Tell Me I'm Dreamin' (32 page)

A large murmur of surprise and speculation began to mount amongst the bystanders while questions poured out of Ulysses like an untapped fountain. “Did anyone see what happened here? Have you seen the American?” His troubled eyes searched the crowd. But it appeared no one really knew what had happened. They had all heard a terrified scream, and when they thought they had reached the point of its origin, they saw Master Sharpe lying as Ulysses had found him when he arrived. None of them had seen the American.

Another shriek jolted the night, followed by an uncanny silence. Once again the circle of onlookers parted, as Salinah, standing proudly with bloodstained hands, strode forth. Her beautiful eyes shone brilliantly with the light of triumph. She stood before Ulysses, her family, and friends.

“It is done.” She slowly scanned the crowd. “No longer will he terrorize you and your daughters because of his hate for me. I have borne the physical scars of his obsession upon my face, but you have suffered the heartache of having to submit to his will. With his family's gift I have killed him. Now there will be no more pain for you, for me, or for him.”

Spitting on Basil's motionless back, Salinah turned to walk away. Glancing back over her shoulder, her eyes focused on Ulysses. “The cliff dwellers have taken the American.”

Melanie placed the wooden case before the majestic figure sitting several feet away. She tried to keep her hands from trembling under his watchful gaze, but it was difficult. She and Rodney had entered the cliff dwellers' settlement under curious and speculative looks. Initially, they were stopped by a very foreboding male, who refused to allow them to pass until she brought forth the wooden case carved with the cliff dwellers' symbol. Once he saw it, silently, almost with reverence, the man had stood aside, eyes remaining downcast as they were allowed to pass. Yet Melanie could feel the inhabitants' distrust, and she shivered beneath her black cloak even though the evening breeze was quite warm.

She squared her shoulders as she progressed through the group, determined not to show her fear. Rodney on the other hand was fear personified. His eyes bulged as his mind conjured up all the stories he had heard throughout his life about these strange people.

It was very different from walking along the wharf and seeing them silently offering their goods to the eager tourists who admired their clothing and jewelry. It was as if he had been transported to a different place and time. Even the cliff dwellers themselves looked quite different. Now, most of them wore small painted symbols on their cheeks. The men displayed larger, more intricate patterns on their broad backs. Their headbands and clothing were the most extravagant he had ever seen, and he knew they had all dawned their ceremonial dress in anticipation of the ritual to come.

Rodney stuck close to his sister's side, telling himself it was for her protection, but knowing it was the other way around. If Melanie was afraid, she was not showing it, Rodney thought as he looked at her. Maybe it was because she was the one with the wooden case that commanded respect from everyone.

A small cliff dweller volunteered to escort them, but once again they were halted, this time outside the flap of one of the largest cliff dwellings in sight. Melanie and Rodney stood there in silence, waiting for permission from inside. Several moments later they were allowed to enter.

Both Sharpes were surprised at the color and splendor inside the unconventional dwelling. The space was filled with shiny, rich earth tones enhanced by burning torches implanted in the walls. The same material that the cliff dwellers used to make their jewelry was the source of the natural beauty that surrounded them. Pieces of various sizes had been used to make all kinds of furniture and tools, ranging from cups to tables.

Melanie marveled at the marble-like tiles that covered the floor. The large blocks had been matched to perfection, rivaling any that she had seen in the finest homes on Barbados or Eros. The unorthodox opulence of the place humbled Melanie. She had never thought of the cliff dwellers as a people with this kind of skill and an eye for such beauty. Great talent was needed to create this kind of environment.

Several male and female cliff dwellers were kneeling silently on fawn skins along the walls of the room. Two others sat in close proximity to the head cliff dweller, a silent younger male and a female whose age was not discernible.

As Melanie and Rodney stopped where they were instructed to, and imitated the postures of those around them, they felt compelled to examine the cliff dwellers who were obviously in power.

Throughout Melanie's life she had seen cliff dwellers on Eros, but never had she laid eyes on either of the three who sat before her. As a matter of fact, she was surprised at the number of cliff dwellers she saw outside. There had been far more than she had ever expected. Again she feared she may have underestimated this strange but intriguing race.

