know. The Mother was aware of the tests and the fact some unusual Chanku had been discovered, but when they turned out to be so unpredictable and dangerous, she no longer sensed them and thought they’d all been destroyed.”
Lily shuddered. “I hate that. Destroyed, like they were vicious animals.”
Eve touched her hand. “Lily, in effect, that’s exactly what they were. What they are. Creatures that are more feral than human, even when they take human form. Intelligent creatures with no sense of conscience. They were bred as a warrior class on the Chanku home world and were among the first to strike out on their own after landing on Earth.”
“From the way the Mother described it, it sounds more like they were banished. As far as I know, none have turned up in the general population. Of course, very few regular Chanku have been found. I wonder why the rogues weren’t discovered before now?”
This was so frustrating. The Mother had offered just enough information to make her crazy. If the rogue wolves were Chanku, even if they were of a more violent subspecies, some of them should have taken the nutrients among the general population. Those capsules had been made available to anyone who wanted to see if they carried the Chanku genes, and yet none of the newly discovered Chanku had been anything at all like the wolves that had attacked her and Sebastian or the ones that had gone after Annie and Alex. Those creatures were so much larger, their size alone would have been noted.
And how was it that Aldo Xenakis appeared to have at least half a dozen of the creatures under his command? Were these the only Berserkers in existence?
They’d asked, but the Mother hadn’t answered. No, she’d wanted time with Sebastian. Time alone with Sebastian.
He still knelt, unmoving while in communion with the Mother. She was all-powerful, and yet she’d explained that she couldn’t control what her creatures did, that their free will was stronger than her ability to affect their behavior.
Lily had a feeling she was really good at nudging things to go her way, though. And she wondered why the Mother had chosen to nudge Sebastian. “Sebastian learned to shift by drawing power from the spirit in a huge oak on a ridge that straddles the line between our property and his father’s.” She glanced at Eve. “He thought it was a dryad, but it sounds as if he’s been talking with the Mother all along, if she’s the lady of the oak he’s told me about.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Eve shook her head and nibbled on another sandwich. “She’s the Mother, the one over all people in all worlds. Why would she spend time with a single young wizard?”
Lily grinned and took another swallow of wine. “Well, he’s a very sexy young wizard, and the Mother is female, after all.”
Eve practically sputtered. “Oh, Lily,” she said, holding her hand over her mouth. “That’s got to be sacrilegious.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “I think I’m teasing, Eve.” She glanced toward Sebastian, saw him bow his head, and then slowly stand, as if his joints were stiff from being on his knees for so long. He smiled at Lily, paused, turned back to the tree, and stepped up close. He pressed his hand against the rough bark and then nodded, as if in conversation. Then he spun away and walked toward Eve and Lily.
Halfway to them, he stopped. The air shimmered. Lily’s father practically exploded onto the astral.
“Lily! Sebastian, you have to come with me. Annie’s been taken by the rogues. Alex is certain Aldo’s behind it. If it’s him, I’m going to need your magic to help me get her back.”
Eve lunged to her feet. “I’ll be with you. Call on me when you need my strength.” She paused a moment, glanced toward the tree, and bowed her head. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Lily, go now. Both of you go with your father. The Mother is staying close. She’s promised to help where she can.”
Lily grabbed Eve for a quick hug, took hold of Sebastian’s arm with her right hand, and grabbed her father’s with her left. No need of a portal when three mages combined their power.
With little more than a wink and a spell, they stepped back into the cavern beneath the house. Anton raced toward the exit tunnel. “Hurry!”
“Dad! What happened?” Lily ran after him, across the large cavern, through the tunnel to the underground pantry, and up the stairs