by Lucia Ashta
But as always, the twins made time for stillness and connection. These were essential to access their inner guidance so they might be sure of their actions.
They sat on the unfamiliar shore. It was the first time either of them had left the island of Arnaka, now too far away to see. They were alone, eyes closed.
They sat in stillness until they were certain of their next move. It no longer surprised Asara that their eyes opened at the same time. They shared a connection that only true beloveds have. As it often happened with them, they received their guidance in the same moment, although they didn’t speak of it and rarely did.
They were ready and knew which direction to take.
They surrendered to the flow of the Divine and headed inland toward the great unknown.
Chapter 5
The twins left the shore to begin the long trek ahead. Although it was still night and they couldn’t see the sun, an energetic pull within their bodies pointed them the right way. They crossed the new terrain, appreciating each step they took into the unknown of Mother Earth.
Trees surrounded them as the twins started to put distance between them and the shoreline. The land was lusher than it was in Arnaka, which only possessed this kind of succulence by the water. Asara and Anak stretched out their arms as they walked among the trees and bushes, caressing their leaves. They heard the trees’ whispers; the rustling of leaves spoke to them in hushed tones.
The twins continued and soon found themselves among wild grasses that grazed their knees and swords as they walked. Anak reached for Asara’s hand. Although they were in unfamiliar surroundings, they delighted in the night walk. It had been a very long time since either had spent so much time outside in the crisp dark of night. Because they synchronized their sleep patterns with the rising and setting of the sun, they rarely were out of bed in the middle of the night. This lent an additional tone of adventure to their wanderings.
Before long, the fertile grasses and trees gave way to a clearing. A large town loomed ahead. As it was just on the other side of the river from Arnaka, the twins were aware of its existence, but still knew relatively little about it. The people of Arnaka were interested in preserving the integrity of their culture and time-tested ways and had little desire to learn about other civilizations.
The twins continued walking, now keeping a watch for any person that might cross their path. But they walked through the town without seeing another single living being, not even an animal. It was eerie, as if the town were frozen in time. The entire community seemed to sleep soundly and noiselessly. There was some kind of divine hand at play which allowed them to traverse the town unseen and undisturbed.
And so it was that Asara and Anak stole through the town in stony silence, in the quiet of deep night. Most of the houses and buildings were constructed of a dark, gray stone that felt damp and cold as the twins passed. Garments hung perfectly still from a rope, unlikely to dry much in the heavy, moist air of the night. No candles or lanterns glowed anywhere. There was no movement. Even the typical breeze of night held its breath as the twins quickly crossed the streets.
Asara and Anak wanted to cover more ground before stopping to sleep. Once they left the long night shadows of the town, the foliage became increasingly sparse and the plant leaves more compact and spinier. The twins were unfamiliar with this landscape and didn’t know how long the desert area they were entering stretched. The sun could be very hot, especially on the desert sands. Were they to cross the desert in the daytime, the heat would drain them of essential energy.
The twins traveled swiftly. They needed to reach a more yielding environment before stopping. Anak sang to keep their spirits high and to help them put their focus elsewhere besides on their mounting fatigue. Asara joined in on the songs they’d sung as children at the temples. Though they hadn’t heard these particular songs in many years, the words were as familiar to them then as they’d been when they were children. Anak began with a traveling song of journeys through foreign lands. This time, the song actually applied to them.
Asara and Anak sang for hours, which kept their spirits uplifted. The sound of melody and song could awaken the joy in almost any heart. And, as they grew tired of singing and began to feel the weight of exhaustion in their bodies, they finally saw the edge of the desert nearing. When they reached the end of the desert, the sun was a faint glow on the horizon. The land had only just lost some of its harsh aridity as the sun burst forth above the verdant landscape that stretched in infinite vastness before them.
Their feet fell on land that had seen water in recent days. Soon, that land, dirt instead of sand, began to show signs of green. Where there were grasses, a source of water was nearby. Asara, always so drawn to the water, thought it would be a perfect place to rest and regroup. Just the idea of the water had begun to replenish her. She turned to Anak and said, “Let’s find the water.” He nodded in perfect understanding.
Chapter 6
Paolo woke in the night, startled and disoriented. The sound of a machine beeping, which had faded to the background, jumped to the forefront. He looked around the room under the soft, recessed lighting, panic quickly mounting.
The realization of where he was and why he was there hit him like a truck, smacking the breath from him and feeling a bit like when the two oversized vehicles actually pummeled them, delivering them here, to a plain room that stunk of disinfectant and a long line of terrible illnesses. Paolo pulled in a long, shaky breath. He wasn’t usually much of a crier, but he thought he might cry.
Even in the dim lighting Paolo could make out Lena’s broken and battered body. Tubes slithered everywhere around her still form, catching the reflection of the faint overhead lighting here and there. She looked terrifyingly fragile and smaller than usual beneath the draped blanket.
He closed his eyes again and wished he could go back to sleep. A reality where his newly found beloved was purposefully hurt to the point of unconsciousness wasn’t easy to accept.
