books 1 - 3

by Ella J. Smyth

  “Come on, Adi, they won’t bite. Let me introduce you. They’re my family—they’ll love you.”

  As much as I do. Adi understood Honi’s unspoken words.

  How many people were there? Forty? Fifty? Had the entire Mekui’te tribe come out to greet them? Adi shivered. The smell of early snow made her nose twitch. It brought bad memories of a woman with white eyes, forcing her to make a choice between Honi’s life and a lifelong thrall.

  She shuddered when an ice-cold gust blew across the open space where Honi had parked their rental. He had called ahead, laughing and joking with his old friend and mentor, John. The shaman of the Mekui’te tribe had expected them hours earlier, but they’d gotten held up at the airport. Their luggage had gone missing for a few hours, plus the rental car hadn’t been ready yet.

  When they’d finally driven the five hours from the airport to the reservation, they had to take turns because both of them had been exhausted after the long trip from Germany back to the U.S. The closer they’d gotten to their destination, the more Honi’d woken up. His excitement to see his family again after more than a year had been so infectious that Adi’d swallowed down her apprehension.

  Until now. She kept a smile on her face, trying to appear relaxed and at ease. Inside, she was anything but. There was something disconcerting standing in front of such a large group of people, most of who looked at her with suspicion.

  Was it because she was a stranger? Had John told the community she was a spirit walker? She couldn’t imagine he had. So why the hostility that wafted from the silent group like an invisible cloud?

  Honi was talking to a tall man with a black Stetson pulled deep into his craggy face. His eyes were warm as he hugged Honi to him. Adi remembered meeting him in the hospital when she’d sat next to Honi’s bed, waiting for him to wake up from a coma. His name was Jim Fisher, and he was Honi’s father.

  She watched him for a moment as the two men chatted excitedly. He looked just like Honi would when he got older. Still tall and lean, only the lines around his eyes betrayed his age. Her boyfriend turned towards her and waved her over. She kept her eyes on Jim Fisher’s face as she approached, smiling politely.

  His expression changed from one second to the next. Gone was the warmth, the humor. Instead, he crossed his arms and spread his legs, anchoring himself. Adi had already stuck out her hand, ready to shake his. Confused, she pulled it back. She looked at Honi, who seemed equally baffled.

  After an awkward silence, Adi spoke, still keeping a timid smile on her face. “Mr. Fisher? Do you remember me? We met at—”

  “I know who you are.” The words were harsh, underlined by his angry expression.

  “You are the woman responsible for Honi giving up his entire future. For you, he dropped university, and followed you to Germany. And now you have the nerve to come here, with him, asking for my blessing? You, an outsider to this community?”

  He stared at her, his dark eyes blazing with fury. Adi swallowed hard. She hadn’t been sure how she would be greeted. She’d been nervous about meeting Honi’s family, but had not expected this level of hostility towards her.

  Her eyeballs grew hot, and tears welled up. Driving all the way to the reservation had taken forever. During the entire journey, Honi had told her stories about his family. About his relationship with John and many of the elders. He’d made her laugh so many times with funny stories about how lovable and unique the tribe’s people were. Adi had expected that they might be slow to accept her. But she’d been unprepared to be shut out like this from the very first moment she met Honi's family.

  Adi's hands balled into fists. She fought back tears of exhaustion and humiliation. Then she blinked her eyes open again, fiercely determined to not show any weakness. A familiar emotion welled up. How dared they treat her like this? They didn't even know her. They had no idea what Honi and Adi had been through. It was a miracle that they made it out the other side alive and well. Adi had sacrificed the rest of her life in servitude to the faerie queen, with the understanding that Honi could never find out.

  “Honi,” she whispered. When he didn't turn around and continued staring at his father, she repeated louder, “Honi!”

  He whirled around. His obvious confusion and sadness calmed her down a little bit and softened her next words.

  "I'm really tired. Can we please postpone all this until tomorrow? I don't want to stand here in the freezing wind and argue with these people."

