Lord Abraxas took a slow breath and opened his eyes. “The foreign woman is quite capable, clever, and determined. What makes you think you can control her?”
“Control her?” It never occurred to Acielon to control Fianna. What a distasteful thought. “There is no need for control. I shall obtain her word.”
“Her word?” The Chief Archon narrowed his eyes at him. “She could be lying to you in order to escape.”
Such dark motives never crossed Acielon’s mind. “Fianna would never escape after giving her word... especially knowing it might reflect upon me.”
Lord Abraxas seemed taller as he looked down at Acielon. “Unlike the Azurans, the human woman is not bound by honesty. What makes you believe she will keep her word?”
Acielon took a deep breath and released it slowly. No point in denying his forbidden love. He must face the consequences of his disobedience. “She likes me. She would never hurt me.”
“Oh?” The Chief Archon’s smile did not reach his eyes. “Are you certain of that? She could be using you to get what she wants.”
Acielon refused to consider such an abject possibility. Fianna had lain with him. They experienced the deepest and truest love.
“She would never lie to me.” Would she? He swallowed the knot in his throat. “I trust her completely.”
Lord Abraxas laughed out loud. “I have no doubt you do, Brother Acielon.”
How could the Archons be so heartless and pessimistic about Fianna? “She is not like the other foreigners. She speaks the truth. She has honor. She keeps her word.”
“And she loves you, right?” The Chief Archon’s derisive tone grated on Acielon’s ears.
He searched his memories of the night for confirmation of her love. “I believe so.”
“But she never said it.” The Chief Archon pierced Acielon with his stare. “Did she?”
Wracking his brain, Acielon had to admit she never uttered the words. “No, she did not, but it was implied.”
Lord Abraxas nodded. “Given the circumstances, I cannot grant your request. On the contrary, you are now her official jailer, responsible for her remaining in captivity. If she so much as attempts to escape your residence, you will have to answer to this Council personally.”
Acielon never thought of what might happen to him. No one before him ever disobeyed the Council, and he already did... twice. What would the Archons do to him?
His shoulders sagged and his gaze fell to the white marble floor. “I do not understand, O Venerable Ones.” He dared glance up. “Please enlighten me. Why did you make such a harsh decision?”
“Very well.” The Chief Archon gazed into Acielon’s eyes. “How can you, an Azuran born, even submit such a request? What possessed you to break the rules by consorting with a foreigner, even after we forbade it? How dare you question the wisdom of the Council’s decision?”
Acielon sighed. He wondered that himself. “I do not know, O Venerable One. Fianna experienced distress, and I felt it was my duty to help her.”
“Against our specific orders to stay away from her?” Lord Abraxas pursed his rosy lips. “I believe this particular foreigner might be corrupting your mind.”
Acielon felt the white stone floor drop from under his feet. He deployed his wings and with one flap, regained his balance. The floor had not dropped... only his heart.
Could the Archons be right? Had Fianna corrupted him?
The Chief Archon’s stare pinned him in place. “Need I remind you of the importance of the work we do on this planet?”
Acielon folded his wings and straightened his back. “No, O Venerable Ones... and I apologize for my unseemly conduct.”
“So you should.” The Chief Archon’s face softened. “Go in peace, Brother Acielon. I advise you not to help the female enforcer escape, no matter how insistent she becomes.” Lord Abraxas smiled. “In time, she will learn to love this place... and you will have what you desire.”
“I hope so.” Acielon bowed, wondering how much time it would take for Fianna to turn Azuran, but he dared not ask. Time meant little to the Archons anyway. “Thank you for your guidance, O Venerable Ones.”
“You may leave now, Brother Acielon. We have important matters to attend.”
In the center of the blue dome, frustrated and helpless, Acielon unfolded his wings to fly away. The Council was right, of course. If anything disrupted the work of the Azurans, the entire universe would be in grave danger. At least that’s what the Archons said. Acielon only had their word for it.
* * *
Abraxas, watched Acielon flap his wings and vanish from the clear blue dome. Then he addressed the other Archons in his mind. “Brothers of the Azuran Council, I must express my troubled thoughts.”
“We hear you, Abraxas.” The chorus rang in his mind but none of the Archons present moved their lips.
Abraxas steepled his fingers. “Brother Acielon seems capable of independent thought. He has summoned this Council twice. Although Azuran born, he displays an uncanny resistance to the control Azura exerts upon its inhabitants.”
“He also demonstrates an unusual interest in procreating,” one Archon suggested. “Which could be a good thing, since we need more people to draw upon for our task.”
“But procreation has proven deadly for the Azurans,” another expressed in the collective mind of the Council.
“This kind of insubordination has never happened before.”
“Could there be a weakness at Azura’s crystal core?”
“Could the outsiders have damaged it?”
“Unlikely.”
All the puzzled voices in the joined minds had questions.
But Abraxas needed answers. “Could the foreign woman he likes so much have corrupted Acielon?”
“Azurans should be incorruptible.”
The Archons glanced at each other and nodded. Deep sadness colored their turquoise auras with swirls of dark green.
“Brother Acielon could hold the key to Azuran freedom.”
“This is intriguing... and potentially dangerous.”
