Creatures of Snow (39 page)

“Joanaquinn is intrigued by
Allen’s strange energy.” Lee stopped and looked down at Joeys
reddening face, “I was not supposed to say that out loud.” He
reached back and patted her on the head. “My apologies, this may
take some time to get used to.”

On the inside, Al was laughing,
but he kept a straight face in front of poor little Joey, not
wanting to embarrass her further.

Stepping forward, he knelt down to
see her eye to eye. She straightened in a curious manner as he did
so, tilting her head to the side in question.

“So, you’re from the Owah, you
speak through an Interpreter and you can see my energy…you’re a
Spirit Talker aren’t you?” He let his best, most welcoming smile
shine through. “I’m honored to meet you, Joanaquinn.” He extended
his hand towards her.

A shy smile crept across her face
as her shoulders hunched forward and she reached out her own
hand.

“
She is pleased to meet you as
well.” Lee declared matter-of-factly.

She shook his hand weakly, but he could feel the
power that resided within her slight frame.

Lee turned sharply, his concentration drawn towards
the door. “They are on their way.” He reported.

“Well,” Ixanna clasped her hands
together. “Let’s get you children settled in then.” Her wide smile
was forced and couldn’t hide her worry. “You all must be
starving.”

Chapter
Twenty-
Eight

It had almost been three days
since their arrival. Sara had to admit that she had instantly
fallen in love with Haigon. The trees, the grass, the air – it just
felt so much more…alive. She only wished she could enjoy
it.

Nothing was the same anymore.
Everyone just drifted about without purpose or reason. She had
hardly seen Al since the first day - he had locked himself away in
the dusty old library to research who knows what. Lee was too busy
playing with that strange little girl to even give her the time of
day. He had been distant to her ever since he had erased Sky’s mind
that awful, forsaken night on the
Regan
Fortuna
. Not that she blamed
him.

The only one making an effort to be friendly seemed
to be Amaya, but Sara always felt uncomfortable around girls like
that and avoided her every chance she got.

As for Roland, Zero and the Iko’s,
well…they had disappeared altogether, keeping a constant vigilance
over Sky. Her stomach let loose a flood of acid as his name crossed
her mind. She hadn’t had the courage to see him yet and didn’t know
if she ever would.

She ran her hand lightly over the
cool grass as she sat limply under the large, droopy tree they
called a weeping willow. No one ever ventured into the back-lot; it
was like her own private outdoor room, complete with a stream that
was just deep enough to sleep in. She had tried going back to
the
Regan Fortuna
the first night, but just stepping inside brought back the
memories of his screams and the thought of being in there alone had
her looking for another source of water within seconds.

Leaning her back against the rough
wood she closed her eyes and waited for twilight. How much longer
would they have to wait? How much longer could she stand it? Why
couldn’t he just wake up?

A rustling beside her brought her eyes snapping
open. She cursed silently with a sharp inhale when she saw little
Joey standing inches from her outstretched legs.

“
Hey, there.” She tried to sound
as nice as she could.

Joey raised her tattered doll in
front of her chest. “Hello.”

A chill ran up her spine. Sara
much preferred Lee’s monotone interpretations of what Joey was
saying over the eerie din of that button-eyed doll. She had never
seen such a strange thing. Al had tried to explain it – how Joey
attached part of her spirit to the doll and was able to manipulate
the mechanics inside it to produce a ‘voice’. The Owah tribe
apparently cut the vocal cords of any child born with the ability
to become a Spirit Talker in order for them to become more in tune
to the spirits that they were able to see.

Pulling a thin arm from under her
woven tunic, Joey pointed off towards the North side of the
building. “I am sorry to disturb you, but, they want you to go over
there.”

“
Who wants what now?” Sara pulled
herself up from the grass, pulling her shorts down into a more
reasonable position.

There was a slight teetering to
Joey’s stance, something she seemed to do when she was nervous. She
lowered her head and let her straight, dark hair fall over her
downturned face. “The mirrors.” Her doll whispered, “They want you
to go over there.”

What moisture there was in her
mouth, was gone in an instant. “You mean the spirits?” She tried to
laugh it off. From what she understood, spirits were just left over
energy from a living being that had passed on. They didn’t have
minds or intentions.

The little girl rolled her head to
the side and pulled her shoulders up. “No, the mirrors – those are
what we call the spirits who still have there souls attached.” The
mechanical voice spoke with a meekness that suited its master. “I
am very sorry, but they say it is urgent.”

Sara didn’t know what to say, or what to do for that
matter. “Do you know why?” It was a reasonable question.

With a shake of her head, Joey
hugged the doll so tight Sara was afraid the head might pop off.
“No, I’m sorry, they won’t tell me, but…” The doll’s voice quivered
as it whispered, “I think they want to show you
something.”

Just the thought that there were
spirits of the dead hanging around them that had conscious thought
made her pull in her arms as close to her body. “Tell them it’s
getting late and I don’t think I’ll have time to see anything
before its dark.”

Joey nodded timidly and backed away. “They
understand, but if you change your mind, look for the place where
the forest won’t grow and the flowers never die. They call it the
garden of the dead.”

Didn’t really make it sound any more appealing.
“Okay. Thank you, I’ll think about it.” She put on her best fake
smile, “Maybe we can both go there in the morning.”

Joey returned her own feigned look of joy,
“Okay.”

Sara glanced to where Joey had
pointed, over to the North of the building. Even now in the dim,
purple light of the approaching dark she could see what Joey must
have been talking about – the part of the structure where the
forest abruptly stopped. In all honesty it looked like the trees
around that whole side of the building were leaning away from
it.

