Thunderstone

by Barbara Pietron

  —Curly Bear Wagner, Blackfoot

  Chapter 17

  Where in the world was Tyler with that shovel?

  Ice wiped his forehead with his arm, trying to see into the forest above. He was getting nowhere without tools.

  He trotted over to Nik, who remained in the same limp pose on the rocks. Ice lifted his hand and felt for a pulse. Weak, but still there. Fresh blood trickled from behind the medicine man’s head.

  “Nik.” Ice wanted to get Nik off the rocks, but was afraid to move him, not knowing the extent of his injuries. Ice slipped out of his jacket and t-shirt, putting the jacket back on. After soaking the shirt in the lake, he pressed it to the medicine man’s forehead. “Nik, hey Nik.” He brought the cloth over both cheeks, hoping the cold water would rouse his teacher.

  To his surprise, it hadn’t rained yet. Judging by the diminishing rumbles of thunder, the storm was taking its bloated clouds elsewhere.

  After a second trip to the water, Ice was rewarded when he applied the cloth to Nik’s head. The medicine man’s eyes fluttered and opened. He focused on Ice’s face.

  “Ice. You’re okay. What happened?”

  “You got launched off the bank and hit the rocks hard. I didn’t want to move you. What can you feel?”

  “Rocks.”

  Humor. That was a positive sign.

  “Can you wiggle your toes?”

  Nik moved his feet and hands. He braced himself to sit.

  “Wait. Try moving your head first—carefully.”

  With a grimace, the medicine man slowly lifted his head. “Ouch. Is there a rock or stick or something jammed in my neck?”

  Ice bent down and directed his flashlight behind Nik’s head. “Can you lift this shoulder?” He set the light on the rocks and used both hands to help Nik roll slightly on his side. He breathed a sigh of relief. Now he knew what the awful crack was when Nik hit the ground. “One of the long beads on your necklace broke and impaled the base of your neck. Luckily, it went sideways into the trapezoid muscle.”

  “Well pull it out then,” Nik replied, irritation spiking his tone. “Where are the others?”

  “Things haven’t gone well.” Ice scrunched up his face—the blood and guts part of being a medicine man was his least favorite part. “Hang on.” He took his shirt and rinsed it one more time in the lake. Then he gave the light to Nik to hold, adjusting the older man’s arm until he held it correctly. Ice began catching Nik up on the events of the night.

  Pressing down on the wound with the wet shirt, he yanked the shard of bead out as quickly as possible and then covered it with the cloth to stem the bleeding.

  Nik merely grunted. “I’m going to have a nice lump on my head to go with this,” he said, giving the light to Ice and holding the shirt to his neck.

  “I have no idea what’s happened to Tyler,” Ice continued. “He went for a shovel; I assumed it was close by.” He scanned the forest above them. “He said he took care of the guy who attacked us, but he’s been gone a while.”

  Nik looked out at the sky over the lake. “Jeni is inside with the manitou?”

  Ice nodded and followed Nik’s gaze.

  The sky was clearing.

  ***

  Jeni peeped around the feather barrier. With her hand over the lens, she directed the light into the cavern, careful not to shine it directly into the water. The surface was still.

  She moved her fingers to let out a bit more light and examined the hole in the back wall. Once she skirted her way around the pool undetected, she would have to hoist herself into the tunnel. The opening looked to be three to four feet off the ground.

  Jeni noticed the light wavering and realized her hands were shaking. Somehow she had to work up the courage to enter the chamber.

  She barely heard the next rumble of thunder. The impossibly remote sound was enough to spur her on.

  Feathers tickled her face and neck as she slipped around the curtain, back pressed to the wall, breathing shallowly through her mouth. Shuffling sideways, Jeni made her way around the edge of the pool, never allowing her light to stray from the surface of the water. Her concentration was so intense that she stumbled into a rock and nearly lost her balance.

