‘That, my dear fellow, was history in the making,’ Noah replied.
‘So, that’s it then?’ Zeven slapped his hands together, eager to shed his aging form. ‘We’re free to go.’
‘You are,’ Rhun granted with a beaming smile.
‘I feel better for knowing that Kila shall fare well after we depart,’ Taren said. Staying in this universe a little while longer had been well worth it.
‘You are leaving?’ Asher was alarmed. ‘But those of us on Kila have not seen many of you masters in centuries! Some of you never!’ Asher looked at Telmo, probably wondering who he was, as he’d been born long after Taliesin had ascended from this world.
‘We are timekeepers,’ Zeven explained exuberantly. ‘We have places to be! I just have one question,’ he directed the query at Rhun. ‘Where do you want me to dump the body?’ He motioned down at his aging form.
‘What?’ Asher was stunned by his words.
‘Thank you, Asher,’ Rhun wasn’t up for twenty questions. ‘The crisis is over, you may leave.’
Asher reluctantly accepted that he was not going to be briefed on this fiasco, but he turned back to their guests, before leaving. ‘It has been most intriguing to see you all. Happy travels.’ He served Rhun a look that implied he would get the truth sooner or later, and vanished back to his post.
Noah held up a finger to make a suggestion. ‘I suggest you all depart from my lake house. I should like to have your bodies put into suspended animation and kept in my Institute of Immortal History.’
‘Splendid idea,’ Telmo awarded. ‘Shall I assume the form of Taliesin for you?’ He transformed into the old druid he’d appeared in ancient Gwynedd. ‘Or Yi Wu?’ He shifted form into the great mother of Li Shan he’d been in ancient Zhou.
‘Stop showing off,’ Zeven grumbled, and looked back to Noah to complain. ‘Really? You want to preserve this body?’
‘Ji Song is of significant historical import,’ Noah reasoned, ‘as is Jiang Hudan.’
‘Don’t tell me you want me to transform back into the old Jiang Huxin?’ Jazmay saw the kind look of appeal on the historian’s face, and as his soul-mind had been her little brother in Zhou, she could not say no. ‘All right, if I must.’
‘Only if it pleases you, my brother.’ He grinned, playing on their old association.
‘Well, at least these forms shall be put to some good use,’ Taren shrugged to agree.
‘You never know when we might need them again,’ said Telmo, and when everyone looked to him to object to the suggestion, he grinned. ‘Just kidding.’
Everyone was most relieved to hear him say so.
‘Then I shall leave it to you to see the timekeepers gone,’ Rhun awarded Noah with his wish, as none seemed to object.
‘See you then, gov,’ Zeven approached to shake Rhun’s hand. ‘It’s been real …’ He decided to leave it at that, and nodded to emphasise that there was really nothing more to be said.
‘It certainly has been that,’ Rhun agreed.
‘See you in the next one,’ Zeven let him go, and backed up to vex him. ‘In that universe, you’re my dad.’
‘I shan’t look forward to that,’ Rhun bantered, as Taren approached to say farewell.
‘Next time we meet we’ll be working together for the Maladaan Secret Service,’ she informed, giving him a hug.
‘Cool, Mum, thanks,’ he teased, as she pulled away.
‘Oh, I won’t be your mother there, I’m your squad commander,’ she grinned at his woeful expression.
‘That all sounds … not very ideal,’ Rhun admitted. ‘What, did I have bad karma to work off or something? And what am I to you?’ he asked Jazmay as she approached to shake his hand.
‘Absolutely no one,’ she shrugged, ‘I barely notice you over the sound of how awesome I am.’ She served him a cheeky wink. ‘But you did good here, Governor.’ She gave him two thumbs up and a wave. ‘You’ll be seeing me.’ She vanished — Zeven and Taren left with her.
‘Please don’t shoot your brother while I’m gone,’ Noah appealed, feeling obliged to follow his guests.
‘How can I without the code?’ Rhun replied, and Noah, reassured, departed after the others.
Telmo had a chuckle. ‘He’s forgotten about your telepathy.’
Rhun grinned, caught out by how much Telmo remembered. ‘We are forbidden to use it among our own kind,’ he pointed out the loophole in the law he was exploiting.
