I pulled Jenson a bit closer while we passed the cafe. “You’re right, Moll. I almost certainly wouldn’t have,” I answered.
Stepping out of the car I tried not to slip on the ice. Afterward reaching for the door, I’d just shut. Molly got out and grabbed my arm helping me to steady myself.
“I’ll be glad when this ice and snow finally melts,” I grumbled.
“Me too,” Molly responded.
She helped me into the park area away from the slippery cement lot. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Owl and Jenson trying not to laugh at me.
“Come on, let’s head up to the Ranger’s station. Molly, nice save. We don’t need Starla hurting herself. I’m sure Nayla would go haywire,” said Owl. He and Jenson hiked beside us on the pathway. It had gotten dark, and I could see a faint light up ahead. Mike must have put out the lantern.
“Mike should be able to contact Nayla for me. The last time I tried via meditation, she was all over me.”
“The spirit stuff, them getting-in if you can’t keep them out,” Owl piped in.
“Yes, and I don’t know about that yet; she said she would teach me.”
“She will. We dealt with that in my tribe on vision quests. They can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Nayla’s a good guide, though. Jenson has some news. It in a way relates to Myth class,” he added.
“What’s up?” I asked as we stepped up to the Ranger Station.
“I'm going to be a 'Tribal Warrior.’ That means I'll help Owl’s tribe with pow-wows and events,” Jenson responded.
“You’re going to be so booked! It’s a good thing you’re not working right now,” I replied. Then lifted my hand to knock on the door of the station. I rapped on it a few times peering into the window on the left.
“Yes, but I should get a job. Maybe I will, after the craziness in our lives subside.”
I nodded to him, then turned to leave. “I don’t think he’s here. I didn’t see anyone inside. Maybe we should just go to the huts. I hope Cal is there. If they are all the way out at Nuria’s cabin...”
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Star asked.
“Oh, we’re looking for Nayla. Once Cal finished her studies, she was supposed to be here.”
“They're over at the huts. Ranger Mike’s, gone for the day. He left to speak with the Crusader’s tribe over yonder. It was Cavin’s idea. You brought the whole gang. Good your dad’s there too,” she chirped.
“You sound excited about this,” Molly noted.
“I haven’t seen Starla, Araina since, well for a while. Now, let’s be off shall we?” She sprinted ahead of us, showing off her magnificent fox form. We ran to keep up. I tried not to get too far ahead of my friends. I’d been working on gaining the ability to run well and control my breathing. Midway I stopped bending over placing my hands on my hips out of breath. “Give me a minute!”
Star raced over to me, “is everything, all right?”
“Yeah,” I said, panting to catch my breath.
She chuckled, side bumping me with her body. “It’s up there a ways. Cavin and the others are in the dining hall. Nayla’s meeting us there. Later we’ll train in the meditation room.”
“What? Why would we start there first? I thought she wanted to teach us how to protect one another. Isn’t that going to be a physical thing? Won’t we be jetting about the forest? I’ll have Cal, my tether at my side with her Kung-Fu action?” I joked.
“Nalya would like you to learn the basics.”
“Yes, no meditation till we learn how to keep out evil spirits.”
“Well then, you know, where Nayla wants to start. Come, we’ll walk the rest of the way.”
I nodded. Jenson, Molly, and Owl caught up to us. We followed her to the dining hut.
Chapter 20
(Dan)
Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, I watched Kaya preparing the snack for the meeting. My mouth began to water. Strolling over to her side, I took a piece of ham and a slice of bread. “I hope you don’t mind. Something to tide me over till the others arrive.” She smiled at me.
“Is Tri joining us today?” she asked.
“No, but if she does show up it would floor Cavin.”
“I agree,” interrupted Nuria, who was stirring a pitcher of lemon-aid.
“I hope you have coffee. My girl can’t live without it. She runs on caffeine,” I joked.
