Elixa, page 23
part #0.50 of The Torcal Trilogy Series
He took her hand gently. ‘Let us see what my men find. They will send word to me as soon as they know more about this man. Then we decide. By that time, your child will have joined us and will be thriving in our world.’
Elixa smiled her thanks. At last, Rosa may be found.
Suddenly the old woman cried out again, pointing at the changing and deepening colours of the moon.
Elixa wanted to rejoice at the news that Arif’s men may find Rosa, but for now she had to keep all thoughts on her coming child and the distress of her people. She turned abreast to face the crowd and still be able to speak to the alchemist. In a voice louder than their previous conversation, she said, ‘Arif, many here tonight fear what they are seeing. I feel the opposite, because here in the heavens, on the very night you predicted it, is proof of the knowledge both you and I work to attain.’
She glanced up at the sky.
Although the scarlet moon against the dark sky looked like an old blood stain on inky black velvet, she was energised by its beauty. ‘Is that not the most beautiful sight? It brings joy to me.’
He placed a hand over his heart and replied, ‘As it does me.’
A muttering had taken hold in the crowd, and now some people started jeering Arif.
Elixa struggled up onto the raised ledge next to the Moor and turned to face her people. She shouted out, ‘Be still! All of you! You saw the miracle of Abu’s eyes. You saw the wounds of the hunters closed. If you want to see more miracles, you need to let me study more. This is a learned man, more so than any other here, and he has kindly agreed to teach me of the moon and the sacred stones.’
Arif did not take his eyes off her.
Enrique’s gaze was also fixed on her, not spiked with jealousy for her support of the Moor, but filled with admiration and respect for her boldness and growing confidence.
Elixa’s eyes softened as they met his, and she smiled at her husband. Then, she turned to Arif. ‘Please, can you explain, so that all can hear, what is happening to the moon?’
It seemed he would have preferred not to, but he nodded his assent. ‘It is called a lunar eclipse. It is not something to be afraid of, but a natural act of God.’
‘Pah! What does a heathen know of God?’ scoffed the bushy-haired man.
Elixa rounded on him. ‘Arif Ibn Sina is no heathen. He serves the same God as we do. Our Gods are simply called different names in the different tongues we speak.’
She cast a quick glance at Arif and found herself meeting eyes which glowed with the esteem he felt for her.
Heartened, she turned to the people and said, ‘Arif has travelled far and wide across Europe and the Orient. He has been blessed to be able to study with the wisest men.’ She was only repeating what he had told her, but she needed to embellish on his humble explanation of his education. ‘This man has been acknowledged by European and Arabian alchemists as a man of the art between Heaven and Earth.’
‘Alchemist?’ The old woman shrieked. ‘That is witchcraft. These painted men with turbans on their heads teach magic like demons.’
Elixa waved to calm the crowd, which seemed agitated beneath the reddening moon. ‘No, no! That is not true.’
Arif raised a hand and everyone fell silent.
Smiling inwardly at the way he commanded this sudden hush, Elixa was not sure whether they were scared of him or in awe of him. Or both.
Arif spoke with a deep voice, ‘Alchemy is natural wisdom. A divine wisdom brought down from Heaven by the Angel Uriel. As an alchemist I study chemistry. Which is to say that I study how different natural substances react to each other.’
Elixa listened, enthralled by his words.
‘Yet the more I have studied chemistry, the more I have come to find the study of physics and mathematics vital, in order to form an understanding that underpins the scientific framework of that noble science.’
‘What we see being played out in the heavens above us is, I believe, nothing more than a manifestation of physics on its grandest scale. The scale of God. Each of those three great entities that roam the heavens, the sun, the moon and the earth, follows what we term an orbit, and in that great, heavenly space, the patterns of these orbits cause events that we call eclipses, of which there are two sorts, solar and lunar. That which we see tonight is a lunar eclipse, and it signifies nothing more than that the earth’s trajectory brings it, for a short time, between the moon and the sun, and the light of the latter, which in truth is its only light, as evidenced by its phases throughout the month, is therefore dimmed’
‘Now as to the red colour, that is a most interesting phenomenon, the light. …’
Elixa had been listening, rapt, to his explanation, but at that point a shoe sailed through the air and bounced off the rock behind her and Arif.
