From a Dream of Early 1998

“It was a place of wild, desolate beauty. In the distance majestic mountain peaks glistened icily in the silvery moonlight. The plain before them rolled like a great sea, upon whose calm waters I was washed by a gentle breeze. Above me, the dark vault of heaven glittered with the golden light of myriad stars.

Looking across the vale I sawa great fiery serpent wending its way towards me. Closer to, I observed the ‘snake’ to be a procession of white-robed torch-bearers chanting. Upon the plain these young men and women formed two rings of fire, one circling the other in an opposing direction. Then the outer ring broke at four points, and, at the breaches, double lines were drawn out like the arms of a cross. Each pair joined hands across the ‘path’ to create an ‘arch’. The inner circle, now also still, raised their arms towards the centre till their fingertips were almost touching.

As the two circles wheeled faster and faster, the whirling incandescence dazzled my eyes.

I heard an Invocation being intoned, I think it was The Song to the Spirits. Something strange transpired. A thin, swirling mist appeared over the circle, crackling with lighning. The nebula shone a brilliant blue-white, flashes within its heart spirialling upwards into a rotating ball. A faint globe, intangible as air, transparent as glass, and seemingly as fragile, materialised. To my astonishment, within this bubble was a miniature world, perfect in every detail, glittering with a jewel-like iridescence, and one that I knew well. The cloud became a maelstrom roaring like a gale, shot through with lightning. It was as though the world was in turmoil, all sense of reality distorted. I shut my eyes and prayed. Suddenly a bolt of raw energy hit me, and there was a blinding white flash. Then nothing... .

Before me stretched a lofty and cavernous room that shone, in the pale light of the tall windows opposite, with the warm golden glow of the Sun and the cold silvery gleam of the Moon. Like a gigantic Hall of Mirrors each surface reflected the others. I found it disconcerting and disorientating to observe my enrobed form in the walls, floor, and ceiling simultaneously. Yet I confess to vanity at seeing my long golden tresses framing my pale, fine-boned features. Did my eyes really look that feline and violet, or did the metal distort shape and colour?

The stone in my silver headband began to glow and pulsate, indicating a source of power close by. I caught sight of the doors to my right opening, and slowly turning on my boot heels [the floor was like ice], I’d half-expected to see some cadaverous figure in ornate attire impatiently waiting to imperiously usher me through into their Majesties’ presence. Therefore, it came as a pleasant surprise when the King and Queen themselves appeared! They were regal in demeanour and resplendent in flowing white and gold robes. Yet the reverence and devotion with which they were regarded came not only from their exalted position and semi-divine status, but, for their wise, just and benevolent rule, and gracious generosity. They were genuinely popular with the people, being admired for their open and delightfully informal manner. They may’ve been demi-gods, but possessed all the finest human qualities.

The King was tall, lean and ascetic, and, I noted, walked with the aid of a staff, leaning on the Queen’s shoulder, it being treacherous under foot. Yet, on seeing me, his arm withdrew. He was determined, in public, anyway, to try and ‘play down’ his ill-health. But the King couldn’t disguise the fact that his long, angular face had an ‘unearthly’ pallor, with highly-pronounced cheekbones and deep-set eyes. Although this made his countenance attractive in an ‘other-worldly’ manner, he was clearly unwell. The Queen was smaller in stature, serene, and radiantly beautiful, yet I clearly saw the concern for His Majesty’s condition in her bright eyes, and detected as much in her voice. [Their ‘portraits’ are in Chapter Eight.]

Despite all this, His Majesty was determined to carry on regardless, and even motioned me to the adjacent room with his staff. He declined offers of support from both the Queen and I. Her Majesty raised her eyes to the ceiling at his stubbornness. Once on the balcony of this room, the King supporting himself on the balustrade, I had a chance to survey the glories of Psidonis. The vista was magnificent, as the Palace was elevated above the sprawling, bustling metropolis, giving almost an ‘eagle’s-eye view’.

The pale stone and marble created a breathtaking vision of ethereal splendour, almost heavenly in the bright, yet hazy light. His Majesty drew my attention with his staff to one particular structure. I could just discern what appeared to be a pyramid and obelisks on the roof. This was my first sighting of the Device Temple... .” [For more on the how the Device created Interdimensional Portals, see Chapter Four.]