The Persistence of Memories - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe Read online

  THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORIES

  A novel of the Mendaihu Universe

  by

  Jon Chaisson

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2016 Jon Chaisson

  Other Titles in the Mendaihu Universe:

  A Division of Souls

  The Balance of Light

  Smashwords Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you’re reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Image: Marcel Clemens/Shutterstock

  Contents

  ‘The Persistence of Memories’ by Kelley James

  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

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Dramatis personae

  An Anjshé Glossary

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Life is but a piece in the grander Goddess of things...

  We are all part of it, just as it is a part of us.

  We choose to ascend ourselves with knowledge of this deity each day,

  To transcend the material for that which is Love, Peace and Light.

  For without an Ascension, there is no eternal savior.

  Without an eternal savior, there is no eternity.

  Without eternity, time ceases to exist.

  And we are all left in space.

  Here lies fate, my friend.

  Here lies fate.

  And the persistence of memories.

  --Kelley James, 'The Persistence of Memories'

  CHAPTER ONE

  The One of All Sacred

  Earth.

  Gharra.

  Home.

  Denni Johnson held herself close, gazing at the impossible beauty and serenity of the Earth’s surface below her. She truly felt at peace in this otherwhere. This was her solitude, her lumisha dea, where no one could find ever find her, not unless she let them in. No Mendaihu, no Shenaihu. No Meraladhza or Gharné knew where she was. Tigua Space Station lurked some thousand kilometers away to her right, but she was off their boards, not quite in Earth reality but not quite in Lightspace either. It was her one hiding spot in this universe.

  If she wanted to, she could focus on the one place on this planet she’d known all her life, Bridgetown Province, and listen to the souls calling out. If she willed it, she could listen to them beckoning her, waiting for a word or action from the One of All Sacred. Or she could close everyone out completely and try and remember how it was before. Back when she was just Dennise Jeannette Johnson, age fifteen, an honors student at Ormand Park Senior Basic.

  But that was the past now, just memories, and she understood that all too well. She could still be that young girl, going to school and hanging out with her friends, but that innocence was gone. She was the One of All Sacred, the benevolent deity sent to protect each and every living thing on that planet down there.

  Or rather, she embodied the spirit of the One of All Sacred. Did that mean she was the One, or was she just a physical vessel for that divine soul? Both, she decided, just to be contrary. She wasn't about to relinquish her individuality just because she was a revered and long awaited deity of the human and Trisandi races.

  This, of course, meant every sentient human being down there, Meraladhza and Gharné alike.

  Nearly three centuries ago, the Meraladians contacted Earth to bring them up to date on the happenings within the universe, followed by their arrival almost a century later. What they neglected to inform humans right off was that this wasn't First Contact at all, but a reunion of sorts. They were in fact our spiritual and physical ancestors, having come here so many millennia in the past it was lost to our own history.

  Everything would have been fine if it had stopped there.

  Five days ago, she'd been awakened as the Ninth Coming of the One of All Sacred.

  It was something she hadn't expected, didn't want, and wished had never happened. Her life had changed drastically in those days that followed: she and her sister Caren had inherited the strength and powers of the Mendaihu from their deceased parents. They'd survived attacks from the Shenaihu. They’d averted a disaster by calming the spirit-laden Rain of Light hanging over the Sprawl.

  And in she'd nearly gotten herself killed in the process. The calming ritual had been corrupted by someone outside, and she’d nearly lost all the spirits in the Sprawl. The Dahné Shenaihu nuhm’ndah, Natianos Lehanna, had known exactly when to make his move. She’d sensed that man’s appearance at that critical moment and had stopped the entire ritual, simply by inserting doubt into the equation.

  She’d doubted she could complete the ritual, and that had been her undoing.

  Natianos could have eradicated all those spirits, hers included. But she had woven herself into their threads, every single one involved in the ritual, and had saved them by bringing them temporarily into this Lightspace, then dropping them safely back to Earth reality. She hadn't bothered to ask how she'd come up with that idea at the last possible second. It had saved lives and souls, and that was enough for her.

  Yet she understood his actions, even before she’d performed the Cleansing. She’d triggered an Awakening of unknown limit, starting a global chain reaction. If she wanted to, she could watch the Light show from up here; billions of sentient beings, human and otherwise, suddenly becoming aware of their place within the universe, and of the powers they had within themselves to change that universe if they so desired. Each spirit glowed with the Light and Love of the One of All Sacred. All this, despite the Dahné’s interruption. She’d actually used his actions to her advantage; as he had stopped the Rain from bonding with the newly awakened, she had given the Rain the freedom of choice: they could bond with whomever they pleased, whenever they pleased, if the target was willing.

