Blood of the Ancient - The Helix Rebellion saga #1

Chapter 24

Logan drifted slowly through the cold, dark hallway, unsure if his feet were touching the ground. He was in some form of a transparent vortex, pulled along by gravitational distortions. He floated alongside an assortment of framed pictures on the wall, and for a moment, wondered if he recognised some of them. His curiosity vanished as he passed by a doorway on his left, then another, the whiff of old books and wet parchment toying with his senses.

His cosmic form halted at the third and final door. It was a heavy-looking security door, standing guard, protecting the secrets from within. Logan lifted an arm, observing the millions of sparkling photons along its elemental surface, and placed his hand on the intricate security touchpad.

In a flash he was on the other side, unable to register if the door ever opened. He dared not look back though, and allowed his weightless body to be pulled along by the gentle flow of energy. There was a white suit on the floor, crinkled in a heap, fallen from a wall mounted peg. Carbon and double-hydrogen atoms danced momentarily, as he passed through a dense polyethylene sheet like a ghost.

It was dark on the other side, and the temperature had dramatically dropped. Logan's shallow, exhaled breath began to freeze in front of his face, and his movement gradually slowed to a stop. Fear rose through his spine, and spread through his bones like molten lava. His petrified body fixed to the spot, in an eerily timeless and perpetual world. To his left, a ray of light illuminated a column of dust, suspended in a frozen web of space-time.

Logan felt an alien presence invading his senses, exotic and unknown, scrabbling at his mind; scratching and clawing to find a way inside. He fought to contain it, until he noticed a dead body floating inside of a huge, glass tank ahead of him. Hanging from wires in a torturous position, the cadaverous woman bore a striking resemblance to someone he knew, but was unable to recall. The flesh on her torso and legs was quietly decaying, and the lower half of an arm was missing on one side. A terrified whimper battled to leave his mouth, but was stifled by a barricade of intense gravity.

As Logan calmed himself, he began to survey the woman in the tank. Her long, copper hair spread out like wildfire, and she had an elegant beauty about her. She had the look of a person who wasn't ready to die.

'Logan...'

Yanked from his reverie, he frantically searched for the source of his spoken name. But suspended in air and unable to move, panic was slowly consuming him. His matter-less arms and legs flayed in non-existent air, grasping leverage from anything of substance.

'Please, be calm...there's no danger here, you're in your own mind.'

Logan's breathing slowed enough for him to register the new entity in the room, sitting at the foot of the glass tank. She sparkled like a diamond; beautiful, omniscient. She sat peacefully, relaxed, her appearance golden. Logan attempted to talk, but made no sound. Neither word nor syllable could exist in this place, at least not from an Eridanian.

'You can't talk yet...it's impossible.'

Logan knew this was the Goddess; Anoniem. Her sharp eyes a royal blue, dazzling and captivating. Her crimson hair shimmered over the left shoulder, brushing lightly against her bosom underneath. She was wearing an elegant robe that tenderly caressed her slim body. The colour was indistinguishable within the aura that surrounded her, like a kaleidoscope of noble colours blending with every move she made; gold and silver, yellows and reds. Her face was warm and friendly, and her enchanting smile was relaxing and reassuring.

'Please forgive my intrusion. I shall not sway your mind for long.'

Despite being terrified at the lack of control, Logan felt like he could trust her. His fear began to slowly evaporate, and he nodded for her to continue.

'I know you search for me...and through his blood I can envision you of my tomb. You've been here before.' Anoniem stood, and walked gracefully to Logan, placing a gentle palm on his cheek. A cool, liquid euphoria replaced the burning lava inside his soul, the touch rejuvenating against his skin.

'It has been too many years, Logan...but with your help I can return,' Anoniem lowered her head. 'Alas, with this connection I bring a warning. Your people were borne of Eshiea'n, delivered to Eridanus by Eshiea'n, and when ready...they will come for you all...'

Logan wasn't sure if his brain had translated the warning correctly, her words perhaps jumbled. He stared with confusion, into her deep blue eyes, transfixed.

'I must send my eternal gratitude...for the child of Jaered holds my love dearly.'

A silver tear emerged in an eye as she spoke Jaered's name. When she closed it, the single pearl of moisture slid down her face, and dropped into Logan's waiting hand. He clasped his fingers around it tightly...

***

...when he opened his hand again, it was empty. The silver pearl had vanished along with the Goddess. Blythe knelt beside him, holding his shaking hand, a look of concern on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked, "sounded like you were having a nightmare." Logan sat up, unsurprised to find his bare chest glistening with sweat.

"The Goddess," he said. "I know where she is."

Blythe's mouth dropped open in shock. "What...where?"

"She's in Alundra, locked in a security room in Crow's laboratory."

"How do you know that?" she asked, eyes narrowing with curiosity.

Logan began to laugh, retaining a bewildered smile as his reverie ripened into a clear vision. He gazed omnisciently into Blythe's emerald eyes. "I...think I've just met her. She showed me where she's being held."

Blythe smiled back, excited but uncertain. "What did...she say?"

Logan closed his eyes, refocusing on the hazing dream. "She had a message, for you..." he said, calmly, "I think...she wanted to thank you. She said-"

"What?" demanded Blythe, wanting a quicker answer. "What did she say?"

"She said that...'you' hold her love dearly."

Before an imminent onrush of tears flooded her face, Blythe launched herself at Logan, kissing him hard on the lips with the burning emotions that ran through her body. She'd waited a long time for a sign from the Goddess, and had even begun to doubt herself. She forced Logan onto his back, and pressed her tongue against his, as her desire suddenly ignited. When the tears finally began to flow, she gently lowered her head onto Logan's chest. He held her in an arm, running his fingers through her curly, ginger hair.

"Thank you...Logan," she whimpered, "you've reassured me of my life's p-purpose."

"You're welcome...Blythe." replied Logan, a little startled by her reaction - and the kiss.

"Did she...say anything else?"

The warning... Logan remembered, wondering. Perhaps now wouldn't be the best time to discuss a worldwide invasion. "No, that was all she said."

An upcoming planetary attack was suddenly quite sobering, and the Goddess had seemed certain it would happen. The Eshiea'n had traversed the universe to get here before, so they could definitely do it again - but why, he wondered. Why would they return? After all, hadn't they allowed their seed to find a unique life of their own? Logan shook his head, yanking his mind out of the daydream, he didn't have time to think about it at the moment. Right now he needed to find a way of persuading Symon to come to Alundra. He would need the genius, and his ability to crack security locks, if he was to stand any chance of releasing the Goddess.

But to convince Symon, he'd need to convince Ezra...