Shaxoa's Gift

by Gladden, DelSheree

  “Not at all, but it is very interesting,” Kaya said. She looked startled at the revelation.

  “Why is that interesting?” I asked. I knew it would have been interesting to just about anyone who didn’t know what Kaya knew, but why would the scouts surprise her?

  “In all the stories I’ve heard about warriors who can speak with animals, the link between animal and warrior is, at best, tenuous. The animals will come when called, but they couldn’t be held for very long. The fact that these animals are willing to follow you so far and continue to protect you is very unusual. It may be another piece to the puzzle,” Kaya said.

  Making a few more quick notes, Kaya muttered to herself about looking into what I had just said. “Well, Quaile’s visions seem pretty straight forward,” she said.

  “They do?”

  “You’ve already figured most of them out yourself, Uriah. The only real questions left are time and place, but I suppose there’s really no way to pinpoint that. Let’s go back to the Matwau abducting this woman,” Kaya said. I felt like I was sitting in a classroom with a very determined teacher.

  “What do you know about the rules binding the Matwau?” I asked.

  “I know that he isn’t allowed to touch anyone until the bond has begun pulling two people toward each other. Normally this doesn’t give him much time, but if he’s given more than a few hours, he usually wins. It’s quite a compliment to you that you managed to get Daniel back to Claire,” Kaya added before getting back to her original point. “Also, the Matwau is only supposed to be allowed to harm one person, not both. His goal is to keep the bond from ever forming. He only needs to get rid of one person to make that happen.”

  Kaya recited the details as if she were talking about ingredients listed on a cereal box. I had seen her emotions bubble up several times since meeting her, and I was astounded that she could discuss the Matwau so calmly. I had to suppose that, despite my story, the Matwau was still just something she had read about. I could hardly fault her for failing to fully realize the depravity of such a being.

  “So what would make the Matwau break those rules and capture my Twin Soul, just for the purpose of drawing me to him?” I asked. I knew that the creature hated me for interfering in his hunt for Daniel, but could that really be the only reason?

  “I don’t know how he could even manage to break the rules. From what I read, those rules are absolute, not something the creature could set aside for his own pleasure,” Kaya said. “There must be something else, something that would allow him to break out of the pattern.”

  “But what?” Bits of phrases and images seemed to creep into my mind. They were not messages from Talon, who was sitting quietly at Kaya’s feet, but simply my mind dredging up what I did not want to think about.

  More than once, I had been told that I was more than I knew, that I was meant for something I couldn’t imagine. When the Matwau had begun his hunt, I was his quarry, not Daniel. Daniel had proven to be an added bonus for the Matwau, or would have, had he gotten to him. I was terrified to think that whatever power or status I held was putting others at risk. What if the woman from Quaile’s dream died simply because the Matwau believed me to be something I hoped I wasn’t?

  “I’ll have to research this a little more, Uriah. I feel like there is something I have read or heard at some point that would explain all of this, but I just can’t seem to remember it,” Kaya said. Sighing with frustration, she set down her notepad. “But I will, don’t worry.”

  I wasn’t worried. Even having only known Kaya for less than twenty-four hours, I knew that there was nothing short of death, and possibly not even that, that would stop her from finding the answers she wanted.

  “Now, what about your dreams?” Kaya asked. Her pencil was ready once again.

  “My dreams are just dreams Kaya, bad dreams, but nothing special,” I said. I was not in the mood to discuss what my mind dredged up while I was sleeping. Some of my dreams were entirely too private. Pretty much any dream involving Claire over the past few nights wouldn’t be appropriate to discuss out loud. The other dreams were more terrifying than I wanted to admit.

  “Feel free to leave out anything about Claire,” Kaya said with a giggle.

  Someday I would learn to control my expressions better, I promised myself. It was very frustrating having everyone know exactly what I was thinking because I couldn’t keep a straight face. “Fine,” I grumbled, “if you really think it will be useful.”

