Thunderstone

by Barbara Pietron

  “The stories are kinda similar,” Ice said.

  Jeni nodded, pausing a few feet from the deck stairs. “I think a lot of myths are.”

  They stood there for an awkward long second. The brightly lit kitchen window gave them an alternative to looking at each other, and they watched as Jeni’s family members trickled into the room.

  “I guess I better go in,” Jeni said. But instead of turning toward the steps, she studied him for a moment with a mildly furrowed brow. “Did you catch a lot of flack about not getting the statue?”

  Ice had a quick debate on how to answer her question. The artifact in her hands had the potential of a gas can near a fire. On the other hand, judging by her reaction to his touch, she was unaware of her abilities. Maybe sitting on a bedroom shelf was the safest place for such a thing. Although he couldn’t let her keep it without some kind of warning. “No,” he answered, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. “Only a little flack.” Jeni smiled—exactly the reaction he’d hoped for. He wanted to keep the conversation light. Returning her smile he said, “But now that you know what the statue is, don’t take it to the beach or anything.”

  Jeni giggled. “Too late. I already went swimming with it.”

  “Yeah, right.” Ice chuckled, but he didn’t like the way she’d blushed as she said it. She couldn’t be serious?

  Jeni rolled her eyes and the color in her cheeks deepened. “Well, I didn’t take it swimming so much as dunked it in the water.” She looked at the grass. “I fell in the water trying to cross the stones at the headwaters. The statue was in my pocket.”

  Ice barely caught the rest of her story as his mind reeled. Oh god, no. The statue…Jeni…in the water together…was it enough to get the Underwater Monster’s attention?

  “…okay. Just a little scrape on the ankle.”

  Great. Even better. She bled in the water. She might as well have scratched her name in the sand with directions on how to find her.

  He suddenly realized Jeni had stopped speaking and regarded him expectantly. He attempted a chuckle that sounded more like he was choking. “Yeah…uh…people fall there all the time.”

  Apparently his reply sufficed because Jeni smiled up at him shyly. “Too bad we didn’t have time for a legend about the Underwater Lynx.” She made her way to the bottom of the deck stairs and stood with her hand on the rail. “Uh…maybe if you’re around another day?”

  The suggestion took Ice by surprise until it dawned on him that she probably thought he worked at the resort. “Yeah,” he blurted. “I’ll be around.”

  “Well…if you have time…”

  “Sure. I guess I’ll probably see you…later then.”

  He waited until Jeni was at the cottage door. She turned and waved.

  Ice raised his hand briefly then walked off into the dark. Holy crap. His pulse pounded in his ears. If he’d known about Jeni’s fall in the river, he’d have responded differently when she asked about the statue. He could have told her he caught a lot of flack. That he’d still like to—no, needed to—buy the statue from her.

  He took a deep breath, trying to convince himself he was overreacting. He didn’t know anything had happened. Mishebeshu hadn’t been a threat to the people for over a hundred years; surely there was a chance the omen Nik received had nothing to do with Jeni.

  But in his heart, his arguments fell flat.

  Life is simple. Man complicates it.

  —Edna Gordon, Seneca

  Chapter 3

  Nothing happened quickly with fourteen people staying in the same cottage. Especially not shower rotations. Fortunately, Jeni started the habit of showering at night when she’d started high school and had the bathroom to herself last night—with no one waiting at the door. So while most of the family vied for bathroom time, Jeni volunteered to help her aunt with breakfast.

  “How many eggs?” she asked Tyler’s mom.

  “I don’t know when your dad and Tyler will be back so don’t count them; and Josie doesn’t eat eggs.”

  “Me neither.”

  “Okay then…” her aunt ticked off her fingers. “The little ones won’t eat much either—let’s just go with a dozen. It’s easy enough to scramble more.”

  “All right.” Jeni began breaking eggs into a bowl.

  “Wow, that’s impressive,” her aunt commented. “You don’t eat eggs but you can crack them one handed?”

