Shaman - the Awakening (23 page)

Then we moved towards a more priestly line of questions. We asked if any of the priests were healers or seers. She stated that they didn't have any at their congregation. They were peyotists who practiced snake dancing, and she escorted us to the snake room. She answered all our questions without difficulty. Suffice it to say they weren't the church or priests we were attempting to locate. She did state that there was talk about great healers in Window Rock. We thanked her and departed.

We decided to keep Window Rock for last and went to the NAC in Chinle. When we arrived there they were holding mass. We waited in the back aisle and observed the peyote ceremony. They had a so called healer in their midst, who didn't really have the gift, and snake dancers. I held my laughter out of respect, but inside I was cracking up at the charlatan healer. The snake dancers appeared to be authentic. After the mass we introduced ourselves and attempted to question the leaders. After the peyote consumed during the ceremony, they were more than cooperative. These weren't the priests we were looking for either. We waited for several hours, but didn't observe any suspicious activities and departed for Window Rock.

It was getting late when we arrived at our destination. There were several parishioners and two of the church priests in a meeting when we arrived. We were asked to wait until the meeting adjourned. We bided our time thinking if we cooperated perhaps they would in return. When their meeting ended we spoke to priests; Roanhorse and Wauneka, who were willing to meet with us without parishioner bouncers. We met with them separately and inquired the same questions we asked in Tuba, but this time the answers were more intriguing. Everything we asked one priests the other would contradict. One priest stated that he hadn't heard of the abducted women and the other stated the opposite. It was clear that they weren't expecting us or the questioning.

We informed the priest that we knew who the subject was that we were looking for, and were just attempting to tie up some loose ends. One of them boldly stated, “
Good luck with that.”

The priests we interviewed from the other churches had inquired about how they could assist us. Roanhorse and Wauneka didn't seem to care in the least about getting involved. They also fit the profile. They spoke of their healer, who also had the gift of seeing, but he wasn't present at the time. I sensed we were definitely in the right place.

We inquired about the whereabouts of the other priest and they stated that he was attending to the flock; visiting the homes of the parishioners. Nina was forward enough to inquire which houses would we find him at. Both priest were opposed to giving us information in that regards and stated that it's was private affair visiting the homes of the parishioners. The priests were beginning to get agitated by our questioning, so we decided to leave well enough alone and departed. We couldn't afford to have the reservation police find us here harassing the Navajo when I had warrants out for my arrest. I touched as much as I could while there since they didn't offer to give us a tour, nor did we expect one; especially after the interrogation. Hopefully I could pick up something in dreamscape from my contact.

We decided to stay in Window Rock and investigate further. We wanted to attend one of the Masses and meet with the healer. We had to wait until the following day to attend the services. Therefore we checked into the Quality Inn off Hwy 264. Nina and I finally had a little time to relax. We decided to take a shower together and made love. Afterwards we rested in bed together. Nina checked emails and I looked at the coyote footage.

“What exactly are you expecting to find in this footage? We've all seen it a thousand times,” Nina said.

“I know, but we weren't looking for the right thing,” I replied.

We continued to check the footage of the coyote together. Then I researched for videos of coyotes in the wild. I spotted the anomaly I was looking for. After countless observations of the coyotes in the wild, I confirmed my suspicion.

“It is just as I thought,” I said with enthusiasm.

“What is it, Chris?”

“This isn't a normal coyote in any way. He is abnormally larger and his gait is completely different, see?” I said to Nina.

“Yes; it is, but what does that mean?” she inquired.

“He walks like a man would walk on four legs, imitating a coyote. I never thought I would witness one, but this shaman is a shape shifter,” I stated.

“Yes; it does have an abnormal walk,” Nina replied, as astonished as I was after carefully scrutinizing the coyote and comparing it to others.

This shaman was more powerful and experienced than I'd expected. He had abilities I couldn't begin to fathom. How did I defeat such a man? How did I tell this to anyone? Who would believe me even if I showed it to them? Nina was a believer because of her background and history with shamanism.

