‘Count, how wonderful to see you again.’ Maelgwn greeted him warmly, bowing slightly to revere his presence.
‘I thought we’d never finish all those goodbyes,’ the lord commented, smiling warmly all the while. ‘We have made far too many friends on the physical plane, which is why it has taken us so long to tear ourselves away from our involvement with matter.’
Tory was immediately infatuated with the way he spoke in the plural, reinforcing the idea that all are one. ‘Is that why we are here on Gaia? To disengage ourselves from matter … to ascend?’
‘My dear Tory Alexander.’ The Count held out his hands to her. ‘What a joy you have been to me. Such bravery and compassion as I have seldom known in all my female lives.’
Tory took hold as requested, but bowed before the lord, feeling humbled by his beautiful ultraviolet aura.
‘Only Maelgwn and yourself can answer your question, I’m afraid. I do not make your decisions, I just learn from them as you do,’ he explained, urging her with a tug on her hands to rise. ‘I am Master of your Soul Ray, but several of my colleagues govern other aspects of your manifestation in this life. You have a Personality Ray and Rays that govern your mental and astral bodies. Not to mention the Rays that influence the era and country of your birth, your planet and your solar system, your galaxy and so forth. This is how every incarnation of every soul-mind can create a completely individual experience. But, let us leave this forsaken part of the world and find more inspiring surroundings in which to take our repose and talk at greater length.’
As the master let go of one of her hands to take up one of her husband’s, Tory thought she’d best speak up before they got sidetracked. ‘What we really need is to speak with Doc Alexander.’
‘Ah, yes, Cadwaladr,’ the Count said. ‘Melchizedek has been following his work on Gaia very closely.’
‘Melchizedek?’ Tory queried, trying not to sound rude or ignorant, although she felt both.
‘Perhaps you know him better as the Sanat Kumara, the personality expression of the Silent Watcher whose consciousness is incarnated as the planetary Logos,’ he explained.
‘But I thought the planetary Logos, Gaia, was female?’ Tory was confused.
‘Indeed,’ the Count conceded, ‘but when dealing with the harsh reality of life on the planes of matter at this early stage of mankind’s spiritual evolution, Gaia usually chooses to assume a male persona … in the future that will change.’
‘So you are taking us to meet Melchizedek?’ Tory was intrigued by the notion.
‘Eventually … but first you must meet some of my Brotherhood,’ the Count informed her. ‘They are most eager to meet you both in person.’
‘And we are eager to meet them,’ Maelgwn assured before his wife could ask any more questions. ‘Please lead us where you will, lord.’
After reporting the sad disappearance of Lahmu’s daughter to him, Avery had been given leave to retire to a meditation chamber to familiarise himself with Viper’s appearance and see if he couldn’t learn more about the Falcon pirate’s intentions.
Most of the Chosen didn’t begin being tutored in past-life regression before the age of about eighteen years and were not permitted to regress alone before the age of twenty-five. Avery and his sister, having proved to be more psychically adept than any of the Chosen before them, were introduced to this technique at a younger age.
It was, therefore, rather a rude shock to Avery to be unable to conjure so much as a glimpse of his past life as Viper. This failure found him seeking his sister, Lirathea, in the wilderness on the far side of Kila where the sun was just rising. Avery was on the same cliff top where all his problems had begun. Lirathea was seated in the Lotus position facing the sun, and was deep in meditation.
She wore a plain, shapeless robe of violet, drawn at the waist by a girdle woven in all the colours of the rainbow. The hood of her robe hung around her shoulders, exposing her bald scalp to the warm rays of morning.
‘I still can’t get used to seeing you shorn like that,’ Avery commented to make Lirathea aware of his presence. When she did not break from her repose, Avery figured that his sister would continue to ignore him unless he came to the point. ‘Why can’t I view my past life as Viper?’
‘It isn’t a past life,’ she spoke calmly and softly, moving nothing but her mouth. ‘You and Viper are a split soul whose lives are unfolding simultaneously.’
‘No, that’s not done,’ Avery protested. ‘I am immortal. The incarnating soul stops here, with me.’
