“We don’t have time for that, Riccan! What are you thinking?” Amanda admonished him.
“It’s not my decision, it was Chelesa’s request.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soon enough, after only a brief delay while getting Vinia on board, Riccan’s bright red telepod landed on the lawn outside of Debbon’s private estate, where the occupants filed out of the small sanctuary and into the blustery rain. They raced the short distance to the house, however not fast enough to avoid getting drenched by the sudden downpour.
As if someone had been watching for their arrival, the front door opened as soon as they stepped onto the porch. Common courtesy called for them to use elemy to dry themselves off as fast as possible so they would not ruin the floors or the ornately woven foxl rugs. Crysta silently and efficiently ushered them into the front room and shut the doors behind them.
Amanda looked around the room, seeing everyone had managed to arrive before they did. Slightly confused, she asked, “Where did you land your telepods? I didn’t see them outside.”
Daven stood up and gave Amanda a hug as he replied, “We all arrived by Gate. Ahn and Barla were visiting with Rasa when the message came through. Bryon came along with Nena and me. It seemed safer considering what we were bringing with us. Speaking of that,” Daven gestured to Vinia and commented, “it seems we have an extra person in attendance. What’s going on?”
Amanda began to answer when the double doors opened, causing everyone to grow silent as Alena, Chelesa, and Copa stepped into the room. Alena closed the doors and remained standing in front of them.
Copa came forward and enthusiastically greeted Vinia. “Thank you for coming so promptly, especially without any warning whatsoever. Everyone, please be seated so I can tell you what I know. There isn’t a moment to waste and there’s still much to be done.”
As soon as everyone complied with her request, Copa began. “As far back as my family has memory, we’ve been charged with the care of a certain samara. It has come to my attention that you all are the ones who have been chosen to fulfill the prophecy given at the beginning of time.”
Murmurs from the audience interrupted Copa’s speech.
“Should we be talking about this in front of Vinia?” Ahn asked.
“I’m glad you brought that up, Ahn,” Copa praised. “Many anons ago, I was visited by a woman named Lillia, who had taken a child from Earth. You see, she was sent to Earth by Lucinden to kill a set of twins that would be born. Lillia had to comply with Lucinden’s wishes, yet she could not bring herself to take their innocent lives. Instead, she separated the twins and brought one of them to me in a different time. She believed it would be sufficient to separate the twins between time and dimensions to appease Lucinden’s growing paranoia regarding the prophecy.”
“I don’t understand,” Vinia spoke up for the first time. “I mean, I know what happened to me, but what was this prophecy, and what do I have to do with it?”
“That’s why they look so much alike,” Bryon murmured to Alena, where she had taken a seat next to him. He stared over at Amanda and Vinia, comparing the two women and seeing even more similarities now that he knew their actual relationship.
“Shush, pay attention,” Alena patted his knee to silence him so she would not miss anything important.
Copa nodded understandingly and answered, “Lucinden had been told that a pair of old soul twins would be born who could save the prophecy from failure. I have no idea how he figured out it would be you and Amanda, but now it seems he had been correct. Chelesa has told me that all of you had been gathered at Jehoban’s request and that the samaras have been claimed.”
“Not all of them,” Amanda spoke up, feeling even more pressure to find hers.
“No, you’re right, Amanda, not all of them. You must still find yours, the master samara,” Copa agreed.
“The master?” Amanda did not like the sound of the distinction.
“We don’t have time to worry about that detail right now,” Copa replied offhandedly. “We need to prepare you and Vinia to bring Debbon back from the trap Lucinden has set for him.”
“What kind of trap?” Amanda asked, leaning forward intently.
“How will we do that?” Vinia asked at the same time.
“That’s what the new text meant,” Amanda announced suddenly.
“What new text?” Copa asked eagerly.
