Chapter 4

Now.

I like to think my office is modest, of course when you have been advisors to kings modest is a relative term as my daughter is fond of telling me. It sits on the 20th floor of a downtown office building, taking up about half of the floor, we have a server room, a moderately sized kitchen, a small gym area with showers, as well as a living section for myself when I decide to stay there. Oh and of course we do have some office, 14 in all with a conference room.

It is now that conference room that I sit listing to the current forecast of investments we offer, all doing well, they always do. I find I can not focus on what is being said, my investment staff is small, five people in total, they have to do minimal research as I have a knack for picking stocks, I have always been good at guessing trends and seeing patterns, I also am hell at the black jack table.

My friend of 15 years is speaking, I hired Josh out of college he was a friend of Sharon, most of my employees rotate out of here every 4 to 5 years, it is a policy I have to keep questions at a minimum, every once and awhile I truly make a connection with an employee and they stay on longer, Josh is one of them.

He stopped asking questions a long time ago, he dated Sharon 10 years ago, we let him in on the secret at the time. He is a good kid, its a shame he and Sharon broke up, he didn't want to date a cop, can't say I blame him, I never wanted a Cop for daughter. Time is passing so slow now, I can't believe it, it feels like a child waiting for christmas. I look at the clock, 5 hours until our date, I know why I am anxious yet still I am at a loss, there have been other women over the years.

"Iden?" Josh says.

"huh?" I say shaken from my thoughts.

"What do you think?" Josh asks.

"Oh um, sure sounds good." I say

"Really?" Josh asks.

"Yes sure, I trust your judgment." I say.

"Good, its settle we will sell the firm and go open up an alpaca farm." He says.

"what?" I ask.

"Alpaca, its like a little Llama" he says smiling at me.

I look around the room and my other employes are smiling at me.

"I know what they are." I say.

"Well I was just checking if you were paying attention." Josh says.

"Sorry, I am a little distracted right now." I say.

Josh nods.

"I can tell." He says.

"Josh lets call it a day." I say.

He nods again.

"You heard the man thats it, meeting over." He says

the people break up and I lean back in my seat, Josh is watching me, he gathers his notes and moves to sit near me.

"Whats up Idin, its not like you to get distracted, is this about why Sharon was here?" He ask.

I shake my head.

"Naw, well maybe a little bit." I say.

He looks at me.

"So whats up?" He ask.

"I met someone." I say

"really? So whats that got to do with Sharon" He says.

"Well I met her saving her from an attack." I say.

Josh shakes his head laughing.

"What was the last one? From a burning building right?" He says laughing.

"No it was drowning." I say.

He frowns.

"Idin this always ends badly, stop dating people you rescue they ask to many questions." He says.

"This is different." I say.

"How?" Josh asks.

"I told her." I say.

"Told her what?" he asks.

"Everything." I say.

"Idin why would you do that? She must think you are a loon." He says.

"She saw me take a bullet to the head, and Sharon verified my bona fides" I say.

"Why in gods name would she do that?" He asks.

"Because Josh, she reminds me of someone." I say.

"Who?" Josh ask.

"The one I couldn't save." I say

Then...

It took me a week to get back to camp, the girl I found was named Enore. Once I made it clear that my intentions were pure she warmed right up to me. Her injuries were mainly superficial bruising, she walked with a limp for the first few days, she really was just a little girl, it made me wish I could kill the man twice.

I noticed several traits that set her apart from Jora and I's tribe, she seemed to be a near cousin to the species of my tribe, mainly she was taller, that and her skull was a more compact shape hers did not extend back as far as Jora's people did. The more I watched her the more I saw that her and I were more alike than I was with Jora's people.

She seemed think that I was her mate, I tried to explain that I would be her guardian and not her mate, she did not seem to understand the difference. We arrived home when it was already dark, I nodded to the hunters that remained awake on watch and made my way to my tent. I found Jora inside holding the small sleeping furs that I had made for our child.

"Jora I am back." I said.

"Did you ... did you have a successful hunt." She asked.

I nod.

"I did." I said.

"Good" she answered.

"Jora, I've brought someone with me, someone who we must take care of." I said.

She looked up at me, and the fire that used to be in her eyes was extinguished. I motioned Enora to come in, she was hesitant and refused to meet Jora's eyes.

"She was the mate of that animal." I said.

I see the disgust on her face, Enore mistakes it as directed at her and backs up. Jora shakes her head, and motions her to her.

"Child it is okay, you are welcomed here." Jora says.

