|
Escape From Manitou Island: Part 177 |
|
(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.)
COMMON BONDS MISHOSHA PULLED OUT a knife and swung it at the medicine dolls. Moon Wolf's fire flared bright, and Charmian gasped and jerked forward at the same instant, but it was too late--the wabano had already swung, and the two dolls--Thomas's and Moon Wolf's--fell into the snow. Charmian fell with them, a broken cry escaping her throat as her heart wrenched in her chest. Then she had to blink the tears from her eyes, and look again. The dolls were still intact. Sucking in a breath, she whirled to the side to look behind her. Both Moon Wolf and Thomas were still alive, still standing--but their eyes had gone wider than the others', and she knew that something had just happened. Before she could scream at Mishosha to tell her what it was, Moon Wolf let out a shaky breath, and Thomas shivered and seemed to shake something off, standing a bit more upright. The yellow color left his eyes, and then the two of them looked themselves over as if to see any difference. Charmian blinked again, her vision still blurry. "Moon Wolf--? Thomas--?" She couldn't quite explain it. She'd never noticed any difference in the glow of medicine surrounding either of them, but--somehow--it seemed different now. She tried to place her finger on it, but couldn't. They weren't more powerful, or less powerful, or anything--but something had changed. "I feel like..." Thomas's voice trailed off, then he met her eyes, his own perplexed. "I don't even know. What happened...?" "Something...is off my shoulders," Moon Wolf added, seeming just as confused; and Charmian was as well, until she realized that his comment was metaphorical, and she remembered how Thomas had stood up as if a burden had been lifted from his back. Something sparked in her mind, and she turned to look back at Mishosha. The wabano just slipped the knife back in his belt and crossed his arms, giving her a neutral look. She looked down at the two medicine dolls lying in the snow. The cords that had been wrapped around their necks were severed. She let out a shaky breath of her own, staring at them in disbelief...then, with a very weird cry, she scrambled forward through the snow and snatched them up, making sure to get the dolls, the cords, the bit of Moon Wolf's hair, everything, and mashed them to her chest. Neither Thomas nor Moon Wolf reacted to the violent motions, so she knew that the connection between them and the dolls had been permanently severed--yet they all gave her odd looks as she scuttled back to join them, jamming the dolls into her pack. "Jackass!" she screamed. "You're never going to get a SINGLE PIECE of us again!!" Mishosha rolled his eyes. "I could have lopped your entire head off when you just did that, you ignorant brat." Charmian blinked. It's--it's true! she thought, and glanced up at him, eyes wide. If that was a trick--then it was the lamest one ever! They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. The others in the group, Moon Wolf and Stick-In-The-Dirt in particular, began fidgeting uneasily, and the nanandawi actually took a step forward before Charmian spoke. "He means it." Moon Wolf tensed. Most of the others just looked confused. Charmian looked back over her shoulder at them. "This was the last leverage he had over us. He's the only one who can break that spell. He had every chance to kill both of you just now. Why would he let you go...?" Thomas and Moon Wolf stared at her. Then understanding seemed to hit them, and Thomas opened his mouth, but she didn't get to hear what he might have said, whether in agreement or--more likely--disagreement. Moon Wolf spoke up first. "Use your DAMNED head! Don't you see this is EXACTLY the kind of trick he's always used--?" Mishosha let out a small weary sigh, obviously feigned. Charmian ignored it. "Use YOUR head!" she snapped back, getting to her feet--she had to wallow a bit, and Stick-In-The-Dirt hurried forward to help her up. "Take a look at it! He might be a liar but it's exactly the way he said--Megissogwun broke his promise--he doesn't have any reason to work for him anymore. This was never about being loyal to Megissogwun or destroying the Island at all! It was about them getting power and turning into manitous. Well, now that that's not going to happen, what do you think it'd be about--? Try thinking like him for a minute," and she jerked a hand in Mishosha's direction, ignoring the ghastly shade that Moon Wolf's face turned at the suggestion. "Think about what YOU would do if the guy who promised you everything just bailed out and left you hanging! What would be the very first thing you'd do--?" "Kill him," Thomas said, and then blinked, evidently unaware that he'd even been thinking it, much less speaking it. Everyone looked at him and he went slightly red, then flung out his arms in exasperation. "Well--think about it! She does have a point! If he's really as selfish and egotistical as they say..." "Flattery will get you nowhere," Mishosha said. "You're a wabano," Charmian said to Moon Wolf when his scowl darkened. "You know all about what they're like--you've warned me yourself, over and over! Since you know them so damn well, try thinking like one. Go on, even Thomas got it right, and he's never been a wabano." "I am nothing like this vile thing!" Moon Wolf hissed, jerking his own hand at Mishosha. Mishosha's eyes narrowed in seeming amusement but he apparently knew to keep his mouth shut for once. "If you even hint again that we are--" Charmian clenched her fists and gave him such a