Back again with chapter three. Enjoy!


Lara, Kurtis, and Emily quickly bolted out of the temple. The roar from within indicated that it would be collapsing within moments. It wouldn't make a difference against Karel and the Black Angel, though. They would recuperate in minutes. Lara removed another grenade from her belt, pulling the pin out. She lurched it forward, watching as the entrance to the temple exploded. Emily staggered backwards, covering her head, but Lara stared on, with only one thought in mind – Good riddance.

Lara turned to face Emily, glimpsing Kurtis in the background as he climbed onto the train. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly, gripping Emily's face in her hands.

Tears came to Emily's eyes immediately, and she dove into her mother for an embrace. "I'm sorry, Mom," she muttered. "I never should've left Maghery."

"There, there, now, love," she soothed her. "It's alright. You're not hurt, are you?" She pulled her daughter out of her arms, examining her quickly. There were a few cuts and bruises along her arms, legs, and face, but other than that, she seemed to be okay. Above all, she must've been shocked and scared.

"I hate to break this up," Kurtis called quickly, "but we've got to get going."

Lara gently ushered Emily forward, and they stepped onto the train. Emily seated herself in the back corner, staring out the window as if waiting for a walking corpse to emerge from the ashes…

Lara heard Kurtis load the bullet into the chamber of his gun, and looked up to see him pressing it against the train conductor's head. "Alright, buddy," he said. "Get us out of here. And make it as fast as possible."

The conductor nervously fiddled with the switchboard. He pressed a button to detach the extended cabin cars on the back. Then, he pressed several more buttons. After a moment, the engine turned over, and the train began to move along the tracks with a jerking motion. Lara fought to hold her footing. Then, she turned away, peering out the window as the train pulled away from the ruins of the temple.

"And where exactly are we going?" Lara asked, leaning against the wall.

"Apparently, we're going into that hick-ass city up ahead," Kurtis said, peering through the window.

Lara tapped into her headset. "Alister, Zip, we're out. We need aerial transportation out of Cappadocia as quickly as possible."

"Working on it, Lara," Zip responded. "We've got a hilo in bound right now. He should land about the time your train docks."

"Smashing," she replied. "Once you're done, I want the two of you to head back into London yourselves. We're going home."

"Are you sure that's the best idea, Lara?" Zip asked nervously.

"Karel will find us wherever we go," she admitted bitterly. "We might as well be comfortable when he does it."

Lara immediately regretted making the comment as she looked up to see the fear returning to Emily's face. She sighed to herself, seating herself next to her daughter. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Emily shook her head fervently. "Not right now," she said. "I don't even want to think about it."

Lara slowly looked up at Kurtis, whose gaze dropped to the floor with guilt and sorrow for their daughter. Then, he turned back to the conductor, keeping the gun trained on the back of his head. I can't wait to get out of this God-forsaken place, Kurtis thought with a sigh.

Several hours later, Lara, Kurtis, and Emily pushed through the front door of the Croft Manor. The London night sky above was dotted with beautiful stars, although the trio hardly noticed it from exhaustion. Emily's nerves were shot, and in turn, she was ready to collapse. Lara and Kurtis hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, and it was all they could do to stand on their own two feet.

Winston immediately approached them. "I've already tended to your rooms, Lady Croft," he said. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"No, that'll be all, Winston," Lara said with exhaust. "I appreciate your help."

Winston turned away towards the hallway to retire to bed. It was only eight o'clock in the evening in London, but it felt much later. Alister emerged from the tech room, a look of vibrant life in his eyes. "You're all looking quite lovely," he commented.

"Some of us haven't slept in two days," Lara said irritably. "I suggest you keep quiet."

"Right, then," he said nervously. "Would you like some help with your bags?"

Lara dropped her bags in the middle of the grand hallway. "They're staying here for now."

"Very well," Alister sighed. "I know you're tired and such, but would you like to take a look at the sword?"

"You mean the sword fragments…?" Lara corrected him.

"No, the sword itself," Alister said. He headed in the direction of the tech room, and Lara, Kurtis, and Emily followed. "Remember how Excalibur was separated into several pieces, then reformed together? This is basically the same thing." He reached around Zip for the sword, holding it up for the others to examine. "How's that for irony? It looks exactly like Excalibur."

