Paradisus (Awakened Book 6)

by Harley Austin

  “You want me to stay on Paradisus.”

  “I do. Both you and Ty. The essence of the Masters themselves lies within you. It would be a shame to lose that.”

  “I can’t see her again?”

  “It’s not wise. I can sense what the two of you have. I don’t think I’ve ever felt two people more in love.”

  “I don’t know that I can stop seeing her, Brenda.”

  “You’re in love, Ethan. Anyone can see that. Ultimately, it’s your decision. Yours and hers.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She’s waffling. Just like you are. I’m not going to try to get in the middle of your relationship, Ethan. It’s none of my business. But Thea is still young, like the others. She doesn’t understand what she is yet.”

  “Do any of us?” Ethan asked.

  Brenda smiled. “Touché.”

  Ethan dropped his face into his hands, sighing heavily. He then looked up with somber worried eyes at the rings in the sky.

  “Ethan, I need you and Ty.”

  “Purple eyes. Yea. I heard.”

  “Thea’s not going anywhere. Maybe you two should just give it some time.”

  “It’s not going to change anything, Brenda. In a thousand years we’ll still feel the same about each other.”

  “But maybe in that time you’ll find a way that both of you can be together. At least you won’t be dead.” Brenda got up from the bench.

  “Is it—bad for people to be sad in paradise?” Ethan looked up at her.

  “Not at all, Ethan. We wouldn’t know happiness if we didn’t experience some sadness now and then.”

  Ethan nodded.

  Brenda turned to leave and then stopped. “I’m incredibly jealous to see you so drowning in love, Ethan. It happens so rarely. Even with the attraction. You two were made for each other.”

  “Thea’s pretty special, Brenda.”

  “I was talking about Ty.”

  He watched her walk off into the evening.

  46

  T he line out the door of the coffee house stretched around the block. Bette watched from her small office as people smiled and chatted within the lounge area bringing all kinds of things for Kira to sign with her Sharpie as the goddess mingled with the crowd. A pair of uniformed city police officers stood just inside the doorway as well. Bette didn’t really want police security in her shop, but she appreciated their presence. Not everyone that stood in line over the past several weeks had been there to wish the incognito goddess goodwill. Across the busy downtown street a small group of protestors carried signs calling Kira everything from an alien to a demon, even blaming her for what the government was doing in suspending the elections. Maybe in some way, all of their signs were right; but the sweet person smiling with her customers right now and giving them hope that the world could be a better place didn’t at all fit their descriptions of her. In some ways, Bette admired Kira’s confidence, her innocence, her independence, even her naiveté about the world around them. People were basically evil in Bette’s mind. Hypocrites of the worst kind. Selectively outraged by even the most trivial of events while the government inch-by-inch destroyed everything they actually held most dear. But for the moment, sitting her tiny store, Kira made them happy. Bette wondered how long the tiny ray of sunlight would last before someone who hated her did something heinous, and for no other reason than they hated her for being nothing more than who she was—someone just different than they were.

  “Are you Kira?” She heard a smooth masculine voice from behind her.

  Kira turned around. “I a—oh—” she stood stunned for a moment.

  A tall, Korean-looking guy smiled at her. The seventeen year-old had a slight but nice build in his young modern clothes, with a sharp, hip haircut that draped over part of his incredibly handsome face and piercing green eyes.

  Kira’s eyes were still a bit wide with astonishment. “—hi,” she managed to bumble out, a little stunned.

  Kira wasn’t the only one suddenly stunned. The young god couldn’t believe how melodious her voice was. He was suddenly struck with her unbelievable beauty. He could tell she was awakened but, wow, he suddenly wanted to kiss her—really badly. Somehow he kept his impulses at bay; but Jesus she was gorgeous.

  “Ah—hi.” He managed to say, fully awestruck. Both just stared at each other for long moments, until he gently lifted his finger to her chin to close her mouth.

  She swallowed.

  “I’m Tanner.”

  “Kira.” She spoke softly, beautifully.

  “Can—can you like, take a break, or something?” Tanner asked blinking, unable to believe the glory of the angelic goddess standing before him.

  Bette watched from behind the mirrored glass as Kira slipped off her apron and left the shop with some neatly dressed and very nice-looking younger Asian guy.

  * * * * *

  “OH! I can tell you what it is! It’s bloody insane, that’s what it is!” Rowan stormed around the catwalk not really paying any attention to the holo-image of their minified star system that Gage had just brought back up for them to study.

  “You can’t tell people what to do. Kira’s her own person.”

  “She’s gonna win a bloody Darwin Award, that’s what she’s going to do. I’ll put it on her tombstone, ‘I was a fucking idiot.’” He gestured with his hands as if framing a sign.

  Gage chuckled.

  “I spent the better part of five centuries hunting you people down and she just puts up a bloody billboard, ‘I’m right here. Kill me now.’”

  “Don’t forget Lisa,” Gage egged him on. “She’s actually on billboards.”

  Rowan glared at Gage. “Don’t get me started.”

  It was too late, Rowan was already fuming.

