Beneath the Hallowed Hill

by Theresa Crater

  A female dolphin scolded the pod. “May I greet him first?”

  The ambassador swam with her some distance away, their bodies brushing together. “You were gone too long,” she said. The ambassador’s reply was too soft to hear.

  After a minute, the two rejoined the others. “Here are the two workers from their Crystal Tower.” He introduced Megan and Govannan then turned back to the group. “This time we will help them.”

  The pod inspected them. One dolphin glided past, sending out a gentle sonar sweep of their bodies. Soon they were surrounded, and images crowded Megan’s mind—Eden as it looked long ago, the canals full of visitors from Sirius; breathtaking crystal spires in a city she didn’t recognize; swimming through space in a golden stream of energy.

  The ambassador intervened. “This was her first jump. She should eat, and I am old and need to rest.”

  A sonar burst tickled Megan; she recognized it as laughter.

  The ambassador nosed a smaller dolphin. “Take our guests hunting and for a tour of the crystal city. When the tide has turned twice, we will meet again.” He swam lazily away with his mate.

  The smaller dolphin introduced himself as the couple’s descendant, a grandson six generations removed. His name was Anen. He asked Megan what fish she preferred.

  “I’ve never been a dolphin before,” she explained.

  Delighted, Anen swam toward his favorite hunting ground. The water turned from turquoise to deep blue, with patches of almost purple. Odd creatures grew from rocks on the bottom, swaying in the current, fanning out delicate sails that filtered microscopic algae and crustaceans. Finally Megan saw them, a huge pod of red-gilled fish, and her body’s instincts took over. The three swam in spirals, herding the fish into a thicker cloud. They swam through, opening their mouths and gulping the fish down. After the meal, they drifted in spirals, first down to the dark, sandy bottom, then up again, dozing. They woke some time later—Megan no longer cared how much later, for her life in the ocean was not bound by the sun in the same way it was on land.

  “You must see the city of the Crystal People.” The nap refreshed their guide’s enthusiasm, and they raced through the water, leaping and twirling in the air then diving back. The deeper blue water lightened to cerulean, then turquoise, and finally back to the almost transparent aqua that told Megan’s dolphin brain they were close to land. Anen followed a channel that tasted of leaves and rich sediment. At last, it opened into a large circular bay with more channels turning off at regular intervals.

  They swam up a wide river, then into a smaller channel that circled an island. Above the water, tall, elegant fingers of crystal touched the clouds. The main sun was setting, the second star a distant golden ball in the sky. The rays of the first sun reflected in the crystal buildings as streaks of magenta, orchid, and bruised plum, all glowing in the gold of the second. Megan kept spy hopping up, her eyes just clearing the water, trying to see as much as possible. Tall crystalline beings walked along the shore, their heads leaning together as they conversed. Trees with feather leaves blew in the breeze. Beneath them, flowers bloomed in hues whose spectrum could not be seen on Earth.

  The taste of the water changed. The current began to run back toward the sea, so the three dolphins followed it. The water darkened to navy blue as the sun set, but their sonar guided them unerringly to the dolphin pod. When the tide reached its lowest ebb, families sorted themselves out, forming long spirals of bodies, floating down and gently swimming back up, resting one half of the brain, then the other.

  Megan swam close to Govannan, who nosed her. “Let’s rest together.” They spent a most curious time together, spiraling up and then back down in the dark, deep waters of the planet Sirius, half awake, half asleep, but always the One Consciousness supported their minds, connecting them to each other and all that is, was, or would become.

  When the tide was at full, the large pod woke and divided up to hunt for breakfast. Anen took them to another of his favorite spots; this time they feasted on small quicksilver fish that flashed in the water as one. When the tide began to turn again, they made their way back. The pod regrouped for a conference with those they called “the humans,” even though Megan could barely imagine having legs again.

  The Sirian Council met in a round area of sand surrounded by hills. Some broke the surface, forming rocky islands. The rocks reflected the clicks of the dolphins back to the pod, keeping the meeting somewhat private but also allowing the leaders of the Crystal People to take part. They stood on the hills, their tall, thin bodies oddly similar to the architecture of their cities, refracting the rays of the sun and breaking the light into rainbows.

  After the greetings and introductions were dispensed with, the ambassador addressed himself to Govannan. “You have probably remembered why you are on Earth at this time.”

  Govannan bobbed his head up and down. “I remember now that I have shepherded Earth through these cycles twice before, but always I forget my mission and what I know.”

  “This forgetting is a natural part of the cycle, like sleep,” the ambassador said. “The torture you discovered, though, is a sign the upcoming cycle may be more violent that others were.”

  Images spontaneously arose in Megan’s mind—flying crafts raining down white beams of destruction, adepts chanting mantra wars, children huddled alone in shattered buildings. Would it be more violent than the fall of Lemuria she wondered.

  “Perhaps,” the ambassador answered her thought.

  Somehow, it didn’t matter, not here in the full flood of the One Consciousness, in the sure knowledge that all was blissful fullness and this “forgetting” the Earth was entering was nothing more than an illusion; it would pass then come again, like the tide.

