by J. M. LeDuc
Chestnuts
March 19, 10:00 p.m.
* * *
Reaching the vine-covered wall, Pamoon didn’t hesitate. She placed her palm on the flame and felt a searing jolt of energy, the intensity causing her to drop the staff. She heard the carbon-fiber cylinder bounce off a rock, but it sounded distant; her consciousness was fading. Gritting her teeth, she pinched her eyes closed and fought the feeling.
The electric shock so strong, her forearm spasmed and her skin burned. The quake-like tremors increased to such a magnitude that she was afraid she might topple over. Slapping her free hand against the wall, Pamoon braced herself for added support.
When the pain and vibration subsided, the entrance lay before her, but with a noticeable difference. The vines around the edges of the Spirit Cave were brown and dying. Frightened, Pamoon picked up her staff and ran into the spirit world, relieved to find Scout right where she left him. At first glance, it was clear that her friend was exhausted and thirsty. She ran to the fire, which was almost out, flashing her eyes at Bobby, who grumbled at her presence. Pouring the wolf a cup of water from her canteen, she fed him some jerky.
“I’m sorry I was gone so long,” she whispered, petting his sweat-soaked fur. “I promise never to leave you again.”
Scout wagged his tail in response.
Her presence helped brighten the cave. The flames came to life and burned stronger.
She dragged Bobby away from Scout so he could eat in peace. Examining her friend for the first time since entering the cave, she noticed signs that pointed toward a more human appearance. He was less sinewy than before and his skin felt thinner, softer. The tufts of fur along his spine were gone. Letting her guard down, she caressed his forehead and brushed back his hair, which caused a guttural howl to vibrate deep within his chest and escape his furled lips.
Don’t let his outward appearance fool you, she heard. He is still in Kanontsistonties’ clutches. You must hurry, for time is short.
Pamoon looked for Kise, but she was nowhere to be found. Pulling the bag of chestnuts from her backpack, she sprinkled most of them on top of the flames and placed a few around the edges of the fire. As smoke began to rise and the smell of the roasting kernels began to fill the cave, Bobby curled into a fetal position and yelped. A mournful, pain-filled howl echoed off the cavern’s walls. Using her jacket, she fanned the smoke toward the back of the cave. As the smoke drifted into the far recesses, she knew it would soon reach the entrance of the netherworld.
Watching the smoke waft in the distance, Pamoon began to hear painful moaning rise from beyond the smoke. The cacophony of crying beasts boosted her energy. She fanned faster. My friends, she thought. I can still save them.
58
Demonic Hunger
March 22, 10:30 p.m.
* * *
Kanontsistonties scoured the woods for hours, becoming increasingly agitated. Unable to find the Kiche, the demon rested atop a tall pine, its eyes festering an unfulfilled craving. Since turning Hassun, the demon had grown a torso and legs, but they were still just bones.
She must be close. I can smell her.
Facing the wind, Kanontsistonties searched for a clearer scent. But instead of the Kiche, the demon smelled something sweet and delicious coming from the hole in the tree.
Saliva dripped from rotted teeth and fell from its gaping jaw. Something resembling a snarl formed on the rotted-flesh around its mouth. Does the Kiche truly believe I will make the same mistake twice? Eyeing the black sky, the new moon continued its’ ascent into the night. It won’t be long before my demons are fully transformed. Then I will take what is rightfully mine—the spirit of the Sky Spirit Goddess.
Snapping its jaws like a spring-loaded rat trap, Kanontsistonties dropped from the tree, dissolved into black smoke, and dove for the entrance to the netherworld. The further it fell, the stronger the Kiche’s scent became.
As the rich bouquet strengthened, agonizing screams bellowed from deep within the earth, filling the night sky.
Realizing that the Kiche was trying to lure him back to the netherworld, a rare smirk arose from Kanontsistonties gaping jaws. She’s in my world now. A world from which she will not return.
59
Atahk
March 22, 11:00 p.m.
