|
Escape From Manitou Island: Part 153 |
|
(DISCLAIMER: This part, and all parts hereafter, are works in progress (WIPs) and have not been proofread or checked for plot inconsistencies. I've decided to present them "as is" for now, as there is a significant amount of unfinished material; yet this story has been on hiatus for a long while, I've forgotten certain details, and I have no plans to resume work on it any time soon. Please keep in mind while reading that details may change in the future. Should you spot an inconsistency, however, please feel free to point it out to me for possible correction.)
THE DOUBLE AGENT ONCE AGAIN, MISHOSHA was left on his own, and his quarry had somehow managed to elude him. He screamed and vented his rage on what little was left of the tattered wigwam; his manitous knew to keep away from him when he was in such a state, and they remained at a safe distance, watching him silently. When he was done there wasn't even anything left to show that the wigwam had even stood there; he turned to the frozen lake next and with one swing of his arm, managed to crack all of the thick ice upon it, sending hunks and splinters flying every which way. When one of them pierced the sleeve of his robe, just missing sticking in his arm, he glared down at it with bared teeth; a moment later he was letting his breath out in a hiss, his eyes nearly glowing. He plucked the sliver of ice out and looked it over. "Ice," he said; then, "Ice medicine." He spat these words out as he tossed the bit of ice into the snow. "That Michinimakinong was the one who cancelled out my fireballs! A piddling Turtle Fairy defeated me!" With a snarl he swung both arms at the lake this time and broke all the hunks of ice into even tinier hunks, then jerked a hand at the nearest manitous, who flinched. "Get in there and see if that Lynx is still around! If you see even his tail, I'll yank him out and tear his spines off myself!" The mitchi manitous lowered their heads and meekly made their way down into the water. They disappeared from sight for a moment or two as the wabano impatiently waited; when their heads bobbed up again and they whistled that they'd found nothing, he ground his teeth, beyond infuriated. The Mishupishu hadn't been responsible for what had just happened, but he had seemed like the most convenient target; and so, being denied this, Mishosha hurled a fireball at the lake, and the two manitous who had gone into the water let out squeals of pain when the water began bubbling and a thick blanket of steam rose into the air. When it had lifted, there was nothing left but the water itself, a few bubbles still making their way to the surface. Mishosha started walking now, taking long stiff strides, his pace quick. The other manitous, faces pale, hurried to keep as far away from him as possible. His eyes scoured the snowy hills and stands of trees to the west but he couldn't even see a track, not even leading into the forest off to the north. He couldn't believe that Keewadin-Nodin would be helping them; so they had to have some other assistance. Still, for attempting to deter them, the North Wind didn't seem to be doing a remarkable job. He felt the pang that he'd felt earlier, and picked up his pace. After a moment, a bear was running through the snow instead, and he kept glancing at the trees in the hopes of seeing anything else alive, though so far he couldn't. His manitous followed reluctantly at a great distance but he ignored them. Something's happened to Makwaquae. She should have been back by now. What's this feeling I have? It's nothing good... He trotted through the snow and over the hills, sniffing around once in a while, but she was just as good at hiding herself as he was. It was one of the reasons why he'd taught her everything he knew in the first place. There weren't many women who were willing to take up the profession of wabano, especially not to the extent that Mishosha practiced it, but Makwaquae had always been an exception. When he'd demanded her hand from her father, he hadn't even had to use love medicine to convince her to consent, and from the moment he'd caught the glint in her eye when she'd first witnessed him making use of his powers, he'd known that she would make an excellent student and then partner. Which was why her prolonged absence was worrying him now, so much so that he'd been too easily distracted by such trivial medicine as that of a Turtle Fairy. Granted, the fireball he'd tossed hadn't been very powerful, but still, it shouldn't have been dispelled so easily. Normally he detested being distracted, but then again, Makwaquae usually didn't give him reason to worry. Makwaquae--? he thought, as hard as he could, but received no response. Feeling distressed now, he picked up his pace until he was bounding up and down the slopes, letting out a bellow now and then which merely echoed off the trees. He tried sensing her, or anybody, but couldn't pick up anything and this frustrated him; he'd never realized how much he'd relied on her power to augment his own. