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Escape From Manitou Island: Part 166 |
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(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.)
CALL OFF THE HOUNDS! WHEN SHE SNAPS out of her vision state, you could very well be left inside it, Chakenapok said, just as Charmian felt her skin go cold. That's how it could get worse. Charmian stared numbly at the black void which was slowly but surely eating up everything around her--the lake, the sky, the Island itself--and her heart did a backflip when she saw it start to make its way straight up the bluff toward Arch Rock. She whirled to Winter Born, seeing the strange glassy look in her eyes, and started panicking. "Chakenapok!!" she gasped, voice cracking. "What do I do?!" You have to snap her out of snapping out of it, he said in response, which didn't exactly help very much. Keep her from breaking her trance state, he clarified, before she wakes up completely and forgets everything you've told her. Charmian chomped on her own lip and reached out to the girl. "Winter Born!!" she exclaimed, grabbing her shoulder and giving her a rough shake. She dreaded even doing this, lest it snap her out of the trance even more quickly, but as soon as Winter Born was shaken the black void halted in its progress--and her eyes cleared and she turned to look at Charmian. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Charmian...?" She looked down at the blackness and let out a little gasp. "What's--what's going on? Did I do this--?" "Stop and calm down!" Charmian ordered, grasping her again, firmly enough to make her wince. "Calm down. Take a deep breath...do something that your mother taught you...and calm down." Apparently the mention of Silver Eagle Feather must have calmed Winter Born's nerves somewhat, for she did as Charmian said, taking a breath and letting it out. Charmian felt her muscles relax a little, though the troubled look on her face didn't go away. "What did I do...?" she asked plaintively. "You haven't done anything yet," Charmian said. "This is why I need you to focus, and keep your head. You see all that down there--?" Winter Born peered again at the blackness and bit her lip. "Don't worry about it. As long as you keep calm, it won't get any worse. The Island is safe for now. This is just a dream of yours--a waking dream." "Wake...waking dream?" Winter Born echoed. Charmian nodded. "Remember how I needed to keep connected to Chakenapok and the Red Swan, and I went looking for a vision in the quarry? You're doing the exact same thing right now only you don't know it. I guess this is where your waking mind goes whenever your power comes out." And she peered up at the Arch overhead with a frown. "My power--?" Winter Born gasped again, eyes widening. "My power! Does this mean I'm destroying things again--?" "CALM DOWN!" Charmian shouted when she saw the blackness inch forward another few feet or so. Winter Born cringed but again obeyed, and it halted. Charmian had to take a breath just to calm herself. "So far you haven't done much yet," she said, half lying, "but if you don't learn to control what you're doing, right here and right now, that might change! That's why I came in here to try to help you figure out how to do it. But you're going to have to keep your head and stop freaking out. If you learn to control this power, you stop destroying things, and maybe you can also help us defeat Megissogwun." "Me?" Winter Born said in disbelief. "Yes, you." Charmian nodded. "Manabozho says it, Mudroot said it, I think even Mishosha would say it. You might just have the most powerful medicine out of any of us in this group! The problem is--whenever it comes out, you come and hide out here!" She gestured at the Arch. "To control this power you're going to have to stay in your own head!" "But I don't know how," Winter Born protested. "And if I do, then I see what awful things I'm doing! I don't want to see that! I didn't mean to kill that manitou..." "That's already happened, and we can't change it," Charmian said. "Focus on what you'll have to do in the future. Right now, all you've done is help us so far--but that could change. If you're going to control your power then you have to know exactly what it is that you're capable of, good and bad." She saw Winter Born's eyes tear up. "Do you think you can do that?" "I...I don't know," Winter Born admitted. "Every time I think about that manitou, it hurts right here." She put a hand to her chest. "Let me see something," Charmian said, and bent down, holding her own hand out. Winter Born looked down as a glow appeared at her chest. Charmian eyed the spirit stone within with more than a little awe. It was bright and free of grasping black shadows...but other than that, she couldn't quite describe it adequately. The color was one that she'd never really seen before. Sometimes it was like yellow, sometimes like blue, sometimes like red. More often than not it glittered like an opal, albeit the clearest most pristine opal she'd ever seen. "Wow," she said under her breath, not sure of what else to say. "Is...is that good?" Winter Born asked anxiously. "Huh--? Oh." Charmian pulled her hand away and the glow faded. "Um--I mean, yeah, it is. Did you see? There wasn't any black stuff in there. Not where it doesn't belong, at least. That means your spirit stone is pure, and that means you have no bad intentions. Of course you didn't mean to kill that manitou or scare anybody else--but everybody's capable of doing things they don't want to do. Even me. When you can accept this, you'll