“It sure sounds like a whopper of a tale on the other kid’s part. What made you think he would actually go through with it?” Alena asked humorously.
“We didn’t,” Bryon insisted, “we just thought we’d meet the next night and tease him for having made up the whole thing.”
“So what happened next?” Alena demanded.
“We all arrived except Lindon. We thought for sure he wasn’t going to show up, but, just as we were getting ready to leave, he arrived pale as a ghost and dripping with sweat. He was obviously scared, and naturally we were all madly curious as to what had happened.
“He simply stated if we wanted proof then one of us was going to have to accompany him on the journey. There was considerable debate among us as to who that person would be. Eventually, we ended up drawing straws, and I got the short one. Once we agreed it would be me to go, he turned around without saying a word and started walking away.
“We looked at one another, shrugged our shoulders, and silently followed him. The direction he traveled was not back toward town but deeper into the wilderness. Never had we ventured this far from home and the adventure seemed to get better even if we didn’t know how it would end.
“After several gania, we finally arrived at a rocky outcropping. Lindon didn’t stop at the base like we thought he would. Instead, he ducked into a cave opening which we had not seen before. We all started to go in after him, but he turned around and said, ‘No, only Bryon can enter.’ So now I was to go in alone with him, and I started to break out into a cold sweat.”
“Bryon, I know that cave! It’s where I came back!” Amanda could hardly contain her excitement. “Was there a swirl carving above the entrance?”
“Yes, there was. I didn’t notice it when I went in, but the other boys had plenty of time to poke around and investigate while we were inside and they told me about it several days later.”
“So what happened next?” Alena asked breathlessly.
“We walked for quite a while in a tunnel and then turned a corner. Lindon had created a sphere of light to see by so we weren’t left in the dark. Once we went around the last corner, there was a curved space with a depression in the ground. There weren’t any other places to go in the cave except where we ended up. Lindon stepped down into the depression and gestured for me to do likewise.
“Once I stepped beside him I turned around to see if anything had happened. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around me from behind and spoke two words before everything changed.”
“What did he say?” Alena could barely contain herself as she grabbed his leg and leaned forward eagerly.
“I’m not allowed to say,” Bryon replied as he smiled down at his wife’s eager expression.
“I already know what he said, Bryon, if that’s the problem. I had to say something similar to get here and will have to repeat what he said to get back. I’ve already used the Gate, remember?” She recalled the map she had in her bedroom and jumped up to get it as proof.
Alena and Bryon exchanged confused looks as they wondered what had gotten into Amanda so suddenly. The mystery was solved when Amanda returned only moments later clutching a scrap of paper.
“Let me show this to just Bryon first,” Amanda requested as she gestured for him to get up to view her document.
Bryon was intrigued and rose from the couch hastily. He took the two steps to be in front of her and looked down to where she was pointing on the page.
“Well, I guess it would be okay to tell seeing as you’ve already done it.” He turned and looked down at his wife and said, “Lindon said, ‘Outside Ascension.’”
“That’s it? It doesn’t even make sense!” Alena seemed disappointed it was not something more meaningful. She hated being left out of anything so she asked, “Can I see what you’re both looking at?”
“Sure, this is the map I had with me when I got here to remind myself of how to get home safely.” She handed the paper to Alena and returned to her seat across from them. Amanda watched as Bryon sat back down next to his wife and they both looked over her document with a sense of wonder on their faces.
“Does this mean you plan to return to Earth with the girls once we’ve found Jena?” Alena had a sense of dread building up in the pit of her stomach. If Amanda took the girls home, then she would never get to see them grow up. For some reason, she was even more upset with the idea they would not get to learn to use the elemy as was their birthright.
Bryon could see the question had upset both of the women, so he interrupted the tense silence by asking, “Don’t you want to hear about what happened to me on Earth?”
“Just a minute, Bryon,” Alena dismissed him offhandedly as she continued to stare at the woman she considered a friend. “Amanda, are you?”
Amanda looked beseechingly at Alena. She hated deceiving her in any way, and she honestly did not know if it would be possible or even wise to attempt to take the girls through the Gate. She shook her head slightly and spoke quietly, “I really don’t know, Alena. When I first remembered my girls were here in Tuala, my first thought was to bring them home. But after I spoke with Shemalla about their crystal assignments, I just don’t know if it would be safe to attempt it.”
Alena shook her head in confusion and asked, “What are you talking about, Amanda?”
“Think about it, Alena. Both girls have dark birth crystals. Could it be because I might put them in danger by trying to take them out of Tuala through a Gate? Am I their danger or is it something else? You saw into both of their futures, were they living here or on Earth?”
“You know I can’t talk about anything I saw.” She mentally reviewed the images she had witnessed during the first crystal ceremony she had ever performed. It was unlikely she would ever forget the vivid and confusing pictures outlining the girls’ lives. There had been so many people who would influence their lives, some of them Alena had even recognized which had been a comfort at the time; now she was less certain. She finally replied to Amanda, “I’ll have to concentrate on what I remember, and if I can be any help in making the decision about whether you stay or go, I will do my best.”
