“No one on Earth will care. I can guarantee you that.”
“Fine, but are we planning on stopping our work just because we’re bonded?”
“Of course not.”
“Exactly. Tell me, how many events have you been to in the past, oh I don’t know, let’s say six months, where you had to dress like that?” Bingo. She felt his embarrassed frustration.
“A few,” he said, grudgingly.
She raised one eyebrow at him and waited.
“Okay fine. Quite a few. It brings in business. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m rich. We’re rich. We can buy all the designer clothes you could possibly want. You can buy a new outfit for every function and never wear the same thing twice.”
She downed a very un-ladylike portion of her drink. “Yes, I need clothes. A lot, in fact, and I assure you I’ll wear them more than once. What I also need”—she shot a quick glance at the table again—“is to learn how to live in your world.” She ran her finger along the rim of her glass before taking another drink, searching for words. “For example”—she swept her arm toward the table—“why the frack do we each have four forks?”
His laughter was both calming and irritating. She never dreamed she would be in this position one day.
“Don’t worry,” he said, leading her to the galley. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” He took the lid off a pot and stirred.
He brought the spoon to her lips for a taste. “Hmmm. I could get used to this.”
“That’s the plan.”
She felt a tremendous weight lift off her shoulders. She might not care about social standing, but he lived and breathed in that world, and she wasn’t going to embarrass him. Yes, she had a lot to learn, but she’d get it done. They sat down to dine with the stars and virtual fire as their backdrop.
The rest of the journey to Earth was nothing short of magic. She tried not to worry about her folks and concentrated on getting to know her psi-mate. It was a high like none other. Whatever came next, she would never forget the trip or the function of the third fork from the left.
***
Kit found it odd to be docking at the Cavacent’s space station again so soon, not to mention being in Balastar’s ship. She reached out with her psi to her mate next to her who was bringing the ship into dock. The pleasure of their bond flowed through her.
“Careful, sweetheart. I’m on manual here.”
Manual brought many interesting images to mind as she pulled away.
There was a slight bump as the anchor locks secured to the hull of the ship and the air lock pressurized.
“We’re a little early,” Balastar said, “but Ria said to come on down when we arrived. Rucon and the EPs should be there within the hour.”
“How about Durgan?” She never thought she’d be seeking input from a Portal Master.
“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get there.”
They left the ship and headed to the portal. Kit grabbed his arm and stopped him before they stepped through. “Did you tell anyone about my folks?”
“Not yet. Just that a town had been leveled and hostages taken. I figured you’d want to tell them yourself.”
Kit nodded. “How about us?”
“No.”
He sounded so happy. Her insecurity flared, but Balastar took her hand and squeezed.
“They already adore you.”
Kit wasn’t so sure. This group was like a family, and bringing home a mate was a lot different than their previous trip here. Although, she was pretty sure Ria knew they’d spent their last night on Earth together and, if anything, she seemed to approve.
“Stop already,” Balastar chided.
It was an odd twist of fate that finding her psi-mate had shaken a confidence she’d always taken for granted. She stood straighter and activated the portal. The opulence of the lakefront villa served as another reminder these were a different class of people.
Armond and Marco were the only ones present, and they were arguing.
“Don’t worry,” Balastar said, “these two are always going at it.”
“You think you’re so damn smart,” Marco said. He stood with his back ramrod straight. The tension was palpable.
“I don’t think. I know,” Armond said.
“Mother Goddess save us all.” Ria came in from the kitchen carrying a large tray with cheese and crackers.
Gina was right behind her with a cutting board loaded with bread and olive oil.
Ria set the tray down. “Seriously, can you two for once stop trying to figure out who’s got the bigger dick?”
“That isn’t the part of our anatomy we were discussing,” Armond said with complete seriousness.
“Are you sure about that?” Ria said, hands on hips.
Kit burst out laughing. She really liked the fiery redhead, and she needed a laugh.
Ria hurried over and hugged the breath out of her. “Welcome back.”
“I told you,” Balastar said.
Kit returned the hug, impressed by the woman’s strength.
Dani and Ian showed up next, followed quickly by his parents, Rucon and Mara.
Dani and Mara greeted Kit just as warmly as Ria had. Everyone except Rucon and Mara wore the all-black EP attire.
The group gathered around the food and made small talk until Ria’s mate, Ty, came down the stairs. He immediately took up position at Ria’s side.
“They’re a cute couple,” Kit said.
“Ria will hurt you if you call them that to her face. They are, though.”
Dani gave Kit a funny look. The blonde hurried over to Ria and whispered in her ear.
Ria’s head shot up and looked from Kit to Balastar and back again. The two women broke out into grins and came over.
Kit stepped back and held her hands up. “You two are scaring me.”
“Is there something we should know?” Ria said in a sing-song voice.
“Something about the two of you?” Dani said.
“What is up with these two?” she asked Balastar.
“No idea.”
“You are!” Dani said. “You’re talking to each other.”
