by Lucia Ashta
Smaller plants all around them shifted and moved to fill voids and to conceal. Fairies grouped together to move stones large enough to fill openings. This illusion wouldn’t have been enough to fool Brazzon upon close inspection, but it was sufficient to suggest that he should continue his flight without stopping. The twins and Kaanra watched in amazement as their environment changed radically.
It was then, in this enchanted place, that Kaanra understood what Asara and Anak already knew. There was no one better suited to be the doman’s guardian. Thom was a wizard with an inner light that the forest and its creatures responded to enthusiastically.
The final tree trunk finished its warping, the last vines settled into their new places, the fairies moved one final stone, and the last plant twisted to better disguise. And suddenly, there was a still silence that filled the light warriors. It was a profound and dense silence after all the creaking and rustling of plant life that wasn’t meant to move at such speeds.
And so it was that the dark raven cawed out in frustration. He perched at the edge of the light warriors’ enclosure, looking everywhere, searching frantically for what he believed he must have, for what he thought was just within his covetous reach.
Within the trees, the light warriors held their breath. No one and nothing made a sound. The forest was almost too quiet. All the forest animals waited too. No one breathed. No one moved. All waited to see if darkness would pass them by.
Finally, it did. The dark raven flew off in another direction to seek relentlessly. His determination to find the doman and to claim it for darkness would grow more ferocious. But for now, he would lose the doman’s trail.
All of the forest breathed a sigh of relief. The raven’s caw faded into the distance. Sunlight filtered into the forest enclosure once more, happily and readily.
Chapter 28
Lena continued to sit, undisturbed, her eyes closed to the beauty of the landscape. Paolo had stopped exploring his surroundings a while ago, turning his focused attention on his beloved. It seemed to him that calling out to Kel shouldn’t take this long, and he wondered if she was okay.
Paolo had seen Lena drift away in otherworldly experiences enough times over the last few months to realize that almost anything could be going on behind her closed eyes. He watched her, his concern mounting, wondering whether he should check on her or not. In the end, he decided not to interrupt whatever she was doing, and he held back. But he looked on, and with every quarter hour that passed, without even noticing he was doing it, he took several steps closer to where she was.
Right now, he was crouching next to a massive boulder that partially shaded him from the intensity of the sun, almost overhead. He watched Lena unblinkingly.
Sitting Bear, on the opposite side of the campsite from Paolo, zeroed in on Lena as well. He also reasoned it had been too long since she went within to connect with Kel.
Sitting Bear turned his keen eyes to Paolo. Paolo squatted, one hand on the boulder, ready to propel himself forward. He looked as attuned to his surroundings as the animals Sitting Bear regularly watched prowl the harsh desert environment. Concern lined Paolo’s face. His gaze studied Lena, unwavering. How long had he been watching her like this? No one understood Lena as well as Paolo did, and the worry that etched Paolo’s face spoke volumes to Sitting Bear.
While Sitting Bear observed Paolo, Paolo was considering the potential danger in inter-dimensional travel. There was much that could infiltrate the energetic gap Lena opened to cross over into another plane of time and space, and she was still an amateur in understanding how to deal with what could confront her. Lena’s gifts alternately amazed and alarmed Paolo.
He sensed Sitting Bear’s appraising gaze upon him and looked up. The men’s stares locked across the distance, and they made a decision. There was too much at stake to ignore Paolo’s concern. After all, he was intricately connected to Lena in a way that only twins of the soul could be. Paolo’s worry couldn’t be dismissed.
With a nod of the head the only indication of their agreement, Paolo stood. He and Sitting Bear began their approach toward Lena. They’d interrupt whatever she was doing, to call her back from wherever she’d gone, but even so, their step was light. It could be perilous for a person to return from another plane too abruptly. Some parts of the individual could remain behind, and there was great danger in fragmenting a soul.
Both Paolo and Sitting Bear, having dedicated much of their lives to a greater understanding of the unseen, were aware that caution was imperative. The men approached carefully, but steadily. Their footsteps were as quiet as those of the surrounding animals, barely disturbing the hard-packed earth.