  Teetering on one foot, she watched in horror as the stone she kicked rolled down the incline toward the water. Both feet were on the ground and she was frozen in place when it hit the water with a plop.

  Her heart thumped double-time.

  The rock sent ripples across the pool while Jeni held her breath. The cold of the cavern wall crept through her jacket and she shivered. Was it her imagination or were the ripples coming back this way?

  She wasn’t waiting to find out. On the move again, she alternated lighting the way in front of her and watching the pool. The world outside seemed to be silent—she hadn’t heard thunder since she’d entered the cavern.

  Reaching her destination, Jeni inspected the tunnel… so small… so dark. She turned to make a last sweep across the water with her light, and confirmed what her ears already told her—tiny waves gently lapped the shore. Her raspy breath seemed magnified by the spacious chamber.

  She thought about the Would You Rather game she’d played with her friends. Would you rather be trapped in a dark hole or be eaten by a dragon-like monster?

  Jeni knew she was losing it because a giggle rose in her throat.

  Nik’s bag went through the hole first and she swung it to the back of the space, then swallowed the giggle and tossed her light in too.

  As soon as the flashlight left her hand, she instantly regretted it. No way could she make herself climb into that little space. Wrapping her arms across her chest, Jeni stood looking into the hole as panic wormed its way from her chest to her brain.

  No bleeping way.

  She would go back to the blocked entrance and wait for Ice.

  After she got her light back.

  Putting her head, arms, and shoulders through the hole, she sprang off her feet and stretched forward, but her reach fell short.

  Fabulous.

  She hung for a moment on her stomach, her legs dangling on one side and her arms on the other. The ground was too far for her toes to push her up any further. She was about to drop back to her feet and try again, when she heard a sound behind her.

  A gurgle.

  The fear that surged through Jeni obliterated her panic. It burned with an unrelenting urgency, threatening to burst from inside her.

  With nothing to grasp and pull herself through the opening, Jeni reached back and braced her hands on either side of the hole. She let out a strangled whimper and kicked wildly with her feet, pushing with her arms.

  Fortunately, the laws of physics came to the rescue. Once she’d dragged her torso through to her hips, she leaned forward and stretched her arms way out in front of her. Her body’s center of gravity shifted and she slid through the hole and into the tunnel.

  She pulled her legs up under her and scrambled as far as she could get from the opening. At first the only sound she could hear was her own panting and her heart thumping wildly, but eventually she detected the sound of water in motion.

  She knew when the creature broke the surface because the soft swirling, gurgling noise changed to splashing, along with waves sloshing against the shore. Snatching the flashlight, she switched it off. The sound of metal grating on stone crawled up her spine, and she shuddered.

  The monster must’ve paused at the feather barrier. Jeni heard nothing for a long, agonizing interval as she fought to keep her ragged breathing under control. The warm dampness of tears streaked her cheeks, and she closed her eyes against the darkness.

  After an indeterminable span of time, a ripping sound made her jump. A new noise joined in, something under strain. Jeni pictured the manitou’s horns impaled into the feather barrier as it tore the binding holding it in p
lace. She heard a snap, crack, and another snap, and then the scraping grew less pronounced as the creature rounded the corner. It would be back, though, once it found the passage to the water was blocked.

  She turned on her light, blinking her tears away so she could study the wall of dirt behind her. Tyler was right; it looked fresh—loose. Jeni pawed through Nik’s bag until she found a flat piece of—rock? shell?—and began frantically scraping at the dirt. It wasn’t easy. Her tool was small and so was the space. She continually had to use her feet to kick the dirt behind her.

  A bellow echoed throughout the cavern and Jeni froze in fear, quickly switching off her light. She sat trembling, listening to the monster return to the cavern and cry again.

  The manitou knew it was trapped, and it was pissed.

  Afraid to turn the light on, Jeni attacked the wall of dirt. As the earth mounded behind her, she eventually comprehended what was happening.

  She was burying herself alive!

  Wouldn’t death by monster be preferable? Less torturous?

