by Amy Freeman
Copyright © 2013 Amy Freeman
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1481158287
ISBN 13: 9781481158282
eBook ISBN: 978-1-63003-698-0
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This book would not be what it is without the help and guidance of these amazing people:
My daughter, Meghan for countless reading and revisions, my daughter Kajsa and my son Tyson for inspiration, and my baby, Jackson, (not so little anymore) who patiently endured a mother constantly glued to a computer screen. To my precious sisters Allyson Hill and Anne Yeargin for reading, editing and promoting, and to my super hero husband, Clint for his endless patience and support. I shall have you fitted for a cape.
Endless gratitude for invaluable critiquing to my League of Utah Writers group, “Salt City Scribes”, my ANWA clan, my Power Writing Hour buddies, and my inspirational and talented instructor, Brenda Bensch and her husband Herb Arnold. Love and thanks to my dear writing family—Justin and CariKay Cole, Paris and Shawnee Smith and Aubree Bartlett. Special thanks to my dear friends and family members for putting their lives on hold to read and edit—Sara Brady, Dawn Bohling, Melissa Wilson, Jodi Boone, and Missy Riffle.
To the talented Melissa Sipherd and her hubby (my brother) Andrew “the reflector” Sipherd. Andrew...may you forever be buffeted.
Sincere, heart-felt gratitude to Mr. Gregg Troy, Head Coach for the 2012 USA Men’s Olympic swim team and Head Coach of the University of Florida Gators swim team for patiently educating me on the sport of swimming, and to Gators Alumni swimmer Michael Yuan for enduring and answering all of my questions. Sincere, heart-felt gratitude to the most beautiful dancer I know, Jennifer Demko. Thank you for your help fine tuning Sam’s world of dance.
Sincere, heart-felt gratitude to Olya Ozerova-Clark, Nadia and Oleg Koleschuk, Emilia Oswalt and Elena Gitin for invaluable aid in Russian translation and information.
Sincere, heart-felt gratitude to Rosalyn L. Bruyere, D.D, and to Math and Hayden Llewellen for invaluable information on living energies, auras and the power of the human spirit. To my sister, Elizabeth Steans for educating me on a day in the life of a rock band, and to my dear friend, Selena Fryer for Trin’s mathematical superiority.
To my rockin’ Father-in-Law (Dad), Colonel Ron Freeman US Army (Ret.) for a bottomless wealth of military information and my sweet Mother-in-Law (Mom), Kathy Freeman for helping me obtain Russian translation assistance.
I truly hope that I have accurately portrayed you all in your expertise within the sometimes restrictive confines of Fiction. Thank you, all from the bottom of my heart.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
Chapter Thirty Five
Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty Seven
Chapter Thirty Eight
Chapter Thirty Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty One
Chapter Forty Two
Part Two: The Reckoning
Chapter Forty Three
Chapter Forty Four
Chapter Forty Five
Chapter Forty Six
Chapter Forty Seven
Chapter Forty Eight
Chapter Forty Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty One
Chapter Fifty Two
Chapter Fifty Three
Chapter Fifty Four
Chapter Fifty Five
Chapter Fifty Six
Chapter Fifty Seven
Chapter Fifty Eight
Chapter Fifty Nine
Chapter Sixty
PRONUNCIATION KEY:
Leaders within the Veduny tribe have names with meaning:
Aalok – Aalok – light
Aleksei – ahlyekSYEY
Anavi – ah nahVEE – earth
Anvil – AHNvil - wind
Ashbel – ASHbell – fire
Dobrushin – dō BRŪSHin
Gea – GAYah – earth
Lenka – LEE enka
Llamar – laMAHR – fire
Mikhail – mee kahEEL
Mila – MEEila
Vadim – vuhDEEM – to know
Veduny – BEHduhny – knowing ones
Vitaly – VeeTAHlee
Yakov – YAHkov
Ivanova – EeVAHNovah
Manpupuner – Man Pupu Nyer
Trinton – Torrent/He who lives in water
Samantha – Listener
On a high plateau in the Northern Urals of Russia, a mysterious rock formation towers over a lone plateau. The site is steeped in legend and exactly how it came to be is unknown...unless you are ...
CHAPTER ONE
Again, the vision flashed. Seven enormous stone monoliths soaked in blood.
“Piqué! Piqué! Keep turning! Watch your spot and five and six and seven, next two! Piqué!”
“Sam.” Erika tugged at her sleeve, jarring her back into the moment. Sam vaulted into a piqué turn—her timing in the offbeat.
“Samantha, follow the music!”
The Instructor issued a sharp clap for the fifth time that day. Sam moved to catch up and finished the pattern of turns across the floor, then got out of the way.
Standing to the side, she pushed the tips of her pointe shoes into the floor, catching her breath...shaken...flustered. Her willowy fingers rested on her slender hips, her ballet skirt draping her upper thighs as they moved in waif-like grace despite her anxiety. She exhaled as her eyes drifted to the other dancers, forcing her mind to settle on something familiar.
