Blood Legacy Origin of Species (23 page)

He returned the phone to Edward who returned it to his coat pocket.

“What do you mean she’s disappeared?” Ryan asked.

Victor glanced to Edward, who took lead in the conversation. “I’ve spoken with several of Marilyn’s staff and they indicated that four days ago Madame de Fontesque left for a walk about her estate in the south of France and has not been seen since.”

“Well,” Ryan said, searching for an explanation, “perhaps she found someone to toy with and has lost track of time.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would suggest the same scenario except for the fact that there is no one,” Edward, said, then repeated it with emphasis, “no one that Marilyn would choose to ‘toy with’ over you,” Edward replied.

“I agree,” Victor said, “and as wild and unpredictable as Marilyn is, she would never break an engagement without notice.”

Ryan looked from one man to the other, her eyes settling on Victor. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“At first the staff did not realize Marilyn was missing. They assumed she had come here on her own,” Victor said. “It was Edward’s inquiries that prompted them to retrace her steps.”

“And—?” Ryan said.

“They found signs of a violent struggle,” Victor said quietly.

“That is ridiculous,” Ryan said, unwilling to believe what he was saying. “Marilyn is as strong as any in this room and as much as she hides it, she is an excellent warrior.”

“I agree,” Victor said, “it doesn’t make sense.”

“Did they check all options?” Ryan demanded. “Did they trace her finances? Interview her latest paramours? Check any phones or computers she might be using?”

“I assure you they have done or are doing all that,” Edward said, “and I am duplicating their effort just in case.”

Ryan’s frustration was growing. “There are few people capable of harming Marilyn, and quite frankly, I would be suspect number one at this point in time. But I am quite certain I am on camera talking to myself in the basement when this occurred.”

“Have you sensed anything?” Victor asked her.

Ryan shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t surprise me. My abilities are greatly compromised right now.”

“I haven’t sensed anything, either,” Victor said, “which would be very strange if she is in any type of danger.”

Ryan felt her blood boil and for an instant was afraid she was going to transition into a savage phase. But she was merely angry and frustrated and feeling very helpless. She wanted to get up and destroy something but she was going to have to do the complete opposite.

“I will see if I can focus my meditation to reach her,” Ryan said, “and you should contact Kusunoki and Ala to see if they can sense her as well.”

Edward nodded and bowed, backing from the room to complete the task.

“I am going to France,” Victor announced. “I may be better able to get a sense of what has occurred there.”

This only served to heighten Ryan’s frustration. She should be going to France but instead she was locked in a dungeon ten stories below ground talking to an imaginary therapist, cycling between a pathetically weak creature who could barely stand and a raging lunatic who wanted to destroy everything.

Aeron and Susan returned with the boys and it took little effort to persuade Aeron to stay with Drake. Ryan felt distinctly uneasy about present events without any real insight why. She had sensed nothing and had no proof that Marilyn was in danger. “Signs of a violent struggle” meant nothing. She and Marilyn had once so trashed a villa that the structure had to be condemned, and there had been no violence nor any struggle involved in that incident.

Ryan tried to calm herself and meditate, but for the first time in centuries, she was unable to do so. Her mind was pure chaos and she could not slow it or focus it in any way. The attempted practice merely increased her frustration until she felt as if she was going to explode. Only the presence of her son brought her any comfort or solace.

“I thought Marilyn was coming,” the boy said, climbing into her lap.

“So did I,” Ryan said, “but we don’t know where she is.”

“Is she hurt?” Drake asked, his blue eyes filled with concern.

Ryan knew she could not lie to him even if she wanted to. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Marilyn is very strong and very smart. There are few people that could hurt her.”

Drake paused, then his words sent a chill through Ryan.

“Madelyn could.”

“Yes,” Ryan agreed, “Madelyn could. But Madelyn is gone.”

“The Queen killed her,” the boy said softly.

Drake’s words pained her. She had no idea how much he remembered from his personal experience and how much he absorbed from her, but regardless, he knew too much for one so young.

“Yes, the Queen killed her.”

“She’s going to take you away, isn’t she?”

Ryan’s head ached from the tears that wouldn’t come. Although she could no longer cry, she could still feel the pain in her throat that accompanied unexpressed emotion.

“That’s a long time, away, Drake. And we’ll figure it out when it comes.”

He settled back into her arms, as dissatisfied with her answer as she was.

Susan prepared the needle for the third try. She wanted to get an updated blood sample to see if anything had changed in Ryan’s system, but as usual she was having great difficulty. She had scoured online resources searching for appropriate medical equipment and had finally begun designing her own. She had worked with a manufacturer to create a needle made of tungsten that tapered down to a point hardly larger than a few atoms that was attached to a syringe. Testing showed that it worked quite well on her own skin, and it worked well on Edward as well.

But of course it didn’t work on Ryan.

“Maybe there is a force field about my body,” Ryan muttered as the needle bent at a ninety degree angle.

“That would not surprise me,” Susan said, trying to remain patient.

Ryan was through with patience. “This is foolish,” she said. She lifted her wrist, slashed it with her own teeth, and thrust the bleeding arm toward Susan. “If you want blood, here.”

Susan froze, staring at the rivulets of blood now running down the inside of Ryan’s arm. She very carefully, very methodically took a pipette and touched it to the wound, drawing a small amount of the viscous liquid up into the glass tube. She just as carefully placed the sample in the tray on the table.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan said, “that was rude of me.”

Susan did not turn to look at her or the blood on her arm. She picked up some sterile wipes and handed them to Ryan, still averting her eyes.

“I know I’m not powerful enough for you to want to Share with me,” Susan said quietly, “but you don’t have to make it so hard.”