‘Ah!’ Telmo was enlightened. ‘Well, I guess I should depart and let you get on with devolving your brother.’
‘That would be appreciated,’ Rhun advised, hiding his sadness at bidding them all farewell. ‘I plan to finish work early today.’
‘Good for you,’ Telmo grinned, as if he knew why Rhun wanted an early mark. ‘See you back on AMIE then.’
‘So,’ Rhun delayed his departure, ‘what is your take on me enlightening my brother to his child spawning potential?’
Telmo raised both brows to consider the ramifications. ‘Well, I guess the bottom line is that you have obtained some information you feel would benefit your brother. In which case, it doesn’t matter how or when you got it, to not pass on that information would really be quite cruel.’
‘That’s what I think!’ Rhun clutched his weapon, obviously looking forward to the event a little too much.
‘Have fun then,’ Telmo said. ‘Play nice.’ He disappeared and finally Rhun found himself alone in the governor’s office.
‘Ah!’ He breathed a huge sigh of relief. ‘Thank fu—’
‘Rhun!’ Sybil had entered to remind him. ‘Fallon is still waiting out here.’
‘Yes,’ he droned, as his second of peace was foiled, but he regained his good cheer. ‘I am ready to see her now.’
As Fallon stormed in, annoyed at being parked in reception, Sybil quickly departed, and the door closed. ‘You said there was a good reason that you’ve kept me here half the day.’
‘There is,’ he motioned her to take a seat, but she refused. ‘I’ve been sitting all morning!’
‘Have it your way.’ Rhun granted that probably wasn’t wise, but grabbed a chair as he approached her. ‘I know a way for you to have Avery’s child.’
‘What?’ She was fit to faint with the shock of his words, and Rhun placed the chair behind her and she sank to sitting. ‘This is not some practical joke you’ve planned for Avery, is it? Because it’s not funny —’
Rhun was shaking his head. ‘No, it can absolutely happen.’
Fallon looked to the strange weapon in her brother-in-law’s hand. ‘Does that have something to do with this solution of yours?’
‘That’s why it was so important that I see you today,’ Rhun informed. ‘I didn’t want you to be alarmed when I shoot your husband with it.’
‘What?’ Fallon was startled by the casual statement.
But Rhun urged her to calm and crouched before her. ‘Allow me to explain.’
When Rhun summoned Avery forth, he was alone in the governor’s office, and the Draconian weapon was deactivated on his desk. Avery looked about upon arrival, noting they were the sole occupants. ‘Where did everybody go?’
‘The timekeepers have returned to their universe,’ Rhun began. ‘Everything in ancient Zhou is back to the way it should have been, the chariot we lost in Atlantis has been returned —’
‘What?’ Obviously Avery found that claim too good to be true. ‘How? By whom?’
But Rhun ignored the query. ‘And … and the Draconians, now our allies, are cleaning up the reptilian problem on Earth for us … so, all is right with the world.’
‘Oh?’ Avery frowned, surprised to have nothing to be mad about. ‘Looks like you did good th—’
‘There’s just one tiny issue that needs addressing?’ Rhun held his thumb and finger close together to illustrate how small a detail it was.
‘And what’s that?’ Avery was immediately wary of the impending confession.
‘Would you like t
o sit down?’ Rhun directed him to a seat; Avery folded both his legs and sat cross-legged in midair.
‘What is it?’ Avery asked again.
‘Well, as it turns out the timekeepers never came here,’ Rhun began.
‘Yes, they did, I saw them the last time you summoned me here,’ Avery corrected.
‘I mean that they were never here before our sabbatical in ancient China,’ he prompted, and grimaced, hoping Avery would work out the shortcoming for himself.
‘But if they never came, the reptilians never shot me with their weapon to render me mortal,’ Avery dropped his legs and stood again. ‘And my child was never conceived!’ he roared, and his anger whipped up and wind blustered through the office.
‘That’s why I got you this.’ Rhun picked up the Dracon weapon and handed it to Avery.
‘Do I get to shoot you?’ Avery was very grateful for the thought and took aim at his brother, although the weapon was still defunct.
‘No, I get to shoot you,’ Rhun advised. ‘One blast will make you mortal, which means you can conceive with your wife.’ He wriggled his eyebrows a few times.
