Heart of Ice Page 20

Chapter 16

  Ice pulled into Dale's driveway and waved to Mrs. Quinn who had just stabbed a shovel into the flowerbed in front of the house. "Go ahead in," she called. "Side door's open."

  Stepping into the Quinn kitchen unescorted was at once familiar and strange to Ice. The television chattered from the living room and he popped his head around the corner only to find the room empty. He crossed to the hallway and proceeded to Dale's room.

  Dale looked up from the suitcase he'd been stuffing clothes into. "Hey," his eyebrows rose in surprise but he looked pleased to see Ice.

  "Heard you were taking off for the summer and thought I'd come to say goodbye," Ice said. "I'll probably be moved to Minneapolis by the time you're back."

  A frown creased Dale's forehead for a moment and then smoothed out. "That's right, you graduated early, didn't you?"

  "Yep." Ice nodded. "I start at U of M in the fall. I registered last weekend."

  "That's cool." Dale stopped packing and sank down on the bed.

  Ice raised an eyebrow. "I thought so too. But now that it's happening, I'm not sure if I'm ready." He wasn't quite sure why he'd spewed that out—he hadn't voiced his dubious feelings to anyone.

  Dale studied him thoughtfully and then said. "When has school ever been a problem for you? I'm sure you'll be fine." Then he grinned. "Unless you're worried about the college girls."

  Ice rolled his eyes. "Right. Girls. There's a subject I seem unable to comprehend."

  "What did happen with Lynn?"

  "You mean she didn't tell Audrey and Audrey told you?" Ice asked in a mocking high-pitched voice.

  Dale chuckled. "Sure, but I don't put much stock in what I hear through the grapevine."

  Ice sighed and dropped into Dale's desk chair. "I wasn't what she wanted me to be. I guess we just weren't each other's type."

  "I thought Lynn was everyone's type." Dale snickered.

  "Exactly," Ice said dryly. "So you're going to Indiana?" He changed the subject.

  "Indiana?" Dale's eyes widened. "Where'd you hear that?"

  "Nik said you were staying with your uncle for the summer. I thought maybe you'd be working on the farm or something."

  "Nah, wrong uncle." Dale caught Ice's gaze and held it. "I'm going to Ireland."

  "Ireland?" Ice wondered why Nik hadn't mentioned that bit of information.

  "Yeah, I'm staying with my dad's cousins, actually, but I'm going to study with one of his uncles."

  Still stuck on the news that Dale was going to Ireland and not Indiana, Ice uttered, "Study?"

  "Maybe train is a better word?" Dale's eyes lit with excitement. "I'm going to learn about my heritage. You know, my spiritual ability." Then his expression darkened. "I don't want anyone else hurt by my ignorance."

  Ice chose not to comment on Dale's last statement. Over time maybe he'd come to believe he wasn't responsible for what happened. "That's awesome, man! Wow. Congratulations." Lips twisted in a crooked smile, he leaned forward and stretched out a clenched fist. "That's really cool."

  Dale contemplated Ice's fist with a raised eyebrow and then the corners of his mouth curved upward. He leaned in and hesitantly completed the fist bump. "We're not exactly ten anymore, but okay." He chuckled. "Thanks man, I still can't believe it." His enthusiasm had already eclipsed his pang of guilt. "I spoke to Uncle Colin on the phone—I think it's going to be good."

  Ice smiled, genuinely happy for Dale. He imagined that knowing you have spiritual potential, but not developing it, must've been odd. He wondered if Dale felt incomplete. "Well, I hope you're going to post pictures online."

  "Sure," Dale said, returning Ice's smile.

  "Hey, how's Grams?"

  "Better. The doctors are amazed at her improvement. I guess once she stopped worrying about the necklace, she could concentrate on getting better. She's even talking a bit now."

  "Wow. I'm really glad to hear it," Ice said.

  Dale dropped his gaze, fiddling with the zipper of his suitcase. "Nik's a good guy," he said quietly. "He actually made it sound like this whole situation actually did the Midewiwin some kind of favor." He shook his head.

  "Well, it's true we discovered some things we didn't know before—knowledge is valuable," Ice replied. "Even though the medicine man society had already been rounding up ceremonial artifacts, no one realized a connection to the spirit world might be universal across cultures."

  "Or that an undeveloped ability could tap into power unknowingly," Dale added in a bland tone.

  Ice nodded. "Which is even more important. The hunt for items that have retained their link to the spirit world is priority now. We don't want any other innocent people to become a victim of circumstances." He stressed the last three words, hoping Dale got the message.

  Dale didn't comment, just made a face and then sighed. "I know, I've already talked to my uncle about artifacts. He knows the whole story."

  "I'm glad you have someone who can teach you now," Ice said with a smile. "You're going to learn all kinds of new, cool stuff. I'm actually a little jealous." He laughed. His phone buzzed and he pulled it from his back pocket. "Nik," he said to Dale and then spoke into the phone. "Hey Nik, what's up?" He listened for a moment and then said, "Sure, no problem. I'll call if I have any questions." He ended the call and stood.

