Earth(78)

I read the label out loud, "Calendula. What is that?"

"Marigolds in olive oil. One of my most effective home remedies. It's an anti-inflammatory, and an antiviral. Helps with cuts, scrapes, chapped or chafed skin…"

She drifted off as her cat meowed at her. "Ok, ok." She smiled at me. "Abby is telling me to shut up."

Sue unscrewed the lid and dipped a thick cloth into the jar. She spread the healing ointment across my wounds while my eyes scanned some of her other jars. White willow, cayenne, rosemary, plus an entire shelf of peppermint.

"Do many people come to see you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet, though as the manufactured medicine runs out, there'll be more and more." She made one last pat on my wrist with her herb-infused rag and said, "There. Now – do you want me to take a look at this?" She turned over my hand, displaying a burned palm. "I've got an aloe plant."

"No thanks." That wound was at least healing faster than the scar at my shoulder.

She rewrapped my wrist. "Well, at least take a leaf with you – in case it gets worse. Or if it happens again." She winked at me, then walked over to a potted plant behind Micah. Snipping off one of the thick, fleshy leaves, she wrapped it in bandages, too.

She stood to hand it to me, but hesitated. Instead she turned to Micah and said, "A few drops of the oil a couple times a day should do it."

I huffed, sinking down in my seat and crossing my arms.

The door to the shop swung open. "Sue! We've got more burns. Bad ones! Some kid passed out over a cooking fire."

Sue brushed past me, the entire aloe vera plant already in one arm. She stopped to scoop up her cat in the other arm. As she bustled out the door, the cat turned to meow at me once before they disappeared.

"Look, here." Clay walked toward a barrel full of rolled maps and pulled one out, unfurling it on the table in front of me.

"That's not ours – maybe we shouldn't be messing with it." I kept my hands off, lest someone fingerprint the crime.

Clay made a pointed glance at the axe leaning against my side.

"They said I could keep it," my argument was not very compelling. I cleared my throat and pointed to the map in front of me. "Why do we need a map of the world?"

"Because; it's about time to come up with a plan," Micah said, stepping forward to run his hand across the continent of Africa. The tip of his pinky touched the tiny spec of Reunion   Island, just off the coast of Madagascar. My heart lurched at the memory of the small house he had bought for us there.

I wondered what's become of it since Daybreak. Probably occupied by squatters. Maybe even that maid.

There was some satisfaction in knowing the maid would not be able to get to Micah now.

"Kaitlyn, please pay attention," Micah said.

I shook my head, focusing.

"Ok, so if we are equating places on the Earth to chakras on the body – where do they lie?" Clay obviously had been paying more attention to Micah’s lecture than I had.

"Alex mentioned Muladhara," I said, finally getting my head in the game. "The root chakra associated with the element of earth. He thinks The Seven headquarters in Simuelue is the representation."

Micah leaned over me. I inhaled his scent. Cinnamon and pine.

"So if they are each balanced by something else, the next would be Galapagos, halfway around the world," Micah said.

"Manipura," I mumbled. "The stomach of the human body. Radiates willpower and achievement, and is associated with the element of Fire." And that was the last of my knowledge on chakras.

"Two down, five to go," Clay said.

"What about the forest we planted?" asked Micah.

"Indonesia," I pointed. "Ariel reforestation. Could represent the element of Air. I don't know what any more chakra points are though. Where would the balance to Indonesia be?"

"Easter Island," Clay pointed out.

"Easter Island?" I asked, confused. "What—?"

"Down to three," Micah interrupted me, barreling through to a conclusion. "What about Heard and McDonald Islands?"

Clay leaned over the map, brushing the tip of his beard away.

I almost offered to hold it back for him.

"The balance to the island set would be just about where we are now. It's not exact, but…" Clay trailed off.

"But very convenient," I said.

"That leaves one left," Micah breathed, voice low. "Where could it be?"

"Nowhere," I said, leaning back in my chair. "The Seventh is Akasha. You tap into each of these points of power and that is when you attain the most powerful Akasha you could possibly have."