Chapter 27: Dreams and Danger

Udit called another family meeting for Friday, March the 26th. Meetings with all of them were difficult due to schedule conflicts. Udit explained that it was important for everyone to be there for this meeting. He was expecting a special delivery package from the council on Friday with the results of the Dream Ceremony. The family agreed to finish dinner and get caught up each other's lives before getting down to the serious business Udit called the meeting for.

Susan immediately noted a difference in Martha and commented on it. "Honey," Susan said in admiration. "I don't know what kind of face cream you're using but I want some of it. You're looking good Martha."

Liz sat back in her chair and looked at Martha speculatively. Then she looked at Udit and Seth and slowly nodded her head. "Something happened to all three of them," she pointed out.

"I told you they would notice," Sheila muttered mysteriously.

Ben nodded his agreement with Liz and said, "I thought there was something different about you when I saw you the other day, Seth. What's going on?"

Seth looked at Sean for an indication of what he could or should say. Sean took it out of his hands by speaking up.

"I was trying to learn something new last week," Sean said. It was clear that he was embarrassed. "There was an accident. I was trying to draw energy from water and it kind of got away from me."

Sheila shook her head and said, "I'm not buying that Sean. You've been mysterious about this whole thing but I've been with you when you were drawing power from water. There were no accidents."

"If that's the results of an accident, where do I sign up?" Susan said lightly. "All three of them look twenty years younger."

"The experiment was with wild water," Sean said to Sheila. "It was different than the water we get from the well. Maybe it's because our water sits in a tank before we drink it or use it. I don't know why wild water is different but it is. It could be the impurities in the water but, in hind sight, I'm not sure. Whatever the reason, there was a chain reaction and it took me a few moments to get it under control."

"It felt like a lifetime to me," Martha said quietly as she shivered at the memory.

Sean turned to Susan, and said, "I could have killed them, Susan. I drew too much energy and had to feed it to whatever and whoever was around me. Instead of sending out raw energy, I sent it as healing energy. It was the only control I had over what was passing through me." He gestured at Martha, Seth and Udit as he continued. "This is the result. It didn't make them younger but it did erase some of the damage caused by ageing cells." He looked around the table meeting each individual's eyes when he said, "You all know I can heal. I've done it for Queen and I did it for Pete. I can heal wounds but, I didn't heal wounds this time. I was healing at the cellular level and I used so much power that it changed all of us."

There was silence around the table for only a moment before Pete said, "You were changed too, weren't you? You don't seem to have any problems with your words now. Your face is leaner." He glanced at Lightning sitting beside Sean. "He's changed too," Pete said as he gestured toward the dog. He's a little bigger and maybe thicker but it's something else that's different."

"He's aware," BB said with a nod to Lightning. The dog woofed at him.

"You might think this is all miraculous but, we all thought we were dying. Udit passed out," Seth said into the silence.

"I was surprised when I woke in this life," Udit admitted, solemnly.

"If you need a way to explain what happened to me," Sean said into the silence. "Think of it as me shifting gears and I almost killed some of the people I love most in the world in the process." The nine month old took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh before continuing. "It is too dangerous to be around me when I experiment with new things. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt one of you. So, any new experiments will be done away from the ranch. Udit will help me get to where ever I need to be for the experiment then he'll leave me until I'm finished."

"That's not what I agreed to," Udit said shortly. "I'll help you get to a safe place to experiment, but I will not leave you. I told you that."

"And I told you that it must be this way," Sean shot back. "I thought I am supposed to be in charge. What happened to that?"

"You're in charge after you start slowing," Udit said firmly. "Until then, your only two choices are convincing me to leave you alone or forcing me with one of your sticky shields."

"And then you'll have the same choices with me," Martha said pointedly.

"And me," Seth said as he cast a stern eye at his son. "You may not like it Sean but we are all in this together. We understand safety procedures and practices but that doesn't mean increasing risks to you. We are in this together."

Sean sighed, and nodded his acceptance before saying, "I'll be as careful as I can. I don't want to hurt any of you."

"Maybe you being aware of our safety will keep you a little safer too," Udit said with a smile.

"We love you, kid," BB said. "We really do love you. That means that we will take risks to protect you."

"Okay, okay," Sean said with a little smile. "I get your point. You don't have to get mushy about it."

"I still think we could make a lot of money with a product that could get results like that," Susan said wistfully.

"Gee, how would we market it, Aunt Susan?" Sean asked with a little smile. "The beauty treatment that works every time it doesn't kill you? Get the beauty treatment that works. You only have to bet your life on it."

