Daddy Dragon Guardians: The Complete Series Boxset, page 30
“Completely understandable.” Autumn rang up the transaction and put in the order, requesting a couple of extra sets to put in the shop’s inventory as well. If this guy wanted drums, then someone else might, too. She gave him a copy of the receipt. “I’ll give you a call as soon as it comes in. If you don’t mind sharing, I’d love to know how this goes for you. Feel free to stop in and tell me about it.”
He smiled, looking more positive than he had since he’d first walked in. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”
When he had left and the store was quiet once again, Autumn turned back to the form for the school play. She knew that buying a small place in the back of the program wouldn’t actually bring in any new business, but she liked the idea of supporting the drama club and being a part of the community. But even as she wrote out a check, she found that she wasn’t all that interested in advertising and marketing anymore.
Her mind returned again and again to the young man’s request for shamanic drums. Maybe it was time to expand her own horizons. She clicked open her browser and began her research.
* * *
“Look, I know it’s different than everything we’ve done before, but that’s exactly why I want to try it.” Autumn had gathered her friends in her house, feeling hopeful and tentative. The sun shone through the big windows on the back of the house as they shared a Saturday morning brunch and mimosas. She’d done weeks’ worth of research without saying anything, wanting to make sure she had all the information before she brought it to the others.
“It is different,” Summer acknowledged, a small smile playing on her lips, “but only in a few ways. It seems more like a cousin of what we do on a regular basis. We’ll still call in the directions and cast a circle.” She sat in the breakfast nook with her knees pulled up to her chest.
Autumn herself was dressed and ready for the day in a pale lavender top and khakis. She considered it her weekend casual look, even though it was far more formal than what either of the other women were wearing. “Yes, but someone will need to go into a trance instead of casting a spell. I know I dismissed the idea you had about going in to retrieve Naomi like they do in the movies, but I can see now that there is some legitimate theory behind it. We’re not physically tying a rope around your waist and shoving you through a portal, but it’s sort of the psychic equivalent.” As she was discovering more and more about shamanic rituals, Autumn had realized that the scenes her sister had described were simply fun, cinematic ways of showing something that was done on a fairly regular basis in certain communities.
“And what about her physical body?” Leah asked. She stood from the table and stepped to the breakfast bar to mix herself another mimosa. “We know that our world doesn’t support spirits on their own for very long.”
“I’ve thought about that, too. I had to do a lot of digging, but I found a spell that we can use in conjunction with the ritual. It should create a new body for her, and Naomi’s spirit will still dictate what it looks like. It calls for very basic ingredients, since everything in the universe is made of the same stuff anyway.” She pulled a piece of paper out of a folder and set it in the middle of the table. “Basically dirt, plants, and stones. The spell wouldn’t be anything on its own, but if we’re successful in bringing Naomi back, then I think it will work.”
“And I suppose you plan on being the one who goes into the trance?” Summer asked.
“I thought I would be a good candidate,” Autumn affirmed. “I’m the one who’s been doing the studying, so it makes sense.”
“That’s only because you left us out of it up until this point.” Summer’s words were pointed, but her look was gentle. “But that’s alright. I’m down for this whenever you’re ready.”
“Same here,” Leah said with a smile. “I’ll even beat the drums for you.”
* * *
Their enthusiasm wouldn’t hold them long, and as soon as the moon was right, the women were upstairs in Autumn’s house, standing in a circle in the center of the room. The windows, one facing each direction, were open all the way to let in the fresh spring air and the sound of the gentle rain that had begun falling just as the sun went down.
They had called in the directions and cast their circle, and Autumn felt the familiar tingle of a safe ceremony fall on her shoulders. There was no better feeling than knowing she was about to explore something new and exciting in the spirit realm. Her heart leaped in her throat as she turned to face the other women, excited for this to begin.
“Every ritual is different, depending on who is performing it and what the intentions are. For now, we’ll rely on the drum beats to induce the trance. If I can bring Naomi back, then Summer, I’ll need you to perform the spell for her body.”
Her sister nodded, the excitement equal in her eyes. She adjusted her fingers on the hand carved drumsticks she held. “Sounds good.”
Summer and Leah began beating. They had been practicing together for the last couple of days, making sure that they could create a rhythm that was easy to keep going for long periods of time and worked on being in sync with each other. It was a simple set of four beats, louder at the beginning and growing slightly softer toward the end.
Autumn tipped her head back and closed her eyes, watching the way the candle threw light and shadow at her eyelids. She began her normal mediation routine, consciously relaxing each part of her body beginning at the top of her head and working her way slowly down to her toes. There was no concern about keeping track of time or worrying about how long this entire ritual might take. It could last all night, and they would continue it on into the next day if they had to. There were numerous accounts of shamanic rituals that lasted for hours or even days, with the resulting exhaustion only enhancing the results.
With her body loose and feeling light, Autumn turned her focus to her breathing. She concentrated on filling every corner of her lungs with air, inflating them to their fullest potential before she expelled every atom.
