The First Jewel of Earth: The Search for Wisdom (Part One)

By James W. Greenhalge

"He's waiting for you!"

With this enigmatic invitation, the Traveler finds himself swept into a world that is completely alien, yet strangely familiar. He is told that he will be returning home, yet this new world is inhabited by elves, trolls, and centaurs. Everything has changed! Magic, mysticism, and superstition seem to hold more power here than logic and rationality. And a disturbing truth emerges; human history is being deliberately rewritten to disguise an invasion by rebels from another dimension intent upon harnessing humanity to their will. Opposing them is the sovereign government from this same dimension, whose leadership will not become directly involved in the struggle on Earth. Humans must be recruited, then trained to resist this ominous distortion of history. Given the assistance of two extraordinary companions and a magical pendant, the Traveler is told to recover an item lost in the conflict since antiquity, an integral part of a much more powerful mechanism, the First Jewel of Earth.

You will find yourself challenged to place this book within conventional categories. Is this fiction, fantasy, or prophecy? Is this story set in the distant past or the emerging future? Is it possible that two alien forces have been struggling for control of human history since the beginning of time? Join the Traveler in pursuing this quest. Like him, your reality will be forever changed!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798823002691

James W. Greenhalge

Even as a boy, your author has always had trouble staying fixed at one moment in time. While an overly active imagination is charming in a young child, a mature adult should behave better. Your author's interests flow easily from one topic to another…past, present and future. Fascination with the scientific method, the reality of faith, and a study of the law leads smoothly into the imagination of science fiction. A love of History and human culture compete with a sense of the mystical and the magical. His friends and family will be overjoyed about the re-publishing of this book; now, someone else can listen to his flights of fancy! A traveler at heart, your author is comfortable at home or on the road, in foreign countries or in a local coffee shop. A college graduate, an Army officer, an orator and Christian church leader, a college professor, a licensed attorney, and a prolific writer! And he loves computer-generated games! When some grounding in this reality is required, he is a private practice attorney in Grand Junction, Colorado. His loving wife, Mary, has traveled with him for more than forty-six years, and their son is also married, and has given them a wonderful daughter-in-law and three marvelous grandchildren, and a grand-dog. "If we begin with the premise that there is a design to this universe," says the author, "the truth of its construction is just waiting to be discovered. Life is a journey of discovery, and we are all travelers. I hope you can see yourself in the pages of this book. It was written with you in mind!"

Book preview

Chapter 1

He had been reaching for his cup.

Now that single action remained frozen in time! He could scarcely breathe! He stared blankly at his own right hand, paralyzed in mid-motion by shock and overwhelming fear. His arm was suspended before him, reaching toward his desktop that was no longer there. In the blink of an eye his well-lit office cubicle had disappeared, his swivel chair had vanished, his co-workers were suddenly silenced, and the coffee cup on his desk was gone. Now he stood motionless in a half-crouch, facing towering double doors before him, his right hand still reaching toward his missing cup.

Even his thinking had come to a stop.

There was no way to tell how long he had been standing there before the first ragged breath came back to his lungs. Suddenly, discordant thoughts cascaded through his mind. If this was a heart attack, shouldn’t there be some pain? No, probably just a fainting spell. Yet he did not feel dizzy. Just breathe deeply and close your eyes, this will all go away.

No! No, don’t close your eyes! There could be danger!

His panic rose. All he could hear was the pounding of his heartbeat and his own labored breathing. He did not move, his hand still reaching for his cup.

Risking a slight turn of his head, he could see a blank, gray wall ending at a corner only a few feet to his left. Slowly turning his head to the right revealed the opposite corner of the wall, but no other features. Only the two massive doors stood before him, tightly closed, made of some burnished metal the color of polished bronze. Elaborate scrollwork covered the surface of each door in flowing patterns he did not recognize, but there were no handles or hinges visible. The same scrollwork ran around the narrow frame and lintel surrounding the doors. Each door was easily twenty feet tall and four feet wide. Together they gave the impression of an entrance to an important governmental chamber or some inner sanctuary. There was no suggestion of aging or extensive use. He swallowed hard.

