Gene of Isis

  ‘And which of these is thought to be housed in this mountain?’ I queried.

  ‘Hard to say,’ Akbar admitted, ‘for both were fashioned here on Mt Serâbit.’

  ‘Well, what is the worst that could happen if Molier succeeded in his aims? The porthole to Sharon would be closed?’

  ‘That would be the beginning of the end for this world,’ Akbar said emphatically. ‘Denied access to the Plane of Shar-on, Molier would still have access to the most powerful tool known to mankind, but there are specific instructions for the handling of the Ark. If these rules are not obeyed it will kill without warning, and the fury of its unleashed power will cause plagues and tumours upon the earth.’

  ‘I see.’ I exhaled deeply, not really wanting to think about the most obvious solution to our troubles. ‘Perhaps I should just go home,’ I ventured, though it pained me to say it.

  ‘There is no point now,’ Akbar hastened to tell me. ‘Molier knows of your existence and he will hunt you down.’

  ‘You make it sound like he’s stalking me.’

  ‘He is!’ Both Akbar and Albray responded at once.

  It seemed to follow that if the daughters of Isis were Molier’s fetish, he had had one within his grasp two centuries ago! Ashlee hasn’t mentioned being stalked by him.

  Yet! Albray emphasised. You haven’t finished reading her journal.

  ‘Then what would you have me do?’ I put the question to Akbar and Albray.

  ‘You must combat Molier and defeat him,’ Akbar replied as if the answer was obvious.

  Exactly, Albray concurred. I keep telling you that we need to work on your psychic talents, as it will take more than a sword to defeat Molier . .. I am the non-living proof of that.

  I was so horrified by the suggestion that I couldn’t speak.

  ‘I assumed that you knew your mission here.’ Akbar clearly hadn’t wanted to alarm me. ‘You have such talent with a sword that I assumed you had been trained for the purpose.’

  Overwhelmed as I was, I didn’t want to alarm Akbar either. ‘You might say I am still in training,’ I clarified for his benefit. ‘I hope to be ready by the time Molier arrives here in the Sinai, if indeed he intends to come here.’

  ‘He will come now he knows you are here.’ Of this Akbar seemed very certain. ‘As time is of the essence, I shall not distract you from your studies any longer.’

  My nerves were making me feel queasy and as the heat in the cave wasn’t helping, I was more than happy to seize the opportunity to depart. ‘I’ll let you know if Molier sends word of his arrival.’ I stood to make good my escape.

  ‘Make haste with your preparations,’ he encouraged, voicing his concern. ‘There is much at stake.’

  ‘I know,’ I managed to reply without sounding sceptical. The truth was that with all the information I’d been subjected to of late from various people, I would be a fool to discount their accounts and theories.

  Albray was more attentive and up-vibe than usual that evening; I, for a change, was quiet and thoughtful. I picked at my dinner and then thought about returning to Ashlee’s story, but I couldn’t concentrate on the text. I read the first sentence several times over and each time my mind drifted back to the Cave of Hathor and my conversation with Akbar.

  So how do I develop my psychic skills? I queried telepathically, not prepared to risk speaking aloud to Albray, who was currently fascinated with the screensaver on my computer.

  Well… He dragged his enchanted sights from all the pretty colours on my screen. The first thing you have to do is actually believe in psychic skill.

  And what if I’m a dud? I appealed, so afraid this was the case.

  A dud, Albray repeated, unfamiliar with the term, although he caught my meaning and it amused him. I guess that you won’t know until you try.

  Fair enough. I closed Ashlee’s book to concentrate on Albray’s instruction. Let’s give it a go then.

  My knight ran through a short meditation to calm and focus me, and then we worked on activating my etheric vision, although I don’t know how much success we had. As I was pretty much the only living thing in my tent, Albray had me focusing upon myself in the mirror. He was telling me to concentrate on my third eye area in order to look beyond my physical self to see my light-body. I began to see a kind of negative impression of my being superimposed upon my reflection.

  That’s how it starts, good, Albray encouraged. What you are seeing is the etheric shell. Now, if you stay focused and endeavour to see beyond that, you should start to perceive the light-body and its auric hues.

