Chapter Twenty Two
...and Indians
The last of the cattle finally thundered past, a Volvo station wagon filled with a family angrily honking behind them as it was restricted to the slow 30 to 40 miles an hour the herd was making as it followed the road's twisting path down to the bottom of the canyon.
As soon as the road was cleared, Adam, Sue, Cassandra, and Sally ran across, and peered cautiously over the remaining overhang and into the canyon below. "Can you see anything?" Sue asked, Adam, who was actually leaning over the edge next to where the rock had detached, and looking almost straight down.
"I see the rock. I don't see any sign of Patrick or that mangy dog."
"It was a coyote," Cassandra added, "not a dog. And with the way the rock was tumbling, it is possible they both ended up underneath it. We'll have to drive down and look for ourselves."
Crossing again the empty highway, the remaining party climbed back in, and Sue again at the wheel took off down the road, swiftly catching up with the honking Volvo, and following it for the next half hour or so as it continued to drive the cattle along the road towards the canyon bottom.
When they finally made it to the bottom of the canyon, Sue took a road which left the highway and headed back along the bottom of the canyon towards where Patrick had gone over.
Finally, she pulled to a stop at the side of the road when Adam pointed to a rock at the base of the far side. "There it is, that's the rock." He said.
Sue shut down the engine, and they piled out, walking over to the small boulder.
A slow circumnavigation of the stone produced one discovery - one of Patrick's muddy, bloody, and mangled feet protruded from one side of the boulder, the shoe laying torn and shredded off to the side. Other than that, there was no sign of him.
"Guess we have ta dig" Sally said, squatting down to peer at the protruding foot.
"Maybe not." Adam said, stepping back, and taking in the position, shape, and angle of the stone.
"What are you thinking?" Cassandra asked, looking at the boulder.
"What if we cleared the rocks out on this side, then jacked the other side up a bit? It might roll over and uncover Patrick so we could get him out without excavating the whole area."
Sue looked around, studying Adam's plan, and came up with a second option. "If we use both the jacks from my car and the RV, plus assuming we have a rope or a chain that's long enough, we might be able to, nah. But the two jacks and digging on this side of the rock, yeah. That will work."
Thus said, the four set to their "rescue" with grim determination. The three women hauled the smaller stones, while Adam used a pole he had found by the road to help pry the larger pieces out of the way, creating a trench on the far side of the stone from Patrick's foot.
About two hours of hard, sweaty labor later, they set up the two jacks beneath the surface of the rock, as far under as they could, and started jacking. When they had reached the maximum extension of the two jacks, Adam and Cassandra slid more rocks under the boulder, creating small cairns to hold it's weight as the jacks were lowered again, then propped up on larger stones, and again raised. Midway through the third cycle, the boulder gave a shudder, and rolled over onto it's side into the trench with a literally earth-shaking THUD!
Revealed by it's absence, was the flattened, bloody, and still muddy body of Patrick. Adam and Cassandra again bent over to pick him up, and carried him to the motor home, to again lay him out in state upon the couch, his apparent new home.
Firing up the engine again, Sue turned the RV around, and headed back towards the highway, turning on it towards the west, and driving off into the setting sun.
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About an hour later, just after they stopped in Gallup to switch drivers and get gas, Patrick sat up with a gasp, then fell off the couch onto the floor at Sue's feet.
"Welcome back" she said wryly, reaching down to offer him a hand up.
Patrick raised a muddy hand towards hers, then paused, examining the caked dirt and blood on it, before taking her hand and climbing unsteadily to his feet. "I take it I died, again?"
"Yep", Sue said, "Fell off a cliff this time. Then got squashed by a rock. We had to excavate you, like some sort of mummy."
"No wonder my head hurts." Patrick said reaching up to rub it, then looking down at his disheveled body. "Uh, do you folks mind if I use the shower? I feel very filthy. Then, is there anything to eat? I'm starving, and would hate to die again today."
Sue grinned and gestured grandly towards the rear of the RV, even as Sally came forward from the bedroom, looked distastefully at the filthy couch then settled into the booth beside Sue. "Goan ahead, lad. I eean layed out some clothes fer yer."
