by L A Warren
Or . . . Alex reached out to grasp Elise’s hand, we can do both.
Elise vented a weary sigh. I don’t even know if that’s possible anymore, Alex. And I’m running out of time. You know what happens when he Binds me.
Alex laughed. It’s not over until the fat lady sings. Until our last breath, we fight for our freedom. Trust me. Lean on me. I will give you the strength you need.
Elise gripped Alex’s hand in silent acknowledgment. Her gaze turned back to the flailing women in red immersion suits. You would have thought they’d have chosen women who had some experience in water. We’re going to lose hours just trying to acclimatize them.
She had today, perhaps tomorrow, to make this work. Tomorrow her deadline with Gregor was up, unless he demanded she submit tonight. She pressed her hands to her head, breathed in deep, and pushed her fingers against her temples. It hurt so much.
“Elise? Are you okay?” Alice noticed her distress.
“Just give me a moment.” She pressed her hands to her head and pinched her eyes shut.
Alice took over without a word. Within minutes, her friend had the new arrivals settled and separated into two groups. Alice had a flair for organization.
Alice came back to Elise. “What do you think?” Her eyes were alight with anticipation as she gestured to the women floating in two rough circles.
Elise gazed at Alice through pain filled eyes. Her teeth buzzed and the nerves on her skin seemed extraordinarily sensitive. “I think I want to cut off my head.”
“What’s up these headaches?”
“Lack of sleep and stress.”
Whimper could only shield her from so much.
“You’re not superwoman. Even you need to sleep." Alice wrapped an arm around Elise's shoulder. "You push yourself too hard.”
“What choice do I have?” She held up a hand to forestall any more conversation headed down that path. Too dangerous. She asked a question, hoping it would focus her thoughts. “Who do you have in your circles?”
“I put Aomi as keystone in the first. She still struggles with that position. I’ll be the conduit. For the other, I was going to have Paula as keystone and Chandra for the conduit. Paula is stronger than any of us initially thought. She has a unique grasp of the core principles.”
“I agree, but put Paula as conduit. Chandra needs more practice handling all the forces and vectoring solutions.”
“Okay." Alice made the adjustments. "We’re ready when you are. How do you want to do this?”
“Watch and see where the problems are. Try to figure out who shows the most promise to train for the key positions. Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Elise tapped out in their secret code on Alice's arm. As you form your circles, I want to try a little something of my own. I don’t want Carek to know. To cover the secret conversation, she continued to explain. Although Alice knew what came next. “All of them need to try the keystone and conduit positions. Go through the exercises with them.”
“Okay, I’ll get them started.”
“Gregor demands that I determine if the four of you can train the others. He knows the Binding will take me out of this and wants to make sure the project can continue without me.”
Alice placed a hand on Elise’s shoulder and gave a sorrowful look. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything. Elise didn’t think she’d be able to handle any words of comfort Alice might give.
A deep breath in and out. She pressed forward, always forward.
Just don’t think about it.
Talking seemed to help keep her mind off the inevitable. “I’m not worried about you. Aomi and Chandra will be fine. Paula is more than capable, but High Tender Marcus has touched her. He has a way of leaving a mark on a person. I don’t know if Paula is mentally stable.”
“She seems fine to me.” Alice spun around to gaze at Paula.
“True, but the way she works the WOR-skill is fanatical. It’s not right.”
“She’s afraid of what will happen to you and her afterward. Don't worry about Paula, her head is screwed on straight enough.”
Elise didn't think so. She pressed her fingers to her forehead. The incessant buzzing had returned. The dull ache at the base of her skull settled into a persistent throb.
“I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine,” Elise said, practically chanting the words.
“We’re scared. We're all scared. Paula will do whatever is required. Don’t worry about us.”
Elise glanced at her friend and wanted to laugh. The we she’d been talking about had been her silent sisters, the brigade in her mind, not her fellow Fifth Rank WOR. She placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder. “Good. Just watch her, especially if I’m not here.”
