Earth's Embrace, page 7
“Please,” said Daniel. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She sleeps,” said Sita. And airy wave of her hand. “It’s what she needs. And now, we can talk in safety.”
“Wait, what? Did you do this?” demanded Daniel. Incredulous. “You drugged her? I came to you for help, and this is how you treat us?”
“She is fine,” said Sita. “A harmless sedative from my garden. She will wake when its time and there will be no after-effects.”
Daniel’s worry turned to anger “I don’t believe this. You people are all the same. You can’t be trusted. I don’t know why I thought you would be any different.”
Sita raised an eyebrow at his ire. “You people? I am taulasea like your grandmother.”
“You’re nothing like my grandmother.” Daniel gently gathered Leila into his arms and stood. Warrior protector and defiant. “I’m getting her out of here.”
“Where are you going?”
“To a hospital. To get real help,” said Daniel.
“Don’t be foolish,” said Sita. “They won’t know how to wake her. This sedative can only be neutralized by it’s opposite and as I’m the one who created both, I’m the only one who can bring her out of her sleep.”
There was dangerous fury in Daniel’s voice as he confronted the taulasea, his beloved in his arms. “Then wake her up. Now. Don’t push me Sita. I have looked death in the face for Leila and won. I will do whatever I need to, to keep her safe. Wake. Her. Up.”
Sita’s smile was wearing thin. “Normally, I wouldn’t tolerate a guest in my home making threats.”
“Do you often drug your guests?”
Sita rose to her feet and there was no mistaking the regal power in her stance now. “Only when a guest is dangerous. Like your wife.” She approached. And now she was the one who simmered with anger. “I welcomed you as the son of my taulasea sister, and you bring an insane eternal into my house. An aitu who could incinerate us all in a heartbeat. Whose bloody thirst for power is so great that this room is filled with the ghosts of all those she has consumed from the beginning. I can barely hear myself think over the sound of their relentless crying and whispering. It is a wonder you do not hear them.”
Daniel was in shock. “No. That’s Pele. Not Leila. My wife is a good person. She wouldn’t hurt you. She’s not a threat to you, or to anyone.”
“You are blinded by love for your wife. She is not Leila anymore. She is a vessel for the god Pele. That is why I drugged her. It is not safe for any of us to be near her. Put her down Daniel. Rest her there on the couch. Rest is what Leila needs. I promise you, no-one will harm her. She sleeps. That is all. Listen to me and what I have to say. And when you have listened, then you can decide what to do, whether to wake her.”
“How can I trust you after what you’ve done? We came to you in good faith and you drug my wife. That’s not the behavior of a friend,” said Daniel.
“I drugged her because it is not safe for any of us to be near Pele. But I could have poisoned her instead,” replied Sita.
“Well that’s not very reassuring, is it,” said Daniel. “I should trust you because you DIDN’T poison her? When you obviously considered it.” He added, more to himself. “I can’t believe I’m still standing here, listening to this.”
“You’re still here because you know there’s nowhere else you can go to for help. Nobody who could possibly save the woman you love,” said Sita. “You’re here because you’re desperate. You both are. And if she were awake, I’m sure Leila would tell you that you need to listen to what I have to say.”
The tension was a coiled fao ready to snap at any moment as Daniel puzzled over whether to take Leila and leave. Or stay.
It didn’t take him long to make a decision. There wasn’t much of a choice. There never had been. He didn’t trust Sita, but she was right. Who else could help them? Daniel walked back and gently laid Leila down. Sita called for an attendant to bring a blanket and watched as Daniel carefully covered Leila against the chill of the air conditioning. Only then, only until he was certain she was comfortable, did he turn back to face the taulasea.
“Talk,” he said. Brusqueness to quiet the fear inside.
“What I have to say, pains me. Your grandmother was my friend. There aren’t many of us who do the work that we do and Salamasina was wise and generous with her knowledge. It is because of my respect for her that we are having this conversation now.”
Unspoken was the threat that Sita’s first instinct had been to kill Leila and that reminder had Daniel clenching his jaw, every muscle and nerve fiber in his body tensed.
