Cascade National Park, Saturday, 14 November, late evening.
AJ stared at the moonlit park, eyes focusing beyond what was visible. Dressed entirely in black, from her boots to the cap on her head, she blended in to the shadows. She hadn't quite decided what it was about this location that bothered her. Maybe it was just the problems she was having, maybe that was affecting her ability to work. That had to be it. Grimly, she began shooting pictures of the area; maybe studying them later would give her the answer. She glared impatiently at the silent trees. A buzz at her side made her fingers pause.
"Yes?" She spoke into the phone curtly, impatient with the interruption. With skilled hands, she connected the hands free headset to the cell phone and turned it on.
"Kyrie? Where are you?" The sound of Rafe's voice, even slightly muted as it was over the connection brought a smile to her lips. "I tried your apartment but you're not there. We need to talk."
"Rafe! Aloa!" The smile bubbled through her and into her words. AJ clipped the cell phone into a case and attached it to her belt. Once her hands were free, she went back to taking pictures. "I didn't expect you to call tonight."
"I wanted to talk to you. To try and work this mess out. Where are you?"
"I'm setting up some great shots of the city." AJ whispered softly into the microphone. She swiftly photographed the view of Cascade and the waning moon. Now that she was talking to Rafe, everything seemed much better, the view lighter, cheerier. From here, the entire city was laid out like a jeweled broach, lights flaring brightly against the backdrop of the harbor and the night sky. The way the mountains curled down around the city to become cliffs at the sea made it seem as if the city was being cradled in loving arms. She smiled at her own whimsy. "Cascade has some beautiful views."
"Views?" Rafe sounded puzzled. "Kyrie? Where exactly are you?"
She paused, watching a young man pull up in a nearby parking lot. Instinctively, AJ grabbed her camera bag and backed into the trees. As several more cars pulled up she quickly darted further into the shadows. "North of the university. It's a pretty nice park, quiet. Beautiful view of the city and the mountains. I've been here most of the day."
"Which park, Kyrie?" His voice became harsh.
"I think the sign said North View Park."
"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Rafe's voice was rough, tightly controlled worry.
Moving with the practiced ease she had gained in South American jungles, AJ scaled a tree, staying out of sight of the group of young men who were dispersing into the trees. Tightening the straps of her camera bag, she dove from one tree to another. Only her quiet grunt of effort betrayed her movement.
"Kyrie?" Rafe growled over the headset.
"Sh. I'm busy right now." She whispered under her breath. Gingerly she removed her camera bag, strapping it to the tree. With near silent movements she unzipped a pocket and extracted a different camera. Quickly changing the film, she brought it up and around, focusing on the men standing under the trees near her. She began snapping pictures, barely moving except to shift the focus from one young man to another. For a long time, she was silent, watching them and listening to the quiet curses coming over the phone line. Finally she sighed, "Sorry about that."
"What is going on?" The young detective sounded so completely out of sorts that she had to smile. "Do you know exactly how dangerous that park is after dark? I want you to find a safe spot and wait for me to pick you up."
"Rafe, I'm fine. I'm also about 15 feet from the ground." AJ's amusement was obvious in her quietly spoken words. "No one will notice me up here. Especially if I stay quiet."
"That park is gang territory at night."
"Mmm-hmm." She agreed as she changed her film. "The boys in the red jackets and bandannas."
"Where are they?" In the background, behind Rafe's voice, she could suddenly hear a siren.
"Rafe? What are you doing?" She watched the gang members, keeping most of her attention on them. Her lip curled in disgust as she photographed the drug transaction between them and their supplier. "They've picked up some drugs, I think, and are heading back to their cars."
"Kyrie, don't let them see you. They'll kill you rather than risk jail time."
"They just climbed into their cars and are pulling away." AJ fiddled with the lens, trying to get a good picture of the cars.
"I'm about 8 minutes from you. Stay put!"
The young woman raised her eyebrows at the order. She shrugged, settling herself more comfortably into the crook of the tree branch. Thanks to years of working with and around warriors, she recognized that tone. She would just wait out the storm of his worry and the sun would shine again.
####
Rafe pulled into an empty parking lot. He had turned off the lights and siren a little over a mile away to keep from letting the gang members know he was a cop, but now he wasn't too sure if it had been a good idea. Nothing moved that he could see. He tightened his grip on the cell phone. "Kyrie, where are you?"
"I'm on my way, querido." Her voice was cheerful through the phone. "I got some great pictures."
Rafe stared into the park, his fury and his concern fighting for dominance. After a long wait, at least it seemed long to him, Kyrie appeared. At first he wasn't sure he saw her. The shadows seemed to move with her as she stepped out of the trees. She paused, turning back toward the forest, head moving as she scanned the quiet grove. Impatiently, he strode over to meet her.
"What..." Rafe stuttered to a stop as her eyebrows rose. "Don't you know how dangerous it is for a woman to be out here after dark?"
"I'm fine, Rafe. They never saw me." She shook her head, shifting her camera bag uncomfortably. "Besides, I can take care of myself."
Rafe murmured a curse and pulled her close. She let him tuck her under his chin, her arms wrapping around him. Immediately the cold hollow in his chest that had haunted him since their argument that morning vanished. He let himself revel in the moment. It was as if she poured warmth into his soul.
After a long moment, he whispered, "Do you need any more pictures?"
Kyrie pulled back, looking up at him thoughtfully. "I can always come back later for more."
"I can..."
"No, querido. You've put in a long day and so have I. You look worn out." She shifted, taking a step away from him. "I think it's time for me to head home."
Rafe sighed. "I'm not trying to stop you from your work -- it's just not safe out here at night. How did you get out here, anyway?"
"I walked." She smiled at his shocked look. "It's all right, Rafe. I'll head home, now."
"Damn it, woman!" Rafe growled at her. "I don't believe the stuff you try to pull! I'll give you a ride home.'
"I'll be fine, Rafe." AJ's amusement vanished at his worried expression. "I'm always fine."
He let his hand on her arm tighten, just enough to hold her in place. "I worry about you... more than I want to."
"I... " She bowed her head, refusing to meet his eyes. She really didn't want to go into this again, at least not now and not here. "I understand."