"That it does," Lara agreed, taking the weapon into her hand. "It's quite beautiful."

"And I was also able to extract some of the glyphs on the blade," he continued. "They speak of Siamak Lachesis, and how he was the ruler of Lemuria."

Kurtis looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"He…he was the ruler of Lemuria…?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Emily spoke up. "Karel kept talking about that."

"What did he say?" Kurtis asked quickly.

"Well, when he woke the knight up, he was saying something about how he wanted to return him to his 'throne' in Lemuria, so long as the Black Angel would help him. That was right before he…" She looked down, clenching her fist.

"Before he what?" Lara asked.

She slowly looked up, her eyes glossed over with tears of anger. "He tried to steal my powers and give them to the knight."

"He what?" Alister asked. "So that's why he wanted you?"

"I guess so," Emily shrugged. "He said the Nephilim army would be unstoppable once the Black Angel had my powers."

"Yeah, so he thinks," Kurtis muttered angrily.

"But…" she said slowly, seating herself on the couch, "for some reason, the Black Angel seemed…uninterested, like he didn't even want my powers. He didn't even seem to care about hurting me or anything, not at all like Karel…"

Kurtis sighed to himself, running his fingers through his hair. I guess I'll have to tell them now, he thought reluctantly. He stood to his feet fully, folding his arms over his chest. "I didn't understand it at first either," he spoke up slowly, "but when he started talking, it made sense."

Lara glanced in his direction. "You saw him too?"

"Yeah," Kurtis said. "And so did you – the walking corpse heading towards you before you blew up the place."

"Ah," she said. "I'd assumed it was another Sleepless Knight."

"If only it were," Kurtis sighed. "Things would be a lot easier."

"But what was he saying?" Emily asked eagerly.

Kurtis drew in a deep breath, keeping eye contact with his daughter. "He was saying something about you going with him."

"Going where?" she asked with confusion.

"I don't know," he admitted, "but my guess is Lemuria."

"And why is that?" Lara asked.

"What else would he be talking about?" Kurtis countered. He seated himself next to Emily on the couch, staring forward in concentration. "He kept saying something about his 'queen'."

"His what?" Alister asked.

Kurtis looked up at Alister. "He thinks Emily is his queen."

"What? Why?" Emily asked, leaning forward. "I don't get it. He doesn't even know me."

"He knows who you are, though," Kurtis admitted bitterly. "You're the tenth child, the only tenth generation Lux Veritatis that bears powers strong enough to give the Black Angel a challenge – and possibly strong enough to put Karel away."

"But why me?" she asked in disbelief. "I'm sure there are other kids my age that are Lux Veritatis too…"

"It's because you're my daughter," he said, facing her. A part of him was overly pleased and honored to say that as he stared into the matching pair of blue eyes that belonged to the only child he would ever call his daughter. The other part, though, was fearful for her, more fearful than he could even begin to explain. He drew in a deep breath. "You carry my blood. You carry my father's blood. My father was the one who began the order of the Lux knights, aside of Siamak himself…"

Emily stared into his eyes with confusion. "So…all of this makes him think I'm his…queen?" she asked.

"I don't know," Kurtis admitted with a sigh. "It's all speculation, but it makes sense."

Emily slowly looked up in contemplation. "The thing is…he didn't seem to be all that threatened by Karel. Karel seemed to be nothing more than an extra factor to him."

"Yes, of course," Lara said thoughtfully. "Karel doesn't seem to understand that the Black Angel has free will."

"He wants to make him his puppet," Kurtis added. "That's not going to happen. One wrong word out of Karel's mouth and the Black Angel will put him away himself."

"Is he really that powerful?" Emily asked timidly.

"More than you can imagine," Lara said.

"I'd be more worried about him than about Karel," Alister chipped in. "If he thinks Emily is his queen – or whatever – he's less likely to cause harm to her…"

"Doesn't mean he doesn't have his own motives," Kurtis reminded him.

"The Black Angel is like a sleeping giant," Lara said. "We wouldn't want to upset him."

"Of course not," Alister said nervously. "So what's next?"

Lara pushed off from the wall. "We'll discuss it tomorrow. Everyone needs rest. Let's head off to bed."

