Ascension Seekers

by Amy Proebstel

  “Let us get you back home before you are missed,” Rasa said as she stood up from the chair. Her heart was still beating rapidly with the knowledge of her mother finally receiving her own crystal. She wondered what color she would get. She looked forward to the surprise as she walked back to the door they had entered.

  Amanda followed Rasa quietly with her head down and her fingers playing with the fringe on her sleeves. She felt worn out as though she had just run a marathon. She was so happy she had said her prayer and even happier to know it was all going to be granted. With no explanation for why she had been chosen for this great task other than her heritage was perfect she felt quite overwhelmed with the enormity of the task.

  They stopped in one of the courtyards and Rasa turned to face her. She held each of Amanda’s arms in her hands and said, “Please close your eyes, Amanda. I’m going to send you home now.”

  “Thank you, Rasa. I’m glad you could be with me today. It meant a lot to be with family,” she said in a rush and hugged her cousin swiftly before she moved away from her again.

  Rasa smiled in return and said, “Thank you for thinking of my mom. I’m not sure if she’ll be more happy or scared, but I’ll be relieved either way! Now, close your eyes.”

  Amanda closed her eyes even as she continued to grin foolishly. She could not feel any difference in herself, but she felt a breeze on her skin where the robes had covered her before. She opened her eyes and stared in wonder at how swiftly and easily she had slipped across space to be back in her yard in Florida. “Wow,” Amanda said out loud as she stared out at the pool and landscaped yard while standing in her bikini.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Rasa was thrilled when Jehoban called her into another meeting immediately after sending Amanda home. She could feel there was something stirring in the air. Naturally, she believed it would be about her mother receiving her own birth crystal. Walking with an air of humility, she entered Jehoban’s personal chambers quietly.

  A few feet from Him, she stopped and kept her eyes focused on the floor a few inches in front of her toes. She spoke softly, “I have come at your request, My Lord. How may I be of assistance?”

  “I would like to discuss a matter of some delicacy, Rasa. Please sit down and be in comfort,” He said kindly.

  Rasa hastily glanced up at Jehoban since she was surprised to hear the topic of discussion. She sat down with alacrity and composed herself to be ready for any situation in which her Lord might require her. Without saying anything, she waited for Jehoban to continue in His own time.

  Jehoban watched His student with the pride of a parent. She had so much potential and promise. All of her schooling had led her to this moment and yet He worried for her. “I have decided the time has come for you to pursue your next step.”

  Again, Rasa kept her head down and this time she nodded very slightly. She knew this day would eventually come, and yet she still wished to have more time in the presence of the Creator. She did not like the idea of moving away from Acaim and no longer feeling the power of the earth beneath her feet. No other place in all of the lands had as many lay lines flowing underneath it than did the land where Jehoban lived.

  “Elder Wilken has come to me with a particular problem and I wish to ask your assistance in the matter,” He said and then remained silent.

  Rasa knew Elder Wilken to be a very wise, old man. He was well-respected by his peers as well as by the people of his jurisdiction. His only child, a daughter, had married, but had remained childless. Suddenly, Rasa understood where Jehoban was taking this conversation and she was pleased, scared, and troubled at the same time.

  “I see you have come to the same conclusion as I have,” Jehoban said simply. “Do you have questions?”

  “Only one. Why me? There are any number of students here who would make an excellent match…” she stopped speaking when she looked up and saw Jehoban shaking His head slowly. “I’m sorry for questioning. It is just an unexpected turn of events.”

  “I want you to meet with Elder Wilken in the next day or two. From there I want you to go home to the Port of Cresdon. Your mother has no idea what is in store for her, but you are the perfect person to deliver the gift.” Jehoban reached into His tunic pocket and withdrew a birth crystal. The golden circle contained a gold filigreed tree with brilliant light blue crystals set as the leaves. He held it out for Rasa to reach up and take from Him.

  She smiled as she stared at the blue stones shimmering in the sunlight. Today she held her mother’s future in her hand as she put her fingers around the stone and felt the weight of it as Jehoban released His hold. “Do you want me to perform the crystal ceremony for my own mother?” She could hardly believe she would be the one to do the honor.

  “I can think of none other Barla would trust more. Her fear has kept her from this for far too long. I’m glad Amanda has interceded on her behalf. Now we will right a wrong.”

  “When would You have me leave?” Rasa asked as she tucked the necklace gently into her own tunic pocket.

  “Today would be best. Spend today and tomorrow in Manzanit with Elder Wilken. Let him know you are My choice for his successor. He will understand the next steps to be taken. Go and pack your things. Your journey has just begun.” Jehoban turned and walked a few steps to lean against the window sill. He looked out on His island and was pleased with all He saw.

  Rasa rose from her chair and began to leave the chamber. When she reached the door, she turned her head and said, “You have been so good to me, my Lord. Thank you for all of the opportunities which you have given me. I will do my best to make you proud of me.” She saw Jehoban nod and she left the room.

  Jehoban waited until the door closed behind Rasa before He spoke quietly, “You’ve been a blessing, Rasa.”

