that had prevented the funeral from turning into an orgy was how depressed I had been. Could my emotions be affecting the aura? So, while Daenyss was busy trying to get me clean, I sort of went on autopilot as I sent my thoughts out to Danu. ~Great Mother?~

~Yes, my dear daughter?~ my patron Goddess replied.

I sighed and decided to just come right out with it, even though I felt really bad about constantly interrupting whatever She was doing for my own little insecurities. ~I think that my sex aura needs a user manual.~

Danu laughed and sounded very amused as She teased, ~Having trouble adjusting to your new aspects, my dear?~ Her tone became more sympathetic though as She added, ~It’s not all that surprising. Until now, all of your aspects have been physical things; Magick, the moon, nature, the sea, and doves are all things that have a constant physical presence in the world. Your new aspects are all concepts though, and those work somewhat differently.~

~Umm… last I remember, sex is pretty damn physical,~ I pointed out.

~Yes, it can be,~ She agreed with a laugh. ~It is not a constant though, but merely a physical act. Love and justice can have physical expressions too but none that are as completely expressive of their concepts. Sex is complicated, it is like the Schrodinger’s box of aspects. At any given time, it can be physical, conceptual, or both. It is also interconnected with several other aspects; love, desire, fertility, and motherhood. As such, sex can be a troublesome aspect, especially for a Demigoddess.~

~Yeah, I’m figuring that out,~ I grumbled.

Danu ignored my snark and continued Her explanation. ~As a Demigoddess, you weren’t born with a godly aura. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. One on hand, you’re not freezing everyone around you with fear while in your true form, but on the other hand, you have no experience controlling such an aura. And because you have no fear aura and sex is one of your most powerful aspects, it will override your justice and love aspects except in cases where they are needed, such as presiding over trials or weddings.~

~So, is that why it didn’t seem so bad during the funeral?~

~In a manner of speaking. An aura can respond to your subconscious when there are very strong feelings involved. In that case, you were grieving and felt that sexual desire would be very inappropriate during a funeral, and that allowed your love aspect to take over,~ She explained.

Okay, that sort of made sense. It didn’t really help much though since I doubted that I was going to be that emotional very often. ~So, how do I control it?~ I inquired.

~You cannot,~ the Goddess replied in a sad tone. ~The best that you can do is make a small hole in it to make somebody exempt from its effects, as Ereshkigal did when speaking with your sister. That said, the Yseil’dhraí and the Sül’shael will be mostly immune to its effects, as will your sister. Your subconscious will keep many of those close to you from feeling the effects as well. Your Fae sensibilities will not allow anyone that you consider family to be affected by this so your original party will be spared the effects, as will those who are attracted to only men. Rei is somewhat more complicated since everyone that you consider a lover will be affected by your aura, but to a far lesser degree and able to block it out when needed.~

I breathed a sigh of relief causing Daenyss, who was rinsing my hair, to ask, “Is everything alright, Mistress?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Daenyss. Danu is just helping me figure out this whole sex Goddess thing,” I told her. I could still smell her desire though which prompted me to ask my patron Goddess, ~Why does it seem like Daenyss is affected? Other than her being a Nymph and practically always horny? She seems to be having more trouble than usual keeping a lid on it. You said that those that I consider family would be immune.~

~Do you consider her family?~ She teased. ~Do you think of her in the same way as say, Venika, Robyn, or Salem?~

~Of course,~ I began to object before I actually thought about Her question and was hit with a realization. Venika, Robyn, and most of my other party mates for Apocalypse Dawn were firmly in the family column. But when I really thought of it, Daenyss and Salem were both different. ~ Oh. My. Goddess. I think of her and Salem as really close friends that I want to get to know better and get closer to. But, like, in the Fae sense of getting to know them better. Oh shit, and she’s been touching my naked skin all this time.~

A sense of affirmation filled my mind as Danu said, ~Yes, dear one, you see them as friends and potential lovers, even if it wasn’t consciously until now. Perhaps not your favored lover, but very close friends who you are attracted to and would like a deeper relationship with.~

~Please don’t say ‘deeper’ when I have sex on my mind,~ I grouched, causing Danu to laugh. ~Is there anything else that I should know about this? You know, since my mind is already blown and all.~

~Just that it will only affect those who have some level of attraction to women, no matter how small. The closer you get, the harder that it will hit them. Touching someone with your bare skin will have an immediate and powerful effect,~ She cautioned. ~Oh, and you might feel an increase in power and divine energy from increased worship. They say that sex sells after all, and well, fantasies are a form of worship.~

I grimaced at that and tried not to nod since Daenyss was conditioning my hair. ~Just great, so it looks like I’ll be wearing gloves today while meeting new people. And now I’m not going to stop thinking about being the future fap material of every guy that I meet.~

~I hate to disappoint you, my child, but that ship sailed when you started posting the videos of what happened on that beach online,~ She told me in a teasing tone. ~Do not worry about your loved ones being affected too much, it will not be a problem for long.~

~What? Shit, now I need to check the internet. Thanks, Great Mother, I appreciate you taking the time to help me figure this out.~ I was kind of curious about what she meant with that last part though.

~I will always have time for you, my daughter. Be well until we speak again.~ Her presence slipped out of my mind and I relaxed into Daenyss’s ministrations as I considered how to bring up the newborn elephant in the room.

We had gotten to the point where Daenyss was using her heat spell to dry me off when she asked in a concerned tone, “Is something wrong, Mistress? You have been very quiet.”

“Sorry, Daenyss, I just have a lot on my mind. Are you… we’re friends, right?” I asked uncertainly, stumbling over my words. I knew that we were and I knew that since Daenyss only really had her Nymph memories to go on that she wouldn’t be opposed to getting to know one another better. At the same time though, I cared about her and I didn’t want to mess things up between us, though I might have already with my repressed feelings making my sex aura affect her.

A look of confusion graced my Attendant’s face. “Of course, we are, Mistress. You are my best friend except for possibly Salem. I love you and I would do anything for you.”

As luck would have it that was when there was a knock on the bathroom door. “Are you girls almost done in there? I need to use the bathroom and take a shower,” Rei’s male voice inquired.

“Umm… yeah, Honey. Daenyss just needs to do my hair and help me pick out an outfit so the bathroom is all yours.” We quickly stepped outside to let my fiancé into the room and then I sat in front of the vanity while Daenyss got to work drying and brushing my hair. Soon my hair was up in its signature style, though with the Nythrin hair ornaments that Xixie and the other Sül’shael had made for me rather than the old gold-hued ones. I had to admit that they were very pretty and the silvery-blue hue did go much better with my new coloring.

Once we were done with my hair, Daenyss did some light makeup since my new appearance didn’t need much unless I was trying to look less attractive. I wondered if I should ask about that, maybe there was a way for Daenyss to tone down the whole sex bomb look with makeup? I sighed as I dismissed the thought and put on the clothes that Daenyss was choosing for me. Glamours would probably be more effective, and it wasn’t like either was going to prevent my sex aura from doing its thing anyway.

Rei emerged from the bathroom as I finished putting on a frankly slinky plum-colored backless satin dress, a black and violet bolero jacket, and a pair of black suede knee-high boots. The outfit showed off a lot of leg and really showcased my new cleavage. I probably would have been embarrassed if I wouldn’t have much preferred being naked.

“Here, Rei, let me dry your tails and hair for you, they’ll take forever otherwise,” Daenyss offered the still wet Kitsune with a smile. As she used her spell to do so she inquired, “And what look shall I put together for you today? Or would you rather choose something yourself while I go make breakfast?”

“Um… actually… could we just… sit and talk for a few minutes? Just the three of us?” I uncertainly interjected.

Rei turned his gaze toward me in concern. “What’s wrong, Babe? I haven’t seen you act this nervous since you were still Caleb.”

“Is it about sex? I mean, is it related to the sex Goddess stuff that you were talking with Danu about?” Daenyss asked innocently as she sat beside me on the bed.

Unfortunately, at first, I only heard the first part of what she had said and turned as red as a tomato. “Yes, I mean no, not unless you… I mean, yes! It’s exactly about what I was discussing with Danu,” I sputtered. Dammit, maybe I should add awkwardness to my list of aspects.

“Was she able to tell you how to turn it off?” Rei asked, having heard me voice concerns about that before bed the night before.

“I… can’t,” I replied, my face still bright red. “At least not consciously. Nishalle, the Sül’shael, and the Yseil’dhraí are mostly immune and I guess in serious situations like the funeral it will change temporarily to another aspect, but anyone who’s even slightly attracted to girls is gonna get hit with it. I guess that anyone that I consider family is safe as well because that would just make things super awkweird.” Like the levels of awkweird going on right now.

“I think your subconscious needs some work, Babe because I’m still feeling it. And no offense to Daenyss but I have a really sensitive nose and with her not wearing any clothes, it’s pretty obvious that she’s feeling more arousal than even she’s used to dealing with,” Rei pointed out.

Daenyss flushed and looked down at her lap. “I’m in control. It’s just a little harder than usual and I’ll need to take the edge off once you all go off to run errands today.”

“Sorry, this is my fault,” I offered, looking away from the pair. “Danu said that you’re affected but not near as much as other people would be, and you should be able to block out the effect with a conscious effort when you want to. She also said something cryptic about it not being a problem for my loved ones for long but apparently, anyone that I think of as a lover, or potential lover is affected this way. Rei, you’re my fiancé, so that’s why you’re in this boat. As for Daenyss... Danu made me realize that I like you a lot, you’re one of my closest friends and while I may not have been consciously thinking about it, I’ve been wanting to get to… ummm… know you better.”

It took several minutes for the two of them to realize what I was talking about and it was Rei who spoke first. He knelt on the floor and took my hands in his, smiling up at me. “Tae, I already told you that I’m okay with us having an open relationship as long as we’re open and honest about who we’re involved with and you come home to me. I might even be open to a poly relationship if we could find people that we both liked enough. Daenyss is a big part of your life. Hell, she’s a big part of our lives, she does nearly as much for me as she does for you these days. It’s okay to feel that way and to be attracted to her. I am too.”

Daenyss just shook her head sadly. “Mistress, you know that I love you and I would do anything for you but as much as I would really like to get to know you better in that way as well, I have to think of your needs first. This wouldn’t be a good idea. You know who I used to be, what I did, you might not be able to handle such intimacy with me.”

I was about to object when Rei beat me to the punch. “That’s a load of crap, Daenyss. You get more intimate with her on a daily basis than I do some days. Stop blaming yourself for things that you might have potentially done in a former life. You’re not him anymore, you haven’t been since you lost your memory. You’re Daenyss now, and Tae and I both have come to care for you a lot, our whole team has because you’re a sweet and caring woman who is worth knowing. And from what those douchebag former guildmates of yours said when we tracked them down, you were against the actions they were planning and bullied into following along anyway.”

Daenyss still seemed uncertain and, while I appreciated her concern for my mental welfare, sometimes she worried too much about accidentally hurting me. I turned her face toward me and looked her dead in the eyes. “Daenyss, I’m going to kiss you now. If you’re right and I get uncomfortable, we can leave it at that, no harm done. If I don’t, then even if we do spend time together like that Rei will be with us the first time in case I do get uneasy, if that makes you feel better. I’m not going to get uneasy though because sometimes, I still know myself better than you do.”

I waited for several breaths, just in case she really didn’t want it but when she didn’t object or resist I pulled her in close and our lips met. Her lips were soft and warm and the kiss was electric once she lost her uncertainty and began to reciprocate. It was like kissing Rei when she was female and yet not as well. Daenyss is a different person and my feelings for her were different. Some people might say a kiss is a kiss or that love is love but there are flavors and nuances that make it different from person to person because people aren’t made from a cookie-cutter, so why should something as complex as affection or love be?

By the time I considered that my sex aura might make kissing her a bad idea the two of us were engaged in a very enthusiastic lip lock. What clued me in was when she shuddered in my arms and moaned into the kiss as she pulled me closer. I broke the kiss, gasping for air, and for a moment I couldn’t speak.

Rei had no such issues. “Um… Daenyss? Did you just…? From a kiss?”

The Nymph was blushing fiercely and at first, she could only nod. “I was really turned on already and then that kiss… wow. I… I will try to block out Mistress’s aura from now on, now that I know I can. I won’t be able to concentrate on much if I don’t. I’ll clean the bedclothes while you’re both out too. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Daenyss, it was a nice kiss. I didn’t start freaking out about being intimate with you either so I would still like to get to know you better. Rei can be with us, and we’ll only do it if you both agree to it. Take some time and consider it with a clear head, I don’t want any of us getting into something that we don’t want to do and I don’t want you making that decision right now after you just…” I trailed off awkwardly.

“We should talk about it tonight, after we’ve all had time to think with clear heads,” Rei agreed. “Let me get dressed and we’ll all go have breakfast. Maybe just cereal, no need to put yourself out, Daenyss. Umm… before that, Tae, is there anyone else that you think might be in that ‘I want to get to know them better’ category? You might as well tell us now if there is, so we’re in the loop.”

I thought about it a moment considering my earlier thought about a certain Liyun’shael. “Maybe Salem? I mean I don’t really think of her as family, I don’t think. More of a good friend, but she’s not really here right now so it’s hard to say. We have a lot in common and she’s smart, sweet, selfless, and fucking adorable. I can think of some people who I might be interested in if I didn’t know for certain that they had no interest in women, so they wouldn’t be a problem anyway. Just because I have an interest in someone doesn’t mean that I have to pursue it though and it’s probably a good thing for them since they’ll be less affected by my aura.”

With the discussion over Daenyss went to use our bathroom to clean up a bit while Rei decided to get some breakfast. It was still early since Daenyss and I didn’t need much sleep as Fae and had gotten an early start, so only Venika, Kinara, and Nishalle were awake and eating cereal in the kitchen table area. Correction, Whisper was awake too for some reason and working on her laptop. Which reminded me, Danu’s little comment about ships sailing had me morbidly curious. While Rei went to join the others in the kitchen, I went to join the Witch on the couch.

“Hey, Whisper,” I greeted her as I took a seat beside her on the couch that was the only piece of furniture without someone asleep on it. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Nah, I got six hours and that’s usually good for me. I had an idea that I wanted to give a try anyway,” the tiny blonde Witch said with a shrug.

“Really? What are you working on?” I asked, my interest piqued.

She grinned at me. “Well, Grell said that since I’m a huge techie and a Witch, I would probably be pretty good at artificing. So, I’m trying to combine a computer program I’m writing with a sort of magick-induced intelligence. The idea is to create a program that will only follow my orders, or yours, and be intelligent enough to brute force its way past the security on certain three-letter agencies’ servers way faster than any living person could.”

“That’s a pretty good idea, I’m impressed,” I told her honestly as I returned her grin. “I figured that I’d check the internet for any mentions of me that we haven’t been responsible for. Danu mentioned something that got me curious.”

“You know, it still kinda weirds me out that you casually talk to a Goddess in your head. Not to mention your recent… changes. From the outside looking in, your life is fucking crazy. That’s a good idea though, we should see if any governments are trying to slander you or something,” Whisper agreed with a nod. “Here, let me pull up my web browser and do a search.”

“You think it’s crazy from the outside? Try living it some time,” I shot back as she opened the browser and typed in my name.

“No thanks, I don’t know how you handle it all, to be honest…” She trailed off as she looked at the search results. “Holy fuck, the perverts have been prodigious the past couple of days since you showed up online. I’m not seeing anything calling you a con-woman or an alien menace or anything but holy shit, the porn sites. How did they get so many photoshopped pics of you up so fast?”

“Ugh, even during the apocalypse Rule 34 is a thing,” I muttered in distaste. “You know; I’d do something about that but it’s probably going to make me more powerful. Well, that and I’d be so busy smiting perverts that I wouldn’t have time for world peace. Wait, what the hell? Taelyaships.com?”

Whisper clicked on the site in question and it wasn’t a ship, it was a damn fleet. There were already dozens of stories and various artwork shipping me with various celebrities. Stories with titles like “Taelya X Me”, “Taelya X Loki”, and ‘Taelya X Robyn”. Okay, that last one was especially disturbing to think about since she’s both a minor and like family. Then there was the artwork in all of its pornographic glory.

The first one was a fairly tame one of me and Rei. “Reilya? Is that really a ship since she’s your fiancée? You even said as much in the video clips from the beach,” Whisper said with a roll of her eyes.

They got progressively smuttier. The Taenyss and Taelem ships got me a little hot under the collar considering my thoughts from earlier but then we saw one that made me almost throw up in my mouth. “Tayshalle? Ewww! Scroll away dammit, she’s my sister. I did not need that visual in my head first thing in the morning.”

“To be fair, you didn’t really say that explicitly in any of the videos… at least not that I can remember,” Whisper pointed out as she rapidly scrolled down. In doing so she came across an image title that had her close the entire browser before either of us could actually see the image load. “Lissya? What the fuck?! She’s fucking fifteen, you assholes!” That little shoutburst, ironically from Whisper, had the others starting to stir and garnered the attention of Daenyss and those in the kitchen area as well.

“What’s up?” Lissany asked sleepily from the loveseat.

“Uh… nothing important. We were just searching for Intel and fell down the wrong rabbit hole,” Whisper explained awkwardly. “What should we do about that site, Taelya?”

I sighed as I considered it. If they weren’t using my name and didn’t have content that I found extremely distasteful, I would have probably just let it go. I didn’t want to be the thought police but some of that content went against my core values as a Fae and maligned my good name. “Track down whoever is running that site, just… be careful about it. Something is fishy about this.”

“What do you mean?” Whisper asked as she opened the web browser again.

I frowned as I went over what I had seen on the site in my mind. “A lot of the content on that site was tailor-made to piss me off, to get my attention and make me focus on it. And how did the person get so much content up so fast? How did they know the proper spellings of all of our names? We didn’t tag ourselves in the videos and the only name that I spelled out was my own. I think that I know who we’re dealing with, there were clues there. And now that I think about it they were obvious enough that he wants us to know it’s him for some reason.”

“You think that it’s a trap?” Nishalle asked from where she was sitting at the kitchen table. One thing about the open concept design of this house, it made conversations easier while we were all doing different things.

“I dunno, Sis,” I replied with a frown. “Given who I think it is, it could be anything. But it was something that Danu said that got me wanting to do that search in the first place. She wouldn’t do anything to endanger me. I should eat some breakfast though, if he really does want to be found, it won’t take Whisper long to find him.”

“Find who?” Harley asked, sounding a little confused as she was still trying to wake up.

“I’m sure that we’ll all see soon enough,” I said with a sigh as I sat down to pour myself a bowl of cereal and add some milk. “Kinara, when is our first appointment of the day?”

The pink-haired Yseil’dhraí quickly referred to her phone before replying, “Nine-thirty, Taelya, so we have almost three hours.”

I was right, I had barely finished eating my breakfast when Whisper called out, “Found them! That was way too easy. The computer has a webcam; do you want me to access it?”

“Go for it, Whisper,” I said as I stood up and walked back over to the couch that she was sitting on. The blonde Witch accessed the camera by the time that I made my way over to her. The webcam didn’t give much of a view of the room and there was probably nobody there regardless.

All that we could see on the screen was a computer chair with a note taped to it that said, “Roof of Pegasus Entertainment @ 7 a.m. Demigoddesses only. P.S. This is not a trap. P.P.S. I’ll bring the coffee and cinnamon buns.”

“Seven o’clock? That’s only ten minutes from now,” Nishalle grumbled. “Are we going, Tae?”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll teleport us to the conference room and we can make our way to the roof from there. I’m placing every protective spell that I can think of on both of us though.

Ten minutes later, Nishalle and I were covered with every protective spell that I could conceive of and I had removed my jacket. It felt weird to be back in this conference room, where I had first found out the truth about Apocalypse Dawn and the return of magick to the real world. I tried not to dwell on it as we made our way to the roof by the quickest method possible, we jumped out the window and flew the remaining distance upward.

We landed atop the building to see our ‘host’ already there. He looked just like the actor who portrayed him in those movies, right down to the costume and the smarmy grin on his face. “I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.” For a moment I just stared at him in confusion since he hadn’t made any threatening moves yet. In fact, he just started laughing. “Oh, the looks on your faces! Sorry, but I’ve been wanting to use that line since I watched that movie.”

I could sense Nishalle tensing up beside me as she growled, “You brought us here just to mess with us?”

“No, not really, but I am a trickster God, and this opportunity was just too good to pass up. No, wait, this is all wrong.” The last was said with an exasperated sigh and his features began to shift and flow until there was a petite blonde woman with striking blue eyes standing before us in a simple blue and teal skater dress. “Much better, I’m not really feeling the whole male thing today. It was worth it to see the looks on your faces though.”

“I want that site taken down now,” I told her with a glare. She was powerful, I could feel it, but I was in no mood for whatever pranks she was intent on playing.

“I like you two, you’re feisty, but do not threaten me. You may be powerful for a Demigoddess but thanks to comic book geeks and capitalism I’m no slouch in power right now either,” she said with a devil-may-care grin. That grin faltered after a moment though and she nodded. “I apologize for that site but I had to get your attention focused on me somehow and I couldn’t just walk up to your front door with all those mortals hanging around you. The site is being taken down and the data deleted as we speak. A word of warning though, I didn’t create that content, just collated it all in one place and ensured that the spellings of certain names would catch your attention.”

“I have a phone,” I retorted sarcastically.

“That wouldn’t have been near as much fun, but I will remember that in the future. We’ll have to exchange numbers for our mortal guises since we’ll be in contact fairly often. Come! Sit down! We have a lot to talk about and I brought refreshments!” She gestured wildly toward a patio table and a trio of chairs. As promised, there was a box of cinnamon buns and three to-go cups of coffee waiting. “Now I’m assuming that Nishalle likes hers as dark as she can get it and for yours, I thought a double-double would suffice, A bit of sweetness and a splash of milk for moonlight.”

That was exactly how we both took our coffee, she was obviously talking to someone. We all sat down just quietly looking over one another and sipping our coffees for a long moment before I finally broke the silence “What is this about, Loki?”

“Oh! Didn’t I tell you? I’m your new advisor. Your part-time teacher, if you will. With everything among the Gods going tits up and Zeus’s coalition making a mad scramble for power, Danu’s little rebel alliance thought that you two could use someone to prepare you for any mind games, trickery, or attacks from the shadows,” the Goddess replied casually. “Oh, and how to play the game yourselves.”

“So of course they chose you. You do have that reputation after all,” Nishalle muttered between bites of her cinnamon bun.

“Well, yes, but they didn’t choose me, I volunteered,” she offered with a manic grin. “You and your little group aren’t afraid to break the rules and shake things up to reach your goals, or for the common good. I respect that, and I have always thought that many Gods abuse their power. Do you think that I’ve fought the status quo for millennia for my health? It was time for a change long before Danu created the Veil and you, Taelya, are the instrument of that change. You are also terribly entertaining to watch.”

“So, you’re here to give us a lesson then?” I asked in confusion.

“Not quite yet,” Loki replied with a shake of her head. “There are some preparations that I need to make so I will come to visit your little safe house tomorrow. Which brings me to why I’m here, speaking with just the two of you. You see, there’s that pesky little rule about not showing ourselves to mortals. This isn’t just because our mere presence scares them shitless. There are other reasons that won’t go into. Usually, there is a loophole there that allows me to use my shapeshifting to do as I please but there is a chance that some of your companions may end up seeing me in all my godly glory. And so I have come up with an admittedly brilliant plan.”

“And just what exactly is this plan?” Nishalle asked pointedly.

“Well, the wording is that we’re not allowed to show ourselves to ‘mortals’. Granted, Fae don’t actually count as mortals, but some of your current housemates still do. That is why I come bearing gifts.” The Goddess reached down on the ground beside her and then placed a basket of gold-colored apples on the table. “Ta-da!” She gestured to the basket, like some sort of game show hostess, and waggled her eyebrows.

“A fruit basket, how nice,” I snarked. I could tell that they weren’t regular fruit though. They were teeming with mana and magick. She seemed to like hearing herself talk so I was sure that she’d explain.

Loki snorted and rolled her eyes. “Way to kill the moment. I think that I need to teach you, girls, how to have a bit of fun. Anyway, it took a little convincing and assuring Hera that this would really piss Zeus off, but she allowed me to gather these from the Garden of the Hesperides. There’s one here for each of your housemates, as well as the Moss Maiden, the pop star, and her fuzzy boyfriend. These apples will grant immortality to those who eat them, so I won’t have to worry about being seen by ‘mortals’. But wait, there’s more! Why give them to Fae, who are already immortal, you ask? Because they will also render anyone who eats them immune to the auras of Gods!”

“Wait, you want to give immortality to our friends? As much as I appreciate the offer, Lissany, Robyn, and Kinara are still teenagers. I wouldn’t want them to be stuck that way for eternity,” I said with a shake of my head.

The trickster’s head smacked the table and she groaned before raising her head once more to pout at me. “You were supposed to say, ‘Brilliant plan Loki, thank you so much! I’m so happy to be learning from someone as smart as you, Sempai.’ Who is the actual Goddess with millennia of experience in foiling the plans of the Gods here? Wait, just a moment, I think I’ve got it. Oh yes, that would be me! One, your junior miss friends would not stop aging until they reach maturity. Two, immortality does not mean that a person will live for eternity, as many Gods have been proving of late. Immortals can still die through accidents, murder, or stupidity. Tomorrow I will start teaching you how not to do that. For now, I must be off.”

She was still pouting when she finished her tirade and I felt kind of bad for being so untrusting and cynical. She was trying to help us and Danu would have warned me if she was up to something. So I sighed and said, “Brilliant plan Loki, thank you so much! I’m so happy to be learning from someone as smart as you, Sempai. I guess that we will see you tomorrow then.” Then I took the basket from the table as she grinned at my response and cast a teleport spell to take me and Nishalle back to the safe house.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 14 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 14: Reservations

The moment that we were safely back in the house I reached my thoughts out to Danu. “Great Mother, can we trust Loki?”

~Trust is not a yes or no question, my child. Trust is a gradient,~ Danu responded. There was amusement in her voice though. ~Should you trust Loki not to tease you mercilessly or play relatively harmless pranks on you when given the opportunity? No, you should not. Should you trust her to act responsibly when drunk? Probably not. Should you trust her with the lives of you and your friends? Unquestionably, yes. Those ‘apples’ will not harm your friends and Loki really does have the best of intentions.~

~Loki has a reputation in mythology though, and it’s not really a good one,~ I countered. Not that I didn’t trust Her word, but the first things he did in our new relationship were posting that website of me and then pranking Nishalle and me when we arrived to talk.

My patron Goddess’s tone became chastising as She spoke again. ~Mythology is just stories, my dear. Yes, they are mostly built on real events but stories have a way of changing with the tellers, especially if there is animosity involved. They say that history is written by the winners after all. Don’t believe everything that you hear. Yes, Loki has flaws, as do we all. She loves her fun, pranks, and entertainment a little too much and she tends to take things a bit too far sometimes, but she has always been against the Gods abusing their power, she has vigorously fought against it, and she too believes that humans can be redeemed if given the right opportunity.~

She did have a point about mythology and, other than the pranks and sarcasm, Loki had treated Nishalle and me in a friendly manner, even when she was being sarcastic. Danu seemed to sense my weakening resolve and added, ~Loki and Inari were my first allies against the other Gods and I am not only trusting them with your life but my entire plan. I consider them both friends, and she is trying to make friends with you and your sister, in her own way.~

~Well, she did bring coffee and cinnamon buns,~ I admitted reluctantly. ~I’m still kinda squicked out by those pics on the website though.~

~As she said, she did have to get your attention somehow, in a way that wouldn’t get too much attention from the other Gods, just as I had to guide you toward her,~ She replied. ~The site has been removed and Loki didn’t create the content, she just gathered it. She was as bothered by some of it as you but she also knew that it would without a doubt get your attention. It was probably a bad idea to get her a phone and internet access. She can multitask with the best of us and while she’s making preparations for tomorrow she is rather vehemently defending your honor on the sites that the more distasteful content came from.~

~Why? We just met, she hardly knows me,~ I wondered, a bit confused by the enigma that was Loki.

~ I am not the only one from my alliance watching over you and your group. Yes, due to her quirks and flaws Loki can be an acquired taste, but she will be a friend to you if you are willing to accept her for who she is. She likes you, respects your drive to do what is right and to fight the establishment when necessary, she already considers you friends in waiting. Loki will do anything for someone that she considers a friend, so long as it does not go against her core values. Those values align very well with your own, my dear daughter. You just might have to keep her from going too far sometimes,~ Danu offered gently.

I sighed but nodded as I decided to take my God-mother’s word for it. She did have much more experience with Loki and the Gods in general than I did. ~Thank you, Great Mother, I appreciate your advice and will try to take it.~

~You are welcome, my daughter, be well until we speak again.~ With that, I turned to look at the others. Everyone was gathered in the living room area as Nishalle was telling them about our meeting with the God/dess of Mischief. Whisper was working on the laptop while all of the others were listening intently to my sister who had apparently gotten to the ‘apples’ portion of the story.

I placed the basket on the kitchen table and then I set three of the fruit aside for Robyn, Rob, and Salem in a sealed container so the Wisps couldn’t get at them. With those three set aside, there was enough for everyone in the house except for me and Nishalle. There was even one for Kinara and I didn’t think that was a mistake. Danu did say that Yseil’dhraí are mostly immune to godly auras but mostly is not completely. Loki didn’t exclude Kinara either, when I mentioned her, Lissany, and Robyn by name. I sent a quick text to Robyn asking her if she and her boyfriend/bodyguard would be able to meet for dinner somewhere that night and then got a better look at the apples.

From a distance, I could see how people could mistake the magical fruit for apples, but they didn’t really feel firm enough. They were more like large golden plums, now that I got a closer look and feel of them. Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time that mythology had lied to me. Not even the first time today, and it was still early.

With Nishalle finished recounting our brief outing I called out, “Danu says that we can trust Loki, she’s apparently one of the good ones, just a bit misunderstood. We just need to be wary of pranks, but she could be a good friend if we let her. There’s a fruit for everyone but me and Nishalle here, and that includes you, Kinara. Yseil’dhraí are only mostly immune and I think they want to play it safe. So, who wants a taste of immortality and to be completely immune to my sex aura and that fear thing that the Gods pump out?”

“Oh Goddess, yes please!” Harley answered a little too eagerly. Then she realized that everyone was looking at her and blushed a bright red. “Not because I want to be immortal or anything… you’re just really distracting right now, Taelya.” I thought that she might just die from embarrassment right there and then, but that was when she completely vanished from sight.

“What the hell?! Where did Harley go?!” Pete practically shouted as he jumped out of his seat.

Everyone else was frantically looking around as well when Harley’s seemingly disembodied voice replied, “What do you mean? I’m right here. I feel a little bit weird though.”

It was strange, I could still sense her there and the flow of mana around her. She was just covered in some sort of anti-perception or invisibility field, and she even seemed to be drawing on mana to keep it active. Harley wasn’t a Magus though, Beastkin can’t even use magic unless given some sort of token from one of the Gods like with Bards or Priestesses. Was this something inherent to her Unicorn nature? They did have a reputation for being damn near impossible to find. “You seem to be invisible, Harley,” I told her.

“Not just invisible, I couldn’t hear anything from her until she spoke, I can’t smell her either,” Lissany pointed out. Come to think of it, I couldn’t either and Fae senses are pretty damn acute. Our vision was superior to any other race’s and our hearing and sense of smell might not be quite as keen as a Beastkin’s but they were still pretty damn good. It was definitely some sort of anti-perception field.

“Harley, what were you thinking about before you disappeared?” Venika asked. That was a good question. If we could figure out the trigger then we might be able to figure out how she could cancel the effect, or repeat it.

“I was embarrassed,” Harley replied, sounding like she was still embarrassed and trying not to snap at the Sprite. “I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Still do.”

Daenyss turned to face the general direction of Harley’s voice. “There is nothing to feel embarrassed about, Harley. You are still new to our group and Mistress can’t quite see you as part of the family yet so you are probably feeling the full effect of her aura. I just feel a small part of it and I’m having trouble controlling my urges. Just take some deep breaths, calm down, and let’s go have one of those magic fruit. I’ll go first if you’re worried.”

It took a few minutes, but the Unicorn Beastkin managed to calm herself down enough to make herself visible again. Once she was, everyone ate the fruit without argument. I wasn’t all that surprised since I knew that Lissany was frustrated by not being able to act to protect me whenever a God came calling, and I think that Rei and the others felt the same. The immortality was probably tempting too, especially with so many Fae and two Demigoddesses in our group. I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be for the mortals among us to start growing old while the rest of us stayed young and healthy.

From the looks of bliss on their faces as they ate, that was some delicious fruit. Ate probably isn’t really the best word though, they just sort of took a bite, and then the rest of the fruit turned into a brightly glowing golden mist that infused the body of the person who bit the fruit in question. That was probably a good thing since I doubted that Venika could have actually eaten a whole fruit at her size, it was almost as big as she was.

Venika’s fruit didn’t fully turn to mist either, there was too much immortal essence for her small frame it seemed. Only about a tenth of it was gone, well until the Wisps pounced on it anyway. Dear Mother, immortal Wisps, what have I unleashed on this unsuspecting planet? Even after they were done there was still roughly half of a fruit remaining. It was as I was considering what to do with the remainder that Nishalle casually popped it into her mouth.

“What?” she asked with her mouth full at my look of disbelief. “We’re Demigoddesses, it’s not like I’m going to become more immortal. We couldn’t exactly throw it out, who knows who, or what might eat it. Mmmm, that’s some good magic fruit. It tastes like cherries.”

“Sis, you know that you’re crazy sometimes, right?” I asked, shaking my head and trying really hard not to smile. I shouldn’t encourage her after all.

“And your point is?” she replied, grinning right back at me. “Besides, you had your, ‘I’m worried about this and I’m going to agonize over how to handle this responsibly’ look on your face. Really, it’s not that big a deal.”

“But Danu and Loki didn’t say anything about whether Gods could eat them, or Demigods. There could be consequences,” I argued.

“Mmm, nope, no consequences. Not unless you count being delicious. They didn’t say that we couldn’t eat them either. Sometimes you worry too much, Sis. Did they specifically tell you not to eat the leftover magic fruit?” Nishalle pointed out.

“Well, no, not specifically.”

“There you go then,” she replied with a more serious look. “Loki and Danu both knew that Venika would be eating one of the fruit and I doubt that is something that either of them would have overlooked. If they didn’t specifically warn you that neither of us should eat it, I don’t see the issue. So let’s forget about it and go check in with Whisper before we have to leave for your meetings. I want to make sure that Loki really did take that site down.”

Reluctantly, I had to admit that she was probably right. So I let her pull me along to where Whisper was valiantly multitasking on her laptop. “Whoa, Nishalle,” the blonde Witch said with a grin, “that was fast. How did you get her out of her ‘I need to be responsible’ cycle so quick?” Was I really an open book to everyone here?

“I ate the problem,” Nishalle replied with a grin of her own.

Whisper laughed but I wasn’t quite sure if it was because of my sister’s solution or the look on my face. “Nice. That’s one way to do it, and that was some good fruit. Anyway, Loki was as good as his… err her word. The site is gone and I’ve been using keywords to find some of the more distasteful stuff and get rid of it but everything I’ve found; someone was already causing them headaches. Check this out. It’s part of the comments section on a really disturbing pic of you and Lissany.”

Nishalle and I leaned in to have a look and holy Goddess, there was a flame war in progress. “Wow Loki, that is, like subtle and blatant at the same time. You have a gift,” I muttered as I read the comments on the screen

L0w-k3y G0dd355: WTF Dude?!? That cat-girl in the armor is what? Fourteen or fifteen? Pedo much?

Raging Bronerd: Chill. It’s just a pic. Rule 34 exists u kno.

L0w-k3y G0dd355: I’ve seen the videos, dude. Those are real people. They saved people’s lives, the cat-girl is a good role model for young girls, and u r sexualizing her. She’s a minor. That’s sick, dude. Even if u r a pedo perv I doubt that Taelya is. Don’t drag them into your sick fantasy. Do u really want to piss off a Demigoddess or a chick who can punch out a dragon?”

Raging Bronerd: That video was faked. Gods, elves, dragons, and cat-girls don’t exist. It was all green screens and shit. Probably teasers for some new movie.

L0w-k3y G0dd355: Have u looked out your fucking window lately, or are u 2 busy jacking off 2 your ‘art’? The world has gone crazy, dude. That shit was all over the news. Even if that were the case, the actress would still be a minor so it doesn’t change my point.

It went on like that for a while. With the original poster trying to make it seem like he wasn’t perving on us or denying that we were real people and then Loki would rip his arguments apart and make him look worse. It wasn’t just that guy either. Anyone who had posted morally questionable material of us on their sites was getting the treatment. Loki was going after them like a rabid wolverine and other people were starting to join in.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to follow the chaos since I had appointments all day long to try to procure food, supplies, and the materials on the Atlanteans’ wish list for the construction of the capital and various technologies. With that in mind, I put my jacket back on, grabbed my purse, and put on my Autumn Cortez glamour. Kinara had already glamoured herself, my four defenders, and Grell since they would be coming with me.

Lissany, Nishalle, Pete, and Harley were of course coming along to cover my ass and keep me safe, while Kinara would be acting as Miss Cortez’s personal assistant, Kelly. I would have used Daenyss for that job but Kinara had already made contact with these businesses and established herself, so she was the most up-to-date on who we would be dealing with and the appointment times and locations. Grell would be acting as a technical advisor when we got the things on the Atlanteans’ wish list and for anything else that might be useful for artificing.

Rei was planning on keeping Jonesy’s phone handy in case it got a call and he needed to shapeshift to impersonate a certain government agent. Daenyss, Venika, and Whisper were going to keep an eye on the news for any major incidents that might require our attention while Whisper alternated between her virus idea and various tasks for increasing a positive online presence for me, Varüus’kiel, and the Fae and other non-Humans.

I quickly discovered during our running around that while gathering supplies and necessities for infrastructure was probably one of the most important tasks of a leader, it was also the most boring. Honestly, Kinara and Grell took care of most of the hard parts and I was mostly just there to ensure the orders matched what we needed and that our suppliers got paid. I had to let them do most of the talking anyway after my sex aura turned the first couple of contacts into drooling, staring, and babbling idiots. I really needed to learn how to aim that thing at someone in the background so I could have intelligent conversations with people again.

It took over a dozen meetings but we managed to get most of what we were looking for and we could expect the deliveries to be shipped to the warehouse over the next few days. I planned to have Grell and Whisper set up shop there and contact me after any deliveries arrived so I could quietly portal them to Varüus’kiel and empty the warehouse between deliveries. There was a lot to be delivered and sent home but it felt good to finally be getting some stuff done without being interrupted by monster attacks, government plots, or godly shenanigans.

There were still a few things on the tech wish lists but Grell figured that we should be able to order that stuff from another wholesaler online. Other than that we had accounts set up for weekly orders from a couple of major food wholesalers to help feed our people, an absolutely massive order of natural fabrics and sewing related supplies ordered, all of the wood and other infrastructure necessitates ordered through a local lumberyard and home renovations depot, and we had just closed a long-term deal with a company for environmentally friendly monthly supplies made from only natural fibers.

At least the last one had been someone that I could talk to. She was a woman named Caitlin Summers, and she was seemingly unaffected by my aura so I could actually manage a conversation with her. Talking to a guy about feminine hygiene products would have been awkward as hell, especially if he was staring at me and drooling the whole time. It turned out that we were able to help one another too and I found myself liking Caitlin.

She was the owner of what was a small locally-based company for now and she was hoping to branch out. She also happened to be a newly awakened Witch with a raven familiar who was very confused about what was happening with her. I had to reveal my true self but I was able to explain what was happening with her, cautioned her about the government disappearing people like her, and arranged for Kinara to visit her once a day to start giving her beginner magick lessons until she was ready to move herself and her company to Varüus’kiel.

The plan was for Grell and a few other Artificers to look into making an artificed assembly line that would be far more eco-friendly and that would be capable of manufacturing products that were compatible with other sized Fae variants or other species, such as Sprites, Fairies, or Namahage who couldn’t use human-sized products. I knew that Jhuras had mentioned artificed assembly lines for mana batteries and such so I was hoping that we could work something out for Caitlin because the production of safe feminine hygiene materials really is an essential service.

All in all, it had been a productive day and as we headed back to the safe house I was feeling pretty positive about things. A check-in with Rei told me that nobody had called Jonesy’s phone yet but I had just gotten a return text from Robyn that said simply, “Call me.”

I missed having her and Rob around so I eagerly hit the call icon for her name on my phone. “Hey, Tae!” Robyn’s voice answered chipperly after the second ring. “How is it going on your side of things? I’m really pushing the Changed Rights movement online when I’m not recording. I did a few podcast interviews to stir the pot too.”

“A lot has been going on since you and Rob left to do your thing. I figure that you probably heard about the thing with Tiamat and the plane, right?” I asked.

“Yep, Grell sent us the uncut footage. I still can’t believe you kicked a Goddess’s ass, especially one that big. And rescuing the plane while doing it was epic. I’d love it if you can get some more good press like that in the next week or so. We’re going to need to get you more high profile,” the pop star replied. I could practically hear her grinning on the other end.

“I’m all for some heroic endeavors, Robyn, but I’m not so sure that me being high profile is a good idea right now. I’m having some… uhh… Demigoddess issues. Some shit is going down with the Gods, it’s like a gang war and I gained some more aspects after having to mercy-kill a Goddess that was fatally wounded. Nishalle killed that Goddess’s sister for similar reasons and now she’s a Demigoddess too. Anyway, one of my new aspects is causing some issues, and my appearance may have changed a teensy bit,” I admitted.

I heard her gasp before sputtering, “No way! Get out! Nishalle is too?! That’s wild! So Daenyss is going to be pumping out even more titles when she introduces you now? What aspects did you get?”

“Love, justice, and… sex,” I mumbled. “And yeah, Daenyss is probably going to start adding those and the title ‘Queen of the Heavens’ to my introductions now. I kinda have this sex aura now and it’s making it hard to have normal conversations with people. I get a lot of attention, even with a glamour on. Without one I look like a damn sex Goddess too. So it’s probably not the best time for me to be getting public… exposure.”

“Are you kidding me?! This is perfect!” she squealed in my ear. “Sex sells, you know. Not that I’ve ever used that angle for myself but this would be great for getting our message out there and getting you more worshippers. Especially if you can do some more high-profile heroics over the next week. I want to do a press conference about changed rights next week and I think it would be a good opportunity to introduce you to a wider audience. And if you’re building up a rep as a hero people will be more willing to listen to you about the other stuff that they need to know.”

“You’re starting to sound like Daenyss, Robyn,” I told her with a sigh. “I didn’t call about that stuff though I just wanted to meet up with you. I got some magic fruit from Loki and two of them are for you and Rob.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment since we both know that she only ever wants what’s best for you, Tae. Wait, magic fruit? Loki? Do you mean Loki, as in the God of Mischief? That guy?”

“Well, no, not a guy. Not at the moment anyway. She’s kinda genderfluid like Rei. She’s going to be teaching me and Nishalle some stuff. Danu trusts her though and the others already ate the fruit with no problems. Unless you count immortality and immunity to the Gods’ auras as a problem,” I rattled off, trying to sound casual about the whole thing.

“Okay, I really need to catch up on what’s going on. Never mind, we’ll meet up so you can deliver the fruit. I’ll freak out about what it’s for later,” Robyn said with a sigh. Then she took a far too casual tone of her own as she added, “In fact, Rob and I already made reservations for dinner after you texted this morning. At eight o’clock at Chez Marcelle, I figured that we should have an ‘accidental’ meeting as our real selves at one of the high-class restaurants in town so I made a reservation for two for me and Rob. And Rob phoned in a reservation for ten under the name Taelya nír Keshwaindyr. Bring the whole entourage. People need to see you doing things other than saving lives among us mere mortals.”

I groaned at the mere thought of being in a stuffy high-class restaurant with everyone staring at me. “Robyn, this is not a good idea. Even without the sex aura, this wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Pleeeeease,” the pop star cajoled. “Come on, Tae. I know the media and entertainment business as well as anyone who has survived with their morals intact can. Would I steer you wrong? You need to start building a following. It’s not even like we’re gonna be eating there if what I heard about the place is true. But when they do what I think they will, and you end up being the better person like you always do, the Paparazzi that’s following me around is going to eat it up. Just don’t let Daenyss in on it, I want her reaction to be genuine.”

“You’re probably right, but you know, I miss the Lark who was all about enjoying the experience in Apocalypse Dawn. The one who played games, listened to music, and chatted with Liss and Kinara like an everyday teenager,” I told her with a sigh.

She let out a sigh to echo mine on the other end before saying, “Yeah, me too. We both have jobs to do though, we need to be public figures, and who will do what’s needed if we don’t?”

“Yeah, I know. Sometimes you’re just way too mature for your age, Robyn. We’ve all missed having you two around the past couple of days, maybe after tonight, we can hang out more again,” I offered hopefully.

“I had to grow up fast,” she agreed. “Hopefully, if tonight goes well, we’ll have reason to be seen together in public and I can hang out with my family again.”

Daenyss spent almost two hours pampering me to prepare for our dinner reservation. Since the lot of us would be going out without glamours, except for whatever illusory outfits would be conjured up for most of us, she wanted me to look every inch the Demigoddess and Empress that I was. Once I was cleansed, lotioned, and perfumed to be looking and smelling my best she redid my hair in its usual distinctive style and did some light makeup. I really didn’t need much with my new looks but her subtle additions somehow made me look even more sultry and beautiful. She also put some sparkly violet polish on my nails that went really nicely with my eyes.

The evening gown was a simple backless sequined affair in royal purple with a thigh-high slit up the right side. It displayed a lot more cleavage than I was really comfortable with but at least the heels on the elaborate black sandals weren’t too uncomfortable. To finish off the outfit I wore some of the jewelry that Xixie and the other Sül’shael had made for me: A pair of bracelets and a few rings along with a matching necklace of Nythrin with tiny diamonds and amethysts and a large teardrop-shaped diamond that was probably worth more than the restaurant we’d be visiting, in a Nythrin setting with elaborate Celtic-looking designs carved into it. At least it all went nicely with my usual hair and ear ornaments and my faux spell focus.

The others had gotten cleaned and prettied up as well but since we didn’t have time to get them anything new to wear they were all wearing illusory clothing over top of clean everyday wear. Grell, Pete, and Rei were all wearing tuxes, though Rei’s tie was color-coded to match my dress. The girls all wore gowns similar to mine but in different colors with simple matching heels. Lissany was in pale gold, Whisper in white, Harley in black, Kinara in hunter green, and Nishalle in a crimson that matched her glowing eyes. Even Venika had a tiny illusory gown and heels on, in a striking silver hue.

The only one left to get dressed was Daenyss. She already had her hair and makeup done but before we left to meet Robyn and Rob though, I had something to ask her. I had thought that as a Demigoddess I might be able to free my Attendant of her magically enforced oath to serve me for all time, which could very well be that long given my new status. I hadn’t been able to do so, and part of the reason was possibly that Daenyss didn’t want to be released. She didn’t want to risk hurting me again, even accidentally, and we had become close enough that she didn’t really want to leave my side either. I could live with that and it was her choice to make.

That did not mean that I couldn’t make things easier for her in her duties or reward her for being a good and loyal friend though. And, given my new power level, I knew that I should easily be able to do what I had in mind. “Daenyss, there is something that I want to do for you, but it has to be your choice whether or not you would like to accept it. It’s a gift, something that would keep you safer and make your job easier.”

“A Gift, Mistress? For me? But you do not need to give me anything. I am happy just serving you and being your friend. I would never ask for more than that,” the Nymph replied, seeming a little confused by my offer.

I knew full well that she would never ask for more, even if she wanted it. It had been the same with the offer that Rei and I had made earlier to get to know here better as perhaps more than just a friend. Daenyss stuck by my side, served me faithfully, and even distracted a Goddess to give me time to draw the fight away from any innocents. She also severely undervalued her worth.

“No, you wouldn’t, Daenyss,” I agreed. “But that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve it. I want to give you some new nasyr taka. One would allow you to cast a combination of my Radiance and Aegis spells on yourself or someone else. It’s not exactly low-profile but they’re my most powerful defensive spells and should keep you safe from most magical and physical attacks if the shit hits the fan. The other is for a glamour spell that you can adjust how you like. It could just be clothing if you need to wear some for some reason, or a disguise to wear among the Humans. You shouldn’t need to depend on me to be able to go out and do things and having these spells will serve both of our needs better.”

“I… alright. Thank you, Mistress.” She hesitated for a moment, but it seemed that my wording did the job and convinced her to take my gift. It may have been a little manipulative on my part but I didn’t want to order her to do it and I had seen the longing looks she cast whenever someone casually cast a glamour. While I was happy to cast a glamour on her any time that she wished it, I thought that she’d be much happier being able to do it for herself. With her superior knowledge of fashion, she would probably be able to cast much better clothing glamours than I ever could anyway.

It took me a few moments but soon new turquoise marks anointed both of her arms, just above the wrists and below the marks just beneath her elbows. Once it was done I gave her an encouraging smile. “All done. You should just have to think about what you want to do, just like with the marks that my Mahair gave you.”

Her brow furrowed slightly as a look of concentration passed over her face and a moment later she was wearing a stylish strapless and backless ankle-length turquoise gown with strappy heels of the same color. It looked amazing with her similarly colored eyes, the patterns of the Viyr Jhaith around her neck, and the nasyr taka along her arms. It really made her long strawberry blonde hair, styled in a braid over her shoulder, stand out too. The best thing of all though was the smile on her face. It felt so nice to be able to do something to make her happy for once instead of always being on the receiving end.

Now that we were all ready to go, we just had to wait for the all-clear and double-check my preparations. Food and litterbox set for the Wisps and Whisper’s familiar while we’re gone? Check and check. Purse? Check. A huge wad of cash? Check. Unglamoured and dressed to kill? Check.

It was almost eight o’clock and Nishalle had gone ahead on her bike to scout out the area and wait for us in the building’s underground parking garage. It was five minutes to eight when I received a text from my sister saying that everything looked safe. So, without any further ado, I cast the portal that would take us to our destination.

Damn, there were a lot of fancy cars in that garage. These were exactly the types of social situations that I used to hate. I tried to shrug it off as I allowed Lissany and Harley to lead the way to the elevator. “Yeah, fancy cars that cost more than I used to make in a year. There are a lot of guys overcompensating here, I think. Just suck it up and be cool, confident, and don’t let them look down at you, Taelya. I have lots of money too now, and I seriously doubt that any of them are either an Empress or a Demigod.”

I kept trying to tell myself that as we all rode up the elevator to Chez Marcelle. It was one of those overpriced restaurants on the top floor of a high-rise overlooking the ocean where a plate costs enough to feed half the population of an island nation like mine. At least I would have that ocean view and the moonlight to calm me somewhat. Finally, the door opened on the top floor with a *ding* and I took a deep breath as I followed my Guardians out and thought to myself, “Showtime.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 15 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted earlier but I had some technical issues set me back. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 15: War and Justice

The large foyer area that the elevator doors had opened into just outside of the restaurant was crowded and humming with the talking of people with cameras and other recording devices. Well, that answered one question, Robyn was already here. The paparazzi were buzzing around her like locusts and barely noticed us at first. That was a somewhat novel experience, given how much attention I had been drawing whenever I was without a glamour lately, and especially since gaining my newest aspects.

Then Robyn got a look at me through the crowd and her jaw dropped. I had told her that I had changed a bit with my new aspects but it seemed that it was still enough to surprise her. So at least the stunned look on her face was genuine when she spoke loud enough to be heard above the vultures circling her. “Oh, wow. You’re her, aren’t you? The one on the news, the one they say is some sort of Goddess.”

Instantly, heads and cameras swung around as the jackals with the cameras were cued into the presence of someone even more newsworthy than Robyn. Daenyss, bless her little Nymph heart, knew an opening when she saw one. She puffed herself up and gestured grandly toward me. “This is Her Imperial Majesty, Taelya nír Keshwaindyr: Chosen daughter of the Goddess Danu; Demigoddess of magick, the moon, the sea, nature, justice, love, sex, and doves; Empress of Varüus’kiel; ruler of all Fae; slayer of Tiamat the Dragon Queen; and Queen of the Heavens.”

A couple of the female hounds that were unaffected by my aura tried to get close enough to shove cameras and microphones at me while most of their fellows were too busy staring but they were quickly blocked by Harley, Nishalle, and Lissany while Pete watched my back. Nishalle had the intimidation turned up to twelve and they stopped in their tracks as she glared at them and then spoke. “Look, as long as Her Majesty doesn’t mind, you’re free to take pictures or ask questions but if anyone makes any moves that I even think might be threatening then we will defend her. You really don’t want that.”

“If she’s some sort of Goddess, why does she need protection?” one of them asked. I didn’t like the look of her or the way that she was looking at me. The woman was bleach blonde and she might have been pretty if she didn’t carry herself like a shark in a feeding frenzy.

“Oh, we’re not protecting her,” Nishalle said with a frightening grin, “our position is mostly ceremonial. The Queens of the Four Courts requested that she have an honor guard as our Empress. If she felt forced to defend herself… well, she’s not used to dealing with mere human threats anymore and could accidentally reduce you to your constituent atoms.”

“You’re actually probably safest if the big guy back there has to step in,” Harley pointed to Pete with a thumb and a grin of her own. “As a Human himself, he’s the least likely to accidentally kill you. We Beastkin are hella strong, Lissany there has fought toe to toe with creatures from your worst nightmares and she punches out dragons, think about what she could do to you. I may not look it, but I’m just as strong. Oh, and the one that you just tried to shove your way past, that’s Her Majesty’s sister, Nishalle. Also known as the Queen of the Underworld. She’s a Demigoddess of the earth, darkness, owls, and death. She’s very good at that last one.”

“Would you two please stop teasing the people with the cameras?” I said with a sigh.

The pushy lady had backed off a step and was watching Nishalle warily. She looked at me uncertainly, “You mean that she’s not…”

I managed not to laugh, keeping myself to only a smile as I shook my head, “Oh no, every word that they said was true but we’re not here to cause problems.”

“Why are you here then?” the second lady asked, pointing her video camera at my smiling face.

“Well, short-term, we’re here to eat dinner,” I replied, managing to keep myself calm and smiling for the cameras. “Long-term, we want to foster peace between Humans and non-humans, provide a safe homeland for the changed who are being persecuted for something beyond their control, and prevent humanity from being wiped off the face of the Earth.”

Robyn and Rob had managed to extract themselves from the crowd of paparazzi that were still trying to shake off my aura. Damn, it was a good thing that I saw Rob as off-limits because even without the aura affecting him he was looking a bit stunned as they approached. Robyn was too as she said, “You look… different than on the videos.”

“Well, I recently inherited some new aspects and got a bit of a power boost and it may have affected my physical form a little,” I replied as I tried to keep smiling. “You’re Robyn Reyes, right? My entourage and I are all big fans.”

“You listen to our music?” the pushy lady asked with a stunned expression.

“Of course I do, my sister and I were part Human originally and we grew up as Humans before we became fully Fae. Almost all of the ‘changed’ were Human before awakening when the Veil fell. Changes like that can be traumatic and now many are being persecuted on top of it. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that we were descended from Fae royalty. I went from a fairly average human to a Fae princess, and then to Empress of all Fae and a Demigoddess in a fairly short time, so I know how hard it is to deal with something like that. The changed need help adjusting to their new selves, not more trauma added on top,” I offered. I knew that that statement was probably loaded but I needed people to see me as an ally to both Humans and the other Races.

“Who were you before?” pushy-lady asked.

“Frankly, that’s not relevant. That is a private matter, and I’m no longer that person,” I stated flatly.

“Of course, it’s relevant! You could have been a serial killer or something!” she pressed.

“You will not slander our Empress,” Kinara suddenly interjected with a steely tone. “Some Human rulers think that they rule by divine right, but she actually does. She was chosen by the Goddess Danu, the creator of our people because she cares for all living things; Humans, Fae, and all of the other Races. Her ascension was witnessed by our people and representatives of all the races, including Humans. She was chosen because she wants peace for everyone and she is willing to fight the Gods themselves so that you Humans can have a second chance to help forge that peace and save yourselves.”

“Thank you for defending my honor, Countess Kinara,” I said, purposely using her official title. “Now, I believe that we have dinner reservations. Shall we go eat?” Then I put a pensive expression on my face for a moment before turning to Robyn and Rob. “I take it that you have reservations as well, Miss Reyes?”

“Yes, my agent suggested this place. I’m looking forward to it,” she said with a playful smile.

“Perhaps we could see if they can seat us together then? My people tell me that you have started a campaign for changed rights and I would like to discuss the topic with you. Would that be acceptable?” I asked the pop star sweetly.

“I would love to, I’m sure that you have a very unique perspective on the topic. This is my boyfriend and bodyguard, Roberto Cruz,” she replied, still smiling as she faked an introduction.

It felt weird doing introductions with them but we were still on camera and this was supposed to be our first meeting. “Allow me to introduce my entourage. The Kitsune is my fiancé, Rei and the pink-haired Yseil’dhraí who just defended my honor is Kinara nír Surínkäel, my apprentice and Countess of the Summer Court.” Since we were being all formal, I decided to use Kinara’s formal name. Although all Fae technically have one, only Yseil’dhraí ever really use them, usually in situations like this. I quickly went on to ‘introduce’ my sister and other companions as well and then gestured to the entrance to the restaurant. “Shall we, Miss Reyes?”

