Oblivion's Peril

by M. H. Johnson

  He gazed intently into Christine’s brilliant golden eyes. “Julia and I had known each other for months, online. Bonding as we played our favorite games together, and had I been born just a few years earlier, still in high school, not a wounded killer suffering constant pain, I would have asked her out long ago.” Val flashed a bitter smile. “I was her friend from a distance, and I had accepted that. But when I felt her in my heart, haunting my dreams, when I saw her trapped in Solena’s web—it tormented me. And when your husband asked to meet with me and my father, desperate to see if we would come to your family’s aid, my heart burned to save her. To be her hero, even if I was nothing more to her than a friend.”

  Christine’s smile lit the room. “And you were her knight in shining armor. You were indeed her hero. And within just a handful of days of first seeing my damaged girl in the flesh, still recovering from her horrid ordeal, you became so much more than her champion. You became her lover. Her soulmate. And the bond you forged is as strong as any Terran could feel for his wife. And I can see just by looking in your eyes that it’s true.”

  Val flushed and nodded. “It is. I don’t care that some would call it mad infatuation. When I’m with her, when I look into her eyes, when I share her smile, I feel her heart inside my own. It’s like we’ve known each other, lived, loved, and been together for ages.” Val chuckled ruefully. “Even though I’m still figuring her out, it’s like I’ve stood by her side for a lifetime.”

  Christine smiled. “You are absolutely correct, Valor. You can love so fiercely, so quickly, so utterly, without needing years of pointless flirtation, confusion, and uncertainty. And that is because you are truly human.” Christine frowned. “My apologies, that word isn’t translating appropriately.” She patted herself. “My race, the true race, what we all are who inhabit Jordia. Much as the magic has mutated us, we are still citizens of the Dominion and it is our gestalt race that I speak of. Terrans, your father’s bloodline, are more distantly related to Jordians than Neanderthals were to Homo sapiens. Thus the word Terran in our language has become synonymous with—”

  Val frowned. “Apes.”

  Christine had the grace to blush. “Let’s simply call them our Terran friends. Terran vitality correlates with extremely high fertility rates. Terran girls can get pregnant almost effortlessly if they put their minds to it. Mercy knows I've helped enough teenagers deliver their unexpected blessings in my time. For us, it's different." Christine's graceful features turned grim. "With our desperate need to find compatible mates and our ability to synergize streams of what you might consider exceedingly complex computations into a visual understanding easily quantified by a few simple variables, we have an advantage Terrans do not.”

  Val nodded. “You’re all incredibly good at mathematics in the same way Einstein was, only more so. But that gift, that unique cognitive node, powerful as it is, is only one aspect of intelligence. In terms of battle tactics and insight, you’re pretty much in line with Terrans. Einstein was a fantastic physicist, but he was no general.”

  Christine frowned. “That’s neither here nor there. The point, Val, is that we compute more than numbers. When we’re with someone we like, someone who we admire, we tend to sense very quickly if they are appropriate for us.”

  Val furrowed his brow, flashes of the first girl he had ever loved coming to the fore. Bittersweet memories, but her smile haunted him still. “Like a crush that hits you like a ton of bricks, only it doesn’t fade with time. It grows. Friendships that blossom with a smile, common interests, shared laughter. Then holding hands, confessing hopes and dreams, and a kiss that pierces your heart. And before you know it, you’re in love.”

  Christine nodded. “It would be considered puppy love, or a mad infatuation that’s doomed to fade, if on Earth. But among Jordians? When you find someone you sync with, the connection only grows with time.” She held up a hand before Val could interject. "That is because we Jordians form an instinctive connection with our ideal mates. Even those without more blatant Psionic gifts. Whether it's intuition, brilliant subconscious calculation, or possessing just enough of the gift to taste the loyalty and intentions of the man or woman you hold in your arms; when we've found someone we are compatible with, we know. It will hit you, as you say, like a ton of bricks."

