by Beth Hodgson
After a moment, she pulled away gently, studying him with her intense eyes. “What happened to you? You look… different.” She ran a hand through his crimson hair.
“Well, someone has to be the redhead around here,” he said.
Emerald smiled softly, then giggled under her breath. He had not meant for it to be a joke, considering the moment, but luckily it distracted Emerald from her heavy heart.
“I like it.” She skimmed her right hand across his rugged face, then lightly touched his lips and jaw. “Your face, though… It’s… changed somehow. I can’t quite tell what it is, though.”
“I aged.”
“How?”
“Through another person’s magic. She froze time while my life continued,” Kyle explained. “We had to make sure that I had enough understanding of my power before I came for you. The last time, I got my ass handed to me.”
Emerald stared at him, then her eyes watered. “Was it because of me?”
“Well, you and everyone else. Four against one isn’t really good odds.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, lowering her head.
Kyle held her once more, kissing her forehead. “There is no reason to apologize, it’s not your fault. Don’t ever think otherwise. I won’t let any of those assholes have any power over you ever again.”
She turned to him with a look of alarm on her face. “We should leave now, before that wicked woman comes back. Or Derek.”
Derek. That name infuriated him.
Holding her face gently with both of his hands, Kyle leaned in, his forehead touching hers, whispering, “Em, we have to defeat that bitch-ass Ikaria. But before we do, I need to know if you can summon your other two colors, yellow and blue.” He brushed her hair with his silver-ringed fingers.
She looked at him, then thought hard, and finally nodded. “I think so. I have done it before; I am sure I can do it again.”
“I believe in you,” Kyle said, feeling the flames come alive within his crimson eyes. “When I say so, you need to hold on to the staff and do it.”
“I will,” Emerald said assuredly.
Kyle held her hands, helping her to her feet. “I will make sure you are as far away from that bitch as possible, but we have to get close enough to focus our magic,” he said as he grabbed the staff off the floor.
Emerald nodded.
Kyle looked at her, then turned his thoughts to get to where Geeta told him to meet her. The royal palace platform, wherever that was.
Kyle’s stomach became knots all over again. The bad feeling returned.
Ignoring the warning from within, Kyle continued, “Em, we need to get to the royal transport platform. Can you guide us there?”
Emerald smiled, blushing. “I can take us there with my magic.”
She held out her hand, and as he took it, he smiled back at her. God, it felt good to be with her. He felt so… complete.
Squeezing his hand, Emerald closed her eyes, concentrating on her analogous powers. Kyle knew she was trying to summon the gift of the blue. Her face contorted as she fought to summon it.
Slowly, a green-blue glow emitted from her, then extended through their hands. As they held each other, the power surged through them, radiating brightly. Then they flashed green-blue, disappearing from Emerald’s balcony.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
ORANGE
Telly’s communication device chimed. Head Director Santiago had messaged the corporation: All remaining cyborgs that were scheduled for York needed to be loaded in the next batch of ships, and the head staff was to report to the docks to assist with the loading process. Immediately.
Drew wasn’t back yet. King Derek’s advisor would notice. She watched her surroundings, her eyes keen. Hopefully the woman hadn’t discovered Drew’s illusion on the platform above, or else Telly knew that she would end up dealing with the consequences.
Telly gulped, nervously staring at the director’s message. Her heart raced in her chest while she nervously adjusted her glasses.
Come on, Telly, she told herself. Just get to the docks and don’t go near the advisor. That’s all you have to do. It was much easier telling herself the plan than actually doing it.
Taking a deep breath, Telly emerged from another cyborg holding room and walked into one of the main labs, making her way to the elevators. She passed by the other technicians, watching them make their preparations, unplugging the cyborgs from their glowing blue capsules. Some moved much more robotically than Drew, others moved like humans, as each of them were different percentages of human. After all, the corporation had had to replace bad human organs in the subjects as well as enhance them. They needed them to last as long as possible and be in prime condition.
Telly knew that she’d taken too long to wait for Drew down in Lab 34 and that the head director, along with Derek’s advisor, was most likely getting impatient. Others were also behind schedule, as she saw some of the cyborgs malfunctioning as they were being unplugged from the mainframe, having to then be replaced with different fully functioning cyborgs to meet Derek’s quota.
A vibrating buzz came from within Telly’s lab coat pocket.
Great, just what I need, more frantic messages from the head director.
Telly anxiously pulled out her device as she and the other technicians filed into the elevator, every one of them swiping their ID cards. Casually looking down at her device, Telly gasped.
Meet me on the platform across from the palace’s royal transport platform. I need your help.
There was no callback number, no contact information, no trace.
Drew. He’d hacked the communication networks.
Quickly deleting the message, Telly stuffed her device back into her pocket, hoping no one had seen it over her shoulder.
