I. The Meeting

The main room of the Citadel of Destiny was quite interesting. The doors were never left open, so it seemed that whatever was occurring in the room was secret. The room itself was simple enough, with a long table in the center and stairs leading up to an upper level of the room where there was a library of filing cabinets, filled with years’ worth of research. For on one end of the table, encased in a glass box, was an object of sorts—a golden ring, approximately ten centimeters in diameter, with an orb of darkness and an orb of light suspended in the middle. To the people in the Citadel of Destiny, it was simply “the amulet,” one of the sources of their research. That was the main purpose of the Citadel of Destiny: it was a research facility, where the mysteries of destiny and the spirit were studied.

Every so often, there would be a meeting in which the researchers discussed their findings. Headed by a man named Ekeze, the research team would express their opinions and theorize about what was going to happen in the near future. Of course, not every researcher would agree, and compromises would have to be decided. However, the large meetings with every researcher present were so rare, occurring only two or three times a year, that times of disagreement were scarce. Most of the time, the meetings were peaceful and agreeable.

Leah Sparks sat at her place at the table, absently tapping her pen against the piece of paper on which she was supposed to be taking notes. The end of an especially long meeting was nearing, and just in time too, because boredom was setting in for her. She could only stand people older than she was discussing the amulet and destiny for so long, even though this was a rather important meeting. About six months ago, the amulet had trembled slightly of its own accord, and this undoubtedly signified something. But Leah didn’t need a long, tedious meeting to know what it meant. A well-known theory that had been developed even before she had joined the research team was that the amulet represented the spirit—a balance of light and darkness that rested within every person. Perhaps the reason the amulet had trembled was because of a sudden imbalance of the light and darkness, which surely meant trouble. But since she had not yet been asked her opinion, she had not mentioned this at all; besides, that fact was probably clear to everyone. She didn’t know if something similar had even been mentioned, since she had not been quite paying attention for the last ten minutes.

She looked across the table, catching the eye of a young man who had previously been paying rapt attention to the meeting. He looked at her briefly and then turned his attention back to Ekeze, who was currently talking. She raised her pen and began writing something on her paper, but then she realized a silence had come across the room.

“Leah, I was just asking you what you thought of this theory,” Ekeze was saying, sounding like he was repeating something he had just said a few seconds ago. Leah quickly straightened her notes and pretended that she had been paying attention all along, but the fact still remained that she didn’t know what “theory” Ekeze was asking her opinion about. She looked up at him, biting her lip nervously.

“Um, what are we talking about now?” she asked quickly.

“Christopher just presented a theory about how the amulet’s movement might have been due to an imbalance in one’s spirit. Do you agree with this?”

“Yes, I agree,” she replied. “But how do we know that the imbalance is in the spirit? It could be just an imbalance of the light and darkness.”

“Would anyone like to make an agreement or argument to this?” Ekeze asked, surveying the group from his chair at the head of the table. “Perhaps Solan? We haven’t heard from you for a while.”

The young man sitting across from Leah looked from to her to the rest of the group. “The light and the darkness go hand-in-hand with the spirit,” he said simply. “If there’s an imbalance of light and darkness, there’s an imbalance in the spirit.” He looked back at Leah for a split second, holding up his sheet of paper ever so slightly so she could read the words I’m coming by your room later tonight. She gave him the briefest of nods and then listened carefully to the meeting.

Her older brother Christopher, who had supposedly proposed this theory, began speaking. “That’s exactly what I thought. Do you think it’s possible to have a spirit that’s imbalanced?”

Determined not to lose focus again, Leah added, “Nothing’s impossible. How do we know that every spirit is an exact balance of light and darkness? It could be possible for someone, somewhere, to have a spirit that’s not equal.”

“A very good point, Leah,” Ekeze replied. “While we’re on that subject, it is perhaps time that I showed everyone the device some of us have created.” He placed an analyzer of some kind on the table. “This had been designed to give us the percentages of light and darkness in one’s spirit. Basically, this wire is placed on a person’s skin, and if all goes right, it should be able to sense the amounts of light and dark in the spirit and send the results to this analyzer, giving us a hopefully accurate percentage. It has not been tested, however, but I am confident that it will work. Of course, as Leah said, we can’t be sure that all our spirits are equal; therefore, if any more proof is received that this has been caused by an imbalance in the spirit, everyone here will have to be tested.”

“And what if no one here has an imbalanced spirit?” Christopher asked. “Could the amulet be picking something up from another world?”

“That is debatable,” Ekeze replied. “Unfortunately, it would be impossible to test everyone in the universe, considering how many people in other worlds are quite uneducated about these matters.”

