Between Ascension, page 27
part #9 of Levels of Ascension Series
Willian was the last to enter the house. He nodded acknowledgment to Juila as he walked past her and looked around trying to find Jena. Out of courtesy for the house he was in, he sat across from Valentina rather than next to her, even though his eyes fixated on her and wondered what she thought since she had remained elusive ever since they had been confronted by Jena.
With everyone seated and looking to Juila for what to do, she remained standing. “Willian, I need you to sit next to Val and hold hands with her.” Seeing him begin to argue she held up her hands and said, “I don’t have time for niceties. Just move. Sofia, can you scoot over, so Willian has room on the couch. I know it’s tight with so many of you, but I’m also going to sit there so we can link minds to help guide Jena home.”
“Where’s Jena that she needs so much guidance?” Willian asked, suddenly scared for his ex-betrothed.
“She’s traveling with Elder Daven between the dimensions to search for something.”
“For a second there I thought you were saying she’s staying between,” Willian chuckled nervously.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, which is why you are all needed.”
“What!” Willian exploded off of the couch and rounded on Juila, towering over her in his fear. “Staying between the dimensions is tantamount to a death sentence. It’s the first thing we all learn when we’re taught to fly telepods. How can you be so calm while you’re saying she’s planning on going where nobody can possibly survive? She’s your twin, for Jehoban’s sake, you should be talking her out of this insanity!”
Keeping her voice calm even though she was far from feeling it, she held up her hands in surrender and replied, “Don’t you think I tried that? Have you ever talked her out of something she’s set her mind on doing?” Seeing his look of defeat, she continued. “I haven’t either. This has been her destiny. This journey is the reason why her birth crystal has remained so dark. We don’t have time to argue the merits of this trip; it’s happening. Please sit down and prepare your mind for me to connect with Jena to give her the best chance of survival.”
Juila’s words haunted him, and Willian’s knees seemed to buckle as he wilted back onto the couch and automatically grabbed Valentina’s hand for the comfort he was certain to get with their tight bond. Immediately, he could feel his tension begin to dissipate even as his heart raced for Jena’s perilous journey.
Juila also sat on the couch next to Behn and took his hand. “Everyone grab one another’s hands so we can link our bodies and minds. If you love Jena, let me access everything you have and don’t hold back anything. Is everyone ready?”
There was a momentary shuffling as the participants complied with Juila’s instructions. Silence descended upon them as Juila called out in her mind, We’re ready to begin, Jena. Are you prepared?
As ready as I’ll ever be, she answered. Turning around to where Daven sat in the back seat, she said out loud, “Here we go.”
While her sister had been assembling the team, she had been making her own preparations. Daven was tethered to her with a hundred-foot rope. He was sitting in the back seat, unbuckled, next to the still-open cabin door. When they were between, he was going to move outside of the craft and attempt to grab what he had felt. Since there were no sensory perceptions, he was going to be guided purely by instinct.
She watched for Daven to nod his readiness before she hit the activation button which sent them into the darkness. “Take a deep breath and hold it. We’re only going to have less than a minute before everything will go very wrong.” Seeing the flashing red warning lights on the glass panel, she pressed the button. Even as she felt herself dissolving, the link with her sister became a massive envelope around her, making her smile at the effectiveness of love being a solid anchor.
Two and a half seconds had passed before something felt different. On the edge of her perceptions, she could feel a desperate call for help. The more she concentrated on it, the clearer it became. She had no way of knowing if Daven were reacting, but she had to assume he would since he was the first to have noticed it.
Daven felt pulled, almost as if he were magnetized, and he concentrated on moving himself toward it, which was trickier than he had anticipated since he could not use any of his senses other than his instinct to guide him. There was an unnerving sensation of floating with no way of verifying the veracity. Although time was irrelevant between the dimensions, Daven was painfully aware of the passing of time as he realized he needed to breathe. Knowing this would be his best indication of time, he focused only on that aspect as he continually searched for the distress signal.
Finally, he came into contact with whatever it was which had spoken to him. Another few seconds passed, and then he felt an explosion of feeling pouring through his body, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Without knowing if he were succeeding and hoping he had his arms around it, Daven began praying for the best. Just when Daven thought he would pass out from the lack of oxygen, he began to notice his surroundings appearing around him.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
RICCAN WAS SURPRISED to see both Sofia’s and Behn’s cars in the driveway when he pulled up and parked in the garage. He had expected a family reunion with his wife and daughters, possibly with his father still there, but not outside company. This definitely changed his plans for the evening, and he wished he had been consulted before the kids invited their friends over.
He punched the remote to close the garage door behind him as he turned the ignition off and got out of the SUV. He opened the back door and pulled Amanda’s luggage out even as he saw Amanda getting out of the passenger side of the vehicle and begin to walk toward the door to the house. “Wait for me,” Riccan called. He did not want to miss any part of the reunion, and he rushed to get beside his wife.
