Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  “We may have traitors, but they aren’t in high-ranking positions. Nobody can lie to the system,” Gale said.

  “You mean the EYE?” Michael asked.

  Gale narrowed his eyes. The EYE was the most comprehensive computer databank in the multiverse. It was handled exclusively by the Daimon Gate. The EYE saw everything that happened in the multiverse. It knew everything. Ordinary people didn’t know it existed, nor did they have access.

  “I have access to highly classified information—about those you have to protect, Gale,” Michael said.

  Lyla interrupted the tension between them. “He does have access to more information than you and I do, Gale. And he’s here to help. Can you tell me what to expect? I didn’t get much from my system. Your equipment is much more advanced here. The Daimon Gate has more at stake than Eudaiz. You’re connected with nine thousand universes. Imagine if the EYE were corrupted.”

  “You don’t want to know what I think, Lyla.”

  “Try me.”

  “I think it’s organic, and it’s a phantom.”

  Michael scoffed. “A ghost infiltrating a computer system?”

  “You might need to sharpen your imagination a bit, Michael,” Gale said, and he didn’t look as if he was attempting to make a sarcastic remark.

  Chapter 7

  Ryan stood at the entrance of the village in Xiilok where Fifi’s family lived. He hoped Lyla understood why he had left her and Michael in the Daimon Gate. This was a private matter, and he would never drag her into this mess. She had gotten him the Pass to the Daimon Gate, and that was good enough. There was no need for permission to enter Xiilok. All he needed was to survive and then get back to the Daimon Gate.

  He knew Cayson had done something wrong by the authorities of Eudaiz and the Daimon Gate. That was why he didn’t want to get Lyla involved. Ryan understood his son’s biggest problem—his love for Fifi. It was the same curse of love he himself had had when he’d fallen for Cayson’s mother—a human.

  The multiverse had changed so swiftly. Long-lasting relationships had become a challenge. And an inter-multiversal relationship was almost impossible. He understood where Cayson’s stubbornness came from, though. His mother had taken the risk, coming to Eudaiz to give birth to him. Her body hadn’t been able to adapt to the changes, and Cayson had lost his mother at a very young age.

  But they had bonded. Ryan knew Cayson’s bond with his mother had a great impact on Cayson’s love for Fifi. They had never spoken about it. But he just knew.

  From the far end of a dirt road flanked by black and blue wildflowers, a group of men approached Ryan.

  Ryan gave them a friendly smile. “I’m looking for the Antons,” he said.

  A tall man standing at the front looked at Ryan with clear purple eyes. There were no worms swimming in his irises, and that meant he wasn’t a multiversal outlaw. “We’re the protectors of this village,” he said.

  Ryan smiled again. “I know. You’re the brotherhood.”

  The man chuckled. “You got that right. Where are you from, and on what business is it that you want to see the Antons?”

  “I’m from Eudaiz. I’m a friend of the Antons. They told me to stop by when I had a chance. I’m en route to Earth on a business trip. I wanted to drop by to say hi.”

  “So this has nothing to do with Fifi?” a man standing at the back asked.

  “No, this has nothing to do with Fifi. I just wanted to have a chat with her parents. What’s up with Fifi?”

  “Nothing, but she’s a naughty girl and very cheeky. She might try to con a naive Eudaizian.”

  Ryan chuckled. “I’m Eudaizian, but I’m well-traveled and have had a lot of business dealings with Earth. I think I can handle Fifi.”

  “All right, if you say so.” The tall man who had spoken first said then gestured toward the far end of the flower-lined road. “They’re in the second to the last house at the end of this road. We’re stationed over there. Give us a yell if you need any help.” He pointed to a small straw hut next to a thin strip of bushland.

  “Sure, thank you.” Ryan nodded a goodbye and headed toward the end of the road.

  It was a small cottage with white walls and a straw roof, as charming as those he had seen in the small villages of England. But the vision of a cottage like this in Xiilok, the land of multiversal outlaws, just seemed plain wrong.