"Do you, really?" He asked. He had to find a way to explain to her, a way to make her understand what he was feeling. "I don't think so. I still have a lot of questions and things to work through."
"You don't like surprises, do you?" she asked quietly. At his negative headshake, she fought a sad smile. She had been afraid of that. Making a quick decision, she pulled out a roll of film and handed it to him. "It's the boys in the red bandannas."
"How close did you get to them?" The burst of fear and anger that crossed his expressive face was both more and less than she expected.
"I didn't go near them. I took telephoto pictures."
"Why do I have a feeling there is more to all of this that I don't know?" He whispered into the night air.
"Rafe... I'm a photographer. It's part of my life." She looked away again. Was he asking for the truth? Was he asking for the whole story... with all of its ugly, classified parts? This had to be the reason Zel always told her to avoid becoming personally involved while working. It hurt, no matter which way she looked at it. "Part of who I am."
"I understand that. I can handle that part of your life." He answered her quietly. "I'm worried about the stuff I'm finding out now. The stuff you didn't tell me."
"Why do you think I never asked you about your past? You've told me all about your life since arriving in the United States. Your accent is South African. Whatever happened there still hurts you. I didn't pry into it, because it felt wrong." She pulled away from Rafe's hand, breaking all contact between them. "You have things you would rather not discuss. I have some too. Can you handle me being a shaman? Can you accept that among my people I am a living link between tribes, kin to Ellison and Sandburg? That the tribes have the right to call me home at any time?" She watched him, eyes focusing on and through him. At his wince, he saw her tense. Kyrie's green and silver eyes turned sad. She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Good-bye Rafe."
Rafe reacted instinctively. He grabbed her arm, pulling her close. There was no way he was letting her get away. Not now. Maybe not ever. "That is not an option, Kyrie. We need to talk... about our pasts, our present, and the future."
She began to protest, but he shook his head. "Not here. Let's go."
Kyrie was silent as he hustled her into his car.
####
852 Prospect Ave, Apt 307
"So where is she?" Blair paced from his room to the telephone, glaring at it, as if that would make it ring.
"Calm down, Chief." Jim set the slide of his pistol down. Each piece of his service weapon was laid out in a very precise pattern on the kitchen table as he clean it. "She'll call."
"She's ignored all of my messages. She wasn't in today. She didn't leave a note." Blair growled out his list of complaints again. "She's not answering the cell phone you gave her."
"I know." The sentinel was not about to tell his guide that he was beginning to worry too. He also neglected to say that he too had left messages on AJ's answering machine. He had even gone so far as to visit her apartment, looking for signs of trouble.
Blair picked up the phone and began to dial.
"Let me call a friend's place. He might know where she is." Jim's words knocked Blair off his stride.
"You know who her boyfriend is?" Blair asked quietly. "Is there anyone who you don't know?"
"The president." The quietly spoken words made the younger man turn just to see if he was being teased. He shook his head with a smile as he handed the phone over to his sentinel.
####
"Do you trust me?"
AJ looked over at Rafe. The light from the street lamps made his face unusually pale. He glanced over at her, dividing his attention between her and the road. She didn't even have to think about her answer. "Yes."
Rafe nodded and quickly dialed a number on his cell phone. "H? Look I'm not going to make it to your mom's for dinner tomorrow. I'm not going to be answering the main phone for the rest of the weekend. Personal reasons. Nah, I'll be okay. I just have some things to take care of. I know, but we have to wait for a response from the Feds on that one. They won't get back to us until Monday at the earliest. I'll have my cell with me. Yes, it's that important. Right, I'll talk to you later."
AJ leaned against the cool glass of the car window, watching Rafe talk to his partner. She carefully focused only on him, ignoring the distraction of his voice and that faint sound of his friend's voice. The play of light as it flickered across his face was entrancing to her tired mind. For a moment the scene around him changed and she saw him in a cavern, surrounded by flames, and his face was coated with a tracery of bloody symbols.
"Kyrie? Are you okay?" Rafe's hand shook her, his voice echoing the worry in his eyes.
"Yes. Just tired." She smiled at him, forcing herself back to full awareness. Had she lost time again? Not good! She was too tired to fight off visions much less handle the coming confrontation and her tea was rapidly losing its effectiveness.
"Do you need to tell anyone that we're not going to be around for a little while?" Rafe's voice caught her attention again.
AJ nodded and activated her cell phone, clicking the headset back into position. A moment later the phone on the other end was answered. "Blair? I won't be available tomorrow. Can you handle the set up at the museum for me?"
"AJ! You're all right!" The worried sound of his voice made her frown. She carefully focused all of her attention onto the phone. "Why didn't you answer your messages? Or leave us a note? Where are you?" Blair's voice broke off abruptly as Jim took the phone away from him.
"You okay, kitten?" The sentinel's voice was soft but very dangerous sounding. She shivered.
"Yes. I'm fine." AJ closed her eyes, knowing she was in trouble. The very lack of expression in Jim's voice warned her that she was close to having him hunt her down. "I didn't expect either of you to worry."
"Wrong answer, kid. You know us better than that. Is that Brian I hear behind you?" Jim's words were still soft.
"Yes." No point in lying to him and she knew it.
"You going of your own choice?"
"Yes, Enqueri. My choice."
"Why do you sound nervous?" This time his words had a bite to them.
"Enqueri! I'm fine. Everything is okay." She protested. "I'm going to be out of contact for a little while and don't want you worrying."
"Put him on the phone." Jim's voice cut through her words like an icy wind. She hesitated and his voice lowered as he growled, "Now."
Wordlessly she switched over to the cell phone and handed it to Rafe. He raised his eyebrow at her but accepted it. Using every bit of energy she could spare from holding back the nightmarish visions that danced in the back of her brain, AJ focused on Jim's voice.
"Brian? I want you to take very good care of my little sister." Ellison's voice was about as warm as the winds blowing through Cascade that night.
"How long have you known?" Rafe asked, voice tight as he considered the situation.
"I guessed about two weeks ago, but the minx wouldn't confirm it until I called this morning." Jim's voice lost a little of its icy tone. "She's real good at keeping secrets, even when they aren't needed."
