That would be even harder than learning to meditate. All my many blessings were hard-won. I couldn’t abandon my family, and I couldn’t disappear for months at a time to walk along the ocean. In addition, other folks were counting on me.
He had the freedom to come and go as he pleased, beholden to no one. I had a full life, and I wasn’t going to give most of it up.
-o-o-o-
AS WE APPROACHED THE SUV, I wondered whether my latest effort at enlightenment had helped any. Not as far as I could tell, but I was just getting started.
Gill greeted us with a wave. “While y’all communed with nature, I got to thinking. Sequoia, it’s going to take quite a while to get Ian’s mind right, isn’t it?”
The man nodded. “Years, I believe. But every long journey begins on a single day.”
Gill said, “It doesn’t look like you’ve got any pressing time commitments coming up. Have you seen the Grand Canyon? We’re headed that way, more or less. Maybe you’d like to come along? See the Great American West? We’d be happy to fly you back here whenever you get tired of our company. In the meantime, your new disciple can partake of your wisdom in great gulps.”
I liked the idea, and I glanced at Laura. She smiled, and Katie did, too.
Sequoia merely gazed at me.
No one spoke for a moment.
The silence became increasingly awkward. Finally, he said, “I have never seen the Grand Canyon.”
“Then pile in,” Gill replied. “Let’s grab lunch and plan our afternoon. I’m figuring it’ll take us several weeks to get to Arizona. Is that all right?”
“I have no pressing engagements before the fall salmon run,” Sequoia said.
-o-o-o-
LAURA DROVE US BACK to the campground, and we ate lunch in the RV. As we sat together, I explained our recent trouble with Sitka to Sequoia.
Then, I asked, “What do you think we should do about him?”
“I have no idea. When I face trouble, I let the Great Spirit resolve it. He won’t allow anyone to harm me with spells.”
“How does that work?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I simply connect to the Infinite. Whatever evil magic hits me flows through me and harmlessly away.”
There had to be more to it than thinking happy thoughts, but despite asking him a half-dozen different ways for specifics, I got no better answer.
Gill offered a few suggestions to Sequoia about how the magic might work, but our new friend still couldn’t explain how the Great Spirit protected him.
When we finished eating, Katie said, “Before we leave this area, I would love to see some of the giant redwoods here.” She nodded at Sequoia. “You’re the expert. Where’s the best place to see big trees?”
“One of my favorite groves is close to this campground. Some of the tallest trees in the world are minutes away.”
“How big?” Christina asked.
“It doesn’t much matter,” I said. “The tops are all hidden by the lower branches. The only way you can tell from the ground which ones are biggest is to find the trees with the thickest trunks.”
Sequoia smiled again. The guy was always smiling.
“Ian is right,” he said. “The tallest trees grow almost four hundred feet high, but from the ground, you can’t tell. It’s worth finding the oldest trees, though. They are the most generous.”
Before I could ask him what he meant, he explained how we needed to obtain permits to reach the grove close by.
“Are all the big ones all in one spot?” Gill asked.
“No,” Sequoia said. “Many of them live where we’re going, but the tallest trees are scattered throughout forests along the North Coast.”
-o-o-o-
Tall Trees Grove Trail, Redwood National Park
AS WE WALKED DOWN a steep trail from halfway up a hillside, it was hard to tell that we were approaching a special spot where giants had lived since ancient times. The redwoods clustered along the river below didn’t look much different from those in the surrounding forest.
But while we were hiking down the hillside, I began to feel more and more euphoric. “They’re calling me, and they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“Relax,” Gill said. “They ain’t going anywhere. Don’t hurry. It’d be a damned shame if you broke your fool neck before seeing the real deal.”
I slowed down, and I kept Christina close. She had been zooming up and down the trail, and I didn’t want her to break her neck either.
We finally made it down to the old grove along Redwood Creek, and I was entranced. The forest here was dimly lit, even though we’d parked the SUV in full sun high up on the hillside. The trunks of the trees were twenty to thirty feet wide where they entered the ground. The undergrowth was relatively sparse, except for thick patches of ferns.
