Viola Grace Read online

  Libby got up, looking up at the stars that she had never see before, the streak of a nebula in the distance. The three moons were rising bright and proud. “I think it has real potential.”

  He shook his head. “I think you are naïve.”

  “I am from a young species who die quick. I can be naïve if I like. I don’t have all the time in the universe to suffer from ennui. I have to live day by day.”

  “What species are you?”

  She chuckled. “I suppose you could call me an altered Terran. I was born Terran, was nearly dead as a Terran, and then they reset me about fifty-five years and added something else, so here I am.”

  “Who is your planetary avatar?”

  “Ah, she’s apparently new. Minerva-Gaia. She just woke up.”

  He blinked as she took some of her water and returned to her seat.

  “Gaia?”

  “Yes. Do you know her?”

  He chuckled. “We have not met, but I think I know your world. My species had a colony with folk who looked similar to you. Smooth ears, smooth skin, bright eyes. You are taller than I would have expected.”

  She put her hand up so it was just below five feet in height. “I used to be this tall. I was made taller to blend in.”

  He chuckled. “It is a small universe. You should get to sleep now.”

  She looked over to the pile of slippery cushions. “You aren’t going to leave me in the middle of the night?”

  “I have agreed to see you to the monastery, and I shall.”

  Libby nodded, closed up her pack, and brought it with her into the tent. There were soft balls of light in the corners, and she moved around on the cushions to get comfortable. There was a stack of thick pads under, and she pushed the puffy things to one side, making a body pillow. When she glanced up, her guide was watching her. She smiled and flicked her hair behind her, settling in and taking a few deep breaths. She closed her eyes and tasted the air with strange herbs. Libby dozed off with a smile on her lips.

  * * * *

  Yelfon looked at the woman cuddled up against the physical projection of his energies, and he scowled, turning outside the tent and focusing his mind.

  Luon, why was I not informed that you were bringing one of the Terrans here?

  Mathla-Luon answered calmly. She is to be a monk, Yelfon, just as the others are. She will study, absorb, serve, and store the memories for us. Well, that is a little less than what she will do; she can also generate recordings directly into a crystal instead of being the transfer device herself. If she works as advertised, she will be very useful.

  She is not a toy to be played with.

  There was a bright chuckle. Ah, but she is. Minerva-Gaia is trying to spread her little creatures throughout the universe, but this offering will prove herself, or she will not be allowed to survive here.

  What if she proves herself worthy of a place here?

  I will breed her to one of the less objectionable monks to continue her bloodline.

  Yelfon frowned. He was not fond of that idea. He looked at his sleeping companion. Without her consent?

  Her contract gave citizenship to any of her offspring born here. They would be the first naturally born Mathlu citizens. I think it would be cute to have some small monks running around.

  Luon paused. You don’t think you will be able to give her some of your memories, do you? Maybe a few centuries in the middle?

  We will be at the monastery mid-morning. You can begin her training then. Do not involve me in your games.

  He cut off the contact and glared at the moons above. He and the other ancients were not guests; they were prisoners. Their people were long dead, and Mathlu was offered a refuge where they could live in solitude. It was never mentioned that no one was allowed to leave.

  Now, this woman of Terra was locked in the prison with the monks and ancients. How was she going to survive?

  Chapter Four

  Waking in a strange place in the middle of the night was not something Libby normally engaged in. She sat up, realized that her bladder was not happy with her, and she crept out of the tent and behind one of the rock formations to take care of it.

  Once she had stripped completely so she could deal with the annoying excuse for panties, she got dressed again and made sure that all the lines were straight.

  She returned to the tent only to find it gone. Her guide was standing with his hood up and her bag dangling from his fingertips.

  He asked, “Are you hungry?”

  “No. I am good. Did you sleep?”

  He chuckled. “I do not sleep much.”

  She took her bag and put it on her back, looking around and seeing the spot of light in the distance. “Is that it?”

  “It is.”

  “Shall we go?”

  He nodded and said, “Just a moment.”

  There was a thundering behind them, and she was embarrassed to say that she stepped behind him. She hid, and he slowly raised a hand as the giant bird came up to them.

  “This will speed things along.”

  The creature was an ostrich on steroids. Yelfon walked toward it, scratched the fluffy head, and looked back at her. “You can climb on. I will mount behind you.”

  She closed her eyes at the images that that mention conjured. She walked forward, switched the bag to her chest, and she climbed up onto the crouching bird. The feathers smelled like dust and the sage-type bushes that they had been passing on the plain. Once she was settled with her robes, split inelegantly, her guide jumped up behind her and settled with an arm around her waist.

  “Just lean against me. The gait starts out a little rough.”

  She followed his direction, and when the bird rocked to its feet, she tried to go limp.

  He shifted his grip, and she held her breath as his fingers slipped between the layers of her clothing. He still wasn’t touching skin, but his hand was really warm.

