|
Escape From Manitou Island: Part 202 |
|
(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.)
HARD SELL "I NEED TO see Ocryana." Charmian had expected a reaction, and so braced herself for the barrage. She got a reaction but it wasn't what she'd expected. Stick-In-The-Dirt and Moon Wolf, both standing before her, furrowed their brows. "You already know the state she's in," Moon Wolf said. "Why would you need to see her in person? Surely that lost spirit can let you see?" Charmian blinked, then realized that they hadn't understood her. Her ears grew hot. She was tempted to let them keep misunderstanding, but that was no way to get anywhere. "No, I mean..." She trailed off, wishing that they'd just gotten all the screaming over with in the first place. "You said to start thinking crazy. Well, this is the last frigging craziest thing I can think of. And I think it's probably the right thing. Probably." Her heart clenched. More silence. After several moments, the look on Moon Wolf's face started to change, and she drew into her vest again, knowing that he was figuring it out at last. Stick-In-The-Dirt still seemed confused, but as soon as he glanced at the wabano as if to ask what she was talking about, he apparently got it as well, as the blood slowly drained from his face and he looked to Charmian again, aghast. "What am I missing?" Thomas asked, perplexed. "Kabebonikka* said it. Nathalit said it," Charmian said. "They both said the exact same thing. When she was trapped, locked away, it weakened the Island. It was the only thing to do to her at the time, just like the Red Swan, but after a while..." She fell silent, then said, "It can't go on forever." She sensed a movement and saw Winter Born, close at her right side, take a step back. When Charmian glanced down at her she saw how wide her eyes were, how her fingers started fiddling with the fringe on her dress. "The demon?" she whispered. "You're talking about the demon?" Now the looks on almost everyone's faces started to change, though a few of them, such as Lieutenant Barrington and Black Elk Horn and Baptiste, still seemed lost in the dark. Charmian fought not to wince. Stick-In-The-Dirt raised his hands and waved them, his face still ashen. "Charmian...you can't mean what I think you mean! There's crazy, but then there's--" "Suicidal," Moon Wolf said, but he kept his voice neutral and said nothing other than that. "Hold on a minute," Thomas cut in, and looked at her. "'It can't go on forever'? You mean...you want to let her out?" Now Black Elk Horn got it too and took a sudden step forward; his chest met with the broadside* of Barrington's gun, though Charmian was surprised that they didn't start screaming at each other or trying to kill each other. "The demon?" he barked. "Set her free? I thought you were supposed to be thinking up ideas to HELP the Island, not finding a faster way to destroy it!" "You'd want to let her out?" Winter Born said, taking another slinking step back, as if Charmian had just grown three heads and started threatening to bite hers off. Charmian peered at them all and didn't find a single friendly face among them; it was like she'd stepped into an enemy camp. Even those who weren't gaping or scowling at her stared at her as if she were insane, and as Winter Born crept back toward her father she hated the thought that she'd made her feel she had to do that, had made her feel unsafe. The little girl had looked up to her before, going along with every single stupid thing she did--why did she back away now? "I'm sure she has a reason," Thomas said at last. "You weren't there," Black Elk Horn retorted. "You didn't see the things that creature did before she even arrived. You didn't see how the sky changed colors, how the Island felt like it was about to end. You didn't know what a horror it was with that thing living free amongst us and you certainly didn't know what a weight it was off of us once she was gone." He glared at Charmian. "The one thing she did right, somehow talking--or tricking--everybody into going along with her to make sure it was done! They told stories about it. Exaggerated, probably, but with a grain of truth. How even the lake demon and his manitous and the GeeBees helped, because all of them hated the demon more than they hated the idea of working together. You know it, because you were there." This he said to Charmian herself; she averted her eyes, unable to look at him anymore--this was the longest she'd heard him talk without ranting and raving, and certainly the longest he'd ever talked to her directly. "At least, so the stories say. Though now I start to doubt it, if you think setting her loose is some way to help things! You imagine you'd be able to do it again? To call up the lake demon, and his mitchi manitous, and the GeeBees and everyone, and subdue her a second time, after for whatever asinine reason you let her go?" "Hold on--what do you mean by that?" Barrington cut in, glancing at him. "Do it all again? I don't know what this demon business is but doesn't it rather look like she's already done whatever it is again?" When Black Elk Horn glared at him he gestured at the rest of the group. "Well...I see wolf-things and Thunderbirds and water monsters and little furry kids and flying cannibals and all sorts of whatnot! Even that nasty fireball-throwing lout who was trying to kill us earlier.