Ascension Watchers

by Amy Proebstel

  Several hours passed in this manner until he reached the final page of writing, although not the final page in the journal by any means. He carefully looked at each blank page, hoping some random word or clue could be hidden within. Unfortunately, this proved not to be the case, and he finally had to admit nothing more could be learned from his only clue.

  Shoving the book aside on his desk, he returned his attention to the notes he had taken. Several names had been repeated rather often, he wondered if they were places or people. He turned to his patil and began entering them each separately to see if there were any hits on any of the Elders’ massive databases.

  From the poorly kept, ancient pages he managed to decipher the name of the planet. He entered Naver into his database and hit enter. There were no results. Feeling slightly deflated, he moved on to the name Ka-bes which had been referenced several times. His excitement mounted when the result came back.

  Birth name: Ka-bes Pyaj

  Parents: Deceased, fishermen

  Siblings: Lunan

  Place of origin: Tuth-yoo

  Occupation: Expelled student from Basaliyasta

  His eyes devoured these revelations, feeling exhilarated as several of the other names he had marked to check were already appearing in just this one entry. He still had no idea how this would help him, but he had to keep searching. He clicked on Lunan’s name and waited for the results.

  Birth name: Lunan Pyaj

  Parents: Deceased, fishermen

  Siblings: Ka-bes

  Place of origin: Tuth-yoo

  Occupation: Priest of Arenghel

  Still no wiser, yet just as thrilled, he entered another name and hit enter.

  Birth name: Diyune

  Occupation: Archbishop

  Prior Post: Bishop of Basaliyasta

  Province: Shrian

  Feeling frustrated with the lack of any real information other than statistics, Debbon picked up the journal and carefully leafed through the pages until he got to the entry his mind kept returning to as if it were vitally important. Yes, there it was:

  …a girl by the name of Ka-bes had given the samara to her brother, Lunan, since he held some sort of official position within their world.

  Debbon could readily confirm this passage as being accurate concerning the names and relationships based on the references in the database. Because of this, he felt equally able to extrapolate that the samara had been in their possession at some point in time. Encouraged, he entered the last name on his shortlist.

  Birth name: Yama'anks

  Province: Shrian

  Recent Gate Request: Tuala +

  Current Location: Nayen

  A cold feeling drifted down Debbon’s spine as he could hear Vargen taunting him with the knowledge of a man from Nayen coming through his Gate, this particular man, it would appear. He clicked on the Gate request and discovered Yama'anks had also been granted access to Earth. The chill bumps rose on his arms as he requested the travel dates. When the results appeared, he simply stared in shock as the date coincided exactly with the burglary at Ian’s house. This man had his samara; somehow, he had tracked it to Earth and managed to steal it back to his world.

  The last piece of the puzzle clicked in his mind, the world in which he thought had been spelled Naver was actually Nayen. He pulled the book’s page closer to him, creating a bright sphere of elemy above the text, and could faintly see where the ink had faded into making him believe it spelled the wrong thing. It had been no wonder the database had found nothing with his erroneous spelling.

  What became unclear after that was what had caused the samara to be brought to Earth before being stolen again. If he were to follow any sort of logic, then he would have to begin his search for the samara in Nayen. If someone there had discovered how powerful it actually was, they would probably find a way to get it back from Earth.

  The matter became more intriguing when Debbon began researching the Gates, which would take him to that location. Even more convincing was the idea that Elder Vargen’s Gate could actually go straight there. This new bit of evidence further convinced him to start his search in Nayen, especially since Vargen had taunted him with information of aliens coming to visit through the Gates. Now he believed, Vargen had been the one to give aide to Yama'anks in his return trip to Nayen.

  Wanting to be absolutely certain of every detail, Debbon would have to interview Vargen. Taking every precaution, he carefully warded the journal inside his desk drawer and also locked his office as he pulled the door shut behind him. As distasteful as the idea seemed, Debbon’s interview with Vargen would get confirmation of Yama'anks’ travels and discover if any package had been taken in either direction.

  Debbon opened Vargen’s cell door and let himself in, seeing the prisoner huddled on the bed in the far corner, knees drawn up under his chin. “I hope you’re finding your stay amenable.”

  Vargen snorted, but kept his eyes shut, refusing to offer any commentary.

  “I wanted to ask you about some recent visitors to your Gate.”

  Lifting his head in interest, he asked, “So now you’re interested in what I told you before?”

  “Yes. Was the person’s name Yama'anks?”

  The widening of Vargen’s eyes gave him the answer even though he remained stubbornly silent.

  “Did you offer Yama'anks passage to Earth and then back to Nayen?” Debbon’s questions appeared to be falling on deaf ears. “You know I could just pull the knowledge from your mind, even without your consent. This would be a lot nicer for both of us if you’d just cooperate.”

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “A chance to do something good for once.”

  “Sorry, not worth it.” He dropped his cheek back onto his knees, closing his eyes again, effectively withdrawing into himself again.

