Scent of the Heart (23 page)

“Sev,” he answered without hesitation.

“And he is gone. Yet the tether still exists. Do you not find this perplexing?”

Casey grasped the tether that was lodged in his chest and pulled. It grew taut, and he knew there was something on the other end.

“Is this Sev?” he pleaded.

“We know you have had to do much on your own. We understand how difficult it has been for you, and we wish there was something we could do to correct that. You have impressed us, however. Your thirst for knowledge has only been superseded by your compassion for your people. We will grant you one boon, however—”

“Bring Sev and his brothers back. Please. I will give you anything you want. Take me in their place, but please let him come back,” he begged.

“Again, you speak but do not listen. Your heart is where it has always been, and that will not change. No, the boon we speak of is to tell you of your nature. To explain to you that which you need to know. To understand some of what makes you the shaman.”

The old man gestured and a stump grew from the ground. He sat on it, looking frail but regal at the same time.

“Pull up a stump,
Caaaaasey
.”

Casey attempted the same act as the man, but nothing happened, which caused the old man to chortle.

“It’s easier than it looks, believe me.” Another quick hand movement, and a second stump appeared. Casey sat and turned his complete attention back to the man who had intrigued him.

“You know the story of the Alpha and Protector. How one cannot exist without the other. Though it doesn’t hold true for the shaman, there are benefits to finding your heart mate. A true shaman, such as yourself, is a powerful advocate for nature. He communes with it and it with him. Before you met Tsvetok, he had a conversation with the Protector. Would you like to know what was said?”

To hear Sev’s words? “Hell yes.”

Another gesture and a shimmering cloud appeared. Jake stood there with Sev, who appeared to be agitated about something.

“Why are you showing me this?”

“Listen and heed the words. They will tell you more effectively than we could.”

Casey turned his full attention to the scene unfolding in front of him. Sev was talking to Jake, and Casey strained to hear every word.

“
I never thought about having a man in my bed before, but that one is my mate. I watch him in the evenings as he toils in the garden. He seems happy, but his body language says otherwise. He’s sad, and I want to gather him up and fix him. He speaks to the stars, did you know that?”

Jake shook his head.

“
I believe they answer him, even if he’s not truly aware yet. When he talks, the stars seem to become brighter. They sing to him as well, I believe, and it calms his angst. As far as I know, they’ve never sung to anyone else. Our former shaman did not possess that gift. I know he’s not of our people by birth, but within him I sense incredible power and such a good heart that it brings me shame.

“
Our people believe it is spirits of those who go before us which guide us to know who our one true love is to be. We shall know them by their scent. That one is mine. He smells of the forest. Rich and earthy. He intoxicates me as no other ever has. When I’m around him, I can’t think. I see him and all I know is that he is meant to be mine.”

The clouded image faded and Casey wanted to plead for it to come back.

“Your mate knew you better than you know yourself. He watched you. Tsvetok told the Protector that you spoke to the stars and that they answered you. It’s true, you know. We do answer you. We sensed the anxiety buried in your core, and we sang to you, hopeful that it would soothe you.”

Casey stood. “I heard the song. I thought it was in my head. A memory from long ago.”

“It was. This was not the first time we sang to you. When your father told you that you were less than you should be, we sang to you in the night so you would not feel alone. We guided you to Jake, knowing the two of you would complete each other, even if your hearts would ultimately belong to others. You are very much of our people,
Caaaasey
, do not ever doubt that.

“A shaman is a whole complete person. He is not like the Protector or the Alpha who cannot exist without the other. As your experiences have taught you, there would be no reason you could not have found a mate on your own. You certainly did try to practice enough.”

The old man cackled, and Casey couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Still your destiny would lead you here, to this place, and to where something more awaited you. Tsvetok is more than your heart mate. You believed that it was the Protector who provided you with strength when you were in our realm. And, to a point, you were right. But there is another who will grant you abilities that you have not even dreamt of yet.

