Between Ascension
Between Ascension
Book Nine
of
The Levels of Ascension
Amy Proebstel
Copyright © 2019 by Cavaliers Publishing
All rights reserved. The events, characters, and entities depicted in this book are fictional. Any resemblance or similarity to any actual events, entities, or persons, whether living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All inquiries should be submitted to amy@levelsofascension.com.
ASIN: B07TGFBVQM Kindle Direct Publishing
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2019
Website: www.LevelsofAscension.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/AmyProebstel
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-proebstel
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/aproebstel
Facebook: www.facebook.com/levelsofascension
Twitter: www.twitter.com/amyproebstel
Instagram: www.instagram.com/amyproebstel
Books in
The Levels of Ascension
Series
Book One: Outside Ascension
Book Two: Inside Ascension
Book Three: Ascension Quest
Book Four: Ascension’s Call
Book Five: Answering Ascension
Book Six: Ascension Seekers
Book Seven: Ascension’s Lure
Book Eight: Above Ascension
Book Nine: Between Ascension
Book Ten: Ascension’s Gate
Book Eleven: Ruling Ascension
Book Twelve: Ascension Watchers
Book Thirteen: Ascension’s Truth
Dedication
To the readers of this series, I greatly appreciate all of your kind words, suggestions, and support along the way. A special note goes to Gail and Jutta who are the best super-fans across two continents any writer could hope for. None of these books would be possible without your enthusiasm for the world of Tuala.
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
People
Elders
Places
Time
Definitions
Sneak Peek Book 10
About the Author
Grab a FREE novella by Amy Proebstel
Sign up for Amy Proebstel’s newsletter and grab your free copy of
Tuala’s Lost Boy: Ceren’s Story
An urban fantasy novella.
TAKE ME TO MY FREE NOVELLA
Preface
TIME IS A construct of the people, which prevents them from achieving the success I have ordained for their futures. As Elders, you have been taught the importance of using time to your advantage to be of the best service to your District. Elders should appear to always be in the best place at just the right time, reinforcing the omniscient perception to the populace.
Every instance of time manipulation creates a wrinkle in the fabric of life. Too many wrinkles will lead to a disruption in the natural course of events. Elders, be diligent in your use of travel, and you will not fall into a trap of your own making. Understanding, memorizing, and healing will be your best tools for success when you utilize time to your advantage.
Learn to identify the wrinkles, and you will be able to guide your District to success. Watch for those who flaunt their skills or for those who do not understand what it is they do with their talents. It is your duty to protect even those who do not deserve it. Remember your calling.
Excerpt from the Elder’s Instructional Guide
Chapter One
AMANDA STEL WAS finally able to sit down in her living room and put her feet up on the coffee table. The house was quiet since she had just returned from dropping off her daughters, Juila and Jena, at their grandparents’ Residence in Tuala. Amanda planned on spending a few days alone with her newly wedded husband. There had been so little alone time together since they had been married only five months earlier. It felt as if a lifetime had passed at least.
It was hard to believe that this time last year she had just come out of a seven-year coma. Since then, she had discovered she had lived another life in a different dimension called Tuala, and she had found and married her husband, Riccan. As if that were not enough she had then met with Jehoban, the creator of the universe, and discovered He had chosen to raise her two daughters because they had been so talented with their use of the elemental energy through their birth crystals.
If anyone had told her that at twenty-six years old, she would be married and the mother of sixteen-year-old twins, she would have told them they were crazy. Yet this was exactly as her life had turned out and she would not change a thing. The important people in her life knew what had happened, and they were very supportive of her, making her life perfect.
To any outsider, they would assume the twins were her step-daughters because she was only ten years older than them. The truth was even stranger since they were her birth-daughters. She had slipped through time and dimensions when she had been sailing with her fiancé in the Bermuda Triangle. She had been eighteen at the time, abducted, impregnated against her will, and ultimately helped back home by the same woman who rescued her daughters.
Her husband had also been raised in Tuala. He had literally been a man of her dreams since she had actually dreamed about their relationship while she had been in her coma. Riccan had never even met her when she introduced herself and told him all about his family. Their relationship had been based on trust in one another and an instant bond or recognition because they truly were soul-mates.
