by Jon Chaisson
*
Christine lit a single narrow candle and placed it in a holder on the north wall of the room. It flickered slightly in the wind, but never went out.
First there is Light.
Light is.
Light becomes.
Light is the essence of the soul, the sustenance of the mind, the fuel that burns within the fires of the heart. Light is the beacon that unites all souls together under the protection of the One of All Sacred and the Goddess Who Is. Light is the protector of all souls, the mother of faith and father of strength.
On the southern wall, she placed a vidmat still of Caren, an older picture of her friend and former associate taken seven years ago, during a holiday party. Caren’s eyes were full and bright, caught midway in spirited laughter. She dipped two fingers of her left hand in an oil solution and drew a clockwise circle on the wall around the picture.
Second there is Love.
Love is.
Love becomes.
Love is the essence of the heart, the sustenance of the soul, the fuel that burns within the fires of the heart. Love is the thread that binds all souls together under the protection of the One of All Sacred and the Goddess Who Is. Love is the reminder of our existence, the sister to compassion and brother to community.
Finally, she returned to the center of the room, and embraced Poe. She exhaled slowly and relaxed every single nerve in her body, focusing only on the deep trust of her closest friend.
Third there is Peace.
Peace is.
Peace becomes.
Peace is the essence of a complete existence, the sustenance of a community. Peace is the road to knowledge and the leader of all under the One of All Sacred and the Goddess Who Is. Peace is the knowledge that Love and Light exists eternally, the family whole.
Took another slow breath, letting every emotion bleed freely out of her very soul.
Dearest One of All Sacred, under the protection of the Goddess Who Is, we ask your divine help in our time of need. We ask your help in divining balance from chaos and peace from dissent. We ask that you guide us and protect us, Dearest One, from the energy that knows no master. We ask that you guide us as we channel this errant energy into Light.
Dearest One, we pray for your guidance.
Light is.
Love is.
Peace is.
Christine exhaled and fell out of Poe’s arms, the prayer sequence completed.
Poe saw the surge of blistering white energy pulse from the clouds before he felt the current pushing at the two of them. Beautiful and bright and in such contrast to the deep hues of the cloud cover, it illuminated its underside to an impossible swirl of pink and white. All sound had stopped, rain and wind and thunder. He managed a sharp intake of breath and remark about its beauty before the force of it hit the Key and propelled the both of them backwards.
He was off his feet and sailing with no time to grab hold of anything. He slammed up against the wall, shoulders first then head, and fell limply to the ground, onto the throw pillows. He groggily shook his head, wondering what in the Goddess’ name had just hit them.
Christine, by luck of all the gods she knew, had dropped quickly to the floor just at the right time and had cushioned herself for the shock. She had skimmed across the floor, pushing the pillows into a heap against the wall with her in the middle. She lay on the scattered pile, eyes shut tight and hands clenched, close to her temples.
“…ow,” she croaked.
“Chris?” he called out. He staggered in her direction but got only halfway and he fell to his knees. “Christine?” he said again. “Are you all right?”
One eye opened and focused on him. “What…the hell was that?”
“Uh…” Poe shifted into a sitting position and rubbed gingerly at the back of his head. He focused on the Benjamin’s Key in an attempt to regain his bearings. It had blessedly remained solid and true, ready and waiting for the possible siphoning of spirits out into the sea. It vibrated at such a speed that it produced a soft, low hum. “That,” he said, “…was either the beginning of something worse, or we’re connected.”
“That had to be the worst shock I’ve ever had with this blessed thing,” Christine moaned. She stood up, wobbled a little, and caught herself against the wall. She pushed herself off again and studied the Key hesitantly, grabbing onto Poe’s shoulder for support. “I just hope this thing can withstand the intensity.”
Poe felt a shiver race down his spine. “You mean…?”
“I’ve never used it on something this strong before, Alec,” she said, and gingerly moved towards the door. She pushed it open and giant whoosh of chilly humid air came rushing in. She looked up at the sky for a few moments, frowning. “It should hold…as long as it doesn’t get any stronger.”
