Free Slave Empire - Prophecy by T C Southwell Page A

so we may
follow their teachings and fulfil the destinies. There is a
prophecy that must now come to pass, and I believe you, Rayne, are
the one spoken of."
    He proceeded
to read the paragraph, and Rayne listened in amazement. When he
finished, he gazed at her.
    Rawn looked at
Rayne and snorted. "You think that this... this golden girl child
is Rayne?"
    Tallyn nodded.
"This is a dying planet, one of only a few we've found, and your
sister is a young girl with golden hair."
    "But that
doesn't mean she's the one you're looking for."
    "No, but isn't
it remarkable that you and she have suffered no ill effects from
your planet's radiation and pollution, while all the other people
have?"
    Rawn shrugged.
"We've been lucky, I guess."
    "Nobody's that
lucky. She's different. You both are, and I can only assume that
you're her guardian, which is why you too have been spared. Our
task is to rescue the golden girl child, and I think we have done
that." He closed the book.
    Rayne asked,
"Is that why you saved me from the mutants?"
    "Of
course."
    "And those
other aliens who attacked me?"
    "The ones in
the red ship, which you told your brother about? That happened
before we found you. They're members of a race called Draycons,
whose ships are red. We chased four of their ships away two days
ago. But they were not trying to kill you. They're slavers."
    She shook her
head. "They were trying to kill me. They reduced that house to a
pile of rubble."
    Tallyn smiled
a little thinly. "They were probably trying to flush you out into
the open, where they could stun you and capture you. Why would they
want to kill you?"
    "I don't know,
but I was lucky to survive. If it hadn't been for that cellar, I'd
be dead." She frowned. "Maybe it had something to do with your
prophecy. Perhaps they think I'm this Golden Child too. And if I
am, what is it I'm supposed to do?"
    Tallyn sighed,
his smile fading. "Unfortunately, we don't know that yet. As for
the Draycons, they don't even know about the prophecy, as far as we
know. It doesn't concern them."
    "So you didn't
chase them away?"
    "No. I'm sure
they left of their own accord."
    Rawn studied
Tallyn. "Why do you look so much like us if you're alien?"
    "Your race is
the result of genetic engineering carried out on you millennia ago.
All human races are descendants of the first people, who were
engineered from proto humans native to Earth. Many advanced races
are similar because of a far-reaching expansion that carried out a
policy of advancement on many of the more primitive species they
found. Almost all carbon-based life in the universe has a similar
blueprint, but you didn't evolve to your present state on your
own."
    "Well, that
explains the missing link. But if we're descended from people like
you, where do you come from?"
    Tallyn
shrugged. "We have legends. I'll tell you about them some time. But
now, I have things to do, and I expect you're tired. Would you like
to go to your quarters and rest?"
    Rawn glanced
at Rayne, who said, "What are you going to do with us?"
    Tallyn looked
a little pained. "Nothing, really. We'll take you to Atlan, where
you'll be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, given
everything you could wish for. A home, a job if you want it,
knowledge, entertainment, anything. When the time comes, your
purpose will be revealed to you."
    "How?"
    "We don't
know. We only have those few words in the book, but I'm sure you'll
know what to do when it happens."
    "I'm glad you
think so."
    Rayne had many
more questions, but the ebbing of the tension and anxiety, plus the
meal, made her eyelids droop with fatigue. Rawn was running on
adrenalin, but, although she knew he could sustain his alertness
for several days, she saw no point in subjecting herself to any
more rigours. The prospect of a real bed was as seductive as the
hot shower had been.
    Tallyn guided
them along a corridor to a lift, which whisked them down several
floors. He stopped before a numbered door that slid open when