"We'll call you tomorrow." Rafe kept his voice even. He should have guessed there was a lot that Kyrie, or AJ was holding back. He'd suspected some of it, but the idea that she was related to Ellison still hadn't quite settled in his mind. "I have a feeling we probably need to talk."
"You know how to reach us," Jim answered before disconnecting the phone.
Maritime Condominiums, 11pm.
"Make yourself at home." Rafe spoke almost brusquely, as he opened the door to his condo and ushered Kyrie inside.
She was silent as she slipped past him. The cool blues and light grays of the room were soothing and quiet. She glanced around, her eyes skimming the room before locking on a large photograph. Almost as if compelled, she walked over to it. Rich green and blue waves dashed themselves into a rocky coastline, framed by the doorway of a small plane. The crisp edge of the wing trailed downward as if a pointing out the remains of an ancient lighthouse. The waves broke over the ancient stones that fortified a pier still jutting out from the collapsed remains. Just behind the breaking waves, protected by both the old rock wall and a narrow, curving finger of land, a dark blue inlet of water shone like a jewel. It didn't take much imagination for her to feel the wind that encouraged the waves, smell the rich salt air, and feel the fine mist that ascended to where the airplane watched the waves batter at the land. She fought a grimace at when she saw the signature kAj on the lower left corner. It was one of her personal photographs, one that she had signed.
"So you were the one who bought it." She whispered turning to face him. She remembered when that picture had been taken over the coast of South Africa.
"I grew up near there, we spent our vacations in Langebaan." Rafe answered quietly. Watching her, he stripped off his coat and turned to put it away. "Let me hang up your coat."
Kyrie set her camera bag down and walked over to Rafe in time to see him lock his pistol in a small lock box and place it on a shelf.
"You always keep that with you?" Her eyes were curious, as she turned to him.
"Only when I'm on duty or on call. Here, we won't need it. Or do you think we will?" Rafe was only half joking. He knew how she felt about cops, but the locking up the pistol seemed to make her uneasy. He watched as the silver-green eyes narrowed and then she looked away.
"No. You won't need it, not against me." There was something almost broken about her voice as she turned back to the living room. "I'd never do anything that would threaten you if I could help it.
"I'm getting a beer, would you like one?"
"No, thank you." The formal words belied the way she prowled the room, studying the books and other objects on his shelves.
"I can make you some tea," He said, as he pulled a beer from the refrigerator.
The silence from the other room made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Holding the beer in one hand, Rafe cautiously turned the corner to the living room. Kyrie was standing by the window, holding a picture frame in her hands as she stared at the picture inside it. He didn't have to see the picture to know which one it was. He'd forgotten it was in the living room and it had never occurred to him that she would see it.
She looked up at him; eyes puzzled then glanced back down at it. "You were very young."
"Sixteen." He answered before taking a sip of the beer and moving to stand beside her. He looked at the picture. He had forgotten how much had changed since then, but one thing hadn't... it still hurt.
Dark, hand carved wood framed his wedding picture, a gift from his best man. He stood, smiling happily beside a beautiful girl dressed in white. Above them was a simple banner in Afrikaans proclaiming them newlyweds. Beside him, his mother and father stood with tense smiles on their faces. He closed his eyes against the bitter memory of how the day had ended.
"Rafe?" Kyrie's soft voice made him look at her. "These are your parents?"
"Yes. My mother and father." He took another quick sip of his beer and answered the unspoken question. "My wife, Angela."
"What happened?"
"There was a problem at the jeweler, so our rings weren't ready. After the ceremony, I went to get them." Rafe's voice became rough as he remembered that day. "The house was in flames when I got back. The gas... they didn't have a chance. I came to America after that." He'd left a lot out... but he was under oath not to say more. "It's part of the reason I don't like surprises."
Kyrie nodded, her eyes blank as she stared at the photograph. Rafe looked so very young. It had happened so very long ago. She smiled to herself at a stray thought. "You must have come to America around the same time I left it."
His curiosity piqued, Rafe turned his attention on her. As he watched, she walked over to the shelf and carefully returned the photo exactly to its original position. Then she began to slowly pace along the shelves, trailing her finger along the smooth wood. Still watching her, measuring her moves, he sat down on the couch. If he were doing an interrogation, he would have sworn she was worried by the way she moved.
"Kyrie? Talk to me."
"What do you want to know about me? Ask and I give you my word I will tell you the truth." The words were flat as she came to a stop in front of him.
Rafe reached out his hand and pulled her down onto the couch. Sitting her beside him, he turned her face so he could watch her eyes as she spoke. Then he asked the hardest question first. "Who are you, really?"
The smile that crossed her face was bittersweet. "My name was Kyrie Eleason, at least that is what I think it was. I remember my mother singing to me, saying I was named for a hymn. They told me it was Alessandre or AJ."
"Who told you this?"
"I don't know who they were."
This was not what he expected and he froze. "I don't understand."
"When I was little, I was in a coma for a long time. When I woke up they told me it was better not to remember what had happened in the past. I remember how relieved the doctor was that I couldn't tell him my name." She shrugged fatalistically. "The government gave me a new name and a new family. They sent me away, to South America. This is the first time I've been back to the United States since then."
"Who sent you away?"
Rafe watched as her eyes became shuttered. "It's classified."
"Why were you sent away?"
"I honestly don't know." The shuttered look disappeared as she shrugged. "I didn't really ask and I don't think anyone remembers anymore."
"Why are you in Cascade?"
"When I was sent away, I was given to Abraham Zelinski. Zel's my guardian, my friend. He's the closest thing I have to family. He came back to America to retire, here in Cascade. It was his dream, to retire away from the jungles and squalor. He wanted to grow old in America. He was given a tenure position in return for coming here." As Rafe watched, fear and pain entered her eyes, darkening them. AJ's voice was pained, catching on the words as she spoke. "Zel didn't make it as far as Washington. He became ill and then he vanished from the hospital. No one knows what happened. I came as soon as I heard. Some old friends of Uncle Zel convinced the Dean to let me cover for him, until he recovers. As of last week, he is officially missing, presumed dead. I'm finishing the exhibit as a memorial."
"I'd heard about your uncle's illness but not that he was missing." Rafe murmured, his eyes still watching her face. "Do Blair and Jim know he's missing?"