be a lot stronger than you ever knew." An idea sparked inside her and she added, "You do want to be the most powerful medicine woman on the Island, don't you?" "Not if it does bad things like this," Winter Born said miserably. Charmian supressed a sigh. "Well...I know that if you ask Silver Eagle Feather, she'll tell you the exact same thing. Nobody's perfect, Winter Born, and once you realize that you can finally gain that power you're looking for. If you keep looking for perfection..." she looked down at the blackness surrounding them like a sea of tar "...then you'll never know your full potential." "So...what do I do first?" Winter Born asked. Charmian looked down at her, then knelt again so that they were at eye level. "You're sure you're ready?" When Winter Born nodded she said, "It won't be very pleasant." "I just said," Winter Born said, a frown coming to her face. "Visions aren't supposed to be pleasant." Charmian's mouth twitched. "All right, then. I think for starters, you should see exactly what it is that you're doing right now, while we're sitting here. But you have to PROMISE me you won't freak out or start panicking, because if you do, I'll be in serious trouble! Think you can do that?" Winter Born gave a hesitant nod. "I'll...I'll try." "Okay." Charmian pointed north so they had to turn around a little. "I want you to look that way...and slowly open your eyes. Your real eyes. Remember where we are right now and what you're doing. Do you remember what you just did a few moments ago...?" "Kabebonikka sent some whirlwinds after us," Winter Born said, shutting her eyes. "They were hurting you and Father and it upset me." "That's right. Do you remember what you did?" Winter Born bit her lip. "I remember I yelled, and I felt really worried...and angry..." Her brow slowly furrowed. "I didn't remember feeling that before...how come I didn't remember?" "Don't worry about it for now," Charmian said. "You're remembering it, and that's the best thing. What did you do after that?" "Well..." A lip-nibble. "I remember I screamed...and it got really quiet...and then you and Father were out of the way..." Her eyes opened wide and she took in a breath. "I did that! I threw you both out of the way!" She looked at Charmian in surprise. "I didn't even touch either of you! How--?" She shut her mouth when she saw the look on Charmian's face, then shut her eyes again, tightly this time. "Um--I think I started attacking the whirlwinds! They went flying way up in the air!" "That's right," Charmian said, feeling a twinge of relief that at least she was remembering things now. "Then I turned north and..." Winter Born fell silent for a moment or two, and at last her eyes slowly opened again. Charmian saw the tears in them and the way that her lip quivered, before a chilly breeze wafted across her and she shivered, rubbing her arms. She looked north as well...and saw that the familiar landscape of Manitou Island, with the ominous blackness below, was no longer there. Instead, she was back in the northwest, with the snow all around, the wind whistling through her hair, and a great flattened swath of snow spreading out before her. Stands of pines had been eradicated as far as the eye could see, and Winter Born stood beside her, her face pale and her mouth slightly open. She turned to Charmian, her eyes glassy. "I...I'm doing this...?" she whispered. Charmian sucked in a breath, then pinched herself. She turned around for good measure and saw that everything was exactly as it had been before she'd entered Winter Born's trance state--Moon Wolf stood nearby, the others gathered around behind them, and she could still hear faint whistles of manitous in distress far to the north. Winter Born apparently heard these too, for she put her hands to her ears and whimpered. "What am I doing?" she cried. "I did all this--?" "Winter Born!" Charmian grasped her arm tightly. "You got out of your vision safely," she said, "and that's a good sign. You remember what you did--that's good too! That means you can control this--but you have to focus on it!" "I'm killing them," Winter Born said, her voice cracking and tears starting to trickle from her eyes. Charmian squeezed her arm until she yelped in pain. "Ow! You're hurting me!" "Things hurt sometimes!" Charmian retorted. "But they hurt a lot less once you learn to face them!" She knelt in the snow beside her and pointed north. "Remember why you did this? You had a reason. Why did you do this?" "I don't know," Winter Born protested, and started sniffling and rubbing at her eyes. "Yes you do! You said you felt worried and angry, remember? What were you worried about?" "I didn't want you and Father to get hurt!" "And what were you angry about?" "I didn't want him hurting you when he's supposed to help us!" "He who--?" "Him!" Winter Born flung out an arm and pointed northward. "HE'S supposed to help us! He said he'd HELP us!" She whirled around to face north and put her hands up to her mouth, yelling at the top of her voice. