“You know, the crystal in the middle of the Uktena’s head.” Morrigan glanced back and forth from Kelile to Lance. “You know. The all-powerful Suti Stone. If you possess it, you’re all-powerful. You can do anything with it! You can even bring people back from the dead.”
“You mean the Ulunsuti?” Lance said.
Morrigan lifted her hands and dropped them on her lap. “I guess.”
Aishling gawked at Morrigan, remembering all the times Morri had pestered her about having the stone. Why? And why hadn’t Morri mentioned the snake before? Why had Lance and Kelile dreamed about it too? Was this about their future? “Would someone please tell me about this snake? I never heard about it.”
Lance said, “There are several myths about the Uktena, but the main one is about the Uktena and a Shawano Indian wizard. The Cherokees had captured the wizard, Aganunitsi, during one of their battles with the Shawano Indians. He bargained with the Cherokee elders to spare his life if he could kill the Uktena and bring the Ulunsuti back for the tribe. The Cherokees knew that whoever controlled the Ulunsuti would be all-powerful. But I don’t know about raising the dead.” He glanced at Morrigan.
“My mother told me it could.”
Lance looked back at Aishling and continued, “So, the Cherokees agreed. Aganunitsi searched and searched until he found the Uktena asleep on the side of a mountain. He knew a lot about the Uktena, much more than the Cherokees knew. He knew how to hypnotize its all-seeing eye using quartz crystals.”
“All-seeing eye?” Aishling said.
“The Ulunsuti before it’s separated from between the eyes of its Uktena. Anyway, armed with his bow and arrows and a clear quartz crystal tied above each of his eyes in a way so he could still see, he snuck up on the sleeping serpent. When the all-seeing eye focused its killing stare on him, it didn’t work because the crystals reflected the killing stare back, putting the eye to sleep. This allowed him to shoot an arrow into the Uktena’s heart.
“But, that didn’t kill it. It only made the serpent angry. It thrust itself down the mountain toward Aganunitsi. Since he’d had many dreams about what would happen when he battled the Uktena, he—”
“He had the gift of prophetic dreaming?” Aishling asked.
“Yes. So he had already prepared a space for battle. Once he reached the space, he summoned fire and encircled himself within its magickal barrier.”
“Like I was trying to do in my dream.” Aishling didn’t realize she had spoken aloud until he answered her.
“Yes. When the Uktena reached Aganunitsi, he shot all his arrows into it. The Uktena tried penetrating the fire but couldn’t get through. It finally died. But Aganunitsi wanted to make sure. He sang out to all the birds from the surrounding woods to come and feed on it. After seven days, he went searching for the Ulunsuti.
“At first he couldn’t find it, and he beckoned a raven to search for it. The raven agreed, and after an hour or more, it flew back to him and dropped the stone at his feet. He gathered it up, put it in a leather pouch, and returned to the Cherokees.
“The Cherokees couldn’t believe it. They wanted the power and good fortune of the Ulunsuti, but they were afraid to handle it. So, they allowed him to live out the rest of his days there, as long as he kept it under control, and the tribe continued reaping all of its benefits.”
“Don’t forget about the snake comin’ out of his head,” Kelile said, grinning.
“What? Oh, yeah. That was another reason the Cherokees didn’t hurt him and try to take the Ulunsuti. Aganunitsi had a snake growing out of the top of his head where a small drop of blood from the Uktena had somehow penetrated through the fire barrier.”
“He didn’t know that?” Aishling asked.
“No.”
“Why didn’t they tell him?”
“Because they feared he would become a human Uktena and destroy the tribe. So, no one ever told him about the snake. Instead, two Cherokee women volunteered to stay with him and take care of him while watching over the Ulunsuti. Because of their sacrifice, they became known as beloved women. The beloved women soon learned how to appease and handle the Ulunsuti, too. These were the last three human beings known to have been Ulunsuti holders.”
“Yeah. Good story, man,” Kelile added.