  “This loss…it isn’t real. Nothing could exist in separation, not really,” Megan said.

  “Yes, it is true, though difficult to explain to one who has forgotten the Link,” an elder dolphin said.

  “Still, the suffering is real to those who cannot find their connection.” The amplified sound of the crystal leader’s voice seemed tinny compared to the dolphin’s whistles and clicks. “We have prepared a crystal with codes to help enliven the One during this cycle. We offer it to you, Govannan, son of Sirius.”

  The woman leaned down and dangled a small crystal tabby remarkably similar to the one Megan carried. It hung on a chain made of the same material that could transform and move through the portals.

  “I am honored by your gift.” Govannan swam up to the chain and stuck his nose through. It automatically adjusted to fit over his head.

  “You must use the stones to step down the portals when the shift is complete. This will keep the Earth safe from those who might use the Fire Stones in ignorance.”

  The dolphins murmured their approval.

  “When the cycle ends and the tides of the One Consciousness flow back, use them to activate the portals. We will know you are ready to receive us again.”

  “We will be cut off?” Megan asked.

  “If we visit you, we too will lose our memory,” the ambassador said. “As you know, a few volunteers will stay through the low tide, taking up body after body, always guiding, always teaching.”

  “Yes.” Megan remembered now. How could she have forgotten?

  Govannan looked up at the crystal leader. “You say ‘them,’ and yet you have given me one stone.”

  “Your mate carries another given at the beginning of the current cycle to one of her ancestors,” the woman said. “Now there are six on Earth. We think this will be enough. They are encoded so that the knowledge of when and how to use them will come to the mind of the bearer. Guard them well, son of Sirius and daughter of the Pleiades.”

  Everyone seemed to realize at once that Megan and Govannan were expected on the home world of the Seven Sisters; the knowledge simply appeared in their m
inds. The Crystal People sang a song of thanks and the dolphins joined in. Megan and Govannan said their goodbyes to the ambassador.

  Megan knew it would be thousands of years before she could come back, and the ambassador would be long gone, but in the high frequency of Sirius, in the fullness of the One, she could not truly feel sad. She only felt love. Her mind floated in contented silence until the knowledge she needed, the memory that was relevant, surfaced automatically. She knew she would lose this connection again, yet she found it impossible to believe: the One Consciousness was the foundation of all life, shared by all minds, the very fabric the universe was made from. How could one lose what one was?

  Only yesterday—had it been one day or two? she couldn’t say—she was on Earth and was not aware of the One. She was taught about it; she was given meditation exercises to do and told she would grow into this state of consciousness. Now she knew the Atlanteans were falling—falling from enlightenment, falling from grace, falling into darkness and violence. She and Govannan carried a possible remedy. It was not a remedy to stop the fall, for the elders all seemed to think it was a natural cycle, but to bolster consciousness, to raise the vibration of the planet and bring some light into the coming darkness.

  She broke from her reverie and sang her thanks to the Sirians. The dolphins bobbed in the water and the Crystal People bowed stiffly. Once the goodbyes were said, a few of the dolphins broke away from the pod and led the way to the Temple for the jump.

  * * * *

  The main world of the Pleiadeans orbited Alcyone, the central star in the cluster. The form for most sentient beings there was humanoid, almost identical to Earth humans, since the Pleiadeans often contributed maternal genetic material in the growth of humanity. Govannan stretched out his hand and found dusty red skin. Megan sported the same color and seemed taller. From the temple, they were escorted to Megan’s matrilineal home, where she was received with fanfare worthy of an empress. She modeled her behavior after her father; she tried to be humble and focus on those around her, but the family was having none of it. She was a descendant of the Grand Matriarch of Alcyone, the leader of all the planets of the Seven Sisters, and her Pleiadean family was going to honor her.

  Once through the main doors of the compound, Megan and Govannan were greeted by rows of adults and children all carrying bouquets of what looked like roses and lilies, with purple and silver ones nestled amongst the more familiar reds, pinks, and whites. “You must rest from your trip,” the matron of the house said quite firmly after the briefest of introductions. She escorted them to a suite of rooms on the third floor. The windows overlooked fields with long rows of crops and another compound set on the top of a distant hill. “Refresh yourselves. We dine in three hours,” the matron said, and closed the double doors behind her.

  Indeed, the sun was heading toward the west. “It feels funny to walk again,” Megan said. She looked around the room stuffed with things. “It’s different from the bare ocean.”

  “The dolphins live a simple life.”

  She spread her hands. “All this, and a state dinner…humans are so formal.”

  Govannan threw back his head and laughed. “You’re already the jaded traveler.”

  Megan turned from the window and went to explore their suite. He followed her at a distance. Off the common sitting room was a water room with a large pool that continually refreshed itself. A dressing nook opened up from it. A variety of clothing filled the wardrobe—colorful robes, roomy pants, long tunics, scarves of a soft, silky fabric. Back across the sitting room, curtains of a soothing blue cocooned the bed. Robes lay across the mattress. Megan went back to the windows in the sitting room and looked out.

  Govannan switched on the com unit, looking for messages from Evenor or Rhea.

  “Any news?” she asked from the window.

