***
The room, in all essence was white. Two large black overstuffed armchairs faced each other, as if contradicting the purity of the room. Kate sat in one, and in the corner of her eye she saw a movement, the figure of an old man gliding towards her.
She turned staring at the figure. “Cemel, is that you?”
He smiled and she noticed he hobbled towards her; the gliding was an illusion. He bowed and promptly but gracefully sat in the opposite chair.
“My dearest queen, it has been a very, very long time. It is such a delight and relief to see and talk to you again.”
“Am I dreaming? Is this real? Where are we? On Heliostronus?”
“Just a comfortable place to relax with few distractions. This will be your first, shall we say, controlled dream. As I understand, a lot of your visions have been a little hard to comprehend. I am here to explain a few things to you which I hope should help give you some perspective. Perhaps I can even satisfy some questions.”
She stared at him evenly. “So I am asleep.”
He nodded. “Your stones are helping us communicate by interacting with your sub consciousness. You will wake having a better understanding.
“I have been in the service of the Supreme Ruler, Kalvich since your passing. He has asked me to meet with you so you can get an insight into your journey. We both feel your transition should be made easier if you had more of an insight and understanding of yourself.”
Frustrated feelings welled up in her as she fought for control. “I don’t know what to do, what with all these jumbled up visions, and new weird powers. I mean, at one stage I became invisible…”
Cemel raised his hand and smiled knowingly. “I have heard quite a bit about what you have been through, and you should be commended. But one thing at a time.”
“That is what Talokta keeps saying.”
“Well, he is right, for goodness sake, slow down. You have a lot of questions–who you are, why you are here–and your head must be ready to explode.”
“More like my sanity and nerves.”
“Well, if I know you, and you keep your sense of humor, all will be well,” he said with a twinkling in his eye.
She paused and her mind formed a distant memory. “I remember now. You always had a knack to calm me, make me feel happy, ever since I was a little girl. You were always like a father to me.”
He grinned broadly. “As I said to you and your parents, God rest their souls, I will always be there for you.”
He studied her face. “Oh Leah, you are exactly the way you looked when we were in the Old Kingdom. Time can never stop true beauty.”
She smiled demurely.
“Just relax my dear. I know it may be hard with what you have been put through, but I want to earn your trust. Please look me in the eye, so I to can get a better understanding of what you are going through.”
Cemel’s eyes seemed to take on a life of their own, and Kate felt mesmerized and relaxed. She heard his voice but could swear his lips remained stationary.
“Do you remember much of that time?”
She sighed. “Little bits and pieces come to me, but it is hard putting it together. I think a lot of darkness filled my life since the Trimadian invaders enslaved my world. So you are here to help jog my memory?”
“Yes, in a way. Part of my blessing I bestowed on you was designed to make sure you would retain your memory. But you were my first, so even old alchemist’s aren’t perfect. With a little guidance, you will find the answers inside yourself, and your decisions will come to you more easily. I think a bit of unbiased knowledge can go a long way. I promised you thousands of years ago that I would help you, and that promise still holds.”
“What about me–Kate? Am I, is she to, um, live, or can she be, I don’t know, separated somehow?”
“That’s probably what she wants to happen to you, Leah,” he chuckled. “It does sound funny talking about two people inside the one body.”
She smiled, very glad that he was there. He understood.
He continued, “Lord Talokta has kindly reported all your concerns to Kalvich, and that is why I am here to save you undue stress. He is convinced the only way to find your true self is for me to help you. Then it is entirely up to you.”
“That sounds like an ultimatum for my destiny.”
“Oh, but it is so much more. I will not hide anything from you, Leah. I will be candid, and I will never ever lie to you. Truth and knowledge is vital in your development.”
“Now you’re scaring me, but you are right; I have to know the truth.”
“Firstly, why do you think you are here?”
