Fragments of Light

by Beth Hodgson

  “You think you can persuade other sectors?”

  “My old sector, Sector Four, would aid us, I am sure of it. My niece Vala has much influence in that court.” Auron paused, then lowered his eyes. “But as far as the other sectors, I do not know.”

  “And how do we get to the past?” Ayera asked. “We would need your niece to come with us. We have no blue-gifted here, and she is the only blue-gifted that we have connections with in any of the world sectors. We must pray with all our hearts that she will be willing to help us.”

  “Do not worry about that, Empress. I will ensure that she will help us.”

  Geeta cleared her throat gently, getting Ayera’s and Auron’s attention. “There is one problem, Empress. If the gifted travel back in time without the blood of the green, they would not be able to stay in that time era for long. Their bodies would disintegrate within minutes without that blood. You might have fifteen minutes at most. It’s the God of the Blue’s design, limiting how much power a blue-gifted has over the flow of time.”

  God of the Blue? Never had Ayera heard of that god before. Doesn’t she mean the God of Light, or his angels? This violet woman had some rather strange notions.

  “Maybe… this green-gifted princess could help us by offering her blood?” Ayera suggested quietly.

  Auron and Geeta stood in silence, slowly meeting her gaze.

  “Empress? You cannot be serious…” Auron said, aghast. “That is against the God of Light’s laws. The gifted cannot consume another gifted’s blood! You know that! You yourself have preached against it!”

  Ayera rubbed her eyes, feeling very tired. She had. She was completely against breaking any laws that the High Court and the God of Light had established. But everything had changed. No help from the High Court was coming, and her sister had consumed almost all of the magics, traveling back in time to disrupt everything, all to destroy the High Court and claim the throne, only to destroy the future of the planet in the process. This was no time to follow the rules. And something in her gut was telling her that the High Court could not stop her sister in this time if Ikaria succeeded.

  “Perhaps, Auron, it is time we reevaluate the rules. And time to break them. To do what is right.” Auron opened his mouth in protest, but Ayera continued. “I know exactly how you feel, and I don’t like it, just as much as you. But if my sister does make it back to our time, then we are all doomed, just as your vision states. We must do what is necessary to stop her in the past. Even if it is by defying the God of Light’s laws.”

  “What of this princess? She cannot possibly give her blood to an army of gifted,” Geeta said. “She would die as a result.”

  Ayera sighed heavily. Geeta was right. “Then we must fight until we disintegrate,” Ayera answered. “Perhaps if Vala can get us to the right time and exact place, fifteen minutes will be enough to stop Ikaria.”

  Auron’s troubled face met hers, while Geeta nodded in approval.

  “We will prepare our gifted,” Ayera said. “Geeta, we need you to find the Ghost Man. We will decide upon a time and place to meet you in the past. Meanwhile, Auron, you must travel quickly to World Sector Four.”

  “I can take you there. No need to travel,” Geeta offered.

  Auron turned to Ayera. “Should we tell the other gifted about what will happen to them back in time?”

  “It’s your choice. I will leave that up to you. Perhaps if you do, it will make them fight even harder.”

  “And what of the Emperor?”

  Ayera sighed. What was she to do with him? Ayera turned to Geeta. “Might I ask a favor before you and Auron leave?”

  “I would be glad to assist you,” Geeta answered.

  “It will not take long.” Ayera stood up, looking down on the two of them. “Auron, please fetch an orange-gifted whom you trust. Take whomever you select, along with Geeta, and find the Emperor. He has to be here somewhere, either dead or alive, masked by Ikaria’s magic. Once you have located him, lock him up if he is still alive.”

  “Empress… are you sure about this? He is our Emperor.” Auron shook his head in disbelief.

  “Yes, and he also has deceived us all. The God of Light take me now, but I believe my sister about Cyrus. Have Geeta and the orange-gifted spellbind and enchant one of our dungeons to hold my sister. We need a place that Ikaria’s magic can be contained.”