* All in one spot doing the same thing. I hardly think that's anything to worry about since she seems pretty good at talking--or tricking--people into working together, for better or for worse." Charmian blinked. She'd had the exact same fear that Black Elk Horn had expressed, but now that Barrington had spoken, she thought, Holy crap. He's right. "Even if that's so," Black Elk Horn persisted with a scowl, "which I don't for one minute believe it is, she's still supposed to be helping the Island. Setting loose the very creature that vowed to destroy it hardly seems like the best way to go!" "I'm sure she has a reason," Thomas said again, frowning. He looked down at Charmian and said under his breath, "Though even I'm starting to wonder if you're in your right mind!" "It's the last thing I can think of," Charmian said desperately. "You all said think crazy! But even crazy has to make sense in order to work. First, maybe if Ocryana's let go, the Island becomes stronger--maybe it can withstand such a thing better?" "The first Island was destroyed easily," Niskigwun said. Charmian flushed. "Well, Ocryana didn't exist yet, did she? Maybe it's different now? Anyway that's not the main thing, not by a long shot. I still believe Winter Born has a chance of fixing things, if she could just attack Megissogwun somehow." "But her medicine doesn't work on him!" Stick-In-The-Dirt cried. "No," Charmian said. "Her medicine doesn't work on non-Islanders. At least, not at its full strength. She can do littler things with it but nothing that counts for much." From the corner of her eye she saw Winter Born's face fall and wished that she'd found a better way to say it, but didn't have the time to apologize--the looks on the others' faces were growing more hostile by the minute. "You've seen her medicine work just fine--on Islanders! She knocked even Moon Wolf down!* And that was just a tiny bit of what she can do." "What does any of this have to do with the demon?" Thomas asked. "Exactly," Black Elk Horn grated. "Namely the reason why you think setting ANOTHER nuisance loose is any way to help!" "Maybe it's the lesser of two evils?" Marten piped up. "Glooskap taught me that phrase! Isn't it nifty? Maybe if this demon-thingie is loose then Megissogwun won't seem so bad--?" Black Elk Horn threw his hands up and looked ready to strangle someone. "I honestly don't see how that helps things," Thomas admitted. "Actually...he's kind of right." Charmian blushed again when they gawked at her. "Kind of. Jeez already! It's Marten, look where the information's coming from! But who is it on the Island who's the most powerful--?" "Ocryx," a dozen voices answered at once. Charmian made a face and waved. "That's the EASY answer! Who almost kicked Ocryx's butt numerous times? And was smart enough to pretty much trick him whenever it was suited? Strength is more than just physical, you know!" When no one answered she blurted out, "You don't say it because it never occurs to you to think it. Because you're so used to her being gone. But think about it. Ocryx didn't defeat Ocryana, did he?" At last, a bit of the hostility began to thaw. Francois seemed to get what she was saying almost immediately, but most of the others still looked skeptical or suspicious. She did wish the voyageur would do her explaining more often, she bet they'd listen to him more readily. "So what are you saying?" Thomas prompted; she sensed he said it more to give her the chance to explain than to gain any understanding on his own part, but was relieved for the encouragement anyway. She took a breath. "Ocryana was--is--so powerful it took everyone on the Island to defeat her. Not just Ocryx. Meaning that although Ocryx might be the most physically powerful--even I thought he was, when Megissogwun first showed up asking for the most powerful person--he's not necessarily the MOST powerful. Even Chakenapok doesn't hold a candle to her anymore. Plus she was so crazy, even if she couldn't kill Megissogwun, she'd kill herself trying to kill him. I think she really might be strong enough, now that he's weakened, to take him down." "But why would she want to defeat him?" Stick-In-The-Dirt pressed. "You remember her, surely! She would never help us, no matter what you offer her. She has no need or desire for things like Ocryx does. There's no bargaining with her, especially if she's mad. Her only goal would be to kill you--and destroy the Island!" He wrung his hands. "You'd really put the fate of the Island in the hands of someone so mad she'd kill herself destroying it, too?" "I think there are things Ocryana would consider more important than her own life," Charmian said. "She told me, right before we trapped her.