Sibyl of Doom

  My jaw dropped when I saw the Imperatora herself waiting at the Central Turret door. Her henna-tinted hair and single-shouldered vermillion gown heightened her elegant olive complexion and hazel eyes. The effect was even more stunning in person than in her vids, which I had always assumed had been edited to make her look so beautiful.

  The eunuch opened the turret door and bowed. The Imperatora nodded and the eunuch stepped aside. She stepped forward and extended her hand. I grabbed her hand and curtsied; marveling at the silky texture of her skin. "Please stand, Professora Whey-ki," she said in her husky alto tone.

  She stepped by me to stand in front of Kwenerra and Ahrtzor. "So these are your children." Even though she towered over them both and her eyes scanned them from head to toe, her demeanor displayed only friendship. "As I have heard, you, Kwenerra, are the image of your mother. And you, young Ahrtzor, you possess the Gondwana features of your deceased father. Your parents did indeed unite to combine the best of Gondwana and Owyhee."

  I had no doubt that the Imperatora's flattery was intended to remind me that I was a foreigner, legally permitted to remain in Gondwana after my husband's death only because of my children. I forced myself to maintain a bland expression.

  She turned back to me. "Professora, if you will come with me, we have much to discuss."

  She nodded to the eunuch. "Grand Eunuch Rohfek will give the children a tour of the Castle while I talk with the Professora."

  Ahrtzor smiled, "Awesome." Kwenerra stiffened; her eyes darted toward me. I reflexively bit my lip.

  The Imperatora tilted her head. "Professora, that is not why I called you here. They will be well taken care of. You have my word no harm will come of them."

  I nodded to Kwenerra. She took a deep breath and followed the eunuch. They walked to the end of the hallway and down the staircase.

  The Imperatora reached to the neckline of her gown and pulled out a trine necklace with an opal pendant. "I wish to talk to you where we will not be disturbed." She pointed the pendant at the wall. A flash of bright light burst from her pendant and blurred my vision. I shut my eyes and turned my head. She grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.

  A freezing coldness enveloped me and sucked me forward. "No," I screamed. Frigid air chafed my face. Penetrating cold bit into my fingers and climbed up my arms. My legs became numb. The Imperatora had bamboozled me. She intended to flash-freeze me to keep my silence. I prayed for Kwenerra and Ahrtzor's safety.

  The Imperatora's hand clamped my frigid fingers and pulled. "Step toward me," she said.

  I didn't know if this was more of the Imperatora's trickery, but at that moment anything seemed preferable to freezing to death. I shivered and stepped forward. Warm air caressed me. I blinked my eyes into focus. The Imperator had a mocking smile on her face. "The first time in hyper is always the worst," she said.

  I glanced around. The Imperatora stood next to me; her eyes fixed on me like a cat's on a cornered mouse. We were in a white paneled room with no windows or doors. The room's only furniture consisted of a single desk with an egg-shaped monitor out of which emerged a single thin wire.

  "Am I being imprisoned?"

  The Imperatora's eyes twinkled as if she enjoyed my discomfort. "I'd hoped my dramatic presentation of hyperspace manipulation would have resulted in a different reaction."

  It took a moment to sink in. "Hyperspace," I mumbled. "Travel through another dimension. Impossible." I stepped to the nearest wall and ran my hands along its surface, searching for a hidden entrance.

  The Imperatora looked at me as if I were an errant child. "Go ahead. Search the whole room. You will find no doorways in or out. My private study can only be accessed through a hyperportal."

  I lowered my hands. "Hyperspace transport remains a theoretical concept. If it had been discovered, it would have been published in every journal. All the world would know."

  "Oh come now, Professora. Surely, you're not that naive."

  I didn't know how to respond and stood silently.

  She came and stood in front of me. She lowered her head and locked eyes with me. "Certain knowledge should not be shared with the general populace - for its own good. One is hyperspace." She placed her hand on my shoulder. "Another is the Precession Cataclysm. The public must think of both are fantasies."

  I shook my head. "I disagree, Imperatora. Everyone needs to know so they can prepare for the Cataclysm."

