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Escape From Manitou Island: Part 206 |
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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.)
THE UNEASY DEAL "THE ISLAND IS our leash...and if you think to take me far away from there, then you have another thing coming." Charmian felt her heart tumbling into her feet as the words came from Ocryana's mouth. The binding cords still thrummed with Winter Born's medicine, holding the demon tight, but her lips curled back to show her teeth in a pained leer and she let out a weak wheezing noise of amused contempt. Charmian barely noticed. It was as if everything were crashing down around her--all of the failed plans before this one, how difficult this one itself had been, how much she'd had to steel herself just to go through with it, and not only that, but convince everyone else to go along. She'd been certain it would work...as certain as she could have been...but now...how had she overlooked something so obvious, something that had been right in front of her all along...? "The wind was too fast for Ocryx; he did fly up from the lake, but was so far away, and Tal Natha tried but you know he can never leave the Island..." The fullblooded Ocryxes and the Island...if the Island dies, they die, so of course they can't leave it...I knew this...how could I forget it?--was I so set on going through with this that I just didn't think?...I can't believe I would do such a thing... Ocryana's weak laughter at last leaked its way into her consciousness, mocking her, and she felt a stinging heat flood her eyes, her vision going blurry. The bands wavered--whether because of this, or because Winter Born saw her reaction and wavered as well, she didn't know and didn't care. "She's bluffing," Chakenapok said suddenly. Charmian took a breath and blinked, feeling the tears stream down her cheeks. She turned her head to look at him; he was staring at Ocryana, his features set. He turned to look her in the eyes as well and she didn't know if she'd ever seen anyone look so positive of anything in their life. "What...?" she whispered, and numbly shook her head. "No...she isn't. It's true. Maybe...maybe you don't know, but the Ocryxes and the Island, they're almost like the same thing--and if the Ocryxes try to get too far away..." "The Island is their leash. It restrains them." He gave a curt nod. "That much is true. I watched it happen to the Dreamspinner when we were trying to get rid of a Lynx.* Put a dog on a leash and let it run, it goes too far, and it chokes itself. But you forget something. That was Tal Natha." He looked to Ocryana again and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you noticed what she's been doing the entire time she's been awake?" Charmian looked at her again, Winter Born doing the same. Ocryana's own eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth, falling still, but Charmian slowly realized what he'd meant. She'd been suspended almost upside-down when Winter Born's power had overcome her, and even though Winter Born had relented somewhat, Charmian could see how the cords still glowed and thrummed like live wires. She'd twisted herself about so much as they'd talked that the bonds were cutting into her all over--her wrists, legs, and neck the most, but also her middle, her elbows and tail and wings and shoulders. She was bleeding from more than one spot and by now a steady stream or two trickled from her, pattering to the cave floor. Yet she didn't even seem to notice. If Charmian had been the one in there, she bet she wouldn't have even been able to breathe, much less talk or move around. "I'm...I'm not sure I get it," she murmured, confused. "The cords restrain her but she had to be put to sleep to stay restrained. She can break free of them, eventually, if she wants to. She said it herself." "The matter isn't if, it's when," Ocryana rasped. "I still don't get it," Charmian insisted. "What's this have to do with anything? It's not the same thing." "I think it isn't that the Ocryxes can't break free of the Island--it's that it would just be too much trouble for them to try it. Think of when we met on the Spirit Road and I thought of taking your spirit.* Most people wouldn't have bothered going through with that because of the pain and difficulty it entails. You, though, went through with it, because you had something greater in mind than physical pain. You had a greater reason. The Ocryxes...have simply never had any reason great enough to bother leaving the Island." Silence. Winter Born and Charmian both stared at him. "You mean..." Charmian's voice came paper thin. "You mean...they could leave...if they wanted to badly enough? It just hurts too much for them to bother without a good reason?" She looked to Ocryana. "She's almost impervious to pain if she's set on something...she could break free of the Island?" "This is only my theory," Chakenapok warned, "but I think I know a good bluff when I see one." Charmian turned once more to look at Ocryana. She told me the truth earlier--she said she'd take any chance to go back on a promise to me. So she has every reason to lie NOW! Is that what she's doing? Is Chakenapok right--? Scowl lines started to form on Charmian's face. Winter Born's brow furrowed, but when Charmian flicked a hand at her she obediently concentrated on the glowing web and it brightened, Ocryana gasping and curling as the cords tightened. The thrum filled the room, making Charmian's head feel like jelly, but she shoved down the nauseating feeling and took a step forward. "It'd be just like you to lie about something like that, if only to piss me off!" she snapped. "Can you get away from here or can't you?" "I guess that would be up to you to find out, wouldn't