

The Chronicles of Han Storm

Creata Adventure

#  Preserving Creata, Part 2 - Higher Education

www.chroniclesofhan.com

Copyright © H Gibson 2009-2018

Revised Edition (Split into individual Parts) 2018

Preserving Creata Book 1, Part 1-7 Printed ISBN: 978-0-9921928-0-8

Preserving Creata Book 1, Part 1-7 Electronic ISBN: 978-0-9921928-1-5

978-1-928471-03-5 Chronicles of Han: Preserving Creata: Part 2 eBook

29,950 words - Approximately 3,5 hours of entertainment

This is the Smashwords edition.

Preserving Creata, Part 2 - Higher Education

Note about this book:

 Other books in the Chronicles of Han Series:

Legal Responsibility:

Living a Multi-dimensional Life

Part 2 - Higher Education

*** One ***

*** Two ***

*** Three ***

*** Four ***

*** Five ***

*** Six ***

*** Seven ***

*** Eight ***

*** Nine ***

*** Ten ***

*** Eleven ***

*** Twelve ***

*** Thirteen ***

About H Gibson

#  Note about this book:

Back in 2008 when I sat down in front of the laptop for physiotherapy to 3rd degree burn scarring to both my hands, I had no idea where to start. "Where shall we start?" I tentatively wrote and a floodgate opened. Many books have seen the light since then, each one better written than the previous. Every time I want to come back to 'fix' this book, readers encourage me to 'just leave it' and rather write the next book. Please also note that the book has been translated into English and is my past life recollection. More information available on my website.

#  Other books in the Chronicles of Han Series:

Creata Adventure:

Preserving Creata: Part 1: Learning Curve

Preserving Creata: Part 2: Higher Education

Preserving Creata: Part 3: Progress

Preserving Creata: Part 4: Regeneration

Preserving Creata: Part 5: Final Keys

Preserving Creata: Part 6: Transformation

Preserving Creata: Part 7: Culmination

Preserving Creata (Book 1: Part 1-7 Original Compilation)

Reclaiming of Duback (Book 2: Part 8 Original)

Taming Encha (Book 3: Part 9-10 Original Compilation)

Sovereign Dōhr (Part 11)

Leilaka Adventure:

Leilaka #1

Saving Leilaka #2

Behind the Scenes Blog Booklet

#  Legal Responsibility:

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with the legal copyright laws protecting the Author's work.

We reserve the right to edit comments before publishing them on the website.

No correspondence will be engaged upon other than for sales and marketing purposes.

H Gibson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. This right has been asserted by the author in accordance with the copyright, designs and patents Act. All rights reserved. No part of this publication, including the Chronicles of Han Emblem, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hire out or otherwise circulated without the copyright owner's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

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www.chroniclesofhan.com

#  Living a Multi-dimensional Life

Where shall we start? Out of the many lives I've lived in the physical realm, which life memory should I recall? I guess the best one should be the latest adventures that started on a Planet called Creata.

Creata can be found in a dimension parallel to what you call Earth, and is very similar to Earth.

I am Han, and this is my life-memory . . .

After the devastating Wars of the Universes, and the closing of the Transport and Planetary Portals, a Bedtime story was told to children about a person that would be born that would change the way we knew life on Creata.

In the beginning, some people imagined that the story was created to give parents and their children hope at better things, or maybe they wished for the kind of life that their ancestors had enjoyed.

The story led that, when the time was right, and the peoples were re-opened with the knowledge of the Higher Worlds, The One would return to open the Portals, and Creata, Place of Wealth, would become prosperous once more.

As the years passed and generation after generation related this story to their children and their children's children, it passed into Legend.

Some Clans built their new lives around this Legend.

Others moved to believe it still a bedtime story . . .

Creata reverted back to a Planetary Governing Body. The residing Clans were left to decide for themselves where they wanted to take their peoples. Some were capitalists and opted to stay in the Cities and use the technology still available after the Wars.

Some Clans decided it best for their people to revert back to basics, and some gave their people the option of both worlds.

Yet, all had to pay allegiance to the Planetary Government.

#  Part 2 - Higher Education

After the murder of Tucker, Han Storm's Partner and Handler, it was decided best to remove Han from the city of New Haven to protect his life.

Daniel Racewater was tasked in making Han disappear for a while until Operations could mop up the remnants of the drug lords.

##  *** One ***

We took Mountain Drive out of New Haven.

Racewater did not interrupt my thoughts while I gave my full attention to the scenery. I have never been further than the look-out areas on top of the mountain and this drive definitely gave my mind a reprieve from Tucker's invasive memories.

After passing through the slums, we drove northwest into one of the passes that gave New Haven access to the outside world. It was an incredible climb with a beautiful view of New Haven spread out from just below the rim of the mountains to the sea.

Crossing the ridge of the mountain, we came to a forest of majestically tall trees, seemingly holding up the sky. Winding our way through the forest, we drove deeper into the mountain range.

The monotonous view quickly became boring, allowing Tucker's memories to enter my otherwise idle brain again. I allowed the memories to come without any resistance, actively concentrating on the visions it brought forth . . .

Tucker had accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge about Creata, its people, history, moments of despair or triumph; the things that only experience can teach.

There were sections on psychic phenomena too, allowing me to finally understand why Tucker could accept so many things without scepticism . . .

The trees were flitting by like ethereal ghosts before I realized that it was becoming dark.

I stretched my legs as best I could in the cramped space of the vehicle, upon which Racewater slowed down, guiding the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road.

We exited stiffly.

I walked to the edge of the forest while Racewater retrieved the refreshments from the back seat.

Stretching my arms towards the darkening sky, I expanded my senses, breathing in the environment.

It had a familiar earthy smell. New growth and old decay combined to guarantee the on-going cycle of life on this Planet. Hearing the tiny creatures of the forest rushing around in their endless worlds of survival, I expanded my aura to incorporate more of it, to experience this part of the forest with every cell of my body . . .

I became the small trees pushing their way through the soil, the large giants crashing down, their roots decayed by fungus.

One wild creature killed another.

The satisfaction of a successful hunt enthralled me.

The knowledge that I was now part of the food chain filled me with joy.

I was fascinated and captured within this experience; a part of a living, breathing organism much bigger than myself.

The sensory input was threatening to overwhelm me . . .

Racewater grabbed my arm, twisting me around to face him.

Crashing back into myself, I sat down heavily on the grassy verge, breathing hard, sweat running down my temples and back.

"Can you just, for once, stay with me for a little while!" Racewater snapped, pushing a cup of coffee into my hands.

"Drink!" he ordered.

I did.

It was very good, loaded with sugar, just how I liked it.

I kept Racewater under close surveillance while he handed me a sandwich, missing the fatherly consideration Tucker would have shown in this instance.

He squatted next to me where I was nibbling on the bread.

"I want you to drive," he told me. "It will keep your attention on this plane of existence."

He took out a map, spreading it on the ground between us before switching on a flashlight.

Pointing to a place on the map he continued, "from here you stay on this road until you leave the forests. We will be starting to go down the side of the mountains soon, so mind how and where you drive. I need some sleep. Wake me when you reach the first crossroads. It should not take more than four hours to reach."

After replacing the map and our gear, he handed me the keys and settled into the passenger seat. I dutifully slipped behind the wheel, allowing Racewater the rest he needed.

Driving had the required effect of keeping my attention on the physical environment as I had to concentrate intensely on the narrow, steep and winding road.

Luckily, Racewater's vehicle responded splendidly to everything I asked it to do, turning out to be a real pleasure to drive.

When reaching our desired destination, I pulled over and woke Racewater. He was sleeping deeply and only woke after the third prod.

"Follow this road to the second intersection. Turn East and head for a town called Breakheads. Wake me when we get there," he mumbled, before drifting back to sleep.

Executing my orders, I resumed our interrupted travel.

The trees were replaced by dry, ground-hugging bushes, sand and rocks. It was a long, dusty, dark drive through the desert.

I was becoming sleepy and had to correct the vehicle several times before I became aware of a soft, familiar pulsing in my head.

Finally recognizing that Sensaii was trying to communicate with me, I gave him my attention.

*You need someone to drive for you,* he told me.

*How?* I asked, open to suggestions.

*I have someone here that is an excellent driver,* Sensaii explained. *If you allow him to overlap and temporarily take control over your body, you could rest while he drives.*

Feeling apprehensive at this suggestion, I did not agree right away. This called for a total relinquishing of control of my body to someone else.

*I would not be in control any longer,* I raised my concern.

*When have you ever been in control of your life anyway?* Sensaii remarked.

' _Good point!'_ I thought privately to myself.

*Okay, let us try this,* I gave my permission.

I was still nervous but calmed myself while relaxing my body.

A presence came upon my body that was not me. I did not have to step out or leave my body.

The spirit introduced himself as Carlo and I had a brief flash of the life of a race-driver.

Feeling strength return to my tired limbs, my eyes sharpened on the dark road ahead of me. My jaw slackened somewhat and the features of my face altered slightly.

Relaxing the active, mental part of myself, I could enjoy the new sensations of freedom and heightened control Carlo's presence brought to my body.

We picked up speed in a frighteningly short period of time and raced across the desert as fast as Racewater's vehicle could go without sliding off the road.

This mundane task turned into a most exhilarating drive.

We flashed past an intersecting road and did not slow down much when we came to the next crossing, making the right-hand turn in a well controlled drift of gravel that woke Racewater.

"Just what are you trying to do?" he yelled. "Kill us? Stop this car!"

Darn, just when I was really starting to enjoy myself!

We pulled over with Carlo's presence starting to fade.

*Thank you for giving me this cherished opportunity,* he told me. *Few people will relinquish total control and trust me with their bodies. Call upon my services again when needed.*

By the time the vehicle came to a complete stop Carlo was gone and I was suddenly dead tired.

Racewater came around the car looking surprised to see us past the turnoff.

Sliding over to the passenger side, I secured the restrainer straps in place and was sound asleep before Racewater started driving again.

##  *** Two ***

Racewater poked me awake. The sun was already pushing its head over the peaks of the mountains allowing the desert to bloom in shades of purple, red and orange.

We were at a small airstrip where a small twin propeller aircraft was standing ready for take-off. I assumed this was Breakheads' airstrip but could not see any sign of a town nearby.

Racewater seemed to be in a hurry and we quickly retrieved our bags from the vehicle before walking over to the tiny aircraft.

The pilot was finishing his final checks while we climbed into the plane. Racewater took the seat beside the pilot. I settled on the jump seat next to our bags after the door was secured.

The take-off went smooth and we were flying in a Northerly direction when I suddenly realized that my premonition of physical flying had come true.

This was quite exciting and I busied myself with the scenery below. The desert ended abruptly in small gullies filled with brush. Then the ground shot up into tree-covered mountains again.

I was unable to follow the conversation between Racewater and the similarly dark-skinned pilot as they were conversing in a language I did not understand and had never heard before.

Intrigued, I wondered why they should want to exclude me from their conversation.

*Is there any way in which I could gain knowledge about the language they are speaking?* I asked Sensaii, counting on him to come up with a solution to the language barrier.

*Yes, request a Download.*

He made it sound so logical.

*How do I do that?* I wanted to know, encouraging him to explain.

*Connect to Creata's information files and dip into the knowledge of the language section.*

Relaxing my cramped body, I allowed everything to go limp and sagging. I felt myself leave, as if in deep meditation, but was still well aware of my body. I sensed, more than experienced, the connection with Creata's recordings.

A tingle, similar to a mild electric shock, rushed through my body. Golden light poured into the top of my head, followed by a sudden sensation of saturation.

My body felt heavy.

As my physical senses returned to normal, I expectantly listened to the two men in the front of the aircraft.

At first, I only heard the same strange language, but then, gradually, I caught the meaning of a word here and there. And in a very short period I could understand them.

This was so great!

The Pilot was speaking. "You said you are taking him to Ma-Mara. Do you think she will be able to help him?"

"She is the oldest and wisest of the Clan. If there is anyone that knows what to do, it would be her," Racewater answered.

"Dan, do you think he would be safe amongst our people? You do not think that those scum from New Haven would follow all the way out to the Northern Territories?"

"No. I am positive Han was only a local threat," Racewater replied. "My greatest concern is that, through the involvement of the underworld, he was noticed by the Government."

"You also mentioned that the young doctor had never come across anyone like him."

"Yes, Panam is of the conviction that Han is destined for great things. Not just to do what he has done so far for one single city."

"I have the same feeling about him," the pilot confirmed. "Do you think he is the one we have all been waiting for?"

Racewater sighed.

"I honestly do not know. Everything points to it, exactly as the teachings say; that his body would be mature before he would receive his powers. And get this, he opened up completely within two days!"

The Pilot whistled softly, then continued, "and you are the Clans-man that found him, as foretold at your coming of age.

I am sorry to say, but everything does point in that direction.

Look at it.

You, the chosen one, are returning him to the Elders in order for him to receive his physical memories. Is that not exactly what is happening now, just as in the Legend?"

"It is too obvious a co-incidence," Racewater agreed.

"And now, circumstance is forcing you to take him home, to the only person we know that can help him overcome his Handler's death. Are you not glad it is out of your hands?" the pilot wanted to know from Racewater.

"Yes, I am extremely relieved that it is not for me to determine if he really is the One in the Legend."

They were quiet for a while.

I was feeling upset with what they had discussed. I knew I was different, but so are all psychics. It is not that I was much different from other psychics. As far as I knew, I basically experienced the same sort of things they did.

*Not so,* intruded Sensaii.

*Explain?*

*You have chosen a different path for yourself and entities are picking up on it. That is why you receive help and concern and loyalty. Everyone wants to be part of something.

_You are something_!

Although your path is yet to be revealed to you, individuals are attracted to you for that very reason.*

*Destiny? I am where I am supposed to be? . . . Nothing is co-incidence, and all that nonsense, is it?* I could sense my thoughts dripping with sarcasm.

*It takes careful pushing and prodding and sometimes the Universe still does not manage to get everyone to play along,* Sensaii responded.

*Consequently, our lives are but a game for you on the Other Side?* I asked, knowing that I was being stubborn.

*Far from it,* Sensaii replied. There was no disappointment coming through the communication. *The 'game' as you put it, was decided before you came here,* he explained. *We must remind you of the rules you created for yourselves.*

*I thought I was not in control?! So am I, or aren't I?* I was getting irritated.

*Neither,* Sensaii answered patiently. *Day to day decisions are yours to make. The bigger picture was decided and planned beforehand. The Stage is set, you are part of the plan and have volunteered for this particular part.*

*Great!* It was meant to ooze with sarcasm. *It does not feel as though I am very successful at playing my 'part'.*

*Actually, you are progressing exceptionally well,* Sensaii told me, a hint of pride noticeable through our telepathic link. *You take a lot of things for granted, knowing what to do, and not worrying about the why's and how's as long as the outcome is satisfactory.*

I decided to change the subject. This was confusing me greatly. I needed time to assimilate all these things.

*Who is this Ma-Mara?* I wanted to know from him.

*She is, what her Clan calls, their local medicine woman and healer. She works mainly with herbal remedies and energy healing, but is extremely connected to the Other Side. She will help you open up to many more things.*

The Other Side.

I thought upon this.

This was the place were our spirits resided when not connected to a body. This was the place were we really existed.

The Other Side consisted of many planes of existence and dimensions. I was familiar with quite a few places there and could find my way around successfully, while still being connected to my body.

Racewater was trying to speak to me so I focused my thoughts and gave him my attention. He spoke in the usual Creatan language.

"We are going to refuel in a little while. We will freshen up and have some food before the last stretch home."

We were flying over high, sinister looking mountains devoid of vegetation on the summits. As we started down into a narrow canyon, a few buildings were visible, nestled between the trees at one end of a clearing I assumed doubled as the landing strip.

The pilot was highly skilled and made the landing seem effortless. He taxied over to a huge metal structure hidden beneath giant trees. It was probably the aircraft hanger.

As we all excited, I thought it interesting that I had never heard Racewater called by his first name until now. It seemed an out of place observation.

"We will see you at the diner then?" Racewater asked the Pilot.

"Yes, I am refuelling quickly and will join you shortly," he replied.

