Quintessence (Statera Saga Book 2)

by Amy Marie

  “This is ancient knowledge. He has never known of anyone alive with the Hand Eye. But from what’s been passed down, he knows it means you’re connected to the Great Spirit’s domain, and that the sun shines in you, and that you see with your dreams.”

  He’s describing everything about the reminiscence and my light soul. How could he know these things? Could this ancient knowledge all be connected?

  Rafe meets my eyes with surety. We’ve got to find out more!

  “What else can you tell us?” he asks the Shaman.

  His face is so full of wrinkles, it’s hard to tell that he’s smiling. He seems to be accepting our acknowledgement of his words. He begins to move around the room as he continues his explanation, and Dansé continues her translation.

  “This is why you have come. You have been led here. The battle you are about to enter has been raging since the wheel of time began its first rotation. You will face the greatest of evils.” He moves closer and places a stone object into my palm and closes his hands around mine. “But there is hope,” he says, nodding along to Dansé’s words. Letting go, he moves away.

  I open my hand and take a closer look at the carving on the face of the round stone:

  It’s some sort of eight-point star, like a compass. “What is this?” I ask, carefully handling the aged stone.

  The old man watches me as Dansé continues her translation.

  “That is the symbol of hope and guidance. It was given to our tribe long ago, passed down through various prophecies.”

  Guidance and prophecy. My mind immediately jumps to Lilly. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that I just found the element guide. This could be a good sign.

  He continues, “The inner star is the morning star, the symbol of first light. It represents great courage. You know this?” he asks me.

  I nod, suddenly uneasy. I know it all too well. The last thing I want is a reminder of my connection to the morning star. I’ve been doing my best not to even think about it.

  “The outer star combines the four directions of the inner star with the four seasons of the earth, the cycles of this life. It represents great hope. All together, they look like the sun. It is a brighter light than the morning star. The light shines much brighter this time.”

  At those last words, I look up into the Shaman’s eyes.

  He knows exactly who I am.

  “What about the circle?” I ask, looking down at the stone as Dansé relays the question. It might just be everything we’ve been discussing, but the outer circle makes the symbol looks almost like the iris of an eye.

  “The protection of the elements, and more importantly the protection of the Great Spirit. The full circle has no break and cannot be broken.”

  His words send chills down my spine as I recall the image of the broken, unfinished circle that Rafe described as a symbol of the emptiness. I’m amazed at how all these symbols, all these cultures, all point back to the energy and the emptiness. It’s no coincidence. But what does it mean? There’s something important here. I can’t let go of this feeling in the back of my head about the eye.

  “You must follow your dreams,” the Shaman interrupts my thoughts through Dansé’s words. He points to my palm and then to my forehead. “Seek the eye, it will guide you.”

  “What does that mean?” asks Rafe.

  “I only have the signs,” the elder responds. “I can only pass along what has been shown to me.”

  I move to return the stone to him.

  “Keep it, light one. I believe it was meant for you.”

  Thanking him, I turn to Dansé to ask, “Did he know we were coming?”

  She turns to her father and asks, but he shakes his head.

  “He says, the prophecy speaks of people like you, but he didn’t know,” she responds. Her face is drained of color. This must be quite the shock to her.

  “Nora, tell him your dream. See if he knows the fire spirit,” Rafe urges.

  I turn back to the Shaman, and he gazes at me with thoughtful eyes.

  “I had a dream of a prophecy that went wrong. A young Potawatomi man that carried the spirit of fire. He was hunted by the destructor. Do you know this story?”

  “I know of the spirit of whom you speak. I cannot say anymore without meeting with the Council. I will call upon them tonight. They will decide how to help you,” he declares.

  “But if you know–” I try to argue, but the old man raises his hands to stop me.

  “I cannot act without the Council’s consent. That is the way of the tribe.” He grabs my hand. “Please, come see me tomorrow. I will do everything I can, light one.” With that he pats my hand, and dismisses us.

