Despite the Angels (9 page)

“It is the picture my mother made for me, when I left to come here. It is broken at the corner, I think my face has broken off.”

“We’ll look when it is light, maybe it can be mended. If the others are still recognisable that’s all that matters.

“Let’s get up, and go down to the sea,” said Alessia, “And watch the sun rise.” So they did, creeping out carefully so they would not wake the others and carrying Armishamai’s basket between them, one handle each. The baby slept on, soothed by the rocking movement of her little bed. They walked through the sleeping town and down to the beach, walking carefully on the soft sand. The first blush of the dawn was beginning to light up the sky to the south-east and they could see each other’s faces. There was a gentle wind, but chilly.

“It’s a good thing we put up those screens in the town, the party will be warmer. It’s cool here. Do you want to go further?”

“Let’s go down to the wet sand and greet the god of the sea,” said Alessia. “He has nothing to do with the midwinter festival, maybe he will appreciate a surprise visit!”

As they walked down the beach towards the boundary to the sea god’s territory, the earth spirit shook again, fiercely. Alessia staggered, losing her grip on the handle of the baby’s basket. The basket lurched and the baby let out a thin cry. Alessia laughed as no-one had been hurt and indicated to Danthys to put the basket down so that she could lift the baby out. As he did, the beach shuddered under them and their ears were assaulted by the loudest noise they had ever heard. It came from everywhere and nowhere, from outside them and from inside their heads. Alessia and Danthys clutched each other in fright, as they looked around to find the source of that huge noise. Armishamai started to wail. Danthys squinted up towards the hills, as he had heard stories that the earth spirit can sometimes try to escape through the top of a mountain, but there was nothing to see, except some people, running out of the town, also looking up towards the hills and gesticulating to each other.

“The Earth Spirits are angry,” said Alessia. “I wish Hetrion was here, he could do a better dance. Come on, it’s maybe up to us.” She began the gentle swirling movements of the earth walk. Danthys joined in, to show support and because he could not think of anything else appropriate to do. Armishamai found the movements of the dance soothing and settled down in her mother’s arms. After a few minutes a straggling group of people from the town came to watch and Alessia explained what she was doing.

“Maybe if you copy us, it will make the dance stronger and soothe the spirit of the earth as it has soothed my baby,” she suggested. One of the women offered to hold Armishamai so that Alessia’s arms could be free to honour the spirits more effectively. The dance circled on and after a few more grumbles the earth spirit seemed to settle down. Alessia led the group down to the water’s edge, where it would be easier to dance on the solid sand, and as she moved along one of the other dancers suddenly stopped and pointed out to sea.

“Look, a light to the North! The sun has moved round!”

“No it hasn’t, “said Danthys, “His light is still behind the mountains, look.”

“Then what light is that?”  They gathered to look out over the sea.

“Oh look,” said Alessia, “our dance has worked. The Earth spirit is getting stronger. The sea is moving back to give her more space.” They looked down and indeed there was now in front of them a wide expanse of wet, packed sand. It was the fisherman in the group who shouted first.

“Look, the god of the sea is giving us a contribution to the feast! Fish for the taking! Come on, everyone, help me!” He dashed forward to pick up flapping fish from the sand, laughing with the huge joy and the joke of it. Alessia and Danthys darted forward too, all other thoughts wiped out by the fun of picking up food from the bottom of the sea. They dashed to and fro, gathering the fish into Alessia’s apron.

“We should get Arma’s basket. That should hold more,” said Danthys. Alessia looked at Danthys.

“Where is the woman with Arma?” she asked and stood up to scan the group. She thought she saw her, over towards the rocks at the east end of the beach, but the shadows made it hard to tell. She looked out to sea, to look again at the light from the north, but she could not see it. The sea was black, not as it should be with the dawn light on it and the horizon was too high.

