[[ Will you be sticking around for the Festival of Stars? You and Veronica? ]] her mother asked, digging her elbow into her husband before he could attempt to object. [[ Of course, the rest of your team is welcome to stay as well. ]]
[[ Mom . . . ]] Eliza started to whine.
[[ It’s only a few weeks away, ]] Evlidone said, [[ and you’ve missed the last fifty of them. It would mean the world to your mother . . . and me . . . if you would attend. ]]
Eliza wondered what was up. The Festival of Stars was a ceremonial affair that signified the end of the Terran year. There was a feast that generally was open to family and friends, followed by a traditional dance and an exchange of secrets between loved ones. But when the Prime Minister threw a Festival of Stars ceremony, it tended to be an ostentatious and grand event. [[ Dad . . . if I go, it HAS to be with Veronica. ]]
Evlidone sighed. He knew she would make that demand. [[ I would not ask that you be with someone you didn’t care about. But . . . just for the sake of tradition, conduct yourself like a lady. ]] He sipped his drink and then muttered under his breath, [[ Assuming you still remember how. ]]
[[ I heard that, ]] Eliza replied.
Alyidana, however, had the final trump card. [[ And think about it . . . you would greatly upset a number of high society people, but they wouldn’t be able to do a THING about it. ]]
Eliza mulled it over. [[ I’ll talk to Veronica . . . ]]
————— —————–
A few weeks later . . .
————— —————–
“I have GOT to see this!” Boomer said, sitting anxiously in the entryway for the house while waiting for the women to make their appearances. Every member of Hybrid Security had chosen to stick around for the Festival of Stars. Partially, they were nervous about splitting up while there were still pockets of the Swords of Cleansing about. Partially, they wanted to see Eliza, queen of jumpsuits and casual attire, sporting a dress.
Wyrm grinned. He had to admit, the idea was enticing. He had never seen his boss in a dress, though he had OFTEN fantasized about her in lingerie. Of course he felt a little foolish himself. He had never worn formal robes before, but he and the rest of the men found themselves in just such a fashion predicament. Apparently, robes were ALL the rage on Terra. They looked like something ancient Japanese warriors might have worn. But they were silky and comfortable.
“Woah!” said Dennis as the ladies finally came into view. They were all wearing similar gowns, namely off-the-shoulder and elegant with a slight flare at the bottom. His wife was wearing one in white, and her hair was in a partial bun with strands of hair cascading down over each shoulder. She was as beautiful as the day he married her.
Kalinicia was wearing a similar dress in green, and she looked dazzling. She immediately attached herself to Wyrm’s arm. Vicky wore a blue gown and came out with Terillia, who was dressed in a purple gown with a large section in back tastefully removed to accommodate her wings.
But when Veronica and Eliza walked out, hand in hand, time stopped. Veronica was dressed in gold, cut a little low in front to give a tasteful display of cleavage, and her curled and blonde hair fell from her head like well-orchestrated chaos. And Eliza was dressed in black; the gorgeous gown hugging her trim waist and slim hips as it flowed elegantly to the floor. She was even wearing jewelry, namely a necklace of gold and diamonds and a matching set of bracelets. She looked for all the world like a fairy-tale princess.
“Well,” she said to her troops as they gawked awkwardly at her, “my parents and the Prime Minister are awaiting us. Let’s go piss off some aristocrats!”
—————- ——
At the party . . .
—————- ——
Eliza was sitting at a long table with her father on one side and Veronica on the other. Boomer was still talking about how confused he was that vampires consumed something besides blood. Kalinicia was trying to reassure him that while blood was the most efficient way for her kind to obtain nourishment, it wasn’t the only way. The Festival of Stars was an excuse for her people to “indulge” themselves. Eliza noticed that she seemed to stay close to Wyrm, no matter who they were talking to.
{{ You enjoyed that, didn’t you? }} her father sent telepathically with a hint of whimsy.
Eliza grinned. When she had arrived, everyone in her troop had been introduced separately by the herald, except for Dennis and Allyson. Only married couples were ever introduced together. The arrival of Hybrid security and their “controversial” leaders had ruffled many feathers and raised many eyebrows, but no one would dare be outright rude. Instead, all eyes had been trained on each of them, waiting for the slightest impropriety on their part so they crowd could have something to talk about. Veronica and Eliza were the last two of their party that were introduced and although they came in separately, Veronica waited for Eliza to be called and then took her lover’s hand, and the two walked straight through the room. The indignation subtly displayed was delicious!
