The Gates of Time: Book 3 of the Saga of the Princesses of the Light

By James A. McKenzie

The princesses of the light lived full lives. They died and met at the gates of time. There they found out they had to do it again. This is their story. It could also be the story of us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491779781

James A. McKenzie

James A. McKenzie, a graduate of Michigan State and the father of three children, is now retired after an engineering career at General Motors. Nikkola of Dur is the second of his five-book Princesses of the Light saga. Originally from Montrose, Michigan, he now lives in Haslett, Michigan.

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Copyright © 2016 James McKenzie.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-7977-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-7979-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-7978-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902467

iUniverse rev. date: 5/12/2016

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 1

May your lands always be within our lands.

May your heart always be within our hearts.

May we serve each other faithfully to the gates of time.

This was the oath every queen of the Federation had taken. This was the oath that every princess had taken. This was the oath that every noble of the Federation had taken.

After the demise of the Farjani Empire, the power of the United Federation of Planets waxed greatly and the queens and the princesses were a beacon for the people of the Federation to follow. They were beloved by their people and their people adored them as the peace and the prosperity went on.

But, the queens and princesses of the original Federation grew old, even with the ability to regenerate once. Queen Anne of the Sha'nia, the oldest of the queens and the architect of the Federation was the first to die. She was buried with great pomp and ceremony in golden armor with many jewels. All of the queens were there. All of the princesses were there. Her daughter Princess Elizabeth refused the crown. Her grand daughter Andrea refused the crown. A niece of Andrea, Amelia was named queen of the Sha'nia.

Queen Shiavonne of Frontier and Queen Anne of Dur died the same day. The two looked like sisters and they became closer than sisters. It was fitting that they went at the same time. They had raised children together and they had buried husbands together. They had lived good long lives and had been good queens. They had done much for their people.

All too soon, all of the original queens were gone and most of the princesses as well. There were all new queens in the Federation, but they were not the friends that the original queens had been.

Our story takes up with the death of Princess Sophie Rostov-Ericsson of Drakul. Sophie had lived a good long life and had been much beloved by the people of the Federation. She had spent most of her life being the most beautiful woman in the Federation and had amassed great wealth. She had raised a daughter, Elizabeth and two granddaughters. Sophie's granddaughter Siffane Marie was known in myth on Earth as the Lady Sif.

Sophie was watching her own funeral. She was impressed by the honor and love that they showed her. She wished that she could comfort Elizabeth and Siffane, but she couldn't. They could not hear her. Finally, Sophie turned away and walked into the light.

Sophie found herself in a clearing in the woods. The air was sweet and clean and smelled like springtime. There was a wall in front of her. It was a big wall of stone twenty feet high. There was a gate in front of her. She was not alone.

All of the dead queens and princesses were there, just as they had been buried. Hey, Sophie, said Queen Anne of the Drakul, Sophie's sister. Sophie hugged Anne and cried. Then, she hugged her sister Elizabeth and cried. Sophie hugged all of the queens and all of the princesses that were there.

Where are we? asked Sophie.

As near as we can figure, we are at the gates of time, said Anne of Haven.

But, why?

None of us knows the answer to that.

But, we're dead.

Yes, we would seem to be. None of us eats here. None of us sleeps here. We can't leave here. We've tried. We all spend a lot of time talking about yesterday but then when you get old, I suppose that's all you have left.

Why is the gate locked?

I don't know the answer to that.

Where are our husbands?

I don't know the answer to that either.

Sophie went to the gate. It was twenty feet wide. There was a mist on the other side. Does the mist ever clear? asked Sophie.

No, said Anne.

Sophie looked at the lock. The lock was easily two feet wide and it had fourteen rectangular slots in it.

Hmm ... I wonder. Sophie stuck her medallion into the slot. It fit. Nothing happened. She took it out and turned it around. There was a bolt of lightning and a loud thunderclap. They couldn't see the gate for the cloud of dust, but they all knew Sophie had just been fried. They heard coughing coming from within the dust cloud and Sophie staggered out of the cloud. It was a twenty-year old Sophie.

Holy shit! said Anne of Haven. Sophie, are you all right?

I seem to be, said Sophie. I can tell you this though, it sure as hell wasn't a regeneration. That hurt like hell"

Who else has a medallion? asked Anne.

