He turned back to Portia. He was fine with her avoiding him. It was too much for him to think about right then anyway. It did bug him, though, that she thought he liked Viv. The Shore girl was definitely cute, but he had never said he liked her. It was all so stupid! He sighed, pushed it from his mind, and focused again on the event.
Evidently Sawyer had drawn the short straw and would go last. That was typical, Shy thought, with the way this whole competition had gone so far for them. They would each have a limit of 7 minutes in the water to locate and catch a fish with nothing but their hands. If more than one contestant caught the same number of fish, the biggest would win. Or, the most fish caught would win. The Lake cabin contestant went first. It was a girl named Anna, whom Shy didn’t really know. He assumed that the girl didn’t really like the Forest boys because she was never around. About halfway through her time, she screeched. Presumably she had found a fish. She was not able to capture it in the time allotted, however.
The Cave boy went next. Shy thought he kind of looked like a fish. He had big eyes that were wide apart, and naturally puckered lips. The boy went immediately to the spot where Anna had screeched. Time ticked away, and he also came out with nothing.
The Shore cabin girl followed the same strategy, wading to the spot where Anna had her find. This girl was all business and came up with the fish they had all been trying for. After that fish, that Gust was now weighing, she scrounged around for her last couple of minutes, but found nothing else.
Shy felt depressed. The trout she had caught was a big one. All the counselors had gathered around it admiringly.
Now, Sawyer jumped in with a splash. Shy thought that was an incredibly dumb thing to do. He probably scared away all the fish, Shy thought. Sawyer, however, seemed to have a plan. He moved quickly, far away from his entry point, and all the onlookers. Shy realized he had moved to where he had caught the fish when they had been practicing. With about two minutes left, Sawyer whooped and came up with a fine looking trout. He handed it to Gust, who quickly weighed it. While it was nice sized, but it was just under the weight of the one that the Shore cabin girl had caught. Typical, Shy thought again.
However, Sawyer was not willing to give up. Shy watched as he slowly and smoothly submerged his whole body into the water. He was under for a long time. A really long time. Shy started to get nervous, and a quick glance to the counselors told him that they began to get nervous too. Gust, however, looked relaxed, and held a quirky smile on his face. Shy quickly remembered seeing Gust talking intently to Sawyer a few days prior, describing a technique for hand fishing. Perhaps Sawyer was using that now, Shy thought.
Time was running out. Clancy now called out the thirty second warning, and still Sawyer was under water. Everyone was watching the surface now. Suddenly, from a location far from where he had went under, Sawyer exploded up from the water. He sucked in several huge gulps of air, and then began to wade with the current over to the group watching from the rocks. Clancy started her countdown, and many turned away from the water. Shy continued to watch Sawyer though. The chubby prankster had kept his hands below the surface. Now, almost to Gust and the Shore, as Clancy reached five, the boy slowly raised his hands into the air above his head. There wriggling tremendously was another trout!
Shy raised a cheer, just as Clancy hit one. He ran over to the waters edge where Sawyer had just handed his second fish to Gust. Sawyer had done it! He had won! Shy gave him his hand to help Sawyer climb out of the water. The rest of the campers had now turned back to see what the ruckus was. All the guys gathered around Sawyer. He was toweling off as they all slapped him on the back.
“Attention please! Children…. Please…. Factoring in this surprising ending,” She said with a smile to Sawyer, “The Forest cabins win, with the Shore cabins scooping up the four points for second place. We will add the third and fourth place points, for a total of five, and divide it by two for the Lake and Cave cabins. So they will each end with 2.5 for this event. That makes the totals….” She paused and turned away from the megaphone to look down at her notebook. “Ahhhh, yes…. That makes the totals, Lakes eighteen point five, Shore sixteen, Forest thirteen, and Cave twelve point five. We will see you all down at dinner in the Lodge. It will be a little later today… seven thirty. Then we will head out into the woods as a group to conduct the wolf howling.”
