A Fistful of Dreams Page 9

  “Good morning, children.”

  They chorused a good morning of their own.

  “We’re going to break out into practice in a moment, but first I would like you to go around the group, one a time, and introduce yourselves to Delilah. Like you, she has a Fevered talent, which she must learn to control.” Surprise rippled across their faces. “She will not speak to you at first, until she’s mastered her control, so do not be offended or upset with her. Since Cate already began, Billy, would you go next?”

  The simple, utter confidence in Mariska’s statement filled Delilah with hope. She didn’t share her faith that she would learn to control her abilities or even if she could. Her power was tied to her voice. The only way to control it was to stay quiet. But that isn’t what Mariska said, nor did it seem to reflect her manner…

  “I’m Billy.” The boy closest to her introduced himself. “I grew up here on the ranch. My Pa was the blacksmith.”

  “And do we know what your gift is?” Mariska prodded him.

  He deflated a little, but grinned with a hint of embarrassment. “I make the earth shake.”

  Shock punched Delilah and she stiffened. She fought to keep her expression bland, making a show of pressing a kiss to the back of Cate’s head. The little girl rewarded her with another hug.

  “I’m Tommy. Grew up here, too. I can bring things to me. But I have to be really upset to do it.” His voice cracked in the middle of the statement, deepened briefly and then climbed again. He couldn’t have been more than thirteen. Next came Aaron and Eric, though younger than the first two boys, they spoke in clear, concise tones. Neither knew what, if any, gifts they had. Poor little Eric actually sounded disappointed.

  Three girls were next, the first Sage, nearly a young woman. She didn’t know what she could do nor did Thea. At fifteen, they should be concentrating on sparking with the boys, not discussing what abilities they may be struggling with. The third girl, Sabine, was much younger and she leaned on Thea much the way Cate did on Delilah. Sabine, however, knew what she could do.

  “I can bend light and make it.” She grinned with pride and held a hand up. Light illuminated her palm and added a soft glow to the air around her. It wasn’t very distinct, but the barn wasn’t very dark, either.

  On around the circle they went until Delilah feared she might forget names. The sullen boy was last, and when it came to his turn, he said nothing. He was much older than the others, a few years younger than herself, if she were to guess, and larger than the others, too. Broad shoulders, long legs and a hint of whiskers on his jaw suggested he wasn’t a boy at all.

  “Shane.” Mariska gave him a long, steady look and he rose to his feet. He towered over the group. Buck watched him, but said nothing. Jason strolled up the hallway, but he didn’t intervene.

  “You told her my name, so I don’t have to.” His deep voice didn’t bear any hint of the cracks and whistles of the others. He was definitely grown. Defiance stiffened his posture and unease threaded through Delilah. If the others were worried, they showed no sign of it. In fact, Sage stared at Shane with a glimmer of amusement and something more.

  “Shane, we’ve had this discussion.” Mariska’s tone was mild, too mild. “You don’t have to like participating. But you still have to learn. When you’re ready, you can leave at any time.”

  “Yes well, it’s not like you can make me stay.” A smirk twisted his lips.

  “He’s strong,” Cate whispered in a loud-meant-to-be-heard voice. “If you hit him, you make him stronger. That’s why he’s so mean.”

  “I am not mean.” He scowled at the little girl and Cate shrunk back against Delilah. Furious he would try to intimidate a little girl, Delilah glared at him. She could drop him in one note.

  Don’t. Jason’s voice snapped in her mind before softening. Patience.

  “Enough.” Mariska growled. “You agreed to this. You wish to be treated like a man, act like one. Honor your commitments.”

  Mutiny crackled in the air between the two as they stared at each other. No one moved and Delilah found herself holding her breath. Shane blinked and dropped his gaze. Scuffing his boot against the dirt floor, he sighed. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Shane Lee. I’ll be sixteen in the spring. I grew up here with my family and my strength grows from a lot of things. It makes me angry sometimes—sorry, Catie.” He said the last to the little girl and she gave him the sweetest smile. Despite his harsh attitude and defiance, he didn’t seem to have much of a defense against Cate, because a small grin softened the hard line of his mouth and he nodded to Delilah.

