“At that time, we had already accidentally discovered three of the samaras. Since then, another seven of the samaras have been found and claimed by their rightful owners. This means there are only three samaras still unaccounted for at this point.
“Today, the second paragraph on the paper appeared in the same book, which was why I came to see Rasa. She was at Jehoban’s meeting, and she’s still in need of finding her samara. When you put that,” Amanda pointed to the paper to emphasize her point before continuing, “to what Jena told us about the samara prophecy of ‘When the descendants of the Watchers bring these all together then the Gates between the Worlds will be open for all to pass through without a loss.’ Then it all begins to make more sense. Willian also supplied us with another version of the saying. Willian, can you repeat it for Elder Wilken?”
“Do you mean what Jena told me a long time ago?” After receiving a nod from Amanda, he recited from memory, “There is an ancient legend that the descendants of the Watchers hold the samaras in hiding until the day comes where they will be united again to change the world as we know it.”
A newfound respect for Amanda and Rasa formed in Elder Wilken’s mind as well as an intense sadness. He had known both were special, but he had no idea to what extent until this moment. After all of the anons he had lived, he had never received news which shocked him as much as what was written on the paper he still held between his two hands.
Elder Wilken suddenly spoke into the silence. “It is true I am one of the last remaining descendants. I have enjoyed a long life, as have my ancestors. Rasa, have you never wondered why the oldest Districts have been so successful?”
“I thought it had to do with the confluence of the ley lines. Manzanit has the most intersections of any in the world. Is that not the case?”
“Yes, it’s a true assessment. However, there’s more to it. Originally there were only thirteen Districts, each having their own Ascension Gate. All thirteen were guarded by one of the Watchers and have remained in their line of descent until some of them died. The same has happened with my own post with Pluska not being willing or able to follow after me.”
“There are now fifteen Districts. Which ones were added and why?” Amanda asked excitedly. She was beginning to get the glimmer of an idea of a possible plan. Depending on Elder Wilken’s answer, she would know if she had the right notion.
Elder Wilken smiled at Amanda’s question. “I like the way you think, Amanda. The two which were added were at Gaud and Noidad, and only because there was a dispute surrounding the Gates which were located in each location. The Guardians were eventually voted into the Elder’s group to keep them from causing mischief.”
“Which would explain why they were so hard to deal with,” Rasa muttered.
Amanda looked at her curiously and asked, “In what way?”
Rasa remained quiet since the proceedings of the Council of Elders were to be kept confidential. She glanced over to Elder Wilken and was surprised to see a smirk forming on his lips. “Can I tell her?”
“Yes, you may. I believe it might be important to what you are trying to achieve with this paper.” He shook the paper in his hand for emphasis.
Rasa agreed and answered, “The Elders in those two locations were vehemently opposed to my becoming a successor. In fact, Yingun refused to vote at all in the third and final vote. It makes more sense because they come from a line of people who weren’t initially placed by Jehoban, so they don’t care so much about Jehoban’s plan for the people’s governing.”
“Well spoken, Rasa,” Elder Wilken. “For that very reason, Elder Debbon allowed the successorship to go to you without Yingun’s vote. I’m sure Yingun felt even more slighted because his opinion was not necessary. Be sure you watch out for him in the future, Rasa. When I’m gone, he’s certain to cause trouble for you at every turn.”
“Elder Wilken, please don’t talk about leaving! We are all in desperate need of your wise counsel for many anons to come,” Rasa pled. She was so moved by his statement she had fallen to her knees in front of him and had put both of her hands on his to reassure herself he was going to comply with her wishes.
“We all have our allotted time, dear Rasa.” He patted her hand affectionately and then turned his attention to Amanda. “Please remain here for a bit; there’s something to which I must attend. Afterward, I’ll return to you all here.” He gave the paper into Rasa’s hands and then pushed himself up from his chair. With a slow step, he shuffled out of the room, feeling exhausted by the morning’s revelations.
The trio watched him leave and remained quiet until the door clicked shut behind him. “I’ve never seen him so downtrodden!” Rasa exclaimed.
“What do you think has happened? What was he going to do?” Willian asked, even more puzzled than Rasa.
“I think we’ll just have to bide our time and wait for his return,” Amanda announced.
“Well, if we’re going to be stuck here for who-knows-how-long, then it’ll give you time to explain to me what all of this is about,” Willian spoke adamantly as he gestured back toward the paper Rasa had folded in her lap.
Amanda regarded the young boy, wishing he were more mature so she could be certain of his discretion. As it was, Willian had already gleaned many clues from their conversation with Elder Wilken. She nodded and began from the beginning. “While I was in a coma, I had a dream about the prophecy being written in a book at Riccan’s house. When I woke up and found Riccan, I told him about it. That was when we discovered the first paragraph of the words written on that page.”
“Can I see it?” Willian asked, not really believing they would share it with him. Much to his surprise, Rasa picked it up from her lap and held it out for him. With raised eyebrows, he accepted it, eagerly opened it up, and began reading. The words did not make much sense to him, and by the time he reached the end, he was thoroughly confused. “I don’t get it.”