Kate had given more thought to that question than was healthy, and replied a little acerbically, “Oh well, that’s a biggie, maybe some savior of the human race, maybe in this case the Trimadian race who I am sure are an offshoot of the human race. But what is so important about me and these strange Trimadians?”
Cemel sat back, clasping his hands together. “Humans think they are the one most important species in the universe, which is simply not the case and born from sheer arrogance. You, born as a human, are the exception. You are, shall we say a link between humanity and other intelligent humankind species, like the Trimadians, the Septens, even the Cathexistomes, in fact most intelligent species that live in these vast galaxies. And Leah, though I have been distanced millions of light years away, I have my own methods of keeping an eye on humans and their colorful patchwork of history. In fact, I am well-versed.”
He paused, considering that the next few minutes were going to be important, and time was always short. “Sorry, I do blather on. As I said, I would never lie to you, so I will take a risk and warn you that the truth may hurt. But I think when all is said and done, you just may forgive me.” He smiled sincerely. “I do not believe in sugar coating, and from what I remember, you and I were always honest with each other. Why change a good thing now?”
Kate wondered if the old man was nervous as he was repeating himself, or maybe simply re emphasizing the point. He seemed resigned to addressing her as Leah; probably because Queen Leah was the entity he knew. Nevertheless, she was too enthralled with what he was telling her.
“I will try to make this as simple as possible. A lot of species throughout the galaxies have always believed in their own gods, for whatever reason. You know, it is always easy to curse the gods for bad luck and thank the gods for good. Just like in Graffa or Earth cultures, there are many religions, and each religion believes it is the right one and followers must worship their specific god or gods. You name it, the Greeks with their colorful gods like Zeus and Hercules, the Christian scientists, their Spiritual Healing, and Buddhism created in 600 BC all share their own statutes of religion. Then other modified religions and cults are born from the ones before them. The West Indies created Obeah or Obi that deals in witchcraft and sorcery. Perhaps that’s where Obi Wan Kenobi came from.”
“What, the Star Wars character?”
Cemel laughed. “Just a little joke. I could bore you forever with the origins and offshoots of religion, but I would never be that cruel.”
Kate allowed a small smile at his attempt to humor her, but she did wonder where the hell this was leading up to.
“Please go on,” she said politely.
“Very well, I think I need to give you a little history lesson, so bear with me. Most humans present on Graffa have countless gods to satisfy religious faith or beliefs. In fact, I have never known a race to have so many different gods representing countless religions in all my life! To a degree, all of these religions are Truths to the faithful, to the believers; whether it is Catholic or Protestant, the key is in one’s perception. Anyhow, you need to cast all that aside, my dear, because, in reality, there is only one mighty governing leader, an immortal powerful being that lives in a dimension that solid body creatures cannot. He is called Zakaroid and is the leader of a group called the Elder Gods, who are responsib
le for all immortals. These immortals are known as, well, gods. They are the caretakers and partly creators of life in the universe and to a degree, cleansers of worlds that your mind could not, well, stretch to accept in the state it is now. These gods must abide by rules written and handed down since before humanity and several million other races even began. And who created these rules? When I meet you in the flesh, and you are ready, I will tell you more. One of the most important of these rules states that mortals live in their own plain of existence, and immortals in theirs. Gods can observe their creations at various stages of evolution and achievement. But they are not allowed to interfere with the natural progression, even if a race or species could cause or become annihilated. Yes, there is some maintenance and tweaking to do at times, but done very subtly. The targeted species must never suspect. Where your humans are concerned, it is called Mother Nature, quite endearing that,” he laughed.
“Rhetorically speaking, Leah, I must now ask you this. Why do you think there are so many religions on Earth alone? These religions, my dear girl, were created by what Zakaroid termed rebel gods, who over eons challenged the rules and wanted to do more than just observe and tweak. They wanted their own power and adulation. I guess a few got bored and a little jealous of the freedom of human mortals. Well, whether their reasons were boredom, maliciousness, or they simply wanted to make a difference was not the point. Whatever reason they chose would always be the wrong one. Rules are rules. The Elder Gods, the god leaders oversee all others, and as time goes by, they are responsible for the safeguard and occasion minor tweak to the universal rules in order to keep a relative consistency of peace.