“Too bad we can’t climb up these huge trunks,” I said.
“Yeah!” Christina agreed.
My wife laughed. “Don’t get any ideas, either of you.”
I felt like we were walking in a large cathedral with a high vaulted ceiling. In a few places, isolated rays of sunlight managed to sneak their way through the canopy above us to highlight spots on the forest floor. The only sounds came from occasional birds singing in the distance.
My whole body shivered with excitement, much more than in Elysium’s old growth forest. Perhaps that was because Sequoia could help me connect with these ancient beings.
Lazarus dropped out of the sky and landed on the ground near me. That gave me an idea. “Here’s my chance to see the tops of these trees.”
“Be careful,” Laura replied.
“Back in a few minutes.”
I transferred into the eagle’s body, and we flew upward, soaring past the massive lower branches of these trees. This was the most amazing part of my magic, and I needed to remind myself to fly with the eagle more often.
We climbed steadily, threading our way through the maze of branches, and finally, we broke through into the bright sunlight above the canopy. From this high vantage point, it was easy to see that lightning had struck the tops of most of these giants. The other thing that surprised me was how small this grove of tall trees was in comparison to the surrounding forest. The Tall Trees Grove was less than a mile long and only a few hundred yards wide. Down in this valley along the creek, the perfect conditions and shelter from strong western winds allowed these ancient sentinels to thrive.
We landed on one bare treetop where the foot-thick trunk had been burned to a stump by lightning. This particular tree probably had once been thirty feet taller, and it might’ve once been the tallest in the world. And it might be again. A new leader had begun reaching up from below the scar.
After Lazarus and I spent a few more minutes gazing at the surrounding forest, he wove his way back through the branches into the dim understory below. We landed near the same spot where we’d started, and I reformed into my own body.
As I struggled to my feet, my hands pressed against the soft bed of needles on the forest floor.
The others crowded around me and asked what I’d seen, all that is, except Gill and Sequoia. From the satisfied smiles on their faces, I could tell they already knew from reading my mind. For the others, though, I described what I’d seen as clearly as possible.
We walked together through the grove, and occasionally, Sequoia would put both of his hands on a massive trunk and stand still for a minute or two.
I asked him, “What are you doing?”
“These ancient trees have been soaking up life energy for eons. In addition, they provide extraordinary inspiration for those who want to connect with the Infinite. The more you reach out to the Great Spirit, the more His power will protect you.”
I didn’t understand, like a lot of what he said, but when I asked questions, the Yurok brave rubbed the back of his neck several times. He started to speak, but no words came out. Hopefully, I would someday begin to see the light, but not yet.
We spent hours roaming the grove, and
I touched many of the largest tree trunks, but I didn’t experience any flow of magical energy, at least nothing like I’d experienced in healing or taking power from sorcerers. Sequoia had to be talking about a different kind of magic entirely.
At one point, he said with a shrug, “I experience the sensation. It’s subtle. The trees have stored tremendous energy. They’ll share it with you if you’re calm and patient.”
Gradually, it got darker, and we had to leave. The five of us trudged up the hill to where we’d parked, and we drove back to the campground in silence. There, Sequoia preferred to sleep in his teepee rather than in the RV. I envied him some, but I found consolation in sleeping with my lovely wife in the master bedroom.
-o-o-o-
Saturday, April 27th
RIGHT AFTER DAWN, I got a call from Karen. She was crying, and I couldn’t make out her words for a moment. I waited, wondering what’d happened.
She took a couple of deep breaths and then said, “Ellen is…is dead. She passed away overnight due to a stroke. I’m s-sure it was caused by the terror those sorcerers brought into our lives.”
I turned my cell on speakerphone so Laura and I could both give Karen our sympathy. Not that it did much good. Karen kept sobbing, and Laura and I decided to go visit her. Laura and I drove to the nursing home in Eureka that had become Ellen’s new home.
