Travis nodded. “Life or death, I’d say that tops everything.” He’d known when Skye called him something major had happened days earlier to the geeky gamer, so he held up his hands. “I’m getting the picture. It’s okay. I don’t need to know more details in case anyone comes knocking at my door. Which they won’t,” he added before looking Josh in the eye. “But I won’t lie to you. This could be life-changing. You do know that?”
“I know that. I feel it. But I’ve been a hardcore gamer since I was old enough to pick up a joystick. It’s kind of difficult to be angry when this is probably the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. I’m part wolfman. On some level, how cool is that?”
But Travis shook his head. “No. It’s scary that the youth of our time is so—misguided and uninformed, obviously from the influence of games like yours and Hollywood wolfman movies. I would expect that kind of smugness though. What you are Josh Ander is more like a mutt with wolf tendencies. Huge difference. If the percentages were higher, say upward to fifteen or twenty, you might be running wild in the forest right about now.” He cocked a brow. “Consider that before you start thinking wolfman or that this could be an extension to one of your clever games.”
“So Skye told you about my idea.”
“Your incredibly brainless idea? Yes. To suggest a victim might let you use her likeness—”
“I’m not a victim,” Skye piped up. “And I haven’t been for a very long time. I understand you’re pissed off, but don’t take your frustration out on Josh. You barely know the man.”
“And you do?” Travis shot back. “Just because you’re sharing his bed—”
“Watch it,” Josh warned, stepping closer to Travis. “My good nature has been recently tested and I’m not above going to the mat for Skye.”
Travis gave him a quick nod of his head in approval. “Now, that’s a first step and exactly what I wanted to hear—if it’s an honest declaration.”
“Oh really?” Skye retorted. “He’s already gone to the mat for me, Travis. There’s nothing else he has to prove to me…nothing.”
“I’m aware of that…now. But it means a great deal to me to know this man cares for my—” Travis quickly caught himself and stopped short.
“Yeah, well, Skye means a great deal to me, too,” Josh reaffirmed.
“Then are we done shouting at each other? Because we still don’t have a lot of answers here,” Skye reasoned.
“I don’t know. Are we?” asked Josh.
“I guess I am,” Travis admitted. “But I reserve the right to shout if he hurts you—in any way.”
Skye went over to Travis then, gave him a hug. “I’ve never dated, Travis, not until Josh.”
“I know. I guess I’m relieved at that.”
“Then you’re taking this awfully well, considering. I appreciate the fact you care if I’m happy or not, alive or not,” Skye commented. “You too,” she said to Josh. “But we really don’t have much choice, now do we?”
“Not when the alternative is pretty lame,” Josh countered.
“Not when the alternative might’ve been death for both of you,” Travis surmised, holding up his hand. “I don’t even want to know how Whitfield got the drop on both of you.”
“We were sloppy, distracted, talking too much,” Josh acknowledged. “There’s no prettying it up. But I promise you, it won’t happen again.”
“Good. It’s done then. But there’s something else you need to know. In times of danger or high stress, I suspect the wolf tendencies may take over entirely, which is what you’ve already experienced firsthand. You’ll feel it when it begins to happen. You’ll have to learn to control that part of you. Otherwise, it could take over and you’ll be at the mercy of instinct rather than relying on your brain, your human intelligence. Try to think of it as a gift though. Kiya has given you the opportunity to sense things that other humans cannot. But if you don’t learn to control the wolf’s innate characteristics, it could take over at an inopportune time and cost you your life.”
“So much for having super-hero powers,” Josh cracked. “I should probably avoid kryptonite.”
But Skye didn’t see the humor at all. “And Kiya? What happens to her? I sense she’s simply a very weak spirit now because her energy is gone, zapped. She isn’t strong like she used to be.”
Travis nodded. “Her senses have been diminished by mingling with Josh’s human traits. Her spirit will take some time to recover if at all. Right now, Josh’s influence is too strong. The wolf’s spirit may never be the same.”
“How is it possible Kiya didn’t get any of my smarts and that might compensate for what she’s given to me?” Josh wanted to know.
“Oh she did, but her own instincts have dropped so much because she gave her all to you, draining hers. All in all, I’d say this is actually textbook spirit guide stuff. Let me guess, Skye was in trouble when Kiya made the leap?”
Josh chewed the inside of his jaw, said nothing.
Travis glanced over at Skye who also remained silent. “Very well, I’ll take your silence as a yes. In the future, I suspect the wolf will have to be close to Josh in order for her spirit to ever be completely whole.”
“How close?”
“I have no idea. This is all conjecture on my part. According to our legend though, the human could move between both worlds, either that of being a man or a wolf at his choosing. He had to occupy one or the other, not both. You’re part of both worlds and so is the wolf. That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. To some extent the legend is still just that. At this stage, what you are is—unprecedented.”
“Terrific,” Josh said as he reached out for Skye’s hand. “We have something in common though. And if I try real hard, with any luck, maybe one day I’ll be able to read your mind—eventually, maybe we’ll be able to mind-link. You know, like the Vulcan mind meld. After all, the three of us are connected now in a huge way.”