Patrick headed on into the back, while Sue got up, pulled the now 6 hour old steak from the fridge, and tossed it in the Microwave, pausing along the way to kick on the generator.
The sounds of the shower running in the small bathroom filtered up to the kitchen as she returned to her seat at the table opposite Sally.
It was only a few seconds after the microwave chirped it's completion that the door to the bathroom slid open, and a damp but clean and newly dressed Patrick stepped out, making his way to the oven to remove the food he obviously smelled.
Sue slid over to make room, as Patrick settled himself at the table, the steak and potato balanced on a plate in one hand, and silverware and an un-opened soda can in the other. "Ya know, I never really liked Steak before. But I think it is going to be one of my favored foods from now on" Patrick said, slicing off a hearty bite of the steak, before shoving it in his mouth with a malicious grin.
It was only a few minutes before he had finished the steak in it's entirety, and started tearing in to the potato, which fared no better. Finishing his meal, Patrick looked around, and asked, "Uh, when's dinner, or did I, er, miss it?"
Sally and Sue both laughed, while Cassandra called from the front, "We're approaching some place called Lupton, do you all want me to get off the highway so we can try and find some where to eat?"
As Sally, Sue, Adam, and especially Patrick made noises of agreement, Cassandra moved the RV over and took the exit.
Exiting from the highway, she turned right, away from the frontage road, and headed up the intersecting road a short ways to a dilapidated building, it's sign proclaiming it to be a food establishment offering "Genuine Navajo Tacos." Pulling to a stop in the small, potholed parking lot, Cassandra shut down the engine, and said, "Heh, it's food."
As they got out of the RV, all four Immortals recognized the feeling of another of their kind. A door to the rear of the taco stand opened, and a heavyset middle aged man of apparently Native American heritage came charging out, a wild look in his eyes, and a large, sharp butcher knife in his hand.
Sue uttered a name, as an image of the same face in a very different setting floated to the surface of her mind unbidden. "Gaagi Ashiinii"
Sally looked at her quizzically, having heard her utterance.
Sue explained softly, "I may be wrong, but I believe that is an Immortal who was once known as Gaagi Ashiinii. A Navajo warleader who once crossed paths with Eadgils in the 1800's. The Navajo and White Men were on again off again at war back then as the bureaucrats in DC asserted their authority over the newly won territories from the Mexican American war. Eadgils was out here as a miner, silver, I think. Raven was the first Indian immortal he encountered. They fought twice, but more as a sparing match, than an actual attempt to take a head. Eadgils won the first round, and specifically did not kill Raven at that time. Raven after that felt honor bound to the white tchindis as he called him. They were not really friends, but they respected each other. I had no idea he was still around.
The man with the butcher knife on the other hand, was looking at the party of five with an odd expression on his face, his eyes passing from one face to another, and the panic slowly fading from his features. "I am Gus Ash, and I don't want a fight, with either of you." He said, walking forward, then suddenly stopping as he encountered the Quickenings of both Sue and Patrick, taking a step back again, "I don't want to fight any of you."
Cassandra stepped forward, and with a sidelong glance at Adam, spoke, "I am known as Cassandra, Witch of Donan Woods. I was the equivalent of a Medicine Woman among my tribes long ago. I tell you true, we come to you in peace. Neither me nor mine shall lift a hand against you without first being smitten." The force of her words seemed to freeze the other man, who looked at her, then took another step back, lowering the butcher knife to fall loosely at his side. "I have heard of a Cassandra, who walks with wolves. A seer of great power."
"That is I", Cassandra agreed, stepping forward, and indicating the people with her, "Allow me to introduce the Mortals Adam Pierson, a researcher, Sue Danning, and Sally MacGreggor, co workers of his, and Patrick Wescott, a new Immortal."
Gus looked at Cassandra in confusion, then looked at Sue and Adam, then again at Sally. Nodding his head, as if coming to some conclusion, he said, "Pleased to meet you all. I assume you are here for some Tacos?"
