“Sure.”
Jake reached for the wooden tray and set it across her lap, then sat down next to her. “So, Servilia is going to take me to the temple of Diana? Maybe I’ll get to see where they keep the relic.”
Nodding, Delia dunked the thick, brown bread into the broth, which smelled of fresh rosemary. “I hope so. She’s feeling vulnerable because of the attacks. She wants me back at work as her bodyguard.”
“So, this fragment heals?” Jake murmured pensively. “That’s a nuance we didn’t know about.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it work,” Delia said, wiping her mouth with a cloth that had been folded on the tray.
“Well, if it does, Delia, then that’s a plus.” Jake took a piece of bread from the tray and munched on it. “Does that mean the other segments of the stamp have the same ability?”
“I don’t know. Maybe each one has a different skill attached or another piece of information. Maybe this seal we’re searching for is magical beyond our imaginations.”
Just being with Delia, sitting this close, was all the magic Jake ever needed or wanted. But he didn’t dare reveal his thoughts to her. When she gave him that warm look, it made him hopeful that something might work between them. Their talk had shown him how to leap the hurdles that stood between them. He gave her a slight grin. “If that metal object does heal you, that’s great news for us. It means we can leave here sooner rather than later. I don’t know about you, but this conspiracy swirling around Caesar, and knowing he meets his maker on the Ides of March…. It’s all getting too close for comfort.”
“Yes,” Delia agreed grimly. “I feel off balance here, Jake. It’s an energy thing I’m picking up on. Ever since we saw Kapaneus at the party, I’ve had an awful feeling….” She pressed her hand against her stomach.
“The red color you saw in his aura?”
“Yes. That’s not natural. A human’s aura is composed of many colors, because we’re emotional creatures by nature. And yes, we have red show up in our aura from time to time, especially if we’re angry. Or—” she gave him a dark look “—feeling amorous.”
“Hey, I like red. Is there any in your aura right now?” He craned his neck, teasing her. When he saw her cheeks flush pink he knew he’d gotten to her.
“Only you would ask something like that,” she chuckled. “And I don’t go around seeing auras all day long. I have to switch internally in order to see them. It takes energy and concentration.”
“Oh,” he said, feigning disappointment.
“Besides, with you, I don’t need to see your aura to know you’re a man on the hunt for any woman willing to throw herself into your arms—and your bed. Like Tullia.”
“Ouch…! Hey, that’s not fair.”
Delia finished off the last of her delicious soup. “What in life is fair?”
“You’ve got a point there,” Jake agreed with a lopsided smile. What he’d give to touch her lips with his fingers, to trace them and feel their soft texture once more.
There was a faint knock on the door. When Delia called, “Enter!” a woman slave, Spanish in origin, came hesitantly into the room. She wore a long green tunic, with her shining black hair piled up on her head.
“Mistress Servilia would see you, Philip of Delos. She is waiting in the tablinum for you.”
Jake rose, then covertly winked at Delia. “Of course. I’ll be there shortly. Thank you.”
Delia waited until the shy slave quietly closed the door. She watched as Jake smoothed his tunic and rearranged his sword belt. “Good luck. I hope she takes you to where the relic is located.”
“So do I,” Jake said. He blew her a kiss. “See you later, sweetheart.”
Delia watched him walk confidently out of her apartment. Suddenly, the room seemed barren. Delia grimaced, not wanting to admit that Jake was like sunlight to her heart, her life. His presence filled the apartment with an energy that made her feel good. But if he knew that, he’d use it against her.
“Better to say nothing,” she warned herself. Setting the tray aside, Delia wondered if Servilia would show Jake the relic. Mentally crossing her fingers, Delia wondered if the “arrowhead of Diana” would indeed heal her leg wound.
The more they found out about this ancient object, the more fascinating it became.
