Shaxoa's Gift (12 page)

“The Matwau isn’t one of the dark gods?”

“No, Uriah. The Matwau is the dark gods’ most
secret creation, not one of the dark gods himself,” Kaya said.

“Are there more…more of these creations?” I
asked. I thought about the multiple creatures hunting me in
Quaile’s vision. Thinking of facing the Matwau again was terrifying
enough. Thinking I might have to face a whole host of similar
creatures made my knees weak.

“Yes, but the Matwau is the greatest. The
others will aid him when he needs their help,” Kaya said. “I am
curious about Quaile’s visions, though. I’d love to discuss them a
little more, if you don’t mind.”

I groaned inwardly. I did not want to talk
about the dreams. I did need answers, but I was scared of what I
would find. I wanted a little good news before delving into
Quaile’s dark dreams. “Maybe after we talk to your sister,” I
said.

Kaya looked disappointed, but she didn’t
press the point. Given my history with Quaile, I could see that she
understood why I was hesitant to put myself out for more betrayal.
I didn’t think Kaya would deceive me, but I was still worried about
what she might interpret from Quaile’s visions.

Glancing at the clock, Kaya said, “It’s only
two thirty. Samantha said she would meet us at six o’clock.” Kaya
took in my appearance with a grimace. “You look a little road
weary. You can take a shower and put on some fresh clothes if you
like. You’re more than welcome to take a nap, too.”

My expression must have been amusing to Kaya.
A playful smile lit her face. The thought of showering in a woman’s
house I had only known for a few hours was enough to make me blush
wildly.

“I won’t peek at you, Uriah,” Kaya said. Her
laugh was clear and youthful, reminding me of Claire. “Talon can
sit outside the door if you don’t trust me.”

Looking at Talon, he already had an answer
ready. It was tinged with amusement as well. “She does find you
handsome, but a little young.” Talon seemed to laugh, although I
wasn’t sure whether a cougar could actually laugh or not.

“Go on,” Kaya said. “The bathroom is at the
end of the hall on the left. There’s a spare bedroom right across
the hall, too.”

Grabbing my pack from where it sat on the
floor next to my feet, I stood and made my way down the hallway. I
didn’t really think Kaya would care that I was showering in her
home, but I couldn’t help checking over my shoulder before stepping
into the bathroom. Kaya had already left the living room. I
wondered what Claire would think. Talon made the same half growl,
half laugh noise again. I closed the door on him.

The small room was a creamy yellow and
perfectly clean. Kicking off my dust covered shoes I was quick to
strip off the rest of my clothes as well. It felt good to be rid of
them. Turning on the shower, I let the water heat up while I
brushed my teeth thoroughly.

When steam began to cloud the mirror I
stepped under the water, washing everything away. The dirt and
grime were the first to go, the unpleasant memories the last, and
those never really left, only receded. I let Claire fill my mind
and pretended not to notice when the tears mixed with the water.
“I’ll be home soon, Claire,” I whispered to myself. “Just hold on a
little longer.”

I imagined that I could hear Claire’s
response. It was filled with love and hope. “I’m waiting,” she
would have said. “I love you. Come home to me soon.”

Feeling better in more ways than one, I
emerged from the bathroom. Talon had remained quiet the entire
time, leaving me alone with my thoughts. He was a good friend. I
knew he’d most likely heard every jumbled thought and precious
memory I recalled, but it no longer bothered me. It was a relief to
know that he understood me so well.

“She didn’t come near the bathroom,” Talon
teased.

I shoved his head away. “I never thought she
would,” I said. “I’m just not used to showering in strangers’
houses, okay?”

Talon snorted and stalked down the hall. “Go
to sleep. I’m going to go out to hunt, but I’ll wake you when it’s
time to meet the Shaxoa.”

Ducking into a room across the hall that
looked like a guest room, I was more than happy to accept the
invitation. I truly wanted to avoid any more of Kaya’s questions
until I knew for sure that my journey to Hano had not been in vain.
I was heartened by the fact that Kaya seemed extremely confident,
even oddly proud of her sister’s knowledge, but I would not be
satisfied until I had the potion, or herb, or whatever it was, in
my hand.

