Qaletaqa

by Gladden, DelSheree

  “We left on our honeymoon that night and got back Monday. I thought maybe once we were home, the dreams would go away, but they only got worse. She was waking up in the middle of the night crying,” Harvey said. “I didn’t know what to do for her.”

  Helplessness, that was also a feeling I knew all too well. Fortunately, I had learned to hold my own against it. I felt a sense of responsibility toward Harvey to make sure he could do the same.

  “It will be okay, Harvey. Melody will be alright. Why don’t you tell me a little more about the dreams? What did Melody say was happening in them?”

  “She said Uriah was in trouble, that something was hunting him. And when I say something, I mean something. Melody tried to explain it, but I couldn’t even picture something to terrifying. She said it was like a big black mass that kept changing its shape into these horrible, dangerous creatures. She dreamed of the creature fighting Uriah once. That was the first time she woke up screaming and crying.”

  “Was there anything else?” I asked.

  “Just more of the same,” he said. “One night it was Uriah being hunted, the next they were fighting, then back to hunting. It was frustrating to watch her so worried and afraid and not be able to help her.”

  I glanced over at Uriah. He didn’t look interested in taking over. I squeezed his hand and turned my attention back to Harvey. “Tell me about Melody. What’s she like?”

  Harvey jumped up out of his chair. He moved around some boxes and packing material before finding what he was looking for. He took a photo frame out of a box marked “Fragile” and handed it to me. “This is her. That picture was taken last summer. We drove up Trail Ridge Road in the national park to see the alpine tundra.”

  I held the frame in my hand and stared at the photo it held. She was beautiful. Melody and Harvey were standing together in front of a set of towering peaks. I hardly noticed anything but Melody, though. Her long auburn hair hung down in rippling waves. The sun had caught the highlights of her hair and lit up her entire being. Her face was clear and bright. I knew she was good and kind just by looking at her. In the picture she was looking up at Harvey. The love in her expression reminded me of what I saw in Uriah’s sweet face when he looked at me. Without ever being in Melody’s presence, I felt I already knew her because I knew Uriah.

  I wanted to believe Daniel and I had been too different to ever be together. It was just a lie I told myself. Being loved by Uriah changed me in ways I never expected, but my days of manipulation and vanity were too close to forget. Even though I had grown by the time I met Daniel and widened the gap between our similarities, the pull to abandon Uriah for him was so incredibly strong. Strong enough it almost broke me.

  After experiencing the Twin Soul bond with Daniel, it was hard to imagine anything stronger, but looking at the picture of Uriah’s Twin Soul, I knew the bond between them would be at least ten times stronger than what I had endured. I wondered if my presence would even faze Uriah when he reached Melody.

  My hands started to shake. Slowly, I handed the frame back to Harvey. “She’s beautiful,” I said. My smile could not have looked very sincere. I would have felt much better if Melody had buck teeth, too many freckles, and acne.

  “She is,” Harvey said, “but she’s so much more than that. We met in a veterinarian’s office. My dog, Shasta, caught kennel cough two winters ago. He was getting really bad, so I rushed him to the nearest vet I could find. Melody was the technician who called us back. She was so kind and gentle. Shasta instantly relaxed. I took her back three times in the next month just so I could see Melody. When I finally asked her out, she just giggled like she had been expecting it and said yes.”

  “Melody likes animals?” I asked, thinking of Uriah’s love for the animals on his ranch back home. Would the similarities never end? Why couldn’t she at least be one of those girls who got grossed out by drool or dog poop? She probably volunteered at homeless shelters and nursing homes too.

  “Yeah, she’s starting her undergrad work in Animal Sciences at CSU this fall so she can get into their veterinarian school in a few years,” Harvey said.

  Just like Uriah. I searched for something besides Melody’s good deeds and wonderful qualities to talk about. We had come to the little cottage for answers. The cottage was where Melody had been captured, so maybe there was something special about it. “You have a very nice home. You said you just moved in?”

