Master? Tristan mumbled, as the mist suddenly split into four lines. They spread out in separate directions from the pit and, after some distance, the misty lines shot upwards to form huge, transparent, light-filled walls. The House of the Holy Spirits, he decided, as elaborate and impossible architecture began to take form within the light mass. The outside world almost vanished, replaced by a dreamlike place of great celestial majesty. Tristan could vaguely make out the forms of his colleagues still occupying their space in the physical world.
‘Tristan … please answer me?’ Karita begged. ‘I just need to know you’re okay.’
Tristan’s attention was drawn to the semi-circle of beings slowly manifesting before him. As with the Chapter of the Brotherhood to which he had once belonged, he saw twelve Masters, their identities concealed by the hoods of their robes. The central figure, whose face was open to view, Tristan recognised. ‘Master.’ He bowed his head reverently, most relieved to see him.
‘You finally got yourself here.’ The Master came forward to greet Tristan. ‘Selflessness will do it every time.’
‘But the Philosopher’s Stone was destroyed? I failed in my mission to return it to you for safekeeping?’ Tristan wondered why the Master was so pleased with him.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ the Master assured him, ‘I’d say our secret is safe enough now.’
‘So, I am to stay with you, my Master?’ Tristan approached the being, who was more spirit than body, eager to know if he had broken his curse.
‘Yes, Tristan.’ The Master was overjoyed to put Tristan’s soul to rest on that count. ‘But, part of you will remain in the physical world with Preston Molay.’
‘Do you refer to Karita?’ Tristan wondered if the Master was referring to the fact that he’d lost his heart to the woman.
The Lord shook his head, repressing his amusement at Tristan’s assumption. ‘When you cut yourself off from us, Tristan, having suffered much for the cause, we decided to send an incarnation of yourself to you. He would motivate you to complete your quest and by so doing, you would return to us. Meanwhile your current incarnation could aid in exposing the ancient knowledge that you were destined to bring to light in your lifetime as Tristan de Scott.’
Tristan approached the vague impression of Preston Molay, who was attempting to calm Karita in the wake of Tristan’s disappearance. ‘But why Preston?’ Tristan wondered. ‘Why not Logan, my great-grandson?’
‘Because Preston is the one who gets the girl,’ the Master replied cheekily, to shock his student.
‘What?’ Tristan felt a twinge of jealousy.
‘These things are planned very carefully … although even the best laid plans will go astray if wrong decisions are made by the individual,’ the Master tactfully explained. ‘Logan still bears the family stigma that the Brotherhood placed on your line over a century ago. Even though Logan inherited your psychic adeptness, he is still ruled by his negative ego. He can only channel information from the lower planes of awareness and thus has been of little use to us. Therefore, it was decided that it would be best to allow you to incarnate into a powerful family far removed from your curse. With no memory of that past shame, a shame you never deserved, you have become the wise and just man you were always destined to become.’
‘But how could my soul have incarnated, when I have been trapped in that house for a century?’ Tristan liked what he was hearing as it meant that all that time had not been wasted.
‘Only this small fragment of yourself has been trapped.’ The Master turned and motioned to one of the hooded beings amongst the Brotherhood. ‘The true essence of you never left us.’
The figure to whom the Master gestured dropped his hood. The being in question didn’t appear like Tristan or Preston, but had traces of both men in his form and face — as if he had fathered both men, which, of course, this soul had. Recognising himself in the Master before him, Tristan’s form broke up into light matter which was sucked back into its source. As Tristan’s soul-mind rejoined its higher self, the angelic being smiled serenely and with new and higher understanding, he stepped forward to speak with the Master further. ‘So Preston is to be your new channel, Master?’
‘Actually, I have recently taken a new apprentice who is working out rather nicely.’ The Master looked at Karita and smiled.
This was a revelation for Tristan. ‘So it was not I who mused Karita into painting “The Lost Word” at all, it was you?’
‘Actually,’ the Master corrected, ‘it was Karita herself.’
Another of the hooded figures in the circle of twelve revealed herself and Tristan smiled, recognising traces of the woman who had held his affection for the past few years in the Goddess-like woman who smiled serenely back at him.
‘Her future works will serve as a medium for many ancient memories and mysteries, and will trigger a higher awareness in those adepts ready to progress along the path of light.’
‘But who shall protect her from the Brotherhood if I am gone?’ Tristan was concerned by the news he was receiving.
‘But you are still with her.’ The Master motioned to Preston. ‘Our beloved brother shall see that her inspiring works are sold to those who will display them to the masses. And to assure her protection.’ The Master motioned to Logan de Scott, who was still seated on the ground recovering from having been possessed.
‘But didn’t you just say he’s run by his negative ego?’ Tristan knew that wasn’t good.
