The Journey

Ally opened her eyes, slowing looking around the room. ‘Where am I?’ she thought.

“Are you awake?” Someone said softly, their voice cracking and strained. Ally quickly turned towards the voice, and the sudden movement made her head exploded with pain and a thousand colors swum in front of her eyes. Her stomach lurched; she rolled to the side and vomited onto the stone floor. Cold chills racked her body, as she stared at the ground, until her head began to clear. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she cautiously turned her head again to see her companion…

“Oh, Thana, thank god!” She cried. “What happened? Where the hell are we?”

Her friend looked at her for a second, before replying quietly, “I’m not sure. I’ve only been up about 10 minutes or so. I haven’t seen anyone, but I hear something out there,” as she pointed to the other side of the room. Ally’s eyes followed Thana’s pointed finger and saw a crude wooden door…If you could call it that. The planks were old and warped, with large gaps between each one. The bottom of several planks were broken and splintered and left a space of about 3” or so from the bottom of the door to the floor. Ally quickly glanced around the room. From all sides they were surrounded in stone; the ceiling, walls and floor, all a rough, uncut stone. Yet where they laid was piled high with satin pillows of all colors. With that exception, the room was oddly empty.

Ally slowly sat up and turned to her friend. “Have you tried the door yet?”

“Yes,” Thana said. “There’s no lock on it, hell there’s not even a handle, but it’s like a maze out there. There is no way I was leaving here without you. I was afraid I would never find my way back.” Thana was still talking quietly, as if she feared someone was listening.

“Are you ok, hon?” Ally asked.

“Yea, I’m just still a little disorientated. I can remember being at the club, and Heather showing up, which by the way, was CRAZY. But after that it’s all a blur. Just scares me, I don’t know where I am, how I got here, or WHY I’m here,” she paused, licked her lips, then said “and that just scares the hell out of me.”

Just then, the door creaked open to reveal a young woman in a dark cloak. She stepped into the room, and smiled. Her skin was radiant, almost glowing, against the blackness of the fabric. Her eyes were violet gemstones, the light flickering within them with every movement.

“Greetings, young ones, I am Indra. It is wonderful to see you awake, and I’m sure your heads are full of questions. Unfortunately, at this time I am not permitted to answer any of them. But once your strength returns, we shall continue on to the Courtyard where Teacher awaits.”

At her word ‘strength’ the girls felt warmth begin deep within their bodies. From the center of their being, the internal heat seemed to boil, radiating outward until it bubbled against their skin.

“I am ready,” Thana declared. Her voice was stronger now. The shaking that had been present before was gone now, and was replaced with vigor.

She stood swiftly, gracefully to her feet. The fluidness of her movement shocked Ally, as well as herself. She looked down to her friend with a smile and extended a hand. Ally reached up and pulled herself to her feet, stumbling to keep from falling as the unexpected forcefulness of her own movement had thrown off her balance.

Indra smiled again, “I am sorry. I am out of practice, and I may have opened too much too soon. Forgive me. It has been many years since any souls have been brought here as you have.” She held up a hand to silence the girls as they both opened their mouths. “Please no questions just yet. Just follow me - Thor is anxious to meet you both.”

The two followed the cloaked figure out of the room and through a series of corridors. They appeared to be underground, as their surroundings were similar to the room they had just been in, all stone, and now they could here the constant dripping of water somewhere. As they got further from their room, the walls began to change - slightly as first, and then it became more and more prominent. The once bare and course stone walls gradually began to sparkle with inlaid gems and crystals.

The halls appeared to be well lit, with the light reflecting off of each gem in a rainbow of colors, although the original light source remained a mystery. There was no sign of modern lighting, and no candles or torches were lining the hall. It almost seemed as if the light was coming from the walls themselves… and from their guide. It was as if she was their candle, lighting the way to their mysterious destination.

After the final turn, they stepped out into a vast circular room, so enormous that you could not clearly see the farthest side. The stone walls continued up and up, never finding a ceiling to meet. Instead they collided directly into the night sky with the full moon center stage, directly overhead. The ground was no longer stone, but plush with grass and vegetation. Trees, bushes, and breathtaking flowers bloomed sporadically throughout the great room, leaving a large clearing in the center where a small fire was flickering. As the cloaked woman glided towards the fire, the two friends gazed in awe at this spectacular sight. Thana saw a squirrel run up a tree and a brown rabbit hop from one bush to the next. There was a small brook snaking its way through rocks and wildlife, until it cascaded into a large pool on the east side of the room. It was like a secret world tucked away from the rest of humanity.

And in the center, behind the fire, sat the Teacher.

