Eagle of Seneca

by Corrina Lawson

  The shoreline to her left flashed by. They would arrive soon at the tip of the island, where Manhatos stood.

  Such a short trip, yet such a long one.

  Dinah came to stand at her side.

  “This ship is magnificent,” Sky said.

  “I will give your compliments to the captain and crew,” Dinah said.

  “What is the design on the sail? My father said that the animal was called a dragon but why is there a knife in its teeth?”

  Dinah drew her belt knife and displayed the handle. It was some sort of smooth, dark stone in the shape of a cougar. “I was given this as a gift long ago by a friend across the sea,” she said.

  “They have cougars there?” Sky asked.

  “Close. They have great cats,” Dinah said. “When Gerhard saw this knife, he believed it was a cougar, as you did. Cougars are sacred to his Norse Goddess, Freya. So Gerhard concluded that we were meant to be together.” She smiled. “It took me some time, but I finally agreed with him. When we wed, we put the knife, my symbol, and the dragon, his symbol, together as our emblem.”

  Sky nodded, encouraging Dinah to elaborate. It sounded like a fine tale.

  “So you and Gerhard found your destiny?” she prompted.

  “We’re still finding it, I think.” Dinah sheathed her knife. “But it’s your destiny that’s the real question now, Sky. What do you hope to accomplish with this visit? Deep Water already turned down my offer of alliance.”

  “Things will change if I have my way.”

  “And why are you the person to forge this alliance?”

  Sky felt as if she’d just been pounced upon. A cougar was an excellent emblem for Dinah.

  “I told you, there was a prophecy—”

  “There is always more to it than that.” Dinah put her hands on the railing and looked over the water. “You have a father who loves you, you are well cared for and respected. You have a home and family. That is everything most people would ever want. You said that you didn’t come for Ceti. So why would you risk all you have for this uncertainty?”

  Sky’s annoyance at the question flowed away. This woman truly doesn’t understand.

  “I know I could be married by now, manage my own longhouse, have children, and sit at my mother’s right hand while she and others decide what should be done about the Romans,” Sky said. It would be a good life. It was what Lake Wolf expected from her.

  “And?” Dinah asked.

  “My choice would be hollow,” Sky said. “Answer me this. Do your people keep slaves?”

  “Some Romans keep slaves,” Dinah said. “Those of Seneca do not.”

  “In Manhatos, where we are going, there are slaves?”

  “Manhatos is Old Rome, the Rome that is dying. Yes, there are slaves there.” Dinah stared out at the water, no longer looking directly at Sky.

  I have hit on something that troubles her greatly. “Are the slaves treated well?”

  Dinah nodded. “Some are fed well, given jobs for which they are well suited, treated as human and not so much as property. But they are all property, in the end.”

  “And a cage, no matter how comfortable, is still a cage,” Sky said.

  Dinah nodded.

  “My family does not realize they’ve created a cage for me, but it is there, just the same,” Sky said.

  “I see.” Dinah’s eyebrows furrowed. “You would have acceptance and a place if you followed your family’s path. But it would be a lie.”

  Sky nodded. “Gods or not, destiny or not, I have to do something. My father is afraid that you will make me a slave. He doesn’t see that I’m bound already.”

  Dinah stared out at the water for a long while and finally turned her head to look at Ceti, deep in conversation with Gaius and Licinius. “And Ceti?”

  Sky flushed. “I was serious about believing him to be a messenger from my gods. We have something to do together.”

  “There are going to be many who assume they know exactly what the two of you will do together.”

  “Yes. They already believe that, even on this ship.” Sky stared at the shore rushing by. She did not want to lie to this woman. But she didn’t want to talk about her feelings for Ceti when they were so new and raw either.

  “I understand Ceti,” Sky finally said.

  “You would be one of the few who does,” Dinah said.

  “Why is it so hard? It’s a glorious thing to want to fly and even more incredible that he could do it. Surely, he’s honored for that among the Romans for this?”

  “Engineers aren’t as valued as warriors.” Dinah sighed. “I’m not even sure myself why he risked his own life to prove the aquila works. He treats people well, but he avoids them. He’s interested in things.”

  “I’m not a thing.”

  Dinah laughed. It brought her to life in a way she’d not seemed before. Sky had seen the way Ceti looked at Dinah, almost with worship. She could understand why now.

  “I think Ceti really has found his Helen.” Dinah’s smile faded. “I understand what you want to accomplish, but it could easily end badly for everyone. Make sure that it does not.”

  Sky watched Dinah walk back to her husband. Sky’s family thought she needed protection from Ceti and the Romans.

  But Dinah thought the Romans might need protection from her.

  The world seemed upended.

  ****

  Sky’s hair was almost dry from standing in the sun by the time they drew closer to the Roman settlement of Manhatos. She’d seen the tall buildings from afar before and thought them odd then. Why would people want to stack themselves over each other like that? But as she grew closer to the town, she found herself more curious than worried.

  Mother always said I was the explorer—that it was too bad I was not a boy and thus could inherit my father’s mantle as traveling storyteller.

