Chronosphere Read online

  Looks like he’d have to investigate this outpost after the wedding. He turned and looked at the nude Sabina sprawled out beautifully on the bed, remembering the day they’d met, only a few days before. Another strange thought regarding that day occurred to him.

  “Sabina,” he said softly, “Did you say when we first met that some of your plants had gone bad unexpectedly?”

  “Mmmhmm,” she replied. “Getting worse lately. Lots of farms around the city have had troubles with crop disease.”

  Her eyes popped open and she sat up.

  “Don’t spread that around, okay? I probably shouldn’t have told you. These things happen sometimes. I wouldn’t want the city to go into a panic. The food supply should last until the crops get healthy again.”

  He didn’t respond. The tryst had been pleasant, but he needed to regain his focus. The Draconians were drinking blood, getting high on fear, and he couldn’t help but suspect that they had something to do with the kingdom’s bad luck. Not to mention he had an outpost to investigate. First, though, he had a wedding to plan for, a wedding that would end with more than a joyous union.

  On the table was another stack of papers, these much smaller. Anton picked them up and looked through them. Wedding invitations. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Sabina was sound asleep. Quickly and quietly, he thumbed through them, looking for a familiar name.

  Chapter Twelve

  When Anton returned to his room the next morning, Ana was powered on and flipping through the adventure books he’d brought from the library at an incredible speed. He knew it took her only moments to acquire and retain new information, but she seemed to enjoy the stories all the same. A bit of dramatized human emotion would do her good, he figured. He felt a little bad about not returning all night, but she didn’t appear to be worried. Then again, the beautiful android never appeared to be worried. She immediately turned to greet him when he entered their quarters.

  “Anton, I wondered where you were last night. However, it seemed unlikely that harm had come to you. The castle was quiet and uneventful throughout the night.”

  “Thanks for caring, Ana,” he said with a grin. For him, the castle had been anything but uneventful. “I stayed with a lady friend. Remember Sabina? She’s the one who gave us our beggar clothes.”

  “I have not met her, but I do recall your mentioning her. You slept in her quarters?”

  “I did sleep there, among other things.”

  Anton lounged across the bed.

  “Are you implying that you had a sexual encounter with her?”

  “Something like that.” He shrugged playfully.

  “Congratulations, Anton.” Ana smiled. “It has been 187 days since your last sexual encounter. I believe some humans would consider that a long time.”

  He laughed at her lack of tact.

  “You’ve been keeping track?”

  “My memory skills are greater than those of human beings. Regardless, sexual encounters are good for your mental and physical health. I am pleased that you found satisfaction.”

  “Thanks, Ana,” he laughed again. “That’s very sweet.”

  Ana closed the book she was no longer reading and pushed it to the back of the desk. Anton grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and took a long drink.

  “It occurs to me,” Ana said, “That you could have satisfied those urges at any time.”

  “How’s that?”

  “I am an anatomically correct replication of a human woman.”

  Anton nearly spit out the water he was drinking.

  “What exactly are you implying?” His jaw hung open. He’d never heard Ana mention a subject like this.

  “I have a physically fit body and a proportional face. My shape also suggests a reasonably good chance of fertility. By all accounts, I am attractive. Do you find me attractive, Anton?”

  “Well, I…” he stumbled over his words for a moment. “To be honest, I do find you attractive. It’s kind of hard not to. You chose a very enticing appearance.”

  “Despite your sexual frustration, you have never requested a sexual experience with me.”

  Anton sat up in the bed, putting the glass back on the bedside table. He thought for a moment how to best approach the subject.

  “Why, Ana, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous,” he teased. Quickly, he regretted the quip. Ana was clearly just trying to understand.

  “I do not believe I am experiencing jealousy,” she said. “I am pleased that you found sexual satisfaction. However, I do not understand why you would not seek that satisfaction from the most readily available source.”

  He sighed, leaning back again. Ana still sat at the desk, looking at him attentively.

  “Good sex isn’t just about fucking whoever is most convenient. I created you, you know? I guess it would just feel... a bit… creepy? I programmed your mind, after all.”

  “I would consent without hesitation,” she replied.

  Anton felt his manhood twitch, then admonished himself for it.

  “But would you want it?”

  She pondered this.

  “Let me ask you this,” he said. “Do you find me attractive?”

  “I desire to bring you satisfaction, and I recognize that you have traits that humans find attractive. Your facial symmetry and physical build are, by all accounts, attractive. You have a pronounced jawline and full facial hair, suggesting desirable levels of testosterone. You are also muscular, suggesting high levels of physical discipline and athletic capabilities.”

  “Oh, Ana, you flatter me. But you know that isn’t really attraction, right? It’s something more primal than that, like a physical magnetism. It’s hard to explain. You’d have to really want it if it was going to be enjoyable for either of us.”

  “I see,” she said, though he could see that she didn’t.

  This was a new development, and Anton made a note to consider it more in the future. She had chosen that body, presumably with his enjoyment in mind. And she was the one who initiated the discussion. Maybe she really was attracted to him. If she was… boy, that could be a game changer. He grinned thinking about the fun they could have.

