by Jenna Kernan
Bess nodded and lifted her tea, blowing softly on the steaming surface.
“What color is it?”
“A blending of colors. Most vivid is the purple of fresh lilacs. That shows wisdom. This mixes with turquoise at your head. I wondered when I met you at that odd combination. I’d never seen it before. But if you are the last Seer, well, that explains it. And now you have the golden outer aura of all Niyanoka.”
“Wisdom?” Michaela sipped her coffee. “I think you’ve got the wrong girl.”
She looked at Sebastian, cocking her head. “What about his?”
Bess cast him a quick glance as he ladled eggs and bacon onto three plates. “A nice vital male blue this morning.” She cast him a knowing glance and then returned her attention to Michaela. “Seems well pleased with himself.”
Michaela blushed, using her discomposure as an excuse to gather silverware for the meal. Sebastian set the plates on the counter before them.
For the next few minutes the focus shifted to food. Michaela was again surprised at her appetite. When she looked up from her nearly empty plate, it was to find Bess’s attention fixed on her.
“The black is gone from your Spirit Wound. Kanka did well in the healing. But your aura is not well seated. It drifts away from your center. All is not right with you.”
Michaela felt better since the healing, but different, a little unfocused and confused. She moved her hands to her lap to disguise her discomposure and then cleared her plate to the sink. Her appetite was quite gone and now her breakfast rolled in her unsettled stomach. When she turned back, she found both Bess and Sebastian staring.
Bess’s eyes seemed to pin her in place. “I met your father and mother.”
Michaela tottered, landing against the butcher block with a thud. Sebastian caught her elbow and righted her with astonishing speed. She read his disquiet at what Bess would tell her. He knew already, for she had told him in the yard. Her eyes rounded. It took a lot to rattle Sebastian. He must have read her panic at his thoughts, for he instantly withdrew his hand.
Bess’s dark eyes turned sympathetic. “Sebastian sent me.”
Michaela blinked at her in amazement as she realized what this meant. Bess had crossed over the Spirit Road, seen her parents—and come back. She gaped at her guest with renewed respect.
“Your mother is so worried about you. She wanted you to know she did all she could to defend you. They both did.”
“How did she die?”
“Protecting you. Your father was a Seer, like you. He said he was curious about the Spirit Road and followed a friend who had departed. With one foot on the Road and one foot on the earth, he could see both worlds. He knew to go forward was to lose his wife and daughter, lose his place in the living world. So he turned back. But by crossing to that plane too soon, he tore his soul.”
“Like me.” Michaela’s body ached with tension.
Bess nodded. “The journey on the Spirit Road takes the soul from the body, separating them forever. The single step causes a rip, and the scent of a rending soul always interests Nagi.”
“He can only see ghosts,” said Sebastian.
“Close,” said Bess. “He can see any living creature that step into his path, but he can only track a torn soul. It sends him a beacon, like a GPS signal.”
“But why should he want to track my dad?”
“Like you, he was a Seer of Souls. That made him a threat.”
“It’s the other way round,” said Michaela.
Bess inclined her head. “Granted, Nagi is powerful. But you can see all his ghosts. None of us can do that.”
“I don’t understand why this makes me dangerous.”
“Neither do I. But clearly Nagi is anxious for you to follow your father along the Spirit Road. So why does he not want anyone on this earth who can see ghosts?”
“He should not attack living beings,” said Sebastian.
Bess placed a hand gently on his arm. “Granted, but not all of us do exactly as we should.” Bess glanced from Sebastian to Michaela, and Sebastian shifted uneasily.
Michaela followed Bess’s gaze. Sebastian had stepped from his path when he rescued her. One step on the wrong path, just like her father. If such a one as Sebastian could break the rules, how much easier would it be for a true Spirit like Nagi?
“He is hunting me.”
Bess gave a curt nod and then drained her tea.
“He killed my father?”
Bess adjusted her plate but did not eat. “Your father made himself easy to find by venturing where he did not belong. He tells me that once he understood that Nagi wanted his life, he tried to protect his family.”
“By leaving us,” Michaela finished. She now understood why her father had abandoned them. He hadn’t, not really. He had done his best to lead Nagi from his wife and child.
“It was a good plan, but they made a mistake. Your father agreed to meet your mother at her insistence. Nagi was watching. He attacked, killing your father and wounding your mother. She died of that wound.”
A Spirit Wound like he had given to her, an injury that should have killed her. Her mother had died a terrible death, one that Michaela had been spared, because of Sebastian. Her eyes met his. He gave her a look of such open sympathy she felt her heart break.
Her throat closed as the tears came, and she could not speak. Bess draped an arm around her. She rested her head against the taller woman’s shoulder as the grief washed through her, making her weak.
She had lost everyone who loved her, but she had not lost her life, because of these Skinwalkers, who broke the rules, for her.
She drew away, mopping her tears on her sleeve. “Why did he have to attack my mother? She was human and no threat to him.”
“She was a threat because she carried a child, your brother, who would have grown to be a Seer like you.”
