‘If the crone has gone to the past, it’s not like we can’t catch her up at any time.’ Zabeel made a further appeal.
Avery, considering that he had yet to make his peace with Fallon, gave up his protest with a nod. ‘Strategy it is, then.’
In a beautiful Otherworldly glen, Fallon patiently waited for the Dragon to return as per his instruction. He’d assured her that she could breathe easy in the knowledge that she was beyond the reach of Mahaud or Viper here.
Fallon dangled her toes in the river, feeling at peace with herself for the first time since she’d become involved with Viper. Her attraction to him made her blood run cold now and her heart broke to think that Avery would surely despise her for having betrayed her kindred. ‘How could I have been so, so …?’ Stupid, naive, wretched and blind all sprang to mind, but none of these words seemed to adequately capture how wrong she’d been.
I can see you averting a great calamity. En Noah’s prophecy played on her mind. But you must keep your heart and mind open to the higher purpose. Malice will confuse your perception for a time, making the right decision and course of action unclear.
‘How could I have failed to see the test, when it was so obvious? I love Avery,’ she mumbled through her welling tears, knowing this had been the case all along. Her interest in Viper had only thrived on her futile attempt to make Avery jealous. ‘Even Avery’s lack of interest in me will never change that,’ she realised, as her tears of disappointment and remorse dropped into the river and flowed away with it.
‘You’re wrong, Fallon.’
She turned to find the Dragon had returned.
‘Avery loves you much more than he has let on.’ He came to sit beside her.
Fallon brushed away her tears with a sniffle and shook her head. ‘If he cares for me so much, then where was Avery today when the rest of our kindred came to my rescue?’
‘He was right here.’ The mirage of the Dragon faded away as Avery assumed his own form.
Fallon raised a fist to strike, but Avery blocked her intent by gripping hold of the offending limb. ‘Another deception!’ she accused, wanting to vent some of her own guilt back on him.
‘The last deception,’ he vowed, sincerely, ahead of kissing her to silence any further protest.
She struggled to resist his passionate outpouring at first, wanting to hold on to her anger, but having desired Avery for as long as she could remember, Fallon soon found herself swept along in the wave of emotion that his kiss inspired.
When they parted, Fallon was far calmer, albeit confused. ‘I find it really sweet that you would lie to prevent me from running off again, but I promise there is no need —’
‘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.’ Avery quoted the prophecy En Noah had tried to warn him with. ‘The only time I have lied since graduation, was when I denied that I found you alluring.’ He stared deep into Fallon’s eyes of piercing blue, so that she might know his confession was the truth. ‘A fact that I have been denying for years.’
‘Years?’ Fallon uttered, bewildered. ‘But why?’
‘Because the lie kept me at liberty and gave me power over you,’ he admitted. ‘A power that I am now greatly ashamed of as my ego nearly cost us both, dearly.’ Observing the look of betrayal on her face, he ventured to add, ‘Or maybe my stupidity has already taken its ultimate toll? I will understand completely if your forgiveness is not forthcoming.’
The fear that had beset her body crumbled away, as Fallon’s greatest wish was granted. ‘I am the one who should be apologising, Avery.’
Avery could feel the tears of relief welling in his eyes and made no attempt to restrain them. He kissed her again and again, until their lips melted into a seemingly endless union.
‘Is this your idea of protecting my daughter?’
Avery and Fallon were startled apart at the sound of Lahmu’s voice.
‘Father!’ Fallon rose and rushed to embrace Brian, mumbling her apologies as she clung to him for dear life.
‘It’s all right, princess.’ Brian hushed her to calm, rubbing her back and kissing her forehead to reinforce his claim. ‘You’re safe now.’ He served Avery a nod of appreciation as the young Lord of the Otherworld was looking a mite concerned about being busted seducing the Governor’s daughter.
In truth, Brian was well disposed towards having Avery as a son-in-law. ‘Thank you,’ Brian mouthed.
