‘So, only when we are completely detached from everything in the material world, including our own bodies and kindred, can we truly be sure we are walking the path of light.’ Tory had known all this for a long time, but even the advanced spiritual soul found it difficult not to become entranced by matters of the physical world. Noah was nodding and seemed to be rediscovering the meaning of life too. ‘So,’ Tory continued, ‘in reality, we should not be worried about the theft of the Aten or how its misuse might alter the quality of life that we have worked so hard to achieve. Rather, we should allow events to unfold as they may … for no matter what happens, good or bad, we shall learn from the experience and that is the purpose of creation.’
Noah stopped nodding and raised both brows. ‘That’s how the Cosmic Logos will be viewing this instance. Fortunately, we are the tools of the master artist and not the brain.’
‘I don’t think I’ll ever make a very good Ascendant Master,’ Tory sighed. She did long to move on to more meaningful work in the universal scheme of things. ‘I fear I shall always fail on the emotional attachment front. I do care about what happens to my kindred and the peoples under my brother’s rule.’
‘Ditto,’ Noah stated. ‘But somewhere in creation we don’t judge matters of the physical world as good or bad — we only know the challenge of change in the great tides of consciousness.’ Noah stood perfectly still to focus himself, for he knew he was digressing from the matter at hand. ‘I believe I should speak with Lahmu.’
‘I agree.’ Tory was a little spooked by what the future held in store. ‘I’ll wait for permission from my brother before taking our suspicions to Maelgwn and Zabeel. And when we get a moment, it might also serve us well to pay Gaia a visit.’
With a firm nod, the Sage and his wife seconded her proposed course of action.
4
EXPOSING A LEGEND
As bold as brass he strode up to the counter of the library at the Institute of Immortal History on Kila, safe in the knowledge that his disguise would grant him safe passage.
‘Good afternoon, Avery.’ The woman behind the counter greeted him warmly. ‘What can we help you with today?’
‘I was looking to do some research on my grandfather,’ he informed, hoping his smile wasn’t too smug.
‘Myrddin,’ she assumed, rather than queried.
‘No, Caswallon,’ he corrected. ‘What text has En Noah scanned onto orb pertaining to Caswallon’s rule of Gwynedd? I was particularly interested in the uprising of his brother, Cadfer.’
‘That is obscure.’ The librarian’s eyes boggled. ‘I’ll see what I can find.’ She sounded a little doubtful of finding anything, but moved off to check her database.
How dumb can you be, he thought, leaving such a prime information source open to the enemy? The good of heart are far too trusting.
‘Well, what do you know,’ the librarian informed him, as her soft-light screen filled with data. ‘There are a few references listed.’
‘I’m looking for dates.’ He got more specific.
‘These are the orbs concerned.’ She gave her database a mental command and three PKA (PsychoKinetically Activated) orbs appeared on a small teleporter plate on the counter in front of him. ‘You can check the index for specific references,’ she told him, and then realising who she was talking to, added: ‘But you know that, Avery.’
‘I do. Thank you kindly.’ He scooped up the orbs. He knew that none of the orbs were allowed to leave the building, and so found himself a quiet corner in which to do his research.
When Fallon spied Avery in the library, she wasn’t sure if she was pleased by his presence or not. She had to admit that she didn’t expect to find him in the Institute now that they had graduated. She thought he’d be dedicating every spare second to his Otherworldly studies.
‘This is an unpleasant surprise,’ she bowed down to whisper in his ear. He was seated on a lounge chair, absorbing information from a PKA orb.
He was startled by the interruption and, looking up, was rather taken by the sight of the girl who was frowning down at him. ‘Unpleasant?’ he queried, not sure what his assumed form had done to offend the girl.
‘Has your memory had another lapse?’ Her eyebrows raised in question.
‘I … I?’ He hesitated to respond, but resolved to be charming, as that was the best course of action where females were concerned. ‘I could hardly forget anything that passed between us.’
Fallon’s frown deepened, as she figured he was being smart. ‘I haven’t forgiven you,’ she informed him, just in case he was mistaking the conversation as a sign that he was back in her good books.
