Daughter of Three Suns

Chapter 30

"I'm coming with you," Alice said as she entered my home after first meal.

"What?"

"When you leave to visit the portal, I'm coming with you."

"But the sun."

"Mother Sun doesn't bother me, and we have more than enough time to return before the Anamnesis and Daughter Sun's return."

I finished cleaning the rubus berry stains from Ward's face and hands, then turned back to my sister. "It won't be easy. We'll have to carry all our supplies and rest often because of the children."

"All the more reason I should go, too. You can carry most of the food and water, and I can carry one of the twins when they get tired."

"We'll be exposed to the sun and wind all the time without any shade, and we'll have to sleep on the sand."

Alice huffed, then seated herself on one of the floor cushions. She pulled Ward onto her lap, hugging him against her while I turned my attention to Hope and her food-stained face. "Bella, I've never had an adventure or journeyed very far from home. My Metanora never happened because I never changed. I want to go out into the desert."

"Alice." I shook my head, trying to find the right words to tell her that she couldn't go with us. "Alice." I finally sighed. "You can't see the desert."

She looked sad for a moment, then brightened. "Yes, but you and the children can. They can describe what they're seeing. I don't need eyes to smell the desert or feel the wind on my skin and the sand under my feet."

Alice sat silently, waiting for my answer. When I didn't respond, she sighed and focused those white eyes on me. For a brief moment, I thought they widened and darkened. "I have to do this, sister. It's important. If you don't take me, I'm going on my own."

The thought of my sister wandering the desert by herself was enough to make me reluctantly agree. "Okay. We'll leave after first meal tomorrow. There's another island on the way. It should take us three to four cycles to get there. We can rest and resupply, then it's another three cycles to the doorway. Once we reach it, we can stay at a nearby island. It's small but has enough food and water for us to remain for a while. We'll return home the same way."

Alice nodded.

"Bring your staff, a mat for sleeping, and anything else you think you might need. I'll make carrying packs and gather our supplies."

"Thank you. You won't regret this, Bella," she assured me when she left.

I hoped she was right.

…..

We were a strange looking group that left the island to begin our journey the next cycle. I carried a large pack on my back that contained sleeping mats for the twins and me and enough dried food—I hoped—to last us until we reached the island of the sand cats. Around my waist, I wore a belt of water gourds with—what I again hoped—would be enough water to get us there, and my fishing knife.

Hope and Ward each had their own small pack with food and several full water gourds. Alice carried her own food, water, and mat in her pack. We each had our staffs.

Mother and Esme walked with us until we were out of sight of the island. They had both argued against our going but finally relented when Alice and I agreed to let Charles come with us. When they turned back, he took to the sky, riding the thermals above us.

I needn't have worried about Alice; she was stronger than I'd thought she'd be. She walked with a sure, steady rhythm, even sidestepping rocks or other obstacles before I could warn her. Even my children did better than I had hoped.

Ward and Hope were excited to be going on what they called "a great adventure". They chattered almost non-stop, describing and explaining everything in great detail to Alice. She, in turn, encouraged them to close their eyes and listen to what the wind was saying, or to breathe deeply and identify the scents of the desert.

"There," she would say. "Do you smell that? It's wedrok algae. It only grows where there is water. We could follow that smell and find water to drink if we were thirsty." Another time, she made them stop and place their hands against the sand. "Close your eyes," she told them. "Can you feel that vibration in the sand?"

I saw Ward's eyes open wide in surprise. "What is it, Auntie?" he whispered.

"A sand worm—a big one. It's crawling below us."

"Are we in danger, Mother?" Hope's worried face sought mine.

"No," I reassured her. "They have no interest in us."

We were on top of the tallest sand dune we'd encountered so far, catching our breath after the long climb, when I saw Alice tremble. "Alice?" I pulled her away from the children, who sat eating and drinking while they rested. I noticed Charles hovering above them. "Are you all right?"

She didn't answer but continued turning and gulping great breaths of air. "Alice!" I shook her.

