Sanctuary:

Queen of Diamonds

Summary: In 1967, Helen teams up with a kindred spirit in an attempt to stop a series of Abnormal attacks.

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me!

Kate was waiting at the front door when the little white truck rolled to a stop. She put her hands in her pockets as she strolled down to meet it, the driver sliding out of his seat on what was normally the passenger side of the vehicle and adjusted his cap. "Hey. Sorry about the whole ordeal with the gate and the scanner. I know it's a hassle."

"Are you kidding? Back at the depot we do everything but draw straws to see who gets to deliver here. There's all kinds of rumors about this place." He looked up at the building as he handed Kate the small black box for her signature. She signed for it and handed the device back to him. He marked something on the screen and handed her an ocher birthday-card sized envelope. It was addressed to Helen Magnus with an artistic flourish, and Kate took a moment to admire it before she waved goodbye to the mailman.

She took the envelope inside, well aware the mailman was lingering in the hopes he'd see one of the urban legends he'd heard so often come to life, but the residents were all quiet today. His engine started with a rattle, and he drove back to the gates. She watched from the door and reactivated the security protocols once he was safely outside.

Kate locked the door and tapped the envelope against her palm as she walked through the halls. Magnus was in her office, resting her chin on one fist as she examined a map on her computer screen. She looked up as Kate entered and smiled. "No mail bombs or suspicious packages this time, I take it?"

"Not this time. And I managed to keep Hank and the Big Guy from torturing the poor guy."

Helen sighed as she took the envelope. "If I get one more complaint about my 'big dogs,' I'm going to chain them in the yard just to teach them a lesson." She used a letter opener to slice the envelope open.

Kate crossed her arms on the back of Helen's guest seat. "So, secret admirer? Invitation to some fancy--"

"Dear God..."

Kate's smile faded. The only thing in the envelope was a playing card. Kate could only see the back of it from her position, so she walked around the desk and craned her neck to see the face. It was an old card, and the image was of a woman in Victorian dress with a mask covering most of her face. She had one hand against her chest and the other on her lap, her head turned to the right. A large red diamond hovered in the air behind her, giving the impression she had just looked away from it.

"Cool. Queen of diamonds," Kate said. There was a word written in ink in the border: Shujaa. Behind it was a string of numbers. "What does that mean?"

Helen carefully laid the card down on her desk and stared. "The numbers are coordinates. The numbers mean that I have unfinished business to attend." She picked up the card and stood up. "Pack a bag, Kate. We're going to Africa."

1.

1967, Tanzania

Helen set down her pack with a sigh of relief, straightening her back and standing still as her muscles relaxed after the long trek. The round was winding and mostly uphill, a metaphor for this entire damned endeavor if ever there was one. She removed her hat, wisps of dark hair whipping around her face in the wind, and she used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her brow as she examined her destination at long last.

The dala dala driver refused to take her the whole way, apologizing in the little English he had that this place was to be avoided at all costs. He begged her to rethink her destination, but Helen simply smiled and assured him she would be fine. The bus was waiting at the bottom of the trail the first time she looked back. The second time, it had disappeared.

The village was called Kupinga, and it had been abandoned at some point in the past hundred years. Local legend stated that everyone who lived there had simply vanished overnight, while some claimed to be survivors of a terrible attack that lasted several nights. These stories involved horrible creatures that the alleged survivors refused to describe, tears springing to their eyes as their words trailed off and they began trembling with fright once more. Helen had read reports from several of the so-called survivors, but she'd gone as far as she could with second-hand accounts. She needed to see the truth for herself.

Once she was sufficiently rested for the remaining journey, she picked up her bags and continued into the village proper. At the very edge of the village stood a ring of red brick houses with slanted roofs. She stopped by one and peered into the narrow window of an empty meeting house. The floor was swept with dirt and sand that had blown through the open door.

Beyond the official buildings was a spread of huts and hovels, the roofs combined in a few cases to make it difficult to discern when one became the next. Helen followed the narrow roads through town, roads that had been designed without vehicles in mind and resulted in a claustrophobic maze of trails. Baskets stood beside the doors to some homes, some of them filled with rancid fruit or housed small vermin that burrowed deeper when Helen's shadow fell over them.

Touring the town didn't take long. She reached the far end, at one of the foothills to the Uluguru Mountains. She was at an elevated position now, so she was able to turn back and examine the town as a whole. It was surrounded on all sides by baobab, acacia and paperbark thorn trees. The entire area was still, and she listened hard for the sound of animals hunting or birds cawing in the trees. She heard a few calls at a distance, but near Kupinga was silence.

Apparently there was something to the stories. She took a deep breath, ignored the sweat darkening her blouse, and went back into town to get started on her work.

#

Helen found a sturdy brick building that still had most of its roof to wait out the rainstorm. The day had grown suddenly dusky and the clouds opened without warning. She was soaked to the skin by the time she found shelter, and she carefully removed her trousers and outer blouse to let them dry. She sat on her pack in a fresh pair of pants and her sleeveless undershirt as she withdrew her journal and took notes on the first few hours of her exploring. The lantern sitting beside her flickered against the premature darkness of the afternoon, and she kept her book tilted toward the light so she could see what she was writing.

"The past hundred years haven't been kind to Kupinga. Any remaining evidence of what actually occurred here has been washed away by years of wind and erosion and sudden torrential downpours like the one that currently has me trapped. I have found evidence of an underground cave system that could prove to be the key to understanding what actually happened here. If--"

Helen looked up, her pen hovering over the tail of the F as she focused on the sounds coming from outside. There was a chance some of the local animals had started using the abandoned village for shelter from the elements. She took her weapon, a .45 Colt Commander, and laid her journal on the ground. She moved carefully toward the door, leaning to one side to look toward the tree line. The sound came back of the building. There was little doubt now; animals seeking shelter didn't circle a building.

She pressed against the wall and moved toward the door to the back of the building. There were no doors, so she listened for the sound of furtive steps on the floor. Her lantern didn't help, casting all kinds of moving shadows on the walls. Helen dropped into a crouch as she heard a quiet step, grit crushed under the sole of someone's shoe, and a dark figure stepped through the doorway. One hand held a gun, aimed toward the lantern in the corner.

Helen didn't give the intruder time to realize their mistake. She slammed into the figure from behind, knocking them both to the ground as she pinned the outstretched arm to the floor so her opponent couldn't get their weapon up. The intruder elbowed Helen in the stomach, knocking the wind from her and forcing her to relax her grip. They continued to struggle, their legs tangling so that neither of them could get the upper hand.

A tremor of thunder shook the building, ending with an almost deafening explosion. Helen and her attacker both froze, gauging whether they had been shot, and Helen was thrown to one side. She rolled as the intruder got up and Helen saw that it was a black woman with her hair tied back in a braid. Helen was on her knees as the woman turned to flee. "Stop!" The woman spun around with her gun up, and Helen lifted both arms crossed into an X. She hit the woman's forearm and pushed it up and away from her. She lunged forward and knocked the woman into the wall to knock the wind from her lungs.

