by D. N. Leo
A small group of human females who looked the same age as she was walked toward the temple. She stood motionless even though she knew they couldn’t see her. As they came closer, she could see that they weren’t human but mages—magical creatures who worked with light energy.
It astonished her that the group seemed to see a door, and they moved toward the temple with ease. The tallest girl in the group placed a talisman up to a hole in the wall, and a door slid open.
Isn’t this easy! she said to herself and quickly followed the girls inside the temple.
The open space inside the temple was magnificent. It was made entirely of ice and decorated with statues of gods she didn’t recognize. In the middle of the dome was an altar. The girls knelt and performed their rituals, whatever they were. She paid no mind to what they were doing but made a beeline toward the place that made all her senses jump. The place where she could find the Scorpio key.
There was a long corridor leading to the west wing. She followed it and approached a door that she couldn’t penetrate. She needed someone to open the door for her.
She went back to the dome and looked at the girls. She could hear an inner voice shouting at her, beseeching her not to do what she intended to do. But she ignored it. She was too close to the key to let this opportunity pass her by.
She approached the girls and cast a spell Teacher had taught her. The tall girl in the group stood up suddenly and walked toward the west wing. The other girls scurried after her.
“Amma, what are you doing?” one of them asked.
The tall girl—she figured it was Amma—continued walking, approaching the room she needed to enter. As they came close to the room, the other girls stopped.
“Amma, come back! We’re not supposed to go to the west wing.”
She knew why Amma didn’t listen to the girls. In Amma’s mind, there was one voice and one voice only that she listened to, and that was Thunder’s voice. She was manipulating the girl to do what she needed, and that was to save humankind from trouble should the key fall into the wrong hands. It was what Keymaster wanted her to do.
Amma entered the room and absently looked up at the altar where the Scorpio key in the form of a statue stood.
Thunder froze.
What was on the altar wasn’t the Scorpio key she had seen Keymaster making.
But she couldn’t stop Amma. She was executing an order Thunder had embedded into the girl’s mind. Amma had to complete it. The order had been given. It couldn’t be taken back.
Amma approached the altar and tugged at the statue. It didn’t move. She searched the room, looking for something with which to break the statue free.
The other girls had returned and were at the door, shouting at Amma, but no one dared enter the room.
Thunder had given a command she couldn’t reverse. She could see the horror on Amma’s face. The girl knew what she was doing, but she couldn’t stop herself. Thunder had never seen such devastation in human eyes. Even creatures before she killed them hadn’t looked like that.
Amma approached a golden rail at the corner of the altar where there was a sword made of ice. She grabbed the handle of the sword and, for a moment, seemed to be in control her actions. She turned, holding the sword, and charged toward the door, away from the statues.
Then the sword exploded in her hand.
The doorway to the room in the west wing became nothing more than a mess of blood and gore from the exploded bodies of the mages.
Thunder stormed out of the temple.
She ran. And she ran. Until she couldn’t run anymore.
Where had she made a mistake?
She dropped to the ground on her knees. She felt the presence of Teacher and looked up to see him hovering next to her. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t show anger, either.
He had told her not to act in haste, not to take chances. She hadn’t followed his advice, and as a result, innocent beings had died.
Chapter 22
“Are you kidding?” Lorcan raised his voice.
“I’m dead serious.” Caedmon glanced around the technology station where people paid to work temporarily on computers. It was, he figured, what was known as an Internet cafe in ancient times.
“It’s not going to work. I need my equipment, and I need to be at my station in the Daimon Gate.”
“Uncle Lorcan, you know very well that as soon as you return to the Daimon Gate, you won’t be able to move a single hair in the wrong direction or you’ll lose your head. That’s why I asked you to do it while we’re here.”
Lorcan glanced around then lowered his voice. “We need serious shit to hack the LeBlancs’ system. The scrap metal they call computers here just won’t do the job.”
“I’m not asking you to hack. I’m asking you to create an identity for me so I can get in to retrieve some of my funds. It’s my family’s money. I’m not stealing anything.”
“We can go back to Eudaiz, as any sensible citizen of Eudaiz would do, and use the system properly, as any responsible commander would do, and send the funds here. If you want to donate money, all you need to do in Eudaiz is to press a button. Why go through all this trouble?”
“I can’t go back to Eudaiz and execute an action that will change things in this future time.”
“You can, as long as you don’t come back here to profit from the changes. Ohhh, I get it! You want to come back to this time. You know you can’t time travel back and forth after you’ve manipulated things and created sequences of cause and effect events. Whatever it is that you want to do, you want it to happen here and now. You like Alyna!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You know why I’m here, right?”
“Yes, your late wife wants you to get the key.”
“It’s not just because Sedna wanted me to get the real key. Father said if the key got into the wrong hands, the Earth dimension would collapse. That means this round lump of dirt where you were born will vanish—along with all those who live on it. We can say it’s not our problem because we live in the multiverse, but will your conscience let you walk away while we’re here and so close to the key?”