  “Thank you.” And like that, Mariska let him know he was forgiven for the hard words. She motioned to Delilah. “We discussed Delilah this morning, as Buck said. Her voice is very powerful. She can compel people to do what she wishes them to. At least, we think that’s how it works. We’re still testing the theory.”

  Delilah’s heart slammed against her ribs. They accepted her secret without comment or judgment. But she felt exposed and raw. Father never told anyone, not in her hearing, anyway. He rarely introduced her, even if she sat in a room full of familiar faces. Her ability was their secret and should never be shared.

  He would be so angry with her.

  And he is not here. So ignore it. Jason circled the group and leaned against the wall nearer to her.

  You say that like it’s an easy thing. Defeat filled her. I will never be like these children.

  No. You will be yourself. Everyone here has had a hard life, Delilah. You don’t have to be alone anymore.

  She chewed over the thought, but had no response for it. Buck brushed her arm and nodded to Cate. “You need to go practice with Sage now.”

  The little girl wrinkled her nose. “I want to practice with Delilah.”

  No. No. No. She would not subject the little one to losing her will. Not this sweet, kind little soul.

  “I’m afraid Delilah’s not quite ready to practice.” Buck slid off the hay bale and crouched in front of them. His warm brown gaze met Delilah’s. He winked and then returned his attention to the little girl in her lap. “Part of her lesson for today is to see how all of you practice. How you are learning to see what you can do and for those who know, how they are learning control. She can’t very well learn from you if you won’t practice.”

  Cate sucked on her lower lip, and looked up at Delilah. “Okay. I will go practice so you can see how it is done. Will you promise to practice with me when you can?”

  She couldn’t possibly…

  “Of course she does.” Jason answered for her. “But it may be a while, so you will have to be patient.”

  “Okay.” Sunshine filled the little blonde’s smile and she gave Delilah another enthusiastic hug before scooting off and running over to the others. Following her progress, Delilah shook her head slowly. She wished Jason hadn’t made a promise.

  Buck patted her hand. “It’s okay,” he murmured quietly. “I like that she’s already trying to attach herself to you. The little one has a big heart. She loves everyone without reservation. She will be patient. Now, your job is to sit here and watch. If you get cold, move over to one of the fires.”

  Nodding slowly, she closed her fingers around Buck’s hand before he could pull away.

  “It’s okay.” He comforted. “I’m not going far. I have to help. We all take turns teaching because we all see different things. This is your first lesson.”

  Delilah exhaled and nodded. He held her hand a moment longer, stroking his thumb against her palm once before rising and motioning Jason to follow him. The children divided into groups. Some went with Mariska while others flocked to Jason and Buck. Laughter punctuated the air.

  They were having fun.

  The only one who didn’t join in was Shane. The young man studied her for a long moment and walked over. He dropped to sit about a foot away. Buck’s group consisted of Tommy, Billy, and Aaron. They were the least active of the groups. They sat in a circle, facing each other. The three boys
closed their eyes. Buck spoke in too low a tone for Delilah to catch what he said.

  “He’s teaching them some kind of Indian prayer. It’s strange, but calming.” Shane said after a while. “Billy can’t really practice using his power—it makes everything shudder, including the building, and scares the hell out of the horses. So he has to learn how to keep it contained. They say as long as we’re calm and comfortable inside our own skin, the control will come.”

  It made sense. Crossing her legs, she propped her chin on her hand and studied the three boys Buck worked with. Their expressions seemed pretty peaceful. A hollow pop echoed in the air and a length of rope appeared in front of Tommy.

  Tommy’s eyes jerked open and he looked askance. Rather than chide him, Buck laughed and motioned for him to close his eyes again.

