The Letter

Sienna held up the letters. "Look, all of you. The same parchment. The same hand. These were both created by your Elder. The devastation will come from his hand."

The Elder started laughing. And laughing. Finally, he stopped long enough to say, "Of course it is by my hand. A little girl like you couldn't create it. But you carry it, little girl. You carry both letters. In two days time you and all of your kin shall perish. That is what is meant to be. That is what I planned.

Chase looked around him. Not one person from his tribe spoke. Most didn't know the Elder had created the more powerful letter. They didn't care. Now that the curse had been lifted from them, they were happy. He gave them all a disgusted look. He collapsed. The pain was too much.

Bridgitte looked up at Sienna. "We should go back to the hotel, Mommy. Grandpa will be there soon."

-----------------

Kelly was busy dressing his wound. The bullet had gone completely through, but had taken a large chunk of flesh with it. She was flushing it with as clean of water as she could get. It looked bad.

"You're not going to walk the same anymore." She was crying. Leaving the mob scene was hard on her. Chase had been disowned by her Father. She was expected to stay. She refused. She was brave, but was still shaking. Her Mother's look was still stuck in her mind. They were both estranged now.

Bridgitte approached and touched her arm. Kelly burst into tears and hugged her. Then Bridgitte did something amazing. She touched Chase's injury. Stuck her hand right in the blood and muscle and sinew.

"It's not so bad. Grandpa can fix it."

He just looked at her. Sienna laughed. "I think she likes you, Chase."

His pain was better. He still thought she was a precocious brat. There was no way he was going to hug her.

He did. Women. They start young.

A pound in the door announced the arrival of Grandpa. The Savior. The Witcher. Sienna and Bridgitte rushed to the door.

Whatever preconceptions Chase had about how a witcher might look, they were wrong. This was no Geralt of Rivia, or even Vesimir, the older mentor. This was no wizard or paladin or even a Sean Connery.

The guy looked like Gary Shandling.

Gary Shandling was a comedian and actor. Great guy. Not a looker. An episode of the X-Files did a spoof where Gary Shandling played David Duchovny's character Fox Mulder. Chase felt like he was in the same joke.

Except Sienna's Dad was no joke. He was the real deal. The first thing he did was walk up and stick his fingers in the wound on Chase's leg. It healed instantly. Then he tousled Bridgitte's hair and said, "You actually healed some of it, Sweetpea." Chase had forgotten they were Irish. How did they end up as Iroquois legends? From Latvia?

"Thank you, sir," said Chase.

"Good looking and manners! Isn't he a bit young, though?"

Sienna turned beet red. Kelly gave a sly grin. Bridgitte admonished him. "Grandpa, he isn't supposed to know yet."

Chase stood up. "I already knew, but if none of us are alive in two days, it won't matter."

"Grim one. I'm Archie. Pleased to meet you. We do have our work cut out for us. I've already seen the Monster. It knows I'm here." He saw Chase's expression. "They leave traces, if you know where to look."

"How do you fight it?"

"Well, you basically piss it off. It will be dangerous."

"Have you done this many times?" asked Kelly.

"No. Never have. That's why it will be dangerous." He smiled.

With a face that looked like Gary Shandling, he really looked like it was a joke. Chase hoped it was.

"So what do we do?" Sienna asked. If she was asking, it wasn't a joke.

"We have two days. We need to try and convince their Elder to recant the summons. If that fails, we need to clear this area of the other tribes. The Monster won't discriminate."

"It won't come after Sienna?" Kelly asked. "I know that sounds horrible, but doesn't she possess both letters?"

"The Monster, or Wendigo as you call it here, has broken from it's control. Your Elder knows this. He just doesn't want to believe it will actually attack its own master."

"I'll try to talk to him," said Chase.

"You don't dodge bullets well enough. No offense." Archie smiled again. "I'm already on my way."

Kelly looked distraught. "Did you send Sienna here because of this? She lost her husband. Now she may lose her life."

He looked at her, and smiled again. "I wouldn't do that to my daughter, or her good for nothing husband. He was the one who brought them to this hellhole, trying to save money. They were no longer together anyway. They just kept up appearances for his position."

He looked at Sienna. "It was Bridgitte that first picked the place, actually."

"Dad!"

"Oh come on, he's already caught on." He turned and looked at Chase. "Bridgitte liked your pic from your webpage. Wildlife trails in the Rockies? Nice name."

