New Dawn (Divine War Book 1) (20 page)

“Fine,” said Kabi after a few moments. “The GOD power is what you used when you disarmed the bomb on board the
Freedom
. It utilises your psychic force to manipulate the molecules in your surroundings. And the first thing that you shall learn is that GOD stands for Gene of Destruction. As with any gene, this was passed down to you, in this case by your mother, giving you your powers.”

Maicee bit his lip and stared down into the depths of the sea. He was torn. His entire medical education told him that none of what Kabi said could be true, that none of what Kabi did could be possible. And yet he'd witnessed it with his own eyes. No, more—he'd personally exhibited the same strange powers when disarming Lean's bomb.

Kabi saw the look on Maicee's face and decided that maybe he should go with a more scientific approach.

“Look, from your understanding of genetics, humans have forty-six chromosomes, two of which are sex chromosomes. Correct?”

Maicee nodded, more comfortable in these familiar surroundings.

“Centuries ago,” went on Kabi. “a group of scientists designed and then artificially created a gene that, in very basic terms, allows humans to wield super powers, for want of a better phrase. They termed this gene GOD and incorporated it into the twenty-first chromosome during the fertilisation process. When equipped with this gene, the holder can produce psychic forces that manipulate his or her surroundings by changing molecular structure. And in some cases may even produce nuclear forces.”

The young man considered this. Couched in his own kind of language, what Kabi was saying did actually make sense. If he accepted that gene modification was possible, which it obviously was, then he supposed he could accept what he was being told.

“Sit down,” Kabi said, pulling two wooden crates closer. “Let me explain a little further.”

Maicee did as he was told, curious now as to what was to come.

“Your mother and I, along with eleven others, were the creations of Project GOD,” Kabi began. “The goal of this project was to create super-humans, or as the project code-named them, Archangels. We were created in test tubes, where our genetic code was altered to contain the Gene of Destruction. More than that, though, each of us was given a pair of the genes, not just one. This not only allowed us to possess what you would call super-human powers, but it also imbued us with a form of immortality. Once our powers are fully activated, we enjoy eternal youth, more or less, though the gene cannot, of course, prevent death by injury or in battle.”

Again, Maicee considered what he was being told. Yes, it sounded unbelievable; but then, so did many things when he first heard them. He decided to leave his scepticism behind for a moment.

“Is that why Magi Lords have magical powers?” he asked curiously.

“Yes and no,” said Kabi. “Magi Lords are the offspring of Archangels, just as you are. That means that they carry only half the required pair of genes. A Magi Lord has some power, but he will age, though far more slowly than the normal person, and his powers are limited.”

“I'm the same as a Magi Lord, then?” Maicee asked, crossing his legs on top of the crate he was sitting on.

“Not exactly,” said Kabi. “I have done some testing, and it seems that you are somewhat of a mutation. You seem to have inherited both copies of the relevant gene from your mother—an error in the fertilisation process, as I'm sure you're aware, that is perfectly possible.”

Maicee nodded.

“Because of that, it seems that you have more of the potential of an Archangel than of a Magi Lord. Though as yet, I'm not exactly certain how far the comparison goes, how strong your powers will be.”

This was just sinking in when soft footsteps sounded on the deck.

“Princess,” said Kabi, getting up and giving her a half-hearted bow. “I shall leave you two alone.” He leaned closer to Maicee. “We shall discuss more of this later,” he said.

He left, and Ausanne, giving Maicee a grin, hopped up onto the crate beside him. “Fun training?” she asked.

“Mmmm. I could use a little rest, though,” said Maicee, hoping she would take the hint.

He'd been avoiding her, not wanting to have to speak with her in the way he knew he must. But now he'd been cornered. His heart was thudding, and he knew that he had to say what he had to say, but still, it was hard.

Ausanne gave him another smile and shuffled a little closer, her arm warm against his.
It’s now or never,
he thought.

He gave a short cough, then said: “Princess Ausanne... there, well, there is something that I must tell you.”

“And what is that?” asked Ausanne, her eyebrow arched provocatively, her face edging closer to Maicee's.