  “I wanted to show you this,” Gage began, changing the subject. “Kirin and I found something a little strange orbiting Mars. The moons aren’t exactly what they appear to be.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well, they’re more like captured asteroids, but their orbits are just a little too perfect.”

  “So you think they’re artificial?” Rowan watched as the star system map zoomed in on the orange-red planet.

  “Something scanned us as we approached.”

  “Like what?”

  “Don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s well hidden. Even with a full active scan we got nothing.”

  “Hmmm. Anything else scan you?”

  “We didn’t really get past Mars.”

  “Well, obviously, you set something off. Question is, what?”

  “Perimeter sensor?”

  “Right, but why the active scan? Passive should have been able to see who you were. Something didn’t recognize you until it actively scanned your vessel. What was it looking for?”

  “We thought about that as well. You don’t actively scan something unless you’re about to start shooting.”

  “Exactly. Active scan gives away your position.”

  “Rowan, Earth has sent all kinds of junk to Mars. It didn’t get shot out of the sky.”

  “That’s your answer, it’s junk, and unmanned. You two show up in a reflex-powered vessel. Manned and dangerous.”

  “So, why didn’t whatever was on Mars start shooting?”

  “Hard to say. Probably looking for indicators of where your vessel was from or maybe who was on it. Like when you and Savannah started exploring the sanctuary. You got scanned. Because you were Kir, it let you in.”

  “Assuming the ancients set this up, if this is some kind of sensor network, the Kir didn’t exist back then. Everyone was just Ra.”

  “Then it’s not looking for Ra, is it—”

  “What then?”

  “Gage, the sensor net didn’t recognize your vessel. It’s Kir all the way, which means it’s Ra all the way. Being Ra didn’t help you avoid an active scan. Whatever’s down there, on that moon, was preparing to blow the two of you out of the sky, Ra or not. My guess is, the only thing unusual on
that vessel—was you, mate.”

  “Because I’m Human?”

  “Because you’re more than Human.”

  “It was scanning for a Reborn?” Gage’s eyebrow lifted.

  “That would be my guess.”

  “But, the Reborn didn't exist even a thousand years ago, even five hundred years ago. How would the Masters know what to scan for?”

  “They wrote the prophecies, Gage. They knew your kind would be coming.”

  “Sure. But,” Gage pondered, “if the Masters were willing to blow their own ships away, who were they trying to protect us from?”

  “That’s a helluva good question, mate. I’m not sure we’re going to like the answer.”

  47

  T y and Ethan crested the top of the mountain. Both could see the inside surface of the dome was only another thousand or so feet above them. The air was frigid but not too cold. Several human cities dotted the valley on the other side of their ridge. Both dumped their daypacks and carved out some of the hard snow into places to sit while looking at the astonishing view of the cities in the valley below and the rings of Saturn on bright display above them.

  “How is Sofia now that she knows you’re sticking around?”

  “I think she’s happier.”

  “Happier?” Ethan took a drink out of very cold water bottle while looking askance at Ty. “Not ecstatic? I thought she was attracted to you?”

  Ty sighed. “She is—and to everyone else now as well. We’re in a city of newbloods, Ethan. Apparently she’s also attracted to this Cain guy. She likes him too.”

  “I’ve met Cain. He seems like a nice guy.”

  “He is a nice guy. Dick.” Ty winced a half grin at Ethan.

  “But she’s carrying your son, right?”

  “She is. But, we just got here. In the past few months, she’s gotten to know Cain really well. They’re even rooming together.”

  “Yikes. Is that going to be difficult with Cain hanging around?”

  “Probably. Cain’s like you—he still stuck with his Human culture. He want’s to get all monogamous with her and cut me out of the picture. He doesn’t even want me in their apartment unless he’s there.”

  “Really? He knows you’re the one who awakened her, right? You knew her long before he showed up. It’s not like you just up and abandoned her. Rowan took her from you.”

  “She knows that, and so does he. But, I know she still has some really bad feelings about me—because I just let Rowan take her.”

  “What were you supposed to do, just let him shoot you?!”

  “Probably. Been there; done that. I’m not sure what she thinks. The point is, I didn’t protect her. Now she thinks I’m a coward. I don’t know. Maybe I am.”

  “Ty, the dude murdered your family. Shot you up how many times already? I wonder how she’d feel if the shoe were on the other foot.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Well. You’re no coward, Ty. Not in my book.”

  “I guess paradise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Ty kicked the heels of his hiking boots into the icy snow to make for better footing on the steep slope. “What about you? Did you talk with Thea?”

  “Yea.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  Ty nodded.

  Ethan relaxed back onto the snowy ridge. “Your sister’s just so—incredible. So peaceful to have your feelings wrapped around. We just talk now, over the holo-com. I can see her, I just can’t feel her. Brenda says she’s dangerous. But I just—”

  “Ethan,” Ty broke in. “She is dangerous. And she knows she is. And somewhere deep down, I think you know it too, probably better than most people right now.”

  Ethan frowned and then nodded. “I know. She is.”

  “But I’m glad you two can still talk; even if you can’t be with each other.”

