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

own...would she lose hers in the process? Would she forget
to the point that she was Denni and the One of All
Sacred?
    She shivered, pushing that line of thought
away.
    She had awakened everyone on Earth. The
Gharné, the Meraladhza, the Mannaki, and all other sentient races
inhabiting it…they had all gained spiritual consciousness through
her actions. Most had accepted their Shenaihu or Mendaihu souls,
with a select few awakening as the twin-spirited cho-nyhndah. And
all were waiting to take the next step.
    Yes, perhaps memories were the key after
all.
    Starting with her own.
    I have awakened them, she said to
Ampryss. I have given their spirits sentience. Now I must give
them memories for which they shall base their own lives on.
    That is your will, Ampryss said. Go
forth.
    Thank you, Ampryss, she called out.
She felt the Watcher’s presence slowly fade into the periphery of
her mind, glad that she had chosen to talk with her after all.
    It was time to reconnect to the world.
    Caren and Anando had found her that first
night, after the Ascension had failed. Her sister’s will was
incredibly strong; she was not about to lose her under any
circumstances. Once she’d found her, she remained in the
background, understanding the solitude Denni needed. She visited
her nearly every day since, talking to her, treating her as the
sister she was and not the deity she had become. And for that she
was eternally grateful.
    Denni pulled out of the fetal position and
stretched her muscles, feeling the aches and pains of zero gravity.
It had been too long, and everyone had been more patient than she’d
expected.
    I am coming home, Karinna, she said
within. I am returning.
    She felt a burst of love in response, rising
high through the clouds, through the vacuum of space, hitting her
squarely in the heart. She laughed at its arrow precision and its
fiery warmth, and basked in it. She latched onto its source and
sent her own response back, lowering her body into a dive.
    Safe journey, she heard. I can’t
wait to see you, Den.
    She smiled and continued her descent.
    Peace, Love and Light to you, my
eichi, she answered. And thank you.
     

CHAPTER TWO
    Saisshalé
     
    I am Saisshalé , the man said from
within.
    His voice trembled, though not out of any
kind of fear. It was the voice of dissonance and arrogance, barely
restrained. He was speaking directly to Natianos Lehanna, letting
his presence be known as he entered the man’s outer office. He
stood nearly seven feet tall, larger than life, and glared at those
around him with cold gray eyes that knew the pain of abandonment
and distrust.
    Natianos, a tall Meraladian himself but
nowhere near as large as this man, stopped at the doorway to his
inner office and studied him with interest. This particular
embodiment of Saisshalé was not quite what he'd expected, but he
was pleased nonetheless. The name itself, the mythical spirit from
the ancient spacefaring days, inspired images of lost and abandoned
Trisandi fleets promising vengeance against those who had left them
adrift in vast space, dead to the universe. For this man to
proclaim himself the next coming of a vengeance deity was nothing
short of arrogance indeed, but Natianos gave him the benefit of the
doubt.
    “A pleasure to meet you, my Dahné,” he said
aloud, his calm baritone much less threatening than his inner
voice, yet no less intimidating. He walked across the room with an
incredibly wide stride, coming face to face with him before he
could respond. He stood mere inches away, coming nearly eye to eye,
invading his personal space but not touching him at all. Long,
scraggly black hair fell past his shoulders with no apparent
direction in mind, half of it pulled back in a very loose tail
behind him, the rest hanging over each shoulder. He wore the
anti-fashion of a jacker gang member, a complete disregard for
outer appearance with a well-worn gray overcoat cloaking his white
tee shirt and faded jeans.
    “Somfei,