After they’d showered and dressed, Jared and Sara sat on the bed and talked for a while before they went downstairs for breakfast. He sat propped against the headboard and held her. “How did you sleep last night? Did you have any more bad dreams or nightmares?”
“Not what I’d call a bad dream or even a nightmare.”
“So you did dream?”
“Yes, and you were right. The white wolf was there with me, and it had crimson eyes. The other one, the cub following it, had amber eyes.”
Jared groaned inwardly. “The cub’s eyes were amber? Was it male or female?”
“Female.”
His eyes lit. “You’re sure?”
“Either that or it was missing a few vital parts,” she frowned.
He softly laughed. “All things considered, you’d know the difference. Tell me about it.”
“I don’t remember a lot. We were on the mountain. It was early morning. The top was covered in thick fog. I was standing near a campfire. The white wolf and cub came to me. I stroked its head and looked into its crimson eyes. For some reason, it looked sad, so did the cub. I faded away. All that was left were the wolf and the cub. Then I woke up. That’s all I can remember.”
He swallowed hard and forced his breath out. He remembered the other sketches, the two Sara had just described. One last night, one this morning and one other one; the one which hurt the most. The one he would never let her see. He couldn’t. If she did, it might change everything. But she said the cub was female. Dine'é Kay-Yah females don’t undergo the change. Maybe something’s different. Maybe the future is not set in stone. If only I’d paid more attention to Granddad.
For a couple of minutes, Jared sat in deep thought. Sara watched him and wondered what was going on inside his mind. Finally, he smiled. “Come on, let’s get downstairs. I’m starving.”
~ ~ ~
As they entered the kitchen, he and Tom shared a knowing glance. Nadine put the orange juice on the table. “Did Sara have another one of her nightmares last night?”
Jared glanced at Sara and sighed. “She had an episode before we went to bed.” He glanced at his father again.
“Oh, dear! Was it like the dream you told Myra and…?”
Jared held up a hand. “What dream?” he interrupted.
Sara brushed it off. “It was nothing, Jared. Where’s Myra?”
“She left early. She wanted some extra study time before her exam. I think she’s concerned about this one.” She handed Tom a platter of what looked like thin pancakes. “Oh, and before I forget, Sara. Myra wants you to keep Angelstar. She appreciated the offer, but she said she couldn’t take her, not after Jared promised her to you.”
Sara shared a puzzled look with Jared and turned. “Nada, Jared talked about giving her to me. I don’t own Angelstar. All I did was give her a name.”
“Um, Sara, in our eyes, giving an animal a name is the same thing as claiming ownership of it.”
Tom eyed Jared suspiciously. “Yes, it is, but I didn’t think you believed in all that legend stuff as you put it.”
“Dad, could we not go into it right now. I’m already dealing with enough. I have some good news or at least I think it is. We might not have that hard of a time convincing The Council to accept Sara into our Clan after we’re married.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I think she’s already one of us, well, at least the Dine'é Kay-Yah.”
Tom drew in a quick breath. His eyes widened. “Jared!”
He held up a hand. “It’s alright, Dad. She knows.”
“You’ve told her everything?”
Jared tightened his jaw. “Everything she needs to know.”
“So what are you talking about Jared? Did something happen?”
“Two things actually. I’m beginning to have my doubts about David Whitefeather. It should’ve shown up in her blood test.”
“What should’ve shown up? Son, you know I don’t like guessing games.”
“Sara saw the symbol and a lot more.”
Tom rolled his eyes and sighed. “It still doesn’t explain where she learned about the Dine'é Kay-Yah.”
Sara glanced at Jared and swallowed hard. “I know about the Dine’é Yá too,” she said. “I learned about both of them by reading the cover page of your father’s book.”
Tom glanced at Jared. “Sara, neither are mentioned in my father’s….”
Jared held up a hand again. “It might not be there for us, but it is there for Sara,” he interjected. “She saw the pale blue light, and she described the symbol. It’s the same one I drew when I was in the second grade. Joel didn’t drug Sara with just acid. I believe it was laced with dream dust.”
Nadine’s mouth gaped. “But it should’ve….”
“Drove her mad? I know, Mother, but it didn’t. It opened her mind. Either Granddad or the Dine’é Yá sent her a message.”
Tom’s attention piqued. “A message from what? How?”
Jared looked to Sara, smiled and turned. “The day of Granddad’s funeral, she was here alone. She read the book. Well, at least she tried to. Someone stopped her.”
“What do you mean stopped her? How?”
“I sat on the bed, opened the book, and the wind from the window blew it shut.”
Tom shook his head and sighed. “That’s perfectly normal, Sara.”
“Just wait, Dad. Go on Sara.”
“I agree with, Tom, which is why I didn’t pay it a lot of attention the first time it happened. I opened the book again, and this time a gust of wind came from the window and flung it to the floor.”