She was already feeling strained from the impatience of the child within her, and this act, and the muttering that was now taking over the crowd, lit a flash of anger in her and she thrust her arm up, holding the stone high above her head.
Everyone fell silent.
They had all heard of her stone and water healing treatments, and some had experienced them, so her silent command seemed to invoke respect.
Bowing her head to Arif, she said in a soft voice that only he could hear, ‘Let me try.’
Turning to the crowd, she raised her voice, ‘Arif has told us what is happening to the moon tonight, but perhaps he is used to more learned company! So I shall explain it to you in the way we mountain people speak.’
Soft laugher broke out. They were listening again.
Elixa’s gaze strayed to a movement to the side of Arif.
The younger monks were lighting torches and staking them around the group of people. They lit up the night with a wonderful warm glow.
‘Enrique, will you bring me one of those torches, the brightest you can find, and two round stones, one quite big, the other quite small’. He jumped to his feet and ran to do this, and she felt a moment of thankfulness that he could perceive the immediacy of her need and take action.
He returned and handed her them, looking gratified at her warm smile.
She lifted the smaller stone in front of her so all the crowd could see. ‘This is the moon. It does not make its own light. Rather, we see the part of it that is lit by the sun. This torch is the sun.’
She lifted the torch alongside the stone, remembering when she had experienced the first thrill of this knowledge in the La Roca library. As she moved the torch around the small stone she named the moon phases that were reproduced in miniature. ‘Half-moon. Crescent moon. Full moon. Do you see?’
There was a general murmur of assent, a few gratifying gasps of delight, and someone clapped.
She kept the torch and small rock in the positions for full moon, but turned to look at Arif, asking. ‘Would you be the earth please?’ His face creased into a broad smile as he picked up the large rock.
‘Look now at what happens when the earth, which Arif holds, passes between the sun and the moon’. And there, on a tiny scale, she and the Moor made an eclipse.
‘And before you ask’, she said, pointing at the bushy haired man to considerable general amusement, ‘The red colour is the same light that we see in the early morning and at dusk. The light which bends round where the direct light of the sun cannot reach, and so shines on the moon with this dim blood colour.
Now the old woman spoke again, but this time in genuine question and without anger or prejudice. ‘But if all is as you say, if the earth and the moon are just giant rocks and the sun a huge torch, then where is God, where is the wonder in life?’
And now Elixa became serious. ‘Your question is a good one, and I believe it is this fear that causes men to cry heresy.’ A shudder of memory rippled through her body. ‘That through explanation and understanding, we shall somehow lose the holiness, the divinity, the amazing mystery of life.’
‘And yet the answer is in plain sight all around us. Explaining how something is does not answer the question of why it is. For that answer is God. And in fact I believe that it is God’s greatest desire that we grow to understand more of how His marvellous creation, this earth, all of us, works, so that in some future time we may come to understand Him.’
A few of the crowd murmured in agreement.
‘He has given us the gift of this earth and our lives upon it. I believe all He wishes in return is for us to accept these gifts, look at ourselves, and feel joy at the marvel that we are. At life and at the love that sustains us all, both His and ours.
Some people sat at her feet. Elixa was reminded of the scriptures where Jesus had taught his disciples and followers and they would sit at his feet in large groups and listen to his teachings.
She shook off the thought, rather embarrassed, and recalled the words about a lunar eclipse from the forbidden books in the La Roca library. Quickly, she recounted them, ‘The world is not ending. Nor is this a sign of God’s wrath. It is a confirmation of our understanding of this world that God made.’