* * *
Tucked within the branches of the pines, Atahk and an army of ravens watched as Kanontsistonties flew above the trees searching to no avail for their leader.
Atahk had neither seen nor heard from Pamoon since being given the order to gather the ravens and wait by the tree for her command. Atahk had no idea what she or the others were looking for, but as soon as she laid eyes on Kanontsistonties, she knew.
Hundreds of ebony eyes watched in silence as Kanontsistonties darted toward the base of the great pine. Their feathers stood on end, fear growing in their hearts, as the demon came into clear view. The ravens remained silent; their eyes closed, shielding them in the blanket of night, so as not to be spotted by the demon.
With a mute reticence, the birds curbed their curiosity until Atahk commanded otherwise. She alone watched as Kanontsistonties disappeared into the netherworld. Once the demon disappeared and its foul odor no longer lingered, Atahk cawed the edict, allowing the others to move freely.
Atahk flew to the hole in the tree, poked her head inside and listened to the high-pitched wailing coming from deep within. Her instincts told her to take flight and enter the dark world, but Kahkakow mandated otherwise. With great restraint, she and the hundreds of followers waited to be summoned by the Raven.
60
Tapestries
March 23, 12:01 a.m.
* * *
Pamoon listened with an attuned ear to the squealing coming from the depths of the cave. The ravenous howling grew in amplitude and savagery as the smoke reached the furthest vestiges of the Spirit World.
Her ears keen to the sound, she moved back toward the ceremonial fire. Her eyes drawn to the tapestries. The two unfinished had transformed again; the appearance of both now gave her chills.
The one bearing the scene of the Spirit Mount was no longer vibrant with life but stitched with the darkest of hues, depicting death. The trees, once green and budding, were now mere branches, void of any and all life. The skies, once blue and teeming with birds, were now void but for the dark, heavy clouds about to burst.
This must be why the vines are dying, she thought. They’re part of the same world.
With trepidation, she turned her attention towards the other, the one depicting the netherworld. It now bristled with life. Life that frosted her soul. Portrayed, were beasts unimaginable. Creatures of land, sea and air so ghastly, her breath caught in her throat. Studying the tapestry, she drew closer. Mere inches from the cloth, their eyes seemed to stare back. With sudden insight, a chill ran up her spine.
She was staring at the eyes of her friends, and they, back at her. Eyes that still harbored life. Lives that faded with every second she wasted.
Staring at the tapestries, they morphed before her eyes. With each passing minute, the Spirit Mount dies a bit more and the netherworld increases in life
Her watch alarm pierced the still of the moment, pulling her from her trance.
“March twenty-third?” she thought aloud. “Crap, I forgot that time speeds up in this world! I don’t have much time,” she trembled.
Glancing again at the tapestries, she whispered, “They’re not yet complete. I can still change my friends’ destiny.”
Thinking fast, Pamoon hogtied Bobby’s wrists to his ankles. He jerked away from her touch, painful yet muffled wailing whistling past his bluing lips.
“It’s for your own good,” she grunted, tying the knots as tight as she could.
Clutching her staff, she slapped her thigh, commanding Scout to follow.
Pamoon inhaled deep and expelled wisps of cold white as she arched her back and squared her shoulders, attempting to ready herself for what was to come. With a sharp no
d aimed at Scout, she pointed her feet toward the back of the cave and stepped from the main grotto.
As they approached the fork, the gnarling and screeching of voices rose in amplitude. Reaching their destination, a deep growl rose from Scout’s throat. Pamoon looked at her faithful friend; he had grown since she had left him in the cave, and his coat now almost aglow in pure white. Running her hand through his fur, she tried to calm the wolf.
She felt for the groove on her staff, placing her middle finger in the slight indent. Pamoon furrowed her brow and snarled, trying to make the same sound as her wolf, hoping it would cement her confidence as she stepped toward the entrance of the netherworld. Barely moving from her spot, Scout bit down on her pant leg, stopping any momentum.
