Lily and the Pyramid of the East by Jaq White

7/29/2019 Lily and the Pyramid of the East by Jaq White

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Lily and the Pyramid

of the EastCopyright Jaq WhiteWe exist in the world of Malkuth. We are grounded in this, the

physical, material world. From the perspective of Malkuth, Yesod isabove us, with Hod above Yesod and to the left and Netzach,

parallel - above and to the right. Our first objective is to take thepath from Malkuth to Yesod...

Malkuth is the Kingdom, the place where we reside in our manifest,earthly forms.

I

Malkuth"Are you busy?" came the question.

"Supposed to be" was the reply.

"Stay a short while?"


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Im not going anywhere

They talked idly about nothing very much and thehours passed quickly.

"Will you come back tomorrow? There are somedragons here now I must fight did you know

dragons have pearls in their skulls? When I am donewith them I shall take the pearls from their skulls and

make them into buckles for your shoes."

"I'll be here tomorrow as usual, and will look forwardto your visit, but only because I enjoyed your

company, not for the pearls"

"Goodbye Lily, till tomorrow then," and he tossed hera small card. There was a picture of a young man,with a joyous dog snapping at his heels; over hisshoulder he carried a stick with a small, knotted

handkerchief carrying all his worldly possessions, andhe was stepping off the edge of a cliff with a happy

smile on his face.

She continued working without further distraction forthe rest of the afternoon, and forgot all about the

pearls, cliffs, and tomorrow.

"You've been near the surface of the water again Isee, Lily" said the sea creature, with that annoyed

look and tone of voice. I can always tell. Look at you!It always makes you withdrawn and miserable. Whenwill you learn; there are no such thing as stars it'sall make-believe, invented by other silly dreamers

like you who waste their time listening to old storiesof stars in the sky. Now dont you feel stupid?"

She was not certain that the stars existed but all thesame she was more and more tempted to find out for

herself, as that would put an end to the matter, andthough he tried to persuade her that she was


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deluded, she would go as close to the surface aspossible in the hope of seeing anythinganything.

"Forget about the stars and remember your dutydown here, at the bottom the sea, where you belong,with me. There is only danger at the surface of thesea. Why do you think our king has made the law toprotect us? Or rather, to protect stupid girls like youwho hear such stories and believe them because they

follow their heart, not their sense." He sneeredwhen he said the words follow their heart.

When Lily did not respond to his taunt, he camecloser, waiting for an answer. Tell me then, he

came closer still, so that his face was all she couldsee. Who do you know who has ever seen these

stars? he demanded. And why are they so specialthat only they can see them? Is that what it is, Lily?

You think you are special?

Still Lily didnt answer. As always, his asking if shethought she were special would stir up confusion

inside her. Did a person have to be special to thinkthis way? Is special wrong? Or do only silly peoplethink this way? After a moment, she repeated what

she knew he wanted to hear; what she always said atthis point whenever the questions came: Of course

youre right; I know you are wiser than me, and I

forget how silly I am. I shouldnt go near the surfaceor listen to those stories.

And the sea creature turned away, satisfied.

Lily spied a card that was lying at her feet, andstooped to turn it over. There was the image of anangelic figure, with a horn to his lips, and men andwomen looking up at him with their arms raised.

I hear you, she said to herself and water cannotdrown me.


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She dreamed of a garden. It was the garden shetended every day, where she would spend someprecious time with her flowers, thinking of them

almost as if they were her children. She had watchedthem grow from tiny little seedlings and now many ofthem should have been covered in blooms as usual,but in the dream she had gone to tend to them andfound them withered and neglected. Frantically she

had tried to revive each one, but she wasnt sure shecould save them, and then she awoke in a panic.

II

YesodYesod means Foundation. Yesod is the boundary where the

physical world ends and it is specifically related to the astralworld. In Yesod, the final blueprints for the physical world areformed. It is fluidity, and is the fertile place that nurtures the

physical material world. It is potential, and therefore a placewhere dreams are formed and the imagination can be

developed. This is the land of creative visualization. The colourfor Yesod is purple, and its planet is the Moon.

"I knew you'd come"


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"I come here all the time. I can see colours here that Inever see down in the depths and darkness of my

world."

"Your world? I wouldnt know about that.I'm not ofany world Lily, but I am here. This isnt any world.

I understand that..

Let me tell you how I got these, Lily!" and thepearls were cast at her feet, as he told a story of a

town appearing out of the sands; a magical place withbeautiful dark-skinned, slant-eyed women with whom

he danced and laughed until he, like they, becameinebriated by a magic song. The story ended with thetown being swallowed up again by the sands, cursedfor eternity, as he made his escape with a pocketful

of pearls.

"Will you come back tomorrow, Lily lady?"

"I'll be here tomorrow, after I have done my duties."

You and your duties, Lily. They both fell silent.

Tell me Lily, are you happy?

Im happy when I am here, with you

And you make me forget my troubles, Lily.


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Lily moved a little closer to the surface, and a palelight surrounded her - it startled her and she lookedfor him but he had gone. There was another card,

just visible in the dim light, and she squinted to focusher eyes on the image of a face in the sky, and twodogs beside two towers, barking at the face. Stop,listen, be silent, and you will hear my voice; this is

not my face. Whos voice was it then, she wondered.

She was still out of sorts when the sea creature cameto look for her."You are shaking; you went too closeto the surface, didn't you? Why do you bother? Even

when it scares you? Why are you so stupid?"

"I won't go again; you're right -it's dangerous and justa waste of time".

Again, she dreamed of the garden. This time, shecouldnt find it at all. Then in the dream she had

remembered that the garden was on the roof of thehouse, so had been running up forgotten staircases,pushing past strangers who had taken up residencein her house, a house she didnt recognise. Finally,she reached the roof, and there she found the most

beautiful garden, with all of her flowers fully maturedand thriving. All of the plants and shrubs and trees

she recognised, but there were people sitting all overthe roof and she could not get past them to reach the

flowers. In the dream she had begun to shout atthese people This is my roof! What are you doing inmy garden? Get out of my house! But the people just

laughed and stayed where they were.

