The Guardian's Wildchild (30 page)

“Butchart?” Sam shuddered and shook his head. “This all sounds just a bit too hocus pocus. It’s time for a demonstration.”

“Okay. Have you learned the art of meditation?”

“Yes. Used to meditate at least once every day. It did reveal a depth of knowledge that couldn’t be explained rationally.”

She gazed over Sam’s aura and noticed a thin, translucent golden light shimmering above his head. It blinked like a light bulb not secured tightly in its socket. Sam was on the threshold of waking. It was a dangerous time for him. The shift in consciousness frightened many waking Guardians. They put up blocks, clung to old habits and beliefs. Others grasped at the knowledge gained and used the power to serve their ego rather than the Light, the higher good, only to later find that Dark power turned on them in the end. This was Butchart’s gradual undoing, and the cause of the illness Sidney had noted in him.

In the span of time it took for her to inhale, Sidney became aware that her role in the past year had nothing to do with crystals or saving the planet from madness. She was here for Sam. There was nothing more profound or sacred than guiding a waking Guardian. For when a waking Guardian negotiated the pitfalls and fully awoke, the universe celebrated.

Sidney smiled. She straightened her posture, focused on Sam’s dark brown eyes, and stepped forward in her heart.

“All right. Sam, you’ll bring this crystal to life.”

“Yeah, right. Come on, I’m serious.”

“So am I. I know you have the power to do it. It’s waiting for you. Now, sit down on the blanket and set the crystal a couple of feet in front of you.”

Reluctantly, Sam sat in front of the picnic plates and leftover food. He placed the sun crystal as Sidney had instructed.

“Good,” Sidney said. “I’ll sit beside you and guide you, but I won’t connect with the crystal.”

Sam rolled his eyes, still believing this would end up as a futile experiment.

“What am I supposed to get the crystal to do?” he asked.

“That’s entirely up to you, and I don’t want you to tell me what you’re thinking of asking the crystal to do. All I ask is that your request to the crystal doesn’t involve me or any other living thing. Start with something simple, like moving it to another spot, but don’t tell me where. Agreed?”

Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Sure.”

“Now, begin by whatever means you use to meditate. I’ll continue to talk quietly to you. You may ignore me if you wish and follow your own intuition. You do have this ability, Sam. More than most, I believe.”

“Okay. I’ll proceed on that positive note.” Sam closed his eyes and began a rhythmic slow and deep breathing. Sidney guided him to a peaceful place. She watched his expression and body soften and become relaxed. After five minutes, she led him on another task — a journey of connecting with the crystal.

“See the crystal in your mind, Sam. It’s there, waiting, sleeping like a child just before the morning sun stirs the sleep away. If this was your child, think of how you might gently wake him. Feel that affection. Feel throughout your body the unconditional love you have for your child. Imagine a stream of pure golden light leaving your body and going to the child, the crystal. See the light lovingly surround the crystal. See the crystal rise and become filled with light, filled with your light.”

Sidney let Sam continue on his own for a while. She gave him time to become acquainted with the energy she sensed he’d discovered. Gradually, she again guided him further.

“Remember, Sam, that you’re safe. You’re in full control and can end this at any time you choose. You are the captain at all times, my friend.” She detected a smile on Sam’s face. It gave her great joy to see that he wasn’t only bravely pursuing this new experience, but seemed to be letting go and allowing himself to enjoy it.

“Now, Sam, from now on you’re on your own. You and the crystal are in a partnership. The crystal is receiving your energy. Your thoughts are transferred to its energy source. Be clear on your intent and what you want the crystal to do. Focus on what’s to be achieved, how it is to be achieved and the end result. See it in your mind as already having been completed.”

Sidney sat back and relaxed, careful not to interfere with Sam’s energy connection with the crystal. She cleared her mind of chatter and focused on enjoying only the present moment. A moment with Sam at her side, a moment that she knew would likely never happen again. Once he was free of the admiral, Sam would most certainly rebuild his life with his sons doing what he loved to do. Sailing ships. When she at last opened her eyes, Sam was smiling at her.

“What are you so pleased about?”

“Take a look.” He gestured toward the blanket. Sidney was surprised. He’d done more than she’d thought possible for his first attempt. Not only were all the picnic plates now on the food cart, but they were clean and neatly stacked.

“I’m a neatness freak, and the mess on the blanket was irksome.” Sam looked both pleased and shaken. “I guess I owe you an apology.”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay. You were right. Sorry I didn’t trust you. I shall try to not doubt you again. Fair?”

“Actually, I hope you go on questioning. Intelligent people don’t blindly accept another’s point of view or values. I have a lot of respect for you, Sam, mostly because you’re open to investigating something new. You’re awesome! Totally, unequivocally, undeniably awesome!”

He shrugged his shoulders. The overt praise was too foreign. Sam changed the subject.

“How about a demonstration from you? And I’m not talking about moving something from here to there. You’ve been doing that with my crystal, I figure. I want to see something big. Something that might convince me the crystal in the admiral’s hands would be terrible for the rest of us.”

“Okay, I get the picture. You want to see an indication of the crystal’s full potential. I can’t really do that. The Elders discourage use of the crystals except for the protection of our people. But I can provide you with a small example.”

Sidney closed her eyes and went into a deep meditative state. Ten minutes later she opened her eyes and planted a big grin on her face.

“You lose. Nothing happened,” Sam said.

“That’s what you think.”

“Really? What did you do?”

“Not saying. You’ll find out soon enough. Now, I’m ready for some dessert.”

“You did something with the dessert, didn’t you? Changed it into something else.”

“Sam Waterhouse. You wanted something big, and you got it — at least as far as I was willing to go. Now, could I please have my dessert?”

