The Red Queen (13 page)

“I assume you’ve heard part of the story,” said Pyon.

“As I happened to be the last to know,” she said, “I plan to be the first to bring him home.”

“Chief sacrificed himself for you,” General Fairchild said. “If you throw yourself at the Sealers, then his sacrifice will be for nothing.”

“Who gave you the impression that I’m just going to toss myself at the feet of my enemy?” Lucienne asked. “And Chief McQuillen’s sacrifice is for nothing! He won’t get what he went for—the cure. There is no need to pretend anymore, gentlemen. You’re wary of me because I can go mental in an instant, but you’re forgetting I always come back. If you can’t deal with a half-mad me, then you shouldn’t stay in Sphinxes. The land is mine. The door is wide open. As long as you don’t align yourself with my enemies, you won’t be mine.”

“You’re right, Siren,” Admiral Enberg said. “It doesn’t benefit our cause that we keep pretending. Insane or not, you’re our Siren and always will be.”

“We’re with you to the end,” the officers swore, though not General Fairchild.

“How can you get your act together if there’s no cure for your sanity?” Fairchild asked.

Admiral Enberg snarled at the general, but Fairchild kept his cool. “Our Siren just said there’s no need to pretend. I believe she prefers we speak our minds.”

“I do,” Lucienne said. “However, I won’t tolerate disrespect.”

“I’d never disrespect you, my Siren,” said General Fairchild.

“I’m not an invalid, despite my condition,” Lucienne said. “I’ll keep contributing and building Sphinxes. It’s my home.” She looked into the eyes of each officer in turn and let the power of persuasion roll off her. She’d had this power even before Forbidden Glory had marked her. She was extracting it from herself, so the unstable Forbidden Glory had no reason to turn on her right now and send her to the insane land in front of her officers. But she knew she was walking on thin ice. “We’re going through this crisis because I was poisoned, because Chief McQuillen was taken, because we haven’t vanquished our old enemies and the new ones have sprouted up. Now more than ever is the time to test excellent character and loyalty. Yours and mine. Without honor, we’re nothing. I won’t let any man without it serve in Sphinxes.”

Lucienne saw awe on the officers’ faces as they bowed to her. They’d felt her power.

“We’ll walk through fire with you, Siren,” the officers said.

“You have my loyalty, as well,” Lucienne said. “We’ll be one people and one nation.”

This was the first time she officially promised them that they would be a nation. She must do anything to keep Sphinxes together.

The officers pressed their fists against their hearts. Before they renewed their loyalty to her, Lucienne said, “One condition. Sphinxes won’t be a country without Chief McQuillen. Help me get him back.”

“We’ll use every power we have to bring our chief home,” Director Pyon said.

“I’ll head to Berlin with the team that accompanied me to Russia and Polynesia,” Lucienne said. “It’s time I pay our captured Sealer elder a visit.” She gestured for one of Kian’s top aides to collect her team outside.

Adam led the men in.

“Siren, I bid you to reconsider leading the rescue,” Admiral Enberg said. “We have special task forces and capable team leaders ready to go in your place.”

Lucienne swirled toward the admiral, eyes burning with fury. “Then why didn’t you act when your chief was taken over a week ago?”

“We’re waiting for his signal,” Enberg said. “We’re executing his plan.”

“He didn’t plan to come back in one piece,” Lucienne said icily. “Before you get his signal, he could be dead!”

“Let our Siren take the lead,” General Fairchild said. “This action can be good for Lucia’s health. She needs to have something to do other than sit in the house.”

Was her general being condescending?

“Fine, you lead the team,” Enberg said, “under one condition.”

“Are there ever no strings attached?” Lucienne said drily.

“You bring only two of your guards,” Enberg said. “We’ll handpick the best men from special forces for you. They’re specially trained for rescue missions.”

Lucienne regarded her guards. Everyone looked overzealous.

“You won’t leave me behind, cousin,” Thaddeus said, using the family card.

“I’m the captain of your guards,” Adam said. “I go wherever you go.”

“Wait!” Duncan said. “I’ve been with the Siren from the start. I’m going.”

The rest of the guards eagerly gave reasons why the Siren should pick them.

“I’ll bring Adam and Duncan,” Lucienne said. Then over Thaddeus’ look of betrayal and hurt, she sighed. “And my cousin. I have another use for him.”

“The team isn’t an issue,”
Pyon said, locking eyes with Lucienne. “
The problem is
we lost
Chief McQuillen’s whereabouts.
The Sealers took out the tracer in him after they transported him to the third location.”