She awoke in a panic and immediately went to herbeloved garden, where all was fine and as it shouldbe. She found another card, picturing a beautiful

woman holding two vases with water spilling fromeach. The woman had one foot on the earth, and theother in the water, while a bird watched her from a

tree nearby. And there were stars over her head. Idbetter not let the sea-creature see this or it will causemore trouble thought Lily, and she quickly put the


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card in her pocket, wondering why this made her feelguilty.

III

"You didn't come yesterday"

"I wasn't going to come back here; it only causestrouble in my world."

"All the more reason to come here! Let me tell youhow I got these scars Lily, I'm bruised and bleeding

today - it was such a battle my lady, you should haveseen me!and here are some feathers for you.."

The boat had sailed into the cave of the peaceful bird

people, who lived in fear of the dreaded dragoncreature, but no creature was too fiercesome for his

bravery, and the cave folk were freed from theirservitude and flew around in celebration, forevermore

unhindered by the fiery brute.


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Geburah

She dreamed that night of a great war that was coming.She watched as the men prepared boats that wouldtake them out to sea, to fight off the marauders whoeveryone knew would greatly outnumber them. The

men knew that they would never be coming back, but

their honour was at stake, and they must defend theirland and their families. In the dream she had severalyoung children, and as she clung to her own darling

man, she knew it would be for the last time. Thechildren must not know that their parents hearts werebreaking. They must not even admit it to each other. Asshe looked into his eyes, they both acted as though he

would return in a few hours. There were smiles andkisses. She did not want to let go of her brave

warriors hand, knowing she would never touch him

again, their fingers would never again be entwined likethis.


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Then his fingers withdrew from hers, and he waswalking toward the boats, as all of the women wavedhappily, shouting words of encouragement, with tearsrunning down their faces; tears their men were too far

away to see.

Her dream had startled her, as she had never feltsuch a loss as when she had waved goodbye to her

warrior. She still missed him, even now she wasawake. It was no-one she knew and suddenly it

occurred to her that perhaps she had been wavinggoodbye to her own inner strength. If she didnt leave

the sea now, she might as well kiss goodbye to herlove of life. So now she resolved to call on her inner

warrior, and fight to the death if she had to.

Today she met a man who had told her that he wasKing of this land near the surface. At one time, hiskingdom had been above the surface, and all of thepeople had agreed that it was the most wonderful

city anywhere, and its inhabitants were the happiestpeople alive. He said the city was called Ys.

Lily had heard stories of this city of Ys, and of howthe king had ordered huge strong walls built tosurround it, with two enormous gates that were

always kept locked to protect it from the sea. Thecrumbling walls could still be seen, but not everyone

believed the story of how they came to be there.

The kings daughter was always complaining that itwas a boring place, and she mocked the people who

were happy and content with their dull lives. Why didshe have to be the only one who wanted to wear

beautiful gowns and priceless jewels, attendbanquets by day and parties and balls by night.?

Then one day a foreign prince had entered the city,dressed all in red and bedecked in gold and glittering

jewels. He was vain and boastful, and the princessfell in love with him immediately. But his only


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intention was to destroy this city that outshone hisown, and he tricked the princess into stealing the key

to the gates one night from her father, the King,while he slept.

The Red Prince unlocked the gates and the seagushed in, flooding the entire city and drowning all ofthe inhabitants, except for the king who slept in thehighest tower on the highest hill. And the king toldLily that one day, his beloved city would rise again

from the waves, when he had repaired the walls withhis own hands. And in the centre of the city he wouldcreate an enormous lake, and there he would keep 2swans to remind him forever of his daughter and the

Prince.

He said that she could still see the clock tower if sheraised her head above the surface, and that on some

days, the bell could be heard ringing in the tower.

She wanted to go further, and see if it was true; thatshe could raise her head out out through the

surface and into a different world; the world wherethere were stars in the sky.

But she wasnt ready; she would wait until she knewshe could wait no more.

At the bottom of the sea, people were beginning tonotice that she spent less and less time there, andthey would whisper to each other. "She thinks ofnothing else. she's lost now.. hopeless" They

gossiped about her talking to a creature from the no-

world. And they pitied the sea creature.

She lies to him you know


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And from the moment she woke, til the moment hewas there, she lived for the time in the no-world with

her only real friend and it was the only world shecared for now.

She had found another card, and was staring at the

image of a young child riding a white horse, with aflag in one hand, and sunflowers in the other, when

suddenly she was pulled up by her arms.

"I'll sit on you if I have to!" said the sea creature, whowas becoming ever more odious and cruel by the day.

"There, now you can't go anywhere; you know youbelong here so why do you keep going back? Youknow I don't like it and neither should you. You

belong here!"

All she could think of while the creature was sneeringand spitting in her face, was that she wanted to sneer

and spit back. But at this time, she didn't have thewill.

Daath

She dreamed she was in a prison, and had been

accused of murdering her children. Her accusers toldher they knew she couldnt remember having any


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children, nor of killing them, but that she mustbelieve them, because it was true.

And then her friend had come to visit her in theprison. He didnt see her, but he was asking for Lily,and in his hand he carried one of her beloved scarletplants from her garden, which he had placed in a pot.

That was when Lily realised her accusers were lyingto her, and she frantically tried to signal to him thathe must pretend not to know her; that these people

were killing everyone dear to her. She evenpretended to die herself, but Tariel refused to deny

his friend and embraced her and put the pot of

geraniums in her hands, and as they killed him, sheawoke.

And she thought of all the dreams, and it seemed theflowers represented her very soul, that was dying

from thirst or crowded out by unwelcomestrangers.and the one friend who nurtured it, and

tried to restore it to her, while she had been letting itdie of neglect, and in the process, killing its heirs

The following night she sat so close to the surfacethat she heard a bell ringing.

ChesedI
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At first pale and narrow, the shimmering sliver oflight had grown each time she had gone near thesurface of the sea and then that night, she was

dazzled with shards and splinters of whiteness

luminous beyond imagination.

