Carrying the Torch: Complete Trilogy

by Dinia Steel

  The woman's hair, which James realized he was unable to define a color of, hung down almost reaching to the floor. It too seemed to possess a life of its own. Her waist bound with a wide woven silver belt. A jewel hung on a silver chain between her breasts and her eyes were silver, then golden. A narrow band of metal circled the crown of her head. It shimmered and appeared to move as the garment did.

  She held her hand up to prevent anyone from saying anything. She turned her back on them and opened her arms straight out from her sides then raised them slowly up above her head, her hands meeting. Slowly, she brought her arms down again to her side. Then turned to face them once more.

  The room shifted slightly and James became aware of a high backed chair appearing behind the lady no—The Mother, as Morgan had called her.

  “Welcome Children. Sit ye down, please,” The Mother spoke.

  “But, where...?” Josephine asked.

  “Why, in the chair behind you, my Daughter,” The Mother replied matter-of-factly.

  James didn't even look. He just felt a chair behind his knees, and sat.

  Josephine gasped and sat down as well.

  Leo just went with it like he always did.

  The Mother held James’ eyes and spoke, “You come to me today to be told how to bring your love back to you,” It was not a question, but a statement of fact and required no answer. “I must show you things first, and you'll know what to do after that.”

  The curtain behind the Mother showing the vastness of space, shifted to show a picture.

  The trio took in their collective breaths at the scene forming before them.

  ~o0o~

  Chapter 34

  The scene resolved itself into a bright a view of an island, or series of islands that formed an atoll with a smaller island in the center. It was obviously a volcanic peak. Upon this peak there were buildings constructed.

  The scene shifted again.

  Now, the view was of a paved court yard of white and black marble material. Skirting the courtyard were doorways covered by porches to shield the elements. It reminded James of drawings he'd seen of the inside of a Roman Villa.

  In the center of the courtyard were benches and low tables. Sitting on the benches were men and women of seemingly various ages. They all were garbed in white, blue, yellow, orange and black fabrics. The trio knew, but didn't know how they knew, that the colors designated what school each individual belonged to.

  The title priest came unbidden. They were all members of some priesthood.

  Among those individuals within the courtyard were six about the same age, who were all dressed in the same colors. Instantly James, Josephine and Leo knew who those six were. Three were themselves. The other three were Regina, Harry and Suzanne.

  The scene shifted again, and smoke billowed from the previously dormant volcano the temple was built upon. James was begging Reggie to come away, to leave the island and travel far away from the danger of its eruptions.

  “Why should I leave? I'm safe here!” the young woman who was to become Regina Adams argued.

  “The volcano is about to explode and everything will be destroyed. What you and your friends have set into motion cannot be stopped,” the young man who was James explained.

  “That’s utter nonsense. The Dark Priest promised us that we would all be safe. The volcano is just clearing her throat, that's all!”

  “Everyone who remains here will die. The island is going to explode and it will sink into the ocean; all those lives will be on you and your new friends. Please come with me and save yourself!”

  Reggie would not listen.

  Later the next day, at about sunset, when James, Josephine, Leo, Harry and Suzanne were aboard a sailing ship whose sails varied in colors from red to blue, a huge explosion could be seen on the horizon. The result of the explosion was a giant tidal wave that threatened to swamp their sailing craft.

  A week later, they spied land and were once again, on solid ground.

  The scene shifted again and again. Each time it did so, Regina was at the center of some dark scheme that would cause an extreme loss of life, or a shift in the balance of power between the forces of Light and Darkness.

  Regina seemed to always want to do everything the easy way, which inevitably led her to darker paths causing hurt and pain to the innocent.

  The Creator loves the Created so much they are allowed to do whatever they wished and will always suffer consequences equal to the good or wrong they'd committed.

  James slumped in his chair and hid his face within his hands. “Is there no hope then, Mother of All?”

  The Mother looked dispassionately down at James. “There is always Hope, Child.”

  The pain in James’ heart was evident. His feelings for Reggie were almost more than he could stand. “How do I help her?”

  “She must want your help, my son.”

  “How do I reach her?” His eyes were beseeching.

  “Only through love can she be reached,” There were no emotional traces in these words. “Are there any other questions you'd like to ask me?"

  James’ head snapped up. “Yes, the other two we saw before. They were the ones we now call Suzanne and Harry?”

  It was hard to believe that the Suzanne they knew currently could have been with them, but then Regina had been one of them too.

  “Yes, Suzanne was a member of your school of learning, as was the one you today call Harry.”

  James thought for a moment. “Will they be of help in getting through to Reggie?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?” James simply asked.

  “Through Love,” was the only answer the Mother gave and she would give no further explanation.

  “May I ask a question?” Josephine gazed at the Mother.

  “Yes child, you too are a Light Carrier, as is your mate there beside you.”

  “Were Suzanne and Harry mated?” Josephine asked.

  “No, but you must understand that being members of the same priesthood makes stronger bonds than any blood relationship or emotional attraction.”

  “Oh, good,” Josephine drawled sarcastically. “What does that mean?”

