Shaxoa's Gift (31 page)

I tried to quell the growing frustration. I
had the potion, and I needed to leave or I would never even get the
chance to save Claire, and now I had to put my trust in the one
woman I trusted least. Samantha’s earnest face pushed my
frustration away. She wasn’t trying to be difficult. There was hope
in her that the things she studied weren’t all evil and dark, but
she didn’t know for sure. This potion could turn out to be
everything the stories said it was. In my eagerness to get back to
Claire, I had let my trust of the sister convince me it was safe. I
still trusted them, but they were right that Quaile may know more.
It would break Samantha to know she had helped me hurt Claire. She
needed my promise that I would listen to her warnings.

“Okay, Samantha, I’ll leave the potion with
Quaile. I promise.”

The sisters smiled. Samantha stepped forward,
her arms coming up to wrap me in a hug. I was more than happy to
accept. She deserved more than a simple hug.

“Thank you for everything, Samantha, from me
and Claire. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been
able to help me,” I said.

Samantha’s brow wrinkled with sadness. She
looked at me seriously, as if hoping that she did not, in fact,
know what I would have done. I had told her what I had almost done
before Quaile stopped me and told me about her.

“Don’t ever think like that again, Uriah.
That was foolish and you know it. You’re stronger than that,”
Samantha said.

“I won’t, Samantha. I promise. Even if Claire
never asks, I wouldn’t do it,” I said. It was a promise I would
keep, but one I prayed I was never faced with. Claire would ask for
the potion. I knew she would.

Samantha finally released me and stepped back
so Kaya could say goodbye as well. Kaya reached out for her parting
hug. I raised my arms and caught hers midway through the motion.
The slight touch seemed to freeze time. I saw Kaya’s face slowly
stiffen, her eyes lose their usual gleam and turn dull. The
sensation lasted only a second before I could breathe again, but I
knew something was wrong. Kaya’s body went limp, and I caught her
just before she collapsed.

“Kaya!” Samantha screamed.

I put my arms around Kaya, scooping her up
and settling her into a chair. Images of Claire collapsing swam in
my mind, intensifying my terror. What was happening to Kaya? It
seemed like every person I touched was harmed just for being near
me. “Kaya,” I said, “please wake up, please wake up.”

“Her eyes are opening,” Samantha said. Her
entire body was trembling with worry.

“Uriah,” Kaya whispered. She blinked several
times before bolting up out of the chair. Samantha was quick to
push her back down. “Uriah! I saw something. I saw it when I
touched your arm.” Her hands were shaking.

“What? What did you see?” My mind was racing.
I had only used the possibility of the Matwau harming Claire as an
excuse to make Talon stay behind. I didn’t really think he would be
allowed to touch her.

“He’s about to take her,” Kaya said. Tears
cascaded down her dark cheeks.

“Claire?”

“No, your Twin Soul. He almost has her.”

“No.” The single word came out as a gasp.
This was the first choice. I was being asked to choose between
saving Claire and saving my Twin Soul. Making the wrong choice
would bring me a life of pain. But which one? I was so close to
rescuing Claire. When I spoke to her on the phone, she tried to
keep her voice steady, but I could hear the agony and fear behind
her words. If I left her to fight alone much longer, she would
lose. We would both lose.

“I have to go to Claire,” I said.

Kaya climbed back up to her feet slowly. “We
know you love Claire, but if you make the wrong choice, you’ll live
the rest of your life in pain,” Kaya warned.

“The Matwau won’t hurt my Twin Soul yet. He
took her as bait, remember?” I was begging them to understand and
agree with me. “He’ll hold her until I show up. If I leave Claire,
and she gives in to the Twin Soul bond, she’ll never love me again.
That would bring me a lifetime of pain and regret. I have to go to
her.”

“Are you sure, Uriah? You won’t get another
chance,” Kaya asked. Her voice and hands were shaking.

I was sure she was wishing that she’d been
able to understand more of the vision, that she could tell me
definitely which choice was the right one. In truth, it wouldn’t
have mattered to me. Even if Kaya told me that I had to face the
Matwau before returning to Claire, I wouldn’t have done it. I knew
Claire’s time was running out.

