ORDER OF SEVEN (25 page)

“What do you know about this guy?” Baron demands.

“I...uh...not a whole lot, I guess,” I say. “He’s just this lonely guy. But he’s always been ni—”

“We have to get rid of it. Immediately.” Baron leaves our hut and returns with Keb.

I wait in stupefied silence.

“I will take it to the temple tonight,” Keb says. “Master Tran will make it go away.”

“Tonight? How are you getting there tonight?” I ask.

“I run,” she says in a deep, authoritative voice. She holds out her hand and I place the skull in her palm.

“What the hell?” I ask as she leaves. “You stay here with Mapiya,” I say to Baron. “I’ll be right back.”

I duck behind a hut near Keb’s and watch her under the bright moonlight as she attaches a knife to her calf and pulls a strap across her chest. A small pouch rests against her back.

Hearing a dog bark, I glance away for two seconds and she’s gone. Disappeared into the darkness.

“Do not worry about Keb,” a voice says from behind me and I jump. It’s Ashon. “She can navigate these forests as well as the animals, and she is as fast as them too.” He rests a hand on my shoulder. “I wish I could be of more help to you and your brother. If your Lyriad, Paytah, were here, he’d know what to do about this man who gave you the hematite. I agree with Baron. He’s probably a Tabari mystic.”

Ashon told us our Lyriad was someone chosen by the gods to protect and guide us. I wish he’d been around to tell me Joe was working for the Tabari, though I still can’t picture Joe that way. It doesn’t seem right.

“Do you think Paytah is still in Africa?” I ask.

Ashon leans against the hut and considers my question. “I don’t know. What does a Lyriad do without the runes he was chosen to guide? How does he make new meaning of his life? I’ve been asking myself these questions for nearly twenty years.”

I look into the woods where Keb disappeared.

“She will return by tomorrow. Now go get some sleep, Devi.”

•◊•◊•

I wake up the next morning, not quite believing I’m on the floor of a hut in Africa, just days away from saving mankind from an asteroid. Immediately my mind is reeling, overwhelmed by all that has happened the last few days and all that awaits us. I look over at Mapiya, who exudes joy even in her sleep. I feel Baron’s hand in mine and I turn to my other side and watch the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Five more days, and we can be together,
I think.

Sleeping next to him with the intent of actual sleep is surprisingly peaceful, like being in a boat gently rocking in the waves.

I stretch and yawn, enjoying the silence until Mapiya is awake. I speak to her in hushed tones, but Baron wakes as well. We take turns changing into fresh clothes in the hut before leaving to visit the gross-hole-bathroom. Just as we round a hut, we see Nodin and Aadam heading our way.

Everyone is in summer clothes because of the searing heat. Everyone but Nodin, who’s in jeans and a long-sleeved hoodie.

“Nodin,” I say. “The term ‘Africa hot’ exists for a reason. Wear summer clothes for Pete’s sake. No one will make fun of you here.”

His face reddens. My father walks up and tells us to follow him for breakfast, linking arms with Mapiya to lead her.

“Where’s Aren?” I ask Aadam.

“Doing yoga.”

Ashon asks me to walk with him. “The Tabari might have a mystic,” he says, “but we have our shaman. I will speak with Sahr about the man and his hematite when Keb returns. He will know what to do.”

I’m reminded of my dream as we are led into a clearing where the Mahtembo gather around a fire. Two women are tending to a large pot on the fire. A boy brings a stack of leaves and passes one to each of us. When the food is ready, we take turns spooning the contents of the pot onto our leaves.

Ashon explains it is cassava, a millet porridge sweetened with mashed banana. We sit back in our circle and eat. It’s delicious.

As we eat and smaller conversations begin to break out, Ashon stands and approaches, gesturing to the ground between me and Baron. “Can I sit here?”

I nod, and Baron scoots over.

Ashon sits close, his shoulder almost touching mine, and says quietly, “You seem worried, mi sita.”

I don’t look up from my food. “Am I that transparent?”

“You show your emotions on your face, just like your mother did.”

I stop chewing.
Mother.
Sadness quells my appetite.

“I know you’re scared.” He pauses. “That’s to be expected. But what you need to remember is, whether you realize it or not, you’ve been preparing for this your whole life.”

