Prism (Awakened Chronicles Book 3)

by Harley Austin

  “You mean Wynn?”

  “Mostly Wynn. Parker’s kind of keeping him busy while we talk.”

  “Oooh, a conspiracy. I want in.” She grinned.

  “It’s not much of a conspiracy, Bryn,” Romero assured. “But after feeling the attractions of all of the others, Tyler needs to be awakened by me, Parker needs to awaken Wynn—”

  “And Brooke?” O’Brien asked. “Who’s going to awaken her?”

  “That’s just what we were discussing. All of us are attracted to her.”

  “She just needs to be gang fucked,” Brayden quipped.

  “You did not just say that,” O’Brien glared at him.

  “I didn’t mean maliciously, I meant we’re all equally attracted to her. I guess it’s her alien biology. You can’t even resist her, Bryn.”

  O’Brien nodded. She wondered what Brooke would say about all of them ganging up on her, or with her rather. They’d sort of ganged up on her before back in the ice hotel. It had already happened a couple of times. She seemed to revel in having all of their attention.

  “I think I’m more worried about Dade,” O’Brien offered.

  “We were discussing him too.” Brayden assured.

  “Do you like him, Cierra?” O’Brien asked.

  She offered an emphatic nod. “He’s cute. I love the buff bod.” Her eyes scanned him walking beside Parker just ahead of them.

  “Are you still attracted to him now that you’re awakened?” Brayden asked.

  “Not like I am to Brooke or you two.”

  “That’s what bothers me,” Brayden frowned.

  “You don’t need to be biologically attracted to fall in love with someone, Bray. People fall in love all the time who aren’t attracted.”

  “They do? It seems like it would be a disaster looking for someplace to happen.”

  “No, just the opposite. Attraction creates relationship disasters. Believe me. It happens all the time with the demigods. Better to find someone you have an emotional connection with rather than a physical one.”

  “How do you tell the difference?” Brayden asked.

  “Look at you and Parker. You guys like to do stuff together.”

  “You mean besides just fuck—”

  “Exactly. You’d still want to hang out together even if you weren’t physically attracted.”

  “I get it.”

  “I’d like to try to get to know Wynn better,” Romero offered, “but he keeps putting distance between us.”

  “I think he’s still really hurt, Cierra,” O’Brien consoled. “But I think he’ll come around. I know he wants to be awakened—so he can be with you.”

  “What are the others talking about?” Wynn asked Parker in their own private conversation.

  “You and awakening the others.”

  “Can they hear us like you can hear them?”

  “No. They don’t know I’m listening in.”

  “You’re a one-god CIA mess, Parker. Remind me to call on you first the next time we pick teams.”

  “I’m already on your team. I have been since day one.”

  “I guess. I’m more a mess than you are at the moment.”

  “Probably.” Parker grinned at him.

  “I shouldn’t tell you this, but, I had a dream about you the other night?”

  “You did?” Parker wondered what sort of dream Wynn’s nascent genes might be able to conjure. “What about? Like a premonition?”

  “Nothing like that. More like a wet dream, actually.”

  “Dude, and you didn’t invite me?” Parker smiled.

  “Oh, you were invited alright. I had to clean myself off after I woke up.”

  “Nice. Wish I’d been there.”

  “Parker—”

  “Hmmm?”

  “It was nice.”

  “You didn’t try to fend me off of you?”

  “No. I know it was just a dream, but, no. It felt nice; really nice, actually.”

  “Like ‘you’d want to do it for real’ kind of nice?”

  “I think—yea.” Wynn didn’t look at him. But he did squeeze his hand as both walked across the still lake waters. “I would want to do it for real.”

  “I could just cut myself.”

  “No. The rest of us awakened doing it.”

  “I’m not marrying you, Dade. Just so you know,” Parker joked.

  “Buddy, that sentiment is mutual; but, I’m not going to ignore the natural attraction. Not anymore. It’s there for a reason.”

