“Not what I would call a bad dream, or even a nightmare.”
“So you did dream then?”
“Yes, and you were right. The white wolf was there with me, and it did have crimson eyes. The other one, a cub that followed the wolf had amber eyes.”
Jared groaned inwardly. “The wolf cub had amber eyes - was it male or female?”
“Female.”
Jared’s eyes lit. “You’re sure it was female?”
Sara blushed and grinned. “It had to be. Either that, or the cub was missing a few vital parts,” she chuckled.
Jared softly laughed. “All things considered, you’d know the difference. Do you want to tell me about the dream?”
“I don’t remember a lot about it. We were on the mountain. It was early in the morning. The top of the mountain was covered in a thick fog. I was standing near a campfire. The white wolf and the wolf cub came to me. I stroked his head and looked into its crimson eyes. For some reason, I don’t know why, it looked sad. So did the wolf cub. Then I faded away, and all that was left was the wolf and the cub, and then I woke up. That’s all I can remember.”
Jared drew in a heavy sigh as he fought stinging tears. He remembered the other sketches – the two Sara had just described. One last night, one this morning, and one other one. The one that hurt the most. The one Jared would never let Sara see. No matter what happened. He couldn’t let her see it. If she did, it might change everything. But she said the cub was female. Dine'é Kay-Yah females don’t undergo the change. Maybe something has changed. Maybe the future wasn’t to be set in stone. If only Jared had paid more attention to his grandfather.
For a couple of minutes, Jared sat in deep thought. Sara watched him and wondered what was going on in his mind. Finally, he smiled. “Come on, let’s get downstairs. I’m starving.”
------------
As Jared and Sara entered the kitchen, Jared and his father shared a knowing glance.
Nadine put the orange juice on the table. “Did Sara have another one of her nightmares last night?”
Jared glanced at Sara, and sighed. “She had an episode before we went to bed.” He glanced at his father again.
“Oh dear! I hope you managed to get some sleep. Was it like the dream you told Myra and I…?”
Jared narrowed his eyes. “What dream?”
Sara brushed it off and attempted to change the subject. “It was nothing, Jared. Where’s Myra?”
“She left early. She wanted some extra study time before her exam. I think she’s concerned about this one.” She handed Tom a platter of what looked like thin pancakes. “Oh – and before I forget it – Sara, Myra said she wanted you to keep Angelstar. She appreciated the offer, but she said she couldn’t take Angelstar, not after Jared had already promised her to you.”
Sara shared a puzzled look with Jared, and then looked back at Nadine. “Nada, Jared hadn’t promised her to me. All I did was give her a name.”
Jared cleared his throat. “Ah – Sara – in our eyes, giving an animal a name is the same thing as claiming it.”
Tom added, eyeing Jared suspiciously. “Yes, it is, but I didn’t think you believed in all that ‘legend stuff’ as you put it.”
“Dad, could we not go into that right now. I’m already dealing with enough. I have some rather good news – or at least I think it is. We may not have that hard of a time convincing the Council to accept Sara into our Clan after we’re married.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I think Sara is already one of us – well – at least the Dine'é Kay-Yah.”
Tom drew in a quick breath. His eyes widened. “Jared….”
Jared held up his hand. “It’s all right Dad. She knows.”
“You’ve told her everything?”
Jared tightened his jaw. “Everything she needs to know.”
“Then what are you talking about Jared? Has something happened?”
“Two things actually. I’m starting to have my doubts about David Whitefeather. It should have shown up in her blood test.”
“What should have shown up? Jared you know I don’t like guessing games.”
“Sara has seen the symbol Dad and a lot more.”
Tom rolled his eyes and sighed. “That still doesn’t explain where she learned about the Dine'é Kay-Yah.”
Sara glanced at Jared, and then looked at Tom. “Not just the Dine'é Kay-Yah. I know about the Dine’é Yá too. I learned about both of them by reading the cover page from your father’s book.”
Tom glanced at Jared and then back at Sara. “Sara, neither are mentioned in my father’s….”
