Reverting her attention to Katlynn, Rachel took a step back. The woman had her hands outstretched and her head flung back. Her body glowed with a blue-green light and a similar smoke streamed from her body.
She had to be caught in some kind of vision herself.
When her light dimmed, Katlynn straightened her shoulders and lowered her arms. She then hurried in Rachel’s direction and said in a terrified voice. “We have only a couple of minutes. I must touch ‘the one’ if we’re going to escape.”
“The one? You mean one of the men?”
“Yes, he is called ‘The One’. I have spoken with my mistress. She says Yolanthe will come down here very soon and if she does, we’re lost. Please find ‘the one’. Hurry!”
Rachel blinked a couple of times, her heart pounding once more.
The One. Who the hell was ‘the one’?
Both Endelle and Luken now spoke with the chained up warriors. Rachel reached for Luken telepathically and explained what was going on.
Luken glanced in the direction of Joshua and Duncan who had just defeated the last of the Militia Warriors. There was a terrible pile up of bodies at the entrance to the stairs.
Rachel had to look away. She’d gotten used to a lot of carnage in the past month, but she still had her moments, especially given the sensitive nature of her stomach.
Luken delivered a series of orders so that he, Duncan and Joshua came running in Katlynn’s direction.
Rachel said, “I don’t know which of the warriors she wants, but she says he’s the only hope for getting all of us out alive.” Her heart pounded once more.
“‘The One’,” Katlynn shouted. “He’s called ‘The One’.”
Duncan said, “Owen. She means Owen.”
“Yes, The One.”
Duncan’s voice rang up the hall. “Owen, we need you. Now. And put some speed on. We’ve got trouble.”
Owen came running over, his hazel eyes intense. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and blood spatter coated his uniform, arms and legs, like all the warriors. “What do you need?”
Rachel loved those words. She caught his arm and drew him close to Katlynn’s cell. “Here’s ‘The One’.”
“Stand back, all of you,” Katlynn shouted. “And prepare to fold.”
“Fold where?” Luken asked.
For a moment, silence reigned. Rachel had no idea where they were supposed to go, nor did anyone else.
But Duncan’s skin had developed a familiar soft glow and his grayle smoke streamed from his body. “I can see the place. We’re to go to Phoenix Three, a hidden land.”
Katlynn addressed Owen. “The One, put your hands in the cell and when I grip your arms, you must grip me back and not let go. But there will be pain.”
Rachel, standing so close to Owen, watched him blink. “I’m yours to command.” He slid his arms through and grabbed Katlynn’s as well.
Rachel gasped and felt a powerful vibration begin to build within both Owen and Katlynn.
“Oh, shit,” Luken said.
Rachel turned and slammed herself against Duncan. We need to hunker down, get low. Tell your men. This is going to release some kind of energy surge.
His telepathic voice reached the entire force at the same time, issuing the warning.
Whatever was going to happen, it would be enormous.
CHAPTER NINE
The future must unfold
In its own time.
Collected Proverbs – Beatrice of Fourth
Duncan pulled Rachel into his arms and pressed his back against the stone wall. He quickly slid to the floor as she clung to him. He could feel the power building in Katlynn’s cell.
Suddenly, Yolanthe’s voice penetrated his head. Duncan, come to me.
He turned and saw Yolanthe levitating above the dead bodies of her Militia Warriors. She wore sea-green silk, her lips as dark as he remembered, her pale blue eyes boring into his. He felt his hold on Rachel slacken, and he began to ease away from her.
Yolanthe floated in the air, coming toward him, arms outstretched. The compulsion to go to her took hold of him completely.
“Duncan!” Rachel shouted, grabbing his face with both hands, forcing him to turn back to her. “Look at me! Focus, warrior! Stay with me!”
Within his mind, he began forging a wall against Yolanthe. And just as he wrapped his arms around Rachel once more, a powerful blast of energy blew through the prison, emanating from Owen and Katlynn. Then another and another. If he and Rachel had been standing, they would have been thrown against the stone wall and possibly killed.