“How did you know that?” Kit asked.
“One of my skills,” Dani said. “I can see it when people communicate with psi.”
“That’s cool,” Kit said.
Balastar put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight.
The girls erupted in a plethora of questions. When, where, how?
“You guys went separate directions. How did you end up together?” Ria pushed.
Rucon and Mara came over and interrupted the flow. “I take it congratulations are in order?”
“Yes,” Balastar said.
“Oh, that’s wonderful.” Mara gave them both a hug. She was very similar in looks to Kit with jet-black hair, but much smaller in frame.
Dani and Ria followed with hugs of their own. Marco and Ty and the rest chimed in with their own congrats.
Kit was tremendously relieved with the welcome.
Mara reached out and stroked the purple streak of Kit’s hair. “It changes color. It was yellow when you arrived.”
Kit liked the woman. “Yes. I’m supposed to be able to control it, but it’s got a mind of its own. I’ll have to have it looked at.”
“It changes according to her emotions,” Balastar said.
“It, wait, what? It does?” Kit asked.
“I’ve been keeping track.”
Kit wasn’t sure if she was happy about that or not. “Yeah, well keep it to yourself.”
Mara laughed. “Either way, you’ll make a beautiful bride. All three of you. How are we going to plan all these weddings?”
Kit and Dani voiced the same concern—no wedding without their parents.
Dani shot Kit a questioning look. “I thought you just saw them?”
“No,” Kit said. “That’s why we’re here.”
“On that note, time to get started,” Rucon said
, calling the meeting to order. “You mentioned something that might pertain to Dani’s parents?”
“It seems likely,” Balastar said.
Kit still didn’t know these people well and was happy to let her mate take the lead. For now.
“I accompanied Kit to Vertan to see her parents and take a break. When we arrived, we discovered Torogs had wiped out a large portion of their town. They killed five people and abducted eighteen.”
“What is going on with them?” Ian said. “First Earth and now Vertan. There has to be a common denominator.”
“There is.” Ian’s uncle Mordo and the Portal Master, Durgan, had arrived through the portal. “Our apologies for interrupting. We heard you were coming and wanted to know why.” The two men joined the others.
“As I recall,” Durgan said to Ian, “your initial theory when the Torogs attacked Earth was that they were after Dani.”
“That’s right,” Ian said.
“And you obtained the first portal device from the Torogs.”
“Yes.” Ian’s brows furrowed.
“The common factor seems to be those with the alternate psi.” Durgan turned to Kit. “Three decades they’ve kept your planet hostage but untouched.”
“Correct,” Kit said.
“So what has changed?” Durgan asked.
“The empire is no more,” Ian offered.
“It’s not that,” Kit said, starting to see where he was going. “It’s the portals.”
“Spot on, young lady,” Mordo said, placing a finger to the tip of his nose.
A stab of fear shot through her as she realized what it meant. “Mother Goddess. They’re going to make them create portals. Why would Torogs do that?”
“Not Torogs,” Durgan said.
Dawning hit the group all at once. Portal Masters.
CHAPTER NINE
Loc enjoyed the damp warmth of the inner sanctum deep underground. Especially when he was alone, like now. The ancient walls of smooth stone stood sentinel over the center of the room where the large oblong object radiated a pulsing red glow. Gas-fed torches lined the walls, providing the only source of illumination. Whatever this was, it contained the heart of the guild’s power. The key to their ability to create interstellar portals. The anchor to which all their chains were tied. It was their power and their weakness. Having lost the pretext of a god, this was what remained. It was odd, perhaps, that he took comfort in its presence, but he did. This alien artifact was as close as he would ever come again to the comfort brought by religion.
He sat at an old wooden desk that was older than he was and toyed with the fringe of his robe. After five hundred years, no one knew the thing’s origins. For all of those years, the Portal Masters had kept a detailed log of who was involved in the making of each portal. When more than three of the original masters passed on, the portal was quietly re-established. And so the guild maintained its power and remained tied to this planet.
The ability to anchor to existing portals as exhibited by the albino, Armond, would greatly facilitate their effectiveness. When a portal wasn’t already in existence, they would dispatch a runner with one of their boxes, and the portal could then be made as usual. The fact the PMs had never been able to make the boxes function always stung. Once the portal was opened, Loc and his PMs could then move the end to its desired location. Move, but never create. Collateral damage was always a possibility. The Vertans would have to understand that any attempts to escape would result in an attack on their planet. As long as the PMs provided portals to the beastly Torogs, they did as they were told. He knew the Torogs had made the threat clear when they abducted the lot now en route. He didn’t want to know how much damage they had caused or how many lives they had taken. It wasn’t his concern. As the head of the Portal Master guild, his was a higher calling.
He stood and walked over to the glowing monolith. He’d questioned old Merrin about it, but to no avail. All Merrin would say is that the thing hadn’t been moved or tampered with in living history.
Change.
