First Light: Book one of the Torus Saga

by Berg, Michael

  “It is wise to say such things yet unwise to make them apparent to others who you do not know.” A middle-aged man spoke gently them, and despite his quiet nature, they reacted as if startled. “I am sorry to startle you but I can tell you are not of the mind to be concerned.”

  “Who are you?” Raynie asked voicing the concerns of the others. The man had come upon them silently, much to their disappointment considering their earlier vigil to remain alert.

  “Only a messenger. People are watching you and watching out for you. I am of the latter.” This advice immediately brought them all to a much more alert awareness of their surroundings.

  “How do you know we are those whom you are watching?”

  “Oh you are. I know that for certain. I am here to say but one brief thing. You must keep moving. Those who oppose you…and oppose us are closer than you think. They are watching you but not so interfering as far as I can see at this moment, yet they may interfere at any time. They want you to lead them, and to inform them. You must leave this city now, this morning. Staying any longer will only strengthen their will.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They seek to learn how to activate energies from you. They can sense when you become more and more aware of what it is you are doing. Be assured what you are doing is of much more importance than perhaps you have considered. These people were able to track you from Dunhuang, always remaining in the background, but always there. Our efforts to stop this have proved futile.”

  “How did they know us?”

  “They have been watching and waiting since before you left America.”

  “But what about the chase in the desert near Dunhuang?”

  “Ah, one of their failures! Those who oppose us do not always employ the smartest individuals. It was their mistake, but still they linger. You have learned more since you arrived this morning. Take that knowledge and continue west. You must reach Hotan as soon as possible. I cannot say more other than to go to Hotan and seek the Melikawat Ruins. There you will realize a great reckoning within yourselves and much more of why you are doing this. Remember, this is very important and gives potential to both majesty and also to the darkness should our opposition be successful.”

  They left the gardens immediately acting upon this advice. The drive to Hotan would be over one thousand miles and from the strangers’ words, they deemed it necessary to get there as fast as possible.

  The next eight hours were spent on the road as they sped along the open highway into the high sandy desert. The great Kunlun Shan mountains gradually came into view as the road swung south towards the edge of the desert passing through the town of Minfeng. When they arrived at Keriyan Town, they decided to rest for a short time. Stopping in the center of the town by the Keriya River, they noticed several features alluding to the distant past of the historic location. Known for artifacts dating back over two thousand years, Lyle filled the others in about where they were.

  “These Han Dynasty artifacts are from a distant troubled past where once the talk of this region was the amount of arms and weapons its’ citizens held in defense against incursion from the west and east. Also, it is rumored that Marco Polo stopped here on his journey east so many centuries ago from his home in Genoa Italy - opening up the first regular contacts between east and west.”

  As they looked around they found a sign indicating directions towards a location featuring some of the oldest Buddhist murals found anywhere on Earth. In an instant they all looked at each other. Nobody could resist the idea of a visit to a place featuring such temptation, given the information they were conceptualizing and feeling on this journey. After a short time, they arrived at the location where they immediately set about looking at the almost ancient images. The murals though faded from the passage of time, awe struck the group as they appreciated their age, and now with their insights into such murals, they also could understand more of their meaning.

  Familiar mudra gestures became apparent after only a short search. Each of them in turn took time to study the gestures, evoking a sense of remembering within them. Feelings from the lowest chamber back at the Magao Caves arose as they stood calmly viewing. They were more like memories of the feeling rather than the actual energy all people who had been to the lowest chamber had experienced.

  After visiting the site and taking time to refresh and have a meal, they continued on through the sandy desert leaving the town behind. The Kunlun Shan was now exhibited in its’ true glory with many peaks to the south of the road, rising beyond six thousand metres. Jagged peaks erupted into the sky, their ice clad spires piercing the deep blue of the day. These were mountains still rising where it appeared as though they each competed with one another for the tallest spire reaching for the heavens. Their journey traversed these mountains, which to all their delight, they stopped to admire in the cool dry air as the sun sank low in the sky and the peaks first turned to gold before taking on the deeper ochre hues of dusk shades. By nightfall after losing sight of the immense mountain range to darkness, they had reached Hotan and decided to find accommodation and rest for the night.

  They awoke early in the morning as the sun caressed the nearby mountains with colors of orange and purple, with the last stars lingering in the western sky. Well rested, they all felt a renewed sense of purpose now having reached their next destination. After breakfast they took the short journey to the Melikawat Ruins eighteen miles south of the city. The drive through the city took them over the rivers for which Hotan was renown - the Karakash River known as the Black Jade River, and the Yurungkash known as the White Jade River. Both rivers were the lifeblood of this oasis city and for centuries had drawn desert travelers from far and wide.

  The road then took them out amongst the sands, which by this time had begun to catch the early light of the day. A spectacular ochre contrast with the sand dunes radiated against the backdrop of the steep mountains further to the south, lured them on as they drew closer to their destination. Upon arrival at the ruins they noticed one other group of travelers. Feeling inspired as they were, they offered warm greetings and conversed with the other group who were following the route of the old Silk Road. In the tradition of the old ways, they bade the other group safe and interesting travels and then moved on to explore the ruins.