  The bird’s footfalls were really awkward as it began to run, but once it ran, it was a smooth ride at astonishing speed. She pulled her hood up to stop the whistling in her ears, and she was then able to focus on the strange interest that was stirring due to the hand that touched her.

  She had missed being born into the Victorian era by forty years, but that didn’t stop her from getting all fluttery at getting close to a very broad and charming slab of a man.

  She turned her head, and his face was next to hers. “What is your name, if I may ask?”

  “Yelfon. My people evolved into a species known as the Dremarai. They have a colony that is doing well, but they left our world for yours and then left yours again for an unoccupied world ready for habitation. They have continued to recover the power that they lost by blending with your race.”

  She nodded. “That is interesting. Did those people have an identifiable name?”

  “I believe on your world they became known as djinn.”

  Her eyes widened. “Yeah, that would make sense. They have degraded in modern memory as wish granters, but there have been some archaeological digs that have found residue from societies that were not contemporary with those around them.”

  He seemed surprised. “There are?”

  “Sure. Humanity is all about digging up its history. It is all we have. We don’t have any ancients to call on.”

  He chuckled. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Pretty sure, but I can’t be certain.”

  After an hour, they were considerably closer to the monastery, but their bird was tiring. A pair of birds began to run alongside them, and Yelfon whispered in her ear. “Focus on the monastery, and it will take you there.”

  He picked her up and stood on the back of their beast, stepping over to the next one. He set her down and continued to move to the next one. She yelled, “Thank you!” to the first bird, and it cheeped and began to drop back as her new steed sprinted forward.

  It took a bit of squirming around, but she got co
mfortable enough to crouch and urge her bird toward the monastery. Yelfon rode with her for a while, but as she headed up the approach for the monastery, he diverted, and she was on her own.

  Time to find out what her actual job was going to entail.

  She let the bird go before she reached the gates, scratched its neck, and set it running back down the mountain. She didn’t know how she did it, but released from the task of getting her to the top of the hill, she was relieved to head home.

  She stood up, twisted so that she was upright, and walked through the open gates. There were a few people in robes working around the courtyard, and they dropped their buckets and ran inside when they saw her. She pursed her lips together and snickered at the joke that Gaia had pulled. She definitely did not blend in with the monks that she had seen so far.

  A woman came out wearing a graceful gown, and she smiled in welcome. “Ah, Novice Elizabeth, please, come in. Breakfast is being prepared. Well, Yelfon got you here quickly. I shall have to send him a gift.”

  Libby bowed to the avatar of the world she was standing on. “Mathla-Luon, good morning to you.”

  “Did Yelfon tell you my name?”

  “No, Madame. Imbolt Kei Zanicon did.” She smiled and approached. “He also embedded a message.”

  The woman looked at her with a curious expression. “Did he?”

  “Yes. I believe that you need to touch your mind to mine.”

  “You are prepared for that?”

  Libby shrugged. “To get the message, there is no other option.”

  The woman huffed. “Come inside. We will eat in my quarters.”

  Libby followed her into the abbey, looking at the hooded monks as she passed them. None of them had the silvery dot that had formed on the middle of her forehead. She had a feeling that Mathla could shine a light on the reason for it.

  The table was set for one, and Mathla cleared her throat. One of the monks nearby quickly ran out and returned with a place setting by the time Libby was seated to the right of the avatar.

  “So, how did you enjoy the plain?”

  “The... glefu? They are rather single-minded.”

  She chuckled. “That they are. I am rather surprised that your drop was relocated.”

  Libby smiled. “I believe that it was because Imbolt’s wife would not have forgiven him if he dropped me into the middle of the ocean. That was the original set of coordinates, after all.”

  Mathla paused. “It was? You were supposed to land near the Sathokik forest half an hour away.”

  “The coordinates would have tested the pod’s survival supplies, and you would have to explain to Zanicon and Gaia what you did with me.”

  “Ah, yes. What was that message?”

  Libby felt a touch on her mind. It felt like a sudden change in barometric pressure.

  Her mind heated, and Mathla leaned back with an embarrassed look on her face. “Right. Well, that is that, then. You will be taught to meditate, kept apart from the rest of the monks, and introduced to the ancients. If they agree to surrender memories, you will be elevated to master and be given quarters outside the abbey. Food will be provided to you, and if you learn to cook using local ingredients, the raw materials will be provided. He will be back on his way through the system in a few years to check on you.”

  Libby smiled and nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”

  Mathla nodded. “It does. It is a pity. I had a plan to combine your genes with that of the monks. It would have made for some entertainingly pigmented children.”

  She nodded and reached for the cup, and poured water for Mathla and herself. “So, what will be the procedure once I learn the steps?”

  “We will send invitations to the ancients, and if they respond, you will go to their territories and take the memories that they offer to bring them here for transfer to a crystal.” Mathla smiled. “Once we can get the data into the crystal, we can make copies and send it to archives. Yes, it is only from the perspective of the ancient, but that is the point. They are the thoughts and awareness of one particular point of view in moments of history.”

