The Serpent’S Last Secret

By Gail Logan

A missing gem containing the secrets of the universe becomes a cause clbre when the nearest solar system powers intervene in planet Earths future. Included in the effort to obtain the ruby known as the Serpents Last Secret is Earths twenty-first-century time traveler John Pelletier; the giant mole Murdock (first minister of Mars); Earth physicist Prof. Whitfield; and the sorcerer Vorelis, who, with his two lovely daughters, presides over a fragment of the lost continent of Mu. Written with humor and wit, the novel comes to a stunning conclusion when the nearest solar system powers gather on Mars sixteen thousand years ago in a last ditch effort to save twenty-second-century planet Earth and their own worlds too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532026256

Gail Logan

POET, NOVELIST GAIL LOGAN’S POETRY, HAS APPEARED IN POETRY NATION’S WHO’S WHO, BEST POETS, AS WELL AS POETRYFEST AND FAMOUS POETS VOLUMES. HER POETRY AWARDS INCLUDE MEDALS, CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION, BEST POET OF THE YEAR AWARD, 2012 FROM WORLD POETRY MOVEMENT FOR HER POEM, “THE MOURNING DOVE”. HER NOVELS INCLUDE, THE SUNDISK, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, THE SERPENT’S LAST SECRET, AND A MATTER OF LOYALTY, AVAILABLE ON AMAZON OR IUNIVERSE. GAIL IS A GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND, BA, MA, (ENGLISH), AND FOR NINE YEARS, WHILE WORKING IN BUSINESS, SHE WROTE BOOK REVIEWS FOR A MAJOR GA NEWSPAPER. GAIL LIVES NEAR MACON, GA.

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Copyright © 2017 Gail Logan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-2624-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-2625-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017909417

iUniverse rev. date: 06/29/2017

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Epilogue

My thanks to Mr. Edmund Harold, whose non-fiction book,

FOCUS ON CRYSTALS (New York, 1986),

inspired me to write THE SERPENT’S LAST SECRET.

PROLOGUE

The fairy tale begins anew but with some frightening news.

The gauntlet is thrown down to few,

And only the brave will face the challenge now renewed.

*     *     *     *

Jaime sat in a chair upon the front porch of the Daudelier family’s comfortable farmhouse. Beside her was the gold grail box containing the strange letter her son found. She slowly removed the letter from the box, and opened the envelope containing it. She then began reading the letter’s dread message and shuddered to think of what the future might hold in store for them. She was almost afraid of continuing to read the letter. She knew curiosity had forced her to study the letter’s contents I don’t need to know all this she thought with trembling hands.

Jaime glanced up from reading the letter and watched the trees sway in the warm afternoon breeze. The trees’ honeysuckle laden branches extended outwardly, and the vine grew around porch supports as the honeysuckle climbed, touched the roof, and gave off a sweet aroma.

She felt almost weak as she placed her hand to her head. Whether is was the day’s warmth or fear brought on by the thought of what might happen in the future, she felt uncomfortable and nauseous.

Her son, Hal was in the front yard and busy mending a fence when he happened to glance in his mother’s direction.

What’s wrong Mom? he asked. You look a little pale.

I’m fine she lied. Jaime couldn’t help but think of the troubling cryptic message delivered by TGM’s letter.

Hal thoughtfully gazed at his mother before asking her. "You aren’t taking TGM’s letter seriously are you?

Jamie didn’t want to seem hysterical or wildly imaginative so she casually replied, of course not.

Hal was unconvinced. He opened the door to the house and said he was going to get himself a glass of iced tea and he’d bring her one as well. You look as if you could use something stronger but perhaps we should wait until later. I don’t want the neighbors to see me staggering around.

Jaime smiled wanly at Hal’s attempt at a joke. She then got up from where she sat, leaned against a porch pillar and watched a hawk circle then steadily climb upward into the gathering storm clouds above until it disappeared into them. As she waited for the hawk to emerge from the clouds, in another corner of the universe, two friends who hadn’t seen each other in years were finally reunited.