I do, said Mirabeth. She put her medallion into the lock and nothing happened. She turned it around and nothing happened again.

Mirabeth, your number was three. Try the third one, said Anne of Haven.

I think they have to be in order, said Sophie.

Who was next? asked Anne of Sha'nia.

My daughter Elizabeth, said Sophie.

They waited for Elizabeth to live her life, and at length she came. Mother! she said.

Never mind that, said Sophie. Put your medallion into the lock.

Elizabeth was twenty again. Soon, all of the princesses of the Light were twenty again. Except one ... Marlene.

They waited while Marlene had a good long life. She had children and many adventures. Then one day she was there.

Just shut up and put that damned medallion in the slot! said Mirabeth. We have waited for you forever. I am tired of waiting!

The lock opened. They took the lock off the gates of time and opened it. Annabel Lee took a cord from her belt and tied the gates open. I want to see my daughter again, she said.

The queens of the Federation and the princesses of the Federation went through the gates of time and through the mist. They were in a clearing in a jungle. All of them were twenty again. Anne of Haven had been their leader in life and they looked to her again. Ladies, she said, I have no idea what just happened to us. I think we need to look for shelter.

But, we're dead, said Anne of Dur.

I don't think so, said Anne of Haven.

Mirabeth was standing by a stream and she stuck her finger in the water at some fish. Ow! she yelled as the fish bit her. Ow! Ow! Ow! Mirabeth beat the fish to death on a tree trunk. She was bleeding and Maeve St Jean went to her.

My lady. If we were dead, Mirabeth could not be bleeding. If we were dead, She could not have a heart beat, and she does.

So what does that tell us? said Anne.

We are on Earth, said Princess Admiral Elizabeth Williams.

Earth? asked Anne.

Yes, said Elizabeth. This fish is a piranha. This is a South American jungle.

"So what do we need to do?'

We need to find shelter and food. And we need to hide.

Why do we need to hide?

Because there are four thousand of us that aren't from Earth, we stick out like a sore thumb. All of us are a walking jewelry store and none of us has battle armor. We need a plan.

Well, said Anne of Haven, we know that there will be more of us coming through the gate, so no matter what else we do, we have to have a permanent settlement here. Let's do this. Sophie and Elizabeth, you go hunting with Nikki. Go that way. Keep your eyes open for anything edible. Shiavonne and Anne of Dur, you go with Brin. Go that way. Melissa, you and Maeve go with Britta. You girls go that way. Jenni, you and Allison go with Morgan. The three of you should go that way. All of you leave all of your golden armor here. Leave all of the jewels too. We are going to need them when we get out of this jungle. The rest of us will make spears and get firewood. We'll meet back here in the late afternoon.

All of the teams returned with game. Three of the teams had shot deer and the fourth had a huge wild boar. There was plenty of wild game around the area and plenty of wild fruit. At least they wouldn't starve for a while. While dinner was cooking, the teams made their reports.

There are mountains about ten miles to the west of here. Nikki, Elizabeth and I will head out at first light to check them out, said Sophie.

We found an abandoned farm to the east, said Britta.

How do you know it is abandoned? asked Anne of Haven.

Everybody was dead, said Maeve. And they all died violently. I'm guessing that they all died about two years ago. But, there is a computer there.

Oh, really? said Violet.

Okay, tomorrow I want a team of ten of Sophie's Guard to check it out, said Anne.

None of them slept very well their first night.

At first light, all of the away teams were off. Anne of Haven supervised the building of the hut that would remain outside of the gates. One new, very surprised princess came through the gates that day.

Britta's team went to the abandoned farm. They had to have power, said Violet. They must have generated it here somewhere close. They found a generator in the barn and Violet got it running. Soon she had the computer up and running. She found out where they were and began to create identities for Erin Daniels and Anne of Haven.

Erin was the only person that spoke the local language. It was Erin that went to the nearest town in an old Jeep that was in the barn. There she pawned a small gem, rented a house so she had a mailing address and bought gas for the Jeep and the generator. She also bought clothes. Violet had created a complete identity for Erin. She even had parents with complete identities and credit histories. Erin's bank account in New York City was real. So were her credit cards, so she began to buy merchandise. The first things that arrived were three brand new computers. Sophie's people worked in shifts around the clock creating identities. Violet had a shop set up in the barn and she was building something.