She raised her face tentatively through the watertowards the surface- edge.the apprehension she

felt at this moment was outweighed by her need foran answer, to see what lay beyond the boundary that

was her familiar but mortal prison.

As she took a breath, the air intoxicated her, and shedidnt know if she was dreaming now, or perhapsdying.

And then she saw the full Moon for the first time, andnevermore could she be content to go back to the

bottom of the dark sea.

At the surface of the water there appeared a flight ofstone steps. She could see that they did not go all the

way down into the water, but thought nothing of it.Cautiously, she placed her hands on the bottom stepand lifted herself out of the water...twisting and thenshe sat and looked around her. Once she was on thestep, she could see it was a very long way up to the

next. All was illusion here it seemed. There wasanother card, and on this was the angelic figure

again, this time holding two cups and pouring waterfrom one to the other.

Hod is the eighth sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Hod meansSplendor. Where Netzach is all feeling and instinct, Hod is

Thought and Reason. Any activity where we focus the power ofthe intellect, such as science or magic, is attributable to Hod.Hod is likewise the seat of language. Mercury is it's planetaryruler, Orange it's color. Water is its element, reflected down

from Binah, through Chesed. The flowing quality of language is

a reminder to help us remain clear about the waterconnection..."


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Each step glimmered now, no longer seeming to be ofstone but as if made of a pure precious metal. And

there at the very top was a golden pyramid. In fact itwas one huge pyramid, from this bottom step right upto the heights of the glistening point, and it reachedfurther and further upward, narrower and narrower,

up and up in such a way it looked as if it werepiercing the sky. The full Moon behind it emphasised

the perfection of this massive structure. Lily was

breathless at the beauty of it all.

Tippareth

"I'm waiting here for you; I have always been here,but I can not come down for you...you must climb up

here to me. And you have already taken the firststep"

The dark angel smiled and held out a hand towardsher..


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Then she noticed a figure; a knight sitting on a rock

not far from her; he looked forlorn, with his head inhis hands. She was torn with wanting to comfort this

sad creature, or reaching for the hand of the DarkAngel, when the knight spoke to her.

Netzach..

In the realm of Netzach, also known as Victory or Splendor.Netzach is ruled by the planet Venus, and is the realm of

Nature. Here we find the instinctual nature, creativity, love,and art. If you trace the zigzagging path of the fire element

down the tree, you will see that it begins in Chokmah, crossesover to Geburah, and now crosses back over again to Netzach.As the attribution of fire to this sphere indicates, passion is a

defining quality of love, the quest for Victory, be it in love orart. The seven of cups suggests personal alchemy - the questto refine the passionate, instinctual nature, to control the urgeto dissipation that can be a product of this sphere. Both of the

remaining sevens suggest a lack of success or instability,usually arising from too much Mercy. This reminder that we

are off the middle pillar, leads us to mention Netzach'spartnering sephiroth.

"I knew you'd come"


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She could not catch his next words as he mumbled tohimself, but he raised his face to her as he finishedthe sentence, ",,,but no-one can stop my heart frombreaking..." Dressed in black panther skin encrusted

with pearls, the knight wept sorrowfully and longdark hair fell down over his fingers as again he hidhis face. He was holding a card which depicted a man

hanging by one leg from a tree, his other leg bent,and crossing his body at a rightangle. "I am doomedto feel this way for all eternity, because there is no

remedy"

(Knight in Pantherskin by Nebankh)

"What has been the cause of all this?" she asked, witha kind concern, sitting down beside him, and

momentarily forgetting all about the Dark Angel.

"She knows I adore her" he said calmly, and tenderly,

almost mantra-like as though he had said it athousand times.

"And why is that such a problem?"

"She teases me because she knows I adore her andwill let her say anything and will continue to adore

her ..women see only this face but never this!" andhe held his hands over his heart.

"And does she not love you?"
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"I love my friend and she is his, not mine...I amcursed with this beauty; she plays with me like a

favourite pet...but I could never win her as long as helives"

"Tell me about him".

"There's no-one like him" the knight said, almostproudly, and he became more animated as he spokeof his friend. "He is the most able swordsman - you

should see how light he is on his feet - so agile, like adancer...yet there is none to match his size norstrength, in any country. You'll meet him Lily"

"And what of her? Did she choose him for hisstrength?"

"Wait till you meet him, and you'll understand whyshe chooses him over me...anyway Lily, shouldnt yoube getting back to the pyramid? I'll be here tomorrow,

as usual." And he handed her a pearl.

The Warrior


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(warrior by Nebankh)

"Have you seen anyone moping around these parts?"

Lily turned to see a huge, hulking, blond, semi cladyoung man, who despite his best efforts to hide it,

seemed a little lost.

"You mean the knight?" she asked

"Was he crying and claiming to be the most miserableperson alive?"

"He spoke highly of you....."

"Ah he would...he is too charming for words, everywoman's dream!" laughed the warrior and grinned

widely.

Lily thought she ought to feel afraid of someone of thisdemeanor, but felt quite the opposite. The man's

presence was not threatening.

"And what effect does he have on men?" Lily smiledback, secure in knowing that these two were friends.The knight had spoken of him with such admiration -

though one could also admire one's enemies.

"I wish I had his hair! It shines like a woman's." Againthe wide grin. "And women do not fear him, despite his


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ability with a sword. Men and women think nothing ofapproaching him, whereas most people take one look at

me and it's usually sideways....."

"You give me no reason to fear you"

"That's because he already told you about me and, bythe way, he has spoken a lot about you"

Lily looked at her feet, feeling slightly awkward now."He has spoken of me?"

Oh yes; it's Lily this, Lily that...I'm glad to say, it keepshim away from my lady....I fear she would spend all day

with him if she could"

"Then why is she Your lady and not His?"

"Oh he'll steal her if he gets the chance. And shedelights in tormenting me so she lets me know that I

have to fight for her constantly ..or else..."

"Would he really do that? Steal her from you, that is?"

"I'd kill him if I had to, and he knows I could easily."

"But you are still such friends?"

