Beneath the Hallowed Hill

by Theresa Crater

  “For one, we love this little alcove.” Govannan seemed to be smiling, but his face was in shadow and she couldn’t be sure. “Surely you’ve felt it, Megan.” The words seemed to have escaped against his will.

  “That first day, I heard a song that matched yours, which means I’ll work opposite you in the circle.” She waited. “Is that what you mean?”

  He reached out and touched her hand. She shivered. “Are you cold?”

  “No,” she whispered, not trusting her voice.

  Govannan stroked her arm. “That day… it felt like I waited for you a long time.”

  She tried to see his expression in the dark. “You sent me away,” she whispered.

  He stroked her cheek. “It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done…at least before today. I thought we would have time to get to know each other properly.” He bent down and kissed her, a chaste peck on the cheek he just stroked.

  Megan turned her face to him and their breath mingled.

  “We mustn’t—” He brushed her lips with his own, tentatively, asking permission.

  She captured his mouth before he could pull away. The kiss lit a spark that blazed up into a bonfire. He took her into his arms and kissed her deeply…then he jumped up to his feet. “I’m sorry.”

  Megan surged up into his arms, finding his lips again. She waited too long, watched too many others satisfy their desire under the blessings of the Goddess while she thought of him, trying to remember his face, the curve of his jaw, always hearing his voice. She wondered how he felt, if he remembered her, if they could ever be lovers. Now a miracle happened. Now she knew that he wanted her.

  Govannan swelled hard against her and her own body answered in a flood of desire, but he grasped her elbows and pulled her back. “Megan?”

  “The first time I heard your voice, that night in the dark. I knew then.” At his questioning look, she said, “In the Poseidon Temple, at the party after our Emergence Ceremony. I was there, hiding behind a column. I’ve been thinking of you ever since.”

  “Thank the Mother.” Govannan looked down at her, his expression torn between tenderness and passion. She moved closer. “We must wait, dearest. Tomorrow is your first real transport. Your energy must be clear.”

  Megan leaned into him, inhaling his natural deep musky scent laced with sandalwood oil. “I will be longing for you all night,” she murmured.

  “Yes, but it’s best this way,” he whispered into her ear. He nuzzled her neck, then took a deep breath and broke contact. “I am not in control of myself tonight.”

  Megan’s stomach lurched. “I thought—”

  Govannan took her hand and pulled her into a pool of moonlight. “I’ve wanted you since I first heard your voice in my mind. You were only a child when I first saw you, but I sensed you might be the one. I’ve waited longer than you.” He shook his head. “I want to do this right. I want to watch you learn and wait until you’ve grown into a priestess. I want to show you all of Eden, my favorite restaurants and gardens. I want to hear the best concerts with you and swim with the dolphins. Finally I want to take you up into the stars.”

  “We are going to do that,” she said.

  “This damn mess has me off balance, and I’ve blurted out what should have slowly come up to the surface.” He shook his head again, the clinking shells singing to her.

  “We’ve both waited long enough.” Megan stroked his face.

  He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Trust me, dearest. Tonight I cannot properly modulate my energy. The transport must be right for you.”

  “How can I sleep?” she asked.

  “Ask our Thuya for one of her magic potions. Come, I’ll walk you home.”

  * * * *

  After walking Megan to the villa that served as the home of the Crystal Matrix pod, Govannan turned away from his own bed and headed over to Evenor’s office. He wanted to know how things went.

  “I have to tell you this. Some of the experiments were moved before the soldiers reached the facility.” Evenor ran his hand through his hair. “You know what that means.”

  “That one of us warned them? I know that to be impossible.” Govannan’s jaw clenched.

  “It means that you were seen, dear friend.” Evenor straightened his already tidy desk. “We’re searching every nook and cranny of the New Knowledge Guild’s buildings.”

  “Search their members’ private compounds as well,” Govannan suggested.

  Evenor shuddered. “Surely not.”

  “Anyone who would do what I saw…” He left the sentence unfinished. At least since the ambassador’s healing he could think of the atrocities calmly.

  “We have arrested the Guild Master, along with his staff. We’ve taken them to the Temple of the Oracle.” At Govannan’s double take, Evenor explained. “We want the best sensitives to question them. I’m sure they will attempt to dissemble.”

  Govannan shook his head at Evenor’s delicate words. Too bad the man hadn’t seen what he had…maybe the others wouldn’t be able to truly grasp the situation until they saw for themselves. “What do they say?”

  “They deny any wrong doing, of course.”

  Govannan shook his head. “That could mean they don’t think the experiments were immoral.”

  “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  Govannan stood up. “It’s time for me to go. I don’t know when I’ll return.”

  “Surely the Sirians won’t keep you long.”

  “They experience time differently than we do, but I’ll remind them of our need.” Govannan left the Governor sitting behind his ponderous neat desk. Evenor’s stooped shoulders and his hesitancy to send the soldiers into the New Knowledge Guild homes worried him, as did the predicted fall in consciousness. If that led to the abuse of other creatures in the beginning, who knew what else might develop? Try as he might, Govannan’s mind kept turning back to Megan. They would finally have some time together. His step quickened.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next morning, Megan waited in the large foyer of the Crystal Matrix Chamber, fidgeting with the unfamiliar robe of the guild. She kept reaching for her travel bag, only to remember she didn’t have one. Thuya told her the night before that she couldn’t take anything inert through the transport.

