The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (3 page)

“The bracelet is a very good one to favor. It
will work well for you and you can wear it without any undue
notice. The twine is strong but old and stained looking. The beads
carry a lot of power.” She touched each in turn. “This bead is
Copper. It will strengthen the attributes and energy of all of the
stones in the bracelet. It is particularly a good combination in
with this one.” Ree said pointing to the deep blue green bead.
“This one is malachite and it cleanses the body of toxins and will
stimulate and enhance the gifts you received from your parents. The
tawny gold one is Tigereye. It also amplifies your natural
abilities as well as aids you in keeping your perception clear. The
translucent light green stone is Peridot. It creates a sort of
energy shield around the body. I am sure you have met people that
seem to drain you after you have been in their presence for a
while. They seem to suck the energy right out of you.” Erin nodded,
thoughtfully. Ree continued, “That is the type you need the energy
shield for. Do you understand?” Erin looked first at Keir then
turned back to Ree and relied, “Yes, I think I do.”

The last bead is Jade. It will aid you in a
number of ways including moving you toward wisdom in finding your
path in life. It blesses what it touches and has healing
properties.” The old woman lifted the bracelet and fastened it
around Erin’s wrist. “This little piece was a very good choice. I
am glad it spoke to you. See, it seems only a pretty little
trinket!” She beamed at the young woman. “Lets see what else was
special to you.”

“Ah, the Bloodstone”, Ree said, picking up
the smooth stone with the red speckles. “This will reduce emotional
stress and is a powerful healer. Keep it in your pocket always. She
picked up the last token. “This little crystal is a very special
treasure. Because it isn’t clear it seems like it is flawed and
really unimportant. It is called a Rutilated Quartz. Not only will
it strengthen your life force and immune system but it also helps
heal wounds. It is an energy ally. When you feel totally used up it
will help you replenish. It amplifies your skills and will dispel
negative power. The best place for it is in a pocket or a pouch
attached to your belt or around your neck.”

Erin and the old wise woman looked at each
other for a long moment before Ree continued. “You know what you
can do. As you use your skills they will become stronger. It is
just like any other muscle. Your mother had a knowledge and a sense
about herbs. You have seen how a simple plant prepared in a certain
way can have a powerful effect on our bodies. As for the stones,
they are aids, like a magnifying glass.

“Erin these gifts I give to you, gladly.
Understand that they are very old and have been with my family
since before the “settlement”. I told you the names and qualities
of the stones but it’s best that you pretend that they are glass or
ceramic. They are not native to our provinces and it is best if you
do not treat them as something special. I want you to have them.
They will aid you and give you an edge, enhancing your natural
abilities which are formidable but,” Ree raised her hand in
warning, “they are not without their limits!” The old woman paused,
“You still need to get stronger physically and greatly improve your
natural gifts. Keir can be one of your guardians during the day but
you need to have other allies!” Birds and animals will be drawn to
you and will aid you. Be careful that people do not see you talking
to them. Work on your silent communication. Speak to them in your
mind.” 

Erin’s eyes were very big as she listened to
Ree’s instructions. “I still don’t know what to do next? Do I
continue to flee from whoever is behind me? Do I try to find out
why this happened and right the wrong?”

“Slow down!” Ree said sternly, “Take a deep
breath and look at this as logically as you can. Try to keep what
you are sensing apart from what you are emotionally feeling. The
first is, if you are accurate, reality. The second is illusion
because it is mixed with your fears. Sometimes they are difficult
to separate but this will get better as you learn. Now, what are
you sensing from the person behind you?”

“It is
distant but I felt, yesterday, an ‘elation’ concerning the graves.
Later, I sensed a ‘resolve to complete a task’. What I can’t yet
determine, for sure, is: am I the task or is it the task what the
person was doing when father somehow became a threat? I think I
might be ‘the task’. Perhaps it is both.” Resting her head in her
hands, she paused. “I don’t know why someone wanted to poison
father. I can just move on and start a life somewhere far away and
hope that I never feel the ‘searching’. I am not sure if I am up to
finding out and having to face the why. I could be stepping into
something too big to survive. I don’t have a death wish.” Erin
looked down at her hands for a moment before raising her eyes to
meet Ree’s. “Thank you for your help in putting things into
perspective. I’ll think about this tonight and tell you my decision
in the morning.”