As I pulled into the parking lot, Gill’s medallion zapped me hard. “A sorcerer’s here.”
Laura glanced around, and I did the same. Only one car was occupied, and that vehicle sat by itself in the corner of the lot. “I see him.” I pointed.
“What’s that asshole doing here?” Laura asked.
“Probably waiting to jump either Ellen or Karen when they come out.” And that thought got my blood boiling. They’d suffered terribly, in large part because of the scum who followed me.
I pulled the SUV in front of the sorcerer’s car to keep him from driving away. Then I jumped out and grabbed my staff from the back seat. The sorcerer opened his car door at the same time. He was trying to run, but I blocked his way. I was damned sure going to make him sorry.
I challenged him and froze. While waiting for the battle to begin, I formed my ward.
He ran past me.
I wasn’t about to let him get away. As soon as I could move again, I chased after him on a long sidewalk. In less than a hundred yards, I caught up to him in front of a warehouse. He turned to face me.
I attacked, lunging forward, holding my staff in front of me like a broadsword. My anger kept building, and I conjured a lightning spell right away. “HOLARTHON, ELBO CHOQUE!”
He’d created a ward to protect himself, but my spell obliterated it. I was angry enough to keep casting spells, but magical fighting wasn’t as satisfying as beating the shit out of someone who really deserved it. So, I crowded the guy, not giving him a chance to attack me, and I jabbed him in the chest with my staff. He hit me in the side of the head with his, but I barely felt it. I dropped my weapon and started throwing punches, focusing each blow the way my karate master had taught me.
The sorcerer’s arms were muscular, and he blocked most of my blows. I pressed him against the building and punched his stomach and sides. When he moved his hands down to protect his torso, I was so angry that I rammed his face with my forehead. His nose gushed blood all over me, and the smell of it made me crazy.
I somehow felt stronger, and his punches on my face and neck hardly mattered. This bastard was going to pay for what his kind had done to Karen and Ellen.
My arms got tired, but the guy kept fighting. He’d obviously trained as a gladiator. It’d been incredibly satisfying to butt him with my head, and I did it again, square on the nose again.
He gasped for breath and leaned back.
I kneed him in the groin. He tried to do the same to me, but I was ready. I brought my leg across the front to protect me, and then I smashed his face with my fists.
He kept punching, I could hardly believe it, but his blows had lost some of their power. Mine had, too, but thanks to endless hours working on the farm and at the ranch, I had good reserves of energy.
He staggered, bending over. I kicked him in the forehead, and he collapsed to the ground, out cold.
After backing up a few feet, I bent over and gasped for breath.
Laura had followed me in the SUV. She jumped out and hurried to my side. Then she patted me on the back.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
I nodded, still winded.
After a moment, she said, “let me see your face. He did a job on you, but I hope most of this blood is his.”
“I think so.”
She healed my cuts and bruises, and as she did, the blood on my skin vanished. But not the blood on my clothes.
“I’m afraid to go inside looking like this. Maybe you could see if Karen can come out.”
Laura kissed me on the cheek. I tossed my still knocked out slave in the back of the SUV, and she drove us back to the nursing home.
After she headed inside. I opened the back and bent over the sorcerer, watching as he slowly regained consciousness. He was now my slave, as docile as a lamb.
Karen and Laura ran out of the nursing home toward me. There was no sense in upsetting either one of them more than they already were, and I gave them my best smile. Karen ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck.
“Oh dammit, this keeps getting worse. Are you okay?”
“It looks nastier than it is. I’m fine.”
“I’m terribly—”
I interrupted Karen by holding up my hand. “Don’t worry, I’m in good hands. This bastard was out here, and I’m glad I found him first.” Then I asked the sorcerer, “Why were you here?”
“I was told to wait for you or Karen to appear. If you showed up, I was supposed to call someone named Sitka. If a less powerful witch came here, I was supposed to take care of them myself.”
