Floating in Time Read online

  Floating in Time

  From the Standard of Honor Series

  By Taki Drake

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Legal Matters

  Dedication

  Chapter 1 – Life Changes

  Chapter 2 – Journey from Madness

  Chapter 3 – Learning is Hard Work

  Chapter 4 – Practice, Practice

  Chapter 5– Consequences

  Chapter 6 – Full Speed Ahead

  Epilogue – New Directions

  Author - Taki Drake

  Legal Matters

  Copyright © 2018 Taki Drake, All Rights Reserved.

  Reproduction of any kind is strictly prohibited unless written permission is granted by the author.

  The story in this publication is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Published by All Chaos Press, 2018

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my husband. His support and devotion have carried us through some pretty bad times. His ongoing belief that whatever I choose to do is the best decision at the time has enriched my life more than I can say. Thank you, John. Thank you for your love and support, and being there in my life.

  It is also true that no book gets to publication without the help and encouragement of others. My heartfelt thanks to the editing, brainstorming, and cheerleading dynamic duo of Diane and Dorene. Without your feedback and efforts, I am aware that this story may never have made it to life. You have enriched my life in so many ways - there are no thanks large enough.

  Finally, I want to thank the crazy, creative group of Phoenix Prime. Our interaction never fails to push me to work harder, create more compelling worlds, and explore my own imagination.

  Chapter 1 – Life Changes

  The young woman stood in the middle of the room, arms full of her belongings. Looking around, she shook with excitement feeling like a molded pudding that was being carried into the room, jiggling and not entirely stable. This was all very new, something that she never thought would happen to her.

  Swallowing hard, she tried to ease the dryness of her throat and relax the tight feeling in the pit of her stomach. Nothing really helped. She felt like she had stood there for a long time, although it was probably only a minute or so. Sometimes it was not knowing what was going to happen that caused her the most problem.

  On the other hand, that desire to know what was going to happen may have led her to where she stood today. Only time will tell, she said to herself. Realizing what she had just thought, the flash of humor that ran through her from her feet to her head released a sharp, nervous laugh.

  “It’s good to hear amusement and joy in this house,” a quiet voice said from behind her.

  Gasping in surprise, the young woman spun around only to freeze as her eyes met those of the elderly man looking back at her. This was her new mentor, the guide in her new life. She was frozen by his gaze, unable to see past the calm set of his eyes, staring deeply into hers. She was totally oblivious to the rest of his body, size, age… everything.

  His presence seemed to wrap around her like warmth on the skin, and she seized the arrow of his sight as the safety rope that would hold her tethered to at least part of her familiar world. Slowly, she became more aware of the world around her.

  Her vision expanded beyond his face, and she saw that he was extremely old, frail-looking but with a presence that overrode any weakness of the body. His face was heavily lined, the tracks of pain leavened by humor that balanced oddly against the shadows lurking in the back of his eyes.

  The old man was looking just as searchingly at her. After a moment, a smile brightened his face and glowed through the room. Its contagious joy made the young woman feel welcomed and safe.

  “I see you, Nastia Ochistit’ Glaza, granddaughter of Marya Olegevnia and Peotr Stepanovich, granddaughter of Atryr Maksimvich and Ignatia Petrovichna, daughter of Largar and Margania. May your visions bring you clarity and your powers grow straight and strong in honor.”

  The young woman felt the air tremble as if a large bell had rung. A wave of nourishing and exciting energy raced over her from head to toe. Her skin felt alive and tingled with a wild pulse of force. Something momentous had just happened, and she wasn’t exactly sure what it was. All she knew at this point was that she had been admitted into something that her heart wanted and her soul needed.

  “Yes, child. You are very welcome. I waited a long time for you to come and I have grown old and weary during that wait. Many years ago, I saw you in my visions and knew that you would be one of my last two apprentices. When the other arrived a month ago, I knew your arrival was near. Welcome, a thousand times welcome!”

  The young woman found herself battling tears that burned in her eyes, and her voice shook as she responded, “Thank you for the welcome and the honor that you do me. I am humbled and grateful that I will be your apprentice. I only hope that I will not disappoint you.”

  “You will not fail me. This I have seen in thousands of visions over the years. You will go on to do larger things than I have ever done. No man could hope for a better legacy than the one that you will carry. You will bear the burden of my thoughts and my prayers with you far beyond the plane that we now occupy.”

  Astounded by his words, and a bit frightened by the heavy responsibility that she could feel settling over her shoulders, the young woman could only think of a banal response. She stiffened her back and raised her trembling voice to her new master and said, “Please, Sir, could you call me Tia?”

  Erupting in a hearty laugh that was at discord with his weathered appearance, the old man responded, “Of course, I will call you Tia. And rather than a formal, impersonal name, please call me the name of affection that only my closest friends still remember. You may call me Alexi.”

  Bowing her head slightly, Tia said, “Once more you honor me, Master Alexi.”

