“Sana and I talked last night,” Donny said over coffee.

“What about?” I asked, trying to look uninterested.

“Well, here’s the thing. I talked. She didn’t say a damned thing. Not one word, Leah, but I know for a fact that she was at some kind of strays meeting last night.”

“Yeah?” I asked, sipping my morning brew.

“Come on. Don’t be that way with me,” he said, starting to sound pissed off. “You know I’ve been there for you, Leah. You know I know what’s going on. You know I’ve got a pretty good idea about what happened the other night with Emmy’s attack, so don’t bullshit me. Tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s not that easy,” I sighed. “I don’t want you to get mixed up in things.”

“Leah, have you seen the bumper sticker that says ‘Friends help you move- really good friends help you move the body’? Leah, if I’m not a very good friend of yours, I don’t know who is.”

“Oh, Donny, of course you’re a really good friend. You’re the best friend I’ve got. That’s why I don’t want to involve you in this mess,” I protested.

“Really good friends help you bury the bodies, Leah. I’m serious about this. If somebody attacked Emmy and shit got outta hand, I think I deserve to know what we might have to deal with, don’t you?”

Looking around, it seemed to me the coffee shop was not the place to have this conversation. “Let’s go for a walk,” I told Donny, and he understood what I meant.

“Donny, you’re right. You are my best friend and it isn’t right to shut you out, but what I’m gonna tell you could be dangerous for you to know,” I said, after we’d walked far away from anybody who might hear.

“I’m not going to rat you out, you know that,” Donny said, completely seriously.

“No, I know that. Well, at least I hope that’s true,” I said, giving him a little smile to know I was ribbing him.

“C’mon. I already know you killed the guys that attacked Emmy, right? I mean, you did kill them, didn’t you? I still can’t freaking believe it!”

“Look, I didn’t kill those guys because I wanted to,” I objected. “And it was more or less an accident, anyway. I mean, I just wanted them to stop hurting Emmy,” I finished lamely.

“I can’t believe my best friend is a stone cold killer,” Donny gloated, reminding me that I’d been called that before, but not so literally.

“Donny, it isn’t funny,” I said, looking around to make sure nobody could hear us. “I could go to prison!”

“Look, Leah,” Donny said, turning serious again. “I’ll testify on your behalf if it ever comes to trial, but I don’t think it will. You said you had the guys clean everything up, right? Well, hiding is what they do, and what they know better than anybody. If you told them to bury the evidence, it’s gone and nobody is going to find it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping,” I said. “But it might not be the police we have to worry about the most.”

“You think the two guys might have friends?”

“I’m pretty sure of it,” I replied, sipping my mocha. “So, there’s more to tell you about what’s going on in general, stuff that maybe I should have told you a while back.”

“Like what?” Donny asked, intrigued.

“I don’t know how much Sana has told you about the nations of the Night Children, but here’s the deal. There are currently five nations left, but there used to be more. Hakan was from a sixth nation that everybody thought had died out a hundred years ago.”

Donny nodded his head that he either knew or understood, so I kept going. “Michael and Jassie and a couple of the others are from the largest of the remaining nations, which is roughly in the area of Turkey, Iran, and a few of the countries that used to be part of Russia.” Seeing that he was still following, I explained further. “Emmy’s family is from the nation that lies in western and central Europe. Most of them live in Italy and France, but quite a few are in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and some in England as well as Spain and Portugal. Sana and Julia are from that nation, too.”

“O.K., the details are new to me, but I had the general idea from talking to the different strays that there were a number of tribes or something,” Donny agreed.

“Yeah, well, here’s where we get into stuff I maybe should have explained before. Emmy’s parents are the rulers of their nation. They’re the king and queen, making Emmy the princess, and the royal heir.”

“I’ve heard the strays call you and Emmy ‘queen’,” Donny said. “But she’s actually their princess?”

“No, not really. They’re two separate things. Emmy is the princess of the Lascaux Nation, heir to the royal throne. That’s her birthright. To the strays, though, she is the queen of her own little nation, the ‘Bay Area’ nation, which they are the citizens of. So am I, for that matter. Emmy and I are their rulers, and they are our subjects, I guess. That’s totally independent of her being the princess of the Lascaux Nation.”

“So let me get this straight. You two are setting up your own new little nation of Night Children here in California, right under her parents’ nose?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” I agreed. “It started by accident, but then just sort of took off. There aren’t very many Night Children here at all, so the nation will never get big like the other five, but we’re trying to do something different. We’re trying to integrate the Night Children into society.”

“Well, that part I knew, obviously. And Sana told me that there may be some opposition, too.”

“Well, that’s where we get to the dangerous part,” I said, again looking around to make sure nobody was anywhere near. “The guys that attacked Emmy?”

“The two guys you killed, you mean?” Donny interrupted.

