The Wolf poured another drink and contemplated the amber liquid before taking a small sip.  It was four o’clock and the phone call he’d gotten that morning had set that time for their meeting.  He had watchers at front and back to keep him from being surprised.

He really hated surprises.

They tended to be bad for business.  And business had been very good lately.  So, why was he waiting here for trouble to walk in the door?  Chuckling under his breath, he admitted the truth to himself.  Business is good but boring and she brings danger with her.  Besides knowing about the odd dreams, she sees right into my secret heart.  The secret I never let into the light of day.

 He shook himself free of the wistful thoughts and went to break up the fight brewing over by the pool tables.  They’d been drinking steadily for the last two hours and were at the belligerent stage.  He banged their heads together and told them to drink the coffee that Melissa was bringing over.

 “You finish the pot then we’ll see about solving your dispute.”  He growled at them and they both nodded hastily.

 Heading back to the bar, he saw the old derelict standing hesitantly inside the door.  “Hey, Joe, come on in.”

 The old man shuffled in and sat down gingerly on the stool in front of the bar.  His head bobbed in greeting and his eyes went longingly to the bottles standing behind the counter but he looked away and focused on him.  “She’s coming, Wolf.  They’re finishing up at the museum then She said She’d give them the slip and come here.”

 Wolf could hear the capitol letters in his voice when he spoke of her.  But then, he tended to do that himself.  “Good news, Joe.  How about a cup of coffee while we wait?”

 He pulled his eyes back again from the bottles and nodded.  “Thanks, Wolf.  It’s getting colder and something warm would be real nice.”

 “Weather man said it might snow tonight.”  Wolf poured some pretzels into bowls and put them out on the counter; making sure one was right by Joe’s trembling hand.  “Try them, Joe.  I need to know if they’ve gone stale on me.”

 He took one obediently and chewed gingerly.  “Nope, taste real good.”

 “Good, you get some of those inside you so you’ll be ready when she comes.  You never know what she’s going to need us to do.”  Wolf nodded solemnly to the old man and watched him straighten up and return his nod.

 “Yes, Sir, I’ll be ready.”

 Wolf nodded again and began getting ready for the twilight crowd who’d head for The Wolf’s Den as soon as they got off work.  Melissa came behind the counter and helped him set up.  At 4:30, Colin came in to start his shift and Wolf moved out to his table at the rear of the bar, beckoning Joe to come with him and making sure they had fresh coffee and pretzels.

 He almost missed seeing her entrance but a breath of fresh air alerted him and he looked up to see her threading her way through his customers.  He and Joe were both on their feet by the time she reached them, smiling that little half smile that always tugged on his heart.

 “Good to see you, Wolf.  And Joe, I really appreciate you being our go-between.  I didn’t think I’d be able to get away until later but something came up and I just . . . slipped around the corner.”  Ruth sat down and waved to them to join her.  “Wolf, time is growing short.  What kind of transportation have you got lined up?”

 “There’s a convoy heading north to Canada at midnight and a place for you in the lead truck.  My sister’s boy is driving and though I shouldn’t brag, he’s a good boy without a curious bone in his body.”

 She chuckled.  “That doesn’t sound like anybody in your family, Wolf.”

 “Well, we always figured that he’d break out when he grew up but he’s 21 now and still hasn’t rebelled.  Going to be a real late-bloomer.”

 “As long as he doesn’t ask questions until he’s delivered me north.  How far is he going?”

 “He’s got a shipment for Metagami, Quebec.  Once you’re there, a man named St. Julian will take you by dog sled to Chisasibi.  That’s where it gets a little iffy.”  Wolf pulled out a map and unfolded it for her, tracing the route she’d be taking.  “I’ve got a friend with a trawler who’s willing to take you further north but ice is setting in fast and I don’t know how far he’s going to be able to go.”

 “I understand.  If he can get me as far as Cape Kendall then I’ve got someone there to fly me the rest of the way.”  Her eye was focused on the map and Wolf eyed her hesitantly.

 “The weather is going to be the deciding factor no matter how you go.”

