“Since we ran into both the soldiers and the rebels, it might be better to approach them from the other side. But they could be long gone from that area by now. We’ll have to go back there and follow their tracks. We also need to retrieve the bot. We can’t just leave it sitting there.”
Jason took the backpack from her and slung it over his shoulder. He opened the door and turned on his flashlight though Olivia didn’t need the light to see. The cavern seemed to be lit by a reddish phosphorus glow.
“It’s gorgeous,” Olivia murmured. “Look at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.”
“Uh huh, and the stalagmites. There’s a pond over there. The water is crystalline. That must be where the scientist was getting his water.”
They had just rounded a tall stalagmite when a sound spooked them. Jason shone his flashlight over the cavern wall. “Fuck, look at that. Another cave. The entrance looks like it has a containment field prohibiting whatever is in there from leaving.”
“Or someone from entering.” Olivia walked closer to the entrance. It was quite wide. A halogen lamp lit up the cave. It showed a mattress on the ground and an old table with a woman sitting at it.
“Hello! Who are you?” Jason asked. “Why are you locked in this cave?”
The woman stood and walked to just beyond the field and stared at them. She was bedraggled and must have been held captive for quite a long time. Her face was young, but her hair was dirty and unkempt, her clothing hanging in rags from her body. The greenest eyes Olivia had ever seen peered at her. They were almost electrifying and held her spellbound. She couldn’t tear her gaze away.
The woman reached out to them. “Have you come to release me? I am finally saved from the crazy man and the sorcerer’s clutches?”
“Sorcerer?” Jason chuckled.
“Hey, don’t laugh. I read that the Brevonians believe in sorcerers and magic.” Olivia nudged him. “How do we get her out of there?”
“You speak a foreign language. Where are you from?” the woman asked.
“We are from Earth. What is your name?” Olivia wondered how they could disengage the containment field. She didn’t see a control pad near the entry. Maybe the old coot had the control for it in his lab. They’d have to look for it.
“My name is Valindra, the goddess of everlasting life and youth.”
“Now I’ve heard everything. A goddess?” Jason exclaimed and rubbed his forehead.
“How is it you are held captive? If you’re a goddess, wouldn’t you be able to free yourself?” Olivia asked.
“The scientist is in league with the sorcerer Elidyr. Elidyr pretended to be my friend. I trusted him. He arranged for me to meet Ryan and using a powerful potion he had stolen from me, he bespelled me so that I would fall in love with the man. Because I mated with a mortal, the gods took away my powers. That is why Ryan and the sorcerer were able to hold me captive in the cave. You have to be careful. The man will come soon, and he is dangerous.”
“You mean the scientist? Not to worry. He’s history. Dead. Gone,” Jason told her.
“So why are they holding you here?” Olivia probed again, not missing the fleeting moment of sadness in the woman’s eyes.
“I am immortal. Ryan needs my blood for his forever young formula. Every morning he comes to take blood from me and gives me food and water.”
“Ryan is gone. And what role does the sorcerer play in all this?” Jason asked.
“Elidyr is greedy. He was blackmailing the scientist by threatening to reveal his secret laboratory. Ryan paid him well in gold. Ryan is dead? Truly gone?”
“Yes, I killed him,” Jason said and pulled a face.
“How do we deactivate the containment field? Did Ryan us a handheld device to enter your cave?” Olivia asked.
“Yes. It is small, silver, and fits in the palm of his hand.”
“I’ll go and look for it.” Jason dropped the backpack to the ground and turned to Olivia. “Don’t do anything silly and if you see any crazy sorcerers, shoot.”
Olivia grimaced. “Much good my weapon would do against a sorcerer.” Jason took off, and Olivia sat cross-legged on the cavern floor. “How long have you been here, Valindra?”
Valindra sighed, sadness crossing her features and a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away. “A very long time. Years. How many I do not know.”
“How did the sorcerer get you and the old man to meet?”
