ISSUE 8: COLD STARS, FRACTURED HEART

Figures she’d be surrounded by Atlantian Muthra. This universe let them propagate because the Markav were much more clever here. Within my home Universe? They are trapped in stasis. We keep our Planet of War dead. Egypt rules all sectors of Sol alongside Urraden Allies.— Renenutet

While Arthon doesn’t have as much of a sense of humor he catches on quick. Answering the mummy in ways that will give our universe a chance at repelling her kind. The Urraden have her “King” under their thumb. He thinks it is an equal partnership. Ta’rammon is a fool. J’anu controls everything within that Universe. Including Earth. My mirror shows me the truth.—Nola

Nola tells me Arthon managed to get more out of Ren than most thought possible. He doesn’t have much of a “funny bone.” But his intelligence gathering? That man? He understands people and motivations. Why do you think he was my 2nd? I was the overall billboard of the team. The one that took the mantle. The spotlight in most cases. But Arthon? He was always the tactical one. Where most had to spell out things for me? He would pick up on things with a word or two.—Sleeping in Starlight, a memoir of the 23rd century (vol 3)

The Dreaming

Inner Radiance

Hiulk’s Mirror

It was a palace of flowing water.

Along each of its four spherical towers was a waterfall cascading over the edge.

At the center courtyard was a mirror. Its outer edges were encased in silver bark. Water flowed across the surface. Hiulk tugged of my right earlobe. “What do you see within the depths?” His draconian snout extended. His blue scales shimmering against the water flowing around us. His body elongated. Akin to the Ouroborous. He smiled. His front fangs parted to reveal a mouth filled with stars.

“It is me. Or rather how the Markav saw me within their dreams. So the Ouro reflects it upon the multiverse.”

An image coalesced through the waters.

My heart nearly stopped. I managed to say, “Doc….”

My voice sounded weak even to my ears.

She rubbed her face. Not believing her senses.

She stepped through.

My mind grasped at the place where our Union bond was strongest.

She reached out. Running her palm across my chest. Keeping in time with my frantic heartbeat. Hiulk rumbled, “Ahhh! Shadowed friend of two lines. Amarche and Litari. Interesting. Welcome to the depths!” Ritark rose from Lorain’s hair of all places. I belatedly realized just how short it was. Nearly as short as mine. I cupped her hands and raised them to my lips. Fearing she’d fade into the ether at a moment’s notice. A dark red line ran through one of her wrists. I examined it with my multispectrum sight. It had been broken repeatedly. She swayed and I caught her. Pulling her into a firm embrace. “Easy now. I got you.”

Her reply, “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in days.” Using my left arm I cradled her to my chest. Offering the other to Ritark, “How are you both here?”

He replied, “Sy’ra said she would form the bridge. It is the middle of the day at the Lair of the All-Father. His body fails him. He is dying.”

My mouth hung open. Shock rippled through my body.

Doc murmured, “All-Mother is sleeping with Thoth. The baby will be a physical Avatar for Unity. It’s still trying to find Eden.”

Her green eyes flashed with subdued pain. I crossed my legs and floated a few feet off the ground. Hiulk on my left shoulder. While Ritark curled around my right forearm.

I asked, “Is there a way to prevent Unity from taking the baby’s body?”

Lorain buried her face in my neck. Her tears prickled on my skin.

“It’s already taken up residence.”

Hiulk planted one 3 fingered claw on the top of Lorain’s head.

“Not quite. It has to wait for the moment of birth to be fully seeded. There is still time for a normal soul to reside within that body.”

Lorain shuddered. “Can we stop it? I can feel it lingering every time Urranden forces me to check her womb.”

My arms inadvertently tightened around her. Every inch of me screaming to ride any kind of mirror into whatever hellish realm Tarkanan was floating in. Lorain chucked wetly. The sound was muffled against my shirt. Holding back another sob, “That’s why you couldn’t come with me. They would have torn you apart to find White. They still don’t realize Black is up and about.”

I pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head, “How about letting me help next time?”

Her head moved. A silent nod of acknowledgement.

Ritark added, “The Arcane Council wants to know the linchpin to the Dark Mirror Network. They can’t use their mirrors to full capacity because Unity did steal so many ideas from the Weave.”

I told them what happened. About the mirror I encountered. Hiulk flowed through me. His gaze was drawn towards my chest. “I see. Clever.” One of his claws fell delicately into my palm. “If you don’t mind, have Lorain place that against your heart.”

Doc did so. Watching as the silver material sunk into the meaty part of my breast bone.

Hiulk elaborated, “You will encounter your future selves far more often. The Convergence is approaching. This will allow me to experience what you do. To a certain point.”

He winked, “I will need eyes on the galaxy.”

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I asked, “Selves? Just how much of me is running through all this?”

The Titan surprised me. His frank answer was refreshing, “The Ur resides within a temporal web of the Weave’s will. You have been connected to it since your first interaction so long ago on the Moon. This was not chance. It was convergence.”

He poked me in the chest for emphasis, “You reside in the past. The present and the future. That one-armed version is the point of terror for Unity. The silver is the Vigil. The future. While your past threads, that point is far in your future but will ripple to the past of this Universe and beyond.”

Doc cut in sharply, “Is that why her memory is partitioned? Not just because of old Uplift Protocol procedures?” The sapphire dragon nodded. His bearded green whiskers were crinkled. He was delighted that Doc was putting pieces together. His aura was a bright reddish gold against my empathy webs.

“Correct. It is to protect Eliza’s sense of self. Only the Highest and parts of the Weave can operate freely through the flows of time. Others? Even Light Shamans, Weave Speakers, and Sages? Or even those like Nola can only perceive the embers through their mirrors or impressions.”