"I'm trying to save your life."

"By shooting me?" Helen put her arm across the woman's throat. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I told you. I heard some damned fool had come up here, so I decided to save you before it was too late." She fought against Helen's restraining arm, but Helen leaned harder against her. "If you have any brains at all, you'll let me go and follow me out of this godforsaken place."

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"

"My name is Hodari. I was born in a village that now looks a lot like this one. My people and I try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Helen hesitated for a moment before she dropped her arm. Hodari put a hand to her throat and sagged against the wall. She was still holding her gun, but Helen was also armed. She also seemed to have won some measure of respect for herself by winning the fight. Hodari wore a dark blue tunic with gold buttons, the collar of an undershirt against her throat. The tunic was long enough that it reached mid-thigh on her; any number of weapons could be concealed underneath it. Her face and hands shone with rain, but her clothes were dry.

"So you know what happened in this place?"

"You don't?"

"That's why I'm here. I'm attempting to figure it out."

Hodari pushed away from the wall. "Do yourself a favor and get out of here. There's nothing you can do to help."

"On the contrary. My name is Helen Magnus, and I work with abnormal creatures. I strive to protect them from humans, and vice versa. If you could enlighten me as to what exactly we're dealing with, maybe I can help."

Hodari bent down and picked up Helen's journal. "You think people haven't tried to help? You think my Kenda has been working alone all these years?" Helen snatched the journal away from her. "People try to help. Villages who have been attacked by these things try to take up arms. They never, ever back down. But they all end up the same way." She held out her arms to indicate the ruins around them. "So tell me, Helen Magnus. What can you do to help that dozens of others haven't tried?"

"Just give me a chance."

Hodari pursed her lips and looked down at her gun. "You're a cocky one, aren't you?"

Helen smiled. "A woman has to be, in order to get anything done."

Hodari met Helen's eyes and then looked past her to the rainy doorway. "All right. We have some time before this rain lets up and we can head back down to the main road. I'll take the time to convince you to pack your things and head home."

"Agreed." She gestured at her pack. "I'm afraid I can't offer you much in the way of refreshment, but what I have is yours."

Hodari's posture finally relaxed as she stepped toward Helen's pack. "If you have tea, it would go a long way in getting me to trust you."

Helen raised an eyebrow. "You just took a big step in earning my trust. I'm afraid all I have is that dreadful American instant tea." Hodari grunted. "Yes, I know. But needs must when the devil drives. Would you like a cup?"

"I'll pass." Hodari sat with her back to the wall underneath a window. "We should be safe here until the rain lets up. They don't like getting wet."

Helen sat on her pack again. "What, exactly, are they?"

"There's not an official name for them. My Kenda call them Almasia because they come out of the diamond mines. Before that, they would burrow up out of the ground on their own. From what I can tell they've been showing up for about two hundred years off and on. We've confirmed thirty-eight attacks over the past two centuries. I've patched together a few descriptions from various accounts and historical archives."

Hodari undid a button on her tunic and reached inside. She handed Helen a folded sheet of paper. The drawing was hideous, a twisted, wrinkled face ringed by a ruff of dark hair and the body of an insect.

"The Almasia are about three feet long, I figure. Not much larger than that. They move unbelievably fast, and they move in packs. They're like cockroaches; if you see one, there's a hundred that you don't see. They can be killed easily enough, but there are so many that it's hardly worth trying. Eventually you'll run out of bullets or one of them will get the drop on you. After that they swarm. Their venom paralyzes you so they can drag you down into the tunnels. Once they have you there... no one's ever come back to tell what happens. I'm not sure anyone wants to know."

"There have been survivors of the initial attacks, then?"

Hodari nodded. "They learn pretty quick to keep their stories to themselves. No one believes the truth, so they start making up lies. It took a lot of work to get them to trust my people enough to give up the lie."

"Your people. The Kenda?"

"Yeah. Me and eight survivors from other Almasia attacks. Men and women who weren't willing to just sit on the truth and let this keep happening. A couple of them are from Mozambique and one is from Malawi. The rest are from right here in Tanzania. It seemed to be where the Almasia are the most active so we did some research. The Almasia are centered right here, branching out to neighboring countries when they have to. Before long they could be strong enough to attack all over Africa. We mean to stop them." Hodari had been watching Helen's reaction during the story. "So how about it, Magnus? You seen anything like this before?"

"I may have." Helen picked up her journal and went back a few pages. "Comparing your account and the rendering you've drawn to what I learned in Dar es Salaam, I believe I have enough to make a guess." She found what she was looking for and turned the book so Hodari could see a pen-and-ink drawing similar to the one she'd produced. "The Tathori of Peru. They're harmless, but your Almasia may be an offshoot of the species. The Tathori also comes from underground, but they're harmless. They prefer to burrow deeper in the mines than confront humans."

"Looks like we got the evil cousins."

"It would appear so." Helen closed her book and put it aside. "Some people I work with have had the opportunity to observe the Tathori in its natural habitat. They're fiercely protective of their queens. If we can find a way to eliminate the queen, the rest of the Almasia should become dormant and aimless. I believe that's why they bring their prey underground; offerings to their queen."

"Just that easy? After two hundred years, you waltz in and say 'take out the queen,' and our problems are solved?"

"I never said it would be easy. The Tathori only fight in order to protect their queen. If the Almasia are indeed their more aggressive counterpart, it would be very unlikely we'd ever reach her. Unless, of course, we have a distraction. Is your Kenda nearby?"

"Six of them are. We came here to blow the mine once and for all when we heard someone was asking questions about it. I assume that was you."

Helen nodded. "I'd heard rumors of other attacks, other villages destroyed seemingly overnight, but Kupinga seemed to be the best documented. And by the way, your plan is possibly the worst thing you could have done. Destroying the mine won't stop the Almasia, it will simply force them to burrow elsewhere. You may not hear from this particular batch for years, but they will eventually come back and take another town."

Hodari sighed and looked out the window. The storm was letting up, and some late afternoon sunlight was starting to seep through. It made the sky look sickly and pale red. "All right, we'll do this your way. I'll contact my team and tell 'em to meet us at the mine entrance tomorrow morning."

"I'd rather do this at night."

"I'd rather survive the first wave. The Almasia are most active at night. This plan of yours is insane during the day and suicide once the sun goes down. We'll spend the night fine-tuning the plan to make sure it's tight." She reached under her tunic and took a knife from her belt. "It's gonna be a rough night. I hope you're not planning to sleep."

Helen scoffed and shook her head. "Sleep. Who needs it?"

Hodari met Helen's gaze and finally allowed herself a smile.

2.

There was a brief respite between the end of the storm and complete darkness. Helen's blouse was dry enough that she put it back on unbuttoned and she followed Hodari to the small building where she and the Kenda had been putting together their plan for bombing the mine. Hodari led her into the back room of a small white-brick building. In the back room, Hodari knelt and lifted the floorboards to reveal a rickety staircase leading down into the darkness.

"You were underground when I first came through. That's why I didn't see you."

