How she ended up in the middle of Kansas in 1541 is a sordid tale. Katia and her four children escaped to the New World with the conquistador Coronado. In exchange for their safe passage to Quivira, Katia agreed to make Coronado her immortal mate, but of course, she’d fallen madly in love with one of his soldiers, Alonso Mendoza.
Shit hit the fan when Katia tried to go behind Coronado’s back and make Alonso her immortal mate instead of Coronado. Legend has it that Coronado killed Alonso and forced Katia to blood bind to him. The only way to break the bond was to find vessels, whatever the hell that meant, so she could be reunited with her one true love. It was all very Days of Our Lives, and my mother believed every word of it.
“Are you ready?” she asked, cradling the elixir in one hand, the bone needle in the other.
I nodded and walked to the center of the room, to the raised bed of grass.
Rhys sidled next to me. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Don’t worry.” I shooed him away. “I’ll be fine.”
Rhys perched himself on the far edge of the grass, looking at the wall so he wouldn’t pass out. He wanted to be there for me, but he didn’t do well with blood.
I removed my blouse and lay down, feeling the crush of soft blades against my back.
My mother kneeled beside me. Pushing aside the strap to my camisole, she traced the symbol with her fingertip directly below my collarbone. “Today, I will give you a circle with a dot in the center. Closest to your heart.”
“The symbol for gold and sun,” I said, taking in a jittery breath.
“Someone’s been paying attention,” she said as she leaned over me, her chestnut hair spilling onto her shoulders, obscuring her face.
She breathed slow and deep and began to meditate, or pray, or whatever it was she did. Sometimes Rhys and I would come home from school to find her that way, and we’d wonder if she’d been in that state all day. She always said she was practicing, using the energy of her surroundings to hang on to her soul as the world collapsed around her. Needless to say, we didn’t ask about it often.
Rhys tapped his shiny loafer on the tiles. “Can we just get this over with?”
She dipped the fine bone needle into the murky tincture. “Uhurahak a u’ a,” she whispered. “That means ‘let go and let yourself fall.’”
Concentrating on the narrow shaft of sunlight streaming in through the open skylight, I inhaled deeply as she pressed the needle into my skin. It stung. You’d think after seventeen years I’d be used to it, but it still hurt like the very first time.
This was an ancient method of tattooing—the ink made from rare essences and metals—part of a series of archaic protection spells that left no visible mark after the pinpricks healed. The tattoos covered my entire body now. I didn’t know if they did any good, but it made Mom feel like she was helping me. I’d trade a little pain for her peace of mind.
As she held my shoulder down, I felt my mother’s scar tissue pulsing against my skin.
“The dead girl has a scar just like yours,” I said.
“It’s an honor.” She eased her hand away, closing it into a fist. “She must’ve been chosen to walk the corn.”
“Here we go.” Rhys shook his head. We’d heard these stories a million times, but unlike Rhys, I never tired of them.
“It’s tradition in Quivira,” my mother continued, her features relaxing, her eyes taking on a dreamy quality. “The chosen couple walks the corn on the summer solstice. That’s when Katia tests our blood, searching for the vessels. Nearly seventeen years ago, I walked the corn with your father, Thomas.”
“But he didn’t make it out of the corn,” I said as I tore my eyes away from the patch of blue sky to study her face.
“No, we were separated,” she answered in quiet resignation, pausing to admire her work on the outer rim of the circle. “But Katia led me out of the corn, and allowed me to leave Quivira to raise my children.”
Rhys hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees. I knew it was killing him not to say anything. He thought our entire family history was a crock of shit.
“Katia didn’t get that opportunity,” my mom said after a series of quick jabs with the needle. “Coronado killed her only daughter.”
According to Mom, Coronado was desperate to stop Katia from finding her vessel. When he learned of her plans, he vowed to wipe out our entire bloodline.
“Why did he hate Katia so much?” I asked. “Just because she didn’t want him?”
She paused, the needle hovering above my skin. “Love—hate—sometimes it’s a fine line. Falling in love with Alonso was Katia’s undoing. The Larkin women fall too hard, too fast, and too fierce.”
“I’ll never fall in love.” I exhaled a tremulous breath.
“Sweet Ash.” She looked down at me tenderly, stroking my cheek. “When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”