Chapter 30

CANADA

The streets were rapidly filling with men and women and even children as Aihola and the others walked slowly down the cracked and worn pavement. The small town of Kelwood had not fared well since the Great Fire, many of its buildings destroyed and still blackened. The signs however were subtle, and Aihola could tell that much of the outer appearance was prefabricated and made to look that way. Dekton walked next to her, Aihola holding tightly to his hand, seeing so many of her people causing her heart to race with happiness. The hundreds that were lining the streets were whispering among themselves, all of them seeing the Queen's medallion that Aihola wore around her neck.

Dienekes reports that they have secured the area with snipers. General Vengal has moved into position unseen with his force as well. Dekton passed to her through their telepathic link.

Dekton ... do you ... do you think they will attempt something?

Your safety is my primary concern Little Drow. As it is Vengal's. He insisted that we keep some of our force hidden in an overwatch position. Based on the reaction to Nayeca by the other Drow it seemed very prudent. Dekton replied affectionately. And Tarifa and I love you too much to lose you to something as stupid as a suicide attack or worse.

Aihola looked at him, his dark blue eyes smiling at her and causing little shivers to course through her. She squeezed his hand tightly. When we found you Dekton, Tarifa and I ... we became complete. Something I will thank Martin for in spades when he returns.

Keeping you and Tarifa and all those he considers friend safe is what matters most to him. Dekton replied. As for me ... when the two of you came in to my life, my daughters could feel my happiness even in Sparta. We will have a long life my love, and many children.

Now that is something I will look forward too Dekton. She answered her amber eyes twinkling. I will especially enjoy the parts where we have to make those children.

Dekton grinned. As will I.

His eyes caught the parting of several layers of men and women in front of him and the two older elf females moved slowly forward, the Drow all around them bowing their heads and parting to the sides.

Little Drow ... He said motioning with his head.

Aihola turned and saw the two females moving towards her. She took a deep breath and came to a stop in the middle of the road; her hand gripping Dekton's even more. They were obviously the Drow Elders from the way the people reacted to them in reverence, and they were much older than most of the Drow around them. Aihola felt her heart speed up even more as they approached her, their eyes focused on the medallion she wore. They stopped in front of Aihola, looking her up and down as if apprising a side of beef, before their eyes settled on the medallion she wore.

"It is true." One of the Elders spoke in a whisper, awe clearly in her voice. "You ... you have come; the daughter of ... the daughter of Queen Anatyla." She spoke. "We ... we had known she was captured by the Alliance ... that she fought bitterly until the end. Word escaped with the Holy One all those years ago that ... that she had given birth to two children while a prisoner of the Alliance."

Aihola looked at the Elder with stunned surprise in her eyes. "How ... how do you know that?" She asked, feeling Tari come up next to her.

The Drow Elder allowed a warm smile to caress her face as she stared at Aihola. "I was one who she helped to escape in her last days." She spoke softly. "I ... I saw the two of you enter this world, and it is here that you have finally come after so many years." She bowed her head. "I am Hwia my Queen and this is Aelulip. We were chosen as Elders to hold our people together."

"And it appears you have done a wonderful job." Aihola spoke, her eyes searching the hundreds of faces that lined the area all around them. "I ... we never imagined that so many of our people had survived the purge. If not for Nayeca we would have never..."

"Nayeca?" Hwia said, her face darkening.

Aihola nodded and motioned behind her to where Nayeca stood next to Daniel and Anuk. "She came to Eden and revealed to us that this city of Drow existed."

Hwia glanced over to the side. "I must thank you for returning her to face punishment my Queen. She has much to answer for. Seize her!" She barked.

Two Drow females, warriors by the looks of their uniforms and weapons broke from the ranks of men and women, moving purposefully toward Nayeca. Anuk felt more than saw Nayeca's eyes go wide as she stepped back. Anuk reacted in an instant, her Nehtes appearing in her hand and extending to its full length. She stepped in front of Nayeca quickly; the spearhead of her Nehtes pressed to the chest of one of the female Drow women as they both stopped almost immediately.

"Not a good idea." Anuk snarled at the larger Drow female.

