"It's such an honor to meet your ladyship in person," Samiah said after finally finding her voice and making a tiny curtsy.
Lady Lochiana waved a dismissive hand. "Please, drop the formalities. I gave up that life a long time ago. Here, I'm simply Lochiana." She glanced at Professor Shix. "I keep trying to make him drop the 'Lady' bit, but he's a stubborn man."
"I'm way too old to start learning new habits. No matter what you say, you will always be Lady Lochiana to me." Professor Shix gave her an elaborate bow in jest, which made Lochiana laugh.
She turned to Samiah. "Come. You must be eager to see our discovery. And bring a hovering chair."
When they reached the massive boulder and stopped in front of a somewhat smooth wall, Samiah thought they were taking a break. Odd since they had just left the camp. Lochiana ignited her chair and sat down, not bothering to use the sun reflector. Samiah traded looks with Malachiax, who seemed as confused as she felt. Maybe for different reasons, though.
"Why are we stopping?" Samiah asked Professor Shix.
He frowned at her. "Because we have arrived." He placed his hovering chair next to Lochiana's and sat down as well.
Silence descended upon the newly arrivals. Samiah studied the wall in front of her, but nothing was there.
Am I missing something?
"This is it? Where are the drawings and script?" Ianox asked.
Samiah caught Professor Shix exchange a knowing glance with Lochiana. They were keeping something from them.
"Should we tell them?" Lochiana asked, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"Nah, it's better if they don't know. I want to see their reaction."
"Know what?" Ianox dropped his bag and put his hands on his hips. His aura flared red and Samiah had to blink a couple of times to pull her gift back. It was hard to pay attention to the current situation when auras distracted her.
"If you want to know, you’d better wait and see." Professor Shix leaned back and stroked his chin, the corner of his mouth twitching up.
Samiah rolled her eyes. Professor Shix loved surprises, and sometimes he acted like he was still a youngster. She had learned to accept his ways a long time ago. Unfortunately, Ianox didn't have a learning curve.
There was nothing for it but to follow Professor Shix and Lochiana's example. They ignited their hovering chairs, sat down, and waited. Samiah felt bad for Malachiax. Even with the shades and the sun reflector, he was extremely uncomfortable. She reached for his hand and laced their fingers together. He looked at her and smiled, making Samiah’s heart kick up a notch. His hair was getting long, she noticed. He would be able to bind his wild curls fairly soon. For now, he kept his dark hair off his face with the help of the syno leather headband he had stolen from her.
"What do you think the professor is keeping from us?" he whispered near Samiah’s ear, raising the tiny hairs on the back of her neck.
She shook her head and tried not to think of the effect Malachiax's proximity was having on her. "It could be anything. I'm just eager to see whatever it is we're waiting for."
They waited a long while. Samiah even dozed off; the many sleepless nights she’d spent obsessing about the ancient scroll finally had caught up with her. When she woke up, she could feel a change in the air. It was sort of a humming just above the skin, like the air was charged with electricity.
Lochiana had perked up on her seat. She kept looking at her com-slip and then back at the wall. The sun had almost completed its descent on the horizon, and soon the first moon of Arcadia, Maya, would appear in the sky.
Malachiax must have sensed the same thing, as he stood and walked closer to the massive wall in front of them. Samiah followed him and, for some unknown reason, felt compelled to touch it. At first, she didn't feel anything. The surface was warm from the sun, as it should be. But then something changed. It was very subtle at first, but as it progressed, it was impossible to ignore. The rocky surface was growing cold at an abnormal speed.
"Mal, feel this."
He touched the stone wall and looked at her, alarmed. "It's freezing. How can it be?"
Samiah drew her hand from the wall when it started to turn glacial. She took a few steps back and pulled Malachiax with her. The wall began to shimmer, and like a vision, words and drawings appeared on it. They glowed in the same manner the nightbloomers did, but it felt wrong somehow. She got a sense of foreboding and shivered. Malachiax draped his arm over her shoulder.
