Leon stared at him in shock, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “I…”
“Warning,” intoned the LOC. “Warning. We are in recall.”
Bathed in the flashing blue light of the computer, Noel saw his body growing indistinct. Next to him, Leon was also fading. Their eyes locked together. Leon’s were filled with hatred and distrust, Noel’s with apprehension.
Just at the moment of entry a current of alien energy flowed into the time stream ahead of them. It drew them with it, hurtling them onward too fast for measure. Tumbled together, Noel still felt Leon beside him and started to hope that this time his duplicate would cooperate.
At that instant he felt Leon tugging, trying to draw away.
“No!” cried Noel with all the force of his heart and soul. “No, Leon! Stay with me.”
But Leon went spinning away, his laughter an echo that reverberated through the time stream. Horrified, Noel tried to reach after him, but Leon was already too far, escaping without any heed of the consequences.
“I am here,” said Qwip’s voice. “I am with you, Noel.”
Startled, Noel tried to search for him. His senses, however, were spinning, too disoriented by the rush through time to bring Qwip into focus.
“I am with you, Noel. I am eager to learn.”
Ahead Noel saw the time portal. It filled his vision, glowing with light that came from a spectrum human eyes weren’t designed to see. It hurt to look, yet he could not look away.
The alien energy flowing around him surged onward and passed through the portal. There was a sudden pause as though all eternity had halted, then Noel was flung sideways in the backlash. He found himself tumbled like a pebble caught in a torrential stream. Spears of energy howled through the conduit. Each time one struck him, he screamed with agony. There was a sound he had never heard before, a building whine of such intensity he could not endure it. His skull felt as though it would explode. His nerve endings screamed with sensory overload. Convulsed within the violent eddies, Noel glimpsed a silver radiance building over the time portal.
“The distortion is ending,” said Qwip dimly through the chaos. “Plunge forward now.”
Noel clung to the vestiges of his sanity. The silver light blazed more brightly across the portal. Before he could see through it. Now it was becoming opaque at the edges.
“Noel!” shouted Qwip. “Now! Now! Quickly, before the moment is lost. We must go through before the distortion ends, or I cannot enter.”
“You’re not going to enter,” said Noel grimly.
“That was not the agreement. You made the agreement.”
“I did what was necessary to save my time,” said Noel.
The violence beyond the portal was ending. He could barely see now, but the flow of energy had begun to surge backward. The horrible sound faded to an almost bearable level.
“This is unacceptable,” said Qwip sharply. “You will enter. You will enter now.”
“No,” said Noel. He imagined he saw figures rushing around inside Lab 14. They were gesturing, hugging each other. They were safe. Longing to join them surged through his throat. He choked, struggling to resist the need to go home.
“Home,” insisted Qwip. “It is your home. It is your purpose. Fulfill your purpose, Noel. Take me in there now.”
With difficulty Noel managed to turn his head away so that he could not see his friends. “You do not belong. You are an intruder.”
“Comply with instructions!” shouted Qwip. “Comply with instructions!”
“I will not comply.”
Suddenly Qwip was before him, formless and white, a cloud that filled the time stream and all but blotted out the portal.
Something horrible passed through Noel. It was the feeling of fingernails across a chalkboard, magnified a thousandfold. He shuddered.
“You will be terminated!” shouted Qwip. “You have failed to comply with agreement.”
It was as he’d suspected. Qwip had been lying all along.
“Do it, then!” gasped Noel, struggling to hang on against the torture. He could see the portal closing. It was nearly shut. He had one last glimpse of the technicians dancing a happy jig with their arms across each other’s shoulders. “Do it!” screamed Noel.
Qwip changed color and shape. It rushed at him. The portal was nearly shut. Once it closed, the recall sequence would end. No traveler had ever been caught between when the portal closed, but Noel knew it was certain death. He had one chance left while Qwip remained external.
“LOC!” he commanded desperately. “Engage loop closure. Now!”
His LOC flashed once. “Acknowle—”
The portal closed. At once all was darkness and Noel was dropping through infinity. He had no way of knowing if the LOC had sufficient time to carry out his instructions before contact with the portal was broken. He had succeeded in keeping Qwip out. He had lost Leon, and as he continued to fall through infinity it looked as though he had lost himself.
I will keep falling forever through space and time, he thought. Until I cannot comprehend anything else.
This was eternity.
Epilogue
Noel fell through a sudden blaze of torchlight. He fell through layers of tissue paper and shooting sparks. He fell through the branches of a tree, still dragging the paper lanterns with him. Voices shouted in surprise over the loud swirl of music as he hurtled past. Then he hit water, murky and dark, and sank deep.