The second warrior grasped the shaft of the Nehtes and attempted to twist it away from her comrade. Her eyes grew wide when the Nehtes didn't budge an inch in Anuk's grasp. She applied greater pressure and Anuk twisted her wrist and forearm quickly. The flat portion of the Nehtes slapped hard into the face of the second Drow female and sent her sprawling and then returned to poke into the chest of the first Drow, all in a split second.

Hwia's eyes opened wide as P190s came up into the ready position in the blink of an eye. Drow warriors scattered throughout the crowd brought weapons up as well, leveling them at the thirty-five Eden soldiers. "Hold!" She cried, her head turning from side to side. Her eyes returned to where Aihola stood, her K12 leveled squarely at Hwia's head. Dekton had stepped closer to her, his P190 leveled at the second Elder, "My ... my Queen?"

"Nayeca brought us here Hwia." Aihola spoke sternly. "She is under the protection of me and the Elf High King."

"My ... my Queen, she violated our laws!" Hwia spoke quickly, "Laws that we have had in place for over a century; laws that protect our people and have allowed us to grow."

Aihola nodded. "Yes ... laws that force young women to submit to relations they may not desire." She spoke. "I call that slavery, and I won't begin to relate to you how the High King views such practices."

"It is not slavery!" Aelulip spoke up now. "The strongest of our people make stronger children! We have needed this for decades to build our population."

Aihola looked at her. "You have done this since you came here?" She asked stunned.

"Our women outnumber the men three to one my Queen." Hwia spoke. "It has always been like this. The strongest females choose the strongest males and they come together and have children."

"And there is no love?"

"We do not have the luxury of love my Queen." Hwia spoke. "Nayeca violated our laws when she refused the attentions of a male warrior not chosen by an older female. She injured him severely, and now he can no longer have children."

Aihola's aim with her K12 never wavered. "It is much kinder than I would have done." She spoke sternly.

"She must be punished!" Aelulip demanded. "Her actions robbed us of a possible breeder and the children he could have fathered."

"And what is the punishment for her actions?" Aihola asked.

"She was banished from our city upon pain of death if she returned." Aelulip spoke. "She will be put to death of course."

"I will not be punished for not allowing a male to rape me!" Nayeca barked, her P190 up and ready to use.

Anuk's grip tightened on her Nehtes and she moved closer to Nayeca. "They'll have to go through me first." She growled. She smiled when she felt Danny step up next to her on one side and Melancton took up station on Nayeca's opposite side.

"She has fought beside us Queen Aihola." Melancton spoke sternly. "We would be remiss in our honor as Spartans to allow this to happen. They will have to come through me and my son as well."

Aihola looked quickly at Dekton. I will not allow anything to happen to her my love. She sent to him.

Dekton nodded. I never doubted that Little Drow. Perhaps she should remain outside this city then.

Aihola turned back to Hwia. "Nayeca will remain outside the city." She said.

"That is not good enough!" Aelulip snapped.

Aihola's eyes burned. "It had better be." She spoke in a menacing voice. "I will allow no harm to come to her, and any who attempt to do so will answer to me."

"The Queen of the Drow would not act like this!" Aelulip told her heatedly. "She would understand the laws."

"If we are all that remains of our people then I would be committing a more grievous sin by allowing her to die for not submitting to unwanted advances." Aihola spoke calmly. "She is under the protection of the Spartans of the Royal Guard now."

"Who ... who are these Spartans you speak of?" Hwia asked.

"The Elf High King is also King of the Spartans. It is a city across the oceans, and it has been in existence far longer then even the elves. The Spartans have three crimes that they hold more heinous than all others, and rape is one of them." Aihola told her. "My mate is a Spartan." She said motioning to Dekton. Aihola heard gasps from many that had gathered to witness what was happening.

"Mate?" Hwia asked stunned. "You have ... you have taken a husband?"

Aihola nodded. "Yes I have. And Tarifa, Queen of the High Elves shares our love and our bed."

"The ... the oldest of our laws demands the Queen of the Drow take the strongest male Drow as her mate." Aelulip spoke. "Not some ... not some foreigner who does not follow our laws! Nor would the Queen of the Drow take a female into her bed, let alone the Queen of our hated enemies."