“I’m more worried about you.”
“Ugh, don’t be.” She waved a dismissive hand, no need to go down that road again. “I told Gregor I wanted to try linking two full circles. I hope I get the chance to try.”
“Do you think it’s possible?”
“I do.”
“Okay, let’s start.” Alice floated away, leaving Elise with her pain.
Elise took a position between the two groups of women, and watched as Aomi and Chandra began their constructions of WOR-skill force diagrams.
When the sub-dimensions opened up, she stared at the two identical structures. The twirling Tenderstat and the Wheel of WOR-skill color came to mind. Super dimensions and sub dimensions were all fine, but what about imaginary dimensions? After all, mathematics thrived on the use of imaginary numbers to solve some of the most complex problems.
The solution flirted with her mind. All she had to do was follow it through to the end. Alex traced the math with her.
Side by side, they unraveled a solution.
Elise drew an imaginary line, laughing at the simplicity of what she was attempting—technically it wasn’t simple, but the elegance of what they created was stunning. Two links aligned with one another and, just like that, they connected through an imaginary tunnel, bridging all the dimensions. Her Earth professors would have been so proud.
Tension lined the faces of Paula and Alice as the strain of handling the combined power of ten mighty women took its toll. All that power flowed through their conduit position.
Elise nudged her project and the structure unfolded and bloomed into a beautiful new construct.
Got it! Alex clapped with delight.
Elise smiled, feeling hope for the first time that day.
They broke for lunch and returned to work through the afternoon. Alice divided the women into four groups with her, Paula, Chandra, and Aomi at the head. The four of them taught the new arrivals the key positions.
The beauty and power of these women unfolded before Elise. How did the vlor’ and lor’ lords contain such raw power? How can I take it back?
At the end of the day, Chandra floated over. Carek bobbed at her elbow, looking amused with a smirk and lifting of his brows.
“Hey, Elise!” Chandra waved. “I got all of them to form a stable link by the third try. They did so much better than us.”
“Well, I’d like to think we worked out the kinks for them.”
Chandra blushed. Carek bumped into the blonde and set her spinning. Chandra pushed Carek playfully away. “Well, it was wonderful. I’m so proud of them. Did you see what we did at the end?”
“No, I moved on to Paula’s circle, why?”
“I’ve got to show you. It was Martya’s idea. We passed the conduit position around. You know how exhausting that is?”
It felt like an elephant kicked her in the head. The keystone felt like being a juggler, always with one too many balls floating in the air, but the conduit position physically hurt. She hadn’t thought to rotate the position between each link in the circle.
“Show me.”
Chandra motioned to her little group. They floated over and formed the circle. As they worked, passing the conduit position between them, Elise was amazed at the speed with which they transferred the position.
She hovered beside Carek. He couldn’t feel the WOR-skill like the Tenders and lords, but he understood the mathematical basis of the constructs. If the Tenders and lords could see what they did they would all be in trouble.
Carek’s eyes glazed over and Elise recognized the telltale sign of am-net communication occurring. He frowned and opened his eyes.
“The High Tenders are calling the s’vlor back to their quarters.” The look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. “Emperor vlor’Malita has requested your presence in his quarters.”
Her heart sank. “We’re not finished.”
“I’m sorry, El,” he said.
Elise glanced around to see if any of his assistants noticed his slip. “Mr. Tusel, formal names please. I don’t want any more time with High Tender Marcus.”
“Very well, Lady Malita.” He signaled to his assistants. They rounded up the s’vlor and the red fluttering forms disappear into the am-net purple sea.
Carek remained behind. “El, is this it then?” His face was a mask of pain.
“Does he watch what we do in here?”
“Not unless he’s physically present. If you’re not tied into our specific group through the immersion suits we can’t be heard. Why?”
"A few times today, it just felt like he was watching.”
