Ascension Discovery

by Amy Proebstel

  Debbon left the office and asked the head maid to gather all of the staff for an immediate meeting. Within ten minutes every employee lined up in the grand foyer wondering what had transpired to bring the Elder back home without warning.

  “We have a serious situation on our hands, and I’m going to need everybody’s cooperation. Chelesa has notified me there have been threats made against our family which can no longer be ignored. We have decided to take drastic measures to ensure everyone’s safety. Before midnight both of the children will be sent to a safe house. We will not be disclosing their location for obvious reasons. Furthermore, Chelesa will be returning with me to Durseni where she will be enrolled in the wise-woman training for this anon.”

  Several of the staff were clearly stunned at the suddenness of the Elder’s plans. They promptly glanced at one another nervously as they comprehended the danger must have been much greater than Chelesa had led them to believe if the Elder were willing to break up the family.

  The head maid, Crysta, asked, “What can we do to help, Elder Debbon?”

  Debbon was once again grateful to see how flexible his staff could be and simply replied, “Keep all visitors out of the house. Cancel all engagements planned for Chelesa or the children. Ask Chelesa what she needs help with and do it immediately. She’s already upset enough and probably about ready to break with the stress. Don’t take anything she says tonight personally, she’s not thinking straight right now. That is all for now.”

  Each of the staff looked over at the head maid for their next assignment, and Debbon was pleased to see how efficiently she delegated tasks to each person. Within moments the foyer was empty of everyone except for Crysta. “Are there any special instructions for me, Debbon?”

  Debbon felt an easy friendship with Crysta and was thankful she was in charge of all of the details. She had worked for his family for over twenty anons, and he knew she could be trusted implicitly. He gestured for her to follow him into the office and he shut the door behind her. “I’m sending the children to Earth. I know it’s extreme, but it’s the only place I could think of where they would be out of the reach of the hoodlums threatening us here on Tuala.”

  Crysta hid her shock quite well as she just nodded her head in agreement. “How long do you think they’ll be gone?”

  “I just don’t know, and that’s what kills me! Hopefully, it’ll only be a couple of mesans, but it could take up to an anon to get this mess taken care of after I’m done training this blasted class!” The more he thought about this situation, the angrier he became. He had not wanted to lose a moment more than he had to of training time with Jena, and now this!

  “I’ll go check on the children and see what Chelesa needs.”

  Debbon watched her leave the room quietly and wished he were in his own office so he could throw something. He had not resorted to physical violence since he was a teenager, yet he could feel the desire creeping up on him. To calm himself he performed the exercise of tracing his life-line and linking directly with the elemy. When he felt the connection, he knew he had the power to do anything. Somehow it was enough to know he could do anything, yet keep himself restrained. After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he felt centered again, ready to take on the world.

  He left the office and ascended the stairs. Debbon wanted to spend as much time with the children as he could before he sent them away for an indefinite amount of time. He wracked his brain trying to think of how they could create a link between themselves and the children which would work well across the veil. Debbon cursed the situation knowing he had been forced to such drastic measures without adequate time to make the perfect arrangements. The plan had to be enacted tonight, or the ‘enemy’ would have a chance of finding out their strategy.

  Tuala had always been a peaceful place to live. This threat created a tension which was unknown to his family. Debbon’s steps were heavy on the stairs. His children were the innocent victims in this mess. How were the children supposed to understand why these changes were being made so fast? Debbon hoped they would not be permanently scarred by the experience.

  Debbon stood in the doorway of the children’s playroom and watched as Chelesa picked out toys for the children to take with them. Both Willian and Jena were watching their mother with concerned expressions on their faces. Chelesa had obviously been crying, but she was trying to put on the bravest face for her children, but it looked like it did not fit too well. The children were clearly not convinced either. He walked into the room and announced, “Daddy’s home!”

  As expected, the children ran squealing over to Debbon. He scooped them both up into his arms and announced, “You two are going on an adventure tonight!”

  “Where are we all going?” Willian asked seriously.

  “This is something only children can do,” Debbon made up on the spot, “Willian, protect Jena since you are older. We are going to take you to a special place where you will be going to another place to live for a while.”

  Willian’s brows furrowed low over his eyes. This was not sounding like an adventure, it sounded like a punishment, and he did not like it.

  “You two are not in trouble, Willian, so don’t scowl like that. Mommy’s going to come to school with me, and you two are going to learn some new things in another house for a while.”

  “How long?” Willian demanded.

  “We’re not sure. Wise-woman classes can take several mesans.” Debbon was trying to keep his tone light since his son was noticeably not buying his cheerful act. Jena was just looking back and forth between her father and brother with a concerned expression.

  “Why do we have to leave tonight?”

  “So your mother won’t get any further behind in class. We started at the beginning of last week, so she’s already missed several days of important training. She has to catch up.”

