Micah’s voice immediately responded, “So you think anything that is energy depleting for you and energy giving to Shawn will be in an area with a higher than average heat flow?”
“Right – if you guys are at the southern tip of Australia..” I unfolded my map. “…there’s a hotspot close with slightly above average heat flows. However, just west of you, smack dab in the middle of the ocean the heat flow gets as high as they can get,
and
there is a hotspot.”
“Under an island?”
“Two island sets, as a matter of fact. Both fairly close together.” I paused while I flipped through my maps. “One is the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and the other is Heard Island and McDonald Islands.”
“So which one is it?”
I gave an annoyed grunt before clicking the handset back on. “I don’t know – this isn’t an exact science.”
Alex grabbed the handset before I could get even more agitated. “Give us some time to research both and we’ll get back to you. In the meantime, this isn’t all Kaitlyn has been up to. She has more news.”
“What?” Even over the radio, I could detect the suspicion in Micah’s voice.
I grabbed the handset back from Alex. “What?! Like,
What did Kaitlyn do now
? Like,
She does nothing but screw things up
?”
Alex tried to stop my tirade before it got worse, but I picked up the radio and walked away with it. “How about asking how the baby is? Or how am I for that matter? Aren’t you a little curious to know, seeing as how you went gallivanting off like a cowboy to protect us – leaving us vulnerable and fending for ourselves?”
In my anger, my body inadvertently brushed against the radio, flipping switches on and off.
Alex jumped up, sticking his face in front of the handset. “Be advised, we are no longer secure! Cease communications. Do you copy? Cease communications!”
“Oh, Alex – cease this!” Caught up in more emotions than I could handle, I almost subconsciously called upon the new elemental air powers and wove a quick net, wrapping Alex up in a cocoon of wind. I tied off the weaves and he stood there with his arms across his chest, unable to move against the invisible force. Only his hair and the extra skin on his face, rippling against the wind, gave away what held him captive.
I took a deep breath, ensuring both Alex was securely tied up and no personalities were trying to take advantage of my emotional breakdown. Picking up the handset once again, I forced a measure of control into my voice and said, “Don’t you dare disconnect.”
“Listen to me, Kilo-
watt
,” Micah said.
I was too upset to acknowledge his clever way of using the very word that set me off to create my radio call name.
Micah continued, “You forget that Johnnie
Bravo
…”
I did a quick thought process in my head,
Bravo for B – B for baby, ok got it
,
“…and I have a certain connection. I know probably better than you that Bravo is fine.
And
I know you’re under constant attack when you sleep. I’m doing my best to help her ward off the attacks. So get off your high horse and give me a little credit here. Now,
what
have you done?”
I glanced at Alex; my wind weaves were holding up surprisingly well. “Nothing.”
Alex’s eyes went wide. Sooner or later he’d have to be released and would fess up.
“I mean, I had a dream that might be of help. I’ll use a spell to send it to you.”
“Right now?” Micah asked.
“I need an hour.”
“I’ll stand by. Anything else?”
Alex began shouting something about the athame; most of his voice carried off by the wind. Annoyed, I flipped my hand toward the wind cocoon and released the weaves. He slumped down to the floor, but didn’t move toward me. He waited patiently for me to break the news myself.
“Not sure if I should say everything over unsecure lines.”
“I can fix that.” Alex took the radio from me and went through the same procedure. Once Micah verified his end was secure, Alex handed me the handset.
“Here goes nothing.” I pushed down the handset switch to activate it and gave my confession as quickly as possible, saying it all in one breath, “I absorbed the athame’s power and energy. Now I have a bunch of women inside me trying to claw their way out.” I paused. “Sometimes they succeed.”
Nothing but dead silence responded.
I hesitated, wondering if we had lost the connection. “Are you there?”
Cato’s voice came over the radio. “Yes, we are here. Micah is, well, Micah is still absorbing this new information.”
A muffled flurry of curse words came from the background and the handset on the other end was quickly disengaged. Alex and I gave each other a hopeless look. We were both in big trouble.
Alex took the handset, and clicked it on. “I think, in light of all this, it may be time for us to regroup.”
“We’ve had an issue with Susan’s passport,” Cato sounded less and less happy with his crew. “It will most likely take us a few days to resolve. We are stuck here until then.”
“That’s ok,” Alex said. “We’ll figure out which islands we’re headed for by then.”
“Sounds good. And Alex – no more experiments with Kaitlyn until we are reunited.”
“Read you loud and clear.” Alex seemed relieved the order was given by Cato, as if I would be any more inclined to obey. “Alpha Dog and Kilowatt out.”
He quickly disengaged the radio before any more drama ensued. He brushed his hands together. “Well, Kaitlyn, looks like we have some work to do. You need to send that dream to Micah, and I’ll start researching both islands.”
“After lunch?”
He rolled his eyes, “Is nothing more important to you than food?”
“At the moment, no.”
