Free Song of the Ancients (Ancient Magic Book 1) by Sandy Wright Page B

power thing is—as much as she wants you to protect yourself."
    I closed my eyes for a moment to recall the song I'd heard on the wind. "From sacred earth we send our voices. Wachin ksapa yo . Be attentive," I recited. I turned to Standing Bear. "It was part of the song I heard on Cathedral Rock. Do you know what it means?"
    " Wachin ksapa yo . It means 'listen to me' ," Standing Bear said. "And now another spirit, your mother, has sent you a similar message." He nodded emphatically. "Spirits know how limited our senses are, how rooted we are in our own black-and-white world. So they are reaching out to you in multiple ways, to be sure they get your attention. One cannot ignore the words of the Spirit, whether they come to you in a dream, during a vision quest, or as tonight, from our group call to your mother."
    "Okay, they have my attention. What do they want me to do?"
    "We'll figure it out." He squeezed my hand. "Spirits don't always speak directly. In my tribe, to interpret a vision accurately we share it, and use the tribe's group mind to look for hidden instructions."
    I realized we had all focused so intently on this written message, we hadn't even discussed what each of us had experienced during the session. "What did you see during the séance?" I asked Standing Bear.
    "I saw a different part of your mother's message," he said. "When your mother first joined us, I saw her in a vegetable garden. She had on green shoes."
    His comment stopped me cold. "She gardened in an old pair of green corduroy tennis shoes. Do you think it's important?"
    He chuckled. "I think in colors. As a fellow artist, this is her way of giving me a mental head-slap to say, 'Pay attention mister'!"
    "I smelled garden soil and roses," I said, "a continuation of the memories I told you about before the séance."
    "I saw a woman at a large drafting table doing pen and ink fashion illustrations," Kamaria added.
    "It sounds like she gave us each a quick scene or impression tailored to our interests," I mused. "What about later, after you asked her if she had a message for us? I had no mental pictures, I only heard the pencil scratching."
    "Me too," said Kamaria.
    "I got an image," Standing Bear said slowly, "but it wasn't of your mother. It was of you."
    Kamaria and I turned to him.
    "You were on the top of Vision Butte. You wore in a red robe, and chanted and danced as a thunderstorm approached. But you weren't alone. There was an old medicine woman with you."
    "Who was she?"
    "I did not know her. Kamaria?"
    She shook her head.
    "Then perhaps we need to expand our discussion." Standing Bear nodded solemnly. "Take this vision and share it with others who know more."
     

Chapter 12: Hidden Offerings
    My thoughts swirled as I drove toward the dark grove at Crescent Moon Park for the full moon ritual. This was my first event without Rumor, who was closing the store tonight.
    All the way out, I'd run last night's séance in my mind and Standing Bear's suggestion to share his vision. He was right. I would call Sinclair first thing in the morning.
    Tonight was my first chance to talk to Nuin since our date. I didn't want him to be angry about Nicholas, but he would have to get over it without my help. I had too many other more pressing worries. I didn't have much time before the blood moon eclipse on New Year's Eve. A finger of fear ran down my spine, raising goose bumps on my arms despite the truck's heater blowing full-blast.
    My hand went to Nuin's charm around my neck. I hadn't worn it since the night he gave it to me. As I felt its familiar bloom of warmth, I wondered again if he and this coven were connected to Nicholas and his family in ways I did not yet know.
    As I locked the truck door, Nuin appeared out of the darkness. He hugged me tight against him, his hands spread firmly against my back, and stayed in the clench a bit longer than mere friends warranted.
    We walked arm in arm to the circle perimeter, where he left me and continued forward