  The thought made her incapable of digging further and her eyes again filled with tears.

  Please. I don’t want to play this game anymore. I wouldn’t rather…

  Again, the sound of metal scratching dirt.

  Jeni clawed at the wall, not sure when the tears spilled over and she began weeping in earnest. Her ears were filled with scratching, scraping, and her own sobs. Then the earth in front of her fell away, and hands grasped her arms.

  She screamed and kicked, trying to pull away, but the arms came around her firmly.

  “Jeni? Jeni! Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

  She knew that voice.

  She was dragged for a few feet until they emerged into a dimly-lit space where Jeni was no longer fighting, but clinging, gulping in shuddering breaths of air. He let her calm down, brushing dirt from her hair and arms.

  As her breathing regulated, Jeni realized she was in that stupid cellar again, she was okay and she was—

  Ack!—clinging to her cousin.

  Jeni let go of Tyler and sat back, looking anywhere but directly at him.

  He stood. “Are you okay?”

  “Uh…yeah…good…I’m good,” Jeni stammered, brushing dirt off her legs.

  Tyler extended his hand to help her up. “I can’t believe I’m in this freaking cellar saving your butt again.”

  As she reached for his hand, her eyes flicked up and caught his lopsided grin.

  She chuckled and his smile widened.

  “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Love your life, perfect your life,

  Beautify all things in your life.

  Seek to make your life long,and its purpose in the service of your people.

  —Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee

  Chapter 18

  In the restroom of the Community Center, Jeni washed her face and managed to get most of the dirt from her clothes; she also dumped out her shoes. Then, with her head hanging upside down, she shook her fingers through her hair before brushing it. It was the best she could do without a shower.

  She paused as she stepped into the meeting room, looking for Ice. Not many people occupied the tables, so he and Nik were easy to spot. Ice smiled and slid a can of pop in front of her as she slipped into the chair next to him. “I thought you might be thirsty.”

  “I am, thanks.” Jeni popped the can open and took a long drink. Ice wore some kind of souvenir t-shirt that was one size too small. “New shirt?”

  “Yeah.” Ice rolled his eyes. “Thanks for noticing.”

  There was no way for Jeni not to notice the way it revealed every contour underneath. “How’s your head?”

  Ice’s hand rose to the bandage on his temple. “Fine, nothing time and ibuprofen won’t fix.”

  “How about you?” Jeni asked Nik, who sat across the table.

  “I’m sore, and I’m sure I’ll take longer to heal than Ice, but I’ll live.”

  Jeni scanned the room. “Where’s Tyler?”

  “He went with some guys back out to the park to tie up ‘loose ends’,” Ice said. “We needed someone who knew where to go and he volunteered.”

  “What I wondered,” Nik said, “Is how Tyler knew the tunnel in the manitou’s chamber led to the cellar.”

  “When Tyler and I were trapped in the cellar, we saw the collapsed tunnel,” Jeni explained. “Then, when he chased that guy, that’s where they ended up. He said he didn’t really put it all together though, until he went back for the shovel and remembered what you said,” she nodded toward Nik, “about the tunnel in the cavern being how the guy got in to free the manitou.”

  Jeni glanced at Ice. “Once he came to the conclusion they were one and the same, he started digging to get me out of the cave.” She smiled. “Although he didn’t expect to find me already in the tunnel.”

  “Why were you in the tunnel?” Nik asked.

  On the way to the reservation, Jeni told Ice about her vision of Itasca, but Nik hadn’t heard any of her story yet, so she filled him in. “I’m not sure what she meant about vengeance or something, ‘seeking you and yours.’ I pretty much got the rest of it though, and it’s a good thing I got out of there because the underwater monster broke through the barrier as soon as the storm was gone. And he was not happy to find the entrance caved in.”

  After her final statement, Jeni’s eyebrows rose. “Is that why the monster wants vengeance? Does it think I imprisoned it again?”