  That was a good idea. She would view this as the start of a tale. She imagined her father telling the story. And so young Sky, eager to learn about the interlopers to Turtle Island, sailed into another world. She grinned. That would make a fine beginning.

  Ceti walked up to stand with her. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know yet,” she said.

  The Vikings had already furled their sail in anticipation of the landing and now they manned the oars. Sky expected Dinah or Gerhard to give orders, but instead it was the dark-haired bearded man, Baldor, who shouted orders. Her cousin, Licinius, held the rudder hooked to the stern of the ship.

  As they turned, she could just barely make out more ship’s masts on the eastern tip of the island, possibly tied up to docks over there. Were those the imperial ships that she’d seen yesterday? She tapped Ceti on the forearm and pointed to them. “Are we going to dock there?” I hope not.

  Ceti shook his head. “No, we will pull into shore on this side.”

  “And where are our docks?”

  “The long ships land where they will, as they did near Shorakapkok.” He pointed to a smooth beach that was coming up fast. Too fast.

  The bow hit the sand hard. She stumbled and lost her balance. Ceti caught her around the waist and steadied her.

  “They came in quickly,” Ceti said. “Baldor was a little impatient. Apologies.”

  “It’s fine.”

  More than fine, in truth. His arm felt warm and strong, but as soon as she was steady again, he let her go. She grabbed hold of the rail, in case the ship was jarred again.

  Baldor yelled for the oars to be pulled in. And then everyone seemed to be moving all at once. It was such a flurry of activity that Sky was reminded of a beehive. Several men jumped over the side, lines were tossed to them and immediately secured to two poles sunk deep into the sand. The lines were tied off to metal prongs on the railing of the ship.

  Ceti bowed. “Welcome to Manhatos, Sky.”

  She smiled and almost laughed, feeling giddy, as if she’d inhaled some of a shaman’s ceremonial herbs.

  Most of the crew jumped o
ver the rail onto the beach, including Dinah and her taciturn husband. Gaius and Licinius followed them. Only Baldor and a couple of others were left on deck with her and Ceti.

  “Your turn,” Ceti said.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You are going with Dinah and Gerhard to Commander Tabor’s villa, to be received as a representative from the Lenape.”

  “You’re not coming with me?”

  Ceti shook his head. “I have to unload the aquila and transport it back to my workshop. And there are projects begun for the city’s defense that I must inspect immediately. My duties must take precedence, much as I wish otherwise.” He cleared his throat. “But I will join you as soon as possible.”

  Some of her giddiness evaporated. She squeezed his forearm. “Soon, then.”

  She put her hands on the rail and jumped. The drop was only a few feet and the landing on the sand was soft. She turned back and saw that Ceti was still watching her. He nodded and they stared at each other for a second. Silly to feel so much longing when she would see him in only a short time. She took a deep breath and turned to face Manhatos.

  She saw Gaius rush off the beach alone.

  “He’ll go on ahead and report to his stepfather to get things ready for us,” Dinah said when Sky walked up to her.

  Sky nodded, not sure of where “ahead” was or what “things” needed to be ready but nodding was safe. The others spoke to each other in either Latin or the Norse tongue—she wasn’t sure which. Whatever it was, it had the rhythm of a song, but didn’t seem to follow any pattern that she recognized. For the first time, she began to feel strange, apprehensive. Alone.

  “I’ll stay with you, cousin, as much as I am allowed, especially to translate,” Licinius said.

  “As much as you are allowed? What do you mean by that?” Did he have duties as well?

  Licinius smiled. “Dinah intends to get you a bath before a proper meal. I doubt you want me there for that.”

  “A bath? In the river?”

  “No, a Roman bath,” he said. “They’re inside Tabor’s villa. Think of a natural spring, transported inside a home, with the water heated. You will like it, I hope, but I’m not sure you will want my company.”

  She almost flushed at the implication that her cousin might see her naked. Licinius had a deep voice for one so young.

  “I’m sure if you say I will like it, I will.” She had no idea if that was true. Heated water? Inside a home? But she would trust her cousin.

  “I thank you for your confidence,” he answered.

  Licinius might look like her younger brother, but he was a few years older and certainly more responsible. He felt safe.

  I am not alone.

  Dinah led the way. Gerhard and Licinius flanked Sky, and others from the ship followed. Behind her, she could hear Ceti barking orders to those unloading the aquila.

  It took only a few steps before she was in another world.

  She felt the change under her feet first, as the packed dirt that led from the beach became something much harder and unyielding. Bricks, she thought. She’d seen them before, but not walked on them. They felt harsh under her soft moccasins. No wonder Romans favored such thick soles on their feet.

  They passed under the half-circle of a great stone gate that was part of the wall she knew surrounded the entire Roman town. It had effectively kept her people from attacking for several generations. She suspected it might not be as effective against Legate Makki. No wonder why Ceti wanted to check the city’s defenses.

  They walked by cultivated fields similar to those near her village. No so strange as yet, she thought. As they continued, the fields grew smaller and houses began to appear. Small homes at first, some of wood, some of stone. The structures were square and nothing like the great longhouses in her villages. There would be only room for one small family in them.

  She wondered how strong a clan connection those living inside such homes could feel when there were so few people living with them.