“Please, call me Robyn, Your Majesty” she offered with a smile as we all approached the door of the restaurant. A tall man with short black hair and a thin mustache was dressed in a tuxedo and waited behind a podium at the entrance and as soon as we entered we had his attention.

“Good evening,” I said with a smile, “I have a reservation for ten, under the name Taelya nír Keshwaindyr. I was wondering if it would be possible to be seated with the Robyn Reyes party of two. We just met and there is much that I would like to discuss with her.” I tried to keep smiling and keep my tone friendly, polite, and yet slightly authoritative.

The Maître D’ managed to tear his eyes off of me and hurried to look up my name. “Uh, yes, I see it. “I’ll check with the manager and see if we can manage to seat your parties together Miss... umm… Neerkeshwayndeer?” One good thing about my aura, people were usually eager to please, even if the men tended to walk funny. It probably wasn’t quite the reaction that Robyn was expecting though.

Uh oh. Daenyss did not look happy. “Excuse me, Sir. You are addressing the Empress of Varüus’kiel, you should address her as ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Your Imperial Majesty’.”

“Maybe I should have worn the crown,” I teased my Attendant.

Meanwhile, the Maître D’ was awkwardly hurrying off to find the manager and blurting out, “Apologies, Your Majesty,” as he left. He returned a few moments later with a tall and willowy brunette woman with a really nice black dress and a severe case of resting bitch face syndrome.

Yeah, she did not look happy to see us. In fact, she completely ignored us and walked right up to Robyn and Rob, seemingly not caring about all the cameras still pointed in our direction. “Miss Reyes, how wonderful that you decided to dine with us tonight. I would be happy to take you to your table myself.”

Robyn visibly rolled her eyes before replying, “Actually, I was wondering if we could join Empress Taelya’s party. They have a reservation as well. She’s standing right there; you can’t miss her. Sexy, pointy ears, glows in the dark.”

The woman turned to give me and my party a look of disdain. “I’m afraid that we don’t serve their kind here.”

I slowly arched a single eyebrow. “What kind would that be? Empresses? Demigods? Intelligent beings?”

“Probably the latter,” Robyn agreed. “So I guess that I’m not welcome either.”

“This is a high-class establishment, not a place for filthy forest freaks or animals,” the woman practically snarled as she glared at me. “There is only one God, and you’re not Him.”

“And here I thought that we cleaned up nice, Daenyss,” I said with a shrug before turning back to the vile restaurant manager. “Funny that you should bring that up. There are plenty of Gods out there, and I have it on Higher authority that yours isn’t one of them. You worship a book of fiction, written by Man. Hell, most of the Gods want to wipe out mankind for attitudes just like yours, now that they’ve returned. I hope that your belief comforts you but the world is changing and I would suggest that you change with it. We‘ll find somewhere else to eat, someplace that doesn’t make me lose my appetite. Would you and Roberto care to join us, Robyn?”

“We’d love to,” Robyn responded with a sweeping bow toward the reception area and the elevators beyond. “And I’ll be sure to tell all my fans and fellow musicians about this place, and to avoid it.”

“You should just buy the place, and then fire her,” Nishalle grumbled.

“Not worth it, Sis. I would rather not have my name associated with a place that discriminates against non-Humans. I won’t use my power to get back at people for being assholes to me, whether that power is magick, money, or something else. If I do that I’m no better than them, or the Gods who want to wipe the slate clean,” I replied as I turned away from the woman and we made our way through the paparazzi and back to the elevators.

All twelve of us managed to squeeze into the elevator and thankfully that left no room for any of the camera jockeys on our tails. It was funny watching them rush en masse to the other elevator as the doors closed though. “You’re too nice sometimes, Tae,” Grell pointed out, “but that’s why we all love you. I would have done something to tweak her. Though the comment about her God was nice.”

“I was only telling her the truth,” I said with a shrug. “Besides, she’s going to have to face her demons sooner than she thinks, without any help from me. I thought that it might help her to do it with a more open mind.”

“What do you mean, Tae?” Venika asked from where she was resting on her daughter’s shoulder.

“That woman is so far in the broom closet, she can see Narnia,” I replied with a roll of my eyes before deciding to elaborate. “Magick is one of my aspects, I can see it, and those who are influenced by it. She’s awakening as a Witch but she’s subconsciously fighting it so it’s taking a while. I’m guessing that she’ll accidentally summon her Familiar within a week.”

“I hope it happens while she’s working,” Whisper muttered. “Maybe it will change her for the better though, I love Shadow. She’s more than just a pet or a conduit for my magick. I kinda feel bad that we had to leave her and the Wisps at home.”

“Well, the Wisps wouldn’t fit in these little clutch purses, let alone a ferret. I feel bad about it too though,” I agreed with a sigh.

“Now would probably be a good time to get us out of here, Tae,” Rob suggested, looking up from his phone. “We can ditch the cameras that way, at least until someone spots us and snaps a photo with their phone or something. Robyn hired a limo to get us here since we figured it would get the attention of the ‘razzi outside the gates of the house. I just texted the driver to wait for the sharks to show up in the garage and then drive around the city. We’ll text him again later for a ride home.”

“You know, we have these little things called glamours if you don’t want to be noticed,” Pete pointed out sarcastically.

“Oh we do want to be noticed, this is great publicity, but having the ‘razzi chasing their own tails is fun. I’m sure that later some excited teenager or another will post photos on Twitter or something, right girls?” Robyn said with a wink toward Lissany and Kinara. “Who knows, I might post something about these amazing new friends I made and getting to talk about changed rights with the Empress of Varüus’kiel.”

“Ooh we can be seen in public together now! Some of us should probably get a social media presence going anyway, it’d get people to see us as people,” Lissany said with a feline grin as I cast a teleportation spell to get us away before the elevator could hit the ground floor.

I wasn’t quite sure where we were going to eat so I just took us somewhere that I thought we might have some privacy while we decided. “Is this…?” Venika started to ask.

“Yeah, it’s the rooftop of the Pegasus Entertainment building,” I confirmed for the Sprite. “It has a nice view and I figured that we wouldn’t be interrupted here while we decide what to do for dinner.”

“Well, I have to go back down to that underground parking lot to get my bike. If we can decide where we want to eat, I can just drive there and text you when I arrive,” my sister suggested.

“I can teleport you there Nishalle, and if you change to your Lindwyrm-hide armor I can just ride along with you in one of your pouches,” Venika offered. “It’s not like anyone is going to see what you’re wearing under that glamour anyway until it’s dispelled or wears off.”

“Sure, sound like a plan. And you always said my bike was dangerous, I never thought I’d see the day where you’re riding along with me,” the Tokh’dhraí teased.

“Well, my perspective of danger had changed a lot lately. Hanging around with you and your sister will do that to a person,” Venika shot back with a laugh.

“Okay, now that that’s decided, where do we want to eat?” Rei asked thoughtfully.

“There’s this really great Chinese place in our old neighborhood, Robyn and I still go there like once or twice a month. The owners are a nice older couple and they practically adopted Robyn when they found out that she was living on her own,” Rob proposed. “I could text Nishalle directions on how to get there from the place where her bike is. We haven’t really checked in on them since getting out of the game and it would be nice to make sure they’re doing okay.”

“Chinese does sound good; I haven’t had that since before we entered the game,” I agreed.

Since everyone was on board with the plan, Venika absconded with Nishalle so the pair could retrieve my sister’s motorbike and make their way to the place that Robyn and Rob had in mind. While we were waiting, I produced the pair of magical fruit and offered them to the couple. “How about a little appetizer before we go eat?”

Rob looked at the fruit dubiously. “This will really…”

“Grant immortality?” I finished for him. “Yes, and it will make you immune to the auras of Gods. That doesn’t give you free rein to do something stupid though, you can still be killed, it’s just a bit harder. This immortality is in the form of not aging and being unable to die from natural causes. Any wounds that would be immediately fatal to a normal person will kill you too, so don’t ever get cocky.”

“Sweet,” Robyn said before she took a bite, and then the rest of the fruit turned into a brightly glowing golden mist that seeped into her body. “Oh, that was tasty. Still not sure about the immortality thing, but it’ll be nice not to freeze up if Danu or some other Gods decide to show up.”

Rob quickly followed suit. “Well, Babe, I guess I’m doing this too then. I did promise to protect you and stay by your side for as long as we both lived.”

We were all set to just sit, talk, and relax as friends and family again while we waited for my sister’s call but not long after we got as comfortable as we could on the rooftop Whisper frowned, “Oh, that can’t be good.”

I turned my head in the direction and saw her checking her phone. “What’s up, Whisper?” I asked, figuring that my quiet night with friends and family was about to go up in flames. Her answer was to show me her phone, which was showing live news coverage of a massive flock of Harpies attacking people. There must have been at least a hundred of them.

“That’s happening in South Van, near 49th and Fraser,” the petite blonde Witch explained. She didn’t have to tell me that though, I recognized the area because it was the neighborhood where Karin and I grew up and where our human mother lived until she died.

“Yeah, I recognize it,” I said with a sigh. “Even odds that some God or another is waiting for me there.” It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that this was some sort of a trap or lure. I mean, a huge monster attack on the neighborhood that I grew up in with no warning signs? I even had a pretty good idea who it might be or at least whose lapdogs. The Harpies were a dead giveaway. Apparently, subtlety has had its day among the Greek pantheon, and that day was long past.

“You’re not planning on going, are you?” Robyn asked in concern.

“Somebody has to go help those people and at least I know that it’s probably a trap. If there are Gods there, they will just end up killing anyone that I send if I don’t go. If nobody goes then I lose my cred as a protector of the people,” I said with a sad shake of my head. “Whisper, I want you and Grell to take Robyn and Rob to the safehouse for now, they should be safe there and we can’t risk people seeing her use her Bard talents yet. Contact Venika and Nishalle and let them know what’s going on. Harley, you should probably go with them since you don’t have any armor or weapons yet.”

“Hell no! I’m your Guardian, I’m going with you. If I need a weapon, I’ll find one. Besides, you don’t have armor right now either, so you need us covering your back even more.” the unicorn Beastkin protested vehemently. There was no arguing the point with her and we really didn’t have the time anyway.

“Here, Tae, you should take the eye-cam with you. At least that way we can keep an eye on you and get some quality footage of you kicking ass,” Grell offered, putting the tiny artificed drone in my hand.

I waited until Whisper had teleported herself and the others to the safe house before I cast my own teleportation spell to a neighborhood that I had been trying to avoid since learning about the real cause of our human mother divorcing mine and Karin’s father and his eventual fate. I had mixed feelings about the woman who had originally raised us now, feelings that I would have rather ignored. This wasn’t about her though, this was about protecting people, some of whom I grew up knowing.

As soon as we appeared in front of the house that Karin and I grew up in, I took a quick look around. It was chaos with Harpies attacking anyone who hadn’t gotten to some kind of shelter. I quickly cast my Magick Armor and Energy Sheath spells with my free hand and by the time I was done the drone flew out of my other hand and seemed to vanish. It looked like Whisper had gone right to her laptop and the others had eyes on us now.

I could have cast my other defensive spells as well but Harpies don’t have any ranged or magick-based attacks, they’re mostly just annoying and swarm people. Whoever it was setting this up hadn’t shown themselves yet either, but they were probably nearby. If I used those spells now and went in with a big magick bubble on me, I’d be giving away that I knew this was a trap. Those two spells weren’t as powerful as my bubble spells but they weren’t as noticeable either and would provide a protective barrier along the surface of my body against both magick and physical attacks.

I turned to the others and put them on task. “Let’s go, everyone. Rei, take care of the injured while we deal with these abominations. Kinara, stick with him and keep both of you and the injured covered with defensive spells. Single target spells on anything that tries to attack either of you. Everyone else, try to keep each other covered until Nishalle and Venika can get here.” Then to start things off I began to speak the words and draw the sigils for my scattershot spell, targeting any Harpies in the air above us as everyone else but Harley summoned their armor and weapons and went about their tasks. “Tierre kiara tala-aeluine utaera!”

A barrage of basketball-sized blue flames erupted from my outstretched hand and into the air, briefly lighting up the night before a third of the Harpies hovering above fell from the sky trailing flames. It looked like I took out about thirty of them, which I hoped would make our job a bit easier. It would be my only shot at such an attack so I was glad to make the most of it. I couldn’t dare let off another offensive spell with this many innocent people around. I was still using too much power and I only got away with that one because I had aimed it upward.

The Harpies took my attack as a call to arms, ignoring the humans and coming straight at us. We were going to have our hands full since Kinara was our only other caster at the moment, and I had her covering Rei and the injured. The pair of them dashed off toward the nearest victim and I could already sense Kinara layering defensive spells. A Harpy swooped down toward the pair but Daenyss already had her Glock drawn and brought the creature down as Lissany tossed her sword toward Harley before drawing her war hammer. Pete already had his massive claymore drawn to meet the charge.

“Harley, catch!” Lissany called out to her fellow Guardian as the sword sailed toward her through the air.

Harley was already in the fray. The svelte unicorn Beastkin had grabbed a swooping Harpy by the throat and kicked it in the chest so hard that I could hear the crack of the creature’s neck and ribs breaking. She dropped her first victim and gracefully snatched the sword out of the air and, seemingly in the same motion, lopped the head off of another approaching Harpy. “Thanks, Lissany!”

I was trying to stay close to my protectors and Daenyss as my Attendant and I used our guns to keep them from being overwhelmed. Thank Goddess I had learned physical skills like gymnastics, acrobatics, and kurinshal though because I was having to constantly stay in motion to avoid our opponents' strikes at me and take attacks of opportunity. It also saved my ass by helping me avoid a sword aimed at my throat while in the thick of the melee. My physical protection spell would have stopped it but still, that was alarming.

Shit! Whoever it was attacking me had most of the Harpies trying to overwhelm the others while the others kept me on the move to try and separate us. My protectors were trying to get to me but they would have to carve their way through dozens of Harpies to do so. I grimaced and turned to the woman who had attacked me, holstering my pistols and drawing my swords as I looked her over.

She had olive skin and long black hair tied back in a braid and she was dressed in Greek-style armor. She also had a sneer of disdain on her pretty face and a whip hanging from her belt. “You know,” I said conversationally, “generally, it’s considered polite to introduce yourself before you try to remove someone’s head.”

She didn’t take her eyes off of me for a second, carefully watching my movements. “I am Nemesis. You and your allies interfere in the plans of the Gods and mock us with your mere existence. I am here to deliver retribution for your hubris. Today you face justice.”

I would have rolled my eyes as we circled one another but I needed to keep my eyes on her. “Wow. Irony much? You’re lecturing me on hubris? I know all about justice. It happens to be one of my aspects and since you’re not exactly impartial, you can take your justice and shove it up whatever passes for your ass. Did you know that justice is blind?”

I launched forward as quickly as I could my right blade aiming for her left eye. As she moved to block it my other blade nearly managed to slice open her right side before she staggered back out of range and regarded me more warily. She had underestimated me but she was a warrior and I couldn’t be sure if I would get another opportunity like that. She was biding time, waiting, and I had a feeling that I knew what for.

I should have just used my wings and attacked from the air from the start, but if I tried to take to the skies those Harpies would have been all over me and I was worried about being separated from the others. Good going, Taelya, that happened anyway. And I knew that whoever Nemesis was partnered up with was probably waiting to put a blade in my back as soon as we were in the thick of battle. Two-on-one odds weren’t something that I was fond of, especially against me. “Great mother, where is Nishalle when I need her,” I thought in frustration.

~Your sister and Venika have been waylaid by a similar attack of Chimeras, and she is facing off against Thanatos. They have separated you in hopes of taking you both out of the picture. Nishalle is doing well for herself but you must focus on your own fight. You face two warriors with millennia of experience and they wield weapons meant to kill Gods. Even if they are weak Gods, those swords can kill you,~ Danu advised, the voice slipping into my thoughts as I watched my opponent, waiting for her to make her move.

~So, it is two-on-one, and one is just waiting to stab me in the back, I would guess. What should I do?~ I asked Her warily as I batted aside an initial lunge from my opponent.

~Without those swords they are extremely weak. Nemesis only has the justice aspect and Ares only has war and courage, and both have their flaws. Nemesis is arrogant and blinded by love, and Ares is not a God of War because of his intellect but rather because he is bloodthirsty and savage. Trust in your instincts and your loved ones.~ With that advice given, her presence faded from my mind.

She had given me more help than I was expecting there. For one thing, she had told me who my other opponent was, and for another, she had let me know that their swords could kill Gods. The thing is, that meant that I wasn’t the only one in this fight that they could kill. Trust in my loved ones? I had been thinking that this fight would end up as two-on-one, but that didn’t have to be the case.

I kept my eyes on Nemesis and smiled at her as I calmly sheathed one of my swords and said, “Daenyss.” Her brief confusion was enough. Even as my Attendant appeared beside me and started unloading her clip into the Goddess I lunged forward. The bullets might not hurt her, they didn’t even penetrate her skin, but that wasn’t why she was shooting. I closed the distance in a blink and got inside her guard to knock her sword aside and send it skittering across the pavement.

We both leaped for the blade but I had her on her heels and it gave me enough of an edge that I was the one who came up with the God-killer sword in my free hand. Nemesis looked pissed as she drew her whip and snapped, “Dammit, Ares, you’re supposed to be helping me here!”

A masculine voice emerged from the shadows between two nearby houses behind me. “And you’re supposed to be giving me an opening. Just because you’re fucking my father doesn’t mean that you’re in charge here. I came here for one reason, to kill that bitch and take her essence and aspects.”

Keeping one eye on Nemesis, I took stock of the situation. Daenyss had de-summoned her Glock so she was probably switching weapons. Ares was behind me somewhere and Nemesis was regarding me more cautiously now. My protectors were still fighting a couple of dozen Harpies, but Lissany had made her way to the edge of the flock and she had that determined gait that said nothing was going to stand between her and me and live to tell the tale.

“Geez, Ares,” I called out to taunt the shadows behind me. “I guess the rotten fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. You shame yourself, the God of War and Courage hiding in the shadows.”

Holy shit, I could actually feel his anger and bloodlust coming at me from behind, that is until the sound of a sickening crunch when his face was intercepted by Lissany’s war hammer. I may have laid out a good taunt just now, but Lissany was the champ. “Wow, for a God of War, you suck. The big bad God of War and Courage was going to try to kill a girl from behind while she’s in honorable combat? Epic fail, dude. You’re all the same, so I know what you’re thinking; ‘I am a God, puny mortal, no man can defeat me, yada yada, ad nauseum’.”

While she was making him more and more furious with her words it sounded like she was pounding the crap out of him with her hammer as well. She had gotten the drop on him in his anger and I was hoping that she could keep him occupied until I finished off Nemesis. I had to trust in my Guardian, I had my own fight for now and my opponent’s whip had just lashed out to ensnare my arm holding the God-killer.

I held my position, pulling hard against her whip. Daenyss had summoned her AK-47 and was letting Nemesis have it, firing her entire clip into the Goddess’s face. It was like so many mosquitos to her but she instinctively brought up her free arm to shield her face. When I stopped pulling at her whip and lunged forward she lost her balance, giving me the precious few seconds that I needed to thrust the sword into her heart.

Nemesis collapsed and, even as we fell to the ground, I felt her essence joining my own. Since she only had one aspect and it was one that I shared I wouldn’t get any of those from her but I didn’t care about that and I was more concerned over Lissany at the moment. She had managed to keep Ares on his heels but he was starting to shake off her blows and his sword cut clean through her chest piece and caused her to hiss in pain even as she landed a blow to his head with her hammer that staggered him. I couldn’t let her take another close call like that.

I wrenched the sword from Nemesis’s corpse and tossed it to my Guardian. “Liss, catch!”

Ares was still shaking off her blow as Lissany dropped her war hammer on his foot and caught the blade with all the grace and balance of a feline to cut his head clean off. Even from where I was standing I could see she had a Cheshire cat’s grin on her face as she said, “I am no man.” As his body hit the pavement, Lissany stumbled, the sword falling from her hand as she wobbled a bit.

Daenyss and I both rushed to my first Guardian, grabbing her by the shoulders to steady her. “Liss! Are you okay kiddo?” I asked, my heart racing in worry.

She shook her head as if to clear it, taking off her helmet. She smiled to try and reassure me but her bright green feline eyes were glowing with pale emerald light as she said, “Whoa, that was a rush. I’m fine… I think. My regeneration has already healed the little cut he gave me, I just got a little dizzy there. Good thing that I’m getting new armor soon. We should help the others finish up those… Harpies?”

She trailed off and was staring up at the sky where thousands of winged figures were descending from the darkened night sky, so many that they blocked the light of the moon. Daenyss gasped beside me and said in a hushed tone, “Mistress? I think they just got reinforcements.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 16 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but I had a really shitty day and ended up having a major anxiety attack and flashbacks after getting triggered on the subway. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 16: Nobody Expects...

“Damn, that’s a lot of…” I couldn’t finish that sentence since I had no idea what they were from that distance. “We should get ready for battle again. I don’t know if we’ll be needing those swords but we should grab them any… Goddammit! They did it again!” Ares’s corpse and both God-killing blades were gone. When I turned to check I wasn’t surprised to see that Nemesis’s body had been shwooped away as well. I wasn’t very happy about those swords vanishing but it looked like I had other things to worry about at the moment.

Whatever they were, the new arrivals were descending to join the remaining Harpies and... kill them? One Harpy screamed as one of the winged figures set upon her but she had stopped screaming before her corpse even hit the ground nearby with an armored figure using the body to cushion her landing. The others seemed just as uncertain about what was going on as I was, waiting for some cue from me whether to attack the new arrival or not.

The figure appeared to be wearing some sort of form-fitting scale mail that covered her from the neck down and both it and her hair were the color of blood. Seeing her from the side it was pretty easy to see that she was female as she crouched for a moment over her victim, one with a figure and beauty to rival those that I had recently been ‘blessed’ with upon receiving Inanna’s essence. Her wings were bat-like and seemed small for her frame, too small to hold aloft an armored figure of her size without some sort of magical assistance.

I couldn’t sense any active spells on her but I did sense something. It took a moment for me to realize what that was though. She was like me, a Demigoddess, and I could sense the sex aura coming from her. She removed her spear from the Harpy’s corpse with a disturbing *shluuuurk*, the spaded tip gleaming with blood in the light of the street lamps. Wait, that was no spear, she hadn’t used her hands to pull it free. As it whipped back behind her I realized that it was a long flexible tail with a spaded tip and like her wings, it was as black as night.

She turned to face us and she was probably one of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen. She had a heart-shaped face with full pouty lips, a cute little upturned nose, and big crimson eyes that shone when she smiled at me, revealing small fangs as well. Surprisingly, those fangs didn’t detract from her beauty and neither did the curved black horns that emerged from her forehead and swept back along the sides of her head just above her pointed ears like a crown.

Harpies fell from the sky and crashed to the ground around us and time seemed to freeze for a moment as I realized what she was an instant before she walked toward me and got to one knee, bowing her head. She was a Succubus and I didn’t know much about them. Sure, people say they’re Demons and they certainly look the part, but Fae have a natural sense of what are monsters and what belongs in the natural world. This creature… person was different but it was hard to tell with the whole Demigoddess thing she had going on. There was this bond that I felt between us as well, something that I couldn’t define.

She kept her head bowed as she spoke, almost in supplication. “My apologies for arriving late to the battle, Your Majesty, it took some time to find you in this vast city, even with our bond. Is there any other way that we can be of service once my children have finished dealing with the Harpy filth? Shall we see to healing the injured?”

“Umm… yes please, Rei will have his work cut out for him if he tries to do all of it alone. I would really like to know who you are and what’s going on though,” I finally managed to say. Lissany watched the new arrival carefully from my side while Daenyss seemed as surprised as I was but pleased that this Succubus was being respectful.

“It shall be done, Your Majesty,” she said with a slight nod. “I shall have our best healers get to work as the others keep watch for enemies. As for who I am, I am Lilith; High Priestess of the Temple of the Heavens, mother of all Succubae, and a Demigoddess of sex, fertility, childbirth, feminine power, serpents, war, and the wind. My daughters and I stand ready to serve as your Priestesses, and your army.”

As she spoke, several dozen more Succubae alighted on the ground, their scaly armor seeming to melt away from everywhere but their chests and nether regions, making them less intimidating and more alluring as they fanned out to see to the injured. Even their tails, horns, and wings seemed to melt into their bodies to give them a more human appearance. The remainder of the massive swarm above us stayed on watch, either patrolling the air or landing on rooftops.

I was still trying to process the whole army thing when my other protectors joined us and Harley asked, “Lilith? As in the Lilith? The First Temptress?”

Lilith’s beautiful face scrunched up in disgust. “Oh, Goddess, please do not call me that. The Bible is the biggest confidence scam in mortal history, a work of fiction that needed villains to sell the ideas. Ever since the rise of patriarchy the stories Humans told about me made me out to be more and more of a villain. ‘Oh no, we can’t have a female be confident, competent, and enjoy sex.’ Then someone wrote that ridiculous book and me and my children have been demonized ever since. Okay, yeah, so maybe we are Demons but it’s not like that’s our fault, I was cursed!”

Okay, that seemed to be a touchy topic for her and Harley looked like she might just vanish again any moment for having been the person to bring up the irksome inquiry. Whisper apparently knew good PR when she saw it though so the drone left us to follow some of the Succubae who were off to heal the injured. I still wasn’t quite sure what was going on here though so I asked, “Lilith, if you’re a Demigoddess yourself, why are you offering you and your… daughters to serve as my priestesses?”

“That’s a good question,” Lissany agreed with a nod. “Wouldn’t you be better off getting worshippers of your own?”

“Perhaps, if I cared about such things. I do not though,” Lilith said dismissively. Then she turned to Lissany and asked, “Do you wish to cultivate worshippers? Did you wish to become Demigoddess for power or some other reason? What drives you, child?”

“What? I’m not a…” The feline Beastkin didn’t finish her denial, and the brief flash of realization as she glanced toward where Ares’s body had been moments before and the following uncertain expression on her face showed her mental state.

“Liss, you just killed a God and your eyes are glowing. I can sense the divine essence in you,” I pointed out as gently as I could, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“She has aspects as well; war, courage, and protection if I am not mistaken. She seems well suited to them,” the Succubus pointed out.

I was a bit surprised at that and asked, “Are you sure about that? Ares only had the war and courage aspects.”

“I am certain, Your Majesty,” Lilith said with a nod of her head. “Sometimes, when Gods or Demigods are particularly well suited to aspects, their experiences or strong values can cause them to gain new aspects that are closely related to them and suit them as well. For example, I did not have the fertility or childbirth aspects when I first ascended. I was well suited to the sex aspect though, and so I gained the fertility aspect upon carrying my first daughter and the childbirth aspect after giving birth. The original aspect is usually stronger though, which is why I still have the sex aura.”

Lissany’s expression hardened into the look of determination that she often wore when charging into a fight she might not win but was determined to anyway, usually for my sake. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m here because I swore an oath to protect Empress Taelya for the rest of my life. She’s more than just my Empress, she’s like my big sister and friend too. If this makes me better able to fulfill my oath then that’s great but I couldn’t care less about having people worship me. I already have a family and friends that I know care about me for me, not because of some power that I happen to have. That family includes Her Majesty and I will protect her and everyone else I care about, no matter what.”

A nearly blinding smile lit up Lilith’s face. “Well spoken, child. You remind me of myself millennia ago, when Inanna first gave me the gift of some of Her essence. I never cared about godhood though. She was more than a sister, friend, mother, or teacher to me, and I swore an oath much like yours, or the one imprinted upon the Nymph’s flesh, to serve the Queen of the Heavens faithfully for the rest of my days.”

So she had served Inanna. I probably should have realized that earlier. I tried to put it out of my mind as I told her, “I’m not Inanna. She should have given Her power to you if you were that faithful to Her.”

“No, you are not Her. She knew that I had no desire for more power and if she chose you to receive Hers, then She must have thought that you were a worthy successor. I trust in Her judgment and what I see with my own eyes. I see your protectors, your handmaiden, and the Fae and Kitsune over there who keep glancing your way while seeing to the injured. You generate such fierce loyalty from those close to you and, in my experience, such loyalty is usually earned and reciprocated.”

I felt my cheeks turning bright red. “These people aren’t just people working for me or protecting me, they’re my friends and family. Other than that, I just try to treat others as I would want to be treated and to help people where I can.”

“That makes you far more worthy of divinity than most Gods that I have met, Your Majesty. My brood and I will be proud to serve you as your priestesses, soldiers, and in any other way that you might desire.” The last was added with a flick of her spaded tail and a lusty wink.

Oh. Oh my. My brain almost blew a fuse there. Not just because a Succubus had just propositioned me but also because I was thinking of how many I had seen in the sky, the Jhashaira ceremony on the next full moon was going to be very interesting if they planned on interacting with my people. “How many daughters are we talking about here?”

“Well, technically they’re not all daughters. There are a lot of granddaughters, great-granddaughters, and so on. I don’t really keep count anymore but I would say there are roughly between five and six thousand of us. Not all of us are here, of course, this is just the advance guard. Many are in the Temple of the Heavens preparing a memorial for Inanna but I wanted to get a measure of who She chose to be Her successor, to see if you were as worthy of our service as She was.” Lilith paused a moment at that, her eyes darkening and her cheerful disposition dimming to be replaced by an expression of profound grief. “Four of my brood fell alongside Utu, trying to keep Inanna safe when they were ambushed.”

Holy crap, that’s a lot of Succubae and from what she had said so far, it would seem that they were all combat-trained with many Healers in their ranks. Magi too, if I was right about how some of those Harpies had been brought down. I had definitively felt magick being used up there. The four Courts had plenty of warriors, most of our people could fight in some way except for the gentler Fae like the Nymphs, Liyun’shael, or Sül’shael but this could increase our fighting force significantly.

“I didn’t know Inanna for more than a few minutes but she seemed like one of the good Goddesses, I am sorry for your losses. I had a memorial for her and Ereshkigal and there is a monument to them in Varüus’kiel,” I told her sadly.

A sad smile touched her lips. “We could all feel it when She died. She was at peace. Thank you for that, it is how I knew that She was able to choose a successor rather than allow Her power to fall into the hands of those who tried to kill Her. Perhaps my children and I could see this monument after we have sworn our service to you as our Goddess.”

As appealing as the thought of that many able fighters joining me was in the case that we may need to defend ourselves, or even just to help with monster hunting, I didn’t want them serving me because their matriarch ordered it. “I would be glad to accept the service of those who are willing, but I am not your Goddess and each of your daughters should be able to choose for themselves,” I said with a shake of my head.

“I have been sharing my thoughts and perceptions with my brood since we started speaking and there are no dissenting votes in our consensus. My children and I choose who we worship and who we serve, and we choose You, Your Majesty,” the Succubus/Demigoddess insisted.

“Uhh… you’ve been standing here talking to us this whole time,” Pete said, his brow wrinkling in confusion.

“My brood can share our thoughts with one another. Telepathy, I believe it is called in this modern world. When needed, I can even link the minds of the entire brood as one. It is useful in situations like this where a consensus is required, or in battle. We will be able to share thoughts with Her Majesty as well since the bond that we shared with Inanna has transferred to Her. It is much weaker though, we shall have to strengthen it by oath-binding ourselves to Her Majesty as we did Inanna.” Lilith explained patiently. At the uncertain expression on my face she quickly promised, “Worry not, Your Majesty, we would never intrude upon Your thoughts unless it is a matter of great urgency.”

That was when Rei and Kinara approached, along with the dozens of Succubae on the ground following behind. “We’ve done everything that we can for the wounded, my Empress,” Rei said, careful to use my title. “Whoever these people are, they’re damn good Healers, everyone here should be feeling one hundred percent again by tomorrow. Fortunately, there were no casualties.”

I thought it was cute how he added ‘my’ in front of the title. It was like he was not just showing where his loyalties were but also subtly addressing that we were in a relationship. Some people may have thought it was jealousy but considering our earlier talk about the possibility of bringing Daenyss into our relationship, I was more of a private joke and term of endearment that he felt acceptable in front of strangers.

Kinara bowed her head in reverence seeming uncertain about the Succubae as well. “I contacted Venika, Your Majesty. She and your sister were ambushed by a group of chimeras and Thanatos. They’re fine but the police and the men in black just showed up there. She suggested that we all meet at the restaurant that Rob suggested.”

“We should get out of here, those reporters, cops, and suits that were holding back and waiting to see what happened are coming this way,” Lissany quickly added.

I looked to where the crowd was coming from but the suits had the cops holding the reporters back and they were coming toward us with their weapons drawn. Jonesy might be missing but they were still going to be a problem if we stuck around. Either they would shoot first and ask questions later (or more likely not at all), or they would try to detain us. Not that either option was going to work out in their favor.

Looking from where the reporters were being held back to where Lissany and I had killed the pair of Gods, I frowned. Not only had Nemesis had the Harpies herd me away from my protectors but also into a position that the reporters couldn’t have seen her or Ares from where they had been positioned. This was a mixed blessing. While neither of the Gods, nor Nemesis’s monologue on me interfering in the plans of the Gods would probably show up on camera, it also meant that there would be nothing showing that this had been a trap for me all along.

“Yeah, let’s go pick up the others and get something to eat, I’m starving. We can talk more there, Lilith, if you would care to join us? I’m afraid that we probably won’t be able to get a table large enough for all of us though,” I said as I looked pointedly up into the sky.

“I shall have my children disperse and return to the Temple of the Heavens, Your Majesty,” the Succubus matriarch replied with a nod. The moment that she spoke those words the Succubae on the ground took to the air to join the others above us and then they simply vanished.

“What? Where did they go?” Harley asked, staring up at the sky as I began to cast the portal to the safe house.

“They went to the Temple of the Heavens. It was Inanna’s center of power and She ensured that my children and I each has a mark to allow us to travel between this world and Her domain. Now that domain is bound to Her successor,” Lilith explained as the portal formed and I gestured for everyone to enter.

That was about when the men in black wannabes noticed that we were making our escape and quickened their pace while drawing their guns. “Stop, or we’ll shoo…” Which was when the full force of my sex aura hit them.

I wasn’t overly concerned about them shooting me since I still had my protective spells active and the others were already passing through the portal. Besides, now that they were standing there dazed and staring, they weren’t all that dangerous to anyone. “You guys really don’t learn very well, do you? We came here to help and now that our job is done, we’re leaving. You’re not going to be able to do anything to hurt me, and if you hurt any innocent bystanders after all the work that went into healing them then I will not be a happy Demigoddess. You wouldn’t want to make me unhappy, would you?”

These guys were putty in my hands now. At least the sex aura would help make our escapes easier and less shooty, unless they had agents who weren’t attracted to women. Lilith watched with a smirk for a moment before entering the portal ahead of me and I followed quickly after to find Robyn, Rob, Grell, and Whisper waiting for us as the latter put her laptop into standby mode. Apparently, they had all been watching the show so we wouldn’t need to explain who our guest was.

Once back in the safe house I quickly took stock of myself. I had been the only one not wearing a glamour as an outfit and had no armor to change into for the moment and unfortunately, both my dress and shoes were ruined. I sighed as I looked down at my dress that was coated in Harpy blood. It had been expensive and I looked so hot in it. My sandals were toast too; the heels had broken off early in the fight with all of the acrobatics that I was doing.

“I’ll need to clean up a bit and change clothes or put on a glamour before we go,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll try to be quick.”

Daenyss came to assist me, of course, and she was able to get me cleaned up pretty quickly. Harley had to do a quick clean-up under her glamour too since she didn’t have armor made yet but it wasn’t long before we were ready to go. I put on a pair of black pumps and created a glamoured copy of the dress that I had been wearing before over my underwear. It wasn’t like I would be uncomfortable going around without clothes and technically I was wearing more than Daenyss.

Nishalle and Venika were waiting for us outside of the Golden Sun restaurant and Nishalle didn’t look happy. “What’s wrong, Sis? You and Venika are still alive so the fight couldn’t have been that tough.”

“Those damn chimeras totaled my bike,” my sister responded with a grimace. “Except for a couple of dozen of those beasts, we had it handled pretty well. That tool, Thanatos, tried to gank me from behind while hiding in the shadows. Darkness is one of my fucking aspects, did he really think I wasn’t going to notice him there? I just turned the tables by using my shadow shift ability to get behind him in those same shadows while he lunged for me and then I drained him like a juice box.”

“He and the sword that he was trying to kill her with disappeared while we were busy finishing off the Chimeras, and then we had to evade the cops and suits,” Venika explained. “We heard from Kinara that you guys found some trouble too. So, who is the redhead? And, more importantly, why are my daughter’s eyes glowing?” the Sprite asked as Lissany squirmed under her gaze.

I sighed and attempted to explain. “Well, we had a crap-load of Harpies to deal with and they kinda separated me from the others and away from the view of the reporters and cops where Nemesis tried to behead me with a God-killer sword. I turned things around but she had Ares with her and he was going to attack me from behind. Lissany managed to get to my side and went toe to toe with Ares. I may have tossed her the sword after using it to kill Nemesis and she kinda killed him.”

“I was doing my job,” Lissany interjected, crossing her arms and pouting under her mother’s gaze.

“As for the redhead, this is Lilith; Mother of all Succubae, a demigoddess like me, and she was the High priestess of Inanna,” I continued to explain by introducing the Succubus who had shifted her scaled armor into a form-fitting dress with a low hemline and displaying a lot of cleavage.

“And now I am Hers,” Lilith insisted. She just wasn’t going to let that go, was she? “Me and all of my children.”

I sighed and decided to let it go for now, from what she had said earlier it would have to be made official but I was probably stuck with her. Not that having the entire Succubus race as an order of warrior priestesses in my service was a bad thing, I just didn’t really feel like I deserved their loyalty. I tried to shake it off by introducing the others to Lilith as well. Once the introductions were done, I tried to smile and said, “We should go inside and eat.”

Robyn and Rob were both pleased to see that the restaurant and its owners seemed to be safe and sound. Neither of them was quite sure how the elderly Chinese couple would react to their guests though so we were all pleasantly surprised when Mrs. Chan didn’t bat an eye regarding the unusual company that the pop star and her boyfriend were keeping. She just said that Robyn was like family and was a good judge of character, so any friends of hers were always welcome to eat in their humble establishment.

It was a slow night and the only other customers there when we arrived were a family of four with two teenagers who completely freaked out when they saw us. They were quick to ask for autographs, or rather the girl was, and not just from Robyn. To our embarrassment, Lissany and I were asked for ours as well. It seemed that I was getting quite the following online, not that that was any surprise after seeing those disturbing images that Loki had collected. Lissany was getting a following too since there were like a dozen memes online already featuring the image of her punching a dragon’s teeth out.

The poor boy and his father were gobsmacked with both me and Lilith giving off the sex aura so the mother dragged her husband along to pay their bill while their daughter was nice enough to ask for autographs for both herself and her flummoxed and flushed sibling. We even let the girl take some selfies with us and take some photos of us with her brother as well, so long as she waited for an hour before posting anything online. Robyn was sure that if the photos were posted that the paparazzi would be storming the place within the hour and we wanted some time to talk.

It seemed that Lilith and I weren’t the only ones giving off an aura either. Lissany seemed to have one too, it wasn’t as potent as ours but she seemed to inspire courage in those who were uncertain or afraid, like the girl who had asked for the autographs. She wasn’t attracted to women so she wasn’t affected by our auras, but she was affected by Lissany’s. Lilith thought that it would probably become more potent while my Guardian was in the heat of battle and felt that it would be a useful ability for her to have.

After the family had left, it was just us there and Mrs. Chan took our orders. She hovered a bit, doting on us like we were her long-lost grandkids. Rob told us that they had never been able to have children and that was part of the reason that they practically adopted Robyn once they found out that she was sixteen and living on her own. I had tried to get her to call me Taelya instead of ‘Your Majesty’ but she said that wouldn’t be proper, earning a nod from both Daenyss and Lilith.

Her husband was working in the kitchen but he did greet us over the counter and then helped his wife to bring out our meals. He didn’t seem as affected as others by the sex aura. He was physically affected, judging by the way he was standing, but he seemed to only have eyes for his wife. It was nice to see that kind of love and loyalty in a couple and it made me sad that they never had children of their own to love and care for.

They seemed like good people; open-minded and caring about others, and I resolved to speak with Robyn about offering them a place in Varüus’kiel and a go in one of the F.I.Ts, should they wish it. They could relocate their restaurant there if they wanted and have a chance at starting the family that they seemed to want so badly.

Lilith told us about herself and her brood as we ate. She wasn’t backing down about them becoming my priestesses either. They were war-priestesses, trained from childhood to fight and to be able to control their Succubus abilities and nature once they awakened. All of this to serve their Goddess in battle, and anything else that She might require. They had been fanatically loyal to Inanna and now that they had met me and approved of her choice of a successor, they were prepared to show me that same loyalty.

As far as I could tell, Inanna had earned that loyalty. She had taken a broken and violated young woman and helped her to build herself back up. She gave Lilith a home, a purpose, and love and Lilith returned that love and devoted her life to serving her savior.

Lilith didn’t go into specifics as she told her story but we probably wouldn’t have recognized the names of any of the places or people involved regardless. She was born a type of wind elemental, very much like the Sylphs among the Fae. She was a rare beauty and caught the eye of one of the Gods of her time and region. The God wanted Lilith for himself and came to her in a mortal guise, only briefly giving her a glimpse of his divine self before asking her to become his bride.

When she refused his advances he transformed her into a beautiful Demon that craved sex, that would weaken without it. Then he locked her in a dungeon in his domain, vowing only to release her when she willingly gave herself to him. He could have just taken her by force, of course, but he was arrogant and wished for her to suffer for her insolence in refusing the honor of being his bride. For years she remained in that dungeon, eating whatever scraps that the God deigned to feed her but she fought her urges and refused to give in to him. Food could sustain her but without the sexual energy that she needed to feed on to keep her strong and healthy, she slowly deteriorated.

Inanna was a young Goddess at that time, trying to increase her power, the size of her domain, and her area of influence by challenging other Gods to duels. When she found Lilith in the dungeon after slaying her captor and exploring the domain that she had gained from him, Lilith was weak as a kitten, half-starved, malnourished, and praying for death to end her suffering rather than give in to her captor’s demands.

Inanna took Lilith back to the Temple of the Heavens, her center of power, and nursed her back to health, her sex aura providing the much-needed sexual energy without Lilith having to debase herself. In time they became close as Inanna taught her to fight, the art of war, and helped her learn to live with her trauma and what she had become. Eventually, she taught her the pleasures of the flesh as well, and how to embrace her new nature. Lilith vowed to serve the Queen of the Heavens so long as they both should live and she did so faithfully, for over a century before earning a gift of a spark of the Goddess’s divinity for doing so.

It didn’t make much difference to Lilith, whatever it was that she had become was clearly not mortal even before becoming a Demigoddess. As long as she regularly fed upon sexual energy she had remained young and beautiful. When she eventually had children she found that she could only give birth to girls, who appeared human until they reached maturity and then they too became what Inanna had dubbed a Succubus.

Most of the demonic myths about them grew over the years at the patriarchy and then the Church came into power but few of them were even close to accurate. Succubae don’t need to just feed on males, they feed on sexual energy in general. They don’t suck the life out of their partners either, they just leave them very tired and satisfied after a very long night. The only killing they do is in combat. They are stronger and faster than Humans and can shift their non-human features away to appear Human and grow scales to act as armor or clothing when needed. They prefer to wear Human clothing to blend in when out exploring the world or searching for a meal though.

Lilith trained her children as Inanna had trained her and even when they could not feed on the sexual energy of Humans, Fae, or one of the other races, they all remained healthy by basking in the sex auras of their mother and their Goddess. Lilith enjoyed being a mother and was determined to have many children, not just for her own satisfaction but also to give her Goddess worshippers, priestesses, and an army worthy of a War Goddess all in one. Even after Inanna’s power began to wane they were all very happy until Danu erected the Veil and they emerged into a strange new world without sensing the passage of time that it took to get there.

Inanna and her siblings had wanted to explore this new world together in the guise of mortals and she didn’t want to attract too much attention while doing it, so she and Lilith had compromised by having only four of her eldest daughters accompany them since Lilith herself would have garnered too much attention, being unable to turn off her aura. And so we came to where we now were.

I found myself liking Lilith as she told us her story. She was fiercely loyal to those who she deemed worthy, she didn’t care about power for the sake of power, and her brood was a family that she cared deeply about. It was hard for her to speak of losing Inanna and her daughters since the loss was so fresh and the grief was still raw. Inanna was everything to her and her daughters, and I couldn’t imagine losing someone that wasn’t just your child but who you shared a close mental bond with.

Searching me out to see if I was worthy of the service of her and her children wasn’t selfish as I first suspected but one last service to the Goddess that she and her children loved. Inanna had chosen me as her successor, and Lilith and her children saw it as fulfilling Inanna’s last wish by caring for her chosen successor as they did her, should they find me worthy. I still wasn’t sure whether I was but that didn’t seem to matter to them, they were determined to serve me.

And so before we left the restaurant Lilith decided to accompany us to the safe house until I could come to the Temple of the Heavens to receive the oaths of her and her children. By that time, the Golden Sun was getting very crowded with paparazzi, who Mrs. Chan sternly told could leave if they weren’t paying customers. We waited until they had all ordered and gotten a few pictures before Rob and Robyn left in their rented limo and I cast a portal to take the rest of us to our temporary home.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 17 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but between finding an starting work, sore ribs, and catching the cold from hell from my housemates things have been slow going since I got settled in Ontario, especially the last week. Hoping I'll be able to pull off bi-weekly postings if I can at least shake this cold. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 17: Back to School

As soon as we were back at the safe house everyone was ready to call it a night, though I had to cast another portal for Grell and Whisper. Since we were expecting deliveries early in the morning to the warehouse that I had leased, and more deliveries over the next few days, the pair would be staying there so that someone was on hand to receive the deliveries and contact me to portal them to Varüus’kiel. While there, the pair would also be working on the other tasks that they were working on for me.

We had set up a small space for them to sleep and work inside the warehouse’s office and made it as comfortable as we could with some cots and anything that they might need while there. It wasn’t going to be as comfortable as the safe house but it would be better than roughing it. So, as soon as the pair had gathered their gear, supplies, Whisper’s familiar, and the laptop that the Witch had been using, we said our good nights and I cast the portal to send them to the warehouse.

By the time I was done with that, most of the others had already made their way to their sleeping spots while Lilith was offered Whisper’s usual place on the couch for the night. With everyone settling in, I made my way to the master bedroom with Rei and Daenyss and was finally able to get out of my clothes. Daenyss had removed all of my special jewelry for our night out and was clearly about to excuse herself for the night when I put a hand gently on her shoulder.

As soon as she turned around I kissed her. It was gentle yet insistent and I hoped that it conveyed just how much I cared about the Nymph. As soon as our lips parted, I caressed her cheek. She wanted this too, she had been reluctant to break off the kiss and her body was reacting, not that it takes much to get a Nymph to react.

“Daenyss, we had plans tonight and the only way that you’re getting out of them is if you can honestly tell me that you don’t want to do this,” I told her while looking her straight in the eyes.

“I… Mistress… I can’t…” my Attendant stammered uncertainly. She couldn’t say it. She was incapable of lying to me but we both knew why she was holding back.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her once again. “You need to stop worrying about hurting me. Your oath won’t allow it and more importantly, you would never let it happen. You care about me too much for that. I trust you, we all trust you, and you need to start trusting yourself too. You are a beautiful person, inside and out, a friend, and more than a friend who I want to know better. I won’t force this or order you, and you’re free to leave if you really don’t want this. All I ask is that you be honest with me, and yourself.”

“She’s right, Daenyss, and you know it,” Rei added as he finished undressing and climbed into bed. “Don’t worry about hurting me either. You’re not trying to steal Taelya from me, we’d be sharing her and each other, and we both know that Tae isn’t fickle. I will always wear her sahir kien. I’m one hundred percent on board with this, if I wasn’t then I would have said so when the topic was first brought up. We’re all close already; this is just seeing if we’re compatible as lovers as well as friends.”

Daenyss’s defenses seemed to crumble a little more with each word that we said until finally, she relented. “I… this would make you happy, Mistress? I will gladly serve you in any way that you desire.”

Shit, this was a trap that I didn’t want to fall into. I knew full well that Daenyss would come to bed with me, whether she wished to or not if she thought that it would make me happy. She’d do anything for me. “Daenyss, stop. This isn’t about you serving my needs and desires, it’s about sharing something special and becoming closer. I am happy just having you in my life, in any capacity. I am happy with the closeness that we share. But I would be happier if I knew that you were happy with things between us too.”

“Of course, I am happy serving you and spending time with you,” she insisted. “You are the most important person in the world to me, Mistress.”

I gently reached out to cup her face in my hands and kissed her again. “I know you are, but I also know that you’ll put your own happiness aside if you think that it is what’s best for me and right now I don’t want you to do that. So, I’m asking you for just this one moment, please put aside thoughts of what would make me happier and think about what would make you happier. You would never ask me for anything, you’re just not like that, but I want you to tell me honestly whether you want to explore a more intimate relationship with me and Rei.”

My attendant’s cheeks flushed and for a moment all that she seemed capable of was nodding her head. “Yes, Mistress. You are more than my Mistress or my best friend. I… love you more than I have any right to. Rei has become more than a friend as well. I want this but I do not want to hurt you, Rei, or Salem.”

“Daenyss, you’re not going to hurt any of us, you care too much to let yourself do that,” Rei chided as I took the Nymph’s hand and pulled her toward the bed. “Salem is Fae too, she understands how Fae relationships work so I doubt that she would object. I’m the only one of us who isn’t Fae but I still know how you all are with relationships and I’m willing to embrace you both within ours if it can make us all happy. Like I said earlier, I know that neither of you is trying to take my place, this is about finding your place with us.”

I laid down on the bed, pulling Daenyss down with me, and then the conversation ended as Rei and I used other means to show Daenyss just how much she meant to us. Kisses, caresses, and more were exchanged between the three of us as we each used every bit of our Faerie Dance knowledge to bring one another to the greatest heights of pleasure and make it a night to remember. It was quite a while before any of us went to sleep.

I awoke to Daenyss’s voice in my ear and her warm breath against it. “Mistress? It’s seven o’clock and we should start getting you ready for the day. Remember that Loki is supposed to be coming sometime this morning to train you and your sister.”

I opened my eyes, propped myself up on my elbow, and leaned in to kiss the Nymph as she attempted to slip quietly out of the bed. “Okay, Daenyss, let’s go let you do your job. We’ll let Rei sleep in though, she doesn’t have anything pressing to do today and she probably needs her rest after last night.” A look toward my consort showed that Rei was indeed female again this morning and I leaned over to place a quick kiss on her forehead before slipping out of the bed and following Daenyss out to the bathroom for my morning pampering.

For the most part, Daenyss remained as professional as possible as she went through our morning routine since she didn’t want to delay things too much. Still, she would occasionally sneak in a kiss or caress as we chatted and she worked. I wasn’t going to complain since I was enjoying it, and because it was nice to see her not holding back her feelings.

We didn’t take too long though and just before eight o’clock we left the bathroom so that anyone else who was awake would be able to use it while Daenyss worked on my hair and makeup for the day. I didn’t need much makeup and, since neither Daenyss nor I were certain of what Loki had planned, we decided on something fairly casual for my clothes. I wore an amethyst-hued satin skater dress with a hem just above the knees that we paired with black cotton leggings, a leather jacket, and a pair of practical combat boots.

Once we were done getting me ready we made our way to the kitchen where Daenyss started making a nice breakfast for everyone. The only ones awake beside the pair of us were Nishalle, Venika, and Kinara. All of the non-Fae, including Lilith, were still sleeping and I didn’t want to wake them until it was necessary. They needed at least twice as much sleep as us and I wasn’t really sure how much rest was normal for Lilith and her children.

Lilith awoke as Daenyss was putting breakfast on the counter in a way that everyone could help themselves as they got up. Nishalle, Venika, and I were discussing what sort of training Loki might have in mind for us when the Succubus yawned, stretched, and then sauntered into the kitchen to join us. She gave us all a quick once over with her eyes before looking at me and grinning. “Good morning, my Goddess, You look good enough to eat this morning.”

The playful flick of her tongue that had followed the Succubus’s comment had me blushing bright red as she said her good mornings to the others as well. “Do you have to call me that? I mean, I’m only really a Demigoddess and you were calling me ‘Your Majesty’ last night. You could always just use my name.”

Lilith shook her head as Daenyss set a plate in front of her. “Last night I assumed that You would prefer me to address You by title since mortals were watching, and addressing You as our Goddess could bring unwelcome attention while You were trying to maintain a low profile. It would be improper for me to address You with such familiarity where others could see, my Goddess.”

“How is addressing her as ‘Your Majesty’ low profile?” Venika muttered as she sat on the table and shared a small portion of breakfast with the Wisps.

“Well, to be fair, I wasn’t wearing a glamour to disguise myself so you were all addressing me formally too,” I pointed out.

“And, to be honest, low profile kind of went out the window the moment that we teleported in and started using magic and fighting Harpies,” Kinara added. “It was long gone when thousands of Succubae showed up.”

“We detected the auras of Gods nearby when we found You in battle. After the murder of our Goddess, we were not willing to allow Her chosen successor to meet a similar fate. A show of force was required; as even Gods would be wary of taking on so many of my kind at once. Most have seen a vast decrease in their power without worshippers, a pity that the same cannot be said for their egos,” the Succubus matriarch said bitterly. Then she reluctantly added, “Not all of them are bad, of course. Inanna and her siblings, and a few others that I have met were good people at their cores. I have not met Your mother, my Goddess, but I have heard only good things about Her.”

I finished a sip of my orange juice and decided to test the waters. “What about Loki?” What have you heard about them?”

To my surprise, she smiled. “Many of the Gods that I have spoken with have had nothing good to say about Loki: He’s dangerous, selfish, manipulative, and so forth. It is a good thing that I know better than that. Loki is a kindred spirit, and one of the few Gods that I consider a friend, we have both been demonized by those in power who would prefer to have us out of the way or who needed a ‘villain’ to make themselves look better.”

“Oh, so you know him… err her then?” I asked. Well, that would make things easier. At least it didn’t sound like they were hostile to one another.

“Yes, we go way back, Lilith and I,” Loki casually commented from where she was suddenly sitting on the kitchen counter. She snatched up a sausage and placed it suggestively to her lips with a smile. “We know each other very well. Biblically, you might say.”

Lilith made a show of tolling her eyes, though I thought that she might be trying to cover up a smirk as well. Almost everyone else was staring at her sudden appearance except for me and Nishalle. I was trying not to give her an exasperated look while Nishalle grumbled, “We do have a door, you know.”

Loki looked aghast at my sister. “But that wouldn’t have been as fun, and it would have taken forever to work that joke into a casual conversation. Strike while the iron is hot, as Thor is fond of saying. Lovely to see you all again. Taelya, Lilith, you both look ravishing this morning. Nishalle, I see that you are as serious as always. Worry not though, I will teach you to have some fun today.”

My sister wasn’t about to be distracted. “You’ve been watching us again,” she accused the Trickster.

“Of course, I’ve been watching you. We can’t have you dying on us, all of our plans would go tits up then. It’s more precise to say that I’ve been peeking in on you though, I can’t have my eyes on you all of the time. I almost showed myself last night but you both seemed to have your opponents well in hand and then lovely Lilith showed up with enough of her children to keep any other Gods from making a move against Taelya. To be honest, I was just looking in on you to make sure that you were awake before coming over and I simply couldn’t resist that opening.”

“Well, we’re awake and we’ll be ready as soon as we finish eating,” Nishalle said as she finished a piece of toast. “We’ll need to wake Taelya’s other bodyguards though.”

“You’ll only need to wake Lissany, she will need to learn some of these things as well,” Loki said with a shrug. You’ll be safe where we’re going, and if it looks like your sister is in any danger then I imagine that Lilith will have a small army of her children there in the blink of an eye. You may as well give the other two a day off.”

I nodded as I finished the last of my breakfast and considered Loki’s words as I absently petted Willow in my lap. The Wisp had finished eating and as I stopped stroking her she floated up to make her way into the pocket of my jacket. Apparently, she was going to be coming with me. Not that I was complaining, I felt sort of bad for not being able to spend much quality time with my flying fur baby lately. I just hoped we wouldn’t be doing anything too dangerous.

“Actually, we’ll wake them anyway,” I said once I had considered Loki’s suggestion. “I’d like Pete to be available in case Rei or Daenyss need to go out for some reason while we’re gone. Safety in numbers and I’d feel better if he and Venika stick with them while we’re gone. Kinara, I want you to take Harley with you when you go to give Caitlin her first magick lesson today. We’ll need to assign you a Guardian of your own soon.”

Kinara nodded as she fed Kimmie some of her breakfast. She was too loyal to disobey my orders and smart enough to know that it was a good idea for her to have someone with her and Caitlin in case something happened. “Harley doesn’t have any armor or weapons yet except for the sword that Lissany is loaning her but in a worst-case scenario I can put some defensive spells on us both. Maybe I can try to help her to figure out how she’s making that anti-perception field too before we get going to meet Caitlin at her office.”

“Pete and I will stick to Rei and Daenyss like glue until you’re back,” Venika promised.

