by D. N. Leo
Eudaiz was organized in circles. The towers of power, clearly labeled, stood in a protected area. In the middle was Tower Three, the king tower. The other eight towers were located in a circle surrounding it. They looked like the eight petals of a sunflower.
Ayana pointed to the king tower and said, “This is the core of Eudaiz’s power. It must be protected at all costs. The king has access to all towers. However, each Sciphil has access only to their own tower. So, Madeline, after officiation, you will have full access to Tower One. I have full access to Tower Two. And Pete has access to Tower Nine. Ciaran has access to all.”
Madeline gestured widely. “So, given how important the towers are, security is critical. This universe has more than six hundred billion citizens. This must be a massive area. How can you guarantee security for the towers?”
Ayana smiled. “The tower zone is called the Sciphil zone. No citizens are allowed in there. The area is self-contained and quite small. The security of the Sciphil zone is strict and has never been breached in five hundred years. The towers have no entry point for anyone except the Sciphil of the tower and the king. Within each tower, there are nine round protective layers—they would spin and grind any unauthorized individuals into dust if they attempted to trespass.”
Madeline nodded.
Pete pointed to a large circle which wrapping outside of the Sciphil zone. He said, “This is the Sciphil residential area. Each Sciphil has a residence, located as close to his or her respective tower as possible. We are here, at Sciphil Three residence.” He pointed to a dotted line. “The internal capsule is strictly private and secure. It operates only for people with the right access. The capsule terminals are like subway systems in New York or London. So really, within the Sciphil zone and Sciphil residence areas, I wouldn’t worry too much about security.”
Ayana pointed to a larger circle outside the Sciphil residential area. “This is where the six hundred billion citizens live.” The area took up a large area of the map. Ayana continued. “There are eight districts, located in circles in the outer ring here. Each Sciphil governs a district. No citizen has ever been allowed into the Sciphil zone.”
“There are nine Sciphils and eight districts. Who doesn’t have a district to govern?” Ciaran asked.
“You, Ciaran.” Ayana smiled.
Pete laughed. “You have to manage all of the Sciphils and handle important matters such as protecting Eudaiz from our enemies. I think it’s only fair to exempt you from the administrative duties of governing a district.”
“From what I know, the Black Rock is our number one enemy. Is that information accurate?” Ciaran asked.
Pete shook his head. “No. It’s speculative. That universe attacks us all the time because they don’t have much energy or natural resources. Other universes may have attacked Eudaiz before, but not during the five hundred years’ reign or our Sciphil council. There is no guarantee they won’t attack us in the future.”
“Have the Black Rock ever breached our security in the Sciphil zone?” Madeline asked.
“No,” Ayana responded.
Ciaran nodded. “All right. It’s been a long day. I think we should continue this discussion tomorrow.”
“It feels as if a day here has fifty hours,” Madeline said.
Pete smiled. “We don’t use hours. A day here has nine units. Three for the morning, three for the afternoon, and three for the night. Each unit has one hundred slots. At the moment, it is the fiftieth slot of the night. The average person should have at least one unit of sleeping time a day.”
Madeline rolled her eyes. Another set of rules and numbers to remember.
“Thank you, Pete. I’ll be sure we get enough sleep.” Ciaran smiled.
Pete nodded. “Especially you.”
Ciaran arched an eyebrow.
Pete continued, “The battles you engaged in before arriving here have drained you of all of your natural energy. In Eudaiz, energy is everything. It’s life. Eudqi is a special energy for Sciphils. It’s like your blood. However, in your case, you won’t receive full power until after your coronation. So right now, your energy is fragile and very temporary. Be sure you take advantage of the resting time so that your body can recharge what’s used up during the day.”
Ciaran raised a hand in frustration. “What you’re saying is that, at the moment, I don’t have the natural energy to operate my body. And I have to rely on the eudqi—like batteries?”
“Precisely,” Pete smiled.
“So don’t pick a fight,” Madeline laughed.