  Reluctantly, Ryan knocked, and the door opened at his touch. The stench of blood assaulted his nose. His instincts told him not to set one foot in the house.

  But it was too late.

  Alarm bells and gongs and strange noises echoed everywhere. It was as if he were being ambushed. The quiet village shook with footsteps and the weight of people storming toward him, led by the brotherhood.

  The tall man with purple eyes pointed at Ryan. “That’s him,” he said.

  Ryan raised his arms, seeking peace. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even set foot in the house. You won’t find a trace of me in there.”

  People stormed into the hut. A woman’s voice cried out, “He killed them! I can’t find Linx! Ask him if he killed the toddler, too!”

  “I didn’t kill anyone. I’m here for the Antons!” Ryan shouted, but the men from the brotherhood shoved some cloths into his mouth and tied him up.

  The group of men who called themselves the brotherhood then dragged him away. The angry crowd from the village followed.

  Someone shouted, “I can’t find the Antons. He just said he’s here for the Antons. He killed them!”

  Ryan wriggled hard but couldn’t get out of the men’s tight grips. Then he saw people carrying two dead bodies out of the little cottage. He had seen pictures of Fifi’s parents, and those dead bodies weren’t them. The brotherhood continued to drag him away with the angry crowd in tow.

  “Let him go!” said an authoritative voice from the forest.

  The crowd cringed. The men carrying him turned around, swiveling Ryan at the same time. In front of them was a ten-foot-tall man with long white hair and a wizened face. He held a long staff.

  “The Guardian,” someone in the crowd said.

  Ryan could feel the hands of the men holding him captive shaking.

  “Untie him,” the Guardian said.

  “But he killed—” The man standing behind Ryan hadn’t yet finished his sentence when the Guardian swung his staff. The man’s head rolled across the ground.

  The crowd rumbled.

  Someone untied Ryan and pushed him toward the Guardian.

  “Go back to your village,” the Guardian said.

  People scrambled away, not waiting for a second command.

  “Where are you from, visitor?” the Guardian asked.

  “Eudaiz.”

  “Well, I can’t take you back home. Eudaiz won’t accept people like me.”

  “Who are you?”

  “As they have called me, I’m the Guardian.”

  “That’s a position. It’s not who you are.”

  The old man smiled. “You don’t need to know who I am. I live in the forest here, and I protect the people and creatures around me—if they need me. I can take you back to the transitional zone.”

  “I am here to see the Antons.”

  The Guardian sighed. “I know where they are, but I can’t take you to them without their permission.”

  “Permission? The village nearly beheaded me because they thought I killed them. I think I’m at least entitled to a conversation.”

  “I will pass your words on to them. Would you like to wait here or go with me?”

  Ryan glanced back at the village and said, “I’m going with you.”

  Chapter 8

  “Calm down, Lyla.”

  She felt Michael grabbing her elbow to stop her from rushing through the teleport terminal to try to find Ryan. She hoped he was just wandering around and hadn’t left for Xiilok.

  Fear consumed her heart. If Ryan went to Xiilok by himself, he would be captured. She couldn’t even
imagine what would happen after that. Xiilok was beyond her jurisdiction. It was not only the place where the outlaws of the multiverse lived, but it was also the complete opposite of the Daimon Gate. Both universes were known for their elusiveness, but in the Daimon Gate, the elusive tests were designed to destroy evil. In Xiilok, it was only evil that survived. And there wasn’t an ounce of evil in Ryan.

  Xiilok did have a normal residential area. But given a choice, no one would choose to live there. Fifi’s family must live in that area, and it was better than most, but still, there was no protection and no authority of any kind in Xiilok, no matter where you lived.

  Michael approached her. “He’s gone, Lyla. Cayson must have done something wrong, and Ryan didn’t want to get you involved.”

