One Great Year (8 page)

“One last time, have you made a choice?” Red Elder asked, as one plain-looking young man ran from east to west in a last moment change of heart. Marcus looked around him and wore the same look of confusion as those who had chosen east and west. Why hadn't the center group moved at all? What were they doing? Marcus cursed that he couldn't talk to Theron, but he had faith that she knew something he did not.

“Then you have all decided. Theron, why did you not choose, as instructed?” Red Elder asked. Marcus realized how fortunate it was that he had not been delivered the same question.

“There is a better choice,” Theron said, opening her eyes and relieved to see such a healthy-sized faction next to her. The groups at the east and west sides both muttered unhappily. Theron had known that Marcus would stay, she had never doubted it for a moment, but she wondered if he knew
why
they had stayed.

“You said there were two choices, but there were three. Twice you said there was room for
three
on the raft, but at no time did you say that
I
had to be on it. So I would send the mother and her children, and I would take my chances on the disappearing bank and in the water.”

The Elders, who had observed in silence up until then, rose to their feet and applauded the group at the center of the room, smiling and nodding approvingly. The students on the east and west flanks joined in the ovation hesitantly.

All around Marcus, students were smiling and nodding, and he was stunned at the simplicity and self-sacrifice of it. It hadn't occurred to him. The east and west groups were shamed by the realization that they had just killed a mother or a child when they should obviously have sacrificed themselves first—it had not occurred to them. But most said, if given the choice again, they would give up their place on the raft and sacrifice themselves.

After some discussion and commotion, the disappointed east and west groups exited the hall and shamelessly returned to their roles as citizens of Atitala. White Elder emerged once more to address the crowd, which was now just over sixteen hundred.

“It is time for you all to understand the role of the Emissary, and the difficulty and sacrifice that this choice will bring. A great calamity will come to all the Earth, as it has for many civilizations before ours. Divisiveness, doubt, and fear will cause chaos and seek to consume each spirit in the primitive world that will eventually emerge. We must bring balance. It is your purpose to spread enlightenment and to ensure that the symbols and knowledge of Oneness and the truth of the Great Source and creation are not lost to this darkness. We must ensure that the message of the Emerald Tablet, which was passed on to us from our ancestors, is not forgotten.

“Take the knowledge you have been given and weave it through the fabric of the new world—in its art, music, science, architecture, and mathematics. Let those who would ask find the clues and the way to consciousness.

“It is your destiny as the chosen ones to keep hope, truth, and virtue alive in the world. We are all a part of the Great Light, we are all One. There must be balance. Without goodness there is only darkness. Without the Great Darkness one cannot choose the Light.

The audience stirred and Marcus spied Helghul, who sat with arms crossed a few rows behind him. He did not understand how Helghul could be a chosen one. How could someone so flawed be an Emissary? Just as the question occurred to him, Marcus's inner voice reminded him that he too was flawed; that if not for Theron he would be already dismissed with the others who had not seen a third choice in the moral question.

“Have heart,” White Elder continued. “Your power together as One will be greater by far than the darkness you face. I have faith in you, I believe in your goodness and light. Be honored in this task,” she said. She took a seat as Brown Elder rose. The wide stocky woman walked to the forefront, not much taller standing than sitting. Her thick head sat directly on her shoulders with no sense of a neck at all, but her broad, flat face was kind despite her severe appearance.

“As you go forward, you will live among the people as equals. You will die and be reborn in their lifetimes. As it is here, you will feel everything they feel: pain, insecurity, grief … but you will always maintain your elevated frequency. You will always know your divine purpose. You will always be true to the purity of your nature. You have each been carefully chosen as Emissaries by the Greater Power; it is your destiny, but only if you choose it. You are still free to remain here in Atitala.”

“What will happen to Atitala in this time of chaos?” a voice rang out.

“The citizens of Atitala will follow their own paths,” White Elder replied.

“If we go, can we return? Will we see our families again?” another student asked.

“It is a duty for the entire cycle of the next Great Year. It is not for us to know where we will be reborn. You will not return to Atitala, though your soul groups never leave you,” Brown Elder answered simply.

“When do we go?”

“The vessels are prepared at the wharf. You will depart at noon tomorrow, and Red Elder will accompany you,” White Elder replied.

The room erupted with conversation. Boats? So soon? And never to return! How could they decide something so serious so quickly? Theron was staggered by the realization that she would be leaving her mother.

“Why boats?” a student asked.

“Simplicity is best when future supplies and technology are uncertain. A boat's form lends itself easily to function and understanding in primitive times,” Brown Elder explained.

“Will I know that I am an Emissary?” said another voice, female this time.

“No. In each incarnation you will be born fresh and clean, but you will understand what you need to know to serve, and that is enough,” White Elder answered. The room was no longer silent as the potential Emissaries whispered and mumbled to one another.

“Will we know each other?” Marcus asked, cutting through the din. White Elder found his face in the crowd and searched his eyes knowingly.

“We are One with the Source of everything. Those of you who choose to fulfill this destiny and choose these lifetimes as the keepers of the knowledge shall not remember your ties to Atitala. As it is here, in each new life you will be free of past memory, free of memories that would cause feelings of loss, despair, and longing. You will be reincarnated to share your inner light and virtue with the world. Let this be clear to you all—once you die and are reborn in the world of man your only memory will be of your purpose, your sense of duty, and you will carry that with you always,” the Elder clarified. The room again erupted with conversation.

I won't go!
Marcus said to Theron telepathically.

Theron was shocked. Her eyebrows creased together in confusion.

Of course you will
, she snapped back without sound, her mind occupied with the sadness of leaving her mother and her home the very next day.
It's our destiny.