Another blast and the prison rocked from side-to-side.
Whatever Katlynn and Owen had created together could shift the earth.
When no more waves followed, he knew it was over.
He glanced up the hall and saw that Yolanthe had been knocked back to the stairwell and lay against one of her dead warriors, blood oozing from her mouth. His hope she’d been killed disappeared as she lifted her hand then moaned. She was badly injured, but he had no doubt she’d survive.
The next moment, the warriors in the cells were shouting to each other. Their doors were off the hinges and hung wide. He could see each warrior was free of his chains, though naked. They made their way swiftly to the hall.
One of them folded out of the prison, then returned. “Yolanthe’s mist is gone. We’re free.”
As a group, all seven men went to where Merl now stood. The tallest warrior, a man with brown skin and black eyes, shoved at Merl with both hands. “You, bastard. You don’t deserve to live.” He then let his fist fly, hitting Merl hard on the chin.
Merl flew backward against the wall. Though he righted himself in a flash, no doubt ready to offer an explanation, his team vanished, folding out of the prison.
Rachel peeled herself off Duncan’s lap and rose to her feet. Duncan joined her, his attention first ascertaining the team had survived then reverting to Katlynn and Owen.
Katlynn still held Owen’s arms, but her veil was gone. She wore her brown hair in a crown of braids on top of her head. Her lips were parted as she stared at Owen. Tears glistened in her dark eyes.
Duncan moved in their direction and opened the door to Katlynn’s cell. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
But it was as though Katlynn couldn’t hear. Instead of responding to Duncan, she remained close to Owen, gripping his arms through the bars of the cell clearly unwilling to let him go. Owen looked shell-shocked as he stared back at Katlynn.
Duncan knew they had less than a minute before Yolanthe recovered and began repairing the mist. He didn’t have time to be subtle, so he slammed an arm down on their joined arms and shouted. “Stay and die, or leave with the rest of us.”
This seemed to shake Owen out of his stupor. He pulled his arms away from Katlynn, but immediately went into the cell and simply picked her up in his arms. Duncan could feel the energy still vibrating through the couple because of what they’d just experienced and he definitely had his suspicions about their future.
The rest of the team had already moved in Duncan’s direction.
“We’re heading to Phoenix Three as a unit. I’ve seen where we’re going, so let’s link up, hands on shoulders and I’ll get us all there.”
As they’d done earlier as a team, each member made contact with the next until the circle was complete. With Yolanthe now sitting up and shrieking orders, he let his grayle power flow.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Yolanthe leap into the air, but she was too late. He merely smiled as he folded the team to Phoenix Three.
Because of the vision, Duncan was already prepared for the beauty of the new environment, but no one else.
Alex summed it up. “Phoenix Two never looked like this.”
The fold had landed the team beside a smallish river and a nearby village. Cliffs rose at least three hundred feet on either side of the water, though the terrain stretched at least a half mile between. Children played at the edge of the river. Goats cried. A
dog barked and a small boat floated with the current. A stone bridge connected the opposite bank where a breeze flowed over fields of produce.
Rachel drew close. “This is amazing. Is this really Phoenix Three?
“Yes, it is.”
“Where’s the desert?”
Duncan looked up. “At the top of those cliffs, I imagine.”
A very tall man appeared suddenly, having folded ten feet from the team’s position. “I see you made it, all nine of you. Well done. My name is Rex and I’m the creator of this hidden colony.” He fixed his steely gaze on Duncan. “And I’m pleased to meet you at last, Warrior Duncan of Second Earth. Welcome to Third. We’ve been expecting you for a long time.” He even extended his hand.
Duncan moved forward and took it. He felt immense power flow from Rex, like nothing he’d experienced before, not even with Endelle. Rex was definitely in her league, maybe higher, as though, like Endelle, he’d outgrown his dimension a long time ago.
