At that, Leto turned and met Grace’s gaze. She saw relief in his eyes. They had both been worried about what would happen if he actually did ascend to Third.
James smiled as Leto turned back to him. “There will be no disruption of your breh-hedden, you may trust me in this. Sixth wouldn’t have allowed it. But I digress. There is a specific purpose in your ascension. We need you to take over my role as the gatekeeper of Third Earth. My duties call me elsewhere, and I’m not allowed to make war in your dimension, to use force to protect the gate. And we feel it’s necessary for the securing of peace on Second Earth that a warrior be stationed at this critical gateway.”
This pronouncement brought a hum through the group. Grace had no idea what Leto would do as a gatekeeper or why it was necessary at all.
Endelle stepped forward. “I don’t understand, Shorty. I thought Alison would be opening the portal and we’d have access to Third Earth society, customs, even their wisdom and knowledge.”
“You should know by now that nothing in the ascended world is simple. One day I’m sure that the sharing of cultures will happen and that this will be true among all six dimensions. But right now we have to deal with a situation that Greaves has caused. It needs to be locked down before we can go further.”
“What situation with Greaves?” Endelle asked, her voice sharp.
“The commander created an invisible breach in the portal to Third that has allowed him to bring Third Earth death vampires through at will and without you or your warriors aware of what he’s been doing.”
Endelle frowned. “Somehow I thought Greaves had found a way to create those vampires himself, making his usual squads bigger and better. It never occurred to me that they really were from Third Earth. Not that I could have done anything about it had I known.”
“Exactly. Their origin would have changed nothing. But the real danger is simple: Greaves is ready to bring a hundred such vampires through the breach in the portal as soon as he engages you in what we believe will be the forthcoming battle over White Lake. Not even you could have fought a contingent of that size; they would have decimated your Warriors of the Blood. You would have lost the war that fast.”
This brought a number of heated expletives from all the warriors against Greaves and his machinations.
But it was Leto who asked the next logical question. “So are you saying that by opening the portal and sealing the breach, we end the possibility of Greaves sneaking these bastards through during a battle against him?”
“Precisely. The portal will once again be secured—but it will need to be guarded by a warrior. May I ask if you are willing to accept the assignment?”
“There is no question. Of course, I accept. But what will it entail? Will I reside on Third?”
“No, on Second, but the ascension that I initiate here today will give you a permanent mind-link with the portal. You will be alerted when anyone approaches, no matter which dimension, and because of the demand inherent in the mind-link, you will need to respond to each approach. Are you willing to engage in a mind-link of this sort?”
Grace felt the sudden tension in Leto’s thighs, back, and neck. She understood his reaction. He had served as a spy for a century, always at Greaves’s beck and call as well as James’s. Now he would be bound, or so it would seem, to the portal, with no real guarantee how easy or how pressing that duty would be.
But she also knew Leto’s character, the essential element of his warrior’s soul. Above all things, Leto was a man of duty, something he would always do and something she treasured about him. She was not surprised when the tension eased from the same parts of his body and he said, “I am willing.”
James smiled and even approached Leto to reach up and clap him on the shoulder. James couldn’t have been more than five-eight, so he had a ways to reach. “Good man,” he said quietly. “And I’ll always be there, Leto, to be of service to you. This isn’t a duty we would expect you to perform without our being available to you at will.”
“I’m grateful for that,” Leto said.
James stepped back to his original position and added, “There is an observation deck as well as living quarters at the portal, which you will have access to at any time.” His expression softened. “I confess that when certain political situations on Sixth Earth became irritating, I would stay in the portal suite for weeks at a time, at least until my temper cooled. But you will see the situation for yourself before the morning is out. Or you can ask Casimir. He has been staying there while he served as your guardian. And of course Grace can accompany you whenever you wish as well. Does all of this sound acceptable to you?”
Leto nodded.
Grace released a deep breath. Leto could remain on Second Earth and as needed she could travel to the portal with him. She had been uneasy from the time that Casimir had shown up and made it clear he was serving as Leto’s guardian.
James made the rest of the ceremony very simple. He offered a brief prayer to the Creator, wishing many blessings for Leto in the coming decades. He then placed his hands on the sides of Leto’s head and essentially installed the mind-link.
* * *
Leto felt the weight of his new responsibility, but for some reason he didn’t feel burdened as he had in times past. Instead, something inside him now rose to the challenge. He glanced at Grace and smiled. She had done this for him, her acceptance of him and her belief in him. Her love had made all things possible.
James ended the ceremony by extending his arms into the air to encompass everyone in the room. “And may the Creator grant each of you strength in the coming hours to fulfill each given destiny. So be it.”
“So be it” passed around the group, and a moment of silence rested upon the rotunda.
After at least a minute had passed, Endelle asked James what was next on the agenda.
James went straight to Alison and took her hands. “The time has come to open the portal to Third.”
Leto glanced at the woman he had fought in the Tolleson Two arena. And now both of them had a connection to the portal.
“With Stannett out of the way,” Endelle began, “we have a slight advantage in the future streams. I want to see a block set up, on Alison’s behalf, so that as much of the opening of the portal as possible will be kept shielded from Greaves. We know that he’s had some of the best Seers in the world under his command. I don’t want to assume that just because Stannett is gone, we’re home free.”