“Where is the third location?” asked Lucienne.

“
Egypt-Libya border,” Pyon said.

“Hanz, the head of Berlin ops, said the Sealers sent the chief to Abaddon 5 in North Korea,” one of Kian’s aides said.

Abaddon 5? Lucienne drew a sharp breath, and fire burned in her blood. “I’ll turn that communist country upside down to get Kian out.”

“The Sealers have had a change of plans,” Pyon said. “They were supposed to put the chief in Abaddon 5 since it’s where they traditionally put their high-profile prisoners, but they moved him further away from North Korea. The enemy’s intention is unknown. My best guess is they moved him to a military center on the border of Libya. The Sealers have close ties with
jihadists
.”

General Fairchild pounded the table. “We’ll bomb the terrorist army!”

“Send two rescue teams,” Lucienne said. “Team A to North Korea; Team B to Libya. Alert all continental ops. Kian can be anywhere. Wherever he is, we’ll find him. I’m going with Team B. Set it up now. We don’t have time to lose.”

“Let’s not rush into the fray,” General Fairchild said. “We’ll draw a solid plan, including bombing military bases. Sphinxes can spare hundreds of
warplanes. We take out the jihadists’ bases first.”

“There’ll be absolutely zero air-to-ground bombs,” Lucienne said. “
There’ll be no rockets, no nerve gas, and no grenades.
We do a conventional ground assault.
You can level the place to ashes afterwards, but while Kian is there, we
don’t blow the place sky-high. I don’t want any blast to hit him by chance
.”

“There’ll be no air raid on these two holding facilities,” Pyon agreed.
“Our ops will attack the Sealers’ thirty outposts and military bases, so our enemy won’t know our true target.”

“We have a plan,” Lucienne said. “Let’s act.”

“Hold back a few more days,” Enberg said. “We must give Kian time to obtain the intel for the antidote while he’s in the enemy’s keep. That’s one part of the initial plan we need to stick to.”

“I don’t care about the cure,” Lucienne exploded. “We need to get Kian out this very minute!”

“Lucia.” Pyon, who stood at Lucienne’s right side, placed his hand on her arm. His voice had a calming effect, almost like Kian’s. Lucienne evened her breath. If she lost control, a slice of insanity would kick in. And if she had a lapse right now, the officers would fight tooth and nail to stop her from marching out of Sphinxes.

Lucienne swallowed hard and composed herself.

“We’ll get him back, I promise,” Pyon said, “but you’ll not rush in. You won’t put yourself and the teams in jeopardy. Can you do that, Lucia?”

Lucienne nodded.

“I sent a team to Tibet to retrieve Prince Vladimir,” Pyon said, “but they haven’t returned. I need Duncan to go to Tibet now.”

Everyone had been avoiding mentioning Ashburn and Vladimir, afraid the topic would trigger her mental meltdown. She hadn’t asked their whereabouts either, not wanting to hear one heartbreaking report after another. Unable to rein in her insanity had brought out her insecurity. So she’d assumed the worst—both Vladimir and Ashburn had fled from her.

“What is Prince Vladimir doing in Tibet?” she asked, her heart banging in her chest, her face a blank mask.

Pyon gave her a look. “Seeking the antidote.”

“I doubt the monasteries have it,” Lucienne said. “I was there searching for a different item a couple years ago.”

She and Vladimir had taken the second scroll—the holy sentinel of Tibet. The Lama had declared, “
When the One uses the holy scroll for his personal gains, he’ll sweep away the old world and its traditions in a maelstrom. His power will increase, but the world will sink into the third Dark Age.”

It wasn’t he but
she
who had taken the holy scroll. Did the Lama realize that?
None of the Khampa warriors had pursued her and Vladimir after they’d escaped, though they’d warned her that they were the army of light that would purge the world’s dark power at all cost. Guess they hadn’t made up their minds if she was light or dark.

“You can’t blame Prince Vladimir for trying,” Pyon said. “He was with the monks when he was twelve. He said the seven saints left behind the knowledge of a healing ritual.”

Lucienne shook her head. It was another futile effort. “What do you need Vladimir for?”

“To lure the elder’s daughter,” Pyon said. “Miss Bayrose Thorn is the new speaker for the Sealers founder. She’s the most valuable among all the elders. We’ll use her in exchange for Kian if all goes south.”

Vladimir had once sacrificed Bayrose for her. Would he do it again? The psychopath Schmidt had told Vladimir in the temple, “
Miss Thorn didn’t completely betray you, Prince. You used her first, but she’s better at it. She knew you never truly cared about her. You’d hurt any girl for your one true love. We’re much alike.”