  Debbon silently stepped forward, gathering elemy as he did so, and reached out to touch Vargen’s head. Anticipating a struggle, his touch incapacitated the prisoner as he began to delve into his memories, unfolding them until he discovered Yama'anks’s name and appearance. He took a few moments to memorize the details, noting the stranger’s hand held something small, but little else stood out at being unusual. Not finding much else of use, Debbon released Vargen’s mind and stepped away from his hunched figure.

  “Did you get everything you wanted?”

  “No, but I think you can accompany me to Nayen since you seem to be so interested in this Yama'anks fellow. Would you like to live out the rest of your life there?”

  “I’d prefer to be any place where I don’t have to look at your smug face.”

  “Fine, consider it done.” Debbon had debated Vargen’s future, knowing he would have to leave or continue to stir up problems. He did not want to take away his complete mind, which did not serve as a just punishment for his crimes.

  Debbon left the room, one problem solved, and several more still needing attention. He returned to his office, ready to document his new information with what he had gleaned from the journal. Just as he opened his door, the patil sounded an alarm for an incoming call. He rushed across his office to answer it, tapping on the screen to accept.

  Willian’s face appeared, and he looked tired. “Hi, Dad. Is this a good time for you?”

  Debbon sat, more than ready to hear from his son. “Absolutely. Emmin tells me you are a wonderful testament to me. I hope you’ve found your time there to be productive.”

  “Yes. It’s about this assignment, Father. I’d really like to be able to come home and resume school. I know you have a lot of stuff going on around there, and I just feel like I might be of more assistance to you than to Emmin right now.”

  “That’s very generous of you, Willian. Would this sudden interest in helping me also have something to do with the fact that Valentina comes to see me every weekend to practice her crystal skills?”

  Willian grinned mischievously. “I won’t deny there is some truth to your statement; however, I genuinely miss b
eing home. Please say I can come back.” He leaned toward the screen, wanting to convey his desire, wishing it could be presented in person rather than over the impersonal device.

  “I think your mother would be very happy to have you home. She’s missed you terribly and I must admit I have as well. She’s had more time on her hands to lament over her lost son, but I do want you home for both of us. I’ll speak with Elder Emmin tonight and see what he has to say about where you are in your obligations so you won’t leave anyone overburdened.”

  “Thank you, Dad!” Willian’s formal composure melted away in his relief, turning him back into the insecure sixteen-anon-old boy. “I can’t wait to catch up with my buddies at school. I’m going to look into taking some new classes since I’ve discovered I’m pretty weak in some areas.”

  “I’m glad this has enlightened you, son. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

  “No, that was the heart of it all, really. I’ll look forward to seeing you soon. Thanks!” He waved his hand and then disconnected the call.

  Debbon was thrilled at the prospect of having Willian home, in a place where he knew what the boy was up to. This would be one less thing for Chelesa to keep harping on him about. They would be a family again soon, probably before the end of the week, if Willian had any say in the matter on Emmin’s end. Debbon smiled at the idea.

  His smile faded when his mind turned back to the monumental task ahead of him. He had to figure out a way to go to a foreign planet, navigate somehow while there, locate his samara, and bring it back home to Tuala. As he mentally ticked off each item, he felt slightly overwhelmed and more than a little concerned about the logistics involved. He pulled the journal out of the desk, opening it up to a random page for anything to jump out at him as a clue before tapping on the screen of his patil to show his previous search results.

  Thinking of his wife’s journey to Earth and how terrified she had been with all of the unfamiliar technology and transportation, he knew he needed to educate himself before taking a rash leap into a foreign world. As First, he needed to make certain he could safely return to Tuala and not risk his life, even though he secretly believed the samara would protect him as long as he were near enough to it. Certainly, he would not be led all over the universe only to be killed just as he found the missing piece to the prophecy; it just did not fit with his reasoning.

  Chelesa chose that moment to walk into his office. Seeing his hunched form, she could tell he had discovered something interesting. “What have you found?”

  Debbon straightened up as if he had been shocked, turning to face her with surprise written all over his face. “Oh! You scared me!”

  “Obviously.” She chuckled.

  “Come here.” He motioned with his hand as he scooted his chair back to give her room to see his patil screen. “I’ve discovered something interesting in the journal I brought back from taking Ian home.” He tapped the screen as he talked, “I kept seeing these names come up in the journal and thought I’d research them. It turns out it’s a world that has direct access to us from the Gate in Apio. Pretty coincidental, wouldn’t you say?”

  Chelesa raised an eyebrow, tilting her head as she realized this meant Debbon was considering going to this other world to search for his samara. She instantly disliked the whole plan and rapidly began to find excuses to dissuade him from going. “What do you know about this Nayen place?”

  “Not much, but from what I gathered, they have Archbishops who are like our Elders. I’d like to speak to them and see if they could help me.”

  “I don’t know, Debbon, what if they want to keep the samara because they can use its power? Then they’d just see you as a threat. They could imprison you or even kill you to keep you from taking back that which is yours. We have no idea what motivates them or if they have any moral code similar to ours. No, Debbon, this is just too risky.”

  Debbon laughed, mostly to reassure Chelesa, but also to try to get out some of his nervous energy regarding her wise points. “I don’t plan on leaving right now, there’s too much going on for that.”