“I wish you’d quit saying that,” I complained. “Yeah, those guys. Well, one of them was the prince of the land that Michael is from, the one I told you was the biggest of the five nations? Evidently they’re the most stuck in the old ways, and once they got wind that Emmy was making herself publicly known they came all the way here to teach her a lesson.”

“I guess the lesson got taught to them,” Donny crowed.

“I’m hoping it didn’t, in a way.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, puzzled.

“Well, I wanted to question the guys, to find out who sent them and who knew where they were, but they died before I got a chance,” I said.

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re so freaking bad-ass!” Donny was enjoying my elevation to Rambo status way too much.

“Whatever,” I said, perhaps a little too sharply. Donny had to realize that this was no joke. “In any case, we don’t know if there are others who are going to come look for them. We have to assume, since one of them was their crown prince, that somebody will want to know what happened, and’ll want revenge.”

Donny thought about it for a moment and nodded his agreement. “Yeah, I can see that. And your little nation isn’t prepared for war.”

“No, we aren’t. But this is where you come in, Donny. If the strays get targeted, odds are you’ll be relatively safe, because they probably won’t be looking for daylighters. Same goes for me. They just won’t know to expect that we’ll be with the Night Children. Sana, though, well, she’s at risk, and so are all the rest. That’s what the meeting was about last night. I told them that they needed to keep their eyes open and be careful. I also, and this goes for you too, Donny, told them to keep their mouths shut about all this.”

“First rule of Night Club is, don’t talk about Night Club,” Donny joked.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it. I mean, this is real important, Donny. We want to introduce the Night Children to the world in as positive a way as we can. I mean, that’s the whole point of Emmy living the life she has, and the whole point of her music project, right? To get famous and have people see somebody that looks like her in a positive way, you know? So if the first thing anybody hears of Night Children is them having a war and killing each other it’s gonna be the worst kind of publicity.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. That’s why you told the cops that Emmy was attacked by skinheads, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly. We need to win the hearts and minds of society so they can accept the Night Children,” I said.

“Makes sense,” Donny admitted.

“So, Donny…” I began, not sure how to phrase it.

“What? You know I’ll do anything,” he replied.

“Well, here’s the thing. I told you we are the two queens of this new little nation, right?” When Donny nodded yes, I continued. “At the meeting, your status came up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, well,” I responded, trying to frame it correctly. “Some of the strays wanted clarification on where you stand in relation to this new nation we’ve got going. Basically, they wanted to know if you’re one of them.”

Puzzlement was quickly followed by understanding on his freckled face. “I think I understand. Sana wouldn’t talk to me because you told her not to.” I started to interrupt, but he ignored it and continued. “Well, I’m in. Whatever the secret handshake is, teach it to me. I mean, I’m so in it already that it seems ridiculous to even have this conversation, but whatever.”

“You don’t know how much that means to me, Don,” I told him. “Seriously.”

“So- what is the secret handshake?” Donny asked, his usually goofy sense of humor reasserting itself.

“There is no handshake, but there is an oath,” I told him, mentally cringing at the idea of making Donny swear allegiance to me and Emmy.

“That’s cool,” Donny said, unaware of my reluctance. “Whatever it is, I’ll swear it.”

I heard the argument before I got to Emmy's room. Recognizing right away both of the voices in the conversation, I hurried to get there as fast as I could. Sure enough, there was Michael standing his ground and not letting Emmy's mother in to see her daughter. I was glad to see that Michael was taking his duty to keep visitors away, so I thanked him and told him that I would take care of Mrs. Lascaux, for which he looked very grateful. Turning to Emmy's mom, I smiled and said "Madame De Lascaux! I'm glad you're here."

"Who is that man?" She demanded, indicating Michael.

"Here," I said, indicating an empty sitting area. "Let's talk for a bit. I need to fill you in on some stuff."

"First I want to see my daughter," she demanded.

In the past I would have just rolled over and gone along with whatever she wanted, but not any more. "No, let's talk first. You need to know some things before you see her," I said. Seeing the look of alarm on Mrs. Lascaux's face, I added "Don't worry, she's going to be O.K., but you need to know some things before you talk to her."

Confusion and concern quickly turned to indignation, and Emmy's mom clearly didn't like the idea of anybody else taking control of the situation and telling her what to do. "No. I must see the princess first," she stated, as if it were a self-evident fact and there were no other possibilities.

Trying to be polite and yet firm, I responded with "No, really, we need to talk before you go in there."

Looking at me with surprise as if nobody had ever told her 'no' before, she started to stand, but I grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat. The shock on her midnight black face almost made it worth it, but I knew this was going to be tough. "First, we talk. Then you can see her, but not before."

"Who are you to tell me that I can't see my daughter?" she demanded, completely indignant. I glanced at Edouard out of the corner of my eye, but he didn't seem inclined to get involved in any way, for which I was grateful.