"Isn't it spectacular?" Professor Shix exclaimed from somewhere behind them.
Walani, who had joined their party at some point, looked intently at the wall. Then she turned to Lochiana. "The scripture only appears once a day, and never at the same time?
"Yes, though so far we haven't been able to discern a pattern. It doesn't seem to be related to the sun’s or moons’ cycles. It only appears near nightfall. That much we were able to gather."
"It might be related to changes in temperature and humidity levels." Walani typed something on her com-slip.
"Yes, it's possible. Unfortunately, we didn't have a strong air elemental until now." Lochiana's gaze fell on Ariana.
Ariana crossed her arms and looked annoyed. "Well, if you hadn't kept us in the dark, I could have already paid attention to those factors."
"Ah, and what fun would that be?" Professor Shix hugged Ariana sideways, and she melted into his embrace. "Besides, I'm not concerned with the time the scripture appears. I want to know what it says. If it's a portal, how do we open it?"
"Oh, it's a portal. I'm sure of it," Walani said, and all eyes turned on her.
"You've already cracked the code?" Professor Shix asked, almost jumping up and down.
"Not completely. But see that symbol there?" She pointed at the drawing of a round image. It looked like a half-open shutter. "It appears on the ancient scroll and next to it the word 'portal' in an archaic version of universal Venusian."
"No, it doesn't. I've looked at the ancient scroll a dozen times, and that symbol is not there. I'm certain." Ianox crossed his arms and pinched his mouth.
Walani's lips twitched upward as she typed something on her com-slip. A holographic image shot up from her device. The quality of the hologram wasn't as good as if seen from a crystal table, but it was clear enough. In that image, they could see the symbol Walani had referred to. The catch was that the symbol hadn't been there before.
"How is that possible?" Professor Shix took a step forward and touched the symbol on the hologram.
"Remember when I mentioned that those random blank spaces through the scroll didn't make any sense? Well, I ran the scroll through the carbonox machine—"
"You did what?" Ianox took a menacing step toward Walani. "You could have ruined it!"
"If a paralyzed mummy like you had done it, yeah, there was a high chance that would have happened," Walani shot back, and Ianox's complexion slipped from pale white to red, his brown eyes squinting hard over his large nose. Calling someone a paralyzed mummy was akin to saying someone didn't have a single functioning brain cell.
"Okay, that is enough." Professor Shix came between Walani and Ianox.
Samiah would have laughed if she hadn't witnessed this a thousand times before. Ianox and Walani hated each other and were quite outspoken about it.
"Did Professor Shix have you check everyone's aura before they joined his team?" Lochiana whispered to Samiah.
She sighed. "Unfortunately, no. I wish he had, though. For a wise man, he doesn't believe in antagonizing auras. I would have vetoed Ianox in a heartbeat. His aura is too brown."
Lochiana nodded. "It never bodes well for a team to have a self-absorbed member. Ianox holds too much anger and blames the world for his shortcomings. If only he realized that anger is what’s keeping him from achieving his full potential."
Samiah was left speechless. Lochiana had seen all that with only a glance at his aura? Noticing her stupefied stare, Lochiana continued. "My gift is very strong. I can see more than auras."
&
nbsp; Suddenly, the discussion between Ianox and Walani no longer seemed that important to Samiah. "What did you see in mine?"
Lochiana put her hand on Samiah’s belly, surprising her. "You hold new life."
Chapter 2
The scripture and drawings faded from the wall as soon as Zidriel, the second Arcadian moon, joined Maya in the sky. Samiah and the group went back to camp. She couldn't wait to be alone with Malachiax and share the news. She never expected it to happen so soon. The mechanics of conceiving life were the same for Arcadians as for any other animal, but it only happened when the planet decided it was time. It usually didn't occur until couples had been bonded for more than a few years.
The process was an intrinsic flow of energy that connected all of them to the planet's core. The gift of carrying life was bestowed by the Sacred Powers of Arcadia, the true prevailing power. Arcadians didn't need to worship gods or goddesses like they had seen in many otherworld civilizations. Everything they needed was provided by their planet, and they cherished it instead.