"I didn't know you were here until a few minutes before I ambushed you. I'd heard the rumors, sure, but I never thought anyone would be stupid enough to actually come."

"Some might call it brave."

"Yeah, some might. Come on." Hodari led Helen down into the crude basement. She lit a lantern and revealed a half dozen crates lining the walls of the space.

"Have you been able to determine how the Almasia attack?"

"Heat and movement. We figure we set the fuse and a whole swarm of them will come see what's going on. That way we'll catch some of them in the explosion, and the rest will get crushed in the cave-in. I assume you have a better plan."

Helen tilted her head. "Actually my plan is closer to yours than you might think. You said you had six members of your Kenda nearby. Do you have any way to contact them?"

Hodari unbuttoned her tunic again and withdrew a two-way radio. She turned it on to a squelch of static, tuning it until she found a relatively clear signal. "Karani, this is Hodari, come in."

"Did you take care of the stupid woman?"

Helen smirked.

"She's here now. She thinks she has a plan to stop the Almasia." Hodari held out the radio to Helen, offering her the chance to speak without handing over the radio. "Enlighten us, Dr. Magnus."

"It will require the help of your Kenda. The Almasia are attracted to light, movement and heat. I've dealt with creatures like them before. I believe we can use your explosives to draw them out long enough that Hodari and I can enter their caves to destroy their queen."

Hodari glowered. "You want me to endanger my people for your plan."

"There is inherent danger, yes. But your people will be in the safest position possible. They will draw the Almasia to them and they will be fighting on their terms. Meanwhile, you and I will undertake the most dangerous part of the mission. The queen will not be unprotected and she won't go lightly. We'll burn the queen and her nest, and the others will rush to her aide. They'll be caught in the ensuing fire, and the ones who survive will become dormant without a queen to guide them. After that, your people can return and seal the mine properly."

Hodari said, "You're willing to kill the queen in cold blood?"

Helen gestured at the ceiling, the destroyed town above them. "This is not cold blood. This is defense of the next village these things would target. In an ideal world, yes, I would like to capture the queen and take her someplace safe. I know that's not possible. These creatures must be stopped."

Hodari spoke into the radio again. "Karani, did you get all of that?"

"It sounds like a very dangerous plan."

"Magnus and I are going to stick it out up here for the night." She rolled her eyes. "I know. Another very dangerous plan. But it's better than the alternative. If we tried to head back down the road, night would fall before we got to safety. I'd rather face the Almasia here than out in the open. We'll be fine. You and the others hold the perimeter and make sure no more dumb wazungu try coming up here. Come up at first light and we'll start putting together Magnus' plan."

"As you say."

"Asante." She turned off the radio and looked at the explosives. "Do you think there will be enough here?"

Helen nodded. "Should be. Now, as appealing as it might be to remain here and hope we're not discovered, I'd rather make our stand somewhere that we won't be cornered. We'll leave the explosives until morning and make our stand in the building where you found me."

Hodari nodded. "I was about to suggest the same thing. Lead on, Ms. Magnus."

"It's Dr. Magnus actually," Helen said as she started up the stairs. She turned and saw Hodari looking at her rear end.

Hodari lifted her gaze to Helen's eyes without embarrassment at being caught staring. "You're full of surprises, Dr. Helen."

"Something we have in common, it seems. Come on."

The sky was dark when they emerged from the building. Helen broke into a trot with Hodari keeping pace with her as they ran through the village. They heard the squeals and chirps of the Almasia coming from the foothills. "Sounds like they're getting an early start tonight. Maybe they know someone is poking their nose into this place."

Helen resisted the urge to defend herself and used her energy for running. They reached the building with Helen's pack and Hodari immediately fled deeper into the building. When she returned, she had a slab of wood in each hand, the ends dragging behind her. "Get these up over the doors. Not much we can do about the windows, but the Almasia tend to ignore whatever isn't right in front of them."

"Hiding our heads in the sand, are we?"

"Some things you can fight. Some thing you just have to hunker down and wait for them to pass."

Helen took one of the makeshift doors and dragged it to the front room. She placed it over the door and used her pack to prop it up. She heard hammering from the back room, and then Hodari appeared with a hammer and a handful of nails. "Just how much do you have in that tunic of yours?"

"Enough," Hodari said, but she was smiling. Helen stepped aside and let Hodari nail the wood to the wall. "That should keep them from tripping over us. If they decide to get a little more inquisitive, we'll be in trouble."

Helen's hands were freezing. "I assume we can't build a fire."

"That would be up there among your worse ideas, Dr. Helen. We'll make due. Better safe and cold for a little bit than dead and cold forever."

"Very true." Helen knelt beside her pack and withdrew some essentials: a battery-powered hot plate, a small box of instant tea, and a thermos. "As I said earlier... needs must. Instant tea may be dreck, but at least it's better than coffee. Would you like a cup?"

"I've had worse drinks in better situations." Hodari sat down with her back to the wall, resting her arms across bent knees. "But maybe make it a small cup to start out with."

Helen smiled and began preparing the drink.

#

One of the rooms in the house had narrow windows cut just below the ceiling, letting in enough ambient moonlight for them to see. They transferred their camp to that room, choosing opposite corners to bivouac. Hodari finally removed her tunic to reveal a high-collared safari shirt with multiple pockets. The inside of the tunic had more compartments, all of them bulging with some tool or another. Hodari unbuttoned the shirt and put it aside, leaving her in a loose top that left her shoulders bare.

One of Hodari's pockets held MCI rations and she tossed one to Helen. "Sorry it's not fine dining."

"I've had worse meals in better situations," Helen said, mimicking Hodari's own words as she took the pack. "Thank you. So have you been doing this long?"

Hodari nodded. "Since I was a little girl. My father started the Kenda and I took over when the damn Almasia finally took him."

"I'm so sorry. Another thing we have in common, I suppose. My father started the Sanctuary when I was a little girl. I took over for him when he disappeared."

"And you do it alone?"

"God no. I have a team, people I trust with my life. The only reason they're not here is because I thought it would be best to investigate these creatures on my own. The more people I brought, the bigger a disturbance I would make and I feared I would draw the creatures to me."

Hodari smiled. "So you did one thing right."

"I should have quit while I was ahead." She and Hodari smiled at each other across the room. Helen reached into her pack and dug around until she found the late addition James had made to her supplies. "Care to pass the time with a game?" She opened the box and removed the deck of cards.

Hodari shrugged, and Helen moved to sit closer to her. They sat with their backs to the wall, a corner between them, so they couldn't see each other's hand. Helen shuffled and dealt. The cards were gorgeous, each face card bearing a beautiful painted portrait of a king, queen or a knight for the aces. Helen held one up and tried to pick out the nuances, but the moonlight made blues and greens black, and transformed the red into purple.

"What are we betting?" Hodari looked up, and Helen shrugged. "Might as well have a little fun while we're waiting for the dawn."

Hodari considered her cards. "We'll keep track of winning hands. The one with the least wins at dawn owes the winner a story."