Just as she was about to focus on a mantra, Autumn heard an odd sound to her left. She dismissed it and brought her mind back to her breath, not wanting to lose the progress she had already made. It was going to be a long and perhaps difficult journey to get into a trance and open up the window between the realms in order to fetch Naomi.
But the sound came again, and she couldn’t help but open her eyes. The candle was the only source of light in the room, but it was too bright. Autumn squinted, thinking it was just because she had been closing her eyes for so long, but she soon realized that it was burning brighter and hotter than it normally did.
Summer moaned again, that same noise that had brought Autumn out of her meditative state in the first place. Her head was tipped back on her shoulders so that she faced the ceiling, but her eyes were rolled so far back in her head that only the whites were visible. It was as though she was bending her body backwards to look behind herself. Despite this, her hands kept moving rhythmically on the drums.
Concern grew in Autumn’s mind, and as she looked across the circle to Leah, she saw that same worry reflected in her eyes. This wasn’t the plan. But what if Summer had already achieved the trance? It might not be safe to pull her out of it. There was no good or clear choice but to continue.
Autumn closed her eyes and focused on her breathing once again, but instead of looking to achieve the trance state herself, she channeled all her energy to her sister. She could feel it flowing through her veins now, like bright blue streaks of lightning, and she pushed every bit of it to Summer.
It was enough. Her sister’s moans turned to odd gurgling noises, and her head began to sway so that her hair danced across the floor behind her. Still, her hands kept the rhythm, and for the first time since they were kids, Autumn felt a genuine fear of what they were doing. She was confident in her practice and in her knowledge, but they were stepping into new territory. It was one thing to put herself at risk, but it was something completely different to do that to her sister.
Don’t stop it. Autumn heard the voice clear as a bell in her head, and she snapped her eyes across the circle to meet Leah’s.
Autumn herself wasn’t a psychic, and it had been a long time since the three of them had attempted to communicate telepathically, but she did her best. Is she alright?
I can’t see anything, but she’s okay.
The message was cryptic to Autumn at first, but she took this to mean that although Leah couldn’t see into Summer’s mind and interpret exactly what was happening, she didn’t detect any danger. That would have to be good enough for the moment. It was killing her not to know all the details, but she didn’t seem to have a choice. The drums had called to Summer.
Summer’s noises grew more intense and more frequent now, and they quickly built up to a scream that deafened Autumn’s ears. She was writhing now, her shoulders moving at odd angles and her spine undulating like a piece of grass in the breeze.
Autumn no longer bothered with closing her eyes. She needed to know what was happening, and she spoke aloud to Leah this time. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, exactly.” There were tears in Leah’s eyes. “I’ve tried to see through her eyes, but it’s not working. It might if I touch her, but I don’t want to risk it. Wherever she’s at, though, I don’t think she’s here.” Leah reached out with tentative fingers, spreading them out near Summer but keeping just a few inches of space. “I’m pretty sure she’s not alone.”
With a spike of adrenaline pushing at her heart, Autumn couldn’t take her eyes off of Summer. “Does that mean she has Naomi?” Her fingers itched to begin the next spell. This was going to take a lot out of all of them by the time it was over, but for the moment, she had more energy than she knew what to do with. Not for the first time, she wished she had more of a coven to help her.
“I don’t know,” Leah replied honestly. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
Summer’s spasms carried on for several more minutes until the candle’s light burned so brightly that the pillar of wax exploded. Droplets of hot wax cascaded through the room, but somehow, the flame was still alight. Just above it, the air congealed and swirled, as though Autumn was looking at the room through a puddle. The swirling intensified, growing faster until a rupture formed in the center. A brilliant blue dragon writhed inside it, mirroring Summer.
Acting quickly, Autumn checked that the dish of fresh earth was placed directly next to the candle. Some wax had gotten in it, but there was nothing to be done about that now. She dug her hands down into the dirt as she chanted the words she had committed to memory, asking her spirit guides to form a new vessel for her friend. “Take this earth, as it is the mother of all of us, and build a new body that it might contain a spirit. Take these stones, as they are the bones of all of us, and create new bones that might hold her upright. Take these plants, as they are the nourishment of all of us, and nourish her new home.”
The vision of the blue dragon writhed and coiled around itself. It was small, as though they were seeing it from a distance, but Autumn knew it could only be Naomi. “Just keep doing what you’re doing, Summer,” she whispered. “I’ll have it all ready for you when you get back.” The energy that she had been giving to her sister she now pushed down into the bowl.
As the vortex opened wider, the dirt, stones, and plants in the bowl rose up into the air, the particles scattering out into a wide sphere. Naomi’s form emerged into the room, limp and lifeless as though she were floating on an invisible sea. Her body was brilliantly blue, the same color as Autumn’s energy, but where a speck of dirt stuck to her, she became a deeper shade. More and more of the pieces flew to her, clinging to her for a moment before sinking in and leaving a deep cerulean shadow in their wake until she looked like she was freckled with the depths of the ocean. Soon enough, she was entirely the color of lapis lazuli.