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to send her off, away from him. They'd always worked best together. Makwaquae--? he thought again, as he thought he detected her scent not far from a stand of trees. He spotted footprints and followed them, but they disappeared near the trunk of a tree and he was forced to keep heading in the opposite direction, the direction they'd been running from. Now he knew she must be nearby, and he ran even faster, his thoughts growing almost frantic as she still wasn't answering him--what could have happened out here--? He at last spotted a mussed area in the snow, and a few drops of blood in the midst of a set of bear tracks. His heart leapt into his throat and he snuffled at the ground, following the trail; he halted abruptly when a shrill scream rent the air, and a moment later was back in his human form, running toward the noise. He was dreading what he might see--but he stumbled upon Makwaquae, still very much alive and also in her human form, turning in circles and hurling fireballs at the nearest trees. Her expression was the most enraged that he'd ever seen it, her eyes and hair wild; he spotted at last the blood trailing from her fingers as she threw another fireball and destroyed another tree. "Makwaquae!" He hastened into the clearing and grabbed hold of her arm before she could hurl it in the air again. "What happened?" he demanded, seeing the gash along her hand. Makwaquae clenched her free hand as well as her teeth, her eyes flashing. "Those bastards INJURED me! I didn't get to gouge out the eyes of a SINGLE ONE!" She screamed again, tearing at her hair. "WHEN I FIND THEM I'LL KILL THEM ALL!!" Mishosha let out a breath and relaxed a little. As long as she was threatening death to somebody, that meant she must be all right. "It's just a minor wound," he muttered, tugging at one of his pouches and starting to apply some powder and moss to it anyway. "Which way did they go? Did you see where they went?" "THAT way." She scowled and jerked her hand eastward. "Into MORE trees! I should tear every one up by its ROOTS!" "Who was with them?" She frowned but answered anyway. "Well...firstly that little winter girl, who got away--if Megissogwun wasn't interested in her I'd tear her damned HEAD off!--and the man in red, who I will decapitate once we find him...and that fool ogimah with the baashkizigan...and the big stupid demon and the little furry child. What does this matter? Each of them got away from me somehow--though it looks like they got away from you, too..." "The furry child was with them?" Mishosha asked; her frown grew but she nodded. His eyes grew dark and he looked in the direction of the tracks. "They took a shortcut, then. Probably some sort of tunnel with medicine in it." "How do you know this?" "Because that furry child is apparently talented with such medicine. I'm guessing they're going to meet up somewhere and head west, trying to find a way around us. Our best bet now is to just head west ourselves and hope to cut them off, rather than stall them." He wrapped her fingers in strips of deerskin--individually, as he knew she wouldn't settle for her hand being bound. "The others escaped me as well. Megissogwun gave them an ultimatum--so I doubt they'll do much hesitating now. We'll find them in the west." Makwaquae's scowl began to return and she clenched her injured fingers. "What sort of manitou watches over them that they escape even us?" she snarled. "I thought we had the help of the 'great' Pearl Feather! If so then how--" Mishosha put a hand over her mouth to shush her. "It doesn't matter what manitou watches over them," he said, noticing the way that she furrowed her brow as if he were mad. He took his hand away. "What matters is what manitou ends up defeating them. And soon enough, this will be within our reach. Come now and don't let such a trifling thing as a hand injury cloud your judgement. They got away from both of us because we allowed ourselves to get distracted. But now that we're back together, this should no longer be a problem. They'll be easy to find." Makwaquae stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, then they started to narrow and her mouth twisted up into that sneer that he knew so well. "There now," he said with a sneer of his own, touching a knuckle to her cheek. "You always look so lovely when you do that!" "Once we catch them," she said, "can we kill them all? I'm so tired of missing