“He is still unclean,” she stated, certain she was right. There was still a demon hiding itself within the host. Somehow the creature managed to stay hidden from Tora. That was another new development.
“I’ll look again, Silke, but I was very thorough. I believe the demon is there; I can see Raik is still miserable and he shouldn’t be. I just don’t…” She trailed off, shaking her head, clearly frustrated. “I’m inspecting him again. Stay merged in my mind. You may be able to direct me.”
“Is it dangerous to leave you so unprotected?” Silke didn’t like her attention divided, not when Tora was at risk.
“I’ve safeguarded the home and this room, even Raik. The women in the house are unaware of what is taking place, and before we leave, I’ll remove all memories and replace them with something that makes sense to them. That we healed Raik when he was so ill.”
Once more, Silke guarded Tora’s body as she entered Raik in her purest form. This time, Silke stayed merged with Tora as she inspected the man. When they were in his body, the energy from the demon actually lessened, as if he knew they were hunting him, and he remained quiet and inactive. Raik calmed, ceasing his moaning and rocking.
Silke felt more uneasy than ever before. She knew evil crouched somewhere in Raik. He was a good man. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he realized how much he was abusing his wife and daughter.
She took a deep breath, relaxed and shut down all thoughts of Raik and Tora and the repercussions of leaving behind a demon in the fisherman. She allowed her senses to reach out, to travel throughRaik’s body with Tora leading the way. She didn’t try to search for the demon with Tora’s vision. She stayed inward, letting her instincts guide her.
Not in the trunk area, legs or feet. Go higher. His chest, his heart. Search there.
The trail was far too faint for the demon to be hidden anywhere in Raik below the waist. As Tora moved upward toward the heart, examining ribs, bones, muscle and organs as she went, Silke kept her vision her own. She trusted that Tora had locked them safely in the room, and she could turn all her senses to tracking that very faint footprint.
Tora was meticulous in her search, fearing the demon might attempt to give Raik a heart attack if he was found. Silke detected a stronger taint, but she was certain the demon was above the heart.
Raik continues to rock back and forth and hold his head. The demon is concealing itself above the heart. It is probable that he is somewhere in the brain.
It’s so difficult to find in all the shadows and creases. I went over Raik’s brain numerous times and didn’t find anything.
Silke knew they were both exhausted. It was far too close to dawn. Tora had to get to ground. She knew it was coming and dreaded Tora’s report.
I can’t find any shadowing. I’m sorry.
Silke knew the demon was hidden in Raik’s brain. She could feel him. The energy might be low, but she felt it pressing in on her, weighing her down. She knew, but she couldn’t pinpoint him. He was clever enough to disperse the energy throughout the entire brain.
Tora’s spirit connected with her body, and she slumped back on the floor. Silke immediately provided her wrist again.
I must go to ground. I’m so tired I feel as if I’m already going into paralysis.
“Do you need me to carry you to safety?” Silke asked. “I’m sorry I pushed you to try again. I should have known we were getting too close to dawn. You expend so much energy when you’re healing.”
I can make it. Let me put Raik into his bed. I’ll keep him in a coma. The story is he has a very contagious virus and must sleep for several risings. We’ve given him a sleeping aid to keep him under, so his body has time to heal.
“Can you make the weave strong enough that the demon will succumb as well?”
I hope so.
Part Two
(Left) Soul-searching. Introspection and guidance.
(Right) Out of sync. Strained communication. Hold on to your honor.
Chapter
6
“Silke,” Gesina Laninga said, “we’ve had an influx of tourists. They want the garden tours, and your home is included on the tour.”
Silke had made her way from the village, across the meadow to the forest, where she was once again working on transplanting medicinal plants to much more advantageous locations. She had slept in, exhausted from the all-night fight with the sea monster. She worried that Tora hadn’t had enough time to conceal her resting place and that Raik might wake and the demon would gain control before Silke could figure out how to draw him from the body of his host.
Plants and soil were soothing to Silke. She found it relaxing to garden or work with the wild plants. Although she enjoyed her interactions with the villagers, she needed solitude after a prolonged battle with a demon. The breeze in her hair, touching her face with a delicate wisp of wind, gave her badly needed solace. The sound of the wind playing through the leaves on the trees, the continuous creak of branches, and the scurrying of lizards and mice through the vegetation on the ground acted like a symphony of music, calming her. She recharged when she went to her beloved forest. When she had her hands deep in the soil. When she was surrounded by nature.
Silke sank back on her heels and looked up at Gesina. “This isn’t the best time of year to show off gardens.” She wished they hadn’t fixed the road so quickly after the storm. Nachtbloem didn’t have an airport to fly into. Visitors traveled by car to get to them. They were remote. They had all the modern amenities, but as a rule, they kept to themselves, other than to sell goods to the closest towns and cities.