  Still unsure about it, he resolved to explore this option in the future, to try and understand what she felt was more than just curiosity. Until then, lovely Sabina would keep him satisfied.

  “Let’s talk more about this later,” he said. “In the meantime, we have a wedding to sabotage. I’ve got some ideas, but we’ll need some more supplies from the chronosphere. We’ll need to get started today. The wedding is only a few days away.”

  ***

  Their satchel full of gadgets and materials from the chronosphere, Ana and Anton were walking back through the city toward the castle when they passed the street that led to Hectus’ estate. He stopped and contemplated the place for a moment.

  “What is wrong, Anton?”

  “Ana, I have an idea.” He didn’t take his eyes off the elaborate rooftop in the distance. “It isn’t exactly ethical, though.”

  “Please elaborate.”

  He took a deep breath, preparing to unveil what had been on his mind for several days.

  “I think we should murder Matteo at the altar of his own wedding and frame Hectus for the crime.”

  “Oh,” Ana said slowly, “I can see how that could be called unethical.”

  “Hear me out,” he said, leading her to an alleyway as a surge of people moved past them. “If we kill him in front of the royal family and all the important people of Jagari, he’ll immediately revert to his reptilian form as he dies. Everyone will see that he’s an imposter. The Draconians will get pushed away. The castle guard can still take them out if they don’t become any more powerful.”

  “We do not know that for sure,” she said. “It is not clear what sort of weapons the Draconians currently possess.”

  “Well, whatever they have, it isn’t getting any less powerful, and we are going to have to kill them at
some point. There’s apparently a Draconian outpost not far from this city. If we kill Matteo in secret, they’ll probably just send another one to replace him. In fact, if it just looks like a tragic assassination, the city will be overjoyed when someone new comes to take his place. We have to sow the seeds of distrust in the humans here so that it can’t happen again. If we extinguish the reptiles now and more show up acting weird and mysterious in all the same ways, they’ll know not to trust them. They need to be exposed in front of everyone.”

  “You still have not acknowledged the moral dilemma with this plan,” she said. “Why do you wish to frame an innocent man for this murder?”

  “If all goes according to plan,” he said, “he’ll be celebrated as a hero. He prevented the wedding that would have led to the kingdom’s downfall.”

  “Why would you want someone that you hate to become a hero?”

  He hesitated. This was the true moral dilemma.

  “Because what if it goes wrong? If the assassination fails… well… I hate to put it so harshly, but better that he gets punished than us. It at least frees us up to try again somehow. And let’s be honest, that guy is a total piece of shit. Not to mention, he has the motivation. Matteo is not only stealing away his bride, but he and Matthias humiliated him on that hunt. It’s perfect.”

  “It is a logical plan,” she said simply.

  “That’s it?”

  “What are you expecting, Anton? It is obviously morally questionable. I am still learning about morality.”

  “Aren’t we all,” he said to himself.

  “If you believe it is right, I will assist you however you need.”

  “I do,” he said. “This will be for the greater good. However, we’re going to need to get him an invitation to the wedding.”

  “Hectus is from a high-ranking house,” she said. “He likely already has received an invitation.”

  “Not yet,” Anton said, smiling. He reached into the satchel and pulled out a piece of decorated parchment. He handed it to her.

  Hectus of House Rickard,

  You are cordially invited to the blessed union of two souls: Matteo of House Dracos and Petra of House Prothero. The Ceremony will take place at 18:30 on the sixth of Mendelos. We hope you will join us.

  “I grabbed it from Sabina’s desk. She was the one writing them out.”

  “I do not understand.” Ana cocked her head. “Why would you take the invitation from Hectus if you wish for him to attend?”

  “It needs a couple of adjustments,” he said. “Firstly, I doubt he’ll attend on his own accord. Like I said, he probably still loves Petra, and the Draconians humiliated him. We’ll need to threaten him into it. Secondly, for reasons I will later explain, we will want him to be about ten minutes late.”

  “How will we accomplish these things?”

  “I need your forgery skills,” he said, pulling a small bottle of ink and a pen from the satchel. More gifts from Sabina. “Can you change it to read 18:40?”

  “Yes, I can, but how will you threaten him into coming?”

  He grinned.

  “Put the Dracos’ sigil on the back. Let him remember us scaring the hell out of him last night. Oh, and put something about showing up exactly on time.”

  She nodded, then knelt and got to work. Laying the invitation against a piece of scrap metal, the android recreated Sabina’s handwriting effortlessly, then handed the invitation back to Anton. It looked great.

  “Perfect,” he said. “What do you say we hand deliver this?”

  ***

  Hectus’ estate was eerie even in the daytime. The features of the gargoyles and other statues were clearer and more grotesque, and despite the immaculate gardens, no one was attending to them. A quick bioscan showed that a handful of people were inside, but Anton felt no need to speak to them. Best to leave the invitation on the porch and get the man wondering who’d left it.

  With the invitation pinned to the door, Anton started to leave before thinking better of it.

  “Ana, let me see that bioscan again.”

  She produced the hologram. Five dots were present on the map, all congregated in one room at the far end of the house.

