Excerpt

Chapter 1

"The Council of Twelve will be destroyed." The words were blazed into his memory.

He glared at the name on the list of top candidates, Violet Hunter. A spate of questions swept across his mind. How had she dared to apply for the selection? Was she foolish or merely ignorant of her heritage? He scrolled through the records once more, seeking a clue to her personality. Her qualifications were superb without a hint of prohibited psychic talent.

Psi crackled and the screen blanked.

Her application was futile. What Grand Master would take the risk of employing the prophet's daughter as a pawn? What a crazy choice, embracing the omen of their destruction.

His grim laughter echoed through the room.

* * *

Alerted by the rustle of dry leaves, Violet Hunter rotated to face the sound. Three yellow striped velociraptors bounded through the giant ferns, cruel eyes focused on their prey. Acting with honed reflexes, she sidestepped to elude the claws of the foremost attacker. Swinging her sword with both hands, she sliced into the neck of the second reptile, and ducked under the toothy jaws of the third. Ignoring the small human, the two wounded carnivores tore into each other. Violet swiveled to meet the bellowing onslaught of the first dinosaur. She thrust her blade into its throat and skipped out of reach of its teeth. Its thrashing body thudded to the ground, flattening fern fronds. Jumping away from the snapping melee of dying and bloody dinosaurs, Violet hit the off switch.

She strode out of the dimly lit game room into the annex, hung the sword on the rack, dropped the helmet on a shelf, and sighed. Bored with the simulated combat sessions, Violet longed to explore alien planets. Real life would have advantages. She preferred to carry a multipurpose laser instead of wielding the archaic sword. And, her hidden empathic sense would warn her of lurking predators. She had kept her talent secret from her teachers at the Space Academy because of the Grand Masters' ban.

Leaping up the stairs from the underground training facility, she paced across the campus towards the Council Hall for the annual selection of pawns. The black marble facade of the windowless building reflected the overcast sky, and the massive iron gates at the entrance deterred casual visitors. A wintry gust froze her bare face and she shivered at the ominous symbol. Despite her forbidden empathy, the Grand Masters were her best hope of escaping Terra for a career in space. Anger flared as she remembered the rejection from Space Corps, "Does not meet the physical standards." Translation, she was too small.

She sensed Tessa's nervous mind an instant before her friend stepped out of the shelter of a doorway. Tessa's delicate beauty was heightened in the cold air.

Tessa gushed, "Oh Vi, I'm so happy you're here. I've been waiting for ages." She glanced at the crowded plaza in front of Council Hall. "I couldn't face going in there alone." Gazing at Violet from her lovely blue eyes, she said, "I applied only because my parents insisted. They say it's an honor to serve the Grand Masters."

Torn between amusement and annoyance at her friend's timidity, Violet retorted, "Tessa Brown, you're twenty-two. Your parents can't force you to do anything."

"I don't want to disappoint them," Tessa whispered, clinging to Violet's arm.

"You won't. I predict you'll marry a wealthy noble or a brilliant inventor," Violet joked. With Tessa's beauty and sweet nature, marriage was surely in her future, while Violet was fated to remain single. What man would wed a woman who could read his mind? Even when she tried not to pry, thoughts slipped unbidden through her mental shield. But Tessa, like everyone else at the Academy, did not know about her psychic talent.

Tessa protested, "How can you be so cheerful? We don't know what we'll face inside that awful black building." She shook her blonde tresses, and said, in an obvious attempt to evade her worries, "It's a pity your mother didn't stay after our graduation last week."

Compressing her lips, Violet said, "My mother ported back to Cirrus-beta. She couldn't bear to stay any longer. Ever since my father's death, Silvia's hated the sight of the Space Academy. It's the first time she's left home in twenty years." Her mother's grief had haunted her childhood. Violet had learned to insulate her mind from the sadness, but she seldom visited Silvia these days, and never stayed long in her childhood home.

Insensible of Violet's distress, Tessa asked, "Do you remember your father?"

"No. I was two years old when he died and Silvia never speaks of him. She still mourns for him."

"How sad." Tears glistened in Tessa's soft eyes.

Violet shook her head, dismissing her friend's sympathy, and gestured towards the flagstone plaza. "Come on. Let's join the other candidates."

