A Wicked Beginning (6 page)

After awakening, I decided that dinner at Manoko’s was just the thing. He was a great cook and food always restored me to sanity.

We didn’t say much as we drove across town. When we arrived, Cam pushed the front door open for me and stood to the side so I could enter his new home. I’d never seen it before.

Entering the hallway, I was captivated by the fragrant smells coming out of Manoko’s kitchen. I didn’t know Manoko as well as Cam did, but anyone who knew him at all knew he was an amazing cook. Cam led me into the kitchen where Manoko was holding court over the pots and pans on the huge Wolfe range. The kitchen was a symphony of smells, ranging from earthy meats to delicately herbed vegetables to the sweet fruit of the pie resting on the counter. “Yum, Manoko, this smells incredible.”

“Hey, you two,” Manoko said without turning around. “Get yourself something to drink out of the Sub-Zero. We’ve got cocktails, soda, water…and wine down in the basement. Suit yourself. Oh, and if Cam remembered, there’s beer.”

“Chér? Cam asked politely.

“Hmm…a glass of wine would be great.”

“Okay, wait right here. I’ll go pick something out for you.”

After Cam left, Manoko put the lid on the pan he was stirring and turned around to greet me properly. “Hello, Chérie. How was your day at the river?”

“Oh, good, bad, awesome, a little strange…like that.”

Manoko narrowed his eyes at me. “You look different than the last time I saw you… Was it last summer?”

“I think so,” I said, a rosy flush appearing on my cheeks. Then I gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, you could say things have changed for me.” Like last summer I had no idea that I had super powers, a man of mystery, something called the ka’kriyayaga swirling inside of me…things like that.

Manoko continued to scrutinize me. He tipped his head back slightly and sniffed the air like a big Grizzly bear. Then he closed his eyes and held his palms towards me. “Huh…” was all he said.

“What?” This was an odd way to be greeted.

He turned around and began fussing over his meal again. I stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. Apparently his conversation with me was completed. “It was nice of you to ask me over to dinner. Thanks, Manoko.”

“My pleasure…”

I watched the muscles of his huge back ripple and bulge as he stirred the contents of the pot. He was a beast of a guy. “You’re a good man for renting a room to Cam.”

“Uh, huh…” Stir.

“How’s your dog?”

“Good…” Stir.

“This is a nice place.”

“Uh, huh…” Stir.

“The kitchen’s amazing.”

“Yes…” Stir. Reach for some herbs. Sprinkle. Stir.

I scrunched up my face and tried again. “Anyone good playing at the Re-Fly?”

“Mad JuJu…you might like them.”

At least he’d strung a few words together again. “What kind of music?”

“Percussion…funk…edgy techno stuff… I could comp you in if you like.”

Wow, a whole string of words. Maybe we were getting back on the path of complete sentences again. “Thanks, Manoko. Maybe I’ll ask my friend Zuri if she’d like to join me. You d-d-don’t have to comp her in…” I added, stuttering. Zuri Davidson had been my best friend for around nine years, since age 20. She was a beautiful, voluptuous, mahogany-haired beauty who had a constant stream of boyfriends flowing through her downtown apartment.

“The brunette? The one you always show up with?”

“That’s the one,” I said a little too brightly, eager to keep the conversation rolling.

“No problem, Chérie. I’ll get you both in. I’ll let you know the dates.”

“Thanks, Manoko.” Now the conversation just died like the wilting lettuce leaves I spotted in the trash can. I sat there, watching his back, wishing Cam would return.

Finally, I heard him striding down the hallway whistling, with rat-a-tat clacking nails accompanying him. “Look who I found asleep in the basement.” He sat a couple of bottles of red wine on the table. Severe ran over to me and sniffed me thoroughly, wagging her tail wildly. She was a cute, friendly dog, looking more like a Border Collie than a Poodle or Shih Tzu.

“Hi, Severe…” I patted her furry head.

“Too bad you woke her up,” Manoko said, turning to greet her. “Dog never tires…it took three hours at the dog park to slow her down. Oh, hey, Cam…I had to smudge your room today. There’s some serious wicked energy in there. Sorry, man. I like to respect others privacy but this called for action.”

I saw Cam’s face blanch. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you got some intense stuff going on in there. Go check it out for yourself.”