At the mention of food, Patrick suddenly perked up, "Yes!"
Sally laughed, and added in an aside to Gus, "He's been killed twice today already. Apparently he's worked up quite an appetite."
The party followed Gus into the small building, the smell of fresh food filling the interior. "Let me head back to the kitchen and get out your order. We can talk later." He said, calling out, "Sarah!"
A young woman with long dark hair, and dark eyes came out from the back, calling out, "Yes Uncle Gus?"
Sue caught a flash of blue from her wrist as the woman casually brushed her long hair back over her shoulder and out of her face.
"Customers Little Deer. Please take their orders. They are Old acquaintances, and I'll want to talk to them later, but for now, they are hungry." Gus said, stressing the word Old.
Sue caught Sarah's eye, and moved her wrist so her own tattoo showed briefly, and added, "Go ahead Mr. Ash. I am sure that Adam and Sally here can help Sarah keep an Eye on Patrick and Cassandra for you.", nodding at the individuals as she spoke, and emphasizing the word eye a bit. Then for Sarah's benefit she added, "I'm Sue Daniels, by the way, and I've recently stopped looking after folks myself," once more puttng a bit of emphasis on the word looking.
Sarah's eyes widened in recognition of the name, then her eyes glanced to Patrick and back to Sue. Apparently it was part of the briefing now that she was somehow associated with Patrick. Whether it had been a general release, or Sarah had been specifically informed because she was along their path, Sue didn't know, and wouldn't bother asking.
Noting that Gus had disappeared in the back, she added softly "I just wanted to make sure you knew, so you wouldn't get in trouble for saying something you shouldn't. I am officially out of the loop."
Sarah smiled, and said, "Some of us may understand the situation more than others. Trust me, being assigned to my 'Uncle' has caused me no end of conflicts myself. But I am the only one he will let follow him around. Don't know if he actually knows about the Watchers, but I sort of suspect he does. He does know I know about Immortals, and that he really isn't my Uncle per se, especially since his entire tribe died out a long time ago, but he almost spent as much time raising me as my real parents did. They were his Wachers as well, you know."
Patrick spoke up, reminding Sarah of his and Cassandra's presence, "So, you, Sally, and Sue were all second generation Watchers. I suppose it really is a kind of Family Business. Is it normal for several generations of watchers to watch a single Immortal, or is that just a misconception I am getting from Sally and you?"
Sarah suddenly went white, and looked at Sue. "He knows?"
"He knows, Cassandra knows, yer 'Uncle' knows, they all bloody know, it seems. My 'mmortal's been keeping her own Chronicle on my family for oer four hundred bloody years." Sally garumphed.
Sarah looked at Sally, then at Cassandra, then back at Sue for clarification.
Sue responded to the look, "Cassandra figured back in the fifteen hundreds sometime that if the MacGreggors would be keeping a record of her life, it was the least she could do to return the favor."
Sally added, "Reads like a bludy novel. More 'n just he married her, or what not. Covers what they did on a daily basis at times."
"Hey, I was bored. And a lot of the time, their lives were more interesting than anything else I could record." Cassandra added, while looking over the hand written menu above the counter. "So, what makes a taco a Navajo taco, other than the fact it was made by a Navajo?" she asked, finally steering the conversation back towards food
"Mostly the bread. Navajo tacos are made on something we call fry bread, instead of a regular corn tortilla like a normal taco. Then, it is made in a layered fashion, first the chili sauce, then the meat, then the veggies, and finally the cheese."
"I'll take at least four, to start. With a coke, please." Patrick said.
The rest ordered their food, and when it was delivered, carried it to one of the two largest tables in the front of the restaurant, where they took up 3 of the 4 sides of the table.
As they were eating, Gus came out from the kitchen, and dragged a chair up to the remaining open side of the table, and sat down with a large glass if Sun Tea. "So, are you folks here for a specific reason, or did you really just stop in for the Tacos?" he asked, taking a long sip of his drink.
"Tacos" Patrick mumbled, around a mouthful of his second taco.
