Carpathian 17 - Dark Curse

be fair and wait to hear all the facts. Lara liked her.
    Shea waved her hand toward the interior. \"Let me introduce you to the others.\"
    Lara followed her down the narrow, winding tunnel that led deeper beneath the mountain. Like the caverns Nicolas occupied, this one was warm rather than part of the network of ice caves beneath the glacier and as Page 132

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    they descended into the depths, the warmth increased. Sconces lit the way, small flickering subdued lights that glowed rather than danced. The muted lights played across the crystal growths in tunnel walls. Varied with color and shape, the lights created a dizzying display, making the wall almost surreal. In the dreamlike state, she felt almost as if she was walking backward through time to the warmth and safety of the womb.
    As she entered the main chamber where the women were gathering, the illusion became even stronger. Two women, Raven and Savannah, lay in the center where black soil, rich in minerals, covered their bodies.
    Around them, in a loose semi-circle, women had gathered to sing the Carpathian lullaby softly, swaying back and forth as if rocking a baby.
    Two other women, one tall and elegant and one thin, young and very fragile-looking, stood on the outer edges of the soil, hands lifted, both singing a soft, melodious rhythm as they moved their feet in an intricate pattern.
    \"Syndil and Skyler,\" Shea whispered. \"They rejuvenate the earth itself. They\'re calling on the minerals and healing properties to come forth to aid us in saving our children. Both have been invaluable in restoring toxin-free soil to us. Skyler is working as Syndil\'s apprentice and already, she\'s very good.\"
    It was a beautiful sight, the two women performing an ancient ritual of cleansing the earth, and calling on Mother Nature to help save their children. Lara listened to the introductions, but all the while she was watching the ceremony, her heart swelled, and her mind followed every graceful sway of hands and feet. She knew the ceremony, in some part of her mind. The phrases were familiar to her, the rhythm and patterns, as if long before she was born she had been given the tools to cleanse the earth.
    Her feet ached to join the two women, her hands fluttered, rising to trace a flowing arc in the air. She felt the pulse of the earth beneath her. Her heart began to change rhythm to match the song and the beat. Oh yes, the words were there, ancient and beautiful and filled with the power of women.
    Oh, Mother Nature, we are your beloved daughters. Lara dipped low, bowing out of respect, her feet turning of their own accord to pick up the graceful spin Syndil and Skyler completed on two of the four corners surrounding Raven and Savannah. Instinctively, Lara took the third corner. We dance to heal the earth. We sing to heal the earth. We join with you now. Our hearts and minds and spirits become one .
    The music was already there in her soul. But they needed a fourth. The other women danced and sang, their voices growing in strength, but they needed one more voice. They weren\'t strong enough. Lara looked to Syndil, a faint frown on her face. They needed to adjust their footing. \"Do you feel it?\"
    A hush fell over the women. The warm cave pulsed with the suspension of power. Lara should have felt embarrassed to have all eyes on her. She had never done this before. She wasn\'t certain she was right, but something felt-off. She looked to Syndil. Power emanated from the woman, vibrated in the air around her. Her aura even pulsated.
    Syndil frowned. \"The dance is off balance, but there is little we can do about that.\" She glanced at Skyler.
    \"What do you think?\"
    \"It\'s working, but it\'s not exact.\" The teenager shrugged. \"We can only do the best we can do. We need four and we have only the three of us.\"
    Syndil nodded. \"I adjust the dance and notes of the song by the amount of toxins I feel through the soles of my feet. With this soil we have to be especially careful because we\'re preparing it for the babies.\"
    Lara nodded, still frowning. She raised her hand to feel the power pulsating through the room. \"Some of the Page 133

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    weaves are off a bit. We need a fourth weaver.\"
    \"There is no one. The others can contribute to the power, but they can\'t produce the healing song of the earth.\"
    \"There is no other from your lineage?\" she asked Syndil.
    Syndil shook her head. \"Not that I know of. We