  “Tommy grabs things when he’s nervous and whatever he’s thinking about can get pulled to him. He can’t really seem to determine when it will or won’t. He has to work on not thinking about people because no one knows if he could pull a person to him the same way.”

  What a horrifying thought. What if he couldn’t bring them all the way through? Or if he only brought a part of them? Bile burned in the back of her throat and she swallowed.

  “No idea what Aaron can do. He keeps trying all kinds of stuff. Nearly got killed last week trying to stop horses from racing through an open gate.”

  Delilah frowned and lifted her brows questioningly.

  “Mrs. Mill—er Mrs. Kane, she can talk to animals. He wanted to see if the animals would hear him, too.” Shane laughed. It wasn’t a particularly mean sound, but it edged toward dismissive. “He needs to wait. Having some kind of gift isn’t that great.”

  No. No it wasn’t.

  Curious, she studied the younger man. Was he unhappy with his talent?

  But he fell silent and watched the others. She didn’t have much choice but to leave him to his thoughts. Not much of how they were practicing made much sense—the different groups did different things. Buck’s group worked on calm. Mariska’s group—all the girls—laughed and chatted. Jason’s group looked solemn—most of them boys who didn’t know what their gifts were.

  But what she really couldn’t fathom was how any of this was supposed helped her.

  Chapter 8

  Hot air blasted Wyatt with every push of the bellows. The forge glowed deep orange and yellow. Snow piled five and six feet deep outside the barn and ropes strung between the main cabin and the auxiliary buildings meant they could find their way even in a whiteout. He’d been at the forge throughout the night, working out his frustration on a new sword. Sweat slicked his chest and not even the cold air following Quanto in the barn cooled his overheated flesh. He’d stripped out of his shirt and jacket hours before.

  Sliding the metal back into the forge to heat, he spared the older man a mild look. “You shouldn’t be wading through the snow.”

  “I’m not dead yet.” The quiet reprimand echoed against the sizzle of the hot coals in the forge. Wyatt flipped the blade over to heat the other side. The backbreaking work and steady hammering allowed him to vent his temper in a safe, constructive fashion.

  “And I would like to keep it that way.” He slid the metal out and picked up the hammer. Three blows to straighten and he slid it back in. “What’s wrong?”

  The shaman dragged a stool closer to the heat of the forge and sat down. “Nothing is wrong, precisely.”

  “Which means something is wrong and you don’t want to tell me about it.” He pulled the sword out and hammered another three blows to the opposite side.

  “You’re upset with me.” Rarely did the old man show a ruffled exterior to anyone. A deep sense of peace emanated from his soul. A peace Wyatt often wished he could share.

  “I am upset. Not with you specifically.”

  “Misdirection and vague truth is not you, Wyatt.” Of course, he wasn’t fooled by Wyatt’s choice of words. Very little escaped his sharp eyes and sharper wit. His body might be failing him, but his mind was not.

  “I am not upset with you.” He added conviction to the statement. “I am upset at the situation. You knew who it was behind those attacks, we both do. You still managed to keep the information from me. A choice—” Exhaling he shoved the sword back into the heat and reined in his temper. “A choice I respect, but I do not have to like.”

  “Then you will like my next choice even less.”

  Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. His loyalty to Quanto never chafed him so much as it had in recent months. He encouraged Scarlett to examine her choices, was gratified she even had them. He hardly begrudged her the love match she made or the need of their siblings to relocate to the Flying K to be with her. It was the sensible decision—a family forged by the most difficult of times should stay together.

  But they were too far away from him. He couldn’t protect them and Quanto at the same time. And my choice will always be you, old man. Concentrating on the task at hand, he shifted the sword into the water and turned his attention to the shaman. “Tell me.”

  Of all of them, Quanto never seemed put off by Wyatt’s temper—or by Wyatt at all. Decades of friendship withstood his abilities. “The young Kane boy continues to refuse to come to the mountain.”

