“Flora, that’s not a real thing. Just fables our mothers passed down to put fear into our hearts and get us to listen them. Stop talking nonsense,” one man responded.
“Oh, really? Nonsense,” she said. “And you with your Tlingit heritage. Such a disgrace! Did you not hear what Bobby’s friend Jake said? A hairy being came out and grabbed him. Just like in the bedtime stories your atlee used to tell you when you were a young ‘un Jeb. Just like all those babies that have been going missing along the coast for years. But no one says anything because no one believes it’s Kushtaka come to take her revenge. But, I tell you, it is.”
“Wait,” Kelsey interrupted. “Babies have gone missing, too?”
Flora rolled her rheumy gaze towards her. “You betcha, young lady. It happens all the time up and down the Pacific Northwest--more times than you can count on two hands. Kushtaka’s been busy with her vengeance. You check every Native American reservation and you’ll see missing babies that the locals always blame on poor parenting skills or the drink. No one gives this problem the respect it deserves. I tell you this, it’s Kushtaka preying on the very souls of our young children and nobody gives a damn.”
A few of the other townfolk nodded in agreement, while others objected.
“It had to be a bear, Flora,” someone offered.
“Well, I’m certain it wasn’t a bear.” A beefy man strolled up to them. He was bundled in a thick white wool parka that made him resemble a snowman and he held a rifle in his hands that he gripped so tightly his knuckles were white. “I left my Jake back at the house with his mama because he can’t stop crying. The poor kid is screaming nonstop about a beast that grabbed Bobby. Claims it was a huge hairy creature that picked him up like he was kindling and took off with him into the woods. Jake says he was the size of the totem pole in Ted’s store, so the thing has to be at least eight feet tall.”
“That’s what I said. It wasn’t no bear,” Flora groused. She peered over Ari’s shoulder and her eyes widened. “Venerable Sir!” Flora pushed by Kelsey and grasped Sitaula’s arm. “Are you coming to help us find that boy?”
He patted her shoulder affectionately. “Of course, Flora. Where else would I be?” He turned to the others gathered and glanced around. “Are we ready to go?”
Kelsey and Ari exchanged glances. “Go where?” they asked.
Sitaula blinked. “Why, we’re going into the woods to find Bobby, of course. You’re welcome to join us. The more eyes and ears helping, the better chance we have to locate him quickly. Let’s go.” With that, Sitaula and the assembled hunting party moved up to the trail and to the place where Bobby had supposedly been snatched. Kelsey saw distinct signs of a struggle but not much more. The tumult of people at the scene muddied any clues they might have been able to cull. Ari and Kelsey moved to the edge of the collected circle to examine the woods.
Ari bent and plucked something off of a nearby bush. He kept his voice down. “Kelsey? Look at this.” He examined it and then handed the object to his sister. She held it up to the light. It was a patch of brown hair. She could see the pieces of skin on the edges, as if it had been ripped out where it had been caught on the bush. She put it to her nose and sniffed. It clearly held the musky scent of an animal.
“You see anything else?” She glanced at the crowd, watching as they split up into groups.
Ari crawled on the ground and picked up another clump of hair and handed it to her.
She compared it to the first sample she held and squinted. “This isn’t the same. This second sample is a lot furrier.”
He raised his brows. “Like wool?”
She cocked her head. “Like fur or even cotton. It might be synthetic. It’s thicker than hair. It could be from anything.” She sniffed it and then shook her head, considering. “What are we dealing with, Ari? Multiple animals? A serial killer?”
He shrugged. “Maybe it was just a bear. The kid was probably scared out of his mind and couldn’t process what happened. Or, maybe it really was a Yeti.”
This part of the Alaskan forest was dense and Kelsey could understand why the boys had taken the shortcut through the wood. The main road wound down the mountain and the shortcut would save them a good amount of walking.
Sitaula came to stand beside her and glanced at the pieces of material she held in her hand, but said nothing. He seemed troubled.
Kelsey pocketed the samples. “Sir, how well did the boys know these woods?”
“Very well. They grew up here. These woods were like a second home to them. While they were admonished not to take them, they’d traveled them many times with their families. Come, let’s go.”
