“George, what—how—where did you come from?” he demanded.
The tall, lanky Englishman strode over to him. “Well, you did instruct me to come find you if you didn’t return in two days. It’s been four since you disappeared. We’ve had half the reservation out here looking for you,” he informed him.
“Where’s Angeni?” he asked.
George frowned at him. “Angeni? The crew in the helicopter said they only saw you. Is there someone else with you?” he asked.
Aditsan fought to keep his panic from showing. “Her name is Angeni. She is about five foot five with long black hair, brown eyes…. Never mind!” he growled.
His frustration rose along with his panic and he pushed George to aside. With a shake of his head, he decided it would be faster if he looked for her. He started to call out her name when he heard one of the men whistle in appreciation.
“This is really something. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before,” the man exclaimed.
Aditsan’s eyes flashed over at the man before following the direction he was looking. Pain sliced through him when he saw what the men were looking at. George reached out and steadied him when he swayed.
“Aditsan, what is it?” George murmured with concern.
Aditsan tried to speak, but couldn’t get the words past the lump in his throat. He walked forward on trembling legs. Flowers of every color and shape grew just on the other side of his campsite.
“Don’t!” he ordered when one of the men started to bend down to pick a flower. “Don’t disturb her.”
Tears glittered in his eyes as he sank down next to the form of the sleeping woman made of flowers. His fingers reached out to touch the delicate petals. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
I love you, my warrior.
Angeni’s soft voice echoed through his mind. He wasn’t even aware of the anguished cry he emitted. His voice rose above the sound of the waterfall and echoed through the canyon. He bent forward, gasping for air. His fingers curled into fists.
“Wait for us at the top of the cliff. Aditsan, what is it? What happened?” George asked.
Aditsan fought to breathe. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest. Tears blinded him and he impatiently wiped his hand across them.
“She’s—gone. She’s gone,” he choked out.
George squatted next to him. “Who’s gone?” he quietly asked.
Aditsan pushed off the ground and strode down to the edge of the water. He didn’t know how long he stood staring at the falling tears of Angeni’s sisters. His mind felt like it was splintering. Behind him, he heard George approaching.
“We’ll need to leave soon. I had the helicopter take the search team back to town. They’ll be returning and we’ll need to leave before dark,” George explained.
“She saved my life,” he murmured. “Angeni said the waterfall and rivers were created by the tears of her sisters. If you had told me two weeks ago, I would have laughed and said it was a nice fairy tale. The world is a different place now, George. I’m not sure where I belong anymore.” He glanced at George before he sighed and looked to the sky. “I fell from a cliff. I fractured several ribs, had a concussion, and I’m pretty sure a punctured lung. I was dying and I knew it.”
George’s breath hissed with surprise. “How—when did this happen?” he asked, stunned.
“Three days ago, but it seems a lifetime ago. I barely made it down the path. I was hoping to get to the river, but I collapsed. She found me over there,” he said, waving toward the camp.
“I don’t understand. From the injuries you described, it would be impossible to heal that fast,” George said.
“For anyone else—yes, but not for Angeni. She isn’t from our world, George,” he quietly replied.
“What world is she from?”
He wanted to laugh when he heard the doubt laced in George’s voice, but he would have been just as skeptical. How did you explain to someone there were powers in this world beyond normal understanding? George believed in one God. How could he understand that there were many?
“Angeni is a healer. She heals the earth after her father gets angry, or her sisters cry a flood, or her brothers burn the ground. She helps the wildflowers grow after a winter snowstorm. I love her, George. I love her and I’ve lost her forever because she cannot live in our world and I cannot exist in hers,” he murmured as grief struck him.
His shoulders trembled and he bowed his head in sorrow. He didn’t want to go back to his world. He wanted to stay here—where the wildflowers grew in the shape of the woman he loved.
I want to live here, with her, Grandfather, he silently cried.
You have found your way home, Grandson, his grandfather’s gentle voice told him.
“Would you look at that!” George suddenly exclaimed.
Aditsan took a deep breath and looked up. A magnificent eagle soared down along the canyon, skimming the river before turning and landing on the boulder near where Angeni lay. He frowned when the eagle continued to stare intently back at him.
He slowly walked toward the large bird. The eagle flapped its wings but remained on the rock. It wasn’t until he was a few feet from the eagle that he recognized the look in the bird’s eyes.
“Dyami?” he murmured.
“Who’s—?” George started to ask but clamped his mouth shut when Aditsan held up his hand.
Dyami looked at George before he flew to the ground. Aditsan followed Angeni’s brother as he hopped over to the bed of flowers. The eagle stopped next to Angeni’s hand and dropped an object down on the ground next to her.
Aditsan watched as Dyami took off, flying to a nearby juniper tree where he landed. He looked down at the ground and saw the necklace. Bending, he scooped up the simple piece of jewelry. There was a stone hanging from it. He turned the stone over in his hand, immediately recognizing the symbol.
“What is the hand for?” George asked, looking over his shoulder.
Aditsan ran his thumb over the symbol of the hand with spiraling circles cut into it. “It is a symbol of healing,” he murmured.
He looked at Angeni’s peaceful features. Love for her swelled inside him. He opened the clasp of the necklace and bent forward, careful not to crush any of the flowers that made up her body. With a touch as gentle as if he were handling spun glass, he carefully placed it around her neck.
His smile was sad when he reached down to stroke the flowers of her hand. “One day we will meet again—if not in this life, then in the next. You will always be with me in my heart,” he vowed.
He closed his eyes and sent a silent wish to her on the wind. He fervently hoped that wherever she was, she would hear his words. A soft, shuddering sigh slipped from him.
“Sweet Holy Mother Mary,” George’s shocked exclamation caused him to open his eyes.
He started to turn to look at George, but then he felt slender fingers wrap around his hand. Shocked, he looked back down at the flowers. His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Angeni’s shimmering form within the petals. His fingers tightened around hers and he gently helped her emerge from the flowers. Petals fell like raindrops around her as he pulled her to her feet. She looked around her before her eyes locked with his.