massive wood door. The sound of breaking glass echoed loudly off the white marble floor and tall pillars. It was not a good sign.
Past the foyer a large sunken pool took up most of the main hall. Several women and a couple of male servants wearing white tunics or partially naked knelt at the pool’s edge facing two lounge chairs. Gwyllain, in a sea-green metallic dress, lay on a chair shouting at the young woman scooping up the broken bits of glass. “Hurry, Natesa, clean this up.”
Next to her Tarik was receiving a massage from one of the female slaves and ignoring his lover. The woman had a blue wrap around her waist but her breasts were bare. She kneaded Tarik’s shoulders and neck while he rolled his head and smiled.
“Yes, that’s good. Gwyllain, you really do need to relax. Maybe a little time with Zorian—”
“Can you not hear the state of Anartia and see? You’ve asked to decrease the numbers of our Drones and I have. We’ve ordered the ones remaining to increase their duty but Anartia is still in such a state.”
Tarik gave her a pat on her arm. “A period of adjustment is needed while I work my experiments.”
“Your experiments may destroy our world,” she snapped.
Sakari looked at Zorian for assistance. “Maybe we should come back.”
“Do not leave,” Gwyllain commanded. “If you were not once my personal servant, you would not exist right now. Come here.”
Gwyllain shook her head as if Sakari was an incorrigible child. “Are you trying to destroy us all?”
What could she say? It seemed like a week passed before Sakari could answer.
Every time she opened her mouth to speak, she knew whatever she said would not be good enough or would only anger the demoness more. “I wish only to serve you, mistress. I have much to learn.”
With a snort, Gwyllain ordered more wine from the servant seated at her feet. “I had to lose another of my servants, because of your incompetence,” Gwyllain said to Tarik. “First Dante and now Sakari. If you spent less time in your laboratory and acquired better quantities of lifeforce then I would still have my servant.” Gwyllain’s smile was mischievous.
Tarik looked annoyed. “My experiments required more bio-energy and using the most superior Drones, like Dante, is necessary. At the same time we’ve had to release several Drones that haven’t performed well. All this in order to free Anartia.”
57
Kathy Kulig
Sakari wondered if release meant destroyed. Then a glimmer of hope eased into her mind. “I would be honored to serve as your servant again, mistress.”
Gwyllain’s eyes blazed in anger. “Servants I don’t need. What I do need is all my Drones performing their duty.”
Sakari didn’t dare ask why Tarik didn’t just assimilate new Drones from Earth to meet the energy needs of Anartia. The demoness must have guessed Sakari’s thoughts.
“Tarik’s new plan to break Anartia free from exile requires us to decrease the number of Drones by half but increase the amount of life energy collected about three times.”
Tarik merged science and magic to keep their fragile artificial world together, a world he’d helped create for him and Gwyllain as a secret love nest. They were all there because of Gwyllain’s infidelity to her ruler husband. And the ruler of Prygos was not a forgiving man. After discovering the affair, the island world was altered by the ruler’s scientists and was transformed into a prison. Not only of the demoness and her lover but of those believed to be loyal to her.
“If you please, mistress. I have an offering to give.” She wanted to leave as soon as possible so that she could return and find her nebula stone.
The demoness huffed, losing patience. “Tarik has other Drones waiting. You will have to wait your turn.”
Tarik interrupted. “I may see Drones in any order I wish.”
The demoness shot him an evil look.
Sakari had always thought she preferred Anartia to Earth but now she couldn’t
Past the foyer a large sunken pool took up most of the main hall. Several women and a couple of male servants wearing white tunics or partially naked knelt at the pool’s edge facing two lounge chairs. Gwyllain, in a sea-green metallic dress, lay on a chair shouting at the young woman scooping up the broken bits of glass. “Hurry, Natesa, clean this up.”
Next to her Tarik was receiving a massage from one of the female slaves and ignoring his lover. The woman had a blue wrap around her waist but her breasts were bare. She kneaded Tarik’s shoulders and neck while he rolled his head and smiled.
“Yes, that’s good. Gwyllain, you really do need to relax. Maybe a little time with Zorian—”
“Can you not hear the state of Anartia and see? You’ve asked to decrease the numbers of our Drones and I have. We’ve ordered the ones remaining to increase their duty but Anartia is still in such a state.”
Tarik gave her a pat on her arm. “A period of adjustment is needed while I work my experiments.”
“Your experiments may destroy our world,” she snapped.
Sakari looked at Zorian for assistance. “Maybe we should come back.”
“Do not leave,” Gwyllain commanded. “If you were not once my personal servant, you would not exist right now. Come here.”
Gwyllain shook her head as if Sakari was an incorrigible child. “Are you trying to destroy us all?”
What could she say? It seemed like a week passed before Sakari could answer.
Every time she opened her mouth to speak, she knew whatever she said would not be good enough or would only anger the demoness more. “I wish only to serve you, mistress. I have much to learn.”
With a snort, Gwyllain ordered more wine from the servant seated at her feet. “I had to lose another of my servants, because of your incompetence,” Gwyllain said to Tarik. “First Dante and now Sakari. If you spent less time in your laboratory and acquired better quantities of lifeforce then I would still have my servant.” Gwyllain’s smile was mischievous.
Tarik looked annoyed. “My experiments required more bio-energy and using the most superior Drones, like Dante, is necessary. At the same time we’ve had to release several Drones that haven’t performed well. All this in order to free Anartia.”
57
Kathy Kulig
Sakari wondered if release meant destroyed. Then a glimmer of hope eased into her mind. “I would be honored to serve as your servant again, mistress.”
Gwyllain’s eyes blazed in anger. “Servants I don’t need. What I do need is all my Drones performing their duty.”
Sakari didn’t dare ask why Tarik didn’t just assimilate new Drones from Earth to meet the energy needs of Anartia. The demoness must have guessed Sakari’s thoughts.
“Tarik’s new plan to break Anartia free from exile requires us to decrease the number of Drones by half but increase the amount of life energy collected about three times.”
Tarik merged science and magic to keep their fragile artificial world together, a world he’d helped create for him and Gwyllain as a secret love nest. They were all there because of Gwyllain’s infidelity to her ruler husband. And the ruler of Prygos was not a forgiving man. After discovering the affair, the island world was altered by the ruler’s scientists and was transformed into a prison. Not only of the demoness and her lover but of those believed to be loyal to her.
“If you please, mistress. I have an offering to give.” She wanted to leave as soon as possible so that she could return and find her nebula stone.
The demoness huffed, losing patience. “Tarik has other Drones waiting. You will have to wait your turn.”
Tarik interrupted. “I may see Drones in any order I wish.”
The demoness shot him an evil look.
Sakari had always thought she preferred Anartia to Earth but now she couldn’t