The Vaga (13 page)

‘Sam’s in trouble. What do you propose we do, break down the door so everyone comes running?’ I look him squarely in the eye.

‘No, but maybe we can unlock it without causing a—’

I cut him off. ‘We don’t have time. I’m going in and you both need to stay out here and keep an eye out for anyone coming. I’ll take Magi in with me.’

Julian’s jaw clenches but he doesn’t try to stop me. I take one last look around to make sure the corridor is clear and then I grab Magi’s collar and teleport into the room.

I am not prepared for what I see.

My hand finds its way to my mouth as I look upon the deformity that is now Sam. His dark brown hair and familiar facial features are the same, but yet his body has shrunk in odd places and there are patches of course hair covering areas of skin that should otherwise be bare. His limbs that were long and graceful now appear stubby and disjointed, like he’s gone through a vat of toxic liquid and has been flung out the other side as a humanoid mutant.

But it’s the dark crimson blood that is staining his sheets beneath him that I can’t look away from. Tiny droplets of blood are slowing dripping onto the wooden floorboards and I swear I can hear the sound of each one as if Death himself is tapping his long talons upon the floor in anticipation of Sam’s demise.

I shudder at the sight before me and then Sam’s familiar chestnut-coloured eyes look up at me pleadingly.

‘Help me,’ he whispers.

I can’t move. My brain is screaming at me to help him but my body just won’t respond out of pure and unadulterated fear. What could have possibly happened to him?

Magi makes the first move and walks towards the bed where Sam, or the thing that looks like Sam, is curled up into a foetal position on the bed. She sniffs his face and licks his cheek so softly that the gesture wakes me from my stupor.

I quickly kneel down before him. ‘Sam, what happened?’

‘Museum,’ he whispers, gritting his teeth through the pain.

Museum
!?

‘I don’t understand. How did you know about that?’

His eyes suddenly roll back into his head and his breathing slows right down.

‘No! Sam, stay with me.’ I shake him gently and his eyes flick back open. ‘How did you know about the museum?’

‘E, is everything alright in there?’ Phoebe says through the door.

I jump at the sound of Phoebe’s voice and Sam’s eyes widen as he shakes his head softly.

What do I do? If I tell her and she sees Sam like this she’ll lose her mind. I need more time to figure this out.

‘Yep, it’s okay. Just give us a sec,’ I call out.

I bring my face closer to Sam’s, and the metallic smell of blood fills my nostrils, nearly causing me to gag. ‘Sam, tell me how you know about the museum.’

A flicker of pain crosses his face and then he whispers, ‘Cougar.’

Holy crap! The only way Sam could know about the animal who launched itself at the Crocotta, allowing us to escape, would be if he
was
the animal. Sam is the cougar?

My eyes roam his broken body and as I look upon the patches of fur and disjointed limbs I realise that the only way Sam could change from human form into a cougar was if he was a…shapeshifter?
No friggin way
!

There’s only one way I’m going to find out the truth and that’s if I ask him straight out. But I can’t help feel that by asking I may be exposing myself more than I would like right now.

I look down again at his malformed body and Magi nuzzles my shoulder urgently.

Okay here goes nothing. ‘Sam, are you a shapeshifter?’

He nods his head gently, and then I feel his body start to go limp. I know that my magic cannot heal him in this state and that we are quickly running out of time, but I have to at least try and stop the bleeding.

I gently peer over his shoulder and see the large jagged gash that runs from his shoulder down to his hip. My stomach lurches at the sight of viciously torn skin, muscle, bone, and blood. How did he even make it back here in one piece?

‘Sam, I have to stop the bleeding okay?’

He closes his eyes and nods ever so softly.

‘Alright, this won’t hurt so try and stay still.’ I place my hand over the gash on his back and he stifles a cry at my touch. ‘Ramanesa tel batha na.’ The spell works its magic but cannot heal the wound completely. It is enough to stop the bleeding for now though.

Sam’s breathing calms down, but I can sense his spirit drifting. ‘Sam how do I help you? Is there someone I can call?’

As his eyes roll back into his head he whispers one name. ‘Taqôq Wiyon.’

I rock back on my heels as I watch Sam fall into unconsciousness.