  She waved her hand dismissively at Honi's tribe—not the nicest choice of words, but she was pissed at her treatment. Honi's eyebrows drew together as the only outward sign of irritation with the way she’d just shrugged off his entire family. He took her arm and without saying another word to his father, he led her back to the car.

  The plan had been to stay with his parents, but instead, Honi drove to the only motel within ten miles of the reservation. After he’d checked them in, he silently carried their suitcases into the double room. Adi was glad he’d done so without asking, because the tiredness was now so enveloping that she could barely keep her head up.

  It wasn't a five-star luxury hotel, but the linens were reasonably clean, and the room smelled only a little. Adi sat down at the edge of the bed, too numb and exhausted even to cry. Honi sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He looked as upset as she felt.

  "I'm so sorry. I don't know why he acted the way he did.” He pulled her in tighter, and Adi put her head on his shoulder. “Let's get a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow we’ll go back and start over."

  Adi nodded, and after they’d gotten undressed and slipped under the covers, she cuddled close to Honi's warm body, and immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.

  She woke up in the middle of the night, her stomach grumbling, reminding her they had skipped dinner last night. When she checked her cell phone, it was only three o’clock in the morning. Too early to get up, yet she was too wired to go back to sleep.

  Her head churning, she threw on some comfortable clothes from her suitcase and walked outside. She closed her eyes and allowed the darkness to wash over her. This was very different from Germany. It was cold up here, yet more refreshing than chilling. There was very little light pollution, and the stars shone clearly like diamond pinpricks in black velvet.

  She sat outside the room for a while, ignoring the creeping cold moving up her legs. Coyotes were howling in the distance, too far away to be a danger. Adi closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip into a light trance. She tentatively pushed her mind into the dark to see who or what was out there. So many animals that her eyes couldn’t see but her spirit walker mind touched briefly before moving on.

  None of the creatures were spirit animals, just ordinary run-of-the-mill mammals. The coyotes were blue dots at the outside range of her vision. Closer-by were green and pink spots, rabbits, and some foxes. There were larger animals in the forests behind the motel—elk, deer, even some antelopes.

  As she was about to pull out of her trance, something moved beyond the distant blue of the coyotes. It was fractured, like light reflecting from a broken glass bottle. It was nothing that Adi had ever experienced, either in the human or the spirit world.

  She sat up straight, the surprise of her discovery drawing her mind back to the surface. She took a deep breath, centered herself, and tried to get back to the calm, perfectly even state. But it was no use. Whatever had been there, was now gone. Adi opened her eyes and shook her head.

  Maybe it had been her imagination. She was exhausted, the jet-lag hitting her hard as it always did. She couldn't be sure if what she’d seen had really been there. She shrugged it off and went back to slip under the warm covers with Honi.

  2

  Honi woke when Adi slipped out of bed. The covers were scratchy, and nothing smelled like home. Then he remembered: he wasn’t in his old bedroom but in a cheap motel on the outskirts of Medicine Park, Southern Oklahoma.

  He checked the time and groaned; three in the morning.
Way too early to get up. His whole body ached from the long journey home. What he needed was another couple of hours shuteye before he had to face the day.

  He’d talked to his dad before they’d left Germany. Jim had been excited about Honi finally coming home. He knew his son was bringing his girlfriend, and that they were serious about each other. Last night’s events had taken both Honi and Adi by surprise. The look on her face…

  Honi groaned. He wiped his hand over his eyes. She’d looked confused, upset, hurt. Dammit, Dad. And what about the rest of them? The Mekui’te tribe had good reasons to be apprehensive of outsiders, like all Native American nations. But she was with him. And he was one of them. More than that. He was a spirit walker, and so was she. Even if the younger generation didn’t believe in the old ways, the elders knew what they were. So why the hostility?

  A cold snout snuffled against his neck. His spirit wolf, trying to comfort him.

