“I know my daughter. I can feel Spirits stirring.”
“Mama, someone called me by my name. One of the Kwapa.”
“A medicine woman.”
“She knew I wasn’t of the River People, and called me Dina.”
“She must be strong among the Earth Spirits. If you are in danger, they told her. What did she say to you?” My mother’s voice was filled with concern, but was also demanding.
“She said the same thing… that a dark Spirit passed over me. She gave me a rock…” I dug into my pocket. “She said to keep it with me always.”
“Then you must do as she says. River People worship the Earth Spirits. The rock is a talisman to keep these Spirits around you, until you can draw them yourself.” There was a pause on her end. “That is not what scares you. What have you seen?”
She always knew if we were hurt or in trouble. “I don’t know.” I looked back into the apartment. Casey was in the kitchen. “I was on patrol up in the mountains and ran into people who didn’t belong there. One of them got close to me and I think I saw something, like a ghost, clinging to him. It wasn’t him, but still part of him. It was… evil.”
There was an audible shuttering sigh through my phone. “We have hunted these dark Spirits for decades, sure they were hiding from us somewhere near.”
“Who are they, who is… us? Is this part of the secret?”
“It is not easy to explain, my child. Your brothers are on their way. Your father is coming to get me, then we will join you too.”
“What? Mom, they’re all over the country. You can’t make them come out here because some strange man scared the shit out of me.”
“It is more than that. I felt it begin for you, the Rising, driven by this enemy. We must be there. We must all be there.” I could hear her tone changing, as if she was about to go into one of her prayer chants.
“MOM!”
“Din’ah.” She wasn’t gone yet.
“I need answers. What’s so important you have to come here?”
“My honored daughter.” She sighed again. “There is much to tell you, but I must be there in person. However, so you can try to understand, do you remember your tribal elements?”
“Of course. Air, Earth, Fire and Water.”
“Yes, they compose this world and represent all the peoples, human and animal, residing upon her, but there are two elements not of this world.”
I hesitated. “Star and Underworld.”
“We are of the Star People. The man you saw is owned by the Maxa’xak, an evil Spirit. Evil Spirits of the Underworld appear often on this world, but none are like this one. Entire tribes have perished at their will, such as the Yahi. We failed the Yahi. We will not fail this time, not if you are Rising.”
“Rising, what the heck is that supposed to be?”
“Your Star Spirit has been awakened outside of ritual, which means she is powerful. Seeing this evil Spirit was only possible if she is rising to the surface?”
“She? Rising? Mom, I don’t get any of this.”
“Are there other conflicts in your life?” Her voice was firmer, demanding.
A rapping on the patio door made me turn around again. Casey held several plates, cans of beer tucked between his arm and body, wanting me to let him out. “Yes, there is, with Casey. With me being a Marine.”
“I thought as much. I have seen his Spirit. It is pure. Star people can only be attached to those of pure Spirit.”
Casey raised his eyebrows at me when I didn’t rush to open the door. “What’s that have to do with anything?” I slipped around the table. “I need to know what to do.” With a jerk I pulled the glass door open.
“We cannot reveal our names to anyone except pure Spirits. He is pure. Tell him.” She sighed as if tired. “Tell him, but do nothing until we arrive.”
Before I could protest, she hung up. I pocketed the phone and grabbed two of the plates from Casey. “Where’s Lutz?”
“Passed out. I left him a plate in case he wakes up.” I got out of his way and he slipped past me to the table. He got everything down without dropping or spilling. “Left over Carne Asada and tortillas.”
“And a salad.”
“Yeah, well I know what you live on out there. Sit down.” I did, my back to the wall where I could see inside and out into the courtyard. He took the chair against the door. “Who were you talking to?”
“My mother.” I said it without looking at him, maybe because our conversation had taken such a strange twist to include him. “Had to let her know… had to… ”
“Hey, darling…” He grabbed my hand. “…I know how you are with your family. I figured you’d call her. Let’s eat and then you need to sleep.”
I could only nod in agreement. Everything my mother said was slamming around in my head, enough it was starting to hurt. Everything she didn’t tell me was making my imagination spin. And she wanted me to tell him the truth about myself.
I wasn’t sure if I could.
CHAPTER
7
Food made a difference, relieving some of the headache, giving me some energy, enough to make it into the bath Casey started for me. Not a skimpy bath, like my old apartment. Our incomes afforded us a luxury apartment, three bedrooms, two baths, with all the amenities we could want, including a spa tub
I climbed into the pile of bubbles the air jets created. The water was hot as I sank deeper into the vibrating pulses. Tight aching muscles instantly started to relax.
Casey gave me a good fifteen minutes before joining me. I leaned back as his arms wrapped around me. “Better?”
“Now.”
“Hmmm…”
There was a tone to his voice, but he wouldn’t say anything until I did. And he expected me to. It worked. “What?”
“That’s pretty much the only word you’ve said since your phone call.”
“No it’s not.”
