"I don't know." Eluheed wished he had a better answer. "I'm a shaman, not a prophet. I see only glimpses of the future, but they are limited. I never see the big picture, and that's where it's at."
He hadn't seen the results of the war that had sent him and the other shamans fleeing all over the universe. He didn't know how many of their people had survived and whether the other shamans were still stranded like he was. His charges were not enough to restart things back home. The others were needed for that as well.
Tamira grew pensive, and for a long moment, they just walked the inside perimeter of the fence, holding hands and enjoying the crisp winter of the Pacific coastline even though it was several miles away.
"Are you going to tell them?" Tamira suddenly asked.
"Tell who what?"
"Annani. Kian. Whoever's in charge here." Tamira turned to look at him. "If you want their help, you will need to tell them the truth about yourself. About what you are and why you're here."
"I don't know if I can. If it's safe."
"You have to. They won't help you unless they know what this is about. You need to explain what you need and why. They're not going to help you mount a costly search for mysterious items without an explanation. You must realize that. You can't just say that you need to dig under Mount Ararat and expect them to hand you a shovel."
He understood, but he also needed more time to get a feel for these people. What he had seen and sensed so far was encouraging, but he hadn't survived for a thousand years by being rash.
"I'm sworn to secrecy." Eluheed kept walking, needing to move, to do something with the nervous energy building inside of him. "I took an oath. They will want to know how I got here, and I can't reveal that."
"Then tell them what you can and explain why you can't say more, the same way you told me. I accepted that, and they might as well."
She was right. He had tried to do it on his own for decades and had found no way to do it. The clan was his only hope.
The thing was that even if they knew the truth about how he'd gotten here, it wouldn't betray his people because Annani's clan couldn't do anything with the information. The same was true for him, though. Even if he could get to Mount Ararat, even if he could find the exact location where his charges were buried, what then?
He had no way to get home.
Still, he had a sacred duty to watch over his charges, and he had failed.
Letting go of Tamira, he covered his face with his hands. "It's hopeless. I can never go home."
"No, it's not." She gripped his wrists and uncovered his face. "You're standing in the backyard of a beautiful little house in a safe village with someone who cares about you, and you're free."
"Free and purposeless."
"Free and breathing," she corrected. "Purpose can come later. Right now, just let yourself breathe. You can worry about everything else tomorrow."
Nodding, he drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, drew another one, and tried to focus on the present moment instead of the impossible future.
"Better?" Tamira asked.
"Not really. But I appreciate the effort."
She laughed, and the sound was so unexpected and so beautiful that Eluheed had to smile.
"I love hearing you laugh. Now that you are free, I hope to hear it more often."
"I promise to laugh as much as I can." She stretched on her toes and kissed his lips lightly. "We're going to be okay. I don't know how yet, but we will be. I will find Darien, you will find your sacred charges, and you will find a way to deliver them to your home."
"Your confidence is either inspiring or delusional."
She laughed, and it didn't sound forced. "I'm choosing to believe that we weren't set free only to fall apart and give up."
"Fair point."
The doorbell ringing interrupted them, and Eluheed tensed, but Tamira squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Let's see who it is. It's probably one or more of my sisters."
They walked back into the house, and Tamira opened the front door to reveal Wonder standing on the front porch, holding a basket.
