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Escape From Manitou Island: Part 189 |
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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.)
INTO THE MOUNTAIN MANABOZHO SWUNG HIS fist at the rock, his knuckles connecting with the mountainside, and abruptly vanished. There was an awkward silence. "This whole people disappearing thing is starting to get old," Charmian said after a moment. There was another pause, then Manabozho stepped out of the mountainside, making them jump. He waved excitedly. "Come on! It's just like I thought. We were overthinking it." He turned, hit the rock, and again vanished. When everyone remained standing as they were, staring at the space he'd left behind, he appeared yet again, this time looking peeved. "Would you COME ON already?" he snapped. "What the heck are you doing?" Charmian asked, confused. She reached out and gingerly touched the rock, feeling nothing but...well, rock. Manabozho gave a gusty sigh, rolling his eyes. "When I hit the stupid rock, just FOLLOW me, and I'll explain everything then!" He turned and hit the rock, disappearing a third time. Fighting an annoying feeling of deja vu*, Charmian stepped after him, her face screwing up in anticipation of slamming into the rock wall. When she felt somebody grasp her hand instead, she yelped and jerked back, knocking into Thomas as he came through behind her. Manabozho let her go and gave her an irritated look; Charmian blinked and glanced around at her suddenly unfamiliar surroundings. They seemed to be standing within a cave or tunnel of some sort which extended into darkness to left and right, though there was an opening the size of a large doorway just ahead of them as well; the area around them was lit well enough to see, though she couldn't tell how. She was reminded of the property of the rock tunnels leading down into the Borderlands, tunnels which seemed lit without any visible source of light. But that wasn't the only thing that seemed familiar about the situation. "Well!" Walks-On-The-Shore exclaimed cheerily as he appeared behind them. "I'm becoming quite adept at stepping through walls!" Wabun's cave was the same way, Charmian remembered. And Glooskap can do the same thing. And... "Remember that great idiot we met in the north?" Manabozho asked, gesturing at them; he glanced left and right, then decided on the entryway just ahead. Charmian took a moment to look behind them, seeing that Kenu had arrived, fortunately in his human form, before following. "The idiot with that horrific mess of a lodge...the Whiskey-fellow." "Oh! Wisakedjak," Charmian said. "That's what that reminded me of! Whenever you touched his house." "Those spirits you called looked at me when you asked them where to go," Manabozho said, looking uncertainly at the tunnel sides as he walked; they were so Swiss-cheesed* with other tunnels that it was hardly like being inside a mountain at all. "That's what made me think maybe we were trying too hard. That oaf's lodge was supposed to open up only when he opened it. Zeegwun said Kabeyun's home would be obvious, and the spirits looked at me. There is no entryway into the mountain. I'm the one who opens it up." I'm surprised he actually figured out something like that on his own, Charmian thought, though she didn't dare say it aloud. She was rather impressed. Normally he would need such things pointed out to him. Repeatedly. "So now what?" she asked, her spirits lifting a little as they made their way down the wide tunnel. It darkened somewhat as they went. "Any more ideas on which way to go? This place looks pretty huge..." "I'm sure it'll come to me," Manabozho said a bit haughtily. "Just like everything else does!" He slowed his step and placed a hand against the wall. "Surely the manitous in here will listen to me...seeing as I'm related to the person who lives here, and all." But his voice wasn't quite as certain as it had been before, and Charmian noticed how he started fiddling with the fringe on his legging. Well, I can't blame him, she thought. He did say his dad pretty much bailed out on him before he was even born! And never even bothered coming home to see how he was doing. She made her thoughts trail off here, not wanting to think the next logical thing. Would Kabeyun even care to help them at all? Even to make himself look good...? She paid attention to her surroundings instead, but they were a bit disappointing; the stone everywhere was the same uniform brownish-gray, and there was nothing impressive or interesting about the tunnels whatsoever. She couldn't even see any crystals or webs. After all their time spent traveling other tunnels and caves, this one was remarkably boring. "Hm," Peepaukawiss said from some distance behind her, his voice echoing. "Apparently Father could use some interior decoration!" "I have to admit, even Shawondassee's place was nicer, messy as it was," Charmian agreed. "Has he just never had the time to do anything creative to it?" Manabozho halted and whirled around, hands on hips. "Well, of course not!" he retorted, making her flinch. "Hasn't it crossed your mind that maybe Uncle--Aunt--whatever--Shawondassee--and Wabun and that bag of wind Kabebonikka--only have time to decorate their places because they aren't doing more important things? I'd have a nice fancy lodge too if I had a bunch of time to waste! Pretty frills and such are for loafs like him." And he gestured dismissively