by David Wells
“Now come and sit with me,” Chloe said. “Close your eyes and allow me to take your essence into the aether. There is no danger. You will feel pressure build in the front of your forehead, then you will hear a buzzing noise like the sound of bees that will grow louder and louder. Allow these things to happen. Finally, you will hear a popping noise and you will be free of your body.”
Alexander sat cross-legged in the thick grass and closed his eyes. He used the meditation techniques he’d learned in Glen Morillian to calm his mind and relax his body. As his tension faded, the pressure in his head started to build. It wasn’t unpleasant or painful, just unusual. Then the buzzing started. It rose and fell as it increased in intensity. Alexander let it flow through him until he felt it more than heard it. When it filled him completely, he heard a loud pop and he was suddenly floating over his meditating body.
It was different than his clairvoyance because he wasn’t in the world of time and substance anymore. The quality of the aether was altogether different. It was a timeless place that overlapped and coexisted with material reality. It was a place where the soul existed and where spirits went before they transitioned into the realm of light or into the netherworld.
Alexander realized he was floating in the form of a brightly glowing orb of light not more than a few inches in diameter. With that thought, he looked at himself again and found that he was now a silvery image of his own body.
Chloe appeared before him as a human woman. She smiled and he heard her thoughts. “Within the aether you can take any form you wish, but your true form is the sphere of light you first manifest as.”
Alexander looked around in wonder. He felt like he could go anywhere and be there instantly, very much like the firmament, except there was no ocean of potential, just a ghostly reflection of the material world.
“I’m going to move closer to you now,” Chloe said. “Don’t be frightened, I won’t hurt you.” She transformed into a simple orb of beautiful glowing light and drifted toward him. He transformed as well and then she was within his soul and he was within hers.
It was a shocking sensation as he realized just how ancient she really was. He could feel her passion for life and her boundless love flow into him, given freely and without reservation or hesitation. He resisted briefly, thinking of Isabel and his experience with her in the netherworld. This was similar, except without fear and danger all around.
After a moment, he opened himself to Chloe and bared his soul to her. She flowed into him gently and offered him her pure and unconditional love. It was a profound experience. Alexander loved Isabel but he suddenly realized that he had always kept a part of himself safely away from her without even knowing it. He thought he’d given himself over to her totally but his mortal fear was subconsciously holding back a part of himself. Chloe showed him what unflinching love really was with the innocent clarity of ancient wisdom.
Love was the source of life. It was the underlying power that flowed into the world from the realm of light. Chloe had lived long enough to learn how to love without condition or fear. She gave freely and completely without expectation. Alexander was humbled by her willingness to open herself to him and expose her vulnerability. The level of trust she gave him was daunting. He couldn’t help but feel love in response.
For what seemed like a long time, they simply shared existence with one another and became accustomed to the nature of the other’s essence. Alexander let his resistance go when he realized that love freely given could not be wrong and should never be feared. He discovered that his love for Isabel was not a limitation or an impediment to his love for Chloe but a complementary force. And that his newly formed bond with Chloe would only serve to help him love Isabel more freely and completely. His fear evaporated and his confidence in the underlying benevolent design of the world solidified. When he felt that limitless faith in the nature of the world take root in his being, Chloe separated from him and he gently drifted back into his body.
Everything he thought he understood about the world changed. The bond with Chloe was complete and his view of the world took on a much longer and larger perspective. Her ancient wisdom tempered his very shortsighted perspective and gave him a depth of understanding that he couldn’t put into words.
She was floating a few feet in front of him, smiling gently. He heard her speak within his mind. “How are you feeling, My Love?”
He answered her without words but rather through the bond they now shared. “More grounded. I believe I have a greater understanding of what is truly important in life. Thank you, Chloe. I had no idea how small my view of the world was until you showed me. How are you feeling?”
“I’m in love,” she answered simply, then flew up and kissed him on the cheek.
He looked around and realized it was early evening. The bonding had taken the better part of the day.
“Come,” Chloe said in his mind, “Isabel awaits us.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will,” Chloe responded, then darted off, beckoning him to follow. She led him to the cottage where he and Isabel had spent their wedding night. The windows were glowing softly in the early dusk. When he opened the door, he saw Isabel and Ilona talking softly. Isabel looked up and searched his eyes for a change.
He smiled and went to her. “I love you, Isabel—that will never change.” Her look of relief lightened his worry for her.
“I’ve been talking with Ilona. She’s helped me to understand what must happen,” Isabel said in a small voice. “Chloe will make love with you through my body. She will merge her essence with me for the night and through us a fairy child will be born.”
Alexander was speechless. He hadn’t given much thought to what had to happen for him to sire a fairy child. He was more preoccupied with the process of bonding and was still a bit unsteady from the profound nature of the experience. Now that he understood, he was both relieved that he wouldn’t have to physically betray his wife and a little worried about the consequences to Isabel of sharing her body with Chloe.
“I would never hurt her, My Love,” Chloe said to reassure him. “I feel your love for her through our bond.”
Alexander smiled his understanding to her before turning to Isabel. “Are you sure about this?”