CHAPTER ONE

Ramira, daughter of the magician Vorelis, the supreme ruler of the fragmentary Forgotten Island domain smiled blithely as she greeted her old friend John Pelletier. Her mysterious lovely green eyes met John’s penetrative gaze before she took his arm in hers and the two walked beside each other along a road that led through mountainous terrain towards Vorelis’s old castle estate.

I thought you had many roads to travel said Ramira as she wondered how John could have found her after what must have seemed like a moment in time to some but to others nearly a decade.

John didn’t want to admit to Ramira that since their last meeting, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the riddles and mysteries surrounding her and the Lost City. He knew that his desire to see her once more had everything to do with the necessity of discussing urgent business.

Next to your father, it is said that you know more about the future than almost anyone within the solar system including Queen Myaca and her revered advisors.

Ramira modestly cast her eyes downward as she and John approached a path that led directly to Vorelis’s Castle. She hesitated to reply to his remark other than to say, I suppose your journey must have been fatiguing. Perhaps you would enjoy some refreshment before we discuss the important matter that brings you here.

John knew that Ramira was being evasive. He also knew that she had informers scattered throughout the solar system and elsewhere, capable of watching his every move through time and space.

Ramira smiled at John’s attempt at flattery. She asked him why he suddenly felt it so necessary to learn so much about the future. Isn’t it enough that you have this moment to live freely and unencumbered she asked as they crossed a bridge, a gateway to Vorelis’ magnificent castle fortress. John gazed into the distance. For a moment the beauty surrounding him totally encompassed him. He realized what she meant. In the distance was mountainous terrain composed of hills and verdant valleys that dropped down to a spectacular seacoast where splendid waves heaved back and forth upon rock and sand before they receded with the outgoing tide becoming one with the sea once more.

Ramira hesitated for a moment before saying: There are some moments in time that should remain frozen so that the destructive turmoil of future events can’t erase them. My father Vorelis built this fortress so that it would forever shield us from the destructive future none wishes to see.

Are you referring to the age TGM has described in his letter that some refer to as the grail?

Ramira quickly glanced at John then without emotion she responded to his remark. TGM’s letter should have been burned along with the age of which he was so unfortunate to be a part. He and his contemporaries not only managed to destroy themselves, they left a model for self-annihilation. If followed to the letter, if you’ll excuse the pun, his letter’s account seems nothing more than the rants of an insane genius intent on saving a civilization that if left alone, should be allowed to self-destruct for the betterment of all.

John seemed rather embarrassed by the lovely Ramira’s remark, and smiled uneasily before saying, Please don’t tell me that you won’t do anything to try to save a future world from biting the dust before it even materializes.

Ramira quickly brushed past John. She then set foot on the first of winding castle steps that led upward towards the entrance to Vorelis’s castle. John followed her then stood just behind her. A robot guard met and greeted them before allowing a huge finely carved wooden door to swing open for her so that she and her guest could step inside the magnificent fortress that was home to her, Vorelis and the solar system gods.

Ramira’s immortal feline companion, Saccha approached her then rested his splendid gold furry head against the long gold gown she wore before she bent to pick him up. As she swept him up in her arms, he purred a loving greeting. Then with Saccha still in her arms and followed by John, Ramira moved towards a spacious balcony and comfortable divan positioned so that they faced the sea, and provided a view of the mountainous island coastline.

Please sit down, she said gesturing for John to take an ornately decorated gold chair opposite her. The pampered Saccha continued to purr as he curled up on the divan next to his mistress as a servant bearing a tray with refreshments poured Ramira and her guest a strange and delicious cool wine.

Ramira held the finely crafted gold goblet up to the light then toasted the occasion of their long awaited reunion through time and said, On behalf of Vorelis and all inhabitants of the Forgotten Island I welcome you once more to our shores.

John smiled, took a cordial sip of wine then set the goblet down upon a small table and said, I’ve been told there is one last secret to be discovered before one is able to enter into the ultimate dimension where time stands still and there is no conflict, and where the turbulent future is offset by comforting calm.