  “We too are travelers of the Silk Road,” Raynie said caught in the mystery and aura of the moment.

  “Indeed. We travel seeking surety as did those many centuries ago who had struggled across the wide expanses to arrive at this oasis,” Jake replied. “Let us explore and discover as have many who have come before us.”

  With an enthusiastic approach they all laughed a little together, feeling youthful and exuberant. The ruins of this old city offered yet more mystery and the excitement of potential new discovery, despite the ruins being many centuries old.

  As they toured the city amongst the old cascading walls, some with the remnants of ancient Buddhist art representing times long since passed, and others embedded with glass ornaments, they talked in earnest about what it was they were here to discover. Their directions were to proceed to the ruins and there they would learn something significant, but at this time they still were almost entirely unaware of what it might be.

  At the farthest corner of the ruined city, they came across a small doorway, its’ wooden door long gone. In contrast to many of the other buildings at the site, this one still had its’ roof intact and so beyond the doorway was darkness except for a little light coming in through a narrow window to the rear.

  “I am first to have a look,” Raynie said keenly leading them in through the door. Immediately upon entering, they were thrust into darkness prompting them to use personal flashlights they had taken to the ruins. Their beams flickered around the interior, across stone walls and upon the uneven floor as they looked for anything of interest. Lyle rested on something appearing to his eye in a flash, prompting him to call the others over. Embedded in the wall just a few inches up from the floor wa
s a round piece of green glass. As they examined it, a glow from within gradually became visible, intensifying as each second passed. “Strange. Perhaps it has been cut into facets for the purpose of catching light to make this glow,” he said.

  Without warning, the light suddenly intensified temporarily blinding them like a camera flash. When the flash receded, an image had become visible within the core of the glass. Immediately they recognized the image as being similar to one of the images illuminated by the ultra violet light in the lowest chamber at the Mogao cave.

  “This actually looks more like a mineral rather than glass. Early settlers to this area were known for their glasswork…I read that via a holographic phone query. But this could be jade, a stone revered in these parts,” Lyle said thinking of the white and black jade rivers. “Dark jade known as Nephrite Jade, was very much sought after.”

  “Yes,” Jake added. “Look closer and you can see its’ crystalline form.” They all leant in to get a much closer look, the jade at once revealing its’ inner form to them. “This type of crystalline form is monoclinic, meaning it is characterized by three unequal axes, one pair of which is not at right angles to the others. In a way, it is similar to our thoughts about angulations concerned with dimensional theories.”

  “Nephrite... derived from the old Greek word nephros meaning kidney. Hmm, how does that tie in with…” Lyle trailed off thinking more of the subject.

  “I have it!” Jenna exclaimed taking over from Lyle’s previous sudden outbursts. “The kidney is used to filter and cleanse and then form waste for expelling from the body.”

  “So you are saying?”

  “Well, suggesting really. The nephrite is concerned with cleansing and filtering. Maybe in old times people saw this jade as medicinal and could have used it for kidney related problems.”

  “Then this room may well have been used for healing, perhaps a physicians’ room.”

  “But the image?” Raynie interjected. “We were unable to determine its’ nature back at Dunhuang and this one being almost identical.”

  “Then the image surely must be concerned with filtering and healing. See how it contains what looks like a human body with several intertwining lines running though it, and how it is slightly fragmented due to the crystalline structure of the jade?” They all examined the image for a minute in silence, each one of them trying to determine some type of meaning from what they saw.

  Jenna spoke breaking the silence, “If it is healing and cleansing then for our purposes it may be revealing something to indicate healing at a deeper level beyond just for the purpose of healthy kidneys. And…the fragments could be showing fragmented reality or positioning of the body.”

  “Yes I follow,” Lyle added. “Then it could be for cleansing the body on various levels. Perhaps that is why it has been cut into these facets, each one representing a type of reality. After all, we have been looking at these ideas of dimensions beyond the physical and how our intentions affect others. Also, consider monoclinic as Jake said. Mono means one so this could be at one or universal. And clinic is a word used for places of healing. Strange how such words tie in with this meaning.”

  “Yeah I did have that in mind considering we have largely dealt with Buddhist ideas indicating towards learning on such levels.”

  “So…this could be something for eradicating, um… filtering out unhealthy elements of one’s life or being,” Raynie said taking over from Jenna.

  “That falls in line with almost everything we have looked at so far over the past couple of weeks. All of it points to eradicating energy that is unhealthy for growth in awareness and intuitively going with your feelings to link up circumstances healthy for growth in awareness.”

  A noise outside suddenly brought the group out of their deliberations and they quickly focused their flashlights on other parts of the room. The group with whom they had conversed with earlier had found this part of the ruins and was endeavoring to satiate their own hunger for discovery.

  “We’ll just exit before you come in,” Jake said aloud. “There is not much space in here.”

