The Blood of the Clans Book Three

DEDICATION

To my family and friends, I appreciate your support

more than you will ever know

CONTENTS

COPYRIGHT

DEDICATION

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER ONE

I can’t believe it, muttered Chassie shaking her head somberly. She was sitting on the couch in the living room at John’s house. Her fingers twiddled with the locket hanging from the chain around her neck that held her mother’s picture. She let the locket drop to her chest as she clasped her hands together, leaned over and rested her elbows on her thighs. Her eyes lowered and she stared at the floor, deep in thought. The muscles in her jaws twitched as she clenched them tightly together in anger.

John sat beside Chassie with his hand on her back stroking it comfortingly. He knew that she appreciated his touch even though she didn’t acknowledge it. Occasionally he would glance at her face to gage her feelings and he saw her expression alternate from anger to disgust. But his face remained twisted in fury. He clenched and unclenched his other hand into a fist to control his anger.

Alissa sat on the floor, facing the couch, with her legs crossed. She leaned back, stretched her arms out behind her and put her hands on the floor to brace her back. Then she tapped her fingers in rhythmic succession on the floor as she forced herself to be patient. Her eyes were wide with excitement and they darted back and forth from Chassie to John. She was waiting for them to tell her the next move…the next clan move. Her mother, Isobel, would call it clan nonsense and would disapprove of her participating in any schemes with or against other clans. But she was nothing like her mother and she seldom cared what her mother thought. She was ecstatic to have abilities and to be a descendant of the Gale clan. And besides…she was also a fighter. If a war was coming, she wanted to be a part of it. She just wasn’t sure which side she should be on…yet.

Kate and George had pulled two living room chairs closer to the couch so they could talk together more easily. Kate was leaning back in her chair in an unusually calm manner. In the past, she would have been agitated by the news Chassie had just given them but now that she knew her own Gale clan heritage, she felt differently…more in control.

George was leaning forward in his chair with his arms resting on each knee and his hands balled into fist. He looked as if he were ready to jump up and punch the wall to release the frustration of not being able to punch the target of his fury. He and his mother, Elizabeth, were loyal friends to Malika and they loved Chassie as if she were family. George would always honor the promise he made to Adamma and he would protect Chassie no matter what. But he had to admit that the new threat was totally unexpected.

The prolonged silence in the room made Chassie glance up from the floor and she saw four faces looking intently back at her. Together they represented three of the six most powerful clans in the world and she wished they had gathered together because they enjoyed each other’s company. But since she turned sixteen years old, family and friends gathered together—more often than not—meant that there was bad news. At least today she had some good news…depending on how you looked at it. She had just given everyone the information they had all been seeking since the night they fought Rasul in the forest.

After Njau was killed and Rasul was defeated, Chassie had told Rasul to leave Chicago and never return…or die. As Rasul walked by, she had heard him think about a person named Eito. But when she questioned him about it, he quickly distracted her then left the forest. Chassie was so happy to have avenged her mother’s death that she didn’t press him for an answer or even think about him during her summer vacation. She had spent the time getting to know her mother’s family and exploring her new relationship with John as a boyfriend instead of a friend. But once school started, she began to wonder about Eito again. Why did Rasul think Eito would be better suited for her than John? She needed an answer to this puzzle so she had enlisted her family’s help and they started searching for Rasul again.

Eventually, the Sakombi clan detected Rasul’s thoughts in Africa and they took turns invading his mind in the hopes that he would one day slip and reveal Eito’s identity. Their hope became a reality the day that Malika finally heard the thought—and therefore the answer—that they had all been seeking.

Eito is Rasul’s son, said Chassie in a matter-of-fact tone. It’s so obvious now. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before.

Don’t be so hard on yourself, Chassie, said Alissa. You had no reason to think Rasul would have a son. And from what you and John have told me, the only woman he appeared to care about was your mother...in a twisted sort of way, of course.

