Forecast

  Seeing her own future takes on a new intensity when she is ordered to become a hero.

  Lore began life on a restrictive world where her options for a future were rapidly running out. With the help of family, she escaped and started a new life with her son.

  Six years later, the world and organization that gave her sanctuary want something from her. They want her gift to work for them.

  Seeing the details of her entire future and history has always been something to adapt to. Using it for the greater good is something she does on the sly, and crafting suits for heroes is something she does for family.

  Her life is full, but it is about to become everything she ever imagined. She has seen it all happening, after all.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Forecast

  Copyright © 2019 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-2611-8

  Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Forecast

  Team Eight: Origins, Book 2

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Lore finished the last stitch in the alteration and set the dress down. “Now, Madam Rhynol, you know that this isn’t going to withstand your talent.”

  The woman flexed her grey hands, and delicate fur rippled upward from her fingertips. “Miz Lore, it has so far. You always seem to be able to put it back together.”

  The shop was busy. Spring had sprung, and the ladies were enjoying the good weather. With that enjoyment came sundresses, maxi dresses, and a lot of business for the Altered Talent Emporium.

  Lore had opened the shop to cater to the everyday talent who just needed to ask a bit more from their clothing.

  “You could start going to the armourer. They would be able to offer you the magnetic seams.” Lore got up and checked the swing of the dress while the waves of fur rippled and faded.

  “Meh, their waiting lists are months long, and by the time they fit me, I have changed size again.” Madam Rhynol turned and flared her skirt in the mirror. “Your adjustments last me three seasons until I shoot up over winter.”

  Lore grinned and prepared the bill. “I am not even going to ask why you are wearing this dress in winter. Come back in summer with some winter gear, and I will set it for at least two seasons.”

  “You do such good work. I count us lucky to have your shop in the neighbourhood. With your skills, you could have gone for the big leagues.”

  Lore handed over the payment pad. “That is exactly what I didn’t want.”

  One ocular scan later and Madam Rhynol was heading for the door with a bag containing the clothing she had walked in with. The wind blew her skirt up and around, but she walked with a grin on her face. Cold wasn’t an issue when you were covered with fur.

  Lore sighed. “She does love that dress.”

  Her vision blurred, and she saw three more years before the dress shredded. It was amazing what sewing one of her own hairs into the hem could do for her foresight.

  Her wrist unit chimed, and she straightened. “Well, ladies, I am off. Demer, don’t do anything with that rotational joint until I get in after the weekend.”

  The sole male in the room waved his hand. “Yes, Miz. Just go. Taxo is waiting.”

  Lore smiled, made sure she wasn’t wearing any stray thread, and headed out of her shop and to her cycle. She fired it up and raced through miles of back alleys before she skidded to a halt in front of her son’s school.

  She was leaning against the bike when the doors burst open, and children streamed out. Taxo flew toward her, and she caught him in her arms. “Hey, squirt. How has school been?”

  He covered her face with kisses before leaning back. “Do I really get to spend the weekend with you?”

  “Yup. You have control over your flight, have a good grasp of what it takes to be a good citizen, and you don’t wet the bed. That means you can bunk with me. Here is your helmet.”

  Taxo sighed and pulled his helmet on over his pointed ears. He grinned up at her from within the confines of his new headgear. “It fits my ears, Mom.”

  “That is the idea, Taxo. Now, do we want to head out for dinner, or do you want to drop off your homework first?”

  “I want to drop off the homework.” He pressed his chest toward her, and the pack he was wearing wedged her ribs.

  “Right. Wings tucked in?”

  “Yup! Can you go the long way really fast?”

  She grinned as she pulled her own helmet on. “I can. Can you hold on really tight and not flare your wings?”

  “I can.”

  She fired the cycle up, and he gripped her jacket tight. “Then, my boy, hold on.”

  The other students and parents getting weekend visitation were staring as she pulled a wheelie and accelerated out of the lot.

  Finding every unoccupied lane in the city was part of her foresight. She shifted easily from left to right, aiming for the open patches in traffic and punching through them.

  The speakers in their helmets let her hear every shriek and squeal that her son emitted. She didn’t do anything dangerous, but she extended the route by a few blocks.

  The lane behind the shop was in a good neighbourhood with plenty of cams and a low crime rate. Lore had chosen it for Taxo, or at least for the days when Taxo could visit.

  As she parked, she helped him to the ground. “I have a surprise for you.”

  He pulled off his helmet and fluffed his rich gold hair. His wings came out from their snug position on his spine, and they extended in a luxurious stretch. They were as elegantly gold as the rest of him.

