Farouk’s back stiffened. “My diagnostifications are never wrong.”
“What are you so upset about? At least we know nothing else came through the portals.”
Farouk’s gaze flicked to Fate. “I’m more concerned with who or what fixed the flawmage.”
“Maybe it was the robots,” Fate offered quickly, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from her recent discovery. “Isn’t that their job?”
“It is to a restrictured degree. Any repairs outside their programming would have to be input by me or a guardian.”
“She should know that,” Brune interjected. “Did you even bother to take her through the final initiation?”
“Uh, standing right here. And yes, I took the data spike in the brain and got lasered.” Fate raised her hand to show Brune the seal glowing in her palm. “I’m all caught up.”
“Hmph, that’s what you think,” Brune snickered.
Fate opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly a terrible roar reverberated through the sanctuary walls, followed by the thunderous crash of the Chimera slamming against the open hatch. Fate and Brune each dove out of the way as a stream of fire poured through. Being closest to the control panel, Fate scrambled on all fours and slammed her hand over the screen to close the breaching door. The iris spiraled shut, dousing the flames as the Chimera rammed the hatch, clawing at the iron barrier with renewed frenzy.
With her heart pounding, Fate turned to Brune. “You were saying?”
Brune stood and walked across the sanctuary to the set of doors leading to other sectors. “That’s nothing. Wait until you’re out there and face to face with that thing.”
“Well I pretty much was just then!” Fate yelled. “I mean really, were you born in a barn? Do you not know how to close doors behind you?”
Brune gave her a patronizing smile as she stepped through the door marked with the residence symbol. “Yes, ma’am, I do.” She kicked the door shut behind her with a loud bang.
Fate threw up her arms and looked at Farouk. “Well that was mature. What is she, three-years-old?”
“Ninety-four, to be exacturate.”
“Is she always like that?”
Tilting his head, Farouk thought about it. “Yes. You might say she’s grumptankerous.”
“There’s a fitting word I think I’ll add to my growing list of descriptives for Brune.”
Farouk grinned wide, which made him look disturbingly sly. “You’re welcome to it. I have others if you’re fascenticed.”
“I’m good for the moment.” Fate toyed with the projector ring. “Right now, I think it’s best I get back to this. I’ve been dreading what’s on here, but it feels good to have information Brune doesn’t know anything about.” She gave Farouk a conspiratorial smile, but he was already navigating his cage over to the exit.
“I’ll leave you to it while I check into the diagnostification equipment.” He pushed through the door marked for the science lab and let the door slam.
“Sure,” Fate muttered, feeling slightly rebuffed as she opened the lid of the projector ring. Light and mist brought the narrator, Vasha, back into view and Fate settled in to watch and listen.
“To fully understand this story, we must begin our journey in the deep past, with a thorough understanding of the Chaos Region. There are two planes of existence. The physical plane is made of the celestial bodies we call galaxies, stars and planets, all of which are bound by the laws of physics. The plane of multidimensional magic, on the other hand, is an infinite cosmic ocean composed of pure potentiality that permeates and flows through every living thing. This sea of magical energy reflects back all thoughts and emotions, which are brought into physical form when made strong enough.
“Primitive civilizations were sensitive to multidimensional magic and they could see past the material plane. These were the shamans who used magic for healing, communication with spirit and minor demonstrations of manifestation from nothing. As society progressed and intelligence increased; sorcery, wizardry and alchemy emerged, in what is called the Age of Miracles. Later, science reigned supreme and technology was used to harness multidimensional magic, effectively severing the connection between the living and the magical plane.
“When life forms are directly linked with multidimensional magic, they create a harmonious, unifying force, which produces smooth currents throughout the magical plane. Likewise, separation from magic, leads to inharmonious thoughts and emotions, which generate psychic energy storms. These disturbances rush in waves to the outer edge of space, where they pool in a roiling sea of wild magic known as the Chaos Region.