the scent of blood...and this snow would look so much better stained crimson from hill to valley!" Mishosha sniggered as he took her arm and steered her westward. "Very well...though you'll have to restrain yourself with the two little girls first, because Megissogwun's interested in them. And I have a score to settle with that wabano. Though he's proving to be quite a disappointment so far." "Perhaps what the Pearl Feather has in mind for those two little girls will be even better than what I could think up!" Makwaquae sneered, then glanced over her shoulder. "Where's Little Wind?" she asked with a frown, and Mishosha halted. He looked around himself and frowned as well. "I lost track of him back in that camp," he said after a moment. "Perhaps he cowered out again. I always knew he didn't have it in him to be one of us..." He cut himself off once Makwaquae turned to him and started patting at his robes. "Makwa--?" he exclaimed in surprise, then blushed bright red and started cackling when she felt him over. "Makwaquae!! Not here!" He grasped her arms to pull them away, glancing around himself in embarrassment; thankfully the manitous were nowhere in sight. "At least wait until we find a cave or something!" In response she pulled one of his pouches free and began rifling through it. Mishosha furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering what she could be looking for; after a moment she met his eyes with an odd look that he couldn't explain, and tilted the pouch toward him. "Missing something?" she prompted, and, not comprehending, he peered within. A moment later, all of the blood drained from his face. The mitchi manitous, just starting to mill about at the edge of the woods, jerked back and scattered when yet another enraged scream rent the air. "Leave me here with Mishupishu for now," Thomas said to Charmian. "I'm pretty sure he can stop me if he has to--and once you figure out how to trick Mishosha--" "That won't be necessary," a voice said, and everyone sucked in a breath each and turned around. At the entrance to the woods stood Little Wind, a grim look on his face, his fireball hovering over his shoulder. Charmian had just enough time to frown and say, "Little Wind--?" In an instant Moon Wolf and Thomas were both in front of her, and her mouth fell open in surprise. "Guys!" she exclaimed, glancing from one to the other. "What the heck's going on--?" "He's the reason Mishosha found us again in the first place," Moon Wolf growled, hands aglow. "We were both hidden by the Mizauwabeekum--but he guided us into Mishosha's hands at the last minute!" "He didn't lift a finger to help us back there," Thomas added, ice forming on his fingertips. "I saw how he responded to Mishosha--he's been with him the whole time." Charmian's brow furrowed and she looked at Little Wind. "Is this true--?" "I had to do it," Little Wind said, a pained look flitting across his face. "I didn't have any other choice! You don't know how he is! And if Grandmother Makwaquae had been with him, it would have been even worse..." "If you even hope to live another day," Moon Wolf threatened, "then you'll be leaving right now. We'll hardly allow you to keep sending back directions to your grandfather telling him just where to follow us!" Both he and Thomas started when Charmian nudged her way between them and took a step forward. "Little Wind?" she said, though he wouldn't meet her eyes. "What's this all about?" "It's about him not being able to make up his mind!" Thomas exclaimed, but she waved at him to be silent. "I want to hear it from Little Wind." "I had to do it," he murmured again, flinching. "It was the only chance I had." "The only chance for what?" Charmian asked. Moon Wolf got a look of mixed disbelief and exasperation. "Charmian," Thomas said with much the same look, "why are you even bothering to--" "It was the only way I could get close enough to him," Little Wind said, and pulled something out of one of his pouches and held it out toward her. Charmian looked down. Thomas and Moon Wolf followed suit, then their eyes grew big in disbelief. Charmian reached out to take hold of the little wooden doll that Little Wind was holding, and held it up to get a better look at it. There was a tiny hollow in its chest; she peered into this, then frowned and glanced back at the group as if searching for something. She snapped her fingers and gestured at Augwak, who blinked and looked around himself before coming forward with a scowl. She held the doll out toward him. "Tell me what you smell," she ordered. "She says you smell!" Kenu exclaimed, and then started guffawing. "Better not be covered in skunk juice..." the GeeBee muttered, before craning his neck and sniffing at the doll. He recoiled almost immediately