The Matwau would win. He would kill Uriah, and go on killing forever. We would fail.
I watched through a haze as Daniel and I stood aside and Uriah and Melody took their places again. Fighting to keep from collapsing, I lifted my head and stared into the goddess’s piercing eyes. She was the only one who could help me figure out what to do now that everything was such a muddled mess. I had to pay attention no matter how much I wanted to run and hide.
“Rise and face each other,” she said. The peaceful smile on her face seemed to show her surety that Uriah and Melody would indeed be successful. I wondered what emotion her face held now as she looked down on destiny in chaos.
Uriah and Melody stood smiling at each other as the goddess and her companions began to form a circle around them. I had to move to get a clear view of Uriah again. It was about to happen. I had to see the process. Maybe if I could see how it worked I could do something to untangle it and get Uriah and I the power we needed.
The gods and goddesses linked hands and closed their eyes. Uriah continued to hold Melody. A low, sweet song began. There were no words, at least not any I could understand, but the feel of it seemed very familiar. It came from the circle of companions, but none of their mouths actually moved. Slowly the song started to build.
If I had not been staring at Uriah so hard, trying to see if there was even the smallest hint of doubt in his face, I might have missed it. The light. A faint glow filled the circle, emanating from both Uriah and Melody. It was just a hint at first, but as the song grew, so did the light. Even being spirits, Uriah and Melody had looked substantial. As the light rose, the look of the pair changed. Color seemed to seep out with the rays and any sense of firmness floated away as well, until nothing was left but the willowy, faded shape of them.
The goddess said nothing to instruct them. They seemed to know what to do all on their own. I watched in horrible fascination as the two spirits stood and stepped closer together. The outline of their hands melded as they reach out for one another. Pleasure and surprise washed over their features.
A humming sensation added itself to the song, one that I recognized all too well. The bond I had tried so hard to rid myself of filled the dimensionless space. Everyone but me smiled in joyful satisfaction. My buried bond to Daniel hummed to life in recognition. I felt like ripping my skin off in the hopes that I wouldn’t have to feel it anywhere near me. Forcing myself to press my hands deep into my jeans pockets, I shoved my own bond deep inside of me and studied Uriah.
Where was the light coming from? Could I reproduce it, or was that something gifted only to this circle of spirit beings? There was no one I could ask. As much as Kaya knew, I would have to figure this out on my own. I watched as Melody took another step closer to Uriah. Uriah didn’t move. Then suddenly Melody turned away from Uriah and they stepped together.
I gasped in surprise. Their spirit bodies didn’t meet each other as they should have. They intertwined and became a part of one another. Their spirits melded into one. One soul. Two halves of one soul. At least part of what we were fed as children was true, I thought bitterly. Light flared, surpassing the circle and spreading over me, bringing with it the intensity of the Twin Soul bond. I endured the wrenching feeling, praying every second that it would end.
Fading gradually, the light drew back in on itself as Uriah and Melody stepped apart again. Their hands were the last thing to separate, taking with it the rest of the light and leaving the space feeling dim and dismal at the loss. The lingering feel of the bond was the only thing that seemed to keep the companions from sinking into despair as the light faded. For me it was just one more straw on my overburdened heart and mind.
The woman glided over to Uriah and Melody. Her angelic smile pulled them close to her and she wrapped them in her graceful arms. Daniel and I joined the celebration.
“You have just put yourselves on a path that will try you and test you. Hold onto your mission. Stay true. Trust your hearts to guide you toward fulfilling your purpose.” Her whispering voice faded as she stepped back and disappeared in the hazy walls of the spirit world.
Uriah and Melody held their places. As did Daniel and I. I could feel the seconds crawl by. It felt much longer than it actually was. Hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind in that brief time as I tried to puzzle something useful out of what I had just witnessed, but it was so complicated my mind was still trying to process everything. I wanted to wake up. I didn’t want to stare at them any longer. This was not the same Uriah I knew. I needed to remember his true face, with lines etched from grief after his father’s death, with that hint of stoniness gained from the past few weeks, and with the soft smile he shared only with me.
“Wake up. Wake up,” I whispered over and over again. There was nothing left to learn here. I wanted to leave so badly.
“No,” Melody cried out suddenly, pulling my attention back to her. Surprise and fear controlled her features. “It can’t be time yet.”
Trying and failing to control his fear as well, a slowly dissolving Uriah took Melody in his arms. “Time, several centuries may have already passed on Earth. Time flows so quickly there. It’s okay,” he whispered. “We’ll be together again.”
“I can’t imagine living without you.” Sparkling tears ran down her cheeks. “Promise me this will all be worth it.”
“I promise,” Uriah said. And then he was gone.
Melody stumbled at the loss of his support and fell to her knees. A trembling sob shook her body before her eyes lifted to the other Claire pulling her back to her feet. I watched myself whisper words of comfort. Slowly a smile blossomed on Melody’s lips as her spirit began to lose shape. Her departure was just a swift as Uriah’s. I stood staring at the empty spot, wondering how on earth we were ever going to make it through this.
