Chronosphere Read online

  “Sir, our men are at your disposal,” Matteo had told him. “We’ve already instituted a perimeter guard that will patrol at all hours. We recommend a lockdown throughout the castle and city until that damned magician is caught.”

  “Excellent suggestion, thank you,” the king said. “I will institute the necessary measures right away. I will let you know if I need anything further from you.”

  Petra rolled her eyes. All it took to make her father feel like he was in power was to simply tell him that he was.

  With the wedding ceremony behind her, Petra was all too happy to oblige in their lockdown. So long as she had her books, her room was her sanctuary. It wasn’t until noon the next day that hunger forced her to finally emerge.

  She took her lunch in the dining hall, hoping that the members of both families would be too busy uniting the kingdoms to join her. This proved to be the case. She sat, enjoying a bowl of oatmeal, when the court scribe sat across the table from her. Petra had known Sabina for most of her life as a jovial woman. This made the woman’s tense expression all the more distressing.

  “I suggest you burn this after you read it,” the older woman whispered. “Don’t ask me any questions. My hands are clean now.”

  Before she could say a word, Sabina was gone. All she’d left behind was a folded piece of parchment. Petra looked around, ensuring that no one was watching before she unfolded it. It only took her a few minutes to translate the message.

  She leaned over to a candlestick on the table and burned the note.

  Though tempted to leave immediately, she knew she’d be best off waiting for the cover of darkness. The castle was too busy, too suspicious of all activities at the moment. She did, however, take an empty potato sack from the kitchen and wander out to the castle gardens.

  The gardens were mostly cleaned up, but many of Anton’s strange objects were still nestled into the flowers and shrubbery. She filled the sack with them, piece by piece. Their shape and size had been obscured until now, and they were unlike anything she’d ever seen.

  Gregor, who lead the group of servants in tidying up the last remains of the wedding, eyed her curiously as she milled about but said nothing.

  “Darling.” The voice behind her made her shiver. She faked a smile before turning around.

  “Good day, husband.”

  He was alone.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  “I was feeling restless,” she said. “Thought I’d come out and help the servants.”

  “This type of work is beneath a wife of mine,” he said.

  She found it hard to swallow her disgust. Gregor and several other servants were within earshot.

  “I just wanted to be helpful.”

  “Are those the magician’s contraptions that you’re picking up?”

  “Yes.” She was still holding one of the glass bulbs that somehow emitted light the night before. “Strange things, aren’t they?”

  “I suggest that you rid yourself of those things immediately.” Matteo clenched his jaw. “I was coming to do that myself. I will dispose of them for you. I wouldn’t want you to be hurt by an assassin’s playthings.”

  “You were his intended victim, Matteo.” She tightened her grip on the bag. “So perhaps you are in the most danger. I’d better let a servant dispose of them, just in case they’re still dangerous. Besides, I’d say that taking out the garbage is likewise beneath you.”

  Antagonizing Matteo only felt good for a moment before she regretted it. He stared daggers at her.

  “I will dispose of it,” Gregor said, approaching. “Neither of you should worry yourselves with these trivialities”

  “Very well, servant,” Matteo said. “There is much work to do on security detail. I’d best see to it.”

  He left in a huff.

  When Matteo disappeared back into the castle, she turned to Gregor with the sack of items. At least Matteo wouldn’t have it, but with Gregor waiting to take the bag, she saw few options in fulfilling Anton’s request. She wondered how she’d retrieve it from the castle refuse.

  She handed over the gadgets.

  “Do you wish me to dispose of these, your highness?” he asked in a hushed tone.

  “No,” she answered honestly.

  “Then I will not.” He returned to his work.

  As she walked toward the glass doors, she leaned over his shoulder. “Please watch over these,” she said quietly, “and leave them in the library... when you are able. It’s very important.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Always know, princess, I will anything to protect your family.”

  “Oh,” she said, surprised. “I know, Gregor. Thank you.”

  Petra anxiously waited in the library for an hour before the wooden door creaked open then shut. Peering around a shelf, she spotted the sack lying just inside the door. She shoved the bookshelf on the far wall until the passage opened, stashed the bag inside, and replaced the shelf.

  Petra carried on for the rest of the day as usual, being extra careful to avoid anyone and anything. The castle felt like a prison, and she was desperate for escape.

  When night finally fell, she finished supper in her room, then snuck out toward the library with her swords strapped to her back, a lantern in hand. Her heart pounded as she shifted the bookcase aside. Her lantern illuminated the empty spot where she’d placed the sack.

  Panicked, she delved deeper into the tunnel, hoping that perhaps it had slid backward. It was nowhere to be found. Her palms went clammy. As far as she knew, no one knew of these tunnels except for her. She suspected that the original architect had used them to move freely throughout the castle and never divulged his secret, because in all her years of traversing them, she’d never encountered another soul. Even she would never have found them if not for being a child with an overactive imagination. At the age of ten, she’d pushed the bookshelf aside to make a wall for a fort and discovered it.