  Val frowned. “But what about, well, pleasure maidens? Girls like the ones pleasing all the Highlords who visited, to say nothing of Dirk and Chris.”

  Christine smiled. “A fair point. Nothing stops a man and woman, or multiple men and women, from finding pleasure with one another. Anyone can actively seek a dalliance with anyone else who catches their fancy. But if they are compatible, if there is a spark, as you say, it will change everything for them both. And any spark will certainly be felt with their first dalliance, once they have communed through the most primal of acts, experiencing each other’s pheromones to the utmost.”

  She chuckled softly. “Yes, Valor. I will admit it is a decadent indulgence, having multiple beautiful maidens to service my every need, my guests’ every need. But my girls are rewarded handsomely, and are actually quite happy to have so many opportunities to discover if they are compatible with men of power and influence. If fortune truly favors them, they will find a match and earn the right to join their future husband’s pride. Then my guest pays the appropriate bride-price and we celebrate our former employee’s glorious day. And with any luck, our House has gained a new ally just as our employee has gained the man of her dreams.”

  Val gave a considering nod. “Certainly that sounds a far sweeter fate than what girls in the pleasure trade typically enjoy on Earth, so many men looking down on those girls for their past lives, even if they find the strength to start over.”

  Christine nodded. “Yes, I know, Val. I’m a doctor who treated people from all walks of life. You know that things are quite different here. Jordians hold many advantages over base Terrans, and one thing we excel at is in finding our mates. We forge bonds in mere days, sometimes mere hours, that will stand strong as steel for a lifetime.” Val flushed under her probing gaze. “That goes doubly true for those with a Highlord’s gifts, let alone one who dares to walk the Path of Kings.”

  Val frowned. “What are you saying?”

  “What I’m saying, Val, is don’t be surprised if Julia isn’t the only girl to strike fire in your heart during the trials to come.”

  “I have no intention of cheating on her,” Val assured.

  “Save for the dwarf,” Christine said, pinning Val with her terrible golden eyes. “Whose heart you won, utterly and completely, just as fast as you had Julia’s own. All it took was for you to save her, to save her people, and the calculus was effortless. Before her was the strongest, most capable mate she could ever hope to find, who had proven himself utterly in saving her from death. The chemistry between you two was intense, profound, and immediate. Natural attraction and pair-bonding catalyzed to near instant passion and adoration, thanks to the crucible of peril you both endured.”

  Val’s breath had turned ragged, heart racing with dread. “Please, Christine.”

  Christine frowned. "Do you truly think I would ever betray you? After what you did for me and my children? I would die first. I only state that to make a point. Do you not love your Ava as deeply and fiercely as the first girl you cherished and lost?"

  Val swallowed his suddenly dry throat. "Yes. Yes, I do. When I gaze into her eyes, I feel such a connection it humbles me. It’s like nothing I ever felt before.” He flashed a rueful smile. “When I’m with Julia, I adore her just as much. I don’t have the words to say how precious she is to me. The love I feel for both of them is so different, but equally intense.”

  Christine nodded. “That’s because the pair of you are such an ideal match your minds has imprinted upon each other. No doubt your Ava is quite clever and extremely healthy, and will bear you many beautiful children. I wonder if dwarves can be Dauda? A fascinating thought. And since Ava and my daughter are both ideally c
ompatible for you, they were as open to bonding as it is possible to be after you saved them both from dire peril. In other words, lightning struck twice for you.”

  Christine’s gaze grew intent. “Unlikely as you might think it with your Terran upbringing, as rare as it is even for a typical Jordian, it might strike yet again for you. Multiple times. In fact, you should expect it.”

  Val gazed at Christine with something close to shock. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Christine tilted her head. “It’s not difficult, Val. You already know that pair bonding happens extremely fast for those with Jordian blood. Your blood too, Val. Countless calculations are made within heartbeats, or perhaps a single romantic encounter where endless variables are considered, all below conscious thought. For most, how many trace pheromones imprinted with other women that a fresh lover can detect also plays a part in that.” She flashed a bemused smile. “Just one reason why our sense of smell is so much more powerful than Terran noses.”