  “Only living beings. Stones and plants can go through since they’re conscious. On Sirius you won’t need anything, but the ambassador sent word you should bring the crystal from the Lady of Avalon.”

  Megan looked down at herself. “I won’t have any hands.”

  Thuya chuckled. “The ambassador also sent this.” She held up what looked like an ordinary gold chain. “He said it will transport. It adjusts to the shape of the body no matter how it coalesces on the other side.”

  Megan turned the chain over in her hand. “Neat trick.”

  “Let’s get the crystal smith to put a hook on your little tabby.”

  “Will that transport?”

  “Don’t tell the ambassador, but we have the same material in Eden.” Thuya winked.

  Megan went to her unfamiliar room to lie in her unfamiliar bed. She crawled under a shawl she brought from her room at her mother’s house, but that didn’t help. Her body was alive with Govannan’s kiss, her mind busy imagining more and thinking of the coming journey. After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, she took Govannan’s advice and asked Thuya for a sleeping potion. She woke the next morning from a night of deep rest and clear dreams, but felt none of the grogginess the herbs she knew about would have left. Her new necklace lay on the desk in the outer room. She slipped it on under her robe and walked to the Crystal Matrix Chamber, deciding not to risk breakfast.

  The workers finally began arriving in twos and threes, greeting her cheerfully and introducing themselves. A priestess
named Daphyll invited her to come watch the preparations.

  “Is it all right?”

  “You’ll have to learn eventually,” Daphyll said.

  Megan followed her into the chamber, but when she caught sight of the gigantic crystal she stopped in her tracks. It soared up toward the selenite dome where the six gleaming flanks met in a translucent point.

  Daphyll waited for her. “Sort of takes your breath away, doesn’t it?”

  Megan nodded. “I thought maybe I just imagined it was this big.”

  “Wait until you work with it. The power is even more amazing. We’re the luckiest people in Atlantis.” Daphyll smiled, her brown eyes dancing in her coppery face. “Come on.”

  Megan followed her to the far wall, where the priestess flipped a switch. A sharp metallic clang answered her, and the selenite petals of the ceiling began to pull back with a smooth whirring sound. A wisp of wind flowed into the chamber, lifting Megan’s hair.

  “The crystal operates at a harmonic of the Earth’s basic frequency. As you’ve probably noticed flying in, the Chamber itself is at the end point of a long logarithmic spiral. It starts at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán. Various temples are built on the vital spots, of course. You’ll learn all about them. They’re used more when we balance the grids.”

  Daphyll walked the perimeter of the circle, checking the outer ring of comparatively smaller stones, each about six feet tall. “These sentinels vibrate at different frequencies to create a spherical container in all levels of manifestation. It’s more complicated than that, of course.” She put her palms on one sentinel. She seemed to listen for a few moments, then she nodded.

  Megan was reminded of the Lady of Avalon teaching them to clear the stones at Avebury.

  Daphyll continued around the circle. “The star gate we create is a circumscribed tetrahedron, but we need a runway for the energy to flow down.” She jutted her chin toward the long aisle of the temple. “Once the energy enters here, it flows down to those three points, which amplify the frequency until it enters the heart of the Fire Stone, and then boom, the vortex opens.” She threw her hands up.

  “Confusing our new apprentice?” Govannan’s voice brought Megan out of the swirl of Daphyll’s words.

  “Just explaining a few basics. Don’t worry, I’ll leave the rest to you.” Daphyll winked.

  Oh God, Megan thought. They all know.

  Govannan waited until Daphyll was out of earshot. “Fortunately, you don’t have to do the math to make the jump.”

  “What about to operate the star gate?” she asked.

  “If you take it in increments, it becomes quite clear.” Seeing her furrowed brow, he said, “That’s why Daphyll doesn’t teach. She can never resist explaining the whole thing at once.”

  Megan followed Govannan back to a waiting room. He closed the door behind them. “I need to clarify a few things before we go.” Megan smiled, but he was all business this morning. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Once the star gate engages, we connect with its complement on Sirius simply through our intention to travel there. Attune to your particular color within the crystal matrix.”

  Megan’s eyes widened.

  “Don’t worry.” He pushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “It will happen quite naturally. As the vibrations increase, the physical body will dissolve into its etheric component. Your natural affinity will show in the color of your energy.”

  Govannan took her hand. “It’s a blissful experience, like a hard knot dissolving into an effervescent sea. You won’t lose your identity. In fact, your consciousness will expand. There are certain levels of awareness that we can’t embody in this form. Keep your destination in mind and find the color that matches your own. The very first time can be startling, but I’ll be right beside you.” His voice deepened, making her shiver. “You don’t think I’d let anything happen to you, do you?”

  Megan tried to smile.

  “Besides, the Ambassador is a renowned adept. He’ll be with us, too. Any questions?”

  “You’re sure this is safe?” Megan asked.