Cam poured me a glass of wine, got a beer for himself, and we walked down towards his bedroom, drinks in hand. Ever the gentleman, he opened the door and stepped aside to let me in. It was sparse, but had a good vibe to it. It felt homey and nice. I loved the window view of the garden out in the back. It reminded me of the dream I had. “Is that Manoko’s garden?” I asked, amazed. Seeing Cam nod, I stepped closer for a better view. “Wow, that looks fantastic. Look at all those veggies and fruit trees.” I pivoted and considered the room. “This is nice, Cam. Do you like it?”

“It’ll do…” he replied. “Here, let’s check out the bathroom door.” He stepped into the room and stopped, staring. “Holy shit…”

“You’re not kidding, Cam. Are you telling me you can see that glow and hear that sound?” The door pulsed with an eerie glow and weird sound, like deep, resonant radio waves.

“Glow, yes, sound, no…”

I frowned. “You might not want to sleep here.”

“Where do you suggest I sleep?” he asked, cocking his head, a look of mirth coloring his features.

I said nothing, but walked over to examine the door. “Wow. Look at those scratches. Cam, that’s really scary.”

Cam pushed open the door to the bathroom. “I’d rather show you in here,” he muttered, “than look at shit I can’t decipher. I’ve thought long and hard at the things I’d like to do to you in that tub.” He gave me a wicked leer.

“You’re impossible.” I poked my head into the elegant bathroom. “This is awesome. Manoko’s got good taste. Goodness, look at the size of that tub.” The sunken tub, surrounded by colorful Italian tile, was big enough for two and then some. An elegant brass faucet curved up and over the edge like a swan’s neck. The whole thing was a work of art.

Cam came up behind me. “Yeah, just look…you might need to take a bath later.” He wrapped one of his strong arms around me, pulled me back against his firm torso and bent his head to playfully bite my neck. “You’ve had an exhausting day. I could help you unwind.”

“We’ll see.” I pushed away from him, smiling, and stepped over to the roomy marble lined shower. “This is where the cat left his paw prints?”

“Yup…” he replied, walking up next to me.

I breathed on the shower stall, causing it to fog. Sure enough, there were the outlines of two very large paw prints. “Gosh, that thing is way bigger than Figment. I hope Figment is okay…” My voice trailed off. I walked back over to the tub and peered down into it without seeing a thing. The whole day started to hit me like a landslide. I needed to find that glass of wine. I thought I had left it on the dresser. Cam now stood in the doorway, blocking my exit.

“Going somewhere?” A tempting smile curved across his boyishly handsome face.

“I need some wine.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Please…”

“Nope, that’s not it.”

“Cam…” I implored. “Let me past.”

“If you can’t remember the magic word, a magic kiss might do the trick.”

I felt my lips start to burn, just thinking about locking lips with him. “Are you sure you want to go there?” I asked. He just stared at me, his brilliant blue eyes now bright with desire, his lips parted. I reached out and put my hands lovingly around his neck. Our lips melted into one another in a heart stopping kiss. Cam’s hands moved down my back in a sensuous swish, causing my skin to tingle with pleasure. The ka’kriyayaga began to make her way up my spine.
Oh, boy
, I thought.
Here we go to the Land of Delicious
.

The star dreamling had other plans, however. As if hiding within the door, a sparkle of energy burst out of the wood and swiped Cam’s thigh. “Fuck!” he yelled, releasing me with a shove. He staggered backwards. The ka’kriyayaga drained from my spine like water flushing down a drainpipe as I looked at Cam’s jeans, slashed apart, revealing a large gash. “Fuck!” he yelled again.

I became frightened as I looked at the gash. No blood was pouring forth from the ragged, torn flesh. Instead, Cam’s leg was pulsating with an intense yellow-greenish glow. His face was pale as an ice field, and a sheen of sweat appeared across his forehead, cheeks, and neck.

“Let me help you over to the bed, Cam.” I put my arm around him and practically dragged him across the room, he was so weak. I had never ever seen Cam look like this. He was rarely sick. I hadn’t even seen him have a sniffle since I met him a few years ago. An amazingly healthy man with a robust constitution and a boat load of luck, he always managed to avoid illness or serious injury no matter how extreme the sport or how intense the play.

“Jesus…this…hurts,” he managed to say through clenched teeth. “Chér, run and get Manoko.”