27: Unmade
“Claire? Are you alright?”
She was sound asleep on my lap one minute, and then she bolted up in her seat and just sat there blinking at the windshield.
“Claire?”
Slowly she turned and looked at me. In a split second, tears flooded her eyes and poured down her face. Panic gripped my heart. Sleeping meant dreaming. Dreaming could mean the future. Tears were not a good sign.
“Claire, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong? Did you dream about something?” I asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Is…” My tongue stuck in my mouth. My first thought was for Melody. Was she hurt? Was she dead? Did I take too long? I wanted to see her so badly, but I wanted to forget her completely, too. I knew asking about Melody before anything else would only be hurtful to Claire, even if it was the only thing I could really think about at the moment.
I held back my words. There was something in Claire’s eyes. Something that terrified me. Not sadness so much as total despair. I hated to think it, but Melody’s death would probably not be a despairing feeling for Claire. I wondered if it would be for me. Melody being taken out of the picture would make everything so much easier. Everything except the gaping hole I knew I would feel in my heart. Claire was gentle and kind and compassionate, but still…expecting her to despair over Melody’s death would be asking way too much. I took a deep breath and started over.
“Claire, what did you see?”
Claire sniffed and forced herself to meet my eyes. “I saw you and Melody.”
“Did you see something bad happening to…one of us?” I asked.
“No,” Claire said. She shook her head as she spoke. It was oddly slow. “I didn’t see the future.”
My breathing quickened as thoughts of the memory Melody shared of our first kiss danced in my mind. Please no, I begged. I would rather have Claire see anything but that. “What did you see then?” I whispered.
“Well, I thought if I could dream about the future…why couldn’t I dream about the past? Before we left the spirit world,” Claire said slowly.
No, no, no, no, no. I couldn’t even ask now. I just waited for her to rev
eal what she had seen.
“I saw you and Melody become Twin Souls.”
A split second of relief that the word “kiss” was not in that sentence was followed by a crushing sweep of confusion.
“What did you say?” I asked. Claire dropped her eyes. “You saw when me and Melody became Twin Souls? What does that even mean? You don’t become Twin Souls, you just are Twin Souls. Aren’t you?”
That same slow shake of her head filled me with dread.
“It can’t be,” I said.
“You and Melody chose to become Twin Souls. That’s what Orenda meant when she said that Twin Souls had already made the choice and wouldn’t get another chance to choose,” Claire explained.
Her voice was strained and she still wasn’t looking at me. I had been worried about a kiss. A kiss Claire could have handled. She was strong. But this? Nothing could have been worse.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I…I don’t know what to say. I never would have done if I knew I would meet you. You know that right?”
“Yes, you would have,” Claire said.
“No, Claire, you have to believe me. I love you. Nothing that happened in the spirit world matters to me now. I love you. I want you.” Breathing became a struggle. Tears that hadn’t been shed since my dad died threatened to break lose. Claire couldn’t stop believing in our love.
“Uriah, calm down,” Claire begged. “That isn’t what I meant. I don’t doubt how much you love me, but you would have chosen to be Melody’s Twin Soul even if you knew everything that would happen between us because you made the choice for another reason besides love.”
“What do you mean? Why did I choose this?” I asked. I held little hope that there would be redemption for me in her explanation. Claire would have woken up bouncing with excitement if this all had a simple fix. But even still, I wanted to know.
“You and Melody went to gods of light and they helped you become Twin Souls,” Claire began.
Step by step Claire described everything she saw and heard. She told me about the Twin Soul bond being linked with a mission to destroy the Matwau, and how we had accepted the bond knowing it would lead us toward facing the Matwau. An utter lack of emotion gripped me as I listened to her account. I had no reaction, no thoughts. I couldn’t process it, so I simply listened.
As she spoke of the ceremony that actually sealed my destiny, the music and light seemed familiar. I could almost hear the notes. At the mention of the bond beginning to form, I squirmed and felt like scratching my arms. I remembered that feeling all too well after Daniel rescued Claire. What I felt now for Melody was similar, though not as intense, but it suddenly felt like a tightening noose instead of a link to the woman I supposedly loved and had promised to spend eternity with.
When Claire spoke of our souls meshing together into one, my link to Melody flared. I could almost feel her stroking my skin. She felt so close. I lost focus on what Claire was saying. She had to grab my hand and shake me back into the conversation.
“The strangest part of the whole thing was that Daniel and I were there too,” Claire said.
“You were?” Hope grew in my heart. Maybe if I knew Claire before I could remember her as well, fight Melody’s memories with my own.
“Yeah, we knew we would have to work together when we got down here. I think we were even friends,” Claire said.
The slight frown of disappointment that we weren’t more than that ate at me. I waited for her to tell me more, but I began to worry when her silence stretched on for longer than I expected. Her frown molded into the look of an internal struggle.
When I prodded her to tell me what was wrong, she said, “Remember how Quaile said my dad poisoning me set us on this path, that she thought we’d have more time. And you told me Kaya said you weren’t even supposed to meet Melody for another ten years?”
