Nodding, Kaya considered what I had said. “Listening to you and going back would have made Cole go against his deepest convictions to his sister. Keeping Claire from marrying you would get her dad what he wanted, but it would make him break his daughter’s heart. On the other hand, stopping someone from punching a girl, that was most likely a heat of the moment thing the kid would have regretted later.” She looked up at me thoughtfully.
“So, what do you get from all that?”
“I don’t think you can make anyone do something against their nature. Cole will protect Claire. Her dad wants her to be happy. The guy punching Claire, sounds like a jerk, but not evil,” Kaya said.
Evil? No, Jonny wasn’t evil, just a dirt bag. Kaya’s words started to sink in. I thought back to all the times Claire had pointed out when people listened to me without a good reason. Other kids that quickly agreed to my suggestion of what game to play when I was a child, teammates who took my word on plays over the coach’s opinion even when it sounded risky, even coaches who put aside their own experience and training to take my advice. Teachers, students, young children, grandparents, I could stop an argument or fight, offer solutions that were taken on hand, convince people of the right choice.
I guess I never went around purposely trying to get people to do bad things. If I had, would I have found resistance a lot more often like Kaya was suggesting. Asking Cole to go back was wrong. He had every right to try and save his sister along with me. Letting Claire marry me was right, especially from my point of view. Thomas Brant’s efforts to try and control her life were pushed away in the face of my compulsion to make a better choice. Kaya was right.
“So, what about Claire?” I asked her.
“That, I don’t know what to tell you, Uriah, but…” Her gaze fell from mine. I sat up straighter and tried to see her expression.
“What, Kaya?”
She shook herself and looked up. “I don’t know, Uriah. In all I’ve studied, I’ve never heard of anything like this. It could be anything.”
“But you have an idea.”
Hesitant to answer, she shifted in the chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs before settling both feet back on the floor. I waited. Finally, she sighed and looked back up at me. “Making you weak, hurting you, the animals, not being able to control her at all…Uriah, I know this sounds crazy, but it almost sounds like Claire is either stealing or negating your powers.”
“What?” She couldn’t possibly mean that. “If anything, I thought maybe Claire was immune to what I could do.”
“Maybe that would work for the control, but not for anything else. Immunity wouldn’t affect the animals or you personally. Being around Claire does something to your gifts,” Kaya said. The authority in her voice made it hard to argue.
“That doesn’t…Why would Claire…” I shook my head, unable to form a clear thought.
Kaya said quietly, “It almost makes it sound like…”
My own thoughts, ones I had thought a million times before, crowded back into my mind. “It makes it sound like something is telling us Claire and I shouldn’t be together.”
12: Samantha
The gentle touch was enough to rouse me from the unpleasant sleep. Fighting through frantic searches for Claire and bloody battles with the Matwau, I was grateful for the escape. I hadn’t wanted to go back to sleep after Kaya woke me up the first time. She insisted when a pounding headache crept up on me after our discussion. Claire not meant for me? It made every part of me ache to even entertain such an idea. Sitting up, I saw Kaya kneeling next to the bed.
“Is it time to go?” I asked.
Kaya watched me with worry in her face. I was breathing hard for having just been asleep. My headache was gone, but I didn’t actually get much rest with the nightmares shadowing my every step. I wondered if I would ever sleep peacefully again. Making an effort to remove her frown, Kaya watched me carefully. “Yes, it’s nearly six o’clock. Are you feeling well enough to go?” she asked.
“I’m fine, Kaya,” I said, “unless you know how to stop someone from dreaming.”
Kaya’s mouth turned down again. “We’ll talk about your dreams, as well as Quaile’s, when we get back.”
It was no longer a question, apparently. I made some noncommittal noise as I drug myself out of the bed. I would avoid the subject if at all possible, but I knew that was highly unlikely. My dreams were becoming nearly as bad as Quaile’s. I fervently hoped it wasn’t some new ability trying to manifest itself like Kaya had suggested. I had enough to worry about already.
