Never Surrender (23 page)

“Taima truly has not been with a woman for three
years?”

“Not until you. It has also helped Kelee to have you
around. You are all he talks about. And that is good.”

Kate dodged tree branches as they followed a trail
into the woods. The earth smelled of damp pine needles. Patches of bright red
and purple flowers dotted the forest floor.

Aiyana pointed to the right. “That path leads to the
lake.”

Following Aiyana for a few more minutes, Kate listened
intently, hearing the roar of rushing water. Her gaze darted about in search of
the source of the beautiful sound.

Aiyana dismounted, so did Kate, leading her horse to a
small clearing at the edge of the cliff. She gasped. The view was the most
breath-taking sight she’d seen thus far. Between the steep walls of the cliff,
white water dropped hundreds of feet below, frothing into a turbulent stream
filled with rocks. The stream wound its way into the forest to be lost
somewhere up ahead.

Kate sat down and looked at Aiyana as she did the
same. “Have there not been women among your people who have been attracted to
Taima?”

Aiyana smiled. “The problem is not with women being
attracted to Taima, it is him not wanting to be with another woman after my
sister died.” She paused, staring off into the distance. “They had a love that
would last through time, or so everyone thought.”

A sense of loss tugged at Kate inside. “Not often does
one find such happiness.”

Aiyana looked her again. “And the Great Spirit does
not often send a second love into one’s life. It is to be cherished when that
happens. Taima has found that in you...I have seen it in his eyes.”

“But is it in his heart? My feelings for Taima are
strong, but I will not love alone, and he told me he can’t give what I ask.”

“What is it you have asked of him?”

“I have asked nothing. He has told me how much he
loved your sister, and I understand that. I don’t want to take her place, only
to be loved also.”

Aiyana twisted the leather reins in her fingers.
“Taima is slow to show his feelings for anyone. Perhaps it is a man’s pride.
Witashnah told me many times of how he refused to tell her of his love when
they were first joined, but over time, they became inseparable.”

Breathing in the scent of the frothing water below, a
sense of renewal came over Kate. “Maybe there will come a time when Taima will
be able to say he loves me.”

“Don’t give up on him, Kate. He’s good man, a brave
warrior, and they hate to admit they have a soft heart. In time, his mind will
admit to what his heart feels.”

Kate stood to stretch, then mounted her horse again.
“I only wish that day would come sooner.”

Single pine trees grew in spots along the stony cliff
and Kate’s gaze returned to the top of the waterfall where a cawing blue-black
raven drew her attention. Frozen on the spot, she could only stare at the bird,
unable to look away from its beady eyes. The raven’s trance-like gaze bore down
on her, seeming to read right into her soul and penetrate her mind.

Taima hated leaving Kate even for the short time he
would be hunting with Ahanu and the boys. The weight of her emerald ring rested
reassuringly on his chest above his heart. He kept a lookout for danger, his
gaze darting from a copse of pine, to a clumping of taller sagebrush, to the
blue sky. Hairs did not prickle on his neck, nor did a raven appear on the wind.
Yet his trained eyes never gave up the search for Mai.

He followed Ahanu north, then turned west up the
mountain toward the pass. Kelee sat before Taima and squirmed with excitement,
his small bow gripped tightly in his tiny hand. Though Taima didn’t want to
disappoint his son today, he shouldn’t have left Kate’s side. He could not
protect her this far away.

“Noshi, look! Over there,” Kelee exclaimed.

Taima’s heart lurched, unsure of what Kelee shouted
about. His gaze followed where Kelee pointed off to their left. A small herd of
elk meandered in tall grass, unaware of their presence.

Leaving his son atop the horse, Ahanu had already
dismounted behind a patch of sage and knelt poised, with his bow in hand. Taima
sat motionless and held Kelee still by his shoulders; his small body tensed
from anticipation.

With practiced precision, Ahanu drew back the sinew.
The motionless arrow rested atop his finger. Silently, like a cat in the night,
Ahanu released the arrow. Lightening quick, it sped toward the intended target,
penetrating directly behind the elk’s shoulder, downing the prey. Shouts of
congratulations exploded from the boys as they cheered for Ahanu. The remaining
elk darted in the opposite direction.

After dressing out the animal, Taima helped Ahanu load
the elk onto the horses and take it back to camp. The women immediately joined
in to begin caring for the meat and hide for future use.

* * * * *

The raven’s black gaze penetrated Kate like a bolt of
lightning. Though she knew she should look away, she feared what might happen
if she didn’t keep an eye on the bird. Ravens could be vicious creatures,
pecking their prey to death before carrying it away.

Pain in her chest became nearly unbearable and she
clutched at the pouch between her breasts. Pressing on her chest, Kate tried to
relieve some of the excruciating agony. Her lungs refused to expand. Shallow
breaths were all Kate could take in. She gripped the mane of her horse, not
wanting to fall.

