Heart of Stone by Arwen Jayne

our backs up against the crystal and go
straight into the meditation. I’ve tried this on my own, once
before, long ago but I’m counting on your humanness and compassion
being the final elements needed to make this work. We just need to
raise his vibration enough to reconnect Thex with the
all-spirit.
    Tyra settled herself in
position, feeling the earth beneath her, feeling the crystal at her
back, opening her mind to Thex, mentally voicing the ritual
words. I love you, I accept you, we are
one .
    Thex’s heartfelt reply
whispered through her mind let it be
so .
    Simon began his chant. Tyra took that
as her cue, connecting with the earth and the cosmos and started to
raise the energy as she merged with her breathing and the mantra in
her mind. The earth seemed to pulse and warm beneath her. She
connected with the very resonance of the earth. Boundaries blurred,
she perceived the dissolving of her body, of her very self. There
was only all-spirit. There was no perception of crystal at her back
or Simon on the other side of it, only the oneness. Something
grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her away. She struggled for
breath and peered up to see a large reptile she had come to know as
a Din. It pulled a weapon and shot at Simon. A bolt of dark light
piecing him, simultaneously condensing into a crystal spear where
the beam connected with his flesh. Tyra screamed. “No!”
    The Din stalked towards Simon, ready
to make the final kill.
    Shots resounded from the passageway.
The beast staggered as a hail of bullets drove him back from
Simon’s body. The beast howled in rage but the bullets kept coming
until it fell and stilled on the floor.
    Abruptly the Major appeared from the
passageway. He walked up to the beast and shot four more shots from
his AK47 into it for good measure.
    Tyra rushed to Simon. “Shit, Simon.”
She looked at the spear of stone that pierced his chest and
couldn’t comprehend. “You can’t die, you’re immortal, bullet proof
remember” she wanted to shake him in her frustration and despair
but instead touched him tenderly. “You can’t leave me Simon. I
can’t do this on my own”. Tears streamed down her face.
    Simon groaned, one eye tentatively
peered open. “Shush Tyra, I’m not dying, it’s not my time yet.
Although no doubt there will be much blood and pain when the Major
pulls this thing out of me so listen. Call the feminine aspect of
the all-spirit in her form as Goddess of the earth”.
    “ Why not just call on the
all-spirit, you know, highest authority and all that.”
    Simon tried not to shake his head
because it hurt like hell from where he’d hit his head on the way
down. “No the Goddess deals with the world of matter and that’s
what we need help with right now. In fact we’ve been
lucky.”
    Tyra was astounded “Lucky!”
    “ There is death and blood
in this place, she will come readily.” He turned to look at the
Major.
    “ Give me your word that you
will not interfere once she’s called the Goddess. Whatever you do
don’t try to harm the Goddess.”
    The Major suspected that Simon was
delusional if he thought some Goddess was about to appear. “Okay, I
give my word”.
    “ Now pull this damn thing
out of me”.
    The Major shook his head. “It will
kill you.”
    “ John, do it! Trust
me.”
    “ Harris, you can’t be
serious. Let’s wait and get help.”
    “ Do it now or I will ask
Tyra to do it.”
    “ You manipulative bastard.
Okay, but on your head be it”. He grasped the end of the crystal
spear. He gave a sharp yank and it came out. Blood pooled from the
now gaping hole in Simon’s chest. Simon blacked out. John placed
his fingers on Simon’s carotid artery. Amazingly there was still a
pulse. He turned to Tyra. “You got a phone? We need to call for
help”.
    “ No, there’s no line to the
cabin and mobile phones don’t work down in the crater. Anyway Simon
said to call the Goddess. Damned if I know how but I’m not about to
leave here until