"There's no-one like him. He is the only one who woulddare to fight me. Well, if you see him, tell him I was

looking for him would you?"


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"Of course, and I'm pleased to have met you finally, sir"Lily bowed.

"I'm sure we'll meet again Lily Lady"

Lily felt sure that they would.

Oh, and this is for you. He handed her a card on whichthere was a picture of a wheel

I

I thought you wanted to be full of light like thepyramid Lily, and had gone off to climb to the topbuthere you are, waiting for meor were you expecting

someone else..? he sniffed.

So he told you we met? smiled Lily, sensing themeaning of this latest bout of sulkiness.

I suppose youll hide from me now and will only spendyour time here being dazzledby those muscles and

hoping he will throw you over his shoulder and carryyou off have you forgotten everything I told you?

We spoke mostly about you

He sat down, suddenly brooding and sullen . Did hespeak of her, and mock me?

A little of both, but he seems very fond of you. Are youbrothers?

No Lily. Now lets forget him while were here. Tell memore about the next step on the pyramid Lily.

Why dont you come with me and see for yourself?

What would I understand about a pyramid Lily?

Anyway, you know I cant go up any pyramid. I cant go


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anywhere with you. I have to go and chop some logsnow. Did I tell you I was a carpenter?

Lily laughed.

Whats so funny? Do you think I can live on pearls?

Of course not, but you always surprise me, and I loveyou for it.

See you tomorrow Lily, I want to hear that you wenthigher up the pyramid and I want you to remember

everything you see, and make me feel as though I wereclimbing with you. You will remember the way back to

me wont you, in the no-world? You know that I amalways here if you need me

I think Ill always need you

Then Tariel was gone and Lily realised that she wasentirely alone. It was a different kind of alone to when

she was at the bottom of the sea, when she had felt likeshe was alone in a crowd of people all speaking at oncebut who didnt speak her language. This loneliness was

a welcome, quiet, happy feeling, where her thoughtswere her own, and yet she now also enjoyed the

company of strangers whom she felt she had known allher days. And it felt as though everything mattered,nothing was wasted, not a thought, not a moment.

Would she ever find the next step on this pyramid? Shehad come far from the sea, and here there were

mountains so tall that they must be even higher thanthe pyramid.

As she walked on, she came upon another card; awoman seated on a throne between two pillars, labelled

B and J.

It was getting colder, and the suns warmth was weakerhere. The ground was covered in a frost that sparkledand crackled as she made her way through an icy mist.The light was pale so that she hardly knew if it was day

or night and Lily couldnt even see her feet on the


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ground. Then suddenly the ground was no longer thereto be seen and she was falling.falling, tumbling pastsharp, jagged rocks encrusted with ice that shredded

and tore the skin from her arms, her neck, her face. Theskin was ripped from her entire body, but she realised

that it wasnt hurting only that she expected it tohurt, and she was more scared than ever as she

thought she must surely die.then she realised thatshe was travelling upwards, and on realising this, she

sensed someone beside her.

An arm was guiding hers, holding her as she keptascending, then two arms were enfolding her, shieldingher, moving with her; it was like an intimate dance with

a lover

You know that I am always here for you Lily, said thedark angel. I watched you follow the path and take the

next step by yourself, which is the way this has to bedone.

Lily slept and dreamed of a gold casket that hoveredabove her, with smoky incense that billowed gently

through the intricate shapes that were cut all around it.

She was being dressed and pampered by severalbeautiful women who smiled and fussed and felt likesisters to her. They were preparing her for a specialceremony. On her feet she wore the most decorativeshoes she had ever seen, that had heels so high shecouldnt stand in them, yet some of the women werelacing ribbons attached to the shoes, binding themprettily around her ankles and then her calves, and

some others were holding out their hands to encourageher to stand up. She feared she would lose her balance

if she tried to walk in them, but the women would hearnothing of it. And all the time, laughter and

excitement, and great, great joy.

The Old Man


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She opened her eyes to see a thick forest of pine treeswith tall thin stems, and she was lying on a soft bed ofwhat she expected would be spiky painful pine needles,but she felt no stabs of pain. The trees were so closelyentwined at their tops that they gave the impression

they were protecting her and she remained there for along while, under the blanket-like canopy of the pineforest, feeling no urge to move on.

She couldnt see anything that looked like the pyramidat all, and wondered if the dark angel had taken her

further away from it. The thought came into her head-Im not sure I can trust this one. Then she wondered

why she had trusted any of them.

She was feeling quite sorry for herself now, and thescolding of the sea creature and the sea maidens wasringing through her mind. Youll get yourself into

trouble if you go too near the surface Lily. There aremonsters who wait for stupid creatures like you, andthey dont just eat youno, they like to play with you

first until youre grateful when they swallow you

How did they know this? They couldnt know unlesssomeone had been swallowed and made it back to the

bottom of the sea.


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With that thought, Lily lay down. The wind was blowingquite gustily through the pine woods now and the

sound it struck up in the branches and treetops wasvery melancholy, like a huge sad creature moaning and

crying mournfully.

She was awoken by someone gently touching hercheek. Are you lost? No one comes to this forest

anymore unless they are lost. or have run away

Both. Lily smiled at this man who looked so old shewas amazed he could even walk.

Dont look like you belong here, but if you needsomewhere for a time, you can come with me and I will

give you food.

Pleaseyes! Lily had forgotten when she had lasteaten

But Ill ask for a little help around the house in returnfor the food smiled the old man as Lily put her armthrough his, and slowly they walked back to his home,

together.

By day, Lily would cook and clean, and the old manwould tell her stories of times gone by, when he worked

for the king. He had been an advisor to the mostimportant man in the land, but when the old king haddied, the new king didnt want any advice from an old

man.

Its the same old story, Lily. These young men want tochange everything. They forget they will get old. Theyforget an old man was once a young man, and growingolder can mean growing wiser.. At least I still have my

memories. Ive seen things and done things otherswould never even dream of; spoken with famous Kings,

Lily! Great Kings from many different lands; lands sodifferent and some so far away from the other, where

whats right for one is not right for another. So thekings would sit and argue, and wage war, then after asmany of their young men were felled as there are treesin this pine wood, they would come together and talk

again, then finally make peace, make deals and come tolive with an understanding of each other.