Racewater led me to a log building with a sign informing us that we would now be entering the Lone Wolf Diner. It was past the breakfast hour and there were only a few people inside.

A wrinkled old lady with very dark skin looked up as we came in. A huge smile spread across her face as she rushed around the corner of the serving counter and into Racewater's arms.

She spoke the same Clan language that Racewater and the Pilot used.

"I am so glad you came to visit. It has been too long. We missed you so much."

Racewater gave her a huge hug before releasing her.

She led us to a bunk seat near the entrance to the kitchen and continued through to the back.

Racewater sat down, indicating to me to sit opposite him. There were no menus on this table so it was probably reserved for friends and family members.

An old man stuck his head around the entrance, flashed a set of teeth at Racewater and disappeared again.

The lady returned with three mugs of scalding hot coffee. Racewater passed one to me and placed the other directly opposite him.

"Food's coming soon," the old lady said to both of us in Creatan.

Sipping some coffee, I unobtrusively expanded my senses to take things in on a different level. Racewater's uppermost thoughts were betraying him. This was his aunt and uncle's place.

I moved my concentration outside.

There were about forty of so individuals living and working in this little town of Lone Wolf. Most of the people were from Racewater's Clan.

Breakfast smelt great, making me return my expanded senses quickly to the immediate surroundings.

The old man brought the plates out himself. He and the Pilot reached the table at the same time.

"Good day to you, Peetra," Ray greeted.

"And good fortune to you too, Ray," replied the old man.

Peetra placed thick pancakes, covered with molasses, honey and butter in front of us.

Racewater's uncle took a seat next to Racewater and I moved over to give Ray space next to me. The old man stared unashamedly at me and I felt so uncomfortable that I almost dropped my fork from nervousness.

Addressing Racewater in the Clan language he asked, "Is this the boy you are taking to see Ma-Mara?"

Racewater nodded in the affirmative, his jaws occupied with his food.

"He does not look like someone who is going to change the world," Peetra told Racewater.

It was a statement.

Flat. Serious. An honest opinion.

Racewater stared at his Uncle.

The old man stood up. "I am glad you are back, even if it is only for a short time."

He returned to the kitchen with me staring at his retreating back in shock.

My appetite was lost as nausea assaulted me. Pushing the food away from me, I politely asked Ray to excuse me from the booth, which he promptly did.

It must have looked as if I was going to be sick on him.

I made my way to the refreshment room, locking myself in one of the cubicles.

Shaking, feeling hot and ice-cold simultaneously, I closed my eyes, trying to get a grip on myself. Sweat was pouring from me, damp spots appearing on my clothes.

All of a sudden, a woman appeared in front of me.

My thoroughly uncomfortable body was forgotten as realization of being within a vision set in.

The woman was beautiful, her long hair shimmering like a crow's feathers.

Allowing the vision to develop, I followed her to a cave deep in the mountains where she asked me to sit by her fire. Here she changed into a very old woman that smiled reassuringly at me.

*I am waiting Han. I have been waiting for a very long time. You are finally here. Come to me. You have seen the way.*

I returned from the short vision, cold and still nauseous.

At least the shakes had stopped. My body and hair was soaked with my own sweat.

After washing my face at the sink, I dunked my head under the tap to try and manage my unruly mop.

It was only after starting to look for a towel that I realized there was none, so I had to settle for what was available.

Racewater came in while I was drying myself with my jacket.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"I was hot!" I replied equally harshly.

I wished for Tucker's instinctive understanding. Boy, did I miss him. It made my heart ache all over again.

Racewater placed his hand on my forehead.

"You are cool now," he commented.

He touched my wrists, carefully avoiding my hands.

"Han. Please? What happened?" he asked more gently.

"I had a vision; that is all. I will be okay now," I replied.

I could not yet share my visions with Racewater in the same manner I could with Tucker. Turning to the mirror, I combed my wet hair with my fingers before replacing my damp jacket.

Racewater led the way back to the booth where Ray stood up to make space for me, looking over at Racewater who shrugged his shoulders before sitting down.

I started picking at my food.

"What happened?" Ray asked, again excluding me from the conversation by using the Clan language.

Rage enveloped me.

"Please tell me which language you prefer so I can try and keep my head straight!" I blurted out in Clan.

Racewater seemed to have a light-bulb moment.

"You understand us. You understood what Peetra said about you," he stated, wiping his hand over his face.

"My sincere apologies. I did not know you could speak our Clan. When did you know?" he stated, sounding sincere enough.

"About your language?" I asked, not exactly sure what he was referring to. "In the aircraft. Not at first. It took a while, but I opened up and I was not aware that it included being able to speak it as well."

Racewater stared incredulously at me. We were definitely not on the same wavelength.

"Han, do you understand the last comment Peetra made?" he asked.

"Oh! Of that I do not know. You all seem to know more than I do, please explain?" Most embarrassing and confusing for me.

"It is only legends and teachings passed on through the ages. Ma-Mara will tell you herself," Ray commented.

"I am sure you will receive a full explanation from her," Racewater concluded.

I sat thinking about it for a few seconds, allowing the information to be absorbed by my mind. They were not going to tell me anything further, no matter what I did, or so it seemed from the finality of their words.

Staring at the food on my plate, I realized I was still not hungry, nor would I be able to stomach the food if I was. I did manage to finish the coffee.

We all left in an uncomfortable silence that continued during and after take-off.

It seemed that there were things the two older men wanted to discuss without me overhearing them.

"Racewater, would it be alright if I sleep a while?" I finally broke the prolonging silence.

Dan looked at Ray who nodded his approval.

"If you want to try lying down that would be okay too," Ray replied.

I took the communication set off my ears; the droning of the engines overwhelmingly loud. Lying down, I curled up like a dog making as if I had fallen asleep by deepening my breathing.

A few minutes elapsed before I heard Racewater turning in his seat.

"He looks asleep," he told Ray before turning forward, settling himself into a more comfortable position.

"I really, really do not know how to deal with this situation," Racewater confessed to Ray. "I did not even have siblings. I have no experience with someone needing special care and attention. I do not even _like_ Storm. Now I am asked to handle him around the clock. To be frank, he scares me."

Wow! What a revelation. Small wonder Racewater treated me so coldly.

For his information, the feeling was mutual.

"It does not matter whether you like him or not," Ray replied. "Not all people are compatible, yet they make things work out.

Do you believe him to be the one spoken about in the Legend? The one that will change everything we know? _That_ is what you need to ask yourself."

"And what difference would that make in my feelings towards him?" Racewater demanded stubbornly.

"If he is the one we are hoping for," Ray stated, "then you should have respect for him. You shall be partners. Sometimes even partners cannot stand each other, but they still compliment each other in their respective fields."

Each person retired to their own thoughts.

I did not know what to think about this Destiny thing. Tucker said I should follow it. Sensaii and the Universe were herding me in the direction and position they wanted me. Somewhere, an old/young woman was waiting for me in a cave.

The engines' humming and the vibration of the aircraft were so soothing that I actually did drop off into sleep.

##  *** Three ***

I dreamt that I was standing in front of an oval gate located in the middle of a desert. It was an odd place to place a gate as it led to no-where.

A raised platform was situated near the gate.

This intrigued me and I walked over to the platform to inspect if from up close.

Upon the platform was a dial looking similar to a sundial with figures and numbers engraved around the edges.

Laying down on this platform next to the dial, I closed my eyes.

I knew I was dreaming.

I knew I was going to sleep in my dream.

It was so weird.

I dreamt a dream in my dream . . .

I dreamt of numbers and figures spinning and combining to make three rows of numbers and letters combined.

The sequences kept on changing and I could not pin any one down long enough to follow it.

I was drenched in sweat in my dream and woke myself up from this nightmare. I woke up from my dream's dream and returned to the platform near the gate.

Sitting up, I stared at the gate that now had a solid interior and I could no longer see through it.

I stood up from the platform and walked right around the gate, inspecting it from top to bottom.

A cold-looking substance inside the gate prevented entry to where-ever, stirring knowledge at the back of my mind.

Was this a physical portal? A transportation device to step from one place to another? A _DOOR_ to another 'place'?

After this thorough inspection I returned to the platform with the dial.

This could be an address dial. If I could set the dial, I could go places.

How very exciting!

My eternal curiosity would finally be satisfied.

I tried to move the dial, but my hand went right through it.

I tried again.

The platform was a hologram and I could not touch it, yet a moment ago I had dreamt I had a dream on it.

I dreamt!

This was still a bizarre dream, yet it felt so real.

Who could tell, even my visions seemed real to me.

This instance I knew for sure that my body was asleep in an aircraft over some very nasty looking mountains.

Unable to touch the dial, I returned to the gate where the substance in the middle had started shimmering like water in a gentle pond. It was not entirely flat, but not wavy either.

It drew me to it like a magnet. Reaching out with my right hand, I touched it with my fingertips.

The substance stuck to my fingers.

I pulled back to release myself, but the substance refused to release me, instead the goo started creeping over my hand, gripping me securely in its icy clasp.

I panicked.

_'It's just a dream!'_ my brain shouted.

"I know!" I shouted back.

It did not help release the cold sensation steadily creeping up my arm.

"Wake up!"

I pulled back harder but it did not want to release me, pulling me steadily towards its dark depths.

I screamed as the cold substance engulfed my entire body . . .

Racewater was leaning out of his seat trying to hold me down.

"It's okay! You were dreaming! You were having a nightmare!"

I stopped fighting.

Recognition returned to my senses.

My throat felt swollen and raw.

Settling back onto my seat, I vowed never to sleep again.

Racewater offered me a bottle of water.

"Drink some. You will feel better," he encouraged.

He handed me the small container filled with bitter liquid.

"One swallow, it's all I ask. The healers swear by it."

I took a swallow.

The bitter liquid burnt all the way down to my stomach.

It worked better than the commercial drugs Panam sometimes provided me with.

As relief flushed through my body, I pulled my feet on top of the seat so I could rest my chin on my knees. We had been in the air for hours and I could not find a comfortable position. Hugging myself, I stared out of the window to the world becoming dark outside.

We were climbing again to fly over another high mountain range. The peaks were too high for our aircraft to fly over, so we had to detour around the highest ones. It was getting cold and it did not help that my clothes were still damp after the dream.

The smell of stress made me sick to my stomach. I would really enjoy a bath when we land.

It was almost dark by the time we started our decent into yet another valley between the mountain peaks. We were much higher up than this morning. The landing was quite rough and we were jolted around inside the tiny cabin.

I was thankful when the aircraft finally came to a stop. I struggled to open the door and Racewater joined my efforts.

By the time we eventually had everyone safely on the ground, it was too dark to see anything except lights twinkling here and there between branches of trees or shrubs. At least there was a suggestion of life in this quiet place.

I followed Racewater to an all-terrain vehicle where he placed his bags on the back seat. I dumped mine on top of his and clambered into the passenger seat.

Racewater was facing Ray, quietly conversing so I could not hear what they said. I thought of expanding my senses, but immediately discarded the idea. I did not want to get involved in sensing everything in this area just yet. I needed rest, preferably not sleep. I needed to sort out my mind.

After taking his leave from Ray, Racewater slipped behind the wheel of the vehicle and we started off on a road I could barely make out. It was more a track than anything else, yet Racewater kept to it as if he had known it all his life.

Which he probably did.

Of course! He grew up in these mountains, so why should he not know these roads.

I must be exhausted to not even come to such logical conclusions. Silly me.

It was a very bumpy ride and I had to cling onto whatever hand and foothold I could find to stay inside the vehicle. Our bags quickly found their way to the floor.

It did not seem as if I was built for these bumpy rides. I was feeling ill again, but since I could not remember the last decent meal I had, there was no risk of messing up the vehicle.

Eventually, after crossing what felt like two mountain ranges, we came to another small, peaceful looking valley. It levelled out at one end with a river flowing alongside. I could see a few lights in what appeared to be cabins.

As we descended the slopes of the valley, I could see that the structures were proper houses but appeared small as they were dwarfed by their surroundings.

We stopped at the nearest cabin. It was pitch black by now.

Racewater got out and dug for his bags. He took them up to the porch and went into the cabin without hesitation.

I found my bag under the seat where it had lodged and was feeling my way up the stairs when a light came on inside the cabin. My hunch was right. It was made of logs.

The lamp cast a soft glow over the rough-cut log furniture. It was a man's place with no feminine touches anywhere, except for a huge, beautifully carved, seven-pointed star hanging above the fireplace.

There were a few rugs on the floor and an open-plan kitchen in one corner. A staircase in the other corner lead to a platform where the sleeping space probably was. I could not see a bathroom.

After closing the door behind me, I placed my bag next to Racewater's on the floor behind the couch.

"We will be staying here. Upstairs is the sleeping area. The bathroom is outside, just off the kitchen door. There should be food in the fridge. You can start supper if you wish.

I need to go see some people and I want you to stay right here. Do _not_ go anywhere. This is not a place for a City dweller. This is the wilds with wild animals and wilder people."

I nodded at him and waited where I was until he drove off downhill towards the other cabins.

This was going to be so much fun.

My first night in my new home and I was told to stay like a good puppy.

Okay. Maybe I should stay put physically, but no-one said I could not look around in spirit form.

Let us just get the body nice and comfortable.

I took my bag with me to the bathroom, which I found right next to the kitchen. The kitchen door actually opened into the bathroom!

The bathroom had two doors. My first thought was that the other door led outside, but when I peeked out that door, it led into a room filled with logs for the fireplace.

I could see another door at the end of the small room, the logs were stacked on either side of a barely adequate path left to access this door. That was probably the outside door as I did not investigate further.

Running water into the bath, I was somewhat surprised to find hot water on tap. When the water was ready, I slipped in and really allowed myself to relax by closing my eyes and making my mind blank.

It was heaven to be able to soak in the warm water.

I allowed my chin to touch my chest, feeling very far removed from all my anxieties . . .

Suddenly I was back on the beach at New Haven.

It was again late afternoon.

This was another vision.

I recognized it as such, but it did not make it any less real to me.

The boy's body was in the waves . . . It washed up onto the beach . . . I turned it over . . . The boy opened his eyes . . . A chill went through me.

*He will hunt you down. He knows who you are. He knows everything. He will hunt you down!* the voice whispered into my head. The eyes went blank . . . The spirit passed on . . . The message was given.

It felt as if I was drowning . . . I was under the ocean, struggling in the waves . . . I could not get my head above the water . . . I swallowed some . . . It started going into my lungs . . .

I coughed and splashed as I struggled to sit up out of the bath-water.

I was back.

I knew I was back in my own time.

_'I really hate these types of_ visions,' I thought to myself while shivering in the cold water.

It did not feel as if I was away for so long. I must have slept in the bath for some time.

Hurriedly scrubbing myself, I tried to keep my mind blank and concentrated only on what I was doing. After rinsing, I hopped out of the bath and drained it. I would worry about washing it tomorrow.

Or was it tomorrow already?

As I dressed, I quickly scanned for Racewater's energy.

He was down by the river in one of the cabins, surrounded by other people.

Quietly reaching out to his mind, I found him engaged in a reunion. Letting him be, I gently closed the connection.

Back in the kitchen I dug in the fridge. I was still not feeling hungry. Maybe my body just did not need the amounts of food it did at the beginning. I knew I had to eat something, so I boiled an egg and made myself some coffee.

I decided that the porch would be an ideal place to have dinner. Racewater had said not to leave the cabin. To me the cabin included the porch, thus I sat down on one of the chairs and finished my solitary meal.

A sliver of moon was rising behind one of the mountains, throwing a cold light over the world. Everything looked strange and daunting to me.

The hairs on my neck started to rise. There was something sniffing next to the cabin.

Pretending to be a statue, I listened to the sound while scolding myself that it was probably a dog.

The soft padding came around the porch; the outlines of a big dog visible in the scant moonlight.

The cabin door was closed, allowing no light to penetrate onto the porch, thus no quick retreat for me.

Not advancing onto the porch, the dog stared at me with strangely glinting eyes, sniffing the air between us.

*Hi. I'm new here,* I thought telepathically at it, hoping it would understand me. *I'm more afraid of you than you of me. So please leave.*

It was a mental plea for the animal to go away. I had very little to do with animals in New Haven and they made me nervous.

