Iona Portal (16 page)

Then came the fear. 
Was this new treatment really legitimate?
  She was foolish to go to a stranger’s house without getting more information. 
Was this really a treatment at all?
  Maybe Holmes and Piper were part of a religious cult.  When she got there, they would kidnap her… brainwash her.   Make her do…
what?

She continued on.  At each intersection she battled the temptation to turn back.  She felt she was pushing through a tangible cloud of opposition, and had to muster all her resolve to keep moving. 

Nearing the address, Lys slowed to a crawl.  She pulled to the curb two houses away and cut the engine.  The neighborhood was a typical affluent North Dallas neighborhood.  Large custom homes with distinctive architecture were set on beautifully landscaped lots and surrounded by carefully manicured lawns.

It all looked legitimate, yet she hesitated.  She watched several others park and walk up to the door.
 Who were these people?  Why did they come here?

Lys finally forced herself out of the car.  She hobbled up the walk, driven by a sheer determination not to be beaten.  She rang the doorbell.  As the door swung open, Piper greeted her with a gracious smile and escorted her in. 

The exterior of the home was designed to suggest a medieval castle with rough-hewn stone walls, leaded glass windows, and a cylindrical turret rising near the right-hand side.

The interior mirrored the same theme.  Entering the house Lys crossed an expansive flagstone entry with a small formal sitting area on the right and leaded glass doors leading to a paneled study on the left.  A curved staircase led to the second floor.

Passing through the entry they came to an immense great room where the gathering was evidently to be held.  The furnishings here were massive, and in a Mediterranean style, with a great deal of rich leather and wrought-iron.  Great wooden beams supported the ceiling high above them.  A balcony overlooked the room on three sides, while directly ahead, on the fourth side, a massive rock wall was highlighted by an equally massive walk-in stone fireplace that could have been borrowed from a medieval castle keep.  A well-stocked wet-bar occupied the southwest corner.

Most of the group were already present.  Trying to be sensitive to Lys’s back problems, Piper had reserved the firmest chair for her.  Lys carefully eased herself into the seat, her face contorting as a stab of pain shot from her spine all the way to her feet.  Lys looked around warily. 

Most of the guests were already caught up in conversation, sipping drinks and laughing. 
How could she tell if this was a religious cult?

Holmes walked over and greeted her warmly.

Lys was clearly nervous but gave her very best imitation smile.

“Is this when you break out the Kool-aid?” Lys asked, suspiciously.

Holmes smiled, “Sorry, we’re all out of Kool-aid.  How about a nice Shiraz?”

His good-natured response relaxed her considerably, “Thanks,” she said.  “I’d love it.”

Holmes returned a few moments later with a paper-thin crystal glass half-filled with a rich dark liquid.  Lys swirled the Shiraz, sniffed, and took a sip.  It was outstanding.  “Thanks,” she said again, with a more genuine smile this time, “This really helps.”

“Just what the doctor ordered,” Holmes smiled in return.  “One of my favorite prescriptions.”

While Lys nursed her drink, Piper brought a steady stream of people over to her chair and introduced them.  It was quite a diverse group.  The youngest was Ron Lewis, a large, barrel-chested man with a close-cropped beard. 

The oldest, named Michael Fletcher, looked like a college professor.  He was accompanied by a young businessman named Patrick, who apparently had just returned from an extended trip to Scotland.

Next, Lys met a young black woman with a willowy figure who introduced herself as Reetha Shire.  She explained that her parents had been big Aretha Franklin fans. 

There was Marty Shapiro, a medical doctor, slender with wiry hair, a neatly trimmed mustache, and mischievous smile.

Finally Piper introduced her to Erin Vanderberg, a stunning brunette, impeccably dressed.  Lys recognized Erin from the society blogs.  Erin was a wealthy Dallas socialite, married to Rex Vanderberg, one of the richest men in Texas.

The introductions were almost finished when the last member of the group arrived.  The late arrival was a slender brunette wearing a simple, knee-length dress of a material Lys didn’t recognize.  She was introduced simply as Eliel.

After Piper refreshed everyone’s drinks, Holmes opened the meeting.  “Welcome to the second gathering of our synaxis.  I believe you’ve all met our newest member, Lysandra Johnston.  Since Lys wasn’t with us for our first meeting, I want to begin by giving her a brief explanation of why we are here.