With that decided, we woke Lissany, Pete, and Harley and explained the plans for the day while the three of them loaded up on breakfast. Pete and Harley were both a bit uncertain about leaving my side for the day but since Nishalle and Lissany would both be coming along and Lilith promised to call on her children to reinforce us if anything did happen, they both capitulated. They also took their temporary assignments for the day very seriously. I felt better knowing that they’d be looking after the others while we were gone.

We did have to make one brief stop before going wherever it was that Loki wanted to take us. I had gotten a text from Whisper, informing me that the first food shipment and one of the fabric shipments had arrived at the warehouse. The delivery people had left so it was now clear for me to make an appearance and portal it all to Varüus’kiel.

After quick farewells for everyone who was awake, including a kiss for Daenyss that had the Nymph flushing, I cast a portal to the warehouse. Then, with the help of Loki and Lilith, we were able to get everything sent to Varüus’kiel fairly quickly. Whisper and Grell, who were both wearing glamours for when more deliveries showed up, did have one other thing to discuss with me though. They had gone through the footage from the previous night’s battle and there was a slight hiccup.

Whisper started running the footage that showed me dodging and weaving as I killed Harpies and was drawn away from my companions. Only on the part where I encountered Nemesis, she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. It looked like I was fighting and talking to thin air, except for a brief golden light appearing and infusing me around when I killed her and threw the sword to Lissany. It looked the same way with Lissany too, like she was fighting nothing, and then a brief golden light infused her before she got all shaky and her eyes started to glow.

“They were obscuring themselves from mortal sight, and those they were reporting to were quick to retrieve the bodies, and any other evidence of their presence,” Loki commented. “It’s not surprising, really. If you try to release this, then you end up looking like a crazy person and if you don’t, their presence is still safely secret.

“I have to cut it into short segments before uploading anyway so I can cut just before Nemesis tried her little sneak attack and then start the next segment when Lilith and her brood appeared,” Whisper suggested.

“Do that,” I replied with a sigh. Damn Gods anyway. “I’m not too sure it’s a good idea to let it be known that Lilith and the entire Succubus race consider themselves my priestesses but I’m not going to hide anything.”

“Yeah, the bible thumpers are going to have a field day with that,” Grell grumbled.

“On the positive side, with them as your priestesses, you should have no trouble gaining new followers, especially of the male persuasion,” the God/dess of Mischief pointed out. “Not that you haven’t been getting plenty of attention in that regard already.”

Now that we had that sorted and the supplies sent to Varüus’kiel, we were ready to go to wherever it was that Loki wanted to do our ‘Goddess lessons’. That is, we were until my phone rang. Seeing that it was Rei’s number, I quickly apologized to the others and took the call. “Hi, Sweetheart, I thought that you’d still be sleeping.”

“I would be, but Jonesy’s phone got a call,” my Kitsune consort told me seriously.

She had my full attention just from the sound of her voice but now I knew that this wasn’t just a call to say that she loved me or something. “Tell me everything, Honey.”

“It wasn’t the Minister himself, probably some sort of go-between minion to give him plausible deniability. He had new orders for Jonesy. It seems that Robyn’s high-profile dinner companions last night and her campaign for Changed rights have gotten his attention. He wants a tail put on Robyn since he has no idea where you’re holed up,” she said grimly.

“Shit,” I cursed, glad that Venika wasn’t there to chastise me. “I knew that dinner was a bad idea. I was hoping to keep Robyn out of the crosshairs until she and Rob are living safely in Varüus’kiel. At least those orders were sent directly to you instead of to the CSIS or DCA.”

“Well yeah, sending orders to tail a celebrity with a reputation like Robyn’s through the official chain of command would be a bad idea, especially with the Changed rights campaign starting to gain some traction. It would be a political time bomb,” she agreed.

“You’re the one pretending to be Jonesy, how do you want to handle this,” I asked.

Rei laughed and I could practically hear her grinning. “I, or rather Jonesy, told him that I’d put someone on her. It just won’t be someone on their side. Venika is going to stay with Robyn and Rob for a little while and keep herself and Silverheels out of sight whenever they’re in public. I’ll feed generic public info back to the contact once a day until we can confirm the Minister’s involvement or find something more incriminating to pin on him.”

“Sounds good, Honey. Venika won’t let anything happen to them. I should get going now though, we were about to leave and wherever Loki is taking us, I doubt that they’ll have cell coverage. I love you, and I’ll see you when I get back.”

“See you later, Babe. I love you,” she replied before making kissing sounds and disconnecting the call.

“Sorry, everyone,” I apologized as I pocketed my phone. “Rei wanted to let me know that Agent Jones was just ordered to put a tail on Robyn.”

“What?!” Lissany sputtered, clenching her fists at her sides in concern and anger for her friend.

“Don’t worry, Liss,” I said putting an arm around the worried Beastkin. “Nobody is going to receive those orders and your mom is going to stay with Robyn and Rob for a while, just in case.”

Lissany calmed somewhat at that news but she still looked a little worried as Loki gestured broadly and the world lurched. The warehouse was gone and we were now standing roughly thirty feet away from a large log cabin. The scent of the sea caught my attention and once I took a look around I saw that we were in some sort of fjord with massive forested mountains to either side of an inlet with the cabin in a large clearing by the shoreline.

It was very picturesque but the sound of metal ringing on metal brought my attention to what looked to be a smith’s forge on the forested edge of the clearing. That was apparently where Loki was leading us as we walked off in the direction of the forge. The banging of metal on metal and the heat became more noticeable the closer that we got and the source of the noise proved to be a man.

He was massive; seven feet tall and covered in muscle, and Loki cleared her throat to gain his attention. He turned away from whatever he was working on to face us and while he wasn’t really my type, I did have to admit that he was handsome. He had piercing blue eyes and long golden hair with a beard that was as red as my Mahair’s hair.

“Loki!” he called out in a thunderous voice with a massive grin on his face. He quickly dropped whatever it was he had been working on and crossed the distance between us to wrap Loki up in a spine-creaking bear hug. “It’s so good to see you again, my friend, and in your fairer form no less! Sif will be glad to see you! Who are your friends?”

Once the behemoth had released Loki she smiled at him. “It’s good to see you again too, my brother from another mother. This is my old friend Lilith and…”

Her introduction was cut off by a golden and green blur knocking her to the ground while squealing, “Loki!” Perched on top of her was a very pretty woman with golden hair and brown eyes, who wore a simple dark green dress and bore a striking resemblance to Loki’s female form. It was several minutes before the Trickster was able to detach the woman and get to her feet.

Once she had, she punched her near-lookalike in the shoulder and said, “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, this is my old friend Lilith and these three are relatively new Demigoddesses in need of our help: Taelya, the daughter of Danu; her sister, Nishalle; and her loyal protector, Lissany. Ladies, may I present my best friend, Thor: God of lightning, thunder, storms, strength, sacred groves, fertility, and the protector of mankind. And this is my bratty cousin, Sif: Goddess of the earth, fertility, family, love, and marriage.”

Holy crap, I was beginning to suspect, but being told that we were meeting Thor had me dropping my jaw. I wasn’t the only one either. “Greetings, ladies,” his voice boomed, “and welcome to my domain. It’s not much but it’s home.”

“It’s good to meet you,” Sif agreed, “anyone that my cousin considers a friend is a friend of ours.”

“Wait, cousins?” Nishalle asked uncertainly. “Didn’t he shave all your hair off in some of the stories?”

“Second cousins, actually,” the other earth goddess clarified. “That didn’t make it into the stories, and neither did the fact that shaving my head was part of a huge prank war between the two of us. I did far worse to Loki, in both their male and female guises. Sadly, the other Aesir aren’t near as forgiving of Loki’s mischief or overzealous attempts to combat arrogance or abuses of power as my husband and I. We’re the only ones who give poor Loki the time of day. It’s good to see others who can accept her, or him, for who they are.”

While his wife spoke Thor looked at me in interest. “Danu’s daughter, huh? Then I take it that you are the one that our coalition is resting all of our hopes on. I have vowed to protect mankind, much as you have, so I will be glad to give any help that I can.”

“We both will,” his wife said with a nod. “Come into the cabin and we’ll discuss things over some refreshments.”

Much like Thor and Sif, their home was modest, warm, and friendly. Thor was a bit protective and serious as we spoke but it suited him as much as Sif’s playful mischievousness did her. It was readily apparent that they both cared about Loki a great deal though, and that care quickly extended toward us as well.

The biggest subject of conversation was a lesson from the three Aesir on using all of the resources that we had available. We could all fight, of course, and Loki admitted that I was a talented magick user, but we also needed to start using the other resources available to us, resources that I hadn’t really considered until then. The first of those resources was our aspects.

Sure, we could gain power by being near our aspects but we could also influence many of them directly, something that I had never attempted before. I was technically already doing that with my magick aspect every time that I cast a spell and with my nature aspect when I used Nature’s Call but I could work with my other aspects as well. Loki felt that it should come naturally to me as a Magus and Yseil’dhraí since it wouldn’t really be much different than using mana to cast spells or manipulate nature.

I couldn’t really affect the moon itself of course, but the glow from my hair represented moonlight. While I had no real control over that either, by having both the moon and sea aspects I could manipulate the tides if I developed the control and was so inclined. I could also call upon doves, or pigeons, to do my bidding and, given how many pigeons there seemed to be just about anywhere in Vancouver, that was a bit scary.

My aura would also let me exercise some control over my sex aspect, and my other conceptual aspects when it was appropriate. I wasn’t able to consciously control which aspect my aura was pumping out, lower the output, or even narrow it down to an individual or a small group, but with the training, I would be able to make a small hole in it to exempt people from the effects and have intelligent conversations with people again. Since Sif had a couple of conceptual aspects as well, Loki wanted her to teach me, Lissany, and Lilith to do that, and to be able to sense what aspect our auras were currently pumping out.

That wasn’t the only lesson that we would be getting. That was just the morning regimen. Since Nishalle wasn’t a mage, in the afternoons Loki would be showing her how to consciously manipulate all of her aspects, help to incorporate that into her style as an assassin, and teach her every sneaky dirty trick that she could imagine using. While Loki was training my sister, Lissany would spend her afternoons working with Thor. My poor guardian let out a fangirl squeal when she learned that he would not only be teaching her the finer points of being a protector God but also intense combat training since they both specialized in hammers.

As for me, I would be spending my afternoons in the company of Lilith and Sif. Not only would I be working on fine control of my physical aspects but also weapons combat, my magick, and getting a feel for just how much mana I was using, or needed to use, as well. Neither had magick as an aspect but Lilith did have training as a magick user and while the Succubus was trained in spears, unarmed combat, and magick, Sif was an experienced swordswoman.

I was kind of surprised at that but Sif said that part of being a wife, or part of a family in general, was being able to defend your family and home. Family was very important to her and I didn’t think it was just because it was one of her aspects. In fact, as we talked I became certain that it was the other way around, family was one of her aspects because it was so important to her. I found myself liking her a lot.

As we were given the overview of what our days were going to be like whenever we didn’t have anything else pressing to do for the next little while, we had some delicious honey cakes that Sif had baked and chilled milk from the goats that grazed the clearing behind the cabin. We all enjoyed the refreshments, especially Willow as she snuggled in my lap.

I had never tried goats milk before but since Lissany was still so young and it was still early in the day, Sif had thought that mead wouldn’t be appropriate. “Besides,” she teased, “my cousin is a lightweight, she’d be in no shape to put Nishalle through her paces if she had anything to drink.”

With the snacks and conversation coming to an end I was about ready to get to work but when I broached the subject, Loki shook her head. “There is one more resource that you have that you will have to learn to use to take advantage of, and that’s what we’re going to focus on today.”

I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, and it looked like Nishalle and Lissany didn’t either. Sif seemed to glean what her cousin was getting at though and provided the answer. “Most powerful Gods have domains, pocket dimensions that act as a center of power for them, and if they are killed then those domains go to the God that slew them. Some have several small ones but most that do have one prefer to merge any domains that they gain with their own. These can provide needed resources, a home for your most loyal worshippers, and a place of refuge from other Gods.”

Lilith nodded in agreement. “Inanna’s domain was very large, She gained many from other Gods through conquest at the height of Her power and used them to grow Her center of power. She didn’t give me a part of it when she granted me some of her essence because I asked Her not to. It was already our home, I didn’t need anything more than that.”

“The domain that you gained from your mother is unique, Taelya,” Loki added. “Due to the magick she worked there, it is the only one that I know of that is partially inside our own dimension, allowing others to travel there, with your consent of course. But now you have Inanna’s, Nemesis’s, and Tiamat’s domains as well. You should familiarize yourself with them and decide whether you wish to merge them with Varüus’kiel. I don’t know much about what we might find in other Gods’ domains, but I know who had them and who did not. Both Ares and Ereshkigal had one but Thanatos did not.”

“You’re saying that I can make Varüus’kiel bigger? Couldn’t that cause earthquakes and stuff since it’s partially inside our dimension?” I asked in concern.

“Only if you decided to physically merge them. You could also choose to permanently link them through the creation of gates. It would give you access to more space without physically increasing the island’s size. I would suggest exploring those domains first though to make sure that it is safe for their residents to interact with your little empire on Earth,” Loki suggested.

“Yeah, I figure that Lilith and her people should be okay but I have no idea what is in those other two places, and given their previous owners, I’m not sure that I want to,” I admitted, frowning as I thought of Tiamat and what she might have left behind.

“That is why we’re going with you,” Thor offered with a grin. “We will have a look at each of the domains and make sure that they aren’t too dangerous.”

Loki’s grin matched the one worn by Thor and Sif as she said, “Time for a field trip, girls. This should be fun.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 18 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I'm still trying to shake off writer's block but I managed to get something done at least. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 18: Imminent Domains

Before leaving the safety of Thor’s domain, we were given a brief lesson on domains and how they worked. Basically, domains are pocket dimensions but Sif described them as ‘bubbles’ in the void, an endless expanse of nothingness in a dimension adjacent to our own. All of those bubbles have been claimed by one God or another since long before even the Fae were created. These bubbles come in varying sizes and because new ones only rarely form some ambitious Gods will try to get more of them by defeating other Gods, as Inanna had in her youth.

Those bubbles are composed of pure creation energy and mana when they are first formed. So, when claiming a newly formed domain, the inside of the bubble can be made into whatever the owner desires. Their only real limitations are their imagination and the size of the bubble itself. Obviously, there is no real sun or anything else beyond the shell of the bubble but if the creator has a firm enough image in their mind and their will is strong enough, they can even make a day and night cycle, tides, or other natural phenomena that will become reality for those living in their domain. The Domain that Danu had given me was an exception though since it is partially inside our dimension and thus influenced by it.

An inherited domain can be changed to suit the new owner but it would take an enormous amount of power and strength of will. It would actually be easier to just merge it with another and use the surge of creation energy that resulted to change the new larger domain to suit one’s needs. Given that that option required going into the void, navigating it, and bringing two possibly very distant domains together, it’s usually just easier to keep an inherited domain as is, as long as it doesn’t offend you too much. In that case, Gods with multiple domains just connect them with gates or keep them separated. Usually, Gods who merge domains do it because their egos can’t handle having something that was made by a competitor.

Our instructors took us to the edge of Thor’s domain, which was pretty sizable at nearly three hundred square kilometers square. Suddenly the ocean, shoreline, and the fjords just ended in a thick silver mist that seemed almost solid when I tried to push a hand inside. Loki told us that it was the shell of the bubble and assured us that only the God who owned the domain could manipulate or pass through it easily because of the bond between the God and their domain.

“It’s one of the reasons that we have rules about not entering another God’s domain without permission,” Sif explained. “It can be done, but doing so leaves you weakened and in the domain of someone who likely isn’t very happy with you.”

“Oh yes, it is meant to save face. Saying that ‘there are rules against entering another God’s Domain without consent’ sounds so much better than just admitting that if you did you would probably get your butt kicked, especially for those of us with superior… egos,” Loki added.

“And there is no shortage of those,” Lilith scoffed.

“Ereshkigal managed to enter Varüus’kiel, and she brought Inanna with her,” I said thoughtfully as I looked at Lilith. “She did look weakened but I thought that was because of her wounds.”

“She wasn’t seriously injured, Sis. She had some cuts and stuff but nothing that would have been fatal, or even serious, but she was desperate for your help. That desperation probably gave her the strength and will to do it but she looked like she was ready to collapse when she carried Inanna to you,” Nishalle pointed out.

Lissany was still staring at the mist and poking it with her gauntlet-covered finger. “I’m not gonna lie, this is both cool and really creepy.”

“Just wait until you can see it from the outside, little one,” Thor said with a grin.

“We will have to hold off on that though,” Loki advised in an uncharacteristic show of restraint. “None of them have been Demigoddesses for very long. If their minds are still entrenched in the limited perception of mortals, seeing the void now could drive them mad.”

“You’re right, none of us wants that, Cuz. We will wait for that until they are ready. For now, we should make sure that there’s nothing dangerous in those domains that they have gained,” Sif agreed.

Our first stop on the tour of domains was the one that Lissany had inherited from Ares. Once Loki had given us all a quick lesson on how to feel our connections to our domains and how to use that link to create a portal or teleport there, Lissany was able to do as the Goddess of Mischief had instructed. I was a little worried about whether she or Nishalle would be able to do it since neither of them was a Magus but my Guardian managed it without too much trouble. It seemed that all Gods (or Demigods) who had domains had a natural ability to travel to and from them.

As soon as we all stepped through Lissany’s portal, we found ourselves in the center of her new domain. That seemed to be the default unless the divine figure in question focused on a specific area when making the portal, and Lissany could hardly do that since she had never been there before. As soon as we stepped out of the portal we were all on guard.

It appeared that our caution was unwarranted though. We seemed to be in the middle of a training yard of some sort; it was mostly empty space set up with wooden dummies and weapon racks with simple practice swords, spears, and shields. Nishalle, Lilith, and I quickly manifested our wings to do some aerial reconnaissance but we couldn’t see anything dangerous, or much of anything at all.

The domain wasn’t very large, only about ten kilometers square of mostly forested land with the training ground and what resembled a Greek temple at the center. We couldn’t spot anything moving at all on ground level except our companions and the various forest denizens. Since it looked safe enough, we landed and joined the others, and then we all made our way to the temple.

As we waked up the stairs between twin statues of Ares, Lissany grumbled and stopped to glare at one of the statues. “What kind of asshole builds a temple to himself? The training yard could be useful but I’m gonna have to totally redecorate. I’m tempted to smash them but I’d eventually have to clean up the mess.”

“Maybe I’ll see if I can find a volcano to throw those in,” I offered as I ruffled her hair. “I’m sure that we’re going to have plenty of stuff like that to get rid of in these domains, kiddo.”

“Well, it worked for the one ring,” she agreed, cracking a smile as we continued on our way.

The interior of the temple was well lit by what appeared to be evenly spaced torches but were probably put there for effect when Ares originally made his domain. Fortunately for Lissany, there were only a few particularly aggravating decorating choices. The first of those was another huge statue of Ares in the foyer. From there, various doorways branched off into what mostly seemed like a simple living space, a kitchen that was millennia out of date, a massive bath fed by a hot spring that I was slightly jealous of, and the two other rooms with questionable decor.

The first of those was a room full of antique weapons and armor pieces that we assumed were trophies from defeated enemies. Lissany could probably make a ton of money selling those antiques since she had no interest in keeping them. She had even less interest in them when I told her that there was nothing even remotely magical in the whole lot.

The last room looked to be a bedroom of sorts, there was a large indent in the floor piled high with red and gold cushions that were rumpled and stained, and there were discarded bottles of wine all over the place. “Someone had a good time,” Lilith commented in a sultry tone. “Probably more than one someone. I never met him but Ares was well known for his affair with Aphrodite, and screwing anyone with a…”

“Lilith, please,” I interrupted the Succubus, “Lissany is only fifteen.”

“Apologies, my Goddess,” she said, having the good grace to at least look chagrined. I wasn’t mad with her though. She had been a Succubus in service to a sex Goddess for a very long time and she couldn’t help her nature. She was trying though.

“Ew ew ew! Everything in this room goes into the volcano too, kill it with fire! I think I’m gonna be sick,” Lissany complained before quickly leaving the room.

We didn’t find anything else in either the temple or training yard so it looked like Lissany would be able to get away with just a bit of redecorating. We didn’t even find any people but Loki figured that that was because Ares wasn’t really a people person, what with the homicidal rage on a hair trigger and all. He also likely preferred his privacy when he had his ‘female guests’ over.

The next stop was the domain that had belonged to Nemesis. It was slightly larger than the one that Lissany had gotten from Ares, maybe twelve to fifteen kilometers square. Nemesis had probably only gotten and formed the domain recently, which wouldn’t surprise me with so many Gods killing one another and her attempt to kill me. From some of the things that we found, either she or whoever she had gotten it from had obviously put out the effort to renovate since the Gods had been freed from the Veil along with everything else magical. I was betting that it wasn’t Nemesis though, the place didn’t seem like her style.

It was pleasantly warm and from the changes in the position of the sun between the time that we got there and left, I was assuming that there was a fairly normal day and night cycle. Almost the entire domain was covered in vineyards and a large orchard with peaches, plums, cherries, apples, and apricots. Snaking through the middle of the orchard was a small river with a waterwheel and a stone bridge crossing it, and there was a small but picturesque villa and winery in the vineyard. The place seemed full of life. There were hummingbirds and honeycombs full of honey and bees in the trees, fish in the stream, and we occasionally saw some peacocks, quail, and rabbits wandering around.

It seemed peaceful and idyllic until we found the dead Fauns who had likely been the caretakers until Nemesis had taken residence. They had been brutally killed and they all wore a symbol that Loki said marked them as followers of Amphictyonis, a minor Greek Goddess with the aspects of Wine and Friendship between Nations. She had never been widely worshiped and it sounded like she was one of the unallied Gods leaning toward joining Danu’s alliance. Well, now we knew where Nemesis had gotten the domain.

I used Nature’s Call to give the Fauns a decent burial in the orchard and then we entered the villa in a more subdued mood. I was surprised to find working electricity inside, probably provided by the waterwheel, and a very modern kitchen. Everything else was kept simple and comfortable. As much as I thought that it would make a nice vacation home, I decided that I needed to get some of my people to start taking charge of the place as soon as possible. The orchard alone would be very valuable to the people of Varüus’kiel and wine would be both welcome and a possible trade good.

We took longer than I would have liked exploring that domain but the Fauns deserved a decent burial and a few words said over them for their loyalty to their Goddess. We still had Nishalle’s domain and two of mine to look over though. Lilith wouldn’t tell me much about what had been Inanna’s domain; only that it was large, I would have to see it for myself, and that there was nothing dangerous there unless you counted thousands of Succubae as dangerous. We decided to leave that one until last since it was safe and when we did get there I would need to ordain those Succubae as my Priestesses.

That being said, we wouldn’t have much time to explore the other two domains if we wanted to finish that day. It was mid-afternoon already and since I would probably have to go to Varüus’kiel once we were finished everything to oversee the removal of Jonesy from his F.I.T. I had received a message earlier that the memories from his Aen’kuorüis were almost fully integrated into his mind. With all of that in mind, we decided to go on to explore Nishalle’s domain next.

There was something that I had to do first though. “So, how do I do this?” I asked of the three Gods who were our instructors as we stood at the edge of the domain and I considered the thick grey mist in front of us.

“Fortunately for you, the easiest method is to connect the two points with magick,” Thor explained. “Those of us who aren’t well versed in magick have to either get creative or call in favors with someone who is good with it. What you will have to do is create two stone or metal archways with the same physical dimensions and made from the same material, one here and then another in Varüus’kiel. Then you will cast a portal to connect the two and infuse that portal into both archways. If you can manage that then the two spots will be connected permanently, or until you decide to destroy the arches.”

“With both magick and nature aspects, that shouldn’t be too difficult for you,” Sif agreed.

Loki nodded her agreement as well. “You are intrinsically connected to all of your domains, Taelya. You will need to learn to split your attention eventually anyway, so we will start now. Focus on where we are now and where you would like to place the archway in this domain. Then think of a spot in Varüus’kiel where you would like the other side to be. Once you have both places firmly in mind, focus on the spell that you want to use to create the arches.”

Ten minutes later I was getting very frustrated. “I can’t do this! I mean, I can multitask pretty damn well but this is on an entirely different level, it’s like trying to be in two places at once and I can’t focus on the spell that way.”

“Whether you believe that you can or cannot, you will always be right, Taelya,” Thor advised. “You are a Demigoddess, you are able to do this, you are just still thinking like a mortal and your mind needs to get used to the idea.”

“He is right, my Goddess,” Lilith said as she took my hand gently in her own. “Splitting one’s attention between two different places, even if you know them well, can be extremely difficult at first. I think that there is a way that I could help You though if You would allow it.”

I was willing to try just about anything by this point. We were burning daylight waiting for me to figure this out and we still had places to go and things to do. I let out a sigh and asked, “What do you suggest, Lilith?”

“Allow me to link minds with You, my Goddess. Our link won’t be very strong until You have ordained me and my brood as Your Priestesses but, if You are willing, I should be able to allow You to see through my eyes. Then I can stay here to act as Your focus while You are at the location in Varüus’kiel.” Seeing my hesitation, she quickly clarified, “I would not enter Your mind, only allow You to see through my eyes.”

I was a little uncertain about the idea but Lilith hadn’t shown herself to be anything but loyal and supportive of me so far. Finally, I nodded. “Do I need to be close or can you do it once I’m in position in Varüus’kiel?”

Lilith gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “If You do not fight it and allow the link to form, I should be able to do it from even a great distance, my Goddess.”

“Okay, let’s do this. Before I change my mind,” I replied, my heart fluttering uncertainly in my chest. I quickly teleported to Varüus’kiel, choosing a spot near where we were planning to place the Atlantean-made greenhouse farms eventually. A moment later I felt a light pushing sensation in my mind as Lilith tried to make the connection between us. Instead of fighting it, like my instincts were telling me to, I relaxed my mind and allowed the link to form.

I had my eyes closed but I could still see and I was startled for a moment since I was seeing my sister, Lissany, and three Norse Gods. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. For several minutes, my brain was trying to come to terms with being and seeing in two places at once. Finally, I just grit my teeth and tried to calm my breathing as I attempted to focus on my task rather than allowing myself to freak out from the unnatural feeling of what my brain was trying to show me.

I concentrated on a spot in both my fields of vision and then started speaking and drawing the sigils for my spell, keeping in mind exactly what I wanted. “Kaida kiara kuorüis ipheil yasrin!” Once the sigils were complete I poured my mana into the spell and watched as both my current sets of eyes took in the violet-hued crystals that were rapidly growing from the ground to form a pair of massive arches. Each arch was formed of a durable violet crystal of my own creation that emitted a bright yet relaxing light in the darkness of Varüus’kiel. The space within the curve of the arches was roughly thirty feet high from ground to top and forty-five feet wide at the base, which I thought would be more than big enough, even for vehicles or some of the larger Namahage.

As soon as the arches were both completely formed, I could sense a burst of magick as they were connected. The moment that happened, Lilith disconnected our minds and I was thankfully returned to seeing through only one set of eyes. That set of eyes was looking through the arch and seeing daylight and my companions on the other side so I quickly stepped through to join them.

“That was fast, I was expecting it to take you a few minutes to link the arches once they were done,” Sif commented. “And what is this material?”

“Oh, she probably winged it and pulled some entirely new spell out of her ass,” Nishalle said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I totally winged it,” I admitted with a smile. “It was easier and less time-consuming to create a whole new spell that would create and connect the gates all at once instead of going through two big spells one after another. The material is a type of crystal that I kind of came up with in the moment. I wanted something durable, easy to grow for the spell, and something that naturally emits light. We need to be able to find the damn gate during the night months on Varüus’kiel after all.”

“You came up with an entirely new spell and material to do all of that in the spur of the moment?” Thor asked, his eyes wide.

“She does that all the time,” Lissany said as she shrugged her shoulders. “We’re used to it.”

Thor, Sif, and even Lilith were all gaping at me while Loki was laughing her ass off. Still, the Goddess of Mischief managed to gasp out, “I told you… that she had… a gift. Shit… you should… see the looks… on your faces!”

Nishalle’s domain took the form of a massive underground cavern and we appeared inside the courtyard of a fortress in the very center that was made of black stone. It was dark and kind of creepy, with stone gargoyles sitting atop the walls and fortress. The only illumination was provided by occasional blood-red floating orbs of lights. “Well, I gotta give Ereshkigal props for leaning into the whole death and darkness thing,” Nishalle said as she looked around.

“Who are you? And why have you entered the underworld?” a gravelly voice asked from somewhere above us. That was when I noticed that the gargoyles were moving. They flew off the walls to surround us and all of us were suddenly on guard, hands hovering over our weapons as one of the ugly stone creatures came in closer, narrowing its eyes at us. “Hmm… you are not dead, nor do you bear our Lady’s mark. You smell like Gods to me, and that means that you are intruders.”

Lissany and Nishalle stepped protectively in front of me as my sister said, “Whoa! Chill out for a minute! Ereshkigal is dead. I’m Nishalle, and… well, I guess that I’m her heir? I was the one who eased her suffering and gained her divine essence.”

The gargoyle looked at Nishalle intently for a moment, sniffing at the air. Then he snorted and his posture seemed to relax a bit. “Your essence is similar, and you do smell a little like Her, a lovely fragrance of death, blood, and earth. Ah yes, I can sense it now, your connection to the underworld and us. Hmmph, passing her mantle onto a mortal, and a dark elf at that, sounds like something she would do. I am Impaekitus, Your Seneschal, my Lady.”

“So what? You’re like her butler, Imp?” Lissany asked, tilting her head in curiosity as she examined the Gargoyle.

“It’s Impaekitus,” he corrected testily as he gave my Guardian an annoyed look.

“That is a bit of a mouthful,” Lilith pointed out.

“Yup, I am not going to be trying to stumble over that name if I need you for something, so I’m going with Lissany’s idea. Imp suits you. So… uhh… what exactly do you do for me then?”

“I serve Your needs and desires whenever You are in the underworld and…”

“So, you’re a butler, like I thought,” Lissany interrupted with a playful grin that was showing her fangs. “I need someone like you for my domain. Could you recommend someone? Oh, and they have to be good at renovations.”

Liss was obviously only half serious, and mostly messing with him, while Loki and Sif were both trying to keep from laughing at her antics. “See, this one knows how to have fun,” Loki whispered to her cousin.

“C’mon, kiddo, stop messing with my butler, or we’ll never get done here,” Nishalle chastised. She was grinning though and she did call him her butler instead of her seneschal. “Okay, Imp, other than looking after me, what do you do around here?”

“I see Your orders carried out and devise appropriate and ironic tortures for those You condemn to the underworld. Not that there has been a lot of that going on lately. Ereshkigal hasn’t been directly involved in what goes on here for millennia. She hasn’t sent many souls here to suffer in that time either. Most of them finished their sentences and were allowed to reincarnate. The only ones still here being punished are the ones whose crimes were so terrible that Ereshkigal ordered them tortured for eternity.”

“Wait a minute, so this is like Hell?” I asked.

“The writers of the Bible likely got many of their ideas from here and other underworlds like it, my Goddess,” Lilith said with a frown. Yeah, she had a real hate on for those people.

Since Nishalle had no idea what she was supposed to be doing as a Demigoddess with the death aspect, Loki, Sif, and Thor gave a brief overview of what she should know and expect. Death Gods bring death and mete out punishments to deserving souls. It’s actually one of their responsibilities, especially if they have a domain to serve as an underworld. They also ease the suffering of those who are near death when they can and are inclined to.

For the divine punishment aspect, when they find someone who they wish to claim for their personal little hell, they leave a mark upon their soul. Then they either kill them immediately or just leave the mark there until their death does eventually come. When the claimed soul dies, a Reaper or some other form of spirit shepherd will activate the mark on the newly deceased soul to send them to the underworld that they have been claimed for.

Imp offered us a tour but admitted that except for the fortress there really wasn’t much to see since there were so few souls still there being punished. Apparently, he and the other Gargoyles were very bored. If Nishalle ever did send someone to her domain for punishment, I would almost feel sorry for them. When they did get someone new to punish they were going to be very enthusiastic, and probably very creative too.

Since there wasn’t much else to see we just took a quick look at the fortress, which was fairly utilitarian and had dungeons with various pain-inducing devices for those that the Queen of the Underworld might want to deal with personally. There were also barracks for the Gargoyles, several guest rooms, a throne room with a lone obsidian throne, and a fairly luxurious master bedroom that could only be described as Death-Goddess chic. Nishalle liked it, like that was a surprise with her whole femme fatale shtick.

The fortress was surrounded by a thick and high stone wall with a pair of massive gates with a variety of locking mechanisms. Imp told us that the wall was actually a perfect circle at the center of Nishalle’s domain. Around it were nine other walls, each with their own locked gates and forming a series of concentric rings. The idea was that the souls that Nishalle claimed, or any intruders, would appear outside the outermost gate where they would be greeted by the gatekeeper and marched inside.

Once inside the condemned soul would walk through the outermost ring where the least severe punishments were carried out. If they were lucky, they were delivered to their torturers there. If not, they would continue to be escorted through gates, and the rings within them, until they reached their destination. Each ring had souls being punished for specific types of offenses and as you got closer to the fortress at the center ring the punishments would get either more severe or more creative, often both.

It sounded a bit like Dante’s Inferno but with concentric rings instead of circles, and Imp said that the punishments were often catered to the individual. Once the torturers had examined the condemned soul, they took the crimes that they were guilty of, their worst fears, desires, personality traits, and a bunch of other factors to come up with the most terrifying or ironic punishment that they could think of. Nishalle promised Imp that she would send them some work slash entertainment soon. She figured that there were plenty of shitty people in the world and some were bound to piss her off sooner or later.

“Whoa! This is awesome!” Lissany squealed once we had stepped through the gate to Tiamat’s former domain and were trying to get our bearings. We were on a white sandy beach that seemed to stretch on for miles, it was warm, the sun was shining, waves were lapping at the shore, and the smell of the sea was strong in the air.

“We need to stay alert, Liss,” I reminded my Guardian. “Tiamat created monsters, specifically dragons, and considered them her children. She also loved to cause chaos and this was her home turf, so who knows what we’re going to find here.”

“I do. Dragons, probably a lot of them,” Lilith muttered. “We should get an aerial view, my Goddess.”

“Right, but we stick together in case we encounter anything dangerous,” I replied with a nod.

We took to the air and tried to get the lay of the land. The domain was a lot bigger than the others we had seen earlier in the day; I was guessing that it was fairly close to the size of Thor’s domain at roughly three hundred kilometers square of ocean with a chain of tropical islands scattered across it. The ocean part wasn’t too surprising since Tiamat was a sea Goddess, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as big as it was. It was nothing compared to Varüus’kiel but I could see uses for it, especially with the tropical fruit on the island and a large amount of sea life that I was able to sense as I stretched out my awareness.

There was wildlife on the islands too and we encountered a few small dragons but they were easily taken care of. It seemed that Tiamat had used most of her remaining children in her attempt to draw me out and ambush me in Vancouver. If we didn’t have to deal with a metric shitload of dragons to make this place usable, I would be a very happy Demigoddess.

The island that we had first appeared on seemed to be the largest of the six islands and, like the others, it was covered in pristine white beaches and lush jungle. This one also had a volcano, though it seemed to be a dormant one. That was where we were headed first. I had definitely sensed something alive on the island in that area and I wanted to investigate. I already suspected what we might find but I wanted to be certain.

We were with the others again almost two hours later and making our way through the jungle toward the volcano as the sun was close to setting. Once we had pushed our way through the tree line and got a good look at the peak rising above us, Lissany turned to grin at me. “Sweet, you have a volcano. Now I can get rid of all that crap from Ares.”

“You know, Liss, I was joking about finding a volcano. I don’t blame you for wanting to do it now that we have one available though,” I conceded.

I was on edge and just trying to make conversation, but I figured that Lissany was doing the same. Nishalle and Lilith seemed to be on edge too. I was straining my senses for danger but the strong scents of the sea and the volcano and the unfamiliar sounds of the jungle were making it hard to get a good read. I had gone into full Nature’s Call mode to try to get a sense of the living creatures on the island and their locations but what I was sensing from the volcano didn’t feel quite like the dragons that we had encountered earlier.

“There’s a cave over there,” Lilith pointed out, interrupting my thoughts.

I followed the Succubus’s finger and after communing with nature once again I nodded. That was where the unrecognizable life signs were coming from. “Let’s go check it out but be ready for anything, everyone.”

As we stepped into the dark cavern I was ready to cast spells at a moment’s notice. Nishalle had her katana drawn and Lissany was wielding her hammer and shield as the pair covered my sides, Lilith was on guard behind me, and the three Gods were taking the forward position. Thor had Mjölnir in hand while Sif had drawn her sword and Loki had materialized a metal staff from somewhere.

The mouth of the large cave quickly became a tunnel that wound and descended into the depths of the mountain. The heat seemed to become more intense with each step that we took until we finally found ourselves in a massive cavern. “Holy shit, now that is a fucking hoard!” Nishalle gasped out to my right, trying to keep her voice low.

“Tiamat wasn’t just a dragon, she was the queen dragon, mother of them all,” Lilith said as we all gaped at the dunes of precious metals, gems, and treasures of other sorts stretched out before us and illuminated by the light from my hair. “It’s not surprising that she would have something like this set aside.

“Treasure is awesome, this heat isn’t though,” Lissany quietly complained. “I feel like I’m slowly roasting in this armor.”

“Treasure later,” I agreed, even though I was itching to see what ancient treasures we might find. “I’m still sensing life in here aside from us. I haven’t seen or heard anything moving but that doesn’t mean nothing is waiting to pounce on us. Let’s fan out but keep each other in sight.”

We spread out, everyone straining our ears as we watched the shadows with one eye and each other with the other. I really needed to learn to dim the light from my hair, I was giving away our position to anything that was around us in this otherwise dark cavern. I felt for the mana of the natural world around me again and the only source of life that I found nearby was ahead and to my right. I couldn’t tell what it was though, I couldn’t even tell if it was one really big creature or a bunch of smaller ones huddled together.

Finally, I crested a dune of ancient metal coins and saw something that looked out of place. Glad that my natural balance and agility as a Fae kept me from slipping, I slid downward to get a closer look. When I realized what I was looking at, I was bombarded with a surge of conflicting emotions and had to swallow the lump in my throat before I could call out to the others. “Guys, I’m really not sure what to do about this.”

My sister instantly materialized beside me. “What’s wrong, Sis? What did you find?” Like me, it took her a moment to parse exactly what she was looking at before she muttered, “Oh hell.”

The others quickly caught up with us and I heard a wide variety of comments muttered under the breath of Lilith, Thor, Loki, and Sif. Lissany was still trying to figure out what she was looking at though. “What are these things? They kind of look like…” my Guardian started to say before realization struck.

In the hollow that we were all looking over, there were over three dozen large ovoid objects, some of them bigger than Thor. I could feel their warmth and the life inside of them even from where we stood several dozen steps away. They were dragon eggs, and I had a feeling that they were very close to hatching.

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 19 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I hope you all enjoy.~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 19: Legacies

I looked at the eggs warily, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Dragon eggs, and close to hatching no less. Lissany broke the silence by asking the question that was foremost in my mind, and probably everyone else’s as well. “What do we do about them, Taelya?”

I sighed as I tried not to show just how much my Guardian’s question was shaking me up at the moment as the others glanced between me and the pile of eggs. This was up to me; it was my domain and thus, my decision. Something felt off though, the life coming from the eggs didn’t feel unnatural and there was some sort of spell on them that was quickly fading. Finally, I shook my head. “I don’t know, Liss. If these are more of Tiamat’s ‘children’ then the safest and more sensible course would be to just destroy them all now, before they can become a threat.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ here,” Nishalle said as she gripped my shoulder just firmly enough to be reassuring.

“But they’re babies, unborn babies, and I… don’t know if I could do that,” I said with another sigh. Then I clenched my teeth and fists, shaking my head as I came to a decision. “No. I won’t do that. Something feels different about them; I don’t feel that sense of wrongness that I usually feel from monsters or the other dragons that we’ve encountered. Usually, when something is unnatural and doesn’t belong in nature’s tapestry, we Fae can sense it immediately, especially Yseil’dhraí. Maybe I’m just not sensing it because they’re not born yet or because they can be taught another way but I won’t kill them before we know if they deserve it or not.”

My Tokh’dhraí sister furrowed her brow as she looked at the eggs. “Now that you mention it, Sis, I don’t feel anything like that either. There’s no sense of wrongness, danger, and chaos like I usually get when we’re fighting monsters.”

“Could it be…” Lilith half-whispered.

I turned to my would-be High Priestess and tried to look calmer than I felt as I asked, “Could it be what, Lilith?”

“The Drakan legacy,” the Succubus matriarch replied. “The Drakans were a race of draconic beings that considered themselves explorers and traveled between worlds using the ancient world-gates. Those gates are gone now, at least the ones on our world. Even the one that was still working before Danu created the Veil has been rendered useless by the ravages of time and human interference. The Drakans were intelligent, powerful, and possessed varied elemental abilities. They also lived for a very long time so they technically didn’t count as mortals.”

“Sounds like Tiamat’s kind of people,” Nishalle said with a frown.

Lilith nodded thoughtfully. “They were, or at least she thought. When they visited ancient Mesopotamia, Tiamat demanded that they, as draconic beings, worship and serve her as her children did. The Drakans believed in peaceful coexistence with others and wished only to explore though, so they refused to serve a Goddess of Chaos. In her fury at their refusal, Tiamat destroyed the world-gate that they had come from and slaughtered them down to the last living soul.”

“Umm… if she slaughtered them all, how can they have a legacy?” Lissany asked.

“It was rumored among the Gods at the time that she took all of the unhatched Drakan eggs and had Enki place them under a stasis spell until she was ready to use them during the apocalypse when she would turn an army upon the world and unleash the final chaos,” Sif explained. “That was before our time though. Well, except for Lilith.”

“Who is Enki?” my sister asked with a dark look. She probably wanted to know if this person was a God or a threat to me, and how she could counter them if they were.

Loki decided to field that question and reassure us that the deity in question was not a threat. “Enki was a God of the subterranean freshwater ocean, wisdom, magick, and the arts from Tiamat’s time. He was one of the first to be killed for his aspects since the Veil fell. Magick is a rare aspect, and many Gods would like to possess it. How certain are you about this Drakan story, Lilith?”

“Certain enough that I decided to create an army of Succubae for Inanna; to counter the plans of her archrival. Tiamat and Inanna fought many times and Tiamat loved the sound of her own voice,” the Succubus spat with a sneer. “She believed that whoever controlled the Drakans would control the skies when the apocalypse came.” Lilith then turned her gaze toward me with a pensive look on her face.

“Yes, I am well aware of Tiamat’s personality. Had she just killed me outright instead of gloating and trying to play with me like a cat with a toy mouse at first, then she might have actually killed me instead of the other way around,” I replied in distaste. “I don’t want to control anyone though. If these are truly sentient people then they deserve to decide their own fates. I think that they have been wronged enough already.”

“I did not think that You would want that, my Goddess,” she countered. “However, they are children without parents and they will need to be raised with love and care once they hatch. You can take this opportunity to ensure that they learn the values that you hold dear. Values that their parents held dear as well if what I have heard about their kind is true.”

“I don’t have time to raise forty baby Drakans if that is what they are. I have enough on my plate as it is,” I argued as I reached back, pulled Willow from her hiding place in my hood, and began to lovingly pet her to help both of us calm down a bit. “And whatever magic was used on these eggs is fading; it probably has been since Enki died. It won’t be long before the first of them are ready to hatch. Some look harder than the others though, probably from different clutches, so I don’t think they’ll all hatch at the same time.”

“I would suggest that You have some of my girls watch over the eggs until they hatch, my Goddess. When the first of them look ready to hatch, we can come to determine if they are Drakans or some sort of threat before there are too many of them. Then You can be on hand to see for Yourself. If they do need to be raised and taught right from wrong, then there are some from my brood who would be happy to do so for You, should You desire it,” Lilith suggested.

I considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding. I hadn’t known Lilith for long but she and her brood had made their loyalty to me abundantly clear, as well as their desire to serve and protect me in whatever ways that I needed. “Alright, Lilith, we’ll do it that way, at least until the first of the eggs hatch and we know what we’re dealing with. Our next stop was the Temple of the Heavens anyway, right?”

With that decided, I found a nice spot on one of the main island’s beaches and set up another gate to Varüus’kiel with Lilith’s assistance. It wasn’t too far of a flight from the volcano either in case I needed to get there in a hurry. I was a little concerned about the Succubae being able to find the hoard and the eggs there but Lilith had connected all of her children’s minds to hers while in the cave. She assured me that once I had accepted the brood’s service and anointed them as my Priestesses to strengthen our bond, they could travel anywhere within my domains that they had been before. Moreover, it seemed that being mentally connected to Lilith while she was there counted as being there.

I placed the Varüus’kiel side of the gate near the previous one for the sake of convenience and made a mental note to add some sort of signage later for the three gates, and any future ones. With that done and out of the way, I would let Lilith create a portal directly to the Temple of the Heavens. She was familiar with it after all, and it would save us some time traveling there from wherever I ended up making us appear.

I figured that since the Succubae all knew the place well enough that it could be considered safe enough that I wouldn’t need to explore extensively. Anything that I wanted to know about the domain, they could probably tell me anyway. Between that and not being sure just how long it would take to ordain thousands of Succubae as my Priestesses, I decided that just getting the latter done with would take precedence.

As soon as we stepped through the portal, I looked around and immediately found myself smiling. The sky was alive with the warm colors of sunset, it was pleasantly warm, and in the light of twilight, I could see that we were on the edge of a plateau overlooking a large village of simple grass and leaf huts and treehouses that seemed almost a part of the thicker jungle beyond them. The village resonated with my Fae sensibilities, intruding on the environment as little as possible.

It was hard to be certain but I thought that I saw vine ladders going from the tree houses down to ground level. I wondered why for a moment before remembering that the Succubae were born looking human, and wouldn’t gain their full powers and winged forms until they reached puberty. I could even see several small children playing while some of the older ones were training in hand-to-hand combat with each other under the watchful eyes of Succubae who I assumed were their mothers.

Even the stone steps up to where we stood seemed to have been grown from the upward slope with earth magick rather than carved, and along each side of the steps grew carefully tended and nurtured gardens of colorful flowers, some of which I had never seen before. Turning around, I found that the temple itself was of the open-air variety. Great stone arches crawling with sweet-scented flowering vines formed a massive circle encompassing the entire summit of the mesa where we stood.

“This place is beautiful,” I practically whispered in awe and pleasure. The air seemed a little thin, making me wonder if we were on a massive mountain but it was hardly noticeable and with the pleasant warmth and thriving life, it didn’t really matter to me.

“That it is,” Thor agreed with a smile. “I believe that the three of you should be safe here with Lilith and her children to watch over you until you are ready to return home.”

Sif nodded, smiling as she took in the scents and sights before speaking. “Yes, this place is special. It was wonderful to see it but we should take our leave for now while you take care of the business that you came here for. We do not wish to intrude on a private moment, which should be between you and those who choose to serve you.”

“One of us will come to fetch the three of you in the morning so we may begin your other lessons,” Loki assured us. “Rest well tonight, for tomorrow you will be working hard.”

With that, we said our goodnights to the trio of Gods and promised to be ready for the training to come the next day. Once they had taken their leave, I closed my eyes and stretched out my sense of nature and the life around me. I could sense the lives of all those Succubae, so similar to Lilith and yet different as well since they didn’t have her spark of divinity. Most of them were down in the large jungle village but there was a small group in the temple as well.

The jungle spread out around the mesa at its center and I could feel a wide variety of animals and plant life out there in a well-balanced ecosystem. I could also feel what felt like large gardens in the shadow of the jungle. It felt like we were on an island and, while it was brimming with life, it seemed not much larger than the one that we had recently left in Tiamat’s domain. I couldn’t sense any life beyond the shores either, nor the presence of a sea.

Was that it? Lilith had told me that Inanna’s domain was very big but all that I could sense was the life on this island… Wait, I could sense what felt like flocks of birds… below us? My eyes almost shot open in surprise as I expanded my senses further, to their very limits. “Well, damn,” I muttered as I realized that the Temple of the Heavens wasn’t just a name.

Nishalle and Lissany were looking at me in concern, “What is it, Sis?” my sister asked, already on guard.

“We’re on an island in the sky,” I said with an awed smile. The island that we were on was floating, probably a couple of thousand meters above the ground below and the land down below us was huge, as vast as Varüus’kiel, maybe even bigger. Moreover, that didn’t take into account this island, or the other smaller ones floating in the sky. I turned to Lilith, who was looking particularly pleased with herself, and asked, “How?”

“You are not the only one who has been able to create something new to suit Your needs when determined, my Goddess. Inanna was the Queen of the Heavens for a reason. Do You feel that static in the air?” Lilith asked. Then, once the rest of us had nodded, she explained. “When Inanna gave form to this domain she seeded this island and many like it with an ore of her own invention that defies gravity when electrically charged.”

“Holy crap, Grell and the other Atlanteans are gonna freak when they find out about this,” Lissany said as we all continued to stare at the Succubus matriarch.

“If You wish it, we would be willing to harvest ore from some of the other islands, my Goddess, but this island is our home, and it was home to Inanna as well,” Lilith said, bowing her head as the other Succubae who had witnessed our arrival did the same. “We would ask that You place the gate to Varüus’kiel on the land below and leave this island to us, and as a place for You to rest when You wish to get away from the stresses of ruling or the world outside. Most of what we need, we have here or can get from the outside world or from Your presence.”

I nodded my agreement. They weren’t asking much, were offering me their eternal loyalty and service, and this was their home and temple, I wouldn’t take that away from them. From what I had sensed earlier, there was plenty of land available down below us. That land was rich with life and would be good for my people. “Of course, Lilith. The Temple of the Heavens, and the island it is on, will be off limits except for my Priestesses, those who the High Priestess chooses to allow, myself, and perhaps my family. What can you tell me about the lands below us, and this domain in general?”

“The lands below us are rich with life; we sometimes go hunting there to stretch our wings, my Goddess. There is plenty of wildlife in the rainforests, rivers, and lakes. There are also plains where you could grow crops year-round, as we do on this island, and fruit is plentiful and grows well in this climate so orchards could be planted as well. The soil is rich and the domain is tropical with regular rain cycles, occasional electric storms, and a normal day and night cycle,” the Succubus matriarch explained.

“It sounds like a paradise,” Lissany replied as she took in the sights around us.

“Yes, it is,” Lilith replied with a sad smile. “Inanna was very proud of the potential and beauty of this land. She would have brought her followers here, but it was created long after she fell out of favor among the mortals, and we were the only living souls remaining who worshipped her.”

“She deserved better, I think. Still, this could solve our long-term food and supply issues for Varüus’kiel without us having to build greenhouses. I’ll have to talk with some of my people about environmentally low-impact methods of farming, raising livestock, and extracting some of that ore that you were talking about from the floating islands. Earth magic would probably be the easiest and least damaging way to draw out the ore but I’ll try to limit how much we take so those islands don’t fall from the sky,” I said thoughtfully before turning to Lilith and giving her an appreciative smile. “Thank you for your willingness to share this domain, Lilith, you and your girls.”

“It is Your domain, my Goddess, and we are pleased to serve You in any way that we can,” Lilith replied as the Succubae gathered around us nodded eagerly in agreement. They all seemed very happy to have me there judging from the smiles of satisfaction and the way that they basked in my presence as they led us to the inner temple. Part of it was likely because they feed on sexual energy and my aura was pumping it out non-stop, but I thought that there was more to it than just that.

From what Lilith had told me, their relationship with Inanna was far more than just a Goddess and her Priestesses. Inanna was like a mother, friend, teacher, and occasional lover to Lilith and all of her brood. They had just lost her and while I could see that pain in their eyes, they looked at me with hope. They had all met me and spoken with me through Lilith and saw me as Inanna’s chosen successor. Inanna had given them love and a purpose, and in me, they saw a chance to not lose that along with the Goddess they had loved.

It was similar to my relationship with Xixie and the other Sül’shael in many ways. Though the Sül’shael were more gentle and innocent both species had many similarities and had decided to love and serve me without giving me much choice in the matter. They were both good, loyal, and loving people though, the kind of people who deserved to receive that love and loyalty in return.

I thought that the two species would probably get along well if they interacted, though I was worried about the Sül’shael losing their sense of innocence. Not that innocence. They love sex as much as any Fae and like the Succubae, they were a female-only species. Therefore, I wasn’t worried about them being corrupted by my new Priestesses in that way. It was more because the Sül’shael weren’t violent in any way while Lilith and her brood were warriors through and through. Thinking about it though, I believed that they would want to preserve the innocence of the Sül’shael as much as I did, Lilith just seemed like that kind of person, the one who would fight so others wouldn’t have to.

We followed Lilith and some of the other Succubae through the main arch and into the temple itself. I was half-expecting hanging gardens and fountains or lavish decorations but it was as simple as the outside. It was a huge but open space, like being in the middle of a sports stadium. It wasn’t entirely empty though.

There was a simple grey stone throne at the center padded with thick green cushions of moss growing along the back and the seat to make it more comfortable. I could sense some form of spell on the throne, nothing harmful, just some sort of enhancement spell. The floor was composed of the natural stone of the mesa that the temple rested upon, with concentric rings of that same thick moss that covered the throne circling it and moving outward. Each mossy ring was around a half meter wide with nearly a meter between them and they became progressively larger until the one just inside the outer arches that encircled the entire interior of the temple.

“It’s less opulent than I was expecting for a temple,” Nishalle commented as Lilith led us to the throne at the center.

Lilith didn’t seem offended as she explained, “It is where we gathered to hear the words of our Goddess and bask in her aura. Inanna created the temple in this form when she first fused all of her acquired domains and her original one into this one around five hundred years before Danu formed the Veil, and she never desired the fancy trappings. What more is needed in a true temple but the deity and those who have pledged to love and serve them? The throne was empowered to increase the range of her aura to the outer arches and she would gather us here once a week or so to allow us all to feed. When she could not be here herself, I would sit in her place so that my children wouldn’t have to go and feed on the mortals.”

It sounded to me like Inanna had created this floating island and the temple as a way to meet the needs of the Succubae who worshipped her rather than as a place for them to bow and scrape before statues of her and stroke her ego. It was a place for those who were loyal to her rather than for herself. I wished that I could have gotten to know her better because the more I learned, the more I found myself liking her.

We arrived at the throne and as I looked it over while deep in thought Lilith asked, “Goddess? I have called the others to gather so that we can swear our loyalty and devotion to You. If You would like to sit, that is your place now. We can begin once the entire brood has arrived.”

As we waited, Lilith told us more about the island and the village. As I expected, the Succubae lived a simple life in their little bit of paradise, and the jungle provided for most of their needs so that they could provide for the needs and desires of their Goddess. There were a lot of them though, and only one Goddess to serve, so that left them plenty of time to train in combat and magick, which they started at ten years old, before they even hit puberty and began to turn into full Succubae.

We had only seen part of the village from where we had arrived. It hugged most of the north and western sides of the large mesa in the center of the island and there was a villa for Inanna on the northwest edge of the island that overlooked the land below. That villa was mine now as well and Lilith said that much like the village, it was not exactly modern but very comfortable.

The comforts and technology of the modern world that Lilith and her brood had seen through the eyes of Inanna and the Succubae accompanying her had seemed strange and wonderful to them. They planned to enjoy them on the rare occasions that they could but they wished to keep living their simple lifestyle so they wouldn’t lose their fighting edge. Lilith said that the loss of Inanna had hurt them all deeply, and only the fact that she had been able to choose a successor had kept them from losing their way.

The attack had come out of nowhere by a dozen of the Gods in Zeus’s cabal and they had taken down Utu, Inanna, and the four Succubae guarding them almost before they realized that they were being attacked. They had all been distracted by some marvel of the modern world and that distraction had cost them. By the time a war party had been gathered and joined them, the fight was over and Ereshkigal had fled with her sister’s body to Varüus’kiel. I could practically see flames in Lilith’s eyes as she vowed that they would not fail me as they had Inanna.

Soon the entire brood had gathered, even the children were there, kneeling on the concentric moss rings closest to the throne. Even with almost six thousand people gathered, there was plenty of space; it looked like the temple could easily fit three times the number of people that were already there. Inanna had obviously been considering their future growth when she created the domain and I wondered if I could be even half the Goddess that she was to these people. They had chosen me though, just as Inanna had, so I had to try for their sake.

I was sitting on the throne; I could feel it pushing my aura outward as the Succubae, and even the children, watched me intently. It wasn’t the same kind of looks that I was starting to get used to by people who were affected by the aura. There was no lust or slightly glazed expressions. They were all fully alert and attentive and even though my mental link to the adults among them was still weak, with that many there I could feel the mix of emotions coming from them. There was determination, hope, gratitude, affection, unwavering devotion, and love. The kind of love where you would gladly give anything for a person, even your life.

Lilith cleared her throat and I could see her cheeks glistening as she called out, “Thank you for gathering so quickly, my children. We have been enduring a time of sorrow since the loss of our Goddess. Inanna was everything to us. She saved my life and my soul and taught me to accept and love what I had become. She treated me as something precious when I felt tainted and she showed that same love for each of you as well.”

