Empress Aurora Trilogy Quest For the Kingdom Parts I, II, and III Revised With Index (Quest For the Kingdom Set) (19 page)

“It has been
many years now since I first met Him. Yet, from the first day I saw Alexandros
I knew my life would never be the same.”

Xenon paused
and looked at the faces grouped about him: Marcus’ patrician brow furrowed in
doubt, Felix’s sparkling brown eyes alight with curiosity, Fanchon’s delicate
face a study in boredom, Dag’s feelings hidden by a mask of reserve, and young
Cort clearly lost in a sea of incomprehension. Only from Kyrene did Xenon
receive any encouragement.

“Please,
Xenon,” she intoned in her warm voice. “Tell our friends the whole story.”

“Yes,” Marcus
interrupted. “I do not understand your answer to my question. I asked why you
use pearls in greeting, and you say because of Alexandros. Yet none of us know
who this Alexandros is. Please explain.”

Xenon sighed
and shook his head as he smiled slowly at Marcus. 

Xenon was old,
Marcus thought, very old. His face was like a scroll that had been rolled for
too long and did not straighten when unfurled. His skin had the texture of
parchment, and he looked so frail that a strong wind would surely carry him
away. Yet there was at the same time a curious energy about him, a vitality
that made him seem younger than he looked.

“To answer
your questions, young man, to tell you the whole story as Kyrene requests, I
must go back a long way. All the way back to the beginning of time.”

A strange
tension gripped the hearts of those who listened, an anticipation that what
they were about to hear was as strange a tale as any bard ever told. Xenon
refreshed himself with a drink of water, then began.

“Long ago,
back in the beginning, there was a Kingdom where all was perfect. Man was
created by Dominio the Almighty, in His image, for His companionship and joy.
Man enjoyed harmonious communion with His Creator and all of his thoughts were
good and pure. But the Lord of the Astra saw this and brooded in his evil
heart. Now this lord, whose name was Leon, had also been created by Dominio and
had worshipped at His throne.

“But a day
unimaginable came when the creature desired to be worshipped himself. This
could not be, for what had he ever done worthy of worship? Had he ever created
the Earth out of nothing? No. Had he ever spun the stars in their orbit,
causing them to dance for joy? No. Had he ever painted the sunrise and sunset
in a palette of color too beautiful to bear? No. Yet, here he was desiring to
be worshipped.

“So adamant
was he in this desire that he deceived others of his order, the order of the
Seraphina, who hovered around the very throne of God, and induced them into
making war on Dominio and the faithful host who bowed down at His feet.

“War he would
have, and war he received. The foolish creature actually believed he was a
match for Dominio! But he was mistaken. He and the Seraphina who took sides
with him were utterly cast out of Heaven, never to return. For the
transgression of rebellion against the Most High, their eternal punishment is
to be cast into the Lake of Fire at the end of the age.

“Came the day
when man, newly created, caught the eye of Leon. Now man and his mate had
enjoyed perfect union with one another and their Creator. But Leon was jealous.
He was jealous, not of man’s relationship with Dominio, but of man’s worship of
Dominio! Here, he thought in his heart, was his chance to take revenge against
Dominio for his banishment from Heaven.

“For the man,
called Tychon, and his wife, called Chloe, were the apple of Dominio’s eye. He
delighted in them as any father does in his children. Daily He came to them in
the fertile paradise where He had placed them, and enjoyed long talks and sweet
fellowship with them. To Him they gave their worship, their trust, and their
love. In turn He gave them authority over the entire Earth, and the wisdom to
rule it.

“He laid only
one charge on them: never, He told them, were they to drink from the Waterfall
of Wisdom, a great fall of crystal clear water that rose deep in the forest
that bordered their garden home. There were many other waterfalls, springs, and
pools of water from which they were free to drink. But if they disobeyed and
drank from the Waterfall of Wisdom they would be punished, for to do so meant
that they did not trust Dominio for wisdom and sought their own way instead. To
disobey was to reject Him as God.