Pamoon shook her leg, adamant in what she needed to do, but he wouldn’t let go.
She squatted next to her friend and peered into his crystal-blue eyes. “What is it, boy? What are you trying to tell me?”
Pamoon noticed Scout wasn’t looking at her, but past. She sensed trouble as she white-knuckled her staff and turned to follow his gaze.
From the smoky gloom of the cave, two glowing orbs pierced the darkness. And just like in her nightmares, she ran from the fear. The only difference . . . she wasn’t sleeping. And couldn’t wake up.
You must rely on the wiles of the Kahkakow to defeat Kanontsistonties.
The words echoed in her head as she and Scout ran back toward the fire.
Her heart pounding, threatening to break through her chest wall, her lungs burning with every labored breath, Pamoon’s eyes roamed the cave looking for some sort of sign. Sweat chilled her skin, magnifying her fear, her body hyped on adrenaline.
Live or die, this was her time.
The two emotions mixed into a frenzied panic. Pamoon dropped to her knees, closed her eyes and hugged Scout, nestling her face in his scruff. Help me, Kise. I can’t do this alone.
Have faith in who you are and in who you will become.
I need you.
I am always with you. Look inside for what you need.
“Inside?” Pamoon thought aloud.
Eyes squeezed tight, her prayers were interrupted by Scout’s barking.
Opening her eyes, she saw him barking at the tapestries. Standing beside him, Kise’s words became clear.
Look inside for what you need.
Instinct superseded thought. With nervous energy, Pamoon removed her necklace and watch. Hooking her watchband on the chain, she placed them around Scout’s neck, fastening them without words. Next, she tied her staff to his back with a piece of rope from her backpack.
Turning toward the rear of the cave, Pamoon screamed as loud as possible. “Astam!” The sound bounced off the walls, louder with each subsequent echo.
Believing her command would reach its destination, she touched her palm to her neck, transforming into Kahkakow.
With a flutter of wings, she took flight and flew into the tapestry of the netherworld, with Scout close behind.
61
Destiny
March 23, 1:15 a.m.
* * *
Hearing the command, Atahk and the army of ravens flew into the tree, entering the netherworld.
* * *
Kanontsistonties heard the flutter of wings before the birds emerged. The appearance of the ravens surprised him and his demonic followers. Nothing from the natural universe ever voluntarily entered the dark world.
* * *
Pamoon, perched on an outcropping of rock, thirty feet above the wet, jagged floor, watched from the shadows as Atahk led the ravens into the vast netherworld. The acrid stench of this hell made her gag.
Using her left wing, she covered her nose, inhaling through her feathers; with her right wing, she covered Scout’s mouth, stopping him from growling. She and Scout stayed within the murky shadows of the rocks. The echoing of the beasts’ growls mixed with the incessant cawing from her feathered army was deafening. Her followers flew and hovered just below the ceiling of the cave, staying out of the reach of the beasts, squawking as loud as possible, stirring up a ruckus.
Pamoon’s constant attention never wavered more than a few seconds from Kanontsistonties. The demon didn’t budge from his spot to confront the birds. He expects me to enter through the mouth of the cave, Pamoon thought.
Kanontsistonties emitted a guttural hiss. It must have been a command, for Celia, the winged beast, sprang from the rocky ground, propelling itself into the murder of ravens, breathing fire with each breath.
The ravens, mirroring a swarm of bats on a summer night, darted and dove in every direction, doing their best to avoid the flames and the repeated snapping of the piasa’s fanged-jaws. As its bony muzzle snapped at one, others would attack from the rear, pecking at it with fervor and speed.
Atahk must have found a soft spot at the base of its head because his pecking caused the piasa to cry out in pain. The others, seeing this weakness, dive-bombed the winged goliath from behind pecking and biting at the fleshy opening.
The painful wail from the beast forced Kanontsistonties to look toward the fray. Celia, tired and bleeding from its fight, flapped its wings erratically striking some of the birds, sending them spiraling toward the musty, wet, jagged terrain.