The raven continued the trance, never allowing Kate to
look away, as though the bird held some strange spell over her.

Aiyana touched her side. “Kate, what is it?”

Kate clutched at the neckline of her dress, trying to
force more air into her lungs.

“What do you see up there?”

Kate pointed toward the top of the waterfall, but her
world slowly changed to a yellowish hue.

“Kate!” Aiyana yanked on her arm. When Kate could no
longer hold herself atop the horse, she nearly fell on Aiyana.

The underbrush scratched at her legs as Aiyana dragged
her toward the water. Kate rolled onto her stomach at the edge of the stream,
finally able to breathe the fresh scent of the forest into her lungs. The cold
water refreshed her, cleared her mind so she could make some sense of what had
just occurred.

Aiyana’s hand caressed her back. “Are you all right?”

Kate sat up, and closed her eyes, trying to make sense
of it. Her chest still ached beneath the pouch. The pain had not diminished.
She met Aiyana’s confused gaze. “I don’t know. I can’t seem to catch my
breath.”

“What were you watching?”

Kate immediately glanced back at the waterfall. The
rocks and branches held no sign of the raven. Her gaze searched frantically,
fearing the bird would attack them at any moment.

The raven cawed again. Kate’s gaze landed on the bird
perched upon a branch behind them, its blue-black wings spread exceedingly
wide, ready for an attack.

Aiyana stood as she saw the bird.

Before Kate could react, the raven swooped down toward
them and Aiyana stepped backward, her feet catching on slippery rocks.

The raven closed in, its beak pointed directly for
Aiyana’s face.

Her hands flew up for protection. The huge wings
flapped, draping before Aiyana so Kate couldn’t get to her in time.

Aiyana fell backward into the rocky stream.

When the commotion cleared and the bird disappeared,
Kate saw Aiyana motionless upon the protruding rocks in the shallow water.
Waves rushed over her legs and arms, yet she didn’t move.

Kate raced into the water. “Aiyana!” She slipped her
hand behind Aiyana’s head and checked for cuts. Already a bump had formed on
the back of her head. Kate splashed water over Aiyana’s pale face; she still
didn’t stir.

Dragging her from the water, Kate placed Aiyana upon
the grassy shore. Again, the raven cawed behind them, as though laughing at the
catastrophe. Kate glanced around to see if it would attack again. The bird sat
perfectly still, its eyes staring into Kate’s as she caught the raven’s evil
glare.

Quickly looking away before the trance could ensue,
Kate set about trying to revive Aiyana. She touched Aiyana’s neck, hoping a
strong pulse would soon meet her fingers.

Hope stirred in Kate’s heart. A weak pulse persisted.

“She should not have brought you here alone. And Taima
should never have allowed himself to leave your side.”

The voice that spoke those words sent a steely shiver
down Kate’s spine. She looked up only to meet with Mai’s dark evil gaze.
Suddenly, Kate looked back to where the raven had sat upon the branch, only to
wonder if perhaps they could be one in the same. She’d heard it was possible among
the Indians and their spirit world.

“The raven will forever haunt you. You will never be
free. You are mine, your soul is mine, and your body
will soon
be mine.”

Kate gripped the pouch at her chest. The pain seemed
to stem from the leather bag. Why had she not realized it before? Slipping her
fingers into the neckline of her dress, Kate started to fish for the leather
strip attached to the pouch.

Before she could retrieve the pouch, Mai suddenly
produced a knife and held it beneath Kate’s chin.

The lightning-fast movements astounded Kate. Mai
forced the knife up so Kate had to raise her gaze, again meeting Mai’s. Mai
leaned down closer, her eyes taking on a glassy stare, like reaching in to rip
out Kate’s soul.

Another raven cawed.

Huge, fluttering black wings surrounded Kate and Mai.
Loose feathers floated all around like black rain. The raven attacked Mai,
chasing her into the stream toward the other side.

Kate couldn’t believe what she saw. Mai clawed at the
bird, but its feet scratched at her face and arms, covering her with blood. The
bird attacked until Mai crouched upon the ground, hiding her face.

Mai searched the ground for something, then grabbed a
long stick and swung at the raven, knocking it to the ground where it lay
still. She glanced back at Kate and pointed her finger. “YOU have not escaped
me. You will see,” she called and disappeared into the trees.

A breath of relief escaped Kate’s lungs.

“What was Mai doing out here?” Aiyana asked, holding
the back of her head.

“I don’t know. I saw the raven at the top of the
waterfall, then the next thing I know, it attacked us and Mai stood here.” Kate
looked around them before glancing back at Aiyana. “She said the raven will
forever haunt me...and that my body and soul belonged to her; that I would never
be free.”