“Lys, one of the purposes of our group is to unlock the latent abilities within each one of us.  Locked away in each of us are some incredible powers, but most of us never learn to use them.  Fortunately, our friend here, Eliel, has the ability to help us tap into those powers.  We worked on that briefly last week and saw some interesting results.

“We’d like to begin our meeting tonight with a ‘lab’ session, and with your permission, Lys, I’d like to use you as the guinea pig.  I promise nothing we do will hurt or embarrass you, and if you feel uncomfortable at any time, just let us know and we’ll stop immediately.

“Is that okay with you?”

Lys looked around, wondering if she should bolt for the door.  But no one looked very threatening, and she wasn’t sure she could “bolt” very well in her condition in any event.

“Sure,” she said, “go for it.  I’m afraid I’m a pretty pathetic guinea pig right now, but if I can help, I’ll be glad to.”

“Okay,” Holmes smiled, “just sit back and relax.”

Turning to the late arrival, Holmes smiled, “Eliel, I’ll now turn the meeting over to you...”

Without a word, Eliel walked over to Lys and studied her for a moment.  She then began giving instructions to several members of the group. 

“Reetha,” she began, “come over here and stand behind Lys.” 

Reetha smiled broadly, then walked nervously to the center of the room, taking a position directly behind Lys.

“Now… lay your hand gently on Lys’s back and tell me what you feel.” 

Reetha followed Eliel’s instructions.  As her fingers rested lightly on Lys’s back, her face contorted in pain for a moment, then relaxed.  She shifted the position of her fingers several times, each time with a similar response.  Finally she glanced up at Eliel, “It feels like her back is damaged—here, here, and here,” she said, softly touching Lys’s back in three places.

Lys was impressed. 
Three for three isn’t bad. 
Reetha had touched exactly the points of the damaged disks.

“Thank you, Reetha,” Eliel said, then looked at Lys.

“Reetha’s what we call an empath,” Eliel explained.  “She has the ability to feel what someone else is feeling.  She just discovered how to use her powers last week, but she’s already very good.”

Eliel next turned to Piper, “Now, Piper, it’s your turn.  Come and stand here with me.”

As Piper took her position, Eliel explained, “Piper discovered last week that she’s a healer.  She’s had that gift all her life, but never recognized it… or understood how to use it.  Tonight will be her first real test.

“Okay, Piper,” Eliel instructed. “Put your hands gently on Lys’s back right here—no, a little higher.  That’s it.”

Sensing Lys’s apprehension, Eliel explained, “Lys, you’re about to feel some strange sensations.  Don’t be afraid.  This won’t hurt, and when it’s finished, you’ll feel a great deal better.”

As Piper’s hands rested lightly on her back, Lys was surprised by a sensation of warmth that began at the top of her spine and slowly extended down her back. 

 “Lys, tell us what you’re feeling.” Eliel prompted.

“It feels strange,” Lys responded, nervously.  “I feel heat flowing down my spine.  It’s not a bad feeling, just unusual.” 

Eliel continued, “Now, Piper… move your left hand slightly lower—just
there
—and put your right hand here.”

Piper shifted the position of her hands.

“Now, let’s wait a few minutes.”

The feeling of heat continued its spread, but Lys now began to notice other sensations.  She felt lightheaded.  There was a tingling in her hands, then a trembling, finally an uncontrolled shaking.  Waves of energy seemed to be surging through her body.  She felt she was plugged into a power outlet and her body was being overloaded.  After a few minutes, Eliel directed Piper to remove her hands.

Every eye was on Lys.  The heat, and the other sensations, slowly subsided.

 “Now,” Eliel asked, “How do you feel?”

“I feel relaxed… and refreshed,” Lys responded.  “That was amazing.”

“What about your back?”

Lys straightened up, and got a puzzled look on her face.  The sensations had been so overwhelming that, for a moment, she’d forgotten about her back.

She carefully twisted her body to the right, and then to the left… but felt no pain.
“This is incredible.   I’m not feeling the pain.”