She drew a deep breath and let it out, watching brilliant light encase each graceful body. A rosy hue shrouded Miranda Davis as she waltzed past Sam, her heated energy announcing new love. Paul Brecht followed, emitting darkness, stressed about something going on at home. Sam concentrated on the information more than she really wanted to...anything to shut out the macabre image. After a lifetime of psychic experiences, this vision was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It flashed with regularity throughout the day, throwing her off, affecting her ability to function. Her professors were losing patience.
The last set of dancers completed the sequence, and the Instructor called out, “Come to the center.”
The dancers curtsied toward her, and class came to a close. Removing their slippers and collecting their things, the dancers migrated toward the door through a thick aroma of nylon, spandex, and exhaustion.
“Samantha.” The Instructor crossed the room in her direction. “You seem very distracted. The university showcase is right around the corner. This can’t continue.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied. “I’ll get my head straight. You’ll see a new Sam tomorro
w.”
“The one we auditioned...”
“The one you auditioned.”
She put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You’re one of our best,” she said, “if not the best. When you’re in class, be in class.”
“Yes ma’am.”
The Instructor held her gaze a moment, then dropped her hand from Sam’s shoulder and walked toward the door.
Sam’s face fell to her hand, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what this was. With a solid exhale she descended to the floor, unlacing her pointe shoes to assess the new damage to her feet.
“Hey Sam,”
She glanced up. “Hey Erika, how’s it going?”
Erika sat down next to her. “I’m fine, but what’s up with you?”
Sam huffed, exasperated. “Nothing, just stressed.”
“What’s going on?” Erika asked.
Sam pulled her pointe shoe off and began rubbing her foot, wincing. “Just the stress of college I guess,” she lied. “It’s a lot more demanding than high school.”
Erika leaned forward stretching her legs. “No kidding,” she said, “and the dance department thinks we don’t have anything else to do, they don’t even care about our academic classes. ‘Squeeze them in whenever you can.’”
Sam laughed, pulling her other shoe off.
Erika pointed and flexed her feet. “My high school was really small,” she said. “My whole town was. Not much competition. I really don’t know how I qualified for this program.”
“You’re a great dancer,” Sam said.
Erika shrugged, glancing up with a smile. “I love doing it.”
“Well you’re really good at it,” Sam said. She noticed a dark veil of energy hiding in Erika’s aura. It was always there, but didn’t fit—a stark contrast to her gentle nature.
“So, I think we’re both being cast in Jana’s piece,” Erika said.
Sam blinked, then offered a thin smile. “Nice,” she said. “You know she’s hanging us from cords? I kinda expect one of us to die.”
Erika laughed. “I know, right?”
Sam grabbed her pointe shoes. “Does the University of Utah have a union for student ballet dancers?”
“We totally need one,” Erika said. Both girls stood and walked out of the studio toward the dressing room. Erika pulled her dance sweater on. “So are you sure you don’t need a ride back to the dorm?”
Sam stopped in front of her locker and pulled it open. “No, I’m good. My friend is coming to get me, but thanks.”
“Okay,” Erika said. She opened her own locker, grabbed her bag and put her pointe shoes inside. Be careful. It’s late. Everyone is totally bailing.”
“Can you blame them? We’ve been here for four hours.”
Erika exhaled. “I know,” she said. “See you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Sam pulled yoga pants on over her tights and continued digging in her locker as Erika walked out. The dressing room had cleared. Everyone was exhausted from the lengthy rehearsal and anxious to get home. So was Sam. She pulled her bag out, stuffed her pointe shoes in, grabbed her street shoes and dropped them to the floor. She slipped her right foot into her shoe and paused. Lifting her head she glanced to the far lockers. Had she seen movement? She scanned the opposite end of the dressing room and listened...no sound. “Hello?” No answer.
A rustling sound emanated from the far corner. Sam’s heart quickened, a hint of fear coiling in the pit of her stomach. Keeping an eye on the other end of the room she fumbled for her left shoe, shoving her foot into it. She glanced down, fixing the angle getting her foot inside and lifted her head. A figure stood in the shadows at the end of the room.
Panic seized her as the figure moved toward her—rushing. Sam raised a hand, her lips parting to scream as the figure moved into a lighted area. “Sam...are you okay?”
Paul pulled his bag more securely over his shoulder as he crossed the room to her.
Sam let out a huge breath dropping her head. “You scared me to death,” she said.
He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “A little jumpy tonight?” he asked. “You look terrified.”
Sam let out another breath and shook her head. She glanced up at him. “Yeah,” she said. “A little jumpy.”
“You want me to wait for you?”
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry. I have just been on edge the past couple of days. I’m good. Sorry, Paul.”
He laughed. “You’re sure...I don’t mind waiting.”
“I’m sure. Go. We’ve all been here way too long.”
“You got that right,” he said. He patted her on the arm. “See you tomorrow.” He glanced over his shoulder. “You and Ivan were brilliant by the way.”