"There," she said, finally stopping and staring off in one direction. "Something is there, Bella. Can you smell it?"

I did as she had, filling my lungs with great breaths, but detected nothing but sand and desert. "Close your eyes," she suggested. "Maybe that will help."

"I'm sorry, Alice. I don't smell anything unusual. That's the direction we're heading though. Maybe when we get closer?" She nodded. We returned to Hope and Ward and started walking.

…..

Our journey under the warm glow of Mother Sun continued. The desert opened before us, golden sands stretching in all directions. We climbed sand dunes—both big and small—and crossed patches of flat, rocky ground. We ate when we hungered, drank when we thirsted, and slept when we tired. We wrapped ourselves in peace and contentment.

My sister continued to surprise me with her skill to move freely, unhindered by her lack of sight, and by her ability to sense the smells and vibrations around us. When I asked her, she explained that because she could not see her other senses were that much stronger.

We were nearing the sand cat's island when I woke to find Alice standing alone, staring into the distance. "Alice?"

"Can you smell it now, sister?" she asked.

Grandmother's breath was blowing from the island's direction and carried the unmistakable musky scent of sand cat. "It's sand cat," I told her. "A mother and her two cubs lived there when I was on my journey. I stayed with them for a while before I returned home. I wondered if they would still be there. I don't think they'll hurt us, but we need to approach them carefully until they recognize me."

Alice smiled but didn't answer. She kept that smile as we continued our journey. From time to time, I would glance her way to find that soft, secret smile on her face. It worried me.

When we reached the entrance to the island, I warned my sister and my children to stay behind me. "It may take them a while to recognize my voice and my scent."

Crouching down in front of Hope and Ward, I warned them again. "Whatever I tell you to do, you must do it. If I say hide, you climb up on the rocks and hide. If I say be still, I don't want you to move even a muscle. Do you understand?"

They nodded, and Hope reached for her brother's hand. "Yes, Mother," they both whispered. With a flutter of wings, Charles landed near them. I nodded to him, then began edging my way into the island.

It was much the same as it had been when I was last there. Vines and leaves formed a thick mat overhead, and their deep shade provided cool relief from the sun. At the far end of the central pool, I could see the tawny gold of a sand cat.

It rose when it heard my footsteps, turning in one fluid motion to face me. The words I started to speak stilled in my throat. This wasn't the mother sand cat that faced me. Instead, I stared at a cat bigger than any animal I had ever seen or imagined. A huge ruff of hair bristled around its massive head, and green eyes studied me intently as it took one menacing step forward. From deep within its broad chest, a rumbling snarl grew until it pitched its head backward and roared a warning so loud the leaves around us shook.

I stumbled backward, keeping an eye on it as I retreated toward my children. "Alice, get back," I warned my sister, who had stepped up beside me. The sand cat's head snapped in my direction at the sound of my voice. It shook its ruff, then focused on my sister, who had come into its view.

"Alice. Sister, please!"

"It won't hurt me," she answered and took a step forward.

"Alice!" I reached out to grab her, but a deep warning growl from the cat stopped my movement. My sister took another step toward the cat, and then another. Each time I tried to stop her, a snarl warned me away.

I stood between my sister and my children. Torn between the need to protect them both, I clutched my staff and knife ready to leap in whatever direction I was needed.

The massive sand cat edged closer and closer to my sister. "Alice," I begged, but she shook her head and continued approaching it.

When she stopped and held out her hand toward it, the most amazing thing happened. With quiet, hesitant steps, the cat walked forward and began rubbing its head along her outstretched arm. I saw Alice tremble and heard a gasping "Oh. Oh." Then her other arm was around its neck, pulling it closer to her. The sand cat rested its head on my sister's shoulder, and a loud contented rumbling filled the air around them.

Satisfied that it wasn't going to hurt her, I slowly moved closer. It turned its head and watched me approach, and then I heard Alice laugh.

"He won't hurt you, Bella. In fact, he remembers you with"—she cocked her head as though listening to something—"fondness, I think is what he means. He says you let him play with a long, thin tail, and then scratched his stomach."