I opened my mouth to tell Kaya that I
wouldn’t change my mind, but no words came out. Paralyzing fear
suddenly gripped my body. My heart stopped. My lungs refused to
expand. My legs lost all strength. Without warning I was on the
floor, my entire body throbbing in pain. I saw her face. Pale white
skin, wispy auburn hair, bright green eyes filled with tears and
terror. The Matwau, bearing a face I had never seen before, cackled
in maniacal glee.

“Uriah,” Kaya called out as she dropped to my
side. I saw her hands gripping my shoulders, but I couldn’t feel
her touch. “Uriah, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“He has her,” I finally managed to wheeze.
“He has her. She’s terrified of what he might do.”

“On no,” Samantha cried. “You have to go to
her. You must go, now.”

“No!” That small word gave me the tiny edge I
needed to force away the strangling rush of emotions. I pushed away
from Kaya and pulled myself up. My entire body was still trembling,
but I somehow found the strength to stay upright. “I won’t abandon
Claire. I won’t do it, Samantha.”

“But Uriah, she’s in danger,” Samantha
begged.

“No. I already told you, she’ll be fine. The
Matwau won’t hurt her until he kills me, hopefully not even then.
I’m the one he wants. Claire needs me, right now. I won’t fail her
again.” I yanked my backpack onto my shoulders and stalked toward
the door.

“Uriah, wait,” Kaya asked. She pulled up
short when I stopped without warning and spun around to face her.
She held her hand out to me. Unfurling her fingers, I saw that she
held a cell phone in her hand. “Take this with you. I know you
don’t have a phone. If you need help, just call.”

There was no chance I would call either of
the sisters if I needed help. I wouldn’t put anyone else in danger.
If I couldn’t defeat the Matwau alone, I didn’t deserve a happy
ending. Still, I stared at the phone. “Kaya I can’t take your
phone. I’ll be fine,” I said.

“Bring it back later,” Kaya said. She wore a
shaky smile. “Sam and I are dying to meet the girl who could make
you risk so much.”

“She must be an amazing woman,” Samantha
said. “Bring her here to meet us once this is all over.”

Their words were comforting. I couldn’t bring
Claire back to meet them if they thought I would die facing my
enemy, or if I lost Claire to the Twin Soul bond. “Claire is the
most incredible person you’ll ever meet,” I said as I took the
phone. “I’ll bring her to meet you as soon as I can.”

“Where will you go after San Juan?” Kaya
asked.

“I can feel where she is, at least what
general direction she is. She’s somewhere to the northeast,” I
said.

Trying to picture a map, I brought the
terrible fear close to my heart and felt the distance between us.
She was far away, but not too far. I could feel the pull to rescue
my Twin Soul. I could actually feel the direction, not the exact
location, but a general sense of where she was. All I would have to
do was follow it right to her. I somehow knew that the closer I got
to the girl, the stronger the pull would be. I felt confident that
the overwhelming string of emotions would lead me right to her tear
streaked face.

I had no such compass for Claire. Two nights
ago she was struggling. How was she holding out now? Would I get to
her in time? It startled me to admit, even to myself, but if saving
Claire meant being too late to save my Twin Soul, I would feel
horrible, but I could live with the choice and not regret it.

Focusing on the map in my mind and judging
the distance as best I could, I said, “Colorado. I think she’s in
Colorado.”

Samantha nodded thoughtfully, but Kaya said,
“He won’t keep her there. Your dreams showed you fighting him in
the desert. You have a place to start, though.”

“Good luck, Uriah,” Samantha said.

“Be careful,” Kaya warned.

The sisters grabbed me before I could stop
them, and I was once again tangled in their arms. Their crushing
hugs couldn’t dull the agonizing fear seeping into me. I stood in
their grip a few moments longer, scared to move and face reality.
Six hours, if I pushed the speed limit, and I would be back in San
Juan, but only long enough to leave the potion for Claire
behind.

Pushing Samantha and Claire away, I looked at
both of them and said, “Thank you both for everything.” They smiled
and took each other’s hands. Their worried expressions followed me
as I opened the door and walked to my motorcycle.

Talon bounded up to the bike. “You heard
everything?” I asked.

Talon dipped his head in response.

“I’m not going to be able to wait for you,” I
said. “I have to reach San Juan as fast as possible.”

