Chapter Twenty-One #2
Hah, he shouldn’t have questioned her skills.
As Head Librarian, Patricia had perfected several looks over the years to deal with her extended eccentric demanding family.
The one she now fixed upon Drum was stern, determined, and brooked absolutely no defiance.
The Maat Warrior, a semi immortal with more than a hundred years of fighting supernatural creatures under his camo belt met Patricia’s gaze with a dark mutinous scowl.
Silently warning her that he would not be moved.
Patricia’s only response? To narrow her gaze a little, pinning him with all her attention.
It seemed even Drum was surprised as he shifted backwards, now a foot closer to the atrium.
Clenching his fists in determination, planting his boots heavily upon the lush carpet.
Patricia’s expression didn’t change, except she took one step closer to the enormous Warrior, and he backed up yet another step.
This went on until Drum’s boots hit the red brick floor of the atrium and he conceded, with the barest of nods, the superior force of Patricia.
Wow, Nico made a mental note to never return a library book late, he didn’t ever want to be on the receiving end of that look. Gigi sending him a quick smile, clearly knowing exactly what he was thinking.
Bending, Gigi swooped Canary up, turning to double check that Patricia was on her way back to take up storyteller duties. Pleased to see that Riordan had arrived and was in the process of placing Nico’s savoury trays in the empty places she’d left on the morning tea table.
Excellent. Her gaze travelling idly over the babies, who were all looking out into the atrium as well. Weird, but then what did she know about babies. Exchanging a glance with Nico. Looks like their job here was done. She’d pop Canary on the table and they could leave.
They’d only taken one step away from the stage though when several things happened at once. Everyone’s phone buzzed loudly, sounding the emergency warning beacon. Something bad was happening somewhere in or near the Sanctuary.
At the same time Riordan dropped one of the metal platters, creating a sharp noise reminiscent of a gunshot as it hit the red brick flooring.
Her cousin’s gaze locked on the entrance archway of the library.
Surprise and horror on her face. The word “No!” Exploding out of her.
Causing everyone in the entry to turn, weapons out, ready to defend themselves and even more importantly, the babies.
Riordan, at the back of the group, dashed inside the Children’s Wing, zagged instantly to the left, bringing her fist down on the emergency button.
Instantly an incredibly thick magically inert steel door slammed down over the entrance archway, shutters doing likewise over all the windows.
Every light in the Children’s Wing blinked off and then back on, a recent upgrade to the backup system in each Wing meant thankfully they wouldn’t be left in the dark.
Wow, that was quick and smart thinking on Riordan’s part. Except, as her younger cousin stepped away from the emergency button her long vibrant red hair shimmered and turned a glimmering golden colour, one that matched her suddenly alien skin tone. Oh, no.
“Riordan?” Instinctively Gigi moved to stand between her cousin and the babies, Nico at her side.
His entire body clenched and ready. He’d taken a brief moment to read the Sanctuary wide warning text that had accompanied the alarm. He knew what was coming. “There’s been a prison break.”
Those words sent a chill down Gigi’s spine, weirdly, they made Riordan smile.
“Riordan.” Nico spoke her name in a calm soothing tone. “You okay?” Noting what he hadn’t seen before around her neck, a gold heart shaped locket that to his senses screamed ancient. “The necklace.” He whispered the words under his breath to Gigi.
Several dull thuds sounded against the steel door, before abruptly ceasing. Gigi guessing Drum had attempted futilely to break it down single-handedly.
From her back pocket Riordan produced a long thing golden rope, and with a quick flick of her wrist threw it at the nearest wall.
The rope landing in the shape of a large circle, the centre of the circle a shimmering haze, then suddenly there were people stepping through.
Five men, wearing white togas, all insanely attractive, swords out and at the ready.
They didn’t look like Qetesh’s puppet followers, these men looked smart, grim faced and free thinking.
Neith appeared next, looking tired and bedraggled, dragging her sister Qetesh along behind her.
If Neith looked bad after nine days under Darcy’s care in interrogation, then Qetesh looked only hours away from fading from this Plane.
Her dark hair greasy and limp, her complexion ghostly pale with only the faintest of golden glimmers, and her eyes, they looked like dark wide pits that had witnessed indescribable horrors.