I ran down the hall into the kitchen. “Manoko…!” I gasped. “The star dreamling…”

The large metal spoon in Manoko’s hand dropped to the stove with a loud clatter before I could finish my sentence. He was already racing out of the kitchen, Severe in mad pursuit. When he got to the room, he looked at Cam writhing on the bed, looked at the door, back to Cam. He eased his immense bulk down to the floor next to Cam, held his hands near the gash, and started intoning words that made no sense to me. Severe sat next to him, very still and attentive as if she knew what was going on. Her golden-brown eyes were fixated on Cam. Without turning around Manoko gave me instructions in a fierce and demanding voice. “Chérie….walk down the hall to the door with the skull and crossbones on it... Be very conscious when you enter that room – that space is sacred, got it?”

Scared as a rabbit in a field of circling hawks, I nodded, forgetting that Manoko’s back was to me.

He barked over his shoulder, “Got it?”

Oops, actual words were required. “Got it, Manoko…”

“Okay. Then move methodically and deliberately towards the north corner. Be mindful of your every move.”

I scanned my mind to figure out which was north. “Okay, got it.”

“Reach down and pick up the carved box on the floor. Pick up the wooden staff next to it. You’ll see a red, wrapped bundle on the altar. Gently use the staff to push the bundle into the box. Do
not
touch the bundle. If you touch it you will desecrate it, got it, Chérie?” His voice was a low snarl at this point.

“G-g-got it, Manoko.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to go in there and touch
anything
, but I have to remain here and keep the star dreamling venom from entering Cam’s heart. It’s powerful. Now GO!”

I ran to the room marked “Do Not Enter Under Penalty of Death” with the skull and crossbones leering at me. One hollow eye socket seemed to wink at me. Geez, the sign appeared to be alive. Gulping, I twisted the door knob and eased the door open to reveal a room as still and serene as a high mountain lake. It was breathtaking. A wash of serenity swept through me as I stepped past the door frame. A basic bedroom-sized room, the space here felt immense, like it stretched to the horizon.
North
, I thought.
Stay strong-minded
. With heightened awareness, I concentrated on each step, each foot as it touched the floor, each bend of the toes, the ankles, the knees, and each shift in the spine, the hips, and the shoulders. Manoko wanted conscious movement, Manoko got conscious movement. Reaching the beautifully carved box and polished wood staff, I carefully slid the bundle into the box and made the same deliberate, attentive steps until I’d reached the door to the hall. I took a deep breath, pulled the door closed. I held the box as if it carried the secrets to the universe and hurriedly made my way back to Cam’s room.

I struggled for breath when I looked over at Cam. He laid still and pale, his chest barely making a stir. Manoko continued to chant in a deep melodious voice. The pulsating green arising from the gash continued to glow.

“Over here,” Manoko whispered in a voice as gentle as a mother’s kiss. “Lay the box on the bed, Chér.”

I did as I was told.

“Now…you put your hands here in the same places as mine. We have to do this smoothly, without a break in energy. Ready?”

“Yes,” I whispered in reply.

“Okay, 1…2…3…”

I quickly replaced his hands with mine. My palms were instantly filled with a sickly sensation that made me want to vomit. I started to gag.

“Stay strong, Chér,” Manoko insisted. “That’s the venom of the dreamling.”

Manoko made quick, deft movements, uttering a prayer before unrolling the bundle. Another prayer left his lips as he unrolled a smaller bundle of red silk. Yet another prayer left his mouth when the contents of the silk were revealed. A small pouch of herbs, a vial of liquid, and what looked to be the head and stem of a pipe lay on the red cloth. He took a pinch of the herb and sprinkled it around Cam’s deathly looking form. He opened the vial of liquid and sprinkled a few drops on Cam’s forehead between his eyes and in the hollow of Cam’s throat. Next, he poured some of the sacred liquid into his palm. The thumb of his other hand was used to spread the liquid across the palm. Then he pressed his palm over Cam’s heart. I saw Cam’s body jerk when Manoko’s hand touched him. Lastly, Manoko uttered a final prayer before fitting the head of the pipe onto the stem. He filled the pipe with the herb, lit a match, inhaled and exhaled in a slow deliberate fashion. The space clouded with the sweet-smelling smoke.