Talon bared his teeth. “I will not be left
behind.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do,” I said. I
had given up on trying to tell Talon what to do. “The Matwau is
somewhere to the northeast, Colorado, I think. I’ll cut over to San
Juan, but I want you to head northeast without me. We’ll stay in
contact as long as possible, but you keep heading toward Colorado.
I’ll catch up as soon as I can.”

Talon’s stance relaxed. “I will head
northeast, then. I understand why you need to go to Claire first,
and I even agree with you, but do not stay long. The Matwau will
hold your Twin Soul as bait, but he will not wait forever. Keep
that in mind.”

Another stab of gut wrenching fear ran
through me. I prayed that whoever she was, she would be okay until
I could find her. “I promise I won’t stay long.”

Without another word, Talon sprung away, his
muscular legs carrying him across the desert with amazing speed. I
wasn’t going to wait either. The bike sprang to life at my touch
and I was racing home as the pull toward my Twin Soul begged me to
turn aside.

26: Resolve

The desert sand glittered under the midday
sun. The heat of summer was beginning to cool as the days grew
shorter. School would be starting soon and it was our last chance
to go camping. I wandered into our favorite valley and saw Uriah’s
grey and green tent. I smiled and led Daisy up to the campsite.

The small stack of firewood sat ringed by
rocks and ready to be lit. It was warm now, but when the sun went
down, the desert would be cool enough that we would need the fire.
I tied Daisy’s reins to a tree branch and realized that Uriah’s
horse wasn’t there, as well. I looked around the camp wondering
where Uriah had gone. Everything seemed to be ready. I wasn’t sure
what would take him away from the campsite when he knew I was
coming to meet him.

Walking over to the tent, I unzipped the door
and peered inside. The sleeping bags were laid out, but empty.
“Where is he?” I asked myself as I backed out of the tent.

Uriah’s absence quickly began to bother me. I
had been feeling so good on the way out to the campsite. Uriah had
gotten home the day before, bringing me what I had never expected,
a way to break the Twin Soul bond. I had leaped at the chance to
rid myself of Daniel. That love had never been real for me, only my
love for Uriah held my heart. When the bond was finally gone, I had
fallen to my knees crying. Pure joy filled my heart as Uriah lifted
me and pulled me into his safe, warm arms once again.

The fact I couldn’t find him had me chewing
my bottom lip. The sun began to fall below the mesas. I hurried
back to Daisy and untied her reins. Maybe Uriah had gone riding
while he was waiting for me and gotten hurt. Uriah was a very good
rider, but if his horse had been startled bad enough, she could
have thrown him. With one foot in the stirrup I swung my leg over
the saddle and urged Daisy forward.

The shadows grew longer as I rode down
familiar paths near the campsite. Uriah wouldn’t have gone too far
from camp. I started down the shortest trail, one we had ridden
many times before. The path wound through the desert, and slowly up
a flat topped hill. Daisy made the climb easily. I stood in the
stirrups and gazed around the valley, searching for any moving
forms. Nothing.

Daisy’s gait was a little more cautious on
the way down, but she never missed a step. Following the next
trail, I saw a pair of wild rabbits dart through the scrub brush,
but little else. The sun was half hidden behind the hills by the
time I reached the next mesa. I scanned the horizon, straining my
eyes to catch even the smallest movement.

I had almost made a full circle when I caught
the soft flickering of firelight. Marking the spot in my mind, I
hurried Daisy back down the hill. There was still enough light for
the sure footed horse to place her steps, so I kicked her into a
gallop when we reached the bottom. Daisy snorted at the request,
but picked up her speed. We rode back down the trail, turning in
the direction where I had seen the fire.

Trees and boulders obscured my view, but I
was sure we were heading toward the campfire. I took hope as I rode
that if Uriah was injured, he was at least well enough to start a
fire. Branches snapped against Daisy, and the blunt needles whipped
against my legs and arms. Daisy burst through a stand of hickory
and the orange glow of a fire filled my eyes.

“Oh thank goodness,” I whispered. Three more
of Daisy’s long strides brought me up to the small camp. A huddled
shadow sat next to the fire, and my heart shuddered in relief.
“Uriah,” I called out, “are you okay? Are you hurt?”