  I strained and I focused, I really did, but I just couldn’t see anything beyond the negative impression. A couple of times I lost sight of myself in the mirror altogether and I felt as if I was on the verge of a breakthrough, but when excitement welled, my perception regressed back to my etheric shell and then my physical image once more.

  ‘I can’t do this,’ I muttered, feeling frustrated, drained and rather silly for believing that I could accomplish a supernatural feat; deep down I doubted that anyone could. I left my seated position before the mirror and collapsed onto my bed.

  You’ve done really well for your first attempt. Albray sounded surprised.

  Yeah, right, I scoffed in my mind. Ashlee had more talent when she was still in the cradle.

  It’s really not fair to compare yourself with Miss Granville . .. most of the mystics that ever lived would pale by comparison.

  Well, if Ashlee was so damn talented then why didn’t she destroy Molier and save me the trouble? I was moody and tired.

  You’ll read all about that tomorrow, I should think. Albray maintained his sweet mood, understanding that I was exhausted. For today, it might be time we both retired.

  You wish to be dismissed? I hauled my bag up onto the bed and fished around for the stone.

  I do, but I would ask a favour of you. Albray sat down on the bed beside me to make his request. I want you to sleep with the stone in the palm of your hand.

  ‘Why?’ I tried not to sound alarmed by his request. How was I possibly going to drift into a dream space without fantasising about my knight?

  Would you? Please, he appealed once more, obviously having no intention of explaining his request. With those big dark eyes gazing into mine, he didn’t need to explain himself. I found myself nodding in agreement.

  Sleep came upon me quickly that evening, and I awoke feeling like I’d barely closed my eyes.

  My tent was brilliantly illuminated this morning. Even under the brightest sunlight my quarters didn’t usually have this much natural light. I rolled over to look at the clock on my bedside table to find Albray lying on the bed beside me, minus the weapons and chain mail he usually wore. His shirt was gaping open and all I could think about was planting a kiss upon his smooth muscular torso…and so I did.

  Placing a finger under my chin Albray raised my face and engaged my lips in a kiss.

  Yes, I was dreaming again, but what a dream! His body pressed hard against mine; I hadn’t ever wanted a man so desperately and the touch of his hands upon my body excited me beyond all reason. We were both half naked and well worked up into a passionate frenzy before my sensibilities found me. I thought, Wow…and I had the impression Albray wasn’t interested in me.

  Then Akbar’s concerns today surfaced in my mind. That only leaves Molier the option of enchanting you into believing that you are in love with him. If you currently hold feelings for someone he could assume their appearance in order to get to you.

  The next moment I was out of bed, panting in the wake of abandoning my bliss, and covering my bare breasts with my discarded shirt.

  ‘This is too sudden for you,’ Albray assumed, bemused at being abandoned. ‘I fear I have misread your—’

  ‘How do I know you are not Molier?’ I stated my true concern, which seemed to soothe Albray somewhat.

  He smiled and sat up to reason with me. ‘Ask me a question. Something that Molier wouldn’t know.’


  ‘All right.’ I mulled it over. I had to ask him something about our relationship that had occurred prior to setting foot in the Middle East. ‘Where did we first meet, and what was your first impression of me?’

  ‘We first met in your home, in the…sitting room? Or that is what such a room might have been called in Miss Granville’s time.’

  ‘Close enough,’ I warranted, breathing a little easier. ‘And?’ I prompted him to finish answering my query.

  ‘And I thought upon sighting you…’ He paused to recall his feelings. ‘Here is a goddess…’ This, I very much doubted, until he added: ‘And she’s half naked.’ He chuckled in conclusion and I rolled my eyes, for this observation of Albray’s I did remember. ‘And I was worried by your obvious scepticism and ignorance of your own potential.’

  ‘Albray?’ I queried, wanting so much to believe that it was him and that he did hold feelings for me, or, at the very least, that this was my own dream that I could feel at liberty to pursue.

  ‘Yes,’ Albray said, ‘it is me.’

  Now I was confused. ‘You’ve never shown the slightest interest in me before today.’

  ‘Have I not?’ Albray had to grin. ‘I must be a better actor than I thought. I felt sure that during our duel with Akbar my feelings for you had been betrayed.’