“So what will we do if Christopher’s right, that this person, or these people, that are bringing imbalance are not here?” asked Calin, a young woman who was one of Leah’s close friends. “We don’t know who out of us can go to other worlds, and besides, there are untold millions of worlds. It may be impossible to find what we are looking for.”

“Another good point,” Ekeze replied. “I know that over the next year or two we are going to have to have an increased number of full meetings, so I was thinking of perhaps starting on another branch of research that deals specifically with other worlds. But as it is getting late, I think we will have to end this meeting for now, and those who are interested in this matter can meet tomorrow evening—nine o’clock, same time as tonight. The meeting is adjourned.” He paused and then added, “Leah…Calin…if both of you could stay for a few moments…”

As everyone got up from their chairs, gathering their notes, Leah and Calin stood and went to the head of the table. Once the room was empty, Ekeze said, “Calin, if you will go up to the upper level, I will speak with you there shortly. Leah…” He regarded her. “If you would sit down for a brief moment.”

Leah pulled back a chair and sat down again, avoiding Ekeze’s eyes. She was pretty sure she knew what was coming.

“I noticed that your full attention was not on the matters at hand through the duration of the meeting,” he noted.

She sighed. “I know. I’m very sorry. I think I’m just tired.”

“Well, rest tonight, and I expect you to be at the meeting tomorrow. You should consider your position lucky, knowing that you only joined the team a year and a half ago.”

“I’ll be there,” she assured him. “I know that there is always more to learn. Please forgive me for my behavior.”

“I know that you will be more attentive in the future. You may go now.” As Leah stood up, he added, “I would also advise you to be wary, Leah.”

Wary of what? Unsure of what to make of this statement, Leah left the room.

--------------------------------

About half an hour later, when her clock read approximately midnight, Leah heard a knock on her bedroom door. Having a pretty good idea of who it was, she pulled on her robe over the camisole she planned to sleep in and opened the door that led into the third-floor hallway in the eastern wing of the Citadel of Destiny. As she had suspected, there stood Solan Arolo in the doorway, just as he had promised.

“You lied to me,” she told him immediately. “You said you’d be here sometime tonight.”

“It is night,” he replied. “Unless you have some kind of distorted reality…”

“No,” she said simply. “It’s three minutes past midnight. Technically, you promised you’d meet me tonight yesterday.”

A slight smile crossed his lips. “Don’t tease me like that.”

She smiled as well. “Well, you can come in. You did say you would come here, anyway. I was just giving you a hard time.”

Solan sat down on the couch lined up against the wall. “Do you have anything to drink?”

“Sure,” Leah replied, walking over to the small kitchen area that was right in the room. “Um…I have tea, milk, water…I haven’t got any wine, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Well, I’ll just have a glass of water then.” Leah took the jug of water out of the small refrigerator, found a glass, and poured Solan a cup. She placed it on the table in front of the couch and sat down next to him.

“So what did Ekeze want with you and Calin?” he asked, taking a sip.

“I don’t know what he wanted Calin for, but he basically told me that I needed to pay attention more and that I should consider myself lucky to be part of all this because I’ve only been on the team for a year and a half.”

“So have I,” Solan pointed out.

“Yeah, but you’re good,” Leah replied. “You stay nice and quiet during the meetings, having nice rational opinions and paying attention.”

He set his glass back on the table. “Where’d you get the idea that my opinions were rational?”

“Well…you always agree with everyone at the meetings. You never come up with any outrageous notions.”

He moved slightly closer to her on the couch. “Leah, I only do that so Ekeze won’t dismiss me from the research team. If he knew what half my opinions were, it would cause so much discord that the rest of the researchers won’t be able to handle it.”

“Like your opinion on destiny,” Leah said quietly.

“Yes. I know you don’t approve of that theory, but—”

“It only worries me that you’re able to think of something so deviant. It defies practically everything we’re researching when you think that destiny doesn’t even exist.”

“But perhaps in thinking that destiny controls everything, we’re not getting any answers. Maybe the answer to everything depends on the concept of choice. We don’t know that destiny controls everything.”

“Ekeze seems to know,” replied Leah.

“You know that I don’t trust him.” Solan’s voice was low and earnest.

“Everyone else does. I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t trust him.”

Solan took another sip of his water, not answering.

“You don’t even have a rational reason, do you?” Leah asked, her voice almost indignant.

“Leah, I didn’t come here just to argue with you. I just need to remind you that I too have opinions, and you may not like always like them.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I—I respect that you’re so opinionated.” She paused. “You know, the meetings could really use your insight. Perhaps then they won’t be so boring.”