  “You’re really hot, Dade. Bray’s mentioned that to me a few times as well.”

  “Oh, Jeeze, not both of you—?”

  “Hey, Winter—” O’Brien broke into their conversation audibly. “Is that a light in the distance?”

  He turned his attention toward the horizon. “Yea, you’re right; it is.” Parker’s eyes flared as his mind clairvoyed the thing generating the light miles and miles away in the distance. At first he thought it might be a large illuminated tree, but it was just too big an way too tall. Then the thing came closer into his clairvoyant view. “Holy Jesus—”

  “What do you see, Winter?” Lear moved up beside him. She couldn’t see whatever it was, but hope was rising within her.

  “It’s—a tower. Like a building or, lighthouse or something. It’s huge.”

  Lear was suddenly jumping up and down like a schoolgirl. “We found it!”

  “Found one what?” Parker suddenly found himself being pulled along the surface of the ocean-sized lake by Lear.

  “Run. Now. Quickly! We found it!”

  “It’s got to be fifty miles away, Brooke. Some of us can’t run that far.”

  “Then carry us!”

  “With our backpacks?”

  “Forget the backpacks and the supplies. Run with me. Now! PLEASE!”

  “What is that thing?” Parker asked.

  “A tower!”

  “I can see it’s a tower, what is it?”

  “A way out!”

  Parker dumped his backpack, tossing it without watching it splash and sink into the depths as he began running with Brayden and Lear. Brayden’s pack splashed into the water as well, even though it had been holding the last of their MRE’s.

  Wynn was taking his pack off as well next to Romero and O’Brien, the only two keeping the rest of them from sinking at the moment. “Dump the gear guys. We’re following Parker and Brooke.”

  57

  W ynn held on to Parker’s back while the others rode on the backs of Brayden and O’Brien. Lifting off the surface of the water, the four gods rode a telekinetic wave just inches above the surface of the water covering the miles and miles of distance in hours instead of days.

  All of them slowed as they approached a massive circular spire that was still miles away, but it lit the whole area of the waters with a soft white-blue glow.

  “What is that thing?” Brayden asked, looking at the miles-high structure. He looked at Lear riding on O’Brien’s back.

  “An anchor.”

  “Anchor? Anchor for what?” Parker asked.

  “Eons ago the Yin anchored their worlds, one to another. This is one of those anchors.”

  “Anchored? You mean like a portal?” Parker asked.

  “Yes!” Lear grew more excited the closer they got to the huge structure.

  “Where does it lead?” Romero asked.

  “Away.”

  * * * * *

  “What the fuck—?” The lead agent looked upon the illuminated tower for the first time over the drone’s video feed.

  “That’s why I asked you to come to in here, Commander,” the pilot moved the tiny air craft higher and higher to get a better pan of the mammoth structure. “Some kind of tower structure. It’s made from the same stuff as the big crystals, but—”

  “It’s not natural. That’s for damn sure. Not even,” the agent watched the images pan by. “Who the hell built that?”

  “Beats me? The Sentinel gods maybe?”


  “It has to be. No way this is even remotely Human. Get me an uplink with the Director. He needs to see this.”

  * * * * *

  The depth of the massive subterranean great lake seemed to grow more and more shallow until all of them could see the bottom of a submerged shore, but instead of rising up to a sandy beach, the waters, now only a few feet deep, plunged and spilled over the side of a miles-wide circular falls all around the illuminated crystalline tower.

  All of them hovered just above the fast current that drew the waters down into an illuminated depth of mist and darkness none of them could see the bottom of. The height of the miles-wide tower jetted upward out of the steaming abyss and into the ceiling of the cavern some ten or more miles above them.

  “There—” Lear pointed up. “That terrace. It should let us in.”

  With telekinetic tendrils, the four gods, three with passengers on their backs, moved as if in flight across the massive chasm and lit smoothly onto the rail-less terrace that encircled the magnificent structure. All stood looking out over the ocean-like lake that flowed down into the abyss all around the tower.

