by Kathy Miner
“No hell to report, lots you need to know about, and nothing that can’t wait. Come find me after you see Ignacio, and I’ll fill you in.”
Naomi nodded, grateful for Rowan’s understanding, and hurried back out to the horses. Shakti seemed fine, but Naomi was anxious to get Ignacio’s expert eyes and hands on the mare. She was just as anxious to speak to Quinn about Grace. She rode out with Shakti and Pasha on lead ropes behind, Hades trotting alongside.
They had stopped at the cabins on the way into town to drop off the supplies they’d brought, unsurprised to find Martin’s cabin empty. Grace was supposed to be staying with Anne while they were gone, after all. For the first time, it occurred to Naomi to wonder where Persephone was. She made contact with Hades and felt the question. “Do you sense her, boy? Where is she?”
Hades’ ears pricked, and his head turned this way and that as he sampled the summer afternoon breezes. Through him, Naomi was aware of a sense that went beyond sight, smell or hearing. Much as she was connected to Piper, Hades was connected to Persephone, but there was more; he was, in fact, connected to a vast, unified energy beyond that, which she’d barely begun to understand. She had just touched the edges of it, had just become aware of it on a conscious level. One of these days, she thought, she’d have a chance to sit and contemplate it all. Right now, she just wanted to know where little Persephone was.
Hades looked at her and whined. Far. Naomi pressed a hand over her heart, aware of the newness that was Martin, aware of Piper, aware of Grace. All of her loved ones, far from her and probably far from safe. And now Persephone missing. Tears heated her eyes and she blinked at the sky, not wanting to give in to them. If she started crying now, she would never stop. And there was too much to be done. She blew out a huge breath of air, then pointed a finger at Hades. “Don’t even think about going anywhere! You’re with me, you got that, bub?”
She had thought her heart would stop when Shakti had fallen. One minute they’d been riding along, and the next minute the air was full of terrified squeals and flailing horse’s legs. Martin hadn’t made a sound, though he’d probably lacked the wind to do so. The soft ground had certainly saved both horse and rider from more serious injury, but they’d been lucky. So damn lucky. Naomi had since decided that she hated luck.
That fast, he could have been gone. Didn’t they all know that now, how fast life could be lost? She thought about that a lot these days, particularly in the dead of night, when she couldn’t sleep and thoughts were never good. She thought about her life before, about how cozy and protected she had felt, how insulated from death and loss. She knew now it had all been an illusion. Given the chance, would she go back to the beloved fantasy, even knowing what she now knew?
Naomi shook her head and laughed a sad laugh, remembering the words Isaiah had spoken to her in the grip of his strange vision: Life lived to the fullest isn’t lived only in comfort and safety. No, she wouldn’t go back. She had learned to hold paradox in her heart. She’d lost a life she had loved, would always have loved, and she had gained the chance to be so much more. To be something she never could have imagined.
She rode up to Ignacio’s ranch, the horses’ loud, nickering neighs announcing their arrival. Ignacio came out of the barn, wiping his hands on a rag, trailed by Sam and Beck. In the garden behind the house, Quinn was bent over a small bush covered with white, daisy-like flowers, explaining something to a young woman Naomi didn’t know. On a blanket in the shade, Lark lay quietly, either napping or contemplating the fluttering aspen leaves above her. Quinn lifted a hand in greeting, then returned to his explanations. Naomi rode into the stable, dismounted, and was seized in a fierce hug by Ignacio.
“We were that worried! Quinn and I both had the heebies – what kind of trouble did you run into?” His eyes went to Shakti. “Ah. I see part of it. Let me look at you, sweetheart.”
While his hands coasted and examined, Sam and Beck led the other horses away. Ben craned his head back to send her an anxious whicker, and she sent a pulse of love to him. “I won’t leave without saying goodbye, boy.” Then she turned back to Ignacio. “I hardly know where to start.”