Nuria pointed to the pot on the counter behind her. “I’m always prepared. Cal should be arriving with Minder in a few. Star went to check on your daughter and her friends. We figured she’d go to Ranger Mikes first.”
“You’re right, mind if I help myself to a cup of coffee?” I asked.
“Go ahead. Kaya, I’ll put those plates of sandwiches out on the big table. I’m sure Cavin will want everyone to sit together.” She nodded and went to work chopping veggies for the salad bowl.
I dodged them grabbing a mug from a hanging rack below the counter, filled my cup, and headed out to the dining area. Rascal had already taken a seat. I saw he’d brought a massive mug of joe.
“No Tri?”
I sat down, tilting backward in my chair, stretched out my arms, then sat up straight.
“I told you, earlier today I didn’t sense she was ready to come back.”
“Well, we’ll wait it out as you said. If you push a woman, all they do is run, or push back.”
I made a gun motion with my hand and said, “Chu-chink.”
Nayla came trotting up to the table.
“How’s it going,” she said, jumping up on a seat next to Rascal.
“Not bad. Who’s leading this meeting?”
“Ah, well Cavin, and I thought I’d let Danny-O take the lead. We’re trying to get him to man up, be our lawyer at the trial. Me? I’d like Cal and Starla to be able to protect themselves. Of course, they’ll guard the perimeter when the Crusaders are unavailable. That’s after all this trial stuff is over. It will be good to get the Crusaders help. They offered to be here for the court hearing. Jinx, from the small Trinity group, has been acting up again.”
“What will they be doing exactly?” I asked, addressing Nayla.
“We need a jury. Following that, there’s the testimony of what allegedly occurred. It’s all speculation until someone comes forward.”
“That’s right, I’m hoping it will be sooner than later,” spoke Cavin.
I got up, and pulled out a chair for him, next to Nayla. Then went to sit back down as Kaya and Nuria exited the kitchen. I stood by my chair for a moment observing the hallway leading to the mud room. A few minutes later, I heard a bustling about, then chatter.
“Are you sure everyone is here?” asked Starla.
“They’re all seated waiting for us,” spoke up Star.
“I’m sure, it’s not going to be an extensive meeting,” suggested Owl.
I caught a glimpse of Starla grabbing Jenson’s hand. They marched to the table. Molly followed them, dragging behind.
“Hey Dad, mind if we sit here? Owl and Star can sit right beside us. Where’s Cal?”
“They’ll be here soon. I’m not sure what’s keeping them,” Nuria commented.
“Can we call them? Do they have a cell phone? If not, we need to get Cal a prepaid one. That way I’m not getting in trouble for inappropriate meditation,” Starla admitted.
Nayla turned towards her, “You’re right dear one. We should do that. I’ll need to be able to get in touch with everyone. Did someone remember to bring a notepad? We’ll need up to date information on everyone.”
I took out my small notebook, and pen from the pocket of my coat. Then wrote down my cell with my current address. I passed it to Starla. It made its rounds ending with Molly.
“Here,” she said, handing it to Nayla.
“Cal’s not here, but I'm eager to tell you, what she shared with me!” Starla exclaimed.
“Enthusiasm, I like it!” I slapped my daughter on the back.
A grin spread acr
oss Nayla’s face, “What’s up?”
“Rumor has it, the bandits planned on attacking the scientists. Cal overheard them while being held captive. She had no other details, then, that on the subject. If we can get them to reveal a location, we could join forces.”
“I did hear them,” said Cal, stepping out of the hallway. She sat on the bench and took off her boots. “I was several feet from them. Sika had gotten pretty wild that night. He had, Gavin, cowering in a corner.” She squinted her eyes and placed her hands on her knees. “He said, Hmmm,” she bit her lower lip, trying to recall a memory.
“Tearing them apart, like a wolf, he would find someone to do it. That there were five of them, two women, and three men.” She paused. “It’s getting blurry. The others were bystanders,” she explained, laying her boots on the floor.
“OK, Cal. Why don’t you come over here? Sit down, have a sandwich and something to drink. You, look parched,” I added.
