The Book of Joby (82 page)

“Yes, but how would telling him, or us, have changed that?” Swami asked. “We could have helped him even more if—”

“What Joby needed, and still needs, is
refuge,
” Merlin insisted. “The truth would turn everything he rests assured of, the very bedrock of his daily reality, upside down. We dare add no such stone to the load he already bears. What if he fled Taubolt altogether?”

“There is another thing,” Gabriel said softly. “Being of the blood, Joby has
already used its power in many small unwitting ways since childhood. That things so often shift around him is not always merely Lucifer’s doing. What he believes, be it hope or fear, has great effect. Were he to become conscious of his power, Lucifer would have a new and far more potent lever to manipulate him with.”

“As for hiding him from Taubolt,” Michael said, “you know how suspicious people were of him at first. How easily would Joby have found refuge here if others had known what you do? Even now, if they found out, he might suddenly be shunned by people whose welcome and friendship have been crucial medicine to him.”

Their arguments made undeniable sense. Swami, himself, had been afraid of Joby after learning what the lion’s mind had shown him. Still, he could not forget the look on Joby’s face after watching his brief bond with Gabriel at the end of their hike, nor Joby’s pleas for understanding afterward.

“You still are not convinced,” Merlin said, looking at him curiously. “You know my grandson in ways different from our own. Tell us what you think.”

“I think he loves Taubolt more than anything,” Swami replied uncertainly, “and believes in us so deeply. What will it do to his refuge when he finds out we’ve never believed in
him
enough to come out of hiding . . . even now?”

All three gazed at him in silence, Merlin with obvious chagrin.

“It has the ring of truth,” Michael conceded. “If trouble comes, we may have as much need of Joby’s trust as he will have of ours. But it would still be very dangerous for all the reasons we’ve discussed, and, while I intend no offense to anyone here, we
must
be careful to avoid any further interference in Joby’s trial.”

At this, Gabriel looked forlorn, while Merlin looked offended.

“But isn’t hiding from him interference too?” Swami dared to press. “Why is he here at all, if not to find us? It’s his destiny to know. I feel it with everything inside me, and I don’t think hiding from him’s going to work for too much longer anyway. Not after . . . what he saw.”

“From the mouths of babes,” Merlin sighed, glancing at Michael, then back at Swami. “Having heard our concerns, what do you suggest we do?”

Swami felt far from easy about giving any more advice to his betters, or about bearing the responsibility if he turned out to be wrong, yet, it seemed so plain to him. “Stop deciding for him, either way,” he said. “If Joby wants to hide from Taubolt, fine, but if he asks to know the truth, then . . . then warn him that the answers might be hard to hear, even frightening, and if he still wants to know, just answer whatever he asks.”

Merlin drew a long, pensive breath.

Michael nodded. “Very well, but there are some things no one must be informed of. The wager is one. My true nature is another.”

“And mine,” Merlin added. “Not yet, at least.”

“I think I have already had too much to do with all these matters,” said Gabriel, breaking his long silence. “With your leave, Michael, I would stay here, in these forests, for whatever time is left to me, and care for all that lives here in solitude. May I remain?”

“Of course, brother. One has come to Taubolt who may pose a threat here if he cannot be dissuaded. Your help in guarding this place would be very welcome.”

“I will go then,” Gabriel said, rising to leave them. “Peace upon you all, with my unending gratitude.” He turned to Swami and said, “Especially to you, my friend. If ever you need help, you have but to call and I will come.” Then he took a step away from them, and vanished.

As October arrived, fall suddenly descended over Taubolt like a soft, smoky curtain, turning maples, oaks, and alders into bright splashes of fire among the evergreens. Mornings came chill and dewy for a week. Then the rain arrived, roaring on the roofs and hammering branches bare. Dry gullies became creeks again, while creeks became rivers, and rivers became raging torrents. Chocolate-colored cataracts spilled over cliff tops into the roiling bay whipped into rafts of marshmallow cream by storm surge thundering up the cliff sides to cast flurries of shredded foam and spindrift swirling across the headlands west of town. Not until the month was nearly over did the weather clear again, to everyone’s relief.

Three nights before Halloween, as the sun set beneath a pale, cloudless sky, Taubolt’s more enlightened ladies gathered in the back room of Molly Redstone’s shop for their weekly New Age meeting. There was much to meditate upon. It had been a stormy month on
many
plains.

“He’ll be crippled for life!” gasped Carolena. “That’s what I heard. The poor man has a wife and two young children, and he’s only twenty-seven! What an awful thing.”

“It was obviously that Greensong woman,” said Alicia. “I’m all in favor of saving the environment, of course, but she’s taken things much too far. I can’t stand her.”

“Well, they did try to rape her,” said Margery Baltore. “I might have gone out and driven a few spikes into those trees myself if someone had done that to me.”

“But they already caught the men who did that!” Alicia objected. “They’re being punished. What more did she want? Now she’s ruined the life of a completely innocent man. How’s that supposed to save the trees?”

“Oooooh.”
Carolena grimaced, her fists balled in anger. “People are so unenlightened! It just makes me want to go out and shake some sense into them!”

“Ladies,” Molly interjected calmly. “Let’s get recentered. Judgment can have no place in our endeavors. We are here for higher purposes.”

“I’m sorry,” Carolena said. “There’s just so much stupid violence out there lately. It’s hard to stay attuned.”