  “I do love surprises.” He looked far wiser than his seven years.

  She pulled her helmet off and pulled him to her side as she opened the back door. “I know you do.”

  They set the helmets in their cubbies and walked up the steps to the apartment over the shop.

  He ran to his room and neatly unpacked his books. With his school uniform on and a cheeky grin, he demanded, “Where is the surprise?”

  She beckoned him in and took his hand, walking to the old cupboard and opening it. A snug set of stairs were new.

  Taxo looked at her with an excited smile. “It goes up?”

  “It goes up.” She followed her son up the steps and through the upper exit.

  The roof of their building had been turned into a year-round playground and landing pad for her flying son.

  “I have the permits downstairs, so you can do takeoff and landing here whenever you like.”

  He turned to her, and his wide purple eyes watered. “Really?”

  “Really. I stood out in front of the permit office fo
r nine hours to be first in line to get it when they opened for the season. We have a legal rooftop deck, landing and takeoff license, and a one-hundred-metre deceleration zone.”

  He flew toward her, and the impact was satisfying. “I love you, Mom.”

  “Love you too, Taxo. I would not have done this for anyone but you. That was way more bureaucracy than I would have exposed myself to for anyone else.”

  He laughed against her abdomen. She ruffled her fingers through the soft feathers at the bend in his wings.

  “Would you like to try it out?”

  He looked upward to where the fliers were allowed to move around the city. “I think I will wait until tomorrow. Tonight, I want to spend time with you.”

  “That is so sweet. You are definitely an old soul. Wanna change out of your school stuff? I have sized up your wardrobe for your increase in height.”

  “You sound a little mechanical, Mom.”

  “Sorry. This weekend will be the most time we have spent together since you were born. I am trying to get everything that has to be worked on done before you leave.”

  “I just got here. Don’t plan on me leaving just yet.” He gave her another squeeze with his little arms.

  She laughed. “Right. Every minute counts. So, with that in mind, why are you still in your uniform?”

  He grinned and ran back to the door that would take them to the apartment. She looked around at the deck with its small table and chairs waiting for a breakfast for two with her little man.

  “Taxo! Congratulations on your escape!” Teeman waved brightly at Taxo as he entered the Fighting Fish Emporium.

  Taxo grinned and bowed. “I am free for the weekend. Do you still have the battered sticks?”

  “I do.”

  “Then, I am very happy to be at your fine establishment.” His careful wording indicated a bit of study.

  Teeman inclined his head, the sharp black blades he wore in lieu of hair gleamed in the light. It was fortunately not a trend that caught on, but Teeman enjoyed it.

  They sat at their favourite table and watched the crowd flow in.

  “So, what do you want to eat with? Spikes or sticks?”

  He grinned and grabbed for the two smooth sticks, holding them with care. “I am going to use these. I only get to eat what I can hold onto.”

  Their order started arriving. Junelle brought the small portions over with a grin and watched as Taxo knelt on the seat of the chair to get a better angle at the table.

  The battered sticks contained cheese and shredded fish. It wasn’t Lore’s favourite combination, but Taxo liked it, so she would eat it. “Now, tell me about school.”

  They were into their sixth bowl, and he was telling her about flying classes when the entire restaurant went quiet.

  Lore looked at the figures who were slowly making their entrance, and she groaned. Two of the most powerful superheroes on the planet had just entered their vicinity. It was a definite downer to the night.

  Taxo looked over and beamed, “Grandma!”

  Lore looked over to her mother and sister and gestured for them to come over. “Would you care to join us?”

  The staff nearly collided in an effort to set another table against theirs as the two heroes paused to sign autographs before sitting down with them.

  Taxo jumped to his feet and ran around the table to hug them both. Bright Burn and Bright Spark hugged him with genuine affection. He was their family, and they loved him. It was evident in every move.

  “It is great to see you two, but what’s up?”

  They had an agreement that they wouldn’t see her in public unless it was dire. The less she was seen with her powerful family, the easier her life was.

  Lamira Ven Lara smiled. “There is an opening for you on one of the cross-world teams. You moved up in the power rankings.”

  Lore frowned at her mother. “That isn’t funny.”

  Her sister took a set of sticks and started serving herself. “It isn’t a joke. When we didn’t find you at the shop or at home, we came here.”

  The servers brought extra utensils and plates, and the dishes just kept coming.

  Lore ate slowly, wondering why she had made her way up in the rankings and terrified of what it would mean for her short visits with her own son. The rest of her family was delighted, and she was horrified. She had wanted as normal a life as possible for Taxo, and she was the only one who seemed to grasp what kind of scrutiny it was going to put him under. The press was invasive when it came to the family of the teams. She knew it first hand.