  Val frowned. “I never noticed.”

  "But your Shadowmind must have, Val, for you to have killed so many successfully. No matter. Your gifts affect much more than sight alone. Hearing, smell, even vibration, your dark gifts mute them all. But what you can't mute is the mark of your lovers upon your flesh when you first encounter a new prospective partner. Such is judged and considered, along with everything else. All of it below the surface, bubbling away to give just one answer: Is the man before me destined to become my mate? Or is he just a well-met friend, and perhaps, casual lover?”

  She patted Val's knee. "Your average citizen rarely has more than one mate. However, administrators, wealthy business owners, powerful magicians, elite mercenaries, those alpha males who have proven themselves and are brimming with success and confidence, those men radiate sufficient strength to garner a small pride of adoring wives.”

  Val blinked. “Really. I’d hate to think of the infighting that must occur.”

  Christine frowned, shaking her head. “None at all. Forming bonds of friendship with your husband’s mates is almost as natural as falling in love in the first place, and it’s vital for the health of the family. All wives share in taking care of their husband and the children they all have in common, often forming romantic relationships with each other as well, strengthening their bonds of loyalty and love for one another.

  “And you think I’m an alpha and that I plan on taking many wives?”

  Christine chuckled softly. “You are so much more than any mundane alpha could possibly be. You have danced with Highlords and emerged victorious. You crackle with potency and walk a path few would dare to follow. Any girl who catches even an inkling of your potential is at risk of falling for you, doubly so should you be responsible for rescuing them from death or folly. So long as base genetic compatibility is detected, a necessary evolutionary adaptation we developed to counter the alarmingly low birthrate. And with the things I did to you and your siblings, you’re as fertile as any Jordian could possibly be.”

  Val grimaced. “I really didn’t need to hear that.”

  “The point, Val, is that any and every girl who takes any sort of interest in you will find you to be a perfect biological match, instinctively. And should the power radiating off you in waves be sensed, combined with any indication of the loyal, loving man you naturally are when not savagely butchering your foes? Let’s just say you will soon be in constant danger of breaking any number of girls’ hearts. And once you mate with them, imprinting their pheromones upon your own psyche, should they prove intelligent, competent, and fit? You will find yourself falling for them as well.”

  22

  Val coughed and cleared his throat, turning back to the map rolled out on the table between them. Christine took the hint and ceased threatening Val with the possibility of multiple wives.

  "We are surrounded on all sides, have four working mech units, minimal security forces, and even if the Dominion Troops themselves are to stand down during times of internecine conflict so only those daring the throne will be put at risk… we’re still in trouble."

  Christine nodded, the lightness of their earlier conversation immediately replaced with the focused intensity of someone preparing for battle. "The Rite of Ascension, Val. You have embraced in the most revered of all battlegrounds. The Path of Kings is an old Jordian term, predating even the first Dominion Overlord." She gazed at the map, frowning. "The good news is that any territory declaring neutrality will immediately fall in line with the last would-be Overlord standing. They are the ones marked in blue. We need fear nothing from them."

  Christine’s gaze grew hard. “But as you saw, just because one is blue does not guarantee one’s survival. For the truly mad, desperate, or greedy, there is the reviled precedent of invading a blue and wiping out the entire central compound. No Overlord would allow it, but if you can manage to defeat everyone of true blood in a single day, that clan is considered unworthy of their title and the land retroactively becomes your own. Of course, this risks netting you scores of enemies, and is best only done by neutrals held in poor regard or otherwise feared or reviled."

  Val blinked. "And that's exactly what the Blackenthorps attempted with you. Striking before you could reforge your reputation."