“I saw the two cars outside and I’m curious as to why the kids would be here when Juila and Jena are at their grandparents’ house. You must be wondering why they’re here as well, right?” She turned to Riccan and cocked her head sideways as she saw an odd expression cross her husband’s features. “Do you know why they’re here already? Are you up to something, Riccan?”
“No! I’m just as surprised as you are.” He struggled with the luggage for only another second before he gave up and made the bag disappear up into their room to be handled later. He brushed off his hands and said, “There, that’s better. Let’s go inside and see what’s going on.”
Amanda smiled at her husband’s unusual display of power. She stepped through the door Riccan held open for her, expecting to hear voices from inside. Everything was curiously silent, causing her steps to slow down and let Riccan take the lead. She did not have a good feeling about the situation as they walked down the long hallway past the library and office toward the living room.
The edge of the couch came into view, and Amanda spotted Juila sitting there with her eyes closed. Amanda smiled and quickened her step as she turned to Riccan and said, “I didn’t know the girls would be home!” She stopped moving forward when she discovered all of the kids lined up on the couch, holding hands, with eyes closed, and no expressions whatsoever on their faces. “What’s going on? Riccan, what’s wrong? Where’s Jena?”
“I don’t know, Amanda. I don’t like this any more than you do.” He took in the entire scene and realized something important was happening which probably should not be interrupted. He knelt next to Juila and gently took the limp hand from her lap into his own.
Immediately, he felt the pull of power against his will, and he did not fight Juila; instead, he tried to make sense of what she was doing. Juila had woven a powerful rope of elemy connecting herself with her sister. It was unclear why this was necessary, yet, knowing how close Juila was with Jena, Riccan allowed his power to be drawn further into the connection.
Juila felt her father’s power and was relieved to have another trained mind enter the scene. If anything were to go wrong, surely he could understand the steps to take to fix whatever situation arose. Just when Juila felt her sister’s link weakening was exactly when Riccan had entered the grouping, giving Juila just what she needed to keep the connection together.
Amanda watched in horror as her husband seemed to be caught up in whatever spell had overcome all of the others in the room. She had no idea if she should try to intervene or keep her distance to be kept out in case they needed help. The indecision made the waiting seem so much longer.
Her initial joy of seeing her daughter was rapidly replaced with fear for where Jena could be that she was not included in this strange tableau. Her last idea made her think it was probably because Jena was not there that this was happening. Something was wrong with Jena, and they were trying to help her, of this, she was suddenly positive. She knelt on the floor next to Riccan, ready and willing to help if she should be needed.
Your mother’s here, Juila heard her father say in her head. She mentally nodded acknowledgment but declined from bringing her into the connection. Unless something went wrong, they had more than enough to stay linked and she did not want the confusing distraction of their mother’s thoughts interfering.
Juila knew exactly when the telepod had ceased moving through space, stopping between the dimensions. The link had a blurry feel to it, like static sounds on a bad phone connection, which made her skin prickle with goosebumps. This was not a place where people were supposed to stay and she would be glad when her sister finally passed through it.
Her instructions were only to provide a link which would guide her sister home in case the telepod malfunctioned. So far, nothing seemed to be going wrong, but she would not relax her diligence until she knew Jena to be safely in one world or the other. The seconds crawled by and she poured loving thoughts toward her sister and was comforted by having them returned.
Juila felt the connection strengthen as the telepod finally moved back into Tuala. She almost cried out in relief when Jena told her they were getting ready to power down the telepod at their grandparents’ house. She untangled everyone from the link and gently gave them each back their own power. With a smile of triumph on her face for her sister’s safe deliverance, she opened her eyes and said, “She’s okay!”
“Thank Jehoban,” Willian said in relief. “Why exactly was this necessary?” His tone immediately informed Juila that he was unhappy with being used without proper explanation.
“Yes, I’d like to hear your answer as well,” Riccan murmured, still holding Juila’s hand. “What were you doing?”
Juila’s triumphant expression suddenly turned serious as she realized she was going to have to explain what they had done without her sister by her side. This was not going to be an easy conversation, given the risk they had taken. She only hoped they had succeeded in their mission since Jena still had not reported whether or not they had retrieved anything from between the dimensions.
“Jena’s been having dreams about this particular event for most of her life,” Juila began.
Willian interrupted rudely by adding, “Those were nightmares. Are you saying she just lived her worst nightmare and you made us all a part of it? How could you, Juila?”
“Just one moment young man, please let Juila talk,” Amanda replied, wondering who this boy was who would be included in the group Juila most likely had assembled. She knelt next to her daughter and waited for her to continue.
Riccan stood up and crossed his arms in concerned concentration as he worried over everything which could have gone wrong. He was not happy with all of this happening without their knowledge or consent. He was definitely going to be having a conversation with his father when this was all settled.
“It’s true she’d always thought of it as a nightmare, but mostly because she didn’t understand it. Once it all came together, she was most insistent on getting it handled immediately. She didn’t leave me any more choice in the matter than she did the rest of us. There was no stopping her from taking this assignment and hopefully succeeding.”
