A Wicked Beginning (46 page)

Charley glanced over at her. “The princess likes what she sees, huh?”

“Yes, the princess approves,” she concurred, not sparing Charley a glance.

“Good, cause we’re going to be here a while.”

Zuri looked nervously at the trees and back towards the car. “How long?” She didn’t like the place
that
much.

“A while…” Charley answered. Then he and Mano got busy preparing the space for whatever it was they were about to do. “Sit…” He pointed to a blanket lined space in the middle of the clearing.

Zuri walked over and sat. Charley sat to her left, Mano to her right.

Charley had a red cloth pouch hanging from his neck. He reached inside and pulled out a string. “Confess…” He nodded at Zuri.

“Confess to what?”

“Whatever you’d like to confess to. Recite your sexual inconsistencies. Your unskillful ways. We need to purify to prepare for the ritual. Mano, you go first so the girl gets the idea.”

The girl…
Zuri scowled back at him. Charley, of course, ignored her. And sexual inconsistencies? What kind of perversion was she about to embark on? She glanced back at the trail, calculating how long it would take to run back to the car.

Mano began speaking. “I’ve had lusty thoughts about a woman.” He flicked his gaze over to Zuri. “I’m eager to end my celibacy.”

Zuri felt a strange sensation in her core. She glanced at Mano and narrowed her eyes. He had a strange way of showing interest.

“And I’ve held satisfaction over a friend’s recent split with her partner.”

Oh, so he wasn’t talking about me.
She sighed in what she hoped was relief.

“I’ve wanted my friend to split up with this woman for a while now. The woman’s a bitch.”

Zuri glanced back over at Mano and felt a surge of hope. She’d better quash that feeling, and fast. She had a feeling this guy would be a challenge.

Mano nodded at Charley. Charley tied two knots in the string. The men turned their gazes towards Z.

“My turn?” She thought for a moment. “I’ve made fun of a man for not being able to express himself in bed.” She saw Mano’s lips quirk in a small smile. “And I’ve been bored sexually for a while now. There’s no challenge in it anymore.” She watched Mano’s eyebrows rise and fall. “Let’s see…I ignored this same guy…the guy I made fun of…I ignored his safe word the other night. I was mad at him and wanted to give him more pain.” Mano’s lips again pressed into a tiny smile. “And I got a perverse thrill when he started whimpering.” She noticed Mano looking up at the sky and back.
Was that an eye roll? Was he making fun of her?
“Okay, I’m done.”

Charley nodded and tied several knots in the string. “Intoxication?”

“Are you talking to me? Do I ever get intoxicated? All the time…I like to get high.”

Charley looked at Mano and frowned. Mano gave a small shrug.

Zuri was furious. “What, am I in the confessional right now? I didn’t exactly sign up for this…this…whatever it is we’re doing here today. I don’t even know what it is. I only know that my friend is hurting, and when a friend is hurting, I’m going to do whatever I can to assist her.”

Charley and Mano looked at each other again. “She’ll be fine,” Mano affirmed.

Charley nodded and tied a big knot in the string. “Now, you two go and purify in the creek.”

Mano got up and reached for Zuri’s hand. An electric shock shot through her fingers upon contact. She followed Mano and Severe over to the bubbling stream.

Severe stepped right into the stream, lapping up refreshment. She lifted her head, wagged her tail at Zuri, and then lowered her muzzle back into the brook. Mano removed his shoes, pulled up his pants, and stepped into the water. He looked over at Z and indicated that she do the same.

The water was icy, causing an instantaneous numbing sensation. Zuri let out a small shriek. She watched Mano reach down and scoop up a handful of water. He lifted his hands up over head and let the water dribble onto his scalp. He did this two more times, turned to Zuri, and indicated that she do the same.

“Should I do anything…think anything?”

“Ask for purification.”

“Who am I asking?”