Riccan was due to come home any minute. They would be able to enjoy one another’s company unlike they had since before they had found the twins and brought them back. Amanda had several ideas for what they could do together; it all depended on what Riccan also wanted to do with their private time.
Right on time, Riccan came through the kitchen door from the garage. He spotted Amanda sitting in the living room and lengthened his stride to get to her faster. When she turned her head and smiled a welcome, his heart almost melted with pride because she was his wife. He had waited a lifetime to meet the perfect woman, and Amanda exceeded his expectations on every angle. She was not only beautiful and smart, but she also challenged him to do better for himself and his family. He was certain his effort had not gone unnoticed since sh
e seemed as besotted with him as he was of her.
Amanda rose from the couch and rushed forward to embrace her handsome husband. She loved how tall and muscular he was as she held him close to her. She breathed in his clean, masculine scent and it made her change her plans for their evening. They would definitely be staying in tonight.
As if reading her mind, he asked, “Are we alone? Did you take the girls to my parents’ house already?”
Amanda nodded her head and asked, “What are we possibly going to do with all of our alone time?”
“I can make a guess,” he answered as he swooped down and picked her up in his arms.
She squealed with delighted surprise and continued to laugh as he carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. They made short work of undressing one another, and soon they were tumbling across the bed. It was nice to have the house to themselves and not have to worry about being quiet or having someone walk in on them. Soon all considerations were forgotten as they rediscovered one another with their caressing and kissing.
The darkness overtook the room as they remained entangled together on the bed. Riccan rolled over slightly to flip on the nightstand light so he could see his bride’s beautiful brown eyes while they continued to talk about their plans for the future.
Unfortunately, with the return of light, they seemed to come out of their dream state, and they began discussing strategies for finding the remaining four samaras. It was incredible to think they had located the first nine in such a short amount of time, which also led them to believe the timing was right. They both wished to have them all found so they could move on with fulfilling the prophecy.
For once in their relationship, it would be delightful for them to have nothing to do and nowhere to be except for what they planned themselves. As it was, their time was being taken in every direction until they no longer felt like they were in control. They wanted to experience the hectic life as two parents of teenage daughters instead of being in charge of Jehoban’s prophecy.
“Do you think it’ll be over soon?” Amanda asked with a long sigh.
“I’m not sure if I want it to,” Riccan replied with a shrug. “We don’t really know what’s going to happen once the prophecy is fulfilled. I imagine it’ll be a good thing since it is Jehoban’s idea and Lucinden is opposed to it. The only thing which worries me is how it will all come together.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Do you ever get the idea that Juila and Jena know more than they’re telling us?”
“What do you mean?” She had an idea of her own, but she wanted to see how Riccan’s view differed.
“Like when we found the first samaras. The girls already knew the history of them. There’s probably more stuff they learned as students of Jehoban than we’ll ever know. I just hope if there’s anything important, that they’ll trust us enough to tell us.”
“I think they will. Look how easily they’ve adjusted to living on Earth and with us. It had to be a great deal of transition, yet they’ve made it look easy.”
“That’s because they’re amazing, just like their mother!”
“Maybe they get it from their father. You learned to live on both worlds, after all.”
Riccan raised his eyebrows at her comment. He still could not believe the twins were his biological children. They were everything he could have ever hoped for, and he was so proud to say he was their dad.
They laid quietly and listened to one another breathe. Riccan inhaled and said, “I set up the messaging system for the group today. Hopefully, we can all use it to keep one another up-to-date on any news or theories. It might make it easier for us to finish the prophecy, don’t you think?”
“You’ll have to show me how to use it,” Amanda said as she snuggled closer to Riccan’s side. “I’ll be grateful when all of this is over so we can have a peaceful life together.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” Riccan put his arm around Amanda and pulled her closer to him. He never felt as though he got enough time with Amanda and wished he could devote all of his time in being with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahn had had a hard time letting go of his samara. Even though he had never been one to want power, the existence of this extension to his own power created a craving inside him, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He wondered how Barla had been able to keep hers a secret from him, especially since he had felt his own.
He was still amused at the expression Elder Debbon had on his face when he saw the samara being pulled out of the towel. To be fair, it was probably the same expression he, himself had worn when the samara had suddenly appeared in his hands. He had no idea where it had come from, but once it materialized in his hands, he felt as though his whole life had been turned inside out. There were so many unanswered questions which only spending time with the samara could answer.
