Part 16
The two immortals stared at each other. Leo circled around Glory as he eyed her up and down. Glory took a deep breath and smiled at Leo. "Don't look so pissed, Leo."
The whitelighter narrowed his eyes and raised his finger. "The only reason I haven't spilled the beans is that the elders told me this is your last chance at being saved! If I had my choice, I would have told them everything. The elders insist on waiting, on giving you the opportunity to come clean."
Glory bit her lip and shrugged. "It was masterful, don't you think?" She got a faraway look in her eyes.
"Are you reliving it?" Leo demanded in disbelief.
"It was one of my best performances yet," Glory replied dreamily. She closed her eyes. "The kingdom was dying. The people were losing faith in my family. We could do nothing about the drought. Add to that the fact that my brother allowed both the king and the general of Antar."
She saw it as if it was happening before her eyes.
The queen's eyelids fluttered closed. Ch'ali fell limply on the bed.
The murderer rose, wiped hands on the gown that Ch'ali wore. King Lexan strode out of the room and nodded to the servant girls that passed by him. He looked directly up at the surveillance installed before their door raised his hand, effectively cutting the record.
Within the space of five seconds, Glory morphed back into her own form. She called to her men, dissatisfied civilians seeking only their fields' fertility. The men lifted their burden towards her and paused. The princess laid her hand upon her unconscious brother's cheek and laid a gentle kiss. "I've broken you out of your enchantment, Lexan."
"And when he woke up," Leo provided stiffly, "he saw his queen dead in their own bed, with himself as the only one present."
Glory hummed in satisfaction. "And there were witness to his crime," she continued. "The maids saw him at the doorway moments before. Lexan had run to the security room and saw the last recording of that area was of himself turning it off."
"It was from masterful," Leo cut off. "It was reprehensible."
Glory finally opened her eyes and arched an eyebrow at him. "I fail to see why. I accomplished what I needed to. My people received their rain; and we were no longer under the mercy of Antarians!"
"You've cursed your own brother!" Leo argued.
Glory shook her head. "I loved Lexan with all of my heart. I did everything so that our people would remember him as a great king."
"And this is just what he needed," Leo agreed sarcastically. "Do you know that before he was born in this dimension, I could hear his essence howling from the stars?"
The hell goddess nodded. "But you have always been overly dramatic." She walked towards the whitelighter and combed her fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "You understand that I love him, but you don't understand how I could do what I did. You understand the politics of Lexan's past; yet you do not know that in ancient kingdoms, everything's an eye for an eye."
Leo stiffened when Glory's fingernails but into his temple. He felt a great pressure sucking him out, towards the digits pressed in his skull. The edges of his vision blacked out.
Cole orbed into the room and saw the scene before him. It was an automatic response. He did not need to ask who was on his side. His arm shot out and he threw a ball of fire towards Glory.
He walked towards the fallen whitelighter and extended his hand. Leo shook the fuzzy cobwebs out of his head and took Cole's hand. "Thanks," he grunted.
"What are brothers-in-law for?"
~~
"Oh my God!"
Chloe muttered in her sleep. Just her luck. She got stuck with girlfriends who would not shut up when she wants to get some sleep!
"Oh my God!"
And then this insistent shaking. That voice was Maria de Luca. Maria de Luca was going to die in the morning. After Chloe got enough sleep.
"Chloe, wake up!"
All right, that was Isabel's voice. Something was definitely going on. Even if Chloe could take on Maria, it was harder to do when an alien with powers was on her side.
Chloe wanted to cry. She really liked sleeping here in the open air, feeling safe and protected because new versions of Zan and Rath were several yards away ready to protect her. She sat up. "What? What?"
The nomadic Roswellians pointed towards a lone figure in the distance. Chloe blinked and squinted at the approaching person. "Is that-"
"Ohhhh wooow," Liz exclaimed, drawing out her words. "That's your killer."
Chloe was getting frustrated. "That's my-" She would have said boyfriend, but one passionate night did not equate to a relationship, even if you apparently have a thousand year history. "That's Lex."
Maria scampered for her backpack. She took binoculars and focused on Lex. "Oh Chloe, he's old!"
Chloe frowned at Maria. "Lex was reborn," she retorted. "Michael's an old guy repackaged. That's freakier."
