|
Escape From Manitou Island: Part 176 |
|
(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.)
AWAKE, BUT A MOMENT A CANOE'S LIFE consists mostly of sitting in the water, moving through the water when propelled, and, perhaps at times, sitting on land when not in the water. But most of the time is spent, obviously, in the water. This might be considered incredibly dull to anyone but a canoe, but seeing as this was the Stone Canoe, it wasn't that bad, so it wasn't complaining. Mishosha's island was even smaller than Manitou Island--not that the Canoe would know this directly--but just as labyrinthine, and the Stone Canoe now sat in a little bay sheltered from the stormier edges of the island, where the water was more peaceful and less likely to be suddenly filled with Mishupishus. Most of the manitous upon the island served Mishosha, but then again, most of those did so out of compulsion, and now that the wabano was gone, they wandered about a bit more freely than usual, and the Stone Canoe was having a much easier time talking to them. Despite this, it had very little to say, as it found them unfit for conversation of the type it was interested in, so it mostly sat in the water and sensed them passing by. The water rippled against its underside and it bobbed a little, feeling the thoughts of the waves, the pebbles, the sand, the trees, the clouds passing overhead, and although they were calm at the moment, the Canoe itself wondered what exactly could be going on elsewhere. It had been quite a while since the wabanos had left their island behind. They weren't usually gone for such periods, what with what secrets the island contained... There was a subtle but distinct change in the air. The Stone Canoe tensed--mentally, at least--and tried to listen harder, but even it couldn't be sure what it was. A moment passed, then a flock of birds arose from the trees and went flapping away toward the mainland; after another moment or so, manitous began emerging from the dark woods, trotting furtively toward the shore. Their ears flicked and they kept glancing over their shoulders as if afraid of being followed. These weren't mitchi manitous like the big dark ones that typically served Mishosha, so the Canoe didn't hesitate before approaching, drawing itself up onto the beach. Brothers! it exclaimed, drawing their attention; they looked puzzled at being addressed so by a canoe, even though it was obviously a spirit like they were. What goes on? I can't see into the woods from here. Can feel it? one of them asked; when the Stone Canoe bobbed, it drew close and thought very quietly, Something strange and new just appeared. In woods. A manitou, like us, but not like us. Great and powerful! Even more than wabano ones! A manitou...? The Stone Canoe fell silent, suddenly feeling very uneasy. It tentatively tried sensing this new being better; then, having done so, it let out a mental gasp and jerked back from the beach, making the manitous flinch a little. Go and hide in your homes! it urged. Whatever you do, don't go anywhere near him. He'll kill any of you without a second thought! The manitous bristled in alarm but promptly did as they were told, vanishing among the trees as if they'd never been there. Mitchi manitous! the Canoe called next, and swung back and forth through the water until a few of them appeared, eyes glowing nervously. You serve the great Mishosha! the Canoe said. Thus it is your duty to defend his island from whatever may threaten it. Well--it's being threatened! It bobbed its nose toward the woods. Some strange manitou has appeared, obviously with ill intent, and it is your sworn duty to fend off such creatures! Sworn duty! one of the mitchi manitous exclaimed. Only do so because he makes us! Now is gone! Good riddance! Know full well who this manitou is. Not going to die just for Mishosha-One! And with that, they whistled and rushed off, a bit more noisily than the others. The Stone Canoe quailed and began zooming back and forth again, not certain what to do. Although the mitchi manitous were spirits exactly the same as the other manitous, it had felt more at ease sending them off to face the new arrival, having seen the things they'd done in Mishosha's name in the past. But apparently their loyalty wasn't as strong as it had thought. And they weren't as ignorant as it had thought, either. If he is here, it thought to itself, then that means only one thing. He's not here to speak with Mishosha--so he's here for HER! It finally forced itself to stop its panicked zooming, and paused long enough to rack its brain and think. She was far beneath the island, this it knew--it knew the geology around here as it knew its own heart--and unlike any of the other beings here, it could reach her easily. So at least it had the advantage. If the other manitous weren't willing to protect her, then the Stone Canoe would have to. It left the shelter of the little bay and began wandering along the island's shore, seeking a way inland. There was sometimes a stream or two, sometimes not, as the island shifted its geography at times, perhaps just to give itself something to do. The Stone Canoe might have known the island but it was never sure of its alignment--did it serve Mishosha freely?--or through force?