‘When we agreed to hand over our physical bodies to Devas soon after birth, the Logos achieved quantum leaps of good to further the cause of light in creation. This then had to be counterbalanced with the cause of darkness. As the involvement of Devas in the physical realm had never been permitted before, the Dark Lodge of the Materialistic were also granted something by creation that had never been permitted before —’
‘They allowed a damned soul to reincarnate,’ Avery concluded, positive that he was right. ‘But why has this soul been allowed to inhabit one of my bodies?’
‘Because if your angelic soul has been allowed to reside here in the physical, polarity demands that your demonic aspect be allowed the same opportunity.’
‘Are you saying the dark soul that has incarnated was and is part of my own soul-mind?’ Avery was repulsed by the notion and even a little insulted.
Lirathea nodded. ‘In the course of a soul’s evolution it must experience all aspects of creation, negative and positive, light and dark.’
‘But your angelic soul had a stay here too!’ Avery objected to being singled out and tested alone.
‘And my dark aspect has also reincarnated,’ she advised, opening her eyes and looking to her brother, ‘only she is not as conceited as her brother, and shall not pose as great a problem as Viper is bound to.’
Avery placed both hands on his hips, dumbfounded for a second; it sounded to him like his sister was having a dig. ‘Are you saying I am conceited?’
His reaction seemed to answer the question in Lirathea’s opinion. ‘It won’t do you any good to take out your frustration on me. En Noah warned you this would happen, so you only have yourself to blame for the loss of your love.’
‘I am not in love with Fallon!’ Avery blew his stack, tired of hearing this unfounded accusation over and over.
‘Beware when your words conflict with what is in your heart, for a great rivalry will be avoided by putting your ego aside and telling the truth.’ Lirathea repeated their tutor’s warning and stood. ‘Well,’ she emphasised, with a sardonic but happy tone, ‘the great rivalry has been struck, Avery, so somewhere between now and graduation you have lied to someone about your feelings … and when was that, exactly?’
Avery could only think of two instances where he’d been conscious of lying, and both times he’d been telling Fallon that he didn’t find her attractive. The realisation caused him to bow his head in defeat. ‘What mighty force causes someone to lie to themselves, sis? Why can’t I just admit that she has bewitched me with her attention and now I can’t bear to consider life without it?’
Lirathea could empathise with her brother, as she’d nearly glamoured herself into a big mistake, too. She’d been deluding herself into needing to be loved, whereas Avery had been fooling himself into believing he could do without it. ‘Your reluctance is Viper’s will holding sway over you. He would really much rather you stayed out of his way, and left Fallon’s fate to his darkening and twisted discretion,’ Lirathea informed her brother, knowing the fact would rile him.
‘You think Viper has power over me?’ Avery scoffed, choosing to be openly insulted instead of alarmed.
‘I know he does. And even if his influence is unintentional, it can be powerful,’ she warned. ‘I know, because I am using my influence to guide my dark half towards the path of light … I focus on sending her love and light every day.’
Avery cracked up; how could he take her seriously? ‘
You want me to devote love to Viper? I suppose you want me to wish him well too! May he be triumphant over us and spread his reign of horror throughout the galaxy!’ He stopped raving when he noticed his sister’s eyes were like daggers. This was a new look for her.
‘Have you learned nothing from our parents?’ Her look turned to bewilderment. ‘The entire Interplanetary Chain Logoi is counting on you, Avery. Don’t screw this up by being nonchalant. Viper has power over you because he’s had it tough; his desire to succeed is strong. Underestimate him and he will show you up for the spoilt, well-to-do brat that you potentially are.’
Avery’s head was bowed again. ‘He already has exposed me as thus,’ he admitted, feeling childish and very put in his place. ‘So, would you be so kind as to advise your loser brother as to how he might rectify this catastrophe?’
‘There is only one course of action for you,’ Lirathea smiled, gratifed by his turnaround. ‘You must win Fallon back.’
Avery rolled his head to one side, appearing pained. ‘It is too late. Viper has taken her god knows where!’
