Hunter advances on her saying, “Daninagv!! Lies, woman, they filled your soul with lies.” Eyes wide, Elsbeth stares at him as he grabs her by her shoulders and shakes her gently. “You are full of light, faith, hope, and love. I have watched you with the women at the shelter. You give them peace, when they have lost all hope. You teach them skills; show them how to fight for a better life for their children. You are Attsvsdv! Light, Elsbeth, you are light. It’s time for you to believe it!” Elsbeth is stunned into silence. She watches as he turns away, stomping past the silent group.
“I will be back in the morning to take you to the mines!” he mumbles under his breath and slams his way out of the house.
Elsbeth quietly drops into the nearest chair. Jake smiles as Hunter leaves. “He told you, little sister!”
“Shut up,” Elsbeth says throwing a pillow at Jakes back.
Polly comes in to tell the group “I will cast a protective circle around the house, just as a precaution. We have had a long day. Let’s sit down in the morning to discuss our next step.”
After agreeing, they all head to bed. Elsbeth waits for the others to go to bed, and grabs her bible. Settling into a chair by the fireplace to rest, she begins reading to refuel her spirit. Elsbeth prays quietly, “Father, refill my soul with your light. Help me to know that you are in control. Help me to walk in your light, and live my life in faith and glory. Amen.” Soon she drifts off thinking for the first time of something other than demons and angels. Instead she feels hope when she thinks of the future.
Thirteen
Elsbeth drifts awake to the sound of a guitar playing a beautiful song. Lured by the music she follows it out to the deck, and finds Hunter strumming and playing.
Patiently, she waits for the song to finish, “That was beautiful. What is it called?”
As Hunter looks at her sleep filled eyes, he smiles at her simple beauty. “It is called the Morning Song.”
Elsbeth hears the sound of laughter and pans from the kitchen. As she smells the coffee, she turns to go but Hunter’s voice stops her.
“Elsbeth, I have a gift for you.” With a look of surprise, she walks closer to him as he places his guitar on the table.
Hunter hands her a small package wrapped in brown paper. “The Indians believe that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. The dreamcatcher, when hung in a place of rest, swinging freely with the air, catches the dreams that flow by. The good dreams slip through the outer holes and slide down the soft feathers to rest gently with the sleeper. The bad dreams, not knowing the way, get tangled and perish with the first light of the new day.”
“I would like you to have this,” Hunter says, watching her open the paper to reveal a beautiful leather wrapped dream catcher with golden thread in the center. A center hole radiates out in a beautiful web formation of a star. At the point of each star is a stone.
“Each stone has a meaning. The top stone is Amethyst,” he says pointing. “It represents protection. Quartz represents healing. Hematite is for peace, and turquoise represents a release of all guilt and shame. Lastly is rose quartz for heart and family.”
As Elsbeth looks into his warm, brown eyes she is touched by his sincerity. “I don’t know what to say, Hunter, I will treasure it. Thank you,” she says softly as a single tear runs down her cheek.
He reaches out and softly wipes her cheek with his fingertip, “Never stop dreaming Elsbeth.”
She reaches up and takes his hand. Pressing it against her cheek, she says, “I will try.” Feeling at peace for the first time in years, she realizes she really does want to dream again.
Three hours later, after hiking in the freezing air, she is rethinking her feelings on the subject of peace. The thoughts running through her mind are anything but peaceful. They left the truck and had to hike the rest of the way to the entrance of the mine. Her energy levels are not what they once were. It worries her. Alex constantly helps her, pulling and prodding her to keep going.
“Almost there, Beth,” Alex calls out pointing ahead to a pile of rubble. Reaching the rocks, Hunter disappears over the top while she stops for a drink of water. Quickly returning, Hunter looks at his son as he helps Elsbeth and feels a sense of pride.
“The entrance is covered with a metal grate. Alex, help me lift it off, then we will head inside.” Alex turns and runs to help his father.
After a couple of minutes, Elsbeth hears the sound of the metal hitting the ground. Walking over she looks down and sees the two stringing a rope to a stake that has been driven deep into the ground. Carved into the earth is a large circular hole with a wooden ladder inside and a sign that says “CAUTION: Collapsed tunnels. Enter at your own risk.” Elsbeth chews her bottom lip in worry, and backs away from the hole. “Maybe I can buy some bloodstones off the internet? This does not look promising, Hunter.”
“Don’t worry, Beth. I’m right behind you. Dad does this all the time. It’s a hobby of his, right Dad?” Alex asks turning to look at Hunter.
“Right,” Hunter says securing the rope around his waist. “Give me a minute.” Slowly he climbs down the ladder disappearing from view.
“He’s checking the tunnel for stability to make sure it doesn’t collapse.” Alex tells her.
“That’s reassuring.” Elsbeth says with a small laugh, looking at Alex for a moment trying to see a family resemblance. Hunter is shorter than Alex, and at fifteen he is well on his