We lock eyes.

“Each of you was chosen by the gods for a reason.” Ashon puts a hand on my shoulder. “Trust your gift. Trust your purpose.” He stands, kisses me on the top of my head and leaves to sit by Nodin, no doubt delivering a similar pep talk.

I’m beyond grateful for his words of confidence. Lord knows I need it. We all do.

Aren arrives, slick with sweat. He gets his food and takes the still-vacant spot next to me.

“How was yoga?” I ask him.

He grins. “Harmonizing and transcendent.”

“Wow, those are big words to describe stretching,” I say, teasing.

Aren chuckles. “Stretching, huh? If you’d like to
stretch
with me sometime, let me know. We’ll see what words you use afterward.”

I throw back my head in laughter.

Baron gets our attention and gestures to Nodin.

I look over and grin when I see a beautiful Mahtembo girl with an eye decorated in stunning shades of yellow paying extra attention to him. He’s paying attention right back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother being flirtatious. It’s endearing, and entertaining.

After we finish eating, Ashon hands us all small sticks. “To brush your teeth,” he says, rubbing a tooth with the end of his.

“Is Keb back yet?” I ask, following suit.

“Not yet, but she will be soon. Do not worry, Devi. Keb does not get caught.”

“Caught?” Being caught hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was more concerned with a lion attack or something. “Caught by whom?”

“To get to the temple, she has to pass through the land of three hostile villages.”

I stop brushing and put my head in my hands. “I can’t believe she’d put herself in that kind of danger for this.”

“She’ll be all right, Devi,” Aren says. “If they’re not worried, we shouldn’t be.” He stands. “We need to practice working together today.”

“But we’re not all here,” Aadam says.

“S’alright. We’ll work with what we have,” Aren says. “Is there somewhere we can go with less of an audience?”

Ashon nods. “I’ll take you to the river. You will have privacy there.”

•◊
28
ץ

SCARS RUN DEEP

T
he river is about a mile away. I walk next to Aadam, who leads Mapiya.

“Lightning,” she says. Before I can ask her what she means, I see a bolt spear down from dark clouds in the distance.

“How did you know?” I ask her.

“I felt it coming.” Her head sways slightly from side to side, milky eyes roaming.

The storm looks far away, but grey clouds spread across the sky like spilled paint.

“You think it’s going to storm today?” I say loudly, so Ashon can hear from where he’s walking with Nodin.

He peers up at the clouds. “No. It moves west.”

That is my father,
I think for the hundredth time. I have to swallow the fact down. The concept is surreal. I want to feel more connected to him, but he is a stranger to me.

Nodin acts as though they have formed an instant bond.
Am I that bad at letting people in?
I try to tell myself it is just the suddenness, but the truth is, I do not know how to act toward this man.

Aadam helps Mapiya navigate over a large root that passes across the trail. I move forward and take her other arm to help.

“You have a lot of friends at college?” I ask Aadam.

He grins. “Yeah. Why, you think I sit alone in my dorm, masterminding time travel?”

Mapiya giggles.

“Kinda.” I shoot him a smile so he knows I’m teasing. “But I mean because you’re younger than everyone else. Weren’t you scared at first? Like no one would take you seriously?”

He seems to consider this, then shrugs. “No, not really. I’m just myself. And when I’m myself, the important things seem to fall into place. Everything else is just nuts and cake.”

“Nuts and cake? I like that.”

“Right? The trivial stuff doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“I guess not.”

“Nuts and cake,” Mapiya says. Her face is beaded with sweat, reminding me how hot it is. My shirt is glued to my body.

We arrive at the river and Ashon points upstream. “You can cross there, where it is shallow. On the other side, it is open just past the trees. Return on the same path when you’re finished. I’ll go back and wait for Keb.”

We cross the river where he told us, stopping only to cool off, splashing water against our flushed skin. As soon as we touch ground on the other side, I feel the calling vibrating up my legs. I know where to go. Ahead of me is a large tree split into four thick trunks that splay out from its center.

“There,” I say and start walking. The others follow.

The energy reverberates in my bones, luring me, calling me. I arrive at its trunk and lay my hand on the bark, faintly aware of Nodin rushing to my side to support me.