You are my destiny
, he answered, his mind pictures vibrating with emotion.
I don't want to be apart from you! I don't want to forget you! I don't want to lose the knowledge of our people. If we stay here we are reborn here, we can find each other again as we have before!

You can't mean this
, Theron telegraphed.

Let's stay here, Theron
, Marcus pleaded.
It's our choice. I choose you! Choose me. Most people never find what we have.
Marcus had a hold of her shoulders now, and she looked into his fearful brown eyes.

I love you, Marcus. We will still have this lifetime together, it is Atitala and my mother that I will leave behind
, she said, softening, pulling him close.
I know my duty, and my life belongs to something greater than myself or us. I am meant to be an Emissary. I can feel it; I have always felt it.

I don't feel it!
Marcus communicated in anguish.
I only feel panic … panic that I could lose you forever!

That is fear, Marcus. You know that we can never let fear rule us
, she replied, placing her hand on his tightly clenched jaw. All around them the future Emissaries were in varied states of emotional uproar.

White Elder's voice called out. The fervor quieted but was not silenced. “The Emissaries will set out by ship from the wharf at noon tomorrow. Those of you who choose to stay behind should feel no shame, you have free will.”

Marcus and Theron watched as all around them their fellow classmates talked and chatted in anticipation and turmoil. Theron saw Helghul at the edge of the room and tried to catch his eye. She wanted to make peace. She wanted him to know that she was glad that he had passed the trials and been called to be an Emissary. It confirmed for her the goodness she had known was within him. Helghul purposefully avoided Theron's gaze, and she felt a sad dryness in her throat.

Those who had chosen to stay in Atitala began to trickle out of the hall, leaving the Emissaries to their task. Some walked proudly through the golden doors, while others slipped embarrassed from the room. Twenty-four more had been weeded out and had chosen not to leave Atitala. The room now held fifteen hundred ninety-eight final candidates.

“Theron, let's stay behind!” Marcus pleaded once more. “Look, there are others who have been chosen who are not going. Let's make a life … a family of our own,
here
.”

“If we do not fulfill our destiny, Marcus, there will be nothing worth living for,” she replied. He knew there was no point arguing with her. She was resolute. It was he who wavered. Marcus knew that he could never tolerate life in Atitala without Theron, but he also knew that he never wanted to be parted or to love her one bit less than he did at that moment. He was overwhelmed by all of the unknowns ahead of them.

Marcus saw Helghul loitering at the edge of the crowd, alone and sullen. “I can't believe
he's
here,” Marcus said to Theron, jerking his chin in Helghul's direction.

“He's as much a part of the unity as we are,” Theron replied.

“It is time to choose your path. Those of you who will become Emissaries, please join us at the front of the hall for the commitment oath,” White Elder announced.

The Elders stood spaced equally apart, and the students assembled in orderly lines in front of them. One by one the students took their places in front of the leaders. Placing their right hand to their heart while their left hand was embraced by the Elder in front of them at the wrist, they repeated the vows given to them.

“In the spirit of unity I choose to become an Emissary. I promise to share the truth of all creation and to lead others to the path of the Great Light and Oneness. I will seek to illuminate the Great Darkness where I find it. I will keep alive the knowledge that illuminates the pathway to enlightenment. May the Eternal Flame bless me in this task and help my fire burn strong and clear in service.”

The Emissaries were then embraced and blessed and dismissed one by one. The vows were powerful and many were overcome with emotion, purified by the process.

From his place in line, Marcus searched the chamber for Helghul's flaxen head but could not find him.
Had he already pledged and left?
Marcus wondered curiously, still skeptical that his rival had been chosen at all. Marcus was scanning the room when Theron nudged him forward to face White Elder.

“Have you made a choice, Marcus?” White Elder asked, studying the young man's face carefully.

“I choose to accept my role as Emissary … with Theron,” Marcus answered.

“Very well. It shall be as it is destined,” White Elder said, taking hold of Marcus's left wrist and reciting the vow. Marcus repeated the words and felt the overwhelming joy of the cleansing, but at the same time he felt a weight—the weight of a task too large for him.

As he waited nearby for Theron to take her vow, Marcus wondered if he was up to the assignment ahead and grew apprehensive. Other classmates around him offered their congratulations, and he listened as they chattered excitedly.

“Theron, I am happy to see the choosing has been well done,” White Elder said, kissing her on each cheek.

“Yes, Mother, but I am heartsick to leave you,” she said, embracing her. White Elder asked her to place her right hand on her heart and took her left wrist. Theron marveled at the tender touch, her wonderful gentle hands. Theron knew them so well.

White Elder looked proudly into her daughter's emerald eyes as Theron recited her vows in a powerful, clear voice. She finished and they embraced again for a long time.

“I hope that you will join me for a walk … alone, before dinner,” White Elder requested, eyeing Marcus casually. “I will fetch you from your chamber in two hours,” she said. Theron looked from her mother to Marcus.

“Of course, Mother,” Theron smiled.

“Let's go,” Theron said, taking Marcus's hand. He joined step with her, grateful at the prospect of them being alone.

When they arrived at her quarters, a fire had been lit and a variety of delicious food had been laid out. The couple rested together on a wide settee, her head on his chest, alternately kissing, sipping wine, and discussing their future.

“We can still have our life and our own family wherever we end up,” Marcus said. “We can do everything we planned, just in a new place.”

“I hope so,” Theron smiled. “But there is no rush. I sense that we are going to have a heavy load.”

“I can't stop thinking about how we united in the Grid. It was so beyond this material world. I can still feel you in every cell of me,” he breathed, as she nestled against his neck. She looked up into his eyes.

“There was so much more … awareness,” she said. It was … like I
was
you. I had an entirely new perspective. I felt your feelings … but so far beyond our senses … like we traded souls.”