She went over it, all of it, including the exodus of the Bear Creek people, what Isaiah had said, and what she had decided. “I know you don’t want to leave here, Ignacio. Neither do I. But even if by some miracle Grace is successful in crippling the gang or disrupting their plans, she can’t wipe them out completely. We’re just too close to Colorado Springs here.” She sighed, and rested a closed fist on her heart. “I could go through all her arguments with you, and all of mine, but it comes down to this: we need to go, if we want to survive. I feel it, in my heart and in my gut.”
Ignacio listened without interrupting, then led Shakti back to her stall with Naomi trailing behind. She leaned a shoulder on the stall door and watched as he began brushing Shakti with a soft brush. He murmured to her as he worked, a low, soothing sound that lulled the mare into a doze and made Naomi’s eyes droop, too. Finally, he gave Shakti a pat and left the stall, closing the door behind him. Their eyes met, and Naomi felt hers fill with tears.
“You’re not coming with us.”
Ignacio looped their arms together, and strolled them out into the beautiful summer day. Finally, he began speaking. “I feel my course, too, Naomi. You and I don’t talk about religious matters, but I have a deal with our Creator. I listen, and He guides me. My place is here.” Ignacio stopped walking, pausing in the shade by the stable. He nodded his head towards Quinn and Lark, his brown, lined face soft and broken with love. “Just like their place is with you. Quinn won’t want to leave, but he will, for Lark’s sake. Same with Ethan and Elise – they’ll go for the twins.” He patted her hand, stopping her protest before it could start. “I won’t be alone. Andrea will stay with me. Not sure yet about her brother. She seems to think we can mount some kind of defense, but I know better. We can slow them down, maybe sting them a little, but we can’t stop them. My bones will lie here with my family’s and my ancestors’, and that brings me a great deal of peace.”
Naomi stared at his profile. “After all this, you’re opting out? It’s suicide, Ignacio. You’re right – we don’t talk about religious things, and I’m not a religious woman. I respect you too much to trot out a bunch of mumbo-jumbo about suicide being a mortal sin.” The tears she’d been fighting flooded over, and her face twisted like a child’s. “I’ve lost so many people I love, Ignacio. Help me understand why, so I don’t hurt us both by trying to change your mind.”
“Nature teaches us all of it, Naomi, everything we need to know. My wife, she put a lot of store by the church and its teachings, and I went with her because it meant that much to her. But for me, God speaks through nature, through the animals I love and the passing seasons, the ways of living and growing things. You and I, we understand the hearts of His creatures, whether they’re tame or wild. We feel the Creator through them. You know what I mean, don’t you?”
Naomi nodded slowly, thinking about the vast connection she sensed through Hades, the network of energy that felt like it had no end. “With dogs especially. They love us, not because we’re worthy or we deserve it. They simply love, purely. I’ve always thought dogs are as close to Divine love as we can get on Earth.” She smiled a watery smile at him. “But I’ve never said it out loud before. Cats and Shetland ponies, not as Divine. Less evolved, maybe.”
Ignacio smiled in return, and squeezed her hand. “They sure don’t think so, especially cats.” He gazed at her quietly for a moment, from eyes that were sad and peaceful. “Seasons pass, Naomi. Animals know when their time here is done. Just like I know.” He reached up, and with his gnarled, brown thumb, smoothed the tears off her cheeks. “I’m so glad to have known you. I don’t think I would have made it this long without the life and love you brought to me after I lost my family. You brought Quinn and my sweet little Lark to me, too. That’s your gift, just as much as your way with animals. You bring people together. You create l
ove and comfort, wherever you go. You make strangers into family. And I have surely appreciated it.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and together, they watched life bloom and buzz and thrive on a summer afternoon like any other, an afternoon that felt endless, though they both knew it was one of the last. The end of a season. Finally, she sighed, looking over at him, letting her eyes trace and memorize his dear, weathered features. “I will miss you so much.”
“And I’ll miss you. You’ll take the horses with you, of course, all of them. I won’t have them here for those bastards that are coming, and Ben’s your boy, now and always. I called that one, didn’t I? You two are peas and carrots.”
Naomi nodded. “It will be my joy to take care of them.” She reached up to kiss his cheek. “Could you let everyone know we’re having a community meeting at the church tonight? A couple hours before sunset, I think, so we have plenty of time to talk it all out and make plans.”
