by Melle Amade
His gaze lands on Jacqueline. “Who are you?” He asks.
She steps forward and holds out her hand. “Let me show you,” she says in a softer tone than I even realized was possible for her.
Aiden frowns but takes her hand and I know exactly what she’s going to do. Her hand trembles and she releases the tiniest taste of her earthquake through him, so he feels it move up his arm and tremble in his chest. He rips his hand from hers.
“What is that!” he exclaims.
She meets his shocked gaze with clear and steady mahogany eyes. “My name is Jacqueline,” she says, “and I’m a Thunder Being. My mother is a water bearer, similar to your father, but different. He calls storms forth, but she moves water. Today she moved a river and her life went with it. She is also dying. but I think she can bring the water out of your father. Please. My mother has asked for your father to come up to the village.”
Aiden’s eyes are full of fear, the lines around his mouth tightening as he gazes around the room. It’s like he can feel the flutter of hope but is terrified to reach for it. Afraid it will disappear.
“Aiden,” I say. “All of it is true.” My hand heats in a fist at my side, but I don’t bring it forward. Now is not the time to tell him I am a Thunder Being, also. We must focus on his father and Lydia.
Murky grief almost obliterates his golden eyes, but in the depths, shimmering and desperate is a small glimmer of hope.
“Why didn’t you bring her here?” Aiden asks.
“My mother has not been out of the village in fifty years,” Jacqueline says. Everyone but Hercules looks shocked.
“Fifty years?” Roman utters.
“The ancestors are guardians of our village,” Jacqueline says. “It’s how we stay safe and well hidden from everyone; the Order, the Hunters, even other shifters.” She ducks her head knowing she hadn’t taken to well to us entering the village. “But the guardians are held in place by my mother’s presence in the village itself. They are an extension of who she is and if she leaves the boundaries of the guardians’ strength will be broken and anyone could find our people. To take my mother out of the village would be to put all of us at risk.”
“How many people are up there?” Aiden asks.
“We have thirty-four people in the village,” Jacqueline says. “When my mother dies it will be thirty-three.”
“If she dies will the guardians break?” I ask. What if we bring Lord Van Arend up there and she dies? The Hunters could come in and kill him and Aiden. Not to mention… all of us.
“The power of the guardians will transfer to me,” Jacqueline says. “And then I will be unable to leave the village.”
My eyes go wide. It’s a life sentence to be guardian of the village. I mean, I know they talk to the leaves on the trees and the rivers, but still, sometimes you want to eat at a restaurant. I shake the thought out of my head. I would give up a lot of things to make sure my family was safe. Eating in restaurants is probably one of the first things I would give up.
“Callum, I want you on that side of his head.” Aiden has made up his mind. He looks Jacqueline in the eye. “We’ll move him and give this a shot, but my father, who is the head of Muiderkring West, may well die in your village.”
Jacqueline lowers her head and give a brief nod. “I understand, and we will do whatever needs to happen if that is the case.”
Roman, Cooper, and I move to either side of him and on Aiden’s command raise him.
Lord Van Arend’s head lists to the side, and a deep raspy breath groans out of his mouth. His thin white hair falls forward and blood trickles out of the corner of his mouth.
Zan whimpers.
Despite his bloated body, he lifts easily, surprisingly light.
“We can handle moving him ourselves. Zan, grab a blanket,” Cooper says. “And the mattress.”
“The mattress?” I ask.
Zan grabs my hand and we race out of the house leaving Jacqueline holding the doors. I have never seen Zan move as fast as she does now. She’s at the barn in seconds and digging in the tack room. She grabs the folded-up foam mat and a couple of the blankets we were using to sleep out here on the straw.
“Help me,” she says as we race back to the truck and lay it down in the back, just in time as the guys gingerly and slowly bring Lord Van Arend to the makeshift bed. He lets out another massive groan startling a few birds in the trees. Aiden’s jaw clenches as he wipes his father’s brow. Callum sits on one side and Aiden on the other. Zan darts into the house as Cooper gets in the truck and start the engine. She’s back in a second, carrying an umbrella, which she nestles into the crack between the bed of the truck and the cab, shading Lord Van Arend’s face.
“Thank you, Zan.” Aiden’s voice catches in his throat as he says her name. Almost involuntarily he reaches for her hand, but stops himself short. Instead he touches his father’s shoulder as he sits down by him. Roman sits at the end in order to keep the lower half of Lord Van Arend’s body still on the drive over the hill.
Zan and I ride in the truck with Cooper and Jacqueline and we lean against each other inside the cab heading back up the mountain. Cooper drives so slowly you wouldn’t think it was the same road we usually drive on. It’s like he’s missing every pothole and taking every corner almost as if we’re walking it. But we get back up to the village in one piece. When I step out of the cab and look in the back, I can see that Lord Van Arend’s condition hasn’t changed. He definitely has not improved, but he’s still alive.
25
The Pomos have already moved the large stumps blocking the promenade of the village. They motion Cooper to drive in and he parks at the base of Lydia’s cabin. Jacqueline bolts up the stairs in seconds, not bothering to wait for Lord Van Arend. She shoves open the cabin door and I can see by the way she takes a breath and relaxes; her mother is conscious.
