Qaletaqa (30 page)

I felt so lost. What was the goddess talking
about? What mission were Twin Souls supposed to fulfill? And why
had none of them done it yet?

“So many before you have forgotten their
mission as soon as the pull of the Twin Soul bond begins. I do not
mean to criticize you, Uriah, but here in this world you have no
way of understanding how intense the bond is. It grows stronger the
more committed you are to you mission, the more important your
destiny is,” the goddess said.

Her hands reached out toward Uriah, but
halted before ever touching him. With her eyes closed she seemed to
be sensing or feeling something. Whatever it was, her hands lowered
as a satisfied expression settled on her features.

“You are a valiant man, Uriah. The strongest
I have ever seen undertake this mission. The others who have tried
have not been strong enough to warrant a warning to the shaman. For
you, the shaman who attends your birth will instantly know that you
have the potential to become the Qaletaqa. I have great hope that
you will be successful, but hope cannot accomplish anything on its
own. Only courage and strength will see you to your end.”

“Uriah can do this,” Melody said. The
confidence she had in the man she loved radiated from her. I felt
like I was going to throw up.

“Do you think Uriah will be the only one
required to make sacrifices, Melody?” the goddess asked.

“No.” Melody choked back tears, but held her
stance. “I know what I will be asked to give up. I don’t pretend I
will face any less challenge than Uriah.”

The goddess nodded, appeased. “You could have
great happiness if you simply accepted the bond and lived out your
mortal lives with each other.”

“Wait! What?” I exclaimed. Frustration boiled
under my skin. Nobody could hear me here! I stumbled forward, as if
getting closer to the goddess would somehow make her words clearer
to my mind. I must have misunderstood her. It sounded like Uriah
and Melody were supposed to
not
give into the bond. But why
would they be coming to her asking to be made Twin Souls if they
were only supposed to shun it when they got to earth? My whirring
mind struggled to latch on to the words Uriah was speaking.

“Our mortal lives will be short compared to
eternity. We may have to give each other up in order to destroy the
Matwau, but we’ll be together again after our mortal lives are
over.”

“You say your mortal lives are short now, but
you will not feel so when you are in the midst of the mortal world.
Your minds will not recall this place, or its endlessness. You will
only know the intensity of the emotions and desires of your mortal
minds.”

“I won’t forget. I have watched the mortal
world for centuries as I’ve waited in the spirit world. I’ve seen
the lives the Matwau has destroyed, the pain he has caused. I can
stop him. I know this in my heart. I won’t forget my purpose,”
Uriah said firmly.

“I can see that you truly believe that. You
are a strong man, one capable of amazing acts when you leave this
world. Your capacity to love and be loved is very great.” Pride
beamed from her features as she looked upon Uriah. “Are you
willing, then, to give up the woman you cherish more than your own
life to see that purpose fulfilled?”

Uriah’s brow scrunched down over his eyes in
deep thought. So did mine. Why would Uriah have to give Melody up?
Peering down at Melody, Uriah seemed to finally consider what the
woman what saying to him. “It is the only way, is it not?”

“It is.”

“Then I will see it done,” Uriah said.
Sadness and pride swam in Melody’s eyes. He looked at her deeply,
and said, “We’ll be together again when the Matwau has been
stopped. I promise you that.”

“I know,” Melody whispered.

The goddess stepped forward and laid her
hands on Uriah and Melody’s shoulders.

“I have sent many couples down to the mortal
world with this same task, but I have more confidence in you both
than I have ever had before,” she said. “I wish you success, but
that wish will mean nothing if I do not prepare you first. Before
you leave I will give you the gifts you will need to defeat the
Matwau, Uriah. They will grow as long as your soul desires to care
for and protect others around you. Your own personal strength will
determine the depth of your power. Melody, your gift will be
singular, to remember.”

“Remember what?” Melody asked.

“Remember your life with Uriah. The more your
soul holds onto the desire to make the mortal world better, the
more you will remember. It will make the choice to abandon him more
difficult, which will in turn make the sacrifice greater. As it
must be. Power requires sacrifice, just as it always has.”