“Ethan and Elise are hunting, but I expect them back soon. I’ll pass the word.”
Naomi gave his arm a final squeeze and headed for the garden, and Quinn. She nodded politely at the young woman as she approached. “I’m Naomi. We haven’t met – are you a newcomer?”
“Just visiting from Limon. I’m Aly.” She held out her hand and they shook. “Quinn has been helping me learn about medicinal herbs.” She slid a brief, admiring glance in his direction, but Quinn was oblivious. “He’s so knowledgeable.”
Naomi smiled. “He sure is. Aly, if you’d excuse us, I need to talk to Quinn in private for a moment.”
Quinn gave Aly some quick instructions, then walked with Naomi to the blanket where Lark was drowsing. They sat down on either side of her, and Naomi dove right in. “You told people not to go after Grace. Why?”
Quinn looked away. “Even if they had been able to find her, she wouldn’t have listened to them. She wouldn’t listen to me.”
“You knew what she had planned?”
“Not until the day she left. But I wasn’t surprised. I knew she wouldn’t be able to stay here.”
“Why, Quinn? I thought, with time, she would start to heal.”
“They broke something in her. It hurts her to feel, and Lark makes her feel. In time, I hope she learns how again. But she needs to be away from all of us to do that, so she can take the time she needs. We push her too hard.”
Naomi felt her stomach tighten. “What about her dad? Does she need to be away from him, too?”
Quinn looked down at Lark, tracing a finger along her tiny, plump forearm, then stroking her cheek before he answered. “Martin wants Grace to feel things she’s not ready for. He’s ready to love Lark. I think he already does, and it hurts him, that Grace can’t. Not yet, anyway. That’s a big distance to cross.”
Naomi, too, reached out to stroke Lark’s butter-soft cheek. So badly, she wanted to scoop the sleeping baby up and nuzzle her close, feel her warm, living weight safe in her arms, listen to her breathe. She contented herself with straightening Lark’s little yellow jumper and smoothing the dark down of her hair. When it was long enough, she would teach Quinn how to do a French braid. “It is,” she sighed at last. “A very great distance. Thanks, Quinn.”
She left on one of Ignacio’s ATVs with Hades tucked in a small trailer behind her. She needed to continue spreading the word, and she wanted some time to gather her thoughts and look through Grace’s notes before everyone came together. She thought about Quinn as they rode, and realized he was part of the future she very much wanted to experience. He was such a sweet-natured young man, so kind. And Lark, oh, that baby girl could own Naomi’s heart without an ounce of effort. Not the family she’d lost, but the family she’d gained, with the potential to grow just as dear, just as beloved, with the passage of time.
As Rowan had requested, Naomi tracked her down when she arrived back in Woodland Park. Rowan offered her an early dinner, which Naomi accepted gratefully. They walked to Rowan’s small cottage, and Rowan filled Naomi in on the events that had transpired in the community in her absence.
The girl Quinn had been working with, Aly, was part of a larger group visiting from Limon. They were led by a man named Brian Weaver; he and his “emissaries” had arrived a week ago and were staying with Rowan. Aly had been spending time with both Rowan and Quinn, learning all she could about herbal and other natural medical treatments. Greg, an older man, spent all his time with Alder, talking about wind turbines.
“I’ll let Brian fill you in on the rest – I don’t want to steal his thunder,” Rowan said, as she held her front door open for Naomi. She grinned. “He’s a silver-tongued devil, but he’s so darn nice about it, you can’t dislike him. Believe me. I’ve tried.”
In Rowan’s small living room, the man named Brian rose to his feet. “Greetings from Limon, and from your daughter,” he said, with a smile so beautiful Naomi was instantly charmed, whether she wanted to be charmed or not. “I see now where Piper gets her beauty.”
Naomi gasped. “You’ve seen Piper!”
Brian nodded, then walked to pick up a thick plastic envelope from a side table. “We brought copies of her maps and notes, as well as a letter for you. She told us to tell you she’d send runners whenever she could find people interested in creating a network.” He grinned again his gorgeous grin. “It’s an honor to be the first participants in the Piper-net.”