But wait. Something had startled him awake. Now that alertness was returning—however much alertness he could have with morphine dripping into his veins—he remembered.
He and Lena were still in danger. Whoever tried to kill them hadn’t succeeded. There was a good chance they’d try again.
Paolo had already decided to cry out when something stopped him. A sense within him told him to wait and listen.
Finally, the shape of a woman defined itself from the shadows.
The woman had watched Paolo wake, and waited. Even when she saw that he was about to acknowledge her presence in the room, she didn’t flinch. When he was calm and looked at her expectantly, she spoke, talking in urgent whispers.
“You’re in danger here. Already those forces that attacked you are organizing themselves to come finish the job. You both need to leave the hospital immediately.”
Paolo looked from the woman to Lena and all the machines that assisted her. Then he looked down at the tube that snaked out of his arm to the stand with several hanging bags of fluids. It wouldn’t be simple to move them, but Paolo knew that the woman, whoever she was, was right.
The woman recognized understanding in Paolo’s eyes and continued. “I’ve arranged all that you need to get out of here. If you’re in agreement, we’ll leave at once.”
Paolo nodded. “I am.”
The woman moved quickly. Silently, she pushed the door open and ushered in four men. Without any discussion, the men positioned themselves behind the beds, two men per bed, and began wheeling them out, with all essential equipment leaving with them. Obviously, the woman had really taken care of everything.
They wheeled out into an empty corridor that was backlit so that nursing staff could see their way around at night. Paolo saw no one as they made their way to the elevators and down to the garage level. There, two vans waited for them with a driver in each, the vehicles idling.
At the sight of two vans, Paolo panicked. He was unwilling to let Lena out of his sight. He’d trusted this unknown wo
man up until this point because he had no better choice, and he’d welcomed her extraordinary intervention and rescue mission since, in his condition, he had no other way to accomplish what she already had. But now that Paolo realized she planned to separate him from Lena for transportation, his insides clenched.
The woman leaned over him. “I promise you that she’ll be safe. I’ll take care of her as I would my own daughter.”
Paolo looked into the woman’s eyes and recognized truth there. Reluctantly, he relinquished his sense of control and agreed that they could take Lena in a separate van.
When the doors to the other van slammed shut with Lena behind them, Paolo worked to control a rising wave of nausea and fear. The two men wheeled his bed into the second van and shut the door, cutting off all sight of the van that contained Lena.
He’d made his choice. It wasn’t one he felt good about it. It was a desperate one. He took a chance on an unknown factor that was potentially better than a certain danger. Now, he must keep his thoughts positive to attract the best outcome. He and Lena were in the hands of strangers, dependent upon their goodwill.
The vans drove out of the unattended garage, the bribed attendant on an unscheduled break, and headed toward the highway.
Chapter 7
The twins knew they were heading toward water since the land was getting greener and more fertile as they walked. Before long, they found a stream. It was a small stream, but it was deep enough for them to immerse themselves in the water. But first, their bodies begged for rest.
Asara and Anak removed light blankets from their satchels. They cleared a space among the reeds and spread out Asara’s blanket on the ground. They lay down under a tree with a large enough canopy to provide them with shade when the sun crept higher in the sky. They covered themselves with Anak’s blanket and slept, holding each other, for a few hours until Asara stirred. They couldn’t afford a full night’s sleep, but these several hours of rest would be enough to allow them to continue their journey.
Asara woke Anak with kisses full of the great tenderness she felt for him. She kissed him first on the eyelids. Then she kissed his forehead, his cheeks, and his nose. They were soft kisses meant not to awaken passion, but to convey love.
By then, Anak was awake and enjoying Asara’s display of affection. He lay motionless with his eyes closed. She kissed his arms, one small kiss at a time, covering his bare skin. Next, she lifted his shirt to kiss his chest and stomach. She had begun to kiss his waist when he opened his eyes lazily and smiled.
“Go no further, my love, for we haven’t the time.”
Asara knew what he meant. If she continued to kiss his waist, she would stoke a fire that they couldn’t take the time to attend. She understood and smiled back up at him and said, “Good morning, my sweet love.”
Asara got up from their makeshift bed on the ground and stripped off her shirt. She let it fall to the ground. Then, she untied her pants and stepped out of them. They, too, fell right where she stood. She paused for a moment, loving the sun on her body and reveling in her total nakedness. The human form was beautiful. Being naked gave Asara a sense of liberation, of greater acceptance of the perfection of her form as an expression of the Divine.
Anak watched her undress with the interest of a husband, but this one morning wasn’t the time for passion. They had a mission and a journey to continue. Asara ran the few steps to the water and dove in. The days had been warm so the water’s temperature was comfortable. Still, the sudden cool knocked the air out of Asara’s lungs.
As her head popped out of the water, she already felt refreshed. She also felt the magical hum of the water encircling her. It didn’t matter that she was unfamiliar with this particular body of water. Through the bond she had with the River Haakal, she was connected to all waters of the earth. They all held the same essence and communicated with each other. They all sang the same universal song.