“When psychic storms increase in frequency and intensity, the negative energies of the collective grow and develop consciousness. Born of the collective cauldron of fear, greed, lust and rage, they become entities of both the material and magical plane.
“Since the beginning of time, the Chaos Region has spewed forth these beings of immense power and magnitude, known throughout history as gods, demons, faery and djinn–to name but a few. They are unpredictable beings, many of whom have taken ownership of young planets to help shape the terrain and atmosphere while guiding life forms as it suits them. When the energies are particularly strong in negativity, monsters are spawned, and these seek only to toy with mortals and destroy the worlds they inhabit.
“The Chaos Region has always been a forbidden zone for this reason. Until one race thought themselves above all rules.
The Obiectis Builders were once a highly intelligent race known as the Golandon. They were a tall, blue-skinned species, humanoid in appearance, with six arms instead of two. Having reached the peak of their evolutionary potential, the Golandon had achieved the ultimate in cultural, psychic and scientific development, especially in technology infused with multidimensional magic.
“With such achievements came a bloated sense of superiority. The Golandon thought themselves better than all other races and jealously guarded their advancements. They refused to share their knowledge with the Galactic Federation and kept their inventions under heavy guard. Their hoarding behavior engendered bad relations and invited thieves. After a time when too many of their secrets were stolen, the Golandon decided to build a barricade, which would put an end to all such thievery for good.
“After assembling their best minds, they took their blueprints and advanced technology to the furthest regions of space, straight into the heart of the Chaos Region, where they knew they could not be followed. It was there they built a structure, which to this day defies all logic and every scientific law known to the collective pool of universal knowledge.
“The whole of the Golandon race abandoned their home planet and moved to the Obiectis. Over time, the civilization as a whole perfected the original design, tearing out all that was substandard, while adding layer upon layer of improvements, until at last there was nothing left to improve. They had created a marvel, a construct the size of a small planet with its own sustainable ecosystem and defensive shield.
“Having reached the pinnacle of their goal, the Golandon began to devolve.
“Had the Golandon lowered their pride enough to consult with the Psionic Counsel, rather than retreat from society to live in the darkest edge of space, we would have warned them of the dangers of their actions. With all their intelligence and knowledge of multidimensional magic, the Golandon never once realized that living so far away from the Great Central Sun–the source of all enlightenment–would be a giant step backwards.
“Ideas no longer flowed in the way they once took for granted. Innovation and ingenuity dried up, and with the structure running on its own, there was very little to be done. The Golandon had designed the perfect prison and they were its inmates. They had built it in the middle of a churning ocean of negative energy, which was slowly seeping into their prison’s structure.
“Their civilization collapsed as depression, rage and apathy settled upon them. The fall began with those who first succumbed to their darkest emotions.
Thousands grew violent and went on killing rampages. Those few who still had their wits about them, programmed the robots to police the insane and imprison them underground. In the meantime, they worked feverishly to design a shield. One which would allow the wild magic needed to fuel the Obiectis, but would filter out the harmful energies affecting them.
“This is how the six colossal hoops revolving around the Obiectis came into existence. Each hoop sweeps round and round, generating a force field that protects from the harmful psychic energies, while collecting wild magic within filaments embedded along the outer shell of each ring.
“Unfortunately, the revolving hoops took over a hundred years to build. Only a small percentage of the Golandon descendants were left by then and an even smaller number of them remained sane. Needless to say, the Golandon paid a heavy price to keep their precious technology a prized secret.
“As word traveled from world to world on the Golandon’s technological wonder, jealous eyes cast greedy gazes upon the Obiectis. War broke out within the Chaos Region. Unlikely alliances were formed between scavengers, mercenaries and federations in a futile attempt to take the impenetrable fortress by storm. But the harmful emanations within the Chaos Region brewed distrust and infighting among alliances, eventually dividing them.
“A thousand year war was fought over the right to occupy the volatile patch of space around the Obiectis in the hopes of breaking through its shield. Not one was ever able to infiltrate the Obiectis.
