THE PAST:
"Would you care to dance," a deep melancholy voice from behind her asked.
She spun toward the sound as he caught her hands in his, and without another word he swept her onto thedance floor. The classical chamber band that was seated on the balcony played music that wafted overthe opulent ballroom inside. The Carlysle Hotel in Boston's financial district had always played host tothe upper echelon's of society's super rich, but tonight was a stellar event even for them. The GrandBallroom was full of old money blue-bloods from across the globe, as well as the new mega-cash moversand shakers that spent even more extravagantly in order to impress upon the others their new foundwealth.
The young lady looked up into his eyes as they waltzed to the elegant sounds of the evening'sentertainment. The man's dark eyes bored into hers. She felt as if his gaze saw into her very soul....revealing to him all her secret desires. She felt herself blush and was amazed by her reaction. This coolly beautiful young woman thought herself long past any childish ideas about romance. She looked down at her gown to hide her now crimson cheeks. The white satin gown fit her like a second skin, and the sequins covering it caught the light in tiny shimmering rainbows. Briefly she remembered the rags of her childhood...remembered her tiny face pressed against the front glass of the shops with the windows full of lovely things. She grimaced suddenly at the thought, but then was swept away again into the music.........after all, she hadn't been that frightened little girl for well over 100 years.
"My name is Gregor, by the way, Gregor McMendl," said the dashing dark stranger.
"Ummm..hello," she stammered. "I'm Jon Ellen Tolliver."
"Tolliver....as in Tolliver Enterprises?" Gregor asked.
"The same," returned Jon with a winning smile.
THE PRESENT:
Jon sat bolt upright in her bed. She hit the control console on her bedside table bringing the lighting up. The antique grandfather clock ticked quietly in the corner. The strategically placed lighting shone off its white lacquer case. It struck 9:00 am just as her vision cleared enough to see it. Jon's cavernous bedroom was decorated completely in white. The bed was a gigantic four poster with yards of white gossamer draped haphazardly (yet expertly and expensively I might add) over the top and frame posts. As Nytshade the White Queen of the International Hellfire Club, Jon had power, both mystical and financial, beyond reckoning......but in moments like this, when she awoke alone in a darkened room, she felt like she was far from "in control". Why were memories of Gregor and her childhood resurfacing now? What could all these dreams mean? Were they just left over psychic debris from their encounter withFarouk on the astral plane in that other dimension, or were these images a portent of things to come? There was only one way to find out, but she knew that she would take that option only as a last resort. It simply would cause too many problems to contact Gregor openly.
Jon rose from the bed, letting the silk sheets slide from her naked body. She went toward the closet, stretching languidly in front of the mirrored wall of her room.
"Not too shabby, girl....especially seeing as your 130th birthday is only a few months away," Jon thought to herself.
She often wondered whether her beauty would fade. Since her return from Robyyn's dimension, she no longer needed to sup on the mystic forces of others. Her time spent in the magic filled realm of that insane sorcoress had charged her to unbelievable levels and catalyzed her own inborn mystical abilities beyond the need for replenishment. Her question now was whether it was the mystic vampirism that had kept her young for so long, or was it some inborn gift.
She retrieved her robe, and as she fastened it around her, she rang for her servants. Perhaps a bath would help in centering her thoughts. The servants entered from the main hall on padded footsteps to prepare the bath for their mistress. The newest among them watched in amazement as their beautiful mistress picked up a coiled three foot rattlesnake from a silken pillow and brought its head to her lips for a morning kiss.
"Come along, Birtha," Jon cooed to her pet. "A morning swim will do you good as well."
Gregor arranged his thoughts in his private study at the Upstart Academy. Gomurr had just briefed him on the progress each student was making in regards to their regular curriculum as well as the development of their special abilities. The Black King let his hands move across his computer console. The console was brilliantly laid out to Gregor's specifications. Avalon, who was only 16, was the Black Scribe and an advocate to the inner circle. His technical skills had attained him his rank in the inner circle, but he still trained with the upstarts in order to better understand and utilize his growing electro-magnetic abilities. Avalon had created the computer system after only one consultation with Gregor, and it was all The Black King could ask for and more. Even Gregor acknowledged the lad's skill in computer technology. Maybe there was something to be said for teaching other disciplines alongside mutant abilities training.
After checking the financial statements of the school, as well as the stock exchanges for London, Tokyo, and New York, Gregor brought up his personal e-mail. He knew there would only be a few waiting messages. Few people had his personal account, and his insistence on updating security codes every week, kept those that did from using it frivolously. He opened the first message. It was from Jack Silver, his Black Bishop. It detailed in, exacting fashion, each aspect of mergers and acquisitions that the BHC was involved in. The next was a short note from Nemesis thanking him for the flowers he had sent her, as well as another invitation to her secluded island house for another "get-away". His mind rolled back over the time they had spent there in the last week. At first, his agreement to accompany her was only a way to placate Nem's hurt feelings over his dealings with Nytshade, the White Queen, but as the week went on, Gregor found himself actually enjoying his time with Nemesis. Even as he thought of the Black Queen's exotic beauty, his thoughts constantly drawn back to Jon. Ever since, they had returned from Robyyn's realm, his thoughts were constantly returning to her. If this was some mystic trick of hers, then she would regret it, but then again she had always known exactly the right buttons to push with him. He contemplated calling Jon and demanding an audience with her, but decided to bide his time. Any game worth playing, after all, was a game worth taking your time with. He again let his thoughts drift back to the past when he and Jon were newly met lovers, and the secrets that they shared.
