According to Legend (28 page)

“No tricks now,” Noeetu said as he held the gun to my head.

“I must use the stones. They are the key to enter the cave,” I said.

“Let me do it,” Niviktay said as she shoved her husband aside. “It’s my right as the true Tribal Princess.”

I took the catcher from around my neck and handed it to her. It was a gamble giving up control of the stones, but it was a gamble I felt I had to take.

An evil smile curled her lips as she finally held the long coveted stones in her hand.

“Tell me what to do,” she shouted.

“The stones will not work for you,” I said calmly.

“Why not?”

“Because they will only work for the true Tribal Princess.”

“Ha! You stupid girl. That’s how much you know. I AM the true Tribal Princess. Now tell me how to use these stones to get into the cave or I’ll have these men shoot you.”

“If they shoot me, you will never get into the cave. I am the only one who possesses the ability to control the power of the stones. If you doubt me, go ahead and try to use them.”

“At last,” she said, laughing hysterically with madness. Then turning to me she ordered. “Tell me what to do—NOW!”

“Place the stones into the hole carved for them here in the center of this larger circular stone.” I indicated where she should place the stones and then turning to David I said, “When she does this, you must turn the round stone and the door to the cave should open, that is, unless she is not the true Tribal Princess.”

All eyes were on Niviktay. She did as I instructed and David tried to turn the round stone, but it wouldn’t move.

“Step aside, wimp,” Williamson said as he shoved his gun into the holster and pushed David out of the way. “Let a real man put some muscle behind it.” But, of course, he could not budge the stone either.

“What evil trick is this? Why isn’t it working?” Niviktay shrieked.

“I suggest you give the stones back to the girl. Perhaps you have not done it correctly. Let her show you how to do it,” Noeetu said.

Niviktay’s face was white with rage as she turned and shoved the catcher into my hands.

“I told you, you are not the true Tribal Princess,” I said calmly as I took the catcher from her hand and slipped it back around my neck. I was relieved my gamble had paid off.

“OPEN THAT DOOR. NOW!” she shrieked again.

I calmly moved past her. Energy tingled on my fingertips and heat crept up my hand when I place the stones into the hole carved in the center of the large circular stone. I faced David. “Now if you turn the round stone, the door to the cave will open.”

He stepped past Williamson, and with the ease of a child turned the circular stone in his hand. The grinding sound of stone against stone could be heard even above the thundering falls as the door to the cave slid opened before us.

“Amazing!” he murmured.

“Yes, it is amazing what can be done when you are the one destined to do the job,” I said.

We entered and once on the inside performed a similar task to close the door behind us.

As I remembered, the interior of the cave was not dark. The light from the underground lake cast a glow that gave a dream-like light to the cave. Even the air was alive and vibrant with an energy that reflected a golden glow of its own. We proceeded to the underground lake where the canoes rested upon the bank.

“On the other side of this lake you will find the treasures you seek,” I said.

Hearing that, Niviktay scrambled into one of the canoes, “Hurry! Hurry!” she commanded.

It was a difficult fit, but we managed to squeeze into two canoes. David and Williamson rowed to the opposite shore. Once we had arrived on the opposite banks, I led them up the twisted path between the great boulders that rose from the floor of the cave and stood as silent sentinels to guard to its riches.

I slowed my pace as we approached the treasures.

“Why are we stopping? Where is the treasure?” Niviktay screamed.

“It is here before you.”

“There is nothing here but piles of rock,” she said.

As we approached the mountains of stones, I said, “These are not rocks, but gems, amethyst, aquamarine, emeralds, topaz, and over there you will find gold and silver. Have you ever seen anything like this?”

They rushed to the mounds of gems and greedily picked up handfuls of the stones, stuffing them into leather pouches that hung at their waists. The sight of their greedy display made my stomach turn.

“Up there, beyond these gems, is a bubbling spring. It is said to drink from it will bring eternal life.” I told them.

“We no longer need her,” Niviktay said. Still stuffing gems into her tunic, she turned to her husband and said, “Kill her. NOW!”