 She raised her head and smiled gently.  “The weather won’t be a problem, Wolf.”

 “Yes, Ma’am.”  Wolf didn’t want to think about just how she was going to go about controlling the weather.  “Have you got a place to stay until midnight?”

 “No, can I bunk with you?”  She’d gone back to tracing routes on the map.

 “Sure.  It would be quieter if we went upstairs now.  Besides you need to try on the cold weather gear I got for you.”

 “Wolf, you didn’t need to go to all that trouble.”  She frowned up at him.

 “No, Ma’am, I didn’t but it would sure make me feel better if you’d accept it.”  Wolf tried out the quivering bottom lip that Melissa always used on Colin when she wanted to reduce him to a jellied heap.

 “Unfair, Wolf.  You know I can’t deny the pout.”  She laughed at him and shook her head.  “All right.  You win.  Can we go up now?”

 “Just what I was going to suggest.  Joe, would you like to come with us?”

 “Yes, Sir.  You might need someone to run an errand.”  He split his look between them.

 “Good thinking, Joe.”  She smiled on him and he brightened up instantly.

 Guiding them out the exit, Wolf took an abrupt turn to the left and opened the locked door with his key.  The loud music began to slowly fade the higher they went.  The stairs twisted three times before they came to a heavy steel door that Wolf unlocked with still another key.  It was completely quiet in the pale beige foyer.  Ruth gave a little sigh and stepped into the wide open loft space that served as Wolf’s home.

 “You’ve created such a lovely home, Wolf.  The crew downstairs would never believe this place with its high ceilings and gracious antiques.”

 “They see the side of me that I show them, a tough, tattooed biker with a bad temper.”  Wolf grinned at her and went past them to the kitchen area to begin dinner.

 “It’s beautiful.”  Joe’s hesitant whisper barely reached him.  “So clean and warm.”

 “Come on in, Joe.  Make yourself comfortable while I start cooking.”  Wolf beckoned him in and watched out of the corner of his eye while Ruth coaxed him down into the oak rocker near the breakfast bar.

 “While you’re cooking, Wolf, I’m going to go on up to the roof to exercise.  Half an hour?”  She asked and he nodded, watching her disappear up the wrought iron spiral staircase that led to the roof.

 Wolf concentrated on the sauce he was preparing while the pasta shells steamed.  He knew she liked vegetables he threw some broccoli into the microwave to thaw.  In deference to Joe’s drinking problem, Wolf decided on sparkling mineral water.  He noticed that Joe had picked up the book lying open on the table beside his chair and was looking through it.

 “Have you read Jung, Joe?”

 “I remember reading his Symbols of Transformation in translation, a hundred years ago when I was in college.”

 “Did you want to be a psychologist?”  Wolf tried not to let his surprise show.

 The look Joe sent him told him he hadn’t succeeded.

 “After I got my PhD., I was a psychologist for almost fifteen years until the booze took hold and sent me running away from the responsibilities.  It’s been years since I thought about that life.”  Joe’s diction grew more precise the longer he spoke and he gently stroked the covers of the trade paperback.  “How are you enjoying the Mysterium Coniunctionis?”

 “I’ve been reading it for the last six months.  Picking it up then putting it down to think about what he’s saying.”  Wolf shook his head.  “Some of it makes perfect sense then I’ll hit a patch that’s all big words and concepts that I just don’t get.”

 Joe’s chuckle took him by surprise.  “I couldn’t have put it better myself.  Jung always made me think.  I had the complete 20 volumes of this series.  I always wondered what happened to them after I walked away.  My wife probably threw them out or gave them to the library for their ongoing book sale.”

 “I’ve got them all but I’ve only read the first thirteen.  I figure I’ll have just enough time to finish them before I die.”  Wolf stilled his hands and turned his head to the windows, rattling in a sudden gust of wind.  “What the hell was that?”

 Striding to the street side windows, he looked out into chaos.  Dead leaves, papers of all shapes and kinds, an occasional hat and something black swirled by the windows.  He counted no less than three whirlwinds spinning down the street, all heading for his brownstone.  But instead of blowing out his windows, they rose past him and up to the roof.

