{Monarch 3}

“I can’t believe… Look at all of them.”

If Tameka’s eyes grew any wider, tears would spill from them. Xelan’s mouth was agape as he tentatively touched the nacre glass barrier, as if afraid it might shatter. Korac took in the horrific view with an icy glare. Angry but not surprised. Unlike Tumu, who lost some of the depth in his blue complexion.

Aghast, Sagan cupped a hand over her mouth. Her muffled voice trembled when she said, “Hundreds. Thousands. Do they even know what life is like outside that cage?”

“In fact, they don’t.”

They whirled on that deep feminine voice in fear, in trepidation, and in hope, of all things.

Karter, T.a.o., Chris, and Abresson spanned the corridor behind them. Each of them in combat gear. Because of Korac’s Verse, Tameka glanced between Karter and Korac, checking the resemblance. His proud carriage was all they shared in common, loaning credence to Triss’ insistence that Aegis genes were dominant.

Their expressions certainly weren’t similar. Karter, or whoever controlled her, looked patient and calculating. Korac went straight to his frosty Atramentous and clenched that angular jaw of his so tight it made hollows of his cheeks.

Tameka wasted no time and warned the others. “A-Team, we’ve got contact down here. Red alert. Over.”

Celindria as T.a.o. gave a single nod. Karter and Abresson disappeared.

With so much calm that he impressed Tameka, Tumu observed, “Still failed to perfect Seamswalking without a Seamswalker, Celindria? Still limited in range?”

T.a.o.’s eyes moved to assess Tumu almost unnaturally. She tilted her head to the side. Listening.

Tameka and Sagan exchanged a look, ready to pounce, when the woman reanimated so suddenly that their entire company startled.

Xelan shook himself and took a step forward. “Celindria, please. Release T.a.o. to her own volition. She doesn’t deserve this.”

Again, with that avian and robotic nature, the small damaged woman said, “What about what I deserve, father?!”

Korac swept back his coat to reveal those signature dual axes of his and two nacre disabling rifles.

One of which, Tameka snatched and aimed happily at T.a.o. It frustrated her that Xelan insisted on reasoning with the crazy woman when the rifles would take her down. In theory, T.a.o. would wake with her volition restored. A little Tritan blood from Tumu would see her nacre operational again in minutes.

So why this melodrama? Elden, Tameka trusted Xelan too much to shove him out of the way and shoot T.a.o. against his orders. There was a reason. She believed it. In the meantime…

A tremor possessed Xelan’s entire body. He was ahead of her, so Tameka couldn’t see his face—couldn’t fathom his emotions. But even as he trembled, he compelled Celindria, “I know you were wronged. Don’t you think it’s time to stop punishing the world for my mistake?”

What. Mistake. Was. That.

Celindria made T.a.o. sneer, but the stilted action of it added true menace to the smile. “There are so many worlds and you love each one. Even now, you suffer without realizing it. Finding this place amounts to nothing. Even a Seamswalker cannot breach it. All you’ve done—all you ever do—is invite misery onto yourself. Stand aside. Cease this pointless crusade, and we will consider returning what you lost this day. When we finish with it, of course.”

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Sagan held out a hand, and Korac passed her an ax with a warmth Tameka could only describe as pleasure. Everyone relished a chance to take Celindria out. Tumu looked more cautious and concentrated on Xelan.

Tameka took a risk and stepped up to his side, finding him frozen in shock. Unnerved, Tameka asked, “What, Xelan? Do you know what she took—”

“Hey, B-Team, we got a problem.” Over the earpieces, Pablo sounded frightened. “Abresson just blew our cover in the middle of this bar.” At least he was proportionately frightened.

Tameka tried to reach him again. “Xelan, what did she take?”

T.a.o. answered, “I wanted to take you.”