  “Come on,” he said. “We need a bit more evidence to plant. Let’s circle around the side and see if we can find something.”

  They wandered through the manicured lawn and peeked into windows as he passed. Most were enshrouded by dark curtains.

  “Any chance you can rig that tech scanner to just find metal?”

  “Yes, it’s possible,” Ana replied. “But even in this era, metal is common to wealthy households.”

  “I know,” he said. “But I’m looking for a whole lot of it all in one place.”

  She modified the hologram to search for metal, and Anton found what he was looking for. One room in the house, situated in the back-right corner, was full of the stuff. He dashed over to it, double checking to make sure the house residents were all still together across the house.

  The window was locked, but Anton was already prepared for this. He reached into the satchel and found the vibrational modulator he’d fashioned, then put it up to the lock. It buzzed loudly as he shifted the frequency up and down. Eventually, he found the one that matched the lock and held it until the thing rattled open. He put the device back in the satchel.

  A treasure trove of weaponry was inside. Halberds, battleaxes, and swords of all sizes were displayed on the walls, but Anton had his eyes on the crossbow that was placed directly in the center. He grinned as he ran a finger over the smooth wood. It was beautiful, and it was a pleasure to steal it. Anton was about to head back out the window when he heard a faint sobbing from another room followed by angry shouting.

  Just go. He’ll get what’s coming to him.

  And yet, something got the better of him. A morbid curiosity. Perhaps he wouldn’t have stayed if the sobbing voice hadn’t sounded like a child’s. There was some instinctual part of him that couldn’t walk away from that.

  Motioning to Ana to wait, he took a few cautious steps toward the door and opened it quietly. The voices grew louder. He followed them through an ornate hallway lined with red and orange. Eventually, he turned a corner that revealed the scene.

  A young boy, perhaps eight years old, knelt in front of Hectus. He sobbed into Hectus’ robes while the man scowled down at him. Behind the boy, a lump of cloth lay on the floor. It took Anton a moment to realize it was a body. A perfectly still one.

  “You made me do this, William! Don’t you forget it.” Hectus glared over his moustache and pointed at the boy’s face.

  “Please Sir Rickard,” the boy said through sobs. “Wake her up! I didn’t mean it. The vegetables… they fall apart in my hands. There’s nothing I could do.”

  “You and your mother are worthless,” Hectus spat. “I let you into my home and this is how you repay me? You aren’t worth the gold coins I bought you for. Get out of my sight and never come back!”

  “Please, sir, please help her.”

  “I already helped her. Now go!”

  The boy ran off, sobbing as he went toward the front door. It wasn’t until he left that Anton noticed the other servants standing a few feet away from Hectus. There were three of them, and they all stared at their feet.

  “What are you all still doing here?” he shouted. “Back to work! And you’d better bring me some real goddamned food, or you’ll end up just like her.”

  Anton clenched his jaw. He was desperate to take the crossbow and send a bolt straight through the monster’s face. Instead, he turned and made his way back toward Ana. When he reached her, he told her to make a note of his heat signature on her bioscanner and single it out. When the wedding comes, he thought, Justice will be served in more ways than one.

  ***

  Ana and Anton had just passed through the castle gates when the sharp clink of metal-on-metal drew Anton’s attention. The sound came from a grassy corner just inside the castle walls. Anton swiveled his
head in the direction of the sounds. His jaw dropped.

  Petra, clad in a short linen skirt and a tight-fitting black top, was going toe-to-toe against a salt-and-pepper haired man that he recognized as the official who had given him and Ana the writ of passage to the castle. They both held swords. The man had a long broadsword with a gem-encrusted hilt. Petra dual wield short needle-like swords. Though both weapons were capped with dull sheaths to prevent real injury, they battled as if their lives depended on it.

  The man wore a grey cloak that was torn in two spots. He breathed heavily, clearly running out of steam. Petra, however, looked as if she was just getting started. Though glistening with sweat, she was clearly high on adrenaline and lost in the zone. They battled ferociously and took no notice of their observers. Anton couldn’t help but feel aroused at her glistening sweat and contorting muscles, tight and powerful like those of a gymnast or swimmer.

  “I yield, I yield,” the man said, scowling through thick breaths. “I can’t keep up with you anymore, princess. I fear I’ve lost my edge.”

  “Lighten up, Thaddeus. You should be proud of me. Perhaps you should bring in a second swordsman.” Petra grinned proudly. “I bet I can take you both.”

  Anton turned to Ana and gestured to the satchel.

  “Take that to our quarters,” he said. “I'll meet you there in a few minutes.”

  “Are you sure it is wise for you to stay?” Ana asked. “She is not very pleased with you.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  She walked away. The man gathered his things and walked into the castle as well, nodding to Anton as he passed. He looked terribly displeased. Petra stayed and practiced some moves by herself. He clapped to draw her focus. She turned abruptly.

  “Oh.” She resumed her practice with a sour look. “It’s you.”

  “I had no idea you were such a skilled swordswoman.”

  “And yet you approach me anyway, while I’m still armed? This sheath is easily removed, you know.” She didn’t look at him.

  He debated his options for a moment.