Michaela’s heart turned to stone. Hatred like nothing she had ever felt bubbled through her bloodstream like lava. This thing had killed her entire family.
Sebastian stroked her shoulder, bringing her back to her surroundings.
“Why didn’t he kill me that day?”
“Because he did not know of your existence. Your parents had taken steps to hide you. Your mother told me that before their meeting, she put you in her sister’s care and told her to keep you safe until she returned. She never did.”
Realization struck Michaela, making her stomach constrict.
“My aunt didn’t know.”
“She knew your father could see ghosts. A shaman, she thought. She never knew you were like him, more than human.”
Silence settled over the room as Michaela grappled with her family’s bloody history.
“Why is he killing Seers?” asked Sebastian.
“Because Seers do not see only Spirits. They also see ghosts. Sebastian and I can see Supernaturals and Spirits, even sense animals possessed by ghosts, but to the rest, we are blind.”
“Kanka told me that Nagi is not collecting evil ghosts,” said Michaela.
The look Sebastian and Bess exchanged stopped Michaela’s breath. The two seemed to momentarily forget her presence as they spoke over her head.
“Not collecting?” Bess whispered to Sebastian. “A Seer would know of their presence, easily unmask them, and a talented one could send them over.”
“Where Nagi would release them again,” said Sebastian.
“Yes, but not without notice. Hihankara would see them escape the Circle. She could alert the other Spirits.”
Sebastian nodded. Michaela had never seen him look so serious. His grim expression was positively terrifying.
“Perhaps,” he said, “Nagi tires of his gray existence stewarding evil souls, and wants this world as well.”
“No,” whispered Bess.
“He has used possession to attack the living.”
Bess turned to Sebastian. “What if he plans to take animals, as well?”
Sebastian’s roar startled the
women.
“No one will believe us,” whispered Michaela.
“No human, certainly. But the Inanoka will come to our aid.”
“What about the Niyanoka?” asked Bess.
“They won’t listen to us,” growled Sebastian, the rage echoing in the timbre of his deep voice.
“Can the Inanoka stop him?” asked Michaela, turning from one to the other.
“No,” said Bess. Her lack of hesitation was unsettling. “We cannot see them until they take possession and then it is too late.”
Michaela wrung her hands. “I’ll go to the Niyanoka. Maybe they’ll listen to me. Maybe they can stop him.”
Bess gave her a look of subdued impatience. “I believe Nagi thinks you can stop him. It explains the need to eliminate you before you had your powers.”
Bess echoed Kanka’s words, sending a chill of apprehension up Michaela’s spine.
“I don’t know how.”
“Yet,” said Sebastian.
Michaela felt the cold inside her stomach spreading like ice on a river. How could she stop him? He had such power, a true Spirit, while she was just a Halfling without the knowledge needed to use her gifts.
She stared off out the window at the birds on the feeder. Everything looked so normal, but it wasn’t, never would be again.
“Your father sends another message. He fought Nagi and lost, but he came away with knowledge of Nagi’s power. He believes you can use this knowledge to protect yourself.”
Chapter 24
“W hat message did my father send?” asked Michaela.
Bess turned to Michaela, resting a hand on either shoulder, and stared into her eyes. “Remember I told you that your father tore his soul? This Spirit Wound left residue. This made him easy to track. You have walked that same trail—twice.”
Her stomach dropped as she nodded.
“Your body is healed. But as long as your soul is torn, you will be visible to Nagi.”
“Kanka said I must fix it. But I don’t know how.” Michaela had an image of Wendy stitching Peter Pan’s shadow back to his feet and gave a hysterical little laugh.
“It is one of your gifts,” insisted Bess. “You can heal tears of the soul.”
“But I don’t know how to do that yet!”
“If you do not discover how quickly, Nagi will finish what he has started. He cannot afford to wait, for your aura burns brighter by the minute. Your powers are growing.”
“What good are they if I don’t know how to use them?”
“She needs to go to the Niyanoka,” Sebastian grumbled.
“No,” said Michaela, reaching out and grasping Sebastian’s strong arm. “I want to stay with you.”
“I can’t give you what you need.”
“You’ve kept him from my dreams. You’ve safeguarded me when no one else could.”
Bess lifted a finger to object. “True. For protection, I can think of none better than Sebastian. But who best to guide you? Not the Dreamwalkers or the Mindwalkers. We Inanoka have been of more help than your own kind. How ironic.”
Sebastian’s voice displayed his agitation, rumbling like thunder. “They are her only hope. She is different from us. You know it is so.”
Bess’s smile glimmered with a secret. “Not so different than when you picked her up.”
Michaela glanced between the two, trying to decipher what Bess implied.
Sebastian ran his long fingers through the thick hair at his temples. “I did not know she was Niyanoka then.”
“And now you do. What has changed?”
“Everything.”
“And nothing,” she said, turning back to Michaela. “She needs a Seer.”
Michaela pressed her lips together in frustration. “But I’m the last one. There’s no one to teach me.”
Michaela did not like Bess’s knowing smile. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she knew she would not like what came next.
“You know Nagi can walk in dreams. But you have great power there, as well. Perhaps the answer lies in slumber.”
