Shaxoa's Gift

by Gladden, DelSheree

  “Okay, I think that will do it. Just be careful with the bandage.” Kaya released my hand with a worried look.

  “You can pour it into the water, now, Uriah,” Samantha said.

  I reached for the measuring cup. It seemed so small in my hand. Carefully I moved the cup from the counter and held it above the boiling herb and spice filled water. I was startled to see how much the mixture had changed from the night before. Instead of the ingredients floating in the water, the mixture had reduced down to a dark aromatic liquid with flecks of singular herbs barely visible.

  Slowly, I emptied the measuring cup into the pot. I watched the blood swirl and take over, drowning the scent and changing the color. I waited, expecting some kind of reaction, but the liquid continued to simmer as if nothing had happened. My shoulders slumped. I wanted some sign that the potion was going to work, that I had not wasted the last few days. If I had made Claire suffer alone for no reason, I would never forgive myself.

  I turned to Samantha and Kaya expectantly. Kaya’s face was hopeful, but no less certain than mine. Samantha was smiling serenely.

  “Did it work?” I asked.

  “Yes, it did,” Samantha said. Her clasped hands dropped to her side with relief.

  “How can you tell?” I asked.

  “I can’t really explain it, Uriah, but I know. I can feel it changing, strengthening. The potion will work. I don’t know how I know, but it will.” The emphasis on the last few words was convincing. Samantha wouldn’t give me false hope. I had no doubt her talents weren’t simply limited to research. There was power behind Samantha’s words.

  I looked back at the pot. “How am I supposed to get it home?” I asked.

  “Oh, just a minute,” Samantha said. Turning to her cupboards she was quick to find what she needed. A tough metal thermos was in her hand. “This should work.”

  I took the bottle and unscrewed the lid. I was considering how to pour the potion from the pan to the bottle without spilling everything when Kaya handed me a funnel. “Thanks,” I said. I started to pour the liquid. A few minutes later, the herb, spice, and blood mixture was safely stored in the bottle and packed into my backpack.

  “Is there anything left to do?” I asked the sisters.

  “It’s done,” Samantha said. Relief that the potion was finished was plain in her body language, but hope that she had used her talents for good subdued every other emotion.

  “I think you’re ready to go,” Kaya said.

  “There’s only one more thing I wanted to talk to you about, Uriah,” Samantha said.

  “Does it involve any more blood?” I asked, pushing away thoughts of my mother’s mauling.

  “No, no,” Samantha said. “I’m concerned about how you should give the potion to Claire. I told you earlier about how feared this particular potion has been through the centuries. The fact that no one has ever used it before still worries me. The person who drinks it will know what they’ve lost, and they may live the rest of their life locked in a deep depression.”

  “But you said that if someone truly wants the Twin Soul bond broken, they would see it as a chance at freedom, right?” I asked. I tried to control my breathing and heartbeat. Panic would not help me.

  “Yes,” Samantha agreed, “at least that’s what I’m hoping. But still, I think you should be very careful about how you present the potion to Claire. If she drinks it only because she knows how much you want her back, I think she’ll react badly. I think the only chance of this working out the way you want it to will be if she drinks it completely of her own free will, with no pressure from anyone. If she doesn’t, I fear she’ll regret the decision.”

  “Well, I wasn’t planning on forcing her to drink it,” I said. I just wanted to leave and get back to Claire.

  “I know you wouldn’t do that, Uriah. I’m just trying to tell you how important it is that she feel absolutely no pressure to sever the bond. I think it has to be her idea, her desire and hers alone. If it isn’t, you may both regret this,” Samantha said.

  “What do you suggest I do, then?” I asked.

  Kaya was nodding with understanding. “Don’t give it to her until she asks for it,” she said.

  “What? How is she going to ask for it when she doesn’t even know I have it?”

  Kaya took an indignant stance. “She doesn’t have to ask for it by name, Uriah. She just has to ask you for a way to sever the bond. I think what Sam is saying makes sense. It has to be her idea.”

