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Return To Manitou Island: Part 131 |
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A Hatred Like Fire THOMAS FELL, SEEMINGLY as slowly as a snowflake, his legs and then his arms and his head striking the rock floor with a crack. His eyes registered no pain even though they were wide open--and a puff of breath escaped his mouth, then nothing else, as he fell limp within the cave. His head tilted to the side and he stared up at the ceiling with blank unseeing eyes. Charmian was already getting to her feet, dragging herself upright as if under a lake of water, and her fingers formed into crooked talons, her face twisting up and her mouth opening almost wide enough to swallow the cave whole. Her voice rose from her lungs, shattering against the ceiling, striking the walls, echoing down the tunnels and bouncing back again. "THOMAAAAAAAAAASSSS!!" Her eyes grew so wide that they felt as if they would fall from her head; tears carved molten rivulets down her face, and her fingernails tore into her palms, drawing blood. Thomas didn't respond to his name, even though her voice pierced through the air loud enough to hurt her own ears, her throat and lungs on fire from the force of it. Her brain railed against her--he was alive--he had to be alive--yet with the way that he stared, with his eyes wide open and his chest not rising or falling, she knew this wasn't true. Immediately everything around her took on a surreal air, feeling like a nightmare--something like this had to be a nightmare--she was back on the mainland, in bed, her dreamcatcher hanging nearby, Thomas and Chakenapok and everyone else mere figments of her imagination--yet she was here on the Island--in the Borderlands--her dreamcatcher was far beneath the earth--and Thomas was real, and Chakenapok, and everyone else, and she could feel the gouges in her hands, and the tears in her eyes, and the fiery throb in her chest. Her head turned, still slowly as if time had stopped working properly, to look at Chakenapok. He stared at her with his yellow eyes, his face amused, and when he saw her looking at him his mouth twisted into a sneer. "I haven't tried that yet, have I...?" he asked her mildly. Charmian stared at him, her voice utterly gone; then her face twisted up as ugly as his sneer, her teeth grinding together, and every one of her muscles tightened, a wave of rage surging up inside her. "BASTARD!" she shrieked, as no other words would come, and without a second thought she launched herself at him as fast as she could run. Marten, in the corner behind Thomas, puffed up. "Charmian--! Wait--!" She didn't even hear him. As soon as she reached Chakenapok her fist slammed into his face, making his head whirl to the side; "WIND!" she screamed before he could turn back, and a whip of air slashed up at his neck, snapping his head back so that he ran into the wall. He winced and rubbed at his throat, casting her a quick glance; "EARTH!" she yelled, and he gasped and ducked aside when a stalactite collapsed right where he had been standing, shattering into pieces. "FIRE!" She lashed out at him with a whip of fire this time, but he stopped and grabbed hold of it, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. He turned to face her, still rubbing his neck; Charmian stood gasping where she had stopped, her fists clenched and her eyes on fire. "Pretty impressive, for a human," Chakenapok mused. "I thought you weren't going to be fighting me today...?" The tears welled up and spilled from Charmian's eyes. "He didn't have ANYTHING to do with this!" she shouted. "HE DIDN'T DO A DAMN THING TO YOU!" Chakenapok lifted one shoulder and his mouth twitched. "And this concerns me how--?" Charmian's face turned almost as red as her hair, and an inarticulate sound arose in her throat, making Marten grimace and curl in on himself. Chakenapok just laughed. "Oh, I see! He was your friend--only more than a friend--wasn't he? How silly of me not to notice." He smirked. "Maybe the next time you'll think of telling your friends a bit sooner about how peeved it would make you, were they to die unexpectedly." He held up his hand. "Ready for your next move--?" "THIS ISN'T A DAMN GAME!!" Charmian swung her hand back. "NO MORE RULES! NO MORE PLAY! NO MORE YOUR MOVE AND MY MOVE! IT'S OVER!!" Chakenapok raised his eyebrows. "Does this mean you forfeit--?" She didn't bother responding with words. Instead she let out an enraged scream and swung her hand forward--fire shot from her fingers, unbidden, and that seemed to surprise him a bit, as his eyes grew and he dodged it the best that he could. It still managed to lash across his shoulders, and he winced; she jerked