“Let’s not be so hasty. We will use her. Let us go up to the spring and see if its waters bring her eternal life,” Noeetu said as he shoved his gun into my back.

Even though I knew Moheeladeck and the warriors were here, somewhere hidden in the shadows, fear gripped me when the cold, hard barrel of the gun pressed into my back.

I was frozen with fear even though Half-Breed stayed close beside me.

Focus, Princess. You must remain calm.
His thoughts burst into my mind.

From somewhere I found the strength to force myself to move forward as we proceeded to the spring. With shaking hands I picked up one of the small wooden cups and knelt to fill it with water.

Noeetu stood the closest to me and the others gathered around and were all facing me. I stood with the cup in my hand and as I turned to face my audience I said, “Who will be the first to drink of the eternal waters?”

“I will,” a strong male voice echoed from behind the group, a voice I knew belonged to my husband.

The moment was upon him, the moment to act and Moheeladeck rushed up behind Niviktay. He grabbed her from behind and placed a knife to her throat, just as he has done with Divakar that day in the forest.

One of our warriors, Ratuka, had managed to do the same with Williamson, but Noeetu, who stood the closest to me, had escaped capture. Although our warriors stood with spears and arrows aimed and at the ready, Noeetu still held a gun in his hand. I stood as if in a dream watching the scene play out in slow motion before me.

David moved to position himself between me and Noeetu. He closed his eyes and I could see by his expression there was an emotional struggle going on inside him. The sight of Moheeladeck brought the raw hate and jealousy of Divakar rushing to the surface and he was clearly fighting for control.

My eyes shot to Moheeladeck, but his gaze remained frozen on David. His face was usually an emotionless mask, but his eyes darken and his body stiffened.

“My brother,” Moheeladeck finally said to David, his voice tight as he struggled for control. “Will you at last do the right thing? Will you finally lay aside your jealousy and hate and save the woman we both love?”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me; everyone except Moheeladeck, who remained focused on David.

“What nonsense is this?” Niviktay said. “David is the son of Agnes Warren, my son.”

“Yes, that may be true in this time, but within David lives the spirit of Divakar, my brother, and the son of Glooskap,” Moheeladeck said.

Everyone gasped. “Son of the Great and Powerful God, Glooskap? Impossible!” Niviktay exclaimed.

“Impossible? As impossible as Agnes Warren being Niviktay? As impossible as your husband being the son of Malsumsis, Noeetu, my cousin? As impossible as Pam Hasting being Takshawee, my bride and the true Tribal Princess? It is not only possible, it is so. This man is my brother.”

“It cannot be,” Niviktay said. “I have waited for centuries to get into this cave. I have neutered David to be the rightful heir of this tribe. It cannot be that I have done all this for nothing. I cannot accept it. I will not accept it,” she said as she struggled against Moheeladeck’s hold.

“Be still, woman, before you cause my hand to slip,” he commanded through clenched teeth as he held the blade closer to her throat.

“You seem to forget something,” Noeetu said as he leveled his gun and aimed it at my heart. “I’m the one holding all the cards, I’m the one holding the gun, and believe me, I will use it.”

I saw the hardness in Moheeladeck’s eyes. My thoughts rushed to Half-Breed who had moved now to stand closer to Williamson.

Half-Breed, tell Moheeladeck not to falter, no matter the cost.

Half-Breed relayed the message and Moheeladeck’s eyes flashed to me.

Williamson saw that as the small diversion he needed and made a move to pull his gun out of the holster but our warrior, Ratuka, was holding him and pressed the knife closer to Williamson’s throat. Blood ran from the officer’s neck. Williamson elbowed Ratuka in the gut, and the warrior stumbled backward and fell. Williamson, now freed, pulled the gun out of the holster and pointed it at Moheeladeck, who had started to turn to the direction of the commotion.

At precisely that same moment, Half-Breed leaped up at Williamson. As he jumped, he transformed before our eyes into Emanudeck, whose size and weight knocked Williamson off his feet. But as he fell, Williamson fired his gun.

