A Wicked Beginning

by Calinda B

  “You’re impossible.” I poked my head into the elegant bathroom. “This is awesome. Manoko’s got good taste. Goodness, look at the size of that tub.” The sunken tub, surrounded by colorful Italian tile, was big enough for two and then some. An elegant brass faucet curved up and over the edge like a swan’s neck. The whole thing was a work of art.

  Cam came up behind me. “Yeah, just look…you might need to take a bath later.” He wrapped one of his strong arms around me, pulled me back against his firm torso and bent his head to playfully bite my neck. “You’ve had an exhausting day. I could help you unwind.”

  “We’ll see.” I pushed away from him, smiling, and stepped over to the roomy marble lined shower. “This is where the cat left his paw prints?”

  “Yup…” he replied, walking up next to me.

  I breathed on the shower stall, causing it to fog. Sure enough, there were the outlines of two very large paw prints. “Gosh, that thing is way bigger than Figment. I hope Figment is okay…” My voice trailed off. I walked back over to the tub and peered down into it without seeing a thing. The whole day started to hit me like a landslide. I needed to find that glass of wine. I thought I had left it on the dresser. Cam now stood in the doorway, blocking my exit.

  “Going somewhere?” A tempting smile curved across his boyishly handsome face.

  “I need some wine.”

  “What’s the magic word?”

  “Please…”

  “Nope, that’s not it.”

  “Cam…” I implored. “Let me past.”

  “If you can’t remember the magic word, a magic kiss might do the trick.”

  I felt my lips start to burn, just thinking about locking lips with him. “Are you sure you want to go there?” I asked. He just stared at me, his brilliant blue eyes now bright with desire, his lips parted. I reached out and put my hands lovingly around his neck. Our lips melted into one another in a heart stopping kiss. Cam’s hands moved down my back in a sensuous swish, causing my skin to tingle with pleasure. The ka’kriyayaga began to make her way up my spine. Oh, boy, I thought. Here we go to the Land of Delicious.

  The star dreamling had other plans, however. As if hiding within the door, a sparkle of energy burst out of the wood and swiped Cam’s thigh. “Fuck!” he yelled, releasing me with a shove. He staggered backwards. The ka’kriyayaga drained from my spine like water flushing down a drainpipe as I looked at Cam’s jeans, slashed apart, revealing a large gash. “Fuck!” he yelled again.

  I became frightened as I looked at the gash. No blood was pouring forth from the ragged, torn flesh. Instead, Cam’s leg was pulsating with an intense yellow-greenish glow. His face was pale as an ice field, and a sheen of sweat appeared across his forehead, cheeks, and neck.

  “Let me help you over to the bed, Cam.” I put my arm around him and practically dragged him across the room, he was so weak. I had never ever seen Cam look like this. He was rarely sick. I hadn’t even seen him have a sniffle since I met him a few years ago. An amazingly healthy man with a robust constitution and a boat load of luck, he always managed to avoid illness or serious injury no matter how extreme the sport or how intense the play.

  “Jesus…this…hurts,” he managed to say through clenched teeth. “Chér, run and get Manoko.”

  I ran down the hall into the kitchen. “Manoko…!” I gasped. “The star dreamling…”

  The large metal spoon in Manoko’s hand dropped to the stove with a loud clatter before I could finish my sentence. He was already racing out of the kitchen, Severe in mad pursuit. When he got to the room, he looked at Cam writhing on the bed, looked at the door, back to Cam. He eased his immense bulk down to the floor next to Cam, held his hands near the gash, and started intoning words that made no sense to me. Severe sat next to him, very still and attentive as if she knew what was going on. Her golden-brown eyes were fixated on Cam. Without turning around Manoko gave me instructions in a fierce and demanding voice. “Chérie….walk down the hall to the door with the skull and crossbones on it... Be very conscious when you enter that room – that space is sacred, got it?”

  Scared as a rabbit in a field of circling hawks, I nodded, forgetting that Manoko’s back was to me.

  He barked over his shoulder, “Got it?”

  Oops, actual words were required. “Got it, Manoko…”

  “Okay. Then move methodically and deliberately towards the north corner. Be mindful of your every move.”