Sam smiled. “Thank you.”
He rounded the corner and walked out of the dressing room. Sam closed her locker door and exhaled. “Samantha Shields, get a grip.” She pulled her bag over her shoulder and started for the door just as the sinister voice called out.
“Samantha...”
The voice echoed in the darkened hall. Sam hovered in the dressing room doorway, gripping her bag, unable to move. Her eyes darted about as the voice seemed to come from nowhere. With bated breath, she glanced over her shoulder, mentally noting places to hide—counters, the showers, lockers...the door had a lock, right? How had Paul disappeared so quickly?
“Samantha”
“Shit.” Her thick brown pony tail whipped over her shoulder as she jerked back to the looming hallway. Her hand trembled, clenching harder on her bag strap, flushing the pink from her knuckles.
She scanned the darkness. Shadows filled the corridor. Muted evidence of flood lights spilled through the glass doors she would find at the end of the hall...if she could summon the courage to move. She drew a breath and lifted a foot. A large silhouette of a man stepped out from behind the wall—mammoth frame, burly shoulders and a fringe of wild black hair. Lime green irises glinted in the darkness.
Sam froze. Her eyes shifted to the back exit behind her.
A low, hollow voice answered her unspoken thought—not in English.
Hysteria squeezed her beating heart to a stop. Run. She bolted for the back entrance—closing in on the door. Demonic braying boomed through the foyer, echoing through the open levels and balconies. Sam flew down the hall, terror in a knot at the top of her throat.
Nearly out, the gap narrowed with every desperate shoe fall. Seething energy moved in on her from behind—so fast—no way to escape. He crashed into her from behind, knocking the air from her chest. The glass doors shook under jarring force as they swung open—their bodies careening through and colliding with the stretch of campus lawn.
A shock of pain wracked her skull as her head smacked into dying grass. Thick snarls of heavy breathing warmed the flesh just below her ear. Gasping for air, she struggled beneath his weight—his substantial body crushing into hers. Iron fingers clamped around her throat, squeezing. The atmosphere grew heavy—changing as the predator chanted incantation in a foreign tongue.
She clawed into the grass, tearing at the dirt beneath her. The earth below trembled. Living energy from the soil churned, entering her fingertips, traveling like electricity through each knuckle, vein and muscle fiber. A fluid jolt of power shot up her arms, flushing through her neck and shoulders, charging her body.
With an animalistic shriek the predator vanished—gone in an instant as if he had never been there at all. Sam sucked in air, coughing, the soil gleaming beneath her fingers. She lifted her head.
A calm silence swept over her. A woman appeared. A long red velvet gown billowed around her form touching the grass. A beautiful beaded head dress covered the crown of her head, long dark hair spilling out from underneath falling past her shoulders. Her eyes gleamed with radiant blue light. She lifted a hand toward Sam. A flash—seven enormous stone monoliths materialized in Sam’s mind. Crimson liquid spilled down the rough façade of each one, and the vision faded. The woman
remained standing before her, reaching further, straining, gleaming eyes desperate to communicate—
A car door slammed in the distance. “Sam!”
A slender blonde ran across the lawn toward Sam and the woman disappeared. Twinkling light sparkled before Sam’s eyes as a loud buzzing filled her ears...and everything went black.
CHAPTER TWO
“Sam! Sam! Can you hear me?”
She woke to Anna bent over her in the darkness. “Sam, please, are you alright? My God, somebody help me!”
Sam struggled to lift her head, stunned and confused. Her voice escaped her throat in a weak mumble. “Anna?”
Anna dropped down close to her face. “Sam, oh my God, Sam are you alright? What happened?”
Sam pushed herself up on her elbows and rolled to a sitting position. She held a hand to her head as a new shock of pain rocked her skull. “Oh...God...”
“Sam—” Anna’s voice cut off with a gasp. “Oh my God, Sam...your neck. Who did this to you?”
Sam put a hand to her throat. Fiery pain shot through her esophagus as she swallowed—raw and sore.
Anna moved to her feet, squatting in preparation to stand. She took Sam by the shoulders. “We gotta get you to the hospital.” As Anna rose, Sam grabbed at her arm. “No...we can’t”
Anna stared, dumbfounded. “Sam, you were attacked. We have to go to the hospital—”
“I can’t.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Sam drew in a deep breath, rolled to her knees and staggered to her feet. Holding a hand out, she clung to Anna and steadied herself. “I will be fine. Just get me home.”
“Sam, you—”
“Anna,” Sam said, “please get me home. I’ll explain on the way.”
Anna stood speechless, panicked. She shook her head, wrapped an arm around Sam and walked her toward her car.
Anna drove along South Campus Drive. Large trees lined the street, bright moonlight casting shadows on the grass. The dark of night dulled the brilliant gold, orange and red leaves that gleamed in autumn sunlight during the day. Intermittent street lamps plunged cones of light onto the asphalt, revealing splatters of color from leaves that had already fallen.