Ramira gazed directly at John but ignored his remark. Instead she said casually and evasively, The last time we met, I really felt as though this dear island no longer held any fascination for you. Now that you have returned and discovered that the journey you took has led you back here, I suppose you want me to explain to you why you have come full circle to the place you once called home in time.

John was no longer sitting in a chair opposite Ramira. He placed his hands in his pockets and walked towards the edge of the balcony that looked out upon a sea that met a sky where the two appeared to have no boundary. Ramira waited patiently for him to acknowledge what she’d said to him. Instead, John appeared to be lost in thought and momentarily unable to respond to her remark. He turned from watching sea and sky to study the rocky landscape that surrounded the castle sanctuary. The cool sea air was still and the sound of surf pounding upon distant rocks was heard as he searched for reality within an unseen mist enshrouded landscape looming beneath him. For a moment, he felt suspended in space. He wanted to walk away from what he saw. Instead the fascination of being part of that world encompassed him. It was a world that had drawn him away from family and friends he’d known and loved. For a moment, John hesitated as if again, he was trying to make a choice between the two. Memories of years he had spent with his first wife Jeannie and later with Gabrielle flooded over him. John struggled with the question that gnawed at his soul. Why had he returned to the Forgotten Island? Weren’t family ties and human obligations to the people one knows and loves more important than the adventure involved in being a time traveler? It was then that he seemed to hear Ramira’s familiar voice asking him a question.

He answered her the best way he knew how. I have no plans for conquest but the road I seek is long and uncharted. I realize I will need your assistance in plotting an appropriate course for a future journey. John could hear the past calling him again. His daughter Amelia was standing before him. She clutched an unopened package he had given her as a parting gift. He could still hear her last words. She seemed to be pleading with him. Aren’t you coming with us dad? Then she was gone. All the things he had ever loved and cherished had suddenly disappeared with her.

Ramira picked up Saccha, and placed him upon her lap. She then began gently smoothing his long soft silky yellow fur with her hand. As she did, the late afternoon sun penetrated the outdoor mist and caught the precious stones that glistened in the serpent ring that she wore upon her hand.

John stared at the ring. He knew it was similar if not an exact replica of the fabled serpent ring he had given his daughter Amelia. Why do you wear that ring? he asked as Ramira gently placed Saccha upon the floor so he could lie at her feet on a soft and gauzy gold cushion.

"The ring was given to me when I was still a child by my grandfather Kierion. It once belonged to my grandmother. When she no longer defied time’s cycle but stepped into the realm from whence we came it became mine. The ring is a coveted possession for those who understand its powers. For me though, it is simply a beautiful object.

"Eventually I may learn about the ring’s power. There may be occasions when the ring’s usefulness might be revealed to me but for now I wear it simply as a family heirloom left to me by my dear grandparents.

Does Atira own such a ring as well? asked John.

Ramira steadily gazed into John’s eyes as if she questioned his sincerity in asking a question for which she felt he already had the answer. She turned her head away from him and hesitated before answering him. It is rumored that there is a second ring but that ring, it’s said, was lost. The one in in possession of the ring now whether it be lost or stolen, bears the ring’s powerful secrets.

Aren’t you concerned that a rival power might be wearing the ring? asked John. Ramira carefully considered John’s question then answered him.

Why should I be concerned? I’m sure the one in possession of it knows nothing about the ring’s latent power but only cares about its value and beauty. She then glanced downward at her hand and said. Someday, I suppose I shall be called upon to use my ring’s power. Right now I am content for the ring’s power to remain useless."

Surely Kierion told you something about the ring’s power, said John.

Kierion knows the full extent of the ring’s power. He’s taught me a little. I shall wait for him to tell me more. When it is time for me to harness the ring’s full energy I shall be able to do so.

Pelletier was skeptical. He thought Ramira might know more about the ring than she was willing to disclose to him: He wondered too if the things Ramira told him regarding the ring’s significance and history weren’t pure myth.