Rex had thick, wavy black hair, warrior long, with several braids on either side of his face, though the mass was pulled back and worn in a loose clasp. He had a strong masculine look, very charismatic, with a thick nose, full lips, and broad cheekbones. His eyes were sharp and predatory, gray in color but with unique shards of brown mixed in.
He was also warrior big, carried a helluva lot of muscle, and had a woven black cape flung over his left shoulder. Taller than Warrior Medichi, Rex had to be at least six-eight. He wore black leather pants and beneath his cape, a vest tied with leather strings. He had on boots in the same material, hand-stitched, but of fine workmanship, and in a rugged style.
Duncan glanced around. “What is this place? This canyon? Nothing on Phoenix Two or One has a river like this.”
“A hidden territory on Third Earth, a place I designed, carved out of the earth, and now protect with a veil of mist you probably can’t see, despite your level of power.”
His gaze slid past Duncan. “My Prime Seer has prophesied this moment for weeks now and we are tremendously overjoyed to have you here at last. She has sought each of you in the future streams and has prepared lodgings that would most suit you. Clothing has been provided and in an hour, I’d like you all to join me for a feast I’ve prepared in your honor. How does that sound?”
A murmured assent traveled the team.
Rex’s gaze landed on Merl. “And don’t worry. Your men are here as well, though at the far north end of the colony, twenty miles distant. You’ll have ample time to explain all that transpired, so for now, be at ease.”
Duncan glanced at Merl. Once arrived, Owen had relinquished his charge to Merl. The Third ascender had his arm around his sister, who in turn held tight to Merl’s weapons harness despite the battle debris. Tear streamed down Katlynn’s face.
Merl frowned. “But…you’re Rex Vega.”
“I am.”
“We thought you long dead, as in centuries.”
He shook his head. “I’ve been here, awaiting the arrival of the man who could locate Rapture’s Edge.” Having made this statement, all eyes turned toward Duncan.
Rex continued, as he met Duncan’s gaze. “The fate of two worlds depends on your ability to find a place that until now, we’ve all believed belonged to our Third Earth fables.”
Duncan nodded. “Though I won’t pretend to be anything but astonished that my purpose is as you’ve said, I don’t really have a sense of the place at all. I confess I’m mystified.”
For some reason, this made Rex smile. “Just as you should be when you’ve been called to a purpose outside your wheelhouse. The future must unfold in its own time.” His gaze then encompassed the entire group, “But, come. Take your ease in each dwelling assigned to you, get cleaned up, then we’ll break bread together.”
He turned and walked in his warrior stride back up a path laid with flat stones. Flowers lined the path and a woman rose up from a nearby vegetable garden and waved. “Welcome to Phoenix Three,” she called out.
Several of the team thanked her for the warm greeting.
He felt Rachel’s hand in his. Glancing at her, he watched as she glided her hand over her lower abdomen. Was she in pain? Had she gotten hurt?
But she smiled up at him, so maybe she was just feeling queasy again. “Do you see her garden, Duncan? She’s growing watermelon in December, just as I did in Seattle One. I feel as though we’ve come to paradise. I think I could live here forever.”
A profound wave of tenderness moved through him. God, he loved Rachel so much and it seemed the world he’d inadvertently brought her to suited her perfectly.
He was inclined to think she was right; Rex had created a paradise. But he wasn’t sure he knew what to make of the man or the world he’d forged out of the desert. The river alone astonished him. How had the man put a river in a place like Phoenix, with woods in various places? He could even see a couple of smaller side canyons upstream.
Whatever the case, he felt oddly at home here as well, though he had no idea why.
~
As the team moved forward, Endelle hung back. She was on Third Earth in some kind of Rex-made wonderland, but she couldn’t make her feet move. Her pulse throttled at top speed, she felt absurdly dizzy, and she had a bad feeling she knew the exact cause.
Rex.
Sweet dinosaurs and lords of all creation.
Rex.
The man was tall. She outstripped him in her stilettos, but not my much and if she lost her shoes, she’d have to reach up to wrap her arms around his neck. How awesome would that be?
