by D. N. Leo
Arik got out of the passenger side and locked eyes with the woman. He knew she had seen his father before he was killed. He knew they’d had some kind of connection in the past. He knew only what Ciaran had told him.
But there was more.
The woman eyes glimmered with tears.
Arik had his hands shoved in his pockets as he gazed at the woman. “Ciaran said you saw my father before he was killed.”
“And I saw your mother, too. I’m sorry about your parents’ deaths.”
“You triggered the signal. How can we help you?” Ciaran asked.
Tears started to stream down the woman’s face, and she started to speak in French.
“Lady, I don’t speak French,” Arik said.
“She said she’s sorry, and she didn’t know what to do. She loves you,” Ciaran said.
“Excuse me? I don’t even know you!”
“I’m Bridget. I’m your mother.”
“That’s insane.”
Bridget approached.
“No, you stay right there. Diana is my mother.”
“I didn’t give birth to you, but you have my son’s heart. You have my blood.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?”
Bridget approached again. “Please…hear me out.”
“No!”
“Bridget, step back please. He said no,” Ciaran said.
Bridget continued to approach. “You’re the dragon,” she said. “Dragon heart.”
She raised her hand. Ciaran didn’t see a weapon, but it seemed like a needle had been pumped out and had struck Arik’s chest.
“I’m sorry, Arik,” said Bridget.
Ciaran pulled out his gun but then felt a prick in his neck. He grabbed the needle and pulled it out, but not before his world started to spin. His gun fell to the ground.
Bridget pulled out a round pad. She approached Arik, who was already on the ground.
Then Ciaran heard a roaring engine. From the lower ramp, Jett flew up on his motorbike. While still airborne, he sprayed bullets from his machine gun at Bridget. He landed next to her and snatched the round metal pad she was holding.
Before Jett could drive away, a shadow darted past Ciaran.
Michael slammed a two-legged kick at Jett, sending him backward, rolling on the floor. The machine gun dropped and spun away.
Michael pounded on Jett.
Ciaran tried to stand, but his movements were slow. What Bridget had shot him with might have been just a low dose of sedative. But it was effective.
What she’d shot Arik with was something entirely different. Ciaran darted over to him, leaving Michael to fight with Jett.
Arik wasn’t breathing.
“Cardiac arrest,” Ciaran muttered. He punched Arik’s chest. “Come on!” He did it again. No response.
He scrambled over to Bridget, who was gasping for air on the floor. He pulled a hairpin from her head and scrambled back to Arik. He jabbed the pin into his chest.
Arik gasped and seemed to resume his breathing.
Ciaran’s head jerked up when he remembered that he’d left Michael fighting one of the most lethal assassins in his business. “He’ll have another gun, Michael!” he warned.
Ciaran aimed his gun at Michael and Jett, but it was too late. Jett had pulled his second gun and pointed it at Michael.
“Let him go,” Ciaran said.
“Put your gun down, Ciaran.”
Ciaran obeyed.
Jett nodded. “I’d normally follow this up with a lethal shot to guarantee my safe getaway. But you’ve already hurt your wife enough. I don’t want to cause any more damage by killing you.”
Jett jumped on his bike and drove away.
Arik sat up groggily. He crawled toward Bridget. “What did my father do to get himself killed? What about my mother? What did she ever do to you? What about my sister? Why did you want to kill me? Tell me.”
He shook Bridget, who was gasping out her last breaths.
Ciaran pulled him away from Bridget. “Give her some space. Let her talk.”
Bridget reached out for Arik’s hand. He withdrew. He looked as if he would strangle her if he could.
“Before your mother died, she wanted you to forgive them, whoever they are,” Ciaran said.
“You’re just saying that—”
“No, Madeline read your mother’s last thought.”
“Please!” Bridget reached her hand out again.
Arik reluctantly let her hold his hand.
“My husband was one of the founders of the Tri-Sun. He invented the Dragon. But we couldn’t go…through…with the project. Because others wanted to use…the Dragon for power. They’re…evil. He put the…Dragon into our son…and burned down Tri-Sun. I asked Quinn to save our son... He just told me…now…that our son didn’t survive…so he put…the Dragon into … you. It’s coming, Arik… Don’t let it get…get…”
Then she stared blankly into nothingness.
24
Madeline strode into the familiar grand corridor leading to her chamber in Eudaiz. The light powered by Eudaizian energy shone on the polished metal pathway. It glowed a bit brighter as she walked past, and dimmed down when there was no more movement.
Screens on the wall came to life as she walked past, flashing welcome messages. She used to think the machine was humanized and friendly. But she was wrong. It was Ciaran’s design, his way of saying “You and every organic cell in your body have been scanned and verified by our system.”
She sighed and turned toward the last door, which led to her children’s chamber.
“Madeline, welcome home!”
She rolled her eyes. Behind her was Robert, their home robot, created in human shape and size. He was a learning machine, and sometime his sense of humor was too much for her to take.
“I’m in a hurry.”
“I can report that you are in a negative mood. There is a trace of human sensation affecting your nervous system in a negative way. It is counterproductive—”
“I don’t care, Robert.”