Susan nodded and smiled back. "You're right Sean. I know that. But the money would be nice."

Sean looked around the table in confusion and asked, "Why do we need money? Don't we have what we need?"

Seth snorted coffee through his nose. Martha and BB started coughing and, after a strangled grunt from Udit, he started laughing.

"Sean, every time I think you've left all of us far behind you say something that reminds me how young and inexperienced you are," Udit said, laughing.

Seth had to blow his nose on his napkin to clear the last of the burning coffee from his sinuses before he laughingly said, "Sean, don't do that to me."

"Well then, someone explain it to me," Sean protested. "Why do we need more money?"

"Sean, we raised most of what's on the table tonight," Seth explained. "But raising animals and gardens cost money too. Running this ranch costs money."

Sean looked at Susan and asked, "You aren't running a ranch. Why do you need money?"

"We're pretty lucky to be living where we are because all we need to pay Seth and Martha are taxes on our house," Pete answered for Susan.

"And you don't have to pay that," Martha grumbled. "We could have covered it in the Ranch budget."

"But we still have car payments and upkeep on the cars and on the house," Pete continued while ignoring Martha's two cents. "We still have a monthly electric bill. We have garbage pickup that we need to pay for."

"Don't forget upkeep on us," Susan said. "I get my hair fixed once a month and you get your hair cut twice a month. Our uniforms are expensive to maintain and we have a food and fuel budget."

"Here at the ranch," Martha said, "I account for every dollar so I can forecast when we can make upgrades like we did on the bunk house or have maintenance done. I know you think of BB and Pappy as family and so do Seth and I. But, they are still working for a wage that comes out of the ranch money. Their wages plus health insurance, Social Security and that new tax they started a few years ago called Medicare has to be paid even if we don't make a profit. The men that remodeled the bunk house had to be paid. The vet has to be paid every time he comes out."

"We don't need the vet to come out now," Sean protested. "I can take care of anything wrong with the animals."

"How would it look if we were the only ranch that didn't need the services of a vet?" Martha asked seriously. "Very few people know about you and we need to keep it that way as long as possible."

"Getting back to money, don't forget the taxes," Seth grumbled. "Every time I turn around the government wants to tax us for something else. I don't mind paying money for things the constitution says the government needs to do like protect the border and maintaining a standing army. My copy of the constitution doesn't say anything about the government giving money to poor people or other countries. The churches have always taken care of people that needed a helping hand and they've done a pretty good job of it. Sending money to other countries feels a lot like we're buying friends. Those kind of friends don't stick around in a crunch."

"So, does that mean that we need more money?" Sean asked, still puzzled. He didn't have a grasp on how the whole money thing worked.

"Honey," Liz said with a smile as she reached across the table and patted his hand. "Everybody always thinks they need more money. All of us together bring a finite amount of money into our family. The things we WANT to do individually or as a family is nearly unlimited. The things we can do is limited by the amount of money we have available."

"We can stretch our dollars a little by using credit to buy some things," Martha explained. "That's what Pete was talking about with car payments. We paid cash for the ranch vehicles because of the way the ranch income works. The Gordian normally gets a large paycheck twice a year when we sell off cattle. That's why we buy the big things we need in the spring and fall. Pete and Susan's income is based on monthly paychecks so Pete bought his car on credit. There's nothing wrong with buying on credit but it can be a slippery slope. Whatever you buy costs more because you're also paying for credit and your credit payments can grow until they are more than what you're making."

"Or they're so high that you can't save for emergencies," BB added.

"Okay," Sean said slowly. "So, if I found things that were worth money, would it be a good thing?"

"Sure," Seth said with a shrug. "Every little bit helps."

"What kinds of things baby?" Martha asked.

"Well, you said that nugget that I found for your birthday would be expensive if we bought it. Would some more of them help?" Sean asked.

"Like I said, son. Every little bit helps," Seth replied with a smile. A couple of those little nuggets would certainly be nice.

Sean shrugged and said, "Well, I could feel a couple of pounds of gold around where we had our picnic. Would that be enough to help?" It was amazing how Sean had picked up the mannerisms of adults around him. His shrug was almost an exact imitation of Seth's.

At Sean's words, Seth snorted his coffee again, along with Pappy and Pete. A rash of coughing fits broke out around the table too. They talked about their plans for another picnic at Turkey Creek throughout the rest of the meal. This time without any experiments.

Udit called their meeting to order when the meal was finished. "I have received a report from the council on the results of the ceremony they conducted last week," Udit said. His words immediately had everyone's attention. "We were lucky. Only one wizard and his two assistants were damaged."