"I'm your daughter's fiancée," I replied, holding up my hand to show her the ring on my finger. "I'm her assati," I said, using the Night Children’s language word Emmy had taught me for 'mate'. “She is mine to protect now. Even, if necessary, from you.”

Taken aback, Emmy’s mom was speechless for a moment, but then recovered quickly. “And you think you need to protect her from me?” she demanded.

“Yes, in a way, I do, at the moment. Look, Emmy was attacked and severely injured. She’s going to recover, but right now, you need to understand that she needs comfort and sympathy. She needs a mom right now, not a queen. Just be there for her, that’s all I’m asking. Don’t ask about what happened, don’t bring up her duties, anything like that. I’ll be happy to have those conversations with you, but she just needs you to hold her hand and tell her that you love her.”

“I do love my daughter,” Mrs. Lascaux replied, indignant.

“I know,” I agreed, although I wasn’t actually any too sure. “Just- well, I mean, let her know, too.”

I guess by this point Emmy’s mom had realized that I was just trying to spare her daughter some unwanted stress, so she softened a bit. “When I heard that the princess had been attacked, I came right away. Unfortunately the information on the news was incomplete, and I had no way of reaching her, or you.”

“Yeah, I know. I wanted to call you, but I don’t have your number. I even asked a friend in Fallbrook to go out to the house, but he said that nobody was home.”

“Yes, we were in Paris,” Mrs. Lascaux confirmed. “So, please, tell me what happened.”

Thinking about how many details to share, I explained that Emmy’s band had performed that night to a standing ovation, then as we returned to our car, Emmy was jumped by two guys.

“On the news they said it was two neo-Nazis,” Mrs. Lascaux said, checking to see if her facts were correct.

“That’s what I’ve been telling everyone,” I agreed.

“But they weren’t?” she asked, clearly understanding what I’d implied.

“No,” I admitted. “It was two Night Children men.”

“What?” Mrs. Lascaux practically shouted in surprise.

Looking around to make sure nobody besides Edouard could hear, I explained. “Yeah, it was two Night Children men. They grabbed Emmy-”

“Who were they? And who is that?” Mrs. Lascaux asked, indicating Michael, who had resumed his seat by Emmy’s door.

“That’s Michael,” I answered, knowing that it wasn’t really the information that she wanted. “The two men were some Night Children who felt that Emmy’s exposure in the public eye was treason against the race.”

“How do you know this?”

“One of them said so,” I answered. Returning to my narrative, I continued. “These two guys jumped her and dragged her back into an alley when I wasn’t looking. I heard a noise and couldn’t see Emmy, so I looked in the alley and saw that they had beaten her and knocked her out. I rushed in and punched and kicked the two guys and they ran away.”

“They should not have been able to take her so easily,” Mrs. Lascaux said, a look of disappointment on her face.

“Well, here’s the thing,” I said, defending Emmy. “We were on a public street, and these guys had planned their ambush. I think they just caught her by surprise. Also, she was wearing a long, tight evening gown, so her ability to actually fight couldn’t have been very good. I know she usually carries a knife, but she didn’t have it with her. Anyway, so after I chased them off, I loaded her in the car and brought her here.”

“That was very brave of you, to fight two armed Night Children men in the dark like that.”

“Bravery had nothing to do with it, honestly. It never even occurred to me to do anything else.”

“Hmm,” Emmy’s mom responded, eyeing me with a degree of new respect. “So where are these men now? Will they come back to attack the princess again?”

“I don’t know where they are now,” I truthfully admitted. “But I don’t think we’ll see them again.”

“Should I assign a bodyguard for the princess?” Mrs. Lascaux asked.

My first reaction was to say it was a little late, but I swallowed the words before I had a chance to blurt them out. “No, I think we have it covered, but thanks.”

“Is that man, Michael you said his name was? Is he her bodyguard?”

“No, not really,” I admitted. “He’s just here to make sure nobody gets in to bother Emmy. He really can’t fight much at all. The hospital has security guards who know to respond quickly if Michael yells for them. No, I’m pretty much her bodyguard for the moment.”

“This Michael- he is showing his face,” Mrs. Lascaux said, looking at the guy in question. “I do not know him,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “He would not speak our language to me.”

“No, he won’t. He’s under orders to use the old language only if the other person doesn’t speak English.”

“Whose orders?” Emmy’s mom asked, surprised.

“Mine,” I answered.

“Yours?” The shocked look on her midnight black face was unmistakable.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “He’s in my shadow.”

“He what?”

“He’s in my shadow,” I repeated. “The rule to speak English if possible extends to everybody in our shadow. Same for ditching the makeup.”

“Everybody in your shadow?” Mrs. Lascaux asked, astonished. “How many are there in your shadow?”