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But then along come the new young kings, and thestoryteller must write the next chapter, knowing it willbe the same as the previous and he shook his head.

They might as well kill their own men and be donewith it.

The current king had given the old man a small piece ofland with a house in a clearing in the forest, and apart

from the food that was left at his door, regular asclockwork every week, he had no contact with anyoneelse, other than those who strayed into his part of thewoods by mistake, his only company being the littlesand coloured dog that looked as old and wise as he

was.

By night, Lily and her -now beloved- friend would sitoutside, and the old man would tell her stories in which

the stars would take the shape of animals she hadnever seen before, or of great heroes, smitingmonstrous enemies. In others, the moon was a

beautiful maiden to be admired. As the full moon, shewas a naked goddess, bathing in the sea of stars and

she would curse anyone who gazed upon her while shewas in her state of undress. But in any other stage of

her undress, the maiden could be admired respectfully,and as it was not indecent to gaze upon her beauty asher virtue was preserved and her perfect form semi-

clad, no-one was punished during this time.

The stories nourished Lily more than the food.

Sometimes the little dog would come over from hisusual place at the old mans feet, and would lie besideLily, with his head in her lap, nudging her to stroke him

or to scratch his back.

From time to time, Lily thought fondly of Tariel andWasesha. No doubt they would fight over the moon,

they were such rivals. She missed them terribly.

One night when the old man was asleep, Lily steppedout of the house and called Tariels name, quietly so asnot to wake the old man. He had promised her he wouldalways be there for her. wherever there was, in their

no-world.


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Oh now you call for me Lily, when you need me! Areyou getting tired of the old man? He has better storiesthan me, Lily. You only ever want stories, dont you?

How do you think I feel? You abandoned me. You mademe forget all about her and then you forgot all about

me. Yet I came when you called. Here, take this! andhe looked away as he handed her a card, on which there

was the image of a seated woman, holding a sword inone hand, and some weighing scales in the other.

You didnt want to come with me to the pyramid; youtold me you couldnt. You abandoned me. Lily wasnt

going to let the knight off lightly.

And its true, I cant said the knight with a sniff. Ithought youd be at the top by now, and would be full

of light. Whats taking you so long, Lily?

She told him that she was fine where she was, thatalthough she still wanted to climb the pyramid, she

knew that the old man needed her.

Dont you see Lily? Its the other way round. Hes livedhere for who knows how long, on his own. No, I believe

youve simply grown lazy. Forget the pyramid, and hidehere where nothing can hurt you, nothing can botheryou!

If youve only come here to scold me, youre no betterthan the sea creature! Lily was close to tears.

Theres another reason. By the way, do you like mynew cape? Tariel spun around and Lily was covered in

a flash of red.

I thought you only wore panther skin and pearls?sneered Lily. She was still smarting from the accusingwords, and wondering if he was right about her being

lazy.

I thought you would like the cape, Lily. I will wear itonly for you, you know! Those tiresome, perfumed,

giggling girls who give me roses will never see me inthis - they flatter themselves that such a handsome

knight should smile at them, then they ask fordiamonds and champagne and kisses. I give them no


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more than a rose and a kiss but as soon as they smellthe blood of a freshly defeated dragon on my skin, theychoke and faint and beg me to speak of love and to put

away my sword forever.

They want me to sit by a window Lily, and look at theworld passing by, holding me clasped in their delicatelittle perfumed arms, whereas you, my Lily lady, would

stand in the dust and cheer me on while I fought adragon to the death, never sure if it would be my death,

but happy with me all the same. Thats my Lily.

Lily had to smile at this. He always knew how to touchher heart. And what was the other reason you were

going to tell me?

I have to go to the other end of the world Lily, myworld, and I wont be able to be here for you for sometime. But you will be able to pin messages to the lining

of my cape, and I will read them and leave youmessages..he looked aroundin pots by this pool!

When will you come back from the other end of theworld? Lily was distraught by this; the thought that he

would be out of her reach was unbearable. Her tearswere now for quite a different reason than beingscolded, but the hurt was just as deep.

When my work is finished Lily. There are more dragonsthere than you could imagine; and Im going to fight

them all.think of all the pearls Ill bring back for you,my Lily lady!

He went on excitedly Ive been told that some of the

dragons there have jewels for teeth! Im going to stringthem together and make a necklace for Taga.

And what does Washesa think of that? she said,jealously.

Hes not pleased with you Lily. With you gone, I washanging around Taga all day and Wasesha wants me

out of the way, he wants me dead Lily. So Im going tothe other end of the world instead until he cools off,

which I know he will. Maybe you can have someinfluence over that.


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Then with another swirl of red, he was gone. Shehadnt realised how much she had missed him until thispoint. Kneeling next to the pool, she splashed the cold

water onto her eyes, to clear away the redness.

After she had taken a few moments in the calm silence,she crept back into the house, and slept. She dreamedof finding a note written in a foreign tongue, placed in a

pot by the pool. She couldnt read it, and it disturbedher. Perhaps the old man could understand the

language? In her dream, she took the note to him, andhe told her that someone she loved had been teasing

her, giving her only so much to clutch at, then pulling itout of her hands. Youll have to learn the language if

you want to read the note, but he wont teach it to you.It might not even be a language that exists other than

in his own head.

Lily woke from the dream feeling as though she couldnot breathe, and with a lingering sense that she had

been cheated.

She fell back into the same dream, only this time therewas a single, bright gold, little fish in each of the pots,

their tails standing upright, and each one tightlysqueezed into the narrow neck of the pot, with onlyenough water to cover their gills. There they should

remain until morning, when they would be placed backinto the pool, only to be put back into the pots each

night. Their sadness in this wretched ritual that was all

they knew of life was heartbreaking. What a cruelmaster, she thought, when she awoke. It was still dark.She pinned a poem in the red silk lining of Tariels cape,telling him how much she missed him, and asking himto check for goldfish before leaving her a message in

the pots by the pool. He was to take them to the otherend of the world if he found any.