"A story?"

"Yes. But it must be true. I'm very interested in how you survived other instances without someone like me to protect you."

Helen smiled. "So you believe you'll be the winner today?"

"I've seen my cards."

"Then let's play, Hodari. I'd like to hear some of your stories as well."

The game they played was a variation on War in which they were able to choose any card from their hand. The catch was that the suits had to match. If Hodari played a heart card and Helen didn't have one, Hodari won by default. After several rounds, they were still evenly matched. Hodari played a ten of diamonds, and Helen laid the queen on top of it. She gathered the cards and examined the painting of the queen.

"Perhaps we should remove this one from the deck. A reminder of our target tomorrow morning." Helen put the card aside between them and played another card.

"Do you really think taking out the queen will stop all the Almasia? We've gotten reports of them as far away as Vila de Sena." She put down a king of spades.

Helen sacrificed a two of spades and "It could take some time for the queen's death to affect the more outlying tribes of Almasia. Your Kenda may still have its hands full dealing with the aftermath even though the queen isn't around to spawn any further generations."

Hodari rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. "But there's a chance we could end this damn war in my lifetime. It's something worth thinking about at least. My father claimed there was no hope of an end to the war, just a balance. They would keep advancing and we would keep fighting them back. Sisyphus and his rock."

Helen smiled at the reference. "I know how you feel. I've often felt that way myself. That we are merely foot soldiers in a generational war that will be left to our children when we pass on."

"You have children?"

"I..." No need to get into that complicated situation. "No. I don't."

"Neither do I. Not likely to have any, either. Fortunately two members of the Kenda are married now. Maybe they'll start the next generation."

Helen started to respond, but Hodari stopped her with a quick hiss and two lifted fingers. She had lifted her gaze to one of the windows, and she dropped her cards to fill her hand with a blade. Helen took a KA-BAR and a handgun from her pack and waited for Hodari to suggest their next move. Helen heard a chittering sound, and Hodari cursed under her breath.

"They're inside. Come on."

Helen followed Hodari down the hall to the main room of the building. The roof was partially blasted away there, and Helen saw three small shapes huddled in the far corner of the room. They initially appeared to be frightened and hiding, but then one lifted its head and rolled it slowly from one side to the other.

"Tasting the air for our heat." Hodari's voice was practically a whisper. She brought up her right arm, pressing the fist against the wall as she laid her gun across her forearm with her left hand. She took aim and fired. The scenting Almasia was thrown back, and the other two immediately went toward the shot. A chorus of hoots and screeches rose from outside.

Hodari fired twice more while Helen went to the window. Almasia were now tearing through the streets, some of them seeming to fly as they leapt from one vertical surface to the next. She heard the scrambling of their claws on stone as they passed overhead. Helen tried to will herself to be colder as one of the creatures appeared in the window in front of her.

She slashed with the knife to preserve her bullets. She cut across the creature's talons, forcing it to release the window and fall back out into the night. Hodari appeared beside her. She tossed something small through the window, hitting one of the Almasia in the head hard enough to knock it back. Seconds later, the creature and the ones around it exploded in a fireball.

"Hold 'em off?"

"I'll do my best." Helen brought her gun up. The Almasia were more reluctant to attempt entering the window now. She could see them clearly, some of them swaying as they seemed to debate their chances. Now that she had a look at the real thing, lit by the moon, she could see that Hodari's drawing hadn't been very far off. Hodari returned and handed Helen a small flask.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Not for you. I'll cover you, you pour it out the window."

Helen uncapped it and a strong scent of gasoline hit her. She and Hodari moved to the window, pressing together so they could both lean out at the same time. Helen poured, while Hodari fired at the Almasia that tried to jump for them. Helen heard their squeals and, once, felt a talon as it brushed her skin. She poured the contents of the flask out, shaking it to make sure every drop fell free, and then said, "Now!"

Hodari pulled out a zippo, lit it, and dropped it. As she retreated, one of the creatures leapt and grasped her arm. It sank its teeth into the flesh and Hodari howled in pain. Helen pressed the barrel of her gun against the creature's head and pulled the trigger. It fell back, tearing the skin of Hodari's arm as it went. Blood gushed as the pool of gas ignited, and the Almasia that weren't caught in the initial explosion were drawn by the heat and threw themselves onto the flame.

Hodari dropped to the ground and Helen followed. "Don't worry about me right now." She handed Helen another flask. "Light the rest of the window sills. The building is stone so it won't burn down around us." She swallowed hard. "They'll try to get to the flame and burn. It's as close to a real barrier we'll get. Do it, hurry."

Helen took off her blouse. "Use this to staunch the bleeding and to cover the wound. I'll be back." She reluctantly left the bleeding woman and used the liquor to burn the windows. When she returned, Hodari had wrapped her arm with strips from Helen's blouse. Her legs stuck out stiffly, her arms and legs trembling.

"Shouldn't ha' gone without mah tunic. Stupid mistake."

"We're all allowed one in our lives," Helen said. "Let me help you."

"Haveta... drag. Can't stand."

Helen pulled Hodari away from the wall and, after several attempts to stand her, realized she had told the truth. She dragged Hodari down the hall away from the window. One of the Almasia leapt to the flames, howled as it began to burn, and fell back outside. They reached the room with Helen's pack, and she left Hodari by the door as she retrieved her first aid kit. She knelt next to Hodari again and checked her vital signs.

"Are you staying with me, Ami?"

"Par...a... lytic. Should be... fine. Only lasts... long enough for... them to get me to... mama." She tried to smile, but only one side of her face responded. "Keep... me..." The last word became a croak, and Hodari stared blankly past Helen. Helen knew that Hodari wouldn't be able to blink in her condition so, as a matter of comfort, she used her thumb and forefinger to lower her eyelids.

"I'll keep you safe, Hodari. You have my word."

Helen opened her kit and removed the bandages and antiseptic. She peeled away the bloody strips of her blouse and tended to Hodari's wound. The blood flow was staunched by the paralytic, which Helen took to be a good thing. She cleaned it, washing away the poison, and carefully wrapped her arm with gauze.

"You won twelve games to my ten, by the way, so I assume that means I owe you a story. Assuming you can still hear in this condition." She thought for a moment. "To be honest, I have more than most to choose from. I've known Presidents, people who have changed the world. I've seen the stories behind the scenes of history. I've stood behind closed doors while treaties were signed, while boundaries were redrawn. The things I know could fill books."

She moved to pick up Hodari's tunic and draped it over her bare shoulders. She sat beside Hodari and listened to the sounds of Almasia throwing themselves against the flaming windows and burning to death.

"Babe Ruth and I once played baseball against each other." She smiled at the memory. "I was a member of a small team of housewives who met before their children were let out of school. They asked to use the field behind my summer home for their games and I gave them permission granted that I be allowed to watch. They did me one better by allowing me to play. We had some amazing games against each other.