her hand at the air and a gout of it struck him under the chin, sending him falling back again. A fireball followed, sailing over his head; he ducked it, but glanced back in time to see it returning just as his blue flame had; he held up his arms to protect himself and it smashed into him, nearly knocking him over. As it dissipated he lowered his arms somewhat and narrowed his eyes at her, panting hard. "Interesting move, Mainlander, but not your style. Learn that from your wabano friend--?" Charmian bared her teeth and hurled another fireball, without calling it up. He managed to fend it off as well, though he nearly fell onto his knee, and his arms shook. He scowled and swiped a few sparks away from himself. "Be careful what you use, Mainlander. You know what they say about payment!" "I don't GIVE A DAMN what they say about payment!" Charmian shot back, and hurled fireballs at him with both hands. Marten watched with wide eyes as Chakenapok tried to avoid them, batting one away and sending the next back at her as if it were a volleyball. Charmian didn't have time to send it back a second time, and could only throw up her own arms and grit her teeth. The fireball knocked her over and seared her arms; she grimaced and grasped at them, but quickly brushed the tears from her eyes and stumbled to her feet again. She and Chakenapok faced each other across the cave, shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. "So much for being the better person," he panted. "Using wabano medicine, and condemning this entire Island! You're hardly the nice little mainlander you claim to be." "I never claimed a DAMN thing," Charmian growled, clenching her fists. "Except that I'd fight you with EVERYTHING I have!" She caught sight of Thomas from the corner of her eye and her chest hitched, her voice cracking. "I'll bash your skull in MYSELF before I let you hurt another person ever again!" Chakenapok's mouth twisted up into a sneer. "Contradictory, much?" He held up his arms when she launched herself at him again--but this time he swung first, and his fist cracked into her jaw so that she collapsed to the floor with a thud. "CHARMIAN!" Marten cried. "Stay back!" Charmian yelled, and scrambled to her feet. Chakenapok wiggled his fingers at her. "Come on and try again, little girl! Every attack you have!" She ground her teeth so hard that they hurt and ran straight at him, eyes streaming. She ran her head into his stomach and actually pushed him back several steps before he swung his arms to regain his balance; before he could, she bit into his arm as hard as she could. Chakenapok's jaw fell open and his eyes goggled; she tasted blood in her mouth before he managed to yank himself away, grabbing at his forearm. "AGGH!" he yelled, and pulled his hand away to look at the damage. He glanced at her with his face pale and his eyes livid. "You bit me--? BIT me--?!" His lip curled back to bare his teeth when Charmian wiped her mouth and spat on the floor. "You feral little brat, if I did not have everything to gain from you I'D KNOCK YOUR OWN HEAD OFF!" "Go on and try it!" Charmian shouted, and swung her hand at the ground. "EARTH!" A great crack sliced through the bottom of the cave and Chakenapok let out a yell and nearly fell in, stumbling and grabbing at the floor before pulling himself away. His face twisted up. "I can do the same thing, you little witch!" He flung his arm forward and flames seared against the rock, opening up another crack; Thomas started to roll toward it, but Marten gasped and dashed toward him, grabbing onto his arm and dragging him away. Charmian and Chakenapok went at each other, hurling as many fireballs and blows as they could; Chakenapok managed to hit her a few times, but she hit him even more, and when he raised his arm to swing it down at her she landed a kick to his leg and put her hand out toward his chest. A fireball slammed into him point blank, and he had enough in him to widen his eyes before he practically flew across the room and collapsed in a muddled heap. Charmian kept her hand extended, but sank down to one knee, gasping hard, her lungs searing and her heart thudding like a bird trying to batter itself free of its cage. She knelt trying to regather herself as Chakenapok slowly pushed himself up onto hands and knees, his limbs shaking. He started to climb to his feet, and she attempted to do likewise, only to find that her legs wouldn't work. When he finally stood, lifting his head to look at her--his eyes were a dark horrible yellow, his nose wrinkled and his teeth glinting--she spread her fingers, but no fire came out. She dimly realized at last that she hadn't even been calling it up--it had just come to her. "Fire!" she