*You must come with me. She is waiting. The one you came here to see,* the animal informed me.

So surprised was I to receive a reply I almost dropped my empty mug!

*I am not allowed to leave this place. I will get into serious trouble,* I answered the dog, feeling ridiculous.

*You must come with me or she will send the bear. He is not as friendly as I,* the dog stated.

My first excursion into nature and I was already talking to a dog and being threatened by it, no less.

I made my decision, a dog above a bear any day.

Still, I could sense Ma-Mara all over this strange event.

Placing my mug on the floor, I very slowly went down the steps. I need not have been so careful as the dog trotted out in front of me, making its way towards the woods, away from the cabins. It briefly looked back to see if I was following.

I was not dressed for the cool evening air. I had felt feverish and did not put an overcoat over my shirt when I came out on the porch.

I soon realized that being barefoot was a mistake as well. At least I had long pants on.

Following the dog into the dark woods, I could barely make out the moving shadow in front of me.

The dog increased its pace, as if it was in a great hurry to get where it needed to go, forcing me to jog to keep it in sight.

The dog started to lope across the open areas in the woods, forcing me to run in order to keep up.

*Slow down!* I begged.

*No time,* came the answer.

Everything looked the same. I was hopelessly lost already, having no sense of direction until reaching a clearing where I had the opportunity to I quickly check the position of the moon. We had been running for about an hour or so. I was winded and had to slow down.

Tripping over a log, I sprawled into the brush.

I looked up into the face of the dog. Very slowly backing up on all fours, I managed to stand up. I was unhurt and the dog seemed to sense this, dashing off again. I had had my bit of a break and started after it with renewed efforts.

We were steadily climbing the side of the mountain, following a path that led slightly around and to the back of this outcropping.

When we reached another clearing I had was granted a panoramic view into the valley. It was a long way down; the lights of the cabins faint and flickering like fireflies through he dense trees.

By now I wished I had chosen the bear to come fetch me. At least it would not have set such a hasty pace. My bath was history by now.

Rounding the mountain outcropping, I stopped to take in the spectacular view. The moon was now high up, suffusing everything with its silvery light.

Mountains ran into more mountains. The mountain outcropping I was standing on was surrounded by valleys on three sides with a river snaking its way through the valleys.

I would have loved to experience all of it, but the dog was pressing me again, and besides, I did not have the strength left to travel physically as well as mentally.

The dog proceeded at a slower pace and I could keep up with a fast walk. We descended the far slope of the mountain for a short distance, coming to a ledge. We kept to this ledge until we reached another wooded area, passing through this at a much slower pace.

I was finally starting to get my breath back.

Eventually we came out into a small clearing. The dog stopped, sat down and watched me.

*Go ahead. She is waiting for you,* it told me.

I could not see anyone, but crossed the clearing and entered the forest on the other side. There was a clear pathway, dimly lit by the moon shining through the trees.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the dog was still sitting at the other side of the clearing, watching me intently with its haunting eyes.

Placing my attention on the moonlit path, I kept on walking and was greatly surprised to reach another small clearing right against the mountain. I was facing a darkened crevice in the mountain.

My vision in the diner!

This was the cave the old/young woman had brought me to in my vision.

This was it!

I carefully entered the dark entrance to the cave.

There was a flicker of light somewhere down the tunnel or passage forming the entrance to the cave. One could not see the source of the light from the entrance, as the passage made a turn to the right before opening into a large chamber.

The cavern turned out to be a comfortable home.

There was a platform at the back, partitioned with curtains of what looked like fur, forming what seemed to be a sleeping area.

Everything else was a jumble of stands, racks and shelves packed with pots, bushes and herbs. It was a regular store of everything a healer could need.

A fire was glowing in one corner. A chimney or similar structure surely took the smoke outside as the air was clear with only the pleasant fragrance of the burning wood permeating the area.

After winding my way through the jumble, I sat down at the fireplace in the same position I had seen in the vision, waiting expectantly.

When nothing mysterious happened, I turned to stare at the entrance to the cave.

The fluttering of wings made me jerk my head towards the sound.

"I hope you had an invigorating run. It is always better to get rest when the body is nice and tired."

The old woman of my vision stood next to the fire. Picking up a stick she prodded the coals, smiling at me with a naughty twinkling in her eye, the same twinkling that was in the dog's eyes.

Could it be?

"I read minds too," she continued, conversationally.

Darn! Now that is a neat trick.

"I should think so," she replied. "It does come in handy, especially if my subject is telepathic too."

_'I should stop thinking,'_ I thought at myself.

"I should think you should stop thinking, for a while at least."

Oh boy! I was not getting this right.

"Speak only what you want others to hear, child. Beware to keep your mind to yourself. Do not let your thoughts be open for all to read."

Easy for you to say.

She laughed. A rich, happy sound.

"You are funny. I have not had a good giggle for many a long year. We are going to have so much fun together."

She placed more wood on the fire, building it up to a pretty big blaze.

I was thankful, for I was starting to feel cold again.

"There is a jacket behind you. I thought you might be cold."

"Thank you," I told her, dressing into the fur coat.

Although smelling odd, like ozone, it was comfortable and warm.

Starting to thaw out, I inspected Ma-Mara. She was the oldest person I had ever seen. Yet, I saw her true self shimmering and overlapping her physical body.

Was she just presenting old age?

"To that question, the answer is yes."

Great, I really had to work on this thinking thing.

"We will work on it later. For now, just ask me whatever you wish."

She was preparing tea.

I was fascinated by the way in which she was going about it. I had never seen anyone make tea with more elegance.

"Thank you for the compliment."

_'Get a hold on yourself,'_ I urged myself, sitting up straight, taking a few deep breaths.

"Would you like to share why you portray old age, if your body is really still young?" I wanted to know.

"I have gained the knowledge of longevity many years ago," she replied. "I have learnt how to stop the aging process, but for pretence and comfort, I choose to portray the old body.

It makes things easier and stops all the questions. What would the Government do if they learnt that someone is a few hundred years old? They will prod and poke me until they found the secret, and then they would not believe it anyway."

"I know what you mean. They do that with people like me already."

"Then better be the legend than the guinea-pig," she commented.

Speaking of legends!

"When are you going to tell me about this legend that apparently involves me?" I wanted to know.

"When you have rested and restored your body," she answered.

She poured some of the tea for us. It had a lovely, fruity aroma. She did not offer sugar with it, so I took my cup from her without asking.

Taking a sip, the taste was vaguely familiar. It was made from some or other type of berry or berry bush that I could not place immediately.

I finished the tea while watching Ma-Mara reaching for a dish in what served as a small oven.

She sighed contentedly while placing the dish between us. Upon removing the lid, a broiled fowl was visible inside. Veggies were tightly packed around it, including the sweet potatoes I so loved.

She dished up for us onto earthen plates that I could not remember seeing anywhere when I had looked around while she was busy with the food.

I had been trying to place a barrier across my thoughts and she did not comment on that remark, so maybe I was finally doing something right.

We ate with relish and only when the last bit of potato was cleaned off my plate, did I sit up straight. I was feeling happy for the first time in days.

I carefully thought back. It was actually only three days since Tucker had passed over. I could not believe it. It felt like weeks already.

"And that is why you must rest before our journey."

Okay, I was definitely not getting this barrier thing.

"Here is some more tea. Then you can lie on the pallet next to the fire." She pointed behind my seat.

I could swear that when I had taken the jacket from there, I had not seen any bed.

I took the tea. I was so stuffed that I really did not have any more space left for the tea, but did not want to offend her and drained the cup.

Too late I realized that the tea was drugged.

A feeling of bliss crept up my legs and arms.

In front of me sat a young woman.

She pushed me off my seat and made me lie down on the soft pallet where I drifted into unconsciousness.

##  *** Four ***

I moved away from a warm pressure against my back.

It snuggled closer, placing an arm over my chest, holding onto my naked body.

I had no clothes on!

Untangling myself from the person holding me, I managed to turn around to witness the young version of Ma-Mara waking up next to me. She too, was naked.

Propping her head up with an arm, she playfully looked at me.

Universe, she was beautiful!

Her body was trim, with what I regarded as perfect breasts. Her long hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.

"Make love to me Han Storm."

It was _not_ a request.

I had never been with a woman before, but as I looked into the pools of her chocolate coloured eyes, all thoughts of resistance dissolved.

We came together, she guiding me expertly, and for a while nothing existed except us . . .

Our energies spent, we gently lay next to each other. She looked happy. I certainly was happier than I have ever been before.

It suddenly seemed as if I was seeing the world from a different perspective.

I could think and work things out at he same time. It felt similar to a computer running programs in the background. Busy with one thing, but still concentrating on others too.

I could not stop looking at the woman playing with my hair. I did not want to think further than the moment, but my mind could not stay still, flitting through the repercussions of what had just happened.

*There are none,* Ma-Mara answered for me.

Ma-Mara's intrusion in telepathic conversation was handled by a different section of my brain. It interpreted concepts into words whereas the physical hearing section interpreted words into meaning.

*That is correct.*

"How is it that you can follow my conscious thoughts?" I asked her.

*I have had a long time to practice,* she replied while smiling at me.

She stood up and started to make more tea. The fire danced on her brown skin and I felt embarrassed by my new stirring of desire.

*And you portray your thoughts openly,* she continued. *You may not notice it yourself, but your aura is constantly casting pictures, which I call illusions, of everything that is passing through your pretty little head. You must close yourself from doing so.*

We were stepping away from the original subject.

"You were saying that what had happened here," I spread my arms to include the Cavern, "will have no negative effect on our professional relationship."

*None whatsoever. To you, I will always be Mara. And you will always look at me and see me for who I am. Sex is an enjoyable tool to be used as needed. Are you not feeling happy and care-free?*

"Yes. I feel more opened up to everything too."

*So have some tea.*

She gave me a cup and I looked at her suspiciously.

*It is not drugged.*

I smiled, acknowledging her reply.

Keeping my mind blank, I enjoyed the tea and the company for the moment.

When we had finished, she came to me, pushing me onto the pallet and we satisfied our mutual need again.

She was lying in my arm and I was starting to doze off when a crow flew into the cavern, cawing horribly. It flew over to the fireplace, settling on Mara's chair.

Mara looked at it as it squawked and cawed at her, one beady eye focussed on me.

She smiled sadly, her voice sounding old as she started to dress. "They will be here soon. There is a bath area around the back of the fireplace. You can freshen up there. You may wear the robe that is available."

I found the bath area which was cleverly worked into the cave behind the fireplace. Surrounding what seemed to be the chimney, was a container carved out of the rock and filled with water, using the heat from the fire to provide hot water for the crib that served as a bath.

By the time I was dry and dressed in a brown robe of rough cotton weave, I could smell breakfast.

I felt a soft pressure inside my head. Mara's voice invaded. *Are you ready? Breakfast is getting cold.*

"Yes," I replied.

*Try with your mind,* she encouraged.

I focused on her essence and answered again, *Yes.*

*Good, you are a quick study. Is it not better to talk this way?*

I came around the corner. "No, it is tiring," I gave my honest opinion on telepathy.

*You will get used to it,* she stated. "At least you did not have any complaints about it last night," she continued verbally.

"Trying not to think did not give me a chance to think about it," I told her.

"The trick is not to stop thinking," she explained. "It is simply to stop your thoughts being portrayed to the world. It is easy to know when someone tries to intrude.

You felt it in your head. That slight uncomfortable ache. You must tell your mind that you need a gatekeeper. Something, or even someone, that will stop your thoughts from advertising themselves and safeguard you from intruders who do not have permission to contact you. Put a barrier up."

"Can I imagine that I have a cloak that makes me invisible to all and my thoughts invisible to you?" I asked.

"Whatever is acceptable to you. I, personally, imagine myself wearing a dark cloak with a hood," she explained, agreeing to my enquiry.

She finished dishing up into plates on a low table. She was a great cook and we both climbed into the cooling food with relish.

While eating, I pondered upon another presence in my head. Sensaii was a constant reassuring pressure. I always felt him, although he was currently keeping a very low profile.

I wanted some privacy. Tucking the imaginary cloak tighter around myself, I glanced at Mara who apparently seemed interested in breakfast and did not even look up.

*Sensaii, is she aware that you are with me all the time?* I asked my spirit friend.

*Of course she is,* he replied.

*Then why does she not acknowledge you?* I wished to know, finding this strange that Mara had not mentioned him.

*Ethics,* Sensaii replied.

I really hated it when he talked in single words.

*Please explain,* I prompted.

*I stay out of her business, she stays out of mine, but together we compliment each other perfectly.*

*Then none of what had happened here bothers you?* I needed to know from him.

*No, and neither should it bother you. Accept it. Enjoy the moment, learn, experience, move on.*

Taking Sensaii's advice to heart I concentrated on the food Mara had prepared for us.

We finished breakfast in a companionable silence.

*Han?* Mara requested permission to speak telepathically.

*Yes?* I acknowledged, allowing her into my mind to complete the telepathic connection.

*I cannot see or hear your thoughts any longer. You are learning to keep it cloaked. That is very good.* "Is your head hurting?" she wanted to know from me, reverting to normal speech.

"Yes, my forehead, between my eyebrows. There is also a tightness across my temples and sometimes a whining or droning sound in my ears."

"That is a normal physical response," she explained. "It is proof from your body that you are connecting outside the normal range of senses. The pressures and headaches will become less with practice. It will not go away completely, though."

"What about the headaches I had at the base of my skull?" I wanted to know from her.

"That is a hormonal gland that opened up completely, releasing extra hormones to allow your body to cope with the new psychic demands placed upon it."

"And the sex?"

There, I asked the question I was actually coming to.

"Your release of tension helped me open and balance all the energy points in your body. You should have downloaded this information by now. Did you not?" She seemed genuinely surprised that I did not know these seemingly basic metaphysical things.

"I think I might have skipped that class," I stated not to seem a total inexperienced fool.

"I dream a lot," I changed the subject. "I experience frequent night visions to the point where I am actually afraid to go to sleep."

Another confession.

"I see," she commented.

Before she could continue, the crow started its horrible noise at the entrance to the cave.

With this encouragement, we walked out into the noon-day glare.

Within the comfortable gloom of the cave I had lost track of time, wondering what day it was.

I did not have long to wonder.

Racewater and two of his Clans-men came out of the shadows of the wooded area.

The relief on Racewater's face was evident when he saw me.

They must surely have tracked me here.

They stopped a respectful distance from us, bowing deeply to Mara.

Surprised at their reverence, I stared at Mara, seeing her as she was to me, but overlapping was the image of the old woman.

Racewater was speaking and I brought my attention back to him.

"I lost my brother and tracked him here. Is he well Ma-Mara?" he asked.

"He is well, Daniel Racewater," she replied. "I sent for him last night. He is in need of much healing and much more training. When we are done, I will integrate you with him so that the two of you can function as a team. There is a third we still require. When will his arrival be?"

"In a six day when the moon is half," Racewater answered.

"I will see you then in a six day," Mara confirmed.

The three men bowed again to her and turned to leave. Racewater frowned at me for a second before he started after the others.

When they were safely on their way through the forest, she dropped the vision of the old woman and became business-like in her manner. We sat down in the entrance of the cave facing each other.

"Tell me about your dreams, your visions," she requested.

Where to begin? There was so much to tell her. Should I share everything, or should I be selective only?

*Selective only,* Sensaii stated, as usual, following my every thought.

*Okay,* I agreed sitting upright, crossing my legs into a meditative position before giving my undivided attention to Mara.

"When I was young I had dreams that followed whole lives in a single night. From birth to death I would be that person. I would live a whole lifetime within a night and when day came, I would have to be exceptionally careful to know who I was.

It usually took me some time after waking up to figure out that I was Han Storm, living on Creata.

Every time I had such a dream and it grew light in this world, I had to make sure who I was, where I was, and what time-period it was.

It was a confusing youth, especially because I had so many foster homes and was always waking up in different places."

"And now that you are independent, what do you now do at night, when you sleep?" Mara wished to know, keeping a professional attitude.

"Now that I am grown, I mostly visit the Universal Education Halls, or Halls of Knowledge, where you can receive downloads or acquire information that you need or want. Most nights when I leave my body, it is with the intention to go to the Education Halls.

