Aura rubbed her forehead. “Just for the sake of agreement, say I believe all this. Why are you called the Nameless? You all have names.”
Randr answered. “We give up our family names, our previous lives and our planets to simply become one of the Nameless.”
Aura turned when she heard the pain in his voice. “She said we were taken at the moment of death. How did you die?”
He looked down at her with a sad expression in his face. “It is a conversation for a different time, but yes, we all come here in the moment we should have met our maker. We hunt for new Nameless through time, trying to catch them just before they are scheduled to die so that the impact they have made on others throughout their lives is maximized. You had given all you could for your vengeance and then it was time for you to join our ranks. Will you join us?”
Aura smiled. “Of course. I do so love a new adventure and a life of running through time is too good to pass up.”
Chapter Four
The deep tone of a bell pealed in the tower of the building they were in. Ravikka nodded solemnly. “Good. We will make our way to the Orb of Time and the others will join us there.”
Randr extended his arm and Aura took it once again. They paced slowly with the seven councillors through the halls, down the stairs until they were in a room at the base of the tower.
“Wow. That is…wow.” Aura followed her instinct and walked the edge of the large lip around the edge of the floor that had an open gap to the swirling vortex of the stars.
She walked easily on the narrowing stone path until she stood looking down at the window to a universe past.
The seven councillors each took a position around the outer wall and pressed their hand to an icon in the stone.
Men and women with starry eyes filed into the room and stood as witnesses.
The bell in the tower rang again and the councillors pressed the icons that they touched.
The vortex of the stars swirled rapidly until it became a ball of light. Aura stood and looked at the approaching glow and exhaled. “Welcome to you, Orb of Time.”
The ball paused for a moment and the councillors looked from one to the other. Apparently, this was not a normal occurrence.
With a slow and gentle approach, the orb eased into her, becoming one with her as it met her body and moved inside.
She knew this feeling. It was what she had trained for in her previous life’s occupation. There was something in her mind and it wanted her to be with it forever.
Today, it was moving in.
When the glow receded, she looked around the room and the witnesses were looking at each other in surprise. Unsure of what was causing the problem, Aura turned and walked back the way she had come.
The councillors filed away from their positions and back toward the council chamber.
Randr gave her a soft hug and offered her his arm. “You did well, Aura.”
“Why is everyone so freaked out?”
“This transformation was a little…odd.”
They were speaking quietly as they followed the councillors.
“How so?”
“There is normally a burst of light, a fight for your soul. Your calm acceptance and the lack of screaming has confused and frightened a number of the observers. It is usually the same for everyone.”
She nodded. “Until now.”
“Until now.”
“I know why it is different. I can explain it to the council.”
“This will be interesting.”
She chuckled. “I am usually interesting. You just have to pay attention.”
Back in the council chamber, she faced the seven again, but this time, they were far less indulgent than they had been an hour earlier.
“Ravikka, I believe that you and the council are wondering about the transformation and it differing from the norm.”
Ravikka looked uncomfortable. “We are. It was unusual to say the least.”
“This is what I am trained for, to host a power, a mind not my own. I have the ability to compartmentalize and keep the kernel of my soul separate from whoever is occupying my mind. That includes the soul of time itself.”
The councillors blinked and Ravikka asked, “Is that what this is?”
“Yes. The soul of the time of a universe lost. It was old and so very powerful, so the new universe could not simply destroy it. You can’t destroy that kind of power. It took a piece of a world as it shattered, built a city and called those who could house its power through rifts in time. It pulled its own people Home and gave them the seeds of power.”
Gwetho leaned forward. “Why?”
“For the same reason that we are here. All on the edge of death, we were taken to begin a life unrecorded by living history, just like it was. It wants to live through us, but its power cannot be used or left in the other universe. We are the wrapping that carries it where it wants to go.” She was feeling dizzy and her stomach growled violently.
Randr chuckled. “Give her the knife so that we can go and get her something to eat. She hasn’t had anything since that reception a week ago.”
Ravikka jumped up. “Forgive me. We were distracted.”
She walked to a chest and withdrew a long leather belt and a knife. Ravikka stood in front of Aura and wrapped the belt around her hips before threading the knife into place and buckling it. “With this, I decree you to be a Nameless and your tutor shall be Randr. While you may ask any of us for help, he is in charge of your education.”
Aura nodded. “Thank you. I look forward to learning your…our ways.”
Ravikka leaned forward and embraced her. “Welcome. Randr will show you to your quarters.”
Her stomach growled again and Randr took her by the hand. “This way, Aura. We have a lovely selection of food from every point in history.”
She followed him absently, her body still going over the peculiar feeling of having a piece of time from another universe in it. It was one thing to have it but another to know exactly what it was.
Knowing what her past experiences as a
kah-dore
had given her, she was relieved when she checked and the mind inside hers had no intentions to speak through her. It was simply along for the ride and rather curious as to where she would take it.
Shaking her head slightly, she stumbled and then was jerked tightly against Randr.
The edge of the bridge was close and there was no railing on this walkway, if she had wandered off, she would be falling toward the crack under the bridge.
“Be careful, Aura. This is not a safe place until you learn to walk through the paths. Once you can open direct pathways in this place, you can go anywhere in seconds.”
With his body plastered against hers, she was definitely aware of where she wanted to go with him, but just as she was leaning up to kiss him, her stomach snarled again and the moment was shattered.
“Come along. You can molest me later.”
She perked up at that. “Promise?”
“I promise.” He released her but kept his fingers woven through hers as he led her into a building that was full of tempting scents.
It was time to have a snack and anything else could wait until later but not too much later. An immortal woman full of an Orb of Time had needs after all and they were probably detailed and weird.