“Was anything else in the room affected?”
“Only the book. I decided to try one last time. I got up and closed the window. When I read the first paragraph again, the words had changed to some kinda weird symbols.”
“What kind of symbols?” he frowned.
She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, symbols, letters of some kind….”
“But you didn’t recognize what language they were,” he interjected.
“No. They were just….”
“Nadine, get me a pencil, please,” he interjected again and produced an envelope from his pocket.
“What are you doing, Tom?”
He sketched two sets of symbols. “Was it anything like either of these?”
“It was more like the second set. I’m sure the last symbol was one of them, though. It reminded me of a McDonalds sign on its side.”
“And you’re sure the first set weren’t part of what you saw?”
“No, they’re Egyptian hieroglyphics. I’ve seen them before in a museum in Shreveport. It was definitely the other symbols.”
Jared frowned. “Dad?”
Tom held up a hand. “Wait, Shiye. Let me finish, and I’ll explain as much as I can.”
Sara frowned. Oh, great! He’s not gonna tell us the whole story.
“Jared, I need you to bring me one of your sketch pads or a piece of paper – something big enough Sara can draw on.”
She opened her mouth to speak. Tom forestalled her. “Before you object, Sara, I know you’re not good at drawing, but I need you to draw as many of the symbols as you can remember.”
“That’s not gonna be easy. I only saw them once. Last night, when I looked at the book a second time, I saw something totally different.”
“That’s OK,” Tom said. “I still need you to draw as many as you remember. Take your time, and do the best you can. They don’t have to be in any particular order. Not even in the order you saw them.”
Sara picked up the pencil. “OK,” she chuckled, “but don’t laugh if it looks more like a stick figure.”
Tom and Jared leaned in, so they could see. Nadine watched from her chair. Tom had spoken of odd symbols his father had seen once in a dream, and something Joseph had sketched on one of his letters to him. Since she’d never actually seen the symbols and wouldn’t have known anything about them, she busied herself with clearing the breakfast dishes.
~ ~ ~
Sara finished the sketch and passed it to Tom. Some of the symbols were exact to the ones Tom’s father had shown him, and the ones in Joe’s letter.
He sighed deeply. “You said someone sent you a message. Can you describe how you got this message, and what it said?”
She laid her pencil on the table. “That, I can do. When the symbols appeared, I was frightened. I began to believe Joel was right. The book was cursed. When I tried to look away, I couldn’t. It felt like something was holding my head in place, but nothing was there. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t turn away. I was forced to watch as the symbols spooled off the page and gathered into what looked like a ball of black yarn, only it was the ink from the page. The ball unwound and spelled out the phrase ‘Sara, don’t be afraid’. But I was afraid and terribly sick to my stomach. I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom.”
Jared narrowed his eyes. “But when I got back from the funeral, you didn’t mention any of this to me. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tom sighed and answered the question for her. “Because she was afraid it would make you upset with her. She’s curious, Jared. It’s understandable. You can’t tell her part of the story and expect her not to search for the rest if you’re not willing to tell her.”
Jared clenched his teeth. “Dad, you know the consequences of doing that.”
“Son, for heaven’s sake! If you believe she’s your perfect match, you shouldn’t hide anything from her, not if she asks you. I know you don’t wanna accept your premonition, but keeping it from Sara won’t change it.”
“Dad,” he growled.
“I’m sorry, Jared. By not telling her, you could be doing the one thing you’re trying to prevent. If Sara looks for answers on her own, anything could happen to her. Tell her, Shiye! If she’s a seer, eventually, you won’t be able to keep anything from her anyway. Take her to the mountain. Show her what she needs to know. She’s here, with you. Enjoy that. None of us knows how long we’ll have that. Don’t live your life in regret. It isn’t fair to you, and it isn’t fair to Sara either!”
Jared stormed from the room. Sara rose to follow him; Tom shook his head. “Let me. No matter how much I think you should know or how much I wanna tell you, I won’t do Jared’s job. Lemme talk to him.”
Tears filled her eyes; she nodded.
~ ~ ~
Jared was sitting on the step at the edge of the patio, with his face buried in his hands. Tom sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulder. Jared’s eyes glossed. He rested a hand over Tom’s. “Dad, she’s seen the morning mountaintop scene. She dreamed about it last night.”
“The one with you and your daughter?”
“Yes, but something was different.”
“What do you mean?”
“She said the white wolf’s eyes were crimson, but the cub’s were amber. Is it possible? Have our females ever inherited the transformation gene?”
“Not on our side,” he sighed. “Sara’s eyes don’t….”
“No!” Jared interjected and shook his head. “And believe me, I’d know.”
“So you and she have,” he broke off and nodded. “Right. Yes, after that, you would definitely know. When did you decide she was a seer?”