Most mornings after input or download sessions, as I call it, I cannot remember a thing about the subject or knowledge that I have gained in my sleeping hours. Is this normal?"

"I will answer your questions later, so please continue. You said most nights. What about the other nights when you actually sleep and dream?"

"I have dreams. Dreams of real things, or things to come, or things that have been. I have dreams where I know I am dreaming and that it is not a dream but a vision. I have dreams that are so real to me that I actually never want to lay my head down to sleep again, in case I have one of those dreams.

My biggest problem is to get a good night's sleep without the help of drugs. I am constantly in a state of exhaustion. If you can help me sort this out, I will be most grateful."

"You mentioned that you had been to a psychic teacher before."

I could not remember that I had mentioned it to her, but then, I was an open book before, she could have picked up the information.

"Yes," I confirmed. "I was probably around six years old, and did not pay a lot of attention to Professor Zane. He was just another teacher then, and I was normally trying to figure out who I was supposed to be that day. I guess I missed quite a bit. Although, I must say that I did take some of his lessons to heart."

"How come?" she prompted.

"I know I am an individual and that I am considered special on Creata. I am aware that I am not my own person and I belong to this world. That is what Professor Zane implied.

He said that we should use our talents only for the highest good of Creata and everything in and on it. I have been trying to do so. Would you care to comment on my questions now?"

She had her eyes closed, as if concentrating intensely upon my answers.

"Tell me first," she responded. "How do the dreams you had as a child differ from the work you do now?"

"You mean that I might have been accessing people's life-memories without me knowing so?"

"Yes. As you recall, is it the same experience you have within the life-memories of other people?"

"No. It was similar to when I visit my own life-memories."

"These dreams," she insisted, "can you remember where they happened? Was it memories of this Planet, this current time period?"

This was getting tricky. It was exactly the explanation I had been trying to avoid.

"Sometimes it was of this Planet, but in a different time period. At other times it was of places vastly different and definitely not of this Planet or time." That should cover it.

"Did you have the same dream sometimes, or different dreams continuously?"

"Different dreams almost every night."

"Do you remember these life-memories?" she insisted upon a direct answer.

"As if it had happened yesterday," I confirmed.

Somehow, saying it out loud made it as real as it was.

Before she answered, I knew what she was going to say. I dropped my cloak and allowed her to see my thoughts.

It was my own life-memories, in different lifetimes, at different times.

"Yes," she concluded, "and you are blessed to have all that knowledge at your disposal. To be able to remember all of it, the bad and the good."

"It frustrates me" I countered. "I know of all these places out there, all the different Planets and Universes. Of technology Creata can never hope to experience.

I know all these things, yet I cannot share it with a single person. They will put me in a psychological rehabilitation facility immediately. It is a wonder that they even accept psychics."

"Our planet has dealt with psychic phenomena since the beginning of our time," Mara disagreed with my concern. "It is nothing new to us. Everyone accepts it. Certain people have seen the potential, and are exploiting it as we speak."

"We are stepping off the subject. What about the memory loss or lag in memory after downloads?" I wanted to know from her.

"It takes three to five Creata days for the brain to integrate all the downloaded information," she explained. "People experience downloads differently. Some are quiet and sullen for a few days. Others go into solitary confinement. Some just get on with their daily lives and act like normal. Some have headaches or body aches. It is a very personal experience. But it is worth it."

"It is very seldom that I remember the actual content of a download, unless I have instigated a direct download. I do have a lot of information and knowledge at hand when I need it," I tried to explain how it felt for me.

"Some people are so busy in their waking hours that they cannot give their attention to what had been downloaded," she informed me. "They store it until needed, and do not worry about where the information comes from when they do access it. They also just _know_ that it will be there when needed."

That sounded like me.

"When you have a vision at night, are you consciously aware that you are not dreaming?" she asked.

"Yes, I think so. My visions usually start the same way. I always fall for a while before it starts and it stresses me out."

"That is your method of getting to where you need to be. Do you want to tell me about your current nightmare?"

I turned away from her.

I was not feeling like talking about it right now. I had too many things milling around in my head.

Tucker's death; the integration of his memories, which was still in progress; the constant interrupting visions of a dead boy warning me of pending danger; and this newest one of a Gate that wants to swallow me alive.

"You have a lot going on at the moment, don't you?" Mara asked sympathetically.

Oh boy, I forgot to put my barrier up.

Not even my thoughts were my own.

Mara laughed at me before standing up, indicating that this session was over.

"Go, take a walk to the river," she ordered. "I will have lunch ready by the time you return."

##  *** Five ***

I was relieved to be able to be on my own for a while.

Mara had lent me a pair of her hide boots that pinched a bit but protected my soft city feet adequately from the rough path I was negotiating down to the river.

I strolled through ancient trees down to the river. It was an easy enough walk, with rough log or rock steps cut into the mountain where it became too steep.

The air all around was fresh and clear. It was cool next to the river.

As I progressed down steeper steps, the section of the river became a raging beast, pushing through a narrow channel before dropping down a chasm, a soft misty spray rising from the waterfall below, pearling on my clothes.

Leaving the pathway, I chose a dry rock near the edge to stand on, looking out over the waterfall where the sunbeams that made it through the foliage playfully created short-lived rainbows in the spray.

It was a lovely place. Not peaceful or quiet, yet soothing.

The water was hypnotic in its constant motion, not unlike the sea.

I felt myself grow calmer, immediate worries drifting from my mind . . .

I was standing in a cabin on a yacht.

' _How the heck did I get here?'_

A man was lying at my feet.

Focusing on his face, I realized that I knew this man.

My hands felt sticky, making me look down at them where blood was dripping from them.

I knew it was not my blood as I was thrown into the life-memory of one Custos Morgan . . .

. . . Frustrated RAGE coursed through my veins.

No-one could do anything right!

I had lost my firstborn to a professional killer. I knew it, as the facts in the file pilfered from the New Haven Homicide department pointed to it.

That psychic _must_ know who did it, for he had handled the case, the only unsolved case marring his otherwise flawless record.

How I hated that psychic. As far as I knew, their ethics demanded of them to tell the truth, no matter what.

And now he had flown the coop.

He did not even attend his partner's funeral.

We thought we would have him there.

I tried all my contacts at the precinct, calling in favours or paying for them. I only know that a Lieutenant Daniel Racewater took him away from the city.

No trace. No public transport. No-one knew where they had gone.

I took my yacht to the islands. I needed some time alone until my men could get back to me with answers.

I started drinking. It was something I seldom do.

I slipped, hitting my head . . .

The pain brought me back to my own body.

I must have slipped with the vision as I was in a reclining position having hit the back of my head on the rocks.

Gingerly feeling the gash, my own blood covered my fingertips.

I never knew that I would respond psychically in a similar way to my own blood . . .

. . . Dressed in a white robe, I stood in front of the gate that I had previously dreamt of in the aircraft. It had that sickly, sticky filling in the middle.

People were standing around, as if waiting for something to happen.

I stepped up to the gate and into the sticky mess, finding myself in a tunnel.

Falling!

Terror engulfing me.

Refusing to have anything more to do with this petrifying vision, I blacked out . . .

Mara was washing my face with cool water. I would recognize her berry scent anywhere. Allowing my senses to return to me slowly, I found my head hurting. Opening my eyes, I was greeted with a relieved smile.

"I came looking for you when you did not return for lunch. You did not respond to my telepathic prompts either. I knew then that something was wrong. You must have slipped and hit your head. It is not too serious, but I have done some healing on it."

I looked at her. The fear I felt must have shown in my eyes.

"I am here now," she soothed, holding me close. "I will take care of you. Everything will be fine."

Fine, but not sorted out.

I needed answers.

She helped me up into a sitting position. I looked at my hands, thinking that she must have cleaned them.

My head did not only hurt physically. I had an indescribable headache as well. Every step we took up that mountain threatened to let me pass out again. I probably had a concussion.

We finally reached the cave where she helped me to the pallet.

"Now let us see about you healing yourself completely." She probed my wound, gently cleaned it out and sealed it with some ointment.

"Now you heal your body," she ordered, sitting down opposite me.

Obediently, I concentrated and opened myself to allow Source Energy, the energy that kept this Universe together, to flow into the top of my head. It felt warm and soothing and I was at peace for the first time in what felt like ages.

The healing energy started to take effect on my head. It took a few minutes, but as I allowed the energy to swirl around my body, I could feel the cells responding and regenerating swiftly.

After a while, I let go of the peaceful feeling and closed off the influx of energy. My body was feeling rejuvenated.

Gingerly touching my wound, there was only a slight swelling left and did not hurt any longer.

Pain was the body's only way of telling the brain that something was wrong. If you know what has happened to you, the injury experienced is usually a lot less painful. The brain knows what has happened to the body, so does not need the pain stimulus.

I opened my eyes.

Mara presented me with a cup of tea.

I raised an eyebrow at her, smiling at myself. It was a typical Tucker response.

"No, it is not drugged," she replied to my obvious question.

The tea tasted refreshingly minty.

"You did well," Mara congratulated me on my healing ability.

"Do you want to talk about your visions now?" she encouraged.

No. I did not. But she was here to help me learn.

*How should I put this?* I asked Sensaii.

*Just spit it out,* he concluded. The typical short, to the point reply.

*Thank you.*

So I spat it out.

"I had a mixed vision."

Mara looked at me expectantly, shuffling into a more comfortable position. "Explain?"

"I had a vision while being aware of my body and my position at the river. I shared the life-memory of a living person. As far as I know he is still alive. I shared it by touching his blood in my vision. I had both hands soaked to the elbows in it.

Yet, when I returned from the vision, I knew that it could not be, for my hands were clean. How can I share life-memory in vision form?"

"This _is_ indeed rare. You are starting to overlap boundaries. It is highly unusual. In all my time on Creata I have never heard of a living person doing so. It is only spoken of in legends."

I had almost forgotten that part.

"What does this legend say? This prediction I keep on hearing about in whispers?" I inquired from her.

"It is a tale that might take some time to tell. Let us first refresh our bodies with food and energy sharing."

##  *** Six ***

We had our lovely lunch of fruits, nuts and an assortment of cheeses. There must be a refrigerator around somewhere, for everything was nice and cool.

After lunch, she took me in her arms and we made gentle love. Afterwards, we dozed together for a while, content to share one another for a moment.

As the cooler air of evening arrived, I woke feeling refreshed and ready for the telling of this Legend.

We, once again, settled down at the cave entrance. I was looking forward to this tale and waited expectantly.

Mara sat cross-legged, took a deep breath and started.

"This is a tale taught by one generation to the next.

Long ago, when this Planet had its second start after all the wars and destruction, it was foretold that, when the people were awakening to the higher consciousnesses once again, one special person would become known to all.

That one person would lead the peoples to regain lost worlds and knowledge.

That person would liberate all on this Planet and reintroduce them to new frontiers beyond our imagination.

That time is now. Every generation has produced more and more people connected to the higher worlds of the Other Side. I know it in my heart. And I know that, as sure as I am sitting here next to you, that you are the One we have been waiting for."

I felt the bile rising from my stomach.

I swallowed it down. This was no time to get timid or panic.

"And if I am this one person. This . . . legend that has been prophesized. What am I supposed to be able to do?"

"The legend states that you have the knowledge to unlock the portal to other worlds. Worlds where you have lived a physical life before."

It was a statement. She believed that I was this person.

I groaned inwardly. If this portal has anything to do with my dream of that sticky gate, I really did not want anything to do with it.

"You did not tell me about dreams of gates and portals!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.

I pulled my imaginary cloak about me. This privacy on/off was really starting to annoy me. I wrapped my arms around my legs, resting my forehead on my knees.

I did not want to acknowledge anything at this stage. All I could think about was that sticky stuff running down my throat. Not being able to breathe.

Terror almost overwhelmed me again.

Maybe I should go with the vision and see where it takes me.

I knew it would probably cost me physically.

"Would you be prepared to visit one of your past life memories? One that contains experience in the use of the portal?" she asked.

I looked up at her. "And just how do you suggest I go about getting in touch with a past life? I do not have the vaguest idea how to get there."

But even as I spoke, I knew what to do.

It was called regression and it could be done quite successfully with hypnosis. I knew since I was a child that typical hypnosis did not work on me. I never allowed it to. So if I allowed it, maybe I could hypnotize myself to go to the right place.

I became aware that Mara was watching me closely, expectantly. I kept her gaze.

"I could not follow your thoughts," she stated. "You closed up successfully. You have found _your_ way of masking your thoughts. That much I can determine."

I stood up. She followed suit.

"I need a quiet place to leave my body," I stated flatly, committed to what I needed to do.

"You can use my sleeping area," she suggested. "It is completely secluded when the curtains are drawn. I will make sure you are not interrupted."

Inside her sleeping area, I settled down on an animal hide in the middle of the floor. It was soft, warm and woolly under me, providing the comfort I now needed for what I wished to do.

I played a few seconds with the soft, dark brown wool. It was probably from one of the woolly wild goat creatures I had spotted this morning on my walk to the river.

How long ago does that seem?

I turned my thoughts for a moment to Tucker. Today was his funeral. I would have liked to show my last respects but it was not to be.

Mara interrupted my train of thoughts.

"Is there anything I can do?" she wanted to know.

"Racewater made me swallow some horrible stuff when I came back from a dreadful psychic trip. Apparently you gave it to him. Do you have some here?"

"Yes. We call it bitter-herbs. It is a grounding liquid that assists the spirit and body to integrate successfully, restoring the correct energy balance."

"I would appreciate some when I have returned. Do you have anything here that could bring me back if I lose my way?"

"I have no modern devices or drugs, but I am confident that my energy work would be sufficient to overcome anything that might happen."

She sounded confident enough.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on my breathing.

Calming myself, I made direct contact with Sensaii.

*Will you escort me to this place that contains all my memories?* I asked.

*Yes, but we must go to the Universal Recording Halls. We must not enter your private space of experience and feelings. You want to see what had happened, independent of the emotional turmoil.*

I had decided against self-hypnosis, seeing that I could gain access to my own recordings and Sensaii was guiding me in any case.

I felt a slight jerk before my spirit lifted from my body.

Drifting near the ceiling of the cave, I looked down onto the cold clay of my body, Mara sitting attentively next to it.

My body looked empty and lifeless, yet the brain and heart would keep it going instinctively until I returned to it once more.

It looked thin and undernourished and the skin was without lustre. I had to take better care of it if I wanted it to last.

With this fleeting thought, I shot up to the plane known as astral.

We passed the lower astral planes quickly and arrived at the Recording Halls in the blink of an eye where we stopped just inside the entrance.

I concentrated on finding my own recordings, in a different time, in one of the visions I had experienced.

I waited for the slight pulling sensation. Allowing myself to be guided by this sensation, we followed it down corridors I was not familiar with. These corridors and doors presented themselves as ancient. Decorations of wrought iron and bars completed the setting.

After passing many doors and turning many corners we eventually came to a passage where the pulling sensation grew less.

One of the doors had the familiar golden glow around the edges. We stopped in front of it. I placed my right hand on the latch, gathered myself, and stepped through the door . . .

We found ourselves within a desert. It seemed to be the same desert where I had found myself in my dream/vision.

A person I recognized as myself stood dressed in a white robe, about to enter the sticky indigo ink of the portal.

Another person, also dressed in a white robe, warned 'me' that this may not work. We had lost contact with the other worlds and the gateway was no longer safe to travel.

I was not receiving the right point of view with this visualization. I needed to know what I knew then.

Sensaii tried to stop me, but was not fast enough.

I stepped into the hologram and blended with the image of the person representing my life memory . . .

I was terrified.

I had stepped through the Portal many times before. I knew the risks involved in portal travel. The wormhole could fail at any moment and I would perish somewhere in space.

The wormholes have been inconsistent lately. Their duration shortened by not maintaining them and abusing them to the point where they wore thin.

Too many keepers had been killed in the wars to maintain the portals and the expansions of the wormholes. We have lost too many planets already.

Cut off from the Universal Alliances, these Planets were doomed to deteriorate to their original states of lesser entities. It would be anarchy and survival only. I did not want to see it happen to my Planet too. We had put in too much work and effort.