Her pale bare arms lined with large reddened circular scars all in various stages of healing.
Three steps into the Children’s Wing Neith relinquished her hold on her sister, Qetesh just barely managing to remain on her feet. Swaying gently from side to side, her breath coming out in soft pants that were just shy of whimpering sobs.
Behind them, one last figure stepped out of the Portal.
A gorgeous woman, beyond stunning, with dark hair piled high on her head that glinted with a hint of fire.
Deep brown eyes, sparkling with little golden lights, an amused smile tilting up the corners of her lush lips.
The simple white toga she wore was neither tight, short or transparent, yet it drew the onlookers eye to her full curves, flawless dark olive complexion and velvet soft looking skin.
Somehow she managed to look both motherly, yet carnal.
Gigi and Nico shared a quick look. Hathor. It had to be. The Goddess, against the odds, had succeeded where many others had failed, breaking her daughters out of the Siberian Prison the Sanctuary used to incarcerate all their supernatural criminals.
Protect. Gigi sent Canary a mental image of Sunny as she lowered him to the ground.
“What have I always told you girls?” Hathor moved forward a few steps, pausing beside her five guards, reaching out to stroke Riordan’s long hair.
“It’s important to have a contingency plan in place.
If you have one sugar daddy on the hook, make sure you have an even older, richer sugar daddy waiting in the wings, just in case. ”
“Yes, Mother.” Her daughters delivered the words dutifully, sounding rote, though in Qetesh’s case they were more of a breathy shuddering sob.
“Mo-Mother.” Qetesh’s voice pleading. “Please, it… hurts.”
Hathor rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she studied Gigi and Nico. “Never have children. The complaining, the demands, the never ending moaning.”
“I-I think…I’m dying.”
“See what I mean. You give and you give but it’s always about them.
Watch me kill this rich loser, Mummy. Check out my new sex cult, Mummy.
Have you watched my latest porn movie, Mummy?
” With a sigh, Hathor clicked her fingers at one of the guards.
“Bient.” Silently the dark haired warrior bowed abruptly to Hathor before striding over to Qetesh and with no forewarning, grabbed and kissed her, deeply and long.
A minute later Qetesh dropped Bient’s dried out husk of a body to the ground, caressing her healed arms with a pleased smile.
Though she looked whole and healthy once more, the horror in her eyes hadn’t faded.
Yeah, time in Darcy’s presence tended to have that effect on her guests in the interrogation rooms.
Qetesh scooped up the discarded sword by the dead guard before stalking forward to flank her mother. The expression on her face now gleeful, she was looking for payback.
Behind the two Neith shook her head, making a gagging motion. The only one of the three wearing modern clothes, though her blue jumpsuit was decidedly ragged around the edges.
“You!” Qetesh hissed the word, glaring Nico’s way. “All of this is your fault. Do you have any idea what that psycho bitch and her mother did to me in that cell? I should mind wipe you and leave you nothing but a drooling pissing—”
“Enough with the idle threats and tantrums.” Hathor sighed again. “Honestly, child, open your third eye and take a look at the man. His bloodline alone would have been difficult enough to deal with.” Hathor shook her head in distaste. “But now if you tried to take him you’d burn your lips off.”
“I…” Qetesh scowled Nico’s way for a moment, wincing, slamming her eyes shut and rubbing her temples. “Ow, I knew that woman was trouble, but I had no idea she was one of the sanctimonious pure.”
“They’re rare, but you should have double checked.
If you’d done so back at Zeus’s party then we need not have wasted any more time on your doomed plan…
” Hathor continuing to absently stroke Riordan’s hair, who was just standing there, blank faced, seemingly awaiting instructions.
“Then I could have found my adorable little trojan horse here that much sooner, and I wouldn’t have had to save your asses or be here now, cleaning up your messes, again. ”
“But Mummy, it wasn’t my fault. How was I to know he was being protected by a pure?”
“When he didn’t immediately succumb to the ring and your call, you should have realised something wasn’t right, instead of banging your head against a brick wall.
That’s all on your ego, dear. And if you hadn’t been so committed to the idea of turning one of Kuat’s descendants, then you would have looked around for other options.
And seen our little firecracker’s jealousy burning like a beacon in the daylight.
” Still stroking Riordan’s glossy long, golden locks.