Forgiven me? He had a feeling that he might be in trouble here. ‘I didn’t expect that you had,’ he smiled meekly.
‘What are you doing here, anyway?’ Fallon caught a glimpse of a scrap of paper with some numbers on it before Avery tucked it into his pocket. It read 519–14 =505. The digits had to stand for dates, she reasoned, and only Gaia had so many years of history.
‘Just some research.’ He gathered up the orbs to return them to the counter.
‘Into your father’s rule of Gwynedd?’ Fallon guessed, and was surprised to note the alarm in Avery’s face, as he rarely showed such an emotion.
‘Yes, of course.’ He brushed off her query and stood to take his leave.
‘But why?’ She suppressed an urge to laugh. ‘You know it all backwards, forwards and sideways.’
‘No time to explain.’ He began to back up towards the counter. ‘I’ll see you around, okay?’
As Fallon watched him return his research tools and exit the library, she concluded that his behaviour was somewhat odd. She was not as outstanding at history as Avery was, and was unable to recall what was happening in Gwynedd in 505AD — or, at least, she was assuming AD if Avery had been researching his father’s life.
The librarian smiled as Fallon approached the counter.
‘Could I please take a look at the orbs that Avery was just referencing?’ Fallon requested, whereupon the librarian handed them over. ‘Thanks.’
In 505AD, Avery’s father, Maelgwn, had been but fifteen years old. His mother, Queen Sorcha, had been murdered in the uprising of his Uncle Cadfer that year. With the aid of an evil crone, Cadfer had led an uprising against his brother Caswallon. He had succeeded in taking Gwynedd, jailing his brother the King, and murdering Sorcha when she would not submit to Cadfer’s intent to claim her as his own. Maelgwn, with the aid of his father’s champion, Sir Tiernan, and the High Merlin of Briton at the time, Taliesin, defeated Cadfer and freed his father.
‘Why, in heaven’s name, would Avery be researching this period?’ Fallon wondered, but then most things about the man were a mystery to her — that’s what she found alluring about him.
Brian was disappointed to be forced to leave his daughter’s inaugural celebration before the festivities had even begun. He considered that he should have known that some major disaster would rear its ugly head and prevent him from enjoying the momentous occasion when the government of Nugia was finally handed from the Leonine leader, Tyrus-Leon, to Bast, their daughter.
In order to introduce the immortality gene into the gene pool of the Leonine race, Brian Alexander had artificially fathered the child of Tyrus-Leon’s wife, Samara. For Tyrus-Leon was a living mortal incarnation of Brian’s soul-mind, just as Samara was a living mortal incarnation of Brian’s own wife, Candace. Thus, Bast had always known two sets of parents — as, indeed, did Sparrowhawk — one set belonging to the Leonine race and the other set belonging to the Chosen breed.
As Brian prepared to leave Nugia, he felt consoled by the fact that since Tyrus was remaining for the ceremony, all Brian need do was a little past-life regression and he too could bear witness to the ceremony he was about to miss.
‘I’m so proud of you, princess.’ Brian hugged his daughter in parting. ‘I know you are going to be an outstanding Governor to your people and I’m so very sorry that I’m goi
ng to miss your big moment.’
‘No, you won’t.’ Bast held him at arm’s length as her eyes turned to Tyrus-Leon who was standing close by. ‘You’re always with me, in one body or another.’ She smiled, doing her best to suppress her disappointment.
‘And yet, you’d do just as well without me.’
‘Perhaps.’ Bast was flattered. ‘But I like having the ruler of the known universe behind me for support. It’s very confidence building.’
‘Like your confidence needs any boosting.’ He kissed her cheek and turning his thoughts homeward, he served Bast with a wink of encouragement and vanished.
In the conference room of Government House on Kila, Brian found his wife and Vice-Governor very pale in appearance as they spoke with his sister, Tory, and the historian, Noah Purcell. After hearing the news of the missing Aten and the suspicions they were entertaining about the identity of the thieves, Brian himself paled.
He stood, gripping the edge of the table and staring hard at it as he assessed his own feelings on the matter. ‘All those who knew my ruling on the children of Dumuzi was going to come back to haunt me, please raise your hands.’
