A Wicked Beginning (45 page)

Cam’s stomach growled as he eagerly tore open the cardboard box. Running through the woods all day, he’d been so amped on adrenaline he hadn’t noticed his hunger. When Lightning Rod handed him the can of beans and a spoon, he scooped out some of the beans, spread them on the crackers and shoved them in his mouth. “Good call on the food, kid,” he managed to say through a full mouth. “I didn’t realize how famished I was.”

The men wolfed down their scanty meal. Then, Lightning Rod looked at Cam and said, “When you didn’t come to the cabin, I went out searching for you. I can track an electro-magnetic scent – it looks like hazy gray lines of magnetic resonance that float a few inches off the ground. I found the clearing where you must’ve been. There were four distinct trails leading to and from that clearing. Two of them led towards the parking lot; two of them led out into the woods. One of the energy signatures that led into the woods seemed like a distress call so that’s the one I followed. But first I ran back to the camp, woke Mark up, and gave him the news.”

“How’d he take it?”

“He was freaked. He knew his sister was up to something. But he also knew his responsibility towards the kids. Since they were leaving today, he wanted to minimize collateral damage from thinking they’d been abandoned by you.”

Cam winced hearing that. “Yeah, shit. Those kids have been through enough. We just got them to a good place and we leave them with a dose of betrayal. Not good.”

“Well, Mark came up with a story. He was going to tell the kids that you had an emergency, you were sorry you had to run off, and that I drove you down the hill. He was going to let them know that he’d personally call each and every one of them to let them know that you were okay, once the emergency had been resolved. That way they’d feel like they were in the loop.”

“Yeah, what a great story, this so-called emergency,” Cam said sarcastically. “‘You kids live with chaos, well, try this one on. Your counselor Cam was dragged off into the woods, bound, gagged and ensorcelled, after having been forced to marry the nut job woman who showed up a couple of nights ago.’”

Lightning Rod whistled. “Is that what happened?”

“Yeah, it was fucking surreal.” Cam described the inexplicable ceremony which had taken place. “I don’t think it will hold up in a court of law,” he added derisively. “But anyway, how did you find me? And how did you get there so fast? Angela must’ve been primed with steroids or magic or both to have dragged me so far.”

“I’m a trained tracker, Cam. I just opened up my senses, found your energy autograph, and jogged through the night. I get in kind of a zone where I’m aware of everything, moving without thinking. And then…there you were.”

“Well, I’m grateful.” Cam gave Lightning Rod a warm look. “So, now what? What’s the plan?”

“Before I left, I contacted Mano using the Vodafone GSM/GPRS network that the camp has for emergency communications. He’s gathering the people to do the spirit tracking. He figures we’ll attack life-force with life-force, entering the spirit world to deal with both Angela and the star dreamling.”

“Huh…” Cam rubbed the back of his neck. “Sort of like the way one of my friends uses remote access to do computer work on a system in another state. He just logs into their computer and does his thing.”

Lightning Rod became animated. “Exactly.”

“So, how did Mano know what was doing?”

“Chérie got a vision at the club earlier. She started shrieking and crying and telling him and her friend that you were in danger. Mano said she just lost it.”

Cam’s heart clenched hearing that. “Shit. So where is she now? Where’s Chérie?”

“Mano said the ka’kriyayago popped into the club and took her away to console her. That must’ve been a trip.” He shook his head and smiled. “In and out…now you see them, now you don’t.”

Cam allowed some small measure of acceptance towards Fabio. If he could keep Chérie safe and offer her some comfort, that was okay. And maybe Fabio would get to experience what it felt to be the outsider. On stand-by while Chérie was focused on someone else. He took a bit of pleasure at that thought until Lightning Rod interrupted him.

“So tell me what happened to you? Besides the abduction, I mean. When I found you, you smelled like fur.”

“Like fur!?” Cam spluttered, feeling his face. “I didn’t sprout any fur, did I?”

