Nature's Gift

Despite the media coverage of the divorce, the new album dropped on time. All the major markets reported extremely heavy sales on the first day, and a new sales record was set. By the end of the week, the album had sold nearly 3 million units, shattering all other first week records. They were all, of course, elated at this news as they began rehearsals for the tour. They had one week before the first show date, and already, the tour was completely sold out.

All too soon, opening night had arrived. Between the excitement of beginning a new tour, and the nervousness of opening night, they were all feeling an adrenaline rush. Waiting backstage in Orlando, Night stood by Kevin’s side, eager to see just what this was all about. He could remember attending a few concerts in his youth, but it had been many years ago. Even Night was feeling the energy from the screaming audience, and he was amazed at how powerful it was.

The time had come for them to take the stage. Kevin turned to Night and embraced him, as their lips met in a loving kiss. Breaking the kiss much too soon for either of them, Kevin smiled at Night before running to the stage. Night carefully peeked out at the audience. There were thousands of people there… and they had come to see his lover and his friends perform. Night’s heart swelled with pride at this, and a huge smile crept onto his face.

He was escorted by security to a VIP section at the front of the stage to watch the show. Night felt a bit strange having all these men guarding him, but those had been Kevin’s orders, and these men took their jobs seriously. AJ’s girlfriend was sitting a few seats away, as was Nick’s brother Aaron. All of them were surrounded by security, and all of them were beaming with pride as they watched the show. This would be the first night of their best tour ever. The band was tight, everyone was refreshed from their time off, and the show was the best they had ever done.

Kevin had thought that he had seen his wife in the audience during the show, but when he looked again, she was gone. He couldn’t imagine why she would come to a show now… considering the state of their relationship. Besides, she was too well known to attend a show without security, and he had seen no security near that woman. He dismissed the whole thing by telling himself the lights were playing tricks with him, and focused on doing the show. By the end of the show, he had all but forgotten about it, eager to return to Night’s waiting arms backstage.

The reviews the next day were astounding, to say the least. After breakfast the following morning, they all packed up and got on their tour buses to head to the next show. Night had never been to Alabama before, and he was looking forward to at least seeing part of the state.

On the way to Birmingham, Night continued Kevin’s lessons. It was almost time for Kevin to actually become a Shaman, which would involve a test of courage and strength, an initiation, and the giving of a new name that would reflect Kevin’s spirit. Night had already found that name, and he knew that Kevin would wear it proudly. But first, there was much for him to learn.

“But, I don’t understand, Night. How does this herb heal if it’s a deadly poison?”

“Moderation, Kevin. Belladonna is indeed a deadly poison. One drop of its juice has the strength to kill quickly. It belongs to the Nightshade family… but so do eggplants and tomatoes. The key is to take only what you need… that is the key in everything… take only what you need and leave the rest. You must know which parts of the Belladonna to use, when they are mature enough to gather, and how to prepare them. Diluted properly, Belladonna makes an excellent eye wash… suitable for most eye ailments. Here… my eyes are tired and itchy… I’ll show you how to do this…” Night explained as he withdrew some fresh Belladonna from his bag.

“Is that fresh?”

“Yes… I found it growing near the hotel in Orlando, so I gathered some. The season is right for gathering now… from the last Moon until the next one, the season will be right.”

“Ok… so what do I do now?”

“Not much is needed. This much… here… Now, place that in the mortar and use the pestle to grind it into a paste. That’s good… use this knife to scoop it into the cloth… yes… Now, it can be boiled into a tea. Then it is diluted and used drop by drop in the eyes after it is strained to remove all the small particles. Here’s some I made while you were sleeping…”

“Ok… but this can’t be ingested, right?”

“Correct. Even diluted this much, if you drink it, you will be poisoned. Belladonna’s poisonous effects on the body are not pleasant. That is why you must be sure to label everything, and do not store these medicines where someone could take them by mistake.”

“Ok, Night… so what’s next?”

“Mugwort…”

This lesson went on for several hours, and they covered many herbs in that time. Kevin caught on very quickly, learning to identify the herb either fresh or dried, how and when to harvest it, what parts of the herb to use, what to use them for and how to prepare them. By the time they had reached their hotel, Kevin’s brain was feeling very full of new information. Night had allowed him plenty of breaks in his studies, not wanting to overload him or cause him too much fatigue. He knew that there was still much to teach him, but they had covered much more ground today than he had planned. Kevin was an excellent student, absorbing this knowledge like a dry sponge. Night was very proud of him, and was eager to take him to the next Tribal Council to meet the Elders, which would take place a few weeks after the tour ended.

Later that night, Night lay quietly in Kevin’s arms. Kevin was in a deep sleep, exhausted from a very lengthy lovemaking session. Night was exhausted, too, but he was unable to sleep. His instincts were telling him that something wasn’t right, and it was keeping him awake. He gently slipped from Kevin’s embrace, put on his loincloth, grabbed his leather bag with all his herbs, placed the room key inside it, and went outside for a walk. He was hoping that some fresh air would ease his mind and allow him to sleep. Tomorrow, after all, would be a very busy day for all of them, and even busier for himself and Kevin.

As he walked through the deserted lobby toward the rear exit, he couldn’t help noticing the newspapers that had just been delivered. It was 4 AM, and the papers had been dropped outside the hotel gift shop. Picking up the one that had caught his eye… the World Sun… Night’s eyes widened when he read the headlines…

“Who Is This Man? Angry Fans Want To Know…”

There was a picture of Night and Kevin as they ran to the bus after the Orlando show. The crowds were breaking through security lines, so Kevin had grabbed Night’s hand and they had made a run for it. But, according to the article that accompanied the picture, Night was being accused of supplying Kevin with drugs, which had resulted in Kevin’s marriage falling apart. Night rolled the paper up, carried it to the front desk and paid the desk clerk. Ignoring the lusty stares from the few people in the lobby, Night continued out to the pool area, took a seat by the edge of the pool, and read the paper again.

He looked up to the window of their room and wondered how Kevin would react to this. He had suddenly become a pawn in Kristin’s plan to hurt Kevin with the rumors of drug abuse. He didn’t wish to be a part of this… all he wanted was to be with Kevin and be happy. He couldn’t stand the thought that his presence could cause Kevin harm… even if it was Kristin’s lies that were at the root of it. Perhaps he should return to the house in LA and wait for the tour to end. If he wasn’t with Kevin, there could be no more rumors started about him, after all. He would have to speak with Kevin about this in the morning, even though he knew this would break both their hearts.

With a heavy sigh, Night decided to return to their room and try to sleep. He wiped away a few tears as he stood. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw someone in the shadows. Turning quickly, he saw her standing on the other side of the pool…

“Why are you here?”

“Same reason you are… I can see why he fell for you… you’re very beautiful…”

“You don’t love him… why don’t you just leave him alone?”

“I can’t do that. I’m sorry. There’s more to our relationship than you know about. There are debts to be paid… scores to be settled.”

“I won’t let you hurt him… you must know that.”

“Yes… I know. That’s why you have to go…”

“Go? I’m not going anywhere…”

“That’s what you think… but I’m afraid you’re about to go away… for good…” She said coldly as she raised the gun…

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