How was she going to make it to that platform? Any platform anywhere near the vicinity of the palace was heavily monitored and guarded. Unless…
Sighing, she knew what she had to do. One of these days, she was going to get caught with how much she pushed her luck. She had already been extremely lucky that Derek hadn’t had her arrested when she appeared in his transport before. Now this…
The elevator climbed to the heights of the corporation building, then dinged, opening its doors to reveal the loading platform docks. There were several air transports docked on the oversized platform, waiting for the precious cargo to be shipped off to York. Or to the future as Drew believed.
As Telly walked out onto the platform, she saw King Derek and his advisor, Ikaria, waiting outside their transport, surrounded by many of the corporation’s directors. The advisor’s strange black eyes sparkled with delight, a huge grin on her face. She didn’t say anything but stood there proudly, as if she were someone with more authority than the King himself.
Telly lowered her gaze, walking to the other side of the platform, where Director Jonathan was, trying to avoid the advisor noticing her. Jonathan was loading a line of cyborgs into one of the transports.
“Telly, help that transport out over there; they’re taking too long getting the cyborgs loaded. Sometimes it amazes me the level of incompetence in individuals of such high IQs,” Jonathan said, helping the next cyborg get loaded in line. “You’d think they would have enough common sense to get the job done quickly.”
Telly smiled nervously, nodding in response, then made her way over to the transport that Jonathan pointed to. It was closer to the King and his advisor, but luckily the loading door was on the other side of the royal party.
There was already another director helping load the cyborgs when Telly approached. He noticed Telly, nodded silently, and continued to guide the cyborgs inside the ship, leaving Telly outside of the vehicle.
“Is this all five hundred of them?” Telly heard Derek’s voice call out from behind the transport she was helping with.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” answered Head Director Santiago’s voice. “I apologize that we were a bit behind schedule, as there were a few issues
with a couple of them.”
“Understood. Just get the rest of them loaded, and ready the transports.”
Derek came into Telly’s view, along with the advisor. Through the corner of Telly’s eye, she saw Ikaria strut by one of the cyborgs in line, her hand playfully touching the machine’s chest. Briskly walking over to her, Derek slapped her hand away, giving her a dirty look. Ikaria smiled sweetly, almost so sweet it was sarcastic.
“Don’t get any sick ideas,” the King muttered under his breath.
Ikaria laughed, then said something quietly back to him, but Telly couldn’t hear what she said. But what she said made Derek turn red in the face, and he turned away from her.
Pretending that Telly hadn’t heard their exchange, she made herself look busy with the other cyborgs, helping them get loaded onto the ships. There was a good number of palace guards helping the directors get the cyborgs loaded, then they boarded the transports themselves. Several of the ships were ready for takeoff, starting their engines.
The other director that was helping Telly load was suddenly called over to another transport, leaving Telly by herself.
Now’s my chance!
Turning her head around, she saw that all of the scientists and directors were too busy paying attention to the King or busy loading the remaining cyborgs.
Shaking from her nerves, Telly called forth the unsettling power from within her.
Quickly! she demanded of her magic.
Telly saw her hands disappear along with the remainder of her body with a flash of pale-orange magic. The remaining cyborgs in her line stared in her direction but otherwise made no movement or indication; they simply waited for their orders.
Slipping inside the transport, Telly pushed her way through the standing cyborgs toward the middle, crouching by their feet, then settling there.
“Where’s Telly?” she heard Jonathan’s voice call outside of the transport door. “Wow, did she really just leave in the middle of loading?” he grumbled to someone she couldn’t see. “Get inside,” he called out to the remaining cyborgs. Telly heard a shove as the last three of them settled inside, and the door sealed shut.
The noise of the ship’s takeoff burned in Telly’s ear as they moved into the air.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
THE SPECTRUM
Auron walked among the other gifted, all of them traveling through a vast space of galaxies, stars, and magical portals as Vala led the way. Some were excited, talking in exhilarating whispers about traveling through time. Others were nervous, trailing silently behind the group. But how Vala managed to scrounge up more gifted than what Auron initially asked her for was beyond him.
Not only had his niece convinced some of the gifted in her court to aid World Sector Six in their most desperate hour, but she also persuaded several other of the world sectors’ gifted as well. Vala had always been keen on conversation, arguments, and persuasion, but this took her skills to a whole new level. In fact, if she were to stand in front of the God of Light himself, Auron was sure she would be able to convince him to grant her the gift of the red, telling him he’d made a simple error in choosing her color.
It was surreal to Auron that he was traveling to another time for others to live and for him to die. It was truly moving that the gifted that surrounded him were willing to give their lives so time could continue and the future Earth could exist, even when they knew the ultimate outcome. The concept left Auron feeling melancholy.
Geeta had returned to Ayera and the court just moments before they left, informing them that they should meet her and the Ghost Man back in the past at a different time than what was first agreed upon. It wasn’t by much, but Auron still had a premonition that something was not right, whether it be the new time or what his visions were telling him.
All through the night and into the morning before they departed from their time, the visions continued to hammer at Auron, haunting his every thought. The screams. That was the worst part, the screams. He knew what the visions meant—that all the future gifted would perish in the past. But it was inevitable. His visions always came to pass, and Auron knew deep down he would have only several minutes of life when they exited the space-time continuum.
