The Lion and The Pyramid

There weren't always dragons in the Valley, but the ruins were there from the time before the ice came. Dragons are the name given to the lines of planetary power deep in the earth. They are the energy lines that crisscross all landscapes, and their strength is such they can hold huge stones seemingly weightless, high in the air. The dragon lines were re-discovered by the spirit warriors using their powers of second sight, and now they were creating a new gate to their home world, a world that is the absolute opposite of ours. The once tranquil valley was a hive of activity as finishing touches were being set into a circle of 30-ton stones placed in the earth around the ruins, and as they floated freely toward the monument, the massive stones looked like a strange slow-motion ballet of seeming necromancy.

Abrax lifted his visor, which contained a 3D simulation of the monument site on its screen cunningly superimposed over the real valley. It was like magic to him, because he had no idea how it worked. His job was to guide the stones into place using a remote control, and as soon as a stone was placed, that part of the simulation disappeared. He gazed at two huge uprights with a horizontal stone balanced across them like a doorway. He smiled; he'd never seen anything like it. The ruins of what seemed like a castle, an old chapel, and a well were at the center of the circle of stones, and every time he gazed upon them, he felt an itch between his shoulder blades, and sometimes it was very insistent.

As the visor came off everything ground to a halt and across the valley huge stones hung suspended silently in the air. He was a Prince of Khem, the new land, the land of the lion and the pyramid, the place from where all the energy being displayed here was controlled. Before the lion and pyramid came to the land of Khem it had been covered in ice for a very long time. The spirit warriors detected life in areas everywhere across the planet, but the signals were weak, so they began to teach those closest to Khem how to farm, cut stone, write and draw. And as soon as that was accomplished, they sent the first graduates out to places across the globe to teach what they had learned, and in this way get the humans up onto their feet after nature’s icy defeat.

The spirit warriors were true spirit; they spoke in your head like a thought. They could take on any appearance they wished but they tended not to, because they believed personal contact to be detrimental. Even their thought–speak was kept to a minimum, like a slow deliberate whisper it was unmistakably eerie, and at the same time comforting. Abrax gazed at the sun hanging low in the sky surrounded by clouds and guessed he must be a lot farther north than his homeland. "The chieftain of the Calta will be here soon to meet with you; he is coming with a group of ten or fifteen. Make sure you have an equal amount in your support." That was it. It sounded like a thought but it wasn't; it was a reminder from the spirit warriors.

He was young, 19. His arms, chest and legs were muscular; he was a hunter, built for both speed and distance. His face was chiseled like stone, his eyes were blue and his hair was blonde. Who his parents were, he knew not. Everything about reproduction was the domain of the women and spirit warriors, and his people did as they were told! He still favored his loin cloth, even though the climate here was colder, but he had adopted a Calta cloak that he wrapped himself in often to keep out the cold and damp.

There were those who claimed the spirit warriors didn't exist at all, that it was devils that had taken possession of some, and it was logical many would feel that way. But when the ice was here, nobody came to our rescue–not even devils. Abrax reflected for a moment…there were many prayers then, but no answers, until things began to unfreeze and the spirit warriors appeared not wanting anything, only for us to get up on our feet.

* * *

A shadowy figure sat in the darkness of a cave deep beneath the castle; he had lived there for nearly a thousand years, but what you never hear about living forever is how few friends you have as time goes by. He was a magician from the old school of magic, from before the ice when different gods walked the earth; real gods that fought among themselves, gods that were kind and wicked in equal measure, gods you could see, hear and touch; if you were lucky enough.

From those gods he had learned how to extend his life, because they lived for thousands of years. He had learned about skullduggery, and he enjoyed it. Unscrupulous behavior was what they excelled in, both the women and the men. He smiled a crooked smile remembering the awful things they did to one another, and he had to admit it was the most fun he’d ever had. Until one day it started to rain mightily, and they all took off to watch it from a safe distance out in space. That was the beginning of the age of ice, an age that lasted forever.

The freeze had given him time to work on his many talents, but he missed his friends. The angry gods, the vindictive gods, and now there were a bunch of do-good gods that daren't even show their faces. He had built a magical army down here in the bowels of the earth safe from ice and cold, and now he was ready to unleash them upon what was left of the world and reclaim it for the gods of old.

Working with his hero gods had taught him the secrets of creating human beings from animals, and they had left him the underground laboratory where it all took place. It was vast down here, and self-sufficient. There was food and water that never ran out, and it was hidden deep enough that no one would ever stumble upon it. He stood up and a raven flew out of the darkness, landing on his extended wrist. Stopping in front of a large bowl of water he gazed intently into the waves on its surface. The ripples reflected many flickering candles placed around the room. He stared intently and they began lapping gently into images.

A beautiful young woman was bathing in a stream unselfconsciously. She had long black hair and brown eyes, and her expressive hands splashed water over a finely featured body, face and neck that shone with an inner brightness.

“You are the Princess Shona” he stated, as the raven on his arm cawed and shifted around.

She looked up, but saw nothing until a ghostly black figure began to materialize beside the stream. “I am,” she said turning toward the voice, “and who are you?”

“I am Sharduck–magician of future and past,” he said.