As the large group filed back towards the path that would take them up through the cliffs, Shy looked up again to the swath of sky above. It had stopped raining earlier, but there was still no break in the clouds. There was nothing he could do about it, so he pushed it from his mind and joined into the jabbering of his group of friends.
Since the path upward through the gorge walls was relatively narrow, there was a bottleneck at the bottom. Thus, Shy stood with the Forest cabin boys near where they had seen the fossegrimen. Shy thought about how they almost hadn’t answered the riddle, and had begun to be pulled away forever. He looked at Daniel and Sam. Daniel didn’t seem to realize anything, but Sam had a sick look on his face, and Shy could see small beads of sweat forming on his freckled forehead. Sam saw Shy and stuck his tongue out slightly to illustrate how sick he felt.
The mass of campers finally started to move. As Shy and his buddies started to shuffle forward, he imagined that he was hearing faint fiddle music. Though it was faint, it had a dark, aggressive feel, unlike the soothing, calming music the fossegrimen had lulled him with previously. He knew that his nervousness was just making his brain play tricks on him, yet when he glanced at Sam, he saw the horror of recognition. Shy pointed silently to his ear, and Sam nodded. Now Shy was panicked. He wanted nothing to do with the fossegrimen again. His eyes scanned the rock wall as he continued to move forward, seeking for the catch in his vision signifying Glamour. He saw nothing.
Tad must have noticed the strange behavior of Shy and Sam, who now had moved next to each other. The counselor came up and asked, “What’s up guys?”
Shy was too scared now to beat around the bush. He said, “I hear fiddle music… the kind the fossegrimen plays…”
Sam nodded.
Tad simply shut his mouth and strained to listen. His eyebrows raised eventually, and Shy heard the music crescendo and then stop. Tad looked to Shy immediately.
“Did it stop?” Tad asked.
Shy and Sam both nodded as they walked up the path. They were now the last ones in the mass exodus of campers. All three scanned behind themselves often as they made their way up.
Chapter Seventeen
It was more like a symphony of flight.
It was now about eight o’clock. The boys had pushed back their plates with sighs of contentment. Their last dinner at camp for this summer had consisted of pan fried trout, which had included those caught in the hand fishing event. Gust had also fried up fresh fish that area fishermen had donated to the camp. They had fresh green beans from local gardens, and garlic mashed potatoes, again fresh from the locals.
The sun would normally set about ten minutes after eight at this time of year. However, now, with the cloudy sky, dusk had already begun to set in. Clancy saw that everyone had finished eating. She instructed them to bus their dishes and then gather outside the Lodge.
As Shy stood around with everyone else, outside the Lodge, he let his mind roam to the event that was about to take place. He had done a decent amount of practicing his wolf howl this summer, and he felt pretty confident. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would get responses from the wolves in the area. It seemed to him that luck would play a part in this event.
Absently, he reached down to his side to confirm that he still had the box in the pocket of his cargo shorts. He had grabbed it before dinner. The boys had decided they would all go together to try calling the Lesidhe on the way back to their cabins after this final event of the day. Tad and Gust had also planned to go along, so Shy felt like he would be pretty safe. Nonetheless, having the box out again, away from the protection of Tom T, made him nervous. He swivel
ed his head, checking for Glamour. His vision did not stop on any fairy magic, but he did see Gust and Tad, standing together in discussion, looking at Shy.
Again, he felt like there was something going on that he didn’t know about. He started to walk over to them and demand to know what they were discussing, but just then the megaphone’s squeal pulled his attention to Clancy. By the time he looked back they had separated and moved away. Shy reached down for the box again, reassuring himself.
“All right, everyone stay together. Counselors will keep count of their campers, and each group has flashlights to guide their way.” Clancy announced.