Taqôq Wiyon is alive? My heart beats wildly at the possibility that the shaman who helped me find out the truth about my family’s bloodline, and who saved Magi from near death, is still out there.

Julian’s deep voice echoes through the door. ‘Elena, if you don’t open this door in the next twenty seconds I’m breaking it down.’

I look around the room wildly, unsure of what to do. They can’t come in here and see all this blood or they’ll freak. I look at Magi for an answer and then she shows me Taqôq Wiyon’s teepee.

‘But he disappeared, Mags. You know that.’

She shows it to me again. Could it be that she’s right and he came back? I hear the pounding on the door and I make a quick decision. I get Magi to jump up onto the mattress, and then grabbing onto the entire bed, I picture Taqôq Wiyon’s face and teleport us out of there.

We land heavily onto muddy ground. A dense blue mist envelopes the swampy area surrounding us, and I can’t see more than a few feet in front of me. Magi jumps off the bed and peers into the gloom, her senses alert.

I check Sam’s pulse and sigh with relief as a faint, slow rhythm beats beneath my fingers. He’s alive, but for how long?

I search the eerie gloom and have no idea where we are, only knowing that something, or someone, brought us here.

‘What do we do now, Mags?’ I whisper, hoping she’ll give me some clue as to what our next step should be.

The faint sound of chanting floats its way to me on the mist and I know that I’ve found him.

He’s here
.

‘Taqôq Wiyon?’ I call out, hoping my hunch is right and I haven’t just given away our position to a flesh eating swamp creature.

I hear a sound up ahead, and as Magi sidles closer to me a faint light appears amidst the gloom. The light seems to be swinging from side to side and I can’t help but feel entranced by it.

As it gets closer I see that the light is in fact a lantern, and there is a person holding onto it.

‘Ray of Sun?’ says the warm voice of Taqôq Wiyon.

Relief sweeps through me as I see his body come into view. He still looks exactly the same—weathered face, long grey hair that falls below his chest where the small bones of animals still hang, and moon-like eyes that are fixed hauntingly on my position.

I stride towards him and we embrace. Tears spring to my eyes as I realise how much I’ve missed him. I never thought I’d get to see him again, and now here he is. His gentle but strong arms hug me firmly and then he pulls away as his eyes fall onto the bed.

‘Samoset,’ he whispers sadly.

It still astounds me that even without pupils he can see. It’s as if his shamanic powers allow him to navigate the universe without the need for sight.

He moves around me and kneels down beside Sam’s limp form. Placing the lantern down, he gently takes Sam’s hand and lays his other hand on Sam’s chest. He closes his eyes and starts to hum.

A few seconds later he looks up at me. ‘What happened to my grandson?’ he says, his voice laced with pain.

Grandson
?!

‘Sam’s your grandson?’ I ask.

‘Yes.’ The bones rattle softly against his chest. ‘Many times down bloodline.’

‘But how—’

‘What
happened
, Ray of Sun? Who did this?’

The demanding tone of his voice startles me and it takes me a moment to respond. ‘He saved my life.’

He nods his head gently as if he knew that would be the case.

‘It was a Crocotta that did that to him,’ I say, thinking that I sound absolutely crazy. As if anyone other than Julian would know what sort of creature that was.

His eyes narrow and he mumbles a word under his breath—
demon
. I wait silently for him to give me more information, but instead he picks Sam up as if he weighs nothing and walks back the way he came.

I quickly gather up the lantern and Magi and I follow him into the gloom.

Within a minute we reach the outside of his home, which is well hidden among the swamp trees and bushes that surround it. The smoke that rises through the top of the teepee blends in with the mist, and together they pass into the murky sky above.

Before he enters he quickly turns back to look at me.

‘You must stay here.’

‘But I can help. I…’

‘You cannot see this healing, Ray of Sun. Samoset will be in much pain, and the spirits cannot be distracted by your magic. I will come back soon.’

He pushes his way into the teepee with the deformed body of Sam hanging lifeless within his arms.

The sound of chanting echoes out into the swamp
and Magi and I sit silently among the reeds, waiting for a sign that Sam is going to be okay. At least he’ll live. I, on the other hand, am totally screwed when I get back. I just hope Julian uses common sense and doesn’t tell Uncle Jo I’ve disappeared or else we’re both dead.