  We walk out of the office and back into reality, as if waking from a dream.

  I turn to Dansé at her desk. “Is there anything that can be done?”

  “I’m sorry. They will have to meet. But I know he’ll convince them to help you. He’s the eldest in all the tribes. He only speaks the ancient language. They trust in his faith and knowledge. I trust that he recognizes the truth in you.” While her speech is genuine, I can see her demeanor has changed towards me. She’s afraid.

  “I’m not like the other one, you know,” I say automatically in defense.

  She gives a quick nod and responds, “I have to make arrangements for the meeting. I’ll let you know first thing tomorrow. You can find your way back to the hotel?”

  “Yes, thank you. For everything,” I say with meaning, willing her not to fear me. She nods and gives us a quick goodbye.

  Later that night, Rafe and I leave the casino to pick Darcy up from the airport. Sitting at baggage claim, I begin to pace back and forth. There’s a tense feeling in the air and it’s making me uneasy.

  People in the terminal are rushing around and frantic. They start to gather at the few television screens in the area. A breaking news report is flashing red across the screen.

  Rafe moves to stand next to me as we stare up at the screen and see a horrific scene caught on camera. Some sort of explosion in town has caused an entire city block to be engulfed in flames.

  I sway in my spot as my mind conjures every worst-case scenario I can think of.

  Oh God, please don’t let that be Darcy’s plane!

  Rafe puts his arm around my shoulders, helping to support me. We both keep our eyes on the screen in an awful mix of fear and hope. The noise in the terminal is nearly too much. People are starting to panic.

  “My phone’s not working. Is yours?” Rafe asks.

  I pull out my phone, but it’s no good. With the emergency and panic, there’s no service. “Nothing. I’m not even getting any wifi.”

  “The signals must be jammed from all this. I’ll go check the arrivals screen and see if I can talk to someone from the airlines,” Rafe says. Before he moves away, he stops to assure me, “Don’t worry, Nora, he can’t be killed. Wait here, I’ll come find you.”

  I nod and he pushes his way toward the airline counters.

  In all the commotion, I barely hear the voice behind me until the words send a chill up my spine.

  “You are the reason they had to die.”

  Chapter 6

  The voice is familiar, but the tone is different. I turn to look into the eyes of a Barbie doll gone wrong.

  “Emily? Is that you?” She’s nearly unrecognizable. Her eyes are sunken and hollow, and her skin is pale and clammy.

  “Where is he?” she asks.

  My mouth hangs open in shock. Is this about Rafe?

  “He just left. Emily, what are you doing here? Did you follow us all the way from Boston? Is everything alright?” I ask, incredulous.

  She looks right through me, eyes out of focus. I begin to wonder if drugs are involved. My instinct is to help her if I can, but then her first words finally register after the delay of the initial shock from seeing her.

  Who had to die?

  “Emily, what’s going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?” I ask. My gut starts it’s natu
ral warning process. Something’s seriously wrong.

  “It’s too late,” she whispers.

  “Nora!” The authority in that familiar voice carries over the crowd.

  Darcy!

  Relief washes over me as I turn towards the arriving rush of passengers. My eyes are drawn to him like a magnet, and I pick his dark features out of the crowd instantly.

  I want nothing more than to run and wrap my arms around him, but indecision keeps me in my place. I turn back in Emily’s direction, but she’s nowhere to be found. I stand up on the tip of my toes searching for her blond hair, but she’s disappeared.

  Arms whip me around and trap me in a tight embrace.

  “Thank goodness you are alright. Have you seen what has happened?” Darcy asks, stepping back to check me over.

  “No, I was just… We saw something on the news. Rafe went to go check on you and I got distracted,” I start to wonder if I imagined seeing Emily. I glance around again, but still no sign of her.

  “What is it?” he asks, taking my face into his hands and staring straight into my soul.

