Simultaneous Display (Metatron's Army, Book 5)

By Elizabeth Maxim

The remainder of your educational requirements will be fulfilled through TS-601 opportunities.

TS-601: Verix speak for you are going off-world.

Opportunity: Alexander speak for what you see and experience there will change you forever.

***

To Create. For Light Beings Verix Sterling and Alexander Craig, Princess turned soldier Christine Baker is a second queen on the board in a game they must win.

You Must First Destroy. For Christine Baker, the tools and experience provided by the Light Beings are proving invaluable in her efforts to bring about the Iconoclast's downfall. It's doubtful, however, the energy beings are prepared for how she goes about it - or what it will do to her in the process.

But destiny is waiting and she has an army to recruit...

Metatron's Army.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Maxim
• Release date: Mar 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370684137

Elizabeth Maxim

If Elizabeth were to map her life’s journey, it would resemble the chaos of a Pac-Man game but out of this chaos came the foundation for her stories. She draws from knowledge, personal experience, and imagination in creating strong independent characters who steer their own destiny... often with a little help from love.Elizabeth studied alternative medicine with an MD for several years before earning a doctorate of philosophy in that field. She also holds a bachelor's degree in holistic childcare. Currently living in the Pacific Northwest, she is the author of multiple books, fiction and nonfiction, as well as two blog sites.You can follow Elizabeth at elizabethmaxim.com.

Book preview

Other titles by Elizabeth Maxim

Fiction

Advantage*

Bishop Pair*

Zwischenzug*

Positional Play*

Simultaneous Display*

Pawn Storm*

Dark Bishop*

Pin*

Bind*

Diagonals*

Promotion*

Analysis*

Adjudication*

Metatron’s Legacy*

Cauldron of the Gods^

Chronicles 1: Karma*

Beacon+

Rainmaker+

Shadow of the Gods^

Mirror+

* Metatron’s Army

^ Dragon Core

+ Ghost Games

Published by Doorways Publishing House

Copyright © 2020 by Elizabeth Maxim

All rights reserved.

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

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher except for the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First edition, 2018

Second edition, 2020

elizabethmaxim.com

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Light Being Abilities

Energy Seer Sees energy patterns.  Perceives changes in energy fields.

Energy Shifter Manipulates energy via energetic bridges.  Cloaks energetic reactions.

Energy Mover Moves, exchanges energy between beings.  Can share his energy directly.

Energy Tracker Perceives energy residue to discern past events.

Auspex Perceives energy backward through time.  Can see the future.

Archivist Records events energetically, stores them for retrieval and viewing at a later time.

Light Being Assignments

Alexander Energy Seer, Minelda System

Dacan Auspex, Vetria System

Verix Energy Shifter, Vetria System

Xavier Energy Shifter, Minelda System

Omart Energy Mover, Balen System

Aysa Archivist, Vetria System (unpaired)

Dynamic Academy Students

Chestin Coust Cadet, Operational Organization

Christine Baker Cadet, Dimensional Theory

Kara Forsa Cadet, Medical

Samira Cadet, Science Unit / Research

Dynamic Academy Faculty

Corus Argai Tactical Instructor

Samira Dormitory Advisor

Senator Cushing Director, Special Projects

Verix Cadet Executive

Ivaran Royals

Christine nee Princess Cirhce Heiress, Ivory Isles

King Estan Ruler, Ivory Isles

Queen Lor Ruler, Ivory Isles

CHAPTER ONE

Simultaneous Display: When a master plays a number of opponents at the same time. Usually arranged as a ring of tables, with the master moving round inside, and the opponents outside. Players move when the master arrives at their board, master replies and moves on.

1998

Eol Vetria System

Airfield Offices, Dynamic Academy

Love and hate.

Tactical Instructor Corus Argai stared down at the woman approaching a row of jets parked on the airfield and considered just how often those two emotions surfaced since meeting her.

He loved her passion for excellence, hated that it would drive her to excel – away from him. He loved her forthright manner, hated she had secrets not even she was aware of; loved -. The thirty-one-year-old rubbed the back of his neck, let out a breath. He loved her, hated that he was afraid of her. Of what she was.

"I’m not a Light Being, Corus."