Walking back to the cheerful living room, I waited for Kaya to gather her keys. With a few more worried glances, Kaya led me to her car. “Samantha lives a little ways out of town,” she said.
I could guess the reason why.
“Is there anything I should know or expect before we get there?” I asked.
“She’s going to be very wary of helping you. Just tell her your story,” Kaya said. “I’ll help in any way I can, but you’ll have to do the convincing. It will help that I’m here to vouch for you. Sam and I may be on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to what we study, but we trust each other completely.”
“I almost tried going to her first because I didn’t want to get involved with another shaman,” I said.
Kaya smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “She wouldn’t have even opened the door.”
“Thank you, Kaya, for everything,” I said. I was pleased to have found such an unexpected ally.
“Don’t thank me quite yet,” she said. “Is Talon following us?”
I nodded. Talon was never far from me. Kaya’s sister or not, Talon was not about to let me walk into a Shaxoa’s home unprotected.
“Good. Sam will want to meet him.” If they were polar opposites in every other way, Kaya and Samantha seemed to share an unquenchable curiosity from the little she had told me about her sister earlier. Kaya’s curiosity had earned her the title of shaman, while Samantha’s had earned her a life of pain and fear.
It was odd, but I wasn’t afraid of meeting Samantha. At most, I was worried that she wouldn’t be willing or able to help me. Thinking of Zarafen, the Shaxoa responsible for poisoning Claire, still made my stomach curdle. I trusted Kaya when she said her sister wasn’t evil or dangerous, but I wasn’t sure whether I was right to do so. It may have been just a desperate hope, but I would know soon enough.
Kaya pulled up to a solitary adobe house miles outside of Hano. It sat beneath the shadow of a row of red rock bluffs. Her home was an oasis in the rusty desert. An herb garden almost equal to the size of the house blossomed and bulged. Decorative flower pots covered the small wooden porch, leaving only a thin pathway up to the door.
Snatching the keys from the ignition, Kaya stepped out of the car. Putting a hand up to her eyes, Kaya stared at the curtained windows. I saw a brief flutter as I shut my own door. Silently we approached the home. Kaya opened the squeaking screen door and knocked confidently on the solid wood.
“It’s me, Sam,” Kaya said. “I have the boy I mentioned with me.”
Boy. I no more looked like a boy than I felt like a boy. Kaya had admitted that she was only twenty-seven. The nine year difference was hardly enough to turn me into a helpless child. Kaya only winked at my annoyance.
The crack of the old door dispelled my irritation. The woman who opened the door was shockingly beautiful, though not as striking as Claire. She looked like she could have been Kaya’s twin, but was surprisingly even younger than her sister. Her nervous smile completed the unlikely image. She was nothing like what I had been expecting.
Kaya stepped forward and embraced her sister warmly. Turning back to me she said, “Sam, this is Uriah.”
Samantha extended her hand. “Thank you for seeing me, Samantha,” I said. I took her hand and shook it warily. She nodded and opened the door wide enough for us to enter.
“Please come in,” Samantha said. Her bright eyes watched me closely.
&
nbsp; Over the shock of how non dark and evil Samantha was, I wasn’t that surprised by how warm and bright her home turned out to be. The cool yellow walls were calming. The beautifully woven rug in the sitting room had to have been made by Kaya. The clay vase held fresh cut tulips. It was a home I could imagine a family living in, one with children playing on the rug.
“You have a beautiful home,” I said.
“Thank you,” Samantha said, her nervous hands smoothing her blouse. “Would you like to sit down?”
Nodding, I took a seat next to Kaya on the couch. A sharp ping broke the silence. Glancing at the computer nestled in the far corner of the room, Samantha frowned at the sound. “Just another email,” she said.