“Like I told you, Elidyr pretended to be my friend. He asked if he could bring another friend for dinner one evening. Ryan was not old then. He was a very handsome man, and I was enchanted with the potion.”
Olivia couldn’t imagine Ryan as handsome, let alone be able to charm a woman even if she was placed under a spell. According to Ryan, he and Schultz were twins. She couldn’t fathom anyone falling in love with that snake either, and he still looked young.
Jason came running back. He had a small, silver control in his hand. When he was close, he clicked a button, and the containment field disappeared. He stepped back, phaser in his hand. “Don’t try anything,” he warned Valindra.
“Young man, you do not need to be afraid of me. I will not harm you. Put your weapon away.” She stepped out of the cave and cried, the tears leaving trails on her dirty face.
Suddenly she twirled, faster and faster, until she almost resembled a vortex. Jason grabbed Olivia’s hand, and they stepped back, watching, awed.
The vortex stopped. The dirty woman was gone. In her place stood the most gorgeous female Olivia had ever seen. Wavy, silver hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. The rags had disappeared. She now wore a green and blue dress that clung to the curves of a beautiful body. Her face was clear of grime, and her green eyes sparkled with joy. “The gods have given me back my powers. I am once again in control.”
“Wow, I’d give anything to be able to shower and dress like that,” Olivia mumbled. She’d give anything to be whole again... To be a real woman and not the cyborg she was created by the Institute.
She peered at Jason, who looked just as enamored as she felt. Why would any man be interested in her when such perfect beauty existed? Why would Jason? His gaze locked with hers and giving her fingers a gentle squeeze, he shifted closer to her. A small gesture, but enough to settle her unease. It calmed her instantly.
“Elidyr will know of my release. He will be here soon. Do not fear, my powers are much stronger,” Valindra warned. “May I ask you now, what are your names? Why are you here? Why did you kill Ryan?”
“I am Olivia, and this is Jason. We are from Earth and were sent here to eliminate the members of a terrorist group that intends to assassinate the royal family and take over the palace. We found shelter for the night in the caves and came across the door to Doctor Schultz’s laboratory.”
“They want to kill the king and his family?”
Olivia took a step back, when the bright green of Valindra’s eyes blazed, almost as if a fire had been lit behind her irises.
“Yes.”
“The king and his family are very dear to me. I will help you in your quest.”
A windblast swept through the cavern, and suddenly a man appeared. “What is going on here? How is it you are free, Valindra?”
The man was dressed in black clothing, with a black cloak lined in red draped across his shoulders. He reminded Olivia of the images of vampires she had seen rather than a sorcerer, with his black hair slicked against his head and hanging down his back, and his slanted dark eyes.
“Elidyr, it is over. The gods have given me back my powers. Your co-conspirator is dead. You have no more business here.” Valindra held both hands out, mumbled some strange words, and the man flew through the cave, hit a few walls and then disappeared.
“That was creepy.” Olivia scanned the cave, but there was no sign of the sorcerer. “Is he completely gone?”
“No, not completely. I sent him back from whence he came. He will not bo
ther me again. Or you. No need to be afraid of him,” Valindra reassured her.
“Count Dracula,” Olivia muttered.
“You weren’t supposed to read those kinds of stories. How do you know about Dracula?” Jason asked and grinned.
“We were allowed to read the classics. One a month. There was a novel published in the late eighteen-hundreds called Dracula. I guess the doctors missed that one.”
“The people you seek are not in the same location as last night,” Valindra interrupted them.
“You know that how?” Jason asked.
“I am a goddess. I know many things. They are still sleeping. I can take you to their location in a few hours before I return to my home.”
“Has our assignment just become a whole lot easier?” Jason looked at Olivia with raised brows.
“Seems like it. Maybe we should go back to the lab and just chill for a bit.” She turned to Valindra “Will you come with us to the lab? There is food there. I’m sure you must be hungry.”