“We may have lost Inanna,” Lilith continued after pausing to collect herself, “but through Her determination, She found a successor to pass Her essence on to before She died. In a sense, She is still with us. All of you have seen Taelya through my eyes and shared my conversations and perception of Her. She is loyal, determined, powerful, cares deeply for Her family and those in Her care, and wishes to make the world a better place, even if She has to fight the Gods themselves to do so. She slew Tiamat and I believe that Inanna chose Her for a reason. I believe that She is a worthy heir to the mantle of the Queen of the Heavens and that She will love, nourish, and defend us Inanna did before Her.”

The Succubus matriarch turned her gaze toward me and for a moment, I didn’t know what I should do or say. “Umm… let’s have a moment of silence to remember Inanna,” I finally said clearly enough to carry through the large temple. Then I solemnly bowed my head and thought about how good she had been to Lilith and the others to gain the kind of devotion and love that they showed her. I only hoped that I could be half the Goddess that she seemed to have been.

After a long moment had passed, I attempted to collect my thoughts and raised my head to address them once again. “I… I’m not Inanna. I’m not even a real Goddess, only a Demigoddess who was born mortal. Honestly, all of this is still a little overwhelming to me. I’m not sure if I can be everything that she was to you but I promise that I will do my best if you all still wish to become my Priestesses. I won’t demand it from any of you, I want all of you to decide that for yourselves because I believe that devotion means nothing if it doesn’t come from the heart.”

I paused to let them take that in and gestured to Nishalle and Lissany. “My sister and my Guardian both offered their service to me freely and I think that’s because they both know that I would do anything for them, just like they would for me. I think that I would do anything for all of you as well, not because you worship me or because Inanna chose me but because from what I’ve seen of all of you through Lilith, each of you would do the same for those you care about and you make your love and loyalty clear to anyone. That is the kind of people I want to surround myself with. All those who still wish to bind yourselves to me, please rise.”

There was no discussion and no hesitation. Every damn Succubus stood up instantly; even the older children who hadn’t gotten their wings yet were standing. Lilith turned her teary face toward me, forcing a smile that just screamed, ‘I told you so’. Then she walked toward the throne to kneel before me. She bared her right shoulder, which bore an intricate mark that was brimming with magic. “My Goddess, I will link all of our minds to make us one so that all that you need do is imbue the mark with your blessing to make it your own. You may bless the children individually when they come of age.”

“No,” I said simply causing a look of confusion and hurt to settle over her face before I quickly corrected myself. “I mean that I won’t change Inanna’s mark, I… won’t take that away from you. I refuse to make that my first act as your Goddess. You all deserve to have something to remember Inanna by, and she deserves to be remembered. I will give you my own separate mark of blessing instead.”

Lilith was smiling at me, tears running down her face and I could see that same look mirrored on other the faces in front of me. I concentrated on the spot on her arm, just below Inanna’s mark, and focused on creating my own mark of blessing in the form of my personal sigil among the Fae. I had to put a lot of mana into it, almost enough to deplete my magick reserves, but then again I was marking over five thousand people at once.

A few minutes later, Lilith’s new mark flared to life, glowing with violet light and I could see the same thing happen to the other Succubae who were visible to me. I could also feel my connection to them get much stronger. The moment that happened, they knelt again as one, collectively saying in a tone of reverence, “Goddess.”

“Please, being respectful is fine but… uh… you can all rise now,” I said awkwardly into the silence that followed. “I’ll… umm… stay seated for a while so you can all get a good meal from my aura but I’m afraid that I have some other matters to attend to tonight as well.”

I sat on the throne for a half hour to let all of my new Priestesses in the temple get a good meal. While I sat there, Lilith introduced me, Lissany, and Nishalle to as many of her older children as she could manage. We chose half a dozen of the girls to take shifts watching over the eggs in Tiamat’s hoard, with orders to contact both Lilith and me through our mental link the moment that anything happened with them. I didn’t send them off immediately though since I wanted them to be able to feed first, and there was something else that I wanted to do as well.

“This… this is wonderful, my Goddess,” Lilith said as she stood beside me on the hilltop where Inanna and Ereshkigal had been laid to rest. She was sniffling and rubbing at the tears in her eyes as she looked upon the monument that Xixie and some of my other wonderful Sül’shael girls had created. She wasn’t alone either since the sky was filled with the other Succubae who had come to pay their respects. The hilltop was covered with the children and some of the oldest members of Lilith’s brood who had served the longest.

Once I had finished making sure that my new Priestesses were well fed, Lilith, Lissany, Nishalle, and I had gone to find a good spot to create a gate to Varüus’kiel. It took us an hour to find a good spot near the plains where I figured we could start sending people to start making hobbit-like homes and preparing the land for crops. Then, with Lilith’s help, I created the gate. As soon as that was done with, I had gone with Nishalle and Lissany to the memorial to call Lilith and her brood to me. They deserved a chance at a proper goodbye.

“It looks just like them,” Chalise said from beside Lissany. She was the oldest of Lilith’s children now that Olaine had died attempting to protect Inanna.

“I had some of my girls create it from Nythrin,” I told them. “The Sül’shael are wonderful artists and they were there when Inanna and Ereshkigal breathed their last. The metal is supposed to be indestructible, so this will be here for people to remember them for a long time. I wasn’t sure what they would have liked, but I thought they should be remembered.”

“Inanna would have said that it was too much, but I think that she would have secretly liked it,” Lilith said, shaking her head sadly. “Thank you for doing this for them, many people would not have bothered. They would have taken her power and put her out of their minds. It just makes me even more certain that Inanna chose her successor well.”

I felt myself flushing but forced myself to not look away. “I wish that I could have gotten to know her, both of them actually. The least that I can do is try to use her power and treat you in the way that she would have wanted. I’m still not sure that I’ll be very good at this Goddess thing, but I’ll try to prove worthy of the legacy that she left me.”

We stayed there a while longer, letting those who had loved Inanna the most pay their respects and say their goodbyes before I had to leave. “We should get going. You girls are welcome to stay as long as you like and to come back here any time that you want. I need to go deal with something important and I don’t know how long it will take.”

“I will accompany you, my Goddess,” Lilith offered, shaking out her wings of water from the light drizzle.

“No, Lilith,” I told her shaking my head and wrapping her up in a hug. “We’ll be here in Varüus’kiel until we’re done and nobody here will allow me to come to harm. Take your time to say your goodbyes and I’ll let you know if I need you for anything.”

“But…” she objected as I released her.

“Do it, Lilith,” Nishalle said sternly. “Tae wants you to have some closure, you need it. She was important to you and you were together for thousands of years. Lissany and I will make sure nothing happens to my sister.”

“Yeah, we’ve got it covered,” Lissany agreed with a grim nod. “He’s nothing that we can’t handle.”

With that, I sent the caretaker for Jonesy’s F.I.T a wind whisper to let her know that we were on our way and then cast a portal to her, leaving my new Priestesses to their grieving. She was alone with the F.I.T when we arrived and that was probably for the best since I couldn’t be sure what mental state Agent Jones would be in when he emerged and I was worried that a large crowd could only make things worse. I turned to the Nyiir’dhraí woman, took a deep breath, and then said, “Open it up so we can see what the damage is.”

 

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 20 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it done earlier this week but work has been keeping me busy and tired. I hope you all enjoy.~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 20: Unfinished Business

Once the attendant had disconnected all of the tubes, medical monitors, and muscle stimulation patches, and then removed the helmet and breathing mask, we got our first look at Agent Jones since he had been placed in the F.I.T. His eyes were wild, darting around like a caged animal until they focused on me and he tried to jump out of the tube as he lunged at me. He was stopped by Lissany and Nishalle before he could even get close and they held him in place by his arms while his gaze remained on me, his eyes frantic and desperate.

Jones collapsed, falling to his knees with his arms still held firmly in the grip of my sister and my Guardian. “Why did you do this to me, Helen?! Oh, God, make… make them stop, make us stop remembering. Please, Helen. We can’t take it anymore, all we know is pain. Kill us, make the pain stop.”

A wince had me take an involuntary step backward. His eyes, and the desperation in his voice, would have been heartbreaking if it had come from any other person. Wait, Helen? Wasn’t that his wife’s name? Did he actually think that I was her, or was he just that detached from reality? He used ‘we’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘I’ too. Dear Goddess, he was a very special kind of crazy and if he wasn’t watched carefully or put in a padded room, he would likely take the first opportunity to end his suffering.

I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that this was no less than he deserved for what he had done to his wife and son. He had earned this punishment when he had put countless others through that which he now feared the memories of, for the crime of not being human. As much as I might have wished otherwise I could not go back on the justice that I had decreed for him.

“You ask for mercy, Agent Jones?” I asked bitterly. “I will show you the same mercy that you gave those whose memories you share, and those who were not fortunate enough to live through your brand of mercy. When you awake, you will be in a place where you cannot try to harm yourself.” With that, I cast a sleep spell on him.

Jones collapsed onto the ground as his arms were freed and Nishalle looked down at him with a look of distaste warring with pity. “You know, before he came out of that F.I.T, I was ready to try to figure out how to place my soul-claim mark on him. I’m not sure that any personal hell that I cooked up for him could possibly top that though, Sis,” she said darkly. It hurt, but I couldn’t help but agree with her.

With Agent Jones no longer in a state to harm himself or anyone else, Alysse would be able to clean him up and dress him in his clothes again. I had chosen her as the F.I.T attendant for Jonesy’s tube since she had been attending mine while I was playing Apocalypse Dawn and I both trusted her and knew that she was both professional and loyal to my Mahair and me. In fact, before Amoiraishe had left to find my mysterious older half-sister, she had decided that Alysse would be the Autumn Court’s representative in the capital.

“We will return shortly to take him somewhere where he can be properly watched and cared for, Alysse. I need to check on the progress of a few things and then we can take him off your hands. Don’t worry, he won’t be waking up for at least twelve hours,” I told her as I glanced down at the agent’s sleeping form.

“He will be prepared by the time that you return, my Empress,” the pretty Nyiir’dhraí vowed.

Jonesy was in good hands for the moment so I quickly made my way to my first stop with Lissany and Nishalle in tow. The part of the meadow that we were approaching was being kept clear on my orders for incoming shipments and once we arrived I quickly sent a wind whisper to Whisper to make sure that I was clear to open a portal there. Whisper had managed to learn the portal spell but keeping a large one open for the time required to move freight through would have exhausted her. That was doing it just once; doing it several times in a day would have been sure to overexert her. Not everyone has my inexhaustible mana reserves.

A moment later, I received the Witch’s reply stating that things were all clear and I quickly opened a portal to the warehouse. As we stepped through to have a quick look around, Nishalle let out a whistle and said, “Damn, it looks like we weren’t the only ones who kept busy today.”

The warehouse was almost full. Some of it was food and other supplies from the food wholesaler but there were also the first shipments that had arrived from two of our other suppliers as well. The first was from the fabrics and sewing-related supplies warehouse, and the second was a huge shipment of wood and other infrastructure necessities that I had ordered through the local lumberyard and home renovations depot. This was going to make both the Atlanteans and my fellow Fae very happy.

It took over half an hour for me to use my telekinesis spell to move all of it through the portal and into the empty part of the field. Whisper and Grell had tried to keep everything organized by type of supplies, so at least it would be easy for those in Varüus’kiel to sort through. Other than receiving deliveries, the pair had been working on various other tasks that I had assigned as well. Grell, for example, had finished building a server that would eventually host the Varuus’kiel government websites as well as sites for the various services and businesses that our people had planned.

Whisper had been mostly too busy overseeing the shipments to do much on the website mockups though she did create wiki pages for the Fae, Witches, Atlanteans, and other official races of Varüus’kiel. She also created wiki pages for Nishalle, Lissany, and me. She thought it would be a good idea for us to have them, so she had also done some updating to Danu’s wiki page, and a few others well. I wasn’t too sure if that was a good idea, declaring ourselves as Demigoddesses to the internet but Whisper thought that we needed to start having some control over our own press and she was the only one who had the authority to edit the pages she had created.

She and Grell did finish one thing that had me ready to kiss them both. Under Grell’s supervision and using his experience as an Artificer, Whisper was able to finish her intelligent computer program, teaching it every little trick that she knew about getting into online places where she wasn’t supposed to be. As she had promised, it would only accept orders from her or me and the little worm, who she had decided to call Jim, was able to make short work of the cyber security for certain three letter agencies in the United States, giving us the locations of all possible black sites where they might be keeping non-humans.

Armed with that information, I went in search of Narek and the queens and since the most likely location seemed to be outside the growing Moon Palace, I started there. It wasn’t hard to find since the mass of glowing crystal now rose high into the sky and its light could be seen from anywhere in the occupied parts of the meadow. It was taking up most of the tip of the peninsula that it had been set on to grow and I imagined that once it was complete, it would be a landmark to guide all the residents of our future city.

To my surprise, we found Amoiraishe with her fellow Queens of the Courts and Narek. As we approached, the quartet turned to regard us and dipped their heads in reverence as they said, “Your Majesty.”

I frowned at the bowing and titles, wondering if I would ever get used to them when Amoiraishe wrapped both Nishalle and me in quick hugs before looking at us intently. “I heard that things were interesting while I was away,” our Mahair commented, looking pointedly at my sister’s glowing eyes.

“That’s a bit of an understatement, Mahair,” Nishalle agreed with a smirk. “Lissany got caught up in the whole Demigoddess thing too after killing Ares but the great mother has some Gods that we can trust helping us to learn the stuff we’ll need to.”

The Autumn Court Queen’s brow rose in interest as she gave my Guardian another look, noting her glowing green eyes. “And what aspects did you receive, Lissany?”

“Uh… War, courage, and protection, your Majesty,” the jaguar Beastkin replied with a blush.

“I can think of no other who exemplifies courage and protection better than you, Lissany,” my Mahair offered with a satisfied smile. “I am proud of you, and I’m sure that Venika is as well. You set a shining example for those who will be joining the ranks of the Guardians.”

Lissany turned bright red and was having trouble replying so I decided to change the subject for her sake. “How did your search go, Mahair? Did you find our sister?”

“Yes, little rose, Aine and her companions are in a F.I.T simulation so that she can learn the skills that she will need as the Princess of the Autumn Court. Had I known you would be coming home today I would have waited a few hours before getting them settled in. She is even more unsettled in her new role than you were at first and the time in the F.I.T will allow her to get used to the idea and her new self.”

“I was looking forward to meeting her but I can understand how she feels,” I admitted. Then I turned to the other heads of the Courts and decided to address the real reason for my quick visit. “We’re here to let you know that more food has been delivered to the drop-off site. There is also a shipment of natural materials and sewing supplies for making Fae-friendly clothes and wood and building supplies for getting a start on infrastructure.”

“That’s wonderful,” Anatha commented with a smile. “We already have several buildings dug and constructed with nature magick and ready for doors and windows on ground level, including the hospital. The F.I.Ts and servers that are not currently in use are being moved down to the bottommost floors, and Jhuras and the other Artificers are working on the artificed equipment and lighting since you wanted the hospital to be a priority.”

Qwenyth nodded as the Queen of the Sumer Court added, “Jhena estimates three days before the Moon Palace is fully grown, so it should be finished around the time that Salem and her group of transformees and trainees are out of the F.I.Ts. Once it is complete the Sül’shael will be able to start making doors and window shutters for it. Hadrick and the girls are prioritizing your new armor, and weapons and armor for Guardians first though.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to tell Jhuras and Jhena that we likely won’t need to worry about greenhouses. I discovered that I have three other domains today. One is maybe bigger than Varüus’kiel and in a tropical climate with plenty of wildlife and a lot of space to start farms and orchards. The smallest already has a large vineyard and orchard established that we could harvest soon. The last one has several islands, with wildlife and sea life but there may be a danger of dragons so that one will be off limits to anyone but my Priestesses or me until we are sure it’s safe.”

“Priestesses?” Amoiraishe asked in sudden interest.

“War Priestesses,” Nishalle clarified with a grin, causing our Mahair’s eyebrow to rise even further.

“Uhh… yeah, over five thousand Succubae and their mother, Lilith. Well, there are close to six thousand, I think, but only five thousand are battle-tested adults. They’re all warriors, though quite a few are skilled as Healers and Magi as well. The whole brood was loyal to Inanna and served as her Priestesses and army. Inanna was good to them, I only hope that I can be half that good, but they all see me as her chosen successor and have sworn their service to me. If Varüus’kiel ever needs an air force, they’ll be a good start.”

“Yeah and they’re all as determined to protect her as me and Lissany,” Nishalle added. “I won’t be surprised if we have a small escort squad of Succubae watching over us from a distance whenever our Empress has to be out in public.”

All of the queens’ eyes went wide at that. And Narek stared at me, dumbfounded for a moment before asking, “You have over five thousand battle-ready Succubae as your Priestesses? That is… impressive. I have fought a Succubus once, there was a misunderstanding and she could have beaten me if we hadn’t cleared things up. She was a fierce warrior and talented Magus. She was not as bad as the Humans make her kind out to be and she had a strong sense of honor. She was every bit as eager a lover as any Fae too.”

There was a smile on his face at the memory and I groaned. I did not want to hear about my Fae father’s sex life. Ewww. Great, now my brain had gone there. For all that I knew, one of those Succubae could be my half-sister. Nope, not going to think about that, I do not want to know. Instead, I sighed and answered, “Yes. I do. And they will all be citizens of Varuus’kiel as much as anyone else… which should make the next Jhashaira ceremony very interesting. They live on one of the sky islands in my largest domain though and only they or I will be allowed up there, to preserve their lifestyle.”

“Sky islands?” Jhuras asked as he approached. “Apologies for interrupting, your Majesties, but I noticed that Empress Taelya was here and I thought that you might all wish to know that the workshop domes are set up beneath the lake and we can start to automatically produce mana batteries, lighting, and other necessities for the new homes and other buildings with materials that we recovered from Atlantis.”

“Hello, Jhuras, you should be getting more of those materials on your wish list over the next couple of days,” I promised. “As I was telling the others though, with my new domains we likely won’t have to worry about artificed greenhouses so that will be one less task for your people. As for the flying islands, one of my domains has islands that float in the sky due to an ore that Inanna created. It defies gravity when an electrical current is run through it.”

The moment that the words left my mouth, I had the High Artificer’s complete attention. “The uses for that… Would you be able to bring me a sample, your Majesty?”

I laughed and extracted the sample that Lilith had given me from one of my belt pouches to hand it over. “I thought that you might be interested in it, Jhuras. I’m hoping that we can reproduce the effects somehow or use earth magic to extract small amounts from the smaller islands. I’d rather not take too much if we can help it though. I don’t want those islands crashing down on top of the farms we build there or something.”

“Yes, indeed,” the Atlantean replied with a sage nod as he studied the ore in his hand. “I shall see what we can do, your Majesty.”

Since Jhuras was now puzzling out the stone and barely paying attention to the world around him I turned to Narek and offered the USB drive that I had gotten from Whisper. “I have something for you too, Pájar. The files on here contain all of the information that Whisper could dredge up on possible black sites where they might be holding non-humans in the United States. I know that you had the Winter Court looking into it and possible rescue operations, so hopefully this will help you plan.”

There was a brief look of surprise on his face before it gave way to a grateful expression and he nodded. “I have some scouts looking over one location that we suspect might hold information on some of our missing people in New York. Once they return, I will gather our rescue teams so we can go over the information that they have gathered, and what you have on this drive.”

“Good, I’m going to go drop off Agent Jones somewhere safe so we can get home then,” I said, drawing the impromptu meeting to a close. “I will see you all soon.”

I wasn’t able to take my leave quite yet though as Narek quickly caught up as we were walking off and asked, “Taelya… wait a moment.”

I covered a groan. You would think that with my dislike of the titles and formality, I would welcome somebody calling me by name but this was Narek, and him not using the title probably meant that this was something personal. That could only mean that it was something concerning our awkward father-daughter relationship. That was not something that I was really in the mood for given the long day I had had and having to find a safe place to stow Jonesy. “What do you want?” I asked. It came out a little harsher than I had intended though, and I immediately felt bad about it.

“I… have some time and Tíana is old enough that I was planning on making a viyr’kuor with her. It’s a tradition of the Winter Court to keep family close even when you can’t be… She’s taken to you, she constantly talks about the other children she’s met since we came here and her big sister. She’s been asking about you a lot and wants to spend more time with you. You will need to teach her about being a Queen someday and this could help you to build a good relationship with her so… I was… hoping that you might join us?” Narek wrung his hands and looked at the ground as he spoke, uncharacteristically nervous.

“I am well aware of the tradition,” I countered bitterly. How could I not be, I had Rhaennan’s memories of doing it as a child with Narek. Of her wanting to have a father as much as I had growing up with only Karin and our mother. “Why do I need to be involved? Do you need to store some DNA again? Do you think you might need a backup in case I don’t work out as Empress?”

Narek visibly winced. “I… deserved that. Taelya, you’re my daughter, and I realize that I haven’t been the best father to you. I manipulated and tested you from the start and saying that I did it for our people might not be the reason that you want to hear but it is the truth. I should have considered your thoughts and feelings more but at first, you reminded me so much of Rhaennan and I was afraid that I was going to lose her all over again for the sake of my plan.”

“I’m not Rhaennan,” I snapped, clenching my fists as Lissany and Nishalle watched on, uncertain whether or not they should get involved. “I might have her genes and a bunch of her memories but I’ve never been her. I’m not a replacement for her.”

“No, you’re not,” he agreed. “And I lost sight of that while trying to make sure that you would be the princess that we needed. You’re Taelya and I couldn’t be prouder of the person that you’ve become, of how you’re unifying our people. You are Fae; you have taken that to heart in ways that I never expected, so I know that you realize how important family is to our people. You don’t have to forgive or forget everything that I’ve done; I am just asking that you give me a chance to try to be the father that I should have been from the moment we first met.”

“What? No asking me to do it for Tíana’s sake?” I poked.

Narek shook his head sadly. “No, Tíana may want the time with you but this is your decision and I won’t use one daughter to manipulate the other. I want this for my sake and your sake. I may not have shown it very well but I have come to care about you a lot since we met, Taelya.”

The image of Narek charging through a group of Suvas’taäl on Ghost’s back and carving through them like the embodiment of death flashed through my mind, followed by him reading me the riot act and watching over me after I had nearly killed myself by channeling too much mana. At those times, he had felt like a father to me, even if our relationship at the time was awkward and strained as hell. Would it really hurt to give him a chance and try to start over? I had given Daenyss a second chance, and now Harley too, and both of them in positions that were close to me. Shouldn’t I be willing to give my Pájar a second chance too?

I sighed and finally nodded after a moment. “Fine, I’ll give you a chance. I do need to find a place to stick Agent Jones before it gets too late though.”

My Pájar’s face lit up in a smile as he reached out and grasped my hands tightly in his own. “Thank you, Taelya. I will not make you regret this.”

We followed Narek to a somewhat secluded spot where Tíana was waiting with a pair of guards. “Pájar! Taya!” she squealed in delight as soon as she caught sight of us. Then she ran over and practically knocked our mutual father over as she jumped into his arms. Nishalle and Lissany decided to hold back a bit and give us some space and Tíana’s guards decided to do the same so they wouldn’t intrude on the family moment.

“Hey there, my little snowflake. Just as I promised, we’re going do something very special together today,” he said as he placed her back on the ground, kissed her forehead, and tickled her sides, setting her off into a fit of giggles. “I’m going to make viyr’kuor for us today. It will let us always have a part of one another with us, even when we’re far apart for some reason. Since your sister came to check on how things were going here I asked her to come to join us.”

My little white-haired sister barely managed to get over her fit of giggles before turning that smile and those bright blue eyes of her on me. “Taya make one too? I wan’ Taya al’ays wif me.” Oh damn, she was just too adorable for words. Even if I hadn’t resolved to give our Pájar a chance, I probably would have melted right there.

“I sure am, Tíana,” I said giving her my best smile in return. “Now let’s sit down so Pájar can tell us what we need to do.”

Weaving the grass into braided cords gave me a sense of déjà vu, only this time it was my littlest sister who had a difficult time getting her hands to weave the cords. Since we were making two each, I had been worried about this possibility since I remembered Rhaennan being older in the memory of making hers, and she barely managed the one. Tíana’s little hands were having trouble doing the fine work and she was getting frustrated halfway through making the first one.

Her expression was so determined though as if she was determined to make them no matter what. Therefore, the minute that our father’s back was turned by some noise from the edge of the woods that was totally not me using my nature aspect, I winked at her and used a quick spell to finish weaving both of her cords together, and mine as well. “What’s the matter, Pájar? Me and the little snow bunny here are already done.”

I wasn’t fooling him, he knew exactly what I had just done, and I could see in his eyes that he was just playing along as he said, “You’re both so good at this.”

He went back to starting on his second cord and I managed to hold back the comment about how you would almost think that I had done this before. I was trying here, for all of our sakes, but it was going to take time before I could actually see Narek as the father figure that he was trying to be. His hands moved deftly and it didn’t take him long to finish and tie the cord off so it wouldn’t unravel. While he did that I let Tíana play with Willow, who had woken up from her nap.

With the cords woven and tied, our father took a small dagger from his jacket and cut a lock of hair from each of us, then we watched as he divided each shorn lock in two and cast the spells to encase each half in crystal. The crystals around my hair samples were violet while his were like smoky quartz and Tíana’s were an ice blue. He had made each crystal with a hole at the end wide enough to run the cords through and once we had done that, we tied them off so that they were long enough to put on or remove as needed. Or rather he and I did, Tíana needed some help with hers.

Soon, we were all wearing a pair of crystal pendants. I snuck in another spell on the pair of violet ones with my hair inside that would let me know if the bearers were in any sort of danger or seriously injured, though it was more for Tíana than our father. He could handle himself just fine; I had seen enough of his handiwork on the battlefield to know that. I was still unsure of the weight of the smoky crystal around my neck but the thought of the blue one made me smile as I gave Tíana a hug and a kiss before leaving.

“I will try to be back soon,” I promised. “Love you, snow bunny, you be good while I’m gone.”

“I will, Taya!” she eagerly vowed.

“Good girl,” I said. Then I kissed her on the forehead and turned to Narek. “I’ve got to go, I’ll see you later… Pájar.” There, I managed to say it in a non-formal situation. I took a deep breath and then made my way back to Nishalle and Lissany so we could make our way back to where Jonesy was snoozing. Neither of my protectors said anything about that awkward family moment, just letting me think things through as we made our way to our destination.

We were almost there when a familiar gleeful squeal from above caught my attention. “Inu’Mahair!” Xixie and a couple of other Sül’shael were flying toward us and gracefully landed even as their fiery wings and hair extinguished. They just stood there for a moment, beaming at me as they bounced on their toes, looking about ready to explode from excitement. Xixie blurted out whatever they were so happy about but I hadn’t been able to catch it because the pair with her had blurted it out as well, or something similar, and their rapid-fire speech overlapped making it hard to determine what they were trying to say.

“One at a time please,” I said with a tired sigh. It had been a long day and I was tired and hungry but I didn’t want to snap at any of them. They were such good girls and so eager to do well for me. I saw them all about to blurt it out simultaneously again and I raised a hand to stop that from happening. “Xixie, please explain what has you all so excited?”

“We finished your armor, Inu’Mahair! Hadrick heard that you were here and he sent us to get you!” she exclaimed like a hyperactive Wisp eager for attention.

I unconsciously reached up to pet Willow, who was sitting on my shoulder again as I regarded the girls in sudden interest. I really needed new armor, I was worried that I was going to get into some huge fight and end up fighting in my street clothes, or end up ruining another really nice dress. “Okay, girls, let’s go,” I said with a grin, suddenly feeling much more energized.

The girls were so eager that they half-dragged the three of us to Hadrick’s forge where the Dwarf was looking very pleased with himself. “I thought that it would take longer to finish my armor,” I accused cheerfully as we approached.

“Aye, yer Majesty,” the Dwarf admitted with a smile. “The dragon hide likely won’t be cured an’ ready to work with fer a few more days. But these girls were eager to finish their part for ya. So, ya won’t have the dragon skin body sheath ‘til then but we thought that a little bit of Nythrin armor is better’n no armor at all.” He gestured to the pieces laying on a makeshift countertop and my breath caught in my throat.

The silvery blue armor was practical, not that I was expecting a chainmail bikini or something from Hadrick of all people. He took too much pride in his work for that. Yes, it looked like that chest piece would probably mold itself to all of my now-considerable curves but it would cover me from hips to neck and even had a neck guard. The back had slits for my wings to emerge that would be covered by spring-loaded plates when my wings weren’t manifested.

Full bracers with attached wrist guards and greaves that would protect from ankles to knees came with it and each piece had adjustable leather straps that fastened with ingenious metal clips. There were no armor pieces for the upper legs or upper arms but with the dragon skin body sheath underneath they wouldn’t be needed and would only hamper my mobility. Though there were a pair of loose pauldrons that had clips meant to hold a cape or cloak in place. The pauldrons were made of interlinked thumb-sized Nythrin plates that would offer protection while still providing a full range of mobility in the shoulders.

Overall, the armor was ingenious and breathtakingly beautiful with the usual Sül’shael etched patterns all over them, including a large tree with a crescent moon overhead on the front of the chest piece. On the back was a pair of wings that Xixie had copied from the tattoos on my back. Once Hadrick showed Nishalle and Lissany how to help me get into it and it was on, I was surprised by how light it was. It was as if I was wearing aluminum or something. Both of my protectors were as impressed as I was and Nishalle was told that hers would be ready around when the dragon hide pieces for mine were and that her chest piece would be similar to mine. Hadrick was hoping that they would have at least a good start on the new armor for my Guardians by then as well.

“You girls did a wonderful job,” I told Xixie and the other gathered Sül’shael with a smile. “This is beautiful and I am sure that it will protect me well.”

“Oh, Liss,” Hadrick said with a grin as he reached behind the makeshift counter for something else and produced a Nythrin war hammer. “Yer armor may not be ready yet, but this should give ya something to play with in the meantime.”

The hammer was as beautiful as my armor, the head fashioned into the shape of a saber-toothed cat’s head with a nasty-looking spike on the back end. The etching that the Sül’shael had done to make it look like it bore fur made it look almost real. My Guardian stared at it in awe for a moment before grinning, picking it up, and giving it a couple of practice swings. Her eyes widened as she did so. “This is heavier than I thought, as heavy as my current hammer.”

Hadrick nodded, that big grin still splitting his face. “At its core, it’s made of the same ultra-dense alloy I used on yer old hammer to add some weight behind yer swings an’ keep the head from blowin’ apart. We coated it with Nythrin to make it more durable though and so the girls could pretty it up for ya. Needs to match yer new armor after all,” the Dwarf added with a playful wink.

Lissany was still happily playing with her new weapon of localized destruction when we returned to where Alysse was watching over Agent Jones. She had him dressed and ready to go and the only things that hadn’t been returned to him were his gun and his wallet with his badge inside. After thanking Alysse for her efforts, I cast a portal to the parking lot of Vancouver General Hospital where I cast quick glamours over Nishalle, Lissany, and myself. Then we half dragged the sleeping agent to the mental health ward.

The woman at the intake desk looked extremely bored, only looking up once I had placed my illusory CSIS badge and ID in front of her face. I had based them on Jonesy’s but I made the appearance on the ID match my current glamor. Then she was suddenly all business. “Oh. What can I do for you tonight, Agent Smith?”

“Got a crazy here,” I replied with a shrug and a nod toward my companions in similar black suits that were holding Jonesy up. “He attacked me and started ranting. Took my gun and tried to off himself, probably would have succeeded if the safety wasn’t on.”

“Mmmhmm, do you have any information on him?” she asked as she started filling out a form.

“Not much, he’s a John Doe as far as we know. He’s obviously suicidal and he was shouting things; begging for me to ‘make them stop’ and to ‘kill us’. Since he tried to off himself and was referring to himself as ‘we’ and ‘us’, I think that this case is probably more your line of work than ours,” I replied. “Whole world is going crazy if you ask me.”

“Tell me about it, freaks and monsters have been appearing all over the place lately. It’s enough to make anyone snap. We got a girl in here earlier who thinks she’s Elvis come back from outer space,” the woman grumbled as she continued to fill out the form and paused to press a button on her desk phone. “The orderlies will be right out to collect him. They’ll place him in a padded room so he can’t hurt himself until one of the doctors can assess him.”

“Good, I sincerely hope that they can help him,” I muttered. Only once Jonesy was strapped down to a stretcher and being taken away by the orderlies did we turn to leave. It had been a long day and I just wanted to curl up in bed with Rei and Daenyss.

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 21 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it done earlier this week but work has been keeping me busy and tired and I haven't been sleeping well. I hope you all enjoy.~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 21: Hectic

Once we got home Lissany, Nishalle, and I settled in with the others for one of Daenyss’s delicious home-cooked meals with the others. Rei had baked a cake too, which was welcome since I hadn’t been able to eat anything that she had baked since she was still Jessica and working in the bakery. It brought back nice memories for me and the others seemed to enjoy it as well.

It seemed that Daenyss, Rei, and Pete had had a fairly quiet day with the exception of the call on Jonesy’s phone. After that, Venika and her Wisp, Silverheels, had left the three of them to teleport to Robyn, keep an eye on her, and help Rob protect her if necessary. Other than that, they just stuck around the house and spent some quality time together while Pete mostly stayed alert for trouble and kept an eye on the news.

I was glad that Daenyss was starting to relax about the new relationship that the three of us were trying out and that she and Rei had been able to have some bonding time without me. If this was going to work between us, and possibly Salem as well, then we all needed to spend one-on-one time with one another as well as all of us together. While I spent plenty of time with both of them one-on-one, the pair of them didn’t get that chance very often without me there as well.

Kinara had spent the morning with Harley trying to help her figure out how to consciously use her anti-perception ability. After lunch, the pair had gone to Caitlin’s office to work out the details for shipping what monthly supplies that Caitlin’s factory had on hand to our warehouse and the eventual move of her business to Varüus’kiel. Most of that time was spent with Kinara starting to teach the newly awakened Witch magick though.

Caitlin did some teaching as well, it seemed. Harley had accidentally let slip that she used to be a guy while Caitlin and Kinara were discussing what needs the various species of Varuus’kiel might need in terms of monthly supplies. Caitlin had asked Harley if Beastkin had any specific needs but from what Kinara said (while giggling, mind you), the poor Unicorn Beastkin became extremely flustered. And so since Harley hadn’t had a period yet and was new to being female, Caitlin had given her ‘the talk’. Kinara mentioning it was enough to make my new Guardian turn red in the face and accidentally turn invisible again.

Then it was our turn to let the others in on what had happened during our very busy day. It said something about our lives that talk about chumming around with Gods, exploring domains, and taking on thousands of Succubae as my Priestesses barely fazed them. They were really interested in my various domains though, especially now that they were properly connected to Varüus’kiel. We all agreed that they could help solve our food issues, especially since the orchard and vineyards in one of them were ready to harvest and there was plenty of wild fruit and game in the one where the Succubae made their home.

Kinara, Rei, and Daenyss were all very happy that I was making an effort with my Pájar. I had expected that from Kinara and Daenyss since they were both Fae and knew how much or people value family but Rei surprised me. In retrospect though, it shouldn’t have. Rei was disowned by her parents and I had never known my father in my life as a human and she thought that even though we had gotten off on the wrong foot, Narek was trying and I should give him a chance.

Pete and Harley were both extremely happy that I had gotten some armor again, even if I didn’t have the dragon hide to wear underneath it yet. As Hadrick had said, it was better than nothing, and all of my protectors had been concerned about my lack of wearable protection since my fight with Tiamat. As Pete had said, “Thank Goddess, I can breathe again.”

We finished up by telling them about Jonesy’s condition when he came out of the F.I.T, and what we had done with him. “So, you just left him in the psych ward?” Rei inquired with a dubious look on her beautiful face.

“It’s the best place for him. We don’t have the facilities to keep him from harming himself or someone else and, honestly, I don’t think it would be a good idea to have him on Varüus’kiel even if we did. There are still a lot of people who will have trouble forgiving, or forgetting, what he did. It would be worse if he were there,” I responded as I leaned over in my chair to kiss her and gently stroke her tail, causing her to shiver in response.

“What if they try to look up his prints?” Harley asked, her brow furrowing in concern at the thought.

“They probably will check, but they aren’t going to find anything,” I assured her. “Whisper had Jim alter his CSIS file and every other reference on law enforcement and government databases. His prints and other means of identification will come up as an unknown. I’d have had her remove his files completely but that would have been a red flag for his boss.”

“Who is Jim?” Daenyss asked, pausing in her after-dinner cleanup.

“It’s an artificed computer program that Whisper came up with, with some help from Grell. It’ll do most of what she’s been doing for us in a fraction of the time and leave her free to pursue other tasks that need to be done,” I explained as I snuggled closer to Rei and reached out to take Daenyss’s hand and pull her closer.

It had been a long day and I just wanted to go to bed with the two of them. With that in mind, after the post-dinner cleanup was finished, I went to the master bedroom with Rei and Daenyss for a brief playful romp. Sadly, I just didn’t have the energy for more than a couple of rounds so we ended up snuggling together until we all began to drift off to sleep.

It was as I was starting to drift off that I sensed a familiar magical presence outside of the house, accompanied by similar ones. There were twenty-one in total, seemingly camping out on the roof and in the fenced yard. Between the familiar presence, the sheer number of them, and the connection that I felt to them, I wasn’t surprised when there was a gentle push at my mind.

She was trying not to be intrusive, to give a sort of knock before speaking into my mind, and I appreciated that. She could have just spoken in my mind but she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t invading my mental privacy and was thus giving me a warning. “Lilith?” I thought sleepily.

~Yes, my Goddess. I just wished to thank You for allowing us the time and a suitable place to mourn Inanna. I also wanted You to know that I am leaving a small unit here to watch over You and Your comrades and ensure Your safety. They will remain invisible and not intrude unless needed and we will change units every eight hours. I shall return in the morning to lead the unit watching over You during the day if that is satisfactory.~ It was strange, Lilith sounded so confident and yet uncertain at the same time as she said the last.

While I wasn’t thrilled with the thought of being watched every moment of the day, it was not really any different than having Lissany, Nishalle, Pete, and Harley with me all the time. At least I knew that they were going to try to keep out of sight, give me some measure of privacy, and only jump in if needed. I could even see the sense in it and my Mahair and the other Queens would be overjoyed that I had that kind of protection twenty-four hours a day.

“That’s fine, Lilith. Thank you to both you and your girls, I appreciate your efforts. If I’m not in public or busy when you all change shifts, the girls can always stop in to say hello and get a quick meal from my aura. What will you do about actual meals? You do need regular food as well,” I asked in concern.

~Your concern is touching, I am glad that Inanna chose her successor so well.~ I could feel happiness and tenderness in her thoughts as she attempted to reassure me by adding, ~Worry not, my Goddess, those watching over You will all carry some fruit, jerky, and waterskins with us. If You have no further need of me tonight, then I shall leave You to get Your rest while I get some of my own.~

“It’s okay, Lilith, go get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told her.

~Sleep well, my Goddess.~ With those final words I felt her presence slip from my mind and then I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

For the next four days, we fell into a pattern. After one of Daenyss’s breakfasts, we would all split up to do our various tasks. Kinara would spend the mornings with Harley, trying to help the Unicorn Beastkin to get a handle on her disappearing act, and then the pair would go to Caitlin’s office so that my apprentice could teach the new Witch the basics of magick. Grell and Whisper stayed at the warehouse working on various projects and overseeing the deliveries. As for Pete, Daenyss, and Rei, they mostly chilled around the house hanging out together or with my two lovers spending some quality time together while Pete kept an eye on the news for anything that might require my attention.

As for how Nishalle, Lissany, and I were spending our days, we would get picked up early by Sif or Loki and they would take us to Thor’s domain for our daily training session. Lilith would be waiting to go with us while her children that were on duty came to say hello before ending or starting their shifts and those starting would watch the house to make sure that Rei and the others stayed safe. When Kinara and Harley went to go see Caitlin, a contingent of Succubae that were on duty would follow and discreetly watch over them.

I would swing by the warehouse to portal anything that had arrived to Varüus’kiel before we started our training though, and then again, once Thor, Loki, and Sif were finished with us for the day. Each day we were there from just after breakfast until just before dinnertime. They worked us hard too.

In the morning, Sif would train Lissany, Lilith, and me to create holes in our auras so that we could talk to people without our aspects influencing them. Lilith knew a little about manipulating her aura but it wasn’t really anything that she or Inanna had cared a great deal about. And even though we couldn’t control how much energy our auras were pumping out, she was also teaching us to be more aware of those auras and what aspect they were currently radiating.

That was just our regimen until lunchtime when we would all share a meal that Sif cooked and get to know one another better. The more that I got to know the three Norse Gods, the more I found myself liking all three of them. Sure, Loki could be an acquired taste but she (or he, or they, depending on their mood) cared deeply about anyone she considered a friend and had a sense of humor that was starting to grow on all of us, even Nishalle.

Nishalle spent the most time with Loki though, training with her all day as Loki taught her about her aspects, how to consciously manipulate them, and how to use them to her advantage as an Assassin and my protector. She was also teaching my sister every dirty trick and devious tactic that she could imagine using in a fight. Usually, Loki preferred to avoid outright combat but Thor told us that when she did fight, she was a force to be reckoned with and always kept her opponents off guard.

Lissany spent her afternoons learning from Thor. She was in a constant state of excitement and wanted to learn everything that she could from him about being a protector Goddess and keeping me, and anyone with me, safe. He also put her through intense combat training with her war hammer until her every muscle was aching.

My Guardian actually surprised the Thunder God on the third day. Not only was Lissany strong but, being a jaguar Beastkin, she was also quick and agile. That day, as we were preparing to leave, Thor had a large bruise on the right side of his face. She had managed to dodge one of his more powerful attacks, put some distance between them, and then threw her new hammer at him. It wasn’t the first time that she had thrown her weapon like that to stun or take down an enemy and while Thor was impressed, he cautioned her never to leave herself unarmed.

“Mjölnir comes back to me, lass, your hammer doesn’t,” he told her. That was easily rectified though. I was able to get a feel for the enchantment on Thor’s hammer and use my magick crafting skill to create a similar enchantment on Lissany’s new weapon, there and then. Lissany couldn’t wait to try it in training the next day.

While my sister was training with Loki and my Guardian with Thor in the afternoons, I spent my time with Lilith and Sif. The latter had me working on fine control of manipulating my physical aspects, weapons combat, my magick, and getting a feel for just how much mana I was using, or needed to use in a given situation. Lilith’s training as a magick user and fellow Demigoddess was extremely helpful with regaining proper control of my magick, and the Succubus was able to show me a few tricks in unarmed combat as well.

Sif thought that my sword skills were good but that I was too used to dual wielding. If I lost one of my swords, or one of my arms was injured, my defense and offense could both be compromised due to being used to a dual-wielding form. She was determined to change this by having me fight her with only one sword. Then halfway through, she would have me focus on fighting her using the other hand. I was steadily improving in all areas but with all of that training, I was going home very tired each night.

It was a good thing that Pete was keeping an eye on the news, because on the third night he saw live footage of a Suvas’taäl raid on Singapore, and they had a Kehüvakt with them. Using the news feed I was able to portal us there. Then my group, along with a shit-ton of Succubae, were able to take down the Kraken and send the Finfolk packin’. We didn’t even take any casualties since the Succubae were attacking from the air and out of range of the Suvas’taäl.

We didn’t get home until the wee hours of the morning though, since there were a lot of injured for Rei and the Healers among the Succubae to take care of. Robyn called me in excitement the next morning before we set out. She was thrilled over the good press that we were getting, especially on the Singapore news outlets, and thought that it would really help her Changed Rights campaign. Of course, there was no secret that my group and I were involved, especially with Daenyss throwing out every title that I had when given half a chance. Reporters had gotten some decent footage of the battle as well.

At the end of the fourth day of training, I was ready to just crash in bed and snuggle with Rei and Daenyss for the rest of the night. Once I started doing the evening movement of supplies from the warehouse to Varüus’kiel though, I figured that I should check in with Hadrick and Yola since the dragon hide was supposed to be ready for making armor by now. Salem and those who had gone into the F.I.Ts for new bodies or training were supposed to be out by now as well.

With that in mind, I collected my party to eat our evening meal in Varüus’kiel and see how things were progressing. It would save Daenyss some work and we could all relax there without feeling as if we had to be on guard all of the time. Everyone was eager to go, especially Grell, who wanted some time with his girlfriend, Ashura. The only one who declined was Whisper. She had some coding that she wanted to work on and thought that someone should stay at the warehouse in case a delivery came while we were gone.

I was also thinking that it would be a good idea to introduce people to Lilith and those of her daughters who were on duty tonight since they were my Priestesses and had access to Varüus’kiel now. Lilith wanted to talk to someone about building a proper temple for me as well. Her thinking was that the people of Varüus’kiel would want a place to worship and pray, and since the Temple of the Heavens would be inaccessible for most, that we should build one in the capital.

After some discussion, I managed to get my High Priestess to compromise with a Temple of the Moon. It could be dedicated to both Danu and me, with both of our Priestesses tending it. My plan was to put her together with Xixie since the Sül’shael was technically Danu’s High Priestess. I also figured that she and the other Sül’shael would jump at the chance to create a temple for both Danu and me.

Since I was the Empress, I also had to check in once in a while and see how things were progressing. I may not like being in charge but I was determined to do my best for my people, and that meant taking my duties seriously. I hadn’t had much time the night before to do more than just portal supplies in, so I was hoping for some positive news tonight to cheer me up after a hard day of training. It couldn’t have been worse than the news I had gotten the night before last.

That was when my Pájar informed me about a successful raid on the black sites in the United States by the Winter Court. They had managed to rescue the families of players and employees at the New York branch who had been held hostage and that was a big positive. However, when rescuing Fae and other non-humans from the other black sites they found fewer people alive than they were hoping for, and more signs of experimentation and research. They had destroyed what information like that they had found and cremated the dead but it wasn’t the big win that we had been hoping for when Whisper had found that information, and it left me feeling terrible that we hadn’t been able to find them sooner.

So, I was really looking for some news that would cheer me up tonight. Still, it was nice to be home. It was strange that this place that hadn’t seen sunlight since we arrived felt like home now. It did though. Maybe it was my connection to the island and the fact that it was my center of power had something to do with that. On the other hand, maybe it was because this was where my people were. It didn’t really matter why though, it just mattered that it was.

As Grell went off in search of his girlfriend, the rest of us made our way toward where Hadrick kept his forge. I was holding hands with both Rei and Daenyss, Lissany was doing the same with Kinara, Nishalle had her arm possessively around Pete’s waist, and Harley was trying to be all business, keep an eye out for danger, and act like a proper Guardian. I admired her dedication to her chosen role but she needed to learn to relax sometimes too.

Lissany was the same way at first though and it took her almost until we were out of the game to start relaxing when the opportunity arose. Now she had found a balance where she could relax when it was appropriate but still remain alert and on guard. I thought that maybe I should have her talk with Harley one-on-one more, offer some pointers, and talk about being Guardians. Usually, when they talked, it was Lissany teasing the older Guardian and Beastkin, though she did try not to take that too far. Lissany had earned Harley’s respect though, with how dedicated she was to being the best Guardian possible.

The Succubae following behind our group were as alert and on guard as Harley, though I couldn’t really blame them for that since this wasn’t familiar territory and they didn’t know many of my people very well. They were getting a lot of curious looks from those that we passed by though, those who weren’t staring at me or Lilith anyway. Most of the Fae were using their mental discipline to try to resist our auras but the only people who seemed completely immune were children, Yseil’dhraí, Sül’shael, Dwarves, and those who had no attraction to women.

Apparently, the reason that Hadrick wasn’t a blathering mess when I went to see him about my new armor the last time was that Dwarves are not only all heterosexual but they rarely feel attraction to anyone except other Dwarves. Lilith had some experience with Dwarves over her long existence but she had never been able to wrap one around her finger.

When we arrived at Hadrick’s forge, he and the Sül’shael, including Xixie, were working on shaping what looked like a helm for a Guardian’s armor. We waited until they were finished and the nigh-indestructible metal was cooling to get their attention. Then Lissany called out, “Hey, Hadrick! I love my new hammer! I threw it at Thor and totally hit him in the face while we were training!”

The Dwarf let out a big belly laugh. “Ya never disappoint, do ya, Liss? Maybe ya shouldn’t be throwin’ yer weapon around though.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Her Majesty enchanted it so it’ll come back to me now,” my feline Guardian replied with a wicked grin.

“I suppose, you’ll be wantin’ the armor now too then,” he replied with a wink.

He looked like he was going to say more but Xixie and the other Sül’shael squealed in excitement and rushed toward me, barely managing to remember to extinguish their hair and wings first. “Inu’Mahair! You’re here!”

Once I had managed to get the girls to calm down a bit, I introduced Lilith and the other Succubae present to Xixie, the other Sül’shael, and everyone else present. I had warned Lilith that Xixie and the other girls could be a bit excitable beforehand. Thankfully, Hadrick had been about ready to close the forge for the day to get a meal and some rest because Xixie and the other girls were very curious about the Succubae and probably wouldn’t have gotten anything more done.

The horns, scales, tails, and wings were of particular interest to them. They had never seen a person with horns on their heads or scales on their bodies before, Succubus tails were very different from what they had seen on the Beastkin, and their wings were just as different from those of the Sül’shael or me. Lilith and her brood had never seen a Sül’shael before either though and I had only told them a little about them so they were just as curious.

Xixie and Lilith had very different perspectives and personalities, and I had been afraid that they wouldn’t get along but it seemed that those fears were unfounded. Xixie was only too happy to talk to the Succubus Matriarch about building a shared temple for Danu and me and thought it was a great idea, though Lilith had to explain what a temple was first. I think Xixie was a little disappointed that she couldn’t be my High Priestess as well as Danu’s but she quickly got over it once Lilith explained how she and her brood had served as Inanna’s Priestesses for thousands of years and they saw me as her rightful successor. It probably also helped that she and the other Sül’shael saw me as their Inu’Mahair rather than as their Goddess as Lilith and the other Succubae did.

With introductions made, and the Sül’shael now distracted, Hadrick and Yola were able to show me, Nishalle, Lissany, and Harley what they had for us. I was glad that I was getting used to creating a big enough hole in my aura to keep Shaoli from being too distracted by thoughts of sex to have an intelligent conversation with. When she had first measured me after my Sex Goddess ‘upgrade’ it was just after Inanna and Ereshkigal had died so I suspected that my aura was projecting my love or justice aspect then since sex would have felt inappropriate under the circumstances.

That wasn’t the case now though, and the Nyiir’dhraí tailor had been too distracted by using Fae focusing techniques to attempt to combat her desire and thoughts of sex. She had helped Yola to make my new dragon skin bodysuit to be worn under my armor and needed to know if it would need any adjustments but when she had taken me aside she had been hit full force by my Sex aura. It probably didn’t help that I had unthinkingly used my magic mark to switch to my armor and then just stripped naked in front of her so I could put the bodysuit on.

Once I was able to make her exempt from my aura, Shaoli sighed and visibly relaxed as I pulled on the dragon skin garment. “That aura makes things hella awkward, your Majesty.”

“Tell me about it,” I responded with a sigh of my own. I got the garment fully on and, as usual, I was very happy with Shaoli and Yola’s work. Rather than being a tunic and leggings like my former Lindwyrm armor, it was a full bodysuit, though it still had an attached hood. It was easy to move around in, the hide had a bit of stretch to it, and since the scales were a lot smaller, especially around the tail tips and extremities, they had been able to make some proper boots and gloves from them as well. Everything fit perfectly and a test proved that the wing slits were in the right place as well before I put my Nythrin armor on over top.

The iridescent blue scales hadn’t been dyed at all but they looked good with the bluish silver of the Nythrin armor pieces over top. Shaoli had also made me a silver silk cape that could be attached by the clips on the pauldrons of my armor for more formal occasions. Once I had that on and my weapons in place to make sure that the new gear belt and thigh holsters for my guns were both comfortable and secure, the tailor grinned and let out a whistle, “Now you look like an Empress. So, how does everything fit, your Majesty?”

“Great, Shaoli, as usual, I have no complaints. You and Yola did a great job and now I’ll have more protection from bullets, blades, and fire again.” I told her with a smile. Then I took the cape off since I didn’t want it getting damaged in a fight and offered it to Daenyss. “Do you think that you can put that in your box for me, Sweetie?”

Daenyss immediately blushed at me calling her that in public but tried to remain professional as she took the garment, folded it, and replied, “Of course, Mistress.”

Shaoli just smiled and said nothing as we made our way back to the others where I saw Nishalle, Lissany, and Harley all in shiny new Nythrin gear as well. Nishalle’s was much like mine; a set of greaves, bracers with wrist guards, and the chest piece with spring-loaded plates to cover the wing slits in the back. The metal stood out a bit on top of the black Lindwrym hide she wore beneath and it was simple, at my sister’s request.

The only etchings that the Sül’shael had made in the metal of her armor was the same tree and moon pattern that mine bore on the front of the chest piece. When Nishalle had first seen it on my chest piece, she suggested that it would make a good unifying symbol for the people of Varüus’kiel. I had agreed and asked Xixie and the girls if they could include it in any other armor that they made for our people, so Lissany’s and Harley’s Guardian armor had it proudly displayed on the chest as well.

The girls had also made a very convincing replica of my sister’s katana out of Nythrin under Hadrick’s guidance. Again, it was simple, but Hadrick felt that it would be a lot sturdier than what she currently had. That one had been a replica made for reenactments but the Nythrin one that the girls had made for her was made for combat and razor sharp.

Lissany’s Guardian armor was a work of art. The full head-to-toe plate armor actually looked like fur and the helm was in the shape of a saber-toothed cat’s head, much like her new hammer. Her ears fit perfectly in the cat ears of the helm and her faceplate was inside the gaping maw of it. Other than the slits for her eyes there was a fine Nythrin wire mesh covering the area of her mouth and the fronts of her ears so she could hear and breathe properly but still be fully protected.

The gauntlets and boots were made to look like paws, even bearing razor-sharp claws at the tips of both fingers and toes and the chest piece bore the tree and moon symbol. Her huge tower shield was just as massive as her old one but lighter due to the metal, and both armor and shield were fully lined with dragon skin to add an extra layer of protection and bullet resistance just in case Nythrin wasn’t as bulletproof as we hoped. The shield didn’t follow the cat theme like the rest of her armor and her war hammer. Instead, it was simple, only bearing a much larger version of the symbol on her chest.

Harley’s armor was similar to Lissany’s but with a unicorn theme. They couldn’t really make the gauntlets and boots look like hooves without making things awkward for her but the Unicorn head helm was beautiful and both her ears and horn fit into those on the helmet. The unicorn's face overlapped her own, the eye slits where the eyes of the unicorn were, and the mesh for breathing in the nostrils and slightly opened mouth. The mane looked realistic enough that I wanted to stroke it.

She also had a tower shield that matched Lissany’s and a harness for a pair of swords. One was similar in size and style to my swords and there was a sheath for it on the harness at her waist. The other was similar to Pete’s claymore in both size and style and could be worn across her back along with the shield and drawn at an angle. Etched into the flat of both sides of the colossal Nythrin blade was a rampant unicorn.

To be honest, my Guardians both looked pretty badass in their new armor and Lissany was gushing about hers while Harley seemed too stunned to speak anything more than a teary thank you. Hadrick looked extremely pleased with the handiwork of his Sül’shael students, while my party mates and I were awestruck. The Sül’shael themselves were giddy to see our reactions and I made sure to give each of them a hug after telling them, “Wonderful work, girls. I’m so proud of you all.”

After thanking our outfitters, we decided to head off and find some dinner. All of the supplies that we were sending were being put to good use and the Brownies of the Autumn Court had combined their efforts to make a large communal dinner where everyone could serve himself or herself. The food was good and the Sül’shael liked having more variety available now that my people had arrived on the island. They ate quickly and then Xixie and the other girls managed to convince Lilith and the other Succubae to take a break with them until it was time to go.

“Okay, that was really weird. Is it just me or did the Sül’shael just seduce your Succubae?” Grell asked with a perplexed look as he and Ashura joined us just in time to see each Succubus being led away by at least one very eager Sül’shael.

“One of Lilith’s girls let slip that they feed on sexual energy. It got Xixie and the others curious; they want to see it and they were especially interested in those tails. So… Xixie asked me if it would be okay for her and the girls to get to know Lilith and her brood better. They did such a good job that I think they deserve a reward,” I explained before giggling. “It surprised the hell out of Lilith. Usually. they have to work harder for meals that aren’t being provided from a sex aura like hers or mine.”

“Talk about a turnaround,” Ashura said with a laugh. “I gotta say though, I never thought I’d see a real Succubus, but then, I thought that about a lot of formerly mythical creatures before joining AD. Never thought I’d be an Atlantean either.”

We were all cheerfully talking, relaxing, and letting our meals digest and I was snuggling happily with Daenyss and Rei when I heard a voice call out, “LIssy! Lookit! I’m a kitty too!” Two familiar Liyun'shael approached, with Lucy gripping both her mother’s and Salem’s hands. She was indeed a kitty, with a cute kitty nose like Lissany’s and a pair of round fuzzy ears atop her head, probably a tiger Beastkin going by the orange and black striped tail.

The trio stopped to stare at me for a moment as Salem and Vivian stepped into range of my aura. Both Moss Maidens were obviously having a very hard time reining in their desires and getting control of themselves while Lucy was trying to figure out what was different about me. “Mommy, Grammy Salem, why does Empress Taelya look different?”

*Snerk* “Grammy Salem,” Nishalle snickered beside me. “That’s so cute.”