The parties fanned out, with each group concentrating their search on a two-mile radius in each direction from the point of contact. Kelsey and Ari shadowed Sitaula and made up their group of three. They hunted diligently for hours and Sitaula’s dedication and fortitude impressed Kelsey. He combed every tree branch, crawled in the undergrowth and got his robes filthy. Not once did he complain and not once did he request a break.
They’d been searching for four hours when Kelsey motioned to Sitaula. “Sir, please, have a drink.”
The man appeared downright weary and his normal pallor had paled. Lines furrowed his brow and he finally seemed closer to his true age than when Kelsey had first met him in the temple. She handed him a bottled water and he gulped it down.
“Let’s rest for a moment.”
Sitaula handed her back the bottle and shook his head. “Rest? I’m sure that little boy is not resting right now. I appreciate the offer, but I’d like to keep searching.” And back into the forest he had gone, only stopping when the daylight began to fade. It was nearly four o’clock. Sunset came early this far north.
When they met back at the main road, they still had nothing to go on. No one found any sign of the boy. This time, not even a patch of cloth from his clothes.
When Kelsey and Ari returned to the retreat with Sitaula, he took them to the kitchen in the main temple and made them a simple dinner of bread, vegetable soup and tea. After that, he bade them goodnight, gave them use of the temple and returned to his cabin.
Ari squinted. “I want to see if he really is going back to his cabin.”
Kelsey frowned. “You still think he had something to do with this? What, do you think he did this all as a ruse and now he’s going to go back to his dungeon lair to check on his victim that he’s kept hidden there all afternoon?”
Ari hissed at her to shush. They rose, put on their coats and followed Sitaula’s trail. Kelsey kept close at Ari's heels. In silence, they arrived at Sitaula’s cabin and slinked around to the back to the rear window. They peeked inside to see a room that was similar to Kelsey’s save for a small altar with a golden Buddha statue on it.
Sitaula knelt on the floor with his knees resting on a thin wooden mat. The window was open slightly and Kelsey could hear his mumbled prayer. Surprisingly, he repeated the same mantra over and over. The one about the Asuras that she’d heard before and it continued to stymie her. She’d no idea why he invoked this one mantra repeatedly. Regardless, it was a peaceful, meditative scene, except for the tears that flowed down Sitaula’s face. In his hand, he clutched the piece of pink cloth from his daughter’s pajamas, and Kelsey and Ari watched in silence as he prayed and wept. At times he put the cloth to his lips and kissed it.
Kelsey finally grabbed Ari’s arm and pulled him away. “Let’s give him privacy,” she whispered.
On the way back, Ari spoke to her. “It means nothing, Kelsey. So he’s crying. Maybe he’s haunted by what he did to her.”
“You have no heart.”
“Sure I do. Just not for him.”
Back at the cabin, Ari went inside to make some calls.
Kelsey stuck her head into the room. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m going to walk around for a little while and clear my head. Don’t even think of taking my bed.” She grabbed a flashlight from her pack and went around to th
e rear of the cabin.
Chapter 13
Finley watched her brother Desmond crouch behind the pile of rocks and dead tree roots. He was so filthy from the ash that all she could see was a gray blur. Only the blue-green of his startling eyes, when he glanced in her direction, reminded her that there was a person under all that dirt. They’d been switching off attacking the creature and now he was closer to the Garuda than she. Finley waited for him to get his shot in first. She was certain he wouldn’t kill it. He wasn’t nearly as good a marksman as she was, but thankfully, he could track like a master huntsman and had been able to keep pace with this ogre of a demon for days.
When Desmond returned to Aihika, the plane of existence where he’d been born, his skill for tracking came back full force. He’d told her he’d been a police officer back on Earth, and a good one. But when he’d returned to Aihika, it was as if he had some sort of special abilities. He could practically feel and smell the creatures he tracked, as if it were a superpower he had hidden deep in his bones. This had not surprised Finley. When they were little, he was the one who had hunted in the woods for dinner. He’d go out for hours and would later return with enough little animals to put food on the table when times were bleakest. They were always clumsily killed, but their mother had made do with what he’d brought home.
