Okay, my friends, this is the sequel to my conclusion of the third season finale, otherwise known as The Bond. I really hadn't planned to write it but, due to pretty strong urgings from some kind readers, I decided that they were right and I just couldn't wait for the season premier to find out what really happens.
Most of my information about shamanism came from two books, In The Shadow of the Shaman by Amber Wolfe and The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harper. Other stuff I've learned over the years through my interests in Wiccan practices (though I am Christian) and in Native American studies. The information concerning Peru, of course, came from The Encyclopedia Britannica, and the knowledge about the National Guard comes from personal experience.
Disclaimer: I have nothing on these guys (wish I did), no money is being exchanged, I hope I'm not infringing on anything for Pet Fly Productions or UPN or whoever. By the way, Laura, no I didn't 'steal it from Pet Fly'. We'll all find out who has the closest rendition soon. Right? This story was written purely for my pleasure and what I feel would be a good way to start the fourth season that we all fought hard to get. The story does have lots of reference to past episodes: Flight, Warriors, Remembrance, Trance, Mirror Image, Crossroads, Night Shift and Sentinel, Too (I think that's all of them).
My whole hearted thanks goes first to Cindy Combs, who has been stroking my ego and giving me great encouragement to write, write, write. She said she didn't beta the story for me but did offer some very good ideas and corrections.
And second, a great 'Thank you' goes to both Susan and Laura, who were gracious enough to agree to officially beta the story for me, correct my poor grammar and style and offer some great suggestions. No matter how many times I looked over the tale, they were able to find numerous glitches that I missed.
Rating: A strong PG for some language and violence.
Any comments, questions, or whatever can be referred to me at shallan@mho.net.
Shallan
852 Prospect, Cascade, WA
Detective James Ellison carefully parked his truck in the lot for his apartment, turned off the ignition, and became still. Taking a deep breath, he slowly 'felt' around the area using his enhanced senses. It was the same routine he performed when he came home each night for the last three weeks. As usual, there was nothing there. Not the presence, that he now knew, that had almost destroyed his world by trying to kill his roommate, his partner, his best friend -- Blair Sandburg. Also as usual, Ellison thought back to how it all started four weeks ago when he did not understand what the feelings that were caused by that presence meant.
The strange sensation had first started to really bother him when he was involved with the capture of a guy trying to hold up a store. Ellison heard others comment on how he was starting to act different weeks earlier, but nothing like what had happened in the grocery store. He had heard, and thought that he had seen, a Jaguar in the back room of the store. This had caused him to lose his concentration. Oh, he had taken out the robber in the end, but he also ended up with a bullet in the shoulder. He had mentioned seeing the cat to Simon and Blair when he was being patched up in the hospital, but for some reason could not, would not talk more about it.
The feeling became stronger, almost like an itch under the skin that you couldn't scratch or scratch enough. Ellison didn't realize that he was at times distracted and surly, snapping at people for no reason. Unfortunately, Sandburg seemed to be on the receiving end of this attitude more times than not. Jim didn't even realize what he was doing, that he was pushing the young man away. Then came the dream.
Ellison was back in the jungle area where he had lived and survived for 18 months with the Chopec Indians. He was in full Sentinel mode and he was chasing, hunting someone or something. He had seen a shadow streaking through the brush and quickly raised his bow and fired. As usual, his aim was true and he found that the shadow he had shot was a wolf. But when he reached the animal and looked at it carefully, the animal's form changed into Sandburg. Why hadn't he told Sandburg about it? He didn't know. Blair was supposed to be Jim's closest friend and teacher and was also now his Shaman. The one person he should have been talking with concerning the feelings and the visions.
Everything went down hill after that. Ellison did not know that Sandburg had found another like him, another Sentinel. A woman, Alex Barnes, who had the same enhanced senses that he did and apparently the same troubles he was having in controlling them. That was where the similarities ended. Alex used her abilities for committing crimes. Did Blair try to tell him about Alex before the robberies were connected to her? Ellison couldn't remember. The first time he saw her was when he went to Sandburg's office at the University. The Jaguar appeared again, replacing the form of a beautiful blond woman, and confusing him more than ever.
When Sandburg finally told him about Alex, Ellison didn't take it well. He was completely confused by the unsettled feelings he was having and struck out at anything or anyone in his path. Again, Sandburg happened to be in his path. First, Jim packed up all of the young man's things and told him that he needed space and Blair had to move out. Jim even went as far as completely emptying the apartment of all the furniture, trying to relieve himself of that feeling of encroachment. And then there was the fight at the precinct.
God, why had he said those things to the kid? Ellison knew as soon as the words had come out of his mouth that he should have apologized. Found some way to take them back. The pain that had emanated from Sandburg's eyes should have woke him up. 'You know where to find me.' That was all Blair said to him and left. He hadn't even fought back.
When she had learned of Ellison, Alex tried to kill the other Sentinel. Twice. Having failed to kill him, she apparently decided to hurt him in a different way. She went after Sandburg, knowing that the kid would be defenseless. Leaving him lying face down, unconscious, in a fountain on the university property, Alex almost succeeded in killing him before disappearing. That was how Ellison had found him when he finally realized what the dream about shooting the wolf was trying to tell him: Blair was in danger and he would be the cause of the young man's death if he didn't wake up and handle the situation right. By some miracle, and a benevolent God who apparently watches over stubborn Sentinels and their unlucky Guides, Blair didn't die. By all rights, he should have never revived. His heart had stopped, he wasn't breathing and the paramedics had given up the idea of resuscitation. But Ellison refused to accept the idea that his friend was dead. He restarted the CPR routine, crying for help from his friend and boss, Simon Banks, and even from his own spirit guide. He yelled at Sandburg, begged him to come back. Then, Blair did just that to the surprise and relief of everyone around. And the best part of all was that Blair forgave Jim without any reservation. Something that was not expected but gratefully accepted.
That was about three weeks ago, and Ellison would say a blessing every night that he came home to the loft and hear the sweet sound of his roommate's heartbeat as he neared the door. As he would tonight. There had not been any feeling of Alex's presence anywhere in the neighborhood and Jim was able to relax and go into his building.
Stepping out of his truck, he locked the door and glanced down the road to the empty patrol car pointed in his direction. That was also a similar routine each night. Sandburg's 'babysitter' should and would be with him up in the loft until Ellison arrived. Blair didn't like the idea but he had someone watching over him ever since the hospital released him and each time Jim left the loft. There was no way that woman was going to have an opportunity to finish what she had started.
When Ellison reached the top of the stairs to his place, he paused to listen and assure himself that Sandburg was in the apartment. The heart beat was steady but slow, as if his roommate was asleep. As had been standard procedure each night he pulled into the apartment parking, Jim had called dispatch and had them contact the police officer waiting with Blair to warn both that he was approaching. Ellison stepped to the door, called out to the officer and then unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Hansen." Ellison nodded to the officer, who was gathering his belongings and preparing to leave. Glancing around the room, he didn't see Sandburg.
"He's in his room," Officer Hansen said when he noticed the detectives actions. "After we got back from the university, and he made that call to you, he said that he was going to his room to meditate on a few things. So, I checked the windows and made sure that he kept the door open."
"Thanks. You scheduled for tomorrow?" Ellison asked escorting the man to the door.
"No, sorry. I'm getting assigned a new rookie next week and the Watch Commander is going to give me a few days off before I start my new babysitting job." The officer threw Ellison a pained look and then gave a light chuckle. "Would rather be watching over your partner. He's much easier to be with."
Ellison gave an answering chuckle. "You haven't been around Sandburg when he's wound up tight with new ideas or when it's time for midterms or finals. Rookies aren't that bad if you stop their bad habits from the start. They just need to understand that what you're doing is for their own good."
"From your mouth to their ears. Take it easy, detective." Jim quietly closed the door and secured it with the dead bolt and security chain.
Extending his hearing towards Sandburg's room, Jim could hear the other's slow and steady, rhythmic breathing that indicated he was fairly deep in the meditation. He also heard the muffled sounds of drums. Must be using his Walkman, Jim thought as he placed his keys onto the table near the door and moved into the kitchen to get a beer out of the refrigerator. He stopped again to listen to the breathing. It was strange that Blair was meditating now when he had been so excited over the telephone earlier this afternoon.
"Jim, wow man! You won't believe it. I found it! I can't believe that it was this easy. It was right there ." Sandburg had started rambling the minute Ellison picked up the phone at his desk at the precinct and said his name.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Chief. Slow it down a minute. What did you find?" Ellison interrupted his excited partner. "Is everything all right?" He had been reviewing a report on some break-ins of computer companies to see if they fit any profile.
"No, man, everything's not just all right. It's fantastic!" Blair practically shouted into the phone. "I don't know why I didn't talk you into letting me go to the library at the U sooner. It was right there in the stacks. Sitting there like it was waiting for me all the time. I know what we need to do. Wait, when are you getting home? I don't think I can explain it over the phone."
Ellison glanced at his watch. It read 2:23 p.m. "Right now if you think it's that important." There was silence on the other end for about thirty seconds and then a more subdued Blair continued.
"No. I mean yeah, it's important but I think it can wait until you get off. Is Simon there?"
"I take it this means I better give him a heads up that we will be needing that leave time and he should start finding a replacement?" A slow smile appeared on Ellison's face. This sounded like the Sandburg he knew, pre Alex Barnes.
Again there was a little pause. "Yeah. But, it's not just finding the temple. It's uh it's going to also take a trip back to your old stomping ground. Look, I'll get all the information together so it makes some sense and we can go over it at dinner. Wanna do take-out to save on the clean up?" There was a little hesitation in Blair's voice, as if raising a question of Ellison's willingness.
"Sure, no problem. We'll decide what we want when I get there, okay? Let me find the Captain and I'll be home in about an hour or so."
Telling Captain Banks had been easier than the detective thought it would be. It might have been the relaxed, pleased expression Jim had on his face when he had told his boss about Blair's call. Banks had been as concerned about Ellison's partner since the Observer's brush with death, though he would never admit it to the kid. Sandburg had not been up to the Major Crimes office since that day, though nearly everyone from the section had been to the loft to visit him. Simon had been calling the Mayor's office to request a stand in for his post when Jim left the office for home.
Taking a quick drink of the beer after he opened the bottle, Jim spotted Blair's backpack by the kitchen table. It looked stuffed. Ignoring the urge to look inside it, since Jim had learned in the past that it didn't pay to snoop with his partner, he walked towards the young man's room to check on him. Opening the door, Jim found Blair sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the bed in his 'meditation position', with a set of earphones on his head. Jim could hear the sound of rhythmic, drum beating even without his enhanced hearing. Blair looked to be deep in a REM sleep by the movement of his eyes behind the lids. His breathing was also very relaxed and slow.
Ellison watched his friend for a few minutes. He took a deep, cleansing breath and then released it, again saying a silent prayer that the man before him was alive and back into his life.
"Sandburg?" He spoke carefully, not wanting to startle his friend. There was no change in the form in front of him. "Chief?" He spoke a little louder and squatted down in front of Blair. Again there was no reaction. Even as he began to reach towards Blair's shoulder to wake him, he heard the drumming end with four, sharp beats. Blair's breathing began to increase and he showed the signs that he was about to wake up.
"Damn," Blair said softly as he bent over his legs and covered his face with his hands. "Where are you?"
"Where's who, Chief?" Jim asked carefully. He tried to speak as softly as he could so that he wouldn't startle his roommate.
Blair sat up with a start. "Jim! Didn't hear you come in." Slowly he unfolded his body and stood up to stretch, avoiding the questioning look in the older man's eyes. The muscles and tendons made soft popping sounds. "When did you get home?"
"Just a little bit ago and you seemed a little deep with the meditating. Have the headaches come back?" Jim stood up and reached forward and tilted Blair's face up to where he could look into his eyes. When he had first come home from the hospital, the anthropologist suffered from severe headaches. They mostly occurred when he tried to spend too much time on his computer or just from moving too much around the apartment.
"No," Blair said pulling back and giving his friend a quick smile. "Haven't had one for over a week. And no, the nightmares haven't been around either. Guess my head is getting used to all the abuse it's gone through over the years." He chuckled at his little quip and walked out of his bedroom towards the kitchen area. Jim gave a soft sigh of resignation and followed. He wondered how hard it was going to be this time to find out what Blair had really been doing. The kid could really dance around a subject if he didn't want to give a straight answer.