  “What do you think is up with them?” he murmured.

  The mental image projected at him was of confusion, yet also optimism and trust. Honi reached out with his mind, the way he’d done ever since he’d first met Ho’neo. He’d been a young teenager, undergoing the ritual of a spirit quest. That was the first time his calling had revealed itself. The young man and his spirit wolf had been connected ever since, and they would be together until Honi passed on.

  Ho’neo’s large, furry body snuggled next to Honi’s, sharing warmth and comfort.

  “Show me where Adi is,” Honi whispered.

  Ho’neo blinked slowly, then projected the image of Adi sitting outside the building, staring into the darkness. Honi reached out to her, wanting to make sure she was okay. Her mind was calm, her heartbeat strong. As he focused in on the steady double-beat, he slipped back into darkness.

  When he opened his eyes again, it was still pitch dark. For a moment Honi panicked, his heartbeat increasing, and his breath coming faster. He stretched his hand out to the side, hoping to connect with Adi sleeping next to him. The bed was empty—Adi hadn’t returned yet.

  He forced himself to calm down. There was no reason to panic. Even though his eyes couldn’t make out any shapes, power cuts weren’t rare in this area. That seemed to be the most likely explanation. There was a lamp outside the motel room window, and when he’d tried to fall asleep initially, the yellow glow had made it difficult. Now it was gone, and so was the green and blue flashing light off the busted motel sign.

  Honi swung his legs out of bed.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” he muttered. Ho’neo growled softly, bumping his head against Honi’s side.

  He wasn’t particularly keen on walking barefoot on the ancient carpet. He stretched out his feet, feeling around as far as they would reach. But no matter how far he stretched, there was no sign of his shoes. He was sure they should have been right next to his bed, but maybe Adi had slipped into them when she’d gotten up. She sometimes did that, even though they were several sizes too large for her.

  Finally he moved slowly, his arms outstretched, towards the door. After taking four or five shuffling steps, he stopped. He should have reached the door by now. He moved forward another three steps, and then stopped again. This was crazy. He moved his arms to the left and right, but there was nothing, not the chintzy floor lamp he remembered, not the nicotine-stained wall, nothing.

  Honi squeezed his eyes shut and listened. He had never felt so alone in his life. There was no sound of traffic on the nearby road, or any of the everyday noises you would expect in a large motel. When he’d finally fallen asleep, there’d been a dripping tap, people talking outside, even the strains of country and western music carried on the breeze. Now the silence was so absolute that it pushed against his eardrums like cotton wool. Honi shivered and held himself tightly.

  When he felt the pressure of a heavy body against his legs, he nearly screamed. He swallowed the sound, realizing it was only Ho’neo. He moved his hand to touch the wolf’s hard skull. Cold, giant teeth closed gently on his skin. Before he could react, Ho’neo tugged him insistently towards his left.

  Honi didn’t argue. When the spirit wolf wanted him to do something, there was always a reason for it. Honi followed the gigantic animal through the room. Very soon the cheap, scratchy carpet under his feet changed. The surface turned softer and slightly damp. Honi stopped for a second to marvel at the grass under his feet, before Ho’neo pulled him further.

  Something sounded nearby—first so quietly that Honi wasn’t sure he didn’t imagine it. Then it got louder until there was no mistaking the sound of somebody sobbing. Not wailing or crying out in pain. No, it was a male voice, crying quietly, as if he were afraid to be heard.

  Honi followed the sound and soon reached the source of it. He said gently, so as not to scare him, “Hey, are you okay?”

  Despite Honi’s efforts not to startle him, the man jumped. His voice hitched, and the sobs were cut off abruptly.

  “You gave me a fright!”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. My name is Honi. What’s yours?”

  The man hesitated before answering.

  “Con.”

  Con’s voice was younger than Honi had expected. There was a break in it that suggested teenager rather than grown man. Honi tried again.

  “Con. Short for Connor, right?”