Daenyss was on her feet in an instant and practically leaped into Salem’s arms to kiss her passionately for several minutes before producing the fruit that Loki had left for her and encouraging the diminutive Moss Maiden to eat it. Salem snapped out of her lust daze fairly quickly once she had eaten it and I was able to make a hole in my aura for Vivian so she could calm down as well. Finally, Salem just stared at me a moment longer before asking, “Is that you Taelya? I was gone like a week, what the hell did I miss?”

Apparently, she was so stunned that she forgot to use my title, not that I minded. I wouldn’t have minded a little more of that, in fact. I was about to answer but Daenyss beat me to the punch as she gripped Salem’s hand tightly, her eyes darting nervously between the Moss Maiden and me and Rei. “A lot has happened, Salem. We… have a lot to talk about.”

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 22 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but I'm shaking off a cold and didn't finish it until the wee hours of the morning. I hope you all enjoy.~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 22: Business Trip

Salem, Vivian, and Lucy joined us to eat their dinner and we updated them on everything that had happened since they had gone into their F.I.Ts. We didn’t mention the budding intimate relationship between Daenyss, Rei, and me though, because that was something that we wished to discuss with Salem privately. Still, with all the God-related stuff, Jonesy’s fate, Succubae, and Domains to talk about, there was plenty to tell them.

Salem was eager to learn more about my new Domains while her new Liyun’shael daughter wanted to give me a report on how productive their time in the F.I.Ts had been. In addition to Lucy becoming a ‘kitty’ as she had wanted, Vivian and Lucy had picked up a variety of new skills and a couple of languages, including Japanese and Elvish since those were looking to be Varüus’kiel’s official languages other than English. Salem had also picked up Japanese and a few new skills in her time as a trainer and leader in the simulation.

Vivian had successfully given those wanting to learn her occupation some practical hands-on experience as well, and she felt that they were all as ready as they could be to act as OB/GYNs and reproductive endocrinologists for the clinics in the capital and the Glades of the four Courts. All that they really needed was for construction to be finished on the clinics and suitable equipment and tools to ply their new trade. In the week since they had gone into the simulation, the Magi and Atlanteans in charge of construction have been focusing on the essentials; mostly homes for people, the hospital, and the reproductive and women’s health clinic that Vivian would be opening with those of her students who were staying in the capital.

The latter was almost complete, at least the structure, though there were a lot of conveniences and basics that still needed to be added to make it into a real clinic. The hospital was nearly done, but again, there was equipment needed, like basic lighting and stuff that the Atlanteans were trying to produce as quickly as possible and I had made it clear that the hospital was our biggest priority at the moment. Even once lighting, doors, and all the other basics and conveniences were added, the hospital would still need equipment though.

I knew that the Atlanteans had artificed medical scanners and diagnostic equipment that put their modern human equivalents to shame, so we wouldn’t need any of the big ticket, ‘high tech’ equipment. Jhuras and his people were even producing special hospital beds with built-in diagnostic equipment similar to what was in the F.I.Ts. The basic medical tools and supplies were a different story though. For that, we would need to find a reputable wholesale supplier of medical equipment and supplies.

We would need to order examination tables and various other medical equipment for the clinics and the hospital in bulk, and some of that would have to be magically re-sized for the use of patients who didn’t fall within the human size range, such as the Namahage and the Sprites and other tiny Fae. Vivian was able to give us a list of the important stuff and some contacts that she used for her office, and the name of the person in charge of that kind of thing for the hospital she had worked at in Toronto though.

We would be following up on that as quickly as possible and we had at least one source where we could get everything that Vivian would need. We could raid her medical practice. I decided that there was no time like the present for the latter. There was only one problem though. I had never been to Toronto, and there was no handy newscast to give me an image to lock onto, so I wouldn’t be able to teleport or portal us there.

Vivian herself solved the issue. While they had been in the F.I.Ts, nearly six weeks had passed by their perspective and she had spent what spare time she had learning the basics of magick from her new mother. Salem was so adorable, acting like a proud mama as she told us how Vivian had become very adept at earth and plant-based magick. She had also taught her new daughter some basic utility spells that I had taught her, including the group teleport spell.

We decided that it would be best if only my protectors and I went with her. It was around eleven o’clock at night there and her practice had been closed for a while now, so her office should have been empty, but there probably wouldn’t be much room for a large group. I wanted to go with her so I could teleport back to Toronto later though, and I wanted us to have some protection in case we were seen.

Once Vivian had pictured her office in her mind and mentally tagged the five of us, we reappeared inside of a small and dark office waiting room. It was a little odd being the passenger instead of the spell caster for a change, but I was glad to see that Vivian was doing so well under Salem’s guidance. She quickly headed toward the examination room and then started mentally tagging everything for teleportation, followed by a supply closet that was still fairly well stocked.

I stayed with her in case she needed me, and to get an idea of what tools might be needed, but she knew what she needed and seemed to have things well In hand. Everything vanished as she stepped back into the examination room and Vivian looked around the now-empty room before heaving a sigh. “There, everything is in the clinic; I’ll organize it all later. You know, I haven’t been here in months, not since I was diagnosed as terminal. I never thought I’d be coming back but the lease was paid for a year.”

“You don’t have to stay with us if you don’t want to, Vivian,” I offered, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You and Lucy could go back to who you were before and pick up your lives here. I’d like you to stay, we could use your experience even if others do have your skills now, but nobody would fault you if you don’t want to stay in Varüus’kiel.”

The Moss Maiden shook her head and gave me a tremulous smile. “I appreciate the offer, Your Majesty, but I don’t think that anyone can go back to a normal life now that magick and Gods are back in the world. Besides, my Mahair and I have gotten close while we were in the simulation and Lucy adores her. It’s nice to have a family and to truly belong somewhere again too. I became a reproductive endocrinologist so I could help people who want children but can’t have them easily, I think that applies to your people more than most. Some of the stories I’ve heard from the people I was training made me realize that. You all want children so badly but some of you never have them, even waiting and trying for hundreds of years. I think that I’m right where I belong.”

I nodded and smiled back, allowing my relief to show. “That’s good, because we’d hate to lose you, and I think that Lucy would make a great playmate for my little sister, Tíana. Is there anything else that you would like to bring with you? Anything sentimental from home?”

“I want a few things from my office, like my diplomas, but there is no home to go to,” Vivian replied with a shake of her head. “Our apartment was mostly emptied out before we left for Vancouver; I… wasn’t expecting to come back here so everything that was really important, like photos, were in my carry-on baggage. Home is Varüus’kiel now, we’ll make new memories there, good ones.”

“Okay, we’ll give you a moment to collect those things. I’m going to call Loki and let them know that we’ll be taking the day off training tomorrow to get some important things done. I’d rather get on ordering all of the equipment for the hospital and clinics while it’s all fresh in my mind. It’s a priority and I’d rather not put it off now that we have suppliers we can order through for our other needs,” I told her before mumbling a quick spell to teleport my purse to me, taking out my phone, and looking for Loki’s number in my contacts list.

“Okay, I won’t be long,” she managed to get out before giving me a perplexed look. It wasn’t the casual teleporting of my purse that set her off though as she asked, “Wait, you have a god on your speed dial?”

I let out a giggle as I nodded. “Just Loki though, I don’t need a phone to talk to Danu whenever I want. I’d probably have Thor and Sif in my contacts list too if either of them had a phone. Loki teases them about being like old people when it comes to modern tech but the truth is that neither of them spends enough time in the mortal world to really need one.”

“The mundane just flies right out the window with you, doesn’t it, Your Majesty?” Vivian didn’t wait for a response though, chuckling and shaking her head as she made her way toward her office.

I hit the icon to call Loki. It was a moment before there was a reply though and I was surprised to hear Sif’s voice. “I think I can handle it, Cuz. You shouldn’t be on the phone, or doing much else right now in your state. Taelya, is that you?”

I managed to contain my surprise and replied, “Hi, Sif. Yeah, it’s me. What’s up with Loki?” Loki had seemed their usual self when we had parted ways earlier, aside from ‘not feeling the whole gender thing’ and adopting a more androgynous look today.

“Well, my cousin decided to introduce Thor and I to this lovely little bar in San Francisco called Two Spirits and we’ve been drinking. Poor Loki just doesn’t have the tolerance that we do though,” the Goddess replied, a sigh escaping her.

“I do so! I can drinks you all under the table!” I heard Loki say in the background, more giggling than speaking.

Sif groaned outright this time. “Perhaps it was a bad idea to indulge them but there are a lot of people like Loki here it would seem, between genders at the moment, and they feel comfortable here. Thor and I barely have a buzz going but Loki is already pretty far gone. The last time they drank this much they wound up pregnant… and a horse. I guess they will be staying with us tonight so we can keep them out of trouble. I do not envy them the hangover they will have for tomorrow’s training session with you.”

“Actually, that’s what I’m calling about, Sif. There are some things that I want to take care of tomorrow, so I think that we’ll be taking a day or two off from training.”

“That is fine, Taelya. We all realize that you have responsibilities and you cannot spend every day training with us. You should be able to protect yourselves well enough if any Gods show up, but I would suggest trying to avoid that possibility by staying in public as much as possible. Also, make sure that you have your protectors and some Succubae watching over you,” she suggested.

Sif and Thor had become a bit protective of us. I appreciated the concern and that she cared so much, so I tried not to take offense to her being a mother hen. She was like that with family, and she and Thor had made it clear that they were starting to see Nishalle, Lilith, Lissany, and me that way. “We’ll be careful, Sif. Enjoy your night out and take care of your cousin.”

“We will, Taelya…”

Whatever else Sif was going to add was interrupted by Loki yelling in the background, “Woo! Gender swaps for everyone!”

“For Odin’s sake, Loki! You can’t just swap somebody’s gender like that without asking!” Sif shouted, and I winced as I pulled the phone away from my sensitive ear.

“I’m helping! They’ll be happy! ‘Sides, I didn’t switch everyone, you an’ Thor are still the same, mostly ‘cause he looks terrible inna dress and you’d do horrible things to me. I only changed those who wanted it, to make their bodies match who they are inside. Tha’ genderfluid one might be a problem though. At leas’ nobody identified as an attack helicopter.” With that, Loki’s voice dissolved into a fit of giggling in the background.

O…kay. That was mildly concerning, but hopefully Sif and Thor would handle it. They were the responsible ones after all. “At least ask them first! I swear, Loki, we’re going to talk to every one of these people and make sure it is what they want!” Thor’s voice insisted.

Loki countered with, “You can’t take this away from them! They’re my people!”

Sif seemed to groan on the other end. “If they want it and will be happier this way then you won’t have to change them back. Maybe if we get them drunk enough they’ll forget how it happened, or that we were involved.”

“Ya hear that?! Siffy’s buying! A round o’ drinks fer everyone!” Loki squealed in what sounded like delight.

“Beer only! Not the expensive stuff!” Sif shouted, making me wince again before she apologized. “Sorry, Taelya, I should go deal with this.”

“Uh… yeah, not gonna lie; that sounds like a mess. You’re not going to get in any trouble with the other Gods, are you?” I asked in concern.

“No more than usual when Loki decides we should go drinking. We are not here in our true forms so we technically have not shown ourselves to mortals,” Sif replied in a hushed tone. “I should try to get Loki under control though so I will talk to you later. You and the girls take care of yourselves.”

“Good luck, Sif. We’ll see you later,” I offered before disconnecting the call.

That was a long conversation for just telling them we won’t be around tomorrow,” Nishalle commented as the others looked at me with varying degrees of curiosity. Even Vivian, who had emerged from her former office.

“Yeah, Thor, Sif, and Loki went to a bar,” I started to explain.

“That sound like the start of a really bad joke,” Pete interjected with a raised eyebrow.

“More than you know,” I told them with a sigh. “Loki is a cheap drunk, and you know how when you’re drunk, everything is funny sometimes? Picture that, with the God/dess of mischief in a bar full of transgendered people and wanting to ‘help’.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing,” Lissany commented. There was a pensive look on her face as she tried to imagine such a scene.

“Neither am I,” I admitted, “but Sif is going to handle it, or at least work on damage control. I don’t think Loki actually swapped the gender of anyone who didn’t truly wish for it though. You know how they are, impulsive and sometimes misguided, but their heart is usually in the right place.”

“Well, I hope they wanted it. After that brief taste that you gave me back when I was being an asshole, I wouldn’t wish gender dysphoria on my worst enemy,” Harley contributed, wincing visibly at whatever thoughts that brought up.

~o~O~o~

“Why are we doing this again?” Harley asked in a hushed and slightly annoyed tone as we walked through the lobby of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Toronto just before one in the morning, local time. I didn’t blame her for being annoyed since we were drawing a lot of stares, mostly from the hotel staff as we approached the front desk. It was a rhetorical question, so I didn’t bother answering. She knew damn well why we were here right now and dressed as we were.

Once we had returned with Vivian to Varüus’kiel, we had discussed how to best go about this mission. Sif had been right that we should stay as public as possible, but for more reasons than just avoiding murderous Gods. This business needed to be conducted officially. While a crap-load of food, sewing supplies, clothing, and even construction supplies could be bought easily from wholesalers in my Autumn Cortez alter ego and attributed to genuine and legal business ventures, or just the eccentric idiosyncrasies of the idle rich, a large number of medical tools, equipment, and medications was a different story.

With that in mind, the plan was to make it very obvious that the Empress of Varüus’kiel was in town on business. With all of the phones that I saw out in the lobby, even at this time of night, word was going to get out fast. With the way we were dressed, not hiding behind glamours, and my growing celebrity status on the internet, I was half expecting the ‘Department of Changed Affairs’ to come and break down my hotel room door within the hour, if the establishment even let me get a room here.

I hadn’t liked the idea when Rei had suggested it, but my consort had made a valid point. As long as powerful and influential non-humans such as us remained hidden by glamours and the like, the Changed Rights movement would never get any traction and people like those in the DCA could just continue to nab our kind off the streets and into the shadows to exploit or hurt them. We needed to stay in the light if we wanted to effect change and forge peace.

I also felt that hiding behind glamours, unless it was necessary or desirable to keep a low profile, would seem like we were ashamed of who and what we were. I was Fae, and I was proud of it. I wouldn’t hide that from anybody and I wouldn’t allow anyone to try to make me seem lesser and drag me off into those shadows to hide some inconvenient truths from the masses.

So, here we were, with probably every phone in the lobby recording our every step as we walked to the front desk. Grell had returned to the warehouse to help Whisper manage things there and work on artificing a few new things. Kinara had gone back to the safe house under the guard of a half dozen Succubae who would keep her company and go with her when she went to Caitlin’s office to give the new Witch her magick lesson. There were also two dozen Succubae on the roof of this hotel in case they were needed and Lilith had joined my entourage.

Nishalle was in the front, acting as our forward guard in her armor, with her weapons within easy reach. Tokh’dhraí are generally terrifying but my sister took that to a whole new level. As my sister’s eyes peeled the room, most likely for danger and possible exits, her mere glance had people keeping their distance.

Pete brought up the rear in his Lindwyrm hide armor with his flak jacket on top, giving him a fantasy mercenary look. If his mere size didn’t intimidate someone enough to keep them away, the claymore strapped across his back would. His assault rifle was hidden away though unless it was needed for some reason; none of us was bearing firearms openly right now to try to make this look ceremonial rather than potentially violent.

To either side of my entourage, walked Lissany and Harley in their shiny new armor and weapons, looking very impressive. Except when one of them grumbled about all of the stares, but at least they did that too quietly for human ears to hear. It was mostly an act though since I knew they were both practically preening with people looking at them in their new gear.

My entourage consisted of Rei, Daenyss, Salem, and Lilith. The first three were all decked out in illusions provided by my Attendant; a navy blue dress and heels for Daenyss, a similar cream-colored affair for Salem that went well with her moss-like skin, and a dark emerald gown for Rei that made her white tails stand out and went well with her black hair. Lilith was apparently planning on acting as an additional bodyguard on this trip rather than as my High Priestess since she was fully armored up in her scales.

Finally, there was me at the center of it all. I was wearing my complete set of new armor as well, complete with the silver silk cape attached to the pauldrons. My other option had been a violet dress in the Fae style, meaning that it barely covered the important bits. I wasn’t against it, but it was too cold in Toronto for my taste and Lilith felt that I needed to appear both regal and powerful, and the armor worked for that. I didn’t wear my crown though, that was for special occasions and would have made me feel even more overdressed.

When we stepped up to the front desk, Daenyss moved up to stand by my sister. I would have gone myself but Daenyss would want to do her thing, and we were trying to sell the whole ceremonial angle. “I present Her Imperial Majesty, Taelya nír Keshwaindyr: Chosen daughter of the Goddess Danu; Demigoddess of magick, the moon, the sea, nature, justice, love, sex, and doves; Empress of Varüus’kiel; ruler of all Fae; slayer of Tiamat the Dragon Queen; and Queen of the Heavens. Her Majesty would like two of your finest suites for the next two nights while she conducts business in your fair city.”

I had to hand it to Daenyss, she had the formality thing down but then, she’d had it down since she first came to serve me. We probably wouldn’t need the room for two nights, but it was possible that making contact might take a couple of days and it would help sell that we were here on business. If our business here happened to conclude earlier, then we would just check out early.

The poor concierge, a young woman who barely looked old enough to be out of high school and had her blonde hair in a tight bun at the back of her head, was caught staring and couldn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, once she had managed to pick up her jaw and stop staring, she managed to get out, “Th-that’s her… you’re them… I…”

“Clearly, she has internet access,” Nishalle snarked.

“She could have seen the news,” Rei offered as an alternative.

It was about then that the young woman in question managed to wrangle her errant tongue. “Yes, of course, we have two adjoining suites available on the twentieth floor if you would like?”

“That would be fine,” I started to reply before looking at her nametag and adding, “Megan.”

After that, Megan was the consummate professional. I included a two hundred dollar tip for her when paid cash upfront for our stay and a room deposit. I had been a little worried about using credit cards under the name Autumn Cortez. I would have to look into credit cards for my own name, though I had to wonder if any of the major credit card companies would give cards out to a Fae with no established credit, Empress or not.

It seemed that the Ritz Carlton had no policy in place yet regarding non-human guests, so other than having to pay cash there was no problem with us staying here, at least on paper. Some people, like the bellhop, didn’t seem too happy to have us there but I tried my best to remain magnanimous and friendly since we were trying to develop a good public image. At least he hadn’t gotten close enough to be affected by the sex auras that Lilith and I were pumping out. Maybe he was just upset that we didn’t have any luggage for him to carry but it was far more likely distaste for non-humans. I tried to put it out of my mind as we went to our suites and turned in for the night, I had other things to worry about, after all.

Rei, Daenyss, Salem, and, I took one suite of rooms, while Lilith and my official protectors took the one beside it. As we headed up to the room, the five of them decided to take turns standing guard outside our suite for two-hour shifts while the others slept. With that decided, we all turned in for the night, or at least retired to our suites.

Before we actually slept, Rei, Daenyss, and I needed to have a talk with Salem. Once inside, Daenyss pulled the tiny Moss Maiden toward the couch in the living area of the suite and we all sat down. Rei seemed the most nervous about the impending conversation and we had all barely sat down before she blurted out, “Salem, while you were in the F.I.T we kinda…” She trailed off, either unwilling or uncertain how to finish her aborted sentence.

“Had sex with Daenyss?” Salem suggested casually.

I tried not to giggle but poor Rei looked as stunned as that Megan girl had earlier as she tried to stammer out a reply. “We… I… how did you…”

“Umm… hello? Three of us in this room are Fae. Casual sex is kinda our thing. Daenyss is a Nymph too so like me, she needs some release of pent-up sexual energy fairly often. I’m just glad that someone was helping her with that while I was gone. I had plenty of sex in the simulation; it’s not a big deal. I think teaching Vivian about being Fae, and a Liyun’shael in particular, sorta helped me to be more practical about stuff like this, but I’m a bit surprised that she’d ask the two of you. I mean, she loves you both but she’s always so worried about remaining professional with you.” The last was said with an apologetic smile in Daenyss’s direction.

“We’re trying to find a balance for her,” I said, relieved that she wasn’t upset. She seemed a bit more mature and in touch with herself and I loved it. It was so damn attractive. “That’s not all that we wanted to talk to you about though, Salem.”

For a moment, the Liyun’shael looked as vulnerable as she had back when she had first changed in the game. “It’s not like Daenyss and I have made sahir kien or anything. Even if we had, she'd still be free to sleep with whoever she wants.”

“I was waiting until you were ready,” Daenyss admitted with a blush. “I didn’t want to rush it, but I do want to wear your sahir kien.”

“It’s not just about Daenyss though,” I said, blushing bright red. “I recently realized some things. I thought that I saw everyone in our group as my family but you and Daenyss are different, I’m attracted to you both, and I want to spend more time getting to you both better. I guess I see you as friends and more? Potentially lovers?”

“Tae, I’ve gotten over a lot of my hang-ups. You’re hot, you’re one of my two best friends, and I owe you more than I can ever hope to repay. If you want to ‘get to know me better’ as a Fae, then I’m up for that. You don’t need to be nervous about it.”

“What about more?” Rei asked. “We’d like to make sure that we’re all compatible and okay with it before making anything official but if we are all compatible and find that we’re all interested, how would you feel about a relationship, with all of us?”

Salem’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. “I… wow. Okay, that was surprising. I’m not averse to the idea if we’re all good together and want to give it a go but how would that even work?”

“Not much differently than a normal Fae relationship,” I told her as my blush flared up again. “It would be a polygamous relationship between the four of us. The sahir kien marks Rei and me as favored lovers, and her as my consort, but there’s nothing saying you can’t have more than two people in a relationship. It’s been done a few times before, actually. Rei would remain my consort and you and Daenyss could wear one another’s sahir kien. I guess if we all decided to make it official between the four of us we could get something like matching rings for our own sake, but that’s jumping ahead to if it works out.”

Rei squeezed my right hand and nodded as she said, “I’m not Fae like the three of you but I’m willing to give this a try if all of you are.”

“I only want the three of you to be happy, but I hope that we can all be happy together,” Daenyss contributed with a blush as she took my left hand and Salem’s right. It was nice to see her willing to pursue her own happiness instead of just worrying about everyone else’s for a change.

Salem took a deep breath and nodded, and I noticed her knee bouncing with nervous energy. “Okay, let’s give this a chance. Do we need to set ground rules? Where do we start?”

Rei’s tone was serious as she offered, “There is one rule that Tae and I follow, and I think it’s important if we’re going to trust one another enough to try this. As you said, you’re all Fae and casual sex is a thing, but we should be honest with each other about who we have sex with outside of the relationship. I’d also probably use regular purification spells on all of us but that’s not so much a rule as a personal comfort thing.”

“Yeah, honesty is our number one rule,” I agreed. “I want to be able to be honest with all of you, and know that you feel comfortable being honest with me too, even if it’s not something that I want to hear. It’s basically the same deal as our party, I count on all of you to tell me if I’m doing something wrong or letting my Fae nature get the better of me, and I’ll do the same for you. If this is going to work between the four of us then we need to be more than lovers, we need to be a team. As for where to start? Well, there’s a king-sized bed in that bedroom. Whether we start just talking as we fall asleep or do something more is all up to you, Salem.”

The Moss Maiden smiled as she got to her feet. “Okay, let’s go to bed then. We can start by talking at first and see where things go from there.”

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 23 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. A little later than I hoped, but it's posted. I hope you all enjoy.~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 23: Welcome Wagon

We spent an hour or so just talking about relationships, love, and getting to know Salem better as she got to know us better as well. We also helped Daenyss and Salem to make their sahir kien. Daenyss had been meaning to ask Salem earlier, but hadn’t wanted to spring it on her so quickly after returning to the real world from the game, especially with everything that had been happening since then. We had all been through a lot and it was a lot to process, and Daenyss had been worried that Salem still might not be over the loss of her fiancée.

“I still think about Lexi sometimes,” the tiny Liyun’shael admitted as she and Daenyss secured the lovers’ braids around one another’s’ right wrists, “but she died almost two years ago. She would have wanted me to be happy and live a fulfilling life. I wasn’t doing that though, I was just going through the motions and losing myself in worlds that didn’t hurt as much, where I could be anyone except myself. I let myself think that she would be the only girl I would ever love and that I couldn’t be happy without her. I didn’t think that I deserved to be happy.”

“Hanging around with those jackasses in the game probably wasn’t helping,” Rei suggested with a sad shake of her head. “Nobody deserves to be treated the way that they treated you. Everyone deserves happiness, unless they’re getting it by hurting somebody else.”

Salem smiled and leaned over to kiss the Kitsune in response. “Yeah, I know that now. Becoming a Liyun’shael was the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m happy now. I have this wonderful connection with nature, I can walk again, I have Vivian and Lucy in my life, my Mahair, but most of all, I have all of you. I was broken, and all of you helped me to put myself back together and become happy with who I am. You three and the others made me realize that I had value and that I could still care about and feel connected to other people, and you’re not afraid to show that you care about me too.”

It was from there that things between the four of us began to progress beyond talking into kissing and caressing, and then things started to become heated as we all showed Salem just how much we cared for her. We teased and pleasured her through a cascade of orgasms and now that she could think and move normally once more, she was helping Rei and Daenyss to bring me to those same heights. As (bad) luck would have it, that was when I heard gunshots from the hall outside our suite.

I jumped out of the bed with a muttered apology to my bedmates and grumbled about clam-jamming government agents as I made my way out of the bedroom and to the suite’s door. I sensed the bullet striking the barrier spell that I had placed over the suite’s large window as I passed and let out a sigh as the barrier flashed brightly for an instant. I had expected an attack once we showed up publicly and sometimes I hated being right.

While I walked I cast my Energy Sheath and Magick Armor spells and once at the suite’s door, I threw it open, not caring that I wasn’t wearing a stitch. With the door opened I saw seven men in black suits on the floor near the elevator at the end of the hallway groaning in pain while Nishalle stood over them in her armor. Near the door I was currently standing in, Lilith had her flexible tail wrapped around the throat of an eighth man, the spaded and spear-like tip caressing his cheek threateningly.

“What’s going on, Lilith?” I asked, though I already had a pretty good idea.

“Nishalle just relieved me on guard duty and I was about to go to sleep when I heard noise in the hallway, my Goddess. She could probably explain better than I could, but when I came out here, this loathesome man was making a run for your suite with a gun in hand. He shot at me as soon as I stepped out of our suite and I subdued him,” the Succubus explained with an expression that would have probably scared me if it hadn’t been directed at the man in her grip. “Worry not, my Goddess, I have placed a sleep spell upon the other residents of this floor so we will not be disturbed.”

“Good work, Lilith. Please have one of your girls pick up the sniper across the street. He’ll be the blind man on the roof with a sniper rifle.”

“Hmmph, an assassination attempt by our friends in the DCA,” Nishalle grumped as she approached. When she saw me looking at the men on the floor just down the hall, she shook her head. “Don’t worry, Sis, they’re just unconscious. For now, anyway.”

“Is that what this was? An attempt on my life and those of my companions?” I asked, my gaze now focused on Lilith’s captive.

The man didn’t reply. My answer came as one of Lilith’s girls teleported into the hallway to unceremoniously drop a man who was clawing desperately at his eyes beside her matriarch. He was screaming about being blind until Nishalle knocked him unconscious and placed a hand on his head. I felt something strange in the flow of mana but ignored it for the moment to focus on Lilith’s captive as he sputtered, “Wha…” before firmly closing his mouth.

“I believe that man belongs to you. Don’t worry, the blindness is temporary, in one eye at least. I can’t say the same for the one that was looking down the scope at the time. The light effect is mostly harmless unless you look at it too closely and too intently,” I told him with a shrug. “Now the answer is fairly obvious here, but I’m going to ask you again. Was this an assassination attempt?”

“Answer Her, human. It is only by the grace and mercy of my Goddess that you yet live,” Lilith half-growled at the man in her grip.

“She’s not a goddess any more than I am. She’s some pointy-eared nutcase with delusions of grandeur. She’s a freak, you’re all just freaks, and we need to stop you before you take over our world,” the man said with a sneer and a false sense of bravado. He was shaking though, and his eyes were very focused on the razor-sharp spaded tip of Lilith’s tail rubbing against his cheek. I noticed something else as well, something that made me smile.

“Nobody chooses what they are born to be, did you choose to be white and male? You would think,” I offered conversationally, “that someone like you would be more understanding of those being persecuted for something that isn’t their fault, or their choice.”

“Someone like me?” There was confusion written all over his face as the question slipped from between his lips.

“You’re right about one thing, I’m not a Goddess. I’m a Demigoddess, and one of my aspects is Sex. Lilith here is the same. You’re here with both of us, close enough to touch, and I’m standing here naked. Yet you are thinking clearly and there is no sign of any desire whatsoever,” I said as I looked pointedly down at his crotch. “Our auras affect all mortals who have even the slightest attraction toward women. Now, you might try to convince us that your determination and willpower are keeping you from being affected but I assure you, there are no exceptions. Which means that you are not attracted to women.”

“Your witchcraft won’t affect me!” he snapped angrily. I could see the uncertainty, horror, and fear in his eyes though as he attempted to deny the truth. “I’m a patriot! I’m doing this for our people and way of life!”

“Damn this guy is deep in the closet. Maybe he can tell us how the weather is in Narnia this time of year,” Nishalle offered wryly as she smirked at the agent in Lilith’s grip. Then her expression and her tone turned cold enough to freeze several hells over as she scoffed, “Assassination to protect you against someone who has only helped to save lives? You people can justify anything that way. Maybe that’s why you have such a dark soul, all those things that you’ve done ‘for your country’. Your friends over there, their souls are just as dark. Tell me, Agent, where do you think that dark soul of yours is going when you die?”

My sister reached out to caress his other cheek and the man shivered in Lilith’s grip. I again felt a faint and strange sensation in the flow of mana that I couldn’t quite identify. Whatever it was, it caused the man’s eyes to widen, and his heartrate to race with the terror that was suddenly etched on his face. “W-what did you just do to me?”

A gasp sounded from behind me and I turned to see Daenyss, Salem, and Rei crowding the door behind me, still as naked as I was. The gasp had come from Rei, who was staring at my sister and the agent as she whispered, “I know what she did, and where his soul will be going.”

“Oh yes, she knows,” Nishalle said with a savage and self-satisfied smile at the agent. “Rei there is a Spirit Shepherd, so she can see your black soul as well as I can, as well as the claim that I’ve made on it, the soul of your sniper, and those of your friends down the hall.”

“Claim?” the man nearly gasped in uncertainty and I could smell the terror coming off of him.

“I’m a Demigoddess of Death. And you and your buddies there made things very personal when you came here to try to kill my sister, me, and those we care about. So, I’ve claimed your souls as my playthings,” my sister informed him, leaning into the whole dark Goddess shtick in a way that made even me shiver. “When you die, your souls will be taken to the underworld, but not just any underworld. MY underworld, where my very bored lackeys will delight in finding ways to torment you for all eternity. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you now, my sister wouldn’t approve and I want you to live a very long life, knowing just what awaits you when your death finally does come calling.”

Her ominous words carried in the silence that had fallen upon the hallway. A gasp carried down the hallway from the elevator, lodged open by one of the agents’ unconscious forms. Humans might not have heard it but most of us had some form of heightened senses and we all turned toward the sound even as Nishalle disappeared into Lilith’s shadow. A terrified squeal erupted from the elevator seconds later and then she emerged, half-shoving the weasel-faced bellhop who had been watching us earlier with such blind hatred.

“This little shit brought those assholes to our floor and was watching from the elevator the whole time,” she stated with glacier levels of ice in her voice as she pushed him toward us. “What should we do with him, Your Majesty? His soul isn’t as dark as these guys, but it’s tainted by his hate and intolerance.”

I sighed as they came toward us and into the range of my aura, and the young man began to show signs of desire as he stared unabashedly at my naked form. He was trying to fight it, but just couldn’t take his eyes off of me. Still, If he wasn’t too far gone toward the darkness then maybe he could learn to be accepting.

“Well, I suppose that we do need a messenger, it is traditional after all. Somebody has to tell people not to fuck with the Fae,” I announced with a shrug as I approached and read the young man’s nametag. “Preston, I believe in second chances. This is a chance to think about the type of person that you want to be. Should you cross us again, you will earn the wrath of the Fae, and that is not something that you want. Just so you realize the enormity of that, my sister was feeling generous when she condemned these men to an eternity in hell. For those who treat us with dignity and respect, things can be so much more friendly.”

I smiled and ran a fingertip along his jawline as I said the last, and Preston shivered under my touch. I felt a bit dirty using my aura like that, but I felt that it was probably best to go with the carrot and the stick in this situation. I turned to my High Priestess and suggested, “Let’s make a hole for him in our auras so the poor boy can think clearly, Lilith.”

“Of course, my Goddess,” the Succubus conceded, though she kept the agent in her grip for now. I focused on doing as I had asked and after a moment, Preston’s lust had declined somewhat and he wasn’t quite as distracted.

“Now, Preston, here’s how this is going to work,” I offered conversationally with a pleasant smile. “We are going to let you all go. No harm, no foul. When we do so, you will likely do one of two things. You will either learn to be more accepting of people who are different and live a good life, or you will try to cross us again. I would not suggest the latter. My people only want to make peace with Humanity, but attempted regicide like what happened here will have them wanting vengeance. Fae vengeance can be extremely creative, unpleasant, and last for a very long time. Do you understand this?”

A frightened squeak left his throat in place of an audible answer so he nodded. Daenyss chose that moment to intervene. “Keep in mind that Mistress could have very easily magically compelled you to do what she wished, but she feels that people should be free to make their own decisions.”

“Or dig their own graves,” Salem added far too casually. “If the people of Varüus’kiel knew what happened here, they would want you all to face the Wild Hunt for your actions. You would endure the hunt, followed by whatever long and tortuous punishment that Her Majesty devised for the rest of your natural lives. Then, instead of the sweet release of death, those of you that Nishalle claimed would spend an eternity in the underworld as well.”

“Much better for everyone if none of this ever happened and you all go home and rethink your lives,” Nishalle said, her glowing red eyes looking like they were ready to burn holes in Lilith’s captive agent. “Who knows, if you’re good boys and don’t screw with us anymore while we’re here, I might just release my claim on your souls. Imp and my other lackeys in the underworld are pretty bored though, so I wouldn’t count on it. She is giving you a chance here, but if you come after us again then all bets are off and whatever punishment Her Majesty comes up with for you will make you wish for an eternity of torture in my underworld.”

The man in Lilith’s grip paled and began nodding vigorously along with Preston the bellhop. “Good, I’m glad that we all understand one another,” I told them with a smile as I patted Preston’s cheek. “Now what was the valuable lesson that we all learned here today?”

“D-don’t f-fuck with the Fae?” the bellhop asked in uncertain dread as he looked from my sister to me.

“Well, yes, that too,” I conceded with a smile. “I was thinking more along the lines that the world would be a much nicer place if we could all just get along. Now you can wake up your buddies so you can tell them what we have agreed to, and then you can all be on your way. You interrupted something very important and I am not pleased, so do not expect me to be so generous should we meet again under similar circumstances. This is your only warning.”

“This is your lucky day, boys,” Nishalle said, pausing to lick her lips and give the pair a predatory smile. “You’re getting to live through this with a warning, and Lissany and Harley weren’t awake for this so you’re not going to end up in traction. They take protecting our Empress very seriously and you do not want to know what they would have done to you.”

“Take this warning seriously, there will not be another,” I warned them again before turning to the agent in Lilith’s grip. “And you, tell whoever you got your orders from that the man at the top has pissed off the wrong people. We’re coming for him, and he won’t get any warnings. Preston, be a dear and escort these men to the lobby once they’re all conscious again.”

With that, I turned on my heel and headed back into our suite with Rei, Daenyss, and Salem to return to bed. I was confident that Nishalle and Lilith could handle things from there. As I closed the door I heard Nishalle cheerfully tell them, “You are so lucky that she needed messengers. Don’t you feel lucky?”

“Lilith, please have one of the girls follow those agents when they leave. I want to know where they crawled out from in case we need to deal with them later,” I thought toward my High Priestess as I climbed back into bed with the others.

~Of course, my Goddess,~ was her immediate reply. ~Rest well.~

“You as well, Lilith,” I thought back as I got comfortable in the bed with my companions. Sadly, our little interruption had killed the mood from earlier and we found ourselves just snuggling together in the big bed until we fell asleep.

I awoke to sunshine peeking through the window. It was almost nine in the morning and I was the first of us to wake, but I figured that it wouldn’t be long before Salem and Daenyss joined me in consciousness. Rei probably wouldn’t wake until noon but I was considering ordering room service for the rest of us when I heard the noise of distant shouting and sirens that growing ever closer.

I made my way to the windows and pulled the curtains apart just wide enough to get a look outside. I was greeted by the sight of a large crowd on ground level outside the hotel. No, there were two crowds and they started to push each other violently until the police arrived and started to get between them and I cast a spell under my breath to get a closer look.

On the one side, there were people with signs saying things like “Freaks Go Home” and “There is only one God”, as well as various bible quotes twisted to suit their agenda of hate. There were several that mentioned Lilith in particular, and apparently, I was being equated with Satan. That was of course preposterous since I have neither cloven hooves nor horns. In fact, with the glow of my hair and my wings, I far more closely resembled an angel, and not a fallen one either.

On the other side were people with their own signs, bearing slogans such as “Sentient Rights not Human Rights”, “Freedom of Religion”, “You Don’t Need to be Human to be a Person”, “Stop the Black Sites”, and “I ♥ Taelya”. I had been expecting the possibility that we might have some issues after showing up very publicly, but I can honestly say that I never expected protestors and counter-protestors at one another’s throats.

I had been watching for a while and it seemed that the police were breaking up the two sides when Salem stepped up to put an arm around me and kiss me on the cheek. “What’s up, Tae? More trouble?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” I replied with a sigh before turning to kiss her back. I didn’t do so on the cheek though and when my lips finally retreated from hers I let out a far more contented sigh. “It’s not as serious as last night, and I probably should have expected it. The religious right is in a tiff because we exist. Most of their ire seems to be directed at me and Lilith, but the idea of non-humans, in general, is giving them some kind of existential wedgie. From the looks on their faces, it’s probably very uncomfortable.”

Salem snorted in amusement and quickly uttered the farseeing spell to get a closer look as well. “Damn, they really don’t like you and Lilith. At least it’s not just them. We have supporters down there too.”

“Yeah, that is a pleasant surprise,” I agreed. “It’s good to see people not afraid to stand up for those of us who aren’t human. It may mean that Robyn’s Changed Rights movement is gaining some traction. As for the religious folks, I probably should have expected something like this when we let the video of our first meeting with Lilith and her girls go wild on the internet. I’m supporting and being supported by someone that they’ve been indoctrinated to hate, and it probably doesn’t help that I’m openly declaring my status as a Demigoddess whenever we’re out and two of my major aspects are Sex and Magick.”

“They were going to hate you no matter what, Tae, unless you pretended to be some sort of angel, but you wouldn’t do that. You’re not going to lie, and really, what hurts them most is that you represent an unavoidable truth that they want to avoid at all costs. The world is changing and they just aren’t ready to accept the truth and change with it,” the tiny Moss Maiden told me. Then she began to lovingly kiss me and run her fingers deliciously over my flesh. Only when she had me moaning softly into her kiss did she allow our lips to part, though her hands continued to tease my right nipple and the delicate folds between my legs. “Cheer up, I think that maybe we should continue where we were interrupted last night. Daenyss and Rei can join us when they wake up.”

She was pulling me playfully back to the bedroom and the bed therein when the phone for the suite rang, startling us both. Salem frowned, placed a finger to my lips, and then moved to quickly snatch up the phone. “Hello… No, Her Imperial Majesty is unavailable at the moment… Yes, yes, and I’m sure that you have a bridge that you’d like to sell her as well… I can assure you that Her Majesty has no interest in your business venture, now or ever… Good morning, Sir, do not attempt to waste her time like this again.”

Salem’s frown had only deepened as the conversation went on and her tone was colder than Antarctica by the time she finally cut the person off and hung up on him. She was so decisive and confident and I found that really sexy on her. “Let me guess, the vultures are circling too?” I inquired.

“Got it in one,” she replied with an exasperated look on her face.

“This is going to be a very long day,” I grumbled as I looked back at her dejectedly. “While you have that phone in hand you might as well order breakfast for all of us for ten o’clock. And a coffee service, I think we’re all going to need some coffee. I’ll go warn whoever is keeping watch that it’ll be coming and suggest that they should wake the others and come join us in our suite once it’s here.”

“Sure thing, Tae. I’ll tell them to block any further calls as well,” the Liyun’shael offered.

I didn’t wait to listen to what she might order for our breakfast, instead, I went to the door and peeked outside to see Lissany standing guard. “Good morning, Kiddo, Salem is ordering us some breakfast for ten o’clock, you should wake the others once it gets here and join us. Oh, and be extra careful, there are protesters outside who might want to cause us trouble.”

“You’ve got it, Your Majesty,” the Jaguar Beastkin offered with a crisp salute. “Nobody is going to get past me. So far I’ve only had some of the other people on this floor giving me strange looks, but I’ve been keeping my senses peeled for anything.”

“Good work, Liss. I’ll see you at breakfast,” I told her with a somewhat forced smile before ducking back into the suite.

Salem was just hanging up the phone and Daenyss was emerging from the bedroom while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was Salem who gave me an encouraging smile. “Tae, you look a bit stressed. That’s totally understandable what with the assassination attempt, the protestors, and everything else. You have a little more than half an hour before breakfast. Try to relax a bit.”

The words “Tae” and “stressed” in the same sentence were more than enough to get my Attendant’s complete and immediate attention. Salem knew it too, judging by the smirk on her face when Daenyss rushed to my side with a concerned expression. “Let’s get you in a nice relaxing bath and start getting you ready for the day, Mistress.”

The loyal and loving Nymph ushered me to the suite’s large bathroom, where she then did her very best to not only get me clean and presentable for the day but to also help me relax. She knew me, and my weak spots, far too well and soon her gentle and skilled hands conspired to turn me into a very relaxed puddle. I was feeling much better by the time she finished re-braiding my hair and we joined the others for a nice breakfast.

Given how things had gone since we had arrived at the hotel, I had Rei cast a purification prayer on the food, the orange juice, and the coffee service, just in case. Lissany and Harley had the best noses among us and they hadn’t smelled anything out of place, but we all felt that it was better to be safe than sorry since we had no idea who might be preparing the food. Daenyss would have preferred making our meals herself while we were here, but that just wasn’t feasible.

Still, the food was good and the coffee was more than welcome for most of us. We had arrived in the early hours of the morning and nobody but the Fae among us had enough sleep. If we weren’t able to complete our business and had to spend another night, we were all going to be hitting the sack early so my protectors could get enough rest.

We were just finishing our meal when there was a soft and tentative knock on the door. The others were instantly alert; Lissany and Harley were suddenly at my sides, Pete and Nishalle moved to either side of the door while Lilith answered it with her scales manifested to offer as much protection as possible. Lilith’s children had also noticed the protesters outside the hotel and their presence had made both them and their matriarch extremely concerned about my safety.

As soon as Lilith had opened the door I heard a startled squeak, followed by a familiar feminine voice. “I… sorry! There was nobody guarding outside and I just… wanted to make sure that you were all okay... I…”

I stood up and made my way to the door with my Guardians flanking me to either side and looked over Lilith’s shoulder at the slender young woman at the door. She was wearing a grey hoodie and jeans rather than her concierge uniform and her light blonde hair fell loose, no longer tightly tied back in a bun. She was breathing heavily and looked even more flustered than the first time that we had met. “Good morning, Megan. Since you’re not in uniform, I’m going to assume this is a social call. Lilith, our auras seem to be affecting her, let’s make it a bit easier for her.”

Once we had both done so, the young woman visibly relaxed for a brief moment before swallowing a lump in her throat as brown eyes locked onto me before her gaze meandered uncertainly downward. “I… ummm… heard Preston, one of the bellhops, on the phone last night, talking to some people. I was going home not long after you arrived. I… think he might have been talking about you and your people. I didn’t hear much, but I think that he was planning something. I was worried about it and couldn’t sleep when I got home. I got here and saw the people outside and I… had to come and warn you.”

Nishalle snorted from behind the young woman, startling her. “They made their move already, and their little assassination attempt failed. They won’t cross us again if they know what’s good for them. We appreciate the warning, but why don’t you tell us what else brought you here? You’re way too nervous to be worried about that still when we’re all obviously fine. You were nervous when you first met us last night too, and I don’t think it was just my sister’s aura.”

Megan looked from Nishalle to me and she wasn’t just nervous she was desperate, she seemed to be having trouble holding back tears. “I… think I need help. I don’t know what to do. A few w-weeks ago I started changing… j-just after Christmas. It’s getting harder to hide it every day.”

I took the young woman gently by the hand and led her to the couch to ask, “Changing how, Megan?”

“I started losing weight and at first I was thrilled, I… I’ve always been overweight. I-it was nice; people were noticing and complimenting me. But there were other changes too, I’ve been h-hiding them with makeup and contacts, and I h-had to dye my hair and start w-wearing sunglasses outside because my eyes can’t handle the light.”

“Take deep calming breaths and show me, Megan. Nobody here is going to hurt you,” I promised. She nodded, pulled back her hood, and placed a finger to her eye but it was trembling too badly. I turned to Salem, “Could you help her, Salem? You’ve got steady hands and she’s just going to poke an eye out like that.”

The Moss Maiden nodded and smiled at Megan. “I’m going to help remove those contacts. You said that you’ve been dying your hair, I’m assuming that is your original color? What color is it now?” I smiled as Salem took charge and tried to keep Megan calm and distracted by asking questions.

Megan sucked in a deep breath, only releasing it once Salem had removed the first contact lens to reveal a fiery orange iris underneath. Only once they were both removed was Megan breathing steadily enough to answer the questions. “Y-yeah, I was a blonde but my hair is dark purple now and my s-skin…”

“It’s okay,” Salem assured her. “We all know what it’s like to change, you’re safe with us.” The diminutive Liyun’shael, rubbed a mossy fingertip across the young woman’s forehead, leaving a streak of blue through the flesh-toned makeup.

I leaned forward to move her hair to the side. It was barely noticeable, so subtle that we had missed it even with her hair tied back before, but her ears had a slight point to them. I looked toward Nishalle and sighed before turning back to Megan. “You’re part Fae, and you’re awakening Megan. Somewhere far back in your family line, you had an ancestor that was Tokh’dhraí, like Nishalle there. Now that magick has returned to the world, you are starting to show that heritage. Is anyone else in your family showing these changes?”

Megan quickly shook her head. “I don’t know… I grew up in foster homes, my parents died when I was eight.” She began to rock nervously back and forth in her seat as she started to panic. “Someone is gonna find out, what am I gonna do?”

“Enough, Megan!” I commanded. To my surprise, she did stop and looked at me nervously. “You need to remain calm. I can’t sense any magic sleeping inside you so your change isn’t going to be complete, but that leaves you with a problem. You’re going to have all the negatives of being Fae, but you probably won’t have any of the positives. You’ll need to make a choice, we can make you human again, but probably not your old self, your DNA would just cause you to partially awaken again. The other option is that we can help you to become a full Tokh’dhraí, or even some other race if that’s what you want. The process for either is going to take four or five days though. It will feel like weeks from your perspective.”

“I can’t leave for that long! This is a temp position and there’s no way they’ll keep me on if I do that, I need this job!” She was panicking again and Rei sat beside her to take her hands.

“Do you need this job? Or do you need a job?” the Kitsune asked pointedly.

For a moment, I wondered what my Consort was getting at and then it hit me. I had been talking to her about finding someone in town while we were here who knew the city, but I would probably be making other trips in the future as well. I would want someone familiar that I could trust when that time came rather than hiring some stranger in every city that we visited. Even if she wouldn’t know the cities well, that was why GPS was invented.

“Can you drive a car, Megan?” I asked. When she nodded, I gave her an encouraging smile. “Then I have a job offer for you. I’ll need a driver, and from what I saw last night, you try to be a professional when you’re working. You’ll be at my disposal, but room and board will be included and I’m sure that you’ll find the medical benefits and education options to be well worth it. If you do well, there will eventually be room for advancement as well. You would be starting immediately. What do you say, Megan?”

For a long moment, she just stared at me, looking uncertain whether she should believe me, or dare to hope. Finally, she took a deep breath as she looked around at my entourage and me. “I… I’m at your service, Your Majesty.”

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 24 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. A little later than I hoped since I had to work an unscheduled shift, but it's posted. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 24: Business as Usual

Once Megan had collected herself, cleaned up, and spent some time fixing her makeup, I officially introduced her to all of the members of my entourage. Then we gave her a bit of a primer on the Fae, and what she would need to know as one of us. Nishalle added some things that Tokh’dhraí in particular needed to know, such as drinking blood to heal when injured.

I suspected that Megan would choose to become fully Tokh’dhraí when given the choice. It wasn’t that she found being Fae distasteful. In fact, she seemed to view us with a certain amount of awe and a keen interest. Her problem was that the change had been unexpected, she had to hide it from others, and she had no idea what was happening to her until we had explained it to her.

She was most afraid of losing her job and home, being attacked, or disappearing like other Changed.
Now that she had sworn her loyalty to me, she was under my protection and would have a guaranteed home and income in Varüus’kiel. She would also be safe while there and Nishalle had told her that one of the benefits of being a Tokh’dhraí was that people didn’t screw with her and took her a lot more seriously.

Megan had only gotten out of foster care and graduated high school less than a year ago and since then she had been struggling to make ends meet. She was renting a room that was little more than a broom closet and had gone through over a dozen temporary positions in the workforce. She liked working with people and it was looking like the hotel might take her on permanently when she began changing after Christmas.

It had been getting harder for her to hide it from the couple that she was renting her room from and she had been worried about having to find a new place to live. The couple had said some really nasty things about the Changed and she had been scared of them finding out that she was changing. Finding a place that she could afford in Toronto that wasn’t a shared accommodation hadn’t been looking promising either.

With Megan somewhat calmer about her situation she finally asked, “Ummm… Your Majesty? I know that I said I can drive, but I don’t have a car. I know where we can rent a limo; I have called them for other hotel guests before, but they usually come with their own drivers.”

“I have a vehicle that we can use,” I assured her. “I will ride in the vehicle with you, along with Lissany, Harley, Pete, Nishalle, and Daenyss. Salem will stay here with some of Lilith’s girls to make sure nobody tries to mess with anything in our suites, and Lilith and Rei will keep an eye out for trouble from above.”

My Kitsune consort grinned a very vulpine grin from ear to ear. She had been in one of her ultra-feminine moods since waking up and I wasn’t all that surprised when she shifted into a voluptuous Succubus with her usual Japanese feminine features. “Cool, I’ve been wanting to try this form since meeting Lilith,” she said as scales grew to cover her body like skin-tight armor and wings, horns, and a spaded tail sprouted to match Lilith’s.

Poor Megan just stared in shock for a moment and I couldn’t help but smile. She was going to have to get used to this kind of thing sooner or later. Once she had managed to pick her jaw up off the ground, she sighed, “I should go home and change, I’m not really dressed for driving an Empress around.”

“That is what glamours are for,” I replied with a smile. “I can make you look the very picture of a proper limo driver, but I need to ask you something first. You are safe with us, we won’t let any harm come to you, and we accept you for who you are, or who you want to be. So I need to know, who do you want to be? Who am I making this glamour for? If you choose to keep looking Human, it won’t change anything, you will be accepted in Varüus’kiel either way, but think about it while you go to get anything from your home that you would like to keep.”

By lunchtime, we were ready to go. Lilith had gone all motherly over Megan and escorted her home herself so the poor girl could gather her possessions and then teleported them both back to my suite. Megan didn’t have much that she wanted to keep though, having moved through a lot of foster homes growing up. Mostly, it was just the few clothes that hadn’t been giving her an allergic reaction since she started changing and some small keepsakes from her parents. It was barely enough to fill a duffel bag.

I had been busy while the pair were gone. I had gone back to the safe house in Vancouver and cast a glamour and several powerful protective spells on the Mercedes SUV. Now, instead of the metallic red color that stood out a bit too much for my liking, the vehicle appeared to be a more subtle and sensible black. Anyone who tried to get inside who I hadn’t made an exception for would be in for a shock, literally, and the occupants would also be protected from anything short of a nuclear blast or an act of Gods. Given my life, it was about as reassuring as I could expect it to get.

Once I finished my work, I quietly teleported it into the underground parking for the hotel and left it in the spot reserved for my suite so that Megan would know where to go to retrieve it. Salem and Daenyss had been busy as well, making appointments to meet with the contacts that Vivian had given us. So by the time Megan and Lilith returned, we were about as ready as we were going to get.

All that was left was to cover ourselves with appropriate glamours, and since we were being very public this visit, those glamours would only consist of clothing for those of us who weren’t being obvious about wearing armor. That meant me, Daenyss, and Rei, though we were all wearing proper undergarments underneath. Even Daenyss suffered through wearing a pair of cotton panties with a panty liner since she was feeling a bit bloated and crampy and thought that her period might start soon.

Rei wore a glamour that consisted of a form-fitting blue velvet dress, a black bolero jacket, and black leather boots. Daenyss wore a sensible but stylish white blouse with a black blazer and knee-length skirt that made her look very much the personal assistant to someone important. Meanwhile, my glamour consisted of a violet skater dress with a black bodice and lace trim on the shoulder straps, neckline, and hem. The dress was sleeveless and form-fitting, with a plunging neckline and flared thigh-length skirt that left little to the imagination, and a pair of simple black ankle boots completed the outfit.

With this being Toronto in the middle of winter I decided to cast warmth spells on all three of us as well since we would only have our underwear between us and the elements. This wasn’t like Vancouver which was more rainy than cold or the comfortable warmth of Varüus’kiel sitting atop a caldera. It was cold and there was snow, slush, and ice to contend with on the ground. With that in mind, I made the glamours of our boots solid illusions instead of just visual, imbuing them with warmth to provide a layer of insulation between our bare feet and the cold snow and ice.

With the three of us ready to go, I turned to Megan. “Eventually, I’ll have my people design you a comfortable and Fae-appropriate uniform in materials that won’t irritate your skin, should you choose to remain Fae. For now, a glamour will suffice, and I can alter your appearance as well if you would prefer some anonymity while we’re still here in Toronto.”

“Umm… you said that my parents probably would have been like me when this Veil thing fell, right?” she asked uncertainly.

I nodded in the affirmative before explaining. “Yes, most likely one of them would have ended up looking like a Tokh’dhraí, though I can’t say which for certain. At least one of your parents had Fae ancestry though, most likely both of them for it to show up so strongly in you.”

Megan looked thoughtful for a moment, and a bit uncertain before she finally spoke again. “Could… could you show me what I would look if I were a real… umm… Tokh’dhraí, Your Majesty?”

Nishalle laughed and interjected, “You are a real Tokh’dhraí, or at least part. If you weren’t you wouldn’t have had these problems. My sister and I were both part Fae too before we were changed, though we didn’t know that until afterward. We decided to embrace our heritage. That was before Tae got the whole Empress/Demigoddess thing thrust upon her.”

“Nishalle is right, but yes, I can give you a general idea of what you would look like as a full-blooded Tokh’dhraí,” I told Megan gently as I carefully looked over her makeup-covered features before weaving a glamour over her.

I remembered the fiery orange of her eyes and changed her skin tone to the same dark blue as Nishalle’s. Then I pictured her long light blonde hair a dark purple, her features softer and slightly more angular, added a few inches to her height, a bit of muscle tone, and finished up by making her canines look more prominent and her ears longer and coming to a point with a similar shape as Nishalle’s and mine. Once I had that picture clearly in my mind, I pictured her in a chauffeur’s uniform with a feminine cut and willed the glamour into existence as I spoke and drew the sigils for the spell. “Kiara kaida nihala Megan!”

“Whoa, that was… weird?” Megan said, her eyes going wide as the magic settled. They only became wider at the sound of the huskier and slightly sultry voice that left her lips.

“Keep in mind, this is just a rough guess, but it seems about right to me,” I told her as I turned her toward a large mirror with an ornate frame hanging on the wall.

A gasp of surprise escaped her and she just stared at the mirror for several minutes before regaining her voice. “H-holy shit. I’m beautiful… a bit strange looking, but beautiful.”

“That’s because you’re used to Human standards of normalcy, and people who don’t fit those standards being shamed, ridiculed, or demonized,” Salem told her carefully. “Take it from me, you can get used to it and be happy with looking different. What others think doesn’t matter though, as long as you’re happy with yourself.”

“Tokh’dhraí are also hot as hell,” Nishalle added with a smirk. “Never seen one that’s not attractive, and us girls have that whole femme fatale thing going for us. There’s that mix of turned on and terrified that people get around us. Makes a girl feel in confident and charge.”

Megan nodded absently, but couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from the mirror. I tried not to let my smile show as I suggested, “I could change the glamour to something else if you’d like. If you don’t feel that you’d be comfortable in public like that.”

Her expression was torn, and I was pretty sure that she was worried about her safety, but I had promised that I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her and that she would be safe with us. “I… maybe I’ll keep this one for a while… just to try it out. I mean, if my parents were…” She trailed off as she tried to justify it to us and maybe herself as well.

“Sure, Megan. Sis, why don’t you escort her to the Mercedes and make sure nobody bothers her, then she can pull up to the front and pick the rest of us up. We should try to be seen leaving,” I proposed, tossing my sister the keys to the SUV.