{{ I would just like to point out that I’ve been behaving myself, }} she replied. {{ The feast is delicious by the way. }}
Evlidone shook his head, but he had to admit that he was enjoying himself. He had never thought he would share this celebration with his entire family. He glanced down and saw that his daughter was holding hands with Ms. Veronica Adams again. ‘With my . . . extended . . . family?’ he thought. He felt a kiss on his cheek, and turned to face his wife. While he had been watching Eliza, Alyidana had been watching him.
[[ Sir, ]] said an approaching Aruthis, [[ the . . . entertainment . . . has arrived. ]]
Suddenly, Evlidone was a bit more serious. [[ And the Prime Minister is safely away? ]]
[[ Yes sir. And the crowd has been suitably . . . diluted. ]]
[[ Dad, what’s going on? ]] Eliza said, not caring if she interrupted. [[ I’ve been watching guards usher guests into the side rooms and . . . ]]
Evlidone placed a finger to his lips. [[ Shh. ]] He turned to Alyidana. [[ Dear, would you mind following Aruthis to the antechamber? ]] He turned back to Eliza. [[ You might want to go too. This shouldn’t take but a moment. ]]
Eliza looked at him, leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She wasn’t going anywhere.
Evlidone sighed. [[ Why can’t you just . . . never mind. We have a small band of acrobats signed up to perform at the party. Our intelligence believes that at least three Swords of Cleansing assassins have joined the troupe, hoping to make an attempt on my life. ]]
[[ Evlidone! ]] Alyidana exclaimed as she rose to leave. [[ Are you mad?!? How could you allow them into . . . ]]
[[ Because they are desperate and the target is tempting, ]] Evlidone replied casually. [[ And because I have everything under control. I learned this trick from listening to my daughter’s legends, ]] he added. He felt a sudden rush of pride.
Eliza turned to Terillia. {{ Take Vicky, Wyrm, Kalinicia and . . . ]] Eliza watched as her ENTIRE team leaned back in THEIR chairs and shook their heads.
Wyrm was the first to speak. “Nuh-uh boss. No one gets left behind anymore. We know the risks, and we’re standing beside you.”
Eliza looked incredulous. “Vicky and Wyrm are non-combatants and the rest of the humans are non-magical. This isn’t . . . Wyrm, at least take Kalinicia and . . .”
“I will stay. My grandfather would not run, so neither will I,” the young vampire said firmly.
She turned exasperatedly to her father. [[ They refuse to leave. They’re being impossibly stubborn! ]]
Evlidone smiled. [[ Now you understand what I had to deal with being your father for the last century, ]] he said, then turned to his wife. [[ Please, just go with the Captain and . . . ]]
[[ Are you sure our daughter and her companions are safe here? ]] Alyidana asked.
[[ Yes, but . . . ]]
[[ ‘But’ nothing. I will stay. This is our first night out as a family in over half a century, and I’m not going to have it broken up by an assassination attempt. ]] Eliza’s mother sat back down, leaving Captain Aruthis looking very bewildered. Did anyone in that family actually listen to anyone else?
A group of men and women in brightly colored costumes was let in the front gate. Eliza noticed that the remaining crowd seemed to be composed of very calm people . . . probably undercover guards. The acrobats started their performance, and Eliza watched them quite carefully. She looked for hesitation in their movements, as that might signify someone new to the group. She looked for someone who paid too much attention to the head table. She was confused as to why her father would let this charade go on, but she reminded herself that he didn’t get where he was by accident.
When the attack finally came, it was actually a bit anti-climactic. Three of the tumblers rushed forward, their eyes harboring a fanatical madness. Eliza raised her hands as if to cast a shield, but her father waved her off. The assassins seem to cast a burrowing spell that would eat its way through any shielding, followed by a couple of nasty spells that rearranged the targets internal organs. But the burrowing spell was “reflected” back, causing it to eat the other attack spells in its wake. During the attack, the remaining acrobats, who seemed horribly confused, were ushered back out the door they had come in through. Then, shimmering walls of haze seemed to appear around the attackers, surrounding them like a cage. They realized they were trapped and began casting frantically, trying to find a way out. One of them looked backward and saw Chancellor Valar standing by the entrance, maintaining the shield spell. But then they heard a single set of hands clapping, and they all turned their attention forward.
Evlidone was smiling as he gave his would-be dispatchers a round of applause. [[ It was a . . . pretty . . . attempt. I was hoping for better, but I shall give you points for effort. ]] The venerable Security Director stood up and faced the assassins. [[ Do you have anything to say for yourselves? ]]