  He glanced around the small living room with a smile. “Melody was really excited to move out here. This was her grandmother’s cottage. When her grandmother died, she left it to Melody. After we got married, it was the perfect place to live, despite being a little far from campus. When you’re a couple of poor college students, free is perfect wherever it is. The only bad part of moving into the cottage was that Melody and I had to leave our pets with her parents until we can build a fence.”

  I wondered if the house being in Melody’s family for several generations had any bearing on her capture. I really had no idea where to go with my questioning. I looked over at Uriah, hoping he was ready to jump in by now. I was surprised to see him staring intently at Harvey, at the photo still in Harvey’s hand.

  “Why weren’t you here?” Uriah’s voice was much weaker than usual, but the accusation was clear.

  “What?” Harvey asked.

  “Why weren’t you here today, to protect her? She was taken early this morning, and you barely noticed she was gone a few minutes ago?” Every word was more firm and confrontational than the previous one.

  “Uriah,” I whispered, “calm down.”

  He didn’t listen to me. “Why weren’t you here?”

  “I…I was out of town. My dad was having an operation up in Wyoming, so I drove up to be with my mom until he came out of surgery,” Harvey said. Confusion at Uriah’s attack quickly changed into affront. “And what do you mean taken? How do you know when she disappeared?”

  His sharp tone finally brought Uriah out of his attack. He stared at Harvey, surprise on his features as if he just then realized how hostile he had been acting. “I’m sorry, Harvey. I didn’t mean to attack you like that. I’m just worried about Melody.”

  Harvey’s body language softened and he sank back into his chair. “Do you know who took her?”

  Uriah began nodding slowly. “Yes, I do.”

  His eyes came up, level with Harvey’s. Harvey sat forward in his chair eagerly, begging Uriah to continue. “The creature you mentioned from Melody’s dreams, it’s called the Matwau. Claire and I belong to a Native American tribe called the Tewa. We have legends about the Matwau. It’s a creation of the dark gods.”

  Harvey sat up straight. One eyebrow cocked, his mouth held a disbelieving smirk conveying how he felt about Uriah’s explanation. “The Matwau? That thing from Melody’s dream is supposed to be real?”

  “I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Those things Melody saw in her dream, they were all real. The Matwau has been hunting me, and we have fought. I fought him the night you said Melody woke up screaming,” Uriah said. “The Matwau took Melody this morning.”

  “So you think this Matwau thing has Melody? Why? Why would it come after her? She has nothing to do with you, or your legends,” Harvey said. He crossed his hands over his chest, inviting Uriah to offer some kind of believable explanation for what was happening.

  What could Uriah possibly tell him?

  “The legends of the Matwau say he is the vilest creation in the world. His goal is to destroy happiness. He does this by capturing and killing humans who are capable of great love and kindness,” Uriah said.

  I was amazed by the calmness in his voice. I had never before heard Uriah lie. It was astonishing that he could do it so well. I knew the Matwau cared nothing for humans who were capable of love and kindness. If he did, there would never have been people in the world like Mother Theresa or Gandhi. The Matwau cared only for keeping the bond of Twin Souls from forming. Normally, he would simply kill one of the humans inv
olved in the bond. Unfortunately Uriah was not exactly normal when it came to the Matwau. I wondered how Uriah would pull the rest of his explanation together.

  “Another Tewa legend tells of two people who are meant to destroy the Matwau,” Uriah said. “I recently learned from one of our shaman that I am one of the two. Melody is the other.”

  Harvey practically jumped out of his chair and started pacing back and forth, bumping into boxes with every other step. “This is a joke, right? Melody would never kill anything. She cries every time one of her patients dies. She has four dogs, three cats, two birds, and a really fat hamster because she can’t bear to turn away a stray animal. Melody is not part of your legend.”

  “Then explain the dreams. Explain to me why I ended up here, tonight, the day Melody goes missing,” Uriah said.

  That was a dangerous question. Harvey could just as easily go a completely different route and decide that the coincidences were not coincidences at all, that maybe Uriah was involved in Melody’s disappearance. Harvey, however, looked too stunned to consider any detailed conspiracies.

