The Skull Hunter, 5
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Table of Contents Part 1 appears in this issue. |
| Conclusion |
I started down the hallway, but I could fell an energy growing as I got closer. It was like a force pushing against me, trying to hold me back. Just as I got to the room, the door slammed closed. I turned the knob and pushed, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Brogan, give me a hand,” I said. The two of us threw our shoulders into the door, but it wouldn’t move. Behind us, the other bedroom door slammed closed. Brogan tried, but that one wouldn’t open either.That’s when another vision hit me. Like someone throwing a brick, it slammed my brain with horrific, angry images. I couldn’t shake them, and I cried out in pain. Brogan grabbed me and ran me out of the house followed closely by Dellette. The cool air snapped my mind back to reality, and the pain faded away. The three of us stood there when the front door closed with such force that it cracked the frame.
“My God,” exclaimed Brogan, “what the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” I said breathing heavily. “But I intend to find out.”
* * *
The next morning I went to the city library. I needed to do some research to learn more of what could be wrong in that house. I checked for any records relating to the area the house was built and found that it had once been a large campsite for a Native American people called the Illiniwek. They were a large, populous, and powerful nation that encompassed the majority of the Mississippi valley. They had twelve branch tribes. They had governed the area free of outside influence until French traders came into the territory and over time displaced the Illiniwek from their native lands.
I began to see a link to the house, Dellette, and the Indian spirit that invaded his home. Dellette was French, possibly a direct descendant of one of the original settlers to the area. Nevertheless, why would the spirit of an ancient Illiniwek warrior have singled him out for revenge? There must have been more to the story.
My next stop was a friend of mine in who lived on a small farm about fifty miles south of the city. His name was Wagosh Kee-Way; he had helped me in the past. Being a member of the Peoria Tribal Nation, as well as the local shaman, I knew he could help put things into perspective. When I got to his humble-looking home, I knocked on the front door.
“Come in, my friend Rick,” a voice called from inside. His house was sparsely furnished, with very little that would let someone know that a Native American lived inside. There were some old pictures in frames and a few knick-knacks that told of Kee-Way’s heritage. The old man was sitting in his kitchen drinking coffee, smiling at me as I came in.
“Hello Kee,” I said sitting across from him. “How are you feeling?”
“That’s a stupid question,” he sneered. “I’m eighty-seven years old. How do you think I feel?”
I just nodded my head feeling a little embarrassed. Kee-Way had no patience for ignorant small talk. “Kee I needed to come see you...”
“I know why you are here, my friend Rick,” he interrupted. “And it is a very difficult matter indeed.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“The Frenchman is in grave danger. I had a vision of your coming last night. There was a monster, large as calf, with horns on its head, like those of a deer. It had red eyes and a beard like a tiger’s. Its face was that of a man, but the body had scales with a long tail that wound around its body.
“In one hand, it held the Frenchman while in the other it held a woman. The tail was wrapped around the throat of a dark man whose anger burned through the creature into the man and woman. Then I saw you. You were fighting the monster with spit, and flames came from your mouth, but nothing would harm the creature, because behind him was a shadow that cried for revenge.”
“Quite a vision,” I said, perplexed.
“I have my moments,” Kee-Way smiled. “You cannot stop the dark man alone. You need the help that only the spirit world can give. I shall go with you to this place to stop the Anishnabe from taking his revenge. But there is a secret that only the Frenchman can know. Until that secret is revealed before council, there is nothing I can do.”
“Are you saying that we must bring a council to the house?”
“No, they will be there when the time is needed. Let’s go now.” Kee-Way gathered some things from a wooden chest and we drove back to town.
I contacted Brogan and told him to bring Dellette to the house. When we all got there, Kee-Way began a chant as he lowered himself to the grassy lawn.
“What’s this all about?” asked Brogan as he watched the old man.
“This is a friend of mine who can help,” I replied. “Some of that mumbo-jumbo you were talking about.”
“Look...” Brogan started.
“No, you look. If Dellette wants his wife back, this is our best shot. Think of it as going to court. Kee-Way is your defense attorney and a damn good one. If anyone can bring her back, he can. For once just shut up and listen.”
I could tell by Brogan’s face that he was about to argue the matter further, but something inside stopped him.
Kee-Way dug a small hole in the dirt, took something from a leather bag, and buried it.
I helped him to his feet. “What was that?”
“That is to keep the spirits here so that they do not wander,” he answered, walking towards the house.