“Tychon and
Chloe solemnly promised with an oath never to drink from the Waterfall of
Wisdom. So all was good, and there was great joy and peace.

“Then there
came an evil day when Chloe desired to explore more of their beautiful home
than she had thus dared. She roamed deep into the forest, away from the green
garden that she knew so well. She saw flowers trailing from the trees of vivid
hues and intoxicating fragrance, flowers so luscious they compelled her to pull
down their blooms and inhale their aromas. Bird cries of unknown origin
thrilled her ears with their strange songs.

“And then she
heard it; a deep rumble in the forest, so powerful it seemed to throb in the
ground beneath her feet. Intrigued, she ventured in the direction of the
mysterious sound.

“Through a
clearing in the wood she saw it; a colossal cascade of crystal clear water that
fell from green cliffs that rose to a tremendous height.

“‘This,’ she
thought, ‘must be the Waterfall of Wisdom that we were warned of. I must not go
near it, lest a drop of water splash on me.’

“Resolved to
obey Dominio, she turned on her heel and started back to where she had come.

“But just then
a sound arrested her ear: a lovely, silvery voice that sang a lilting air.
Turning around, Chloe strained to determine the source of the music. It was
calling her name, and it came from the Waterfall.

“Tiptoeing
quietly closer to the fall of water, she was lulled by the lovely voice. How
soothing, she thought. And how sweet…

“‘Come be
refreshed, come drink of my water. Dip yourself in and your eyes will be clear.
My path is good, my knowledge is pleasant, my wisdom is free to all who draw
near.’

“‘Chloe,
Chloe,’ the voice sang with a fearful enchantment that tempted Chloe to draw
nearer.

“Chloe tried
to resist, but the spell of the song had taken hold of her. Maybe, she
reasoned, one drop would not harm me. Just one drop of the clear, refreshing
water.

“She ventured
to the Waterfall, and stood at the pool of its basin. Slowly, she dipped one
toe in, and swiftly drew it back. Nothing happened. Again she dipped her toe
in, but instead of drawing it back, she immersed her entire foot in the
swirling water. How cool the water is, how refreshing, she thrilled.

“Boldly she
stepped into the pool and splashed herself in the spray from above. Then she
cupped her hands and lifted them up to the cascade. The water poured into her
hands. She lowered her mouth to them and drank deeply. A great exhilaration
took possession of her and she plunged into the pool, swimming like an otter,
splashing and diving.

“Eventually
she returned to the surface and looked around her. Somehow the colors of the
flowers did not seem so bright, nor their scent so sweet. And where was the
voice that had lured her to the Waterfall? The fall was silent…

“A shadow
seemed to come upon Chloe, and a chill clutched at her heart. Whence came this
strange and sudden sense of foreboding, of dread dogging her footsteps? Indeed,
she glanced fearfully behind her, but nothing was to be seen.

“Suddenly, she
wanted Tychon. It felt lonely in this forest, and fearful as well. She wished
that she had not decided to roam from the garden that day…

“Quickly she
ran to her home in search of Tychon. There he was, directing one of the
elephants to bring down a cheetah cub that ventured too high into a tree and
feared the downward journey. The elephant raised its trunk and gently curled it
around the little cub and brought it safely to the ground, where its mother
greeted it with a purr of relief. Her body was too heavy to bear the slender
branch where it had climbed, and she hailed the elephant’s heroics with a
playful slap of her tail against its stalwart hide.

“‘Tychon,’
Chloe cried out in relief. ‘Oh, Tychon!’

She ran to him
and wrapping her arms around him, nestled close against him.

“‘What is the
matter, Chloe?’ Tychon cried in alarm. ‘You are wet, and cold. Why are you
trembling so?’

“Chloe looked
up at him. So handsome, such a perfect specimen of manhood. His height and
broad shoulders made her feel safe. After all, she scorned in her heart, what
is there to fear in a mere spray of water? And it had been so cool and
refreshing!

“She made a
sudden decision.

“‘Tychon,’ she
whispered in his ear. ‘I have found the most beautiful, wonderful thing! You
must see it also.’