But it was right in front of my face and I missed it, said Chassie shaking her head in disbelief.

Alissa’s right, Chaz, said John. You can’t worry about the past. We need to find Eito then decide what we’re going to do with him, once we find him.

Chassie had already told them that the Sakombi clan planned to start listening for Eito’s thoughts in northern Africa since it was Rasul’s homeland. He was a descendant of the Qiáo clan from Asia through his father but his mother was African.

That’s a good point, John, said George, which makes me wonder if we should start searching in Asia first, instead of Africa.

Why, Mr. Spence? said Chassie. She still called George and Kate by the nickname she had given them when she was a child.

Well, Malika is assuming Eito’s mother is African because Rasul was in the savannah for years. But I don’t think that Eito is an African name. I think it’s Asian and that makes me think Eito’s mother is Asian.

I hadn’t thought about that, said Chassie furrowing her eyebrows. My grandmother may not have thought about it either.

Chassie’s green eyes began to sparkle and she stared blankly into space as she always did whenever she used her telepathy.

I never tire of seeing that one, said Alissa, captivated as she watched Chassie’s facial expressions change. Who is she contacting telepathically?

Probably her grandmother, said George.

The voices in the room lowered in volume to a distant humming sound as Chassie blocked them out to contact one mind in particular. Her powers had become so much stronger over the past months. She could easily find the mind she wanted to contact and with lightning speed.

When she had first inherited her powers, listening to the thoughts of others had given her headaches and finding the thought of one person was a slow process. She would have to scan an area and listen to the thoughts of a crowd to find just one person’s thoughts. Now she could pinpoint the location of a single mind almost instantaneously, as long as she had read the mind before. It was like voice recognition. While some people could hear a voice once then recognize it above the chatter in a crowd, she could do the same thing with thoughts except on a much larger scale. Once she had listened to a person’s thoughts, she could find that same mind quickly anywhere in the world.

The hard part was finding the mind of a person whose thoughts she had not heard before. She would have to listen to the thoughts of a lot of people and hope someone would utter a familiar word, name or phrase that would indicate they were her intended target or that they knew her intended target. And since she had never heard the thoughts of Eito before, she would have to search a lot of minds to find him.

It was almost two o’clock in the morning in Africa, so when Chassie zeroed in on her grandmother’s thoughts, she heard dreams instead…her grandmother was fast asleep. She nudged her awake gently by calling to her.

Grandmother...Grandmother...Wake up.

Her voice sounded like a whisper in Malika’s mind as she slowly stirred. Malika rolled over on to her back in a dreamlike state until the sound of her husband’s snoring jarred her to full consciousness. Her eyes flew open and her mind quickly swept the bedroom to make sure that no other thoughts besides Kamuzu’s were in the room. Searching her bedroom for thoughts was something that she did routinely, ever since the day she was attacked when she was a teenager. Once she was satisfied that she and Kamuzu were alone, she closed her eyes again and responded to the voice in her head.

Yes, yes, I’m awake now, child. What is it?

I’m sorry to wake you up, Grandmother.

It must be important if you are contacting me this early in the morning. But I’m not surprised since I just told you that Eito is Rasul’s son yesterday. Are you worried about them?

Worried? Ha! Chassie responded. Then she remembered that her grandmother didn’t like arrogance. I mean—no I’m not worried, Grandmother. I’m here with Mr. and Mrs. Spence, John and Alissa—

Who is Alissa?

Alissa Barrow. She’s Mrs. Spencer’s niece on her father’s side and she’s a member of the Gale clan.

Ahhh, so Kate finally talked to her father. She knows that she is also a member of the Gale clan.

Yes, and you should see Alissa’s powers, Grandmother. Her speed is phenomenal. And she’s a black belt in Kung Fu. It really makes her deadly.

I can imagine...you will have to tell me more about her later. But for now, tell me why you are contacting me.