When she’d formed the super-link and accessed the imaginary dimension, the feeling of being watched had seemed real. The headache had been real enough. When she’d closed down the alter-dimension, it faded. Both the headache and the presence had dissipated, almost as if Gregor had been there. She didn’t know what to think about it.
If Gregor wanted her to meet him in his quarters, that could only mean one thing. He had changed his mind about the Binding and her freedom had come to a sudden and profound end.
Chapter Seven
Gambit, Day 280
It's not fair! Where's the theme music?
You want music? Malice sneered. We're walking to our doom and you want music?
It seems appropriate, Shriek chimed in. We're headed to our doom, doom, doom.
Yes, I want music!
Elise wanted something, like a dirge with rising notes and crashing melodies. A valiant heroine taking her final steps deserved something profound. Surely her ending shouldn’t be as mundane as a simple walk down the corridor, a pod ride around the perimeter of the Gambit, and a final lift tube to the emperor’s quarters?
Malice teased her with overly melodramatic theme music blaring in her ears. But wasn't that what she'd asked for?
You did! Malice cackled.
The doors to Gregor’s quarters spiraled opened and she walked in, chin high, fists clenched—they had to be clenched—and eyes bright as she faced her final hours. This was her fate.
She walked with a purposeful stride and into . . . not exactly what she’d been expecting.
Gregor sat on a couch with a beautiful lady practically draped all over him, at least her feet were in his lap. She reclined on the couch. Gregor sat stiffly at the other end. On the woman's lap, barely visible in the folds of the gauzy, yellow fabric of her gown, a snarking pad rested.
Gregor's chiseled features seemed relaxed, his breathing soft and unhurried. He looked vulnerable, handsome even, desirable perhaps? The woman, however, appeared overly tense. Her hands caressed the snarking pad with a frantic urgency, and her facial features looked strained.
Elise grinned, because she had several snarking simulations which would light Gregor’s senses on fire. Except, she wasn’t supposed to know about snarking pads. The grin slipped.
This is no time for those thoughts! Malice paced like a caged beast, hissing, spitting, and growling the closer Elise approached Gregor.
The headache had returned and she pinched the bridge of her nose. Her teeth hurt as the blood in her veins hummed.
Gregor caught her staring at him. His lips curled into a predatory smile. White teeth flashed in the light.
While her fingernails bit a little too deep into the flesh of her palms, and maybe her heart beat just a little faster than normal, her gaze remained steady and level, returning his gaze with what strength remained. She waited for him to finish . . . whatever it was they were doing.
Gregor peeled the lead to the snarking pad off his palm and tapped the woman’s foot.
She stiffened, and removed her hands from the snarking pad. “Ulysses dear,” the woman said, “you stopped the sim. I hadn’t even really begun.” The pout of her mouth seemed inappropriate on such a sculpted face.
“Analindah, we have company.” He gestured, and the red-haired woman twisted around and followed the sweep of his arm with her brittle gaze.
“Who, Ulysses?”
She didn’t seem the least bit ruffled by the intrusion. Instead, Analindah casually wrapped the leads around the snarking pad and placed it on the floor. She lifted her feet off Gregor’s lap and swung them around to place them primly on the floor. Cold brown eyes settled on Elise.
Elise ignored the woman and inclined her head to Gregor. “Gregor, you requested my presence.”
“Who is this little girl, Ulysses?" Analindah’s forehead wrinkled at Elise’s use of Gregor’s given name. "Is this your little piece of Earth’s treasure? She’s a tiny thing, and so thin.”
Gregor looked at the red-haired woman, his gaze hardening with a flicker of irritation across his face. “Analindah del’Candlah, may I introduce Lady Malita s’Lissa s’vlor.”
Analindah rose gracefully and took a step toward Elise. The redhead clapped her hands in front of her chest. “Dear Ulysses, she wears a back-tie corset. You’ve tamed her.”