It was cold water, full of vicious undercurrents. Shocked by the sudden immersion, Noel kicked frantically and shot to the surface. Gasping and sputtering, he drew in a breath that was more water than air. He choked and nearly sank under again. The water tasted unspeakably foul, and when he cleared its surface a second time and snorted water from his nostrils, he smelled a stink of fish, decay, rotted timbers, and algae.
Above him came the sounds of laughter and merriment. The music pulsed on. Torchlight shone over him, making the water sparkle momentarily. Treading water, Noel glanced up and saw an arched span of bridge above him. Revelers in fantastic costumes, their faces hidden behind grotesque masks, shrieked and waved at him before dancing on in the procession that was crossing.
Noel waved back, laughing at himself. He had done it! He had managed to catch himself inside a loop. If he could never get back, then at least he had placed himself in the past. It was better than being forever lost in between. His friends at the Institute were safe, and perhaps one day they would be able to get the portal functioning again. In the meantime, he had to figure out where he was and start assimilating himself into this culture. For this was to be his home.
“Andiamo!” called a masculine voice. “Presto!”
A figure in costume was calling to him from the stone landing of what looked like a palazzo. Venice? wondered Noel, aware of baroque buildings towering above him. The water ran between them. It had to be a canal.
“Andiamo!” called the man in costume. He gestured urgently.
Noel swam to him, and strong hands helped him out.
Gasping and dripping water like a drowned rat, Noel flung his wet hair out of his eyes and grinned at the hideous mask. His rescuer stood mostly in shadow, but Noel could glimpse a satin and velvet doublet adorned with the quick sparkle of jewels. The scent from a pomander wafted on the air.
“Thanks,” Noel said in Italian. “I appreciate the—”
“Fool!” snarled the man. Without warning he gripped Noel by the lapels and threw him against a wall. “You will regret this, I promise you.”
“Hey,” said Noel in alarm, raising his hands. “Wait. I think there’s been a mistake.”
“No mistake,” said his attacker, and pulled out an ornate dagger. “Tonight you die!”
More from Deborah Chester
Time Trap
In the 26th century, chaos threatens to overwhelm civilization—but the historians on staff at the Time Institute are determined to change things for the better. Through first-hand recordings of the
greatest events of the past, they hope to reawaken the modern-day populace and restore its zest for achievement. The trouble for the Institute is that saboteurs have infiltrated.
The trouble for time-traveler Noel Kedran is that his mission lands him in the wrong place and century.
Medieval Greece is little more than a way-station for European knights headed for the Crusades. All but forgotten, this small pocket of history is awash in treachery as Greek bandits, French knights, and Constantinople's diplomats battle for supremacy. Caught in their clash to rule Greece, Noel fears that any alteration to the course of history could destroy his own time, until he meets a stranger who is his mirror image. This twin, as determined to destroy the future as Noel is to save it, will take both Noel’s fate and history into his own hands.
Showdown
Unable to return to the 26th century, historian and time traveler Noel Kedran struggles to repair the sabotage that keeps him ensnared in time's web. His evil twin Leon, created by the anomaly, works just as hard to prevent Noel from escaping the trap. Each attempt to go home lands Noel and Leon in a different era. Now, they're in the New Mexico territory in the year 1887—a harsh desert land plagued by lawless bandit raids, border wars, and fierce Apaches.
Although determined to preserve the fabric of history, Noel soon finds himself involved with the perils facing a ranching family. The ranch has been burned and a young girl abducted. If Noel can't find a way to rescue her, the altered time stream will change the future forever. That's exactly what Leon is hoping for. Which means that sooner or later, the two of them must have a showdown.
Pieces of Eight
In his attempt to return to the 26th century, historian and time traveler Noel Kedran is transported back to the Caribbean in 1697, where black-masted ships rule the treacherous seas and murderous pirates kill without mercy.
Stalked by enemies—including his evil twin, Leon—Noel fights to prevent a human sacrifice that could change history, and to stop his twisted twin before he destroys them both for a few glittering, golden pieces of eight.
Restoration
In his attempt to return to the 26th century, historian Noel Kedran is transported, alongside his evil twin Leon, to the squalid streets and royal palaces of Restoration England—and into the blazing heart of the Great Fire of London.
Amidst the inferno, Noel will distinguish himself as a hero, whose only hope is to get home to his own time. To do so, he will have to outwit the treacherous, equally brilliant Leon.
But how can any man hope to outwit himself?