Abraxas refused to bow to fear. “Why would any Azuran want freedom? Given their age, they would likely die soon after leaving Azura’s influence.”
“Acielon is young. He never lived outside. Maybe that is why he is so curious about the universe.”
“Acielon is the only Azuran born who survived. His mother paid the ultimate price.”
“He is different. Could the prophecy be true?”
“Prophecies are obscure and timeless. No one knows if or when they will realize.”
The insidious thought traveled and rippled through the Archons’ minds.
Abraxas steeled himself. He must regain control. “We must consider what might happen if the foreigners escape before becoming Azurans.”
“Could they corrupt the entire population?”
“It would have catastrophic consequences.”
Abraxas understood the Archons’ fears. Images of galactic wars, billions of beings driven to kill billions of others, great minds extinguished, worthy souls in limbo, suns going supernova, entire planets laid bare... He could not let that happen.
He faced the Archons. “We must watch Brother Acielon and study this woman closely. Above all, we must make sure no one ever leaves this planet... as it has always been.”
“What if Brother Acielon helps her leave? Worse, what if he attempts to leave with her?”
Abraxas bit his lips. “We cannot afford to lose anyone. There might not be enough Azurans to keep the universe safe.”
“Could the universe fall into pure evil?”
Abraxas shuddered at the possibility. “I do not know. The universe is already corrupt, and on the verge of self-destruction.”
“What are we to do? How can we prevent such a disaster?”
Abraxas knew only one way. “As the guardians of the universe, we must turn the tides. Let us mobilize all Azurans and join our minds in a long, sustained meditation. We may have
to do this daily to tilt the balance of good and evil in our favor.”
Abraxas nodded to the other Archons and closed his eyes.
* * *
Outside the Council dome, all the Azurans answered the call, no matter where they stood, and ceased whatever they were doing.
Acielon dropped from the sky in a public garden. What was this? A morning call to meditation? He resented being told when to pray like a child, but despite his resistance, he could not reject the call of the Archons. So, he sat on a stone bench in a meditation pose and emptied his mind, so the Archons could use it for the all important purpose of maintaining the balance of good and evil in the universe.
* * *
Fianna stepped out of the bath and dressed quickly. Acielon had vanished before she woke. She hated not knowing where he was or what he did. This strange planet did not make any sense. How could these people have such refined comfort without basic energy or manufacturing industry?
She snatched a fruit and examined the artful weave of the basket. Had it been woven by industrious hands? Or had someone bent the stems into a weave with the power of his mind?
She bit into the fruit... yep, sweet and juicy, like a big, ripe peach. She’d never known such luxury on a ship or on a space station. She rather enjoyed life on such a bountiful planet.
Her mind returned to her night with Acielon, and her soul sang with the thought. She could like it here.
Down by the den, Sheba licked drops of blood from her white fur. “Sheba like Azura... good rabbit.”
Intrigued, Fianna sat on the wide step, next to Sheba. “Did you just go hunting for breakfast?”
The feline kept licking her fur with renewed enthusiasm. “Good rabbit.”
Could it be? Fianna dared to hope. “How did you get through the invisible fence?”
“Acielon teach Sheba.”
“Teach?” Fianna tamed her impatience. “He didn’t carry you over the fence in a net?”
Sheba stopped her licking and stared at Fianna, pink tongue sticking out. “Acielon not carry. Acielon tell Sheba think love and cuddles and go.”
“Love and cuddles?” Fianna frowned. “Then what happened?”
“Sheba walk through fence.” The puma’s tone left no doubt about her superiority.
“Amazing.” Could it be that simple? Feelings of love allowed you through? No wonder her kicking at the fence didn’t achieve anything last night. “So, you can come and go as you please?”
“Sheba can.”
“Let’s go and try.” Fianna led the way outside the blue dome.
The puma huffed behind her. “Sheba not try. Sheba do.”
The soft breeze carried the sweet scent of flowers and ripe fruit. A few bees buzzed around the blossoms. When the two of them reached the fence, Fianna stopped. Beyond the invisible wall, the green jungle teemed with activity. Birds trilled, insects burrowed, and animals frolicked.
“Do it again, Sheba. Show me.”
The feline looked at Fianna and made a lovely puckered face with irresistible rounded eyes. Then Sheba purred as she walked nonchalantly through the invisible wall.
The clear barrier shimmered slightly.
Once on the other side, the cat turned around to face her, head high, round ears straight up. “See? Sheba do.”
“Unbelievable.” It made sense, though. Only friendly, loving creatures could slip through. Did she dare hope it would work for people as well?
“My turn.” Filling her mind with thoughts of love for Sheba, and sweet memories of her wonderful night with Acielon, Fianna tingled all over with well being as she stepped through the fence. Only a slight bubbly tickle at her nape indicated she crossed the barrier.
She turned to Sheba, ecstatic at the discovery. “We are out!”
Her heart beat faster. Yesterday, she had taken note of the landmarks while being flown in the invisible net. Now she glanced up at the morning sun for orientation. The thick jungle would slow her down, but she could make it back to the clearing, to the only two ships on this planet able to fly away.