She nodded. With that, Ilona spun into an orb of light and vanished, leaving Alexander and Isabel alone with Chloe. Isabel gave Alexander one last look before sitting down in front of a crystal chalice filled with syrupy-looking, slightly pink liquid. She turned to Chloe and said, “I’m ready.”
Chloe darted up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “You honor me, Queen Isabel.”
She flew to the chalice and shed a single tear into the liquid. The contents of the cup changed from slightly pink to perfectly clear with a slight glow of pure white light. Isabel took the chalice and drank the contents all at once. Chloe spun into a bright white ball of scintillating light and disappeared. A moment later, Isabel opened her eyes.
“Hello, My Love.”
“Chloe?”
“Yes, My Love. Isabel is here as well.”
When Alexander woke the next morning with Isabel in his arms, she was still sleeping. Chloe was curled up on the pillow next to him. What he remembered most from the night was the moment when he looked into Isabel’s eyes and saw the pure white radiance of the realm of light glowing behind her piercing green eyes. It was as if, through her, he could see past the veil and into the source of creation to look on the face of the Maker of the world.
She woke and smiled gently at him.
“Isabel?”
She nodded. Chloe came awake and flew in a circle over them, then darted in and kissed them each on the cheek in turn. She smiled proudly as another fairy spun into existence next to her. She looked much younger than Chloe even though she was a fully-grown, three-inch-tall fairy. She had piercing green eyes the color of Isabel’s and golden- blond hair.
“I’d like you to meet our daughter, Sara.”
&nbs
p; Sara smiled and kissed them both on the cheek. “Thank you for giving me life,” she said simply. Alexander and Isabel were both speechless.
Chloe smiled brightly. “I must take our daughter to meet the rest of her family. They are most anxious.” With that, both of the fairies spun into brightly glowing orbs of light and disappeared.
“Are you all right?” Alexander asked Isabel.
She smiled and nuzzled in closer to him.
“I don’t remember much about last night except a feeling of profound love and a brilliantly pure light that seemed to fill me completely. I’m sorry I was jealous. I didn’t understand. Now that I do, I’m grateful for the experience. I feel a deeper connection to the world than I ever did before and a deeper connection to you, too.”
Alexander smiled and kissed his wife.
Chapter 30
When they wandered into the banquet hall, they found their friends all there talking quietly with Marla and Clarissa. Everyone stopped and looked at them. They just smiled their greeting and sat down at the table.
“I trust all is well,” Lucky said.
“All is well,” Isabel said with a smile.
Jack started playing a soft little tune on his whistle. It was similar, though much less complex than the song the fairies had sung at their wedding. Several fairies spun into existence inside the room and flitted about adding their voices to his music. Then Chloe arrived with Sara.
Isabel stood up. “I’d like to introduce our daughter, Sara.” Her face flushed even as she smiled brightly. Sara flitted up to each of Alexander’s friends and introduced herself.
Everyone at the table was surprised, except for Clarissa. She smiled knowingly and welcomed Sara into the world with genuine affection.
Suddenly, Ilona spun into existence above the table.
“Darkness comes,” she said with deadly seriousness. “Master Alabrand, I have need of your assistance. Come quickly.”
Lucky looked to Alexander. He nodded as he stood. “What’s coming and how far away is it?” Alexander asked, checking the Thinblade in its scabbard.
“A scourgling is scaling the mountains that ring this valley,” Ilona said. “It will be here soon. We can send it away but it will require the sacrifice of a fairy.”
Alexander and Isabel both shook their heads in unison. “No, we’ll leave immediately,” Alexander said. “It will follow us. Phane sent it to kill me. If I’m gone, it will leave you alone.” He turned to his friends. “Make ready at once.”
Ilona buzzed up to him. “There may be another way. If you leave, it will hunt you and you cannot outrun it. Eventually you will be forced to face it and then you will die.”
Chloe spun into a ball of light at the mention of Alexander’s death. “I will not let that happen, My Love.”
Ilona continued as if Chloe hadn’t spoken. “With my help and guidance, Master Alabrand can create a potion that will send the scourgling back to the netherworld.”
Lucky stepped up with his bag over his shoulder. “Tell me what to do,” he said without hesitation. She led him from the banquet hall.
Alexander and his friends prepared to leave. The threat of the scourgling brought the reality of his duty slamming back into the forefront of his awareness. He had accomplished his goal for coming to the Pinnacles and now it was time to go. He still had a great distance to travel and time was running out.
They stood near the crevice that led out of the valley, waiting for Lucky and Ilona. Chloe spun into a ball of light every few minutes out of nervousness and fear.
“I will face the scourgling, My Love, and send it away if all else fails,” she said.
“No! You will not risk yourself against that demon, no matter the danger to me,” Alexander said. “I mean it, Chloe.” She spun into a ball of light. He turned to the rest of his friends. “That goes for the rest of you as well. If it comes to it, I’ll face that thing alone.”
“You heard Kelvin,” Anatoly said, “the Thinblade won’t work against it. You don’t stand a chance.”
“Neither do you,” Alexander said, “any of you. Look, if we end up fighting that thing, we’re going to lose. It was sent to kill me. I won’t have it killing any of you just to get to me.”
