Legend of Spiralling Cedars

by Natasza Waters

  After collecting a pack in each hand, she moved to step around him. He cut her off and looked into her eyes. “Wasn’t a one night stand. Least not for me, Rachel. You promised me a weekend in Whistler. I’m holding you to that.”

  Her mouth quirked and then turned into a grin. “You live in another province almost three thousand miles away. I think last night was pretty damn close to thanks for the memories.”

  Garrett took the packs she’d hooked on her shoulders and placed them over his own. “Must have forgotten to mention that I’m leaving the Forces. Or that my family lives here in BC.”

  Her jaw slackened.

  Shaking her up a little, he arched a brow and continued. “Slipped my mind.” She whistled past him, and he followed, smiling at the tiny seed he’d purposely deposited in her thoughts.

  Thirty minutes later, they tossed their gear into the pickup and Rachel slid behind the wheel. “It’ll take us five hours to reach Emerald Falls. I spoke with Sergeant McCaffry. They’ve retrieved the body in the tree, and their officers, but they’ve left the park. They’ll wait to see if we find anything.”

  A helicopter flew overhead, hovered above headquarters for a few seconds, then headed east.

  “Looks like the media smells a story,” Tigg said, looking through his binoculars. “Think the RCMP divulged anything?”

  “Doubt it,” Rachel said and started the truck. “The park would be swarming with media and mystery hunters. It’s not like we have a fence around it. Whatever BS story they offered, it’s given us time.”

  They came to a yellow metal gate at the end of the Day Use parking lot. Rachel jumped out, retrieved the keys from her pocket and unlocked the padlock. Garrett shuffled from the middle of the bench seat and drove the truck through, then waited for her to swing the gate closed behind them.

  Tigg sat in the front passenger seat. “Want me to get out so your girlfriend can sit beside you?”

  “Shut up and move over.”

  When she jumped in the passenger seat, he asked, “Which way?” She flicked her head to the left.

  Turning the wheel, he followed her instructions. The truck jostled and bounced on the rough road winding up the side of the mountain.

  “How far can we drive?” he asked.

  “’Bout four miles after you’re forced to put it into four-wheel drive. We’ll get to Sapphire Lake if we’re lucky. We had a lot of snow this year. I’m not sure if it’s all melted.”

  Carefully, he maneuvered up the narrow road, making quick corrections to avoid jagged rocks that grew spontaneously from the ground. He didn’t know what was more dangerous—a desert in the Middle East with IED’s buried in the sand or a cliff with a thousand foot drop only a couple feet away.

  “Avalanches?”

  “Possibly,” she said. “I drive up here once a season to check. Last time was October.”

  Booker loaded a clip into the rifle on his lap. Rachel turned a look over her shoulder and eyed him. “You think that’s going to do anything to stop him?”

  Booker chuckled. “Must have stung bad enough that he got the hell out of our way last night.”

  “I didn’t see any trace of blood on the hood,” she said, looking out the front window.

  Tigg sat quietly between him and Rachel in the front seat. “Ya want to think out loud, Sub-Lieutenant?” Garrett asked.

  “Since the cops didn’t have an RPG handy, I’m hoping this sonofabitch is off pickin’ berries when we get to the Falls. The fact that we’re heading up here based on a friggin’ furry legend pointin’ at some ancient scratches on a wall…” Tigg shook his head. “I should have listened to my wife and stayed home.”

  Garrett grinned. “You mean to tell us you’d rather be cleaning out that disaster of a workshop you own, instead of hunting down a Shaman gone rogue?”

  Tigg raised both brows as he stared out the front windshield with his lips pinched together, then said, “Hell, no, but promise me one thing, Lieutenant.”

  Garrett shrugged. “Sure.”

  “When you marry Ranger Crossing here, make sure you pick a nice, civilized place to say ‘I do,’ and preferably nowhere near Lock Ness Monster territory.”

  Garrett had taken the opportunity to drink from his water bottle crossing a smooth patch of road, but choked on it, coughing it out of his airway. Rachel’s cheeks went two shades of red and she buried her forehead in her palm then groaned.

