Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance (28 page)

decided to talk to the woman.

236

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

The woman's dark face reminded Laura of old leather, but

her eyes were kind.

"Hello." Laura smiled.

The woman accepted Laura's greeting with a nod.

"My name is Laura," she offered.

"I know who you are." Her old face spread into a grin.

"I am afraid you have the advantage then," Laura told her

good-naturedly. Somehow she knew that this woman was no

threat.

"I am Blanca." She lifted her bony hand and motioned for

Laura to follow her. She did, hoping to gain some insight from

the old woman.

It was several degrees cooler inside the small cottage. The

furnishings were simple, unlike that of the palace. An old

wooden table sat in the middle of her small kitchen. Taking a

pot from a wood-burning stove, Blanca poured a cup of

steaming liquid. Though the day was quite warm, Laura

accepted the drink graciously.

"Thank you."

"I know you are thinking to humor an old woman by taking

a hot drink on such a warm day, but believe me ... it will do

you good. Maybe cleanse some of that poison from your

system they were using to drug you."

Laura sipped at the hot liquid, surprised at its sweet taste.

"Is this some kind of tea?"

Blanca nodded. "Yes, it grows wild in the jungle. It tends

to soothe ones nerves."

237

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

Laura was astonished at the woman's command of English,

with only a hint of an accent. "You speak English very well,"

she commented.

"I spent many years among the people of your country."

Laura's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes ... it's true," she told her with a cackle.

"I raised my family in San Francisco, but as I got on in

years ... I knew it was time to come home."

"You mean there are those of your kind elsewhere in the

world?" Laura asked.

"Of course, as I am sure there are
Sungmanitu
, but I have

never met one." She smiled. "We venture out at times, but

we always come back here."

"How do you know so much about me?" Laura wanted to

know.

"Who here in
Coba
' ... does not?" She laughed, but then

her humor was swiftly wiped away when a shadow crossed

her face.

"Bringing my grandson back with me is my deepest regret.

He was still young when his parents passed to the Light, and I

thought that the
Baalam
needed new blood to bring them into

the next era." She shook her head, "I guess I was wrong."

Laura remained quiet, hoping Blanca would reveal more.

She was not disappointed.

"He was such a sweet little boy, but you would never

guess that seeing him now. How was I to know that he would

rise to take leadership of
Coba
'?"

"You are Dark Claw's grandmother!" Laura was astonished.

238

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

The old woman just nodded, a deep sadness settling over

her. "When he was a little boy we called him Andy. He was a

good boy, everything one could hope for in a grandson,

but...." Her words trailed off as she watched the memories

replay in her mind's eye.

"I don't know what happened." Tears clouded the old

woman's eyes. "He became obsessed with the legend of

Coyopa
' and the prophecy. When he became king, he vowed

to return his people to their rightful places, and to destroy the

Wolf People."

Blanca's voice cracked as she struggled with her sorrows.

"Andy became something evil. I believe the spirit of the first

Dark Claw of long ago touched Andy's soul with his foulness."

"I know nothing of this mystical kingdom of the Wolf

People, but I know your son will destroy my baby once he has

gained control of
Coyopa
' ... if it really exists," Laura

admonished.

Blanca looked to her in shock. "You carry Gray Eagle's

child, but you doubt the existence of
Coyopa
'?"

"The place of the
Sungmanitu
is called Beaver Creek, and

it's hardly comparable to your own city. It's nothing more

than a few old log buildings. Justin spoke of a legendary place

that he said was comparable to an Eden, but he never said

there was any foundation for it."

"How peculiar that he wouldn't tell you of this place, but

it's said that they protect it fiercely."

"So it does exist?" Laura asked, still unable to believe it.

She had been all over the area and never seen any signs of it.

239

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

"Legend says that is where we originate from, but our

ancestors were banished when there was a war. I believe it

had something to do with the King taking a young Indian

maiden as his wife."

Laura nodded. "Yes! Justin mentioned a war, but he said

that he had no idea if it was true, or what became of the

people."

Blanca lifted her hands. "This is what became of us. They

probably didn't know of us until recently. We chose to remain

hidden from them—the reason for this has been lost over the

years. It was my grandson that broke the silence of the

Jaguars."

"Has it always been the plan to go back and defeat the

Wolf People?" Laura asked.

"Yes, but few of our leaders have had the temperament for

such violence."

"It would appear that you have a beautiful city here, why

do they want
Coyopa
'?"

Blanca smiled at the younger girl's ignorance. "What we

have pales in comparison to the Kingdom of Light. Legend

tells us that
Coyopa
' belongs to the beings of light. They have

dwelt there for millions of years before the origins of man. For

they are the keepers of the earth and the
Sungmanitu
are

their servants, as the
Baalam
once were. But we were sent

away in disgrace," Blanca explained.

"How can Dark Claw hope to win against these spirits of

light?" Laura asked.

Again the old woman shook her head. "The Wolves are not

invincible, but what my grandson does with the power he

240

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

gains will only bring the wrath of the spirits down on us once

again. He will undoubtedly destroy the Jaguars if he goes

forward with his plan."

