by Kim Murphy
“I haven’t sold out to anyone, but my life is more complicated than any of us could have guessed.”
“For Christ’s sake, Lee. Tell me what’s happened. We’re more than partners. I thought we were friends.”
“We are. I think that’s why I’m here now.”
His anger faded with the realization of what I was trying to tell him. Over the years, we had been witness to some horrific scenes from mangled bodies to charred corpses. In all that time, I had never seen him lose control, but tears entered his eyes.
He gave me a bear hug, like a father to his son. “You stupid bastard. I never thought it would end like this.”
I stepped back and shook his hand. “Bye, Ed.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
“I don’t know, but I must see Phoebe before I leave.” I turned, and the office faded. Crow guided me to what had once been my home.
Unlocking the door with my key, I entered the darkened house in which only a small lamp was lit. Almost as if I had been working late, I crept toward the bedroom. Through the partly open door, I saw Phoebe sound asleep in our bed. I closed the door behind me, stripped down to my underwear, and joined her. Our relationship had certainly matured over the years. Though I still desired her like crazy, my first thought was to let her rest. Content just to breathe in her scent, I snuggled next to her, but my movement woke her.
“Lee?” She touched my face to see if I was truly beside her.
“I’m here for now. I just want to enjoy being next to you.”
She switched on a light and sat up. Her long red hair was in disarray, but for some reason, the modern nightgown seemed out of place. I grasped her hand and kissed her fingers. “Walks Through Mist,” I said in Algonquian.
Though she tried to be brave, tears formed in her eyes. She brushed them away, hoping that I hadn’t seen them. “Which time is ours?” she asked.
The skeleton had warned me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you everything. The skeleton we found some time ago—it was me.”
“Shae told me,” she whispered.
I should have known that I could count on Shae. Someday I would need to thank her for telling Phoebe when I hadn’t been strong enough to do so myself. For now, though, I told Phoebe about my encounter with Ed, Charging Bear, and how his son had been injured by the buck.
“Many warriors were hurt by the hunted.”
So many times, she had told me stories about the seventeenth century, but that’s what they had been—mere stories. Now, I lived it, and they had become reality. In the twenty-first century, I hadn’t known my heritage until Phoebe entered my life, but in the seventeenth century, I felt out of place. Charging Bear encouraged me, but I couldn’t live without my family. “I want you and Heather to join me.”
“I don’t know how.”
I had traveled through time twice and Phoebe once. What made those occasions different from the dreaming? “We’ll find a way.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “ ’Til then, we will share moments like this.”
Only with our pact did I truly realize, the seventeenth century was now my home.
* * *
10
Phoebe
“Phoebe, may I come in?”
In the past, a personal visit from Ed would have ripped at her heart. With Heather on her hip she opened the door, allowing him to enter. “You have news of Lee.”
Without so much as looking at Heather, he gazed at Phoebe gravely. “Not solid evidence. In fact, I don’t quite know how to explain it.”
“You saw him last night.”
His brow furrowed. “How...? How did you know?”
“He told me.”
“He said he was going to see you, but none of it seemed quite real. I thought I had dreamed it.”
“You did. He hailed you in the only way he could.”
Ed’s mouth dropped open. “Phoebe! First Lee, now you. I can’t figure out what in hell is going on. He said that in all probability I wouldn’t see him again. Is he dead?”
“To this world, he may be.”
“You’re not making much sense. Either he is or he isn’t. In either case, I need proof. And how can you stand there smiling at me if he’s dead?”
“I’m smiling to hide my tears.”
Ed hugged her and Heather. “I’m sorry, Phoebe. I didn’t mean to make you more upset than you already are. I’m just trying to make sense of what’s happened.”
When she had arrived in the twenty-first century, Lee had been skeptical too. “I want to believe your story, but there is no evidence,” he had said. For a moment, Phoebe entertained the idea of explaining the dreaming to Ed. Shae knew about it, and even Meg, but they were intertwined in the circle. Lee had said goodbye to Ed for a reason. That way of life was no longer part of Lee. In the coming days, she would be tested. She must stay strong and believe that she and Heather would join him in the seventeenth century.
“Ed, he came to you as a friend. Accept his visit for what it was.”
“If I do that, then I must accept the fact that he’s dead.” He shook his head. “I don’t believe it—not without a body.”
A shudder coursed through her, and she debated how much to tell him. “Some months ago, a skeleton was uncovered.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with any... the skeleton was a Native American man.”
“Aye. Talk to the anthropologist about what she discovered. If you still have questions afterwards, then contact me again.”
Like a protective father, he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Phoebe, if you need anything, please, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“I shall, but I have Meg and Heather with me.”
He turned and went down the walkway to his car.
If Ed had come any earlier, she would have been devastated, but she had also seen Lee the night afore, and she would continue to seek him through the dreaming ’til they could be together again.
* * *
The following afternoon, Phoebe traveled to Shae’s office. How many times had she gone there for therapy sessions? Through hypnosis, Shae had helped her recall her memories from the seventeenth century. She owed Shae to inform her of the latest event.