  Nik took a moment to contemplate her question. “I don’t think Itasca referred to the manitou seeking revenge. She likened your entrapment to her own and mentioned a selfish god. Mishebeshu is a demi-god. The god she must have been talking about is Chebiabo.”

  “Is he the…?”

  “Ruler of the underworld, remember?” Ice didn’t look happy.

  Fear prickled down Jeni’s spine. She glanced worriedly at Nik and Ice as they exchanged a look.

  Nik reached across the table as if to take Jeni’s hand, paused, and placed his hand on her sleeve. “Don’t forget the most important message: to become the person you’re destined to be. Research your family’s heritage, find out who you are.” He sat back, flicked his eyes to Ice and then back to Jeni. “I’m sure you’ll be in touch with Ice; let me know if I can help you.”

  “Thanks,” Jeni said, and meant it. She intended to make good on all of the conditions included in the choice she’d made. Now, more than ever, she wanted to discover what kind of skeletons lurked in her family closet. “Will you pass on Itasca’s warning about the manitou?”

  Nik nodded. “Absolutely.” He surveyed the room. “In fact, it looks like most of the elders are here; I guess it’s time I give them an update.”

  “What will you do now?” Jeni asked quickly. “About the monster, I mean.”

  Nik must’ve guessed her underlying question. “Don’t worry, for now the manitou is physically trapped. Though the situation is temporary, it’s bought us some time. We’ll keep watch while we consult with neighboring tribes as well as the spirit world.” He stood. His smile for Jeni was genuine. “Your obligation here has been fulfilled, but I have a feeling your role as a priestess has just begun.”

  Jeni watched him walk away and understood Ice’s respect for Nik. His intuition, knowledge, and wisdom made him a force to be reckoned with.

  Ice touched her shoulder and then pushed back his chair and stood up. “Come with me? I want to show you something.”

  She shot him a questioning look but got up and followed him.

  They crossed the room to a sliding glass door covered by vertical blinds on the opposite side. Ice slid the door open and held the blinds aside for Jeni. She stepped through the doorway and Ice followed her, closing the door behind him.

  Jeni’s jaw dropped in awe. Unlike most sliding gla
ss doors, this one didn’t lead outside, instead, they stood in a room surrounded by glass. Floor to ceiling windows made up the three outside walls of the room. Beyond the small clearing outside the building, the Chippewa Forest loomed dramatically.

  Ice motioned her over to the windows. “I love this room because it’s like being outside,” he said. “It’s not used much in the winter because it’s cold, so that’s when I come out here the most. It’s a great place to think.”

  Although Ice hadn’t turned on any lights, the brightness of the room they’d left filtered through the blinds on the sliding glass door, allowing Jeni to make out the shadowy shapes of furniture. She made her way across the room, and as her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she recognized the kind of rattan sofa and chairs found in Florida rooms and screened porches.

  Jeni stepped close to the windows and looked up at the sky. The dark clouds that had hung over Lake Itasca hovered above. “The storm followed us.”

  As if in confirmation, the sky lit up, triggering rumbles of thunder. “I never thought I’d feel good about a thunderstorm, but now it seems almost comforting,” she said. “Like having a big dog around when you’re home alone.”

  Ice chuckled softly. He moved behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

  Jeni leaned into him, resting her head on his chest, his warmth radiating through her. She didn’t feel awkward, nervous, or scared.

  She felt safe.

  Her hands closed over his and their fingers interlaced.

  An image flickered, but was so brief, no details materialized.

  Lightning flashed, illuminating the room from all sides. The corresponding thunder cracked loudly, and wind rattled the windows.

  “We should go,” Ice murmured.

  Jeni sensed his apprehension. Here they were, sequestered in this dimly-lit room, no safeguard. She knew his fight for self-control was beyond that of a typical teenager, yet she wasn’t afraid of what he might do next or what his intentions were.

  She trusted him.

  Turning in the circle of his arms, she rose up on her toes to kiss him. Reluctant at first, Ice soon yielded and kissed her back.