“Last night, when she showed me the symbol and talked about the pale blue glow. The other thing, and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about it until now, both of her parents have blue eyes. Everyone in Sara’s family has blue eyes.”
“But her eyes are brown,” he frowned. “How could she?” his voice trailed off.
Jared shrugged. “Unless Sara had a distant ancestor, and she inherited a recessive gene, I don’t know. The thing that bothers me is this. Kaye, Sara’s mother, hates Native Americans with a passion.”
“So you’ve met her parents?”
“Yes, I invited them to the gig at Shreveport. I even offered for them to stay at Wisteria Hall. When I spoke to Kaye on the phone, she seemed as though everything was fine. At that time, I honestly thought she was a likable person. I couldn’t understand why Sara had said some of the things she had about her mother, and why Sara was so reluctant to talk to Kaye about us. Then, when they came to visit,” he broke off, sighed and shook his head. “Let’s just say, she was a bitch. She took Sara outside and yelled at her. When Kaye came back into the house, she started in on me. She actually tried to brainwash me into thinking I didn’t want Sara. She said she was too young and too immature to be with someone of my social standing. When Sara told me what she did to her, God, I wanted to wring the woman’s neck. I kept my eyes closed for most of the conversation – no wait - it was more like a lecture.”
“So she couldn’t see your eyes?”
“Yes. I was so infuriated by her….”
Tom smiled as he watched Jared’s eyes changing from glowing amber to burning crimson. “Yes, I can tell. She doesn’t sound like the kind of person I’d get along with either. What are you gonna do? She’s Sara’s mother. You’ll eventually have to be around her.”
“I guess I’ll get a lotta dust in my eyes,” he chuckled. “I am not giving Sara up, even if I only have her for a short while.”
“Have you had any more dreams or visions about that? Any more specifics about how it’ll….”
“No!” he cut his father short, sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “I’ve told you all I know about that. I’ve shown you every sketch I’ve done pertaining to Sara’s death. I’ve cried. I’ve begged. I’ve even cursed, but they still won’t give me a specific answer.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “This is so unfair, Dad. They won’t tell me when it’s gonna happen or how I can stop it. They won’t even tell me if it can be stopped.”
“Jared, Sara’s upset, and she’s worried,” he said calmly. “She doesn’t know what’s going on or what’s happening to her or even why. If you think she’s a seer, it’s your duty to help her understand what she is, where she came from, and where she’s going. Are you gonna tell her?”
“Sara is the life of my soul. I’m afraid if I tell her, there’ll be nothing left to fight for. I’ll be acknowledging it as my future – our future, and that’ll make it real. If I could stop it from happening, I’d lie to her with my last breath.”
“Shiye, if there’s something in the future which depends on her dying, preventing it would….”
“I know that too, Dad,” Jared ground through his teeth.
“Trying to prevent this by not telling Sara doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be successful, and even if you are… it could still be depriving Sara of what she deserves.”
Jared wiped his angry tears. “What if it were Mother, Dad? What choice would you make?”
“I would do what I felt in my heart was right. No matter what it might mean to me or your mother. But, it’s not me, and it’s not my choice. It’s yours, and it’s your future. Only you can decide how you want it to turn out.”
“Alright, Dad, I’ll tell her, but not until we’ve found out if she’s Dine'é Kay-Yah.”
“How are you gonna prove it, Jared.”
“I’m gonna talk to Donna Rigden again, and get her advice.”
“Is she the friend you were talking about when you mentioned proving how my mother died?”
“Well, yes and no. Gary Browne, her cousin, is the one I honestly wanted to talk to, but he’s gone now. He took the job in England. Anyway, when he came to Wisteria Hall to talk to me, he brought Donna. She took over from him at D’Netics, the company I was telling you about. Anyway, according to Gary, Donna’s as good as he is with this stuff, if not better. After seeing her and talking to her, I agree. She told me exactly what I expected her to. She said she would be happy to take a look at Grandmother’s medical records, but without actual samples for testing, we wouldn’t be able to find out anything. She also said, since Grandmother’s body was burned, it would be harder to prove anyway, especially without having her exhumed to collect those samples.”
“Jared, what would it accomplish? Let her rest. Grandmother deserves to be left in peace. Unless you can assure me these tests would give us definite answers, I’m not doing it.”
Jared glanced at his feet. “I know, Dad,” he sighed. “That’s why I told Donna to let me see what I could find out first, but it doesn’t stop me from approaching her about Sara’s past.”
Sara appeared on the patio. Tom sensed her presence and looked over his shoulder. “Hello, Sara. I’ll leave you and Jared alone. If you need us, we’ll be inside.” He touched her arm as he passed by her.
“Jared?”
He stood, wiped his eyes, cleared his throat and turned. He kissed Sara and held her. “Ayóó'ánííníshní yishdlį´į´h,” he whispered in her ear. “Always, Sara!”