Iona Portal (20 page)

“Stay with Holmes,” Eliel added, glancing at Piper.  “Rand has assigned Araton and Khalil to guard the house.  And one of you must be in the house with Erin at all times.   The shades will be after her.

 “I’ll meet you again on Wednesday night,” she said.  “We’re nearing a critical hour.  We’ll need to speed our training process.” 

Eliel carefully examined Erin’s wounds and turned to Piper, “Piper, your gift is growing stronger.  You can never experience the full power of your gift outside the synaxis, but your gift will always be there.  Keep using it.”

***

FRISCO, TEXAS (A SUBURB OF DALLAS)

Piper and Holmes both canceled most of their appointments and worked out a schedule that allowed one of them to be in the house with Erin at all times.  Despite their best efforts to encourage her, Erin became more withdrawn, spending much of her time in bed staring blankly at the wall.  From time to time Piper could hear her sobbing. 

By Tuesday evening, Piper sensed an almost palpable darkness settling over Erin.  Entering the room, she found Erin curled in a fetal position with her eyes tightly closed, her whole body trembling.

Piper pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down beside her.  Sensing a presence in the room, Erin’s eyes slowly flickered open.

“How are you feeling?” Piper asked quietly as their eyes met. 

“I’ve had better days…” Erin mumbled, trying to force a smile.

“Tell me what’s happening…”

Fighting back another round of sobbing, Erin looked at Piper in anguish.  “Piper… I keep reliving the horror of that night...  It all just replays, over and over in my mind. 

“I see Rex pacing the room and feel the pain of his blows.  I smell the stench in the storm cellar.  I feel the manacles on my hands.  I hear the scream of that derelict as Rex ripped the life from his body.  I feel like I’m still
there

“I hear the dogs pursuing… the knowledge that agonizing death is just minutes away.  And I’m truly thankful that I survived, but then I wonder if I really did.

“Piper, my life is over!”  Tears were beginning to flow again.  “The life I’ve known is gone…  Nothing I was can ever be again.  I can’t go back to my home…  I can’t be seen in public…  Rex and his thugs are looking for me and they’ll kill me when they find me.  I have no future.”

She pleaded, “Piper, what can I do?”

Piper leaned close and held her hand.

“Erin, I don’t know what lies ahead,” she answered gently.  “It may be that none of us survive this time, but we can’t focus on that right now.  There’s a battle ahead, and the stakes are bigger than all of us.

“If we succeed, I believe there’ll be an incredible future for you...  for all of us.  But that time is so far distant it’s hard to see what it will be like.  All we can do right now is take things one step at a time and keep moving forward.

“The life you knew in the past was bound up with Rex and the Archons and everything you saw at the ranch. You didn’t understand what you were part of, but it had to end.   I believe your destiny is beyond all of that.”

“Piper, I know you’re right…” Erin sobbed. “But it’s so
hard.
 I feel like I’m dying.” 

By Wednesday evening, Erin seemed much improved, though a tangible darkness still hung over her.  Just before seven o’clock, the synaxis members began to arrive.  For once, Eliel was there early.  With her was Araton, and a male Irin Piper hadn’t seen before.

Most of the synaxis member had not yet heard of Erin’s ordeal.  They followed their normal pattern of breaking up into small groups, talking and laughing about the experiences of the week. 

Reetha and Michael got their drinks and sat together.  Reetha listened attentively as Michael launched into a monologue on the nature of the universe.  Eliel and Holmes retreated to the kitchen, quietly discussing Erin’s condition.

Seeing Patrick and Araton without drinks, Piper walked over to take their order.

 “Whiskey and soda, please,” Araton smiled,  “
Irish
Whiskey if you have it.”

“Angels drinking
whiskey?”
Patrick blurted.