Cause and Effect
I sat in the kitchen alone. Alex had run off, excited to plan for a trip that would finally take him away from his island prison. On the table in front of me sat the athame, no longer a threat now that I had reversed its intent.
I carefully laid out the same set up I had used for the consecration spell; a bowl of salt, a bowl of water, burning incense, and a lit candle. This time, according to the dream book, I had to be careful to set each element toward their direction of power: salt representing earth sat to the North, incense representing air sat to the East, fire to the South, and water to the West. I sat in the middle of the circle of elements, taking care to ensure the small table would hold me and my rapidly increasing baby weight, and started to recall my dream.
I relived my nightmare, including every gory detail, hoping Micah may catch some clues that I missed, being so entranced with the scenery and all. Shawn had been very clever about the dream. I had no idea what was happening until it was already over. All my research and preparations on dreaming hadn’t even mattered. I gasped for air as I reached the end of the dream; sweat dripped down my face. I wiped off with the sleeve of my shirt and started on the spell, “Give me the ability to send forth this dream, across the Earth or water's bound, whether Micah be in the sky or on the ground. By the powers of fire to let it shine bright, by the powers of earth and air to send it tonight, by the powers of water to sweep within dream's door, and by the power of me shall Micah remember it evermore.”
I squinted one eye open, not detecting the slightest waver of energy to show something had happened. He wouldn’t receive the dream until he slept again, but surely I should have some inkling that the spell worked.
You’re doing it wrong
. I heard the voice as clear as day, but when I swiveled my head around scanning the kitchen, no one was there.
“Who is that?” I called.
Silence.
I tried again.
Who is that?
Come inside and find out.
Now I understood. One of the personalities had figured out a way to communicate with me, even when I wasn’t emerged in my subconscious. I could easily delve deep within myself, but was it a trap? I considered waiting for Alex in case something went wrong, but then again, he would probably refuse to let me do it in the first place.
A quick in and out
, I told myself.
I picked up the athame, closed my eyes, and recreated the sensation of falling back into the cave without moving my physical body. I fell quickly this time, now that I knew what to do. Instead of diving into the water I hit my ledge with a soft thud, right in the center of the sturdy walls I built surrounding it. I looked around cautiously, ready to raise my hands to welcome the light and bring me out at the first sign of danger.
There were no sudden movements, no gaseous forms, and no flickers of energy to indicate trouble. I faced the wall where I knew the stairs lay just on the other side and waved my hand, turning the hard rock to crystal. It thinned enough so I could see through, admittedly weaker than the stone, but it would hold out against attack until I could restore its strength. On the other side was one lone ball of being, which took shape into human form as soon as it saw me. She was pretty, with long black hair and clothed in a homemade dress that looked straight from the medieval ages.
She approached the wall, drinking in the sight of the Gaia who had caused all the commotion. Other gaseous forms floated behind her. None approached, but several let their faces emerge momentarily, looking at me curiously. We each placed one hand on the stone, the crystal carrying our voices through to one another.
“I am Arianna, and I was Gaia long before your time.” She took another second to look me over. “You are strong; commanding the athame’s powers like none has before.”
“The energy of the athame, and all of you, have been drawn into my body. Because this place is in my physical form, I will always have the advantage.” I let my voice carry, echoing through the cave and deep into the water so hopefully all the personalities would be deterred from trying to take control. A few on the stairs actually shrank back, but Arianna met my gaze, steady and strong. I swallowed. “What do you mean I’m doing it wrong?”
“During my time as Gaia, I grew strong with Akasha, the fifth element that binds all others – the eternal source of all energy. Akasha binds the material and spiritual worlds. It can most easily be called upon when meditating or dreaming. I know about dreaming spells.”
I was growing impatient, getting the sense that I had already overstayed my welcome.
She caught on without me saying so. “I will hurry. Our dreams are normally a mirror image of our thoughts, but sometimes things get mixed up in transfer. Those cause the unexplainable happenings in our dreams. I can tell you what you have done wrong in your spell, but I want something in return.”
Ah, and there was the rub. “What?”
“I want control, for just a few minutes. You can name the amount of time.”
“Why?”
“This form I am, that we are, isn’t me – my spirit has long since joined with the earth. I am just Arianna’s memories, her essence. Still I want to feel again, for however short a time.”
“That’s not a fair trade. I’ll just as easily share my dream another way without having to risking losing myself to you.”
“You are right.” She pursed her lips in thought. “I will share my knowledge of Akasha and dreams with you as well.”
Tempting, but still dangerous. The question was, was it more dangerous than approaching Shawn and all his minions unprepared? I knew the answer before the question was complete. “Fine, but this is how it will work. You tell me what went wrong in my spell. Then I return to my body and complete the spell. I will also alert my friend to what I’m about to do. When I do give you control over my body, your hands will be bound. You will promise not to cause physical harm to me or anyone else, nor practice any of your powers. I will decide when it is time for you to return. Once you do, you will share the rest of your knowledge.”