Collapsing on the bed, my eyes closed only a
second before sleep took me.

11: Tip the
Balance

Claire was beside me immediately. Her sweet
smile pulled me close to her. My arms closed around her supple
body, feeling the familiar aching pain that always came when I
touched her. It felt so good to hold her again, even with the pain.
I whispered how much I loved her in her ear. Claire pressed closer,
her body fitting perfectly against mine. My fingers ran through her
silken hair, each stroke sending a puff of lavender fragrance into
the air. I breathed in the scent, never wanting to move.

“It’s time to go,” Claire said softly, not
wanting to leave any more than I did.

“Go where?” I asked.

Claire’s melodic laugh skittered through the
air. “To the Elders, silly. They can’t marry us if we don’t show
up.”

Marry us? My head suddenly felt too unsteady
to be properly attached. Had I really done it? Had I broken the
Twin Soul bond and released Claire? Her waiting smile was all the
answer I needed. Everything was perfect. Claire let go of my hand
with a smile and disappeared. The scene around me melted into
something new.

My mother stepped in front of me, touching my
clothes, checking my hair which was much shorter than I remembered
it being, and fussing over a hundred other minute details. I stared
down at my clothing. The traditional Tewa wedding clothes felt so
natural to me, which seemed odd since I had never worn them before.
Not everybody wore the ceremonial dress. I hadn’t really thought
about whether I would wear them or not. All I cared about was being
with Claire.

Claire would have been beautiful dressed in
white, the pure snow colored fabric against her copper skin, but if
I was dressed in the traditional clothing I imagined she would be
too. I tried to imagine what Claire would look like in her doeskin
beaded dress, but all I could see were her milk chocolate eyes
gazing at me lovingly. I tried to step away from my mom, but she
only told me to stand still. I waited impatiently for her to finish
before finally stepping toward the door.

We stood in front of the Elders. Samuel
Atcity stepped up to lead the ceremony. He glanced at Claire with a
smile then turned to me with a confused look on his face. “Uriah,
what are you doing here?” he asked.

My face wrinkled. “What do you mean? I’m here
to marry Claire,” I said.

Samuel shook his head. “No, Uriah. Claire is
not marrying you today. Claire has already found her Twin
Soul.”

I felt him approach. The world seemed to fade
and turn bleak as Daniel stepped up to Claire. He was dressed in a
black tuxedo, looking out of place at the gathering, or at least he
should have. As I turned back to Claire I realized that she no
longer wore her Tewa dress, but a close fitting white gown and
shimmering veil. I turned back to Samuel, wanting an explanation,
but he had changed as well. Wearing a dark suit now, he turned away
from me with a sad frown.

Someone grabbed my arm and tried to pull me
away. Tearing my arm out of their grip, I grabbed Claire and spun
her to face me. “Claire, what’s going on?”

Claire smiled, but with pity now, instead of
love. “I’m sorry, Uriah, but I can’t marry you. I don’t love you
anymore. I hope you can understand,” she said. Leaving me alone,
Claire took Daniel’s hand.

The hand grabbed my arm again. Anger snapped
my restraint, turning my body to face the one attempting to control
me. The face was familiar, but unknown at the same time. I stared
at the man. His face moved and changed constantly. I gasped. This
was no man. Only then did I realize how hot my arm was where his
hand gripped me. With that realization came the pain. The Matwau
laughed with evil glee.

I tried to pull away. I tried to find Claire
and bring her back to me. I tried to run, but he held me tight. I
knew then that I was dreaming, but it did me no good. I was at the
mercy of the beast, forced to play his sinister games until I woke.
I ran and fought, over and over again, praying that I would wake
soon.

***

“Uriah,” a voice called as someone shook me.
“Uriah, are you okay?”

It took me a moment to realize the dreams had
ended. Relief nearly brought tears to my eyes. I forced them back
and blinked away the remnants of my nightmares. Blurred vision was
the best I could get at first. The face looking down at me in
concern was unfamiliar and I pulled away. She held her hands back
from me. A deep breath finally cleared my mind and eyes, and I
realized it was only Kaya kneeling by my bedside.

