Part 53: Fire Down Below

Main story folder & table of contents: "Escape From Manitou Island" 
Previous chapter: "Part 52: Beyond The Wall Of Water" 

PART FIFTY-THREE:
Fire Down Below

IT HAD BEEN a long time since the strange people had left the demolished tunnel, but still the manitou poked around at the crumbled earth, snorting and scowling to himself. He stuck his hoof in the holes in the ground and tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

I have something to tell you, stupid spirit. That GIRL is still alive, and in the east now, seeking the East Wind! Just as she was not SUPPOSED to be doing! Which means that someone has failed--and you know already that it was not ME!

The manitou's dark look grew and steam snorted from his nostrils. He kicked at the loose soil, spat on the tiny crumpled body of a Pukwudjininee--he had killed as many as he could find, once the strange people had gone--and paced in angry circles.

Where to go! Was CERTAIN I had killed her! What sort of one is this that escapes--? Escapes a mitchi manitou so easily--?

Find her again, and crush in her skull MYSELF!

He turned and started pacing toward the river. This was where the strange people had last been, and the other one was with them. The girl with hair like winter. He felt like swinging his antlers at her, and staining that hair redder than the other girl's, just out of spite.

You have one other way to redeem yourself, stupid spirit. The winter girl. Keep her in your sight, and try to keep her from using her medicine, for her medicine is VERY strong. She is of the line of demons and a powerful manitou watches over her! You are to keep your eye on her, keep her in check, and what is most important, make certain she stays alive!

Keep the winter-haired girl alive--? It made no sense to him. Surely things would go more easily if she were just killed. But even as the manitou thought this, he winced, and glanced over his shoulder. There was nothing but the silent forest behind him...yet he couldn't help but feel that he had to watch what he was thinking.

When he'd first suggested that they do away with the winter-haired girl, a lance of pain had sliced across his muzzle and he'd grimaced. STUPID manitou! the voice hissed. You will do exactly as I say. That girl is to be kept ALIVE. The one who harms or kills her will face ME in the end and suffer a much worse fate! The pain sliced across his muzzle again, not quite as sharp as before, but still enough to make him whine and lower his head. You obey what I tell you to do and watch her! I do not care if she falls in the water and is surrounded by the Mishupishus. You will fish her out yourself. And if you fail in this, there will be no place in this world for such a spirit anymore. Consider this your FINAL chance for failing me this time.

He snorted again and his muzzle wrinkled. It bore two fine scars from where the fire had burned him. His eyes flared blue as he stomped along the river. East...that was the way they had headed. He would go east then as well. The okis lived that way, and he had had his share of unpleasant run-ins with okis enough times in the past...but they were a minor concern, in the end. The okis could also pose a threat to the winter-haired girl. If he allowed that to happen...then all of this anger and humiliation wouldn't even be worth it.

He started trotting, then dashing along through the trees along the river, easily skirting streams and marshes. It wasn't long at all before he caught sight of the little canoes in the distance, and the winter girl's hair was like a beacon, glimmering in the dying light. His eyes flared again, this time in anticipation, and he started to slow his pace so as not to catch up with them too quickly. He had to keep watch over her...but if she saw him...

As if she could read his thoughts, the winter-haired girl turned her head. The manitou's eyes went wide and he halted immediately with a surprised snort. The girl's eyes met his and she stared right at him, and his heart felt like it would stop in his breast; yet all that she did was frown a little, then, after an interminable moment, turn away. The canoes continued gliding along. The pale-skinned youth sitting behind her asked her what she'd been looking at. The manitou didn't remain to hear what was said. By then he had disappeared into the trees and brush, determined to keep himself out of view from now on. That had been too close. The fire had been right; she was no one to underestimate, no matter what her looks.

He would certainly not make that mistake again. Not now that his life depended on it.

* * * * *

Winter Born frowned, feeling a prickle at the back of her neck, and turned to look over her shoulder. She stared off toward the riverbank for a few moments, then turned back to face the river, her brow furrowing pensively.

