Arctic Spring: Karma - Book 2 (Arctic Wilderness) Read online

  Arctic Spring

  Karma

  Nathan J. Hawkins

  Copyright 2012

  Copyright © 2012 Nathan J. Hawkins - All rights reserved.

  This Kindle book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

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  Chapter 1

  “I’ve wanted to ask you this question since… I saw…,” Jason said but Aiyana gently put her hand on his lips.

  “I know what you want to ask,” she said.

  In the days that followed Umqy’s funeral Jason and Aiyana spent a lot of time together. It was early morning and they were walking along the river bank. His heart was burning to know about Gyrongav but he couldn’t get himself to ask until now.

  “I… I don’t mean to make you feel…,” he said but she cut him off.

  “It all started many moons ago when my people made sacrifices to the spirits to protect us from harm. It was at a time when the wolves were attacking villages and killing lots of Chukchi. Things were getting out of hand and my people feared for their lives. According to the legend, which was passed on from generation to generation, one of the shaman invoked the spirit of the warrior for protection. The next morning when his wife was looking for him she could not find him,” she said.

  “What happened to him?” he asked.

  “His wife went from one yaranga to another asking if anyone saw her husband. What she didn’t notice was that a husky followed her where ever she went. Finally she went back home and the husky stuck to her side. She was grief stricken because she thought the wolves might have gotten to him. The husky laid his head on her lap as if to console her and when she gently rubbed his head he turned into her husband,” she said.

  “WOW! Now that’s just unbelievable,” he said.

  “That’s what the legend says,” she said.

  “So why is it that you are able to transform?” he asked.

  “I am a descendent from the shaman like everyone else in this village. Every second generation child born has this… gift if you want to call it that,” she said.

  “So that means your kids won’t be affected by it,” he said.

  “Yes,” she smiled.

  Jason felt some sense of relief though he wasn’t sure why exactly. It was not as if they were getting married and he had to worry about taking his kids to the vet for their shots. He thought.

  “What about… about…,” he said not sure how to form the question.

  “What about what?” she asked.

  “You know…,” he said

  “You mean sex… it’s normal. Did you think I would change in the heat of the moment?” she said grinning.

  “No! No… I didn’t mean to… forget I even asked,” he said.

  Aiyana laughed heartily and Jason found it a bit strange for her to speak openly about sex.

  “I thought since you live here far away from city life things would be a bit conservative,” he said.

  “On the contrary there is nothing wrong with having relations before marriage and neither is it an issue for a woman to have a child out of wedlock. Many of these kids you see running around were born out of wedlock but they are not seen as being illegitimate,” she said as a matter of fact.

  “You don’t say. And here I thought a big marriage ritual with all sorts of blessings and thinga magigs would have to take place before you can get a roll in the hay,” he said.

  “Nope. Here everyone rolls in the hay, its human nature,” she said.

  Jason was really taken by the fact that she spoke so openly and didn’t make a fuss about sexuality. It was if it was an everyday thing.

  “That’s good to know,” he grinned.

  “Come on it’s time to go back. Your friends are probably wondering where you are,” she said.

  They made their way back to the village. As they moved further away from the river Omryn came out from behind a cluster of bushes. He was watching their every move. He knew that Aiyana was hiding something and he was determined to find out what it was.

  “I know you lied and I will find out the truth… and when I do… you daughter of Akun will pay dearly,” Omryn said.

  Omryn had an intense dislike for Jason because Umqy kept complaining to his father about Aiyana’s attraction to Jason. That is why Omryn put the fever spell on Jason hoping that they would leave. But Aiyana’s quick thinking helped Jason recover to the dismay of Umqy.

  Chapter 2

  “You finally realized that you have friends?” Michael said when they arrived.

  “Don’t be sarcastic. It’s not as if you two don’t appreciate the private time,” Jason said.

  “It was kind of nice having the yaranga for ourselves for a few hours,” Camille said hugging Michael.

  It was clear to everyone that it would be better if Jason moved out.

  “What are the chances of me getting my own yaranga?” Jason asked.

  “I will ask Luka to bring reindeer skins then we can set a temporary one up for you,” Aiyana said.

  It took about two and half hours for Luka and Jason to set up the yaranga. Aiyana decorated the inside of the tent with all sorts of traditional embroidery and decorations. The bed was covered with white seal furs and there was a large bear skin with the head and all on the floor. Everything was fresh and new.

  “It’s done. Time to move in,” Luka said.

  “I think I will move in later in the evening,” Jason said.

  “It is tradition that the first person to enter the house should be the one who will occupy it. So until tonight no one can enter your tent before you,” Aiyana said.

  Omryn had a perfect view of the whole village from his yaranga where he spent his time during the day. He saw the whole set up of the tent and could almost hear every word that was said.

  “So you will move in tonight. We will have to see about that,” Omryn said glaring at the new tent while he went about concocting a spell.