"You want to do Chinese tonight, Jim? I have this desire for some good green tea and some Lo Mien," Blair said over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen and retrieved a beer for himself from the refrigerator. When Jim moved to take the bottle, beginning to voice a protest, Blair pulled it out of his friend's reach. "I'm off the meds, remember? It's all right for me to have at least one. Okay, Jim?"
"Right. Uh, sorry," Ellison said backing up. "I don't mean to hover ."
"Hey, man. It's all right. It does seem like forever that the docs have been forcing pills and other chemicals down me." Blair gave Jim a reassuring smile and his arm a light slap to let the older man know he wasn't upset. He walked over to his backpack. "You want to make the call while I get my stuff out?"
After giving the address of the loft to the deliveryman for their dinner, Ellison hung up the phone and turned towards the table that Sandburg was covering with books and papers. There was an air of excitement surrounding the young man.
"It was really by accident that I ended up in this really back area of the archives. I was trying to tell Hansen what I was looking for and I guess that we turned left instead of right." Sandburg finished pulling books out of the pack. When he tried to stuff one back in, Ellison caught sight of the title of it. It was on shamanism. He logged the title in his mind and hoped he would be able to question Blair about it later. Jim didn't want to interrupt the enthusiasm that was pouring out of his partner. It felt good to see this Blair again. There had been too many times during the first week out of the hospital that the kid had been too quiet.
Suddenly, he gave a quick sneeze as Blair flipped open a small book and rippled the pages. Two more followed in quick succession. "Whoa! How much dust is covering that thing, Chief?" Jim stepped over to the counter to grab a couple of tissues. He sneezed twice more before clearing the musty smell out of his nose.
"Geez, I'm sorry, man," Blair said with a strickened look on his face. "I didn't even think about the dust. Just turn the dial back with your smell, Jim."
"I'm okay, I'm okay," the big man said after blowing his nose and wiping the tears from his eyes. "It just caught me by surprise. By the way, Simon said that he would be over tonight. He's going to need some details about how long you think this trip might take."
"He's still going with us?"
"He said that he would. When I left his office, he was talking with the mayor and arranging for someone to fill in while he takes an emergency leave. Would there be a problem with him coming along?"
"No, no," Blair said with a stunned expression on his face. "I just thought he only said that he would come with us to make you feel better."
Jim chuckled at his partner as he sat down at the table. "You think he would say something like that to make me feel better?" Blair shook his head in a negative motion as he laughed with his friend. Simon Banks wasn't the type of person to say something just to make a person feel good.
"Okay, Chief. What did you mean on the phone about having to go back to 'my old stomping ground.' I take it you mean we need to go to Peru. Is that where this Temple of the Sentinel is hiding?"
"Well," Blair started and then took a deep breath and released it. He looked at his friend with apprehension. "You have something that you have to do before we can complete the process of me being your Shaman."
Ellison calmly looked at his friend fidgeting across the table . He knew that the information he was going to get was probably not something he wanted to hear. Sandburg rarely hesitated like this unless he knew that he was going to get an argument. To end the silence, Jim raised an eyebrow and indicated for Blair to continue
"You first have to go back to the Chopec's village and release Incacha as your Shaman." The words came out of Blair in a rush and he braced himself for an outburst from his friend.
The expected outburst never came. However, Ellison did sit quietly at the table staring at the book in Sandburg's hand, his jaw slowly clenching.
"I said my 'good-byes' when I sent the body back to the tribe." The words were spoken with restraint by the detective.
"You may have said good-bye, Jim, but you didn't release him as your Shaman. That should have been done when he named me as your Shaman. But he died before he could ask you for the release." Jim opened his mouth to protest but Blair interrupted.
"No, no, man. Listen to me. I should have noticed it sooner but I thought it was just you being upset with Incacha's death. You started to change then and have been getting worse since. You've doubted what I tell you, dismissed my suggestions, and resisted me when I try to help you with your senses." Blair pushed his hands through his hair and started pacing in front of the kitchen table.
"What do you mean I've changed? What are you talking about, Sandburg? How have I ." Jim interrupted.
"Think, man." Blair stopped pacing and leaned onto the table towards his now stunned friend. "How did you react when the M.E.'s people were taking Incacha's body away? I thought it was just a natural reaction to his death, but you were in denial then and definitely not ready to let him go. How hard did you resist me when I helped you get your spirit guide back and kickstart your senses again? That's what my job is as your Shaman, among other things. To help you find your spirit guide when it becomes lost." Slowly, Jim's jaw started relaxing. A thoughtful look developed on his face as Blair continued.
"Then there were the other times since then that you started pushing me away. You were blowing me off when we were questioning that Detective Murphy about the murder of his partner, Donovan. I felt like an idiot when you didn't back me up. You even made excuses for me. I had thought you might have started to accept me and my position when you did back me up with Simon on going undercover at Conover. But that was short lived. After I asked you not to, you read the intro to my dissertation the night we had the city-wide strikes and we had that fight. Then there was that weekend and your needing to get away. You said that you just needed space and some time to yourself. And then Alex appeared." Blair finally stopped pacing and stood looking at his friend. The sadness in his eyes was clearly visible.
"Jim, I'm an anthropologist. Someone who studies societies and people. I'm also your partner and friend and I couldn't see that there was something unusually wrong. Maybe Alex was in town already, or at least traveling here which increased the whole effect. I don't know. If we had been connected, bonded as we were supposed to be when Incacha passed your care to me ." The words caught in Blair's throat, his hands moved in a futile attempt to show the exasperation he could not voice.
"It's not your fault, Blair," Jim spoke up quietly. "You were right about me changing way back then. I just didn't realize it. Something, this feeling I guess, had been building for a while and I just didn't understand what was happening. I'm sorry that you've been on the receiving end of everything going on."
Ellison's acceptance of what Sandburg had been saying stunned the young man. He had expected denial, an explosion of anger, something other than the words he just heard. The two men looked at each other for several long moments, digesting all that had been said up to that point.
"Thanks, man," Blair finally said with a grateful smile to break the silence. The relief in his voice was evident and it replaced the apprehension he had been feeling. Taking a quick breath and releasing it, he ran his hands back through his hair to move it away from his face.
Jim leaned back in his chair with an easy smile. "It's just the truth, Chief. So, where and how are we going to complete this .bonding thing? Is it down in Peru?"
"That's the strange part. I've got this shot of some drawings found a long time ago by an archeologist down in the Yucatan Peninsula. But according to this journal I found in the library, the temple is down around Chopec territory, the La Montana region. The actual location is apparently a guarded secret by the various tribes in Peru." Blair sat down at the table and started leafing through the old, dusty book that had caused the other man to sneeze earlier. Jim quickly reached for a tissue as the musty odor again threatened his sinuses.
"Here it is. This archeologist wrote, 'when asked for the opportunity to view this sacred shrine dedicated to the great protector of the tribe, the Chief and his Shaman refused. Though the translator was not clear with his interpretations of the long speech explaining why, the reason given referred to a curse. Only a Guardian Warrior or Sentinel is able to travel to the temple and escape harm. His companions are to be his chosen Shaman and companion/guide along with his tribal chief. Any others face the wrath of the temple spirits and will be stricken with the head sickness.' And then there is references about those stricken needing constant care for as long as they may live."
"So that means only you and I would be safe in traveling there."
"And our tribal leader. The way it all reads, three people are required at least to get into the temple. There isn't any description of the ceremony."
"Tribal leader. Sandburg, I'm not a member of the Chopec anymore. They're calling me 'Sentinel of the Great City' now, remember? Wouldn't that make the Mayor our 'tribal leader?' We can't drag the him down there for this thing." Ellison said tiredly, wiping his hands over his face.
Blair started to snicker at the idea of the Mayor of Cascade tramping through the jungle but quickly straightened his face back when he saw the look the other man gave him and cleared his throat.
"No, Jim, we don't have to ask the Mayor to travel with us. Actually, I believe that Simon is more like our tribal leader. The Cascade Police Department is more your tribe than anything. The people you work with are like family, aren't they? Cascade is more like the country the tribe lives in, see?"
"Oh, I'm sure Simon's going to love hearing this one from you, Chief." Ellison rolled his eyes at his amused partner. "He's already starting to think we should have part-time jobs as psychics. Speaking of which, he's here and so is our dinner. Clear the table off, okay?"
"You know, Jim, you can actually make some pretty good money in that business. Once you get the 1-900 number set up, that is."
"Sandburg. The table." Ellison growled and went to the apartment door. He opened it at the first knock, startling the delivery boy standing there with his hand raised to finishing knocking. Behind him stood Simon Banks, captain of the Major Crimes section of the Cascade P.D. and Ellison's boss. He had an amused look on his face as he watched someone other than him get surprised by his detective's abilities.
After taking the meal and paying the kid, Ellison stepped back to allow his captain into the apartment. "Come in, sir," he said.
"You really need to watch doing that, Jim," the tall, black man said with a smile as he stepped through the door. Ellison just gave his boss an innocent 'do what?' look and shut the door. "Hey, Sandburg. You're looking a lot better despite having the mother hen from hell as a roommate. You're really missed down at the precinct."
Blair answered the comment with a pleased smile as he continued to move books and papers from the table to the living room. He knew that his presence at the station was necessary and tolerated by many for Jim's sake, most of the time. He was not a cop, as he had heard so many times, and his involvement in the many police cases his partner handled sometimes caused a strain on the Captain's patience. But Simon had also told him he was a valuable member of the department. It was just that none of the others really understood why a grad student working towards his Ph.D., and supposedly using the department as his subject matters for a dissertation, was involved as much as he was. It was a hard secret to maintain, especially with all that had happened to the young man since he had become an 'observer' for the department.
"Hey, Simon," Blair answered back, handing the other man a beer. "You want to join us for dinner? We always end up with too much left over."
"Don't mind if I do. Saves on having to cook for myself. What's all that mess?" He pointed towards the books and papers Blair had moved. "Ellison finally loosening up on his house rules?"
"It's only temporary. Sandburg's been explaining our task for the upcoming trip. How'd the Mayor take your request?" Ellison asked.
Banks took a long swallow from his bottle and loosened his tie. "Not too bad, surprisingly enough. Of course I only told him that I needed the time for a personal emergency. I think he's going to assign Taggart to sub for me this time. He's the only qualified person available with the type of experience needed for the section."
"That's right. Finkleman's got her own section now. Taggart's well liked so he won't have a problem," Ellison said as he started moving dishes and silverware to the table. Sandburg was shifting around him with the food.
"He'd better not," Banks mumbled, knowing that his detective would be able to hear the comment.
As the two roommates moved around the kitchen, Simon watched the ease of their actions. Blair would reach into drawers and pull out what Jim would need without being asked. It's like they're in sync, he thought. They're so in tune with each other, you'd think they were working off the same sheet of music.
Ellison noticed his captain watching and stopped short. "Something wrong?"
"No," Banks said with a start and moved to a chair to sit. "Just thinking, that's all. Oh, one important bit of info I need to give you two before I forget. Your protection is being minimized as of tonight. You don't need it around the clock anymore."
"You found Alex?" Blair asked hesitantly as he settled at the table.
"She was spotted in Central America. Somewhere around the Yucatan."
"But she hasn't been caught, I take it." Jim's voice had an edge to it.
"All the report said was that she was definitely spotted renting a jeep about a week ago. She disappeared into the countryside before the local police could catch her. But you know how it is working with foreign authorities," Simon said trying to calm the other two men.
"She's trying to find the temple," Blair said quietly. "I pointed her to the path."
"What can she do, Chief? She doesn't have a Shaman and I can't see her having any type of tribal leader. She already turned her partner in. What good would it do for her to find the temple." Jim moved to stand by his partner. He placed his hand onto the younger man's shoulder, hoping it would provide him some comfort. Banks listened to the two with a confused expression on his face.
"Maybe she wants to destroy it. Keep us from finding it and doing what we have to do. It's just one more way she can strike at you, Jim," Blair said looking up at his friend. There was anger building in his dark, blue eyes that gave Jim little comfort.
"Don't worry, Junior. She's looking in the wrong place. Right?" Jim gave his friend's shoulder a firm squeeze then released it to move and sit down.
"Then where's the right place?" Simon asked the two men.
"Sandburg's pretty sure that it's Peru. We have to go there anyway since there is a small task I have to perform before we can look for the temple. And it seems that you're supposed to travel with us anyway. We'll need our tribal leader with us."
"Your WHAT!"