"I don't know." She shrugged, her eyes focused on the picture behind the sofa. She could remember Zel's reaction to it when he'd realized how she had taken it. She had promised him a whole new vantage point, and she always kept her promises. "It doesn't matter. I will finish what I started."
"What else are you hiding?" That brought her eyes to his in panic. "The truth."
"Something is very wrong." The whispered words were unexpected and so was the flat acceptance in them. "I don't really know what, but I know it is. It's like knowing that a storm is coming or that lightning is about to strike. There isn't anything you can do, you can only try to survive."
"You said you were an amaru, a shaman." He stumbled over the word. "What does that mean?"
"When I arrived in Peru, a shaman named Incacha was waiting for me. He said I was chosen by the spirits to be a shaman. The natives took me in and trained me. We lived among the Chopec for three months before we were sent to the Walks Through. They are my people." She smiled at the memory. With a quick unexpected move, she pulled her sweater over her head. The silky, sleeveless shirt she wore under her sweater clung to her skin, baring her tattoos to his eyes. Rafe stared at the tattoos that scrolled around her upper arms. He'd seen hints of them before, but he had never seen them in their entirety. She rested her finger against one faded, complex square. "This one marks the tribe that sent me away when I was a child."
She moved her finger to a large multicolored tattoo, easily twice the size of any other on her arms. "This one marks me as one of the Walks Through People, as a sagrada, an amaru. Chosen by them to be one of them, to be a special link between the peoples."
"I thought you said you were adopted by the Chopec." Rafe studied the odd golden yellow vine that seemed to wrap around the whole pattern. To him the vine seemed out of place, almost threatening -- as if it were trying to swallow the other tattoos. "Is this their mark?"
"No. That belongs to another group. This one marks the Chopec." She pointed to it and then let her finger move to another small square. "It and each of these marks shows with whom I have forged an alliance, which tribal shamans have adopted and trained me."
Rafe let his fingers trace the marks on her pale skin; on one he paused. "I know this one, it's African."
"Yes, it is. I lived in Africa for over a year." She kept her eyes on his fingers, slowly naming each tribe as he touched a tattoo. "Each one of them made an alliance with my people. I am the contract between them. If I need help, I call out and they will come to me. If they need me, they call and I go to them or I send help to them if I cannot be there."
"Who is Cage? What is he to you?" Rafe whispered, bringing her eyes back to his. It was something he wanted to know and yet he feared the answer at the same time.
She smiled and shook her head. "Zel's nephew. My brother. A fellow photographer. A person who gets into more trouble than I do on my best day. My best friend's husband. Father to my godson. The person who's saved my life several times over and no one you need to be jealous of." She frowned, rubbing her temple and wincing. "Cage just is and always has been."
"Headache?"
"A little. Can I take you up on that tea?" She asked. Rafe's experienced eyes noted the faint lines at the corners of her eyes and the tiny tremble of her fingers as she set them back in her lap. Instantly his mind snapped back into full detective mode.
"I never got around to asking you about that kind you like so much." He answered quietly, as he stood.
"It's something I brought with me from South America. I doubt anyone here carries it." Kyrie's voice grinned at his retreating back. "It's pretty unusual even at home."
"Is it medicinal?" He asked after putting the kettle on the stove. From the dim kitchen doorway he had a perfect view of her and she would barely be able to see him. She was leaning back on the sofa, a faint smile on her face as she shook her head.
"Not really. It's very specific, acting as a painkiller with a little soporific thrown in. Normally I only drink it when I'm having problems sleeping. Lately though," she sighed. "I guess being in the city and worrying about Zel has been giving me headaches and making me sleepless."
"Does it really help the pain or does it just knock you out?" Rafe watched her, keeping his voice calm and soothing. It was a trick he had carefully cultivated in the interrogation room, one that seemed to work very well for him. He wondered if she even recognized the subtle signs of a growing addiction to her tea... or was that what he saw?
"Kills the pain. If I drink too much it makes me sleep." She looked over at him. "Why?"
"Blair's always talking about alternative medicines. It'll give me something to tell him." Kyrie chuckled at his comment. "Do you have any with you? Or do you prefer regular tea and some aspirin?"
"No. I don't carry it with me." She rubbed temple ruefully and stretched. "It's not good to take it too often. I haven't heard that it's habit forming, but I'd rather not chance it. Regular tea is fine."
Somewhere, deep inside his chest, he felt a deep relief. For a moment, the tea had given him another worry. He turned back to the kitchen and pulled a tea container from his cabinet. The wooden canister with its carved birds always made him feel lighter when he picked it up. Maybe that was why Blair had given it to him. While waiting for the water to heat, he set about finding a tray to carry the tea into the living room. It only took him a few minutes to fix the tea, another gift from Blair. Giving it a minute to steep, he grabbed a bottle of aspirin and placed it on the tray beside the tea. Looking at it, he frowned before pulling a bottle of water from his refrigerator and adding it to the tray.
"Did you fall asleep on me?" Rafe kept his voice low, as he set the tray on the coffee table. Instantly, Kyrie opened her eyes and turned to face him.
"No." She watched him, eyes still serious.
"One or two?" Rafe held up the aspirin bottle.
"Two." She took the two little white pills with a grimace and quickly washed them down with the offered water. "Ugh. Bitter."
"Try the tea. It should help get rid of the taste." He frowned to himself. The only other person he knew who complained about the bitter taste of plain aspirin was Ellison. "You said your name used to be 'Eleason'?"
"Maybe." Kyrie looked at him, eyes curious, as she quickly drank her tea. She smiled, a very bright smile that lit her eyes as she remembered. "I couldn't have been much older than four, five on the outside. I remember the church, they sang the Kyrie Eleason so that it echoed, raining down like an angel's song from the vaulted stones. Eleason wasn't really part of my name. It was just what my mother called me."
"Are you sure?" Rafe whispered. "Maybe it was close to your real last name."
"No. You don't want to go there, Rafe. I remember enough to know that." Her voice went hard, her eyes cold and pained. He sat up, setting his bottle aside as he saw the naked terror in her eyes. "I don't ever want to go through that again. Ever."
"What happened?" Rafe let his hand rest on her shoulder, feeling the tension there. When she looked away, he gently turned her to face him.