Slowly lowering his right hand, he rose from the crouch instinctively assumed when confronted with danger. Just as his breathing was becoming more regular, another wave of panic struck. Where are you? Has someone drugged your coffee? Is there something behind you? Again, his muscles tensed, and he flinched instinctively, expecting some awful blow. But nothing happened.

Steeling himself for some dreadful shock, he turned his upper body to glance timidly behind him. He was standing at one end of a long, featureless hallway that disappeared behind him into darkness. No windows, doors, or wall-hangings disturbed the face of either wall. The corridor behind him was seamless, gray, and opaque. There was no visible lighting.

And yet he was not standing in darkness! The area around him was fully illuminated, even though his body cast no shadow from the lighting. Again, lifting his right arm slowly, he confirmed that there was no shadow cast beneath his outstretched hand.

Turning back to face the two enormous doors, he forced himself to relax his clenched jaw. There was no way to tell if the doors had ever been opened throughout all eternity. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, but the effort resulted in a cold shiver running down his spine. Perhaps this was all a dream and he had fallen asleep at his desk. Oh, there would be hell to pay if he were caught napping. He concentrated on waking up but could effect no change in his mind or body. Mustering what courage he had he uttered a timid Hello! The single word barely escaping his pursed lips. There was no answer and no echo. He began to break out in a clammy sweat and his breathing became more labored.

Hell to pay! Yes, that must be it! He was dead; that was the obvious answer! He had read stories about this kind of experience. He nodded his head nervously in agreement with his thoughts. Yes, this was the great final accounting he had read about. He bit his lip. But he did not feel dead! In fact, he felt very much alive.

Hello!

He called out louder this time with a sense of desperation creeping into his voice. Still no answer. Common sense told him he must knock on the door, but instinct told him to run down the hallway and find an escape. Since he had no idea where he was, running down the hallway was no solution. Where would that decision lead? Where was he? He hesitated, looking apprehensively at the closed doors before him. Doors were for entry, he reasoned. His best choice was to move forward. Gritting his teeth, he took a tentative step toward the doors.

At the same moment, he heard footsteps approaching from beyond the door. He froze again in horror with eyes glued to the scrollwork before him. He wanted to run, but his body would not move.

Both doors opened silently inward.

A tall figure, clad in resplendent armor from head to foot, strode confidently forward to face him. The apparition came forward like some medieval king confronting a cowering vassal at the manor door, the confidence of his approach further immobilizing the man in the hallway. Even though both doors remained open behind the armored figure, the frightened man could not see beyond the towering warrior. He dropped his gaze to the floor, afraid to make eye contact.

The strange knight stopped a full pace away, his crimson cape fluttering about him. The warrior wore a large silver shield on his left arm, embossed in raised gold relief. A terrifyingly realistic image of a lion leaped out at his adversaries. His right hand was tucked confidently into a broad leather belt at his waist, the design on the belt repeating the rampant lion symbol from the shield. Somehow the unseen light source now radiated from the knight’s armor, sending cascading rainbows of color dancing against the walls, ceiling, and floor.

The frightened man in the hallway remained crouched, averting his eyes, as if expecting some mortal blow. The knight considered him for a long moment.

When the apparition remained silent, the frightened man risked looking up from the floor. The knight’s feet were shod in some strange footwear, like sandals, with bronze tips and intricate designs radiating up the leather thongs intertwined around firm, sun-bronzed calves. A knee-length leather kilt hung beneath the broad leather belt about his waist. Above the belt was a breastplate made of some marvelously iridescent metal unlike anything he had ever seen before. He squinted at the dazzling display of light across its polished surface. Centered on the breastplate, forming the letter T was the hilt of a beautifully jeweled sword in raised relief, but there was no blade above the hilt. Around the knight’s neck was an exquisite white-golden pendant from which hung a lustrous blue jewel the size of a hen’s egg, surrounded by settings for much smaller jewels. The first setting on the left side of the pendent was filled with a fiery, red stone that gleamed with its own ruddy luminescence. The other six settings were empty. The knight also wore a dazzling helmet which incorporated a crown of jeweled stars into its crest. The helmet’s visor, the radiant armor and his own overpowering fearfulness prevented the startled man in the hallway from seeing the features of the knight’s face.