Suddenly Ramira rose from where she sat, and followed by Saccha, she left the room. John gazed after her with a bemused expression on his face. He knew that Ramira was being remote. He also knew her well enough to realize that she wasn’t about to invite him into her secure world until she was sure she could trust him with secrets only Vorelis or Kierion had shared with her. John started to take several steps forward thinking that he could follow Ramira and somehow be welcome into her exclusive little circle. He then drew backward a step or two and thought that his visit to see Ramira was a waste of time There must be a better way to approach her, he thought.

John was about to walk away and leave the castle as he had done previously. Just as he started to turn and slip into oblivion, he saw a familiar face.

It is always a pleasure seeing you, said Vorelis bowing politely before saying, Ramira is a splendid representative for the Forgotten Island. She always manages to carry out my work without the slightest difficulty. I don’t think either of us anticipated though, that our present situation would be compromised by your uninvited presence. It’s not that we don’t enjoy your company but certain matters within the solar system might be compromised if too many individuals become involved in a secretive operation involving the future.

John knew Vorelis always managed to complicate matters by seeming evasive and even overbearing in his manner and demeanor when discussing the future or his children.

Ramira, like her sister Atira are both devoted to me. I couldn’t ask for more loving, loyal children. Ramira has a weakness though in that she is extremely lonely at times. I’m sure she would like to confide in someone like you if that would relieve her of her burdens.

Burdens, what are you talking about? asked John.

Ramira knows that as one who wears the serpent ring, she eventually will be drawn into the timeless dilemma that plagues our solar system.

John was silent as he considered what Vorelis had said. Vorelis searched John’s face as if he expected his friend to agree with what he told him. John didn’t take what Vorelis said seriously. Now really, are you trying to tell me that Ramira is destined to play a role in changing the future’s outcome?

No, replied Vorelis. Beings of a future generation must do that themselves but Ramira may protect others from stumbling into the destructive future’s path.

John was skeptical. Aren’t you expecting Ramira to take on a rather uncertain, even dangerous responsibility? He was certain that the future couldn’t be salvaged even by the most skillful sorcerer’s apprentice. Why don’t you do the job instead of allowing your apprentice to do it?

Ramira must take over from me. I’ve taught her to penetrate the barriers of time and space and step into a world beyond the one most mortals see. I’ve shown her how to slip into oblivion so she may become an observer when there are dangers that must be faced and conquered, said Vorelis.

Yes, I’ve seen you do that before. You helped Hal conquer his fears of failing, and your training buoyed him and Amelia up when you persuaded them that it was necessary for them to embark on a journey that led to their crossing the legendary cloud bridge. From what I hear, I think you coached them so well that the elephant Natasha, with encouragement from Hal and Amelia, was able to lead the expedition across the cloud bridge.

Vorelis smiled. Man and beast must work together if the world is to survive the challenges facing them. The animal kingdom has lived and survived life’s challenges far longer than mankind. The lessons that await us must be learned from the past before the conflicts of the future are confronted and won. Vorelis then walked across the room. He turned, sat down in his favorite chair, and gestured for John to sit opposite him

After John had settled himself comfortably in a cushioned gilded chair, Vorelis said Please tell me. Am I not correct in assuming that you have returned to the Forgotten Island because you are seeking direction in plotting a path into the future? TGM no doubt, awaits your intervention concerning that misguided generation’s problems.

John gazed down at the floor. He felt as though Vorelis was trying to mock him.

He hesitated before saying. As far as the future is concerned, I see myself as a mere innocent bystander. In all humility I can only hope to enter the future if someone who has lived in the future world, decides to open the door for me there. Then and only then will I be able to look around the premises and decide for myself what needs to be done.

Vorelis knew that John was feigning modesty as far as his time traveling ability was concerned. We both know that you travel through time with ease he said gesturing for an attendant to please bring him a cup of his favorite brew. The robot quickly returned with the pomegranate tea and placed