Amanda recited what had been written in the ancient tome. Suddenly it made sense that she and Vinia would be the ones to make Debbon recover. She still had no idea how it would come about, but at least she knew Jehoban had been giving them a clue to let them know He believed in their success. His words gave her the courage to make the attempt.
Encouraged by this new turn of events, Copa turned and ordered, “Riccan, Bryon, can you both go upstairs and bring Debbon down here? Bring his samara as well. Hurry.”
The men jumped up, not liking the idea of missing anything, yet glad to have something they were able to do to help. As soon as they left, Copa began ordering everyone else around. “Take some cushions from the couch and make a comfortable place on the floor for Debbon. Use an extra pillow to support his head. We’re going to have to sit around him and use the powers of the other samaras to heal Debbon and his samara.”
“What’s wrong with his samara?” Rasa asked, thinking about how Alena’s samara had been recovered in shattered shards.
“It’s been used for evil, and I’m afraid most of that has been trapped inside of it. We’ll need to clear out the infestation before we can begin to heal what has been broken inside of Debbon. Oh, good, men, place him right here.” She moved to the side, pointing to the floor, as Riccan carried Debbon’s torso and Bryon had hold of his legs.
Once they had him situated to Copa’s liking, they stepped away. “Where’s the samara?” she asked, looking at both men’s empty hands.
“It’s right here,” Willian announced from the doorway, holding his jacket, which contained the crystal wrapped inside of it.
Copa strode forward and took it from him. She wished it could be otherwise, but she knew it would not be safe for Willian to remain in the room. “I’m sorry, but you cannot be here for this. You must leave the house altogether. Gather all of the staff and take them with you. I’ll meet you outside in a couple of minutes.”
“I want to be there for my father, he needs me,” Willian cried, seeing his father’s form on the floor and feeling the fear of losing him growing stronger inside him.
“Trust me when I say this will be his only chance at survival. Every minute we stand here arguing about it puts him in greater peril. Please don’t fight me on this, Willian. Do as I say immediately.” She turned him by the shoulders and gave him a push toward the kitchens. Calling after him, she reiterated, “Get them as far from the house as possible. Hurry!”
Several minutes later, Copa had placed everyone around Debbon’s body on the floor. Jena and Juila had been put on opposite sides near his chest, with Barla and Ahn next to them also on opposite sides; in fact, each couple had been separated by Debbon’s body. Next came Alena and Bryon, followed by Daven and Nena. Riccan took his spot at Debbon’s feet and Amanda had been placed at his head with Rasa at his left shoulder and Chelesa at his right. With so many people surrounding Debbon’s prone form, they did not have to worry about making physical contact with one another; they were all squished together along their entire sides. Each person had their individual samaras tucked between Debbon and his or her knees. Lastly, Vinia kneeled behind Amanda with the black samara resting in front of her knees.
Copa had taken Amanda and Vinia aside, whispering specific instructions speedily, before having them take their places. All was prepared, and only Jehoban could determine the outcome. “I’ll leave you now to what you must do. Please do not break from this circle until Debbon has recovered fully or until he has died. Do not stop in the middle or I can’t promise what will transpire, only know it would be terrible for all of Tuala. M
any blessings.”
Copa had backed up until she reached the double doors. She opened one leaf and let herself out, closing the door securely as she stepped into the foyer. Not sure if the group would be strong enough to complete their task, she ran from the house, getting as far away as possible in case everything went very wrong.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
AMANDA HESITATED TO begin, realizing she and her sister were responsible for reuniting Debbon with his soul if she were interpreting the healing key properly. Even though Copa seemed confident of their success, Amanda had her doubts as her healing abilities were novice at best, better classified as non-existent. Surely it would be better for Chelesa, Alena, or even Rasa to take the lead, yet Copa had been quite specific in her instructions of Amanda leading the healing.
She glanced behind her to where Vinia sat, their eyes briefly made contact before Amanda’s gaze lowered to the dark, swirling shapes trapped within Debbon’s samara. Her trepidation increased, and sweat began to form on her palms. Not only had she seen her fears mirrored in Vinia’s eyes, but she could also feel the dark weight of the samara behind her.