“The secret,” Molly said gently, “lies in staying focused on our goals, rather than our obstacles.” She smiled in anticipation of what they were about to hear. “With that in mind, Cassey and I have been saving something special to end our meeting with tonight. Cassey, will you tell us all what you told me this afternoon?”

Cassey smiled, eyes gleaming with delight as everyone turned to face her. “I’ve seen the fairies!” she said in hushed wonder. “Just today, with my very own eyes!”

“What?”
said Margery, sounding a tad skeptical.

“Ooooh, tell us!” squealed Lolly Berrit.

“I went out on the headlands to enjoy the nice weather,” Cassey said gleefully, “and, from a distance, I saw several children go into that pretty ring of trees down below the church. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when they didn’t come out again, something made me wander up a little closer, just to see what they were doing. But when I got close, three birds flew out, and there was no one in the ring at all!”

“Couldn’t they just have left while you weren’t watching?” Alicia mused. “Or gone out the side you couldn’t see?”

“To where?” Cassey protested. “That circle’s got nothing but open fields around it in all directions. Three children, three birds. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Wow! They turned into birds?” Carolena exclaimed. “Amazing!”

“A raven, a blue jay, and a seagull,” Cassey said smugly. “What would three such different birds be doing in there all together anyway?”

“Goodness!” Lolly gushed. “This is it! The proof we’ve waited for, isn’t it, Molly?”

“It has begun,” Molly said quietly, looking meaningfully at each of them. “The devas have revealed to me that our purpose here is to reestablish contact with these spirit beings and help them usher in the coming dawn of enlightenment. The New Age is upon us at last, and Taubolt will be its portal to the world.”

“How exciting!” Carolena squeaked, literally bouncing in her chair, while the other ladies in their circle received the news with varying degrees of satisfaction.

“Our enthusiasm must be tempered with great caution, though,” Molly
warned. “As the sacred celebration of Samhain approaches, such spiritual activity is bound to increase, but we mustn’t scare them off with tides of vulgar publicity. Be more attentive than ever to the signs, but I think it would be best if our discoveries were discussed nowhere but here for now. Is this acceptable?”

The women all nodded, and Carolena said, “That’s very wise, Molly. We all know what happened when those two English girls told.”

“Oh, yes!” clucked Lolly. “The place was overrun, and all the fairies driven out!”

“That’s precisely what we must avoid.” Molly nodded. “Our calling is to
guard
the cradle of rebirth, not commodify it as so many others would.”

“Like that Karl Foster,” Sharine agreed. “Talk about unenlightened!”

“And Agnes Hamilton!” Margery added. “She wants to run this whole town!”

“Ladies,” Molly admonished. “Focus on the goals.”

Everyone dutifully agreed.

“Well. This has been such an energizing meeting,” Molly said with brisk good cheer. “Thank you, Cassey, for bringing us such exciting news. What momentous times! Shall we take a moment to reattune ourselves before we go?”

The ladies all closed their eyes, embracing the meditative silence in which all their meetings were concluded. Some did breathing exercises, while others simply tilted faces upward in gestures of blissful gratitude for the universal harmonies.

When they were gone, Molly went back to her apartment behind the store to update her Harmony House Web site, hardly able to suppress her excitement, imagining the center of spiritual and healing arts that this small town would someday be—and, of course, all the business this would bring through her shop.

“Hi, Laura.”

“Ben!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing
here
?”

“Just thought I’d stop by to say hello.” He shrugged, waving a moth from between them in the porch light. “Is this a bad time? You seem kind of startled.”

“Of course not,” she said, a trifle uncomfortably. “I just thought you’d be Joby.”

“He’s not here?”

“No,” she said. “There was some kind of Halloween thing at the school tonight. He said he’d come by afterward.”

“Great! Then I’ll keep you amused until he gets here.” Ben grinned. When she still made no move to invite him in, he added, “If that’s all right?”

“Yes!” she said, still sounding off balance. “I’m sorry. Come in.” She stood aside to let him enter. “This is quite a bit out of your way, isn’t it?”

“My way to where?” He grinned, brushing past her. “This was my destination.”

“Oh,” she said, leading him toward her living room. “That’s nice of you.”

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” he said, careful to sound casual.

“Been a busy time,” she replied, her composure returning. “School starting up, Halloween and everything. The way the weather’s been, I haven’t gone to town much. Sorry about that. Have you been lonely down there?”

Now there’s a fine question,
Ben thought as they reached the living room. “Hawk here?” he asked, sitting on the couch as she took a chair beside the windows.

“No,” she said. “He and Rose are at school too.”

“Then we can talk,” he said cheerfully, wanting not to waste whatever time they had before everyone got back. “Have you spoken with him yet?”

“I
knew
you were going to ask that,” she said, sounding exasperated.

“I didn’t think so.” Ben smiled. “Is that why you’re so glad to see me?”

“There’s never been a right time,” she pleaded. “He went on some camping trip just after we talked, and came home all upset. He won’t tell me why. And I didn’t want to stir up even more trauma while Hawk was dealing with what happened to Rose, and—”

“Hey!” Ben cut in. “You don’t owe me any explanations. I was just curious, you know, after last time. I hope you haven’t been avoiding me just because—”

“Don’t be silly,” she scoffed. “Like I said, there’s just been a lot going on.”