Ancient Illusions

by Joanne Pence

  Yet, he found himself liking the way her body was shaped, and intrigued by the way the sun glinted off her coppery hair. The delicacy of her skin made him almost afraid to touch it. The freckles on her nose, instead of ugly, he thought were cute, and her beguiling eyes had captured his heart as he found himself lost in their depths.

  She was, to him, perfect.

  But he was raised to be a dutiful son, and he had vowed to take care of Linda as his wife. To do otherwise would not only bring shame to her, but to his parents and all his ancestors. His parents knew he was unhappy, but their solutions were untenable. His mother had proclaimed a baby would bind him and Linda together in love. His father suggested if things with Linda were as bad as Jianjun made it seem, maybe a mistress was the answer.

  But both solutions seemed manipulative and wrong—wrong for both himself and Linda. It was strange that his own parents, whom he had always felt close to, couldn’t see that.

  Every day he thought about Kira. She was a psychiatrist, working as a profiler for the FBI when he met her. She had turned him into a vat of Jell-O with just one glance. He could hardly get two sensible words out of his mouth when she was near. Yes, he had fallen hard for Kira Holt. Beyond hard, he loved her. And most amazingly, Kira seemed to care about him, maybe even loved him—a little, at least—except for the major problem that he was married. Because of that, and because he couldn’t leave his wife, Kira had walked away and never contacted him again.

  He tried to put thoughts of her out of his mind as they navigated the Missoula airport, but he guessed he wasn’t doing such a good job of it because Michael patted his shoulder, as if he understood why Jianjun was unusually quiet.

  Michael rented a four-wheel-drive Jeep for the three of them to travel from Missoula southward to Salmon.

  For most of the three-hour journey, the highway edged a river east of the Bitterroot Mountains until, high in the mountains, they crossed the continental divide into Idaho. It was June, and the land was green and awake. As the heavy snows of winter melted, the river and surrounding creeks became swollen with frigid, rushing water. The landscape enraptured Ceinwen. The mountains were jagged and bold, and she swore she had never seen a sky as high as in Montana and Idaho—and she was a world traveler, as she liked to remind Michael. He told her the locals called it “Big Sky Country.” She could see why.

  “You’ll be interested in knowing that Lewis and Clark, whose trails and historic landmarks you see all over this area, crossed the divide fifty or so miles south of here, at what’s now called Lemhi Pass,” Michael said.

  “Hmm. I’ve heard of Petula Clark, Dick Clark, Clark Kent, but I can’t think of any Lewis N. Clark.”

  He told her about Lewis and Clark making their way across the continental United States to the Pacific Ocean. She had all kinds of questions for him about the history of the area, most of which he could answer.

  “I used to enjoy Longfellow’s poetry about early America,” Ceinwen said. “I’ve always wanted to see an area like this.”

  “Longfellow?” Michael said. “I didn’t know he’d be popular in Wales.”

  “He’s one of the few American poets we read. Let’s see…

  By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

  By the shining Big-Sea-Water,

  Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

  Daughter of the moon, Nokomis.

  And why are you laughing, Doctor Rempart?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just that Hiawatha spoken with a Welsh accent seems to lose something. It comes across as really … uh…”

  “What?”

  “Hammy. Or should I say overacted, melodramatic—”

  “Stop. I didn’t think you were talking about a side of pork. What’s your opinion, Jianjun?” She turned to look at him in the backseat, but before he could come up with a response, she added, “I’ll have both of you know, I once starred in a school play.”

  “So, a star in our midst,” Michael said. He wanted to add that he found her quoting the poem to be quite charming, but doubted she’d appreciate it. Instead he said, “What was your role?”

  “I was a talking frog. The frog had the most lines, and I was one of the rare first graders who could not only memorize more than three words at a time, but was bold enough to say them in front of an audience.”

  “I can only imagine,” he said with a grin.

  “And you, Professor, would have gotten the role of a bump on a log.”

  “Just in time,” Michael said as he turned onto Main Street, “we’ve arrived in Salmon.”