“I have my priorities, and your safety is at the top of that list. As for my conscience and saving the Earth, I believe I did my fair share quite a while ago. You can ask your father about that.”
“I won’t ask, and I don’t need any proof from you. But I’m staying. Alyna needs more help than just money. If my safety is at the top of your priority list, then I trust you’ll stay. But if you need to go, I’ll understand.”
“All right. I’ll help. But if anything happens that might affect your safety, I’m taking you back, no questions asked. I owe your father that much.”
“Agreed. Now, can we use this computer to make me an identity so things won’t get back to our system? You’re a genius. You can do anything, Uncle Lorcan.” Caedmon grinned.
“That smile only works on Orla, not on me,” said Lorcan. “And I can do better than using these computers, but I’ll need something from a current living LeBlanc to create a profile.”
“What about me?”
“No, idiot, I mean someone living in this time. Your make is what we need to hide.”
“Will a hair sample work?”
“Maybe, but blood is better.”
“Lorcan, you really want me to go find a real LeBlanc now, in this time? That means I have to go to their headquarters in midland London—wherever the hell that is. And you expect me to get some blood?”
“It’s as unreasonable as you asking me to use a public computer to create a fake profile for you. In the end, they’re your real family. What’s stopping you from going to the headquarters and being straight with them? You time traveled, yes. But I don’t think there’s anything that could weird out the LeBlancs.”
“You know the situation. When I came, I wanted to remain as low profile as possible, get the key, and get out of here. There’s nothing low profile about alerting the head
quarters of my presence.” His wrist unit beeped. He glanced at the screen and frowned. “It appears we won’t have to hack into the headquarters at all.”
He tilted the screen so Lorcan could see the credentials of the caller. Lorcan gestured for him to wait and pulled out a small device. He plugged his device into Caedmon’s then nodded.
Caedmon picked up the call. On the screen, the image of a young man who appeared to be in his early thirties appeared. The credentials printed at the bottom of the screen stated he was Jamie LeBlanc.
“Caedmon, I am—”
“I know who you are. You’re the acting CEO of the London headquarters. The reason I didn’t connect with you when I came here was that I hadn’t planned to stay long, and I wasn’t on an important mission.”
Jamie smiled. Caedmon normally didn’t notice male features, but looking at his relative on the screen, he had to admit that striking gray eyes were a trademark LeBlanc feature.
Jamie nodded. “Understood. However, blowing up a building and transferring funds out of headquarters into an organization operated by magical creatures has made your mission quite noticeable.”
“I’ll pay the money back when I get back to my station.”
“No need to pay it back. The family money is your money.”
“Does that mean the family’s business here is my business, too, and you want me to do something for you?”
Jamie chuckled. “It’s only fair. Thank you for understanding.”
“Sure. What can I do for you?”
“Look, you want Amaraq’s business. I can send you the money right now. The condition is that you get Ethesus for me. Amaraq and Ethesus are rivals, so if Amaraq becomes your business, it’s only natural to destroy the opponent.”
“What exactly do you want me to do regarding Ethesus?”
“Well, when I say destroy them, I mean kill as many of them as possible. You won’t be in this on your own. I’ll send help your way.”
“Like mercenaries from Xiilok?”
Jamie leaned back in his chair. “You know a lot more than I expected.”
“What proof of mission completion do you need?”
“I want Nathan Breene’s head.”
“Why?”
“Well, there’s a lot more to discuss, but it’s only for serious people. If you’re serious about this, bring me Nathan’s head, and you will have all the resources you need to take over Amaraq and operate it however you want.”
Chapter 23
Where are you, Ben? Alyna asked herself while surveying the area that was scattered with the dead bodies of Nathan’s office staff and a handful of Amaraq fighters who used to work with Ben. She didn’t mind a good fight, although she knew her condition didn’t allow it, but what made her blood boil now was that a coward had taken her friend to lure her out.
She wasn’t an alpha of any kind. She didn’t see herself that way even though she had officially claimed the leadership of Amaraq. Everybody knew she was a loner. So how did this creature know she considered Ben a friend? Fear clawed at her.
The South. Something had happened in the South, and the reason Ben had come back here was because he had informed someone that they were friends.
He had come back for her.
Damn it! she cursed silently.
“I’ll go to the Peak,” she said aloud as she looked again at the note soaked with Ben’s blood. Meet at the Peak if you want to see him again alive, it said.
“Are you crazy?” said Nathan, speaking for the first time since they arrived at the scene. “The Peak is full of the most notorious creatures in the multiverse. I’ve never set foot there, and you’re barely functioning—either as a human or a creature. Let’s just stay here and see what it will do, whatever it is. If it needs you that badly, it will come here to find you.”
“Ben is an Amaraq fighter. I won’t abandon him.”
