The Secret of Namana (The Arnaka Saga Book 2)

by Lucia Ashta

  Ashta cherished this gift of her beloved waters. Now, poignantly, she put her hand over it, pressing the ruby into her heart center. The ruby almost filled the palm of her hand. She closed her eyes once more. She could not make herself leave yet; her feet sunk deeper into the earth.

  Anak watched his twin from the boat. The still bright sun backlit her hair so that it looked like a fiery lion’s mane. Her body glowed faintly with the sun’s light. She spread her free arm out, hand toward the heavens, and the wind whipped up, as if Ashta had called on the power of magic.

  Whatever energies Ashta summoned through her connection to the land, Anak knew they were powerful. The energy had intensified in an instant. The wind swirled, frenzied. The water became suddenly choppy. His hair whipped in tempestuous currents of air.

  Anak continued to observe Ashta while he held the rope tightly. The river now rocked the boat violently, threatening to break the rope and the only connection to shore. Whatever Ashta was doing was potent. Sand kicked up further inland, a few paces ahead of where Ashta stood, where moisture did not weigh the sand down. Anak watched the sand whirl and begin to form small cyclones.

  The birds in the trees gripped their branches, surprised at the sudden change in forecast they had not anticipated. Normally, the animals identified shifts in the weather long before they arrived. But nature did not cause this change; nature was responding to Ashta. The birds looked on in surprise, waiting to see what would come. It was all they could do. The wind was too strong for them to fly away. They would have to brave the storm.

  Then, Ashta deepened her breathing. Her breath became a slow, deliberate pull—in and out, in and out. Each time, the breath grew stronger, more powerful, and, in response, so did everything around Ashta. The winds now lashed ferociously. The sand scattered in continual motion, obscuring the sun’s light. Ashta’s hair extended to its full length in undulating movements around her head; it looked alive. The water licked above the rim of the boat, splashing Anak as he stood his ground.

  And yet, Ashta stood still, the core of her body unmoving. It was everything around her that was unable to stay still. Even when the usually subtle sounds of nature mounted, swelling into a roar, Ashta did not flinch. It was, in fact, the faintest of cries that would break the spell.

  Barely audible above nature’s heaving and groaning, a chick chirped in his nest, disturbed by the unexpected movement of his warm and cozy surroundings. It was this one cry, this one questioning, that pulled Ashta out of the spell she had woven unaware. She would never hurt anything intentionally. She did not realize she was causing this commotion; she was entranced.

  Ashta heard the fledgling question whether he should be alarmed. She felt him fear that his tiny life might be in danger. And just like that, it all stopped. When Ashta heard the chirp, she dropped her hand from the ruby and opened her eyes. She brought her other hand down from its gesture to the heavens.

  Her hair fell in immediate limpness, all of its usual bounce gone for the moment in stark contrast to the wild movement that had possessed it just moments before. The sand fell, grain by grain, as if suspended in time. The waters began to calm, taking more time to settle since the waves continued to instigate each other with their reactive motions. The birds loosened their grips, and the rustling of reeds quieted into hushed tones.

  The vibrant glow diminished. Ashta, only vaguely aware of her actions, did not notice the strong glow of the ruby any more than she noticed the change in her surroundings. By the time Ashta was firmly within her body again, the glow was too muted to draw attention from beneath her shirt. She bent down to place her hands on the earth, and then she turned to face Anak.

  He was ready to meet her gaze. She mesmerized him. Her eyes reflected the intensity of life. She was the beloved he was destined to find. He felt more vibrant because he knew her as deeply as he did. He felt more alive for having witnessed what she just called into this world. They were so intimately connected that he felt the power that had just coursed through her almost as vividly as if it had been his own.

  Ashta walked toward the canoe with purpose. She was spectacularly alive. She felt the power of creation vibrating tangibly through her. All parts of her came together harmoniously, culminating in a pristine example of Creator’s design. She knew then that nothing was out of their reach. There was no such thing as the impossible anymore—not for them—because there was no such thing for Creator. The twins, like all human beings, carried the spark of Creator’s divinity within them.

  Still holding Anak’s stare, Ashta crouched down to the earth. The fire of passion awoke within Anak as he looked at his twin. There, bent down over the ground, coiled like an animal in its prime, Ashta looked fiercely attractive. She was fully in her power, and she could be no more beautiful to Anak.

  Her eyes were crisp, clear, and intensely focused on him. Anak boldly met the stare of a lioness with a ferocity of his own. From a crouch that precedes a pounce, Ashta took in the smell of the wet earth, animal-like in her capturing of the scent. Then, with perfect grace, she stood, walked two steps, and jumped in the canoe.

  She did not hesitate. She closed the short distance between her and Anak. She pulled him to her and pressed her lips to his. Tongues entwined, bodies entangled, and the fire mounted. Then there was the need to feel each other more, growing hungrily with each passing moment. They yearned to touch more, to feel more, to know more, and to be as connected as they possibly could.

  So there, floating on the water of their beloved river, they forgot the world and their mission. They carved out a brief reprieve from duty and time. They joined in the perfect way Creator made for man and woman to come together, echoing, in this physical culmination, the longing of one heart to give itself fully to another.

