Unison (The Spheral) (36 page)

AMULET

I
entered the lands of the Ancient’s bible after sixty days of travel. When I caught sight of its most sacred city, identified by a dome shrine, I recorded a movie. “PC 1332-281st day, fifth incarnation. Approaching Old Jerusalem.” The dome had been destroyed and rebuilt before the Great Cataclysm. The rock on which it sits was so sacred to the Ancients, they fought over it for thousands of years. It’s still sacred to the people who live there now, but they no longer fight.

I had acquired some gold coins while in New Athenia and exchanged one for the local currency. After I stabled my horse and set up camp, I headed to the open-air market in the middle of the city. The smell of exotic spiced meat filled the air, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since the night before. I walked by each stand examining the offerings and decided on curried rice with lentils for myself, and a pork chop for Shisa. As the merchant filled my bowl, Shisa barked.

I waved the pork chop over her head. “You’ll get this when I find a place to sit.”

A female vocalist lured me towards her. She smoothly maneuvered through a complex melodic line and was accompanied by a percussionist and guitarist. I’ve heard similar songs at the music library, but hearing it live made the music sound new to my ears. I found a spot near the band and tossed the pork chop to Shisa. “Don’t eat it in one chomp. We’ll be here for a while.”

In front of the band people danced in a large circle, moving their feet in a similar step-pattern. Observers clapped their hands and stomped their feet in time to the music. A man pulled me by my hand to join their dance and when I attempted to escape, a woman seized my other hand and dragged me towards the crowd. The music was infectious and I danced along, stepping on some feet until I learned the sequence. Spellbound by the atmosphere, I stuck around for several more songs until Shisa grew restless and barked until I left with her.

We headed towards the dome. The architect must have considered the passing of time as the marble structure appeared recently built. I gazed at it for several minutes, absorbing the history of another treasure left behind by the Ancients.

Devotees sat quietly by the entrance praying, and when I approached the shrine, one of the men rushed over, excitedly speaking to me in the local language.

“No Hebrab,” I said and continued towards the entrance.

The man pushed his palm forward to keep me from entering.

“You must kneel to the ground and pray in reverence to their god,” an older man announced in Knosian.

I became fixated on a metallic cylinder hanging from his neck. The amulet glowed under the moonlight, revealing an intricate engraving of curved symbols. They seemed very familiar to me.

“I’m Jall.” He shook my hand.

“Damon.”

Jall glanced at Shisa. “And who might you be?” He leaned down to pet her.

“That’s Shisa.”

“Shisa. That’s a beautiful name. Is she your protector?”

“Even more so than her name indicates. Are you from New Athenia?” I asked.

“I prefer to say I’m from Earth. Make’s it easier to speak with people from all backgrounds when I generalize.”

“Do you live here?”

“Full time. They have the best parties here. What’s the purpose of your visit?”

“I’ll know when I find it.”

“You’re a seeker.”

“Sounds weak hearing it out loud.”

“In this part of the world, visitors are either seekers or followers. The content stick to New Athenia, so they can indulge in all their conveniences.”

“You don’t appreciate modern technology?”

Jall smiled. “Along with generalizing, I find conversations are easier to navigate around when I keep my opinions to myself.”

“Is there anything we can discuss?”

“Did you try the local wine?” He held out a bottle. “My lovely lady stood me up this evening, and I have no one to share this with.”

We returned to the campground where my tent was pitched. I got out my plazer and fired into a pile of dried sticks and twigs.

“You cheat.” Jall warmed his hands in front of the fire that had just ignited.

“I have nothing against conveniences. Gives me more leisure time.”

“Wine is the ideal companion to all things leisure.” Jall handed me his bottle.

“Along with a beautiful woman.” I envisioned Flora as I took a long swig.

“If they show up.”

“And stay with you.”

“Very true.” Jall laughed. “What’s your rating?”

“Rivals the wines from New Athenia. Same goes for the food and people.” I handed Jall the bottle. “Is everyone always so happy here?”

“Like I said before, they—”

“Have the best parties here."

A group of people camped nearby laughed aloud and talked around a fire. It made me miss the days when I did the same with my classmates. After I was accepted to the master’s apprentice school, I no longer had to sign up for the lottery and spent most of my summer’s camping. Master Franklin would have us gather around a campfire while he told us a ghost story. He kept embellishing the tale until someone screamed, and it was usually Lidian who did so first. After Master Franklin died the replacement took over, and it felt more like we were in training for the Unitian Guard than kids out camping.

Jall peered at me as though he detected my loneliness. “If you help tend my vineyard, I’ll teach you Hebrab. You’ll feel as though you’ve belonged here your whole life.”

“I accept, but it’ll have to be after I visit the Great Pyramid. That’s where I’m headed tomorrow.”

“I’ll hold your position until your return.”

“Our arrangement will have to be temporary. There are many other places I read about at the repository that I want to explore.”

“You say that now, but after you live here for a while, you may never want to leave.” He drank some wine. “When I first arrived, I wanted to know why this culture lasted while almost every other one died.”

“Did you ever find the answer?”

“I stayed.” Jall smiled and handed me the bottle.

“I’m not sure I under—”

“The ancestors of these tribes kept their faiths alive because the ideal they created transcended their daily life…and still does. The people here emit an energy that is seemingly infinite. It constantly replenishes itself through each generation. The longer I’m here, the more of it I want to absorb. It’s more addicting than what’s in that bottle.”

I drank some more wine and gave the bottle to Jall. “I thought I belonged in New Athenia. It was similar to my home city—more similar than I wanted to admit. They don’t offer much of a second chance to Athenians who break an edict. One mistake, and you’re banished.”