Bracing for the flood of tense emotions, Violet tightened her mental shield as she tugged her reluctant friend towards the milling crowd. The candidates filled the plaza, although the gates were not due to open for another thirty minutes. People stood in quiet groups, or shuffled restlessly around the black marble flagstones. Most were men and woman of Terran stock with a scattering of aliens. Violet noticed the vivid green feathers of a Flia and the pricked ears of two furry Aman-ellans.

Scanning the other candidates, Violet wondered if she would be chosen. Despite the odds against her, Mother Tingu had been confident she would succeed. After ten years of secret lessons to control her empathic talent in defiance of the Grand Masters' prohibition, Violet trusted the White Mother's judgment.

A familiar, hostile mind loomed through the crowd and Violet steeled herself to ignore the bully. Big, blond Marius Krupp shoved past her and taunted, "Violet, the midget candidate. You're no beauty with that silly mark on your face. What Grand Master would want you?" He snickered and swaggered away to join his cronies in a noisy group of toughs.

Glaring at his retreating back, Violet shook off his disruptive influence.

"He's horrid," Tessa cried. "Your birthmark looks like a star."

Violet smiled. Trust Tessa to turn a defect into a badge of honor.

She sensed her friend, Srinivasan, approach from behind. His voice was sincere. "Forget about your size, Violet. Marius is foolish to antagonize you. I've seen you trounce larger men than him." Srini's slender physique was also deceptive, concealing his combat skills. He was a prime candidate for selection as a pawn, a mathematical genius and an expert in deciphering esoteric languages.

"I suppose the Grand Masters won't care about my height," she said, smiling at her friend. "Although, I've no idea how they select their pawns."

His black eyes gleamed and Srini nodded amiably. "Let me enlighten you. I've analyzed the Grand Masters' selections for the past twenty years. Statistically, the candidates with the top academic qualifications are the most likely to be selected. So, our chances are excellent, Violet. Both of us achieved the top grades. Your xenobiology degree is especially suitable for exploring planets."

"Flashy, I'm glad to hear your conclusions. Five out of a hundred seems poor odds." Violet glanced at the massive gates. "I wish the gates would open. It's already several minutes past the due time." She sensed the level of anxiety ratchet up as the candidates stared at the iron gates. Complaints sounded at the delay.

Impatient candidates scuffled their feet on the flagstones and Violet wondered if the Grand Masters had deliberately kept them waiting outside. Ordinary people must bow to their superiors. That attitude was on par with the ominous black marble exterior of the Council Hall.

Tessa tugged at Violet's arm. Her voice quivered. "I don't want to be chosen as a pawn. Do you, Vi?"

Brushing aside her timid friend's fears, Violet grinned. "Why not? I'd love to travel the galaxy. Besides, I want to learn more about the mysterious Grand Masters."

"I've heard they're horrible. Truly evil, and not even human," Tessa whimpered, her brown eyes wide in alarm.

Grim images crept into Violet's mind and she shivered. "Who knows what they are? The Grand Masters might be aliens or even machines, if machines can have psi power." Thrusting her fears aside, she tried to pacify her friend. "Don't worry, Tessa. I'm sure they won't want a scared pawn."

"I should love to be chosen," Srini said, his black eyes shining with excitement. "It's a great honor to serve the Grand Masters and I've always wanted to explore the galaxy."

Violet smiled at his enthusiasm. She was more cautious. "Yes, I'd love to be the first person to discover intelligent aliens on an uncharted planet. But, the pawn's missions can be dangerous."

"Travel is hazardous these days," Srini said. A frown shadowed his face. "My brother missed our graduation ceremony. He was stranded on a planet in Outer Sagittarius when the portals broke."

"How awful," Tessa cried with instant sympathy.

Shaking her head, Violet was quiet. Doubts crowded into her mind as the minutes passed. Would she be selected by one of the enigmatic Grand Masters? She was desperate to leave Terra, where the high population stressed her sensitive mind. Chewing on her lower lip, she steeled herself for the interview.

A gong rang and the iron gates swung open with the swish of well-oiled hinges. The crowd of graduates surged forward, their feet rustling on the flagstones. Violet cringed at the flare of their excitement and tightened her mental shield.

The candidates marched through the gates into a large hall adorned with colored banners. They waited silently for instructions.

A loudspeaker blared, "Candidates will enter the interview chamber in groups of twenty."