it?" Ocryana jeered. "Do you want to be part of this deal, or not? Trust me, if she can keep those cords that tight, then putting you back to sleep should be nothing. See you break free when you're zonked out. Then spend another hundred years or whatever stuck down here. By the time you do get out, if you ever do, I'll probably be long dead. Doesn't that kind of make all that effort a little less worth it?" "I have plenty of others I plan to finish off," Ocryana said. "Doing without killing you would be next to nothing." But there wasn't as much conviction in her voice as before, and Charmian's mention of putting her back to sleep seemed to have made her vaguely uneasy. Her foot claws kept clenching and relaxing against the cords. "But you have to admit it'd be a pretty big downer if some other idiot gets to kill me before you can. Kind of makes all this twisting and turning not really worth it. So? I know that if it's physically possible, then no amount of pain would stop you, if leaving the Island was what you really wanted to do. So prove it, and settle the deal." "You think this diminutive speck in the water can keep me in place?" Ocryana hissed, her voice turning to gravel. "Please! All those who I loathe the most happen to reside here. This is the only reason I've stayed. This, and these." She pulled scornfully on one arm; Charmian could hear the band cut into her flesh, and a fresh rivulet of blood went running down her elbow. Winter Born paled a little but her power didn't waver. Ocryana gave Charmian a nasty grin. "It wasn't something I'd planned on sharing, little girl, seeing as doing so takes away the element of surprise, and I had so planned on enjoying the look of panic on your face. But now that you're proving to be a mite bit smarter than I'd thought, if that stupid attack of yours hadn't worked on me way back when, yet if you'd still somehow managed to escape back to your own world, I had plans to follow you there. I don't know how I would have done it or how long it would have taken but those are such insignificant things when one is determined to do something. They say a person can't live without their spirit but look at medicine men, they part from their spirits all the time, once they learn how to do it just right. There's danger involved but what concern is that when they want something? So this Island ties me down. So I wrench myself loose. Say I lose an arm, a wing, my spirit itself, as long as I get you and slit your throat open first then it's all worth it in my eyes. I've never had the opportunity to actually try such a thing, seeing as these are here..." another yank, and this time Winter Born audibly swallowed when the trickle of blood grew thicker "...but worry that this miserable little rock will keep me in place now that I'm awake?--that's a worry that never even crossed my mind. So like I said, little girl, it's up to you to find out." Her eyes slivered. "Your decision, then? You must want me loose, very badly, to even be here listening to this. The baggitiway ball is in your field." Charmian had to mull this last bit over briefly, having little idea what it meant, before deciding that it didn't matter. "I've already made up my mind. You're the one who seems to be stalling!" "Perhaps you should make the terms clear again, just to be sure," Chakenapok said. Charmian blinked, then flushed. "Oh." A glare at Ocryana. "Like I said. You agree to help us, I get you out of here. You go back on your word and decide to start destroying stuff and killing people, then I put you right back." "The exact nature of what I'm supposed to be doing?" Ocryana inquired. "There's this manitou named Megissogwun." "I can't say that I've ever heard of him. He must be terribly impressive." "Yeah, see if you keep that attitude when you meet him. He's already in pretty bad shape. All we need is for you to do your worst on him. Kill him, if you have to." Ocryana raised an eyebrow. "That's not like you, little girl. I take it he's gotten you pretty riled up, to come asking me for help, and to want him dead." "That's none of your business. You just do what you have to, and no more of these." Charmian twanged one of the cords, then grimaced and grasped her hand; it felt like her fingers had just been cut through, and she couldn't believe that the demon could stand it. "And what of afterward?" Chakenapok cut in. The other three looked at him. "I expect she will need a new place to reside in afterward," he said. "Your people have some sort of saying about idle hands..." "Oh." Charmian bit her lip and racked her brain. "Eagle Point Cave," she blurted out at last. Chakenapok and Winter Born both tilted their heads. "It's uninhabited, best I know. I was there the last time I visited the Island; we hid there from the Iroquois. Black Elk Horn knows it. Plus it's really out of the way and not near any of the camps. If nobody's still living there, then that's where she can go. Since Ocryxes seem to like caves so much. Only if there's no special magical stuff there she can make any use of." She looked to Chakenapok, who frowned slightly. "Not that I'm aware of...though I admit I know only little about that cave, as it's so high up. I can always search it and find out more." He looked at the demon. "You believe she should reside there from now on?" Charmian shrugged. "It's a hell of a lot better than staying underground near Ocryx! I'm pretty sure if we set her up down there, somebody would end up dead. Eagle Point Cave is about as far from Devil's Lake as you can get. If there isn't already somebody or something there, then that's where she can live. Just sitting and hanging out by herself, not going out destroying camps and killing people!" "That sounds like a most enchanting way to spend the rest of my life," Ocryana