But what the hell was she thinking? She’d just met the man and already she was wishing he’d lose the damn cape so she could get a better look at his ass in that fine black leather.
Something deep and hungry had come alive in her the moment she’d settled her gaze on his rugged, handsome face.
When the distance from the group made her look ridiculous, she levitated and caught up. She dropped down beside Luken, matching his long stride.
He winked at her. “That man’s got some muscle on him.”
“Hadn’t noticed.”
“Like hell. You’re still slack-jawed.”
She scowled at him. “Shut the fuck up. And don’t forget that though you rule this team, I rule you.”
But Luken only laughed.
From the moment she’d landed in Phoenix Three, her gaze had been fixed on Rex’s left arm. It was completely bare and almost as big as Luken’s. She supposed his right arm was a match, but how would she know since that same damn cape had also covered up his companion muscles. But she had a good imagination and it didn’t take much to picture herself biting and sucking on all that hard flesh.
Ripples of bare-faced desire kept chasing other ripples down her arms, her back, and aiming like a rocket between her thighs.
“Just so ya know, Endelle,” Luken said, keeping his voice low. “I think Braulio can go fuck himself for leaving you the way he did. Just sayin’. You’ve served your dimension way too long and those Sixth Earth assholes shouldn’t have kept you chained to Second. Now you’re on Third. I say, let your hair down.”
Was he giving her permission to fuck the creator of Phoenix Three? “How about you keep your opinions to yourself for a change?”
“Again, just sayin’.” He grinned, however, an expression that made her want to bitch-slap the team leader.
But Endelle knew she needed to be sensible, so she worked hard to keep her lust under control.
Over the next few minutes, Rex’s servants led each of them to their respective dwellings. Much to Endelle’s surprise, the tall man assigned to her folded her to an exotic house made of colorful stone walls. Several small, manmade waterfalls created a series of bathing pools and lounging areas in the front rooms. When she meandered toward the back of the house, she was absolutely stunned when she found a large room filled with at least twenty beautifully wrought outfits in a myriad of colors, and each in her basic overkill style.
Rex’s Pr
ime Seer had definitely done her homework.
The attached bathroom already had a tub full of bubbles waiting for her. She folded off her costume, letting it fall into a pile at the foot of the tub. She stepped in, sank beneath the foamy mass, and released a sigh so heavy it reverberated through the room.
The male servant entered at the same time, carrying a brass tray bearing a decanter of wine and a jewel studded goblet. He was also completely nude.
Her brows rose as her gaze landed on his impressive male apparatus, beautifully formed and hung.
He smiled. “I’m ready to serve you in whatever way you desire.” He ran his index finger the length of his cock just in case she missed the point.
Her earlier lust for Rex rose in a heated flush to her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to haul the servant into her bath, yet she hesitated. Some instinct warned her against taking him up on his offer. And that something had to do with a man wearing a cape and looking like a god.
“Though I am tempted, I’ll just have the wine, thank you.”
When he left, she slid her hand between her legs, fondling her swollen folds. With her free hand she sipped her wine, while her mind became intently focused on a very specific image of Rex’s thick muscled arm.
~
Owen stood in the middle of a steel, glass, and leather living room, scowling. The decor suited him, which meant he’d been analyzed and he didn’t like it one bit. He wanted everyone out of his business, not picking him apart and making decisions on his behalf.
He’d already sent the servant away; he could take care of himself.
He was irritated as hell and why wouldn’t he be when fifteen minutes ago, he’d stood locked arm-to-arm with the veiled woman who had essentially blown the lid off his world. Literally.
The woman was Merl’s sister, the one called Katlynn and he’d carried her through a fold to Phoenix Three, only relinquishing her when Merl called to her. She’d all but flown from Owen’s arms and embraced her brother.
But the power. Oh, God, the power that had flowed through him, ripping apart everything he knew to be true about his life. His skin and his mind still buzzed with the aftereffects, holding him immobile even now.