by D. N. Leo
* * *
Two: Building alliance with Earth.
Probability of success: Ten percent.
Costs: Compromised technology, risks of chemical contamination.
Record: Attempted by Kyle Wolf.
Result: Failed.
* * *
What is your chosen action: . . .
* * *
"That sucks,” Zach said. "Surely there are other solutions."
Kyle preferred building alliances. That explained his actions and why he had ended up on Earth. Apparently, the fact that he attempted to build an alliance with the Black Rock was not on record, Ciaran mused. He considered the information interesting. This step was a no-brainer for him.
"We'll go for war. I can do better with the second action than Kyle Wolf. But based on this record, number one is a more optimal solution," Ciaran said and entered: One.
The green light flashed.
* * *
The second lot of text appeared:
* * *
Earth attack.
A foreign chemical was introduced into Eudaiz's food supply system.
The chemical had been contained and terminated by Sciphil Three - Bran LeBlanc.
This is classified as an unprovoked attack from Earth.
* * *
Action needed. Choose one of the two solutions below.
One: Elimination by force.
Probability of success: Ninety percent.
Costs: Five hundred thousand fighters.
Record: Proposed by Sciphil Seven - Ralph Durant.
Result: Not yet attempted.
* * *
Two: Elimination of the source of the chemical on Earth. Target - the United Kingdom.
Probability of success: One hundred percent.
Costs: Ten specialists, one viral seed.
Record: Proposed by Sciphil Eight - Aiden Felix.
Result: Not yet attempted.
* * *
What is your chosen action?
* * *
"They are talking about sending a virus bomb to the UK. We all know where the attack on their food supply system came from. How could their records be so primitive?" Ciaran said.
"I don't know anything about the attack on their food supply system,” Zach said.
"We have to go with number one. We can deal with fighters. But the viral bomb will be mass destruction,” Ciaran said.
"You’re having a conflict of interest, Ciaran. Who is fighting whom here?" Madeline said.
"I know. But do you have a better suggestion, Madeline?"
"In the best interest of Eudaiz, number two is the clear winner. But, as with Ciaran, I have a conflict of interest, so I wouldn't choose number two," Tadgh said.
"If we choose number one, it's going to be a red light,” Madeline said.
Ciaran said nothing. He paced, contemplating.
"We have to follow through with one of the solutions. I can manage and control the fighters. The viral bomb, once executed, cannot be reversed, and the effects will be unpredictable,” Ciaran said.
"How can five hundred thousand fighters take over the entire Earth?" Zach asked.
"That's why it's clearly an inferior decision for Eudaiz,” Madeline said.
"I'd like to take the red light on this and do my best to green light the rest. What do you think?" Ciaran asked.
Tadgh said without hesitation, "I'm in."
"Me, too,” Madeline said. She trusted her instincts and Ciaran's capability.
Zach contemplated, then he shrugged. "I'd prefer number two. But I’m outvoted. So take the red light then."
Ciaran entered: One.
The red light flashed.
* * *
Air supply shortage.
Eudaiz’s air production system has been damaged by the Black Rock in the latest attack.
Air shortage occurred in District Nine and District One.
* * *
Action needed. Choose one of the two solutions below.
One: Trade with the Green Stars.
Probability of success: Ninety percent.
Costs: Seed energy of five hundred years supply for one hundred years of air supply.
Record: Proposed by Sciphil Nine - Pete Chandler.
Result: Not yet attempted.
* * *
Two: Steal from the Black Rock's natural air supply.
Probability of success: Ninety percent.
Costs: Two hundred fighters for a one-year air supply.
Record: Proposed by Sciphil One - Richard Kelley.
Result: Not yet attempted.
* * *
What is your chosen action?
* * *
"I am in for the trade with the Green Stars, solution one. Although stealing from the Black Rock is tempting, it can't be a long-term solution. Any objections?" Ciaran asked.
Everyone agreed on this scenario. Ciaran typed in one. The green light flashed.
* * *
More text flashed on the screen:
* * *
Sciphil successors and new appointments.
Due to the latest development in the council, changes need to be made to replace Sciphils and appoint new successors.
Action needed. Choose one of the four combinations below.
* * *
One:
Sciphil Three - Bran LeBlanc - replaced by Ciaran LeBlanc.
Sciphil One - Richard Kelley - replaced by Madeline Kelley.
Sciphil Two - Ayana Dee - successor appointed: Zach Flynn.
Sciphil Nine - Pete Chandler - successor appointed: Tadgh LeBlanc.
Termination: Sciphil Four - Kyle Wolf - replaced by George LeBlanc.
Termination: Sciphil Five - Juliette Dubois - replaced by Chloe Matheson.
* * *
Two:
Sciphil Three - Bran LeBlanc - replaced by Ciaran LeBlanc.
Sciphil One - Richard Kelley - replaced by Madeline Kelley.
Sciphil Two - Ayana Dee - successor appointed: Zach Flynn.
Sciphil Nine - Pete Chandler - successor appointed: Tadgh LeBlanc.
Termination: Sciphil Four - Kyle Wolf - replaced by Josephine Cassidy.