Lirathea placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder to calm him and waited until she had his full attention once more. ‘It has been made known to me that Viper will raid one of our Orme production operations.’
‘Which one?’ Avery pressed for information. ‘When?’
‘I don’t know,’ she replied resolutely, prompting the disappointed Avery to back off. ‘It will be soon though. I have foreseen Viper using Fallon to get into the facility, which gives you one last chance to set her straight about how you feel.’
‘I don’t like it when you say “last chance”.’
Lirathea looked away to hide her dread, her voice dropping to little more than a whisper. ‘I feel a terrible fate awaits Fallon if she does not come to her senses. Your love is very important to her.’ The holy woman turned her violet eyes back to meet her brother’s of identical colour. ‘I cannot stress how vital it is that you make your true feelings known to her.’
‘What terrible fate?’ Avery was still caught up in that part of her claim. ‘You know plenty that you’re not telling me, don’t you?’
‘I can’t see it,’ Lirathea retorted sharply, perturbed about the fact. ‘I have only felt its cold, bleak, guilt-ridden torture once, briefly, and I never want to feel it again.’
The look in her eyes told Avery not to doubt her word.
‘Win her heart, Avery, it is the only thing that will save the day. And make sure Sparrowhawk is with you when you confront Viper,’ she added as an afterthought.
‘Why?’ Avery frowned; he and his younger half-brother were anything but a team.
‘The spirits tell me it will be beneficial to you both.’ She shrugged, as if she knew no more.
‘I don’t see how?’ Avery whined, resigning himself to obliging the spirit world’s request.
‘I was the cause of the rift between you and Sparrowhawk,’ Lirathea pointed out, ‘but now I have removed myself from society your reason for contention has dissipated, has it not? You two can no longer use me as an excuse not to get along.’ Lirathea smiled a self-satisfied smile in conclusion and managed to coax a grin out of Avery as well.
‘Perhaps this premonition of yours is trying to indicate that Viper’s target will be Numan. That’s where you’ve had Sparrowhawk posted,’ Avery theorised.
Lirathea nodded to confirm that he could have a point. ‘If anyone can head Viper off, you can. But you must not entertain any negativity during your quest … if your heart is not full of love and good intentions for all involved then the Dark Lodge will have the upper hand and win the day.’
‘I understand,’ Avery acknowledged surely.
The Count brought Tory and Maelgwn forth to a narrow ravine that ran through a valley surrounded by pine tree covered mountains. The peace and natural beauty of the landscape captured their attention at once.
‘What planet is this?’ Maelgwn gazed up at the lovely blue sky that was littered with tiny white puffs of cloud. ‘It is so reminiscent of the lost Gaia.’
The master paused from scaling the rough and uneven track that ran alongside a stream and turned back to look at Maelgwn. ‘This is Gaia.’
Maelgwn smiled in disbelief at the Count’s implication. ‘Then, surely, this can’t be present day Gaia. The sky is so clear here, the vegetation is pristine and the air is breathable.’
The Count shrugged. ‘Nothing ails the environment of this particular site on the planet.’
‘And where is this site located?’ Tory queried, having been otherwise engaged perceiving the strong earth energies emanating towards a dwelling in the distance, which was situated overlooking the river.
‘You are at Shigatse in the Himalayas,’ the Count informed.
‘Tibet,’ Tory realised, quite overwhelmed by the fact. ‘The roof of the world and the spiritual capital of Gaia. In all my travels I have never been drawn here.’ She thought this odd, now, as most of the spiritual doctrine she’d read that corresponded with her own understanding of the cosmos had originated in this place.
‘One is usually drawn here at the end of one’s earthly travels,’ the Count explained to Tory and then looked back at her husband to answer his query. ‘The reason Shigatse has not been affected by the catastrophes that have plagued the rest of the planet is that the residents of this place will not allow it.’ He smiled in closing and continued on his merry way.
As they approached the river, the dwelling came more clearly into view.
Of modest size, the structure appeared not unlike a temple shrine, with its beautiful Burmese-style turrets and tall marble columns supporting the roof on all sides.