When Enore does not move Jora comes to her embracing her in a tight hug, slowly Enore relaxes into it returning the hug. Both women begin to weep into each others arms, I go and embrace both of them, and for the first time since our child's death I feel like everything will be okay between Jora and I.

It was a week before I suspected something was wrong, several of the villagers became ill, the medicine man and I had no idea the cause it started with the children and moved to the parents. I stressed good hygiene, some listened to me others didn't, Jora did, she was religious about cleanliness. It was 7 days after the first sickness that the children started to die.

Enore came up to me, she looked troubled.

"Idin, I need to tell you something." She said.

"What is it Enore?" I asked.

"I have seen this sickness before." She said.

My ears perked up.

"Really when?" I asked.

"My village, we all get it when we are young, but no one ever dies." She said.

The wheels in my head are spinning, maybe there is a plant or a food source we are not eating that they are that prevents the death.

"Enore is there anything you ate there that you do not eat here?"

She shakes her head.

"No Idin, nothing I can think of."

I know its a long shot but I have to try.

"Enore, stay right here." I said.

"Okay Idin" She replied.

We needed to go back to her camp, find out what is wrong, and if there is a cure, Jora is not ill so Enore and her shall come with me.

Now.

Josh and I are pulled from our conversation, Marry has entered the conference room to inform me I have a visitor, I notice it has grown dark outside and I check the clock, I still have a few hours before m date.

"Who is it Marry?" I ask.

"Miss Naamah." She says.

I frown and look at Josh, odd how that happens sometimes, that I was just thinking about a similar topic and she shows up at my office.

"We will finish this another time my friend, I need to speak with her." I say.

Josh shrugs he has grown used to strange visitors and night meetings working here.

"Sure boss." He nods standing to leave.

"Marry is she in my office." I ask

Marry is obviously upset by her visit, she has only seen her 3 times in all the years she has worked here, and knows that it is a bad omen, she simply nods to me in the affirmative and leaves, I follow Josh out of the conference room. We part company and I head to my office, I enter to find Lillian standing near my window looking out at the night sky, she turns to greet me in an antiquated curtsey. As always she is painfully beautiful, tall and willowy, her complexion is that of a porcelain doll, her hair so blond it is almost white, her eyes are so blue they seem to glow, in a way she looks almost fragile but I know better.

"Sire." She says.

I sigh, I hate dealing with her, in her culture age is respected, age equals power to her, and I am the oldest thing she knows. I inclines my head in response, I gesture to the seat across from my desk as I sit, she nods and takes the offered seat.

"Lillian what brings you to my city? Is it personal or business?" I ask, we have an arrangement, she will check in first thing with me upon arrival in town.

"A little of both Sire." she says.

"Drop the sire Lillian, tell me what brings the plague bearers to my town." I say.

She frowns, it is an old name for her kind, one that they do not like, but one I view as entirely accurate.

"Fine, Mister Noah sir the Daughters request permission to operate on a limited basis in this city and we request your aid." She ask, still being formal.

I shake my head, The Daughters of Lilith are what they prefer to be called, frankly I don't care a parasite is a parasite, they are also proud, warning bells are going off at them asking for my help.

"You know my feelings on this Lillian, I forbid Plague Bearers from inhabiting anywhere I call home." I say.

I see a flash of anger in her eyes.

"Why do you call us that, we bring peace to those who suffer." She says.

I laugh.

"Who is to be the judge of who is suffering? And why do you want to operate here?" I say.

She ignores the first part.

"We believe the Sons are already here, we only seek to minimize the impact on your city." She says.

I lean forward this is news, I have the agreement with all of them, I don't care the name, they don't get to fish in my pond period, the feud between the Sons and Daughters have been going on for as long as I can remember, seeing she has my full attention she continues on.

"The Sons of Cain have become bold in their actions, careless, we need to find out why they have changed tactics after all these years, we need your help with dealing with them." She says

"If they are here I will deal with it." I say.

She leans forward, her eyes soften.

"Idin my mother asked me to come and plead our case, Idin many of the rules you set forth we still follow, we respect you as an honored elder, Please Idin we need to know why the change in tactics." She says.

Elise her mother with whom I have a history with, she must be desperate to ask me to help them, I sit and contemplate for a moment, I am about the only person any of their kind would even consider asking for help. I have to admit to my self that of the two clans the Daughters are the more reasonable and more trust worthy of the two.

"Lillian you know I can't do that, I will hunt them down and evict them from here, you have done your part by informing me" I say.

"Why not Idin, why do you hate me ... I mean us so much?" She ask.

I see the pain in her eyes and I wonder if that childs crush is still there surely not it has been over two centuries.