Heart of Ice Read online

  ***

  "So the North Wind visited Nesbitt in a dream, offered him human flesh, which he ate, thus becoming a Windigo," Ice stated as they crossed the parking lot.

  "I'd put money on it," the medicine man agreed. Most of the warmth in the truck had dissipated while they were in the police station so as soon as the engine roared to life, Nik cranked the heat up to high.

  "I'm not sure where that gets us, though," Ice muttered. "We already knew someone called the North Wind, the only new information is the way Nesbitt became a Windigo."

  "Another piece of the puzzle," Nik said, backing from the parking space. "I did learn some interesting things at the Midewiwin meeting. Did Great Cloud ever tell you about taking part in a Windigo ceremony?"

  "You mean the dance? With the masks?"

  "I believe so—I've never seen it myself," Nik said. "The last time it was performed was many years ago, on Star Island. Nine men participated; Great Cloud was one of them."

  "At Lake Windigo," Ice interjected. "That's right. I always wondered if that's how the lake got its name." Lake Windigo had made it into "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" in the 1950s as the only spring-fed lake on an island in the middle of a river-fed lake in the northern hemisphere.

  Ice also knew that Star Island, situated in the waters of Cass Lake, was once the location of an Ojibwe village. Those past residents regarded the anomalous "lake within a lake" as a spiritual place.

  "Two of the nine men who participated in that last Windigo ceremony are still alive today." Nik flipped on his turn signal and glided into a left turn lane. "One of them, Graythorn, was at the meeting last night."

  The medicine man paused until he'd completed the turn. "He said that as the world changed and starvation became less of a concern, the North Wind convinced a medicine man to use bad medicine to create charms which could spread the Windigo curse. He then gave the items as gifts to others in the Midewiwin. As you've probably already guessed, there was a sudden surge in Windigo activity. Eventually the cause was traced to the bad medicine charms.

  "The objects were collected—there were nine—and each medicine man at that last Windigo dance took possession of one of the cursed items, vowing to protect it for their lifetime."

  "They couldn't just destroy them?" Ice asked.

  Nik shook his head. "No. The link to the North Wind's power needed to be terminated."

  Ice frowned. "How?"

  "Once the last spark of life disappeared from the possessor of the charm, the link would be severed."

  "They had to have the item with them when they died?"

  "Precisely," Nik replied. "Graythorn said that of the nine, they'd been able to confirm this was carried out up until Great Cloud's death. Neither Graythorn, nor the other remaining Windigo dance participant, were able to attend the passing of Great Cloud."

  "So… maybe he didn't have it with him when he died. And now someone else has it," Ice mused. "Wait, what is it?"

  "Graythorn couldn't recall." Nik sighed. "He said the objects were all different: statues, small bowls, jewelry, and pipes—all fashioned from the bones of a Windigo. Obviously, the place to start would be Great Cloud's daughter, since she was his caretaker, but I heard she had a stroke and isn't doing well."

  Ice nodded grimly. "That's true. I talked to Dale last night."

  "Dale?" Nik flashed Ice a surprised look. "Are you two friends again?"

  "I wouldn't say that. And believe me; I was just as surprised as you are now when I found out I was double dating with him last night."

  Even from the side, Ice could see the medicine man's eyebrow quirk up. "How did that go?"

  "All right, I guess. He was quiet, but didn't quite give me the cold shoulder."

  Nik didn't reply, and the intermittent sound of the tires rolling over seams in the road surface filled the interior of the truck. With the subject suspended between them, Ice decided to ask a question that'd been in the back of his mind for years, but he'd never found an appropriate time to ask. "Nik?" he ventured. "Why did you choose me and not Dale? I mean, he is Great Cloud's great-grandson."

  Nik's chin came around and he studied Ice from the corner of his eye, then seemed to come to a decision. "Although it's technically none of your business, I suppose you're old enough now to keep it to yourself. You will do so, won't you?" When he caught Ice's nod, he returned his gaze forward, seemingly looking into the past as much as at the road ahead. "The two of you are very close in spiritual ability; Dale's is perhaps a bit greater than yours. But my final decision was based on your visions—the things you saw when I touched you."