  It has taken nearly everything out of her own spirit in the process. Right now, what she needed was Peace.

  Denni curled herself into a fetal position and closed her eyes. Here, above the land, she could be truly alone with her thoughts. No spirits approached. None recognized her, and none threatened her. She could still connect with anyone, or everyone, if she wished. If she wanted, she could just as easily reverse all Nehalé Usarai had done, in just one breath. Of course she knew its consequenc
es. In her last five days of solitude she’d been tempted to do just that, but each time she reminded herself just why she’d awakened so many people in the first place. There were many and varied reasons, yet the one that stood out most, she found the hardest to admit to herself.

  She had awakened them in a purely selfless gift of Love. She had done so as a way to show them the Truth, that all were luminous beings in the eyes of the One of All Sacred. She wanted to give them that knowledge. The human race on Earth — the Gharné — had earned that right. This Love transcended all boundaries, including the rift between the Mendaihu and the Shenaihu. As the One of All Sacred, she loved all without question.

  Trisanda wished upon its living beings the power of not only obtaining knowledge but understanding and retaining it. From Trisanda came the two spirits, the symbiotic spirits, the Mendaihu and the Shenaihu. Denni knew both well, as did Caren. They, along with plenty others in Bridgetown, had been Awakened into both realities, as cho-nyhndah. It was now up to them to awaken themselves.

  Denysia.

  Denni shuddered and opened her eyes. She had turned in her place and was now facing the black expanse of the universe, and with a yelp she twisted herself back around. Who had just called her?

  Denysia!

  “Ampryss,” she muttered. The one person she'd been avoiding the most had finally found her. The Watcher of Worlds, emha-sehndayen-ne Eprysia Kaalen, or Ampryss, had been her spiritual guide once she had come into her role as the One. Ampryss had first called out to her mere minutes after she had saved those people and disappeared from the warehouse. She had called again a few hours later, frantic in her search. Denni had conceded then, briefly telling her that she wished to remain alone and anonymous for the time being. Ampryss granted her that wish, but only for a short time.

  Denysia, the woman called from within. Please answer me!

  Denni groaned in frustration. Certainly she couldn’t give her a few more hours, a few more days to rest and get her bearings? Yet she could not dismiss Ampryss so easily. She had watched over her when Caren could not. She had taught her so much more than anyone else in the world could have, and in so little time. And she had shown her this hiding place...

  Ampryss, she called out from within. I am here.

  Denni immediately sensed a wave of relief emanating from Ampryss, light years away…her spirit knew no time nor distances. Dearest One, thank you for answering. I've been worried.

  Worried? Denni hid her amusement. To cause one of the strongest reality seers in the universe to worry was no mean feat! I'm well, if that's what you mean. I’ve been resting. And doing a lot of thinking.

  Noting the silent response, Ampryss hadn't found her respite such a good idea. She’d been disconnected from the world for nearly a week, so she wasn’t entirely sure what was going on down there right now.

  You must come to Trisanda when you can, Ampryss said. There is much you need to know before you face the Dahné again.

  The request was unexpected. Was there more she needed to learn as the One? Could Natianos inflict more damage than he already has?

  Dahné Natianos Lehanna is stronger than we expect, she said. There is nuhm’ndah within him, but I fear there is more to the situation that we originally thought. There was more power in his actions that day than was possible.

  Denni shivered, thinking back to that moment when she’d almost lost control of the Cleansing ritual. Natianos’ power had indeed been much stronger than she’d expected. It felt as though he’d added someone else’s strength to his own. You're expecting this to escalate further, aren't you? Denni asked. It has been a quarter century since the last Embodiment. I started an Awakening of global proportions, and that won't hide the fact that the nuhm’ndah still want to destroy everything we’ve created.

  Yes, Ampryss answered. I am expecting a spiritual revolution that goes far beyond global, Denysia. I'm sensing this goes far past Gharra. This could include Trisanda as well.

  “Not what I wanted to hear,” Denni whispered to herself. Ampryss, how do I prevent this? I've been running on instinct ever since we talked up on the Crest! Don't get me wrong, I do trust it — how could I question the instinct of eight other Embodiments? I'm learning from their actions and their mistakes. Yet... She faltered, searching for the right words to say. How could she accurately describe the confusion she felt right now?

  What is it, Dearest One?

  Ampryss, she snapped a little too hastily. I'm sorry, but please let me speak.

  Nyhnd’aladh, Ampryss answered. I am yours.

  Denni exhaled. Thank you. The answer I beg of you is minor. I speak of what I see before me. I am in solitude, here in this otherwhere, yet I feel troubled. What I see before me on this Earth is the Light of Spirits.