“Now these troublemakers have caused havoc to varying degrees over time: some using their charisma to start cults, some starting major wars. These situations are not unique, in fact this has accelerated over time, and not just on Earth. Why? Power and mind control my dear. Most are destructive and all are time wasters who have no idea about true faith and miracles.
“You must understand Leah that gods, just like humans, have egos and they need worshippers to make them feel like gods.
“If all humans, whether they are atheist or devoutly religious, knew the truth–that these so called precious “gods” were in actual fact, supreme beings or if I may use the popular Graffa word–aliens, that could move through different plains of dimensions–well, you imagine how people would react. The building blocks of society and civilization would crumble. Yes, religious wars have been going on since man supported himself on two legs. If the truth was revealed, the sick, ironical result could bring a ton of new unpredictable movements in politics and religion. Worse, humans would more than likely wipe themselves out, especially with their uncontrolled and fanatical deployment in the fields of weaponry, nuclear, biological and chemical, and your twenty-first century computer death traps. You think terrorism on Graffa is bad now! Generally, humans react emotionally and that, is their biggest downfall.” He paused momentarily judging her reaction.
“I know I repeat myself my dear, but some of what comes out may start making sense, especially where you are concerned. You, are so important, I cannot emphasize that enough. You must know what is real and what is not. To conclude, Zakaroid and his Elder Gods are the perpetual overseers of all races in every existence. Human beings make up a tiny fractional number within their plane of existence. That is a fact that you must realize. However, in Zakaroid’s eyes the fact you were born human shows how he is, shall we say, exceptionally fond of his pet race.
“Anyhow, there is one simple, life changing punishment for any rebel or defiant immortals who break the rules and cross the line. Once the rebel has been identified, his or her immortality and beneficial rights to live as an immortal are removed, and they are forced to lead a mortal existence in whichever society they have chosen. This punishment is designed to discourage future would be rebels, and hopefully stop the rule breakers from causing too much damage–if they are caught in time. Depending on the severity of the offence, there is a judicial system that will decide their punishment, if Zakaroid cannot. The balance of the universe must be kept stable. Believe me, you do not want me to tell you the story behind Adolph Hitler!”
“You’re right, I don’t want to know,” Kate snapped back, as her head began to pound from his diatribe of words. “Please, keep this a little more relevant to me.”
“Of course, my dear. I’m sorry; my own emotions are quite overwhelmed for not seeing you for several millennia.” He cleared his throat.
“However, with all rules, there is always an exception. Since the existence of Gods, only two immortals have been, shall we say, allowed to have more freedom. Firstly, the warlord Kalvich is one, the one who has waited six thousand years for your rebirth. He broke this all important rule, created his own world, and has a great many followers and yet still retains his immortality and powers. Both you and he are what the gods term Chosen Ones, destined to guide their subjects to a new future, a future I myself cannot elaborate on at this point. I am sure Kalvich would be more constructive in that field.”
Kate was confused. “You told me you were in Kalvich’s service, which threw me. But, I didn’t say anything. Pete Reynolds told me that Cemel, you, back in four thousand B.C. helped me, er, Leah to kill herself to stop Kalvich’s evil plans from dominating humanity. You and he hated each other. Why did these gods you speak of not tell you about their truth back then, that he too was a Chosen One?”
“At the time they had their reasons, a need to know basis. My estimation was they were in the heart of experimenting. One thing was for sure, I had specific instructions not to reveal much about their plans for you too soon, mainly because you were not prepared mentally, physically, or spiritually. With all due respect, perhaps the fact you were human limited you. For example, I had to train your budding gift of extrasensory perception and make it seem natural to you. You actually were not that interested, believe it or not. Huh! Perhaps if I told you who you were, you may have shown more enthusiasm, but then I would suffer the god’s wrath. The sheer irony eh! There was so much more for you to learn though. It always seemed like we never had enough time. But never mind, that was the past. Besides, I have been blessed with immortality, as you are probably aware. They still have faith in me, as obviously, they wanted me to stick around for your reincarnation.”