“So we don’t know if she were successful or not? What was the point then?” Willian asked hotly and then subsided from further comment at Riccan’s withering gaze.
“I don’t know who you are, but I must insist you remain quiet until I find out if Jena is going to be okay. Juila?” Amanda faced Juila and waited.
“Just a second, let me check.” She turned her thoughts to Jena and said, Mom and Dad are here, and they have lots of questions. What do you want me to tell them?
We have a situation here. We went into this with just myself and Grandpa, and now there are two other people on board the telepod. I don’t have any answers yet, but I’ll keep you updated as soon as I know anything. I’m sorry you have to deal with our parents alone.
But what about the power Grandpa felt? Did you locate it?
Yes, and I feel it even stronger now, but I haven’t seen anything to indicate anything was recovered except this man and woman.
Okay, I’ll report this to everyone. I love you.
I love you, too. Thank you, Juila, this was a lot easier knowing I was never alone. It was much better than in my dreams.
The entire conversation lasted less than a fraction of a second, so Juila immediately was able to report Jena’s findings to the group. The looks of relief mixed with curiosity for the two new passengers was almost comical. Then Juila realized her mother had not known who Willian was and thought a belated introduction would probably be appropriate.
“Mom, you should probably know the guy at the end of the couch is Willian.” She had spoken softly, only for her mom’s ears since she did not want to make a big production out of anything until Jena had a chance to come home and be a part of the conversation.
“Oh,” she mouthed back soundlessly and shifted her eyes over to where Willian was still staring in their direction. It made sense now that he had been concerned for Jena’s safety, given that they had been betrothed for so many anons. He also noted the fact that Willian was still holding Valentina’s hand even though everyone else had let go since their connections were no longer required.
She had so many questions but refrained from asking any of them until the whole family was back together. “Did Jena say when she was returning home?”
“No, but she did say she’d keep me informed as she learned anything new.”
“Maybe we should go to them,” Riccan suggested.
“They took your telepod. We don’t have room for everybody, and I don’t think it’d be very nice to leave them here, after all they’ve done to help.”
“No, you’re right; that would be rude.” He was surprised to hear they’d taken his telepod. “Why were they in my telepod instead of my father’s?”
“They wanted to have the best navigation system and Grandpa’s just wasn’t as good as yours.”
Riccan felt proud that his invention could be so useful in keeping his family safe. Once again, he was glad he had gone into the technology field of telepods so he could achieve this goal. It made him wonder whether or not he should actually quit working there or if he should continue to safeguard his family and countless others with his innovations.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
STRANGELY, DAVEN COULD see outside because the telepod door was still open. He had no idea how it had been accomplished, but he was kneeling on the floor. His attention was drawn back inside as he heard whimpering. Looking down he jumped slightly as he realized there were two other people also inside the telepod who had not been there when they had left the garage.
Daven hurriedly pushed himself forward as he tried to assess the situation. The people turned out to be a woman and a man who were holding one another. The woman appeared unconscious and the man was sobbing uncontrollably. Daven’s healing instincts activated immediately as he noted the lack of breathing on the woman’s part.
He shoved the man to the side and linked in immediately with her life-line. There was very little left; she was on the verge of being lost forever. He drew strength he did not know he possessed and poured it into the woman’s body until he could feel her start to fight for her own survival. Only at that point did he begin to pull away and assess her numerous health issues.
Her lungs appeared to be singed inside and filling with fluid causing her labored breathing. He healed the tissues, and her breathing became a normal pattern of health. She had minor burns on her hands and a gash across her scalp which he healed as well.
When her eyes opened, he withdrew all of his healing power from her and helped her to sit up. “Where am I?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he replied honestly as he looked over to Jena with a questioning expression.
“We’re outside your Residence. In just a moment I’ll have the telepod powered down, and I can help you.” Jena rushed through the final procedures even as she unbuckled her harness. She turned in her seat and gasped as she saw who else was in the telepod with them. “How did he get here?” She held her hands up to her mouth in astonishment and fear.
Daven heard her tone and looked more closely at the babbling and crying man. He could hardly believe his eyes as he realized who he was. Then the man moved slightly and revealed what he had carried in his hands. Daven immediately reached down and took the object from his grasp and finally understood what had drawn him to that particular spot in between nowhere. This was his samara, and it had called out to him.
“I was chosen, I was chosen, I was chosen,” the man kept whispering over and over in a bizarre mantra made almost unintelligible from his panicked sobbing.
Daven tucked the samara into his pocket and reached down to help the man sit up. He had questions, and he was determined to get answers. First, he had to find out why he was so distraught before he was going to get anything coherent out of him. Seeing his eyes remained unfocused, Daven slapped him across the face.
“What’s wrong with you? Petre, can you hear me?” Daven knelt in front of him, close enough to see sense returning to his expression.