Portals hadn’t failed in living history either, so perhaps now was the time. He walked around the glowing object. Yes, perhaps now was the time to discover its secrets. The massive thing looked to be made of stone that glowed from within. Like a geode with an inner light, it pulsed with a foreign energy. It stood slightly taller than Loc’s six feet. At some point, a low railing had been built around it with a three-foot clearance from wall to the monolith’s surface.
Was it submerged or resting on top of the sand? Feeling like a misbehaving child, Loc removed his robes and laid them on the desk. He swung his legs over the rail one by one and stepped onto the sand. His heart pounded. As far as he knew, no one had ever been this close to the monolith since the rail was installed, and there was no record of when that was. The air tingled around the stone like static electricity. Slowly, he walked the circumference until he was back where he started. He faced it and stepped forward. The hair on his arms lifted, and chills ran through his body. He took a deep breath and knelt down in front of it. Gently, careful not to touch, he began to clear the sand away from the base. Every time his hand neared the stone, his fingers tingled with the foreign energy. He’d dug nearly three inches before finding the edge. So. It simply rested on the surface. He would have to move it to be certain. It could still be attached underneath. It seemed likely. How else could it be powered if not by tapping into the planet’s core?
He regarded the monolith for a moment. When was the last time a live being had touched it? Taking a calming breath, he focused his psi and reached out with his right hand. He brushed his fingers across the surface. Hard and warm. Heat radiated up his arm. It filled him with energy. He felt powerful beyond compare. His awareness was somehow growing and expanding beyond his body. Too much. He yanked his hand back and stumbled to his feet. His heart pounded in his chest. He rubbed this finger tips with his thumb. A chill started at his neck and spread across his body. Surely, others had attempted that before? Was it the same for them? Did Merrin know?
Excitement shot through him. There was power here unlike any other. Untapped power. If it could make portals, what else could it do? The man who controlled it controlled a great deal. Loc stepped back over the wall and used his psi to smooth the sand back into place and erase his footsteps. He would have to perform some tests to determine if and how it was connected to the planet. His body shivered. He hadn’t felt this alive since he was a child.
Picking up his robe, he slipped his arms into the soft folds. He leaned against the desk and pondered the situation. He had many questions to answer. What if it were possible to move the artifact? His mind spun with possibilities. Could it be done? Would Merrin and the other elders agree? If he could pull it off, would it matter if they agreed?
First things first. Loc pushed off the table. It was clear that trying to move it with psi wouldn’t work. He was going to need some large equipment and some trustworthy Portal Masters.
As he turned to go, an energy unlike any he’d experienced rippled through him. Fleeting. Searching?
***
Akio Durnar stood next to his wife and sixteen of his neighbors from back on Vertan. He stood pressed against one of the side windows of a crowded transport vehicle. They’d spent the last week traveling in deplorable conditions on the Torog ship, and whatever they had been expecting to find at their destination, this wasn’t it. They’d been taken deep into a forest. An alien forest to be sure, as the primary color was purple, not green. It was also the densest forest Akio had ever seen. Nothing like it existed on Vertan. He thought of their home, now destroyed, and prayed there weren’t too many deaths. Then he thought of their daughter, Kit. Would they ever see her again?
As they started their descent, it appeared as though they were going to land on the tree tops, but fifty feet or so above the ground they passed through some kind of shield, and a massive compound was briefly visible before they landed. From the fleeting look, he guessed the place was
maybe a quarter mile square and still under construction.
Two-story 3-D printers were everywhere, creating buildings that appeared to be houses.
“What’s going on, Akio?” Veera asked.
The concern in his wife’s voice killed him. He’d kept his family safe during all the years with the Torogs and civil unrest on Vertan. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like they plan to do us any harm.” They’d lived on the fringe of their own legal system with what Kit did, but he felt strongly about her mission. Most of his neighbors did as well, but not all.
The craft landed in front of a large building and they filed out into harsh sunlight.
They gathered around him now.
A tall, bald man wearing robes, flanked by what appeared to be guards, descended the stairs from the building directly in front of the group. “My name is Tern. I’m sure you have many questions.”
“Damn right we do,” Akio said. Others in the group echoed similar responses.
Tern regarded the group and focused on Akio. He spoke loud enough for all of them to hear. “There are sensors throughout this compound that will kill anyone attempting to escape. We ask that you act in a civil manner and remain calm. If you will come with me, we will explain why you are here and answer as many questions as possible.”
It was an order, not a question, so the group followed as directed. Tern led them back into the building he’d emerged from. Veera caught her breath as they entered. The space was spectacular. Marble floors and works of art adorned the entry. A polished wooden staircase wound its way to a second floor. They entered a room off to the side where a lone couple sat together amongst chairs that had been arranged in a semicircle facing a raised platform. They weren’t familiar and had obviously arrived before them.
Guards lined the room.
“Please have a seat,” Tern said. He joined two other robed men standing on the stage.
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