As she entered the main chamber where the women were gathering, the illusion became even stronger. Two women, Raven and Savannah, lay in the center where black soil, rich in minerals, covered their bodies. Around them, in a loose semi-circle, women had gathered to sing the Carpathian lullaby softly, swaying back and forth as if rocking a baby.
Two other women, one tall and elegant and one thin, young and very fragile-looking, stood on the outer edges of the soil, hands lifted, both singing a soft, melodious rhythm as they moved their feet in an intricate pattern.
«Syndil and Skyler,» Shea whispered. «They rejuvenate the earth itself. They're calling on the minerals
and healing properties to come forth to aid us in saving our children. Both have been invaluable in restoring toxin-free soil to us. Skyler is working as Syndil's apprentice and already, she's very good.»
It was a beautiful sight, the two women performing an ancient ritual of cleansing the earth, and calling on Mother Nature to help save their children. Lara listened to the introductions, but all the while she was watching the ceremony, her heart swelled, and her mind followed every graceful sway of hands and feet. She knew the ceremony, in some part of her mind. The phrases were familiar to her, the rhythm and patterns, as if long before she was born she had been given the tools to cleanse the earth.
Her feet ached to join the two women, her hands fluttered, rising to trace a flowing arc in the air. She felt the pulse of the earth beneath her. Her heart began to change rhythm to match the song and the beat. Oh yes, the words were there, ancient and beautiful and filled with the power of women.
Oh, Mother Nature, we are your beloved daughters. Lara dipped low, bowing out of respect, her feet turning of their own accord to pick up the graceful spin Syndil and Skyler completed on two of the four corners surrounding Raven and Savannah. Instinctively, Lara took the third corner.We dance to heal the earth. We sing to heal the earth. We join with you now. Our hearts and minds and spirits become one .
The music was already there in her soul. But they needed a fourth. The other women danced and sang, their voices growing in strength, but they needed one more voice. They weren't strong enough. Lara looked to Syndil, a faint frown on her face. They needed to adjust their footing. «Do you feel it?»
A hush fell over the women. The warm cave pulsed with the suspension of power. Lara should have felt embarrassed to have all eyes on her. She had never done this before. She wasn't certain she was right, but something felt-off. She looked to Syndil. Power emanated from the woman, vibrated in the air around her. Her aura even pulsated.
Syndil frowned. «The dance is off balance, but there is little we can do about that.» She glanced at Skyler. «What do you think?»
«It's working, but it's not exact.» The teenager shrugged. «We can only do the best we can do. We need four and we have only the three of us.»
Syndil nodded. «I adjust the dance and notes of the song by the amount of toxins I feel through the soles of my feet. With this soil we have to be especially careful because we're preparing it for the babies.»
Lara nodded, still frowning. She raised her hand to feel the power pulsating through the room. «Some of the weaves are off a bit. We need a fourth weaver.»
«There is no one. The others can contribute to the power, but they can't produce the healing song of the earth.»
«There is no other from your lineage?» she asked Syndil.
Syndil shook her head. «Not that I know of. We suspect Skyler is of the Dragonseeker line, but we don't know. She heard the earth screaming, so if she isn't, she, like me, is empathic toward the earth.»
«She has Dragonseeker eyes,» Lara agreed.
Skyler's eyes were too old in her young face. And Lara could see traces of Razvan there. This then, was
probably one of the children Xavier had forced Razvan's body to produce in order to feed off of her blood. Somehow, the girl had ended up with the Carpathian race. The thought was unsettling and for a moment she wanted the comfort of Nicolas's arms. Without thinking, she reached for him. At once he was there.
You have need of me?
She felt foolish. She wasn't about to lose a child, yet she was shivering because a teenage girl had the eyes of her father.No. No. Everything is fine .
You have only to touch my mind with yours, Lara. I am with you.
His reassurance made her feel safe and comforted and for the first time in her life she felt as if she belonged.
I'm fine. This time she said it with conviction. She spoke directly to Raven, meeting her troubled gaze squarely. «We need Natalya.»
The women all looked at one another. «Natalya is a warrior. She says she cannot feel the earth,» Shea said. «She doesn't have the sensitivity for it.»
Lara's eyebrow shot up. «Really? Is that what she said?»
Shea and Raven exchanged a long look and then Raven frowned. «Mikhail told me she could not heal the earth in the way her family could. Is that not true?»
Lara pursed her lips. «Natalya pulses with power. I would be shocked if she could not.»
«Call her in,» Raven said.
«She's at the warriors' council, speaking for us,» Shea reminded.
«Call her back,» Raven said again, and this time it was a command. «If there is hope to save these children, then this is far more important than the discussion going on with the men. In the end, Mikhail will come to a decision on whether women will fight with their men or not and we will all abide by it.»
No one was going to point out that the reason they needed Natalya at the meeting was to make certain their voices were heard. Raven rarely-if ever-pulled rank as Mikhail's wife, but there was no doubt she wanted Natalyasummoned .
Raven's face was streaked with tears, and her anguish weighed heavily on the women. Raven had survived one loss, and now another child was slipping away. Beside her, Savannah was pale and drawn, closing her eyes, concentrating on holding her babies to her.
Both women could communicate with their unborn children, which made the loss all the more difficult to face. The babies were real, with personalities already developing.
«Call her now, Shea,» Raven insisted.
Shea reached out to Razvan's twin.
«Why is Shea reluctant to call her back,» Lara whispered to Syndil.
«Natalya is different,» Syndil answered. «She's the oldest surviving female Dragonseeker and as such, her blood is extremely powerful. Beyond that, she is a force to contend with in every other way and she walks her own path. I think having to hide from Xavier, she became a loner over the years. She's always pleasant and respectful, but she has a tendency to keep to herself. One rarely sees her without Vikirnoff.»
Lara wasn't surprised that Natalya was a loner. Natalya exuded the air of a very confident woman, but she was Razvan's sister and the granddaughter of one of the most evil men ever born. She'd most likely spent her earlier years looking over her shoulder and afraid to trust anyone at all. Lara wasn't certain she could overcome her own traumatic childhood in order to commit fully to Nicolas. She could certainly understand her aunt's reticence.
Natalya strode in with her easy, casual grace, her blue-green eyes wide with questions. «Raven? You have need of me?»
Raven nodded. «Lara and Syndil feel you are the only one to aid us in this and I am-we are– desperateto save our children.»
Natalya glanced around the cave and then to Lara. «I don't have any experience in healing rituals, but if you tell me what to do, I'll do my best.»