Qaletaqa (25 page)

I had to run to keep up. Whatever injuries it
might have had, it was at full strength now. Tree branches slapped
at my arms as I ran, but the ground was thankfully bare of anything
that might trip me. When the trees stopped abruptly, so did the
wolf.

I wasn’t sure what I was staring at. There
was a wide swath of bare ground, and then suddenly another wall of
trees sprung up. Glancing to either side, I saw that the empty
space ran in a long tunnel both up and down the mountain. The
formation of the trees seemed very familiar to me, but I couldn’t
place it. Not when I was standing next to a creature intent on
killing Uriah.

The wolf edged out of the trees and started
down the hill. A few steps down brought me to the blood soaked body
of one of the wolves. Neither I, nor the wolf I was following,
stopped to inspect it. Trotting faster, the wolf rushed toward the
distant sound of snarling. I ran behind it, watching the trees grow
smaller and more scraggly as we went. Time was hard to gauge in a
dream, but I knew we ran for a long time.

When the trees gave way to a small valley, we
both skidded to a stop. Out from under the trees, the summer sun
rippled over my skin. A light sheen of sweat broke out on my body.
I peered through the waves of heat at a desert. Even after having
heard the description several times, I was still caught off guard.
In the distance I saw something that surprised me even more. Pueblo
ruins.

The box-like structure of the ruins stood out
against the horizon. I could see little more than the outline, but
the shape was unmistakable to me. A smile worked its way onto my
lips. Ruins dotted the southwest, but this would help narrow down
the meeting place better than anything else could have. The shock
of the abrupt change had momentarily drown out the sounds of the
battle ahead of us, but a sudden high pitched yelp of pain cut
through the hazy heat and drew my gaze to Uriah.

I watched in fascination as he fought against
the creatures, pitching them away from him, crushing their bones
with his bare hands. The gruesome nature of it should have made me
cringe, but the raw power was tempered by Uriah’s eyes. There was
no joy or satisfaction in his gaze, only pure determination. I
watched as one by one the creatures fell aside. Some seemed to be
dead, but others just cowered in pain or fear. Blood flowed from
nearly every part of Uriah’s body from bites and claw marks.

Uriah staggered as the last wolf fell away.
The wounds didn’t stop him, though. Turning, he faced the
Matwau.

“At last we meet again, but for the final
time,” the Matwau said. His face was full of confidence and pride.
“I have waited for you for a long time, Uriah. For centuries I have
feared your birth. Now that you stand before me, I can laugh with
pity for your fate.”

“I have come to fulfill my purpose, Matwau,”
Uriah said.

“As have I,” the Matwau sneered, “but only
one of us will be successful.”

“It will not be you,” Uriah said.

Uriah made a wild leap toward the Matwau. It
took the sight of the once injured wolf I had followed flinging
itself at Uriah’s back to make me realize it had moved from my
side. A slow smile formed on the Matwau’s face, but Uriah was
completely unaware of the creature. I was screaming Uriah’s name,
but my warning drifted away on the breeze.

23: Remember

I limped up to the hotel room door hoping
Claire was already asleep. Covered in bruises and scraped up by the
asphalt, I didn’t really want Claire to see me. She would have had
a million questions I was too tired to answer at the moment.

Besides, my night was hardly over. It was
already after two in the morning, but I still had to meet Melody
tonight. I would need what little strength I had left to survive
that encounter.

Pushing the door open with a grunt, I tiptoed
into the room and carefully closed the door. Claire was propped up
on a couple of pillows, but her eyes were closed and her breathing
was slow and rhythmic. As much as I wanted to wrap my arms around
her, I was relieved. I hurt too much to do anything more than
collapse in a heap anyway.

Thankfully Claire had left the table lamp on.
Without its dim light I probably would have tripped over something
and woken her up. As it was, I made it to the bathroom without
making a sound. I brushed my teeth quickly and attempted to clean
up the various small cuts I had all over my arms, hands, elbows,
and head. I could feel a few more scrapes in places I couldn’t
reach, but I left those alone for the time being.