  He parked in front of the Sheriff’s Office. It was afternoon, but a chill touched the air. Summer came late in the high mountains of Idaho.

  Michael entered the office to find Deputy Mallick hunched over his desk staring at a piece of paper as if he were afraid it would come alive and denounce him.

  “Mallick?” Michael moved forward.

  Mallick nearly jumped out of his skin. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.” His eyes widened with recognition and he stood. “Oh, my.”

  “Michael Rempart,” Michael said as he held out his hand.

  Mallick shook it. “Of course I remember you. It was such a strange time. I don’t think I’ll ever forget any of it. And Ms. Davies, welcome back,” he added greeting Ceinwen.

  Michael introduced him to Jianjun who, despite having been in Idaho in the past, had never met the deputy or the sheriff.

  “I hope you being here doesn’t mean that things are about to become as crazy as they did a couple of years ago,” Mallick said nervously.

  “We hope not as well,” Michael said. “Is Jake around?”

  Before Mallick could answer, the sheriff came out of his office and stared with surprise at Michael, Ceinwen, and Jianjun.

  Michael walked up to him, his hand outstretched. "Jake, good to see you again," Michael said.

  Jake caught him in a quick bear hug. After greetings and introducing Jianjun, Jake asked, “Where’s Rachel?”

  “She’s ill,” Ceinwen said. “Some kind of virus, we think, so she stayed in Japan. We’re going back there soon.”

  Jake’s face filled with concern. “Do I want to know what brings all of you here?" He ushered them into his office and closed the door. "Something tells me I’m not going to like it."

  "It has to do with a pearl.” Michael said. "A mysterious pearl that can lure demons. I think I told you about it last time I was here."

  "Yes, you did. And something also tells me you may have left it among our rare earth elements," Jake said, arms folded.

  "So you figured it out, did you? I should have known," Michael said. "Yes, I left the pearl because I believed it would be neutralized. But something is obviously going on here. I don't know if it has to do with the demons within the pearl, or other demons interested in it, but I'm going into the mountains to retrieve it. Hopefully, that’ll solve your problems."

  Jake’s gaze met Ceinwen’s. “I still can’t get used to hearing this guy talk about demons as if they were as real as wolves, bears, and mountain lions.”

  “My sentiments exactly, Sheriff,” she admitted.

  “So, Michael, you want to retrieve it,” Jake said. "But doesn't that mean you’ll be exposing all of us to danger while the pearl is here but not contained within rare earth elements?"

  "It would except that I'm hoping you'll help us get our hands on a small lead container that we can fill with rare earth elements. We’ll put the pearl and its case into it before we move it anywhere."

  Jake nodded. “I’ve got a buddy who works down at the Idaho National Lab in Idaho Falls. It’s part of the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, so I suspect they have stuff like that. I’m pretty sure I can get him to send whatever we need up here by messenger as long as we’re willing to pay the cost, which we definitely are.”

  “Great,” Michael said, then turned to Ceinwen. "You’ll be interested in seeing the bronze vessel the pearl is in. It's no bigger than an apricot and from the Shang Dynasty. It�
��s a completely rare and unique piece, worth a fortune. I wish I could let the world know about, but all things considered, that’s not a good idea."

  Ceinwen’s eyebrows rose. “How intriguing. It makes me even more glad I'm on this trip."

  "So, Jake," Michael continued, "is there a way I can get my hands on some firearms? The demons should be contained, but who knows what else we might encounter out there in the middle of nowhere."

  "Not to worry," Jake said. "I'm going with you. And, I'll ask a couple of deputies along. There are too many strange things happening in that backcountry, and the last thing I want is for you and your international friends to end up in the news because you've disappeared or been killed."

  "Why, Sheriff, that’s so thoughtful.” Ceinwen’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “You're really looking out for us, aren't you?"

  Jake looked at Michael. "Why am I not surprised you've traveling with her?"

  Michael grinned. "Just my luck I guess."

