Chronicle of Ages (55 page)

Not that it was my place to be sorting out the personal affairs of my students. Now that Rhun had returned I was hoping he would have some advice for his son in this regard. I would enlighten him to the situation when we met in the next few days.

T
he final dress rehearsal took place on the eve of the last day of the holidays, which would commem orate the fiftieth anniversary of our fair city.

Tonight we were no longer in the university auditorium, but out in the huge open-air amphitheatre located at the very heart of Chailida, within the extensive gardens of the city's central island ring. Tomorrow night this huge area would be consumed by the picnicking masses who would throng here for what promised to be a gala night of entertainment and celebration.

After months of preparation, all the sets, props, costumes, music and talent came together on the one stage, and I must say that I was most impressed with my students, for they had truly excelled themselves.

I sat, front of stage, watching the performance in progress, when I sensed someone in close proximity and glancing across I found Rhun. I was so used to seeing him in his space garb, I hardly recognised him in his holiday attire. He appeared a new man for having had a few days at leisure with his family. ‘Home life obviously agrees with you.' I stood to shake his hand. ‘Thanks for coming down.'

‘I planned to in any case,' Rhun advised as he shook my hand and looked over at his son who was on stage. ‘Asher has been having a few girl problems. He asked me to come down for a bit of moral support this evening.' He uttered an aside in a whisper … ‘The big kiss.'

‘So Asher has told you what has been going on?' I was greatly relieved to learn.

‘Oh yes,' he emphasised the fact. ‘Asher and I have done a lot confiding in each other in the past few days.' Rhun turned back to look at me. ‘We have not been this close since I recognised Blain's soul-mind in my son at age five and Javotte's soul-mind in his playmate. The thought of them together again,' he shook his head and then shrugged. ‘I just didn't want to know.'

‘Well, I can understand why it might have been a little daunting,' I granted. ‘I did not become aware of the connection myself until just recently, as I have not worked on any of the chronicles concerning Blain and Javotte for a long time. Since before Asher and Ragan were born, in fact.'

‘Asher recognised himself in King Blain of Powys after his first viewing of the chronicles on my rise to King of Gwynedd. He suspected all along that something that
had happened later in life between Blain and myself was what was causing me to keep my distance from him in this one. Asher planned to investigate the era himself, as soon as he came of age to study past-life regression.'

Eighteen years of age was considered mature enough to begin one's personal study into one's past lives, although students were not permitted to pursue this study unsupervised until they were closer to twenty-five.

‘Kids!' Rhun rolled his eyes to emphasise his surprise. Still, he was pleased that he'd fronted up to his son with the truth and thus Asher had not been forced to experience the instance first-hand and unprepared. ‘Having dared to go back and look at the past myself, I realise that they paid out the karma for their mistakes in that lifetime. Javotte went mad after Blain's execution and lived a miserable existence until she died of old age shut up in a tower … I thought it rather more tactful to omit that part.'

‘I quite agree.' I seconded his judgement with a nod.

‘Anyway, the two souls in question have joined the ranks of the Chosen and are bound to be of more aid to each other in this lifetime.'

I raised my brow hoping he was right.

‘So, I wanted to thank you,' Rhun ventured a little shyly, ‘for helping us confront the past and rekindle a great friendship that Asher and I were both needlessly missing.'

I didn't know what to say. I hadn't done anything. It had been Asher's curiosity that had ultimately sparked the investigation. ‘I really don't —'

‘I have resigned my position as head of deep space exploration,' he said, whereupon my jaw dropped to the ground. ‘You're looking at the new head of deep space information, research and technology,' he announced, seeming pleased with the change of vocation.

‘Congratulations.' I shook his hand again. ‘I feel sure Asher will benefit greatly from your presence here during the next few years.'

‘I hope so,' he admitted, obviously proud to be doing the right thing by his son. ‘My place is here, with my family.' He nodded in agreement with himself and looked back to his son, who was stealing the show. ‘I do believe I deserve a little happiness after all.'

‘No doubt of it,' I emphasised.