Sita continued. “You must understand. There’s only a very thin line separating Leila from the god inside her. Your wife has done an admirable job so far of containing Pele. But she can’t keep that up. Look at her. She’s tired. Sick. Losing weight. Unable to sleep. The headaches as Pele tries to wear her resistance down.” She added with an unwilling admiration. “I am surprised your wife has lasted this long.”
“She’s a warrior,” said Daniel. Curt and gruff. “Stronger than any of us.”
“Yes she is. That’s why Pele chose her as a vessel. It needed to be someone with enough power to bear the weight and burden of a god.”
“We thought after that final battle with Pele, when both our Gifts were taken, that we were done with her. I don’t understand.”
Sita was pacing the room now as she spoke, her face alight with intensity. “I don’t think your Gifts were ‘taken’ as such. Rather, your sacrifice of both your life and the Ocean within you, combined with Leila’s will and strength to suppress Pele, allowed Leila to take charge of her body again. I can’t be certain as it’s not like I’ve encountered anything like this before. I would guess that your Vasa Loloa gift is gone forever but Leila’s? Fanua Afi? It’s still there. Along with all the Telesā power that Pele stole from her sisters throughout the generations. And the day that Leila calls on her Fire again? Is the day that Pele will be loosed. Until then, Pele will plague her incessantly and weaken her defenses until Leila breaks.”
“But you can stop that from happening. Can’t you? You heal people of aitu. You remove curses. You can get Pele out of her.”
Sita came to lay a hand on Daniel’s. Sorrow, compassion, almost-pity in her eyes. “I wish that I could. Pele is too powerful. And your wife’s body is too attractive a vessel for her. Very few people could host her. The only way Pele exits, is when she chooses to for another host. Or when Leila dies.”
Daniel reeled. Even though he knew it to be truth, even though he’d known it all along – it was still a gut punch to hear the words spoken aloud. And by someone with an authoritative knowledge of aitu and all things taulasea related.
Sita took advantage of that moment to draw him away from Leila, to sit beside her. “This is the decision that I can offer you.” She gestured at the sleeping young woman across from them. “See, she sleeps. It is a deep sleep without dreams, without voices and fear.”
Daniel had to concede that it was a welcome change to see Leila in a sleep that wasn’t marred by the usual restlessness and anxious frown that he had gotten accustomed to over the last few weeks.
“I just want her to be okay,” said Daniel.
“I wish I had better options to offer you,” said Sita. “But the reality is a brutal one.” She took a deep breath, bracing herself for Daniel’s reaction. “Death is the only way to give Leila true peace and rid her forever of Pele’s influence. I can give her that. Now, today while she sleeps.”
“No,” said Daniel. He stood up. “What’s the second option?”
Sita stopped him with her voice. “Are you sure Tanielu? Think carefully. And think beyond yourself because this is bigger than just you and your wife.”
“What do you mean?”
“One day, Pele will break free and there won’t be anyone who can stop her. Thousands will die at her hand. Who knows what havoc she will bring? And their blood will be on your hands because right here, right now, you can stop it. You must ask yourself, don’t the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one?”
“Neither of us have the right to make that kind of a choice,” said Daniel. Firm and unshaken in his resolve. “I’m not a god and neither are you. We don’t call the shots on who should be allowed to live or die. Or about whose life is more important. Leila deserves a fighting chance. You can’t write her off like that already and assume that Pele will win. And I refuse to hold Leila accountable for Pele’s choices. No. Nobody’s dying here today.”
“Alright then,” said Sita. A sad smile for the young man who stood before her. “I see Salamasina in you. She would have made the same choice. Even though logic and reason dictates otherwise. And even though the earth, Fanua herself calls for Leila’s blood.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Daniel. “I refuse to believe it. Fanua would never turn against her children. Even for me, though I no longer am Vasa Loloa, I still hear the call of the ocean, the love she has for me. The earth embraces Leila still.”
Sita didn’t bother arguing with him. She could see that his conviction was unwavering. “Like I said, you are indeed a child of Salamasina.”