“My parents knew about my gifts, didn’t they?”
Cemel smiled. “Yes, to a degree, but no other human knew. It was a shame they had both died at such a young age. But they knew I would always look out for you, for your destiny.”
“Yeah, I won the first prize, didn’t I, by choosing the short straw!”
“Nobody is perfect, including gods. Maybe six thousand years is a mere blink to them, and they realized that Kalvich was not what we popularly categorize as ‘evil.’ Anyhow, what do we label as evil? Junk food, euthanasia, creating a world of intelligent beings that murder each other?”
“Guess some like playing God,” Kate said quietly.
“Zakaroid warned me to watch out for signs of evil during the period of your reign in the Old World. I assumed one possibility would be Kalvich and the Trimadians. His ways may have seemed brutal, but he brought about order from what I recall.”
Cemel’s heart was racing, he had taken a gamble and he hoped to hell that she would believe him. How much does she remember is the key!
Kate shook her head sadly. “Maybe the interpretations from Pete’s books were wrong. There was very little mention about Trimadians, mainly just some symbols that I recognized when I boarded Talokta’s ship. But my visions that began a few months ago were of slavery, misery, and death, especially deep underground, I assume within the Earth’s belly. It was so vivid. Perhaps it was my mind’s own interpretation.” She looked at Cemel imploringly. “Sometimes I really don’t know what is real and what is not.”
“That is why I am here, to help you, make up for the inconsistencies of the past. Leah, have you ever co
nsidered some of your visions could be a glimpse of a possible future, and you are the one to instigate change?”
Silence reigned as Kate thought about that.
He continued. “Kalvich did tell me that Zakaroid predicted life on Earth is full of challenges and not everything is what it seems. I had faith you would reincarnate, and forty years ago I had a vision of your birth and well, here you are. So you were not ‘killed’ as you put it,” he added.
Kate gaped at him, her eyes wide with passion. “I know so little. You have opened my mind to the bigger picture. I need to remember. God, I need guidance, make this all relevant. Some friggin’ Chosen One I am. I need you, Cemel, please help me.”
Cemel had successfully tuned into Kate like a radio frequency. Emotion does have its pay offs. Ohhh, my queen, I will give you relevance all right.
“Remember I mentioned there were two immortals that were exceptions. The other was Sidonio, your husband of six thousand years ago, was originally from the god’s dimension. He fell in love with you and relinquished his powers and immortality to live with you in your world, your reality.”
Leah’s face turned a white that matched the room. “I‑I didn’t know, he was a…god?” She closed her eyes, her mind casting back. “He was a stranger at a banquet I was attending. I had never laid eyes on him until that night.” Her face looked wistful, as fragments of memories formed and joined. “We fell in love.” Tears formed in her eyes.
“So he sacrificed everything for his love for me. I was never happier than when I was with him. Are you saying that love has a role in this?”
“You and he were compatible because his qualities were a reflection of your own. Love, trust, friendship, companionship, courage, leadership, initiative: you shared all these. Leah, you were born a human with the potential of having tremendous god-like powers, and you had the unique ability to walk among your people. In 4000 B.C. you were and are now, today, one of a kind. I probably should not go so far to say, but I am sick of holding back the whole truth. You, Kalvich and Sidonio were part of a huge experiment. As I said and I will reiterate, gods and especially the controlling Elder Gods, cannot literally walk on planets in your dimension. The price would be to lose their powers including immortality. In the god’s experiment, Sidonio and Kalvich were to be exceptions: Chosen One’s. They were governed under the Elder Gods as they were born in the gods’ dimension. The Elder Gods went further. You, the third example, being born in the mortal dimension, on Earth was considered more…” Cemel allowed a playful giggle. “of a free spirit.”
