Whispers of the Mountain - Act 4

The odd couple reached the edge of the town. The wintry accumulation covered the desolate town. Enne remained warm with nothing but a light jacket on. How Alejandro wished to have that sort of thick skin. The layers of clothing would restrict his nominal combat maneuvering. They absorbed the silence as they reached the slope of the mountainside. There laid the crude burials of those who perished at the hands of the windigo.

Enne kneeled over the makeshift tombstone and read the engraving. The carved wood was in the rough shape of a cross. Her fingers scraped up the powdery snow. A strange sensation overcame her as the gentle breeze whispered. At first, it seemed like nothing until she heard voices; Enne didn’t say anything to her companion so that he wouldn’t be alarmed.

Alejandro stood next to her as he looked beyond the forest. The sun had reached west, just over the Appalachian. He shivered again, this time rattling the hiking backpack he had brought.

“Enne,” Alejandro said. “It’s getting late, and they’re expecting a bigger storm.”

“I know,” Enne nodded as she felt for his hand. She turned to him. “Hopefully, we can end this tonight… Once and for all. If what she says about the whispers is correct, we have to put down that creature. You’re still skeptical, aren’t you?”

Alejandro looked into her eyes. He knew he couldn’t get away with a lie, not when he looked out immediately after. Her heart had always remained in the right place, for better or worse. He went along with complete confidence in her endeavors.

“What makes you think this thing is just going to show up?” he asked.

“If its hunger is as voracious as she claimed, it’ll find us,” she replied. She stood up before Alejandro could say anything while his hand perched on her shoulder. She couldn’t let go. “You came out this far! Getting cold feet?”

“It’s about what she said. Could you put him down, knowing he was beyond self-control?”

The question stumped her. Her eyes cast toward the graves. He looked along the snow-covered path, thinking about what must be done. If she couldn’t do it, he would. The half-elf turned to him, saddened by the prospect.

“Once their soul is tainted…” he spoke.

“They’re beyond redemption,” she finished. “We need to restore the balance.”

Balance? It never works like that, the wanderer thought.

They continued on the path. The snow-covered trees span past the base of the mountain. The crystallized snow illuminated its surroundings, giving it a majestic aesthetic. Turbulent winds picked up, howling to the west. It sounded like natural weather phenomena at points, but the wind screeched hauntingly at others. The wanderer shivered as the gust remained consistent. His beard was covered with snow.

They discovered where the hunter crossed paths with the windigo a few miles in. The weather constantly bombarded the area, showing little signs of the gruesome encounter. Enne couldn’t miss the protruding bodies, barely buried beneath the heaps of snow. What little sunlight seeped through the thick forest, revealing the frozen remains. She shivered as she reached the center. Alejandro seemed unphased, treating it like another mass grave he’d seen so many times.

The wanderer examined the area while Enne stood silently. He glimpsed the tree the hunter mentioned; By now, the weight of the icy snow caved it in, but it was enough for him to hide in. To hide was to survive, and Alejandro remembered such times. He walked over, peering into it with lingering thoughts. How many times did he escape lynch mobs, and those who hunted him on behalf of the local government?

“Do you see anything?” Enne asked.

Her voice unwittingly brought him back from his self-reflection. Alejandro looked over and said: “No, but this is where he hid.”

A sudden burst of wind sent him shivering. Enne watched on, feeling somewhat remorseful that he had to endure the miserable weather. A lodge lay over the hillside ahead. She immediately pointed in its direction.

“Let’s head over there,” she said. “It’s too damn cold. It’ll provide cover for the night at least.”

From a distance, it appeared unoccupied with its decrepit state. The duo approached cautiously, seeking traps or signs of presence around the lodging area. Their concerns went unfounded by the emptiness of the site. The path led to a clearing that presented a better summit view. Enne looked in awe at the way leading further up. The wanderer glimpsed the stranded lifts trailing higher, with only the increasingly-heavy snowfall cloaking where it ended.

“A ski resort?” he said. “Haven’t seen those in a while. I didn’t realize the town was this far up the mountain.”

“We didn’t have anything like those back in Gardenia.”

“That’s surprising. You had a whole mountain facing the city.”

“It was nowhere as big as this one.”

“Ah, let’s hurry before I freeze to death.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

The wanderer tried to open the doors, although the oppressive cold weakened him. They saw rust infused with the frame of the doorway. Enne gently nudged him to the side and dislodged the door away with an effortless tug. She turned to him with a grin. He looked off, embarrassed by his inability to get the door open.

“It doesn’t hurt to ask for help,” she reminded before entering.

“Yeah, got it,” he replied.

Enne summoned a small light that shone through the cluttered corridor. Their desecrated surroundings confirmed no one had inhabited it for a long time. The reception area remained untouched, with silts of dust and cobwebs decorating it. The metal door leading to the stairwell showed no signs of a break-in. A chilly breeze struck them after she forced the door open. The wanderer shivered, his teeth clattering from the sudden burst.

“Damn, that’s cold,” he said.

“There must be another opening,” she said. “But so far, it doesn’t look like anyone is here.”

“Maybe, but this weather.”

Alejandro reminded her of his human vulnerabilities. Meeting his stern gaze, she slid her hood off, revealing her protruding ears. The orb in her hand radiated heat with an orange glow. It provided a sense of solace when she moved it toward the cold, grizzled man.

“I’m sure you’re wishing you were a part dragon,” she teased strangely of consoling him. “But I am half-human… So at least you can provide some warmth if I ever need it.”

“If I’m not a cadaver by sunrise!”

“Talk about dying hard, no?”

