Shared Skies (22 page)

Alastair lifted his gun. “To keep Gaiah
safe, I’ll do anything.” he shouted, and the deafening crack of
gunshot sent scores of birds screeching into the winter sky.

Chapter
Seventeen

Gaiah arrived in the clearing just in time
to see the spray of shot catch Neal straight in the centre of his
chest and throw him backwards. He crashed against a tree and slid
to the ground. Kaley screamed. Gaiah was rooted to the spot. He was
gone. Silence filled her heart.

She was bereft, abandoned.
Her world had gone dark. Her body was a leaden weight. She pushed
Alasdair out of the way and fell to her knees next to Neal’s body.
The spray of shot had ripped right through his coat. She bent her
head down, slowly stretched a hand up to caress his white face and
closed her eyes.
No. No, no, no. This
can’t be true, it’s not possible. Not now, not when we’ve only just
found each other.

Through the bleakness that
filled her, her heart cried out for him and felt an answer.
What…?
He’s still there.
How, in the name of God, is this possible?
Her fingers clutched at his jacket as she tried to cradle his
head. She had seen him take the blast full on. Faint and far away
she could feel him. She looked carefully, he was breathing. Her
sense of him was getting stronger.

As she looked at him, his
eyes opened and he fought his way back to consciousness. She
realized what had happened even as his hand went to the back of his
head and he groaned. He'd cracked his head, when he'd crashed
backwards. He was knocked out, not
dead
. Knocked out. The world flooded
back into her; her eyes saw and her ears heard again. Behind her,
Kaley was rapidly explaining things in a breathless
voice.

“
How on Gaiana is he still
alive?” asked Alasdair. “I used a shotgun to make it look like a
hunting accident. I know it’s not a powerful weapon, but he was
close.”

Neal struggled to his feet and opened his
jacket. His metal and wood art pieces were tied to him front and
back and held in place by thick strapping. “I tied them on to me so
I could transport them on my motorbike. Best decision of my
life.”

Tears poured down Gaiah's face. “I knew
those pieces were so special from the moment I saw them. I didn't
imagine we'd owe our lives to them.” She stroked the metal which
was dented and puckered by the gun shot. Neal bent his head down to
Gaiah; her hands caressed his face. Their eyes were so locked on
each other, they may as well have been alone. Their absorption in
each other was total.

Gaiah broke their communion. She held Neal’s
hand as she turned to face the others. “I am going to help Neal
bring these up where they belong, then we’ll follow you home and
we’ll all talk.” This wasn’t a suggestion or a request, it was an
order which nobody questioned. Without another word, Gaiah and Neal
turned and, with their arms wrapped around each other, disappeared
up the hill.

***

Back in the cottage, the kitchen was
crowded. The Ten, still in Gaianan clothes, had shifted Earthways.
Gaiah’s extraordinary revelations, followed by a demonstration of
her sudden, astonishing ability to shift, had stunned them. Aghna
was still shaking her head and declaring it impossible. Kaley
filled everyone in on all that had happened in the woods. When she
finished there was silence.

Ruairidh’s voice broke it. “This could be an
Or’kan trick. This Neal could have his own plans. Why should we
trust him?”

Kaley looked at him, her eyes pierced him.
“We don’t. We trust our instincts, and mine say Gaiah knows what
she’s doing.”

Ruairidh’s face reflected his battle to
accept what he wanted to deny, but it cleared as he argued aloud
with himself. “If he was an occupied out to trick his way into
Gaiana, could Gaiah’s powers have developed at such an
extraordinary rate, so as to be able to shift without help because
she needed to save him? No, if she did something good because of
their melding, then their melding is good.”

Alasdair nodded. “If she can do something as
complicated as that on her own, then what in the worlds are they
capable of together?”

Gorand’s voice was almost a whisper, “Oh my
Powers. Imagine, if it’s true. Two melding’s children together, how
is it possible?” He looked around the room, every face confirmed
his wonder. “And this boy is an Or'kan–Earth melding? I never heard
it told of. What fates were intertwined in our three worlds to
bring this about?”

