The Spectrum Force Volume Three by Heather Ray (ready player one ebook txt) 📕

time?" she whispered, her voice wavering. "He is suffering so much. Perhaps we... should..."

Luminus took Spectra by the shoulders, and pulled her toward him. His stern eyes locked with hers. "We cannot afford to lose your father, Spectra. I know it is hard for you both to cope with this present situation, but it is a necessity."

Her gaze hardened. Luminus felt her anger, and sighed softly. "This may seem unduly cruel to you, but we have no choice. Gaius is the only one who might know where the Midjinari have retreated. We must

know where the Diadem is hidden, or we will lose the war."

Spectra blinked. "But the Diadem is safe now. Our presence only draws Phaedra's attention. Alone, the Midjinari are better equipped to protect the Diadem."

"They can hide it, but we are the ones destined to find the One who can use the Diadem to finally defeat the Denebian Empire."

"The Diadem told you this?"

"The Bright One himself told me."

The blood drained from Spectra's cheeks. She stood speechless for a long moment, staring at Luminus as if she had never laid eyes on him before.

Luminus smiled at her thunderstruck expression. "The Bright One recruited me to form an allegiance of Light. We have only crossed paths that one time, and decreed that I would find him again. The Midjinari have sworn to protect the Diadem from evil until the Bright One arrives. However, they assume that he

will find them

."

He shook his head, his concern obvious. "I have seen the darkness of the Empire; the desperate need to douse the Light and overwhelm the galaxy. I fear... that the Empire will be drawn to the Bright One. That is why we must maintain a link with the Diadem: so we can insure the Bright One is armed with his true power efficiently. Gaius was sent to align with the Midjinari, so when the Bright One is found, we could arrange for him to unite with the Diadem."

Luminus released Spectra, clasping his hands behind his back.

"What will you do now?"

"Find a cure for Gaius," he answered plainly. "Or... at the very least, find a way to communicate with him. I know that the new hideout of the Midjinari would be a guarded secret, so there is no point in combing his mind to force the information from him. His every thought and breath will protect the secret from an intruding consciousness, and in his current state he cannot properly differentiate the mental presence of a friend and a foe. It would only be damaging to scour his mind now."

"He will know me," Spectra stated. Her tone was forceful, as if daring the High Father to contradict her.

"I will not expose you to his mind now, Child." His tone brooked no argument. "He is very fragile, and so are you."

She frowned stubbornly.

Luminus responded with a soft smile. "Now is not the time, Spectra. The medical technicians are doing everything in their power to calm him, which will make it easier for you to reach him. And you have endured much, as well. You must return to Earth."

His fingers lifted her chin, forcing their eyes to meet. His gaze was warm, yet urgent. "Phaedra has been humiliated on Edenia. Her anger and cruelty are as a slumbering monster that has just been wakened. I fear she will unleash that wrath upon you and yours when she finds her way back to Earth."

Spectra stiffened at the grim forecast. In her experience, Phaedra was irrational and spiteful at the very least

. To suggest that this most recent defeat could incite even more brutality was truly terrifying. "We... shall be ready, High Father."

Part Five

At least the fires had stopped burning.

Mor'se took a small measure of comfort in that observation. It had been days since the utter devastation of the warship left him stranded on Edenia. He couldn't quite tell how many days had passed, since the blasted

suns kept the entire planetoid bathed in a vicious light so disorienting, time seemed to crawl.

That vicious light was far more than disorienting. It proved to be deadly to many scores of soldiers and scientists who were exposed too long to the piercing rays. Less than a quarter of the crew escaped the destruction of the warship, and of those few hundred survivors, nearly half of them succumbed to the sunlight. Some had perished, and still others suffered from radiation burns that varied in severity from mild to critical.

Thankfully, Mor'se himself and several escape pods had landed near Gaius' stronghold. The granite fortress was completely covered, preventing the harmful radiation from eliminating more of the crew. Also, the traitor had kept an admirable supply of tonics and medical apparatuses. Granted, they weren't designed for treating sunburn, but ointments intended to soothe laser fire would work well enough.

Of course, what would really be beneficial was some magical aid. Perhaps a canopy of dark magic, serving as portable shelter from the light so a troop could explore the surrounding forest for other survivors. Or even a fresh batch of Shadows, capable of withstanding the light, could seek additional shelter and even help assemble what little equipment survived in the escape pods.

Something

had to be done. The scores of soldiers needed sustenance, and since the suns never set, they needed shelter at all hours. Without the comfort of night, how could they consolidate their resources to construct a ship capable of reaching the Hyperspace Portal? Would they truly be marooned on this jungle planet?