When she arrived, Shae hadn’t finished with her last patient of the day. Phoebe waited in the outer office, flipping through out-of-date magazines. Her mind wasn’t on the pretty pictures but Lee’s words. On the occasions they had traveled physically through time, what was the difference?
“Phoebe?” Shae quickly said goodbye to her patient, then ran for a tissue. “Oh God, you found him. Don’t say it. He’s dead. You wouldn’t have made a personal visit otherwise.”
“Shae...” Phoebe stood. “Pray let us talk.”
Shae escorted Phoebe into her office and closed the door behind her. She dabbed her eyes with the tissue. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair of me. It’s just... just...”
Phoebe squeezed Shae’s hand. “You can say it. You still love him. That’s why I came to tell you what I know in person.”
“Not many women would be as kind as you to an ex.”
“I know the love betwixt the two of you has changed.”
Shae dabbed her eyes once more and collected herself. “I should be comforting you—not the other way around. Please—tell me what’s happened.”
“Last night, Lee came to Ed and me through the dreaming. He has said goodbye to Ed.”
Shae bit her lip afore speaking. “I don’t get it.”
“It means he’s not returning to this way of life.”
“Then, he has returned to the seventeenth century?”
“Aye, and when we discover how we have traveled, Heather and I will join him.”
Shae’s brow furrowed as if attempting to take in what she had been told. “Do you think he’ll say goodbye to me too?”
“When the time is right.”
“I don’t know whether to be relieved or cry.” Shae hugged her. “Coming here co
uldn’t have been easy for you. Thank you for doing so. I hope you’ll keep me informed.”
“I shall.”
Parting ways, they said goodbye.
Over the next several days, Phoebe contacted Lee through the dreaming. Or he sought her first. But they talked, shared meals, went for walks, and made love—much as they had afore Lee had returned to the seventeenth century. Strong Bow had recovered from his injuries, and Lee had hunted his first deer using a bow and arrows. When he told her the news, his proud smile reflected that he had accepted how things had come to pass.
“What if I’m unsuccessful in returning to you?” she asked.
“We’ll find the answer,” he assured her.
She wished she could be as certain. “When I traveled to this century, you called to me.”
A thoughtful expression crossed his countenance. “There could be a connection. Your daughter called to me, except... who would have called to me when I first traveled to the twentieth century?”
No one. Another path that led nowhere. They must be overlooking something significant.
Lee grasped her hand. “We will figure it out and be together again. Remember, I used to be a detective. It’s a matter of fitting the clues together and discovering the answers.”
Afore she could respond, she heard the crow caw and the wind rustled the drapes. Anytime Lee appeared to her through the dreaming, those two elements accompanied him. Like her hound, the crow was his guardian spirit. Of that, she was certain, but the meaning of the wind eluded her. Sometimes, it was peaceful. Other times, it blew like a gale. Their time grew short. She kissed him on the lips, and he vanished.
On the following eve, Meg joined Phoebe in the dreaming. As they entered the Appamattuck town, the drums beat. Phoebe’s heart quickened. Beside Lee stood Charging Bear. Though years had passed since she had last seen her brother, she recognized his broad shoulders. “Mat,” she said. Brother. She hugged him and stepped back. “Please meet my friend, Meg. Meg, Charging Bear.”
“A charming African,” he said with a smile.
“Born in Virginia,” Meg replied, “and you speak English.”
“Aye. My mother and sister taught me. ’Tis been handy to know o’er the years.”
The other Appamattuck greeted them. After a round of introductions, they feasted. During the dancing, Phoebe could no longer hold back. So many years had gone by since she had last taken part. She moved to the drum’s tempo, showing Meg the steps in a circle round the fire.
From the sidelines, Lee watched her. No longer cropped short, his hair covered the back of his neck. He wore a woolen shirt, a breechclout, and moccasins. How different he looked from the man who had worn a suit and tie nearly every day—but during the dreaming, she had often envisioned him as a warrior. Only now, the Appamattuck were his world.
Phoebe left the sacred circle and joined Lee. “I have gone o’er in my head about what differed the first time you traveled. Mayhap your mother sent you from harm. She knew the ways of wisakon. Like a cunning woman, she might have known magic as well.”
He reached a tender finger to her cheek and traced the length of her face. “If you had suggested such a thing a couple of years ago, I would have thought you were mentally ill.”
“And now?”
“You and the others here have shown me that I knew very little about the world. I’ll see if I can contact my mother through the dreaming.”
“E’en if she can offer no aid, ’twould be good for you to know her.” His brow furrowed, and she gripped his hand. “If you come to know her, mayhap you will recall more than her death.”
“That would be nice,” he agreed.
He glanced beyond her, and Phoebe turned to see what he was watching. Charging Bear had introduced Meg to Strong Bow. Behind them, she saw the hound, and she turned to kiss Lee goodbye. The dreaming ne’er gave them enough time together.
Phoebe blinked. Meg sat across from her in the living room.
Her friend smiled. “You never told me that your brother is handsome.”
“I ne’er thought of him in such a light.”
Meg broke into a wide grin. “And he’s not married.”
“He lives in the seventeenth century,” she reminded her friend.
“Details. You contact Lee through the dreaming. I don’t see why I can’t do the same.”