In one swift moment, the flame went out. Naomi fell to the floor with a hard thud, and the vortex slammed shut.
4
Julian stood at the back of the big room in the library, willing his mind to stay focused on the story. It was just some children’s book about a young elephant who didn’t feel that he fit in his own skin. It probably wasn’t all that poignant to most of the kids who sat and looked at the pictures as the old woman read it to them, though he knew it could be a good lesson for Kaylee. She had two different skins to learn to love, after all.
But his mind had been covered by a cloud all day, and as he thought about it, even last night. He hadn’t been able to get to sleep for several hours. Every time he closed his eyes, he could think of nothing but Charok and the numerous events that had happened there. None of the memories that came to mind were good ones. He was haunted by visions of Naomi, ill and dragging herself across the mountains, or the dead bodies of all his comrades as they lay in the red dirt. In the morning, after several cups of coffee, he’d thought he was finally ready to start his day. He’d chased the heavy feeling from his eyelids and he was determined to make sure Kaylee enjoyed their day together. But even something as simple as taking his daughter to story time at the library seemed difficult, and he felt restless as he waited for the book to be over.
“Which one is yours?” whispered a voice next to him.
“Hmm?” Julian turned to see a young woman smiling up at him. She had blonde hair that bounced around her shoulders and big brown eyes. She looked like she was dressed to go to the bar instead of the library. “Oh, the one in the front with the pink shirt.” He pointed at Kaylee, where she sat raptly watching the storyteller.
“She’s an absolute doll!” The woman had deep dimples when she smiled. “Mine is over there in the purple. Maybe we should get them together to play sometime, and you and I can have coffee.”
There was nothing wrong with her suggestion. After his discussion with Holden, he had started to think that perhaps his friend was right. Just because he had known Naomi back on Charok didn’t mean that he couldn’t find someone to be with here. But thinking it was a possibility was an entirely different thing than acting on it. This woman next to him was attractive, and it was clear that she knew what life with kids was like. She might be a perfectly good candidate for any other guy, but the idea made his skin itch so badly, he wanted to scratch it off. “Um, I’ve got a lot going on right now. I don’t think I’ll have the time.”
She pouted, shrugged, and turned her attention back to the story.
Julian tried to do the same, but his mind wouldn’t shut off. He could see Naomi on the inside of his eyelids every time he blinked, and his entire body seemed to vibrate with the need to find her. She was gone. She was dead. No matter how hard he looked, he would never see her again. But his blood was boiling in his veins as though she were right in the next room, waiting for him to come to her.
Unable to stand it any longer, he carefully picked his way through the crowd of children on the floor and scooped Kaylee into his arms.
“Story!” she wailed.
“Sshh. Let’s not ruin it for everyone else.” Julian trotted out of the library as quickly as possible, avoiding the curious stares of the other parents. He’d already made a scene, and it was only going to get worse. Kaylee loved story time. He tried to explain as he trotted across the damp parking lot and opened the car door. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I really am. But I’ve got an emergency.”
She looked up at him with damp eyes as he buckled her in. “Story?” One large tear clung to her eyelashes.
It broke his heart, but he knew as a father that there were going to be many more of those tears in the future. He got behind the wheel. “I’m sorry. We’ll come again next week, and maybe we can check out the book the librarian was reading. I know you don’t understand right now, but if everything works out, then you will someday.”
Julian fired up the engine and dialed Holden before he was even out of the lot. “Are you available to watch Kaylee today?” he asked without preamble.
“Sure,” the deep voice replied. “But are you okay? You sound like you’re upset.”
Julian tightened his jaw, knowing there was no good way to explain. “Yeah, I’m okay. Essentially. I’ve just got something I’ve got to take care of.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve got a woman. I don’t think I’ve heard that much urgency in your voice since we arrived on Earth,” he laughed.
Grateful that he had Holden on his headset so Kaylee couldn’t hear, Julian was tempted to argue. Naomi wasn’t just a woman. She was far more than that. She was also dead. But he could practically hear her calling to him, sending her need for him out through the universe. He didn’t know what he would need to do to find her, but he would do whatever it took. “Something like that.”
“Well, bring the kiddo on over and take your time. Leah was out late last night, so Finn and I were just going to do some baking while she slept.”
Kaylee’s tears dried as soon as she realized she was going to get to play with her cousin. Julian dropped her off as quickly as he could, ready to focus on these strange urges that were taking over his body and figure out just what the hell he was going to do about them.
But Holden stopped him on the front steps. “Julian, whatever is going on, just know that we’ve all been through it.”
Julian knew what he meant. There was a certain rage that took over a male dragon when he found his mate, and it made life very difficult for a little while. “I know. I’m not sure if this is that or something else. I’ll keep you posted. And thanks.” He took off, knowing his daughter was in good hands.
Back behind the wheel of his car, Julian started driving. He didn’t really know where he was going, and he paid no attention to speed limits. Allowing his body to take over and trying not to think about it too much, he wound his way back into town and down side streets. He was getting closer, and when his bones shook against one another, he stomped the brake. Julian looked up.