  In those blinding moments of the present, Ashta and Anak knew each other; they knew magic, and they knew the power of love. The world too would know the power of their love. The full potential of their destinies had only just been awakened. It was now in motion. There was perhaps nothing that could stop it now, although there would be those forces that would do everything within their power to try.

  Their crossing of the river was uneventful. It did not take the twins long to get into a rhythm of synchronized motion. Row three times to the left, three times to the right, and then again. They alternated sides, heading straight across the water to the other shore. The canoe glided, the river relatively tranquil now. The sun glittered and skipped across the water’s surface.

  When they finally reached the mainland, the sun was edging the horizon ahead of them, and Ashta’s shoulders were sore. Arnaka was barely visible above the bobbing water levels of the River Haakal. The twins dragged the boat onto shore and found a partially concealed spot to leave it. They trusted that a mode of transportation would provide itself for them upon their return, but still, there was no reason to leave the boat conspicuously on the riverbank for just anyone to take it. If someone had a righteous need for the canoe, she would be led to it.

  They decided to rest for the night. It had been a challenging day, beginning with the death of Master Tahn and the ceremony to honor his spirit. Then, seeing Master Sina awake but unsure of who she was and leaving the temple community they cared about in potential danger had been difficult for them.

  They had already traveled quite a distance and were emotionally and physically exhausted. They spread Anak’s blanket on the shore, right next to the water, mindful only of the rising tides. They pulled out some of their food supplies and ate while they watched the sun set. As soon as the stars came out, the twins nestled together on their makeshift bed and covered themselves with Ashta’s blanket. Their swords lay within arm’s reach.

  Ashta lay on her side with Anak curled around her. The gentle lull of the water pulled them easily into a deep sleep. They were blessed with tranquil dreams free of the threats of darkness. But while they slept, Master Tahn’s murderer hunted Master Kaanra.

  Aware now of a fragment of Dann’s final
prophecy, the dark illusionist suspected that Kaanra searched for the doman—the object of power the dark sorcerer knew little about. As if his overlord’s whip pursued him, the man with a dark void in place of a heart was driven to stop Kaanra before he could discover the doman. It was imperative that he find the doman if the dark side was to have victory.

  And so, the dark illusionist left Ashta and Anak alone. He did not know the twins played a critical part in Dann’s prophecies and that, without them, Kaanra could do nothing with the doman once he found it. The twins were allowed to sleep in peace, joined together in the dream world, their swords unused.

  13 The Road Less Traveled

  Elena and Marco chewed pensively on pears while they observed the sun highlight the mountains in patterns of light and shadow. The fruit was exquisitely ripe. A trickle of juice escaped Elena’s hold to slide down her forearm. Marco wondered worriedly if there was something interfering with his ability to climb the pyramid. He had tried to visit it many times before meeting Elena, but something had always intervened. His sudden and violent illness of the day before was particularly troubling. An Italian sense of superstition threatened to influence Marco, who knew better.

  It was bizarre and oddly coincidental, if that’s all it was. Marco was healthy and strong, and the hike should have been easy for him. Certainly, he should not have been dripping perspiration and vomiting with glazed eyes.

  Elena couldn’t decide what to say to allay his fears. Empty words were a distraction that often caused more harm than good, so she kept quiet. But she knew in her heart that Marco would be able to reach the pyramid. If there was power within it, then Marco would be able to converge with this power. He was pure in his heart, wanting to fulfill his divine purpose in life. Elena was certain his good intentions and his determination would be sufficient to break through whatever obstacle stood between him and the pyramid.

  Unknowingly, Elena had unearthed the problem. In the end, Marco would discover it was only his fear that he would fail to fulfill his divine mission on earth that kept him from reaching the pyramid the many times he tried. His subconscious mind, contorted in its efforts, prevented the risk of failure by avoiding the pyramid all together. But in its misguided attempts to shield him in this way, Marco’s system of self-defense harmed him instead. Keeping a man from his divine purpose was akin to strangling his soul, dimming the spark in his eyes.

  Marco possessed the strength and depth of wisdom to shed light on the intent of his unconscious self. It was only through this understanding that he would finally be able to climb the pyramid; only then could he approach his divine destiny.

  As Elena and Marco left their campsite that morning, they were reminded of the value of their divine destiny, of how great their contribution to humanity could be. When they stepped through Willem’s protective bubble of light, they were pulled to another lifetime. It was only an instant, but it was enough.

  Their bodies rippled, distorting like holograms, showing how illusory their human shells truly were. It was just as when they walked through the shield Area and Arien constructed around the campsite in their lifetimes as Ashta and Anak. The soul essence from different incarnations touched itself in that shared experience, and the ripple of light translated into a ripple in time. It was electrifying.

  To give Marco time to recover his strength, Elena and Marco decided to explore the area around the pyramid instead of attempting to climb it again. While Marco drove toward it, Elena looked out the window. A soft wind blew, rustling the stalks of different crops, making everything shimmer in the dancing sunlight. The sky was clear and bright blue, the day already hot.