Maybe he was more like Gary Shandling than Chase had thought.

Archie left for the reservation. He refused to let anyone leave the hotel. That left the four of them in a typical double room. Kelly was nervous. Bridgitte was bored. Chase and Sienna were horny again. He opened his mouth to speak.

"No," Kelly snapped. "There is only one bathroom."

The next morning they got another room.

-------------------

Archie returned the next evening. Their parents were with him. His father carried a trunk and set it down in front of him. His mother set down a suitcase. They both turned and left. He held Kelly as she burst into tears.

"Why?" She asked. "Why can't they see?"

He didn't know what to say. He just held her. Bridgitte approached. She touched Kelly's arm. "They still love you," she said. "That is why evil is trying to break up your family. Don't give up on them."

Kelly looked at her, astonished. Archie laughed. "Don't look at me. Must be a Latvian thing. Little Button runs around saying things like that all the time."

Chase asked Sienna, "Her biological father is also Latvian?"

"Yes, but he is no longer around. He abused us both."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, but thank you. Father, what is our plan?"

Archie sighed. "Plan B. I need to prepare. This must be done by myself alone. Don't look at me that way, Sienna. You know if you go out there you will be the first to die."

"Out where?"

"First to die?"

Chase and Kelly needed a better answer than "Plan B".

"The reservation. Sienna must stay here. They won't believe the Wendigo is out of control if she is there. That may be the only way to open their eyes."

"What are your abilities?" asked Chase.

"I'll have to defer to these two. My apologies. I must prepare." He left.

Bridgitte spoke up. "He knows white magic. It will cause the Monster great pain, and blind it."

"Not kill it?"

"It is a demon. It cannot be killed. It can only be banished back to Hell," said Sienna, "but my father can make sure it stays there."

The next 24 hours were the longest of Chase's life. He never worried about things. Now he was worried about a lot. He was worried about Sienna. She carried both letters. He was worried about Kelly. Was she really on board? She was very popular among the tribe. Hell, they both were. To be suddenly outcast, and watch her brother get shot. What was she going to do if given a choice?

The only one he wasn't worried about was the little brat, Bridgitte. She kept telling them how things would happen and how wonderful her Grandfather was. Chase just wanted some time alone with Sienna. If this was either of their last nights on earth, he wanted more of what they had before. She reassured him, "we are going to be fine. I will make you glad we are."

The day turned to dusk and he was horny, hungry, and horrified by the darkness approaching. With it seemed to come something more evil than the Wendigo.

A loud "Pop" alerted them to the danger. The sound came from the adjacent room, but then the glass crashed around them. Bullets were coming through the window, then the walls. Chase threw down the dresser and moved everyone into the bathroom, lying the girls down in the tub. Just as he tried to close the door, Archie ripped it open.

"I'm sorry Chase and Kelly. I really am. This attack was unexpected. I had no choice."

He looked at Kelly, who looked horror stricken. He tried to stop her, but she was too fast. Just outside Archie's door lie their parents, along with several other armed members of the tribe. They lay motionless, and weren't breathing. They had no marks or wounds, but their eyes were open and glazed over. There was no question they were dead.

What Kelly did next surprised Chase more than anything that had happened. She hugged him, and said," We are free. Do not be filled with hatred, for that was their downfall."

He knew she was right. He turned to Archie and said, "How can I help?"

"You already have. I need you to stay with these three. I must draw the demon away from the tribe, or many will die."

"I'm going with you."

They all turned and looked. Kelly looked radiant. So did Sienna and Bridgitte. Magic was filling the air.

---------------

Chase was confused. "So how is it that an Iroquoi legend is composed of two out of three Irish? And why do you dye your hair black?"

Sienna elbowed him in the ribs. "How do you know I dye my hair black?" She quickly flashed her eyes towards her father, indicating that he wouldn't be happy to know that Chase had seen her red bush. Chase rolled his eyes. She was an adult. So was he, barely.

Archie the Witcher was too busy looking at the horizon. The sky over the center of the reservation was black and swirling. The rain was coming down in sheets. It rarely rained here.

In less than fifteen minutes the demon was due to make it's kill. Archie was not completely convinced the three women might save the tribe, but agreed to take them along. Chase was still confused as to how Sienna and Bridgitte could be part of the legend of the strength of the three plants, or how any of that would help fight a demon.

