by D. N. Leo
“A little longer. As long as I don’t cry, I think it should be fine.” More tears rolled down her face.
“Is that even possible?”
“I’m not sure. How about you wait here, and I’ll go to my family to see if they can help.”
“Would they?”
“They’ve done it before.”
“Are they on the way to one of the royal domes?”
“Not quite. But in the same direction.”
“That’s good enough. Let’s go.” He headed toward the entrance of the dome.
“Are you going into the water, Tadgh?”
“I don’t have much of a choice. But you need to promise me that if we get attacked again and I can’t handle it, you’ll leave me and keep going.”
“I’m not going to lie to you—I can’t promise that.”
They approached the entrance of the dome. Tadgh switched on his eudqi and dove into the water. It was cool and calm and dark, but not as uncomfortable as he had anticipated.
He glanced quickly at the navigation on his wrist unit, which was telling him that they were heading toward a dome, and he saw a handful of domes a bit farther away, but in the same direction. Lavinia must be telling the truth.
Tadgh shook his head, trying to push his doubts about Lavinia and his burning need to go and find Jo out of this mind.
Lavinia entered a crowded dome. There was some kind of market or trading area at the entrance of the dome. A citizen could go in and grab a product or two and exchange a few things on the way. But even those who didn’t belong could trade right outside the gate without entering the dome.
Lavinia walked through the crowded market, and Tadgh followed her. Soon they arrived at a quiet and remote area that looked like a sleepy village. Sand and brick houses were stacked against strange-looking black rock hillsides.
She walked toward the end of the village and stood in front of a small farmhouse then spoke the first time since they entered the dome.
“Could you wait here, please? My family doesn’t care for strangers, let alone someone from another world.”
Tadgh nodded and walked away a short distance to give her space. Lavinia entered the house. As soon as the heavy black wood door closed behind her, Tadgh switched his eudqi back on so that his senses of sight and sound were super sensitive. He didn’t mean to spy, but he needed to know what was going on behind that door.
It had nothing to do his supernatural power, but his gut instinct told him something was about to happen, and it wouldn’t be good. Because if things happened as they were supposed to, this wasn’t the Nepolymbus he knew.
Chapter 15
It was dark and bitterly cold. Jo opened her eyes to find that her eyelids were the only thing she could move freely. She blinked repeatedly, but it still took a while for her to register what was around her.
She was on a bench on her back with her limbs chained to the four corners of a small cell and her head held in place by a metal headband. She switched on her internal microsystem and did a quick scan, and was relieved to find that there was no foreign chemical or substance being injected into her body.
She was flattered that the merworld people were being cautious because of her ability. But she wasn’t pleased that the steel chains cut into her flesh. She couldn’t even turn her wrists, let alone liquify anything.
“Are you the guest from Eudaiz?”
A female voice came out of the dark. Jo couldn’t turn her head, but she had a feeling the voice wasn’t coming from the same room.
“Who am I talking to?”
“I’m Faye, the chief of one of the labs here, and I had seen the data report of your visit.”
“You’re with the rebels?”
“I was before they put me in this cell.”
Jo chuckled. “So what can I do for you? Or maybe there’s something you can do for me? Because at the moment, I couldn’t even scratch an itch if I wanted to.”
“I guess they tied you up. They didn’t tie me. All I need is a distraction from your cell, and I can get myself out of here. Once I’m out, I can go get my people and help get you out.”
“Don’t you think they can hear what we’re talking about?”
“So you think we’re talking aloud in a real environment?”
Jo blinked. “Well, I don’t have the ability to pinch myself right now, but yes, that’s what I think.”
“No, guest from Eudaiz, we are talking in your subconscious mind. You’re unconscious.”
“What? Are you unconscious, too? Is whatever we’re planning now going to happen in real life, assuming that anything that happens in Nepolymbus is for real.”
She heard a soft chuckle. “No, guest from Eudaiz.”
“Jo.”
“All right, Jo. I am conscious, but I can communicate with your mind because somehow we have a connection. I felt it when they brought you in here. I can’t explain it just yet. I’m not just a lab manager. I am … let’s say, special.”
“How do I know you won’t let me rot in here after I help you get out?”
“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me. Anything is better than being tied up in that cell with no way out, right?”
Jo contemplated. It was true. She didn’t have anything to lose. But Eudaiz might be in serious trouble if she hooked up with the wrong people in Nepolymbus—anything from a spy bug in the system to losing critical pieces of information.
“I need to understand why we are connected before I can say yes to this arrangement.”
“How can I tell you what I don’t know, Jo?”
“Oh, I believe you do know. What kind of connection did you feel? Like a vibration of frequency, or a spiritual connection?”
“The latter.”
“All right, that narrows things down a bit. Who do you know that may have gone to the multiverse?”
“Too many to tell.”
This isn’t going to work, Jo thought. There were too many variables for her liking. She was here because Lorcan collapsed during a meeting with her in the Daimon Gate. And Tadgh had said it couldn’t be coincidental.