“So you and Sidonio met and fell deeply in love. Was it a coincidence that you two met? I believe he was part of the god’s experiment right from the beginning. Admittedly, it threw me when I saw you two together.
“Sidonio was duly given the ultimatum by the Elder Gods, and this was a blatant test. The gods wanted to see how strong he was. He was to either leave you, and therefore retain his immortal powers, or stay with you and choose to live a mortal existence, of which, of course, he chose the latter. Love, Leah is a very powerful force and not to be ignored. He never told you his true origins, as that was part of his agreement with the gods. You were so special and you were born with powers that were so great, only through time and training were they going to be able to be accessed. That’s where I came in, and before you ask, I could not reveal any of these facts to you as Zakaroid was my employer.”
Kate nodded slowly, wondering if she believed him, but what choice did she have? Maybe once she mulled over this, it would make more sense, perhaps more relevance to her. Yeah, one thing at a time. She was out of her league, and what she needed the most was the guidance of a knowing friend.
Even one that existed six thousand years ago, who is sitting opposite me today. That thought made her body tingle.
“Okay,” she stated. “So, cutting to the chase, you are saying I am a god?”
Cemel allowed a small smile to play on his lips. “I do waffle, don’t I?” he said off handedly and sighed. “You are potentially. But you have the ability to be so much more. As I said, you are unique, no one can compare. Mere words alone cannot express. Only through experience and knowledge can you gain a sense of who you are. Some things you just have to accept, like faith.” He winked playfully at her. “If you trust me, I can support and guide you, like I should have from the beginning. Remember, you Leah, are the one that ultimately the Elder Gods have no power over.” He threw his hands in the air, his voice rising with heated passion. “This is what makes you so amazing. Sidonio had his powers removed because his choice made him break their sacred rules. He knew the consequences. You, my dear, can make and break any rule you see fit. Your decisions are so important in the sense they can start and end civilizations. Anything you wish for is basically yours. You are a unique goddess, born a mortal and existing in this three-dimensional existence, and with time you will realize just what you can achieve once you think outside your three dimensional way of thinking!” He took a breath, calming himself. “To reiterate, there have been only three Chosen Ones that have this flexibility–you, in time; Sidonio, who unfortunately has died; and Kalvich, the Trimadian Supreme Ruler. But, the Elder Gods can still stop him from doing certain things. He has to be careful. Oh, have you realized that Sidonio and Kalvich were both brothers.”
Leah’s heart jumped. “Sidonio and Kalvich were brothers!” Kate repeated, wondering what other surprises were going to roundhouse her. “Well, I guess I am ready for all sorts of revelations, but from what I can tell, they are like chalk and cheese.”
“Oh yes, but they still loved each other deep down, in their own way. They were reasonably close as youngsters. Kalvich is a rebel, a rule breaker; he governs and lives independently from any of the other gods. He could have had his powers removed, but as I said, he himself was a Chosen One, a puppet of the gods so to speak, similar to you.
“I personally believe either he or his brother was destined to be with you. So the gods, for whatever their reasons, thought it wise to leave him alone, as long as he didn’t interfere with your free will. Mind you, gods do stretch a few of their non-interfering rules to suit themselves. They are, at times, a pain due to their voyeuristic way of life. Very little escapes their notice. But that is mainly what they do–sit in their lofty dimension forever observing.”
Kate felt better. She was strangely glad of his waffling and constant reiteration. He was carefully drumming it into her head as he knew much of this would be hard for her to fathom, for now. Yet, at the same time, a lot of what he said and re said made sense. She sensed things could only get easier now the door to the universe had been unlocked.
It was up to her to open it and step through.
Cemel smiled slightly as he read her thoughts.