Sue took it upon herself to expand. "We are heading to L.A. By the way, would you know of a good hotel somewhere to the southwest, relatively close?"
Gus shook his head, then as Sarah approached from the front, answered, "The closest hotel would be about twenty three miles back the way you came, either that or go on anther seventy five miles or so, through the Painted Desert park all the way to Holbrook."
"Uncle Gus?" Sarah asked softly.
"Yes, Little Deer?"
"What about the Casino?" Sarah opined.
"It's not open yet. You know that, Sarah. They won't be opening the Casino for another two months or so." Gus responded, shaking his head slowly.
"Not the Casino, but the hotel. It's not really open, but it is open. They are having friends of the workers in training stay there. They might be willing to accept some real guests as well. It wouldn't hurt to ask." She said, looking over the back of the booth she had settled into.
"Are there any more Tacos?" Patrick asked, rising from the table, and heading towards the front counter, Gus rising as well to follow a few steps behind him.
"Of course there" Gus started but, his words halting suddenly as one of the florescent lights in the ceiling, which were hung at each end from a short chain, suddenly broke loose. The fixture shuddered as first one side of the chain detached, then the other, the wobbling motion snapping the light tube at the still affixed end off in a jagged edge. Unsuspended, the broken end of the tube started to sag towards the floor, even as the wire providing power to the fixture on the far end broke loose as well. The weight and motion of the fixture's far end plummeting towards the floor converted the tube's slide into an odd arc, which completed it's motion as it slammed directly into Patrick's upper chest, sending shattered shards of glass slicing through his thin t-shirt, and slashing the skin of his chest and stomach, while the momentum of the light it's self knocked him to the ground.
Patrick flopped backwards, then after a moment, rose shakily and looked down at his ruined chest, propping himself up on his hands. He looked up at the roof, past the swinging lamp, and said "That hurt!"
Sarah just stood gaping in horror at the sight of the blood seeping slowly from the wounds, even as little sparkles of light played over the wounds through the tears in his shirt.
Gus, who had been only a few steps behind Patrick, looked at the form laying literally at his feet, then up at the wreckage of the lighting fixture, the remainder of the still protruding glass tube lightly smeared with blood and hanging pointing almost straight down now, as the fixture swung gently back and forth in the middle of the room, much like an abandoned child's swing.
Sarah took in the unusually calm demeanors of her companions and asked, "Has this happened before?"
Sue looked at the swinging light, then down at Patrick, who was being examined by Cassandra, and replied, "He's under some sort of curse."
Gus, who was still standing over Patrick, said "What kind of curse?"
At that moment, the last two chains connecting the light to the ceiling snapped simultaneously, and the fixture fell the last 3 feet to thud onto Patrick's stomach, this time shoving the remainder of the glass tube into his bowels. As the other end smashed into his face, snapping his head back to the floor, and breaking his neck.
"That kind" Sally said, before stuffing the last bite of her taco into her mouth and swallowing.
The only reply Sarah could make was a soft "Oh."
Adam and Cassandra stood up, and headed towards Patrick's form. Sally continued calmly eating her taco, while Sue wiped her hands and tidied her tray before standing herself.
"We are hoping we can find some way to lift the curse," Cassandra added, as she and Adam lifted the remnants of the light off of Patrick. "I was hoping to find some sort of Holy Ground where we could try a ritual or two to drive off evil spirits."
"Gaagi was a Medicine Man" Sarah said softly, earning a sudden glance from Gus.
"Ah, Little Deer, that was in another life, literally... but you're right. I was a Medicine Man, and I still keep a medicine bag, and I still take Spirit Walks several times a year."
"Uh, Uncle Gus, is there anything that can be done?"
"How many times has this happened lately?" he asked, looking at Cassandra.
Cassandra looked at Sue, saying "He's your student, child. Have you been keeping a count?"
Gus raised an eyebrow at this, and Sarah frowned a bit, but both turned to Sue.
