“Yes, we continue to monitor you from afar, since we’re not allowed to interfere. A part of your Earth population is definitely moving into their hearts and consistently practicing peace and compassion. We are all joyous over this development.”
“But you can’t help us?”
Shaking her head, Adonia murmured, “To interfere is to break the galactic law, and we will not do it. The Centaurians did, and now they risk losing their dominance of space transport and trade. It has been a long time in coming, but we have patience.”
“The Centaurians know what’s happening?”
“Oh, yes. The council gives updates on Earth to everyone on a regular basis.” She frowned. “They, too, must not interfere in your progress, but no one trusts them. Some of us feel that they will send Navigators to Earth to stop you from fulfilling your mission. They know that if the stamp is found and reassembled, their control will be over for good. They don’t want to see that happen. Although we monitor their activity, they are skilled in many ways. I personally believe they are sending spies among you. Be aware that a Centaurian in disguise may try to steal all you seek.”
“You lack the ability to know if they are there on Earth, following us around?”
“That is correct. Remember, their Navigator gene allows them to move through space and time with just a thought. None of us,” Adonia said, “possess such skills. So we are unable to monitor such activity. Many members of the council believe this is happening, but we cannot prove it.”
Frowning, Delia asked, “Is there any way to identify a Centaurian spy?”
“No. That is why I am telling you this.” Adonia sighed. “You must find out on your own, by being alert. We feel Centaurians are already among you. You must protect the fragment you have found. When you take it back to your own century, you must hide it so it cannot be found by them. Centaurians can read thoughts, see auras, mind-blast and make another species do things that they may not want to do. Because of this powerful psychic ability, they can control others’ minds and emotions. They can also possess a body and operate out of it, as well.”
“That sounds pretty dangerous.”
“It is.” Adonia looked at Delia and grasped her hands. “Be careful, my daughter. Take this information back to your own kind who hunt for the other pieces of the seal. I cannot divulge where they are or what times they are in. As I’ve explained, to do so would be to break galactic laws.”
“Yet you suspect the Centaurians of cheating, of trying to stop humans from becoming who and what we really are.”
“That’s true. But we are working hard to develop instruments that can track these Centaurian spies. Until then, it is up to you.” She squeezed Delia’s hands gently. “And we feel Earth Navigators will be far superior to those we have currently. Right now, however, you are in for the fight of your lives. Just know that Centaurians lurk and wait and watch. They will steal the stamp pieces if given a chance. And will kill to do so.”
Delia felt a warm flow of energy moving up her hands and arms and encircling her heart as Adonia held her gaze. There was something so ethereal and beautiful about her. “I wish we had more time to talk together….”
“But we do not. The council is allowed to speak with an Earthling who’s holding a piece of the seal. I’ve broken no laws in discussing the facts with you. As your world says, forewarned is forearmed.”
Delia released her hands and stood up. She felt the tugging, whirling sensation again. “I feel like I’m being pulled back, Adonia. Goodbye. I hope we meet again.”
And then the scene began to dissolve and brilliant yellow light surrounded Delia once more. She had the sensation of moving through energy veils or walls, one after another. And then felt herself come back into her physical body. The heaviness, the grounding, occurred immediately.
As Delia opened her eyes, she heard Servilia say, “Now don’t you feel better?”
Chapter 14
D elia withheld a gasp of disbelief as Jake carefully unwrapped the dressing from around her leg. Servilia stood off to one side, arms across her chest, the picture of confidence. As the last of the fabric fell away it revealed a long pink scar in lieu of the gash that had been stitched closed so recently.
Running her fingers cautiously across her flesh, Delia felt stunned. She was still caught up in the memory of her conversation with the Galactic councillor. Servilia’s excited voice helped to focus her.
The Roman matron leaned over and smoothed her hand across Delia’s healed wound. “Oh! This is just as it was with so many other injuries,” she breathed reverently. Looking at Delia, she smiled in triumph. “If you ever doubted the power of the goddess Diana, you will not now.”