Lena sat unmoving. The swells of her breasts rose and fell with steady breath, but other than that, she didn’t stir. She seemed unaware of their approach. Paolo and Sitting Bear stopped ten feet away from her to lock eyes again, searching for agreement. After another nod from Paolo, Sitting Bear began.
A birdcall rang out. The sound was soft and soothing. It progressively grew louder. Sitting Bear had practiced the sounds of the local birds as a boy. By now, he was very good at imitating them. He broke into cheerful song. It was a crisp, defined sound. Sitting Bear was gently beckoning Lena back into the world where they were, where her body was.
Their intention was to alert Lena to her immediate surroundings instead of startling her back into her body. From still air, a wind was born. It whistled like the softest of breezes, one that caressed the skin and brought a smile to even the most stubborn face.
Still, Lena didn’t stir at all. She was somewhere else, firmly entrenched in another reality. The wind picked up. Paolo whistled and blew, imitating the sounds of a stronger wind.
The two men exchanged looks again. Sitting Bear threw his head back into a coyote howl. He howled softly at first. Then, he bayed louder. Even so, Lena did not return.
Now Paolo and Sitting Bear were really worried.
“Lena,” Paolo whispered in words that were barely audible. “Lena. Lena, it’s time for you to come back to us now.”
Paolo’s voice steadily grew louder. “Amore, it’s time to return.”
Still nothing. Paolo steadied his impulse to reach out and touch her, to shake her, to confirm she was okay. His concern was snowballing exponentially the longer it took her to return. It unsettled him that he wasn’t able to reach her, that he couldn’t identify where she was right then.
Sitting Bear studied the growing alarm on Paolo’s face. He understood what Paolo was feeling, even though Sitting Bear had never loved a woman the way Paolo did.
“Lena!” Paolo said a little more loudly than he’d intended, and he immediately regretted the frustration that led him to risk bringing her back too rapidly.
But it worked out. The concern Paolo evidenced in his voice activated that part of Lena she’d drifted away from. She loved Paolo. Her love for him was enmeshed within every part of her being, and it was his anxiety that made her snap out of it.
She tilted her head almost imperceptibly to one side, and then to the other. But the slight movement was enough for Paolo. He looked at Sitting Bear with a big smile across his face. Sitting Bear, too, was relieved. He’d never seen anyone go so far out of body before.
It was Lena’s constant connection to other worlds that made it so easy for her to float out of her body, as if she were always drifting between the planes, skimming her hand against the veil that separates them, making the sheer veil undulate and waft, and then slipping her fingers through to the other side. The other worlds drew her. They beckoned to her as if she had only one foot in this world and the other always in another.
Returning to this reality was more difficult for Lena than leaving it. She tried to open her eyes, but the attempt was short-lived. Her eyelids fluttered open for the briefest of moments and then closed again against the sudden harshness of the bright sun. Mostly, however, she shut her eyes against the challenge of being back in her body.
“Amore,” Paolo co
oed.
Then he sensed her slipping away from him again. “Amore!” This time he spoke strongly and firmly. He wouldn’t let her float back away. “Come back to me, amore. Now.”
“You must return now. Now, my love. Please.” Paolo’s voice was soft now, the gentle nudging of a lover.
Lena tried for Paolo’s sake. Where she was, she couldn’t understand the need to return. She did it only for him.
Sitting Bear stood from his crouched position. He walked over to stand behind Lena. He was mindful not to disrupt the connection Paolo had established with her. It was the bridge back to this plane for Lena.
Sitting Bear unfastened the bone fragment that secured the leather pouch at his waist. He’d made it himself as a child. Now he touched the pouch tenderly. It reminded him of when he was a boy, eager to learn everything, anxious to know the ways of his tribe. He’d stitched the pouch carefully and with an enormous amount of dedication. Small bone fragments that he found on the land adorned the bag in a pattern representing the sacred medicine wheel of his people. The pieces of bone marked the four physical directions in the straightforward way a boy’s mind worked.