He could not watch those features slowly evolve from a disgusted glower into a sympathetic smile. There was so much that this knight could say to the cowering pilgrim in the hallway, so much the warrior could tell this man about what lay ahead for him. But there was always a proper time and place for every purpose in this kingdom. He had learned that lesson well enough.

Still smiling warmly at the frightened pilgrim before him, the confident knight turned to look back into the room beyond the open doors. Nodding his head solemnly in silent agreement with someone waiting within the room, the knight returned his attention to the timid traveler.

He’s waiting for you!

With that short benediction, the knight stepped past by the awe-struck figure and strode confidently down the hallway.

Chapter 2

Listening to the footsteps receding behind him, the frightened man peered through the open doors. The interior was so dimly lit that he could not determine its actual dimensions. A stooped figure, clad in a full-length gray robe and hood, moved about the center of the room some thirty feet away. He concentrated on the surface of an elevated table that stood before him. Standing to the right of the first figure was another younger man. This young man stared back at him. He wore a knee length white tunic bound at his waist by a belt of iridescent forest green material. Clean-shaven, medium height and very handsome, with vaguely Mediterranean features, the younger man smiled broadly toward the man at the door. His lips moved, as though he wanted to say something to the pilgrim but could not find the words. Turning quickly away, the young man seemed to wipe tears from his eyes, then disappeared through some unseen passage at the back of the room.

The inner sanctum in the immediate vicinity of the gray-robed figure was brightly illuminated, yet faded quickly into dark obscurity only a few feet away from the table. The robed figure appeared to be an old man, judging by his halting motions and hunched back. Weathered hands became visible beneath the flowing sleeves as he leaned upon the tabletop, closely examining some display laid out before him. Again, images of death and judgment welled up within the man in the corridor; he almost bolted down the hallway after the departing knight.

Come forward, Traveler! ordered the hooded figure without looking up from his work. The old man raised his left hand in a sweeping gesture of inclusion.

A ragged breath escaped from frightened lungs as the terrified man willed himself to slowly move forward through the massive doorway. Once clear of them, the doors swung silently and ominously closed behind him, without any apparent mechanism or assistance. This only added to his sense of impending doom. His eyes were fixed on the ancient, hooded figure standing at the table. Suddenly, the man was startled by some peripheral motion off to his right and he jumped away from it. Only then did he see the full-length mirror recessed into the adjacent wall reflecting his own pathetic and horrified image, with hands tightly balled into fists and stooped shoulders bent forward in frightened speculation. Returning his gaze to the ghostly figure at the table, he continued to shuffle forward, stopping at a safe, but respectful, distance from the table.

The spectral figure looked up, throwing back the hood to reveal a wizened, ancient face, white hair and sparkling gray eyes. The man was old, yet vital, and his eyes glistened with youthful energy. He smiled knowingly at the man’s shocked look and gestured toward a coffee cup sitting at the edge of the table.

Thirsty?

The Traveler stared blankly at the coffee cup.

It was his own coffee cup, from his desk at the office. Even now wisps of steam rose from it invitingly. His tongue passed over parched lips. But he could not speak or move.

I am glad you have come. There is so much to be done, began the old man. He gestured toward the ancient parchment map spread out across the tabletop, as though some medieval counsel of war was convening. The startled man gasped, grabbing instinctively for the table edge. As he looked down at the parchment, the land itself seemed to rise and the oceans sank back, flowing into a fully three-dimensional image of topography. Mountain chains rose even higher than valleys, forming darker scratches of brown across the land. Rivers formed deep blue lines sinking to the valley floors of the map surrounded by green bands of vibrant color. A sense of vertigo caused him to step backward. He had never seen anything like this before; but then, he had never experienced anything like this before. He stared at the old man.

Our King has need of your services.

Your King? The surprised man staggered backward again, swallowing hard. This whole encounter was overwhelming; he started to back away from the table. A simple, straight-backed chair appeared magically behind him, halting his departure. He flinched at its appearance.

Please sit down and I will explain, continued the robed figure, gesturing in the chair’s direction without showing any surprise at its sudden appearance. The frightened man collapsed into the seat without taking his eyes off the speaker. He ran his hands along the arms of the chair to reassure himself that it was real.