‘Furthermore, it was an event that could be predicted, in fact was predicted. By Arif who told me months ago that this would occur tonight. His understanding of the sciences he studies has allowed him to make a calendar that tells us when these eclipses, both lunar and solar, will occur so that we can celebrate rather than fear them.’
The old woman called out, ‘So this has happened before?’
Arif took over. ‘Yes. Many times. For example forty-five years ago, there was a solar eclipse recorded in England.’
‘Where is this place?’ called the bushy-haired man.
‘It is an island over the seas far to the north of Castile called the Kingdom of England.’
A hush fell upon the people. Her body was feeling regular cramps from the baby now, but despite this Elixa noticed that their blind fears had given way to curiosity. Such was the power of knowledge.
Arif continued his explanation, ‘When that solar eclipse happened, the darkness was so great that people in England at first thought the world was ending.’
‘But it was just the moon passing in front of the sun?’ muttered the old woman.
‘Exactly!’ Arif exclaimed. ‘So different from, but also similar to what is happening now. And what has happened so many times before and will happen again so many times in the future. And according to a calendar which we can understand, created by men in Arabia and China who have been studying these extraordinary solar and lunar events.’
The crowd which just minutes earlier had been unwilling to listen to Arif was now attentive. As they relaxed so did Elixa, and via some unspoken line of communication, so did the child inside her. Now all were almost ready to take the next steps forward.
The Luz de Luna gazers were satisfied now, and they fell contented and silent and became transfixed as the moon’s copper-red hue stood out against the black sky.
Arif’s voice continued, gentle and flowing now that he did not have to fight the crowd. ‘One of the most important historical solar eclipses was in the year Six Hundred and Thirty-Two of the Christian calendar.’
‘It was visible in Medina during the lifetime of Prophet Mohammad.’ He bowed his head for a second and murmured, ‘Peace Be Upon Him.’
He raised his head and linked his long, thin fingers across his waist. His voice respectful, he added, ‘The Prophet told our people that the eclipses of the sun and the moon are not bad omens, but are elaborate and remarkable cosmic displays that demonstrate the might and knowledge of Allah the Great. Or in your case, your Almighty God.’
Elixa looked at the crowd, her eyes slowly moving over each of them, and the notion that had come to her before now blossomed to fruition. ‘I think this is the way we must think of the wonderful thing happening here tonight. That God is giving us an Almighty show of his power and glory. And that just as tonight the moon will reappear and we shall remain unharmed, so we can dispel the fear that has surrounded this lake. This wonderful lake that not only provides us with water but also heals and renews, and so truly, on this night, we can accept the gift that God and the Luna Goddess have bestowed upon us.’
Mumbles spread among the crowd. Of agreement.
Arif chimed in again. ‘My people pray five times daily, but during eclipses we have a special “eclipse prayer” that comes from a tradition of Prophet Mohammad.’
Elixa was impressed as, once again, Arif bowed his head to intone, ‘Peace Be Upon Him.’
He continued, ‘The purpose of this prayer is to remember the might and gifts of Allah the Creator. To accept them and enjoy them, rather than reject them and huddle in fear and ignorance.’
Elixa exclaimed, ‘Our community can do the same to remember God Almighty’s power. Perhaps we can find a special prayer for our Luz de Luna ceremony. One that we can preserve through the years, to remember the coming of this gift and give thanks for it.’
Brother Luis took her hand and squeezed it. In the blur of her talking to the people, she had not realised he had come to her side. He threw his arms around her and hugged her, his face thick with tears of pride. He shouted out, ‘That is an excellent notion. I shall work on this prayer.’
‘Perhaps, Abbot,’ Elixa chose her words with care, ‘some of our people can contribute to this prayer.’