  The square homes grew closer together until they were nearly on top of each other. The brick path widened enough so that her party of four could walk abreast.

  The murmur of voices grew louder and people appeared on the path. Licinius moved to her side. Gerhard placed himself in front of her, to clear room for them. Dinah followed in the rear. Sky heard a strange clip-clop noise and turned.

  Her mouth dropped open as she saw a horse hooked by leather straps of some sort of wheeled cart. Sky had seen horses before, but not so close. This animal seemed far larger than the ones she’d seen among the Mahicans.

  A dark-skinned man sitting on a bench that was part of the wheeled cart held the horse’s reins. The man waved to Gerhard. Gerhard waved back and smiled. People on the path ahead of them parted for the horse and his cart, then resumed walking and chattering with each other when it passed.

  Sky noticed for the first time that some of the Romans were pushing small wheeled carts that contained clothes or some other good. One of her older brothers had built a one-wheeled device to carry water. But the ground near her home was pitted with rocks and the wheel had gotten stuck so much that her brother had finally abandoned the project.

  But the wheels worked wonderfully on this brick path.

  She looked down at her feet. I never imagined what a difference ground could make in one’s life.

  And if she thought the horse was a strange sight, the people were even more so. Those who had come to rescue Ceti had been a mix of Roman, Viking, and Mahican. The people were even more diverse here. Along with the dark-skinned cart driver, there were those with sallow complexions and very dark, narrow eyes. The faces varied in shape as well. Long noses, short noses, and hair of all textures from curly to straight. Some men even had no hair at all. The women’s hair was as varied as the men, though none of them were bald.

  Where do all these people come from?

  The houses grew taller and taller, until she felt like she was in some sort of man-made valley. The buildings rose five, six, perhaps ten times above her head. What kept them from tipping over? If Ceti were here, he would tell her why these buildings stood and how they were built. He would enjoy teaching her, as he had with the wooden birds. He wouldn’t think her stupid. Licinius might. But her curiosity won out over her fear of embarrassment.

  “Why make the homes so tall?” she asked Licinius. “Surely light can’t reach all the way down to the home at the bottom?”

  “Think of them as homes stacked upon each other,” he said. “There are separate floors for each family and steps between floors.”

  She nodded, not quite understanding, but wanting to seem as if she did. “It must be dark on the first floor.”

  “The light comes in through the glass windows,” Licinius said.

  Sky looked closer at the open spaces in the wall of the homes. She assumed they were open to the world but now she noticed they had been fitted with clear glass. “How did you make glass panels like that?”

  “Heat and sand,” Licinius said. “We have craftsmen whose sole job it is to make glass of all shapes and colors.”

  Sky swallowed. Occasionally, she had seen natural glass. To create it seemed like great magic, yet the Romans took it for granted.

  If there are craftsmen who can teach this, the People could learn it. A longhouse would be more tolerable with some light in the middle.

  The din grew louder and she noticed the high-pitched voices of children for the first time. The brick path was such a cacophony of movement, sound, and strange smells. There was definitely smoke in the air, she could see it streaming out of the chimneys. She recognized the smells of familiar meat and fish, but those were mixed with others that were new to her.

  There was one partially sweet scent that intrigued her especially. It was a little like cornmeal, but not quite. Her stomach rumbled.

  Gerhard turned to her and smiled. “I am remiss in my guest duties.”

  He walked to a man who’d set up some sort
of food display in his hand cart. Sky recognized long string beans and berries but nothing else.

  Her entire party stopped while Gerhard talked to the man next to the cart. Dinah watched her husband with a smile on her face. Gerhard spoke in quiet tones but he was insistent. The man finally put up his hands and took coin from Gerhard. She’d heard from her father that the Romans used metal in exchange for other goods. What an odd system. One could do nothing with metal save use it for decoration, like jewelry.

  Yet the vendor took the metal happily and handed Gerhard something light brown and about the length of her forearm.

  Gerhard handed it to her. “A loaf of bread, Domina.”

  It was almost as light as air. She sniffed. Yes, it was similar to cornmeal. And it was warm, as if it had just been over a fire. She broke off an end and tasted.

  She closed her eyes and let it roll around her tongue. Crunchy, crumbly crust. But the inside was warm and squishy, and so tasty. There was a honey flavor in it and it was not gritty like cornmeal.

  “It is wonderful,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome.”

  Gerhard nodded and they started walking again. The path doubled in size until they reached a big circular area, where there were many people selling goods like the one who had sold the loaf of bread. The sellers shouted to attract attention. Many people were scuttling around and Sky wondered how they managed not to run into each other.

  A few men threatened to get too close to her and they were met by Gerhard’s stare. Dinah and Licinius bracketed her. No one came near after that.

  “Your eyes are as wide as a deer caught in sudden light, cousin,” Licinius said.

  “It’s so much...more than I ever thought.”

  “Noisier too, no doubt,” he said.

  She smiled and nodded.

  “It will quiet down once we reach Tabor’s villa,” he said.

  That was the third time she’d heard the word “villa” without explanation. “What’s a villa?” she asked.

  Licinius smiled. “A very large, impressive home modeled after those in Rome.”