"A long, thin tail? I don't know what … Oh," I said, realizing what she meant. "It means my sewing yarn and … But it was just a cub, Alice, and … Wait, did you say he? Do you mean it's male?"

My sister laughed at my stuttering reply. "Yes, he's male, and his name is Jasper."

I watched in stunned silence as Alice pressed her face against Jasper's head. Her hands roamed through his thick fur, scratching and massaging, pulling him ever closer to her. His contented rumbling grew louder.

"Alice. Is he your basherter?"

She didn't answer for a moment, seemingly lost in her union with the sand cat. Finally, she shook her head. "No, we are more. One mind, one soul, but two bodies. He is my arm, my leg, my heart. I'm not complete without him."

My sister raised her head and turned to look at me. "Bella," she gasped. "I see you."

"But you can't. Your eyes …"

Alice tilted her head back, and her gaze roamed over the pool and cavern around us. "The woven vines, the deep green of the leaves, the red berries, the blue flowers—oh, I have missed the colors so much, my sister.

"And you." She turned back to me. "Look what you've become. A tall, fierce woman, your skin baked brown by Daughter Sun. Your hands and arms almost black from your previous burns. And that glowing red circle on your chest. Oh, Bella, it's beautiful and so are you."

"You can truly see me?"

"Yes, Jasper's eyes are my eyes. I see through them." She turned, surveying the island again. "Where are my niece and nephew? I want to see Hope and Ward."

"Are you sure—"

Alice laughed before I could finish my question. "Would I hurt my family?"

I called my children to me. Charles followed them and perched on my shoulder. Then we carefully approached Alice and Jasper. They had settled on the ground together; she still rested her hand on his back, and he still purred contentedly by her side. As if one, their heads swung toward us. The sand cat's eyes moved over us, studying Hope and Ward's faces intently. Alice's eyes mirrored his movements. Emotions flickered across her face, and moisture welled up in her eyes.

"So beautiful, so beautiful," she whispered. "Ward?" Alice held out her hand, and my son edged closer. "He won't hurt you," she reassured him. Alice took Ward's hand and placed it on Jasper's head. "Feel how soft his fur is?"

A delighted laugh escaped Ward's mouth as he rubbed his hand over Jasper's head and shoulders. "Hope! Hope!" he shouted. "He feels good, and he likes us."

Soon, both my children were petting the sand cat and giggling when his rough tongue licked their hands. He didn't seem to mind when they crawled across his back or examined his long tail. They reminded me of the two cubs tumbling in their play when I had left after my first visit to the island.

"Alice." I seated myself in front of her and Jasper. "Is the rest of his family here?"

My sister cocked her head, as if listening to a silent exchange between them. "He says they have gone to that other place, far away across the desert. He says they went to mate." She frowned and seemed confused by what she was hearing.

"There are bigger, taller islands there with plants growing on the outside of them and large open ponds of water. They're under a …" She shook her head. "I don't understand what he's showing me. It's like a clear hard cave. The people are different: men, women, and children too, but also animals."

"But Jasper didn't go?"

"No." Alice's face lit up with her happy smile. "No, he knew I was coming, so he waited for me."

"And did you know he was waiting? Is this why you insisted upon coming with us?"

Four eyes focused on me. "Maybe." She grinned at my frown. "Oh, my sister, I saw you frown. This is so new, so wonderful."

I had to smile back at her happiness. "But did you know, Alice?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I knew something important was waiting for me, and I knew I had to go find it, but there are other things waiting, too. We should rest and gather supplies. We need to leave soon."

"But the children are tired. I thought we would rest for several cycles."

Alice and Jasper both stood. I was shocked again at how tall he was. "Jasper can carry them on his back. You and I will be fine, but we need to leave soon."

.

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AN: It was late when I finally finished this last night and sent it off to Sally. As always, she came through for me, found my mistakes, and got it back so I could post today. She's the best. Thank you everyone for reading.