Dead Moon Awakens: A tale of Cherokee myth and Celtic magic (Mystic Gates) (21 page)

Her muscles tightened and ached as she read:

Uktenas prefer submerging in bodies of water,
especially during the daylight hours. It is there that they feel closer to their
Otherworld home. The best time to lure them away from their underwater shelter
is during twilight, the time of day when the veil between worlds is thinnest.

Down through the ages, many shamans,
sorcerers, medicine people and priests misunderstood an Uktena’s powerful
energies, and so they conjured malicious spells or performed heinous acts
trying to destroy these magnificent serpents. We do not abide by this belief.
Instead, we trust in the Creator’s purpose for placing the Uktenas in these
mountains. We endeavor to guide them safely to an alternate reality until there
are those who have enough purity of thought and magickal prowess to join with
the great Uktenas once again for purposes of spiritual lightwork.

Reading the passage was enough to solidify an idea
that had been floating around Aishling’s thoughts: to coax it back into the
other realm, its realm.

Resolved in what to do, she quietly placed her
grimoire
and magical tools into her backpack. After making sure Lance was still asleep,
she placed her amulet inside his shirt pocket. He roused some but didn’t wake
up. As she paused and watched him sleep, she vowed to let nothing happen to him
and to do whatever it took to save Morrigan and Kelile.

The drumming and chanting spilled across the
morning air as she slipped out the front door.

She ran.

And rested briefly.

And ran.

And rested.

Her home was a couple of miles from Redhawk’s, and
she struggled with exhaustion because of the weight of her backpack, lack of
sleep, and tired, stressed muscles. She planned to visit the Garden of Life and
Death and summon her mother. Ma would tell her how to take the
Uktena
back to its dimension.

As she came around the last curve before her
driveway, she halted, almost tripping. In her yard were two police cars. She
slipped into the trees off the road and hid. What was going on? Had the state
tracked them down or had Redhawk turned them in?

Now she wouldn’t be able to go to the garden.

She gritted her teeth and fumed about the hurdles
she kept encountering. All she had ever wanted to do was find Ma. She pounded
her left leg with her fist. And now, her best friends—her family of heart—were
in tremendous danger because of her. They might die because of her! Why had Ma
sent her to that cave? Had she misunderstood Ma? What should she do?

Determined to save the others, she decided to go
to the lake and summon the
Uktena
without Ma’s help. She’d take it back.
But could she find the Suti Stone when she did?

She’d have to.

“What are you doing, Aishling?” Lance.

“No! Why are you here? Go back. You need to go
back.”

“What are you going to do?”

She hesitated.

“Aishling?”

“I’m going to return the
Uktena
. It’s the
only way. You’re not stopping me. I’m going to summon it and take it back. I’ve
got to do this before it hurts anyone else.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No, Lance. Please go back. I have to do this
alone.”

“I’m going with you or I won’t let you go.”

She noticed he was wearing her amulet.
He
believes in me.

“Aishling, we can’t do this if we don’t help each
other.”

After giving in to him, she summarized what the
passage in her
grimoire
had revealed about the
Uktena
.

“But … how do we get it back to the cave?”

“By going to the lake’s edge and summoning it with
my bell and obsidian stone.”

“Why did you come here instead of closer to the
gateway where it came through?”

“I wanted to go to the garden and talk to Ma
first. I thought she’d tell me what to do. But the policemen …”
Is there
some other way to contact Ma?

“Aishling.” Lance tugged on her backpack. “We
should get closer to the portal. We’d have too far to go from here.”

While studying his forestry map, Lance said, “Look,
the portal is around here.” He pointed at the map. “That’s less than a quarter
of a mile from the lake. Let’s go to the lake
there
and summon the
Uktena
.”

Still daylight when they arrived, they would have
to wait. They spread a sleeping bag under the shade of three silver birch trees
and sat next to each other, leaning back against the trees.

Gazing out over the water, Aishling tried to
remember what Ma had taught her about birch trees. No visions or memories came
to her.