THE PAST:
Gregor slid his hand slowly down Jon's back, feeling her muscles tense as they danced. Her skin was like silk and the perfumed scent of her hair was intoxicating, but he couldn't let himself be distracted. He had his mission and he was going to accomplish it. He must gain access to the funds of Tolliver Enterprises in order to get his revitalization of the inner circle accomplished. He looked down into the fathomless blue of Jon's eyes and begin to speak.
"Ms. Tolliver, I've read a great deal about your company, and I must say I am impressed by what you've managed to accomplish in so short a time," said Gregor.
"What do you mean?" queried the future White Queen. "Tolliver Enterprises has been in business for almost 50 years. That's a long time in today's business market."
"I agree," said Gregor. "I was referring to the great strides Tolliver Enterprises has made since you personally took over the reigns of command from your mother. I would like to extend my condolences on that issue as well."
"Thank you," said Jon as she begin to tense up. "Could he possibly know?" she thought.
"I must also say," Gregor continued, "the resemblance between yourself and your mother is remarkable. In a few years I'd wager you'd be almost identical."
"My family has always had a distinct genetic stamp. I've been told I look almost identical to my grandmother as well." Jon said.
"Of course," said Gregor. "She along with your grandfather are the ones that started Tolliver Enterprises in 1938.......if I'm not mistaken. It's been rumored that she was the real power behind the throne of that particular empire. In the circle's I travel in, she was known as the one who turned your grandfather's modest shipping business into the international conglomerate it is today, but that was before your grandfather's tragic death and your grandmother's early retirement that led to your mother taking over the company."
Gregor rolled off these facts as a means of keeping the conversation going. Her statement about the genetic stamp intrigued him. Could she be a mutant like himself? the term genetic stamp kept runningover and over in his mind. Is that what caused the striking similarities between the three women.......some sort of genetic mutation? Why else would she phrase it like that?....genetic stamp indeed.
Jon's mind also reeled. He couldn't know her secret! How could he possibly have found out that she had been three women in her lifetime. She first came to the United States as Elaida Thompson. She had been 55 when she first stepped off the boat from her homeland of Germany. She, however, by some strange twist of fate looked much younger, like a girl barely over 16. She had left her home country due to this fact. The people she grew up with branded her as a witch, for this oddity of her appearance, as well as certain mystical abilities that allowed her to remain unscathed while plague and famine often rained around her. With no skills to speak of and only a small amount of magical ability, she was forced into the role of a "fortune teller" (and bar maid) at a portside tavern in early 1938. This is where she met Philip Tolliver, a drunken young rich boy with too much money to throw around the warehouse docks that his departed father had left him. They soon began an affair, and though no great love was shared between them, there was sufficient heat to keep Phillip interested and sufficient money to keep Jon amiable. As spoiled young men often do, however, he grew tired of her quickly. She had prepared for this eventuality though. Claiming pregnancy and using her magics to make evidence for her case, she tricked the lad into marriage, and thus stepped into the role of a gentleman's wife. The ruse was not difficult to keep up, but she knew when the time came, she would be found out because there was no way she could produce a child with magic. This problem was handled, however, in a distinctly supernatural manner.
Although she now held the title of wife of Philip Tolliver and mistress of the manor, his wandering eye and alcoholism, along with her pretended condition led young Tolliver back to the docks to another young bar maid. It was this unfortunate lass that young Elaida caught her husband with one evening in the fall of that year. Upon entering the outer chamber of their sleeping quarters one evening, Elaida heard her husband's whiny prattlings of love to another young girl who was with him inside.
"Help me dispose of her, my sweet, and all this can be yours," he said.
"I have poisons and potions that will destroy her while she sleeps and are completely undetectable," said the young gypsy girl. "She fancies herself an enchantress, but I will show her real magic."
"So, we do it tonight, my darling, and then we will be together forever," said young Tolliver.
Elaida stormed into the room and made her presence known. The young woman cowered into the corner of the bed, and Phillip, in a drunken rage, charged at his wife. Her anger was intense, and in self-defense she struck out at her husband with the first mystic bolt she had ever produced.. The drunken lout didn't stand a chance and was knocked unconscious. As she turned to face her would be assassin, she saw the young woman coming at her with a knife at the ready. Elaida was shocked at this, not because of the woman's murderous intent, but because she was surrounded by a beautiful aura of reds, greens, blues ands yellows. This, Elaida discovered, was the very essence of magic. Doing something she had never done before, Elaida reached out to this woman with her own magic aura and begin to absorb the woman's essence into her own. The woman cried out in pain, and then went limp as Elaida drained her completely. For the first time in her life, Elaida now held power that was not her own and she reveled in the sensation. This led her to further realize that there were others like herself with special abilities, and that these people could be used for her benefit. She quickly blasted the withered corpse of the woman into nothingness, and went about tidying the room. When Philip awoke, she went to him and told him the tale of how the young woman, after being discovered, had ran into the night and vowed never to return. She stroked young Tolliver's hair and promised her undying love and forgiveness. Two weeks later, Philip Tolliver met with a fatal "accident" in one of his warehouses and Elaida now became sole heir to his fortune.