  A bowl was brought for her to wash her hands and then excellent food was set out to be eaten without utensils. Libby smiled, tore some bread, and went to eat the stew with a pinching motion that she had learned on one of her trips through the middle east.

  Being single with a good education and a supportive family had made her life interesting. Aside from her five-year stint as a wife, she had enjoyed every minute of every day—even the terrifying ones.

  “I can see how one pinpoint of history could definitely be fascinating.”

  The avatar smiled, gesturing to her plate. “Your people eat this way?”

  “No. But I have travelled a bit on my world, and this is one of the methods used to eat.”

  A slight understanding came to Mathla’s eyes. “You travelled a lot?”

  “When I could. It became difficult as I aged, but I still did what I was able to. I just didn’t drop off cliffs anymore.” She smiled.

  “Well, given that you have some life experience, you will be able to work on creating a memory crystal for yourself. I think that will be an excellent first exercise.”

  Libby finished the food and drank her water. “Well, if I am given a cubicle, I can drop my pack there and get started. Is there anywhere I can get a second robe?”

  Mathla smiled. “You will only need the one. When you begin going to the ancients, you will wear the clothing that they are familiar with. It helps to create the connection.”

  “Okay. But, how is that going to be a thing? I was told that I was being altered to scale in with the rest of the monks, but right now, the only ones near my height is you and Yelfon.”

  The slow smile on Mathla’s face explained it in a rush.

  “I was scaled to match the ancients.”

  “Correct. They don’t respond well to the monks, so having someone who can look them in the eyes as a sort of a peer might be what we need to get them to part with more of the memories.”

  Understanding finally struck in full. “They won’t give them up. You have this great idea, and they won’t share their memories. You have vendors and clients lined up, but you can’t get the ancients to give up any good memories.”

  Mathla frowned. “What would you know of it?”

  “I owned a travel agency. I told people what they had to see and where they wanted to go. I highlighted the beauty of ruins and the vistas of the open ocean.” She chuckled. “It was wonderful doing the research, and I could always find the beauty in it, but there was horror, and that left a mark as well. Do you have an archive for me to read up on their worlds if they do respond in the affirmative?”

  The avatar smiled. “I believe we could find some information.”

  Libby nodded. “Excellent. Do you have any questions?”

  “Why did you volunteer for this? The alterations are rather extreme.”

  “They are not much different from what my normal appearance used to be. The blue hair is new, but the eye colour is mine, and the height is just expansion. The silver dot. I have no idea what that is, but it seems benign.” She shrugged.

  “It is your port to transfer the information to a crystal. You will see.”

  Libby nodded, and the avatar showed her to her quarters and how to activate the palm lock.

  It was time to find out how this system worked.

  Chapter Five

  Novice Libby knelt with the others and focused on picking through her mind and selecting a singular memory to focus on. She touched the crystal to her forehead, and when it warmed in her hand, she lowered it.

  Master Kiol stopped in front of her and took the crystal, popping it into a reader, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Choose another one.”

  She looked in front of her. “I have no more crystals.”

  He delved into the pouch tied to h
is belt and handed her a crystal.

  “What memory would you like?”

  “Your first time with conflict.”

  Libby nodded and focused, going back to listening to her mother screaming at her father and her father trying to calm her mother. Libby’s bare toes were visible, and she knew this memory. She was eleven months old, and her mother had passed out on the bed while Libby was in the tub. Her father had come in in time to rescue her.

  She pressed the crystal to her forehead, and when it warmed, she extended it to him. He slid it into the reader, and he frowned. “This isn’t you.”

  “Those are my toes. I was an infant. My parents were arguing. My first time with conflict.” She sat with her hands on her thighs.

  He stared at her, and his mouth opened and closed. “Go to the contemplation garden and face the mountains.”

  She got to her feet and moved through the kneeling novices struggling to hold their memories. She got to the edge and walked on toward the path that would take her to the contemplation garden. This place had a lot of gardens.

  Two months since she had dropped onto the plain, and she had been tripped, shoved, prodded, peeped on, and found out that her outfit was stain-resistant every breakfast.

  This place was miserable, and the prior was a pervert. She had to use an unladylike shriek that caused him to lose his grip on her breasts, and the avatar dismissed Libby to have a quiet talk with the prior. He now ran in the opposite direction when he saw her.

  She stared out at the mountains and let her focus float and mix with the energy surrounding her. She let her memories scatter and float through her thoughts. The techniques she had learned over the last few weeks had definitely been enlightening.

  She remained sitting with her hood up and her focus on the mountains. After a few hours, a familiar energy settled beside her.

  “Greetings, Your Eminence.”

  “So, it seems you have completed a year’s worth of training in a few months. Well done. We are sending the invitations out to the ancients today. After this, it is a waiting game.”