Chapter 48 - Transition
Christmas passed in a haze of sexual bliss for Jacob and Bella, neither emerging from their home until the New Year. The pack celebrated joyfully, tearing through the woods with their imprints on their backs, Mathúin and Máire volleying balls of light, both unassuming as it were no more than a mere child's party trick.
Rosalie had disappeared after the surgery, promising that she and Emmett wouldn't be far away. When the time came, they would fight with the wolves. Bella lamented missing the chance to thank her for what she'd done. Not only were her physical scars healed, but the emotional ones that had plagued her for so long were gone with the venom that lingered in her body.
In the days after, she asked Jacob why it was that nobody else suspected that there was still a small piece of Edward left inside of her. It was something that he said he'd never forgive himself for. More than once he'd thought he caught the scent of it, but he figured it was no more than a haunting memory. Embry too had once thought the same thing. Billy suspected it, as did Old Quil, but it was impossible to know. As for her grandmother and Matt, he guessed that maybe because she always kept her wrist tightly covered that they never noticed it. Leah had told him that it was no more than a tiny speck when Rosalie removed it. It wasn't until blood fed it that the venom grew like massive roots desperate to take hold.
On the morning of the first, Máire asked for an audience and Jacob offered up their home for the occasion. Bella was delighted to have her grandmother under their roof, even if it was only for an afternoon.
Matt had gone to Seattle, absent for too long from the gallery there. Though, Bella had a feeling he'd be turning over the management of it to Katie soon. It seemed that La Push, or Leah Clearwater to be exact, had caused him to change destinations. This was going to be his home. Bella was glad for it. The time the three had spent together working and building up the business was some of the most precious of her life. In a way, she missed the friendship between them. The past few months had changed everything, their close relationship falling to the wayside. Leah especially had been absent from her life, save pack meetings or family holidays. Closer than sisters, Bella resolved to change that between them. From now on, she'd spend more time watering those precious seeds which had been planted all those years ago.
So it came as a surprise when Matt walked into the house behind her grandmother and Embry Call, holding Leah's hand proudly. "You're back!" she cried, practically knocking over Embry in her urgency to greet him. "I didn't expect to see you for another week!"
"Oh sure, just ignore me, Bella. Now I know where I rank in your world." Wearing a guilty smile, Bella whirled around and wrapped her arms lovingly around Embry's waist. "You know you're always at the top. You just don't need me as much anymore," she teased.
Ducking his head, Embry whispered low in her ear so that no one else could hear. The words were meant only for her. "I'll always need you, Bella. You'll never know how much I love you."
"I hope you don't mind, but I've asked Billy and Old Quil to join us," Máire announced. "Their presence here is important. There are things we must do and they are a part of it." Glancing over her grandmother's shoulder, she saw Billy wheeling up the ramp, Old Quil tottering along behind him.
When they'd all gathered around the kitchen table, Máire explained their purpose today. "Last night, I had a vision. War is coming and we must be prepared." With kind eyes, she turned to Old Quil. "The time has come, old friend. But it will not be as it was with Akiha. You will fade, just as any other human will."
A sort of peace washed over Old Quil. The life he'd lived was a long one. Death would take his hand and he'd welcome it like an old friend. On the other side, Ephraim was waiting.
Máire smiled wisely at her grandson. "It is your turn to give all and return to our people, but I do not have the heart to allow it. Your place is here now, if you so choose it."
The fear which had gripped Matt's heart for several months abated. When he entered this world full of plans, he had not counted on Leah Clearwater. Her love was a gift, one he wished to embrace but was afraid to say all that lay in his heart, knowing one day he'd have to leave her. Her small hand was warm over his, having placed it there in silent gesture. When he looked in her eyes, no words needed to pass between them. "This is my home now."
Máire nodded her agreement and then continued. "Four points of a compass," she explained. "North, South, East and West, their lines converging in the middle. Leah's powers will come from three of them, with the Northern Star guiding the way."
"Grandmother?" Mathúin sat confused, unsure of the plan she had made.
"Leah will be more powerful than any other in the history of your tribe. Her gifts will come from Mathúin, myself and Old Quil. As the leader of the spirit warriors and rightful Chief, Jacob must stand as the fourth point of the compass. You will be north, the guide she turns to in the coming years.
The lesser of her magic will come from East and West, my grandson and Quil. I am afraid it will take nearly all of your powers, my friend. Grandson, I know how you wish to fight for your cousin. I cannot deny for you. You will have enough to do battle, but you must exercise caution. Your body will be weakened, more human than fae. You will age here until such a day you choose to return to Tir na nÓg. Your wife will have the ability to accompany you if she so chooses. Leah will always be welcomed by the sídhe."
Máire turned at last to Embry with a sad smile. "I too will have to give up much of what I am. More than my grandson. My strength far exceeds his, our powers increasing with age. I shall have more than enough to fight. After all, there is an old score I'd like to settle. But, I can be harmed."
Embry fingers traced her cheek lovingly. "They won't touch you. I won't let them."
"You will find your place in this war with no worry for me. I will be safe. Leah will be able to ensure it." Máire fell quiet, as though she and Embry were having a silent conversation between the two of them. Bella knew already what it meant. With the transference of power, her grandmother would be weakened, her time on this plane cut short, just as Matt's would be.
"When?" Leah asked, her voice small and timid, something Bella had never heard from her before.