Glaring over the rifle’s barrel, Tameka shrugged. “Too bad.” Wait. That was the answer, wasn’t it? If Celindria couldn’t have Tameka—

“Tameka…” Xelan turned to her as a horrifying reality dawned. He gripped her shoulders. “Be strong. Don’t shoot. We don’t know where she took him. If you free T.a.o. now we may never get him back.”

“Him.”

Even as Tameka spoke the word, it sounded removed from her. Lost in the vacuum that opened in the room. It was a trap, but not for them.

“Wingmaster—” Korac growled. “I detest that you make us call you that. What’re your orders?”

Before he answered, Kyle came over the earpiece. “We are sincerely fucked here. Karter and Chris are about to kill us. Sagan, help!”

They continued to ask Xelan for orders, but Tameka focused on his eyes and tuned everything out. Those black eyes with a midnight blue ring. They sparkled when he smiled and glistened when he cried. So sweet in their son’s little face—

So many nacres.

So much energy.

Tameka knew she’d slipped into Atramentous when she fell to her knees and her wings opened. How much Pax would delight in that.

This was all too much…

When the well opened and siphoned those sources of energy, T.a.o. wasted no time and vanished. Tameka stayed on her knees and filled.

Filled.

And filled.

The forty drones waiting for orders down the hall, and the thirty-two scientists beyond. Lamian princes and rich Luks on the dance floor. The seventeen people in the burlesque lounge—five Caprents, eight Dwarves, and four Tritans. The thirty people at the bar surrounding Kyle, Pablo, and Iuo. Male, female—it didn’t matter. All of their nacre energy filled into Tameka.

Only the Shadow remained untouched. She stole the life of every creature in the Queen’s Fare until she was close to bursting with it.

“Tameka?” Xelan’s warmth. It was almost too much for her. “Tameka, what will you do with all that?”

The sun? No. Not the sun.

They took Pax.

Death was all they deserved. But how?

All the energy in Tameka swelled, gorged, and waited. Alive to the point of burning, she funneled the energy through the same channel she stole it from. Fed them, at first, with their own power. But, again, it was too much…

All of it.

Even the sun.

All nacres—aside from the Shadow—Tameka filled that amber glass to shattering. Including the walls beside them. All the walls around the gas farm blasted open. “Unbreakable” no more.

Around Tameka, people talked, but she could barely hear.

Xelan was closest to her. “She’s in shock.”

Sagan sounded breathless. “I got the others. You won’t believe it. All those people upstairs… I think they’re dead.”

Concern filled Korac’s voice. “Karter and Chris?”

Iuo sighed with relief. “T.a.o. fetched them first. As if Celindria knew.”

Xelan fell to his knees in front of Tameka and took both her hands. Softly, he said, “Come back to me. Please.”

All the energy swirled inside her. None of it touched the pain of returning to the house to find Pax gone. To moving everyone to another location because Imminent compromised the home they’d made. Pablo’s infirmary. Sagan’s nursery.

Pax.

Tears spilled down Tameka’s face and evaporated. The power burned so brightly—

“Thank you for confirming my hypothesis.”

They all faced the unwelcome voice.

Celindria returned T.a.o. to the corridor. The fearless woman inspected the broken glass wall. Contemplatively, not at all concerned, T.a.o. said, “Yes. This will do. Surely the son is as strong, if not stronger. That’s exactly what Mother needs.”

Xelan lunged at her, but T.a.o. Seamswalked back, shaking her finger mockingly.

Tameka found the strength for words. The strength to plead, “Take me, Celindria. Give him back and take me.”

“You’re far too volatile. No, he’s pliable and my blood, after all. My little brother.” That demon gave one stony glare at Xelan before praising Tameka, “This demonstration here proved exactly what I suspected of your ability.”

Frustrated, Tameka shouted, “What’s that?! What could be worth stealing a child?!”

“You’re the key to Ishkur.”

Those unconnected words that meant nothing to Tameka brought more tears. Tears of frustration. Tears of fear. In her pain, Tameka swore, “I will end everything you stand for.”

“You will try.”

Merciless in her victory, Celindria Seamswalked away.