“I... you...” he stuttered. Then he took a breath.
Just spit it out,
he scolded himself. “I mean, we cannot be lovers. I, I do love you, just, well, more as a brother-sister relationship, if you see what I mean.”

He let his voice trail off, hoping against hope that she wasn't going to be too angry. But hoping was futile. The princess jumped down from the crate.

“Do I look like I'm in love with you?” she demanded.

Maicee knew better than to answer that question.

“As you may be aware, I am a princess, one of royal blood, the future ruler of my country. I have no say in my marriage; that will be decided by my father. And when I do marry, it will be to a man of noble blood,” she said haughtily. “Not to a... a... pirate like you.”

She gave him a brisk incline of her head, then stalked off back towards the inside of the ship. But Maicee had seen the emotion in her eyes. He knew that he'd humiliated her, that he'd hurt her dreadfully. He sighed. But what could he do? Maybe the long voyage would be enough to calm her feelings a little. Maybe one day she would forgive him.

*

“No, no,” said Kabi, irritated. “Don't force your mind. Let it travel slowly.”

Maicee gritted his teeth and tried again.

They were sitting in a quiet corner of the deck, cross-legged as though meditating. Focus, Kabi had told him, was the key to channelling his psychic energy. The only thing he needed to do was to shut out all outside noises and thoughts from his head. That, however, was easier said than done. The harder Maicee tried not to think about Ausanne, the more he thought about her and how hurt she must be feeling. It was like saying ‘Don't think of apples’ and then expecting him not to think about apples. He sighed.

“Again,” said Kabi.

Okay, this time he had it. He took a deep breath and concentrated on letting his thoughts slip out of his mind. To his surprise, it began to work. Images, ideas, words started to slip away from him, and he felt the place of focus tantalisingly close. His mind now was feeling light, free, and empty of troubles and worries. His eyes were closed, but he began to see the flickering outline of his surroundings in varying hues of colour. He reached out towards the place of focus, drawn to it.

“You are a fast learner,” commented Kabi.

Through his closed eyelids, Maicee saw Kabi place a glass of water on the deck between them.

“This is the next stage,” he said quietly. “Find that place of focus, feel the power, then let that power flow down, through you, and into the water inside this glass. Just let things move naturally. Do what feels right.”

Obediently, Maicee manipulated his mind to do as he'd been asked. And slowly, ice crystals began to form on the surface of the water. And then the water completely solidified, expanding outwards until the glass container smashed, causing Maicee to lose his concentration and open his eyes.

“As I expected,” said Kabi, looking at the shards on the deck. “Your natural power lies in ice.” He smiled at Maicee. “Your mother's power was water; my speciality is earth.” He nodded as though satisfied that his guess had been correct. “That will be all for today, I think,” he said, standing up.

Maicee sat, exhausted, on the deck. He felt so drained, it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

“Don't forget to clean that glass up,” Kabi shouted over his shoulder.

Maicee groaned and began to move.

And so, for the next few days, Kabi trained Maicee in focussing his psychic force. And Ausanne avoided Maicee like the plague. It was, Maicee feared, going to be a very, very long voyage.

I
t took a full sixteen days
of sailing before the
Freedom
reached the coordinates that Kabi had given. Sixteen days of sailing through seas that were calmer than anything Lucia had ever encountered before. She prayed that this was not the calm before the storm, that their uneventful journey was not a curse aimed at their intended destination. As the
Freedom
slowed engines, approaching Kabi's coordinates, Major Ulsa'hi was almost spitting with frustration. Looking at the radar screen, Lucia could see why. There was nothing there. No land mass, no vessels, simply nothing.

“There isn't even an ambush here!” Ulsa’hi shouted.

“Be patient, young one,” said Kabi, slightly patronisingly. “You will see nothing on your radar, since this whole area is covered with digital camouflage. Turn on visual search and proceed forward with care,” he said to the ship's navigator. “Slow ahead—the waters here are loaded with mines. The only route in is the one we're taking.” He was quiet for a moment. “Unless, of course, they've changed it,” he added thoughtfully.