"One day while we were playing, a train stopped to clear some debris from the tracks. The men aboard the train wandered through the town and George Ruth, Jr. came to us as if he'd been drawn by the sound of a wooden bat hitting leather. He and his boys challenged us to a game of men versus women. Evelyn allowed me to pitch, so I actually faced off against the Sultan of Swat himself."

She bit her bottom lip as she remembered that hot summer day, standing in her cotton cullotes on the mound as Babe Ruth winked at her from home plate. Her hair was cut short, tucked under a baseball cap with a wide, flat brim. Sweat was rolling down her cheeks, from the heat not fear, and she reared back, she lifted one leg, and she hurled the ball with as much strength as she could muster.

"He apologized." Helen laughed. "He said he had been rooting for us to win, but we lost by a handful of runs. He said, 'You had a chance to strike out Babe Ruth, and I took it from ya. Mighty sorry about that, ma'am.' I told him he had nothing to apologize for. Of all the home runs Babe ever hit, one of them was pitched by me. I gave Babe Ruth a trip around the bases. Seven hundred and fourteen official home runs in his career... and mine was seven hundred and fifteen."

A flaming Almasia staggered down the hallway. Helen brought her gun up, took careful aim, and shot it in the head. The creature yelped and fell over, finally giving up whatever life it was clinging to. Helen took a blanket from her pack and carried it over, smothering the flames so they wouldn't spread across the floor.

Once the creature was extinguished, Helen took a quick circuit of the building, making sure no more Almasia were lying in wait or trying to sneak up on them. The roof was still vulnerable, but apparently no more creatures were attempting to gain access that way. She returned to Hodari and sat beside her. She reached out and felt Hodari's hand, pressing two fingers to the inside of her wrist. She thought she felt a pulse, but she couldn't be certain. The skin felt hardened, petrified. She pressed her palm against Hodari's and laced their fingers together the best she could manage.

She didn't know why she did it, exactly. She just knew that she hoped someone would do it for her in the same situation. Human contact could be a powerful thing.

Nearly two hours later, having filled the silence with more stories and shooting the occasional Almasia, Helen felt something soften against in Hodari's hand. She looked down and saw Hodari slowly curl her fingers. Some time after that, five or ten minutes, she was actually holding Helen's hand. She squeezed, and Helen squeezed back. "Nice to see you coming back to us."

Another twenty minutes, and Hodari seemed to sag against the wall. She inhaled sharply, exhaled slowly, and then forced her eyes open. She blinked rapidly, looked at Helen like someone who had just woken up. She licked her lips, and Helen reached with her free hand to give her a canteen. "Here. Take some water."

"Thank you." Hodari let go of Helen's hand to accept the canteen, and she took a long drink. She licked her lips, handed it back and sighed. "How old are you, anyway?"

Helen laughed.

"You really played baseball with the Babe?" Helen nodded. "My Daddy didn't like much in the way of entertainment. But he loved hearing stories about baseball. He caught one game. One. His daddy drove him all the way into town and they listened to a recording of the game on the radio. He said it was the best day of his whole life. He was a boy then. You... owned property big enough for a baseball field."

Helen nodded. "I am one hundred and seventeen years old."

"Talk about aging gracefully. So you... those things, your Abnormals..."

"It's a very long story."

"It's a very long night."

Helen lifted an eyebrow. "I suppose you're right. But you only won a single story in our card game. Should we play again?"

Hodari was facing the doorway. When she spoke, her voice was so soft Helen had to strain to hear it. "I trust my Kenda. Eight other people in this world I would trust with my life, and that's it. I never would have thought I would sit here, completely defenseless, and feel... comfortable with that. You've earned my trust a lot faster than I would have thought possible, Dr. Helen."

"It's mutual."

Hodari looked at Helen and, after only the slightest hesitation, leaned in. Her lips brushed Helen's lightly and then retreated. Helen remained still, giving complete control to Hodari. They remained still, their faces almost touching, and when Hodari licked her lips her tongue brushed Helen's upper lip. "It's your move, Dr. Helen."

Helen didn't hesitate. She cupped the back of Hodari's head and pulled her forward. Hodari moaned into the kiss, putting her hands on Helen's shoulders so that the fingers of one hand could brush her throat. The tunic fell away from Hodari's chest, and Helen dropped her hands to the smooth curve of Hodari's breast.

Hodari parted Helen's lips with her tongue, and Helen dropped her hand to Hodari's hip. She lifted when Hodari rolled, and Hodari settled easily on Helen's lap. She broke the kiss and touched Helen's face. Helen kissed the pad of Hodari's thumb, turned her head to nuzzle her palm, and then suckled the wrist that a few hours ago had been hard as stone. It was soft now, supple, and she could feel the throb of Hodari's heart against her tongue.

Hodari bent down to kiss Helen's temple and her cheek, and then they were kissing again. Helen managed to tug down Hodari's top, her hands molding to Hodari's full breasts. Hodari arched her back and Helen broke the kiss. She ran her lips down Hodari's throat and Hodari leaned back so Helen could kiss her breasts.

"So gorgeous..."

They twisted to get Helen away from the wall, and Hodari stripped Helen's blouse away from her body. They locked eyes as Helen unhooked her bra and Hodari pulled it away. She was rocking her hips in Helen's lap, and Helen slipped her hand down to the waistband of Hodari's trousers to pull her closer.

"Do you do this often?" Helen asked, her voice ragged.

"With women?" Hodari's voice trembled with each word. "Or with women I tried to shoot earlier in the night?"

Helen smiled. "Either."

"No. You?"

"From time to time." She kissed Hodari, moaning when the kiss broke. "Do you think less of me?"

Hodari grunted and pushed Helen to the floor, straddling her waist. "Hell, woman. More than a century, I'd have sown some oats myself."

Helen laughed and pulled Hodari down to her. Their bodies moved together, Hodari's right leg hooked against Helen's hip, her left leg stretched out along Helen's side. Helen slid her hands down Hodari's stomach, to the catch of her trousers. She undid them and slid them down just enough that she could cup her hand between the other woman's legs. Hodari lifted her head and bared her teeth as Helen's fingers slipped inside her.

"Your thigh," Helen moaned. Hodari looked down at her. "Between... my legs, put it--"

Hodari did as instructed. She pressed her thigh up, and Helen's legs tightened around it. Hodari knew instinctively to thrust, moving against Helen even as Helen's fingers moved inside of her. They thrust against each other, Hodari grunting loudly until Helen began to climax. She lowered her head to Helen's shoulder, biting playfully as Helen arched up off the floor underneath her.

Helen finally sagged, lifting her head as she continued to twist her fingers. She added her thumb, the sweat drying on her skin, her thighs still convulsing around Hodari's leg. Hodari licked Helen's throat, nipped her earlobe, and growled as she tightened around Helen's fingers. She came whispering Helen's name, her gasp fading into a groan, and then she rolled limply to one side.

"Damn."

Helen chuckled helplessly, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth and smelling Hodari on the fingers. "Mm." She kissed the tip of her middle finger and sucked. Hodari watched her, eyes dark. When Helen turned to smile at her, Hodari grabbed Helen's hair and kissed her hard. Helen pulled back to breathe. "Well."