 “Oh hell!”  He dashed across the room and up the spiral staircase, taking them two at a time.  But the door wouldn’t open; no matter how much force he put behind his shoulder.  “Ruth!  Can you hear me?”

 The wind howled at higher decibels than the annoying music in the bar ever did.  Then in a heartbeat, it was quiet.  No sound at all and he tried the doorknob again.  It opened instantly and he stepped out onto the tarpaper and gravel roof.  Eyes sweeping the available space, he couldn’t see Ruth anywhere.

 Then a soft sigh came from above him and he watched wide eyed while she floated slowly down to a landing on the roof in a shower of warm light that spilled from her hands.  A warm breeze caressed him gently then slipped away.  He felt as if he’d been struck dumb and he watched her eye open.  But it was watching something he couldn’t see or hear.  Her voice chanted something in warm liquid syllables he felt as if he could almost understand.

 “Oh, my lady.”  Joe’s hushed whisper sounded from his side.  “Don’t waste it on the likes of me.”

 “Who deserves it more, Joe?  Both of you have helped me beyond all thought and reason.  Accept this healing in Her name.  She told me to practice and I think she was right.  Wind goes where it will.  And I don’t have much time to tame it.”

 Then she was looking at the crystal she cradled and the scars on her face faded from angry red to the pink that comes from years of healing.  Wolf touched his chest over the lungs that were slowly dying from cancer.  She nodded once then slipped what he could now see was a crystal shard into a pouch that hung around her neck.

 “Well, I’ve worked up an appetite, how about you guys?”  She said cheerfully.

 Dinner was a little surreal with a conversation that bounced back and forth between psychology, the Bruins chances of winning more than two games in a row, Jung’s works and the difference between White Snake’s music and the Rolling Stones.  She bathed and changed into the cold weather gear Wolf had gotten for her about an hour before she had to leave.

 Standing at the side of the big rig that was being gassed for the long trip, they exchanged hugs.  She looked in Joe’s eyes for a long minute.  “Stay healthy, Joe.  I need you to live and grow strong enough to face the past head-on.  I think that Wolf here would be amenable to taking on a partner who’s not afraid of hard work.”

 Then she turned to Wolf and standing on tiptoe, brushed a kiss across his lips.  “Let yourself love again, Simon.  You have such a capacity for love.  Let it free instead of chaining it inside.  You’ll have the time to love, I promise.”

 Stepping back, she let Wolf help her up into the tall cab.  Rolling down the window, she smiled down at them.  “Take care of each other.  If the Goddess wills, I’ll come back to check on you.”

 Then the truck pulled out and headed north, leaving them standing in the cold yard.

***************

 Wolf wiped down the bar and stretched to his full height.  “Hey, Joe, we about ready to lock up?”

 “Almost.  I just need to finish mopping up the mess in the corner.  I wish they’d made it to the restroom before chucking it all up.”  Joe’s voice was plaintive and Wolf laughed.

 “I’ll just turn out the lights then.”  Wolf smiled contentedly and thought over the last week while he turned off the neon lights in the front window.  They’d settled in gingerly together with Joe sleeping on the sofa bed and both of them working in the bar in the evening.  Joe was still sober and spent most of his time reading from Wolf’s collection of books.  He’d accepted some new clothes in lieu of wages for the first week but Wolf rather thought he was looking forward to his first paycheck.

 The sound of the bell above the front door broke into his reverie. “I’m sorry but we’re closed.”

 “We’re looking for someone.”  The voice belonged to a tall man with dark circles under his eyes.  “Joe!”

 “Doctor Hamilton.”  Joe came out from the corner with his broom clutched in his worn hands.  “It’s good to see you again.”

 “Joe, have you seen her?  Do you know where she is?”

 Wolf was busy eyeing the second man who stood so quietly just behind the doctor.  He looked dangerous with eyes that moved over the bar with assessing eyes.  The same way Wolf would in a new place, checking out exits, available weapons and where everyone stood.

 “She’s moved on, Doctor Sam.  Once she got the crystal, she had to get moving.  There isn’t much time, she said.”  Joe shook his head.