“We’d better go to sleep now,” Ciaran muttered.
“Not here, I hope,” Ayana said.
“Why not?” Ciaran asked.
“This place has been vacant for more than thirty years. It can’t be comfortable. Madeline has a fully operational Sciphil One residence. You both have full access,” Ayana said.
“Yes, we’ll go to Sciphil One residence later. But I’d like to have a bit of time here with Madeline, if we may,” Ciaran said.
“It’s only for one night. We can manage. If you could stop by again tomorrow and take us to Tower One, it would be greatly appreciated.” Madeline smiled.
Ayana nodded. “Very well then. We will let you have some privacy. It’s been a long day.”
Ayana and Pete left the residence.
Madeline opened her mouth to tell Ciaran about what she had seen in the garden, but before she could say a word, Ciaran had locked his lips with hers. Whenever he engaged in such an intimate act, she was defenseless.
Suddenly, Ciaran glanced toward the side door. “Who’s that?” he shouted and darted toward the door, weapon drawn.
Chapter 5
A short moment later, Ciaran came back in with a grin on his face and a remote control in his hand. “It was a flying surveillance camera. This entire place is serviced by robotic staff. No humans. You can do whatever you want here without anyone gawking . . .”
He continued to speak, but all she could focus on was her sinfully handsome husband. It didn’t matter what he said now. He was safe and sound. That was all that mattered to her. She shuddered recalling the battles they had just been through to get to this universe.
She couldn’t forget the warmth of his blood on her hands. She had been tormented by hopelessness when he was going down and she didn’t know what to do.
But they had left those incidents in the past. And she hoped never to experience that feeling again.
She smiled at him when he said something about the use of technology. She really did mean to tell him about her precognition. But hell, her stomach quivered with lust every time he spoke. She could easily forget the universe and drown in the sight and sound of him.
She still didn’t understand how he could possibly be hers. Called her biased, but her husband had to be the most gorgeous and intelligent man in the cosmos. Six foot three—or maybe even taller. His slender frame made his clothes or whatever he draped himself in look elegant. Beneath the material were the muscles that were disturbingly and distractingly beautiful.
His long, thick black hair almost touched his shoulders, framing the God-given face she loved. His intense gray eyes always seemed look straight into her soul. They twinkled when intrigued, and she loved it when they twinkled because of something she had said. His lips were made for kissing, and to that point, that was exactly what she wanted to do right now.
Ciaran paused at the expression on her face. Then he smiled, and his eyes twinkled. He approached the bench where she sat, brushed his thumb across the dimple on her left cheek.
“My first councillor, what’s on your mind?” he asked and kissed her. Apparently, he didn’t expect an answer.
As much as it embarrassed her, she couldn’t help but let out an audible purr at his kiss and touches. The movement of his hands on her body was heavenly. He knew every curve on her body better than even she did, but he still traced them with his long fingers—those of an artist.
Perhaps he was an arti
st—an artist in lovemaking. He was so inventive that she couldn’t keep up with him. Every time they made love, it was like the first time. But this was the first time they had been intimate in this strange universe.
She slid her hands underneath his shirt. He knew her body. She knew his. They gave. They took. They moved together in perfect rhythm. A brush of the lips. The heat of a tongue on bare skin. The pressure of fingertips on sensitive spots.
They knew it all.
They had done it all.
But each time, it was a new experience.
And they enjoyed it. Taking each other to the pinnacle of pleasure.
After a while, they lay still until she hopped up and propped herself up on her elbow, glancing around. “Where exactly are we?”
Ciaran chuckled. “I’d call this a broom closet. But with the lack of a broom or other cleaning tools, I’m guessing it’s some kind of storage room. What it’s storing, I have absolutely no idea.”
He kissed her forehead and lifted her chin. “Why are you so reluctant to go to Sciphil One residence? It will be yours soon.”
“I’m not staying with you? If my memory serves me correctly, I’m your wife—so I ought to be with you, staying here.”