Termination
In Renaissance-era Italy, as rival houses of nobility use deception and murder to gain power and wealth, historian and time traveler Noel Kedran struggles against the machinations of his evil twin, Leon.
Thrust into sixteenth-century Venice, Noel arrives just in time to step into a trap set by his mad double. Sentenced to torture for a crime he didn't commit, Noel attracts the interest of a sorcerer who wants the mirror-image twins under his control. He will plunge Noel into a shadowy realm of terror, madness, and death.
There's only one person Noel can trust to help him survive—the very twin who has pledged to destroy him.
The Children of Anthi
In the grand tradition of Dune, an epic of adventure and survival on a dying world.
Omari has violated every sanction of his world to hijack the Forerunner and blast his way through a black star to reach the Uncharted Zone—and freedom.
But on Ruantl, a toxic world lit by a black sun, Omari found himself hostage in an underground citadel deep beneath a radioactive wasteland. Here the enigmatic high priest and his horde of black-robed barbarian mutants guard an army of crystal caskets—and plan a bloody rebellion to save their race from extinction.
To survive, Omari has one chance. But does he dare undergo the ultimate sacrifice and become one of the CHILDREN OF ANTHI?
Requiem for Anthi
In the grand tradition of Dune, an epic of adventure and survival on a dying world
The world of Ruantl is nearly dead, its waters tainted and its land scorched by a poisonous black sun. Members of the Galactic Space Institute have crossed into the Uncharted Zone, eager to strip Ruantl of its gold and gemstones. They will not—and cannot—be stopped. Not by the few survivors of a dying race.
But one ancient lord is ready to fight back—even if he must reawaken the mighty goddess Anthi herself.
The Omcri Matrix
In the Planet Patrol, Costa was the best. The smartest, toughest, most ambitious officer in the ranks. Until the day the Omcri—a deadly alien force of faceless assassins—kidnapped the Kublai of Drugh, killing Costa's patrol but leaving her alive.
The brass think Costa has sold out. And now she's on the run, desperately trying to clear her name. Her search for the truth will lead her from the back alleys of her own planet to the savage dangers of unknown worlds—and finally, into the dark heart of the Omcri Matrix.
The Goda War
For eons, countless races have feared the godas, planet-sized doomsday machines that could destroy all time and space. But no one has ever dared unleash their awesome powers.
Until now.
Brock, dire-lord of the Held, is the only man alive who knows where the godas are hidden. As his empire crumbles, he vows to activate the godas—no matter what the cost.
But Brock has a rival: Colonel Kezi Falmah-Al of the ruthless Colonids. She too seeks the godas, to further her dreams of conquest. So begins the Goda War.
Now, not even the stars are safe.
Reign of Shadows
Caelan E'Non is the son of the land's most powerful healer, and is naturally expected to follow in his father's footsteps. Except Caelan feels a burning desire to blaze his own trail—and possesses a magic he does not understand.
Elandra Albain has been raised as a servant in her father's house. Her sister, Lady Bixia, has been pampered and spoiled, and is thought to be destined for greatness. But Elandra has a destiny all her own.
For as long as Caelan or Elandra can recall, Emperor Kostimon has ruled the land. For nine centuries his life has been sustained. But this wondrous immortality stems from a bargain with the very source of evil itself—from the dark lord Beloth. Now, as Kostimon's tenth and final lifetime begins, the shadow god is growing restless.
And so begins the REIGN OF SHADOWS.
Shadow War
For nine centuries the Emperor Kostimon has sat upon the Ruby Throne. The dark lord Beloth is responsible for his eternal existence. And what the shadow god has bestowed, he can easily take away...
As the aging Kostimon awaits the crowning of his empress, Elandra Albain, forces of evil conspire to destroy the kingdom of Imperia. Whispers of treason come from those closest to the emperor—including his own son.
Pure of spirit, Elandra remains untouched by the shadow god—but she senses his return. With darkness descending, Elandra finds her destiny joined with another's.
Possessing the magic of a healer and a warrior's might, Caelan E'non has risen from lowly slave to champion gladiator. And when the dark lord and his minions overtake the castle, he will find Elandra's life—and the future of the empire—in his hands.
Realm of Light
After nine centuries—and ten lifetimes—the Emperor Kostimon is dead, and darkness sweeps the land. The emperor's young widow, Elandra, has fled the shadows of war with her champion, the warrior Caelan—the man she has grown to love.
But is the emperor truly dead? Or can the power of the shadow god bring him back? Elandra must make a fateful decision—to fulfill her destiny on the throne, or to follow her heart. And the warrior Caelan must stand and fight—for his life, for his love, and for the entire kingdom.
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