Liz hadn’t heard a word, but she knew that Grace was now free. She moved to help her to her feet. Instead, Grace shook her head no, stayed on the ground and crawled back toward the office door. A puzzled Liz followed.
As she crawled, Grace noticed a remarkable decrease in the all encompassing pain in her chest. Was it the physical contact with Pietra that had brought her relief? She glanced over her shoulder. Pietra was now absent from her doorway. When she and Liz had made it back through the office door, Grace, still on her knees, closed the door behind them.
“I need to see the Senior Chancellor.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Liz looked at her in disbelief, her red hair now littered with tiny shards of broken door debris, her face coated in dust.
“You want to see the Senior Chancellor?”
Grace was still on her knees, but bracing herself once again against the chair to pull herself up.
“Yes,” came the reply, between heaving breaths.
“But why?”
Grace didn’t want to have to explain it.
“I just do.”
Poor Liz. She was feeling like a failure just now. All she’d been told to do was to get Grace and Luke into the assessment hall. It had seemed an easy enough task.
She sighed, pulling a curl of hair from her face.
“Yes, maybe that would be best.”
Liz helped Grace to her feet and dusted her off.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. The Senior Chancellor will see you. A door will be open in your corridor.”
Part of her wanted to ask how it worked. How did Liz know the Senior Chancellor would see her? How could a door which only minutes ago led into the classroom of a deranged teacher now lead to a meeting with the Senior Chancellor? Then again, she didn’t care. She was obliged to speak with Abigail. Once that task was completed, it was back to Luke and to their assessments. Any time away from him made her uneasy.
Liz went to her desk to recuperate while Grace turned to leave again. She pushed open the door. Silence filled the space. The corridor was as pristine as it had been the first time she’d seen it. There was no evidence of the bizarre, explosive episode.
She had no way of knowing that her receiving corridor had literally just served as a battlefield and that with each side now claiming victory, the space had been relinquished back to its original purpose.
Halfway down the corridor on the left, a door was open. She moved down the hallway and stepped inside.
Before her were the furnishings of an exceptionally well appointed library. The room stretched tall above her, gorgeously carved ladders resting against each wall so that books could be retrieved from the highest shelves. Beneath her was a stunning wood plank floor. There were antique French tufted chairs and a massive solid wood desk. But there was no Abigail.
There was a man seated in one of the chairs reading a leather bound book. He placed it on a table next to him when he saw her arrive.
“Welcome, Grace.”
He stood up to greet her. She walked toward him, if only to tell him that there had been a mistake. He already knew what she was going to say.
“You were expecting someone else.”
“Yes. Abigail.”
“I’m sorry about that. You did request to speak with the Senior Chancellor, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. There’s no mistake, Grace. I am Senior Chancellor Jonas.” He reached out to shake her hand.
“I don’t understand.”
He gestured her toward the chairs. She followed him and took a seat. He stood for a moment before sitting himself. Jonas had long dark brown hair. It was perfectly straight and parted in the middle of his head. He wore a long sleeved white shirt, the cuffs of which had been rolled up to nearly his elbows. A black tie had been loosened around his neck. He wore black dress pants and shoes. He had the appearance of a businessman who’d just arrived home from work and was ready to relax. He remained standing, as though deciding what to say. And then as soon as he took a seat, he was talking.
“You’ve been told about free will, Grace and a little bit about our laws, though probably just enough to be dangerous,” he said with a smile before continuing. “Abigail made some choices, which demonstrated an intent to prevent the free will of others. In having done so, she was subject to the universal laws, which resulted in a regression of her élan vital.”
“Élan vital?”
“Yes. It’s been interpreted to mean many things, but for us on Castellans, élan vital is the progress of the soul. While a regression is not the end of the world, so to speak, it should certainly be avoided by any soul serious about progressing. A regression is a journey backwards.”
She wasn’t sure she even wanted to continue the conversation. It was Abigail she’d promised to speak to.
“And now Grace, before we go on, I must ask you a question.”
“Okay.”
“Do I have your permission to speak freely?”
It seemed like a silly question. Why wouldn’t she want him to speak freely?
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Good. I’m just being cautious. I don’t want to infringe upon your free will. I want to be certain of that, you understand?”
“Yes.”
“So when you say yes, you are agreeing to hear everything I have to say, even if it might influence your decisions?”
“Yes.”
There was no reason not to hear everything now. It was over. She was here. Luke was here. All they had to do was get into that assessment hall.
“Good. Well Grace, let me start once again by welcoming you.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I admire you, Grace.” He offered a smile. “You knew what you wanted and you sought it with every amount of determination you possessed. And you succeeded against every odd. I myself cannot explain how you did it, but you have. You’ve brought Luke to Castellans. And now that the two of you are together again, the single most important thing you can do is have your assessment.”