My body started to tremble. That was what
Uriah didn’t want to tell me back in the hotel. Melody was starting
to remember. I knew in my soul that I was right. Seeing them here,
so in love, it sickened me to think Melody was recalling all of it,
the feel of Uriah’s hand in hers, his lips caressing her mouth.
Those should have been my memories alone.

No one noticed my anguish.

Uriah loved me. I knew he did. He loved
Melody too, though. At least he did once. What would stop him from
loving her again? What if Uriah remembered the love I see in his
eyes now? Could his love for me ever be enough to overpower
that?

The goddess paused, meeting both of their
eyes individually. “Are you sure you want to proceed?”

I watched as Uriah and Melody’s eyes met.
They still burned with the desire to fulfill their mission, but it
was now tempered by a layer of fear. As much as I hated seeing the
love in their eyes, I couldn’t help being awed at their devotion.
They loved each other so much, yet they were willing to give it up
to save others from death and pain. I watched, unmoving, as they
faced the goddess and her companions, nodding that they would
continue.

I crumbled to my knees, a combination of too
many emotions stealing my strength.

“Please kneel before us and take each other’s
hands.” Uriah and Melody solemnly took their places. “We cannot
force the bond of Twin Souls and the task it requires upon anyone.
It must be freely chosen. Do you both choose of your own freewill
to accept the bond of Twin Souls and the mission to destroy the
Matwau?”

“We do,” Uriah and Melody said in unison.

Despite the hurt and confusion racing through
me, I forced my mind to focus. There was something I still didn’t
understand. Melody was here because Uriah had to have a Twin Soul
to turn away from. But what did turning away from her get him?

The goddess smiled. “You are not the only
ones.”

She turned, gesturing at the mists. I wasn’t
sure what she was doing until I saw two figures take shape. Slowly
the pair came into the clearing, stunning me more than anything
else had so far. It was like a mirror had been plopped down in
front of me. I gaped at myself. And at Daniel. We held hands as we
walked toward the goddess, our faces serene, at peace. Uriah and
Melody rose to greet us. Hugs were exchanged as I stared in
confusion. Finally the goddess reined everyone in.

“Uriah, Melody, you know Daniel and Claire.
They will be your companions in this mission. They have already
accepted their bond and been given their gifts. Claire’s role as
the chosen shaman will give her the ability to harness and transfer
power when the time comes for her to act, though it falls under the
same restrictions as Uriah’s. Daniel’s gift is similar to
Melody’s.”

She paused, watching each of us carefully.
“The power required to stop the Matwau will be great, more than one
person can be given. By sacrificing the bond you will gain power
and your gifts will begin maturing. The bond must be truly broken,
not merely suppressed. Only then will you, Uriah and Claire, be
ready to destroy the Matwau.”

Ice dripped down my spine. No, no, no, no,
no. Everything was wrong. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way!
Uriah should have already broken his bond with Melody. He wasn’t
supposed to face the Matwau before he had her given up. His extra
power was still trapped inside the bond! And so was mine. What if
our powers combined weren’t enough? My whole body started
shivering, because I already knew the answer.

The Matwau would win. He would kill Uriah,
and go on killing forever. We would fail.

I watched through a haze as Daniel and I
stood aside and Uriah and Melody took their places again. Fighting
to keep from collapsing, I lifted my head and stared into the
goddess’s piercing eyes. She was the only one who could help me
figure out what to do now that everything was such a muddled mess.
I had to pay attention no matter how much I wanted to run and
hide.

“Rise and face each other,” she said. The
peaceful smile on her face seemed to show her surety that Uriah and
Melody would indeed be successful. I wondered what emotion her face
held now as she looked down on destiny in chaos.

Uriah and Melody stood smiling at each other
as the goddess and her companions began to form a circle around
them. I had to move to get a clear view of Uriah again. It was
about to happen. I had to see the process. Maybe if I could see how
it worked I could do something to untangle it and get Uriah and I
the power we needed.

