Chapter 76: Chapter 76

The next day, Johnny knocked on the door around 10 am in the company of Elvis, who had come to visit us for the occasion. I melted into his arms and he picked me up with disconcerting ease.

“How are you, my friend?”

“More than good. And seeing you both is really nice. You have problems?” Elvis inquired, one worried eye glinting at his brother.

After all, how not to worry when a member of your family, devoid of powers, associates with people with excessive abilities, and always entangled in internal fights, stories of murders and fratricidal wars.

“Yes,” I confessed to Elvis, “we can say that we have problems.”

“But Eve is taking care of it,” said Johnny, as if this sentence would reassure his brother.

Elvis watched me silently. He took my hand and gave me a smile.

“I’m glad to see you, my dear.”

“Me too.”

“Where is your husband?”

“Uh…,” I stammered, not knowing how to approach the subject. “We had a serious argument. I let him go back to the castle.”

“Or rather, he had no choice,” corrected Johnny. “That bastard always knew that Olivia was in the hands of his psycho father!”

“He lied to me,” I said coldly. “When I first came to Mortain soon after, Carmichael was going to London with Ethan for a few weeks. They both knew Olivia was Magnus’ prisoner and never told me. Worst of all, they knew what Magnus was going to do to her. Carmichael told me he didn’t want me to risk my life trying to rescue her when I had barely mastered my powers. As for my brother, I suppose he was protecting Magnus; at that time he was like a double agent.”

Elvis clenched his jaw, went to sit on a chair and remained silent, while he tried to digest all this information.

“Carmichael was right,” he said firmly.

“What?!”

“Well, think about it, you two,” Elvis scolded us. “If you had attacked that tower, you’d be dead, Eve.”

He accompanied his last sentence with a pithy gesture of the hand on his neck. Elvis had been in love with Olivia since childhood, the fact that he was so placid and thoughtful about my husband’s lie amazed me.

“You don’t remember what state you were found in after your capture?” he continued. “I do. We both know that if you had attacked first, you wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

“I just wish I had the choice.”

“The choice? You would have thrown yourself into the den of the wolf the minute you learned that she was being held there. I would have done the same, and it would have been a big mistake. You know that very well.”

“Maybe he’s right,” said Johnny, taking my hand. “Maybe we couldn’t have done anything for her.”

I remained silent. In my head, my thoughts went back to the image of my best friend and her frightened eyes. I could still hear the horrible noise coming from the back of her neck when Gregory broke it.

Room service knocked on the door and diverted us from this dreadful conversation. Breakfast was served on a round table in the corner of the room, and we enjoyed our meal while having a lighter discussion, Elvis telling us everything that had been going on in London since our last visit, which ended, I remembered, with the bloody death of Naomi. Elvis didn’t mention this episode and, after an hour, left us, promising to come to the castle to visit his father.

I took a quick shower and put on a robe. I had promised Johnny to go shopping on Boulevard Haussmann and couldn’t free myself from my commitments, although my state of mind was a thousand miles from the shopping trip my best friend was planning. We had lunch in the rue de Rivoli and spent the rest of the day in my room, putting on the purchased clothes and imagining the occasions on which we would wear them. Soon it was time to get ready, and again, Jo hadn’t done things by halves. Five women burst in at 6 p.m. Then it was Daz, the hairdresser at my wedding, looking like an American football star, who joined the troupe.

“Hi Jo, hi Eve,” Daz said, slapping Johnny’s hand.

“Hello my friend, how does she look?”

“Good, good.”

“Okay, well then, she has to be perfect, because…”

“… There are still some weird guests who have to show respect for her haircut.”

“You’ve understood everything!” exclaimed Johnny, tapping him on the shoulder.

And an hour and a half later, I was ready for the new reception in my honour. Daz had styled a stunning bun letting a few strands of hair escape, all giving a natural effect to a haircut that had taken an hour to prep on its own. Dressed in a very elegant khaki jumpsuit and shod in bright red pumps to match my lipstick, I had to admit that I felt much more at home than in New York.

“I really like this outfit, Johnny.”

“Ah finally!” he said, relieved. “I have adapted, you know? It’s not very royal, but it’s the look for Paris, honey!”

“Perfect.”

A sedan was waiting for us outside the hotel. Eric and Thomas were already outside, in dinner jackets. Thomas kissed my cheek before congratulating Jo on my outfit. He received his compliment with perfectly feigned humility. Eric, meanwhile, watched me with a look to melt an iceberg, and grabbed my hand to better draw me to him. He kissed me back, his lips coming dangerously close to mine. I was surprised at so much exhibition, when Johnny gestured at us to get into the car. My best friend sat down beside the driver, while I was surrounded in the back by the two Panchak brothers. Inside, it was scorching hot, and I thought I wasn’t the only one feeling it, since not a single one of us said a word during the trip, which fortunately was short. We had driven for two or three kilometres at most, before reaching rue Saint-Sulpice, where the reception was. Leaving the vehicle, my eyes were charmed by the facade of the five-storey building, in white freestone. Wrought iron balconies, surrounded by sculptures, gave it all its character, but it was the vault of the entrance, whose metal mouldings formed two intertwined letters A, which caught my attention. There a butler was waiting for us, who invited us to follow him upstairs.

My footsteps echoed on the marble floor of the entrance, and my heels accentuated the sound. The carpet on the stairs attenuated this effect and, upstairs, we arrived in a warm room with a few velvet armchairs. In the fireplace, a welcoming fire crackled in its hearth. In a Haussmannian style, the old hotel had all the charm of the buildings of that era, with distinguished mouldings and in the pure Parisian style.