"Winter Born?" She peered over her shoulder again to see Thomas cocking his head and frowning a little as if puzzled. "What is it?" he asked softly. "Did you see something?"

Winter Born bit her lip. "Well..." She looked again toward the riverbank, then shrugged a little. "I saw a dead tree...I just thought it looked kind of funny." She paused. "Like its branches were antlers or something."

Thomas's expression softened. "I'm sure it was just a tree," he said.

Winter Born nodded, sighed, and turned away once more. "I know..."

Her eyes focused on Francois's paddle cutting silently through the water, and she huddled in on herself, feeling rather cold despite the warmth still hovering in the evening air.

But I sure wish Charmian were here to tell me the same.

* * * * *

In the darkness of the cave beneath the spring, Chakenapok opened his eyes and stared off into space. The familiar lines of a frown began to form on his face, and his eyes glowed faint yellow. He lifted his head and called up an image which hovered in the air before him--several little canoes, sailing down a river. His stare focused on the one with the white-haired girl, the daughter of the ogimah, and it was as if he could practically see her powers hovering around her. None of the others in the canoes looked the same as she did. Not even the wabano, or the Michinimakinong, or the other demon. The odd glow was centered on her alone.

Chakenapok stared at this for the longest time, so that the image seared itself in his mind. When the girl lifted her own head and turned it, looking skyward toward him, it was like their eyes met, and she could see him.

Chakenapok's eyes narrowed.

* * * * *

"FIREBALL!" Charmian yelled, and turned, nearly bowling over Walks-On-The-Shore. "RUN!!"

Walks-On-The-Shore and Singing Cedars barely even took the chance to look and see what was going on. They turned and bolted down the tunnel faster than she would have thought possible. They had gone only several yards before Singing Cedars glanced back over his shoulder, and panic entered his eyes. He turned back and reached out one arm to her.

"Little Sister!!" he yelled, his voice going oddly high pitched.

Charmian opened her mouth to tell him to keep going. Right before she felt the first touch of searing heat against her back, and her command quickly changed into a yell of pain and fright.

Singing Cedars threw his arms up before his face. "LITTLE SISTER--!"

Charmian followed suit, hurling her arms over her head and dropping to her knees, hoping that at least her face wouldn't get burned, though judging by the brilliance which suddenly enveloped her, she wondered if the effort would even be worth it. If I have to be put on life support, she thought vaguely, I hope they pull the plug--I don't want to live with my skin all burned off--all burned off--!!

Against her will, she let out a weird wailing sound, then grimaced, grinding her teeth together. She heard Singing Cedars yell her name before the roar of fire drowned him out and she screamed instead, practically feeling her hair searing away from her skull, the skin peeling from her muscles, muscles shrinking away from bone, bone charring and crumbling into cinders...

Her eyes shot open and she decided right then to just go with it--why fight something so inevitable--? She was too busy thinking about how the hospital should donate her organs to even notice that...

I'm not...burning...?

"L-Little Sister--?" Singing Cedars's voice came again, sounding utterly baffled.

Charmian blinked, then her head shot up and she found herself staring right at him. His eyes were wider than she'd ever seen; Walks-On-The-Shore, at his side, didn't look much different. What was odd was that she didn't have to look up at them--hadn't she just fallen to the floor--?

She looked down. And gasped and nearly jumped when she saw that she appeared to be hovering.

Her head jerked up and she scanned her surroundings, confused. Fire still surrounded her...but it wasn't burning her. It was hot, uncomfortably so, and glaring so brightly that even looking at the other two made her eyes hurt--yet her skin was still intact, and her hair--falling in her eyes--was still there, and even her clothes looked just fine...

Her mouth fell open. "What the hell's going on?!" she yelled, her own voice sounding even weirder than Singing Cedars's had.

In response he shook his head wildly, apparently just as bewildered as she was.

