Levels of Ascension BoxSet

by Amy Proebstel

  “This meeting will be respectful of each person’s turn to speak. There will be no more outbursts unless you have been asked to talk!” Debbon said forcefully as he scowled down at the far end of the table where the dissenters had positioned themselves as far from the candidate as possible.

  “As I was saying,” Wilken continued, “I have been awaiting an answer. Several weeks ago, Rasa came here to my Residence…”

  “Just as I said,” Xylen spoke quietly to Yingun who nodded in agreement.

  Debbon glared a warning.

  “…Rasa had been ordered by Jehoban to come to me for instruction. So you see, Jehoban has sanctioned this so we must abide by His decision.” Wilken could not see where anything more needed to be said so he resumed his seat.

  Quentien raised his hand to be able to speak. After receiving a nod he asked Rasa, “Were you aware of Wilken’s visits with Jehoban?”

  Rasa nodded and answered, “I knew he had come to speak with Jehoban on many occasions. The nature of his visits were never made known to me as they were private meetings with Jehoban.”

  “How can we be sure you weren’t lurking in the hallway and overheard Wilken’s dilemma? What better way to bring up your station than to presume upon our good will and put yourself forward as Jehoban’s choice?” Xylen accused rudely.

  Rasa jumped as Debbon slammed his hand down on the table and said, “Xylen, you have already been warned. If you wish to continue to participate in this meeting, you will allow me to silence you until you have been called upon.”

  Xylen began to shake with anger at being insulted and shamed in front of a woman. His pride wanted him to get up and walk out of the meeting, yet his calculating side wanted to know every detail of the proceedings so he could have ammunition against the other Elders in future disagreements. He mirrored Yingun’s posture as he folded his arms angrily and sat back in his chair. Finally he nodded agreement to Debbon’s terms to stay in the meeting and seethed anew as he felt the compulsion to remain silent fall over his mind. Debbon would pay for this.

  Rasa spoke up for herself and said, “I would not incur Jehoban’s wrath by being deceitful in this matter. Jehoban asked me personally to pack and move here to Elder Wilken’s Residence. I had no idea of the reason why until Elder Wilken informed me of his decision in the matter of making me his successor. I was just as reticent of the position as some of you have been. I assure you, I will follow Jehoban’s wishes in this matter.”

  “Thank you for clarifying your position, Rasa,” Debbon said. “I’d like to take another vote, by a show of hands, if you agree to Rasa as the successor.” Debbon counted each hand and noted all of the original votes in agreement were still the same. Only Zigern, who had originally abstained, changed his vote to yes.

  “I will remind everyone that their affirmative votes are final. Technically, we now have the majority vote to conclude this session. However, I feel it would be imperative for each of you to get to know Rasa on your own. This session is adjourned for each of you to take advantage of the opportunity to speak with Rasa and Wilken until we reconvene tomorrow at the same time. Good morning Elders,” then he turned to Rasa to include her in his farewell, “Rasa.”

  Debbon instantly removed the silencing compulsion from Xylen. He regretted the necessity, yet he needed to have order in his meetings; otherwise being First was an unnecessary title. Rasa was going to need as many supporters as possible if she wanted any chance of succeeding as the first female Elder ever.

  He watched each Elder file out of the room and noted their postures and groupings to know from where Rasa’s troubles would come. He looked over at Rasa and saw she had also taken her own inventory and he was pleased to know she understood the battle she had just began. He hoped she had the strength to endure.

  Chapter Three

  DR. GASCON COULD hardly wait for the private investigator to leave his office before he picked up the newest stack of pictures and documents. His office door clicked shut softly even as he ripped open the sealed envelope and pulled out the paperwork. Somehow or other he was going to find out what Amanda Stel was hiding. Ever since she had come out of her coma, she had made some unusual friends and continued to act in suspicious ways.

  The activity levels around Amanda’s house remained rather boring. The children went to school and returned home with their usual friends. The gardeners and maid each made their scheduled appearances. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

  Dr. Gascon turned to the last photo and drew it closer to his face. There were three people in the 4-Runner. Who was this mysterious man in the back seat with Amanda? He picked up the supporting documents and read through them searching for any entry of an unknown person going to the Stel house.

  Finding no explanation, Dr. Gascon punched his fist down onto the mahogany desk in frustration at the ineptitude of the private investigator. It was obvious the man had left his post or had fallen asleep to fail to notice the entrance of an unknown male to the Stel residence. When he came back next week for his weekly update, he was certainly going to let the man have it for his incompetence.

  Picking up the photograph again, Dr. Gascon brought it close to his face to try to discern the facial features of the man in question. He remembered he had a magnifying glass in his desk drawer and swiftly retrieved it. He set the photo on his desk top and set about memorizing every detail.