  Govannan threw back his head and laughed, setting his shells tinkling. He kissed the top of her head. “Wait here. I’ll come get you when we’re ready.”

  Megan looked back to find her mother standing by the door. On his way out, Govannan greeted her rather formally. Once he left, Pleione held her arms out and Megan ran to her.

  “You two must have talked,” her mother said.

  Megan pulled back and looked at her.

  “He kissed you, silly.”

  “Oh, right. Last night.” Megan beamed.

  “This morning, too,” Pleione said.

  “That was just a peck.”

  “I see.” Pleione chuckled. “How do you feel?” She looked her up and down. “As if I need to ask.”

  “We’re going to leave our bodies here and go flying through the universe.”

  “You won’t leave them. They sort of tuck into your higher energy,” Pleione said. “It’s a wonderful experience, better than sex.”

  Megan looked at her mother sharply. “How would I know?”

  Before Pleione could come up with a retort, Daphyll appeared at the door. “We’re ready for you.”

  Megan turned to her mother, who said, “I’ll watch from here.”

  Megan followed Daphyll into the Crystal Matrix Chamber, already alive with currents of voices and energy. Daphyll asked her to wait at the first ring of crystals. Before Megan could even look around, Govannan and the ambassador came in and took their place beside her. Her gaze darted over to Govannan’s ordinary spot in the circle. Another man stood there, and directly across from him was Rhea. She gave Megan a reassuring smile.

  “Ready?” Daphyll asked.

  Govannan and the ambassador slipped out of their robes and handed them over. Megan tried to keep her eyes off Govannan’s muscled form, but failed. Family life and group ritual accustomed her to nudity, but why did she have to share this moment?

  Daphyll cleared her throat and Megan blushed. Govannan grinned, then reached out and unhooked the top catch of her garment. She shrugged it off and goose bumps spread up her arms. She told herself it was the cool breeze blowing in from the ocean.

  With a nod from Rhea, the pod workers began the chant Megan heard that first time—three short repetitions of vowel sounds; it was a common beginning to ritual work, she now realized. They built complex harmonies, and the chamber shifted from an open room to an enclosed ball of energy that grew more palpable as the chant built. The same round woman Megan noticed before lifted her head and sang short dissonant notes; just as before, half the sentinels lit up. The woman’s male compliment woke the others with his deep bass voice, and the giant Fire Stone whooshed to life. Megan’s ears popped as the pressure in the sphere built.

  Govannan took her elbow and guided her up to the towering crystal. He placed his hand against the firm sides of the stone and waited. The chant intensified again. His hand sank into the body of the crystal. After a minute, he pushed harder and walked inside. His muscled form took on a glow.

  Megan gulped a breath and followed him. The closest sensation she ever experienced was walking through water, but the crystal felt more viscous. She wondered how she was still breathing, but forgot about that when her body began to glow. She held up a transparent arm, then stared, amazed, as her vision widened and the colors of the ambassador’s energy field swirled in front of her, purple and violet resolving into a diamond-clear white.

  Remembering Govannan’s instructions, Megan looked down at herself and found she turned to silver-blue light deepening to sky blue. Above her, an arch of blue stretched up. With a whoosh, she flowed into the corridor. Once inside the column of light, her being expanded. She was free, free of those limitations she didn’t even realize she
was feeling. She could know anything, go anywhere in a thick stream of stellar light, manifest wherever a portal stood. There were many of them; she saw them in her mind as points of light.

  A stream of deeper blue flecked with gold flowed by her—Govannan. A series of lives flashed before her—Earth, the Pleiades, and Sirius. Govannan always returned to Sirius. Megan’s body in this life, the genetic code she now carried as a seed, resonated more with the Seven Sisters, but she bore strands of the other worlds in the past—Sirius, and Vega, Orion, Ursa Major. They left subtler impressions, swirls of possibilities.

  “Where are we going?” She sent the thought to Govannan, and a picture of an even larger receiver crystal than the one in Atlantis came to her. It stood in the middle of a water temple. The image of the best form for this world floated to the surface of her consciousness—a long, sleek grey body highly sensitive to touch; the nose was long, the forehead receptive like a satellite dish. She felt her energy coalesce inside the giant stone. She pushed out of the crystal and landed in the cool blue water of Sirius. She swam around the circular pool in the temple, leaping into the air in her exhilaration. Around her stood tall crystalline beings, their silicone limbs transparent and stiff, their faces difficult to focus on. Megan sent out a sonar greeting and thrilled with sensation as another sleek body brushed against her. He sang a lower note. She turned to him, entwining with his muscled wet skin, then remembered they were guests.

  The ambassador swam down a tunnel at the end of the pool, his elongated head now changed into its native form. A request for them to follow him appeared in Megan’s mind. She followed behind Govannan, and they emerged into an open expanse of pure aqua where a group of dolphins waited. They swam around the ambassador, stroking him with their bodies as they passed. The pod spiraled up to the surface where they conversed with clicks, whistles, and sonar.

  A plethora of questions swam in the water. Megan could follow it all.

  “How is Earth?”

  “Have you told them about the cycles?”

  “Do they understand?”

  “Last time we should have intervened.”