“Yeah, I’ll keep her safe, Sis,” Nishalle quickly agreed as she snatched the keys from the air. “We can bond and stuff. And I don’t think being seen leaving is gonna be a problem with all of those people out there.” She put an arm around Megan’s shoulder companionably and led her to the door, already regaling the young woman about the perks of being a Shadow Elf.

As they left, I had a look at the time. We still had two and a half hours to kill before our first appointment, so I looked to the others, “I think we’ll stop somewhere for lunch first, so people think we’re trying to take in the city while we’re here. If we have time after that, maybe we’ll hit some of the shops, some of us could use some real clothes since we didn’t bring anything other than what we were wearing when I decided to take this trip.”

“Me and whatever girls Lilith brings in to help me with keeping our suites secure can order room service,” Salem assured us when I l cast an uncertain look in her direction. “Don’t worry about me. We can’t all fit in that SUV and at least one of us has to stay here in case those DCA assholes, or someone else, tries to get in and leave some unwelcome surprises. We all know that I’m the logical choice.”

“We need a bigger vehicle,” I grumbled, “but you’re right. Let’s go everyone; they should be bringing our ride around front any minute.”

A moment later, we left Salem under the protection of three of Lilith’s brood, who were summoned from their vigil on the rooftop. Lilith had teleported herself and Rei to take their place outside so they could follow us by air and keep an eye out for trouble once we were underway, and the rest of us headed to the elevator to head down to the lobby. We were halfway down when the elevator stopped on the ninth floor and the doors opened to reveal a well-dressed, middle-aged woman with graying brown hair.

There was this long moment where she was just standing there gaping at us, me and Daenyss standing in the center of the elevator with Pete behind us and Harley and Lissany in their full armor and animal-like faceplates to either side. Then out of nowhere, Lissany turned to Harley and asked, “You’re so quiet today, Harley. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

The Unicorn Beastkin played the straight man to a tee as she replied to her feline counterpart, “I’m just a little horse.”

This of course set Pete to laughing and the poor woman standing outside the elevator looked like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or run away. “I’ll… umm… catch the next one.”

I managed to keep from breaking out laughing until the doors had closed and we were on our way down again. Daenyss lost her professional business face as well and was giggling madly alongside me. “You… two… are terrible,” I managed to choke out between giggles.

“Hey, that was super tense and awkward. Someone needed to lighten the mood,” Lissany replied as she giggled behind her feline faceplate.

We were all still trying to stop laughing when the doors opened in the lobby, where Nishalle stood waiting for us. I took a few deep breaths and managed to collect myself as the others attempted to do the same. My sister just looked at us in utter confusion as she asked, “What did I miss?”

Since telling her would likely just set us all off laughing again, I just shook my head and said, “Nothing important, Nishalle. I’ll tell you later, we should get going.”

My sister merely shrugged and turned around to lead the way through the lobby and outside as my forward guard. I had hoped that the crowd might have thinned some since this morning, but as we got outside it looked to have gotten even bigger. A big group of strangers, some of who most likely wanted me dead. I forced a smile onto my face and started going through my mental exercises to remain calm as we walked the gauntlet.

Police were holding both sides back and a few tried very hard to push past them once my entourage and I were in sight. If they couldn’t keep these people under control, this could get violent. I could see news cameras too. I did not want to be seen at the center of a riot on the evening news.

My aura hitting the people I passed helped to calm things, or at least distracted the majority of them long enough for us to get by without a brawl breaking out. Some were still shouting threats or bible references on the religious side, but I ignored them and let my protectors watch them for me. My protection spells would keep me safe if any of them tried to hurl anything more harmful than words.

I just kept smiling and politely waving to my supporters as I passed them by and I managed to stun most of the reporters enough to avoid questions until one woman showed a microphone out between a pair of police officers and called out, “Taelya, what brings you to Toronto?”

Daenyss turned to the camera, clearly annoyed that the woman had dared to use my name instead of my title. “If you wish her Majesty to answer questions, then perhaps you should address her properly.”

I placed a hand on my Attendant’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It is alright this once, Daenyss,” I assured her. This was a question that I actually wanted to publically answer so I turned to the camera and let my smile slip just a little as I spoke. “Varüus’kiel has been taking in many of the Changed who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to circumstances outside of their control. With this influx of refugees, I am building a hospital and infrastructure to support thousands of people fleeing persecution in their home countries. I am here to purchase supplies and equipment for that purpose.”

“Varüus’kiel doesn’t exist, it’s not on any maps,” the woman insisted.

I arched an eyebrow. “A place must be on a map to exist? Maps are fleeting, they change with time, and though Varüus’kiel is not on any present map or accessible by mundane means, I assure you that it does exist. I wager that you’ve been seeing a lot of things that supposedly don’t exist recently, such as myself, my companions, and the other Changed that are appearing all over the world. Soon we will be ready to step out on the world stage and the world will see Varüus’kiel as well, and you will be in awe.”

With that, I turned and continued to walk the gauntlet to where the Mercedes SUV was parked on the street. Megan was a proper chauffeur and had come around to the passenger side to open the doors there for us. Thankfully, we all managed to get into the vehicle and underway without further incident with Daenyss joining Megan in the front and the rest of us in the back.

Once we were on the road, Megan asked, “Where to, Your Majesty?”

“I don’t know, Megan, what’s a nice place to eat?” I inquired.

“I usually can’t afford more than fast food, if I can afford to eat out at all,” my new driver replied with a shrug. I’ve heard that Gino’s has good Italian and a great view of the waterfront, but it’s supposed to be kind of pricey.”

I thought it over for a moment and then nodded. “Please take us there then, Megan.”

We drove in silence for a time before she pulled us up to a very nice-looking restaurant with large bay windows overlooking Lake Ontario. She quickly stepped out and around the vehicle to open the doors for us and once we were all out, she closed the doors and started to go back to the driver’s side as Rei and Lilith landed nearby. I didn’t let Megan get back inside the vehicle though before calling out, “Megan, please lock up the vehicle and come join us.”

She looked at me with a confused look on her face and asked, “Your Majesty?”

My consort smiled at her. “You’re coming to eat with us. Now let’s go, something smells really good, even from out here.”

“But… I’m just the help. I can’t…”

I walked over to lift her chin so that we were eye to eye. “Megan, you may work for me, but you’re not ‘just the help’. Nobody here is. The people that I surround myself with are people that I trust with my life and safety, just as I will defend theirs, and you all deserve better than that. You’re my friends and family, and you might be new to our group, but I think that you’ll fit in with our family nicely. Now let’s go eat something.”

The food was as good as Megan had heard and personally, I was glad that we weren’t turned away at the door and were able to try it. We had to wait a bit, but it was well worth it. The lasagna was the best that I had ever eaten and the big basket of garlic bread that they served us to whet our appetites for the main course was very good too, soft on the inside with a crispy crust and a subtle mix of garlic and herbs that you could taste without being too strong.

We had a lot of people watching us in interest but none seemed hostile and only the waitress approached our table. She was polite and friendly and I planned on giving her a very big tip for her professionalism. We could all see that she was burning with questions every time she came to our table, but she held back from asking them.

Megan seemed to relax a bit, though Lilith and I had to keep a hole in our auras for her. I was happy to see her relaxing some and trying to get to know us all better as we ate and talked. They were all still addressing me as Your Majesty since we were in public, but Megan was loosening up considerably as she saw how the others and I interacted.

It was nice to see her enjoying the meal so much and bonding with Nishalle too, as my sister told her stories about our exploits and the pair shared a medium meat supreme pizza. Yeah, she was going to fit in nicely. Lilith was already watching over her like a mama bird and Nishalle had gone all big sister, much like she was with Lissany.

Unfortunately, due to the time that it took to drive to Gino’s, and then eat lunch and just enjoy the conversations as we ate, we didn’t have time for shopping before my first appointment. When we got there, the man that Vivian had bought supplies for her practice through wasn’t able to help us. Or rather, I didn’t want his help.

The asshole was openly disdainful of us from the start when he wasn’t staring at my breasts. He couldn’t even blame my aura for that since both Lilith and I had opened a hole in our auras for him so he could focus on our business and not our assets. My physical assets apparently weren’t the only ones on his mind either since he was trying to charge me three times what Vivian had told me was the going rate for most of the tools and supplies. She hadn’t been out of practice more than six months, there was no way that prices could have risen that much for simple examination tools.

By the time we left, we had gotten nowhere, I was frustrated, and Daenyss was furious at his constant disrespect and overly familiar addresses with me. Nishalle was about ready to rob him blind before we found out that he didn’t even have any product on hand and it would all have to be ordered through a larger supplier. He was just an intermediary and had been nothing but a waste of time.

My next appointment with the person in charge of ordering supplies for Toronto General Hospital went a lot better but the only thing that we came out of it with was an address for a local wholesaler of various hospital and general medical supplies and tools. Local was being generous though since it was in Mississauga. It took us nearly an hour to drive there and the place was due to close soon when we finally did arrive.

It was enough to fray my already frazzled nerves. I had already been irritated about making appointments for information that I could have just gotten over the phone, and the long trip with a black SUV that was making no secret about following us wasn’t helping my mood. I was fully expecting more run around when we entered the massive building. So I was almost surprised when I saw what was basically a showroom floor with various lab equipment and medical paraphernalia.

“Hi there, welcome to McPherson Medical. How can I help you?” a man’s voice called out cheerfully. He was tall and a bit lanky with neatly styled black hair and a clean-shaven face that was fairly handsome. I gave Lilith a nod and we both made a hole for him in our auras before he could get close enough to feel the effects.

Daenyss stepped forward to do her thing, “May I present Her Imperial Majesty, Taelya nír Keshwaindyr: Chosen daughter of the Goddess Danu; Demigoddess of magick, the moon, the sea, nature, justice, love, sex, and doves; Empress of Varüus’kiel; ruler of all Fae; slayer of Tiamat the Dragon Queen; and Queen of the Heavens. Her Majesty is building a hospital and several clinics in Varüus’kiel and requires appropriate supplies.”

The man looked me up and down curiously. “That’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s nice you meet you, Your Majesty, I’m Dan. If you would like to come to my office, I have a catalog that you can look through. We’re one of the leading distributors of wholesale medical-surgical supplies and equipment in the country.”

Daenyss and I followed Dan to his office with my protectors keeping in step and then watching through the open door as I looked through the catalog. They had practically everything that we needed for the clinics and hospital, including surgical equipment, custom procedure trays, prescription drugs, IV sets and solutions, and had some things in bulk that I thought would be harder to get, such as surgical masks and scrubs, needles and syringes, vaccines, and various pharmaceuticals. They even had the examination tables with stirrups and the sample freezers that Vivian said were a must for the clinics.

I reached into my purse and pulled out our full wish list of supplies for both the hospital and the clinics in the capital and the Glades of the four Courts. “This is what we need,” I said plainly, as I handed the list over to Dan.

He looked it over, making several humming noises as he did. “I notice that you don’t have any diagnostic or lab equipment, and what about diabetic supplies? Those are easy to overlook.”

“If we need the diabetic supplies we’ll order them through you later, but we won’t need the diagnostic or lab equipment. We have methods and technology available that would make them redundant. How long would it take to have an order this big ready, Dan?”

He looked at the paper thoughtfully again. “We should have most of this on hand in the warehouse, or can get it shipped here from Windsor within a couple of days if I order it tonight and have them make it a rush job. It depends on where you want it shipped to once we have the entire order though, Your Majesty.”

“Just gather it here; we’ll handle the shipping once you have it all in one place,” I told him after thinking for a moment. I didn’t want it sent to the warehouse in Vancouver because, not only would that take time, but the warehouse was in Autumn Cortez’s name and I didn’t want anyone making the connection between her and me.

With that, talk turned to payment and the arrangements. I made an account with them that would allow us to place and pay for future orders online and gave an email address that I had recently created and my secure cell phone as my contact information. For payment, I used the Cayman Islands account since they had a reputation for protecting their clients’ anonymity and the funds' transfer would only show the account number.

As we left, Dan assured me that he would contact me as soon as the order was fully assembled in their warehouse. He was guessing that would be two or three days since they would have to ship what they didn’t have on hand from Windsor and then they would have to visibly confirm the order once it had arrived. Still, I felt good that this task was done with, or at least on its way to being so. The only problem was that we would have to stay in Toronto a few more days than I was hoping to be able to send the order directly to Varüus’kiel.

The good thing was that we wouldn’t have to wait around for the order to be shipped to the warehouse in Vancouver and could get the needed hospital gear and supplies home that much sooner. Until then we would just have to keep ourselves busy. Maybe we could take in the sights and see if there was any other business that we could take care of while we were there.

So I was trying to think positively as we made our way back into Toronto and toward our hotel. We were still being followed by the black SUV but they hadn’t made a move yet so I figured that, for the moment, they were just keeping tabs on us. I wasn’t worried since I had expected that after their failed assassination attempt and when I had placed the glamour on the Mercedes earlier, I had cast one on the license plates as well. The Fae sigils that they now showed, roughly translated to a very polite ‘Fuck you’.

When we returned to the hotel, it looked like the various demonstrators had either called it quits for the night or been dispersed by the police. So I had Megan just drive straight into the parking garage so we could take the elevator from there and then we went straight up to my suite to join Salem and order room service for dinner. According to Salem and the three Succubae, nobody had attempted to enter either suite while we were gone, so the afternoon and evening had gone about as well as I could have expected on all fronts.

Since nobody but the Fae among us had gotten a decent night of sleep the night before, we all decided to call it an early night and head to bed. Megan would be staying with us and sleeping on the couch in the living area of the suite while I got cozy in the bedroom with Rei, Salem, and Daenyss, while the others shared the other suite and again took shifts sleeping and keeping watch. It was nice to get a full night’s sleep without anybody trying to kill me or something disastrous happening.

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 25 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. A day later than I hoped since I've been sick, but it's posted. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 25: Prices

It was just after three in the morning and I was lying awake, feeling fully rested after we had called it a night around eleven o’clock the night before. Currently, I was snuggled between Rei and Salem, with Daenyss’s arm draped over both the tiny Liyun’shael and me. Willow had floated over to curl up on my pillow just above my head at some point while I was sleeping, and I reached out to gently stroke my Wisp’s fur, while in the embrace of those that I loved.

I expected that both of the other Fae sharing the bed would wake up soon as well and right now, I was just trying to enjoy the moment. It was so peaceful and, given how crazy my life had been since becoming Taelya, I didn’t really expect it to last. Something was bound to come up, right? It almost felt as if just having a quiet and peaceful moment like this with the people that I loved should be enough to tempt Murphy. Maybe I would get lucky and just have to get up to go to the bathroom or something.

As if on cue, I felt one of my notification spells trigger. Someone was messing with the Mercedes down in the garage. With a sigh, I clothed myself in a glamour and attempted to extract myself from Salem’s and Rei’s embrace. Salem’s breathing changed slightly as I tried to slip out of her arms and her eyes fluttered open. “What’s up, Tae?” she asked in concern.

“Someone is messing with our ride,” I grumbled, “my security spells kicked in.”

“Well, you’re not going down there to check it out alone. I’m coming with you, and we’ll have to wake…” she started to protest. We both knew very well that I probably didn’t need the protection, but I had promised my Mahair, Pájar, and the other Queens of the Courts that I wouldn’t go anywhere without guards when outside Varüus’kiel. Like all Fae, I took keeping my word very seriously.

I placed a finger to the Moss Maiden’s lips to shush her. “We’re not waking the others. Nishalle is on guard right now, I can sense her out there, and the others all need a proper night’s sleep. None of them have been getting enough lately. We’ll take some of Lilith’s girls with us to check it out.”

We both climbed out of bed and slipped quietly out of the bedroom so as not to disturb Rei or Daenyss. I focused my mind on the Succubae that I could sense keeping guard on the roof of the hotel and sent out the quick mental signal that Lilith had taught me to use to get their attention until I could learn to sense and enter their individual minds as Lilith could. I figured that leaning that would probably take a while since the brood was so large and this telepathy thing with them was hard to get used to. The response to my mental pulse was immediate.

~Is everything alright? How may we be of service, my Goddess?~ the mental voice inquired with a touch of concern. Thankfully, she was one of the few minds that I was actually familiar with; it was Lilith’s eldest daughter, Chalise.

~Someone triggered the security spells I placed on our vehicle, Chalise. I don’t want to wake your mother or the others, they need sleep. Could you and some of the other girls come to me so we can check it out together?~ I sent back to the Succubus.

~Of course, my Goddess. We will join you momentarily.~ Chalise was as good as her word, and she and five other Succubae appeared in the darkened living room of the suite with us, all bowing slightly as they reverently but quietly said, “My Goddess.”

I motioned for them to quietly follow me so that we wouldn’t wake Megan, who was fast asleep on the sofa, and we slipped out into the hallway beyond. I could have just teleported us all right to the parking garage, but I wanted to let my sister in on what was happening. Nishalle’s crimson gaze was on us as soon as we stepped out the door, with Chalise taking the lead, just in case.

“What’s going on, Sis?” my Tokh’dhraí sister asked with a raised eyebrow once we had quietly closed the door behind us.

I quickly got my sister up to date and she was surprisingly on board with me taking along the Succubae instead of waking Pete, Lilith, and my two Guardians. “You’re right, Sis, they could all use a proper rest. I just took over for Lilith a little while ago and, since I got plenty of sleep for a Fae, I was considering just staying on guard and not waking Pete or Lissany for their turns. If you’re going down there you’re bringing me though, provided one of your Succubae doesn’t mind taking over for me for a little bit here.”

Chalise considered it for a moment and nodded. “Shava, please take over for Nishalle while we’re gone.”

Shava nodded her agreement and with that decided, I focused on my sister, Salem, and the five remaining Succubae and drew and spoke the sigils for my mass teleportation spell. “Kaida liantuir tala siashe yasrin!”

After the customary brief lurch of time and space, we were in the parking garage beneath the hotel and several paces from the Mercedes SUV. Lying there, half underneath the vehicle with only their twitching legs visible was a person. Other than that, the garage was as quiet as one would expect this early in the morning. “Huh, maybe we should pull him out from under there, before he’s well done,” Nishalle suggested playfully, “not that it isn’t very entertaining watching him twitch like that.”

“Kaida siashe!” I quickly cast my kinesis spell and yanked the body from underneath the vehicle, revealing a clean-shaven twenty-something Caucasian man with short brown hair. He was dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a dark grey hoodie, and he had something clutched in his hand. “It will take a few moments for the shock spell to wear off,” I warned the others. “It isn’t lethal, but perhaps it will teach him to keep his hands off other people’s belongings.”

I pried open the man’s hand to find a small electronic device within. Nishalle instantly frowned and leaned in to whisper, “That’s the same type of tracking device those DCA assholes placed on my bike.”

“Tracking device, huh? I guess they got bored following us the old-fashioned way all day. I was expecting a bomb or something,” I replied with a shrug.

“Don’t worry, Tae, I’m sure they still want to kill you very much,” Salem offered bitterly. “I’ll bet that they just want to find out where we go when we leave Toronto, so they can send in teams when our guard is down and take down any of our allies too.”

“Shall we search and disarm him, my Goddess?” Chalise inquired.

“Please do,” I replied, prompting two of the Succubae to do so immediately. He didn’t seem to be armed, and he didn’t have anything that overtly suggested that he might be from the DCA. Just a set of keys, a phone that had been fried by the spell, and the usual wallet with cash, cards, and ID. I didn’t think he was your average car thief though, he was too clean cut for one thing, despite his casual clothing. There was also the lanyard tucked underneath his hoodie and a security smart card in his wallet, both identifying him as Jason Connelly, an employee of Can-tech Innovations Ltd.

I knew from when we had hacked the CSIS database that Can-tech was basically a front for them under the guise of a small tech start-up. It had also been where one of Lilith’s girls had stealthily followed our attackers to following the assassination attempt. I recognized the type of smart card from my time as a system administrator too, both the card and a password were normally needed to log into a company’s computers, though knowing the paranoia of the CSIS and DCA it was probably also integrated into fingerprint and retinal scanners as well.

It seemed that they had improved their security measures since we broke into their black sites. I focused on the smart card for a few minutes, quickly enchanting it with a few spells that I was sure the DCA would find far less amusing than I did. Then I had the girls quickly replace his belongings where they had found them. Meanwhile, I summoned my armor and weapons through my mark and Salem quickly followed suit.

Once he finally stopped twitching, I asked Chalise, “Could you please heal him and then wake him up?”

“Of course, my Goddess,” she said with a nod and got straight to work with a healing prayer. It was strange getting used to the sensation when any of my Priestesses used their magick or prayers. I could feel the worship stronger than I had felt from anyone else, even the Fae, and it made me feel deeply connected to them.

It took only a moment for Chalise to heal the damage from the shock spell, almost as soon as she had finished uttering the prayer. The addition of five thousand plus fanatically devoted Priestesses had given me a noticeable increase in power and as I benefitted from their belief, they benefitted from my increased power with an increase in their own. They had been Inanna’s only worshippers, while I had everyone in Varüus’kiel and the following that I was starting to build in the outside world. They had been a force to be reckoned with when we first met, but through their belief in me, they were becoming scary strong.

As soon as she had finished healing him, Lilith’s eldest daughter delivered a smack to the side of the face that resounded through the empty parking garage and left his cheek bright red. That was going to bruise, but I didn’t particularly care and it would leave him with a reminder of this meeting for a while. His eyes snapped open as his hand rose to his burning cheek, and I quickly opened a hole in my aura so we could try to have an intelligent conversation. “Ow! What the…” That was about when he noticed us standing over him, and that we were all fully armed and armored.

“Good morning, it seems that you’ve been having trouble with my vehicle,” I taunted playfully before brandishing the tracking device. “Now, I’m sure you know who I am with how much I’ve been in the news lately, so I won’t bother introducing myself. I do want to know who you are though, as well as just what this device is and what you were doing with my vehicle.”

“Fuck you! I don’t have to tell you shit!”

I dropped the tracking device to the ground and Nishalle happily crushed it under her foot. “Okay, if you want to play it that way. We have ways of making you talk. Isn’t that right, girls?”

Nishalle started cracking her knuckles with a wicked grin on her face. “And the best part is, even if I kill him, that’ll just give me more time to question him in the underworld. An eternity if needed.”

There was a brief moment when the man’s eyes widened and he glanced in Nishalle in terror. I guess the story of what happened during their botched assassination attempt must have already made the rounds among the local branch of the DCA. I could have just used my truth spell on him, but I didn’t since I planned to send him back to his boss and I didn’t want his superiors to know about that yet. So it looked like we were going to play a bit of Good Demigoddess, Bad Demigoddess.

Since Nishalle was so good at being the bad Demigoddess, that left me playing the good one. “Come now, Nishalle, I know you’re a Demigoddess of Death and Darkness, but does everything have to come down to death and torture in the underworld? Perhaps if we offer the right incentive, he’ll cooperate. How about it? If you’re good and cooperate and answer my questions honestly, then I won’t let her do her whole Queen of the Underworld thing with you. In fact, I give you my word that if you answer all of my questions honestly, then we will release you, unharmed.”

The man looked from Nishalle to me and decided to try the one who wasn’t grinning evilly. Nishalle looked like she was enjoying herself a little too much as Chalise hefted him off the ground one-handed and the man squirmed in her grip. Jason Connelly sang like a canary.

As I had thought, he was with the Department of Changed Affairs, transferred from the CSIS. He wasn’t an agent, just one of their techies, but he had been instructed to come here and secure the tracking device to the underside of the black Mercedes with the strange license plates once the agent watching my hotel room was certain we were all well asleep. I guess the DCA didn’t realize that Fae only need roughly half the sleep that humans do. It even made sense since part of the torture going on in the black sites was sleep deprivation to soften the captives up.

If anyone caught him messing with the car, he was supposed to make a run for it and call the agent in charge, who would make sure the police wouldn’t get involved. He hadn’t been given any instructions in case we specifically caught him though, possibly because after my last warning they had decided to send someone expendable in case I did find out and flipped my lid. Though if I did flip my lid and killed their sacrificial lamb, or made him disappear, then they would take it as proof that they were right and I, and all of my people, were dangerous. There is just no pleasing some people.

Nishalle appeared to have come to the same conclusion as she rolled her eyes and gave Jason a sympathetic look. Jason himself seemed oblivious, or at the very least didn’t want to admit to himself that they had sent him because he was expendable. Poor guy, I almost felt bad for what was going to happen when I sent him back there with my message. Not that bad though since he had willingly taken the assignment and tried messing with my ride.

“Thank you, Jason,” I told him with a smile. “Now I have a little message that I want you to give your bosses. I have gone out of my way to avoid killing your agents, despite their many attempts to kill both me, and those I care about. Every time they have encountered us, your agency has shot first and hasn’t seemed to care about asking questions, and have endangered the public in doing so. We, on the other hand, have been trying to save lives and protect people from monsters, even when those people want us dead as much as the monsters we hunt. It is time for you people to start thinking for yourselves and ask yourselves who the real bad guys are here.”

Jason seemed ready to collapse from the stress but looked hopeful as he asked, “You’re going to release me now, right? You promised to release me, unharmed.”

“That I did,” I agreed, still smiling. “However, I did not specify when or where you would be released and there is still the small matter of you attempting to bug my vehicle. A lesson must be taught, Jason, such is the way of my people when we are wronged. Debts must be repaid.”

“B-but… you damn near killed me!”

“The shock you received was a mere deterrent, Jason. You have been healed from that, such was the debt for your injury. Since I am feeling generous, and you are carrying a message for me, I will let you off lightly though,” I offered. Then I turned to the Succubus that Chalise had called Aisha while searching Jason. “Aisha, could you please deliver Jason here to the rock that the DCA is hiding under for me? He needs to report to his superiors. There’s no rush though, take the scenic route, and make sure he can get a good view of the city below you.”

“It would be my pleasure, my Goddess,” Aisha replied with a grin before grabbing a terrified-looking Jason and disappearing from sight.

The scare wouldn’t do him any harm, he might even enjoy himself, and I couldn’t allow the DCA to think that their attacks would go unpunished. I may not kill the people they sent, but they needed to know that there would be a price each time, one that would suit the severity of the crime. That was part of the message as well.

I was hoping, even though it was unlikely, that dropping him off at their doorstep would teach them something else as well. We know exactly where they are and have yet to retaliate in any meaningful way for their attempts on my life. We weren’t above messing with them, or playing pranks like I was with Jason, but we were not trying to murder them all as they seemed to believe. Hopefully, that would help pound the message into some of their thick heads that they might just be on the wrong side.

I was still grinning at the thought of my little pranks on our adversaries as Nishalle finished checking the undercarriage of the Mercedes. She wanted to be sure, just in case something was damaged. I had only felt the trigger spell go off once though, so he likely hadn’t had time to do anything else before getting the shock treatment. “There’s no damage that I can see, and it looks like he only had the one bug,” my sister confirmed. Then she got a look at my face. “What are you smiling about, Sis? Picturing that tool being flown high above the city by a Succubus can’t be that entertaining.”

“Oh, I’m just thinking about what’s going to happen whenever he gets back to work and tries to use that smart card to access his computer,” I responded gleefully.

“What did you do, Sis? What’s going to happen?” my sister pressed as the others gathered around so I could teleport us all back upstairs.

“Just a little prank. Our friends at the DCA will have other things to worry about than us for a little while,” I replied teasingly.

Salem gave a sexy pout. “Come on, Tae. Don’t be all mysterious on us, what did you do? Share the joke with the rest of us. I thought that you enchanted the card but I couldn’t tell what the enchantment was meant to do.”

I considered teasing just a little more so she would keep pouting like that, but I relented. “Well, as soon as he tries to use that card in one of their computers, it will trigger three spells. The first one is a localized EMP that will fry all of the computers, and anything else electronic, in the building. The second spell will turn the skin of anyone in the building at the time an unflattering shade of neon green for three days. It’s not a transformation spell, it just affects the way that their pigmentation reflects light for a short time. Let’s see how they like being different for a bit.”

“Umm… sis. Is that a good idea? I mean these guys could all think that they’re becoming changed and try to kill one another,” Nishalle pointed out in concern.

“That’s what the third spell is for,” I announced with a diabolical grin. “Anyone who gets the ‘its not easy being green’ treatment will get a complimentary little illusory shoulder angel that looks like me. It will play a message that tells them that it is temporary, to help them learn to walk a mile or two in Changed shoes, and that I will be watching. I won’t be watching, of course, but my little copies will be hovering over their shoulders the entire time while giving them judgmental looks.”

“Wait, so for three days they’re going to be bright green with a little you sitting on their shoulders being silent and judgy and trying to make them feel guilty the whole time? Even when they’re going to the bathroom, in the shower, or having sex?” Salem asked.

“Yup. I would have done more; like have the angels sing off-key in the shower, giggle when a male agent uses a urinal, or have them give a thumbs-up and say, ‘thanks for the worship’ while they’re having sex, but it was a spur-of-the-moment spell. Something with that much situational awareness and adaptability would have to be tailored to each victim individually,” I answered with a shrug.

“Okay, you’re not trying to kill anyone; you’re trying to drive them all insane. I like it!” Nishalle beamed at me and gave me a thumbs-up.

An hour later, I was in the bath with Daenyss pampering me when Aisha returned and mentally reported that she had dropped Jason off at the office. She had been invisible at the time and told me that the looks on the guards’ faces had been priceless when she dropped the terrified techie in front of them. I tried not to giggle as Daenyss washed my hair.

Once Daenyss and I finished our morning routine, I allowed Rei, Megan, and my usual protectors to keep sleeping while I again took Chalise and some of the other girls from Lilith’s brood to take care of some business. It wasn’t likely to be dangerous since I would just be moving goods from the warehouse to Varüus’kiel, but I felt it was better to be safe instead of sorry. While I was gone, Daenyss and Salem would be looking for places where wealthy people shopped and possible tourist attractions for us to visit later in the day. It would be good PR to take in everything that the city had to offer while we were in Toronto.

It was only a little after two in the morning on the west coast and Whisper and Grell were both waiting for me in the warehouse rather than working or sleeping in the office. “I got your message that it’s getting a bit full in here,” I said once I spotted them sitting on some lumber.

“Yeah, we had quite a few shipments show up today,” Whisper replied as she stopped petting Shadow and hopped down onto the floor. The black ferret didn’t seem bothered by the jarring of his Witch’s sudden motion and just nuzzled right back against her neck as she steadied herself and handed me a USB drive. “Jim and I also got into a bunch of places we’re not wanted online and found over a dozen black sites in Europe holding Changed.”

I took the device and gave her a grim nod in return. “Thanks, Whisper, I’ll give this to my Mahair so the Courts can start assembling rescue teams and prepare for more refugees. How are your other projects going?”

The Witch shrugged. “Your pal Loki sent me a list of Gods on Danu’s side and I’ve been working on increasing their positive online presence. I know some, like Odin, Freya, Hera, Hades, Hermes, Hephaestus, Athena, Inari, and a bunch of the Celtic Gods like Áine, Brighid, and Mórrígan. There are a lot of minor Gods that I don’t really know much about though, other than what little information on them that Loki sent.”

“Well, do what you can when you have the time, finding and rescuing Changed who are being mistreated by their home countries is our main focus right now anyway,” I replied with a nod before turning to the Atlantean in the room. “How are things going with the secure server for the government of Varüus’kiel and our various services, Grell?”

“The server is good to go; I even have a mana battery installed to power it. The big problem is that we won’t be able to use it in Varüus’kiel until I can figure out how to get signals through. I know it’s still partially inside our dimension, but the spell Danu used to make sure that nothing could get into Varüus’kiel uninvited is going to make things difficult. Cell signals, radio transmissions, nothing gets through unless you personally allow it,” Grell complained.

“Yeah, I took over some satellites that were going over the area and it was like a thick mass of cloud cover over the entire area there keeping it from getting any photos. Thermal images are useless too,” Whisper contributed. “We’ve tried a few tests to see if our cell phones could call people in Varüus’kiel, but we’ve had no luck.”

While it was reassuring that nobody would be able to spy on or target us easily from space, it was also very concerning. “Any ideas, Grell?” I asked with a frown. “I don’t think that Danu would want us cut completely off from the world, not when the whole point is for us to try and redeem mankind and foster peace.”

Grell was silent for a moment, and I could see when the eureka moment hit him. “I’ve been working on something since I started work on the server. It’s a sort of signal relay booster that I was hoping would allow cell phone and wireless internet connection all across Varüus’kiel, similar to how I drastically increased the range and such on our cell phones. I was having trouble figuring out how to bypass the protection spell to allow us to transmit and receive the signals that we want outside Varüus’kiel, so I set it aside to work on the secure server. Maybe if you ‘bless’ it by using your magick to be the one to bring the booster online once it’s finished and focus on it allowing internet and cell signals to pass through, the spell would consider those signals ‘invited’ so we can send and receive.”

“It could work, and if it doesn’t, I can always ask Danu. I would like us to solve the problem without bothering her if possible though. How long would it take you to finish this device, Grell?” I asked the Artificer.

He considered it for a moment with a thoughtful expression before finally saying, “A couple of days, tops. I’ll need to use some of the cash that you left to get a few things, and if you want the coverage to extend to your other domains, I’ll need to create some relay devices that we can position by the gates as well. That’ll increase the production time a bit, but you shouldn’t have to bless those ones, and I should have them all done in three or four days.”

“Okay, Grell, do it. Make the relay devices too,” I told him. Then, with that decided and their progress reports given, I proceeded to portal all of the supplies in the warehouse to Varüus’kiel.

It took me nearly an hour using magick to move everything over and organize it, even with Chalise and the other Succubae helping out. Once we were finished, we said our goodbyes to Grell and Whisper and went to find my Mahair and the other current leaders of the Four Courts to pass on the information that Whisper had given me and receive progress reports. There was a lot to report on.

First of all, each of the Courts had found suitable locations to build their Glades in. Half of the Fae from each court would be going on ahead to start constructing their Glades, while the other half would remain here with the Queens to continue helping with constructing homes and other buildings in the capital. It would be the princesses of the Courts who would be overseeing the construction of the Glades in the Queens’ places, at least, for the Spring and Summer Courts. Narek was sending someone that he trusted to the Winter Court Glade, as was my Mahair since my half-sister Aine wouldn’t be getting out of her F.I.T until tomorrow night and she didn’t want to throw her in the deep end of the princess pool, as she did with me.

The construction in the capital was going well too, and there were a lot of hobbit hole homes ready that just needed things like windows and doors installed, and the artificed lighting and modern comforts that the Atlanteans were working on. The hospital and the clinics were in the same state, but we were also waiting on the medical supplies I had ordered for them. The Atlanteans were working hard though and it looked like they would be nearly ready by the time we got those supplies.

Then there was the Moon Palace. It was finished growing and towered high into the sky, shining in the darkness like a beacon. It was awe-inspiring. I had to give Jhena props, from the outside at least, it looked like it belonged on the cover of a fantasy novel with its gleaming towers, majestic arches, and delicate balconies. Xixie and the other Sül’shael were eager to start making the doors and window shutters from Nythrin once they finished helping Hadrick finish the armor and other gear for the new Guardians.

Apparently, the Moon Palace wouldn’t need internal lighting, but Jhena’s team would be installing all of the other modern conveniences once they were finished with the hospital. The other teams that were working on equipping the clinics would be moving on to the various homes. I wasn’t happy that they seemed to be prioritizing the palace, but Jhena assured me that now that the production lines were recycling salvage from Atlantis to produce enough of the devices, they were a simple matter to install. The finished homes would all likely have them installed and ready by the time the wooden doors and windows were completed and installed.

The Moon Palace was a wonder though, and it felt a bit strange looking at it and knowing that it was being built for me. Sure, I had been doing all the work of being a leader, took my responsibilities seriously, and it was hard to forget my new position with Daenyss’s introductions every time I showed my face in public, but with all this Demigoddess shit on top, I hadn’t really stopped to try to process it yet. I allowed myself a moment to take in the sight, hoping that the comfort that the light gave would ease the sudden weight upon my shoulders, before casting a portal to take me and my escorts back to the hotel.

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 26 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted by the latest on Thursday, but life and exhaustion interfered :( I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 26: Tourism

By the time that we returned to my hotel room, it was close to seven in the morning and Megan was starting to stir on the couch. Since I figured that meant that my other bodyguards would be up soon, if they weren’t already, I had Daenyss call room service to arrange breakfast for all of us. She and Salem had already come up with a loose itinerary for the day.

Once Rei had once again placed a purification prayer on the food to be safe, we all discussed our plans for the day. Salem once again offered to stay and guard the hotel rooms with some of Lilith’s girls, but I decided to put my foot down. “No, Salem. You are not staying here all day while the rest of us are off having fun; I want to spend some time with all three of the girls I love today.”

Lilith nodded beside me. “Do not worry about the hotel rooms, some of my girls will stay inside and find some ways to entertain themselves while we are out. Another four will continue to keep watch from the roof, and the remaining six will follow us discreetly in case we encounter trouble while we are out. If that is satisfactory to you, my Goddess?”

“That sounds fine, Lilith, thank you. See, now you can come with us, little flower.” I told the diminutive Liyun’shael with a smile.

Salem couldn’t blush with that moss-like skin, at least not that we could see, but she did squirm cutely at the public use of the pet name. “W-what about transportation though? We can’t all fit in that SUV, even if Rei and Lilith fly.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” I said with a grin to those gathered around the table as I shared Wisp-sized portions of my breakfast with Willow. “We are going to publicly and brazenly use magick to get around. It’s not like there are any laws against it and people need to get used to magick existing. They won’t if we keep babying them by hiding it all of the time, or letting organizations like the DCA keep covering it up.”

“I guess that I won’t be needed then,” Megan said with a pensive look.

“No, Megan, you’re coming too,” I insisted. “According to the itinerary that Salem and Daenyss came up with for the day, we’re going shopping first. You don’t have many clothes that you can use right now, and you need clothes made from natural fibers. Today we’re going to be getting you a few things to last you until we can get you into a F.I.T, and a form that you’ll be happy with.”

“I dunno, Your Majesty, this stuff is a little fancy for me, and like super expensive,” Megan mumbled barely audibly as she stared wide-eyed at the price tag on a pink silk bra.

“Yeah, well, you need to wear natural fibers and most cotton undergarments are blends. Believe me, Nishalle and I have tried other stuff, silk won’t bother your allergy and it feels really nice on the skin. It’s not like I can’t afford it, and we’ll all be getting some, so it’s not like I’m just paying for yours either. Just find a few changes worth that fit properly and once we all have enough underwear to last a few days, we’ll move on to clothes.”

“We’ll try to get stuff that you’re comfortable with, but even with outer clothes, it’ll be probably be expensive,” Nishalle contributed with a frown. “I’ll help you out, don’t worry, we can at least dress casual, we don’t need to dress like royalty, like my sister.”

“Well, you’re not getting me in clothes,” Salem pouted. “I’m just fine with glamours and a heat spell. It’s like the only fire-related spell I’m any good at anyway.”

“You’re at least getting a nice warm coat and some boots,” Rei said as she gave both Salem and Daenyss stern looks. “You’re part plant, Salem, and it’s too damn cold and snowy out there to go without.”

Daenyss frowned at that, she looked like she was already uncomfortable enough wearing panties. Her period had started late the night before and she wasn’t happy about the necessity of wearing them to use proper sanitary products. At least she had been prepared by having all of her underwear stuffed in her summoning chest. She seemed to take it as a welcome distraction to explain to Megan, “Liyun’shael and Nymphs, like Salem and me, have the same allergies as other Fae, but we also get extremely uncomfortable mentally if we wear clothing, so we avoid it unless we absolutely have to.”

“And this is one of those times where you have to. Sorry, girls, I love you both but I’m agreeing with Rei here,” I stated firmly. “Coats and boots at the minimum so you don’t catch cold when we have to go outside, plus your heat spells. I’d rather be running around naked too, but I need to put my foot down here.”

The pair sighed, but Daenyss replied with, “Yes, Mistress,” and Salem grudgingly nodded once she saw that both Rei and I were serious about it.

I turned my attention back to my sister and Megan, who managed to find something in their sizes. “Normally, Megan, we would want something for you to wear while working too, but we can keep using glamours for that until my people can design and make some Fae appropriate uniforms for you. Not that we’ve ever had royal chauffeurs among the Fae before,” I pointed out with a shrug.

“Fae appropriate?” my new driver asked Nishalle as they headed for a pair of fitting rooms.

“You know, made from natural fibers, and usually not much of it. Fae prefer being naked, and our fashions tend to reflect that. The only time that the majority of us wear more than we absolutely have to is during combat or in weather like this,” Nishalle replied with a glance toward the windows and the snowstorm brewing outside.

Seeing that my sister had Megan well in hand, I turned my attention back to the others. Pete was staying as far away as he could manage from all of this and still be in the store and close enough to protect me if need be. Lissany had half-dragged poor Harley to a display of sexy bra and panty sets and I was pretty sure that the Unicorn Beastkin was bright red under her armor as the teen tried to find something nice for them both. At least Harley was still visible, so it seemed like she was getting some control over her disappearing act.

Uh oh, now Lilith was getting involved. Her mere presence, and that of my other protectors had already seemingly scared off the two saleswomen on duty. One had suddenly discovered that they needed something from the back and had yet to return, while the other was waiting behind the sales counter and watching us wide-eyed.

Lilith sauntered over to my two Guardians with a languid smile on her face. “Come now, Harley, young Lissany is right. Exploring new things will be good for you. You have a fine body, nothing to be ashamed of, and nobody needs to see such garments but you, or whoever you choose to become… intimate with. These are very well made and silk feels so… sensual when it caresses your most intimate places and you may find that you… enjoy wearing such nice things.”

Did she really have to make most of what she said there sound like an innuendo? Poor Harley was really getting some practice controlling that anti-perception field of hers. “No… I couldn’t… I’m not… I don’t,” the poor Unicorn Beastkin sputtered.

“She’s just teasing you, Harley,” Lissany pointed out. “She does make some good points though, you’re never going to find out what kind of girl you are, what you like and don’t like, if you don’t give new things a try. And it’s just underwear, it’s not like you’ll be required to get anything sexy or super-girly to wear over top. I’ve never tried wearing silk underthings before but everyone else has said that the feel nice, so I’m gonna try a set and see if they work for me since we’re here anyway and Her Majesty wants us all to get some spare clothes. You should give it a try too; it doesn’t need to be anything super sexy or anything.”

“If I get some… just to give them a try, will you both shut up about underwear and let me focus on my job?”

“We shall, Harley,” the Succubus matriarch agreed with a grin. “A word of advice to you though, from one warrior to another. Lissany has the right of it. Warriors do not hesitate, on anything. You never know when a battle might be your last, so do not hesitate, whether in battle or otherwise. Do not be afraid to explore yourself and pursue what you want. Your friends and allies will stand with you, including me.”

I had to cover up a little smile at seeing my High Priestess take my newest Guardian in hand like that. I had been trying to help her adjust to the whole gender swap thing, but there were some nuggets of knowledge that would be better for Harley if they didn’t come from me. Yes, I had been through this too, but I was also technically her boss and I didn’t want to make it sound like I was ordering her to take the steps that she wanted to take. I also didn’t want her to hold back on exploring who she was now because she was hyper-focused on being the best Guardian she could be.

Lilith though was new to our group and she was a mother, a warrior, and most importantly not me. She could give advice and encouragement and have it taken at face value. Just as Lissany could try to get her to realize that she could be a great Guardian and still have a life outside of it, and a sense of self other than her duty to me.

I was still smiling as I turned my attention once more to Rei, Salem, and Daenyss. The latter had chosen a few extra pairs of silk panties in turquoise and pink and seemed satisfied with her choices, but Salem wouldn’t be getting anything for herself. As for Rei, the Kitsune was in a very feminine mood today and was looking through some of the sexiest lingerie I had ever seen.

“Yeah, getting to spend quality time together is nice, but shopping was never my thing even before I couldn’t stand wearing clothes,” Salem mumbled as she looked around the store. “I’m not really sure why I needed to be here for this.”

I smiled as I pulled one out of Lilith’s book and sauntered over with a wiggle in my step to pull both the Moss Maiden and the Nymph toward Rei. As I guided them along, I spoke playfully in a tone just loud enough to carry to the two of them but no further. “Oh, you’re not here to shop for yourself, pretty little flower, you’re here to shop for me and Rei. I mean, sure, we could pick out our own things easy enough, but what would the two of you like to see us in?”

Salem was much more enthusiastic about that leg of the shopping trip after that and both Rei and I ended up not only with the bras and panties that we had come in for, but also a couple of very risqué items meant to be seen in rather than hidden beneath clothing. It was nice just doing something normal with them and I think that the others were trying to give us some space so we could enjoy it while still keeping one eye on us and the other out for trouble. They had all finished getting what they wanted long before the four of us were finished.

Even Harley and Lissany had gotten a few things, and once everything was paid for, we continued our shopping trip through Eaton Centre. We got a lot of strange looks from other shoppers in the iconic mall, but then, the only glamours that most of us were wearing were for clothing, and my loyal protectors were all fully armed and armored, with the exception of firearms. There were also the newshounds, and even some police, following us around at a ‘safe’ distance whenever we weren’t inside one of the mall’s stores.

My group appearing from a portal just inside one of the mall’s entrances caused a scene when we had first arrived and I guess someone must have made some calls about it. We weren’t hurting anyone though and were contributing to the local economy, so I guess that they were content to just watch and wait. Either that or someone had ordered them not to engage us. I was fairly sure that it was the latter, and that was seemingly confirmed not long before noon.

We had gotten the clothes that we all wanted and were mostly just browsing as we considered what to do for lunch. We were all starting to get a little tired of being gawked at and I was thinking that going back to Gino’s would be nice since the food was great, they had a great atmosphere, and had let us eat in peace. I nearly lost my appetite altogether though as a group of conspicuously green-skinned people in suits strode toward us from the mall exit with a purpose to their walk.

They seemed to be getting even more stares than us, which I found very amusing despite not looking forward to dealing with them. This was surprising though. There were seven of them, but only six had the green skin and sported shoulder angels of me. They all looked deadly serious but surprisingly, none of them drew their guns and they kept their distance while the lone woman of the group approached. Had they gotten smart and decided to send someone who wouldn’t be affected by my aura?

Had Pete not been graciously carrying my shopping bags, I probably would have dropped them in shock when the woman approached close enough to speak comfortably to our group and then bowed slightly. She was tall, fit, and had long black hair and a serious expression. “Your… umm… Imperial Majesty, I’m Agent Walters and…”

I couldn’t hold back a snort and giggle of amusement as she introduced herself. At least I had the good grace to blush about it and quickly apologize. “Sorry, it snuck out. For your sake, I hope your first name isn’t Jennifer.”

Walters grimaced, sighed, and then turned to look back at her companions, several of whom were sniggering at my reaction to her name. “Yes, unfortunately, that is my name, and I’ve got nothing but teasing about it from those jokers since your little prank hit our headquarters a few hours ago.”

“Ah yes, I see that the DCA has opened my little gift and since none of you have started shooting this time around, I assume that you’re here to talk?” I offered, trying not to giggle again and kill any progress that we might be making here.

The Agent snorted bitterly and nodded. “From what I have seen of your other battles, Your Majesty, you could have done far worse than knock out our electronics and teach us all a lesson that, frankly, most of those working with the DCA would do well to learn. You could have killed us all, just like you could have in past encounters with our agency, but you’ve gone out of your way to avoid violence with us unless in self-defense.”

“We’re not your enemy, we’re trying to save lives and help people when we can. We want to live peacefully with humankind, and we Fae value all life. Our only enemies are the monsters that disrupt the balance in the world,” I told her seriously.

“Most of the people working with us wouldn’t believe you,” she replied with a sad shake of her head. “They follow orders and they’re too afraid of what’s happening in the world and the way people are changing to accept reality. The seven of us haven’t liked where things have been going with the DCA. There’s too much focus on capturing or killing non-humans and not enough on trying to find out what’s causing them to appear in the first place.”

I looked her over for a moment thoughtfully before speaking. “That question is easy enough to answer. Magic and the Gods have returned to the world. Monsters long ago sealed are reappearing and ancient bloodlines are reawakening in people who thought that they were human. The Changed are like Humans, there are good ones and bad ones, but most mean no harm, in fact, they’re as scared about what’s happening to them as everyone else.”

“That… makes sense,” the green-skinned woman replied with a grimace, “at least to anyone who hasn’t got their head stuck in the sand. Or up their ass. Some of the things we’ve been seeing just can’t be explained any other way. And a lot of the Changed that we’re seeing are right out of myths and legends.”

“So, I guess we have you to thank for the police escort?” I asked, looking back to where the police were still keeping the reporters and some other people from getting too close.

“Right now, our office is still in chaos from your prank, so we took the opportunity to come and talk to you,” Agent Walters admitted. “We were going to go to your hotel, but Simmons wasn’t in the office when your prank hit, so his phone was still working and he was able to find out that you were here. He contacted the police and asked them not to make a big scene but to ensure that the reporters stayed off your backs and nobody bothered you until we could arrive.”

“So then, why did you come searching me out? If you’re going to ask me to dispel my little prank, I’m afraid that you’re out of luck because I have no intention of doing so,” I stated clearly.

“No! No, we weren’t going to ask that. You’re trying to teach a lesson, right?” she asked. When I nodded, so did she. “I thought so, and it’s a lesson that a lot of the people in the Agency should learn, so I can handle taking the She-Hulk jokes for a few days. We just want to know the truth, and we… might need your help.”

Nishalle stepped up to my side and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the woman, “Help with what?” Honestly, I couldn’t blame my sister for being suspicious, I wasn’t sure that I was ready to trust them yet either, but I thought that I should at least hear them out since so far this had gone far better than any of our other encounters with the DCA.

“Could we… uhh… talk about this somewhere more private?” Agent Walters asked, taking a look around at the reporters and cops. “As it is, we’re probably going to lose our jobs for this, and…”

“Sure, I know just the place,” I offered with a grin before she finished and then quickly cast a portal. It gave me the advantage to choose the location if they weren’t on the up and up and we had been about to go for lunch anyway. I didn’t even have to send Rei ahead to wait for us this time either since I knew where we were going. The best thing was that I was damn certain that if the DCA was tracking them, they wouldn’t be able to find them or eavesdrop there, even if they did have the means to do so after my EMP laid waste to the electronics in their local office. Besides, there I had the home-field advantage.

With the portal cast, Nishalle stepped through first. This was to prove to the agents that the magick was safe and that I wasn’t sending them into a trap. Well, I suppose that I could have been sending them right to Nishalle’s underworld but I didn’t see any reason to do that. Well, not yet anyway.

I gestured for the agents to follow my sister through the portal and then I followed with the rest of my group. I was just closing it behind Pete, who had been bringing up the rear when I saw the agents staring around in confusion and awe. Even Megan had this completely stunned expression on her face. “Mission successful,” I thought to myself with a grin.

I had set the portal to bring us to a spot that overlooked the construction efforts and had a breathtaking view of Lake Danu and the Moon Palace shining like a beacon in the night. “Where are we?” one of the agents asked in a barely audible voice.

I gestured broadly with a shit-eating grin on my face. “Welcome to Varüus’kiel, this is our capital city, or soon will be, I really need to decide on a name for it soon. As you can see, we have a fine view of the Moon Palace from here, isn’t it beautiful? I can guarantee you that your bosses will not be privy to anything said here.”

“It’s breathtaking,” Agent Walters half gasped and half spoke.

“This is amazing! I thought that you said we were in a city though, Your Highness,” Megan asked as she looked at the palace in the distance in awe.

“We’re standing on it,” Lissany offered playfully.

“Yup, we’re right on top of the hospital. Construction is going pretty quickly with magick to help, but we’ve still got a lot of homes to build if we’re going to be able to house all of the refugees that we’re bringing in. Careful as we move down the hill, I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” I cautioned as I led the way down the slope. “I figure that we can discuss your problems while we eat lunch. We have several places set up to offer meals until we can get people in their own homes and open up some restaurants and markets.”

When we got to the bottom of the hill, Megan squealed in delight at the large round entrance that was currently being fitted with proper doors. “It’s like a hobbit hole hospital! Is the whole city going to be like this?!”

Salem nodded and explained, “Yep, we wanted something appealing to the Fae love of nature and environmentally low-impact. Except for the Moon Palace, all of the buildings should be like this.”

Not bad for a few weeks' work, right?” I asked with a grin as I started leading the group through people working on homes and installing doors and windows toward the main camp for our people until they could start moving into homes. Then we were passing through people of all Races who were working, talking, and generally going about their business. They didn’t seem hostile to any of the people we passed, though I noticed that the men were following at a distance to try to keep out of range of my aura and Lilith’s.

The area with most of our Spring Court and Japanese people was still serving breakfast when we arrived and I encouraged our guests to each take a plate as I apologized, “Sorry for the lack of variety, but getting enough supplies to feed this many people has been tricky.”

“That’s okay, we’re… umm… fine with this. Thank you, Your Majesty,” Agent Walters said as she looked down at her plate. Then her gaze returned to me and she asked, “This is a test too, isn’t it?”

"Whatever do you mean?” I replied with a coy smile. This one was sharp, I kind of found myself liking her.

“You brought us to your home and you’re having us eat with refugees,” she said pensively as she looked down at her plate. “I think you’re seeing how sympathetic we are to your cause, and trying to get our honest reactions on being around so many Changed.”

I laughed and shrugged, “Guilty as charged, though you all seem to be either being honest, or you’re very good actors. Changed isn’t really an accurate term for all of us though, many of us were born as we are and were trapped inside the Veil for hundreds of years, not knowing how much time passed until they reappeared and people started throwing them in camps or black sites. Still, the term is better than non-human.”

“Inu’Mahair!” The shout, accompanied by over a dozen Sül’shael nearly dropping their recently emptied plates as they rushed over to greet me caused my lip to quirk upward in a smile, and I could see the same smile starting to form on both Daenyss and Salem as well. To their credit, Walters and the other agents didn’t completely freak out at the very excited Star Maidens, not even when the most excitable of all of them had her head and back burst briefly into flame.

“How are my girls today?” I asked with a grin. I recognized several of them from their work with Hadrick at the forge, including Risha, though I didn’t see Xixie anywhere at the moment. “Is Xixie not working at the forge with you? These are guests of mine from the outside world.”

Risha rapidly shook her head. “No, Inu’Mahair. Zera started birthing this morning and Xixie needs to help her.” I knew that there was one of the Sül’shael expecting soonish, but I hadn’t thought she was that far along. I would have to make time to see her and the baby. It was as I was considering it that Risha leaned in and stage whispered. “Why are your guests green, Inu’Mahair? Are they like the Liyun’Shael?”

I quickly covered a snort of amusement and explained, “No, Risha. I played a prank on them and some other people. They won’t be green anymore in a few days.”

“Oh! Pranks are fun! I once switched Ebbie’s favorite green sparklies with blue ones. She was so mad when she figured it out that she melted a hole in her hut,” the Star Maiden replied with a giggle. Then she looked right at Agent Walters and looked her over in keen interest before asking her. “Can you keep your skin green? You are very pretty that way. Would you like to get to know one another better?”

The green-skinned woman smiled politely and replied, “I would lo…”

I covered another snort of amusement and cut her off to gently tell Risha, “We have some important things to discuss right now. Perhaps later, Risha, if she is willing.” Considering that she wasn’t at all affected by my aura, I doubted that would happen. Then I gave each of the girls a hug and sent them to return their plates and head back to the forge.

Agent Walters had looked surprised and even a little upset when I interrupted her, so as soon as the girls had left I turned back to her. “Sorry for interrupting you, but the Sül’shael are Fae, even though they have lived their whole lives on this island. When a Fae wants to ‘get to know you better’ it’s a polite way of asking if you want to have sex. It is how Fae become closer to people that they like. We talk, get to know one another’s likes and dislikes, and reveal personal things while giving each other pleasure. I can tell that you aren’t interested in girls so I thought that I should save you from a potentially awkward situation.”

Her cheeks turned a blueish-purple color as her eyes widened. “I… thank you for that.”

I nodded and took a few bites of my meal before returning my gaze to her and the six agents who were looking very interested in that snippet of information but trying to play it cool. “Now, why don’t you tell me what you might need our help with and why we would be interested in doing so?”

Agent Walters began by giving us some background information. She and the other six agents who had come with her had been as confused and scared as everyone else was when the Veil fell and the world seemingly turned upside down. Five days into the chaos, they were recruited by the CSIS and transferred into the DCA.

They thought that they would be helping people by killing the monsters appearing, but they each discovered when they first encountered Changed that they were still people, and probably more scared by what was happening to them than those around them were. They quickly realized that the Department of Changed Affairs had no interest in helping the Changed though.

The DCA’s policy for Changed was to bring them into custody to be shipped off to secret locations, or killed on sight if they seemed remotely dangerous. It didn’t pass the smell test, especially combined with the far-fetched alien body snatchers narrative that the higher-ups were trying to pass off as fact. Things only got worse and less sensible as things went on with Pegasus Games being labeled a terrorist organization for seemingly no reason and the higher-ups compartmentalizing more and more, and keeping low-level agents like them in the dark except when they had direct orders for them.

When we released the information from the CSIS server, they found out the truth about the black sites and the false terrorism accusations. They had been told that it was all lies and falsified documents, but it hadn’t rung true and they started to look for other sympathetic agents and found one another. They had been hoping to change the organization from within, but the things that they had been hearing were only getting progressively worse, especially since we came to Toronto and the assassination attempt was made. My prank on their office had only made them more certain that they were on the wrong side.