How far had Vladimir gone with the elder girl to gain her trust?

“And you count on Miss Thorn’s feelings for Vladimir?” Lucienne asked. “Feelings are a flickering thing. If you bet on them, you might fail to lure the Sealer girl.” She was referring to Vladimir’s fleeting feelings for her.

“We have to try,” Pyon said. “And Prince Vladimir will do what we ask of him.”

The subject of Vlad invoked such pain and longing in Lucienne that she fought to stay focused. She turned to the generals, her face remaining neutral. “The
jihadists are well-trained fighters.”

“Our men are better,” Enberg said. “But we’ll need to borrow a handful of experts from Operation Desert Storm Nine for this ground rescue. The US Navy in the Mediterranean has put their most advanced surveillance aircrafts into use for us.”

“Our old friends, the tribal leaders at the desert, will be our guides,” said Pyon.

“Good.” Lucienne nodded. “My team and I are leaving for Berlin immediately.”

“Siren,” General Fairchild called before Lucienne made her exit, “there’s one last problem.”

Lucienne arched a brow.

“What if you lapse in the field?” Fairchild asked. “You can’t control your medical condition.”

All heads turned to Lucienne.

“Thaddeus will incapacitate me before that happens. I’ve taught him how,” Lucienne said coldly. “I’ll not jeopardize this mission.”

Thaddeus would knock her out cold at the first sign of a lapse, before she could summon her power. She’d informed him that if he timed it wrong, Forbidden Glory would burn him. She was sorry that she had to ask her cousin to do this, but she was out of options.

“You can trust me, cousin,” Thaddeus had said. “I won’t let you down.”

If only she could trust herself and not let Kian and her men down.

“Anything else, gentlemen?” she asked. Over their silence, she turned to Adam. “Captain, inform the base we’re taking Valkyrie and Chameleon II. We’re leaving in the next hour.”

CHAPTER 9

BERLIN

Lucienne stepped into the sitting room of the Berlin safe house, leaving her team and Berlin agents outside the door. Nickolas Poles was having afternoon tea and snacks and complaining about the teabag.

“Nickolas,” Lucienne greeted.

He shot to his feet and bumped into the edge of the coffee table. His tea spilled. “Siren of the Lams? To what do I owe the honor?”

Lucienne motioned for the Sealers elder to sit back while she settled herself across from him.

Nickolas blinked before looking away, as if realizing his own mistake by staring at the sun directly. That was most people’s reactions when they’d first met Lucienne. Like her ancestors of the Siren race, her power radiated off her.

“The tea isn’t up to your standard?” she asked.

“Tea? Tea’s okay.” Nickolas gathered himself. “I’m just bored.”

“Perhaps we should entertain you?”

Nickolas widened his eyes. “You mean torture?”

“Is that my reputation?”

Nickolas smirked. “They say you aren’t nice.”

“The glowing reviews they gave me since I was a toddler.”

Nickolas chuckled. “They neglected to mention you’ve got a fine sense of humor and you’re also a rare beauty.”

“Do you realize the danger of flirting with me?”

“I’m willing to take the risk,” Nickolas said. “It’s once in a lifetime for someone like me to meet the Siren.” Now he didn’t take his gaze off her. “The ancient myth of the Sirens is as old as time. But for once, they got it right. The rightful Siren would be female, and you came. In the depths of your eyes, I see Siren’s luring power. You might truly change the world.”

“I didn’t expect a Sealers elder to be a poet or a prophet,” Lucienne said.

“One can be both when in the right element.”

“Do you understand the position you’re in?”

“Perfectly,” Nickolas said with a relaxed smile. “My life is in your hands. My chance of living depends on how useful I am.”

“Good.”

“I’ll give you whatever you want,” Nickolas said. “Please don’t use the truth serum as Kian McQuillen did. A second time will cause my panic attack.”

“I don’t need the assistance of drugs,” said Lucienne.

“I know that,” Nickolas said softly. “You have that effect on people. I didn’t believe it until I saw you in flesh.”

This one, who was only a few years older than her, hadn’t made the mistake of underestimating her, but he made one by complimenting her. “I’m flattered,” she said.

