Dana te Tobar Eilern, taken as a toddler to be protected and receive edification from a powerful and prominent spiritual organization in the Empyrean soon surpassed all expectations of her guardians. Only a few in the Praman Elite were aware of her true potential and Providence. It was indeed Dana's Harmonic capabilities that would require her to protect and defend the spiritual Praman as they had her. She would be pitted against a malevolent essence determined to claim the Empyrean. Dana's path would also lead to reunification of her past life and love.
Excerpt:
The unearthly scream of the woman could be heard throughout the house. It was not only a scream of anguish, but also a scream of anger, a shriek of savage resentment at the intolerable pain racking her unceasingly. Her body bent as a bow, her head thrown back, the slight cords of her throat taught against the strain." Take this child from me," she raged. "Now!"
"Masha", the strained voice of the attending tried to reason, "you must calm yourself. You must try to work with the babe. You are fighting the birth. This is not good for the baby."
"I don't care about this child! I just want her out of me. I want the pain to stop. And then I never want to see this abominable child."
"It is the pain speaking. You cannot mean that, wife", Tobar spoke close to his wife's ear. He was not shocked to hear her speak of the new babe this way, because her entire pregnancy had been filled with harsh words of repugnance at the thought of a third child. And another daughter at that! Masha was not one to compete with another female, even another female relative. She had not felt jealous of their older daughter since Larc was, by all standards, rather plain and thus, no competition to her mother's beauty.
It was this beauty that had drawn Tobar to Masha. He realized now how blinded he had been by her sensuality. So much so, he had not come to know the true character of his beloved wife until after they were married. What had drawn Masha to Tobar Eilern? He was a tall handsome man, lean and strong. He was also a landowner who was better off than many of those around him. And he had intrigued her because he had not fawned over her as all other suitors had done. Both had made the mistake of being attracted to the physical.
She was an ambitious, greedy woman who had had lofty goals for her husband. Unfortunately, for both of them, he had not shared her ideas for an affluent lifestyle. Tobar was a man who enjoyed working the land, delighted in the growing of things, be it food, plants of all kinds or animals. He had been raised to believe that it was the simple things in life that led to happiness. He had no need or desire to extend his holdings, having enough land to manage on his own and to provide for his family.
Masha had been furious when he'd refused to spend marks they didn't have to acquire property he didn't want just so they could be large landholders. She aspired to be lady of the district, to reign over those she considered beneath her. Older doting parents who encouraged her to believe her beauty was all she needed to succeed in life had spoiled Masha. Other's would care for her; cater to her every whim as she issued orders from a palatial home. However, she and her parents had underestimated Tobar. He was a good man and strong in his own beliefs. Not the malleable dupe they had assumed him to be. They had been appalled when Tobar had not set out to create a kingdom for their daughter. She was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. Could he not see that? She must have the manor house, the property, and accompanying power befitting someone of her station.
However, Tobar remained steadfast in his beliefs. Since Masha's parents had both died within five cycles after their marriage, she'd had to remain with a husband whom she grew to dislike more each day. She would gladly have run away with someone better except that no one acceptable ever came to their dismal land. She had never been able to appreciate the green lushness of the fields and forests or the riot of color in the wild flowers in the uncultivated fields. She missed so much by seeing only her outward beauty instead of the beauty surrounding her and the inner beauty of the people in her life. For his part Tobar tried to make the best of their marriage. But Masha took out her frustration on everyone around her.