  “I do.”

  “Aside from Claire, I have been dreaming about the Matwau every night since coming in contact with him,” I said. “He’s always hunting me, but at the same time I’m hunting him. It doesn’t always make sense.”

  “Are the dreams taking place anywhere specific?” Kaya asked.

  “It changes. Sometimes it looks like the desert, sometimes the forest, and sometimes places I don’t think are even real.”

  “It doesn’t matter where you go, the hunt will continue. The Matwau will not give up his prey,” Kaya said.

  I hoped she wasn’t right about that. All I wanted was to take Samantha’s potion back to Claire and live my simple life with her. I would face the Matwau again if I had to, but I was terrified that I would encounter him again before I could get back to Claire. She promised she was fighting the bond, but for how long? How long could she possibly last against something so strong? Time was something I felt had forsaken me the moment the tainted tea had touched Claire’s lips. Talon quietly reminded me to have patience from where he was stretched out on the floor. Taking a deep breath, I turned my attention back to Kaya’s questions.

  “In some of my dreams, it’s only me and the Matwau, but I can feel the other creatures lurking close by. Every once in a while we have actually caught up to each other and fought. The first time the Matwau was winning. He had me pinned down and was about to gut me like a fish when I woke up. The next few times, it seemed like I could remember the previous dreams. I had learned from his mistakes, and I was able to use them against him. I was winning until he called in his lackeys. I woke up before they could tear me apart,” I said. “I suppose that means I’ll never be able to beat him.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kaya said. “You had him as good as beat when he attacked Daniel. You could have finished him off if Daniel hadn’t been injured so badly.” Kaya paused, cocking her head to the side as she contemplated the dreams. “No, I think these dreams are not foretelling your doom, but offering you a chance to prepare yourself.”

  “What?” I was no psychologist, but I didn’t think the subconscious worked quite like that. “How is my mind teaching me something I don’t even know?”

  “I don’t think these dreams are simply dreams wrought from your fears. I think they’re being sent to you to help you prepare. Quaile obviously should have already done that, but she chose not to for whatever reason. I think they’re being sent by someone who knows the Matwau and what he is capable of.”

  “The Great Spirit?” I asked. My mind was reeling at the thought. I wasn’t even sure what I believed about the Creator. Was it a person, an animal, a spirit? Was the Great Spirit the Mole who had led the Tewa people from underground and into the light filled world above as I had been taught as a child? Matwau and Twin Souls beside the point, I wasn’t really ready to believe that one yet.

  “The Great Spirit, the Creator, Mole, someone,” Kaya said. “Someone is sending you these dreams to prepare you. I don’t think you’ll be able to avoid the Matwau for long, Uriah.”

  “What about the woman?” I asked.

  “I think he will capture her and use her to draw you out, just like Quaile’s dream showed.”

  “And I’ll have no choice but to go,” I said with a sigh.

  “Exactly,” Kaya said. “I am still bothered by that, though. He shouldn’t be able to search her out like that, or try to harm you both. I need more information. I’ll have to search my books and notes tonight.”

  “Just tell me how
I can help,” I said.

  Kaya shifted nervously. Her unexpected lack of confidence surprised me. I had no idea why she should suddenly be nervous. Watching her carefully, I tried to meet her eyes, but Kaya dropped her gaze to her notes. I was tired, as usual, and her odd timidity irritated me when it shouldn’t have. Kaya had already helped me more than I had any right to expect. “What is it?” I asked. I cringed when I heard the harsh tone of my voice.

  “I might be able to understand better if I could see the vision for myself,” she said. Bringing her gaze up to meet my eyes, she looked unsure of how I would react to her request.

  Relief washed over me when I realized that was all she wanted. “Can you do that?” I asked.

  “With your permission I can.”

  “You have it. Do whatever you need to, Kaya,” I said. “I trust you.”

  Kaya smiled warmly. She knew that wasn’t exactly the easiest thing for me to say after having dealt with Quaile. “Thank you,” she said.