“We didn’t either at first,” Amanda admitted. “But because of where we had found it, we knew it had to be significant. Eventually, Jehoban called together thirteen people, all of whom I had met in my coma induced dream, and we began to piece it together. We believe the first part of it refers to me, and then to my daughters.”
“It also stands to reason the samaras were particularly important in this, especially once we realized each person in the meeting began claiming the samaras.”
“What does that even mean, ‘claiming the samaras’?”
“The samaras only have one true owner. When the correct person comes into physical contact with it, then a bond is formed between them which is unbreakable and very powerful, or so I’m told. In fact, I believe you might have some understanding of such a bond, as what you and Val share is quite similar to it.” Amanda wondered if the same bond would happen for the children of all of the samara holders. If such were the case, then neither Juila nor Jena had met their true partners in life.
“Who were the people in the meeting?” Willian asked, leaning forward as he was getting into this fascinating story. This seemed like an epic adventure, just exactly like what all young boys wanted to be involved with.
“That part I won’t share with you because it isn’t relevant to the story. Needless to say, you already know Rasa and I were there, and neither of us has received our own samaras. We also don’t know the timeline for completing the quest, or if there even is one.”
“So if you said Juila and Jena were also named in the original journal entry, then I can assume they were also included in the meeting with Jehoban. And if there is only one samara left after your two, then either one or both of them have already gotten their own samara. Am I right?” Willian was madly trying to piece together all of the bits of information he had gleaned so far.
“As I said, Willian, it isn’t relevant to the story. There’s nothing more for us to discuss at this point,” Amanda shut her mouth and inwardly wondered what other intuitive leaps Willian would make. He certainly was smart enough to figur
e out much of it. In fact, only a minute or so later, her musings were confirmed with his next statement.
“You also said, in Rasa’s conference room, both of my parents were part of the group. Is there any danger in them both being involved? Are the samaras dangerous?” Willian wondered what else his parents had kept from him. He was starting to not like being kept in the dark when important things were happening around him. To be fair, he probably had been too involved in his own affairs to notice much of what his parents were involved with anyway.
Amanda looked over to Rasa in consternation.
“You did say it actually,” Rasa commented with a grin on her face.
“So that is Rasa, you, Jena, Juila, Mom, and dad.” As Willian said each name, he counted them off on his fingers. “That’s six of the thirteen. I bet Riccan was there and probably both of his parents, which is now nine people. Eventually, I’ll figure it all out, even if you don’t tell me!”
Rasa laughed out loud and said, “He probably will, Amanda!”
“I don’t think I have to remind you this conversation cannot be repeated outside of this room. All of our lives could be at stake and possibly the lives of everyone in Tuala. Do I make myself clear, Willian?” Amanda admonished in the most serious tone she could muster.
Instantly, Willian’s expression of delight in the mystery dissolved and he nodded soberly. “I understand. Jehoban wouldn’t have called you all together unless it was important.”
Everyone agreed with Willian’s statement, and they fell into silence as they all wondered what the outcome of it all would be. They remained in silence for several minutes.
Rasa broke into their thoughts when she asked, “So Willian, why don’t you tell me about you and Valentina? The last I heard, you were convinced on getting back together with Jena.”
Embarrassed beyond belief, Willian’s cheeks burned red hot, and he looked guiltily over to Amanda. The serene look on her face helped tremendously. She had every right to be upset with him over the whole affair, and yet she had already told him she was fine with the outcome. He swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat and began telling Rasa the story of what had happened.
Almost an hour had passed, and they were running out of things to talk about. Periodically, one or another of them would glance toward the doorway whenever they thought they heard a noise in the hall. It seemed silly for them to all have to wait until the Elder’s return.
“Do you think we should check on him? He seemed pretty tired when he left,” Willian reasoned.
“No,” Amanda answered. “He was quite specific in having us wait for him until he returned. I’m inclined to follow his order as he’s more than five times my senior. I’ll have to defer to his wisdom.” She looked at her watch and was surprised to see how late it had gotten. She wished she had left a message for Riccan about going to visit with Rasa. Never had she imagined it would take so long. Surely she would be home before he returned from work, at least she hoped it would still be the case.
They all jumped when the door did actually open, and Elder Wilken entered the room carrying a small wooden box in his hands. He used his foot to shut the door behind him, with more grace than they knew he possessed as he balanced on his other foot without even a wobble. As he walked across the room, he looked refreshed and livelier than he had appeared on his departure.
As he came to sit in his chair, the three stood in respect and waited until he was seated before they resumed their own places around him. He rested the box on one of his knees and reverently touched the flowery carvings on the exterior of the wooden panels. Never had he imagined how hard it would be on him for this day to come. Without further ado, Elder Wilken held out the box to Rasa and said, “I believe this is yours.”
“Mine?” Rasa asked in confusion. “What is it?”
“Open it and see,” Willian said eagerly.