“Sweet Leah, the gods had you marked a long time ago, and my job was to watch over you as you grew, as I was the gods’ messenger. Though I never saw my duty as a job, you were like a daughter. You were a girl born in the kingdom of the Old World to become the savior of the people of the universe. The one who would be able to walk and talk with her mortal kind and bring light to all. The Elder Gods instructed me to never leave your side until you are ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“To take on your leadership duty of a universal evolution–a new breed of existence, and bridge the gap between mortal beings and the immortal. Consider yourself not just the link between humans and the gods, but on a universal multi-dimensional scale you are like the thread that holds the fabric.”
Kate’s mind was on overload and all she could do to cushion the blow was think, What a pick up line!
Cemel leaned forward and held her trembling hands. He had waited six thousand years for this and the brief contact almost gave him an orgasmic surge. He cast his head down to take it all in and not let her see his reaction.
Very softly he said. “The road is rocky, but I am here to help. You may have noticed the fact you are beginning to understand
and speak languages of races you will encounter, at times without even being aware of it. Contrary to whatever you have heard, the Trimadians are the most special race, blending an intelligent energy being, like a spirit with tangible flesh—an organic physical being. You, my dear, are both without being blended, born of the Graffa dimension with unique powers. There is no one quite like you.”
“So you keep saying,” she managed, her voice wavering, her pallor changing to grey.
Sensing her stress levels, he gently released her hands and leant back in the chair. “I’m sorry. I am a little over excited. You are strong. With the right training and guidance, you can do anything you like. Kalvich cherishes your happiness above everything and wants to give you as much time as you need. Your human companions in Divisions just don’t have the technology or comprehension. You are beyond them and they would hold you back. But don’t get me wrong. You will always be there to help mankind. Earth is your biological home.”
Kate found her voice, “I still can’t get over what Pete told me about what happened in history. That Kalvich is the enemy, my nemesis, that the Trimadians in all essence were dominating warriors that gave no one any choice; they enslaved my world. They forced you to do magic you didn’t want to do.”
“As I said, life is full of challenges. Remember, good and evil is a matter of one’s perception. Think about that. The gods will throw anything to see how their children handle adversity. The Elder Gods who have manipulated various species, including mankind, since time began are largely to blame for blinding one to one’s true enemy. They like to put their children to the test. You may have lots of enemies to face as time goes, but first you must face who you are, and accept it, that is the first step to your success. Kalvich and the Trimadian race are not your enemies. I have touched on some facts, but it is you that must choose to take the reins.”
“But I can’t forgive Kalvich for what he did to Sidonio. He slaughtered him, his own brother, too!”
He took Kate’s hand again, creating a powerful connection.
“Listen carefully, as I said, Sidonio never told you he willingly gave up his Godhood for you. But he was not allowed to tell you anything–those are the rules. Oh, he loved you and he would never blatantly lie to you, but, unfortunately, his hands were tied. To him, love was all that mattered–you stole his heart. But he would have stagnated you, held you back from your own natural evolution. Love was not enough. The gods were throwing you a challenge to see how strong this new link of evolution was.
“Kalvich thought if Sidonio could come down to the human side and find mortal love, then he could too.
“Gods are competitive in everything and among each other, and they have emotions and egos just like humans do. Do you remember the quote in Genesis? It is basically the same in any version or translation among the thousands of bibles that pepper Earth, ‘God made man in His image.’ You can take that both literally and figuratively. If you took away the god’s powers, they would look like any person that lived on your street when you were living as ordinary Kate Willard. The difference is who controls and who acts upon it. They are prone to human type behavior, believe me.
“Unknown to you, Sidonio and Kalvich had argued many a time over you, and both had resorted to violence. Cast your mind back to the day Sidonio died. Did you see Kalvich kill him?”
She closed her tear filled eyes thinking back to that blackest moment of her first life. “No, not exactly. I saw Kalvich holding a knife and Sidonio’s hand on his shoulder before he fell to the ground.”