“The endless plotting, the bloody battles and the incessant greed which drove an entire galaxy to war caused massive disturbances throughout the Chaos Region. Tidal waves of turmoil rippled along the magical plane, coalescing into untold numbers of bloodthirsty entities which ravaged countless planets like a plague. Historians of old named this terrible time the Age of Monsters.
“The screams of the tortured echoed across the galaxy. Terror rolled toward the Chaos Region in crashing waves, where the building energies created another monstrous consciousness. For centuries it slumbered, growing in size beyond any other being which had come before, its food the nightmares of the innocent.
“When the war finally reached an apex of violence and slaughter, the colossal entity awoke. Its bloodcurdling shriek reverberated throughout the region as it turned its gaze on the fleets of ships battling in and around the Obiectis.
“The war ended in that one moment with a feeding frenzy of absolute destruction. The chaos entity tore through every ship like a massive hurricane, devouring the life force of all passengers while absorbing their spirits into its gargantuan body of roiling energy. It fed and fed until the space around the Obiectis turned into a sea of wreckage and hollowed out ghost ships.
“The titan then turned its ravenous appetite upon the Obiectis. Screeches of fury resounded throughout the inner walls as it hammered the structure. The force field generated by the revolving hoops deflected the entity, but the Golandon knew it was only a matter of time before the rings weakened under the relentless barrage–”
As soon as Fate heard the door open, she punched the lid of the projector ring closed against the palm of her other hand, cutting short the terrifying images and sounds playing out in front of her. Fear jittered along her nerve endings as Jessie and the others entered the sanctuary. They were still in full uniform, but they’d removed their Dragon Eyes and seemed more back to normal.
Lincoln attempted a kick that fell markedly short of what Fate had witnessed earlier. “That wush legendary! Did you catch the palm shtrikesh I wush layin’ down?”
“How could I?” Mason flailed his arms in poor form. “I was too busy amazing myself with my high-speed arm blocks.”
Lincoln scratched his nose and looked around. “Where’sh that bosshy blonde? Ish she back yet? I’m ready to show her my new movesh.” He laughed and swiveled his hips. “If you know what I mean.”
“Better not let her see you doing that,” Mason warned. “You might be ready to kick some monster ass, but I’d take bets she’d kick yours, and good.”
Jessie turned a cool gaze toward Fate. “Nah, I’d take a bet against her. Being a guardian doesn’t make you all that. We’ve got stuff they don’t.” Her tone was forceful and directed solely at Fate as she patted the Dragon Eye headgear attached to her belt.
Fate looked down at the floor. She should be angry with Jessie for being so blatantly competitive, but she was too frightened by the images in Vasha’s story. None of them knew the danger they were actually in and their arrogance could get every one of them killed, including her best friend.
20
The Black-Eyed Goddess
FATE STACKED THE BED pillows behind her and sank into them with a heavy sigh. Her room was nothing less than luxurious. The walls were lined with warm woods carved in intricate arches framing beautifully painted frescos. Ornate lanterns glowing with amber light hovered near the tall ceilings. A sitting area offered several over-stuffed chairs and a sofa, each of which floated in the air a foot off the floor. Even her bed floated like an air mattress on a still pond. She had no idea how the furniture was made to defy gravity, but she liked the light rocking sensation beneath her whenever she shifted her weight.
She smoothed her hand over the massive bed’s cream-colored linen coverlet, feeling like royalty in the lap of luxury. The Golandon definitely knew how to live in style. Apparently, every living area within the Residence Section was furnished every bit as lavishly. And each suite came with its own chamber robot, which had been lightly humanized with pleasant faces. Her chamber robot had been outfitted with a round grandmotherly face–comforting, until it turned away and revealed the blinking circuitry behind the mask. But Fate wasn’t about to complain. Not when it meant she didn’t have to make her bed in the morning. She could even leave her clothes on the floor.
