Channing was waiting in the restaurant when Keoman walked in, two Venti cups of Starbucks in his hands. He handed her one, but didn't sit down.
"I have to get on back. Gagewin just called again."
Fear and apprehension curled in Channing's stomach, and she ignored her coffee. "What happened?"
He laid a hand on her cheek. "You just need to go on back to Texas and get rid of the stress you're carrying around. I'll call in a day or so and update you."
"It's another child, isn't it?" she asked. "Please. You have to tell me."
Keoman released a breath, then nodded. "Three of them."
Before he could explain further, Channing gasped and covered her mouth. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as Keoman sat and took her hand.
"They already found two of the children. Again, in the cavern. We're positive now that Nenegean is taking them there. She's trying to protect them from this human monster. She doesn't care that we know where they'll be. We have photos of her on the game cameras we left in the cavern."
"But she's traumatizing them!" Channing said. "And what if something happened to one of them on the way to the cavern? What if one of the children she takes has a medical condition? Needs the medicine or will die? Insulin for diabetes? Seizure medication?"
"I know," Keoman agreed. "Nenegean wouldn't think of something like that. They didn't have that type of medication in her time."
"The other child?" Channing managed to ask as she grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe her face. "Is he … she … the child …?"
"She survived," Keoman said in a grim voice. "Or at least she was alive when they found her. She's actually here in Duluth, at a trauma center. Came in by medical helicopter. She's getting the best care available, and her chances of recovering are good."
"At least physically," Channing said. She stood and picked up her coffee. "I'm going back with you. I want to be there in case you need a doctor for a child. Or anyone else who needs immediate medical attention. I know Dr. Silver would help, but he doesn't need the stress."
"PawPaw —" Keoman tried to interrupt, but she waved him off.
"PawPaw's good, but she's not a doctor. And I've also been thinking. I want to talk to you and Nodinens about something."
"You can do that on the phone," he argued.
"Come back to the room with me while I pack," she ordered. "I'll cancel my plane reservation and have them pick up my rental here. I'll ride back with you, and we can talk on the way."
~~~~
"Let me get this right," Keoman said an hour later as they drove northward. "You think Nenegean returned because she realized someone was molesting the children? That her purpose is to find him and stop him? Kill him?"
"You're ignoring the other conclusion I told you I've come to. I think Nenegean wants me to help her."
Keoman stared stoically out the windshield. "You're not going near that creature alone."
"She's not going to talk to me if I have anyone else with me. Especially a man."
"You can't understand her if you're alone! You don't know the old language."
"I'll find a way," Channing murmured.
"It's not going to happen," Keoman said. His glance speared her with a glare of anger. "You don't understand what can happen. You don't know our ways or the repercussions of dealing with an entity like this."
"I'll find a way," Channing repeated. "Nenegean hasn't been violent toward me."
"Not yet. But believe me, she remembers you fought her right along with the rest of us in the clearing the day she killed Alan. Cold-cocked her with the shield. And gave Grant an arrow the other night."
"She came to talk to me alone when we were out searching. And didn't attack me at my cabin. In fact, she brought Sunni to me!"
"That doesn't mean a damn thing. She could be playing you along. You were protected by the arrow yourself that day. It was close to you, even if you weren't holding it."
Channing shrugged and stopped arguing with him. He had his beliefs and was apparently too stubborn to discuss anything that didn't fit with them.
He spoke again through clenched jaws. Had it been another man, she might have feared him, but she had no concerns about Keoman.
"I should have left you back at the hotel. I can still turn around."
"You need to get there to help Gagewin. Anyway, I'd just rent another car and follow you."
He huffed out an irritated breath, but still wouldn't look at her. "I'm definitely going to tell Nodinens what you have in mind. You won't be allowed near Nenegean alone."
"Whatever," she said. "We can try it your way first, since you're so adamant. However, keep in mind that, from what I've heard, no one has any clue as to the identity of this pedophile bastard. Unless we stop him, more children will be hurt. Maybe die."
A tear slid down her check, and she surreptitiously wiped it away. Then she noticed Keoman watching her in the rear view mirror. He slowed and pulled into an intersecting side road, parked and turned to her.
"I know this is hard for you," he said, taking her hand in his. "I can't even begin to imagine how hard. But you have to understand our concerns. And no, not just mine. There are other people who have begun to care for you. We can't let you walk into danger."