Morrigan said, “Well, my mother told me that the Suti Stone, or Ulunsuti, had actually been passed down through the blood generations of the original three. Even now, there are holders who keep it hidden somewhere around Robbinsville or in the Snowbird Mountains.”
“Chill out, voodoo queen. You don’t really believe all that, do you?” Kelile chuckled.
“Maybe I do. But what I don’t know is how you know the story about the Uktena.” Morrigan glared at him.
“You’d be surprised the things I know. And I just told you, I’m a Black Cherokee. You just can’t see past the beautiful color of my skin.”
“Oh! How could I have possibly forgotten. Not only are you beautifully black, but you’re a Black Cherokee who’s named after a Celtic god. Wow!” Morrigan rolled her eyes. “You’re. Just. So. Amazing!”
“You’re nothin’ but a pain in my backside.”
A vision pulled Aishling’s focus away from the others; she closed her eyes. She saw herself as a little girl, listening to Ma tell the story of the sacred Ulunsuti. Yes, Ma had told her that story! But, something kept blurring out of her memory. Something had been missing from Lance’s story. Something important. What was it? She had a fleeting sense now that this myth and whatever she couldn’t remember about it was tied somehow to the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, maybe even to the night of the fire. Why couldn’t she remember? She ached to remember. She yearned for the truth.
That night, she dreamed of the Uktena again. Dark dreams. Nightmares.
29
Thursday, May 2
They reached the outskirts of Andrews mid-afternoon. Aishling had been quiet all day, troubled. Was it the dream? The myth? Morri’s increased pressure to find the stone? Or the fact that Kelile would be leaving the group soon?
“Kelile,” Morrigan said, increasing her pace until she was walking next to him. “I have a feeling you’re going to get caught. Maybe you should go with us to Robbinsville.”
He stopped walking and glowered at her. “Girl, I don’t understand you. Before we left Herald Home and for most of this little excursion you’ve been tryin’ to get rid of me.”
“The last couple of days I haven’t. I’ve been nice to you.” She huffed and looked at Aishling. “Well, for the most part.”
“Maybe I will get caught, but I have to try. The reason for me runnin’ away in the first place was to get Mom alone long enough to convince her to leave that abusing asshole. I don’t care what happens to me. I just want her away from him.” He straightened his backpack and continued walking.
Lance clasped Kelile’s arm, stopping him again. “Listen. I think we need to decide how we’re going to do this so …” He let go of Kelile and kicked the train trestle.
“So you won’t get caught?”
“Yes.”
“Man, I’d definitely be pissed if, after all this, you did get caught.” Kelile huffed and glanced around behind them. “I think it’s time for me to split, and you three head on to Robbinsville.”
“No!” Aishling said, hoping she sounded forceful enough. “I think I should go with you, and Morri and Lance can go on to make camp. I’ll meet up with them later.”
“You ain’t goin’ with me, girl.”
“Yes! Remember, Kelile, both Morri and I have special skills that can keep us from being caught. Morri can protect Lance, and I can protect you.”
“Hey, I don’t need no protectin’, especially from a female!”
“You know what I mean, Kelile.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“How are you gonna get back to them two?”
“Either you’ll show me how, or you’ll bring me back yourself, and we’ll all go on to Robbinsville. Yes, Ke
lile,” she insisted when he shook his head.
After Aishling and Kelile had hiked into town and were heading to his mother’s place of work, he said, “I can’t believe you talked me in to this. Just what do you plan on doing?”
“I’ll conjure a protective circle around us and add a repelling enchantment, too. We’ll stay inside it while we wait for your mother to come out. Is there somewhere close to the building that has trees or bushes?”
“I think so, but what good will that do?”
“Maybe keep us from getting caught. Besides putting a protective and repelling circle around us, I’ll try enfolding us into the trees. Maybe no one could see us then.”
“Like what you did with the canoe?”
“Yeah.”
“You mean we’ll be invisible?”
