Tablet of Destinies by Traci Harding Page B

She came calling only hours after the event and her arrival was always greatly anticipated by new parents. The Astrologer was fortunate enough to catch Maelgwn and Tory whilst the babies were snoozing off the ordeal of birth.
    Although immortals didn’t require sleep, until their babies experienced a physical death — thereby activating their immortal gene — they would need and suffer all that mortals did.
    Tory had found her second wind. The fortunate thing about being an immortal was that her body hadcompletely recovered from the physical effects of her pregnancy — except for her oversized breasts laden with milk, which Maelgwn was admiring with relish.
    â€˜So, what names have we to choose from?’ Tory, feeling trim and terrific, invited Cleo into the lounge to take a seat. ‘What did the charts have to say about our babies’ vocations?’ Tory sat herself down on the lounge chair beside her husband and took hold of his hand to listen to what the Astrologer had to say.
    â€˜Well,’ began Cleo, a little awkwardly. ‘For the first time in the history of our astrological naming system, the PKA database only came up with one name for each child.’
    Tory and Maelgwn looked to each other, not knowing how to react to the news.
    â€˜Now, just because this hasn’t happened before, doesn’t mean that there is any reason to be concerned,’ the Astrologer told them confidently. ‘It just means that their charts were so specific that the selection of names was narrowed right down to one.’
    The proud parents were most relieved to hear this and, praying that she liked the names that had been chosen, Tory dared to ask, ‘And the names were?’
    â€˜Not surprisingly, as they were born in close succession, the meaning of their names is practically identical —’
    â€˜Cleo, please,’ Maelgwn interrupted, ‘just tell us. The suspense is unbearable!’
    â€˜The suggested name for your firstborn, the boy child, was Avery,’ Cleo advised, and the news was rather well received.
    â€˜Avery,’ Tory repeated, getting a feel for the name. ‘I rather like that … it’s strong, and yet it has an intellectual ring about it also.’
    Maelgwn gave his wife’s hand a squeeze to agree with her view and then looked back to Cleo. ‘And our new daughter, what name shall she be known by?’
    â€˜The name suggested was Lirathea.’
    â€˜Why that’s beautiful.’ Tory was delighted. ‘But I’ve never heard it before, what does it mean?’
    â€˜It means, “excelling elf counsel of the Goddess”,’ Cleo informed, and although Maelgwn seemed intrigued by the meaning, Tory’s stomach turned. It seemed the secret she harboured about Devaglen might still be of consequence after all.
    â€˜And so Avery means?’ Tory dared to probe further, her eyes closing as she waited to be enlightened.
    â€˜It means, “elf counsellor, wise counsellor”.’
    The realisation shocked Tory to the core, and so Maelgwn beat her to the pertinent question.
    â€˜Hence our children’s vocation must have a lot to do with the inhabitants of the Otherworld?’ he presumed.
    â€˜A very intimate association, according to their charts.’ Cleo handed a PKA orb over to Maelgwn, which was the kind of thought-recorder used most often by the Chosen.
    The Nefilim, being mentally-inclined beings, preferred the model of thought-recorder that read and transmitted via the third eye area. Whereas the Chosen, being more emotional, physically-based creatures, preferred to channel their thoughts into a handheld device.
    The orb Cleo presented to the parents contained the charts of their offspring and an analysis of the astrological data. ‘Their psychic aptitude is predicted to be far superior to any of the Chosen who have gone before them. And their vocation is deeply imbedded in the areas of ET