“Let’s cut the crap. Whoever it is that captured him is trying to lure you out. I’m more than sure it’s a condemned creature because no other creature in its right mind would go to the Peak.”
“Why is that, Nathan?”
“Because supernatural powers don’t work there. Whatever wants to fight with you there wants a muscle fight with no leverage.”
“A fair fight then?”
“Not at all. A fair fight happens in a ring with judges. Not at the Peak.”
She smiled to herself. This would actually work out better for her because not only had she not been able to summon any supernatural power, she was also injured. Right now, a fight without magic was better than one with it. “Ben is more than a fighter to me,” she said. “He’s a friend. I will go there for him. Isn’t that what Ethesus people do?”
Nathan was angry. “Alyna!” he exclaimed and was about to say something more, but what came out of his mouth instead was a howl, and he almost shifted into a lynx. Alayna knew she had pushed his buttons. She hadn’t intended to manipulate his emotions, but she needed to break loose of Nathan and rescue Ben.
As she predicted, Nathan walked away. “Do whatever you want,” he said. “Your club. Your life. Why should I care?”
A short while later, Alyna stood staring at the entrance of an abandoned temple at the top of the small hill they called the Peak. She kept her mind as still and clear as possible. Even though supernatural powers didn’t work here, she never knew when she might be dealing with a mind reader, and she had no intention of putting herself at a disadvantage.
Ahead of her, a small creature with an apelike appearance walked out from behind a tree. She didn’t know much about multiversal matters, but she knew there were freelance mercenaries and creatures who worked for hire and would do practically any kind of job for money. However, she didn’t expect one of those creatures to take a form so close to that of an Earth monkey. She sighed as she thought of Caedmon. He had no choice about the kind of animal he shifted into.
She approached the creature from behind and pressed her knife against its back. The knife cut into his flesh slightly, making him growl.
“Someone is being held captive here. I want you to take me to him.”
“All right. But it will cost you.”
She pressed harder with the knife. “You won’t have any use for money if you’re dead.” Again, she put pressure on the knife to emphasize her point.
“All right, all right. I’ll help you.”
“Good. You’ve already been paid anyway. Don’t try to cut a two-end deal.”
“The guy hasn’t paid me yet.”
“Is he here?”
“No. He’s gone out for something. Maybe he’s gone to the Peak.”
“I thought this was the Peak.”
“No, we’re just outside of it. But there’s only one way to get here, and that’s via the Peak. The guy said he’d be back soon. He wanted me to keep an eye on his prisoner. He said he’d pay me when he comes back, but I have a feeling he’s going to try to dodge the payment.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, he kept asking about the ice temple where the mages worship their god. If he has to break into that temple to steal gold and silver, it means he doesn’t have any money.”
“So why are you working for him then?”
“He kinda had a knife to my throat—like what you’re doing now.”
“Look, I’m not doing this out of greed. His prisoner is my friend. That’s fundamentally different from why your client is doing this.”
The ape chuckled. “He hardly qualifies as my client if he doesn’t pay me.”
“I can’t promise you any money. But I’m a kick-ass fighter, and I can take him out for you. Is there anything you want from him apart from money?”
The ape shook his head. “Nah, you can’t do that. He’s too big, and you’re a girl…”
She pressed the knife into his back as a reminder.
“Yes, a girl with a knife,” he said, “but still a girl. Plus that guy has magic. His hands glow, and he has wings
. He can choose to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. You can’t fight him if you can’t see him.”
She pointed to the wall and used the tiny bit of light she had left to punch a hole in it.
“Wow, so you have magic, too.” The ape’s eyes sparked with interest. “All right, he has a silver belt that I really like. If you can get it for me, I’ll work for you.”
“Deal. Now take me to my friend.”
“Well, the deal works for me, but it won’t for my group. I think you’d better knock them out.”
She rolled her eyes behind his back. “All right.”
The ape led her down to a basement where he tapped on a closed door. A small window opened in the door, and a pair of eyes looked out.
“What?”
“You want food?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
The door swung open.
Alyna swung a kick at the ape at the door, who was twice the size of the current one. She couldn’t afford to waste any time going through another round of negotiation and a possible fistfight, so she hurled a knife at the ape. It struck him in the middle of the forehead, and he fell to the ground.
She saw Ben tied up in the corner of the room, unconscious. “How many of you are there in this temple?” she asked the ape.
“Fifteen point five.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, big apes count as one. But I’m only half-sized.” The ape grinned, but she didn’t find him amusing.
“Did he torture my friend?”
“He’s just sedated.”
“Wake him up and unchain him.”
The ape obeyed. Ben sat up groggily. “Alyna!”
Alyna crouched and smiled. “Good. You still recognize me. That means you don’t have a concussion and haven’t lost your memories and aren’t possessed.”“You have to get out of here. Leave me. This thing isn’t human, and it’s not like any kind of paranormal creature we’ve dealt with before.”