managed to say weakly, yet still nothing happened. She remembered what had happened when she had first returned, when her fire had stopped coming, and Crooked Creek's words--The manitous won't lend their medicine. You've offended them somehow! They are angry with you! You feel free to ask them for their medicine--now you have to pay them back! You can't get something for nothing...! I wasn't even asking! I've never been able to do that before! Is it all gone from me now--? "Fire!" she cried again, desperately, yet nothing happened. Chakenapok started walking toward her, an ugly look on his face; her hands started shaking, her fingers suddenly cold. She stared up at him as he came close, when CRACK--he kicked her under the chin, and she did a full backflip, landing on her stomach several feet away. She lifted her head dizzily and held a hand to her throbbing jaw. "That," Chakenapok said mildly, "is for biting me." His mouth slowly twisted up again and his eyes flared. "What's the problem, Mainlander? It looks like you ran out of ammunition...so to speak." She started pushing herself up. "I don't need any!" she hissed. "I'll use my frigging FINGERNAILS if I have to!" "Oh, I see." He rolled his eyes. "You plan to claw me to death...very interesting." Charmian snarled and picked up a loose rock, hurling it at him. He held up his hand and caught it harmlessly, crushing it in his fist so its pieces crumbled to the ground. "Care to try again?" he said. "This place is full of them." He started walking toward her again. "What's wrong...why won't you get up and fight me like you say you will? Feeling a tiny bit woozy?" She put out her hand and tried getting to her feet, only to find that he seemed to be right--she swayed dizzily and gasped, stumbling toward a stalagmite and grabbing onto it for support. Chakenapok slowed to a stop and cocked his head as she tried to stand upright without help, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Charmian put a hand to her head; it was spinning, and she couldn't catch her breath. "Cheater," she gasped. He raised an eyebrow. "Firstly, I thought you had just abolished the rules," he said. "Secondly, I can safely say that I didn't do a thing to you that you didn't see, Mainlander; we've just engaged in a little exchange of power, which you knew of from the very beginning." He smiled and held up his hands, a glow appearing at his chest. "Isn't exchange a wonderful thing--?" Charmian stared at his spirit stone when it appeared--it was as black as ever, yet the black seethed like molten lava, and the red cracks between it flared brilliant blood red. He held out his arm and pointed it at her; she gasped when her own glow appeared and her own stone was again revealed. She flinched on seeing the nearly complete surface of black, nothing but the merest cracks of red glowing beneath it. Even as she watched the red flared, and it was no longer orangish-red as it had always been, but a deep, clotted-blood red, almost purple. Her memory of Ocryana's spirit stone returned to her head and she slowly slid down to the floor, her legs unable to support her weight anymore. The flare of pain in her chest turned into a steady pounding throb, and she squinched her eyes shut, grasping at her chest and grinding her teeth. "Care to tell me now that you are so unalike?" Chakenapok asked. "I'm nothing like her," Charmian said weakly, her fingers sliding across the stalagmite. She almost fell over. She heard him halt in front of her. "Really?" he said, in the same bored voice that he always used. Their eyes met and his glinted, but he looked unusually calm. "Madly tossing fire about, neglecting the manitous, wrecking rock and earth, raging without use--who does this sound like? Except that she uses wind..." Charmian sprang forward at his leg and grabbed onto it. He stumbled in surprise; she raked her fingernails down his calf as hard as she could and heard him hiss before he started shaking his leg to try to throw her off. "Pathetic!" he snapped, and grabbed at her hair, yanking her head back; she let out a choked sound as he pulled her loose, and he opened his free hand, a jagged piece of rock appearing in it. A soft whistling sound came to her ears and a second later Marten landed on Chakenapok's arm, knocking the stone knife away. Chakenapok bared his teeth and flung the Mikumwesu across the room; he hit a stalactite and tumbled to the floor in a tiny puff. Chakenapok's head whirled around when a murderous scream arose in Charmian's throat, just in time for her to jab her thumb in his eye. He let her go immediately and clapped his hand to his face; she swung at him and struck him in the ribs, at which he snarled and smacked her across