"Yeah."

Helen turned her head so that Hodari could kiss her cheek.

They lay side by side on the floor, both struggling to catch their breath. Hodari tugged her pants up and fastened them while Helen draped an arm across her bare breasts. She stopped her giggling - something she found often happened after a particularly powerful orgasm - and turned to see Hodari watching her.

"Better than cards."

Hodari laughed. "Depends on the game, I guess."

They kissed, this time taking the chance to explore what they were doing. Hodari dragged her hand down to Helen's, lacing their fingers together.

"There's something I can do with my mouth, right?" She glanced toward Helen's trousers. "There?"

"Mm." She dragged the back of her index finger over Hodari's cheek. "There's only one way to find out, I would imagine."

Hodari grinned and kissed her way down Helen's body. When Hodari's fingers hooked in the waistband of her trousers, Helen took a deep breath that she didn't fully release for quite some time.

#

After they were both too exhausted to continue, they lay side by side on the ground again. Their bare arms touched, and Helen occasionally brushed her fingers over Hodari's palm. The Almasia had ceased their attack on the burning building, although Helen could hear them just beyond the walls trying to figure out another way in. Eventually they left, and Helen rolled onto her side. She kissed the shell of Hodari's ear and pulled her close. "Sleep. I can watch." She brushed a loose strand from Hodari's face. "I'm sure it's been a while since you were able to sleep peacefully."

Hodari rolled over and put her face against Helen's shoulder and Helen held her while she slept.

3.

In the morning, Helen sacrificed another strip of her blouse to change Hodari's bandage. She took some clean clothes out of her pack while Hodari dressed in her undershirt and tunic once more. They gathered their weapons and examined their temporary quarters. The fires had burned down during the night, but the Almasia had never renewed their attack. Hodari removed the coverings from the door and they stepped out into the sun. Corpses of the Almasia were littered around their building, some still smoldering.

"Come on. I'll show you where the cave entrance is."

As they trekked through the village, Helen noted that some of the places she'd seen the day before were now torn apart and trashed. The Almasia had been looking for them. She was fortunate Hodari had been there to show her the right plan of attack. She doubted she would have been able to stem the swarm on her own. Hodari turned to face her, as if sensing her thoughts.

"I wanted to say thank you, before my Kenda arrived. I made a stupid mistake and without you to protect me, it would have meant my death."

"You wouldn't have been there at all, were it not for me. And besides, you expressed your gratitude rather eloquently last night."

Hodari smiled and gestured up the path. The ground rose in a steady incline, rolling with the foothills of the mountains. "Up here." The road ended in a falling-down wooden fence covered with faded, hand-painted signs that read HATARI! HATARI! Helen didn't need a translation; even before the Almasia attack that destroyed this village, they knew to avoid the caverns. They reached the fence and Hodari pointed into the distance. "Do you see?"

Helen scanned the foothills. Occasionally there were spots that seemed darker than the others, openings in the rock face that could easily have been overlooked.

"We've managed to map a small section of the openings here. They combine to a single tunnel about fifty yards in. That continues down into the nest."

Helen heard an engine approaching, and they both turned to watch a mini-truck bouncing over the bumpy road toward them. Five people were inside, two stood on the running boards, and another was sitting in a roof-mounted gun turret. Every other person seemed armed to the teeth, the two men hanging onto the side with one hand with an automatic weapon in their other.

"Bloody hell."

"We believe in being prepared. You see enough of your friends dragged off into the night, you start preparing. Come. I'll introduce you."

Helen followed Hodari down to where the truck had stopped. The driver emerged, and the rest of the Kenda gathered around Hodari as she approached them. Their greetings were subdued, given with eyes cast toward the stranger standing a few feet away. Hodari assured everyone she had gotten through the night in one piece - her bandaged arm was covered by her tunic - and she turned and spoke in Swahili as she pointed to Helen. She heard her own name, and then Hodari continued to say something sternly.

A tall man with a pastel-pink shirt shrugged. "If Hodari says you are friend, then friend you will be." He held out his hand. "Erevu."

"Ninafurahi kujuana na wewe," Helen said. "And now I'm afraid I've expended almost all the Swahili I know."

Erevu smiled and stepped back to gesture at the rest of the group, introducing them by name: Tamu, Karani, Saa, Chui, Zuri, Umeme and Lakini. Zuri was a gorgeous young woman with extremely short, spiked hair. She had immediately assumed a position by Hodari's right shoulder, eyeing Helen with the kind of wariness that came only from jealousy. After everyone had been introduced, Erevu put his hand on Helen's shoulder and squeezed.

"You do not have to worry about remembering all. You can call us Kenda if necessary and whoever is able will come to your aid." He looked at Hodari. "Now, there is a plan, I assume?"

"One you won't like," Hodari said. "I'll let Helen explain it and I'll translate anything that's not clear."

Helen went over her plan: burning low-yield incendiaries to draw the Almasia out of their caverns so that Helen and Hodari could enter and eliminate the queen. It sounded simple laid out in steps, and the Kenda listened attentively to each part before they began asking questions. Chui asked something in Swahili, and Hodari translated for Helen's benefit.

"He wants to know how they will avoid the Almasia when they swarm."

"You will be on higher ground. Last night Hodari and I confirmed the Almasia can be held off with fire. They'll be drawn to it and immolate themselves. The few who make it through can be easily dispatched."

While Hodari translated for Chui, Tamu crossed her arms over her chest. "We will be prisoners. Trapped inside by the flame while the Almasia are free to roam. You will not be able to call us if you are in danger."

Erevu clucked his tongue. "Not if we do it backwards."

Helen looked at him. "How do you mean?"

"You intend to draw the Almasia with the incendiary devices, yes?" He looked up and scanned the remains of the village. He pointed to one of the brick meeting houses Helen had passed when she entered the town. "There. It is sufficiently large and far enough from the caverns to work for your plan. We burn the incendiaries in the far part of the building. When the Almasia enter, we ignite the shell of the building and trap them within. Then we will be free to move about."

Chui spoke again and Hodari translated. "You won't catch them all in the first trap."

"We won't have to," Umeme said. "We can repeat the trap as many times as necessary. Almasia are slow-witted. They will follow their prey into the mouth of a lion. We will set fires for them in as many places as necessary. It will work, but not for all night."

Hodari shook her head. "We won't need all night. Hold them off as long as you can. Helen and I will do the rest. With luck we won't have to do anything this damned stupid ever again after we finish tonight." She turned to Helen. "Let's get started. I want everything in place as soon as the sun starts going down. The Almasia know we're here, so they'll be starting their attacks earlier tonight."

#

The Kenda broke up into groups of three. Helen went with Hodari, Zuri and Erevu to scout the best places for the incendiaries. Another group returned to the nearest town to stock up on gasoline to help trap the Almasia inside the buildings. The final group went east toward the caves to find places that Helen and Hodari could take cover while the Almasia swarmed past them. By noon, Erevu had chosen six buildings where it would be the easiest to set up traps. Hodari suggested they take a break before they started setting up the explosives.