“And proud of it,” said Daniel. “Now please, what’s the second option?”
And so Sita told him.
Leila could hear voices, speaking to her from far away. She was wrapped in a cocoon of delicious slumber, warm and comfortable. Safe and secure. She didn’t want to leave. But the voices tugged at her, calling her name. Urging her to pay attention and come. One of the voices was a woman. Unfamiliar. Wary.
“It won’t take long. The perfume is a powerful antidote to the sedative.”
The other voice was one she knew like her own heartbeat. Daniel. And hearing it made her hurry her steps towards the light. Wherever he was, is where she wanted to be.
“Leila? Can you hear me? Wake up.”
Leila opened her eyes. The light hurt and she blinked several times, trying to get used to its glare. She looked around. She was in an opulent room, a room that she knew she should remember.
“Daniel? Where are we?” She tried to sit up and the room swayed. “Whoa, everything’s moving.”
He steadied her and she grabbed on to his arm thankful for his strength. “Take it easy. You’re safe.”
As her vision settled, she saw the taulasea standing across the room, that same wary look in her eyes. Her memories came flooding back. They had come to American Samoa to find help. She’d been listening to Daniel tell Sita everything about what had happened to them over the last year. Realization was followed by a burn of mortified shame.
“I fell asleep! I’m sorry. That was so rude of me,” said Leila as she tried to tidy her hair and smooth the creases from her clothing. “I’m so embarrassed. I didn’t realise I was that tired.”
“No, it’s alright,” said Sita. “You don’t need to apologize.”
Leila looked to Daniel for help. “How long was I out for? I feel like I’ve been asleep for days.” She crinkled her nose. “And what’s that smell? That perfume, it’s so strong.” A slow breath as she tried to name the ingredients. “Lemongrass, fua saina, tamaligi root and I’m not sure what else that is? It’s something salty.”
“Not bad,” said Sita as she twisted the cap back on to a small glass vial she was holding. There was an unwilling admiration in her gaze. “You must have some training from your mother Nafanua.”
“A little,” said Leila. And now there was suspicion in her eyes as she started to get the full measure of the situation. “You used that to wake me up. Because I didn’t just fall asleep, did I?”
Quickly Daniel explained what Sita had done. “I was going to get you out of here, take you to a hospital.”
Leila quieted his defenses with a soft touch, a word. “No, Sita needed to neutralize the threat. Even if only for a little while so she could make an assessment. You made the right choice Daniel. This is why we came here.”
Daniel had been braced for Leila’s anger, but she surprised him. She turned to the taulasea and there was eagerness as she asked, “You can hear her? Sense her?”
“Yes,” said Sita. “She’s impossible not to sense.”
“Oh I’m so glad.” The rush of relief caught Leila off guard. So much that a half sob caught in her throat. “It’s so good that someone else knows she’s real. Some days I think I’m losing my mind. It’s just me and her and nobody understands what that’s like.” She threw Daniel an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry. I know you try to get it, but you don’t really. I mean you can’t.”
Leila had questions for Sita then. So many. “She’s powerful, right? You feel it too? Like this looming dread hovering there, waiting for just the right moment to strike? And so much power, it’s almost incomprehensible, so much right there at the edge of my fingertips if I only reach for it…” The words died away and Leila went silent. She was still, and rigid straight. As if afraid she’d said too much.
Daniel was stunned. For the first time he began to truly understand exactly what his wife was going through, the burden that she carried. And the realization was followed by a stab of guilt that it had taken this long. That he had been dismissive before because for a long while he’d hoped that by ignoring the threat, it would go away. And yet all the while, Leila had been fighting on alone.
Sita spoke into the heavy silence. “Her power is immense. Like nothing I have ever seen before. You have done well to contain her for this long. But it can’t go on.”
“No it can’t,” agreed Leila. “I’m worried for the day I slip. Especially because…”
“Because what?” prompted Daniel.
Leila thought of Keahi’s parting words to her. You have to tell him. Be honest with Daniel and with yourself. He’ll understand. He’ll stand by you. He’s the right one.