  There was definitely something strange going on at the Stel residence. This new report clearly stated there were no visitors at the Stel house and yet Riccan and Amanda had clearly been seen driving an unknown male from their house. He was going to have to get to the bottom of this mystery. Eventually, he would find out this man’s identity and the reason why he had gone to Amanda’s house in the first place.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Behn waited impatiently for his sister, Valentina, to be ready to leave. For some reason she seemed to take longer when he was in a hurry. He glanced at his watch for the fifth time in two minutes and then crossed his arms in frustration as he leaned against the frame of the front door.

  Valentina rushed out of the bathroom and made a mad dash for her bedroom before finally emerging into the hallway. She really had not intended to take so long, but she was nervous for today’s activities and her stomach was rebelling.

  “Sorry, Behn! I’m really trying to hurry,” she called as she remembered one more thing she had forgotten in her room and turned back to get it.

  “Come on, Val!” Behn cried. One more minute and he was going to leave without her he decided. He glanced at his watch to start timing.

  Clutching her almost forgotten purse in her hand, she trotted down the hallway to the front door. She had no way of knowing she had made it to her brother with ten seconds to spare.

  Behn gave her a scathing glance before he turned and pushed the screen door out of his way. He walked briskly to his car and got into the driver’s seat. By the time Valentina got into the passenger’s side, Behn already had his seatbelt fastened and the engine running. He put the car into gear and started rolling even as his sister was still closing her door.

  “Behn! Be careful! I almost didn’t make it into the car before you started driving!”

  “You were fine. Put your seatbelt on before you get me a ticket,” he said as he spared a glance toward his sister. It was certainly easier to get crystal lessons at his girlfriend’s house before he had to involve his sister. He was starting to wish he had kept it a secret a bit longer, not that he had had much choice in the matter when his sister had caught him practicing in his room.

  “We’re not in that big of a hurry, Behn,” Valentina said with exasperation. She promptly fastened her seatbelt and remained quiet for the remainder of the five minute drive. When they turned into the private paved driveway, Valentina could not help but be impressed with the luxury of the Stel residence.

  The ornate gate over the driveway parted in the middle and began to slowly swing open to allow Behn’s car to continue down the drive
way. Only then did she realize Behn had not had to enter a code to open the gate. “Why didn’t you have to use the code?” she asked with more than a little bit of annoyance. She still recalled the time she had waited outside the gate to be admitted to the house when she confronted Juila about lying to Behn.

  “They programmed the gate to know my car, obviously,” he replied. Once again he regretted the necessity of having to bring his sister along. These sessions were the only time he got alone with his girlfriend, Juila, outside of school.

  Now he had to share that time with his sister. His only consolation was knowing Valentina would be working with Juila’s twin sister, Jena, in a different room so he could study with Juila by himself. Their levels of skill were different and it got too confusing and frustrating to be learning together.

  Valentina crossed her arms and sulked until they reached the end of the long driveway and parked in the circle at the end near the front door. The house was very grand with three-car garages on both sides of the immense mansion. She approved of the symmetrical design of the whole house.

  Without waiting for her brother, she left the car and stomped up to the front door. The faster she learned what she needed, the sooner she would not have to endure the time with her annoying brother. She reached up to knock on the door just as it swung open.

  “Hi, Val! You guys are just in time,” the pert blonde girl said with a smile.

  “Hi, Jena,” Behn said as he finally arrived at the door.

  Jena stood back to allow the two guests to enter the house. The trio walked through the grand foyer, past the elegant staircase, and into the living room. Juila was sitting on the leather couch and smiled at Behn when she saw he had finally gotten to their house.

  “Have you guys eaten or do you want to get right to your lessons?” Juila asked, knowing her boyfriend was always eager to eat.

  “I could go for something,” Behn answered as expected.

  “You would,” Valentina said sarcastically and then turned to Jena and asked, “Did you want to eat, or do you just want to get started?”

  “I don’t mind either way. Besides, I could always whip something up while you’re practicing.”

  “Fine, let’s get started then,” she said and began walking down the hallway toward their usual study area in the office.

  Jena grinned over her shoulder as she followed their guest and left her twin sister alone with Behn.

  “What’s up with Val?” Juila asked quietly as she stood up and walked into the kitchen.

  Behn followed closely and answered, “I got mad at her for taking so long getting ready to come over here.”

  “Oh.” Juila had reached the island in the kitchen and turned to ask Behn what he wanted to eat.

  Behn had something else in mind as he came up close behind her. When she turned around he caught her up in his arms and drew her body close to his while he bent down to kiss her lips. Not knowing whether or not her parents were home, Behn kept the kiss short but thorough. When he let her go, he smiled down on her and said, “I missed you.”

  “I see,” Juila smiled up at him and could feel her cheeks blushing even as she tried to control her reaction to his closeness. “I thought you said you were hungry,” she said in an attempt to change the subject to something less embarrassing.

  “I am. Can’t you tell?”

  Juila squirmed out of his arms and walked around the island to put some distance between them. Never before had she felt so out of control as when she was around Behn. Before she had just thought it was because he was so handsome or because he was obviously interested in her; that was before she discovered he was also from Tuala. When he had only been a boy from school on Earth, he seemed intriguing, yet definitely out of the question as a life-mate.