Skye rolled her eyes. “If you’d focus on something other than sci-fi for five minutes we might be able to figure this out.”
“All legends have some factual base to them. And my knowledge of sci-fi is bound to come in handy at some point because—”
Travis held up his hands for peace. “Please kids, if I could be allowed to continue. Don’t be surprised if Kiya regains her strength, she may possibly be able to take a corporeal form now and again.” When both of them turned to stare at him, Travis added, “Again, Josh’s influence. I just can’t be one-hundred percent certain. In the meantime, why don’t the two of you plan to stay here for a couple of days? If for no other reason than to remain off the radar, that way I’ll keep pumping the elders for answers, see what information I’m able to pull out of them without sharing too much detail.” He looked straight at Josh. “Yes, I know I’ll need to be discreet with them. And I will. What I’d like to do while you’re here is try a cleansing ritual. If nothing else it might help keep you balanced and in this world. Or, if we’re lucky the Great Spirit will show you your true path.”
Josh and Skye traded glances. The look on her face told Josh Skye was leaving the decision up to him. Finally, Josh huffed out a breath. “Okay, we’ll stay for a few days but I’ve already explained to Skye I don’t see how an herbal remedy is the answer. But hell, I suppose I’ll try anything once.”
Travis got up out of his chair. He walked to Josh, slapped him on the back, put his hand out. “That’s the spirit. We’ll make a Nez Perce out of you yet.”
Josh took the man’s outstretched hand and said, “I could live with that.”
But Skye had been rolling around a thought. “I have a question. Something just clicked. Travis, are you aware the Internet has been full of stories recently where people report seeing a silver wolf around inner city Seattle? My spirit guide’s never been corporeal. Now you’re telling me with Josh’s spirit infused in her, she might be. Are these people seeing Kiya or another wolf running around from somewhere?” A little embarrassed to t
ell him what Kiya had indicated to her, she hesitated before saying, “Is this wolf connected to me in some way or is it even Kiya at all?”
Travis rolled his eyes. “You want to know too much information. I don’t have all the answers either, at least not off the top of my spinning head. But who says the connection is to you. It might be to Josh. And connected could mean anything. Connected might be akin to ESP, a foretelling, a vision maybe, a bridge to the spirit world.”
“Ah,” Skye said. She looked over at Josh who was reading one of Travis’s books he’d taken down out of the bookcase. It was still hard to get used to him sans wire-rims. “What do you intend to tell people, Josh, when they ask about your glasses and why you aren’t wearing them?”
“I’ll tell them I finally got up the nerve to get Lasik.”
“So your eyesight is now perfect?” Travis asked.
“Oh yeah, among other things. Not since third grade have I been able to see distance without my glasses though.”
Turning to Travis, with a nod of her head toward Josh, Skye deadpanned, “This guy has a slew of fancy rugs at his place. Does he need to be concerned about peeing on every single one of them to mark his territory?”
Josh bumped her shoulder. “I like my rugs.”
“Sure you do, that’s why I need to know if I should put down newspaper so you don’t mess ’em up.”
Travis shook his head. “If I were you, I’d really be more concerned about the potential for howling. It’s been my experience that never goes over well with the neighbors.”
While they waited for Travis to come up with the right ingredients to perform the ritual cleanse, Skye and Josh had plenty to keep them busy.
They utilized Travis’s computer, keeping tabs on the Whitfield case via the media. They put in time at the gun range. Not to mention training like fiends for a battle they weren’t sure would ever come. But if visions and dreams were any indication, there were still kids out there locked up—in filth and abused—waiting for someone to come to their aid. How long would their abductors keep them around before shipping them out to foreign destinations?
They were running out of time. With everything else going on, that fact alone caused Skye several restless nights.
That’s the excuse she used as she and Josh tossed each other around in Travis’s weight room, spacious enough to allow them to practice their martial arts techniques on each other.
Skye went down on her butt again for the third time in a row. “Okay, so you’re getting a little bit better as we go.”
“How does it feel down there on the mat?” Josh asked in a playful tone. “Be grateful for the mat. Every time you bested me, I landed on a thin scrap of AstroTurf spread out over concrete.” He grinned and reached out to help her up.
“How is it you seem to know my next move beforehand?”
“Instincts. Besides, you telegraph them. I’m surprised I didn’t catch on sooner.”
“Since when?”
“Since I started paying closer attention.”
She stood up in a huff, rested her hands on her hip. When he continued to stare at her, she took the opportunity to dive at him in a menacing attack. But he countered by simply picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. Instead of tossing her over on her back though, Josh let her dangle there, which only frustrated her more.
“Damn it,” she shouted. “You can put me down now. I suppose I should be grateful my partner is so adept at hand-to-hand now.”
He took the opportunity to pat her on the butt before setting her feet first on the floor. “I won’t be surprised or taken off guard again. Not by anyone,” Josh determined. “We’re both lucky to be here able to argue with one another like this.”
“You think I don’t know that,” she said pushing her hair off her face. “We owe Kiya a debt we may never be able to repay.”
“We repay her by continuing your path, your destiny. Together, side-by-side.”
