In Chicago, Dema was at home with her family when she felt Cern's presence, felt with him the cold night desert air on his skin, the sand under him, and the thongs binding his wrists and ankles.

Cern! You're in trouble!

It's not as bad as it seems. We're in control. But we could use some help.

What's going on?

We found the bad guy. He's a Navajo skinwalker. He thinks if he skins us alive, drinks our blood, and eats our flesh he can steal our power.

Sounds like you've found a cousin of El Diablo. You said 'we'.

Begay is with me. We won't let him do all that, of course, but he has armed guards, and they might be a handful to deal with all at once. Can you come and help us spring the trap?

On my way. How soon...

He intends to leave us staked out here for three days. But Begay doubts he has that much patience.

I'll be there tomorrow.

Dema looked up to see her whole family staring at her, wide-eyed with concern. 

"You were listening?"

"Yes. All of us. We want to help."

"It does sound like this guy could be big trouble."

"What can we do?"

"You can pile in the Jeep with me and ride along."

"That's a long way to drive in one day."

"I know a shortcut."

Children!

They all looked at Sedna.

Come here.

They did as she instructed, and stood surrounding her chair.

Now bend down, all of you, and touch your heads to mine.

As they did this, they felt the link between them, already strong, strengthen further. 

 With their heads still touching, Sedna reached up and gathered all their hands in hers.

We will go as one.

And it was so. 

Where the four of them had been, now stood one. White haired, white skinned, lidless yellow eyes, clad in sleeveless black snakeskin. Taller than any of them had been before. 

The others deferred to Dema, and she took control, striding swiftly to where the Jeep was parked and slipping behind the wheel. In minutes they were leaving Chicago and rolling west on Interstate 80.

***

"Dema is coming."

"Juan too."

"As I reached out for the link, I felt that life is strong here still, although much of it lies dormant in the soil."

"Yes, it revives quickly when treated well." 

"Gaia doesn't mind the desert. It's all the same to her. But she does prefer the richness that comes when the grasses bind the soil, the waters are held, and the herds grow strong and plentiful."

"It needs our help to bring it back. We have allowed too much damage to be done. We must restring the bow, set the arrow, draw the string and let it sing once again."

"With the rhythm of life restored the resonating patterns will return."

 "Little turbulences will always remain, but the smooth flow of life will go on."

"Little turbulences. Like the one coming toward us now."

One of the guards had left the trailer and walked toward them. He carried a rifle under his arm. But he did not approach. He stopped to piss a pint or so of beer onto the sand. Then he went back inside.

***

They were one, although in their shared snake dream at times it seemed the four of them were seated separately, some snoozing, while at others they were all behind the wheel.

Nebraska? What happened to Iowa?

It's all pretty much the same.

They cut off of I-80 onto I-76 to Denver, then down through timeless mountains on 285 and 160 and were in the Navajo Nation, nearing Flagstaff.

Dema could feel Juan approaching from the south. He too was not alone.