Pamoon felt, more than heard, another hiss issued from Kanontsistonties. The rest of his minions lurched from the shadows, biting and tearing at the flesh of the fallen birds.
* * *
The smell of blood was too much for Kanontsistonties to bear and it leapt to join the slaughter. Impassioned with hate, Kanontsistonties took its anger out on anything it could sink its teeth into.
* * *
Seeing the peril of the fallen ravens, Pamoon commanded Scout to attack. Without hesitation, he put all his weight on his back haunches and jumped into the bloody scrum.
A blur of blinding white fur and teeth erupted from their hiding spot, ripping into the beasts’ flesh, tossing them aside with the strength of his jaws and neck. The monsters rag-dolled away from Scout, landing in a gnarled heap. Before the creatures could shake off their daze, ravens, working in unison, dove and pecked at their eyes, attempting to blind them where they landed.
Pamoon leapt from her perch, camouflaging herself by staying within the murder of ravens. She flew to Atahk, pushed the raven away from the maelstrom, and cawed an order. Atahk appeared confused by the command but did as she was told and flew from the netherworld back towards the Spirit Cave.
Pamoon called the ravens still airborne, directing them to encircle her, creating a blanket of black that would hide her from the enemy.
Using them as a shield, she dropped onto the cave floor, touched her left wing to her neck and morphed back into human form. Her army of ravens continuing to hide her from view. Using the birds as a shield, she moved toward Scout calling him to join her. “Astam!”
At the sound of her voice, Scout bit hard into the beast he’d been battling and leaped into the cloud of birds. Pamoon grabbed her staff and tore it from his back. In her next breath, she commanded the ravens to disperse and protect. “Siwescikewin ekwa kanaweyimowewin!”
The flock of birds flew from Pamoon’s side, freeing her from the hedge of protection, keeping the remaining beasts at bay while she faced her nightmare head on.
Pamoon screamed at Kanontsistonties. “Looking for me!”
The demon broke away from the carnage and locked eyes on her. The empty eye sockets seeped crimson-red, appearing hate-filled and voracious. Pamoon squared her stance, bent her knees for stability, and readied herself for the demon’s attack.
Now you’re mine, she heard the beast growl.
With blood-laced drool dripping from its bony jaw, Kanontsistonties lunged at her.
Pamoon stood pat as Satan’s spawn surged toward her from the opposite side of the cave. Her heart pounding, she depressed the button under her little finger, snapping the staff to full length. Twirling it in clockwise circles, she shifted her left leg behind her, slid both
hands to the butt of the staff and with as much force as she could muster, smashed its skeletal hips, knocking its torso and legs free from the head and neck, knocking it to the ground. With her next swipe, she batted the skull before it hit the dirt.
Kanontsistonties tumbled to the ground, rolling across the rocky soil before righting itself.
With the vestiges of fallen ravens dripping from its fangs, Kanontsistonties spit bits of bone and feather from its cavernous jaws. You think you can defeat me with a stick! The demon howled. Nothing can defeat me, not even the Kiche!
Snarling back at the skull with an equal amount of venom, Pamoon waited for its next move. At that moment, the alarm on her watch pierced the cave, letting her know she had mere minutes before the new moon peaked the night sky.
Kanontsistonties surged again with greater speed. Pamoon depressed the button under her thumb, springing the blades from the ends of her staff. With moves, deft and agile, she twisted her frame while twirling the staff, never taking her sight from the demon.
“Atahk, astam!” she screamed.
After each cut from her blades and blow from her staff, Kanontsistonties righted itself and attacked again.
Fool, it gnarled. You can’t kill what’s already dead.
Ignoring its words, Pamoon warded off attack after attack. Tiring from the battle, she hoped beyond hope her friend would arrive in time.
* * *
Atahk, having left the fight as commanded, flew back into the Spirit Cave where she attempted to pick up a piece of burning wood with her claws but the pull of evil coming from the tied beast was too much to ignore.