Avery simply bowed his head, gratified to have succeeded in the rescue as vowed.
9
FIRST CONTACT
As Tory and Maelgwn absorbed the last sentence of the glowing Sanskrit text from the last wall of Kuthumi’s esoteric museum, the infrastructure of the learning facility became obscured by etheric light and their bodies felt suddenly constrained and cumbersome.
‘There will be a short interlude in your tuition,’ Kuthumi advised the couple, as they found their consciousness returned to their physical forms seated around the courtyard table of Master El Morya’s home.
‘How long have we been absent?’ Tory queried El Morya, the Count and Kuthumi who were all still present. It had seemed like she’d been absorbing information for days, maybe weeks?
‘No more than an hour has passed,’ the Count replied with a smile, as time was his department. ‘The etheric realms are very flexible that way.’
‘We require you to accompany us to a more secure location,’ Kuthumi requested.
‘You seem to do a fine job of moving us about without our aid.’ Maelgwn stated his observation and the lord nodded in acquiescence.
‘Where we go now, you must enter of your own will,’ he explained simply.
A gentle wind whipped passed Tory and Maelgwn. Kalagiya, it whispered as it passed around them several times. They understood it to mean ‘come to Shamballa’.
‘For choosing unification over separatism, nurture over exploitation, love over hatred, freedom for all over slavery, and selflessness over vanity,’ Kuthumi summed up, ‘come friends, seek your earthly repose in the outer court of our heavenly Father’s abode.’
Tory called to mind what she had learned of Shamballa from the Sanskrit text she’d been studying. Shamballa was the seat of the Sanat Kamara, who was the Planetary Logos of Gaia, also known as Melchizedek, the Ancient of Days, the Silent Watcher and by many other names in different tongues and cultures. This mighty being was said to be incarnate in etheric form at a secret location in the Gobi Desert. Shamballa marked the spot where the will of the Sanat Kamara, or Melchizedek, was focused upon the planet and sent forth to carry out divine purpose.
Her revision was interrupted as Kuthumi stood and passed through the wooden tabletop to stand before Tory and her husband. The master reached out and placed one palm against Maelgwn’s forehead and the other palm over Tory’s third eye area to instil in their minds a vision of their destination.
It was only as the master made physical contact, and Tory felt the true essence of unconditional love made manifest that flowed through him, that she fully realised the great honour that was being bestowed on her. Immediately, her eyes filled to overflowing with tears of inspiration and glancing aside she saw that Maelgwn had reacted in the same way; in all their years of blissful married life Tory had never seen her husband appear so happy and at peace.
A cathartic high followed which dragged Tory’s perception from her husband’s angelic face to a vision of a city composed entirely of light; it was adrift among a backdrop of stars, which rang true with what Tory had read of the sacred city of Shamballa.
The pinnacle of the stronghold reaches far into space. Being made of etheric substance, it exists on all planes of demonstration.
In Tory’s vision the celestial city was diamond-like in shape and was situated within a pyramid formed of streams of fiery energies that originated from distant destinations in space. At the highest point of the tallest tower in the middle of the spectacul
ar city all the incoming rays of energy fused into one stream which then split into three directions to form an etheric inverted steeple that extended all the way down to the surface of the earth.
Shamballa is on Gaia, too, in a hidden, secret valley.
Tory’s consciousness followed the three streams down through the atmosphere and she found herself approaching a desert. She plummeted down towards the earth at great speed and as the ground rushed up to meet her, she changed course to surge across the open plains of the windblown Gobi Desert.
Gradually her momentum slowed and Tory found herself walking alone and barefoot across the barren ground; she was now dressed in long white robes that winnowed across her body and trailed behind her in the wind. Her feet seemed to have wings for they did not make contact with the earth on which she trod. And yet, her stride had great purpose as she rapidly approached a rolling range of barren snow-capped mountains.
