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Back The Occurrence Save as PDF
Chapters (117)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. PART ONE: Up From Buried Light
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. PART TWO: Re-Entry
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. PART THREE: Convergence
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART FOUR: Surrender
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. PART FIVE: The Tablets
  67. 58
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. PART SIX: The Trial
  76. 66
  77. 67
  78. 68
  79. PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80
  92. 81
  93. 82
  94. 83
  95. PART EIGHT: Guardians
  96. 84
  97. 85
  98. 86
  99. 87
  100. 88
  101. 89
  102. 90
  103. 91
  104. 92
  105. 93
  106. 94
  107. PART NINE: Into Buried Light
  108. 95
  109. 96
  110. 97
  111. 98
  112. 99
  113. 100
  114. 101
  115. 102
  116. 103
  117. Acknowledgments

“I told you, you were spared for a reason, Nazir.”

The air filled with that trembling sound.

“Yes, Grandmother. Blood for blood is not God’s way. I know that now.”

And as the late afternoon sun bathed the room in an Inca gold light, they embraced.

102

102

Hashim sat in his prison cell at ADX Florence, Colorado. His eyes closed in prayer.

He knew he would be here until he died.

Along with the isolation—his sentence—to not be part of the coming transformation, only its conduit.

His atonement would be to remember the violence he’d perpetrated. Those faces and deaths would haunt him forever. His one solace: the knowledge he was part of an evolution for which he and the world hungered. That thought gave him a fragment of peace within the cold, concrete life now his.

He prayed that what came in the next life for him would carry the purpose for which he’d become aware at the close of this one.

And in the darkness of his hell, he heard a sound. But there was no one with whom he could share it.

His sole companion was the chill that ran through him in this desolate place.

103

103

Monday, November 2

Frost covered the ground and beaded the trees and stone in crystalline winter. In the cemetery where her brother was buried, Dominique sat on the stone bench in front of his grave.

Her life hadn’t flashed before her in the warehouse, when she’d stared at Hashim’s serpent eyes, about to die—it did rush through her now as she let the weight of all that had happened fill her, in this place of the dead, with the dread of what might have been, and the choice made, to be part of the invisible fire that she and the others now carried in their lives.

Her brother had a parallel destiny—committed to freedom. But he was in his grave. She was alive. She knew she would see him again. And knew they would recognize each other.

They’d all been here before—brought together by a force they didn’t understand, but now knew they were in its white-hot pitch.

This invisible fire waits, no matter the path. Past. Present. Future.

In every breath—in every echo of memory—a choice—the risk of remembering who we are. The ultimate cost, no one knows. The choice makes no promises. But it can no longer be avoided.

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to Bob Gersh and The Gersh Agency. Bob has been my friend, agent and champion from the moment I landed in LA as an actor. His belief in me all these years has made all the difference. And when I told him I wanted to write he embraced it. Thank you, Bob, for your endless support.