The Realms of Ethair (11 page)

“Hence, you came here.”

“
I remembered the welcome you had for me.
It was one of the best things that ever happened to me.” Karina
smiled.

“Do you know how long you have been
here?”

“
Days. I don’t quite remember. All I see is
light and air and life around me. It’s so beautiful here. The way
your people live with a purpose, small and insignificant as it may
look. Every passing moment in life is precious and fragile because
we never really quite know when it will end. I think I’m beginning
to understand what Arty meant when he said I was not
alone.”

“
You wish to return to Merleina,” Kelor-dan
stated, matter-of-factly.

“Yes.”

One of the reason
s he chose to be a Gate Keeper was because he
loved the challenges it presented. In his case, identifying people
with
ascension
symptoms like Karina’s were something he looked forward to.
Not every individual needed to be transported to the mid-fourth
dimension, a plane between the lower and higher fourth dimension.
Meetings were always serendipitous, the location and situation
varied, and people came from all walks of life.

The tools of his trade: intuition,
objectivity, discernment, and his extended senses. It had taken him
a few years to see a behavioral pattern with the people he met.
Arturion began to typecast them, making it easier for him to know
which approach he would use to accomplish his goal. Then, he would
decide whether they were ready to transfer to the next dimensional
plane and offer his proposition to help them; or leave them in the
third dimension, checking on them from time to time.

In his entire career, Arturion considered
his latest mission the most trying.
He had been unprepared when his duties and
obligations collided with his personal life. Arturion’s friendship
with a human had turned into a full-fledged mission. Then, his
assignment had run away from him, where he could not reach
her.

An emissary from Kelor-dan’s palace had
been sent to Sara’s home bearing a message of Karina’s imminent
return. There would be an escort, as promised. She had specifically
requested for Arturion and Kala’s presence in the meeting. The
prince’s missive also warned them of their Liyanna’s physical
constitution.

The meeting took place at twilight in
Umandir, where Pellinor had retrieved his horse six nights ago. A
group of Devatas appeared flanking a dark slender woman on a white
mare, dressed in the shimmering and flowing Devarian Court gown.
Her skin glowed with the rest of the Forest Folk. Hers was not the
golden to brown tones the Davatas of this area preferred, but the
pearlescent quality of the moon. Karina’s appearance had changed so
much. She looked ethereal, ready to float away if the Devarian
noble at her side had not held her hand as she
dismounted.

There were thirteen of the Forest Folk
assembled to Arturion’s group of four. The Council of Elders had
not yet known that Karina had been acknowledged by the Devatas as
Liyanna. Sara had insisted to keep the knowledge secret for the
time being. The council members would understand, considering that
Kelor-dan had requested it to be a small private affair for
Liyanna’s sake.

The riders –
Sentries, judging by their uniforms and Pellinor’s
presence, fell back as Karina and the Devata neared Arturion’s
party.

The high priestess encouraged Arturion and
Kala to step forward. They were close enough to hear the exchange
between Karina and her companion. His words were the deep rumble of
the earth and the whisper of trees. He brought her fingers to his
lips. Smiling, she responded in their language.

The intimate moment passed when Karina’s
gaze fell on Kala and Arturion. The two women embraced each other.
Kristina – Karina – Liyanna, smiled at him with
tenderness.

The corner of his mouth curled upward and
hope kindled in his heart. She was alright. Karina had forgiven
him.

He broke contact as the Devata greeted him
formally in the Merleinan manner. Arturion touched his mouth and
chest with his index and middle fingers and extended his palm
upward.

“
Well met, Arturion,” the Devata spoke in
Merleinan.

“I would honor you, but I am at a
disadvantage.”

“I am Kelor-dan. I have heard many things
about you and more from Liyanna. It is my hope that friendship
between our races will grow stronger now that she with us.”

“As do I.”

The prince excused himself and spoke with
Sola and the high priestess. From their lack of surprise in seeing
him, Kelor-dan’s presence had been expected.

The Merleinans had not seen the Devarian
prince after the
Shifters
, a
collective consisting of Devatas, and priests and priestesses, and
the first Liyanna had shifted a third of the Earth’s nations to the
fourth dimension to escape the destruction Atlantis had wrought
upon the Earth.

Many of those who had helped in the Shift
lost their lives. The Liyanna had perished. She had paid the
ultimate price for saving her people by becoming the channeler and
energizer to the Shifters. The people knew there was no chance of
survival. The onslaught of energies would burn out anyone, even as
powerful as she. The country had been divided into two factions.
Pragmatists were willing to sacrifice the few for the many. The
other, the Idealists wanted to spare the lives of the Shifters and
their Liyanna by proposing to look for an alternative solution. In
the end, Atlantis sank earlier than they had predicted and the
Liyanna led the Shifters to proceed with the plan. In honor of the
Liyanna’s and the Shifters’ sacrifice, the Merleinans and the
Forest Folk strove to work together in harmony ever
since.

It was possible that Sara had foreseen
that Kelor-dan would be more visibly active in Merleina after
Karina’s participation in the Forest Folk’s feast and the
unprecedented status of Liyanna bestowed on her.

The talks ended, the prince returned to
his horse. The Sentries standing in ceremony saluted Karina in
unison, an act that Kelor-dan seemed to approve. They climbed onto
the backs of their horses in one fluid motion and soundlessly
retreated a few strides, before vanishing from their
sight.

Arturion’s eyes lingered at the vacated
space until a blur of movement at the edge of his vision broke the
spell.

“Karina!” Kala was on her knees beside the crumpled
figure on the ground.

Teleporting from one place to another within
walking distance in Merleina was unheard of and frowned upon by the
older population. It was bad practice and implied that the
practitioner is either lazy or inclined to abuse one’s gifts.
Special situations, however, are exempt from the rule.