Amanda had to be content with Alena’s answer as it was the best she could hope for at the time. She wished she could find a way to stay and also have her family get to know her children at the same time. She felt such a connection to these people and their way of life. Because she and Juila were learning how to access the elemy, she was even more drawn to staying and seeing what they could each accomplish with its power.
Alena turned back to her husband and asked, “Since I don’t have a definitive answer for Amanda, why don’t you tell us about your adventure, honey?”
Bryon eagerly jumped at the opportunity to change the subject as he could tell his wife was upset about the idea of Amanda leaving with her little girls. Alena had become attached to Juila over the past two anons as though she were her own child. It was going to be a sad time around their house if Amanda did decide to leave.
“Okay, where was I? Oh yes, we had just stepped down, and the phrase was said to get us through the Gate. I felt a tremendous amount of elemy coursing through my body, more than I had ever experienced before or since. Just when I thought the energy was too much to bear, it disappeared along with everything else around us. The next thing I knew I was waking up in a different location from where we began.
“I don’t know how long we were unconscious, but I imagine it was some time since it was dark outside. Once again we used an elemy sphere to light our way from an apparently man-made structure.”
“That’s an ancient Mayan pyramid in Campeche, Mexico,” Amanda declared, glad she was able to supply some information to his tale.
“I’d always wondered what the history was regarding the structure. It was pretty massive and definitely didn’t look natural or anything like the cave we had entered in Tuala. Anyway, we walked out of the building and down a set of massive steps. We didn’t really have any plan put together once we used the
Gate, so we just sat down on the last step and looked at one another in wonder.
“I remember asking Lindon what we were supposed to do. I was always told we had to do something verifiable, but at that moment I couldn’t think of anything which would be more remarkable than simply being on Earth.
“We decided to go for a walk to see if we could find anything to bring back as proof of our success. I had expressed a concern about not being able to find the Gate in the dark when Lindon reminded me he had mastered the navigation level of his training, so I no longer had any reason to stay put.
“I think we probably only took two steps before several men came running up to us and knelt on the ground just in front of our feet. There wasn’t any time to extinguish the elemy sphere, so Lindon opted to keep it lit. He looked at me in confusion, and I glanced back at him and shrugged. Lindon asked the men what they were doing.
“There were a few minutes of difficulty as they didn’t appear to speak the same language as us. We knew for sure, at that point, we weren’t in Tuala since there’s only one language in the whole world. Suddenly one of the men jumped up and ran away. We weren’t sure just what to think about his startling behavior until he came back practically dragging a woman with him.”
“‘Can you understand me?’ The woman looked up at us expectantly. When we nodded, she continued, ‘We’ve been waiting.’
“‘I don’t understand. We just decided to come,’ I spoke back to her as Lindon seemed disinclined to speak at all.
“‘We’ve been waiting two hundred years.’
“‘You can’t be that old!’
“‘Not us, but our people. We are watchers. We have been watching for someone to come back to us, and now you are here. Come, we want to share a meal and give you a gift.’
“Lindon and I once again regarded at one another. We had said we wanted to bring back verification; maybe their gift would be sufficient proof. Both of us nodded agreement. The men who were still kneeling at our feet stood up and smiled when the woman told them in their language we would come with them.
“The distance was relatively short as it was a straight line from the entrance of the pyramid. We didn’t even see it until someone opened the curtain at the entrance and the light from inside poured out enough to light the rest of the path ahead of us; at that point Lindon let the sphere of light dissipate back into the earth.
“Several of the men entered the building and lined the entryway. By nodding and smiling, they encouraged us to continue into the shelter following the woman who had spoken with us. While we were slightly scared about what awaited us, we were also thinking about what we would tell our friends when we returned home. This would definitely be a story to remember.
“The woman came to a stop in front of us, and she turned around and told us to be seated. There were several low chairs placed in front of a fireplace, and we picked the two which were side-by-side. The woman gestured for someone to bring us refreshments, and we were soon served a slightly fermented juice which she told us was made from guava.”
“‘My name is Maria. Is there a message for us?’
“We didn’t know what she wanted us to say. I finally spoke, ‘Tell me about the last visitors.’
“‘There has only been one. She called herself Lillia and she left us with something which she instructed should be given to the next visitors. We have kept the crystal in our family line over the generations and have diligently waited for another visitor. As we told you before, it has been two hundred years. Since you have come, we will give you the crystal. We will be relieved to have someone finally take responsibility for the gift. When you see it, you will know what we are talking about.’
“Obviously we had no idea what she was speaking of, but we nodded our heads like fools. She continued to chatter about what had happened to their family while they were waiting for someone else to come through the Gate. We were surprised to find out they knew a Gate existed. When I asked her about it, she told me the location had been a sacred site to her people for thousands of years. She said her people had built the temple around the Gate to show its importance and to protect people from accidentally stumbling into it.
