Blood of the Rainbow (63 page)

Jared furrowed his brow and sighed. “It’s another one of those legends you should have come across if you’d continued to read the book. Although, I understand why you were reluctant. Heaven only knows what else you might have seen if you’d persisted.”

Sara got out of bed and stood by the window, staring into the night as silent tears slid down her cheeks. “Then why didn’t you just tell me Jared?”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want you to
read
it. I just didn’t want you to read it until I’d had a chance to explain… you know… about me, and other things. I didn’t say that there was nothing
supernatural
about what it contained. I said there was no curse. The book is not cursed Sara!”

“Then you won’t mind me asking about it then – will you?” She whirled, tired of his lies and evasiveness.

“I will tell you whatever I can. Whatever I’m allowed to tell you.…”

Sara narrowed her eyes and groaned. “Oh no! No more satin pillows! No more tiptoeing around Sara’s naive integrity. You either give me some straight answers Jared, or I’m going to believe, what happened between us yesterday, regardless of how special it might have been, was brought on by the combination of stuff you added to the bath, and was no more real than the lies you’ve been telling me since we met! You can’t keep protecting me from something you think I don’t want to know, or something you don’t want to tell me. I love you, and I’m a big girl Jared. I
want
to know!”

Jared sighed, stalling as he held his head in his hands. “It’s not that simple Sara.”

Sara knelt in front of him, lifting his head, so their eyes met. “Yes it is. You just tell me, and trust me. Why won’t you show me all of your sketches Jared? What’s in them that you don’t want me to see? Why don’t you want us to have a baby? Who or what are the Dine'é Kay-Yah and the Dine’é Yá, and why didn’t you tell me that the Dine'é Kay-Yah was the
real
name of your Clan?”

Jared’s eyes widened with shock. “Who told you about them Sara? How did you find out? What have you been doing?”

Chapter 29

“Don’t be silly Jared and, please don’t insult my intelligence. I read about them in your grandfather’s book. On the opening page, it plainly states, ‘Forgotten Ancient Secrets of The Dine’é Yá and The Dine'é Kay-Yah by George Washington Thomas Thundercloud’.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “No it doesn’t! It doesn’t even start out that way Sara! I’ve read that book a hundred times. I memorized the story by heart. There is no mention of anything called the Dine'é Kay-Yah or the Dine’é Yá. My grandfather would never have used those names in
anything
. Especially not something that could reach millions of people!”

Jared knelt on the floor, and from under his bed he pulled out a trunk, similar to the one he had at Wisteria Hall. He took a small key out of the drawer of his nightstand and opened the trunk. He reached in and brought out a book, looking exactly like the one Sara had. He opened it to the cover page and pointed. “Look!”
‘Forgotten Secrets and Traditions of The Navajo People’
, was what his read.

Sara stared at Jared in bewilderment. Her nerves were frayed. “But it – the one Joel gave me – Jared, I’m not insane. I know what I read. Do you honestly think I could come up with names like that on my own?”

Jared sighed deeply, studying her eyes. He smiled. “No Sara. I don’t. Where is your copy of the book? Do you have it with you, or did you leave it at Wisteria Hall?”

Sara opened her laptop case, unzipped the compartment underneath her laptop and took out a large brown envelope. She handed it to Jared. Jared took it out, read the title and cover page of the book. He looked back at Sara with concern, speaking in a sympathetic voice. “Angel, it’s the same as mine. Here, see for yourself,” he said, holding it out to her.

Cautiously, Sara reached for the book. “Don’t you see that?” To her, it had the pale blue glow as before.

 “See what? What do you see Sara?” Jared was confused.

“Are you blind? The book is glowing Jared! And it’s not the same. What are you trying to do to me?”

Jared reached out to her. “Angel, I’m not trying to do anything to you. The book is
not
glowing. You must be having another flashback, but it commonly doesn’t happen this long after the drug has worn off.”

Sara slumped to the floor, crying. “Jared, am I crazy?
Am
I seeing things?”

“I not sure, but I can’t see what you do. Look, I want you to sketch what you see, exactly as you see it.”

“Jared, I’m not the artist – you are,” Sara complained.

