According to Legend (22 page)

I lifted my face to the horizon. I could not worry about him now. I had to get to Moheeladeck, to warn him.

I flew effortlessly back toward the tunnel. Beneath me was Divakar’s war party staring at the cave waiting to ambush Moheeladeck and his men when they stepped from the entrance. I hoped they would not suspect the soaring eagle to be anything other than a bird as I flew over their heads and entered the tunnel.

It was dark in the entrance to the cave, but the eyes of the eagle are razor sharp and adjusted quickly. I alighted upon a mound of stones. Thoughts of standing upon human legs took root in my mind.
What if I were trapped forever in the shape of the eagle?
My heart rose to my throat as I feared I may spend the remainder of my days in this form. After taking a calming breath, I closed my eyes I imagined my arms outstretched before me, the long tan arms and hands of the Tribal Princess. When I opened my eyes, I had shifted back into my human form.

The murky gloom suddenly filled with the sound of running feet coming from the tunnel. I raised my head to the entrance. My heart pounded so hard I thought it would come out of my chest.

Half-Breed was rushing toward me out of the depths of the darkness. Upon seeing me, he skidded to a stop in his tracks and Moheeladeck nearly ran right over him.

I rushed into Moheeladeck’s arms. Emotion overtook me and tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Are you injured, my love?” he asked.

“No, I-I . . . Oh, Moheeladeck ” I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him. The saltiness of my tears mingled with the sweetness of our kiss, and relief washed over me like rain.

As our lips parted, he said, “Let us leave this place.”

“They await you just outside the entrance to this tunnel. It is an ambush,” I said, nearly breathless.

“How did you get here? How did you escape him?”

“I used the power within me to change into the form of an eagle. I saw from above that Divakar plans an ambush. I came to stop you, but we cannot leave, we must go forth. Divakar has the stones.”

“How many warriors are with him?”

“Besides him, six.”

Moheeladeck stopped in the safety of the cave and spoke with his men.

“We have the same number of warriors but we must protect Takshawee.”

He turned to me. “You will go back through the tunnel to safety.”

“I will not leave you. How can I run to safety when you will face a battle? How could I live if something were to happen to you?”

“You are a stubborn woman.”

“I am, but you love me.”

“I do. That is why I wish you would listen to me, but since I know you will not, here is what we will do.” We all gathered around to hear his plan.

“I have a plan,” I whispered to Moheeladock.

I was trying to be brave and praying that I could find the courage to do what needed to be done.

“You know I would give my life to protect you,” Moheeladeck said.

He kissed me softly. “I love you. I will never allow him to take you from me again. Now you must go!”

I continued further into the tunnel until I was out of sight, then focused again on the eagle. My mind, strong with the memory of the flight, the rush of air beneath me, the sight of my talons sharp and ready for battle and before I realized what had happened, I was flying over the heads of the warriors, out of the tunnel and into the sunlight. I grasped the knives in my sharp talons as if they were part of me. I flew high up over the trees and over the heads of Divakar’s warriors, who stood focused on the entrance to the cave waiting to ambush Moheeladeck and his men, so focused that they didn’t notice the passage of a bird of prey. The brave that was my guard laid face down in the dirt.

I came down to earth behind them and changed back to my human form. I held the knives in my trembling hands. Would I be able to kill one of these men?

Stay calm. You can do this. You have done this once before
, I thought. My hand shook as I adjusted the weight of the knives in my sweaty palms. My heart hammered, but I tried to calm myself. Taking a deep breath, my survival instinct surfaced and my body acted without thought. My right arm moved as Moheeladeck had taught me and I threw the first knife. Without waiting to see where it landed, I quickly did the same with the second one. The deadly weapons sped through the distance to their intended targets, striking both warriors squarely in the back. Blood began to spread in widening rivers across their tunics. I could hardly swallow the vomit that rose to my throat. Uncertain of what to do, I backed into the protective covering of the bushes.

Hearing the screams behind them, Divakar and his warriors turned. Just as I predicted, they must have thought they were being attacked from behind. I remained hidden and watched. My heart thundered and I feared my trembling limbs would cause the bush I was hidden in to shake.

As Divakar and his warriors turned expecting to see their attackers behind them, the brave Aloscotay warriors made their move.

Moheeladeck was the first to run from the tunnel. He was silent as he swiftly and fearlessly came within reach of Divakar. In a split second, my husband grabbed his enemy from behind and held a knife to his throat.