Fantastic,
thought Lucia. Not much she could do about it now, though. “Follow Commander Kabi's orders,” she told the navigator.

It was late morning, and the first sun was high in the sky, sparkling off the water. There was nothing to be seen except for the endless expanse of ocean and a thin veil of morning mist that had yet to be burnt off by the sun. The crew waited patiently as the
Freedom
proceeded at the slowest possible speed until Kabi shouted.

“There,” he said, pointing at a small dot that had appeared on the visual search monitor. “That,” he explained, “is the cloaking mechanism, where the digital camouflage originates from. We should be fairly safe from this point in. Unless there are enemy patrols, but I really don't think there will be.”

“And why not?” asked Major Ulsa'hi, his beetle-like eyebrows frowning in suspicion.

“Because if any vessel does show up, the mines destroy them before they can get anywhere even close to where we are now,” Kabi said equably, not offended by the officer's suspicion. “The only way to the island is by the route that we're currently taking. It's not worth their while to patrol for unwanted visitors. Unwanted visitors should be choking on seawater at the bottom of the ocean by now.”

The major stared at Kabi, a niggling doubt growing in the back of his mind, his military training kicking in. Silently, he pulled a dagger from his belt and, before anyone knew what was happening, had its tip pointed directly at Kabi's throat.

“Then how come,” the major hissed, “you know all of this?”

He was breathing heavily, his dagger arm shaking slightly, although Kabi himself seemed perfectly at ease.

“It seems awfully strange to me that someone such as you should know all the secret defences of this island,” the major went on. “Could it be, is it possible that you, my friend, are in fact an agent of the Supreme Emperor? Explain yourself.”

Kabi rolled his eyes and sighed. “This island is called New Heaven,” he said slowly as though explaining to a small child. “I stayed here for some part of my life, and I personally set up the defence mechanisms around the island.”

“Go on,” said the major, his hand aching to thrust the dagger into the man's throat.

“Look, even if I tell you the details, you won't believe them,” Kabi said, beginning to get irritated. “This is too long a story to tell, and we do not have the luxury of time.”

“Major Ulsa'hi, drop your weapon!”

Ausanne's voice was sharp and authoritative as she entered the bridge and saw what was happening.

“What is the meaning of all this?” she said, approaching Kabi's side.

“Your Highness,” said the major, between gritted teeth and not lowering his knife. “I have reason to believe that this man is an agent of the Supreme Emperor and therefore a traitor to Britannia. He knows too much of this place.”

Ausanne gave Ulsa'hi a long, cold stare. “This man,” she said, in a frozen voice, “is my uncle, and you will treat him with the respect that he deserves. Now lower your weapon before I have you court-martialled and shot!”

The major slowly lowered his dagger, re-sheathing it reluctantly.

“My abject apologies, KabiOnn,” he said, though his tone was far from apologetic. “I beg for your forgiveness.”

Kabi waved a hand as though brushing the words away. “There is no need for apologies. You were doing your job, I suppose. Though I would prefer if you could be a little less zealous next time.” He rubbed his neck where the dagger had touched his flesh. “The fact of the matter is that the Supreme Emperor is my brother. We grew up here together, something that not many are aware of. But I can assure you that my brother and I are now no longer in accordance.”

Every face on the bridge turned towards Kabi, mouths open in shock, no one able to speak. What they had just heard was beyond their imagination. Who would have thought it? The gentle and mysterious Kabi the brother of the Supreme Emperor?

Kabi viewed their shock with some satisfaction. Though he did not like having to share his history with others, he did enjoy surprising people to the point that they were speechless. He did not, however, wish to elaborate any further on what he had just said.

“I suggest that, should any of you have any doubts about my fealty to the King, then you should speak to me individually about them,” he said brusquely. “For now, though, I suggest we proceed as planned.”

He turned and strode away from the bridge, needing the fresh air of the deck for a while. His face reflected a momentary sadness as he left.

*

Lucia was the only one with the nerve to question Kabi. What he had said intrigued her, not that she distrusted him. It did appear, however, that Kabi was just as adept at living a double life as she herself was, and that was curious.