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a different path to the Lower World, and nodded with what I thought might be faint approval.
This time I didn t need to be told to draw a power circle. The sun was already high, burning very close to
us in the red sky. I greeted it without even feeling ridiculous, and bowed in each direction, asking for
guidance and protection in my quest. Judy settled down beside me in the circle, looking pleased.
It s not unlike doing a search for yourself, she said as I sat down. But rather than asking for the spirits
to come and guide you, think of your friend Colin. Ask for the help of any who will come. Focus on
him. She lifted a drum I hadn t seen her carrying and began to beat a rhythmic tang. I took a deep breath
and let my eyes close, wondering if there was a difference between sleeping and trances in the Lower
World.
The too-close sun bore a bright spot through my closed eyes, making my eyelids burn a brighter crimson
than the sky. I built an image of Colin around that brilliance, turning the whiteness into his fair hair and
remembering the hollowness of his eyes beneath it. The darkness around the image felt cloying and
sticky, as if his sickness affected the picture I had in my mind. It was uncomfortable, like picking my feet
up and slogging through tar, but I d made a promise. More, I wanted to help him. Maybe needed to.
Please. Making a word of the need startled me. He s just a kid, and his strength is almost gone. If there s
anyone who s willing to lend him your strength, I ll guide you to him. He s a good kid. I felt the heat of
tears press through my eyelashes and swallowed against them. Please, I said again, then drew a sharp
breath, trying to settle my thoughts into silence.
Not thinking was harder than it sounded. Judy s drum helped, the beat mixing with my heartbeat and
filling my blood with hope. The sunspot in my eyelids drifted up, then away, telling me that time passed.
Comforting blackness wrapped around me, the drum as its pulse. The thickness of the dark stayed with
me, until I couldn t feel myself breathing anymore. I took a deeper breath, trying to make my lungs and
ribs expand so much that I couldn t help but feel them, and instead I lost Colin s image from my mind.
Retrieving it was slow work, pulling it from the sticky darkness piece by piece.
I didn t know why I opened my eyes: nothing that I could sense on any physical level had changed. But I
did, and found a massive serpent coiled inside the power circle, its blunt nose mere inches from my
hooked one. It had the same bright black eyes as its predecessor, watching me with deadly calm. My
heart lurched, making a pit of sickness in my stomach.
You ssseek, it murmured. I anssswer.
Did it have to be a snake? I tried to keep the thought stuffed deep in my brain where no one, particularly
the snake, could hear it. Its flat expression didn t change and I let out a relieved breath. Thank you.
Snakes are a symbol of healing, I reminded myself. This is a good sign. I kept that thought stuffed deep in
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my brain, too. Judy? My voice had only the slightest quaver to it. I was proud of myself. How come
it s inside the circle?
To bring its power back to your friend, it has to become a part of you, Judy said with a trace of
impatience. You re a conduit, Joanne. How on earth did you manage to make it this far with so little
education?
Heat crept up my cheeks. I knew shamans were conduits. I d invited the snake in to the power circle with
my thoughts. How else did I expect to guide it to Colin? Sorry, I muttered, still scarlet. I knew that.
To the snake, I said, I m not with the one who needs your help. Will you let me carry you to him? I put
out an arm, trying not to notice the goose bumps that shivered up my skin as I made the offer. The snake
ducked its head, flicking its tongue over the fine hairs on my arm. Then it shot forward, putting its head
over my shoulder. I gathered it up as carefully as I could, settling its weight over both my shoulders. It
slithered down my right arm, coiling around it, and as I lifted its tail, that coiled around me, too. The
thing was at least as tall as I was, powerful muscles bunching and releasing against my skin. I fought
down terror for a few seconds, trying desperately to remind myself that it was there to help. Its weight
was enough that I considered stopping for the day right there, and simply heading back to the real world
so I could deliver the snake s strength to Colin.
Oh. My voice sounded loud and startled to my own ears. The strength I d just been afraid of was
exactly what the creature was offering to Colin. My fear broke apart, making the next breath I took easier,
and suddenly the snake s weight seemed much less significant. Thank you, I said again to the snake.
But I have a question. Will carrying you with me make it harder for me to do a spirit quest for another
friend? I have a lot to do this morning.
The snake twined its way back up my arm and stuck its tongue in my ear. I tried not to squirm or shriek
as it hissed, Perhaps. I have come to help. Shall I help more than one?
My heart slowed down as I considered the offer, my thoughts long and careful between one beat and the
next. No, I said after a few echoes had pounded through my body. I think Colin will need all the
strength you can spare him. I think I need to do another quest for my other friend.
Very well. The snake slid down off my shoulders and wrapped itself in a loose circle around my folded
legs, not touching me. When you have completed your quessst, we shall all return together.
Thank you, I said, surprised at how much I meant it. Judy, would you drum again, please?
She pursed her mouth, lifted the drum, and began a new beat. I took a deep breath, smiling briefly at her,
but her concentration was for the drum. I shrugged, tilting my head back as I closed my eyes, and fell into
darkness again.
It felt different this time. The darkness behind my eyelids was cool and slick, like black water. I could
hear my heartbeat more clearly than Judy s drum, and my breathing was easier. My ribs creaked as I
inhaled, and I enjoyed the sensation. I knew Gary a lot better. Maybe that was why it was so much easier.
Focusing on Gary took less distinct concentration. I was able to remember the funny gray eyes and bushy
eyebrows, the deep-set wrinkles and the shock of white hair and the strong white teeth without carefully
rebuilding the image in my mind every few seconds. The width of his shoulders, which, if they d
lessened with age, made me wonder how big a man he d been in his youth, and the carpe diem strength
that made me feel like a piker in my own life.
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Mostly, though, what I held on to as I put a second call out into the void wasn t physical. It was his heart,
the periodic gruffness that overlaid tremendous caring and the steady thrum of his soul, the V-8 engine
that charged him. Please, I found myself whispering again, into a darkness that hadn t decided to answer
yet. He s a terrific old man. I wouldn t have made it this far without him. Is there anyone who will help
him?
Tiny floating spots of brightness began appearing behind my eyelids, little explosive fireworks. They
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