  “I shouldn’t have let him stay here alone. I should have known he asked to come with us so he could leave from the Daimon Gate and go to Xiilok. I should have known he wouldn’t have been able to get a Pass out of Eudaiz himself. I shouldn’t have let it happen. I should—”

  Michael grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Stop, Lyla. Sit, and stop talking. You can’t possibly know everything. You can’t possibly anticipate everything that’s going to happen. And the more you talk, the less time we have to find a solution.”

  She knew he was right.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shake you. You just seemed to lose it for a moment there.”

  “Thank you.”

  Gale rushed out with an electronic pad in his hand. “Trouble. My source suggests they got Ryan.”

  “What source? Who are they? And what do you mean they ‘got’ him?” Lyla asked.

  “I can’t tell you my source. But as for who the badasses are, I think they’re identity smugglers.”

  “No! No way,” Lyla said. “You’re saying they took Ryan so they could swap identities with him and smuggle someone into Eudaiz?”

  Gale nodded. “Not just someone. People. More than one. They wouldn’t go to such lengths to swap only one identity. My source detects a mechanism that could multiply an identity if they got their hands on a copy of the original citizenship profile.”

  “But that wouldn’t work,” Michael said, waving his arms in frustration. “The Daimon Gate system will purify them all out. Even a truly evil creature wouldn’t survive a test, never mind a copycat. So you’re saying it’s a scam?”

  Gale nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. You know falsification of identity wouldn’t work in the Daimon Gate because you’re in border security, Michael. But ordinary citizens, especially isolated ones like those Xiilok, wouldn’t know that.”

  “So they take a real Eudaizian citizenship, duplicate it, and sell it to innocent citizens in other universes? They take money from these poor people and let them enter the Daimon Gate citizen tests with false identities. They send them to the gate to get burned!” Lyla exclaimed. Tears gleamed in her eyes. “And because these smugglers are shady citizens from Xiilok, there’s nothing we can do to stop them. Is that what you two are telling me?”

  Gale nodded and said nothing else.

  “There is a way…” Michael said softly.

  “Tell me, please!” Lyla said.

  “No!” Gale yelled.

  “You can’t say no before I even tell her what it is, Gale!”

  “I already know what you’re going to say. It’s too dangerous, and I don’t want any part of it.” Gale paced back and forth in agitation.

  “Are you thinking about a holocast, Michael?” Lyla asked.

  Gale braced his hands against the wall, leaned in, and shook his head. “Holocasts can only be used between trusted member universes. And absolutely not with Xiilok. If you want to go there, go on foot.”

  Now it was Michael’s turn to pace. “From what I understand, if we use hologram images only for communication and don’t interact in physical form, it should be safe.”

  Gale shook his head. “It’s not as safe as you think, Michael. The holocast connection could leave the system vulnerable to attack. Given that Lyla and I have been seeing the shadow, opening a holocast now could invite the hacker to jump right in.”

  “We need to communicate with the people there,” Lyla said. “They’ve never communicated directly with Eudaiz. They have no idea how the system works. That’s why they’re being killed by this scam.”

  “But we have no authority. We’re just tech geeks. Why would they listen to us?” Gale asked.

  Michael narrowed his eyes, looking at Lyla. “No, Lyla.”

  “You can’t say no before you know my intention.”

  Michael approached and gazed into her eyes. “No,” he repeated.

  “What am I missing?” Gale asked.

  Michael pulled Lyla to a corner. “Does Gale know who you really are?”

  “No.”

  “See, even your close friends don’t know. Your family keeps it top secret for a very good reason, Lyla. I’m sorry to say this, but if Ryan and Cayson die, they’re just casualties. But if the badasses in Xiilok get you, there will be a war between universes. I know Ciaran and Madeline too well to guarantee that will happen if you lose a single hair on your head.”

  “My parents sent me here to live among the commoners. Wouldn’t they expect this would happen one day?”