He took out his sketch pad and a soft-lead pencil. “Ok, then let’s try something else. Describe what you see, and I’ll sketch it out – ok?” Sara nodded. Jared sat beside her. He picked up his pencil and opened the book. “Now, don’t be afraid. I’m here with you. Just take your time and tell me what you see.”

Sara took a deep breath, looked at the first paragraph, and began. “The book has a pale blue glow radiating from it.”

“Coming off the pages or hovering above it like a halo?”

“Coming
from
the pages, as if the book is some kind of door. It
is
a door. The center of it is pitch-black, like a moonless night without any stars or
any
form of light. The door is in a wall – a stone wall. There’s a strange symbol on the wall, next to the door. The door is at the end of a long tunnel.”

“In what shape Sara? What does it look like?”

“The door or the symbol?”

“Both….”

“OK, the door is kind of in the shape of a church window. Long, flat at the bottom, and comes to a point at the top – like a bullet.”

“Like that?”

“Yes, but not as wide. Yes, that’s it. Now… the symbol is to the right of the door, about the height of a doorbell. It looks like – if you can imagine three, two pronged pitch forks, standing on their handles. Yes,” she said, watching him sketch. “Like that. The handles of the pitch forks are joined together by a straight line. That line is standing on a rectangle. No, the rectangle is smaller than the line.”

“Like that, or nearer the center?”

 “Nearer to the center. The rectangle looks as if there’s some kind of indention in the middle of it – maybe a slot or a hole. Like that. Now, from the bottom of the rectangle, a short line goes down, then to the left, and then down again.”

Jared laid down his pencil and sighed.

Sara furrowed her brow, agitated. “Why are you stopping? There’s more!” She sounded disappointed.

Jared opened the box from under his bed again. He dug to the bottom and brought out an old Nestle Crunch candy bar wrapper. He cautiously handed it to Sara. “I drew that when I was in the second grade at school in Texas. I got into trouble for not paying attention during my history class,” he said. “I didn’t understand what it was, but it was still more interesting than listening to stupid lies about heathen savages being taught the word of god by Spanish missionaries.”

As Sara unfolded the wrinkled and torn candy wrapper, she gasped, her mouth gaped. The picture wasn’t as good as Jared’s current sketch. The lines were a bit wavy, and it had been drawn in what looked like a green waxed crayon. But, it was the same symbol, and the same door – no doubt about it. She looked at Jared with tear glossed eyes. “Jared… what is it? What does it mean? Why am I seeing a symbol you drew nearly nineteen years ago?”

Jared smiled through tear filled eyes. “Destiny,” he whispered. “While you and I were being drawn to each other in my dreams, some force was drawing us together in the waking world. We’re not together by chance Sara. Our futures are intertwined for some higher purpose – one
I
don’t even understand.”

“But you seem pleased that I’m seeing these. At first you were afraid for me. Are you no longer afraid of what’s happening to me?”

He studied her eyes. “No Angel,” he whispered. “This isn’t some random trip brought on by acid. You’re having a vision brought on because of your exposure to dream dust. Sara, you’re a seer!”

Sara furrowed her brow. “I’m a
what
?”

“Everyone born to the Dine'é Kay-Yah Clan is a seer. Whether the gift develops or not, it’s still in your genes. Are you certain of your past? Your parents? Is James your real father?”

“Oh God Jared,” Sara said, shaking her head. “You’re making me dizzy with all your questions. You’re not making sense. Of course, he’s my father! Why wouldn’t he be?”

“Because Sara, unless you’re an exceptional person of a unique genetic make-up than other Caucasians, exposure to dream dust… well… it should have driven you mad. But it didn’t. It did the same thing to you that it did to me. It opened your mind to different realities, allowing you to see things that were important to your future. Because you don’t know anything about it, and the symbolism, you didn’t know how to take it. You have nothing to be afraid of Sara. What is happening to you is completely normal. We need to research your family history. We need to get to the bottom of this.”

Sara was skeptical. “Ok, how do you suggest we do that? Why would my mother have such a strong hatred to Native Americans if – wait a minute – are you suggesting that my real father could be… like you?”

Jared smiled wryly. He chuckled. “Now that would be the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn’t it?”

Sara wasn’t accepting this as enthusiastically as Jared. “Jared, there has to be another explanation. We have pictures in our photo album of me and my Dad when I was learning to walk.”