“The knife was Sidonio’s, a gift from you to him. He wanted to kill Kalvich, but Kalvich had managed to disarm him at the same time as Sidonio had lunged forward and Kalvich couldn’t move the knife away if he wanted to.”
She gasped. “Are you saying it was an accident?”
“What I am saying is both men were jealous of each other and it ended in tragedy. Or what humans would call a crime of passion.”
Kate grew angry. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Because I have to follow the rules, too. If only you could remember that. I am like a referee between you and the gods. I can guide you, but I cannot interfere.”
“Yet you are interfering now. What’s the difference?”
“Your uniqueness. Guidance I can do. The ultimate decisions lie with you. You do not apply to their rules, and you are at a stage where the stones are all literally in your grasp. You will have more knowledge and power than all the gods put together. Plus, the gods, by bestowing the gift of immortality, have allowed me a second chance to help you, which I will take full advantage. Be warned, I suspect the gods have their own agenda. Of that I am sure, otherwise they would strike me down for telling you more than I really should be. Why have they not stepped in? Well, they do give me a lot of leeway, especially where you are concerned as they want to see this through very badly. One thing you should know that under normal circumstances, communicating in the dream world makes it easy for superbeings like gods to listen in. However, you are under the protection of my bloodstones, which gives us privacy. In 4000 B.C., you were just not ready for the truth, but by Zakaroid, you need the truth now. I am laying out the facts for you. The next step is what you decide. It is entirely, well, up to you.”
“Why did Kalvich never tell Leah the truth?”
“He did my dear, but you were not listening. He knew you were the Chosen One. He was watching you just like all the gods. He never predicted he would meet and fall in love with you–and act upon it! He was quite the unromantic type and stated that love was for fools. I believe his own personal destiny was to move away from his immortal family and seek an alternative lifestyle.”
Kate could not help but giggle at that remark.
“He chose Heliostronus, became Supreme Ruler of the Trimadians, and has been their faithful leader for a very long time, over the last eight thousand years, give or take a century or two from memory. He has consistently looked after the Trimadians and they worship him.”
“So, he was an independent.”
“Ha ha ha, that is one way of putting it. In theory Kalvich should have been stripped of his powers. But, once more…”
“It is all part of their experiment,” she commented.
He smiled. “Perhaps also, the gods took pity on his parents and decided they had suffered enough. His actual parents are an integral part of the Elder God circle. You do realize the elderly couple who helped you in the Divine Universe, back in the shopping mall, were Sidonio’s and Kalvich’s parents and were responsible for giving you my little gift of form, as you call it, at a time when you needed it. They sometimes use their little shop to help mortals in need, without getting too involved; they do sometimes trip over on that fine line between guidance and influence. They were always fond of you.”
Kate’s eyes narrowed, “It was Kalvich that gave me the necessary instructions on how to utilize my gift of form wasn’t it?”
Cemel smiled and nodded. “Yes, and if he and I were enemies, would I let him have that information? He had the insight to telepathically pass on the information, and thank Zakaroid he did.
“I’ll have to tell him how grateful I am.”
“You will soon my dear. The bloodstones I handed you before we were separated; he has held on to the third stone all this time waiting for your rising. He is planning on presenting it and your other two in a ceremony to mark your arrival, but don’t mention I said anything, it is a surprise. One thing I feel I should tell you, that I never could before, is part of your prophecy as the Chosen One is journeying to Heliostronus. I think Earth and Heliostronus will become strong allies because of the events happening now. I personally think you and Kalvich were linked. In what way, I am not sure, but only you will know through the decisions you make. Perhaps when you meet Kalvich and me in the flesh, once you have all three stones, you will understand.”
Kate was gob smacked. Yes, the puzzle’s pieces were starting to fit, or at leas
t start making sense. She was grateful for this information, especially from Leah’s own alchemist. For once, her restless soul took a breath of fresh air and felt reassured. It was his eyes; eyes she could trust. A mirror into one’s soul.
Wow, I have learned so much. And while asleep.