Erevu had several meal packets with him and he handed them out, offering one to Helen. She took it with thanks, and politely excused herself to eat in the shade of a building. She was staring toward the foothills, considering every angle of the plan for anywhere it was weak. She was so engrossed that she didn't hear Zuri approach until the woman was standing beside her.

"God. I didn't know you were standing there. Hello."

Zuri inclined her head. "You don't want to eat with us?"

"No, it's not that. Your group seems very tight-knit. I wouldn't want to intrude."

Zuri inclined her head, a move Helen assumed meant she accepted the excuse, and then looked toward the caves. "Hodari says you saved her life last night."

"She exaggerates. We were standing near each other; we had to save each other in order to save ourselves."

"That's not what she says." She looked down at Helen. "Thank you. For whatever you did."

Helen nodded and watched Hodari's face. "Does she know how you feel?"

Zuri flinched and took a step back, walking toward Hodari and Erevu. "You can eat with us if you want. You don't have to sit over here in the dark." She turned and rejoined her team. Helen watched her go and, after a moment, gathered her things to join the members of the Kenda for the rest of her meal.

#

The team that had gone to town returned with dusty green jerrycans full of fuel. Erevu directed them to the six buildings he'd marked for the traps while Helen, Zuri and Hodari placed the incendiaries. They chose the farthest corners of the buildings, making sure the Almasia would have easy points of ingress and clear paths to the explosives. Helen showed Erevu how to use the timer to detonate the explosives, and Erevu taught the others.

The nine members of the Kenda all gathered for an evening meal, an event that Hodari expressly invited Helen to join, and they ate with the appropriate solemnity of a possible last meal. Helen sat to Hodari's right, with Zuri to her left. Hodari didn't notice Helen's discomfort or Zuri's tension, and Helen was surprised to see there was anything that escaped the other woman's notice.

When they were finished eating, Hodari smoothed her hands over the thighs of her trousers and looked at the men and women around her. "Tonight will be the most dangerous thing we've ever undertaken. I have faith in the people I broke bread with here. If we do not stop the Almasia with this action we will, at the very least, strike a blow that they will feel throughout their entire being. This is the moment we have been waiting for. The moment our mothers and fathers envisioned when they took up arms against these creatures. Let us make sure our children don't have to pick up the fight from us."

Across the circle, Helen saw Lakini and Saa take each other's hands.

"The traps have been laid. Erevu will take the lead while I am gone. Follow him as you would me. Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa." She stood up and the rest of the Kenda joined her on their feet. The sun was low in the sky, and the day had grown noticeably darker during her speech. "It's time. Helen, are you ready?"

"Lead the way."

"We'll rendezvous back here as soon as possible. I will contact you as soon as Helen and I have returned and we'll go to the safe place Karani found for us. There we will await dawn and hope the Almasia are forever banished to nightmares where they belong."

Before they left, Zuri presented Hodari and Helen with a pair of wickedly long, sharp machetes. Hodari frowned at them. "Your father gave these to you."

Zuri shook her head. "You will need them more than I do tonight, 'Dari. Let them keep you safe." She seemed like she was about to say something else, but she stopped herself before she could. Instead, she tilted her head forward. "Hatua ndefu hufupisha mwendo."

Helen picked apart the words and loosely translated for herself: "A long stride shortens the journey."

Hodari embraced Zuri with one arm, whispered something to her, and slipped the machete into a loop on her belt. She looked toward the sky and nodded at Helen. "We should go. Erevu, lead them well." He put his fist against his heart in response, and Hodari started up the trail to the foothills. Helen followed her and, after a moment, looked back toward the people they were leaving behind.

Every member of the Kenda had already disappeared into the village to prepare. Helen turned back to the trail, her hand tightening around the grip of her borrowed blade. She hoped she was capable of keeping up with this group, but it was looking more and more like she was the follower in this war. She quickened her pace and caught up with Hodari just before they reached the fence.

#

Helen and Hodari smeared their exposed skin with mud to help mask their heat signatures. Chui had found a culvert near the caves for them to hide while the Almasia left for their hunt, and they reached it just as the animalistic sounds from the cave reached a crescendo. They knelt together, shoulder to shoulder, and waited as the first creatures emerged from the cave and scampered across the ground. They were almost cute, pausing to raise onto their hind legs while their heads bobbed up and down to find heat. One of them chittered and the others followed as it raced down the path toward the village.

They waited until the rush passed, giving it a few minutes to make sure all the stragglers had left before they emerged from their hiding place. Hodari led the way, guiding Helen to the cave's mouth and stepping fearlessly into the darkness.

Helen followed, alert for sounds of Almasia lying in wait. Hodari insisted on using no torches or flashlights to light their way, so they moved in darkness. Helen put one hand against the wall and felt rough, sometimes jagged objects scraping over her palm. It was a few minutes before she realized that what she felt were diamonds. People had killed for diamonds, stolen and lied and enslaved for them, but this mine had gone untouched because of the Almasia. If she had any lingering doubts about how badly the Almasia were feared, they were banished now.

"We should be safe now," Hodari whispered. She took out a small flashlight and clicked it on, nearly blinding Helen with the sudden light. The cave had been unnaturally carved, chiseled from the stone by claws and softened by the brushing of countless bodies. The floor was relatively smooth, but it was slanted at a severe incline that forced Helen to keep her right foot above the left. The tunnel shrank as they advanced, and they were both forced to stoop in order to continue.

Just before Helen was about to suggest they turn back, the tunnel ended in a wide concave expanse. She could see a dozen other tunnels that branched into the same area. Hodari dropped to the curved surface of the bowl, reaching up to help Helen down. Their footsteps echoed off the suddenly high ceiling and Hodari swept her flashlight across the room. She aimed it at the ground and crouched to examine the striations in the stone.

"Which way now?" Helen whispered.

"I think we're there." Hodari stood slowly. "This place is painted with blood."

Helen took out her own flashlight and looked down at the designs under her. The curved stone was covered with dark red blotches in the claw-shapes of Almasia feet. Smears of long-dried blood covered so much that the actual color of the stone beneath it was questionable. "Dear God. This is where the queen accepts her sacrifices."

"And it's where we can set out trap for her." Hodari handed Helen her flashlight and knelt. She had refilled her flash with gasoline her team brought back from town, and she poured a bit of it onto a rag. She poured a pool, dropped the rag into it, and took a match from Helen. "Back up."

Hodari lit the match and dropped it, already backing up as it fell through the air. It hit the gas and ignited, and the sacrificial pit was suddenly awash with flickering light. Helen grabbed Hodari's arm and pulled her back toward the relative safety of the tunnels. There was a screech from deeper in the cave system and it froze Helen's blood as it echoed off the stone around them.

They heard a large creature moving across stone, and they watched as the Almasia queen entered the sacrificial pit. Helen couldn't resist a hushed, "Bloody Hell" when she saw the size of it. At least four times the size of its offspring, the queen swung its hideous face toward the flames and gave a cry with a slight hiccup to it before moving across the ground.

