over the knot. Her words are quick and inaudible. She uses a knife to cut a small piece of hide from a large leather square hanging from a clothesline above the fireplace. She dips her finger first into oil and then again into the blood before she smears it across the leather. She rests the knot atop the leather, holds it over the flame of a candle and intones, “Gburugburu nke ndụ, chebe mkpụrụ obi. Imagide niile ndị iro. Chebe ihe ọmụma n'ihi na ndị niile ga-eso nke a na ezinụlọ.”
The leather and the twine illuminate and transform before our eyes. The twine takes on a metallic appearance. The leather tightens and forms a perfect circle. She places the newly created piece on the table and cuts a small hole along the edge for the suede cord. After sliding it through and tying it off, she places it around William’s neck.
“I heard protection, knowledge, and family. Obviously the pendant is meant to keep you safe, teach you what you need to know, and I’m guessing it only works for members of your family,” Zoë whispers to me.
“This never leaves your body. It will keep you safe, but you must put the effort into it as well. Do not attempt to search for anyone. Protect Emma. The ability to end the curse lies within her.”
“How can that be? She is but five years old.”
“Time is but an illusion, Master Owens. The sooner you realize that, the easier this will be.”
Once again, we are transported out of the memory and into a new one.
We stand in the middle of a bright green valley, next to a tall rocky cliff. The sky is dark gray and full of heavy clouds that look as if they will explode with a downpour at any moment. Thick moss and dense ivy grow up along the side of the rock wall. Small, black, rectangular shapes are cut in the ivy and spaced like windows on a house along the lower portion of the wall.
Quiet footsteps quickly approach. A little girl in an ankle length white nightgown emerges from the wooded area to our left. She runs, panicked, up to the rock wall and finds an opening. Pushing on what looks like just another part of the wall, she reveals a door and disappears into it.
“This is a house,” I say. “Somebody lives here.”
“It looks like the side of a mountain.”
“I know this place. I’ve been here before.”
I walk closer to the structure to search for more information. Zoë follows close behind. The sound of breaking branches and heavy, ground-shaking footsteps stop us dead in our tracks. The leaves on the tall trees of the dense forest rustle quickly, signaling the approach of something dangerous.
The creature pushes the last few branches out of its way and steps just into the valley. It stands at least ten feet tall on two short legs. Its arms are long and gorilla-like, able to be fisted onto the ground for added balance. Its skin is thick, bumpy, gray and heavily moss covered. It easily blends in to the environment. “That’s the glasma,” Zoë announces with a mixture of fear and awe in her voice.
“Guess I missed that drawing when I was in the shower.”
“I don’t think he’s willing to leave the forest though. Look at him, he almost looks afraid of the wide open space.”
After a quick glance around the clearing, his chase is over and he turns and heads back into the forest with a snarl. We continue our walk to the door the girl disappeared through. When we are just a few feet away, we hear two female voices talking inside. One is that of the young girl; the other belongs to an elderly woman.
Zoë and I peer through one of the makeshift windows. The woman is short statured and has wild silvery, white hair. She is outfitted in clothing that will blend well with the forest; a threadbare, brown, ankle-length dress covered by a just as long green vest-like piece. The young girl has her back to us, her long brown hair windswept and holding onto stray pieces of leaves.
The woman pours the girl a cup of tea and instructs her to drink. “But I’m not thirsty,” the girl objects.
“Tis not for your thirst, lass. For your protection,” the woman answers in a thick Scottish accent.
“That’s Cardine,” I say to Zoë with a hint of surprise in my voice. A smile sticks on my face as I reminisce.