  I scanned my mind to figure out which was north. “Okay, got it.”

  “Reach down and pick up the carved box on the floor. Pick up the wooden staff next to it. You’ll see a red, wrapped bundle on the altar. Gently use the staff to push the bundle into the box. Do not touch the bundle. If you touch it you will desecrate it, got it, Chérie?” His voice was a low snarl at this point.

  “G-g-got it, Manoko.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to go in there and touch anything, but I have to remain here and keep the star dreamling venom from entering Cam’s heart. It’s powerful. Now GO!”

  I ran to the room marked “Do Not Enter Under Penalty of Death” with the skull and crossbones leering at me. One hollow eye socket seemed to wink at me. Geez, the sign appeared to be alive. Gulping, I twisted the door knob and eased the door open to reveal a room as still and serene as a high mountain lake. It was breathtaking. A wash of serenity swept through me as I stepped past the door frame. A basic bedroom-sized room, the space here felt immense, like it stretched to the horizon. North, I thought. Stay strong-minded. With heightened awareness, I concentrated on each step, each foot as it touched the floor, each bend of the toes, the ankles, the knees, and each shift in the spine, the hips, and the shoulders. Manoko wanted conscious movement, Manoko got conscious movement. Reaching the beautifully carved box and polished wood staff, I carefully slid the bundle into the box and made the same deliberate, attentive steps until I’d reached the door to the hall. I took a deep breath, pulled the door closed. I held the box as if it carried the secrets to the universe and hurriedly made my way back to Cam’s room.

  I struggled for breath when I looked over at Cam. He laid still and pale, his chest barely making a stir. Manoko continued to chant in a deep melodious voice. The pulsating green arising from the gash continued to glow.

  “Over here,” Manoko whispered in a voice as gentle as a mother’s kiss. “Lay the box on the bed, Chér.”

  I did as I was told.

  “Now…you put your hands here in the same places as mine. We have to do this smoothly, without a break in energy. Ready?”

  “Yes,” I whispered in reply.

  “Okay, 1…2…3…”

  I quickly replaced his hands with mine. My palms were instantly filled with a sickly sensation that made me want to vomit. I started to gag.

  “Stay strong, Chér,” Manoko insisted. “That’s the venom of the dreamling.”

  Manoko made quick, deft movements, uttering a prayer before unrolling the bundle. Another prayer left his lips as he unrolled a smaller bundle of red silk. Yet another prayer left his mouth when the contents of the silk were revealed. A small pouch of herbs, a vial of liquid, and what looked to be the head and stem of a pipe lay on the red cloth. He took a pinch of the herb and sprinkled it around Cam’s deathly looking form. He opened the vial of liquid and sprinkled a few drops on Cam’s forehead between his eyes and in the hollow of Cam’s throat. Next, he poured some of the sacred liquid into his palm. The thumb of his other hand was used to spread the liquid across the palm. Then he pressed his palm over Cam’s heart. I saw Cam’s body jerk when Manoko’s hand touched him. Lastly, Manoko uttered a final prayer before fitting the head of the pipe onto the stem. He filled the pipe with the herb, lit a match, inhaled and exhaled in a slow deliberate fashion. The space clouded with the sweet-smelling smoke.

  I glanced at Severe, still staring intently at Cam’s face. Relief washed through me as the disturbing sickness I had felt started to dissipate. The room became as still as a starlit night
. Color began to return to Cam’s face, but his eyes remained closed.

  “What do we do now?” I whispered.

  “We wait…” said Manoko. “We wait, and we hope that Cam returns to us.”

  Chapter 6 – Chérie and Cam

  After what felt like days, but was probably only a few moments, Cam’s eyes opened. He looked at Manoko without comprehension. He looked at me in a similar fashion. His eyes tracked back to Manoko…back to me. Manoko…me… Then he looked at Severe, and his body gave a start. A loud exclamation burst from his mouth. “The dog…the spirit chaser!”

  Severe wagged her tail appreciatively and barked.

  Manoko reached out to touch the crown of Cam’s head. “Easy, buddy,” soothed Manoko. “Take it easy. We almost lost you there.”