Before Simon could continue Blair quickly jumped up and moved towards his coat. "Oh, man. I almost forgot! The university is going to pick up the cost of our flight and I've got some schedules from the travel office as well as South American hotel info. I was able to convince the Dean of the significance of the research since I have some proof of the temple's existence. Of course, it didn't hurt that some grant money arrived this week earmarked for any expedition to the South America region. I told you that it was all falling into place, Jim."
Ellison's head came up with that information and he watch the younger man almost skip back with the travel information. "Your department just received a donation? Who was it from?"
"It was anonymous. Happens all the time. Some former alumni passes away and bequeaths money to the U with a provision that it be anonymous. Sorta offsets any contentions to a will. No biggie." Jim didn't ask any further questions but filed the information in order to make inquiries later. Maybe it did happen 'all the time' at the University, but he wanted to check it out anyway for his own peace of mind.
Sandburg's announcement headed off Banks reaction to Ellison's earlier statement of his title with the trip. He would make sure he knew exactly what 'tribal leader' meant and required. They spent the rest of the evening planning the trip and discussing what equipment was going to be needed.
LIMA, PERU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- Two weeks later
Even though it was still fairly early in the morning, the Lima International Airport was crowded with a combination of tourists and Nationals. The three Americans had retrieved their luggage and made it through customs in a minimum amount of time, despite the crowd crisscrossing through the terminal. As they moved out the terminal doors, the voice of the shortest of the three men could be heard clearly.
"This time we are not jumping out of a plane, are we Jim? I can handle a lot of things that your work has created but that was not something I ever want to go through again. You know how I am with heights." Sandburg's memory of their last trip into the area was as vivid as the day it had happened, even though it was necessary in order to rescue Simon and his son, Daryl.
"Don't worry, Chief. It's not something I'm too fond of either and I had to do it in the military since it came with the job. I was able to make a deal and have some strings pulled with an Army National Guard unit that is down here performing a humanitarian mission. They've agreed to .." Ellison's voice trailed off as he stepped towards the street in front of the terminal. He slowed his pace and fell behind his two companions.
"Jim? What's the matter?" Blair asked with a concerned look at his friend's behavior. The third man of the group, Simon Banks, also stopped but with a tired look on his face.
"I'm not .sure," Jim replied. Slowly he looked around the area. As he started to extend his senses, he felt the light touch of a familiar hand on his arm. Blair was there, providing an anchor to prevent him from zoning out.
"Just relax and take it all in," Blair spoke in a calming voice. Unconsciously, Simon stepped back towards his companions and took a stance of watchfulness around the two. After a few minutes, Jim shook himself with a start.
"She's here," he said tersely.
"Close or just in the general area?" Blair asked.
"Alex Barnes?" Simon asked simultaneously.
Ellison shot the captain a knowing look as he placed his free arm onto his roommate's shoulder. "I know it sounds weird, Captain, but Alex is somewhere around here. It's a feeling I'm not going to forget too easily."
Jim could feel a slight trembling in the body beneath his hand. He looked down at the shorter man and noticed him looking around the area with a nervous expression. "She's not that close, Chief. I just know that she's around the area."
Blair looked up into the clear, blue eyes of his friend. He knew by the fierce expression in them that he would be protected and gave back a reassuring smile.
"If you two want to come back to this world, do you think we can get off the street and get moving? We can check with the local police about any sightings." Simon's voice brought the other two men's attention back to their surroundings. Without further conversation, the three moved towards a taxi.
What they did not notice was the man watching them carefully through the glass of the airport terminal. As the taxi drove off, he quickly walked over to the pay phones.
After leaving the airport, they had stopped at the local militia office and then the American Consulate to check if there had been any sightings of Alex Barnes. There had been nothing, mainly because no one had been looking for her. The Consulate was in an upheaval since there was going to be a change in the Consul General and most of the staff. The local militia were of less help. If the woman was in their country and had not committed any crime there, she wasn't too serious a problem. Disheartened, the three men moved on to purchase provisions for the trek and then to their hotel for a last night in civilization.
It was agreed upon that they would share one room, cost one consideration but security the main idea. Ellison had no intention of letting Sandburg out of his sight with Alex being in country. Bank's presence just added one more piece of security.
"You got a headache, Chief?" Jim asked, noticing his friend rubbing his temples while they were waiting for the elevator.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Started at the airport. Must be from the jet lag. It's nothing." Blair waved off his friend's concern. They had just spent almost 12 hours in airports and on planes to get there.
The older man made no reply to the statement but took a careful assessment of his companion using his senses. Blair's heart rate was a little accelerated but that was to be expected after the lengthy travel. There didn't appear to be any fever either. Jim turned back to the elevator as the doors opened and made a mental note to keep a tab on Blair. The kid did have a habit of trying to hide his true condition from his partner, always claiming that he didn't want to be a burden.
"Either of you snore?" Simon asked setting his overnight bag on the bed nearest the windows. Jim had already picked the bed closest to the door and Blair was going to be on a roll- away between the two.
"I don't, Simon, but Sandburg has a habit of talking in his sleep," Jim smirked at the smaller man moving towards the bathroom.
"Do not!" came back the indignant reply, along with a towel that was flung out of the bathroom in Jim's direction.
"Am I going to have to separate you two? I get more mature behavior from Daryl and his friends," Simon asked his detective, giving him his best 'stern father' look.
Jim returned the look with one of innocence. The captain gave a suffering sigh and started unpacking his bag. At least their mood has lightened up.
Ellison's eyes snapped open and for a moment he laid in his bed wondering what had awakened him. Continuing to lay still, he extended his hearing. Nothing could be heard in the hallway outside of the room.
From Blair's side of the room came the thrashing noise of a restless sleeper. Jim focused towards the area and heard the increased rate of his partner's heart and breathing. The kid must be having a nightmare, he thought and glanced over to Simon's bed. Jim could tell that the other man was in a fairly deep sleep.
Moving quietly, Jim slid out of his bed and stepped over to Blair's, easily seeing the other clutching at the bed cover with his enhanced eyesight. The restless man was swinging his head back and forth as if in denial.
"No, Alex. Please stop," Blair moaned. Jim realized that the kid was having a dream that must be similar to the ones he had while recuperating in the hospital. Sitting carefully on the side of the bed, Jim placed his hands gently onto Blair's shoulders to stop his movement.
"Wake up, Buddy. You're dreaming, it's not real," he said in a low voice. Blair jerked awake and grabbed at the arms holding him down. His heart rate increased and he gulped great, gasping breaths of air as he struggled upward against the restraint.
"It's me, Blair. You're okay. It's safe." Jim's soothing voice did the job. Blair collapsed back onto his pillow and brought his hands up to cover his face.
"Damn!" he swore. "I'm sorry, Jim. I thought I was over the dreams."
"Same as the ones back home?"
"Same person, different locale and circumstances. I'm in the jungle now instead of at the university."
"She's still trying to kill you?"
"No ..that's different, too." Blair pulled himself up into a sitting position and pushed the hair back away from his face. The trembling of his hands was clearly visible to Jim. "Why can't she just go away and leave us alone?"
"People in her type of work with her type of ambition are usually dangerous and rarely give up on their objective, Chief. I wish we knew what hers was, though. What was different about this one?"
Blair took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. Jim sat patiently beside him knowing that the other needed to talk the dream out in order to be able to get back to sleep. It was a lesson learned the first week after the hospital.
"Okay, as I said, its in the jungle in .a a clearing or something and there was Alex with a couple of local guys uh natives I think....around and someone was laying hurt or just unconscious on the ground. Alex had a hold of my arm and she had this big gun and was laughing. She shook me and said 'give me what I want, Blair.' When I told her no, she shot the person on the ground. That's when you woke me up."
"What did she want from you?"
"I don't know, man. She uh aw hell, Jim. She just looked so crazy." Blair had stopped trembling but Jim could tell that he was still very upset. So he just sat quietly and waited for the other to continue.
"I'm all right. I'm all right," Blair finally said after a few minutes. He gave his friend a brave smile, knowing that he was able to see it in the dark room. "I think I can sleep, now."
"Okay, Chief. If you're sure." Jim patted the young man on the shoulder as he stood up to go back to his bed. Blair slid his body back down into the bed.
"Thanks, Jim," came the soft reply.
IN COUNTRY, PERU - Day Two
The National Guard helicopter was only able to take the three men as far as Iquitos, where Guard medical teams were providing support to surrounding villages. Luckily, it was in the right direction for anyone wanting to locate the Chopec tribe. Unluckily, it was still going to require the trio to hike several days through the nearby jungle.
When they had started their hike, Simon tried to assist Jim with a compass he had brought. But after being overruled several times on which direction to travel, he gave up and took up the rear of the line after Blair. The young man was following carefully behind his Sentinel. The confidence he had in his partner's navigation ability was strong but did little to ease Simon's mind.
As they traveled further in country, Ellison's whole demeanor quickly changed. He became quieter than usual and only gave very short answers to any questions asked of him. Eventually, the other two men stopped talking to him as he led the way. Jim was in his sentry mode, Blair explained to Simon as they walked. The young man accepted his friend's change as what should be. It was Simon who was nervous about the whole thing.
"Is he going to be like this the rest of the trip?" Simon asked on their first night, interrupting Blair as he sat by the fire studying the journal he had brought.
"Like what, Simon?" Blair asked calmly looking up and removing his glasses.
"Like that," Banks replied, pointing at Ellison walking through the trees around the perimeter of their campsite. The Sentinel's attention was focused into the jungle around them.
Blair just smiled and reached for his ever present backpack. "He's on sentry duty. It's just his way to make sure the area is safe. You were in the military, weren't you Simon? Didn't you guys always put someone on watch?"
"Sure we did, but aren't you afraid he's going to zone out or something concentrating that hard?"
Blair watched his roommate pause for a minute and then continue in his circuit. "No I don't think so. You see, he's not using just one of his senses here. He's sort of extending all of them and yet none of them. It's like he's back in his proper territory to use them safely. When Alex had entered our territory back in Cascade, it was a feeling he had and not actually something his senses could pick up separately. And Jim ."
"All right, professor," Simon broke in quickly, holding up his hands in surrender. "As long as you understand and you're not worried, that's all that counts." Both men noticed that Jim was returning to the fire, his face was void of any expression.
"Everything okay out there, big guy?" Blair asked. "Is the area clear?"
"She's not around here," Jim finally said after he sat down and reached for a canteen of water. "It's that nagging feeling again around the back of my head. Like I know she will show up eventually. And no, before you ask, I haven't seen that other jaguar."
"We're prepared for her this time, Jim," Banks said with conviction.
"I know, Simon. But we're into the La Montana region by now and I would hate to lead her to the tribe." Ellison took a long drink from the water container and watched Sandburg as he was trying to use the camp fire to write notes from the journal. Feeling the eyes upon him, Blair looked up towards the other man.
"Are we that close already?"
"It'll be the extreme edge but I did train the warriors to watch as far out from the village as possible. The sooner trouble or intruders are detected, the quicker a response can be made."
"How much of your time here are you starting to remember, Jim? Is being here bringing any of it back?" Blair asked. Simon remained quiet and leaned forward to hear the answer. He knew from records and reports that Ellison's 18 months of isolation here in this jungle had been traumatic, especially with being the only survivor from a helicopter crash of a failed mission. It had been during that time he had redeveloped the enhanced senses he first discovered during his childhood and now used carefully with Sandburg's assistance.
Jim sat staring into the fire. His gaze was unfocused as he searched his memories. Blair could see the man was thinking hard and watched carefully for any sign of a zone out. Several minutes passed before the older man spoke.
"A lot of it is still pretty vague. Sort of like trying to remember a hazy dream."
"Do you remember any type of rituals or ceremonies that you and Incacha performed together." Blair questioned insistently.
"You're worried about what you have to do, aren't you Chief? Is that why you've been going through those lengthy meditation sessions and using the drum tapes? And those special books you've tried to hide? The ones on shamanism?" There wasn't any anger in Ellison's voice as he turned the question session back onto his friend. He had been waiting for the right time to confront Sandburg on his actions and not sound like it was an interrogation.
Blair's face flushed dark enough to be seen even by camp fire light. He dropped his gaze down to his lap and fidgeted with his notebook. Banks sat back and watched the two men, knowing that he was going to learn something important.
"I've seen you trying to hide the books, Chief," Jim spoke quietly, as if he was trying to talk to a frightened child. "Who have you been trying to find when you meditate. The time I had found you in your room? I had come home early when you were so excited about finding that journal in the university's library. When you woke up you had said 'where are you?' Where was who, buddy?"