I gave my keys to this portal keeper, making him promise to teach his children and never forget. I will return some day. Some day when things were better and the people were more open to this again. No matter what happened, they had to lock the portal behind me.

I looked at my people one more time before stepping into the sticky stuff.

I did not step through as I should have. There was no sensation of rushed speed and free falling through time.

I tried to breathe, but the portal substance engulfed me. I was drowning in goo.

I knew the portal had collapsed as soon as I entered it. I knew my physical life was over.

I released my body . . .

I separated myself from this life-memory.

Sensaii was keeping himself under the greatest of control. We went back into the passage where I got a hold on myself.

I knew how terribly close I had come to giving up my current body on Creata.

Concentrating on Real Creata time, I realized that we still had time for another memory. But not one of my own.

I needed the life-memories of my gate keeper. I needed to find his children for they would still have my keys. I concentrated on the man and was pulled towards another corridor lined with doors. We eventually found the door I was looking for.

It too, was unlocked to us and we entered as before.

We came into the memory I was looking for. The handing down of the keys from father to child. It was a real family reunion on a tropical beach. There were huge red flowers everywhere and I could see a mountain in the background that could have been a volcano once.

This Clan had detailed tattoos over their bodies and it was of a design that I would recognize even if I was not looking for it. It was in the form of my keys.

They were the bearers of the keys. I would find them even in today's time. I would find them when the time was right.

We left the Halls in a hurry. My body was suffering without my spirit. I had been away a very long time . . .

I came back with a shudder and a deep intake of breath, trying to control the sudden onset of shaking.

I was freezing.

Mara placed a warm hand on my chest.

I tried to open my eyes, but did not have control over my body.

"Lie down," she said.

I could not comply, my muscles frozen.

She pushed me flat on the rug.

"You should have done this lying down. It would have been easier and less of a strain on your body," she scolded.

She opened my mouth and poured some of the horrible liquid down my throat.

I managed to swallow gratefully. It tasted slightly different. I tried to identify the difference, the warmness spreading throughout my body.

She gave me another swallow.

The Bitter Herbs were mixed with malted alcohol!

Now _that_ should get a body warmed up right away!

She rubbed my arms and hands, carefully avoiding contact with my fingertips, working her way down to my legs and feet until I started feeling better.

Gaining some control over my functions, I managed to open my eyes.

I tried to thank her, but she placed her finger on my lips and spoke with her mind. *Use telepathy, it will save your strength.*

*Thank you. I am glad you are here.*

*I am glad too. For a moment there I thought I would have to bring you back. But the moment passed and your heart did not stop beating. I am glad you are back. Worse for wear, but very glad you made it.*

She left me alone with my thoughts and my freshly gained memories.

Lifetimes of memories flashed through my head.

Too many to count . . . Many things that I am glad I did . . . Lots that I regret. Always the knowledge of somehow higher service . . .

Too much to sort out in a few minutes. It would take days for me to sort everything out into logical, serviceable fragments that this brain could handle.

One thing I was sure of. This had been one of those life changing experiences. I had a specific purpose in life now and I would stop at nothing to succeed at what I came here to do.

Mara returned with a bowl of hot stew. At first I could not feed myself and she had to help. I was still having shivers, but as my body started absorbing the food, the shivering stopped and I could eat the last few bites myself.

*It is said that making love after such a journey as you have had helps to restore one quicker. Would you like to put that theory to the test?* she invited with mocked seriousness.

Of course we did!

##  *** Seven ***

It was quiet when I woke in the early morning hours. Mara was still asleep in my arm.

I gently moved her and quietly went over to the fireplace. I placed a few extra logs on the fire to start it again before making my way around it to the bathroom. After running water into the tub from the primitive but effective water heater, I took a long, hot bath.

I was busy sorting out the new information brought about by my own previous life memories. When I concentrated, I could instantly find what I was looking for, keeping all the mundane and unwanted memories at a distance.

It felt similar as when looking for something specific in a library. You did not quite know where to find it, but the Librarian knew exactly where it was filed.

Now that is a great idea! Let us see if I can start delegating things around here.

I appointed an imaginary record keeper, called him Lasco and now I could ask him to find whatever I needed from my own memory without effort.

Eeeeeeezy!

I found that Tucker's memories, which was now part of me too, was filed in a separate place. It was as easily accessible to me as my own memories.

I thought of the possibilities this brought about. What would happen if people in physical form had all their memories intact when they came to a physical world?

Would they be able to cope, knowing what lives they had lived before and what they had done with it?

I suddenly felt old. Older than anything on Creata. I felt all my life-memories weighing heavily upon me. All my lifetimes came together in one mass of knowledge, one experience after the other.

It was incredible.

It was too much for a single brain to assimilate.

I let it go, focused on enjoying my bath, then dried and robed myself.

There was a single step down to the cave floor from the bath area. I took the step and . . . there was no ground!

Only an abyss and the sensation of falling into empty space.

My senses reeled from the utter shock of falling and then, abruptly, I found myself within an ancient chamber.

There was a council of 'older' humanoid entities seated behind a carved rock projection that served as a long table. This table looked as if it had been carved from the same stone-like walls of the chamber.

"Welcome," stated the ancient entity in the middle – there were five humanoid entities in total. The one that had spoken looked like a druid or wizard with his white robes and long beard.

"Your life is about to change," he informed me.

A statement of fact, as if I did not know this already.

"Your training has advanced to the point where you can now be of more service to us."

"Who exactly are you?" I enquired, curiosity getting the better of me, as usual.

"We were appointed by yourself to help you on this life's tasks. We are here to remind you of what you had agreed upon to do," the Elder explained patiently.

I was speechless. Then asked in a whisper, "So I asked for all this?"

"Yes," the Druid replied. "This is your planned path and when you become quiet within yourself you will know it to be your truth."

Great! I groaned to myself.

Feeling that these entities had great influence over my life, I answered as politely as possible, "I do not entirely understand, but I do feel that I need to trust you. Where do I go from here?"

"A path is being opened up for you to find Creata's Physical Portal. When it is found, you will be reminded of the knowledge that goes with the responsibility of inter-galactic travel.

You will become an integral part of the system, but that is for later. Right now, know that we support your every move and are available whenever you need us."

Just as suddenly as I got here, the elders receded and I felt my essence being returned back into my body. It was a familiar feeling by now, this travelling in and out of my body.

I lay still on the cave floor, orientating myself and eventually managed to turn onto my back.

Staring at the ceiling, previously obscured objects were becoming discernable with the stronger light of the breaking dawn.

Where was Sensaii?

I reached out with the part of me that was connected to him and felt his presence at my left shoulder.

*Did you know this was going to happen?* I demanded.

*Yes, but not when. It took great effort from me to let your body fall softly. I will prefer you having someone physical to stick around all the time from now on.*

*And be totally dependent on others?* I asked in disgust.

*Yes, I am afraid so. Your work is going to start taking you out of your body at times, a most inconvenient thing indeed, but it is the easiest and most accurate way of doing things precisely. As Source wants it.*

Suddenly furious with myself, I cursed under my breath, not too loud for the Universe to eavesdrop, but loud enough to make me feel better.

Staggering to the area that served as a kitchen, I did not manage to find the mysterious fridge.

Drained by the fit of rage and the disappointment of not finding something cold to drink, I eventually I sat down on the floor, feeling like weeping.

Mara found me a little while later still sitting on the floor.

*Are you alright?* she asked, looking concerned.

She was right about the telepathic connection. It was much faster than trying to voice everything in words. You could include any emotion you wanted to as well. Her emotions were of real concern followed with an embarrassing amount of tender love.

*No, I just wanted something cold to drink but I cannot find the fridge.*

*There is none. I cooled the fruits under the water outside.*

*Great!* I replied with a sulking attitude.

She took a glass and went outside, returning shortly with sweet, cold water, which I drank gratefully.

I was feeling hot again and my body was aching all over. I was scared that I might be heading towards another episode like the other day.

I must have forgotten to cloak my thoughts for Mara's concern was growing. She felt my forehead.

*You _are_ hot. I better prepare some herbs for you. Can you make it back to bed without my help?*

*I will try.*

I made it, but I was not feeling well. I tried leaving my body, but I was somehow stuck. By the time Mara came with her potion it felt as if I was burning up.

*I am sure it is just another opening up of some kind. I should be fine in a day or so,* I tried to explain.

*We do not have the luxury of time. You must be ready and integrated in the next few days. We are already cutting it thin with a week as it is.*

I could not care any longer.

This was beyond me.

This was beyond my limited healing skills.

I drank from the cup that Mara held for me. It was a delectably sweet mixture with a hint of lavender.

After drinking all the tea, I lay down and gave up the struggle.

My head swirled as I closed my eyes. The whole world was spinning. No comforting blackness came to envelop me . . .

But I found paradise.

A diffused light shone over everything as I walked down a flight of stairs to where a person was standing at the entrance to a garden.

To my utmost delight, Tucker was smiling up at me, welcoming me to his world.

The Real world.

'So this is where we go when we die. Not a bad place at all.'

Tucker must have read my thoughts. *No, Han, this is just an intermediate state of being. Almost like neutral ground when you need a temporary release from the physical.

You have come here to gain whatever is needed for you to be able to continue in the physical realm. We only come in for guidance.

You are really having a hard time without me, are you not?*

*Yes,* I eagerly agreed. *I really miss your intuitive knowledge of things. I feel lost without you.*

*It is easy for us to see everything from our side,* Tucker confirmed. *I know how difficult physical life might seem. You will resume your rightful place soon enough. Then everything will be clear to you.*

*Is my body to die soon then?* I wanted to know.

*Far from it,* he answered, motioning me to join him on a bench overlooking the garden's green lawn and diversity of flowers.

*Then why am I here?* I asked him.

*You need rest and encouragement to continue your work in the physical realm. That is your first and foremost function.*

*Why is Sensaii not here?*

*He was not invited by your essence. This is a special place for you and whomever you invite only. You have invited me here due to the close relationship and connection that we had on the physical plane. *

*Why can Sensaii not help me as you do now?*

*His task is to assist you in keeping on the right track. To protect you from bodily harm if need be, and to push you in certain directions to follow your path. That was your agreement with him, before you took this assignment.*

I knew he was regretful of those thoughts as they came through.

*What assignment?* I wanted to know.

*I am not authorized to disclose that information yet. You will be informed in due time when your physical form is ready to accept your truth.*

None of this made sense. It must be another of those very real life-like visions. But let us play along, I have nothing but Creata time to lose anyway. The fact that I could not pick up on Sensaii's vibrations confirmed my suspicions of this being only a vision.

*Here you are completely cut off from everything. You would not even be able to pick up on your body's vibrations,* Tucker informed me.

*And if I close myself off, could you still read my thoughts?*

*No, I would not be able to follow your thought patterns any longer.*

He smiled. *Typical, obstinate, Han Storm.*

That was me all right!

*Rest now. All your strength will be needed again soon. Your path is going to bring you great work. You must never feel alone. We are here to help support you. Just call on us when you need anything.*

*Okay, my need is to return to Mara.*

*What you want and what you need are two very different things. What do you think is going to happen when your few days with Mara are up?*

*I will have to return to my duties. I will have to go with Racewater and will probably never see Mara again.*

*Do you love her?* Tucker suddenly wanted to know from me.

Okay! Where was this leading?

I forgot, 'they' can read my thoughts here.

*Do you love her?* Tucker asked again.

*Yes. With all my heart and my whole being. I would love her forever, even if we never see each other in physical form again.*

*Love as pure as yours is rare these days. It is just another sign that we have picked the right entity.*

I knew the interview was over the instant Tucker stood up.

*We each need to return to our own worlds. I am glad that you can travel inter-dimensionally. It makes visits much easier to meet entities halfway,* he told me.

I did not know what he meant, but agreed. It was not an uncomfortable place to come to.

He walked me to the garden's gate and took my hand in farewell. It felt real and solid to me. Neither did I receive any impressions from the handshake, although my fingers touched his hand.

He left me standing alone at the gate. I pushed it open and went out . . .

##  *** Eight ***

I was lying on the pallet, the aroma of coffee coming from the fireplace.

Coffee! After days of tea, I was finally allowed coffee.

*Addict!* Sensaii informed me.

I was so glad to have him back too, I almost leapt out of bed.

What a funny vision/dream/reality?

Who cared, there was coffee coming up!

Mara stared at me in surprise when I joined her in a rather good mood.

"You are looking chirpy this morning. Your fever broke through the night and you slept comfortably."

I kissed her on the cheek on my way to freshen up.

Breakfast, coffee and a huge smile greeted me when I returned.

"So where do we go from here?" I wished to know while we ate.

"I will show you what I know, the accumulation of my knowledge within this lifetime and all my others," Mara stated.

"You have total recall of all your other lives too?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, but with me, I had to regress frequently until I gained most of my memories from previous lives. It took me quite a few years. You were aware of your previous lives from the beginning of this lifetime."

"Not all of them. I recently received access to most. Actually in the last few days. It is part of me now and I can access the knowledge successfully, but there is a lot of information I need to go through.

I should also remember to leave out feelings and emotions. As you said, it takes physical Planet time to integrate everything into this body."

We sat in silence for a while. Each absorbed in our own experiences through many lifetimes until a commotion at the entrance to the cave brought us back to this reality.

Indignant squawking was followed by a grumbling sound.

Mara's eyes lit up like candles, a happy smile on her face while she rushed to the entrance, throwing her arms around a huge black bear.

Lifting a paw the size of her head, it returned the embrace until Mara seemed to blend into the fur of the creature.

They released each other and she took its head in both hands, kissing it between its eyes before looked around at me.

I had decided to play possum and sat unmoving, willing myself not to be noticed.

"Come here. I want you to meet a friend," Mara requested friendly.

*I prefer not to,* I thought at her, afraid that a sudden sound would focus the monster's attention on me.

She laughed at me. "Scared of a little old bear, are you?"

Turning back to the bear, she shook the furred head until the bear pulled back and sat down on its haunches, making a face at her.

She whispered to it in a loud enough tone for me to hear. "The mighty Han Storm does not have the courage to say hallo to you. Do you think we can scare him some more?"

Oh boy! Now I was in for it.

The bear was already making its way over to me. I was not going to just sit there and play their game. My whole body went into survival overload.

Closing my eyes tightly, I wished with my whole being to be somewhere else . . .

A sensation of vertigo was followed with sudden flashes of light against my closed eyelids. I somehow felt displaced, half in and half out of my body, very much like when I overlapped another living person's body.

It was cool around me and I could hear water rushing. My backside was getting damp.

The bear's mauling did not come, so I ventured to open one eye . . . and jumped up.

I was at the bottom of the waterfall!

My pants were indeed wet from the rocks I sat on.

Was this just another vision?

I was not sure.

*Han? Where are you?*

The question came loud and clear in my head, with a hint of panic attached.

I was overjoyed to have contact with Mara. At least I now knew I was not in a vision but in real time.

*At the bottom of the waterfall!*

It came out a yell.

*Are you safe?*

Stupid question. I could have been killed.

I mentally checked my body for physical injury. It seemed to be all in one piece.

*Dazed but whole,* I replied.

*I am sorry. I will meet you back here at the cave. I will send Mutt away if you wish.*

A fond image of The Bear came through.

So its name was Mutt. I made a note to myself to ask her about that name when we were together again.

*No, it is not necessary. In future just keep introductions with your friends gentle.*

A sigh of relief followed along the telepathic connection before she closed it.

It was a long climb to the path that led back to the cave and I had to give it all my attention. Drenched in the mist of the waterfall, I eventually made it to the top, shaking from the effort it took.

Sitting down in the path to regain my breath, I relaxed exhausted muscles.

I now thoroughly realized what tremendous strain psychic work placed on a physical body.

My mind turned to what had happened.

A strange thing, the mind. It always runs away with one, unless you train it really well. Mine was definitely not trained. It mostly went wherever it wanted to go.

Let us see what had happened here.

One second I was in the cave. The next I was far away from it.

What exactly did I do? And more importantly, _how_ did I do it?

*It is called teleporting.* Statement. Sensaii.

*Thank you. So how did I know how to do it?*

*It is similar as to what you did when you made your body invisible to the people who wanted to kill you. You just took it a step further.*

*I did not try that again?*

*It seems as if it is a safety mechanism you use in times of physical danger. You do what best suits the situation,* he explained.