  “There was a woman here. An old friend of Rafe’s. I think she followed us from Boston. She looked terrible.” I shake my head, still not quite believing what I saw.

  “Did she hurt you?” He puffs up, looking around the crowded baggage claim.

  “No, she… I’m fine. I’m so glad you’re here. What’s going on?” I ask, looping my arm through his as we move through the crowd.

  “I am not certain. They are saying my plane was the last to land. All other flights are cancelled. There is some sort of ground stop due to an emergency. The airline would not say much, they did not want the passengers to panic. Rafe!” he calls to our friend through the hustle.

  Rafe raises his arm, and beelines over through the crowd. When he reaches us, he gives Darcy a quick handshake in greeting.

  “We better get out of here. They’ve just cancelled everything for the rest of the night. There’s been some sort of explosion in the city. It’s effecting the flight path. People are pretty shaken up.” He points the way to the exit.

  In the car, Rafe sums up our visit with the Shaman for Darcy’s benefit as I sit quietly in back, mulling over my run-in with Emily.

  “Nora, hello?” Rafe glances at me in the rearview mirror.

  “Huh?” I ask, coming to attention.

  “Do you have that stone the Shaman gave you?” he asks.

  “Oh, yeah. Here it is.” I pull the stone out of my purse and hand it up to Darcy.

  “Is something wrong?” Rafe asks, still glancing in the mirror.

  “Nothing to worry about,” I wave him off.

  “That is not true. She said there was a friend of yours at the airport that may have followed you both from Boston,” Darcy says with a stern look back at me for hiding the truth.

  “Who?” Rafe asks, stunned.

  “Emily,” I admit. “But she looked awful. She wasn’t making any sense. And she didn’t look anything like the last time I saw her. I think something was wrong.”

  “Emily followed us?” Rafe almost yells. “How? Why?”

  I shrug, realizing too late he can’t see me. “I’m not sure. She asked where you were, but that’s not the disturbing part.”

  “There is more?” Darcy turns to me in frustration. He hates when I keep things like this from him.

  I sigh. They’re not going to like this.

  “When she found me, she said ‘You’re the reason they had to die.’ But it didn’t make any sense.”

  Two angry men start lecturing in the front seat and I shrink into the back corner.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” yells Rafe.

  “Why would you keep something like that from us, Nora?” Darcy scolds. “Has anyone been in contact with Michael and Charity?”

  “I texted them when we walked out of the terminal. They’re fine. That’s why I didn’t say anything right away. She wasn’t making any sense. It was like she was on drugs. Nothing like the woman I met last year.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Em at all. Unless she just lost it! If that’s the case, it could make her dangerous. You’re lucky she didn’t attack you, she was always pretty jealous,” says Rafe.

  “I dunno,” I say. “I feel like she just needed help.”

  Darcy lets out one of his sighs that could be mistaken as a growl. “Your compassion will kill you one of these days. I just wish you would think of your own safety first,” Darcy stares into my eyes, almost pleading.

  “It’s who I am,” my tone challenges him to respond. But this time he stays quiet.

  “Guys…” Rafe interrupts us as the rental car slows to a halt.

  We’re stuck in a gridlock just a few blocks from the hotel. Up ahead, police have put up a blockade, stopping all flow of traffic.

  “What is this?” Darcy asks.

  I reach for my handle and open my door, standing up at the side of the car with my mouth hanging open. Up ahead, the fiery remains of the casino and hotel are scorching the night air. The flames are all-consuming and there’s only a charred pile left where the casino once stood.

  Chapter 7

  “Is that–” Darcy starts to ask.

  “The hotel,” confirms Rafe. “The tribe…” he trails off.

  “We have to leave, now. Nora, get in the car,” Darcy commands with a gruff voice.

  “We can’t leave, what about the tribe–” but my denial is cut off.

  “Nora, they were meeting with the council in the casino conference room tonight. The entire council, the Keepers of the Fire… they were all in there,” Rafe’s voice breaks.