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO HELP US!!" "Charmian," Moon Wolf said under his breath, and she peered back at him. The look on his face was strangely guarded, but he nodded slightly at Winter Born. Charmian looked at her more carefully and saw the way that her aura flared all different colors. She frowned a little. Winter Born's spirit stone had looked somewhat the same as that. It's almost as bright as it is whenever she throws her fits, she thought. But she's conscious now, Moon Wolf replied. Whatever you're doing, I think it might be working. Charmian made a face. "I hope so!" She took Winter Born's arm again. "Who are you mad at--?" "Kabebonikka!" Winter Born pointed north again as if they couldn't tell. Her face screwed up as if she were ready to throw a tantrum. "He's supposed to be such a good manitou but all he does is mess things up! He has Zeegwun trapped, and won't let him go, and he laughs and sends Wendigoes out to scare everybody, and says he'll help us west but all he does is holds us back--DO YOU HEAR ME?" Her voice rose to a painful pitch and Charmian winced. "YOU PROMISED YOU'D HELP US! MANITOUS KEEP THEIR PROMISES!!" Charmian had to raise her own voice as well. "What are you going to do to get through to him--?" Winter Born clenched her fists and ground her teeth. "I should do the same thing HE always does!" And she flung both arms out ahead of her as if to send out some sort of attack--but then froze. She blinked, again seeing the huge flattened trail leading into the distance, and her eyes grew wide. She lowered her hands and looked at them, then northward, then at Charmian, disbelief all over her face. "You already have," Charmian said, "and you have the power to call it back. Kabebonikka hasn't broken his promise--he was testing you, to see if you were as strong as everybody says you are." She pointed at the flattened swath. "And you passed." "I...I passed...?" Winter Born whispered, then let out a small gasp and whirled to look back at the flattened snow. Another whistle came in the distance and Charmian saw her face scrunch up, more tears flooding her eyes--but instead of crying or protesting again, she bit her lip hard and clenched her fists a second time. She stood trembling for a moment or so, her body stiff, until Charmian reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "Don't try so hard," she murmured. "You don't have to. Just focus on it, and call it back. It's your power and it'll do whatever you want it to, if you just learn how to control it properly." Winter Born let out a sharp breath and her tensed muscles relaxed somewhat. Her shoulders sank and her hands went loose, her eyes slowly going shut...and just like someone had dimmed a lamp, the flaring glow around her faded until it hovered just an inch or so from her body, shimmering faintly. Charmian stared at her in surprise, then looked back at the others for confirmation. The looks on Moon Wolf's and Manabozho's faces--she knew that they could likely sense the change best--told her that they could feel a difference as well. She turned back to Winter Born, and took in a small breath. She didn't think any of the others could see it, but she could barely detect a sort of glowing wind making its way back from the north, heading straight for Winter Born. It floated toward her, mistlike, until it touched her chest and then began vanishing from sight. Charmian watched a long trail of it pass back into her like smoke being sucked down an air vent. The whistling noises in the distance faded until they came only every once in a while, and when the glowing mistlike wind at last disappeared from sight inside Winter Born, the wind still whipping around them faded as well, and there was a noticeable change in the air itself. Charmian hadn't even noticed until now how strangely charged the atmosphere had been; another look at the others told her that they noticed it too. Kenu was looking up at the sky as if expecting an Animiki to descend. "Hey," Charmian said in a small voice, "can anyone take a look and see if it's really over--?" "I will!" Marten offered, and changed into a bird and went flying north. He returned a moment or so later and landed with a small pop, resuming his normal form. "There's a big, big, BIG trail where everything's all flat!" he said. "But nothing seems to be going on. Just some manitous wandering around talking to each other." "The wind seems to have died down," Singing Cedars said, looking skyward himself. "All of it," Manabozho added, and at this everyone fell silent, understanding what this must mean. Winter Born opened her eyes and peered around herself gingerly, then one hand snaked to her braid and started twisting it. "Did...did I do it right?" she asked in a small voice. "I think..." Charmian turned in a slow circle, just to make sure, but aside from the wide swath of flattened snow and trees there was no sign of anything amiss. She let out a breath. "I think you did!" "Really...?" Winter Born's eyes grew and she looked north as well. As if to spite their words, a sharp chilly wind suddenly arose, making them shiver and chatter as it whipped at their clothes and hair. Charmian's heart leapt up into her throat before a voice filled her head, making her blink in surprise. Well, that was certainly an interesting show. I would have preferred it had she not required so very much prompting, but it looks like your claims were right after all. She is certainly impressive for a human. Charmian's tensed muscles relaxed when she recognized Kabebonikka's voice. "Told you so," she muttered, and brushed back a lock of hair. "And so NOW what? Can we get headed west already? Have you had enough yet?" Recall, human, that I said I would not assist you UNTIL you reach the plains, Kabebonikka replied. While that was likely the most impressive thing I'll be able to think up for your trip, do not think for a moment that your troubles are over. You still have a way to go. But I rather think that this land itself can prove enough of a challenge without much help from me. What you should be asking yourself is, now that she knows she's got this power, what is she going to do with