The Realms of Ethair (6 page)

Arty.
It was difficult to see him as a friend when he
had kept all this a secret. She had confided in him for so long.
And for what? Only to be betrayed. Karina shook her head to clear
her mind.
No. There must be a reason.

She put herself in his shoes. Of course,
keeping this world to himself is easier when people would’ve
dismissed it as a purely imaginative story. He would’ve gone
straight to the nut house if anyone heard him speak of it.
But…

“Karina.” A young female voice disrupted her
thoughts. Seated near her bed with a tray of tea was the youngest
of the sisters.

“
Kala.” The girl placed her palm on her
chest. “My name is Kala.” She touched her forehead with her index
and middle fingers, then her chest and extended her palm to
Karina.

“
It is a formal greeting used on important
occasions or in making new acquaintances. And this,” Kala lay her
palm on her chest once more and slightly lowered her head, “is an
informal greeting. It is more commonly used in this
area.”

The girl looked at her expectantly.

Karina
imitated Kala’s movements and was made to repeat it until
the latter was satisfied with her. Then, Kala taught her the
morning salutation. Soon, it was made clear that the young woman
would be her guide and companion when Sara was fulfilling her
duties as high priestess.

Kala taught Karina that even the most
mundane things were deemed important. Every action has an effect on
the universe and will consequently affect the many. Thus, it was
practiced that each task was done with utmost consideration. It
took years to master this skill that a mantra “
Pure Heart, Pure Mind, Pure
Spirit
” was recited in
all households.

“You mean I have to recite this all the time
in my head?”

Kala smiled.

“No. Only our priestesses and priests do it.
We only recite it once before we start on a task as a reminder,”
Kala paused, thoughtful for a moment. “Also, we recite it when we
are upset about something or someone.”

Karina
knew what Kala was referring to and felt
embarrassed.

“
But, in my opinion, it is more to calm
ourselves than as a reminder. Upsets and stronger emotions similar
to it can hurt others. It emanates very dense energy sometimes so
strong that it could strike down the person you are angry with.”
Kala turned about and studied Karina’s face. “I hear of hate and
violence in your world. It is a wonder any of your kind
survives.”

“
We’re not as advanced as you are,” Karina
replied.

Kala wasn’t offended and seemed to go over
their conversation.

“Advanced is a relative definition. I find
some of your technology more advanced than ours. In answer to the
subject at hand, perhaps you are right. But that is about to
change.” Kala shrugged and continued to lead her to Sara’s
residence.

Karina
thought of the times Arty was present when discussions
became heated and led to one or both parties getting angry. He
didn’t look affected by the atmosphere. In fact, his face was
politely neutral most of the time – like a mask.

Sara’s residence was annexed to a temple
at the heart of the city which was distinctly a large clearing
formed in a circle of trees. The temple was made of natural rock
formation made smooth by elements and at its center was a great
ancient tree. People meditated on the grass floor, their heads
turned towards the direction of the sun.

Karina
made the greeting she learned that morning for those she
met as they left the temple. They returned the gesture and smiled
warmly to her.

Does everyone know who I
am?
She looked at her
new set of clothes to see if she missed something.

“
You have yet to learn how to walk through
the forest,” Kala whispered in her ear and giggled.

“
Kala,” a stern familiar voice
reproved.

Sara gestured for them to enter. They were
offered tea and sat on the cushions proffered to them. The high
priestess addressed Kala first, inquiring about their recent
activities. Kala recounted the things she had taught their guest,
the high priestess nodded approvingly after Karina demonstrated
some of the gestures she had learned. Satisfied, Sara thanked Kala
and was asked to return in mid-afternoon.

Now that they were alone, Karina looked at
her hostess in a different light. Sara looked ethereal in her
priestess robes and seemed to emit a strange glow from within. Her
aura was light itself. Questions Karina wanted answers all vanished
but one: “Why me?”

Sara sipped her tea slowly as if it was
the most important thing in the world. She was an epitome of calm
and serenity. At last, she replaced the cup on the table and turned
her whole attention to Karina.

“
The Goddess does not choose Her instrument
based on physical form, intellect or status. It is a great mystery
in your world too. Simple folks chosen to do something beyond their
means; a prince seeking enlightenment leads to the birth of a new
way of life; a craftsman’s son becomes a renowned teacher whose
legacy lasts throughout the ages. A politician whose corruption
knows no bounds can move people to action. We are all born to play
a part of the Great Plan. Not every role is pleasant to the human
mind but it acts as a catalyst to change.

“Some of us were not originally from this
planet. Our spirits come from a different part of the universe. We
chose to be seeded – be born on Earth to help raise Her vibrations
to gain entrance to a higher dimensional plane.

“
You are here because you have chosen to
see the truth. It is not always a comfortable position to have your
gift. But if it pleases you, members of our community have their
own special talents, which your people call ESP.”

It wasn’t exactly the answer to her
question. However, it reminded Karina that she had left her world
without saying goodbye to anyone.

“
Aly,” she whispered to herself.

Sara reassured her that Arty would take
care of everything ending the matter with a statement that Arturion
would do everything in his power as Gate Keeper.

It felt to Karina that she should have
known about the Gate Keepers. The high priestess didn’t offer any
explanation and was occupied with clearing the tea things. Karina
made a mental note to ask Arty himself. She had a long list of
questions prepared for him to answer to her.