  “She’ll probably ask you as soon as you get home,” Samantha said. “What else would you have been doing the past few days except trying to find a way to sever the bond, but that’s not the point. The point is that she needs to ask for it before you give it to her. I think it’s the only way to protect her.”

  “Not the only way,” Kaya said softly.

  Samantha’s eyes dropped to her hands. My stomach churned at the simple gesture. Fear kept me from asking what she meant, so I waited without breathing.

  “You can’t be the one to give Claire the potion,” Samantha finally said.

  “What?”

  “We’ve been thinking about it very carefully, and there’s just no way you could give it to Claire without her feeling pressured to drink it.” Samantha held up her hand when I tried to argue. “I know you wouldn’t try to influence her, but if Claire was faced with both you and the potion, she would undoubtedly feel guilt for even considering turning you away.”

  My arguments died away. I could picture my face, pleading even if my words did not. The fall of my shoulders gave away my defeat. “What if I give it to my mom?” I asked quietly.

  The sisters glanced at each other, then back at me. “Do you really think your mom could do any better? After everything she’s already lost, would she be able to face losing Claire if she refused?”

  I knew my mom. I loved her so much, but I knew she couldn’t handle this any better than I could. “Then who?” I asked.

  “Quaile,” Kaya said, immediately continuing on before I could once again voice my distrust of that woman. “Uriah, we know Quaile hasn’t done right by you so far, but we also have to admit she knows more about this than either of us do. She won’t pressure Claire, and she’ll know if there’s anything we’ve missed about this potion. She’s really the only one.”

  I tried to quell the growing frustration. I had the potion, and I needed to leave or I would never even get the chance to save Claire, and now I had to put my trust in the one woman I trusted least. Samantha’s earnest face pushed my frustration away. She wasn’t trying to be difficult. There was hope in her that the things she studied weren’t all evil and dark, but she didn’t know for sure. This potion could turn out to be everything the stories said it was. In my eagerness to get back to Claire, I had let my trust of the sister convince me it was safe. I still trusted them, but they were right that Quaile may know more. It would break Samantha to know she had helped me hurt Claire. She needed my promise that I would listen to her warnings.

  “Okay, Samantha, I’ll leave the potion with Quaile. I promise.”

  The sisters smiled. Samantha stepped forward, her arms coming up to wrap me in a hug. I was more than happy to accept. She deserved more than a simple hug.

  “Thank you for everything, Samantha, from me and Claire. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been able to help me,” I said.

  Samantha’s brow wrinkled with sadness. She looked at me seriously, as if hoping that she did not, in fact, know what I would have done. I had told her what I had almost done before Quaile stopped me and told me about her.

  “Don’t ever think like that again, Uriah. That was foolish and you know it. You’re stronger than that,” Samantha said.

  “I won’t, Samantha. I promise. Even if Claire never asks, I wouldn’t do it,” I said. It was a promise I would keep, but one I prayed I was never faced with. Claire would ask for the potion. I knew she would.

  Samantha finally released me and stepped back s
o Kaya could say goodbye as well. Kaya reached out for her parting hug. I raised my arms and caught hers midway through the motion. The slight touch seemed to freeze time. I saw Kaya’s face slowly stiffen, her eyes lose their usual gleam and turn dull. The sensation lasted only a second before I could breathe again, but I knew something was wrong. Kaya’s body went limp, and I caught her just before she collapsed.

  “Kaya!” Samantha screamed.

  I put my arms around Kaya, scooping her up and settling her into a chair. Images of Claire collapsing swam in my mind, intensifying my terror. What was happening to Kaya? It seemed like every person I touched was harmed just for being near me. “Kaya,” I said, “please wake up, please wake up.”

  “Her eyes are opening,” Samantha said. Her entire body was trembling with worry.

  “Uriah,” Kaya whispered. She blinked several times before bolting up out of the chair. Samantha was quick to push her back down. “Uriah! I saw something. I saw it when I touched your arm.” Her hands were shaking.