Erin spent a dreamless night at the Ree’s
cabin. The visit had brought a clarity and calmness to Erin that
had helped her to rest. She felt as refreshed as the land seemed to
be after a storm. The day was clear and bright. It was good weather
for traveling.

Ree replenished the food stores in Erin’s
pack. After hugs and promises to keep in touch through bird
messengers, Erin left Ree’s home. She forded the river at the bend
and left the peaceful clearing. The land due south would steadily
rise and the forest would gradually thin. She had been
contemplating what to do. After conferring with Keir, she decided
to make a wide circle back to the town near her old home and see
what she could learn. The idea was that if someone was trying to
find her, they wouldn’t expect to look near the town. Also, by
directing her travels further south of her previous path and
heading back in an easterly direction, she could try to get a sense
of whether there was anything that felt out-of-kilter in the area.
She hoped that the time would allow her to increase her skills. One
of the things she needed to work out was a simple but effective
disguise. It would come to her as she traveled. She had time.

The distance from her home to Ree’s cabin had
been five days of steady walking. The wild forest was beautiful and
ordinarily she would have enjoyed the sights and sounds of her
trek. The scents of the evergreens, the songs of the birds or calls
of the mountain elk were things she loved. But the numbness of
grieving, compounded by the urgent need to escape, had driven her
blindly toward Ree’s home. Now she felt her focus returning. Erin
left Ree’s clearing thinking about the journey since she had fled
her childhood home. Because most of it had been through rough
wooded terrain, she hadn’t been able to use the paraglider in her
pack. Neither could the person following her use one, which gave
her an advantage. Ree had told her of a bluff one day’s travel to
the south that would be a good glide launch spot. She would use
that to put more distance between her and the ‘seeker.’ It would
also foul up any tracking.

All day, Erin moved up hills thick with trees
and underbrush. Keir flew ahead, scouting out trail hazards, which
helped minimize her time in the unfamiliar woods. The little falcon
directed her around difficult ravines and recent rock slides, but
still she had to negotiate slippery windfall piles that could break
the leg of an incautious traveler. She was used to carrying a lot
of weight on her back. Even though it was common practice, there
were times it was cumbersome, especially when scrambling over rough
terrain. Along the way, she gathered whatever edibles she could
find so she wouldn’t deplete the food in her pack too quickly. She
stopped for a break just after mid-day. Shedding her pack with a
sigh, she sat down to eat. Ree had been right. Though she was
strong and had been active her whole life, she needed to build up
her endurance.

Keir had also been hunting and joined her
after consuming his meal. Erin watched with affectionate interest,
appreciating the wild beauty as his swift flight brought him from
the depths of the shadowy woods into her small clearing. The
sunlight softly highlighted the charcoal feathers on the crest of
his head and across his shoulder to the leading edge of his wings.
He landed on her pack and spoke to her silently. ‘Ree was correct
about two other things. We need to always communicate in our
thoughts,’ Erin nodded in agreement, ‘and you need to reach out for
more allies. You have to have watchers at night and animals that
can travel wherever you travel. If you had several friends, we
could switch off and not be as noticeable. You haven’t tried
‘calling.’ Either call in your mind for a specific animal, or call
to them when you see them. If they are interested in becoming your
friend and aiding you, they will approach. All of them do not need
to be included in your travels. Because of your gift, some will be
willing to aid you while you are in their area.’

Erin thought about what Keir had said and
carefully reached out with her mind to search for a bird or animal
in the immediate area. There was a young skunk in the brush about
twenty feet to the right. Erin looked at Keir directing a
non-verbal question to him. He nodded. She quieted her mind and
gently called to the little animal. Soon there was a rustling in
the leaves, and a small face peered out. After a moment, the skunk
emerged from the protective underbrush. He was the size of Erin’s
forearm. His white stripe started as a narrow white line from above
his nose to between his ears, and separated into two broad bands
that ran the length of his back. His very fluffy tail was basically
black but had two white bands at the outer edges.