“So what's the plan?” Nina asked.

“First I would like to sleep on it, and then consult the spirits. Perhaps I can find some enlightenment there,” I replied. Nina wanted to keep her watchful Eagle eyes open, but I convinced her to get some rest. We both needed it and fell asleep on the bed together.

When morning came we couldn't wait to go back to the Window Rock NAC. I didn't receive much from dreamscaping last night. It was as if there was a shroud covering the church. All I could see was darkness. This was no doubt the work of a skilled Shaman. The church was closed when we arrived. There was an itinerary on the door for scheduled activities including the services. The worship wasn't until 10:00 and the work study was at 11:00. We were early, but decided not to add breaking and entering on the list of felony charges. Therefore, we went to have breakfast nearby. Gracie wasn't inside anyway. I would have felt her presence. We needed to speak to the healer and perhaps some of the congregation when they arrived.

After eating we returned a little before 10:00 and waited outside the church. We observed the priests Wauneka and Roanhorse at the door, greeting the parishioners as they entered. After all congregation was inside and the doors closed, we exited the vehicle and entered the church. The mass was similar to the other peyote masses we'd observed in Chinle and Tuba. They presented a snake charmer who danced with several snakes on his arms and passed the peyote pipe. Towards the end things got interesting as Priest Roanhorse addressed the parishioners.

“As you know and can tell by now, Father Tsosie isn't present. I know you have brought your sick tribesmen with you today so Father Tsosie can heel them, but he couldn't make it today. It saddens me to tell you that Father Tsosie felt the doubters before they even arrived here. He is a great seer and knew that the evil ones, who don't believe, would be with us. He can't perform his healing with those who don't believe in attendance. It requires pure faith in order to work. You know who they are. I'm sorry you brought your sick clansmen all the way here, but until the evil ones are gone, Father Tsosie will not be healing any longer.”

Then we heard the rumbling of the entire church as they looked towards the back at us. The priests were igniting the flames of a mob. There was nothing Nina and I could do. The church was filled with an angry and upset congregations. This was our cue to depart. As we got up from our seats, so did several of the parishioners. This was becoming ugly quickly. There is nothing like the will of a zealot to incite rage. Once at the door we ran to our vehicle. The crowd ran after us and threw things at the vehicle as we drove off.

About a half a mile down the road we noticed several vehicles speeding up from behind us in pursuit. It was the parishioners, no doubt. Nina sped up as well. There was no way we would be caught in any type of conflict with a mob of Navajo who could possibly be armed. It was a no-win situation. Our only recourse was to flee.

We flew past a speed trap set up by two hidden Reservation Police cruisers. We were doing about 30-40 miles per hour over the speed limit in what would be classified as reckless endangerment. When the police cruisers became involved with sirens sounding and flashers illuminated, the parishioners ended their chase. With the mob dispersed, we pulled over and I was arrested on sight. There was an FBI BOLO out on me throughout the reservation. Nina attempted to use her BIA credentials to straighten out the matter, but to no avail. They didn't arrest Nina and let her follow us to the police station. I was detained at the Reservation Station until the FBI arrived. It only took about 40 minutes before they showed up. They sent Ortega and Burkhart.

“Well if it isn't the infamous Christian Sands. You are really making a name for yourself in Res. Territory. They say you are already a part of Hopi lore, Cheveyo. You do realize we are running out of time to find her,” Ortega stated, his sarcastic tone setting my teeth on edge. Just when I was beginning to like Ortega.

“I'm the one who gave you guys the moon schedule, remember?” I stated.

“Oh yeah, you did, didn't you. So, how are you going to find her from in here?” he asked.

“Look, Ortega, if you're here to gloat, save it!”

“No, I'm here to get you out. The Great Mother says you still have work to do. She asked me to keep a watchful eye out for you, so I monitored the Res radios. I'm here to help,” he stated to my surprise.

“So you're just going to waltz me out the door?” I asked.