  Tigg shrugged both shoulders. “Hell, I don’t know who was louder last night. Sasquatch screaming from behind a tree, or the noises coming from Rachel’s cabin.”

  Cork, Booker and Crack burst out laughing in the back seat. Crack patted his shoulder. “Lieutenant, if a woman made me make that much noise, I’d marry her.”

  For the next thirty minutes they threw barbs at each other. Garrett didn’t mind. It was better than sitting on a pin cushion of silence, overthinking what lay ahead, unable to prepare against their enemy. All they had to rely on was their training and quick reactions.

  ****

  Rachel had enjoyed listening to the men’s camaraderie as Garrett traversed the narrowing cutline toward Sapphire Lake. Fifteen minutes ago, he’d switched into four-wheel drive and the men quieted down.

  “L.T., we got any kind of plan?” Cork asked.

  They all ricocheted left to right in their seats when the truck crossed uneven ground into a three-feet wide dip in the road. The dirt washed away by the spring melt. The wheels slipped on soft ground. Garrett geared down and they caught traction, pulling them out.

  “Going to investigate the Falls. If they’re important enough for the ancient people to scratch it into the wall, something’s there.”

  Booker grunted. “Yeah, maybe something we don’t want to meet.”

  “I sure as hell ain’t putting this on my resume,” Tigg said.

  Garrett swung a look toward her. “We’ll cover Rachel. Make our way to the Falls. And hope like hell this skinwalker doesn’t know we’re coming.”

  Rachel’s pulse picked up. Not from the violent thrust of the truck over the road covered in small boulders, but what stood on top of the hill ahead and to their right. “Think you can strike that off your list.”

  Garrett slowed the truck. He, Tigg and Rachel all leaned forward.

  “What do we do?” she asked.

  The skinwalker stood out against the blue sky as the wind rippled the wrap of hide around his waist. Rachel sensed his dark, gleaming eyes zero in on her. Garrett brought the vehicle to a stop. Under the bright sunshine, the skinwalker didn’t seem so ominous to her. Where did he come from, if not the Squamish Band?

  “Who the hell is this guy?” Tigg murmured. “He looks human to me. You don’t recognize him?”

  Rachel eased her phone from her pocket and switched to camera mode, zoomed in and clicked three times. At their elevation she had three bars showing. Enough to send the photos in a text to Sarah with the words identify him. “I don’t who he is.”

  “Who’s going to make the first move?” Garrett murmured.

  The skinwalker ran with lightning speed across the top of the hill and dropped thirty feet, to the ground next to them.

  “Oh, shit.” Tigg shoved the barrel of his out the open window and started firing.

  With superhuman strength, the skinwalker pushed on the passenger side of the pickup. It moved as if a bulldozer instead of a man shoved them toward the edge of the road, and a very long drop to the forest below. Cork threw open his door and he, Booker and Crack fired their weapons as they abandoned the vehicle.

  Tigg’s arm stretched across her and yanked the door handle open. Shoving her hard, she fell to the ground.

  “Garrett!”

  Rachel rolled to her knees and watched in horror as the truck toppled over the ledge.

  Chapter Nine

  Gunfire erupted from behind her.

  Rachel crawled.

  Her fingers sank into the thick mud. Sharp rocks cut into her knees. Garrett was in the truck when
it toppled over the ledge.

  Reaching the edge, she didn’t get a chance to look over. A harsh grip dug into her elbow. Another arm wrapped around her middle and she was lifted into the air. The skinwalker took only two steps with her slung over his shoulder when a cacophony of screams and angry growls filled the air.

  Tigg shouted. “Cease fire!”

  The gunfire stopped and Rachel fell to the ground. A tremble reverberated the earth beneath her. She groaned, rolling over in time to see the skinwalker disappear over the rise in the road and at least five Sasquatch give chase.

  She jolted when a hand clutched her leg. “Garrett!”

  He pulled himself over the edge of the cliff and then rolled onto his back, his chest heaving with exertion.

  “You okay?” he asked, between deep breaths.

  She nodded and checked him from head to toe. “You?”

  He sat up and blinked. “All the equipment is gone.”