“You have taken something that belongs to me, Divakar,” Moheeladeck said in a voice as sharp and cold as steel.

Divakar stood shock still, his body rigid. The drawn arrows of our warriors held his tribesmen at bay. No one moved.

“As you can see, there is nothing of yours here,” Divakar hissed through his teeth.

Moheeladeck pressed the point of the knife closer to Divakar’s throat and a few drops of blood ran down his neck.

I remained frozen in place, watching the scene play out before me, but the sight of blood yanked me back to reality. I knew I had to move, so with shaking legs, I stepped forward from my hiding place.

“I am here,” I said as I made my way out of the bushes and rushed to Moheeladeck.

“Takshawee, go and stand behind our warriors so you will be out of danger,” he said.

“I am in no danger. There is no need for anyone else to die today,” I said as I put my hand upon Moheeladeck’s, holding him back from pressing the point of his knife into Divikar’s exposed throat.

“You have what you came for. Now leave,” Divakar ordered, a slight tremor in his voice.

“That is not all you have taken.” Moheeladeck’s words dripped with venom as he reached around and yanked the catcher from Divakar’s neck. “I believe this belongs to my bride. It was a gift to her from her mother and it is very dear to her.”

When he handed the precious dream catcher back to me, my heart fluttered when its magic vibrated in my hands once again.

Divakar growled under his breath. “This isn’t finished,” he spat.

“You are lucky that I spare your life this day. Do not think to cross my lands again and never let me see your face, Divakar. You will not find yourself to be so lucky the next time. Now, take your warriors and leave this place.” Moheeladeck shoved him away.

Divakar turned to face us. The hate in his eyes was like nothing I had ever seen before.

“You may have won this day, my brother, but I have set the magic in motion now. If I cannot have her here, I will take her in the other realm, in the other time. This is far from over.”

With that, Divakar strode away from us and dove off the cliff, into the deep pool of water below and was gone.

My cell phone was ringing. I rolled over, still half asleep. My first semi-conscious thought was that it was probably David, but I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello.”

“Ms. Hastings?” the male voice asked.

“Yes.”

“This is Mr. Adams, the appraiser.”

“Oh, yes.” My brain was fuzzy and I felt as if I was still wrapped up in my vivid dream.

“I’m calling about the items you brought in for appraisal and, well, I have to say they are worth quite a bit of money. I don’t know where you got them, but the gems, although uncut, are of very high quality, natural, not man-made and, well, honestly, worth a great deal of money,” he rambled.

“Really? How much?”

“I would rather not discuss the details over the phone, but we will discuss it in person when you come to pick up your items. Suffice it to say, Miss Hastings, they are worth a small fortune.”

“Wow. That’s great.” Excitement rushed through me like electricity and got me sitting up in bed. “What’s next?” I clutched the phone.

“Next?”

“Well, yes. I want to sell them.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I can refer you to a few people I know who may be interested in purchasing raw gems of such a high quality. I’ll give you their contact information when you stop back in to pick these up.”

“I can be there in about an hour.”

We exchanged a few more pleasantries, then I hung up and rolled over. “Half-Breed, I can’t believe I slept till noon.”

Yes, but if you woke any sooner it could have meant disaster for the People. I’m happy that you are wise and combined your intelligence with the powers within you. I am proud of you, daughter,
he said sounding very much like a proud father.

Thank you, Father. I have inherited both my powers and wisdom from you and Mother.

He placed a paw gently on my arm and I placed a hand over his paw. “Now, let me tell you what Mr. Adams had to say . . .”

Mr. Adams had the gems and his appraisal ready for me. My hands shook when I took the paper from him and I nearly fainted when I read the bottom line. The gems were worth half a million dollars and there were many, many, more where those came from.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “where did you get these gems?”

I didn’t know what to say. “They were left to me by an ancestor.”

I picked up the bag of stones and he handed me a list of names and numbers of individuals he had personally spoken with who expressed an interest in purchasing the jewels at the appraised value.

Am I dreaming?
He suggested that I contact the first person on his list.

“I’ve dealt with this particular gentleman in the past,” he said. “He’s honest and, more importantly, his checks are good.”

“Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Adams.”

I staggered out of his office in disbelief.

When I returned home, I dialed the number of the first person on the list. It turned out he was a gem buyer for one of the most reputable jewelry stores in New York City. He was very interested in seeing the gems, so we set an appointment for the following morning. I wanted to sell them and the sooner the better. In light of Divakar’s threat, I knew it wasn’t safe for me to remain in this realm.