‘No way!’ Avery objected, although he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
‘It’s the only way,’ Rhun was happy to advise him.
‘What if I am stuck as a mortal?’
‘You can’t be,’ Rhun informed him, merrily. ‘The weapon has a reverse function. So hand it over, and face fatherhood like a man.’
Avery appeared game. ‘If you are lying to me about this …’
‘I’m not. I have your wife waiting in reception and she has the keys to the governor’s guest house for however long you need it.’ Rhun wiggled the fingers of his outstretched palms, beckoning his compliance. ‘And I might add that Fallon is looking particularly stunning today.’
Avery tossed the weapon at his brother. ‘I’m in.’ He assumed target pose, chest out, hands on hips. ‘Hit me.’
‘You know you can always count on me for a little tough love, my brother.’ Rhun fired up the weapon, which lit up in splendour.
‘Whoa, cool,’ Avery admired it, until Rhun punched in the code to reverse the function of the weapon, whereupon the rainbow light circuitry turned dark and dense as crude oil. ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing with that thing?’
Rhun looked it over, appearing a little perplexed. ‘Pretty sure,’ he decided, as he fired a single dark pulse of energy at his brother.
‘Ah shit!’ The impact blew Avery into a full backwards flip, which landed him face down on his stomach, winded and mortal. ‘Ouch!’ He couldn’t move for a moment he was so stunned by the pain.
‘Welcome to the real world, buddy.’ Rhun put down the weapon and walked over to give his brother a hand to his feet.
‘You suck!’ Avery informed him, despite being grateful for the aid.
‘You won’t be saying that an hour from now.’ Rhun slapped him on the chest a couple of times, which Avery decided hurt as well.
‘Thanks very little for your help, but I can take it from here,’ Avery disentangled himself from his brother, and headed for reception.
‘Just come and let me know when you want to be shot back into the etheric world,’ Rhun commented after him.
Avery sidetracked to collect the said weapon from Rhun’s desk. ‘I think I’ll have my wife see to that, if it’s all the same to you.’
‘You have to reverse the weapon, using a code only I know,’ Rhun grinned.
‘Do it!’ Avery handed the weapon to his brother, who obliged his request and handed the weapon back. ‘You did gift this to me, after all.’
‘I wouldn’t want to deny Fallon the pleasure of shooting you,’ Rhun granted. Avery was very tempted to shoot the governor with it, but Sybil entered.
‘Just leaving, were you, brother-in-law?’ she queried politely. ‘Your wife is going to go insane if someone doesn’t take her out of that waiting room soon.’
‘Are we good?’ Rhun appealed for his brother’s absolution, and Avery grinned.
‘I’ll let you know.’
‘Well, if it doesn’t happen now, it isn’t my fault,’ Rhun teased, and Avery turned back to retort.
‘Oh, stop you two,’ Sybil demanded. ‘Go home …’ she bade Avery, and then turned her sights back to Rhun, ‘… to your wives, and be grateful for everything you have achieved.’ She slinked up to the governor and he welcomed her kiss.
‘All right, already, I’m leaving.’ Avery took the hint.
‘And lock the door on your way out,’ Sybil and Rhun insisted at once.
‘Yeah, yeah, I know the drill.’
As soon as the door closed, Sybil cooled a little and pulled away. ‘Finally, a chance for you to explain to me what happened today?’
‘No, no, no,’ Rhun pulled her back close to him. ‘Do you have any idea how many years it is since I made love to you?’
‘No,’ she answered, and smiled, as Rhun’s hands were all over her. ‘I have no idea, why don’t you tell me?’
‘At least thirty. Give or take the time I spent time-hopping about.’ He kissed his wife’s neck and raised her up to carry her to the lounge.
‘You don’t expect me to fall for that old “yesterday I got lost for thirty years” trick, do you?’ she challenged his story as he threw her down on the lounge, and crawled on top of her.
‘You’re the one always telling me I should put work aside more often.’
‘When have I ever told you that?’ She laughed.
‘Right now,’ he commanded, in a playful manner, ‘or I’m sacking you, divorcing you, whatever it takes.’