Solan smiled briefly. “You just want to see me getting attacked by arguments, don’t you?”

“Just express your less-ridiculous opinions, okay? Every once in a while. I know that you probably hate sitting there quietly, hating everything that’s being said.”

“I think you’re exaggerating. I didn’t hate Christopher’s theory.”

“Yeah, you know what? That was basically my theory. I would have said it earlier, except the meeting was so boring that my attention slipped, and before I knew it, he had already said something.”

“Meaning he stole it from you?”

“No, not really. Meaning that everything is just so boring that we all have the same opinions.”

“Well, then perhaps I will have to share my opinions once in a while.” Changing the subject, he ran his finger along Leah’s cheek. “It’s been more than a year and half now, and still hardly anyone knows.”

“It’s not quite paraded around, though,” she replied.

“I suppose not.” His eyes rested at her neckline, where she was wearing a radiant diamond necklace. “I remember when I first gave you that,” he murmured, reaching over and fingering the pendant.

She put her hand on top of his. “I bet you do,” she replied. She looked up into his deep brown eyes and gave his cheek a soft kiss, moving even closer to him. Her hand ran through his long, brilliant red hair. “I always wondered,” she whispered, “why you dyed your hair red.”

“I thought it would be a nice change…making me distinguishable, you know. I like the color red, anyway.”

“Quite honestly, red always reminds me of blood.”

“What about love?” His voice was almost teasing.

She kissed his cheek again, unable to stop herself. “That would be pink.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said with gentle sarcasm. He gently removed Leah’s pale pink satiny robe and stroked her silky pants that were the same color. “But wouldn’t it be a bit disconcerting if I had pink hair?”

“I don’t think anyone would have allowed it” she replied, laughing.

His hands snaked around her waist, and she felt protected in his powerful arms. He leaned in ever so slightly and kissed her lips gently. Leah felt her heart give the smallest of leaps as always as she responded passionately, pulling away a mere centimeter before kissing him again, giving into his fervent passion that was at this moment so tangible, so real. And it was her passion as well—both of theirs, as they were lost in the moment that seemed to last an eternity.

“I love you, Leah,” Solan whispered once they had withdrawn.

“You’ve never said that to me before,” she replied softly.

“I’m saying it now,” he murmured, tenderly tucking a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

She smiled. “I’ve loved you ever since you gave me that first kiss and actually admitted that it might be destiny.”

“A year and a half…” Solan concluded. “And I used to think that this would be such a frivolous relationship, going nowhere…”

“You were wrong,” Leah said simply. “I love you.” Her fingers quickly, almost subconsciously, undid the buttons of his shirt. Taking the hint, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside, and she rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

“So are you going to admit this is destiny?” Leah asked softly after she and Solan had shared yet another kiss.

He smiled in a strange way; was it mockingly? “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You really think that this, what’s happening right now, was predetermined?”

“Maybe.”

“That doesn’t sound like a very confident answer.” He gently pushed her down onto the couch, she shaking slightly with laughter. She felt his weight on her body and saw his expression that was somewhere between amused and demanding. “I want you to give me a straight answer, Leah Sparks.”

“You’re not going to like it,” she said, still laughing.

“There’s a lot of things that I don’t like. Give me a straight answer.”

“Fine,” she replied, giving in. “You know what I believe in, and yes, it’s our destiny.”

“What you believe in,” Solan repeated. “So this is all about belief?”

Leah struggled playfully to move away from him, tumbling off the couch so that she was sitting on the floor. “Yes. I think that’s why you don’t like Ekeze. He’s…he believes, and that’s how he knows.”

Solan sat down beside her, looking skeptical. “There’s no way in hell that you’re going to get me to believe in something that we don’t even know exists.”

“It’s called faith. And I’m not making you have faith in destiny. I know that you don’t want me to tell you what to do.” She stood up and put Solan’s empty water glass in the sink. “Besides, I’d prefer if we don’t talk about this any more tonight. We don’t need our time together to be filled with disagreement.”

“Of course,” Solan said, as Leah walked over to sit on her bed. He sat next to her, entwining his hands with hers. “It shouldn’t matter, whether this is destiny or not.”

“Exactly.” And then they kissed for the third time that night, their passion so intense that this time barely seemed real, and yet Leah was conscious to the fact that Solan was slowly pushing her onto the surface of her bed until she could feel his weight on her once more. His lips caressed her neck and collarbone, and she simply lay there, still and content. Barely aware of what was happening, she felt his hands traveling down her slim waist, pulling her even closer to him and uttering a gentle whisper of “I love you”…