Asara went under the surface again and stayed there for some time before emerging. It was now instinctual for her, and she could breathe in the water without even commanding her body to do so. Her body adapted to its surroundings. When in the water, her body breathed water. When on land, it breathed air.
Asara felt the water’s beauty wash over her. She allowed herself to absorb its calm essence. It was only when Asara flowed as the water did, with perfect trust in the course of life, that she allowed Creator’s direction for her life to truly manifest.
She broke the stream’s surface in a wave of ripples, her hair slicked back. Asara saw Anak standing at the shore, also naked. She could see that he’d changed his mind, deciding there was always time for passion and love between them. He watched her swim while entertaining thoughts of their sensual connection.
Asara saw the folly in postponing the expression of beauty between them. There should always be time for passion and love, for that most divine of expressions that was the union of man and woman. That love could move mountains. That love could open direct channels to the whisperings of heaven. Besides, there was only one moment in time promised to them. There was never truly any future or any past. These notions of time didn’t exist. There was only the now. Creator made no guarantees as to anyone’s continued existence.
Asara walked out of the water slowly, provocatively even. She was fully aware of the curves and the smoothness of her form. Anak’s eyes followed every subtle movement of her body. The water dripped down her skin suggestively. Her nipples were erect from the cool water that coated her skin.
With water still trickling down her body, Asara embraced Anak. He guided her to the ground on top of their blankets and made love to her, a love sweeter than any she remembered. But it always felt like that to her, as if it were the most beautiful sharing of love they’d ever experienced. It was a potent mixture of animal nature and humanness, of body and soul.
Their eyes squeezed shut at the same time, and they pushed away the outside world.
Chapter 8
Lena was still unconscious when they arrived in Sedona two hours later. It was quiet except for the sounds of wildlife that awaken in the night. Coyotes howled and javelinas foraged. The vans pulled off Highway 179 onto a side street that turned into a dirt road. The unpaved road wound for ten minutes before ending unceremoniously in a long driveway a thick screen of trees hid from the street. The vans turned onto it and pulled around to a garage entrance at the back of the property.
The four men and the drivers wheeled Lena, Paolo, and all of their equipment into guest quarters that stood apart from the main house. The space was comfortable and elegant. Paolo was relieved that the men were taking him and Lena to the same room.
Paolo had expected that he and Lena would be left in the hospital beds, but the men lifted them into a king-sized bed so they could be next to each other. Paolo hadn’t touched Lena since the accident, and he immediately reached out and stroked her hand. A nurse fussed over them, arranging their equipment and positioning Lena and Paolo so they’d be comfortable. Then, without a word, the six men left the room, taking the mechanical hospital beds with them. The nurse followed, pulling the door to the bedroom shut behind her.
Even from Paolo’s incapacitated position, he could tell how carefully this nameless woman had orchestrated their relocation, and how quickly too. Her men had carried out the mission with supreme efficiency and decorum. The woman who rescued them had stepped into the main house when they arrived. No further instructions were needed. The timing of everything had been artfully synchronized.
There was a light rap on the door and a doctor entered the room without waiting for a reply. He was dressed in plain clothing, but wore a stethoscope around his neck. He smiled at Paolo as he shut the door behind him.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Shepherd. I’m going to examine you and your friend to determine your condition and then decide what I can do to accelerate your healing. Is that agreeable to you?”
Paolo nodded. He was suddenly very tired. This whole ordeal had worn him out.
“Lena.”
“I see. Her name means ‘the light.’ ”
“Yes. She is the light.”
The doctor performed a full body examination on Lena, making Paolo uncomfortable, but the doctor was professional and thorough and Paolo already sensed he could trust him.
“I’m not a conventional doctor. I believe in the miraculous healing of the body. I don’t believe in the limitations of allopathic medicine and hospitals.”
His voice softened. “I’ve been connecting with Lena’s energy, and I don’t believe she needs to be hooked up to a machine,” he said as he reached over and turned off the mechanical ventilator, which artificially assisted Lena’s lungs in their inflation. He then placed his hands on Lena and closed his eyes. His movements were gentle.
Paolo held his breath for the crucial minutes that followed. He watched Lena’s chest rise and fall. When he saw that the doctor was right, he relaxed. She was breathing on her own. When the doctor was satisfied with her response, he removed the endotracheal tube that ran down her windpipe. With that gone, Lena’s breathing became easy. She looked calm and peaceful as if she were sleeping normally. Paolo’s own breathing synchronized with Lena’s and soon their chests rose and fell in rhythm.
“She doesn’t need this either.” The doctor removed the intravenous drip from Lena’s arm and taped a piece of cotton against the puncture site. “Besides, I don’t know what they might have put in the IV.” The doctor darted a glance at Paolo as he said this, and it struck alarm in Paolo. There were people trying to kill them. Paolo looked at the needle that still dripped possibly tainted fluid into his vein.
Once the doctor disconnected Lena from all machinery, he checked her vital signs again to ensure she was stable. Then he examined Paolo, who felt enormous relief when the doctor removed the IV drip from his arm. Paolo bent his arm back and forth appreciating the regained freedom of movement.