Tory was the only person present who did not raise her hand, thus Brian looked to her. ‘Ethnic cleansing is never an answer, as it stems from intolerance, ignorance and fear. If the children of Dumuzi are set to oppose us, then it was meant to be. I feel we made a mistake leaving them to their own devices, though. They should have been educated in the secret mysteries and encouraged towards taking up the cause of the Logos.’
‘They didn’t want to be integrated into our society, Tory,’ Brian defended. ‘They just wanted to continue as they were.’
‘But they had no idea of their hidden potential,’ she argued. ‘With the proper guidance —’
‘It looks as though they do know of their hidden potential and intend to activate their immortality without any guidance or permission from us.’
‘But we don’t know it was they who stole the Aten,’ Tory pointed out. ‘This is all just an educated guess.’
The Governor looked to Noah for his feelings to be made known, but the scholar’s mind seemed to be elsewhere. ‘Kila to En Noah, are you with us?’
Noah broke from his contemplation and smiled broadly. ‘I don’t know why I didn’t consider it before, but do you think Myrddin’s old time hopping chariot might be able to speed me to the current location of the Aten?’
‘Yes! Brilliant!’ Tory jumped up, suppressing a cheer. ‘After all, both vessels have the same drive system.’
‘Hmmm.’ Rhun sounded wary. ‘Imagine all the damage the children of Dumuzi could do if they got their hands on the chariot as well.’ Everyone’s spirits deflated at the very possibility. ‘I quietly considered this avenue at our last meeting, but I never suggested it due to the danger.’
‘He’s right.’ Brian hated to pass up such a promising solution. ‘It’s too risky.’
‘But we always have the backup chariot that Inanna constructed illegally. We could use it to track down the first chariot, should it go missing.’ Noah suggested and all his associates looked stunned.
‘We have possession of the other chariot?’ Tory got out the question first.
‘Yes,’ Noah confirmed. ‘Inanna gave it to Maelgwn to speed him between Tarazean and here when the revolution against the Nefilim first broke out. I’ve had it in storage with the original ever since.’
Brian looked to Rhun to see what he thought in light of the new information.
‘Sounds like we might have a plan,’ he granted.
Beneath the Institute of Immortal History was a vault only Noah and Maelgwn, the ex-Governor, knew about. The Governor and Governess, the Vice-Governor and the ex-Governess all felt like mischievous school children as they followed the Sage through the depths of the building.
‘This is much more fun than playing politician,’ Brian commented. He would’ve felt guilty abandoning his duties to go on an adventure, had this not been the most pressing matter on his agenda.
‘I agree.’ Rhun kept pace with the Governor. ‘I feel almost compelled to volunteer to go.’
‘No way.’ Brian flattened the idea — if he wasn’t allowed to go because of his position, he wasn’t going to let Rhun get away with it either.
‘I shall go.’ Noah concluded the argument, or so he thought.
‘Noah?’ Tory sounded surprised that he’d volunteer. ‘But, you’ve never done any physical time travel in your life.’
‘High time I did, don’t you think?’ He grinned back at her. Twenty years ago he would not have felt confident to execute such a mission, but his experience in the Sensor-sphere had changed him; he knew no such fear any more.
The Sensor-sphere, like the Tablet of Destinies, had been a gift from the Nefilim Logos, Anu. A high-level spiritual learning tool, the Sensor-sphere was located in the Otherworld — out of the reach of mortal man. This Otherworldly technology offered a crash course in cosmology and granted insight into the pertinent eras of the development of human consciousness into matter — it was a universal bible, experienced first-hand via all one’s senses. But more than this, the tool was an initiator of the soul that awakened a deeper universal purpose in all who braved the course. Noah held the only key to the Sensor-sphere, and only those persons who he knew were spiritually and intellectually advanced enough to cope with the Otherworldly school’s doctrine had been admitted. Everyone present had qualified and graduated.
In response to Noah’s mental command, the wall at the end of the corridor vanished to disclose a chamber beyond. ‘Here we are,’ the Sage announced as the lights came on.