Mysti found out that the farm they were living on had been owned free and clear by the people that they had found dead. She arranged for Anne of Sha'nia to be the heir. What do you mean you have no last name? Mysti asked. Everybody has a last name.

I didn't, said Anne of Sha'nia.

Well you do now. It is Smith. Your middle name is Mae.

Some of the women decided that as long as they had a farm, they might as well use it and they purchased some thirty beef cattle. The women were very careful that no one ever saw more than five of them at any one time or place. They had been there six months and they were getting ready for the next step in their plan, when a neighbor came calling.

Gringa, Ramon said. This is a very dangerous place for you to be. You should take your friends and go back to where you came from. I would feel bad if your cows all got sick and died and I would feel worse if something should happen to you and your four friends. Take my advice and leave while you can.

That night a man was caught trying to poison the cattle. His body was never found. The next night five men came to burn them out. Their bodies were never found either.

What are you? asked Ramon. Are you a bruja?

You can believe what you want, Ramon, said Anne. But, I tell you this and I will only tell you once. It doesn't matter to us if you send a thousand men. All will die. I strongly suggest that you leave us alone and we will leave you alone. There was never any more trouble at the farm, but none of the locals would ever get near the place.

The bodies had been beamed into space. Violet had a working transporter and the women were ready to disappear in New York City. Anne of Haven, Elizabeth Williams, Christina North, and Danae Bettman were sent first. All except Anne were from New York City originally. They spent the next day renting an apartment and going to pawn shops. They deposited a large sum of money into Anne of Haven's bank account. Anne had it transferred to an on line trading account and started making money that evening. That evening five more women appeared. The women that had come got jobs as waitresses. The five new arrivals went to pawn shops and money was deposited in the bank. Every day five new arrivals came. Every day five more of them got jobs. For every ten new arrivals, they had to rent another apartment. By the time there were a hundred of them there, they could afford to buy a building and they did. The building was thirty stories high and it was vacant. They bought it for pennies on the dollar and the women began to do the renovations themselves. They began to transport a hundred women a day. The first floor of the building remained offices. The second floor of the building was made into a cafeteria. Fifty of the women were the construction crew. They did not go get jobs. Fifty of the women worked full time in the cafeteria. Three hundred of them that had been Sophie's Guard worked with Anne of Haven. Soon they were making enormous amounts of money in all of the markets. Some three thousand of the women had gotten jobs, mainly as waitresses. They were bringing in close to four hundred thousand dollars a week. They pooled all of their funds. They began to buy their jewels and armor back from the pawnshops. The building that they had bought had a parking garage underneath that had a hundred parking spaces. They rented them all out at fifty dollars a month. It would take them almost a year to make all of the apartments that they needed and it took twenty-four floors of the building, but every woman had a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate.

Then, they had their first building inspection. Violet had pulled all of the permits for the work and it was all to code. She had manipulated all of the zoning laws so they were all right there. Miss Custer, you have passed our inspection, but I do have some questions if you don't mind.

No, I don't mind, said Anne.

Why did you make the second floor of this building a cafeteria?

Well, you know that four thousand of us live here. It's cheaper for us to eat this way.

The third floor is a better hospital than any hospital in the city.

Well, you know that several of the girls that live here are doctors. There are four thousand women that live here. They all need medical care. We're all licensed and accredited.

Why do you have a gym and a theater on the fourth floor?

We are all fitness nuts. He had seen some of the women playing basketball in their Michigan State tee shirts.

I also noticed that every woman here has a sword in their closet.

You got me there, said Anne. We're a cult.

Yes, said Anne. We're the princesses of the Light.

Right, I see. Have a good day, princess.

My god, Anne, said Anne of Dur. You told him the truth!

It isn't my fault he didn't believe me, said Anne.