"The man with the uniform and the badge drew his gun and shot us. One by one as we were trapped in the wreckage of the car." Her words were flat, emotionless, but her eyes held the shattered, haunted look of a child betrayed by someone she trusted. "I lived. No one else."
Wordlessly, finally understanding all the clues she had given him over the past few weeks, Rafe pulled her into his arms. All he could think of was how much he would have given to have been there for her. Whatever she had been as a child, protected was not part of it. Why a cop, even a bad cop would wipe out an entire family... he fought back a curse. The fact that the government had gotten her out of the country as soon as she recovered told its own story. They had been afraid of a vendetta, one that meant to wipe all trace of the family from the face of the earth. From the way the government had responded, either her parents were Feds or informants. He knew all about that kind of vengeance and the scars it left on the survivors. That meant her friends, Cage and Zelinski were probably Feds too. It made a certain sense to him now. All the little things that bothered him, all the coincidences, they all made sense now.
"I haven't thought about that in a long time." She whispered and he looked down to meet her eyes. They looked slightly odd, almost glazed. "I didn't realize I remembered it so clearly..." Her voice trailed off and she pulled away to look at him in horror. "What kind of tea was that, Rafe? What did you give me?"
"It's a tea Blair gave me." Rafe frowned, thinking about that day. "He teased me about it, saying it was a special blend to help me see clearly when I flew my plane."
"See clearly?" Kyrie cursed savagely, shocking him as she started to rise, eyes locked on the door. "I've got to get out of here. I've got to go."
"What?" He grabbed her shoulder, holding her in place. "What's going on?"
"I don't want to see. I hate seeing." The glazed look in her eyes was heavier and he noticed that a light sheen of sweat had broken out on her forehead. "I dream enough as it is. Aspirin... thins the blood, analgesic, eases tension, speeds the effects of other medicines. Do you know what was in the tea?"
"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I didn't ask."
She nodded, reaching for her cup and inhaling deeply. "Lily for attention, catmint to fight vertigo, eyebright for clear sight... I can't figure out the last one... I don't know its scent." Setting the cup down, she tried to pull away from him again. Then she paused, looking down at her fingers with a puzzled frown. "Ñoqa chiri-y kani."
"Kyrie?" Rafe had barely whispered her name when her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. He caught her, laying her on the couch. Fearfully, he reached for her neck and measured her pulse. With his free hand, he grabbed the phone from the side table and hit the speed dial. His fear didn't lessen when she began whispering, odd words that made no sense to him.
852 Prospect Ave., Apt 307.
Blair frowned as he took notes from the battered journal. He knew he had the right year, so why couldn't he find the information he knew had to be there? And what was that odd stuff about the boy with the visions? And why wasn't AJ noted in the journal. It didn't make sense. He set it aside, stretching wearily. Maybe he should follow Jim's advice and catch up on his sleep. He glanced at the clock on the stereo, midnight again. He hadn't realized it was so late. He stood and went towards his room.
The sudden wave of despair that flooded him made him gasp aloud. A wail, rising from nowhere, echoed in his ears. Emotions: fear, anger, gloating triumph, hardened resolve, and a bright fierce love -- all shot through him in waves. Suddenly, it felt as if the temperature dropped to near zero and reality began to fade. He could feel the shock of his knees hitting the floor as he fell.
"Blair?" Jim's voice in his ear made him open his eyes. "Blair? What happened?"
"I don't know." He whispered, fighting off the dizziness that echoed noisily in his head. "Something not good."
Jim's grunt was humorless, as he helped the younger man sit up. "Are you hurt?"
"Just my pride, man. Did you hear it too?"
"Hear what, Chief?" The sentinel's worried eyes met those of his guide. "I woke up just before your heart rate spiked, and then you fell."
"Oh, man. You didn't hear the scream?" Blair watched Jim shake his head. "Then what woke you?"
Jim hesitated before whispering, "I felt your fear."
"That wasn't me." Blair looked around anxiously, wondering what was next. "Please tell me there aren't any drops of blood around us."
The sentinel's nostrils twitched and he shook his head. "It wasn't a vision. At least I don't think it was."
"Then what was it?" Blair asked, as the phone began to ring. He hung his head in disbelief. "Not again. I can't go through this again."
"Take it easy, it might not be related to..." Jim stood and padded over to the phone. "Ellison. Rafe? Yeah, he's right here. What happened?" The pale eyes darted over to meet his guide's. A frown quickly formed between the dark eyebrows as he nodded. "Do you have a tape recorder there? Turn it on. We'll be there as fast as we can."
"Jim?" Blair nearly took a step back at the dark look in his friend's eyes.
"Do you remember that special tea you gave Rafe for his birthday?"
Blair nodded warily. "Yeah. It's just tea from the holistic store just off campus, why?"
"It knocked AJ out." Jim turned to go up to his room. "As soon as I'm dressed we need to get to his place."
At Jim's quiet words, Blair froze. He slowly nodded as the words made sense. "Rafe? And AJ? She's Kyrie?"
Jim nodded, waiting for an explosion. The younger man slowly sat down on the back of the sofa. "Oh, man. She's dating Rafe? I thought she was afraid of cops... I mean..."
"She didn't seem to happy about his job, but she accepted it because it was Rafe's choice." Jim answered slowly, watching the other man's face. Blair was processing this fairly fast. "She didn't ask about him, she asked about cops in general... at least ones in Cascade."
"She was trying to work her way around her own fear." Blair mused thoughtfully. "I wonder how she reacted to him being in Major Crimes? She did know, didn't she? Wait a minute, Jim, did she know he worked with you?"
"I don't know."
"This could be a disaster." Blair's eyes widened as he took in the ramifications of whole situation. The idea that Kyrie was dating a cop was one thing. A detective in Major Crimes was another. She had enough problems with the uniform and badge, add to it the natural curiosity that came with being a detective and the seniority it implied. He wondered if she had even considered it or was still just processing the fact that Rafe was a cop. "If she thought he was just a..."
"That doesn't worry me, Chief." At Jim's words, the younger man looked up. "I'm worried about the way he reacted to my call this morning. Rafe doesn't like surprises. He never has."