  “What do you have to do?” I asked.

  “Just sit still and give me your hands. It will be easier if I’m touching you.”

  I eyed her curiously. Quaile hadn’t needed to touch me.

  “I am not as used to this as Quaile is,” she said. A faint blush touched her copper cheeks. “I’ve had the ability since I was a child, but it only came in random spurts. I’ve only tried putting it to serious use in the past few years. Physical contact helps me concentrate.”

  “Oh, uh, okay then,” I said. “Go ahead.”

  Reaching out, I placed my hands in hers. I was surprised to feel the slight tremor in her hands. She was scared or nervous, neither of which seemed to suit her. Reminding myself that she had only been the shaman for two years, I told myself there was nothing for me to be scared of. Her cool fingers pressed into my palms.

  I watched Kaya close her eyes, and followed suit. I had no idea what to expect. I had felt nothing when Quaile had been wrapped in her vision in the Council House. Hoping that more was happening for Kaya than was for me, I waited as my breathing fell into a slow and steady rhythm.

  The shock of cold that ran through my body forced my eyes open, but I didn’t see Kaya or her living room anymore. Gnarled trunks of piñon and taller trees surrounded me. Only a hint of autumn’s miraculous change of color was visible in the taller tree’s leaves. What undergrowth there was still looked green and vibrant, but most of the spring flowers had already gone.

  A sudden rustling put me on edge. Unable to control my actions, I felt my body turn towards the noise. The low growl was echoed several times over. They were all around me. One by one they made themselves visible, fangs dripping with hunger, eyes wide with fear.

  “We must not let him escape,” one of the creatures hissed. I was shocked to hear them when they hadn’t spoken aloud. I could hear their thoughts just as I heard Talon’s.

  “The master wants him alive,” another one said.

  “Alive does not mean uninjured,” the one with the razor sharp smile said.

  My eyes searched for the weakest spot and I lunged forward. The beast met my attack, but my quick thrust threw it to the side easily. Running through the hole the absent creature had created, I sprinted away from the pack. Behind me I could hear them snarling in anger and racing to catch up to me. My stride lengthened, pulling me further out of their grip.

  I ran until my heart seemed ready to burst, and kept running even still. The forest stretched on forever, and I wondered where I was running to. Without warning, my feet left the mossy forest floor and stepped onto baking sheets of pale sand. The sudden change in scenery was accompanied by a wave of roiling heat. I stumbled as I lost my footing, falling into the burning sand.

  Hissing with pain, I scrambled back to my feet. I dusted my hands on my pants and heard the familiar growling of the dark creatures surround me again. I looked up knowing what I would find. The man stood above me on a sandy plateau. He looked like neither of the human forms the Matwau had previously sported, but the vile anger and overwhelming presence of evil named him for what he was.

  The woman in his grasp stood defiantly next to her captor. Her face was hard, but beautiful. Even in this unreal plane, I could feel the sense of familiarity that radiated from her. I had no doubt that she was my Twin Soul. Our eyes met briefly. She watched me curiously from behind her terrified eyes.

  I expected the Matwau to challenge me, to say something to me, but the only sound was his crazed laughter. I was surveying the scene he had created. The woman’s face grimaced with hatred. Twisting her arms painfully, the Matwau only increased its wicked laughter. The woman shrieked and crumpled to her knees.

  “At last we meet again, but for the final time,” the Matwau said. His face was full of confidence and pride. “I have waited for you for a long time, Uriah. For centuries I have feared your birth. Now that you stand before me, I can laugh with pity for your fate.”

  “I have come to fulfill my purpose, Matwau,” I said. I had no idea where the words were coming from.

  “As have I,” he sneered, “but only one of us will be successful.”

  “It will not be you,” I said. I felt my fist tighten, my body tense in anticipation of the battle. My legs moved independent of thought, carrying me through the circle of creatures that had once again surrounded me in a mad rush to protect the woman.

