Nephilim Quest Book 1: Shadowhunter

24. The World Behind the Gate 2/2

I looked at the beautiful river, the fish, and the trees. I had noticed that the luminous light was everywhere, but I saw no sun.

"Where does the light come from?"

"It emanates from everything here. At lower levels it is darker. There is no physical sun here."

Beautiful bird song surrounded us.

"Are those birds also created by human mind?"

"No, they are real birds. Dead birds. They don't usually stay very long, though. Usually they are all eager to go back down again - they know they can come back up again very fast. They seem to find this to-and-fro movement rather exhilarating. It's fun for them. They aren't afraid to die in the physical - they well remember the place they will be coming back to."

I stood there, open-mouthed. Then I noticed something behind a big spruce. A little opening with a tiny building... I knew that building. It was the hut. Kitty's and mine, our secret place! It was here! Our thoughts must have created it here!

My feet began to walk before I even told them to. I was going as fast as I could. The ground was solid under my feet.

The door of the hut was open. I stopped.

Kitty came to the doorway with a broad smile on her face.

"Kitty! Oh, Kitty!"

I flew the short distance between us and hugged her with tears in my eyes. I felt her for a moment, semi-solid, and then she slipped out of my arms like a drift of smoke.

I felt Daniel's hands around me just as the forest began to melt away from around us. I had begun to cry uncontrollably. All the sadness, all the longing for my best friend burst out.

Slowly the forest, and the fields formed around us again, and I noticed a doorway at the edge of the woods. We had arrived back at the gate. We landed on the meadow in front of it, right at the edge of the forest. With Daniel's burning hot arm around my shoulders we stepped through the gate and back into the lobby. Well, stepping wasn't the right word - Daniel half carried me.

"What ha-happened?" I wiped tears.

"You felt sad, and were no longer able to stay at the higher energy levels. I brought you back. It was good your friend showed herself to you. It taught you more about the energies than my words could ever explained," Daniel said gently.

I sniffed. He created a handkerchief out of nowhere and extended it to me.

"You can meet her again, once you are ready to rise to those levels."

"You mean I can't now, not yet?"

"Probably no, but we will teach you how it is done. The work is your responsibility."

Daniel patted me on the shoulder and took a step back. I was so disappointed. I would have felt better for a hug.

"Hello there!"

Diana's cheerful voice came from behind me. I turned around.

"Oh dear. You've been to the upper levels, haven't you? And now it feels bad to be back in this heavy world again?"

"You could say that..." I concentrated on not bawling my eyes out and drew a ragged breath.

"She saw her dead friend for a few seconds," Daniel explained.

"Oh, I see. And started to cry and lost the friend?" Diana nodded sympathetically. "That has happened to so many of us. I collapsed when I saw my sister there for the first time and it hit me that she must have died. Well, of course I knew logically that she had died, considering the number of years that separated us, but actually seeing her there in her spirit form made it real for me."

I managed to gain my composure before I started to hiccup. I pushed the handkerchief into my jeans pocket.

"Here's another," Diana reached out her arm. It was a clean paper napkin this time, and I realized I had blown my nose quite vigorously on the cloth one Daniel had given me. I would have to wash it before returning it.

"And after this we'll go and have a hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream in it. There is nothing better to ease sadness than yummy calories," Diana announced.

I blew my nose on this new paper napkin also, in a very un-ladylike manner.

"Well, I have other things to attend to. You go and get your calorie hit." Daniel smiled, turned and walked away across the hall with long, relaxed steps.

Diana put an arm round my shoulders and gave me a reassuring squeeze before leading me to the cafeteria.

"Quite an experience, eh?" Diana commented when our hot chocolates arrived. "The first time is always the best. As you progress, you get used to it, which is the point. You need to control yourself, so you don't just forget yourself there. Daniel takes everyone there for their first visit, because he knows how to keep the energies high even when the other one starts to fall. And everyone does, mind you, it wasn't just you. From then on, it's a matter of hard learning on your own."

"Oh..." I was disappointed, "you mean he won't be taking me... I mean anyone there but once?"

For some reason Diana seemed to find this very funny. She took another sip before speaking again.

"Oh come on... Just join the club. Everyone here is in love with Daniel. Like I said, he has that effect on us all. But you'll see a lot of him around, so you can give him the Bambi-eyes and do your best to work your wiles on him! Which I doubt will succeed. The guy just doesn't date..."

She started to laugh again as I turned red.

"I'm not in love with him!" I retorted.

"Sure, sure, hon..."

While the hot drink lasted I made considerable effort to talk about something other than Daniel.

****

I shall publish the first 25 chapters of the book on Wattpad- if you wish to read the whole book for free, go to http://www.leenamaria.com and sign up for the email list (open until 31st December 2015). I shall send you the download link in January 2016 a few weeks before the book is published. I only ask you to leave a review on Amazon on the date of publication

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