  “Who built this thing?” Tyler asked looking all around at how the mammoth great crystals had been neatly and precisely arranged like towering bricks to form the outside walls and arches.

  “The Architects built it.” Lear offered.

  “You mentioned Yin earlier?” Brayden asked.

  “I did. Let’s go inside. I’m getting hungry.”

  “Yea, well, we just tossed what little food we had left.”

  Lear giggled as she turned and disappeared into the solid wall of the structure.

  * * * * *

  “This is not of Ra design, Rigel, I assure you.” Athena marveled at the structure. It’s complexity and its simplicity.

  “Then who? Who could build such a structure?”

  “Perhaps,” Hades mused, “this is the first real sign we’ve actually seen of the Yin?”

  “The Yin are no more, my friend,” Solis countered. “They were destroyed, eons ago.”

  “No one said they survived. I merely offered that they built it. Many of us have long speculated that this might be an ancient Yin homeworld. Perhaps this is evidence of our theories?”

  “I see no reason to dismiss such a speculation,” Rigel offered. “The question is now, what to do with it?”

  “Where are the newblood renegades?” Athena asked.

  “They appear to have entered the structure—with ease I might add.”

  “Then the structure recognizes their Yin heritage. Interesting,” Hades mused.

  “You continue to assume, my friend, that these newbloods are somehow the reincarnation of the Yin. I would not be willing to make such a bold assumption.”

  “Think whatever you want, Solis,” Hades nodded up at the images of the tower, “I was right about sun gods and I’m not wrong about the origin of these newbloods. Aden is a Yin homeworld. This is now confirmation of that. At least it is to me.”

  “We need to test your theories. These—”

  “The two of you can take your bickering elsewhere,” Athena interrupted. “The structure will reveal its secrets to us in due time. Rigel, who else has entered the tower?”

  “No one has been able to,” Rigel scowled. “It appears to only recognize newbloods at this point.”

  “Like the knowledge of the Masters,” Athena nodded, not looking happy.

  “And the Masters’ weapons we encountered surrounding Luna,” Artemis reminded. “We are imprisoned here because of their menace.”

  “Agreed. Rigel,” Athena continued, “summon a scout, the newblood called North. He should be able to enter the structure like the others. Be sure he is aware that his mission is only to scout, not to engage. He can be a little hard of hearing at times.”

  “Understood. I shall make sure he is made well aware of his duties.” Rigel bowed.

  * * * * *

  Just beyond the thick wall of the grand tower, a beautiful white stone terrace spread out before them, like they’d stepped into Heaven. All walked to the edge of the inside terrace looking up and down at its huge hollow interior and a soft mile-wide stream of flowing scantling golden light that ran up to another structure high above them at the ceiling and down into the abyss further than even the newblood gods could see. The sight held their breaths as beyond beautiful.

  “I think I just died,” Tyler mumbled, beholding the ominous light as if it were God.

  “I know,” Lear began, “I love visiting the anchors. They’re so beautiful. Each one different. Aden’s are the most beautiful I’ve seen.”

  “What do they do?” Parker asked, still unable to take his eyes from the soft golden light.

  “They connect the Universe. One homeworld to another.”

  “Homeworld—” Wynn marveled. “Of these Yin you were talking about?”

  She nodded. “They are the Architects. Or, were, rather.”

  “What happened to them?” O’Brien asked.

  “No one knows. At one time the Yin were our guardians, the most benevolent force within the universe. But then the Ra appeared,” she frowned. “They grew more and more powerful until even they challenged the ability of the Yin. Some say the Ra hunted down and destroyed the Yin.”

  “Brooke, we’re the Ra!” O’Brien posited. “You’re saying our ancestors committed genocide and killed the people who built this place?”

  “I’m not saying anything, Bryn. I’m just telling you what I’ve heard. I don’t think the Ra are capable of destroying the Yin. But maybe they did, who knows?”