“About two dozen so far. It isn’t many, but more and more all the time.”

“Two dozen Night Children?” Emmy’s mom said, again repeating my words. Her mind was just not processing this new information well. “And they all show their face?”

“Yeah. We’ve been- well, I mean, we require ‘em to live in the daylight. With jobs and everything.”

Emmy’s mom took a few moments to collect her thoughts, then asked “Is the princess somehow bringing them from Europe without my knowledge?”

“No,” I answered. “These are not your people. These are our people. They are in our shadow, and not anybody else’s.”

“Where do they come from, then?”

“Most of them have run away from the old nations and wound up here on their own. One of them was born here in the U.S. from parents who escaped here years ago. We even have one older guy who is originally from Khannatayn” I said, using the old name for Hakan’s long-gone nation.

“That is not possible. The Khannatayni died out long ago,” Mrs. Lascaux objected.

“Apparently he’s the last,” I agreed. “But in any case, these people are our little nation now.”

“That is… unexpected,” she replied, still trying to assimilate the news. “You say they follow your orders?”

“Yes. They are in my shadow,” I explained. “Mine and Emmy’s.”

“Interesting.” Then after a moment, she asked “You said his name is Michael?”

“Yeah.”

“Michael!” she called out. “Come over here!”

Michael simply looked at her, then at me, questioningly. I gave him a small shake of my head, and he stayed where he was.

Emmy’s mom turned to look at me. “I never would have believed it,” she admitted.

“Let’s go in and see Emmy,” I suggested, hoping to end this uncomfortable scene.

As we approached Emmy’s door, Mrs. Lascaux asked Michael “Do you know who I am?”

“Yes, Lady, I do. You are the Madame De Lascaux, queen of her people. Mother of my queen.” He was very proper and polite, and I was glad to see that he felt confident enough to look her in the eye.

“And yet you didn’t let me in to see my daughter?” she demanded, still testing the waters.

“No, Madame. My queen had said no visitors,” he responded, indicating me.

“I see,” she replied. “In that light, I am glad that you take your duties to protect my daughter so seriously. Thank you for your diligence, Michael.”

I opened the door and let Emmy’s mom into the private room, glad that Edouard chose to stay outside.

I was glad to see that Emmy’s mom respected my wishes and did nothing but offer comfort and support to her daughter. My one year of college French was barely enough to follow their conversation, but I couldn’t detect anything but motherly love and worry in anything Mrs. Lascaux said.

Eventually I had to usher her out, though. Emmy was fading and the pain meds were making it hard for her stay awake.

Outside the room, I asked Mrs. Lascaux how long she would be in town and where she was staying, hoping it wouldn’t be long.

“I had no idea what to expect,” she admitted. “I didn’t know if I would have to make arrangements to bring her home, but that does not seem necessary. For that matter, it does not seem as if you would allow it,” she said, a begrudging smile on her stern face. “I think that the princess is in good hands, and being well taken care of.”

Then, as if it suddenly occurred to her, she asked “You said you have two dozen in your new little nation, right?” When I nodded yes, she went on “You should have them searching for the men that did this. You should set some to tracking those who hurt the princess.”

I took her arm and steered her a little bit away for privacy and said “Trust me. That won’t be necessary.” I gave her what I though would be a meaningful look and she nodded in understanding.

“You’ve already done it, and they have already been captured?” she asked. “I would greatly appreciate it if you would hand them over to me. I would like to make them pay for their crimes.”

I looked her in the eyes again and said “They’ve paid.”

Mrs. Lascaux regarded me thoughtfully for a few moments, then nodded. “I see.” Suddenly changing the topic, she replied to my earlier question. “I am staying at the Ritz-Carlton. I will stay a week, I think. I would appreciate it if you would allow me to see my daughter during this time.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “Just… please be a mother first and a queen second.”

“Thank you, and yes, I will do that. It seems she already has all the queen she needs in you.”

After Emmy’s mom left, I thanked Michael for what he’d done. “It must have been tough, standing up to her like that,” I said.

“No, it was not,” he replied. “She is not my queen. I am not beholden to her.”

“Still, thanks, Michael. Really.”

“There is no need,” he assured me.

Checking in on Emmy, I saw she was woozy, but awake. “Is my father here?” she asked.

“No, just your mom and Edouard,” I told her, snuggling up next to her on the bed as best I could.

“Did I ever tell you Edouard is a bastard?” she asked, her voice getting less and less distinct.

“He’s always seemed like a decent enough guy,” I protested.

“Oh, he is. He is very noble,” Emmy agreed, her speech slurring as she fell back asleep.

Emmy’s mom visited every day for the next week. After a couple of days Emmy’s father arrived in San Francisco and he started visiting her every day as well. I was glad they were showing their love and concern, but at the same time I was worried that they might somehow make life more difficult for the two of us.