“Here’s to hoping,” he said. He grabbed his comm and called Kai again.
She answered after the first ping and spoke quickly, barely able to mask her concern. “Everything is connected? Are you okay over there? We saw the lightning hit…”
“We’re both fine, just disoriented,” he said. After a few moments, he added: “It’s Caren I’m worried about.”
Kai hummed in agreement. “Each person has his or her own duty to the One…and she is Protector. I wish I could say more, but I can only pray that she has the strength to fulfill that duty.”
Poe wanted to say something, anything, but the words that came to him would have betrayed what he really felt. He wanted to believe she had that strength — she did have it, especially when it came to her sister — but this was more than just protecting her younger sibling from the outside world. He’d known Caren for years…but even now, he wasn’t sure if he ever truly knew her spirit. She had never willingly shown it to anyone.
“Faith, Poe,” she said softly. “Have faith in her.”
“Oh, that I do,” he said, but knew it was a lie. Without question, he trusted Caren as a close friend and as his partner on the force. He trusted her wholly…but did he have faith in her? He did not know. He’d never had the reason to question it.
Kai chose not to push the matter. “You’ve harnessed the spirits with the Key,” she said in a lighter voice that betrayed her own nerves. “Ashan and I will take up the rest if need be. The spirit energy needs either release or storage, so it’s up to Denni now to decide what to do with it.”
Poe bit his lip. “Which is safer?”
“Actually…” she started, her voice uneven. “If it is released, there’s a chance it will remain chaotic. In which case, we’re back where we started. If we stored it…”
Poe shut his eyes tight with dread, and swore under his breath. If Denni decided to store it at the warehouse she might be able to stabilize it, but there was also an equal chance she could lose control of it…and who knew what would happen after that. He couldn’t see any clearer solutions. There was so much that he still did not know about the Rain, about the Mendaihu and the Shenaihu, despite everything he’d prepared himself for. There were so many unknowns here that he felt his anger surfacing again. This time he sensed it coming and held back, redirecting his emotions towards the task at hand. If he had to lash out, it would be to protect, not to destroy.
“…Kai?” he said. His voice sounded pitifully small.
“Yes?”
He closed his eyes and started rubbing at the lids. Damn it all, why was this so hard? “Umm…never mind. You be careful, okay? I’m worried about the two of you. How are you going to send it to the warehouse after it hits us? You don’t have any reflectors.”
Kai laughed in spite of herself. “That’s the interesting thing, Poe. The hrrah-sehdhyn? I finally figured out its other purpose. It wasn’t just an offensive strike, Poe. It’s a barrier. It’s supposed to keep everything in.”
“You’re kidding,” he said. “Even after the church…?”
“I believe they’re at peace, Poe,” she said. “Thos
e civilians weren’t supposed to die, but they understood what would happen…and now they’re part of the Rain. Poe…it wasn’t supposed to happen like this, not so soon. Nehalé sped up the schedule.”
“Forget about Nehalé,” he growled, then realized the futility of his anger again. He was beginning to hate this quick change of emotions that always came at the wrong time. “Whenever you’re ready, Kai. We’re set here. The rest…” He stopped again, thinking of Denni. I have faith in you, Den. As the wonderful kid you are. Take care of Caren for me. “…I guess the rest is up to the One of All Sacred,” he said.
“She’s already started the Cleansing, Alec,” she said quietly.
“Good.” He wished he could reach out to Denni to comfort her, yet somehow he knew she would be just fine. He shifted his focus towards Kai, standing just outside that barrier with her brother. If Denni failed, they would have the hardest job of all, redirecting the angered spirits back towards the warehouse. He had no idea how they would do it, and he had a feeling they had no clear plan either.
“Kai?” he said.
“Hmm?”
“Peace, Love and Light to you, Akaina,” he said so softly he wasn’t sure if she had heard him. “Take care of yourself.”
“Alec…” she started, and could not completely get her words out all at once. “You take care as well. Love prevails.”
He laughed and felt himself blush. “Yes…yes, it does.”
