The grand ball

[Marcus DuBois]

Alexandrova Vladislavovna

Office of the Consul on Public Engagement, Propaganda, and Interdominance Relations

The evening was going well. The fundraiser had done its job of course. Millions had come in and would be funneled to the Legion and their work in North Africa. 

And Evelyn and the American delegation were now more firmly tied than ever to the CCD. Poor President Dawson and his mouth piece Nicholas Trano had no idea what had happened. The cracks between the states were getting wider. Texas was this close to secession and would very likely take the southern states with it. The same could be said of California and the other west coast states or of the north east. Her people would continue to apply pressure.

But the key would be that little slip of a girl, Evelyn Avalon. She was a fiery one, passionate. In many ways, as charismatic as Nik. She would sway a not insignificant portion of the populace. And of course the resistance to her would be just as strong. The fracture would continue. The US was done. The CCD would get a foothold in the America's. After that it was only a matter of time. It was a brilliant strategy they had worked out. But none of it was possible if Nik hadn't charmed the girl.

Well, Nik had been snared too. Women had come and gone in his life. They were like accessories, more or less. Nik was guarded at the best of times with nearly everyone. But Alexandrova could see the way he looked at the girl. As intelligent as Leonid was, he hadn't caught on. The way Nik's space seemed to now include her, the way his eyes lit up when speaking about her. The quiet smile that sometimes formed on his lips. She'd have to watch out for him. Nik was her friend. And he was the empire. No girl was going to take Nik down, not while she was there.

Most importantly, though, tonight cemented the special relationship between Nik the channeler and those in power. Giving them access to his abilities- those of himself and those like him- did much to tie them to him and hopefully allay any fears. The ease and trust would trickle down through the guests to the rest of the empire.

Fear was the real enemy of people with special abilities. Most were naturally frightened by those who could do things they couldn't. Mob mentality was a very real thing. A very dangerous thing. So far, outbursts and violence had been minimal. They had gotten ahead of things so far. Patheos had worked to their benefit, with James' abilities showing the positive side of their power. They would soon have to acknowledge that Nik had been healed, rather than had done it himself. Be caught once in a lie and they would lose their momentum.

So it was that Alexandrova had been speaking with Anatoly Yushakov when Nik called their attention. The man was brilliant and quite good looking. Alexandrova was willing to speculate that had she not been with Leonid, Anatoly would have done quite well. She did enjoy younger men, now and again. Their relationship being what it was, that occurred from time to time. A series of interviews with channelers could do much to humanize them to the rest of the empire. Especially if showcased the good these people were doing. Jensen would be a good start. Very likely, that would be the way to reveal it had been him who'd restored Nik to health.

As Danjou spoke, she noticed Nik looking around. An alarm went off in her mind. Something was wrong here. He looked worried. And then, a mist flew into the room. It seemed to alternate back and forth between the mist and a human shape. Someone screamed, then another. The temperature of the room went cold as it flew straight for Nik. Alexandrova was paralyzed. She'd heard Nik's account of the previous attack that had left him nearly dead. Frantically, she looked around for Marcus. He'd been there the last time, had saved him. Fuck, where was the boy!

It somehow seemed to settle into Nik and fear seized Alexandrova's heart. She felt it crushing inside her. Nik dropped to his knees, screaming in agony.

And through it all, the thing spoke and the fear that she had felt before was as nothing in comparison. Nik was in agony. And the thing was attacking the very foundation of the empire. The words were a knife that would cut out all the support from under Nik, It had to be stopped! "Dominions! Channelers! Attack it! Stop it! It's killing Ascendancy!!!"