From the pouch, Sitting Bear removed an unadorned cloth. It was green. He unfolded it slowly. It, too, was from his childhood. From within, he removed the pipe his father had carved for him when he was a teenager. It was a coming-of-age gift. The day his father gifted him the pipe, he told Sitting Bear he’d become a man.
To choose a name that honored the different stages of their lives was the way of his people. An individual could transition through several names in his lifetime. On the day his father gave him this pipe, Sitting Bear chose the name he still carried. He hadn’t felt the need to change it since.
He still felt like Sitting Bear—he was mindful of his surroundings; his actions were measured and wise; he respected the rhythms of nature and all life; and he possessed the strength and steadfastness of a bear. Sitting Bear sat back and observed everything and everyone around him. When it was his time, he charged forward with the determination and courage of a bear.
After Sitting Bear chose his name, his father carved the figure of a seated bear and added it to the pipe. The wood still held strong, and it looked more beautiful with age than when his father first revealed the carving.
Paolo looked up at Sitting Bear curiously. The large man was moving in slow motion, stopping after every small movement to stare off into the distance. He appeared to be daydreaming, and Paolo thought it most unusual for Sitting Bear to behave this way when Lena’s situation was dire.
Sitting Bear didn’t notice Paolo’s questioning glance. He removed another cloth from the pouch. This cloth was red, and it held tobacco, a plant sacred to his people. Sitting Bear pinched a generous amount of tobacco and packed it in the bowl. Then he put the tobacco away. His actions were coordinated and meticulous from many years of practice.
Finally, Sitting Bear retrieved a disposable lighter from the pouch. The lighter was one of the few conveniences of the modern world he indulged in. From the time humans first discovered fire, they marveled at its unexpected power. Now, with the flick of a thumb, fire instantly appeared. It was like a magic trick.
Paolo shook his head, disrupting the quizzical look he’d been giving Sitting Bear, whose unusual behavior confused Paolo. He returned his focus to Lena. He needed to do something to help her. “Love, come on.”
Paolo’s words brought a sudden end to Sitting Bear’s reverie. He snapped out of it, surprised he’d floated away in nostalgia and remembrance. Lena’s detachment from the present moment was contagious. Sitting Bear had been unusually wistful. Alert again, he lit the bowl of tobacco. He puffed at the plant until it was smoking generously. Paolo looked at Sitting Bear with relief.
Comprehending what Sitting Bear planned to do, Paolo carefully picked up Lena’s hands from her knees and placed them on the earth. He ran his hands down Lena’s arms, encouraging her to respond to the bodily sensation of his hands on her skin, of her hands against the earth, and to pull back into her physical shell. Over and again, he brought his hands up to her shoulders and slid them down her arms, ending at her hands. He pressed his hands over hers, encouraging her to connect to the earth, to allow the Mother to ground her into this earthly body.
Again, Paolo repeated the same cycle of movements. Then, Sitting Bear pulled in a great mouthful of tobacco smoke, moved the pipe to the side, and bent down over Lena. His broad body curved above Lena’s seated figure. His turquoise earrings dangled, brushing up against her head. His long braid fell against her shoulder. Sitting Bear brought his lips a whisper away from the yellow hair that covered the crown of Lena’s head, and then he released the smoke in a slow and steady breath that seemed to go on forever, mingling elegantly with timelessness.
Paolo was mesmerized. The smoke swayed and curled. It took on a life of its own. Paolo was enchanted by it, and he looked on without moving, his hands stationed against Lena’s, pressing her hands into the raw earth.
Sitting Bear repeated the same action three times. When he released the last of the smoke, and he turned to inhale a breath of fresh air, Lena blinked her eyes open.
Finally, she was back.
Lena’s return to her body was tenuous at first. Paolo took off her shoes and socks so she could touch the earth with the soles of her feet, until Sitting Bear suggested she lie flat on the ground. After some time with the dirt beneath her, supporting her, anchoring her within her earthly shell, Lena finally felt steady within herself.
