Blessings – Leigh Roberts
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Book One: Khon’Tor’s Wrath
Book Two: The Healer’s Mantle
Book Three: Oh’Dar’s Quest
Book Four: The Healer’s Blade
Book Five: Contact
Book Six: Revelation
Book Seven: The Edge of The Age
Book Eight: The Wall of Records
Book Nine: Retribution
Book Ten: Endings and Beginnings
Book Eleven: The Edge of Hope
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CHARACTERS, WHO WERE WAITING TOGETHER TO SPEAK WITH ME.
Acaraho: This is a better place to leave us than the way things were at the end of Book Ten. I am grateful for that. But what do we do now? Hang around for seven years until Pan returns for An’Kru? That seems a lot to ask. And frankly, I am worried about Adia.
LR: I suspect you’ll find your turn comes around more quickly than you think.
Acaraho: That is good. I do get befuddled by the time continuum in fiction. But what about my mate?
Adia: I have faith that it will work out. I have seven years to spend with An’Kru. And Acaraho, there is much you need to teach him while he is with us. All the things you taught Oh’Dar and Nootau. And Nootau and Iella have seven years to solidify their love and perhaps have offspring of their own! I am not making light, though; to let An’Kru and Nootau leave with Pan will be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.
LR: I’m glad you’re working this out, but I’m not sure there will be a whole seven years between where this leaves off and when it starts up again.
Adia: Even better. Thank you for the ray of hope.
Tehya: I must say that I am thrilled to be seeded again and to know I will give Khon’Tor a son!
Khon’Tor: I am also happy to hear it. It seems that when one door closes, another door opens.
LR: That’s life, isn’t it? It’s filled with challenges and victories. There are times to climb mountains and times to rest and replenish in the sweet meadows. You all have so many more experiences ahead of you. But I promise never to give you more than you can bear.
Oh’Dar: I’m happy that Pajackok and I seem to be repairing our relationship; I’ve missed having him as a friend. And he and Snana do seem like a great match.
Acise: I cannot wait to meet our offspring. Will it be a boy or a girl? Will he or she have Oh’Dar’s blue eyes? There is much for us to look forward to.
Oh’Dar: I have to admit though, Leigh, I’m worried about Snide Tucker. He’s up to something.
LR: I wish I could say you’re wrong, but—
Oh’Dar: I knew it!
LR: Ben and Miss Vivian, would you like to say anything?
Miss Vivian: I’ve no regrets about coming. I can’t imagine having missed this. I also appreciate everything Grayson has done to make us comfortable, though I do miss butter.
Ben: I second that. I feel like I’m twenty again with my whole life ahead of me. And I miss butter too. And bread.
LR: I’d also miss them. I’m not sure I could give up bread or butter. I’ll put that on your wish list. Anything else?
Ben: Eggs. Milk. A little spiced cider now and then to take the edge off.
Miss Vivian: The summer breeze coming through a window at night.
LR: That one is a little more difficult, but there isn’t any reason you couldn’t sleep outside in the summer. There are watchers everywhere; you’d be safe! Khon’Tor has done it many times.
Miss Vivian: What a lovely idea, thank you!
LR: Anyone else? I looked around the room, giving them a chance to think.
Haan: Having Notar’s people brought to us is a blessing for both our communities. And wherever they were living cannot possibly compare to life at Kht’shWea.
LR: I’m sure that’s true. But home is home, and it will still be an adjustment for them. It’s nice to see so many little ones who will soon be running through your halls.
Haaka: I am worried about Kalli. She is the only one of her kind. Who will love her? Will she live a life of loneliness and isolation?
Adia got up to sit next to Haaka.
Adia: I so understand your pain. No parent wants their offspring to face hardship. We must trust that Leigh will find a way to free her from a life of unhappiness.
LR: Oh gee. No pressure there, thank goodness. Now, on a final note, I’m excited about what the future holds for all of us. Blessings to you and to our readers; I’m grateful for their loyalty and continued interest in this journey we’re all taking together.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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Many of you have commented on the spiritual ideas woven through these stories. Those of you interested in the evolution of human consciousness no doubt recognize some of the universal truths I’ve laced into these books, some of which are just starting to emerge in larger numbers of our population as more and more of us seek spiritual awakening.
For example, in this book I bring into the dialogue between E’ranale and Adia the idea of distorted or dark pleasure. This concept isn’t new to our consciousness. The Germans even have a term for it, “Schadenfreude.”
Merriam-Webster defines Schadenfreude as “Enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.”
In Book Ten, I mentioned the Uni-Verse, the One Song. I don’t know the origin of this phrase, as I haven’t been able to trace the original attribution. To me, this is just another example of the spiritual ideas that surface through a variety of channels as we become ready to accept them.
On a personal note, there are very few pets mentioned in The Etera Chronicles. The only two are Kweeuu, Oh’Dar’s wolf, and Waki, the wolf cub gifted to Oh’Dar by Khon’Tor after Tehya had taken over the affections of Kweeuu.
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But for many of us, our pets are one of our greatest blessings. Many of you have shared pictures of your pets on the The Etera Chronicles private Facebook group. Our love for our pets is one of the common threads that bind us together. I, for one, would no longer want to live in a world where I couldn’t have a pet.
So to represent all the furbabies we have loved and lost, and those who walk among us still, here are some pictures of Hope.
Hope was rescued as a tiny orphaned kitten, only a few days old. Kathi, her adopted mom, nursed her to health against the veterinarian's warning that there was little hope the kitten would survive. Hope enjoyed the next seventeen years of her life surrounded by the love of the woman who saved her, until Hope passed in 2020.
So for all of us who love or have loved a beloved pet, our hope is that we will see them again, along with our other beloveds, in the Corridor where there will nevermore be tears, or sorrow, or the heartbreak of separation.
So in a way, we’re all living on The Edge of Hope.
Lastly, since this is for now the last book in Series One, I would be sorely remiss in not thanking my husband, family, friends, and readers for their continued support. And an additional huge heartfelt thank you to my fantastic editor, who has stayed the journey with me, and who promises to put up with me through the next two series. Thank you, Joy, you are irreplaceable.
The Edge of Hope: Wrak-Ayya: The Age of Shadows Book Eleven Page 20