‘Not for long,’ the Master assured him. ‘Preston Molay has seen and heard enough to know that you were not a fraud and that the Brotherhood to which Logan belongs has known this all along. They have used the de Scott family stigma to keep him under their control, but once Logan discovers this, he will disassociate himself from them, reclaim his own personal power and become an excellent exponent of the righteous.’
Tristan’s heart and mind were set at rest by this knowledge and he suddenly felt an amazing clarity. ‘So, the ineffable name of God — the secret word of creation — is actually this state of perfect happiness and peace that cannot be described.’ He’d learnt all this before and was only now making sense of the doctrine that had been channelled to him over a century ago. ‘The triangular plate of gold on which this word is written is the higher triad of force that is the source of creation and the heart of all cosmic doctrine, the triad that ancients called Father, Mother, God, or Will – Power, Love – Wisdom, Adaptability – Intelligence. For if one achieves these qualities in life then the Philosopher’s Stone is theirs.’
The Master nodded surely. ‘So you see that you did not destroy the Philosopher’s Stone after all, just a physical means to cheat the proper process. You carried the essence of this substance in your being all along. These three will eventually come to the same conclusion and sweep away the old misconceptions of legend and myth, just as you were intended to do all that time ago.’
Tristan gave the Master a sideways glance, knowing he must have been a disappointment.
‘Better late than never,’ the Master smiled warmly to reassure him, ‘and you will aid me to aid them on this quest. Let it be thus.’ The Master slapped his hands together and all trace of the physical world faded into the ether.
7. The Story’s End?
The painting never reached the Grand Master,
for Preston fabricated a fire disaster.
As his tale was rather hard to believe,
Molay’s resignation was well received.
With his own better interests at heart,
Logan de Scott perfected his craft.
In order to serve the greater good,
he and Molay formed a public brotherhood.
And the lovely Karita tapped into creation,
to paint many a divine vision of beauty and revelation.
And her beloved ghost was never far away.
as soon after this adventure, Karita married Molay.
How’s that for a story? the ghost asked her sleeping presence.
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‘Hmmm …’ Karita groaned with delight. ‘It was the best yet.’
Karita woke to a knock on the door, feeling rather chipper after her well-needed rest. The knock on the door was repeated, and as she was still fully dressed, Karita moved to answer it. ‘Yeah … who is it?’ She reached the door. ‘Hello.’
‘Are you Karita Torelle?’
‘Who wants to know?’ She looked through the peephole, but couldn’t see her caller’s face.
‘I’m interested in a picture you’ve painted,’ he explained. ‘The Lost Word.’
‘Oh, my God! You’re the buyer?’ Karita assumed. What time is it? Have I missed the meeting? She inwardly panicked, as she opened the door to find a man who was not at all what she’d imagined, but familiar somehow.
‘You don’t know me.’ He smiled. ‘My name is Logan de Scott.’
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Karita found herself smiling broadly with no idea why. ‘Won’t you come in?’
Bibliography
Ashley, Leonard R.N., The Complete Book of Ghosts and Poltergeists, Barricade Books Inc, New York, 2000.
Dunne, John J. Irish Ghosts, The Appletree Press Ltd, Belfast, 1977.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen, The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, Cheakmark Books, New York, 1992.
Hanning, Peter, A Dictionary of Ghosts, Robert Hale Limited, London, 1982.
Siblerud, Robert, Keeper of the Secrets, Sacred Science Publications, Colorado, 1999.
Sora, Steven, The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar, Destiny Books, Vermont, 1999.
About the Author
Since 1996, Traci Harding has had four trilogies and three stand-alone novels published by HarperVoyager Australia. Her books are published in several different languages, and are also available in e-book format from the Apple iBookstore, Amazon, Kobo, Google, ReadCloud, and Booki.sh. Selected titles are also available as a digital audio download through iTunes and Amazon — and as an audio book through Bolinda Audio.
To find quick links to all of the above, Traci’s other websites, and keep abreast of news, competitions and releases by Traci Harding, visit her new website:
traciharding.com
Or visit: voyagerblog.com.au/
the home on the web for lovers of science fiction and fantasy.
Copyright
First published in 2002 in the anthology Ghostwriting
This edition published in 2012
by HarperCollinsPublishers Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
A member of the HarperCollinsPublishers (Australia) Pty Limited Group
harpercollins.com.au
Text copyright © Traci Harding 2002
Cover image copyright © Terry Ludgate
The right of Traci Harding to be identified as the moral rights author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000 (Cth). This book is copyright.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.
HarperCollinsPublishers
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Table of Contents
Cover
The Lost Word
Bibliography
About the Author
Copyright
The Lost Word Page 7