  “The dreams…they’re just…and you…” Harvey stopped and turned back to Uriah. “I can’t. I can’t explain it. What is going on?”

  “The Matwau found me first. He tried to get rid of me, but I was too strong. Unfortunately I wasn’t strong enough to beat him by myself. The Matwau ran off after our fight and came searching for Melody,” Uriah said.

  “Is she dead?” Harvey took a step forward, as if trying to decide where to run to rescue his new wife. Uriah and I both leapt up from the couch and grabbed his arms.

  “She’s alright, Harvey,” I said. “She’s going to be alright.”

  He struggled against us. “I have to find her.”

  “Harvey,” Uriah said. The strength in his arm and voice was enough to halt Harvey’s push to get to the door. “She’s not dead. He didn’t take her so he could kill her. He took her as bait.”

  “Bait?”

  “He’s trying to lure me into a trap, and he’s using her as bait,” Uriah said.

  Harvey dropped his hands and shook his head in confusion. “Why wouldn’t he just kill her?”

  For the first time since Uriah began his fabricated explanation, he faltered. I jumped back in before Harvey noticed the pause.

  “Melody was never meant to fight the Matwau. She is supposed to channel the spiritual strength, the help from the gods, that Uriah will need to defeat the Matwau,” I said. I had no idea where the explanation came from, but it seemed to cool Harvey’s desperation. Uriah looked over at me with a look of careful thanks.

  “You see, Harvey, Melody will be fine. He can’t hurt her, only me,” Uriah said. He slowly let go of Harvey’s arm and nodded for me to do the same.

  “So she won’t be harmed? Are you sure?” Harvey asked.

  Uriah nodded, his face hard, so as not to let any of his emotions show through as they usually did. He did a surprisingly good job of it. A small part of my heart was chipped away at every change I noticed in him. Uriah’s face had always shown his every thought and feeling, a tribute to his tender heart. In such a short time he had learned to harden himself, and I wondered whether that would ever leave him.

  “Okay,” Harvey said, “so what do we do now?”

  I balked at the thought of Harvey accompanying us on our search. Having been in the exact same situation, I should have been the most compassionate to his needs, but selfishness overruled my heart. I did not want to share my time with Uriah. Harvey knew nothing of our legends. He would be more of a hindrance than a help. The thoughts and emotions shamed me, but I couldn’t shake them away.

  I risked a quick glance at Uriah, to find him doing the same. The look on his face was clear. Harvey would not be coming with us. I made a quick nod to show that I understood and turned back to Harvey.

  “Claire and I will continue looking for Melody. You will remain here,” Uriah said. Harvey’s head instantly began shaking back and forth. Uriah’s hardened façade remained, but I could tell it was beginning to wither.

  “I’m going with you,” Harvey said. “I won’t be left behind when Melody is in danger. You can’t expect me to do that, Uriah.” Harvey’s voice was pleading.

  Uriah’s fingers began to move, undoubtedly a subconscious attempt to subdue his itching palms. It was another of Uriah’s tells. Every time he became nervous, his palms started itching like he’d been pricked by a thousand tumbleweed thorns. The fidgeting gave him away to everyone who knew him well. Fortunately, Harvey was too absorbed in his own anxiety to notice how close Uriah was to giving in to his pleas.

  Balling his hands into fists, Uriah looked Harvey in eyes and gave his answer. “You can’t come with us, Harvey.”

  Harvey tried to interrupt, but Uriah continued over his objections. “Hopefully, we’ll be back within a couple of days, but even in that short time, people will notice if you and Melody suddenly disappear. You both have jobs, family, school. You need to stay here and cover for Melody’s absence. Otherwise someone will get suspicious and then the police will get involved. I really don’t want to try explaining all this to the police, do you?”

  Harvey considered the option, and then shook his head. “I guess not. Nobody will believe us. If it weren’t for Melody’s dreams, I wouldn’t believe you either,” Harvey said. “I still can’t stay here, though. I need to find her.”

