Ch. 8
To get to Dobie Village, go west through the Red River Canyon. Then make your way through the Black Dusk (no idea what that is). Finally, you need to make your way through the Blue Cave(or this)
Good luck, Kasai. I'll see you in the second round.
Yoh.
"These directions are more confusing than a two-headed snake. I have no idea what they mean," Zach exasperated. He kicked a rock out of his path as he paced in a circle. "Your cousin is just as loony as his brother."
"Hey. I trust him. He wouldn't lead his friends astray like that. You saw the way his group was loyal to him," I countered.
Zach stopped pacing and got right in my face. "Jake, you just met the guy yesterday and talked for only five minutes. He is one of the most powerful shamans in this tournament, he can form a double medium, and his brother his Hao. I don't know about you, but that's enough reason to be suspicious of the guy." He turned on his heel and walked several meters away into the desert. He sat on boulder, fuming with his canteen.
I sighed and uncapped my own canteen. It had been three days since we left the town. Three days of wandering the desert, hoping to find something that resembled a black 'dusk'. Everyday, Zach would get crankier and lash out at both me and Maria. I was getting fed up with his attitude.
Maria handled the situation better, but I was beginning to sense her doubt as well. She had become silent whenever I would defend Yoh, but would not back up her twin either. I couldn't tell what her true feeling were.
I wiped my mouth and put my canteen in the bag. To be honest, I was starting to be skeptical too, but only a little bit. What worried me was that Yoh and his friends were given the wrong directions from those ghosts. From what I've seen, people will do anything to get to Dobie Village. Even if it meant deceiving your competition. But why would ghosts give the wrong information.
"You think the directions they were given might have been wrong?" Maria asked suspiciously. It shocked me that she said exactly what I was thinking.
"I'm beginning to think so. But then again, we don't know how far it is to Dobie Village from the town. It's obvious that the canyons we passed were the Red River canyons," I said, remembering the red rock and slightly dark brown river.
"But it was the Grand Canyon we passed through."
"True, but we don't know the canyon was called 1,500 years ago." I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know how much more of this we can take. It's hot, it's sandy, and Zach is about ready to blow his top."
Maria sadly nodded. "The stress is getting to us all." But she then took my uninjured hand and smiled. "But that's not going to get us down, is it?"
I grinned. She always knew what to say to get me right back on track. "Not a chance." I then motioned to Zach. "But what about him."
"He always get's anxious and cranky when things don't go his way. He's been that since we were five. I guess it's my parent's fault. They kind of spoiled us when we were kids."
"How?"
"You know, the usually. Whenever Zach had to have something, our parents gave it to him. Horses, ATV's, guns, game systems, tree houses, toys. I guess you could call him a spoiled prince."
"How can a cowboy be a spoiled prince? Don't you guys live out in the country?" I asked.
"Our family owns a few oil platforms in South Texas. Trust me, we could afford stuff like that. We own about a five thousand acres at our house. It includes a lake, a good few acres of forest, and few practice golf course holes. That last one was Dad's idea."
I snickered. "Are you a spoiled princess as well?"
"Don't you mean a spoiled hime?" She grinned back. But then it faded. "I guess you could say I was once, but that changed about eight years ago." She sat down on a boulder.
"What happened?" I asked, sitting down beside her.
"My parents promised us once that we would go on camping trip before our summer vacation would be over. However, on the day we were supposed to leave, they had to cancel so they could leave for a business because someone found an open oil well. I was so ticked off that I just packed a backpack, my horse, and just went off on my own into our giant backyard."
She rubbed her face with her hands. "I thought I was experienced enough to take care of myself. But being taught how to survive in the wilderness relies on experience, not just what your dad and uncle show you in your room. That night, I couldn't get a fire going, I couldn't catch anything on my fishing poles or traps, and a thunderstorm was coming in."
I noticed her shoulders began to shake a little. So I put my arm on her back and touched her arm. "Then what happen?"
She raised her head and I saw a few tears leak down her cheeks. "I decided to return back to the house when I could see lightning in the distance. So I packed everything up and was on my way just as it began to rain. To save time, I took a short cut through a ravine. I though it be okay, but then, lightning struck about a quarter of a mile away, sending a sonic boom through the through the rocks. The sound caused my horse to rear up and stumble over some loose rocks. It was enough to send us falling thirty-feet into the ravine."
"Both of my legs were broken from the fall. My horse, Georgia, was impaled by several dead trees. She was sill alive for a few minutes, but the sounds of her dying still haunt my dreams."
"I'm so sorry," I whispered while squeezing her shoulder.
"Thanks," she sniffed. "After a few hours, the pain was beginning to make me black out. But the pain of losing Georgia was worse than my broken legs. It made me want to die. It was my fault and that I deserved no less punishment . But then, I heard a voice bringing me back. When I opened my eyes, I could see the faint image of Georgia hovering above me."
