Blakeshire (Insight #9)(106)

I liked Guardian Falcon. He was the type of soul that I would think anyone could get along with in some fashion. He came from a strong family, strong views and values. He’d been in my charge for the last few moons. He was about to pass through The Fall, which was nothing less than out of the ordinary. He was not born of The Selected, but even we were wise enough to listen to the Falcons—not to mention the boy had a crest. Unheard of.

I think that alone made me trust him instantly, made me want to make sure he was ready for this crossing. Even though I was teaching him, I knew that in the end he would teach me what this crest we shared truly meant.

Apparently, Guardian had a strong desire, and dreams to back up that desire, to move through The Fall. Our most trusted Allurest, Seneca, only gave my grandfather Tarek one nod when the Falcons stood before his throne and asked for permission and guidance. Guardian was given a pass of three days. That is an ungodly amount of time on the other side. In some places on the other side of The Fall, that could equate to millions of years, countless lifetimes. Time moved so fast over there. Then again, time moved really slowly here; our days stretched on and on.

Like I said, here we do not measure life by years, but by eternities. I had not seen my first, and neither had Guardian. We were young. We’d barely attained the age of twenty years and would remain in this image until we passed through our first eternity. My grandfather himself had yet to reach the age of forty. In my world, youthful images hid the depth and wisdom of our minds.

“You still have time to back out,” I said with a glance at Guardian. The thing was, when he moved through The Fall he was signing up to bear death; several deaths in fact.

Over there, he would die and transition into new lives as quickly as moments moved here. To return home, he would endure a sudden, painful, unexpected death. Right now, he was aware of that, he knew that in the end he would be fine, home. But when it happened, he wouldn’t; he would be blind to the cosmic reflection of existence. That notion would make the bravest of souls hesitate.

Guardian was staring at The Fall. More than once, the look in his hungry gaze had caused me to question if he, too, could see the dimensions in the distance, the humanity crumbling before our very eyes.

Very few of those souls even sought to cross The Fall any longer. Those that did at times, we would have to send back, for they were drenched in malice—infected, if you will, the famished shells of evil.

We chose this time of day because the sun and the moon mirrored each other across the horizon, formulating a perfect triangle with Sirius. That formation was mirrored in the dark reality. That was the safest time to move through The Fall, for the soul would descend within the protection of a virtual pentagram. The time of their return varied, all based on what the Allurest saw in their life plan.

I may be young, but even I can sense the turmoil lurking during this age in which I exist. Each day, I stand here gazing at a distant war whilst feeling one at my back that my people, The Selected, chose to do nothing about.

Guardian’s brow creased, and an obvious anger waved over him as his gaze melted into The Fall. “I passed the point of no return the moment I spoke my dreams to my father.” His anger left him, and a clever smile emerged as he glanced at me.

I envied him on that front. He came from a family that embraced change. Though I had long ago come to see my grandfather in that fatherly role, it hurt to know that my father—maybe even my mother, too—was not proud of the course I was given. I knew I was a flaw in my father’s eyes. His loss.

“I still do not understand why you need as much time as you asked for.”

“I asked for a moon,” Guardian said with a maddening grin.

If there was one thing I had figured out about Guardian, it was that he was audacious.

“A moon,” I repeated.

He shrugged. “I knew if I started with a month, by the time they reached a couple of days they would feel as if they had the heavy hand. That I had backed away.”

I moved my head from side to side. “I’ll remember that move.” I nodded to The Fall. “Same aim as we have practiced?” I asked.

I could see all the dimensions on the other side. I’d described them in detail to him as I was told. I suppose we thought he would see he was in over his head and back away and train longer, but as soon as I described the darkest one Guardian stopped me. Instead of backing away, he said, “That one.” Before I could tell him exactly how horrific the one he chose was, he went on. “I need a poor birth.”

I halfway wondered if my grandfather put me at Guardian’s side because he wanted us to bond. I could see the past, and Guardian could see the future. Surely we’d be an asset if the Hermetic ever did decide to take aggressive action.

The Allurest Seneca found the home Guardian desired and sent a dream to the parents. In that dream, we could establish anything as simple as a name to as complex as a life plan. I had no idea what Guardian’s life plan was; it wasn’t my business or anyone else’s. That was a secret between him, the Creator, and the Allurest who oversaw his birth.

We had been preparing for this day for some time. First and foremost, the dream had to be sent over and over so that we were sure the message was received. Then we had to mold an image of his crest into a platinum seal that was now sealed into this marble shore. It would serve as an anchor, or tether. Guardian was told to meditate on that spot, to saturate that metal with his energy. When he finally did make this move, I would ensure that this seal was undisturbed, that it was locked in place.