--or did it not really serve him at all? The Canoe wasn't sure, but still it sent out a tiny mental plea as it searched, and said megwetch when a stream appeared, into which it sailed and started casting about for the strange manitou's presence. It didn't take long to find him. In fact, the Canoe slowed down and pulled itself under some low-hanging branches, as Megissogwun was walking right in plain sight through the woods. He didn't even bother keeping to the rough trails, simply batting aside any trees that got in the way, and one of them crashed when it snapped like a twig, making the Canoe shiver. He handled the giant tree trunks as if they were mere blades of grass. At the moment, he was still looking from side to side and apparently searching, himself. The Stone Canoe knew he'd spoken with Mishosha here before, but he'd never stayed long or explored. Thus the island must be more of a mystery to him than to the Canoe. Still, he was heading in the general direction of Mishosha's cave, and the Canoe began moving again, hoping to outrace him. It mentally felt along the bottom of the stream for an opening. Normally it used an opening out in the lake, but hopefully this location was nearer to where it had to go. It finally found one, halted, and then sank into the water like the stone that it was. The current carried it to the small opening and the Canoe shifted its form, turning into a pebble that rolled into the tunnel and drifted underground. This alone took up a lot of energy, which was why it usually traveled to her in dream form. That was the only way they could talk, anyway. It didn't come down here often in person, as Mishosha usually had some reason to employ its services on the lake, but the Stone Canoe had long ago learned to split its mind in two so it could perform two functions at once. Seeing as the manitou might find his way down here, however, it didn't want to take any chances. It didn't have any useful powers in dream form, especially not protective ones. Protecting was exactly what it would have to do, though, so it hurried itself up, tumbling along in the tunnel until it began heading upwards again. Now it rolled upward despite gravity, having to struggle a bit toward the end as the way got so steep, then it rolled out onto more level ground and eased its way up a bit more until it emerged on dry land in a darkened cave far beneath the island. It wasn't alone. There was a faint reddish glow in the very center of the cave, which itself wasn't remarkably big, but was very dark. A lone figure sat here, hands resting in lap, head slightly bowed forward, but the Red Swan's eyes weren't completely closed. They were open just a sliver, and she was staring blankly across the cave, as if in the middle of a trance, or just waking up. The Stone Canoe knew better. It rolled toward her, still in pebble form, and halted not far from her knee. Long ago, her eyes had been shut completely. It was only lately that they'd opened a sliver, but it knew that she still slept. She'd been here so long, just as it had, that it felt it was in a better position to know her than anyone. It did talk to her in her dreams, after all. It sat staring up at her for a moment or two, a glimmer passing over its surface to show that it wasn't an ordinary pebble. I realize that to free you might mean unbearable grief and chaos, it thought at her, but sometimes... The pebble glowed. The glow around it expanded as it shifted shape again, and when the light faded, a new figure knelt there beside her. A young man, dressed in gray-white deerskin, wearing powdery gray feathers and an assortment of stone decorations around his neck and upon his clothes and in his ears, peered into those slitted eyes, but the Red Swan paid him not the slightest notice, and didn't even stir. The Stone Canoe stared at her for another moment, then reached out and gently touched the tips of his fingers to her face. One of her feathers had fallen against her cheek, and he brushed it aside. "I know how it feels," he murmured. "To be asleep for so long, yet to know what happens around you...to be trapped, deep in the earth, with no way out, and to have to wait for someone to free you...and the wait feels like endless ages...you wonder if you ever will be freed, or if you even should be, because what happens once you're cut loose?--what do you do then when this is all you know...?" He looked around the darkened cave, remembering his own ages spent dwelling within the earth, and compared that to his life now, sailing to and fro upon the lake. He was a canoe, so he knew what his function was, how his life was to be laid out; but she had no idea what she was. "I know it could mean the death of all of us if you are freed," he said, "but somehow...to keep you here doesn't feel right, either. Perhaps the little pebble is the one who is right. She is foolish, and doesn't think far ahead, but she is human, and humans' hearts know more than those of stone..." A resolved look came to him and he looked her in the face. "If he triumphs, then we are destroyed anyway," he stated. "I am compelled by Mishosha, but as long as he's not here, you are my responsibility. And if that creature is coming for you, then I will protect you the best that I can!" He quailed again, inside, knowing how pitiful his own power was compared to the Pearl Feather, but a promise was a promise, and, after all, with Mishosha gone, she was the one truly in power here. Sensing the manitou's presence coming closer somewhere above, then pausing and sensing them out himself, he drew closer to her and bit his lip. "He feels us down here," he murmured. "I can't shield us like that Flint can, but perhaps I can keep him away..." He cast her a last glance, almost hoping that she would look at him, but of course she didn't. "Until the little pebble comes!" he added with an air of finality. "Because she will free you, and that's all that matters." And he turned to face forward again when a glow appeared near the water, and Megissogwun's shape emerged, his bluish manitou-glow making him visible in the darkness. He gave the Stone Canoe a disinterested look when he stood in front of the