  “Look, Harvey, I understand why you want to go, but it isn’t safe. Melody is protected from being harmed right now, but you aren’t. The Matwau isn’t the only one searching for me at the moment.” Uriah paused, perhaps to think up what else to say, perhaps just to intensify his words. Either way, Harvey stood very still, listening for what Uriah would say next.

  “The Matwau has allies, other dark creatures. These creatures are not held to any rules when it comes to humans not involved with the Matwau. If they were to come across you, they would rip you to pieces and gloat over your defeat. I will not take you with me only to watch you get killed before I can return Melody to you safely. If you’ll just listen to me, you and Melody will both be fine and we can all go back to our normal lives.”

  Harvey and I both smirked at the mention of normal lives. For me, that ended the day Uriah and I went to the tribal Elders and were denied the right to marry. For Harvey, a missing wife and two complete strangers standing in his living room had definitely tipped him off to the fact that he would never view life in the same way. Still, regardless of how much our lives had been disrupted, Harvey and I both wanted the same thing, a future with the person we loved more than anything.

  “But what about Claire? You’re taking her with you. Won’t she be in the same danger I would be in?” Harvey asked.

  “Claire is with me right now,” Uriah said, “but when I go to meet the Matwau, she will stay behind.” Uriah’s quick glance in my direction asked me not to contradict him in front of Harvey. The warning was unnecessary. I kept my lips tightly sealed.

  “Then why can’t I do the same?” Harvey asked.

  Uriah’s fingers inched up to his palms, scrunching into frustrated fists. My reasons for not wanting Harvey with us with were no doubt shamelessly selfish, but knowing Uriah so well, I had the feeling his reservations had more to do with endangering any more people than he believed he already had. He was so out of his element lying to Harvey, and I feared he had run out of believable answers.

  “Harvey, we don’t have all the answers, but we do know how dangerous it is to get involved with the Matwau. The prophecies concerning Uriah and Melody are very specific. Attempting to alter them in any way, could change the rules drastically. If the Matwau becomes aware of your presence, it could jeopardize Melody’s safety. He could kill her,” I said. “Are you really willing to take that risk?”

  Harvey’s eyes widened in fear. I felt bad scaring him, but he seemed to be so overwhelmed that he was ready to believe almost anything we said to him if it meant his wife would return unharmed. I knew Melody was tr
uly in danger of dying, even if not for the reasons I had just stated, but I also knew that the more people became involved, the more uncertain the outcome would be. As I held his gaze, I began to wonder if what I said to Harvey held any truth. The Matwau was incredibly dangerous and the prophecy had been very specific. What if my refusing to let Uriah face the Matwau alone tipped the balance away from Uriah? Was that a risk I was willing to take?

  Slowly, the doubt and fear dripped from Harvey’s features as he considered my words, and were replaced by determination. “What do you want me to do?”

  Uriah breathed a deep sigh of relief. “The most important thing is to pretend Melody is still here. Tell anyone who asks that she’s sick, with the flu or strep throat, something contagious. If she’s supposed to be at work, call her boss and tell him she won’t be in for a few days.”

  “Melody took the whole week off so she could get the house settled.”

  “Good. Now for your part, I need you to stay inside the house as much as possible and be very vigilant. The other creatures I mentioned, they’re still looking for me. I think they might even come back to check and see if I stopped here,” Uriah said. “The Matwau led me here on purpose. I don’t know why for sure, but he’ll have someone watching.”

  Harvey’s eyes narrowed at the thought of one of the Matwau’s creatures walking around on his property.

  “Call me right away if you see anything strange lurking around in the woods. They look like wolves, but bigger and much scarier. You’ll know one if you see it,” Uriah said. “Now the other thing I need from you is information.”

  “I doubt I’ll have any of that. I’m still trying to process what you’ve already told me,” Harvey said.

  “This is different. I know where the Matwau will take her. Well, I know what the place looks like at least,” Uriah said. “It is in the desert, absolutely barren, but somewhat near a very heavily forested area. I’m not familiar with, really, anything outside of New Mexico, but if we can figure out where he’s taking her maybe I can get there first and get Melody away from him before he’s ready to defend himself.”