*I was not consciously aware of what I was doing today.*

*Your brain did not know, but your spirit remembered,* Sensaii explained. *Just as you can leave your body consciously, on demand, you can train your body to teleport wherever you need it to.*

I accepted that explanation and put this 'talent' into my arsenal of psychic weapons.

What am I thinking about!?

These talents are not weapons, or could they be used as such?

I better take some time and go through all my newly reclaimed memories carefully.

This thought. This belief, as I now know it to be, does not come from no-where. Just as my fear of the bear came from a past life-memory of being mauled by one, so this belief must come from something that had happened to me before.

*Are you on your way?* Mara interrupted.

*Just taking a short break. Will proceed soon,* I sent back.

Through our open telepathic link I caught a glimpse of what she was experiencing, receiving the distinct impression that she was running in my direction. On all fours!

She _was_ a shape-shifter! She _was_ the dog.

I decided to spoil her surprise.

*I will wait for you here,* I answered her back.

*How did you know I was coming?* she queried.

*You forgot to cloak yourself when you took the form of the dog.*

A big black wolf-dog came bounding down the pathway. Gathering itself, it flung its body towards me.

She changed back to her human form in mid-air, hitting me full in the chest. We went down in a heap of tangled arms and legs.

"You really like to play rough, don't you?" I told her.

She just laughed at me, wresting me to the ground.

Giving up, I allowed her to sit on top of me, pinning my arms to my sides, her weight keeping my legs imprisoned. She was incredibly strong for such an old wench.

She bent down and kissed me tenderly. "You dropped your cloak too. I heard that last remark."

Ouch!

She released me and we sat up. She was flushed from the exercise and looked even more beautiful than usual.

She was glowing.

For a moment it looked as if she wanted to tell me something, but decided against it. I could not catch a hint for she had tucked her cloak around her.

"Enough play! We do not have a lot of time left and I still need to give you my knowledge."

She stood up, offering me a hand.

I declined with a smile. I was afraid to touch her hands in case it would trigger another vision.

On the way back to the cave we kept our thoughts separate and enjoyed each other's close company. We would probably have been holding hands if we could.

##  *** Nine ***

Mutt met us in front of the cave, glaring at me, suspicion written all over his face.

"Mutt, this is Han," Mara introduced me formally.

Mara took my arm, positioning my hand in front of the huge nose. The bear sniffed, opened his mouth, showing rows of gigantic teeth, and closed it on my hand.

I managed to keep my body under control. The bear's teeth were making indentations in my hand. He could bite it right off if he wanted to. His saliva flowed freely over my fingers, allowing me to see his life . . .

Mara had rescued the cub from a raging river. She took it in and in turn, he adopted her as family. Mara used to call him Mangy Mutt, for his fur fell out in tufts after his ordeal, but as he grew up to become a sleek and handsome bear, the Mangy bit dropped away.

Eventually, when he became an adult bear, he preferred his own company. This was one of his infrequent visits, but his loyalty and love for Mara was limitless . . .

Mara let go of my arm. Mutt released my hand.

Mara looked at me. "So you see, we have a special bond, just like us."

We entered the cave while Mutt stayed outside. The crow was, thankfully, somewhere else.

I suddenly realized that the day was halfway gone and I was starving. Mara must have felt the same way for she came from the kitchen with a plate of breads, spreads and cheeses.

After washing our hands in a bowl Mara provided, we had another great meal, followed by cool, minty tea.

*Teleport!* Mara suddenly exclaimed. It was a statement coupled with awe and respect.

*Shape-shifter* I countered back. *A neat trick. Do you take other forms too?* I wanted to know from her.

*I can, but I prefer the wolf and effortlessly take the form of a raven or owl. Sometimes I play the part of an elemental.*

*How do you do it?* I wanted to know.

*I cannot explain really. I have done it since I was a small child. I think it is similar to your visions. For me, it just happens.*

*What does it feel like being in another form?*

*Not much different from being me. I think it is as when I portray the old person. I am still me, but in a different form. I do see the world from different angles though when taking animal forms.*

A comfortable silence settled over us. It was becoming much easier to communicate through the telepathic link. Our cloaks stayed on most of the time, so there was no cross-interference of thoughts.

*How did you do it?* she asked.

*Do what?* I knew perfectly well what, but made her work for it anyway.

*Teleport of course! You drive me insane with your lack of attention.*

I laughed at her. I knew her frustration with unsatisfied curiosity.

"I'm not sure. It happened by accident because my body over-reacted in survival mode."

*I am sure you could do it if you really put your mind to it.* She looked at my shocked expression and quickly followed, *in a controlled way of course.*

*To end up where?* I wished to know from her. *A place I do not know? Another Planet?*

Now where did that thought come from?

*I was lucky to have re-materialized in a safe place. What would have happened if it was in the river, or worse, back in the City?*

*And I am still sure that you could do it consciously with a bit of practice. Other Planet indeed!* she scolded.

If she knew the images that announcement brought to the fore in my mind, she would also be on the edge of hysteria.

I turned away from her. Breathing deeply to control my suddenly racing heart.

She stood up. "We need to discuss the best way for me to give you my knowledge."

We were back to the teacher/student status. No tender lover any longer.

"What happened when you received your partner's memories?" she wanted to know from me.

I avoided her eyes. "He died. I relived his life as his life-force drained from his body. I shared all his memories and knowledge of his current life."

"Then you share through physical contact with blood?"

"Yes."

She pouted her pretty lips as she thought. "And you see through your fingertips too."

"Yes, but only surface thoughts, and in vision format. Although," I thought of Mutt "I did experience Mutt's life-memories superficially."

She thought some more.

I waited expectantly.

Sensaii offered a possible solution. *You could visit the Halls.*

"What if I visited your life-memories?" I asked her.

"What would that give us?"

"I usually visit as an observer only. Direct contact gives me experiences and emotional feelings as well."

"Then we must rather blend with direct contact. You need my emotional experiences as well."

Her mind was made up. "How much blood do you need to establish contact?"

"A drop would be sufficient."

"We have refreshed our bodies and our energy levels are still high. I suggest that we lie side by side. I will prick one of my fingers and then we can touch hands. Mutt will stay at the entrance to guard against possible disturbance."

She went outside to organize security before returning with a needle.

After pricking her finger and making sure a proper drop formed, we lay down next to each other on the woolly rug and touched hands . . .

It was an electrical shock to both our bodies.

Our spirits were flung out together where we found ourselves on the darker plane where I went when I wanted to find a living person.

We recognized each other's auras.

I was stuck for answers, as this was totally unexpected.

*As this is not what either one of us expected, we should try something else. What do you usually do in this situation when you find another person?* Mara asked.

*I usually overlap or semi-enter that person's body to see what they see so I can pinpoint their actual position. It worked wonderfully with lost individuals, but this is a new situation for me.*

*Overlap me here, now!* she insisted.

My distress must have been evident as I was not about to risk losing both our bodies.

*I am sure it would be fine. Come, see all that I know,* she invited. *Whatever happens, we would be together.*

Being together was all that mattered anyway.

We came together in energy form, blending our energies, resulting in a most unusual effect.

Instantaneously, I gained, as with Tucker, all her knowledge, all her memories, all her emotions and feelings, her deepest fears and regrets, her hopes and dreams and something totally unexpected.

She was pregnant! With our daughter.

I immediately realized what was happening. We were not only swapping memories and knowledge, we were giving it all to our child too!

The same instant I became aware of this realization, Mara came to the same conclusion. She now had all my information and as I came to the realization of what we were doing to this pinprick of light, so she also gained that knowledge.

We could only embrace the spirit that would grow to be our physical daughter. Now there would be three entities on Creata that had all the knowledge of each other up to this point in time . . .

The download was complete.

We separated and re-entered our own bodies.

The cold was bearable as I willed my limbs to function properly. I started rubbing my hands and arms and progressed to my legs and feet.

I was relieved to see Mara doing the same. She caught my eye and smiled at me.

"Why did you not tell me?" I softly accused her.

"And do what about it? You know as well as I do that this is the only time we would be able to do this. The only time we were to have for ourselves.

Ever.

I really wanted a child. Besides, Moira has been waiting a long time for this opportunity."

"And now she got more than she bargained for," I reminded her.

"I will deal with that when the time comes. She will be special and the Clan will know it and understand it."

"A child born to a woman considered too old to bear children? A great legend indeed."

It was not meant to come out sarcastically, but it did.

Her eyes flashed with anger.

"I see you have a nasty streak in you. I know now why they use you for these assignments. You have the exact right temperament!" she retorted.

I was suddenly intrigued.

What did she see within me that I could not gain from my own memories?

The overlap was supposed to give me her memories, but it included her opinions too.

I quickly scanned her download. It was becoming easier, especially now that Lasco and I were working together.

Let us try 'Assignments'. That should do it.

Mara was saying something. I quickly thought back to regain what she had said.

"Let us not fight. Tomorrow will be our last day alone together. I am going to fetch us some more food and then we can both retire to look over each other's knowledge. I know we are both upset about the unfairness of our pending separation."

She brought us fruit and fresh water. We enjoyed the meal, thankful for the opportunity to spend the time quietly together.

It is strange that when a relationship is acknowledged, one took it for granted that the other person would forgive you if you lashed out at them.

We always hurt the ones we love. We always expect them to forgive us. We always forget that they are individuals in their own rights and need to be respected and treated as such.

I speculated on Moira. Mara said she had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I asked Lasco to find the information on Moira.

Nothing came, so I tried to keep my mind on the immediate necessity of biting, chewing and swallowing.

Suddenly I had access to it. The holographic pictures playing before my mind's eye.

Moira was born to Mara a few hundred years ago. She was just a little girl in body form when she was savagely killed in front of her mother. Mara killed her daughter's murderers and has been wandering the world ever since.

Moira would look in on Mara from time to time, especially when Mara showed interest in a probable sperm donor.

I wondered about Moira's first father.

The information was accessed almost immediately.

He was a handsome fellow; strong and an excellent hunter. He was the son of the leader of this particular Clan. He died one winter after falling through the ice on a lake.

The Clan must have stayed pure, as this man's build and features were similar to Racewater's. They could have been members of the same family.

The knowledge came with the speculation.

Mara's life partner was the brother to Racewater's great, great, grandfather. Another interesting thing also came to the fore.

Mara was not the only long-living relative in this Clan. There were several people that possessed this knowledge of longevity.

I wondered about Racewater. He was only thirty-two in body years, ten years older than me. Mara was a different matter altogether. One never asked a lady her age.

True to her word, Mara retired after supper to her sleeping area. I was not invited so snuck off to the bathroom, feeling rejected.

I made it safely through a warm bath with no further visions or interference, feeling relaxed by the time I reached my bed. I hoped to have a good night's sleep, I deserved it.

Lying quietly on the pallet, I released my mind to wander through three people's memories, now contained within my brain.

'Assignments' came up.

At least someone was learning to function properly. I relaxed totally and allowed the information to flow consciously.

' _Assignments_ '

I saw the panel of Elders before me.

I did not present myself in physical form but only as light, as I saw and felt myself on that dark plane when I was looking for a living entity.

All around us was a holographic Starmap.

One of the Elders pointed at it.

*This is the Universe of Kraita,* he stated.

I recalled that Kraita was the name of one of the Creators.

*This Universe is stagnant and needs to move forward into evolutional growth again. We have many agents there already. You have served us well from the beginning. You have proven your worth time and again.

We assign you herewith to return and reconnect these planets and peoples that evolved there. Evolution needs another dawn.*

Lots of planning followed, entities and individuals were negotiated with. Source itself was used to create a suitable body to which I could return to start a new cycle of physical life.

And here I was.

In a new body of twenty-two Creatan years, with most of my memories and extensive knowledge available to me.

With this available knowledge I knew who I really was and what needed to be done.

There was a major difference between Planet time as our bodies experienced it, and Cosmos timing.

Cosmos or Cosmic timing was, essentially timeless, encapsulating different dimensions and parallel worlds.

Creation had a start but no end. You could travel for Trillions of Planet years and not experience all of it.

Forever was indeed a very long time.

Most entities in physical form cannot comprehend another planet with life on, or something existing in more than three dimensions. How much more all of this?

I thought about Mara and Moira. They had all this information available to them too. Would they cope with it?

I would have to wait until morning to find out. I closed my mind, confident in my new knowing that it, and my body, would do my bidding.

##  *** Ten ***

It was early morning.

I was wide awake but lay still.

Mara crept into my bed and snuggled against my back.

She was cold.

She cuddled against me, hugging my body to hers.

She gently reached out to my mind and was surprised to find it fully aware.

*I did not know.*

There was sadness in her statement, her emotions spilling over me.

I closed the link.

She silently sobbed into my back, clinging to me as if I was her only reality.

I turned around, taking her into my arms and kissed her tears away.

I kissed her mouth.

She responded and kissed back with passion.

The flame was once again lit, and we struggled to remove our clothes.

We came together in our need and for a little while we left everything else behind.

By the time we woke up, it was day outside.

Mutt was grumbling at the entrance. I did not speak bear and looked at Mara.

"He is complaining that we are sleepy-heads and should get up. Can you clean fish?"

"I am sure I can find a memory of how to do it," I assured her.

She faked a shocked look at me. Then smiled.

I robed myself, fetched a knife from the kitchen area and took the fish Mutt had provided outside.

Mutt followed me, grumbling under his breath. It was annoying not to understand him.

As soon as I started on the fish, the crow arrived with some friends, eagerly awaiting the guts and heads. My hands skilfully knew what to do and I allowed them to clean the fish on their own.

Accessing Mara's memories, I found 'Bear Language'.

My hands stopped working for a few seconds while I downloaded the information to my conscious memory.

Finding myself in her language section, I simply continued and filled myself with every language she knew.

It occurred to me that this was a selective sharing, not an automatic one. You could only use the memories of someone else when you consciously needed or selected it.

Noise turned into understandable language. The crows, excuse me, Ravens, were screaming at me to throw them the scraps. They were squabbling amongst themselves as to who may have the next piece.

The bear was sitting on his haunches with his hind legs straight out. He grumbled that he could not understand why this two-legged has stopped cleaning the fish. He knew Mara was waiting for it and she could get upset when she was hungry and food was not forthcoming.

I hurried to clean the rest of the fish. Tossing the last bits of skin to the ravens, I hurriedly left the crowd.

Mutt followed me back to Mara. The bear kept muttering comments, some of them not very flattering.

His one-sided conversation went something like "Put front paw here. Mind that stone. There is a grub. Am I hungry for it now? No, leave it until later if the Raven did not get it. Scratch itch. Ooh, feels good. This two-legged is too pale for Mara. Their cubs will be a funny colour."

Okay. That last comment really did it.

I closed my ears.

It was NOT a good idea to acknowledge these new languages. Noise was sometimes much better than understanding.

We grilled the fish in the fireplace and finished our meal in silence.

"We will escort you to the cabins tonight. I suggest you take some rest this day. Your task is about to commence in full force."

She stopped speaking.

There was more, so I prodded *And?*

She bit her lip to stop from crying.

She did not succeed and huge drops spilled down her cheeks.

*Why did you make love to me, after coming to the realization of who and what you are destined to be?* she asked.

*I have a body. I am a person. I love you dearly.*

*As you love everything and everyone in this whole Universe?*

*No, you are very special to me. And so is Moira. She is body from our bodies and I am honoured that she chose us as her parents. You must help her understand when her body is ready to leave yours.*

I touched Mara's belly. As yet, the baby's body was just a small speck, secure inside Mara's womb. Her spirit's light was shining bright for anyone with sight.

We hugged each other for a while.

*Can I check up on you from time to time?* I asked the question, but knew the answer already.

*You, of all people, can dare ask that question.*

It was not said in anger.

I lay down on my pallet as she glided to the bathroom on her lovely long legs. I watched her go before closing my eyes, willing my body to sleep.

I gently separated myself from it and went to the place I called my own in the Higher Astral worlds. I now knew where it was as my long forgotten knowledge had been restored.

I entered the Land of the Golden Light. This was what people commonly called 'Heaven'. The place where you go when your body has perished.

