Muriel stopped to watch the warriors on the field. Some were leaping over obstacles, others scaling walls, still others swinging along ropes. To the far right was an honest to Goddess train caboose with cables attached. A team of six warriors struggled to drag the train down the track.
Her gaze lifted to the high ceiling. How had they even gotten that thing in here?
She imagined Daniel out on that field...flying over the hurdles, swinging across the ropes, scaling the wall, or dragging the train. He must have loved this place...loved the exertion...loved the challenge. The blizzard inside her started howling again, ice and wind chiseling away at her soul.
For a second, a fraction of a moment, she saw a luminous shadow in the middle of the field. One standing with confidence and pride and an arrogant cock to his hip...one with dark hair and the ranginess of youth. An echo of her son.
She blinked and the ghostly image disappeared.
A pride of warriors jogged past them, their breathing audible, even though they were a good ten feet away. As the first group passed, a second approached. O’Neill hadn’t exaggerated. The field was packed.
“OurAnisbeccotaught Daniel the warrior ways,” Gracie suddenly said, her back against the wall, her gaze locked on the men scaling the exceptionally tall wall. “Will you teach them to me?”
Muriel twitched. She must have misheard. The warrior ways were not offered to women.
O’Neill shifted to face their daughter, his eyebrows rising. “You want to travel the warrior’s path? Why?”
Gracie’s gaze shifted to meet her father’s. She planted her feet and squared her shoulders, holding his stare. “Because I’ve been gifted a warrior’s spirit. I should know the skills that accompany the spirit claiming.”
Muriel stiffened. “What? No! Baby—”
Her daughter twisted to face her, irritation enveloping her like a sheath. “I amnota baby. I have a wolf for a spirit totem. It is not apet. It’s a warrior’s totem. This means I’m fated to be a warrior.”
O’Neill held up a hand, his palm out. “Not so fast. We don’t know why you were gifted theHo'cee.We don’t know what the great mother has in mind for you. There could be other reasons behind your gifting.”
“He’s right.” Muriel tried to keep her voice steady, even as chills crashed down her spine. A knot twisted her stomach. She’d lost one child to the warrior ways. She refused to lose another. “TheHee'woo'needo not have female warriors.”
Her daughter’s eyes flared. “Maybe they do now. Maybe our great mother is guiding theHee'woo'neein a new direction.”
O’Neill stepped between them and turned to Gracie. “We don’t know what the elder gods are up to. We need more information before making assumptions. Once your spirit gift manifests, we’ll have a better idea of what we’re facing.” His gaze softened. “You have to be patient.”
Gracie’s body deflated. “You aren’t going to teach me the warrior ways?”
His face softened even more than his eyes. “That’s not what I’m saying. Until we know why you were chosen, I’ll teach you self-defense. Everyone should know how to defend themselves. If the warrior ways are in your future, you’ll have your defensive responses fully rooted.”
Before he finished speaking, buzzing erupted from his pocket. He fished his cell phone out, read the screen, and stilled. When he looked back up, his face was hard, his gaze sharp and... glowing. “The strike team needs me. I’ll drop you two off at the clinic.
Muriel and Gracie scrambled to keep up with him as he headed toward the door. Tension and impatience vibrated off him as he raced down the exit ramps and across the base to the clinic.
When they reached the clinic, he stopped the vehicle without parking and waited for them to climb out.
“Will you still be able to train me?” Gracie asked in a small voice, as she hovered next to O’Neill’s shoulder.
“Yes, but I’m unsure when we will start. Things are about to get…complicated.”
With a solemn nod, Gracie backed away and watched him merge back onto the street and continue on his way.
“Great job running him off, Mom,” Gracie spat. “He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me now.”
“His departure had nothing to do with you.” Muriel ignored the accusation. Gracie was lashing out in disappointment; she didn’t believe what she’d said. “He’s a warrior. He got called in to work.”
She hadn’t seen O’Neill’s phone screen, so she didn’t know that for sure, but it seemed like a good guess.
If she hadn’t been certain her daughter would knock her hand away, she would have tried to comfort her, would have cupped her cheek or squeezed her shoulder. But Gracie wouldn’t find those gestures comforting. She’d hate the physical contact.
“Right.” Gracie rolled her eyes. Pivoting, she stalked through the emergency room door. “Like you know anything about him.”
Muriel stood there, breathing through the sting. She’d expected O’Neill to be the prickly one during this reunion, not their daughter. Suddenly, the ER doors opened, and Gracie walked out. The disappointment clouding her face had been replaced by worry.
