Raife: An Aquadomina Novel (4 page)

“Fire engine red.” Sophie laughed and looked around Raife, wondering when
the seating was going to change color. She was a little disappointed that it
stayed the same light grey color inside the Aquavis. Not that she would have
kept it red. She just wanted to see if it would change color.

“PAC has taken DNA and retinal scan. Please state destination.”

“Take us to Castrum.” Raife called out.

“All passengers are not secure. Request denied.” The male voice sounded
smug in being able to deny Raife’s request.

Sophie laughed a little at the voice of the computer. The other guards
had all moved to sit and secure themselves as she was talking to the computer.
That meant it was Raife and herself that were holding up the boat from leaving.
She reluctantly moved her hand off the console and walked to an open seat.
Raife followed her and showed her how to apply the restraints.

“This button here on the side of your seat will turn it.” Raife had bent
over to point out the controls. She leaned over the side of her chair to look
and was almost brushing her cheek against his chest in order to see. The heat
radiated from his body to hers and she could swear she smelled her favorite
scent. Spruce! It reminded her of the Christmas tree her parents would put up
every Thanksgiving weekend. Even if it was a fake one, her mother made sure to have
spruce sticks to put in the branches. Their home had smelled of spruce from
November to January.

 
“The other buttons when pressed
will apply heat, massage, lumbar support and elevation to your feet.” Raife
continued and Sophie was mesmerized by the faint shadow of hair on his face.
The way his mouth was moving. Wait, his mouth wasn’t moving and when her
startled gaze moved to his eyes, he was looking at her. Sophie had never felt
this kind of attraction for someone so fast. One minute she was watching him
talk, the next she was leaning forward in what promised to be a seat scorching
kiss if the heat she felt was any indicator. Seeing the spark in Raife’s eyes
as he looked at her mouth made her insides melt. Just as she was close enough
to feel his breath on her lips, she heard the computer.

“Is The Chosen comfortable?” The computer broke into the moment.

“What?” She jerked back, her face flaming. “Oh. Yes. Thank you, I’m
fine.” She hurried to turn back in her seat to face forward, just as Raife
moved to take his seat. “I just wish I could see outside.” She added softly.

“Adjusting window tint to thirty-five percent.” The computer spoke and
she could see outside. “The Chosen can see out, but nobody can see in.”

Raife had adjusted his restraints, his questioning gaze on her face.
Stating firmly he said, “Computer take us to Castrum.”

“Request not recognized.” The computer stated emphatically.

“Computer take us to Castrum.” Raife spoke more clearly, annunciating
every word.

“Request not recognized.” The computer repeated stubbornly.

Raife looked at her and raised his eyebrow, “Could you please try.”

Not sure why the computer wouldn’t answer to Raife she stated, “Computer
take us to Castrum please.”

“Request recognized. Plotting optimum course. Time to Castrum is twenty
minutes.”

“Why didn’t the computer comply with you this time?” She asked Raife.

“You are the sole master of the Aquavi and its systems. The computer will
only respond to me or the other Protectorate in times of danger to you.” He
replied softly. “I was testing the system when I asked it to comply with me. It
is running at regulated specifications if it ignores all orders except yours.”

Sophie felt the pull of the boat as it left the dock. There were other
craft moving around outside and she wondered how this city worked. “Does every
person have a water craft? Do you have to be licensed to operate one?” She
dragged her gaze to look across at Raife. He had chosen the seat closest to the
exit doors across from her.

“Not every citizen has a water craft, and yes it is required to be
licensed to operate one.” He looked at her and her heart flipped when he smiled
slightly, “You are different Chosen. You are not required to be licensed since
the Aquavi is operated by the PAC.”

Sophie forgot her last question and had to know, “What is a PAC?”

“I am a Personal Adaptable Computer. You may call me PAC for your
convenience.” The computer answered for Raife. “As my name states, I am
adaptable and personalized for your use only.”

“It’s nice to meet you PAC, you may call me Sophie.” She was smiling at
the front of the boat, where she thought the computer might be.

“The PAC will call you The Chosen or Chosen as is your right.” Raife bit
out then looked away at the other guards.

“Why is it important for him to call me that?” Sophie could feel her
temper rising, “Why can’t he call me by my given name. It’s a really nice
name…Sophie!” She waved her hands at him. “Try it…So-ph-ie.”

Raife’s face turned just as red as hers, “I would not disgrace my
position or the unit I serve by calling you by your given name. You are The
Chosen.”