“Meg, the dreaming is not a game. I contact Lee that way because I have no other choice.”
Meg slid into the seat aside her. “Phoebe, I know it’s not a game. I only want to see Charging Bear again. It’s been a long time since I thought any man could be special.”
Worried that her friend might get hurt, Phoebe said, “If you continue to accompany me in the dreaming, there is a danger. You are of this time.”
“And you may be too. I also want to be there for my friend, in case she needs me.”
Phoebe smiled. “I was so very lucky that our paths crossed when I came to this time.”
* * *
Accompanied with Meg and the lasses, Phoebe traveled south of Richmond to locate the home of the Appamattuck. Anytime a bridge spanned the James, she thought how easy the river was to cross compared to navigating it by dugout. In some areas, little had changed. Trees hugged the banks, but the marinas quickly reminded her what century she was in. Near the town of Hopewell, they located a historical marker for Opposunoquonuske alongside a major road. “She was the weroansqua,” Phoebe said.
“A weroan-what?” Meg asked.
“Weroansqua—female chief. She retaliated after Lord de la Warr destroyed the Paspahegh town. The English sought revenge and burned her town.”
Even though the day was hot, Meg rubbed her arms and shivered. “I don’t know how you lived through such a time.”
“I had no choice, and many died.”
“Shall we continue? If she was run out, we won’t find the Appamattuck here.”
“Aye.”
They drove on to Petersburg. Some of the town had run-down brick buildings, but Old Towne had a quaint charm of antique stores and gift shops, celebrating the history of the area. Even then, many of the shops remained empty. What had she been thinking? Like the Arrohateck and Paspahegh, the Appamattuck had been annihilated. They had survived a century beyond the other tribes, but there would be no locating them in the modern world.
“I was a fool to bring you and the lasses here,” Phoebe said.
Meg squeezed her arm. “Don’t give up. You’ll find him.”
After lunch at a delicatessen, Phoebe carried Heather on her back, and they walked along a trail near the Appomattox River. The waterline was low and rocks projected above the surface. Sycamore trees surrounded them, and they strolled along the path through the shrubby vegetation of tall grasses. Warblers flitted through the branches, and hummingbirds sipped nectar from orange trumpet-shaped flowers. On the trail’s border, large white flowers bloomed with a bright red center.
“What a beautiful flower,” Meg said.
“ ’Tis swamp rose mallow. The leaves and roots are used for soothing dysentery.”
Meg cracked a grin. “You know all of them, don’t you?”
“Aye. ’Twas my duty as a cunning woman.”
“I thought I had learned a lot about health care when I became a nurse, but your knowledge puts mine to shame.”
“Why shame?”
“They don’t teach anything about herbs or plants in nursing school.”
Tiffany ran on the trail ahead and pointed at a heron fishing along the river edge. A dragonfly landed on Meg’s arm. Her friend giggled, and the insect flew away. ’Twas beautiful scenery, but that hadn’t been the reason why they had come to this place. Lee. Phoebe’s heart ached. Except for the dreaming, the distance in time was too great. If only she could find some evidence that he had been here.
Ready to turn back, Phoebe felt a breeze brush her cheek, almost as if she were being lightly caressed. In the gentle wind, she could almost imagine him calling her name. “
Lee?”
“Do you sense something?” Meg asked.
The feeling that had seized her vanished as quickly as it had come. “ ’Tis gone now. There’s naught here.” Disappointed, Phoebe headed back in the direction of the car.
“Phoebe...” Meg caught up with her and called for Tiffany to join them. “You will be together again. I know that.”
Aware that her friend’s words had been meant to cheer her, Phoebe wished she could manage a smile. Instead, an inner voice warned her that all of her strength would be called upon in the coming days. In a sense of defeat, she returned to the car in silence.
After driving home, Phoebe went through the normal motions for the remainder of the day. She nursed and fed Heather, changed her diapers, and told her a bedtime story. When the lasses were both safely in bed, she and Meg entered the dreaming. They traced their steps along the same path they had earlier in the day. Now mat-covered houses stood in the distance.
They continued toward the town. By the time they reached it, Meg was immediately drawn to Charging Bear, but Phoebe couldn’t locate Lee. She followed the hound. He led her on an erratic path through the town. A couple of women stirred a cook pot and chatted, while other women weeded. Men made arrowheads and nets.
At the edge of town, she spotted the crow in the tree. “Lee?”
“Phoebe...”
“Lee, where are you?” She whirled around, and he stood afore her. Her arms went round his waist, and they kissed.
“I thought I reached you earlier.”
She had heard him call her name. “I wasn’t certain I had found the town.”
“You did.”
For some reason, she felt awkward and had no clue as to why. “Lee—”
“Phoebe, it’ll be a while before I’ll be able to talk to you again.”
Her fear had come to pass. “Why?”
“I must become a part of my people.”
“Has the tribe not already accepted you?”
“They have, but I need to know who I am.”
For the past three months, Phoebe had attempted to remain strong, but her world crumbled. He really wasn’t coming back. She failed to notice Lee’s arms going round her. Like a frightened child, she clung to him. For ages, she stood there, hanging on tight.
