The Adversary

by Lindsay McKenna

  “It is,” Colt said, relishing his black coffee. His alertness remained on high because he didn’t believe Yellow Teeth would remain away for long. Had the Skin Walker been injured? Colt hoped so. In his heart, he knew that soon, he would have to deal with the witch once and for all.

  For a brief moment, their knees touched. Colt relished the sensation but reluctantly moved away. Sometime in the future—if he survived—they might be able to show their feelings, but not now. The incredible turquoise color of Lake Agnes made it look like a sparkling gemstone set in the grayish-colored brooch of the surrounding mountains. Shelly had taken off her baseball cap and her shoulder-length red hair was a frame for her pale skin and copper freckles. She was beautiful.

  “Did you feel the energy shift after we came out of the teahouse?” he asked her, his brows drawing downward.

  “Yes. What do you make of it?” Shelly asked.

  “When we got close to the building, I felt a pressure in my chest. When I get that, it’s a warning of an evil spirit nearby. I turned on my clairvoyance and looked around and couldn’t see anything wrong in the auras of the people around us.”

  “Do you think it was Yellow Teeth?”

  “No, it’s the other sorcerer you picked up on in your dream. The one we can’t identify—yet.” Shaking his head, Colt could feel someone watching from a distance. “We have two threats,” he told her in a low tone. “We know who one is. The other, we don’t. And that leaves us vulnerable.” He didn’t say that he was more worried for Shelly than for himself.

  “A sorcerer in spirit or in human form?”

  Colt shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

  “Or a sorcerer in spirit like Yellow Teeth who has possessed a human body to track us?”

  “That’s possible, too.” He stared at the beauty of the lake before them. “I just don’t know. And it’s eating me alive.”

  “We agree that Trip Nelson was suspicious,” Shelly said, giving him a glance. Colt’s face was hard and unreadable. “For what it’s worth, I feel that he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That’s all I sense. I wish I had more of an impression.”

  “I’d bet money that the other sorcerer has possessed Nelson’s body, but I don’t know for sure.” Looking up the flower-strewn trail that led to the teahouse, he added, “At least fifty people are around the teahouse area. It’s impossible to look at the auras of every one of them. My ability has its limits. I scanned the ones I saw coming up the trail earlier, but no red flags went up.”

  Nodding, Shelly said, “Same for me. I was feeling like we were being watched. The people I saw weren’t looking at us. And like you, I have limited energy and ability to look at auras. I have to shift into an altered state and then look at them. My energy can hold up for a little while, but after that, I have to sleep in order to recharge my psychic batteries. It sounds like it’s the same for you.”

  “Exactly,” Colt said. He glanced up at the teahouse. It was overflowing with people. Some were sitting outside or were perched on the broad wooden steps that led up to the popular place. The chatting could be heard even down where they sat in the lush grass. “I feel him around but I don’t know which one he is.” His gut was tight, almost painful. The adrenaline from the earlier attack was still within his bloodstream and he felt as if someone had stuck a hundred needles into him.

  “Same here.”

  “Well,” Colt said, giving her a worried look, “it means one thing—the unnamed sorcerer is here and he’s waiting while we try to find that emerald.”

  A shiver passed through Shelly. Nodding, she sipped her coffee. The raspberry danish in her lap suddenly didn’t seem as luscious and her appetite fled. “You’re right.” The attack had left her shaken to her core. Could she handle another one? Fear of dying was real to Shelly as never before.

  While he wanted to reach out and console her, Colt didn’t. “We have to stay alert, Shelly. We can’t get caught off guard.” His voice grew deep with concern. “I like what we share, but we can’t let it interfere with our focus. Not until…well…” Colt’s voice trailed off. There was no sense in making her even more scared than she was already.

  “You’re right, Colt.” She managed a smile. “It’s tough ignoring you.” Shelly ached to tell Colt she was falling in love with him, but that would only hurt them both. “The fear of possession is scary, Colt. This emerald’s a lot more important than we first realized.”

