Madeline whirled around, back and forth in the grand hall. She was sure all of the statues, marble columns, and arches were peering down at her, laughing at her confusion.
“You’re making yourself dizzy, Madeline. You fainted in the garden before. I don’t care for it to happen again,” Ciaran said.
“I had a precognition in the garden. That was why I fainted.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Madeline raised her arms in the air in frustration. “I didn’t have a chance, Ciaran! Ayana and Pete were here. We talked about important stuff. Then you came in. Then there was the business in the broom closet. Then you dropped this information bomb on me!” She pointed at her tummy.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re confused.” He pulled her into his arms. “What did you see in your precognition?”
She frowned. She didn’t know what was more important—her precognition or her pregnancy. “You said the machine detected that the children were conceived precisely during the Red Stage of the Daimon Gate? I mean, it’s not like we have sex like rabbits, but we had a lot of it before the Daimon Gate tests.”
Ciaran held back a laugh and nodded. “The EYE scanner detected and reported the information when I visited the Host of the Daimon Gate.”
She looked at him. That visit. The emotion in his eyes was still so raw it stabbed at her heart. He hadn’t had time to heal—if he would ever heal—from that emotional wound. To travel from Earth to Eudaiz and qualify as Sciphils, they’d had to pass the Daimon Gate tests—the most stringent, brutal, and nastiest tests in the cosmos.
She shuddered remembering them.
Ciaran had discovered how, when, and by whom he was conceived when they’d visited the Host residence in the Daimon Gate. Children conceived during the Red Stage of the Daimon Gate tests were the best beings in the cosmos. He was one of them. That explained his incredible talents and abilities.
Also, because of the desire to have such a special child, Ciaran wasn’t conceived in love, but from a rape and brutal violence against his mother. Madeline knew how much it had hurt him to kill the man who gave him his life.
Justice for his mother.
For the integrity of the virtuous world in the Daimon Gate.
Whatever the reason, she knew it had hurt him to kill Bran as much as it would have if he hadn’t killed the man. She knew he bemoaned the father he had never had. She could sense the unbearable pain he suffered, and she wished she could share the load. But he would never tell her about the pain. Sometimes he forgot she was psychic.
If their children had been conceived in the Red Stage of the Daimon Gate test, they would be just like him. They would be the best beings in the cosmos.
She sighed, thinking about the challenging period of motherhood ahead. She could barely operate a computer! How would she handle two freakishly smart kids? Not one. But two!
“Madeline!”
“Huh?”
“What did you see in your precognition?” Ciaran repeated his question.
“I saw words in blood on the wall saying ENNEAD WILL KILL YOU ALL. It might not mean anything.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m pregnant. It could well be a hormonal issue!”
Ciaran smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Ennead means a group of nine. It’s mostly used in Egyptian mythology when referring to nine gods. Given that we have nine Sciphils and nine towers to protect, I don’t think it’s coincidental.”
Madeline sighed. “Ciaran, sometimes it’s nice when you don’t know things.”
He chuckled. “It’s a curse, isn’t it? Knowing too much.”
“Owww,” Madeline moaned. She winced and grabbed at her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Ciaran asked.
“Nothing. Just a cramp. Or a muscle spasm, maybe.”
“Are you sure it’s nothing?”
“If anything, it’s because you told me I’ve been carrying twins for two days.”
“The EYE system identified the precise time of conception.”
“Right, so if there’s that much surveillance around, they must have also recorded the smoking hot sex scene in the broom closet. Are you sure the data won’t go viral on the internet—or whatever the Eudaizian equivalent is?” she asked. “Ow . . .” she cried again and clutched at her stomach. “This sucks.”
She pressed her palm against the wall, breathing deeply. She remained still for a moment, waiting for the pain to settle. Puking in this grand hall didn’t sound like a good idea. Madeline turned around and saw Ciaran’s green face.
“Ciaran, if you look like that now, how are you going to handle it when we’re deep in the throes of childbirth?”
Her husband—the know-it-all Ciaran, the best in the cosmos in pharmaceuticals and technology, the commander of his worlds on Earth and in Eudaiz—was obviously out of his element where her space pregnancy was concerned.
“Robert!” Ciaran shouted.
“Who?”
A robot of human size and shape scurried over in response to Madeline’s question. “Yes, Ciaran?” the robot asked.
“Are there people other than robotic staff at in Sciphil One residence?”
“Yes. There are two Eudaizian staff members. English speaking. Highly skilled in administrative and domestic matters.”
“All right, we are going to Sciphil One residence right now.” When Ciaran donned his do-not-protest tone, Madeline simply nodded in agreement.
He slid his arms protectively around her waist and led her to the side door.
Suddenly, a chill ran up Madeline’s spine. She glanced back at the grand hall and saw the words Kyle Wolf flashing in red blood on the wall. She blinked and looked again. The words had disappeared.
Her psychic mind told her the cold-blooded mind-bender had made it to Eudaiz. And she had a feeling they were heading toward another bloodbath. It was much too soon for her to engage in another battle.
And this time, it wouldn’t be just another fight. She was carrying the citizens of a huge district on her shoulders—and twins in her tummy.