  “No, they were not sexually mated,” was all she answered.

  Josephine knew she wouldn’t get any more from this question. “So, Suzanne has no emotional connection to Harry, other than his priesthood oath you mentioned?”

  “That is correct.”

  “Alright, one last question then. Can you explain why being in the same priesthood is a stronger bond than being mated?” Josephine cocked her head to one side, watching The Mother.

  The Mother smiled. Her first emotional reaction noted. “When individuals are sexually mated, they have only formed bonds on the physical, emotional and mental planes of existence. When oaths are taken and initiations performed into a priesthood, another layer is added to a relationship. That new higher layer is a connection to the Individuality and thus, the Soul then in turn to the Master of that priesthood’s Light Ray. Each new initiation adds stronger bonds. These bonds are recognized on intuitive levels.”

  Josephine shook her head. “I'm sorry, I don't understand.”

  Expressionless again, “You will.” The Mother began to fade away and finally there was only a wisp of mist where she'd stood only moments before. The curtain which hung behind her however seemed to come alive. What was there was a living, moving force of nature. The background was the colors of interstellar space, with stars and planets whirling within their own relationships with each other.

  In that moment of witnessing these relationships, it became so obvious how everything was tied together.

  The trio found themselves once again at the shoreline of the Inner Sea. The boat which brought them to this island returned with Morgan standing at its helm. She motioned them to join her once more and no sooner had they joined her, then they were back where they had started from.

  Leaving the boat, James noticed a huge feline head looking d
own upon them from the platform they’d descended to the Inner Sea. He turned to call Josephine's attention to what he was seeing, only to find Morgan and the boat had once again vanished.

  James looked back up to find Elaine staring back at him. Shaking his head to clear it, he, Josephine and Leo climbed the stairs to join their guide at the top and followed her once more into the tunnel leading to the mouth of the cave.

  Once at the cave's mouth, James asked Elaine, if there was a large feline in the cave with her. Elaine smiled and morphed into a large tawny lioness, then swiftly back into the young woman.

  Josephine cringed into Leo, but James shook his head smiling. “Thee are the Guardian at the entrance.” Not a question, but statement of fact.

  Elaine smiled and nodded.

  “Thank you Elaine. May I ask thee a question?”

  Once more Elaine nodded.

  “In all the mythologies I remember, a dog is the guardian to the Temple,” James again, stated a fact.

  Again, Elaine nodded. “It depends upon the Temple, James.” The air around her shimmered and Elaine's form changed into a form of the oldest known guardians. That of a Lion headed woman dressed in red.

  James then realized Fire and Sekhmet were ancient Fire Goddesses.

  Knowledge.

  Flame.

  Yes, it did make sense.

  ~o0o~

  Chapter 35

  Mist was once again around the feet of the trio, but thinning quickly.

  James lifted his head and his eyes met those of both Josephine and Leo.

  They stood and stretched out kinked muscles and stiff backs. They'd been in the same seated position for over an hour.

  “We need to eat something and have a nap,” James spoke. “Later tonight, I want to have a chat with Ms. Young. We'd better make sure that Oscar is nowhere around. I have a feeling there will be a ‘hook up’ between the two of them.” He smiled, but he didn't feel any joy really.

  “Don’t forget, we're going to have Harry to deal with as well James,” Josephine reminded him.

  “I'm not concerned about Harry's involvement, but Ms. Young's...” James didn't finish his sentence since he knew the other two would understand.

  Both Josephine and Leo nodded, as they stood up.

  The three of them wandered into the kitchen to make themselves breakfast. Anything to replace the calories they'd expended during their journey. Also, they instinctively knew it would close down their psychic functions and ground them once more to the physical plane.

  James heard a sound behind him as he was standing by the breakfast bar. He turned his head over his shoulder and was surprised to see Harry standing in the doorway. He then whirled completely around, motioned for Harry to join him by taking the stool next to him, pulling it out and patting the seat.

  Slowly, Harry walked into the room and sat down.

  Hurriedly, Josephine brought over a piece of toast she was going to eat and placed it in front of Harry.

  Without acknowledging either Josephine or Leo, Harry began to eat the offered toast.

  A look of disgust washed over Josephine's face for Harry's dirty hands. When he finished, Josephine offered him another piece. Harry didn't even look, he just stared into space.

  Shaking his head slightly, James spoke, “Harry, did you want to talk to me?”

  Harry gave no response.

  James called out to Harry's nurse, “Thomas, you need to come reclaim your patient, and he needs a bath.”

  Moments later, a flustered nurse appeared. He gently took Harry by the arm and steered him back to his room.

  “What was that about?” Josephine huffed.

  Smiling, “You mean you didn't see that coming?” Leo asked.

  “Don't be silly, Leo. Of course, I didn't see that coming! If I had, I would have been prepared for it with additional toast!”

  “Okay you two, I think Harry was just making contact with all three of us in the only way he can for now,” James summarized.

  “Ok. I can see that now, James. What are we going to do tonight? Do we work with Harry first or both he and Reggie at the same time?”

  “Which do you see Josephine?” James asked.