Fate wriggled her toes and let out another deep sigh. Now that she was alone and able to relax with her own thoughts, she realized how completely exhausted she was. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She’d literally gone from being bounced out of the Book of Fables, to landing in the middle of a fan convention, to catapulting across the universe, and finally, downloading thousands of years of Keep knowledge into her brain. All in one day.
If that wasn’t enough to put her into a weeklong coma, there was the added stress of knowing the Keep was swarming with vicious monsters. Not to mention, the constant juggling of everyone else’s delicate feelings. Especially Jessie’s.
At the moment, Eustace, Brune and Farouk were strategizing some sort of plan to eliminate the Chimera. She’d insisted on being part of the planning, but fatigue had won out and she’d had to excuse herself. There’d be time to find out what the three of them had hatched up in the morning. Leaving did nothing to soothe her nerves though. After coming so close to the heat of the Chimera’s flames, the reality of facing the fire breather without a wall standing between them was downright paralyzing.
Shivering, Fate hugged her arms. She was too tired to face the next day with any amount of confidence. She felt fragile to the bone, like the tiniest bump would shatter her into a million pieces. As much as she needed and welcomed the quiet and solitude, a terrible sense of loneliness crashed in. The heartache she’d been able to beat back with all the distractions returned full force. Tears welled in her eyes and fell on the sheets.
“Finn, I miss you so much,” she whispered. “I need you here with me.”
Cruel silence answered back.
“Why?” Fate cried out. “Why can’t we be together? Are we cursed?”
She knew the answer before she even asked the question. They weren’t together because of one thoughtless mistake. Her mistake. She had no one else to blame but herself. If she hadn’t conjured the Green Man with her Words of Making, Finn wouldn’t be trapped inside a tree.
Fate punched the mattress as anger burned in her chest. She couldn’t picture her life without him. He’d always been with her, first in her imagination and then in the flesh. He was
everything she’d ever wanted, and more. Finn was part of her, and she was part of him. It hurt in a thousand different ways to be apart from him. Surely they were meant to be together.
Using the edge of the sheet, Fate wiped her eyes dry. “I won’t give up. I’ll die before I give up.” She reached for the tobacco pouch holding Finn’s Holy Blend tobacco and inhaled the earthy scent. She tried to imagine he was near, but the emptiness was too great, filling fast with a monstrous pain that tore into her chest and ripped a sob from her throat.
She gave in and cried until exhaustion finally wrung her dry. Rolling onto her side, Fate stared into space, wanting desperately to abandon her duties as guardian to go in search of the gateway to Oldwilde so she could find Finn. Being with him would give her the strength she needed to confront the monsters waiting for her inside the Keep. With him fighting by her side, she could face anything. He was more powerful than anyone else here. Finn was the destroyer of the mightiest destroyer. She’d once seen him use his power over the elements to embed a war goddess, into solid rock. What more did she need?
Fate sat straight up, remembering the recording on the projector ring and the carnage the chaos entity had wreaked upon those ships. She’d been dreading whatever was left of the remaining footage. She knew it would somehow connect to the sorceress she’d come face to face with inside the core. The woman terrified her. Finn was the only one who could fight someone that powerful and win.
The idea of bringing him back to the Keep before she took care of anything else energized her. She had planned on viewing the last part of Vasha’s message when she felt emotionally and physically stronger. But now she wanted to know exactly what she would be facing.
Without wasting another second, Fate flipped the lid on the projector ring. A spray of light and mist streamed from the ring. Images of the surface of the Keep flickered over the shifting screen and Vasha’s voice filled the quiet room.
“Since the time of their societal collapse, the surviving team of Golandon scientists and engineers had been installing portals to other worlds in case another disaster forced them to abandon the Obiectis. But not as swiftly as they would’ve liked. The portals would take only six at a time and not all of them were accessible, because of each portal’s one-hundred-year long rotation. Only a small percentage of the portals moved along the surface. The majority were located deep below the gigantic turning gears.
Fate's Keep (Fate's Journey Book 2) Page 14