Blair continued to stare at his lap. Jim could tell that his heart rate had increased and he was trying hard to breath calmly. Finally the young man looked up and directly into Jim's eyes. He saw that there wasn't anything in the others but concern and understanding.
"That first time I was trying to find Incacha. I wanted to talk to him again and ask him if I was right about you needing to release him. That it was okay to do what we needed to do and for any information on what would be involved with the bonding ceremony. But I couldn't find him. Guess I need to be almost dead to be able to reach his plane of existence." Blair tried to make his answer sound casual but it wasn't working too well.
"And the other times since then? Were you still looking for him to help you with being a Shaman?"
"No I " Blair took a deep breath and quickly let it out before speaking the next words. "I was trying to find my spirit guide."
"Your what?" Simon spoke up quickly, not sure he heard the young man's words clearly.
Having a reason to look away from Jim's intense gaze, Blair turned quickly towards Simon. "According to the books I've read, a Shaman is supposed to have a spirit guide, usually in the form of an animal. It is there to help by providing strength and guidance whenever it is necessary to travel into the underworld to heal or help others. To be Jim's Shaman, I'm going to need a spirit guide to be able to help him fully. But it doesn't seem to want me to find it."
"Or you need help to be guided to it," Jim interrupted, pulling Blair's attention back to him. "Now that you brought that up, I do remember one thing fairly clearly. It was Incacha taking me into the jungle not too far from the village. I think is was just before my senses came 'on line' for lack of better words. I know it wasn't too long after I had healed up from the crash. He helped me find my spirit guide."
"Really? How did he do it?" Excitement could be heard building in Blair's voice. "I mean, did you have to drink any special potions or were you helped into some type of trance to be able to see it?"
Ellison pursed his lips together and stared back into the fire for a few moments. Then he turned back to the other man and smiled. "There wasn't any big ceremony, trances or potions, Chief. Why?"
"The Conibo Indians in the Andes required any who wanted to learn the way of the shaman to take a sacred drink made from the ayahuasca vine. It was to help the person reach the level of consciousness needed to learn the secrets of the shaman."
"Sandburg, that stuff is dangerous and there is no way you are going to take it. The Chopec call it the 'little death' and you've already experienced that, in case you need to be reminded." The look Jim gave Blair froze any protest he was about to utter. "Besides, I know that the Chopec are like you when it comes to taking any type of chemicals or mind altering concoctions. We just sat by this river and Incacha acted like he was taking a nap sitting up. He had me relax with him and wait. Sort of like the time on the roof with you after he died. All of the sudden, the black jaguar was there before me. I'm sure the new Shaman of the Chopec will be able to help you find your guide."
"But what if he can't, Jim. I mean, what if I'm not supposed to have one and that Incacha was wrong to pick me "
"Sandburg! What are you so worried about?" Banks interrupted. "How long have you been studying this Sentinel stuff?"
"Um .several years. Why?" Confusion showed on Blair's face. Simon knew that the topic of his Master's thesis had been on Sentinels and they were also the topic for his doctorate. He had also been working with Jim for over three years. Where was the man going with this questioning?
"And for my own information, just what is a shaman? What's his job?"
"Well, the Shaman of a tribe is the wiseman or teacher and healer. They are sort of like a guardian of the psychic and ecological equilibrium of the tribe and its members. According to some researchers, the shaman uses their spirit guide as a power source for when they must go into an altered state of consciousness to assist someone from the tribe beat an illness or injury. Simon, where are you going with this?"
"One final question. How long have you practiced that meditation stuff and the herbal hocus pocus you keep trying to force onto the rest of us?"
"Almost my whole life, man. You know how my mom is. I couldn't help but learn all of that and be pretty good at it, too."
"Okay. It just seems to me that you were almost born to do what you're doing now as much as Jim has been. What did you say about him? He's is genetically conditioned or preordained to be a Sentinel. Seems like you were also predestined for the part you are playing now. You're already a teacher, you have the knowledge of healing using natural methods and, correct me if I'm wrong, you're a complete natural helping Jim with his senses. You just needed to hook up with Jim to be able to step into the role." Simon sat back and crossed his arms over his chest as if to imply 'end of subject.'
Blair opened his mouth to argue the subject when he felt Jim take hold of his arm in a firm grip. The look he received caused him to close his mouth without saying anything.
"We'll worry about that bridge when it comes time to cross it, Junior. Why don't we hit the sack and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and not very easy traveling. We're going to need all the rest we can get tonight."
Agreeing with a nod of his head, Banks stood and moved towards his small tent. As he crawled inside of it, Jim gently but firmly pulled Blair up and walked him to the farthest side of the clearing, his arm firmly around the smaller man's shoulders.
"What, Jim?" Blair asked when they were at the edge.
"You do have a spirit guide, Chief. At least I think it was yours." Blair looked at the other man's face with a surprised expression.
"That day Alex attacked you and we found you in the fountain. You weren't breathing, there was no pulse .I didn't know what to do." Jim had to stop and swallow around the lump that wanted to form in his throat. The memory of the incident still bothered him but knew he had to give his partner some type of assurance. The problem was he wasn't too sure how much he should actually say.
Blair just stood there patiently until the other could continue. He understood how hard it still was to speak about that day.
"When it seemed like nothing was going to work, I prayed, begged for help. Then it seemed like everyone around us froze and my spirit guide appeared. But he was not alone. He had another animal beside him and it looked like a wolf. Grey or silver, I couldn't tell but it had blue eyes. When I pleaded for help, the cat pushed the wolf forward and it leaped into you. Then you came back."
"This the same wolf from the dream you told me about in the hospital? The one you had shot at and said had morphed into me?"
"The one I almost killed. Yes." Jim struggled to say the words as he turned away in shame. He still blamed himself for not paying attention to the warning and discussing it with Blair.
"Jim, we've been over this. You were not yourself and didn't understand what was happening or what your dream was telling you. And I was too busy being an excited idiot who had found another test subject. Let it go, man. Let. It. GO." Blair forced Jim to look back at him. "You did bring me back. You knew what to do when the time came."
Ellison, seeing the absolute trust emanating from his partner's eyes, relaxed and smiled. "Then you let it go, too. Accept the idea that you will also know what to do when the time comes. Okay?" He softly patted Sandburg's cheek.
"Okay," Blair agreed with an answering smile and both men turned to walk back towards the tents. "A wolf, huh? Cool!"
Day Three - Dawn
The day dawned hot and steamy, the temperature rising sharply before the sun had even been up for an hour. The three men packed up quickly after sharing a cold breakfast and began their struggle through the dense underbrush. The only change from the previous days hike was the quick down pour that started as quickly as it ended and had all three men soaking wet before they knew it.
Banks kept hold of the compass if only to assure himself that he at least knew where he was. Ellison didn't look at it once, homing in on their destination like a carrier pigeon on a mission. He knew that they were approaching his old territory and wanted to be within familiar surroundings before night fell.
It was late evening when the three crossed over a small stream that Jim knew was a boundary for the Chopec in the La Montana region. Suddenly, he stopped short. Blair bumped into his back, since he was following so close. Simon, walking to the side, passed the two up a couple of steps before he noticed them stopped.
"What is it, Jim?" Blair asked, placing his hand on the Sentinel's back. Jim's body was taut, his head held high like he was hearing something. "Is it Alex again?"
Ellison closed his eyes for a few moments, took a deep breath and released it as he slowly rotated in his position. When he became aware of his companions again, he shook his head in confusion.
"It's not Alex, but it feels like another Sentinel is around here. Only this time it doesn't feel threatening."
"It is possible that the tribe found another after you left," Blair commented. "Do you remember if there were any within the tribe that might have showed potential to be a Sentinel?"
"I can't remember, Chief. I told you, there are a lot of blank spots in my memory about here." Jim started moving forward again, his senses carefully extended towards the jungle around them. Blair stayed close, making sure he kept some type of contact with the larger man.
"Well, it could be that there was at least one with potential. All my research showed that a tribe would only have one Sentinel at a time but rarely did they go without one for any length of time." Blair began to chatter about the different papers he had read concerning Aboriginal tribes in Australia and how they chose their replacements for key members of the tribe. Jim knew that his companion was nervous and the running monologue was just a form of stress relief.
Sandburg was able to keep up his diatribe for almost 3 hours without repeating himself. Banks, who normally would have told the kid to 'shut up' after five minutes, allowed the monologue and even encouraged more with a few questions. The anticipated meeting with the Chopec had him nervous, too.
It was nearing dusk when Jim called a halt to their trek. Blair was uncharacteristically silent as he helped the other two men set up the camp. He kept looking off into the surrounding jungle each time he thought he saw movement. Jim noticed his attention towards the foliage and also the way he would pause to massage his temples when he thought no one was paying attention.
"Sandburg, is there something wrong?" he asked.
"Huh?" The question caused Blair to jump and turn towards Jim, who had moved up behind the young man.
"I said, is there something wrong?"
"Oh, I was just watching for any company. You said we'd be in Chopec territory by now and I've been expecting some type of welcoming committee. Guess we just haven't gotten close enough, right?"
"They've been around us since noon, Chief." Ellison's nonchalant announcement caught Bank's attention.
"They've what? Why haven't they shown themselves?" Simon asked moving closer to the two men.
"They're out there now?" Blair said at the same time.
Jim held up both his hands to stop any further questions. "There's nothing to be worried about. Consider them more like an escort. We will be guided to the village tomorrow."
The other two men visibly relaxed with that statement. Simon returned to finish setting up his tent and Blair walked over to where he had dropped his backpack.
"Sandburg, is your headache back?" Jim asked quietly, following his partner.
"How did you know I've got a headache?" The question from the other caught Blair by surprise. He had been trying hard to keep the existence of the pounding headache a secret.
"You're pupils are constricted and you look like you're in pain. How long have you had this one?" Jim tilted the younger man's face up so that he could look more closely into the eyes. Blair pulled away.
"It's nothing. Guess I'm just tired."
"Don't hold back, buddy. If there's something wrong, tell me now. How many have you had since we arrived in Peru." Blair could see that Jim's stern look and tone would brook no argument.
"One it's uh, never really completely left since we landed." Blair dropped his head to get away from the other's intense stare.
"Dammit, Blair! You should have told me. We could've seen a doctor before coming out here."
"Jim, its only a headache. Why ."
"Coupled with the nightmares you've had almost every night?" The shame on Blair's face caused Jim to soften his tone. "Blair, nothing is going to stop us from completing this bonding thing we have to do. But you don't have to kill yourself in the process."
"Sorry, Jim," Blair mumbled contritely. "I didn't want to be the cause of delaying us getting out here. It's just that I'm feeling this...sense of urgency. Like we have to hurry or we'll miss out on something important." He gave his friend a pleading look.
Ellison looked over to his captain and saw that the other was listening to the conversation. He then looked off into the jungle for several minutes, his head tilted as if listening, before he turned back to Sandburg's anxious face.
"All right, Chief. You follow my orders. No reading, meditating or whatever tonight for long hours. You lay down and get rest for that headache. I'll be right back. Simon, make sure he does what I say." With that, Jim strode off into the jungle. He called out a few words in Chopec before disappearing into the foliage.
"Jim?" Blair called after the man as he disappeared. But before he could take a step to follow after the other, a firm hand grabbed his arm above the elbow.
"You heard him, Sandburg," Simon said restraining the other. "Take a seat and I'll get us a fire going. Jim can take care of himself. You know that." Blair just stared off into the direction Jim had vanished. He knew Simon was right and it was a stupid idea to follow but it was just instinct to stay close to his partner.
Releasing a sigh, Blair turned towards Simon and gave him a tired smile before squatting down to pull his sleeping pad from his backpack. Arguing with the tall, black man would only make his head hurt more. He just had to trust that Jim knew what he was doing.
It was almost two hours later when Jim finally returned to the camp. He traced Blair's presence to one of the tents as soon as he stepped out of the jungle. The younger man was asleep by the slowness of his heart rate. Simon was sitting near the small fire he had made earlier. He started to stand and move towards Jim when he was motioned to remain sitting.
Ellison squatted beside his boss and whispered that 'everything was taken care of' before reaching for a packet of trail rations. Banks just nodded and crawled into his tent. The rest of the night was quiet.
Day Four - Dawn
Ellison was awake and waiting when the five Chopec warriors stepped out from the jungle around the camp. The sky was just beginning to lighten with a false dawn. No sun yet but enough light for someone with the ability of a Sentinel to see the surroundings completely. One warrior, wearing a strange medallion around his neck and carrying no weapons, approached the tall white man standing away from the tents.
