Page 3 of Fire And Ice

Kinsen sighed hard. “One of the reasons your dad came back and stole you away was he heard about this mountain. Your mom and your grandmother lived here. But she never met him here, he followed her home one day. That was when he found the mountain. Your grandmother was the real shaman but she was getting older and she was teaching your mother her powers. But this mountain has a secret that not many people knew about. Your mom made the mistake of telling your dad about that secret and in the end, it cost her you. Maybe even her own life, if the rumors are true.”

“What’s the secret of the mountain?” Amira asked. “And what do you mean it cost her life?”

“There’s a vein of gold in that mountain. A really big vein. Your dad thought if he held you hostage, he could trade you for the gold. But that didn’t work out for him because when he contacted your grandmother, after he took you, she told him she was going to hide the mountain and he would never be able to find it again. That was her first curse. He even tried to find it again and couldn’t, so he knew she had done exactly that. She also told him that if he hurt you, she would curse him again and he would never find peace in this life ever again. And she would know if he hurt you. She would feel your pain. That’s why he was afraid to actually do any harm to you.” Shaking his head he admitted, “He may have ignored you all your life but he never wounded you.”

Amira heard the words he told her and she felt her world shatter. Being ignored your whole life wasn’t supposed to hurt? “And why did you three come with me? For the promise of the gold my dad could never have?”

Kinsen shook his head. “That may have been part of it but the more we got to know you the less that prospect became possible.”

Trent shook his head. “You see not many of us knew what your dad was doing to you. Not even your grandfather knew how your dad was treating you. He kept you away from everyone for a reason and when we found out about you, we all were surprised. It wasn’t until he died that we found out. And we were shocked.”

“We told your grandfather we would go with you and he was okay with that,” Jacks told her. “He knew you would have a hard time protecting yourself...from things that might happen.”

Amira shook her head. “He ignores me all my life then he sends you guys with me when he kicks me out? There is just something wrong with that.”

“I think he was afraid of your mother’s people,” Kinsen suggested. “Your grandmother had some wicked power back in her day and he didn’t want her to come looking for your dad.” Shaking his head he admitted, “Your dad put all of us in danger with his actions but he didn’t care much about that.”

“The only thing Milo Wicks cared about was Milo Wicks,” Amira said the words out loud. “I’m just sorry I never got to see him after he died. I wouldn’t mind pissing on his grave.”

“But you found the mountain and that’s something,” Jacks told her.

Amira glanced back in the direction she had just come from, then she looked back at the three men. “But who is this other man looking for the mountain?”

Kinsen and Trent shrugged. “I don’t know but I suppose we’ll find out if he comes back.”

Amira shook her head. “Well, I don’t know what you guys are going to do but I’m going closer to the mountain. I don’t know what power my grandmother had in her day but if she could hide a mountain from my despicable father, she must have been powerful. I also don’t know where she went and where her people went but I have to go to the mountain.”

Kinsen cocked his head to one side and asked, “What do you mean, you have to go to the mountain?”

Amira turned her head to stare again at the path she had just traveled. “The mountain is calling me home.” Shaking her head she admitted, “I don’t know why or how but the mountain is calling out to me.”

Kinsen looked over at his companions. Shaking his head he admitted, “I think your dad knew this might happen. And he feared it. He thought maybe your shaman blood would win out in the end.”

Amira stepped away from the three men and stared off into the distance. “Maybe he should have feared the power of my shaman blood. All I know is I have to get closer.” She again turned to them. “You three can go back if you want to, but I’m going forward.” She went over to where her things were piled up and picked up what little she did own, putting it all in her pack. Then she loaded the pack onto her horse, Nava. Suddenly, she noticed the men in her group were doing the same.

When she mounted her horse, they mounted theirs. Then she headed away to return to the mountain.

They all turned their mounts in the same direction.

They rode silently for a while then she stopped her horse at the boundary line for the land the MC owned. They could see the compound, the buildings, and the signs of people actually living there.

“Ok, so where is this mountain of yours?” Jacks asked.

Amira snapped her head around and stared at him in confusion. “What do you mean where is the mountain?” She pointed right in front of her. “It’s right there. Can’t you see it?”

Jacks stared for a moment to where she pointed then shook his head. “I don’t see nuthin.” He looked over at Kinsen and Trent. “Do you guys see anything?”

Both Kinsen and Trent shook their heads as well.

Amira was stunned. If that was true, her grandmother’s magic hid the entire mountain from her dad’s people. They couldn’t see what was right in front of them. Then she snapped her head around and stared at the MC compound. From her earlier encounter, she knew they could see the mountain, but maybe, this was because they didn’t know the story or the history of her mother’s people. And they were normal men as well.

“Come on, let’s get past the compound and find a place to put up our camp,” Kinsen suggested.

“Yes, we have to be off their property too. They weren’t pleased about me being there.” Amira shrugged. “Though I don’t know how much of this they own.”

They all moved out quietly as they rode past the compound and then went a ways to find a secluded spot to set up their camp.

They found a good area and while the others set up their bedrolls, Jacks began setting up a small campfire. This area of Arizona was warm during the day but it got cooler at night. He didn’t build a bonfire but rather a campfire that would burn out in a few hours.

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