  Chelesa had heard enough and stalked out of the room to gather clothing for the children in their bedrooms. She went first to her son’s room and angrily shoved clothing into his small bag. Moments later she crossed the hallway and performed the same task in Jena’s room. As she came out of Jena’s room she saw Debbon walking slowly toward her from the playroom, still carrying both of their children. In a forced cheerful tone, Chelesa announced, “I’ve finished packing for them.”

  Debbon nodded and said to the kids lightheartedly, “Let’s go down to the living room and play for a bit. I’ve missed you two!” He turned toward the stairs and hoped Chelesa would follow soon.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Shemalla was shocked to hear the request Elder Vargen was making of her. She had never heard of anybody being sent to Earth for protection, let alone two children. One thing was certain; the children could not stay with her which meant she was going to have to make other arrangements immediately. Wracking her brain for some solution, she realized she still had to call Chris and Diane for their regular monthly update.

  She picked up the phone to make the call when the idea struck her that these two children might be the perfect distraction for Diane. Since the Covington family already knew about Tuala, there would be no need for explaining why the children might be able to do odd things. This had to work since she did not have any other options. With the desired outcome in mind, she dialed the number.

  Diane picked up the phone on the second ring, “Hello?”

  “Hi, Diane, it’s Shemalla.”

  “Is there any news?”

  “Nothing from Amanda, but I do have an interesting problem with which you might be able to help me out.”

  Diane was intrigued since Shemalla had never asked anything of them in the two years they had been working with her. “What do you need?”

  “Elder Vargen just told me there are two children from Tuala who are in need of protection. He is sending them to Earth and has asked me to find parental guardians for them. Do you think you and Chris could watch them until it’s safe for them to return home?”

  “Wow, that’s different
! Let me ask Chris, just one moment.” She set the phone down and left the room.

  Shemalla could hear their muffled, yet animated, conversation in the background.

  Diane returned to the call and breathlessly said, “We can do it! When will we get them? How old are they? Are they boys, girls, one of each?”

  Shemalla laughed at how eager Diane seemed and answered, “One of each. The boy is approximately four years old; the girl is almost two. Once the children arrive, I’ll bring them to Florida by tomorrow.”

  “So soon? Wow, okay! What are their names?”

  “The boy is Willian and the girl, now don’t get excited Diane, her name is Jena. It’s a pretty common name, and this brother and sister are both children of Elder Debbon and his wife, Chelesa.”

  Diane felt her heart skip a beat when she heard the name and was glad Shemalla had forewarned her of the coincidence. “Okay, I’ll have everything ready. This house has seemed so big since all of our kids grew up and left. I’m so glad we didn’t downsize now! What exactly is the story about these kids? Are they okay?”

  “I don’t really know. I’ve never heard of an Elder having to go to such drastic measures to keep his family safe so it must be pretty bad. Hopefully, the children don’t know anything about the danger.”

  “I hope so too, but I’ll be gentle with them just in case. I’m sure they’ll be scared enough as it is being taken away from their home so abruptly.”

  “You’re probably right. Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Shemalla.”

  “No, thank you, Diane. You’re doing me a huge favor!”

  Chapter Seventeen

  JUILA KNEW SOMETHING was wrong with Jena. The thoughts she had been receiving were both scared and confused, but it did not make sense because Juila could see she was with her family. She tried her best to comfort her other self as best she could, but nothing seemed to be helping. Even though exhaustion had set in, Juila would remain awake as long as Jena.

  Amanda was at her wit’s end as to what could keep Juila from going to sleep. She had always been such a good girl with bedtime. Tonight something was obviously bothering Juila, but she refused to talk about it with her mother. Finally, Amanda rested on her own bed and had Juila snuggled down next to her in hopes she would finally tire and could be put into her own bed.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Midnight rapidly approached, and Debbon was getting ready to translate his family over to Elder Vargen’s Gate directly. He was not about to take any chances with public transportation; everything was going to happen with their own power in their own home. He held Jena in his left arm, and Chelesa held Willian in her left arm. They both had a small satchel slung over their other shoulder containing their children’s clothes and toys which would be their only comfort from home while they were on Earth. Husband and wife faced one another in his office moving together until their whole bodies were touching with the children sandwiched in between them. Debbon put his arm around his wife as he felt her do the same to himself.

  They both nodded their readiness when they felt the elemy rise to enfold them all. Debbon could sense Jena’s curious touch and hoped she would not learn how this was done until she was older. Knowing her penchant for anticipating his action, he decided to speedily perform the transfer before she could get any more ideas.

  Abruptly they arrived at Elder Vargen’s Gate.

  Debbon glanced around and saw Vargen hovering near the entrance to the room they now occupied. “Is everything ready?”

  “Yes, First. Leave the children where they are and quickly exit the room so they can be transferred immediately.”

  Debbon set Jena down as Chelesa did the same with her son, both placing the satchels onto the children’s backs. As they knelt on the floor, they said a quick prayer to keep the children safe on their journey. Debbon double-checked the satchel’s straps on Willian’s back, fussing to hide his own doubt about his plan as he spoke to his son seriously, “Please take care of Jena until you come home. Promise?”