He wanted to believe that – really he did - but evidence suggested otherwise. She exhibited capabilities only possessed by the energy beings that lived among them.

"They gave me some sort of serum after I was born. It contained strands of Light Being DNA."

After two failed assassination attempts, the decision was made to hide her until it was safe.

"I’m an heiress. My father’s subjects, the Lesser Kings, are petty, bickering, greedy. If I’m out of the picture, they can seize control."

He understood the need to protect the heiress. It was the location where they hid her he had a hard time with.

"I grew up in another universe."

Since only Light Beings were able to travel between universes without negative repercussions, the serum was administered to ensure she didn’t suffer Time Distortion Sickness upon returning

"I was accompanied by a Light Being who looked after me until it was deemed safe for me to return to the Vetria System."

The story made sense but for one thing. The serum was given to her within hours of her birth. The first assassination attempt wasn’t until days later.

"I didn’t even know any of this until shortly before coming to Dynamic."

Either she was lying, or she really didn’t know the whole story.

"I understand your need to know the truth. I know how much you care for me."

He did care. He hated to think she was lying, hated even more that he was the one who had to decide.

"I’m not lying, Corus. I wouldn’t lie but I definitely wouldn’t lie to you. I care about you. I would never dishonor you that way. I wouldn’t dishonor myself."

He blew out a breath, pushed a hand through his hair. He believed her.

"My parents are not Light Beings."

That didn’t mean she was telling the entire truth.

"My mother is Ivaran, my father Eolighten."

How could she if she didn’t know it?

"I don’t know how it came to be that Estan isn’t my father."

That the Ivaran King wasn’t her biological father wasn’t known outside a small group of which he’d become a part.

"Yes, he knows but I don’t think he knows that I know."

In spite of the truth, Estan acknowledged her as his heir, doubtless to keep order in the Ivaran Kingdom.

"Lor is the queen and she is my mother. I am the heir."

There was obviously more to the story. The discrepancy, for instance. Why give her the serum before the assassination attempt? Had they suspected and were just being cautious or was there a different purpose for the serum?

"As far as I know, the Light Being DNA was only to ensure I could travel without suffering Time Distortion Sickness."

He hadn’t pressed her about it, hadn’t been able to. Not after he’d seen how tired she was.

"I did a bit of travel over the break. Jet lag."

"Jet lag?"

"A saying."

From that planet she’d grown up on. A planet he’d never heard of. Earth.

At least he understood why he hadn’t been able to find any information on it.

"It’s in another universe altogether."

It was a literal - not an entire - truth. And until he discovered the entire truth, he wasn’t free to love her.

He hated himself for that.

* * *

Light Being Dacan Kray stared down at the woman reaching into the box at her feet for some tool or other, her pale blonde hair pulled into a practical ponytail. She had to be tired. She’d been back from the academic break less than a week. Her fourth – and final educational period – didn’t even officially begin for several weeks.

Stubborn.

The Princess was that and more. When he questioned her about starting back early she’d looked at him with those piercing blue eyes of hers and coolly replied she had work to do and of all people, he should know.

People. She continued to treat him as human.

"You look human."

It didn’t matter he had the ability to manipulate energy, to open doorways between universes, to see aspects of the future. She saw him as someone she understood, someone she could relate to.

She tossed the tool back, retrieved another.

It would be easy enough to ascribe it to a personality trait, an accepting nature; either was a plausible explanation, but he didn’t believe it. Easygoing or not, she wasn’t one of them. How could she relate? Unless she was. He was beginning to wonder.

"Are you sure that serum didn’t -?"

He’d given voice to his thoughts, only to be shot down.

"The only DNA spliced in was that which enables us to travel energetically between universes without suffering negative consequences."

Fellow Light Being Alexander Craig had been adamant. He supposed if anyone would know, it would be the Energy Seer since he’d worked directly with DNA researcher Ryal Kinkaid to develop the serum that would protect the Princess from Time Distortion Sickness.

The Princess threw the second tool into the box and, hands on hips, glared at it.

Turning away from the window, the Auspex began to unpack the last of the boxes hauled from his old office located on the opposite side of the building.