“Tsvetok is your spirit animal. He who will stand by your side and provide you with strength to face any challenge, spiritual or real world, that comes your way. By now you’ve discerned your mate is not gone. There is no way to sever the link that exists between you. Should you or he die, you will still be a part of one another. That is our way.”

Casey’s pulse quickened. “He’s not dead?”

“He exists in the limbo space Elizar created. In an effort to protect their family, a deal was made with Elizar; Tsvetok’s parents sacrificed themselves after extracting an oath that their children would be safe. In exchange, they became the first souls Elizar gained dominion over. Through them his power grew. It was something they had not foreseen, but Elizar didn’t tell them the whole truth either. Regardless, a bargain was struck, and Tsvetok, along with Mikhail and Vadim, still exist, if you can find them and bring them home.”

Casey ran his fingers over the tether in his chest. “Sev has always been my tether. It was that which saved me from Elizar in the first place.”

A smile and a nod were his only replies. Casey gripped the tether and pulled, the slack quickly tightening. He continued to pull with all his might until he saw the tether disappeared inside the Elizar mass.

“He’s inside Elizar?” Casey growled.

“Elizar is now this realm. You see nothing because Elizar is all.”

“No, he isn’t. I see you and you see me, so there is more than Elizar.”

The old man cackled. “Very good. We made the right decision when we picked you. Your father will never understand the gift he threw away.”

For a moment, Casey was stunned. “Picked me?”

“Indeed. There is something special about you,
Caaaaasey
. Something you have yet to figure out, but when the time comes, it will be amazing. As I said, dark times are nearing. You will need to protect your heart, and those close to it. That is, of course, if you choose to move back to your path. Will you act for justice or vengeance?”

“Like you told me, it’s a fine line. Elizar has to pay for his crimes against our people, but I won’t be his judge, jury, and executioner. That’s not my role.”

The old man’s smile widened. “No, it’s not. Elizar has been a plague for far too long. We waited for you, because it is a shaman’s duty to excise the disease for the good of his people. We entrust you with this responsibility,
Caaaaasey
. We grant you permission to deal with Elizar however you deem necessary.”

“Do you hear that, Elizar?”

“Oh, he hears nothing. We are outside of his reality. We will return shortly, but we wanted you to understand that your heart has not left you. While we may seldom interact with your people, we always watch over them. Yours is a rare case. In fact, there is nothing about Zakiya, Jacob, or you that is normal. You and your family are to be our greatest gift to your people.”

The old man stood, his bones creaking. “I don’t understand how people enjoy being this old,” he complained. “Everything hurts.”

“That means you’re alive. The alternative isn’t all that great.”

Weathered fingers stroked Casey’s cheek and kindly eyes twinkled. “No matter what else occurs, I want you to know this,
Caaaaasey
: you are a very special man. There is a deep and abiding love for you by not only your true family, but your people. You may have been our gift to them, but they are a gift to you as well.”

“I promise I’ll never think otherwise. I was never sure of my place in the world until I came here. Now I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

“Do not lose sleep over your parents. They aren’t worth it. Your father and mother are bitter people whose only good act was to bring you into the world. Let that burden be lifted from your heart as we impart your gift upon you.”

A warm tingle ran through Casey’s cheek when the man stroked it. All the feelings he’d ever had growing up about not being good enough were shredded. In their place came the knowledge that he was exactly the man he was meant to be. He now understood everything the shaman who had come before him knew. He was finally a true and complete person for his people. But one thought still bothered him.

“I have to know, are you my grandfather?”

“I told you that you were our gift to your people. The gift had to come from somewhere, right?” He patted Casey’s cheek. “You have always been my favorite. The time I was given to watch you grow, short as it was, turned out to be something I will always remember.”

“I won’t forget that.”

The bright smile dimmed somewhat. “Yes, you will. You can’t be allowed to know of future events, nor remember most of this conversation. We believe you are hobbled by not having the knowledge of those who came before you, and agree there are some things it is important you know, so we will allow you to retain that new information.