The hostess motioned to her visitor to
follow in the adjoining room. Unlike the rooms Karina had seen
recently, it was sparsely furnished with the common glow globes
floating in midair. It was similar to the clear crystal globe she
had at home.

Two mats lay at the center of the room.
They sat on these and Sara instructed her to meditate. It was easy
for Karina to fall into a meditative state. Her mother, a gifted
psychic and yogi, had taught her the basics.

“
Good. We will begin cleansing ourselves of
negative energies,” Sara breathed. She gave instructions on the
cleansing process including breathing techniques. Karina knew some
of these too, although it was slightly different from what she was
used to. She had practiced regularly for half an hour when her
mother wasn’t very sick then.

Aly and their father used to leave the house
to go someplace more interesting while their mother turned the
garage into a classroom full of New Age people.

Karina
was a homebody and found the classes intriguing. Her mother
would lead seven or more students into meditation, then to a sort
of energy manipulation for healing the self and others. Those early
years, she was just happy to imitate them and the adults had
welcomed her in the circle easily.

She was eleven years old when an incident during
one of the sessions put a stop to everything. She vaguely
remembered it. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a simple
demonstration that surprised several members of the group. This,
however, made her mother decide to change the venue of the classes.
Karina never knew its location but her mother always encouraged her
to practice what she had learned regularly.

She sighed into the teacup between her
hands. The fragrant scent of jasmine tea wafted in her nostrils.
Outside, the sky was tinged with orange. The air had chilled
considerably as the sun began its slow descent but it was still
pleasant for an evening stroll.

“
We have such fine climate and good
neighbors. Outsiders often say that our home is an idyllic place.
Yet, to think that anyone would want to leave this place for
another fraught with danger at almost every corner is a mystery to
me,” Kala wondered aloud.

Karina
only smiled at this. Her young companion evidently loves
her home and, from what she’d gleaned from Sara, had never ventured
out of their world. From what Karina has seen of Merleina, she
could only agree with Kala’s statement. Again, her thoughts drifted
to Arty.
Would he rather be called Arturion now?
He was surely one of those who preferred
coming to her “world fraught with danger” than stay in
Merleina.

Her eyes lingered outside. The trees would
be mere shadows in a few minutes. Already she could hear the sounds
of activity from nighttime creatures. The susurration of insects;
the hoot of an owl; the flap of wings; and…the sound of
drums?

Sara had warned her not to leave the house
unaccompanied, especially at night. Forest Folk or spirits usually
tolerated the community but they were notoriously playful. New
additions, visitors like her, were favored targets to their pranks.
Her first night traversing through the forest with the high
priestess and Kala’s sisters was the perfect example. She had been
fooled by illusions that the forest floor was full of tree roots
and other things which could trip her until Sara put a stop to it.
It was only then that a path appeared before her eyes, which seemed
not to have impaired the others’ sight.

The wind shifted, carrying the music
towards her. A lone flute played in the midst of the beat of the
drums. The overall combination matched the wilderness and had the
power to make her want to dance to its tune.

It took only a few minutes before the
breeze changed course once more, leaving behind a night as silent
as a forest could ever be and a heart longing for home.

Adrenaline still coursed in his veins as he
stepped out of Sinta
Lake, more commonly known as the Lake of Mirrors, for the
second time in a week. All his senses sharpened that he could
identify each organism his eyes rested on, hear the sound produced
by its frequency, and smell or taste its scent. This capability had
made him a competent Gate Keeper and constantly served him well in
his missions. In the past, he hoped, but now he prayed that it
would not fail him.

The events of the other night remained
stark in his memories. Sola, his foster father, and Sara were right
about
Karina and with
everything.

After Sola had debriefed him, Arturion
returned to Karina’s house and found himself engulfed in thick
smoke and his surroundings in flames. A groan from the ceiling was
the only warning he had of its subsequent collapse. Instinct kicked
in, he ducked sideways, the falling wooden beam narrowly missing
his leg. He landed near the burning staircase, his face mere inches
from the flame. Its tongue licked at him singeing several strands
of the hair that covered his forehead. Then, he saw the hazy gray
shape on the wall, which was neither shadow nor soot.

The moment seemed to stretch as he
and
It
appeared to
take each other’s measure. A tale meant to frighten children from
staying outdoors came back to haunt him.

Man fears the unknown.

a shadow is shadow if known,

an unknown shadow is not a shadow,

It is feared.

The Others dance with unknown,

The Others play with fear,

they consume it…

and with it goes the mind,

until man becomes a puppet to be played with and

a servant to do Their bidding.

A trickle of fear crept into Arturion’s heart
that he could almost smell it leaking from his skin. The gray
matter, a Zertan creation, perceptibly grew an inch.

All his years as Gate Keeper should have
prepared him for this possible confrontation. Yet, he was not
ready.

It loomed above him.

“Kriss-tii-naa.” A collection of voices
sibilantly whispered in his mind.

“
Tina!” Someone screamed outside, snapping
him out of his panic. A tendril of
It
shot out to grab him. He clamped his eyes shut and willed
himself to initiate his Merkaba.

The air smelled of earth and green things,
a home away from home. He lay sprawled on the grass, his breathing
coming out short as he inhaled the clean air. His mind worked
double-time, trying to reassess the situation at hand and how to
salvage it.

Sara’s prophecy rang in his ears. The
Zertans would return for Karina, he was sure of it now. They would
use leverage to get to her. It was no longer Karina’s life at
stake, but also her family and friends.