“I think, but not really invisible. Our energies will just merge with the trees. When someone looks at us, they’ll only see trees.”
“Girl, you’re weird.”
She grinned then frowned. “But, Kelile, when your mother walks to her car, you’ll have to leave the circle and try bringing her back into it so you can still be protected.”
“Right. I’ll say, ‘Hey, Mom, come over here and join us in our cone of protection and invisibility. It’s all right. You’ll be okay. Aishling’s a witch.’”
“Be serious. You don’t need to tell her anything. Just pull her or guide her over to the protective circle.”
“Well, we’ll soon find out.” He pointed ahead. “That white building is where she works.”
They hid in an area east of the building where several oak trees formed a barrier between the building and an open field. Aishling commenced setting up their safety circle boundary while saying her protective and repelling intentions. She included a couple of the oaks in the circle to hide behind in case her enfolding enchantment wasn’t successful.
“Okay. Now, I’m going to try and enfold us into these two trees.”
“Don’t try. Do.”
She guided Kelile behind one of the trees and stated her enfolding intentions.
“Did it work?”
“I hope.”
“What do you mean you hope?”
“The person doing the enchantment can still see the object even though others can’t.”
“Then do yourself, and I’ll see if I can still see you.”
Before she could, he said, “There she is.” He jogged away.
“Wait, Kelile, the circle!” she whisper-shouted before hiding behind the other oak. She peeked around to see what was going on.
“What are you doing here?” Kelile’s mother said.
“Didn’t they tell you I ran away?”
“You ran away!”
Kelile clutched his mother’s arm and said, “Mom, come over here. I wanna talk to you. I don’t want anyone to see me.”
“You tell me right here, right now, Kelile Manannan, what is going on?”
Aishling’s heart pounded. She rocked on her feet as the tension mounted. How could she get Kelile back in the circle?
“… had to get away. I needed to talk to you. Mom, please listen to me. Please.”
“We’re going home right now. I’ll take you to the new place myself.”
“Mom!” He held her shoulders. “Listen to me. You’ve got to get away from him. I can’t stand him hurting you any longer. You don’t need to put up with that anymore. I’ll protect you. Let’s get Jamal and Jamela and get out of here before he really hurts you.”
“Kelile,” she said, clasping his face in her hands. “I do want to leave, but don’t you see? I can’t. If it were just you and I, we would have left a long time ago. No, listen to me. He would track us down. Things would get much worse. I’ve got to figure out a safe way to handle this situation. But there’s something else right now that’s even more important to me. You are in grave danger. I’m trying to keep you safe. The best place for you is at the new group home. You’ve got to understand, Jerel isn’t the only one I’m trying to protect you from.”
“What do you mean, Mom?”
She let go of him and fumbled through her purse, pulling out her billfold. “Here, take this.” She handed him some money. “You remember my friend—”
Aishling had been so intent on listening to Kelile’s mother, she hadn’t noticed she had moved away from the tree. Too late. Just as she realized it, his mother looked up from his face. Their eyes met.
Everything erupted.
“What is she doing here?” With her right hand, she pushed Kelile behind her, raised her left hand, and pointed it at Aishling. She chanted something, but Aishling couldn’t make it out. At once, his mother drew her left hand back and thrust it forward as if she were throwing something at Aishling.
“Mom, what’s the matter.” Kelile stepped away from her. “What are you doing?”
A jolt of energy hit and vibrated around Aishling’s circle of protection. The popping sound sent shivers through her body.
Kelile’s mother cried out, “I don’t want you near her, Kelile!”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he ran to Aishling, bounding into their protective circle.
His mother chased him, stopping short of the perimeter. “Kelile, I want you to come home with me right now. We’ll work everything out.” Her eyes shot around. She panted. “Please, Kelile, come home with me, now.”
“What’s goin’ on? What did you just do?” he blurted, his eyes popping open.
“Kelile, come with me.” She reached out and motioned for him to come to her.
“Are you gonna leave his sorry ass?”