“Danthys, look, what is that?” but she did not need to ask more, as the horizon rose further and Alessia realised she was looking up at a mountain of water. Her hands went limp and she did not feel her apron-full of fish drop onto her feet, nor was she really aware of the warm flood that gushed down her legs onto the flapping fish. She vaguely heard screams and a cry beside her, “Alessia!” and barely felt Danthys’ hand grab out for her arm, as the centre of desperation itself broke out from within her.

  “Armishamaiiiiii!” Alessia lunged towards where she thought her baby might be, but the wall of water hit her and in the fraction of a moment before it knocked all the air from her body she barely had time for regret.

Jotin, Trynor, and Mohmi who had watched the baby Armishamai for her short life, sat in an area that seemed grassy, with a view of distant purplish hills. But they paid no attention to their surroundings. They looked at each other a little blankly at first. This was so unexpected it had knocked the stuffing out of them in the same way that the real breath had been squeezed from their people. Those people were in Healing at the moment, resting after their shock and being soothed by spirits with special skills. Soon they would be well again and able to join the group.

“Why were we not watching? We could have warned them,” said Jotin.

“It was the night, or nearly,” said Mohmi. “I’m off duty at night usually. My girl was asleep, I didn’t hear her call until she had arrived home. That was too late. But it doesn’t matter, does it? They are all fine, the lives were good, they can have another chance.”

Trynor and Jotin sighed. “Yes, of course, that is true to some extent,” said Trynor, “we know they are never dead. But you maybe weren’t there at the naming ceremony. You didn’t hear Alessia and Danthys vow to bring Armishamai to adulthood.”

“Oh dear.”

There was a long silence, as each guide thought through all the meanings and possible outcomes of this. At last Mohmi spoke.

“But it was not their fault. It was an earthquake, seventy miles away. How can that be held over them?”

“It won’t be held over them by anyone other than themselves,” said Jotin, “but humans are terrible taskmasters. They get notions and make up strange rules for themselves all the time. Look at some of those religious rituals. Some of them even sacrifice their children to appease their gods.” He lapsed again into gloom.

“We should have been looking. We should have warned them.” Trynor was shaking his head in disbelief that they could have made such an error. Slowly, a gentle light filled the grassy area where they were sitting and each of the three guides heard an inner voice, reassuring and soothing.

“There were thousands brought back here by that wave and by the earthquake. None of us knew it was coming, not even at the highest level. No watching could have helped. But you know no harm is done, we are all still here and the human souls are unharmed. You know this. There is all of time to grow and learn. This is a brief sorrow and a misplaced one. They have a new chance now, to try something different, to learn more skills. You know all this. Why must I remind you?” With a gentle chuckle the voice faded away. The three guides were silent, feeling a little shamefaced after the gentle reproof. When their energies brightened they started to discuss what would be best to do next. Each one outlined to the others the special needs of their own human and they talked about ways in which they could help each other; in what ways it would be better if they worked apart or with other souls. As they chatted, they flitted in and out, going to discuss with other guides and friends, until at last it felt right to invite their charges to join them.

Armishamai arrived first and ran to Mohmi, throwing her arms around her guide. Mohmi wrapped her energies around Armishamai, who in moments was laughing, her white aura sparking with the joy of being alive.

“It’s hard being in a body, Mohmi,” she said, twirling around and allowing ribbons of her energy to wave around her, “particularly a baby one. You can’t do anythin, and you don’t understand anything. I felt hungry most of the time I wasn’t asleep.” Her light dimmed for a moment as she remembered the water and how she had been ripped from the arms of the woman who was holding her. She had cried out in unformed baby fear for her mother, but in a moment the water had surrounded her and instead of her mother she had seen her true friend Mohmi, who she knew was with her always. Armishamai laughed now, as she remembered the other lives she had lived with Mohmi’s guidance, and the memory of the dark water receded. Her white light shone again, young and simple, and she moved around the waiting guides like a puppy wagging its whole body.