I told everyone that you heard Rasul’s thoughts and found out Eito is his son. They agree Rasul is even more of a threat now that he has a son who should also have Qiáo abilities. And we agree that the whole Sakombi clan should start searching for Eito’s mind...but we aren’t sure the search should start in Africa. Mr. Spencer thinks Eito is an Asian name so maybe we should start in Asia.

I hadn’t thought about the fact that his name isn’t really African. George may be right...the boy may be in Asia. I’ll tell the rest of the family to start searching for him there. Is that all you wanted to tell me? Goodness, child, this could have waited until later in the morning.

Chassie hesitated before replying because there was something else that was on her mind but she knew her grandmother wouldn’t like it.

Well...I was also thinking...why don’t we just confront Rasul instead of wasting time searching for his son? I bet I can get the truth out of him.

No, Chausiku. You will not torture again, do you understand?

Torture may be all Rasul understands, Chassie replied straightforwardly.

Malika knew she was right but she wished Chassie could be less cold about it.

But I wasn’t talking about torturing him again, Chassie continued nonchalantly. She felt no remorse for what she had done. I don’t think I would have to go that far. I could just threaten him. It will take too long to search for Eito and I don’t want to wait for them to attack. Why can’t I just tell Rasul that we know about his son? He should know if he ever tries to hurt my family or my friends again...I won’t let him go the next time.

Do the others agree with you?

John, Mrs. Spence and Alissa agree with me.

But George does not, Malika concluded.

Chassie grimaced. She had hoped her grandmother hadn’t noticed she’d left out George’s name but of course that hope was futile. Mr. Spence thinks, she continued, that we should find Eito then get as much information from him as possible before we confront Rasul. But I don’t see why we need to get any information from Eito. I just want them to leave me and my loved ones alone.

Interesting, responded Malika. I want to bring Elizabeth in on this conversation. Hold on while I contact her.

Chassie sighed. Elizabeth and her grandmother had been friends since they were children so she knew Elizabeth would side with Malika.

What’s going on, said John noticing Chassie shrug her shoulders. He and the others had been discussing Eito while Chassie contacted her grandmother. They wondered how he looked...were his powers stronger than Rasul’s...did he have his father’s unique ability to sense others when they used their powers. As far as they knew, no other member of the Qiáo clan had such an escalated ability.

My grandmother is contacting your grandmother, said Chassie to John. Her eyes still sparkled but the blank look vanished as her eyes shifted to focus on him.

My mother? said George. Why?

"Because I told her that I want to confront Rasul right now, threaten him and get it over with, said Chassie matter-of-factly, but you want to get information from Eito first."

George smiled and nodded his head. He knew his mum. She was cautious and methodical. She would never agree to pounce on Rasul without gathering as much information as possible.

The group waited silently while Malika contacted Elizabeth. Although she wasn’t as strong as Chassie, she was still a lot stronger than the rest of the Sakombi clan and she was able to locate Elizabeth’s mind easily. As expected, Elizabeth was fast asleep since it was also around two o’clock in the morning in England.

Elizabeth! Elizabeth, wake up!

Malika didn’t bother with using a soft whispery voice as Chassie had done. Her voice was more forceful within Elizabeth’s mind because she knew Elizabeth would be in a bad mood for being awakened from her sleep regardless as to whether it was done gently or harshly.

What in the bloody hell do you want at this time in the morning, Malika? said Elizabeth grumpily out loud even though she knew Malika was talking to her telepathically.

What? What? said her husband, Angus Mills. He sat up groggily with his eyes still closed.

I’m not talking to you, dear, go back to sleep, she said as she pushed his head back down on his pillow. Angus snorted then immediately fell asleep again. Elizabeth turned her attention back to Malika

Whatever it is, it had better be important, she snapped.

Well I wouldn’t be contacting you if it wasn’t important, now would I? Malika replied dryly. She was unperturbed by Elizabeth’s bad mood. Chausiku contacted me to discuss Rasul so naturally I’m bringing you into the discussion.

And it couldn’t wait until a decent hour?