  “No, they would expect you to be smarter than this. They’d expect you to see the big picture. They sent you here to learn, not to be a hero when you’re not experienced enough. But they know you’ll make mistakes. And that’s why they sent a guy like me to speak to you. Because I don’t give a shit about diplomatic crap. All I care about is keeping you alive and well until you’re mature enough to take on a commander role.”

  “My parents sent you?”

  “Oh shit!”

  “Michael, what about the border breach in Iilos. Is that a setup? My father is brilliant at plotting!”

  “Don’t talk about your father that way,” Michael growled.

  The intensity in his eyes made her cringe. “Michael, if you let me know exactly what happened, we can work things out. I love and respect my parents more than anything. But I’ve spent a large part of my life with Ryan. He takes care of me like a second father. So I’m a little freaked out here.”

  Michael nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get rough. All I know is Ciaran ran some kind of simulation program, and he didn’t like what he saw. It was bad enough that he called me in confidence and sent me here from the past. My task is to tell you that there is a shadow in your system that you need to detect and destroy. At this time point—meaning now—Ciaran’s calculation suggests that the shadow is at an early stage where it can be easily destroyed.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. He could have just sent a message for that. The most important reason I’m here is to keep you here. Your father said you are not to travel across time and dimensions. You are not to cross the border to Xiilok or any other universes, including Earth. You must stay within Eudaiz and the Daimon Gate. And if I have to beat you up to keep you here, I have your parent’s blessing to do so.”

  “Do you know why?”

  He nodded. “The last time Ciaran let your twin brother travel from the future to the past on a mission on Earth, it had disastrous consequences. He doesn’t want that for you.”

  “If my father is worried that much, Eudaiz must be at stake. I’ll do what he asks. But he sent you instead of several of his Eudaiz commanders, so there must be more to the story. What aren’t you telling me?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. That’s it. And now I have a proposed solution for your problem regarding Ryan and the Xiilok people.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “If you could ask your tech geek friend to organize a holocast and isolate it so that it comes from Iilos, I can be the authority, and I can speak to the citizens in Xiilok who want to cross the border. I’m the commander in chief of border security in Xiilok. And that’s for real. Iilos isn’t Eudaiz. But for all the remote citizens in Xiilok, tha
t’s good enough, don’t you think?”

  “If it’s just a holocast, I want to be in it with you. I want to be there when you talk to those who captured Ryan. I need to know he’s okay.”

  “No, you have nothing so do with this. That’s non-negotiable.”

  “Do you speak Xiilok?”

  “I could use a translator.”

  “That’s how you negotiate sensitive matter at the inter-universal level about migration. That’s how you establish trust among those who you’ve never met. Those who’re desperate and on the verge of being used—”

  “All right, all right. I get your point. Okay, you’re in. And it’s only a transmitted holocast. Under no circumstances are you to materialize during the conversation. Promise?”

  “Yes, Michael.” She smiled, knowing he wasn’t the least bit confident that she would keep her promise.

  Chapter 9

  Lyla and Michael landed on the cold stone floor of what looked like a chapel. They were surrounded by the holocast light beam, which separated the holocast environment and the destination environment. It was as if they were on stage, under a spotlight. They were at the destination, but the other party wouldn’t be able to physically engage with them unless they chose to materialize and step out of the protective holocast light.

  Although the light beam looked transparent, it would be like an iron shield protecting them should the opponent try to attack. It was supposed to be safe. But Michael still felt uneasy having Lyla with him. He cursed silently. This was a holocast, not reality. Why couldn’t Gale have created a different setting? How about a nice river somewhere warm on Earth?

  “A stone chapel? Seriously?” Michael muttered.

  “I thought the same,” Lyla said. “But the other side may have requested this setting for the holocast meeting.”

  “Who with a right mind would want to meet in a bloody cold and dusty chapel?”

  “That would be me.” A voice echoed across the room from a dark corner, followed by a cold breeze and the stench of rotting flesh.