He looked up at Erin curiously. ‘Did you say
something to me? Who are you?’ he asked silently.

Erin’s smile went into her thoughts and she
knelt on the ground. ‘I am Erin. This is my friend, Keir, and yes,
I did call to you in friendship.’

‘Why?’ asked the little skunk.

‘Well,’ she paused in thought, ‘I am on a
journey. Along the way I am trying to get acquainted with others on
the trail.’

The little skunk cocked his head and looked
at Erin. He did a rapid series of pouncing slaps on the ground with
both front feet. ‘Why would you want to meet me? Most avoid
me.’

Erin grinned at him, then rapidly slapped the
ground with both hands. ‘I would like to learn about you, your
kind, and what is happening your part of the woods. I like your…’
again she did the two-handed beat, ‘…dance!’ She heard the laughter
in the skunk’s response.

‘It is the way of Skunks. I am known by my
family as ‘Tempo’ because I can get carried away with the stomp.
You honor me with your return beat, but I must say, you have an
accent the way you do it.’ Erin laughed out loud at that.

Then Tempo’s grin left his voice. ‘There
aren’t any other skunks in the area. My family is gone and I am
traveling to the woods across the valley to find my cousins.’ The
little skunk looked up at Erin and asked, ‘Why are you
traveling?’

Erin’s response was quietly honest. ‘My
parents were killed and I am trying to find out why. My mother
could speak to animal and birds, also. I sense that I am being
followed and I am trying to lose the person and get to some of the
towns several days’ journey away. I hope to find out why they were
killed. My plan is not fully formed, but I don’t want to keep
running forever. I am open to suggestions should anybody have them
to share. We need to be going. Would you like to travel a ways with
us? If you want, I could put you on my shoulder and you could ride
along for a bit.’

Tempo bobbed his head in agreement and Erin
lifted him up to her shoulder. When he was secure, she got up, and
taking her direction from Keir’s flight path, moved off through the
trees. They continued on their way steadily uphill. Keir soared
away to check the path ahead and their back trail.

Erin continued
the conversation with the little skunk in her thoughts. She
expanded on her story and on what she sensed. She spoke about her
plans to cover a piece of the distance across the valley without
leaving tracks by using the paraglider that her father had given
her. She did not want to carry Tempo out of his way, but wasn’t
sure if he would want to paraglide. The last thing she wanted to do
was startle him or cause this little one to be stressed. That
wouldn’t be pleasant for anyone. Tempo asked many questions before
telling her he would decide when they made camp for the
evening.

By early evening, Erin and Tempo had reached
a small clearing near the top of the hill. Tempo had been walking
beside her for the last hour. Erin set up camp in the shelter of
some large stones. She didn’t want a campfire to be seen by any
curious human eyes and have it serve as a beacon to pinpoint her
location. Keir flew into camp just as she laid out her meal, and
perched on the rock, his coloring blending with the shadows that
were beginning to stretch through the camp site. Tempo came out of
the bushes where he had found his meal and approached the other
two. Though he could not communicate directly with Keir, he could
follow the conversation if Erin had that communication door open in
her mind. This let both wild friends into the flow of conversation,
like being in a home with people talking to each other from
different rooms.

‘I have news,’ Keir said silently. ‘You are
being followed. It is definite. There is a man following your trail
about two days from Ree’s cabin. But he will lose it soon. Ree sent
a herd of deer through the muddy area crossing your path. Actually,
there has been a lot of animal activity in the woods.’ Erin could
hear the satisfaction in the Merlin’s tone. ‘Near Ree’s home, a
family of porcupines followed your path and swept it quite well!
Don’t worry about Ree, either. I know that her Spirit Posts will
cause forgetfulness and confusion for anyone threatening Ree within
their range. She will be fine.’