Charmian peered again at the fire surrounding her--it was encasing her, but it seemed to have formed a...fire bubble, of some sort. She gingerly touched the wall of it and drew her finger back before it could sear her; yet all that she felt was the slightest sting. As soon as she felt that, she realized that she was crouching inside it on her knees, and then felt the sting against her lower legs--she yelped and tried to jump up, only to hit her head against the top of it. Then Singing Cedars and Walks-On-The-Shore both stood and watched, mystified, as she yelled and screamed and tumbled around in the fire bubble, hitting its sides and kicking it and rolling around in every direction like a bug trying to escape a jar.

"LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME! STUPID FIREBALL-BUBBLE-THING!!" she yelled. "LET GO OF ME ALREADY--!!"

You do not belong in this cave, a voice all around them said, and they immediately all fell utterly silent, eyes goggling. Their stares shifted from side to side but there was nobody there.

Charmian dug her fingers into the side of the bubble, then hissed and drew them back, placing them in her mouth. You trespass here, the voice said, and she blinked and peered upwards as if to see its source. You disturb the manitous and okis, and bring unrest, and set foot in a place where you do not belong. You are not welcome here, and are lucky that you haven't been destroyed yet.

Charmian slowly pulled her fingers from her mouth. "I...I asked before coming this way!" she yelled, hating how girly her voice sounded.

You spoke with two spirits who do not have the authority to speak for the owner of this cave. State your purpose here quickly, and then you may be allowed to leave.

"But...I don't want to leave," Charmian protested. "I came here to speak with Wabun!"

State your purpose, and then you will leave. The fire flared and she yelped, trying to clamber up onto her feet; Singing Cedars got an awful look, like he wanted to conk the fire bubble over the head. Be grateful that your situation isn't worse.

"Fine!!" Charmian snapped; the fire faded a bit and she was able to sit back down without hurting herself, though by now she was really starting to sweat. "I wanted to speak with Wabun!" she said, wiping a hand across her brow. "It's important. It has to do with Manitou Island."

The name Manitou Island is unknown here, the voice said.

Charmian blinked. "You mean...you've never heard of it?" she asked in disbelief; she had to pause and think that over for a moment. "It has to do with Manabozho," she said instead, uncertain if that would help any.

The fire flared. Rabbit? the voice asked.

Charmian nodded quickly, shifting around as the fire had grown hotter again. "Kabeyun's son," she said, grimacing and pulling her knee away from the side of the bubble. "Shawondassee sent me! I was hoping Wabun could help!"

She gasped when the bottom of the bubble opened up, nearly spilling her out. She paused, peering around herself tentatively before sticking out one foot, then the other, and lowering herself out of the fire bubble. She set foot safely on the ground, then ducked away from it and turned back to look. The three of them stared at the glowing bubble, but it began to fade away before their eyes.

If you wish to speak then you may continue into the cave, the voice said. But your time here will be short.

Charmian let out her breath. She gestured vaguely at the others and began walking ahead in the tunnel again. It took a moment before she realized that she heard only one set of footsteps following; stopping, she looked back over her shoulder to see Singing Cedars frozen to the spot, staring after them with wide eyes. His mouth was shut so tightly that it formed barely more than a line. Her brow furrowed and she turned a bit.

"Cedars...?" He jumped a little when she said his name. "Coming?"

Singing Cedars blinked, then let out his breath. "I...I said to the waterfall," he said. "That I would take you this far, and here you are."

Charmian tilted her head a bit. "Yeah...you did." She turned to face him now. "You want to go back home?"

Singing Cedars flushed and ducked his head with a bit of a scowl. "I'm needed back at home," he grumbled. "Grandmother will be worrying about me soon. And it looks like you've got everything you need, right here." He lifted his head again and gave her a challenging look. "I'm not needed here anymore, and I did tell you that this is as far as I would take you!"

Charmian paused. Is it just me...or does he want me to ask him to come along...? she thought; but she couldn't be positive. He hadn't seemed to be enjoying himself much since they'd gotten to the cave.