“She took his
hand, and gazing up at him from under her lashes, she drew him after her into
the forest…

“The Waterfall
rose before them in all its sparkling beauty. But no song sang from its spray
for Tychon. For the only inducement he needed was Chloe’s whisper in his ear,
her laughter daring him to drink, to bathe in its pool.

“When he
finally emerged, Tychon gasped as if startled from a sound sleep. He stared at
Chloe, and drew away from her.

“‘What have
you done, enticing me into that pool?’ he demanded. ‘For that is the very
Waterfall of Wisdom that Dominio forbade us to drink from.’

“‘But, we are
all right, Tychon. We have both drunk and bathed, and we are all right,’ Chloe
insisted.

“‘No, we are
not
all right! You made me disobey Dominio. I would never have done it had you not
lured me!’

“Chloe gasped
as Tychon stomped off to the garden. She followed him in panic and rage, as he
pouted and refused to speak to her.

“Just then
they heard a familiar voice calling their names. But where before the voice had
filled them with joy, the sound now filled their hearts with dread and despair.
They glanced at one another, then each ran quickly and hid behind a tree.

“‘Tychon,
Chloe,’ Dominio called in His voice like a bell of bronze. ‘Where are you,
children?’

“Each knew
that they hid in vain, for Dominio’s all-seeing eyes would find their hiding
places. Reluctantly, fearfully, they came out into the clearing.

“‘What have
you done?’ Dominio asked them in the saddest tone that anyone ever uttered. All
of the despair of the world could be heard in that one simple question.

“‘You
disobeyed Me,’ He mourned. ‘I gave you everything, and you disobeyed Me.’

“‘It was that woman
You gave me,’ Tychon answered. ‘She deceived me into drinking from the
Waterfall and bathing in its pool.’

“Chloe made an
indignant sound toward Tychon’s direction. She turned to Dominio.

“‘But it was
the Waterfall,’ she insisted. ‘It sang to me, ever so sweetly, and I was lured
to it.’

“‘The
Waterfall did not sing to you, Chloe. The source of the song was as wicked as
the wisdom it pretends to give. Indeed, the source of all evil comes from the
same spring.’

“Chloe was at
a loss for a reply to this statement. For a moment she sought for something to
say. But Dominio was not yet finished.

“‘Leon!’ He
thundered. ‘Come here, Leon. Show yourself.’

“A ray of
light seemed to come from the ground to their left. It glowed brightly, then a
figure formed in the midst of it. A figure of dazzling beauty, yet one that
caused their hearts to beat rapidly in fear.

“The creature
that stood before them was truly impressive. It was taller than Tychon, clothed
in multi-colored raiment, had two massive wings of white feathers, and the most
beautiful face that could ever be imagined. It was a curious face, its features
of neither a masculine or feminine cast. Indeed, it could have been that of a
young woman or a boy not yet grown. Yet every feature was perfect and seemed to
radiate a sweet purity.

“‘Did I hear
my name called?’ the creature snarled in a mocking tone. ‘It has been many
years since I have heard my name uttered by that voice.’

“‘Silence!’
Dominio roared. ‘I did not summon you to listen to your insolence.’

“The creature
visibly quaked and blinked its eyes. Then it appeared to recover its bravado.

“‘I summoned
you,’ Dominio continued, ‘so that My children could look with their own eyes on
the face of their enemy; the very creature who rebelled against Me and opposed
My Kingdom. The very creature who deceived one-third of My host into daring to
lift arms against My throne. The very creature whom I defeated and cast out of
Heaven.’

“The creature
hardened its mouth and its eyes smoldered as Dominio recounted its history.
Clearly it remembered also, and the memories were not pleasant ones.

“Dominio
turned back to Tychon and Chloe.

“‘My children,
for thus you
were
, it grieves Me to have to include you in the ranks of
Leon’s rebels. For you listened to his voice inciting you to rebel against My
command. By doing so you have chosen to obey him, and therefore you have
forfeited My favor and your own dominion of the Earth I created you to rule.