The Persistence of Memories - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (28 page)

You cannot do this,
she heard him call
within, only to her.

She shuddered.
I must,
she
replied.

Saone...

She looked away, closing her eyes tight,
fighting back tears.
Balance, fadayin. I must.

“The Shenaihu nuhm'ndah are attempting to
take full control of the One of All Sacred. If not her, then to
undo all the work she has done,” Saone said, her voice barely
audible. She trembled, fully aware that she was unraveling so many
plans right now. “That much I know to be true. It will happen, one
way or another, by early November.”

Saone suddenly felt a deathly chill, colder
than anything she'd felt. It tried to tear at her, pull her soul
apart, tried to extinguish her life right there and then. But she
could outrun this cold. She could fight it. She could stay away
from it for as long as it took. It would forever haunt her, waiting
for a sign of weakness. But she wouldn't let it. She would never
let her father or any other nuhm’ndah do anything to her again.

I am alive,
she said to herself.
Dehndarra Né hra nyhndah. I am part of the One.

Nandahya flexed her fingers, suddenly aware
she had balled them into fists. “What have you heard?” she asked as
evenly as she could.

“The nuhm’ndah have resurrected their own
deity,” Saone replied. “As balance. For every action the One of All
Sacred may take…”

“…this one responds in kind,” Nandahya
responded, scowling. “Just as I feared.”

“Which means that if the One continues to
enlighten all the willing Mendaihu and Shenaihu to a new level, the
more nuhm’ndah we will see. And the enlightened nuhm’ndah are equal
in strength to the Mendaihu Elders,” Saone said. “Which means that
this season could adversely affect Earth as well as Trisanda. Or so
the Dahné says.”

The Councillor frowned deeply at her, hearing
those words then recognizing them for what they were. Nandahya
clearly wanted to know more about Saone's father, but was reluctant
to ask. She herself had the same reservations about speaking aloud
with Shirai listening in. She was also resisting temptation to
speak within, sure that someone close by would be able to
eavesdrop. Saone could sense all of this just by the troubled look
on the woman's face. Slowly she nodded, and looked away towards the
bank of windows to her left. It had been cloudy all day, and so her
view revealed nothing but a sea of white and gray.

“The Dahné knows this deity,” Saone said.
“He's brought him here to awaken the nuhm’ndah spirit. This man is
the spiritual opposite to the One of All Sacred. He claims that he
is peaceful unless provoked. I’ve heard and seen evidence to the
contrary.”

The Councillor faced her, unsure of what to
say.

“He calls himself Saisshalé.”

“Saisshalé...” A glimmer of recognition
appeared in Nandahya’s eyes. “Saisshalé,” she said again. “An
ancient deity. Nearly forgotten.”

Kryss nodded towards the windows. “Deities
have a way of manifesting their physical embodiments around here,”
she said.

“Quite,” Nandahya said, dismissing the remark
and looking back at Saone. “So you tell me: is this Saisshalé a new
embodiment, or just another ploy for the Dahné?”

“A pure embodiment,” Kryss continued before
Saone could speak. “He's been underground for eons, Nandahya. He’s
had just as many embodiments, but has chosen not to make his
presence known. He's chosen exile over nonexistence. He's only
resurfaced now because of Natianos Lehanna's urging.”

“'Urging'? You mean awakening?”

“He has not been awakened,” Saone said. The
mere thought of that deity commanding his full powers sent shudders
down her back. “Not fully. He knows who and what he is, but he
hasn't reached his full potential yet. I'm assuming this is so the
Dahné can control him.”

Nandahya frowned, leaning forward into a
cupped hand. “Like Denni Johnson.”

“Precisely,” Saone said. “And here’s the real
problem. In the course of all the histories of the One of All
Sacred, they have reached their full potential. And each has taken
part in a season of Embodiment in one way or another, from
participant to savior. None quite like this, however. And Denysia
never finished the full ascension ritual.”

Nandahya thought over Saone's words. She did
not like the outcome. “So the problem is inevitability,” she said.
“If Denni finally does ascend, so will Saisshalé. So either we keep
the both of them from fully ascending to save ourselves, or we let
fate take its course and hope that they don’t destroy us in the
process.” She lifted her head and looked outside again, deep in
thought. By her expression she seemed resigned to accepting her
mortality if the lives of millions — of
billions
of people,
all across this planet — were to die because of a spiritual
awakening. Saone felt the same way; who was she to prevent any of
this from becoming a reality? What was the honorable thing to do?
Let two deities awaken and cleanse the planet, or stop both of them
and save it?