  Laughing again, the old man gestured toward the doorway and said, “Come, my child. We need to get you settled and introduce you to my other apprentice. We will have much to talk over tonight, and your lessons start early tomorrow. Tonight, though, is for getting to know each other better.”

  >>

  It had not taken Tia much time to get her few belongings settled in. She was surprised that she had an entire room to herself, something that she had never had before. Growing up in a poor household, she had shared one room with her brothers and sisters until some of the boys were old enough to sleep in the barn.

  Her room seemed very large to her, a plain, ordinary-looking chamber that barely fit a small bed, side table, dresser, and washstand. But it was hers. Hers alone. All her belongings didn’t occupy even one-quarter of one of the drawers in the chest, but Tia didn’t care.

  The young woman wandered around the room, touching things carefully to reassure herself of their reality. Lately, she had been having difficulty knowing what was real and what was not. Hopefully, Master Alexi would help her with that, or she feared that she would slide further into a separate illusion and lose her place in this world.

  Looking around the tiny room that seemed so spacious to her, Tia smiled to herself, thinking, I feel rich. Perhaps someone else would not think so, but this is such a great gift that I can’t, but help appreciate it.

  The young girl headed out the door into the hallway and immediately heard the sound of voices. Recognizing one of them as Master Alexi’s, she headed confidently toward the lodestone of his speech, drawn like metal filings toward a magnet.

  As she came up to the open
doorway of the chamber, she heard a younger male voice saying passionately, “I can’t believe that you’ve waited this long to take an apprentice and now you have taken two of us! How much attention and education can you give us each? Perhaps it would’ve been better to delay taking the girl until I was done.”

  The older man answered, saying, “Most Seers train only three or four people in their lives. Before now, I have trained only one, and that did not go well. I have resisted taking apprentices for decades waiting for the right time.”

  The young man interrupted into a tumble of speech like boulders coming downhill, “But… Why jam us in now? It is just not fair.”

  Tia felt like she had been punched in the chest. She hadn’t even been here for two hours, and already someone was trying to get rid of her! The young woman recognized a slight accent in the more youthful male voice and recognized the cadence and tone of formal address. With a sinking feeling that threatened to overwhelm her, she knew that this was someone from a noble background.

  A burning block seemed to catch in her throat, and Tia fought back burning tears. Perhaps she would be sent home! It was the way of the nobles to spurn the poorer, common folks, caring little for their needs and refusing to even regard them as human beings. Nothing in her experience prepared her for any other outcome, but immediate dismissal and she could already feel grief welling up from deep within her body.

  The gentle, elderly man that had met her, greeting her with a mellow and musical voice transformed. To her ears, it was as if he was replaced by a harsher, stronger male in the prime of his life. Steel rang out in the ringing tones of his voice, and the power of command trembled the air as he stated, “That is my decision. If you find this unacceptable, you are permitted to immediately remove yourself from my home and from my teaching.”

  “But Master! She’s just a peasant. She will probably need more of your attention, and I know that my noble parents expect me to absorb what you have to teach and to do great things with my new skills.”

  “Apprentice Jean Lafarge, you are either under my command or not. I’ve accepted no payment for your apprenticeship, and I am not obligated to keep you. If you stay, you will be mine to direct and command, not your parents. Is that clear?”

  The young man’s voice was chastened as an apology struggled out of his mouth, “I am very sorry, Master. I did not mean to demand. I just…”

  “Silence! You have said enough.”

  There was quiet in the room. Tia could clearly hear the crackling of the fire in the fireplace and the uneven breathing of the younger man. Hesitantly, she took two more steps toward the doorway and brought herself up short as what had looked like part of the shadowed corner detached itself and resolved into a smoke-dark cat with luxuriant fur and a proud upwardly-carried tail.

  The cat yowled in a piercing voice and Tia exclaimed in wonder, “Oh, you beauty. Where did you come from?”

  From inside the room, Master Alexi’s voice resonated, “There you are, Tia. Please come in and join us. Don’t mind Anatoly. He probably has been watching for you. That cat definitely likes to know where everyone is located in his house.”

  Tia walked through the doorway and took several steps toward the frail, elderly man. She saw the welcoming smile on his face and saw no shadow or hint of deception in his greeting. His eyes echoed his words and seemed to emit a blue glow that drew her forward even more.

  With eyes only for her master, Tia ignored what she had overheard and said the first thing that came to her mind, “My room is lovely, and it has so much space. Thank you so much for the wonderful accommodations.”

  “I am pleased that you like them and hope that you will be comfortable here.”

  The voice of the other inhabitant contributed to the conversation with a sound rather than a word, “Ha.”

  Master Alexi turned slightly to his right and asked, “Did you have something to add to our conversation, Apprentice Jean?”

  “No, sir.” The young man addressed was everything that Tia had feared. Dressed in court clothing, the man did not look like a typical Russian. His features were too refined and his coloring unusual. Rather than swarthy or olive skin, he had a pale, milky complexion with a blue-toned shadow around hazel eyes. His finely-drawn features made him foreign to the village-raised Tia, but she clearly saw disdain in the way that he looked at her.