“Affirmative. I can also report that your body mass index suggests you have lost weight and there is a trace of—”
“Robert!”
“Yes, Madeline.”
“How many times have I told you I do not like being scanned?”
“Yes, but there is a trace—”
“I don’t care. Keep your report to yourself. Or email it to Ciaran if that’s the way your technology works.” She strode ahead.
“Yes, Ciaran LeBlanc, Sciphil Three, current king of Eudaiz. You, Madeline Roux, have one remaining privilege…”
She whirled around. “What did you just say?”
“Ciaran LeBlanc, Sciphil Three—”
“I know who he is. What did you just call me?”
“Madeline Roux… Command unconfirmed. Conflicting information. I have to adjust my report.”
Jake, Eudaiz head of intelligence, a very young man for such important role, rushed out. “Madeline, I’m sorry. You were too fast from the terminal. I couldn’t catch you…”
She glared at him and slammed her right palm on the control panel in front of her children’s chamber.
“Access denied,” the computer shouted out.
“If Ciaran is determined to cut off all my access, then why let me come back here?”
“You have one remaining privilege as Sciphil One.”
Robert approached, the orange light on his forehead flashing. He always flashed that signal when he was confused and about to jam up.
“Don’t jam up, Robert. Ciaran isn’t here to fix you. What is so confusing that you are glaring orange at me? Ciaran and I had a disagreement, and he’s cutting me out of his life. That’s what humans—or ex-humans—do. So stay a robot. That’s the best thing for you.”
Robert scurried after her with his little wheels.
“Don’t follow me. You’re Ciaran’s robot. You’re supposed to take his side.”
“Bypass
ing programs,” he said. Now he was flashing a red light.
Robert had only done this once before. He skipped over his own programs and operated on a system even Ciaran didn’t have authority over. On that occasion, he saved their lives.
Madeline glanced over Robert’s shoulder and saw Jake rushing after her.
She said to Robert, “I accept.” He immediately turned the red light off.
“Madeline, what would you like to take for your privilege? Anything except the power towers and your children.”
“I can’t request access to my children?”
“I am afraid not—that’s in the instructions. Your children are not only precious, they are wanted by all creatures in the multiverse. It’s not safe…”
“I know…I’ll take Robert.” She strode away, and Robert spun his wheels hard to keep up with her pace.
“Thank you, Madeline. Thank you for trusting me.”
“Your robot is showing me his middle finger, Madeline,” Jake said from behind her.
“I taught him that!” she said and continued to walk out of the corridor.
A short moment later, she arrived at a temporary station. Robert was handy as he handled all computer-related matter for her. Eudaizian computer systems didn’t like her commands, no matter how much Ciaran had tried to adjust them.
“So Robert, what do you have that the normal system doesn’t?”
“I am tracking a movement on Earth that pertains to you and Ciaran. Based on my calculations, the movement goes against Ciaran’s interest.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is an eighty percent chance that he is moving toward an accumulated source of cosmic energy, and with his current resources, he will not be able to survive the encounter.”
“I assumed he had contacted Jake to make arrangements. He always plans ahead. He won’t move against any cosmic energy without gathering a galactic amount of ammunition in all shapes and forms available to him.”
“Based on my information, Ciaran has sent only one message—the one about you coming back here and your arrangements. Then he was disconnected with his tower.”
“He was disconnected, or he disconnected himself?”
“He was disconnected by his sourced tower.”
Now her head started to spin.
He had been injured during the fight which resulted in her leaving him behind. He had to have had his eudqi on when he was injured, and the contact had to be close to his fatal point. So close that it disconnected him from the sourced energy.
Yet he came downstairs to play truth or dare with Jett.
Calm down, she told herself. She had a plan, and she’d stick to it.
“All right, I have some data for you to analyze, Robert.”
“That’s what I am here for.”
“By the way, what was the trace of something you mentioned before when you scanned me against my will?”
Robert popped out a small box in his chest and pulled out a piece of paper. “I had the report printed for you. It is in plain English.”
She grabbed the report. “I am not technologically incompetent.”
“But you’re in denial most of the time when it comes to technology. We robots are important.”
“I would hit you if you were human, Robert. But if I do it now, I’ll only hurt my hands. I can see you’re trying to wink at me. Don’t try to play cute—it’s not working out well for you. Whatever you are going to score here, I’ll not take you to Earth.”
She glanced at the report. “You aren’t serious!”
25
Arete landed his shiny new vehicle in Xiilok. He didn’t know what to call it exactly. It was egg-shaped and the size of a horse carriage. But it had a lot more capability than a horse-powered vehicle. Of that much he was sure. He had paid a handsome bit of multiversal currency for it.
He sighed, thinking about the amount of money he had invested in this race to power—if any of his efforts would eventuate.
The triple aperture and the uniting of the three worlds was just myth—an intriguing myth that had caught his attention. Then his innocent interest turned into an investment. He had to get some kind of return from it.
The uphill battle hadn’t been easy, but it kept him amused for centuries. It was dangerous sometimes, but he was immortal. What would be the worst scenario for him? Maybe he’d get killed. That wouldn’t be the end of the world, would it?