Sam trotted back to his refrigerator and brought back two plates of cake with strawberries and ice cream. It was a rare treat indeed.

“Oh Sam, all of this has been more delicious and fantastic than I thought it could have been. You’ve been so wonderful.”

“Now don’t start that again.”

“Okay. You’re wearing your comlink, aren’t you?”

“Yes, why?”

“You may need it in a few minutes. Could I have some more Waterhouse Tea?”

“Sidney?”

“Yes?”

“How can someone be so guilty and look so innocent?”

As he poured another glass of tea, he became aware of a change in the ship. Instead of the low hum of engines, he heard the sounds of the ocean. The comlink on the waistband of his shorts sounded an alarm. Sam placed the earpiece to his ear and listened.

“Rhett, did you say the ship’s engines have stopped?”

“Everything was fine, according to Robert,” Moon reported. “Then, without warning, it was like someone flicked a switch and they stopped.”

Sidney wore a look of pure satisfaction as she innocently continued to eat her dessert.

“Rhett, see what you and Robert can do to get them running again.”

“They won’t,” murmured Sidney, still munching on her cake.

“Standby, Rhett.” Sam switched off his comlink’s send signal and turned to Sidney. “And why not, Sidney?” asked Sam.

“The crystal won’t allow it for another hour.”

Sam’s mouth was opened wide in shock. “What?”

“You wanted something big, right?” Sidney washed down the last forkful of cake with her tea. “Was that big enough?” She smiled back at him and lifted her brows.

He glanced at his watch and activated the send signal. “Do a thorough investigation, Rhett. Be on the alert for attack. Send a dive team down to get a visual of possible damage below the water line, and give me a report at eighteen-hundred hours.” Sam disconnected the comlink and sat down in front of Sidney.

“Here’s your cake. Better eat it before the ice cream melts,” she said.

Sam was silent for a while, and Sidney let him think. She rolled over onto her stomach and continued to enjoy sharing the same time and space with him. It was blissful. When he’d finished his dessert, he set their plates on the food cart and asked Sidney to walk with him. Together they walked the pathways between the shrubs and garden plots to the ship’s railing. Sam still didn’t speak, and Sidney worried that she’d pushed him too far.

“Sam, perhaps this has been too much to swallow all at once. I grew up knowing this stuff. I even thought everyone else knew it too until I was old enough to know different. It was natural for those of us on the island.”

“No, Sidney, that’s not the problem. If it weren’t for the fact that I practiced meditation when I was younger, I guess this would be more shocking. No, I’m more concerned about what Admiral Garland has up his sleeve. Now that you’ve shown me the potential of these crystals, I finally know what the top secret cargo is that the
Nonnah
’s been hauling. Do you have any idea how many crates I’ve delivered to him?”

He couldn’t hide the guilt he felt from Sidney.

“You didn’t know, and even if you had, you weren’t given any other choice,” she said.

Sam shrugged off her attempt to soothe him. “He wasn’t always this … this power hungry. He had political ambitions, certainly, but I’d respected him as a wise and trustworthy man. It wasn’t until recent years that he seemed to change. I hadn’t realized how fully gone he was until I stood in his office that day and he took my sons away.”

“There’s always hope. He could return to the man he was.”

“I don’t see how. But even if he did, we’ve still got to worry about Butchart. And how many others with his abilities?”

Sidney shook her head. “Those who use their gifts to do harm work solo. They can’t trust or be trusted. No, Frank is on his own as far as Guardians are concerned.”

Sam frowned. “Your Elders, can’t they do something?”

“No. They’ve always maintained that it isn’t their place to interfere. Their way is to cast a Light into the shadows, as they put it, and hope that those who walk in Darkness may one day choose to follow the Light.”

“That’s quite a mouthful.”

“It’s something I support and believe in as well. I could have helped the underground by using the crystal. It isn’t the way. I used my own personal skills that I was born with like telekinesis and telepathy and such — but that’s all.”

“You can read my thoughts?”

“Only what you choose to send to me and only if I were to turn on my receiver, so to speak. Mostly over the years, I’ve learned to shut it off. One can receive so many conflicting messages. I found it better not to receive. But, yes, I can receive messages, mostly from my fellow Guardians.”

Sam shook his head. “You’re too much, Sidney. How can I help with this crystal problem?”

Sidney studied Sam’s face. She wasn’t ready to tell him about the memory rod.

“Later. How about a swim?” she suggested impulsively.

“Now?”

“Sure. You said that if the ship wasn’t moving, or something to that effect, you’d go for a swim.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Maybe. But I’m ready.” Without another word, she peeled off her blouse and shorts revealing in her blue lace panties and bra.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Going for a swim.” In the next second, she hoisted herself up onto the railing and checked the view below. The ocean was directly below her and relatively calm. The warmth of the sun still held its early evening warmth. It was too good to pass up.

“Come on.” She swung her legs over the railing and disappeared over the edge, plunging feet first into the ocean.

“Damn it all,” Sam cursed. Striking his comlink he connected with Moon and told him to lower a raft into the ocean and have someone meet him on the port side of the ship. Without explaining any further, Sam jumped over the railing and landed not far from Sidney in the ocean.

As Sam began to swim toward her, she paddled away and soon disappeared under the waves. He waited for her to come to the surface. When she did, she was several yards away from him. Again he swam toward her and she disappeared under the waves. He waited. Suddenly, he felt her grab his legs and pull him under the surface. He tried to grab her as she continued to dive deeper, but she evaded his every move.

He gave up trying to pursue her and simply began to enjoy the water. Sam swam with the fierceness of an Olympian charging through the waves. He discovered Sidney was trying to follow. Although agile, she didn’t have the power to keep up. He slowed his pace.