"It’s too noisy on the airfield side. I’m working on a number of papers and prefer the quiet."

He’d been more than happy to swap offices with the junior Tactical instructor who approached him. For him, noise from the jets wouldn't be a distraction and the view was better than what he’d been looking at. There was another reason he’d been eager to make the change. The location meant he was better positioned to not only observe the Princess, but to help protect her.

Reaching into the storage box, he glanced out the window to see the Princess scratching her head as she gazed into the toolbox as if it held the answers to all of life’s questions. He set a small box of comm supplies onto his desk, slid it to the upper left quadrant.

That the DNA researcher was the Princess’ biological father should have no bearing on the matter. He certainly wasn’t a Light Being. There was also no chance he would have injected himself with any of the DNA prior to her conception. He may be brilliant when it came to their physiology, but the scientist despised Light Beings. He would never have tainted himself.

"Your species shouldn’t exist. You didn’t evolve, you were created."

That wasn’t the entire truth but Dacan found most individuals chose to focus on only those facts that supported their conclusions.

"You lack the ability to feel. You are cold-blooded, lizards.

That wasn’t true either, but people saw what they wanted to see.

The Princess grabbed another tool.

Withdrawing a holo map device, he walked toward a bookshelf set near the door, placed it on top. There were a number of holes in the Energy Seer’s assertions the DNA hadn’t altered her physiology more than subtle changes associated with universal travel. The Princess’ eyes for instance.

When she became overly agitated, white lines appeared in her blue irises. When Light Beings became agitated, an energy pulse caused their eyes to turn yellow.

"Like I said, lizards."

The DNA researcher knew the effect was not related to the small reptiles found on Sola. As for the Princess, Alexander had an all too convenient explanation.

"She pulled the lattice framework from the illusionary plane into her when she was violently thrust out of it."

The illusionary plane, an energy plane Alexander took the Princess to for lessons.

"It embedded energetically. The fact she was angry at the time explains why they appear when she becomes agitated."

He wandered back to the desk, glanced down. Her posture suggested she was very agitated. Were the white lines visible, he wondered. Deciding it was unproductive to waste energy on something for which there was no logical explanation, he returned to his unpacking.

* * *

Light Being and Cadet Executive Verix Sterling stared down at the woman who looked as if she’d like to take a hammer to the jet she was working on. He wasn’t the slightest bit surprised she jumped back into her studies even before the academic period officially started. It wasn’t that she was driven to excel, though she was. It was her way of coping. Or, rather, not coping.

Christine did not run away from difficulties but she did like to take her time coming to terms with them. The more difficult the circumstance, the longer she took. It was her way of maintaining calm amidst chaos. It was how she kept emotions at bay.

The tactic was one he understood as it was one he employed regularly. All Light Beings did. Emotion was their weakness, something to be managed lest it cripple them as it had in generations past.

It was why the Light Beings had willingly embraced the Council’s mandate that they ruthlessly control their emotions. History had shown, actions demonstrated in the shadow of emotion could be catastrophic.

The cadet reached into the box at her feet, withdrew a tool he recognized as one she’d used previously. Would it serve this time or was it a matter that, unable to think of a new approach, she was going to see if repeating a previous act would somehow produce a different result?

Repeating the same action with the expectation of a different outcome was the mistake of a novice. As a fourth-year cadet, Christine was hardly a novice. Given she

was well aware her action would not garner the desired result, he had to think she was either too distracted to realize what she was attempting or, more likely, was not interested in the outcome so much as the mundane steps involved with the effort. That she was performing mundane chores she could do in her sleep told him she was indeed thinking heavy thoughts yet thinking them clearly. When it came to analyzing an issue, her process was flawless.

He turned as someone knocked on his door, opened it slightly. He wasn't surprised to see Dacan’s head appear through the narrow space. If he had to guess he'd say he'd been watching her from his office. He would have noted the odd behavior.

Can I come in?

Yes.

His fellow Light Being joined him at the window.

She’s magnificent, isn’t she?

Verix shot his colleague a look of warning and no small amount of agitation.

Unconcerned, Dacan shrugged. Got you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Without saying anything further, the Auspex looked down at the airfield.

Is that why you came here?