hard glare that everyone stepped back, expecting a tirade--but she kept her response mental. LISTEN TO YOURSELF! You're forgetting EVERY SINGLE THING we've learned about how things work! Remember when you said I can't possibly be anything like Ocryana--well--I am! You of all people know what it's like to have this part of yourself you can't stand and you want to get rid of but it's ALWAYS THERE! And the more you deny it, the weaker you get, and the stronger it becomes! I know you know this! You'd have to be an IDIOT not to! Even Manabozho knows it by now. You and he are my teachers. So that means you know it, even if you won't admit it. And if you think you're just protecting me or something, then knock it off, because I don't need that anymore! Stop treating me like some kind of little BABY who can't handle things! The longer she snapped at him, the wider Moon Wolf's eyes grew, and anxiety began to niggle deep inside her that he was about to blow her head off for being so disrespectful...but when she at last finished, he seemed more shocked than anything, and she wondered if anyone had ever spoken to him like that before. Feeling the heat surging up in her face, she whirled away from him before he could see it, to face Mishosha again. "Everybody knows," she said, "or if they don't know, they eventually find out--that they can become exactly like the person they hate the most--no matter how much they try to deny it or be a better person--it's true. It doesn't mean it'll happen--not by a long shot--but it's always possible. And the more you say it isn't so, the greater the chances of it happening. If you know, and accept it, then at least you can work not to be like that, you can take responsibility." She pointed back at Moon Wolf without looking at him. "He knows full well how you think! He's warned me about people like you, right from the start--right when we first went to see you. So if you're trying to bullshit any of us, he'll see right through it." "If you're hoping to threaten me somehow, then it's not working," Mishosha replied. "And I think you give your teacher a bit too much credit. You say he knows how I think? Then why is it that he's disagreeing with you?" His sneer returned. "Or...is he in fact much smarter than that, even, and you're the one walking right into my trap...? How do you know?" Whatever this technique was, it was starting to drive her crazy, and she had to fight not to start tearing at her hair. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop being so damn difficult, but Moon Wolf's voice interrupted her. "She doesn't know, but she can guess. And she can make an informed guess. And she's right, that I know exactly how our type thinks and what you plan to get out of all this." Charmian peered behind herself, biting her lip at the tone of his voice, but his narrowed eyes were focused on Mishosha and not her. "And that also means I know when it most benefits you to trick us, and turn on us." His head turned so he looked at Charmian now, and she tried not to swallow. "Whether we react in time, though, or are able to, is another matter entirely." "Well then," Mishosha said amiably, "I suppose that's a concession. What about you, girl? Feeling up to it?" He smiled at Charmian. Charmian shuddered at the look. "Not really," she muttered. But if it's for the Island... "I won't waste my breath making you PROMISE anything," she added, unable to keep the disgust from her voice, "but it's exactly like I said--the moment you switch again--and there will be an again, I know that now--then we'll be right on it. You get absolutely no benefit out of tricking us now. You said it yourself." "And you've belabored that point repeatedly, thank you," Mishosha said. "Now that you've gone over every single insignificant justification for accepting my help, do you think we should get going? With the state Makwaquae left him in, I doubt the Pearl Feather will be keeping quiet for very long. And he might have promised you another chance, but just as your teacher said, you've seen his stance on promises." His eyes flickered. Charmian let out a breath--and it felt like every ounce of strength left her at the same time. "West," Manabozho said, which was just as well, as she couldn't speak; he waved and started walking as if the wabano didn't exist and he was the most powerful being in all the world, taking great strides so that his feathers bobbed. "To get this over with! I have important things to do back on the Island." His bravado, no matter how feigned, calmed Charmian a little bit, and she started to sink until Thomas caught her arm. "Able to walk--?" he murmured, and she nodded, leaning on him for a second before regaining her balance. Winter Born hurried to take hold of her other hand and pull her along as they started moving. "I can't really explain it," Thomas added, "but when he cut that thing...I don't know. I feel like myself again, only not fully myself, but whatever it is, it's certainly better than it was before, you know?" And he grimaced at how odd the explanation sounded. Charmian shook her head. "It doesn't sound as stupid as you think. I know exactly what you mean. That Wendigo spirit stone doesn't have control over you anymore. Sometimes it's nice to not be fully ourselves!" "Well," Winter Born said, "I think I'd prefer being fully myself! It sounds silly otherwise." Charmian didn't have the heart to explain what fully myself entailed, especially in her case, so said nothing. Moon Wolf was tramping in their direction, and she slowed down, making the others do the same, trying to gauge his emotions, but