The Power of Twelve (18 page)

Horatio especially liked skiing at the end of the day when the mountain was practically his alone. He would time his skiing day so that he would take the very last gondola to the top of the mountain just minutes before the gondola would stop operating. When he arrived on the top, he would put on his skis and ski to the side, waiting for the final gondola riders to start their descent.

Horatio could, if he chose, ski the entire mountain from top to bottom in less than nine minutes. His wife, Natalie, was also a good skier but could not ski at that pace, so most afternoons he would ski with Natalie for four or five runs, and then she would go back to their condo to prepare a light meal to be served with one of
their own vineyard's wines while Horatio took his last run or two on his own.

That afternoon Horatio was reflecting on how fortunate he had been to marry Natalie and how wonderful the last ten years of his life had been with her. He had loved his first wife, but as happens with many long-term marriages, the connection became more about raising the children and sharing duties related to his business than about being with a soul mate who could help him realize his more authentic ambitions to make a positive difference in the world. Natalie had been such a partner, actually taking the lead in convincing Horatio to donate his time to the University of Santa Barbara in helping to teach the first undergraduate course on business ethics in the California university system. The course was so popular that Horatio decided to fund an entire department of business ethics, and that was what led to his creation of the Secular Ethics Center for Global Abundance and Peace. SEC for GAP, as it was known, had already attracted world leaders such as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu and business leaders ranging from Richard Branson to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Often these luminaries would come to speak to students or would provide generous grants for special projects. Horatio believed that common sense and just doing what was right were the keys to creating a better world, and he was proud that Natalie had motivated him to continue to be active in these intellectual and business circles and not just focus on skiing, tennis, and producing fine wines. But he did love his skiing.

The Sun was just beginning to set when Horatio started down the mountain. He was feeling particularly strong and decided to challenge himself by going off the primary trail and picking his way through the trees in an area that was marked “out of bounds” but that he had skied frequently before. He was enjoying the crunch as he broke through the crust of unskied terrain, swerving expertly, avoiding tree branches by inches. He was about to make a turn and come to a stop so he could catch one last glimpse of the Sun sparkling on the adjacent mountain when he caught the edge of his ski and, to his complete surprise, lost his balance and went barreling
up against a low-hanging branch as he fell to the ground. The safety binding released and he tucked and rolled as he fell, avoiding the trunk of the tree and only hitting the branch, whose needles fell from the crash, covering him with twigs and green needles from head to toe.

Horatio had not fallen in several years. He was more shocked by the fact that he had fallen than concerned about the fall itself. He found himself breathing hard and noticed that blood was streaming from his forehead. Horatio had, despite Natalie's protestations, refused to wear a ski helmet. “I'm no damn amateur,” he had told her. “Besides, I can't feel the wind in my hair with those helmets, and it just doesn't seem like skiing to me,” he had stated, concluding with a tone of finality that Natalie knew indicated Horatio was not going to compromise. After several similar attempts to influence him to be more careful when skiing, she had given up trying to change him.

As he tried to stand up, he felt a pang in his knee that immediately got his attention. “Damn that knee. All I need is this fall to aggravate that old football injury. If that knee is out, I'll have to ski out of here one-legged,” he grimaced to himself.

“Oh, that won't be necessary. Just rest for a minute or two and the knee will be OK. Your head injury is minor as well,” a voice called out in a soft, soothing tone.

“Who said that?” Horatio responded involuntarily. He looked around. No one was anywhere near him. He could see the regular run through the trees, and no skiers were visible there either.

“It's me, Karl the Kingmaker. I come from another planet and I need your assistance.”

“What the …? Karl … the what? From another … what?” Horatio blurted, completely thrown by the bodiless voice.

“I'm Karl the Kingmaker from another planet—actually, another universe altogether—and I need your help,” Karl repeated.

“You need my help?” Horatio asked incredulously. “I'm the one who fell. I think I'm the one who needs help here.” He stopped to consider how odd this all was. “I must have hit my head harder than I thought and am having hallucinations.”

“No. Trust me, it is only a minor injury. You cut your forehead against the needles of the branch, but there is no concussion. You are perfectly all right, perfectly sane,” Karl reassured a still-skeptical Horatio. “I come from another planet and I need your help. Let me explain.”

“OK. Explain, but let me make one point clear. I do not believe in creatures from other planets and I think—your reassurances notwithstanding—I may have had a concussion and this entire conversation is just in my own mind.”

“As you wish, but give me a chance to demonstrate that what I say is true. Although I am from another dimension and am invisible to you, I can still make things happen in your world. Let me help you up.”

Suddenly Horatio felt a hand grab his torso and help him to his knees and then to his feet, where he found himself standing next to his skis and holding onto his ski poles.

“I did feel some support, but perhaps it is just my imagination,” Horatio mumbled, not sure where Karl, if he existed at all, might be standing. “Give me a sign that you are here that is not directly tied to my own movement.”

“No problem,” Karl responded, and instantly an untouched branch next to the branch that Horatio had crashed into started to shake violently, and the six inches of snow that was covering the branch fell to the ground.

“All right. All right. I guess you are real,” Horatio conceded, moving to avoid the snow that was falling all about him. “You say you need my help. What is it you want me to do?” Horatio asked, not sure where to look to address Karl.

“All I need you to do is to allow me to share your body for the next ninety days or so. If we are successful, it may be only a few weeks,” Karl explained. “You are a very powerful man here on Earth, and I believe that you are connected with many members of the Illuminati. I need access to the Illuminati so I can warn them of the dangers that they are creating here on Earth for the very survival of your planet.”