Michaela shook her head in denial, unwilling to face her nightmares again. She had not had a single one since Sebastian began sleeping at her side, and she wanted very much never to have one again. “Nagi can find me in my dreams.”
“Yes,” agreed Bess. “But he is not the only one seeking you. If you are brave, you may find your father there. He is your mentor. The Seer who can teach what you must learn.”
“Of course,” said Sebastian. His complete acceptance of this showed so clearly upon his face, Michaela began to quake.
If he agreed with Bess, then he would leave her—and Nagi would come.
Michaela scrambled for some way to convince them of the impossibility of this plan. “I thought you said that my father could not leave the Spirit World.”
“This is so,” said Bess. “But in dreams your worlds may touch.”
Michaela had no answer.
Bess inclined her head, staring at Michaela from beneath her glossy brows. “Did you listen when your aunt spoke of the old ways?”
Michaela swallowed back her terror and still had to clear her throat before she could speak. “I never thought it would be important.”
“Young ones never do.” She turned to Sebastian. “We must be certain there are no creatures in this house that Nagi can use against her. No body for him to possess.”
She hated herself for asking, but she could not stop herself. “If he wants me dead, why not send some creature to kill Sebastian to get to me?”
Now Sebastian smiled, a rueful, cocky smile that made Michaela feel safe as a baby lion between its mother’s paws.
Bess patted Sebastian’s strong shoulder. “What creature could kill a fourteen-hundred-pound grizzly?”
Michaela had to agree. Only a man with a high-caliber gun, and he would have to be very lucky. Grizzlies had been known to continue to charge even after being struck by several bullets. They were incredibly strong and ruthless in the attack.
Michaela glanced at Bess. “What about you? He could hurt you for helping me.”
“Me?” Her laugh was merry. “Don’t worry, little one. I’m safe enough.”
Sebastian stepped to her defense a little too quickly, and Michaela was embarrassed by the jealousy that fired in her like a pistol shot.
“Bess can outfly anything. She’s as fast as the wind.”
“Eagles?” asked Michaela.
Bess waved a dismissive hand. “Soaring is all they are good for and they’re too big to maneuver in the trees. The only way to catch a raven is to catch one sleeping, and we are very light sleepers.”
Silence fell over the three of them and acceptance settled over Michaela. They were so brave, these two, helping her fight in a battle that was not their own.
She would try to be brave, as well. Though she did not think she had the courage to face Nagi alone, she must risk that to reach her father. She began to tremble again.
“What if I can’t find him?” she whispered.
“You will.”
She drew a breath and spoke the truth. “I’m frightened.”
“Yes,” said Bess. “That is as it should be. Only a Hey oka would march fearlessly to meet the ruler of the Circle of Ghosts. I would not send you, but I see no other way.”
Sebastian looked as if he had a toothache. Was it hard to leave her? She hoped so. Resisting the urge to run to him and bury her face in his strong, muscular chest was difficult. He had protected her through all of the nightmares that haunted her, but he could not help her in this.
Nor should he have to. The fight was hers and she would face it alone.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
The long summer day droned endlessly by until the sun made its descent. Bess cooked dinner, but no one had much appetite.
Sebastian’s dour look did nothing to bolster Michaela’s flagging spirits. She felt like a condemned prisoner about to face judgment.
“Maybe some wine,” said Micha
ela.
“No,” said Bess. “You must not use drugs of any kind. They will make it easier for him.”
Easier, as if killing her wouldn’t be simple enough.
Sebastian gathered her hand in his. “He will try to frighten you. But remember, he cannot actually touch you without a body, and in your dreams you have equal power.”
“Equal?” What did that mean?
“You can fly. You can change from an owl to a mouse. You can search for your father. Call to him and bring him to you. Do this first.”
Bess added her opinion. “It will be a race to see if you can find him before Nagi finds you.”
“But Nagi cannot touch me?”
“Not your body,” clarified Bess.
Ah, he could only make her go mad, then. What a lovely thought.
“But I can still wake up?”
“Yes, but try to reach your father first,” she said, “or you will only have to venture forth a second time.”
“I’ve never really had any control of my dreams. They just sort of happen.”
Bess’s expression turned sour. “They do not just happen. They are your connection to the Spirit World. Those with training can use this connection for great insight.”
Michaela glanced at Sebastian with longing. Beside him she had rested safe. “Why can’t he stay with me?”
“He has used his powers to keep your dreams undisturbed,” said Bess. “He cannot keep out Nagi without also blocking your father.”
“Figures.”
Bess rose from the table and cleared the dinner plates returning with only two mugs.
Sebastian rose as if on cue and left the room.
Michaela followed him with her eyes, feeling bereft at his departure.
“He goes to check the house for any intruders. If there is so much as a mouse under the floorboards, Sebastian will know.” Bess poured the tea and pressed one cup into Michaela’s trembling hand.
“You are very young still, but I think you will do well,” said Bess.
“I’m twenty-one.” Michaela realized that she sounded offended.
“As a Niyanoka, you will see centuries turn. Twenty-one seasons seems just a moment to me.”