  She considered going back into the castle to search for it, but she had no idea where she would begin. Each moment spent wandering futilely through the halls would look too suspicious. She gulped and continued onward, hoping that Anton would understand.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Anton started a small fire near the bank of Dromarre River, taking care that a copse of trees stood between it and the castle. He and Ana sat beside it, staring deep into the flames and waiting for Petra to heed their call. The current roared beside them.

  “If she doesn’t come by tomorrow night,” Anton said, poking the fire with a stick. “We’re going to have to storm the castle on our own.” He sighed. “At least I still have my laser pistol.”

  He’d spent the day tinkering with what remained of the chronosphere, but they had cleaned out most of its essentials. It didn’t feel right to leave it, but they needed to wait where Petra could find them.

  At each rustle of leaves in the wind, he drew his gun. He was so anxious that he worried, if Petra did show up, he’d accidently blast her. Ana left her bioscanner open in an effort to ease his tension. He glanced at it almost as often as the flickering fire.

  “The odds of our success are minimal without her guidance,” Ana said.

  “You’ve been wrong before,” he pointed out.

  “Nearly zero. I can give you the exact num-”

  “Don’t,” he groaned

  “I never promised a particular outcome.” Ana sensed his exasperation. “Only statistical probability.”

  He knew she was right, but her robotic demeanor was not comforting.

  A solitary yellow dot finally appeared on the bioscanner, heading right toward them.

  “That’s her!”

  His heart did a backflip when he saw the beautiful, disheveled face of the Princess appear in the darkness. A meager grin spread across her face when she saw him. He stood up and threw his arms around her. Though surprised, she returned the affection.

  “It is very good to see you, Petra,” Ana said from across the fire.
r />   “Thank you for coming,” Anton said. “I suppose I owe you some answers.”

  “You’re goddamned right, you do.”

  “Wait,” he said, realizing she had nothing with her but her dual blades. “Were you able to bring my equipment?”

  She looked on the brink of tears. “It’s gone, all gone. I hid them, but somehow... They found them.”

  His heart plummeted.

  “Damn,” he sunk back to the ground and stared into the fire. “I’ve really got to stop underestimating these bastards.”

  Anton gestured for Petra to sit

  “You sure you want to know the truth?” he asked. “You might not believe me.”

  “Please tell me that’s a joke.”

  “Okay, fine,” he said. “But let’s walk and talk. We’re safer making camp by the chronosphere.”

  “Chronosphere?”

  “Yeah, it’s, uh... my time travel machine.”

  “Time travel?” She scowled.

  “You said you wanted the truth.”

  “Fine. Go ahead.”

  ***

  By the time Anton finished their story, they were back at the chronosphere. They built a fire nearby. Petra hadn’t said a word the whole time. Ana removed the two seats from the chronosphere and laid them out flat beside the fire. She occupied one while Anton and Petra sat on the other.

  “So you…” she said, looking at Ana. “You aren’t real?”

  Anton laughed, but Ana took the question very seriously.

  “It depends on what you mean by real,” she said. “I exist in a physical sense, and I can interact with my surroundings via all human senses. However, it is difficult to determine if my programmed ability to learn and draw conclusions can be considered consciousness.”

  Petra’s jaw hung open. She clearly had no idea how to respond to that.

  “Let’s leave the metaphysical issues alone for now,” Anton said. “The point is, Ana is a mechanical human. Feel free to treat her like a flesh human.”

  “You built her.” It wasn’t a question. It was as if she just needed to say it aloud to believe it.

  “We’re from 800 years in the future,” he said. “We’ve got a lot more resources than you all.”

  Petra suddenly burst out laughing.

  “My God,” she said. “You are quite the narcissist.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Ana. You named her after yourself, Anton.”

  Now it was Anton’s turn to laugh.

  “No, Ana, as in android. Like a robotic human.”

  Petra looked confused.

  “Right, I guess you wouldn’t know that word yet.” He grabbed a stick and stoked the fire. “But you know what, I stand by it. Sure, you can think I named her after myself. I did build her.”

  “And of course you made her gorgeous.” She nudged his leg playfully. “Are all future men such dogs?”

  “Hey, she chose that for herself.” He nudged her back. “I had to assess her decision-making capabilities somehow, and choosing her own appearance was the perfect test. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy it.”

  “Oh, sure,” she said. “I’m sure you two have kept it strictly professional.”

  He shrugged. “Well, actually…”

  She was taken aback.

  “Really?”

  “It’s a bit of a strange situation,” he said. “We certainly have talked about it.”

  “I have told Anton,” Ana chimed in from across the fire, “that I would be willing to engage in sexual intercourse at any time.”

  “Anton!” The Princess laughed. “You’ve been holding out on her!”

  “The princess is correct. I believe sexual interaction might help me learn certain behaviors that I cannot otherwise attain.”

  He felt his cheeks flush. That was new. Apparently, this had been on Ana’s mind. He hadn’t expected either of the women to be so forward.

  “It’s hard for me not to get bogged down by the ethical issues of it,” he said, feeling silly for making the excuse. “Besides, we’ve been pretty busy.”

  Petra put her finger to his lips in a hush motion.