Looking a little bit better, I tossed the red
tinged wash cloth into the sink and hobbled to the bed. I stared at
it. The soft comfort it offered made me want to sink down into and
never wake up, but sleep would bring my next challenge. One I
didn’t want to face.

I was so tired. Tired down to muscles I
didn’t think were even meant to be used, but so much more tired of
the endless battle. I had been on edge since before meeting with
the Elders. It seemed like years ago instead of just days. I just
didn’t have the strength to face Melody again tonight. Could I
recount the story of her first date with Harvey without falling for
her sweet nature and honest heart myself?

I glanced down at Claire and felt like I
could deny myself anything to keep her near me, but Claire’s own
words haunted me. No one had ever escaped the bond completely by
will alone. Why would I be any different? I knew merely suppressing
the bond wasn’t going to be enough for me and Melody. It was too
strong. It would have to be broken completely. I risked losing
myself to Melody every time I looked into her emerald eyes. The
desire to give in pulsed under my skin constantly. I could ignore
it, but for how long? It got stronger with every beat.

I was too exhausted to put myself in such a
dangerous position, but I knew I had little choice in the matter.
If I didn’t lie down, I’d fall asleep on my feet. Either way, a
meeting with Melody was inescapable. My aching muscles begged me to
at least lie down. Lying down without flopping proved to be a
challenge, but Claire must have been in a very deep sleep, as she
didn’t even stir an inch. I reached over and took Claire’s hand,
anchoring myself to her.

Falling asleep was no challenge at all.

My eyelids closed and sleep took me, but my
eyes seemed to snap right back open, into the darkness of the
in-between place where I knew Melody was waiting.

A wave of anxiety and fear washed over me,
forceful enough to push me back a few steps. I turned toward the
source and saw Melody barreling towards me with an intensity to
match Talon. The tears in her eyes and drawn frown on her face
pulled at me. She was afraid. I wasn’t sure of the cause beyond the
obvious, but I yearned to correct it, to shield her from any more
pain or hurt. I staggered under the weight of my desire.

Melody reached out for me, and I almost took
her hands. I slight tingling pressure on the hand that was holding
Claire’s back in the waking world stopped me. I held up my hands in
warning instead. Melody recognized the gesture. A look of sickening
guilt snapped onto her face and stopped her cold.

“I almost ran right up and hugged you,” she
gasped. “I can’t believe I almost did that. I’m so sorry. I
just…I’ve been waiting here and I couldn’t find you. I thought
maybe something had happened.”

Fresh tears sprang up and spilled down her
cheeks. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to the point of
drawing blood in order to stop myself from rushing over to her. My
entire body ached to be near her. In that moment, I wanted nothing
more than to put my arms around her shoulders and dry the tears on
her cheeks. Melody sank down to her knees and covered her face with
her hands.

“I felt so much pain through the bond,” she
whispered. “I thought you were hurt, that maybe one of those
horrible creatures had found you and hurt you. I…I was so afraid
that you would die. And not just because then you wouldn’t be able
to rescue me, but because I didn’t think I could handle it if you
did die. I think it might kill me too.”

Could we really be that connected? The
endless hours spent with Ahiga had been absolutely brutal, but as I
walked away I felt like I had learned more from him than I had ever
hoped to learn from Quaile about the Matwau’s weaknesses. I had
considered the pain a fair trade for the information gained.
Knowing that Melody had felt every blow and fall along with me
increased the cost greatly, but even had I known, I wouldn’t have
turned away Ahiga’s help. I needed it too badly.

I did owe Melody an explanation, though.
Settling into a cross-legged position with my hands tucked safely
away, I faced Melody’s trembling body.

“I had no idea you would feel all of that,
Melody. I’m sorry.”

Letting her eyes slide over my injuries,
Melody winced. She folded her arms tightly against her chest. I was
certain that her need to heal and help living creatures was begging
her to soothe my pain. Not giving in to that desire left a pained
expression on her face.

“What happened to you? Were you attacked?”
she asked. The concern in her voice was pure and pleading, and so
hard to resist.