  At first, Tia hunched her shoulders in fear but then recalled the admonishment that Master Alexi had given this person. Straightening her spine, she raised her chin and stared straight into the young man’s eyes saying pleasantly, “Hello, my name is Tia. Are you the other apprentice?”

  The look of disdain grew more profound, but the young man responded politely enough, “I am the first apprentice, not the “other” one. You may call me Vicomte Jean Lafarge, woman.”

  “No.”

  The simple word rang with iron and barely-banked fury. Startled, both Tia and Jean swung around to stare at the old Seer. Nothing in his posture or demeanor at this point said either aged or elderly. The single word still thrummed through the air and echoed from the walls with contained power. It rang in a complex chord of anger and another emotion that Tia couldn’t immediately identify but realized after a few seconds as pity.

  The old man was looking at Jean with a set face and eyes that crackled in rage. When he spoke again, Master Alexi measured his words out at a cadence that demonstrated their intent, “Jean, you have a choice. You can immediately apologize for what you just said and take a vow to never again act as if you are superior to my apprentice. Or, you can immediately pack your bags and leave my home forever.”

  Dual indrawn breaths of shock indicated how deeply the meaning had struck the two younger people. Tia was astounded, thinking that someone had just told a noble to apologize to her, enforcing the idea that she was worthy of respect. Jean’s expression was outraged, unable to believe that anyone would prefer a peasant over him.

  “But… Sir, she has to know her place!”

  “Her place is where I say it is. And I am telling you that her place is here. The question is, whether yours is.”

  When the young man continued to stare numbly at the Seer, the old man snapped in a voice that straightened both of their spines in reaction, “Are you going to apologize or not?”

  A stubborn light entered the young man’s eyes, and he blurted out, “That is ridiculous. Apologize to a peasant?!”

  Raising his voice slightly, while holding Jean’s gaze with his own, Master Alexi said, “Drakon, I need you.”

  Immediately moving through the door as if he had been waiting in the hallway, was the most massive man that Tia had ever seen. If he had been the one who answered the door when she first arrived, she would have fled in terror. The scarred, hulking man bowed respectfully to his master, and asked, “Sir, what is it that you desire?”

  “I believe that Jean needs assistance in packing his items and getting transport back to his parents’ home. I expect him gone in the next ten minutes.”

  Master Alexi turned and moved over to the stunned Tia, taking her hand and bringing it through the crook of his arm. He said gently to the young woman as he pulled her from the chamber, “I would like to take you on a tour of the grounds. It would be good for you to begin to orient yourself to your new home since tomorrow we start some very difficult work.”

  As the two of them left the chamber, Tia heard Drakon say, “Ten minutes is not a lot of time. I suggest that we move quickly because when Master Alexi uses that tone, failure to obey has extremely unpleasant consequences.”

  There was no other sound behind Tia, as she and her new master stepped out of the glass-paned doorway and into the garden. Frogs croaked in a serene pond, and birds murmured in soft tones, but the silence in the room they left reverberated in a chill wave of exclusion, ringing with the silent sound of a door clanging shut.

  Master Alexi kept a gentle chatter of introduction to the area, curtaining his feelings and allowing Tia time to recover. The o
ld man sounded pleasant, but Tia’s side glance had shown his set expression. Trying to smooth over the awkward feeling that hung over them, the young woman filled the appropriate places with responses and intelligent questions.

  The old man smiled in response, but his eyes were sad. The shadows in those deep blue orbs were deeper now, and Tia wondered if pain had caused them. The two, master and apprentice, continued their walk, striving to find a balance again. Tia worried at how little she knew but resolved to always give this caring man her best.

  Master Alexi kept his focus on her and his home, sharing his joy in it with his newest student. The talk was pleasant, the company agreeable, but the old man never looked back at the study where receding footsteps sounded the drum of a future lost.

  The next day started the most difficult work that Tia had ever experienced in her life. Even the backbreaking work on a farm couldn’t compare to the effort that she expended each day under the guidance of her gentle-faced master. Whether it was learning to meditate or increasing her skill in filtering possible visions from the current reality, Master Alexi never relaxed his standards of perfection.

  The young woman threw herself heart and soul into learning. Amazed at the opportunity, she also knew that learning her lessons well was the only thing that stood between her and a slide into insanity. After all, she came from a line of women that had been known for being “strange.”

  Tia thought back to the journey that had led her here, lost in remembrance of loss, relief, and excitement.

  Chapter 2 – Journey from Madness

  Several of her aunts and her maternal grandmother had also succumbed to what they thought was a weakness in the bloodline. One of the reasons that no one had approached her parents with offers of marriage was that most families did not want to risk madness and insanity, let alone the burden of carrying for such a relative.

  It was only after Tia was selected to come for these lessons that the fear and pity of their “tainted” line lessened. The explanation that the uncanny visions that those unappreciated women had born were part of the burden and the joy of a Seer’s talent had changed things quickly.