Curiosity got the better of her,
“On second thought kiddo,” She turned, but Joey was gone, having
disappeared as silently as she had come.

Sara rolled back onto her heals
and wondered if she felt like a little stroll. She twisted her
fingers in the ends of her hair…and then began to walk. Her
sandaled feet were steady upon the ground, not wanting to give away
her growing anxiety to even the spirits. It was hard not to think
that every cool patch of air or rustle in the underbrush was some
feisty little ghost lying in wait.

What am I doing?
This is what happens when your stuck in the
middle of nowhere for days on end.

The wind picked up gently as she
approached the North clearing and she caught a light, delicate
scent. She raised her head in the air to smell the sweet perfume
again, and there it was, growing stronger as she advanced. Under
her feet the sparse blades of grass began to thicken with each
passing step until they became a lush, green carpet.

The moment she entered the
clearing her head became light, in fact, her whole body felt
energized. A smile managed to creep its way slowly onto her face as
her eyes widened to take in the breadth of flowers, ferns, and
vines that had exploded onto the scene. Every inch of the clearing
was crawling in beautiful, rich foliage. Light from the setting sun
danced across the shimmering leaves and illuminated everything in
an unearthly light.

It was certainly a magnificent
area, overrun with beauty…but, why would the spirits need to show
her? She let her eyes track over every inch of the clearing,
wondering what she was missing that she was supposed to see. She
took a step back, widening her angle, but still saw nothing. A
feeling she couldn’t describe passed over her – like invisible
hands urging, pushing her around to face the building
itself.

And then, there it was.

Overrun with vines, and covered in
seals was a grave. She looked around again at the magical landscape
that surrounded her and understood. No one else could see the
beauty of the garden of the dead - it was shrouded in
illusion.

She turned her attention back
towards the grave and stepped forward, holding her breath against
the heavy, fragrant air.

She dragged her hand over the
intricate seals, most she had never seen before. Her hand moved
along the aged and weathered stone, pulling at the vines to reveal
the name carved beneath them.

“Don’t.” Joey’s small voice spoke
calmly, but firmly from behind her.

Her heart jumped into her throat
and she fell back a step.

“They say not to disturb the
grave.” Joey walked up beside her looking around the space, but
Sara could tell by her unassuming face she saw nothing but the
darkening forest around them.

“Her name was JoAnna, they say.
She was Skyden’s mother.”

An emotion that felt a lot like
grief overcame her as she stared down at the stone. “What did they
want to show me?”

Joey stood there, looking up with
those big brown eyes. “She wants Sky to wake up.”

Sara’s heart dropped. “Well, tell
her we all do.”

“
She says there is a stone, here –
it’s what gives this place its energy. You need to find it and take
it to him.”

“A stone?” She looked around the
garden. There were lots of stones scattered about, but none that
stood out. “I don’t see…” No, she didn’t see, but she could
feel
it. She had felt it
the moment she had crossed the threshold into the
garden.

She wandered away from the grave,
towards the stone wall. Letting the energy surround her. “It’s
here.” She looked down at her feet. “Under the ground.” Sara knelt
and placed her hand to the damp earth. The grass was cool, but
underneath, she could feel the heat radiating up, pulsing from deep
underground. “How do I get it?” She dug her fingertips into the
soft earth.

“
I can handle that part.” Joey
chimed in. “You say it is here?” She placed her small hand next to
Sara’s.

“
Yeah, I don’t know how deep
though.”

“
Don’t worry.” Joey stood and
spread out her arms. The wind around them picked up, whipping
through the trees and bending the flowers.

Sara inhaled sharply as she saw
the golden tendrils that came floating in on the wind, riding up to
them and encircling Joey in a gilded tornado until disappearing
into the ground beneath their feet.

“
Voax,” Joey explained as the wind
died down and the air became still. “One of my great guardian
spirits. He will retrieve the stone.”

She just nodded, still a bit blown away over what
she had just seen. “Okay.” Was all she could think of to say.

It wasn’t long before she felt the rumble under her
toes.

“He has found it.” Joey smiled and
without any other sign or glorious display a small stone shot out
of the earth and into her outstretched hand. “Take it to
him.”

Sara took the stone from Joey’s
hand. It was heavier then it looked, and she couldn’t stop the gasp
that escaped her lips as an inexpressible sensation overtook her. A
cold energy sized her body before rushing into her head.

“
Sara.” The tinny voice of Joey
cut through her revelations.

“Joey.” She whispered, “What is
this stone?”

“They call it the Sage Stone, but
that is all they say.”

Sara clutched it to her, feeling
high and mighty she let the biggest smile she had ever smiled reach
across her face. “This will wake him up for sure. Tell her that.
Tell JoAnna” She looked down to Joey. “Tell her not to worry,
okay.”

Joey nodded with a soft smile.
Something off to the right must have caught her eye and she looked
toward the forest. “She knows.”

Sara waved her a farewell as she ran off towards the
back gate, grasping the stone tightly in her hand. She could do
this. She could bring Sky back.

Chapter
Twenty-
Nine

He felt so helpless
sitting there. He stared down at the flat, lifeless imitation that
resembled his best friend and kept a steady grip on a hand that
might have well been made of stone.

“I’m so sorry.” Al
whispered for the hundredth time. He didn’t know what exactly he
was sorry for, he just knew that he…if he could take back every
moment since they had started school he would have. There were so
many things he would have done differently. So many things he would
have said.

“It’s my fault.” He said
into the darkened room. “I told you to go home that day.” He
squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he didn’t remember it so clearly,
“You weren’t supposed to be there.” If he hadn’t gone home early
that day, he never would have been involved. They might not have
ever even known about the Man of Mist, or the Book of
Nine.