Abigail pointed up toward the top of the cliffs across the valley and called out, “Look!”
All eyes turned to where she pointed and saw the dark silhouette of the scourgling only a moment before it leapt off the edge and plummeted to the ground. It crashed into the forest not a mile away with a loud thud that reverberated off the stone walls of the valley.
“Chloe, go warn your mother and the rest of the fairies,” Alexander said. “Tell them not to engage that thing, just avoid it. The rest of you get into the crevice. I doubt the scourgling can fit in there.”
Chloe darted up and kissed Alexander on the cheek. “If you die, I die. Preserve me, My Love,” she said before she spun into a ball of light and disappeared.
“What are you going to do?” Isabel asked.
“I’ll wait for Lucky or the scourgling, whichever gets here first . . .”
Before he could finish his sentence, the scourgling emerged from the forest at a dead run, its huge glistening black form moving with frightening speed in long loping strides. It spotted Alexander and adjusted course to charge straight for him.
He pushed Isabel into the gap in the stone cliff and followed her in. Not ten steps inside, he heard an impossibly loud crashing noise as the scourgling smashed into the stone with tremendous force. Alexander spun in the tight quarters and drew his sword. The scourgling was stuck in the entrance of the crevice, clawing its way in deeper and closer. It raked the stone walls with its iron-hard claws, scoring it deeply with each stroke and tearing the face of the stone away to clatter against the ground as gravel. Slowly it started working its way toward him.
An arrow whizzed over his shoulder and shattered against the demon’s empty eye socket. Alexander looked back at Abigail.
She shrugged. “Had to try,” she said before moving deeper into the crevice.
They backed up and got some distance from the demon when it suddenly stopped clawing its way forward, withdrew to the opening of the crevice and started climbing up the side of the cliff toward the top. Its claws left angry-looking gouges in the sheer rock face and rained chips of stone down on the valley floor.
Alexander saw Lucky come into the clearing with Ilona and Chloe. Lucky held up a glass vial to show Alexander that he had a weapon to use against the beast.
As Alexander watched the beast climb, he tried to decide on a strategy. If he tried to get to Lucky, the beast would drop down on top of him. If he went through the crevice, the scourgling would be there to face him on the other side; he also risked coming to a wide space in the crevice that the scourgling could fit into. He decided to face it sooner rather than later. At least if the potion failed, he would have the cover of the crevice to take refuge in while he came up with another plan.
He reached out for Chloe with his mind.
“I’m here, My Love.”
It was a new sensation to be bonded with another. It would take some getting used to. He projected his thoughts to her. “Tell Lucky to be ready, I’m going to lure the scourgling back to the ground.”
“Be safe,” she said.
Lucky began to approach cautiously with both Ilona and Chloe floating above his head. Alexander started moving slowly toward the opening, all the while looking up at the beast as it continued to climb. Once Alexander came within six feet of the entrance to the crevice, the scourgling abruptly dropped from the cliff face and came crashing to the ground not twelve feet in front of him. It leapt out of the hole it had created in the meadow with such speed and force that it wedged itself into the crevice, swiping at Alexander with one giant clawed hand.
He stumbled backward and lost his balance, which saved him; the claws of the beast came within inches of his face. He regained his feet quickly and slashed in an upward motion at the next sw
ipe of the beast’s giant hand. The Thinblade struck with force but didn’t even scratch the glistening black surface of its hand.
Alexander withdrew farther to be sure he was out of reach. Then Lucky was there behind the beast. He heaved a glass vial filled with a dark liquid; it shattered against the monster’s back.
Nothing happened.
Alexander waited for a moment, holding his breath. Still nothing happened. The demon swiped at him again and then backed out of the crevice. Lucky retreated toward the edge of the forest, safely out of reach of the single-minded netherworld beast.
Just when Alexander decided that the potion had failed, the scourgling stopped suddenly, frozen in place. Abruptly, the surface of its glistening black skin started burning away. The bright white leading edge of the flame spread over every inch of its eight-foot-tall frame. It happened quickly—in less than a second, the entire creature was nothing but a cloud of black smoke without substance or form.
The smoke began to swirl like water flowing down a drain. For several seconds it flowed into the ground, and then it was gone. A moment later there was a thunderous, otherworldly clap of noise that stunned Alexander and left him a bit shaken. Loose rocks clattered to the ground from the walls of the crevice in the aftermath of the scourgling’s banishing.
Alexander emerged into the valley, followed by his friends.
Marla stepped up next to him. “You have terrifying enemies, Alexander. Those who envy you your crown have no idea what you face on their behalf.”
“Indeed,” Ilona said. “It has been two thousand years since such a beast was loosed on the world. Know this, Alexander, if you fail to prevent the Nether Gate from being opened, creatures like that will roam the world freely.”
Alexander took a deep breath. As if Phane wasn’t bad enough, he had the threat of the whole netherworld invading the world of the living to contend with as well.
“Ilona, I know you’re opposed to taking sides in this war, but I urge you to reconsider. I’m one man. I can’t fight this war alone. Your help and guidance would be invaluable.”