Mor'se seethed. Blasted woman! She is the only one here with the power to actually do something, and yet she has sequestered herself in that filthy traitor's private chamber. What is she thinking??

The tension had reduced the scholar's patience to cinders. No longer could he stand quiet and bow to the Empress' bizarre whims.

His face set with grim determination, Mor'se climbed the narrow stairs leading to the deeper recesses of the sanctuary.

The captain stood at the door. "The Empress has decreed that no one is to interrupt her studies."

Red eyes flashed. "Has

she now? And what is she studying that is more important than our very survival??"

The captain tucked his chin. "It is not my place to ask."

"Someone must induce sanity into her head. Let me through."

"She will

kill you, my Lord," the captain pointed out. "And me as well, if I let you through."

Nonetheless, he obliged the old man's request, and stepped aside.

Mor'se marched into the chamber, holding his head high as his mind wove clear, logical arguments into a web of reason that no sound mind could dispute. Of course, he was well aware that Phaedra's mind was often far from sound.

To his surprise, he found the Empress sitting at a computer station, tapping her finger as she perused information on the screen. He had expected her to be fuming, pacing around the room and destroying any object that caught her fevered gaze.

Perhaps she has calmed after all...

He exhaled the anxiety that had tightened his muscles, and bowed low. "Majesty, we must determine a course of action to preserve our lives."

She utterly ignored him.

His lips twitched. I have given her too much credit.

"I... have been considering our options. I believe we must first consolidate our forces. Unfortunately most of the equipment on our escape pods was damaged by the entry and the fires caused by the debris of the warship, but we do have a few short-range scanners. I am confident that other escape pods have landed."

Still, no response.

Mor'se began to boil. "We must seek out our brethren, and treat the wounded. Then, we should try to send a distress call to the nearest imperial squadron."

"No."

The scholar blinked at the direct command. "What??"

She turned in her seat, and set her ruby glare on the aged man. Suddenly, Mor'se's heart climbed in his throat. "Are you questioning me?"

He swallowed the lump, and managed in a tremulous voice, "My Empress, we must

leave this planet immediately! The heat and light is lethal, and we've already lost scores of warriors! Without the cloak of night, there is no safe means of searching for food or water! If we remain, we will all

die!"

"We will not leave until I am ready."

Mor'se's eyes widened to new proportions. "What could possibly

be on this empty planet worth an entire exploratory crew?"

Her lips curved. "The map to the ultimate weapon."

Her deep, dark laughter made the scholar's skin crawl. "Tell me, Mor'se... what do you know of the Nightfall?"

The empress had the pleasure of watching abject astonishment drop the seasoned explorer's jaw.

"It... is the single most destructive force in existence," Mor'se stammered through dry lips. "At the dawn of his reign, King Charon summoned the Nightfall from beyond Time and Space. The Nightfall laid waste to solar systems in days, laying the foundation of what is now the Denebian Empire. Had the Remnant not assembled to destroy it, the Nightfall would have ravaged the galaxy."

Phaedra steepled her fingers. "The Remnant did not destroy it. They have not the means. Gaius committed the ultimate folly by referring to the historic spell used to capture

the Nightfall. Therefore, it still exists, somewhere in the galaxy."

Mor'se slowly regained his senses, excitement suddenly energizing him. "This is incredible! We may have lost the Diadem, but if we manage to recover the Nightfall, the galaxy's fate will be sealed! When Acheron learns of this-"

"No."

Mor'se blinked absurdly. "No?"

That cruel, bloodthirsty grin tightened, making Mor'se freeze with sudden fear. "The Nightfall will be my

victory. Mine!

I will trample the Remnant, crush the Earth, and achieve what my husband could not."

The scholar took a step backward. "But... you rule the same Empire!"

Phaedra slowly rose from her seat. "Do not pretend to be a fool, Mor'se. There is a difference between ruling through blood, and ruling through marriage. Yet I

will rule through neither. I will rule through power

."

Her eyes flashed, red energy snaking from her orbs like vibrant, dancing lashes. "You are loyal to my husband, Mor'se. You have served him throughout his life, as well as his father before him. And you will tell him of this discovery the first chance you get, won't you."

It wasn't a question, despite its phrasing. Mor'se felt his heart quicken as the electricity webbed outward.

"If you did not trust me, why did you tell me of the Nightfall?" he rasped through a painfully dry throat.

Her smile deepened. "I wanted to see your reaction to my plan," she responded coolly. "Besides, I planned to kill you anyway. You were unwise to make your lack of