Beyond the Sapphire Gate: Epic Fantasy-Some Magic Should Remain Untouched (The Flow of Power Book 1) by R.V. Johnson
Authors: R.V. Johnson
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rumblings. If there was a war, she wanted to know the details.
A war could be a significant deterrent to finding her sister.
BLUNT FORCE
Leaving his thrust cycle hovering at the parking locker, Garn confronted the gate wall. A holo image of a young male wearing a wide-brimmed security hat appeared high enough he had to lean back to view it.
“State your business,” floated from the image, crisp and clear.
“Your boss wanted to see me.”
“Are you Garnet Creek, Crystalyn’s father?”
“I am.”
“You have a great daughter, sir. We’re lucky to have her indentured here.” A loud whoosh from the wall preceded the gate retracting into it. Having overseen the security setup for the complex, Garn recalled he’d designed the gate wide for large cargo, and had added a zoom holo feed for remote handling. “Please proceed to the warehouse, sir. She’s expecting you.” The image winked out.
Beyond the gate, a meter-thick, transparent plasicrete dome covered the complex from his suggestion, resting atop the wall. He strode along the spongecrete path with its hidden heat and weight sensors he’d had installed into the variation of plasicrete, this one softer for those on foot. Hovercraft transports never touched the surface until arriving at their destination, so a harder surface wasn’t required. Blocky artwork manufactured with varying colors and textures from the same spongy material, lined the path on both sides. The owner had purchased after he’d finished his consultation work. He didn’t care for them.
The dome glinted with rainbow colors, reflected in the early evening sky like a clear, chemical bubble that refused to pop, silently deterring the uninvited from landing. Yet the open sky was still a much better view up here in High Realm as long as one didn’t look down the mountain.
Now here he was, invited beneath the dome, smack into the Dragon Lady’s great lair as he’d come to think of Ruena Day before his daughter’s indenture. The King himself had asked him personally to consult with Ruena on security measures. There’d been a successful break-in at that time. He doubted there’d been a second one after he’d finished with his design. The strongest security was a simple but effective, using a combination of old and new techniques. Surprisingly, Ruena Day had been one of the rare clients who’d accepted his method from the start.
For the hundredth time, he wondered what the emergency was here again. When he’d sent a feed to the warehouse to check on the girls’ progress, the Dragon Lady herself had answered, asking for a personal meeting, which was odd, she’d always been a recluse. When he pressed for specifics, she’d refused to discuss it over the feed, stating insecurities. Unless changes to his system design had occurred, the feed’s encryption here and elsewhere he’d installed it, had yet to be broken, a face-to-face meeting was not required, but it was fine with him. He had his own questions. Staying this late was a first for Crystalyn. What was so important it had to be finished tonight? She could’ve hired half of Mid Realm to get the project done. As part of his former servitude as head of security for the King’s Administration he was privy to classified information. The woman had enough credits to purchase one of the realms should it be her desire. At least, she had when he’d been in the King’s service before his wife’s disappearance. Credits had a way of vanishing overnight. How well he knew.
Another first, Crystalyn had Jade with her, a much larger worry. They should’ve been home hours ago. Had something bad happened, perhaps involving a cargo container? He hated the thought of his daughter moving them around. Thrust motors failed every day. His chest fluttered as his unease heightened. Something bad better not have happened. He’d take the place apart with his bare hands, bad blood pump, or not.
But he was creating his own anxieties, a bad habit
A war could be a significant deterrent to finding her sister.
BLUNT FORCE
Leaving his thrust cycle hovering at the parking locker, Garn confronted the gate wall. A holo image of a young male wearing a wide-brimmed security hat appeared high enough he had to lean back to view it.
“State your business,” floated from the image, crisp and clear.
“Your boss wanted to see me.”
“Are you Garnet Creek, Crystalyn’s father?”
“I am.”
“You have a great daughter, sir. We’re lucky to have her indentured here.” A loud whoosh from the wall preceded the gate retracting into it. Having overseen the security setup for the complex, Garn recalled he’d designed the gate wide for large cargo, and had added a zoom holo feed for remote handling. “Please proceed to the warehouse, sir. She’s expecting you.” The image winked out.
Beyond the gate, a meter-thick, transparent plasicrete dome covered the complex from his suggestion, resting atop the wall. He strode along the spongecrete path with its hidden heat and weight sensors he’d had installed into the variation of plasicrete, this one softer for those on foot. Hovercraft transports never touched the surface until arriving at their destination, so a harder surface wasn’t required. Blocky artwork manufactured with varying colors and textures from the same spongy material, lined the path on both sides. The owner had purchased after he’d finished his consultation work. He didn’t care for them.
The dome glinted with rainbow colors, reflected in the early evening sky like a clear, chemical bubble that refused to pop, silently deterring the uninvited from landing. Yet the open sky was still a much better view up here in High Realm as long as one didn’t look down the mountain.
Now here he was, invited beneath the dome, smack into the Dragon Lady’s great lair as he’d come to think of Ruena Day before his daughter’s indenture. The King himself had asked him personally to consult with Ruena on security measures. There’d been a successful break-in at that time. He doubted there’d been a second one after he’d finished with his design. The strongest security was a simple but effective, using a combination of old and new techniques. Surprisingly, Ruena Day had been one of the rare clients who’d accepted his method from the start.
For the hundredth time, he wondered what the emergency was here again. When he’d sent a feed to the warehouse to check on the girls’ progress, the Dragon Lady herself had answered, asking for a personal meeting, which was odd, she’d always been a recluse. When he pressed for specifics, she’d refused to discuss it over the feed, stating insecurities. Unless changes to his system design had occurred, the feed’s encryption here and elsewhere he’d installed it, had yet to be broken, a face-to-face meeting was not required, but it was fine with him. He had his own questions. Staying this late was a first for Crystalyn. What was so important it had to be finished tonight? She could’ve hired half of Mid Realm to get the project done. As part of his former servitude as head of security for the King’s Administration he was privy to classified information. The woman had enough credits to purchase one of the realms should it be her desire. At least, she had when he’d been in the King’s service before his wife’s disappearance. Credits had a way of vanishing overnight. How well he knew.
Another first, Crystalyn had Jade with her, a much larger worry. They should’ve been home hours ago. Had something bad happened, perhaps involving a cargo container? He hated the thought of his daughter moving them around. Thrust motors failed every day. His chest fluttered as his unease heightened. Something bad better not have happened. He’d take the place apart with his bare hands, bad blood pump, or not.
But he was creating his own anxieties, a bad habit
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