Samiah and Malachiax’s tent was situated toward the edge of the camp, far away from all the comings and goings of the many explorers gathered. Professor Shix knew the weather of Mora was going to bother Malachiax and he would need peace and quiet to recover. Once inside their temporary refuge, Samiah handed him Ariana's concoction. It would help him with his headache, but Malachiax shook his head stubbornly.
"Please, don't make me drink this. You know I hate the side effects."
"The side effects are better than to be in constant pain, Mal." She forced him to take the bottle from her hands, but he still didn't drink its contents.
"Maybe later." He threw the bottle on top of his sleeping bag.
"Why are you so stubborn?" Samiah crossed her arms and frowned at him.
Malachiax gave her his famous lazy smile that turned her insides to mush before he moved closer. He placed his hands lightly on her forearms and gazed down. His dark blue eyes had tiny specks of light gray and looked like a miniature galaxy. His violet aura had a tinge of red. In Malachiax's case, it meant passion, not anger. He grazed Samiah’s skin with his fingers with a feathery touch, eliciting a soft moan from her lips. She uncrossed her arms and rested her hands against his hard chest, feeling how fast his heart was beating. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her neck, making her shiver.
"I saw you in deep conversation with Lochiana. Did she say anything about your aura?" he whispered near her ear, and she had a hard time forming coherent thoughts.
"She did." Samiah dropped her hands and laced their fingers together. Then she guided their joined hands to her abdomen and waited for his reaction.
Malachiax’s eyes widened before he looked down. She saw his posture turn rigid, and then his head snapped back up. Samiah’s heart drummed loudly in her chest as she waited for him to digest the news. She knew it was big and unexpected, and she became consumed with an irrational fear that he wouldn't be happy about it. Then she caught a tentative smile building on his face as the surprise sank in.
"You're expecting?"
She nodded, unable to form words. Malachiax’s tentative smile broke into the biggest grin she had ever seen. He crushed Samiah’s much smaller frame against his as if he wanted to drown in her. She felt him shake as he rested his chin on the crook of her neck, and she hugged him tighter, letting the emotion of the moment take over. Malachiax kissed her neck and her jaw before trapping her face between his hands. Tears had already left trails on his cheeks as he stared at Samiah with bright eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she tried to keep her own tears from falling. If she started crying, they would both be a sobbing mess.
"I love you," Malachiax said before he kissed her.
Samiah laced her fingers behind his neck and pulled him closer, but it never seemed to be enough. She felt the heat in her core spread through her limbs, and her legs could barely hold her upright. She staggered backward, mouth still fused with Malachiax’s, when the ground began to shake. She pulled back, breaking the kiss.
"Mal, control yourself." She faked a stern look.
"How can I? This is the best news you could have ever given me. It's worth a little shaking."
He kissed Samiah again and the world outside their tent ceased to exist.
The next morning, Samiah met Lochiana under the food tent. Malachiax was still asleep when she left, and she didn’t want to disturb him. The renowned explorer raised an eyebrow when she looked at Samiah, then smiled knowingly. Samiah felt a warmth spread through her cheeks and reconsidered her initial excitement at being in the same room with another aura-reader. Goodbye privacy.
"So, you've told him?" Lochiana filled her plate with a couple of red star-shaped fruits.
"Naturally." Samiah followed her example and got a serving of the same delicacy. They didn't have that in Argor.
They picked an empty table, and after a moment, Lochiana spoke again. "You're so lucky. I envy you."
Samiah almost choked on her food. "Why?"
Lochiana's gaze traveled past Samiah’s shoulder and went out of focus. "It's so rare to find one’s soul mate. I've always envied those who did. "
"But you've been betrothed before," Samiah said and immediately regretted it. That was gossip, and she didn't know if it would offend Lochiana somehow.
She gazed down and a low-spirited smile appeared on her face. "That's true. And the sad part was that I loved him."
"So why didn't you go through with the bonding ceremony?"