Everyone had now turned toward the commotion, including Moheeladeck, who was holding Niviktay in front of him. The bullet meant to strike Moheeladeck struck Niviktay, who Mooheladeck held before him. She slumped forward as the bullet entered her body and a stain of blood covered her chest. Moheeladeck loosened his grip and stepped back from her as her lifeless body dropped to the floor of the cave.

The roar of the weapon discharging echoed off the walls of the cavern. The floor beneath us rumbled as if it were a great beast that would open its mouth to swallow us.

As Emanudeck struggled with the officer trying to pull the gun from his hand, the weapon discharged again. Fear choked me. Had my father been hit? I could not suffer loss again. But this time Williamson became his own target.

Noeetu didn’t waste time. Seeing his accomplices fall, he turned back toward me and aimed the gun level with my chest. He was only a few feet away from me, and I thought for sure this was it. My stomach clenched, and I swallowed hard to force back the feeling that I might vomit. A stream of sweat ran between my breasts as I brought my shaking hand to the dream catcher.

“Niviktay is dead. Now you will die in this hole, too, you bitch,” he said, shaking as rage overtook him.

I closed my eyes and held my breath to ready myself for the impact of the bullet as he fired the weapon.

“No!” David shouted and leapt forward.

Just as Noeetu fired, Moheeladeck threw his knife. The blade stuck Noeetu squarely in the back and the gun fell from his hand as he dropped to the ground. The sound of the third gun blast echoed through the cave and the ground shook beneath us as rocks began to fall from the ceiling and walls of the cave. In the split second when all this was happening, I realized that I hadn’t felt the bullet strike me. I opened my eyes and looked down to find David slumped at my feet with blood seeping from a wound in his chest. I knelt beside him with tears running down my cheeks. Moheeladeck, Emanudeck, and our tribesmen all came to stand around us.

“I told you I would die for you, Pam,” he whispered.

“And I told you that I would never ask you to do that,” I said as my trembling fingers touched his face.

“You would never have to ask. I love you,” he said. “I have always loved you.”

Moheeladeck came and knelt beside David. “After all these centuries, my brother, you have finally done the right thing. You have acted out of selfless love and broken the curse upon the male children of our blood.”

David looked up into Moheeladeck’s eyes and uttered the words that I had spoken mere moments ago. “It is amazing what can be done when you are the one destined to do the job.”

David had finally realized his true destiny. He was the brother destined to break the curse. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I silently prayed he would not die.

The walls of the cave began to crumble and jagged cracks opened in the floor.

“Let us leave this place,” Moheeladeck said as he lifted his brother into his arms.

“He’s not going to make it,” I said. “We have to do something! Here! Now!”

Moheeladeck gently placed David back down beside the spring. He took the cup and, filling it with water, he handed it to me.

“Hurry, dip the stones into the water,” he instructed.

I did as he asked and then handed the cup back to Moheeladeck, who placed the cup to David’s lips. “Drink,” he said.

David was growing weak and struggling to breathe, but he did as his brother had asked. After he had taken a sip from the cup, Moheeladeck poured the remainder of the water in the cup over David’s wound.

Then he turned to me and said, “If you love him, ask the stones to save him, to let him live.”

Moheeladeck gazed into my tear-filled eyes and asked me the burning question. “Do you love him?”

I knew the answer. I had found the answer at the falls. “Yes, I love him.” The words spilled out in a mere whisper.

Moheeladeck’s face was a mask, void of all emotion. His eyes dark and lifeless as the light left them.

“But not in the way a wife loves a husband. I was only drawn to him by the enchantment of the stones,” I hastily added.

Love shined again and the light returned to Moheeladeck’s dark eyes. “He is Divakar, my brother. I cannot watch him die. You have the power to save him. Please, Takshawee, ask the stones to let him live.”

I looked down at David and saw that he was indeed now Divakar. Emotion tugged at my soul. Divakar had been the mortal enemy and brother of Moheeladeck, Divakar had been the man who kidnapped me in the forest. Where was David, the man who protected me, the man who loved me as Pam in my present time? Could these two men have become one as I had become Takshawee? Confusion gripped me, but I had to act. There was no time. He was dying. I had to trust my heart. I took the stones into my trembling hands and spoke in a whisper. “Please, let this man live.”