When he was within two feet, the warrior raised his arms, clasped them on Jim's shoulders and spoke to the man in Chopec. After he finished speaking, he dropped his arms back to his side. Jim followed the same ritual, his use of the language not as clear but still understandable.
Both men folded down to sit on the ground facing each other. Ellison spoke first, pointing several times towards the two tents that housed his companions, to himself, and finally in the direction the trio had been traveling. After finishing his speech, he placed his hands palms up on his knees, a gesture that meant he was asking of the warrior and his tribe for assistance.
The sitting warrior looked carefully into the other's eyes before speaking. Placing his hands on top of Jim's, he spoke several words that brought a grateful and pleased smile to the other's face. Jim grasped the hands on top of his, gave them a quick squeeze and nodded.
Both men stood up together but the warrior walked over to where two others were standing at the edge of the clearing. He touched each on their right shoulder, spoke quietly to them, and then, motioning to the final two, disappeared back into the jungle.
Jim took a deep breath and then blew it out of his mouth with force. He felt like a man who just had a burden lifted from his shoulders. Not only would he and his friends be welcome in the village, they had been expected for some time. The new Shaman of the Chopec who had spoken with Jim, Mantec, had dreamed the Sentinel was finally returning with his Shaman to perform their Bonding ceremony. Mantec had left two warriors as escorts while he went back to prepare. Ellison didn't recognize any of the warriors but they were all fairly young and it had been a while since he had been back.
It was still too early to wake the others, so Jim moved about the camp quietly making sure the fire was completely out and packing up things that he could until the sun finally started to rise. He then rousted Simon and Blair from their tents, pushed a cold breakfast into them, and then helped finish the tear down and packing up of the rest of their stuff.
Ellison hadn't needed to see the dark circles that were under Sandburg's to know that he had had another restless night. He'd had heard his friend pleading in his dreams to Alex again, but before Jim could wake him, Blair quieted down.
Sandburg and Banks didn't argue against their friend's behavior but moved quickly after seeing the two warriors standing at the edge of the jungle. Jim knew Blair was bursting with questions despite the lingering headache hovering behind his eyes.
"They're our escorts for the rest of the way in, Chief," Jim finally said quietly to his friend. "I was able to meet with the new Chopec Shaman this morning and he said that he'll be ready and waiting for us when we arrive at the village."
"Ready for what, Jim?"
"I can tell that you still have the headache. Was last night's dream the same?"
Blair gave a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. I hope you didn't lose too much sleep because of me."
"Don't worry, buddy. We will get this taken care of, okay?" Jim placed a hand on the smaller man's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Let's move out before the warriors get impatient."
Day Four - Early Evening
The three men entered the Chopec village late in the afternoon. The two warriors that had been escorting them faded into the jungle as quietly has they had appeared. There was a small group of Chopec Indians waiting under what looked to be a patio, it had only a roof and no walls, in the center of the village that Sandburg could tell was a meeting place for important discussions. He hung slightly behind his Sentinel, unconsciously taking up his normal position with the other.
Simon walked slightly ahead of Jim as the trail had broadened out. The detective had explained on their way there that Simon needed to show his authority and position of leader in Jim's tribe to the Chopec.
When the group finally came to stop in front of the villagers, Jim thought he heard the low grumbling purr of a jungle cat to his right. When he looked in that direction, expecting to see his spirit guide, he saw a young warrior standing apart from the rest of the people. The vision of some type of large feline superimposed itself in the place of the warrior, the tribe's new Sentinel, and then disappeared. There was no threat from the Chopec Sentinel to Ellison and his group and vice versa.
Beside the Chopec Sentinel stood Mantec, obviously showing himself to be the village Sentinel's Shaman. Jim inclined his head towards the two in respect of their position in the tribe. The warrior returned the nod and then, after saying a few words to his Shaman, trotted out of the village with several warriors following. Both Sentinels could feel the presence of a third, one that was a threat.
Mantec moved towards the group as Jim turned back to greet the Chief and his entourage standing in front of them. The Chief spoke to Jim, telling him that the tribe now had Oneki as their Sentinel. In Chopec, Jim explained that he had not returned to resume his old position and thanked the leader humbly for allowing him to return to the village only to perform the rites that were necessary for him to continue as the Sentinel of the Great City. Neither Simon nor Blair could understand what the Tribal Leader was saying except for when he pointed to each of them during the speech. They stood silently and did not flinch under the steady gaze sent their way.
When the Chief began speaking again, Jim translated for the other two. "Takla welcomes you and is honored that the Chief of the Great City would come, Simon. He...hopes you will be pleased with what his village has to offer." Banks looked at Takla in the eyes and slowly nodded his head.
As Mantec spoke a few quiet words to Takla, the chief's sharp gaze centered on Blair. The young man froze like a deer caught in a car's headlights. Takla pointed to Blair and spoke to Jim.
"He asks why you have waited so long to come, Chief," Jim said to his partner and then spoke in Chopec back to the two Indians. Takla's gaze left Blair, making him feel like he had just been through an ordeal. The Chief and the Shaman conferred in their own language for several minutes.
"I explained that you've not been trained in the Chopec way of becoming a Shaman and Incacha was unable to tell you before he died. Mantec...he's telling Takla that maybe the spirit that howls when he walks the other world belongs to you. Takla wants to know when can Mantec get you two together or something. Mantec says not tonight. He first must help you lose what clouds your head and troubles your spirit, Chief. Guess he's going to help with that headache and the nightmares. At least from what I understand." The Chief then spoke back towards Jim and pointed to a hut at the edge of the village.
"Takla says that it's late and he is offering us that lodge to be ours as long as we wish to stay. He'll make sure that we are supplied uh get something to eat when we are ready." Mantec then spoke up and pointed at Blair.
"He wants you to go with him, Blair. He's offering to help you get rid of the headache and he can help you with the dreams.
"What dreams, Jim?" Simon spoke up. He was not too sure about his group breaking up just yet and looked carefully at Blair.
"Sandburg's been having some bad nightmares, when he was in the hospital and now here," Jim replied and then Blair interrupted.
"Yeah, but there was only a couple in the hospital and I think I had a right to be a little freaked, didn't I?"
"We've already spoke about this, Chief. They've returned and you've had them every night we've been here." Jim spoke a few words in Chopec to Mantec who replied immediately. "He says that they cloud your head and prevent you from walking in the other world. Your spirit guide is being blocked. It's okay, buddy. I'm sure it won't hurt."
Blair looked towards the Shaman who had walked away a few steps and then gestured at the younger man to follow. "I don't speak Chopec, Jim."
"And he doesn't speak English. Incacha and I were in the same boat when I got here, Chief. I'm sure that Mantec can probably play a mean game of charades." Jim placed his arm around his Guide's shoulders and walked him towards the village Shaman. He then spoke a few words to Mantec and pushed Blair forward. The Shaman nodded his head in understanding and then made gesturing movements that meant for Blair to walk with him towards his hut. With one more look at his friend, Blair followed Mantec.
Takla spoke to Jim and then turned and walked away. "He said that he knows we're tired, Simon, and he'll leave us to rest. He'll send those that can help us." Simon raised his eyebrows in a question. "They'll show us where we can get cleaned up and then bring us something to eat. It'll probably take a few hours or probably won't be until morning before we see Sandburg."
"You think he'll be all right, Jim?"
"He's got to be, Simon," Jim answered as the two walked towards their hut. "When I asked for help from Mantec this morning and explained why we were here, he told me the ceremony would not be easy and that Blair will have to be strong."
"Why? Is there something dangerous with this thing?"
"He didn't say. Only that he will have to be strong tomorrow."
The worry in Ellison's voice brought a concerned look to Banks face and he placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "The kid's strong, Jim. If he was able to follow you through a forest after being infected with a virus we all thought might kill him, I'm sure he'll do okay here. You know he would do anything to not fail you."
"That's what scares me, Simon. Blair would kill himself if he thought it would help me be a better Sentinel." Arriving at the lodge, the two removed their backpacks and carried them in.
Day Five - Dawn
Blair appeared at his friend's living quarters the next morning just after they had received breakfast from one of the villagers. He looked refreshed and had a big smile on his face. Jim could see that he no longer had the headache he had carried most of the day before. Looks like he finally got some sleep last night, he thought noticing that the dark circles were also gone.
"Good morning, gentlemen!" Blair's cheerful voice echoed through the building.
"Damn, a morning person," Simon growled with a smile. "Don't you know it's illegal to be that cheerful in the morning?"
The comment caused Blair's smile to deepen and he stepped further into the room. "Maybe in Cascade, but not here and especially after last night. Man, I haven't slept that good in a long time. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."
Jim shifted around to allow his partner to sit between him and Simon. "You're looking a lot better this morning, Chief. I told you that Mantec would help you. You should trust me when I tell you those things."
"I always trust you, Jim. I just wasn't sure how we were going to get past the language problem. But words weren't needed."
"What'd he do?" Simon asked.
"It was incredible. They do use herbs with some of their stuff, Jim. Sorta like incense. The stuff Mantec used had a strange scent that was very soothing." Blair paused to pick up and examine a piece of fruit that had been given to the men for breakfast. Jim was able to smell the burnt herb Blair had experienced the night before. It hovered at the edge of his memories.
"He burned some of the herbs and then gestured for me to sit in front of him and do relaxation and breathing exercises. You know, like the ones I taught you?" Jim just nodded. "He also had this kid in the corner that started tapping on a drum in a really cool rhythm. After a few minutes, or I thought that was all it was, Mantec moved behind me and started to massage my temples and down my neck. It was, like, so hypnotic! He was speaking softly in Chopec all the while. I couldn't understand the words but I just relaxed and the headache went away. Before I knew it, he was pulling at me to lay down flat. I fell asleep, I guess, and didn't dream at all. Woke up about an hour ago all alone." Finished with his story, Blair took a large bite of the fruit, its juice drizzling down his chin.
The herbal scent finally triggered the memory Jim had been searching. He remembered several sessions he had gone through during his previous time with the tribe. He had also suffered with blinding headaches after the crash and before Incacha had helped him 'awaken' his senses. Blair's situation seemed strangely similar to his. Feeling a light touch on his arm, Ellison jerked back to the present and saw his friends looking at him.
Sandburg looked concerned and was the one touching him. "You're remembering something from here. Aren't you?" he questioned.
"Those herbs were the same ones that Incacha had used with me. I had headaches and problems sleeping after the crash some pretty mean nightmares, too." Both men looked at each other carefully.
"Sort of a Deja Vu with Blair, huh?" Simon finally said to break the lengthy silence that had developed.
"Hopefully, it's only just a coincidence, Simon."
"Whoa, too weird. So, Jim. What's on the agenda for today? Exploring your old home territory or getting reacquainted with your friends?" Blair asked, changing the subject.
"Neither, Chief." Jim looked towards the entrance of their building. When the other two followed his gaze, they both saw Mantec standing there. Behind him stood a young boy with a drum in his arms and a warrior of the village. They had arrived without making any noise.
Mantec spoke to Ellison in Chopec but his gaze was locked onto Sandburg. "He says it's time and you had made it here on the correct day. You are to follow him but make sure that your mind stays unclouded."
"Correct day? Why is this the correct day, Jim?" Even as Blair asked the question to him, Jim was asking the same question to the Shaman. With a patient smile that was usual reserved for children who always seemed to ask the 'why?' question, Mantec stepped into the hut and sat in front of the three men. He spoke for a while and then looked at Ellison, waiting for him to provide the translation to the others.
"Okay, let me see if I get this right. The spirit animal that he says has been wandering around here looking for you is a creature of the earth, one that is known for the teaching of earth wisdom. And with this creature, it's strongest during the dying time of the moon ." Jim spoke to the Shaman who nodded, chuckled and spoke a few words, and then gestured for him to continue.
"He says that for you to begin your Shaman journey and greet your spirit guide, it must be now. The time of the waning moon. So, he wants you to follow him now to complete the ritual. Besides, the howling creature has been disturbing his journeys with all the racket it's been making." Without any further questions, Blair jumped to his feet and followed Mantec as he stood and walked out.
"Simon, would you go with him? I can't go." Jim's voice betrayed his apprehension of allowing his partner to leave without him.
Blair stopped and turned back, his eyes full of questions. "Jim?"
"What am I supposed to do?" Simon asked.
"You're our leader, so it's okay if you are there. I'd rather one of us be with him for this but I have something else I have to do." Jim gave Blair a reassuring smile. The younger man knew what he had to do and that it was a personal ceremony.