Brother Luis paused for some moments, deep in thought. Then he took her hand and kissed it. ‘Elixa I have always tried to teach you as best I could, but now it is I who learn from you! That is an excellent thought, and if these events of the last year have taught us anything it is that we should not restrict learning and opinion to a select few. We should open ourselves to all the knowledge that everyone among us possesses. So I shall work on this prayer indeed, but I shall do it by listening.’ He gestured at the crowd. ‘Listening to all of you.’
Elixa’s cheeks warmed with gratitude and pride, and she was glad that the red moon would disguise her blush. Now, Arif took her other hand and she could see his eyes also blazed with admiration. ‘Elixa, you pressed me to be your teacher when I would rather have refused. I am so glad you did, because although there is much I now truly look forward to teaching you about the earth, the moon and the stars, I also realise that I have found an ally in my quest for knowledge. I have long thought only of the acquisition of knowledge, and at times I admit I have railed against the barriers the common people put in its way.’
‘Tonight I have seen a young girl, an adept student but still an apprentice, surpass me. And my heart sings with joy for it! When you spoke to these people it was not to demonstrate your superior understanding, it was entirely for them, from the love you have for them in your heart. I believe you to be a great healer. Not just of the cuts and aches of the flesh, but of that greatest of diseases from which mankind suffers—ignorance.’
Elixa was, by now, redder than the moon that still glowed scarlet in the sky above them.
‘Anything I am is only by the grace of God and his Luna angel. They gave this miracle to our community, and I am nothing more than the servant it needs to help our people accept it, this Luna Legacy.’
‘Why just your people? Why not others? Anyone you encounter in the travels you must make to build upon your knowledge?’
She gave him a bewildered look.
‘It could be a continuation of what you do here.’
Enrique agreed, ‘That is what Elixa said to me. That the Luna stones have a purpose, to make a difference to the lives of all.’ He looked at her. ‘I think Arif speaks the truth, Elixa. You have more to give than just to our few people. Why, indeed, should you not share the Luna Legacy with the world?’
His question sent a thrill through her.
People around them, close enough to hear, started chorusing their agreement.
Elixa’s gaze moved around, first to Enrique, then the abbot, Arif, and then over the crowd.
Only a little while ago, when the lunar eclipse first started, had she sensed something extraordinary about to happen.
Here it was.
Their trust in her. Their belief in the healing power of the Luna Legacy. And their generosity in wishing her to share this gift as widely as possible rather than jealously keep it just for themselves.
And then, suddenly, Elixa gasped and doubled over as a spasm tore across her back and pierced her belly. A torrent of warm water rushed down her legs, soaking her shoes.
Enrique’s eyes grew wide as he stared at her sodden tunic. He fumbled for the right words, ‘What…why?’
Slowly, Elixa straightened, grimacing as she bit down on the agony.
She whispered, ‘The time has come.’
47
Elixa squeezed Enrique’s hand as he helped her down to the birthing pool, as she now thought of it. As she stepped into the water, her chemise floated up. Another contraction wrapped around her body and she stumbled.
As she looked down into the water, the first time she had done so in this pool other than in the bright light of day, she saw that the same dim glow that came from the huge moon rock also lit the bottom of this new, smaller pool. She noticed that the water, even though it was March and the snow only recently gone from the last of the crevices, was pleasantly warm, and she wondered if this was the giant stone’s doing.
‘What can I do?’ Enrique gripped her elbow. The prospect of birth had turned him from a strong, commanding huntsman to looking awkward and not knowing what to do.
‘Stay with me.’ She placed a small glowing stone into his hand and closed his fingers over it.
He searched her eyes, but no words were needed. Understanding, he started rubbing the stone slowly up and down her back, singing softly. Although it was his hunting song, Elixa’s heart soared.
What a good man he had been: loving, kind and agreeing without question to her idea of this water birth. She had so nearly become the possession of truly evil man for whom she had not the slightest attraction, but with Enrique she had not only the man she had always loved but also that rarest of gifts for any married woman; respect and true freedom.