The warrior of Light penetrates the four gates to Shamballa … Loneliness being the threshold of the first …
Tory was blinded by a memory from her time in Ancient Gwynedd. It was the day Taliesin had informed her of her immortal status and of how alone in time and space that fact had made her feel. At that time Tory had been led to believe that she was one of only a handful of Chosen Ones; she did not discover the extent of Marduk’s escapades until decades afterward.
‘I will see everybody die,’ had been her first grievance.
‘And reborn again,’ Taliesin had pointed out a bright side.
Immortality had been too huge an idea for her to comprehend at once. Still, she had embraced her lonely plight willingly and bravely.
Her greatest and only comfort, then, had been knowing that Taliesin was immortal also. ‘You will always be here?’ she’d pleaded with, more than asked, the High Merlin.
‘For some time yet,’ he’d replied.
This instance, even more than her trip back to the Dark Age, had been a defining moment in her life — Taliesin had been always been there to support her at such times, before he’d ascended back to his soul source. Since then they’d had virtually no contact.
The second gate is Detachment …
Tory’s thoughts were turned to the birth of her twins, Avery and Lirathea. Their bodies had been commandeered by a couple of Deva changeling babies shortly after birth. Tory had mastered a state of detachment in order to gain a clear perspective on the seemingly horrendous events unfolding. She had even unwittingly willed death upon herself, the ultimate detachment, in order to glimpse Devachan to confirm the wellbeing of her children’s souls.
It was only with this recollection of events that Tory remembered that Taliesin had been there at death’s door to meet her and guide her back to the land of the living. This remembrance brought a tear to her eye; he was her guardian angel to be sure and she felt privileged at the honour of his tutelage and guidance.
The third gate is Isolated Unity …
The recent indifference she’d felt upon discovering that Maelgwn was to aid their kin to victory without her came to mind. She’d felt numb to the news; she still loved her kindred but equally she loved all mankind. Tory was in the world, but she no longer felt part of it. Not even the allure of her lover’s touch could interest her in returning to physical world activity, hence it was clear that no earthly thrill would ever again evoke a response from her. She also realised that Maelgwn must feel the same way and it did not sadden her to know that she no longer enchanted him in a physical sense. Their physical relationship had been naught but a glamour anyway. As wonderful as their marriage had been, their attraction was but a means to keep the other interested and bound to the mutual cause of teaching the other the meaning of unconditional love. Now that they both understood this and felt an unconditional love for all things in creation, they could conquer greater concerns for the mutual benefit of all. Maelgwn and herself would always meet again and that was true of every soul she’d ever held dear. For, ultimately, they were all part of her super-consciousness and in this knowledge Tory felt great joy and liberation.
The fourth gate is Purity.
Her consciousness returned to the present and to the exhilaration of the wind rushing over her body.
The thought occurred that this might be the last time she would ever feel the physical effects of the elements at play upon her form; thus Tory opened herself completely to the experience, savouring it.
The constant, though gentle, resistance of the wind was in harmony with the pulsing ley-line energies that radiated outwards from the snowcapped mountains, urging her to stride against the tide of energy currents towards the wellspring. The golden sun’s twinkling reflection on the imposing icecaps made them appear miraculously akin to the towers of the celestial city she’d just seen among the stars. The evening rays of the sun warmed her soul, and filled her with peace. She realised that all she wanted from existence now was to serve the great plan of the Logos, whose heart chakra manifested as the large ball of fire that hung low in the sky to one side of her — Tory’s only will was to be part of the divine will.
These Four Gates are the foundation on which Shamballa is built. Three Doors lead the initiate deeper into the council chamber of the Sanat Kamara and with each door opened one of the three gifts of Shamballa is bestowed.
Greet the fiery angel that guards the outer chamber and enter the Door of Reason, whereupon you shall see things as they really are and receive the gift of Opportunity.