“The Great Mystery…”

Z nodded.
Okay, Great Mystery, whatever that is, purify, please.
She scooped up the chilly water and sprinkled it over her head. A sharp burst of cold hit her scalp and face. She did this two more times, as Mano had done, and realized that she felt curiously refreshed…curiously cleansed. She looked over at Mano who was staring intently at her. Again, she noticed a shiver of excitement in her loins. She brought the tattoo snake to mind.
Chérie and her wicked little hint...
“How did I do?”

“Fine…” was all he said. He took her hand once more and led her back to the clearing.

Once they’d all resumed their places, Zuri noticed that Charley now had prepared a burning coal on top of a small clay plate. An earthen urn held several small, dried root-like things. A stick, with what looked like deer hooves dangling from leather strips, was placed to his left. A hand-painted Shaman frame drum, covered with taut dried leather, was to his right.

Charley reached in his pouch, pulled out an amber crystalline substance, and sprinkled it on the coal. Sweet smelling incense filled the air. Charley stood and proffered the smoke in all directions, then lifted it above and swept it below. He sat again. He grabbed the stick and handed it to Zuri. “You’ll use this to keep the energy moving. Shake it when it feels right.”

Zuri took the proffered rattle. “How long do I shake it?”

“As long as we need it…as long as it feels right.”

“How long will that be?”

Charley shook his head at her and looked over to Mano, his lips a tight slash.

Mano gave her a surprisingly gentle look. “We’re doing a sacred ceremony, Zuri. There’s been too much going on to fill you in on the details. Severe and I are going to enter the Spirit World and try to track the star dreamling for Cam.”

“The star dreamling…?” Zuri stammered. Chérie hadn’t mentioned a star dreamling last night. She was going to have to have a talk with her friend.

“Right,” Mano continued. “It’s something I’ve been training to track. So Severe and I will enter the Spirit World and track the dreamling, and you and Charley will hold the space. I got a good feeling about you at the club which is why I asked you to assist here.”

Good feeling, huh? He had sure fooled her.

Mano went on. “You’ll be the only one not using the sacred substance here. You’ll maintain our ground, our earth. I trust you to manage this task.”

Hearing this, Zuri felt a swell of pride. “What’s the sacred substance?”

“It’s peyote.”

“Peyote? Why can’t I do it, too?” She’d always wanted to try peyote.

“This isn’t a party, Zuri. It’s a sacred process. It’s not something you just do for fun.”

So much for the gentleness…now Z felt schooled again. This Mano guy sure had a strange effect on her. She wasn’t used to a guy getting the upper hand over her. She picked up the rattle. “Alright, me and my rattle here will make sure you boys…and girl…” She looked over at Severe. “…I’ll make sure you boys find your way back home, is that what you want from me?”

Mano nodded and looked back at Charley. “Roadman? Ready?” Then, he turned to Zuri, and said, “The roadman is our guide, our leader here. We usually perform this ceremony with several people and Charley, who is a trained Shaman, holds this role for us.”

Charley gave a grunt and a nod. He extracted dried tobacco leaves and rolling papers out of his pouch and passed one to Mano and kept one for himself. Mano and he rolled up the leaves in the paper and lit them, using matches that Charley produced. They each inhaled and let out the smoke with a song in a language Zuri did not recognize. Then Mano handed his cigarette to Zuri, saying only, “Pray…”

Zuri took the smoke, took a puff, and formed a prayer for Chérie’s well-being and Cam’s safety while blowing the smoke out. Then she handed the cigarette back to Mano.

After this process was complete, Charley took one of the peyote buttons out of the small urn and handed the urn to Mano. Placing it in his mouth, he picked up the drum and drum-stick, and beat a slow steady rhythm.

Zuri sat, unsure of what to do. She listened to the beating drum and gazed at the sky which was turning pink and purple like a bruise. It did not look beautiful to her; it looked disturbing and menacing. She watched the bruise turn dark and ugly as the sun set below the horizon. She looked at the rattle in her hand and thought this was a good time to start to shake it. It seemed that the energy here could use a bit of shaking up.

The night unrolled like a blanket, covering Zuri with further unease. She kept up the shaking, while watching Charley and Mano passing the urn between them, reaching for the peyote, placing the buttons in their mouths.