Karina
’s attire would reveal her position among Kelor-dan’s
people. The trees may whisper to their Merleinan friends of a
living Liyanna. But if they were seen, the whispers would cease to
be rumors, and would no doubt reach the Council. The Elders would
descend on them demanding why they had kept Karina’s identity from
their people.

It was Kala’s suggestion to let Karina
sleep in his mother’s house. It was far from the bustle of the
community and farther from where they stood. Kala had explained
Karina’s preference for the odd bed than their regular ones. They
quickly agreed to prevent their patient’s condition from getting
worse.

Arturion teleported with
Karina to the house and the
rest followed in a different fashion. The three rode a flying
carpet with Karina’s chest, which materialized right after the
Devatas left. It was one of the easiest means of transportation. An
orb similar to the glow globes functioned as its power source for
levitation and enabled the user to navigate the carpet.

He was maneuvering the stairs with Karina
in his arms when she came to. She wanted him to put her down.
Arturion tried to dissuade her but she had threatened; either both
of them would fall down the stairs or he would release her. Her
eyes were glassy with fever but the flush in her cheeks was that of
anger. He obeyed, following behind; ready to catch her if she
stumbled.

She managed the staircase and the corridor
slowly until they reached his mother’s quarters.

“
I’m going to change.” Karina glared at him
warningly.

Arturion contented himself in listening to
the sounds of movement by the doorway.

“
You can come in now,” she said
wearily.

The window curtains were closed and the
lights had been dimmed. She lay on her side facing him. Karina’s
face was partially covered with her hand.

“
There wouldn’t be any aspirin lying around
here, would it?” Her voice came out muffled. Her mouth curled into
a grimace instead of the smile he knew she was striving
for.

A tear betrayed her. It dripped from the
corner of her eye making its path across the bridge of her
nose.

“
I’ll go check the kitchen. See if I can
make a brew for the headache,” he said, hearing her release a shaky
breath as he left the room.

He returned shortly with two steaming
cups. He offered Karina hers. She took a sip and put it
down.

“
Don’t you have something less…sweet?”
Arturion’s gaze dropped to her cup. He had added a teaspoon of
sugar to blunt the bitter edge of the tea. He exchanged her cup
with his own unadulterated brew.

She frowned at the taste and finished half of
it. Arturion wondered at the acuity of her physical senses but kept
it to himself.

By the time their company arrived, Karina
had fallen asleep. Sara took charge of caring for her and planned
for what needed to be done in the morning.

The tinkle of glass beads from the
threshold brought two pairs of eyes to the high priestess’ tired
face. Sara had stayed the night with Karina to watch over her.
Silently, she communicated with Sola; then, motioned for Arturion
to follow her a few paces from where Karina slept.

“
Her fever has not gone down,” Sara said.
“She is in no condition to release the excess energies in her body
by herself. She is in too much pain, Karina barely responds to my
instructions.”

“Is there no other way?”

“There is.” She bobbed her head. “How is your
relationship with Karina?”

He shrugged in uncertainty.

Sara gave him a sidelong glance. “I
suppose it wouldn’t matter, when she’s unconscious. It isn’t just
the surplus of energies I’m concerned with. She’s suffering from an
imbalance. Her female energy is overwhelming its male counterpart.”
Every human being possesses both male and female energies – the
left (rational) and right (emotional) aspects of the human psyche.
Energetically, too much of one aspect would disrupt the human
body’s equilibrium causing harmful effects to the physical and
mental state of an individual.

“I’ll do it.”

“
You are the closest she has for a friend.
I would not have asked you if she has male relations or friends to
provide for what she needs.”

“I understand.” His brow furrowed. Sara
habitually talked in riddles, especially when a particularly potent
vision gripped her.

“You are young, Arturion.” The high priestess
cupped his cheek. “I have not lived for five centuries blind to
what human emotions can do to people. You are your mother’s son and
your father’s. Karina’s presence has awakened your human side.”

“You speak of it as if it’s a bad thing.”

“On the contrary, I am glad of it. There is
nothing wrong with being human.” Her brow lifted. “They are a
remarkable race. Your father was a wonderful man.”

Arturion was reminded of his mother’s
memoirs. It could contain memories of his mortal father.

“
I better see to Karina.”

Sara grabbed his arm as moved past
her.

“
Arturion, your self-control is admirable.
However, it would not hurt to heed my advice.” She paused for
emphasis. “Take care that your relationship with Karina remains
platonic. Her condition is unstable. If it grows beyond friendship,
at best she would suffer a spike in her aura accelerating
her
ascension
further. The worst possible result, she might not come out
of this alive if the body cannot cope with the powerful energies
flowing through her.”

The bed had been repositioned to take
advantage of the sunlight streaming from the window. Its warmth
touched Karina’s frail form. Nevertheless, her blanket was drawn up
to the chin.

He sat beside her, taking her hand in both
of his. In a gradual cycle, he absorbed Karina’s energy and
replaced it with his male energy. His weight had pulled down the
blanket, exposing the pulse on her throat. It beat rapidly like the
wings of a bird in flight. Her skin was too hot and sickly pale. A
voice within him urged him to do more. Instinctively, Arturion’s
hands moved to her sides and rubbed it up and down; then, massaged
her limbs. He took time pressing the acupoints of her hands and
feet.

His
feeling of rightness dissipated as Karina’s face,
previously bloated from energy overload, slimmed and her color
returned. Her temperature lowered several degrees. Visibly, she
relaxed. Her right arm lifted to rest on her forehead. Her knuckles
kneaded clumsily at her sinuses and temples.