the face as hard as Black Elk Horn had. She stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance, rubbing at her cheek, her eyes stinging and a scowl etched on her face. Chakenapok had to take a few breaths before the livid yellow glare in his eyes faded a bit, and he managed an angry smile. "Interesting technique," he hissed. "I'd like to see what that Rabbit has to show, after all of your stunts." Charmian's fingers curled into fists. "You've still got me to deal with." Chakenapok stood up straight out of the crouch he'd been sinking into and snorted lightly. "A matter dealt with, soon enough." Marten rolled over and sat up, rubbing at his head with a grimace. "After you, then that little rat, then the wabano, then the Bear and the Grasshopper and again that damned White Rabbit. Then Manabozho." His mouth twisted up. "I guess I won't have to finish off the Wendigo, seeing as he's already...well...you know." Charmian's eyes grew and she stared at him, all of the air leaving her lungs; her chest hitched as if she were in a suffocating room, and even Chakenapok looked at her oddly. The blood slowly went to her head and its roaring in her veins filled her ears; her fingers formed into talons. She opened her mouth wider than she'd thought possible, and ran at him. He rolled his eyes when she swung her fist, and he easily blocked it this time. She swung with her other fist and was likewise blocked. When she tried to kick him, he held up his foot to parry it, and another swing at his head was cut off before it could connect. She started screaming as she flailed at him but for some reason she could no longer land any blows. Chakenapok pursed his lips at her as she struggled. "Are you quite done?" he asked. "NEVER!" Charmian screamed. He sighed and glanced ceilingward. "This is too bad, because I rather think you are." He grasped hold of her by the front of her shirt and lifted her up, flinging her away from him as effortlessly as if she were a leaf. She gawked as she flew, shutting her eyes tight and forcing her limbs to go limp; rather than hitting the wall she hit something considerably softer, and felt a feather fly in her mouth. She fell to the floor and spat it out, blinking in confusion; she nearly shrieked when a large goose landed beside her, honking and molting, until she noticed that it wore a red cap. It puffed and turned into Marten, who toddled about dizzily before landing on his bottom, eyes spinning. "Uhhhhh," he moaned. "Remind me never to play a pillow again!" Charmian opened her mouth to thank him and warn him off, when something lashed out and snatched him up; she gaped when Chakenapok lifted the Mikumwesu up to his face, his nose wrinkling unpleasantly and his sharp nails digging into Marten's outfit. Marten started chattering in a panic; Charmian shot to her feet. "LET HIM GO, JACKASS!!" Chakenapok looked at her from the corner of his eye, and it narrowed. He turned back to Marten and flicked his cap off of his head; Marten looked ready to cry, but all that Chakenapok did was toss him across the room again so that he rolled head over heels. He turned back to Charmian, ignoring the Mikumwesu as he ran over to retrieve his cap, and shook off his hand as if it were wet. "Where were we--? That's right--I believe I was going to finish you off, since you're hardly doing a good enough job of it." She held up her hands to ward him off, but he held up his own--and she felt her feet skidding across the floor before she smacked into the wall, a wave of heat evaporating around her. She collapsed to her knees; she managed to stop herself from falling completely, with her hands, but her arms shook terribly, and it felt as if every ounce of strength had left her. Her chest constricted and she winced, tears springing to her eyes. Chakenapok stopped in front of her again. "As I was trying to say," he said, "it looks as if you have yet to resign yourself to your fate, seeing as you have been defeated already and just can't see it." "I'm..." She cringed at how awful her voice sounded, a wispy rasp in her throat, yet forced herself to talk anyway. "I'm...not defeated...yet." He sighed. "Would you just give it up? You've already given me all your power--it seems rather pointless now to draw it all out. You could claw at me and bite at me and kick at me forever but in the end the result is the same--you lose, I win, and Manabozho and the Island and all things upon it are gone. At the very least, you should be happy that you get to die in the place you claim to have loved the most." She heard him smirk. "Even if you were the one who helped destroy it." "I didn't help," Charmian gasped, her sides heaving and the tears squeezing from her eyes. "I'm