Before Sophie could continue her argument with Raife, PAC chimed in, “If
you are still interested in gaining knowledge of Aquarian, I can tell you what
you require.” Her attention was immediately turned by the computers offer.

“Thank you PAC.” She looked out the window and was caught by the fact
that all of the buildings they were passing were only one story. Nothing she
could see was higher than that. “Why are the buildings only one story high? How
many people live here in Aquarian? How fast are we going anyway?” The buildings
were flashing past them and she figured they had to be going fast.

“We are traveling at one hundred and twenty three miles an hour.” PAC
answered that question first, “The buildings are all one story because they are
floating on the surface of the water and for stability they are not allowed to
be built any higher. The only exceptions to that rule are your home, Castrum
and the Lextrium.” Sensing she was about to ask PAC answered her before she
could, “The Lextrium is the building of law that The Three preside over.”

“The Three make the laws here on Aquadomina?” She thought back on the
women she had met and couldn’t believe they were that powerful.

“The Three preside over all higher decision making. The lower courts
argue cases and make laws. If a case makes it to The Three for a decision then
it is final, there is
usually
no
arguing after they make a ruling.” PAC paused and she waited to hear what he
would say next. “The only person who can make a change after The Three have
ruled is The Chosen. We have not been blessed with a Chosen for over a thousand
years, so you can imagine the excitement all over Aquadomina at your arrival.”
PAC’s voice was filled with enthusiasm when he said that part and then he
continued, “As to your question about the population of Aquadomina, the entire
Three Kingdoms total over one million people.” PAC sounded impressed that it
was such a high number.

“Hold on. I am able to overrule The Three when it comes to the laws and
running of Aquadomina?” Sophie was in shock. The only people who ever paid
attention to her before were the children she had been nanny too. Their parents
hadn’t even listened to what she advised. How was supposed to rule one million
people?

“Yes. You are The Chosen.” PAC sounded just like Raife when he said that.

Sophie was looking at all the buildings flashing by and thought of
something.
 
“PAC please confirm that you
said the entire planet has one million inhabitants.” That number just didn’t
sound right to her. This planet was obviously massive from what she could see
of if flashing by, there had to be more than one million people.

There was a pause and then PAC said, “The Three Kingdoms account for one
million inhabitants.”

Sophie looked at the guards and noticed that they seemed nervous. She had
been a teacher for years and a nanny after that. She had the ability to know
when someone wasn’t telling the whole story. Suddenly suspicious she figured
there was more than one way to get a computer to talk. “PAC what is the
population for
all
of Aquadomina?”
Sophie stressed the word “all” so the computer would know she wanted a complete
number.

The guards looked at each other and then to Raife. She wasn’t sure what
was going on, but the question had them on edge. Raife looked to her and was
about to say something when PAC beat him to it.

“The population of all Aquadomina is currently unknown. The exact numbers
for the Fourth Kingdom are unknown to us and The Deviant population changes daily.
However, they accounted for about fifty-thousand as of the last census. The
numbers could be different by now.”

Sophie sat in stunned silence for a second. The Three had said she would
rule over Three Kingdoms and now PAC was saying there was a Fourth Kingdom but
nobody included it. What was going on there? Furthermore, what did PAC mean by
“Deviant”? Before she could ask anything further Raife interrupted.

“We have arrived at Castrum. PAC can answer further questions once we
have settled you in.” He motioned for her to look out the window.

As they pulled up to a huge gated wall Sophie figured she was just going
to have to get used to having her mouth gaping open. They weren’t slowing down
and she was about to yell out when the Aquavi did something incredible. It
quickly submerged only to pop up on the other side of the wall.

“What?” She was trying to turn around in her seat to look behind them,
“Did you see that?” She hadn’t even been able to get a good look at what was in
the water it had happened so fast.

Raife had an indulgent smile on his face, “Yes. The Aquavi is the only
vehicle that can submerge under the wall. All others have to gain permission to
enter the grounds.”
 

She was taking that information in when the Aquavi started to slow and
she was able to see the grounds as they approached what could only be described
as some type of castle. Surrounding the main house were walkways and to her
utter delight, plant life. She had seen some flashes of color as they had
traveled. She just hadn’t been able to make out the blurs. Now she suspected
that it had been trees, or plants that had given off the color. There was
certainly a lot of it around Castrum. As they pulled up to the building, she
noticed that the outer walls seemed to be completely smooth. It reminded her of
two-way glass. You couldn’t see in, but from the inside, you could see out. She
asked Raife about that.

“Yes. That is similar.” He answered before PAC could. Then PAC jumped in
and finished the explanation.