Torbar felt his loins rejoice and he smiled in satisfaction. Tullia was dressing, after spending a delicious hour with him in his quarters. He saw the bruises already marking her golden flesh. Centaurians were always rough and primal with their females.
“I need your services today,” he told her as he watched her smooth the folds of her pale pink tunic into place. Sitting up, he poured water into a silver goblet that sat next to the bed. He saw Tullia smile as she combed her long dark hair, then piled it atop her head again. Her lower lip was swollen from him biting it in the midst of their sex play.
Prostitution was an Earthling’s concept. Her kind would be instantly killed on his constellation, where females were kept under lock and key. But here, she served a higher purpose for Torbar.
“Are you interested in working for me this afternoon, Tullia?” he asked.
“Of course, my dear scribe,” she murmured, cinching her belt around her waist. “It will cost you.”
He reached for his pouch and flipped her another aureus. She caught it gracefully. “You will come with me. We’re going over to Servilia’s domus. I’d like you to take the silver band you saw on Philip of Delos’s arm. I want it.”
Pouting playfully, Tullia came over after depositing the gold coin in the leather pouch at her waist. “He would not let me near it.”
“He will this time,” Torbar promised grimly. “He won’t have a choice.”
She gave him a confused look, and Torbar laughed deeply. Foolish Earth female. She had no idea of the power he had as a Centaurian. But she would find out shortly, and so would Philip of Delos. Both would become instant slaves to his will.
Chapter 13
“H ere,” Servilia said excitedly as she entered Delia’s apartment, with Jake following behind. “The high priestess of the temple has approved your holding the sacred arrowhead.”
Delia was sitting on the couch, having recently awakened from her nap. She watched as Jake closed the door behind him. Servilia seemed so proud of herself as she gave Delia the small wooden box embellished with gold.
“Thank you, domina. I’m forever indebted to you and the high priestess for your trust in me.” Delia’s fingertips tingled wildly as she took the box and set it beside her on the couch.
Servilia sat down next to her. “The priestess said to press the arrowhead onto the dressing where you were wounded. She said it might take a few minutes, but that you will be healed.”
“This is amazing,” Delia confided to the Roman matron, who sat expectantly, hands in her lap. Looking up, she saw Jake hovering near the door. Wishing she had the ability to telepathically communicate with him, to find out what he’d seen at the temple, she focused on the box.
“Open it. I told the priestess I would bring it back to her right away. We must not tarry.”
Delia nodded. She knew it had taken an hour for them to climb the hill to the temple, retrieve the sacred relic and come back to the house.
Opening the wooden container, she ran her fingers over the fabric. Instantly, Delia could see that incredible silvery light shooting out like rays of the sun. Her hand began to feel tingles of electricity, as if touching a low-voltage live wire. Pulling up her tunic to expose the dressing on her thigh, she carefully placed the object, still wrapped in the cloth, upon it.
She closed her eyes, wanting to see psychically whatever was going to happen. Instantly, a bolt of heat, much like lightning, flashed into her leg. She jerked in response. Surprised, Delia kept a firm hand over the relic.
In her mind’s eye, she suddenly saw the universe open up before her. A spiral-armed galaxy came into view. It was beautiful, with millions of stars making up the slowly moving mass
. And then she felt as if she were being sucked into a vortex of spinning energy. Delia felt dizzy. Fighting the sensation, she honed in on the center of the vortex, like the very core of a whirling tornado.
Gasping inwardly, Delia felt heat flow through her thigh and surround the wound. At the same time she saw a constellation come into view: the same cluster of stars stamped upon the metal object she now held beneath her palm. As she spun dizzily around the vortex, the seven stars took on different forms and shapes, depending upon the direction she viewed from. From one angle, they looked like a crown. From another, a cluster of grapes hanging brightly in the sky.
It struck Delia, as she saw the grape cluster, that the constellation was one she recognized. This was the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters from Greek myth! Abruptly she saw a flock of seven white doves flying in front of her as she was drawn into the constellation at a dizzying speed. Delia felt they were a symbol. But of what?
