he asked, shocked.
“It’s no longer safe for us to talk tonight,” she answered. “Nathanial, we are Keepers of the Realm and Slegna will stop at nothing to prevent us from fulfilling our destiny. I will contact you later; please heed my warning. You must leave before the hound finds you. Now go!”
Kalareena smiled but then her shape wavered and vanished from his sight. “Well, I’ll be,” he remarked in surprise. How does she do that? he wondered as he hastily headed home. Who is she really and why come to me with that fanciful tale about being Keepers of the Realm? And why would this Slegna want to stop me investigating the Woodlands? There has to be a rational explanation for all of this. How does she come and go like that, maybe I’m going crazy and none of this is real.
A howl reverberating off the surrounding buildings had him looking around nervously; quickening his pace he moved through the murky fog. Well, that’s certainly real, so I suppose I should give her the benefit of the doubt. He headed home swiftly, his mind full of unanswerable questions.
A siren wailing in the distance got his attention. Moments later, a police car appeared with lights flashing and sped along the street that Darshan had earlier run down. He decided to discuss this evening’s events the following day with Renae, the manager of his bookstore ‘Enigma Books’ as she was a gifted psychic.
* * *
At age sixty-two, Nathanial stood his six feet with dignity and pride; his athletic body had lost none of its tone for his age. His thick wavy blond hair fell gently about his shoulders. Mirth and merriment shone from deep green eyes. Astute intelligence and a quick wit enabled him to expertly unravel ancient myths and legends.
As a result of her ability to see into people, Renae had employed some unique staff members. Janelle, her second-in-charge, was an exceptional trance-medium, Gela had the uncanny ability to know instantly when a person was lying. Lomasi had the capacity to spiritually see through material objects and Lon, the only other male working in the shop apart from Nathanial, was a skilled doctor and psychic healer.
Nathanial arrived at the shop around midmorning and was lucky to find a park directly in front. Renae noticing his arrival went to meet him and opened the car door.
“Out you get, Nathanial,” she remarked cheerfully.
He alighted from the car and acknowledged Renae’s greeting while admiring the window display in the large bay windows that flanked the entrance of Enigma Books. Renae linked her arm in his, and, with her blue eyes smiling, they headed towards the shop. Standing five feet six, with mousey blonde hair, Renae was his brilliant accountant and administrator.
Entering through the outer door they moved into the lobby to the bookshop entrance and stood admiring the large spiral staircase in the middle of the store. This impressive structure was constructed completely from redwood and could comfortably hold four people across its steps. At the base of the balustrade on either side of the first step stood a carved eagle. The bearers that supported the handrail were elaborately carved nature sprites. A carpet runner in the design of a country garden graced the spiral staircase from top to bottom and gold rods at the rear of each step kept the carpet in place. The staircase led to a mezzanine that covered half the ground floor. At the back of the mezzanine there was a storeroom flanked by offices. The stairs then continued upward to the first floor. There were bookshelves throughout the ground and first floors, with carpet runners between all the shelves. Renae and Nathanial walked around the circular counter at the front of the store to the stairs that led to his office on the mezzanine.
“I’ve employed two more staff members,” Renae advised as they moved towards his office. “Their names are Gabbryel and Fala.”
Nathanial stared at her waiting for her to continue.
Looking at him questioningly, she frowned. “You’re giving me one of your ‘what else’ looks,” Renae commented, puzzled.
“You mean Gabbryel and Fala don’t have any spiritual abilities?” he enquired cheekily.
Smiling, she replied, “Gabbryel is gifted in psychometry and Fala is skilled in predictions and premonitions. Happy now, are we?” Renae said, playfully punching his arm.
Nathanial rubbed his arm, pretending he was hurt. “Ouch,” he joked. Grinning happily Renae gave his arm an affectionate squeeze and continued. “There was also a strange little old lady here earlier this morning looking for you.” Renae paused before continuing. “She has the sweetest smile, silver hair, stands about five foot nothing, a trim figure for her age and is quite good at evading questions. She said she needed to see you; wouldn’t give me her name. She seemed to think you would know who she was. Do you know her?”
“Yes, that was Mrs Phillips, and she didn’t say what she wanted?” Nathanial asked, puzzled.
“No. She just asked me to give you this.”
Renae handed him a piece of parchment. He stared at it and then reached into his pocket to retrieve the parchment from last night, but it wasn’t there. He was flabbergasted.
“This is the parchment from last night,” he said, mystified. “Did she say how this came to be in her possession?”
“Nope,” Renae replied happily. “She simply smiled and said you would understand.”
“I see,” he responded, not at all understanding how it could have come to have been in her possession.
“The shop has tripled its trade in the last twelve months,” Renae continued, not really taking note of his bewildered expression. “And I foresee it becoming much busier. Your idea to increase the range of books and specialise in the esoteric was brilliant. Word finally got around and the university students are coming here in droves,” Renae enthusiastically informed him.
Nathanial’s mind was alerted to Renae’s phraseology in her report. “You made an interesting statement. You said ‘foresee’, not expect. Have you had a vision?”
“It was earlier this month. I was meditating in the shop and foresaw a substantial increase in business and two new faces behind the counter,” confessed Renae.
“That’s good, as I now belong to the unemployed.”
The look on Renae’s face revealed she wasn’t telling him everything, so he insisted on hearing it all.
Her voice wavered slightly as she responded. “I also saw you going on a perilous journey not of your conscious choice,” she replied, her face showing signs of concern. “I was planning on telling you at our regular meeting.”
“Did you receive anything else on how I would manage to accidentally go on this journey and where it would take me?” He needed informative guidance, especially after last night’s perplexing events.
“The vision was unexpected and filled me with dread,” Renae commented, gently touching his arm. “I lost contact and couldn’t reconnect to the spiritual flow. Sorry, Nathanial.”
“That’s all right,” he replied with a sinking sensation coming over him as sat at his desk. A light knock on the door interrupted further conversation. “Enter,” he called.
“Excuse me, Nathanial,” one of the staff apologised as she entered. “There’s a woman downstairs insisting on speaking with you.”
“Thank