“Faye, do you know anyone from the Daimon Gate?”
Silence.
“Faye!”
“Yes. But it was a while ago, and I’d prefer not to talk about the person for his safety.”
“What do you mean?”
“All I can tell you is that the interaction I had with the person involved some manipulation of the time and space dimensions, and the manipulation wasn’t perfect at that time. Therefore I wish to leave that alone.”
“Understood.”
“Why do you ask about the Daimon Gate? Aren’t you Eudaizian?”
“I was at the Daimon Gate when I received the signal about this mission.”
“All right, then it might have something to do with the reason you’re here. I’m not going to ask you to reveal your mission. And I don’t want you to ask about the person I know in the Daimon Gate.”
“Agreed. So how can I create a distraction? The man or man-lookalike that put me in here appeared to be very powerful.”
“It must be Saiyan. It’s a big deal for the rebels to capture someone from Eudaiz. They don’t want to harm you, but they want to use you as leverage for connection with Eudaiz. Nepolymbus is at civil war. If they can establish a connection with Eudaiz, then they will have the upper hand on the royals.”
“All right, so keeping me alive is important.”
“Correct.”
“Once you get out, you need to find my husband Tadgh and let him know I’m here. Tell him I’m okay because the rebels are in no hurry to kill me. We were on our way to the royal central to see the king when the shell was attacked. Tadgh was injured, and Lavinia took him to a nearby dome.”
“The Gaxanxi’s wife?”
“Yep. Is there anything I should know?”
Silence.
“Faye?”
“I’m still here. And to answer your question, you need not be
concerned about Lavinia. She’s a good woman.”
“So can you do that for me? Find Tadgh and let him know where I am?”
“Yes.”
“All right, can I wake up now?”
“Absolutely.”
Jo gasped as she woke abruptly and opened her eyes. She was indeed tied up. But the cell felt far more real now.
“Guard!”
She heard footsteps and a door opening, and then a hulking creature hovered over her.
“I need water.”
It rolled the one eye in the middle of its forehead and left the cell. A short moment later, it came back with a glass of water. Jo held her breath, and as much as it disgusted her, she bit the hand of the creature when it held the glass to her lips. Startled, it threw the glass across the cell and whacked her in the head.
She let her eyes roll back in her head, and she shut her system down.
Controlling the systems of their entire body and temporarily shutting it down was an ability all Eudaizian commanders had, but they rarely used it because, while playing dead, they were totally vulnerable to whatever came at them. If they were killed for real during that time, there was nothing they could do to recover.
And now, she was dead.
Chapter 16
Kai squatted as low as possible behind a fence by the back courtyard of the Gaxanxi’s palace. Security was tight and almost foolproof. He had to give that to the royal army. Still, for a hunter of his caliber, it was not impregnable.
The creature at the rebel base had told him that Faye was captured by soldiers wearing dark red uniforms with three stripes on the right sleeves. They were members of the Gaxanxi’s private army, not the king’s army.
Why would they want to capture Faye? he wondered.
The dark red brick building stood tall in front of a pond, which Kai knew didn’t contain normal water. It was called the water of truth, notoriously used for prying information out of the enemy.
Unlike others, Kai didn’t think this use of the water was cruel. The Gaxanxi protected the highest levels of the government, so he would use anything at his disposal to ensure that nothing happened. The water didn’t hurt anyone. But for a proud soldier, leaking information was an unacceptable disgrace. Soldiers would most often kill themselves after being captured and made to drink the water. So, in reality, Kai supposed the water did kill people after all.
Faye was known as the chief scientist of the rebels. She was important, but Kai didn’t think she would attract attention from the Gaxanxi.
In no time, he approached the back door of the building and stepped inside. In front of him was a corridor, flanked by two rows of red columns coated in crimson gold from floor to ceiling. He chuckled at the ostentatious display of the Gaxanxi’s wealth.
From behind a column, a creature in a guard’s uniform stepped out. Kai couldn’t risk being captured. In a flash, he darted at the guard with a small dagger in his hand and slashed his throat.
“My apologies,” he muttered and quickly hid the body in a dark corner.
He had never been inside this building, but he had good knowledge of its construction style and military purpose. The left wing led to the basement where the prison cells were located. The right wing led to the executive suite. Standing at the fork, Kai turned right.
The central quarter of the building was more crowded. Guards were everywhere. This was not what he wanted. Kai exited, hopped onto the roof, and crawled toward the private chamber of the Gaxanxi. It didn’t take him long to get to the room.
Peering in from the roof, Kai could see through the open window that the Gaxanxi was by himself, working at his desk.
He waited for a while to ensure no guards were in the room, and then he swung his body over the edge of the curved roof and dropped down to the courtyard. He dove into the room through the window.
The Gaxanxi stood up immediately but didn’t raise any alarm bells.
“Kai—the greatest hunter in Nepolymbus.”
“I’m flattered. Just Kai will do. I guess you know why I’m here.”
“Of course, I know. But I’m surprised you didn’t head to the prison area for Faye right away.”