  “Huh…I almost lost me,” Cam said, pushing up to sitting. “What the fuck happened?”

  “You kissed me…the ka’kriyayaga awoke…the star dreamling…” I began.

  Manoko gave me a curious look. “What did you say?”

  “I said that Cam and I were kissing….and my ka…” I stopped speaking, and my cheeks burned. How could I explain this to someone I did not know?

  “Your ka what…?” Manoko demanded.

  I looked at Cam. He nodded imperceptibly. I continued in a hesitant voice. “You said I looked different, Manoko.”

  He dipped his tattoo covered face in affirmation.

  “Well…since I’ve last seen you, I’ve discovered that I have something different inside of me. Something that sets me distinctly apart from most people...”

  He nodded again, encouragingly.

  “I’ve got this force of energy… that starts down here…” I pointed to my pelvis. “When I’m aroused and engaged with someone I love who loves me back, that is.” I glanced over at Cam and smiled. “Kayden…this mysterious guy who started showing up last year…has helped me awaken this power. It’s called the…”

  “…ka’kriyayaga…” Manoko finished. He whistled through his teeth. “I’ve heard tales. The Ancient Ones speak of the ka’kriyayaga. That must mean that this Kayden being is your ka’kriyayago, right?”

  I nodded in agreement.

  Manoko gave another long whistle. “No wonder you two split up,” he said to Cam.

  Cam’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that if Chérie channels the ka’kriyayaga – a force of universal bliss, surrender, and destruction – she’s becoming a force to be reckoned with, brother. This girl could swallow you whole unless your spirit is pure. This explains the star dreamling, but it does not explain what it wants with you.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “And while you may have a pure spirit…may…since you have already engaged with Chérie and lived to tell about it…” He gave a look in Cam’s direction. “No, it’s not yet clear, one way or the other, if the star dreamling is friend or foe. We don’t know what it wants of you.”

  “It fucking wants to kill me, that’s what...” Cam winced and looked down at this leg. The ghoulish burning light was gone, replaced by four distinct claw mark scars cut through the ragged, red skin. His lip curled in disgust as he reached down to touch the slashes. “There goes me and summer shorts,” he joked, then laughed without mirth. “Fuck…this thing wants me six feet under.”

  “Like I said, we don’t know that yet…” Manoko said. “True, it gave you a venomous greeting. But it could have been testing you…testing your purity. Did you perhaps see anything while you were out there?”

  Cam shuddered. He leaned his back against the wall. “I’m not sure I can make any sense out of it.”

  “Just tell us what you saw, brother.”

  Cam gave a long exhale. “I saw a lot of darkness…a lot of nothingness. Weird shapes and shit… I was racing through space like I was riding the biggest motherfucking rapids I have ever seen. Then I saw a path coming out of a vast forest. I followed the path through the dark woods until it got to a fork.”

  “Then what did you do?” I asked. Manoko gave a nod of concurrence.

  “I just stood there. I didn’t know which way to go. Both routes appealed to me. I took a step towards one, and the dream lynx appeared, teeth bared, hackles raised. He was crouched like he was ready to take me down and shred me to pieces. I backed off of that path and started down the other path. Same thing happened with the lynx. Then Severe came tearing out of the brush and the lynx disappeared.”

  Severe stood up, waving her tail like a helicopter propeller.

  “She’s a good girl.” Manoko reached over and gave her head a loving scratch.

  “Then I woke up. I didn’t recognize you two. Chérie looked like this goddess-like creature I saw in that dream I mentioned to you this morning.”

  “The one with the lynx…” Manoko stated.

  “Yeah…and you looked like some strange God or something. You had horns and a face like some strange animal. You were taller than you are now.” Cam gave a nervous laugh. “You’re already big enough, dude.” He crumpled a handful of the bed covers. “The only one who made any sense to me was your mutt. That’s what snapped me back.”

  Again Severe barked as if to agree. Manoko got to his feet. “This is a puzzle. The signs are unclear. I need to consult with the Grandmothers to find out more. And you…” He glared at me. “You need to be careful with that energy of yours. I think the star dreamling is using your power as a gateway.”