his face was a mask. She bit the inside of her mouth and wondered if she'd overstepped her bounds. A large beetle suddenly landed on Charmian's shoulder and she opened her mouth to shriek when it said, in Marten's voice, "Charmian! He's doing something funny!" "--Huh?" she said instead, and turned her head to look. Mishosha had halted in the messy area where Makwaquae had attacked Megissogwun earlier, and was stooping over to look at the ground. She was about to ask him what he was doing now when it struck her, without her even having to think about it. The wabano's fingers were digging in the snow where Megissogwun's blood had fallen. She jerked to a halt, startling the others. "HEY!" The violence of her reaction was such that everyone who had a gun had it aimed at Mishosha in a matter of half a second, but he didn't pay them the slightest attention. "You are imaginative," he muttered as he dug at the snow, "but not nearly enough. I'd ask you to follow your own advice and use your head but I think you've worn it out for today." He stood and dug out a little clay container, placing some of the bloodstained snow within it and closing it tight. "I already told you I have ways of getting control," he added, meeting Charmian's furious eyes. "Well, what were you expecting? That I say 'please'?" Charmian, Manabozho thought, and she peered ahead to see him staring back at her. If he uses that it gives him control over Megissogwun himself, he said, and she caught the flicker of indecision in his eyes. Control over him could be exactly what we need...but... Exactly, Charmian thought to herself, so he couldn't hear. Control over Megissogwun--but not MISHOSHA'S control! I don't know what's worse, Megissogwun acting on his own, or Mishosha making him act! She fought a grimace of her own. She must not have been entirely successful, or else Mishosha was simply thinking what they were all thinking. "Relax," he said, putting the container away and resuming his walk westward. "After all, you did just say your dear teacher will be able to tell when I'm no longer trustworthy, didn't you?" "As if you're ever 'trustworthy,'" Charmian muttered, not caring if he could hear or not. She let Thomas take her arm again, Winter Born her other, and they all followed Manabozho when he again turned west. Charmian once more peered uneasily at Moon Wolf when he passed them, and, still unable to read the expression on his face, put out a tentative mental feeler. Moon Wolf...? Are you mad at me? I tried to keep it all private so nobody would hear... Whether I am angry with you or not doesn't matter, he replied, curtly enough to make her wince. You are the one who makes your own decisions. Therefore you must live with them. But if I did something really stupid... She couldn't keep the look of misery from settling over her face, and Thomas and Winter Born looked at her in concern. There is something I already told you long ago, Moon Wolf said. Back at the bay, when you first learned what this person is capable of. I am not your teacher anymore. I can guide you, and advise you, but what you do now, you do yourself. You can ask for opinions as much as you want but in the end the decision will always be yours alone. You're not a child, and thus, you no longer need a teacher. His eyes met hers, and she felt the breath vanish from her throat. And you have finally realized this. He turned away and kept walking before Charmian could protest that he was wrong, it wasn't true, he would always be her teacher and she would always need and rely on that--but even the thoughts of protest died away in Charmian's mind, as she realized that it was true. And she shivered and huddled into her coat a little, as this realization didn't seem nearly as good as it had seemed all the time she'd been hoping for it. Even under the sometimes thick boughs of the trees, and with the gouts of steam hissing upward and often obscuring the sky, there was still enough of it visible for the miners to notice when it began to grow dark. Several of the Michinimakinong lifted their heads from their work, raising their masks to see better or wiping the sweat from their brows. Those who had been pouring water upon the heated rocks stopped so that the air cleared, and then an odd stillness settled over the copper mines--odd, for it was the middle of the day yet, with plenty of work left to do, but the sky was growing dark as if it were evening already. After a moment or so a few of them peered at each other uneasily. Although they, especially the younger ones, were burning with curiosity, nobody spoke, for somehow they knew what this must mean, on some level at least. After another moment had gone by, Cheengwun pushed himself away from his own section of the mine and began digging furiously in a tool sack he had set a safe distance away from the fires and steam. He carried various things in it besides tools--a piece of shaped copper for luck, a few strips of smoked fish to gnaw on, a few poultices in case he got burned--and it took him a moment to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a hunk of dull crystal and sat down on the nearest boulder, rubbing it clean with the heel of his hand while some of the others gathered around. Niskigwun, being the chief of Geezhigo-Quae's fighting forces, was thus of course in good standing with her and had to have ways to keep in touch when he wasn't around the Sky Tree. Cheengwun had ended up with one of these methods, in this hunk of rough crystal, similar to the polished cabochons within the Tree, which could see various areas around the