  "Well, while you two are grinning like a pair of hyenas," Ceinwen said, "Jianjun and I will pack up the Jeep with whatever you think we should bring along."

  "Tell you what," Jake said. "Let's go over to my house. We’ll spend tonight gathering supplies, and make the trip first thing in the morning. By the way, Michael, how far are we going?"

  "It's in the mountains north of the Salmon River and south of the Selway, off Highway 12."

  "That’s pretty far, and not much out there.”

  “I remember a sign for Selway Falls, but after that, there’s nothing at all."

  Chapter 38

  Jake was ready early the next morning. Two part-time deputies, Len Rosenfeld and Pete Grayson, volunteered to join them. They rode with Jake in his truck while the others followed in Michael’s Jeep.

  Ceinwen did her best not to think about where they were going or what they might find there, but it wasn’t working. Her investigations had resulted in many unusual trips, but her earlier journey to a spot where Egyptian pillars supposedly once stood, not to mention Jake and Rachel’s bizarre reaction to what they saw there, was one of the strangest. She feared this trip might make that one look like a Teddy Bear picnic.

  She had scores of questions about the past, but since Michael would only give the barest details, she turned to face Jianjun in the backseat. “Were you part of the group lost out here two years ago?”

  He glanced in Michael’s direction. “I was spared that, I’m happy to say.”

  “But surely, you know about it.”

  “Yes, of course. I mean, Michael talked about it.” At Michael’s quick frown in the rearview mirror at him, Jianjun added, “When he needed to.” He clamped his mouth shut.

  “Have you traveled with Michael many places?” she asked.

  “Many places. He’s been my boss for a few years.”

  “So, tell me about yourself,” Ceinwen said. “Are you married?”

  “Yes. My wife is in Vancouver, Canada.”

  “Any kids?”

  “No. No kids.”

  “What does she think of you doing a lot of traveling?”

  “She’s fine with it.”

  “Does she ever join you?”

  “No way! I mean, traveling around, roughing it, she’d hate it.”

  “It must get lonely for you,” Ceinwen said.

  Jianjun looked to Michael for help against the barrage, but Michael was, or pretended to be, concentrating on his driving. “Not really,” Jianjun murmured.

  “No?”

  His breathing quickened. “I mean … there’s so much work to do. Always. Who has time to think about being lonely? Ha, ha.”

  He gave as forced a laugh as Ceinwen had ever heard. “Sure,” she said. She knew evasive when it slapped her in the face. But why? She stopped asking questions, realizing that to get real answers, she’d have to talk to Jianjun when he was alone.

  The highway brought them into Montana before heading west, back to Idaho. At the tiny town of Lowell, they turned due south. Past Selway Falls, the road ended. There, they made camp.

  “This is a far cry from what we ate in Japan,” Ceinwen said to Jake as they shared canned beef stew and pan-fried biscuits. “But it’s better than airplane food.”

  “Horse pellets would be better than airplane food,” Michael said.

  Jake’s two deputies soon took their bedrolls and retired for the night as if realizing the old friends had a lot to talk about.

  Michael and the others kept their voices low as they huddled around the campfire.

  “What really happened in Japan, Michael?” Jake asked. “I can’t believe you left Rachel alone there.”

  As Michael filled Jake in on everything that had happened, Ceinwen studied his expression. The amazing part was that Jake, just as Jianjun had done when Michael told him the same story on the flight from Japan, accepted everything Michael told him without question. More than ever, she wondered what in the world took place out here two years earlier.

  She heard a low howl in the distance. “I hope that was a coyote with a very deep voice,” Ceinwen said.

  “We pronounce it ‘KAI-yote’ out here,” Jake said. “Not ‘kai-YO-tee,’ but that’s no coyote. I’d say it’s a wolf. Don’t worry, they know better than to come around people. Pretty much, anyway.”

  “I hope you’re right. We rid England and Wales of wolves a couple centuries ago, but some people are trying to reintroduce them. I think the sheep farmers in Wales will have something to say about that. Textiles, my brothers’ business, is still an important industry there.” She stopped talking at the sound of another howl followed by an answering cry. She rubbed her arms against a sudden chill, and when she spoke, her voice was tiny. “It’s been a while since I’ve slept outdoors. And never around wolves. And don’t you have grizzly bears and mountain lions out here as well?”