  “What? What did you see?” My mind was racing. I had only used the possibility of the Matwau harming Claire as an excuse to make Talon stay behind. I didn’t really think he would be allowed to touch her.

  “He’s about to take her,” Kaya said. Tears cascaded down her dark cheeks.

  “Claire?”

  “No, your Twin Soul. He almost has her.”

  “No.” The single word came out as a gasp. This was the first choice. I was being asked to choose between saving Claire and saving my Twin Soul. Making the wrong choice would bring me a life of pain. But which one? I was so close to rescuing Claire. When I spoke to her on the phone, she tried to keep her voice steady, but I could hear the agony and fear behind her words. If I left her to fight alone much longer, she would lose. We would both lose.

  “I have to go to Claire,” I said.

  Kaya climbed back up to her feet slowly. “We know you love Claire, but if you make the wrong choice, you’ll live the rest of your life in pain,” Kaya warned.

  “The Matwau won’t hurt my Twin Soul yet. He took her as bait, remember?” I was begging them to understand and agree with me. “He’ll hold her until I show up. If I leave Claire, and she gives in to the Twin Soul bond, she’ll never love me again. That would bring me a lifetime of pain and regret. I have to go to her.”

  “Are you sure, Uriah? You won’t get another chance,” Kaya asked. Her voice and hands were shaking.

  I was sure she was wishing that she’d been able to understand more of the vision, that she could tell me definitely which choice was the right one. In truth, it wouldn’t have mattered to me. Even if Kaya told me that I had to face the Matwau before returning to Claire, I wouldn’t have done it. I knew Claire’s time was running out.

  I opened my mouth to tell Kaya that I wouldn’t change my mind, but no words came out. Paralyzing fear suddenly gripped my body. My heart stopped. My lungs refused to expand. My legs lost all strength. Without warning I was on the floor, my entire body throbbing in pain. I saw her face. Pale white skin, wispy auburn hair, bright green eyes filled with tears and terror. The Matwau, bearing a face I had never seen before, cackled in maniacal glee.

  “Uriah,” Kaya called out as she dropped to my side. I saw her hands gripping my shoulders, but I couldn’t feel her touch. “Uriah, what’s wrong? What happened?”

  “He has her,” I finally managed to wheeze. “He has her. She’s terrified of what he might do.”

  “On no,” Samantha cried. “You have to go to her. You must go, now.”

  “No!” That small word gave me the tiny edge I needed to force away the strangling rush of emotions. I pushed away from Kaya and pulled myself up. My entire body was still trembling, but I somehow found the strength to stay upright. “I won’t abandon Claire. I won’t do it, Samantha.”

  “But Uriah, she’s in danger,” Samantha begged.

  “No. I already told you, she’ll be fine. The Matwau won’t hurt her until he kills me, hopefully not even then. I’m the one he wants. Claire needs me, right now. I won’t fail her again.” I yanked my backpack onto my shoulders and stalked toward the door.

  “Uriah, wait,” Kaya asked. She pulled up short when I stopped without warning and spun around to face her. She held her hand out to me. Unfurling her fingers, I saw that she held a cell phone in her hand. “Take this with you. I know you don’t have a phone. If you need help, just call.”

  There was no chance I would call either of the sisters if I needed help. I wouldn’t put anyone else in danger. If I couldn’t defeat the Matwau alone, I didn’t deserve a happy ending. Still, I stared at the phone. “Kaya I can’t take your phone. I’ll be fine,” I said.

  “Bring it back later,” Kaya said. She wore a shaky smile. “Sam and I are dying to meet the girl who could make you risk so much.”

  “She must be an amazing woman,” Samantha said. “Bring her here to meet us once this is all over.”

  Their words were comforting. I couldn’t bring Claire back to meet them if they thought I would die facing my enemy, or if I lost Claire to the Twin Soul bond. “Claire is the most incredible person you’ll ever meet,” I said as I took the phone. “I’ll bring her to meet you as soon as I can.”

  “Where will you go after San Juan?” Kaya asked.