  "And what are they to prepare for but certain death? Have you considered the panic and despair that would create? Lawless violence would destroy Gondwana long before the Cataclysm."

  I stiffened my back. "You sell your people short. With strong leadership, they would support a massive effort to insure that some survive and that civilization's scientific knowledge is preserved."

  She walked to the desk and grabbed a sheet of paper. "Listen to your own words:

  I have run the projections over and over, hoping each time that they are wrong. To my regret, the result is always the same. The world's lithosphere, the thin outer crust of our planet, will soon slip thirty degrees. The effects of this displacement will be horrendous: unceasing volcanic eruptions as seismic faults split open on every mountain range, massive earthquakes on the ocean floors creating unimaginable tidal waves that will obliterate coastal regions, and skies darkened from volcanic ash turning the climate everywhere into an ice age. Unless appropriate steps are started immediately, only a handful will survive this cataclysm, and they will be the unlucky ones. They will be blasted back to a stone age where their lives will consumed by a day-to-day struggle merely to exist. It will take at least 12,000 years for civilization to rise again.

  She laid the sheet back on the desk. "Thank the Goddess that the rest of your article consists of so much scientific gibberish and esoteric equations that it's incomprehensible. Otherwise, if anyone other than my people had stumbled on to it, panic would already have overtaken Gondwana and no one would be safe, including you and your lovely children."

  Me eyes tightened. "If you think I'm a crackpot," my voice wavered, "you didn't need to summon me here to ridicule my work."

  She laughed softly. "My dear Professora, you wouldn't be here if I thought you were a crackpot. You're here because you're one of those I wish to help escape the Cataclysm."

  -6-

  Rwohn Compound

  Planet Tirano

  The risotto and Aos Whey-ki's fantasy tale had their desired effect. My mind had been wound so tight the night before that the obvious had blown past me. The cause of Sini's nightmares should have been obvious if I had been thinking straight. I'd been on the right track with the concept that Sini only slept in two places: her private chambers at Arvor Castel and at Rwohn Compound. I hadn't, however, connected the dots to the obvious connection. Those were the same two places that the Sibyls had constructed hyperportals. Somehow, the portals were interfering with Sini's implant. I'd interrogate Mom until I found out why and how.

  When the time to go to Sini's chambers finally arrive, I stomped through the hallways. My determination must have shown because the Vhirko opened the door and said, "The Queen is waiting."

  Sini sat at the head of the alcove's conference table, two pots of tea in front of her. Her sunken eyes told me she'd had another sleepless night. She gulped a cup of tea before she nodded at the Vhirko to close the door.

  "I just activated my vid-con and saw your message. You've figured it out?"

  "You bet you. You only sleep two places, right?"

  She nodded.

  "And in both places, the Sibyls constructed a hyperportal. I don't know how yet, but those portals are interfering with your implant. And you can also be that I'm going to get the answer out of Mom."

  Sini pulled on her earlobe. "Why would the Sibyls want to drive me insane?"

  I reflected for a moment. "I don't think it's intentional. They don't know programming for your implant.
Their portals are creating some cellular interference they probably aren't even aware of. When Mom arrives, I'll try to determine how to neutralize the interference."

  Sini pulled on her ear lobe. "Father never complained about lack of sleep and was never irritable like I've been. Why didn't father experience the interference?"

  I hoped Sini wouldn't take wrong what I was about to say. "My guess is because you're female. Your implant interacts slightly different because of the female chromosome."

  Before Sini could respond her vid-con buzzed. "It's the blasted guard again," she said. "Can't I have a few moments without them bothering me?"

  I shared her exasperation. We'd get nothing accomplished if the Vhirko interrupted us every time some one wanted to talk to Sini. "See what it is," I said. "Mom will be here any minute and we don't want any interruptions."

  Sini pushed the vid-con reply icon. "Yes, Corporal."

  "The High Sibyl requests an immediate audience."

  What, in Ghaeah's name, was Mom up to now, I wondered?

  "Tell her she may see me as soon as she arrives."