Well, this has been my particular place of rest for myself in previous lives.

I found myself in a grove of trees. It was always Autumn here in my special refuge. Not too cold, just crisp.

I walked under the falling yellow and orange leaves to the middle of the grove where a flat pedestal was in the centre of a small grassy clearing.

All was silent except for the soothing wind constantly playing through the trees.

I lay down on the marbled surface of the pedestal. It felt cool, and strangely, not hard. This was my safe place. My place of rest for my spirit.

A telepathic prompt brought me back to my body.

I gave it my full attention the moment my body started responding.

It was Mara.

*You must wake up, Han. It is almost time to leave.*

I opened my eyes and sat up. She was looking down at me. She was dressed and held my cleaned clothes out to me.

I discarded the robe and put on my own clothes. I still did not have shoes and noticed Mara staring at a spot behind me. She pointed to a pair of soft leather boots standing there.

How did she do that? There was nothing in that spot when I had started dressing.

A flash of shared memory and understanding!

Of course, she had materialized it.

She was exceptionally good at that. She has had hundreds of years of practice in bringing energy's vibration down and solidifying it into matter.

I could just wish to have so much control over energy. Some day, with loads of practice, I just might.

*Thank you,* I sincerely told her.

*You're most welcome. Consider it a parting gift to remember us by.*

I did not reply as a bitterness lingered around her. Physical life for us was a harsher reality than for others.

We worked in both worlds simultaneously and it was extremely hard to return to a Planet and the physical when you knew how easy it was on the other side.

That is probably why I tried to make the most of my physical moments. I enjoyed what life had to offer as part of a physical experience, whether you had work to do on both planes of existence or not.

Mara looked pleased with herself as I stomped into the boots, which turned out to be a perfect fit.

Mara escorted me back to my people.

Since our sharing, I had had no further visions when we touched, allowing us to walk hand in hand through the woods where the path allowed it.

The moon was already up and shining brightly by the time we arrived in the last stretch of woods.

We could already see the lights of Racewater's cabin.

"This is as far as I will go in true form. I will be unable to sustain the vision of Ma-Mara," she stated, promptly turning into the dog again.

With a bear on my right side and the dog on my left, I walked through the last trees, coming out onto the grassy verge and bright moonlight.

I turned to Mutt and took his head in both hands, looked into his beady little eyes, and told him to look after my family.

I turned to Mara and squatted down. She came to me and buried her head in my arms. I hugged her briefly.

Then stood up, turned my back on them and forced my feet to walk down to the cabin.

##  *** Eleven ***

The sound of voices drifted off the porch.

Panam's higher pitch was distinctly recognizable.

Burying my sadness about leaving Mara and Moira deeply within my heart, I locked it up with the rest of the feelings I could not afford to run free.

Strangely, I found I was genuinely looking forward to joining civilization again and felt better by the time I walked around the corner of the cabin.

Racewater and Ray had their backs to me. The two other men that had accompanied Racewater to the cave were facing the river, so it was Panam who saw me first.

He gave such a whoop that he startled all of us.

Everyone's attention turned to me where Panam gave me a bear hug, slapping me hard on the back.

"You do not look worse for wear?" Panam stated the question.

Ray smiled at me while the others looked on expectantly.

Racewater sat back down, offering me the seat next to him.

"Are you well?" he inquired, a typical Racewater response, always the serious businessman.

"Yes, thank you," I replied.

"Did you learn what you needed to know from Ma-Mara?" Ray asked.

My throat constricted. I nodded, keeping emotion out of my face and eyes, turning my heart to stone.

"You came here early. We only expected you tomorrow," Racewater commented.

"Timing is not always as we expect it," I replied.

I turned my attention to Panam. "How is Julie?"

"She is good," he replied. "Tucker looked after her very well. She did not need to do a lot to finalize arrangements. We are all missing him though."

Racewater gave Panam a look that could have killed.

"Yes, I miss him too," I answered.

There was a tense moment in the group and I realized that they were trying to figure out how I was handling Tucker's death. I changed the subject.

Grinning, I asked Panam "So, do I get some coffee now, or must I suffer in silence from withdrawal symptoms. Help an addict out, please."

Everyone visibly relaxed. Panam laughed out loud and disappeared into the cabin, relief flooding his aura.

I turned my attention to Racewater. "What happened in my absence?"

"After the shooting, Captain Truman knew immediately that the warehouse was a ruse to get you there. He ordered me to take you away to a safe place and not to let anyone know where you were.

Even if they knew where you were, there is no way to reach this place without being noticed. With you safely with Ma-Mara . . . " (Another stab in my heart. I squashed it) ". . . I returned to the City. It turned out that you were noticed through the criminal investigations, creating attention in government circles."

I just stared at him. Was this going to complicate matters, or maybe simplify them?

"The Captain was offered a deal for you that he could not really refuse. Especially in light of the threat to your life."

I raised an eyebrow.

Racewater suddenly laughed out loud.

It was a startling sound.

I realized that I had never before heard him laugh.

"For a moment, you looked just like Tucker," he responded to my shocked face.

He turned serious again. "We have been reassigned to the Service of the Planetary Security Forces. You, Panam and I will form a separate unit to be used wherever and whenever needed."

"Just how did Panam get involved in all of this?" I asked.

"I volunteered," Panam said as he came out with a tray of steaming mugs, holding it while everyone helped themselves.

"How does this turn of events fit in with why I am here, right now?" I wanted to know from Racewater.

He shrugged. "I am not sure. The Clan's elders are having a meeting tomorrow and then we will know how to proceed."

It was already late and we dispersed after finishing our coffee. Panam and I were to take the upstairs bunks. Racewater said goodnight to his friends who left to their own homes before settling down on the couch.

Not feeling like sleeping, I excused myself to the bathroom.

I was just starting to relax comfortably in the warm water when a golden orb appeared next to the tub.

It materialized into human form in almost identical way in which Sensaii appeared to me the first time. I sat up and took notice.

Recognition formed from Mara's memories. This was her first husband, and Moira's original father. He presented himself in the traditional dress of Racewater's Clan. Long-sleeved tunic made of soft material over pants of a courser material, tied down with a belt.

My first thought was that I was in trouble. But the entity soothed my fears.

"When the time is right, I request your permission to speak for you, through you," he requested from me.

I answered him in a way that would not confuse either of us.

"I humbly ask an explanation of how you wish to proceed with this request?"

"I wish to use your body as an open channel," he replied.

O-kay.

' _Channelling'_.

There were many ways to do it. This entity was requesting that I totally relinquish my body in order for him to take it over. Yet, at the same time, I would be fully aware of what was happening.

"Is this part of my Universal Assignment?" I wanted to know from him.

As I spoke the question, I already knew the answer and it was portrayed to Zadkiel.

His name suddenly popped up from Mara's memories.

"Until it is time," Zadkiel announced while fading away.

The whole episode did not feel as if it took a lot of Planet time, but the water in my bath was cooling. I hurried to finish my bath before making my way back to the sleeping quarters past a snoring Racewater.

Panam was already sleeping peacefully.

I lay down on my bunk, relaxing my body, willing myself to sleep.

It did not work.

The harder I tried, the more agitated I felt.

Restlessness overcame me and got up, dressed in the dark and made it to the porch without mishap or waking either friend.

I was pulling on the boots Mara had materialized for me when I realized that I have felt this way before . . . the day I went to the waterfront in the City and found the body of the dead boy in the water.

Allowing myself to be guided by whatever force was making me restless, curiosity uppermost in my mind, this strange urge steered me in the direction of the river.

It was a long way, but the feeling persisted and urged me on until I was running.

The movement was exhilarating; the air crisp and I allowed my body to guide itself in the dark, the moon being behind the mountains already.

I ran with a joy of freedom I have never felt before in this lifetime, jumping over logs while sweeping branches out of my way.

Reaching the rocky shore of the river, I stopped to regain my breath, glad that my body was not as exhausted as I had expected it to be after the run.

My body recuperated easily. I was still restless, but not in such an urgent way anymore.

I checked the urge.

Where did this force within me wished me to go?

I slowly turned downstream. The feeling diminished.

I turned towards the river and the urgency almost overwhelmed me.

Double-checking, I turned my body upstream, also with the feeling diminishing, thus it was definitely across the water.

Not wanting to get wet in the cool air, I started upstream towards the main body of cabins. Keeping to the shore until it made a sharp turn, a few canoes were pulled onto the rocks. I borrowed the first one I came to, found the paddle inside and launched it into the water.

With the launching, the knowledge of how to handle the canoe came flooding back. This was, fortunately, mostly an unconscious happening and my body knew instinctively what to do.

On the other side of the river I pulled the canoe high out of the water and made my way up the slope to the trees.

By some luck (or was it guidance?) I found a path leading into the woods and followed it. Fairly soon I started passing rocky mounds with long grasses growing around it. I kept going, barely making the association of graves.

With the increased feeling of discomfort, the pull to _move_ uphill was even stronger here. I left the graves and the uneasy feeling behind as I entered another outcropping of trees.

STOP!

It was a definite order. Not a telepathic one, or a voice. Just a knowing with my whole being.

Turn Right!

Same thing. I followed the order down a faint path leading to the mountainside.

I was coming up to some boulders leading to a sheer cliff towering upwards and started anticipating finding another cave.

STOP!

I obeyed instantly, teetering on the brink of a wide crevice opening up at my feet.

It was overgrown and even trees were growing out of it. It would have been a nasty fall if I had continued on.

The pressure to hasten was upon me again. The sky in the East showing that dawn was imminent.

Starting to feel my way down the crevice, I did not have to search far before finding a wooden ladder. The feel of the wood told me that it was old, yet the secure binding assured me that it was sturdy enough.

Carefully testing each rung before committing my full weight to it, I reached the bottom without incident.

The deeper black shadow of the opposite wall indicated my expected cave. Once inside, I felt around for a torch or some form of illumination I felt sure had to be somewhere as the ground at the entrance was well worn, indicating regular human activity.

My fingers touched wood a little way in and I followed the stem to an oily top.

Now for a light.

Following the torch down I felt it was tucked into a niche on a ledge. Careful exploration turned up a sparker which I flicked closed, being rewarded by a spark.

Holding the torch near the sparker, I tried it again.

The torch took on the second try, erupting into flames.

Both sides of the entrance had torches. I lit those too, making my way into the belly of the mountain. The torches seemed to be spaced about every ten to twelve paces and I illuminated the whole passage as far as I went.

Entering a circular chamber, I lit all the torches I could see. There were creation scenes painted on the walls and ceilings. I did not linger long, the urgency to move still with me.

The other side of the chamber had three passages leading from it. Stopping briefly in front of the middle one, I allowed myself to be guided as before before entering it.

The torches were now twenty to thirty paces apart, leaving just enough light to be guided by.

The tunnel I had selected seemed to go on forever. The walls and floor became more even, eventually turning into stone. Closer investigation showed chisel marks upon the walls.

Engrossed with inspecting this man-made tunnel, I almost missed the first step leading down towards a cooler area. Following the stairs it became cold with fresh air funnelled from the front. A sudden draft made my torch splutter and I gave a sigh of relief when it was not extinguished by the wind.

When the stairs ended, I entered another passage with a channel of water flowing slowly on my one side.

The passage eventually opened up into a huge cavern with an underground lake at its far end. The light of my torch was unable to reach the roof or opposite walls. The channel of water originated from this underground reservoir.

I was drawn to the edge of this lake. There was movement inside the water for small ripples formed to make miniature waves lap at my feet.

Three lights were forming over the lake. Three orbs of golden light came floating down towards me.

I backed off from the water's edge to make space for them to settle on the shore.

As before, the three orbs materialized into recognizable form. A woman was flanked by two male figures. They presented themselves in the same dress as Mara's partner did.

One of the men spoke.

"We are the guardians of Gancor's inter-planetary portal. We have awaited your coming for many years.

We herewith present you with the key we have been guarding for your return.

Your children's children have possession of the other keys necessary to unlock the mechanism of the Planetary Portal."

The woman floated forward, coming to a stop in front of me.

She carefully took, what looked like a golden medallion, and placed it around my neck.

It touched my skin creating a burning sensation.

The woman held her hand to my chest and pushed the metal into my body.

I tried to resist.

I could smell burning flesh.

I wanted to scream from the agony it was causing.

I found no voice.

I found no response from my limbs.

I was paralyzed!

Maybe this was just another vision.

Maybe I am still safe in the cabin.

Just maybe . . .

##  *** Twelve ***

Voices.

A repeated word.

Concentrate!

It is my name.

Whose voice is it?

No recognition.

Another voice.

My name again.

I knew this voice.

My brain placed a face with it. Fair hair and blue-eyed open features. A ready smile.

What _is_ the name?

I seek for it.

It came.

Panam!

With the name came recognition and flashes of memory.

I tried to struggle out of the treacle keeping me bogged down in this unacceptable physical state.

A bitter taste.

A burning down my throat right to my stomach.

I fought it, trying to spit it out.

I shook my head.

More came into my mouth and I was forced to swallow or gag.

My mouth was held closed.

Another voice.

Comprehension following.

"Did he swallow?"

"Yes."

"Keep him still. Force some more into him."

Another squirt of the disgusting stuff down my throat.

I clenched my teeth on something hard.

The burning in my throat moved to my chest.

Conscious feeling returned to my body.

My arms were restrained and I still could not move my legs.

I could not breathe.

A furnace was raging within my ribcage.

I forced my eyelids open.

Racewater was sitting across my legs. His friends were restraining my arms.

Panam was desperately trying to find a vein.

My vision fogged over.

"Got it!"

A prick and something cold entering my arm.

A cold sensation gushing up and racing to my burning chest.

Welcome relief . . .

Wet.

An uncomfortable wetness surrounded my body.

Odd?

I felt cold.

I ventured a peek through half-opened eyelids findingPanam watching me from where he sat on the wide windowsill of the cabin.

He came to me and laid a hot hand on my forehead.

"Dan!" he shouted downstairs.

I was back in the cabin.

So I never really left it.

I recalled the burning sensation from the medallion and tried to feel my chest.

My limbs did not want to respond.

I could hear Racewater coming up the stairs.

He also felt my head. His hand too, was very warm. He placed a small bottle to my lips.

"Drink."

It was the same horrible stuff I suddenly recalled having forced into me earlier.

I swallowed. It was still bitter but not as bad as before.

My body responded almost instantly and I started feeling warmer.

I tried to speak, but Racewater placed his finger on my lips.

"Not just yet," he told me.

It was a pity we were not telepathically connected.

So I pleaded as best I could with my eyes for an explanation.

Racewater avoided me, instead, he and Panam started massaging my cold limbs with a pungent ointment. The smell was familiar, definitely not distasteful.

Warmth and comfort were returning to my body. I was feeling ready to get up and started testing the response in my body, flexing my fingers and toes.

The two men looked on eagerly while I stretched and relaxed every part of my body.

At long last I managed to sit up with only a bit of help from Panam who placed a blanket around my shoulders.

Racewater handed me a mug of coffee.

Sipping carefully, I found it disgusting, tasting of herbs.

"I placed some of the potion Ma-Mara brought in there. We need you to finish everything before the end of the day," Racewater told me.

I managed to down the contents of the mug but could not help making a wry face when finished.

They seemed relieved that I had managed to finish the lot.

"We are glad you are back," Racewater informed me. "We woke yesterday morning and you were not here. We eventually tracked you to the old burial site across the river."

Then it was NOT a vision. It actually happened in real time. I felt my body going cold all over again and pulled the blanket tighter around me, the coarse material digging into my skin.

"We found you at the top of the crevice that led to the Holy Place," Racewater told me. "You were not supposed to go there. Only the Elders are allowed there. My Clan's people are exceedingly upset about the whole episode."

Racewater looked hard at me before continuing.

"Anyway. You were unconscious and we brought you back here.

Ma-Mara was summoned. She concluded that you had a massive infection in your chest and it was causing the high fever, placing your body in the unconscious state. She left with strict instructions about her potion. If you are well enough by tomorrow, you are to explain yourself before the council."

' _More like a trial and judgment_ ,' I finished silently for him.

He came back to basics. "Now, when you are ready, Panam wants you to move to the other bunk."

I gathered my strength and took the few steps to the other bunk.

