Shadow of My Heart - By Caryn Moya-Block Page 0,42
arrows to herbs and cauldrons. On the back wall stood a desk strewn with papers, and Isanti walked over and sat down at the desk. Picking up a pen, he scribbled in a book open in front of him.
“I wasn’t hungry,” Isanti said, turning to look at Raven. “The girls worry too much. Where is Little Mother? Did she come with you?”
“Gwen took Cara shopping for clothes that are Shadow-Dimension proof. They will be back late tonight.”
“Hhm, women shopping. I hope you can afford it.”
“What is going on, Isanti? What are you doing in here?”
“I am preparing a book of recipes to give to you and Little Mother. When I am gone, you will be the new shaman of the tribe.”
“When you go is still many years away. But you must take care of yourself. Skipping meals isn’t good for you. As for me being shaman, I would think you could find another more suited to the job.”
“Being shaman is not a job. It is a calling. You are being called. The question that remains is, will you answer?”
“Isanti . . .” Raven didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t take on another responsibility. He needed to spend time with Cara. He was already CEO of Isanti, Inc., and acting chief of the tribe. “Can we talk about this later?”
“If you wish, but soon. I will not be here forever.”
“Come into the house and let me fix us an early dinner. The girls will pick something up on their way.”
“How is Little Mother getting on? Has she recovered from the attack?”
“Cara is doing well, thanks to your potion. But she still fears a life with me. I need to reassure her that she is safe with me.”
“Teach her to Shadow-walk. If you had taught her before, she could have escaped her kidnappers.”
“Don’t you think I realize that?” Raven asked, as he paced back and forth in front of the desk. “I haven’t had time to teach her. I gave her the first lessons today.”
“Do not let guilt come between you. It is not your fault she was taken.”
“Isn’t it?” Raven asked, stopping suddenly and leaning forward on his hands on the desk. “I should have been there. I should have protected her.”
“Red Hawk was there, and he couldn’t protect her. Why do you think you could have done better? Your brother is an accomplished warrior, and he had to withdraw.”
“I would have fought harder,” Raven said, standing up straight and running his hand through his hair. Cara belonged to him. He would have protected her.
“Shame on you, Soaring Raven. You always underestimate your brother. You would have fared no better. He gave his all for her protection. He lost so much blood he almost died. But you never even checked on him until he was already treated by White Fox.”
Was it true? Did Derek almost die, and Raven didn’t even realize it? Raven had been so terrified for Cara, so wrapped up in her emotions that were feeding his own fears. When Katherine mentioned that Derek’s heart rate wasn’t right, it had concerned him. But he had trusted that Dr. Rick would let him know if there was a problem.
“Forgive me, Isanti. I didn’t realize.”
“Do not ask me for forgiveness. It is your brother you must ask. You always try to walk alone. Your brother loves you. Family is important, Soaring Raven. Soon you will begin your own family.”
“Let’s go inside. I’ll call him after I get you something to eat.”
“All right. It seems you will not let me get anything else accomplished tonight,” Isanti said, closing the book on his desk and walking to the door with Raven. “What’s for dinner?”
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Gwen held Cara’s hand on one side while Lindy held the other. It almost felt as if they were back in grade school, lining up for a field trip and holding hands while they crossed the street. But this field trip was through the Shadow Dimension, and taking chances wasn’t a smart thing to do. Cara didn’t know where they were going, and until she could picture it in her head, it was better just to hold onto Gwen and Lindy. Gwen released her hand and opened a door out of Shadow, before leading Cara out onto a street full of cars. Cara looked around in amazement.
“Oh, my goodness. Are we in Italy?” she asked, gasping.
“Well, one of the safest things to wear in Shadow is leather, and Italian leather is the best,” Gwen said. “I know the owner