Without ceremony, he flung open the doorand we stepped inside. The space was small, a twelve-foot circle in which a bedlay in the middle.Lina.It felt like I was walking through quicksand asI took small steps toward the bed where Lina lay splayed out with a white sheetdraped over her. Blood soaked the sheet at her abdomen and I knew that’s whereMukesh must have attacked her. Her body was hovering a few inches above thebed, her hair frozen in midair, a clear sign that time had stopped in thisarea.
“When I release time, she will have onlymoments to transfer to you before she fades away completely,” Nahuel told me.
Hope suddenly sprang in my chest. If shewasn’t completely dead, maybe we could bring a healer; Gretchen would come. Iopened my mouth to say as much, but Nahuel shook his head.
“She’s gone. I’ve seen it and she knowsit. She’s ready. There’s no stopping her death.” He wasn’t looking at me,instead he spoke to the corner of the room … an empty corner.Okay.
“Let’s do it,” I muttered because he wasprofusely sweating now and almost fully gray. I was beginning to worry for my shamanfriend.
He nodded and took in a deep breathbefore clapping loudly. The moment his hands smacked together Lina fell ontothe bed, gasping as the time freeze broke.
I wanted to run away. This was some superadult shit and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it, but then Lina turned her paleface to look at me and a radiant smile lit up her features.
“Anya,” she wheezed as her hand slippedout of the white sheet and reached for me.
All of my fear fled when I heard hervoice. This was my friend, a person who helped me save myself and Gavin, aperson I had come to respect and love. I pushed forward and fell to my knees ather bedside, grasping her cold, limp hand.
“I’m so sorry,” I told her. “I’ll killhim once and for all. I promise,” I declared. Mukesh had taken too much fromthose I loved. There was no way in hell I was letting him live.
Lina’s face looked pained. “I know youwill,” she said, surprising me. “At great cost,” she added as her gaze driftedaround the room.
I tried not to read into her words toomuch; she was dying and was most likely not thinking clearly. Before I couldrespond, her eyes snapped back into focus on me and that wonderful smile wasback.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
I wanted to delay it and ask questions orsomething like that to draw this out, but I knew she didn’t have much time, soI just nodded. I knew exactly what she was talking about. The vision of her inthe labyrinth was still fresh in my mind.
“Anya, do you take this gift that I offerand all of the blessings and burdens that come with it?” Lina’s voice was deepnow and stronger than before. Her palm was heating up in mine. Hot, likereallyhot. I wanted to let it go but at that thought she squeezed tighter and heldon.
I remembered my promise to her in myvision and I decided to just go where life took me. Sometimes life presentedyou with opportunities and you had a choice to make. Choices that could changeyour life forever.
“I do,” I said, and the moment thosewords left my mouth, heat shot out of Lina’s palm, so strong and forceful Icried out and tried to pull back. But Lina held on as the heat shot up my armand a visible white light traveled through her to me. Mist began to pour out ofher every pore and wrap around me like a cocoon. It was so thick I could nolonger see. Magic. Everywhere. I had never seen so much concentrated magic. My heartwas racing as the magic began to fill me up. I closed my eyes and tried tosteady my breathing but as soon as my eyes shut, an image was projected into mymind. An image of the earth spinning, blue and green and beautiful. Then therewere pinpoint dots of white glowing lights all over. They were spread aroundthe earth like little grains of salt. I instinctively knew these were thepeople I was now anchoring magic for. My body vibrated and I felt the floorgive way beneath me as I levitated up into the air. For a woman who was dying,Lina held onto me with a vicelike grip, never letting go, even though it nowfelt that our hands were melted together. Finally, when the vibrating ceasedand my body lowered to the ground, I opened my eyes and the mist was gone, theheat was gone, and Lina … was gone.
Her open eyes were fixed on the ceiling,a faint smile on her lips but the life had left those eyes and her face wasfrozen. Her hand, once so strong in mine, was limp. A numbing grief spreadthroughout my body and a sob escaped me as I fell backward, and suddenly Nahuelwas there, holding me as the grief wracked my body. His arms held me tight as Ipulled against him screaming. The Skin Walker had taken too much this time.This I could not forgive. Lina was young, had yet to experience the fullness oflife and he took that from her! Like he took my mate’s mother. A growl rippedfrom my throat as I lay there in anger and grief, letting all of the emotionsrun through me. Nahuel just held me, rocking back and forth in a rhythm thatreminded me of the sea.