"C'mon, Simon," Blair said. He extended his arm, palm up, towards the door. "How often do you get us to admit that you're the boss?"
Grabbing his canteen and backpack, Banks rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right, Sandburg."
"I'll see you tonight, Chief," Jim called after his friends as they followed the Shaman. He watched them leave the village, his senses extended to listen to them long after they were out of sight. He heard Blair switch to his teaching persona to explain to the captain what he was probably going to do during the ritual.
After assuring himself that the others would be okay, Ellison began preparing for the ceremony he would have to perform. Saying good-bye to the man who had meant so much to him when he had lived with the village. Unconsciously, Jim had dressed in clothing that was similar to what he had worn those many years ago. He had removed his watch and all other things that were a part of his life in Cascade, with the exception of a knife. It was the blade he always carried when he went camping.
Listening, Jim could hear movement in each of the buildings within the village with the exception of one sitting at the far end. The one he knew had once belonged to Incacha. Stepping from his own hut, Jim walked towards that building. He paused outside, standing for a few minutes with his eyes closed. He used a few of the methods Blair had taught him to calm his breathing and clear his mind. When he felt it was right, Jim stepped into the empty building.
There was a feeling in the first room he entered that his former Shaman's presence was there with him. It was a feeling of welcoming and friendship. Closing the door behind him, Jim sank down to sit cross-legged on the floor and then started talking to the spirit he knew was present.
Simon Banks began to notice a change in Blair as the day wore on and the group traveled further away from the village. When they had started that morning, the younger man spoke almost non-stop and moved quickly from subject to subject. He also bounced around like a 2- year-old on a sugar high. Only by looking carefully could he see the nervousness in the other's eyes and the tautness of his body.
But as the day wore on, there was less conversation and a more calm appearance developed. None of the Indians spoke, either among themselves or to the two outsiders. The language barrier was one reason for the lack of interaction, but Simon could also see the concentration on the face of the Shaman leading them. That must be influencing the kid, he thought as he watched the change continue over his friend.
They finally ended their trek early in the afternoon. Through the trees, they could see an open area, but Mantec halted the group about fifty feet away from it. The warrior that had come with them moved off into the trees. The Shaman turned towards Simon and motioned him to stay where he was as he reached towards Blair. But the younger man was already removing his backpack and handing it over to the captain, his whole attention centered on the clearing.
"Blair?" Simon tried to catch his attention as he reached for the offered pack.
Blair's attention stay focused forward. "Don't worry, Simon. This is it! It's all here, man. I can feel it."
"All right. Then go on. I'll be here if you need me." But Blair was already walking forward. He felt a welcoming feeling emanating from the clearing. Almost a calling.
The open area was not a very large clearing, no more than about twenty feet across at its center. It was clear of any vegetation, like it had been scoured clean, but there wasn't any marks in the ground. There was also a hushed silence encompassing the whole area.
With Mantec and the young boy following, Blair unconsciously circled the edge of the clearing in a clockwise path. After making a second trip around, he finally moved towards the center and stopped with the afternoon sun to his left. The Shaman moved in front of him and sat down with the boy and his drum behind him. Blair continued to stand but closed his eyes and began to take deep, relaxing breaths to calm the excitement that was coursing through his body.
For several minutes, the only sound that could be heard was Blair's steady, rhythmic breathing. Then Mantec closed his eyes and matched the breathing with his own. Without any signal, the boy started drumming a slow steady beat.
For Blair, when he had closed his eyes, a blanket of peace settled over him almost immediately. He could feel his body relaxing and his mind start to float as he reached a much deeper meditative state than he had ever been. Without guidance, he slowly spun around and then sank down to lie flat on the ground, his head to the north were Mantec sat. The drumming gave him a focus, a path to follow to keep his mind from floating aimlessly, and any awareness of the surroundings completely faded away.
Blair opened his eyes and found himself alone in an area that seemed familiar but was no place he ever remembered being. At least physically.
"Hello?" he called out looking around.
"I am here," came the reply from behind him. Spinning around, Blair saw Mantec coming through the brush towards him.
"Oh, hi. When did you learn to speak my language? Or am I speaking yours?" Hearing English startled him.
"In this place, all language is a common one. We speak neither and both. Welcome. You traveled well to here."
"Traveled where? What is this place? I know I've been here before but I can't remember when."
"This is the underworld. Only a Shaman has the ability to travel here without a guide. I have been looking for you and you arrived before I did." The Shaman walked up to Blair and, with a smile, placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did not need me, young Shaman. You already knew how to get here."
"How did I get here?"
"Look within. You have come to where you need to be. There is someone waiting for you. Call to him." Mantec then turned and moved back into the trees.
"Someone is looking for me? Who? Damn, I hate it when people go cryptic. Wait!" Blair called after the retreating figure. He started to chase after the man when he heard the howl of a wolf off to his left. With any other person, that sound would have caused some feelings of apprehension. Normally, Blair too, would have been concerned and a little scared. But this time, he felt a surge of joy. So he waited, listening to the soft sounds of something moving through the brush towards him.
"Hey, here I am," he called when he heard the figure pause in the brush. He didn't have to wait very long.
With its ears pointed forward and tail held high, a large silver wolf emerged from the foliage and trotted up to Blair until it was only about 10 feet away. It looked nervously at him and hesitated to move any closer. Bright, yellow eyes stared anxiously into deep, blue ones.
Blair carefully released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and relaxed. He thought he could see friendship and trust in the eyes staring at him. The wolf must have seen the same thing in Blair's eyes and he relaxed, sat down and gave what could only be called a 'wolfy grin.' Moving his arms slightly away from his body and lifting his hands with palms outward, Blair closed his eyes and said, "I accept." With a joyful bound, the wolf leaped up and towards the man, vanishing into his body.
With a large gasp, Blair's eyes flashed opened and he jerked into a sitting position, coming back to awareness in the clearing with Mantec. The boy had just finished drumming, ending with four sharp beats.
As Blair slumped back down and stretched himself out onto the ground, Simon moved into the clearing with the backpacks. An expression of concern was clearly on his face. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, wow," was the first words Simon thought he heard. The younger man's eyes were closed again and he looked exhausted.
"Sandburg?" Simon knelt down beside the other and lightly grabbed his shoulder.
Blair opened his eyes slowly and turned to focus on the man beside him. "Hey, Simon."
"Hey, yourself. What happened? This thing work?"
"Oh, yeah. It was like no. It wasn't like anything I have every felt. He came. I called, he came and now he's with me here." Blair tapped his chest then raised an arm.
"Your ghost whatever guide?" Simon took the arm and helped him sit up.
"Spirit guide. Yeah. Help me stand up, will ya? I don't think I can do it myself right now and I feel like I've been laying on a sharp boulder."
Simon took a better hold of the arm and, moving behind and supporting the smaller man's back, pulled him to his feet. He held on for a while longer until he was sure Blair was steady on his feet. "You sure you should be doing this now? Maybe you need to rest just a bit."
"No, man. I've got to get back to Jim. He's going to need some support tonight after what he's had to do." Blair took his pack from the other and reached for the canteen.
Simon just shook his head in exasperation. "I swear you two deserve each other. Well, at least let's get some food into you. It has been a while and Jim would kill me if I let you go chasing back to the village in this condition."
"How long was I gone?" There was surprise in Blair's voice. He felt like it had only been 15 or 20 minutes but the way the water had felt going down his throat, it must have been longer.
"You didn't go anywhere. But it looked like you were asleep for about three hours."
"Damn, we've got to get moving. It'll be dark before we get back." As Blair turned towards Mantec, there was a rifle shot from the direction of the village.
Grabbing the younger man's arm, Simon propelled him forward in the opposite direction of the noise and ran behind him. "Move!" The Shaman had already grabbed the young boy and led the way into the jungle.
"Where's the guy that was with us?" Blair yelled back at Simon as he chased after the two Indians.
"Just keep moving! I'm going to swing back around and see who's there." Simon shouted back and finally pulled out his service weapon he had been digging for through his pack as they ran.
"Simon!?" Blair slowed down and looked back at the police captain.
"Just go!"
Mumbling a few curse words, Blair turned back and ran after the others. More curses came out when he realized that he could no longer see Mantec before him and more shots came from behind. Suddenly, a rifle butt came out of nowhere and smashed into his face. With blackness crashing in, he collapsed into a dazed heap.
At the Village - Early Evening
He had been silent for a long while, his voice tired and his throat raw from all the talking. He felt at peace knowing that the spirit he had been speaking to had accepted his words and was no longer present. Jim Ellison felt relaxed and relieved. The one-sided conversation had been hard. Jim knew that just saying 'thanks' and good-bye was not going to work. He had to talk to Incacha. So he did.
Jim had bared his sole to the spirit of his former Shaman, telling about the pain and hopelessness he had felt those days alone after the helicopter crash. The anger that had come afterward, being forced to live and become productive for himself and the tribe. Jim asked for forgiveness and forgave for this time.
Then he spoke about what had happened after he had gone back into the world. "I had suppressed or lost my ability to be a Sentinel, had barricaded up my heart and froze my emotions. I had basically become a robot, a dead thing, until three years ago. Then this person entered my life in the strangest of ways, Incacha, and when I had needed him most. My Sentinel abilities had exploded awake, were threatening to destroy me because I couldn't remember all that you had taught me. I didn't have you around to help me this time. So, I went searching for someone who could tell me what was happening and help me This young person I finally found had a lifestyle and way about him that could not have been more opposite to my current way of living. But, he gave up his own future to help me become human again, to become a Sentinel, and to also become my best friend. I thank you, Incacha, for releasing me from the tribe on your death bed, though I grieved greatly at your passing. But most of all, I thank you for choosing Blair Sandburg to be my new Shaman."
With those final words, Jim thought he felt hands on his head that was bowed in exhaustion. The hands seemed to cup Jim's head softly, pressed slightly, and then were lifted. Jim lifted his head and looked around the room but any presence he had felt earlier was gone. Incacha had accepted his release.
Jim pulled himself up and turned to walk out of the building when he felt a sharp pain in his head that threatened to send him back to the ground. Grabbing his head, Jim extended his senses out as far as he could without risking a zone-out. From one direction, he could feel the Chopec's Sentinel moving quickly towards the village. From the opposite direction, he could sense that feeling of Alex's presence. It was closer than he had felt since arriving in Peru, and it was in the direction Blair and Simon had gone.
"Blair," he gasped in fear and ran to his lodge. Grabbing a canteen of water and his pack, Jim hurried out and towards the jungle. He pulled up short when he heard his Chopec name called. It was Oneki, jogging into the village with one of his warriors behind him.
"The evil one is here and threatens the village, Inqueri," the Indian said in Chopec when he'd reached the other Sentinel.
"I have felt her, too. I think she is with my friends. She will try to kill my Shaman." The cold anger that blazed from Jim's eyes brought a smile to the face of the other. With a nod, he motioned the Indian following him and the three set a steady jog into the jungle.
Still Early Evening
The darkness slowly receded, but the throbbing pain in Blair's head, and especially along his right cheek, stayed. He could feel a thick liquid flowing from the painful facial area back towards his hair. Raising a hand to feel what the damage was to his face, he thought he heard an angry growl as footsteps approach. With a low moan, Blair rolled to lay flat on his back and carefully opened his eyes. The sight of the person standing over him caused his heart to jump and speed up. He tried to shift away.
"Hello, Blair. It's good to see you looking so alive." The sound of a throaty voice confirmed who he saw.
"Alex," was all Blair could gasp before he felt strong hands grab the front of his shirt and drag him to his feet. When he tried to struggle backwards, one hand released the shirt and slapped him sharply across the face, connecting with the damaged cheek. The darkness threatened to return.
"Jorge! You'll be the one to carry him if you do any more damage," barked Alex, causing Blair to look at the one holding him. It was a man he had never seen but obviously Peruvian and definitely larger than him. He had a single scar running from his left temple to his jaw line, making him look sinister.
"What do you want, Alex? There's nothing here for you to steal." Blair tried to sound brave but his cracking voice betrayed the fear he felt.
Alex started walking back towards the clearing and Blair was dragged along by the man holding him. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. Why are you and Ellison here? Looking for something?" Blair remained silent, his mind raced to think of a way to escape.
"You looked surprised in seeing me here. Ellison knew I was here as much as I knew he was. There's another of our kind here, too but he's not that clear." Alex stopped walking and looked carefully at Blair. "I'm sorry about what I did back in Cascade. But I needed some way of slowing down Ellison and the rest of the police force."