His face contorted to her smug glee.

“We couldn’t have waited for the storm to leave?” he said. “We’re just looking for some boogeyman?”

“It’s an actual threat,” she sighed.

“Windigos are nothing more than folk legends. There were very grounded explanations for the phenomena. We don’t know if this is really a windigo or some stray bear—”

“What’s this really about? You looked into their eyes, the hunter and Robert? They’ve seen something that’s beyond our understanding. There’s much we don’t know. Even tall tales have a smidgen of truth.”

“Did you believe them?”

“I believe they know something we don’t. You and I are just foreigners in these lands. Even if you traveled them, you never fully get engrossed in it.”

Alejandro fell silent as he walked up the stairs ahead of her. Enne looked on after he brushed past her, acknowledging his subdued frustration. Perhaps her behavior was precarious, and a warm bed was something both desired. It was a small price to pay to find out the truth, which others would’ve instead left to the imagination. Again, the wind became but another whisper. She fixated at the bottom of the stairwell.

“En,” the wanderer interrupted from above. “You coming?”

“Yeah…” she replied before ascending.

The lodge’s main floor had scenic windows spanning across the wall. A haunting glow basked the abandoned room of its imperfections. Alejandro walked past the worn furnishings of the seating area, finding trash and weathered belongings left unclaimed. Enne looked at the ceiling, finding the source of the passing breeze. A flurry of snow swirled at one side of the lodge underneath the shattered skylights. It seemed out of place for such a cave-in.

Alejandro took a moment to admire the whitened view of the sea of trees. He imagined what it was like for casual ski goers who dared climb the mountain for sport. For most, such luxuries were fleeting, as many towns starved or relocated since the cataclysmic event centuries ago. Enne sealed the gaping hole with whatever material she found. The patch held off most of the oncoming snow, with a slight breeze whistling through its cracks. Finding the wanderer at ease, she walked toward him.

“That should do it,” Enne remarked.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Alejandro voiced admiration. His lips still quivered from the cold.

“I’m sorry to have dragged you out here. I—”

“En, your heart is in the right place. It always is.”

“Still, I’m sure you imagined our journey would be a little more relaxed… At least hoped it would be.”

“We’re here now. Besides, a view like this makes it all worth it.”

Her ears perked when he stared off to the wintry expanse. By now, they’ve traveled for weeks. The wanderer proved to be far more laid-back than she imagined. But in the back of her mind, she called it complacency. There was little need to change the natural order, or so experience taught him. He looked over his shoulder to find her onset melancholy.

“En?” he said.

“I should really consider your needs more,” she admitted.

“And where is this coming from? This dynamic between us? It’s always been like this, and it works.”

“But I don’t really give you much of a choice. Either I guilt you or force your hand. It’s not right.”

“But things would be boring. If I were with anyone else, I’d be held up in a warm room and doing normal travels. I might get upset, but now, I don’t mind.”

Enne blushed as he turned away. The window’s dirty reflection revealed Alejandro’s heart-warming smile on his grizzled face. It was a rare sight for her as her lips subconsciously returned the gesture. She turned to the small bar, a potential spot to sleep for the night since there was still a small fireplace intact.

“We should probably set up for the night,” she suggested.

“Right,” he agreed.

They moved the furniture closer before making a fire with what little resources they could gather. They could throw in was limited but enough to keep the fire going. After some time, the fire glowed in the vicinity, warming the wanderer’s shuddering body.

“It’s going to be a long night,” Alejandro whispered.

“Oh, I’ll keep you company,” Enne responded.

“That’s not what I meant. And I said long, not lonely….”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. It’s just a waiting game now.”

“You expect this thing just to burst through the doors?”

“Oh, yeah!” She smiled, spreading her arms.

“Immersion breaking much?”

“You know you like it. Oh! I brought hot chocolate. Sarah gave me some before we left.”

“Is that… What you packed in the bag?”

“Yes.”

Enne set up a bowl of water, heating it against the fireplace. The wanderer’s experience with the shaman was less than pleasant. He rarely dealt with people from that walk of life, and it was with a deep-seated skepticism when he did. They shared a cup of improvised hot chocolate, cuddling under their large, thick blanket.

“She took a liking to you,” he said.

“You sound jealous,” she remarked. “You two are of two different worlds. You weren’t expecting solidarity, were you?”

“She’s never seen a windigo before, and neither has the shopkeeper.”

“How fantastical do you think humans were when they saw necro-bytes and the other creatures emerge from the portals? There’s one thing that I didn’t share with her.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

Enne giggled, setting aside her empty cup. Her eyes remained fixated on the embers. After a few seconds, she said: “There is a logical explanation for such a creature. Mana is multifaceted. The indigenous population that inhabited these lands a millennia ago understood what mana was at a rudimentary level. But as much as they romanticized it, it’s not spiritual in nature.”

“I’m listening.”

“Mana is nothing more than a framework for existence. Nothing more, nothing less. Mana has transformative properties extending beyond clothing. Therefore, their windigo isn’t that far-fetched.”

“I admire the fact you can see things so loosely.”

“Not loosely. Convergent. You shouldn’t let preconceived notions bar you from being open-minded, although your thick-headedness is endearing.”

“That’s supposed to be a compliment?”

“Like I said, be open-minded.”

Enne yawned, soon laying against him comfortably as the crackling fire soothed her. The wanderer slipped from sleep every so often, thinking about the old man’s utterances about the doomed family. Alejandro was left wondering about the fate of the two missing family members. He eventually fell asleep as the warm fire and howling wind overlapped his senses.