Agent Walters informed me that the reason that we had encountered so many trigger-happy agents like Jonesy and company was only in part because many were intolerant and feared non-humans. Someone at the top of the DCA very much wanted me dead, and to make things miserable for the Changed in general. Ever since I had first appeared on the scene, there had been a shoot-to-kill order with my photo circulated to every damn branch of the DCA. I was the DCA bogeyman and for some reason, when she told me that, I got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t because I had thumbed my nose at Jonesy.

If those reporters at the mall had gotten any pictures of Walters talking to me, she and her friends were going to be in very deep shit once their bosses found out that they had an opportunity and didn’t take the shot. They might need my help more than they imagined. Or this could be an elaborate trap, though my gut said it wasn’t. However, none of this told me why they needed our help, so for the sake of brevity I pressed, “So, why risk yourselves by openly meeting me?”

Agent Walters sighed and looked down at her empty plate. “Well, the idea was to speak to you in your hotel room while the office was in chaos. We needed to risk it though; we’re not sure how much longer we can keep hiding this and it’s getting more difficult by the day to help them and keep them fed. You see, we’ve been hiding Changed people from the Agency.”

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Finally. Here's chapter 27 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night but I was too tired to give it a proper edit by the time I finished. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 27: Search and Rescue

“Where? And how many?” I asked, hoping that Agent Walters was as smart as I hoped she was. If they were hiding these Changed inside of their own homes, then they were likely in danger of being found. Those reporters got Agent Walters and her fellow agents on camera talking to me all peaceful-like. It was almost certain that once their bosses saw that, they would be hunted down as traitors and Changed sympathizers, especially if I was as big a target as they claimed. The first places that the DCA would check would be their homes.

“We have them safely hidden at an abandoned lumberyard in west Toronto,” Agent Walters replied with a frown. “It’s not great, especially for the aquatic types, but we’ve done our best to make sure that it’s secure, and as comfortable as we can make it. There are just over three dozen people, and most of those are children and young teens. There is a mix of different types, and we’ve been doing our best to keep them fed and see to their needs, but we’re learning as we go and our resources are spread very thin. We can’t keep this up. Most of those people we found with nothing but the clothes on their back, sometimes not even that, and it’s getting very crowded for them. They’re starting to get cabin fever too.”

I hummed thoughtfully as I thought about it. Of course, I planned to bring those people to Varüus’kiel, but I also needed to consider that this could be a trap. If it was, I would just teleport us all back again, or deal with the trap in the moment. Honestly though, I didn’t think it was a trap.

Agent Walters struck me as an honest woman who wanted to do the right thing, and her companions seemed to be of similar character when not distracted by my aura. They had passed all of the tests that I had put them to so far, and Jennifer Walters in particular had impressed me with her intelligence. Risha had liked her too. The Sül’shael might be somewhat naïve about the world beyond Varüus’kiel, but they also seemed to be very good judges of character. What was going to happen to these agents once we took these people off their hands? The possible Changed refugees were not the only ones that might need sanctuary.

Worried that bringing in those refugees could be time sensitive now with the agents being seen with us in public, I decided that I couldn’t afford to take my time getting information from them and letting my intuition decide if they were being honest or not. So, I decided to cut to the chase. I asked if they would be willing to consent to a truth spell being placed on them while we got the necessary information from them.

The seven agents consented and, after confirming that they were all really who they claimed to be, were honestly were trying to help the Changed, and had no nefarious purpose or plans to double-cross us, I began to relax my questioning of them as I considered the refugee situation. “I would certainly be willing to take them in as refugees,” I told them after a moment of reflection. “However, I do have a couple of important questions. First, do you have a photo of the target location, or somewhere nearby? I can’t teleport somewhere if I’ve never been there before or at least seen a photo, or I have to know somebody at the location. If you don’t have a photo, one of you may have to go ahead and then signal me when you get there.”

The green-skinned woman looked to her compatriots and all of them shook their heads. “We didn’t want to have anything on our phones that could give away the location of our rescues, in case one of the higher-ups was on to us. We always go there by different routes too, and we alternate who goes, and when. Today was Simmons’s turn, it was why he was late getting to the office and wasn’t caught up in your prank.”

“I was running late today. It was my turn to do the supply run and I wanted to bring the kids there some board games and stuff along with the food and other supplies, so they have something to do,” Simmons confirmed from where he and their other co-workers sat just out of the range of my aura.

The male agents were a good fifteen feet away from me and Lilith, and we all had to speak up a bit to include everyone in the conversation, but that was as condensed as I could manage to get my aura right now. It was the best that I was going to get until Sif could teach me, Lissany, and Lilith to open slightly larger holes in our auras. That was our next goal, but the Norse Goddess made it sound like it could take a long time to develop that much aura control for someone who was not born a god.

I nodded thoughtfully at Simmons’s answer. “Well, at least they’re hidden and somewhat safe until we can get to them. Lilith, would you be willing to take Agent Walters ahead and then contact me so I can create a portal there to bring those people to Varüus’kiel?”

“Of course, my Goddess. I am happy to serve You in any way that You might require,” the Succubus replied with a smile. Thankfully, both the smile and her tone were only slightly hinting at her innuendo.

“Thank you, Lilith, I appreciate it,” I told her as I smiled back. I was still getting used to Lilith and her brood, but I honestly liked my new priestesses, even with their constant flirting and sexual innuendos. They were unapologetically themselves and I found myself admiring that in them. “For my other question, Agent Walters, what do you plan to do once these people are in my care? Once those higher up in the DCA see the footage of you speaking with me, and not shooting first, there are going to be consequences for the seven of you. They will go after you; they might go after your families just to get to you.”

Agent Walters frowned and her shoulders sagged wearily as I addressed the elephant in the room. “Please, Your Majesty, call me Jen. You’re right, so it’s not like any of us are likely to be agents much longer once the DCA finds out about our meeting with you.”

“Honestly, I don’t think that any of us have thought that far ahead,” Agent Jacobs added. He looked to be the youngest of the group, probably barely into his twenties. “We were so focused on keeping those Changed people safe and hidden, and we originally hoped to meet with you in secret. Speaking for myself, I don’t have much family, just my little… sister. Our parents died in a monster attack on Boxing Day, when everything went to hell, and our extended family disowned my sister and wanted nothing to do with her after she came out last year, so they can go fuck themselves.”

Agent Pere looked sick to his stomach as he added, “Yeah, my wife died a couple of days after Christmas; I came home from work to find something eating her corpse. It… it was a week before our first anniversary… we were expecting a baby girl.” He had to take a moment to collect himself before adding, “I moved here to be with her, my family is all in New Zealand.”

It seemed that there wouldn’t be many family members to collect since none of the other men in their group had anyone close enough that they wanted to retrieve either. Their lives were too busy and the world too chaotic right now for any romantic interests, and apparently, the DCA was heavily recruiting young adults who had lost loved ones when the Veil first fell. It was something that all seven agents had in common, and many were from conservative family backgrounds as well, which certainly fit with the feel that I had gotten from Jonesy as well. Agent Walters, or rather Jen, had a similar story too.

“I lost most of my family on Boxing Day as well, including my fiancé, Dylan,” she explained with a haunted look in her eyes. “We all got together for the holidays at my grandparents’ house; they lived in one of those tiny little villages along the shore of Lake Superior that you’d miss if you blinked while passing by on the highway. Those vicious little fairy things set the house on fire just before midnight and they were waiting outside for us, throwing fire, biting, and slashing at anyone who tried to leave. Almost my entire family was burned alive by the rhyming little bastards while trying to leave the house and Dylan… he tried to buy time for me and some others to escape. Only my niece and I survived those things chasing us down, and they burned most of the village to the ground.”

“Are you caring for your niece, or is someone else?” Salem asked. “The DCA could go after her, and we should probably try to get to her and Jacobs’s sister before they do.”

Agent Walters shook her head sadly, her eyes downcast and her voice catching as she replied, “She’s at the Children’s Hospital… in the burn ward. She’s had issues from smoke inhalation and has third degree burns covering over thirty percent of her body. I’m… not sure if she can be moved in her condition.”

“Fucking Tooth Fairies,” Rei muttered angrily, clenching her fists at her side after the silence that fell over us dragged on a little too long. “Give me a name and a room number and me and Salem can go and get her out of there. I might be able to heal her well enough to stabilize her so we can move her here and get her in a F.I.T. A few days inside one of those and she’ll be as good as new.”

Jennifer was despondent as she said, “Her name is Evelyn Walters, but everyone calls her Evie. She’s five years old, and she’s in the ICU. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get her out without causing a scene.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Salem assured her, “I can use a glamour to blend in, and Rei has her shapeshifting. I have a few spells that should convince them to release her to us, if bullshitting our way in doesn’t work.”

“How did you escape from the Tooth Fairies though? Those little shits never let their prey escape once they’ve sniffed them out,” Pete asked with a grim expression. It was a good question, she and her niece should probably be dead since there was nobody organized to be hunting down monsters in the chaos after the veil fell. My team and I were still in the game and most of our people who had been out of the Veil early were focused on the Apocalypse Dawn project to try to bolster our numbers and get those of us in the game trained and equipped.

“I… had help… and a lot of luck” Agent Walters replied cryptically.

Did the help come from somebody who wasn’t human? That was the only possibility that worked in my mind. For somebody who had their whole family wiped out by monsters, she was pretty sympathetic to the Changed. The only way that made sense was if she had been helped by someone who was Changed, or was one herself.

Except for her currently green skin, she still looked human, not that that meant much when magick or magical creatures were involved. I wasn’t sensing any magick from her, so she likely wasn’t a Witch and hiding her Familiar somewhere. My instincts were saying that her helper hadn’t been human, but that still left a hell of a lot of possibilities.

“What kind of help?” I pressed. I would have liked to believe that it wasn’t my business until she chose to reveal more, but whatever her secret was, I would need to make sure that it wasn’t something dangerous.

“She called herself Pryswik, and told me that she’s a water elemental. She sorta materialized from the snow when I was cornered, trying to protect Evie, and about ready to die. She told me that if I made a pact with her, then she would help me to slay my enemies, protect me, and those I hold dear. She killed every last one of those little bastards and then created a token for me from a pendant that Dylan gave me for Christmas, but I hid it at the lumberyard a few days ago so she can watch over the Changed people and protect them when one of us couldn’t be there. She said nobody would even know she was there unless she showed herself, and she’d keep them safe.”

My eyes widened in surprise, and I wasn’t the only one. Everyone was looking at her in surprise. I couldn’t sense any magick on her, but there would be none to sense unless she was wearing the token of the pact between herself and the elemental, even then it would be faint. I would likely be able to sense the elemental with my Nature aspect though. Without her token, she was just another human, but with it… “You’re a Druid,” I stated.

“I guess so; at least, that’s what Pryswik told me. I guess she’s had pacts with people before. Our deal is that I give her companionship, and a connection to the physical world through our token. In return, she will use that connection to protect me and mine, and teach me to draw on her power through the token so I can do things with water and ice like she does,” the currently green-skinned woman replied as her fellow agents gaped at her in shock. Thankfully they didn’t seem upset, just very surprised.

I nodded as I thought it over. From what I had learned about Druids while playing Apocalypse Dawn, it seemed like a fairly standard Druid Pact for those who were fortunate enough to find an elemental to form such a pact with. Elementals are nature spirits, formed by elemental magick when the conditions are just right, so it is rare that one comes into being, and they are very childlike at first. It can take centuries before they can take form in the physical world for even a few seconds and can communicate beyond very basic emotions and the manipulation of their element.

They are also very much like Dryads, unseen and unknown by most people and can only interact with the physical world, and its denizens, for very short periods without a connection to anchor them. It sounded like a very lonely existence. “You’ll need to retrieve your token while we’re there; you should keep it with you at all times, Jen.”

The female agent winced guiltily. “Yeah, Pryswik told me the same thing, but it seemed the best way to watch over those people, and I didn’t want to risk anyone in charge at the agency getting curious about my glowing pendant, so I wasn’t wearing it while working.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I explained. “Jen, the only person who is going to think that pendant glows is you. It’s a symbol of your Pact and your connection to Pryswik and only the two of you can see that, but to everyone else, it’s just a normal piece of jewelry. Magi might be able to sense faint magick on it, but other than that, nobody is going to notice anything unusual.”

Jen looked embarrassed as her co-workers ribbed her, not that they would have known any better though. I think that they were just glad to have something to laugh at after the grim and unusual topics that had weighed down our talk so far. It gave them a welcome distraction. For the moment, we had other matters to attend to though, and I thought that the agents had brought up enough about the details of their losses and it would do them well to focus on the matter at hand.

Agent Walters gave me a grateful look as I said, “I think that we are straying a little off-topic. We have refugees to collect and bring to Varüus’kiel, and the sooner the better. I will take us back to Toronto and Lilith will take Jen to the lumberyard so I can teleport to them. As for the rest of you, you shouldn’t risk going back to your homes, so before we go, let’s quickly discuss your options.”

“What options?” Agent Decker asked, looking somewhat confused.

“Well, for one thing, you could request asylum here in Varüus’kiel,” Harley suggested.

Agent Decker’s confusion hadn’t quite waned as he countered, “I thought this was a sanctuary for the Changed. I mean, Jen probably counts now, but the rest of us are still human.”

“Jack, we have seen humans here, though I suppose they could be Druids like Jen, or they just appear human,” Agent Pere pointed out.

“We are a sanctuary for the Changed, and those who support us,” I clarified for the agents. “We do have options available to help you start new lives with different appearances somewhere else, if that is what you want. On the other hand, you would be welcome to join the refugees coming to live in Varüus’kiel. I want people here who can look beyond race and who want to live in peace with all people, and I think that you’ve proven yourselves. In fact, I might even have jobs for you, if you’re interested, but that can wait until after you, your loved ones, and those Changed you’re hiding are all safe.”

With that in mind, I prepared to return to Toronto. Well, not all of us. Agent Walters was coming with us, of course, since she needed to retrieve her token and help us with the refugees. Agent Mike Jacobs would be coming as well, so he could convince his younger sister that they needed to leave the city and bring her with him to Varüus’kiel if she wished. The others stayed behind so they could get to know some of the people in what might become their new home. I even released the seven of them from my little prank before we left since I needed Jen and Mike to look a little more low profile.

There were no real surprises behind the green skin. Most of them, including Jen, definitely looked Caucasian, though her skin was a little more tanned than most of her companions, which looked nice with her dark hair and eyes. Mike’s mixed heritage was a little more obvious though. He looked to be a mix of African and Caucasian. He too had dark eyes, and his short black hair had a bit of curl to it that I hadn’t really noticed before. The others were more obviously Caucasian men, and fairly average-looking as well, except for Agent Maleko Pere who appeared to be of Polynesian descent.

Once I had returned us to our hotel room, Lilith left almost immediately with Jen and a pair of her daughters, all of them covered with invisibility spells. Salem and Rei headed off with another pair of Succubae to protect them and fly them to the Children’s Hospital to try to stabilize Jen’s niece, Evie, and bring her back to Varüus’kiel for the more thorough treatment that a F.I.T could give her. As for Daenyss, Megan, my bodyguards, and me, we would be going with Mike Jacobs to meet with his younger sister, Amanda.

Since the Mercedes wouldn’t have room for all of us with Mike along, I glamoured us all up and we took the subway to the University of Toronto Campus, where Amanda had just started as a student before the possible apocalypse began and had a small apartment just off campus. Thankfully, the snow had abated somewhat and it only took us a little over ten minutes to get there, with half of that time being spent on the train. Soon we were all standing outside the door to her apartment, and a very confused person had opened the door, just enough to see who was outside her door and to keep the locking chain in place.

“Hello? I think m-maybe you have the wrong apartment,” she suggested warily with an uncertain and scared look in her eyes through the narrow gap. Seeing nobody else in the hallway, I dropped the glamours on our group. The uncertainty was still in her eyes, and on what little of her face that I could see, but the wariness was quickly replaced by confusion as she asked, “Mike? What? How? Aren’t you supposed to be at work? Who are these people?”

“Amanda, we need to leave town,” Mike said with a worried glance down the hallway. “Sorry, I would have called before coming over, but my phone is toast. I’m leaving the agency and they might come after you to get to me, they could be coming here any time, so I need you to come with me, Sis. This is… um… Empress Taelya and part of her entourage. She’s offered to help get us out of here and give us sanctuary in Varüus’kiel.”

The brown eyes behind the slight gap between the door and wall narrowed in suspicion. “You didn’t look like Mike a minute ago so prove it.”

She had every reason to be suspicious, especially with the glamours I had on us when we arrived. I could have easily expedited things with a bit of magic, but she was right to be cautious, especially since the Veil fell, and I didn’t want her scared or suspicious of us. I wasn’t about to drag her to safety against her will and she deserved to know what was going on.

Mike leaned in close to the door and whispered something, which I tried very hard not to listen to since I assumed it was private. I still heard it, but I wanted to give them both at least the illusion that those shared childhood secrets were still something between just the two of them. After several long moments of hushed whispers passing between them through the crack of the door, it closed for a moment before opening once again, fully this time.

Standing there was a tall and somewhat broad-shouldered transgendered woman in her late teens who was fairly pretty and obviously took care to look her best. Mike had warned us that she was transitioning when we were on our way over, almost as if he was worried that we might not accept her because of it. He probably was. I had seen a lot of hate directed at trans people or people who cross-played online games, and Lissany had suffered personally because of it before entering Apocalypse Dawn and gaining a form that she was more comfortable with.

“Okay, this jerk is definitely my dopey brother, but how do I know that either of us can trust any of you?” Amanda asked guardedly. “I finally got on HRT and now you’re asking me to run off to someplace I’ve never heard of and give that up.”

“Where we’re going you won’t need roads… err… HRT,” Lissany said playfully beside me. Amanda looked dubious and more than a little suspicious as she glared at my Guardian. The Beastkin Demigoddess raised her hands to placate her and tipped up her visor so that the earnest expression on her face showed. “Look, I’m not making fun of you. I’ve been where you’re at; hating my body, feeling like everything that I did to express my real gender was never enough, fighting for acceptance that I felt like I would never get. That changed for me and it can for you too if you give us a chance.”

“What, so you’re going to magically make me forget that I should have been born a girl and make me stop cringing every time I look in a mirror? Do one of you fantasy rejects have some magic potion that’s going to make that all go away?” she snapped.

“Amanda!” Mike snapped back, raising his voice, though the concern in it was evident.

“Duh, magic is a thing, or haven’t you seen everything going on outside lately?” Lissany shot back. “And I know for a fact that magical gender swaps exist. If Her Majesty wanted to she could give you the body of your dreams right now. Hell, we’re friends with a gender fluid Kitsune and a God who both change between guy and girl constantly, and, like, half of us here have changed genders. Everyone who used to be a dude, raise your hand.” She immediately raised her hand and with a groan, I raised my own. Harley rolled her eyes on my other side but raised her hand to join ours as well.

Amanda was still dubious, but a lot easier to convince, and less hostile, once I asked if she would consent to a polymorph spell and demonstrated that what Lissany told her was possible by casting it on her after asking for requests. The form that I changed her into was that of a young woman who could have been her and Mike’s younger sister. She asked to be smol, cute, and curvy, so I went with that while keeping a familial resemblance to her old body and Mike.

She ended up close to Salem’s height at just a shade over five feet and had a very feminine figure that worked for her size without looking exaggerated. Her face was pretty and, much like her new body, it wasn’t supermodel material, but enough for the boys to give her a second glance. Chestnut brown hair fell to around halfway down her back and her warm brown eyes were filled with tears as she emerged from her bathroom after looking in the mirror, and presumably checking on other things as well.

Once she stopped sobbing and thanking me, I warned, “Right now, this spell is effectively permanent, mostly so you won’t have to revert to a male body until you decide whether you want to go into an F.I.T to customize a body that you’re more comfortable with and learn some new skills. I’ll have someone talk more to you and your brother about that once you’re safely in Varüus’kiel. Let’s get you both out of here before the DCA shows up.”

Snow blanketed the abandoned lumberyard in west Toronto when I teleported us to join Lilith, her two daughters, and Jen. I had already taken Mike and Amanda to Varüus’kiel via a portal and got people preparing an F.I.T for little Evie’s arrival when I did that. Rei had called while Amanda was admiring her new self in the bathroom to warn me that they were probably going to have to move Jen’s niece quickly and they wanted an F.I.T prepared for her just in case moving her caused a change in her condition.

My consort was going to try to heal the girl first, but she might not get the chance. She, Salem, and their two Succubae protectors were having trouble getting in to visit her by asking nicely and might have to use more direct means than glamours and shapeshifting to get inside the ICU, make a snatch and grab, and have Salem teleport them all to Varüus’kiel. If they had to do things that way, Rei was worried that it could cause Evie’s condition to worsen.

That would be Jen’s decision to make though, and she needed to make it fast because the clock was ticking. We had narrowly avoided a confrontation with DCA agents while Amanda was packing some family photos and other things before we left her apartment. She barely had time to grab everything that she wanted before the agents were trying to break down the door and I was getting us out of there via a portal spell.

Thankfully, Lilith noticed that something was wrong and broached the subject just after we materialized. “You look concerned about something, my Goddess.”

“Yeah, the DCA made a move on Mike’s sister while we were retrieving her, so we can assume that someone at the agency has seen that footage. We were lucky to get her out of there in time,” I replied. Then I turned to Jen and added, “Rei and Salem are ready to make a move to grab your niece, but the agency will probably have people there soon so it’ll have to be quick. Rei will try to heal her first if she can, she’s even willing to use her special healing ability for it, but they might have to just get her out of there fast. If Rei can’t heal her for some reason then we have people waiting to give her immediate medical attention as soon as she arrives. There are risks though.”

The former agent frowned as she thought it over but quickly said, “Do it.”

I quickly wind-whispered Salem to let her know to go ahead with their plan and then asked, “Where are the Changed? I’d like to get them out of here.”

“They’re in the main building. It’s best insulated against the snow and cold and has the most room,” she replied as she pointed to the large, worn-out building that looked boarded up and bore graffiti dating back to 2014. “I’ll need to go to one of the side buildings to retrieve my token, and then I’ll have to let them know that you’re all good guys.”

She glanced at Nishalle and Megan in particular as she said the last. That was fair though since Pete was huge and intimidating, my two Guardians were in their full armor, and Tokh’dhraí can be scary and intimidating without even trying, especially my sister with the whole femme fatale vibe she had going. Moreover, since Nishalle and Megan seemed to be bonding, my new driver was starting to pick up some of that as well. I figured that Lilith, Daenyss and I would have to take the lead with reassuring the children that we were safe since Lilith was very maternal and could hide her more demonic features if needed, and Daenyss was naturally sweet, caring, friendly, and a little childlike herself at times.

As we made our way across the lumberyard grounds, I saw signs that this place was abandoned for a long time before it became a temporary sanctuary for Changed. Withered creeper vines clung to many of the available surfaces in death, some sort of animal traps half obscured by snow were scattered about, and snow and icicles decorated a flatbed cargo truck and a forklift that were both sitting out in the open and half rusted. There were even piles of lumber still present, though they too were half covered in snow and showed signs of fire damage.

Despite assurances from Jen that they were very careful to ensure that the agency didn’t know about this place, I still had us check all of the side buildings. The place was creepy and I was more worried about monsters, even though they probably would have noticed any by now and Jen had left her elemental to watch over things. We found nothing of interest save old saws, rusty tools, car parts, more animal traps, and an open manhole with a horrid smell coming from it. There was nothing down there, thankfully, but the smell made me sympathize with any poor Beastkin and other species with sensitive noses that had been sheltering there.

As we checked the side buildings, Jen worked free a knot in the wall of one to remove a silver chain with a crystal snowflake pendant hanging from it. I sensed the token before she even did so. The elemental that imbued that token with her magical essence was powerful, I should have been hardly able to sense it at all. ~I can sense the elemental,~ Lilith sent to me, her feelings seeming very conflicted. ~This Pryswik is very old, possibly even older than I am. I do not sense that she is hostile or bears any ill will toward us though, so long as we do not harm her Druid.~

My eyebrows shifted upward in surprise. Lilith was ancient, and if anyone could sense that, it would be her since she was also an elemental once herself before being cursed into her demonic form. I trusted her judgment and experience on this so I kept quiet for now. Jen had said that Pryswik had made pacts with other humans before after all. I idly wondered though just how many that she had bonded with over millennia of existence. Jennifer Walters was the heir to quite a legacy it seemed.

We returned to checking for potential hazards as we left the worn-out structure and made our way to the main building, but we had to be careful to be quiet. The fence was mostly still standing and the gates were snowed over, giving some privacy at the moment, but Jen warned us that there was a fairly busy intersection nearby and I could clearly hear the sounds of traffic. The main building looked boarded up and graffiti-covered from a distance, but Jen led us around the side to the back, where they had managed to make the rear door accessible.

Jen stepped inside ahead of us to let the people inside know what was going on and reassure the children and I waited until I heard her finish her explanation before I stepped inside, preceded by my protectors and followed by Daenyss and Megan. There were close to forty Changed inside, most of them teenagers and children as Jen had earlier claimed. In fact, I could only spot six adults among them.

The majority were fairly obvious Changed; Beastkin, Merfolk, and even a few Fauns. There were no Fae or Witches amongst them, but there were a few surprises, including a Centaur boy, a seven-foot tall woman that I was fairly sure was an Amazon, and a young teen girl who had sprouted wings like mine and looked extremely fit for her age. She wasn’t a Demigoddess or anything, but I thought that our Aesir friends would be interested in a Valkyrie emerging among the Changed.

For now, we needed to get these people to Varüus’kiel and find people to help care for all of the young teens and kids without parents. It was disheartening to see so many kids separated from or, in a few cases, abandoned by their parents after they changed. From what Jennifer had told us, many of them had slipped away from the DCA or monster attacks while a similarly Changed parent covered their escape. We would help these kids though, I promised myself that as I opened a new portal to take these new refugees home. We would make a home for them, find people to care for them, and make this world a place where they could all be accepted one day.

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 28 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. Finally got over my block on this and had tome to write it. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 28: New Arrivals

Once we got our refugees organized, and they had gathered what few possessions they had, I cast a portal to Varüus’kiel on the shores of Lake Danu. There were four young merfolk and an adult Mermaid among their numbers, and they needed to be carried through by Lilith, Lissany, Nishalle, Pete, and Harley. Despite the efforts of Jennifer Walters and her fellow former agents, the Merfolk were all starting to look dehydrated, especially the adult Mermaid, and they needed to be put in water as soon as possible, rather than taking turns in a kiddie pool as they had been doing previously.

With close to forty new refugees, and roughly three dozen of those being children or young teens, I was going to need to find some people who would be willing to take the kids in and raise them. It took ten minutes to even get a complete census of what I was dealing with and by that time, Rei and Salem had arrived with Jennifer’s niece, Evie. Thankfully, Rei managed to stabilize the young girl with healing prayers, but she was still suffering from major burns and nerve damage and was in a lot of pain, so we were going to have to put her in an F.I.T once Jennifer was properly informed and could make some decisions about her recovery.

That was one less worry hovering in the back of my mind. Now I just needed to sort out what we were going to do with the thirty or so kids who were now parentless and understandably scared after everything that had happened to them and now being whisked off to a strange place. Thankfully, quite a few were distracted by the colossal fantasy palace made of glowing crystal.

It turned out that a couple of the adult Beastkin were parents of some of the young teens. So, I was able to send them off for a good meal and put them in the hands of the people I had arranging eventual housing and other needs for refugees. The adult Mermaid was the mother of two of the younger merkids and was willing to take care of the other two as well, so that was another worry off my list once I had some of the Merfolk in the lake take them all in hand.

It took over an hour to find people willing to raise the other orphaned or cast out children and make sure they were going to be a good fit, but I managed to find people who were more than happy to take in a child in need and teach them what they could. There was even a Centaur woman who had been trapped in the Veil fell who was ecstatic to take in the young Centaur boy. In the end, there were only three children who I had trouble finding people compatible with.

The first of those was the Valkyrie girl, whose name I learned was Sara. She was fourteen and very pretty with light blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a pair of pristine white wings that rivaled my own. She also didn’t look very happy as she sat by the lakeshore and watched children paired one after another with people of their own species. It wasn’t that she was wistful or jealous, she seemed almost angry.

Finding people who were a good fit had been easy for the more populous Races like the Beastkin or Kitsune, and there were even a small population of Fauns and Centaurs that we had been able to bring to Varüus’kiel through rescue operations. Our current census showed no presence of any Valkyrie’s on the island though. I was about ready to try and contact Thor and Sif to see if they would be willing to take her in when Lilith and her eldest daughter, Chalise approached me.

“We have encountered her kind before,” Lillith said with a faint smile. “Both on the battlefield and in more peaceful times. They have much in common with us; they fight hard, drink hard, and have a great passion for the pleasures of the flesh once fully mature. They are warriors through and through, often very emotional and aggressive when going through puberty, but they show unwavering loyalty to those who earn it. Usually, they channel that aggression into combat training, and they are gifted healers and spirit shepherds as well. She will need training as much as she needs a loving parent figure.”

Chalise took that moment to speak up. “My Goddess, Mother, I would like to be that person. If you would allow it, my Goddess. I have not had a child in a very long time.”

The Succubus matriarch looked to me and at my slight nod, she cautioned, “This will not be like raising one of our own kind, Chalise. She will not be able to share our minds in battle.”

“I know, Mother, but I’m one of our best healers and the most experienced in combat besides you. I think that I can adjust our training to suit her,” Chalise pressed. “She may not have our natural armor or a tail to use as an additional weapon, but we are all well-versed in using mundane weapons as well. When she is ready, we can have the Dwarf who is making our Goddess’s gear make her proper armor and weapons. I believe that if she is willing, and our Goddess accepts her as a Priestess and gives Her blessing, we could form a connection with her mind as well.”

I smiled and gently placed a hand on Chalise’s shoulder. “It has to be her decision. Let me talk to her for a bit and get a feel for her. She might not even be a good match for you.”

Both Succubae bowed their heads and said, “Yes, my Goddess.”

With a long sigh, I stepped away from the pair and approached the winged girl by the shore. We had barely been introduced before I ushered them all through a portal and I wasn’t quite sure how to approach this. I sat beside her as she watched the reflection of the Moon Palace on the surface of the lake. “This is a nice view, you should see it from the sky though,” I offered conversationally.

“I can’t,” the girl snapped as she turned to glare. I thought the glare was directed at me for a moment before realizing that she was glaring at her white-feathered wing over her shoulder. “I don’t know how to use these things yet.”

“You can learn,” I told her.

“What would you know?” she snapped.

“More than you’d think, Sara,” I replied as I allowed my wings to manifest, and my right wing brushed against her left. “I learned to fly, though I was fighting a giant dragon goddess at the time. Maybe I could teach you. Flying under your own power is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.”

Several minutes passed in silence as she stared at my wings in awe. Finally, though, she managed to blurt out, “You’re like me. Is this where you offer to adopt me like all those other people were with the other kids?”

I shook my head. “I’m afraid not, Sara. Your wings are because you’re something called a Valkyrie, while mine are because I’m a Demigoddess. Unfortunately, I’m a very busy Demigoddess. I have a country to run and subjects to take care of, Gods to fight, and working toward world peace isn’t easy either. I don’t have time for raising a kid, so I’ll have to burst your bubble there. I do have some options for you though.”

If she was disappointed, she wasn’t willing to show it, her expression carefully neutral as she asked, “What kind of options?”

“Well, Kiddo, I could tell you here or I can tell you up there,” I said, pointing to the moonlit sky above where the occasional light, brighter than the stars flew through the night sky.

One such light caught Sara’s attention. “Is that… a shooting star?”

“Nope,” I told her casually. “That’s one of the Sül’shael, they’re one of your options, if you’re interested.

“I guess… I…”

I didn’t wait for her to finish stumbling over words as I picked her up, beat my wings, and gave myself a magical boost to launch myself into the sky. Sara let out a squeal, but the moment of fear passed quickly as I adjusted my flight path to take me to a trio of Sül’shael who eagerly rushed over to greet me as soon as they spotted me. As the group excitedly hovered around us and squealed out, “Inu’Mahair!” I could see Sara gazing at them in rapt fascination.

“Hi, girls, this is Sara, we’re up here for a flying lesson,” I told the girls. “Sara, these are some of the Sül’shael. Introduce yourself, girls.”

“I’m Kura!” one offered happily before she was eagerly copied by both Riki and Xavi.

For the next half hour, I tried to give Sara a good start on learning to fly while the three Sül’shael flew along with us and offered encouragement. I started by holding her in place with a telekinesis spell while having her get a feel for the wind on her wings. She started to fall for a moment when I released my telekinetic hold but quickly caught herself and was soon gliding under her own power. From there, it was just teaching her how to properly beat her wings for lift and how to turn in the air.

It was a basic lesson, but she seemed to be enjoying flying under her own power as much as I had hoped she would. Between giving her various pointers, I told her about the possible options that I thought would be good for her. I tried to give her what background I could and was careful to explain the possible pros and cons of each.

First, I told her about the Sül’shael. They would be only too happy to provide her with a loving family if I asked them, and they were all wonderful girls, but I wasn’t sure that they could provide what Sara really needed other than a loving parent. They were pacifists and from what I had been told about Valkyries, from both Lilith and my Aesir friends, that sort of life would not suit someone whose very nature was to be a warrior.

Then there was Thor and Sif. I knew that the pair of Norse Gods would be only too happy to give the Valkyrie a loving home and train her in the ways of a warrior, but they spent much of their time in their domain and away from the mortal world. I was afraid that she might start to feel isolated and felt that she needed to be around other kids her age, even if it was just for combat training and stuff.

Finally, there was the Succubae, and I told Sara that one in particular had already shown an interest in taking her in. They had a lot in common with Valkyries, they trained their whole lives to be warriors, and Chalise could teach her the healing arts as well. I knew that they love their children as much as the Sül’shael do and they had kids Sara’s age in the village who were training to be warriors as well, so she could make some friends too.

I landed once more by the lakeshore and her landing, while clumsier than mine, was good for a first timer, or at least, that’s what I felt. We had spent much of the past five minutes in silence as I left her alone to consider her options but as I helped her to get steady on her feet, I asked, “What do you think, Sara?”

“I…” She seemed to have trouble forming the words at first, but eventually, she did manage to form a response. “The Sül’shael seem nice, but they seem so innocent, and you said that they aren’t used to violence. I… don’t think I’d be a good fit with them. Ever since I started changing, I’ve felt so… not angry but…”

“Aggressive?” I suggested. “A bit pent up?”

“Yeah, that,” she agreed. “From what you said, Thor and Sif sound nice, but you’re probably right about being around kids my own age and making friends too. You said that this Priestess could teach me healing and stuff, but can she really show me how to fight? I thought priests were all peaceful and stuff.”

That got a good laugh out of me. “Not these Priestesses, Sara. The Succubae are all war priestesses. They’re technically my own little army as well as my Priestesses. Like I said earlier, they start training from childhood. I’ve seen Chalise fight, she will be able to teach you both combat and healing very well, though they heal through prayers, and their belief in me grants them power.”

“So, I could be your Priestess too?” she asked, suddenly perking up.

“If that’s what you decide that you want, then I will give you my blessing. Take some time to think about it and see if you even want to stay with Chalise first though. You don’t need to rush into anything,” I cautioned her. I could feel the belief in her and had been able to since we started our flying lesson, but I didn’t want her to make any decisions in the spur of the moment.

I introduced Sara to Lilith and Chalise and if she was at all bothered by their demonic appearance, she didn’t show it. In fact, she and Chalise seemed to take to one another very quickly and Sara was soon listening raptly as Lilith’s eldest daughter started talking about making a room for her in her hut and what she wanted to teach her. It sounded like there would be teaching not only lessons in combat and healing but also in the history of the Succubae, and being a ‘Priestess of Taelya’ if that was something that Sara was interested in.

From the way Sara was hanging on her every word and occasionally looking at me, I had a feeling that I would be anointing a new Priestess trainee soon. It was probably my own fault for showing off my wings, teaching her to fly, and casually mentioning the whole Demigoddess thing. I just wanted to cheer her up and give her some choices for her future, but I probably should have kept that loyalty thing Lilith had mentioned in mind and kept her at arm’s length. She needed someone to make her feel less alone though, and I thought I could be that person.

Oh well, since Chalise had Sara well in hand, I could now look into doing something for the other pair of children who were going to be hard to place. I returned to Rei, Salem, and Daenyss, who were keeping the two kids entertained, not that that was easy without a common language. I arrived to find Daenyss playing patty cake with the youngest of the two while Salem was casting illusions to entertain the eldest.

Both children looked to be Kitsune, but they didn’t have the distinct Japanese looks that Rei and most others had, though they were Asian, possibly Chinese. One was a girl, barely a year old by my guess, while the other was a boy who was maybe four or five. Jennifer told us that a woman she assumed was their mother (due to the similar features and fox traits) had died from a mob while keeping them hidden in a dumpster before she showed up. She took the mother’s body in but hadn’t mentioned the children in the report and hid them at the lumberyard with the other refugees.

“Were you able to find anything out?” I asked Rei as I approached. I had left them in their care since the kids practically clung to Rei once they first saw her.

“Tien thinks the boy is speaking Cantonese, so they could be Huli Jing rather than Kitsune,” she said with a sigh. “The problem is, we don’t have many people on the island who can speak Cantonese, and Tien only knew a few basic words. Mandarin is supposed to be similar, from what I’ve heard, but we don’t have many people who speak that either and most of them are in China with groups looking into some suspected black sites and possible prison camps for Changed.”

A long and weary sigh escaped my lips. “Surely we can’t have sent them all off to China.”

“Tien recalled Becky mentioning speaking some Cantonese, which makes sense since her mother was one of the people sent to China to act as a translator. She’s gone to grab Becky so she can babysit and hopefully tell the older one what’s going on until we can organize a more permanent solution,” my Kitsune lover explained, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief. Becky would be a good choice until something more permanent could be decided.

“The sooner, the better,” Salem added as she glanced in the direction of the older child, who was transfixed by her illusions. “We can’t keep passing them between temporary caregivers and the younger one needs proper care. She’s still in diapers, which she is going to need soon, and she hasn’t used any real words yet, I don’t think, just baby babble.”

“Well, shit. I’m open to suggestions here,” I grumbled. I knew that we could always put them in an F.I.T to teach them English or Elvish, but they were young, one was barely more than an infant, and it would probably be a scary experience for them without a soothing presence. I didn’t want to worsen any trauma they might already have, and I wanted people going into those devices, for any reason, knowing exactly what they were getting into. Even if we could properly communicate that to them, they were too young to make that decision themselves, and I wouldn’t want them going into a simulation alone.

“What about Mr. and Mrs. Chan? They seemed very nice when we visited their restaurant and they probably speak either Cantonese or Mandarin,” Daenyss suggested.

My eyes widened and my lips turned upward in a smile as I thought about it. That was a very good idea. Those two would provide a loving home for any kids, given what I knew about them, and I had been considering offering them a go in a F.I.T and a place to open a restaurant in Varüus’kiel anyway. I moved over to quickly kiss Daenyss, “Great idea, Sweetie. I have a few other people to check on, but we’ll go to the restaurant and talk to them later.”

I quickly gave Rei, Salem, and Daenyss each a kiss and then headed off toward where I had left Jennifer Walters and her fellow agents a little further down the shoreline with my protectors flanking me. They were waiting right where I had left them, and Jennifer was holding the hand of the severely burned five-year-old girl who lay on the grass beside her. Salem had been able to give her niece something to manage her pain, but our medical supplies outside of magic and artificed tech were limited and Evie would need to go into an F.I.T soon to do anything about her current medical needs. Agent Jacobs’s sister, Amanda, was there too and none of the group looked like they had any idea what they should be doing.

Evie seemed to be resting now, but the others all looked nervous, out of place, and a little bit shell-shocked, to be honest. That was fair though. Amanda had just been told that the agency her brother worked with was probably going to try to use her as a hostage against him, I had transformed her into the girl she desperately wanted to be, and then we absconded with her and brought her to what was, admittedly, a very unusual place filled with non-human refugees.

As for the now-former DCA agents, they likely had their own issues to work through. Sure, they had been trying to hide Changed people and keep them safe, but now they had been seen by the agency consorting with the enemy and were branded traitors. Worse yet, now that all the excitement was over, they didn’t have time to think of much else and were probably uncertain where they fit in here.

It was perfectly normal that they would feel that way and they probably needed something to focus on in the future rather than the recent past. The former agents especially needed goals, a purpose, something to work toward to replace what they’d lost. It was a good thing for everyone involved that I had something in mind.

“How’s your niece, Jennifer?” I asked as they all looked toward me while I closed the distance between us. It would be a wonder if me showing up would not surprise anyone though, at least at night, with the glow of my hair and eyes.

Jennifer gave me a shaky smile, took a deep breath, and replied, “She’s in less pain and sleeping now, thanks to Rei and Salem. You mentioned some options for her earlier, Your Majesty?”

Giving her an encouraging smile and a nod I moved close enough to the group so the men would be out of the range of my aura and sat on the ground cross-legged. Even though we were in Varüus’kiel, and most likely perfectly safe, my Guardians remained standing and on guard while Pete and Nishalle joined me in sitting on the grass. Keeping this much distance between my group and Jennifer’s wasn’t ideal since we would all have to speak louder to be heard, and under other circumstances might come across as me not trusting them.

“I apologize for not sitting closer,” I began, motioning to the near twenty feet of distance separating us. “I don’t want my aura to turn the men into lust zombies. There are options for all of you that we need to discuss, and I would rather that you are all capable of doing so with clear minds.”

“That’s okay, we understand and appreciate it,” Maleko said, his voice loud enough to carry across the distance.

Nodding my thanks, I began to explain. “As I see it, you have two options if you wish to avoid the wrath of the DCA now that you’ve associated with me. The first would be to change your appearances and try to start new lives somewhere else. We could help you do that fairly simply by either polymorph spell like I used on Amanda or by placing you in F.I.Ts so you can learn new skills and even languages to help set you up in those lives. The other option is that you stay here, make a home in Varüus’kiel and work for me.”

“What kind of work?” Jack asked cautiously.

“Nothing that you weren’t already willing to do, just in a more formal position,” I told him with a smile. “I need diplomats to start opening communication with other countries, people who believe that the lives of non-humans are just as important as those of humans. I can’t be everywhere at once, so I need people that I can trust, who will negotiate with my ideals in mind and report directly to me. I would like to have one Fae, one Changed, and one Human, or at least someone who passes as one without a glamour, on each diplomatic team.”

“We’re… not exactly trained for that kind of thing,” Mike pointed out.

“That’s why you would be going inside an F.I.T to learn new skills; diplomacy, geopolitics, a few languages, and any other skills you might be interested in knowing. If you decide that you would like to give being another species a try, we could do that too, and you could change your appearance to almost anything you might want. Jen, you could use the time in the F.I.T to strengthen your bond with Pryswik and learn more about using elemental magic too.”

I went on to tell them how the F.I.Ts worked, what would be involved, and the various options that would be available to them. They listened intently and I think they were a bit in shock over what the devices were able to do. Finally, I turned to Jennifer and said, “The plan for your niece would be to put her into an F.I.T, so we can monitor her health as she changes and keep her comfortable. The options of new skills and a new form would be available to her as well, but I leave that for you to discuss with her as her current guardian.”

“Umm… couldn’t you just use the same kind of spell you used on me for the little one? She would be healed instantly, right?” Amanda asked with a confused expression.

“That’s an option,” I agreed, “but not one I’m eager to try given the extent of her burns. It isn’t a healing spell; it just changes a person’s physical form, and I’ve never tried it on someone who is seriously injured before. I would rather not try that for the first time on a child. With all those burns, doing that could have unexpected consequences, she could end up with chronic pain because we try a workaround instead of dealing with the real issue.”

“Aren’t these machines doing basically the same thing though?” Mike’s sister pressed.

I shook my head sadly. “The spell I used on you is merely a cosmetic change, much like gender-affirming surgeries, only much faster and more thorough. The DNA underneath it all is still the same. It is why I was going to suggest that you go into a F.I.T, Amanda, because while you may have the appearance of a woman, your basic building blocks are the same as they always were. While you’ll look like a very convincing woman, you could never experience periods or have a baby. The F.I.Ts work differently than the spell, they rebuild your body from the ground up, using it as raw material to create a new one from the DNA up based on the genetic samples they have stored and your adjustments in the appearance designer.”

Amanda looked disappointed but nodded her head in understanding. “I guess I want to go into one of those machines then. Even if periods will probably suck, I want the whole experience, and learning new skills would be nice too. Maybe I’ll try becoming a Witch since you said they look human but can use magic.”

“I would like to get a simulation started for some people either tonight or tomorrow morning,” I told them as I turned my focus to Jennifer and the girl lying beside her. “Evie should be placed in an F.I.T as soon as we can get the sim set up. My personal driver, Megan, will need to go through one soon too, plus any of you who wish to, and there is a couple in Vancouver I would like to offer the chance as well. You’ll all have until then to decide what you want to do.”

My next stop after speaking with the former DCA agents was to check on Zera, the Sül’shael who had gone into labor this morning. She and the newborn baby, who she had named Tala, were both in good hands with Xixie and I was told that the birth had gone smoothly. I even got to hold the newborn for a few minutes while Xixie and Zera gushed about how happy they were that I had personally come to check on mother and child.

Little Tala was so small and cute that she almost made me wish for one of my own. She was perfectly safe to hold without fear of her back and head bursting into flames too since Xixie informed me that they didn’t start manifesting flames until they were two or three years old. I probably wouldn’t have to worry about her waking anytime soon either since Zera had finished nursing her not long before I arrived, and she fell asleep soon after.

“I’m your Inu’Mahair,” I told them with a smile as I rocked the sleeping infant in my arms. “You’re my girls, and I’m happy to welcome this little one into our world.” With all the loyalty and love the Sül’shael showed me, the least I could do was make visits like these if I had the time.

I had a suspicion that these visits might become a tradition, and not just for the Sül’shael, as we left mother and child resting under Xixie’s attentive care. Lilith had caught up with me by that point, with the news that Chalise would be taking Sara to their village and the Temple of the Heavens to get her settled in and introduce her to people. “That was kind of you to visit the new mother and child, my Goddess,” she told me with a look of pride on her face. “I try to do that when new members of my brood are born, and Inanna used to do the same.”

“It seemed appropriate,” I agreed, though I now figured that I would be doing the same for at least the Sül’shael and Succubae from now on. Ah well, it wasn’t like either species, or even both together, would be having babies every day with their small populations.

The last stop I intended to make before going to speak with the Chans was the F.I.T chambers on the lower floors of what would soon be a proper hospital. There, I was able to let one of our server administrators know that I needed another simulation set up for a small group of people and some skill trainers. I also informed him that at least one would probably want to be a Witch so he could contact one of the Fae going out into the woods to forage to collect some small animals that would be good for potential Familiars to place in F.I.Ts and add to the simulation as well.

I would rather that Amanda bonded with a Familiar in the simulation since it would give her time to train with her magic and I would rather not have another Dire Wolf running around yet. People were scared enough of Yuki already even though she wouldn’t harm anyone without Suki telling her to. If the simulation had to run long enough to properly rebuild Evie’s damaged body and give Megan whatever form she wanted to have going forward, then they would have at least a month inside from their perspective. It would be better for Amanda if she was able to spend at least some of that time learning to use her magic.

If the Chans accepted my proposal, I wanted them to be able to enter the simulation with the two children, if possible, so they would have time to bond with them in the simulation and to get on the same page language-wise, if they weren’t already. Hopefully, Becky would be able to communicate well enough to tell the older of the two kids what they would be in for with the sim. The Chans might choose to change, or at the very least become younger, but the kids would probably have water in their tubes rather than the transformation catalyst. Even so, they deserved to know what was going on rather than us just putting them in there without information or a chance to refuse.

When my protectors and I were leaving the hospital, we ran into Jhena, who was supervising the installation of the last of the building’s lighting, specialized hospital beds to monitor patient health, and various other artificed equipment. Jhuras’s daughter expected the task to be finished later in the evening, so soon all we would need would be the equipment, medications, and such that we ordered from McPherson Medical in Mississauga.

After telling me about their progress, Jhena inquired, “So did you just come to check up on our progress, Your Majesty? Or is there something else you need from me?”

I couldn’t help but laugh that she would ask that after giving me the lengthy progress report. “Jhena, I didn’t come to check up on you, I know things are in good hands between you, your father, and all the other Atlantean Artificers involved. I just came to let Laren know that I needed him to start up another simulation as soon as possible for some new refugees and allies we brought in. One is badly wounded, and I’d rather not wait longer than we have to.”

“Oh!” she replied with a chuckle. “My bad. Though, if you’re setting up another sim, would you mind if me and my girlfriend join it? I want to be an Atlantean again, and my girlfriend agreed to try it as well. She wants me to teach her to be an Artificer.”

I considered it for a moment and nodded. “I don’t mind giving you the time to do it, even if I’m a little worried that things might not run as smoothly without you and your dad both on the job. You’ve both been a huge help with getting things done here.” She deserved the time off to get back to being herself, even if I was unsure. She had already done so much and had been working practically non-stop since she returned from Vancouver with her girlfriend.

Jhena began to laugh and then gave me one of her cheeky grins as she informed me, “You have an adorable pout, Your Majesty. Honestly, I’m not needed at the moment. The mana batteries and most of the important stuff for the homes are already being mass-produced in the workshop domes we set up at the bottom of the lake. The installations can be done by just about anyone and our crews have been getting them done almost as fast as the buildings to place them in are being completed now. We have a few more mass-production workshops under construction under some planned warehouses in the city itself as well, for other necessities like those monthly supplies you mentioned last time we talked, though it’ll be a week before they’ll be fully up and running.”

“Fine, fine, I was going to let you go in the sim anyway, there’s no need to convince me,” I countered as I gave her a hearty raspberry. “What are you going to do with your time off in the sim?”

“Other than changing back to my own body? I’ll relax with my girl and do some artificing,” she told me with a shrug before giving me a grin that told me that those weren’t the only reasons she wanted to do this. “Oh, and I might do some research on that mineral you brought back from that domain with the floating islands. I already did a thorough scan so I could add it to simulations. Think of it, I’ll get over a month of research done in five days or so, I might even be able to come up with some designs to make use of it before Dad does.”

Oh, that devious Atlantean, I should have known that she’d want to use this chance to make more cool artificed toys and beat her father to the punch. She was Jhuras’s daughter after all, and they both got this look in their eye when they were thinking about making something awesome. “I want a really cool flying vehicle with lots of seating for my driver to take me around in. Oh, and a new bike for Nishalle!” I told her, matching her grin.

Jhena thrust out her hand and enthusiastically agreed. “Done! Dad is gonna be so cheesed when I beat him to a workable design!” she enthused as I grasped her hand, and we shook on the deal.

We left her mumbling to herself about armoring, layered shields, and a bunch of other stuff I couldn’t follow. Nishalle on the other hand was grinning as she walked ahead of me, and I could see the confident swagger in her hips. My sister was probably dreaming about a flying motorbike bristling with weapons to protect me or something, from the way her eyes had lit up when I mentioned a new bike for her.

It was while we were on our way back to the Moon Palace, where hopefully my lovers and Becky would be waiting with those two children, that I felt a light push at my mind. I didn’t even have the chance to reply to the mental knock before Lillith turned to me and said, “That was Kleo, my Goddess.” Wait, wasn’t Kleo one of the Succubae we had watching over those eggs in Tiamat’s former domain? “That thought was confirmed when Lillith added in an uncharacteristically serious tone, “Some of the eggs are shaking, she thinks they will hatch very soon.”

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 29 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted earlier but I was having issues. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 29: Drakans

Almost as soon as the words left my High Priestess’s mouth, I cast a portal to take us to the cave that housed the eggs and the hoard that once belonged to Tiamat. I really needed to build a treasury at some point to house all that loot, I couldn’t just leave it lying around. At the moment though, I had other matters to attend to.

“Great Mother, are these baby dragons going to be dangerous?” I asked as I directed my thoughts toward Danu. I knew that she was watching the possible futures and now that some were starting to hatch, I figured that she wouldn’t have any problem revealing what she knew.

~They are not dragons, my child,~ she replied gently. ~They are Drakans, the legacy that your High Priestess suspected. They are an ancient race that traveled and explored many worlds through the world-gates, including ours. These eggs are from many clutches; five will hatch today and the rest over the next week. You might want to get a closer look at that big one though.~

That was more information than I was expecting, and I cautiously approached the largest of the eggs that Kleo was currently watching to ask, “What can you tell me, Kleo?”

“There are forty-one eggs in total, my Goddess, and five have been moving,” she replied, confirming what Danu had just told me about how many were close to hatching. “That big one already has a few hairline cracks forming on it. It seems that whatever is inside is eager to get out.”

“Good work, Kleo, thank you for your diligence,” I told her with a smile as I looked at the egg, pale lavender in color, and found that Kleo was right about those cracks. The egg was also bigger than Pete was, and that was saying something. As I watched, it wobbled violently, and another large crack appeared. Nishalle, Pete, and both of my Guardians hovered nearby, ready to move at a moment’s notice in case anything dangerous hatched, so I assured them, “These eggs are safe. Danu says that they’re Drakans, not dragons. We can expect five to hatch today and the rest over the next week.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Lissany said from behind the faceplate of her helm. “I don’t want to kill any babies.

“Yeah, me neither,” Harley agreed emphatically.

“They’re going to need people to care for them when they hatch,” I murmured thoughtfully.

“My brood will care for them and raise them well for you, my Goddess. Kleo, would you like to…” Lilith stopped midsentence, letting out a gasp when the egg in front of us shook violently and practically exploded, revealing its occupant.

I could see why Tiamat was so interested in them since they greatly resembled dragons. They had a scaled, reptilian look to them, with draconic wings and long sinuous tails and necks. The forelegs were quite a bit shorter than the powerful-looking hind legs though, and more like arms, with opposable thumbs, making me think that it would walk and stand on its hind legs while not in the air. I had to wonder if all of them would be like the impressive specimen that hatched first though.

Even covered in egg gunk and a mere baby, the Drakan was almost majestic; a little over seven feet long from snout to tail with silver scales, iridescent wing membranes, and a crown of bone ridges atop its head. Those silvery scales reflected the light from my hair, glimmering like moonlight. Then there were those silvery-blue eyes, and the first place that they looked was at me.

~Mother?~ a voice asked in my mind, causing my eyes to go wide. The voice was feminine, silky, and sweet.”

“N-no, I’m not anyone’s mother!” I quickly stammered in response, drawing the gazes of everyone around me.

~Not biologically, obviously,~ the silky voice replied, undeterred. ~You are certainly not a Drakan. We have formed the mind-bond though.~ That was not the only voice in my head though as I could hear giggling as well.

“Great Mother…” I began, my thoughts toward Danu, as I tried to find the words. Did she seriously just pull a Loki and troll me into being in the right spot for this Drakan to imprint on me? At least it sounded like some kind of imprinting.

~Congratulations, my daughter, it’s a girl,~ the Goddess replied as the sound of her giggling continued to tinkle in my mind for a moment. ~I could not help myself, dear. This one is so regal, and those scales, she was meant for you.~

“I don’t have time to raise a baby anything,” I countered.

~Your priestesses can help, and her siblings will need people to bond with who can care for them properly as well. They are quite intelligent, as you can tell, and possess a racial memory, though it will be some time before their bodies catch up to their minds. If it were not for that, they could take care of themselves from birth. Think of this as a personal mental bond, much like that which the Succubae now share with you,~ the Goddess suggested.

“I guess I can get one of the Succubae or the Sül’shael to act as a nanny for her when I’m not in Varüus’kiel,” I mentally conceded. This wasn’t like Willow; the Wisp could follow me around since we’d bonded, and she could fit in my purse. Speaking of the Wisp, she had hidden in my hair when the egg-splosion happened and was now peeking out at the hatchling curiously.

This Drakan, on the other hand, was a sentient being and much larger. She would need a lot more care, and I would have to spend time with her, but I couldn’t dare bring her with me outside my territory since people might just think she was a monster. Even people in Varüus’kiel might be reluctant at first.

I also couldn’t just ignore her, not only was that not the kind of person I wanted to be with those who were loyal to me, but she was in my head. Ah well, what was one more mind in there after a Goddess and thousands of Succubae? This time I directed my thoughts toward the Drakan hatchling. “I probably can’t be with you as much as we’d both like, at least until you’re older and can get around easier, but I’ll have someone see to your needs while I’m not here.”

~Oh, whatever will I do without you?~ the cheeky little shit replied before adding in a more serious tone, ~I understand, Mother. It is not as if we will ever truly be apart now that we are mind-bonded. I can sense your emotions, and your thoughts to some degree. You bear much responsibility, but you will do your best to see that my siblings and I are treated well.~

“Please don’t call me the M-word,” I thought back with a groan. “Just call me Taelya. You will need a name as well; do you have any preferences? Maybe Luna? From the way your scales reflect light, like the moon.”

The Drakan puffed up her chest as she stood shakily on her hind legs. ~I like it, it sounds regal and suitable for one of my magnificence.~ I had a feeling I was going to have my hands full with the Drakan girl when she was older.