"Yeah. I'm sure you cried your eyes out." Blair's sarcastic remark caused a flash of anger in the woman's eyes. Spinning around, she continued walking.
"You never questioned the money that the university suddenly received to fund this trip, did you? Or who the mysterious benefactor to the Anthropology department was? I needed you here to help me get into the temple. Ellison coming along was a given, but I didn't expect the Captain of Cascade's Major Crimes division."
As Blair was brought into the clearing, he saw a body laying face down a short distance away. A second Peruvian stood over the unconscious man holding a police revolver and a rifle. "Simon!" Blair cried out and broke away from the man holding him. He ran over to the body and fell to his knees, praying the other was still alive. He was only able to see a bleeding head wound and feel his friend's pulse before he felt a hand grab him by the hair and yank him back up. Another hand latched onto a wrist that was twisted behind him.
"Leave him alone, Alex. He's not a part of this," Blair said through clenched teeth, struggling against the man holding him.
Cocking the hammer back on her pistol, Alex pointed toward Simon's head. "Give me what I want, Blair and I might just let him live. Otherwise ."
Blair froze at those words. It was the scene from his dream and he knew the woman wouldn't hesitate to kill his friend if he refused. "Anything you want. Just don't hurt him," he pleaded.
Alex just smiled and turned to walk out of the clearing. "Just remember, Blair. I can come back and kill him if you give me any trouble.
Jim, I hope you felt her this close to the village. I really need you, man. Blair prayed fervently as he was pulled away from Simon and after Alex. She gestured to the other man and he moved in behind Blair and his captor after taking one last look at the unconscious man.
At a steady pace, it still took Ellison almost four hours to reach the clearing he knew had been used for Blair's ceremony. It was getting dark and he could pick up the smell of his partner's herbal shampoo easy enough, just as he was also able to smell the residue from Simon's cigars. Using caution, Jim approached the area, hearing the heart beats of three people ahead: two adults and that of a young child. Neither of the adults, he could tell with certainty, was Blair's. Carefully he peered through the foliage.
The sight that met his eyes brought him quickly out of the brush. Simon Banks was sitting up but not too steady, blood smeared along his right temple. Holding him up was Mantec on one side and the young boy on the other.
"Simon?" Jim knelt in front of his captain and gently lifted his head high enough to look into the man's eyes. "Can you understand me? Where's Sandburg?"
"Jim. I there were gun shots." Simon looked around the clearing with a confused look then clenched his eyes shut with a groan. "Where'd the kid go?"
With a sigh, Jim sat back on his heels. "It was Alex, Simon. She must have taken him. Do you know why? What does she want him for?"
"He said he found his spirit guide," Banks mumbled and covered his face with his hands. "Wouldn't even rest enough to get his strength back. Said you would need him tonight. We heard gun shots and I circled back after sending Sandburg ahead with the Shaman here. Something hit my head and I woke up with these two staring at me."
Ellison looked up when he felt the approach of Oneki along with his warrior. The Chopec Sentinel moved to his Shaman and spoke a few words. The Indians looked very angry.
"They found the body of the warrior who came with you. Dead. He was shot." Jim said as he stood back up. He then spoke to Mantec and pointed at Simon. The Shaman pointed off to the jungle in the direction Blair was taken.
"She dragged him off with her that way. I have to go after them before she tries to kill him again. Are you going to be all right?"
"I'm fine. You've called me hard headed once or twice and I guess this just proves it. Help me up. I'm coming with you." Simon tried to stand up but didn't have the strength.
"No sir. You're bleeding from the head wound and one pupil is slightly dilated. That means a possible concussion. You'll never be able to keep up with us." Jim's blunt statement caused Simon to look sharply up at his detective. "You need to be with us at the temple so I'm not really leaving you behind. Mantec will help you get there. Okay?"
"She has help, Jim. At least one, maybe two men."
"She'll need an army to stop me this time, Simon. It's going to end here." Jim gave his boss a look that ended any further conversation.
God, I hope he's never that angry with me, Simon thought as he watched Jim and the Chopec Sentinel jog out of the area.
For the third time, Blair stumbled over something on the ground he wasn't able to see. And for the third time he was yanked back up by the rope connected to the bindings on his wrists. It caused a painful cry to escape his mouth before he could stop it. Showing pain only caused his captors to laugh and give the rope another yank. The skin under the bindings had tore the first time he had tripped. The last two stumbles had mostly caused pain but blood now dripped from his hands more frequently.
The larger of the two goons, Jorge, had laughed cruelly when he had tied Blair's hands tightly together. It was a precaution to prevent him from trying to escape again. After they had traveled about an hour away from the clearing, when he had thought they weren't paying too much attention to him, Blair had tried to make a dash into the jungle. Unfortunately, he had been caught quickly and was dragged none to gently back to the trail. He had received a painful black eye from that attempt and it was decided that something was needed to prevent a reoccurrence. Jorge had come up with the idea of tying him but he wanted the rope to be around Blair's neck. Alex vetoed that and ordered his hands tied. Complaining about the ropes pinching only caused the knots to be tightened more. And when he had demanded a drink of water, Jorge had backhanded him again. Only then had Alex stepped in.
"I said no damage! Do you understand?" Her angry glare caused Jorge to lose the sneering smile he had been wearing. Both men to drop their eyes in fear.
"Do they know what you did to your last partner? He won't get out of ja " Alex's small but strong hand, grabbing Blair by the throat, stopped any further talking and threatened to cut off his air supply.
"I need you alive and fairly coherent, Blair. But there are ways to inflict great pain and still meet those requirements. I want to hear nothing out of you unless you're asked. Clear?" She tightened her grip to make her point, causing her captive to struggle for air, and then released him. Blair staggered back a few steps, gasping to get his breath back. He knew it had been risky trying to goad the woman, but it was worth it by the looks her henchmen gave her as she started forward through the jungle again.
Divide and conquer, as Jim would say, Blair thought as he was dragged forward again.
That had been a few hours ago and it was definitely past dusk now. Alex had set a fast pace while it had been fairly light and did not slow down as the darkening sky made it harder for the rest to see where they were going. Blair knew that Alex was having no problem seeing and her two partners had flashlights pointed towards their feet. But for him, it was a growing problem to stay on his feet and keep the rope to his bindings slack. To top it all off, he had not had any food since the piece of fruit that morning and no water since being captured and taken further away from the village and Jim.
Jim. Where is he? Does he know what was happening? Had he found Simon? Oh, God. Can he even catch up with us before we reach the temple? The thoughts swam around Blair's tired mind as he stumbled along.
A large branch suddenly smashed into Blair's chest, knocking him backwards to the ground. His head snapped back and struck the dirt sharply, causing the darkening surroundings to go completely black and bright stars to appear for a few moments. He then felt his face being slapped.
"Wake up!" Alex hissed at the groggy man and pulled him up into a sitting position.
"Please," Blair croaked. "Some water?"
Alex snapped her fingers at the man holding the rope and he quickly handed her a canteen. She took off the cap and tilted the opening into Blair's mouth. Instead of feeling lukewarm water, a fiery liquid burned down his throat. Blair choked, coughed and tried to turn his head away but Alex forced more into his mouth. He could feel the heat of whatever it was she had given him blaze down his esophagus, splash into his stomach, and spread through the rest of his body. The headache he had from hitting the ground disappeared and the burning pain of his wrists faded with the whole area becoming numb.
"Wha what was that?" Blair finally choked out after he was able to catch his breath. His mouth had a hard time forming the words.
"Not bad, huh? Just a little brew I was able to pick up in the Yucatan. Too much can almost paralyze a person for hours though they're still awake and can think. Just enough only takes away any stiffening, soreness and clears the mind. Like it?" She swished the canteen in front of Blair's face. "I can give you just enough to keep traveling for a few more hours without struggling."
Blair could feel his body relaxing, similar to when he knew he had had too much alcohol to drink, and he was unable to fight from swallowing more of the drink. Despite the drunken feeling, which was also impairing his ability to speak, his mind had cleared and he was able to think.
Alex stood up and turned away. "We're almost there. Can you feel it, Blair? It'll all be over before you know it. Bring him." The last she said to the two men and started walking again.
Jorge tried yanking at the rope to make Blair stand up but he barely flinched since he couldn't feel any pain from his wrists. The other man bent down and, grabbing him under the shoulders, hoisted Blair to his feet. He kept a hand under an arm and moved the drugged man forward.
He couldn't put up any resistance. His body was able to stand up, and walk, but Blair felt detached from it. With his mind being more clear, it was whirling frantically to think of ways to escape. But he couldn't make the rest of him do the actions his brain was screaming for him to try. The only good thing was the numbing of the pain he was experiencing.
With the exhaustion removed from his mind, Blair was able to take a better look around him despite the darkness. He could tell that they were moving on a downward path and a river with some type of waterfall was not too far away. Hearing it was making him thirsty. There was also a feeling in the air that he hadn't noticed before. It was something akin to a low level electrical charge that was growing as they continued walking. Like walking around high voltage towers but with a direction.
But he also realized that the best part of having his head clear was the strong feeling he was getting that Jim was following. He could 'feel' that they were connected in a very special way. Blair knew that if he were only able to escape, he could have made his way to his Sentinel without a compass or map. His spirit crowed it's delight at this new ability.
After another hour of walking, Alex stopped abruptly and muttered low curses. When he was ushered up to where she was standing, Blair could see that the ground looked as if it dropped off sharply and below was the waterfall he had heard earlier.
"Shit!" came a slurred curse and Blair stumbled back from the ledge. His fear of heights was not eliminated by the drink given to him earlier and its effects were starting to wear off. If his hands hadn't been tethered, he would have run off. He continued back until his bindings stopped him.
"What's wrong? What do you see?" Alex demanded, seeing her prisoner cowering back.
"I can't do heights!" Blair almost shouted, struggling to move back farther. "Kill me now but I can't go down that way."
Jorge gave the rope a vicious yank, causing Blair to jerk forward. "You come now," the man growled.
Blair collapsed to the ground, violently trembling and shaking his head in a negative motion. "No, no, no " he could be heard mumbling as he scooted back away from the ledge.
With an angry snarl, Jorge pulled a pistol from his waist band and pointed it at the frightened man. Blair closed his eyes and waited for the shot. It came, but he didn't feel the slam of a bullet. Instead, the rope pull on his hands went slack and, looking up, he saw the scarred Peruvian fall into the brush.
"Stupid!" Alex spit out, holding her recently fired pistol. She looked at the other man who looked back at her with no expression on his face. "Are you going to disobey my orders and give me any problem?"
"No, Senorita. Just one less to share the treasure," he replied with a shrug and a toothy grin.
She nodded back and tucked her pistol back into her belt. "We'll stay here and wait for light. There's a trail down but why risk an injury. Ellison's still pretty far away and the temple's not going anywhere. Right, Blair?"
"You can't go there, Alex." Blair replied, trying to calm himself back down. The fear he had just experienced seemed to push the drugged feeling away. "You don't have the necessary people to safely go there."
"Why not? I have a shaman now. That is what your little performance was for earlier, wasn't it? Confirming your role for the ritual? Otherwise we would have taken you in Lima."
"I doubt it. Jim wouldn't have let you get that close to us."
"Oh, I wouldn't have been anywhere in the area. All that would have been needed was a little distraction to separate the three of you. You really are quite naive. It's too bad you have such high morals. We could have made a great couple." Alex brush her hand down Blair's cheek in a lazy caress. When he pulled back, she just laughed, turned to take off her pack and sat away from the edge.
Not hardly, lady. I'm not that hard up. A shudder of revulsion ran though Blair's body. He then noticed the actions of Alex's other partner. He had stripped Jorge's body of anything useful and was dragging it away from the group. Blair swallowed hard thinking that it could have been his body that was being dragged off into the brush. Despite his earlier request to be killed rather than go over the cliff, he was thankful to only be an observer of the scene and not a part of it.
"It still won't work, whatever you're trying to do."
"Why? What is this special ritual that is needed to get in?" Alex asked.
Blair sighed. "I don't know. There's nothing that's ever been written about the actual ceremony, only who the participants have to be. All I know is that the Sentinel is not supposed enter without their Shaman and I am not your Shaman. They enter the temple with the blessing of their tribal leader and travel to complete their bonding. Why is this so important to you, Alex? You already have the abilities."