Thana and Ally both walked up to the clearing warily, not really know what to expect from this man sitting before them. He was a large man, and although he was obviously older than either of them could have guessed, his body was still quite muscular, not as frail as one would expect. He was making a mixture of something with a mortar and pestle, his hands never slowing or faltering in his task.

He had a silk cloth covering his eyes, tied behind his head, yet his head raised and he smiled as they approached, all the while continuing with his work. “So wonderful it is that you have been brought here, Allessia, Thana. We have been awaiting your return for quite some time now.”

Thana, looking confused, said “Return? I’m sorry sir, but you must be mistaken. I have never been here in my life! I’m sure I would remember this place, it is amazing.” Allessia nodded in agreement next to her.

The Teacher smiled and replied “Yes, yes, I know you have never been here. Not in this lifetime, you are correct. But that does not mean that you have NEVER been here before this day. Please, both of you sit. Let us speak freely, as there is much to say and little time in which to say it.”

The girls situated themselves across the fire, and waited patiently for the man to begin.

He continued to mix his concoction, added a little of this, a little of that, as he started talking.

“Your two souls have been connected since the earliest of days. Each life you find each other, sometimes as friends, sometimes as family, sometimes even as rivals. Whether or not you believe in past lives is irrelevant. What is important is that you are willing to again accept the awesome responsibility that the Order of the Light wishes to bestow upon you once again.

At the beginning of each life cycle it is unclear what will present the greatest threat. It changes through the eras, each time a different force is working against us. In this cycle, it is the Dark Ones. They have existed for centuries, longer than you or I, yet until now, have been satisfied with their confinement to the dark hours. It is no longer so. They have begun to push their way into the mainstream of society, posing as humans, and ruining innocent lives along the way.

We do not need to eliminate their entire race, as not all are guilty of this misdeed. In fact, to purge their entire race would be impossible. They are incredibly powerful, resourceful, and increasing harder to kill. But a faction of these beings have strayed, gone rogue one might say. They need to be removed before they increase their numbers any further.”

The man stopped for a moment, seemingly staring into his bowl, then suddenly called out “Kendrietta? Bring the folst root, my child. And place the water on the fire, please.”

From against a tree to the left, Ally saw movement. A woman appeared in front of the tree as if she had been a part of it, and suddenly stepped out. Her skin was a warm brown, matching the tree perfectly and her dark hair was twisted up in twine with small leaves and twigs woven in. She was small, only about 4 feet tall, but graceful and stunningly beautiful. She smiled shyly at the two women as she brought the Teacher the things he had requested.

He took the root and mashed it into the rest of the mixture, then added it all to the water and began to stir, first one way then the other.

“Before you decide if you would like to continue your training, you must take a journey to your past lives and see what tasks you have been asked to perform in the past. Hopefully on this quest you will understand the importance of the Order and what we have pledged our lives to upholding.”

He deftly poured two small cups of murky liquid, not spilling a drop, and Kendrietta took them from his hands and gave one to Ally and one to Thana.

“Drink. Don’t worry, the taste is pleasant,” She said softly and with a knowing smile.

“Bottoms up” Ally said and drank her cupful in one swallow. Thana mirrored her friend, and then both set their cups on the ground.

It was as if a flood of memories stampeded through their minds. The first memories were from the turn of the century as barmaids. They had been close friends, working for Allessia’s father. They saw flashes of dark eyes in the woods, mutilated bodies in the Towne Square, a mob of townsfolk with torches and spears hunting the forest lurker. Ally and Thana had helped fight the monster, a werewolf. Thana dealt the final blow.

Time sped back, even further, life after life, showing the path they have cut through time together. From the French revolution, to time with the pharaohs in Egypt – always together, sometimes sisters, sometimes friends and even once Thana was Allessia’s mother. And they were together as priestesses in a Mayan civilization, working together to rid their culture from the demons trying to cross over from the mythical underworld Xibalba. And succeeding, over and over again.

And the last memory, so very long ago, when they were enemies. Thana was a creature of the night, a Dark One, turned by her lover against her will. Thana was angry about her new life that had forced upon her, and she wreaked havoc across the countryside. She was hunted and destroyed. Allessia slew her with a sword that shone with a blazing light, almost blinding.

Both women opened their eyes, brimmed with tears, not knowing what to say or do next.

“Thana, Allessia, this is why we need your help” Thor spoke again. “Allessia, you have hunted them before, and Thana you know the Dark Ones better than anyone else we could have found. You know their minds, everything they might do. What their powers are and you should still have a few powers of theirs, buried deep but we can find them and we can use against them. Allessia, you, and only you, have wielded the Light. And you must do it again.”