Red Swan, bracing himself. "You do not belong here!" he snapped. "Vile creature! Go back to the surface where you belong!" "You are no one to tell me where I do or do not belong," Megissogwun replied. "If you serve that pathetic wabano, then consider yourself freed, or else destroyed, if you continue getting in my way." "Freed--?" the Stone Canoe echoed, blinking in surprise. Then--that meant that Mishosha was defeated somehow! But he'd been serving Megissogwun himself! Had there been some sort of betrayal, then? All sorts of thoughts flitted rapidly through his head as he considered the consequences. With Mishosha gone, it was true, he and all the other manitous upon the island were freed and could do whatever, go wherever, they wished. No longer would he be forced to carry the wabanos or their visitors to and from the island, to watch himself in case he said or did the wrong thing--he wouldn't even have to stay here anymore--he had the entire lake, the entire world, to explore... When Megissogwun took a step forward, he suddenly remembered his reason for being here, and clenched his fists, making the glow around himself brighter, hoping to look more powerful than he really was. The big manitou gave him a look but there was no expression there, not even annoyance. "I still serve who dwells here. And while I am here, you will touch nothing, you will harm nothing. You'd best be going, as you have no idea what you're even facing." "And that is the point exactly," Megissogwun said. "If you are going to be a pest, then so be it." And he flicked his hand and the Stone Canoe gasped before he went sailing sideways and crashing into the cave wall. He shook his head dizzily. He hadn't even been hit! If this was the Pearl Feather's real power, then he didn't stand the slightest chance. Still, he'd made a promise, no matter how pathetic it was. He pushed himself up, and only now noticed that Megissogwun had seen the Red Swan at last. For he'd halted in midstep, staring at her, and at last there was an expression upon his face. His eyes were wide and he stared at her in open disbelief, the soft red glow glittering in his eyes. "She...she is real, then," he said under his breath, and slowly reached out one hand toward her. The Stone Canoe bristled, but made himself stay still, as so far the other manitou was making no threatening gestures. As soon as his fingers entered the glow surrounding her, he halted, as if her power alone shut him out; he seemed to reconsider, and drew his hand back. A scowl started settling over his face. "This makes no sense," he muttered. "If she is back in her Tree, then how is she here? I am not dreaming this time." He looked at the ceiling and cave walls as if to verify this, then back at the Red Swan. The Stone Canoe tensed when that stare fixed on him next. "Explain this." And he pointed to the Red Swan, as if she weren't obvious enough. The Stone Canoe scowled in return. "It is not my place to explain such things, just as it's not your place to question them. If you don't know what she is, then I will not tell you." "Meaning you do not know, either." Megissogwun's look grew even darker. "No matter. As I am here I can simply destroy her now and be done with it." And he lifted his hand and aimed it at her. The Stone Canoe leapt to his feet and launched himself at him. He managed to knock Megissogwun's arm aside, and parried one blow, his own arm turning into stone when Megissogwun swung at him and hit; but that was it, before he was swung through the air and hit the wall again. It didn't hurt him as badly as it would have hurt a human or a manitou with lesser stoneling powers, but it still dazed him, and he hadn't even hurt the Pearl Feather at all. "If all of you keep interfering," Megissogwun snarled, and the tone of his voice made the Stone Canoe take pause, "then I will break you all into minute pieces and blast them into oblivion! The TROUBLE I am going to just to DESTROY everything!" And he swung his arm out and sent a blast of power straight at the Red Swan. "No!" the Stone Canoe yelled, lurching forward, but the blast struck the Red Swan and then--bounced back? He blinked when he realized that she hadn't been touched at all--the hazy glow of power around her deflected Megissogwun's attack easily, and the Pearl Feather hissed and drew back, shaking his hand, stunned. Seeing her unharmed, her face still oddly neutral, his lip curled back and he swung at her physically this time. The medicine around her didn't block out his hand itself, but the instant his hand met her face, it was as if he was blown back, and with an immense noise and flash of light Megissogwun was tossed across the cave just like the Stone Canoe had been. He hit the ground with a wince but their astonishment was so great that all they could do was gape at the figure of the Red Swan, seated serenely upon the floor. A ripple or a shimmer seemed to pass over her. The Stone Canoe took in a shaky breath when he saw her eyelids shiver, just the slightest bit; and then, they opened, so that she looked at Megissogwun. Her eyes were still half shut, the look on her face calm or sleepy, but there was no mistaking it--she was awake. Megissogwun seemed to realize the import of this as well, pushing himself up slowly to stare back at her. There was a very long silence. When nothing else happened, the Stone Canoe scrambled toward her, glaring menacingly at the Pearl Feather. "Leave now! Like I said! You've seen what she can do--I'm certain there's more of it!" Another moment of silence, then Megissogwun's scowl began to return. "I underestimated her," he said, "but not a second time. She was weak, in her dream. She is obviously not so in reality. Still, I am