“I can’t be too predictable when dealing with the greatest commander in Nepolymbus.”
“Now I am flattered. But if you know my reputation, you shouldn’t mess with my wife.”
“What?”
“You attacked her shell when she was with our guests.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You work for the rebels.”
“No, I work with Faye. True, we work for the rebels, but they don’t own us, and we have no reason to attack your wife. Even if you think the rebels attacked Lavinia, capturing Faye wouldn’t do you any good. What do you hope to achieve by holding Faye captive?”
The Gaxanxi smiled. “You underestimate me, Kai. You don’t think I know who Faye really is?”
“She’s the chief scientist in the rebel lab. I am her hunter. Oh no! You didn’t capture her! You don’t have her at all because you could have made her drink the water to get the information you need!”
Kai backed out of the room quickly.
“It’s too late, Kai.”
The guards stormed into the room, holding Lex. His clothes were soaked in blood, and his arms were tied behind him. The rope was so tight that Kai was sure his shoulders were dislocated and would remain so until they loosened the rope.
Pain filled Lex’s eyes, but it wasn’t as prominent as the fear of what was coming next.
“What do you want, Gaxanxi? Lex has nothing to do with us.”
“Oh, but he does. He doesn’t know your secrets, but he knows those of the rebels. He has drunk the water, and now he will tell me. Then he will die a painful death. If you care for your friend, then tell me who Faye really is, and I’ll let you take your friend and leave.”
Kai had his hand on his dagger, but he couldn’t do anything. The guard had a sword against Lex’s throat. Kai didn’t think he could be faster than that sword.
The Gaxanxi smiled. “Now, Lex, I’m going to ask you a question, and then you’re going to give me the answer. Where does the Core store his maps of the locations of his weapons and army bases?”
Lex’s eyes were blood red, and he was trying to control his urge to tell the truth.
“All right, I’ll tell you. Let him go,” Kai said quickly.
As he saw the sword against Lex’s neck loosen slightly, he threw his dagger at the guard’s throat. He darted over, grabbed Lex, tossed him over his shoulders, and jumped out the window. He ran through the courtyard and then into a corridor, anticipating guards storming out at every corner. But he saw none.
Shit! he thought.
As he expected, an exquisite woman with a bow and arrow, the notorious mercenary coming from the multiverse, stepped out from a dark corner. In a flash, she shot an arrow at Kai.
He dodged. The arrow stabbed through his free shoulder.
With Lex on one shoulder, and the arrow in the other, he charged ahead. He made it out of the building, although he didn’t quite know how. He ran toward the dome entry. His shell was still there, hidden under a rock.
He dove toward the shell and shoved Lex inside. But Lex’s eyes had rolled up in his head. He was dead. Kai didn’t expect that not being able to give the answer when asked could actually kill a person. The wound on his shoulder was throbbing and bleeding. But the pain in his heart was unbearable.
He hated this war.
And for the first time in a long time, he wished Faye hadn’t taken him to Black Mountain to save him.
He wished she had let him die.
Chapter 17
A painful moan. Tadgh didn’t need to be psychic to know it came from Lavinia. His gut feeling was telling him that the people in the house built with black rocks weren’t good news.
He switched on his eudqi, dematerialized, and raced inside. The people in the house didn’t see him, but he saw them. He didn’t want t
o launch an attack right away because they were Lavinia’s family. But what was happening seemed to tell a different story.
The entire interior was made of steel and rocks, suggesting they might have something to do with the vamping business where silver and wood weren’t friendly substances.
Two men held Lavinia down. One stood over her with a wooden stick in his hands, pointing it at her heart.
Lavinia cried, and a blood tear rolled down her face. No further observation was needed on Tadgh’s part. He materialized and grabbed the stick before it could pierce her heart. He swung the stick around and stabbed the man who had been holding it in the neck.
He staggered back, his flesh sizzling. He melted down into a black puddle.
The house was chaos. The majority of the people were men. A small group of women and youngsters stood in a corner.
Tadgh helped Lavinia up and used the stick to ward off the others.
“Why is your family trying to kill you, Lavinia?”
“They aren’t my family. They killed my family and occupied the house. They killed everyone in my family…” Tears rolled down her face.
Somebody in the corner said something in a language Tadgh didn’t understand.
“Let’s go,” he told Lavinia.
She nodded. They withdrew toward the door. A group of five men followed them.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone. I’d suggest you stay inside the house. Lavinia, could you please translate?”
Lavinia translated what he said into what he guessed was Nepolymbian.
The five men charged at them. Tadgh pushed Lavinia out the door. He used the stick to fend off the attacking men, but they didn’t ease up.
One man broke away and leaped at Tadgh. He had no choice but to pierce the man’s heart with the stick, ending the life of yet another vampire.
The other four charged at the same time. They didn’t seem to understand that his eudqi gave him more power than that of a vampire. He might not have fangs, but he didn’t need them.
Tadgh dematerialized and rematerialized constantly. He sidestepped and reappeared around and behind the vampires. And then he killed them.