"Today, as the sun sets. There is something else I need to do and I will need to rest before we begin." With that, she rose from the table circling it to where Billy sat in his wheelchair, weak, withered legs concealed beneath the polished wood. Taking his hands in her own, Máire knelt before him, imploring him with her eyes to listen. "You have seen with your own eyes what I can do. I healed the scars on my granddaughter's skin and bound the wounds of the warriors after battle." Tears welled up in Billy's eyes as her meaning became clear. "My husband died many hundreds of years ago, depriving my grandson of the joy in having his grandfather chase him through the green grass of our hills. One day your son and my granddaughter will bring new life into this world. If you'll let me, I can make it so that you will be able to give their children what my husband could not."
There was no pity in her voice, only the soft, wistful yearning of a mother's heart. Jacob's arm tightened around Bella and without a word she knew what he was thinking. There were many times he wished that his dad could go outside and play football with him or chase him down the sand like the other teenage boys. Times when he knew it cost his father all the pride he had to ask his young son for help. The magnitude of such a gift was overwhelming.
"I don't know how to thank you," whispered Billy, the quiet cadence of his voice choked with tears.
Máire squeezed his hand tightly. "Take care of our grandchildren when I am gone. Tell them how much I loved them." Then rising, she turned to Jacob. "Carry him outside where the sun will shine on our faces and Danu, the Mother of Life, can bless us."
For the last time, Jacob lifted Billy into his arms. Father and son did not look anywhere but each others eyes when they walked out into the light. Jacob carried his father deep into the forest, where the warm rays of winter sun shone bright and clear into a small mossy meadow. A place his father had shown him as a child. Billy smiled, recalling the way his son had darted between the trees in a game of hide and seek.
Legs which had not been used in many years sat lifeless at the base of a fallen tree. Máire knelt beside him, reaching for the hands of her grandchildren. Together they would imbue life into this body. The song of healing fell from her lips and holding his father's hand, Jacob bore witness once more to the golden threads of light that grew between the three. As the song grew stronger, Billy stared in wonderment at the legs he'd not used in over ten years. A warm sensation grew in them, starting at his toes, crawling upward to the base of his spine. He could feel the muscle in them strengthen, tendons stretching and growing more powerful with each passing second.
Máire's voice rose and fell in musical prayer and when the last note died on her lips, Billy Black bent his legs and pushed himself upward, standing strong and tall as his own son.
ooo000ooo
When the sun was beginning to sink low on the horizon, they gathered in the small clearing once more, the pack and Billy Black, Chief of the Quileute people standing tall in attendance. Father and son had passed the afternoon doing the things most take for granted. They ran side by side over a path through the woods. They played a game of football in the backyard, where Billy showed his son the secret plays he and Charlie had concocted as teenagers.
When Charlie Swan came over at his daughter's behest, he stared in amazement at the healing that had taken place. It had been too many years since the men had danced like dervishes at a Rolling Stones concert or stood several feet apart in the back yard with a ball and catchers mitts. He and Billy laughed at how he'd have to fake a long convalescence, even going so far as to get Sue to swear to the authenticity of some new-fangled drug that helped him. Whatever they would do, it was worth the price. Charlie Swan resolved to do something to thank his grandmother somehow for giving life back to his dearest friend.
Now with the sun at his back and the long braids falling over his shoulders, William Black stood proud and tall, a benevolent figure offering his blessing as Chief of their people.
Leah stood in the center of the clearing with Jacob to the North, Máire to the south, Mathúin and Old Quil the East and the West. It was a fitting position for a man whose role and life was ending with this ceremony. The four joined hands and without a sound, the magic flowing between them hummed to life. Golden points of light grew from their entwined fingers, pulsating stronger and brighter until it reached out to envelope Leah in its glow.
The wind swirled in the trees, warmth flowed down from the sky. The ancestors of their people appeared as ghostly figures, silent witnesses of the mystical exchange. A woman appeared among them, her bearing regal and proud amid the family of warriors. They warriors felt the blood of their ancient grandmother flowing through their veins. The Third Wife parted her lips in song, the old words of their people flowing out into a beautiful blessing for protection and wisdom.
Her voice rose high with the moon, quieting with the sun falling beneath the earth. As it ended, the spirits faded into the twilight, but the Third Wife remained, lingering long enough to look upon the face of her granddaughter before passing into the night.
When it was finished, Leah Clearwater stood tall, a light shining from her eyes and a glow shimmering over her skin. The infinite power of ancient gods thrumming in her body like a song. Máire was the first to collapse to the ground, Embry's strong arms ready to carry her home. Old Quil fell too, his creaky knees crumpling beneath him in the betrayal of old age. Leah stooped, brushing away the strands of gray that fell across his wrinkled brow. Then lifting him in her arms, carried him toward the longhouse that he called home. It was Sam who offered his arms to Mathúin, a gesture of kindness and symbol of the peace that had fallen over their intertwined lives.
Overcome by the magnitude of what occurred, Jacob merely shook, leaning on his wife and Quil for support as they made their way home.
With the rise of the moon, the wolves howled through the trees. A fire was lit in celebration. Dances in offering to the ancestors were made, prayers offered for the blessing of the wise-woman that sprung forth from their pack.
Later that night, all gathered back together after a time of rest to feast and watch as William Black joined the dance by the fire, wearing the mask of the wolves brought to him by Leah. Embry saw in him the warriors of long ago, the blood from the house of wolves pounding in his veins. A warrior in spirit, the line from which they all came.
A new legend was added to their history. The telling of a daughter who grew to be the vessel from which the Thunderbird would live once more.