  Colt finished off his coffee and set the empty cup next to his day pack. Flattening his hands, he smoothed out the topo map. “It is. But why? We know so little about it,” he growled. “Here is the Lake Louise road. We can trek back to the hotel and then drive over to Moraine Lake. There’s a lodge and a nice trail that runs along the north shore of the lake. The trail ends near a stream that comes from the Wenkchemna Glacier. That means walking the shoreline on our own again.”

  “Probably fighting a lot of talus, slipping and sliding around,” Shelly griped. “I wonder if they have canoes to rent at that lodge. It would be a lot easier to check the shoreline that way.”

  Colt said, “Great idea. When we drive over, we’ll go find out. I’d rather paddle than fight steep, rocky terrain.” He closed the map and placed it back into a net pocket on the side of his nylon day pack. Looking up the slope, he saw a number of hikers sitting on the edge of the lake enjoying the morning sunshine.

  “Do you think we might find those two boulders at Moraine Lake?” Colt asked her. Shelly licked the raspberry jam off her fingers. The act was innocent but it filled him with a fierce desire to capture her hands and close his mouth upon her glistening lips. Never having experienced such powerful urges before, Colt began to realize how much he had to restrain himself.

  “I hope so,” she said, finishing off the danish. “Our dreams showed a rounded shore of an oval lake. We have plenty of oval lakes in this area. I wish our dreams could have been more specific.”

  Settling back on his elbows, the sunlight warming him, Colt closed his eyes. Right now, he didn’t feel the sorcerer as he had before. Maybe he had backed off or disappeared among the many hikers. “There’s worse things to do,” he said. How badly Colt wished they were alone in this lovely hollow where the flowers along the banks of Agnes reminded him of a rainbow. He’d like nothing more than to pull Shelly into his arms, kiss her hotly and undress her. They could make beautiful love here heated by the sun and held in the embrace of the raw, stunning landscape that surrounded them. His dreams were just that and Colt gently tucked them away.

  Shelly pulled her pack into her lap and opened it up. “Oh, no disagreement! I love hiking. And Banff is incredibly gorgeous. The color in these lakes makes them seem more magic than real.” She sighed. “Besides, I have this terribly handsome partner who I think the world of at my side. How good can life get?” It was forced gaiety. Shelly didn’t want to sink into the fear that ate at her.

  The pink flush on her cheeks made her freckles stand out even more. Colt reined in his wild desires that clamored for attention. He remembered the dream’s warning that the unknown sorcerer would kill them if they found the emerald. “My life has become interesting since I met you,” he murmured.

  “What an effect to have on people,” Shelly said, meeting his burning gaze that told her how much he wanted her. Bringing the hood down on her pack, she closed it and put it aside. Rising, she said, “I’ll be back.”

  Watching her walk on the trail toward the teahouse, her hips swaying, Colt inhaled raggedly. This was a special hell for him. Never had he been so drawn to a woman before and there were two sorcerers tracking them. Grimly, he sat up and put his arms around his drawn-up knees. As always, he watched the people coming and going on the trail to the teahouse. It was just habit.

  “WELL?” VICTOR GROWLED at Lothar and Jeff, who stood with him on the trail to the teahouse. “What do you think?”

  Lothar put down the binoculars. “He’s onto us, I think.”

  “He doesn’t have a clue who we are,” Victor
snorted. “He’s probably prickly because of Yellow Teeth’s assault this morning. Our cover is still intact.”

  Jeff frowned and moved to the side of the Dark Lord. “He’s powerful, isn’t he?”

  Nodding, Victor cut a glance to Jeff. “Yes, any Warrior for the Light is. Now, you’re getting a firsthand taste of one in action. You saw what he did to that witch.”

  “I’ve never met one until now,” Jeff admitted, watching the Navajo medicine man on the slope. “They can kill us?”

  “Of course they can!” Lothar yelled. “You should know that from your schooling.”

  “I do, Lothar. But listening to stories and having a teacher tell you a Warrior for the Light is dangerous is one thing.” He motioned to the Native American. “Seeing one in action is a different experience.”