  “I can feel where she is, at least what general direction she is. She’s somewhere to the northeast,” I said.

  Trying to picture a map, I brought the terrible fear close to my heart and felt the distance between us. She was far away, but not too far. I could feel the pull to rescue my Twin Soul. I could actually feel the direction, not the exact location, but a general sense of where she was. All I would have to do was follow it right to her. I somehow knew that the closer I got to the girl, the stronger the pull would be. I felt confident that the overwhelming string of emotions would lead me right to her tear streaked face.

  I had no such compass for Claire. Two nights ago she was struggling. How was she holding out now? Would I get to her in time? It startled me to admit, even to myself, but if saving Claire meant being too late to save my Twin Soul, I would feel horrible, but I could live with the choice and not regret it.

  Focusing on the map in my mind and judging the distance as best I could, I said, “Colorado. I think she’s in Colorado.”

  Samantha nodded thoughtfully, but Kaya said, “He won’t keep her there. Your dreams showed you fighting him in the desert. You have a place to start, though.”

  “Good luck, Uriah,” Samantha said.

  “Be careful,” Kaya warned.

  The sisters grabbed me before I could stop them, and I was once again tangled in their arms. Their crushing hugs couldn’t dull the agonizing fear seeping into me. I stood in their grip a few moments longer, scared to move and face reality. Six hours, if I pushed the speed limit, and I would be back in San Juan, but only long enough to leave the potion for Claire behind.

  Pushing Samantha and Claire away, I looked at both of them and said, “Thank you both for everything.” They smiled and took each other’s hands. Their worried expressions followed me as I opened the door and walked to my motorcycle.

  Talon bounded up to the bike. “You heard everything?” I asked.

  Talon dipped his head in response.

  “I’m not going to be able to wait for you,” I said. “I have to reach San Juan as fast as possible.”

  Talon bared his teeth. “I will not be left behind.”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to do,” I said. I had given up on trying to tell Talon what to do. “The Matwau is somewhere to the northeast, Colorado, I think. I’ll cut over to San Juan, but I want you to head northeast without me. We’ll stay in contact as long as possible, but you keep heading toward Colorado. I’ll catch up as soon as I can.”

  Talon’s stance relaxed. “I will head northeast, then. I understand why you need to go to Claire first, and I even agree with you, but do not stay long. The Matwau will hold your Twin Soul as bait, but he will not w
ait forever. Keep that in mind.”

  Another stab of gut wrenching fear ran through me. I prayed that whoever she was, she would be okay until I could find her. “I promise I won’t stay long.”

  Without another word, Talon sprung away, his muscular legs carrying him across the desert with amazing speed. I wasn’t going to wait either. The bike sprang to life at my touch and I was racing home as the pull toward my Twin Soul begged me to turn aside.

  26: Resolve

  The desert sand glittered under the midday sun. The heat of summer was beginning to cool as the days grew shorter. School would be starting soon and it was our last chance to go camping. I wandered into our favorite valley and saw Uriah’s grey and green tent. I smiled and led Daisy up to the campsite.

  The small stack of firewood sat ringed by rocks and ready to be lit. It was warm now, but when the sun went down, the desert would be cool enough that we would need the fire. I tied Daisy’s reins to a tree branch and realized that Uriah’s horse wasn’t there, as well. I looked around the camp wondering where Uriah had gone. Everything seemed to be ready. I wasn’t sure what would take him away from the campsite when he knew I was coming to meet him.

  Walking over to the tent, I unzipped the door and peered inside. The sleeping bags were laid out, but empty. “Where is he?” I asked myself as I backed out of the tent.

  Uriah’s absence quickly began to bother me. I had been feeling so good on the way out to the campsite. Uriah had gotten home the day before, bringing me what I had never expected, a way to break the Twin Soul bond. I had leaped at the chance to rid myself of Daniel. That love had never been real for me, only my love for Uriah held my heart. When the bond was finally gone, I had fallen to my knees crying. Pure joy filled my heart as Uriah lifted me and pulled me into his safe, warm arms once again.