They saw Andrei arrive with Angel and watched as they talked about something. Gillian chaffed at the fact that the cameras were not close enough to pick up their words. Eventually, Angel set off in the boat and Andrei returned to the hovercraft.
Gillian watched in anguish as Angel began to row, stopping every few minutes to look around or glance down at her hands. She shook her hands as if they hurt and paused again. Finally she continued rowing. After several of these pauses, she stowed the oars and sat still, her hands resting in her lap.
Mischka zoomed in with one camera.
Gillian’s surprise carried in her whisper. “Tis as I thought. She is asleep.”
“What do you mean?” Tashi asked.
“During my visit to the Gods, Sayenne said that the Gods messages appeared to us as dreams. There is no whirlpool and no other world experience. Merely a series of dreams.”
They continued to watch as Angel slept and the hours passed, until suddenly all camera feeds were lost. As Mischka scrambled to get the feeds back, they came back on their own with a blinding flash of light emanating from the vidphone screen.
A few seconds later, they heard the call from outside. “Tis a light over the lake.”
As they watched, Angel awoke. She was dressed in the white robes of the Cerato. The aura around her shone brightly.
Gillian wiped away her tears and straightened. “Come. Tis time to greet the Cerato.” Tashi stepped outside while she quickly donned the cream colored robe of an Elder and the trio left the building to join the others.
The entire populace flocked to the end of the village nearest the lake. Gillian and Mischka maneuvered through the crowd to the apex of the lines forming as everyone eagerly pushed to the front to see the new Cerato. Soon the shining light could be seen cresting the hill, moving rapidly towards the ever increasing crowd. Gillian could see Angel striding rapidly towards the village.
Chapter 4
Angel in Heaven
Angel rowed the boat toward the center of the lake with ease. She had been in the boat many times since early childhood and knew how to handle the craft. “Grandma always said that she felt like she had rowed for hours,” she mused as she rowed. She was less than halfway to the center when she realized that her arms were sore and her hands hurt. “I’ve never hurt so soon from rowing before now,” she thought. The more she rowed, the more tired she became. She paused to look at the blisters on her hands. “I’ve never had blisters before either. Tis strange. Grandma spoke of the blisters, but that was part of her dream, not mine.” She started rowing again as she continued to remember every detail about Gillian’s experience on the lake.
“Grandma always said that she felt like she had to row to save someone and that, despite the blisters, she had to continue. But that was never part of my dream either. And yet, when she returned from the land of the Gods, she didn’t have any blisters.” She paused in her rowing to shake her hands, trying to ease the pain. “When she returned, she also said that her clothes were dry, her hair was dry, and the boat was dry. Tis making no sense.” Angel picked up the oars and began rowing again, noting that she was in the middle of the lake.
She looked around, expecting the whirlpool to form, but nothing happened. “Where is the whirlpool? How long must I row? And won’t I eventually row past where the whirlpool will open? And why did the boat not tear apart in the whirlpool? The force of the water should shred this boat easily.” Questions without immediate answers flooded her mind, and she again tried to fit the pieces of this puzzle together.
“Grandma was dry and the boat was in one piece. Her hands showed no signs of blisters. Almost as if she never made the trip.” She paused to shake her hands again, looking all around for the whirlpool. She felt as though she had been rowing for hours.
Frustrated, Angel thought of turning back. “Perhaps tis not a true calling. Perhaps the whirlpool will not open for me.” Then she remembered the images in her dreams. “No, the calling is true,” she thought with conviction. “Tis just a puzzle why the whirlpool will not open.”
She began rowing again, the repetitive activity calming her thoughts. “Grandma once mentioned that Sayenne had said the messages of the Gods appeared as dreams to us. What if,” she paused rowing and reanalyzed her thoughts quickly. “What if there is no whirlpool? What if this is all a test? What if the true way to the Gods is to dream?” She began rowing again and thought back over everything Gillian had said and had written in her journal of the lake, over everything that Gillian had told her about what the Gods had said. “Can it really be that simple? That I must go to sleep and dream?”