  Sighing with relief, Chelesa said, “That’s good to hear. So, what have you learned about Valentina’s father? Anything new?”

  “Oh, you just won’t let this go, will you?” Debbon sat back, rhythmically drumming his fingertips on the arms of the chair.

  “Of course not, this should be a priority, Debbon. The future of your District hangs in the balance of who Willian marries.”

  “Well, the future of Tuala hangs in the balance of me finding my samara in time to fulfill the prophecy.”

  Chelesa wished she could rebut his statement, but she had to admit that he was right on that score. “Maybe if we knew where to ask about your crystal, then we could gather the other eleven holders and see if we can call it to us?”

  “That didn’t work at all when we attempted it with Rasa’s samara, and it was right here in Tuala, not some planet far off in the universe.” Debbon wished Chelesa’s plan would work to save him the risk of traveling into the unknown. Seeing her anxious expression, he capitulated, “We could give it another try. Maybe now that there’re eleven of them gathered, it’ll work to give us something to help.”

  Chelesa grinned, feeling as though she had won a minor victory. She patted his cheek lovingly and said, “I love how you’re always trying to please me.”

  “Oh, yeah? What would you do for me if I told you I was going to arrange for Willian to come home?” He had only been teasing, but seeing Chelesa’s face light up, he realized she had actually taken his jest to heart.

  “Oh, Debbon! That would be absolutely amazing. Name it, and I’ll do whatever you ask if you can get him home this week.” The color rose in her cheeks as the promise of her greatest desire was about to come true, having her family back together again.

  “Just one moment, and you’ll see.” Debbon turned back to his patil and wrote a short request.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  AMANDA HAD BEEN thrilled to receive the notification of her sister setting a date for her wedding. She had known the situation had been less than ideal with Behn living with Ozian and creating a lot of tension in the village with Fraya. This was the perfect occasion to bring people back together again for a happy time rather than for more drama. Her only wish would have been for her own parents to have been able to attend, yet they could not travel to Tuala without losing their memories.

  The girls had already gone ahead in Riccan’s telepod along with Behn, Valentina, Jon, and Sofia. Now Amanda simply waited for Riccan to finish whatever he needed to get done in the office before they could also go in her own telepod. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to go investigate what could possibly be holding Riccan up for so long.

  She discovered him in his office, intently reading whatever was on the screen. Not trying to be particularly quiet, she crossed the room and put her hand on his shoulder. She felt him jump and saw him turn in alarm to look up at her. “I’m sorry, did I scare you?”

  “Yes! Oh, that was crazy,” he said with a little chuckle.

  “What has you so engrossed that you didn’t hear me come in?”

  “I didn’t want to say anything before, but my security team…”

  “What security team?” Amanda asked, suddenly alarmed.

  Looking slightly sheepish, Riccan answered, “The one I hired immediately after rescuing Vinia from the hospital.”

  “Okay, I don’t know why you felt the need to keep that from me. It would’ve been a relief to know people were looking out for us while you’re at work in Tuala.”

  Riccan raised his eyebrows in appreciation for his wife’s observation. “True, I should have told you.”

  “So, what are you reading?”

  “Their latest report. I’m afraid Dr. Gascon has alerted the AFOSI team to his suspicions about me. At first, the claim had been dismissed as being retaliatory. However, they got a few new team members who wanted to make a name for t
hemselves, and they started looking into it. Unfortunately, they’ve been digging a little deeper than I thought they’d be able to, considering how well my assets are hidden.”

  “So what does this mean for us? Are we safe here, or are we going to have to relocate to Tuala?”

  “No, it sounds as if we’re good for now. My security people are doing what they can to redirect their investigation into more serious matters away from us. They’ll let us know when things get intense.”

  “I don’t like this, Riccan. I wish you would have swiped Dr. Gascon’s mind the first time you saw him. He’s like a cancer in our lives, which keeps metastasizing and getting bigger each time.”

  “I can’t say I don’t agree with you, but we’ll just have to play this out and see what happens.”

  “Is my extended family safe here?” She thought about her imprisoned sister, her disabled one, and her parents looking after their two granddaughters. All of them could be brought in for questioning or even worse things that she did not want to dwell on too long.

  “Like I said, we’re good for now. Besides, Dr. Gascon only implicated myself, nobody else, so I’d be the target.”

  Amanda wearily closed her eyes, thinking she would rather have a simple life, but then realized she would not have the amazing life she had within two worlds. Deciding to take Riccan’s advice, she changed the subject and asked, “Are you almost ready to go? If we take too much longer, we’ll have to time our arrival or risk missing the whole thing.”

  “Is it that late already?” He looked down at his watch and made a small surprised sound. “Wow! I’m sorry, Amanda.” Jumping up from his chair, he started to walk away from the computer before he thought better of it. He swiftly turned, leaned over the keyboard to type a few commands, and the computer turned off instantly. “There. Now I’m ready.” He held out his arm to lead his wife from the room and to a better time with her sister. Seeing how worried Amanda had become, he wished he had kept the matter to himself.