and retreated toward the back of the group, teeth chattering. "EWW! Throw that thing away! It reeks of those WENDIGOES!" "There's a little bit of something in its chest cavity," Charmian said, taking the doll back. "The only thing I can think of is that Mishosha got hold of a Wendigo somehow and used it on this." She paused thoughtfully, then abruptly rapped her knuckles against the doll's head; when Thomas let out a startled yell and grabbed his skull as if he'd been hit by a brick, making Moon Wolf jump back, she nodded and lowered the doll. "It's Thomas's doll." "It was the only way I could think of to get it away from him safely," Little Wind said in a small voice, still not making eye contact. "I sensed you coming toward the camp, and figured that if anyone would get us away from there, it would be you." He shut his eyes and got the pained look again. "Grandfather Mishosha will kill me if he finds me again," he moaned. "You mean--this was all some sort of ruse--?" Thomas asked, brow furrowing. "He had this planned from the start--?" "Even if this was a plan," Moon Wolf barked, "he chose one of the WORST times to use it! What if Charmian hadn't come when she had? What if she'd been delayed, or worse yet, what if her power HADN'T been enough to fight him off--?" He took a step forward to give Little Wind the most menacing glare that he could muster. "You took such a huge chance that we would be able to defeat someone you claim is just about invincible? And expect us to believe you--?" "If I'd waited, Grandmother Makwaquae might have shown up," Little Wind protested. "And she's NEVER trusted me! If she and Grandfather Mishosha would have been there together--" "Makwaquae," Charmian cut in, biting her lip. She waved at the others, passing the doll along to Stick-In-The-Dirt. "We can argue later! We have to find Winter Born and the others. Makwaquae seems to get REALLY pissed off when she doesn't get what she wants!" They started walking again, though both Moon Wolf and Little Wind were rather subdued this time. It was a moment or two before Moon Wolf picked up his pace to walk beside Charmian, frowning at her until she looked back. "What...?" She put a hand to her head. "Do I look funny--? It's been ages since I've washed my hair..." "You were in communication with Mishimakwa," Moon Wolf said. She blinked. "I--yeah," she said, startled. "How did you know that?" Moon Wolf let out a breath. "The Mizauwabeekum told us," he replied. "When Little Wind and I were taken down into their tunnels. They said that you had told Mishimakwa to instruct them to help us westward. I could only assume you've been in contact with him, to say such a thing. How did you convince him to assist us when Mishosha is commanding him--?" Charmian's brow had furrowed more and more as he spoke. When he at last fell silent she stared at him for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "I didn't tell him to do that," she said, her voice hesitant and puzzled. Moon Wolf's step slowed until the two of them stayed where they were, staring at each other while the others walked past. "But...the Mizauwabeekum said someone had commanded Mishimakwa to inform them," he said, confused. "Who else if not you? You just said you'd seen him..." Charmian shook her head again and shrugged, obviously flustered. "All he did was help me out of a jam and then split! I haven't seen or talked to him since. And I kind of got the impression he didn't want to help us much. I didn't give him any sort of commands, Moon Wolf, I swear it. Whoever did that, it wasn't me." "But if it wasn't you..." He put a hand to his head, bewildered. "Then who was it?" They both looked at the others making their way past, but no answers were forthcoming. At last they were forced to start walking again, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Charmian chewed on a thumbnail as they tramped through the snow, Mishupishu occasionally sticking his head out of the narrow river down to their right. "So somebody else is out there giving Mishimakwa orders?" Charmian murmured. "Somebody strong enough to convince him to disobey Mishosha? Now that's somebody I'd really be worried about..." "Whoever it is, they helped us," Moon Wolf said, his frown growing. "Though with the way things have been since we left the Island, I can't say if this is necessarily a good thing!" "You mean maybe we were just saved to fight another day--?" She turned to look at the river when Mishupishu raised his head and didn't lower it again. "What is it, Mishu? Is somebody coming?" "I sense tunnels nearby!" the Lynx said. "Dry ones. Maybe more Mizauwabeekum--?" "If Marten and X'aaru have found the others yet, they've likely taken a shortcut," Charmian said, picking up her pace. "And