  Chapter Two

  Seven years and six months earlier...

  “Lore, what do you see?” Her mother crouched next to her in the shadow of the wall that supported her.

  Lore fought the nausea that was fairly constant. “We wait until the one on the left sneezes, and then, we walk to the gate with my forehead covered. Lania has her writ from her husband, and you have your widow mark. I should be okay.”

  Lania frowned. “Why don’t we just fry them?”

  Lore gritted her teeth. “You read the asylum contract. We can’t cause any injuries on our way out. Besides, this is their job.”

  Lania’s husband had agreed to her leaving so he could take another wife. They didn’t get along, and it wasn’t a surprise. He was fire, and she was fire. There was no room for calm.

  Her mother nodded. “We will watch and wait for the signal. What will happen next?”

  Lore slowly worked on rising to her feet. “When he touches my forehead, run.”

  “Got it. Remain calm and then run for the gate at the signal.”

  “That’s it. If I fall behind, don’t worry. I will make it.”

  “You had better. I will come back for you if I need to.” Her mother cupped her cheek with a warm hand.

  “I know. I am coming. I promise.” Lore smiled at Lamira Den Dormil. Widow of the Duboss hero and guardian, Dormil Ven Yvall. If her father were alive, this run would not be necessary, but if her father were alive, millions of others would be dead.

  She swayed a little and stiffened her knees, following her mother and sister to the edge of the shadows while they waited for the signal. The man sneezed, and they started a slow, even pace. Their heads were high, and their rank indicators were on everything they wore. On Duboss, association with power elevated your status, and they had been in contact with the most powerful being on the planet until the endless hurricane winds and tsunami waves had exhausted him and taken him down.

  The world had mourned with them, but it had not given them the rights due to their father. Her mother had been given a widow’s pension, and her sister had been sent to an arranged marriage that was one-sided.

  Lore had dreaded her turn, but she wasn’t yet twenty, so it wasn’t going to happen, until the day she couldn’t remember and the knowledge that her path had been changed and she didn’t know who had done it.

  The fear that had run through her on the day her doctor had pronounced her pregnant was a distant second to what was going on right now. Each step toward the gate was one step closer to safety and a new life that would upend her existence all over again. She wished she was uncertain about what was about to happen, but uncertainty was never one of her gifts.

  Her mother took point and regally extended their travel passes.

  “Lady Den Dormil, it is an honour to see you here. These are your daughters?”

  Her mother inclined her head. “Yes. We have been invited to a symposium highlighting my beloved husband’s work.”

  The guard nodded his head and went to scan their documents.

  Hiring the hacker to dissolve her medical records had been the one uncertainty in this situation. Lore knew she would make it through, but what happened before she crossed the gate was a little blurry.

  Lore swallowed softly as she faced the forty-five seconds of uncertainty. Gaps in her future memory were rare, but when they did happen, there were
too many variables to calculate.

  “Lady Den Dormil, I see that your daughter, Lady Den Mobar, is with you. Where is her husband?”

  Lore watched as her mother handed over the letter of authorization for Lania to leave.

  He read the letter and checked the DNA on the seal for verification. “You are otherwise unaccompanied?”

  “My daughters and I do not need protection. We carry it in our genes and would never dishonour our family’s good name.”

  “Of course, Lady. Miss, let me help you with that.”

  She was forced to stand as he stroked a stray lock of hair from her forehead, and Lore knew they had a count of five before he checked his fingers.

  “Well, ladies, you are cleared to travel. Have a nice trip.”

  They turned and walked away at a slow pace until they heard the cry to halt behind them. They ran up the pathway and through the glowing arch to freedom.

  Lore was behind them, and her stomach heaved as she entered the gateway to the asylum world.

  She could hear the footfalls behind her and hiked the stupid formal robes up so she could increase her speed. The white light of the gate was weirdly familiar, but she rushed through it until she was on the other side.

  * * * *

  “Mom, Mom! Grandma asked you a question.” Taxo frowned at her for being rude.

  “I know. I was just thinking about the answer. This is a tricky situation. I don’t want you in the spotlight.”

  He grinned. “I like the light.”

  “I know, butter bug, but this is the kind of thing where folks want to know more about you than you know yourself.”

  “They want to know about my daddy.”

  “Probably. I can’t answer that question, and that makes adults even more curious. So, it is something I hate bringing up in public, but for heroes, public is all the time.”

  Lamira held up her hand. “We have negotiated a no-publicity clause in your contract. They are not allowed to interview you, and if they do, you don’t have to answer.”