The three of them headed back toward the laboratory. Olivia was still amazed at the goddess. She walked beside Jason, in front of Olivia, and she couldn’t help but admire the woman’s beauty and grace. It was almost as if she floated instead of walking.
The goddess’ powers had to be really powerful to be able to change from the bedraggled woman into what Olivia saw before her—not to mention making the sorcerer disappear. But how come Valindra had a mortal body? Didn’t gods and goddesses live up in the skies? Well, according to fairy tales and stories they did. This was real. She wondered if there were more goddesses on Brevona. Maybe gods, too? And more sorcerers? Where did Valindra live?
Chapter Seven
When they got back to the lab, Olivia went to the cooler and brought food and juice to the table. The three of them munched and talked.
“Valindra, where do you live?” Olivia asked, curious to find out more about the goddess.
“In my temple that the gods created for me on Brevona when they took away my powers.”
“How could that sorcerer have fooled you? You seem to have extraordinary powers.”
Valindra smiled wistfully. “Elidyr was very nice to me, and we spent a lot of time together. I told him my deepest wishes. The sorcerer knew that I was lonely, how I longed for love, for a mate. When he tricked me into drinking the potion, I fell in love with Ryan the moment I met him—he could be so charming. It is forbidden for gods or goddesses to mate with mortals. Because of this, I was stripped of my powers.”
“Charming as a snake, but watch its venom,” Jason muttered.
“The gods warned me, but I chose to not heed them. Several weeks after we had completed the mating ritual, Ryan lured me to his secret laboratory for a romantic dinner where he put a sleep potion in my food. I woke up in the cave where you found me.”
“I bet it didn’t take you long to fall out of love,” Olivia said grimly. “Can you tell us more about Brevona? Are there dangerous predators that we need to watch out for? Well, besides the rebels that are planning to assassinate the royal family. I mean weird monsters?”
Valindra smiled. “Not in this immediate region. There are dangerous predators in the wilderness, the unexplored regions of Brevona, but your search is not far from here. The group of men you were sent to kill are camped close by.”
“You can see this?”
“Yes, but tread with caution. Not all is as it seems.”
Olivia frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“I can only reveal what the gods allow. I do not wish to anger them again.”
“Do you plan to continue living on Brevona?” Olivia asked.
“Yes. But from henceforth, I will be very careful who to trust, who to befriend. I enjoy living among the mortals. I like attending the festivals on Brevona and interacting with the people.”
Jason cleared his throat. “Do the people of Brevona know you as a goddess?”
“Yes, they do. They come to worship in my temple and pray for youth and vitality.”
“Which, I presume, you’re not allowed to just hand out freely,” Olivia said.
“No. Life is mapped out for all and must play out according to the gods’ plans.”
“What is in store for us? Can you see our future?” Jason inquired curiously.
“I can, but I am not allowed to tell you. Though I am permitted to reveal that your paths are intertwined for life. You are meant for each other. Enough of this. Tell me about yourselves and Earth.” Valindra stared at them expectantly.
Olivia pondered Valindra’s words, while Jason told his tale of WLO, the Institute, Schultz and Schmidt, and their horrible experiments.
She gazed at her handsome partner, her heart skipping a beat and an incredible feeling of euphoria filled her at the idea that they were meant to be together. Would their path lead them to a life of freedom? She hadn’t been raised to be religious or to believe in God, but at that moment she gave thanks to whatever entity had chosen to place Jason in her life.
After Jason had finished his story, Olivia shared hers. Even now, so many years later, the pain of losing her parents, and her little brother and sister, wrenched her heart in two. When she finished speaking, Valindra clasped one of her hands with hers, then reached across the table and held Jason’s hand.
Tears streamed down Valindra’s face when she spoke. “My children, the atrocities you have been put through by these evil men is incomprehensible. With the blessings of the gods, for releasing me from my prison, I give you a gift. The memories the scientists have stolen from you both.”