"How were they damaged?" Sean asked concerned.

"They were, um, substantially aged, and the Wizard wakes screaming from nightmares every night too," Udit replied drily. "His supporters didn't last through their first night after the ceremony but they died screaming in their sleep. It could have been much worse. The council took your suggestion and only asked for prior warning of attacks and the nature of the additional help the Brujos are getting from the dream. The Wizard that was damaged and his supporters were the most vehement in urging the council to ask for help in killing the Brujos." Udit sighed before continuing. "I gave them your warning about the ritual participants believing in their questions in their secret hearts. I don't think they took that part as serious as they should. They won't be so quick to disregard your warnings the next time."

Udit shook his head and sipped his coffee before continuing. "I called a friend after I read what they sent me. There was something in the way it was written that told me that something wasn't included in the report. Wizards, Sean will continue to age until his mid to late twenties. We call it slowing when his rate of increase in power slows. That increase in power usually will continue to grow for a year to eighteen months after the slowing starts. He will continue to noticeably age for ten to fifteen years after his power stops increasing."

Sheila nodded and said, "Daddy always looked younger than his brothers, even though he was the oldest."

Udit nodded before continuing. "Wizards stop noticeably ageing, usually between twenty-five and thirty-five. I've been told they continue to age but at a very slow rate."

"What does that have to do with the ceremony?" Seth asked.

"No one has seen an old Wizard," Udit answered. "There isn't even a mention of an old Wizard in our records. I said a Wizard and his two supporters were aged substantially. His aides died soon after of advanced age. The Wizard himself, well, my friend said that he looks like someone well over a hundred years old and is so frail they're afraid to let him try to walk. They don't know if his legs will support him any longer. They don't think he'll live much longer."

Sean nodded in grim acceptance and asked, "So, did they find out anything?"

Udit nodded and said, "Yes, but you need to understand that what they learned wasn't in words. They are given information in visions and sometime metaphors. At times, all the Magi receive the same information. At other times, each Wizard receives a different piece of the information and supporters can receive information at times too. Each member taking part in the ritual is interviewed when they finish. The council tries to construct the Dream's response to the questions from the answers in the interviews. I'm telling you this so you understand the answers aren't always clear and can have more than one meaning."

"Will they give us warnings of the Brujo's attacks?" Sean asked impatiently. "That's the main thing. Right now we're sitting ducks."

Udit nodded and said, "I agree. That is the most important thing. However, the meaning they got from the Dream was that an effort would be made to warn us prior to an attack. Because of the nature of the Dream's opposition, the warnings may not always be in the way we have received information in the past. We may not always have the lead time to an event that we've had in the past either."

"What do you mean when you say the 'nature of the Dream's opposition?'" Sean asked. "What kind of opposition does the Dream have?"

Udit shrugged helplessly and said, "That was the hardest part of the ceremony to decipher. We think we know what the opposition is and why it's there."

Sean nodded and said, "Okay, go on."

Udit took a drink of coffee before starting.

"We also got a history lesson so this may take a few minutes to explain. The first thing to understand is that the Dream is the ultimate balance. The Dream has always been watching over mankind but, it is not inherently good or evil. The part of the Dream that is advising the Brujo's has always been there but it didn't have substance, or a focus. The portion of the Dream that advises us, the Magi, or Wizards if you prefer, gained focus a couple of thousand years ago. A sacrifice was made in the name of all humanity. The sacrifice was so great and so focused, it gave the Dream substance and purpose. That, um, purpose, or 'focus', was successfully transferred to others around the world with the simple criteria of honestly helping mankind. That does not include the people proclaiming a great injustice and asking for help 'for the children," Udit said dryly. "I believe those creatures are trying to swing the balance away from us and may even be in league with the Brujos. The Dream has been guiding us and other's like us since it gained focus two thousand years ago because we were able to maintain enough of a focused purpose for the Dream to work with."