It is a decent hour in Chicago.

I meant—

I know what you meant now stop fussing and listen. Chausiku is with George, Kate—by the way, you didn’t tell me Kate had finally talked to her father about being a Gale, Malika scolded. We’ve been friends for ages and you tell me every little thing of no importance that’s going on in your life but this—

Kate finally talked to her father? Elizabeth interrupted Malika’s tirade. Well, they left me out of that one too! Does Isobel know? I would guess so since her daughter is living with Kate now. My Lord, I would have loved to have seen the look on that one’s face when she found out there are people like us in the world. She probably needed to get sloshed." Elizabeth couldn’t help laughing as she imagined the look on Isobel’s traumatized face when she heard the news that she was a descendant of the Gale clan and had supernatural powers...which had atrophied, of course.

Isobel always needs to get drunk, chuckled Malika joining Elizabeth’s jocularity. She’ll drink for any occasion whether it’s good news, bad news or no news at all! She probably told Kate and Thomas, they were crazy!

Elizabeth smirked. She’s the barmy one. Always acting like an upper-class git. It’s a wonder her children didn’t turn out to be snobs...all due to her husband, Hugh, I’m sure.

Yes, well enough about Isobel. Malika’s tone turned serious again. We have bigger things to worry about. Chausiku, Kate, John and Alissa don’t want to go along with our plan. They want to confront Rasul and get rid of Rasul once and for all.

You know that’s not a good idea, Malika. We have to at least try to find out what else Rasul knows.

What do you mean? Chassie broke into the conversation.

Ch–Chausiku! Elizabeth sputtered. I didn’t realize you were listening in, dear. Now, what’s this I hear about you wanting to confront Rasul again? Let’s all talk this through together.

Chassie decided to let Elizabeth change the subject. She would find out what Elizabeth and her grandmother were hiding from her later.

Okay, I’ll tell the others that my grandmother and I will share everyone’s thoughts so that we can have a group discussion.

And I’ll get Zareb, communicated Malika.

Chassie’s heart skipped a beat.

Wait, Grandmother, can we discuss this just between us for now?

Why? I’ve already told our immediate family, even our cousin, Njeri.

Njeri?

She is the oldest living elder of the Sakombi clan and very wise. She wanted to come with Zareb to the States to meet you but I convinced her that the long flight would be too much for her. You will meet her when you visit Africa.

You won’t have much fun meeting that old bird, snorted Elizabeth.

Lizzie!

Oh please, you can’t stand her either and that’s why you talked her out of going to the States. You didn’t want to be stuck in the same house with her for weeks. She has always treated you coldly and she’s absolutely rude to me. I could tell she couldn’t stand me the moment we met...and I haven’t the faintest idea why. I’ve done nothing to her and I’ve been the best of friends to you. But as I said, she acts like she can’t stand you either.

I know she isn’t pleasant to be around but she knows more about the past than we do. We could use her knowledge and Zareb’s counsel.

Zareb’s fine but let the old bird—

Lizzie, be nice.

All right, fine. Let Njeri get her rest.

Well…I guess we can do without her for now, Malika relented. I’ll just contact Zareb.

Chausiku listened to the conversation with increasing interest. She would have to contact Njeri telepathically one day and introduce herself to the oldest living member of the Sakombi clan. But right now, she wanted to stop her grandmother from contacting Zareb.

But Grandmother, Uncle Zareb doesn’t like me…he treats me the way Njeri treats you and Ms. Elizabeth.

Nonsense! Malika was getting frustrated. What is with you two and the perceived hostility you are feeling from the Sakombi elders? Chausiku…Zareb is my brother and I know he loves me dearly. Therefore, by extension alone, I know he loves you dearly because you are my granddaughter. Just because he was harsh with you when we took you to dinner that night, doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. He’s just concerned about your safety.

Please, Grandmother...you may be right but for now can we just have a discussion with the seven of us?

Malika frowned. She had