I am First Counselor to the King. My given name would mean nothing to you, and I have been known by many names. My title must be sufficient. The King? Well, His name would mean nothing to you either, for He has also been known by many names. He is the King, first, foremost, and always!

And you, here the Counselor hesitated, gesturing toward an ancient leather-bound book that simply materialized on the far end of the table at his prompting, have been found to be an ideal candidate for our purposes. Stepping over to the large and heavy book, he caressed its gilded surface without opening it. Then he continued.

Occasionally the King chooses to recruit certain people for missions of great significance to the Kingdom. He has chosen you for this particular purpose. I realize you have never served the King before, so this whole introduction must all seem rather incredible.

The Counselor walked around the table, picked up the coffee cup, sniffing apprehensively at its contents, then handed it to the Traveler. With numb and shaking fingers, the frightened man took the cup from his hands.

You drink too much of that for your own good! observed the Counselor knowingly. Everything in moderation. He returned to the far side of the table.

You know me? stammered the Traveler.

The Counselor smiled. Better than you know yourself!

His frankness and candor made the Traveler uneasy.

I cannot begin to explain to you, in the limited time we have now, the strange set of circumstances that have brought you to this place, continued the Counselor. Your story began a very long time ago and its thread continues to run well into the future. The whole truth would be far more than you could understand—or believe—at this point in time.

Another high-backed chair materialized behind the robed figure. He abruptly sat down facing the Traveler, completely confident of the chair’s sudden presence. The Counselor remained silent for a long moment, studying the frightened man.

For now, it must be sufficient to say that while many are eligible for this assignment, few are chosen. You, said the Counselor, pointing to the motionless man in the chair, have been chosen! Smiling at the petrified figure, who was still holding the cup without drinking from it, he added, This will be much easier if you do not pass out from the strain, gesturing toward the cup. Without taking his eyes from the robed figure, the stunned man obediently took a sip of coffee from the cup. It was hot, as though just poured from the office pot.

Your reality, the Counselor continued, the one you grew up in and left only moments ago, exists simultaneously with another reality, this one. Not parallel universes, for there is only one universe, but certainly parallel realities operating within each other. It is all a question of perspective. The Counselor observed the blank look on the man’s face and decided to illustrate the concept.

You cannot see the entire electro-magnetic spectrum; yet you co-exist with microwaves, x-rays and gamma rays, and other forms of radiation passing through your world and your body on a daily basis. You can verify their existence, although you cannot see the waves of radiation or discern their passage without the assistance of machines. The effects of gravity, for example, shape your world, but you cannot see gravity applying its immutable force to your reality. Yet you know gravity is there by observing its effects. You co-exist with these cosmic forces of nature without actually seeing them. The Counselor hesitated, watching for the man’s reaction.

Just so with this reality, except that your mechanical instruments cannot help you here. Humankind instinctively senses this alternate existence, either recoiling from it in fear of the unknown or being inexplicably drawn to it. Creatures subject to the laws of time and space, like yourself, exist almost entirely within the confines of the first reality for their brief lifespans and normally do not interact with this second reality. Your machines, built of temporal materials and technology from your reality, cannot measure its existence. The majority of humankind come and go with no real awareness of it. What evidence they might come upon quickly becomes distorted into folk tales and fables, romantic myths, ghost stories, science fiction, tales of horror, the doctrines of ancient religions, what have you!

Humankind? repeated the man weakly, realizing that the Counselor had not included himself with the human race. He certainly appeared human. If not human, then what was he? The Counselor leaned back in his chair with a dismissing wave of his hand.

You didn’t give this reality a serious moment’s thought before today! It was again a knowing observation, almost an accusation rather than a question. The man cringed. Seeing the incredulous look of disbelief rising in frightened eyes, the robed figure added with a benevolent smile, Well then, Traveler, if you do not believe my explanation of where you are, then you try explaining it! Without waiting for his answer, the Counselor wryly added, You’re not dead yet, if that is what you are thinking!

The man remained tense; the Counselor’s assurance brought him no comfort. He wasn’t dead, yet! Perhaps death came later.