  Ethan nodded. “Paradise sucks.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  * * * * *

  Kira made her way through throngs of people on the downtown sidewalk and rounded the corner of a tall high-rise building on her way to the near bayside coffee shop. She was suddenly surprised to see bright orange barricades and a fire truck in front of the shop. A sinking feeling rose within her as she drew closer. The windows of the shop were broken out and the interior of it blackened and still dripping wet from the overhead sprinklers.

  “Oh, no,” she breathed quietly.

  She watched as Tanner left a crowd of bystanders and moved nimbly across the street toward her.

  “Kira,” he said, running up to her.

  “Tanner, what happened?”

  “Someone firebombed your shop early this morning.”

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. No one was inside for work yet.”

  “This is because of me, isn’t it?”

  “Kira, it’s because of idiots. You didn’t cause this.”

  “Tanner, I was the catalyst.”

  “People are morons, Kira. They can’t deal with the idea that their religion is being turned upside down.”

  “Church people did this?”

  “They spray painted a bunch of crosses and demon slurs all over the sidewalk.”

  Kira rolled her eyes and then started to leave.

  “Hey—where are you going?”

  “Home. I’m obviously not going to be going to work today,” she mumbled over her shoulder.

  “Kira!” he caught up with her. “I overheard the police asking about you. They wanted to ask you some questions.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “I’d don’t think it’s safe for you to go home.”

  Kira stopped and gave Tanner a wry look. She already sensed where this was going. “And where am I supposed to go?”

  “You could hide out at my place. No one would find you there.”

  She already knew where Tanner lived—Interra. He had a home in the city of the gods. She’d never been there. Few Kir had. The offer was tempting.

  “Tanner, I appreciate the concern, but—” Kira felt something suddenly moving through her feelings. Like someone else’s feelings were touching hers.

  Tanner could sense something odd within Kira. But then his danger sense was suddenly tingling as well. He turned to see her approaching them. Someone he already knew and instantly didn’t trust. Her lavender eyes were lit with psionic fire. Tanner’s eyes lit up as he pulled Kira close, surrounding her with his psychic protection. He didn’t know what good it do or how much protection it would actually give the two of them. His danger sense was telling him to run. The newblood witch approaching them was strong, much stronger than someone his age.

  “Well, well,” Amethyst began. “And what have we here?” She smiled wryly. “Kira and Tanner sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Did the sun gods send you to checkup on Trac’s little sister, Tanny?”

  He frowned at her. The odd thing was, that was exactly what he’d been asked to do. He’d been trying to get Kira back to Interra and out of the city. But Kira was, well, a little stubborn.

  “What do you want, Amy?” Kira glared.

  “Well, a latte, of course,” she bantered. “But imagine my surprise to find one of the Kir kids working here as well—in such a menial little job.” Amethyst roller her eyes. “I thought I’d drop by to see if I could get your brother’s number. Trac’s quite the hottie, you know.”

  “So it was you who bombed the shop?” Kira accused.

  Amethyst looked genuinely offended. “Oh, please, Kira, sweetie. I had nothing to do with this. I take out governments, not coffee joints.”

  Kira wasn’t buying it. Whenever the witch showed up, nothing good was about to happen.

  “But since we’re all here, perhaps you could do me a favor and autograph a little gift for me?” Amethyst pulled a small sleek black and gold pistol from her pocket. Kira recognized the Fifth-era Kir weapon immediately.

  Tanner moved himself in front of Kira, but the blonde w
itch gracefully waved her arm as something powerful gripped Tanner and pushed him out of the way, holding and binding him aloft against a lamp post the two of them were standing next to. Several feet off the ground, Tanner struggled powerfully against the psychic bonds, but even as strong as the newblood was, he couldn’t move against the power of her will.

  Amethyst handed Kira the gun.

  Kira glared at it. She shook her head, not taking the small arm.

  Then Kira felt something invisible take hold of her arm forcing her hand out. She fought the invisible force with all her might, but it was too strong. Amethyst set the pistol into Kira’s hand as Kira’s fingers involuntarily gripped around the weapon, holding it.

  Kira’s mind seamlessly linked with the weapon’s interface. Tanner felt and heard the pistol hum softly with a kind of high-pitched whine, as if something within the small arm had just energized.

  “I just need you to set the trinket so the little people can use it. Just anyone Ra, no biggie.”

  “No.” Kira glared.

  “Honestly, Kira, it’s just a little test. I’m sure you can.”

  “I’m not going to help you hurt people.”

  Tanner watched Kira, as if she were struggling within herself. He could feel Amy’s mind all over within her. Tanner struggled with everything he had to free himself and connect with Kira’s mind, but the witch’s will prevented him. Slowly he watched Kira’s eyes meet Amy’s. There was a blank expression on Kira’s face.

  “Remove the safety, Kira.” Amethyst spoke softly.

  Tanner heard the weapon change; felt the empathic interface disengage. The gun was wide open now. Amethyst lifted the weapon from her grip as Kira shook off the blank stare and now glared at Amethyst with a steeled narrow gaze.

  “Well, Kira, my dear,” Amethyst tucked the gun into her bag, “I do think your waitressing days are finally over. For you and your cute little boyfriend here.”