Sue counted in her head mentally before answering. "Since he was first shot and killed three days ago, he's fallen down some stairs, been electrocuted, crushed by a falling lamp post, drowned in a tub, then slipped in a shower and broke his neck. He managed to go one day without dying. Today however, he got run over by a stampede, fell off a cliff, and got crushed by a boulder, and now this. I'd say he is averaging getting killed two to three times a day. In some of the most bizarre ways."
Cassandra added, "Someone sicc'ed a Kami or Loa on him, I think."
"Well, let's get him out of the middle of the room and cleaned up, incase someone comes in," Gus said, "then I can call Jonah and see what he says. Let him know I have some old friends passing through that could use a place to stay, and since his folks at the hotel are in practice, it seemed better to stash them there than on the floor of my place. Tomorrow, we will see what, if anything can be done for your friend here. I hate it when a customer dies in my place. Even if it is only temporary in his case, it still makes me mad."
Adam and Gus carried Patrick out to the RV, and laid him on the muddy couch with Cassandra's help. Meanwhile, Sally helped Sarah clean up the glass and blood, while Sue carried the light fixture out back to dump in the garbage.
Cassandra found her there, before she had a chance to return to the front of the restaurant. "Gus has known about the Watchers for about two hundred years. He said he wasn't aware of the exact rules and such by which they operated, but could understand that they would not exactly be happy to know that Adam and yourself were Immortals. He promised he wouldn't say anything to Sarah."
"That's good. I though he was going to loose it for a moment there when we all showed up."
"I take it from what you said before that Gus knew Eadgils?"
"Yes, I can't explain it, but when I first saw him, I, not really remembered it, there was no visualization like when I recall something normally, but I knew who he was somehow."
"Part of Eadgils must be integrating with you somehow. We will have to speak of this tonight." Cassandra said.
"It might be because I remember when Ed remembered being trapped in a mine in the late 1800s. It was shortly before that that he knew Raven. I don't really remember anything though beyond that."
"Perhaps Eadgils can fill us in on that then tonight." Cassandra said, as the reached the front door of the Taco Stand.
"Eadgils?" came a voice from behind them, "Is that Tchindi around? Why didn't you mention him?"
Cassandra turned, to find Gus and Adam coming up from behind them, Adam wearing an odd expression on his face.
"Not exactly." Cassandra responded. "He was my teacher, as he is one of Sue's."
"I had thought Sue to be either your or Adam's student, here."
"I am." Sue replied, to the sudden surprise of both elders. "But I am also Eadgils student. Probably his last."
"Why do you say that?" Gus asked.
"Because he lost his head the same time I first died, five days ago."
"Wait. You died your first death five days ago, and already have a student?"
"Yeah, but."
Gus turned to Cassandra and Adam, "And you claim her as Student yourselves, yet allow this?"
"Well" Adam started, but was cut off by Cassandra's suddenly hard voice, "I 'allow' nothing, In the first day we met, Sue proved to my satisfaction that she could take care of herself. The Youngling himself expressed the desire for Sue as his teacher, and would not even entertain the thought of taking another, even at her urging. Sue is an adult. So is Patrick. I have offered them both the opportunity for my guidance. If they choose to accept it or not is not mine to decide. Where do you get off standing in judgment of me?"
"I am sorry Cassandra. I had not meant to offer offence."
Adam spoke up again, hoping to calm things down a bit, "Sue, you can't have three teachers."
Sue looked at him, then at Cassandra, and finally at Gus. "I can have as many teachers as I can have things to learn. Who first taught me to use a foil?"
Adam smiled at the memories, and replied, "I did."
Sue nodded, and went on, "Then you are my Teacher. And who trained me in the use of the Katana, drilling me enough that I could best Cassandra here?"
Adam responded with a bit of inquiry to his voice, "Eadgils?"
"Yes. And finally, who was it that is trying to teach me to feel my Quickening, and through it the hidden world around me?"
Again, Adam replied, this time looking in inquiry at Cassandra, "Cassandra?"
Gus also looked quizzically at Cassandra, who nodded slowly. "Yes. So I have 3 teachers. One from Before, the one who truly trained me, and one now. And I am sure there are things I can still learn from all three of you. Would you deny me this opportunity?"