She went into the old mans room, hoping he couldcomfort her as he usually did, with a wise story which

would make her see that all was as it should be.


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But the old man was lying quite still, with his eyes wideopen, and it was plain that he was not looking at

anything at all, and would never again tell Lily storiesof stars and kings and godesses.

The little dog was now sitting beside Lily, looking up ather, waiting for her to tell him what to do. Then he

began to growl only a low growl at first, but buildingup until he got to his feet, and then he began to run in

circles, barking at the door, whimpers, growls andbarks confusing Lily but then she heard a noise thatwas so much louder than the barking, and next thingshe knew, she was covered in sand, and the little dogwas digging next to her face, licking her eyes as she

opened them.

Stygia.

Clangclangclang the rhythmic sounds of metalmeeting metal were ringing in her ears.

I can make the best sword in all of Stygia from thismeteorite of yours, Lily! said the blacksmith.

My meteorite?

Can you see anyone else here, Lily? Of course its yourmeteorite. Anyway, after Ive made the sword, Ill makeyou anything you need. Therell be plenty of iron left

over.

After the last few hours, I think Id like you to makeme a shield.. The heat was intense, and Lily told theblacksmith she was going to find somewhere shady to

cool down and bathe.

What do you need a shield for Lily? Meet me on theroof later, and tell me all about how far youve climbedthe pyramid and with that, he resumed his clanging.


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That night, he told her that he was feeling inclined tostay here; that the temperature pleased him here morethan anywhere else, that the ladies were more beautifuland talented and intelligent, and that he could imagine

growing old on this roof, with her at his side. And ofcourse the little yellow dog, at hers.

What say you Lily? I can toy with lions here. There areno dragons but I can wrestle as many lions in one day

here than I could fight dragons in a whole week,elsewhere.

And what would I do here?

You can write words for my song he grinned Itsabout fisherwomen; you know, the ones that clean the

fish after the men have brought back the nets

Lily could think of nothing she would enjoy less.

Of course I will she replied sleepily, and that nightshe dreamed of carts piled high with baskets and

thought she tasted salt on her lips when she awoke.

He was gone to his metal and his fire before the heat ofthe sun made a match for the furnace out of which heseemed to conjure the most talked about swords that

drew wealthy merchants from far off kingdoms.

Lily was bathing and decided that a cup made of ironwould be very nice to drink from. Last night he had

given her a gift; I made this today for you, my ladyand he gave her a card, on which there was an angelbetween the naked figures of a man and a woman.

And she thought of this as she hummed the tune thatTariel had sung to her, but no words came to mind. The

little dog drank a few drops of the refreshing waterfrom the pool and then trotted back to the shade of thehouse, where he spent the day sleeping. Lily thought he

was not awake long enough to miss his old master.

There were strange plants and flowers in this hot landthat she did not recognise, and Lily reached out to

pluck a flower of the most exquisite emerald that wasfloating on the surface of the pool, when in the corner


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of her eye saw something shiny and black movingtowards her in the water.

Sandalphon! came a cry, then the voice soundedurgent, My lady, get out of the water!

As Lily tried to climb back up the bank, she lost herfooting.her feet were slipping and sinking in the moistmuddy ground. She looked up to where the voice camefrom, expecting to find hands held out to help her, but

there was no one, and there was no more town, just thebank crumbling away and then a vast empty landscape,

covered in a pale golden fog.

She heard a rustling noise overhead, and saw leavesand branches were within her reach. Sandalphon was

no nearer to her than he had been when she firstcaught a glimpse of him, and she regained her balance

and reached up to grasp the branch which held hersteady as she climbed out of the mud.

When she looked back, there were three trees, and shehad the urge to know which tree was the one that had

been her rescuer. She was overcome by the feeling that

all three were hiding something that she needed todiscover.

But as she walked back toward the bank, she heard thecracking of twigs and branches overhead, and looking

up, she saw that she was now surrounded by tall trees,their branches swaying above her, and beyond them,she saw the glittering gold of the pyramid capstone.When it was almost too late, she saw an enormous

branch coming straight towards her. As she ducked out

of the way, it struck her painfully on the shoulder.

But she surprised herself by bursting into laughter. Ihear you she called up, Im coming.

Hod

The Eighth Path is named The Perfect Consciousness.

(Sekhel Shalem)It is called this because it is the original arrangement.


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There is no route through which it can be pondered,except through the chambers of Greatness,

which emanate from the essence of its permanence.

At her feet was a large, smooth, polished tile decoratedwith most intricate geometric patterns. To the left and

right was sand as far as the eye could see. Howstrange, she thought; just this one tile in this entire

desert, right here at my feet.

She stood and gazed at the tile, admiring thecomplicated design and recognising some of thesymbols and shapes, but then she saw there was

another tile in front of the first, and one after that, andon they continued in a straight line leading off into thedistance. The smooth hard surface of the tiles felt sowelcome and sturdy under her feet after the slippery

mud and shifting sand that Lily had the urge to removeher shoes, and on she walked, barefoot, following the

tiles through the desert, wondering where thismajestic-looking causeway would end. There was no

other path that she could see. There was no otheranything that she could see. Apart from a card.. with

the image of an old man carrying a lighted lamp.

This cant be next step up the pyramid, not this place.Its an endless road that leads to nowhere. And I

followed it without a second thought.

She blamed herself for going too far into the pool. Thewater had wanted to claim her, and it reminded her of

the sea....she shuddered and looked back down at thetiled path. Had she been tricked?

She decided that she ought to trust herself, andremembering the branch and her promise to the darkangel that she was coming, she trusted that she would

soon find out if she was on the wrong path.

As there was nothing to see other than the path thatstretched before her, it seemed like she spent a very

long time, putting one foot in front the other andthinking of not very much at all.