"There seems to be no stopping him." Laura frowned.

"Unless I can escape to the jungle with my grandfather."

"You will find nothing in that jungle," Blanca informed her.

Laura's brows drew together in confusion.

"Why do you think that Dark Claw has no worry of your

escaping?"

Laura had the sudden understanding that her situation was

much more complicated than what she could possibly have

known.

Blanca lowered her voice. "If it were known I told you of

this, I could be executed, but it's only right that you should

know. When we were banished, we were not stripped of our

ability to transform, or our ability to hide. Our cities cannot

coexist in your world it would be disastrous. Just like the

Sungmanitu
, we live in
Outerlands
, a different dimension, and

where all of the ethereal beings live.
Outerlands
is immense,

and I know of no one who has explored it to any extent, so

many who live here don't even know what's out there,' Blanca

motioned toward the jungle. "Most use portals to move from

our world to yours."

Blanca's conspiratorial tone became even lower. "In your

world,
Coba
' exists, but only as an ancient ruin. You can only

get from there to here with this." The old woman reached to

her neck and pointed out a large quartz crystal that hung

from a golden chain.

241

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

"The same is true to return. Only in our world can these

crystals be mined. Any that you found on the other side—in

your world—would be useless in crossing the barriers."

Laura felt desolation wash over her like hot lava. "There

has to be a way!" she cried.

Blanca held a finger up to her lips. "Just maybe there is.

Tomorrow night there is to be a celebration in honor of your

joining with my grandson. The joining will take place the

following night, so we must act fast."

"But my grandfather?"

"I will think about this and pray about it." Blanca smiled.

"You will come here tomorrow at this time, but make sure you

are not followed."

Laura left Blanca's cottage feeling more optimistic than she

had since opening her eyes to this living nightmare.

If only Justin were alive! Laura's heart constricted

painfully. Still the wounds from her loss were as fresh as the

day she had watched him gunned down. Where were these

spirits of the light when Justin was dying, she thought

bitterly?

[Back to Table of Contents]

242

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

Laura awoke with a start. She had felt his presence, as

compelling as if he had been sitting next to her. Had it been a

dream within this nightmare—the slightest touch on the

fringes of her consciousness? In her dream, she could almost

smell his musky scent ... feel the softness of his touch.

The floodgates opened and Laura let the tears spring from

her soul, falling to soak into her silk pillows. His presence had

been so real, but had she actually thought that when she

opened her eyes he would be there, looking down on her

sleeping form?

Leaving her bed, Laura stepped to an arched window and

stared out onto the sleeping city of
Coba
'. The moonlight

painted the city in a surreal image. She wondered for the

hundredth time if all this were not some kind of tormenting

dream.

So many times she had come out of a dream of Justin,

with tears still flooding her eyes, but this was the first time

she had actually felt his presence in the waking world. Was it

possible that there could exist a love so deep that it could

reach across time and space to touch you?

Laura's thoughts returned to the problems at hand. They

had killed Justin, but she would die before she let them have

her child. She reached down and touched her stomach—the

seeds of love already blossoming for her unborn baby, as well

as a primal instinct to protect the child.

243

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

Something in Blanca's eyes had told her there was still

hope. She had no choice but to trust the Jaguar woman. The

coming day would be the longest of her life, if not the last day

of her life.

Carlotta, "the smiling woman" as Laura had come to think

of the girl, had told her there would be a day-long

celebration, but Laura wouldn't be needed until that evening.

That is when the elite of the
Baalam
would gather in the

palace to be presented to their future Queen.

Laura bit at her bottom lip, wondering how she would ever

pull it off. How would she look onto the Jaguars and manage

to put on a mask of defeat, while the fire of revenge burned

bright within her eyes? She was only grateful that she had yet

to face Dark Claw again. Laura was sure he would have read

her intentions at once.

The hours ticked by agonizingly slow, but finally the time

came for Laura to leave the palace. Instead of going straight

to that little cottage, she wandered the city, just in case

someone was following her. But like Blanca pointed out, Dark

Claw was confident of her obedience. Laura was fairly sure

that she was not under surveillance.

The city was abuzz in festivity. The aroma of assorted

foods and flowers drifted to her from all directions. The

citizens of
Coba
' were dressed in a rainbow of fine silks. Laura

would have been thrilled with the adventure of it all, if she

hadn't been so terrified.

When the afternoon heat intensified, Laura felt it was time

to pay her visit to Blanca. Though her earlier conclusion had

been that she was not being followed, Laura threw frequent

244

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

glances over her shoulders. She need not have worried. No

one seemed to pay her the slightest bit of attention.

Taking one last look around to make sure no one was

watching, Laura tapped lightly on the door. A moment later,

the door opened and she found herself being quickly ushered

inside. The scent of sweet fruit assaulted her senses. Laura

stood in place until her vision had adjusted to the dimness of

the cottage's interior.

"Come!" Blanca motioned. "I've prepared us some tea and

fruit cakes."

In the tiny kitchen, Laura felt her tension slowly start to