  That is normal, Ampryss said. Is there something regarding this Light that troubles you?

  Denni closed her eyes to the world again. Spiritually she still felt them, the cho-nyhndah, the Mendaihu, the Shenaihu...all of them. She could mute the sensations, but she could not turn it off completely. These lives hang in the balance, she said finally. She pursed her lips and opened her eyes again. She was speaking as the One of All Sacred now, not as the desperately confused teenager she was in reality. I am afraid of their future. I am to protect them all, though I am unsure of how to go about it — or even if I’m qualified!

  Faith, Ampryss said.

  I know that, Denni retorted. But it’s not me I’m worried about. It’s the Shenaihu nuhm’ndah. They have surfaced, but they are not acting. They are just…waiting. I’m not sure if they’re merely waiting for me or Nehalé or some fool to act in haste, or if they wish balance just like the Mendaihu kiralla do. I just don’t know, Ampryss. I can’t see. I’m not a reality seer like you are.

  You will know, Ampryss said. You cannot rely solely on your spiritsensing to protect Gharra, my dear child.

  Well that makes a lot of sense, she huffed.

  Close your eyes, Ampryss said.

  They already are, she said. I don’t see—

  Cold. Deathly cold. Cold enough to kill.

  Denni gasped. Goddess! What the—

  Keep them closed, dear.

  Denni wrapped her arms around herself in an effort not to go into sudden shock, as a magnificent chill and a fearful absence of Light overtook her. After days of feeling nearly every living spirit on Earth, she now felt nothing but a dark, unending vacuum…a complete desolation. Fearfully she took a breath, the empty solitude of space suddenly feeling all too real.

  That is the sensing of the nuhm’ndah, Ampryss said, her voice distant and sad. Their lack of Light is what you must search for, Denysia.

  She tried to acclimate herself to this new sensation, and it came painfully slow. As terrifying as it felt, she refused to recoil from it. She would embrace this too, this lack of Light. Why are they here?

  They are here in this reality as balance. The Shenaihu nuhm’ndah and the Mendaihu kiralla are spiritual opposites. Both are here, because they both must maintain this balance by whatever means possible. The Shenaihu are creativity and they are entropy; the Mendaihu are knowledge and emotion. Both must see their destiny through.

  A second question died on her lips, having figured out the answer already. She opened her eyes again, and looked down over the lands and the oceans of the planet she knew. It was a backwater planet that didn’t get much attention from the Crimson-Null Foundation...yet Meraladians considered it a blessed world. Why did they care about it so damned much?

  Here I am, Denni thought aloud. Dennise Johnson, age fifteen. Floating x-number of miles out in space. Contemplating my role as the most powerful and holy being of the Meraladian and human races. Despite her sadness, she smiled at the incredulity of her words. Ampryss, am I to just sit and wait for the nuhm’ndah to attack us, or am I to make the first move?

  It is up to you, Ampryss said, noncommittal.

  You’re a big help, Denni said with a wry smile. She looked again down at the surface
of the earth, and saw the glittering spirits dotting the landscape, even out into the oceans. Their Light pulsed evenly and softly, almost in time with her own beating heart. They responded to her very being. They felt her as she felt them. If she were to listen to those spirits, all of them at the same time, it would sound like a heavenly chorus. She had already tested that theory a few days ago, when she had talked to approximately five thousand people at the same time. Her consciousness had split itself into separate yet linked shards of intelligence, each able to connect with a spirit and lead it to safety.

  For the first time since coming up here, she felt a profound loneliness. She was completely alone, watching over this vast planet that meant so much to everyone on it, yet so little to the rest of the universe.

  I would feel guilty for wanting to make the first move, she said. It’s as if I know I’m going to cause something worse down the road. A victim of my own fate.

  She felt Ampryss’ wave of empathy wash over her. We are all connected to our own fates, Denysia, she said. The only victims are those who let fate take control. You find a concrete goal. You make an intelligent, logical choice, and you move with it, fully aware of the consequences.

  But I don’t know the consequences, she cried. Don’t you understand? I could be the one launching another war!

  Ampryss took a slow, measured breath. If it comes to that, Dearest One.

  Denni shivered. Then I have no choice.

  You always have a choice, Ampryss countered. But you do not always have to move forward.

  Denni frowned. What is that supposed to mean?

  Time, she said. You have all of time to fall back on. You do not always need to stay here, in the Now, processing everything as it comes to you. Remember your anchor, your sister Karinna. You were able to tether yourself to the here and now by remembering what it was to be with her in the past. Memories, Dearest One. Memories of the past are what will bring you forward again.