  Victor held up his hand. “Not all Warriors for the Light have the same skills. They are all unique in their abilities, just as we are. For example, I’m not very knowledgeable about vortexes, but Lothar is.”

  “So,” Jeff began with a frown, “we can’t really know what a particular Taqe’s abilities are until we meet them in combat?”

  “Exactly,” Victor grumbled. “And given that Black was fully engaged with his beloved little red-haired bitch when Yellow Teeth attacked him and he was still able to fend him off, that tells me a lot.”

  Jeff gave the Dark Lord a searching look. “What does it tell you? I don’t understand the significance.”

  Lothar sighed and gave Victor a shake of his head. “Trainees,” he muttered.

  Jeff smiled a little at the knight whose frustration was etched on his features. “How else am I to learn? Schooling is important but being out on a mission is much more exciting and educational for me.”

  “That’s why you’re along,” Victor said. “You had the highest marks upon graduation. A student like you should be in the field at every opportunity available to you.” Victor cast Lothar a disparaging glance. “And I know you don’t like fledgling trainees, but Jeff is up to this task.”

  “Yes, my lord,” Lothar said in a respectful tone. “You are right, as always.”

  “To answer your question,” Victor said, watching Black through the binoculars once more, “this particular Warrior has a lot of power. More than most that I’ve met in combat.”

  “How does that translate for us?” Jeff wondered, relieved that the Dark Lord didn’t mind his training-wheels presence.

  Taking the binoculars away from his eyes, Victor noted a group of hikers coming by and waited. Once they were out of earshot, he said, “Black was completely focused on the woman. Normally, when your focus is elsewhere, there is an automatic opening in your aura where we can take advantage. Yellow Teeth is not a weak witch energetically speaking. He’s one of the most powerful Skin Walkers on the Navajo reservation. For him to strike Black with all his power and to have Black respond and protect himself and the woman tells me he’s on the top rung.”

  “Rung of what?” Jeff asked.

  “Strength of spirit is gained by hundreds and thousands of lifetimes. The more strength you have, the more powerful you become.”

  Lothar stepped onto the trail and nailed Jeff with a look. “The Dark Lord has been alive and in and out of human form for four thousand years. And before that, he had one hundred thousand lifetimes here on Earth and in other dimensions before he ever took over that position.” Lothar gestured into the air. “Energy is gained through living incarnations. Since your last lifetime was during World War Two, you understand the principles of a power station?”

  Jeff nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  Pleased, Lothar said, “You’re aware of the Hoover Dam?”

  “Of course.”

  “All right,” he said, “the Dark Lord is that powerful. We, in comparison, can be seen as electrical substations of varying power or wattage.”

  Jeff regarded Victor with new respect. “That’s incredible.”

  “Yes,” Victor said, pleased. “I am powerful.” He jabbed his finger at Black. “But this Warrior is more than just a substation, so to speak.”

  “So,” Jeff grappled, “you can’t really know how powerful he is until you personally engage him in energy combat?”

  “Exactly,” Victor said.

  “But,” Jeff said, opening his hands, “are there any Taqe who are like Hoover Dam?”

  Grimacing, Victor said, “Yes. At the Taqe stronghold, the Village of the Clouds, their leaders, Adaire and Alaria, are equal to me in authority and power. They had at least a hundred thousand lifetimes as Druids all over Europe before they were both killed at Mona Island by the Roman soldiers. From that time on, they were elevated to this status as spiritual leaders of the Taqe nation.”

  “The great mother goddess of us all has decreed that each side shall have equal power,” Lothar said.

  “Why?”

  Shrugging, Lothar said, “That’s just the way it is.”

  Jeff stared at Black for a long time before turning back to his master. “What could possibly defeat you?”

  “The one thing that can drive me or any Tupay off is the energy of love,” Victor said uneasily.

  “Yes, I’d been taught that,” Jeff said. “It just seems weird to me. Why love?”