I looked at the stacks of books and paper on the desk. It seemed odd to me that the Shaxoa would have so much computer work. Samantha’s eyes followed mine. She smiled and spoke up. “I’m a software programmer.”
I felt my eyebrows rise, and tried to force them back down. Of course she had a regular job as well. There would be no reason being a Shaxoa would be lucrative, especially for one who refused to ply her trade. Stumbling to recover, I said, “What kind of software do you make?”
“Mathematical programs to track breeding patterns in animals. It’s not that interesting to most people, but I like it,” Samantha said.
“She’s very good at her job,” Kaya said.
Samantha ignored her sister’s compliment. “Well, Uriah, why don’t you tell me why you’re here. I doubt it’s to learn how to program in JavaScript.”
Before answering, I reached out to Talon. “Can you hear the Shaxoa's thoughts at all?”
“No,” Talon said. His answer was laced with irritation. “I will keep track of Kaya’s thoughts. She may know whether her sister speaks the truth or not.”
I thought of the strand of Claire’s hair hidden in my pocket. I wanted to be with her so badly. I placed my hand on my thigh, feeling the shape of the strand in my pocket and drawing strength from it. I had a feeling that Samantha would react badly to my request. Claire was counting on me to make Samantha understand. Forcing my attention back to her, I focused on her worried eyes. “I need to know how to sever the Twin Soul bond.”
Samantha’s eyes went wider than I would have thought possible. Her mouth dropped. A split second later she was turning a fiery gaze on her sister. “This is why you brought him here? You know I won’t use what I know to hurt anyone. How could you?” she asked.
Even Kaya was taken aback by her sister’s angry response. “Sam, please, just listen to him,” she pleaded. “I would never have brought him here if I thought he was trying to harm someone.”
“Why would he want to sever the Twin Soul bond if not to hurt someone?” Samantha accused. “The bond is the purest form of joy. To destroy that would be to destroy a piece of their soul. No one would ask me to do such a thing if they weren’t trying to hurt another person.”
“Please, Sam, just listen to his story and you’ll understand,” Kaya said. Her entire body was begging her sister to trust her.
Samantha struggled with the desire to turn me away. Her expression reflected how torn she was, but the longer she stared at her sister, the more she faltered. Kaya was right. They trusted each other completely. “Okay,” she finally said, “I’ll listen.”
For the second time that day I related everything that had happened in the past three days. With Kaya, she had been so eager to hear my story that I was able to give the details quickly and explain whatever I had skimmed over later. With Samantha, it wouldn’t be so easy.
For Samantha I left out no details, not even Quaile’s dreams. I poured my soul into the story, reliving every moment of anguish and pain, as well as every tender memory of Claire I could find reason to include. At some point I closed my eyes, bringing the searing events as close as I could bear, holding each emotion at the surface so they filled the entire room.
When my eyes opened again, long shadows were beginning to creep across the floor. The red tinged landscape colored the sunlight that fell on the women’s faces. Sparkling red tears cascaded down both of their cheeks. I was startled to find that my own face was wet as well.
Kaya brushed at her face with her lithe weaver’s fingers, but Samantha made no move to wipe away her tears. Instead, she studied me intently. I met her eyes unwavering. She was my only hope. She had to believe me.
“Alright,” Samantha said with a shaky breath, “I’ll help you. I do know how to sever the Twin Soul bond.”
Kaya sniffed away the last of her tears and grinned. I released the breath I had been holding and sunk in on myself. Hope. Finally, there was hope.
“But I can’t do it alone. I’ll need your help, Uriah,” Samantha said.
“You have it,” I said quickly. “Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”
“I have most of the herbs needed for the mixture. A few I’ll probably have to go out and gather, but that won’t take long,” Samantha said. “What I’ll need you to do is actually prepare the potion.”
“I can do that,” I said. I was nodding my head eagerly.
“I won’t lie to you, Uriah. More will be required of you than simply stirring the herbs. Just like the antidote you gave Claire to save her from Zarafen’s concoction, this requires a blood sacrifice,” she said.