“Who else knows about this?” Nandahya
asked.

“Very few,” Saone said. “The Dahné, his
second-in-command, Janoss Miradesi, probably some others in their
close circle, but that’s it. I don't even think my family
knows.”

Nandahya nodded. “As long as it stays that
way, we're safe. But now that you've told me, that poses another
problem.”

Saone lowered her head. “You've become a part
of it,” she said. “Kryss and I are already outcasts from our
families because of our connection with the One. And now my father
knows I've given you this information.”

Nandahya sent a small wave of comfort to both
of them. “I understood that as soon as I agreed to meet the two of
you. There's no need for guilt. You chose the honorable path and I
will never hold that over your head. As a Mendaihu I must take that
chance. And if it means the One of All Sacred must die in order for
us to live...I must accept that,” she finished.

Saone could not answer. Nor could Kryss. She
had reached over and taken Saone's hand again, gripping it tight.
They had not expected the Councillor to accept anything they told
her, nor had they expected her to act upon it so willingly. It was
not only bravery but compassion that drove this woman, a true
Mendaihu. She would protect Earth no matter what the cost.

“I believe we Mendaihu and cho-nyhndah are
not alone in this,” Nandahya said, cutting the long silence. “If
they are resurrecting the nuhm’ndah spirits, then the Mendaihu
surely must have acted on this by now.”

“What do you mean?” Saone asked.

“The Mendaihu spirits. The 'angels' as
they're sometimes mistakenly called because of their chosen human
manifestation. They are ancient spirits known as the kiralla.”

Saone felt Kryss' hand tighten in hers. She
saw fear in her friend's eyes. “Kiralla...” she said. “Trisandi
spirits?”

“Older than that, I'm told,” Nandahya said.
“The watchers of the Mendaihu and the Shenaihu. Spiritually they're
linked to the Mendaihu but in judging, they're impartial.”

“Goddess...” Saone exhaled.

“If the Mendaihu of this world have sensed
the coming of the ascended nuhm’ndah already, then they must have
awakened the kiralla by now.”

“But —”

“As I said before, Saone. Inevitability.”

“We can’t let fate dictate…” she began.

“Oh, no. We just acknowledge its existence,
is all.” She smirked, looking out the window again. “I suppose
that's what all that graffiti is about.” She let out a long breath,
and turned back to Saone. “Now, I assume the both of you are
already watched Shenaihuza, so I don't intend to release you to
fend for yourselves. But I don't plan to keep either of you hostage
in this godforsaken tower either.”

Saone dropped her head. “We had a few plans,”
she said weakly.

Nandahya smiled again, this time showing her
true Mendaihu compassion. “I know a few people who might be able to
help you.” She tapped on the keypad inlaid into her desk. Two
screens blinked to life, one facing her and the other facing Saone
and Kryss. She caught the last few lines of an encrypted message
before it quickly changed to an image of a disheveled workstation.
Monitors and keyboards were everywhere, and in the center a lone
worn swivel chair sat, faced slightly to the right.

“I know you're there, Matthew,” Nandahya
called out. “It's Nandahya.”

They heard the ruffling of papers and
clanking of hardware, and immediately a young man popped in from
right screen. He sat down in the swivel chair and gave the
Councillor a wide smile.

“Nandazi,” the man said in a hoarse, gravelly
voice. “Nice of you to call. Sorry I was off screen...just hooking
up some new hardware. Are these the two recruits?”

“Yes,” she said. “Matthew, this is Kryssyna
Piramados and Saone Lehanna. emha, this is Matthew Davison.”

He nodded graciously at the screen. “Somfei,
edha. Vigil welcomes you.”

“Vigil!” Saone gasped.

“An honor to meet both of you,” he
smiled.

“But —”

“Think nothing of it, emha Lehanna,” he said.
“We can use a programmer like you. Swartz Design spoke very
favorably of you. They said you're a fast learner and a problem
solver. As for you, emha Piramados, you still have your job at the
Alien Relations Unit. I’m sure the Dahné wouldn’t be stupid enough
to mess with them at the present time.”