“I never did, my lady,” Delia managed to reply in a strangled tone. How she wished she and Jake were alone! Desperate to impart all she had seen and heard, she said, “Domina? I feel tired now. I’d like to lie down and sleep.”
Servilia continued to smile. “Of course, Delia. I’ll give you the rest of the day off. By tomorrow you should be able to resume your full guarding abilities along with your brother.” She took the relic enclosed in the cloth and replaced it gently into the wooden box. “Come, Philip. Escort me to the temple. The high priestess wants this back as soon as possible.”
Wanting to stay, but knowing he couldn’t, Jake rose. He gave Delia an apologetic glance that he knew she’d understand. She seemed woozy and her eyes had a faraway look, as if she were ungrounded and adrift. Reaching out, he touched her shoulder briefly and said, “I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“Yes, drop by when you return from the temple,” Delia told him.
After watching the two of them leave, Delia got up off the couch, weaving dizzily. Right now, she needed to splash water on her face to try and regroup.
“How are you feeling?” Jake asked as he entered her apartment after returning from the temple.
Delia sat up on the couch and took a deep breath as he walked over and sat next to her. He laid his hand on hers, and she found his touch grounding. The swirling started to settle as he brushed his fingertips across her hand.
Closing her eyes, she muttered, “Lay your hand on my leg, okay? It’s helping to bring me back. That relic really threw me out of my body, and I’m having a hard time trying to get back….”
Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Jake watched her take long, slow breaths. “Sure, I’d like to touch you whenever I get a chance,” he teased. “That was a hell of an example of what that fragment can do. Did you feel the power amp up in here when you placed it against your leg?”
“Umm.” Delia was focusing on the feel of his hand. He had grounding energy and she needed it. The relic had hurled her through currents of time to a far constellation. Opening her eyes moments later, she saw Jake giving her a concerned look. Without thinking, she placed her hand over his and patted it.
“Don’t look so worried. I’m fine.” Jake’s care and concern for her were visible in his narrowed blue eyes. Delia was deeply touched. Giving his hand a squeeze, she added, “You can let go now. I’m all right.”
Reluctantly, Jake did as she requested. Delia pulled her tunic down, stood and smoothed the fabric, then turned and looked at him. Seeing her serious expression, he sensed something profound had occurred during the healing. “What else happened?” he demanded in a low tone.
“A lot.” She sat and faced him again. “Listen to this,” she murmured, and launched into the story of her journey to the Pleiades.
After relating all she’d experienced, Delia sat back and gazed at him. There was shock in Jake’s rugged features, and a long silence stretched as he sat there digesting the information. Finally, he pushed his fingers through his dark hair and gave her an intent look. “This changes everything.”
“Doesn’t it though?” Delia murmured wryly. “Does it mean we have Centaurians among us? Is there a spy here in Rome? Did they somehow follow us to this time and place?”
Shaking his head, Jake said, “
I sure wish the Galactic Council would get involved. They’ve got a hands-off policy even though they suspect Centaurians of being down here messing with the situation, doing anything they can think of to keep their lock on travel in the galaxy. But if they know the Centaurians play dirty, why won’t they send help to counterbalance an unfair situation?”
“Remember, Jake,” Delia said, “the Centaurians hold all the cards. Only they have Navigator genes. And over the millennia, they’ve developed instruments that are far beyond the technology of the other star systems in our galaxy.”
“Because of this gene?”
“Yes. Adonia said other groups are trying to catch up, but simply don’t have the capability to track them through time and space.”
“The Centaurians have already shown their true character by kidnapping Earth women. Isn’t that enough reason to have the council intercede? To protect the people of our planet?”
“The impression I received was that until they had the technology to track Centaurian whereabouts through time currents, they weren’t going to do anything,” Delia replied.
“You mean, proof beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Jake growled. “And that leaves us wide open to attack by the Centaurians. Whoever the hell they are.”
“From what Adonia said about them, they sound like the worst sort of society.”