Aiyana sat up, holding her temples. “She might be a
shape shifter, as I feared. I should not have brought you here alone. We are
not strong enough to fight her.”

“But what kind of hold can she have on us.”

“Her hold is not on us...it is on you. Somehow, she
has gotten control of your soul, though for some reason isn’t able to
completely take it over. Your soul must be stronger than she thought.”

“What do you mean she has some hold on my soul? What’s
a shape shifter?”

Aiyana met her gaze. “Mai is also a skin walker...a
strong one. They place a part of them close to their victim...a lock of hair, a
piece of their flesh, sometimes even a bone from their own body. Has she given
you anything like that, making you think it was a token of friendship?”

Kate thought. A wave of terror welled up in the pit of
her stomach. She clenched the pouch that hung beneath her dress, over her
heart. Again, her chest began to ache, her lungs refused to expand. She gasped
for air, tugging at the pouch, unable to get to it. Panic shot through her
limbs. Dampness covered her body. She closed her eyes, trying for a sense of
calm.

Aiyana pulled her hand away from the pouch.

Thundering hooves rushed through the trees. Branches
snapped; logs gave way.

Kate immediately opened her eyes.

Taima burst into the clearing, riding toward her, his
face etched with desperation. Before his horse stopped, he’d landed on the
ground and ran to her.

Aiyana still clung to the pouch through her dress, now
trying to pull on the leather cord to get it out.

“She was here, wasn’t she?” Taima asked breathlessly.

Kate couldn’t answer, the pain in her lungs nearly too
much to handle. Gasping for air, she clutched at the neck of her dress, but
Aiyana only brushed her fingers away.

She needed air! What was Aiyana doing to her?

Frantically pulling the cord out, the pouch fell into
Aiyana’s hands, but Taima rushed over to grab hold of the cord.

Kate grasped the back of her neck as pain tore through
her neck and shoulders. Her knees weakened. Taima caught her around the waist
before she went down.

Mai had not lied to him after all.
Damn her!
As
soon as he let go of the cord around Kate’s neck, her pain subsided. Taima knew
he should have done something about Mai long ago.

Aiyana grasped the pouch again. “Yes, Taima, she was
here. I’ve suspected her of evil for too long. We must see what is inside
this!”

Still holding Kate around the waist, he watched as
Aiyana’s nimble fingers unfastened the sinew from the small bead and lifted the
tiny flap.

She dumped the contents into her palm.

Terror shot through him like a spear.

Small, dried pieces of flesh, locks of dark hair, and
a tooth lay upon Aiyana’s palm. An icy hand of fear gripped his heart. Taima
met Aiyana’s gaze.

She yelped in pain and dropped the contents of the
pouch over the ground. Small blisters covered the inside of her hand where the
tooth and skin had lain.

With her hands still gripping her neck, Kate tipped
back her head and laughed.

Evil.

Wicked.

Taima’s stomach knotted with nausea as dark eyes met his,
but he held tight to her waist.

Kate reached out and backhanded Aiyana, knocking her
to the ground. “She will interfere no more. And you,” Mai said, holding his
gaze stronger than ever before, “are finally
mine.
I have taken the last
steps to insure this soul is mine and hers is gone. She is lost to you forever,
my love. We shall now begin our life as it should have been in the beginning.”

Mai wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed
him, drawing him in. Before he could grasp her arms to pull her away, her nails
had dug in and raked over his bare back, arching him closer to her. His eyes
widened in pain.

“I knew you wanted me more than her. I have marked you
as mine,” she whispered.

“Noooo!” Taima grasped her arms, spun Mai around, and
held her arms at her sides.

Aiyana stirred where she lay upon the ground.

“Aiyana...are you all right? I need you. Pull one of
the reins from my horse and bring it here. We will take her back tied if that
is how she wants it.”

Something warm seeped from the wounds on his back.

Blood.

His blood.

Then he felt Aiyana’s tender touch.

“Those will have to be looked at when we return to
camp.” Aiyana moved around before Mai, her hands balling into fists, ready to
reprimand her.

“Don’t look into her eyes,” Taima warned her.

“Aiyana...your friend just wasn’t as strong as you
thought she was,” Mai sneered. “You will not be in the end, either.”

Aiyana pulled her knife, placing it beneath Mai’s
chin.

“You tried that once already. Her chin still carries
the scar,” Mai said.

“Aiyana! This is still Kate’s body!” Turning Mai
around, he said, “Just tie her hands.”

Mai stared at him, he could feel it, though he watched
Aiyana tie her hands tight. He eyed the wide belt around Aiyana’s waist.

“Take off that belt and cover her eyes with it. I’m
not taking any more chances.”