“Try standing up and moving,”  

Lys stood up, still being careful how she moved.  Slowly she bent over, stretched, and then moved from side to side.  With each movement she expected the usual twinge of searing pain, but the pain never came.

“This is impossible.”  Lys looked at Piper in amazement.  “I have three damaged disks in my back.  I’ve been in agony for weeks.  But I don’t feel it now.”

Eliel reached out and took her by the hand.  “Lys, I have good news for you.  Your disks are no longer damaged.  But there’s more…

“Piper, now place your hands on Lysandra’s face.”

Piper gently cupped Lys’s face between her hands, and again a sensation of heat enveloped her.  The atmosphere of the room seemed to subtly shift.  Her whole body relaxed, and she began to breathe deeply. 

“I don’t know what’s happening, but it feels good,” Lys said.

Lys began to feel lightheaded again and found it hard to remain standing, but Eliel held her hand and steadied her. 

And then it was over. 

As Piper removed her hands, a collective gasp went up from everyone in the room.

“Lys,” Eliel said, “there’s a mirror over there on the wall.  Go and look at your face.”

Lys walked over to the mirror and almost collapsed.  She put out one hand to steady herself against the wall.  “Oh my God!” she cried in unbelief. “Oh my
GOD!”
Tears began flowing down her unscarred cheeks.  The bruising, the swelling, the lacerations were gone.

“This is impossible!”  Lys gasped, unable to look away from her face in the mirror.  She reached both hands up and gently stroked her face, then began to press and mash on her cheeks to make sure it was all real.  “My God!” she cried.  “This is a
miracle.” 
 

As she turned to face Eliel, Lys again realized that her back pain was gone.  She gingerly bounced up and down, then stretched her hands up, and bent down to touch her toes.  For the first time in weeks, she didn’t hurt.

The tears were still flowing as she glanced around the room.  Her eyes again focused on Eliel.  “How did you
do
this?  I mean…
this is impossible!”

Holmes interrupted, “Lys, there are some things you need to know, and it’s difficult to explain.  We’re here at this meeting because we’ve each had a strange encounter.  We’ve all had something unusual happen to us—something that, for each of us, was just as surprising as what you’ve just experienced.

“But before we can explain it, you need to know something about Eliel.”

Lys glanced around again, not sure of how to respond.  Everyone was still looking at her, but she no longer felt fear.

Eliel walked over and calmly stood in front of her, a few feet away, smiling mischievously.

Standing face to face, Lys was surprised by how small Eliel was.  She was slender and not more than five feet tall.  Every feature of her face was incredibly delicate, yet she was clearly not frail. 

Eliel looked her straight in the eye.  Lys tried to return her gaze, but found she could not.  Lys had never met anyone quite like her.  There was something unearthly about her—she bore a childlike gentleness and innocence, yet with an aura of great power and authority. 

Looking at her face-to-face, Lys was surprised to see that Eliel wasn’t wearing makeup.  She didn’t need any.  Her skin was clear and flawless.  It appeared to glow.

Lys looked closer and her mouth dropped open.  Eliel
was
glowing…
literally.
 Light was coming from her, and it was gradually increasing in intensity.  Lys stepped back and almost fell over backward onto a chair. 

The glow emanating from Eliel was almost blinding now.  And suddenly her wings unfurled.  Eliel extended her wings horizontally and without effort rose into the air to float six inches above the floor.

Unable to remain standing, Lys dropped awkwardly to the floor, never taking her eyes from Eliel.  Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The look on her face was one of awe, almost of worship.  “Who
are
you?” she stammered, “
What
are you?”

Holmes came behind Lys and put a hand on her shoulder to steady her.  “Okay, Eliel, I think she gets the point.”

Eliel’s glow faded quickly.  Holmes helped Lys to the nearest chair, and when Lys looked again, Eliel’s feet were firmly planted on the floor and her wings had vanished.

“Now,” Holmes said, “I think we have some things to explain.”

Chapter Fifteen:  Before the Storm

FRISCO, TEXAS (A SUBURB OF DALLAS)

As the rest of the group listened, Holmes and Piper gave Lys an overview of the ongoing battle between the Irin and the Archons, and the crisis confronting the human race.  Then Eliel shared a brief explanation of the synaxis.