Lochiana looked up, and the melancholy in her eyes put a damper in Samiah’s happiness. "Because I realized he wasn't my soul mate. When the opportunity came to explore an uncharted galaxy—" She paused and glanced down at her food. "—it trumped all my feelings for him. If he had been my soul mate, the wish to stay would have been greater."
Samiah nodded, pretending she understood. Soul mates were almost a myth in Arcadia, so no one even took that into consideration when they decided to bond. Lochiana said herself that she had loved Lord Droom.
“Do you regret it?”
“Not in a million years. We discovered a cousin planet of Arcadia in that mission. I would have regretted if I hadn’t gone.”
“You mean Planet X-57?”
“Yes. The natives call it Planet Earth, which is odd considering more than half of its surface is covered in water.”
“I’ve read about it. I would love to go some day.”
“You will. So, do you already have names picked out for them?" The change of subject was so sudden that it took Samiah a moment to process Lochiana’s words.
She dropped her fork when she did. "Them?"
"I sensed two life forces in your womb." Lochiana smiled.
Samiah put her hands on her belly and stared at it in wonder. Malachiax was going to be ecstatic, more so than he already was. Twin births in Arcadia were considered a high honor. For it to happen to them so soon meant Samiah and Malachiax were truly blessed. Waiting for the ten months was going to be torture. Samiah was so engrossed with the news that she only noticed Mal's arrival when he sat next to her and kissed her cheek.
"What?" he asked. He must have seen the elation on her face.
Samiah told him, and he made such a big fuss that soon the entire camp was aware of their news. By the time they were finished receiving handshakes and congratulatory hugs, Samiah’s face hurt from all the smiling. The excitement even helped Malachiax with his headache because that day, he didn't grimace once in pain. On the contrary, he seemed more chipper than ever.
Samiah and Malachiax settled in the camp's routine. They would do research and explore the area during the day, and as night approached, they would gather in front of the wall to wait for the scripture to appear. Days ran together, and Samiah was frustrated and tired with the lack of results. Despite Ariana's power, they still hadn't been able to discern a pattern. And no one had gotten any closer to discovering how the portal worked. They already knew the language on the wall was old Venusian,
but it still didn't make any sense. Samiah’s mood grew worse when Malachiax came to her one day with more bad news.
"What is it?" she asked the moment he sat next to her. His jaw was clenched, his lips pressed into a white slash.
He propped his head up with a fist and handed Samiah his com-slip. She read the message twice to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Lord Droom's patience had expired, and he demanded their return to Argor immediately.
"But we can't. We haven't made any progress," she said.
"Do you think he cares? I think word got out that Lochiana is here. He's just doing it out of spite."
"He can't be that petty. They broke off their commitment so long ago. He's happily bonded to your aunt."
"The entire planet knows he doesn't love her. He bonded with Aunt Lini to save face. I don't hold that against him. After all, my aunt has always known his true love is Lochiana."
Samiah couldn't believe Lord Droom would put that slight from the past above Argor's interests. But that was the only explanation why he would demand their return so suddenly. They couldn't defy him. Argor was their home. Lord Droom could exile them if he wished.
"What are we going to do?" Samiah asked, not hiding the anxiety in her words.
"I can stall him for a couple of days. Tell him there's a problem with the gateway here. He'll know I'm lying, but he won't do anything. At least, I hope he won't."
She glanced at the wall and took a deep breath. "That means we must find answers soon."
Chapter 3
The news of Lord Droom's request spread like wildfire through their small team. Aron and Ariana were upset, but resigned. Professor Shix said he was going to stay no matter what. If Lord Droom wanted to exile him, so be it. Lochiana offered asylum to anyone who wished to stay and finish the project. It was a tempting offer to Samiah, but with Malachiax's condition, it wasn't something they could contemplate.
The next day, everyone worked harder. No one wanted to miss the moment the ancient portal was finally opened. But as usual, nothing new was gained during the day. Ianox in particular was taking the lack of progress harder than anyone else. He had bickered with Walani earlier and stormed off to an unknown location.
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