"I'll get a list of the ingredients..." Blair froze and turned to stare at the journal. "Uh, oh. It's starting to make sense now."
"What makes sense?" Jim's voice drifted down from his room.
Blair ignored the question as he darted into his room and grabbed his backpack. He quickly jammed a couple of journals into it. He paused and then acting on an instinct he didn't want to question, grabbed his own heavy notebook and laptop. He nodded to himself and shoved them inside too. Still moving fast, he brushed past Jim and opened a kitchen cabinet. Where was his ... there it was. A long arm reached past him to get the heavy tin box that was just out of his reach.
"Are you ready?"
The quiet tolerance in Jim's voice made him look over at his sentinel. Something seemed odd about the amused look on his sentinel's face but Blair dismissed it and ran over the list in his head. "Yeah."
Maritime Condominiums, 11:30 p.m.
Rafe opened the door almost as soon as Jim knocked. "Come on in. I don't like leaving her alone. Every time I turn my back she tries to leave."
The young detective looked distracted as he led them into the living room. The soft sound of speech came from the figure lying stiffly on the couch. It took them a minute to realize that her wrists and ankles were bound together by a pair Rafe's silk ties. Jim turned a black look on Rafe. "This is your idea of talking?"
"She tried to crawl out the window." Rafe's pained whisper made the look disappear. "I couldn't think of any other way to keep her still while I answered the door. I wasn't about to use my cuffs on her."
"She's sleepwalking inside a vision? I didn't think that was possible." The anthropologist's whispered words made AJ freeze, head turning as if trying to find him. Blair quietly set his backpack down and moved close to her. The moment his hand touched her forehead, her eyes shot open. All he could see were her dilated pupils.
"Shaman, chinka-sqa kasa-ni." The soft Quechua words made him look over at Jim helplessly. When he didn't answer, she began fighting against the silken material that bound her arms.
"She says she's lost, Chief." Jim moved close and took her arms in his hands as he translated the words. She froze at his touch, and he quickly undid the knots. She responded by pulling away from him, repeating her earlier words. "Shaman, chinka-sqa kasa-ni."
Jim answered. "Arí. Ñoqayku hamu-y, sagrada. Ñoqayku chay-ta pusa-mu-sa-yki."
The words she whispered next brought a frown to Jim's face. "I didn't understand the rest of it. She isn't speaking Quechua anymore."
"I don't recognize the dialect either." Blair whispered, moving Rafe's tape recorder closer to AJ, trying to get her words on tape.
At his voice, she paused and turned unseeing eyes towards him. AJ's voice remained eerily calm, softly whispering in Quechua again. Jim began quickly translating the words for the other two men. "The altars are red, the cycle has begun in the north and the tide rushes in without stopping. The final battle is not yet here, but the tide has turned against the people. Innocent blood prepared the land and marked the sites. The flames have been moved to the mountains of the setting sun and the end of the cycle is at hand. Flames will follow or flames will die. The sacrifice is ready. The people are gathering. The sacrifice is at hand. The time for ending has come." Jim's voice tapered off as AJ began to repeat her words.
"Can you talk her down?" Blair asked, pale at the thought of what the vision might mean.
"I'll try." Before the sentinel could say anything else, AJ began whispering again. When tears started trickling down her cheeks, Jim reached out to wipe them away. She pulled away from his hand and pushed herself back against the cushions. Every move he made towards her brought an instinctive withdrawal.
"Let me try." Rafe sat on the sofa and whispered her name. He didn't make any moves, he just called to her. Her hand reached out, blindly seeking his. The moment their hands touched, she crept into his arms. Closing his eyes to the curiously speculative look in the other men's eyes, Rafe settled himself on the couch, cradling her close. "She can't see us, can she?"
"No. Her sight is locked somewhere else. She knows we're here, kind of, anyway. I really don't like this." Blair muttered to himself. "She shouldn't have reacted to the tea like this. It's a simple tea. I mean -- it has a little bit of a lot of stuff in it. But nothing hallucinogenic, not even in such a trace amounts that only you would react to it." Jim glared at his partner at that comment, hoping Rafe had missed it. Blair continued his running commentary. "It has to be a reaction to something else."
"She took some aspirin right before drinking the tea."
"Okay. Side effects of aspirin... blood thinner, analgesic, lowers some mental barriers, speeds up some medicines, hinders the liver's ability to remove some impurities. I know she drinks a dream preventer on a regular basis. Must be some kind of bad combination." Blair went over to his backpack and pulled out the notebooks and journals. The sound of his voice seemed to bother AJ and she shook her head, muttering something unhappily. The anthropologist noticed and pitched it slightly lower, as he pulled out his notebook and began to read. "The tea... I know I wrote down what was in it, just in case there was a problem later. Aha, here it is. Lily holds the attention, strengthens the will, fights shock, catmint to fight vertigo, to strengthen the eye, eyebright for clear sight, yellow dock for night vision. Okay. Side effects to the herbs, where is that list? Ah, here we go. Yellow dock... cleans or purges the blood, strengthens liver functions, speeds the digestive system. Eyebright... fights allergies, soothes throat. Catmint... fights vertigo, clears some eye problems, cures hyperactivity, calms the nerves, in a pure tea can help fight hyperactivity and cure insomnia, can be used as a substitute for... oh."
"Oh?" The quiet question in his ear made him turn sharply. Jim's eyebrow was raised. "What happened, Chief?"
"It's kind of complicated. AJ drinks a pretty rare tea. In fact, I was kind of shocked when I realized what it was." Blair looked from one detective to the other. "It's perfectly legal, guys. It's just not something most shaman would drink."
"Why not?" Rafe asked quietly.
"It blocks visions. Stops them cold. Most shaman want visions, they don't try to block them. The stuff is pretty strong too. It can keep you moving until you literally drop. Then you sleep pretty hard, hard enough not to dream. But that takes a lot more than I've ever seen her drink. If I remember correctly, a cup a day should just keep the visions away." He fingered the battered notebook and pulled it out. "According to the notes I've found in Zel's journals, one of his nephews was having visions, ones that tended to come true. That means AJ doesn't normally drink the stuff, because I've found a journal that specifically details visions the 'boy' had. This would be so much easier if I knew for sure why she doesn't want the visions."
