War Woman (17 page)

When they arrived, the door was answered by a middle-aged Cherokee woman who invited them in and introduced them to her mother. The elderly Cherokee woman was frail and remained seated but she had a glint of mischief in her eyes and a knowing smile that suggested great wisdom. Sitting down beside her, Isabelle showed the elderly woman the images on her phone and then held out the crystals to her but the woman declined. “Those are not meant for me to hold.”

“You know what they are?” Isabelle exchanged a hopeful look with Cooper.

“They are divining crystals.” Noting the confused look on Isabelle’s face, the woman sighed. “So much is lost when not passed down through the generations. They were used for guidance in a number of areas, from matters of war to locating lost things. People would offer prayers and interpret what they saw in the facets of the crystals.”

“Oh…” Isabelle contemplated the crystals as she considered what she had just learned.

“How did you find them?” The elderly woman’s question broke through her musings and, with a nod from Cooper, she explained how they had located the crystals, including Isabelle’s dream and the sensations she had felt when she had touched the crystals.

“They were meant for you,” the elderly woman stated with simple certainty.

“Why?” Isabelle stared at the crystals, seeing nothing unusual in their facets.

“It is likely you seek guidance in something. I do not know what that would be but you must.”

Isabelle and Cooper exchanged a look and then thanked the women for their time. As they drove back to Cooper’s farm, Isabelle sat in silence, digesting the information she had learned. Cooper glanced at her occasionally but remained silent as well. It was dark by the time they reached the farmhouse.

“I’ll make us something to eat.” Cooper held the front door open for Isabelle as she stepped inside.

“No, it’s okay. My mind isn’t really focused on food right now.”

“Isabelle, you’ve had a hell of a day. I’ve got some frozen pizzas. No hassle.”

“Yeah, sure…” Isabelle had stopped paying attention to his words and was focused on the crystals again.
What do I need guidance for?
Heading to the guest room, she sat down at the desk and placed the crystals in front of her.
It must have something to do with the protestors’ claims. Okay, what do I need?
She glanced at the family records and her research spread out on the desk. She needed evidence of the validity of the claims but there was nothing to be found in the records. Her hopes had rested on Bethany’s journal producing evidence but it hadn’t mentioned the Cherokee at all. Switching on her computer, she briefly researched divining crystals as part of Cherokee culture but there was nothing specific on the prayers that were involved. She stared at the crystals while she wracked her brains for inspiration but, frustrated and tired, she eventually decided to leave it for the night. 

Heading into the kitchen, she sat down at the table and watched Cooper as he collected plates and served the pizza. Setting the steaming slices in front of her, he sat down on the opposite side of the table and stared at her. Isabelle noted the look. “What?”

“I was worried about you today. I’m still worried, to be honest.”

“Well I’m fine, so no need to worry.”

“Isabelle, we should talk.”

“About what?” She reached for a slice of pizza as he watched her.

“About us. What’s happening between us. Where this is leading.”

“The journal!” Isabelle dropped her pizza and grabbed Cooper’s arm excitedly.

“What journal? I don’t understand. We can discuss Bethany’s journal afterward if you want…”

“No, not Bethany’s journal. Jonathan’s journal! The crystals can be used to locate lost things, right? That’s what we learned today. Do you remember I asked you if you had Jonathan’s journal since Bethany had mentioned a few times that he kept one?”

“Yes, but I don’t have it.”

“That’s right, but you said it could have been damaged or lost. If it’s lost, the crystals may be able to help us find it!”

Cooper nodded his understanding. “A lot of wild stuff has happened today so I’m willing to go with this theory. If the crystals were meant to go to you then presumably you’re the one who needs to find the journal through them. So how do you think it works?”

“I’m not sure. I carried out some research while you were making the pizzas but there was nothing concrete in terms of the prayers used. The crystals seemed to be used in the morning though, when they could catch the first rays of the sun. Can I borrow your car tomorrow morning? I’d like to take the crystals back to the waterfall before daybreak. If any divining is going to be done, that seems the best place to do it, given the current situation. I don’t trust my car to make the journey though; it’s not designed for off-road use.”

“We can leave at five thirty in the morning. That will give us enough time to get there before the sun rises.”

“You don’t need to come with, Cooper. You’re busy running the farm.”

“You’re not doing this alone. Who knows what could happen? Besides, I’m as much a part of this as you are. I don’t know why but we’re connected in this together. So I either drive you there or you don’t go at all but I’m not going to allow you to get hurt.”

“Geez, since when did you get so pushy?”

“Since I realized I’m falling for you.”

Isabelle stared at him, too shocked to say anything for a few seconds. “Cooper, we hardly know each other…”

“I’m not pressuring you to say or do anything, Isabelle. I’m just telling you how I feel. As I said earlier, we need to talk about us. However, it can wait until tomorrow. It’s been quite a day. I reckon we could both do with some sleep, especially since we’ll be up early.” He stood and picked up his pizza. “I’m going to head upstairs with this. If you don’t feel like eating your pizza, I’d suggest you keep it out of dog-reach level. Jazz can be pretty determined when food is the objective.” He smiled and headed out the kitchen, as she sat staring ahead, a whirl of thoughts and emotions flinging round her head.

She knelt on the grass, the crystals placed in front of her as she waited for the sun to rise. Cooper leaned against a nearby tree, his arms folded as he scanned the sky. “It won’t be long now.”

Isabelle nodded. She’d offered up a simple prayer asking for guidance, hoping that it reached whoever or whatever it was intended for and that they felt inclined to respond. She focused on thoughts of Jonathan’s journal as the minutes ticked on until the first streams of sunlight reached her and she noted the shadow cast by the crystals. Glancing at them, she could see the way the light reflected off their facets but nothing unusual was visible within them. She stayed kneeling in place for several minutes, projecting thoughts of Jonathan’s journal towards the crystals, but nothing happened.