The car came to a sudden halt. The massacre had begun early. Bodies were lying outside their homes, faces frozen in terror. He knew how they must have felt. The Wendigo was supposed to kill the woman with the letter, not them.

They ran towards the main square, where the Wendigo was letting a body drop from its jaws. Chase went to cover Bridgitte's eyes, but she brushed him aside. "You start early, demon," she yelled.

Whether the Wendigo heard her above the screams, Chase did not know. The blinding white hot flame caught its attention, however. It roared back in pain.

Archie just smiled. His fingers still sparked.

Then Kelly spoke with a voice that rose above the din, literally. She was surrounded by Sienna and Bridgitte. They were larger than life. "Will you forget the strength that once made our tribe great? Will you hang on to your hatred while it stands here and devours you?"

The Wendigo rounded on them. Archie pummeled it with white flame. The beast's skin was ripping apart. Falling off in chunks. But it kept coming.

Archie had multiple spells. The next one was so bright it blinded the demon. A ball of white hot hovered before it's eyes. But it kept coming.

Finally, Archie stepped out in front of it. He barely came to it's ankle. A flash of silver struck the demon, causing it to howl. He did have a sword!

The demon kept coming.

Chase realized it was too late. He had been watching the whole time and was nowhere near his sister or Sienna. He started running at the demon, waving and screaming to get its attention.

It was the girl that saved them. She simply stepped in front of the demon and held up her hand. A number of holy symbols appeared and enveloped the Wendigo. It just disappeared.

So did the girl.

Kelly screamed. "No, what did she do?"

"What had to be done," said Sienna.

"You knew?"

"I knew it was a possibility." Sienna didn't look very upset about it. She consoled Kelly. "We saved most of your tribe. More exactly, they heard your message, and saved themselves."

"They heard the three of us. I don't know how two Irish women became part of the legend, but my people saw it...why aren't you more upset about the loss of your daughter?"

Sienna started laughing. Archie was too. Suddenly a stir rose among the crowd. A tree had appeared. Not an evil, dead skeleton tree, but a healthy, green, vibrant tree. Actually, it wasn't a tree at all, but an intertwining of squash, corn and bean plants. In the center it had a pulsating sac. The sac ruptured and out popped Bridgitte. She was covered in green plant goo.

She was no longer the little brat. She was taller, leaner, scarier. She was a Witcher.

Sienna touched his arm. He calmed, and understood immediately. This was how real Witchers earned their title. He looked down at the girl. "I guess this means I'm husband number three."

Bridgitte gave him a flippant look. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm not even old enough to be married."

"Oh boy. I can't wait until I can ground you," he said.

"Good luck with that." They all said it. Even his sister.

----------------

Kelly went on to guide the tribe to better things. They focused on preserving the heritage of all Native Americans, not just the Iroquois. She eventually married a white businessman who lived in Denver. He couldn't get enough of her ass. They had six kids.

Archie headed back to Ireland, but didn't stay long. He was last seen near the coast in San Tropez. Bridgitte joked that "Grandpa found a mermaid and ran off with her."

Sienna was fairly close when she said that magic was fading from the world. Evil no longer took on the form of monsters. Men did their part to fill in the void. There still were some evil beasts around, however. Bridgitte would sometimes disappear for days. When she returned, she would describe in detail a battle with a Cockatrice or a Gravier. Some were a bit hard to believe. Chase was convinced she was making them up until one night a Rusalka tried to take the baby. Bridgitte dispatched it and, together with Archie, cleared out the entire nest.

He was experiencing Slavic monsters. After marrying Sienna, they moved to Latvia. She no longer dyed her hair black, so most didn't recognize the woman who was married to the buffoon that tried to shoot the bear.

They named their child James. After visiting one of the many cathedrals in Eastern Europe, Chase learned that James was one of the original three apostles. He was a fisherman. He also didn't say much compared to his brother John or their friend Simon. That appealed to Chase.

The massacre on the reservation was blamed on the Elder and an unusual cult he led. Evidence of psychoactive drugs were found in each of them, according to the investigation. All talk of a "giant monster" were dismissed as simple hallucinations, and the unusual ripping apart of the bodies was attributed to what humans could do in a drug induced state.

The Wendigo now spends time with his kind in the 5th Circle of Hell. As a smaller demon, it usually is assigned to pineapple duty.