I just finished setting up my office. I’ll be heading back to Perm. I wondered if you’d told her yet.

This morning.

How did she react?

You don’t know?

Verix, only a fool would attempt to establish an energetic bond directly with the Princess.

Any bonds, necessary to protect the Princess, were bridged through the Energy Shifter, who did have a direct bond with her.

She’s yours, he stated quietly and while it was a statement generally meant to reflect she was his assignment, he knew better. We know this. They all did.

Since you would if you felt it appropriate, there must be another reason you have not taken a personal emotional read.

Nodding, Dacan rubbed a hand over his lips, watched the woman toss a tool into the container. I don’t ever want to go through that kind of pain again. He turned to look at the Energy Shifter. None of us do. I don’t know how you stand it.

The pain of intimate contact with the Princess. From a kiss.

It was necessary, Verix replied, his eyes on the woman on the airfield.

It happened during the recent break. The Princess had been reliving traumatic events associated with her kidnap and torture a year earlier. Left unchecked, her wildly fluctuating emotional energy would have caused great harm. To shock her out of the memory and head off the damage, he’d pressed his lips to hers. It worked, but at significant cost.

Years of ruthless control over emotions meant Light Beings were no longer capable of experiencing them in strength or number, or for extended periods of time without severe repercussions. When emotional energy surged past the safety threshold, pain was the result. The more intense the emotion, the more intense the pain that burned through their electrical systems. Since repeated and prolonged exposure to high emotion could result in a fatal energy spike, they made every effort to avoid coming close to the threshold. At least they used to. Before. He stared impassively out the window. It all changed with the woman reaching into the toolbox at her feet.

Christine.

Yes, it burned, but it was a flame he couldn’t bring himself to walk away from.

I manage, he said at last.

Dacan wondered how. He’d been energetically bonded to the Energy Shifter when the Princess unexpectedly returned his kiss, deepening it. Memories of the white fire that burned down his spine were all too vivid. He drew in a breath, centered himself. Are you sure she doesn’t know who you are? He glanced over. To her?

When the decision was made to hide the Princess on Earth in a parallel universe, Verix, as the Protector, was assigned as escort and guardian. Getting her parents to agree had been delicate due, in great part, to the fact her biological father loathed the energy beings. The decision was made to have the Energy Shifter surgically altered to resemble Ryal’s best friend, Xavier Casteel, graduate of Dynamic, and a good soldier.

The subterfuge would have gone off without incident had it not been for an unforeseen complication. The Princess, upon reaching adulthood, had fallen in love with him.

With Xavier.

To further complicate the matter, Verix’s flaw - that he could feel more emotions than other Light Beings and feel them more deeply - left him defenseless against her affections. Over time, as her feelings for him deepened, her desires became his. Unprepared and unable to curtail the intensity, he’d experienced a fatal energy spike. He burned to death from the inside. Had Alexander not been present at the time, he would have ceased to exist, his energy scattered throughout the cosmos. But Alexander had been there.

The Energy Seer got him to the DNA researcher before he flamed out. His energy was put into stasis until a new body was ready. Once his energetic core rooted itself firmly within the new body, an energetic veil was placed over him. The veil meant he would have no recollection of previous events, or of the Princess, who she was to him.

The memories were there, an indelible part of his energetic core. The veil simply blocked the signaling between the core and his awareness.

While Verix undertook training aimed at returning him to duty, Alexander escorted the Princess back to the Vetria System and oversaw her enrollment at Dynamic Academy, where she would complete specialized military training.

"I don’t want to be a soldier and I said as much to Xavier."

What the Princess hadn’t understood was that her desires were of little consequence. Her life was not her own. Not only was she destined to be a soldier, she was destined to lead them.

He watched Senior Cadet Roddial walk over, presumably to offer advice. The Princess smiled but shook her head and the senior cadet returned to where he’d been working with another student.

No, the Princess didn’t know who Verix was and not just because he didn’t resemble the man she knew on Earth. His identity was cloaked.

An Energy Shifter, he was capable of creating strong energetic shields to mask the unique energetic signature all beings gave off. It was the only reason he’d been selected to oversee her studies at the Academy.

He hadn’t remembered who he was when first assigned to