It was peaceful next to Lance, at least until she
thought of Kelile and Morrigan. Then she became too fidgety and sat up,
wondering how to find the Suti Stone.

“I’m not asleep,” Lance whispered. “Just resting.”

“Lance, what about the fire? We’ve got to take
something into the cave to build a fire.”

He jolted up. “I can’t believe you still want to
find that stone! Look what’s already happened to Kelile and Morrigan. They may
die, Aishling.”

“I want to find it so we can
heal
them,”
she answered, an ache ripping through her chest. Didn’t he realize she was
doing it for the others?

He huffed, shook his head, and frowned. “What do
you plan to do?”

“Take the
Uktena
back, find the stone and
use it to heal Morri and Kelile. I know it will work. I know if I can find it,
it will heal them. I know it, Lance.”

Without a word, he stood and began picking up
twigs and dry grasses. “Does it have to be a big fire?”

“I don’t think so.”

After collecting what they needed, they rested again.

Soon, Aishling drifted in and out of happy
thoughts. She was lying next to Lance on a sun-drenched meadow, laughing and
holding hands with him. She was helping Ma tend their vibrant Garden of Life
and Death. She was twirling with Da among lights and rainbows… .

She panicked when she awoke and it was dark. “Oh
no! What time is it?”

Lance shot up, checking his wristwatch with the
flashlight. “Just after ten. Will it still work?”

“It has to.”

He remained still, staring up into the starscape.

“Are you okay?”

“Look at the moon.” He pointed to the western sky.
“See how the dark part forms sort of a ‘D’? That’s a waxing moon.”

“When dead moon awakens,” Aishling said.

“How… ? Yes. I was going to say that. How did you
know?”

“I don’t know how I knew it. It just came out.
Maybe we were both taught that before.”

“But I don’t remember it, Aishling. None of this
makes sense to me.” He wrapped his arms around his knees. “Remember the first
day Morrigan came to Herald Home?”

“Yes.”

“And you two were late for dinner?” She nodded. “That
was the first time I felt like I already knew you from somewhere.”

“That was the first time I felt that way about you.”

“But, how?”

“I don’t know.”

He looked at the moon again and exhaled. “Well … I
guess we better see if this works.”

“It has to.”

“Aishling …” He moved his head close enough for
her to see his eyes. “I …”

Is he going to kiss me?
Her heart skipped
several beats. She placed her hand on his arm and said, “I’m so glad you’re
with me.”

He nodded and rested his hand on hers, his warmth
lifting her energies. Then, grasping her hand in his, he said, “I am too.” He
gazed into her eyes briefly then shook his head. “I guess we better do this.”

They stood and folded the sleeping bag. Lance
stored it on the bottom of his backpack while Aishling took out her obsidian
stone and bell. Once she secured her backpack on her shoulders, she walked to
the water’s edge.
This has to work.

She submerged the obsidian in the water then rang
the bell.

Nothing.

She did it again.

Nothing.

Again—doubt seeping into her thoughts.

Nothing.

Tears blurred her vision. She tried once more.

Nothing.

“Oh, please!” she cried, hoping with all her heart.

A breach erupted in the water, followed by a
crashing sound.

Lance grabbed her arm, and they ran.

“It’s coming ashore!” he yelled.

She glimpsed a large, dark mass slipping out of
the water as she continued ringing the bell.

It was following them.

As they neared the thong trees, Aishling realized
the
Uktena
was gaining on them, so close it might soon be able to lunge
on top of them. Could they stay ahead of it?

But the serpent slowed, now following in pace
behind them.

“Lance, it
wants
to go back. That’s what it
wants!”

They spotted the large stone Kelile had used to
mark the gateway.

Lance halted, picked it up, and balanced it with
one hand against his side. He clasped her arm with his other hand as she rang
the bell. They sprang through the portal. While he quickly set down the marker
stone, a moment’s doubt intruded her thoughts. What if the
Uktena
can’t
follow without touching her? She vigorously rang the bell, hoping the
sound would be enough.

Midway to the entrance of the cave, she whirled
around in time to see its horned head glide through the portal. This triggered
a flashback, and she saw the
Uktena’s
horned head slither up her front
porch.