it? "Easy," Charmian answered as everyone stared upward. "Use it on Megissogwun!" This will be far easier said than done, Kabebonikka said. Especially seeing as I doubt the Pearl Feather will be nearly as patient as I was. Recall that my goal was to see just what powers this girl has, so it was in my best interests to twiddle my thumbs while you worked on helping her call it out. Megissogwun won't be nearly so patient, as his only goal is to kill all of you. Charmian fell silent. "What's that mean?" Winter Born asked, casting her a pensive look. What that means, little winter girl, Kabebonikka said before Charmian could, is that the NEXT time you are forced to use this power, there will be no "Charmian in distress" to help you. If you continue to need as much prodding as you just did, then you may as well be powerless. "What he means," Charmian said with a near-scowl, "is that you need to learn to call up your power on your own, Winter Born. That's all. And I fully believe she can do it!" she shouted at the sky. "What you saw was just a TINY bit of what she can do! If she can do that, then learning to control it will be a snap." Remember to think before you make promises you may not be able to keep, the North Wind replied. But I'll be watching, just out of curiosity, anyway. Congratulations, little winter girl; consider me impressed. The wind began to fade. You are not the only ones heading west, by the way; I believe you might have some pleasant company once you reach there. You might consider picking up your pace before I get started again. And his voice faded away just as the wind did, until everyone was left standing silently in the snow, perplexed looks on their faces. "Mishosha's still on the move," Charmian said after a moment. She glanced at the others, then gestured. "We get going, then! Even if we reach there before them, I doubt they'll just hang back and wait for us to finish!" "We should keep moving," Moon Wolf said, looking at the sky again--Charmian just now noticed that it was starting to darken a little--"but a few of us should rest, instead." And he looked straight at Charmian. Charmian blinked, then felt her face grow warm. "Hey! I'm perfectly fi--OW!!" She jerked away from Manabozho when he squeezed her arm, and she clamped a hand over one of the harsher cuts she'd been dealt by the whirlwinds. "KNOCK THAT OFF, moron!" He just crossed his arms and gave her a bland look. "For once I think he's right," he said, earning a glare from Moon Wolf. "The REST of us can do well enough keeping an eye on things while YOU take a rest! And you, and you too," he added, pointing at first Black Elk Horn, then Winter Born. Black Elk Horn practically bristled. "If you even THINK I'm--" And he collapsed when Francois hit him on the back of the neck. The voyageur sighed and rolled his eyes skyward as he rubbed at his hand, Charmian and several of the others gawking at him with open mouths. "He's going to hate me in the morning, but I rather think we'll need him in his best shape too, ma chère. You and the girl could definitely use a rest. Her medicine won't serve us if she's too tired to use it." "Fine," Charmian grumbled grudgingly, and climbed atop Mani when he offered his back. Winter Born climbed up after her. "But somebody's going to have to see to all those cuts he has. I think they're worse than mine." "I'm sure he'll be taken care of," Thomas said as Niskigwun and Stick-In-The-Dirt dragged Black Elk Horn atop one of the okis. "Meanwhile, I'm more worried about what that Wind meant by 'this land itself' troubling us! We aren't going to have to contend with any bad-tempered mountains or trees, are we--?" "I think he meant it figuratively," Moon Wolf said, and gestured at Charmian and Winter Born. "Both of you try to sleep. If anything happens, you'll of course find out soon enough." "Comforting," Charmian sighed, also rolling her eyes. "I don't want to sleep," Winter Born complained. "Every time I sleep something WEIRD happens!" "I think Chakenapok probably scared off the Red Swan well enough the last time," Charmian said a bit dispiritedly. "So unless Megissogwun shows up again..." She cut herself off when she looked back and saw the expression on Winter Born's face. "Everything will be fine," she said instead. "Just think of home again, and you'll have a nice dream about it this time." Winter Born sighed. "I really hope so," she murmured, shutting her eyes and leaning her head against Charmian's back. I wish I could have that dream myself, Charmian thought, but when she shut her eyes she tried focusing on something else entirely. Dreams about the Island were nice, but they wouldn't serve any purpose now. What Kabebonikka had just said, and something Winter Born had hinted at after her last dream, stuck with her, and kept any thoughts of peace from her head. Somebody's going to be waiting for us. Mishosha and Makwaquae are tagging along whether we see them or not. Now that they know Kabebonikka's helped us out, I doubt they'll be in a very good mood when we meet again... I wonder how much they really know, though...? She bit her lip, staring at the patterns swirling on the insides of her eyelids. This was a REALLY stupid idea...but if it held the least chance of helping their cause, she had to try it. Stupid ideas had never stopped her before, she told herself with a grimace. Yeah, well, you think I'd learn sometime. Enough waffling. Am I going to take this stupid idea and run with it, or not? So thinking, she let out a breath and made herself relax...before focusing her thoughts on the two wabanos just beyond their sight. |