  “Empress, even with that combination, she might still be able to overcome an enchanted room,” Geeta said.

  “Do whatever you can. We need her somewhere where she can meddle with our sector’s affairs no longer. That is, if we succeed in the past.”

  “Right away, Empress,” Auron said.

  “Send word when you find Cyrus, Auron. I have many questions for him if he is truly alive,” Ayera said, nodding politely to the priest and Geeta, then dismissed them before they bowed and walked out.

  Yes, she had many questions for her husband indeed.

  ***

  “Your Majesty, we found the Emperor. He is alive. Auron and the violet-gifted woman are with him now.”

  Ayera shot up from her chair in her council room, throwing down a missive that she had been attempting to write. “Where is he, Lord Jian?”

  “He is in Sorceress Ikaria’s chambers, Empress.” The orange-gifted bowed, his sparkling mandarin-orange eyes meeting hers. “It appeared that he was being held hostage. He was bound with your sister’s magic, and well…” The lord cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.

  “And?”

  “He was completely nude, Your Majesty,” Lord Jian answered, turning red in the cheeks. “And masked with an illusion spell, I might add. The violet woman is holding him with her magic now.”

  Ayera frowned. So her husband just couldn’t help himself. Had Ikaria had her way with Cyrus just to stick it to her? Or was it all a trap to get Cyrus to step aside?

  Not wanting to think about it any further, Ayera turned to Jian. “Thank you for your assistance, Lord Jian. Take me to him now.”

  Jian bowed, then moved toward the council room exit, waiting for Ayera to follow suit. They walked swiftly through the corridors until they came upon Ikaria’s chambers. As Lord Jian opened the door, Ayera immediately saw Cyrus’s face, and he had light pink hair and magenta eyes.

  He was angry.

  And just like Lord Jian had said, Cyrus was naked, bound by a magical violet cord. Auron was in the room, averting his eyes while Geeta stood beside the chair holding Cyrus with her magic, funneling her violet power into the cord.

  Cyrus turned to her immediately, his body struggling within the confines of the magic.

  “Ayera! What is the meaning of this? Why have you not set me free? I demand you do so at once!” Cyrus barked. “Or are you working with your sister, too?” His spiteful eyes narrowed.

  Ayera raised an eyebrow, then glanced at his naked flesh. He looked so pitiful. She could only imagine Ikaria gloating over Cyrus’s woe and humiliation.

  “Why are you naked?” Ayera asked innocently. She knew why, and she had always pretended not to notice Cyrus’s lust for other women. But it couldn’t be helped. He was such a fool, and she wanted him to understand how foolish he had been for deceiving her.

  “Your sister tried to seduce me, that witch!” Cyrus snapped. “I knew she was nothing but trouble! If only you had listened to me about heeding the High Court’s counsel, we wouldn’t be in this predicament!”

  “You mean you wouldn’t be in this predicament,” Ayera corrected him.

  “Now’s not the time to get smart with me, Ayera. Have them unbind me right this instant!”

  “No,” Ayera stated firmly. “You are under arrest for treason.”

  Cyrus scoffed, his face a mask of incredulity. “On what grounds?” He laughed as if she’d just told a joke.

  “For conspiring with the other orange-gifted to conceal your identity. That is a big offense in our world sector. You know that.”

  Ayera knew he was secretly involved with the
High Court, but she had to tread carefully.

  “The High Court gave me their approval to do so!” Cyrus argued.

  “Well, in order to corroborate your story, I must send an envoy to the High Court and see if what you say is true. In the meantime, you will be locked up.”

  “This is ridiculous! You think you will lock me up?” Cyrus spat. “Go ahead, make enemies with the other world sectors! The High Court will excommunicate you, you shall see! Maybe then I will be rid of a stiff little bitch such as yourself and get myself a wife of my choosing!”

  “Your Majesty?” Auron said quietly from behind as his mouth dropped in shock.

