Chapter 37
VIVIAN
Unless I shifted into my phoenix, I usually wasn’t aware of my sunfire as a separate entity. Smoak and I were one consciousness. Sometimes more male, other times more female, always with fiery, burning blood. It was easy to blend the lines because sunfires were already parts of one whole.
Smoak was one of many, even as he was a part of me.
On my way back to the kitchen after my watch shift, I jerked to a halt.
A flash of burning gold rippled through my mind.
My physical surroundings faded away beneath the distant roar of solar winds.
A horse trumpeted, spewing flames through my mind, followed by the image of a woman cradled in sunfires, her face pale and streaked with blood, her eyes fluttering.
Karmen Sunna, their queen. Her red-gold hair burned with living flames against the infinite sun. I didn’t receive words but I felt a visceral tug. Distance closed between us as easily as rolling up a piece of fabric.
But the way was closed. Locked by my queen’s blood.
The tug demanded I answer. Open. Make the way for them. Yet my queen’s bond came before anything else, even a part of Smoak’s essence. Shuddering with urgency—yet locked in place—I sent the message down my Blood bond. :Karmen’s in trouble, but they can’t come to us as long as I’m inside the nest.:
:Go,: Shara ordered without hesitation. :Get outside the blood circle so they know where to come.:
Smoak surged up out of me, and I flew the short distance to the edge of the blood circle.
As I landed just beyond in a clearing, the tug expanded like Rik had shoved his entire fist into my abdomen and dragged all my intestines out.
A burning ring flared in the air, hovering as it expanded into a circle a foot off the ground, large enough I could have passed through even as the phoenix.
The flames coalesced into a shimmering pool of gold and then cleared to reveal a large room somewhere earth side.
I caught a glimpse of a broken table, food, and dishes scattered everywhere, and then Karmen’s Blood started to jump through.
I didn’t recognize them from my days in Heliopolis. I’d never seen them in human forms before, only as Soldiers of Light. Even then, most were hard to identify without their sunfires’ distinctive shapes or specific armor or weapon.
Four men glared at me, swords and spears at the ready, guarding the portal behind them.
Leviathan swept overhead, casting a dark shadow over the clearing.
Rik already had most of the other winged Blood up in the air, held in reserve inside the nest, though the gryphon and feathered serpent were clearly visible and close enough to swoop down for attack.
Xin’s silver wolf slipped closer in the trees, invisible even to me, though I could feel him in our queen’s bond. Ezra’s bear crashed through the undergrowth, and he burst out into the clearing, rearing up on his hind legs to tower over the encroachers.
:I’m on my way,: Shara said in our bond. :Tell them we mean them no harm.:
I shifted back into my human form so I could talk, though I kept the blaze of sunfire energy wrapped around me like burning clothing.
Both to remind them I was on their side—sort of—and to hide my nakedness.
I didn’t care one way or the other, but my queen’s directive was clear.
“My queen is on her way to welcome you to House Isador.”
“Some fucking welcome,” one of the men growled, jabbing the ten-foot-long spear in Ezra’s direction. “Tell the furry to stand down.”
Shaking his massive head, Ezra let out a disgusted humph, though he dropped to all fours. :I don’t think he knows what furry means.:
:Forget the fur suit jab,: Rik rumbled through the bond. :Ask them if they were attacked.:
My lips quirked. “My queen specifically says we mean you and your queen no harm. Were you attacked? Is your queen injured?”
A couple of humans passed through the portal.
One I recognized as the cop, Harris, Ironheart’s friend.
So I wasn’t entirely surprised to see the wolf king next, though I was astonished he was still in one piece, especially while accompanying Karmen.
Had she Blooded him? I couldn’t tell by looking at him.
“I’m Dagny, consiliarius for House Sunna,” the other human said.
With silvery gray hair and a pleasant smile, she looked like what I assumed a fairytale godmother would look like.