Udit paused, and sipped his coffee as he considered how to continue. Everyone else at the table waited for him. They knew Udit well enough to not try to hurry his explanations. "Brujos were involved with the Nazi's and the Japanese during World War II," Udit continued after another sip of coffee. "We discussed the great evil that men perpetrated on other men during that war. Part of that evil was simply man's inhumanity taking the lead in men's actions. But, part of it was the doing of Brujos trying to deepen and intensify the evil as much as possible. Remember, these men hate mankind and life itself. They would gladly destroy the world and smile as they died if every man, woman and child died with them." Udit shook his head as he looked at the table. Comprehending such an evil mindset was difficult for him. Finally he continued. "At some point in that war, something so evil happened that another part of the Dream awakened and focused on mankind through the evil minds of the Brujos. We don't know for sure if it was one event or a culmination of events. It could have been either. One of the Wizards had visions of gas ovens. People were placed in the ovens like cord wood. Most of them were dead when placed in the ovens, but not all of them." His voice cracked at his words. "Apparently, Brujos were involved with that too. Some of them, or the guards, or both, considered it great fun to load a live, conscious person into the ovens with all the dead. They would turn up the heat in the ovens slowly and listen to the screams." Tears were running down Udit's face when he finished.

Tears were in Sean's eyes too when he asked, "Is there any way to remove the focus of the dark side of the Dream?"

Udit shook his head and then shrugged. "That's one of the things we tried to get from the visions of the ceremony participants. The only thing we could decipher was to kill enough of the Brujos to remove the focus of the evil side of the Dream. Of course, more Brujos will eventually be born to maintain the balance but, once the focus is lost it would take a great evil to bring it back. We think that's what the Brujos are trying to do to us. We think they're trying to kill enough Wizards so the good portion of the Dream loses its focus. If that happens," Udit shrugged again. "If that happens the good portion of the Dream reverts to a simple force for balance without focus. Regaining the focus of the Dream on life affirming principals would require another sacrifice in the name of humanity."

"But, if it's a force for balance, wouldn't it still be helpful," Martha asked in the hush that followed Udit's words.

"Yes Martha," Udit said heavily. "It would be better than nothing. Remember, the bad portion of the Dream didn't have a focus until World War II and look how much evil it was still able to create in the world. But, the portion of the Dream that is a force for good didn't want to dominate. It only wanted balance. The portion that is a force for evil wants to dominate. That alone puts us at a major disadvantage."

Udit pointedly looked at Sean, and said, "The Dream was very specific about rebuilding the ranks of the Magi to regain balance between the light and the dark. You are the start of that effort which is probably why the Brujos have tried so hard to hurt you through your friends or kill you. The dark side of the Dream cannot dominate the world as long as the side that aids us has focus. You and any that follow you must die. That is the only way it can succeed. It cannot allow the new generation of Wizards to survive."

Sean nodded his understanding grimly. "Well, my vote is that we don't let them, or it, succeed." The rest of the family agreed with him vehemently.

Training didn't slow down during the days and weeks following the family meeting in March. If anything, it intensified for everyone at Sean's urging.

"Something's going to happen," Sean said nervously. "I can feel it, but I don't know who it will happen to or when it will happen."

Pete was attacked in early April by a rabid dog which he easily avoided before killing the dog. He thought it was a normal incident that any patrolman could encounter. Udit called his friend that could tell when a Brujo was active and he confirmed that Cocheta sent the dog.

Sean shook his head when questioned about the incident and said, "That's not what I feel coming. That dog was a throw away. It was a feint to make us feel secure in our ability to counteract them. Tell everyone to stay on their guard. Something big is coming."

They secured the gold from five pockets in the rocks around their picnic area on Turkey Creek. The family decided to hold the gold for emergencies. Pappy pointed out that gold prices were dropping.

"Gold was up to $160 per gram last year," Pappy said with disgust. "It's below $130 per gram now but it'll go up again. The politicians will screw up again and the price of gold will go up as the economy destabilizes again."

"How do you know so much about gold, Pappy?" Seth asked.

"Well," Pappy began and actually blushed. Seth had never seen the old man blush. "Sometime when I'm out and about and see a likely spot I'll stop and wash a couple of pans of sand. I do the same thing when I go off by myself on the weekends."

Sean looked confused. "Pappy," the boy began. "Um, I don't understand. Why do you wash pans of sand and what does that have to do with gold?"

Sean insisted on going with Pappy on his next gold panning trip after Pappy's explanation of how he found gold. "It's the natural way to find gold, Momma," the boy explained to Martha. "I need to understand the normal way things work. Just because I have an ability to do something doesn't mean the normal ways are any less important to understand."

Martha agreed so the next Saturday morning, Pappy and Sean disappeared into the Bradshaw mountains for the day. They left early in the morning with Sean perched in front on Pappy on Pappy's favorite horse. Storm and Lightning accompanying them wasn't questioned, because the three were nearly inseparable. They were later in returning to the ranch than planned, but Martha couldn't get upset with the happy, dirty faced grin of the little boy as he presented his prizes of the day. Another pound and a half of gold.