  Willian’s lower lip started to tremble even as he nodded his head and reached over to hold Jena’s hand.

  “We’ll see you soon, don’t cry. We love you both! You’re going to go through this Gate and begin an adventure. When everything’s ready, we’ll bring you home.” They stood up and swiftly walked away from their children. Debbon held onto Chelesa’s elbow to keep her from rushing back to the kids. It took all of Debbon’s reserve to prevent himself from doing the same. They passed Elder Vargen in the doorway and heard a whooshing sound just before a bright light lit up the corridor.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Right at midnight, Juila started screaming uncontrollably causing Amanda to look and see if anything was physically wrong with her daughter. She could find nothing! Suddenly a horrible thought occurred to her and she had to ask, “Juila, did something happen to Jena?”

  Juila continued to cry, but she heard what her mother had asked. She finally had enough breath to answer, “She’s gone. I can’t feel her anymore.”

  Amanda’s heart seemed to stop and she found it almost impossible to breathe with her daughter’s simple, yet profound, statement. Only one scenario came to mind which could possibly sever the bond the two girls had shared, yet it was something she never wanted to contemplate facing. She held Juila close to her chest, sobbing in agony with her remaining daughter.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Jena would have been scared had she not been so intrigued by the power she had felt in the Gate. She wished Willian would stop squeezing her hand so hard. The brightness diminished and the children saw a woman coming toward them. She knelt down in front of them and smiled.

  “You must be Willian and Jena. My name’s Shemalla. It’s time to begin your adventure.” She looked from one set of big eyes to the other and finally took the little girl’s free hand and stood up. “Let’s get going. I’m sure you’re both very tired.”

  She took them to her car where she tried to take the bags from the children. Willian clung to his with all of his strength, not wanting to relinquish his duty to take care of the two of them. “No, it’s my responsibility to watch these!”

  “As you wish,” she easily replied as she proceeded to buckle them into the back seat. Shemalla imagined the boy probably liked to feel the last connection he had with his parents by maintaining contact with the bag. She walked around the car and got behind the steering wheel. “There’re going to be a lot of things which’ll seem unusual at first. Feel free to ask me any questions if you want.” She started the engine and began driving them to the airport. Their flight was leaving in less than an hour, so she was going to have to hurry.

  The drive was relatively short, but Willian could not keep himself from asking, “What kind of telepod is this?”

  “This isn’t a telepod, honey. This is what we call a car. In this part of the world, we don’t have any telepods, just cars.”

  “That’s not true, lady. Telepods are everywhere on Tuala!”

  “True, but we are no longer on Tuala. We are now on Earth. We don’t have telepods anywhere on Earth.”

  “Where’s Earth?”

  “It’s hard to explain, but let’s just say it’s the same place where you were, but once you went through the bright light at the Gate it made it different.”

  Willian did not have any question to refute her strange statement, so he asked, “Where are we going?”

  “We are going to take a ride in an airplane, which is sort of like a telepod but much slower, and I’m going to take you to some people who are going to care for you until you can go back home.”

  Willian was relieved to hear this woman knew they were going to return home. He had been worried his father had lied to him and they were being sent away forever. He looked over at Jena and could see tears forming on her lower eyelashes. “It’s okay, Jena. I’m going to keep you safe.”

  Jena’s tears streamed down her cheeks, and she whispered, “I can’t hear my other se
lf anymore. She’s gone!”

  Willian had no idea how to reply to her bizarre declaration, so he turned to look out the side window and let her cry in peace.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Diane was a nervous wreck as Chris and she waited for Shemalla to call and say they were safely landed. Shemalla had explained how the children would be exhausted and need to go to bed right away, so she fussed with their bedding until Chris made her stop. “Maybe something went wrong. Why hasn’t she called yet? Should we go down to the airport to wait for them?”

  “I’m sure everything is fine, they probably haven’t landed yet. If we go to the airport, then we won’t be here to get her call. Please sit down.”

  The last thing she wanted to do was sit down, but she could see her husband was just as nervous, so she sat down next to him and held his hand. He squeezed it while they smiled at one another. Never had they imagined they would be taking in two children and yet here they were doing just that. Not just any children either, these were kids from where their daughter’s adventure had begun. This would be perfect practice for when Amanda brought their grandchildren home.

  The phone rang, and Diane jumped up as though she had been spring loaded. She picked up the receiver before the first ring was finished and said, “Hello?”

  “Hey, this is Shemalla. We’ve arrived safely, and I think we’ll just grab a cab to your house. These two are exhausted, and I think it would be faster.”

  “Okay, do you have our address?”

  “Yes. We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Diane turned to her husband as she hung up the phone and said, “They’re taking a cab. Oh, Chris, they’re going to be here in twenty minutes. Do you think we have everything ready?”