Renny slumped into a chair. “It’s my fault
he was shot. I shouldn’t have said anything until Gaiah said I
could. If I hadn’t told you all about the attack…Oh Energies! I
feel terrible about it.” She covered her mouth with both hands.

“
You feel terrible?”
Alasdair’s sandy eyebrows rose. “I shot him! Or’ka’s lights! I
could have killed him–I meant to kill him. A melding’s child?
Powers!” He smiled at Kaley. “Mind you, it looks as if we have
another melded pair in our family. What are the chances of that?” A
huge grin spread across his face. “I think this calls for a major
melding party.”

“
Electric idea!” whooped
Renny, jumping back out of her chair. “When?”

“
Well,” Kaley mused as she
filled the huge kettle and sat it on the Rayburn. “Their souls'
melding has already happened. And we know melded couples can't bear
to be parted, so I think the sooner the better for the melding
ceremony.”

Gorand stared into the distance for a second
or two, nodding his head slowly. “Yes, also, their powers, whatever
they are, are going to increase with their melding. The union of
the body adds power to the union of the soul. So we need to see how
soon it would be possible.” Everyone joined in, with ideas and
suggestions, a cheerful babble filled the room.

While her family planned her melding
ceremony, Gaiah leant back against a moss covered tree trunk, arms
entwined with Neal’s. They had stacked his artwork in a thicket by
the entrance. Tomorrow, with more time, they would find exactly the
right places to mount them.

Gaiah’s voice was quiet. “I can’t believe
all this has actually happened and yet it feels so...I don’t
know…in a way...kind of normal. Does that seem weird?” She turned
her face up to his, finding in his gentle smile the reassurance she
felt from his heart.

“
No. I know exactly what
you mean. It’s as if this was all waiting to happen, and now that
it has, things are just right, the way they were meant to be. Now
we carry on with what we are meant to do.”

“
Yes. But what on Earth is
that?”

Neal turned and faced Gaiah; he bent his
head and rested his forehead against hers. His hair, loosened from
his usual ponytail, fell around her face. His eyes were closed. His
breathing kept pace with her own. “We’ll know, Gaiah, I’m sure of
it.” He kissed her gently and wound his arms around her, but as he
did so, he winced.

“
What?” asked Gala, as she
felt his pain. He took off his jacket; the sleeve of his jumper was
stained with blood. He pushed it up. “Damn! I must have gotten some
gunshot in my arm. I never noticed it in the euphoria of having you
back. It’s not too bad though, it just needs to be cleaned up and
I’ll be fine.”

“
God, when I think how bad
it could have been...” Gaiah shuddered. She had a closer look at
the shallow gash on his muscled arm. “I don't think it needs
stitches or anything, but let's get you home and look at it. I can
feel it's starting to hurt.”

The journey home on the back of Neal’s bike
was one of the happiest moments of her life–arms around him, cheek
against the smooth fabric of his jacket, heading off to save the
world. She caught his grin in the wing mirror as he sensed her
emotions, and shared her feelings.

When Gaiah and Neal walked into the kitchen,
they barely had time to register the riot of colour, before a huge
cheer went up. They stood in the doorway, holding hands and
smiling. Gaiah's eyes were more brilliant than ever, and the air
seemed to shine around them. Gorand stepped forward. “Welcome,
Neal, melding choice of Gaiah Shaman of Gaiana. Welcome to our
world.”

Alasdair rushed over but stopped several
paces short of them. One hand raked his hair back off his face, the
other waving palm up in front of him. “Neal, I’m…What can I say?
I’m really sorry about–”

Neal stepped forward, took Alasdair's hand,
and shook it. “You thought you were protecting Gaiah, and as that
is something I hope you will always do. I thank you for your
intentions if not your actions!”

Everyone laughed and Alasdair's face relaxed
back into its usual smile. Kaley watched the couple with a sense of
loss. Her granddaughter with whom she had so recently been reunited
was already gone. She turned her back to search in a drawer for a
packet of tissues and to hide her tears. Gaiah was someone else
now. She had become a new entity with Neal. But a melding was
always good, so Kaley gave herself a mental shake and embraced the
couple.

Renny approached them and put her hands over
her face. “Sorry, sorry, sorry. Gaiah, can you ever forgive me? I
nearly got Neal killed.”