  The overwhelming feeling of love I had experienced upon surrendering to Albray’s control had been his feelings for me! My heart exploded in my chest at this realisation.

  ‘My timing is terrible, considering what you learned today from Akbar,’ he conceded. ‘But an unrequited love has had me preoccupied for many a long year, and it took nearly losing you for me to admit to myself that I was falling in love with you. And then I had to consider whether encouraging your love was not an abuse of my position.’ At the last, he waved off the whole idea. ‘I made a mistake—’

  ‘No.’ I came to kneel on the bed to prevent his departure. ‘There is no mistake.’ I kissed my knight to reassure him, hoping to pick up where we left off. ‘Please stay with me.’

  Clearly he wanted to, but I had planted a doubt in his mind, and he in mine. ‘There will be other nights.’

  I suspect that Albray saw how dispirited his decision made me feel, for he raised my chin and urged me to look him in the eye.

  ‘Perhaps we shall both have the courage to speak of how we feel when you’re in a conscious state.’ He knew that this was partly the reason why I was having trouble believing that he did hold feelings for me.

  ‘But this is my dream.’ I was convinced of that, at least, for our conversation had been too detailed and personal for Molier to have bluffed his way through; it could only have been my imagination.

  ‘No, Mia,’ Albray confessed. ‘You moved beyond mere dreaming when you sought me out last night in the etheric realms. You,’ he paused to emphasise, for he knew I would be amazed by his assertion, ‘have mastered the art of astral projection, for this is an out-of-body experience.’

  I gasped, excited by the news.

  ‘So you see, I was pushed to make the truth known to you,’ he admitted at last. ‘I couldn’t watch you trying so hard to develop your psychic talent when, in fact, you are doing splendidly. Just different psychic skills than those Miss Granville utilised.’

  ‘So you know about our meeting last night?’

  He nodded a little guiltily.

  I was going to have a go at him for not mentioning it today, but then it occurred to me: ‘Is that why you were in such a good mood this morning?’

  He restrained his smile, tickled by his own cheekiness. ‘That is also why I requested you sleep with the stone after dismissing me…for you could not seek me again in the etheric realms if I was bound to your physical plane of expression. I’m sorry I haven’t owned up before now, but I truly thought I would be doing you a disservice…for no substantial relationship can ever come from loving me.’

  I nudged his forehead gently with my own and smiled fondly to assure him, ‘I am more than happy with the man of my dreams.’

  I kissed him with all the pent-up passion I possessed. The fascination was mutual; hence, there was no way in heaven I was allowing my knight to leave unfulfilled.

  It had been an eternity since I had awoken from sleep feeling so content and vibrant. I smiled broadly as I stretched out, revelling in the release I felt; then my memory served to remind me that I had felt release several times over during the night, and the recollection of my lover made me feel all the more delicious.

  Albray’s stone was still in my hand and I held it to my heart. Albray, Albray, Albray.

  Miss Montrose, he said, upon appearing at my bedside, and noting my large smile, he asked: And what is the cause of today’s frightful good cheer?

  ‘Sweet dreams,’ I replied.

  Really? What about? he asked curiously. The smile fell from my face and panic seized my heart. Just kidding. He grinned and lay down on the bed facing me.

  I would have hit him had he had more substance. I feel sure that giving your charge heart failure isn’t part of your job description.

  I shall never fail your heart, he said in all earnestness. It is the most precious gift I have received in ages.

  Oh, god, he was so perfect. How could creation be so cruel as to place us centuries and centuries apart? I must thank you too.

  What for? he inquired winningly.

  For making me feel so divine…for helping me see the wonder of life and the potential within myself. I have never been more beholden to anyone, Albray. The desire and love I saw in his face made my heart do backflips, and my smile grew so wide it was starting to make my face ache. Perhaps I could just go back to sleep for a while? I wanted to wrap myself around his body again; union with him aided me to touch the divine within myself.

  I think we’ve done enough damage for one night.

  What do you mean? I frowned, thinking he was having second thoughts about us.

  Albray smiled to reassure me and then cast a hand wide, indicating I should look at the inside of my tent.