* She said her whole plan wasn't about power, it was about revenge. Meaning she didn't care if she died, but she did care if she didn't get even. That's more important to her--not just that, but making her own choice. Going out her own way." "I know you do not fail to realize," Moon Wolf said, and she turned to peer at him, wondering why he wasn't tearing her head off, "that revenge for her now means killing you. If this is what matters to her most, you will no longer be standing." "I thought of that," Charmian said, "believe me, I did. I wouldn't even be saying all this if I thought this stood zero chance. But I just said it. I think her controlling her own fate is what matters most. Yeah, she'll want me dead, no question about it. But if I can offer her something better...like, her freedom. With strings attached--definitely," she hastened to add. "But Chakenapok told me how she sleeps down there and rants and raves and wishes to be loose.* I think if given the choice, between being loose or killing me, she'd choose the former. If not..." She shrugged helplessly. "At least I gave it a shot, didn't I? What's more important, me or the Island?" "I also know you remember how deceitful she is," Moon Wolf said. "You saw how quickly the GeeBee fled once the minimum of his obligation to us was met. And he was easy to control. Ocryx might feel compelled to honor his promises, but you yourself said she's mad. I doubt she'll honor any promise she might make to you to help us. You would really take that chance? Of taking her at her word?" "No, I wouldn't," Charmian answered. "That's why we have Winter Born." Winter Born blinked and her eyes grew to the size of moons. The looks on the others' faces weren't much different. "What?" Black Elk Horn blurted out. "I realize it's roundabout," Charmian hurried to try to explain, "and just plain sounds stupid, but hear me out--we need somebody who can defeat Megissogwun--I'm betting it's Ocryana--and we need somebody who can control Ocryana--well, that's Winter Born." She waved at the girl. "You've seen it. She has the power--on beings from Manitou Island. I'm not positive Ocryana could kill Megissogwun, but I don't doubt in the least that Winter Born could easily control Ocryana." Silence. But the looks she got now weren't anywhere near as hostile or disbelieving as they'd been before. Winter Born squirmed when she started receiving their stares instead, taking a step back behind her father. "How--how can you be sure?" she cried. "I've never even seen the demon! Mother and Monsieur Francois* and the others told me all the stories. They said you were really powerful, but they said it still took everything everybody had just to stop her. I can tell it just looking at you, too! It scares you just to think about her, doesn't it? I saw the look you got when Kabebonikka talked about her. You might not know it but your face goes all white and your eyes get all glassy." She peered out from behind Black Elk Horn, her own eyes wet. "I didn't do a thing to Megissogwun! And that was everything I had!" "That's because he's Megissogwun," Charmian retorted. "Not from the Island! Don't you remember that mitchi manitou? How you scared the voyageurs? Beating the living snot out of Kabebonikka's whirlwinds and breaking down his front door? Maybe all it'll take is some training before you can have the same effect on people not from the Island, but that's just it, you need practice. Until then, this is what you can do. How you can help. You've seen how long it took us to get here, how long it took you to get here. Geezhigo-Quae practically had to twist my arm to get me to take you along with us because I can't stand the thought of getting you killed, because you're just a little kid!" She fought not to pull on her own hair. "But you're the most scary-powerful little kid I know! I hate saying it but maybe if we'd had you around when we took care of Ocryana, it would've been over in a snap!" Winter Born's face went almost as white as her hair. "That--that's not true!!" She tugged on Black Elk Horn's legging. "Father! Tell her it isn't! She's the only one who could've done that!" I wish she wouldn't draw HIM into this... Charmian moaned mentally. "No," Black Elk Horn said. "For