  "She's here now," the Vhirko replied.

  Sini's back stiffened and the vein in her neck pulsed. She glared at me.

  "I didn't know," I mouthed.

  Sini stood. "Admit the High Sibyl."

  Compared to yesterday's ceremonial dress, Mom's red Sibyl frock looked sedate. She dipped her head to Sini. "Your Highness."

  "High Sibyl," Sini replied. She turned to the Vhirko. "You may leave, and no more interruptions unless it's an emergency. Understood?"

  "Yes, your Highness."

  No one said a word until the door closed.

  "By the Belts, Mom, what are you up to?"

  "Isn't it obvious?" she asked in her rhetorical tone.

  Mom can be so frustrating. "Only to you."

  "Well, then, I'll say it slowly so you can understand. There will be less to worry about if the Vhirko know I'm supposed to be here. I don't have to transport every time they conduct their patrols."

  I glared at her the way Sini had earlier at me. "You should have told us."

  "Don't be so petulant, dear. You knew when I was supposed to arrive, and here I am. So let's get to work."

  As usual, Mom was right, but that didn't stop my irritation with her Sibyl secretiveness of not telling us her plans in advance. I hoped she'd drop the Sibyl veil of secrecy long enough to help me figure the reason for the portal's interference with Sini's implant. Otherwise, I might never be able to do so.

  "Where do we start?" Sini asked.

  I rushed to speak first. "Mom's going to explain how you can access the hyperportals. Before she does, though, I've got a few questions."

  Mom gave Sini her "all-knowing" smile. "I'd be shocked if he didn't."

  Sini smiled back. "Oh, I'm sure he has several." She pointed at the wingback leather chairs in the sitting area next to the conference alcove. "You'll be more comfortable in a soft seat."

  Mom perched herself on a chair, her feet dangling above the ivory tiled-floor. "Now, son, what is it you want to know?"

  I exhaled. "You left so many things unexplained that I'm not certain where to start."

  Mom snorted. "I doubt that. You were probably up all night making a list."

  She shook her head at Sini. "And I bet you did too. I told you to get a good night's sleep and you clearly didn't."

  "What you told me yesterday made it difficult to sleep." Sini chewed on her lip. "Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

  "Until two spins ago, I couldn't be certain that your father hadn't told you. After the portals were created, we set up a procedure where Zhun'Mar tested them once each cycle. Because the Vhirko watched you constantly for the first three cycles, I knew you couldn't test the portals and there was no way I could show you. When you missed the test date this cycle, it confirmed you didn't know. Thus, yesterday's dramatics."

  "But Mom, you said Zhun'Mar wasn't to tell Sini until her investiture. How could she know?"

  Mom rolled her eyes. "Kuinsi, you studied Sibyl history to know that the Arvors never feel obligated to obey the Sisterhood."

  "I guess, one of them" Sini's voice cracked, "did this time."

  "I know it's difficult, but you need to know." Mom reached out for Sini's hand. "He would have wanted you to."

  Sini pulled her hand back. "Then he should have told me." Her shoulders tensed.

  I needed to calm Sini and keep her temper from flaring again. "If your father promised the Sisterhood that he wouldn't tell you until your investiture, end of story. You know as well as I do, that he would never break a pledge. That's why we all loved him and followed him."

  Sini lowered he head and wiped away a tear. "It's all so unfair."

  Mom reached for Sini's hand, and this time Sini didn't pull it away.

  "Mom," I said, "do the portals emit cellular transmissions detectable outside of hyperspace?"

  "I can't believe you asked that. Of course not. The portals wouldn't be secret if they transmitted any energy detectable in normal space."

  That answer didn't support my hypothesis, but I wasn't convinced. "If the portals can't be detected, then how is Sini supposed to access them?"

  Mom patted Sini's hand. "That's what I'm here to explain, dear."

  Sini nodded at me. "Let your mother explain. Perhaps, that will answer some of your questions."

  Sini was right. My questions hadn't gotten anywhere. "Okay, Mom, tell us."