“The material is heat resistant and will not break under thousands of
pounds of pressure. The whole of Castrum can be separated and used as a
floating or
submerged
sanctuary. It
is customary to take the Castrum when visiting the other Kingdoms.”

“Wow. How does it propel itself? Does it stay in one unit or break
apart?” Sophie looked again at the building and noticed there were no doors or
windows. It didn’t surprise her that the whole building could go underwater it
looked airtight.

“The drives take in water and expel it to provide thrust, the same as the
Aquavi only on a larger scale.” PAC explained. Sophie had heard about
caterpillar drives in some ocean craft of Earth. That must be similar to this
planet. “Due to its aerodynamic construction the Castrum remains connected to
travel. Only in extreme situations is it separated to three individual parts.”

“I think I understand.” Sophie sat back and watched as the Aquavi pulled
up to the end of what she saw as the main “driveway”.

“Where do we go—” before she could finish her question a sidewall opened
and they were moving along the building. She waited in awe as the Aquavi
reached the end of this path and before she could say anything, they
shot…upwards. “Ahh.” She took a huge gasp of air and was about to yell out when
they stopped. Her eyes flew to the amused faces of her guard and landed on
Raife. “You could have warned me.”

“Yes Chosen.” He broke into a true smile, one that caused the corners of
his eyes to crinkle and his face to soften. “I could have.”

As Sophie stared transfixed at the transformation the smile made to his
face. She heard a faint clanging noise and PAC was talking again. “Docking is
complete. Restraints may be taken off.” Sophie struggled with the clasp on her
belt and smiled gratefully at Raife when he helped her out of her seat. When
she was standing, the double doors slid open allowing them to exit the vehicle.
“Welcome to Castrum.” Sophie took a few tentative steps forward, her guard
moving to stand behind her. She walked out to some type of platform. There were
double doors in front of her, and the Aquavi behind her. She laughed
delightedly when she saw that the vehicle was indeed, Fire Engine Red.

Turning back to the double doors, she stood patiently for a few moments
waiting for them to open. Stepping closer she waved her hands in front of her,
looking for some type of handles or sensors. There was none, only two smooth
panels. Figuring maybe it took her handprint to open the doors she put her
hands against the glass like panels. Still nothing happened and Raife gently
suggested, “The Chosen might ask the doors to open.”

Her eyes flew to his and she could feel the blush rising in her cheeks.
“Ahh. Okay.” She took a breath and asked, “Doors open.” She was relieved that
they finally parted so she could move forward. The other guard had joined them
on the platform and she didn’t want to appear clueless. Without looking to see
if anyone was following, because by now she knew they would be Sophie stepped
into Castrum. Her plan to keep her cool was completely forgotten when she got a
look at the inside of her new home. She was in some type of entryway, only it
was larger than anything she had ever seen as entries go. The flooring was a
nice natural looking material that reminded her of granite, with a nice mosaic
in the middle of it. She craned her neck to look up and saw that the walls were
very tall at about fourteen feet high if she had to guess. The ceiling was made
of the same glass material and she couldn’t see the sky, so it must be
currently darkened down.

“Welcome Home Chosen.” Sophie jumped when PAC spoke into the silence, “I
am here in Castrum with you as well as the Aquavi. I can answer any questions
you may have, and work toward making you comfortable by setting the Castrum’s
living conditions to your requirements.” When Sophie didn’t say anything PAC
continued, “The layout of your home is a basic “U” shape. There is a meeting
room, formal dining room, restroom, and kitchen on the left hand side of the
penthouse. In front of you are the great room and the hallway to your private
quarters which take up the right side of the penthouse.” PAC paused and asked
quickly, “Would you like a tour, or would you prefer to get some rest?”

Sophie was suddenly all too aware of how tired she was. “I would prefer
to get some rest first.” She looked around and saw that two of her guard had
taken up spots by the entryway. Two more had taken spots by the walls and Raife
was standing behind her. “Can you show me where I am supposed to go?” She asked
with a sigh.

“Of course. Follow me please.” He went to move away and Sophie saw with a
start that when she went to leave the room the other guard all did the salute
and bowed down.

She followed Raife forward into the great room and made a note to explore
this area when she was feeling better. When he turned to the right Sophie
followed him through a hallway until they reached two large double doors.

“This is the entrance to your private quarters.” He opened the doors for
her and moved aside so she could enter. It was a sitting room, with chairs and
tables placed in various positions around the space. There was the wall of
glass that she was getting used to seeing, only in this room it was clear so
she was able to see outside. The grounds outside her window were glowing in the
fading light. She realized that the sun must have just set. She would have to
make a note to try to see it the next time. Ahead of her against one wall was a
curved couch, accessorized by multi-colored pillows that would be the perfect
spot to sit and see outside.