once she's right. You could have done it easily." Charmian took a breath to start arguing, then let it out in a whoosh, what he'd actually said registering in her brain. "What--?" she exclaimed instead. "What?" Winter Born echoed in disbelief. Black Elk Horn narrowed his eyes at Charmian. "You've been wishing to work on your powers? They've been there all along. That's what happens when you have them in your blood. Your mother was the same way, from what I hear. Perhaps this so-called training you've been put through has helped you somewhat, but you never needed it. You would have learned on your own eventually." He glanced down at Winter Born now. "You want to know the real reason why I never let her teach you such things before? Because of what might happen if you found out you had such power. Power goes to people's heads. Look at the fool wabanos here. I know you are smart enough not to do such a thing, but sometimes, medicine goes beyond our control. You're just a child yet. Children aren't meant to have such power because they don't know how to use it. But yes--you could have easily defeated that creature. I don't doubt it for one minute. I never did doubt it. If you'd been born somewhat earlier..." and his glare returned to Charmian "...then she wouldn't have been needed." I had thought that perhaps you would like to teach Winter Born to take your place... Charmian felt something constrict in her chest, Geezhigo-Quae's words coming back to her. The manitou woman had made it clear that she hadn't intended for Winter Born to literally take her place, or replace her, but the mere idea was enough. Now here, Black Elk Horn was saying the exact same thing. She had no way to know if it was true, but she herself had just claimed it--Winter Born could easily control Ocryana--whereas she could not. Once this is over with--IF this gets over with--is that it, then? I'm not needed here anymore? Once I've taught her how to use her powers--what point is there in me coming back the next time something happens? Is that really it? I thought for sure I just didn't want her hurt, but if that's the real reason I've been holding her back... She hated that such a thought had crossed her mind, but at the same time she knew it was true. She fought to hide her guilt and embarrassment but knew that her face must be going red. Winter Born seemed too stunned to notice, gaping up at her father, then glancing at Charmian again. "That's...that's true? You really both think that? When I've barely done anything good yet at all...?" "What?" Charmian exclaimed now, startling her, but unable to contain it. "How the heck can you even say that? When we'd probably be dead a hundred times over if not for you? Even if you didn't have medicine worth squat, you've done a million things a million times over--talked us out of stupid things, talked us into smart things, I can't even start to list it all! And that'd be without your medicine. I finally think up a way you can make THAT of use and now you say you haven't done a single thing worth notice? I haven't exactly gotten us very far, have I?" "What?" Winter Born cried again. "How can you say that--?" "For God's bloody sake!" Lieutenant Barrington shouted, throwing up his arms. "I thought the two of you were going to DO something already, not have a debate!" "If we're to get started on something, it really should be now," Francois concurred. "I doubt that manitou will sit idly by for long." Charmian made herself let out a breath. "Fine. That's my plan--the last one I can think of! Nothing gets any crazier than this. The big catch is, I have to get back to the Island somehow, a lot faster than all of us can together. I'm guessing a shortcut like the tunnels we used before, but those were so far back east, I'm not sure we could ever find them properly. And I really don't want everyone coming with me since I still need you guys to trail Megissogwun and try to slow him down. It has to be me and Winter Born." "Do you want me to start digging a nice decent shortcut--?" Marten offered. "It might take me a while, but I could do it!" "You can start on one, yeah, thanks, Marten. It won't work just on its own though, I'm thinking we should do like we did the last time--try to reach the Sky Tree, and get to the Island from there. Anything around here at all that makes one think of the Sky Tree?" Everyone looked around skeptically at the flat landscape. "Not particularly," Thomas admitted at last. "Hold now!" Kenu exclaimed, hopping up and down. "That should be easy! My people are still nearby, I'll just ask them to help us out. Animiki live in the sky, after all!" He raced away from them as fast as his little legs could carry him, halting some distance away and waving at the sky. Clouds started moving in and