Wind Whisperer Read online

  Little Feather, who had been sitting beside me nibbling on a sweet cake, gasped and pointed toward the entrance. “Look, Han-nah. The men are bringing in a stranger.” Her face registered growing fear.

  I had to stand on tiptoes to see over the heads of the people who’d scrambled to their feet to feed their insatiable curiosity. Three men were half carrying, half dragging a human form into the building. As soon as I saw who it was, my heart stopped and my legs almost folded up under me. As I watched, dumbfounded, I saw my cousin Jonah dragged into the central area of the large house.

  “Jonah.” I exhaled sharply. “Oh, my God. Little Feather, it’s Jonah. It’s Jonah.”

  FOURTEEN – JONAH

  I pushed through the crowd, not caring if I was being rude or not, and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. My heart slammed against my ribcage and my breathing came out in sputtering gasps. I reached the throng of angry men just as they presented a battered and bedraggled Jonah to the chief. My cousin looked awful; like death-warmed-over—or whatever the phrase. His hair was matted, his clothes torn, and scratches and dirt covered his face. I’d never seen him so utterly forsaken and disheveled. But he still fought them. My cousin snarled, spitting out epithets like some dead-beat, second-rate boxer.

  “Jonah.” I cried, ignoring the men who parted reluctantly to let me through. “Jonah. Oh, Jonah, I’ve been looking for you—waiting for you. Where have you been? Where? How did you get here? Oh, Jonah…I’m so glad to see you.”

  Jonah glared at me for a second and then his face softened. “Hannah…you-you look okay…. Are you okay?”

  I nodded, tears streaming down my face. “Yes. I-I’m okay. They’ve treated me well. I’ve been…”

  I was interrupted by a loud bark from Chief, who’d been standing as rigid as marble during our brief but tearful reunion. Ignoring me, he gave Jonah a long, penetrating look—a look as sharp as a finely honed knife—and I could tell its intensity disturbed my cousin. Jonah flinched under the fierce scrutiny but never wavered. He met the chief, eye to eye. I’d never been more proud of my cousin…and more frightened for his life.

  Chief continued to stare at Jonah silently. The entire village and all the guests, who’d come forward to witness this phenomenon, acted like they’d been frozen in time. Even the tiniest children made no sound. I held my breath.

  Then my cousin did an amazing thing. He reached inside his half-zipped jacket and brought out the totem thing he’d found beside the ancient tree—one dream and half a millennium ago. With both hands, he held it up and waved it in front of the chief’s surprised face. A subdued murmur passed through the crowd, like a soft sigh released before sleep. Jonah held up the wooden bird and stared into the steely eyes of the older man in front of him. The chief returned the boy’s gaze, but didn’t utter a word nor make a single movement to betray his feelings. A standoff—a mental chess game at its climax. All I could do was hold my breath and wait…and watch the shadow of the wooden bird merge seductively with the other dancing shadows cast by the many fires against the far wall.

  Suddenly, from behind me, Gray Otter pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his face a livid mask of anger. “That is my father’s. That spirit rattle belongs to my father. Where did you find that? Where?”

  A murmur swept through the crowd like the wind through the cedars before a summer storm. My heart thudded against my chest so hard that I thought I might be having a heart attack. I’d never been so afraid in my entire life. I was going to witness the death of my cousin. I knew it and this made me cold all the way to my marrow. But Jonah wasn’t through surprising me.

  “This?” he shouted, looking Gray Otter in the eye.

  Gray Otter’s eyebrows formed a knot, and he shot a look my way. Took me a second before I understood that he hadn’t understood what Jonah said. Jonah still spoke in American English. I translated, then leaned toward my cousin. “Jonah, they don’t understand you.”

  Jonah grimaced then set his lips. “Fine. Then tell him this thing is mine, that I found it at the foot of a spirit-tree. A tree so big—so awesome—that it made all the other trees insignificant in comparison. The tree gave me this because...” He paused for a moment, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. “Because I am a powerful wizard!” I winced. “Tell him!” Sucking in a deep breath, I faced Gray Otter and Chief and repeated what Jonah had said. Neither one batted an eye or twitched a muscle.