After I was able to calm myself fromgrieving Lina, I finally stood and I could see Nahuel still had gray hair. Ifeared whatever he had done to himself to hold time until I could get to Linawas permanent. Without a word between us, Nahuel and I wrapped her body up inwhite cotton sheets. The blood that soaked through was a reminder of the traumashe had endured and it was hard to get that vision out of my head. I was neversleeping on white sheets again. We called in the warriors, and they stepped inone by one and chanted softy while standing over Lina’s body. It was some sortof goodbye chant, I could feel it, the sorrow that held in their voices. Thenthey dropped to one knee and tenderly placed a hand on her, lifting her up andcarrying her out. I followed behind them, in awe of the sight. The six-foot-tallwarriors, wearing feather headdresses, and strapped with weapons, carrying thedelicate Lina with such care. It looked like a scene from another time. As Iexited the yurt, Nahuel led the procession past a large raging fire, past thethree fallen teepees, and out into the edge of the woods. Once we got there Isaw that a deep grave had already been dug and next to the fresh hole was anold grave. It was a hump with thick moss growing over it and a grave stone thatread,Maya, Mother to us all.I smiled, knowing Maya from stories mymother would tell. This was a good final resting place for Lina, next to Maya,among the trees, deep in the earth.
As the warriors kneeled and set her whitewrapped body into the grave, I was overcome with emotion. I hadn’t witnessedmuch death in my short life. My life as a wolf was at a time of peace betweenall the races, but I could see now that we were no longer at peace. Tears fellfrom my face as I grieved my friend, grieved a time when I could be carefree. Igrieved my innocence, for that was gone now. The first shovel of dirt went overher and that’s when the rain started. What was a clear day suddenly turned intoan overcast storm. Clouds rolled in and covered up the bright light of the sun.Huge raindrops fell from the sky and I knew that Earth Mother and Sky Fathergrieved with us. I didn’t look away. I watched until the last shovel of dirtcovered my friend. I found myself remembering the time Lina sent me out to myvision quest. She had placed her hand over my heart and had lent me hercourage. Now I needed that courage, for I had no idea what stood before me. Ifelt different though; in my body there was a low hum and connection like I hadnever had before. Instead of being connected to just one pack, I felt connectedto … everything. The earth, humans, wolves, the witches, hell … even thereclusive vampires. Everyone had a role in this place and I couldfeelthat.
After I had cried out all of my sorrowsand Lina’s grave was fully covered with dirt, Nahuel led me away. The rain wasa misty sprinkle now and I followed Nahuel’s tall, lean body back to the ragingfire we had passed before. He bent down and grabbed two large sticks withbundled sheets at the tips, like homemade torches.
“What’s that?” I questioned, stillfeeling out of sorts from the loss.
Nahuel dipped the torches in the fireuntil they were alight and handed me one. “We must start anew. Cleanse theenergy of what has happened here.”
I grasped the cold, hard stick, lettingthe heat of the fire caress my face and followed Nahuel to one of the broken-downteepees. The walls of the fabric were shredded and I saw some blood on themtoo. Something awful had happened here and I wasn’t sure fire could cleanse thememory of it. Nahuel dipped his torch onto the fabric until it lit and we bothstepped back watching as the small patch of fire grew to a raging monster. Firewas a beautiful and terrifying thing. I had never really feared fire until now.Until I saw the eight-foot-high flames dance higher into the sky, the heat itput off had me taking a few more steps back.
“May this fire cleanse all evil that hastaken place here,” Nahuel murmured. We went onto the next teepee and then thenext until it seemed like the entire property was on fire.
Finally, Nahuel pointed to the yurt. “Youmust burn it,” he told me.
What? It was brand new. I hadn’t seen itlast time I was here. It would be a shame to burn it. Before I could protest, Isaw Nahuel looking sadly at the ground, lost in thought. Without looking up,his hollow voice reached me.
“You must burn it to set Lina’s soulfree.”
A lump formed in my throat and I nodded. Iwould do anything to help Lina rest in peace. If this yurt was keeping herearthbound … let it burn.
I crossed the lawn holding the flamingtorch before me like a weapon and my hand stilled next to the fabric of thehut. I had grieved in here, seen someone die right before my eyes here, taken agift I felt was too great for me to bear in here. Maybe Nahuel was right,burning it would have some cleansing effect. For Lina and for me. Gingerly, Itouched the fire to the wall and it slowly ate through the thick canvas,leaving a gaping hole in its wake. I tossed the torch inside of the opening andit landed on the bed, the place Lina had died. The moment it touched themattress, the fire crackled and encompassed the bed in one big go. Steppingback, I stood near Nahuel watching as the fires burned around us.