"Times have changed." Aihola spoke firmly. "I choose who I share my bed and my life with, not some archaic law." Aihola saw the looks of stunned shock on both their faces. "I have already chosen, and there will be no discussion on that. The High Elves are not our enemies! I came here to lead my people out of the darkness and move them to a city that will allow them to be free and make their own decisions; a city where they are accepted without question or regard for what has occurred in the past; a city of elves and humans working side by side. You see for yourself I have Wood elves, High elves and humans in my group. We fight side by side ... live side by side ... against our common enemy. And that enemy is the Alliance."

Aihola noticed the looks and murmurs coming from many of the men and women who were witnessing this.

Little Drow I believe there is more going on here than we know. Dekton told her.

I sense it as well. Aihola replied her amber eyes gazing around slowly. I get the feeling many of these people are not aware of what has transpired outside the reach of this city.

I smell questions. Dekton spoke, Indecision on the part of many of them. The heartbeats of many of the warriors have increased as well.

Aihola lowered her K12. "My people will remain outside the city." She spoke quickly. "Emotions are running high, and we need to talk of many things. My brother and I will accompany you, along with my mate Dekton."

Aelulip began to reply but Hwia held up her hand quickly. "The Queen is right." She said.

"And you will turn Nayeca over to us?" Aelulip barked.

Aihola shook her head. "No. She will remain with my friends outside the city until after we have talked." She said.

"That is not acceptable!" Aelulip snapped. "She is..."

Hwia nodded. "Very well," She spoke overriding her younger counterpart.

Aihola turned to Daniel. "Set up a small camp outside the city limits Daniel." She spoke. "Make sure our people remain in place."

Danny nodded and swept his arm in front of Nayeca and Anuk, ushering them back. "No problem."

This may not be a good idea Little Drow. Dekton told her.

Perhaps ... but it is something we need to do. Aihola told him. Don't you trust me?

You and Tari I trust with my life. He answered. Your people however have yet to instill a great deal of trust in me.

Then perhaps we should find out why. Aihola said with a smile.

Dekton shook his head. And you call Tarifa reckless?

Aihola turned back to Hwia. "Please ... lead on."

SPARTA

"Dysea ... how ... how is he?" Aricia's voice was full of worry, even through the monitor she looked at. She could see her gripping Anja's hand tightly, and through the video connection Dysea could detect the tenseness of her body. Looking at them sitting together thousands of miles away and not able to be here with her and Martin was pulling at them hard. Dysea also noticed for the first time how breathtakingly beautiful Aricia truly was. She lowered her psychic shields and sent waves of love and reassurance through the connection they shared, seeing them visibly relax at the table where they sat.

"He is stable Little Wolf." Dysea spoke with a gentle smile. "He was holding up a thousand pound block of concrete with his back to keep it from crushing a young girl and I beneath him. He lost a great deal of blood from many cuts, but he is resting now. The doctors say he is already healing extraordinarily fast, and they say he will be awake and moving by mid day tomorrow."

"He is pig headed Dysea, you must make him do what the doctors tell him." Anja said.

"I will Melyanna." She answered with a smile. "If he does not I will tell him that you will return to Sparta to personally supervise his recovery." Her eyes turned to Aricia. "Little Wolf that was an excellent tactical move, having Lander lock down the city."

Aricia smiled. "I was only doing what Martin asked of me." She replied.

"That you thought of it at all knowing he had been injured and we might have possibly been buried alive is incredible." Dysea spoke. She turned as Hali brought her the mug of hot tea and squeezed her shoulder.

"How many?" Aricia asked soberly.

Dysea sipped her tea first, allowing the liquid to chase away the chill in her body. She lifted her head to the screen, "Two hundred sixty-nine dead." She answered. "Another three hundred and eighty wounded, some not expected to make it through the night. Of the dead ... fifty six were children younger than twelve." Dysea couldn't help the tears that came now, her entire system crashing after the last few hours of adrenalin rush. "They ... they came to see ... they came to see us."