Elder Wilken nodded his approval of Willian’s statement as he continued to hold the box in front of him for Rasa to receive.
With more than a little hesitation, Rasa accepted the box and rested it on both of her thighs. Her hands were tingling as if elemy were coursing through them. She tried to lift the top, only to discover it was not how it opened. Leaning forward, she noticed the lid was in a slat on three sides and should be slid out of the groove to reveal the contents.
As soon as there was enough space open for her to peer into the opening, Rasa knew it was meant to be hers, just as Elder Wilken had predicted. She felt the energy pulsing toward her hands, and she longed to touch its glassy, smooth surface. Never before had she felt such a bond with something which made her slightly fearful. Knowing each of the other recipients had been unharmed, gave her some measure of comfort.
“What is it?” Willian asked, repeating the same thing Rasa had asked.
Before she answered, she accessed her memory of crystal skills and looked at the aura of the stone. Just as she had hoped, the color of the aura perfectly matched her birth crystal: bright white with two small flecks of light blue. She sighed with relief and answered, “This is my samara.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
PETRE ARRANGED FOR transport to Pantano and arrived at the Residence with a few minutes to spare before his appointment with Elder Daven. He had been pleasantly surprised to get an immediate interview with the Elder. In the past, he had experienced endless delays and excuses from all of the Elders, mostly because they did not have time to deal with his lies and deceit.
He walked across the vast expanse of lawn, which was used as the landing field, and admired the stately appearance of the Residence as it was positioned on the slight rise in the land. The last time he had been here, he barely recalled getting into the building, since he had been near death after being trapped between the realms. This time he was a welcomed guest, which was quite a change in such a short period of time.
By the time he reached the stairway, Elder Daven had come out to greet him. The sun was shining above his head, surrounding the older man with light. Petre wondered if there were any significance to the anomaly as he called out a greeting. “Hi, Elder Daven.”
“Hello, Petre.”
By the time he got up to the patio, he was slightly winded by the exertion. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice.”
“It was no problem. Would you care to have the meeting out here on the patio, or would you rather have the privacy of my office?”
“Out here would be fine. Besides, it reminds me of when Tirsha was here with us.” He moved over to the same seat he had used before in memory of the former occasion.
Elder Daven sat across from the much-changed man. He had no idea what could have brought Petre back to him so soon and asked him politely.
“I went to visit with Tirsha, and she brought up something which should probably have been remedied a long time ago in my life.” Petre was reluctant to even broach the subject. Past experiences had taught him to avoid occasions where he could be ridiculed.
Patience was needed for Petre to finally decide to share with him the heart of the matter. The Residence was nearly empty of staff, and Nena was busy with some of the village people. He had all the time necessary to sit and enjoy the sunshine while Petre formulated his request.
Petre respected Elder Daven’s quiet reception, and he was glad he did not feel pressured to talk. Because of this, his tension over the matter eased significantly. “The problem I have is I never appeared for my lottery assignment. I’m afraid I’m fifteen anons late for my appointment, and I don’t know if there’s a remedy for it. Have you had any experience in this type of matter? Is it something which could be made up? You see, I want to make Tirsha proud by being an honorable and productive member of society, and I think this should be the first step.”
“I can see your heart is in the right place. There have been other instances of this in the past.” He paused to assess this particular situation and decided to shift his conversation to another tactic. “Are you familiar with Jehob
an’s teachings?”
“Yes, a fair amount of them, at least.” Petre wondered what Elder Daven could be getting at with his question.
“It seems as though your experiences have all been about actions and consequences. Is that a fair assessment?”
“Absolutely. I was forever trying to scheme ways out of paying for something or hiding from someone whom I’d cheated.”
“Is this a life you ever see yourself returning to? If Tirsha decided she didn’t want to see you again, would you return to your old ways?”
“That’s a fair question, and I can honestly say I would not. I no longer want to live a life on the run and on the fringes of civility. I’ve grown so accustomed to people hating me, I’ve begun to hate myself. I don’t want that way of life anymore.”
“I thought such was the case when you gave me my samara.” Again he shifted his conversation and asked, “Jehoban’s teachings are to guide all of us to be our best selves. He desires for us to achieve all we can in our lives and for us to be happy. The Elders are all taught how to help the citizens in this endeavor. Do you know how the lottery assignments are chosen?”
“No, I always imagined they were drawn randomly.”
“They can be, or they can be at the discretion of the Elder in charge of the District. In whose District do you now reside, Petre?”
“Nobody’s, I haven’t claimed any District since I graduated from school and sailed away in my water craft.”
“Have you ever received any retirement benefits?”
Petre scoffed in amusement at the notion. “No. I knew I was destined to begin working immediately since I didn’t have the means to continue with post-study. It was one of the reasons I never went to the lottery assignment.”
“There’s something I need to check on. Will you wait for me here, Petre? I don’t think I’ll be too long.” Daven stood up as an idea struck him. He needed to access his patil before he mentioned anything to Petre.
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 74