  When the young man said nothing, Honi carried on. “I can’t believe how dark it is. How did you get here, Con?”

  Again no response. Honi remarked dryly, “You know I have no idea if you’re nodding or shaking your head, right?”

  That earned him a watery chuckle. Honi grinned. He counted that as a win.“So if you don’t remember how you got here, what’s the last thing you do remember?”

  Con sighed before answering. “I remember going to bed. That’s it. It was pretty late because we have a test coming up tomorrow. So I stayed up and studied until Mom told me to go to bed. And then when I woke up, it was really dark, and I was all alone. I don’t usually cry, you know? I’m not a baby.”

  The vehemence of the last couple of words made Honi smile. He answered quietly, “It’s okay to be scared. I’m kind of scared too. I was in a motel room when I fell asleep. Where did you go to sleep?”

  “In our house in Heota.”

  That was weird. Heota was Honi’s hometown, twenty miles away from where Honi had gone to sleep. It suddenly hit him. Of course. He was spirit-walking. It wasn’t the first time that Honi had met Dreamers. Sometimes people slipped into the spirit world by accident. They usually looked around for a little while before waking up. They neither had the training nor the talent to control their traveling between the worlds.

  “It’s okay, Con. When you wake up, you’ll be back in your bed.”

  The boy’s voice sounded more hopeful. “You think so?”

  “Yes, absolutely,” Honi assured him. The next few words took him by surprise.

  “So the animals won’t hunt me anymore? It’s just a nightmare?”

  “What do you mean, animals?” Honi didn’t like the sound of that.

  “When I woke up here, I heard growling and yipping. I knew that there was something chasing me, so I ran. And that’s when I got scared. And then you found me.”

  Honi’s brow creased. Why would the spirit animals chase a Dreamer? Dreamers weren’t real in the spirit world, not like fully fledged spirit walkers. They were phantoms, invisible, and couldn’t be hurt. This didn’t make any sense.

  Ho’neo barked. Honi got such a fright, he jumped. If it had spooked him, Con must have been terrified.

  He asked quickly, “Con? Are you okay?”

  There was no answer. He tried a few more times, but the boy was gone. Con had apparently woken up and was back where he belonged. That still didn’t explain why Honi was spirit-walking and why he was still surrounded by a shroud of darkness. He was keenly aware of the pressure of the silence around him.

  He fought against the anxiety that had settled in his stomach. He lowered his head—
his overactive imagination conjuring up images of wild animals creeping up on him, ready to pounce and tear him to pieces. He was a grown man, for God’s sake. Despite his best efforts, his breath whooshed in and out, faster and faster. He was spiraling out of control, panting so quickly that his head spun.

  He had no visual points around him to feel grounded. He felt as if he were floating in space, a sensation so bizarre that he gasped. A low growl startled him, and then the giant wolf jumped up and placed his paws onto Honi’s shoulders. The movement took him by surprise. He braced himself, his attention forced on not toppling over from the heavy weight of the spirit animal.

  The big, furry body grounded him. His panic dissipated as quickly as it had risen, replaced by irritation as Ho’neo’s wet, cold tongue swiped from his chin to his temple.

  “Ewww, do you have to do that?”

  The weight on his shoulders grew heavier and heavier, and Honi found himself sinking to his knees. Then the wolf pushed him to the ground, covering Honi’s body with his huge one. Honi tried to protest, but no sound came out of his mouth. His capitulation came as a surprise to him, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, it was morning.

  Bright light bathed Honi’s face through the motel room window, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the glare. He turned to his side, and there was Adi. She was fast asleep, rolled up like a human armadillo, her red-brown hair tied neatly into a long plait. Honi scooted out from underneath the cover, careful not to wake her. He dug for his cell phone in his discarded jeans and dialed John’s number.

  3

  Honi’s voice woke Adi. He’d already packed and apparently was on the phone to John. Adi listened as she blinked sleepily.