Fairy Realm. He was sure it must be able to see further than that, but he'd never been skilled with such things, and so had enough trouble making it perform its basic function. Still, it must have been his own feelings of concern that helped him at the moment, for all it took was a little bit of focusing before the crystal began to glow in his hands, and the other Michinimakinong's eyes widened a bit. They all knew very well how the crystal worked, but it never failed to awe them, every time. As the crystal was rough and unpolished, the image that faded into view within it was difficult to see, so Cheengwun had to squint and rub at it a bit more; he even removed his gloves and spat on his fingertips, wetting the surface to make it clearer. When they saw that the image of a tree--the Sky Tree--was what showed up within, they took in a breath each, for it didn't look the way it should have. At midday, in sunny weather, the Sky Tree should have been brilliant blue with leaves shimmering like sunlight hitting clouds. Even if it were overcast, the colors would have been similar, only duller and muted. The sun was still out, of course, but the sky itself had darkened considerably so that its light didn't seem to permeate the vault like usual; and as for the Tree, within the crystal it was a very strange color, its trunk and leaves turning to an ominous leaden, slaty shade of gray like thunderclouds moving in. But there was more to it than that. Cheengwun could never have described it, but perhaps Charmian could have. The Tree seemed to be falling stiller, drawing into itself, as if it were falling asleep, or... He didn't understand it. But he knew it wasn't normal, and it probably wasn't good. Biting his lip, he shoved the crystal back into his tool sack and shoved it back toward his workspace; everyone had their own tools and belongings, and wouldn't steal his, though a few of them might draw the crystal out to look at it again in his absence. He didn't care. "The rest of you should get back to work," he said, phrasing it as a suggestion as he wasn't the one in charge of the mines; he took off his mask and tossed it over with his tools as well, yanking the cord of his wingcase so his wings popped free. "I'll go see what's going on." He crouched, then shot up into the air, zooming away over the trees and across the fields, knowing that out of all of them he could reach there the fastest. He scanned the ground, the sky, the horizon as he flew; everything seemed as it should be, but for that odd darkening. All the other Michinimakinong he passed seemed puzzled by the change as well, shielding their eyes and staring upward as if to find an answer there. More than a few were also looking in the direction of the Sky Tree, even though it wasn't within sight yet. As soon as it was, Cheengwun felt his heart clench. No wonder they were looking; they must have felt the same anxiety he'd felt, before he'd even looked into the crystal. If something like this was happening to the Sky Tree, then something was happening to the Sky Mother. Cheengwun picked up his pace--he was already flying much faster than most other Turtle Fairies could fly--and descended toward its widest branches. When he landed, he glanced around at the little crystals which by now were about the only illumination available among the leaves, and he went jogging toward the trunk. He expected the leaves to be whishing and the branches to be creaking loudly in an immense wind, but the air was still, and the Tree was too, and that was even more alarming. It wasn't storming, so why did it look like this--? He actually took the risk of spreading his wings and flying along the last bit of branch to the trunk, even though he could have easily torn his wing on the nearby twigs, and rushed inside. The hallways, too, were dark. There were no Michinimakinong in sight, even though there must be at least a few somewhere; at this time of day most of them were busy outside or with their chores or own families. Cheengwun started jogging, glancing at the doorways as he went. "Grandmother--?" he called out as he drew near the entryway to her main room, feeling that it would be discourteous to just barge in. "Grandmother?" he called again, louder, when he stopped before it, but there was no answer; biting his lip again, he held out his hand and the door retreated so he crept inside. There was the balcony room, with its sloping floor and polished cabochons and its view overlooking the Fairy Realm, but Geezhigo-Quae was not there. Sure, she wasn't always there, but if this was happening to her Tree then where was she...? "Grandmother...?" Cheengwun tried again, quieter this time, as he was so perplexed. He wandered around the room and even onto the balcony but no one was there. Rubbing his head, he left the room and looked through some of the others, even the hub room, but all were empty. He returned to the main room and turned in a confused circle in the middle of it, holding his balance on the sloping floor. After a long pause he went to the cabochons and gingerly put his fingers to one, as if expecting it to shock him. He felt guilty touching it, as it wasn't his to use, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. "Great Sky Tree...?" he murmured, wincing a little, then forcing himself to raise his voice. "I realize you are not my Tree...and you have no obligation to answer me...but if you know where the Sky Mother is..." The crystal began to glow, but only after a moment, and then only faintly. And even then, it didn't show him an image so much as give him a vague mental