  “Did you see that?” Crack spouted as she and Garrett rose to survey their surroundings.

  Cork kept watch behind them where the skinwalker had disappeared. “Never in a million years. Those weren’t guys in fur suits. The frickin’ things are real.”

  “And most importantly, the skinwalker seems to be scared of them,” Garrett said, drawing her under his arm. “Guess we’re on foot from here. How far are we from Sapphire Lake, Rachel?”

  Taking stock of where they stood, she said,. “Maybe a couple miles, but without the safety equipment the climb to Emerald Falls will be dangerous.”

  Crack grinned. “Hasn’t stopped us before.”

  They set off on foot, everyone on alert for another attack by the skinwalker. She and Garrett walked a few paces behind the team.

  “Booker told me the skinwalker tried to take you.”

  “I don’t understand why.”

  “If this were combat ops, I’d say as a hostage, but he has nothing to trade, that we know of.” A concerned expression settled over his handsome features. “Anything you forgot to tell me about this creature’s initiation?”

  “No. Nothing I can think of.”

  She led the way on a trail barely visible to the eye. No markers pointed to Sapphire Lake or Emerald Falls. Because of the skill level it took to traverse, only experienced climbers attempted the Falls. Sapphire Lake came into view as they exited the thickness of the forest.

  “Wow.” Tigg’s eyes took in the picturesque beauty. “BC really is supernatural.” He chuckled. “In more ways than one.”

  The other men nodded. In the distance, snow-capped peaks jutted toward the heavens. The surface of the lake as reflective as a mirror. They all kneeled to drink the glacier-fed clean, cold water.

  Rachel sat on a stump and removed her boot to shake out an irksome pebble. It tumbled out and rolled to a stop against a tuft of weeds sprouting with new green shoots.

  “That’s where we’re headed, isn’t it?” Booker pointed toward one particular mountain that rose higher than all the others.

  Emerald Falls was visible from Sapphire Lake and beckoned adventurers to make the climb. She nodded. When her phone erupted with a song, she quickly dug it out of her pocket.

  “We’re still alive,” she said, accepting Lacy’s call.

  “Are you at Sapphire Lake?”

  “We just arrived. Had a little excitement on the way.”

  “Rachel, the RCMP identified the guy in the tree. It’s Arthur Meadows’ brother.”

  Her skin chilled to sub-zero. “What? Arthur said he was housesitting and left yesterday morning.”

  “Sarah’s dad says there’s no mistake.”

  “Then that means the skinwalker must be related to Arthur.” Her blood matched the freezing temperature of her skin. Garrett’s team listened to the one-sided conversation as she spoke on the phone.

  “I’m here with Chief Lucie George and William. I’ll let William explain what we’ve found out.”

  “Rachel, it’s William here. Lucie has been on the phone all morning, speaking to members of a Navajo band. The skinwalker, or what they call Yee Naaldlooshii, is considered evil, but it’s mostly a trickster. It likes to scare people. Things like running alongside a truck at night. Sometimes it’ll try to break into a house and attack the people inside. Other times it’ll bang on the walls of the house, knock on the windows, and climb onto the roof. They told Lucie it can materialize as a strange, animal-like figure standing outside the window, peering in. There’s also reports of a skinwalker attacking a vehicle and causing an accident.”

  “We’re about seven for seven so far, William. We lost the truck on the way up here. It’s sitting at the bottom of the canyon. Or maybe stuck in a tree.”

  “Nobody was hurt, were they?”

  “No.”

  “There’s something else you need to know. Skinwalkers are described as being fast, agile, and impossible to catch. Though some attempts have been made to shoot or kill one, they’re not usually successful.”

  “Eight for eight,” she said. “Continue.”

  “The Navajo elder said skinwalkers have the power to read human thoughts. They also possess the ability to make any human or animal noise they choose. A skinwalker can lure their victims by using the voice of a relative or the cry of an infant. Some Navajo also believe the creatures have the ability to steal the "skin" or body of a person.”

  “Not exactly a comforting thought. Okay, anything else?”