I tried not to think about that as I turned to Kleo and Lillith. “Luna here is going to need someone to care for her needs when I’m not in Varüus’kiel. They seem to bond mentally with the first person they see, so maybe it would be best to have one designated caregiver for each hatchling. So maybe we should bring some girls here who want the job before they hatch. Unless…” I turned to look at my four protectors. “Anyone interested in being bonded to a Drakan?”

“That’s probably not going to work well, Sis,” Nishalle said with a shake of her head. “We need to stick with you, we don’t really have time to care for infants and it would be a distraction.”

Pete let out a hefty side but nodded in agreement with his girlfriend. “She’s right. As awesome as it would be to fly into battle on a Drakan, our duty is to you, and we wouldn’t have time to properly raise or train them to work with us.

Lissany and Harley seemed to be on the same page as them, and I guess that wasn’t surprising with their dedication to being the best Guardians possible. With that in mind, Lillith called five of her Succubae to come take the hatchings in hand, though one would be helping me to care for Luna and another would be taking over Kleo’s vigil on the eggs while she bonded with one of the new Drakans. We were in for a few surprises with the hatchlings though.

The biggest surprise was that they weren’t all like Luna. The second to hatch had gold scales instead of silver and two large horns atop his head rather than a crown of ridges. He was also quite a bit smaller than Luna at only just over five and a half feet in length.

The third Drakan had jade green scales and no wings at all, which kind of threw us all for a loop at first until Luna imperiously explained that she was an Earth Drakan, so, of course, she wouldn’t have wings. She was slightly longer and bulkier than the gold-colored hatchling but not as big as Luna. Kleo named her Jade, due to her color. With her not having wings, I was a little worried about putting her on a flying island so the Succubae could care for them in their village.

The last two hatchlings were comparable in size and shape to the gold one but lacked horns and were different colors. One had deep blue scales while the other had crimson. Luna told me that they were a Water Drakan and a Flame Drakan respectively, while the gold one was a Storm Drakan and Luna herself was a Radiant Drakan.

Apparently, there were eight varieties of Drakans, six types with wings and two without wings, and each was bound to a different element. Radiant Drakans, like Luna, were the largest of them and could manipulate light while Shadow Drakans were nearly as large and had similar abilities as Nishalle, being able to disappear into the shadows or darkness and not be seen. They could also move between shadows or dark places with something akin to teleportation.

The four smaller varieties of winged Drakans were Storm, Frost, Flame, and Water. Not only did their scales make them very resistant to damage from their respective elements, but they could weaponize it like dragons. Frost Drakans breathed air so cold it could freeze whatever it touched, Water Drakans fired high-pressure water blasts, Flame Drakans breathed blisteringly hot fire, and Storm Drakans had those two large horns atop their heads that could produce electricity and fire it like lightning bolts.

The wingless Drakans were Earth Drakans and Stone Drakans. The first good diggers, who had earth magic that could help plants grow and stay healthy, and their saliva could heal wounds and even some poisons. The latter were incredibly good tunnelers, could manipulate stone, and were great at finding valuable ores and gemstones.

The differences among the hatchlings also prompted Luna to explain a few other things, like the fact that Drakans could only speak telepathically with the person they were bonded to. They would be able to learn to speak as people like us could, but it would take a lot of practice to become adept enough with their growing bodies to do so. They would also need to become familiar with our modern spoken language since they had been on ice for several millennia.

It was going to take time to learn to use their elemental abilities as well. They might have a racial memory, but their bodies would be growing and changing and needed to catch up. Also just knowing how to do something did little good if you didn’t practice enough to turn knowledge into skill.

In the end, I decided to bring the five Drakans and the Succubae who would be caring for them to the still-under-construction capital. People needed to get used to seeing both species around and to know that they too were citizens of Varüus’kiel, who had the same rights as any other. Besides, the Drakans were cool, and the kids were going to love them. I could already picture Lucy and Tíana trying to befriend them.

The infant Drakans did need to eat first though, so Lillith had some of her girls hunt some meat for them. They were apparently omnivores, but Luna said that they needed to eat a lot of meat, especially during the first few months of their lives. We could probably expect them to be fully grown in about a year or so.

Once the Draklings (As I was told Drakan hatchings are properly called, in Luna’s most imperious mental tone) were finished devouring a large wild ox between them, I cast a portal to take us to the shore of Lake Danu near the Moon Palace. Feeding them had taken longer than I would have liked since we had to cut the meat from the beast into bite-sized portions for them and make sure that there were no small bones that they could choke on. I fed Luna alongside Guiyen, the Succubus who would be caring for Luna when I couldn’t. It was a messy job, and I had to use a spell afterward to clean myself, the Succubae involved, and the Draklings.

We stepped through the portal, right where I had left my three lovers watching over the two children. Thankfully, Tien had found Becky and brought her to talk to them. They were all staring at us, or rather the Drakans that were with us. Ugh, I was going to have to explain this whole thing to them and then the Queens of the courts, wasn’t I?

The good thing about being Empress though was that I could delegate, and I totally planned on doing that. “So, Becky, how’s it going? Are you able to talk to them? Or the older one, at least?”

Becky shrugged her shoulders. “My Cantonese is rusty, but I know enough to speak with him. We’re lucky they’re actually speaking Cantonese and not Mandarin. Unlike what some people have heard,” she said with a glance toward Rei and Tien, “Cantonese and Mandarin are nothing alike. Sure, some of the written characters are similar or even appear visually the same in some cases, but that does not mean they have the same meanings or even sound the same. As a spoken language, they are completely different dialects and sound nothing alike.”

Tien and Rei didn’t even notice her dirty look in their direction. Like everyone else, they were focused on the Drakans as Rei hesitantly began to ask, “Are those…?”

“Drakans, not dragons,” I clarified. “There were just over forty eggs, but only five hatched today.”

“They don’t feel all chaotic and against the natural order like Tiamat’s children,” Salem said thoughtfully as she looked them over. “Are they as intelligent as we are?”

“Yeah, and they have this racial memory thing too. Even though they’re physically infants, Luna here was able to tell me quite a bit about their species. It’ll be a while before they can learn our language or for their bodies to be mature enough to care for themselves, but they’re very clever and mentally mature.”

“Luna?” Tien asked. “And how could you know all that if they need to learn our language? Is this more Goddess stuff?”

I groaned as I idly scratched the Drakan in question behind the ridges of her crown, causing her to make the cutest cooing noise. It was almost enough to distract me as I replied, “I guess it could count as ‘Goddess stuff’ since Danu told me to get a close look at the egg right before it hatched. Luna was looking right at me when she burst out of that egg and imprinted on me. We’ve got this mental bond now, but Guiyen is going to help care for her when I can’t be here in Varüus’kiel.”

“She’s so pretty and shiny,” Daenyss cooed ponderously murmuring, “I wonder if this is worthy of a new title?”

“Let’s… uhh… hold off on any more titles for the moment, Sweetie. I think I have enough right now,” I told her softly, leaning forward to kiss her.

“Well, she certainly does get attention,” Salem said, noting the growing crowd of onlookers observing not only the Drakans but their Succubae handlers as well.

Quite a few of the observers were children, including Lucy, who looked absolutely awed. The older of the two Huli Jing children was gaping, his little jaw dropped. His younger sister was staring at Luna, probably captivated by the light of the Moon Palace reflecting off her scales, but from what I had seen so far, she wasn’t quite walking yet. She was crawling through the grass toward Luna as fast as she could though before Becky picked her up and started speaking to the infant in Cantonese.

I liked the little one’s enthusiasm though, and I needed to get the ball rolling on properly integrating both the Drakans and the Succubae into the vast tapestry of living beings that was Varüus’kiel. “Luna, do you think you and your siblings could play with the children? Try to be mindful of your teeth and claws though,” I thought to the Radiant Drakling. They could move around on their own, even if it was just clumsy waddling, but I thought this might help them to become more adept at it and build up a positive image with them.

~Of course, we can play. We are infants, not stupid. Draklings play a lot, just like any other species, to learn to control our bodies properly,~ she replied haughtily before adding cheekily, ~The question is, will we play with them?~

“I’m beginning to wonder what I did to Danu for her to set me up with you,” I mentally grouched at her before adding, “Fine, will you play with them?”

Her mental tone was teasing and playful as she shot back, ~I am wondering that myself. You must have done some truly great deeds to deserve to be bonded with someone of my magnificence. You did say you rule these lands, right? Perhaps your Goddess, rightly, believed that only someone as impressive as me was a suitable companion for you. Yes, of course, we will play with the children, Your Majesty.~

Luna added the last as I gave her the equivalent of a mental glare and began waddling over to Lucy and some of the other kids. I quickly instructed the Succubae caring for the other Drakans to pass on the message to play, gently, with the children before announcing in a loud and clear voice, “These are baby Drakans. The women caring for them are Succubae, just like Lillith who has recently joined my entourage, and they are my Priestesses. Both are citizens of Varüus’kiel, just like the rest of you, so please treat them as such.”

With my speech given, I leaned over toward Lissany and whispered in her ear as the Draklings began to waddle toward the other children. Lissany raised her faceplate to grin and give me a thumbs-up before calling out, “Lucy! You still want to be a knight like me and Harley when you grow up, right?”

She had Lucy’s immediate attention. The girl dashed past the approaching Draklings and practically saluted as she stood in front of me and my Guardians. “Can I, Lissy?”

Lissany gave her little hero worshipper a big grin. “Of course you can. If you work hard and truly want something, you can be whatever you want to be. I’ve even got some Knight training for you. Those baby Drakans are going to play with you other kids, so I want you to make sure that everyone plays nice, and to tell an adult if anyone gets hurt. Just like you and me, those Draklings have claws and they can’t control their bodies very well yet. Can you do that for me and Her Majesty?”

“I will!” she enthusiastically replied before she suddenly thought about it and turned to my Liyun’shael lover to ask, “Is that okay, Grammy Salem?”

Salem nodded and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Of course, it is, Lucy. Just make sure nobody plays too rough and if anyone gets hurt, get your mother or one of the healers.”

“Kleo will be here to watch over Jade, and she’s a healer, so you can just talk to her if anyone gets hurt,” I instructed as I pointed to the Succubus in question.

Lucy’s head bobbed up and down rapidly in a nod and then she was off to join the other children, who the Draklings had approached while we were talking. I noticed that Sapphire, the Water Drakan, had waddled into the water and was already splashing around with some of the Merfolk and Atlantean kids. An Undine girl was playing with them as well. Becky said something to the Huli Jing boy in Cantonese, and he ran off to join the other kids as well, while she cared for his sister.

“I hope these Chans that Daenyss and Rei mentioned will be able to take these kids,” Becky said once the boy had left her side. “I am not parent material, and my Cantonese is so rusty.”

“Well, that’s our next stop, now that everything else is dealt with,” I assured her before turning to Tien. “I’m going to need you to spread the word about the Drakans and the Succubae, and tell people that they aren’t monsters, but citizens of Varüus’kiel and won’t hurt anyone. I don’t need people panicking over them because nobody has seen a Drakan before. People have seen Lilith with me, but the Succubae haven’t been a common sight around here. They’re my Priestesses, so I want them treated with the respect that I have no doubt they will show to others.”

“I’m on it, Your Majesty,” the Druid said before taking off to see it done.

I turned to my three lovers, giving each a kiss and a hug before saying, “Sorry about leaving you all to deal with the children and such while I took care of other things.”

Each of my lovers kissed me back eagerly and exchanged a look between themselves before Rei told me sternly, “You were busy and we’re the people closest to you. You honestly need to delegate more than you do, so we’re happy to help when we can. We’ll forgive you if you take us out for a nice dinner. I’m thinking Chinese.”

That got a laugh out of me, and I replied, “I know just the place. Hopefully, the Chans will accept my offer, I have a simulation being set up for people who will need to go into F.I.Ts now, including the Chans and those kids.” Then I turned to my new official chauffeur, who was hanging back. “Speaking of which, I need to apologize to you as well, Megan. I kind of left you here with the others, I hope you weren’t too bored. There is a spot in that simulation for you as well if you’ve decided who you’d like to be.”

My driver rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Actually, Your Majesty, I have. I think I want to be completely Tokh’dhraí. Oh, and don’t worry about leaving me here, I figure that being your driver is probably going to mean a lot of waiting around and this place is amazing. I can’t wait to see the city when it’s finished, or the inside of that glowing fantasy palace.”

After sending messages with a Wind Whisper spell to my Mahair, Pájar, and the Queens of the two other Courts to inform them of the situation with the Drakans and Succubae in our midst, I cast a portal to take my protectors and entourage to the Golden Sun restaurant. I was surprised and a little concerned to find the place closed with one of the windows broken and covered in police tape. There was graffiti all over the front of the building too, phrases like ‘freak lovers’ sprayed all over the place.

I couldn’t help but worry and think that this might be our fault, for allowing the paparazzi to find us eating here. Lillith was worried too; she summoned twenty of her girls to cover us and perch on the roof of the building to watch the neighborhood around us for trouble. I sent a quick text and a photo to both Robyn and Rob. - We’re @ the Golden Sun? Did u see this? -

Robyn was the first to reply as I nervously waited and petted Willow, who had emerged from her nap in my purse to take her favorite perch on my right shoulder. - WTF?! OMW with Rob, please check on Mr. and Mrs. Chan. They live in the apartment above the Sun. -

I teleported us all inside, but we didn’t have to go upstairs to find the Chans. They were inside the restaurant, cleaning up the wreckage of broken vases, tables, and chairs. The damage and graffiti inside the building were prevalent as well, targeting anything of value. Our appearance startled them, but we were able to quickly calm them down and, thankfully, neither of them was hurt since the break-in and vandalism happened after they were closed last night.

Whoever had broken into the place hadn’t gotten as far as the kitchen and had run off when the police sirens approached. We helped to clean up the mess in the restaurant as best we could, and Rob must have broken a few traffic laws because he and Robyn were there in just over ten minutes to help with Venika still watching over them. The Chans were kind enough to make a big meal for us all to share while we talked about serious matters when we had cleaned up the worst of it.

Lilith and I opened a hole for Mr. Chan in our auras, and once they told us as much as they could about the break-in, I started to explain why we were there. Robyn went off on quite the tirade about the incident, saying that she was definitely going to bring it during the press conference she was setting up in a few days, one she wanted me to speak at as well. With the following that I was starting to get online, she felt this was a good time to make a public statement to explain to the world what was happening since the Veil fell.

I told them about the pair of orphaned kids who only spoke Cantonese, and I explained everything about the F.I.Ts and how they could start their lives over again in Varüus’kiel if they wanted to, regardless if they were willing to give those kids a home. They had done right by me, and I wanted to do the same for them. It turned out that they did indeed speak Cantonese, and once I had explained everything, they were eager for a chance to provide those kids with a loving family.

When I told them we could probably make it so they could have future children together as well, they were completely sold. It was decided that they would come with us to enter the simulation with the children, giving them the chance to bond and get used to their new, younger, bodies. Mrs. Chan’s F.I.T would contain DNA from both her and the infant Huli Jing, while Mr. Chan’s would use Kitsune DNA in addition to his own to ensure they were compatible for having future children while having a large degree of genetic separation.

As for their restaurant, I assured them that the Golden Sun would have a place in Varüus’kiel. I would have some Magi come to move everything usable in the restaurant, and anything from their home upstairs to one of the new hobbit holes meant for both business and residency by the time they were out of the simulation with their new family. After our talk, we cleaned up from our meal and I teleported us to Varüus’kiel while Robyn, Venika, and Rob left to take care of other things.

When we returned, the Drakan infants were all fast asleep after playing with the children, some of whom were also napping alongside them. Kleo and the other Succubae were busy preparing some meat for when the Draklings awoke, expecting them to be hungry. The Chans took over for Becky watching over their new charges, and Mrs. Chan looked like she never wanted to let go of that little girl, going by the smile on her face.

They didn’t have long though, before the simulation was ready and the F.I.Ts were being prepared. They even had a variety of small animals waiting in some, for anyone like Amanda, who might want to become a Witch. She seemed certain of her choice for her future, as did Megan, who really wanted to lean into the Tokh’dhraí femme fatale thing, like my sister, and learn some deadly new skills.

As for Amanda’s brother and the other former DCA agents, they all decided to stay human, but change their appearance for their future safety, save for Mike Jacobs who was going to be a Witch like his sister, after he learned that there were indeed male Witches. Jennifer already had her contract with Pryswik and would spend her time in the F.I.T learning elemental magic, and the others had taken to heart the fact that I needed humans (or apparent humans) for my diplomatic teams. They were all just happy to learn some cool new skills, to be able to have new jobs more in line with their beliefs about the Changed, and to have the chance to make a difference.

Once everyone who needed to be in a F.I.T was, I checked on Luna before taking us all, except Megan, back to our hotel room in Toronto. The Succubae watching the rooms assured me that nobody had been inside except for them, not even housekeeping, while we were gone. Lillith had another pair relieve them so they could get some rest, and then we all went downstairs for a light meal in the hotel restaurant. Not all of us were very hungry, but I wanted us to be seen. I didn’t want people to think that we had fled the city for some reason, and I still had business in the area until we heard from McPherson Medical about our order.

The next two days were busy for me. Besides visiting various places in Toronto to be seen, I made a brief trip to the Temple of the Heavens to allow my Priestesses to feed on my aura, made several trips moving things from the warehouse to Varüus’kiel, spent time with my friends and lovers, and whenever I was able to spend some time in Varüus’kiel, I tried to bond with a certain cheeky Drakling. It was as I was about to make one of those trips home to check on things and spend a little time with Luna that I got a call telling me that my order was ready.

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 30 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted on Wednesday, but I was having issues getting this chapter right and life just kept getting in the way. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 30: Deliveries

As soon as I got off the phone with Dan at McPherson Medical, I placed a call to Grell. After the first ring, the Artificer answered, “Hey, Tae, what’s up? There isn’t much here in the warehouse right now if you’re thinking of moving stuff home. If you want to know the status of the signal booster for cell and internet coverage in Varüus’kiel, it’s done, but I had some great ideas for improvements and there might be a small hiccup.”

“What kind of hiccup? And what improvements?” I started to ask before realizing that was getting off-topic. “Wait, never mind that for now, you can tell me after we’re done with delivering the medical stuff. Our order for the hospital and clinics is ready and waiting to be sent to Varüus’kiel but given that the DCA knows we were ordering through McPherson Medical, I’d like to check everything as we’re sending it through the portal to make sure there aren’t any surprises in our shipment.”

“What would we be looking for? Bugs, transmitters, and stuff like that?” my Atlantean friend asked with a thoughtful hum. “Would those even be a problem? Wouldn’t they stop transmitting once they’re inside Varüus’kiel and the enchantment that protects the island? I’ve got something here that I whipped up to scan the deliveries coming to the warehouse for anything like that, and explosives and such too.”

I would have playfully accused him of being paranoid, but he seemed to be thinking along the same lines that I was, and it was better to be safe than sorry when one wrong step could endanger my people. “We’re looking for anything out of place. We didn’t order any kinds of diagnostic or monitoring equipment since the Atlantean medical tech has the most ‘modern’ stuff beat, so anything of an electronic nature should be a dead giveaway. We may have to check the sample freezers that we got for the clinics thoroughly though. I’ll be checking everything magically as well.”

“Okay, cool, I’ll get my stuff ready. When did you want to come get me?”

I thought about it for a moment and decided to strike while the iron was hot, as Thor seemed to be fond of saying. “We’ll be there in a few minutes, Grell. I’ll move anything in the warehouse to Varüus’kiel while I’m there and then cast a portal to our medical supplier so we can check the shipment and then send it home as well.”

It didn’t take long to send what little there was in the warehouse home to Varüus’kiel and check in with both Whisper and Kinara. Whisper had her artificed worm, Jim, scouring the internet and getting into places that it wasn’t supposed to be, looking for any signs of other black sites or prisoner camps holding Fae or the Changed. It hadn’t found anything new since yesterday though and I already passed on the suspected sites to the Queens of the Courts to arrange rescue missions. Both Whisper and I had a feeling that there were a lot more sites that were being kept off the books and would be difficult to find though.

In the meantime, the Witch Assassin and computer genius was working on a few other things, including some new Artificed computer programs. One was sort of the opposite of Jim, a smart firewall that would add an extra layer of protection to the server that Grell had built for the future Varüus’kiel government websites. Grell was certain that nobody would be able to access it without knowing the Atlantean coding language, being an Artificer themselves, and being able to crack the integrated magical firewall that I would be blessing and empowering myself, but we all felt better having another layer of protection.

Her other project was the Artificed software to go with Grell’s hardware that was supposed to solve our problems with getting internet and cell coverage in Varüus’kiel. If I knew Grell, he had probably gone above and beyond what we had originally talked about, and it looked like he was bursting at the seams with the desire to show it off. I was looking forward to seeing what the pair had come up with later today, but we had other things to take care of first.

As for Kinara, while the rest of us were in Toronto, the Yseil’dhraí from the Summer Court had been dutifully continuing training Caitlin Summers in magick and helping the new Witch to get ready to move her business to Varüus’kiel. Now that we had the last of her stock of environmentally friendly monthly supplies transported to her new business site there, and the Atlanteans had finished setting up a workshop at that same site to produce more of her products in sizes suited for various Changed and Fae species, everything was ready for Caitlin’s move to Varüus’kiel. Kinara and the Succubae watching over the pair were going to help her move anything she wanted from her office and home today, and my apprentice was hoping to have her officially relocated sometime tonight.

Once I had gotten my reports from both Whisper and Kinara, Grell joined my usual entourage to head to McPherson Medical in Mississauga. Just as we had the last time we were here; we entered by the front doors openly and without glamours. As soon as Dan caught sight of us and began walking toward us, Lillith and I opened holes in our auras for him and I got right down to business.

“Good afternoon, Dan. I got your call; everything is ready for shipping?” I asked as soon as he was in conversational range.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied with a smile. “You mentioned last time that you had the means of shipping the order yourself, right?"

“That I did,” I agreed.

“I’ll take you back to the warehouse then. If you would like, you can check the shipment against the manifest before loading it for shipping,” he offered gesturing for us to follow. We got quite a bit of attention from other sales staff and the few customers in the storefront though as he led us toward the promised warehouse.

Dan was as good as his word, leading us into the back, which turned out to be a warehouse that looked close to the size of the one I rented in Vancouver. It was mostly clear, with pallets of products out of the way on the wide shelves that lined the walls, the upper levels accessible only by forklift. Near the loading doors in the back was a veritable maze of pallets stacked with the various goods that we had ordered.

Not everything was there, of course. Some things, like the vaccines we had ordered, needed to be kept away from UV light, and either refrigerated or frozen. Those were waiting for us in the appropriate cold storage areas. The shipment would all be moved to the hospital’s storage floor, which was already equipped with Atlantean-made freezer and refrigerated storage units, but I would have to make sure that those moving the shipment there ensured they all went to the right one.

Dan walked us through it all, checking everything against the manifest for the order I made. Grell ran the Artificed device he had brought with him over every box, no matter what it was supposed to contain, and we opened several to check that the contents were what we had ordered as well. I quietly and subtly used some magic to check for any surprises as well and, we did the same for the unboxed sample freezers and the examination tables.

We found five tracking devices, similar to the ones that the DCA tried to put on my ride and Nishalle’s motorcycle, but nothing else that shouldn’t be there. When Grell found the first one, his device letting out a high-pitched shriek that startled everyone but the Atlantean himself, it was an unpleasant surprise for everyone. Dan frowned as I reached inside one of the drawers of the top-of-the-line, three-thousand-dollar examination tables and extracted the familiar little bug from where it was stuck to the top inside.

“What is that?” he asked, squinting at the bug I held pinched between my fingers.

“That is a familiar piece of tech,” Nishalle replied with a grimace, “and proof that a certain shady government agency got to this shipment before it arrived here. Probably when it was en route, and that means that they probably got a look at your records somehow. They would like very much to know where this is all going, probably in hopes that they can find and kill us.” Dan looked uncomfortable at that but also surprised enough that I didn’t think he was involved.

Thankfully, the five tracking devices seemed to be the only unwanted additions to our delivery and everything else checked out as the hospital supplies that I ordered. After I finished destroying all the loathsome devices, I turned my attention to Dan. “Well, it seems like everything is accounted for, so you can just pull…”

However Dan was going to finish that sentence, it was abruptly cut off as he noticed me drawing the sigils for a spell in the air and speaking their names with intent in Elvish. Then the poor man was flummoxed as he gaped at the portal that materialized in front of us. “W-what is that?” he asked, as he stared at the circle of light with a clear view of the storage floor of the hospital within.

“It’s a portal spell,” I nonchalantly replied as if it was the most common thing in the world. The look on his face was priceless. “What? Did you think I was just going to pull a big truck up to that loading door or something?”

“Yes?” It was more question than answer, but his tone told me that he was expecting exactly that. Until now, he probably didn’t even really fully believe that I was who Daenyss had introduced me as. For him, it was probably more of a case of ‘the customer is always right’, no matter how outlandish and strange they may be, as long as my money was good.

“You do realize she’s a Demigoddess of magick, right?” Salem pointed out helpfully, causing both Lissany and Harley to try to conceal their smiles by pulling the faceplates of their helms into place. The others had no such means to hide their mirth, nor did they care to it would seem since Grell guffawed and my sister, Daenyss, and Rei were all openly giggling.

“She has much more efficient ways of moving things around than mere human vehicles,” Lillith agreed as she just as nonchalantly summoned a dozen Succubae to our location the help move the stock from the warehouse we were in to the storage room on the other side of the portal.

My High Priestess was just as amused as I was it would seem, and summoning the members of her brood, who poor Dan couldn’t keep his eyes off, was more meant to shatter his world view further than because we really needed them. The girls, who all seemed just as amused as their matron, did get right to work though and would make things move along much more smoothly. Though that didn’t stop them from flaunting their assets, especially the non-human assets, for poor Dan at every available opportunity though.

Pete took sympathy on the poor man as he clapped him on the back. “First time seeing magick up close, Dude?” When Dan just nodded mutely, his eyes still locked on the portal and the Succubae moving our goods through it, my large protector grinned. “Yeah, it does take some getting used to. As the only pure Human of the group, I can totally get it. You’ll have to get used to it though, Man, because the world has changed.”

With that, the rest of us got to work helping the Succubae move the goods, and things were made faster as I used my telekinesis spell to move entire pallets worth of goods at once. We saved the stuff that needed to be kept temperature regulated for last, which the Succubae obediently moved directly from McPherson Medical’s freezer and refrigerated storage areas to ours. Once everything was finally moved over, I closed the portal, thanked Dan for his stellar service, and promised him that I would place future orders for pickup on the website on a monthly basis.

Honestly, that probably wouldn’t be me though, it would be whatever poor soul I put in charge of the running the hospital and the clinics. They would probably be working under whoever I put in charge of the health and wellness of the people of Varüus’kiel though, and I still needed to choose someone for that eventually. Like Rei, Salem, and Daenyss kept telling me, I needed to delegate more, or I was going to burn out, Demigoddess or not.

Once we were done at McPherson Medical, I cast a portal to send Grell back to the warehouse in Vancouver and then we returned to our hotel room to gather our things and check out, bringing our trip to Toronto to an end. I was glad for that since I was starting to feel like a zoo exhibit with all the people staring whenever we were out trying to be seen, and I was at the limits of my patience with the anti-Changed and ultra religious people hounding us whenever we spent too long in one place. Soon we and my Mercedes SUV (which we checked for bugs even though my security spell would have warned me if someone tried messing with the vehicle again), were back at the safehouse in Vancouver.

The safehouse was empty at the moment with Grell and Whisper at the warehouse and Kinara and the Succubae assigned to her at the moment helping Caitlin move her things to Varüus’kiel. Daenyss didn’t waste much time before asking, “What would you like to do now, Mistress? If you would like to relax here at the safe house, I could make us a nice meal. We haven’t eaten since breakfast and I’m sure we are all getting hungry.”

Daenyss made a good point. It was now midafternoon on the west coast, and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast on the east coast. We were about to find someplace to have lunch in Toronto when Dan called and then that was set aside, so I was starting to feel pretty hungry. I imagined that the others were feeling the same way, and it was Daenyss’ gentle reminder that brought it to mind.

I smiled at my Attendant and gave her a loving kiss. “No need to put yourself through so much effort, Sweetie. We can go check in with Grell and Whisper to see what they have for us and then get something to eat in Varüus’kiel. I’d like to check in on Luna and the other Draklings anyway and see how our latest raids to free imprisoned Changed went. Salem, do you think you can find your daughter and let her know that all the supplied for the hospital and clinics arrived, and where we put them?”

The tiny Liyun’shael quickly claimed a kiss of her own from me before nodding. “Sure, I can do that, Tae. She’ll spread the news to all the other people who will be running clinics and anyone we have with medical training.”

Lillith nodded in agreement and added, “I would like to see what progress the Sül’shael are making on the Temple of the Moon as well.”

The construction of temple was something that Xixie was overseeing personally. The High Priestess of Danu was hard at work on the temple that would be dedicated to both me and Danu, wanting to please both the Mother Goddess and her Inu’Mahair. She had practically every Sül’shael working with her who was not currently working on fashioning Nythrin into window shutters and doors for the Moon Palace or assisting Hadrick with making Guardian armor and weapons.

With that decided, I cast a portal to take us back to the warehouse first. Ignoring the currently empty warehouse, I led my entourage toward the office where Grell and Whisper were set up for resting and working on their projects. Both the Atlantean Artificer and the Witch looked up and grinned as we entered the currently cluttered office. No poker faces at all there, they were both practically going to explode if they didn’t get to tell me about whatever they came up with soon.

I decided to show mercy on them and asked, “So, what do you two have for me? And what is this hiccup you mentioned?”

Grell looked at the Witch who was leaning back in chair beside him with her feet propped up on the desk before taking a deep breath. “While I was working on this, Whisper and I had a talk about how to best serve the needs of the people of Varüus’kiel for cell coverage, internet access, and the like and I realized that I was thinking too small at first.” With that, he gestured to a pair of objects on a desk that looked maybe a little bigger than my head and vaguely satellite shaped.

It was Rei who started to ask, “Are those…”

“Yeah, one is a telecommunications satellite, but an Artificed one that’s probably ten times better than anything already up in orbit and it has some features that no other tech companies will be able to replicate anytime soon. For one thing, it’s mana-powered so it will run on renewable energy without having to deploy solar panels or anything like that. For another, once activated and in place it will generate a magical cloaking field, rendering it invisible to anyone who might go looking for it. The one painted blue is a relay satellite and has similar features.”

“And the hiccup?” I pressed.

“Well, about that…” he began nervously, “the main comm satellite needs to be placed in a geosynchronous orbit above the equator after you bless them and the signal booster, which we’ll have to attach to the tallest spire of the Moon Palace. The relay satellite needs to be in a fixed orbit above Varüus’kiel to send and receive transmissions and sent them down to the signal booster or to the comm satellite. The comm satellite should also receive signals from other comm satellites and send them along our network as well, so we can get radio, television, and such.”

I found myself staring at both Grell and Whisper, who was nonchalantly stroking the fur of her ferret Familiar, Shadow. “How do you expect me to get those into space? Even if I was familiar enough with the right positions in orbit to make a portal, we’d probably be sucked into space along with it from the resulting vacuum. I imagine just yeeting them into space wouldn’t be precise enough, even if I didn’t overshoot or give it too little juice.”

“Well…” he pointed out uncertainly, “You do have wings, and you are a Demigoddess, right?”

I groaned at his implied suggestion. “Demigoddess, Grell, as in still demi-mortal. Even if I could break atmosphere, I don’t know if I could go without air if something went wrong, and I’m not really eager to find out. I can’t think of anyone crazy enough to…” Everyone’s eyes were on me as I stopped ranting in realization and then I grumbled, “I might know a guy… or girl, whichever they are today.”

Loki was happy to get my call, and happier still when I told her that my business in Toronto was finished and we’d be able to get back to Goddess lessons with her, Sif, and Thor tomorrow. When I asked her if she and the other pair of Norse deities could come to join me to discuss an interesting problem, she seemed intrigued. At least that probably meant that she hadn’t been watching me all day today like my life was some reality TV show. She was probably trolling, or screwing with trolls, online.

She appeared with Thor and Sif at the entrance to the now-crowded office in a flash and, ever the show-person, announced, “Rejoice, for we have arrived! Now why don’t you tell us all about your interesting little problem.”

“Oh, this should be entertaining,” Lissany said with a grin that would have been ear-to-ear were her ears not on top of her head.

Loki immediately grinned back at the Beastkin girl. “Have I told you that you’re my favorite, little Lissy? You know how to have fun.”

I ignored her teasing shot at Nishalle, Lillith, and me and quickly pointed to the objects in question. “Those are satellites. Grell here tells me that after I bless them and bring them online, the blue one needs to be placed in orbit above Varüus’kiel and the other above the equator in a geosynchronous orbit.”

“They just need to get up there in orbit at the proper locations,” Grell quickly assured everyone. “Once they’re up there, Whisper and I can remotely maneuver them into the optimal position and set the relay satellite to maintain a fixed orbit in position above Varüus’kiel.”

When I turned my attention back to Loki to see if she might have some ideas or suggestions, I found her grinning like a maniac. “Thor… Buddy,” she said with an affectionate tone, “Do you recall the Lokabrenna incident?”

Thor frowned in reply. “How could I forget? I still get…” He didn’t finish that sentence then, as he glowered at the Goddess of Mischief. “No. No, we are not going to…”

“Come on, Thor. For old times’ sake,” Loki pleaded as she pouted at him prettily.

“No, Loki, we are not doing that again. Honey, please talk some sense into your cousin, you remember the last time as well as I do.” As he said the last, Thor turned to look imploringly at his wife. I’m not doing that again, let alone twice.”

Whatever this Lokabrenna incident was, it seemed that Sif remembered it as well as the other two did, and now, instead of ‘talking some sense into Loki’ she was matching her cousin’s pretty pout. “I do, my love, and if I recall correctly, we had a lot of fun. Please, let’s do it, not just for me and Loki, but for poor Taelya and her people as well.”

Thor sagged where he stood and let out a long-suffering sigh as he folded like a napkin in a five-star restaurant. Wow, they used double team, and it was super-effective. “Fine,” the God of Thunder grumbled. “Let’s get this over with… and never speak of it again. I mean it this time!”

I figured that it was probably best not to ask. It wasn’t my business. My involvement began and ended with charging and blessing that satellite and handing it over. I didn’t need to know anything more than that it was going to be placed where it was needed.

With that in mind, I infused both the satellites and the matching signal booster with my magick and blessed them to bring them online and allow the signals sent between to penetrate the enchantment protecting Varüus’kiel. Once I was finished, Loki took the relay satellite while Thor took the other in hand, still grumbling something under his breath. As the trio left to complete the task, they promised that one of them would come to the safehouse in the morning to pick up the Demigoddesses among us for training.

I wasn’t sure how they managed it, and I wasn’t sure that I even wanted those details from how Thor had reacted to the proposed idea, but an hour later I received a message from Loki that the satellites were in place. Grell and Whisper were then able to maneuver them into the right position with Whisper’s laptop and then Grell came with us back to Varüus’kiel to set up the rest of the devices he had made. He assured me that these devices would give us connectivity throughout the island and my other domains.

I had to fly up to the tallest spire of the moon palace to secure the signal booster in place at an angle that Grell was very insistent on. As for the relays for the other domains, those had to be placed in the arches of the crystal gates I created to link my domains, on the underside of the peak of those arches. Only then did we take a break for dinner and have Grell explain how it all worked.

It was actually fairly simple. The main comm satellite worked like any other telecommunications satellite and as long as the signal booster was pointed up at the relay satellite and the relay satellite maintained it’s orbit to get transmissions from the comm satellite and signal booster, it would allow the people of Varüus’kiel to send and receive signals for things like radio, television, cell phones, and internet. The signal booster would only receive signals either originating from our satellites or redirected through them and would act as a sort of radio tower from its new position, but differently as well with its massive range, making all Varüus’kiel like one big Wi-Fi hotspot. The relays had equally long range and would extend that connectivity to my other domains with the assistance of some signal repeaters placed on sky islands in the largest of my domains.

The plan going forward would be for Whisper, Grell, and Grell’s Atlantean girlfriend, Ashura, to start a business called Var-Com communications, something that I approved under certain conditions. It would act as a cellular service and internet provider for the people of my growing nation but needed to remain low cost, charging enough to cover their operating costs only. Most of the money that the trio made going forward would be from their product sales rather than the outlandish service fees that many ISPs and cell providers charged.

Grell said that he and Ashura had been working together on some completely Artificed cell phones and laptops that were better than anything on the market right now, and more environmentally responsible, while we were still in the game. They wanted to finish their prototypes and have them available to be mass-produced soon by the workshop that Ashura was already setting up in their future place of business. He had been talking with Whisper about joining the project and coding an operating system for both the phones and laptops now that she had gotten her feet wet with Software Artificing since that had been their weak point up until now. She had written the software for the satellites, signal booster, and relays, and now she was working on a user-friendly OS and apps for their future products.

We were able to test the connectivity of both internet and cellular service by making calls both within and outside of Varüus’kiel and using the second laptop we had bought alongside Whisper’s. We were connected and had rejoined the modern world, and for now, people who had their phones and laptops would be able to do so for free, which I thought would put smiles on some faces. It was something people had been missing since arriving in our remote nation. As for those of us venturing outside Varüus’kiel, Whisper had a patch for our sim card emulation programs that would have our phones connect to the Var-Com network until their new phones were available.

Once we had finished both dinner and our discussion, we split off to see to different tasks. Salem went to seek out her daughter, Vivian, to let her know about the delivery of medical supplies that would benefit the new hospital and clinics like hers. Grell went to spend some quality time with Ashura and discuss the successful first step of their future business and their potential partnership with Whisper. Lillith was headed to the lakeshore, not far from the Moon Palace, to see how the Temple of the Moon was coming along.

Me, Rei, Daenyss, and my quartet of protectors all broke off in the opposite direction of my High Priestess once we reached the Moon Palace, as we walked along the lakeside searching for the Draklings and their Succubus caregivers. It wasn’t long before we found them. The Succubae were bathing them by magically manipulating water and from the small pile of bones I saw, it looked like they had just finished eating. I was on my way toward Guiyen and my very shiny Radiant Drakan when I saw a small group of people who I didn’t recognize gaping at the Drakans and their caregivers and stopped mid-step.

Rei, Daenyss, and the others were immediately asking if everything was okay, but I could only stand there, looking at one member of the unfamiliar group. She was a Yseil’dhraí, and not just any Yseil’dhraí, but one from the Autumn Court. She looked much like I did when I was the Princess of the Court, slender and pretty with long, crimson hair, and her golden eyes were wide as she stared at the Succubae bathing the baby Drakans.

I think that the others might have caught the direction of my gaze because I heard a couple of gasps and Nishalle let out a nearly inaudible, “Oh.” That Yseil’dhraí could only be one person and we both knew it, even though we hadn’t known about her existence until recently. It was Aine, the half-sister we had never met.

 

 

---

 
Author's Note: Here's chapter 31 of book two of Apocalypse Dawn. I was hoping to have it posted last night, but I didn't finish writing it until late and was too tired to do the editing until this morning. I hope you all enjoy. ~Amethyst.
 

---

 
Chapter 31: Relationships

I stood there frozen for a moment, not sure what to do or say, or even if I should do or say anything. This was so very different from the situation with Tíana, she was still a small child, born a Fae, and only related to me. Aine though, was an adult who probably believed herself human until the Veil fell and was half-sister to both me and Nishalle, and only through our mutual father. Despite all of us growing up human, we never even knew about her until recently. Did she even know she had sisters?

And what about our relationship now, as Fae? I was technically a clone of Rhaennan, did that make me her aunt? While I liked to think nothing would ever change how we felt for each other in our hearts, I was only still Nishalle’s sister biologically because our Mahair, Amoiraishe, wanted us to remain siblings and had used her own DNA in Nishalle’s F.I.T, and mine as well before Narek replaced both of the genetic samples in mine with Rhaennan’s. Would this apparent older sister of ours even accept and acknowledge our dubious relationship? Were any of us ready for that?

My scattered thoughts and my focus on the Autumn Court Yseil’dhraí and her group did not go unnoticed by a certain shiny Drakling who was being bathed. ~What’s with that face? Are you constipated or something? You don’t look very regal at the moment, and image is important.~

I groaned as Luna’s mind voice intruded upon my thoughts, wondering if it was a good idea to try to explain things to her. “You see she red-headed Fae? We’ve never met before, but Nishalle and I recently learned that she’s our half-sister. This could get complicated,” I told her.

~Oh, I see. I can help you with this, no problem. Do you see how their eyes are on me? Not that I can blame them, I am very regal and striking, after all.~ The Radiant Drakan said nothing more as she shook off the water, getting the poor Succubus who was acting as Luna’s nanny completely soaked and then walked right up to Aine and her companions, nudging the redhead toward my group and confusing all of them.

I quickly sent a mental apology to Guiyen, the Succubus that was acting as Luna’s nanny, but she brushed it off, saying that when bathing a child of any species one should expect to get wet. Still, I thanked her for being so patient with her charge, who probably wasn’t the easiest of the Drakans to deal with, before I found myself confronted with the awed group of unfamiliar people, including the Autumn Court princess. They weren’t staring at Luna anymore though, now they were all staring at me.

Aside from Aine herself, there were three others. The first was a massive and muscular Amazon woman with olive-hued skin, long black hair, and eyes that were nearly as dark as her hair. Her size made her look intimidating, and her weapons and armor only made her more so. She was wearing Guardian armor similar to Liassany’s armor when we were still in the game and a large, curved sword. She also had a massive Guardian’s shield and what looked like a larger version of a traditional Fae longbow and arrows.

None of her equipment was made of Nythrin yet, but they were fresh out of the simulation, and I suspected that it wouldn’t be long before she got an upgrade. Hadrick and the Sül’shael were pumping out Guardian armor and weapons as quickly as they could for the protectors of Yseil’dhraí and those guarding the Queens and Princesses of the courts would be getting theirs first. I could only assume that whatever Hadrick and my girls came up with for the Amazon would somehow make her even more intimidating.

The other pair were both Nymphs and looked identical, to the point that I would have thought they were twins if I had ever heard of twins among the Fae before. Bearing children was rare enough among our kind, but twins were unheard of, and it was a little strange to see since even their expressions were similar. Both Nymphs had honey blonde hair and blue eyes, figures that rivaled Daenyss, and I noted that they both had light violet nasyr taka covering their right arms, and even those were identical. It was a little unnerving, to be honest.

They were an odd group and upon realizing who I must be they all knelt and bowed their heads as they said, almost in unison, “Your Majesty.” Shit, they knew who I was. Well, of course, they did. By now there wasn’t a born Fae in Varüus’kiel who didn’t know who I was and about my connection to Danu, and word had likely spread to everyone else as well, even those in the sims.

“Thanks a lot, Luna,” I mentally muttered with all the sarcasm I could muster. “This was not how I wanted my first meeting with Aine to begin.”

~You’re very welcome,~ she cheekily replied. ~Would you have rather it started with you both stupidly staring at one another? Because that’s where that was headed before I so graciously got the ball rolling for you.~

“Yes, yes, you’re so good to me. How would I live without you?” I shot back mentally as I turned my attention to the group kneeling before me. “Oh Goddess, please stand up, this is awkward enough as it is.”

Thankfully, they all listened and stood up to face me like normal people. Well, almost. Aine’s three companions were all staring at me in awe while the princess herself looked nervous as her eyes darted between me and Nishalle. Okay, so somebody (Probably Mahair) had told her, that should make this a little easier at least. Nishalle, never one to hold back, abruptly asked, “So, did Mahair give you the whole story, or did you get the abridged version?”

Aine frowned as she considered the blunt question, though I didn’t think it was because she was angry or uncomfortable, more like she was still trying to process things now that we were face-to-face. To be fair, that was perfectly understandable because I was kind of doing the same thing. “I dunno,” she finally said with a shrug, “she told me a lot of stuff when she showed up and I didn’t believe half of it at first.”

“I can understand that,” I conceded. “It took time for me to wrap my head around the whole magick is real and the world is going crazy thing too, and that was after being immersed in a simulation of that very thing for over a month.”

She snorted in slightly bitter humor. “Tell me about it. We just got out of the simulation for training and getting used to our new bodies. I’m still trying to get used to all of this and things like you and that little dragon being real. Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready to deal with the whole long-lost sisters who are demigoddesses thing on top of all that yet. So, if you two were hoping for a tearful reunion, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not happening. I need to get used to all of this, my responsibilities to the Autumn Court, and a bunch of other stuff.”

“Actually, she’s a Drakan, not a dragon, there’s a big difference,” I gently corrected before a sigh of relief escaped me. Honestly, this probably could be going a lot worse and there could be feelings of resentment, but that didn’t seem to be the case. “That’s fair. If it were me, I know I’d want to get my feet under me before dealing with the truly mind-bending stuff too, and I know there’s probably a lot of pressure on you as the new Princess of the Autumn Court, I’ve been down that road before myself. So, maybe we should just get to know each other a little bit as people for now. We can save our sisterly relationship, if you decide you want that at all, for later when things settle down a bit.”

“Drakans, huh?” she said as if trying the word out on her tongue, “and the women watching them are…”

“Succubae, and they’re also my priestesses. Don’t believe what you may have heard about them, they’re all sweet and very loyal,” I told her. After letting that sink in for a minute, I decided that some introductions were in order. “I’m Taelya, the shiny Drakan is Luna, she’s bonded to me. This is my fiancée, Rei, and our lovers, Daenyss and Salem, Daenyss is also my Attendant. I think you’ve probably already figured out who Nishalle is, but the big guy is Pete, her boyfriend. They’re two of my bodyguards, and my two Guardians are Lissany and Harley, Liss is the Jaguar and Harley is the Unicorn.”

“Huh, from the way I’ve heard the other Fae talk about you, I thought you’d be more commanding and formal,” Aine said pensively.

“Oh, she hates all the formal stuff,” Rei replied with a laugh. “She can be very serious and commanding though, but only when she needs to be.”

“Heavy is the head that bears the crown,” I muttered, getting a laugh out of my companions.

To my surprise, Aine gave an understanding nod at that. She must have been thrust into the leadership position in her simulation, like I was, to train her for her duties as a princess of the Autumn Court. Then she set about properly introducing herself and her companions. “I’m Aine, but I guess you already figured that out. The Amazon is Dahlia, my Guardian and oldest friend, and the twins are Kara and Keira, they’re my Attendants.”

We stayed there for a while, talking about how we had gotten where we were right now and getting to know one another a bit better. Aine seemed to be feeling me and Nishalle out, but that was fine because we were doing the same with her. None of us was going to jump feet first into a relationship with each other, we all needed time to get used to each other and get to know each other as fellow Fae and people in general before jumping into something that none of us was ready for. So, we gave Aine the broad strokes of our story, and in return, she told us hers as we sat by the lakeside watching Luna and the other Drakans play with Lucy and some of the other children.

Aine grew up in Seattle and her mother died when she was young, leaving her pinballing through the foster care system for most of her youth. It was at one of those foster homes where she met Dahlia and the two ran away to tough it out on the streets together when Dahlia was seventeen and Aine was sixteen. To hear them say it, living in abandoned buildings and scraping by on what they could shoplift or buy with stolen or begged for cash was far better than their lives in foster care had been.

Eventually, when Aine was eighteen, they managed to get minimum wage jobs and scrape out a living by sharing a two-bedroom apartment with the twins, who they had met while living on the streets. I guess that lasted over a decade with them all stuck in dead-end jobs and with no way for any of them to really escape the cycle of threadbare existence their lives had become. At least they had each other, and they were getting by even if none of them were truly happy. Aine was fast approaching her thirtieth birthday when the Veil fell, magick returned, and the world went crazy.

In the few days following Christmas, she started feeling strange and going through changes. Her hair was changing color from its usual dull brown to bright red and one morning she woke up to see that her eyes were amber in color with slit pupils, eyes that didn’t belong on a human. Then there were the reports of monsters and general weirdness all over the city and the world. Aine couldn’t go to work for fear of being found out, and the others were hearing horror stories of people changing and disappearing whenever they ventured outside.

Aine decided to make a run for it, not wanting to endanger the only three people in the world she gave a shit about, but Dahlia caught her sneaking out in the middle of the night and her three friends refused to let her go it alone. With all the chaos and monster attacks in the city during those first few days of magick’s return, it was fairly easy for them to steal a car and they drove north, hoping things might be better up in Canada and that they could find a way to sneak across the border.

In the end, they didn’t get anywhere near the border. Something made the freeway impassable between Seattle and Everett. They didn’t even dare get close enough to see what it was, seeing the panic and accidents ahead of them was enough for them to leave their stolen car behind and try to make their way north by following the Cascades. After almost a week of wandering northward, avoiding other people, and running from monsters in the wilderness, Amoiraishe found them.

The Queen of the Autumn Court explained to them what was going on with the world, who she was, and her relationship to Aine, and then invited them to Varüus’kiel. None of them really believed her until she started throwing magic around to eviscerate a small pack of Werewolves that had been tracking the group, and they agreed to come with her just to hear her out in relative safety. Which was when she told them that Aine’s Fae heritage was only partially awakened, and she needed to go into an F.I.T to make the change complete. She told them about the F.I.Ts, and what they could do, and then left the choice in their hands.

In essence, they chose survival. Aine had little knowledge of her heritage, and certainly no loyalty to the Fae, until they were in the simulation, had their first skill downloads, and she began to understand and have Fae memories to learn from. Now she was trying to deal with all of this, her responsibilities to her people, and with what being Fae truly meant, something I could understand since I had been through it myself.

When she decided to go into the F.I.T to finish her transformation with some DNA from our Mahair and a Nyiir’dhraí male, her friends decided that they wanted to stay by her side. Dahlia decided to become her Guardian to protect her, choosing to become an Amazon for their great strength, endurance, and the intimidation factor. Kara and Keira decided to serve her in a way that meant that at least one of them would always be at her side.

They were identical twins before getting into the F.I.Ts, but they wanted to remain so, and Mahair had someone link their F.I.Ts so they could choose their new appearance together. Seeing the way that the twins looked at Aine, I suspected that they both felt more than just friendship for her. I hoped that they could tell her how they really felt before things became awkward between them. If they hadn’t figured it out already, they would soon discover that being Aine’s Attendants would require a level of intimacy that could make things difficult, and even painful, for them if they could not be honest with her about their feelings.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t spend time trading stories with them for long. Aine and her entourage would have to leave soon for the location where the new Autumn Court Glade was being built. As the new Princess of the Autumn Court, she was being sent to oversee the work and inspire the Fae of her court with her presence while our Mahair remained here with the other Queens and Narek to oversee matters that I had placed in their care.

As for me, it was probably best that my entourage and I return to the safe house in Vancouver soon. Lissany, Nishalle, Lillith, and I needed to be up early tomorrow for more Goddess lessons, after all. I had also gotten a text earlier that the big press conference that Robyn was planning for Changed Rights, and to reveal the truth about the return of Gods and magick, was all set for six o’clock tomorrow evening outside her home. For good or ill, tomorrow I would give an address that might change everything and put a big target on me and the people I cared about most, from those who would prefer to preserve the status quo.

First though, I decided to check in with Kinara and Grell. The young Countess of the Summer Court was now back in Varüus’kiel with Caitlin Summers and liaising between the new Witch and the Atlanteans who were setting up her workshop to produce her environmentally friendly and all-natural monthly supplies for the women of Varüus’kiel. As for Grell, my call came in the middle of what he claimed was a planning session between him and Ashura.

“Planning session, sure,” I told the Atlantean Artificer in a teasing tone. “Don’t you mean make-out session? That would explain all the heavy breathing. You sound like an obscene phone call, my friend.”

“I… uhhh…” he tried to reply, caught off balance. It seemed I hit the nail right on the head.

“Please, Grell, don’t try to deny it. One of my aspects is Sex after all and I understand, you and Ashura haven’t had much time together lately with you being with me in Vancouver working on things and overseeing the warehouse deliveries. Spend some time with your girlfriend and enjoy yourself for a few hours. When you’re done, give Kinara a call and she can portal you back to the warehouse,” I told him sternly. He deserved some time with his girlfriend after all the work he had been doing for me lately.

“Are you sure, Tae? I don’t want to…”

“I’m absolutely sure,” I insisted. “In the unlikely event that the warehouse does receive another shipment in the next few hours, Whisper is still there and can handle it. I’ll call her to let her know it’ll be a few more hours before you’re back.”

“You’re the best, Tae. I’ll talk to you later.” I could practically hear his grin as he signed off.

As soon as I was off the phone with Grell, I called Whisper, as I had promised. She was fine with handling the warehouse on her own for a few more hours since there hadn’t been any new deliveries since we left, and she doubted there would be any in the next few hours either. She agreed with me that he deserved a little quality time with Ashura, though I was one hundred percent certain that he would be getting some teasing about it from the tiny Witch when he got back to the warehouse.

After that, all I really needed to do was contact Lillith via our mental connection to let her know we were all heading back to the safe house. The Succubus matron materialized at my side almost immediately, along with the dozen Succubae who would be watching over the safe house tonight as we slept. When I asked her about her meeting with Xixie, she said it went well and that she was very happy with how the construction of the new Temple of the Moon was progressing.

I cast a portal to take us back to the safe house, eager to get there and into the master bedroom with my three beautiful lovers. Grell had the right idea, and I found myself wanting to enjoy some quality time with Rei, Salem, and Daenyss before we needed to sleep for the night. We had just finished a very satisfying round of sex for all of us and were considering going for round two when our tender kissing and loving caresses were interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone. It wasn’t just any cell phone though, it was Jonesy’s phone.

Daenyss and I practically jumped into a sitting position and Rei frowned and tried to steady her breathing as she reached for the offending device on the bedside table. Her expression was serious, and we were all holding our breath as she fiddled with the cell phone, answered the call, and said, “Jones here.” Hearing his voice come out of her mouth wasn’t just weird, it was a major turn-off.

I didn’t so much as breathe as I listened to the distorted voice on the other end ask, “Do you still have somebody following Reyes?”

Rei listened to whoever was on the other end for a moment before saying, “Yeah, I still have someone on her.”

“I need an update,” the voice demanded. “Has she been going anywhere out of the ordinary over the past few days? Any secret meetings with the enemy or suspicious activity?”

“An update? Well, except for that sudden visit to the Chinese restaurant where she met that self-proclaimed Empress and Goddess a couple of days ago, there hasn’t been anything unusual about her movements,” Rei replied with a questioning glance in my direction. I never realized how good an actress Rei was before now. Not only did she sound just like Jones, but she also even had the distaste in his voice right when referring to me.

I nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. She wasn’t telling him anything that he couldn’t find out through other means. Our visit to the Chans after the break-in and vandalism at the Golden Sun hadn’t exactly been low profile, especially with all the Succubae obviously standing guard on the roof of the restaurant. A few paparazzi vultures followed her and Rob there as they broke several traffic laws and got some pictures before Rob and Robyn returned home. It had gotten some attention since people knew we were supposed to be in Toronto at the time, but it was worth it to help out the Chans, get them safely to Varüus’kiel, and have them there to care for those two Huli Jing kids.

“Yes, she didn’t hide that meeting very well, did she? There hasn’t been anything since then?” the voice pressed.

“Nothing,” Rei insisted in Jonesy’s voice. “My guy has been monitoring her home and hasn’t let her out of his sight whenever she leaves.”

“The little bitch has called a press conference for tomorrow evening. Any information on what that’s about? Is the special guest she mentioned the enemy? She and her cause are starting to get a lot of support through her fan base, and that makes her a problem, almost as big a problem as the enemy herself.” I stiffened at hearing the asshole on the other end of the call talk about Robyn like that but motioned for Rei to go on.

Again, this wasn’t anything that couldn’t be confirmed elsewhere, evidenced by the caller bringing it up. When Robyn Reyes calls a press conference, that’s big news and it was probably all over the local news and the internet already. I imagined that there were already dozens of theories about what the press conference would be about. Her recent public association with me and lobbying for Changed Rights, most likely meant that I featured in a good number of those rumors.

“I can confirm the press conference,” Rei told him, following my line of thinking. “It’s all over the local news, and there are a lot of rumors, but nothing concrete. Given her recent contact with that ‘Empress’ though, I’m guessing that she’s the guest. I have no information to confirm it though.” Good, that was a nice noncommittal answer, and the way she said ‘Empress’ practically screamed finger quotes and made it clear who she was talking about.

The caller let out a lengthy sigh before speaking again, not sounding the slightest bit happy. “Keep your man on Reyes until the press conference. Call me immediately if she does anything suspicious or meets with that pointy-eared, glowing freak before then. We’re sending some specialists to Vancouver tonight; they should be there by morning. With any luck, by tomorrow night both of our problems will be taken care of, permanently.”

A chill ran down my spine at those last words before the caller disconnected the call. Rei looked like she wanted to toss the phone to the other end of the room in disgust, but instead, she just squeezed it for a moment and then let it fall from her hand onto the bed. For several minutes, none of us spoke a word. We didn’t need to. We all knew exactly what those parting words meant. There was going to be an assassination attempt on me and Robyn at the press conference.

I never thought I would ever hear someone casually mention that they planned to kill me, even if they didn’t call me by name, it was fairly clear who they were talking about. That went double for Robyn since she was one of the sweetest people that I knew. When I finally felt like I could breathe again, I asked, “Were you able to record that, Rei?”

The white-haired Kitsune, who was still looking down at the phone in distaste, slowly nodded. “Yeah, I got it, Babe. I got every fucking word.”