“Not that I can see, that’s just what I smelled. And your energy seemed incredible…like when you bounded up the ladder out there.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what that was about. Angela has this weird effect on me. She was standing under the tree where I was hiding, and I felt this tug, like I had to move against my will and go down and hold her.” He shuddered. “It’s freaky to feel like you have to do something you really, really don’t feel inclined to do.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of stuff like that. People doing stuff against their will…”

“So anyway, I’m up there, about to drop to the ground and warp my arms around Angela…” Again, Cam shivered involuntarily. “…and then I thought of Chérie. And I felt that power roll through me like when we…” He stopped speaking and looked away.

Lightning Rod laughed. “Yeah, Mano told me about you and the ka. What a great way to gather power.” He laughed again.

Cam quickly moved on. “So I think of Chér, and then the muscles in my arms start to get all sinewy and bulging. It was sort of like when I’ve made it to the top of the wall when I’m rock climbing and all my muscles are stiff and engorged with blood.”

Lightning Rod let out another laugh. “Yeah, I’ve been engorged a time or two myself.”

Cam shook his head. “You find this funny, huh? Always a kidder…” He picked up the remains of a cracker and tossed it in his mouth. “And all my senses became heightened…like I could hear things and feel things in a way that I’ve never experienced. I felt like a…well, like an animal.”

Lightning Rod nodded. “I had to train to get to that place. That’s what I was talking about when I said I open all my senses and get in the zone. I don’t think I experience it the same way you do, though. That sounds cool.”

“I suppose,” Cam agreed. “It’s kind of weird, actually. Would you believe that I actually started growling?”

“Like when we were in the sweat lodge? That was something fierce. Between you and the dreamling outside, Mano and I couldn’t tell who was going to win that fight. We thought the dreamling was going to tear open the lodge and that you two animals were going to rip each other’s throats apart.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, Mano and I talked about it afterwards. Mano said something like, ‘you have no idea what or who you are.’”

“What, and
he
has an idea of who I am?”

“Don’t get all bent, Cam. I’m just telling you what we talked about after the sweat. This is your journey. Some of us just get to comment on the story.”

“Yeah, okay, sorry…” Cam muttered. “I just keep hearing this kind of shit. Like Mano telling me the elders are worried about me, and Chérie and Natalie Epic weeping around me before I came up here. It’s like people keep seeing things about me that I don’t sense.”

“Maybe you’re blocked to sensing them, Cam.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mano thinks you’re resistant to knowing anything about yourself that’s not of the physical. He says you refuse to allow that you’re more than muscles and bones, even though you have all these amazing experiences.”

“You two old women have spent a fair amount of time gossiping about me, haven’t you?” Cam snipped.

“Get over it, Cam. We just want to help. But it’s like that old parable – you can lead the horse to water…”

“…but you can’t hit him over the head with it,” Cam finished. “I’ve got it. I know I can be stubborn sometimes.” He thought for a moment. “Thanks for your honesty, Lightning Rod. Maybe I can let this soak in.”

“Anytime, Cam.”

Cam and Lightning Rod sat in silence, surrounded by breathtaking beauty. The sun shone through the window, spreading a wash of light across the roughhewn wooden floor. Cam felt himself long to spread out like a big cat and bake in the heat of the day. He cringed at the image, bringing himself back to the present. “So, what do we do now?”

“We wait, Cam, we wait. Mano said we’d know when it was time to begin.”

Chapter 41 – Zuri

Zuri, Mano, and Severe were all sitting in Mano’s pick-up truck, racing down the road. Zuri was wearing a men’s sweatshirt and men’s sweat pants, an outfit that she was
not
accustomed to. She was even wearing a pair of Cam’s tennis shoes with socks crammed in the toes. Her preferences were tasteful, high-end clothes with lots of sex appeal. This morning, Mano had scrounged around Cam’s room to find her something ‘suitable’ – his word, not hers – to wear to whatever it was they were going to do today. He thought the clothes would be a better fit than his apparel, but Zuri was not so sure. She was a curvy gal, and Cam’s clothes were a little bit snug.