  I held my breath and waited what seemed like a million thudding heartbeats for their reaction. Would my explanation be enough? Did they even know what a ‘wizard’ was? Two summers ago, Jonah had been a Harry Potter fiend and had read the first four books in only seven weeks. Why’d he have to dredge that stuff up now?

  At that moment, the shaman—Gray Otter’s grandfather—stepped through the hushed crowd as fluid and silent as air itself. He reached out one gnarled hand and Jonah gave him the carved bird. The old man examined it—mutely— then grunted and handed it back to Jonah. With a cursory nod to the chief, he turned around and melted into the throng of onlookers. Nobody made a sound. Nobody dared even to breathe.

  After an eternity, Chief turned around and faced me. My heart rose up into my throat, but I waited for him to speak first. In my peripheral vision, I saw Gray Otter standing stiffly, hands clenched, waiting for his chief to address this insurmountable problem.

  Finally Chief grunted. “She-Who-Speaks-Many-Tongues…” I chewed on my lower lip, fearful of what he was going to say next. “You know this boy? He is of your village? Your people?” I nodded. He grunted again and turned back to face Jonah. For a long moment, he studied my cousin silently. It was as though he read Jonah’s mind—every thought, every memory. Then the broad-shouldered man lifted his chin and addressed his people.

  “This youth is known to She-Who-Speaks-Many-Tongues—Han-nah, as she names herself.” He lifted an arm and motioned for Gray Otter to step closer. He pointed to Gray Otter. “You, Gray Otter, son of a shaman, grandson of a shaman, great-grandson of a shaman, will see to this youth. He will be your slave for the time being but he is to be treated with respect. We shall see whether he possesses spirit powers. Never have I known this to happen outside our people, but…I do not claim to know everything. You will teach him our ways. Then we will decide what is to be done with him. There is time for sacrificing or for rejoicing. Time will tell.”

  I glanced over at Gray Otter relieved to see that his face no longer wore the mask of anger. In its place, a determined look showed his willingness to do as the chief ordered. The three young men with him also wore excited expressions, indicating their willingness to help their friend in the undertaking of such a seemingly impossible but important task. Only Sand Eater—the fourth companion, the boy who always showed his contempt for me—frowned. He didn’t like Jonah any more than he liked me and wasn’t happy about what the chief had just said. I knew there would be trouble. I only hoped he’d keep a low profile and wouldn’t poison Gray Otter’s thoughts and intentions…or take matters into his own hands out of spite.

  Jonah glanced at me for translation and I whispered what Chief had said. Instead of accepting this respite from sudden death, my stupid cousin glared at the chief and Gray Otter, whose keeping he’d just been relegated to and suddenly jerked free from the hold the two bulky men had on him. “I am nobody’s slave.” he said hoarsely and lifted the arm holding the carved bird high over his head.

  I winced, fully expecting my cousin to be killed right there on the spot. Gray Otter’s eyebrows had disappeared into his hair. I looked at the youth, then at Chief, and finally at Jonah and comprehension hit me like a tsunami. They’d understood his last words. Had the mere shaking of the rattle over his head been the worker of such magic? I didn’t even want to go there, wouldn’t go there, or my mind would fold up like a collapsing chair.

  Chief, ever the resourceful warrior, cleared his throat and spoke. “You possess great power, and are brave, He-Who-Mimics-the-Squirrel, but filled with the foo
lishness of youth. The object you hold is powerful but only to those who have the blessings of the spirit world. You may or may not have that blessing. Only time will tell. For now, you will do what this young man tells you to do. We will weigh your merit. You either will be victorious or you will be silenced forever. I leave the choosing to you.”

  Jonah opened his mouth to retort—I could tell by the way his lip curled—but then clamped his lips together and remained silent. One look at me told him he’d acted wisely. His shoulders relaxed and he dropped his defensive posture. Looking the chief straight in the eye, he nodded. “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it your way. But I want-I want to talk to my cousin—to Hannah—alone…for a minute. Can I do that?”