A great wall of fire erupted around the base of the mountain range. Tory was aware that extreme danger existed for anyone who attempted to confront this angel with a distorted mind or heart, but holding no fear or delusion, she did not waver from her course. From the monstrous force-field of fire confronting her, she felt only a beckoning warmth that washed through her like a cooling wave as she ventured to penetrate the wall of flame.
The barrier of fire vanished and Tory emerged triumphant to find that she was standing before the entrance to a cave.
Beyond the rocky region into which the cave extended, she could see the towering spirals of a jewelled city, peaking where the mountaintops had featured only moments ago. These towers were the receivers of the three rays that formed the inverted steeple that extended downwards from the celestial city beyond the atmosphere and reality of this world to encompass the sacred city on the surface of Gaia.
Within the beamed energy rays were impressions, knowledge and energies from older, more spiritually adept alien cultures which resided on planets on other planes of existence in the distant regions of space and in our own star system. Shamballa distributed this inspirational energy to the inhabitants of Gaia via the ley-line grid of the planet. How each inhabitant of the planet interpreted this energy determined whether or not the information benefited the cause of the Brothers of Light or the Dark Lodge of the Materialistic.
Tory could see the blue-white etheric streams of energy that she’d only ever felt before now shooting out into infinity in all directions.
‘Welcome to the outer court of Shamballa.’
The greeting drew Tory’s attention back towards the cave, where a master being now stood in the opening. Tory knew he was an ascended Master because he exuded the illumination of an enlightened being, akin to the other souls who belonged to the Brotherhood of Light.
‘I am to guide your entry.’
Tory had never seen this master before, but she guessed his identity from the descriptions of the Masters she’d read in Kuthumi’s library — the man’s Tibetan appearance gave him away. ‘You are the Master Djwhal Khul?’ Kuthumi had mentioned that the Tibetan had volunteered to act as an advisor during her time as a muse.
Tory approached the handsome middle-aged male who had short, snowy white hair and a well-trimmed moustache that turned down at the corners of his shapely mouth. Although the wrinkles around his almond-shaped crystal-blue eyes implied age, he appeared a young, healthy and virile man in all other respects.
‘Please, call me DK.’ H
e bowed slightly as if to say, ‘At your service.’
‘And you know all about me, I take it?’
‘Oh, yes … Tory Alexander.’ He smiled as he pronounced her name proudly. ‘I had quite a bit of involvement in your adventures, particularly in Atlantis, as esoteric healing has become my cause to promote. I am also well versed in Master Ray activity, past, present and future, as I am the Synthesis Chohan. I strive to achieve the perfect integration of all the Master Rays within each human soul-mind.’
The master’s manner seemed so familiar that Tory felt immediately at ease in his company; he felt rather like an old friend. This notion tickled her inside and she got the distinct impression that DK was waiting for her to mention this.
‘I had expected to find another ascended master awaiting me here today,’ she ventured to say, whereupon the master burst into a huge smile and Tory’s eyes narrowed. ‘Taliesin?’ She knew it was, for DK had begun to laugh. ‘You’ve reinvented yourself since ascending. This is where you’ve been hiding out … I should have known you’d never leave Gaia.’
‘I couldn’t stay away,’ he admitted, suppressing a chuckle as he pointed out, ‘but then, neither could you. I chose to come back here and spread the ageless wisdom wherever I could find a response. I preside over a large group of Tibetan lamas when I am not helping the Masters Kuthumi and El Morya with their work, although in the presence of these teachers I am but a novice.’
Tory’s smile was so huge it pained her and yet she couldn’t wipe it off her face. ‘Has your female half, Seshut, come back to Gaia with you?’
‘She is me, we are still one,’ he explained. ‘We choose to reflect a male personification as it is more suitable at this time, or at least it was at the time we returned to Gaia’s cause in the form of DK.’
‘My daughter, Lirathea, is a whole soul like you, but she has chosen a female personification.’ Tory drew a parallel and DK nodded to confirm her reasoning.