“In the broom closet?” he teased.
Madeline played with his hair. “Why are you so reluctant to stay here? It’s yours now.”
Ciaran fingered her dimple again and drew her into his arms. “I need more people around to take care of you.” He kissed her cheek. “You’re pregnant.”
Madeline snorted. “If we keep up this broom closet activity, it will happen soon!”
“You’re already carrying our twins, Madeline—a boy and a girl.”
Madeline stared at her husband, speechless.
Chapter 6
Madeline whirled around, back and forth in the grand hall. She was sure all of the statues, marble columns, and arches were peering down at her, laughing at her confusion.
“You’re making yourself dizzy, Madeline. You fainted in the garden before. I don’t care for it to happen again,” Ciaran said.
“I had a precognition in the garden. That was why I fainted.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Madeline raised her arms in the air in frustration. “I didn’t have a chance, Ciaran! Ayana and Pete were here. We talked about important stuff. Then you came in. Then there was the business in the broom closet. Then you dropped this information bomb on me!” She pointed at her tummy.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re confused.” He pulled her into his arms. “What did you see in your precognition?”
She frowned. She didn’t know what was more important—her precognition or her pregnancy. “You said the machine detected that the children were conceived precisely during the Red Stage of the Daimon Gate? I mean, it’s not like we have sex like rabbits, but we had a lot of it before the Daimon Gate tests.”
Ciaran held back a laugh and nodded. “The EYE scanner detected and reported the information when I visited the Host of the Daimon Gate.”
She looked at him. That visit. The emotion in his eyes was still so raw it stabbed at her heart. He hadn’t had time to heal—if he would ever heal—from that emotional wound. To travel from Earth to Eudaiz and qualify as Sciphils, they’d had to pass the Daimon Gate tests—the most stringent, brutal, and nastiest tests in the cosmos.
She shuddered remembering them.
Ciaran had discovered how, when, and by whom he was conceived when they’d visited the Host residence in the Daimon Gate. Children conceived during the Red Stage of the Daimon Gate tests were the best beings in the cosmos. He was one of them. That explained his incredible talents and abilities.
Also, because of the desire to have such a special child, Ciaran wasn’t conceived in love, but from a rape and brutal violence against his mother. Madeline knew how much it had hurt him to kill the man who gave him his life.
Justice for his mother.
For the integrity of the virtuous world in the Daimon Gate.
Whatever the reason, she knew it had hurt him to kill Bran as much as it would have if he hadn’t killed the man. She knew he bemoaned the father he had never had. She could sense the unbearable pain he suffered, and she wished she could share the load. But he would never tell her about the pain. Sometimes he forgot she was psychic.
If their children had been conceived in the Red Stage of the Daimon Gate test, they would be just like him. They would be the best beings in the cosmos.
She sighed, thinking about the challenging period of motherhood ahead. She could barely operate a computer! How would she handle two freakishly smart kids? Not one. But two!
“Madeline!”
“Huh?”
“What did you see in your precognition?” Ciaran repeated his question.
“I saw words in blood on the wall saying ENNEAD WILL KILL YOU ALL. It might not mean anything.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m pregnant. It could well be a hormonal issue!”
Ciaran smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Ennead means a group of nine. It’s mostly used in Egyptian mythology when referring to nine gods. Given that we have nine Sciphils and nine towers to protect, I don’t think it’s coincidental.”
Madeline sighed. “Ciaran, sometimes it’s nice when you don’t know things.”
He chuckled. “It’s a curse, isn’t it? Knowing too much.”
“Owww,” Madeline moaned. She winced and grabbed at her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Ciaran asked.
“Nothing. Just a cramp. Or a muscle spasm, maybe.”
“Are you sure it’s nothing?”
“If anything, it’s because you told me I’ve been carrying twins for two days.”
“The EYE system identified the precise time of conception.”