 The quiet one spoke next.  “Do you know where she was going?”

 Ah, the voice of command, it brought back memories of the Corps and Wolf smiled.  “Who wants to know?”

 Those green eyes were like lasers drilling into him.  “Colonel Seth Griffin.  And you are?”

 “Wolf.  Formerly Marine Captain Simon Hughes.  I served my time and took early retirement.  And the question is still on the table.  Why should we tell you?”

 “She’s not well.  I just need to know that she’s all right.”  The tall slender one’s hand trembled as he shakily ran it through his brown hair.

 “She used the crystal to heal herself and us.  So you don’t have to worry.”  Joe’s voice was kind and Wolf watched the doctor’s shoulders slump.

 “She’s gone north, hasn’t she?  She’s going to fight the Ikiiri alone because she’s afraid to risk any of us.”

 “Sam, you know how much it hurt her to find out that you and I died even though she tried to protect us.”  The Marine had a hand on the others shoulder.

 “Which life did you share with her?”  Wolf came out from behind the bar and over to the door to flip the lock.  “Why don’t we go upstairs and be comfortable while we talk?”

 Green Eyes assessed him and nodded slowly.  Wolf led the way with Joe right behind him and the doctor and his Marine hard on his heels.  He could see the Marine taking it all in while the doctor spied the black backpack on the end table.

 “She was here?”  He reached out and held it like a talisman against his chest.

 “Sit down, Doctor.  We’ll tell you what we know in exchange for your side of the story.”  Wolf proposed and watched the Colonel set the Doctor down on the sofa before joining him.

 “Agreed.  We’ll start, shall we?”  The Colonel sat back while his young partner began to spill out their story.

 Wolf listened carefully, nodding when a part of their story explained something he knew.  Joe chimed in a couple of times but mostly the Doctor talked until he got to the dreams.  Then the Colonel took over, explaining their shared life in ancient Greece and what they’d been able to extrapolate from their ancient selves memories with modern minds.

 “So, that was it.  The Ikiiri are aliens.”  Wolf sat back and thought hard about his own memories.  “We thought they were demons come to test our King and our Priestesses.  Joe and I were both from her first life.  I was the  . . . damn it there’s no easy way to say it.  I was the High Priestess Illyan.”  He glared at them, daring them to make something of it.

 “And I was Captain Ancyra of the King’s Guard.  We thought it a test from the gods for our King and so we stood back when the great ship landed to let King Orion face them with the Priestess Illura.  She was just a little slip of a thing with her long dark hair falling to her hips and the red moon crescent on her forehead, holding the great sword of crystal before her like a cross.  They both wore white tunics and Orion stood by her side, tall and straight.  His blond hair bound by the silver torque of the kingdom, he looked quite kingly, standing there on the golden sands of the harbor.”  Joe’s voice trailed away.

 “What happened?”  The doctor was leaning forward now, his jaw tense and his hands clasped in a white knuckle grip.

 Wolf continued the story. “They talked but we could not hear them.  There was a haze over them that appeared when the great ship’s door opened.  We could not see through it to see what the Ikiiri looked like but we could still see the King and Illura.  Then from out of nowhere, a long thing blade pierced straight through Orion, picking him up and throwing him at our feet.  I reached him in time to see him die, the blood pouring out of the jagged wound, soaking into the sand.”

 “Illura gave a great cry and held the sword up before her, calling on the Goddess for vengeance.  The ground began to tremble and from out of nowhere came a great wave of water that crashed over the ship and our island.”  Joe said sadly.  “Atlantis sank that day and everyone on the island was killed.  I know that Ruth felt she was to blame for not protecting us.”

 “It was the same in our lives and the life she shared with my little brother.”  Sam sat back and huddled in on himself, both arms wrapped around him as if he was cold.

 The Colonel gave up his attempt to keep his hands to himself and drew the young man into his arms.  Joe smiled at them and Wolf got up to make some coffee.  It looked like it was going to be a late night.  The soothing murmurs from the sofa made him smile.  It looked like Ruth was still fixing things even though she wasn’t here.