  “We do,” Jake said.

  She faced Michael. “Is it too late for me to bow out?”

  At his stricken look, she laughed. “Just kidding. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  “So I’ve been told,” Michael said. “And it’s not four-legged creatures we need to worry about.”

  She nodded. “How are we going to do this?”

  “First, we hope the pearl is still where we buried it. If not, we’ll need to find it. It’s too dangerous to let loose on the world.”

  She turned to Jianjun. “You’ve been involved with this pearl, haven’t you?”

  He drew in his breath. “I’m sorry to say I have. I was hoping I would never be again.”

  “Do you think it’ll be possible for us to retrieve it and take it back to Japan?” she asked.

  “That … should be possible,” he said.

  “I hear hesitation.”

  Jianjun glanced at Michael, then said, “If there are demons around, and apparently there are, they'll want it. They'll attack, and they’re formidable.”

  She gawked at him. “So … you’re saying you’ve been attacked by demons?”

  “Hasn’t everyone?” He deadpanned. Michael and Jake chuckled.

  “Har, har,” Ceinwen said. “But you, like Michael, believe demons are real.”

  “I know they are. I’ve had bruises to prove it.” Jianjun hesitated a moment, then faced Michael. “That’s why this worries me. What if the pearl doesn’t work on whatever is hurting your friends in Japan? What if we can’t control the demons and end up releasing them into the world again?”

  “Don’t talk like that, Jianjun. Michael can handle them,” Ceinwen said. The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she thought, my God, now I’m believing all this!

  “I’m worried, too,” Michael admitted to her, his expression tortured. “You and Jake didn’t see how strong and cruel they were. They killed a lot of people. For us to attempt to save two friends, who knows what harm we might end up doing to others?”

  “But how can we sit back and do nothing when we might save them?”

  Troubled eyes met hers. �
��But at what risk, Ceinwen? The last time, I couldn’t have contained the demons alone. I had help. Men sacrificed themselves to help.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “It was terrible.”

  “I’ll do all I can,” Ceinwen said.

  “I know.” He took her hand. “You don't need to be part of this. You could be safe at Oxford. What if something happens to you out here?”

  Her fingers tightened. “It’s my choice to be here. No matter what happens, remember that.”

  He nodded, then stood. “We should get some sleep. We’ll make an early start in the morning.”

  The men spread out their bedrolls, and Ceinwen took a blanket and got into the SUV. Another wolf howled, and she shivered as if it were an omen.

  “Michael,” Jianjun whispered after Jake’s snores told him the sheriff was asleep. “Are you awake?”

  Michael sat up. “What is it?”

  Jianjun move closer so as not to wake anyone. “I need to tell you something. I wanted to tell you on the plane long before we got here, but I didn’t want to worry Ceinwen."

  Michael frowned. "I'm all ears."

  "When I went to Japan, I went in search of the place you told me you were going to--Kamigawa. First I went to Izumo, then Matsue. I talked with people at the museums, to the local police, to villagers, old and young, but I found no one who had ever heard of Kamigawa. I tried everything I could think of to find it. But it’s not on any maps. It’s nowhere. And then, when I talked to Japanese historians to find out about the Nakamura daimyo family, I discovered there was no such thing."

  “That’s impossible.”

  “It happened.”

  “Did you drive around or try the trains?”

  “Both. I’ve concluded Kamigawa doesn’t exist. At least not in my world. And no Nakamura was ever a daimyo ... here. What does that tell you?”

  “Christ!” Michael said. “I’ll admit I kept getting a sense that nothing was quite as it seemed. Things were too perfect and fell into place too easily. And when the power went out, I didn’t even care. No one cared, in fact.”

  “I hate to say it,” Jianjun said, “but I suspect something lured both you and Rachel there. How else could you two end up in such a place?"