Jared held up his hand again. “Dad, it might not be there for us, but it is there for Sara. She saw the pale blue light, and she described the symbol. It’s the same symbol I drew when I was in the second grade. Joel didn’t just drug Sara with acid. The acid must have been laced with dream dust.”
Nadine’s mouth gaped. “But it should have….”
Jared smiled. “…Drove her mad? I know Mother, but it didn’t. It only opened her mind. Either Granddad or the Dine’é Yá sent Sara a message.”
Tom’s attention piqued. “A message – from what? How?”
Jared looked to Sara, smiled, and then turned. “The day of Granddad’s funeral, Sara was here alone. She read the book – well, at least she tried. Someone was trying to stop her.”
“What do you mean stop her – how?”
“I sat on the bed, opened the book, and the wind from the window blew it shut.”
Tom shook his head and sighed. “That’s perfectly normal Sara.”
“Just wait Dad. Go on Sara.”
“I agree with you Tom, and that’s why I didn’t pay it a lot of attention the first time it happened. I opened the book again, and this time a gust of wind came from the window and flung the book to the floor.”
“Was anything else in the room affected? Was anything blown over on the nightstand?”
“No Tom. The only thing that was affected was the book. At that point, I decided to try one last time. I got up and closed the window. When I opened the book again, and read the first paragraph, the one I’d just read in plain English, had changed to these weird symbols.”
“What kind of symbols Sara,” Tom asked, now more willing to listen.
Sara sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, just symbols – letters of some kind….”
“But you didn’t recognize what language they were?”
Sara sighed again. “No Tom. They were just….”
Tom took an envelope from his pocket. “Nadine, get me a pencil, please.”
Nadine handed him a pencil. “What are you doing Tom?”
Tom ignored her, and started sketching. He sketched two sets of symbols. Was it anything like either of these?” he asked.
“It was more like the second set. I’m sure that last symbol was one of them. It reminded me of a McDonald’s golden arches on its side.”
“And you’re sure the first set wasn’t part of what you saw?”
“No, they’re Egyptian hieroglyphics. I’ve seen them before in a museum in Shreveport. It was definitely the other symbols.”
Jared furrowed his brow. “Dad…?”
Tom held up his hand. “Just wait Jared,” he said. “Then I’ll explain as much as I can.”
Oh Great, Sara thought. I know what that means. He’s not going to tell us the whole story.
“Jared, I need you to bring me one of your sketch pads or a piece of paper – something big enough Sara can draw on.”
Sara opened her mouth to speak. Tom held up his hand again. “Before you start objecting Sara, I know you’re not that good at drawing, but I need you to draw as many of the symbols as you can remember.”
“That’s not going to be very easy,” Sara complained. “I only saw them once. Last night, when I looked at the book a second time, I saw something totally different.”
“That’s ok,” Tom said. “I still need you to draw as many as yo
u can remember. They don’t have to be in any particular order. Not even the order you saw them in. Just take your time, and do the best you can.”
“Ok, but don’t laugh if it looks more like a stick figure,” she chuckled as she picked up the pencil and started roughly sketching strange symbols.”
Tom and Jared leaned in, so they could see. Nadine watched from her chair. Tom had spoken of odd symbols his father saw once in a dream, and something young Joe had sketched on one of his letters to Tom. Since she never actually saw the symbols, and would have known nothing about it, she busied herself with clearing the breakfast dishes.
Sara finished the sketch and passed it to Tom. Some of the symbols were exact to the ones Tom’s father had shown him, and the ones in Joe’s letter.
Tom sighed deeply, and looked at Sara. “You said someone sent you a message. Can you describe how you got this message, and what it said Sara?”
“That I can do,” Sara said, laying the pencil on the table. “When the symbols appeared where English had been before, I got frightened. I began to believe maybe Joel was right. The book was cursed. When I tried to look away, I couldn’t. It felt as if something was holding my head in place, but nothing was there. No matter how hard I tried to, I couldn’t turn away. I was forced to watch as the symbols started to spool off the page, gathering into what looked like a ball of black yarn – only it was ink. The ink from the page. The ball started to unwind and spelt out the phrase ‘Sara don’t be afraid’. But one thing’s for sure – I was afraid and terribly sick to my stomach. I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom. God I was so scared.”