She stood up from the bench, then walked over. Kaya began to fix her a plate.
“Maybe I’ll remember more, later. There was something about orders.”
“Eat,” said Nayla. “We’ll be doing some exercises after this.”
Cal picked up her sandwich and began to demolish it.
“Slow, down, there’s more where that came from,” chuckled Nayla.
“We need to pinpoint the murderer first. Cal, I’ll have Eva get you a notebook to write down any information you may recall. If we prove it wasn’t the bandits, we’ll call Trinity in to be questioned. Let’s not rule that out,” I replied.
“Wouldn’t they already have come forward,” asked Eva, setting her coat behind Cal’s chair. She patted her daughter on the back as she sat down beside her.
“Maybe not, if someone threatened them, they might hold back information,” countered Minder pulling up a seat next to Eva.
I nodded, “Eva, is Tri, coming to this meeting? Will she be attending any of the drills with Starla?”
“Yes, later on. She called this afternoon. She’s at the library in a conference.”
“Thank you, Eva. Everyone’s here now. Nayla is anxious to work with Starla and Cal. We need to proceed with the trial. After the incident with Minder, it’s vital we resolve this issue.”
“Cavin, I considered granting them immunity, if they confessed to who killed Du-vance. After that we’ll have to decide what to do with them,” Nayla confirmed.
“We cannot trust those who’ve killed our family,” blurted Shellena.
“Unless they give us a reason too,” she retorted.
Lance was right behind her. He cast aside his jacket on an empty chair, pulled it out, then sat slouching low. “Cavin, I volunteer to grill the bandits. I want to be present during the trial.”
Cavin nodded, “You’ll be asked to keep it civil. I don’t want this dining hall smashed to bits. Kaya and Star, you’ll set up the tables for us. Then the chairs for the jury. Dan, you’ll need to meet with Lance and Shellena regarding questions for the examination. If needed I’ll get Jones, to cross-examine them. We can’t have them claiming we didn’t give them a fair trial.”
“When will this take place?” asked Starla.
“This week, Friday. Dan, it should allow you plenty of time to prepare.”
“What! Is it that urgent?” I asked.
“Yes, this adjourns this meeting.”
I sat there stunned. I couldn’t believe this was moving forward so fast. Cavin though called the shots. I knew that.
“Nayla, why don’t you take Starla Araina, and Cal to the meditation chamber.”
“Should I take Molly home?” asked Jenson.
“Oh, it’s alright, I can walk,” she replied.
“No, let me take you. It’s freezing outside,” offered Jenson.
Nayla jumped down from her seat over to Molly. She nuzzled her hand to get her attention. “As of now Cal, and Starla will need to train one on one. Today they’ll be meditating and learning how to work together being in sync. Later, we’ll need you to join in on our planning. For now, though, let Jenson take you home.”
Molly nodded to her.
“Starla, I’ll see you in class tonight. If you miss one more your tanked!”
My daughter frowned, “You know it!”
Jenson shook his head, and I observed Cal and Starla preparing to leave with Nayla.
“See ya in class Molly. Later, dad,” she called.
Chapter 21
(Starla)
Nayla led us down the hall. Familiar pictures lined the corridor. I pointed to the one with the half-fox half-girl I’d noticed the first time I had been here. Cal’s eyes lit up, and her mouth hung open.
“Yeah, it floored me the first time too,” I responded.
Nayla pushed Cal forward with her nose. We kept moving. The door to the reflection room was ajar. Cal pushed it open. The pillows from our last meeting sat where we’d left them. I shut the door behind us. Without a word, I grabbed three of them heading to the middle of the room. Then set them down in a circle. Why was everyone so quiet? Was Cal afraid? I stood there until Nayla trotted up to me.
“Starla, Do you see the firewood over there?” she asked nodding towards it.
“Yes,” I answered.