The large group moved off to the northwest. Surprisingly, it was on a path that Shy had not been on. He hadn’t realized it was even there. It moved upward rapidly. The ascent was faster than the other paths he had been on. When he asked Tad as they climbed, the counselor informed him that this was a path that Gust had just cleared over the last several days. It led up to the highest point within Camp Lac Igam. There was an exposed dome of bedrock at the top from which they would make their calls. Shy wondered to himself how he had not ever seen this highpoint before.
When he asked Tad, the counselor shrugged and said, “The forest is so thick and overgrown here on the lower slopes, so there were never any paths up. The top isn’t very large, barely big enough to hold all of us. The canopy from our Forest cabins prevents us from seeing it. From the lodge, you can see it if you look carefully, but it appears to look like a part of the rest of the mountainside. If it makes you feel any better, I have never really noticed it either. I dunno Shy… that is all I can think of. I guess we just need to pay better attention…”
Shy realized he really liked exploring places he had never been before, but with the cloudy night sky hiding the full moon, he couldn’t see much. The counselors now moved to surround the group. Gust gave some very stern warnings about staying together. There were steep drop-offs on all sides except the direction from which they came. Shy looked around nervously, imagining he was right on the edge. He could be for all he could see.
Gust called the four competitors to the front, and Shy pushed his way through the group. He wasn’t willing to walk around, even with the counselors watching the edges. He saw Penelope also pushing her way to the front. He knew she was competitive, and she was certainly loud and bossy. She almost rivaled Claire in that respect. Shy began to doubt his preparation. Had he really practiced enough? He had pushed his buddies to raise their performance. What would they say if he didn’t win?
He remembered Tad’s advice as he arrived in front of the group. Inside his head, Shy pictured all his worries being shoved into different boxes. He knew they were there, but for now, he would leave them there and not think about them. Instead, he thought about how Tad had described wolf howling when they first chose their events. He would give it his best shot. Gust said they would go in order of their current score. Thus Penelope would be first, then the Shore cabin girl, Shy, and then the Cave boy. He would have a good idea of what he had to beat.
Gust explained that much like the bird calling, this event would be judged by Clancy, himself, and the four counselors. One would get extra points for any type of a response, meaning wolves howling in answer. The average scores for each contestant would be compared for the final results.
As he looked at Gust, the old white haired man made eye contact and gave him a half a wink. That made Shy feel better. Gust had been so occupied recently, that he just hadn’t had time for Shy. Shy wondered what he had been up to, but couldn’t continue that thought because the event had begun.
Penelope had sucked in a large breath and started to howl. It sounded much like Shy’s howl would be, but higher pitched. As she stretched out the finish, Shy and the entire crowd strained their ears to hear any type of response. At first, Shy heard nothing. Maybe hers was too high pitched, Shy thought. It could be, he decided.
The shore cabin girl was next, but before she began, Shy heard, far off in the distance, the unmistakable wail of the lindworm! Events of earlier in the summer came rushing back to him. When he first howled, the lindworm had attacked. Panicked, Shy looked around. No one else seemed to have heard it.
The Shore cabin girl now started her howl. Again, it was high-pitched and didn’t stretch out as long as Penelope’s. Shy heard no response. He continued to listen, even as the Cave cabin boy moved into place for his turn. Just as the boy started his howl, Shy again thought he heard the wail of the lindworm, but closer than before. He looked at Gust who had turned his head in that direction. Obviously he had heard something too!
With uncharacteristic distractedness, Gust called Shy up.
As he walked up to Gust, he tried to whisper a warning to the old man. He wanted to be sure Gust was aware of the lindworm. Gust only shook his head once, effectively cutting Shy off. The old silver hair seemed more distracted than worried or concerned. He must have something up his sleeve, Shy thought.
Shy turned to face the group of campers, congregated on the top of the hill. He started to tilt his head upward nervously, to howl into the cloud filled Northern Minnesota sky. That is when his vision popped repeatedly.