Naomi took the packet from him and opened it with eager fingers. She read Piper’s note again and again, tracing each letter with her finger, absorbing her girl. “Loki,” she whispered. She hadn’t seen the raven since the day Piper left, now that she thought about it. She remembered the dreams she’d had, the strange perspectives, the places and people she hadn’t recognized, and finally understood. “I’ll be damned,” she breathed. “Wow, that sure would have come in handy when she was in high school.”
Over a simple meal, she visited with Brian and Greg, asking about their community, what they’d seen, what they’d heard about the outside world. Aly returned partway through the meal, and joined in the conversation eagerly. Shortly after they’d arrived in Woodland Park, Brian had spoken with Quinn, explaining the misunderstanding in the wake of the plague and delivering his father’s apologies. Brian was determined to wait until the situation with Grace was resolved before he left, hoping to make peace with her as well. The people of Limon, he told Naomi, were interested in helping Woodland Park address the gang issue.
“It’s not really our problem yet,” he said. “We haven’t seen hide nor hair of the helicopters, thank God. But it will be our problem, if we don’t do something. It’s only a matter of time. I guess if the plague taught us anything, it’s that we’re all more closely connected than we thought.”
Naomi agreed. So many of his ideas were intriguing; watchers, for example, who could provide an early warning system if the gang was on the move, perhaps via intuitive channels. “We’ve got people who can just about read each other’s minds, they’re so attuned to each other. Doesn’t matter how far apart they are. With practice, maybe that could be refined. Piper said you two have a connection that you can both always feel. Do you know where she is right now?”
Without hesitation, Naomi pointed to the north-east. “That way. And very, very far away.”
Brian’s face fell, and he sighed theatrically. “I should probably confess that I’ve got a crush on your daughter,” he said, eyes sparkling. “She doesn’t return my regard, but I’m a patient man.”
They finished their meal. Naomi returned to the library to ready herself for the community meeting while Rowan, helped by Brian and his people, began spreading the word. Through all her preparations, through a tough conversation with Anne, who was devastated at the thought of leaving her beloved library, through the community meeting that followed, which went much as Naomi had anticipated, she kept a corner of her attention fixed on Martin, on the bond that glowed steadily in her heart. He was alive and he wasn’t in mortal danger; those were the only two certain
ties she had.
Fourteen people were choosing to stay, including Ignacio, Andrea and her brother Paul, and a group that had traveled together from Colorado Springs earlier this summer and settled on Turkey Creek near Ignacio’s ranch. The rest of them, ninety-six people not counting Martin, Grace and Verity, would travel the 230 miles to Pagosa Springs, crossing rivers, gorges, canyons, and four mountain passes, including Wolf Creek Pass at nearly 11,000 feet. They would use motorized transportation only for the elderly; otherwise, they would travel at the speed of their slowest walker. Twenty horses and a scattering of goats would help carry their lives away from the old and into the new, and Naomi had already assigned work crews to help Anne pack up the library. They needed to bring as much of their knowledge base with them as they could possibly manage. If Grace’s projections were correct, the journey would take them at least two weeks, and that was assuming bridges were still intact and passes were still open.
Naomi had set their departure date for a week from today. She didn’t like the itch she felt to move that up, but she wanted to give Martin and Grace as much time as possible to return. Her announcement to the gathered community had been met with a minimum of shock and dismay, and Naomi knew she had intuition to thank for that. Several people had spoken to her after the meeting of nightmares, of the sense of impending danger they’d been suffering.
The sun had set by the time she finally wound her way home, the headlights of her ATV cutting through the rapidly thickening dark. Hades was tucked once again in the trailer, curled up against the cool mountain air. She sensed his tension when they rounded the curve by the meadow where they usually saw mule deer, but tonight, there were no deer to be seen. His head lifted, sampling the night wind, and she felt his low growl just before the information came to her via his senses: mountain lion. She looked around automatically, though she knew it wasn’t close, and wondered how Ares was faring with a bigger kitty in the neighborhood.