Jake sat back, deep in thought. Finally he said, “Isn’t it interesting how archaeological history tells us that five thousand years before the Roman Empire, we had a matriarchal society, where the great mother goddess was worshipped. Men and women were considered equals. But then, everything changed, and many cultures became male-dominated. I wonder if the Centaurians sent spies to Earth to tear down the great mother goddess and replace her with a male god like Zeus instead? Could they have done that?”
Delia shook her head. “I don’t know, Jake, but it sure sounds reasonable, given their aggressive tactics. I wonder how they could do that? I mean, wouldn’t it take thousands upon thousands of Centaurians coming down to Earth in disguise? They’d have to infiltrate an entire age in history, turning a whole culture against women. How…?”
“That’s the question.” Jake frowned. “Clearly, from what Adonia inferred, Earth is a tipping point in this galaxy because our females carry this critical gene.”
“And maybe that’s why Professor Carswell is able to use the headband and send us back in history! Her abilities are so powerful because she has the Navigator gene.”
“That would explain it.” Jake gave Delia a warm look. “And that would also explain why so many Earth women have this phenomenal sixth sense. In reality, it is their Navigator gene that makes them superintuitive, psychic, with a great ability to heal others.”
“Then why do you have the Navigator gene, Jake? Obviously, you must. You possess powerful telepathic skills.”
“I don’t know.” He gave her a teasing smile. “Maybe some Earth women can pass on their genetic heritage to their sons? Maybe my parents had it, and passed on a double dose to me? That might explain why I can do what I do. Some men may have just as strong a sixth sense as most women do. The Centaurians may not realize some men here have the gene, too.”
Shaking her head again, Delia muttered, “Sounds reasonable. But Adonia didn’t have time to explain it all to me. Damn, I wish I could go back and see her again. But I don’t have a concept of her time period. If I did, Professor Carswell might be able to send me there.”
“The relic sent you there,” Jake mused. “Maybe someday it will again. For now, let’s review what information we’ve gathered from Adonia.”
“We know the seal was created by the council,” Delia stated. “And we know the constellations carved on it are from the galaxy. It would make sense to me that each piece is encoded with information. I think once we get this fragment to Professor Carswell, she may be able to unravel the code and find out even more.”
“Maybe even reestablish contact with Adonia,” Jake said, a note of hope in his voice. “Professor Carswell is the person for this job. Her skills are so finely tuned that I’ll bet she can crack the code and come up with tons of information.” He scowled. “I’m worried that we have Centaurian spies around, though. They know that the council planted this stamp down here. And they’ve got special instruments to keep tabs on Earth. I wonder if they know we’ve found one of the twelve pieces.”
“I think we need to assume that they do,” Delia warned. “But how the hell do you tell a Centaurian down here from everyone else?”
“Adonia gave you no hints? Do they look different?”
She shook her head yet again.
“Wait!” Jake snapped his fingers, a triumphant look in his eyes. “Remember what you saw at the banquet? That scribe, Kapaneus, with General Brutus? You said he had a completely red aura, and you’d never seen one like it before?”
Eyes widening, Delia said, “You’re right!” Standing, she began to pace. Her wounded leg felt fine now and she automatically touched it. “The red aura! I wonder if Kapaneus is a Centaurian in disguise! Did some spy possess his body?”
Rubbing his chin, Jake sat back and enjoyed Delia’s graceful stride as she walked around the apartment, deep in thought. “I don’t know. There’s something else that happened at that party. Remember we both felt someone trying to get into our minds? Good thing we had our protection up and nothing happened.”
Turning, Delia stared at Jake. “You’re right! And it came from Kapaneus! Was this scribe who sent the mind probe at us really an alien in disguise?”
“If he is, the fact that it was repulsed probably surprised the hell out of him.” Jake chuckled. “It sounds like Centaurians keep the whole galaxy under their control because of their highly developed psychic skills.”