“It’s not working.” She looked up at Cooper, frustration evident on her face. “If only I knew what prayers to offer.”

Cooper looked at the crystals thoughtfully. “I have an idea. What if you had a connection to help strengthen the divination?”

“A connection?”

“Jonathan is my ancestor. If I’m involved in the process, it may create a connection that could be used as a substitute for the prayers or other parts of the process that we may not know about.”

Isabelle nodded. “That might work. Let’s try.”

Cooper knelt beside her and she grasped his hand before offering up another prayer and focusing on thoughts of the journal. Nothing happened for several seconds but then a blurry image started to materialize in one of the crystals. “Do you see that?” Isabelle gripped Cooper’s hand tighter.

“No, I don’t see anything. What’s happening?”

“It looks like it’s working. There’s an image forming in one of the crystals but I can’t make it out yet.”

Isabelle continued to stare at the crystal until finally the image solidified. “What are the chances...”

“What do you see?”

“The rock.”

Cooper glanced in surprise at her. “What, that rock?” He indicated the rock next to the waterfall where they had retrieved the crystals.

“Yes. Do you think the journal’s under the rock, like the crystals were?”

“I don’t know but I guess we’ll find out. I keep a spade in the Land Rover. I’ll go fetch it, since the handy Jazz has opted to stay at home and sleep.” Standing up, Cooper headed off into the woods as Isabelle wrapped the crystals in a pouch Cooper had looked out for her. When he returned, he got to work digging at the base of the rock. He dug for several minutes but no journal was found. Pausing to rest, he leaned back against the rock as Isabelle surveyed the scene in dismay.

“It was definitely this rock.”

“There’s still the other side. It might be there.” Cooper headed round to the opposite side of the rock and started to dig. Again, several minutes passed with no result. Then suddenly a dull thunk echoed through the air. Isabelle and Cooper looked excitedly at one another before Cooper scraped away the dirt to reveal a glimpse of metal. Using the spade to feel out the perimeter of the metal, Cooper dug away the surrounding dirt to reveal a metal box. Handing the spade to Isabelle, he bent down and lifted the box out of the ground before placing it at her feet. Then he used the spade to fill in the holes again before coming to stand next to Isabelle.

“It’s got a padlock on it.”

“Stand back.” Cooper angled the spade and brought it down on the padlock. It took a few tries but the padlock eventually broke off, giving them access to the contents. Kneeling down side by side, they glanced at each other. “Go ahead,” Cooper urged.

“No, it belonged to your ancestor. You should be the one to open it.”

Cooper gently lifted the lid to reveal something wrapped in protective cloth. On unfolding the cloth carefully, two leather-bound books became visible. Lifting the first one cautiously out of the box, Cooper opened it and skimmed briefly over the writing, looking over pages at random. “It discusses the war. I can’t be certain it’s him yet but the dates are right for when he would have been a soldier.”

“This is incredible. I can’t believe what’s happened over the past twenty-four hours.”

“No kidding. Come on, let’s get these back to the house. I’m sure you’re eager to start on them.”

Isabelle looked at him in surprise. “Don’t you want to read them first?”

“I’ve got time. You’re the one who needs to be back in Atlanta soon.”

“That’s true. I’ll phone Vivienne and tell her I won’t be back for a few days if you don’t mind me staying longer.”

“Like I said, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”

They headed back to the car and Isabelle held the box on her lap as Cooper drove to the house. He dropped her off before driving to the other side of the farm and she carried the box inside, eager to uncover the secrets within.

“I fear to sleep at night. At least during the day my work allows me to be numb, focused on a goal without having to think of anything else but getting closer to it every day. But at night I know they’ll come. They always come. They take you from me and there’s nothing I can do. No matter how hard I try, it never changes. But I know I deserve it. It’s my fault. All of it is my fault.”

Isabelle stared at the words. She couldn’t remember how many times she’d read over them. Turning to another page, she located the now-familiar words.
“I’ve done it. I hope I’ve made you proud so far. They’ll never get their hands on it again, I swear. I’m also forbidding prospecting of any kind. This land will support life, not greed. I don’t care how much money they offer me. They can go to Hell.”

Again she turned pages until she’d found the one she was looking for.
“Please forgive me. I hope you understand. Something tells me you would. The farm is beginning to thrive and I needed someone to help me. Bethany is a good woman. Too good for the likes of me. I do not know why I have been blessed with two such women. Her heart, like mine, will always belong to another but we can offer each other understanding and companionship at least.”

She put down the first journal and picked up the second one, turning to the last page.
“I dreamed of you last night, Atsila. Our roles were reversed. You were swimming in the pool while I was staring down at you from on top of your rock. You reached your hand up to me and smiled, encouraging me to join you. I think I will see you soon and this will be the last entry I write. My body is tired but my spirit is restless. It searches for new fields to roam. I wonder if they’ll be anything like the fields we ran in together. I will leave our story at the waterfall. I think you’d agree this is the most fitting place. Goodnight, my fire. I love you, always.”

Isabelle closed the journal and placed it gently on the desk. Standing up, she went in search of Cooper.

***

“It’s surreal.” Cooper sat at the table across from Isabelle, watching her closely. “How do you feel?”

“I was as surprised as you were. Part of me still can’t believe it.”

Three days ago Isabelle had informed Cooper about the contents of the journals, which documented from a year before Jonathan had met Atsila to the time he died. Jonathan had bought the land for his farm from the government in order to reclaim it for Atsila, knowing it would make her happy. He had taken the destruction of the decimated village and turned it into a thriving farm full of life. No gold prospecting was ever allowed on the farm. Jonathan had been offered several small fortunes for the mining rights to his land and had refused them all.