  Ayera frowned. His words didn’t hurt, but they did ring true. She really was a stiff woman. Did everyone see her like that?

  Geeta noticed her expression, then gave Cyrus a hard kick in the shin. “I know many men like you. All have seen unfortunate ends,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Don’t trouble yourself, Geeta,” Ayera said. She turned to Cyrus. “Before we put you away, I must know why you chose to hide your power. Why do so? It is such a waste of time. Your whole life a facade! We are free peoples of magic; it serves no purpose for you to hide.”

  “To hell with you if you think I’m going to answer!” Cyrus spit out.

  “Does it have anything to do with the ‘blessings’?” Ayera asked slowly, suspicion growing in her mind at his reaction.

  Cyrus paused, just for a split second, but that second was enough to confirm it.

  “I answer to no one but the High Court!” Cyrus said.

  “You are correct, Your Majesty,” said Geeta. “It does have to do with the blessings. I can feel his power; it is foreign, something he wasn’t born with.”

  “You don’t know anything, witch! That’s what all the violet-gifted are! Witches!”

  “Take him away!” Ayera ordered.

  Geeta funneled her violet magic to the Emperor, forcing his body to stand. As they walked out of the chambers, violet magic floated through the air, picking up one of Ikaria’s bedsheets, then made its way back to the Emperor, covering his lowers.

  “Auron, before you leave,” Ayera said.

  “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  “Make sure Lord Nathan rotates his team of guards on the Emperor.”

  Auron bowed. “Yes, Empress.”

  “Please hurry yourself to World Sector Four. Time is running out, and we need far more gifted than what we have. I will pray for your success. Heavens know, we need it.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  ORANGE

  Why did she create images of the same man, over and over again? Always the same pigmented colors of the spectrum’s wavelength. 620-750 nanometers.

  Malfunction.

  There were sixty-two pictures in total. Sixty-three after she finished this one.

  Drew watched silently as the princess confidently painted with each brush stroke in shades of red on her canvas. How she worked was like how his memories were returning to him. Patches of paint slowly formed an image, like a camera lens that was blurry, now coming into focus. It was like his dream, the same one he had been having since his awakening. Slowly, the dream was starting to make sense to him, but he hadn’t quite figured out all the details. The green jewel he needed to replicate one hundred times.

  He figured out it was the princess that he needed to replicate, but why?

  Malfunction.

  What purpose would it serve?

  Drew glitched at the thought.

  He’s trying to think like a human… said a voice, laughing within the network. Don’t we all wish we were human again?

  Ignoring the voice, Drew continued to watch the princess Emerald. This man that the princess painted, he was the same man who Drew had fought when he had been ordered to capture her. To Drew, it seemed that she didn’t want to be taken away and escorted back to her home. But who was he to stand against his orders? It was hopeless even if he tried—his programming wouldn’t allow it. Like the other voices in the network said before, he was no longer human. Only a fraction.

  But something was bothering him on the inside. He had felt compelled to help fix the princess’s drawings. It wasn’t an order, but it wasn’t necessarily going against his programming either. He had a strange feeling… He’d wanted to help her. It felt good to his circuits, and right on the inside.

  Telly. He had just started to remember their past before she left the lab. Just mere fragments, but it was enough for him to piece the memories together to give him enough information. The corporation. They took her away from him. Inside, he felt no joy, only anger toward the company. And what about Gwen? What had happened to their daughter? He had so many questions to ask Telly, but she was gone now, and he was at the palace, ordered to guard the princess.

  Drew convulsed at his thoughts, which caused him to flash orange in and out of view like a broken screen.

  The princess looked up from her painting, eyes concerned.

  There he goes again, said another voice in the computerized stream. Trying to process his past…

  It’s useless, an electronic voice called out in the network.

  “Are you… okay?” Emerald asked, pausing.

  Drew blinked with his good left eye, suddenly aware she was talking to him. He nodded, using the only form of communication he had. Telly had the tablet.

  “You scared me for a moment. I keep forgetting that you are there.”