She turned to Sita. Pleading. “Can I have a moment with Daniel alone people? To clear something up between us.”
The taulasea nodded and left the room.
Leila braced herself for his reaction and there was shame heavy on every word. “I miss it. I want the fire back. The power, the fury, the beauty, she took it from me and I want it back. And that’s why I think Pele is still alive, still a threat. Because of my own weakness.”
Her darkest secret finally out, she stood before him soul bared. What would he think of her now? What would he do with her? How could he love her now that he knew?
“Oh Leila, I know. I’ve always known.” He raised her face to his, cradled her face in his hands, kissed her tears. “I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“What for?”
It was his turn to look away. To bow his head in shame. “I’m the one who took your fire away. I won’t say that I didn’t know what I was doing. Because on some visceral instinctive level, I knew. Maybe it was Tavake telling me. That day, when I faced Pele on that beach. I knew I would be sacrificing your Gift at the same time as mine, and I did it anyway. Without your consent. That was wrong of me. And since then, I’ve been glad we have no Telesā power. Because I want to be ‘normal’. Ordinary. I want a regular life for both of us. To have children one day. To grow old together. To walk with you and have you by my side. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. It’s selfish of me.”
Leila hugged him close, a muffled laugh that sounded suspiciously like a sob. “Oh what fools we both are! Me cutting myself up inside for my selfishness. And you doing the same. When we should have cleared this up by being honest.”
Sita interrupted from the doorway, a clearing of her throat. The couple turned to the taulasea.
“So can you help us?” asked Leila.
“I can’t heal you,” said Sita.
“What do you mean, you can’t? You have to at least try,” said Leila. After the brief rise of hope from the moments before, it was a cruel jolt to have the taulasea refuse. “I have money. Lots of it. I can pay. I can give you anything you want. Buy anything you’ve ever wanted.”
And now Sita shook her head, weary resignation. In Samoan she said to Daniel, “What is it with the palagi? They always think money can fix anything.”
Daniel turned to Leila. “When you were asleep, Sita explained to me. It’s impossible to kill or forcibly remove Pele from you. She’s far too powerful. But Sita can do something else. A binding.”
Sita interjected. “I said I could try. No guarantees that it will work. And it will be painful and dangerous. You could die.”
“How would a binding work?” asked Leila.
“You would still be a host for Pele. But she would be cordoned off from you and your consciousness. She wouldn’t be able to communicate with you anymore,” said Sita.
“Not even when I’m asleep?” said Leila. “Because that’s when she’s strongest and I’m most scared she’ll break me.”
“Not even when you’re asleep,” said Sita. “There would be an impenetrable wall if you will, separating the two of you. So even in your most tired moments, she would not be able to have any influence on you.”
“What about a child?” asked Daniel. “If we one day, want to start a family. Can Pele touch our unborn child?”
“No,” said Sita. “It’s Leila who is the host for Pele. She’s the one who gave permission for the aitu to enter, that day in the volcano. A baby growing in the womb may share a symbiotic relationship with its mother when it comes to sharing nutrients and so forth, but it has its own consciousness. And so Pele would not be able to speak to her. That’s what the Binding would do.”
“And that’s permanent?” asked Leila. “Forever?”
“Yes. I have done a Binding for lesser aitu, and they have always been unbreakable bonds. It’s permanent,” said Sita. “Unless you come back to me and ask for the binding to be broken.”
A derisive sound from Daniel. “Well that’s never going to happen.”
“But as I explained to your husband,” cautioned Sita. “This is dangerous ground you will walk on. To bind Pele, you must go to her, let your defenses down and allow her to be close to you. It is like setting a trap. With you as the bait. Once Pele figures out what you’re doing, she will fight you. Fiercely. She knows you like no other because she has seen your innermost thoughts and emotions. She will use those. You will need to be strong and withstand whatever she comes at you with. Whether it be force, flattery or fire. And if you lose, Pele will take full control of your body and mind. May Tangaloa save us all if that happens.”