The gods and goddesses linked hands and
closed their eyes. Uriah continued to hold Melody. A low, sweet
song began. There were no words, at least not any I could
understand, but the feel of it seemed very familiar. It came from
the circle of companions, but none of their mouths actually moved.
Slowly the song started to build.

If I had not been staring at Uriah so hard,
trying to see if there was even the smallest hint of doubt in his
face, I might have missed it. The light. A faint glow filled the
circle, emanating from both Uriah and Melody. It was just a hint at
first, but as the song grew, so did the light. Even being spirits,
Uriah and Melody had looked substantial. As the light rose, the
look of the pair changed. Color seemed to seep out with the rays
and any sense of firmness floated away as well, until nothing was
left but the willowy, faded shape of them.

The goddess said nothing to instruct them.
They seemed to know what to do all on their own. I watched in
horrible fascination as the two spirits stood and stepped closer
together. The outline of their hands melded as they reach out for
one another. Pleasure and surprise washed over their features.

A humming sensation added itself to the song,
one that I recognized all too well. The bond I had tried so hard to
rid myself of filled the dimensionless space. Everyone but me
smiled in joyful satisfaction. My buried bond to Daniel hummed to
life in recognition. I felt like ripping my skin off in the hopes
that I wouldn’t have to feel it anywhere near me. Forcing myself to
press my hands deep into my jeans pockets, I shoved my own bond
deep inside of me and studied Uriah.

Where was the light coming from? Could I
reproduce it, or was that something gifted only to this circle of
spirit beings? There was no one I could ask. As much as Kaya knew,
I would have to figure this out on my own. I watched as Melody took
another step closer to Uriah. Uriah didn’t move. Then suddenly
Melody turned away from Uriah and they stepped together.

I gasped in surprise. Their spirit bodies
didn’t meet each other as they should have. They intertwined and
became a part of one another. Their spirits melded into one. One
soul. Two halves of one soul. At least part of what we were fed as
children was true, I thought bitterly. Light flared, surpassing the
circle and spreading over me, bringing with it the intensity of the
Twin Soul bond. I endured the wrenching feeling, praying every
second that it would end.

Fading gradually, the light drew back in on
itself as Uriah and Melody stepped apart again. Their hands were
the last thing to separate, taking with it the rest of the light
and leaving the space feeling dim and dismal at the loss. The
lingering feel of the bond was the only thing that seemed to keep
the companions from sinking into despair as the light faded. For me
it was just one more straw on my overburdened heart and mind.

The woman glided over to Uriah and Melody.
Her angelic smile pulled them close to her and she wrapped them in
her graceful arms. Daniel and I joined the celebration.

“You have just put yourselves on a path that
will try you and test you. Hold onto your mission. Stay true. Trust
your hearts to guide you toward fulfilling your purpose.” Her
whispering voice faded as she stepped back and disappeared in the
hazy walls of the spirit world.

Uriah and Melody held their places. As did
Daniel and I. I could feel the seconds crawl by. It felt much
longer than it actually was. Hundreds of thoughts raced through my
mind in that brief time as I tried to puzzle something useful out
of what I had just witnessed, but it was so complicated my mind was
still trying to process everything. I wanted to wake up. I didn’t
want to stare at them any longer. This was not the same Uriah I
knew. I needed to remember his true face, with lines etched from
grief after his father’s death, with that hint of stoniness gained
from the past few weeks, and with the soft smile he shared only
with me.

“Wake up. Wake up,” I whispered over and over
again. There was nothing left to learn here. I wanted to leave so
badly.

“No,” Melody cried out suddenly, pulling my
attention back to her. Surprise and fear controlled her features.
“It can’t be time yet.”

Trying and failing to control his fear as
well, a slowly dissolving Uriah took Melody in his arms. “Time,
several centuries may have already passed on Earth. Time flows so
quickly there. It’s okay,” he whispered. “We’ll be together
again.”

“I can’t imagine living without you.”
Sparkling tears ran down her cheeks. “Promise me this will all be
worth it.”