**********The Atlantean Legacy*********

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Please enjoy another sample from the sequel to The Atlantean Legacy.(Working title: The Atlantean Chronicles: Book II which I am now in the process of writing!)

“Good morning, Lady,” she said tentatively to Tameri, awed by her good fortune that she, Sheriti, was to care for the beautiful divine being who lay sleeping before her.
Tameri shifted and turned over. Opening one eye she could see the eager young woman waiting for her response.
“Good morning, Sheriti,” she managed to pull herself up to sitting.
“My apologies, Lady, but I was instructed by Lord Kahotep to awaken you and inform you that they will be meeting soon. He will be at your door in just a little while to take you there. I have a bath drawn for you and clothing that you might find appropriate for the meeting.”
“Thank you, Sheriti,” she said and threw her feet over the side of the sumptuous bed. She had to admit that it was comfortable and quite beautiful; the bed itself was decorated with intricately carved panels of plants and animals. Overhead there was a canopy and gauzy curtains that could be pulled down as a protection from insects while she slept.
She stood up and Sheriti hesitantly helped her with her robe. “Lead me to the water,” Tameri said amused at her servant’s sense of reverence towards her.
While in the bath, Tameri peppered her with questions.
“How did you get picked to take care of me, Sheriti?”
“Oh, Divine One, it was a great honor to be chosen! There were many that they looked at. I don’t know why they picked me, but they said that I was the one they wanted to work with you. And I am so blessed, blessed to be here with you! They told us of your beauty and charm and they did not lie! May the Goddess shine her Light on you forever! Blessed be your name, you are so great…”
“Who are the ‘they’ you talk about?” Tameri broke into her solicitations.
“They, they are the Great Ones, the ones who told us of your coming.”
“The Great Ones, yes, of course. Will I be meeting the Great Ones today, do you think?” she said as her servant helped her out of the sunken marble tub.
“Oh, no, they have gone back to the mountains; they do not want to interfere with your work today.”
“Hmmm…will I be meeting them soon?” Tameri asked. She was seeing now that perhaps Sheriti’s keen sense of observation might turn out to be quite useful. Maybe this was why the Great Ones had picked this woman for her, this diamond in the rough.
“Most likely at the great feast that has been planned to celebrate the arrival of the Gods.”
Tameri examined the clothing that Sheriti had laid out for her, a lovely white gown, similar to the temple garb she was used to plus an elaborate headdress.
“Do they expect me to wear this?” she said, fingering the jewels and precious metals on the headpiece. “It’s much too heavy and much too fancy for the business that needs to be done today.”
“Oh! Lady, I am so sorry!” Her eyes filled with fear. “I thought because it’s what the ladies of means wear here that you would want such a piece for yourself. I have displeased you! Forgive me, O Lady…” she flinched, preparing for a blow.
“I’m not going to hit you, Dear One! Please, come here.” Sheriti cautiously moved towards her.
“Give me your hand.”
Obediently, she thrust her hand forward. Tameri took it in both of hers.
“Look at me.” The young woman did so, feeling the soothing healing contact of the priestess before her. She immediately relaxed.
“I will never hit you, Sheriti, ever! This is my promise to you. You are my helper and I am grateful to you.”
Sheriti fell prostrate on the floor before her. “Great Lady, thank you for your kindness. I will be forever in your debt.”
Pulling the girl up to standing, Tameri, gave her a hug then kissed her on the top of her head. “You are such a dear. Now we need to get moving I suspect, if I am to be ready when Kahotep arrives.”
Sheriti’s grin spread wide across her face. A light that had been out for many years was rekindling in her eyes. Happily she helped her new mistress finish getting ready, her love and fierce undying loyalty for her Lady already firmly solidified.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Excerpt from The Atlantean Legacy:

“My child, all of this is predestined.” Akana heard the Voice and knew it was Her: the Lady, the Great Goddess. She rose up to look at the goddess image before her.
“All is being played out in ultimate perfection. You are but a small piece in a tapestry of interrelated threads. Her death, as well as the upcoming destruction of Atlantis, is a necessary part of the next step in the evolution of your people. Through their own need for dominion, they have brought their demise on themselves. Their refusal to look at their own destructiveness has attracted the darkness. This is a much needed lesson. So... you must let your guilt go.” The Goddess’ Voice was kindness incarnate. “To hold onto it is to give power to your ego and its need to be separate. Your lesson and that of all the Atlanteans is to learn to trust in the goodness of the Universe—in My Goodness.”
A comforting velvet silence enveloped Akana. She felt more than heard the words that came to her, “Daughter—be healed!” Immediately, Her Energy and Her Love spilled over Akana and enfolded her, soaked into her cells, filling them to overflowing, healing and erasing her grief and her guilt.
“Blessed be the Goddess! Blessed be Your Name!” Akana cried out gratefully, feeling peace for the first time in many days. Then she collapsed on the floor and fell into a soothing deep sleep.
The next morning, Eva found her still there in her meditation room on the cold ceramic tiles of the floor. She lay unmoving, as if she were dead.
“Akana!” Eva frantically shook her sister. “Wake up! Oh, Akana, not you, too!”
Akana stirred and Eva released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
“Eva... oh... uh, I must have fallen asleep,” Akana explained groggily.
“Oh, thank the Goddess! I didn’t think you were going to wake up. What happened? Were you here all night?” Eva asked.
“Uhhhhh…” Akana sighed as she focused. Stiffly, she sat up. Then she remembered. “Ohhh... Eva,” she said in amazement. “In the middle of the night I heard a voice so I got up and came in here. It was the Goddess! And... and... She healed me!”
Akana pulled herself up to a standing position, still feeling a bit unsteady. Eva grabbed her as she swayed. “Thank you. I was just a bit dizzy for a moment. I’m better now. Please don’t worry, Eva. I’m fine. Especially now that I know She is with me, at my side.”