"She became an animal spirit?" I asked shocked.
"Yeah. Somehow, what little shaman power I had brought her back. She was actually talking to me. She told me that it wasn't my fault that she died and that I shouldn't blame myself. Then, she said she was going to get help."
"Sure enough, an hour later, Zach was there with a rescue crew. They were able to get me out of the ravine before a flash flood could wash me away. The next day, I asked how Zach found me. He said I wouldn't believe him and I asked him to try me. He was silent for a few minutes before he admitted that a ghost horse led him to me. It was at that moment we learned we were shamans."
"And that's where you met your teacher. The Native American?"
"Yep. Good old Charlie. After my legs had healed, we went searching for answers about who we were. Our search led us to a cemetery, where we learned how to communicate with spirits. The caretaker, Charlie, spotted us talking to the ghosts. It took him a while to get over his shock, but he eventually believed us. He then explained what we were and how to control our shamanic powers. We owe everything to him."
I shook my head. "Wow. That's an amazing tale."
Maria nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, but you still have it worse than me."
"Do I?"
"Yeah. Losing your parents in a fire, your grandparents to a pyromaniac. I'm surprised that you're still sane."
"I've learned that dwelling on the past does nothing for your future," I said. "They only thing I can do is continue and see that pyromanic's reign of terror is ended."
Maria smiled and squeezed my hand. "Then let's get going." She sat up and walked over to Zach. When she was close enough, she kicked him in the back. He tumbled into the dirt.
"Ow. What the hell was that for?" he asked.
"We don't have time to rest, you lazy bum! We've got a village to find!" Maria said.
"Why?" he snapped.
"Because you're not in it. Every village needs an idiot," his twin joked. She then picked him up by the scruff of his neck and began to drag him west. "Now, come on. Chop-chop!"
I laughed because I could hear Zach swearing from were I was. It was also hilarious to see a six-foot kid being towed around by his smaller sister.
I wonder if all siblings are like that.
We covered a good chunk of land before we decided to make camp for the evening. The area was dry and dusty, but we set up a fire right next to a plateau to block the wind. There was also a ravine a couple hundred meters away.
"Another night underneath the stars, another arachnid in my sleeping bag," Zach grumbled as he shook his bag. "Why do I always attract bugs?"
"Must be your cologne," Maria chuckled.
"Ha, ha. Stop, my sides hurt," Zach snarled. "You never had to wake up with a scorpion in your pants." He set his bag down and stalked off. "I'm going for a walk."
I turned to Maria with a raise eyebrow. She just shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he ran out of his beef jerky," she suggested.
I sat up and brushed the sand off my legs. "I'm going to go talk to him."
"Be careful," Maria warned. "There's all kinds of desert creatures out here that could give you a nasty bite."
Stretching my senses, I could 'see' Zach heading toward the ravine. I followed him for a few minutes before I could see his outline in the light of the setting sun He was sitting on the edge of the ravine, legs dangling over edge. His eyes were watching the cloud's shadows drift through the canyon.
I sat down beside him and watched the shadows with for a few, silent minutes. It was a moment that Zach seemed to be at a loss for words. As long as we known each other, I've never seen him this withdrawn from everybody. Usually he's the life of the party and the one who inspires us to never quit. And yet, he seemed like a broken man. Ever since he lost his guardian ghost.
It was more than I could take. "You want to tell me what's really going on?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I just feel like giving up. It's like we're fighting the current while trying swim upstream. The more we try, the more tired we get. Eventually, we're to exhausted to continue."
"I just don't get it. During the first round, you're the one that was always cheering me and Maria one. It was you that told us quitters never win and that if only believe in ourselves, we could accomplish anything," I said. "How could you have changed so much."
"Isn't it obvious?" he snapped. "What good are we going to be in the Shaman tournament without guardian ghosts? Sure, Yoh promised us he would help us we get to Dobie Village, but how do we know that his fiancé his going to help. Don't you remember her? She didn't seem like a girl who would help out any group of shamans?"
"I trust Yoh and Anna to help us out."
"That's the kind of the thinking that's going to get you killed!" Zach yelled. "You can't trust anyone in this tournament. There can only be one Shaman King."
"The three of us made a promise to do our best fulfill the dreams of all honest shaman," I pointed out. "If either Maria or I become Shaman King, we'll honor your wish to bring peace between spirits and ghosts. Or did you forget that?"
"That's not what I mean! I'm talking about everyone else doing everything they can to eliminate the competition. At some point, we're going to run into a very power shaman who could think it would be just easier to destroy instead of following the rules. Just like Hao."
"I always though you weren't afraid of a challenge."
Then I saw something on Zach's face I never though I would see. It was expressing fear.
"I wasn't. A few months ago, I would have taken on the entire competition with a smile on my face and Wyatt on my arm. But now...after watching what Hao is capable of..."