Her leg felt as if it were on fire, but she ignored the pain, focusing completely on the vision unfolding. As she flew into the grape cluster constellation she felt drawn to one of the stars in particular. When she approached that particular glowing ball of white light, a huge yellow eruption occurred in front of her eyes. It felt as if she had broken some kind of energetic barrier, only there was no sound, just a sense of tremors rippling through her body, wave after wave.
Trying to breathe slowly and calmly, Delia realized the relic held an energy pattern. Was it trying to show her something? Tell her something of its origin? Unsure, she kept her concentration on the yellow light surrounding her. And then a new scene appeared. Delia felt herself slowing down, as if about to land. Feeling her feet settle on solid ground, she saw the hazy light change and begin to take shape in front of her.
Like fog dissolving in hot sunlight, the mists withdrew and a beautiful temple appeared, just like the one to Diana here in Rome. Delia’s mind became confused. Was she in the stars? Or in Rome in 44 B.C., looking at that temple?
As if in answer to her question, she found herself standing on a grassy knoll next to a large rectangular pool of calm sapphire water. Lilies of different colors grew in profusion. Birds were flitting about. The sky was filled with fluffy white clouds.
“Welcome, Delia,” a voice called.
Turning, she saw a woman wearing a radiant white robe that hung to her ankles. Whatever the material was, it gleamed with gold and white light. Looking into the woman’s gray eyes, Delia felt herself filling with happiness. Just as she seemed to be drawn by the stranger’s eyes, she also felt as if she was being pulled into the spinning vortex yet again. Forcing herself to stop, she used all her strength to stay where she was and focus on the woman.
“Who are you?” Delia asked.
“I am Adonia of the Pleiadian Council. Welcome, Delia. We have long anticipated your kind finding our bread crumbs and then being sent to us as a sign.”
“A sign?” she responded. Looking around, she saw that the marble temple stood on a slight rise. People of all colors, ages and sizes were walking up and down the long, wide steps. All were dressed similarly to Adonia.
Smiling gently, the woman gestured for Delia to sit down on a stone bench that faced the water. “Your women of Earth possess special DNA. There is only one other species in our galaxy that has a unique gene that you do—people from the Centaur constellation.”
Delia sat down, feeling warmth emanating from Adonia. Her oval face was calm, her eyes large and wide spaced. Her dark brown hair was twined into a braid that hung down the center of her back. “You aren’t of Earth. Where am I?”
“You are here in the Pleiades, although we refer to ourselves as the Seven Doves of Peace Constellation.” Adonia folded her slim hands in her lap as she faced Delia on the bench. “You are in the star system known to your kind as Merope, one of the stars that comprise the Pleiades as seen from your place in our galaxy.”
“Ah,” Delia nodded, remembering that seven stars comprised that constellation. “Did the relic bring me here?”
“Yes,” Adonia said. “And your time with us is not long, so allow me to quickly give you important information you must have. The stamp that you now are aware of, and actively searching for, was planted by our Galactic Council many thousands of years ago in your time span. We cut up the seal into twelve different parts. And there is a special constellation connection, and information, implanted into each of those segments. Our council placed them in different civilizations and different ages in hopes that someday humans would evolve and begin to find them. Whoever finds all twelve pieces and puts them together into a disk once more will ensure that your world and people are ready to enter our galactic federation. Until that time, you’ll be considered a backward and primitive planet.” She gestured toward the temple. “In order to join the Galactic Council, a planet and its citizens must show heart and compassion. Without these qualities in place, you remain warlike and selfish, possessing energy that is destructive to our galaxy. We will not work with a solar system until its inhabitants demonstrate a genuine desire for peace and a capacity for compassion.”
“And so,” Delia said, rapidly trying to put it all together, “Earth has reached that fulcrum point? We’ve advanced far enough to earn the right to find the stamp and discover its pieces? So that we can join you in peaceful and compassionate efforts for everyone in our galaxy?”