“We continue the hunt. Together.”
“Yeah.”
That night as the sun dropped over the horizon the cleansing ritual began.
Travis led them down a flight of steps and into the in-ground lodge as flutes soared in the background. From the depths of the earth, twelve feet down, Josh and Skye waited as Travis dipped a finger into a clay pot containing burned sage. He used his thumb to smudge their foreheads with the ash to ward off evil. After that, they dropped down cross-legged where they stood, and took their places around a circle where twelve large stones glistened with glowing embers. As the fire simmered with fragrant cedar, sending out smoke trails, it sizzled and popped, while soft shadows danced on the dirt walls almost in time to the music. With elements of lavender for healing, juniper for protection, and sweet grass thrown in to attract the mother spirit, the smells wafted together, thick and strong, purifying the air.
Travis loaded the sacred Chanunpa pipe with ripe tobacco and lit it. He inhaled deeply taking in one puff, then two, before handing it off to Skye, who did the same before passing it on to Josh.
Travis began to chant. “We call now to Grandfather Sky and Grandmother Earth, our ancestors, our forefathers. We wish for our questions, our quest, our prayers to be carried to the Great Spirit on the smoke from the tobacco and be heard and answered.”
Travis waved his hands through the air to make sure the smoke moved and began to sing. “Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Oh Great Spirit, we come before you to help young Josh Ander become in the way of our people. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Guide Josh Ander along his different path. Lead him strong into the Land of the People. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Renew Kiya’s spirit and return her so that she may continue to walk her destiny. Lead the wolf to the Land of the Spirits so that she may continue to guide and be strong. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay.”
The three of them took up the refrain while alternately smoking the pipe. Even though the ceremony lasted less than forty-five minutes, by the time Josh mounted the steps to the top, he was more than ready to get outside. The air felt good when it rushed past his face even though it had a bite to it. The breeze felt like he’d hit an oasis after spending days in the desert. He longed for something cold to drink.
As if she read his mind, Skye pushed a bottle of water into his hand. “Are you okay?” she asked before chugging down the liquid from her own bottle.
“I’m not sure…how I feel…that wasn’t as intense as I thought it would be. Yet I do feel—something.”
“That’s the point, although to be honest, I have no idea how or why it works.” She took another gulp of water as if postponing what was on her mind.
Josh gave her a few long minutes to let her gather her thoughts until finally she spoke.
“Travis and my mom and dad brought me here after it happened, after I got out of the hospital. As a kid, I remember being fairly skeptical of the whole process back then. But then…after spending time in the lodge…I felt renewed. You know…changed…for the better. Back then I needed to come here, the perfect place for me to get well. But that was the last time I was ever in the lodge with my parents.”
Josh noted the tears glistening in the corners of those beautiful eyes. The sad look told Josh she needed comforting. So he put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Lifting her chin, he covered her mouth. Because his brain seemed empty of thoughts, hollowed out, no words came to mind that wouldn’t sound lame. So he said nothing. But he intended to show her how he felt so he led her into the house and into the bedroom.
After slipping a CD he’d found in Travis’s den into an old-fashioned boom box that sat on the dresser, Josh reached out for her hand. They began to undress each other as the pipes started out low and haunting in the background.
He grazed along her jaw, chewed along her throat before easing her down on the mattress. As the lilt of flutes soared and mixed with the steady beat of drums, it didn’t take long for them to weave their own sweet, slow dance and build it to ma
tch rhythm and song.
From his own room Travis heard the woodwinds and couldn’t settle. A blind man from ten miles down the road would’ve been able to see how Skye felt about Ander and it seemed how Ander felt about her.
He didn’t begrudge Skye her private life. He just didn’t want to see her hurt. As the music continued to climb from the guest room, Travis accepted that there was nothing he could do about it anyway. His little girl had somehow grown up. She was entitled to a relationship, to finally have a normal life. As he took out headphones from his desk to cover his ears to protect his heart from anymore sounds that might drift his way, his eyes landed on a photograph taken years earlier. Daniel and Jodi Cree stared back at him, the couple sitting together outside in their garden, young and vibrant as they had been in life.
From the moment that day in the park when Skye had disappeared and they realized she’d been taken, Travis had worried, and cried, and had feared the worst right along with her parents. For three days through the horror of not knowing her fate, he’d sat side by side with Jodi and Daniel and grieved for the child.
But staring at the picture now made Travis want more. Didn’t he deserve more after all the time that had passed? If not now, when? “I’ve done everything you asked of me. I even allowed her to go live with people who treated her as though she were less. I didn’t fight the courts even though I could have. She spent five long years with them. She shouldn’t have had to do that. So I’m not sure how much longer I can continue to keep silent. I think she deserves to know what we did. No, I’m not ready to let her go just yet, not when a lie stands between us and I haven’t been allowed to stand in front of her with the truth. But I believe you both can rest now as she’s finally reached womanhood. Our child is no longer anyone’s little girl.”
As a tear ran down his cheek, Travis Nakota sat in the dark of his bedroom, too sad about that to bother with the headphones.
The Bones of Others Page 26