  Stuffing the phone back in his pocket, Ice said, "The hunt is on. I'm off to pick up some artifacts." He offered an open hand to Dale. "Good luck, man."

  Dale rose and shook Ice's hand firmly. "Thanks." Before releasing him, he fixed Ice with a serious gaze. "For everything."

  Ice nodded once and then smiled. In the doorway he turned and pointed at Dale. "I'll be online. I expect to see some updates."

  Dale chuckled. "Yeah, yeah."

  Ice climbed into his Jeep and headed for the highway. As he drove out of the neighborhood, he marveled that the tulips and daffodils were already fading. The long, hard winter had made spring feel so brief; he had a hard time reconciling himself to the idea that it was June already.

  Nik had asked Ice to go to Hoglund's, the combination gas station and convenience store outside Itasca State Park. As the search for artifacts got underway, Ice remembered the glass case of Native American items he'd seen when he and Corey had gone to find Nesbitt. The medicine man called the owner, and Roffe had already set something aside for Nik. Ice was to pick it up and call Nik if he saw anything else he thought might have spiritual potential.

  About a half hour later, Ice rolled into the gravel lot of Hoglund's Gas and Goods. A car with Wisconsin plates was parked at the pumps with a boy not much older than Ice inserting a gas nozzle into the fuel filler. Ice pulled up in front of the store.

  Inside, a girl with her blonde hair pulled into a ponytail surveyed the beverage coolers at the back of the store. Ice introduced himself to Roffe, and then bent to look in the case. He eyeballed the items inside carefully, evaluating their purpose. His gaze travelled over a small group of stone animals. Turtles were a common figure, as the creation myth revolved around it, and it was fairly easy to fashion a turtle from stone.

  The cat was unusual. There were cougars and bobcats in the area, though rarely seen. Ice squatted down to get a closer look at the statue. Faded paint drawn in arced lines covered the body and the cat had double ears. Suddenly, Ice realized what he was looking at. The statue depicted Mishebeshu—the underwater lynx. He should've recognized it immediately, but had seldom seen the creature depicted in stone.

  The crescent lines were scales, and those weren't double ears; the taller, thinner peaks were horns. Ice's heartbeat picked up as he thought about stories of the underwater monster.

  Unlike the Windigo, Mishebeshu was not born of man, but was a spirit, ever-present in Native American mythology. He was the embodiment of the uneasy feeling that something, a menacing force, lies in wait.

  The Ojibwe's fear of the spirit was so profound, the name Mishebeshu was traditionally never spoken once the ice had melted on the lakes and river. The monste
r was indiscriminate in its choice of victims and unpredictable, striking when least expected—like suddenly rough water on a lake, or treacherous rapids and whirlpools. He would dump boats and canoes and draw swimmers to their deaths.

  A few stories even claimed Mishebeshu would hide under the ice, cracking it beneath unsuspecting victims. That thought ran a shiver down Ice's spine, the memory of his plunge into the icy lake still fresh in his mind.

  Ice had never known the underwater monster to be of consequence in his lifetime, but he didn't want any of the myths he knew to become present day reality. He turned away and drew his phone from his pocket, attempting to make a call before he realized he had no service.

  "Crap," he muttered under his breath. He stepped up to the counter where Roffe sat next to the cash register. "Do you have a land line I could borrow?"

  "Ah-yup," the rotund man nodded. "Use the back room." He nodded to a door marked "Employees Only."

  Ice thanked him and hurried to make the call. He left the door open and as he described the statue to Nik, he saw the blonde girl approach the register and set two drinks on the counter. She wandered over near the glass case and fingered some of the beaded bracelets hanging from a rack, then she stepped out of his field of vision.

  "Buy the Mishebeshu statue, Ice," Nik said.

  "Okay. See you later." Ice checked to see how much money he had in his wallet, hoping it was enough. Then he emerged from the back room as the girl picked up a brown paper bag. "Have a good day," Roffe told her.

  "Thanks," she replied and pushed the door open, ringing the bells which hung from the overhead hinge.

  The dance stick Roffe had set aside was already on the counter. "I need something from the case, too," Ice said. He dropped to a crouch as Mr. Hoglund stepped behind the case. "I'd like the…" Ice frowned, scanning the group of statues again. "Where's the… it looks like a cat," he finally managed to spit out.

  "Oh, too bad, eh? The girl just bought it," Roffe said.

  Ice gaped at the man with wide eyes. "That girl?" he said, gesturing to the door in disbelief.

  "Ah-yup."

  Ice bolted. "I'll be right back," he said as he burst through the door.

  The girl was on her way to the car parked at the pumps.

  Ice hurried after her.

  He knew nothing about her, but the Midewiwin made it clear they were leaving nothing to chance. Not after what happened with Dale. Mishebeshu was a dangerous force—probably the most dangerous. He had to get that statue.

  Ice drew up behind her but she didn't turn, so he just blurted. "I'll double what you just paid for that statue."

  THUNDERSTONE

  By Barbara Pietron

  Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.

  Chief Seattle, Suquamish