“That part of her story actually made sense even though the Gate wasn’t secured or warded in any way in Tuala. We knew there were more powerful Gates which were guarded by the Elders. This was obviously a lesser Gate to be left utterly alone.
“The family served us a meal of corn patties filled with shredded meat, rice, and a tomato-based sauce. They had platters of fruit which they passed around. We were both curious and hungry, as young men usually are, and we ate happily with the family. After the meal was finished, several of the people picked up instruments and played songs about their history as Maria translated the words for us.
“When the music ended I asked Maria how they knew we were the visitors they sought.
“Maria smiled and pointed to Lindon and said, ‘He had a ball of light in his hands the same as Lillia did. She said it was special and all future visitors would be able to do it. Your clothing is similar to hers as well. We knew you were the ones.’
“I tried to think of something profound to tell her which would make it seem worth the wait, but I couldn’t think of anything, so I just nodded my head. I kept thinking the name Lillia should mean something to me, but again I was at a loss.
“My stomach was full, and we were in seated in comfortable chairs with the warmth of the fire lulling us, I noticed my eyelids were feeling heavy, and I was afraid I was soon going to be asleep. I looked over at Lindon and could see he was experiencing the same predicament as myself, so I decided we should probably conclude this visit and return to the Gate.
“‘We really need to be getting back. Thanks for your hospitality.’ I stood up, and Lindon mirrored my movement right after me. Maria looked alarmed and said, ‘Let us get the gift, you can’t leave without it; Lillia was very insistent.’
“She left the room and returned within moments. She carried in her hands a wrapped bundle which she carefully held away from her body. Maria stopped in front of Lindon and said, ‘You were the one to hold the light in your hands, I give this into your safe keeping.’
“Lindon took the gift from her, and I could see his expression change as he noticed something was wrong with his new acquisition. He told me later he didn’t want to make a scene and he just wanted to get back to Tuala. Lindon nodded solemnly and immediately turned around to leave. I hurriedly thanked the family for the food and drink and rushed out the exit to catch up to my only link home. He, once again, had a sphere of light in front of him as he strode toward the pyramid.
“‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, but he shook his head slightly and continued to stare straight ahead. We ascended the tall steps of the pyramid and entered the passageway to the Gate. I was bursting with curiosity regarding the crystal in his hands, but I could tell I would get nothing out of him until we were back in Tuala.
“We turned left into the tunnel and stepped down into a square depression at the end of the hall. There was a swirl design above our heads on the wall which I remember thinking it seemed familiar. Lindon thrust the crystal into my hands, and then he wrapped his arms around me. He spoke the phrase ‘Inside Ascension’ and once again the energy built up around us and everything went even darker until we could feel nothing.
“I woke up with someone roughly shaking me and crying my name. I didn’t know where I was or who was calling out. I could feel something in my hands, I didn’t remember what it was, yet I could feel the energy pulsing from whatever it was. Finally, I came to my senses and opened my eyes where I saw Stavin looking relieved because I was finally coherent. I remember asking what happened.
“Stavin told me we had been gone for a full day and night. They were scared we were never coming back since they’d never heard of anyone missing for so long. He asked me where we went, but since we never asked the name of the place where we ended up on Earth, I just shrugged.
“‘What’s in your hands?’ Stavin asked.
“I looked down and recollected what Maria had said it was and told him, ‘It’s just a crystal a woman named Maria gave to us from Earth. She said we were meant to have it and to take care of it.’ At that point, I unwrapped the cloth covering and almost dropped it as I realized it was a crystal skull.
“Stavin almost fell over backward in his haste to get as far away from it as possible. ‘That thing’s evil! Get rid of it quick!’
“Lindon spoke up for the first time, startling both of us since we didn’t know he was awake. He said, ‘It’s not evil, but it doesn’t belong in our possession either. It came from this Gate, and I think it should stay here to guard it.’ He looked around for a suitable place before discovering a niche in the rock behind the Gate, almost shoulder height from the ground. He took the skull out of my hands and shuddered continually as his flesh remained in contact with the hard crystal. We could see colored light streaks of power coursing through the skull which, of course, made us all nervous.
“Lindon set the crystal down in the niche and took his hands away. No sooner than he was done, the crystal started to glow a soft blue color and issue a moaning sound. That was the last straw, we all started screaming and ran as fast as we could to get out of the cave. I have no idea what happened to it after that day. All of us made a pact never to return and, as far as I know, none of us ever did.”
“Well somebody must have been there since I didn’t see any skull when I came through!” Amanda said into the silent room. She was still reeling with Bryon’s story. She was most excited about the phrase the two had used to come back to Tuala. Shemalla had waited until the last moment to tell her, knowing she would not remember it once she went through the Gate. It was the only way Shemalla had felt comfortable telling her the activation phrase for the passage. Amanda made a mental note to write down the all-important two words before she went to bed. Somehow she felt a sense of relief to know she could return to Tuala if she had to in the future.
Ascension Discovery Page 64