  Everyone was in good spirits and had lunch together in the open air around a campfire. Gaya the old medicine woman was lately always lurking around keeping an eye on Jason. Whenever she passed him she would always whisper some incantations and wave a feather over him. He found it very amusing. If only he knew why she did it.

  When they left the yaranga Omryn sneaked into Jason’s new tent and sprinkled fine dust all over the yaranga and whispered all sorts of incantations. He didn’t leave anything untouched. When he was sure no one was outside he sneaked out again.

  Later in the evening they were on their way to the tent. They stood outside what was soon to be Michael and Camilla’s love nest.

  “I’ve been thinking. Since we came here you guys had to share a tent with me. So… I’ve decided that I want you two to move into the new yaranga,” Jason said.

  “You want us to have the new tent?” Michael said surprised.

  “That’s so awesome of you. I cannot wait to see the inside,” Camille said and ran to the new tent.

  She entered and touched everything in sight. The smell of freshly tanned hides and furs was everywhere. It was a step up from their yaranga. She lay down on the bed and reveled in the seal furs. The light inside was dim and Camille was so overwhelmed that she didn’t notice the fine dust rising and clinging to her skin. Even if she did see it she would have probably thought it was ordinary dust.
After frolicking on a bed like a child with a new toy she went back to her friends.

  “So?” Michael said grinning.

  “It’s simply divine! I love it! Just love it!” Camille said and kissed Jason on the cheek.

  “Now hold on Missy you don’t need to be that grateful,” Michael joked.

  “Off you go,” Aiyana said.

  “I think we can get the rest of our stuff tomorrow. We will only take what we need for tonight,” Camille said.

  “That’s fine with me,” Jason said.

  They left for their new love nest and was excited to have their privacy. At last they got what they wanted. To be alone.

  The next morning Camille was not her usual chirpy self, something was off. She was nervous and the slightest little thing irritated her. Michael could not understand her sudden mood change because it was not what he expected after having a romantic night.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked concerned.

  “NOTHING!” she said glaring at him.

  There was something about her eyes that didn’t seem right. It kept moving rapidly. She looked in the mirror and touched her face tugging at her skin. Then she suddenly threw the mirror at him and started to pull her short hair and screamed. Michael could not take it anymore and ran to Jason who just got out of bed.

  “Jason! Come quickly there is something seriously wrong with Camille,” he said.

  “What? You had too much fun last night?” Jason said laughing.

  “No! I mean there is really something wrong with her. Come with me!” he said.

  Chapter 3

  Jason could hear the urgency in Michael’s voice and told him to go back to her while he fetched Aiyana. As Michael approached the yaranga he saw smoke bubbling from the entrance. He ran as fast as he could and had to fight the suffocating smoke to get inside. Camille set the bed on fire.

  “Camille why did you do that?!” he asked.

  She looked at him and laughed hysterically. He saw that she was holding one of his razor blades in her hand. And when he took a closer look he noticed that there were deep cuts on her forearms and it was bleeding profusely.

  “Anuk!” she said and cut herself again.

  Michael managed to seize the razor from her after a struggle and got a few nicks and cuts in the process. He restrained her and carried her over his shoulder outside where Jason, Aiyana, Gaya and a small crowd was waiting. Gaya told him to lay her on the ground and to restrain her. She immediately started to say incantations and waved her feather over Camille.

  Suddenly Camille wrenched herself loose from their grip and ran. Michael and Jason chased after her with the rest following. She ran towards where the huskies and sleighs were kept. She tripped over a rock and fell. They noticed that she wasn’t moving as they came closer.

  “Camille! Camille!” Michael screamed frantically but she didn’t answer.

  It was quiet and a cold wind blew making a whistling sound. When they finally reached her laying with her face turned to the side, they noticed that her eyes were open. Blood was seeping into the ground near her chest area. When they rolled her over on her back they saw that she fell into a peg that was used to tie the sleighs to. It was broken off and the edge was sharp. The force of her falling on the peg crushed her sternum and it must’ve punctured her heart causing the profuse bleeding. Camille was dead.

  “Camille honey,” Michael said as he gently stroked her face.

  Jason had a hard time watching his friend grieve the death of his beloved. He put his hand on Michael’s shoulder trying to console him but he was unable to utter any words. Aiyana and Gaya arrived at the scene followed by the villagers.

  “What happened?” Aiyana asked shocked at what she saw.

  “She tripped and fell into a peg,” Jason said.

  “Can you please give me a little space,” Gaya said gently nudging Michael.

  She sprinkled a white powder over Camille’s body. And when she looked into Michael’s eyes she also sprinkled powder over him. She said a few incantations and invocations then ordered them to move her body to the funeral yaranga.

  “It is a must that traditional funeral procession is followed in order for her soul to rest peacefully,” Gaya said.

  “Meaning what?” Jason asked.

  “She will have to stay in the yaranga for two days before she can be sent to the lord of Chukchi,” Aiyana said.