“Check your history, Patrick,” Araton laughed.  “In your world, whiskey was first distilled by ancient Irish monks.  They even named it.  In Columba’s day they called it
Uisce Beatha
.  That’s
Gaelic
for ‘water of life.’
 The English shortened the name to
whisky
.  But…” He added with a twinkle in his eye, “Who do you think taught the monks to make it?”

“That’s good enough for me,” Patrick laughed, turning to Piper.  “I’ll have the ‘water of life’ also… on the rocks with soda.”

Returning to the room, Holmes allowed the conversation to continue for a few minutes. Then, while Piper went to the guest room to retrieve Erin, Holmes asked the group to be seated. 

Piper helped Erin to her chair.  She was dressed simply in one of Piper’s casual outfits, but her hair had been restored to its former glory.  As she took her seat, Araton came and stood at her side.

Holmes began, “Most of you haven’t heard that Erin was almost killed Friday night.  Tonight I’ve asked her to share her experience with the whole group.  It’s important that we all understand what we’re facing.”

Haltingly, Erin began her story.  There were long pauses, and several times she broke down in tears, but finally made it through.  By the end, several members of the group were weeping with her.  When she finally finished, both Reetha and Lys went to her and embraced her.  There was a long silence in the room.

Holmes looked quietly from person to person before continuing, “I asked Erin to share this, because I want you to have a clear picture of the battle that lies ahead.  This is not a game.”

“You must understand that to move forward with us from tonight, you’re committing your life.  If you stay with us, it’s likely some of us won’t survive.”

“But if we
don’t
succeed…” he added, “
none
of us will survive.”

“So before we go any further, I want to give anyone who’s not ready to be part of this a chance to back out.  You know where the door is.  If you can’t do this, you’re free to leave now, no questions asked.”

Holmes again looked from person to person, awaiting a response.  An uneasy silence hung over the group as each one looked at the others.

Finally Reetha broke the silence.  “I’m in this thing for the duration!”

Marty joined in, “Me too!”

Patrick looked Holmes in the eye, “Holmes, I never chose to be in this.  I was drafted.  But you can count on me to the end.”

One by one, they all made their commitment.

Holmes motioned to Eliel, who took the floor.  “Tonight,” she began, “I want to introduce a powerful Irin prince.” 

Gesturing to the tall alien standing next to Araton, Eliel smiled.  “This is Mendrion.  He’s come to assist us in something unusual.  Because of the urgency of our situation, we need to abandon our normal procedure.  We’d normally prefer to work with each of you individually, gradually energizing your life force as we train you to recognize and use your gifts.  But time won’t allow that.  So Mendrion has consented to come.

“As I explained last week, in the wars of your distant past, the Archons inflicted genetic damage on your entire race.   Your life force—what the Greeks called your
pneuma
—was weakened, almost extinguished.  When that happened, an important part of you died.  You lost the use of many of your abilities, and your normal lifespan was drastically shortened.

“Mendrion has the unique ability to repair crucial elements of your DNA, undoing—at least in part—the damage that was done, and reawakening your life force.  This is a highly invasive process and it’s not done lightly.  It means going into the shadow realm, and actually changing portions of your DNA sequence on a cell-by-cell basis.  The time involved varies, depending on the severity of the damage present in your individual DNA.

“When the process is complete, you may or may not notice an immediate change; but gradually, sometimes at unexpected times, your gifts will begin to activate.  Hopefully, we’ll be close enough to assist you when that happens.  If not, there can be some confusion when your new abilities begin to function.

 “Because this process is so invasive,’ she added, “the Ancient Ones won’t allow us to do this without your express permission.”

Eliel paused, looking from face to face, awaiting a response.  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the members of the synaxis glanced at each other, uncertain what to think.

“Does it…
hurt?”
 Reetha asked finally.

“You’ll feel no pain,” Eliel answered, “though there are often physical sensations.  Sometimes strange things happen in your emotions, but that’s only temporary.  Some won’t feel much at all.”