When we got into the house, the old man closed his eyes and began shaking a rattle made of bone as he chanted some more. “There is a powerful spirit here that wants revenge. His dark shadow drapes like a blanket. Bring the Frenchman to me.”
Dellette stood beside Kee-Way nervously watching as the old man placed his hand upon Dellette’s head. “There is a secret that you must reveal for the healing to begin.”
“What secret?” Dellette scoffed. “Brogan how is this going to help get my wife back?”
“You must trust in the way,” said Kee-Way. “There is an atonement to be made or you wife is lost. Are you willing to make this sacrifice of atonement?”
Dellette stood confused, not knowing what to do. “I’ll do anything to bring my wife back.”
“Be careful what to agree to, Frenchman. You may not like the consequences. Now, come with me.”
Kee-Way led us into the bedroom where Janice disappeared. He walked to the center of the room where the bed frame was sitting. “This must be moved.”
We took the bed from the room. When we returned, Kee-way was sitting on the floor with a wreath of feathers on his head. He held a staff across his chest along with the bone rattle. “Sit beside me,” he ordered, “and do not speak unless spoken to.”
We did as we were told as the old man began a slow melodic chant. He raised his rattle above his head as the chant became louder. “All ye who have hearkened to world beyond our sight I call upon the elders of the twelve tribes to our fire. Let us cling to our traditions as taught from our grandfathers as to what we should believe. I call upon Kitchesmanetoa to give his blessing to this gathering so that we may share from the Calumet for a restored peace with the tortured soul that holds this land.”
He took a long ornamental pipe from his bag and placed in on the floor in front of him. “Come let us share of this tobacco and bring peace once again to this the ground that bears the blood of our fathers.” A mist gathered in front of us, softly in the air.
Across from us sat twelve men dressed in skins with feathered wreaths on their heads. Each one looked at us with faces of stone. Dellette gasped when he saw them, but Kee-Way held his hand. “It will be all right. These are the spirits of the twelve nations. They are here to help you.”
One of the men stood and began to speak in a language I did not understand. Kee-Way began to interpret for us: “He says they have come from a long sleep. They have come in honor of their ancestors so that the world may find peace. They shall hold their judgment whether to smoke the Calumet.”
The man sat back down, placed his hands upon his knees proudly. Kee-Way stood up and stood inside the circle. “I call for the name of the one who has chosen war upon this Frenchman. I ask him to stand within this circle and stake his claim on this battle before the twelve nations.”
“I am Mahigan Kika,” a voice called out as a figure walked from the mist to center. It was young-looking man covered in tattoos. His face was painted red to his shoulders. He carried an arrow in his hand and a knife was slung tightly to his waist. “I bring the blood of my wife to the door of this Frenchman.”
“What?” Dellette cried out. “I never hurt your wife, how could I... I...”
Kee-Way turned angrily to Dellette. “Quiet! You have no right to speak yet.”
One of the twelve men nodded to the young warrior. “We will hear your words.”
The warrior paced within the circle like a lion trapped in a cage just waiting for a chance to strike. “Mino Minwashin was to be my wife; that was until the French came. She would do their laundry by the river for pelts to trade. One day I went to see her as she worked. Through the trees, I heard her voice calling for help. I ran as fast as I could until as her screams filled the air around me.
“When I got to the river, I saw a man sitting on top of her naked body holding her by the neck. She was struggling against him as I rushed to help her. Before I could get to them, her body went limp. The Frenchman saw me, pulled out his pistol, and shot me in the belly knocking me to the ground.
“I crawled to Minwashin as the life slipped from my body. I looked into her lifeless eyes as the Frenchman stood above us laughing at what he had done. For many years, I have suffered between the world of the living and the dead. My anger held me to this ground until he came.” Mahigan pointed to Dellette. “He holds the stain of his ancestors. He has the blood of my wife upon him. I ask that you allow me this revenge so my soul may finally rest.”
The young warrior stood back bearing his teeth as he stared with hatred at Dellette. The Frenchman sat shocked and bewildered. He looked at me and Brogan confused. Kee-Way motioned to Dellette to stand up. Nervously he stood as the young warrior snorted and spit at the ground by his feet.
“What have you to say to this?” Kee-Way asked.
“I... I don’t know,” said Dellette, quivering.
“See how the guilt makes his body tremble in fear,” said Mahigan Kika.