Finley turned to their target, pleased with how far they’d come. Killing a Garuda was difficult, if not impossible, and they’d been hitting it hard for days. Its wings were now useless. She felt sure they’d now be able to eventually save the child. All they had to do was get a little bit closer and then this particular nightmare would be over.
Desmond readied his weapon and froze. She saw why. The Garuda glanced up and sniffed the air. Its beady, bird-like eyes, searched the brush for them. She and Desmond had rubbed fern leaves, dirt and herbs over their entire bodies, hoping it would mask the scent of their humanity, but they were sweating from the chase and she was sure the creature could smell them now. Thankfully, the Garuda cawed once and then went back to nursing its injured wing. An arrow still stuck out from the side of one wing, dangling pitifully. The Garuda tried repeatedly to pull it out with its beak, but the creature couldn’t reach it.
The two year old girl they were trying to save cried out weakly in distress, and while the sound ripped at Finley's heart, she was glad to hear it. It meant she was still alive and that’s all that mattered at this point. They’d tend to her physical and mental needs once they had her in their possession.
Finley hated these creatures with a passion and even looking at this one made her skin crawl. On Earth, this creature was but the stuff of legends and myth, but here it was all too real. The Garuda was a hybrid mix between a human and a bird. It possessed the head, beak, wings and talons of an eagle but his body, legs and arms, were that of a human man. Gold skin covered its exterior, but not the face, which was bright white like alabaster.
The creature tried once again to flap its useless bright red wings but could no longer take to the sky. In frustration it dropped the toddler, who had been clutched in one of his steely arms. She fell hard to the ground and cried out. She tried to crawl away, but it took one of its taloned feet and blocked her progress. It had one job and no matter how much it was injured, Finley knew it would keep going until either they killed it, or the child died. The Garudas were pets of the Asura Devas and their sole responsibility during this war was to steal children so the Devas above could use the children’s souls to win the war. All the Garuda had to do was bring the little girl in alive. Her condition was not important in the least. As long as her soul was intact, that’s all that was needed.
Over my dead body.
She’d forgotten what these creatures were when she’d first come to Earth. Her memory had been wiped out. But, unlike Desmond, there were a group of people who knew who and what she was, and they took her in and protected her. The clues to return her memory came quickly. Not like Desmond who wallowed in ignorance for years about his true identity.
For a brief moment, she felt remiss about how she had returned Desmond to Aihika. She purposely hadn’t given him any time to make a decision about it. They were both thirty-three years of age and there was no more time to waste. She’d seen the girl he’d been with, but the last thing she wanted was for him to say he wouldn’t come home with her. During the first week, Desmond had been furious with her that she hadn’t given him the chance to say goodbye. While it was a bit of a sore point to this day, there was nothing to be done for it, and he knew that. Once he remembered fully who he was, he knew how much he was needed here. His abilities to track and fight made him one of their strongest assets.
Finley heard the familiar mimic of a robin and roused herself from her memories. Desmond let his arrow fly, but it simply nicked the Garuda’s back.
Dammit, Desmond. Steady your wrist and aim higher, like I taught you.
The Garuda shrieked in pain and flapped its unusable wings. It did nothing but create a wind, but it was still strong enough to flip the child over and toss her ten feet away.
Desmond readied another arrow but Finley couldn’t wait for him any longer. The creature was finally at its most vulnerable. She raised her own arrow and let it fly, hitting the creature directly in one of its eyes. Perfect. Maybe I can blind the damn thing.
Desmond loosed another arrow and missed entirely. The creature turned towards the little girl and Finley knew that there was no more time. She ran into the field and fully exposed herself. “Come get me, you coward!” The Garuda launched itself at her, as she knew it would, but Finley never wavered as the creature rushed towards her. She let her weapon loose and this time she was close enough to hit it directly in the center of its chest, right in the heart. With a death roar that shook the air, the Garuda fell over and thundered to the ash-smothered ground. Puffs of smoke swirled up and for a moment covered her vision.