“But when I got back from the funeral, you didn’t mention any of this to me. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tom sighed and answered the question for Sara. “Because she was afraid it would make you upset with her. She’s curious Jared. It’s understandable. You can’t just tell her part of the story, and not expect her to search for the rest if you’re not willing to tell her.”
Jared clenched his teeth. “Dad, you know the consequences for doing that.”
“Jared for heaven’s sake. If you believe Sara is your perfect match, then you shouldn’t hide anything from her – not if she asks you. I know you don’t want to accept your possible future, but keeping it from Sara won’t change it.”
Jared growled. “Dad….”
“I’m sorry Jared. By not telling her, you could be doing the one thing you’re trying to prevent. If Sara looks for answers on her own, anything could happen to her. Tell her Jared. If she is a seer, eventually, you won’t be able to keep anything from her anyway. Take her to the mountain, and show her what she needs to know. She’s here, with you. Enjoy that. None of us knows how long we’ll have that. Don’t live your life in regret Jared. It isn’t fair to you, and it isn’t fair to Sara either!”
Jared stormed out back. Sara started to follow him, but Tom stopped her. “Let me Sara. No matter how much I think you should know, or how much I want to tell you, I won’t do what is Jared’s job. Let me talk to him.”
Tears filled Sara’s eyes, and she nodded. Tom left the room.
------------
Jared was sitting on the step at the edge of the patio, his head in his hands. Tom sat beside him and put his arm around Jared’s shoulder. Jared laid his hand over Tom’s, silent tears streaming down his cheeks. “Dad, she’s seen the morning mountain scene. She dreamed about it last night.”
“The one with you and your daughter?”
“Yes Dad, but something was different.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sara said the white wolf had crimson eyes, but the cub had amber eyes. Dad that’s not possible – is it? Has there ever been any females who have inherited the transformation gene?”
Tom sighed. “Not on our side Jared. Sara’s eyes don’t….”
“No,” Jared said, shaking his head. “And believe me, I would know.”
“So you and she have – right. Yes, after that, you would definitely know. “So when did you come to believe Sara might be a seer?”
“Last night. When she showed me the symbol, and talked about the pale blue glow. The other thing - and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about it until then - both of Sara’s parents have blue eyes. Everyone in Sara’s family has blue eyes.”
Tom furrowed his brow. “But Sara has brown eyes,” he reasoned. “How could she…?”
Jared shook his head. “I don’t know Dad. Unless Sara had a distant ancestor and she inherited a recessive gene. The thing that bothers me is this. Kaye, Sara’s mother, hates Native Americans with a passion.”
“So you’ve met Sara’s parents?”
“Yes, I invited them to the gig at Shreveport. I even offered for them to stay at Wisteria Hall. When I spoke to Kaye on the phone, she seemed as if everything was fine. I honestly thought – at that time – she was a likeable person. I couldn’t understand why Sara said some of the things she did about her mother, and why Sara was so reluctant to talk to Kaye about us. Then, when they came to visit – let’s just say, she was a bitch. She took Sara outside and yelled at her. Then when she came back in the house, she started in on me. She actually tried to brainwash me into thinking I didn’t want Sara. She said Sara was too young and too immature to be with someone of my social standing. When Sara told me what she did to her, God, I wanted to wring that woman’s neck. I kept my eyes closed for most of the conversation – no - wait, the lecture.”
“So she couldn’t see your eyes changing?”
“Yes. I was so infuriated with her….”
Tom smiled as he watched Jared’s eyes changing from glowing amber to burning crimson. “Yes, I can tell. She doesn’t sound like the kind of person I would get along with either. But Jared, what are you going to do? She is Sara’s mother. You’ll eventually have to be around her.”
Jared chuckled. “I guess I’ll get a lot of dust in my eyes, but I am not giving Sara up. Even if I know I may only have her a short while.”