“You will meet the owners before entering the reception room,” the butler tells us.

“Of course,” I replied.

“Your guests can follow me.”

“I’d like it so much that they stay with me.”

“I… I’m sorry…,” the butler stammered, “but it’s that… I was given instructions, and I wouldn’t…”

“Listen,” I said to him, confused at having put him in such trouble, “only my friend Johnny will stay with me, is that okay with you?”

“Uh… yes… okay.”

He asked Eric and Thomas to follow him, and they all escaped through a door. I knew they would know how to defend themselves in case of an attack, but my best friend didn’t, and there was no way he was leaving me for the evening. Nervous tension was starting to seep into my legs. I didn’t like it. The events in New York came back to me, and although we had changed venues, I wasn’t at ease. The guests were so numerous that it was enough for one of them to mention it to one of our enemies for the evening to turn into a drama. Again I thought of my mother, a supposed prisoner, of my brother, and of a way to win this war.

My thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of a couple. He had black slicked back hair and exuded elegance. And his partner! She looked stunning in a shimmering gown, her blond locks curled into a boho-style updo bun. The man began to smile when he saw me, while the woman quickened her pace to shake my hand. They had forgotten about Jo’s presence behind me.

“What a pleasure to meet you, my Queen,” said the man.

“Yes, it’s a great honour,” repeated the young woman.

“Uh…call me Everliegh.”

The man looked surprised, and his smile grew even wider. The woman nodded and let go of my hand.

“I’m Adam, the owner of the place, and this is my wife, Amelia.”

“Pleased to meet you,” I told them. “I present to you my friend Johnny.”

“We have already talked by phone about the organisation of this evening,” Amelia reminded me; “delighted, Mr Forbe.”

The couple stared at Johnny, suddenly aware of his humanity, but didn’t linger long on him so they could better stare at me. I found their observation a little embarrassing, but understood that they must have waited a long time to meet me. They were finally putting a face to the queen everyone was talking about, and I still couldn’t quite believe it was me.

“We’re glad you came,” said Amelia, still cheerful.

Her eyes were grey, while her husband’s were brown. In their forties, they both looked slender and supple. At first glance, they seemed very friendly, so I returned them a friendly smile.

“So Carmichael isn’t attending this evening?” Adam inquired.

“No, he has returned to Mortain and will be leaving for Hong Kong soon. Events push us to speed things up.”

“We understand,” Amelia said, “we learned what had happened in New York.”

“So you know that there were deaths?”

“Yes, and we know how you saved everyone else.”

She invited me to sit on one of the chairs, and took a place in front of me.

“We’ve known Carmichael for a very long time,” she said. “We spoke to him recently, and he told us about the danger of having this party.”

“I’m relieved you realise that,” I said as I wanted to broach the subject.

“We’re ready to fight if necessary,” declared Adam, “and I’m sure that all the castes who come this evening will do the same if we are attacked.”

“That’s not what I want.”

Adam looked at me, surprised, and exchanged a look of incomprehension with his wife.

“Let me explain,” I continued, “if we are attacked tonight, which is a possibility in light of recent events, I want everyone to be prepared to flee in the opposite direction from mine.”

“But we’re here to help you in this war! No one here wants to be subject to the powers of these ancient castes.”

“Who do they think they are?!” adds Adam. “One of them came weeks ago to order us to follow him to Greece. He threatened to kill us if we refused.”

“It’s not yet the hour of the great battle to come. We must know more, know their number and prepare ourselves. It’s too early.”

They nodded, knowing that I was right all along and that it wasn’t safe to go up against the Five until we had a careful plan in place.

“We will do as our Queen commands us.”

“I’m not ordering you to do anything,” I said. “I’m not like the Five. I want you to follow me to maintain your way of life, your freedom and your integrity. Althea, the one who claims to be queen in my place, is very powerful and has swallowed up an entire city in the waves of the Pacific Ocean.”

“It is said that you are capable of forming a hurricane.”

“And she rips heads off!” Johnny blurted.

I exchanged a look with him, and my wide eyes told him to shut up.

“I had the opportunity to measure myself against three of them, but Carmichael was with me and there were no leaders; Althea and Priam. I don’t think I’m strong enough against them. When we first met, I had difficulty even moving in the face of their powers. But what I know now is that they want me alive and they want only me. If I flee, don’t be surprised, because my objective will be to keep them away from all those present here. Is that understood?”

“It’s understood,” they said together.

“Very well. May I ask you what your powers are?”

“I’m telekinetic,” said Amelia, “Adam is telepathic.”

“In that case, Adam, in the event of an attack, I would be grateful if you would pass on to our fellow men what I have just told you: don’t follow me and flee.”

“It’s okay. We have an emergency exit at the back of the building and we can easily access it from the reception hall.”

“Well, that all sounds perfect to me,” I said, getting up, “so let’s go meet the bravest of the castes. Thank you very much for taking the risk of organising this reception.”

“It is an honour for us.”

They stood up and invited me to follow them. We walked down a long hallway, Johnny standing behind me. The commotion and chatter began to reach our ears. Adam opened two large doors, and the hubbub grew louder, only to stop abruptly when I crossed the threshold of the entrance. Johnny slipped away and went to find our travelling companions. In front of me, a hundred of ours had stopped and were looking at me. The scent carried by my inexorable power of attraction spread through the room.