The Counselor breathed deeply, collecting his thoughts, studying the man across the table. Creatures freed from the demands of time and space, like myself, can exist comfortably in either reality, he continued, returning to his subject like a lecturer reciting a very familiar passage. I am a resident of this reality, you see? We co-exist, you and I, sharing the same moment, but we are more aware of your kind than you are of us. This form, he gestured down to his flowing beard and loose gray robe, was chosen for your benefit. Gandalf, the magician! I could have easily been a darkly alluring woman shrouded in mystery, an ominous alien surrounded by technological gadgetry, a disembodied voice, a blinding light, or a burning bush. We haven’t a great deal of time for special effects. Your immediate comfort and undivided attention were of paramount importance to me.

The man instinctively edged his chair away from the speaker, but the Counselor did not seem to notice his growing apprehension.

What are you? asked the Traveler.

A resident of this reality, returned the Counselor evenly. The name of my species would mean nothing to you. There is no common frame of reference to describe our culture and technology. It is enough for you to understand that we are not alike! The Counselor’s stern rebuke silenced the Traveler. He returned to his lecture.

We travel about in your reality quite easily, with the majority of your kind completely oblivious to our existence. Those humans that hope to see us are usually written off as mystics or crackpots, he added, chuckling quietly to himself as some distant memory came to mind. Shaking his head to dispel the distraction, he continued.

We have the power to change your world for the better or worse, but we also have an immutable set of laws in this reality that limit its application in yours. The concept of a sovereign order to all existence is a central tenet of our moral system. We cannot deliberately undermine another sovereign creation’s control over its own choices, whether it is an individual, a nation, or an entire world, without compromising the very foundation of our own sovereignty. For better or for worse then, the human race presently controls Earth’s destiny as the natural sovereign of your own world. Your fellow creatures on your planet must remain subject to that control. And therein lies your problem!

The Counselor leaned back in his own chair, studying the Traveler’s reaction across the table. How much could he explain now without losing the man entirely? The silence lengthened.

Problem? asked the Traveler, unsure he wanted to hear the answer. There were so many problems in human history. Even this other reality presented another problem for humanity! The Counselor leaned forward.

Your world is under attack, Traveler, by lawless rebels from this second reality. They challenged the inherent sovereignty of our ruling government and lost. While the rebels have been thoroughly defeated here, they retreated to your world, taking with them weaponry from this reality that would easily conquer your unsuspecting species if we did not intervene. The future of your race is inconsequential to them, a mere hindrance to their own quest for power, but individual humans could be useful to them when bent to their will. The Counselor hesitated, watching to see if the man comprehended the magnitude of this crisis. Without our intervention, Traveler, your world will be destroyed!

The Traveler shook his head, questioning this strange story. There were no aliens on Earth wrecking havoc; mankind was certainly managing to form its own destiny on the planet. While he could not deny the Counselor’s obvious power and conviction, this story defied his own experience and knowledge of history. The Traveler could only shake his head in disbelief.

History, as you have been taught by your schooling, by your news media, and your own experiences, is a lie! It has been deliberately distorted to camouflage and minimize this essential conflict between these forces. The invasion remains invisible behind their own version of history. The Counselor’s eyes blazed with an inner fire. Something must be done, Traveler, to wrest control of human history away from the rebellion and return it to humankind. However, our own immutable law prevents us from dealing with the rebels directly. We have the capability and the will to use overwhelming force against them, but the renewed conflict would turn your world into a vicious battleground. Your race would inevitably be destroyed in the crossfire.

The Counselor paused, choked by memories of the last direct confrontation and tears came to his eyes. The Traveler began to inquire about that first conflict, but the Counselor silenced him with a wave of his hand.

Unlike your own tragic human history where the best rules are only made to be broken by situational ethics, or twisted by sinful desires and personal ambitions, we cannot become lawless merely to defeat the lawless. We cannot employ deceit to defeat the liar or brutality to defeat the bully. The end would never justify the means! No, my young friend, the human race rules your world, and the King has made it very clear that your own kind must be permitted to solve its own problems. He will have no part in this struggle, on your side of the barrier, until there is a willingness to receive instruction from Him and a conscious desire to reject the rebellion. We will not undermine your inherent human sovereignty. Anything less would be a violation of our own law. The Counselor straightened up in the chair, then added with a penetrating smile, But once we are freely asked to provide aid and counsel, our law permits us to assist you in the task.