The two chariots sat side by side and looked not unlike a couple of large, hovering, hi-tech motor scooters. Both vehicles sat inside a floor-to-ceiling box of light that constituted both the alarm system and an electric shield, which could inflict enough pain to deflect even an immortal attempting to breach the system.
Noah shut the defence system down with a thought.
‘Now, I want you back here immediately,’ Brian instructed Noah, as he seemed to be determined to go. ‘You will yourself to Cordella, grab her, get back here, and then we discover what she knows before we attempt anything else. Is that clear?’
Noah nodded as he climbed on board.
‘You’re sure you don’t want me to go?’ Tory was hopeful that the Sage might be swayed, as she hadn’t done any time travel for ages, and she missed it.
‘I know you are the expert, Tory,’ Noah granted, ‘and probably a far better warrior than I if a considerable force is guarding Cordella. Still, who shall we send after you, should you go missing? Better that I test the waters and then we have an experienced swimmer to send in after me, if I fail to surface.’
‘You shall not fail.’ Tory allowed him the adventure despite her lust for the quest. Noah was right — it was high time he took the journey of journeys.
‘All right, here goes.’ Noah placed his hands on the chariot and closed his eyes to focus on his target. After a few moments he opened them once more to find the Governor and company still staring at him. ‘Would a NERGUZ module prevent me finding her this way?’
‘Maybe,’ Tory warranted, and then clicked her fingers with another solution. ‘But you can still locate the Aten.’
‘I am not familiar with the space station.’ Noah was clearly disappointed that he might have to forfeit his quest.
‘I am,’ Candace spoke up, ‘and I should be able to direct you telepathically.’ She racked her brain a moment for a safe place to hide the chariot whilst Noah searched for Cordella. ‘I know, Gibal’s old laboratory. I very much doubt that any of Dumuzi’s children are interested in science, and even if they found the chariot there, without knowing what it was it would just look like another incomplete project the lord had left lying around.’
Brian kissed his wife’s cheek. ‘Beautiful and brilliant.’
Noah stepped out of the chariot. ‘But once I get to the Aten, how am I
to search it? The security system has probably been altered to suit the thieves, so if I attempt to open any doors, they’re going to be alerted to my presence. We need to send someone who is intimately familiar with the control centre of the station.’ Noah’s eyes came to rest on Candace. ‘Someone who can will themselves from place to place to avoid detection.’
Candace couldn’t contain her smile when she realised the scholar was right.
‘No way!’ Brian put his foot down. ‘No way.’
‘We have no choice.’ Candace ignored her husband and began willing forth a few essential weapons to take with her, just in case she ran into trouble.
‘Then I’m coming with you,’ Brian insisted.
‘No way!’ insisted everybody else.
‘Shit!’ he protested loudly, having predicted the objection. ‘Why did I turn out to be Lahmu?’ he whined, feeling that he was never permitted to do anything exciting any more.
‘Oh, do stop complaining!’ Candace calmed Brian with a kiss and then informed him, ‘Noah shall go with me.’ She nudged the grinning historian back towards their transport. ‘Let’s go.’
Arriving in the large abandoned laboratory on board the missing space station, Noah removed the crystal that was the heart of the chariot’s drive system, and Candace found a large dust cover that was draped over one of the many incomplete inventions lying about and threw it over their transport.
‘I’d say that’s pretty secure.’ Noah felt confident about leaving his precious treasure here.
Candace nodded. ‘Now, it’s my guess that our foes are all going to be hanging out in the Star Chamber and its affiliated chambers.’ It was far too risky to teleport them straight into the high-security areas without knowing the number of thieves they were dealing with. ‘The dock … too far away,’ she mumbled, as she assessed the possibilities and then startled Noah when she clapped her hands. ‘I’ve got it … the security station.’ She pulled the two PKA sonic pulse blasters from her belt and, setting them to stun, handed one to Noah, who looked a mite overwhelmed by the notion of a shoot-out. ‘There will be two guards at most,’ she informed him in a routine fashion. She extended her left hand to Noah, as he needed to capture her memory of their destination in order to be teleported along with her.
The Cosmic Logos Page 6