  No.

  My chest squeezes in pain. They can’t be gone. Dansé. The Shaman. They were going to tell us how to locate the fire soul. They knew! They died because they knew. They died because they were helping us.

  The cold blade of guilt slices through me. They died because of us. Because of me.

  You are the reason they had to die.

  The chilling warning comes screaming to the forefront of my mind, and tears begin to flow after the initial shock. Could Emily have been behind this? Could she somehow be helping the destructor? How could this happen?

  “You both could have been inside,” Darcy says, his voice flat. “We have to get out of here. Talbot must be near.”

  The decision is made. With the airport closed, Rafe drives us up to Tulsa and we catch a red-eye back to Boston before morning.

  When we get back to the safety of the sanctuary, Darcy pulls me to the side to whisper in my ear. “Go rest in my bed. I’ll take care of the explanations.”

  I give a clumsy nod of exhausted grief and zombie walk to the cozy bedroom. All cried out for the day, I face plant on the bed and hope to not be disturbed until the next morning, but a soft knock on the door catches me before I fall asleep.

  “May I join you?” asks Darcy, ever the gentleman.

  “Of course,” I yawn.

  He climbs into the bed to cradle me in his arms, and somehow, just being near him comforts me a bit.

  “I am sorry for scolding you,” he says.

  Nearly drifting off again, I barely hear him. “Huh?” I ask.

  “About the woman, Emily. I am sorry. I know it is ingrained in your soul to worry about others before your own safety. It drives me crazy sometimes, but it is most definitely what makes you who you are. Your compassion and selflessness is what makes your light shine differently. It is your super power.” He smiles, tucking my hair behind my ear.

  I snuggle into him after the welcoming compliment. He kisses the top of my head and we settle in for rest.

  After a moment, I can’t resist asking, “What about you, Darcy? What dark super power dwells within you?”

  “I pray none of us finds out,” he says, growing moody.

  “What do you think happened to the original dark and light souls?” I ask with heavy eyes.

  “I imagine, if they were anything like us, the
y were in it together. Till the end,” he says, barely above a whisper.

  “Till the end,” I repeat, closing my eyes with my head on his chest. The echo of his cursed heartbeat creates a muffled lullaby. Despite the pain and guilt that’s been lingering from the fire incident, I’m pleased to find myself back in Darcy’s arms. So pleased, I don’t remember falling asleep.

  I wake in a dark room.

  Moonlight dances across the stone floor from the open door.

  Shifting in the bed, the beads sewn into my linen garment scratch my arm. I look down to see a light-colored dress belted at the waist and adorned with turquoise beads on my chest.

  Am I at a toga party?

  I rise from the bed in confusion, looking around the simple room.

  I automatically drift toward a welcoming breeze sifting through the open entry. I walk out to a moonlit view of desert and stone. I’m in awe at the view of giant pyramids in the distance. The silence of the land is the final tip informing me I’m not in my own time.

  A dream.

  My inner voice confirms, while my body carries out the dreaming memory.

  Glancing back into the dark doorway, I leap over the stone balcony onto the desert floor. Several lizards scatter as I move along the wall in a half-crouch to avoid being seen.

  We have arranged to meet by the river. That’s where he found me.

  A man’s name pops into my mind: Kamenwati, the dark rebel. He calls me Khepri, the morning sun, though I was born with another name.

  We are looking for water, but not the water of the river. We seek the spirit in human form led to us by his dreaming prophecy. The eye has shown us the way. We have come far, farther than any before us.

  A slithering serpent crosses my path – not a good omen.

  I clutch the amulet hanging from my neck. He said it would protect me.

  The sand snake slides away with one last look my way. Shivering, I continue on toward the river.

  There are no trees along the sandy banks, and the full moon casts bright light on the calm waters. The soft lapping on the shore is the only sound in the still of night.