As the chanting intensifies the energy around us charges. The sounds of animals can be heard coming from within the teepee and I know that the spirits are working their magic on Sam. An eagle cries out and I hear Sam whimper, and then the eagle cries again and the mewling of a cat follows. Louder and louder the sounds become until the cat’s cry turns into a full-blown scream filled with such anguish and suffering that I shield my ears with my hands, cringing against the onslaught.

Magi trembles beside me and then she raises her head to the misty sky above and lets out a mournful howl. I watch in awe as Magi howls over and over again, the intensity of her voice reverberating through me, chilling me to my core.

Her howling slowly dies down along with the sounds from within the teepee. A stillness settles over us, and the emptiness of the swamp fills the void once more.

I hear murmuring and rustling, and then a moment later Taqôq Wiyon walks outside. He is slightly unsteady on his feet, the ritual having taken a toll on him. His skin has lost all colour and sweat covers his body from head to toe as if he’s just spent time in a sauna.

Standing up I move towards him. ‘Is Sam okay?’

He nods. ‘Samoset is strong. He lives.’

A sigh of relief escapes me and I send a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens.

I gently touch his arm. ‘Are you ok?’

He smiles wanly, the lines of his face deepening. ‘I live too.’

‘Can I see him?’ I need to see for myself if he’s really okay. The thought of having to go back to Phoebe and explain all this is too much as it is, let alone having to explain that her boyfriend, who she is head over heels in love with, may not be the same man as before.

‘He is weak. You see and then he rest. Then you come find me.’

I nod and make my way inside.

Sam is lying on a reed mat with a light blanket covering his healed body. Another wave of relief sweeps over me to see him back to normal. The image of him curled up on that bed bleeding and deformed is something I will never be able to erase from my memory.

Stepping forward gingerly I kneel down beside him. ‘Sam?’

He flickers his eyes open and smiles lightly. ‘Thank you,’ he whispers.

‘Actually it should be me thanking you, for helping me back in the museum.’

He closes his eyes in acknowledgement and Magi steps forward and nuzzles his hand. Sam smiles and reaches out to stroke her fur, and it’s then that I realise why she feels so comfortable with him. Sam and Magi are of the same spiritual link, where Taqôq Wiyon has charged them with the ability to be able to walk the earth as protectors and guardians for the rest of us. Or in this case…for me.

I swallow the lump forming in my throat. Why am I so goddamn important? Why does everyone around me feel the need to sacrifice themselves for my survival? Anger churns away within me and the quiet voice of Isis reaches my mind.

‘
It is not you but the child you will carry. You are a vessel for a power greater than yourself, greater than any of us.
’

I scowl and push her aside, wishing that she would remain silent. No one should have to die for me.

‘Why did you do it, Sam? You could have been killed. And why didn’t you tell me?’ I say, frustration breaking through my words.

A faint chuckling sound escapes his lips. ‘Would you have believed me?’

I sigh. Probably not, I mean who the hell would believe a shapeshifter was dating my best friend? In fact, who would believe I was a powerful witch who was destined to bring forth the New Coming?

Thinking back, I knew that there was something about Sam that was different. The way he would watch me, appearing in the park while we were being stalked, flaring his nostrils at the game as if he picked up on the scent of Julian on me. All of it makes sense now.

‘Wait! Did you date Phoebe just to get close to me?’

He closes his eyes and I wait for him to respond. He better bloody not tell me that it was true because if it is then I will pummel him…hard.

He opens his eyes and they are filled with a pained expression. ‘At first, yes.’

I grit my teeth getting ready to give him a mouthful. How dare he do that to Phoebe?

‘Don’t get angry, Ellie. I said
at first
. Now, it’s different.’

‘Different? How is it different, Sam?’ I ask, thinking that I can’t go back and tell Phoebs that her boyfriend is a shapeshifter
and
a liar.

He closes his eyes again and his voice comes out uneven. ‘Because I love her.’

‘You…you love her?’ I say a little breathlessly. ‘Does she know?’

He shakes his head. ‘No. I haven’t told her yet.’