Kryss blushed a deep red. “Yes,” she managed.
She glanced at Saone with a look of bewilderment; after all this,
she was convinced she'd lost her job as well. But that meant that
her father hadn't been behind it.

That damn D’haff Sshal
é
,
she thought.

“You did this!” Saone yelped, pointing at the
screen in front of her. “You lost my job!”

Matthew held up his hands, fending off blame.
“I merely helped you along in your cause, dear Saone.”

“Cause! What cause?”

He let out a slow breath as if he were
already tiring of this conversation, and gave her a wilting smile.
“Your promise to protect the One of All Sacred,” he said.
“
That
cause.”

“Don't you patronize me,” she growled.

His smiled turned genuine. “I apologize. That
was out of order. Let us say this — I was aware of your, shall we
say,
insubordination
when you were seen at the Moulding
Warehouse. Your Shenaihu intentions were good. Kidnap the One,
bring her to your fadayin, and he'd do whatever he had in mind at
the time. But you had a change of heart. Touched by the Hand of a
Goddess, so to speak, both you and emha Piramados. Well! That
certainly captured my interest. I did a little digging, found your
Tower dossier, and set to work.

“You're a special case, Saone. You've not
only defected from your clan but you have changed your entire
spirit and belief system to follow the One. You've become her
disciple. But you had no idea how it would affect your life. You
didn't really care at that point, as you were too caught up in the
moment. That's when I stepped in. You're definitely one of the best
programmers I've seen, Saone, don't get me wrong. But in your
present situation, being at Swartz Design would have become
dangerous as time wore on. For them, and for yourself.

“You're quite correct in your assumption that
the Dahné plans to make life miserable for both of you, now that
you've given his plans to Councillor Mirades here. But! As I said,
he’s not stupid enough to interfere with the ARU right now. Too
risky. So edha Piramados, you’re safe for the time being. As for
you, Saone, I became a headhunter, pulled you out of your old job
and hired you as a freelance programmer at KJS Industries, working
under one Matthew Davison. With a comfortable salary and much
better benefits, I should add.”

“Doing what?” she asked, still trying to take
this all in.

“You work from home,” he continued. “At your
new quarters on Sachers Island with your new roommate, Agent
Piramados. Take what you want from your old apartments, but I would
advise against it. There's a good chance the Dahné or one of his
cronies have already dropped by. KJS covers all expenses.”

Saone shook her head and lifted up her hands.
What the hell was going on? How did this Vigil guy know about her?
About the both of them? “Why? Why are you doing this?”

“Why?” he repeated. “Because you're a vital
key. Vigil needs you, the Mendaihu need you. And the One of All
Sacred needs you. Only you know what your father might be up
to.”

“So I'm a pawn,” she growled. “Both of us are
pawns.”

“Far from it!” Nandahya interrupted. “You're
more than that, Saone, don't you see? What you've told me could
affect more lives than you could possibly know. You're the key to
stopping the one person who could destroy the One of All
Sacred.”

“I left my family willingly, and I came
here
willingly,” she growled. “If I am to stop my father,
it's under
my
terms, not yours, not Matthew's, not even
Kryssyna's.
Mine
. Do you understand?”

Nandahya wavered, her lower lip trembling
slightly. She wanted to counter that, but knew better and stopped
herself. “Nyhnd'aladh, Saone. I overstepped.”

Saone relented, only slightly. Could it be
the Councillor was afraid of her? She was a rebel Shenaihu, a
traitor and a heathen. She was a strong nuhm'ndah, strengths and
abilities inherited from her father, able to stand up against
almost any assailant, spiritual or otherwise. But unlike her
father, she was a pacifist. She fully believed the Dahné would not
kill Denni Johnson. Abuse her mind and her faith, perhaps, but not
kill. But now that she understood how he worked…

Saone,
Kryss whispered from
within.

She looked over at her and saw waiting eyes.
Kryss had felt the same apprehension concerning this offer, but had
not voiced her opinion. She looked to Kryss for those answers now.
She was too riled up, too frustrated to accept the offer outright,
and had probably screwed up their chances for getting out of this
unscathed.