  I sat bolt upright when I noticed that my tent seemed to have been ransacked. ‘Oh, my god!’ I climbed out of bed, bemused. We did this?

  Albray almost laughed. No. YOU did this.

  Me! I couldn’t think how, and then I recalled Ashlee’s tale and the instances of objects levitating each time Devere and Ashlee became intimate. I also seemed to remember that her psychic powers had increased when she had been awakened by her prince. I rushed to my mirror.

  Lo and behold, I immediately saw straight through my physical image, through my etheric shell to my light-body’s auric hues and the seven whirling centres of light and colour that had become known in esoteric circles as the chakra system. Tears of pride and relief filled my eyes. ‘I’m doing it!’ I was amazed to see my heart centre pulsating with huge bursts of rose-pink light; this was the same colour that Ashlee had observed emanating from the heart centres of her companions after they had fallen in love.

  Yes, you are, Albray agreed, with admiration in his voice.

  I looked back at him, simply beaming with the exhilarating mix of love and power that was surging through my being. Then there can be no doubt that you are my prince, I said seductively, and this also led me to comprehend something else. Which means you must be of the blood, too.

  Ah…I was, Albray pointed out.

  I knelt down in front of him. And your second name wouldn’t happen to have been Devere?

  Albray was shocked for a moment, wondering how I could have learned this, but as it was obvious I knew the truth, he nodded to confirm my guess.

  You never told Ashlee? I assumed.

  It kept our relationship .. . uncomplicated, he justified. As you shall read.

  ‘Oh…’ I protested. Couldn’t I just go back to sleep for a little while…I mean, the place is already a mess?

  Placing my personal desires above the greater good would definitely be abusing my position, Albray reasoned. But I shall greatly look forward t
o this evening.

  Not nearly as much as me. I released a disappointed breath and resigned myself to my duty. Gazing around at the upheaval in my tent, I thought cleaning up should come first.

  Thankfully, I hadn’t damaged any of my equipment. Tonight I’ll be sure to pack away anything valuable.

  I imagined all my belongings floating around my tent while I slept, and wondered if I’d been moaning out loud at the same time as I had been in my dream. The idea made me blush with delight and embarrassment. ‘It’s a good thing the camp is practically empty.’

  I checked my email after breakfast, prior to sitting down with Ashlee’s tale, to find a message from Andre.

  It simply said that the team had been delayed in Sharm el-Sheikh, and wouldn’t be back before tomorrow evening. He hoped my research was going well, and requested that I email him to assure him that all was well at camp.

  What a sweetie, I thought, as Andre was obviously still wary of Akbar’s interest in me. I, however, was not.

  I emailed Andre to assure him everything was fine, and then made a cup of tea and sat down at my desk with Ashlee’s epic journal.

  It seemed that the forthcoming chapter was in sync with my current mood, for Ashlee had entitled it ‘Passion’.

  LESSON 14

  PASSION

  FROM THE TRAVEL JOURNALS OF MRS ASHLEE DEVERE

  I very much liked my new persona. The clothes that the Duc de Guise had supplied served my purpose beautifully.

  I was green velvet from head to foot. This fabric, I was assured, had been tested with ammonia to guarantee it contained no lethal dye—the duke would not make that fatal mistake again.

  The outfit consisted of green trousers that fitted my legs snugly; over the top of these were long brown leather boots which folded down at the knee and were designed to be unfolded as required to give more protection during swordplay or from the elements. On top of my very valuable corset I wore a pale green silk shirt and a long-sleeved velvet jacket that buttoned down the front. The coat fell to my mid-thigh, but as the duke felt this was not modest enough for a lady of the blood he had his tailor run me up a long sleeveless tunic of the same fabric and colour, which was little more than a length of fabric with a hole in the centre for my head. The tailor added a large hood to this, and once on my body the green velvet tunic fell to my ankles down the front and back. The garment was strapped to my body by the belt that was slung around my hips—in which was holstered my pistol on my right side while a scabbard that held my sword hung on my left. The additional tunic gave me the comfort of modest attire, but as there were no joins down the side of the garment, it did not restrict riding and swordplay.