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Chapter 9 (cont'd)

Kahotep awoke first. He examined the back of her head, admiring her bountiful curls. Unable to resist, he wrapped one of her sweaty dark ringlets around his finger. Feeling the tug on her hair, she stirred and turned over to face him, gracing him with a sleepy smile. He returned her smile and whispered in her ear so as not to break the spell too quickly. “So, my Sweet Lady, what would be your pleasure for the rest of the afternoon?”

“Well, besides you…” she traced the outline of his hand that was now resting on her breast, “I would...like to drive the shuttlecraft!” A mischievous grin adorned her face.

“Well, it seems you are awake,” he grinned back at her. “So, do you have any experience driving?”

“Absolutely none,” she answered honestly. “I’ve only ridden the public shuttlecrafts. I’ve never had an opportunity to learn to drive. But I always wanted to.”

“Well, it’s time you get some experience then. All right, Lady, I will teach you!" They jumped enthusiastically out of bed, dressed, and raced to the craft.

Akana climbed into the pilot’s seat. Her chair seemed too big for her and she could barely see up over the control panel. Kahotep joined her in the seat next to her as her co-pilot. “The first thing you need to do is to sign in,” he began, “so tell the craft your name, that you are the pilot, and then instruct it to adjust to you.”

Excitedly, she complied. “I am Akana of Atlantis,” she told the craft. “I am the pilot of this shuttlecraft. Please make adjustments to accommodate for me.”

“Welcome, Akana of Atlantis! We will make our adjustments now,” a pleasant voice from the shuttlecraft replied.

Her seat moved slightly forward then back, then to the right and left. It raised up and down then finally rested in a position that greatly improved the fit of her chair, as well as her view out the windshield. Immediately, a seatbelt closed across her lap.

“Push the green button that is lit up here on the console between us,” her co-pilot instructed. This she did. A holographic map of the area appeared at a forty-five degree angle in front of her.

“You can see where the cabin is—here.” Kahotep pointed to the three-dimensional version of the cabin. Now if you touch it thus,” he touched the image of the cabin on the map and it immediately enlarged, “you can bring it in closer. Touch it twice and it’ll return to its former size. You can do this with any part of the map. Now—where do you want to go?”

“I’d like to explore the area first, until I get used to piloting.”

“All right then, let’s map out a small path. Lightly trace the direction on the hologram where you want to go then hit the blue button on the console. This will lock in your program.”

She drew about a five mile trail around the trees in the forest then pushed the glowing blue button.

“OK, now what?”

“Now you need to use voice commands,” he said. “Tell the craft to follow your plans.”

“Please follow the path I have indicated,” she told the computer.

Gently, the craft began to rise. It slowly followed the directions that she had just mapped out. Then it gently landed back on the shuttleport.

“Well done! Now, do you want to drive without programming it first, Kana?”

“Of course. What do I do?”

“Use your voice commands to get the craft to ascend, then trace the path you want it to follow with your finger.”

“Now?”

“Sure, I think you’re ready. And I’m here to back you up.”

She took a deep calming breath. “Ascend!” she commanded.

Slowly, the craft rose up as directed. It hovered high above the shuttleport and turned southwest as Akana traced her outstretched palm through the holographic map. To speed up, she merely had to trace faster, so she experimented. The movement was a little jerky at first, but she quickly assimilated her new skill and smoothed out the ride. She let out a big hoot as she sped the vehicle around in ever tighter concentric loops.

“So you’ve never driven before, you say?” Kahotep asked in disbelief.

“Not ever, and was that a mistake!” she replied. “This is great!”

“So where are we heading, Speedster?”

She grinned. “I want to see the crystal cave.”

“Oh, nothing like a little challenge for your first flight out, is there, dear?” Kahotep laughed.

“Not at all,” she replied.

The shuttle was now heading toward the active volcano on the northeast corner of the island. She touched the map and an enlarged view appeared. She found what she was looking for—a shelf along the inside rim where they could land the craft. She decreased the size of the volcano on the map back to normal then smoothly guided the craft to a safe landing onto the ledge.

The door on the craft lifted up and they carefully emerged. After assuring themselves they were on solid ground, they both looked around. The ledge was packed down smoothly, apparently used over the years as a landing strip for others wanting access to the cave. Over the ledge, very far below, lava flowed freely. The smell of sulfur permeated the air.

They made their way to the inside edge of the rim, up against the wall of the mountain, to the opening in the cave. She had pilfered a couple of lightsticks from the craft and handed one to Kahotep.

She got on her hands and knees and easily crawled through the cave entrance. Kahotep crawled in after her. Once they made it through about a three-foot tunnel, they stood up. Their lightsticks illuminated the way as they stepped carefully down a softly sloping path. After about two hundred feet it opened up into a large cavern. Their lightsticks revealed a grotto encrusted with jeweled crystal treasures.

“Oooh, Kahotep! I’ve heard about this cave, but I never would have imagined this!”

The cave was actually a huge geode that had been formed millions of years before from cooled molten lava. The walls were thickly covered with a wondrous display of sparkling crystals. Even more astounding were the long spear strands of quartz crystals that stretched across the entire cave, each about the width of a grown man. Akana approached one to examine it more closely; she was dwarfed by its size.