As I stood there, warmed by the knowledge that my chronicles had again helped to heal a hidden, seething rift from the past, I looked to the stage and realised that the dialogue was speeding towards the kiss.

Ragan ran across the painted desert stage and embraced Asher. ‘I must be dreaming.'

‘This is no dream,' Asher assured her and pulling back to look at her, he moved in to receive the long-awaited kiss from her lips. Our young hero was rather disappointed when the encounter was over in a second.

‘Do you two need a private room or something?' The young lad who was playing Robin recited his line and then looked to Ragan perplexed. ‘Hang on. You're supposed to kiss him long enough for me to get my line out.'

‘That's right.' Asher took hold of Ragan. ‘I think we should try that again.' He pulled her close and stole a
kiss altogether more meaningful, which continued a bit too long to be entirely against Ragan's will.

When our two stars parted, Ragan slapped Asher's face hard and stormed from the stage.

‘Here we go again!' I bashed my head with the palm of my hand, frustrated.

‘That's my boy … subtle as a brick in the jaw.' Rhun cocked an eye, rather amused. ‘Javotte and Blain were exactly the same before they wed.'

‘Terrific! So how do I get these two souls aiding each other, as you predict they should?' I sought any constructive advice. ‘I had thought of giving Ragan your chronicle to view.' I ran that idea by him.

‘Asher has viewed it,' Rhun clued me in, ‘and for him it seemed to clarify a great many things. I can't see that it would do Ragan any harm to see herself at her worst and it certainly couldn't hurt Asher's cause any.'

I played with my extended bottom lip, as I mulled over my options.

‘Ragan did ask for it, Noah,' Rhun added, to subtly egg me on.

‘She did, didn't she' I reserved my final decision, moving off toward the backstage area. ‘I'd best go attend to our prima donna.'

‘I shall see you tomorrow night.' Rhun gave me a wave in parting. ‘Good luck with it all.'

‘The show will go on,' I assured.

 

‘I'm sorry, En Noah,' Asher met me in the wings, looking genuinely remorseful about what had happened. ‘I suppose that was a bit unprofessional … I shall
apologise, if you think it will help.' He looked a bit doubtful that it would.

‘It will be fine, Asher,' I declined, thinking I'd best distance him from the drama. ‘Get Rai's understudy, Salome, to stand in for her and continue with the rehearsal. We don't want to hold up the rest of the acts that are waiting for the stage.'

‘Yes, En Noah.' He reluctantly departed to carry out my bidding.

I found Ragan brooding in the dressing room that was reserved for our production and as our cast and crew were all onstage, the large space was abandoned at present.

‘Are you going to tell me what the problem is?' I straddled a chair backwards and sat down endeavouring to be patient.

‘It's personal.' She emerged from behind her tissue to inform me, with a sniffle.

‘I figured,' said I, urging her to go on.

‘It won't make any sense,' Ragan stood to insist, frustrated by her predicament. ‘But … it's just so humiliating!'

‘The kiss, you mean?' I sought clarification and she nodded. ‘But Ragan you wrote the script. There are several kisses in it.'

‘I know!' she stressed, forced to blow her nose again. ‘Which only adds to
my
humiliation.'

I was frowning now. ‘I'm afraid I don't follow.'

‘Don't you see? He's won! This has been an ongoing game with Asher and me … he's forever trying to steal my favours, which I am
not
prepared to give,' she
insisted like the angel she wasn't. ‘And instead of just taking no for an answer, Asher pulls this
stunt
, whereby I am forced to oblige him.'

As suspected, it wasn't that she didn't like the lad, so much as she didn't like being outsmarted by him. ‘You did not have to play the role of Tory, Ragan. If you are not capable acting the role for personal reasons, then perhaps you should allow your understudy to take over.' I felt like a real heel suggesting that she could be replaced so easily, for in truth Ragan could act rings around every other girl involved in the production.

Ragan came crashing back down to earth, ego in tatters. ‘Perhaps I should,' she conceded, humbly. Her hurt caused real tears to build in her eyes and she moved to pass me to escape out the door.

‘Wait.' I grabbed hold of her hand and placed the orb I'd been brooding over into it. ‘Go home, view this, and then give me your decision.'