“I’ll try.”
“Mom?”
“I’ll try, Kelile. That’s all I can do.”
“Promise me you won’t tell anyone about Aishling. You’ll let her go.”
His mother hesitated, looking around, frowning, panting. “I promise.”
Return to Beginning
As the closed is opened,
30
“Mom, you go ahead and get in the car,” Kelile said, picking up his backpack. “I’ll be right there.”
“You’re coming with me, Kelile. Now!”
“I’m coming, but I have to talk to Aishling a moment.” He paused as though he were waiting for her to walk away. “Mom! I’ll keep my promise. Please keep yours.”
Aishling met her eyes again and smiled, but his mother broke eye contact and walked back to her car. “Maybe we shouldn’t have come, Kelile,” she whispered.
“It’s okay.” He took his left forefinger and touched her lips. “Shh, don’t say anything, just listen.”
She nodded.
“Remember how to get there? Robbinsville Road to Stewart. Turn right, then left on NC 423. Go about a quarter of a mile and you’ll turn right, kinda up a hill. You’ll see a sign that says something about the Cherokee Trail of Tears or Tatham Gap Road, I don’t remember for sure. Lance shouldn’t be too far back from the entrance of that road. Okay?”
She hugged him. “I’ll remember.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Please be careful. I’m going to miss you so much!”
He chuckled once and patted her on her back. “Listen, good witch, I hope you find what you’re lookin’ for. I’ll miss you too.” He jogged to his mother’s car.
While waiting until they had driven away, she wondered if there was something else she could do to protect herself until she found Lance and Morrigan. My amulet! She’d forgotten all about it. She dug to the bottom of her backpack and pulled out the pillowcase that held her old diary and amulet. After putting the amulet around her neck and the pillowcase and old diary away, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the protective boundary, bolting in the direction of Robbinsville Road.
Thirty minutes later, Morrigan ran toward her with arms wide open, “Thank Goddess you’re here!” She practically knocked Aishling over when she hugged her.
Lance jogged up. He smiled. “How about Kelile?”
“He went with his mother,” she ans
wered as they walked to camp. Tears clouded her eyes, and she couldn’t see where she was going.
“What’s the matter?” Lance asked.
When she sat on a sleeping bag under the tent canopy, she wiped away her tears. “I don’t think she listened to him. His mother yelled at him and told him she was taking him to a new group home herself. I don’t understand.”
The others listened while she told them what had happened. But when she got to the part about Kelile’s mother trying to put a spell on her, Lance interrupted.
“How can you say that about his mother.” He stood, tromped several feet away and kicked a broken tree limb that was laying on the ground.
“I’m not saying anything bad about her. I’m just telling you what I heard and saw. Listen, Lance, Kelile even asked her what she had done. He saw it. Don’t walk away.” She raised her voice, “I’m telling you the truth.”
Morrigan reached out to her. “I believe you. Do you know what kind of spell?”
“No. I was standing in the protective circle. I had also reinforced it with a repelling enchantment. His mother chanted something—I think in Gaelic. She looked like she was throwing it at me. The circle popped when the spell hit it.”
“I can still hear you!” Lance stormed back and grabbed the other sleeping bag. He shoved his backpack at her. “There’s something to eat in there if you’re hungry.” He took the sleeping bag several paces away from them and spread it on the ground. When he got in it, he turned away from them.
Aishling flung her hands up in exasperation, but Morrigan shook her head, motioning for her to be quiet.
Darkness descended on them while she ate her snack and whispered with Morrigan about the day’s events.
“You two need to get some sleep,” Lance said. “We’re leaving as early as possible in the morning. We have a long way to go, and I want to be at the ranger station by nightfall. Good. Night!”
“Lance, please don’t be mad at me,” Aishling said.
“I don’t want to hear anything more about witches and spells and all that stuff. Got it?”
Dead Moon Awakens: A tale of Cherokee myth and Celtic magic (Mystic Gates) Page 13