Termination: Sciphil Five - Juliette Dubois - replaced by George LeBlanc.
* * *
Three:
Sciphil Three - Bran LeBlanc - replaced by Ciaran LeBlanc.
Sciphil One - Richard Kelley - replaced by Madeline Kelley.
Sciphil Two - Ayana Dee - successor appointed: Zach Flynn.
Sciphil Nine - Pete Chandler - successor appointed: Tadgh LeBlanc.
Termination: Sciphil Four - Kyle Wolf - replaced by George LeBlanc.
Termination: Sciphil Five - Juliette Dubois - replaced by Daniel Chandler.
* * *
Four
Sciphil Three - Bran LeBlanc - replaced by Ciaran LeBlanc.
Sciphil One - Richard Kelley - replaced by Madeline Kelley.
Sciphil Two - Ayana Dee - successor appointed: Zach Flynn.
Sciphil Nine - Pete Chandler - successor appointed: Tadgh LeBlanc.
Termination: Sciphil Four - Kyle Wolf - replaced by Chloe Matheson.
Termination: Sciphil Five - Juliette Dubois - replaced by Josephine Cassidy.
* * *
What is your chosen action?
* * *
Ciaran found himself pacing back and forth in the room. There was no easy answer for this one, and they didn’t have any red light allowance left.
Chapter 129
“The first four combinations are the same across the four scenarios. The differences are in the replacements for Kyle and Juliette,” Ciaran said, more to himself than to others.
"Josephine Cassidy. Is that our Jo, Madeline?" Tadgh asked.
Madeline nodded.
"What does Chloe have to do with any of this? She doesn't even know about the Daimon Gate.” Zach was astonished.
"You never know . . . she might have a hidden talent the multiverse needs.” Ciaran smiled.
"We know George. He helped design the lights to kill Juliette. He'd make an excellent Sciphil. We don't know Daniel Chandler,” Ciaran said.
"It might be my buddy, Dan. But it might be just a person with the same name," Zach said.
"Who's he?" Madeline asked.
"He's Chloe's stepfather's son if that makes any sense. They moved to Australia a few years ago from England. He likes supernatural stuff. He’s the one who worked out that Kyle Wolf was using the Zodiac system, and he saved my ass in a Japanese maze. But apart from being a pain in the neck, I don't know what his talent might be."
"Sounds as if he could be a candidate,” Madeline said.
"They wouldn't just draw these names out of a hat,” Tadgh said.
"I speculate that Daniel Chandler was put forward by Pete Chandler. Jo's there because of her relationship with Madeline. Chloe is there because of Zach. And George? It’s obvious—he's a LeBlanc," Ciaran said.
"We have to keep in mind that the combination has to be in Eudaiz’s best interest,” Madeline said. "George is excellent. However, his name will add another LeBlanc to the council of nine Sciphils."
Ciaran nodded. "It would be three out of nine from the LeBlancs."
"Then Dan would add another Chandler—if they’re really related. If the LeBlancs don’t increase and the Chandlers do, we’d have the same voting power from both families. I can't imagine that’s in the best interest of Eudaiz. We shouldn’t take Dan if we don’t take George,” Zach said.
"It's best to have a clear dominant power, which is the LeBlancs. Then the rest should be equal. Because if we have the best and the second best, factions will occur,” Tadgh said.
Ciaran smiled. He was pleased to see that Tadgh had matured a lot in the last few weeks. "Based on this analysis, it seems scenario four is the winner. However, there is one other thing to consider,” Ciaran said.
"Which is?" Tadgh asked.
"We don't know what the best interest of Eudaiz is. We don’t know the thought process behind this test. The balance of power is a natural and logical analysis from our perspective. But it might not be the most important issue for Eudaiz. If we look at the selection from a capabilities point of view instead of a power balance point of view, then George is an outstanding candidate."
"I have a good feeling about Daniel, too, although I haven’t met him,” Madeline said.
"Chloe is clearly not equipped for this at all,” Zach said.
"Jo is excellent, but she is now with Kyle Wolf, and we don't know what will happen," Tadgh said.
Ciaran looked at Tadgh. He was glad Tadgh had voiced the reality about Jo. She could be dead, or she could have turned to the dark side with Kyle Wolf.
"I don't believe that the test program would have the information about Jo being with Kyle. But if it does, choosing Jo would be the worse decision,” Ciaran said.
"If we can't choose Jo, then scenarios two and four are out,” Madeline confirmed.
"We can’t get this wrong,” Zach stressed.
"Let's just figure this out with logic first. Between capability and the balance of power, which is best for Eudaiz? I’m saying it's capability,” Ciaran said.
"Balance of power,” Tadgh said.
"Same,” Zach said.
"Capability,” Madeline said.
Ciaran shook his head. "Two and two. This doesn't help at all. Your grandfather said your sixth sense is your talent. What is it saying at the moment, Madeline?"
"I told you—it’s capability."
Ciaran nodded. "Okay. I’m pulling my leader’s weight. We’re going for capability. Based on that, I’m voting for George. That leaves us three scenarios left to work with—one, two, and three."