Dressed in a simple gray sweater and matching pants, she didn’t look at all like our sharp-witted, brutally efficient Gina.
“Our queen may be injured. We thought it best to seek help immediately.”
What could hurt such a powerful queen? Smoak flared even brighter around me. Old scars tightened on my back. Most of them had been given by Sepdet, but there had been other dangerous spawn of Ra that might still be alive. Maybe one of them? “Who?”
Ignoring my question, Dagny marched over like a commander, her eyes steely gray and hard. My estimation of the size of her balls went up exponentially. “I ask for safe passage for all of House Sunna in Her Majesty Karmen Sunna’s name. Do you speak for House Isador?”
My queen’s bond expanded inside me, swelling with Shara’s presence.
She was inside me. Looking out of my eyes.
Speaking with my mouth. “She does, because I’m here.
House Isador welcomes House Sunna and offers our full protection during your stay in my nest. Your enemies are my enemies.
As Isis is my witness, no harm shall come to Karmen Sunna or any of her people while inside my nest unless your party draws first blood. ”
Glancing back over her shoulder, Dagny gave a nod to the men waiting on the other side. “No queen can lie on such an oath.”
Several more Blood came through, then one I presumed to be Karmen’s alpha, carrying her in his arms, with a lanky Blood covering his back. The scent of blood was thick in the air, but I didn’t see any obvious wounds on their queen. Though she lay limp in her Blood’s arms, not even raising her head.
So much unprotected queen’s blood out in the open made me twitchy with controlled violence, even though she wasn’t my queen.
Picking up on my alarm, Shara said through me, “We need to get you all into the nest as quickly as possible.”
:Daire, Vore, and Itztli, join Xin and Ezra outside the nest to guard their backs,: Rik ordered.
:Leviathan, continue to cover them from above.
If things go south once they’re inside the blood circle, Guillaume and Sekh are charged with eliminating anyone threatening our queen with any means necessary. :
:Understood,: the General said. :The legion stands at the ready, though it won’t take but a handful to eliminate a few Blood.:
:Don’t forget what they are,: I warned. :The world’s greatest soldiers of all time will—:
:Break their swords on my stone sphinx,: Sekh cut in. :We’ll scatter their bones in the deepest, darkest trench in the ocean and see how quickly their sun queen can resurrect them.:
:I promised them sanctuary,: Shara reminded us.
:Which only means we won’t be the first to draw blood,: Guillaume said. :But no one who wishes you harm will ever be safe as long as the headless knight still walks this earth.:
Feeling my queen draw near, I turned to move closer to her while the rest of the Blood moved into position.
Flanked by Gina and Nevarre with Rik, Sekh, and Guillaume at her back, Shara came to the very edge of the nest.
Gina began the formal introductions. “I’m Gina, consiliarius for House Isador. Queen Shara, last daughter of Isis, welcomes you to House Isador. Once you’re all safe, we’ll be pleased to introduce all of Their Majesties’ Blood to one another.”
Shara held her hands out across the blood circle. “House Isador offers House Sunna sanctuary in my nest, and you may leave at any time.”
Dagny stepped forward and took Gina’s offered hand, but no one else made a move, and without her queen, Dagny refused to cross the blood circle.
The sunfires on Sunna’s Blood conveyed confusion and annoyance at any delay, though they were loath to make a wrong move while their queen was incapacitated. None of her men were Aima. They’d never served a queen before. They wouldn’t know any of the formalities of visiting another queen’s court.
With a nervous smile, Dagny still held Gina’s hand. “Forgive me, I can’t formally introduce Her Majesty’s Blood. I only just met her and haven’t learned their names yet.”
I wasn’t sure which one of the ten men was the Impaler, but I assumed the one carrying Karmen would at least be her alpha.
So I focused on him. “No one can cross a queen’s blood circle without someone on the other side touching you and bringing you across.