"I think you're right on the number of people required but wrong on who they need to be. Three is the magic number and the main characters are a Sentinel, me, and a Shaman, you. Carlo makes up the third person of a triad. And with most if not all 'sacred' temples, there are shrines set up with treasures. This score will set me up so that I'll never have to work again. These crazy senses can just fade away. I'll never need them again."
"It's doesn't work that way. Jim's tried twice to suppress them and both times they came back. And you don't know for sure if there is any treasure here, do you? This temple is not like the others. It's special for a very special ceremony. Not any religious worship to some deity.
Alex stared at Blair for several minutes and he met her gaze in the darkness, refusing to look away. "Get some rest. It'll be light in a few hours." Then she laid back against her pack and closed her eyes. Carlo came back to the area and, wrapping the tether to Blair around his arm, also laid down to sleep.
With a heavy sigh, Blair leaned back onto his pack. With his hands tied, he couldn't remove it and he knew that Alex would not let him be untied.
I know you're coming, Jim. Please, just get here before anything happens, okay?
Day Six - Dawn
Ellison knelt beside a stream to catch his breath and splash water on his face and back of his neck. The sky was starting to lighten up and the intense traveling he had just performed was starting to wear on him. He had now been awake for over 24 hours and half of the time moving through the jungle. Oneki had provided some meat strips to chew on while they had been jogging but he just wasn't hungry. His thoughts were on Sandburg and what might be happening to his friend. Alex had almost killed the young man before when Jim had been chasing her in Cascade. Would she try to do it again here to divert him? He had to splash more water against his face to rid his mind of the picture of finding Blair's body on the trail and being too late this time.
NO! he thought firmly. Blair's alive and I'd know if he wasn't. Jim could feel some type of connection with his roommate that was almost constant since yesterday. There had been flashes in the past, mainly when the kid had gotten himself into trouble. But this was different now. Stronger. It had started soon after he had felt Incacha's spirit depart. He could now tell that Blair had some injuries but they weren't life threatening. This awareness was drawing him like a magnet to his partner.
Jim was also aware of feeling something more as he and Oneki closed the distance with those they pursued. The tension in the air was growing and the jungle was beginning to look and feel familiar. He knew they were getting close to the Temple of the Sentinels. Jim had asked Oneki about the location and other things about it, knowing for certain that was where Alex was taking Blair. But the other Sentinel refused to speak about it.
"That is for you and your Shaman," was all Jim could get. He now knew how Sandburg felt each time Jim would refuse to discuss a topic. Frustrated.
Standing up and glancing at the Indian, Jim saw that the other was ready and waiting to continue. Both felt that their journey was almost over. Alex was not that far away, but she probably knew how close they were as well. The two in pursuit would have to be more cautious if they wanted to rescue Sandburg, but also if they wanted to stay alive.
Looking down into the chasm was almost easier in the morning light, but not much. What had looked like a sheer drop off in the dark was in fact a steep trail hidden by over growth. Blair had started to protest about having to go down it with his hands tied, but Alex ended the argument by forcing more of the Yucatan drink down his throat before he could voice a complaint. His mind was almost screaming in terror as his body complacently followed the woman down the trail into the chasm.
When the group was over half way to the bottom, Alex stopped and looked up toward the top of the chasm with a snarl on her lips. When Blair followed her gaze, he saw two figures looking down at them. Despite the distance, he knew that one of them was his partner and relief flooded through him. Jim had arrived as he had hoped and expected. In the back of his mind, he thought he could hear the angry scream of a large jungle cat that was answered by the howl of a wolf. As if each were calling to the other.
Alex jerked hard at the rope tying Blair's hands, causing him to stumble up to her and onto his knees. Despite the amount of drug in his system, he could definitely feel the ropes cutting in his already raw wrists.
"They've come to stop us from getting the treasure." It was all Alex said to her partner. Shrugging off the pack he was carrying, the large man pulled a 9mm pistol from his belt with one hand and a large knife from his boot with the other. Stepping off the path, Carlo disappeared into the jungle.
"Jim!" Blair started to call out when a fist smashed into his jaw, knocking him the rest of the way to the ground. Alex stood over him and pointed her pistol at his face.
"Get up and move. Ritual or not, you say one more word and I'll kill you here. Ellison won't be able to save you this time." Her voice was low and full of fury.
Grimacing in pain, Blair rolled to his side and pushed himself up. Blood was now dripping freely from his wrists and he could also taste it in his mouth. As he stood up, a large knife appeared in front of his eyes. Before he could pull back very far, Alex cut the lead rope off, leaving his hands still bound tightly together. She then grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him forward, making him jog down the trail in front of her.
Ellison relaxed slightly when he saw his partner alive, though still a captive. He could tell that the young man wasn't hurt too bad despite seeing the cut and bruises on his face and the bleeding wrists. He was worried about the amount of blood the other might have already lost. He had been smelling it on the trail for quite some time.
Seeing the tall Peruvian with Alex moved off into the brush, the two Sentinels started down the path into the chasm. They were able to track the man easy enough despite his stealth. Jim heard Blair call his name to warn him but his voice was cut off with the sound of flesh meeting flesh. Keep it up, Alex, and I won't even try to take you back alive.
When the two Sentinels heard the Peruvian nearing their position on the trail, Jim indicated to Oneki that he would move around to the right and back. The other Sentinel nodded and moved off the trail to the left. As if coordinated, both froze behind trees and waited for the man to pass them. When he did, Oneki stepped from behind his tree with a rustle of leaves and then quickly back. The man turned quickly, firing his gun at the now empty area. It was the last thing he did. Smelling Blair's blood on the man, Jim moved up silently behind Carlo and, with a quick twist, snapped the man's neck and dropped the body to the ground. The only thing that had been on his mind was what the man might have done to injure his friend. Jim's instinct to protect Blair had flared in him.
Oneki moved out from behind his tree again and looked at the body then at Ellison. With a satisfied nod, the Chopec turned and moved back to the trail and continued down. He had also smelled blood on the man but did not see any wounds. It was a good thing to repay harm done to your Shaman, the warrior thought with a smug smile.
Alex kept her hand on her captive's back, keeping him moving forward at a quick pace onto the flat ground at the bottom of the chasm. When they had both heard the gun shot, Blair had tried to turn around but Alex prevented the movement by poking him hard in the ribs with her gun. She had heard the other sound that Blair hadn't. What followed almost immediately after the shot was the sharp, crisp snapping sound of a neck being broken. There was no one standing between her and Ellison now, but that was okay. She had finally reached her goal and wouldn't be stopped.
The trail had ended at the waterfall. At first it looked like there was just a solid wall of rock that stretched under the crashing water. By using her enhanced eye sight, Alex could see through the illusion. Grabbing Blair by the collar, she shoved him over to the left, around and behind the edge of the falling water, a few feet along a ledge and then into an almost invisible crevice. They were only slightly dampened by the misting backside of the falls.
The coolness of the cave was a shock after the steaming heat of the jungle. Blair just stood numbly in the darkness, his eyes slowly adjusting to the change in the light. Alex was also dazed but for another reason. The moment she had moved through the crevice and into the cavern, her eyes were dazzled by sparkling lights, her ears assaulted by the calliope of drums and warrior chants. Releasing Blair's shirt, she tried to cover her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Tried to control her senses the way she had been taught by her captive back in Cascade. It was not working.
To Alex, something in the cave was attacking her senses. But to Blair, he felt like he was being watched. It was by someone or something he couldn't see, but there wasn't any feeling of hostility, only curiosity. Feeling no threat, he automatically relaxed and it wasn't because of the drug that was fading from his system. He looked over and saw Alex struggling.
"You have to leave, Alex, or your senses are going to overload. You're not welcome here. Let me go and I'll help you out." Blair slowly backed away from the woman.
Opening her eyes to barely a squint, Alex quickly reached out and caught Blair's arm before he was able to back out of the cave. "I have you with me. It'll work. Help me get control or I'll kill you." She punctuated her words by dragging him back up beside her.
"I'm not supposed to be here now. I can't help you and killing me will do nothing to stop whatever is happening to you. I told you, I'm not your Shaman. And I have not, do not, and will not chose you as my Sentinel, Alex. I have chosen Jim." The quiet forcefulness of Blair's voice caused Alex to pause. His eyes told her he would never help her and would accept whatever she did to him.
"Then to hell with you," she spit at him and swung her hand holding the pistol. The barrel smashed into Blair's left temple, throwing him back against the wall near the entrance where he collapsed unconscious. With a maniacal look in her eyes, Alex turned and moved farther into the cave.
Jim heard Blair's last words to Alex when he finally reached the floor of the chasm. Damnit, Chief! You don't antagonize someone if you're trying to get free from them. Moving to the waterfall, he also saw past the illusion and moved to go into the entrance.
"Inqueri," Oneki called out. "Only go far enough to find your Shaman and return. You must wait for your Chief to truly enter."
Not knowing how he understood why he had to obey the warning, Jim carefully stepped around to the back of the waterfall and went in through the hidden opening. Ignoring the sharp coolness of the air, he tried to adjusted his sight but the area remained dark. Rubbing his eyes he looked around for Sandburg. He found the unconscious man in the dim light laying against a wall not far from the entrance. He could feel the charged energy within the air, like there was something going to happen.
Shaking off the feeling that he was being watched, Jim quickly moved forward and knelt by the still body of his friend. Hesitating to touch him, Jim first tried to listen for Blair's heart beat but he couldn't get his hearing to work either. It felt like he had cotton stuffed into his ears. Frustrated, he reached forward and felt for a pulse. Finding it with a sigh of relief, the older man carefully shifted Blair up and around until he had him sitting up against the wall.
"Sandburg?" Jim spoke softly and patted the other man's cheek. "Blair? Come on, Chief. Open your eyes." Feeling gently around the others head, Jim felt the growing lump on the temple but could tell that the skull wasn't fractured. The cheek with the gash, however, did feel like it could be cracked.
"We have to leave, Blair. Can you hear me?" There was no reaction from the other. Jim was fearful of moving his unconscious friend but he also knew that they could not stay in the cave. The feeling of being watched was getting stronger and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Being as careful as possible with the injuries, Jim pulled Blair up into a standing position, gently folded the limp body over his shoulder, and quickly moved back towards the entrance and out into the sunlight of the hot jungle.
Jim carried Blair back to the base of the trail where there was plenty of shade and Oneki was waiting. Gently, he lowered his friend to the ground and started taking a better assessment of his injuries. Strangely enough, his heightened senses returned as soon as he stepped away from the waterfall. Jim could hear that Blair's heart was beating strong and steady and see the purpling bruises forming on Blair's temple and the ones already on his eye and jaw line. The gash on the cheek wasn't bleeding but it was swollen and an angry red shade. The Chopec Sentinel was already applying a cloth he had taken from Ellison's pack, soaked with water from the nearby stream, to the head injuries. This allowed Jim to turn his attention to the more serious area, Blair's wrists.
Thankful that his partner was unconscious, Jim pulled his knife from its sheath, carefully cut the blood soaked ropes and peeled them off the wrists. Blair moaned and tried to pull his hands out of Jim's. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around fuzzily until his gaze locked onto his Sentinel.
"Jim," he said, relief flooding his voice. "I knew you'd come after me." Blair again tried to pull an arm away from the gentle grip holding it. He wanted to touch the man bending over him to confirm what his eyes were seeing. But the movement caused him to hiss in pain. Circulation was returning to his hands.
"Easy, buddy. Your wrists are pretty mangled." Ellison kept a firm hold on the young man's arms. "How are you feeling otherwise? Does your head hurt?"
"Besides not wanting to move it, I really don't want to get hit anymore." Blair gave his friend a shaky smile, which changed quickly into a grimace. His head was really starting to pound and everything was starting to get blurry. "I couldn't stop her, Jim. She went on in alone, even though her senses were going haywire. I I told her that I was your Shaman, not hers."
"I know, Chief. I heard everything and it's not your fault." Ellison placed his hand on the other's forehead, feeling a slight fever. "Think you can take some water?"
"I told her I'm your Shaman," Blair continued, not hearing the question asked. He was so tired and his head hurt less when he closed his eyes. "We have to go back in. They're waiting for ." He tried to force more words out but faded back into unconsciousness.
"Shhhh, buddy. We will go back in. We just have to wait for Simon. Blair?" Jim placed his had on his friend's chest and felt the slowing of the man's respiration and heart. Now I won't hurt him so much when I clean these wrists. Ellison thought as he reached for the First Aid kit in his pack.
Day Seven - Early Morning
Blair couldn't decide what felt better when he floated back to consciousness, the taste of the cool water being drizzled i