  “Yeah,” Jeni said, pleased that her aunt had noticed. “I love to bake.” She found a whisk and lightly beat the eggs.

  Nearly forty-five minutes later they were gathered around the table, finally having breakfast at 10:00 a.m. They planned to go to the park today, but no one was in a hurry.

  “Nat and I were talking about going to the playground after breakfast,” announced Jeni’s aunt, who had a three-year-old son. “Everyone is welcome to join us.”

  “I’ll go,” Jeni said. She’d been looking for an excuse to get outside. She didn’t want to admit it—even to herself—but she wondered if Ice was at the resort already.

  She still hoped to see him today despite the razzing she’d taken last night at dinner. Tyler, of course, started it by asking if she always talked to strange stalker guys. He ignored her attempt to explain. When one of her aunts tried to defend her by commenting, “Jeni can’t help it if she’s hot,” Jeni cleared her plate and fled to the safety of the bathroom. After a long shower, she read and listened to her iPod, falling asleep at a relatively early hour.

  Consequently, she’d woken up early this morning and heard someone already up and about. Jeni checked the time: 6:45, then remembered her dad and Tyler were going fishing. Hopefully they’d leave soon.

  Careful not to disturb her grandma in the neighboring bed, Jeni donned a pair of jeans and pulled a sweatshirt on over her pajama top. About ten minutes later, the rumble of the sliding door announced the fishermen’s departure. She waited another minute, listening to the silence of the sleeping dwelling, and then slipped from the room.

  From the kitchen window, she confirmed Tyler and her dad were in the boat. As soon as they rowed away from the dock, Jeni put on shoes and a fleece jacket—it would be chilly out at 7:00 a.m.

  Huddled on the dock, Jeni smiled grimly as the bars appeared on her cell phone display. It sucked that she had to sit out here even to text. Talk about the boonies. She’d counted on conversations with her best friend, Carolyn, to get her through the evenings. But once it got dark out, Jeni wasn’t about to wander out to the dock by herself.

  Now she was worried about running out of books to read and was reduced to this: trying to catch Carolyn before and after work. Her friend had scored a job at a YMCA summer camp for elementary school kids.

  You up? She typed.

  The reply didn’t take long. Yes unfortunately L

  Remember the cute guy who wanted to buy the statue I bought the day we got here? He showed up at the resort last night.

  What the heck? Is he stalking you?

  Not really. He apologized for freaking me out. He’s actually pretty nice.

  Jeni lifted her face to the warm sun that had finally peeked through the tops of the trees. When Carolyn didn’t reply immediately, Jeni figured she must be brushing her teeth or was possibly interrupted by her mom or one of her annoying little brothers. A couple minutes later, Jeni’s phone buzzed.

  Nice because he still wants your souvenir?

  I don’t think so. He didn’t ask me for it again.

  So he’s just hot for you lol

  Ha ha. He just felt bad.

  That’s all he said?

  No. He told me he’s Native American and somehow we ended up talking about legends and myths

  Jeni could’ve guessed what her friend’s comment would be; Carolyn knew Jeni well. She smiled as she read the reply, So he’s a geek like you J maybe you met your soulma
te What’s his name?

  Yeah right lol. You’re gonna be all over this but remember he’s Indian. His name is Shattered Ice and he goes by just Ice

  I guess I can accept that since he’s Indian—and cute :D Will you see him again?

  Maybe today.

  You better fill me in on all the details later. Btw did Tyler ask about me lol

  Carolyn made fun of her own question, but Jeni knew there was a modicum of actual curiosity there. When she’d introduced her friend to Tyler at her grandpa’s funeral, Carolyn’s reaction was unmistakable; subtle, but something a best friend picked up on immediately. Actually, it was the first time Jeni had ever considered Tyler’s appearance from a girl’s perspective. He was her cousin. And he was annoying.

  He probably doesn’t even remember your name—no fault of yours, he’s just an idiot most of the time. You can do better The thought of Tyler dating her best friend made Jeni shudder. Thank goodness he lived in Wisconsin.