Once you’re inside the nest, you can come and go as needed until my queen removes her permission for you to enter. ”
The portal still shimmered behind him as he contemplated my words. An emergency exit if they needed it, though surely he wouldn’t want to go back to wherever they’d been attacked. Seconds ticked by and still no one moved.
Rik gave me a nudge in the bond. :Our queen waits for no one.:
Evidently, carrying Smoak made me a sunfire ambassador. I rolled my eyes, trying to think of something to say to hurry them up that also wouldn’t piss anyone off. “Your queen doesn’t have to go first. If you want a few Blood to cross over first, that’s fine. Our Blood will pull you through.”
The alpha’s face remained inscrutable, but several Blood moved toward the blood circle.
“I’m Nevarre,” he said, holding both hands out. “Welcome to House Isador.”
Still holding a sword in his right hand, one of Karmen’s Blood wrapped his fingers around Nevarre’s. “I’m simply the Scotsman, and this is Chak Ek’.”
Itztli made a low grunt in the bond. :He’s the Great Star, Venus, a god of the Maya, of equal stature to Tepeyollotl.:
Nevarre pulled them both through the blood circle.
:No wonder he carries quite a punch of power.
: Aloud, he pointed one by one to the Blood with Shara.
“Her Majesty’s alpha, Alrik, Sir Guillaume de Payne, and General Sekh of the All Seeing, Never Sleeping.
The grumpy bear is Ezra, and the snarly dragon overhead is Mehen.
It’s my understanding you already know Smoak, or Vivian. ”
I crossed my arms over my chest and bowed at the waist. The tall man hovering at the alpha’s back gave me a nod of recognition. He must be the Impaler, though I didn’t see his trademark spear, only a short sword at the ready.
“Kuros the Great, King of the Four Corners of the World.” Just as haughty as his title, the man took Nevarre’s hand and strode across the blood circle like he owned the place.
The next man saluted with twin blades and then sheathed them both before taking Nevarre’s hand. “Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu.”
Guillaume let out a soft whistle and stepped closer to hold his hand out in welcome. “It’s an honor to meet a Kensei.”
“Likewise, it’s an honor to meet a Templar.
” The man shook his hand but didn’t release him.
They stared at each other levelly, not squeezing or pulling on each other.
Yet tension mounted. G was the finest swordsman I’d ever seen in action, but all of the former Soldiers of Light were surely nearly as good as him. With four inside already…
The sunfire portal blinked out of existence with a nearly silent pop. The Sunna Blood released Guillaume’s hand as Karmen’s alpha approached the edge of the blood circle.
“Her Majesty Karmen Sunna,” Dagny said.
Though that wasn’t a sufficient introduction for the Impaler. “Queen of Heliopolis, the Eye of Ra, Daughter of the Brightest Sun Incarnate, the Burning Light of Day.”
Shara didn’t immediately lift her hand toward Karmen, though she didn’t withdraw her welcome, either. “I must touch your queen to welcome her to my nest, but I assure you I mean her no harm.”
“Why would you help a potential enemy?” The alpha asked doubtfully.
“I’m aware of no reason for us to be enemies. All queens are daughters of the Mother of All. Unless she means ill will to my Blood or family, Karmen will be welcomed as a friend.”
“And ally.”
“If she wishes, absolutely.” My queen’s lips quirked briefly but up close, evidently Karmen looked to be in rough shape. “My human doctor is on the way, as well as my sibling queen who’s a powerful healer. Let’s get her inside to safety.”
Yet she still waited to touch the other queen until her alpha nodded. Shara might be centuries younger than most queens, certainly far younger than Karmen, yet she possessed an innate sense of diplomacy absent from other Aima courts.
No, it was more than that. She wasn’t playing a game, moving inanimate objects across the board, sacrificing pawns and knights alike to win. She cared about each and every piece on the board. Even the other queen’s.
As if determined to ensure they both won the game.
“What happened?” She asked softly.
The Impaler let out a dark, evil laugh that made Smoak ripple down my spine. “Heliopolis attacked us.”
Oh fuck.