"Dysea you..." Anja started.

"No!" Aricia snapped surprising everyone with the tone of her voice. Dysea's head came up and she stared at the monitor. "Martin would not expect this from us! We are Queens of Sparta! He would expect us to act like it!"

"Little Wolf ... she..." Anja began to say.

"She feels responsible!" Aricia said. "I know! We all feel responsible in some fashion Anja my love, even you and I and we were not even there! Our beloved ... our King ... he loves us so deeply for a multitude of reasons, but the most important escapes us now."

"What do you mean?" Anja asked.

"He knows ... he knows we are strong individually, and even stronger when we are together in our actions! He is a Lycavorian, the son of King Leonidas ... and he would not expect us to weep. He would expect us to act! When we are ... when we are alone ... and he is holding us in his arms ... then we can weep and mourn. I know ... I know I am still very young, and I have much to learn ... but I ... I know this is what he would want us to be."

Anja stared at her for a long moment, her jade green eyes wide. Dysea took a deep breath where she sat staring too at the youngest of the Queens the man they all loved had chosen.

"She is so very right." Dysea said softly, the strength returning to her voice now. "The youngest of us all and it is she that speaks with the true voice of a Queen."

Aricia looked at her from within the monitor. "Dysea I did not mean to..."

Dysea smiled lovingly. "You are correct though Little Wolf." She spoke. "And that is why you are Nauta Melme's favorite and most cherished."

Aricia's eyes went wide. "Me?" She gasped unbelievingly. "I ... I don't think that is the case ... I merely state what we all know in our hearts to be true. Martin is injured ... and he would expect his Spartan Queens to rule in his stead."

"And so we shall." Dysea said. She took another long sip of tea and took a deep breath. She had been Queen to thousands for so long, and now she was Queen to trillions more, as were they all, and now she needed to start acting like it once more. "The Senate will undoubtedly move quickly if Autolycus has his way. He will attempt something to wrench power from him, I feel it, and that I will not allow."

"We can trust no one except The Guardian and his father." Aricia said softly, returning to her chair within the monitor. "Is he there?"

"He has left Sparta." Dysea said. "He told Kenny and Cody that he had someone to see. We can track him, but currently he is outside the city limits, and I don't know what he is doing."

"Dysea ... you don't think..." Anja said.

"No!" Dysea spoke quickly. "He and his father were nearly killed by the same explosion, and by all reports they saved dozens of lives right after. It has been his single goal in life, to protect Martin, to protect what he is. He forsakes his wife and children to do this." Dysea shook her head. "Whatever he is doing, I am sure it is only in Martin's benefit. I saw his face Melyanna ... I saw his face when Martin's father appeared to us; the love and devotion to a dead King that only he serves now. He is one of only a handful that we can trust at the moment."

"I was able to probe this Deval asshole pretty deeply." Anja spoke softly. "It was not pleasant and I was not able to get a lot out of him before they killed him, but I was able to discover three things. They have found a reactor they can use to activate the defenses on EDEN, and they are very suspicious of the mission Aihola is leading. They don't know exactly what is going on, but they suspect something."

"We must move quickly." Aricia spoke confidently. "Dysea you said that Martin believes the vampire witch's brother is already on his way here?"

Dysea nodded. "It is a feeling he has." She replied.

"And it will be three weeks before the Lycavorian people can get here?" Aricia said.

"That is what he told me." Dysea spoke. "This talk of space ships and numbers is beyond me, but I believe he knows what is going on. Ever since he was touched by his father it is almost as if he has a heightened sense of things. I caught him wandering with his mind, seeing things, images that were as beautiful as they were amazing. His aura ... it is clearer, stronger and so much more pure. When he first touched me after Thermopylae it was as if this huge warm blanket engulfed me in a cocoon. I have never felt anything so welcoming and filled with love." Dysea looked at them in the monitor. "Melyanna ... do you believe Aihola's mission is threatened?"

Anja shook her head quickly. "I don't think they know exactly what is going on." She replied. "That doesn't mean they won't find out. Tarifa is passing on to Aihola what has happened right now. Aihola is meeting with the Drow Elders. They weren't ... they weren't particularly happy to see her it seems."