The neighborhood around the building the women had bought wasn't exactly the best neighborhood. There was a lot of crime and drugs. There were street gangs and prostitutes. All of the buildings in the area had steel bars on the windows or steel bars that could be pulled down at night, with the exception of one building. Violet had replaced all of the windows on the first three stories with glass that was bullet proof and blast resistant. The one person that was ever able to break into the building was caught the first step into the building. The next day he would leave New York City to get as far away as he could. He always told a wild tale of queens and princesses and women warriors. No one ever believed him, but there were the slash scars on each of his cheeks.

One night a prostitute was shot outside of the building. Mirabeth was sitting in the lobby monitoring the building when it happened and she saw the whole thing. Mirabeth ran to the woman. Maeve St Jean ran out of the building. Come on, Maeve. We have to get this woman to medical. Help me pick her up, said Mirabeth.

She doesn't have the time. Transport, beam three on my twenty to medical. Medical we have an emergency.

The police arrived on the scene and they found no victim but they found a lot of blood. Witnesses said that the woman just vanished.

The princess doctors fought death all night long. They would win this round. Paula Westerfield and Anastasia Tereshkova relieved some very tired doctors at dawn.

An officer came to the building the next morning. He was taken to the top floor and was ushered into Anne of Haven's office. Ma'am, I'm Officer Kelly. There was a shooting outside of your building and I would like to ask you some questions if I may.

Sure Officer, I know all about it. Would you like to see the victim?

Anne took him down to the third floor. She's still unconscious so you can't talk to her. She's very lucky to be alive. Here are the pieces of ID we found. Our security camera has the whole thing on tape. Would you like to see it?

Yes, I would if you don't mind. Can you tell me how long it will be before I can talk to her?

Paula?

We have put her out for twelve hours. Her body needs the rest. She was shot in the heart.

She should be dead.

The doctors here are very, very good.

One more thing. Are you the doctor that operated on the victim?

No, it was Maeve and Melissa.

Who?

I'm sorry. It was doctor St Jean and doctor Hanratty.

I'll want to talk to them later.

Of course. When they wake up I'll have them give you a call.

Can I see the tape now?

Officer Kelly was taken down to the first floor and introduced to Violet. Violet brought up the tape and she and Officer Kelley watched it. Can I have a copy of this tape? asked Officer Kelley.

Sure, but why?

I want to see if the perp matches any of our files. And some of the witnesses said that she just vanished into thin air

That is ridiculous, said Violet. Mirabeth and Maeve carried her into the building. Mirabeth toggled off the feed when she jumped from her desk.

You can have a copy of the tape if you want, but we already know who he is. Violet punched a few more buttons and a wealth of information popped up. Kelley had never seen anything like this. The man's name is Avery Wheat. This is his address. The man is her pimp. I think he was trying to fire her."

How did you get all of this information?

All of us are very good at what we do here officer. She didn't tell him that the man was already dead and no one would ever find his body.

I'll be back tomorrow to get a statement from the victim. Right now I am going to get my partner and we are going to pay a visit to Mr. Wheat. Can I have ...? Violet handed him a copy of the tape. Thank you, Miss Hunt.

The woman's a crack whore, said Maeve. I can fix that.

Not until she talks to the police, said Anne of Haven.

Officer Kelley came back the next day with his partner. They went to Violet Hunt's office. Miss Hunt, this is my partner Jim MacMillan. Jim, this is Violet Hunt.

Pleased to meet you Mr. MacMillan. Would you like some coffee?

Violet took them up to the cafeteria. You have your own cafeteria in this building? asked Jim MacMillan.

Its cheaper for us all to eat this way, said Violet. They got coffee and then sat down.

We went to Avery Wheat's apartment yesterday and he wasn't there, said Officer Kelley.

Did you really expect to find him? asked Violet. He thinks he killed a woman. He's gone to ground.

Violet, are you a cop?

Excuse me?

I just asked you if you were an ex police officer?

What would make you say that?

The way you carry yourself. The way you express yourself. The way you do your business.

Tom, she said to Officer Kelly. I know you have checked on us. We're nothing you have to worry about.

You know I checked on you?

Yes, you did it at 7:19 last night.

Are you CIA?

No.

Are you a spy?

No, why are you asking me these questions?

Because you are a beautiful woman that lives in a bad neighborhood, and I want to make sure you are safe."

Violet bit her bottom lip for a second. Okay, come with me. They went to a gym in the building. There was a basketball game going on. Ladies, can I have the gym? said Violet. I'll be right back. She came back in a white leotard. Okay, she said. Hit me.