Horatio's view of this otherworldly encounter was changing rapidly. “You know, I have heard others talk about the Illuminati, but I'm
not sure that such an organization really exists. I know lots of very rich people and some of them could be members of such a secret organization, but in my experience rich people don't need an organization to protect their interests. Their mutual interests related to protecting their money, property, and power make them natural allies.”

“There is no need for you to believe in the Illuminati. I can even concede that in theory you are correct. Nonetheless, I know that the 319 families who control the power and wealth on this planet do in fact work together and that many of them consider themselves descendants and members of the Illuminati. I just need access to these people, and whether you realize it or not, you can provide me with that access.”

“Say I agree. What's in it for me?” Horatio asked, deciding to take his interlocutor's proposition seriously.

“There is nothing in it for you other than the satisfaction of knowing that you will have played an important role in preserving your planet,” Karl answered.

This voice had no problem making sweeping statements. “That's all fine and good, as I really do not need any compensation or favors for myself and my family, but how do I know that you intend to help and not hurt our planet?”

“There is no way you can know my true intentions. You just have to trust me,” Karl answered.

“Trust you? Why, I can't even see you! Why should I trust you?” Horatio responded, not at all certain that he was going to cooperate.

“I agree with you. Trust is not something that can be gained in a short conversation or a matter of minutes,” Karl continued. “Let's take this step by step. Just let me share your body for the next week, and if after that week you feel I am not trustworthy, I will simply leave. In the meantime I think you will discover that having me around might actually assist you with your own agenda for SEC for GAP and some of your other projects. For instance, I know that you intend to go to Chateau Mcely for the Project Wake Up meetings, and I know I can be of assistance to you there.”

How could this being know that? It truly must have unusual powers. “Yes, Natalie has already committed us to going to Chateau
Mcely in just two days.” The more he thought about the idea, the more accepting he became. “I guess with this injury I am unlikely to do much more skiing anyway. Sure, hop on in. Just promise that if I don't like having you around you will leave,” Horatio relented.

“I promise.”

Those were the last words Horatio heard before becoming aware that a higher-level consciousness now seemed to reside within his body. “What the heck! This actually does not feel bad at all. In fact, my knee is no longer throbbing,” Horatio stated to himself and perhaps to Karl, if Karl was listening.

“Yes, as I told you, it was only a minor fall. Your knee will be fine, but it is best for you to take it slow as you ski down the mountain. You did tweak it and you should not do any hard skiing for at least a week or two,” Karl responded. “By the way, for the most part I can read your thoughts and send you mine, so there is no real need to speak out loud to me in the future.”

“Good to know,” Horatio telepathically communicated back. “It feels weird talking to the open air anyway.”

He positioned his ski boots back into the binding of his skis, gave a slight push off with his ski pole, and drifted back toward the main trail and down the mountain.

The Sun had disappeared from view, but a brilliant afterglow bathed the entire Ajax Mountain of Aspen in an orange-red light that was otherworldly. Horatio did not mind skiing more slowly. He still felt the wind in his hair and was thankful that he was alive. He was curious about the new adventures that awaited him.

Karl was also happy to have convinced Horatio to allow him to share his body. Back on planet Naranjada, Lily, who had used the holographic viewer in the entertainment center in the guesthouse for the Twelve, was also pleased. She was now ready to contact Inéz and complete the commitment the four members of the Council of Twelve had made to prevent the destruction of planet Earth 769 and all the known and unknown universes.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THANK YOU

I
NÉZ HAD HAD A WONDERFUL DAY. She had spent the morning playing with her eight-year-old daughter. Nely was a joyful child who loved both indoor and outdoor activities. Right after breakfast Inéz had taken Nely to visit her cousin in Prague. Today was a very special day, as it would mark Nely's first sleepover without her mother.

After lunch with her sister and Nely's cousin, Inéz had arranged for the girls to go shopping at a new children's store in the main square of Prague. It had been great fun picking out clothes for the girls, and afterward they had gone to Inéz's favorite pastry shop for formal tea and pastries. Nely and her cousin Margaret were in heaven. They were being treated like grown-ups and loved the extra attention from the waiter and the maître d'.

It was still winter and Inéz wanted to return to Chateau Mcely before dark, so she let her sister take the girls home for the sleepover and left the restaurant, giving Nely a big hug and reassuring her, “If for any reason you need to get hold of me this evening, just ask Aunt Veronica to give me a call.”

“Oh, Momma, I'm not a baby anymore. Margaret and I are going to be just fine,” Nely told her mother in her most adult voice.

Inéz let go of the embrace and headed for the street, both pleased and almost disappointed that Nely was so confident she would not need to call. “Nely is such a wonderful daughter, but I worry that she may be growing up too fast,” she thought as she ambled down the street, enjoying the brisk air and lively energy of the tourists and vendors as she walked back to her car.

Since marrying Jim, Inéz had enjoyed virtually unlimited abundance. She now had a car and driver at her command whenever she chose, but she more often than not preferred to drive herself and not bother her chauffeur. Once out on the road, she was pleased to find so little traffic and found herself back at the Chateau almost twenty minutes earlier than she had anticipated. “Oh, this is ideal,” she thought. “With the trip to Prague this morning I had not had an opportunity for my morning meditation.” That led to a further pleasing thought. “It is not too cold yet and I should have at least thirty minutes of light. That's plenty of time to take a quick walk in the meditation garden.”

Inéz was soon heading down the gravel path to the bench that she used whenever she chose to meditate in the meditation garden. It was a little chilly, but she was warm enough in her soft wool coat. No one else was in the garden and Inéz relished the privacy. For her, the meditation garden was an almost sacred shrine she had created to honor nature. The flower gardens were maintained throughout the year, and even now bright-colored flowers lined the small stream that ran next to the gravel path. Small animals such as squirrels and rabbits frequented the meditation garden, and birdseed was put out to ensure that birds felt welcome as well.