On that note, Emily turned away and headed up the stairs to her bedroom, Lara following. She stopped once she pushed the door open, standing amidst the cold, stale air. Emily peered into the corner where the Cabal follower had nearly kidnapped her. Kurtis, however, had been there to rescue her, and put the man in his place. My dad is the coolest guy ever, she thought passively.

With a sigh, Emily headed towards her bed, climbing underneath the covers. Lara pushed the blankets up over her shoulders. "Are you sure you'll be alright in here?" she asked.

"I've seen enough in the past few days, and I'm tired as it is," Emily said flatly. "I'm sure I'll manage."

Lara chuckled a bit. "Don't try to be so strong. You'll end up like me." She leaned forward and kissed Emily on the forehead. Then, she turned away, heading for the door. She stopped for a split second, glancing back at the figure in the bed that was her daughter. She'll be alright in here, she tried to convince herself.

Lara quietly turned away and pulled the door shut behind her. The grand hallway was dimly lit, indicating that the boys had retired to bed. Where is Kurtis? Lara thought. Winston had said that he'd prepared rooms for them…

Then, Lara heard footsteps trudging wearily up the stairs. She looked up to see Kurtis as he offered her a weary smile. "Everything settled?" he asked.

"All is well," Lara returned quietly.

"Zip said the security system is up," Kurtis told her. "There shouldn't be anything to worry about."

The image of a walking corpse entered Lara's mind, but she quickly pushed it aside. I'm too tired to battle those demons, Lara thought wearily. Lara drew in a breath. "Right. Off to bed then." Kurtis turned away to head down the hall, but Lara stopped him. She leaned against the wall, watching him with a seductive, flirty look. "Did I mention how impractical it is for you to take up space in the other room when you could do so in mine?"

Kurtis turned around, facing her with a grin. "I think it slipped your mind."

"Perhaps," Lara said with a sly grin.

She turned away and pushed her door open. Kurtis followed after her, closing the door behind him. Lara fell across the bed with a sigh of exhaustion, too tired to even bother pulling the blankets down. She looked up in time to take in the marvelous sight of Kurtis removing his shirt. Then, he climbed across the bed, lying on the empty side. Lara turned her head over to him, smiling subtly at his presence.

"So how has Lady Croft gotten along in the past several years?" he asked casually.

"As well as anyone else, I'd suppose," she replied.

"Not quite," he said with a low laugh. "I don't know anyone else who fights off immortal enemies and chases around demon knights. And all the while, manages to raise a teenage daughter…"

"I find a new way to do it all each day," Lara replied casually. "All in a day's work."

"No husbands or boyfriends or fiancés to offer some help?" he asked with a playful grin.

"Alister, Zip, and Winston have been all the help I could need," she said flatly.

"Then what's this?" he asked, pulling her left hand forward to gaze down at the diamond on her finger. The tender touch between his fingertips and her soft skin sent shivers up Lara's spine. "I didn't need any other man to cramp my style. I figured wearing a ring would give off that impression."

He laughed, releasing her hand. "Cramp your style?" he asked. "The overstatement of the year…"

Lara drew in a silent breath. "I didn't want to belong to anyone else. And since then, I haven't met a man who could keep up with me. Do you honestly think some lord of the court could handle me and my antics, not to mention my overzealous teenage daughter?"

"No," Kurtis said immediately. "Maybe not some lord of any London courts…"

"The same idea I had…" Lara said slowly. "I've only met one man who could keep up with me – he was this tall, handsome, blue-eyed Yank who taunted me to steal my Obscura Painting and then trapped me in a damned airlock while he made off with my goods."

"Don't forget that he stalked you from Paris to Prague," he added with a devilish grin.

"Oh, of course," Lara said dryly. "I could never forget that…"

Kurtis chuckled his low, sexy laugh that he often did, making Lara go weak in the knees. I wasn't joking, she thought. Of course, she knew well enough now that if she wanted to get him to believe her, she would have to say it. She looked over at him, waiting until he met her gaze. "There isn't a person in this world like you," she said softly. "Maybe that was what was wrong with all the other men I've known…"

Kurtis pushed off the bed and leaned over her, grazing her lips with his. Then, he pulled back a bit, just enough so that she could still feel his breath against her lips. "Maybe it was," he agreed. Then he leaned over her, kissing her fully on the mouth, savoring her taste as if he'd never experienced something so sweet before.


Will update on Wednesday, October 14. See you guys then!