by Jon Chaisson
*
As far as Poe was concerned, it was the end of the world as he knew it.
Christine Gorecki had come to the same conclusion, and in a bit of gallows humor she had pulled out a number of folding chairs and set them up on the roof facing the Moulding Warehouse, giving them front row seats. All conversation had stopped once the beacon of Light appeared, and for Poe it meant he could now wrestle his inner demons on his own, without interruption. Caren had arrived with Anando minutes after she’d signed off the comm, and Nick had just arrived as well. Poe acknowledged their presence with a nod before taking the chair closest to the edge. He got up again seconds later however, his nerves getting the better of him.
Calm yourself, he heard from within. Caren silently walked up to him and took his hand. This is just a small step.
He felt a tickling sensation between their touching palms, and immediately his adrenalin level decreased dramatically from its peak just seconds ago. He had felt the same relaxation just days ago on the Crest, when Kai had —
He stared at her. “Since when have you been able to soulheal?” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
She gave him a satisfied grin. “It just happened,” she said.
It just happened. A hell of a lot of things had “just happened” in the last few hours, come to think of it. This was Caren, who had gone through soulhealing therapy five years ago to deal with the death of her parents, who had trouble falling asleep at night, whose emotions tended to be a jumbled mess, just like his. This was his partner, who had taken the awakening ritual personally and nearly drove herself towards an emotional breakdown. This was Karinna, whose sister was just blocks away, the source of that terrifying beam of Light.
This was Caren Johnson, calm and balanced, for the first time in her life.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, and meant it.
“It’s nearly over,” she said. “Once the Cleansing is done, everything will be back to normal.”
He nodded, and laughed as a thought struck him. “You know,” he said to her. “Farraway is going to be pissed that we completely failed to apprehend the man who performed that illegal ritual last week. I’m guessing we can kiss that raise goodbye.”
A giggle escaped from Caren’s lips. “I came so close, Poe! I was as close as you and I, and all I did was yell at him!” The giggle turned into a laugh. “Seriously, I should have kicked his ass!”
“You were under the influence of your sister,” he said. “I’m sure she was holding you back for a good reason.”
She elbowed him in the side. “Yeah, fat lot of good that did. I nearly screwed it up.”
“It’s true, kid,” he said. “I’m serious. We were all affected.” He smiled as he turned and looked back at the warehouse. The Light had quickened its pulsation. “I mean that in a good way,” he added.
Caren brushed a hand over his arm. “I know you do,” she said. “Come on…let’s sit down.”
Poe let out a wavering breath. Relaxed though he was, soulhealing would not deaden the anxiety he still felt. He returned to his chair, Caren taking the seat to his left. Anando sat on the other side of her, leaning forward with hands clasped between his knees. The kid’s constant change of position in his chair every thirty seconds or so betrayed his façade. His brain must be on overdrive, trying to calculate what would unfold next.
After a few quiet moments, he glanced over at the two of them again. Anando’s presence had an extremely positive effect on Caren, there was no doubting that. She’d been fascinated by his name just days ago, but she’d never explained why. There as a connection there, one he couldn’t quite grasp, but he could sense it. It was comforting, seeing her at peace like this…she deserved it. If he truly was her cho-shadhisi, then she truly was blessed.
Anando sensed his attention and met his eyes briefly before returning to the Light. Though Anando said nothing, Poe could tell the man had anticipated questions. He shifted slightly in his chair to face him.
You wish to know about the Light, he said from within.
Poe nodded. It hadn’t been his primary thought at the moment, but that question had indeed been bothering him ever since it had appeared.
This beacon functions the same way the Rain of Light did, Anando said. We’re seeing this Light because it is stronger than usual…it’s infused with the Light of the One of All Sacred.
Poe nodded. “Where is it going?”
Anando grinned. “Funny you should ask that,” he said. “Ever read Kelley James’ poetry?”
“No,” he replied. “The former CNF Councillor, you mean?”
He nodded. “Great statesman, brilliant peacekeeper…but also an extremely talented writer. There’s a line in one of my favorite poems of his that I think nails it: hitting the roof of heaven and raining right back down. He’d meant it as a reference to the early days of Earth’s new awakening centuries ago, but in this case…” He nodded towards the warehouse. “The Light is going to rain back down on us. All of us. The entire planet.”
Poe winced at him. “The entire…from just five thousand people and one teenage girl? I find that a little hard to believe.”
“Put that way, sure,” Anando smirked. “I wouldn’t believe it myself. But the five thousand people are cho-nyhndah, twin-spirited Warriors of the One, the Light is full of millions of awakened spirits…and the teenage girl is the One of All Sacred herself. A goddess and her army.”
Poe shivered. “For what battle, though? Isn’t this supposed to balance the Mendaihu and the Shenaihu?”
“Eventually,” Anando he said. “But there’s more to it than just balance, Alec. She must know this, if she’s gone this far to awaken everybody on the entire planet.”
Words died on his lips. He glanced at Caren, astonished by her lack of concern. In fact, by the look on her face, she felt nothing but pride right now. Perhaps he needed to rethink this…perhaps he needed to understand just how dire the situation had to be in order for Denni — for the One — to do something this drastic. He was cho-nyhndah himself, yet he did not understand.
Anando had returned to looking at the beacon of Light with avid interest. Though its luminosity gave the surrounding area a whitish glow, it was still muted enough that it could be watched with the naked eye. If Poe concentrated enough, over the sound of stalled traffic and hushed voices, he could just make out the beacon’s slow rumble.
Wake up, he thought to himself, to the twin spirits he held within. He felt no response, however, and his barely concealed agitation began to reappear. He ignored it by reaching into his uniform and taking out a cigarette. He didn’t light it right away, deciding to twirl it between his fingers instead.
I give you Peace, Love and Light, he called out to Denni, wondering if she could hear him. I’m proud of you, kid. I may not really know what you’re doing…but I trust you. Know that I love you, Den.
He almost didn’t feel the faint ripple of energy washing through him in response. But the ripple started to expand, doubling then tripling in its intensity. It expanded a fourth time, so intense he could barely contain it. There was no question...she had heard him.
Thank you, Alec…she said. I love you too.
“…Denni…” he whispered, so low that not even Caren heard him.
The wash of energy — of Love — crested, and then slowly ebbed until it remained only as a subtle pleasant reminder. He knew Denni well enough that she would have hidden a secret note for him somewhere in that wash if she’d wanted, and most likely did. He’d look for it in time. He relaxed for the first time in days and smiled, wiping tears away.