  “You know I’m only teasing you, magician.” She moved her hand to his thigh. “You’re a hero, you know. Risking your life to build a time machine. Coming to the past to save the world. It’s unbelievable.”

  He felt his cock begin to harden, then put a hand over her hand. From across the fire, Ana watched with genuine fascination. Somehow, having her watch aroused him even more.

  Petra seemed to feel the same way. She grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. He returned it, grabbing her arm and pulling her in close. Though younger and smaller, there was a fierceness to her kisses that Sabina lacked, a whirlwind of desire that already drove him wild. He could sense a release of pressure in her, years of being protected and hidden away channeled into a sexual energy that seemed to pour out all at once.

  Without taking her eyes off Anton, Petra said, “Here’s your first lesson, Ana.”

  She untied her bodice of her dress and tossed the garment aside. She swung her legs over Anton’s waist and mounted him. He buried his face in her slight breasts, small but firm and beautifully shaped. His hands ran up and down her sides. The muscles in her stomach were toned and strong.

  Every now and then, Anton caught a glimpse of Ana over Petra’s shoulder. The sexy android watched them with attentively. Her bottom lip quivered as Petra pulled off his vest and tunic.

  The princess saw him looking at Ana and turned to look herself.

  “Ana,” she said, breathless, “Does this make you aroused?”

  “I am not sure,” Ana said. “I am experiencing an unfamiliar sensation. It is not unpleasant.”

  That drove Petra wild. Anton was shocked that such a sheltered girl could be such a firecracker, but he wasn’t about to question it. She yanked his pants down, then got on her knees. Her eyes went wide when she unleashed Anton’s cock from its cloth prison.

  “Wow,” she said, admiring it with a mixture of lust and awe.

  “Is it your first time?” He asked.

  “No, but yours is… more impressive than the other.”

  She gulped, then closed her warm wet mouth around it. Anton grabbed her curls and watched her head bob up and down with a fierce desperation. Her tongue swirling around him felt like heaven. Anton’s eyes fluttered from the pleasure before resting on Ana. He watched her squirm in her seat. Her beautiful breasts rose and fell as she breathed heavily. When he felt himself about to come, he lifted Petra’s head off his cock and laid her down across the flat chair.

  Mirroring her enthusiasm, he buried his tongue in her dripping wetness. Petra moaned as he worked her.

  Over the crackling of the fire, he heard Ana let out a few very human moans of her own. It made his cock grow harder. He realized that this was Ana’s sexual awakening. The android was clearly enjoying herself, but this was her first time encountering a sexual situation. He was glad she was able to observe it first instead of diving right in. It was probably easier for her, and having a spectator was incredibly hot.

  Petra moaned in agreement. When Anton looked up at her face, he caught her watching Ana. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he stood up and eased himself into her. She whimpered lightly, a product of pleasure and pain. After a few soft strokes, though, she begged him to pound her harder. He obliged gladly, imagining the years of repression being fucked out of her.

  “Oh, Anton!” She threw her arms back, grabbing handfuls of her blond locks, then releasing them to squeeze her breasts, eventually reaching out for his hard chest muscles. Her legs wrapped around his back in ecstasy. As she drew closer to her climax, the moans became frantic cries. She almost seemed to be afraid of how good it felt.

  “Ana, come here,” she suddenly called out.

  Anton was surprised, but he didn’t question it. The android obediently approached, her legs wobbling as she walked.

  “Yes, Princess?”

  �
��Hold my hand while I come.” She didn’t wait for Ana to oblige. Instead she reached out and grabbed the android’s soft hand and squeezed it hard. Ana knelt and watched with wide eyes, eyebrows raised. In the glistening firelight, he thought he saw Ana lick her lips as she stared at the princess, then Anton, then back to the princess.

  Petra’s eyes rolled back into her head as she came. He felt her juices soak his pubic hair. Her back arched up, and Anton grabbed her waist and pushed himself even deeper. The sight of Ana holding the Princess as she came was too much. Anton couldn’t help himself. Just as Petra began to calm, he pulled out and launched his seed across her toned abs. The come dripped into the grass below.

  “Holy shit,” Anton said.

  “Holy shit,” Petra answered.

  “I think I am starting to understand what that phrase means.” Ana said.

  Still high on sexual ecstasy, Anton and Petra burst into laughter.

  “Ana,” Petra said, panting. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you enjoyed watching us. I think you might even want in on it next time.”

  “I…” Petra trailed off. They both listened to her, fascinated by what she might say. “I…”

  Something inside Ana beeped three times frantically. The robot stood and switched back to her normal self.

  “Someone is approaching.” She produced the hologram from her palm. Four blue dots moved quickly. “They will be here very soon. I suggest you get dressed.”

  “Fuck,” Anton said, scrambling to find his clothes. “That’s one way to kill the mood. Human or Draconian?”

  “Based on their low heat imprints, they are most likely Draconian.”

  “Great,” Anton said, throwing his vest on. “Petra, you brought your swords, right?”

  “Y-yeah.” The princess was reeling from the shock of going from sexual passion to grave danger, but she gathered herself quickly.

  “Good.” Anton pulled out his pistol. “Get ready for a fight.”