Helen moved carefully as she took the soda bottle from her pack. Hodari kept her eyes on the queen as she poured the remaining gasoline from her flask into the bottle, spilling only a few drops in the process. Helen wrapped a cloth around the bottle's neck as she had been shown, and then she lit the end of the rag with her matches.

The queen reached the fire and leaned forward, howling as the flames licked her jaw. Helen tossed the cocktail and the glass shattered against the creature's side. The fuel poured out, and the fire from the rag ignited it. The queen kicked and spat, twisting to try and extinguish the fire. Hodari had made her own cocktail and hurled it, the bottle shattering just behind the queen. Fenced in by flame, she lurched to the side, toward Helen and Hodari.

Hodari stepped forward with a fierce cry, swinging Zuri's blade above her head. When she was in range, she brought the machete down and cut a swath through the queen's meaty shoulder. She swung the sword again on her follow-through and took a chunk from the queen's other side as well. Her entire body was covered with flame now, ichor flowing from her wounds.

There was a burst of static from Helen's hip, a signal from Karani that the swarm was reacting unexpectedly. They hear their queen. They're coming back.

"Hodari! We have to get out of here now!"

Hodari cut and sliced, and the queen lurched as her right front leg was severed. Helen grabbed the back of Hodari's tunic and jerked her back, forcing her toward the tunnel. "The Almasia know what is happening. They're on the way back. We have to leave now."

At the mouth of the tunnel, Helen stopped and withdrew a grenade from her jacket. She held it out so Hodari could have the honor of pulling the pin, and she hurled it back toward the queen. It hit the ground and rolled, and the queen lifted her remaining front leg to smash it. Helen and Hodari dove into the tunnel as the grenade exploded.

They hit the ground, showered with debris and dust. Helen was the first on her feet. "Come on. We haven't much time." She could hear the rock straining all around them, and the entire world seemed like it was about to shatter to pieces. Helen and Hodari helped each other through the tight cave, both of them tripping a handful of times only to have the other woman help her up.

They could see moonlight through the entrance of the cave when the first Almasia reached them. Hodari thrust her sword forward, catching one creature under the chin. She shouted Helen's name as one of the creatures slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. Another landed on her leg and tried to gnaw through the thick leather of her boot.

"Helen!"

She brought her hand up and the Almasia bit down on the blade of the machete. Helen sliced, and the creature howled and dripped blood onto her. She fought to get free and ended up on her stomach, facing toward the cave entrance. There were hulking silhouettes of Almasia between her and freedom, and Hodari was standing backlit by the moon.

Helen waved her on. "Go! Go!"

An Almasia bit the back of Helen's neck, its teeth sinking into the flesh. She cried out as the drug poisoned her blood, and she fought as her limbs became heavy and useless. When she opened her eyes again, the cave entrance was empty. Hodari had left.

Helen closed her eyes; she didn't want them to be frozen open while she was torn to pieces.

4.

Dar es Salaam, three days later,

Helen looked around the room with a certain amount of confusion. She remained still as she tried to place herself. The heat, the color of the sunlight, the scent of the air... it came back to her that she was in Africa. Tanzania. She closed her eyes as the pain filled her body, as if it had been waiting for her to wake up to fully hit. She remembered the attack and took stock of her injuries. Her neck, her shoulder and her side were all throbbing, but she could tell the medicine was helping. She knew without it she would be writhing in agony.

She looked to her right. Hodari was sitting on the neighboring bed, her body slumped forward with her hands in her lap. She was still wearing a thick tunic, but this one was crimson with silver buttons. She had obviously fallen asleep sitting up, and Helen smiled at the sight. She pushed herself up, hissing in pain, and Hodari's eyes opened at the sound.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Helen said softly.

Hodari smiled. "Well, well. Dr. Helen decides to return to us. How do you feel?"

"Better than dead, thanks to you."

Hodari laughed. "I will have to remember that one."

"You came back for me."

"Of course. I don't leave members of my Kenda behind." She slipped off the bed and took Helen's hand. "I left the cave to get our packs from where we'd hidden them. Then I fashioned a torch and used it to light most of the Almasia that were swarming you on fire. You have me to blame for some of your burns, I'm afraid."

"They'll heal. The rest of the Kenda?"

"Successful in their part of the mission. The Almasia quickly recognized the distraction for what it was, but Erevu managed to improvise. Were it not for him, neither of us would have left those caves alive." She brushed her thumb over Helen's knuckles. "You've been unconscious for three days. During that time we've received more reports of Almasia than in the past thirty years."

Helen's face fell. "We failed."

"No. There have been attacks, but the people survived. The Almasia are more interested in returning home. They've received word that their queen, their hive, has been destroyed and they're coming back here to see what happened for themselves."

"The Kenda will have their hands full for quite some time, I suspect."

Hodari nodded. "But we can stop them now. You showed us how to deal with them. For that, you have our eternal gratitude. And an official place as a member of our Kenda. We were each given new names when we joined. You will be called Shujaa."

Helen grinned. "I like that. Thank you, Hodari, I am honored."

"My birth name... was Maisha."

"Thank you for telling me. Your Kenda must be waiting for you."

"Yes. I wanted to wait for you to awaken before I joined them."

Helen nodded. "Okay. Thank you. But you're needed elsewhere. I've been on your side of this before; there's no need for hurt feelings." She squeezed Hodari's hand, and Hodari lifted it to kiss Helen's fingers. "If you ever need anything, my Sanctuary..."

"I found the information in your pack. And also..." She took out the queen of diamonds card and smiled as she flicked it with her finger. "I took this. I hope you don't mind."

"It's yours."

"I'll use it if I ever need to call you." She tucked the card into the breast pocket of her tunic. She bent down and lightly kissed Helen's lips, letting the kiss linger a bit longer than necessary before she pulled away. "Kwaherini, Dr. Helen."

"Farewell, Hodari. I'll watch for that card."

Hodari winked and finally let go of Helen's hand. Helen watched Hodari until she was out of the room, and then closed her eyes and tried to find relief from her pain in sleep.

2011,

The plane they rented was hardly more than a puddle jumper and seemed ready to fall apart with a strong gust of wind. Helen kept their flight path steady, eyes on the horizon. Occasionally she would glance at the queen of diamonds that was tucked in the sun visor over her head. Her mind would be flooded with memories - flaming Abnormals, the feel of sharp teeth sinking into her flesh, the stink of gasoline on her hands and the feel of her blade cutting through rough flesh. There was a clatter behind her, and then Kate slipped into the co-pilot's seat. When she spoke, her voice came through Helen's headphones in a burst of static that made her sound like she was miles away instead of right beside her.

"So, Doc! You gonna tell me what this trip is all about?"

Helen hesitated. She had put off explaining until she had her own thoughts in order. Finally, she relented. It would be best if Kate knew what they were walking into.

"It started in 1967 in Tanzania. I was investigating legends about a village that had been completely wiped off the map two hundred years earlier..."