  “Yes.” William paused, then chuckled. “One more thing. Don’t lock eyes with a skinwalker. They can absorb themselves into your body.”

  Rachel’s pulse picked up tempo with William’s odd chuckle. She didn’t find this funny at all and placed her hand over her forehead and began to pace. “So we can’t shoot it, although it’s human. We can’t look at it, or it might possess us. The only thing we have to fight this thing with is learn its true name.”

  “Pretty much. But I doubt you’ll do that.”

  “What about Arthur’s brother? If he was the initiation kill, that means he’s related to the skinwalker.”

  “Sarah’s dad is investigating. Can’t find Arthur or Cynthia. They just—disappeared.”

  “If this creature is related to Navajo legend, I don’t understand what it’s doing here. The dots aren’t connecting yet, William.”

  “I know.” William’s voice dropped to barely above a growl. “I doubt you’ll understand, Rachel. He’s too fast. Too smart.”

  Rachel’s brow pulled tight, the hairs standing up on her neck. “William?”

  “When we meet again, I’ll tell you the whole story.”

  Rachel swallowed thickly, her pulse racing. A low sinister chuckle started drums of fear thumping in her ears.

  “William isn’t really himself these days, Ranger Crossing.”

  She disconnected quickly and wanted to chuck her cell in the lake. “Oh, God!”

  “Rachel? What the hell’s the matter?” Garrett appeared beside her. “You’re pale.”

  Without looking at him, she dialed Lacy’s cell.

  “Pick up! Pick up,” she yelled.

  “Hello.”

  “Lacy. Get away from William.”

  “He just left. In a hurry.”

  “He’s the skinwalker, Lacy. Don’t let him near you. Stay with Lucie, she can protect you.” She dialed again.

  When Sarah picked up, she didn’t bother with a greeting. “Sarah! Are you at home?”

  “Rachel. Where are you?”

  “At Sapphire Lake. Have you spoken with William?”

  “Not since last night. He drove me to my parents’ place and left.”

  “If he comes back, don’t let him in the house.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Just do as I say.” She hung up and put her gaze on Garrett and the team. “We need to get to the Falls as fast as we can.” She turned her attention toward the forest and prayed they were being followed. Followed by Sasquatch, who seemed to be acting as their guardians through the forest.
“This way.”

  ****

  Garrett didn’t ask Rachel any more questions. He’d gleaned enough from her conversations on the phone to understand what was going on. He signaled to his men to follow her, and they headed around the south side of the lake. When they reached the other side, she cut into the forest. As they traipsed over uneven ground and jumped logs and wove around boulders, he revisited the fact that the skinwalker was human. Supernatural, but human. If Rachel didn’t find the answer she thought was located at Emerald Falls, then they needed to sink a bullet in the sonofabitch.

  The forest stood silent as they passed under a thick canopy of tall trees, the network of limbs, probably hundreds of years old. The air was moist and clean. He’d checked his glorified G-Shock watch. They were already at an altitude approaching four thousand feet. Garrett caught sight of the mountain Rachel aimed for between a break in the trees.

  The face looked similar to the monolithic rock called the Chief in Squamish—smooth and vertical up the middle. There was no way they could climb that without equipment. He surveyed the outer extremities. The ragged outcroppings and ledges they could climb. They just had to reach the Falls, which he could clearly see. Maybe a thousand feet ascent.

  Forty-five minutes later, they reached the base. They all stopped to look up at the intensity of the mountain looking down at them. The Chief was the second largest monolithic rock in the world. People came from around the globe to climb it. This lump of granite would be no less of a challenge.

  Rachel removed her ballcap and brushed an arm across her forehead. “The mountain is called Nq’il’qtens ku skenknap, Seat of Thunder.”

  “That’s what Cork gets when he eats a can of brown beans.” Tigg laughed and the other guys joined in.

  “Ten minute rest, then we climb,” Garrett said to his men.

  They all nodded and found a rock or log to sit down. He watched Rachel pull her phone from her pocket. She held it up for a moment, then quickly tucked it back inside her jacket.

  “No cell service?” he asked.

  She shook her head and raised her gaze to scroll up the face of the mountain.