Page 3 of Forbidden Moon
“I am understandably curious, but Luna’s gift was not intended for me. I am content to keep watch while the two of you talk. Don’t let me keep you, Jack; the poor man’s been waiting long enough as it is!”
Once Jack found a comfortable spot, William lay on his side to observe without touching his mate. Energized moonbeams lit the clearing, raising gooseflesh on both men. The curious tingling which followed only heightened Jack’s anticipation as he closed his eyes, sighed loudly, and initiated his half of the teaching dream while calling for his mentor.
“Hezekiah? Are you there?”
Instead of an immediate answer, Jack’s childhood home coalesced out of the mists, complete with the most minute details. Cabin, woodshed, garden, well—even the trees and grass looked precisely the same as when he last saw Hezekiah. Movement grabbed his attention as a tall, broad form rounded the backside of the cabin and into view. Startled, Hezekiah came to an abrupt stop when he spotted an old man rather than the child he’d expected.
“Why, Jack! What has kept you from me for so long?”
Overwhelmed, Jack stood speechless and shaking, uncertain how to begin. Hezekiah solved the problem by enveloping his protégé in a bear hug, scenting and being scented. Jack openly wept as Hezekiah drew back to look him over. Clearly much time had passed, though in his mind Jack remained a five-year-old boy, and only moments ago he’d felt the bounty hunter’s bullet that killed him.
Hezekiah led the way to two weathered tree stumps next to the woodshed, shaded by a cluster of enormous pine trees. They’d spent many hours here, teacher and student, as Jack’s True Elder education unfolded. A pleasant place filled with good memories—suddenly fresh and vivid. Jack finally managed a smile as they sat, curiosity and joy replacing the earlier tears and uncertainty.
“I have missed you deeply, dear friend, and did not know you awaited me. How can this place exist? Where are we? Has my absence worried you?”
Hezekiah’s laugh warmed Jack’s heart.
“You were always full of questions, my boy, and it pleased me to answer them! My only regret was not meeting you earlier in my life. Ah, but those days are long gone, and there is no reason to tarry over them. It may calm you to know I was unaware of our long separation. Though time here has little meaning, I have retained my memories and continue to make new ones.
“As to the reason or location of this place, I can only surmise. None of us know the exact nature of our situation or how it came to be, though it is surely due to Luna’s power and purpose. For myself, I consider it a great repository of shifter knowledge, providing continuity for our people and always accessible to living True Elders.”
Jack took the conversation in a different direction.
“Do you know anything of my life?”
Hezekiah shook his head.
“My last memory of you is the day we parted. In the meantime, I have learned very little from the other True Elders here, as only a few knew you as an adult. Now, your visits are my only source of direct information. Why have you waited to meet with me? I left instructions for you in the journals.”
Jack’s scent revealed his disquiet, and Hezekiah wondered at its cause.
“When you did not return, my parents decided it was too dangerous to remain in New Mexico. During our journey north, the journals were lost before I could read them. His family kept the copies you brought to Gray Feather, and I only recently took possession of them. Had I known, I would have come to you at every full moon. Much has happened to me, and our people, since you left us.”
Starting with their last day together in 1853, Jack began laying out the details of his life and the turbulent years which followed. Hezekiah soaked up the long account of triumphs and sorrows, asking pertinent questions about their people, the world, and how shifters fared in general. A few things he already knew from the last stragglers who joined him in this strange place, though Jack filled in many of the knowledge gaps.
When Hezekiah asked if he’d met his replacement yet, Jack grew uncharacteristically quiet. His muddled scent spoke of joy, pride, sadness, and shame. Jack told him the long story of Miguel, the fire at Gladstone, hiding away for over twenty years, and the day Evan sought him out in the far reaches of Michigan’s upper peninsula. Hezekiah listened quietly, eager to hear anything Jack wished to tell him. He did not, as Jack feared, take him to task for his shameful failure.
“Neither I nor anyone here is without blemish. We are flesh and blood beings who make mistakes. If Luna were looking for perfection in True Elders, the first one would have ended the experiment! If you seek absolution from me, I cannot give it. Tell me, Jack, did Evan forgive you? Are you on good terms?”
Jack grew misty-eyed again.
“He did, and yes, we are very close. We belong to the same pack at Gladstone.”
Hezekiah’s brows rose in surprise.
“If you have acknowledged your error and Evan has forgiven you, your guilt and shame no longer serve a purpose. Leave them in the past, Jack, where they belong. Now, what is this about two True Elders in one pack? How many others are there? How do you accomplish your work?”
Jack smiled as the tables turned, and he became the teacher for a while. He explained the whole story of their lost history following the purge and how they now used electronic devices to instruct, along with occasional travel. He also revealed the existence of Everet Kern and the dreams which led him to believe there was at least one more True Elder somewhere.
“Everet’s mentor either failed to find him or refused to do so. Is it possible to see if the man is even aware of him? It may do Kern a world of good to make his acquaintance.”
Hezekiah pondered the idea, finally nodding his head.
“You have brought me an interesting puzzle indeed! I will inquire about both but cannot say if the information you seek may be found. Possibly, his mentor died before Luna made him aware of his replacement. If so, a connection may not be possible. I need your memories about Everet Kern and the dreams Luna has given you. Come sit over here while we transfer them.”
This possibility hadn’t occurred to Jack for some reason, and the request surprised him.
Like old times, Hezekiah threw an arm around Jack’s shoulder, pulling him closer. The teaching dream began at once. In moments, Jack shared all of his memories of Kern and the dreams regarding the unknown True Elder. Hezekiah released him, and Jack returned to his tree stump to continue the discussion, focusing on Jack’s personal life. It amused and pleased the man to hear that Jack and William were now the parents of twins.