“Yes, I know. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”
“Perfect. Your retreats will no doubt be the most remarkable we’ve had on Castellans in a thousand generations. And our world itself will be made stronger by your union.”
“How will it make Castellans stronger?”
“Because our world, our collective élan vital is ascending. Having reached the next level of our progression, we are moving beyond our current experience and into a whole new level of growth. Ascensions are the single most anticipated events on our world, Grace.”
“And when will this ascension occur?”
“It will occur at the exact moment that you and Luke intentionally walk through the door to your assessments.”
“And why is that? Why is everybody waiting for us?”
“Well, as a world’s ascension becomes imminent, souls stop being sent to Earth for experience. One by one, those of us on Earth return. It is only when all one million souls return and claim their citizenship by having their assessments that Castellans and all its people may collectively ascend. You and Luke were the final souls remaining on Earth. Now you are home.”
“So everyone has been waiting for us? For Luke and I?”
“Yes, they’ve had no choice but to wait. And you now have the power to finally end the waiting.”
There were so many pieces to fit together in this very, very large puzzle. But she was collecting them, even if excruciatingly slowly. Maybe it was the true Senior Chancellor and not Abigail that she’d needed to talk to. He didn’t seem to be holding back.
“I’ve always been told that Luke was on another world.”
“Well, there was truth to that. But I think the comments made to you worked in your favor. They made you more determined to go back to Earth, to pursue your free will, to be with him again.”
Grace sat up a little. “Yes, they did. If Luke was never going to be here,
I needed to see him. I had to do it for me.”
“I know.”
“But how is it that he did come to Castellans, if this is not his home world?”
“Because of you he did, Grace. Your free will had a profound effect.”
“And Abigail’s regression, was that my fault?”
“Not at all. She is an extraordinarily accomplished soul. I don’t know anyone who could twist Abigail’s arm.”
Grace’s heart was thudding. She had not contemplated with due seriousness the ramifications of her choices.
“And Gabriel?”
“Gabriel’s transgressions were far more serious, I’m afraid.”
She squeezed the arm of her chair, leaning forward.
“What do you mean?”
“While Abigail’s actions led to, let’s say more indirect consequences, Gabriel’s were done with no less than full intent, the magnitude of which we have not seen on Castellans since much earlier in our youth.”
Her chest pain was returning.
“What was it he did that was so terrible?”
“With full knowledge of the pending ascension of Castellans, Gabriel defied us all, literally halting the progress of every soul on our world.”
“How so?” It wasn’t quite sinking in.
“By putting the free will of one single soul above the rest. By giving that one soul their heart’s desire while denying all remaining souls their supreme right. Gabriel let you go back to Earth, knowing full well that your absence would effectively halt the progress of every soul on our world.”
An earthquake was rising within her, easily rivaling the one she’d just walked through in her receiving corridor. This was why Gabe told her he couldn’t let her go again? This was what he meant by that simple, nonchalant statement? How could he have been so casual about it?
“Where is he? Liz said he couldn’t be here.”
“He is not here, Grace. That is true. And to be perfectly honest, I do not know where he is.”
“How could you not know?” Her chest tightened. She owed Gabe everything, everything.
“We are an advanced People, Grace. And it may seem harsh for me to say so, but the truth is, Gabriel has made his choices and you have made yours. Your choices have rewarded you. Gabriel’s have not.” He reached out and placed a hand on hers. “But know this. He is immortal. He is safe. He cannot be killed. He has chosen his path and you must accept it. He knew what he was doing. It is not your burden. Move forward now with Luke to reclaim your citizenship. Allow Castellans to ascend. Claim the prize your free will has earned you. Claim your happiness.”
Ordinarily, a library was a perfect place of quiet contemplation, but not today. She wished that she could focus on just one thought at a time, put it in its place and move on to the next. But she could not. It was all jumbled.
“But is he truly on another world? No longer on Castellans?”
“I don’t see any other possibility. Simply put, he is now where he belongs, according to his élan vital. In the end, there is perfect order in the universe, Grace. All is as it should be. I know that you may look at Gabriel’s actions and see them much akin to the act of sacrificing himself for your happiness. And that is one way to look at it. The act of insuring the happiness of another is one of the highest acts of love. Unfortunately, he did not adequately measure it against the happiness of his world. All that being said, Grace, you must honor that sacrifice and take your place among us. You owe him that much. You Grace, must be gracious at this time.”
Grace nodded understanding, although her stomach was twisting.
“I’m going to be sick.”
“Oh dear.”
He replaced his hand to hers, not immediately recalling what a human being meant when they used that phrase.
“Do you have a trash can?”
Puzzled, his eyes shot around the room for a trash can, although he knew he did not have one.
