I glanced at Grey Feather, but he sat with his eyes closed, holding space for my journey of witnessing my husband fight.
Roman fell to the ground, and a deadly blade plunged into his belly.
A gasp left my throat. “No! No, no,no!”
I covered my mouth with my palm.
Roman lay dying on the battlefield. Slain Sioux warriors were all around him.
I swayed where I sat, feeling Roman’s life force draining as if it were my own. Now I was living each moment as if I were Roman. My breathing grew labored, and I was no longer aware of my body. Instead, I felt my soul drifting from my skull like smoke.
Someone dragged my body away from the battlefield when I thought I’d be dead.
Is it Marcellious? Yes, I think it is.
After that, as Roman, I was alone, heading toward the fade once more.
A voice yanked Roman’s spirit back into his body.Who is it? I recognize that voice.Roman managed to open his eyes and saw the visage of the mysterious male who had rescued him from Balthazar’s dungeon.
Another gasp left my lips as I zipped back into my own body. I peered at the two images before me.
That’s got to be Eyan Malik. It’s got to be!
Malik held something in his hands, but I couldn’t make it out. Maybe Roman was too weak to comprehend what was happening to him.
The images disappeared like a bubble popping.
“Wait!” I cried out. “I didn’t get to see what happened!”
The chief startled, and his eyes flew open. “Did you see? Where is he?”
I reached for the chief’s shoulder, needing to steady myself. “There was someone with him. Roman was dying, but someone appeared to be helping him. Have you ever heard of Eyan Malik?”
Grey Feather frowned. “Eyan Malik? He’s a myth. No one has seen him. We’ve only heard stories.”
“He’s alive, chief, and I have to find him! He’s got Roman!” I took my dagger from the chief’s hand, hugged him, and thanked him for sitting with me, then I rushed from the teepee.
Marcellious and I had to leave at once. We just had to!
I found Marcellious watching the horse herd graze.
All the horses stood with their heads down, contentedly munching stalks of Big Bluestem. Huge puffy clouds meandered across the horizon behind them.
Marcellious turned to look over his shoulder at me.
“Olivia,” he said once I stood near him. He’d stuck a blade of grass between his teeth, and it bobbed up and down as he spoke. “Why the smile?”
I hadn’t realized I’d been smiling. “We need to head for the Catskills at once. Eyan Malik has Roman.”
Marcellious pulled back his head. “And you know this, how?”
“I saw it! Remember Grey Feather declaring that Roman and I could witness one another through our daggers?”
“Sort of,” Marcellious said.
“Well, it works! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I watched the battle through Roman’s eyes and witnessed him dying. Then, Malik appeared.” My words tumbled from my tongue like a rushing river. “He’s got Roman, and we have to find him!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Marcellious said, holding out his palms. “I’ve been thinking about it. This Malik fellow could be anywhere. You know that. Just because he lives in the Catskills doesn’t mean he’s there right now. It’s a long journey to find that he left for Mississippi, Virginia, or some such.”