As the smoke cleared, Finley could see Desmond’s shape vault from his hiding spot and go after the girl, who had disappeared somewhere in the dusty mist.
Blindly she moved forwards with her arms outstretched until her brother emerged from the fog with the child in his arms. The little girl coughed ferociously. Desmond guided Finley and they moved slowly out of the clearing until the air grew fresher and they could breathe and see again.
Finley stared at the child and wished she could take that look of terror and pain out of her eyes. Filthy and covered with cuts and bruises, she had been through so much since she’d been plucked from the arms of her mother two days ago. She was sure she’d not eaten or slept since. Not to mention her arm appeared swollen and Finley was sure it was fractured. Her exhaustion and pain wore heavily on her features.
Finley turned to Desmond. “Should we take her back to her village or back to our camp?” As she said this, she unhooked her flask of water and leaned towards the child. “Here you go, honey. Sip it slowly.”
The toddler gulped, choked, and cried weakly, but Finley kept at her until she had her fill.
“No way we can make it back to her village,” Desmond said, taking a sip as well. “It’s on the other side of the territory.”
Finley pursed her lips. “Her family is terrified.”
“They’re probably more than terrified, Finn. They’ve probably already started mourning her death. You know children seldom make it home after a Garuda kidnaps them. It’s not like we can just make a phone call, you know.”
Finley wasn’t sure what a phone call was, but said nothing.
Desmond rocked the little girl gently in his arms while Finley fed her some dried nuts and meat from her sack. The child soon fell into an exhausted, pained sleep.
“We’re going to have to set her arm,” Finley said.
Desmond nodded. “We’ll be able to do it soon. On the way home, we’ll pass through the remains of the city of Rin Mar and get supplies to set it there. There’s nothing around for us to use here and thankfully she’s already asleep. I’ll try not to jostle her.” He
glanced at his sister admiringly. “That was a good shot, Finn. I’m impressed.”
She raised her brows, surprised. He seldom complimented her.
Then he shrugged. “Too bad it took you two tries and you had to get within fifteen feet of it to get it right. I think you’re losing your touch.” The corners of his mouth quirked up at his joke.
Ah, I should have known. She punched him in his arm, but secretly enjoyed seeing him smile, even if it was at her expense. He smiled even less than he made compliments. She wondered if he had been like this on Earth or had the experience of returning home changed him.
They passed by the remains of a farmstead. All that remained was the foundation of the building and some decayed pieces of wood. Desmond glanced up at the sky. The war had quieted for the evening and only faint flashes of light glimmered at the top of Mount Sumeru. “It’s going to get dark soon, so let’s make camp. I’ll get a fire going.” He handed Finley the child. She didn’t wake up.
Finley sat down on a piece of piling and gently rocked her charge. The little girl was so innocent. It reminded her of her own life. Finley’s experience when she returned to Earth had been vastly different than her brother’s. It was only a few months after she arrived that her memories fully returned. She didn’t flounder like he did for nearly twenty-three years. She shuddered, imagining how scared and confused he must have been. Just like she’d been when her mother begged her at the age of ten to move into the portals to send her away. That moment was etched in her mind like a knife wound to her heart. How frightened she’d been, knowing she was leaving everything she loved. She remembered the moment so clearly. The air she breathed had burned of sulfur and she watched as one of the last great buildings crumbled in the distance while a black flock of creatures soared towards them. She could see her mother’s desperation etched in the lines around her eyes. “Finley, go now. I will not ask again!” It had been hard to hear her, because the Garuda’s wails rang in the air and made her head hurt. One moment she was staring at her mother and brother, and then next she’d woken up naked and scared on the shore of the Thames River in the early 1700’s. Locals found her and brought her to a hospital where they deemed her delusional. She didn’t speak English or any of the other European languages they knew, and had been acting erratically and screaming for hours on end. After a few days, one idiot doctor recommended bloodletting and covered her body with leeches and then cut her until she nearly bled out. It was only due to the efforts of a man visiting a sick relative that she was saved. Mr. and Mrs. James Smythe, a well-known educated and wealthy businessman and his wife, took her in.
The Call of Mount Sumeru Page 9