Chapter Seven
From the journal of Abby Lane
Here it is! I’ve discovered the story of what led up to the creation of what the books refer to as the Legend of the Paka Watu. I’ve always wondered where the roots of the story came from. Always so many questions burning my brain and no source for the answers. Until now.
The pride leader lost his young wife during the birth of their child. She labored for hours, but the baby would not come. As she felt her spirit waning, she took a knife to her swollen belly and cut her son free. The whole pride mourned the loss. Even the lands rebelled and famine struck a deeper blow.
That was when a pale mwanamke, or woman, was found in the bush beaten and close to death. The people took her in and nursed her back to health, though some whispered it was another bad omen. She fought many demons as her body and mind struggled to heal. The fever was strong, and many nights they prayed to the Great Creator to watch over and protect her as she fought in the spirit world.
Then she awoke, weak of body and spirit, but alive. And with her waking, the land awoke. The rains began and the people rejoiced. The pride leader came to see her and saw beauty in her heart. Her laughter warmed him, and as his people grew to love her, so did he.
The family of his wife had another daughter and offered her often to take the place of her sister, but though she was beautiful, the leader found no love in her heart and did not wish her to mother his son. He took the pale mwanamke as his, and the Great Creator blessed him with another son with skin pale like his mother and eyes of amber. They called him Tau after the great lion spirit of his father. The land rejoiced with them. Food and water were plentiful, and the people wanted for nothing.
Tau grew big and strong as his father, and more and more the people turned to him for answers when his father was busy or away. Only one sought out the eldest son. The one who felt rejected by the pride leader, the one passed over when the leader took the pale mwanamke instead of her. She plotted vengeance and weaved a web to see it done.
The older brother watched and waited, and as his aunt whispered in his ears, hate festered and grew.
Then came the day when Tau reached manhood and spoke of a dream sent to him in the night by the Great Creator. He was to be blessed with the same spirit as his father, a lion, fierce and strong.
While holding the people spellbound, Tau shifted, taking the shape of the great lion he was named for. The people celebrated, understanding the significance of his spirit guide even if Tau didn’t.
Except for one, who still prayed for his spirit guide to call out to him. He watched and waited, while his aunt whispered in his ear, encouraging his hate to fester and grow.
* * * *
“Abby’s going to need to ride with you guys. It won’t be safe for her on the bike, even with the helmet on. They might have that information and be on the lookout for both of us, even if the news claims it’s only her they’re looking for.”
“I’m not riding without you.” Abby glared at Tah. What the hell was he thinking or was he thinking at all?#p#分页标题#e#
Tah sighed. “And I’m not taking the chance I’ll kill someone if we get pulled over and they try to take you from me.”
“So ride in the truck with me and let Reno or Logan take your bike.”
All three men looked at her as if she was crazy. Reno and Logan she could forgive. They weren’t up on the new Tah and how he took possessive to a whole different level. This idea of her riding with his buddies might seem good now, but he’d busted down the door of the motel room earlier when she was in here with them. He’d get them all killed if jealousy hit him at eighty miles per hour on the road. And it would. Even now, he stood next to her, touching her. Any time they were in the room together, he had to be touching her.
“I’m not letting anyone else ride my bike.”
“Then I’ll ride with you.”
“You’re not riding on the bike, Abby, and that’s final.”
All three male heads turned away from her as if that comment was the end.
“Then you’re not riding on the bike either, and that’s final.”
All three of them jerked back around to look at her, but she had eyes only for Tah. He was pissed; she could see it in the way he slowly turned fully toward her and pulled her closer, lowering his head to meet her eyes.
“What did you say?”
Hmmmm. So possessive was okay as long as it was his decision to keep her glued to his side, but not if she demanded it. If he wasn’t so on edge right now, she might challenge him over it. But that would have to wait until later. She knew they needed to be on the road, putting as much distance between them and Harlan as possible and heading to the safety she hoped they’d find in Colorado.