“As I explained, we don’t interfere under normal circumstances. I came to help you back onto your path and I’ve done that. Now it’s time for you to walk it with your head held high.”

The arms that surrounded him may have been thin, but Casey could sense their power. “Find your heart,
Caaaasey
. It waits for you.”

“I love you, Grandpa. Is it weird to tell a spirit that?”

The smile returned, brighter than ever, and Casey got a pinch to the cheek. “Such a good boy to remember an old man. I will always be watching you and your heart. In the dark times ahead, cling to your people. They are all that will stand between you and destruction. And keep your heart close. You need each other, and your people will need both of you.”

And with that, he was gone.

The mass continued to pulse. Black eddies of energy rippled along the surface, and Casey shuddered. The ball was hate personified. Elizar thrived off the pain he caused to others, and the pain of his people was his as well. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but it was true.

“You’re a coward, you know,” Casey stated, his voice calm. “I’ve heard stories from the people about the horrors you visited on them. Starvation, rape, death, or worse. You never brought anything but misery to my people. I cannot, will not, allow that to continue.”

What was left of the landscape groaned when the inky depths exploded outward, knocking Casey off his feet. He stood and turned to face Elizar once more.

“I wanted to rip you apart and ensure you never hurt anyone again, but that’s revenge, not justice. I’m still going to do it, don’t misunderstand, but I no longer seek to soothe my battered heart. I want to put theirs to rest.”

“This is my land, Shaman. My slightest whim is obeyed.”

Elizar’s voice thundered and rattled Casey to his core. Still he stood fast against the onslaught.

Casey shook his head. “No, this place isn’t yours. It’s mine. Jake is the Protector of the living. I’m the guardian of the dead. It’s my responsibility to ensure that they are safe to move on. I should have realized it when you couldn’t consume me. Yes, I remember now. You tried to keep me here, but Hakiim held you back long enough for me to get to my body.

“Then Jake and I came here and you attempted to absorb us, but there was something that prevented you. You called it a tether and said it was what kept me from being pulled in. I get that now and I understand why you fear me so much. The magic I possess is nothing compared to the power that my heart gives.”

“I ate your heart. And your family. They are part of me now.”

“No,” Casey corrected. “They will never be yours.”

He clutched the thin silvery cord that protruded from his chest and began to pull. Elizar’s screams should have brought satisfaction to Casey, but they only left him with a feeling of sorrow for a life that went off track somewhere.

“Do you feel this? My heart is stronger than you. I get it now, and Sev will…be…free!”

With a victory cry, Casey pulled with all his might. For a moment, there was nothing, and he allowed doubt to creep in, but the sky was rent asunder with a mighty crack as lightning flashed down and struck Elizar. In that moment, the black ooze peeled back, and Casey could see hundreds of eyes beseeching him for something. But the pair he was drawn to were the most beautiful he’d ever seen. He pulled once more and dragged Sev free from Elizar.

He scooped his lover into his arms, noting the chill of his skin and the chattering teeth.

“Y-y-you found me,” came the whispered voice he longed to hear.

“I got a bit lost along the way, but I will always find you,” Casey promised.

A thick laugh echoed across the plains. “You may have him. He wasn’t much use to me anyway. There was no hate or fear in him. There was only a certainty that you would come for him.”

Casey met Sev’s eyes and waggled his brows. “After we get home, I think I’ll be doing that many times.”

“But my brothers…”

“They’re coming home with us. I have to tell you, I was wrong. I said that I wouldn’t bring you here because Jake was the one who gave me the power. He didn’t, though. That’s you. You are my spirit, and in this realm, you make me powerful.”

Sev’s eyes shone with such love.

“I need you to shift for me. It’s time we end this once and for all. To set free the people Elizar has been holding for all these years.”

“My parents?”

“Yep. And so many others. He can’t have my people anymore.”