  My motion stopped, forced back as if hit head on. The scene fragmented and dissolved instantly. Suddenly, I was in control of my body again. Lifting my hands, I stared at them, moving each finger individually. A breath, released quickly, brought my eyes up. I was relieved to find Kaya looking at me again.

  Looking as shocked as I felt, she simply stared, her mouth open, her eyes wide. Shaking herself, Kaya smoothed her features quickly. “Well that was certainly enlightening,” she said.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Actually, all it had done was raise more questions for me. “What did he mean ‘he’d been waiting centuries for my birth?’” I asked Kaya.

  “And why did you believe it was your purpose to fight the Matwau?” Kaya asked in return. Her pencil was scribbling furiously as she spoke.

  “Don’t ask me. I’d prefer to steer clear of that thing for the rest of my life if I could,” I said.

  “I seriously doubt you’ll be able to do that.” She halted in her writing, lowering the notepad and pencil to her lap. “What did you learn that you didn’t already know?”

  Back to work, I thought wearily. “I could hear the creatures’ thoughts, but I have never been able to do that with the Matwau.”

  “That is surprising,” Kaya said, “you being able to hear the creatures’ thoughts, I mean. Not hearing the Matwau’s thought is expected.”

  Obviously. I would have mentioned being able to hear the Matwau’s thoughts already if I had been able to do so.

  Talon’s thoughts filtered into mine. “The creatures were once regular animals before they were twisted into their current forms. Animals are very familiar with these creatures. Their origin is most likely why you can hear them,” Talon said. “That will certainly help you.”

  “Talon says that the Matwau's creatures were once normal animals, and that’s why I could hear their thoughts,” I explained to Kaya.

  “Interesting,” she said. Her pencil was back to work. “What else?”

  “The time of the year, it was the end of summer,” I said.

  “So, right now,” Kaya said.

  I was scared to admit she was right, but I couldn’t deny the obvious answer. “Yes.”

  “The dream felt very imminent. I don’t think it will be long before you find yourself in this situation.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I had felt the same urgency during the vision.

  “The Matwau believes he has been waiting for you, for centuries he said,” Kaya repeated. “I’ll have to search my books for anything about that. I can’t recall any prophecies about such a thing offhand. It’s interesting that you seemed to agree with him.
You said that you were there to fulfill your purpose. Do you have any insight about that?”

  “None at all,” I admitted. Glancing down at Talon, who I knew was not sleeping despite his appearance, I probed him for input. I knew he had seen everything I had just seen.

  Talon merely shrugged. “I already told you that you were meant for a higher purpose. I sensed that about you the first day we met. I have no knowledge about human prophecies.”

  “I’m really getting sick of hearing about me being more than I am, or whatever people want to call it,” I said to both Kaya and Talon. Talon ignored me. He knew he was right. “I’m just a rancher.”

  “What do you mean?” Kaya asked.

  Sighing deeply, I looked at Kaya. Hadn’t I already told her all of this? Actually, I couldn’t remember whether I had or not. Everything seemed too jumbled together to remember clearly. “Quaile told me she knew there was something important about me, that there is more to me than I ever could have imagined. Claire’s dad has said similar, weird things to me. When I met Talon, he basically said the same thing, although for him it was something he felt along with the compulsion to protect me. The Matwau has all but said the same thing as well.”

  Kaya nodded thoughtfully.

  “I just don’t understand any of it,” I complained. “I am a rancher. All I have ever wanted out of life is to marry Claire and raise a family with her. Why is that such a difficult thing?”

  Finally, Kaya looked up from her notes. “Uriah, I think we can both agree that you are not ‘just a rancher’ any more than Talon is ‘just a cat,’” she said. “This has given me a lot to think about. There must be something in the histories that will explain what’s happening to you. Even with the Elders’ effort to hide the Matwau’s existence, they would have had to write down a prophecy like this somewhere. It will take some digging, that’s all.”