“Well I would prefer it if you just walked out on your own, but if you need a dance partner, Agent Blackwater is in the lobby also,” Ortega quipped.

“Are there other agents coming to pick me up?” I inquired.

“No, I took care of all of that. I told the Residence Office it was a false report and that I had everything under control. I figured Steve knew what you were doing, so I notified him. Now let's get outta here and find Gracie,” Ortega said.

We drove out of Window Rock and off the Reservation as fast as we could. We checked into a hotel in Gallup, New Mexico to hide out until things died down a little. We needed to collect our thoughts and strategize. Nina couldn't believe what Ortega did for me and neither could I. Ortega reserved a hotel room for us, since I appeared to be as wanted as the Coyote these days.

“You guys should be alright here for a while. I'll leave Agent Burkhart here with you in the next room. I need to check back in with Residence Office. They're going to get suspicious if I don't. I'm going to drive back and meet up with you tomorrow morning. Call me if you need anything or feel the urge to leave while I'm gone,” Ortega stated and departed.

The priests had really outsmarted us. They had the reservation police, the FBI, a whole congregation of religious zealots and perhaps the entire reservation out to get us. We were exhausted from the near mob attack and the arrest. We just needed to rest for a few hours so we lay down on the bed together staring at the ceiling. Then we both began laughing at the same time. It started out as a chuckle then it grew into a full-blown gut-busting laugh. We were laughing at ourselves and the way we ran out of the church.

“Did you see the way they all turned around and looked at us?” Nina giggled.

“I thought the old lady was going to tackle us at the door,” I replied, laughing as well.

“I never thought I could run so fast,” Nina said.

“I couldn't believe it. When I saw you just flat out dash, I was like, what the hell? This girl can run!” We laughed so hard there were tears in our eyes.

“I've been thrown out of bars and nightclubs before, but that's the first time I was thrown out of church and run out of town! You really know how to show a lady a good time, Chris,” Nina said, just barely getting it out while laughing so hard. I was rolling in the bed at that point.

She really did know how to make light of a bad situation. She masterfully turned a frown into smile. That's when I realized how much I adored her. I stopped and wiped the tears from my eyes and just looked at her.

“What?” she inquired.

“Nothing,” I replied.

“No, what is it?” she asked.

“I was thinking about how incredible you are.”

“You're just now noticing that?” she said, smiling.

“No; I'm just noticing how modest you are,” I replied and we started laughing again. Then I held her in my arms. I dismissed the outside world and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

“Wow, where did that come from?” she asked, but before she could continue I quieted her with an even more passionate kiss. She made up for all the bad in my life. She was the one constant, ethereal and beautiful light in my dark and dismal world. She was truly God's gift to me. She was my savior and companion. How very lucky I was to have her. We fell asleep while on the bed and I took the opportunity to do some dreamscaping. Agent Trace Burkhart was next door, so I felt safe while she slept and I went under. I needed to check on Gracie's status.

Early that morning, before sunrise, I was wakened by the sounds of Nina screaming. I jumped up, startled and bewildered by what I saw. There were dozens of rattlers in our room. I didn't hear or feel them while asleep. I'm most vulnerable while in dreamscape. I can't hear or feel anything in my external surroundings; luckily, once again Nina had been present to wake me! She held on to me tight as I assessed the situation. Her weapons were out of reach! I grabbed the bowie knife Asku had given me from its spot the nightstand.

“Listen to me, Nina; I want you to stay on the bed.”

She was frightened and still holding me tight. I grasped her face and directed her eyes towards mine. “It's alright; I'm going to get us out of here. Just look at me.”

The snakes were on the bed now. She curled up in a fetal position. I wrapped my arms with pillow cases, then grabbed the Deer Horned blade and went to work! With the speed and agility of the panther, I killed the snakes on the bed first. Then I carved my way through the ones in the rest of the room with lightning fast speed. I had never used a knife like this before. You would have thought I was an expert in Escrima, the Filipino Martial Art of knife fighting. I was a killing machine, displaying grace and precision with the blade in my hand.