“You and Cal will start a fire in the hearth. There are twigs, dry grass, and some tinder to help it catch. This exercise will determine how well you work together. Once, the fires lit we’ll sit down and begin our meditation.”
“Easy peasy! When I was with the bandits, we built fires out in the open almost every night!” Cal stopped, putting her hand over her mouth realizing what she’d said. Then moved her hand away from her face to her side. “Sorry, I... spent so much time with them.”
“It’s okay, get started. I’m going to sit back and observe,” Nayla said. A smirk formed on her lips.
I went over to the box of twigs, old newspaper, and dry leaves. “I’ll make the base for the fire first. Then you place the logs on top. Is it best we put it in a Teepee position?”
“You were in Daisy Girl Scouts for a bit. We were like five, maybe? Do you remember?”
“Barely,” I admitted. “They only let us watch the leaders make the campfire.”
I took the box and advanced to the fireplace, placing the twigs inside I set the leaves on top of them. Afterward, I ripped the newspaper into long strips, then crumpled them.
“There, now you set up the logs,” I said, standing back to give her room.
Cal took three of them, placing them in the position I’d indicated.
“Where are the matches?”
“Matches? Cal, you and Starla Araina are going start this fire using your minds. You must merge your thoughts together. Then stir up enough emotions to ignite the tinder. If you can keep it going long enough, the logs will catch.”
“What?”
“I’ve done this before, in a large group with the clan,” I told Cal, taking her hands in mine. She pushed them away.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s so we’re connected. We have to learn to unit mentally. It will help for now. Later, we won’t need physical contact.”
“Good job,” Nayla responded.
Cal let me take her hands. We stood five feet away from the base of the hearth.
“We have to take our raw emotions, anger, envy, or we could use, love?” Which one works for you?”
Cal dropped my hands, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans. Then pushed back her tangled mess of hair. “My emotions are everywhere. I can’t even stay in fox form. I keep fading back and forth. It’s almost as if something else is attempting to emerge out of me.”
“Okay, take the hope, faith, and what you held on to, that kept you sane. Use that,” I suggested.
She nodded, taking my hands in hers.
“We’ll concentrate on our own and try to combine our thoughts. You did contact me while you were held captive. Try to do that now, but let our minds collide.”
“
Okay,” she said. Then took a deep breath gradually exhaling it out. I squeezed her hand. From my toes to my chest I let the warm intensity rise, pushing it from my arms to my hands into Cal. She could feel the heat of my hope. I heard her passion. It passed to me in a raw untethered heat. I took control of it, aiming our outstretched hands towards the fire. It began sparking, then smolder out. I stayed silent. She almost broke her hands from mine, but I held on. I felt her mind, let go releasing rage. It burned. “Push, it out, light the fire,” I mind spoke to her. She took the tension within releasing it onto the hearth. A burst of flames erupted, then ignited the kindling.
“Relax, it’s lit. Let go of one another.”
I released Cal’s hands. She let them fall by her side.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Yeah, a bit burnt, toasted, singed... I never started a fire like that before!”
I helped her over to sit on one of the pillows.
“Can I get some water?” asked Cal.
“Nayla?” I asked.
“Go ahead, the washroom is behind us,” she said, pointing to it with her nose.
I made my way to the tiny door. Then turned the handle, but it seemed to be stuck. I pushed up against it aggressively wiggling it back and forth.
Then took a stance and pulled the knob back. I fell. Suddenly the door swung open, almost hitting me in the face where I sat.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, give me a minute.”
I reached for the door frame using it to pull myself up and stood. Then inched to the sink in the small room. Turning on the water, I let it run cold, took a cup off the shelf in front of me filling it. I’d try not to spill it on the way, I thought, leaving the door opened. I didn’t want to fight with it again, in case someone needed to get in.
I leisurely walked over to Cal carefully handing her the water. “Here you go.”
She took the plastic cup of water and chugged it down. Then wiped the sweat off of her forehead. “Will meditation be as consuming as this?”
Spirit Guide (Myth-Series Book 2) Page 9