The threesome pulled up to Charley Wolf-Rider’s house over on the Kitsap Peninsula west of Seattle. The house was small, but bursting with activity, kids spilling out of the house from every opening.

Charley came walking out of the house calling back over his shoulder towards the open window. “You get the goddamned groceries. I’ve got an emergency to attend to. And clean up your room when you’re done, you hear me? I’ll tan your hide if I get home, and you haven’t taken care of business…
my
business.” Muttering under his breath, Zuri and Mano heard something like “Teens and their business…”

Charley walked over to the truck and greeted them. He ignored Zuri and looked directly at Mano. “This here’s the girl that will hold the circle steady, huh? Does the girl have any training?”

Zuri spoke up. “The girl’s name is Zuri Davidson, and no, she doesn’t have any formal training in spiritual practice.”

Charley continued to ignore her, looking at Mano for confirmation.

“No training, but grounded… I think you and she can hold the energy steady while Severe and I launch into the spirit world.”

“Huh,” was Charley’s only reply. “You can follow me. I’ve got all my supplies in my truck. We’ll head out a ways to a place I know that’s perfect.” Not waiting for an answer, he walked resolutely to his pick-up truck.

When Mano started up his Chevy, Zuri fumed. “Couldn’t he even look me in the eye? Look at my face or something?”

“Get over it. That’s just his way. He’ll acknowledge you by and by if he gets to know you.”

Zuri said nothing in reply. She fingered Severe’s furry body, nestled between her and Mano on the bench seat.
You’re no picnic either,
she thought towards Mano. They hadn’t shared but a handful of words since leaving the club. She’d slept on a small couch last night – a
couch,
mind you. When did people park Zuri Davidson on a couch? She’d barely slept a wink. Maybe a man who grunted like a chipmunk was not all bad. At least he treated her with respect. This Mano guy was too much…when and if they got Cam out of harm’s way, she planned on going their separate ways and never crossing paths again. But then she’d think of that darn snake tattoo that Chérie had mentioned.
That little minx…

This morning and throughout the day, Mano had barked orders, made phone calls, and gathered supplies, leaving her and Severe to keep each other company. The only thing she had enjoyed was the food he’d given her. The man was an outstanding cook. The rest of the time, she’d wandered around his house, read, or listened to music.

They drove at a clip past trees, fields, and water. Charley turned off the main road onto a dirt road that sliced a hole through the woods. They continued up this road a ways until they reached a small clearing with a cabin. Parking their cars, they got out and convened. Charley and Mano continued to ignore Zuri.
Why, oh, why had she agreed to assist?
She reached out a hand to pat Severe’s head. At least the dog responded to her. She was not used to being ignored. Zuri was usually at the center of attention, commanding it, bathing in it, making things happen. In a pissy mood, she and the dog walked back to the car and sat.

The men’s voices grew louder, and Z looked over at them. Arms were waving, hands were gesturing, and the two men were in each other’s face. Charley would point over in her direction and shout or make obscene gestures. Maybe they’d turn around and go home. This was not her scene, not her comfort. She loved living in the heart of Seattle, right downtown. Chérie lived for this kind of environment; she did not. But thinking of Chérie, she remembered why she chose to come. Her friend was in pain, and they were going to help. Resolutely, she decided to accept the lack of attention, allow for the green surroundings, and lend whatever assistance she could. Those thoughts made her feel better about the day.

Mano called to the dog. “Come on, mutt. To heel…”

“Should I come too, or would you like me to sit in the car all day?” she snipped. He waved a hand at her, gesturing that she should follow.

She trailed behind the men into the woods, pushing past branches, stepping over logs, and feeling a general sense of unease. When they came to a small clearing next to a stream, she gasped. The place was beautiful, right out of a fairy tale. Moss draped the branches of the immense trees. Ferns lined the clearing. The stream was small, but held an abundant flow of water. Insects and dragonflies hovered over the water.