  Chapter Seven

  RASA DID NOT know how long she would be away from Acaim, so she worried over what to pack for her journey. Finally she decided to take her ceremonial robes as well as her ornate box. She selected several changes of clothes and carefully folded them and put them in her duffel bag. There were only a couple of personal items which she would take with her.

  With no further decision to be made, Rasa picked up her full bag and walked out of her room. She looked back and wondered if she had spent her last night in the room or if she would be returning for a while yet. For so long, she had been certain about her life. She had been a student of Jehoban since she was six anons old. Now she was twenty-seven and her life was about to be turned upside down.

  Since she was going to the Residence of an Elder, Rasa opted to have a telepod take her to Manzanit rather than translate herself. She wanted to make a good impression, and translating was perceived as being too showy for the older generation.

  She walked across the perfectly manicured grounds until she reached the telepod landing site. There were usually several telepods waiting to take passengers anywhere in the world. Today there was only one.

  When she came close enough, she saw the driver was a younger gentlemen with whom she was unfamiliar. “Are you taking passengers, or are you waiting for someone to return?” she asked.

  The man straightened up and spoke politely, “I’m at your service, my lady. Where would you like to go?”

  “Manzanit, please,” Rasa spoke as she was helped up the ramp and to her seat. She had held her bag in front of her and shook her head when the man gestured to take it from her. When she sat down, she gently placed her bag on the floor by her feet. She looked around and noticed the telepod was an older version, she only hoped the crystal drive was still sound and the driver was competent.

  The man passed her as he moved to the front of the telepod and palmed the side door closed from the main console. He fiddled with several of the controls as he began the startup procedure. The telepod rose a few inches from the ground in preparation for transport. The man leafed through a book of coordinates and mumbled a few things to himself before he moved his hand over to the manual control.

&n
bsp; The world turned black as the telepod disappeared from the grounds on Acaim to travel through the space between to bring them to their destination. Rasa counted to three and was relieved when the telepod once again appeared around her. For a moment she had the overwhelming feeling something had gone terribly wrong.

  The operator palmed open the side door and announced, “We are at our destination. Please disembark.”

  Rasa thought his phrasing seemed slightly off even as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She picked up her bag and stood up to leave. When she turned and saw outside of the ‘pod she realized they were not at the destination she had requested. Suddenly, the alarm bells in her head began to chime in earnest. Instead of saying anything to the contrary, Rasa pretended everything was normal and she stepped off of the telepod in front of the operator.

  What he did not expect was her ability to translate herself at will. Even as he reached forward to grab her arm, she seemed to disintegrate in front of him. His fingers closed on empty air and he cursed violently at how easily the woman had escaped from him.

  He did not look forward to telling his Master of his failure in his simple mission. He slapped the outside control to close the door to the telepod and he stalked away from the vessel before he did something he would later regret.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Rasa had learned from experience to heed her intuition immediately. She sensed the danger she was in and instantly took action. Even though she had left the situation behind her, she still monitored the man’s thoughts. A shiver passed through her as she discovered the man had worked for Lucinden. Never before had Lucinden attempted to send one of his minions onto Acaim. Apparently the real games were about to begin.

  Even as she walked the short distance to the Residence in Manzanit, she was working on what she was going to tell Elder Debbon about what had just occurred. Everyone who had been at the meeting with Jehoban would have to be warned about Lucinden’s new involvement. She had composed the message she planned to send when a patil became available and filed it away in her memory for later.

  At this moment, she needed to concentrate on presenting her best self to Elder Wilken. There had been several occasions where the good Elder had been present on Acaim and Rasa had found him to be a pleasant man to be around. She hoped she would prove to be as capable an Elder as he had been for his people.

  When she reached the front door of the Residence, she struck her knuckles three times on the door and then waited for someone to answer her call. A few moments later, the door was opened by a middle-aged woman.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  Rasa smiled politely and said, “My name is Rasa and I am to meet with Elder Wilken at Jehoban’s request. Is the Elder available?”

  The woman’s expression turned to one of confusion. She had never heard a response such as this woman had given and the Elder was not at the Residence. She immediately stood aside and said, “Please do come in. I’m sorry to say Elder Wilken is not in Residence presently, but I can try to get a message to him. If we had known you were coming…”

  Rasa put her hand on the woman’s arm and said, “It’s of no concern, I only found out from Jehoban a little bit ago. I can wait for Elder Wilken’s return. Do you know how long he will be out?”

  “He went out into the district to adjudicate. There’s no telling when he’ll be back,” she said as she began to wring her hands with worry. She had a healthy fear of Jehoban and did not want herself or her master to fall on bad terms with the Creator. She had to do something to make this situation better. “Please come in and make yourself at home. Is there anything I can get for you?”

  “There is one thing…do you have a patil I could use? A situation came up on my way here which I need to report,” Rasa inquired.

  “Absolutely. Please follow me.” She was relieved to hear she only needed to use a patil. If the woman were planning to tell Jehoban about being kept from meeting with Elder Wilken she would not have needed a patil to do it. She led the woman to a private office kept in reserve for dignitaries and closed the door behind Rasa as she entered.