Dellette stood firm to his ground. “Afraid, Yes,” he said. “But not from guilt. I don’t know what my ancestor did or didn’t do, but I do know that my wife was not responsible. If you must have your revenge then take it out on me, leave her out of it.”
Kee-Way looked at the two men thoughtfully. “Mahigan, you took the Frenchman’s woman from him?”
“Yes,” the young warrior answered proudly.
“And you told us that the ancestor of the Frenchman took your wife.”
“Yes.”
“Then it seems your revenge is complete yet your soul still rests uneasy. Why?”
“I do not know.”
“Could it be that your anger has bound you to this ground? An anger that makes you hate so much that you cannot move on?” Kee-Way walked to Mahigan and rested his hand upon the warrior’s shoulder. “Is it the Frenchman that holds you or own your anger that keeps you from joining the great circle with Kitchesmanetoa?”
“I... do not know,” Mahigan stopped and looked into the eyes of Kee-Way.
“Is it not our way that if a man takes your horse you may take one of his? If he stabs your foot, are you not to stab his foot? Our traditions, as given to us by our fathers, say that to balance what someone takes we may take. What someone does to us, we may do to them. You have done this, but still your soul is not at peace. Why?”
“I do not know,” Mahigan cries out dropping the arrow he held clenched in his hand. “I called to my spirit wolf, but he has forsaken me. I only wish to see Mino Minwashin again, to be with her. She is my wife.”
“Is she your wife?” asked Kee-Way.
“Yes,” Mahigan answered standing quickly. “I mean...”
“Was the ceremony performed?”
Mahigan looked to the circle of elders and then to us. I could see doubt in his eyes. “No, there was no ceremony. But there was going to be.”
Kee-Way grabbed the face of the warrior and spoke close to his ear. “Did she ever agree to be your wife?”
Mahigan pulled from Kee-Way angrily stomping the floor. “She would have, she would have, but I never got the chance. He took her from me before I could... I could...” Mahigan fell to the floor sobbing with grief. “I never got the chance.”
Kee-Way turned to the Twelve Nations. “This proud warrior had no wife, so by our tradition he has no right to take from this man. I ask you to decide.” Kee-Way looked down sadly at the broken warrior. He bowed his head and sat back down with us.
The council whispered for a moment then one of them stood up. He stepped the center of the circle as the warrior continued sobbing with his face to the floor.
“Stand before us Frenchman and Mahigan Kika,” he said as both men came to the center. “Mahigan Kika, your Manitou, the Wolf, has been with you always, only you have not heard his voice because your anger has stilled the wind around you. Once your anger is gone, the Wolf will speak to you again. Know this as we make our decision known to you. Now give to me your war symbol.”
Mahigan reached down and picked up the arrow handing it to the elder. “We, the Twelve Nations agree that you have much hurt in your heart and that the right to have Mino Minwashin as a wife has been taken from you. We also agree with Kee-Way that since you had no wife to take, you have no claim on the wife of this Frenchman. We as a nation agree.”
The Elder held the arrow in front of the two men and snapped it in half handing one of the halves to Dellette, the other to Mahigan. “The claim of revenge is denied.”
He turned to the broken warrior. “Come with us to the great circle. Become one with your nation again.” The men of the Twelve Nations stood as Mahigan walked to them. The mist grew thick as the group faded from view.
Dellette confused cried out, “Wait... is that it? What about my wife?” He ran to Brogan. “What about Janice? For the love of God they can’t just...”
“Fredrick?” a voice called from the mist.
Dellette turned to the sound, his eyes nearly burst from his head with excitement as the figure of his wife walked from the mist. He rushed to her squeezing her tightly as tears streamed down his face. “Are you all right? Let me look at you.”
“I’m fine, but what happened?” asked Janice confused.
“You don’t remember?” Dellette asked almost giggling with happiness. “She doesn’t remember.”
“That may be best,” I said. Then I looked to Kee-Way and Brogan. “I think we should leave.”
“Yes,” said Kee-Way as he gathered his things back into the leather bag. “The shadow has lifted from this place. All is as it should be.”
“Great,” said Brogan still confused. “Vargo, someday you’ll have to explain to me just what the hell happen here.”
“I would try, but I don’t think a blubber brain like yours could understand it,” I answered, smiling.
“Oh yeah,” said Brogan. “How about if I kick you right in your brains and see if I can get the information that way.”
Kee-Way rolled his eyes. “I’ll wait for you two in the car.”
Copyright © 2006 by S. Michael Leier