"No, I wouldn't. But when an Immortal gives their lineage, there is just one teacher they can name. You know that, right?"
"I suppose so. I guess I should practice a Formal Introduction, just to make sure I have it right." Sue said, with a grin on her face.
Turning to Gus, she bowed, and stood, extending her hand, " Gaagi of the Ashiinii clan, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sue Danning, last student of Eadgils, speaker of the Flornlef tribe. But I have also studied under Cassandra, the first student of my teacher Eadgils, and under Methos, the Eldest of the known Immortals." Turning to Adam, she asked, "How's that?"
Adam looked in shock at Sue, while Gus, who still held her hand started laughing a deep, rumbling laugh. Cassandra herself giggled.
Adam finally responded, "I suppose it will work, but I wouldn't go blabbing that last part around. It could cost someone their head."
Cassandra nodded, adding, "Yes. There are Headhunters who would kill for a shot at Methos, literally."
Gus suddenly sobered up, and looked at Adam. "Methos?" he inquired.
"Yes." Adam replied with a suddenly guarded expression.
"You know Eadgils didn't like you. If he was here, he for one would be going for your head."
Sue piped in, "No he wouldn't. That much I am sure of. Eadgils had a long memory, but even Death he could forgive. Adam has changed over the last four thousand years. Eadgils would of considered that before issuing a summary judgment."
Gus looked at Sue, then at Cassandra. "He spoke of you. He thought you were dead. I am glad he was wrong. He also thought Death was dead. I am not so sure I am glad about that, but I will take no action against you unless first you take action against me or mine. Agreed?"
Adam let out a long breath, and nodded. "I agree. And I thank you for the chance to prove I am not what I once was."
"I know people can change. I have seen it again and again in my lifetime. I have changed as well. The first time I met your teacher," Gus said looking at Sue and Cassandra, "I tried to kill him. He was a White Man, my people were being systematically abused and slaughtered by the White Man, they were climbing that they were 'civilizing' us while taking the land. Land, which by our beliefs belonged to everyone. They claimed we said no one owned it, so they could take it. That was not what we had said, we had said no one could own the land, that it was for everyone, the people and the animals to use and share. Then one day, another White Man comes. Only this one, he is like me, one of Kani-ah-fanuti. We fought, I to take his head, he to defend himself. He won, and killed me. Imagine my shame when I later awoke, tied by a fire. He released me, and we became not truly friends, but he was the one White Man I would trust. As far as I know, he never lied to me. There are few of your race who that can be said of."
"Well, let's get back inside and see how they are coming on cleaning up the mess." Sue said, trying to divert the topic.
"You guys go on in. I need to turn off the lights at the breaker box until I can get someone out here to fix the wiring." Gus replied, heading towards the back of the building.
Sue, Cassandra, and Adam headed back into the Taco stand, where they joined Sarah and Sally as the overhead lights flickered, then half of them went out.
Gus emerged a few moments later from the kitchen, looked at the recently cleaned and swept floor, then nodded with apparent satisfaction. "I'm going to call Jonah, and see what he says about letting you people stay at the Casino."
It was only a short time later that Gus came back out to the front, and grinned as he said, "Well, I talked to Jonah, and his wife both. You folks are invited to preview the Casino, and spend a night in the hotel as guests of the Nation."
Sue looked up at that, as the door opened, and Patrick wandered back in, having obviously taken yet another shower and again changed his clothes. "Uh, Sue?" he asked, as he headed over to the order counter.
"Yes Patrick?"
"Um, I think I'm going to need to go shopping again when we get to L.A. I am about out of clothes, and most of them are more torn, burnt, or punctured than just dirty. Sorry." As Sarah looked at him at the counter, ha added, "I would like some more Tacos, please? At least three."
Gus laughed, and turned back towards the kitchen.
As Patrick inhaled the second batch of Tacos, Gus and Sarah worked on shutting the stand down for the evening, then everyone headed out to caravan over to the new Casino.
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