I took the bag of gems and hid them under my mattress. I really didn’t know what to do with something worth that much money. I found it funny that I hadn’t given them a second thought for the few days they were merely lying on my dresser.

Oh Half-Breed, I wish I could know how all this turns out.

Just take comfort in knowing it will all come to an end soon.

How can you know this? And how can you remain so calm?

It cannot go on much longer, Princess. Our enemies in this realm grow impatient. Even as we speak, David is approaching the front door.

Despite myself, a smile crossed my lips, and I asked,
How do you always know these things?

Wolves have a keen sense of smell and we can hear things you cannot. I heard his truck pull up in front of the house.

The doorbell rang. “Half-Breed, you’re something else!”

I went downstairs to answer the door and, sure enough, David stood there, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Hey, Pam, I probably should have called, but I was wondering what you and your crazy wolf were up to today? I thought maybe you’d be up for that hike?” he said, flashing his disarming smile. My eyes were instantly drawn to his lips. The catcher hummed gently.
I wonder why I never noticed before just how sexy his lips are.
I shook my head to free it from the cobwebs that seemed to have me in a fog.

Although I couldn’t stop seeing him in my mind as Divakar, I felt drawn to David. I remembered Divakar’s kiss in the woods, the warmth of his muscular body against mine, the passion in that kiss. I wondered if David recalled the events of my dream or if that were even possible.

I couldn’t help myself. My eyes flashed to his neck and somehow I wasn’t surprised to see the evidence of the cut Moheeladeck had inflicted there.

“What happened to your neck? Cut yourself shaving?” I asked, trying to maintain a tone of innocence. His hand instinctively went to the cut at his throat.

“Oh, I was assembling a new dog crate and I must have scratched myself,” he answered. But I knew that wasn’t how he got that cut and I wondered if he thought I believed his excuse.

“So, you two up for a hike?” he asked.

Why was he pushing the hike now?
“Oh, the hike. Yes, well, unfortunately, I have some reports to do for work and I have to get them emailed back to my boss before the end of business today, so it’s probably not a good day. I’m sorry, David.”

“That’s okay, Pam. I took a shot. Like I said, I probably should have called first.” He sounded dejected. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“I have to go into the city tomorrow on personal business, so perhaps another day later in the week,” I answered absent-mindedly.

“You’re going into the city tomorrow?” He pounced on that tidbit of information.

What had I been thinking? I have to start to think before speaking or I was really going to get myself into some serious trouble here.

“Yes.”

“You better be careful, Pam. You know, danger sort of seems to follow you.”

“No one will be following me, unless you’re going to tell Officer Williamson or Mr. Harvey about my plans,” I said. It was a low blow, but I couldn’t help myself and I couldn’t stop thinking of the threats he had made as Divakar.

“Do you want some company?”

Although I would have appreciated some company, I didn’t want David to know about the gems.

“I’ll be taking Half-Breed with me, of course. I don’t go anywhere without him, so I really don’t think it’s necessary. But, thanks anyway.”

“I was sort of hoping you would want my company for other reasons,” he said. “But that’s okay. You said it was personal and I understand.”

Why was I feeling guilty about this?
This was David, not Divakar. David, who was trying to prove himself to me, David, who my gut was telling me I could trust, David, whose smile lit up my life.

“I’ll tell you what, I do have work to do today, but later on if you want, you can come over for dinner,” I offered. The words spilled out of me and I couldn’t stop myself. I was possessed, as memories swirled like a mist around me and all I could think of was being in his arms. I thought of Moheeladeck and my feelings for him. He trusted me. How could I even think this way about David?
Well, no need to feel guilty
, I told myself,
nothing is going to happen.

“That would be great, Pam, and I promise to behave.”

I wasn’t sure that I wanted him to behave. The catcher hummed. I wanted
him
. My head was swimming with images of a kiss in the woods, of his strong hard body pressed against mine. The catcher’s magic tingled against my heart. I knew I shouldn’t have invited him, but I had no control over my actions.

He left with a promise to return at six.

I still don’t understand why you encourage him. You know who he really is. And where are all those stray thoughts coming from? You want him to misbehave with you?

“Half-Breed, he is David. My gut tells me I can trust him. He is not Divakar,” I snapped as I closed the front door.

Yeah, just like you’re not Takshawee.