 Joe showed the doctor where the bathroom was and the Colonel came over to perch on one of the breakfast barstools.  “You don’t seem surprised, Wolf.”

 “Ruth believed very strongly that we’re all wandering around looking for the other half of our soul’s.  I’d bet money that Toby . . . is that right?”  Wolf looked a question to the Colonel.

 “Call me, Seth.  It’ll be easier in the long run.  Yes, Sam’s younger brother is Toby.  And yes, he’s in love with Mei Ling.  They were brothers in ancient China.  So you aren’t the only one to change from one sex to the other.”  Seth smiled.

 “Let me tell you, it felt damn weird dreaming about being a woman, let alone a celibate priestess.”  Wolf snorted.

 “The mind boggles.”  Seth was trying not to laugh and Wolf threw in the towel and let his own laughter free.

 A warbling sound came at the same time Joe and Sam reappeared.  Seth pulled out a cell phone and answered it.

 “Marag . . . yes, we found Joe . . . what do you mean . . . okay, we’ll be home soon . . . I know, honey . . . we’re fine and we’ll be home as soon as we can.”  Seth was frowning as he hung up.  “She says there’s something on CNN about a space anomaly.”

 Wolf picked up the remote and turned on the TV.  With a click, an anchorman appeared in front of a star map.  “To recap the story of the hour, a space anomaly has appeared just outside of Mars orbit.  It’s heading towards Earth and should reach us in just about forty eight hours.”

 He tried a smile but they could see the beads of perspiration on his forehead.  “NASA has no comment at this time but word has come from the White House that they’re working on figuring out just what the anomaly is and where it came from.  Maybe it’s those little green Martians coming to visit.  Ha-ha.  More now from Professor White of the Bensonville Observatory just outside of Atlanta.”

 Wolf hit the mute button and cleared his throat.  “Well, there’s our time limit. Now what are we going to do about it?”

 “I know she doesn’t want us to go with her because she’s determined to go it alone.  But that’s a sure way to get herself killed.”  Sam sat down heavily on the barstool next to Seth’s.

 “She’s lived it three times already.  She may know best.”  Seth sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

 “But she’s got a blind spot that she may not realize.”  Joe said slowly then blushed when all their eyes came to him.

 “What do you mean, Joe?”  Wolf poured the coffee and got it handed around while Joe was thinking.

 “Each time she fights, it’s for something bigger than herself.  The first time it was a command from her Goddess to save her people.”

 “But in Crete, she was the queen and once again fighting for her people.  But ‘people’ on a smaller scale.  A kingdom scale.”  Seth mused.

 “China was smaller yet.  She was fighting for her family and home.  Most specifically her children.”  Sam sat upright and caught Joe’s eyes.

 “This time she steered clear of any emotional entanglements so she wouldn’t hurt anyone when she died.  She said that she was a total orphan.  So if she’s just going out there to fight without someone to fight for, can she win?”  Joe finished quietly

 They looked at each other somberly.

 “Well, I know the route she was taking when she headed north.”  Wolf headed for the map on the dining room table.

 “She’s going to use the element of Air this time.  Remember her practicing on the roof?”  Joe joined him.

 “So, if we can get a feed from the National Weather Service, we should be able to track any wind anomalies and pinpoint where she’s been.  I expect she kept practicing.”  Sam thought aloud, joining them at the table.

 “A two pronged approach.  The scientists are probably tracking the Ikiiri ship trajectory to see where it’s going to land.”  Seth’s voice was grim.  “I may be able to find out what they discover.”

 “Well, we’re just going to have to work harder so we get there first.”  Sam said decisively.

 “We can try.”  Wolf shook his head.  “It’s going to take a small miracle.”

 Joe smiled shyly.  “The Goddess got Ruth this far.  Maybe She’s planning a little surprise or two.”

 The wind rattled the windows as if in answer and Wolf shivered once before concentrating his mind on the logistics of Arctic travel in winter.  For once, he was hoping that a deity he’d never believed in before would be willing to take a hand in his life.

 This time around.

*********************
End chapter twelve