Lord Van Arend is already in Callum and Aiden’s arms. They maneuver their way up the stairs and into the open door.
Lydia is laying still, breathing heavily, her eyes closed. Hercules has dragged over the La-Z-Boy, which I guess normally is parked in front of the television, close to the bed.
“I don’t know if he’s going to be able to sit in that,” I murmur.
But Hercules moves the lever so it is practically flat. Aiden doesn’t even ask any questions. He simply lies his father down in the chair. It’s positioned parallel to the bed but we put him face to face with Lydia. We all stand there for a moment looking at the two parents. One is completely gray and bloated, the other one sunken and drawn. Lydia doesn’t look anything like she did when she first walked up to the sparring match earlier today. She looks skeletal. The fullness and richness of her body is gone and it is like she’s empty.
I can’t believe how much someone can change in just one hour. But she is still conscious. Her eyes open a crack and she takes in Lord Van Arend. Her hand slides off her lap and lies on the side of the bed, hand outstretched.
Jacqueline looks at Aiden. “May I?” She asks, motioning towards his father.
“Yes,” he says quietly.
Jacqueline wraps her hand around Lord Van Arend’s wrist and then picks up his fingers with her other hand. She moves his hand over to Lydia’s and then gently, slowly, and carefully places their hands together. Their thumbs lay crosswise over each other, but only Lydia’s hands move. They slowly close and grip around the bloated fingers of Lord Van Arend. Like a skeleton holding a stress ball. Only she doesn’t squeeze.
We stand in silence.
“Now what?” Aiden asks.
“I don’t know,” Jacqueline says and I can see her looking at her mother, waiting for some sign to tell her what to do. But there’s nothing from Lydia. Jacqueline looks at Dassan. “What now?”
He positions himself on the couch, as if he has all the time in the world and nothing is troubling him in the slightest. As if he’s going to live forever and everything is going to be okay forever.
“You have done all you
can,” he says. “Now you have to do the hardest part of all. You must wait.”
Up here in the woods there is no sound pollution. There is no sound of cars driving by. There is no phone signal. There is nothing. Everything is quiet and still. We stand and sit and mill around for hours. But nothing happens. The only change seems to be the barely perceptible, but slightly less ragged breathing from Lord Van Arend. People go in and out, but mostly out. Finally, Hercules comes in and suggests we all grab a bite to eat. The only ones actually in the room at this stage are Jacqueline, Aiden, and myself. They decline the offer of food, but I stand up and stretch. It’ll be good to go outside.
“Any changes?” Zan asks.
I shrug. “Not really.”
“I need to get back down the hill and do the nightly chores,” Cooper says. “I could use a hand.”
“I’ll go,” Zan stands. “We didn’t really get anything for Aiden either, so I’ll grab him some things.”
Roman glances at her sideways, tension knotting his shoulders, but he nods. “Good idea.”
“I’ll go, too,” Callum says. “It’ll be faster with the help, and I can grab a few things.”
“I’m going to stay here,” Roman says, getting up and walking away. Zan stares after his retreating back but doesn’t say anything. I don’t really blame her. Whatever’s going on with Roman, he’s going to have to sort some of it out for himself. Nobody can fix it for him.
“I’ll go,” I stand up. I don’t make up any excuse to go and do something. The truth is simple, it’ll be good just to do something other than sitting around here waiting to see what happens.
When we get to Spotswood Ranch the animals are making so much noise you can tell its way past feeding time. I team up with Cooper. I like the guy a lot, but he’s not the right guy for Zan and, even if their cousins, I’m still happy to put myself as much between them as I possibly can. I really want her to be with Roman even though I know I shouldn’t want something for someone else. I just think they’re both so cool. It would be a whole lot of awesome in one couple.
Callum and Zan go off to load the hay needed to feed the cows and horses out in the back pasture. Cooper and I are feeding the sheep.
We go to the feed shed and it looks like Aunt Emma has been out here updating the white board with the latest feeding schedule. They’re all neatly marked and Cooper follows them with precision as we start loading feed into buckets.
“When do your folks get home from the fair for good?” I ask.
“Well, I’ve got to be honest, it seems like they’d already been home by now, but sometimes Mom gets a little carried away with the auctions, you know, chatting with people, so sometimes they make a big night of it. It’s kind of nice for them because they don’t get out much.”
“None of you get out much.” I say. “You live out here at the ends of the earth.”
“It’s kind of nice out here on the ends of the earth,” he smiles at me. “Away from all those city folks.”
“Do you think Zan’s really gonna like it out here?”
“What’s not to like? We got fresh air, beautiful pastures, and trap shooting on the weekends.” Corn dust fills the feed shed, tickling my nose as he pours an even measure of corn onto the barley he already put in the bucket.
“Your internet connection sucks. That’s a con.”
“Yeah that’s exactly why we need Zan out here,” Cooper laughs. “She’s got to set our internet up better. Got to get Halo working properly.”
“And that’s it, right?” I ask. “You guys just sit out here and hide, quietly pretending like none of the mess is even happening.”