‘En Noah?' She sniffled, looking at the orb, confused that I would be giving her school work to do in the middle of an emotional crisis.

‘I think that it may aid you to better assess your situation,' I explained.

‘As you wish, En Noah.' Ragan gathered up her belongings and left.

As she walked out the door I considered warning Ragan that the material on the orb might come as a shock, or suggesting that I supervise her viewing of the chronicle, but I did not. I hated to think that the karmic resentment of a merlin for being poisoned was what made me reluctant to cushion Ragan's fall in this
instance. It was more like some inner voice telling me that my part in this affair was over and it was time to let the universe take it from here.

 

Kila's Logos, Eshmah, turned on a glorious day for Chailida's big anniversary celebration. The sky was completely clear and its aquamarine colour was as deep and luminous as ever I had seen it.

From my balcony I soaked up the warm morning rays. The city below was already congested with crowds, music, dancing and street theatre. Out on the fourth island ring, swarms of craft were waiting to dock and unload interstellar tourists, who had come for the festivities of the day and the concert that Chailida was hosting this evening.

I had no obligations today, bar overseeing the proceedings of my students' presentation this evening, so I was pretty much at leisure to do as I pleased. ‘What a crying shame Rebecca had to work.' The notion was a bit of a downer, so I quickly reminded myself that I still had a whole month of her company to look forward to.

I fixed myself an icy, semi-alcoholic fruit concoction to commence my day of leisure on a merry note, and found myself wondering about Selwyn and Kaileah. Had they married and reared the next King of Alban?

‘I shall investigate, now that I have some time,' I promised myself, placing on my eyeshades and collapsing into my sun-chair with my drink. ‘Ah … perfect,' I decided, the sun pelting down upon my bare chest as I sipped the icy cold cocktail. I could not have been more
contented; so naturally, the chime on my front door sounded to rouse me from my bliss.

My heart leapt into my throat when I espied Ragan waiting outside my door on the screen that monitored the exterior. I'd completely forgotten about requesting to see her. I pulled my shirt on properly, trying to assess her state of mind from the visual, and once decent, I dispensed with the barrier and invited her inside.

‘These are for you, En Noah.' Ragan handed me a huge bunch of flowers that she'd been hiding behind her back. ‘For poisoning you in the Dark Ages,' she explained with a shrug of apology.

‘Really, Ragan.' I accepted the flowers from her. ‘That is all in the past and forgotten.' I assured her to not think twice about it, although admittedly I had.

‘I'll bet that's not what you were thinking yesterday.' Ragan prompted me to be a little more up front with her. ‘I see myself for the spoilt, manipulative child I have been,' she admitted quite readily, tears welling from her disappointment in herself. ‘There
wouldn't
be a life for me without Asher … nor would I wish there to be. I realise that presenting me with the raw version of this chronicle was not standard procedure, En Noah,' she ventured to say.

Ragan was quite right. The chronicle as it was should have been for mature students only, and for a moment I thought she might be going to hit me with a lawsuit. This wouldn't have been difficult to do, as her father, Cadwallon, was the Chief Justice in Chailida.

‘I am really very grateful that you considered me mature enough to be privy to it.' Ragan ran over and
unexpectedly embraced me. I even received a kiss on the cheek as she returned the orb.

‘I will play Tory Alexander if it's all the same to you.' She sniffled back her emotion and backed up to the door.

‘And you will do her justice,' I replied.

Ragan burst into a huge smile and, with a squeal of delight, she departed my abode. I felt rather like I'd just been hit by a tornado, but given a second to consider the encounter, I smiled — I'd done the right thing after all.

 

It was coming on to evening, and having loafed about for most of the day, I wandered down to centre stage to be sure all our little dramas had sorted themselves out.

As I entered the backstage area, Ragan came running up to me, appearing far more anxious than was usual for her. ‘En Noah, have you seen Asher? I've been looking for him all day and nobody has seen him.' All of a sudden the girl's expression iced over and as her eyes became fixed on something behind me, they narrowed with contempt.