“Right, so if there’s that much surveillance around, they must have also recorded the smoking hot sex scene in the broom closet. Are you sure the data won’t go viral on the internet—or whatever the Eudaizian equivalent is?” she asked. “Ow . . .” she cried again and clutched at her stomach. “This sucks.”
She pressed her palm against the wall, breathing deeply. She remained still for a moment, waiting for the pain to settle. Puking in this grand hall didn’t sound like a good idea. Madeline turned around and saw Ciaran’s green face.
“Ciaran, if you look like that now, how are you going to handle it when we’re deep in the throes of childbirth?”
Her husband—the know-it-all Ciaran, the best in the cosmos in pharmaceuticals and technology, the commander of his worlds on Earth and in Eudaiz—was obviously out of his element where her space pregnancy was concerned.
“Robert!” Ciaran shouted.
“Who?”
A robot of human size and shape scurried over in response to Madeline’s question. “Yes, Ciaran?” the robot asked.
“Are there people other than robotic staff at in Sciphil One residence?”
“Yes. There are two Eudaizian staff members. English speaking. Highly skilled in administrative and domestic matters.”
“All right, we are going to Sciphil One residence right now.” When Ciaran donned his do-not-protest tone, Madeline simply nodded in agreement.
He slid his arms protectively around her waist and led her to the side door.
Suddenly, a chill ran up Madeline’s spine. She glanced back at the grand hall and saw the words Kyle Wolf flashing in red blood on the wall. She blinked and looked again. The words had disappeared.
Her psychic mind told her the cold-blooded mind-bender had made it to Eudaiz. And she had a feeling they were heading toward another bloodbath. It was much too soon for her to engage in another battle.
And this time, it wouldn’t be just another fight. She was carrying the citizens of a huge district on her shoulders—and twins in her tummy.
Chapter 7
Ciaran and Madeline entered an area that looked like a private train station. Madeline guessed the strange vehicle the
size of a minibus and the shape of her vitamin pill was what they called a capsule, the key means of travel in Eudaiz. While Madeline gawked at the capsule, Ciaran entered and manned the capsule with ease—no more difficult than driving his sports cars on Earth.
Ciaran entered their destination of Sciphil One residence on the control panel. A robotic voice said, “Destination: Sciphil One residence. Trip duration: five time slots. Gate security notification confirmed. Tunnel security check: one hundred percent.”
Ciaran executed the trip. They barely felt the movement of the capsule. Madeline could tell they were moving based on the trip progress report and the percentage of completion displayed on a map on the screen.
Something suddenly hit the capsule, pushing it slightly aside. Ciaran pressed the assist button, but it didn’t respond. He tried the red rescue system. It flashed once briefly, and then the entire system in the capsule died.
They felt another hit at their side. The wall of the capsule melted away, leaving a large hole. White smoke poured in.
Ciaran shoved at the door lever to open it. It wouldn’t budge. He used his dagger to stab at the air cushion of the doorframe. He loosened it and pushed the door open. Ciaran and Madeline jumped out just before it shriveled into a pile of melted material.
A whirl of wind sucked the melted material toward the outside of the tunnel via a large hole. Ciaran and Madeline were pulled toward it by an incredible force. Ciaran grabbed the edge of the broken wall with one hand and held fast to Madeline with the other. Her body hung halfway outside the tunnel, drawn by the vacuum of the atmosphere.
There was no breathable air on the other side of the tunnel, and Madeline drifted in and out of consciousness. She could no longer hang on to Ciaran. He pulled her inward—against the intense force of the suction—and swung her back inside the tunnel. He climbed back inside and carried Madeline away from the ominous hole.
A small spaceship then plugged itself into the hole, and six identical human-looking soldiers exited, charging at Ciaran with weapons similar to guns. Ciaran laid Madeline down on the floor and pulled his daggers. The creatures shot at him. His clothes were beam-proof, so the lasers that struck him bounced off his vest. Quick as lightning, he charged. In what seemed like no time at all, their body parts littered the floor of the tunnel, melting into black puddles and evaporating. Ciaran grabbed their guns.