“I’m not fawning over you,” the elder said seriously. “I’m a frank man who sometimes can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“Not as frank as you claimed.” She’d dove into his mind the moment she’d stepped into the room. “Your ambition is higher than your rank in the Sealers. All the extravagance and indulgence, including the two blond knockouts, is but a smokescreen. Your dream is to take over the Brotherhood. It’s too old school for your tastes. You’re itching to reform it with your Ivy League touch. Unlike your founder and your peers, you lack a burning desire to erase me. You’re an opportunist. Since my chief captured you, you’ve been brooding on this new idea of combining forces with me to dominate the world, especially when you see that I’m a female Siren. Why not share the power instead of shedding each other’s blood? You’ll propose that we take a more practical, logical approach—negotiate like two global corporations. I can go on.”

Nickolas contained his shock. To his credit, he didn’t ask a stupid question like, “How do you know about all this?” He cleared his throat. “The Sealers Brotherhood needs a new leader, one who is a visionary and realist.”

“The Sirens’ and Sealers’ forces have been on earth since old times,” Lucienne said. “We can’t uproot each other completely. We kill one of your elders; the next one will replace him. And the next one can be worse.”

Her army had sunk the Sealers’ fleet and blown up their submarine headquarters, but their numbers kept increasing. It was like trying to weed out terrorists—they reproduced at an alarming speed.

“We’re all expendable in the Brotherhood, except the founder,” Nickolas said. “He’s almost irreplaceable, like you.”

Almost.

I have no heir
.
That’s what he meant
, Lucienne thought.
If I die, the Siren’s line dies with me. I’m the first female Siren, and I can’t be with any man except Ash, for now.
She wouldn’t allow her enemies to know her Achilles’ heel. “No one is indispensable in this world. Life goes on. My cousins are all lined up after me to be the next Siren. But you’re right about the obscenity of the bloody war. You and I can do better, but your founder still wants my head on his altar.”

“Not if we get rid of him,” Nickolas said. “He can’t adapt, but we’re the generation of change. We’re standing at the crossroad, where the quantum revolution is calling. You and I can bring the coming new age.”

“I sank the
Rose
,” Lucienne said, watching the elder closely to detect the slightest shift in his expression. She wouldn’t risk doing another mind sweep on him. The previous one had exhausted her. “I heard that your father was in that submarine. I killed him. Aren’t you coming for my blood?”

“The war killed him,” Nickolas said. “I’m not heartless, but blood ties are overrated. My father wasn’t a good man. I knew that much. After all, I was raised by him.”

“The devil you know,” Lucienne said. “If you take over the Sealers’ club, at least we won’t be so impatient to cut each other’s throat.”

Nickolas smiled. “I dream of the day.”

“And this future depends on my chief’s safe return,” said Lucienne.

Nickolas’s grin vanished. “McQuillen went for a suicide mission. I told him the founder would never exchange me for him. He’s the Sphinxes’ chief!”

“My plan doesn’t involve sacrificing you since there’s no need to,” said Lucienne. “But you’re going to tell me everything you know about the Sealers’ ops, outposts, safe houses, prisons, and military bases.”

“I don’t have access to the whole operation,” Nickolas said. “You do realize that?”

“I’m not making an unreasonable demand,” said Lucienne. “You’ll try your best. If you lie or intentionally forget something, I’ll know.”

“I’ve given your men all the locations, including the bases on my territory.”

“You gave only fifty seven percent of what you have.”

Nickolas inhaled.

“We’ll get to that later,” Lucienne said. “I intend to preserve your power in the Sealers, but now I’m anxious to locate my chief’s whereabouts. Your founder had him shipped to Libya instead of Abaddon 5.”

Nickolas drew a sharp breath. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Lucienne’s heart plummeted. “Why Libya?” she asked. “Shouldn’t all high-profile prisoners go to Abaddon 5? Samantha is there, isn’t she?”

Nickolas looked distraught. “The founder won’t keep your chief alive for long,” he said. “The Muslim extremists will decapitate him to set an example, or just to show how much they despise you.”

Unable to draw the next breath, as if shards of glass blocked her air passage, Lucienne almost dropped to her knees and rolled on the floor. But she sat still and forced herself to inhale and exhale slowly. Seconds later, she was the steel Siren again.

“I’m sorry,” the elder said softly. “The only bright side is it’s easier to break him out from the Libya military base than Abaddon 5.”

Lucienne gave him a tight look and summoned Hanz, his agents, and her team.

A German agent brought her tea—premium tea leaves brewed in a teapot. Lucienne dismissed the agent and the tea, but Nickolas said that he’d like to have some. The agent looked to Lucienne, who gave him permission to serve the Sealers elder.

