King of Spades

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ciaran strode out of the council meeting which he had dismissed early. They hadn’t given him what he expected. The pipe-shaped corridor was empty, but it didn’t mean no activities were going on. This was a restricted area, and thus, no creatures without authority and relevant passes could enter. Behind each white column in the corridor were security cameras controlled by central robots. He could flip open any wall panel and gain access to the control patch that would recognize his palm print. He could make the system do whatever he wanted.

The light came through the semitransparent ceiling, casting a sheen of dim white onto the floor. It wasn’t natural light but a source of purest energy that had been absorbed from the cosmos, purified through multiple layers and pumped into the air of the Sciphil zone. They had the best of the best where energy was concerned. And that was why Eudaiz was the most attractive target in the cosmos.

Ciaran looked at his hands. They were still a bit shaky after the experience with Madeline in the bed chamber. He glanced up and down the corridor, trying to make sense of the energy processes. He had a duty to protect Eudaiz’s energy. Billions of lives depended on it. But who would protect him from what was inside him right now?

As soon as he left the bed chamber, he had run tests on himself and had detected a foreign source of energy. It wasn’t possible for him to pinpoint its point of origin. He’d been to Xiilok, the land of the multiversal outlaws, and to Black Rock. He’d been in and out of dimensional holes and pipes countless times. Anything could have gotten into him at any point.

The double steel door slid open, and his brother, Tadgh, strode out. “What the heck was that about?” Tadgh asked.

“You’re Sciphil Seven, and that was your first official meeting. What’s the problem?”

“I’d be the biggest dumbass in the cosmos if I believed you. Sciphil One, Madeline, Sciphil Two, Ayana, Sciphil Four, Jo and Sciphil Six, Janie were not at that meeting. Unless you’re conducting a separate meeting with the female councillors, maybe we need a unisex meeting room next time?”

“All right, it wasn’t an official meeting. I just needed some information from the male councillors. But not from you, of course—you don’t have the experience.”

“Well, apparently those walking-talking trees of knowledge didn’t give you what you needed. And I don’t think I have the answers for you. But why did you keep asking them about energy that draws from gender-specific sources? Are you planning some genetic engineering projects? Wait, you’ve already done that! What’s the news?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit. You always know.”

Ciaran glances at his still shaking hands. He balled them into fists and shoved them into his pockets. “We have to deal with the Sciphil Five officiation, Tadgh. It won’t be easy. I need you to concentrate on the bigger picture here.”

“Give me an example of anything easy or unimportant that we’ve had to deal with since setting foot in this universe, Ciaran. I can’t think of any. You might not think your personal issue is important, but brother, you’re as white as a sheet. And what’s with the shaky hands? If anything happens to you, I have no idea what s**t to do. Let alone worrying about saving your universe . . .”

Ciaran looked up at the semitransparent ceilings again, contemplating the way the energy filtered down into the hallway. Then he looked at his brother. “I was rather more enthusiastic than usual during our intimacy last night.”

Tadgh grinned. “No information is too much information when it comes to sex.”

“You asked.”

“Go on!”

“Well, that was Madeline’s polite version of the situation. My version is—I raped her. Something took me over, and I forced myself on her. You should see the bruises on her body.”

“You’re mistaken, Ciaran. I don’t know jack about human psychological profiles the way you do. But you’ve forgotten I have the unfortunate gift of feeling the emotions of Kyle’s rape victims. You know how many times I’ve gotten into the heads of those girls when they were raped. And let me tell you, regardless how strong you think you are, you’re not capable of causing that kind of damage. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Ciaran stared at his brother. He was being narrow-minded and didn’t see the big picture. It didn’t matter what he thought he did. It was what Madeline said he did to her that mattered. She understood him. And he didn’t understand himself. Stupid! he scolded himself. “You’re right, Tadgh . . .” Suddenly, a female voice whispered into his ears.

“Go to Gaia, Ciaran.”

The voice had a strange accent. It sang like bells. Every word vibrated against his nervous system and felt as if it was tearing it into pieces. Control! Ciaran told himself. That was what he was best at—controlling his mind and his body. Energy leaked from every pore in his body, rolling off of him in waves. Blood trickled from his nose. He grunted, his knees buckled, and he slumped to the floor. He felt Tadgh grabbing his shoulders but couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“Who’s that?” he asked and prepared himself for another wave of pain from the voice.

“What’s inside you is a harmful source of foreign energy. You have to get it out. Go to Gaia.”

“Gaia is just a kid. You can see what’s it’s doing to me. I can’t let it get inside Gaia.”

“She’s a conduit. She was made to transfer energy. She’ll be fine.”

“Wh-who are you?” He didn’t really care much to hear the answer. He was on the verge of passing out. Control! Keep it together! he told himself.

Then the voice vanished. The pressure in the air lifted. Tadgh’s voice and face became clear again.

“Who the f**k were you talking to? Can you get up?” Tadgh asked but helped Ciaran up without waiting for an answer.

Ciaran stood, leaning against the wall. “I need to go to Gaia. She and her father are staying in the guest wing in Sciphil Three residence.”

Tadgh nodded. “You can barely walk. Come on, let’s go.” Tadgh wrapped Ciaran’s arm around his shoulders, and they made their way to the side door to get to a capsule platform. In the capsule, Ciaran verified and entered the command. They departed smoothly.

The impact was incredible. It was as if they had been hit by a missile. The capsule stopped, dangling dead on its rail. Ciaran punched the door open. “Jump!” he shouted and jumped out of the capsule. Tadgh followed just before the wires in the capsule sparked with fire, and an explosion tore through the capsule.

The rail was quite close to the ground. In fact, the jump was only about ten feet. Ciaran was dizzy. The air was too thin. He didn’t recognize where they were. They must still be in the Sciphil central zone. It was supposed to be safe.

“Are you okay, Tadgh?”

“Yep . . .” Tadgh stood up, wiped his face, and coughed out some dirt.

Dirt? Ciaran frowned. There was no dirt in the Sciphil central zone. This looked more like a desert. He could barely stand. What if they had to fight? In front of them, five space creatures emerged from the sand. And not just any creatures—Ciaran knew they were Xiiloks, the worst kind of multiversal outlaws that killed for money.

“Right, five hulks against one human. How’s that for a fair fight?” Tadgh asked sarcastically.

Ciaran glared at him.

“Well, one and half against five. Still unfair,” Tadgh mumbled.

A wave of fireballs flew at them from the guns of the five creatures. And the bodies of Tadgh and Ciaran flew into the air like rag dolls.