Jared held her hands and studied her eyes. “But what about before that. Are there any pictures of you and your father when you were an infant?”

Sara shook her head. “God Jared. I don’t know. I’ve never been that big on family history. If there are any, my mother would have them, back in Crooked Creek.”

“Do you know where you were born? What town or city? What was the name of the hospital?”

“Shreveport, I think. Like I said. I’ve never been that worried about my past. It didn’t matter to me – at least it didn’t until now. Jared, if Mother has been keeping this from me, if we ask her, she’s likely to lie about it. How are we going to find out? What difference does it make – to us?”

“Between us, it makes no difference at all. It’s not going to change the way I feel about you. But, when it comes to the Council accepting you into our Clan, it could make a huge difference.”

Sara furrowed her brow and studied his eyes. “What do you mean accepting me into your Clan?”

“Well, because my Uncle Seth is head of the Council, as you know, it would be him that has the final say. But, if we could prove you’re part of us already, no matter what Seth says, the rest of the Council members are likely to fight against him if he tries to cause trouble.”

“And you think because of the past, he’s likely to do that?”

“If he thought it could hurt Dad or the family, Seth would do anything to get even with Granddad. Even if it’s through future generations.”

“Jared… I love my father. He’s the only father I’ve ever known. How do you think it would make him feel to find out I wasn’t
his
daughter? I couldn’t do that to him. Mother already dominates him. This kind of news would destroy him. I couldn’t do that to my father.”

“You might not have to. We don’t have to tell your parents what we find out. The only people that need to know are you and I, my family, and the members of the Council. Even, if we discover James is not your real father, he doesn’t ever
need
to know. Sara, you can’t just let this go. If I am right, and you’re Dine'é Kay-Yah, you need help. You need my guidance. Until you understand more about what’s going on, this is just going to get worse for you. The visions won’t stop – especially for you.”

Sara had a horrible thought. “My eyes aren’t going to start changing too – are they?”

Jared smiled and held her. “No Angel. As far as I know, that only runs through the male line of the Dine'é Kay-Yah. You can carry the gene and pass it on to your children, but there’s never been a case where it’s shown up in a female. I guess it’s just a guy thing.”

Sara jerked her head up and gave Jared a suspicious stare. Jared chuckled. “I told you there were some things even I didn’t know or understand. Granddad would have shared those stories with me, if I’d been smart enough to listen.”

“Why can’t you just ask him now? You said you talked with him. You said that was the reason you went back to the mountain – to get answers. Couldn’t you do the same thing about this?” Sara couldn’t believe her own words. Was she actually asking her future husband to contact the dead and talk to his grandfather?

Jared sighed. “I don’t know Sara. I suppose I could try. He glanced at his watch. “Angel, it’s late. Let’s just go to bed, and try to get some sleep. We can talk to my parents and deal with this tomorrow – well – later on today.”

“But Jared – what about the nightmares? If I go to sleep, the monsters will come back. Jared they’re genuinely scary! How real are things in our dreams?”

Jared studied her eyes. “Sara, if you’re asking me if the things in your dreams can take solid form and physically hurt you in the waking world – no. Although they might contain useful information and visions of your future, they’re just dreams. They can’t step out of your dreams. Besides, I’m with you. Do you think I would allow anything to hurt you, whether in the waking world, or in your dreams?”

“But how can I know you’ll always be there – to help me?”

Jared smiled. “Haven’t I always been there?”

“I don’t know – have you?”

They crawled into bed. Sara laid her head on Jared’s shoulder, and he cuddled her close. “Do you remember any of your scariest nightmares you had as a child?”

“Some – why?”

“In your earliest nightmares, as far back as you can remember. When you were faced with your worst danger, or your greatest fears, was there something, or someone that came to you? That fought for you or stood by you – even unto death?”

Sara closed her eyes. Some of the nightmares she’d had as a child were frightening; she didn’t
want
to remember them. Over the years, Sara had blocked most of them out. Trying to recall them, especially after what she’d seen, and what Jared had told her, made them even scarier now. “Jared… I don’t like to remember these things. I’ve fought very hard to block them out. My dreams were usually very scary.”