“What? No!” Ally sputtered. “You have exactly the wrong idea. I just want to get my sister back.”
Kara pursed her lips. “Sure. In any event, we’re on the same side. An enemy of the Crown Prince of Hell is a friend of mine. Why are you calling?”
“I need to know more about Dazimin, about how to get my sister away from these demons.”
“I think we can help with that,” said a voice from off screen.
“Who’s that?” Ally asked, suddenly suspicious.
Kara smiled. “You said you wanted to speak woman to woman. Well, I just happened to be meeting with the womeninvolved when you called.” Kara hit a button on her console and the view shifted, exposing a room full of beautiful women.
Kara joined them, sitting on a sofa next to a voluptuous redhead. “This is Mayra, the Great Oracle of Territh and holder of the Eye of Tomorrow, which sounds suspiciously like the necklace your sister was wearing.”
Mayra held up a chain around her neck, and Ally’s mouth dropped open when she saw the charm dangling there. It was identical to her family’s heirloom. But how did this woman she’d never met have the same necklace as the one Evie was wearing when she was taken?
“I’d also like to introduce you to Gemma,” she said, motioning toward the small, dark-haired woman sitting on the arm of the sofa. “And that’s Dawn there, and Tess, and over there is Midnight.”
Midnight. She’s the demon. Ally studied the woman with hair so black it was almost blue and eyes to match. She seemed like any other woman, if more coldly beautiful than most. “And finally, Queen Jazmine.”
Is that the twin daughter of the Goddess of Light Lyk told me about?There was something about the woman, some inner radiance that shone through her gorgeous features.The daughter of a goddess. Gee.
Kara spoke again, and Ally turned her attention back to the Vartik female. “We were just discussing your little problem.”
“There’s nothing little about it. The demon squad kidnapped my sister. I want her back, even if that means going into Hell to get her.”
“Ooh, I like her spirit. She’s more than a match for any Vartik male.” This was from the queen, who clapped her hands like an excited child.
Kara laughed. “You haven’t met my brother, Lyk, yet. If there was an intergalactic award for stubbornness, he’d win it every year.”
“Have you figured out anything to help me?” Ally didn’t care about what these women thought of her. All she wanted was information that would help her get Evie back.
“I believe we have.” This was from Gemma. She motioned toward the necklace around the oracle’s neck. “I’ve found mentions of the Eye of Tomorrow in the ancient texts, and one leads me to believe that your family is another branch of the now-defunct line of the Kings of Arth. Like Mayra, you’re a descendent of the early kings of Territh. One historical record says that each member of the line was given a charm like this. That means there could have been a half dozen or more. It looks like more than one has survived.”
“So we’re cousins!” Mayra said, her smile bright. “I’m so glad to learn that I have family. I’ve only ever met one other family member, and it didn’t exactly go so well. In fact—”
“Why do the Seekers want the charm?” Ally didn’t have time to get into mushy stuff. Whether she was a distant cousin of the woman didn’t matter right then. Her immediate family was at stake.
Mayra looked shocked to be cut off. Gemma glanced in her direction, then returned her gaze to Ally. “We think they want it because it’s tied to the Goddess of Light. She was the patron goddess of the Arth kings, and it’s said that her power imbues the charm with its abilities.”
Ally frowned. “That seems a little far-fetched. I mean, it’s just a stupid light-up gem. I always thought it was just a gussied-up child’s toy.”
“That’s not true,” Mayra said, her voice stiff. “It doesn’t just give off light. It can help guide you by vibrating, among other things. It has powers that go beyond simple mechanics. Maybethe demons think they can harness this power to use it against us.”
“You’re an oracle, right?” Ally said, not bothering to hold back on her cousin. “Why can’t you just look into the future and see how to best get Evie out of Hell?”
“It doesn’t work exactly like that,” Mayra said, and it looked like she was about to give a speech she’d given many times before. But before she could, the door opened and Lyk strode through, freezing as soon as he realized Ally was using the console.
“Hang up,” he said, his voice like ice.
“No,” Ally said, her voice just as cold.
Lyk came over and hit a button on the console, making the holographic image disappear. “You little brat. You don’t even know what trouble you’ve caused.”
Ally stood, putting her hands on her hips. “You promised to help me, but you weren’t going to do anything! At least your sister and the rest of your family are willing to help!”
“You’re going to learn to stop going around me whenever you don’t get your way!”
Ally was surprised by his anger. She’d ignored his orders multiple times before. Why was this any different?