As they knelt in forced silence, Melanie studied the intricate carvings on the jewelry the head cliff dwellers wore. The headbands of the two males featured the same beautiful stones and a sprinkling of bright gems, while five gold coins carved with the cliff dwellers' symbol dominated the band of the eldest male.

Melanie gasped, and Rodney turned, following her line of vision. To his amazement it stopped on the female's necklace. It was an elaborate decoration with sprays of colorful gems surrounding a much larger crystalline stone. Rodney knew from Melanie's face that her thoughts mirrored his own. The copious stone was a magnificent diamond, and had to be worth a fortune.

With a stunned look still on his face, Rodney's eyes rose to the ebony eyes above the wondrous necklace. But he quickly tore away from her gaze, for it felt as if she were boring into his soul, and that she knew far more about him than he even knew about himself.

Melanie pushed the wooden box toward the head cliff dweller. The scraping sound broke the unnatural silence and drew the attention of the crowd who had gathered away from the two strangers. Low mumbles could be heard throughout the room as the second-ranked male advanced to retrieve the object, then carried it to his superior.

Carefully, the eldest cliff dweller opened the box; his face remained an unreadable mask as he examined the contents. A smooth sidelong look was bestowed on the objects by the regal female, whose face also remained a silent picture.

Finally, the head cliff dweller turned and spoke to his two companions, and without hesitation their straightforward answers were given in hushed tones. Almost instantly Melanie felt at a distinct disadvantage. It infuriated her because she did not speak their language, and could not understand their exchange. She knew the cliff dwellers were well versed in English, and their conversation in their native tongue was purposefully excluding her and Rodney.

As Melanie watched them she began to grow impatient. There were so many things she wanted to know. She had been reluctant to turn the wooden case over to the cliff dwellers without any reassurances. But there was one thing she was sure of, and that was that the cliff dwellers knew the Rite of Commencement could not be performed without the male spoken of in the prophecy, and she had spent much time and energy covering all the bases to ensure Rodney would be accepted as the man referred to in the Legend of Lenora.

For years, preparation for this eventful night had dominated her life, and she had no intention of failing now. Yes, recently there had been complications. Twice her attempt to steal the entire Gaia Series failed, and fate seemed against her. After successfully stealing the onyx and the jade slabs, in her haste she managed to lose the onyx stone. It was then that Melanie devised the plan of forging the missing pieces of the series.

The note to the craftsman on Barbados had advised him to use the basic dimensions of the jade slab when sculpturing the other four. He was known to be one of the best in his field, and the materials he used to make the counterfeit pieces were the best available. Melanie was glad the papyrus her mother had given her displayed detailed drawings of the entire Gaia set: an onyx unicorn, a jade siren, a rose quartz moon goddess, a tiger's-eye scarab, and a citrine sun god. The accompanying paperwork described the manuscript.

Melanie remembered the cliff dweller who used to work for her mother. The first time she ever saw her was down at the wharf selling jewelry with several others, and it had been written all over her homely features how taken she was with the fine clothing Melanie and her mother wore.

Despite Henry's cruelty toward his family behind Sharpe Hall's walls, outside of the house he was the epitome of the loving husband, especially when her mother was younger. He appeared to cater to his wife's every whim, showering her with the finest of jewelry and clothing, only to remind her behind closed doors that the jewels belonged to the estate and not to her.

Melanie had seen the woman for the first time during a period when there was more socializing between the islanders and their strange neighbors. Not to the extent that she had been told took place in the distant past, but more so than the present. Each time, down at the wharf, the young female cliff dweller would seek her mother out under the pretense of selling the stone jewelry she carried, but in actuality she wanted to be near Evelyn's finery and the perfumed scents that she always wore.

Once, Melanie remembered, after shopping, her mother had several boxes to carry back to Sharpe Hall, and she told the young woman if she would assist her she would pay her well. That was the beginning of their relationship.