Adonia smiled, clearly pleased. “You are truly the right emissary to have found the first piece of the seal. Yes. However, you must understand there are no guarantees, Delia.”
Frowning, Adonia explained, “The Centaurian people possess a trait referred to as the Navigator gene. This special DNA strain allows a male of the Centaur species to organically move a spaceship through the veils and folds of time. Voyages that would normally take hundreds of years by ancient cruiser travel take only minutes. The Centaurians are zealous about keeping their genes to themselves, however. They will not share with anyone else, and so remain the most powerful traders in our galaxy. All star systems are forced to hire a Centaurian Navigator to guide their spaceships if they wish to do any interconstellation business.”
Adonia paused, then added, “The Centaurians are very suppressive toward their women, who also possess this gene. They are brainwashed from birth onward and kept from assuming their equal rights in that society. No Centaurian female is ever a Navigator. Only the males are.”
“You said Earth women possess this gene?”
“You do. The Centaurians discovered that fact eons ago, when you were in what you call your cave period. They ran blood tests on both humanoid genders and discovered their gene in Earth females. Now, you must understand, Centaurians weren’t happy about this. We found out a long time ago that they illegally kidnapped a hundred women from Earth and brought them home. They tried to manipulate and force them into service, but the women revolted. In the end, they were all destroyed. The Centaurians kept quiet about the genocide incident. They did not want anyone in the council to know they’d discovered another humanoid species that possessed this gene, or that they’d broken our law of noninterference.”
“Because,” Delia surmised, her mind running quickly over the information, “if Earth women have the Navigator gene and it became common knowledge, then any star system could come to Earth and steal a woman to power a spaceship?”
“Yes and no…. We found documents in computers that the Centaurians had thought were destroyed. The information on their testing of the cave women from Earth was all there. They deduced at that time that the females were too primitive in spiritual evolvement and psychic maturity to do anything with them. So they left them alone, stopped the experiments and buried the data. Or so they thought. When the information came to light, our Council voted that since the Centaurians had broken a major rule of noninterference, special compensation should occur.”
“What compensation?”
Adonia smiled slightly. “We were allowed to create a disk with twelve parts to it and drop it into vari
ous Earth civilizations throughout a five-thousand-year period. And if Earthlings ever evolved to the point of discovering the stamp and, secondly, realizing that the parts were seeded on their planet, it would break the Centaurian hold over galactic trading and transport.”
Adonia gazed into Delia’s eyes. “It meant that if your kind ever began to discover the pieces, and if you put the entire stamp together, that would signal your readiness to join the council. If that event occurred, then all the star systems of the galaxy could come to you, train those females who volunteered to become spaceship Navigators, and thereby break the monopoly held by the Centaurians. We would not be forced to employ their Navigators anymore, but would have a choice. And the Centaurians charge very high prices. The council star systems could then enter into separate contracts with Earth women Navigators and the prices would stabilize.”
“And if we wanted to learn to be Navigators, you would school us?”
“Yes, we have the knowledge and technology to do that. The Centaurian grip on the galaxy will disappear. It means, Delia, that economically poor star systems could enter into trade with larger and richer ones. Right now, over eighty percent of our star systems cannot afford to hire a Navigator. In essence, the Centaurians have strangled economic development in our galaxy, which is not a compassionate stance to take. We had no way to change the status quo—until now.” She smiled broadly. “The Centaurians didn’t want this secret to come to light, but it did. And the council elders allowed us the right to give you clues in the guise of the stamp. And now you are here. You are the first.” She spread her hands and sighed. “We did not know if Earth would ever reach the necessary plateau of caring and compassion.”
“We still have wars on our planet,” Delia warned. “Even today, in the twenty-first century, which is where I came from.”
Time Raiders: The Seeker Page 14