"Girls," Isabel said, trying to pacify the two, "let's not get into that."
The four saw Kyle calling the two young men. Their gazes widened when Max and Michael raced directly in front of Lex.
"What are they doing?" Chloe cried. She glimpsed Michael's fist behind him. "Oh no, they don't!" She crawled towards the ladder and quickly climbed down. The three girls followed closely behind her.
"Michael!" Maria called. "Temper."
"Max, you've got to think," Liz yelled.
"Kyle, you'd better stop them or I'll roast you!" Isabel commanded.
Chloe ran towards the standoff. She stopped next to Michael because the hybrid grabbed her upper arm. She pulled away but stayed in place. "What are you doing here, Lex? I thought you didn't want to see me. That's what I got when I woke up alone. After making love with you."
"Damn, man, didn't anyone teach you proper etiquette?" Kyle asked.
Chloe shut Kyle up by biting out, "He went to the best and most exclusive schools. Of course he has etiquette." And then she turned back to Lex, "Just not with me, right?"
Lex stood firm and swallowed. He saw that long-haired young man clenching his jaw in anger. He could tell that that guy was dangerous. Lex looked deeper into the young man's eyes. He recognized him. Rath! He looked at his companions and was able to give name to two more. There was Zan and Vilandra. Why was Chloe hanging out with Vilandra? Maybe he should have taken Angel and his sky-high prices. But Lex really wanted to visit Chloe against Angel's advice.
"I wanted to tell you something, Chloe," he started. Were those tears in her eyes? "You have to stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you."
"Do you love her?" Maria asked, earning hard glances from her friends.
"He doesn't," Chloe answered for Lex. "Why else would he not fight? Lex never believed in rules that should govern his life. Why should he stay away from me if he loves me?"
Lex didn't look at Chloe. He directed his answer to Maria. "I don't love her. If I loved her I would keep her with me so that when I feel the urge to kill her again, I can just turn to face her then stranger her."
He turned around and started to walk away.
Chloe turned to Michael and Max. "Don't."
"Don't what?" Max asked.
"Just don't." And Chloe ran after Lex.
The two immortals stared at each other. Leo circled around Glory as he eyed her up and down. Glory took a deep breath and smiled at Leo. "Don't look so pissed, Leo."
The whitelighter narrowed his eyes and raised his finger. "The only reason I haven't spilled the beans is that the elders told me this is your last chance at being saved! If I had my choice, I would have told them everything. The elders insist on waiting, on giving you the opportunity to come clean."
Glory bit her lip and shrugged. "It was masterful, don't you think?" She got a faraway look in her eyes.
"Are you reliving it?" Leo demanded in disbelief.
"It was one of my best performances yet," Glory replied dreamily. She closed her eyes. "The kingdom was dying. The people were losing faith in my family. We could do nothing about the drought. Add to that the fact that my brother allowed both the king and the general of Antar."
She saw it as if it was happening before her eyes.
The queen's eyelids fluttered closed. Ch'ali fell limply on the bed.
The murderer rose, wiped hands on the gown that Ch'ali wore. King Lexan strode out of the room and nodded to the servant girls that passed by him. He looked directly up at the surveillance installed before their door raised his hand, effectively cutting the record.
Within the space of five seconds, Glory morphed back into her own form. She called to her men, dissatisfied civilians seeking only their fields' fertility. The men lifted their burden towards her and paused. The princess laid her hand upon her unconscious brother's cheek and laid a gentle kiss. "I've broken you out of your enchantment, Lexan."
"And when he woke up," Leo provided stiffly, "he saw his queen dead in their own bed, with himself as the only one present."
Glory hummed in satisfaction. "And there were witness to his crime," she continued. "The maids saw him at the doorway moments before. Lexan had run to the security room and saw the last recording of that area was of himself turning it off."
"It was from masterful," Leo cut off. "It was reprehensible."
Glory finally opened her eyes and arched an eyebrow at him. "I fail to see why. I accomplished what I needed to. My people received their rain; and we were no longer under the mercy of Antarians!"
"You've cursed your own brother!" Leo argued.
Glory shook her head. "I loved Lexan with all of my heart. I did everything so that our people would remember him as a great king."