Selfishly, she was glad she would not have to make physical contact with the evil-looking samara, that was Vinia’s responsibility. Luckily, Vinia had handled a samara before when she had sent her children to Earth, making her aware of the immense power held within the small crystal. Amanda glanced around to all of the people waiting for her to indicate they should prepare to start. She took a deep, trembling breath and declared, “Let’s begin.”
Amanda watched as the people in front of her closed their eyes, put one hand on their samara, and their other on Debbon in front of them. The way she understood this, the physical contact of the other participants were to keep Debbon’s bodily functions operating while she and Vinia were to rescue his soul. Not having any idea what a soul should look or feel like, she had to rely solely on her instincts to take over where Copa’s instructions left blank spaces.
Whispering quietly, almost to herself alone, she spoke the words of the healing key, feeling strength and confidence enter her as she did so. Her mind began making the necessary connections. Debbon’s samara, which was needed for the prophecy, was bound by evil souls. Debbon’s trip off-world had found much misadventure, and his mind and soul must be brought back together. Finally, both she and her sister had been separated, but their united front would reunite Debbon’s soul.
Amanda’s mind reached out to her sister’s, actively seeking the connection she had felt upon first being acknowledged as her twin. She felt weak resistance, yet pushed through it, knowing this bond would be the only way to succeed. Please, she thought urgently. Allow me to merge minds with you.
Suddenly, all barriers dissolved, flooding Amanda with innumerable ideas, emotions, pictures, and conversations. The onslaught of information almost overwhelmed her before she began to push past Vinia’s life details to be able to touch her life-line. Amanda knew healing included life-line access, so she decided their combined strengths would be able to search for Debbon’s. Amanda vaguely felt the surge of power happening in front of her, she welcomed the energy to augment her quest for something unknown, yet vitally important to Debbon—his soul.
Should I touch the samara now, Vinia asked within their link.
Yes, I believe we’re as ready as we’re ever going to be. Seeing through Vinia’s eyes, Amanda’s spine stiffened abruptly as her sister’s fingers touched the scorching hot surface of the crystal. She could tell Vinia’s fingers had seemed to fuse to the crystal, almost as if it were trying to bring her soul into the swirling vortex. Stay with me, Vinia! Amanda instantly doubted herself, feeling her sister’s soul being sucked away from her body. Righteous anger rose up within her, causing her to create a mental shield in front of them both, attempting to thwart the energy of the samara.
Her defense had come too late; Vinia’s mind screamed as she felt herself tumbling within the mass of evil souls already swirling. Amanda could feel the vile touches all over her body, intimately violating her, as her mind remained linked within Vinia’s. Thoughts racing, Amanda recalled Valentina’s lessons on shielding herself from Willian’s energy pull; taking her cue from that conversation, she instinctively built a shield around herself before extending it out to cover her sister’s body as well.
The samara, nestled between them, also became enshrouded within her protection, not allowing any of the souls to escape without breaking the bond first. Amanda’s mind-link with her sister began to grow as her confidence in wielding the elemy grew. She had no idea if what she did would have any impact on their task, but it felt right enough to keep going. The panic in her sister seemed to lessen as her own confidence expanded, yet it still felt like something was drastically wrong.
Amanda needed to focus her attention on the task of finding Debbon’s soul within the maelstrom of dark souls contained within the samara. Focus, Vinia, help me find his soul, Amanda pleaded as she fought the revulsion as the darkness touched her everywhere. Thinking about how wise-woman Copa had faith in her ability to bring Debbon back from the verge of death, Amanda doubted herself as the minutes passed by without improvement.
With her mind tied to her mother’s, through the samara’s link, Jena realized her mother needed help creating a deeper connection with her sister. Having grown up with her own twin, Jena could feel what was missing between her mother and Vinia.