She stopped rowing. “Tis the only logical conclusion.” She stowed the oars in the bottom of the boat, relaxed in her seat, and folded her aching hands in her lap. “Tis only one way to find out for sure.” Angel cleared her mind and tried to fall asleep.
Suddenly Angel found herself standing in a thick cloud of fog.
“Angelina, so glad you are finally here,” a melodious voice said from behind her.
Angel turned around to find the speaker, instantly recognizing the long blonde hair and somber brown eyes from her grandmother’s description. “You must be Sayenne.”
“Aiy. Your Grandmother has told you many things. But she had not told you everything.” Sayenne motioned for her to follow. “But twill change soon. Come, tis time for you to meet the others.” Sayenne was as graceful and tall as Gillian had described her. Her thick braid of bright blond hair just swept above the ground as she walked.
“Then I was right. The lake tis merely a test.”
“Aiy, tis a test. Each Cerato has a different test to pass, dependent upon the struggle ahead.”
“What was my test?”
“To piece together the solution from small clues spread over the many years of your life.”
Angel nodded thoughtfully. “What was my grandmother’s test?”
“To believe in herself.”
Angel fell silent and followed Sayenne quietly through the myriad of ethereal corridors to the large dining hall. People passed them as they walked, each hurrying to somewhere else. Other people were gathered in the side hallways in small groups, their discussions barely above a whisper. Fog rolled through the various corridors, obscuring some such that the end was not in view. Sayenne indicated for Angel to sit down in the chair in the middle of one side of the long table shrouded in fog.
“What do you wish to know?” Sayenne asked.
“Do you know what the coming struggle will be?”
“Aiy. War.”
“War?! Are you sure?” As Sayenne nodded, Angel continued. “Then why me? Why not my grandmother who is much wiser about such things?”
“Because you are the right person for this task.”
Incredulous, Angel simply stared at her for a second. “How do you know this?”
Sayenne’s smile held all the mirth of a parent telling a secret to a child. “Some battles are not won with wisdom. Some are won with innocence, youth, and beauty. The battles that you must soon face will not require worldly knowledge as much as they will require energy and strength that only the young possess.”
“Then why not my mother or anyone else for that matter? Why me?”
“As cautious as your grandmother,” Sayenne said with a laugh. “One trait that you possess over most others in the universe is your almost perfect memory. Twill serve you well in the months to come. Without that and without the common sense to use those small details to puzzle through the problem to a logical conclusion, you would not have passed the test. Twill be those details that will be desperately needed in the months ahead.”
The fog began to roll away, revealing the long dining table. Several people occupied the chairs on either side of the table. Angel glanced down the long table in both directions. “Tis all of the past Ceratos?”
“Aiy. In a little while, those who desire to talk to you will finish eating. We will join them in the Meeting Hall. But first we will answer your questions.”
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Angel began asking the questions she and Gillian had prepared days ago. She repeated each answer to ensure that she would remember it later.
When she had run out of questions, Sayenne led her to the Meeting Hall. The three Ceratos who had fought battles introduced themselves and began to tell of their wars. Battle tactics and strategies were discussed until Angel asked for a break. Sayenne stayed throughout the discussion, remaining silent.
“Sorry, but I’m not sure that I can concentrate anymore.”
Sayenne led her to a sleeping chamber. “I will wake you in a little while.”
Angel fell into a dreamless sleep. All too soon, Sayenne woke her and led her back to the Meeting Hall where the discussions began again. Sayenne told of how she avoided a war by being clever. After a second sleep break, the discussions continued until the last General finished his tale.
“You will be asked to take part in a great battle. Remember well what we have told you for save you it will.” General Rochaerd started to leave, then paused. “And do not let the graybeards prevent those who wish to fight, for not all of our people are as peaceful as we would wish them to be.”