Her body relaxed completely as her mind, desperate to make sense of her predicament, began confidently accepting the words from this wise, enlightened man.
“Well, for six thousand years you haven’t changed.”
Cemel smiled broadly and finally took a real breath. He’d wondered if he was ever going to get through to her. Now he sensed things were finally heading in the direction he wanted, without resorting to any real influence. In fact, going better than he had hoped. Yes, he had flooded her senses and simultaneously answered her questions, that she so desperately needed answers to. The seed was planted. Take that Zakaroid, you ridiculous excuse for a leader.
“And you are more beautiful than I can recall. You are the exact age you were before you had, well, prematurely departed Earth, for a while. Do you realize, immortality allows you to decide what age you would like to stay at and change it at a whim? If you wish, you can turn back the clock for yourself.”
Kate laughed. “If I could sell that to women on Earth, plastic surgeons and doctors would be out of business. I know gods are immortal but do they die eventually?”
“Under certain circumstances, the Elder Gods under their leader Zakaroid can take powers away, like when they took Sidonio’s power when he chose to be with you, therefore making him mortal. But they have to sooner or later pass them on to another. They can’t just discard them. A balance must be kept. As I said, they gifted me his powers. In all essence, I had to survive.
“But apart from that, they live forever and make life as they so choose, whether they like it or not. Granted all gods mainly live a utopian luxurious existence. Hell, gods have their perks!”
Both laughed at that.
“I know Zakaroid likes to fish, and he would like to go to Earth and mingle with the mortals, but alas that would be unheard of. I guess immortality is not for all. But I haven’t heard any real complaints.”
“All this time, amazing, if only I knew,” she said quietly.
“While on the mortal world, you were never meant to.” He patted her on the knee. “I am sorry Leah, for letting you down.”
“The past is the past. We must look to the future. I am so looking forward to meeting you and this mysterious Kalvich. Thank you Cemel, I understand more now but, I think I will have to call it a day–sensory overload or something.”
She tried to smile, but her eyes were indeed showing the strains of being overwhelmed, as the importance of her existence began to sink in.
This conversation would have to end soon, though he could have stayed and chatted with her forever.
“You are right. I think I have said quite enough. Soon, one day, you will know everything there is to know and more. It sounds fantastic, but you will understand when the time is right. Trust me. I am glad I have straightened out a few things for you.” His voice softened. “I don’t want you to be sad or confused, especially at a time when the universe, is your oyster. The truth is sometimes hard to understand, but ultimately it should set your mind free. So, my dear, do you have a better idea of who you are and where you stand?”
“Yes, I guess I have to–I don’t know how to put it–I guess I have to say goodbye to Kate if Queen Leah is to rule, er, again. Is that my destiny? To have powers and rule again, lead my people to this evolution?”
“Your decisions are for you alone. You have to decide what path you want to take.”
“Am I allowed to think about it?”
“I think you have thought a lot about it, and I think you have to make the decision now for your own sake. Go with your instinct. Your instinct will never let you down.”
Your instinct–boy, if I had a penny for every time I heard that one. She sat up straight and looked calmly and serenely into his old wrinkled face.
Her voice was clear and unwavering. “I guess you had better say hello to your new queen.”
Cemel let the inevitable smile spread from ear to ear. A subtle rub of her ego helped. He did not think he was crossing over the line or pushing her too hard. She was quite receptive and only stressed due to the revelation of what her mind had opened up to. Yeah he blew her mind!
Even if he had crossed the line, the gods would never know about this little meeting; that part regarding the stone’s protection was most certainly true. He thought he had softened up Kalvich’s image quite nicely. All a matter of perspective. But still time was running out and getting her to Heliostronus now was imperative, lest she saw through his manipulative little twists.
Right now, he reveled in the success of the moment. He could have screamed with joy.
“But on one condition.”
No! Had he expected too much?
“What is that?”
“Hang around a while. I could do with a friend.”
Cemel smiled easily, “Always.”