“Here on Earth, paranormal skills are just being recognized,” Delia said. She rubbed her brow. “We have different basic skills. I can see auras. You can mind read. Some of the other Time Raiders can heal, others possess telekinetic ability to transport objects, or psychometry, to read anything they touch. No one person has all these skills in place.”
“Yes, but if you were known to possess the Navigator gene, and were trained from birth onward to utilize all these skills, then your arsenal could be staggering. As any Centaurian’s must be. What if Kapaneus can not only read minds, but do other things?”
“He would be pretty damned powerful if that’s true. And if he can do all those things, and maybe others we’re not even aware of, that makes him far more dangerous than we ever thought.”
Holding up his hand, Jake said, “Whoa. Remember that if Kapaneus is in truth an alien, and he tried to get into our minds but our energy wall repulsed him, that means we’re equal to him. Maybe even better.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t go there,” Delia warned grimly. She pursed her lips, deep in thought. “If Kapaneus is a Centaurian alien and his aura is red, then we know something about the species. But it doesn’t mean all Centaurians have red auras. Kapaneus might be an alien spy, but how many others are down here? Do they all have the ability to assume a shape and fit into a culture, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
Frustrated, Jake nodded. “It’s a can of worms. All we can do is keep our eye on the prize, Delia. With your leg healed, we can move forward with our plans to steal the fragment out of the temple.”
She returned to the couch and sat down, careful to keep space between them. “When you went with Servilia, did they allow you into the place where the relic is kept?”
Jake smiled. “I got close enough. It’s in a small room in the center of the temple, just behind the altar where people come to pray. I wasn’t allowed in—there was a Roman soldier guarding the door. They change guards every six hours, and the room is locked. The high priestess has the key, which she keeps in a pouch on a jeweled belt around her waist. I waited outside while she and Servilia went in to retrieve the relic, then later to replace it.”
“So we have to get rid of a Roman guard and break down a door?”
“That’s about it. The door is on leather hinges. A couple of good blows with my knife—” he touched the scabbard on his waist belt “—and we’ll be into the room. All we have to do is grab the box, put it in a sack and run like hell for a quiet area where we can hit our ESC armband and time-jump.”
Delia knew they’d have to find a safe spot to pause with their stolen prize, press the quartz cabochon on their ESC armbands, and, within seconds, dematerialize, to be brought from this time back to the present. They would find themselves once more in the large glass cylinder in Athena’s lab, prize in hand. “That sounds like a plan,” she agreed.
Jake stood up. “You’re looking tired, Delia. Why don’t you lie down and rest? We can do some planning later today. And if we’re lucky, maybe we can take that piece tonight, if you feel up to it.”
She sighed. “You’re right, I’m feeling wiped out. Helluva trip to the Pleiades, you know?” Her heart warmed when he smiled at her. Jake always had the ability to make her feel she was the center of his universe. Resisting his charm, she nodded. “I’ll use the connecting door to come see you after I take another nap.”
Giving her a thumbs-up, Jake walked to the door. “I’m going to go snoop around the villa some more. I’m still on duty and I’ve got to start making my rounds. See you later, sweetheart.”
The door closed and Delia lay down. She drew up the blanket and dropped her head on the cushions. Tiredness overwhelmed her. Maybe due to the healing energy from the relic? The transit to that seven-star constellation? Unsure, Delia released the questions and let sleep claim her.
Jake was prowling about the atrium on his rounds. The afternoon was gray and chilly, and looking up at the dark, swollen clouds, he was sure it would rain shortly. Servilia was entertaining a group of women friends in the warm tablinum. They were dining on plates of vegetables, cheese and cold lamb cut into bite-size chunks, along with some ruby-red wine. Jake felt his stomach growl. After he finished this last round, he’d go to the kitchen at the rear and get the cooks to make him up a plate of food, he decided. As a hired mercenary, he didn’t mingle with Servilia’s many and powerful guests, but ate in the kitchen along with other hired staff. The slaves ate in cramped and crowded quarters in another part of the huge house.
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