  “Nothing,” he said. The screen flashed through a series of connections. “I’m not surprised. The government will want to keep this quiet until they’ve fully investigated, and the ascended races don’t take our troubles so much to heart, as you’ve noticed by now.” He switched the machine off.

  “It’s true, and now that I’ve experienced full consciousness, I understand. It’s like…” She searched for a word.

  “Nothing can ever be a problem?” He smiled up at her.

  “Right. Why do they have computers if anything they need to know is in this cosmic brain already?”

  Govannan gestured toward the farm that lay outside. “Why eat when you could live off pure prana?” He stood up and walked toward her. “Why talk when you can hear the thoughts of others? Why make love when you can…” He reached for her.

  She stood in the circle of his arms. “Turn to pure energy and melt together?”

  He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. “I can’t remember why, come to think of it. Let’s see.” He kissed her fully.

  “I have no experience in the matter,” Megan whispered.

  He bent down and picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and walked to the bedroom.

  “Govannan…” she began to protest.

  He laid her on the blue coverlet worked with small flowers. “It’s always an argument with you.”

  “We have dinner in three hours.”

  He chuckled. “How long do you imagine this will take?”

  Megan’s new dusky red skin flushed a deep rose.

  “Besides, this planet’s rotation is slower than Earth’s. You know what that means don’t you?” Govannan unhooked the tunic he was given when they arrived, deep purple in honor of his role as consort to the high house. He let it fall open.

  Megan’s eyes feasted on his broad chest.

  “It means three hours is about four and a half Earth time,” he answered himself.

  She reached up and stroked his chest. “If we make love here, will I be a virgin again when we return to our old bodies?”

  A small moan escaped his lips. His body responded with a prodigious erection.

  She rubbed her hand over the outside of the silky, flowing pants. He made a guttural sound and she laughed. “Are you this large at home, or is this a gift from the Pleiadean matriarch?”

  Govannan fell onto the bed laughing, his member softening a bit. “Megan, you have changed from the blushing young girl who first came to my office.”

  “I did go to Beltane,” she said.

  “You didn’t partake?”

  “The Lady forbade it the first time.”

  “I owe her a debt of gratitude, then.” Govannan took her head in his hands and looked into her eyes. “This is not how I imagined our first mating, my love.”

  “Tell me how you dreamed of it.”

  His eyes softened. Megan began to kiss his face, his chin, his cheeks. She kissed each eye closed and he sighed. “I thought to take you through the crystal and stream through the stars.”

  She kissed each ear, then the hollow of his neck. “We did that.”

  “Then come home and swim with the dolphins.”

  “It’s even better to be dolphins.” She stroked his arm, kneading the ropes of muscle.

  “Afterwards, I’d take you to my bed and kiss every inch of your body.”

  “Like this?” Megan kissed his chest and ran her hand down his belly, over his phallus, which strained against the fabric to follow her touch.

  Govannan pushed her back. “Slowly, my love. Let us go slowly this first time.” He began to take off the clothes they gave her, unfastening the exotic hooks one at a time, planting a kiss on each new area of exposed skin, licking and nibbling until he pulled off her pants. He came back up and kissed her knees and thighs until Megan opened to him, her Pleiadean body almost identical to a human female’s. He licked and kissed and stroked her until she spilled over into the first orgasm, wetting his face with the primal salty liquid of the
sea and of sex.

  Once she stopped trembling, he turned her over and massaged her back, his touch lightening until she turned back and pushed against him. She entwined with him almost too quickly, pushing under him, reaching for him, guiding him to meet her warm, wet center.

  “Now,” she breathed, and he thrust into her. Megan gasped, her fingers tightening on his back. She threw her head back, eyes closed. Govannan pulled back, almost coming out of her, then pushed in again, filling her to the hilt. He moved slowly at first, arranging her so he could stroke the larger Pleiadean clitoris at the same time. She groaned in animal abandon and convulsed, her silk muscled cave grabbing and releasing him in the rhythm of climax. He held on, not wanting this to end.

  He waited until she quieted, then began his stroke again. She pushed against him and he lifted her and turned on his back, letting her ride him as she willed. He watched her straining features; her eyes were closed, her mouth open, her hair damp with sweat. She began to tremble again, so Govannan closed his own eyes and let himself go, coming with her.

  They lay in silent contentment for a long while. Finally he lifted her pliant body and carried her to the bath, where they entwined yet again. The soft, wet sounds their bodies made echoed in the waves their movements created.

  Afterwards, Megan’s mouth curved into a slow smile. “I think now I know why people make love.” Her eyes widened after a moment. “What time is it?”

  Govannan got up and looked out the window. “We’ve got about an Earth hour to bathe and get dressed.”

  About half an hour before dinner, two attendants arrived to help them finish dressing. They laid out dress after tunic and pants after robe, until Megan could not choose. “Please, you know what is appropriate. They are all so beautiful.”

  The two dressed Megan and Govannan in matching colors of green and blue. “For Earth,” they said. “Is it not right?” One swept up Megan’s hair in dramatic loops, while the other braided Govannan’s and hung it with tiny chimes.

  “Now I know where you got the fashion.” Megan watched him from the sitting room.