Sayenne shook her head. “But neither should the people be forced to fight. Always have we been peaceful and against violence.”
“Aiy,” he agreed. “Cooks and teachers make poor soldiers.”
Angel thanked him, then turned to Sayenne. “But what about the coming war? What do you know about that?”
“This war twill not come to the people here. Twill be fought far from here, but if we lose, we may be next. We see a great despair and much fear.” Sayenne explained what little the Gods had discovered of the future. Angel worried that so little was known.
“Tis everything then?”
“Tis one more thing. The oldest ones wish to speak with you.”
“But grandmother said they spoke to no one.”
“Aiy,” Sayenne said as she led Angel to a small group of about thirty people.
No introductions were made as the group looked Angel over. Finally one woman stepped forward. “It is time for us to go home and show them what we have become.”
“Yes,” said a man. “Show them their potential.”
“Show them the error of their ways.”
“To join with our brothers and sisters.”
“It is time.”
They moved off as a group. Sayenne motioned for Angel to follow her.
“What did they mean?” Angel asked.
“I know not. But tis many cyclistas beyond count since they spoke to any of us.” Sayenne led her to a blue door, the vibrant color standing out in this sylvan world. “Tis all of the questions that you have for us?”
Angel smiled at her. “What was your test on the lake?”
“I was always a star gazer, watching the pictures they formed. I had to recognize that the pictures had changed and that the changes meant trouble. My dreams had always shown people running from small fireballs.”
“The meteorite shower,” Angel whispered.
“Aiy. The changes in the stars would show me when the shower would occur so that I could ensure everything was prepared before the shower occurred. My test occurred after nightfall, before I visited the lake. Had I not recognized the changing patterns, significantly more people would have died. And I had a way of organizing things that made the survival and rebuild possible. When I went to the lake, I fell asleep quickly as I was tired from the star gazing.”
“So you were the right person for the task?”
“Aiy. As you are the right person to handle this war. Use what we have told you, remember it well, and trust yourself to think through the pitfalls ahead. Stay clear of the temptations presented to you, for even a moments distraction can cost dearly.” Sayenne smiled. “If you have no more questions, tis time for you to go back.”
“But if tis all a dream, don’t I just need to wake up?”
Sayenne laughed. “Aiy. The door will take you there. Your body tis still in the boat, your mind deeply asleep. Your mind must be triggered to wake up, or you would sleep forever. The door will provide that trigger.”
Angel remembered the trance like state that Mischka had told her Gillian had been in during her long hours of history recital. “Tis understandable.”
“Still the door must close tightly behind you,” Sayenne cautioned.
“Aiy, I remember.”
“I will leave you now. Take care, Angel. For more tis more at stake this time than you realize yet.”
“When will I be told everything?”
“Tis your grandmother’s tale to tell. Very soon she will reveal all.”
Angel nodded. “Danku for everything.”
“Goesh suerte.” Sayenne started to leave, then paused and laughed again. “Do not fear your dreams. Twill be pleasant ones for a while.”
Angel grinned sheepishly. “I forgot that you can read my thoughts.”
Sayenne laughed as she left. Angel waited a minute or so before she opened the door. She stepped through and closed it tightly behind herself.
Angel awoke to the bright midday sun. She looked at her hands. They showed no blisters and did not hurt as they had before. Everything around her was dry. Then she noticed the white Cerato robe that she wore.
Angel sighed with relief and picked up the oars. She rowed to the dock and pulled the boat up, securing it as she normally did before beginning the long walk to the village. Sooner than she ever remembered, she could see the rooftop of the Meeting Hall just above the distant hill. She crested the hill and saw the people gathered at the edge of the village.
As she neared the lines of people, she wondered briefly if the robe and her tale would be enough to convince the Elders that she had visited the Gods.
When she reached the first person in the line of villagers, she slowed to a normal walk, acknowledging those around her. Everyone knelt as she approached. Smiling to hide her nerves, she headed for Gillian and Mischka at the apex of the lines of people.