Aura could hardly wait.
Chapter Five
Entering the arched doorway, Aura looked up and stared at the elaborate ceiling. “Holy cow. What is this place?”
Randr smiled, “Welcome to the acquisition centre. They are a department of the Nameless that gets us the clothing we need, the food we eat and anything necessary for travel through time.”
She laughed. “Professional thieves.”
His face took on a haughty expression. “Please, acquisitions specialists.”
She giggled and followed him into the exquisite building. “Who built this place?”
Randr shrugged. “Home has been the same since the first Nameless came here. We know nothing about those who came before.”
Enormous alcoves turned into room upon room of lovely objects. “Doesn’t anyone ever steal them?”
Randr laughed. “What would we do with them? The Nameless don’t use currency and we have everything provided. You can even take a turn being in one of the trades we have after your training. Your options depend on the amount that you can expand your temporal field. It is a personal-control issue.”
She blinked and tried to take in all the contrasting options from histories of worlds she had never imagined. Statues of a hundred species lined the walls. “Some of those have to be new additions.”
He led her down the row and pointed to a figure that was disturbingly familiar. “An image is made of you the moment that the Orb accepts you. You are the first of your species to be identified.”
She looked around eagerly. “There doesn’t seem like a lot of them, where are the others?”
His features darkened. “When a Nameless goes off active duty, their image is removed to storage.”
“Do we die a lot?”
He pulled her away from the image of herself and walked her toward the scents that had been teasing her. Randr’s image was near the end of the line. But he hauled her past the copy and into the dining area.
It was her first meal in her new situation and she took snack foods from nine races she recognized and five that she didn’t.
Aura expected some of the others to come by and speak to her, but instead, she received suspicious glances. “What is it?”
“No one knows quite what you are yet. They are wary of having an untested power in their midst.” Randr shrugged. “They will get over it after you acclimate.”
She finished her food and pushed the tray aside. “What will my education entail?”
Randr completed his own meal and sat back. “Do you want to learn about it here or shall we take a walk to the library?”
Eager to get started, she nodded. “Library, definitely.”
He rose to his feet and she to hers. As they turned to leave the dining area, a male blocked their path.
Randr’s tone was irritated, “Tavik. How nice to see you again. Aura, this is Tavik. He is the newest Nameless except for you. Tavik, this is my pupil, Aura.”
The young man looked at Randr with a possessive gaze. “I see that you are willing to take on the position of instructor when it suits you.”
Randr shifted to stand between Aura and the young male. “You are not mine to teach, Tavik, Aura is. I have seen her in my timeline since I first looked into the Orb.”
Aura blinked in surprise. Interjecting at this time would not have been a good thing.
In a move so quick, she barely saw it, Tavik flickered and then appeared at her side. “What have you done to make him loyal to you, cow?”
Aura didn’t like being talked down to and she really didn’t like the sneer on Tavik’s face. With a swift move, she kicked his knees out from under him, punched him in the throat and had her new knife at his neck.
Randr was standing with an amused smirk on his face. “That would earn my loyalty.”
A strange impulse ran through Aura and she opened her mouth, inhaling sharply. A spike of swirling power left Tavik and nestled in Aura’s body.
“You won’t be able to jump again for a while. Learn some manners, Tavik. You are giving us newbies a bad reputation.”
He swallowed and something flickered in his eyes. If Aura were a little more used to his features, she would have said it was the seed of respect and a little bit of fear.
When his limp posture made it clear that he had surrendered, she released him and sheathed her knife.
An audience had gathered, but the only person she was looking at was Randr. She had been prepared for irritation or even fear, but the heated arousal in his expression was unmistakable.
She straightened her gown self-consciously and squared her shoulders. “I believe that we were going to the library?”
Randr offered his hand. “Wherever my lady wishes.”
The crowd parted and Tavik got to his feet, bowing to her as she walked past him on Randr’s arm.
“That was weird.” She murmured it as they walked out of the elegant building along another side-less bridge.
“Tavik has had trouble adjusting and he despises the fact that his tutor is one of the seven councillors. At his point in time, his race has not yet learned the value of equality and having a woman in a superior and senior position to him is too much for him to deal with. Your little display will either make him rethink his attitude or get you an enemy for life, which around here can take quite a while.”
She winced and he wrapped his arm around her.
“Aura, why did you react with violence?”
“That wasn’t violent. It was intercession in a situation that could become much more difficult if it was allowed to continue. He had to know that I would not be intimidated.”
“Why?”
“Because Tavik is a bully and there is no way to teach him a lesson without making him vulnerable first. He will only pick up on what he can use to his advantage.” She shrugged.
The library was a most peculiar affair. Frames were around the edge of the room with tiny plaques under each one. The rows of frames swirled upward along the walls, an endless procession that went up into the hundreds of feet.
“How does this work?” She walked up to the nearest frame and it flickered, an image taking shape inside it.
“You select the point in time that you want to see and focus on the planet and general area. It will show you everything that one of the Nameless has seen in that place and time.”
The frame nearest to her was a relatively current era. She pressed her palm to the smooth panel on the side and focussed on Tarral Nich.
Watching your own death was creepy, but Aura had to make sure.
“You should not be watching that. It will upset you.” Randr put his hands on her shoulders and the image dimmed for a moment.
“I have to see it. I need to make sure he was dead.”
Randr’s fingers tensed. “Fine. Watch your own death then.”
“Thank you, I will.”
She concentrated and focussed, watching her hands and body attack the assassin and being stabbed in return.
“Why is this the point of view?”
“You are the one who saw this moment in time. You saw what he did and what you did in return.”