  “Harry tonight and then Reggie soon after. Either tonight or tomorrow sometime...it's actually up to Harry.” Josephine shuddered. “And, we need to include Ms. Young too. I'm not looking forward to that. She seems so shallow!”

  “Who's shallow?” The voice from the doorway startled them—it was Ms. Young.

  Josephine cleared her throat, “I was just talking about this woman I have to work with and don't want to and they,” she indicated to the men. “Wanted to know why I didn't like working with her.”

  Good Save. “Come sit down and have some breakfast with us,” he offered. “There are some things we need to discuss with you about Harry, yourself and Reggie.” James prepared himself for having to go into more detail than he really wanted to.

  Suzanne hopped onto the stool next to James and scooted closer to him than he was comfortable with.

  “To begin with, Ms. Young, you appear to want to be more than just friendly with me. It must stop. I am not interested in you for anything more than as a colleague.” James looked squarely into Suzanne's eyes. He could see hurt building in her eyes as what he said sunk in. “I'm not trying to hurt you by saying this. I was and am still very much in love with Reggie. The purpose of this weekend is to see if between Josephine, Leo, Harry, myself and you, we can reach her,” James continued.

  Suzanne's facial expression changed from one of hurt to one of surprise. “Why Harry, and why me?”

  “I was told that by reaching Harry, I'd be able to reach Reggie. Since you're responsible for Harry, you must be present and you will be of a great help also since you believe in psychic forces.”

  Suzanne nodded, “Yes, I remember you telling me that you need to get through to Harry and that by doing so would help you with someone else, but I didn't remember you saying it was Reggie.”

  Josephine then interjected, “It's always been about Reggie, Suzanne. James was in love with her before he even met her at school.”

  “How romantic.” Suzanne sighed.

  Josephine physically rolled her eyes.

  James mentally rolled his.

  Leo just looked away from the breakfast bar and tried not to laugh.

  Oh, tonight was going to be fun. Yeah, right. James thought to himself as he rose to clear their breakfast dishes.

  ~o0o~

  Chapter 36

  Before the group broke up after breakfast, to go about whatever they wished to do for the day, they agreed to meet back in the library at 8:00 pm sharp. This plan would give them time to digest their early dinner and relax some before the meditation session.

  Josephine, James and Leo knew they would have to carry — figuratively speaking — Suzanne. Even though she'd been a member of their original working group, she'd long ago started down a different path and hadn’t done any serious internal work in many life times. However, her connection was still there and she was a necessary member of the current work, which was to bring both Reggie and Harry back fully onto the physical plane.

  James disappeared into his office after asking Tonia to bring Reggie into his office. He sat behind his desk, contemplating his next attempt to reach Reggie by himself. There was a knock on his office door and James called for whoever it was to come in, thinking it would be Reggie and the nurse.

  "James? I'm sorry to bother you, but I have some questions that need answering before tonight, okay?" Suzanne stuck her head in and waited for James to acknowledge her.

  Jerking his head up in surprise, since he wasn’t expecting her, James nodded for her to come in and indicated one of several overstuffed chairs situated in front of the fireplace. He got up and went to one facing the chair Suzanne chose. "You have concerns Suzanne?"

  "Umm—yes I do. I don't understand what's happening James. I'm so confused. Ever since I got here with Harry, it's lik
e there's some kind of electrical force zinging around." Suzanne's voice sounded shaky.

  James knew exactly what she was talking about, but he wanted to make sure she it was the same feeling he'd had since they'd all been assembled.

  "Well, it's like when you're wearing polyester and by walking around you build a static charge that zaps you when you touch something metal," Suzanne expression looked perplexed. "But the discharge never happens. It just seems to be hanging in the air."

  "Actually, that's a pretty good description, Suzanne." James smiled. "I'll try to explain it to you as simply as I can. Are you aware that all living things have an electrical charge contained within and around them?"

  "You mean like the sun's corona?"

  "Very good, Suzanne. Exactly like that." Maybe this will be easier than he’d originally thought. "One more question for you. Do you believe in reincarnation?"

  "I think so," Suzanne's voice sounded a little hesitant. "I can't see being able to get everything under control in a single lifetime before going to Heaven."

  "Exactly. What keeps the majority of humans from 'heaven' would be a process called Karma..." He hurried on, "Karma is the result of emotions and relationships, like those of families and lovers."

  "Yeah, I can see that. I know what the term karma means. I just have never heard it spoken of in that way before," Suzanne said.

  "Well, many, many lives ago, you, Harry, Reggie, Josephine, Leo and I were members of a sort of family and that connection is still strong today because of the nature of that connection." James watched to see if Suzanne would understand what he was saying.

  "What kind of connection would that be, James?"

  Was there a light starting to shine within Suzanne's eyes? "The connection we had was of a spiritual nature. Those types of connections are far stronger than others. The one I have with Reggie was that, plus we were desperately in love, but we were never able to enjoy being in love because of other obligations," James explained. "Those obligations are none of your business, Suzanne. Just suffice it to say, I have a double connection to Reggie I can't ignore."