"Yeah," I muttered. The thought of dying was always a possibility and it was one I wasn't afraid of. But when Hao destroyed our guardian ghosts, it frightened us. Because with his power, he could erase our existence. We wouldn't be able to pass on to the next life.
Just....gone.
"But we can't give up. If we do, Hao will destroy the world and everyone we love," I said.
"Don't you think that I know that? I just afraid of losing her..." he trailed off. I noticed him gaze back at the fire for an instant.
"Are you talking about her accident at the ravine near your house? The one when you guys were seven?"
I saw his shocked expression, but then he nodded. "Yeah, that's it." He didn't bother asking me how I knew.
"The thought of losing her haunts me more than anything. Even more than losing this tournament. I never realized how much she meant to me until that night when the ghost of her horse came to me and told me she was in trouble," he sighed. He pressed rubbed his face with both of his hand. "The police and rescue team always thought it was suspicious that I led them right to her without having any idea where she was. But as long as she was safe, they didn't press the issue."
"I'm pretty sure it would be hard to explain to the authorities you talked to animal spirit," I tried to joke. It was enough to make Zach grin a little.
"Yeah. News straight from the horse's mouth."
That caused both of us to crack up laughing. And for several minutes, we didn't stop.
I was the first to stop. "Don't worry about Maria. Nothing is going to happen to her."
Zach stopped chuckling and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "What was that?"
I sat back on my hands and stared at the sky. "Even though we've known each other for less than few months, I consider you the closest thing I have to a brother. And I consider Maria a...uh..."
"A sister, right?" Zach growled.
"Right...somewhat of a sister," I chuckled nervously. With the way she winks at me when Zach's not looking makes me believe that she doesn't like me as a brother.
"What I mean is you two are the closest thing I have to a real family. We have stood by and supported each other in the darkest times. I will protect the two of you with my life. That is a promise."
Zach turned to me with a bewildered expression. "You mean that?"
I turned back to him and grinned. "Believe it."
"I do," Zach chuckled. For the first time in nearly a month, I saw a genuine smile on his face. He sat up and reached out his hand. "Let's head back and get some dinner."
"There's the Zach I remember," I sniggered as I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. "Always thinking with his stomach."
He laughed and cuffed on the shoulder before heading back. I stayed behind to watch the sunset for a few moments. Just the last tip of the sphere of gas was hovering on the horizon. Then, with almost a small pop, it disappeared.
My pupils grew to adjust to the new darkness of the land. But after a few minutes of staring, all I could still see is darkness.
"What the..." I mumbled as I gazed around the area. I still could see the glowing light of our campfire, but the area surrounding us was pitch black. I couldn't see the outlines of any of the plateau's or the mountain range in the distances. Even with the full moon above us, the moonlight wasn't casting any shadows.
I ran back to the campfire. My friends were silently sitting down and were staring at the flames.
"I guess you noticed too?" Maria whispered. Her body was frozen, but her eyes were darting back and forth over the land.
"Yeah. The sun has just set," Zach mumbled. "And what's before sunset?"
"Dusk," I whispered. "This is the Black Dusk."
We were silent for a few minutes, just gazing at the area around us. I could feel a presence in the air, but it wasn't threatening. It was more like we were being watched. Not by a creepy stalker or anything. It was more like a teacher or doctor was studying us. Observing.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Maria whispered.
"I don't think we're in danger," I answered. "But we should still be cautious."
"What do we do?" Zach asked.
"I'll stay up for a while to see if something happens. You two rest up. If anything happens, you will be refreshed enough to escape."
I cringed as Maria's furious stare came my way. "You will not stay up all night. I'll take the first watch. You two get some sleep."
"But Maria..." I reasoned.
"Now!" she barked.
Zach swallowed and laid down on his sleeping bag. "Yes ma'am," he muttered.
I scowled right back at her. Neither one us backed down until I got bored trying to figure out what to say.
"Fine," I grumbled before turning over.
For the next few hours, I just waited. I pretended to slow my body's breathing to make it look like I was asleep. I could hear Maria began to yawn and the ruffling of her sleeping bag as well. After a few minutes, I rolled over to see that she had finally laid down and went to sleep.
I smiled. The mean glare that was on her face earlier was gone. Now, there was a expression of relaxation and exhaustion. It was a face that always made me wonder if there were actually angels in the afterlife because I swore she looked like one.
I got up, picking up my sleeping bag, and walked over to her. The cold, desert evenings were always dangerous if you didn't bundle up properly. So, I placed my bag over her, watching her snuggle into it once she realized it was there.
Then, I walked back to my spot, sat down and leaned against a boulder. Digging in to my bag, I pulled out my battle jacket and covered it over me like a blanket. Finally, I got out my kunai and watched the area around my friends.
Only one thought went through my mind all evening.
We're getting close...