Something about her question put me on edge. “Yeah…”
Claire bit at her lip. “Well, what if this is all happening too soon? What if we aren’t ready to face the Matwau yet?”
She looked to be on the verge of tears, so I put my arm around her and held her tight. “Claire, I don’t think it matters. Look how fast our talents have been developing. Maybe if we’d had more time they wouldn’t have been dropped on us like they were. But they were, so now we’re having to learn faster than we might like. Either way, we’ll be ready. I promise.”
Claire nodded, but I didn’t think she really believed me. I decided to change topics before she worried too much about something we had no control over.
“What about how the bond was formed? Did you see anything that might help us get rid of it after the Matwau is defeated?”
I was terrified of facing Melody. I didn’t understand why Melody and I had to become Twin Souls in order to defeat the Matwau, but I was afraid of finding out. Claire’s explanation had gotten vague around that point. I couldn’t blame her, seeing a dream didn’t necessarily mean you would understand it, but I wished these gods of light could have at least gone over that part before rushing on to the ceremony. Maybe the why would help us understand how to break the bond for good. At this point, I knew even without Claire telling me that suppressing the bond wouldn’t be enough for Melody and me. I needed to be free of her for good.
“I don’t know. It was so much to take in, I’m still trying to understand what I saw.” Claire sighed. “It’s not like there were instructions. Follow these steps to become Twin Souls, do them in reverse to undo the bond. I barely understood what was happening, but I’ll keep trying to figure it out, I promise.”
“We’ll find a way,” I said. Claire stared out the window, deep in thought.
I sat quietly next to Claire and watched the miles tick away. Talon reported in every few minutes, giving the locations of the creatures that were following us. As we neared Denver, their close watch began grating on me even more. Once we reached interstate twenty-five, there would be very few places to split off. I needed to give Claire and Harvey the chance to hurry on ahead of me to Taos.
Fifteen miles to Denver. I watched the sign fly past me. They had to leave soon or my plans would become completely useless. Having Claire and Harvey scout out any waiting traps would certainly be useful, but that was hardly what caused my anxiety. Harvey and Claire would no doubt be the key to keeping me and Melody from abandoning our lives for each other. I needed both of them safely away from the danger.
Ten miles.
Nine.
Eight.
“Uriah.” Talon exploded into my thoughts, making me flinch in surprise. Claire sat up and glanced over at me with a concerned frown. I shook my head and patted her leg as I answered Talon.
“Are they gone yet?”
“As far as I can tell. A warren of rabbits just confirmed sighting them over a mile away,” Talon said.
“Where were they heading?” I asked.
“Almost directly south. And at an extremely fast pace. I don’t think they will be back,” Talon said. The relief coming from him was palpable. He was exhausted.
“I’ll find a gas station or something near the edge of town where we can meet. You can ride with Harvey and Claire so you can get some rest,” I said. Harvey wouldn’t be real thrilled about that, but all it would take to convince him was to mention Melody’s name. That was all it ever took.
“Okay, let me know when you find something,” Talon said. The fact that he didn’t even take the time to argue about being hauled around in a car like a pet again showed how weary he really was.
Just a little longer, my friend, I thought to myself.
“Claire, would you call Harvey for me. The creatures are gone.”
Blood drained from Claire’s face. She knew this was coming, had even promised to go on ahead with Harvey, but having to face being apart again was no easy thing. For me or her. My stomach had soured the instant Talon gave his report. I’d been waiting for the news, but I was scared of being left alone. Claire still hadn’t made a move to call Harvey.
I looked at her, and said, “It’ll be okay, Claire.”
Nodding stiffly, she grabbed her phone and started dialing. I didn’t hear what she said to him, but the call was over quickly.
“Claire, will you do something for me before we split up?” I asked.
Her wary eyes looked up at me. That was a new response for her. Usually I was the one who got concerned when Claire asked me to do something without telling me what it was. Claire had always been much more adventurous than I was. Now she looked more than worried about what I was going to ask her. It could have just been nerves over splitting up again, but I had a feeling that wasn’t it at all.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked slowly.
Her hesitation made me pause as well. Could I really ask her to do this? I had no idea whether she even could. I needed it, though, very badly, so I decided to ask regardless of both our fears. “Will you try to see my future?”
Fear danced on her features. “Are you sure? I may not even be able to do it. What if I don’t understand anything I see, or I get something wrong?” she asked.
“I just want you to try. Please, Claire.” I needed some kind of guidance. Was I right to leave Claire again? Was Bhawana’s vision really the only way to defeat the Matwau? There were so many questions I was being forced to answer with nothing more than a wild guess to go off.
“Will you try?” I asked again. Sitting quietly, Claire stared out the window. I wondered if she really doubted whether she could do it, or was just scared of looking. I knew I was asking a lot of her, but I had to.
“Okay,” Claire said finally. “I’ll try.”
The relief I was expecting did not come. Instead, fear of finding the answers I needed settled over me. Making a hard left into an empty looking gas station on the edge of town, I cut the engine and turned to Claire.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded and I reached out my hands for hers. I wanted to get started before I chickened out.
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