The Count continued along the track past the shrine. Tory realised that the powerful energies she’d picked up on, passed through the structure and did not stop there, but flowed on to a destination further afield. From the outside of the little temple, Tory could see several people inside bowed to the ground in silent prayer before an altar that was strewn with fruits, flowers and other offerings and gifts.
‘To whom do they give homage, Count?’ Tory caught up to their guide to ask softly.
‘Why, they give homage to the Masters we are here to see,’ he informed and pointed to a bridge over a stream just up ahead. ‘The houses where the Masters El Morya and Kuthumi dwell. We’ll see them once we round the bend in the ravine just beyond the bridge.’
‘And are they Ray Masters as you are, Count?’ Maelgwn took hold of his wife’s arm, enjoying their stroll in the mountains immensely.
‘Indeed.’ The Count smiled broadly exposing his gleaming white teeth to the daylight. ‘These Masters are brothers and work very closely together. El Morya is the human manifestation or the Chohan of the First Ray of Will-Power. He is the destroyer and has had numerous human incarnations. One you might be aware of is Alexander the Great.’
Tory was stunned, knowing that this mighty leader had been one of her brother’s incarnations. ‘So my brother Brian is on Master El Morya’s Soul Ray.’
‘Yes, indeed, and has always been. As Lahmu, Brian was the destroyer of the Pantheon,’ the Count explained. ‘El Morya’s brother, Kuthumi, is the Chohan of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom. As the Master Builder, you can see why he works so closely with El Morya.’
‘Because after destruction there is always new growth and construction,’ Maelgwn figured.
The Count nodded. ‘One of Kuthumi’s great incarnations was Pythagoras. Still, most of El Morya and Kuthumi’s most vital and testing human incarnations were during the early Mayan and Lumerian periods, as they were needed to advance the human belief system and the consciousness of mankind. Kuthumi works very closely with the Christ consciousness, currently known as the Lord Maitreya.’
‘So was Jesus Christ one of Maitreya’s incarnations then?’ Tory had to ask, she couldn’t resist finding out more about the legend as she had never trusted the Bible’s account.
‘No,’ the Count replied. ‘But, it was
the Lord Maitreya who heavily influenced Jesus for the last three years of that one’s life leading up to the crucifixion. It was also the Christ consciousness who overshadowed Jesus during his time on the Cross, in order that he might endure the fourth initiation known as the Great Renunciation. He was the first human being who, in a marathon race of evolution, reached the enlightened state of Christ consciousness to become the way between humanity and the Father’s home. Jesus has since taken the fifth and sixth initiations to become the Chohan of the Sixth Ray of Abstract Idealism or Devotion and prefers to be called Sananda these days.’
Tory and Maelgwn were both rather thoughtful after that information and so walked in silence over the bridge, digesting what the Count had said and greatly anticipating the introductions that were forthcoming.
On the other side of the bridge there was a beautifully paved path that ran off in both directions.
‘This way.’ The Count headed off up the hill. ‘That which lies downhill is for Kuthumi to disclose to you, not I.’
Tory and Maelgwn hadn’t thought to be curious about where the downhill path led, but now they were.
As they rounded the bend in the ravine two houses came into view. These dwellings were much more homely-looking than the pristine little place of homage down the way. Every aspect of their construction was rounded, domed or arched. The dwellings on Kila were built on the same architectural principles but the houses they beheld at present were more old-fashioned and had an oriental influence — if shrunk in size, the houses would be the perfect illustration of what Tory imagined an oriental pixie’s dwelling might look like.
‘Amazing,’ Tory mumbled, referring not to the dwellings but to the convergence of earth energies that marked this spot as a ley-line crossing and a doorway to the Otherworld. ‘This is the most powerful hotspot I have ever felt. It must be the grand central station of ley crossings.’ The atmosphere of the place oozed tranquillity and peace, the like of which Tory had never felt in a conscious state.
‘Not quite,’ the Count granted, ‘but Shigatse would be the major station next to grand central, Shamballa, which is very close by here.’