at Puka, then turned and resumed walking. Puka huffed. "Well I NEVER!" "Why are you sticking up for him all of a sudden?" Charmian asked, hurrying to catch up with Manabozho and glare him in the face. "With all the badmouthing you did before, I kind of got the idea you'd jump at the chance to find fault with him!" In return he gave her a dark look. "Mind whose place we're in right now! Sure, I might think your head is full of sand, but I'd hardly go saying that the moment I step into your house looking for favors, would I?" Charmian blinked and opened her mouth, again surprised by his maturity, but he turned away and slapped his hand against the left wall. "This is taking too long anyway! I'll either find us a shortcut, or have some spirit tell us which way to go, and we'll get it over with. Hey! Come on out!" He pounded his fist against the wall, then waited, tapping a foot impatiently. "Well, if we're going the polite route now," Thomas said, a bit hesitantly, "I think it might extend to the other live-in guests, too." Manabozho glared at him and he coughed and took a step back. "Just my opinion...maybe not." He shrugged and rolled his eyes when Charmian looked at him. "What would I know." "There's a difference between courtesy and just being a wimp," Manabozho said. "If we come in saying please pretty please do you really think we'll be taken seriously--? Finally!" He crossed his arms when a face appeared in the rock. Charmian noticed that it more closely resembled the eastern manitous with their elklike features than the western buffalo spirits. "You've evidently already noticed our arrival," Manabozho said, drawing himself up as tall as he could. "Even if just because of those stupid Thunderbirds pecking away at the mountain. In any case, I've come to speak with Kabeyun, the West Wind, for I am his--" Something struck the face in the rock with a brilliant flash and the others jumped back with startled cries. Charmian blinked the glare away to see Manabozho lowering his arm and squinting, then gawking in surprise; she looked as well to see what had just happened. At first it just looked like a big section of the wall had been superheated, as it was glowing bright orange, and the face was no longer visible; a moment later, however, the stone started to swell outward and everyone backed away, expecting some sort of explosion. Then Charmian realized it wasn't the stone swelling at all, but something coming out of the stone, as a massive fire-bubble much like the one that Wabun had encased her in before* pulled itself loose and hovered in the tunnel, its heat washing over them. The mountain spirit was trapped inside, bleating and tossing and kicking its legs every which way, eyes flashing in panic. Charmian's brow furrowed. "What the..." The ball started to move toward them, and Manabozho threw himself to the floor to avoid getting hit as it swept over his head, just barely singeing the ends of his feathers. Charmian and the others still standing in its path moved aside as well, and she winced at the awful sounds that the spirit was now letting out as it battered its antlers against the side of its prison. When the bubble finally slowed to a stop before Mishosha, she felt a twinge of shock, then of disgust that she should even be shocked in the first place. She lifted her hand and fire formed around her fingers. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" Mishosha lifted his right hand--his left was already raised, as if to draw the bubble nearer--and flicked his fingers in her direction. The fire disappeared from her hand and she started huffing in fury as she tried to call it up again. "Just doing the part you agreed to, earlier," the wabano replied in a neutral voice. "I told you I'd get you an audience with Kabeyun, did I not?" "By attacking his guards?" Charmian gave up on calling the fire back and clenched her fists instead. "Why am I even the LEAST bit surprised that of course there's some kind of trick in it all--?" "Relax, little girl," Mishosha said, rewarding her with a vaguely annoyed look. "I have just as little reason to go messing this up as you do. We can stand here and wait for this buffoon to blunder his way in, or we can do it my way." Before Charmian could say anything further, he snapped his fingers and the bubble vanished, but a hand gesture made the spirit remain stuck in the air, its legs splayed out every which way. It blinked wildly but other than that didn't move--Charmian was reminded of when Mani had been frozen*, and had to keep herself from lunging at him. "Now then," Mishosha said amiably, stepping toward the quivering spirit and crossing his arms. "As you've just heard, we're seeking Kabeyun, and I do believe it would be in your best interests to lead us to him." The spirit let out a whistling noise. Do...do not know where he is! We guard the mountain--but West Wind One* keeps himself hidden from us. Ask any others. Tell you same thing! "You cannot be bloody serious," Lieutenant Barrington muttered, running a hand down his face. Mishosha's eyes glittered and he clenched his hand into a fist; the spirit made a choking noise and shook a little, eyes bulging. Charmian took a step forward and waved. "HEY, moron! Don't you understand English--or--whatever? If he doesn't know the way, then THROTTLING him isn't exactly going to convince him to speak up!" "You are quite juvenile," Mishosha said, peering at her from the corner of his eye. "Even if this