  Once they passed the last of the small towns, Marco turned down a different dirt road than the one they had taken the day before. They drove with the windows down to breathe in the scent of the sage bushes that lined the car on both sides. Elena had never seen so much sage growing in one place before. The fragrance wafted pleasantly into the car while a trail of dirt billowed behind it.

  They drove until the road narrowed and grew rougher, covered in overgrown weeds. It was clear that few ever ventured further, but Elena and Marco were the sort to take the road less traveled. They parked the car on the side of the road, and they continued by foot. Before long, the road turned into a winding path.

  Eventually, the trail dissipated into an expanse of flat rock with sparse ground cover. It reminded Elena of the mountains in Sedona with its red color and barrenness. They climbed the incline until they reached the top of the hill where trees reappeared. Marco extended his hand to help Elena up the last steep step, and then they both smiled broadly. Without planning it, they had hiked to the ideal vantage point to view the pyramid!

  They took off their packs, fanned their sweaty shirts away from their backs, and discovered what looked very much like a seat nature scooped out of the rock right behind them. Mother Nature provided beautifully; the seat looked out on a panoramic vista of the pyramid and the surrounding mountains.

  They lowered themselves into the seat. They nestled against each other, their backs and necks supported by the rock, their feet elevated comfortably as if on a footstool. It was a happy moment. An expanse of juniper trees, sage bushes, and brown and terracotta-colored desert spanned before them. The pyramid crowned the scenery.

  “It is a breathtaking view,” said Marco.

  “Aho.”

  Were she not already sitting, Elena would have faltered and stumbled in surprise at the voice that rose up from below. It was a deep yet melodic voice, and Elena had heard it before.

  “This is incredible,” Elena said. She and Marco stood on a ledge just below where they had been sitting, at the mouth of a shallow cave. It had the same amazing view, and it was shaded from the heat of the sun—a very important attribute for this climate. A stone fire pit had blackened the cave’s ceiling with its many fires. Some provisions and blankets lined the walls of the cave. The man’s makeshift home was orderly and clean.

  Elena noticed a sliver of smoke rising and encircling the man. It created the effect of other-worldliness. An abalone shell with sage burning slowly in it was responsible. He was a man of measured words. He spoke only when he had something of value to contribute. His father taught him it was preferable to speak thoughtfully, taking time to deliberate, than to fill space out of a sense of politeness.

  The man nodded in response to Elena’s admiration. He had chosen this spot because of its view of the pyramid. He liked to be reminded of the way of the ancients; he mostly thought them wiser than his contemporaries.

  “Thank you for helping me yesterday morning. I appreciate that.” Barely back in her body when the man left, Elena had not expressed her gratitude for his help in disconnecting from Coyote’s consciousness.

  The man nodded his acknowledgment again. It had taken him all of one day to traverse the distance between where he sat now and where Marco had made camp the previous night, crossing crop fields and desert on foot. He had slept in the open the night before to be able to aid Elena the next morning at dawn. After helping her, it had taken all of yesterday to walk back, but he returned in time to sleep the night in his cave dwelling.

  The man knew the couple had no idea how much effort he had invested to help Elena, but he preferred it that way. His father had taught him to act honorably because it was the right thing to do, not for praise or reward. The man foresaw Elena’s need in a dream. The dream was vivid and its message clear: he was to help this woman who was still learning about merging with another’s consciousness. Although the man didn’t know why Elena was valuable to humanity at large, he knew it was important to answer his messages and callings. Upon waking, he set off.

  Afterwards, while resting near Elena and Marco’s campsite, the man heard Coyote’s lonely call. He knew then that Coyote was the one that would merge with the woman. His last thoughts before sleep were of wonderment. What lesson would Coyote present to this woman? In the legends his father taught him, coyote was a mischievous trickster
. Would Coyote teach the woman through illusion, presenting one thing as a way to teach another, or was Coyote too solitary and wise in the ways of the world to share anything but truth?

  Now, the man understood there was likely a reason this man and woman were at his home; he knew better than to believe their showing up like this was a coincidence. They could learn from his ways—traditions from a long line of generations—but perhaps they were there to teach him something as well. He ruminated.

  In the long silence while the man stared off toward the pyramid, Elena began to worry they were intruding on him. Perhaps it would be better if they left him alone. “Well, thanks again. We won’t disturb you any longer,” Elena said politely and with a smile.

  The man muttered to himself while shaking his head—people and their assumptions. The woman chose to interpret his silence, and she did so incorrectly.

  He surprised Elena by saying, “Sit.” And when they had, “I am Sitting Bear.”

  And so Elena and Marco completed their second introduction with a mysterious man appearing out of nowhere.

  14 The Gap Between Then and Now

  Bird songs nudged Ashta and Anak awake in the predawn. They lay on their blanket enjoying nature’s early sounds until the sun peaked above the horizon. Anak sat while Ashta did not, and, together, they gazed into the sun until it grew too bright for their eyes. The sun held magic within it; it gave life to the planet.

  Charged and energized by the sun, the twins packed up their blankets and filled their canteens in the river. Ready to move on, they sat on the riverbank, legs crossed in front of them, and faced the sun once more. This time, their eyes remained closed.