Gene of Isis

had suggested consuming this substance as an alternative to abusing the Fire-Stone of his forefathers. Devere had agreed that this was more appropriate. The Star had a history of being fed to men by the priestesses of the Great Mother to enhance their bravery in the face of death, he had said.

My husband cited an incident written of by a priestess, Lillet du Lac, the day before the fall of Montsegur in 1244AD. The name of the priestess was all too familiar to me, and I asked how the Sangreal knighthood had come by the journals of such a woman. Apparently, those of her order had been closely allied to many of the secret brotherhoods that were thriving at that time—the Sangreal included. The priestess, one of the few of her faith who had escaped the siege, had lived out her days at Chateau Blancheford in France, chronicling the events of the time. Most of her writings had been duplicated and distributed to the Grail brotherhoods for their future reference and safekeeping.

My mind dwelt on the priestess’ current spiritual plight, and Albray’s, and if I accomplished nothing else in my lifetime, I still had enough of my sensibilities to appeal their cause.

‘Where are you going?’ Devere whispered as I rose.

‘I’ll be back,’ I assured him. ‘But there is something I have to do.’

I knelt underneath the centre of the large chamber’s golden dome, surrounded by the four pillars depicting the key goddesses of the Elohim, and bowed my head to pray for the first time in my life.

In the name of the Mother, I held both hands to my forehead; the daughters, I covered my heart and then my womb; and the holy ghost, I held my hands together in front of the light centre of my solar plexus …It has always been difficult for me to place my trust in any being apart from myself, but during this quest I have developed a glimmer of understanding of the source of my rare gifts. Ladies of the Elohim, I thank you for choosing me to continue your tradition and purpose here on earth, and I am indebted to you for your aid and support. However, I have one more request to ask of you and that is that you release the knight Albray from your service and allow him to move on to a better stage of existence, where he might finally find a happy and prosperous life.

It is not a curse of our design that keeps Albe-Ra in our service.

I raised my eyes to perceive a ghostly apparition: an Eastern woman attired in a long, flowing black robe. Lillet, I wondered, although the comely woman’s attire and free-flowing black ringlets reflected a warmer climate and less prudish eras than the Middle Ages.

The glowing apparition shook her head. I am one of her kin, as I am one of yours.

She spoke to me in perfect English, and yet echoing below this I also heard another dialect whispered—my mind was translating her discourse.

And I can assure you that all your foremothers together could not release our knight from what he feels is his duty, for he has a score to settle. I’m afraid there is no dismissing him before certain matters are laid to rest.

Molier. My heart sank. I’d come so close to destroying Molier today. Albray must have been devastated to discover that even a daughter of the blood as psychically adept as I could not vanquish the creature that was stifling his future existence. Was my failing him the reason he would not come to my aid now?

I believe you know our knight better than to entertain such a notion… the lady of spirit sought to put my mind at rest. It was not your destiny to free Albray, but to return our treasures to their resting place. You aided Albray to complete half his chosen mission.

I was finding it difficult to focus on the lady. Her presence was becoming blurred. But when will the other half be fulfilled?

One of our future daughters will aid our favourite son to final victory, she assured me with a smile. Pass on all the knowledge you have gained during your quest and rest assured that Albe-Ra will discover, just as you have, that love always finds a way.

But—I lost my balance and crashed to the ground, feeling unconsciousness taking hold.

‘Ashlee!’ I heard my husband cry. ‘The gateway is opening! We’re saved!’

A gust of fresh air washed over me, but it was not enough to keep me from my slumber.

LESSON 23

SUPERCONDUCTORS

‘Damn you, Ashlee!’ I glanced over the journal page that followed. It was an epilogue detailing the events that occurred after my foremother’s return to England. The text made no further reference to her dialogue with the mysterious female apparition about Albray’s future, and it did not seem to mention anything about the other mysteries contained within the Star-Fire Temple.

Am I the future daughter to whom the spirit lady referred? I pondered this momentarily but, as I was still very much in the mindset of my great-great-grandmother, I decided to rephrase the question. ‘I am the daughter to whom the lady referred,’ I stated surely. For who could possibly love Albray more than I? Lillet, perhaps? Ashlee’s account of the personal discussions she’d had with our knight seemed to imply that his relationship with the priestess was more one of deep respect and obligation. Even Lillet herself had claimed that Albray was in love with me! I hated to think that I could not solve this dilemma; that it would fall to some future daughter of the blood to release Albray at last. I felt too much for him to allow him to suffer any longer.

I looked at the clock on my computer to discover that it was now past midday. I was running out of time to find a stone through which I might summon Albray back to my counsel. I had learned much from Ashlee’s account about how Molier might be bested. Molier’s demise was the key to freeing Albray from his vow to my foremothers, that was now clear. And yet, my knight had done all within his power to prevent me from opening the gateway for Molier. Was his concern for my welfare so great that he would deny himself his only shot at freedom out of concern for my safety and wellbeing?

I felt suddenly suffocated by the overwhelming emotions the realisation stirred in me. All that time Albray had spent complaining about my lack of psychic expertise might have been in order to protect me. There was also a distinct possibility that it was the treasures within the temple that he ultimately sought to protect. The thought brought my runaway sentiments back into check.