Wild Men of Alaska 03 - Dreamweaver

shattered by a truth he didn’t recognize.”
    “Wait,” Gemma said. “I don’t get it.”
    Siri went to explain again but stopped and turned to Rosie. “Tell her in words she’ll understand.”
    Sure, dumb down the New Age speak for the non—somewhat—believer.
    “In Star Trek when the space time continuum is disrupted, reality as we know it changes,” Rosie said. “When you called earlier, you said Tern had planned to introduce you to this man and that he’d seen your future had he not died.” Rosie waited for Tern’s nod before continuing, “He died, therefore, both of your futures have been changed.”
    Well, what do you know, Gemma understood that perfectly. And it made her suddenly sad. She wanted this over with and pulled another card.
    Nine of Cups .
    “This is a wish card. He wishes to be satisfied on all levels. But an overabundance of physical pleasure can lead to intoxication and illness. Balance transferred to a spiritual level enters peace and harmony. This man has had many relationships, Gemini, and has played free with the life he’d been given.”
    “Last card,” Tern said, as though the weight of th e reading weighed heavy on her.
    Gemma went for one card and then felt the need for another. She closed her eyes, and slowly pulled the last card from the many.
    “The Fool,” Rosie and Tern whispered together.
    “Interesting,” Siri said. “The Fool is busy playing sightseer, imagining the possibilities. But if he isn’t careful, he won’t see the edge of the cliff he’s about to tumble over.”
    “There is another side to that, Siri,” Rosie said. “Give her the rest.”
    Siri narrowed her eyes at Rosie. “I was getting to it.” She huffed and adjusted her skirts before speaking again. “There also must be a leap of faith or ultimate gamble that is required for a new beginning.” She sat back as though the reading had taken a toll.
    “We need to think on this,” Tern said.
    “I can’t think anymore.” Gemma rubbed at the headache that had become a constant throb behind her eyes. “I’m so tired.” So extremely tired.
    “What you need is a good night’s sleep,” Siri said. “I believe I can help you with that.” She pulled a sandwich bag out of her pocket with a half a dozen small white pills and handed it to Gemma. “Don’t panic. They’re just sleep aids. But they will put you in a sleep so deep your unconscious mind will also rest. He will not be able to reach you.”

Chapter Eleven

    “Wow, that’s some heavy shit,” Hansen said, relaxing on his favorite rock.
    “Freaky, if you ask me,” Lucky answered, worrying the back of his neck. He’d just returned and reported everything he’d heard about “his” Tarot reading to Hansen, hoping the man could help him figure out his next step.
    “She pulled all those cards on you. There wasn’t anything that you did to help the situation?”
    “That damn storm left me with only enough strength to eavesdrop. Besides, I know nothing about the Tarot. Chakras are more my speed.”
    “How does Gemma’s mother know all this? Know so much about you?”
    “I thi nk the woman’s been ‘touched’.”
    Hansen got a calculating look in his eye. “Maybe I ought to dream weave a little myself and find out.”
    “Dude, she’s like over fifty.”
    “Yeah, so? Age is just a number. Besides, from how you’ve described her, she sounds kinda hot.”
    “I think she’s in a relationship.”
    “What’s a little dream loving? Doesn’t hurt nobody.”
    “Speak for yourself,” Lucky muttered, dropping to sit on the grass that never seemed to need watering. He lay on his back and gazed up at the puffy clouds. It never rained. He missed a good hard rain. Damn, but he itched to get out of here. Turns out there was something to the saying, “Too much of a good thing.”
    “That’s okay,” Hansen said. “I wasn’t really serious about dreamweaving anyway. I’m happy here. What’s not to love about Paradise?”
    Lucky raised his head to debate the reasons but stopped. He had a feeling Hansen hadn’t moved on because of him. Hansen had always been a supportive sonofabitch. Lucky was going to miss him. That is if he wasn’t stuck with him for all eternity.
    “So what’s your next move?” Hansen asked.
    Hell, if he knew.
    ***
    So help her God, if another person asked for a book, and they didn’t know the title or author, she was going to scream. The earlier Tarot reading twisted around in her head, so