Besides, he HATED the Island the last time he was there. Why make him go through that all over again? Maybe if he heads back now they'll leave him alone since he's come so far anyway. I'd hate dragging him along like that, if he's miserable all the time.

"Okay," she said at last; Singing Cedars blinked, and she briefly wondered if she'd read him wrong, but he then nodded curtly and took a step back as if he'd been planning it all along. She let out a mental breath. "Thanks for bringing me here," she said. "I mean it. You really helped a lot."

Singing Cedars scowled again. "Fine! You don't have to be so chatty about it."

Charmian realized that she felt like growling and laughing at the same time, and that was an odd feeling. Instead of doing either she stepped toward him and hugged him. She felt him stiffen, like she'd just electrocuted him, then he relaxed a little; he touched her shoulder just briefly, then pulled himself loose. He gave her a very sour look which she just smiled at, which made it even sourer.

"Stop smiling like that!" he snapped, putting his jacket on when Charmian returned it. "Now I'm going back home! And if you get yourself in such stupid trouble again..." He lifted his hands and made what looked like a strangling gesture.

Charmian grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah, uh-huh. Look after yourself too." She took a step back and touched the little cedar sprig. "You're sure--"

Singing Cedars threw his hands up. "KEEP IT!!" He abruptly turned on one heel and started stalking away.

"Bye, Cedars!" Charmian called after him. She made her voice as annoyingly little-sistery as she could. "Say hello to Snowy Pine and keep out of trooooubllllle!"

In response Singing Cedars threw up his arms again and started walking even faster. She was rather glad that he didn't bother turning around to look at her again, as her throat was starting to hurt, and her eyes stung. She watched him until he disappeared from sight down the tunnel, and let out her breath, not even realizing until then that she'd been holding it.

Walks-On-The-Shore cleared his throat, and she turned back. He gestured toward the opposite end of the tunnel and arched an eyebrow. "Done?"

Charmian glared at him, blinking the sting away from her eyes. "Yeah, done! Like you have any sense of family. He's my big brother, after all." She said this a bit snootily, but was surprised by how it sounded. She rather liked saying it.

The Huron just rolled his eyes and turned away. "Whatever you say! Though I should very much like to see your parents!"

She readied herself to retort with something, then saw the scar on his back again. She frowned and picked up her pace to follow him and opened her mouth to ask him what it was from when the voice spoke, interrupting her thoughts.

As soon as you reach the end of the tunnel, turn to your right. You may enter through there.

They reached the end of the tunnel and saw that it was a dead end. Charmian frowned again. They looked at the right wall but there was nothing there, no tunnel, no cave, no exit.

"Um...Disembodied Voice...?" Charmian asked, looking upward--it just seemed like the most sensible thing to do. "Are you sure it's a right turn...?"

Step through the wall, the voice said.

"Through the wall?" Charmian's face screwed up. "Are you sure--"

"For love of the SPIRITS," Walks-On-The-Shore said with a flustered sigh, and grabbed her wrist almost hard enough to hurt. "Just LISTEN to the strange invisible voice already!"

"Whu--" Charmian managed to get out, right before he yanked her after him, and ran straight into the wall.

Charmian yelped, then stumbled out into open space, pinwheeling her arms to catch her balance; Walks-On-The-Shore stood right beside her, and suddenly they seemed to be somewhere else. He lifted his head to look at her, blinked, and put a hand to his nose.

"OW!!" he yelled, making her flinch.

She clenched her fists. "YOU'RE the genius who had to--"

You said you had a matter of importance, the voice said; then, "I suggest you speak now, before you have to leave."

Charmian jumped, involuntarily grabbing Walks-On-The-Shore's arm. She blinked and whirled around to better see the cave that they stood in. It was medium sized, well rounded, and lit with the same pleasant golden light as the tunnels; there were a few niches in the walls where little flames burned untended, but other than that...there wasn't much else. She furrowed her brow. The room was practically empty.

