Keepers of the Flame Read Free

“Never. He’s not. He may be more brilliant. He may
have gone through the damn programs like a rocket, but he is not a better
doctor than you. You’re twice the physician he is. And you know why? Because
you have heart.”
    Elizabeth
blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that. Heart. Huh.”
    “Huh
yourself.”
    Bri
drove down streets overhung with leafy branches.
    Elizabeth’s
breathing evened. Bri felt her sister’s glance, but said nothing. Elizabeth
inhaled, let her breath out slowly. “Don’t ask me to go in a direction I’m not
ready for. I don’t want the topic raised again.”
    Bri
found her teeth set, and deliberately relaxed her jaw. Again. There was no
place like home and family, and no one who could push her buttons so easily as
Elizabeth.
    Bri
turned the car east and a wave of sound washed over her, through her. “The
sounds of chimes and stuff is getting louder.”
    Elizabeth
said nothing, but she’d stiffened.
    “Chanting
mostly. Sheesh, don’t even need to turn on the radio.” She cocked her head.
“Maybe I should have said merde . Sounds like French.”
    There
were a couple of minutes of uneasy silence, then Elizabeth finally said, “Never
did like those French classes in school.”
    Then
she did hear it, too! Bri kept her tone light. “When you visited me in
Cannes, you spoke French with a better accent than mine.” A tinkle of chimes
rippled, then settled inside her, coiling. She flexed her fingers. “Do you
recognize that?”
    “What?”
The word sounded dragged out of Elizabeth.
    “The
chimes are the tones associated with the seven chakras: C, D, E, F, G, A, B.”
    “Leave
it to you.”
    A
gong sounded in her mind. Elizabeth flinched beside her. “Put on some speed.
Let’s get home.”
    “Right.”
    The
rest of the drive passed in a rush, both physically and emotionally. Chanting
blocked out all other sounds—except for the chakra chimes and the occasional
gong. The rhythm was odd, Bri couldn’t catch hold of any pattern, but it wound
her so tight she was near panting.
    Elizabeth
gave a little moan, rubbed her temples. “I can’t anticipate the beat.” She
squirmed. “It seems to be having a physical effect. My skin prickles.”
    “So
does mine. Nerve endings do you think?”
    With
a choppy exhalation of breath, Elizabeth said, “Probably. I have my medical bag
up in the loft. We can check this out.” She sounded as if she was reassuring
herself as well as Bri.
    “Of
course,” Bri said, pulling into the underground garage and parking in
Elizabeth’s space.
    They
got out. Bri grabbed the freezer chest and Elizabeth both bags of potatoes. As
they hurried to the elevator, Bri realized her whole body trembled—the chanting
was spiraling, rising with excitement, with demand. She glanced at Elizabeth
and saw a huge flickering multicolored banded aura. Bri’s breath whooshed out.
She noted her sister wouldn’t look at her. “This is scary.”

2
    “S cary,” Elizabeth
said, jabbing at the elevator button. “Everything will be fine in a few
minutes. We’ll figure this out.” She tilted her head in Bri’s direction. “I’m
glad you’re here with me.”
    “Likewise.”
The sounds had affected her heartbeat; the chanting sped it up, the chakra
chimes tugging at different internal energies. She didn’t like the sensations.
    The
elevator dinging melded with everything else and she didn’t notice it until the
steel gray doors opened and Elizabeth hustled in. The black rubber-edged doors
nearly closed before Bri hopped inside, stumbled to the far wall and braced
herself.
    Elizabeth
pressed thirty-four and the elevator rose.
    Too
slowly. Bri’s vision was morphing. Sound seemed to take shape, with pastel
clouds of pink and green and coral whirling around them. Bri gulped.
    “Just
a couple of minutes,” Elizabeth chanting herself.
    “This
ain’t good,” Bri whispered. She wondered if she should dial 911.
    The
elevator went up and up and up. The chanting and chimes