“Welcome, Cerato. You honor us with your presence,” Gillian said, holding her voice steadier than she felt. “Say something to the people,” she whispered low enough for only Angel to hear.
“Tis I who am honored to be chosen by the Gods to lead our people.” Angel turned to the crowd. “Danku all for the welcome.”
“Come, Cerato. We have much to discuss.” With that Gillian turned and led the way to the Meeting Hall.
Angel fell in step between Gillian and Mischka. The Elders and Apaugallas followed behind. As the late arrivals knelt before her, she acknowledged each of them.
The group arrived at the Meeting Hall and Gillian led the way to the front of the hall. She indicated the Cerato chair in the middle and Angel sat down. Mischka took his place beside her, while Tashi sat on her other side.
As everyone settled into the chairs, Gillian approached Angel. “Cerato, may I have leave to speak?”
“Aiy.”
“I trust that you received answers to all your questions.”
“Aiy, but how do you know I actually visited the Gods?”
Gillian nodded to Mischka, who handed Angel a mirror. At her surprised look, Gillian almost laughed.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Angel felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment.
“I could not. Some things are simply more fun that way.”
“How long will I . . .”
Several coughs and a few giggles were heard before everyone settled back down. Angel’s discomfiture was obvious, convincing the Elders that she truly did not know of the aura.
“Twill last about three weeks, if I remember correctly.” Mischka nodded in agreement, then Gillian continued. “Do the Gods know what is to happen?”
“They said there will be a war.”
Chapter 5
The Past Revealed
The room erupted into many questions and exclamations before Gillian could silence everyone again. “Do they know with who?”
“Not exa
ctly. They did indicate that we will have many allies and that there will be many different planets and races of people involved.”
Gillian nodded thoughtfully. “Before we delve into everything that the Gods told you, first I would like to tell everyone here a story. Twill require the help of a friend of mine.” She crossed to the vidphone. “May I call him?”
Angel nodded, unsure of what her Grandmother was up to. This did not seem like the proper time for another one of her charming stories of Llanelyn’s history. Maybe this was what Sayenne had hinted at.
When Dr. Jason DeWitt appeared on the vidphone, Angel wondered how Uncle Jason fit into all of this. Gillian greeted Jason strangely and he seemed rather sad.
“Tis time,” Gillian said.
Jason simply nodded in understanding.
Gillian turned to those assembled. “Over two thousand years ago, the people on Earth almost destroyed the planet. They tore up the ground and stripped away all the precious natural resources the planet had to offer, leaving only destruction and pollution behind. Many people despised what was happening and several formed groups. The groups built starships and found people willing to leave the planet to settle on other worlds. Seven ships left in seven different directions, the people on board in cryogenic stasis, with enough stored energy to hold the cryo tubes for at least two hundred years.
“The computers on board each ship were programmed to look for any planet that would sustain human life and was not densely populated. If no such planet was found by the time the cryo tubes were out of energy, the ship would revive the people and they would continue searching. If a planet was found, the ship would revive only the essential people until they made a decision to stay or continue searching.”
Gillian walked across the room to a small table where three stacks of books laid. “Those that stayed behind monitored the ships as long as they could, but they eventually lost contact with the ships. No one ever heard from anyone on those seven ships again. They were termed the Seven Lost Colonies.”
She looked around the room and saw many who looked bored. She knew that would not last long. “Almost nine hundred years ago, the first record of life on this planet was found. Common records tell about all the years since the Great Cataclysm of 240. However, few know of the years before the Great Cataclysm.” Gillian picked up a book, lovingly caressing it as she continued. “During my tenure as Cerato, I investigated those 240 years, trying to glean from every book and computer record any shred of what the people here were like before the Great Cataclysm. This book is the oldest known book in existence. I found it in the storage rooms of the library in Analisse, though the librarian was loath to let me handle it at first. Yet, since he could not read it, he let me look.
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