As long as I had a few drops left to keep me alive, I would gladly give everything else to Claire. I would even give up everything, but that might make the potion useless to Claire if I wasn’t there to give it to her. “I have no problem with that,” I said.
“There is more, but not from you,” she said. “The person who drinks this will most likely retain the memory of the bond for the rest of their life, but as far as I can understand, they’ll never feel it again. It may prove to be a torture they can’t bear, or it may be the relief they have been searching for. There’s no way to know. If Claire truly feels as you said, I believe she’ll see the break as a release, but it’s still a terrible risk. I know how to sever the bond, but it has never been used before. Everything I have learned about it said everyone was always too afraid of what might happen to risk using it. I know the potion will break the bond, but I don’t actually know what will happen after that. I can only tell you what has been guessed at and what I believe.”
I understood her hesitation and fear, but this was the only chance we had left. I agreed with her assessment of Claire, which gave me hope. Claire had been desperate to undo what had been done to her. The idea that the memory of the bond would linger forever was something to consider, but I knew she would be able to handle it if we were back together. She was so much stronger than she realized. “What about the person who doesn’t drink it? What about Daniel?”
“Again, I’m not sure. He may remember the events that brought him into Claire's life, but I supposed he’ll forget the bond entirely after Claire drinks it,” Samantha said. Biting the side of her lip she considered something more. “I’m not sure why this potion was created. In some ways I can see it being made solely to cause misery and pain, but even before hearing your story, I wondered if there had been any other reasons. I wondered if it was made for someone like you, Uriah. That idea gives me hope that it will work the way you want it to. ”
Kaya moved to the edge of her seat. Her curiosity had been peaked as well. “You think it may have been created to help someone?” she asked her sister.
“I don’t know. The Twin Soul bond has always been a huge question with me. I understand why you would want to find your Twin Soul, but like Claire, I also understand why you wouldn’t. What if you had already found someone you loved?” Samantha asked. “It makes me wonder if there have been others before Uriah who didn’t want the bond and wanted a way to free themselves. The Twin Soul bond, however glorious it is supposed to be, always seemed like it could also be an attack on freewill to me.”
Kaya nodded. Turning to me, she said, “Sam has come across many spells and potions that she believes were once used solely for good rea
sons, but have been twisted into darker uses.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the odd pair. “You are certainly an interesting Shaxoa, Samantha.”
“I never chose that title,” Samantha said. Her frown was meaningful. “The people have named me that, but all I ever meant to do was study the dark lore to understand it better. I have never intended to use it. Even now, even when I truly believe you need my help, I feel sick about actually putting my knowledge into practice.”
I nodded, understanding how hard going against her convictions was for her.
“I have one other concern, Uriah,” Samantha said. “If Quaile is right, you will also meet your Twin Soul. I can’t just make a second potion for you. Claire would have to come here and do exactly what you will be doing tomorrow. Are you sure that you’ll want that?”
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here now, Samantha,” I said. Absolute certainty rang clearly in my voice. In my heart I still believed that I would be able to resist the bond of my own Twin Soul for Claire’s love.
“I just wanted to be sure,” Samantha said.
“Thank you for helping me, Samantha. This was my last hope, mine and Claire’s,” I said.
“Well, it’s not over yet,” Samantha said. “It will take time to prepare what you need. I’ll gather everything I can tonight. Hopefully we can begin the preparations first thing tomorrow morning.”
Kaya stood, and I followed her example. Samantha stood as well, taking my hands in hers. She looked at me as a mother worried about her child, even though she was at the most five years older than me. I was a head taller than her, but her gentle concern made me think of how many times my mom had held the same expression on her face.
“You need some rest, Uriah,” Samantha said. “Go home with Kaya and call Claire. There’s nothing you can do right now. I’ll call as soon as I’m ready to begin preparing the potion.”
Shaxoa's Gift Page 10