said in a flat voice. "Yeah? Well, it's that, or this. You decide." "My decision is already made. Cut me loose and find out if it was worth it." "You'll do what you can to this Megissogwun guy? And leave the Island and everyone else alone?" "If that's what gets you to cut these off, then yes, I'll do it. I can't say that I won't be quite sore that you slipped through my fingers..." her eyes glowered "...but perhaps there'll be a chance in the future." That's probably the closest I'm going to get to a real promise, Charmian thought, making a face. She still ached to make her actually vow to behave herself, even though she knew Ocryana's words didn't amount to much without some sort of coercion to back them up. She hesitated a moment or two, then turned to gesture to Chakenapok. "Oh," Ocryana said suddenly. "There is one other small thing you could do for me." Charmian's scowl returned; Ocryana's voice had taken on a sickly sweet quality that was as false as the smile she gave when looked at. "What?" Charmian demanded, hoping she wouldn't regret just asking. In response Ocryana half-stretched* one wing again, the cords groaning against it. "As you can imagine, being tied up down here for who knows how long as gotten me out of shape. I'm not too certain that my wings even work anymore. I imagine if you want me fighting some troublesome manitou, you're going to need me to move around somewhat. That being said, I'd appreciate the chance to stretch my wings a little first, before going wherever we're going." Charmian's scowl grew positively ugly. "You can stretch them along the way." "But it's a tunnel, Charmian," Winter Born said, then ducked her head when she received the most ferocious glare Charmian could muster. "A tunnel, ah?" Ocryana mused, tail twitching. "I imagine I won't be able to stretch myself much in a tunnel. What's wrong, little girl, you don't trust me after the deal we just made?" "Hell no I don't trust you! Your wings are just fine. You sure weren't complaining a minute ago." "That was before I decided I'd be taking on this stupid little challenge of yours. But I can always change my mind. You know I've gotten rather used to it down here?" She stopped straining against the cords and relaxed so their thrumming died down somewhat and their glow returned to normal. "Like I said, I know how to be patient...but I know you certainly don't. And it looks like you're rather in a hurry. I guess I was wrong and you aren't as eager to save that Island as I'd thought, if you're going to back out now over something so trivial..." Charmian clenched her fists and whirled toward Chakenapok. "Chakenapok! Is there any way to keep a cord on her while she does this, make sure she behaves herself, then let her go?" He shook his head. "It's all or nothing, Mainlander. Once I sever the cords, then they're severed. You have to decide." Charmian gnawed on her lip for a moment. "How far?" she said at last. "Just one quick flight up into the sky and back down again. That's all I need to make sure they still work. And when I say sky, I mean REAL sky, not that pathetic sunless excuse for a sky right outside here." "Manitou Island?" Charmian shook a fist at her. "HELL no! You think I can't see through something like that? There's no logical reason for you to need to fly over Manitou Island to make sure you can still get around. Either you get your exercise in the Borderlands or you don't get any at all!" "Funny, how quickly you forget," Ocryana said with a yawn--Charmian steamed, she actually yawned. "How the Ocryxes are connected to the Island and all that, and how we get our power from it. You think being locked up under it all these years has done me much good? These Borderlands aren't mine. I don't know them. I don't care for them. The Island is what I know and where I come from." "Sure didn't stop you from trying to DESTROY it and all!" "Yes? Well, times change." She stretched her wing again. "You want me at my best, then you let me out. I promise I'll come right back down, but as for whether you will or should believe me, that's in your hands." Another look at Chakenapok. "Your decision," he repeated himself, which wasn't helpful at all; Charmian even glanced at Winter Born then, who merely shrugged. "I know you'll do the right thing," she said, which didn't really help either. Charmian looked at them both a second time, then back at the demon. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Charmian lifted her hand and fire flickered over her fingertips. Ocryana just raised an eyebrow, otherwise seeming unimpressed. "If you dare touching even a hair on anyone's head, or a pebble on the ground, I'll have you back down here so fast you won't have time to bitch and moan about it!" Ocryana let out an amused noise. "That's supposed to frighten me--?" Her words were cut off; the cords thrummed anew and flared when the glow around Winter Born billowed outward. The two of them made eye contact and Ocryana seemed to look somewhat fearful; Charmian peered at Winter Born, seeing how her own eyes glowed, and fought down a shiver. "Maybe not," Winter Born said, her voice having an unnatural edge, "but this is! I care about it up there just as much as she does! So I say the same thing! If you even try to hurt anyone or anything or break your promise, I'll put you back here and you'll NEVER get out!" Charmian knew--partly from having just seen it for herself--that if she'd said the words, Ocryana wouldn't have been fazed in the least. Winter Born's effort had a different effect. Not only did the bands tighten and glow brighter, but they seemed to pull inward as well, drawing Ocryana back and down somewhat as if to drag her even further into the ground. Once she saw this, she gasped and writhed, her eyes flashing in panic and