It was not so bad. My body was already recuperating.

I sat down cross-legged on the bunk, tucking the blanket around me once more.

Facing the window at an angle, I could see outside as well as my reflection. It was a beautiful day. Bright and crispy.

Racewater left and Panam was busy with the other bed.

I turned my attention to my chest.

Looking at my reflection, I opened the blanket to see it. There was an angry red circle right in the middle of my chest. It really did look like a burn mark and was swollen and looked infected.

How could this be?

The medallion looked very real, but I was sure the woman pushed it right into my body.

A familiar pulsing inside my head claimed my attention.

*Matter. And energy. Look inside your body.*

Overwhelmingly relieved to hear and feel Sensaii, I realized that I sometimes took him for granted, forgetting that he was a readily available source of information.

Checking on Panam's position, he was leaving the room with a pile of bedding in his arms, making his way precariously down the stairs.

With no-one to interrupt me, I slipped out of my body, turning my astral form to look at myself.

For the first time ever, I was looking at my own body in the same way I sometimes looked at other people.

I saw everything in energy. Millions of tiny golden particles vibrated to form a living organism.

The outline of my body looked solid, so I refined my viewing to incorporate the inside of it. I could now see the organs busy doing their work the heart beating steadily; the blood gushing in tiny spurts of energy in rhythm to the heartbeat. Every molecule of energy working together in harmony, creating the matter that was this body.

It was a real-time miracle.

But what else did I see?

There were some molecules presenting as sluggish blotches inside my chest.

This must be this so-called infection.

I concentrated on these areas, trying to speed their vibration up to the same level as the rest of my body. These energy molecules danced and struggled and eventually formed a perfect replica of the medallion's design over my heart. As if to protect it.

It was now vibrating at the same speed as the rest of my body.

Satisfied, I overlapped my body and returned my spirit to the physical.

The light in the room was dazzling, making me squint my eyes.

I could hear Panam busy making lunch in the kitchen, dropping something onto the wooden floor.

My head seemed to explode with the noise as every nerve seemed open and on edge.

*Close your psychic self,* Sensaii encouraged.

*Thanks,* I acknowledged the reminder, closing my open sensory points.

The pain subsided. The light diffused. I could bear being back in my body again.

All in all, I felt whole and healed.

Looking around for my clothes, I found my travel bag in a corner of the room.

Dressed in fresh clothes and comfortable shoes, I joined Panam in the kitchen.

"Hi, glad to see you up," he greeted. "You are looking a lot better. I'm so glad to see that old lady's potion has helped."

A now familiar pain shot into my heart at the mention of Mara.

"There is still a bit of the potion left and she ordered us to make sure you finish all of it, thus grab some coffee and swallow this," Panam elaborated, handing me the little bottle.

I poured some coffee and tried to disguise the bitter taste of the potion with lots of sugar.

It did not work, making the coffee even more disgusting.

As consolation, Panam took some delicious smelling cakes out of the oven, grinning at me when he noticed me watching him.

"Julie always said I was a better baker than a cook," he told me.

"Racewater is not a bad cook, and your food is good too," he continued without a taking a breather.

He was also a chatterbox.

"Why did you volunteer to help me?" I interrupted the next spurt of conversation.

"Why not?" he asked. "You are something else. Even Julie sensed it from the start. Tucker once said you were destined 'For Great Things'.

I have the training and expertise to help you physically and as a bonus, I do not mind playing nanny and maid."

"I know, I know, you just cannot cook."

"That's right!"

"What about Julie? You cannot start a family from halfway across the world."

"How can I put this?" he mused. "We are realists. We know what we have to do. Yes, we are extremely fond of each other. No, we are not infatuated, or 'soul-mates' or any of that other nonsense. So we have great sex from time to time. But we have dedicated ourselves to people like you. Each in our own way. I just decided to stick with only one You!"

His hands were busy throughout and he handed me a plate with some cakes, cut open with spreads on.

I drained the last dregs in my mug. Stifling an involuntary shudder, I quickly bit into one of the cakes to smother the terrible taste.

They were delicious! No bakery could have done better.

I watched Panam while eating.

He was always busy with something. Right now he was biting into a cake. Then he started on the dishes. Then another bite. And moving on to cleaning the stove. Another bite and he was emptying the coffee pot to replace it with new beans.

Hyperactive!

That's the word my still sluggish brain was looking for. He made me tired just by watching him.

Finishing the last cake on my plate, I excused myself to freshen up.

In the bathroom I had a look in the mirror. My body seemed well. I opened my shirt to make a closer inspection of my new scar.

It was good to see that the healing I did earlier really worked. The angry, inflamed wound was now a dull red. All the open edges were closed properly and the scar would become light pink within days.

The mark was distinct, looking like an upside down horse shoe. The open end at the bottom was closed with a somewhat squashed lazy eight lying on its side.

No, that's not quite it. A message was trying to get through to my fuzzy brain. The drugs must have a drowsing effect.

Anyway, the horse shoe and eight were connected with a seven pointed star in the inside of the horse shoe. Something told me that I had seen this before.

A door slammed and Panam called to me to finish up, Racewater was back to see me.

I closed my shirt, the beginnings of an answer still at the edge of my consciousness.

"I just received news from Peetra," Racewater informed me. "Captain Truman needs us back in New Haven as soon as possible. I spoke to the Clan Council and they will see you at dawn. Unfortunately for you, they do not want you to wander around again. They requested that you stay the night in the lockable room at the Hall. Would you agree to stay there overnight?"

I sadly smiled at him. "If it would make you all feel better. I will consent."

Not that it meant a thing to a teleport. I was starting to feel naughty again. A good sign. Maybe I should play with them all a bit.

*Maybe not. This is serious and it will give you peace and quiet to prepare yourself,* Sensaii reprimanded.

*Spoilsport!*

##  *** Thirteen ***

Racewater did not ask what had happened the night before. And I did not volunteer any information. We parted ways and I spent the rest of the day lounging on the porch; sometimes fingering the new scar, knowing that all the knowledge would be available when needed; wondering what was going to happen tomorrow.

I knew Zadkiel would present himself on my behalf.

Should I warn Panam to be ready in case I needed him?

I decided not to. There should not be a problem.

By evening, Racewater stopped in front of the cabin with the all-terrain vehicle. Panam hopped in next to me on the back seat and we bounced our way to the river.

One should think they would at least prepare some decent roads!

As we drove, I realized how far I actually ran night before last. It seemed such a long time ago.

I felt different too. More mature. More wise, somehow.

I was right about my feelings regarding the Hall.

It was basically a cabin consisting of a huge open area, enhancing the feeling of a courtroom. A place where disputes were settled and decisions made concerning the Clan. There was a raised platform at the one end and I could just make out a door leading to an adjacent room.

This was obviously the Clan's version of 'Jail'. I fervently hoped my 'get out of jail free' card showed up when I needed him.

Panam made sure the cell was comfortable, leaving my cold dinner on a chair. There was a bunk, flush toilet and basin. I would be comfortable enough.

I turned to Racewater. "Just one request. I want you and Panam present throughout the hearing."

"I will tell them," he said emotionless, closing the door on me.

More than that I could not expect and turned my attention to look around the room.

There was a glow-globe that would give off diffused light if I shook it a couple of times.

There were no windows.

A sudden coldness crept over me when I heard the door bolted on the other side.

I felt squashed. As if the world was closing in on me.

"Stop it," I told myself, reminding my body that this was not a prison. No Matter could ever keep me imprisoned again, if I did not want to allow it.

My body calmed down.

I finished dinner, deciding to stay put – for now.

Taking off my shoes, I made myself comfortable on the bunk.

Sleep did not come, so I contemplated on the medallion.

It was now part of my energy make-up. It could not be detected by scanners as I had incorporated the molecules to vibrate the same as my body. The only outward sign was the scar.

I traced its outline on my chest, keeping conscious thought at bay.

Images surfaced.

It consisted of the shape of a Portal with the infinity sign at the bottom. The seven-pointed star represented energy points and elements, Matter and Life Itself.

A similar star was hanging in Racewater's lounge!

I drifted with the memory.

Six more entities stood in front of me. Six spirits dedicated to the upkeep of the Planetary Portal. I concentrated on their auras. I will find them wherever they were.

One of Mara's memories pushed to be noticed.

I allowed it to flow . . .

She was still a little girl, sitting around a fire with an elder teaching them their Clan's beliefs.

"And, finally, when the One received his physical memories and accepts his destiny, the mark of the Portal will be placed upon him for all to see. He will become one, once more, with the Universe, and his physical powers will include regeneration and multi-dimensional consciousness."

The memory faded and I returned to the dark room.

I did not want to ponder on this new-found knowledge. I knew my body needed rest, so I left it on the bed and went to my safe place in the Higher Worlds.

A deathly quiet woke me.

I lay listening.

No sound interrupted the quiet.

Not an insect, not an animal, not even the wind.

I instinctively knew it was just before dawn.

Why was the Planet holding its breath?

GET OUT!

That warning again!

I closed my eyes.

A feeling of vertigo overcame me.

I opened them to a blinding explosion on the horizon.

I was astonished.

It worked! I did it again!

I was standing safely on the rocky beach of the river.

Scrambling up the bank, I could see what was left of the Hall. Burning wood and pieces of rubble lay strewn over a wide area. Some cabins had caught fire and people were already rushing to douse it. Racewater and Panam were staring at the flames.

I made my way over to them.

"How did they find me?" I wanted to know.

"I don't know. I can only think there might have been a tracking device in your clothes which activated one of the satellite defence systems," Racewater answered.

"Or a tracker only activated when you triggered it," Panam commented.

"It must have been the shoes then," I said. I was glad I did not decide to wear Mara's boots to the Hall. They were still safe in my bag in Racewater's cabin.

They suddenly turned on me.

"How?" Racewater demanded.

"Thank the Universe!" Panam exclaimed, grabbing my arms.

I laughed at them. "Everything will be explained later. Let us find the Council."

"No need," a voice behind us said. We all turned to find a small group of people looking at us. The elderly man who spoke first assessed the situation.

"As the Hall is no longer an option as a meeting place, I suggest we move to the pier, which will give enough acoustics for all to hear."

So we all trudged back to the river. No-one seemed to be panicked by the events. The few cabins that had caught fire were already doused and the Hall was left to smoulder. A single person was left to guard against a flare-up.

We reached the bank of the river as the sun pushed its first rays over the mountain. It was going to be another beautiful day.

The elder stopped me. "You stay here. You would have taken the stage, so you can speak from here."

I waited there for everyone to find a comfortable position. The crowd quickly swelled to all the villagers. This was not going to be a closed 'hearing', as I have come to think of it.

I waited for silence. The authoritive man raised his arms, effectively silencing the fifty or so adults. They all turned to me expectantly.

Memory came flooding back.

Similar scenes played before me in split second timing.

Confidence replaced the timidness I usually felt in the presence of other people. That mature feeling I had previously had returned.

I checked that Zadkiel was ready. I have felt his presence since we started walking back to the river.

"I was humbly requested not to speak for myself today," I started in their Clan language.

My voice carried satisfactorily over the area. I was sure all could hear.

"Zadkiel Racewater requested that honour, therefore, I am going to step back and let him present himself."

A gasp went up from the people who recognized the name of the person I was about to channel.

Closing my eyes, I relaxed my body, preparing to step back as Zadkiel started overlapping, taking control of my physical body.

I released my body into his care and stepped clear, standing behind it, ready to take over control as soon as Zadkiel relinquish it.

Zadkiel tried my body for size. It was different from what he used to have, but he quickly got it under control. My body gave a single step forward before Zadkiel had complete control.

It was amazing to watch. Even the features of my face changed into more rugged lines. A voice not my own came out of my mouth. It was husky and spoke in the Clan's older, more poetic version of the language.

"I am Zadkiel Racewater. Many of you know me. Many of you know about me. I was a Keeper of the Keys when I was in body form. I am a Keeper of the Keys in the Spirit World.

I requested the use of this body to come to you this day. The High Lord came to this body to lead this Planet and Worlds back to the Light. He was requested to visit the Caves of the Ancients by us, your Ancestors. There he received what he needs to fulfil his tasks.

We request your assistance in this regard. We have to work with him to accomplish Source's wishes. If anybody doubts this message, or doubts who I am. This is my proof."

He opened my shirt, exposing my chest for all to see. The symbol burnt into it brought a murmuring from the crowd.

"With this," he closed my shirt, "we invoke the Wisdom of the Ancients. May they always linger among us. May their teachings ever be heard and adhered to. As prophesied, the One has finally arrived!"

Zadkiel started fading and I had to jump to catch my own body before it fell.

I sat down heavily.

Panam was next to me within seconds.

He gave me some of the bitter herbs to swallow.

It worked wonders. Body and spirit integrated almost immediately.

Looking for Zadkiel, I found him at the edge of the crowd.

*I am sorry,* he spoke into my mind, *the toll was on both of us. Neither of us was trained to do this. I am sure it helped make up their minds.* He smiled and disappeared from my perceptions.

The small group of leaders stood around me. The man who spoke for them looked down at me.

"Well, that is that then," he stated, turning to the crowd.

"I do not need to state anything more. The word of Zadkiel is enough for us. We will do as we have been taught throughout our history."

He turned back to me, but addressed Racewater, keeping his eyes fixed on mine.

"Take this man. Do whatever need to be done until all is in place. We will give you assistance wherever it is needed. I presume you are leaving soon?"

"Yes, we are ready to travel immediately," Racewater answered him.

"Good," the Council leader replied.

Addressing me, he continued, "You are in our minds and hearts. There will be prayers for your success every minute of every day. Our assistance is yours to have whatever you need. Look after yourself well."

It was a dismissal.

Panam helped me up and we made our way to Racewater's vehicle while Racewater still conversed with this older man.

Panam settled next to me on the back seat.

"I do not really understand what that man that came through you meant. He called you a High Lord. What does that mean? How did you do that . . . switching spirit thing? What are we going to do with you, now you're supposed to be dead?"

From quiet men to this! This must surely be a curse.

I picked up a chuckle from Sensaii. He was really having a ball at my expense.

"Stop! Too many questions at once. First a question for you. How do you know what Zadkiel said? You do not understand their language," I wished to know.

"Dan was kind enough to translate for me," Panam replied.

"Okay. The High Lord bit just means that I have been around a very long time, nothing serious."

Not the whole truth, but good enough for now.

"The switching thing is called channelling, and more specific what we did, Trans-medium channelling. It is where you relinquish control of your own body in order for someone else to take it over for a specific task."

"Then where do you go when this person has control of your body?" Panam wanted to know, absolutely fascinated by this new experience.

"There are different ways of doing this. If it is a short channel, like we did, then I stick around to get back into my body as soon as it is left vacant. As you saw, we had a slip-up and almost lost it there for a moment.

If they need to occupy your body for any length of time, you leave to the Land of the Golden Light until you are needed to get back into your body."

"That's now what you term 'Heaven' right? Sounds complicated."

"The organization is considerable to get everyone involved and the timing right. But it can be done," I assured him.

"But what are we going to do with you now you are supposed to be dead?"

"Nothing," Racewater answered Panam, climbing in behind the wheel.

"What do you mean nothing?" Panam with his eternal questions.

"Whoever wanted to kill Han, does not know that they were not successful. Therefore, we are going to try and slip into New Haven and out again unnoticed."

"What if they want to confirm the kill?"

Racewater gave Panam such a look, that he closed his mouth so hard you could hear his teeth snapping together.

END of Part 2

Ω

Just a kind reminder that this ebook version is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be used by, re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share the ebook with another person, please honour the author's hard work and purchase/download an additional copy for each recipient.

#  About H Gibson

Author of The Chronicles of Han Storm

In 2004 the Author of Chronicles of Han Storm sustained third degree burns to 35% of her body including her face and both hands. She twice went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated by the emergency personnel. It took quite a while for her to regain functionality, with healing, physiotherapy and two small children to contend with.

In 2008, after the scarring finally started to heal with the products her husband had developed for her, he gave her a laptop, encouraging her to stop saying that she would one day like to write a book and actually do it.

One book quickly became a Series with over two million words of reading excitement.

www.chroniclesofhan.com

H Gibson's Books are listed on  Goodreads