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Chokmah, Binah

She wasnt sure if she was imagining the heavy,padding footsteps behind her; rhythmical and gainingdistance on her although it was keeping in step withher. She imagined that all things considered it could

only be a lion, and a very slight panic began to creep upfrom her belly. She wished Tariel had taught her howto wrestle a lion, but it had never occurred to her to

ask.

She could hear his voice now, You discover your ownstrength by wrestling with what you fear. Can youmatch it for strength? How can you know if you dontwrestle it, one on one?

Wrestling was not something Lily had ever tried withanyone, and she guessed that even a young lion wouldoverpower her in any contest of strength, but Tariels

words took on a different meaning to her as she sensedher pursuer coming close enough for her to hear its

breathing. She had to turn and face the creature ratherthan try to keep ahead of it, or run away from it when itwould surely keep following her until she was

exhausted, and then what?

If she were to turn now, she would come face to facewith something that she now imagined to be utterly

terrifying. She had convinced herself she may as wellsurrender to it; that she was its helpless prey.

If I were the size of Washesa, I would stand a betterchance against such a monster. Then she thought,no ; if its such a brute, even someone of Waseshas

height and strength would be tested, and surely such amonster would overpower even him. Even if I had

Tariels best sword and his courage, I might not knowhow best to overpower it.

Then she thought again of Wasesha and Tariel; thehulking warrior stalking the courageous knight who had

now fled to the other end of the world, and she
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remembered the only thing that had prevented onefrom killing the other respect.

So now my problem is how to gain the respect of amonster she thought, and despite the feeling that shemay be in danger of losing her life at any moment, she

found that thought a little ludicrous, and she foundherself giggling. Perhaps it was the fear that caused to

her laugh even harder, almost hysterically.

She had been walking all this time, while thinking abouther mysterious companion, and still the footsteps keptin time with hers. But as she was laughing, she stoodstill, spun around deliberately, and turned to face it.

Im not as big and powerful as Wasesha, and I do nothave a swift step and an iron sword like Tariel, but what

use would they be against you anyway? Lily staredinto the eyes of the biggest lion she had ever seen, and

the lion stared back. Neither of them moved.

Lily wondered if this was the usual prelude to awrestling match, and didnt take her eyes off the lion,

and there they stood, gazing at each other until the sky

darkened, and the stars appeared to be gazing at bothof them.

All the while she had feared him, been trying to think ofhow to lose him, of how to escape from him, or even kill

him, he had never really been challenging her orthreatening her; he had been keeping her alert, been

watching out for her, testing her by his very presence.

He had taught her to be her own protector.

And in the last hour she had learned that respectbrought with it an unspoken trust. And if that trust

should be betrayed, wellpeople might follow you tothe other end of the world with the intention of

teaching you a lesson.

Still keeping her eyes on the lion, she slowly stooped

down until her hands were on the ground, the tiles werestill warm from the days sun but they were hard. But


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Lily was so tired she knew she would sleep if only thelion would lie down, and as she kneeled, the lion

mirrored her movements and sank to the ground, justas she guessed it would. She lay on her side, still facing

him, and the lion put his head on his paws.

She wasnt sure which one of them closed their eyesfirst, but it didnt really matter because when she

opened hers, she was sleeping on Tariels lap, with hercheek resting against a soft, blue black panther skin.

The knight was still sleeping soundly, and the lion wasnowhere to be seen.

He roused from his sleep as she stretched her back.

Good morning Lily Lady he smiled and hugged her. Ifound your note pinned to the lining of my cape, so Icame back from the end of the world and have been

looking everywhere for you. You didnt guess it was me,did you? Dont try to say you did; I know you didnt!He was more pleased with himself than she had ever

seen.

What say you, Lily? Wasnt that the best thing you

ever saw?

Lily didnt know what to say.

You should have seen what I had to go through tolearn how to do that Lily!

She wished she had, but she knew he would tell heranyway, and waited for the telling.

I knew Wasesha would find me, even at the other endof the world, but what he didnt know is that there arepeople there who can turn themselves into anythingthey wish. Id heard of it from the bird people, Lily;

remember when I gave you the feathers?

Lily nodded. She treasured them as much as the pearlshe had given her.

I didnt know if it was true but I thought it might bemy only chance if ever Wasesha should find me. So Ihad to find out, and the closer I came to where I had


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been told they lived, the more I heard of people whohad seen them. And then I met someone who had

actually seen one of them change himself into a bearbefore his very eyesimagine, Lily! I might stand achance against Wasesha if I could match his size, at

least

And true to form, he had found the tribe and impressedand charmed them into sharing with him their secret.

Not only can I appear as a bear Lily, but as you saw foryourself and he held out an arm in the direction of

where the lion had lay down the night before.

As she turned her head towards the spot where she hadlast seen him in his lion form, an eagle sprung from

beside her, and soared upwards towards the sun. Sheshielded her eyes and watched as he circled overhead,

and then he cried out and before long he was just aspeck in the distance.

When after a short while she realised he was notcoming back, she sighed deeply, looked down at the

tiles, and began to walk

She recognised some symbols she had seen the daybefore, and took more notice of the images today; therewas a regularity to the order in which they were laidthe smaller patterns of the individual tiles were part of

an ever greater pattern, a grand overall design thatcouldnt be appreciated unless one observed all of the

intricacies that made up the whole creation. She beganto anticipate when the next section of a certain patternwould present itself, until finally she recognised each

tile and it comforted her that it was repeated over andover, endless and always beginning again. And then shecould no longer see the tiles, only one beautiful endless

tangle of colours.

On she walked, and the sun sank low in the sky.

I knew youd come. I told you that I would bewaiting.

Standing on the path a few steps ahead of her was adark silhouette.


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She had never been able to remember his face, hadtried to picture it many times but couldnt, and now asshe walked towards him, she noticed that half of hisface was illuminated in the faint apricot glow of the

sun. He smiled at her in such a way that Lily could notfeel the tiles beneath her feet. She looked down to

make sure she was still on the path, and saw that thetiles were now solid gold.

I think youre nearly at the top of the pyramid Lily.There was a red swirl beside her.

I think so too,Tariel. Are you going to come with me?