  Gotta take off. My mom’s letting me drive.

  Ok. Have a good one

  Jeni clicked her phone off and sighed. She needed more time to talk to her friend. She didn’t even have time to tell Carolyn about the strange episode she had on the dock last night when she was talking to Ice. She’d just started telling him about Persephone when her vision went black for a second and flames materialized, flickering in the darkness. Then, beyond the flames, silhouettes swayed…to drums. Drum beats pulsed from within her.

  Then she was looking at the lake again. The episode freaked her out. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. She didn’t have time to dwell on the strange incident since Ice prompted her by asking if Persephone was from Greek Mythology. Too embarrassed to tell him what had happened (since she didn’t even know what happened), she managed to recover and finish the story. Later, in bed, she went over the scene in her mind, trying to pinpoint what might’ve made her ‘black out’, but she’d come up with nothing.

  Finally she chalked it up to all of the unfamiliar stimuli, not sleeping well in a strange bed, and the talk of myths and legends.

  “Looks like Tyler and your dad are back from fishing,” Tyler’s mom commented, snapping Jeni back to the present. She was glad she’d volunteered to go to the playground because another good reason to leave the cabin had just arrived at the dock. “Is he done?” she asked Nat’s mom.

  “I think so. So am I.”

  Jeni stacked up their plates and carried them to the sink. Checking out the window, she saw Tyler tying up the boat while her dad transferred tackle to the dock.

  Jeni’s aunt finished tying Nat’s shoes and noticed Jeni hovering at the window. “Go get your jacket,” she told her son, then met Jeni’s eyes. “We can meet you outside, if you want.”

  Jeni smiled. “Great.” She grabbed her jacket and slipped out the side door just as her dad and Tyler reached the deck.

  Her number one objective for the day was to avoid Tyler like the plague.

  ***

  Ice slept in. Not on purpose, he’d had a hard time getting to sleep last night. When he did finally drift off, strange dreams resulted in a restless slumber. Knowing vision quests take time, Ice hadn’t gone straight from the resort to the lodge; figuring talking to the medicine man last night wouldn’t have changed anything

  In retrospect though, perhaps getting everything off his chest would’ve allowed him a good night’s sleep.

  The sharp aroma of coffee got him out of bed and into the kitchen. His mom always turned the coffee maker off before she left, but the pot was still warm. He poured a cup and brought it in the bathroom with him.

  Ice tried to get his thoughts in order while he showered. Aside from the things he needed to tell Nik, he had questions as well. But by the time he climbed in his Jeep, his own conjecture was driving him crazy. To preserve his sanity, he cranked up the music on his way to Knutson Dam Campground.

  He parked in the campground day-use lot and set out on foot for the isolated lodge overlooking Cass Lake. As the path drew parallel to the beach, Ice spotted the gray, domed roof protruding from the long beach grass. Fashioned from curved boughs covered with birch bark, the lodge easily masqueraded as a large boulder.

  The waves lapped softly at the sand and a seagull cried in the distance. He padded forward, distributing his weight on the balls of his feet.

  “Come in, Ice.”

  Ice ducked under the hide hanging in the hut’s doorway. “You heard me?”

  “Here,” Nik said and pointed to his head. “Sensed you coming. Kind of like knowing someone is on the other end of the phone line even if they don’t speak.”

  Ice still struggled to fully develop that capability. He received mental communication from the medicine man, and could sense Nik in his head, but only just before a message came through. Sending an answer in return had proved problematic.

  “It’ll come,” Nik said, reading the look on his apprentice’s face. “Perhaps when technology fails you, you’ll make the connection.”

  Since the lodge had been the location of his initial vision quest, Ice knew the interior lacked creature comforts. Devoid of furniture, the small dwelling offered only shelter and existed for one purpose: serenity. Nik motioned to the ground next to him. “Sit. Your anxiety entered before you did. Tell me what you know.”