Piper looked around at the others, then back to Eliel, “This all seems a little crazy,” she said nervously, “but
somebody’s
got to be the guinea pig… I guess it might as well be me.” 

Without saying a word, Eliel nodded to Mendrion, who walked over and stood before Piper.  He studied her for a moment and she returned his gaze, smiling uneasily.  Then he reached out his hand and gently touched her forehead. 

Piper continued to watch him intently, uncertain what to expect.  To her amazement, Mendrion silently faded from view. 

Every eye was now fixed on Piper.  At first it seemed nothing was happening. 

Then, as if responding to inaudible instructions, Piper closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and allowed her body to relax.  Her breathing deepened.  She looked totally at peace.

Several minutes passed.  Almost unnoticeably at first, a slight tremor appeared in her eyelids, as though the tiny muscles in her eyelids were rapidly twitching.  The tremor grew in intensity.  Piper’s fingers began to quiver also.  Then her whole body tensed and began to tremble.  She was breathing deeply in ragged gasps.

Without warning, Piper broke into a childish giggle, which quickly gave way to uncontrolled laughter.  Then, just as suddenly, she quieted. 

The shaking gradually subsided.  Piper sat motionless for several more minutes, breathing slowly, in and out.  Finally, she took a deep breath and her body again relaxed.  Thirty seconds later, her eyes blinked open and her face lit up. 

“Oh, wow!” she laughed, smiling broadly and glancing around at her anxious friends.  As Mendrion reappeared beside her, she looked at him with a twinkle in her eye and said, “Mendrion, thank you.  That was fantastic!”  

Holmes was the first to speak, “Piper, what just happened?”

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Piper answered.  “It wasn’t like anything I’ve ever experienced.   It felt like something penetrating through layer after layer of my personality… reaching down to the core of my being… and when it got there, there was an explosion of light.”

“How do you feel now?”  Eliel asked.

“At a loss for words,” Piper smiled again, looking down at her body, then back up to Eliel.  “I feel …lighter.  It feels strange, but it’s a good feeling.” 

Seeing Mendrion already glancing around for his next volunteer, Michael raised his index finger eagerly, “I’m next!” 

One by one they took their turn.  Each one had a different experience.  Some wept.  Some trembled and shook.  Ron Lewis collapsed to the floor and lay, apparently unconscious, for about five minutes.  But each one ended their experience reporting an overwhelming sense of wellbeing.

As they worked their way around the room, Michael noticed the darkness resting upon Erin appeared to increase.  There was an unmistakable look of fear in her eyes.  Then, as he watched her, he saw the faint outline of what appeared to be several dark, fuzzy, amoeba-like creatures attached to her body.  They varied in size from three inches, to more than seven inches across.  One of the creatures was attached to the left side of her face.  Another was on her side.  Still more were fastened to her arms and legs.    From each of the creatures, dark tentacle-like limbs extended and wrapped around Erin’s body.

He was about to go to Holmes and tell him what he was seeing, when Marty Shapiro let out what could only be described as a cowboy
whoop.
 The whole group broke into laughter as Mendrion reappeared beside Marty, who had opened his eyes and was looking around, smiling sheepishly.

Mendrion then turned to Erin, who was next in line.  But Erin looked down for a moment, then shook her head, and said simply, “I’m sorry… I’m not ready yet.”

Piper leaned closer, “Erin, are you sure?”

“Look, I’m in this thing with you, but I’m just worn out.  I don’t want to have any new experiences just yet.  You go ahead.  I’ll join in next time.”

When the synaxis ended, Eliel drew Holmes and Piper aside. 

“Things are developing much faster than we anticipated,” she said.  “I need to see what takes place this week, but by Friday our direction should be set. 

“Piper, someone needs to stay with Erin at all times.  Ask Lys to come and stay with you to help.  Erin must not be left alone.

“Holmes, plan on meeting me Friday night at seven at the lake house.  By that time I should be able to give you our plan of action.”