stronger than she is, and I will not be leaving here while she is still alive." He stood up and came toward them; the Stone Canoe moved in front to shield her, though he knew it was pointless. Still...her eyes were open...if she was awake, maybe... "If you wish to be destroyed too, then so be it," Megissogwun said as he approached. The Stone Canoe tensed, then a voice said, "Let me see him." He blinked, and Megissogwun halted. The voice had come from behind him, and he turned his head to look at the Red Swan. She hadn't moved, but he knew that she was the one who had spoken; they were the only other ones there. "Maanaabiziiquae...?" he asked, not quite believing it. "Let me see him," she said again--her voice was soft and almost drowsy sounding--and her eyelids fluttered. "Before he makes his mistake." The Stone Canoe just stared at her. He sensed Megissogwun bristling at the insult, before snapping, "What? Some sleeping woman thinks to say such things? Do you have any idea what I'm capable of, you pathetic girl?" "Yes," the Red Swan replied, simply. Her lack of any sort of fearful reaction seemed to enrage Megissogwun, and the Stone Canoe edged back slowly. Her power wasn't flaring like his was, but something told him she didn't need his assistance, after all. He looked to Megissogwun instead, seeing the fury in his eyes, and that decided him on putting some distance between them. Megissogwun seethed for a moment before seeming to force himself to calm down a little, though his jaw muscle still tensed as he must have ground his teeth, and he stepped toward her again. "So you're quite aware that I can obliterate you from this place, are you not--?" The Red Swan's eyes just glimmered. "You are the one who put me here." This time both of the other two blinked. That was why the Stone Canoe missed exactly what happened next, for when his eyes flickered open, Megissogwun was no longer standing before her--or, rather, he was, but not all of him. He'd gone transparent, and even before he could widen his eyes or open his mouth all the way, he was gone, a mist of a glow evaporating where he'd just stood. The cave darkened considerably so that only the Red Swan's glow remained, and the Stone Canoe sensed all around them but the other manitou was nowhere to be found. Stunned, he jumped to his feet and called out to the manitous still above the surface, and those who weren't mitchi manitous replied to him, confirming that the Pearl Feather was gone. From all sides of the island they said this, and he could even sense their relief. When the mitchi manitous at last dared to speak up, he knew it must be true. Biting off a gasp, he dropped to his knees before the Red Swan and took her hand, his eyes alight. "Maanaabiziiquae!" he exclaimed. "You defeated him!" "No..." Her voice came very faint, and the glow around her began to fade a little. He furrowed his brow to see her eyelids flutter again, lowering, until she again sat there with them open just a sliver, glazed and sightless. The Stone Canoe waited a moment before touching her face, but he could tell. She'd gone back to sleep. If she'd even been fully awake in the first place... The Stone Canoe stared at her in silence. After some time had passed, he lowered his hand, letting out a small sigh and trying to fight down his disappointment. Her attack had been so immense, so final, that he was sure the Pearl Feather would bother them no more...but her own comment indicated that he was still out there, and probably more enraged than ever...and the very one who had fended him off so easily was asleep again. She does not even need me, he thought, seeing the attack over again in his head. He bit his lip. But...now she does, he amended this thought, and looked at her peaceful face once more. "To protect you. Until you awaken for good," he murmured; then his fists tightened and he raised his voice. "This I promised, and this I will do! Even if he shatters me into tiny pebbles, I'll gladly do it. Until you are awake, until you are freed, until the Island and everything is safe--whatever it takes. This is what I will do." And, knowing that she was safe down here for now, he stood and returned to the water, changing back into a pebble and rolling into the tunnel to make his way back to the surface. A brilliant flash came behind Turtle and she yelped and hopped back from the vision wall. She intended to hurry back to the pile of furs, but the flash had come from right in the middle of the cave, so there was no way she could reach it in time. Instead she stood where she was and gasped when Megissogwun suddenly appeared--not walking through the wall like he normally did, but just appearing, right there in front of her. A glowing mist vanished from around him and he stared at the blank wall for a second or two, his eyes wide, then glanced at the vision wall, then at the wall opposite. He didn't bother looking down at Turtle. Still, she exclaimed, "I didn't touch it! I didn't do anything! Swear!"--and dashed over to the fur pile and dove in, covering herself up with pelts. She wasn't killed in the next instant, so she peeped out. Megissogwun hadn't moved and didn't seem in the least bit interested in her, if he even noticed she was still there. His eyes grew wider, and he started taking in short, sharp breaths so that his chest hitched--Turtle furrowed her brow at the odd gesture, but the moment his eyes began to glow, she let out an uneasy mewl and burrowed as far back as she could without losing sight of him. Light flared to life all around him, and he bared his teeth, and then the most awful, indescribable noise filled the cave, Turtle cringing and wrapping her arms around her head when Megissogwun screamed in rage. |