that might make them run right into some Mizauwabeekum. See if you can pinpoint where those tunnels are, Mishu, and we'll try to find the way down to them." "They're somewhere just ahead and somewhat on the other side of this river. This water enters a tunnel itself not far from here...maybe you can cross over there..." "I can feel them," Little Wind said, before Charmian could even cast out her own net. They looked at him and he blushed and ducked his head, fingers fiddling. Charmian pursed her lips. "I think I feel something not too far ahead, too," she said, and looked to Moon Wolf. "Think we can trust him--?" Moon Wolf blinked, evidently caught offguard. He glanced at Little Wind, then his look started to grow dark. "This time," he muttered, and his eyes grew positively ugly when Little Wind dared to peek up at him. "But if either of those other two shows up...!" He lifted his hand threateningly. "Okay, enough chest thumping," Charmian said, navigating down toward a sunken snowy patch where the icy river seemed to disappear into the ground. Mishupishu hung back a bit as the water had apparently grown somewhat shallower here. "This the spot?" The Lynx nodded and she began picking her way down the bank. "Hope I don't fall in..." "Oh! How thoughtless of me!" Mishupishu exclaimed, and stretched out his neck, resting his head in the snow. "Just climb over me! It won't hurt me at all. The tunnels should be somewhere over in those woods a little bit." "Thanks, Mishu," Charmian said, clambering over his neck and grasping onto a spine to keep herself from falling. She hopped onto the opposite bank and waved at the others. "Easy as falling off a log." She sighed. "Winter Born should be here saying something like that...I hope they're okay. I hate that I let us get so split up..." "Doesn't this bother you in the least?" Moon Wolf asked, grimacing a little as he slid over Mishupishu's back and earning a questioning look from Charmian. "That someone else out there is dragging themselves into this? Those stonelings said that there was some sort of 'feud' that they otherwise would not have gotten involved in, if not for Mishimakwa's command. So far Mishosha has been the only one strong enough to compel this manitou." "But you just said Little Wind pretended to hand you over to him, and he was pissed off when you all got away," Charmian said. "Why would he be mad if he was the one who told Mishimakwa to help us escape in the first place--?" "He obviously wasn't counting on Little Wind changing his mind again," Moon Wolf muttered. Charmian frowned, then shook her head. "It still makes no sense, Moon Wolf. Mishosha might be all over the map but I hardly see him telling the Mizauwabeekum to help us west, then getting pissed off when we start heading west! Either he's the world's best actor, or he wasn't the one who commanded Mishimakwa this time." She shrugged. "The way I see it, whoever this anonymous person was--they gave us a head start! And that's good enough for me." Moon Wolf scowled at her lack of concern, but saw that he must be in the minority, as everyone else was heading forward without any qualms. He decided to keep his eye on Little Wind, since there was nothing else he could really do. "Mishu, are you going to be able to find a way to keep up with us?" Charmian called as she slowed her step to look back at him. The Lynx bobbed his head. "Oh, don't worry. I managed to peek around these tunnels a bit during all the excitement up here. They go all over the place; surely there are some that head in the right direction. I'm guessing some of them are just flooded tunnels the little stone people dug long ago. I haven't found any trace of other Mishupishus! At least, nothing recent." He frowned a little. "Though I honestly can't explain that little girl I saw down there." Everyone halted now. Instantly all eyes were on the Lynx, and he blinked and peered from side to side before sinking a little. "Er...did I do something wrong...?" There was a brief pause, then both Charmian and Manabozho went dashing back down toward the riverbed. "Little girl--?" they both blurted out at once, then they both asked different but similar questions. "Was it Winter Born?" "Was it Turtle?" Mishupishu's spines went stiff and he quailed, sinking into the water up to his nose. "Er--! I don't know! It--it wasn't Winter Born, at least--I mean, her hair wasn't white--" "What did she look like?" Charmian and Manabozho demanded in unison. Mishupishu bared his teeth in near panic. "She--she was quite little!! This is about all I know. Just a bitty little thing. With mussy hair and dirty feet." He paused. "She seemed to talk a lot." Charmian and Manabozho both let out their breath. "Turtle," Manabozho whispered in disbelief. |