“
It’s not your fault. You
were doing what you thought was right and anyway, it isn’t as if I
was very communicative with you, is it?” Gaiah said and hugged
her.

Neal hugged her too, and said, “Thank you
for being there for Gaiah, I hope you always will be.”

“
Grandma, Could you have a
look at Neal’s arm please? I think some shot grazed
him.”

“
Oh no,” groaned Alasdair
“I’m so sorry. When I think–”

“
Don’t worry, Alasdair.”
Neal put his hand on Alasdair's arm. “Honestly, it's really
nothing, a bit of disinfectant and it will be fine. Just show me
where everything is and I’ll sort it out.”

“
Are you sure?” Kaley
asked. ”I’ll have a look at it if you want.”

“
No, really, it’s no
problem. Anyway, I think you’ve all got more important things to
do. I can feel Gaiah's starving.” Neal said with a
smile.

Kaley laughed. “Okay, I better get started
on food, then.” Giving him directions to the medicine cabinet, she
turned to her well-stocked cupboards.

In the bathroom, Neal gingerly took off his
jacket and grimaced when he pulled off his jumper. He was wearing a
short sleeved, black t- shirt. Between the sleeve and his elbow was
a gash about four inches long. It was crusted with dried blood. The
shot had passed through his coat and jumper, getting his arm on its
way. He poured the disinfectant over it and wrapped the gauze
around it. He'd been lucky; it really didn’t seem too bad. Gaiah
met him outside, with a thick, warm jumper of Alasdair’s. “The
least he can do for you is lend you one of his own jumpers, after
he shot yours!” She took his hand and kissed it. It seemed as
natural a gesture to her as breathing. She tugged him towards the
kitchen. “Now, honestly, I am starving. Grandma! How’s the food
doing?”

Kaley was had emptied her fridge and freezer
of anything she thought might help to feed fifteen hungry people.
Everyone wanted to help, but it was Ruaridh from Clan Earth, large
and ruddy-faced, who took charge. Shortly, he had a production line
going, turning out food. The Rayburn top was sizzling and
splattering with sausages, eggs and potato cakes.

The Gaianans were delighted to be sharing
Earthways food and time together. “So many of us never leave Gaiana
at the same time," said Troya from Clan Water, a small, fair woman,
with the kindest face Gaiah had ever seen. “Unless it is for some
extraordinary event, like today. First, when we thought you were in
danger, and then, to hear this wonderful news. This Earthways meal
together, is a first.”

Everyone helped themselves as food was
declared ready, and pots of tea and coffee were made one after the
other. Neal and Gaiah sat at the head of the kitchen table
together, their bodies in constant contact, saying little as the
conversation rolled around them.

Gathering dusk slowly obscured the
countryside, until black night was pressed up against the window.
But inside, the polished lamps glowed on the fifteen people spread
around the kitchen. They were all deep in conversations about what
this melding might mean and full of relief at what had been
narrowly avoided. Everyone had ideas and they were all making
suggestions and plans.

Alasdair broke through this pleasant buzz
and hum by standing and banging his mug with his spoon. ”Right!
Ladies, gentlemen and melded couple. As you all know, meldings can
rarely be celebrated on Gaiana, as more often than not, the Earth
partner is unaware of the origin of their melded love as in your
parents' case, Gaiah, and perhaps yours, Neal?”

“
No–my mother knew about
Or’ka. Obviously she had never been there, but knew it was a
horrible and dangerous place. She never spoke about it to anyone,
except me, on rare occasions.”

“
Well, this is a truly
unique occasion. The Trinity of our worlds is joined, and the
melded couple can come to Gaiana for a melding ceremony. Gaiah and
Neal, it would be our pleasure if you would shift to Gaiana for a
celebration and solemnization of your melding.”

Neal and Gaiah didn’t even have to look at
each other, as their shared emotions made them reply as one. “Thank
you all, it would be wonderful to share it with you.”

“
Right,” said Gorand.
“We’ll go ahead and sort out details, and maybe tomorrow, you could
both visit Gaiana and we can discuss it. Tomorrow evening,
Alasdair, I invite you and your family to eat with me in my
home.”