But attach now to this stone,
That on my person, I may carry thee.
And so when anything is needed by me,
I can call unto thee, be what it may,
Do not abandon me by night or day.
And what should be my reward for such service?
Upon raising my eyes from the stone, the presence that met my eyes was not at all what I had expected.
Before me stood a full-grown man, not a ghost or a shade but a lustrous spirit being. He was dressed in the mail of a mediaeval knight and over his armour he wore a white tunic that bore a red cross.
‘Oh my.’ I stood so that I might have some chance of looking the rather tall fellow in the eye.
‘What’s wrong?’ Susan queried, unable to see what I perceived.
‘Nothing, all is well,’ I called back to her. ‘Keep watch.’ Rolling her eyes, Susan turned back to face the house.
There is no need to speak aloud and alarm others. I can hear your thoughts as well as your words. The handsome knight smiled.
In fact, he was very handsome and exotic in appearance. His eyes and straight hair were very dark, and his skin had a Mediterranean glow. Had he been living, I might have found him a man worth pursuing.
But who are you? I asked, truly baffled.
Did you not ask for the assistance of a spirit of the Red Gnome? he replied.
Well, yes…
I am one of the breed that you seek.
But…I thought you’d be… I held my hand lower to the ground to indicate small.
Ah! He seemed to comprehend the misunderstanding. You were seeking the aid of an earth elemental.
But I was under the impression that gnomes were—
He shook his head. The reason guardians, like myself, have become confused with the gnomes of the fairy realm is because we are the guardians of the sacred and secret doctrine of Gnosis, in which is found the keys to unlocking the ancestral Otherworld. It is from the term Gnosis that the title of gnome was originally derived. It was only later that my kind were banished to the realm of make-believe and myth, and confused with the nature elementals that concern themselves with the Earth and the protection of her natural treasures. Although the latter do surely exist, I am clearly not one of them. I’m afraid you have been misled by the fables spun throughout the ages…but that is hardly your fault. Indeed, no text of true esoteric worth has been written this side of year 1 AD, and if it has, then it was banned, destroyed or distorted to the ends of those in power.
I felt my mouth dropping open and closed it. My hunger for such knowledge and talk was overwhelming, for it had been suppressed for far too long.
I do apologise for my ignorance, but it seems that in this case my error has been rather fortunate. You mentioned a reward for your service to me. What kind of a reward would you require to teach me the hidden mysteries?
The knight stroked his smooth chin as he contemplated his answer. All I would require in return for my tuition is your trust, for you must understand that any secret doctrine will go against the grain of everything you have come to believe to be the truth.
As eager as I was to consent, the false belief to which he referred was ringing in my head—gnomes and fairies are tricksters!
I understand your doubt. He answered my unspoken fear, which was rather embarrassing.
I am sorry, I must seem so ignorant, but—
He held up a hand to halt my apology. I foresee much travel in your future, he told me, and due to your unusual talents I could lead you places where, by virtue of your inner knowing, you could confirm my claims for yourself. I have never been one for blind faith myself.
He spoke of my talent for psychometry, the ability to read the memories of objects and people. I had often wondered how this talent might be put to better use than merely learning the history of things, or finding lost items.
Indeed. He could hear my inner thoughts churning over his statements. In this case you could find the lost truth behind the history of this world and overturn every misconception that those in power have made it their priority to suppress.
I had never held much faith in religious teachings, that was true, and not even Lady Charlotte had been able to bring much enlightenment to the mystery of human origins. I thought about his offer, but what scholar, psychic or no, in their right mind, could resist it?
Or, I could tell you how to rephrase your summons to call up the kind of entity you were seeking in the first place .. . but in your case I believe I can be of more aid and protection than a toiler of the soil.
I looked at the round stone in my hand as I considered his proposal.
Do you not even wonder at the shape of your amulet? Why it had to be round with a hole in the middle?
He knew the truth, for I did not know.