“While Athenians accept authority in exchange for their fancy gadgets and ease of life, I prefer to make my own rules.”

“Thought you had no opinion.” I smiled.

“For those who don’t want their world perspective challenged, I don’t offer one.”

“My perspective broke a long time ago.”

Jall laughed. “Don’t make any repairs. You’re better off without it.”

“Think you’re right.” I pointed to the amulet. “What is that?”

Jall removed it from around his neck and gave it to me. The object was denser than I anticipated and unusually smooth. My fingers couldn’t feel the etchings on the surface.

“The gypsy who sold it to me said it was a very ancient artifact found near the pyramids. He said it would allow me to see beyond the dimension of time.”

“Does it work?”

“The only thing I see now is that I’ve been swindled out of a bottle of wine.”

“Do you know what language this is?” I asked.

“It’s not in the linguistic library at the repository, and I’m familiar with many of the Ancient languages. The trickster who made that useless trinket probably has a cart-load of those for sale.”

“Are you willing to trade for this?”

“Take it.” Jall pushed his hand forward. “The damned thing gave me nothing but an ache at the back of my neck.”

“Let me give you something for your trouble.”

“If you insist on payment, you can work for free at my vineyard for seven days after you return. Then we’ll be even.”

“Sounds like a fair trade.” I placed the amulet around my neck and examined the engraving. “I’ve seen these symbols before.”

“Where?” Jall observed me as though expecting some great revelation. When none came, he said, “Don’t think too hard. It’s all nonsense from the mind of an imaginative swindler.”

After Jall left, I stayed up and played my violin. Several of my neighbors came and sat around the campfire. Although we couldn’t communicate, their presence was enough to quell my loneliness that seemed to grow stronger with each lifetime. The only connection I found within them was Flora. She was the key to understanding why I had knowledge of my incarnations, and I’d have to wait to die, get reborn, and grow up to figure out why. Even that didn’t guarantee I’d unravel this mystery, or that I’d even remember my current incarnation. The only thing I could rely on now was the present moment, which meant I never knew where I was going to land, or if I ever would again.

After three days of exploring the old cities of Bethlehem and Nazareth, we arrived at an Ancient-built canal. A ferryman crossed us over to what used to be Egypt. There was a campground just outside of Old Cairo City, and most of the dwellings from the Ancients were demolished. The locals lived either in tents or small houses made of brick and clay.

By the time we made it to the campground, Shisa and I were covered in sand. After I pitched the tent and secured my horse, we stopped at a public bath to clean up. I exchanged demonstrative hand gestures with the bath-keeper over allowing Shisa inside the baths. Some bathers walked over to arbitrate the situation. I secretly enjoyed the disorder I caused, and Wade would’ve been equally entertained. My team, that I identified by the group leader who placed his arm around me, was on the verge of losing until a young girl came to me with a bucket. Those on my side applauded, laughed, and pointed their fingers at the losers. I washed Shisa and paid the girl to watch over her while I cleaned myself up.

Within the center of the city was an open air market, double the size from the one in Jerusalem. I spent the day trading and surveying each stand; examining linens, trinkets, pottery, spices and foods. During our evening meal, I listened to the local music performed on tabla drums, ouds, and flutes. Tonight I turned down all invitations to dance. The last three days tired me, and I needed sleep. I returned to the campsite, got out my violin and played “Wandering the Labyrinth.” I wrote it the night before I left New Athenia. The somber melody attracted a small audience. I played “Rain Dance” next, and people began to dance and clap their hands. I continued for another hour, and one group of travelers tossed me some bronze coins before leaving.

Early next morning I trekked over to Giza, and my body shivered when I first gazed upon the three pyramids and the Sphinx. They were isolated from everything else in the area, and I felt like a space traveler who touched ground on a new world. I looked down at Shisa. “Am I still on Earth?”

Shisa opened her mouth and panted.

“Guess that’s a yes.”

I really felt as though I were on an alien world after I placed my hand over the rough surface of the Great Pyramid. My COR alarm went off, and the environment around me changed. I lay in a shallow pool of wine-colored fluid. My skin felt warm, but I couldn’t feel the liquid touching my skin. A spacecraft streaked by overhead, producing a white trail of smoke against a crimson sky. I jumped to my feet and scanned the area. The wine-colored fluid spanned out as far as my eyes could see. An incandescent white spherical torus materialized and floated in front of me. When I went to touch it, the ground began to rumble. An incubation tank slowly emerged from out of the water with a baby floating peacefully inside. I approached and pressed my hands against the tank.

Someone placed their hand on my shoulder.

I turned and faced the alien female who cast me out of the alien world while I was in a coma. Her gossamer skin was ornamented with green, blue, and pink veins that glistened like an opal beneath the sphere’s light. When I peered into her large green eyes, I recognized her and was overcome with joy. “Shishandi!”

She smiled, and her irises changed to blue. “Six begin, Six alone, Six unite.” Shishandi reached out her hand to me, and when I held it, I found myself back at the Great Pyramid with Shisa pacing around and whimpering. The amulet felt warm against my chest but cold to the touch.
Did I just see beyond time and space? Who…and what is Shishandi. Why is she so familiar to me?

I returned to Jerusalem hoping to learn more about the gypsy who sold Jall the amulet. When I arrived at his vineyard, I discovered he wasn’t the owner. I showed a still picture I took of him to the locals, but no one recognized him. For now, Shishandi would have to remain another unanswered question. With nowhere else to go, I decided to return to the cabin and continue Freedomline. I’d been gone for almost a year. Kai would have given up the search for me by now. He’d be indulging in his life as Overseer, not worrying about an eccentric defector that lived in a cabin with a dog, or a dead Unity Guard whom I still loved despite our tragic histories.