He chuckled at the prospect of being dead. He’d tried several times to die. He wasn’t sure if it was even possible. He kept coming back to life. He recalled something he’d watched on a screen on Earth a while ago called Groundhog Day. His life was pretty much like that.
He pushed a four-foot-tall, green-skinned, minor deity with huge orange eyes forward. His rank was so minor that it might not count as a rank at all. He couldn’t believe Xecheron his given him this creature to replace Asana.
He didn’t know what Xecheron was thinking. He was a minor god of the underworld. Wouldn’t he be able to come up with something better than this? Any creature in Xiilok could kill this little deity with a mere sneeze.
In front of the cave with the stone angel wings, Arete sighed, pointed at the dome, and said, “The man was a legend. Show some respect, okay?”
The deity looked at him blankly.
“Cat got your tongue?”
The deity shrugged and proceeded toward the door. Xecheron might be right—maybe all they needed was a token body in place. When the time came, at the right moment, after they had secured the spot at the three-world merger, they could just kill off the deity.
Inside the residence, Arete found a mess. Asana must have put up a good fight before Jael and Charmine killed him. Anyway, Arete didn’t mind at all. Xecheron would kill the angel couple. That would be for the best.
He pointed at the chair. “Sit.”
The deity sat.
“You will remain here until I say otherwise. In a few days, there will be some movement of the land beneath your feet. I want you to hold this talisman and follow the direction it gives you. I will give you more instructions after that.”
The deity nodded. Then a dart flew through the air, stabbing into his forehead. His eyes rolled back, he fell to the ground, convulsed, died, and evaporated into the air.
Arete whirled around and copped another dart. He staggered back and saw Asana walk out from a corner—looking alive and well.
“Arete, I thought we were friends.”
“We were never friends, Asana. You betrayed me. You gave me poison in place of the primer.”
“No, I gave you the true primer made of Maikoa. That potion could kill an angel, you know. But it can’t kill you because you belong to the material world.”
“Liar!”
“I don’t need to prove myself to you. What you have now is wolfsbane, the kind that kills creatures from the material world. You included.”
“I am immortal.”
“Not with wolfsbane.” Asana smiled.
Arete slumped to his knees. As he bent down, he pulled a knife and threw it at Asana’s forehead.
Asana’s eyes crossed as he fell to the floor.
“Oleander kills Amalgam creatures. I’m sure you know that, Asana.”
Dinah, Jael, and Charmine stormed out from the darkness.
Arete raised his hands, seeking peace. “I’m dying. He already poisoned me.”
“Damn it, Asana, do one last good thing before you die. Give me your blood!” Dinah said. “I’ll pray for your soul. My father will put in a good word with—”
“Go to hell, Dinah.” Asana spat out his last words and then died.
Dinah turned to Arete, but before she could do anything, he surged up from the ground.
“Look out!” Charmine shouted and pushed Jael.
Arete threw a knife, and it grazed Charmine’s shoulder. The knife dropped to the floor, and the poison on the blade sizzled.
“Maikoa,” Dinah grunted and darted at Arete.
>
He stood up straight at this point and smiled. “I told Asana I am immortal, but he didn’t believe me.” He smiled and pulled the knife Asana had thrown at him out. He threw it at Dinah.
Jael leaped over and pushed Dinah out of the way. The knife hit his shoulder.
Arete threw a smoke bomb and vanished.
“Father, are you okay?” Dinah asked.
“I’m fine. It’s oleander. It would kill you because you belong to the material world, Dinah, but it won’t kill me.”
Dinah looked at the bleeding wound on Charmine’s shoulder. “Mother!”
“I’m not an angel. Maikoa can’t kill me. But it would have killed Jael.” Charmine looked at the knife on the ground and shuddered. “So what do we do now that the first plan is ruined, Dinah?”
“I don’t know. It’s not easy to get creatures from three worlds to donate blood. Amalgam is particularly difficult. Creatures here are complicated. Such a waste of time. We spent all that time convincing Asana that Arete was out to kill him, just to get his donated blood.” She shook her head in despair.
“Arik is the leader of the Yellow Shield tribe. Can they donate their Amalgam blood?” Jael asked.
Dinah shook her head. “They’re Xiilok citizens, but I’m not sure they are Amalgam creatures. I’m sure about Asana because he drank the water in the well and became a Xiilok creature. Damn it, I know Ciaran has contacts, but we don’t have the time now. I have one batch of the primer. Can’t afford trial and error.”
“Are you sure the primer will work, Dinah?” Charmine asked.
“It’s a theory I haven’t tested. But other than that, I’m sure it will work.”
“Where does she get that sarcasm from, I wonder?” Jael asked.
Charmine smiled.
Dinah grinned. “I am really just your sweet child. I’ve never been possessed by my evil aunt, and I’ve never ripped the heart of a giant hulk out to kill it. Now we need to get you both back to your world, parents.”
“The transitional zone, that is,” Jael said. “I know you have the bracelet, but I’m not comfortable having you to cross into the magical world.”
“I’m not a crystal vase,” Dinah muttered.