  Mom reached for her pendant. "The Sisterhood has mapped the location of every portal we've created. Anyone with the proper access codes can use a pendant to obtain their locations and their oscillation factors."

  My eyes widened. "You're going to give Sini a pendant?"

  "She doesn't need it. The Golden Vine Ring will open her portals".

  Sini held out her hand and stared at the Ring. "Show me," she said.

  This wasn't going at all like I wanted. None of my concerns had been addressed and Sini was ready to launch into learning how to use the Ring. But sometimes when you've lost control, especially to two brilliant females, it's best to stand back and hope you learn something.

  "Do you know which grape your father inserted on the cluster?" Mom asked.

  Sini shook her head.

  "Then, I'll show you," Mom said.

  Sini's vid-console beeped. Her finger punched the reply icon so hard I thought it would crack. "This better be important, Corporal."

  The Vhirko maintained a stone-faced look. "Count Nhoth and a delegation from the Assembly demand an immediate holo-conference."

  Sini's face reddened. "They demand?"

  "Yes, your Highness."

  "Open channel," Sini's voice quivered with anger, "so I can tell them exactly what they can demand."

  I recognized that tone; Sini's temper had snapped. Before I could say a word to calm her, the holos appeared. Count Nhoth stood in front surrounded by three other members of the Archonan Assembly. "Your High-" was as much as Nhoth could utter before Sini cut him off.

  "Don't say one more word, Count," Sini's eyes hardened as they slid over Nhoth and the others. "No one demands a meeting with the Sovereign. If you want a meeting, I suggest that you contact my staff and request a meeting. Do you understand?"

  To my surprise, Nhoth gave Sini a challenging stare. "If I failed observe proper protocol, I beg forgiveness," he said unctuously. "However, we must speak. The Assembly is in an uproar over your refusal to approve the budget. A minority has proposed holding a hearing." He paused and pinched his double chin, "Regarding the legitimacy of your succession. I have used my influence to avert such a hearing, but I may not be able to hold them off for long."

  Sini's face turned redder than Mom's gown. "I may be young and a woman, but I will not be intimidated into agreeing to your obscene budget. If you wish to hold any hearings, that is your business. Mine is to rule in the manner I believe is
in this planet's best interest, even if you and your cronies don't like it. Now get out of my sight and don't even think of contacting me again unless you have a budget that my father and my grandfather would have accepted."

  The holos evaporated. Sini clenched her fists. "Why do they continue to treat me like a child?" she asked Mom.

  "Because you sit on the Golden Vine Throne," Mom looked at me, "and your closest advisor is only half-Tiranoan." She turned back to Sini. "The two of you threaten the very thing they hold dearest: their special privileges merely because they were born Archonan. Your father and I hoped we would have had more time to prepare you, and them. Unfortunately, life never follows a script."

  Sini's shoulders slumped. "Then, what am I to do?"

  Mom smiled. "You know the answer to that; you've already said it. What your father and your grandfather would have done. Do what is best for Tirano, not what appeases some Archonan reactionaries like Rohfek. The KaNoa already adore you both for what you represent and for who you are. The Archonan will come around eventually."

  Sini hugged Mom. "Cayko, you make it sound so easy."

  "It's never easy," Mom said, "and who knows what perils lie ahead, emotional and physical. Which is why I need to show you the portals."

  "Are you trying to scare me?" Sini said softly.

  "No. To prepare you. As strong as your father and grandfather were, they met untimely ends. I want to protect you as much as I can."

  Sini nodded. "Let's continue then before the Vhirko intrude."

  Mom touched one of the grapes with her forefinger. "Your father's grape is the icon that opens the portal."

  "How's it do that," I asked.

  "If pointed at the portal and tapped rapidly three times, it emits a particle wave that activates the portal for five lacti."

  Mom looked at Sini. "Ready to try?"

  Sini nodded hesitantly. She turned her hand so that the Ring's grape cluster pointed towards the wall where Mhikhel's portrait hung. She tapped the Ring. Nothing happened.

  "Try again," Mom said. "You have to be careful only to tap your father's grape."

  "Wouldn't it be easier with a stylus?" Sini asked.