She tightened her grip. "I might be the only one who can do it, Keoman. I'm not trying to go behind anyone's back. I've thought this through. At least give me the courtesy of letting me talk to Gagewin and Nodinens and see what they think. Grant, also. He's been dealing with things like Nenegean most of his career."
She noticed a flash of what could have been jealousy in his expression at Grant's name. He didn't mention anything about that, though, as he said, "I'll give you that. But you have to promise you'll abide by our decision."
"I can't make that promise," she said quietly.
He dropped her hand and shifted his pickup into gear. "Then I'm taking you back to Duluth."
"Like I said, I'll just get another rental."
He stopped the truck and laid his forehead on the steering wheel. "You would, wouldn't you?"
"Yes."
When he pulled onto the main highway, he turned north, towards Neris Lake. However, they rode from then on mostly in silence. She wished she could read his mind.
Eventually, Keoman asked in a non-confrontational tone, "Do you want to stop for lunch, since we didn't have time for breakfast?"
"I am hungry," she admitted, glad their argument was behind them for now.
He pulled in at a restaurant in the next town. After they had ordered, she searched for a neutral topic so another argument wouldn't spoil what she anticipated would be a nice meal. The place was clean, with a woodsy atmosphere. The hostess and waitress had both been smiling and polite, and she noticed the other few early diners appeared to be enjoying their food. Her stomach growled and she was glad when the waitress brought them a basket of fresh, steaming rolls and a tub of honey butter.
"Did Russ come to any conclusion about a way to help you?" she asked as she slathered butter on one of the rolls.
"Actually, he did." Keoman took a roll himself, buttered it, and finished a quarter before he went on, "He said he thought it all goes back to what happened with the windigo. That I'm deeply bothered by my deficiencies in that situation. He made me face the fact that I've lost confidence in my abilities."
When he grew quiet, she hesitated a moment, then decided to go ahead and ask what was on her mind. "Does he think your migraines are psychological? Subconscious?"
"Yes. And to finish the thought, he thinks I might be using them as an excuse not to confront my doubts. That I've lost my faith in what I've believed in and practiced all my life."
The waitress brought their salads, and Channing waited until she left before she spoke again. "Are you comfortable talking about this with me?"
He looked up from pouring dressing over his salad. "Very comfortable. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather talk about it with. In fact, I just realized I haven't thanked you for bringing Russ and me together. Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said with a smile. "I'm glad I could help."
"Russ said now that I'm aware of what the problem is, I might be able to overcome it myself. I've got a pretty strong belief system, and I've helped counsel lots of tribal members. Now I just have to see if I can work that magic on myself."
"Russ is a smart man. And if you need more help, I'm sure he'll be available."
"He said that, too. For now, though, I'm going to seek a spirit quest. After we deal with Nenegean and this bastard who's hurting our children."
"How do you do a spirit quest? Or is it some secret ceremony?"
"Not secret," he said as the waitress brought their meals. He continued his explanation as they ate. "I travel to a special place to be alone and fast. I'll stay there as long I need to, until one day, or night, I receive a vision. It might be in a riddle, but what I experience gives me very real information about what I need to do, how to do it, what the outcomes should be. What the outcome will be if I fail."
"You've done this before?"
"Three times. It's not something we do without a lot of thought. It's pretty significant, and we treat it that way."
She touched his hand. "I wish you the best of luck with it." Then she decided to change the subject again. "This food is delicious. I don't think I've ever had walleye. I like it even more than trout."
"Better even than lobster?" he teased.
"Well, I'd have to say lobster and walleye would be a tie. But one thing even beats out lobster. Have you ever had baby lobsters?"
"What the heck are those?"
"Down south," she said with an exaggerated drawl, "we call 'em mudbugs."
He curled his lip. "Ugh. Doesn't even sound good."
"You Yankees call them crayfish," she said with a laugh. "We also call them crawdaddies. We cook them outdoors in a large pot of spicy water, then dump them onto a newspaper-covered table. We eat the tails."
"I've heard of that," he said, a tinge of dislike still in his expression. "Don't you suck the heads, too?"
Her delighted laugh rang out, and she realized it had been quite a while since she'd laughed like that. "Yep," she said. "Yum."
He looked down at his plate, then up at her. "I was really enjoying my fish."
"You're the one who brought up the subject of what else we like to eat." She forked up a large bite of walleye.