  Rasa was relieved to be able to take care of the matter regarding Lucinden immediately. She knew she could have waited, but she preferred to have everyone on alert as soon as possible. As she sat down to type out her message, she had no idea the amount of turmoil she had set into motion in the Residence around her.

  The maids were aflutter with gossip about what this meeting could be about. Had Elder Wilken finally decided on a successor? Was there about to be a change in the Residence? Were any of the staff to be let go?

  The head maid immediately dispatched an urgent message to Elder Wilken’s head assistant who always traveled with the frail Elder. She hoped to have a response before Rasa had finished with her messages. Until then, she had the kitchen staff prepare a light repast and hot steena tea to offer her when she emerged from the office. She went to stand at the ready outside of the office door.

  Rasa decided to notify Elder Debbon first. She turned on the patil and touched the screen to compose a new message. She typed up the message she had memorized on the walk and hit send. Next, she decided she should probably give her mother warning of her visit. She would hate to arrive at their house to find out they, too, were gone for an undisclosed period of time.

  She did not want to tell her mother the actual nature of her visit. She wanted to see her mother’s reaction when she showed her the birth crystal Jehoban had picked for her. Rasa supposed her mother would not suspect an ulterior motive for Rasa to visit the home of her childhood. Barla would be excited enough just by the fact Rasa was coming home at all.

  “Mom, I think we should plan a small family reunion. I’ll be at your house in three days. Please ask Gravin to come home as well. There are many new things on the horizon and I think we should attempt to get together one last time before we are all too busy to meet. I love you. Rasa.” Rasa read over her missive and thought it sounded upbeat enough. She hit the send button and then turned off the patil.

  Now she officially had nothing to do until Elder Wilken returned. She contemplated the idea of staying alone in the office, but thought it would probably be considered rude. With a sigh, she stood up, walked across the room, opened the door, and began to leave the room when she was startled by the maid.

  “Let me show you to the living room,” she said as she appeared at Rasa’s side.

  “Thank you,” Rasa managed to say as she tried to hide her jumpiness.

  The older maid led the way into a large and airy room with plush furniture and a gorgeous view overlooking the district. “Please make yourself at home. I have ordered some snacks and tea for you. Ah, here it is now,” she said as she moved aside for two other women to bring in the hot teapot and the plates of snacks. She gestured for them to set them down on a side table near one of the more comfortable-looking chairs.

  Rasa sat down next to the table and realized she was quite ravenously hungry. “Thank you. It all looks so lovely. I’m sure I’ll be very content to await Elder Wilken with this food and the gorgeous view.”

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve heard anything from him,” the maid said as she left the room.

  Rasa selected an item from the tray of edibles and popped it into her mouth as she poured herself a cup of the hot tea. She stood up and walked to the wall of windows and looked out over the countryside. It was hard to imagine when Elder Wilken stepped down from his office, this would be her new home and the people of this land would be her responsibility.

  She had spent the past twenty-one years training for this moment and, yet, the idea scared her half to death. There were bound to be mistakes made, but she hoped her intuition would help guide her to the right decisions.

  Furthermore, she knew this post was highly coveted because of the potency of the ley lines beneath this part of the country. Even at this moment, she could feel the surge of energy ready for her beck and call. It was almost as good as the power available on
Acaim. She hoped her promotion to this post would not cause contention among the Elders.

  It was then she realized there would have to be an assembly of the Elders to promote her as the successor to this post. She was certain there would be a lot of anger and tension at the meeting. Not only would she be the first female Elder, she was also going to be receiving the best location, second only to Acaim.

  Rasa felt a moment of clarity when she realized Jehoban’s plan for her new post was designed to distract the Elders long enough for Amanda to extract Nealand from Tuala. She chuckled out loud at the devious manner in which Jehoban planned to help Amanda without seeming to interfere with the order of things on Tuala. She was still smiling when she heard someone clear her throat behind her. She turned swiftly to see who had wanted to get her attention.

  The head maid said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve received word from Elder Wilken. He will be back at the Residence within the hour. Is there anything I can get for you while you wait?”

  “No, I’m fine. I’ve been enjoying the view as well as the wonderful repast you have prepared for me. Thank you.” Rasa meant every word she said and hoped her sincerity came through.

  The maid smiled in appreciation of the compliment and curtsied before she turned and left.

  Rasa wandered over to the pastry tray and picked another appetizing bite and popped it into her mouth. She had picked a strawberry tart and it practically melted in her mouth. If this were the type of food they served to guests, she could only imagine the fare for the Elder.

  She toured the rest of the living room to see what other grand sights there were to be found. She discovered a large globe of Tuala which had inlaid precious stones for each jurisdiction. The beauty and precision of it was nothing short of a masterpiece. It appeared Elder Wilken had an eye for art as well developed as his skill in working for the people. She had no idea how much time had passed while she had been sipping on her tea and admiring the craftsmanship of the Residence.