She grabbed a sword that was stuck in the riverbed beside her and brandished it at him. “Then come no closer,” she warned, “or I shall cut you to pieces.”

“No, you won’t,” he said waving a hand which froze her in space. “I am here to deliver a warning. The gateway through the old well will never be finished. I shall be taking the world back for the gods of old, and if your people wish to live in a non-material world so badly, I shall deliver them into a world of dreams for eternity.” His harsh statement hung in the air before fading away as the Princess Shona shook her head and slowly returned to the world of consciousness.

* * *

Abrax held the hilt of his short sword as he walked toward a long hut constructed from large wooden logs. He was flanked by fifteen warriors and he was on his way to his meeting with the Calta chieftain, Myru. Entering the lodge, he was confronted with the tall, red–haired warrior king wearing a fur waistcoat and boots with a leather shirt and pants beneath. He was noble looking with piercingly green eyes, a broad smile, and a very open gait. He raised his arms in a generous motion of welcome, "I am Myru…and you must be Prince Abrax." The two welcomed one another with strong hugs and much back slapping.

"I understand you are 'King' Myru," said Abrax making a fist over his heart as he took a step back, and lowered his head in deference.

"I am indeed called King Myru, but I am now a king without a kingdom." He motioned to a seat by a long wooden table and joined Abrax in a chair facing his. "In the before time," he began, "everything was as if in a dream…magical. Then the ice time came, and it was a nightmare. Now we have the new time, and nobody can know what will come of that other than the changes which now seem to be happening. The ones you yourself are carrying out."

"I am just a messenger; I am not the doer. Much of what is being done is even hard for me to understand." Abrax offered. "By their own admission the spirit warriors are dangerous to be around for any length of time; that is why they speak from a great distance, straight into the mind."

King Myru sat forward, "My family castle was the one that is now standing at the center of your ring of stones; it was built there to guard the well. The well has always been an entrance into another world, a world of magic and light.”

"The spirit warriors tell me this is the reason they chose this place.” Abrax replied. "They say they have been in and out of our world a number of times before, but it is always a difficult journey and they are attempting to make it less so."

At that moment Abrax saw the face of a beautiful young girl across the table, her stunning brown eyes stared out from a porcelain–like face beneath black hair and locked with his intently. King Myru observed the look on his face, followed his gaze and smiled. "This is my daughter the Princess Shona. She is a priestess of the ancient art, trained diligently by the patience and talent of her mother, Queen Bess."

Abrax smiled coolly, even though his heart was beating like a drum. "I am Abrax," he said, extending his hand and inviting her to speak.

"Prince Abrax, surely," she said confidently, with a smile.

"They call me a prince, but I don't believe it to be my title…yet," he replied.

"Humility is strength for the virtuous," she offered. “When your time comes you will be a formidable warrior."

"Thank you," he said with a smile, she was doing something to him nobody had ever done before: getting under his skin.

"You understand that we live in a material world–a world of solidity; and that the spirit warriors come from a non-material world–a world of invisibility."

"I am aware of that…yes."

"Then you are aware that connecting the two worlds will cause catastrophe," said Shona, "a catastrophe we do not need at this time."

Abrax laughed, "The spirit warriors know everything about everything; why would they not understand this?"

"Because this is a magic realm from the before time; there is a jealousy in the mind-set. They do not want these spirit warriors succeeding with what they are trying to do."

"And, exactly what do they plan to do about it?”

"Human beings live in both the material and the un-material world. Mostly we're material, but just like the dolphin has to come to the surface of the ocean to breath oxygen, so every night we must enter the un-material world to dream.

Abrax sighed, and shifted in his seat. "What do you propose doing to avert this potential danger?"

“Those magicians of old say the un-material world will cut off the physical world for many thousands of years, leaving humanity lost in a world of dreams, to suffer and die."

Abrax looked to King Myru for some form of support.

"I know it's not what you want to hear, but I thought it best to bring it to your attention," the King said in a low voice.

"Yes," Abrax said softly.” I must consult the spirit warriors; it is a monument to their world and a doorway we are constructing." He turned as if to walk away, then he turned back and addressed them both. "Why would anyone choose a fate worse than death; rather than live with a rescuer that saved them from a fate worse than death?” His words rang ominously in the air as King Myru and the Princess Shona stared with concern, before his complement fell in behind him, and they left.

* * *

The wind blew across the desert, sending sand clouds twirling around like ballerinas in a dust bowl. In among the dust were colored pieces of torn silk, acting is if in water, and behind everything was the low sound of lots of whispering voices.

Abrax appeared through the haze looking lost. "Where am I?" he asked.

"You are at the gate of souls, Prince Abrax," came the reply.

"There are forces that want to do away with the door to your world," Abrax stated.

"If that were true this would be easily dealt with," said the spirit warrior, "but the truth is it's you, the human race, those forces wish to do away with!"

"Why?" inquired Abrax.

"It is a law of nature; everything in the universe is made of opposing forces in balance. Whenever one force loses its balance to the other and is vulnerable, it is natural that the other is urged to take over completely."

"It sounds like we're heading back to oblivion," Abrax stated.

"No, we are teaching you how to take care of yourselves. You need to start building yourselves up to fight your first war, a war for the freedom to be who you are.