Faith, Sasha, Elena and Tabriz left St. Thomas Hospital at midnight as rain clouds hovered, and an eerie silence descended upon the city….

Ω

Tabriz’s home couldn’t be seen from the street. Trees and hedges concealed both the home’s front and rear. Two concrete lions guarded the main entrance, appearing suddenly to the unsuspecting guest or intruder.

Tabriz parked his car in his underground garage and escorted everyone inside.

“The first order of business is to make sure the child is safe and healthy. I have my helper who lives here. Her name is Isabelle. She is most capable and can be trusted. She will watch the child if we have to leave.”

Everyone sat in a large room with elaborate sofas. Brass lamps were located at each end of each sofa. Paintings, both modern and old, hung on the textured walls. A telescope stood by a side window. An oil painting of a single green emerald hung over the fireplace. On the mantle were artifacts from the Middle East and Egypt.

“Can I ask, who are you?” Faith asked. “And why have you decided to help us?”

“That’s my assignment. I’m a Magi, destined by fate itself to witness the events that shape the world. It’s important for both of you to understand this.”

“As in the Bible?” Elena asked.

“Yes. However, that’s just one event among many that have shaped the world. Someday, I will pass from this life and a new Magi will assume my role as an event witness and helper. This is the way. The world’s a grand theater with many actors. Most don’t understand their roles and because of this, hardship, cruelty and despair rule. I can’t be bothered with the past because it’s already written in the stars. I can only focus on the present and that which falls within my circle of influence and responsibility.”

Still puzzled, Faith asked, flashing her blue eyes, “But who are we? Why am I so important?”

“Asked by all the gentle souls who must assume great responsibility. You’re the center. As noted by Yeats, an English poet, if the center does not hold, then things fall apart.”

“I still don’t understand,” Faith countered, still tired from the birth of her child.

“You need rest. We’ll talk again in the morning.”

Isabelle showed Faith and Elena to their rooms.


Ω

Faith sat in a soft chair gazing out a large window at a small garden of flowers, shrubs and vegetables, recalling her childhood and her experiences:

Foraging in the Southwest – time away from time – she learned, by herself, the importance of solitude and reflection. Here, she understood the Great Spirit’s mandate: Connect to all living things in order to raise your awareness. Here, she also understood that life wasn’t fleeting, but ongoing. She especially saw this in the month of April, in the rebirth of the desert, a desert that was her friend and her wisdom-teacher.

“Father, why do things die?”

“To be reborn.”

“To die again?”

“No. To be reborn again.”

“Are we truly reborn, father?”

“Our souls fly to the Great Spirit like a moth to the flame.”

“Am I then a bird, a great eagle on the wing?”

“Always, my little hummingbird.”

Rubbing her Dream Catcher, she dozed off into a deep sleep, holding Sasha, who slept quietly in her arms. A prophetic inner world opened and a stream of images sped past her inner eye: a heart-image, castles, an eagle’s feather in a dark place, the letter Q … a hand reaching for Sasha….


Ω


Everyone met for breakfast at ten AM. Hot tea. Plain yogurt. Raisin nut muffins and blueberry jam.

“Who were the hospital thugs?” Elena asked.

“British. Probably MI 9. The Emerald Tablet is more than just a museum piece. For many, it’s the Holy Grail,” Tabriz said. “But there’s a problem. Faith penetrated the force field of the Tablet. Something no one has ever done. She is now the target. Others probably already know. Be forewarned, MI 9 is just the beginning.”

“Great. What am I to do? I need to help my husband. He needs me to find a map for him. I’m going to have to leave your home sooner or later.”

Tabriz thought for a moment. “Something is about to—”

Just then, Faith’s cell phone rang.

“Hello. Yes, this is Dr. Faith Roper speaking. I see, and you’re sure. I’ll be right there. Thank you.” Faith looked at Tabriz and Elena. “I’m in luck. That was the Oxford University library about my recent inquiry. An archivist discovered … something … from a British frigate that sank a Spanish galleon from the New World. A lead? A trail? We need to take a look.”

“I’m up for it.” Elena was excited. She rubbed her hands together and then straightened her long hair, her face animated with excitement and anticipation.

“I will accompany you. Caution is our friend. We must be careful,” Tabriz warned.