"And this is just what he needed," Leo agreed sarcastically. "Do you know that before he was born in this dimension, I could hear his essence howling from the stars?"
The hell goddess nodded. "But you have always been overly dramatic." She walked towards the whitelighter and combed her fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "You understand that I love him, but you don't understand how I could do what I did. You understand the politics of Lexan's past; yet you do not know that in ancient kingdoms, everything's an eye for an eye."
Leo stiffened when Glory's fingernails but into his temple. He felt a great pressure sucking him out, towards the digits pressed in his skull. The edges of his vision blacked out.
Cole orbed into the room and saw the scene before him. It was an automatic response. He did not need to ask who was on his side. His arm shot out and he threw a ball of fire towards Glory.
He walked towards the fallen whitelighter and extended his hand. Leo shook the fuzzy cobwebs out of his head and took Cole's hand. "Thanks," he grunted.
"What are brothers-in-law for?"
~~
"Oh my God!"
Chloe muttered in her sleep. Just her luck. She got stuck with girlfriends who would not shut up when she wants to get some sleep!
"Oh my God!"
And then this insistent shaking. That voice was Maria de Luca. Maria de Luca was going to die in the morning. After Chloe got enough sleep.
"Chloe, wake up!"
All right, that was Isabel's voice. Something was definitely going on. Even if Chloe could take on Maria, it was harder to do when an alien with powers was on her side.
Chloe wanted to cry. She really liked sleeping here in the open air, feeling safe and protected because new versions of Zan and Rath were several yards away ready to protect her. She sat up. "What? What?"
The nomadic Roswellians pointed towards a lone figure in the distance. Chloe blinked and squinted at the approaching person. "Is that-"
"Ohhhh wooow," Liz exclaimed, drawing out her words. "That's your killer."
Chloe was getting frustrated. "That's my-" She would have said boyfriend, but one passionate night did not equate to a relationship, even if you apparently have a thousand year history. "That's Lex."
Maria scampered for her backpack. She took binoculars and focused on Lex. "Oh Chloe, he's old!"
Chloe frowned at Maria. "Lex was reborn," she retorted. "Michael's an old guy repackaged. That's freakier."
"Girls," Isabel said, trying to pacify the two, "let's not get into that."
The four saw Kyle calling the two young men. Their gazes widened when Max and Michael raced directly in front of Lex.
"What are they doing?" Chloe cried. She glimpsed Michael's fist behind him. "Oh no, they don't!" She crawled towards the ladder and quickly climbed down. The three girls followed closely behind her.
"Michael!" Maria called. "Temper."
"Max, you've got to think," Liz yelled.
"Kyle, you'd better stop them or I'll roast you!" Isabel commanded.
Chloe ran towards the standoff. She stopped next to Michael because the hybrid grabbed her upper arm. She pulled away but stayed in place. "What are you doing here, Lex? I thought you didn't want to see me. That's what I got when I woke up alone. After making love with you."
"Damn, man, didn't anyone teach you proper etiquette?" Kyle asked.
Chloe shut Kyle up by biting out, "He went to the best and most exclusive schools. Of course he has etiquette." And then she turned back to Lex, "Just not with me, right?"
Lex stood firm and swallowed. He saw that long-haired young man clenching his jaw in anger. He could tell that that guy was dangerous. Lex looked deeper into the young man's eyes. He recognized him. Rath! He looked at his companions and was able to give name to two more. There was Zan and Vilandra. Why was Chloe hanging out with Vilandra? Maybe he should have taken Angel and his sky-high prices. But Lex really wanted to visit Chloe against Angel's advice.
"I wanted to tell you something, Chloe," he started. Were those tears in her eyes? "You have to stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you."
"Do you love her?" Maria asked, earning hard glances from her friends.
"He doesn't," Chloe answered for Lex. "Why else would he not fight? Lex never believed in rules that should govern his life. Why should he stay away from me if he loves me?"
Lex didn't look at Chloe. He directed his answer to Maria. "I don't love her. If I loved her I would keep her with me so that when I feel the urge to kill her again, I can just turn to face her then stranger her."
He turned around and started to walk away.
Chloe turned to Michael and Max. "Don't."
"Don't what?" Max asked.
"Just don't." And Chloe ran after Lex.