“Through that doorway is your bedroom and private bath.” Raife led her to
the doors and waved her through. “There will be two guards assigned to your
private space at night. We will settle into a routine now that you are here.
For tonight, I will watch your doors. If you need anything just notify PAC.”
After saying that Raife saluted her and bowed low.

Sophie stood there for a second then pushed the doors open since there
were no doorknobs that she could see. She looked back over her shoulder just as
the doors were closing and saw Raife was starting to stand and for a second
their eyes met. Before she could say goodnight, or thank you the doors swooshed
closed as if they were magnetically drawn to each other. Turning away from the
doors Sophie froze again.

This was her bedroom? The bed was against one wall facing, of course, an
arcing glass wall in front of it. It was some type of four-poster with
diaphanous seafoam green material woven around it. At the foot of the bed was a
pale grey bench or chest of some sort and when she opened it, she found a pile
of the softest blankets in a rainbow of pastel colors. Tossing a light blue one
onto the bed for later, she turned to look for the bathroom. Figuring it was
behind the double doors to her left she opened those and there it was. The
cavernous bathroom of her dreams.

On her right and left were two cabinets full of towels that would put
any
count Egyptian cotton to shame.
Hanging on hooks by the cabinets were two robes in the same material, all of it
was white of course. The bathroom itself was in pale grey with a hint of blue.
In the center of the room was a rectangular shower. She only knew it was
supposed to be a shower because it had a huge rain showerhead above the middle
of it. The whole thing had to be about six feet by six feet and the ground
material was spongy when she stepped on it. How was it supposed to work she
wondered, and then had an idea. As advanced as their technology was, PAC must
control it. Moving to the right edge of the shower, she saw a step down. This
led to what had to be the bathtub because the hole was big enough to swim in.
The material was the same as the shower, kind of spongy but it held the shape
of the opening. She didn’t see any way for water to be added into the bathtub
on the outside, so she climbed in and looked around the inside. That is where
she found the spout. It ran the entire six-foot length of the tub. She had
never had one, but she would bet it was a waterfall spout. The material of the
tub and the spout were so well integrated if she hadn’t been sitting in the
bathtub, she wouldn’t have even seen it.

Climbing out of the bathtub, she turned to walk back into the bedroom
when she spotted her reflection in the mirror over a vanity. That couldn’t be
her. She didn’t have strawberry blond hair in a thick braid down her back. She
didn’t have a peaches and cream complexion. She certainly didn’t have lips that
glossy and pink. Her cheekbones weren’t that high and her eyes were not a deep
emerald green framed with black eyelashes and arched brows. Biting her lip to
see if the person in the mirror reflected the action she let out a gasp of
surprise when it did.

Walking slowly toward the mirror she was ashamed to admit that she was
mesmerized by herself. Not thinking of herself as a vain person it came as a
shock to learn that she really was. She couldn’t remember a time when she
swayed her hips like that. She had seen women in the movies move that way. She
just never had gotten the hang of it. It was written in all the magazines she
used to read, that men responded to women who were confident. Not being overtly
sexual, but “knowing” they were sexy. That is how the stranger in the mirror
was walking. Sophie knew she was looking at herself, she just didn’t realize
her body had changed that much.

The crisscross top she was wearing gave the neckline a V-shape without
being too revealing. The skin she could see was smooth and taunt. Taking the
edges of her top, she quickly pulled it over her head. The undergarment she was
wearing looked like a simple sports bra. The material was soft and comfortable.
Her breasts were larger than she remembered, but not overly large. She would
put them at about a C cup. Her waist was indented further than she remembered.
Her body shape was more hourglass now than pear. She had a defined waist that
flared to her hips. If she had to guess, she would put her weight at about one
hundred fifty. She hadn’t gained any height, so that put her at about five foot
six.

Turning her body, this way and that she examined herself, then laughed
softly. Okay, enough ga-ga-ing over yourself Sophie. Get a grip. Putting her
top back on she left the bathroom and hurried into the bedroom.

“PAC can you darken this room so I can sleep please.” She called out.
Climbing into the massive four-poster bed, she pulled the soft cover she had
taken from the chest over herself.

“Sensors indicate you are in bed.” PAC confirmed, “Blackout lights in
master bedroom complete.” As he spoke, the room went dark.

“Thank you PAC.” Sophie mumbled and fell asleep.