  Chief glanced at me then back at Jonah. “Yes.” Without another word, he motioned for the crowd, still staring mutely at this unheard of spectacle that had so effectively stolen the limelight from a deserving bride and groom, to back away. They obeyed. My materializing out of the blue had been enough to upset their placid routine. Now they had two of us to contend with. No wonder they just stood there, mouths gaping, not wanting to miss any of the drama unfolding in the middle of the long house.

  I was sorry it’d happened during Joy’s wedding party. But one look in her direction salved my conscience. She looked every bit as intrigued as everyone else. He-Sees-Far seemed downright flabbergasted. I guess their wedding would at least be remembered and talked about for years to come. In another few years the story ought to be really good.

  The two men released Jonah and, without a backward glance, he walked over to me. When he put his arms around me and gave me a fierce hug, a ripple went through the crowd. It probably was shocking for a boy his age to hug a girl my age but at that moment I didn’t care about protocol. I hugged Jonah back and murmured, “Oh, Jonah…Jonah…I’m so glad you’re here…so glad, so glad…” Inane, I knew, but it was all I could say at the moment.

  My cousin shook his head in disbelief. He glanced around at the guests dressed in their fine cedar bark clothes, at the grotesque shadows leaping and dancing on the walls, at the curling smoke, and at the painted masks depicting strange mythical creatures, and sighed. “Hannah…I can’t believe any of this. I’ve been living in a nightmare for the past five days—or maybe it’s been twenty. I don’t know. I’ve lost all track of time.”

  “Oh, Jonah…where were you? I-I got here seven days ago…I think. Like you, I’ve had the dickens of a time keeping the days straight. I-I got lost…back by that monster tree you were so keen about…” I giggled nervously. “Whatever possessed you to call it a spirit-tree? And wizard? I nearly died…”

  He grinned weakly. “I had to say something…couldn’t think of anything else to say…”

  “Oh, Jonah. I couldn’t f-find you. I called and called…”

  “Yeah, well, that’s pretty much the way it happened for me, too. I went inside that tree just for a sec then came right back out—fully expecting to see you mad as a hornet, waiting for me. But you weren’t there. I thought you’d gotten so mad you’d just gone back to the cabin.” He chuckled ruefully. “I didn’t want Dad ticked off so started running. Trouble was, I couldn’t find my way back. The trail was totally different. Man. I freaked out.” He made a face. “I felt like a little kid again. I’ll tell you now, I was really scared.”

  “Me, too.” I grimaced. “Oh, Jonah…why didn’t you let me know you were here? You must’ve known how worried I’d be…worried and scared and feeling so lost. Why did you wait seven days to show yourself?”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve been watching you, Hannah…from the woods.”

  “You have?”

  “Oh, yeah…for at least a week. Tried to get your attention several times but you were never alone…except for that one time. I was just going to show myself when the boss suddenly showed up. Man. I hadn’t even heard him coming. He almost saw me, too, but I crawled back under some bushes just in the nick of time.”

  “You’re the whisperer? You scared me, Jonah. No way I thought it was you.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I couldn’t very well just come out and call your name in my regular voice, could I?” He chuckled wryly. “Yoo, hoo. Hannah. It’s me, Jonah. Can you come out and play?”

  My smile was tremulous. “Well…maybe-maybe you could’ve. They’ve treated me very well. They probably would’ve treated you the same. I needed you, Jonah. I wish you would’ve let me know you were at least safe.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to take the chance. I’m sorry, Hannah. I hid in the woods, helped myself to stuff when I needed it, and pretty much kept my eye on you.”

  “That’s nice to know…now, but…you should’ve let me know.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll know better next time.” He grinned crookedly and I had to smile in return.

  He looked over his shoulder furtively then back at me. “Okay, kiddo, I think our time’s up. Somehow, we’ve got to plan how we’re going to escape. Don’t know how, don’t know when, but we have to get out of here.”