“We’re ready to move on to the second stage,” Hanz said, “according to Chief McQuillen’s plan.”

“We won’t execute his plan,” Lucienne cut in. “I’m overriding it. We’re going to Libya. We’ll raid the military base tonight.”

“
No
, you’re not.” Pyon walked in. He must have taken off from Sphinxes right after her. “I
am
. I’ll get Kian out without risking you, my Siren. My intel just came in. The chief is indeed held along the Libyan border. Desert Wraith Ops has been activated under my command.”

Nickolas looked from Hanz to Lucienne to Pyon with a grin. He seemed to be the only person in the room who was having a good time.

~

Hanz’s office was designed more for convenience than comfort. There were no documents on the desk, just a high-powered laptop and a bottle of hand sanitizer. The only personal touch was a collection of brandies inside the cabinet. If raided, the safe house would leave no records and no trails for their enemies.

Pyon sat on a large, luxury sofa while Lucienne paced from wall to wall, curling her hands into fists, then straightening them, as if restraining herself from pounding the concrete.

The elder had confirmed that the founder had no intention of keeping Kian alive for long. Her enemy knew what it’d do to her and Sphinxes if they took out Kian McQuillen. Fear cut deep into her bones. What was she going to do if she’d already lost Kian, her rock and her ultimate protector? She kept shoving that thought out of her mind, but it kept swinging back.

“If you keep pacing the floor like that,” Pyon said, “you’re going to increase the level of acid in my stomach. And right now, I need to stay calm and go over the steps of breaking into the enemy base.”

She turned to Pyon. “I won’t need to pace if you let me go to Libya.”

“You’re in no condition to rush in,” Pyon said sternly, “and you know I’m right. You want him out alive, you need to be at your best and help me.”

She looked at the director accusingly. “But you refuse to tell me the details of the plan.”

“You agreed that Desert Wraith Ops is under my command,” Pyon said. “I’m not going to lay out classified information in front of everyone.”

Lucienne’s eyes burned with dark fire. “I’m not
everyone
.”

“To secure a successful mission,” said Pyon, “I can’t let you step on my toes.”

“Why does everyone assume that I love to step on their toes?”

“Your history has spoken for itself more than a few times. You’re a hothead, like Prince Vladimir.”

Lucienne gave him a withering look.

“You do well when it doesn’t involve those you care about, but when their safety is at stake, you throw yourself into the fire without considering how hot it is. And we—your people—can’t afford to lose you.”

Lucienne wasn’t a fool who couldn’t recognize truth. She slumped in a chair across from Pyon, grasping her head in her hands. Her inside was like the churning sea. She needed to act. She needed to get to Kian now. But she couldn’t afford to screw up the rescue.

“I must establish the command chain here,” Pyon said.

“You’re the commander,” Lucienne said. The best leader always knew how to best use the most brilliant men and women under her and not meddle with them while they were doing their jobs. She had no problem picking the best man—Pyon—for the task, but she couldn’t restrain herself from a little meddling. For heaven’s sake, Kian’s life was on the line! “You won’t act like the generals, in the name of protecting me. You’ll let me in on every plan of yours, and I’ll actively participate in the rescue.”

Pyon regarded her warily.

“Or I’ll jump into the fire my way,” Lucienne said.

“Will you promise to obey my orders on this mission?”

“Yes.”

“I need another guarantee.”

Lucienne raised an eyebrow. “You want written words on paper?”

“No, Siren,” Pyon said. “I need your promise not to use your power.”

Lucienne stared hard at him.

“Yes, I know your Siren’s mystical superpower,” he said. “I’ve been paying attention. I knew about it when you were made Siren at a very young age. The power will consume you if you use it unwisely. Everything has a cost, especially a power as great as yours. Your condition is unstable, as is your power. I won’t let you sabotage the ops. So, will you give me your word that you won’t use your power?”

“I won’t use it unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Lucienne said.

“I need you to trust me, like Kian has always trusted me.”

Trust the men you use, or don’t use them.
That was Kian’s motto.

Lucienne hesitated for a second and nodded. 

“We need to give Chief McQuillen time to finish his mission, or his captivity will be for nothing.”

“Kian doesn’t have time!”

“You promised to trust me.”

Lucienne bit her lip. “I’ll give you two days. And then no matter what, I’m going in and bringing him home.”

“I need a week.”

“Any moment they could kill him.”

“If they wanted to execute him that soon, they’d have done it already. An extra week won’t make any difference to our enemy, but it does to us. Give Kian time to find out about the cure, which is most important to the future of Sphinxes.”