rumbling. "Er..." Charmian gnawed her lip. "Not quite sure what he intends to do, but whenever he's done, Marten, you step in. That just leaves how to get the tunnel to take us there in a decent amount of time." She approached Barrington, who jerked back in surprise on noticing her attention. "Those webs you brought along with you," she said. "Do you have any left? We could really use them right now." Barrington blinked, then flushed a little, seeming embarrassed to have forgotten. He dug in his pocket* and after a moment drew his hand out, making a face; the sticky, wadded remnants of the Weaver webs were tangled about his fingers, messy and tattered, but hopefully still useful. Charmian carefully pulled them loose, plucking away every last bit that she could, as it wasn't very much; she remembered what Marten* had said earlier about how many trips they could make with this amount of webs. It didn't look like nearly as much as had been left before and she could only guess that during all their travel and moving around, some of the pathetic remains had dissolved or evaporated or simply worn away. "It'll have to do," she murmured, drawing back and letting Barrington rub his hand on his coat.* "As soon as Kenu does whatever he's doing, and Marten does what he's going to do, we'll try to reach the Sky Tree and carry on from there. Meanwhile the rest of you keep heading east, though I'd prefer if at least a few of you stick around the tunnel to point us in the right direction when we get back!" No one got to answer as the sky seemed to split open just then, a lightning bolt slamming down into the ground not far from where Kenu was standing. They jumped/ducked/scattered, covering their heads and yelling; a great plume of dust and smoke billowed into the air and the clouds boomed and flashed, but Kenu was apparently all right, running back their way with his face alight. "There you go! I told them to do their best! What do you think...?" Charmian and the others slowly stood up straight, waiting for the dust to clear. As the haze faded they found themselves staring at something large and spiky protruding from the ground; Charmian furrowed her brow and approached, looking it up and down, not sure what exactly she was seeing. It resembled a gigantic branching icicle, or else--unbelievably--a petrified lightning bolt. The earth was piled up around its base and it rose about ten feet or so into the air; when she got near it she wanted to reach out and try to touch it, but the air around it was shimmering with heat so she didn't dare. She walked around it in a circle, perplexed. Remy tried to touch it, drew his hand back, then picked up a stone and tossed it at one of the nearer branches. When the stone struck the little branch it shattered and fell to the ground with a tinkling sound, leaving tiny sparkling fragments in the soil. Charmian's face lit up. "It's glass!" she exclaimed. "I think I saw something like this in National Geographic* once--when lightning hits the earth and the sand melts--" She cut herself off, seeing that nobody else had any idea what she was talking about. "This is perfect!" she said instead to Kenu, who beamed and puffed out his chest. The giant branching stick of glass looked like nothing more than a strange tree, and Marten hopped into the pit left in the earth before it. "Don't worry, I'll dig through this in a jiff!" He disappeared from sight, except for his long fluffy tail, which twitched. "Wow! There's already a big hole here, I just need to make it longer and clean it out a bit! This won't take long at all!" "Let Manabozho know what we're up to whenever he gets back," Charmian said to Francois, who nodded; she glanced at Thomas, Mani, and Stick-In-The-Dirt, knowing they'd be most reluctant to let her go. "You know the way there should be pretty safe," she tried to assure them. "The way there isn't an issue," Thomas said. "It's more like the way back." "If this works," the nanandawi added, "you'll be coming back with her in tow--traveling all the way from there to here! You seriously think you can do such a thing?" Could go along, just in case, Mani offered. Charmian shook her head. "I doubt you could do much, Mani, but thanks. Winter Born will be keeping her in check the way back." I hope, the tiny annoying voice in her head muttered. Moon Wolf shared a look with Francois, then the voyageur called out to the others and they gathered a little distance from the hole, starting to settle down. "Walk," Moon Wolf said, flicking his hand; Charmian furrowed her brow but followed him, Winter Born reluctantly tagging along behind. They moved rather slowly as the hole wasn't that far away. "You realize you have only the amount of time it takes you to travel this tunnel to the Island in which to