I was nervous when David showed up for dinner that evening. Even though he had promised to behave, I couldn’t erase the image of Divakar’s face from my mind. Worse than that, I couldn’t erase the feeling of being in his arms or the heat of his kiss from my soul.
What was going on?
All I could think about was his lips on mine. In this world, I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted him to make love to me. Was I somehow possessed? True to his word, however, David was a perfect gentleman.

After dinner he helped me clean up, just as he had done the last time we had dinner together. We retired to the living room and as before, soft music was playing in the background, a fire was burning and candles were lit all around. It was a romantic setting, a setting that up until now I would have only wanted to share with Moheeladeck.

I reminded myself that I was capable of summoning Moheeladeck with a mere thought and cautioned myself to harness my imagination before I had a battle in the middle of my living room. It was bad enough that an emotional battle was going on inside me.

“Pam,” David began with a nervous tone in his voice.

“Yes?”

“You know how I feel about you, so it should come as no surprise to you that, well, I’ve been dreaming of you.”

Here it comes
, I thought. “Anything you want to share? I mean it’s not X-rated or anything, right?” I tried to make light of what I thought he was about to tell me, but still, my heart fluttered. Was it something he felt too or was I the only one struggling with this sexual tension? I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his lips.

“It’s not what you think. It’s not that kind of dream. Remember I told you that I keep dreaming I’m this Indian guy?”

“Yes, I remember,” I said as I inched closer to him. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn’t. I was drawn to him by some powerful unseen force that left me helpless.

“Well, last night I had this dream and you were in it. Only it wasn’t you, exactly. It’s sort of hard to explain. I was in the dream, too, but I wasn’t myself either, exactly. I was an Indian from another tribe, and you, you were an Indian, too. You had long dark hair and haunting amber eyes, completely beautiful.” He seemed wistful as he recalled the woman in his dream. “That’s not to say you aren’t beautiful, you know I think you are.”

I smiled and he continued.

“Anyway, I know this is going to sound totally insane, but you were married to their Chief and when I saw you, in the dream, I mean, I instantly fell in love with you.” Words escaped me and I held my breath waiting for him to continue. “In the dream, I was so obsessed with you that, well, I sort of, ah, well, I kidnapped you. I mean, how crazy is that?”

“Yeah, you better lay off those pepperoni pizzas before bed, David,” I said with a nervous laugh, but he wasn’t laughing.

“In the dream, we kissed but it was more than just a kiss. It was like we became bound together or something. It’s hard to explain but I’ve never felt anything like it. I’m telling you, Pam, the dream felt so real and I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“How can that be?” I asked, hoping that he would think that this was completely idiotic and insane, even though I knew it to be completely true.

“I know, but well, what I was wondering was if you have been having any strange or similar dreams?” I could tell by the look on his face that he really was hoping that I would say I had.
He probably thinks he’s going insane.

“I’ve had some crazy dreams, David, but I can’t say I have had anything quite like what you’re describing.”

Did he believe me? Would he know I was lying?
He had told me before that he knew who I really was. If I hadn’t had the dream and now knew the depth of Divakar’s hate for Moheeladeck, would I have confided in David? If I hadn’t had the same dream and now knew the depth of Divakar’s passion, and the passion he somehow ignited in me, would I have said something? I could see David was in turmoil and so was I, but I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I wondered if I would even be able to help myself through the emotion that was brewing inside me since Divakar commanded the catcher in the woods.

“Pam, if you really had dreams like mine you would tell me, wouldn’t you? I mean you wouldn’t lie about something like this, would you?”

My heart was torn and guilt gnawed at me. I saw the pain in his eyes. I felt the confusion in my soul. I knew that David in this realm was honestly trying to prove himself to me. He was in love with me and I believed with all my heart he would never hurt me. Then there was Divakar, who claimed he was so taken with me that he instantly fell in love with me, but I didn’t know how the depths of his hate for Moheeladeck would affect him. The Divakar in the dream seemed frightening to me in more ways than one.

“Pam?”

“Oh, sorry,” I said. “I was trying to imagine a dream like the one you described but, no, I wouldn’t lie to you,” I assured him. I couldn’t help lying to him. I kept hearing Weekatay’s words over and over again.
Trust no one!

I felt sorry for David, but I couldn’t tell him. I had to trust my gut and more than that, I had to trust the catcher, which was vibrating over my heart. Through all of this, I still couldn’t drag my eyes away from his lips.