It’s night, and I sit across from Sahr under a full moon. In front of him on the dirt is a pile of different colored crystals beside a bowl of burning sage. He looks at me with his different colored eyes and smiles his toothless smile, then gestures behind me.

I look and see Bahtmi. My heart grows twice its size. She sits next to me and touches my cheek. Her amber eyes tell me everything of her sorrow, filled with the same pain as Ashon’s.

I lay my head in her lap, silently crying while she rocks me gently and strokes my hair.

Sahr waves his hand over the burning sage and the smoke wafts under my nose. It is the smell I remember from my naming ceremony. I stare ahead of me at the pile of crystals and notice one of them is a large sphere of hematite.

The Spy,
I think.

Baron was right. The hematite makes it possible for Sahr to visit my dreams and give me knowledge through the trees.

Bahtmi nudges me up from her lap and braids my hair, like she does in my other dream. It’s so maternal and loving, it makes me ache. When she finishes the braid, Sahr reaches over and taps her knee.

Bahtmi kisses my temple and whispers in my ear, “Tell Nodin I love him with all my heart and soul. I am very proud of both of you.”

Then she’s gone.

My eyes open, the smell of sage still lingering in my nose. Nodin is watching me with intensity, sweat beaded on his brow as he supports my upper body in his arms.

I tell him the cliff notes of my vision and relay Bahtmi’s message. His cheeks flush with emotion as he helps me stand upright.

Baron is ten feet away, shaping the energy he pulled from me. Aren is by his side, waiting to take it from him. Across the grove, Aadam sits, taking painstaking notes on what we’re doing. Not far from him is Mapiya, waiting with that content, confident expression she always has.
Little Buddha.

Searing heat washes over me and I see Baron has shaped my energy into a dense, hot ball. Sweat drips off his chin as he leans back and hurls it with a growl. It whistles toward the clouds with furious intent.

Aren bends his knees, like he’s supporting a tremendous weight. His body is so rigid he looks like a wax figure of himself. His hands are up, palms out to the sky as he directs the energy in a tight column. It emits light so bright, I have to cover my eyes, but as quickly as it appears, it is gone.

Mapiya is no longer smiling. She looks angry, almost possessed, with her eyes rolled up in her head as she conceals the red-hot energy. The air is eerily void of sound and seems charged with static electricity.

Baron wipes sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, and we exchange looks with the others, awestruck.

After about two minutes, Aren drops his arms to his side with a grunt. Mapiya’s eyes roll back, but they are wide and wild with frenzy. Her hands flail, feeling the space around her, and she screams.

“She doesn’t know where she is,” Nodin cries as he bolts toward her. He wraps his arms around her little body, holding her still. I watch his eyes close as he forces a calm energy to melt over them, easing Mapiya out of her trance-like state.

In seconds she’s alert and aware again. Her blind eyes swim back and forth and she smiles. Nodin releases her and collapses.

“Nodin,” I shout, rushing to his side.

Baron cups his head and repeats his name a few times, but Nodin doesn’t respond. His face is red as an apple.

“He needs water, fast,” Baron says.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong with him?” I ask, high pitched and panicked.

“I don’t know. Maybe the heat got to him,” Baron says.

Aren runs toward the river, returning quickly with his own soaking wet shirt balled in his hands. I notice he’s got the rune spiral symbol tatted on his back. He bends over Nodin, patting cool water on his forehead. Nodin moans but doesn’t open his eyes. Aren squeezes water from the shirt, letting it drip on his neck.

“I need to cool his body. Get his shirt off,” Aren says, and pulls Nodin to a sitting position.

Nodin is completely limp, hunched forward, head hanging. Baron helps support his body while Aren removes his hoodie.

Everyone freezes into statues at the sight of Nodin’s flesh.

His body is covered in scars, hundreds of them, long and short, covering his stomach and arms. Bright ones blemish his flesh, glowing red against the ivory backdrop.

Then I realize the real reason he’s been so careful to hide his skin all these years.

Nodin is a cutter.

I back away, moaning, a visceral reaction welling up inside me like a tsunami.

Nodin makes a noise and his eyes flutter open. He looks around at us and his hand goes to his chest. Realizing he’s shirtless, his eyes bulge with panic.