"So why did the tea do this to her?"
"It really shouldn't have." Blair groaned to himself. "Aspirin, pao d'arco, dong quai, ginger and valerian. They all are analgesics, most thin the blood and speed up the circulation and power of other medicines and sometimes they change the normal responses to other herbs. Add to that the fact that catnip, aspirin and to a degree the valerian all lower certain neurotransmitters, as a long term affect." He looked at them. "If AJ has been drinking her tea every day since she got here, she's got to have a bit of a build up of some of the chemicals in her system. It's not dangerous, but it's also not good. It means that she has to be very careful about what medications and herbal remedies she takes to prevent any reactions. One of the odder side affects of the catmint is that sometimes, in certain situations, it acts like a form of psychedelic drug. Better yet, mixed in the proper proportions with some other herbs, it can be substituted for peyote. It's fairly rare, especially when taken as part of a tea. But in this situation, and probably only because of the stuff that's built up in her system, it makes sense."
"Chief," Jim sighed, he was used to getting lost in Blair's explanations. "How about you explain it in English?"
"Okay, AJ was actively taking something to prevent visions. It's not a normal thing for a shaman to do, usually they actively seek out visions, so she's going against her own training. Anyway, the tea has a cumulative affect of lowering her resistance to other herbs... like the ones in Rafe's tea. But the ones in Rafe's tea, when mixed with aspirin, mix together to speed up chemical reaction times and to lower certain neurotransmitters... brain chemicals like the ones involved in preventing visions. Catmint only acts as a psychotropic when in very specific situations... with her system thrown out of whack by the tea she drinks, she's mimicked that situation. " Blair shot an apologetic look at his friend. He really hadn't meant the tea to cause a problem. "So right now she's been forced into a vision quest. Now the length of the visions will depend on how much she's eaten today. All we can do is wait it out, she'll probably alternate between dozing and mild visions for a while."
"What about taking her to the hospital?" Rafe suggested. "Would that help?"
"No." The cold icy growl startled Rafe almost as much as it startled the whispering woman curled in Rafe's arms. Jim's voice softened as he whispered to AJ but this time he didn't move towards her. "Easy, we're not taking you anywhere. You're safe, Kitten. I promise."
"He's right. They won't be able to do anything. Except maybe put her in for a psych evaluation." Blair added. "The doctors wouldn't understand."
"And as soon as she was conscious enough to figure out where she was, she'd either break out or get committed trying to." Jim shuddered at the thought of the last time she panicked. "Let's just say that she doesn't like hospitals."
Rafe looked from one to the other and nodded. "I take it that's worse than her fear of cops?"
"Seeing that she's dating one, I'd say that was a definite yes." Blair muttered, looking away to hide his expression. He wondered how well Rafe was going to take the next part of this discussion. "How much do you know about shamanism?"
"Not much."
"How much did she tell you about what she is?"
Rafe looked from Jim to Blair and then down at AJ. For the moment she seemed to be sleeping, resting quietly, but he wondered how long that would last. His face was clouded as he thought over what he knew and what he didn't know. Finally, he came to a decision. "Obviously not enough. How about you explain it to me?"
"Rafe, do you believe in magic, in spirits and other things that can't be seen with normal human eyes?" Blair asked carefully.
"Does this have anything to do with the way Jim can find evidence no one else can?" Rafe's question shocked both men. Blair and Jim looked at each other and Jim shrugged.
"In a way." Blair temporized. "AJ's people believe that there are seven senses. And that some people are blessed with gifts that make these senses special."
"Seven?" Jim's voice interrupted. "I've never heard of seven senses."
"The Walks through People believe in seven senses, Jim. They count the normal five senses that all people share: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. Then there is the sixth sense, the ability to see or hear the spirit plane." Blair began explaining, grabbing a tattered journal. "The seventh, according to Zelinski's journal, is the one that allows them to have premonitions, true dreaming is what they call it. Everyone has these senses, but most never use or notice their sixth and seventh senses."
"What happens when a person can use those two senses?" Rafe asked, but from the look on his face the anthropologist knew he'd already guessed.
Blair looked down at the journal in his hands. "This is the only source I've ever found that deals with the Walks through People, so it's the only information I have and it's nowhere near complete." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "If they have either of the two senses they are watched carefully. They often become shaman for the tribe. If they have only the sight or the true dreaming they become hidalgo shaman. If they have both exceptional senses and one or more unusually active sense, they are taken to a special council of shaman. If the person passes the shaman's tests, they are raised to be a sagrado... someone who intercedes for the tribe."
"Kyrie called herself a sagrada." Rafe shifted uneasily.
"She is a sagrada." Jim spoke up. "She was a full fledged sagrada when I was with the Chopec. I didn't meet her, but I heard about her. Incacha made me promise to keep an eye out for their 'Hidalgo' sagrada... that's one of her names. I swore that I would protect the kid whenever and wherever I met her. Of course, she didn't let me know who she was until after she was hurt and sick."
Blair snorted. "Zel says that for someone who 'sees' AJ walks into too much trouble." He sobered abruptly. "He also says that she deliberately walked into the path of a group of soldiers to give her people enough time to get to safety and was nearly killed for it. That doesn't include the times that she disappeared... Vanished so thoroughly even the local tribes thought she was dead. Every time she's vanished, when she's reappeared, well she was pretty badly hurt. Each time, it seems to have been preceded by a rapid progression of true dreams."
"Do her people know she's here now?" Rafe asked quietly.
"Let's hope not." Jim answered tersely.
"Why not?"
"They'd demand your life, Rafe." Jim's words were defeated. "You aren't a member of the tribe or from one of their scattered allies. You've become important to their sagrada, too important. As far as they'd be concerned either you are a threat, meaning the loss of AJ or... you are going to become part of the tribe." Jim reached out towards to the amulet he could see at Rafe's throat only to have his wrist grabbed by AJ's hand. Rafe quickly reached out and pried her fingers away. "It marks you as under her protection. Everyone from the Walks Through people would see it as an order from her. No one would hurt you, but they wouldn't let you go either. If they did, they'd hurt her and they would never hurt their own."