I blurted out, “Yet Anna had valid fears that colored her early interactions with me. Felt clear enough to me.”

Hiulk rumbled. The sound reverberated through my chest.

“Yes. A warning. With certain kinds of sapients that is the most sure-fire way to get a message across. Of Danger. Possibility. She knew of Renenutet before most others. Had she not been at odds with you? The threat may have gone unnoticed.”

The sky above darkened. Turning purple as twilight descended.

“The dream will fade yet I will take a walk with young master Ritark.” Hiulk pulled the Litari towards the sparkling waterfalls of the northwest corner. “I will give you the beginning primer. It will help you master certain aspects of the Dreaming.” The titan placed a small blue star-shaped crystal within the Litari’s third eye. “Give that to Sy’ra. She will know what to do with it.”

A pleasant mist flooded the courtyard.

All we could see was the smattering of stars.

I pulled Doc towards a sparkling fountain.

As she sat she threw her arms around my neck.

I continued, “Sir Mathias found himself in a perilous dark forest…”

The story flowed from my lips as the sky darkened further. I recalled every bit of it. Not needing the leather-bound book to recall the tale.

Three stars were prominently on display. One was a solid blue. The middle was a stark white. While the final one smoldered with dull red. Nearly bronze in color.

*****

Thomas watched as his daughter smiled. Her eyes were closed. A bright aura flowed across her body. Whatever was happening within the Deep Veil was healing her soul. The shrouding system still bathed the area in white static. J’ino watched as the final pathways to Gates of Ta’rakarum concealed themselves.

The Lion gate guardians bowed as they passed. “This we will leave to your husband.”

Thomas glanced up, “By blood and bone.”

They replied, “By Will and Soul.”

Together, “The Gates will remain sealed until Convergence.”

Eliza’s eyes opened. Her parents took each hand and hauled her up.

The first thing out of her mouth was, “Dad, did you know there were three of me running around? Or would that be four of me? Since current me is me.”

Thomas Murphy responded with, “I only knew of two. The one-armed version and your silver counterpart.”

J’ino cocked her head to the size. The questions burning in her eyes.

They all turned as three cloaked figures entered the energy field, their dress invoking ancient promise. The tallest of the three threw back his cosmic black hood. Tobin, his features marred with age said, “Now I know how sis felt.” Gwen removed her’s next. Jace winked at his family, “It's no wonder most things cannot breach time unless it's done by the Almighty itself.”

Eliza twitched. Her form taking on that familiar Silver armor, “I was wondering when we’d have this conversation.” She said this with such a straight face that Thomas rubbed his chin. J’ino wagged her finger at her much older children.

“Just get it all out of the way now.”

Eliza grinned as all the Murphy siblings stated, “Mirror mirror on the wall! Who’re the most swiss of them all?”

Gwen exclaimed, “Eliza still is. Sis, I gotta say, you have more willpower than I have. Do you know how many times I just wanted to lay it all out?”

*****

I embraced my much older siblings. Not caring what time the Weave and the Highest had pulled them from. At this point, it’d take a bloodhound, an Ouija board, and a divine compass to make note of what thread we were following now. At this point in my life, I had resigned myself to the twists of fate. Yes, I was still free to choose but seeing what could result from failure?

Made me all the more determined to help the Highest and the Weave succeed.

The images that Unity foisted onto my mind were relatively fresh.

I turned to my mother, “First. These are the sectors you will need to investigate on the Commons Dyson Spheres. Nyx is still pulling strings…using children to glean information about the Arcane Council….”

My siblings added in a few more pertinent details. Mom cut in sharply, “What do we do once the All-Father launches his fleets towards Earth?”

I replied softly, “Let the White Haze take me.”

My father pinched the bridge of his nose, “There’s more to that isn’t there?”

I replied, “Isn’t there always? Just trust where my rage will go.”

*****

Ren pretended to sleep.

The lack of life energy shocked the sorceress to her core.

The captain’s quarters on this ship were cleaner than she ever thought possible. No physic residue to cling to. Where did Murphy make her nest? Was her Union to Lanis a sham? Something to throw at the House degenerates among the Unity enhanced parties? She had desired a flame. All that was here was a few flickers of embers. Even her trysts had more passion! She threw off the blankets and made her way over to the kitchen. Nearly every cup here was blank! No residue.

Her eyes narrowed.

Her mirror had known. Lanis had taken anything of impressionable value.

She let her tendrils bury deep within the structure of the ship.

That Markav cook was making some sort of cake. A few Bardaxians patrolled the halls.

Nola and Jonas “Eddie” Olsten were in the rec area. Their life-force signatures popping up to her senses as normal Muthra. Was the Puzzler a scam as well? Enhanced humans to be sure. Yet a suspicion grew within her mind. She called out, “Jupiter!”

The monotone reply, <>

She put on a fake smile, “Take us out to Bardax. I want to follow up on some other projects for the T.A!”

The faint tremor of the ship indicated it had gone to lightspeed.

She hummed softly, “I must know.”

A red mug caught her eye. It had no outer markings but as her finger tips touched the crafted surface a kaleidoscope of impressions washed away all the mummy’s doubts. This was a loved item. She drank in the memories that flowed from it. She turned it over. The small letters burned through her soul.

“Happy Birthday! Have Mug Will Travel!”

It was Lanis’ handwriting.

The floodgates opened.

Ren dashed to the refresher just in time. The hated red cup clutched to her chest.

*****

“Nola” glanced up as Jupiter said, <>

Eddie grinned, “Want to place a bet?”

Nola facepalmed, “Not really.”

Arthon grimaced. That shriveled bundle of rags would find no true answers.

Only a new jail cell.

Eddie said, “I know that look. I want this to go smoothly but…”

Cooper trotted in, <>