“Yes…but not in the way you’re thinking,” I
was quick to add. “Someone came to help me. He taught me about the
Matwau and how to defeat him.”

Melody frowned at my cuts again. “Who was he,
and why couldn’t he just tell you what you need to know. It looks
like he tried to kill you.”

That was pretty close to the truth. Ahiga
played the Matwau in our training duels. He was very convincing. A
crooked smile snuck onto my lips. “His teaching style was very
effective,” I said.

“Who was he?”

Claire would most likely accept my
explanation with a moderate amount of disbelief, but I really
couldn’t expect the same from Melody.

“He was a friend that unexpectedly showed up
just in time,” I said. Melody raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s a
little difficult to explain. Could you just humor me and pretend
everything makes sense?”

Melody seemed to mull the question over
before saying, “Is your friend coming back? I don’t think I can
handle going through that again.” Her last few words were nearly
drowned out with a high pitched sobbing noise.

My nails dug into the sides of my chest.
Luckily my thin t-shirt provided little protection.

“No, he won’t be coming back.”

Ahiga had been very forthcoming about that.
His offer to help was a onetime deal, and he made sure I learned it
very well before disappearing into the night.

“Okay, as long as he isn’t coming back I
won’t ask you anything else about it,” Melody said. “Are you
okay?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it," I said. I
suddenly wished I could sink into a shadow and hide my scrapes and
bruises. I didn’t want Melody worrying about me any more than was
absolutely necessary. I knew just how to take her mind off of
me.

“You were right about Harvey, by the way,” I
said.

“Harvey? What do you mean? Did you talk to
him today?” Melody asked. Her quick words seemed to be trying to
cover up the guilt in her eyes that she hadn’t already asked about
him.

“You were right about Harvey not letting me
tell him to stay behind. He was following us the whole time,” I
said.

Melody grinned and I watched the guilt melt
away. “I knew he would come for me. I knew it.” Glancing down at
her hand, Melody twisted her wedding band around her finger.

I had been thinking only of my own pain when
I told Harvey to stay behind. Melody’s shaking hands had calmed the
instant I reaffirmed her husband’s love for her. I hadn’t even
thought of how knowing her beloved Harvey had willingly stayed
behind would affect her. Although, I never actually expected to
have to face Melody before rescuing her from the Matwau’s trap.

Pushing away my self-criticisms, I focused on
my purpose for the meeting. Melody needed more than knowing Harvey
was on his way to see her. She knew as well as I did that Harvey
couldn’t save her, not really. Only I could save her physically,
and only she could save her love for her husband.

“I told Harvey everything.”

I held my breath, waiting for Melody’s
reaction. Her fingers stopped twisting the ring and her breath
failed to expand her chest again.

“What did he say?” she asked in a breathless
whisper.

“I’m not sure he believed everything I said,
but I think at this point he doesn’t care what he has to face as
long as he can see you again.”

Those weren’t Harvey’s exact words, but his
eagerness to share the intimate stories that wove him and Melody
together made it unnecessary.

“You’re not going to actually let him face
the Matwau, are you?” Melody asked with wide eyes. “You’re the only
one who can beat him. You have no idea how happy I am that Harvey
is with you, but you can’t let him get anywhere close to the
Matwau. You have to promise me, Uriah. Keep Harvey safe. If he’s
gone, I don’t know how I’ll ever find the strength to turn away
from you.”

Keep Harvey safe. One more responsibility in
a very long list. Could I even make that promise? I wanted to. I
knew how important it was that Harvey be waiting with open arms
when Melody was away from the Matwau, but how could I promise to
keep Harvey safely away? I couldn’t even manage to ask the same of
Claire.

The desperation in Melody’s eyes demanded an
answer. I was stronger than Harvey. I could keep him away if I
really had to.

“I promise, Melody. I’ll keep Harvey safe,” I
said.

She nodded her head, as if my promise really
meant that everything would turn out the way she wanted it to. I
wished I had as much faith as she did.

“Okay, then,” Melody said, “I have something
to tell you, too.”