"Graham?" Dysea asked.

Anja chuckled cruelly. "Lynwe disposed of him." She said. "From what I understand it wasn't at all pleasant and had to do with peeling his skin off and then letting him roast in the sun a little at a time. She was unable to get any additional information from him. I'll let Tarifa know to have them stay even more alert and I'll have Ben do some high altitude recons over the northern part of Alliance territory."

"The pilots and members of Tareif's division are standing by on a one hour notice." Aricia said. "We can be airborne in ninety minutes should the need arise."

"We?" Dysea asked.

"I will be going with them." Aricia said matter of factly.

Dysea smiled at her through the monitor. "Our Little Wolf isn't so little anymore is she Melyanna?"

Anja smiled and Dysea saw her squeeze Aricia's hand while Aricia's face blushed red even under her deep tan. "No she isn't." Anja said. "She still tastes wonderful though."

Dysea smiled. "And I look forward to the day when I will taste her again myself."

Aricia was blushing madly now and she smiled. "Stop it both of you." She said shyly. "Or I will make you both pay dearly."

Dysea smiled seductively looking at the monitor. "Is that a promise Little Wolf?" She asked.

"I am going to remain here in Eden with Tarifa, Lynwe and Selene to coordinate." Anja spoke with a smile. "Tarifa and Selene have begun contacting dozens of other elf tribes and clans across the globe, urging them to make their way here to Eden. Lynwe and I ... Lynwe and I have begun acting on intelligence in regards to vampire agents within Eden. I've instructed Admiral Wallace to begin putting together plans to retake EDEN if Martin wants to go that way."

"Tarifa's father and I have been refining the operation to fly north." Aricia spoke. "We will continue to do so until Aihola calls for extraction."

Dysea looked at Anja in the monitor. "What is wrong Melyanna?" She asked.

Anja looked at her platinum blond lover in the transmission. "I ... I experienced an odd sensation when I withdrew from Deval's mind as they killed him. It affected me strangely and when Lynwe touched me right after it touched her as well."

"What was it?" Dysea asked seeing Aricia look at Anja.

Anja shook her head. "I don't know." She looked at Dysea in the transmission and then at Aricia. She would never keep anything from these women, especially Aricia. "It ... it was hot ... like a fever ... and when Lynwe touched me to steady me afterwards it passed to her."

"You aren't sick my love." Aricia said.

Anja nodded. "I know ... that's why it was very strange. I will talk to her about it more, and perhaps discuss it with Peder. He is our resident vampire expert."

"You said you were able to gleam three things from Deval Melyanna." Dysea spoke. "What else did you discover?"

Anja looked at her. "Whoever this traitor is in Sparta, he or she is very high up Dysea. They killed him before I could get a clearer picture, and I don't think Deval knew the identity, but he did know this person was important. And he also knew of an assassin in Sparta, Yuri's personal henchman so to speak."

Dysea nodded. "I figured as much. Whoever placed the bomb must have been watching us for several weeks." She said. "Why is this important?"

"Whoever they are Dysea, they are Lycavorian." Anja spoke.

Dysea looked at her for a long moment. "I will contact the Holy One."

Atropos rubbed his large hand over his face as he sat up in bed. His home was situated in the mountains that surrounded Sparta, and only a handful of people knew how to reach it. He had built it in secret as a hunting cabin for himself and his brothers and father. When he had been exiled for his supposed crime this is where he had come. He did not stray far from this home unless he needed supplies, and then he made the four hour trip to Athens to purchase what he needed. He had forged a life for himself working in Athens as an enforcer of sorts for the largest criminal organization. The money had afforded him the opportunity to outfit the cabin in a comfortable fashion, but it still remained very Spartan like. Andreus stayed in touch with him weekly, passing information and news to him whenever he could. He had not heard from his brother in nearly two months now, but he was not concerned as there had been stretches where Andreus had not come calling for months at a time.