Rafe bowed his head, closing his eyes thoughtfully. When he looked back up at Jim, his eyes were calmer than they had been. "Let's start at the top again. I want to know everything you know about this whole thing."
Maritime Condominium's, 5 am.
"So, that's all of it." Blair stretched and yawned. "At least everything I've been able to find out about them. Most people consider them an Andean myth."
"The question is, what are you going to do about it?" Jim kept his voice quiet. He wanted the answer, plain and simple. He also wanted to gauge Rafe's reaction to everything he'd heard. The younger detective had listened quietly to Blair's explanation of shamanism and then asked about the tribes AJ had mentioned. He'd quietly absorbed the information they knew about AJ, the possibilities and the probabilities of what they had deduced from that information. Although his heart rate had spiked a few times, the sentinel wasn't sure how much it had really affected him. At their explanation of Jim's adopted relationship to AJ, the quiet tension in the younger detective had faded considerably.
"Do?" Rafe looked over at Jim, the tired expression on his face not masking his pain. He looked down at the fingers that were entwined with his own. "What can I do, Jim? I love her. I'll be here with her until she has to leave and then I'll let her go. You can't cage the wind. If I'm lucky, she'll come back to me."
"Always come back." The firm words were echoed by the sleepy smile on her lips, as Kyrie slowly uncurled herself. She blinked at the sight of Jim and Blair and frowned. "They're here? Then it wasn't another dream? I slipped again?"
"Again?" Blair asked.
"How many times has this happened?" Jim's voice overrode that of his guide.
Rafe helped Kyrie sit up, his hands gently rubbing at her shoulders. "Your head still hurts?"
She froze, looking from one to the other, trying to decide who to answer first and how much to say. Rafe grinned, as it occurred to him that she was probably calculating exactly how much she could get away without saying. "The truth, Kyr. We've spent all night comparing notes and we want the truth this time."
"Again... yes. Too many times. Yes, my head hurts." She answered quickly, biting on her lip. With a soft sigh, she pulled away from Rafe and stood, walking over to the window. She faced away from them, eyes focusing on the darkness outside. "But the worst is still coming. I can feel it... too clearly."
Rafe frowned, focusing his eyes on a spreading red line on her arm. "Kyrie?"
At the same time, Jim's nostrils widened. "AJ!"
She turned, her right hand clamped tightly on her left forearm. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "They are killing another, here in Cascade. They are here. The CIA promised they were gone, wiped out. The task force promised that there were none left. The governments of seven countries worked together to get rid of these people. They were all so sure they had succeeded. But they were wrong."
"Shit!" Jim moved the fastest, reaching her first. He clamped his hands across the bleeding wound that had appeared on her skin. "Rafe, do you have a first aid kit?"
"Hold on for a minute!" Rafe raced away to get his first aid kit, hoping that he had enough supplies for the wound he'd seen.
"You know the victim, don't you?" Blair whispered, eyes wide. He could see the answer in her eyes.
AJ ignored the question as she turned her head to stare out the window again. When she began to softly chant, Blair found himself not only recognizing the words but also joining in with her. He'd studied this tribe while in the Amazon; he recognized the chant she sang. They both ignored the looks Jim and Rafe shot their way as they completed the warrior's death chant. As they finished the quietly whispered words, AJ shuddered. She looked over at Blair and finally answered the question he'd asked before, "His name was Ayuane. He was one of my watchmen. He should have been at home, not here."
"Oh, my God!" Blair's eyes widened in horror as the words sank in and he glanced at Jim.
Jim frowned, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the wound in front of him. "This is pretty deep, kid. We really need to have a doctor look at it."
"It will be gone with the dawn's light." AJ looked over at Rafe, tears still leaking from her eyes. "This is one of the penalties of who I am. His blood calls to mine."
"How often has this happened?" He whispered, watching as Jim quickly wrapped gauze around her arm.
"Only twice before, both times during a series of sacrifices. Never this bad though." She frowned and shrugged. "The bleeding will stop by dawn's light. The sacrifices will stop soon."
"When?" Jim's voice was rough.
"When they place me on the altar." The fatalistic way she spoke the words made the three men shudder. "Are you done?"
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Blair interjected.
"What?!" Jim's growl and the tightening grip on her arm made her pull away from him.
Rafe reached out, barely touching her arm. But it was enough to make her freeze as he whispered, "Would you repeat that?"
"The final sacrifice... the one at the end of times, that marks the new beginning of the ages... it is always of a sagrado so the Hijos del Sol can claim all the tribes to which the sagrado has alliances." She licked her lips, eyes closed. "I'm the only one in Cascade."
"We need to call Simon." Jim reached for Rafe's phone. "He can arrange a safe house."
"No." AJ shook her head, her eyes panicked. "I won't go. I won't be caged."
"AJ, we need to place you in protective custody. The idea that these... sicko's are going to be after you --" Blair's voice broke.
"Kyrie, you can't fight us on this." Rafe pulled her into his arms and tilted her head back so she was forced to meet his eyes. "I don't want to lose you and I'm not going to let them take you."
"They won't take me, Rafe. Not by force." AJ smiled wryly. "They can't. The sagrado has to walk willingly into their hands. No force. No drugs. The sagrado has to be a willing sacrifice."
"Oh, God." Blair whispered, eyes horrified. "But that would be... I mean how could you go willingly to something like that?"
"Blair, if it would keep Jim alive, would you step in front of a bullet?" At the question, the three men looked at each other, knowing the answer. "Or knowing you could save him, would you turn your back on him?"
"Who would they hold over you?" Rafe asked quietly.
"They're all right here, querido." AJ answered him just as quietly. "They would come after you three."
Rafe released her chin, letting her bury her face against his chest. As his hand gently rubbed the tense muscles in her back, he let his eyes meet Jim's. Then both men turned their gaze to Blair's. Without saying a word, they all acknowledged the problem facing them. Not only were they going be in danger from the local criminals, but all three were now targets for this cult. And they already knew from Kelso's notes that the Children of the Sun were serious. That meant they had to talk to Simon and the rest of Major Crimes. But not when AJ was around. With her steadfast dislike of the PD there was no way they were going to be able to talk her into going to the station. They'd wait for a little while; give her time to settle down. Then they'd tell the others what little they knew.