  Not a surprise. Their one brief meeting left the boy deeply unsettled. He avoided any direct conversations if he could help it. Their next meeting was less eventful—he was unconscious after helping Cody. The singular choice to sacrifice himself for the wolf brother endeared the boy to Wyatt, but his refusal to tame his unpredictable gift would have a very predictable result.

  “He will come in the spring.” If I have to drag him here. Dismissing Kid Kane’s abilities was a mistake they could not afford. They should have made him stay when Quanto met him the first time, but the boy’s fear coupled with the gold situation couldn’t be addressed at the same time. Quanto believed it was better to let Kid go and return when he was ready. The man’s patience, however, needed to be tempered by reality. “That is not what drew you from the house down to the forge.”

  “No.” He shifted on the stool, leaning toward the heat. The light played over his leathery skin. The black hair of his youth turned solid white. “No, it wasn’t. There is trouble at the ranch.”

  Wyatt waited for the explanation and secured his tools. He left the forge blazing. The heat may have had sweat dripping down his back, but it kept Quanto warm.

  “The girl, Delilah, has a siren gift.”

  Clenching his fists, the blacksmith was grateful he’d already set the sword aside to cool. He would likely have snapped the metal in two. “How long have you known?” Of all the gifts to crop up again—one of the few he hoped to never see again.

  “Just in the last couple of days.” The placating tone did little to assuage the quiet rage kindling inside of Wyatt. “She confessed it to Buck and released him from the song she wound around him. Before you get angrier, she didn’t know Buck prowled through her dreams. The other Kane boy—the telepath—knew of her gift and didn’t warn the others.”

  Wyatt could deal with the telepath in time, but the siren… “Quanto, even you have to admit, they should turn her out—now. Before it’s too late.”

  “He won’t. Which is why I waited to tell you. He has feelings for the girl.” A tired sigh escaped the older man, quashing Wyatt’s anger.

  “You should go back to the house and rest.”

  “I am worried about you, my friend. I thought to keep it to myself entirely, but they plan to try and tame her gift. To train her as they were trained.”

  For the first time in nearly fifty years, Quanto stunned him. “Are you serious?” He slammed his fist down, the scalding heat of the forge edge sending pain up his arm, but he welcomed it, and used it to curb his temper.

  “Calmly, Wyatt. They have not your experience, nor your prejudice.”

  “My prejudice?” Shaking his head, he backed away. His hands opened and closed in clenched fists. The last siren nearly
killed Quanto, twisted Wyatt inside out, and cost them more than one ally. Outside the window, the snow continued to drift down. The passes would be closed. He could make it down the mountain, but the horse wouldn’t and he had no guarantee he could make it back up again.

  “It may not be the same thing this time, Wyatt.”

  “Did you at least warn them?” He knew the answer before Quanto shook his head slowly.

  “To warn them would be to plant fear and she would sense it. You know as well as I of the gift’s fragility…”

  “Warn one of them. One of them has to understand if it comes to it, putting a bullet in her will save them all.”

  “And who would you have me give that charge to? Who would be able to do it without pitting brother against brother? They are not foolish wanderers in this, they recognize the potential danger and more—she has refused to talk since arriving on the ranch. She is aware of her influence and seeking to contain it. Katherine did not.”

  “Don’t mention her name again.” This time, Wyatt snapped. The memory of the winsome beauty with her provocative smiles and easy laughter drifted across his mind before he could shut it out. “Can you make it back to the house?”

  He ignored the older man’s outstretched hand and snagged his shirt and jacket off the peg. A walk might cool his temper. Until then, this was a subject they were better off leaving alone.

  “You need to have faith, old friend.” The exhaustion in the old man’s voice stopped him.

  “I have faith in you. I also have faith this will all end badly.”

  It took nearly an hour of riding to track the cat. His footprints appeared and disappeared in the snow. The tracks disappeared at the rocks. This was the furthest Ben ranged. At least the sun was out and the wind calmed from the bone-slicing chill, but his breath steamed in the air. The mare pawed at the snow and snorted. Patting her neck, he swung down out of the saddle.