  Before I could say anything to that, Gray Otter stepped forward and placed a hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “Enough talk. We will go to my house now. Tomorrow we begin your training. Tomorrow you will show us what you are made of.”

  Jonah straightened his shoulders and faced the youth resolutely. I saw Gray’s eyes narrow as he appraised this young man in his charge—the one who had somehow taken possession of his father’s rattle; the one who was a mystery and, therefore, had to be watched carefully. Neither boy flinched or looked away. I was proud of my cousin’s courage, but had no illusions about his athletic abilities. Though not a couch potato, Jonah was still no match for these youths. Jonah didn’t run track at his high school nor did he participate in sports. He rode his bike a lot, played pretty decent baseball, but keep up with Gray and his buddies? I didn’t think so, and this filled me with a gnawing dread. Offering up a silent prayer for his safety, I stood back so Gray Otter and Jonah could pass. His buddies followed silently. My cousin was in for some rough times ahead.

  FIFTEEN – SAND EATER

  The next two days passed in a blur of activity. They didn’t allow any time alone with Jonah and I could only watch from afar as he went through a series of “exercises” that would make Marine Boot Camp look like a church social. Gray Otter had Jonah swimming naked in the frigid waters of the strait, running back and forth on the beach, while carrying a pack loaded with heavy rocks on his back, and throwing harpoon after harpoon after harpoon at a dummy hanging from a tree. Every time Jonah missed or fell on his face or made any kind of mistake, the youths would roar with merriment. I wanted to encourage him—be there to support him—but that was forbidden. Joy tried to explain this to me.

  “No, Han-nah…you must not interfere with Jo-nah’s training. You must trust Gray Otter and the others to do their best. Jo-nah will be safe. He will come to no harm. And besides…it is not a woman’s place.”

  I wanted to believe her. “But, Joy…your father said the night of your wedding that if Jonah didn’t prove himself, he was expendable. I’m scared he won’t be able to measure up. He hasn’t grown up doing this sort of thing, and as for it not being a woman’s place, that’s ridiculous. Where I come from—ohh. Never mind. There’s no way in heaven I can explain it to you.”

  Joy patted my arm. “He-Sees-Far has told me how well your cou-sin is doing, Han-nah. He tells me that Gray Otter and the others have great admiration for his bravery and determination. Jo-nah will be fine.”

  I accepted this although it went against every preconceived notion I had about the rigors of Native American coming-of-age rituals. And Jonah wasn’t just trying to become a man in their eyes. He was trying to prove his right to carry the shaman spirit rattle. If Jonah survived this, he’d be able to accomplish anything back in our world. Uncle Dave and my dad would’ve been out of their minds with pride if they could see him now.

  * * * *

  Alone. For the first time since I’d arrived at the village—I wa
s alone with no other person watching me or talking to me or gesturing to me. It was wonderful and at the same time, perplexing. I’d gotten so used to having someone with me at all times that being on my own seemed daunting.

  Joy and her husband got along well—or, at least, that’s what she told me. Hard for me to say because their customs were so foreign. They didn’t act like any newly-weds I’d ever seen, but I knew she told me the truth. For their culture, they got along famously.

  Jonah left with Gray Otter and gang in one of the long canoes—supposedly learning how to fish their way. I’d crept down to the beach to spy on them and had seen my cousin wrestling with Talks-Too-Much, one of the more engaging youths that went around with Gray, and the one I liked the most, besides Gray Otter himself.

  One of the strangest things yet, my attraction to Gray Otter. Embarrassing to admit it—but I found him immensely intriguing—good looking, strong, intelligent, and kind. In his own way, and despite me being a female who looked nothing like his own people and knew nothing of his culture, he treated me kindly. His dark brown eyes had such a delightful habit of dancing whenever he saw me. When I let my thoughts wander in that direction I always gave myself a vigorous mental shake. I couldn’t entertain thoughts of us ever becoming a couple. Impossible. And yet, wander they did—every chance they got. I really needed to work it out in my mind…and heart. I might be losing it. Before I knew it, I’d be one of them. I’d cease to be a modern America teenager.