  She was from Tuala and would be expected to return home when she finished with school. What she had originally believed was an infatuation with this boy was beginning to feel quite different and, frankly, it scared her more than a little bit.

  The rational side of her brain reminded her of the fact that she was sixteen anons old, after all, definitely not ready to settle down in a relationship. If only she could just listen to reason; her emotions and body had other ideas. Behn was obviously perfect for her.

  “What would you like to eat?” she asked to get her mind off such an embarrassing train of thinking.

  “Surprise me!”

  Juila knew Behn preferred eating meals from Tuala so she concentrated on creating a dish she had not served him before. On the island between them appeared two plates and bowls with the appropriate silverware. She looked up to see Behn’s reaction and was pleased to see his surprise.

  “It must save a lot of money to not have to buy food when you can just create it out of nothing.” Behn wished he could make food so effortlessly. One day, he thought to himself.

  “Oh, we have to buy this food, too. My father’s housekeeper in Tuala keeps the larder stocked for us to use.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that before. What keeps a person from using the elemy to get the food directly from the source?”

  “Behn! That’s stealing. Nobody would go that far, it’s wrong!”

  When Juila put it that way, he felt stupid for even asking. He clearly had a lot to learn about the societal structure of his birth place. If he ever wanted to go back to live there, he would need to pay attention to all of the details Juila shared with him. Deciding to change the subject he pointed to the plate and asked, “What is this?” He pulled out one of the stools and sat down at the island even as he brought the plate closer to him.

  “It’s a pulled foxl dip,” she answered. She could tell his attention had shifted from herself to the food so she felt it was safe to go back around the island to sit on a stool next to her boyfriend. She brought the plate and bowl closer to herself and instructed, “Dip the sandwich into the foxl broth and tell me what you think.”

  “Oh, it’s like a French dip then,” Behn smiled in approval.

  “I’ve never heard of that before. You can tell me if it’s anything like it once you’ve tried it.” She put words to actions and took a big bite of her dipped sandwich. The juices rolled down the edges of the sandwich and landed on her plate. She chewed and watched Behn follow her example.

  Once again, Behn was pleased to remember eating something similar when he was a child and still living with his mother. His memories were starting to come back with each addition of information provided by Juila. She would never know how much help she had given him in regaining his memory of his distant past. He felt sorry for his other brother who still did not recall anything of the first eight years of their life when they had lived in Tuala.

  “Are you remembering something, Behn?”

  Behn hurriedly finished chewing his bite and swallowed before he could answer. “I was just thinking about Jon and how little he remembers of our time before we were adopted by the Wilsons.”

  “Why do you suppose that is?”

  “Probably because he was so sick all the time. I’d want to forget if it were me.”

  “Oh,” she answered lamely. “What do you think of the foxl sandwich?”

  “It’s wonderful, much better than a French dip. I seem to recall eating something similar with my mother.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if you had. This type of sandwich is very popular.”

  “That must be why then,” he said and took another big bite. The flavors were so pronounced from the broth and the meat was so tender. He could hardly wait to be able to move back to Tuala and have this good of food for every meal. In the next instant he felt guilty for even considering leaving Earth and the family who had raised him as their own son. The Wilsons were wonderful parents and deserved better.

  They finished their meal in silence. When Behn’s sandwich was gone, he picked up the bowl and drank the remainder of the broth. He did not know if it were socially acceptable, yet he thought it a terrible waste to throw it away or whatever happened to i
t when Juila thought it away. He decided to find out, “What happens to the left-overs when you clean up with your thoughts?”

  Juila considered the question for a moment before answering slowly, “I guess it’s returned to the Earth. We use the elemental energy to clean up so my best guess is whatever isn’t kept, goes back with the elemy.”

  Behn thought her answer seemed reasonable and watched as their dishes disappeared. He knew it only took an instant for everything to be cleaned and put back into the cupboard. The whole idea of using elemy to create or clean things was still fascinating.

  Once again he thanked his heritage which made it possible for him to access this power through his birth crystal. He reached up and touched the tree of life pendant suspended from the leather thong around his neck. For so many years he had forgotten the significance of the necklace he had worn since he was one day old, but Juila had given his history back to him and his sister.

  Juila saw Behn’s fingers caress the smoky grey crystals of his pendant. She was thankful they were much lighter stones than her own ruby red crystals. From her training with Jehoban, she knew the darkness of the stone foretold the dangers of a person’s life. With her stones being so dark, she knew she had trouble in her future and her visions while she had communed with her samara had confirmed the same.

  She was also relieved to recall her sister’s crystals had changed from black to a deep amethyst when she had first touched her samara. Even though the color had not changed significantly, it did indicate they were on the right track for their futures with the addition of the samaras in their lives. Even though she and Jena were identical twins and regularly linked minds, their futures were each separate. It scared her to know one day they would be separated by circumstances beyond their control.

  Juila shook slightly at how dark her thoughts had turned. She looked up at Behn to find him watching her intently. To cover her confusion she asked, “Are you ready to begin your crystal lessons for the day?”