Gene of Isis

this door.’ I placed the Star in its keyhole and then moved to the other side of the door. ‘However, if you in any way harm those bones, I shall personally see you to hell.’ I shoved the Fire vial into position. The door vanished to reveal a small connecting chamber that held a golden breastplate, a copper bowl and pitcher, and two more keyholes.

‘Aha!’ Molier cried with glee. ‘All the legends were true. Now take the vials and place them on the ground near the breastplate, then return to where you are,’ he demanded of me, still threatening to feed Albray’s bones into the flames.

I did as he instructed, feeling that I was running out of time to play my hand. Still, I was not prepared to sacrifice Albray in the process. I had to get that sack out of Molier’s possession.

‘Give me the sack,’ I requested, standing aside so that Molier could enter the tiny inner chamber, the aim of his gun fixed firmly upon me.

The beast wrapped around the man’s light-body laughed to mock my request, alerting me to Molier’s intent.

The second he attempted to cast the sack toward the pit Ashlee aided me to will it into my hands. Molier fired his weapon and I felt each bullet as it impacted with my chest. My body, in shock, was numb to the pain as I hit the ground, clutching the remains of my beloved. He was safe now and that was all that really mattered to me.

Mia, you must get up! Ashlee was urging me, and in my delirium I saw her standing outside me once again. The impact of the bullets must have cast her from my being. There is still a chance you can prevent Molier from gaining control of the Ark and its treasures, but he must not enter the inner sanctum alone.

I rolled over onto all fours, and clutching the sack against my wounds with one hand, I used the other to crawl toward the door of the connecting chamber. Both my physical and etheric sight were blurred, yet I managed to make out Molier, now wearing the breastplate of gold. He had dismissed the djinn from his being and my guess was that he could not contain the lower-world intelligence whilst wearing the sacred armour.

Shoes.

Ashlee reminded me to remove them, which I did, as Molier placed the Fire vial into a keyhole. I noted that his feet were now bare. He must have washed them in the copper bowl provided. It was a struggle to remove the water bottle strap from over my head, but once I achieved the feat, I doused both my feet in the cool water.

Now go.

Having placed the Star vial in its keyhole within the connecting chamber, the next door vanished and without so much as a sideways glance, Molier entered the Ark chamber, having retrieved both vials to take with him.

I suppressed my gasp of awe on sighting the inside of the Ark chamber. One golden red pathway led to a central ringed platform, around which was a sea of the same flammable fluid that filled the canals in the outer chamber. The walls were of highly polished gold, as were the several large pillars that supported the roof of the chamber and the inverted golden dome above. The unusual dome hung above the central platform and mirrored the entire chamber, in the centre of which was a golden box. The box was about approximately 115 cm in length by about 70 cm in height and from its reflection it appeared to be as thick as it was tall. A band of hieroglyphs went around the sides of the box, and bordering each corner of the Ark was a leg support of rich polished timber. I suspected this was the shittim wood or ‘incorruptible wood’ of which the Ark was constructed, according to biblical accounts. What did differ from the Bible’s account of the divine instrument were the adornments on the golden lid or ‘mercy seat’, as there were no golden cherubim with their wings outstretched toward each other. Instead, two metal points rose up out of the lid, and these curved inwards toward each other. To me these odd features seemed very reminiscent of electrical conductors, and in fact the Ark appeared not unlike one huge battery.

Molier had walked around behind the Ark and had knelt down. When he arose once more there were two golden chains attached to the breastplate that he wore.

This seemed to be a clear hint that I needed to secure myself to something. I dragged myself toward the golden stand on which the breastplate had been placed and wrapped an arm about its base, which was embedded in the floor.

Molier laughed as he spied me preparing to bear witness to his victory. ‘Holding on will not save you now, Miss Montrose. There can be only one witness to this event, and as it is I who has the protection of the breastplate, the power of the Elohim is now mine.’

He placed the Star vial and the Fire vial in the two conductors atop the Ark and as soon as they were housed correctly, a current of electricity erupted between them. Then an arc of light formed between the vials. The contents of the two vials drained into the interior of the Ark.

Molier, pleased by the unfolding events, lit a match and tossed it into the fluid surrounding the central platform. The temperature in the room rose dramatically, and the lid on the golden box slowly lifted into the air and began to spin around. A coiled red ring levitated into the space between the Ark and its mercy seat, and the ring began to glow as the spinning lid produced a great whirlwind. Sparks of light began to shoot out from the glowing mass that had manifested around the ring.

Molier seemed unaffected by the conditions in the chamber. The chains prevented him from being blown away, and the shooting sparks of light rebounded off the breastplate. He reached for the ring.

A powerful burst of energy, as deafening as it was bone-shattering, ripped me from my anchor. I clutched the sack of bones to me, so that if we landed in the flames, we’d be damned together. Rocketing backward, I collided with the wall.

I was unconscious before my body hit the floor; all I was aware of was the light.

The coolness of the hard surface against my bare cheek and fingertips was the first thing I felt. Upon raising myself a little, I discovered that I’d been laid out on a floor of pure gold. But there was no such floor in the Star-Fire Temple, so where was I now? Wherever I was, my sack of bones was right alongside me and that morbid fact was very comforting.

I got to my knees and, as the floor was so polished, I could see my reflection. There was no sign of my injuries. I ran my hands over my torso to confirm the wounds had gone—there weren’t even any holes in my shirt where the bullets had penetrated! Could I have ascended to the Plane of Shar-on? Or was I just… dead? I could also be dreaming, but the event was so real that it felt more like an astral experience.

This round chamber was similar to the Ark chamber, only larger and grander, with huge columns of white gold and walls of yellow gold. The dome overhead was glass, or perhaps crystal, and beyond it was a bright sea of stars. It was unlike any view of space that I had seen in my travels on Earth. Seven thrones crafted from precious metals