A small fire crackled and hissed by the billabong near the river forest. A green stick, charred at the tip, poked into the hot ashes to one side of the main fire. Impaled on its end were the curled remains of several small lizards. Tjimi pulled the stick out of the ashes and tapped the tiny corpses with a gnarled fingertip, dislodging ash and flakes of charred scales. He nodded and grinned, pulling one of the cooked lizards off the stick and handing it to the young girl sitting next to him.

Gaia took the offering and pulled off a leg. A tiny burst of steam escaped the white meat beneath the burnt exterior and she bit into it gingerly. She savoured the taste and grinned in satisfaction.

"Very nice, Tjimi," she said. "The women of the Tjalwalbiri could learn cooking from you."

Tjimi grinned in return and, keeping one back, passed the other lizards to Ernie and the three Wirreenun: Ngarragun, Wiradjerun and Njangaringu. They accepted with thanks and started eating. Tjimi did not offer any to the two yowies sitting behind the girl, as he knew that spirit creatures like the yow-ee did not eat food like mortal creatures. He was surprised to see them eating leaves plucked from the branch lying between them.

Tjimi admitted to himself that he was confused. The yow-ee of the girl Guyyah, the one she insisted on calling Rima, was evidently mortal. Though what else could the creature be but the soul of the child? The wound inflicted by the evil man the night before was not serious but it had drawn blood. The invisible spear, accompanied by its own thunder under a strong spell, had bounced from a rib on the yow-ee, inflicting only a flesh wound. Even so, its vitality was more than human. The yow-ee was now almost recovered. Despite the blood, it must be a spirit. This mixture of earthly and spirit was something new to him. The Karadji tucked his thoughts away and turned his attention back to the conversation of Wandjina and Guyyah.

"I am still mystified by the origins of these Shadow beings," Wandjina said. "I used to think they came from some alternate reality, drawn over when that Vox Dei machine weakened the boundaries between realities."

"I don't think so," replied Gaia. "When they were within me," she shuddered, "they felt foul but also natural. They are a part of this world."

"Then where are they from? I was here a long, long time, both before 'now' and after 'now' and I have never come across them until recently." Ernie smiled. "Time is confusing when you put it into words."

"Ehrich and I were both taken over and used. They seem to need some sort of acceptance of them before they can do it. I suppose I was just in great need of someone to look after me." She turned and squeezed Rima's massive foot.

Rima rumbled gently and her thoughts reached out to embrace the girl. I love you, child. I will always be with you.

Gaia gathered up the tiny bones and remnants of skin from the lizard she ate. She cupped them in her hand, squeezed gently, then opened her hand and dusted it off on her knee. There was no trace of the remains.

"What else can you do, child?" asked Ernie quietly.

"I don't know until I try it," Gaia replied. She pointed at a fly buzzing around the remains of the Tjimi's meal. She concentrated and the fly landed and started walking in circles. "I could kill it too, but I'd rather not if I didn't have to." Gaia frowned. "I could have killed Ehrich or just hurt him when he kidnapped me yesterday. After he hurt me I wanted to, but now I see it is better not to." She looked up at Ernie, a sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry your friend Garagh died. I would have saved him but Tjakkan told me not to."

"I am saddened by his loss, child, and I shall mourn him in time." Ernie pursed his lips. "You talk with Tjakkan?"

"Oh, yes!" Gaia laughed. "He asked me not to tell you but I only said I'd consider his request."

"How long have you talked with him?"

Gaia looked thoughtful. "I think all my life but only in dreams. Since Njangaringu," she waved at the Wirreenun listening gravely to their conversation, "put the crystals in my body when he healed me, I can hear him any time I want. I can still only visit him in my dreams though."

Ernie leaned forward intently. "Where is Tjakkan when you visit him."

"In his ship."

"Ship?"

"Well, I call it a ship. I suppose Tjimi would call it a shining hut, but in reality, it is a gravo-magnetic mechanism. It's in a geo-stationary orbit above us right now." Gaia looked up, thought for a moment, and pointed. "About there, I think."

"And who is Tjakkan? Do you know?"

"Well, I know he's not human," Gaia grinned. "As to where he's from.I've never asked."

"Why is he here?"

Gaia shrugged, raising her arms high in an exaggerated fashion. "He.manages things. He's been here a long time though I don't think he thinks of time the same way we do."

Ernie opened his mouth, then shut it. He pondered the girl's answer then asked curiously, "How do you know these things, Gaia? You have lived almost your whole life in ancient Australia. How is it you are familiar with these concepts and words?"

"I read my parents' minds when I was a baby. Anything they knew, I knew. Of course, I had to wait a bit before I understood it all."

"And do you know your purpose back here?" asked Ernie. "I thought, when we returned, that finding you was important mainly to your mother and father. I had another agenda, but I'm finding that the two are intertwined. Possibly mine is less important."

Gaia nodded her head solemnly. "Yes, I know it, Wandjina, but that bit of information from Tjakkan I think I will keep secret. You'll find out soon enough anyway."

The fly buzzed weakly and fell over. "Oh, dear. I've been neglecting my demonstration." Gaia smiled and the fly fanned its wings and flew off. "Control can be useful sometimes."

"Indeed," agreed Ernie. "Is it limited to animate objects?"

Gaia grinned. The sand started moving near the man's foot, swirling and rising. Gaia gestured and the sand froze in place, several inches above the ground. She snapped her fingers and it fell, all at once. "I can only manage little things so far, but I'm working on it."


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