  I groaned. “Does that mean I don’t get to awaken the ka’kriyayaga? I’m just starting to get to learn how to use it.”

  “Maybe…we don’t know yet. There are a lot of questions to be answered. I’ll let you figure that one out. But watch out…I mean it. We don’t know if the star dreamling is an ally or an enemy to Cam. You wouldn’t want your amorous explorations to result in the destruction of your boy here.”

  I turned my head towards Cam whose face held a pained expression. He probably felt tortured if I knew Cam…and I believe I knew Cam…that man loved making love, being sensual, and participating in all things physical. Especially with me, if his words were true. I imagine that he cared less about his destruction than putting a limit on his sexual advances with me…especially since we just started reacquainting ourselves with one another.

  “You okay to head back into the kitchen?” Manoko inquired, heading out the door. “I’d hate to waste my efforts.”

  Cam replied quickly. “Yeah, fine, give me a sec.”

  When Manoko left, Cam turned his head towards me and grumbled, “This sucks. Big time…is he telling us that we can’t engage what we just started to re-explore? That grinds my gear something fierce.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, Cam…I don’t know what he is implying.”

  He shook his head and continued. “I’m dealing with shit I don’t believe in…none of this makes any sense. Hand me that bottle,” he added, glimpsing his beer on the dresser. “I can relate to that bottle of brew.”

  I handed it to him and picked up my wine glass. Cam chugged half the bottle of beer down his throat. “Fuck,” he declared again. That word seemed to encompass all of Cam’s moods. Pleasure, anger, joy, sorrow, rage, you name it.

  I took a couple of timid sips of wine. “Well?”

  Cam put his arm around me and roughly pulled me towards him. “I sure don’t know.” He held me tightly to his chest. I knew he wanted to kiss me, but we did not dare try it. Then he released me and stated, “I guess we go eat.”

  Chapter 7 – Chérie and Cam

  The rest of the evening was surreal – it was bizarre to pair an unfathomable experience of mystery and terror with the mortal world of food, comfort, and conversation. Our strange encounters with the star dreamling were always at the back of everyone’s mind, I was sure, as we ate, drank, and talked.

  Manoko had welcomed us into the kitchen with a manly flourish, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, stating “Food from the Field and Afar, a la Manoko Wikaira-Williams, descendent of high chiefs, hoodlums, and c
ommon criminals.” He made a small bow and gestured for us to be seated.

  The menu consisted of a simple salad of organic greens, festooned with cranberries and blue cheese and drizzled with balsamic dressing; savory dill-seasoned tomato soup sprinkled with garlic toasted bread cubes; Lummi Island Sockeye Salmon surrounded by lemon thyme herbed squash blossoms; sliver-width slices of grass fed Oregon Beef on a bed of spicy beans; and fresh baked breads. Manoko also had a variety of wines to complement the meal. Cam helped himself to hearty portions of the beef, while I savored the seafood.

  “Damn, this was good,” Cam declared, pushing away from the table and leaning back in his seat after devouring two ample helpings of everything.

  “I second that,” I added. I was stuffed.

  Manoko looked pleased with himself. “I give thanks to the Grandmothers, to the spirits of the food, and to having to help raise all my brothers and sisters and cook for their sorry asses. They endured many a botched experiment.” He gave a hearty laugh and popped a toothpick between his teeth. Then he leaned his chair back, balancing it on the back two legs, and folded his arms across his chest, looking like a fierce, but sated, Maori God.

  His t-shirt slipped up over his belly and I noticed a colorful tattooed snake head slithering up from the waistband of his pants towards his navel, along his burnished skin. My face reddened and I looked back at my plate, hoping that he didn’t see my gaze.

  Cam noticed it, though, and I saw him watching me bemused. “Big baby…” he mouthed.

  I kicked him under the table.

  Manoko, whose eyelids had begun to close in a drowse, looked up with a start. “You kids alright? Wait, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. I just want to digest my food.”

  When Jayze finally arrived, having let herself in through the front door, Mano was cleaning the dinner dishes off the table. “Hey, Jayze, grab a plate and help yourself. We were just about to launch into dessert. Oh – you said you know Cam and Chérie, right?”