“Uriah, is everything alright? You were
thrashing and yelling. I didn’t mean to startle you, but it looked
like you were having a bad dream,” Kaya said.

I rubbed my hand across my face roughly.
“Yeah, I was. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Uriah.” Settling into a
chair near the bed, she looked over at me. “Do you want to talk
about it? I’m pretty good with dreams.”

“No.” I shook my head to emphasize the point.
“They weren’t dreams that need interpreting. They were just regular
nightmares.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she let it
rest for the time being. I had already partly agreed to talk about
Quaile’s dreams later. Maybe she planned on bringing this up then.
There really wasn’t anything to discuss, though. Dreaming of losing
Claire and facing the Matwau and his minions weren’t coming from
anything more than primal fear.

“How long was I asleep? Is it time to see
your sister yet?” I asked.

“No, you only laid down about an hour
ago.”

Was it really only an hour? I felt like I had
been watching Claire get stolen away and getting attacked by the
Matwau and his creatures for days. The dreams were so real, too. I
could feel it every time their fangs or claws sliced into my skin.
Every time I kissed Claire before she was ripped away from me was
precious agony. It hurt in my dreams more than ever to touch her,
even worse than it did the first time I accidentally brushed up
against her in the hallway, but I would submit myself to that kind
of torture a thousand times over losing her.

Kaya asked if I wanted her to leave so I
could go back to sleep, but falling back into dreams wasn’t what I
wanted right now. Yes, Claire would be there, but moments with her
were greatly outnumbered by me getting ripped to pieces.
Remembering the pain of touching Claire, questions began to form on
my lips. Answers about how to save Claire couldn’t be answered yet.
Maybe a few others could.

“Kaya, wait, can I ask you about
something?”

Poised to get up, she sat back against the
chair. “Sure, go ahead.”

“You seem to know a lot of stuff Quaile
doesn’t,” I started, “or at least you’re willing to tell me things
she isn’t.” I pause, trying to find the words to explain my
reaction to Claire. The silence stretched on for much too long.

Kaya smiled at me knowingly. “Uriah, a cougar
has been hanging out in my living room all day and you’re being
chased by a creature of the dark gods. Whatever you want to ask me,
just ask. I’m pretty good with weird.”

“This may be a stretch, even for you,” I
said.

“Try me.”

I couldn’t imagine what she was thinking
after everything I had already told her. No need to make her wait.
I needed answers. “Ever since I have known Claire, I’ve had a
strange reaction to her. I can’t touch her without it hurting
me.”

“Hurting you? What do you mean?” Kaya
asked.

“It physically hurts me to touch her. It
doesn’t matter whether it’s skin to skin contact or through her
clothes. I touch her and immediately feel pain,” I said. “Not only
that, but I feel like my strength is being stolen. And that happens
even when I’m only near her. I don’t even have to touch her and I
start feeling really weak.”

Kaya’s brow drew together as she thought. Her
fingers tapped idly on her leg. “Anything else?”

“Uh, yeah, actually,” I said after a moment.
“Usually I’m really good with animals, which I now realize is
because of the whole talking to them thing, but if I’m touching
Claire when I’m around animals they won’t behave at all. It’s like
they can’t hear me, or feel me, or whatever it is, if she’s
touching me.”

“That is…”

I cut her off, remembering one more thing.
“Claire is the only person I’ve never been able to control,
too.”

“What?” Kaya demanded. “Control? What are you
talking about?”

My face flushed under her accusing tone. I
momentarily forgot that I hadn’t mentioned that part of my
fantastic abilities to her earlier. There was a reason I hadn’t. A
very good one. I wanted to avoid giving her the impression that I
could, in any way, make her help me against her will. That jump in
logic seemed to have been made in her head as soon as the word
slipped out of my mouth.

“I…it doesn’t always work, but sometimes I
can make people do things, like the first time I really talked to
Claire a guy was about to punch her. I told him not to and he
instantly backed down. I could do it with Claire’s dad pretty
easily, too. It was the only way I got him to agree to let us get
married.” I watched her expression change very slightly. I just
wasn’t sure what it was changing into.