  “Oh Camille honey,” Michael sobbed.

  “You have the option of her being cremated or left out in the open at an undisclosed place where nature will take care of her,” Gaya said.

  “I think she would have wanted to be cremated. We will take her remains back to her parents,” Jason said.

  No one was allowed to enter the funeral yaranga or make any noise until the waiting period was over. Michael stayed with Jason in the old tent while Gaya was performing rituals in the new one.

  “How are you keeping up?” Jason asked.

  “This is all so unreal Jason. How could this happen to her? She was perfectly fine the night before when we moved in. But this morning I didn’t recognize the Camille I saw. It was as if she was possessed,” Michael said.

  Jason’s mind wandered back to the time when he had a fever and soon after Aiyana sprinkled the powder, that Gaya gave her, over him he recovered. Once again when he informed Aiyana about Camille she called on Gaya. She is a medicine woman but Jason was sure there was more to it but kept his thoughts it to himself.

  In the early hours of the morning when everyone was fast asleep, a grief stricken Michael snuck into the funeral yaranga. He sat next to Camille on the ground. The tent was heavily infused with incense and it was quiet. He sobbed silently and hit the ground with his fists.

  “How did this happen to you my love? Please tell me what happened?” he whispered.

  He started to fidget. Ran his hands through his hair several times, rubbed his face vigorously and couldn’t sit still. Suddenly he moved closer to Camille, rolled her in the deerskin she lay on and carried her out of the yaranga. Michael only had one thing on his mind. He wanted Camille to be alive again.

  Chapter 4

  In the time that Michael was in the village he heard many stories about Omryn’s powers and what he was able to do. He walked as fast as he could with Camille’s body towards Omryn’s place. He had a separate wooden cabin not far from his yaranga where he slept. He lay Camille down in front of Omryn’s door and knocked.

  “What do you want?” Omryn said surprised at the sight of Michael.

  “Help me!” Michael said.

  Omryn was confused but when he looked down and noticed Camille’s body he was shocked.

  “Are you crazy?” Omryn said.

  “Bring her back! I know you can! Bring her back to me please!” Michael begged.

  Omryn lurked around the whole day watching the events take place. He was certain that it was his spell that made Camille lose her mind. But the last thing he expected was Michael showing up at his doorstep asking him to bring her back from the dead.

  “What you are asking is impossible!” Omryn hissed.

  He tried to get rid of Michael because the Chukchi believed that if the dead is disturbed during the waiting period the spirits would be angered. He was even more afraid because Jason bought the dead to his doorstep.

  “I said bring her back to me!” Michael demanded.

  Omryn noticed that Michael’s eyes were moving rapidly. He stepped over the body and was face to face with Omryn. He seized him by the neck and demanded again that he should bring her back.

  “Let me go!” Omryn said trying to pry Michael’s fingers from his neck.

  Finally he managed to free himself and stood in the corner behind the bed, next to a cupboard. The more Omryn denied his request the more hysterical he became. Michael’s behavior became erratic. He started to rip quilts from the wall and trashed the cabin. Michael laughed as he picked up an unlit oil lamp and smashed it on Omryn’s bed. Omryn was cowering in the corner trapped
by the bed and cupboard. Michael kept laughing like a mad man and took a Zippo lighter from his pocket. It was the one that Camille gave him on the previous Valentine ’s Day. Omryn saw what he was going to do.

  “NOOOOOO!” Omryn screamed as Michael flicked the lighter and set the bed on fire.

  The villagers were woken up by the noise that came from Omryn’s cabin and started to gather outside. When Jason woke up and noticed that Michael was gone he immediately went outside. He noticed the villagers gathering and the smoke bubbling from Omryn’s cabin. He immediately went to see what was going on. Aiyana met him halfway.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I heard the racket and came outside to see,” she said.

  They pushed through the crowd and saw Camille’s body in front of the door. Jason noticed that Michael was inside still trashing whatever he could lay his hands on. He seized him in a tight grip from behind and dragged him outside away from the crowd.

  “Take her body back to the funeral yaranga,” Gaya said to Luka when they arrived.

  It was clear that the rest of the villagers were not going to touch her out of fear that they might get cursed.

  “HELP ME! HELP ME!” Omryn screamed from inside the burning cabin.

  No one could do anything because the cabin was completely engulfed in flames. Soon afterwards his cries stopped. It was quiet and only the crackling of burning wood could be heard.

  “Stop!” Gaya said as some of the villagers tried to put the fire out.

  She advised them it would be better to let it burn out completely as to appease the spirits. Michael was taken to Gaya’s yaranga.

  “Michael! Michael!” Jason said but he did not respond.

  He lay on the bed while Gaya tended to him.

  “Your friend had a rough time. He needs to rest,” she said.

  She rubbed his body with fragrant amber oil while incense infused the room. He sipped a special mixture of herbs that she brewed for him. Michael stayed the night at Gaya’s yaranga while she kept watch over him.