“Come on!” Lance tugged on her.

Afraid she’d lose one of her magical tools, she
tightened her grip on her obsidian and bell as they pawed their way along the dark
tunnel leading to the rainbow cavern.

“I can’t get my flashlight to come on,” Lance
said, nudging her along.

Unable to see, she began fretting. Was the
Uktena
still behind them? Would it lunge on them?

At once, she realized Lance was no longer near.
She stopped ringing the bell.

“Lance!” she shouted.

“Keep going. I just dropped the flashlight. I’m
right behind you.”

“No!” Fear gripped her heartbeat. Her hands shook
uncontrollably. She almost dropped her magical tools.

“Go! I hear it coming!”

Though weak in her knees, she continued ahead a couple
of steps, but stopped, wanting to wait for him.

Hissing whispers echoed through the tunnel, the
serpent’s call! Another flashback sent her memory reeling back to the night of
the fire. She saw herself in her bedroom clasping her ears, screaming for Ma,
but the protective fire had already been summoned.

Before she could process the memories, a screech
followed by a loud thud froze her inside out. Tremors surged through her like
electrical shocks.

“Lance!” she shouted, unable to move.

He moaned, and then all she heard was gagging and
gurgling, as if his life force was bubbling out of his body.

The smell of rotten eggs choked her. A dragging
sound moved closer. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t respond. Couldn’t breathe. An
eternity eked by while she waited for the
Uktena
. Her only thought was
of regret. She hadn’t protected Lance, hadn’t saved Morri and Kelile.

Closing her eyes, she waited for the strike.

Nothing happened.

The dragging faded, moving ahead and away from
her.

Still too scared to move, she wrestled with
herself and what she knew needed to be done. She must get Lance, must find the
Suti Stone and get out of there!

But, she wanted to run, get away.
No! I’ve got
to get Lance, save Lance and Kelile and Morri!

She could only mouth the words, “Lance, where are
you?” She tried again, “Lance?” Again, louder, “Lance?”
What if he’s already
dead? Oh Goddess, I can’t do this.
She wailed.
I have to.
It was the
only way to get him out.

Determined, her shivering subsided enough for her
to move. First, the back of her hands, brushing against the tunnel wall. Then,
her legs, inching back in the direction of Lance.

When she saw a dim light—a flashlight!—lying on
the ground, she lurched for it and used it to find him.

“Oh, Goddess!” His body lay humped against the
cave wall like a discarded corpse. “Lance, please don’t be dead. Please, say
something!”

The bite marks on his neck and right shoulder
weren’t deep or as horrific as Morrigan’s had been. And he was breathing
heavily and moaning, not unconscious. Not dead! Had the amulet helped? Hope
cracked a tiny opening in her fears. But now, she must figure a way to get him
into the cavern so she can find the Suti Stone and heal his bite.

When she sighted his backpack next to his left
leg, she gagged. His left shinbone protruded through the skin. She clinched her
lips and covered her mouth, swallowing back vomit. How would she get him into
the cavern now?

Instinct took over, and she clamped her fears.
She’d have to go to the cavern herself, find the stone, and bring it back.

Aishling groped for as much hope as she could
muster for her healing ritual and used the obsidian to shower his bite marks
and leg with healing and loving light. He stopped moaning.

Whispers escaped from his mouth, “Go. Hurry.”

After placing him in a protective and repelling
circle, she removed her amulet from his neck and placed it around hers. She
stuffed her backpack with the twigs, dry grasses, knife, and flint from his
pack before slipping hers on again. With the obsidian and bell in her right
hand and flashlight in her left, she was ready.

Her heart pounded at breakneck speed, and she
gasped for air. “Stop!” she commanded her shaking hands.
I can
…
I
can do this. I can do this.

As she stepped out of the protective barrier, fear
bound her feet in place again. Every cell in her body was suffocating. She was
close to fainting. “No! I have to do this!” she ordered herself. She gasped for
air, pried her feet up, and moved toward the cavern entrance.