ignoble* twit doesn't know where Kabeyun is--which I find quite hard to swallow--he can still lead us to him. This is his mountain, is it not? Am I right in assuming the West Wind has at least passed by this way sometime in the past?" When the spirit made another noise he loosened his fist a little to let it speak. Y--yes, it stammered. West Wind One's* mountain, so West Wind One* passes through, sometimes west, sometimes east. But--never shows us where he comes back to. We do not ask. Just guard. "So it's safe to say you've at least seen a few of the places he's recently been. Seeing as you live here, and all." The spirit nodded vigorously, ears flicking. "What are you getting at?" Charmian asked, growing confused. "How does knowing that Kabeyun took a walk through here help us any?" Mishosha clicked his tongue. "And here I was starting to think you were at least a mite bit intelligent, when it suits you," he sighed, opening his hand; the spirit let out a startled noise and collapsed to the tunnel floor. "Take us directly to the last place you saw Kabeyun pass," the wabano ordered, crossing his arms again as the spirit shakily pushed itself to its feet. "Preferably, to the last place you saw him resting, or taking supper, or whatever other trivial things he does in his spare time." Charmian darted a glance at Manabozho and saw how his eyes glowed, but he managed to keep himself from speaking up. Even with all the unflattering things she'd heard about the West Wind so far, he was right, and Mishosha's disrespectful comments seemed more like trouble than like assistance. The mountain spirit peered at them nervously for just a second, then turned and trotted away down the tunnel. Mishosha followed, then the others. Charmian gnawed on her lip, all sorts of visions of having left Mishosha behind, and not taking him up on his offer, flitting through her head. No wonder Moon Wolf had thought she was crazy. She rather wished she could step back in time, just a little. Something took her hand and she gasped and jerked a bit, but it was only Winter Born. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about her. The little girl looked up at her, eyes wide. "What do you think Kabeyun is like? Like Kabebonikka, maybe...?" Charmian bit her lip again. "I have no clue, really. I doubt anybody could be too much like Kabebonikka." Then, to herself, As much as I hate to think it, Kabeyun is probably WORSE! Winter Born looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to face ahead, her fingers curling around Charmian's even as a slight spring entered her step. "I hope he helps us out, so we can get back home...this has been fun and everything, but I miss Mother and Khiieta and Tiiku." Charmian felt a sharp pang and bit it down, saying nothing. The tunnel grew lighter ahead and the spirit turned its head to look back at them, its eyes anxious. Cave ahead. Place where West Wind One* sometimes stays. But never for long, and not there now. What use going? "Just mind your own business, which happens to be doing what I tell you," Mishosha said, and the spirit ducked its head and hastened into the cave. Charmian bit her own tongue, though she was dying to figure out what this had to do with anything. They entered a cave which, like the rest of the place, wasn't terribly impressive compared to anything else Charmian had seen so far; its walls were made of the same plain stone, and although it was lit better, by the same unidentified source, there was nothing terribly outstanding about it. It wasn't even remarkably big or small, it just was. The only thing different about it was that an old animal skin was lying upon the floor near the right wall, but even it didn't bear any decoration. She thought it might be that of an elk or moose, but that was all she could tell from looking at it. Manabozho's brow furrowed. "My father hangs about in here...?" he murmured, somewhat skeptically. He glanced at the fur. "What would he even do in here? It can't possibly be where he sleeps..." He started frowning more and more deeply as he began wandering around the cave, tracing his fingers along the wall as if to find something. Charmian could tell that his earlier protestations about the West Wind not needing any frills in his abode were quickly fading from his mind and now even he found the spareness of this place hard to fathom. "It's like nobody really lives here at all," Remy, peering around from the middle of the group, commented. Manabozho halted and threw up his arms. "THAT'S it! Why didn't I think of it?" He whirled around and gestured at the walls. "Of course! Why would he confine himself to a dinky little mountain like this anyway? When he surely has much better places to be off visiting? This probably isn't really his home after all, but just the place where he stays when he's in the area. Of course." "Just a temporary place to crash?" Charmian frowned this time. "Well, maybe he doesn't hang out here much, but still, we were told this is where he lives...if he doesn't live here then why were we led here?" "This is very much his home," Mishosha said, stopping before the animal skin and waving at the wall. "Why else would this be here?" Charmian opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about. Then shut it and blinked in surprise when the wall lit up. Everyone stared as colors swirled across the stone's surface, flickering and breaking apart and re-forming again, until a hazy image appeared. It rippled