Once again, Captain Ahn carefully explained how the samara had come to be in his possession. He knew the Elder was asking him with the hopes of figuring out how he could acquire his own samara. With the addition of this samara, they now had located nine of the thirteen samaras. As soon as they were all located, they assumed they would be able to complete the prophecy. They were all anxious to do their part in making it come to pass.
Elder Debbon sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He tried to imagine the feelings Ahn had described to him. He pulled elemy around him hoping the added power would draw his samara to him. After several exhausting minutes, Debbon had to release the elemy and allow it to seep back into the earth under him. There had to be something more to the calling of the samara than Ahn was telling him.
Because he knew it was possible, based on the evidence in Ahn’s hands, he would continue to try without having an audience present. He could not appear weaker in power than Captain Ahn, so he would wait until he was alone. “You have certainly given me a lot to consider, Captain Ahn. If I have any other questions, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” Ahn replied lamely. Barla was pulling on his arm to get them to go back home. He knew he was stalling, wanting to be with his crystal for only a little longer. Realizing there would never be enough time to gather all of the answers to the millions of questions he wanted to ask his stone, he hastily set it down on the table in front of him and pushed his chair back to stand, all at the same time. “It’s late; I guess we should be getting back home.”
“I will put your samara with Barla’s in the warded room,” he said as he also stood, but did not make a move to walk out with them. He did not want to leave the samara unattended for even a moment until it was safely guarded in the room with the Ascension Gate.
“We’re sorry to come so late, Elder Debbon. Thank you for seeing us,” Barla spoke with a shy smile on her face. She continued to hold onto her husband’s arm as though she could feel his reluctance to leave the precious new object behind. “Do you think we could set up regular times to be with our samaras?”
“Certainly. I think it’d be wise for all of us to be intimately familiar with these objects. From what I hear, they contain enormous amounts of history. We might even find out what we should be doing to help with the prophecy. Come as often as you like. You know the way to the Ascension Gate, right?” He waited until he saw their nods before he continued, “You will both be able to pass through the ward in the room. I would suggest you don’t leave that room, however, so you can be assured of the most privacy possible.”
“Thank you, Elder Debbon. You are most considerate.” Barla tugged once again on Ahn’s arm and began walking toward the door to leave.
“Maybe I should take my samara to the room for you,” Ahn suggested hopefully.
“That won’t be necessary,” Debbon replied hurriedly. “After all, I didn’t have any trouble putting Chelesa’s or Barla’s into the room. Rest easy, Ahn, no harm will come to your new prize.”
Ahn’s expression altered little as he realized he was leaving without the samara. He let his wife lead him through the
Residence and back to their telepod. His mind was racing with ideas of how he could shift his workload around so he could return the next day.
“Take us home, honey,” Barla requested.
“I don’t know why we had to come over here tonight,” Ahn replied petulantly.
“Keeping the samaras safe is our first priority, Ahn. Now focus on the home coordinates and take us there. I’m exhausted and ready to go to bed.”
With a shiver of fear at the idea of something happening to his newfound samara, he began tapping the startup procedures on the panel of their telepod. The process took longer than usual since he had to keep reminding himself of each step as none of the familiar routine was coming easily with his mind so torn. After he had fumbled with the controls for the second time, he glanced over toward Barla to see if she had noticed. Of course, she had which only compounded his frustration. With a new resolve, he pushed all thoughts of his samara from his mind and concentrated solely on getting them both home safely.
Barla nodded in satisfaction when she could see the shift in her husband’s mindset. She had been worried about the transfer home with Ahn being distracted. The very last thing they wanted right now was to be lost in the space between during the transfer. They had heard stories of people being lost, and she loved life too much to want to squander it away on a single, inattentive moment.
Chapter Two
VALENTINA HELD HER arms across her chest and realized she was shaken to her core. She had never expected to feel anything for another man after what Grobin had done to her. When Willian had touched her arm, she felt an electrical current course through her whole body. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before, and she doubted it ever would again.
She did not want to admit anything even to herself until after she had spoken with Jena. After all, Jena and Juila were her best friends as well as the only other people her age she knew who were from Tuala. She had a feeling she was going to be causing a huge problem when she told Jena what had happened.