After that, Kohela would appear at Sharpe Hall's kitchen door from time to time, and she would stand there silently aggravating the other servants. She would not go away no matter what they threatened, not until her mother appeared and gave her some personal chores to do. After a year or so, Kohela had become a regular at Sharpe Hall, and it was through this woman that her mother gained inside knowledge of the cliff dwellers and their beliefs. It was from Kohela that Evelyn learned of the Legend of Lenora.

Evelyn was already fascinated by many of the strange tales, but it was the Legend of Lenora that captivated her the most. It was the story of how the cliff dwellers believed the coming of one woman would change the bad times that had descended on their people. A people who were one with Gaia, Mother Earth.

It was an ancient belief that the prophesied woman, with eyes of brownish-jade, the light or bright one, would herald the time when the cliff dwellers would no longer be confined to living in the caves and mountain cliffs. It would allow them access to and eventually gain dominion over the entire island, the same as their forebears.

The prophecy claimed this could only come to be true if a virgin participated in the Rite of Commencement. This was to be carried out by the dark one, the proprietor of the Five Pieces of Gaia. Then and only then could “the consumption of the dark by the fiery light” take place.

With time Kohela became very comfortable being a part of Sharpe Hall, and wished she could become more of an intricate part of their society and share their style of living, something all cliff dwellers had been warned against. She knew her people's legends fascinated Evelyn, and she sought to win her favor even more by telling of the jewels that would be unveiled during the ritual. Jewels that were spoken of in hushed tones among Kohela's people who were the last of their kind. The jewels and the papyrus were the only articles the cliff dwellers possessed from the sunken continent of Mu.

Once Evelyn began to drink, she became obsessed with the thought of the jewels. She pressed Kohela to bring the part of the papyrus which described the ceremony and the Five Pieces of Gaia, promising her that she would be allowed to return it. Kohela finally consented, but her naivete brought nothing but tragedy to herself and her people.

Having committed the forbidden, removing a sacred papyrus, Kohela's conscience plagued her tremendously. She asked Evelyn to give the papyrus back to her so she could return it to its sacred place. Evelyn refused and Kohela committed suicide.

Kohela's death caused a bigger rift between the islanders and the cliff dwellers. They knew her demise was connected with the islanders, and from that day forth no communication was allowed between them. Ulysses was the exception, and the islanders believed it was because he had established a rapport with them as a child.

Melanie touched the papers tucked inside her skirt pocket. Her mother's scribbled handwriting had told her everything. Especially about the jewels that would buy her independence. It was these papers that she gave to her on her deathbed, and made Melanie promise to put them to good use. Evelyn told her she had attempted murder to keep Helen Deane from spoiling Melanie's future. Helen was the only person alive who believed Ulysses was the man referred to in the legend, and with her out of the way no one would be the wiser when Rodney was presented in his place. Well, Madame Deane did not die, but her sanity did, Melanie thought.

She had done everything she could to carry out what her mother had begun. Actually, it had become her obsession. Her light at the end of the tunnel when she thought of Basil's cruel nature, and Rodney's weak one. Melanie knew how her younger brother felt about her. Their first sexual encounter was an accident, but soon after that their mother died, and Melanie's obsessed plan began to take shape. She wanted Rodney to be like putty in her hands. She needed that kind of power over him. She had borne his intimate fumblings willingly, but she had determined no man would ever truly possess her. They were all animals, just like her father, including Ulysses. Had she convinced him to marry her, theirs would have been a loveless marriage. Her real purpose was to gain access to the manuscript, the Five Pieces of Gaia, and eventually the jewels. Just one of them would give her enough wealth to live as she pleased. A life independent of men.

Melanie's becoming features took on a strange twist as she thought of Salinah and the talk she had with her earlier that day. She had warned Salinah that Basil would come to their settlement tonight for her fourteen-year-old daughter. Melanie had been quite convincing in her display of concern, declaring that she wished there was some way he could be stopped. It was then that she offered the woman the dagger she had bought at the sale, telling her it had belonged to Basil. Melanie offered it to Salinah as a token of her goodwill. She said it was valuable and could be sold for a comely price.