Gregor’s eyes darkened and Elise caught the nuance in the writhing of his Imperial tattoo. Didn’t this woman know she was walking on thin ice? Wasn’t it obvious he didn’t like her speaking about his property in that manner. Dull silver reflected off his eyes.
When had she learned to read him so easily?
“It is nice to meet you . . . um . . .” Elise looked to Gregor for help. She had no idea of the proper form of address for this woman.
“You may address Analindah as Miss del’Candlah. Analindah has just placed a bid on me.”
Analindah beamed at his comment and flashed a brittle smile.
Elise had no idea what it meant that this woman had placed a bid on Gregor, but she did feel seething jealousy radiating off Analindah in deafening waves.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss del’Candlah”
"Of course it is. Ulysses and I are quite close. You will do well to remember that."
The tattoo danced with irritation over Gregor's brow.
Analindah rubbed her hands on the yellow fabric of her gown. “Ulysses has told me so much about his little treasure.”
Little treasure? Alex snorted. Does this bitch have any idea what you are to him?
I don't want to mean anything to him, Whimper spoke from the darkness. Just tell me when it's done. When it's safe to come out.
Gregor’s gaze darkened and he looked to be about ready to say something when Analindah continued, “You look so pathetic. You poor thing. You must be tired and worn out from all your training.” Analindah spun and placed her fists on her waist. “My dear Ulysses, this is no way to take care of your things.”
His eyes narrowed.
This woman was an idiot to openly criticize Gregor. Elise couldn't help but arch a brow, surprised at this woman's arrogance, but she said nothing. The last thing she needed was to be in the middle of . . . whatever this was.
Gregor caught her expression. He acknowledged her with his trademark smirk and stood. He sidestepped Analindah. A swish of fabric followed as Analindah spun in surprise, completely ignored by Gregor. He brushed the hair off Elise's cheek, and placed a tender kiss on her brow. The back of his finger touched the corner of her jaw and he made a slow appraisal of Elise.
It made her feel all the more like property, but she did not flinch under his scrutiny. When his attention settled on he
r eyes, she found herself facing two silver pools of brittle light. Passion simmered there, but also something else. Amusement perhaps? Anger, maybe? A little bit of pride? She was unsure.
“Analindah is right, opés. You look a mess. You didn’t even dry your hair from the Tank?”
“Mr. Tusel led me to believe you wanted me immediately. I thought . . .” She left the rest unsaid.
He laughed. “Dear, opés, thank you for rushing over. Your enthusiasm is welcomed.”
“Ulysses, dear, we’re going to be late.” Analindah caught the subtle nuances of Gregor’s affection, and his very palpable need. Her mouth twisted in a grimace.
When she placed a hand on Gregor's shoulder, he flinched.
Elise schooled her emotions and kept her features blank. If he had intended on Binding her, then what was this woman doing in his quarters?
“Of course, Analindah, but I have some business to attend to first with my s’vlor. It’s quite important. You don’t mind going ahead and waiting for me, do you?”
Analindah minded very much by the look scrawled on her face, but the woman had a brain. She nodded and gathered up her belongings, tucking the snarking pad into a matching yellow satchel.
Throughout the entire exchange, Gregor hadn’t taken his hands off Elise.
The rich, spiced scent that was Gregor flooded her senses and fanned the simmering bond pulsing between them into a very real blaze of desire.
Analindah paused, perhaps expecting Gregor would see her to the door.
Instead, he gazed deep into Elise’s eyes. “I’ll meet you shortly. This won’t take long.” Dismissal hung heavy in his words.
Elise stiffened. Won’t take long? She’d thought he'd intended to drag out his conquest.
He must have read her confusion, because he pulled her to the couch.
“Come, opés. Sit. Make yourself comfortable.”
Analindah huffed and stalked out of the room.
“I think she expected you to walk her to the door.”
“She expects entirely too much, practically demanded an acceptance out of me tonight.”