  Christine's gaze was bitter. "I was exiled for over twenty years, Val. Tytus had ordered my death. It was only brazenness and a lover's mercy that gave me a second chance, along with research the Blackenthorps would love to steal. Now Tytus is dead, and the throne is in play. Had I even a year to reaffirm old alliances and distribute priceless bits of research or shares in my company to favored council members, all previous misunderstandings would have been swept under the finest of silken rugs, everyone having only warmth and smiles for the woman who would extend their lifespan by a full 50%! Right now, my abrupt reemergence destroys the fiction that I am still in exile, never mind that I have been here twice a week for twenty years. Now is the perfect time for my enemies to strike, perhaps the only time any foe would dare such a brazen maneuver."

  Christine, gazing at him so intensely. Val blinked as it all started to make sense. Insight gained! If multiple blues are coming for her head, far better she take the offensive as a red! Good thing she has someone walking the Path of Shadow by her side, isn't it, Val?

  Val shook his head. He refused to believe that Christine was playing that deep a game. She'd have to be reading more than just minds to think this far ahead. It wasn't until her lab was a heartbeat from blowing up that Val had even dared claim this land as his own.

  "That's right, Val," Christine ruefully admitted. "It was far more my playing the fool than the seer that led us to this moment in time. That our foes know there is a cost to striking against us, that we are now a red to be feared... pure serendipity. I have put out the word to various mercenary units well known for honoring their contracts. And since we have unexpected resources which I am still astonished by, I was able to offer prime rates! With luck, they will arrive before our grace period has ended. At least now we have time to prepare!"

  Val nodded. He and Christine had gone over strategy for quite some time. He was surprised to find that he had two weeks’ grace before other reds could launch preemptive strikes. The one advantage of having been forced to declare himself before the diminutive official of surprising importance back at Greengrove.

  Two weeks to train. Or they could attack this very moment, when their enemies least expected it. Val looked hard at the map, strategies dark and bold coming to mind.

  "We train, and we attack."

  Christine frowned. "That will be difficult, Val. As I explained, the Blackenthorps possess a major territory of considerable economic power. One of the few ways in which size really does matter. For all that we deprived them of four battle-mechs and crippled two others, my spies last report indicates they garrisoned at least an even dozen. Perhaps more. Eight versus our own pair and the two we salvaged from the wrecks they left behind thanks to your marvelous spell, still gives
them a 2 to 1 advantage in their favor, and that's just in terms of battle-mechs.”

  Golden eyes stared imploringly into Val's own. "They have no less than 7,000 garrisoned troops, daring to bring 5,000 into play against the less than 300 mercenaries currently sworn to my house. We have only a skeleton reserve of troops and battle-mechs to ward against other reds who might dare to blitzkrieg our home. Think, Val. It was only the most powerful top-of-the-line military shields I had the foresight to purchase at considerable cost to my family coffers and the sacrifice of some of my most valuable research that even gave us a chance! And had you and my daughter not been there..."

  She shuddered, knuckles whitening as she gripped the lip of the graphic display, their world entire presented as a checkered map with hundreds of blue territories, a few dozen reds, and over half the world painted great swaths of white. "Trust me, Val. Taking advantage of these two weeks for you and your uniquely gifted friends to master your abilities is our best strategy!"

  She turned to peer through the massive monitor on the central wall, perfectly displaying the training grounds actually half a mile away, hyperion physics providing a window of visual clarity beyond what Jordian technology could otherwise replicate. Christine and Val both gazed intently at the four salvaged battle-mechs engaged in mock combat in the field beyond.

  "Yin and Halvar are already quite adept at maneuvering in those mechs. I have high hopes for Chris blossoming beyond all expectation, and as much as Elise is opposed, dear Sten has also agreed to remove his caps and reactivate his implants." She flashed a bemused smile. "It seems he played many roles besides itinerant smuggler and savior of my eldest."

  Val nodded. "He and Halvar once served together. I knew they were skilled, I didn't realize they were mech-skilled, though perhaps I should have suspected it of Halvar, at least."