Paolo, ever connected to her, sensed her readiness. “Is everything okay? Are you all right? Were you able to reach Kel?”
Paolo helped Lena to sit up. They moved slowly, so she wouldn’t get dizzy. She took a moment and then shook her head no. “I didn’t even try to reach Kel. When I went within, I went somewhere else than I intended. I merged with Asara.”
Lena gave Paolo a knowing look. Sitting Bear wouldn’t be able to follow their conversation, but Lena didn’t have the energy to explain about Arnaka. Paolo would have to do that.
“Asara and Anak are in danger. They’re hiding from a shapeshifter that gave himself entirely to darkness. The light warriors carry the doman with them, and they’re on the run. There’s another prophecy other than the one that concerns our birth—I mean Asara and Anak’s birth. Dann also foretold one other prophecy that involves the twins. Now they’re running to fulfill that prophecy before the dark raven can find them and the doman.”
When Lena said the word ‘shapeshifter,’ she grabbed Sitting Bear’s full attention despite the outlandish details of her story.
“We need to find a way to help them. There must be something we can do.” Lena stared intently, meaningfully into Paolo’s eyes. “We need to help them.” There was ferocious resolve in her voice.
They had to find a way to assist the golden twins of prophecy. It was all too important.
Chapter 29
I saw her again,” Asara told Anak while she stared into the clear water that rushed by them. They finally had the chance to rest. After their narrow escape from the crow, they slipped away from their companions to take a moment for themselves. As always, the water beckoned to them.
They removed the moccasins they wore for distance travel and immersed their feet in the water. The cool water refreshed and soothed their feet, tired from all the walking and running.
Anak turned his head toward Asara expectantly. He knew who ‘her’ was, and he wanted to hear more.
“I saw the woman again, the one who reached through time to tell me about the doman, the one that looks and feels so much like me. I assume she saw me too. It was as if she felt what I felt. She ran while I ran. Her heart beat as mine did. I don’t know what it means, but she and I are becoming more closely connected. I sense her even now.” She trailed off, still speaking into the flowing water, mesmerized by it, soothed by its constancy and simplicity.
Anak was curious. What was it like to look at another version of your soul?
Would you be aware of everything that happened in that other life, since you share the same soul? “What color are her eyes?”
Asara held her stare with the water and smiled. “Guess.” Her reply was playful and teasing. Bright amber eyes, afire with the glow of the sun, stared into their identical reflection.
The twins’ breathing grew deep. Their stare grew deeper. Their eyes held, unwavering. And then there was nothing that could stop it.
Anak closed the space between them. He leaned toward Asara, and her breathing intensified in response. His mouth found hers, his soul found hers, and the rest was a flow of unconscious thought. Their bodies longed for each other as much as their hearts had for all those years until they reunited.
Their tongues intertwined, the fire ignited, and their passion burst into flame. Asara pulled off her shirt. She threw it toward the grasses that lined the water. She untied her pants while Anak stared. He studied her as if her body were new to him every time. She stood, slipped out of the last of her clothes, and threw the pants in the direction of the shirt, where they joined in a crumpled heap. Another giggle, another burning glance at her lover, and she dove into the water. The water was shallow. She dove long, skimming just below the surface of the water, which rippled, shimmered, and reflected the sun as it caressed her naked body.
She surfaced in time to see Anak’s feet leave the ground. Within instants, she felt his cool skin pressed against hers. His arms wrapped around her from behind, and he held her close. She leaned her head back against his shoulder for a moment. She pulled in a long breath that filled her, a long look at the bright blue sky above them.
Then, she turned toward him, and they became one. He filled her, sharing with her the last remnants of who he was. She received all that he offered her, and she opened herself up to him fully, revealing every last bit of herself. Together, like this, they were truly one. Two individuals who were so much like each other, intermingled, and in the eyes of Creator, for this single moment, they were one.