and contorted like water, then something long and dark swam into view and she realized that was exactly what it was. "Mishu...Mishupishu!" she whispered, leaning forward. She instantly recognized the sinuous shape winding across the wall by its bent spine; she couldn't tell where he was, but it seemed to be a tunnel much like the one they'd just been in, except flooded with water. She could tell that only from the fact that he was swimming through it; the walls were lit up the same as the rest of the mountain. "Oh!" Kenu hastened forward and placed his hands against the wall, his face lighting up with delight. "He made it! Good! I knew my people wouldn't let me down! I wonder where he is...?" "It must be underneath the mountain, since it seems to be connected to it somehow," Charmian mused. Kenu waved at the Lynx, who swam on out of view as if not noticing him--Charmian knew the vision went only one way. "Oh...there he goes! I hope he's all right...I wonder how my people are doing?" The image wavered and vanished, and now clouds started racing across the cave wall; Kenu gasped and jumped back, staring at them wide eyed. The vision spun and tilted crazily before they were treated to a view of what must be the mountain range from far above; the plain extended off to one side, but that was all that Charmian could make out before clouds began obscuring the view. She heard nothing, but when the haze flickered and flashed she could just about imagine thunder. "OH!" Kenu cried, hopping up and down. "There they are, there they are!" "A vision wall," Charmian said, suddenly understanding. "Kind of like what Megissogwun is supposed to have! Where Mishu saw Turtle!*" Now she hurried forward, pressing her hands against it. "This shows us stuff, right? Whatever we ask?" "Whatever is within its power," Mishosha said, rolling his eyes. "Not all manitous have unlimited sight. In any case, why should this be here if no one would have any reason to stop by and use it?" He stooped and picked up the old animal skin by one corner, looking it over. So Kabeyun does come here, Charmian thought, running her fingers up the glowing wall. "If this thing can show us what its manitous see," she murmured, "then can it show us Kabeyun himself?" The images of clouds and distant mountaintops broke apart. Charmian waited just a second to see what would emerge next, but the light flickered and abruptly went out, leaving nothing but the blank wall itself staring back at her. Her brow furrowed and she pressed the wall harder, willing any images of the West Wind to appear, but nothing happened. When she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw the mingled looks of dismay and disbelief on the others' faces as well. "What's..." Winter Born's own brow knitted* in confusion. "What's that mean...?" "Is he...invisible or something?" Singing Cedars asked. "The manitous can't see him?" Stick-In-The-Dirt offered. "Yes, and no," Mishosha said, looking at the manitou still lingering near one of the other exits from the cave. It lowered its head, ears going back, as if afraid of being attacked again. "Kabeyun does not show himself even to his own servants if he can help it," the wabano said, "so that includes the vision wall. If you expect it to show you him, then you have quite a long wait." Charmian turned from the wall just as Manabozho exclaimed, "Well, why is he hiding himself now that I'm here? Doesn't he have a good enough reason to show up?" He knocked hard against the wall. "Come on, stupid thing! Make yourself useful!" "You've already done your part," Mishosha said to the mountain spirit, which quickly vanished. He was still perusing the animal fur, picking at it with his long fingernails. "Lucky for you I have better things to do at the moment than blast random spirits away. Makwaquae would have adored making quick work* of that fellow." He paused briefly, and Charmian noticed how his eyes flickered; she wondered if he would cry again, but just as she thought this he lifted his head to look straight at her and she shivered when he gave a chilly smile. "Don't worry, little girl, I won't go breaking down on you. Why the confused look? I thought your teacher had gone over all of this already." He picked at the fur a bit more, then pulled his hand away and looked at something he held between his fingers. Charmian couldn't see it, and thought that perhaps he was tricking her, but a brilliant blue flash made her gasp and jerk away before she could think over it too long. Manabozho still stood near the wall, but now he was facing Mishosha. Charmian had seen him--and other spirits like him--flash blue when angered, but now that she could see medicine, the effect was far greater and she had to shield her eyes. His own eyes were glowing as well, though not as brightly as she knew they could; the waves of light that shimmered around him looked more like a warning than anything. "If you even TRY anything with that, you'll regret it," he grated in an awful voice. "What...?" Charmian asked faintly, barely even noticing as Winter Born and Kenu crowded behind her. Winter Born tugged on Charmian's shirt. "Don't you see what he's got in his hand?" she whispered; when Charmian shook her head, she pulled on her own braid. "A hair! Just one little hair! You remember what he does with hair, right...?" Charmian felt a chill course through her, and her eyes grew when she glanced back at Mishosha's hand. The exact same thing...he did to ME! |