You know I cant Lily

I dont think I can come back once I get to the top.. Ithink its another world.please come with me! I dont

care about leaving anything else behind, but I cantbear to lose you!

How do you know you can never come back Lily? Andanyway, isnt it more important for you to be full oflight? You always said thats what you wanted toclimb the pyramid and be full of light. I know that

means as much to you as my fighting dragons means tome. You cheer me on, and I cheer you on, remember? I

cantgo with you.

Why not, why cant you come?

I wouldnt exist there, Lily. Ive heard that everythingdisappears into the light in that world, and I dont want

to disappear.

Tariel was everything to her in this world. He hadhelped her to leave the sea, had shared her journey in

the no-world, and they had cared for each other asmuch as any one could care for another. She

remembered the sad moping knight she had met whenshe first began to climb the steps of the pyramid, whohad become the dearest person alive to her. How had

he become this happy fellow who danced on tables withfisherwomen and wanted to live on the roof with her

every night, under the stars, forever?


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Anyway.. he looked down at his side and smiled thesaddest smile she had ever seen, I still have a

thousand dragons to run through with my new sword.Look Lily, isnt it the best youve laid eyes on? She

knew Tariel wanted her to reach the top of the pyramidbecause it was her hearts desire.

She made a decision that she knew would break herheart, but was the only choice she could make. She

couldnt go back, and he couldnt go with her.

He would be in her heart for eternity even if she couldnever see him again.

I do love you Tariel. And that is why I can go to thetop of the pyramid without you. I understand, now thatI have loved you more than anyone else, that I can love

you for eternity, you in your world, and me in mine,even if I never see you again, my heart will be happy

thinking of you

Lily turned and called out to the angel. I want to gowith you

Are you sure, Lily? Would you like more time toconsider? You have to be ready

I dont think I can change my mind, Im going withyou

He held out a card to her, and as she gazed at theimage of a crumbling tower, that had been struck by

lightening, Tariel cried out Lily! The Blacksmith gaveme this shield for you. He had been hiding the

gleaming shield under his cape. It shone and glistenedand glowed even in the twilight.

This will protect you better than any knight. Goodbyemy Lily lady

Lily had never felt so much pain in her entire life. Itripped into her heart, and crushed her to the point she

felt she was being shrunk to the size of an ant. Shetried to look for the angel, and although she could not

see him, she knew he was there, all around hersomehow, as she lay on the step writhing in this


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agonising pain. He could not comfort her; she realisedthat no one could, and that was how it should be. The

no-world was disappearing. She was becoming nothing,she was becoming light, she was becoming everything.

And she grew accustomed to the pain, until she feltnothing. And Lily felt like nothing could ever hurt again.

She wondered if she would ever feel anything again.

You wont see me again like you did Lily came thevoice, but you will know I am always here, I am part of

you now. We are as one. Can you feel me in you? Canyou feel the light inside? It was the dark angels

voice, and she realised he had only become dark so thatshe could see him.

Lily, you have to go back down the pyramid now. Thisalarmed her still more. And you have to rememberhow pain feels. You wont feel it for a while, and you

wont want to feel it, but you must.

Why is it so important? she asked, confused.

You will be able to choose when to feel pain now Lily,and when you choose to, then you will understand.

She didnt know how to find her way back, and sat forwhat felt like an eternity, in the nothingness and thelight. It was just the same as when she knew she had

to leave the sea. She had to be ready.

And then her eyes became accustomed to the Light,and she found she was back in the no-world. And thereon the edge of the step, Tariel was sitting engrossed,

writing, and there were pages and pages, covered with

words.

I knew youd come back Lily. Look at these stories Ihave to tell you. I wrote them down so I could tell you

every single one

She hugged him. I cant stay in no- world anymoreTariel. I have to go back to the sea.

To the sea creature? he asked in disbelief.


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No, not to the sea creature, but I belong in the sea. Ialways have.

I cant live in the sea Lily, I couldnt wear my cape. Iwould drown. My panther skin would weigh me down,

and my pearls would rot and fall to the depths. Mysword would rust..oh no Lily, you wouldnt like medown there. Imagine me, with no sword, no cape, nopanther skin, no pearls. I couldnt be an eagle or a

lion.no, I cant live there.

His words were haunting her now..

So you have to choose. Take the chance to climb tothe top. Maybe you can come back. You know Illalways be here if you need me here, but I cant go

anywhere else

I dont care about the cape and panther skin andpearls

I wouldnt be a knight. I couldnt fight dragons orwrestle lions. There would be no more pearl buckles for

your shoes. I would only be a storyteller, like in myworld. Why do you think I come here?

So what will you do?

He became silent.

Finally, he said softly I come from the sea too Lily. Imafraid you wouldnt like me any more if you could seehow I become when Im in the sea. Youll be angry and

hate me. My hair doesnt shine and .

I could never hate you. I dont care if you have adragons head and the body of a crocodile. I dont care

about the pearls and the cape. You are Tariel. But Idont want you to be unhappy.

Well actually, Im a little weary too, Lily, hiding here inthe no-world. They were all for you, you knowthe

cape, the pearls. But I am so afraid because once I


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take off the cape, I can never put it on again. And Idont want to lose you.

You wont lose me ever Tariel. Ever.

Then lets go down to the sea, together. And my nameisnt Tariel neither, Lily, she said, taking off her cape.

Lets have a drink, to us

And they sat on the bridge that spanned the deepestriver that ran into the sea, their legs dangling over the

water.

You know, Tariel, there was a beautiful city that is nowruined and lies under the sea, said Lily, with a glint inher eye, and she smiled sideways at Tariel And I know

the king; he wants to rebuild the city and the castlewith towers and beautiful spires

And bridges .with dragons guarding each end, Lily?Tariel smiled back, and Lily, my name is Sophia

And on that note, they clinked their glasses together,threw back their heads to swallow the drink of sailorswho travelled to lands at the end of the earth, dived

into the river, and swam away.

Copyright Jaq White

Lily and the Pyramid of the East by Jaq White

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Transcript of Lily and the Pyramid of the East by Jaq White