  “I found the girl.” Ice rushed the words out, glad to share the burden. “When I spoke to her, I perceived a kind of…connection just by looking her in the eyes. Eventually I managed to casually touch her hand and felt a bond—different than ours though. Maybe because she’s a girl? Anyway, the thought that came to me was ‘priestess’.”

  He paused to give the medicine man a chance to comment. Lines creased Nik’s forehead, but he remained silent. Ice rubbed at a clump of sand stuck to the side of his shoe and reluctantly continued. “There’s more. And I think it’s pretty bad.” He raised his chin. “She fell in the river. She had the statue in her pocket.”

  Nik closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. “When?”

  “Right after she bought it.”

  “Same time as the omen.”

  Ice nodded. He’d thought it over last night and deduced the same thing.

  “We have to assume the Underwater Manitou has been roused—thus, the warning. It’s up to us, then, to subdue him before he escapes his prison.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ice said. “In the legends, Mishebeshu is in the Great Lakes—not the river. Besides, how could this happen now? After a hundred years?”

  Ice fought the urge to squirm as he felt Nik’s gaze evaluating him.

  “You’re right, Ice. When the world was made, the Underwater Manitou inhabited the Great Lakes. Some inland lakes also were suspected to be linked as part of an underground tunnel system the creature traveled. Our people didn’t fish certain lakes because of the unnatural color of the water and reports of sightings or incidents that occurred there. But the big water was most dangerous. Unfortunately, newcomers to our land have always seen fit to disturb the environment if it benefits them. Have you heard of the Illinois Waterway?”

  Ice shook his head.

  “The Great Lakes and the Mississippi watershed don’t have a natural connection.” Nik emphasized the word “natural.” “Over one hundred and fifty years ago Congress authorized a canal that would connect Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. It was finished in the mid 1800’s—even reversing the flow of the Chicago River to accomplish the feat.

  “Not long after that our people witnessed signs of the manitou in the rivers. It started with bad fishing, but soon people were dying; overturned canoes, children drawn under by whirlpools. The visions of the elders agreed: the Great Spirit was angry; things were not how they’d been created. Unable to do anything about the canal, the medicine men of neighboring tribes joined together to lure the creature here. They trapped him in a cavern near the s
acred burial mounds of Lake Itasca and charmed him to sleep.”

  Nik gazed in the direction of Lake Itasca as if he could see the site. “Two braves gave their lives to guard the opening. One of them is my great-great grandfather.” He paused for a moment of respectful silence and then continued the narrative. “So my ancestors have kept watch, passing the responsibility from generation to generation. Some of the burial mounds were discovered and excavated years ago, but the cavern and its guards remained intact.”

  “If the monster somehow escapes the guards, he’ll exact his vengeance—no waters will be safe.” Nik locked eyes with his apprentice as if to make sure he understood the gravity of his words. “We’ll need the statue to reverse what’s happened.”

  Ice nodded once in assent; another conclusion he’d drawn while lying awake last night. He didn’t move to leave. Instead, he flicked another clump of sand from his shoe, mulling over an internal debate.

  “Ice? Is there something else?”

  Ice glanced up. “It’s probably nothing. I had a dream last night with Jeni in it.”

  “The girl who bought the statue?”

  “Yeah. Her name’s Jeni.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Well, we were at a lake skipping stones. Jeni became anxious—and confused. She said she heard drumming and kept asking me, “Can’t you hear the drums?” When I told her no, she became even more agitated. Then I decided to go swimming and Jeni tried to stop me. “Don’t go.” She repeated it over and over. But I did swim. All the while Jeni tried to talk me out of the water. Eventually it got dark, she still pleaded with me, but when I looked, she was gone and in her place was an owl. When the owl warned me to get out of the water I was suddenly scared and I got out.” Ice fiddled with the fraying knee of his jeans.

  “Mmm. Owls symbolize the souls of the departed, they’re messengers of death. Ice, I fear the owl is another bad omen.”

  A coldness crept into Ice’s chest and spread throughout his torso. “What do you think the dream meant?”