  Lothar rolled his eyes. “Everything about the Tupay is about getting what we want. That is not love. In the goddess’s eyes, love is the greatest power in the universe.”

  “So, love really does conquer all?” Jeff asked.

  “It can,” Victor said unhappily. “But there’s a fly in that ointment, too.”

  “Oh?” Jeff said.

  “While being attacked, it’s very hard for anyone to be able to love the attacker,” Victor said, grinning a little. “Could you have loved your enemies who killed you in World War Two?”

  Jeff scowled. “Of course not. I have hatred and anger. I’d like to find them either in body or spirit and get back what they took from me. If I had lived, I’d have spent the rest of my life with my family. I’d have watched my children grow up and have their children.”

  “Exactly,” Victor said, triumphant. He waggled his finger at Black. “So, the real question about him is this—can Black resurrect love instead of rage or hatred toward us if we attack him?”

  Rubbing his chin, Jeff studied Black. “I see. And you won’t know until you’re in the act of possession?”

  “Precisely,” Victor told him.

  “And if he can?”

  “We’ll break off the attack and get the hell back to the Tupay fortress.”

  “But if he can, why couldn’t this Warrior come to the Tupay fortress and send his love to each and every one of us?”

  “Because it simply can’t be done,” Lothar said. “Adaire and Alaria, who are the leaders of the Taqe, have the capacity to do this to a few of us, but certainly not all of us. In reality, there are simply too many of us and sooner or later, they, too, will run out of energy. It’s always been a stalemate between the heavy and light energy forces.”

  “So, it’s a true stalemate,” Jeff concluded. “We have to take out the Taqe one at a time just as they are focused on us.”

  Victor laughed. “Now you’re getting it, my boy. We’re only at risk on an individual basis if a Warrior or any Taqe can send us love instead of fear, anger or hate when we attack them.”

  “But if we are caught by love,” Jeff persisted, “then, as I understand from my classroom training, we either have to turn into a Taqe or our soul dies. And if it dies, we are no more—forever.”

  “That’s right. Turn and be a traitor to your own kind or die a permanent death,” Lothar said.

  The bitter taste in Jeff’s mouth made him wrinkle his nose. “That’s a helluva choice.”

  Shrugging, Victor said, “Don’t worry. Not many have had to make that choice in our history.”

  “Those that did,” Jeff asked, “did they die or turn into a Taqe?”

  “They’ve all died,” Lothar said proudly. “We’ve a wall o
f honor for those Tupay who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their soul for our way of life.”

  “But, what would happen if the Tupay was trapped and made a decision to turn and become a Taqe?”

  Victor’s eyes narrowed upon the trainee. “He would be the ultimate traitor to his own kind! That would be like you turning from your own country as a patriot and deciding to side with the enemy who killed you as you climbed that cliff on D-Day.”

  Jeff was horrified by that thought. “That would never happen. I’m faithful to my country, to the people I was sent to protect. I am faithful to you, my lord and to the Tupay way.”

  Victor gave the trainee a wide smile. “That’s right, my boy. If you were ever to be caught in the net of loving energy, then all you have to remember is that you’re siding with the enemy. Your patriotism to the Tupay would be tested but I know you’d pass that test. I can see the look in your eyes.” Victor chuckled, very pleased.

  “Look,” Lothar said urgently, “they’re moving!”

  Turning, Victor saw the woman Taqe leaving the bank of the lake for the teahouse. “Come on, we’re going to hide in this forest and let them pass by. Keep your shields up. I don’t want Black to detect us.”

  “And then what?” Lothar asked, climbing off the trail and following his leader.

  “We wait and watch. Black had the topo map open. Chances are, they are going to another lake. We’ll just be patient, bide our time and see what their choice is.” He laughed and moved more deeply into the shadowy forest, feeling a sense of triumph.

  Chapter 12

  “Time for a break,” Colt told Shelly as they walked into the hotel. It was nearly 4:00 p.m. by the time they were finished hiking and had gotten back to the hotel. He managed a slight smile. “Apple pie and ice cream?” He wanted to erase that worry in her expression.