Ryan snatched the wrist instead of the wipes and flipped Susan onto her back on the table. In an instant she was upon her, pinning her effortlessly with the full length of her body. She stared down, face-to-face with Susan, an indecipherable expression on her face. Susan quickly checked Ryan’s eye color, but it was normal although her behavior most definitely was not.

Ryan examined the woman beneath her at length. She could have held her indefinitely with weight alone but she kept Susan completely immobile with a fraction of her enormous strength.

“You don’t know anything,” Ryan said at last. She pushed herself upward, then away from the table, then disappeared through the doorway.

Susan remained lying on the table, staring up at the ceiling for quite some time.

“Have you heard word from my father?” Ryan asked Edward.

Edward gave his master a surreptitious glance. She seemed quite out of sorts at the moment, even more so than what was becoming the norm for her.

“He called a little over an hour ago. He has learned nothing about Marilyn’s disappearance and cannot sense her anywhere. Kusunoki is going to join him shortly.”

Ryan paced about the room. “And Abigail?”

“She remains in her summer home for the time being, but has sent forth a small army to assist in any way needed. She indicated she has sensed nothing but she cannot mentally locate Marilyn either.”

This boded ill, Ryan thought. If neither Victor nor Abigail could sense Marilyn, something was wrong. “And Aeron?” Ryan demanded, taking a full roll call.

“He remains with Drake and Jason as you requested.”

Ryan stopped, suddenly realizing why she was taking the roll call as the worry flitting about the peripheries took form.

“And Ala?” she asked, looking Edward straight in the eye.

Edward cleared his throat. “She has not responded to our calls.”

“What do you mean she has not responded?” Ryan said, “I know Ala isolates herself in the jungle, but she has always responded when we called.”

“Well, we have not eliminated the possibility of technical difficulties,” Edward said delicately, “so we sent an envoy, one of our most trusted staff, to assess the situation in person.”

“And?” Ryan said, her suspicions and concern growing.

“We have received no updates.”

“You lost contact with him,” Ryan interpreted.

“Yes, a little over twenty-four hours ago.”

Ryan’s anger was growing. “And when exactly were you going to tell me this?”

“Your father felt you might do something rash if you thought that Ala was missing,” Edward said.

Ryan was fuming, her anger at a boiling point. “I’m going to Africa.”

“Yes,” Edward said under his breath, “something like that.” He knew it was hopeless to dissuade her, but it was his duty to at least try.

“Are you sure that is wise at the moment?” he asked diplomatically.

“Of course it’s not wise,” Ryan snapped back, “it’s probably horribly stupid, but it will fit in perfectly with all of my other actions lately.”

She shook her head, clearing it. “Have my plane on the runway in the hour.”

“It is,” he paused, “it is already to go.”

Ryan turned to the servant who knew her so well. “Thank you, Edward,” she said gratefully, calming herself. She had one last order.

“Please take care of Dr. Ryerson in my absence.”

CHAPTER 16

RYAN EXPERTLY FLICKED THE SWITCHES on the console. She mentally ran through her checklist, got a signal from the linesman, then began her taxi on the runway. Within a minute, the jet lifted smoothly into the air.

“Are you sure this is wise?”

Ryan turned to the creature, not really surprised at his presence in the cockpit.

“No,” she said, repeating her earlier conversation. “I am sure it is as stupid as everything else I have done lately.”

Petrus glanced out the window uneasily as the features of the ground disappeared into a postage stamp mosaic.

Ryan checked a few more gauges and then sent the plane into a dramatic bank before righting it onto its lengthy trajectory.

“So what are you going to do if you get all red-eyed on this flight?” Petrus asked.

“I’m not sure,” Ryan replied, “From what I’ve heard, I doubt I can fly the plane in that condition. But,” she replied, flicking another switch, “I know that I can survive a free fall impact from 15,000 feet, so hopefully we won’t be any higher than that at the time.”

She turned to him. “So if you really are my mental creation, you should be fine. If not...”

Petrus did not respond.

After two in-flight refuelings, the jet landed on the strip in Quesso. Ryan had chosen this particular airport primarily because of the corruption index of the locals; almost everything was available for a price. Although under normal circumstances the plane might have disappeared due to graft, simple contact with the stunning yet terrifying pilot rendered that idea implausible. No amount of money would be worth the wrath of this one.

The weather was characteristically humid and Ryan entered the jungle almost with a sense of relief. There were certain places such as Kusunoki’s shrine where she felt immediate peace. Ala’s homeland, even more than her own, was one of them.

Even so, Ryan could not shake the sensation that something was very wrong. She had a brief conversation with Victor prior to her departure, who, of course, was opposed to her journey. But he, too, sensed that events were spinning out of control. And she could tell from her abbreviated conversation with Kusunoki that he was greatly disturbed by Ala’s lack of contact. They continued to search for Marilyn with no success.

Ryan moved through the jungle quickly, far more quickly than she could have by vehicle. When the undergrowth became too thick, she took to the tree-tops, flinging herself from tree to tree with abandon. The physical exertion seemed to provide some sort of release and she continued for hours on end until she neared Ala’s home. When she got close, she paused in the top of a great umbrella tree to assess what was ahead of her. She could feel Ala’s extended family and did not like what she felt. And she did not feel Ala at all.

There seemed to be a great deal of fear and uncertainty among the people ahead. And there was pronounced indecision and argument as to a course of action. Ryan paused without really knowing why. A normal response would be to arrive in the village, contact Kokumuo, and investigate Ala’s disappearance. But every instinct Ryan possessed told her this was a bad idea.