  “OK,” came a reply as the four of them began to leave. Brilliant sunlight strained their eyes as they exited, causing them to look away from those standing outside waiting. When their sight had come around, two of the three people in the group had already entered the room, the third lingering at the doorway. Jake turned to see the man and apologized for not having made eye contact as they exited.

  “Anything to see?” the man asked.

  “Not much really. Just a room but interesting to see it is one of the last few in these ruins that is relatively still intact.”

  “Oh,” came the reply, as the man lost interest in the conversation, now keen to go inside himself.

  “Do you think they will see what we saw?” Raynie asked as they walked away.

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not,” Jake replied. “That jade has been there a long time and I figure many people would have seen it over the centuries. I suppose it could look similar to any other relic. With all the glass embedded in the walls about this place, one could easily overlook it as being just another piece of glass.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Lyle said. “We were warned of being watched, let’s hope those watching us are not that group.” About half way through the city on the way back to their vehicle, they saw another group who had recently arrived to explore. “This place is getting crowded, let’s go back to Hotan and think about all this.”

  “Yes I agree,” Raynie replied. “I have a sense or feeling of something after we saw the jade back there.”

  “Me too,” Jake added. “It was or should I say is, something like a slight elevation similar to what we felt in the chamber, but slightly different in a way I cannot describe.”

  “I feel it too Jake. Come on I like your idea Lyle. Let’s go,” Jenna said as she took Raynie’s hand when they all turned to leave.

  Half an hour later they sat by the White Jade River under a tree enjoying some light refreshments. With the heat of the day upon them and even though they had rested well after the long drive to get to the city, the heat had drained them a little. They were all eager to relay their individual concepts about the feelings they had experienced when viewing the jade, but soon were lost to distraction from being tired. As their conversation waned, they began to relax, enjoying the romance of being in a desert oasis and to spend some time as couples do.

  “Jake!” Raynie called out to him from the shade of the tree as he sat by the riverbank.

  “Yeah?”

  “Come on. Lyle and Jenna are going to take a walking tour around the city. Take some time out from this and do a bit of a tourist thing. Let’s join them.”

  “Can’t it wait? I am feeling that driving stint a bit still. Can we catch up with them?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing really. I just feel like day dreaming for a while.”

  “Oh…OK, I’ll tell them.”

  An hour later, Raynie and Jake were walking along the riverbank on their way to meeting the others at a pre-arranged place. “The cultural museum is just up here a little way,” Raynie said as they walked holding hands.

  “Cool. I’m feeling hot from this walking.”

  “Are you sure you are OK?”

  “Yeah…well sort of. It feels like I could be coming down with something.”

  “Really darling. You should have told me earlier.”

  “I didn’t know. I mean I just thought it was a bit of fatigue. Now I am not so sure.” A moment later he fainted and nearly pulled Raynie to the ground with him.

  “Oh no! Jake are you alright?” For a moment there was no response and Raynie became very concerned.

  “I am here, but it feels like I am getting a hellish fever.”

  “I’ll call the others.” They had decided to switch their holographic phones on when separated. “Jenna. It’s Jake. He has fainted. Can you meet us by the river? Come quickly!” She took both of Jakes ha
nds and helped him to his feet then led him to some shade out of the midday heat. Five minutes later Lyle and Jenna arrived. They both set about immediately tending Jake to assess his condition.

  “I don’t know what it is,” he replied to their inquiries. “Suddenly it seemed to sweep over me. I felt a little run down prior, but this just came on in a rush.”

  Over the fifteen minutes the three others watched over Jake as his condition began to worsen. The moment they agreed Jake needed medical attention, Lyle left them to bring their vehicle so they could take Jake to a doctor.

  “You have been poisoned,” the doctor said after having examined and then stabilized Jake’s condition.

  “Poisoned?” Raynie replied, “But how?”

  “It is a slow release poison that takes affect over a few days and then begins to come on strong in a short period of time. You might have had a drink, or something to eat. Not to worry so much, as it is not a fatal poison. It is just something to keep you out of action for a day or so.”

  “Where could it have happened?” Raynie thought out aloud. For was while they sat next to Jake’s bed after the doctor had left to attend other patients. “I cannot figure out where Jake was poisoned because we are not affected.”

  “What about the coffee in Ruoqiang? You two were having green tea and when I returned after calling John and Tobias, Jake was drinking a cup of coffee. I joined you two in having a cup of tea,” Jenna suggested.

  “But why poison Jake? We were told to move on quickly from Ruoqiang as there were people watching us. That man told us they were only watching us.”

  “Maybe they thought they could slow us down by making just one of us fall ill. It would seem to be a fever or the like and arouse little suspicion. Perhaps they were losing track of us and needed to stall us?” Lyle proposed. “And if so, it worked alright. The doctor said it would stall Jake for a day or two. We are going to have to stay here longer than we anticipated.”

  “What do you mean?” Raynie asked him. “We did not have any specific direction or place to go anyway.”