"Somebody lives here...?" she asked, perplexed.

Something sparked in the middle of the cave and she jumped again, gasping. It immediately turned into a roaring plume of fire, shooting both upwards and downwards, and it easily reached up to the ceiling, licking at the stone. Tendrils of flame shot out from it and then sucked back in; the two of them shielded their eyes.

You mentioned the name Kabeyun, the voice said, and the pillar of flame grew, rapidly filling the room with glaring light and searing heat; Charmian and Walks-On-The-Shore wedged themselves against the wall. You come here because of him--?

"I--no! No we don't!" Charmian cried, cringing and shielding her eyes. "Shawondassee's the one who sent us!"

You mentioned a child of Kabeyun, the voice said, almost accusingly. You think you can come to this place of peace, and mention such a name, and be accepted as welcome--?

"THAT'S not it!!" Charmian yelled, putting her arms over her head.

You claim that I lie--?

"I didn't say that either! Cripes!! Manabozho's Kabeyun's kid, yeah, but it's not like he's anything LIKE him!! That's kind of why we're here! Manabozho's daughter is missing and--"

FLOOM. Charmian let out an involuntary yelp, then felt Walks-On-The-Shore squeezing her arm. She lifted her head, eyes wide, and peered at him. He frowned, then glanced toward the middle of the cave. She turned her head to look as well.

The flame had diminished, reverting back to its normal size; it flickered and wavered, then started coming toward them. Charmian squeezed herself back again, for once grateful for the Huron's presence, even if he couldn't do anything. She held up her hand, knowing that she couldn't call up anything, but the gesture steadied her a bit anyway. She crooked her fingers just as the fire died away and she found herself staring someone in the eyes, and then blinked again.

"I hardly think you can call anything up," the person before her said mildly.

Charmian blinked again, then tilted her head, confused. When the pillar of fire had threatened them, she'd rather assumed that the force behind it would be big and frightening as well...but this person was slight in build, probably not even as tall as Thomas, and stared back at her with a face that was strangely delicate. She knew that it wasn't a woman like Shawondassee had been, but if anything, this person looked more elegant than the South Wind had looked.

Charmian put her hand to the wall and slowly pushed herself up. The strange man before her followed her progress with his eyes; his face was oddly expressionless, almost as if he were bored, but he was hardly bland. His eyes slanted slightly like Geezhigo-Quae's, his cheekbones high and his skin as smooth as copper; his long sleek black hair was pulled into some sort of clasp at his neck, and trailed down his back. His hands and fingers were long and delicate, like those of a piano player, but what was oddest about him was his clothes. He wore the same sort of deerskin robes and leggings that she'd seen so many times before, but instead of being white or tan they were a creamy yellowy color, and they gleamed gold, as if they were lit up from inside. Charmian's eyes widened more when she saw that his fingernails seemed to be glowing, too.

"Huh...?" she managed to mumble, though by now she'd forgotten what he'd said.

He tilted his head forward almost imperceptibly. "Your medicine," he said, his voice as cool and perfectly intonated as Chakenapok's had been whenever he'd been in one of his better moods. "You have none of your own but for that which you accept from others around you." He lifted his head again. "I doubt you could call anything up."

Charmian's brow furrowed a bit. "Why would I want to?"

The look on his face--or in his eyes?--changed just a tiny fraction, even though if she'd had to describe it, she wouldn't have been able to. "You set foot in strange lands without medicine?" he said, and held out his hand. "This is a foolish thing for a human to do."

Without warning he flicked his hand up and Charmian saw a fireball headed her way. She went stiff, eyes goggling in surprise, then threw up her hands to ward it off, a startled yell escaping her throat.

Continue:

Part 54: The Not-So-Dead End  (13+) The East Wind can't help Charmian as she wishes, though he does prove to be useful... #1428630 by Tehuti, Lord Of The Eight

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