Instead of seeing the lindworm diving straight at him, he saw sylphon! Many tens of sylphon filled the sky, ringing the open hilltop! Somehow Gust must have convinced them to stand guard. Now Shy understood why Gust had not seemed worried. He turned and looked at the old man, who now gave him another wink and urged him on.
“C’mon Shy!” Henry yelled from the crowd.
Buoyed in spirit, Shy tilted his head upward again, cupped his hands and let fly a massive howl. He stretched it on and on, getting lower as he went. Eventually his voice and breath gave out. He waited. He listened. Far inland he heard it! Several wolves howled in response!
Elated, he stepped aside for the Cave cabin boy’s turn. His body language as he stepped by Shy exuded confidence. He almost strutted. The boy let fly a very impressive howl. It definitely matched Shy’s in length. The entire group held its collective breath.
Seconds ticked by. No response came back.
Shy knew he had done it, he had won this competition!
Gust announced that they would meet back down at the Lodge and have some snacks, and announce the standings. He and the counselors began to herd the kids back down the newly made path.
Shy was congratulated by his buddies; they were loud and boisterous as they rode the wave of victory down the hill. Shy tried to avoid tripping on tree roots and rocks as he was slapped on the back and almost pushed to the bottom. Shy was happy, but something nagged at him, like usual. He couldn’t enjoy the victory completely because he knew there was something he needed to think over, he just couldn’t grasp the elusive thought.
He did know that he was starting to get nervous. It wouldn’t be long and they would come back up this path, he would open the box, and begin to howl. The full moon was still hidden behind a thick veil of clouds, and Shy now knew that just wasn’t going to change.
They piled back into the Lodge, and as he sat down at his spot, he noticed his name, carved into the pine table. That seemed like such a long time ago, now. He looked up front towards Clancy, who was trying to quiet the masses. Again, he caught Gust’s eye, and the old man winked. The wink reminded Shy. He realized what was bugging him. How had Gust arranged for the sylphon to protect the event? Or had he? Maybe they did it on their own, and now that he had the potion, he just realized they were there. That didn’t seem likely to Shy. He hadn’t seen much of Gust, maybe the old man had been working with the fey, recruiting them?
That last thought lingered in Shy’s brain, but he was soon interrupted by the squeal of the megaphone.
Clancy held a piece of paper in her hands and announced, “The Forest cabins have won this event, followed by the Cave cabins in second, Shore in third, and Lake in fourth…”
Shy snuck a peek at Penelope. She was looking daggers at anyone in the room. Her teammates were not making eye contact with
her. Shy realized they probably knew how angry the girl would be. As she turned towards the Forest table, Shy quickly looked back up to Clancy.
“…. Sooooo, that puts Lakes at twenty point five, Shore at nineteen, Forest at nineteen, and Cave at sixteen point five.”
Shy was very happy that the race had tightened up. He felt it was very realistic now that they could move into the lead tomorrow.
Tad walked over to the group, and leaned down. In a conspiratorial whisper, he said, “Have some snacks, hang out with everyone for about twenty minutes, and then we will head back up that hill where we just were. We all go together… Gust will meet us.”
With a glance into all their eyes, and a nod, the counselor walked back over to where the other three stood. He made eye contact with Meg, and gave her a slight nod also.
The boys all moved around the room, grabbing handfuls of popcorn and chips. Shy poured himself some kind of drink from a big bowl. Clancy called it punch. He took a sip and pursed his lips. It was sweet, but pretty good. He looked around the room. Eddie, Ralph, and Sam were sitting back at the Forest table. Daniel and Henry were standing by the Lake girls’ table talking with Claire and others. Shy realized it was more like Henry was talking, and everyone else was laughing at him. Shy nonchalantly eased his way over to join the periphery of the group.
It was easy to join in laughing and giggling at Henry’s antics, but Shy had another objective. He wanted to get close to Portia. Maybe, he thought, this would be his opportunity to talk with her. Time was running short; they would be leaving after the final four events tomorrow.
The Huldra Hostility Page 24