I'm not going to hit you.

I will, said Jim MacMillan.

Jim MacMillan couldn't so much as lay a finger on Violet. She knocked him down over and over.

See, Tom. I'm safe. All of us are trained here. We're all safe.

Who are you Violet?

I'm the head of our security.

Officer Kelley went to the hospital room. There he found a crack addict that didn't even know what had happened to her. We will be in touch with you, Miss Hunt, said Officer Kelley.

I hope so, said Violet.

Maggie, said Maeve St Jean. I am going to give you a shot. When I give you this shot it will hurt a lot for a little bit.

Maggie Wyland felt like her whole body was on fire. Then it stopped. What did you do to me? she asked.

I just gave you your life back Miss Wyland, said Maeve St Jean. You are no longer a crack addict.

But, what am I supposed to do?

We have arranged for you to have a job here. We will arrange for you to go to college when you are ready. There is an apartment here for you that will cost you nothing. Food in the cafeteria is free. By the way, the man that was your pimp is dead. He will never bother you again.

Who are you people?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just know that you are safe here, Maggie Wyland and here you can be anything that you want. Maggie went to work in the office and began to learn how to make money. The women that she worked with were all beautiful and very nice. They made her feel like she was a valued member of the team and that she had worth as a person. She felt her old life slide away and she did not miss it. She began to learn martial arts from Mirabeth and it felt completely normal to her.

Very soon all of the pimps were gone and no one would ever know what happened to them. Then all of the prostitutes were gone. They all had a different life now.

On Halloween, Sophie came down to the office in the white body suit of a princess and the golden ceremonial armor of royalty. Her hair was up and pinned with much silver and diamonds. She had the dual swords of a Guardian of the Queen slung over her shoulders. She explained Halloween to the rest of the princesses, and before long they were all dressed similarly.

Officer Kelley came into the office and as he walked to Violet's office he was wondering what was going on. He arrived at Violet's office to find her dressed the same as the rest of the women. Um, Violet? Do you have the time to talk to me?

Sure, Tom. What's up?

Why are you all dressed like that?

Like what?

Like with armor and swords. Are those swords real?

It is Halloween, Tom. We all decided to dress up as princesses.

Uh, you have an Olde English D on your armor. Does that mean you are a Detroit Tiger?

No, I am a princess of Dur.

Dur?

Yes, Dur. Violet drew one of her swords and it was inscribed Princess Violet Hunt of Dur. The sword was beautiful and gleamed in the light of Violet's office.

So you are all princesses?

All except the queens.

Queens?

Yes, several of the women in this building are queens.

You women must have spent a fortune for your costumes. They are amazing.

Thank you. We do try.

Violet, I need to talk to you about the prostitutes in the neighborhood.

What about them?

They seem to be gone.

And that is a problem, why?

Because the money trail for the women leads back to you.

Me?

Not you personally, but back to this building. We have no idea what happened to all of the pimps.

I think you need to speak to Queen Anne of Haven.

Queen Anne of Haven?

Oh, I'm sorry. I mean Anne Custer. You met her. Come on, let's go upstairs.

They walked by Sophie on the way to the elevator. Officer Kelley just stared at her.

They were ushered into Anne's office by another princess in golden armor. Anne rose and came around her desk. She was in an all white body suit too, but her armor was even more ornate. She only had one sword, belted to her waist.

Violet knelt. Please rise Violet, our guest has no time for this, said Anne.

Officer Kelley could only stare at Anne.

Do I have something in my teeth? asked Anne.

No, I'm sorry, said Officer Kelly. You do look like a queen.

It's Halloween, Officer Kelly, and we are indulging in a little make believe. What can I do for you?

I have a list of prostitutes that seem to have vanished off of the streets.

They all work for us now and go to school. They have been relocated for their own safety to another building we own in a different neighborhood so they can build new lives.

That is what our paper trail told us.

You have been checking us out? But, why? We are no threat to anyone.

I just want to know why you are doing this?

Doesn't everyone deserve a chance at a decent life?

Yes, but ...

They are getting a chance.

But, they were mostly all drugged out.

"Not any more.