convince her she can do this," Moon Wolf said. "I know. I'll do it." She glanced back at Winter Born, then bit her lip. "Moon Wolf...I know this is probably the stupidest thing I've ever thought up..." "You thought it up. This is the first thing that matters." "Yeah, but even I think it's stupid!" "Getting it to work is the second thing that matters. It sounds like you've already thought it all out, what exactly it entails." Charmian made a face. She'd been expecting Moon Wolf's reaction to her idea to be the worst, knowing his history with the demon--he'd traded Shadow Water to her in exchange for power, after which Ocryana had treated her like her own personal slave, and his own life had even ended at Ocryana's hands--so the lack of any sort of outburst confused her. She almost wished he would yell at her, since it least it would confirm her worries about the danger of this idea. "You seem to find it hard to believe you are no longer a student," Moon Wolf said, as if reading her thoughts. She shook her head abruptly. "It's not normal without you snapping at me! You're supposed to be the one who tells me when I'm doing something idiotic. Even if I don't agree with you. At least there's a sort of balance. Don't tell me you're not pissed off at this idea!" "What I think of it no longer matters. You've shown over and over you can think on your own and decide for yourself whether a plan is worth following or not. Take a look what we've lived through already." He gestured as if to indicate the entire landscape around them. "If your ideas were as consistently stupid as you think they are, we wouldn't be here." "Yeah, well, maybe I've just lucked out. And I've had all you guys around to help me. You might not be teaching me anymore but...well...sometimes I NEED you to yell at me and tell me I'm being an idiot!" Moon Wolf raised an eyebrow. "You're so sure of that?" "Of course I am! You're creeping me out not yelling at me every two minutes. Yes, I can make up my own mind and all that crap but I really do value your input. Even if I don't agree. At least there's a balance. I know I'm fully capable of thinking up something totally idiotic with no redeeming points whatsoever." "That's not true!" Winter Born exclaimed, startling her; she'd had no idea the girl was listening in. "Yes, it is," both Charmian and Moon Wolf answered at once; Charmian flushed and glared at him but held her tongue. "Recall that you asked for it," he said. "Some of your idiotic ideas work, but they're still idiotic. Perhaps you do just 'luck out' or some random manitou looks on you favorably but such things don't tend to last." "I know that, and that's why I need somebody annoying like YOU to point that out to me now and then." "Very well then, it's settled. Whenever your head gets too big for your neck I won't hesitate to let you know." Charmian rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant..." "Pfft! Pfftah! Phew!" They halted at the edge of the mound of earth piled at the base of the glass bolt and peered down. A hole had been blasted into the ground and the soil around it was black and shiny, melted into glass by the heat; despite this, Marten had managed to make his way down into loose earth and had cleared the way somewhat so the hole looked big enough for her and Winter Born to crawl through on hands and knees, though it would be a tight fit. The Mikumwesu popped his head out with a small cough, then emerged with a hop, dusting his hands on his sash and straightening his cap. "There you go! All nice and clean! Well, as clean as dirt can be, but I don't know, Glooskap always says dirt's pretty clean compared to some other stuff, like moose hooves when they step in their own--" "How far down does it go?" Charmian asked. "Huh? Oh, well, it goes about as far as this big tree thingie here, then I dug it out a bit, and then it runs into another tunnel that's already there, then that sort of crumbles in on itself but that shouldn't be any problem, it sure wasn't the last time!"* "Thanks, Marten," Charmian said, and gestured at Winter Born. "Come on...this won't be that bad, you've done it before." Winter Born offered no argument, coming forward as asked, but kept her stare on the ground, fiddling with the end of one braid; Charmian sighed to herself, knowing it was going to be a challenge changing her entire outlook in the time it took to reach the Sky Tree. Well, when she understands that it's for the Island... Charmian bit her lip again. That argument had always worked for her personally, but then again, she wasn't a little girl anymore. She waved at Marten, who waved back, and watched Winter Born enter the hole before sitting down on the glassy lip herself and sliding into the darkness. I hope I know what I'm getting myself into! |