“What mess?” Cooper looks positively confused for a moment, his blue eyes scanning my face for a clue. “You mean all the stuff with the Order?”
“The stuff with the Order?” I repeat. “Seriously?”
“Well, you know, I mean I know they can be a problem,” he mutters turning back to scooping corn into buckets.
“You live in a bubble, Cooper. I understand not wanting to watch the news and see all the crap going on in the world, but this stuff isn’t out there. Zan was sitting next to me when Zaragoza was executed right in front of us. This stuff is right here.”
“Look. I heard about that and it sucks,” Cooper says. “I’m not trying to be flippant and I’m glad you guys are here. You wanna know why? Because that stuff is not happening in Potter Valley. It’s safe here.”
“Hunters just breached the boundaries of the Pomo village,” I shake my head.
Cooper frowns. “That’s why we train, Shae.”
“If those Hunters figure out you are shifters, too, if they attack Spotswood Ranch, all this is gone, Cooper. Don’t you get that? You think you’re safe here, but it’s a lot more precarious than you think.”
“Right.” He stops scooping grain and turns to me, folding his arms across his broad chest. “I know what we must look like to you. You city people. You must think I’m some country hick just out here feeding cows and shearing sheep and missing life. And you get caught up in politics and your mess and worry about who’s killing who and who is manipulating who and whatever.”
“It’s not by choice,” I say. “We’re trying to survive.”
“Listen, it doesn’t change the fact you are alive and breathing every day, and how you experience your day, well that’s up to you. It’s completely your choice. So, if you want to spend your day thinking about the jerk face who runs the Order and how to defeat him, well, I respect your choice. And if I want to come out here and think about what type of calf my heifer is going to throw, then that’s just another way to go through life.”
“You guys could be wiped out at any time,” I murmur.
“True,” Cooper nods. “Especially since we’re now harboring two banished shifters and the leader of Muiderkring West. There’s a good chance we’ll be found out. But is worrying about that making you any happier?”
“Happy?” The word sounds strange as it drifts out of my mouth. I haven’t thought about that word in so long, much less said it.
“I like to think thoughts that make me happy,” Cooper nods. “And when I have a conversation with my dad and mom about how the cows are going to breed. Or about how my brother and sisters are doing out there trying to find a new bull, well, we’re happy. They’re enjoying their lives and having a good time of it. And from everything I’ve seen from you, you’re not.”
I take a step back. “What gives you the right to speak to me like that?”
“Well, I feel like you gave me permission,” Cooper drawls. “Because you started judging me and where I live and my ability to make the woman I’m supposed to marry happy. And I get she’s only sixteen, But, what you don’t seem to get is that we have plenty of time. Zan and I get along just fine, we’ve got time to let each other grow and be who we are and then see what happens.”
He sounds so, so level headed. “Don’t you have to marry her?”
Cooper shakes her head. “There’s no law out here that says she has to marry me. But if it turns out it goes that way, well I’d be one lucky son-of-a-bitch. And if it doesn’t go that way, well, I still be pretty damn lucky because I’ll end up marrying someone else. Each moment I’m alive I’m trying to figure out what’s going to make me happier right now. I’m not worrying about all the things that piss me off or make me angry or worry me. Because those things aren’t even here. I’m not worrying if Zan is going to marry me or not. We’re still just getting to know each other. What I am doing right now, is feeding the animals. I’m measuring out the right amount of grain and making sure the animals get what they’re supposed to have. So maybe you want to try to be a little bit more in this moment rather than worrying about what might happen between Zan and me in some unforeseeable future.”
Just like that he shuts me down. I tilt back a little bit on my heels and rest my butt on the top of the feed bin behind me.
“You’re right.” The words trickle out of my throat.
“I can make fire,” I murmur.
“Coolest. Thing. Ever.” Cooper grins, pouring feed into the last bucket.
I close my fist and extinguish the flame. “But I almost brought the forest down and now Jacqueline’s mother could be dying because I haven’t learned to handle my powers.”
Cooper shakes his head with a slight smile on his face. “You’re doing it again. It is so deeply ingrained in you to take the blame for everything and try to figure out what you did wrong. Nice way to short change everyone.”
“What do you mean?” I frown.
“Well, the way I figure it,” he says, “you did something. And then Lydia chose to do something. What Lydia chose to do made her really sick. But then we discovered what’s making her sick might be something to help Aiden’s dad. It might make them both better. Or it may just heal Aiden’s dad. We don’t know. That’s the thing. It’s easy to take responsibility and control of everything, but you have to let things happen.”
“So, you’re saying that me losing control of my fire may be the thing that leads to saving Lord Van Arend’s life?” I ask.
“He has a chance now,” Cooper smiles. “Look, we just don’t know. We could get wiped out tomorrow. We could lose Spotswood Ranch. But then, who knows, I might go out in the world and meet someone even more amazing than Zan.”
“Impossible,” I chuckle.
“Right? So maybe we just want to focus on what we’re here to do,” he shrugs and starts loading up the wheelbarrow with the buckets of grain we’ve just metered out.
“Feed the animals.” I smile, amazed at how relaxed I feel.