“A trash can? I don’t have any trash. Why would I need a trash can?”
Grace was searching madly with her eyes also. She did not know if it were possible to puke, but if it did happen, she didn’t want to soil his lovely library.
Jonas closed his eyes for just a second, bringing forth the image of a trash can in his mind. And then with intention, he manifested one in the room, placing it squarely in the center, away from his precious books.
Grace’s eyes widened as she saw it appear, but she did not have time to marvel over it. She sprung from her chair and dashed over to the metal garbage can, closed her eyes, bent over and let it go.
She did not know what it was that came spewing out. It didn’t taste like any food she’d ever regurgitated on earth. She didn’t know what color it was, only that it was rancid in the most disgusting way and that there was a lot of it. It came in waves, like a punishment meted out not all at once, but bit by bit, prolonging the torture.
When the last was finally released, her stomach no longer with the power to push, she stepped back and leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees. She remained there, in no hurry to move. And then, finally, she went back to take seat.
“Do you know what a breath mint is?”
“A breath mint?”
“Yes. Something to freshen your breath, make it not smell like bile from hell.”
“Oh yes, yes.” He understood why she’d asked. The odor moving toward him as she spoke was suitably unpleasant as to require a breath mint, certainly. He manifested one, stood up, reached into his pocket and pulled it out for her. He handed it to her without a word. She accepted it without a word.
“It’s my fault. I did that to him.”
The puking was done. It was time for the tears. She didn’t know Jonas. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. She wanted to go cry alone. The only shield at her disposal was her hands. She covered her face with them, unable to hold back her tears. This time Jonas anticipated the need, bringing forth a handkerchief, which he also stood to pull from his pocket before handing it to her.
Jonas did not have a wealth of experience interacting with newcomers, at least not in recent times. He’d taken his necessary rounds as a counselor when required, but that time had long since passed.
This girl Grace was a baby, less than a baby – a being with essentially seventeen years of experience on Earth. Yet this child before him wielded the power to degrade their world, bring its people to their knees. The absurdity of it was maddening. And yet he had no choice but to delicately traverse this fine line between telling the truth and not revealing everything.
“Grace, you have to understand that Gabriel knew exactly what he was doing. He weighed his decision with the experience of millions of years of his own existence. He knew what he was doing. And what’s been done cannot be undone. This you must accept. He offered you up the future you dreamed of, the reality you begged for. Luke is here with you. You’ve been given everything you’ve asked for. Honor that and claim your future with Luke. You owe that much to Gabe, don’t you think?”
“I do. Yes, I do.”
He continued.
“We all adapt, Grace. Through your free will, you have created a new reality. And as a creator of your own future, you have manifested your desires as well as any of us. You should be proud of that.”
Was there something to that? Was there something to the fact that the future is not set and we have the power to change it? Was there something to the argument that wherever Gabe was, after all that had been said and done, he was exactly where he should be? Because our lives are written by us, Gabe had written his own just as much as Grace had written hers? And was it true that as all are immortal, Gabe could never truly be harmed? That no matter where he was, he was safe, eternally safe?
Jonas watched as the sobs subsided. Of all the excrements to come forth from a human being, puke and tears were now his least liked.
He was growing less and less interested in experiencing life as a human himself. Each of Castellans’ ascensions brought them o
ne step closer to their next plane of existence. Yes, they had much, much further to go. Yet after having come so far, they were now teetering at a precipice. Delays were simply intolerable. It was an opinion shared by many. And those many were counting upon him to end the waiting.
“Have I answered all your questions, Grace?”
“I think so.”
“Very well. And the good news is, anything else you want to know will come with your assessment. Now, are you ready for that?”
Saying the word yes was too much of a commitment. She nodded instead.
“You know what you need to do.”
Another nod.
“Grace, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
She was ready to get back to Luke. She knew that for certain. Behind her, the door to her hall opened. She stood up to leave.
“Thank you for talking to me.”
“Anytime, Grace. We’ll speak again soon and you’ll introduce me to Luke.”
“Okay.”
“The boy who evoked a love so true it stopped an entire world in its tracks,” he said smiling.
Was it a sweet sentiment or the sarcastic remark of the Senior Chancellor of the Council of Five?
This time not even a nod was offered. Grace walked toward the open door. She leaned against the inside of the doorframe, resting for a moment before stepping back into the corridor.
CHAPTER nineteen
Once again, silence and stabbing pain. She was ready to end her limbo, ready to move on with Luke. She reentered Liz’ office, but did not sit this time. There was no small talk, no discussion about her time with Jonas.
“Can you help me with Luke now?”
Liz was all cleaned up, shiny and new. Her bright red hair hung in perfect spirals and as she bounced out of her chair, they bounced as well.