That’s when an idea came to me. “Karen, would you like someone, let’s say this moron, to help you get through the trying times sure to come?”
“Fine, but he belongs to you.”
I shook my head. He’d only get in our way. “I’ll give him to you.”
She nodded, and I looked at him. “I claim the spoils of victory.”
Heat flowed through me, and I was surprised how strong the guy had been. Tough sorcerers seemed to live everywhere.
When the flow of energy stopped, I said, “As your master, I direct you to Karen, your new master. You will obey her as you would me.”
He nodded.
I spoke to Karen and tried to say the right words to help her cope with some of the suffering she was sure to face, but I knew from the deaths of my own family how hard her life was going to be.
While we were talking, Laura did her best to soothe Karen.
She seemed to calm down, and I said, “you know there’s a place you can go that is completely safe, right?”
She smiled at me. “Of course, thanks to you. But the thing is, Ellen and I have fought a running battle with the biology department at CU for decades. I’d never fit in there. There are lots of witch communities on the West Coast. I can find one with a university nearby where I can teach. Just not here anymore.”
I could understand that.
Laura healed the sorcerer, and Karen took her slave to her new apartment to clean him up.
I called Gill. “A bastard sorcerer was hanging around the nursing home, and I took him out. He got a few good punches in, and I’m covered with his blood. Do you think you guys could come down with some clean clothes?”
He cackled. “I can’t let you go anywhere by yourself anymore. You always get in the damnedest trouble. We’ll come, and we’ll try to bring Sequoia.”
Luckily, Sequoia did come, with the few possessions he needed for a road trip. I threw away the bloody clothes and dressed again. Then the group of us ate a late breakfast at a nearby diner. Most of us ate, but the Yurok brave only drank lemonade.
I let Laura describe the fight, and I wondered what would’ve happened if Sitka had been waiting there instead. I probably would’ve become his slave except for the medallion’s warning.
That possibility didn’t seem to occur to anyone else. Instead, they showered me with congratulations. Even Sequoia, who seemed as nonviolent as a magician could be, praised me.
“I’m thrilled that you could protect Karen,” he said, “when she was in such a vulnerable state. Sorcerers have lost all vestige of conscience, and the Great Spirit will let us use the Infinite to defend ourselves.”
Hopefully, I’d begin at some point to understand his kind of magic, but not yet. At least I could protect myself with Celtic magic while I was learning more from the Yurok warrior.
Chapter 9
Sunday, April 28th
THE NEXT MORNING, I got an early call on my burn phone from Diana.
“Thatcher is furious,” she said. “Our hacker intercepted a message on the sorcerer’s network from the head slayer to Escobar in Denver. It said, ‘To summarize, you’ve managed to warn O’Rourke that we’re after him, and you’ve revealed the face of our highly-paid assassin to him. Even more, you’ve destroyed the home he and his partner were hiding in after our targets had already left. Is there anything else you could have done to drive the point home more firmly that you’re incompetent?’
“Maybe Thatcher will get rid of Escobar for me?” I asked. “I was looking forward to killing the bastard myself, but I’m not ready yet. It’s fine with me if Thatcher does it, as long as Escobar suffers in the process.”
“I doubt Thatcher’s mad enough yet to ignore the established chain of command,” Diana replied. “Sitka was hired by the American slayer council, and Thatcher won’t interfere unless he really becomes frustrated. Remember, Sitka can always change his appearance and try again. In short, I expect Escobar will remain alive for another chance, too. Otherwise, a new head slayer would’ve shown up in Denver instead of Thatcher’s snippy message.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “What’s their next move?”
“I don’t know yet,” Diana said, shaking her head. “The American council gave Escobar and Sitka a week to come up with a better plan. I do know the name of the new Hudson, though. Escobar appointed someone named Pando Norbek to be the Boulder Slayer in Exile. The guy’s going to be working out of Broomfield, just like Juan predicted.”
Vengeance (The Sorcerers' Scourge Series Book 3) Page 8