Auron saw Vala’s silhouette against a large brilliant vivid portal that rippled black-violet, pulsating between the two colors.
Ikaria’s portal.
She turned back to Auron, then eyed him. “We are here. Are you ready?”
Auron’s heart beat quickly. He said a final silent prayer to the God of Light, asking if there was anything that he could do to intervene on the deaths of the future gifted. But as much as he prayed, he knew that it wouldn’t change the God of Light’s decision. They were all going to die; the God of Light had told him prophetically.
Auron nodded, giving Vala the signal to continue her spell.
Vala hesitated, then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. A blue glowing magic began to surround the group, enveloping them entirely, like mist from a fog. The blue burned brighter, and the galaxies and the stars started to spin, blurring into the vibrant blue magic. The stream of light swirled faster, until space and stars were replaced with azure light.
Suddenly Auron felt no ground beneath his feet, and his stomach jumped into his throat at the sensation. He was falling. Falling through the endless blue space.
The momentum of his fall increased, and an intense pressure weighed on Auron’s chest. His consciousness faded from the pressure, and he could no longer breathe. Through the endless fall into the blue, the bodies of the other gifted began to glow their respective gifted colors.
Then his body burst with his magic, radiating a bright yellow.
***
Leaning against of one of the palace turrets, Geeta waited for the future gifted to arrive. The red rains pattered against her, and every so often she wiped her face with her arm. She was soaked but tried not to think of her discomfort.
What was taking them so long? The future gifted should be here already. Had something gone wrong? She kept scanning her eyes across each of the palace platforms, waiting for any sign of the time portals to appear, but none came. Only then did she notice some odd movement across the royal transport platform. A plant, bumped by an invisible force, shook then stilled. Geeta wondered if it was the gifted she was waiting for, but there was no other indication. Frowning, she continued to scour the area.
Suddenly, the red rains ceased. Geeta smiled inwardly, knowing the reason why.
Something caught her eye far off in the horizon. The sun peeked through the dark clouds, and a bright white flash twinkled for a split second.
As she watched the direction of the flash, black specks appeared. They continued to grow larger, heading in her direction.
A sense of dread came over her. It was Ikaria’s power within that mass of black flying in Arcadia’s skies. Closer and closer they came. They were no longer black specks, and as they came into view, Geeta saw they were air transports, the largest ones she had ever seen.
Hurry, Auron!
The first of the transports arrived, docking on the platform. Derek and Ikaria emerged from the ships, along with a host of cyborgs.
Those mechanical men… She’s taking them to the future!
Ikaria briskly walked past the cyborgs and stopped in the middle of the platform. She extended both of her hands to the skies above as a black glow enveloped her. Dark magical winds came rushing past the cyborgs and gathered to where Ikaria was standing, circling the platform. The black winds funneled into one place, then formed a large portal.
It rippled in front of Ikaria, black with violet sparkles. The sun went behind the morning clouds again, causing the city to fall back into darkness, giving the illuminating portal a more demanding and ominous presence. The palace guards stood amazed, staring at the whirlpool of time, as the black-and-violet glows danced on the platform. They were in awe but not completely fazed by Ikaria’s magic.
They have seen magic before, Ge
eta noted. Probably from the princess.
Ikaria extended her right hand, showing the cyborgs what was on it. A metal gauntlet. There was an orb in the middle of the outward part of her hand, glowing with a black intensity.
“All of you are now under my command,” she said. “You will travel with me through the portal. Once you are on the other side, you are to wait for me. If anyone engages in a fight with you, you need no longer wait for me. Instead, I want you to obliterate them.” She gazed down the rows, eyes glowing an eerie black. “Do not fail me.”
The cyborgs began to line up in formation on the platform. Upon more shouts from Ikaria, they began marching toward the black-violet whirlpool of light, basking themselves within the color, and the first of them faded away.
Derek walked up to her briskly, pushing aside his cape.
“Why did you lie to me about that thing on your hand?” Derek demanded.
“I told no lie, sweet King.”
“That thing…” he said. “It controls this whole army! Why didn’t you say anything to me about that? I have a right to know. I am the king of Arcadia now!”
“What do you care? I specifically remember you telling me that you wanted these cyborgs gone. What does it matter to you how I go about your wishes?” Ikaria shrugged, turning away from Derek.
The sorceress’s plan would fail, Geeta thought. The cyborgs would crumble away when they traveled through time. They couldn’t withstand it, could they?
That bad feeling returned. Her veins began to burn with a warm feeling, a tingle of yellow magic that came to her every so often.
No vision accompanied the magic, but a sense. A sense that those human-machines would survive.
Scared at the thought, Geeta cursed in her mind. Auron, what are you doing? Ikaria is already starting to send them through the time portal!
Geeta knew she couldn’t wait for them any longer. With or without the future gifted, she had to stop Ikaria from sending the cyborgs, and herself, through time.