afraid that you did, Mainlander. All because you failed to heed your own advice, and because you failed to listen to the truth. Who else did these very things...?" She managed just barely to lift her head and saw him looking down at her with something resembling pity; she felt like gouging his eyes out on seeing that look there. He put a finger to his chin and cocked his head as if thinking. "'She is pissed off,'" he said. "'I think I can use that. If she's angry enough, she won't know what she's doing.'" Charmian blinked at him as if he were nuts. She hissed and raked her hand across the floor, tossing dust up at his face, but he merely ducked to the side and it flew past him before settling to the floor again. His mouth twisted up into a sneer. "'Your aim's a little off today, Bitch-Queen!'" he said. Charmian's breath left her again as soon she remembered what he was saying--she had said those exact same words--to Ocryana--her last time here. Right before the demon had invaded the Gemfields, and had been imprisoned. The words took on a more ominous meaning now. She gritted her teeth and started struggling anew to pull herself up--I have to use everything I have! EVERYTHING!--but it was very slow going, and just seemed to amuse Chakenapok all the more. He held his hand out to his side, and she saw that he was aiming his palm at Thomas--her eyes flicked to the side as well to look at him, his face so pale, then Chakenapok's aim shifted so that he was aiming at Manabozho, then Moon Wolf. "'I merely thought it would be fun,'" he said, and her eyes shifted back to his own, "'for you to watch all your friends die, one by one.'" His eyes narrowed and he smiled. "'To see the look on your face as soon as you realize you have no power here.'" Ocryana--! Ocryana said that to me--! Moon Wolf--! EVERYBODY--! Her face twisted up. "BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!" she shrieked, and threw herself at him, even though her legs gave out. She managed to grab hold of his arms and he grasped her back, holding her up; he looked her in the face, and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her, their faces were so close. All that he did was give her that infuriating amused/sympathetic look yet again, his hold on her wrists tight but for some reason not as painful as she'd expected. "Too late, Mainlander. You have nothing left but your own shadows," he said, and let go of her--she lifted her hand to try to hit him, but a searing agony spread through her chest, and with barely a gasp she sank to the floor, sliding forward and landing almost on her face. She blinked wildly and dug her fingernails into the ground but her arms and legs refused to move--every time she thought for sure that she would at least be able to push herself up, her spirit stone flared again, stealing all of the strength from her limbs. She squinched her eyes shut and felt the tears spilling down her face to dampen the stone beneath her. Why can't I move anymore!! Why can't I do anything--? Chakenapok knelt down beside her and from the corner of her eye she saw him smirk. "This is what you get for denying the truth," he said. "You should have just given up when I gave you the chance. Now, you will just have to lie there and see what I do to your friends. Don't worry, though; I'll kill you before Manabozho. I should like to see the look on his face, when he sees you die." He stood up and started to step away from her, and she saw flames shoot to his fingers as he approached Moon Wolf. Charmian gasped for breath and fought to push herself up, roll over, stand, crawl, do anything, but nothing worked. I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING--!! She let out an odd choked growling sound, fighting as hard as she could; she lifted her head a few inches, her teeth grinding. As soon as she tried to move her hand, her chest throbbed, and she collapsed again with a teary gasp. A broken sob escaped her throat when she realized that nothing would work anymore. I can't do anything, she wailed in her head. I can't do anything anymore--I'm sorry--! "What's wrong, Mainlander?" Chakenapok's voice came. "Feeling weak, powerless, useless? Is your spirit full of hatred now? I imagine this is much how that demon felt when you imprisoned her--how she feels even now. Trapped, immobile, unable to do a single thing to help herself. More filled to overflowing with rage and spite and fury than she'd ever thought possible." He snorted. "The barrier between you two is thinner than you would like to believe, isn't it--?" He started laughing, an awful grating sound. And Charmian's eyes flew open as soon as his words finally registered in her brain, a gasp escaping her throat. |