Atropos was nearly two thousand years old, his skin weathered and deeply tanned, but he remained in superb physical condition from his constant training regime. He rose every morning at this time and shifted into wolf form, running through the mountains for miles, before coming back to his home to work his small garden and immerse himself in the thousands of books and scrolls Andreus and others had brought him. He had not been a very good student in his youth, preferring the brutal life of a Spartan warrior over schooling, and his education had been sorely lacking.

When she had come into his life, everything had changed.

Atropos turned his head and looked at her bare shoulder, the sheet barely covering her lithe tanned body. Her long brown hair splayed across his pillows like satin, her figure causing his groin to stir even this early in the morning. A thousand years of life separated them, but this female wolf had been the only female to ever stir his blood. And she was the reason for his dishonor and exile.

The first moment they had laid eyes upon each other they had known. She had not even reached the age of consent yet, and her exuberance and bubbly personality had entranced him from the first day. He fought his feelings for so long, burying them deep. She was considered too young to be taken by an Alpha as a mate, and the younger males were lining up at her door to petition her father for her hand a decade before she came of age. It was only Atropos, who held her heart and her eye however, and when he could contain his love and emotions for her no longer, they had broken the one Spartan Law that was treasured above all others. No female wolf would be taken as a mate before she reached the age of consent, as it was deemed too emotionally taxing for them to make those types of decisions on their own. It was a ridiculous law they both knew, and it only served to push them closer together.

Their third time together they had been discovered by her father and Atropos was given a choice; to confess to attempting to rape her and being exiled and dishonored, or being put to death and her alongside him for fornicating in such a manner before she reached the age of consent.

The decision was easy for Atropos, as he valued her life far more than his own. He endured the exile and the banishment with a stoic nature, never saying anything to refute the charges against him. When it became clear her father intended to dishonor his entire family, Atropos rebelled for only a few days, until his father demanded he accept the offer given to him. It was a horrible day in his life, being abandoned by his own father, and it hardened Atropos to all others around him. He kept watch over her from a distance for five years, until they day she was betrothed to another Alpha. It was then that Atropos lost almost all hope for their future, whatever it may be. He had returned to this very cabin, and on the day he was going to take his own life she came to him, so young and beautiful and mated. She swore her love to him for all time, and begged him not to leave her.

That had been five hundred years ago, and now she came to him at least once a month and they spent several days renewing their love. Her mate was always busy with his other female toys and hardly ever showed her affection. She endured his pawing of her at times, but all of that was washed away when she fell into his arms. It was she who had insisted he become educated and schooled, and many times they would lie around his home naked and reading to each other from some ancient novel or scroll. She had bore him two children, sons that he had never seen because of her position, and she kept them far out of her mate's reach. They were now part of the new Spartan Royal Guard, under his brother's command. The descendant of Leonidas had returned, and not just any descendant, but the unborn son of Leonidas. They had been close enough to Sparta to be overwhelmed by the telepathic message that had covered the city, and like many of Sparta's citizens they were still in awe of what and who their people really were. They had spent last night gazing at the stars for hours until the chill had chased them inside and into bed.

Atropos leaned over her bare shoulder and nibbled her skin gently, causing her to push back against him with a smile. "Go!" She whispered out with half closed eyes. "I will be here when you return Old Man."

Atropos grinned at her pet name for him and slid out from under the covers, tucking them back in around her. He watched as she rolled over, embracing his pillow and pulling it close to her chest and face with a look of contentment.

Atropos padded into the small bathroom and turned on the dim light, going to the sink and splashing water over his craggy face. His home always smelled of her strongly while she was here, and it lasted for days even after she had gone. The sweet smell of Lilacs filled his nostrils and he breathed deeply, her essence filling him as it always did. Then he detected it. It was faint ... like musky cedar wood ... and it set off alarms all through his head. He turned quickly, turning off the light and moving silently to the bed.

He placed his hand over her soft lips firmly, her eyes flying open. Lilika stay in here. He whispered to her within their telepathic link.

Atropos! Is it...

I don't know. It is a scent I have not smelled in many years. Remain here my love. Protect yourself if need be. He took the small pistol from the table next to the bed and pressed it into her hand. Do not move unless you have too. Whoever this is, they are old enough to detect even the slightest shit in the wind. Let me lead them away.