impression. Cheengwun blinked, both at what it showed him and at the feeling he got just from communicating with it; while it was true that the Tree had no obligation to answer someone who wasn't its owner, still, he'd expected its answer, if any, to be clear and obvious. Which was why the distant, nebulous way in which it did answer him perplexed him so much. It was almost like the Tree was hardly even "there." "The roots--?" Cheengwun said, surprised; the mental image faded just as quickly as it had formed, and the crystal went dark again. He drew his hand away. "Thank you," he said, his confusion growing, though he felt that the Tree hadn't even heard him. He looked at the entryway as he fiddled his fingers; of course he'd known that the Tree had roots, but nobody had ever gone down into them! Had they--? He swallowed his growing anxiety and started jogging again, out the doorway and down the halls, into the lower levels of the trunk. It was widely known that ground people kept best to the ground, and sky people to the sky, and water people to the water--and so when any went out of their element, it was not only unusual, but often a cause for alarm. Geezhigo-Quae was the Sky Mother, and so for her to go down into the earth...almost unthinkable! As he drew closer to the ground, he finally passed a few of his own kind, wandering the halls and apparently just as confused as he was. Some were looking around, but most seemed eager to leave the place and get back outside, no matter how dark it might be. Cheengwun ignored them as he ran. He'd never gone so far or deep into the Sky Tree and so had no idea where he was going, much less of any way to reach the root system, if there even was a way. Truthfully, he was startled to learn that there must be another room or something down there. He could sense somehow when he'd descended beneath the level of the ground--perhaps all his time spent working in the mines helped--and slowed his step, looking around more carefully. The hallway here had grown narrower and much darker, only a feeble crystal lighting it up here and there, and he shivered at the claustrophobic feeling of it. This was nothing like being in the mines. It was deeper, and twistier, and almost constricting. He thought about the immense size of the Tree over him and felt his face go gray. He passed some entryways--not even doorways, but seemingly hallways of their own--going off in different directions, keeping to the one that seemed to go downward the furthest--and at last found himself having to squeeze his way through, it was so narrow. The wood of the walls was not polished down here as it was up higher--countless hands had not smoothed the surface through years of touch like they had above. Cheengwun winced at a splinter or two but kept pulling himself along, until he came to a dead end, where the two walls met right before him at a narrow angle which he could fit only his fingertips into before it sealed completely. He stared at this, not knowing what to do next. "Grandmother...?" he called again, his voice as feeble as the light of the crystals behind him, and drew his hand back. He waited a few seconds, then, unable to help himself, pressed himself into the crevice as if hoping to break through it although he knew it was futile. He dug his fingers into the wood. "Great Sky Tree! Where is she...? Is she trapped...?" No answer came, of course, and he strained at the wall for a few moments, not even sure what he was trying to accomplish. His feelings of anxiety and frustration only grew, and he began battering himself against the wood, striking his shoulder against it in the waning hopes of breaking through somehow. He didn't know what he hoped to break through into, but if she was somewhere down here where she couldn't get out... "Grandmother! Sky Mother!" Cheengwun cried; he backed away from the crevice several paces. He had a mental image of her encased in the wood, unable to free herself, and his wings flared wide in alarm. "I'll get you out! I promise!" He ran at the wall and slammed into it. What makes you think she's trapped--? a tiny voice in his head said--he couldn't tell if it was his own, or someone else's--as his head struck the wall as well, and stars flashed in front of his eyes before he slumped against the wall in a daze. He saw two crevices now, his vision blurring and breaking apart, and he sensed rather than felt the throbbing in his skull. The haziness threatened to descend over him again and he shut his eyes tight to fight it off-- Then opened them again with a gasp, as he'd just seen something, in that split second, right before he'd shut them. But there was nothing there now. Just the wall. Understanding dawned immediately. If it had been Charmian in this situation, or Thomas or Justin, they would have had to think this over for a while to figure it out first, but Cheengwun's people knew all about visions and the ways in which they worked, so it made perfect sense to him at once. "My head," he murmured, rubbing at it, but when he grew dizzy and the sight of the wall dimmed, this time he didn't fight it, yet he didn't shut his eyes either. He stared at the crevice as it broke into two again; and instead of rubbing his eyes or sitting and waiting for the spell to pass, he walked toward them, albeit somewhat awkwardly. He touched one and felt where the walls met, so withdrew his hand and then stepped into the second one, which wavered even as he reached it. Instead of walking straight into the wall, he slipped right through it, and found himself truly beneath the Sky Tree. And he wasn't alone. |