Two black-uniformed guards stood on either side of an inner door, which was decorated in images of the major civilized planets. The guards opened the door and allowed the first group of twenty candidates to enter the room. They walked through the door in silence.

By easing past more reluctant candidates, Violet maneuvered to the front of the crowd. She had decided the best strategy was to wait for the third or fourth group. Then, she would avoid an early interview when the Grand Masters might prefer to see more candidates and still hope to be examined before all the pawns were selected.

Her two friends stood beside her. Srini had a serious expression on his dusky face, while Tessa's fearful eyes pleaded for moral support. Violet was more curious than frightened. Would they see the twelve mysterious Grand Masters at the interview?

After a short interval, the second group of candidates was called inside. Violet sensed their taut excitement as they passed through the door. There was no sign of the first group and they must have departed by another exit.

Her face blanched with terror, Tessa gripped Violet's hand. "I'm scared," she moaned.

"Don't worry. It won't take long. The Grand Masters seem to decide quickly," Violet said to encourage her fainthearted friend.

The door opened for the third group of candidates. Violet stepped forward, eager to complete this step. Whether she succeeded in becoming a pawn or not, her life would move into the next stage after today.

Marius boasted loudly, "The Grand Masters dominate the galaxy. They rule over many planets. I'm going to grab a piece of that power." Shouldering roughly past her, he strode through the door.

Obnoxious brute, she thought, let him be the first to take the stage. But, his words disturbed her. Did the Grand Masters control entire planets? She walked steadily toward the door, staying with her two friends. Any Grand Master who chose Marius would not be to her taste. She hoped to find one with less grandiose ambitions.

Inside the interview room, Violet stood in the middle of the twenty candidates. Tessa clutched her hand, nearly desperate with terror. Srini stood on her other side with a frown of concentration on his brown face.

The candidates clustered at the back of the room, staring at a low platform bearing a row of strange objects. Twelve black spheres stood on top of tall cylinders. Violet was disappointed. No Grand Masters were visible in the room. She could sense no living entities except the twenty jittery candidates.

An eerie humming sound filled the space, prompting gasps of alarm from her companions. Colored points of light flared on the spheres. Some spheres had a single pair of lights like two human eyes, while other spheres bore three, five or more colored lights. Violet saw red, blue, green and yellow lights. She sensed very faint presences, as if the Grand Masters were observing the candidates via the pseudo eyes on the spheres.

Tessa trembled violently. Violet dropped her friend's hand, ignoring her beseeching eyes. She did not wish to be contaminated by Tessa's display of weakness. They would be judged separately.

An artificial voice called, "Candidates will walk onto the stage, one at a time, and stand still for evaluation by the Grand Masters."

One brave candidate stepped up, nearly stumbling in his haste. He stood silently for a few minutes before he was dismissed to the left exit. Her tormenter, Marius, strode to the front. He was dismissed even faster than the first candidate.

Violet walked forward, resolved to take her chance. She stood erect and stared at the row of lighted spheres. An uncanny vision wavered before her eyes, and she tensed, holding her breath in awe. The hazy image resolved into twelve entities on thrones, human men and women and alien creatures. Their eyes glowed in the colors she had seen on the spheres. One alien was a mass of writhing tentacles, while another resembled a green blob. One humanoid woman wore red robes, another woman had a green gown, and two men were clad in somber black robes.

In the midst of this amazing sight, her attention was caught by a dark man in blue robes seated at one end of the twelve thrones. He had a grim face with fierce black eyebrows over a hooked nose. His eyes were half lidded. While she watched, his eyes opened and piercing blue beams flashed onto her face. She stared boldly into his laser blue eyes. Yet, in the next moment, his gaze slid past, and she doubted he had even noticed her.

She stiffened in alarm and shielded, hoping to conceal her psychic power. The eerie vision of the twelve entities vanished as swiftly as it had arisen. Violet was disappointed. She wanted to inspect the Grand Masters more closely. Surely, she had perceived the mysterious Grand Masters in the transient image. Would one of those strange beings select her as a pawn?

She blinked, returning to the reality of the interview room with the lighted spheres on black cylinders. The mechanical voice called, "You have been chosen. Walk through the exit on your right."

Violet grinned and raised her fist in triumph. She had succeeded in the first step of her risky venture. As a pawn, she could study her Grand Master and pursue her dream of exotic travel.