Clearly, it was difficult for Sybil to put aside her determination to get some answers, which made Rhun appreciate her amorous grin of defeat all the more. ‘You’re the boss,’ she relented and raised her upper body to kiss his neck
‘And for once,’ he realised, as he lapped up the affection of his sweeter half, ‘I am truly grateful.’
His recent travels through time had been a huge wake up call for Rhun. How could he have ever regretted his vocation, history, lineage or plight? Life without the companionship of the other souls who comprised the Grigori was inconceivable; as great as their earthly burdens and destiny were, Rhun knew now that he did not want to be anyone, or live any life, other than the one he had Chosen to lead.
EPILOGUE
GROUND ZERO
Through the lingering light haze of her quantum jump, which had numbed her senses as efficiently as a deep sleep might, Taren’s waking consciousness detected a disturbing distant sound that was both foreign and yet familiar. In a rush of awareness, the sound grew louder.
As alien as the sound of a crying baby was to Taren, the intensity of the wail woke her nonetheless. Her breasts ached with a vengeance, like they had been pumped full of air and were fit to burst, and upon inspection, she was horrified to find they had doubled in size and her T-shirt was dripping wet.
Lucian stirred beside her, and reaching across he gave Taren a nudge. ‘The baby,’ he mumbled, and sank back into sleep.
‘The baby?’ Taren finally put two and two together, and was horrified. ‘We have a baby?’ She sat up and shook her husband furiously.
‘What?’ Lucian protested at being forced into a fully conscious state.
‘We have a baby?’
‘I know,’ he mumbled, ‘and boy, he sounds hungry.’
‘It’s a boy?’ She was stunned.
‘Well, yeah.’ He sat up to support his dozing form on his elbows, and yawned.
‘Holy shit!’ Taren panicked, as she had returned to her body on AMIE only one week before Khalid was due to cause the disaster that had cast many of them into another universe.
‘Oh!’ Lucian was enlightened and amused at once. ‘You’re back.’
‘Yeah, I’m back,’ Taren stressed. ‘Only there appears to be a lot more of me now.’ She referred to her swollen breasts, and all Lucian could do was laugh. ‘How is this funny? We face off aga
inst Khalid in less than a week!’
‘Well,’ Lucian controlled his mirth, ‘look on the bright side, you missed the birth.’
‘Yeah!’ She was nearly hysterical. ‘I missed the pregnancy, birth and everything I probably learned about being a parent! I don’t even know our son’s name!’
‘Danon,’ he informed to calm her.
‘Dan.’ She smiled delighted, being that Ji Dan would have been the father of this child.
‘You approve, I take it?’ Lucian climbed out of bed to fetch the soul in question, as Taren was quite obviously too petrified to do it, and once lifted from his cot, Danon fell silent.
‘Does he do anything?’ she asked in a panic, knowing Zeven’s daughter had been performing psychic feats from a very young age.
‘Well, he cries, belches and creates a lot of dirty nappies,’ Lucian advised as he carried the bundle over to where she was seated on the bed. ‘But far and away his favourite pastime’s gorging himself on your breasts.’ Lucian held the child out to her.
‘Seriously?’ Taren was momentarily stunned by the request. ‘I’ve never done this.’
‘You’ve been doing it for mouths,’ he downplayed her fear, and placed the child in her lap.
The sight of the dark-haired babe, sucking so hard on its own fist that it appeared it might devour it, broke her heart wide open, and as she held him close, he went into a frenzy, trying to nuzzle his way through her shirt. Then she raised the barrier and within moments, Danon had latched onto her aching breast and began sucking madly; which came as a relief to both mother and child.
‘Told you so.’ Lucian kissed her forehead, and she was overcome by the serene bliss of the moment.
‘When I asked does he do anything,’ Taren recalled her earlier query, ‘I mean does he have any psychic talent.’
‘Not that we’ve noticed,’ Lucian advised. ‘But give me a break, he’s only three months old. He hasn’t even got teeth yet.’
‘Oh, I’m not in a hurry to find out,’ Taren assured him. ‘We’ve got enough to worry about.’
Lucian had to chuckle. ‘And you don’t know the half of it yet.’
Taren’s brief bliss departed, and she was panicked again. ‘What could possibly be more shocking than this?’ She referred to the child in her arms, but Lucian appeared to wish to defer that news for the present.
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