“Have you had any more dreams or visions about that? Anymore specifics about how it will….”
Jared sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “No. I’ve told you all I know about that. I’ve shown you every sketch pertaining to Sara’s death. I’ve cried. I’ve begged, and I’ve even cursed, but still no specific answer has been given. This is so unfair Dad. Sara is the life within my soul, and they won’t even tell me when it’s going to happen, or how I can stop it – if it can be stopped.”
“Jared,” Tom said in a soothing tone. “Sara is upset, and she’s worried. She doesn’t know what’s going on, or what’s happening to her, or even why. If you think she’s a seer, then it’s your duty to do what you can to help her understand what she is, where she came from, and where she’s going. Are you going to tell her?”
“Dad, I’m afraid if I tell her, then the fight is over. I will be acknowledging it’s my future – our future, and it will make it real. Make it happen. If I can stop it happening, I would lie to her with my last breath if I thought it would protect her.”
“Jared, if Sara has to die. If there’s some future event that depends on her dying, preventing it….”
“I know that too Dad,” Jared ground through his teeth.
“Jared, trying to prevent this by not telling Sara doesn’t necessairly mean you’ll be successful, and even if you are… it could still be depriving Sara of what she deserves.”
Jared wiped his angry tears and looked up at Tom. “What if it was Mom, Dad? What choice would you make?”
“Jared, I would choose to do what I felt in my heart was right. No matter what that may mean to me or your mother. But, it’s not me, and it’s not my choice. It’s yours, and it’s your future. Only you can decide how you want it to turn out.”
“All right Dad. I’ll tell her. But not until we’ve found out if Sara is Dine'é Kay-Yah.”
“How are you going to prove it Jared.”
“I’m going to talk to Donna Rigden again, and
see what she thinks.”
“Is she the friend you were talking about when you mentioned proving how Grandmother died?”
“Well, yes and no. Gary Browne, her cousin is the one I honestly wanted to talk to, but he’s gone now. He took the job in England, which I fully expected him to. I know I would have. Anyway, when he came to Wisteria Hall to talk to me, he brought Donna. She took over from Gary at D’Netics, the company I was telling you about. Anyway, according to Gary, Donna is just as good, if not better than him at this stuff. And, after talking with her, I agree. Donna told me exactly what I expected her to. She said she would be happy to take a look at Grandmother’s medical records, but without actual samples for testing, we wouldn’t be able to find out anything. She also said, since Grandmother’s body was burned, it would make it harder to prove anyway, especially without having her exhumed to collect those samples.”
Tom studied Jared’s eyes. “Jared, what is it going to accomplish? Let her rest. Grandmother deserves to be left in peace. Unless you can assure me these tests would give us definite answers, I’m not doing it.”
Jared sighed. “I know Dad. That’s why I told Donna to let me see what I could find out first, but that doesn’t stop me from approaching her about Sara’s past.”
Sara appeared on the patio. Tom looked back. “Hello Sara. I’ll leave you and Jared alone. If you need us, we’ll be inside,” he said, touching Sara’s shoulder as he passed her.
“Jared…?”
Jared stood. He wiped the tears from his eyes and turned. He walked up to Sara, kissed her and then held her. “Ayor anosh'ni yishdlį́į́h,” he whispered in her ear. “Always Sara!”
Chapter 31
Nine Months and Two Weeks Later….
The decision had been made.
Jared stood at the window, alone, gazing out at the night. The sky was as black as the dark cloud of emptiness that filled his heart. There was no moon. There were no stars. Not even a breeze. Just quiet and stillness. Even the Heavens seemed to dread the sadness that would come with the dawn.
Jared thought, perhaps if the Sun never rose, time would still, and he could remain, in this moment, frozen for all eternity. Could he do this? Could he take the breath of life from her? It was the last thread. His only connection to her left in this world. Oh Sara would never die. She lived in his soul. She would forever walk through the pages of his memory. Time or death couldn’t dim that.
Blood of the Rainbow Page 50