Mano started to sing. His voice was beautiful and resonant. He sang in words that made no sense; he sang in words that were crystal clear. Still, Zuri did not feel safe.

Charley added to the song with chanting. At times, he’d place the drum on his lap, take another peyote button, close his eyes, sing, and consume the peyote. Then he’d pick up the drum again and resume the cadence. Once he looked over at Zuri, stared at her with unblinking eyes, and commanded, “Don’t sleep. Don’t even think about sleeping.”

Zuri had no intention of sleeping. She did not want to miss a moment of this experience.

The drum beat became hypnotic, soothing, and calming the sense of discomfort rolling through Zuri’s gut. As she shook the rattle, she regarded Mano, who was sitting with eyes closed, his lips moving as if talking to himself. He’d consumed at least two dozen of the buttons and continued to reach for them throughout the night. She watched him grimace, get up, and walk off into the woods. She heard violent retching like the guy was losing his intestines. Then he walked back, sat down, and reached for another peyote button.
Sort of like S&M,
Zuri thought bemusedly.

The really curious thing was watching Severe. The dog got down on her belly and slunk in a circle around the circle. She’d slink super slow, paws and legs moving in precise, deliberate moves, like she was stalking prey. At times, she’d race off into the woods like a shooting star, returning later with her tongue lolling, and her eyes bright. She’d trot over to Mano who would ruffle her fur and say, “Good dog, good girl.” The last time she did this, she came back with something in her mouth. It looked to Zuri like it was some kind of sparkly fur. It glowed, luminescent in the night air. Mano became animated when he saw this. She listened as he excitedly praised Severe, vigorously rubbing her head and back. Then – and this was the oddest thing of all – then he lay back on the ground, patted his stomach, and Severe crawled on top of him. She placed her muzzle on his chest, closed her eyes, and the two of them seemed to drift off to sleep. The only clue that something was happening was the twitching paws of the dog and the involuntary jerks of the man.

Meanwhile, Charley kept striking the drum, striking the drum, striking the drum, and the creek kept up its constant babble until Zuri felt completely zoned out. It was a far more peaceful high than via anything she’d ever consumed or smoked. She became aware, then, of the strangest thing of all. Although the four of them were only illuminated by the moon, Zuri watched, aghast, as frost crystals formed on Mano’s eyebrows and hair. His skin erupted with goose pimples as the crystals spread along the surface. Air blew from his nose and mouth in white puffs. Even Severe was covered in a layer of ice, making her appear like a dead dog in the snow. Had Zuri not seen her breath, too, exhaled in pale clouds, she’d have thought the dog a goner.

Z looked over at Charley, wondering if she should do something – get a blanket perhaps? The guy’s eyes were closed, yet he kept a steady rhythm. He must have sense Zuri’s stare, though, because his eyes flew open. He looked at Zuri, looked at Mano and Severe, nodded, closed his eyes, and resumed his journey. Sighing, Zuri picked up the rattle again and shook, and shook and shook.

Chapter 42 – Chérie

I was certain that I looked like a leg-kicking, lung-wailing, inconsolable two-year-old, but I didn’t care. All I knew was that something was wrong with Cam, it had something to do with Angela, and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I couldn’t swoop in and rescue him, couldn’t drop in and throw him a sword…nothing. This ka’kriyayaga business was useless as far as I was concerned.

Kayden had been sweet and tender until his efforts at making me feel better had proved fruitless. Then he excused himself to “go for a walk.” I interpreted that as, “get far away from you until you have calmed down.”

Sitting up on the bed, I wiped off my wet, snot-smeared face with one of the fine linen handkerchiefs Kayden kept around, brushed my hair with my fingers, straightened out my clothes, and called sweetly, “Okay, Kayden, I’m in a better mood.”

I heard his response in my head. “Not coming back until you have sorted yourself out, chère.”

“Come on, Kayden, come back. I think I’ve shed my last tear. I miss you.”