“Danthys!” Armishamai saw him first and ran to embrace him. Danthys allowed her to throw her arms around him, but patted her rather awkwardly, unable to meet her eyes. His light, pale cream, was less sparkling than Armishamai’s and he held himself rather stiffly.

“What’s the matter, Danthys?”

“That’s the matter. You are calling me Danthys. You never called me Father. I let you down.”

“Well, I couldn’t call you anything. I was only six months old. But in my mind I was calling you father, even though I couldn’t make the words. But it doesn’t matter, we know we’re friends, don’t we? It wasn’t your fault I died. You aren’t so powerful you can affect the sea, are you? It was just a rough day, that’s all.”

“No, it was more than that. They have told me an island exploded. Maybe the people who lived there didn’t know the earth walk and the earth spirit was angry.”

“No, Danthys.” Jotin was beside Danthys, reaching out to calm him. “The earth walk would not have helped. It is a physical thing, the way the earth is made. None of us can control it; certainly nothing you could have done would have made any difference. The earth walk is a lovely way to calm the souls of humans and make them aware of the world. But it doesn’t affect the world, you know.”

“Yes, I do know, don’t I? Now. But I can’t help feeling it is my fault. We promised to protect our child and now look. No, not promised, vowed. Much more important.”

“Only in your mind, Danthys. No one here expects you to keep every promise you make. How could you, when the earth blew up? There have been floods all around the inland sea and dark clouds over the lands. There will be stories told that will last for thousands of years, long after everyone has forgotten what really happened. You are released from your vow, your teachers will tell you so; they have already told us.”

Danthys sat and thought about this. He remembered those last few terrifying moments, his knowledge that he would lose Alessia, that all was for nothing. He put his head in his hands and his energies shrank a bit. Jotin sat beside him, touching, ready to help when Danthys was able to hear.

A pale yellow light appeared in the space and Armishamai danced towards it, singing, ‘Alessia, Alessia!’  Alessia reached out to Armishamai and drew her close, burying her face in her daughter’s hair.

“Oh, my baby, didn’t you grow up to be beautiful! You were a beautiful baby, of course. Let me look at you.” She held Armishamai away from her, drinking in the sight of her daughter, gone from her only a little time, now back after the separation of the grave. She smiled, hugged Armishamai and began to lead her in the steps of the earth walk, which had been so familiar and comforting to her.

“How lovely that you can do this with me, Arma,” she murmured as they circled. If Trynor and Mohmi had been able to cry, they might have shed a tear as they watched the gentle reunion of the two friends. Jotin leant towards Danthys and whispered to him. After a while Danthys looked up, his face showing that he did not expect much. But he saw Alessia and jumped to his feet, ran over to her and lifted her high in his arms, spinning around with her as they had done on earth. The three guides looked at each other, smiled and let Danthys and Alessia have time together.

After a while, all was calm. Alessia sat between Danthys and Armishamai. When the guides approached, they could hear the human souls talking, quietly but intensely. The guides stood back and listened.

“I know, Arma, that it doesn’t matter that we broke our vow-”

Suddenly there was a darkening over the group and a ringing voice spoke from the side.

“But you must! It is imperative! It was a VOW!” A faintly lemon light showed and they recognised it as Planidi. Alessia looked at her in astonishment. Planidi’s colour showed that she was no older a soul than Alessia was herself, maybe even a bit younger.

“But you were a priest!” she gasped out, “How were you so much better than me and you have only my experience?”

“I can hear the guides when I have a body. They tell me I am better at it than nearly everyone else. So it is what I do. Listen for other people, while they are learning. But you must pay me, by doing what you have promised.” The lemony light elongated, as Planidi drew herself up to her full height. The blue light of a much older spirit stood beside her and leant forward to talk to her privately. Planidi tossed her head and pouted. Then the blue guide spoke to Trynor, before encouraging Planidi away. Trynor watched them go, his edges softening as they went.