“Mother, listen to me! Remember the words to the prophecy: The Healing Key, that’s the samara’s linked power. Treasure bound by evil, this has to be Debbon’s samara. Needed for upheaval has to mean you need to break evil’s link with the samara. Finding misadventure, I don’t know what that means yet. Bring back together has to mean you and Vinia being reunited since you are the Twins once divided. For the last part of the prophecy to be fulfilled, The soul reunited, you need to feel your link with your sister, we don't have time for you to learn how to do this, so I am going to put the pathway into your brain.”
Jena’s fingers tensed as she waited a couple of seconds for her mother to reply. Knowing this could be considered an intrusion, Jena felt the circumstances outweighed the reprimand she could get from Jehoban and for her actions. Also, knowing how easy it would be, Jena waited to insert thoughts directly into her mother’s brain.
Unable to think of anything better, and starting to feel desperate with her options, Amanda mentally nodded, and replied, “Do it quickly.”
Even as she finished the sentence, Amanda could feel a tingling sensation in her brain as Jena’s ideas flowed into her conscious memories. It all seemed so simple the way Jena showed her. Almost as if a lightbulb had gone off in her brain, Amanda implemented the new pathway of understanding with her sister.
At that exact moment, Amanda realized why Vinia had been taken away from her at birth. If they had grown up together, the intensity of this new bond would not be there. Instinctively, she knew this was going to make the difference between Debbon living or dying.
Just as Jena directed her mother, showing her the spark of connection, her own soul pulled away from her body, into the vortex of swirling souls around them within the confines of Debbon’s samara, threatening to tear her away from everyone.
As if Jena’s entry into the whirlwind became the catalyst, the earth began to tremble and a roaring sound threatened to deafen them. They all remained solely focused on Debbon’s revival, valiantly ignoring their surroundings. The earth trembled more and unbeknownst to the occupants of the room, the floor cracked open beside them, exposing a bottomless chasm.
Pouring out of the chasm, the dark, wispy filaments of souls which had been contained within the samara were now freely flying throughout the room, creating chaos and havoc. Had any of the people there opened their eyes, they would have wished they had not.
Vinia opened her mind to Amanda, understanding the circumstances surrounding them, and fearing for all of their lives. Her fear of letting Amanda see her secret thoughts disappeared as the gr
avity of their situation intensified. The darkness began closing in around them, the souls clinging to them, starting to tear at them, causing them great discomfort, but Vinia knew it was only a matter of moments before that discomfort would become perilous.
Amanda’s power, combined and augmented with Vinia’s, promptly began to reunite the souls contained in the samara with the bodies discovered in the chasm. One by one, the souls emptied from the samara leaving only Debbon and Jena within.
Without warning, the Empress wailed in frustrated rage, calling out, “These last souls are mine! You will rue the day when you chose to interfere with my power in my realm of Nayen.” Unwilling to give up without a fight, the Empress held Debbon’s soul in her left hand and Jena’s in the other, cackling with glee at her prizes and seeing Amanda’s fear. Staring directly into Amanda’s eyes through the powerful link between the worlds, the Empress slowly began to squeeze her fingers on the souls of the two people Amanda desperately worked to save.
The powerful pressure inflicted by the Empress’s cruelty caused Elder Debbon’s heart to stop. Unable to do anything for him, Amanda directed Chelesa and Alena to begin using their healing powers to keep his body functioning until his soul could be reunited with his body. The loss of the two participant’s power could hardly be felt as Amanda drew more strands of strength from the elemy.
Chelesa felt tears flowing down her cheeks as she tied herself into Debbon’s life-line. She used her healing skills to force her husband’s heart to keep beating as well as the air moving in and out of his lungs. Her despair became less frantic as she felt Alena’s gentle touch alongside hers inside Debbon’s body. Together, they poured their healing energy into the man’s body, willing him to come back to them soon before their own strength faltered.
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