Still, she needed weapons to cross the jungle. Where would the Azurans keep their discard bins? She must also find out where they kept Tarkan. Once armed, Fianna would seek her quarry, bring him to justice, and save her brother.
Hidden by jungle growth, Fianna walked toward what looked like the town proper. Careful not to be seen, she observed through the vegetation. Nothing moved along the rectangular pools or the paved esplanades fronting the tall domes that must be public edifices. She could see a few Azurans, sitting in a meditation pose. Asleep? Or in some kind of trance?
Zooming with her lenses she realized their eyes were closed and their chests barely moved as they breathed. They seemed oblivious to their surroundings. The spectacle unsettled her. They looked like hollow vessels, empty shells. She steeled herself against the weirdness. She could use this to her advantage.
With Sheba at her side, Fianna ventured through the invisible barrier into the main hub. To make sure, she threw a pebble at the feet of a meditating woman. Heartened by her lack of reaction, she walked with Sheba on the periphery, under cover of decorative bushes and trellises overflowing with blooming vines.
Sheba craned her neck and glanced around a bush. “People sleep?”
“Sleep, meditate... their minds seem to be elsewhere.”
Sheba sniffed the air. “No mind.”
“You mean, you cannot feel their thoughts?”
Sheba huffed her agreement. “No thought.”
“Well, I’ll be... they all achieved the state of no mind... like the legendary monks of ancient Tibet.” Fianna remembered pictures of shaved monks in orange robes, sitting very much like the Azurans right now, eyes closed, back straight, legs crossed, hands and fingers forming flowers upon their knees. Strange. The lack of movement and awareness, although it served her purpose, made her uneasy.
She wondered whether Acielon, too, was part of this collective meditation. Was it a regular morning ritual? A frisson scurried up her spine. She shrugged away the disquieting sensation.
“Let’s find my weapons.”
If the town made any logical sense, she would find the dumpsters at the outer edge. She blinked, setting her artificial lenses for metal detection. Since the Azurans didn't use metal in their daily lives, a heavy concentration should be obvious to her sensors.
She walked the inside circumference of the fence encircling the town center. It was larger than she first imagined. The sun was high in the sky when her lenses finally detected gathered metals... behind an entanglement of vegetation. No metal bins for the Azurans. Live plants, woven together into a solid net to contain the foreign objects. White, fragrant flowers bloomed on the tall walls of the live container.
Fianna halted and glanced around. No one in sight. “Let’s do this. You stay here, watch, and let me know if someone comes.”
The puma sat on her hindquarters. “Sheba watch.”
“Good girl.” Fianna scaled the sturdy vines with ease. From the top of the container wall, she had an overview of the town. The local population still sat, motionless, involved in some inner nirvana.
Closing her mind to the mystery and the strangeness, she crested the vine and climbed down into the natural dumpster. Triblets! What a trove! Knives, arrows, crossbows, throwing blades and stars... even a bazooka.
She furrowed feverishly and emitted a small victory cry. “My weapons belt!”
One by one, she found her weapons and retrieved a few more blades that looked inviting. She hung the crossbow rifle from her shoulder, sheathed her knives on her belt, then she added a few more blades in her boots and inside her vest. She felt better fully armed.
Excited voices floated to her ears from faraway on the soft breeze. Voices? Were the locals awake? Had they discovered her missing? “Sheba? Is anyone coming?”
“Nobody come. Sheba watch.”
Carefully, Fianna peered over the edge of the container. The Azurans still sat in full medita
tion mode. Her heart skipped a beat. The only people not meditating would be Tarkan and his men. Only they would raise such a racket in this peaceful place. The incongruous notes of a rowdy song confirmed her suspicions.
She wet her finger and raised it to the wind. From the direction of the breeze, she knew where to look for Tarkan and his Dragons. They might still be klicks away, but she would find them.
She would have to lure Tarkan away from his gang and get him through the invisible fence without the other Dragons following. At least he wouldn’t be carrying weapons. With Sheba she could overcome him easily.
After catching Tarkan, she would take him to the Silver Angel and lock him up in the brig. She would make him tell her how to operate the modified systems of his ship, then take him off planet, to claim her bounty and save her brother from a wretched life as a cripple in the slums.
Her heart pinched at the thought of abandoning Acielon, but it couldn’t be helped. Maybe later, after her brother regained the use of his legs, she’d return to Azura to see Acielon again... but duty and family came first. Her personal happiness would have to wait.
Chapter Nine
“Come on, Sheba.” Fianna squeezed between tall ferns as she pushed ahead along the invisible fence, around clusters of residential domes.
She glanced up to the sky from time to time. No pursuers flying overhead. Good.
Were all the Azurans meditating? What about their security forces? What a weak security protocol. Obviously, they were not used to holding prisoners. Maybe they never had a security breach before. In any case, they overestimated the efficiency of their invisible walls. It gave Fianna confidence.
Unlike the rest of the town paralyzed by a weird inertia, one small cluster of blue domes, away from the main hub, resounded with raucous laughter and boisterous calls. A ditty about a girl from Nantucket floated on the breeze. Nantucket? Fianna had never heard of a planet or a space station with such a weird name.
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