Ciaran hoped his decision was right, and he wasn’t biased toward George because he was one of the LeBlancs. He had a lot of confidence in George. Although they didn’t always agree on different issues, having a brain like George's in any committee was always a treasure. They had done enough business together for Ciaran to know this.
"Between Chloe and Daniel, I'd go for Daniel. Is that a fair choice, Zach?"
Zach nodded.
"Then number one is out of the picture,” Tadgh said. "We don't know Daniel. But given Jo's situation at the moment, I'd go with him."
"Same with me,” Madeline said.
"Dan is a good selection. You'll know it when you meet him,” Zach said. "Jo is brilliant. But the Zodiac—I mean, Kyle—is evil. We don't know if we’ll ever see the same Jo again."
Ciaran nodded. "We agree on number three then? George and Daniel?"
Everyone nodded. Ciaran entered three into the computer.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
The monitor flashed a red light.
They couldn’t believe their eyes. The red light blinked, mocking them.
Ciaran shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Tadgh touched his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ciaran. We’re in this together. It's not your fault. I’m sure we’ll grow to love life here in this ice haven."
Zach sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. "I hope they like my music here."
Madeline hugged Ciaran and gave him a kiss. "As long as we’re together, I don't care where we live."
The door slid open and the queen sauntered in. The same smile was still on her face. "Well, we have accommodations to suit your tastes and keep you comfortable."
She approached Ciaran. "It's an honor to have the LeBlancs in residence. You may call me your White Queen now."
She reached out her hand for Ciaran to kiss.
Ciaran bent down and held her hand to kiss. Then he suddenly pulled her toward him, grabbed a dagger with his other hand, and pressed the blade against her neck.
"I've never before used a woman as a shield, but we can't stay here. The computer did not say we failed. We must have another chance. What was the right answer?" Ciaran asked.
"If I was scared of your weapons, do you think I'd let you carry them around in my castle?" the queen asked.
"I don't care. We have to pass. We get out of here, and you live. Otherwise, I'll slit your throat. I will get my people out of here at the very least."
Ciaran pressed the dagger harder against the queen's throat. A stream of blood ran down her neck and onto her white dress.
"I’ll ask you one last time, what is the right answer?"
"Three."
"That's what we entered, bitch! Why did we get the red light?" Tadgh said.
The queen looked puzzled. She stuttered.
"She didn't even check our results!” Zach gasped.
"She wanted us to stay here. She faked the computer's response,” Madeline said.
"I'm going to have a word with your Host,” Ciaran told her.
The queen exhaled and whirled around at an incredible speed. The motion spun Ciaran out and into a wall.
“You won’t make it out of here. You are mine,” she said threateningly.
The queen stopped spinning and charged at Ciaran. He stood up quickly and swung his two daggers. There was a scream, and the queen vanished into a wall.
Footsteps shook the castle. Bloodcurdling screams were everywhere. Hellhounds howled and white ravens squawked. White bats flooded in from the outside.
The ice castle began to collapse. The white walls, pillars, and ceiling gave way. The floor beneath them shifted and broke apart into chunks of ice. They were standing on a huge raft of ice on a dark river.
Ciaran had seen this before in his subconscious. The dark water was underneath. Once they got below the surface, he would not be able to break the ice himself to come back up.
The floor tilted toward the water. It was so slippery.
"Don’t fall into the water!” Ciaran called out to Tadgh and Zach, who were hanging onto the edge of the ice at the other end of the room.
The walls of the room caved in. They heard the roar of water from a waterfall. But there was no waterfall in the castle. It was the water from
the melting snow splashing between the walls and the corridors.
They were on the verge of moving from stage two to stage three, Ciaran thought. He screamed over the top of the noise. "We are moving into stage three—the Red stage. This is a spiritual stage. We are looking for the sign of a phoenix to pass to stage three. Stay true to yourself . . .”
A gigantic wave of ice water poured into the room and wiped away everything and everyone.
Ciaran held tight to Madeline’s hands for as long as he could, but under the icy water, everything went numb. He didn’t know when she slipped out of his hands. He didn’t know how many times he hit the ice rocks.
It was dark. Ciaran couldn’t see Madeline, Tadgh, or Zach anymore.
Chapter 130
Madeline woke in a cold stone room. She sat up and tried to gather her bearings. It was a round room that looked like a tower. Medieval-style torches hung on the walls, shedding enough light for her to see the door and figure out that she was locked inside.
A tiny and useless window was located near the ceiling. She couldn’t even tell whether it was day or night by looking at it. She couldn't be in another castle, could she? If she ever got back to New York, she swore she would never visit another castle again.
Madeline couldn’t remember much except for the cold water and rocks of ice that kept hitting her. She remembered the dark water and Ciaran's hand slipping away from hers.
Where was everyone?
A white dove landed at the hole she called a window. It cooed.
Madeline smiled. "Got something for me?" She couldn’t believe her eyes when the bird flew in and landed on the floor next to her. There was a note attached to its leg.
"You've got to be kidding me." She took the note.