her wings trying to flap. She struck at one of the cords with her tail but it made no difference. The blood trickled from her cuts even faster than before and this time it did seem to bother her. She let out a choking noise and Winter Born pulled back a little bit. "All...all right!" Ocryana gasped; Charmian had the petty wish to prod Winter Born into making her beg and plead for mercy, but shoved it down and nodded instead, feeling a bit guilty that such a thought had crossed her mind. Winter Born took in a breath and let it out, and the glow of her medicine slowly withdrew from the cords and sifted back into her body while Ocryana's restraints returned to their normal state. The demon let out a long wheezing breath and sagged against them, panting heavily; she lifted her head and fixed Charmian with a livid glare, muzzle wrinkling. "You think I can't tell what you wanted her to do to me, but thought you were above considering? I don't even have to read your mind to figure it out, brat, as it's the exact same thing I'd do to you. Don't look so superior. You're not as virtuous as you think." Charmian paled but said nothing as her throat stuck. Chakenapok took a step to the side and waved at the wall; an opening appeared and he gestured at it when they looked. "The best route to the surface is from here. Croghan Water and Crack-in-the-Island are nearer, but this should still go pretty straight on. It leads to a crack along the northeast bluff of the Island, not far from Scott's and Eagle Point Caves, in fact. It's higher up than heading through Crack-in-the-Island." "I remember hearing of other cracks on the Island but I've never seen one yet," Charmian murmured. "I guess this is it." She gestured at Winter Born. "You'll be ready in case anything should go amiss, okay?" Winter Born nodded, holding her hands out. "Okay." "Ready, Chakenapok." He stared at her briefly, as if to ask if she were sure, then gave a curt nod and turned to Ocryana, still sagging and glowering in her web of binding cords. He held up both hands before himself, palms facing each other, then started glowing as if ready to catch on fire. His eyes went completely yellow--Charmian shivered, remembering when he'd been the one they'd been fighting, before the realization struck her that here she was, asking one former enemy to set free another former enemy to fight yet another enemy--the thought was a bizarre one, would she one day be asking for Megissogwun's help as well?--then she gasped and jerked her head to the side when Chakenapok made a slicing gesture with both hands and the binding cords flashed brilliantly, letting out a sound like glass breaking. Charmian and Winter Born cringed back a little, watching the cords whine and then seem to start withdrawing. The red ones were the first to go, pulling loose in showers of sparks that pattered against the ground; next went the green cords, and they had to shield their eyes from the spray of dust and sand that shot across the room. The blue cords began to snap one by one, pelting them with water droplets; Ocryana herself fought against the remaining yellow cords and they evaporated into gusts of wind that howled off through the smaller cave openings surrounding them. Only the swirling multicolored cords were left; she snarled and twisted against them and they stretched dangerously thin but managed to hold. When one finally did snap, Charmian gasped and tried to duck when it flew right at her; it hit her anyway and she yelped, but felt no pain. The others snapped one by one and bits of multicolored light went shooting through the cave ceiling and out of sight. "What--?" Charmian blurted out, then remembered--Oh. Those were everybody's dreams.* She wouldn't have gotten to ask Chakenapok what had happened anyway; Ocryana dropped to all fours, wings fanning out to break her fall, then promptly rose and bellowed at the ceiling, the cave walls vibrating. Winter Born gasped and backed into Charmian, clinging onto her; Charmian was too busy grimacing at the noise to do much else, when Ocryana dropped to hands and feet again and turned, practically bounding off into the tunnel. "You might want to go after her," Chakenapok said mildly. "Oh!" Charmian pried Winter Born loose and went running. "Come on! Thanks, Chakenapok! If anybody asks--" "I'll make sure to let them know what's going on, though I'm betting they'll figure part of it out themselves soon enough. Good luck, Mainlander." Yeah, I'm betting they'll be finding something out REALLY soon, Charmian thought with a wince, pulling Winter Born along after her. It wasn't long before they both found their footing, running along the tunnel, which was somewhat bumpy but considerably roomier than the others. The downside was, it wasn't as well lit; Charmian at last had to call up fire just to see where they were going, and even then jarred herself numerous times against the walls. She could still hear Ocryana running along ahead of them, getting further and further away, and wished that she'd been more prepared for this, but wishing didn't get much done. "You'll--have to be ready--to attack her when we reach the surface, if she goes back on her word," she panted, bumping the wall and altering her course. "Got it," Winter Born replied. "You're ready for all this?" She dimly saw Winter Born nod, her white braids lit up by the fire. "I can't wait for the Island to be safe again! I can't believe how much I miss it!" Charmian bit her lip, shoving down the little nagging voice that insisted they weren't in the clear just yet--the demon racing madly ahead up the tunnel was proof enough of that. Hoping once more that she knew what she was doing, she picked up her pace, hearing Winter Born do the same, and they rushed after Ocryana toward the Island's surface. |