The King? ventured the Traveler meekly, returning to his earlier question. The Counselor could only sigh, searching for the right words.

Unfortunately, your race has left behind the concept of kingship with so many other truths from your own past. Your modern truths are like freshly picked flowers, yielding their fragrance for a brief time, then discarded in favor of newer images. Your current versions of truth do not retain the essence of the former truths. No, your modern language provides only inadequate comparisons. The Counselor paused again, stroking his chin in a very human gesture of concentration. He considered the limitations of human language, searching for another title that would convey a clearer image of the King to this confused man, the product of a Twentieth century education. Presidents and prime ministers must bargain for power, dictators are above the law, tyrants abolish the law. Kings in his century were mere figureheads, royal pageantry lacking the absolute power over their domains that true kings once enjoyed. He shook his head.

No, my young friend, I do not know how else to describe Him to you. He is the King of this reality; absolutely, finally, without reservation. The Counselor now leaned forward and examined the man across the tabletop intently.

We need volunteers from the human race, Traveler, willing allies against a common enemy. I realize this may all seem like an unusual form of recruitment, but then we haven’t time to inspire you with the nobility of our cause or fully explain our motives to you for your approval. The Counselor again gestured toward the heavy, leather-bound book at the far end of the table for emphasis. You were personally chosen by the King for this mission, but the question now becomes whether you will accept this assignment. We must respect your own individual sovereignty, as well, so you have the right to refuse His service.

The Traveler stared at the ancient book which seemed to reveal so much about him. I don’t even know who you are, or who the rebels are. How do I know I am on the right side of this conflict? he asked quietly, surprising even himself with his audacity.

My first promise to you, Traveler! I promise you will never be asked to do anything that offends your own conscience. If so, you are immediately released from service. The rebels could never make you such a promise.

What must I do?

If you accept the King’s commission, then we will begin training and equipping you to fight the menace in your own world. If you decline, you will be returned to your desk in your own office, in your own comfortable version of reality. The memories of this conversation will fade away into an elusive, if somewhat disturbing, daydream, and you will never hear from me again. The Counselor leaned back in his chair, opening his arms expansively. Oh, you could try and tell others about this experience, I suppose. He laughed heartily this time, truly sympathetic to the human’s sad paradox. You will be just one more crazy visionary who has had a disturbing revelation of your planet’s ominous future. Apocryphal predictions of disaster are plentiful in your day and age. In a world filled with reports of out-of-body experiences, alien abductions, devil’s triangles, spirit channeling, erroneous prophecies and religious cynicism, you will certainly find an audience, but you will not change a thing!

Because I will have no proof! muttered the Traveler.

No proof! affirmed the Counselor. He rose from his chair and walked over to a bureau that also materialized out of the dimness at his beckoning. With deliberate and careful motions, he removed a square black box with a flat, shiny surface from the first drawer. He cradled it reverently in both hands and returned with it to the table. Placing the box on the table in front of him, he left it unopened, with the latch facing the Traveler. The Traveler’s eyes went from the opaque black box back to the face of the Counselor.

It is not a question of your qualifications, for the King has already made that determination and chosen you for this mission. Nor is this the adoption of some philosophy or vague human belief system, for we will not persuade you to join us. It is a relationship, Traveler. Now, the next step becomes a matter of faith. If your suspicious and cynical human nature is allowed to prevail, then this box will remain unopened, and you will be returned to your office with no evidence this conversation ever took place.

He ran both hands lovingly down either side of the featureless box, caressing its sleek black surface. On the other hand, if you can invest yourself in this quest, trusting in the character of the King, sight unseen, then the contents of this box belong to you. I can promise you the adventure of a lifetime.

You cannot expect me to make such an important decision based on so little information? blurted out the Traveler. What’s in the box?

It is the means by which you can live up to your noblest aspirations for yourself. Power sufficient to change worlds and destinies. Truth and meaning, life and purpose, responded the Counselor confidently. But it will cost you everything you now possess.

I can’t do this! What if you are lying to me? His question