  “I’m not liking this Ra heritage of mine all of a sudden,” Brayden quipped.

  “You are what you have been made, Bray,” Lear consoled, “but your heritage doesn’t determine your future. Only you can do that.”

  “It’s no fun suddenly finding out your family were Nazis,” he grimaced.

  “It doesn’t matter what they were. It only matters who you are now,” she affirmed.

  “Brooke’s right,” Wynn agreed. “We had no control over what happened in the past. What we do have control of is what we do now. And what kind of future we leave for the others who will come after us.”

  “You sound like my own people, Dade,” Lear complimented, giving him a smile.

  “Brooke, is this place how you got here?”

  “Hmm hmm,” she nodded. “But not this particular anchor. There are others. Some worlds have just one, others have many, like Aden.”

  “These Yin must have been powerful.” Romero was still astonished looking at the light.

  “We’re all children of the Yin, Cierra,” Lear offered. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be standing here.”

  “How is that, Brooke?” Parker asked. “What do you mean children of the Yin?”

  “Look at us,” Lear met eyes with all of them. “We all look the same. Our heritage is Yin. Every Human on this world looks like the Yin. When my people began life on our world, we were like this,” she lifted off her shirt, revealing her tattoo. “Primitive life. Somewhat intelligent, but not like we are today. Your own people began life as something else, just like we did.”

  “Primates? Are you saying these Yin were the one’s responsible for evolution?” Wynn scrunched up his nose.

  “Interesting—” Parker’s mind easily understood what Lear was telling them. But Wynn still seemed to be struggling with the concept, or at least his religious culture was struggling. “Let us make man in our image.”

  “These Yin are not God,” Wynn countered.

  “They were gods,” Lear revealed. “To us and many of the worlds they visited, that’s exactly who they were.”

  “That’s not exactly my idea of who God is,” Wynn countered.

  “We don’t know what God is or isn’t,” O’Brien added. “I’ve been to church as well, Dade. And at the end of the day, even the Church will all admit that they don’t know who or what or even where God came from either. They just follow their
traditions. That’s all they know.”

  Wynn wasn’t going to argue the point with a goddess. He’d been struggling with his Dominion faith ever since meeting Elizabeth Connor and the Dark clans. He was still trying to make sense of it all. The one thing he was discovering was that he had a very bad taste in his mouth over what he’d been taught in Dominion synagogue and what was quickly emerging as reality. It made him angry that he’d been so heavily lied to. He kept his mouth closed but his ears open.

  “Our people say we evolved from primates,” Brayden offered.

  “I think evolved is the wrong word,” Lear offered. “Are the children of their parents ‘evolved’?”

  “I see,” Romero had very similar religious baggage as Wynn, but she seemed to be having an easier time unloading it in light of what she was looking at with the rest of them. “In my anthropology class in high school, everyone was searching for the ‘missing link’ between Primates and Humans. No one’s really ever found one.”

  “I think we just found it,” Parker agreed. “Your people were seeded by the Yin, Brooke; our people were seeded by them as well. All of us are the result of that.”

  “You’re saying we’re now gods, Parker. That’s what got Satan kicked out of Heaven in the first place.” Wynn countered.

  “I think we’re looking at Heaven right now.” Parker argued. “Stop trying to reconcile your beliefs with reality, Dade. Look at what’s in front of you. Religion was written by people with a very primitive outlook and understanding. If you ask me, it’s what’s kept Humanity in the Dark Ages; kept us from seeing the world around more clearly. Like when the Church excommunicated people like Galileo for showing them Copernican astronomy. He taught them something that destroyed their previous beliefs and they hated him for making them look bad. But they were the ones being unreasonable, not Galileo.”

  “I get it, Parker.”

  “You guys are already awakened,” Tyler stepped into the conversation. “Your minds work a lot faster than ours do. The lower life forms here are going to need a little more time to think about this.”