  "I saw a ceremony," Ice prompted.

  Nik nodded as he slowed the pick-up and clicked his turn signal. "One of our oldest celebrations, to welcome the harvest."

  "And Dale?"

  "He also saw a ceremony or ritual. But the figures were robed and stood within a stone circle."

  In his mind's eye, Ice pictured a rock-lined firepit. "A stone circle?"

  "Yes. Like Stonehenge. There are hundreds of them in the British Isles."

  "But…" Ice drew his eyebrows together in confusion.

  "The ceremony he saw was Druid or Celtic in origin." Nik paused, letting Ice digest the meaning of his words. "Dale's spirituality doesn't stem from his Native American roots, but from his father's Irish heritage," he finished. "I couldn’t train him."

  Ice realized his jaw had fallen open and he closed his mouth. They'd reached his neighborhood and Nik turned down his street. A hundred images of Dale flashed through Ice's mind as he saw his former friend in a new light.

  As Nik pulled into the driveway, Ice suddenly sat up straight. "Oh no!"

  The medicine man jerked his foot on the brake, throwing them both against their seat belts. "What?" Nik exclaimed.

  "Sorry, sorry," Ice muttered. "I just remembered something Dale said last night. His mom has been going through Great Cloud's things. What if she gave away the bad medicine charm because she didn't know what it was?"

  Nik's brow lowered in a grim expression. "That wouldn't be good. We should check on that."

  Ice pulled his phone from his pocket and read the text from Lynn. "Hey Ice! Me and Audrey and Dale are talking about going to the movies tonight - want to join us?"

  "I may have a chance to talk to Dale face to face tonight," Ice said.

  "That would be ideal. Is that him now?"

  "No, Lynn texted me. She wants to double date to the movies tonight," he said in a tone that sounded as if he were going to cut the lawn, or shovel snow.

  Nik shot a questioning glance in his direction. "You don't sound too enthusiastic about it."

  Ice sighed. He didn't know what the deal was with his attitude toward Lynn. Was he distracted by this Windigo business? If so, he was going to lead a lonely life as a medicine man. He looked sideways at Nik. "Have you ever thought you really liked someone and then, when you spent some time with them, didn't like them as much?"

  "Of course," Nik answered. "That happens to everyone, all the time." He paused and then said, "I assume you're referring to Lynn?"

  "Yeah." Ice let his head fall back on the headrest. "The thing is, there's nothing wrong with her. She's pretty and fun; we get along great. I don't know what my problem is."

  "What about attraction? No spark?"

  "No, that's definitely not the problem." Ice replied so quickly, Nik chuckled.

  "So she wants to be more than friends."

  "Yeah. She's made that clear," Ice said dryly.

  Nik's eyes were crinkled at the corners. "Sounds to me like she denied you the chase."

  Ice rolled his head to the side to study the medicine man. "What do you mean?"

  "Half the fun of getting a girl is the pursuit. Men like to hunt."

  Ice considered Nik's theory. Could he be right? She'd made it too easy for him? She asked him to the dance. She kissed him first. She asked him to the movies. Was he that much a Neanderthal that he couldn't handle a girl that went after
what she wanted?

  As Ice stared dumbly at his phone, Nik spoke up. "Look, I can simply call Dale's mother; you don’t have to go on this date."

  Ice tried to remember exactly what Dale had said the night before. "No, I'll find out if she actually gave anything away. It's not like we had a conversation about it, it was just a comment he made."

  "You could call him."

  Ice nodded, but something held him back from either solution. He didn't want to make Dale angry.

  Maybe deep down he hoped he and Dale could be friends again."I know," he said finally. "But this way seems more subtle."

  "Okay, see if you can learn anything. Call me in the morning."

  Ice hopped out of the truck. Just inside his front door he stopped and typed into his phone: "Sorry, was busy earlier. A movie sounds fun. What time?"

  Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart.

  Native American Proverb