  He did too. Half of the time he lived in his dreams, where he felt more real than reality itself.

  The princess faintly smiled, then turned her attention back to her picture, working swiftly.

  The princess. The dreams are always of the princess. And the darkness. Every dream, it showed Drew what he needed to accomplish: to replicate the princess. The last dream he had, she was traveling to another time. But he couldn’t let her. There was darkness beyond the portal of time. He had to protect her from the darkness. He copied her one hundred times, filling the skies of Arcadia.

  We need her one hundred times… echoed the voice in the dream.

  One hundred times… I need to replicate the Princess one hundred times, Drew thought.

  Malfunction.

  Are you trying to override your programming? called out a voice within the network. Because if you are trying to have thoughts outside your capabilities, it will result in overload.

  Do you know about my dreams? Drew asked the network.

  Dreams? Machines don’t dream, laughed another voice. We just sleep.

  I don’t! Drew argued with the voices. My dreams tell me that I have to replicate the princess one hundred times!

  Good luck with that, another voice said.

  I can do it, Drew insisted. I have been given the gift, as records state. 590-620 nanometers in color. I just need to figure out why, and I can do it!

  There is no why. We don’t question. We follow orders, replied the voice.

  There is no free will with the master, said another voice within the stream.

  Who is the master? Drew asked the voice.

  He doesn’t know the master? an incredulous voice asked.

  The one who gives the orders.

  But anyone can give us orders! Drew argued inside the network.

  Not just anyone. The one who has the master gauntlet. It controls us all, overriding anyone’s orders…

  Master gauntlet?

  The master lies dormant right now. But he will awake soon. We are on standby.

  Drew shuddered, trying to process what it all meant. Who was the master?

  The more he tried to process who the master was, the more he flickered nonstop like a fading star. The orange magic that pumped through his veins became so intense that Drew was on the brink of going into shock. Shaking violently, sparks began to shoot out of his circuitry as he swung wildly at the wall with his metal hand, trying to stabilize himself. Instead, the metal hand screeched against the wall, missing his grip entirely and falling to the floor.


  The princess stopped painting while her handmaiden backed away into a corner, holding her hands up for protection. Her hands would not stop his magic. Humans didn’t use logic in dire situations, Drew had come to realize. Their actions were the results of their emotions. This handmaiden was acting on fear.

  In a split second, the princess extended her hand, summoning a translucent green-yellow half-dome barrier in front of her. Funneling her power through her hand, bright-green magic pulsated into the protective dome, strengthening it.

  Slowly, she walked toward him as the sparks from his orange magic bounced off her transparent shield. Drew continued to shake, watching her approach with caution. She lowered her body to meet his, then reached out her other arm, the one that funneled no magic.

  Through the sparks emitting from his body, Emerald laid a hand on his arm, a friendly gesture to calm him. Her touch… the feeling of her hand gave him a sense of peace, a tranquil sensation that someone cared.

  Drew’s heavy breathing subsided while the sparking from his circuitry slowly came to a halt.

  An awareness came over Drew. The princess cared about him, and she wanted to help him. How could he possibly know that? His program scan didn’t tell him, and she didn’t say. It was a feeling… a knowing.

  He jolted again.

  “What have they done to you?” the princess whispered, staring deep into his good eye, wisping away her barrier.

  Malfunction.

  “Why did they make it so that you can’t talk?”

  Drew cocked his head at her, unsure of how to answer. All he could do was continue to breathe from his episode.

  “Well, I’m going to fix that. Or at least try,” she said firmly. She hesitated, then continued, “That is, if you will allow me to.”

  Fix me?

  Drew nodded in response, waiting curiously for what was going to happen.

  Princess Emerald closed her eyes, laying a hand on his throat. Drew could feel the coolness of her skin against his hot flesh, alleviating the heat from within. With a sudden burst, a green glow began to beat brightly in her hand. The magic burned into a bright whitish-green color, basking the whole room in its light.