A jolt of electricity shot through Olivia’s hand, quickly spreading to encompass her whole body. Her skin tingled, and lights flashed before her eyes. Feeling woozy, she closed them and tried to relax under the force of the power raging within her. An image of her family flashed in her mind, then another, and another. Sounds began to fill her ears as those snapshots began playing as if they were a holographic movie.
Her father, sweeping her into his arms after coming home from work. He wore a military uniform, and on his head was a cap with the WLO insignia embroidered on it. His face was blurry, almost as if she were looking through dirty glass. A woman’s voice sounded behind her. She said a name... Not just any name. It was her father’s. She knew it now. It was Henry. Her father was Captain Henry Fitzgerald.
Olivia’s eyes snapped open, and she yanked her hand from Valindra’s. No. The name wasn’t right. Not anymore. Her father was no longer a captain. She had seen his image several times through the years whenever she had seen pictures of the WLO leaders, and yet her brain would not allow her to recognize him. He was now General Henry Fitzgerald, one of WLO’s top ranking officials. He is working with those that support Schultz and Schmidt and their experiments. How could he do this to me? His own daughter?
“All is not as it may seem.” Valindra’s soft voice cut through her thoughts. “It will take time for the memories to process. I did not wish to harm you by unleashing them all at once.”
Olivia nodded and vigorously rubbed her face, then peered at Jason. He looked just as disoriented as she felt. For now, she would take the goddess’ words to heart. Her memories of her father had always been loving.
Jason took a drink from his juice, then set the glass back on the table. “Thank you, Valindra, though I may regret your gift after all is said and done.”
“You deserve to know the truth of who you are. The doctors have taken your free will and have filled your mind with lies and treachery.” Valindra’s eyes flashed in anger. “Ryan was much like his brother. Cold, cruel beyond words, a heart of steel, and greedy. Without my blood, the two on Earth can no longer produce the forever young serum. I am surprised Ryan never injected himself.”
“It surprised me, too. I guess now we’ll never find out the reason.” Olivia was relieved Valindra had changed the subject. She had no wish to discuss her father, nor was she ready to reveal who he was to Jason. The
WLO funded the Institute and condoned its experiments, and she hated all of them for it. She knew Jason did, too. Would he hate her as well?
“Maybe his brother never sent him the finished product? Besides the Ogorima flower and my blood, there were other ingredients. The two scientists on Earth finalized the serum,” Valindra suggested.
“That’s a possibility. His greed for gold could have overridden his desire to look young,” Jason suggested.
“Where was Schultz getting the gold, except from Brevona? Earth’s gold mines were long ago depleted and closed.” Olivia took a sip from her juice.
“The goldmine on Brevona is owned by King Timyt. I cannot imagine he has anything to do with this,” Valindra said. “I must warn him and the king. There has to be a traitor among his people at the palace.”
“Timyt is not the name of the king we heard of. Who are you talking about? You make it sound as if Brevona has two kings?”
Valindra hesitated. “Eh, no and yes, but I cannot tell you more.”
Olivia screwed up her face. “That doesn’t help us any.”
“No. Though you will learn everything eventually. Just be very careful when you hunt down the assassins planning to take down our king and his family. Like I told you before, all is not as it seems.”
“You speak in riddles.” Jason shook his head.
Valindra brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “That may be, but I cannot reveal your destinies beyond what I have already told you.”
“So, if Schultz and Schmidt can’t get the ingredients anymore, that’ll stop production of the forever young serum. A lot of the very rich will suddenly age rapidly, and their money flow will stop.” Olivia tapped her fingers on the table. Schultz and Schmidt would send someone to this lab, especially now that Ryan was dead. Schultz would know something was wrong the moment he received no communications from his brother.
Jason furrowed his brows. “No funds, no Institute.”
Olivia’s gaze snapped to Jason’s face. “He won’t wait to send someone here. We need to get back out there, complete our mission, and get word to the Brevonian king of this place.”
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