Taneshewa took Mendaho by the arm and pulled her near. “But we’ve got each other.”
Meny said, “I’d rather have Surrey next to me than you. And that medicine belt is added insurance.”
“But it’s almost dawn.”
“Dusk and dawn are even worse.”
Sur Sceaf hugged Sagwi goodbye. “Mo Mo Sis, I’ll be stopping by again tomorrow. We still have much to discuss.”
“Yous gotta tell me bout ev’body, specially how Elf Beard’s cookin.”
“Old Grokk is as hale and hearty as ever. You’d think he was a young blood. You do know he still holds a spot in his heart for you?”
“Ol, get ju off!”
Despite the foggy dawn, the trees blocked much of the sun and gave an eery lighting to the forest. The forest did seem uncommonly still. Morning activities had not yet begun. People had been staying up late and rising late with all the activities. Even Thunder Horse’s tipi was still closed. No smoke rose through the smoke hole. The spring frogs began croaking and in the distance an egret squawked. Off to their left there was a sudden thrashing in the brush.
Mendaho’s eyes sprung open. “What was that?”
“Oh, it was probably just a squirrel,” Sur Sceaf said.
“Or a panther,” Taneshewa grumbled.
As they walked out into the misty fern glade and started down the path, Mendaho said, “Ahy, you take Surrey’s arm and I’ll take hold of the medicine belt. That way no shape shifter will dare grab me.”
Taneshewa was hesitant. He leaned closer to her. “The feisty wood spirit that gripped the knife coming down the path yester morn wouldn’t be afraid to take my arm.” He assessed her like he had done to White Fire the first time they met. He knew not to enter any of her space without a specific invite and knew if she accepted his arm he was in.
“Oh, for Tah-Man-Ea’s sake.” Ahy snaked her arm under his. He felt her warm hand twine his forearm as a jolt of energy ran the length of his body. Mendaho moved to his other side and grabbed his medicine belt while the three proceeded down the trail side by side. Taneshewa didn’t say another word, but Mendaho chattered away. “Do you remember, Surrey, how I had just come from Klamath, and some of the young braves started calling me ‘Paper Girl,’ because I had brought books and scrolls with me. You gave them hell and told them they should spend more time in the books, and that the best warriors and braves were also true scholars. You borrowed one of my Mountain Scrolls on the tricks we used to deceive the Pitters with. It wasn’t long till all the young braves came asking for my books. Probably why Snake Horse became such a scholar.”
“Did you ever read the books I sent you from Namen Jewell?” Sur Sceaf asked.
“Yes, the History of the Herewardi was the most interesting. Why, just today I was sharing some of it with Ahy.” He noticed Mendaho leaning forward to direct a pointed glance at Ahy.
He glanced down at Taneshewa. “Well, Ahy, did you learn anything interesting?”
She made a face at Meny then she said, “No, just that you are a very peculiar people with some very strange customs.” Her tone was less than approving.
He grinned. “But loveable when you get to know us. Right?” She slanted him a look, but said nothing.
When they arrived safely at Taneshewa’s tipi, Sur Sceaf asked, “Shall I escort you to your tipi, Meny?”
Taneshewa shook her head. “Meny, why don’t you stay with me this morning. Remember, we have much about the ritual to go over.”
“Oh, oh yes, I forgot.” A look of disappointment crossed over her face.
With that cue, he said, “I shall see you ladies, midday, at the bridge. In the meantime, I shall work at getting stronger.”
Ahy glowered at him, but he detected a hint of amusement.
Feeling encouraged, he bowed before heading for his own camp. By Thor’s Hawthorn Handled Hammer, this is a good day to be alive.
* * *
As soon as the sound of Sur Sceaf’s footsteps faded, Mendaho hustled her into the tipi. “Alright what’s really happening, I know I’m great company, but we don’t have any practice to talk about. What’s really going on?”
Ahy jerked her arm from Meny’s grasp. “Stop pushing me at that man. Both you and Sagwi are throwing him at me. I told you, I’m not interested. And even if I were, he’s married and has six wives.” She gave an accusatory and piercing glare. “Why can’t you understand that?”
Meny shot her a pitying look. “Then it’s your loss. But, since you don’t want him, I intend to do my best to get him to hold my moccasin.”
“You mean it wouldn’t bother you to share your man with those other wives?”
“No, I know the value of a man like Surrey, and my friend, Shining Moon has confirmed that in her letters to me over the past ten years. I’m telling you Ahy, he’s more man than any ten men you’ll ever see in a lifetime.”
“I suspect you are right, but I just can’t imagine sharing my man with another woman. Especially, six other women. It goes against everything I’ve ever been taught.”
Meny sighed, “Taneshewa, you haven’t seen how well it works. Have you?”
“That’s the problem, Meny, it would not work for me. I don’t even like to share my food or my clothes. How could I ever share a man?”
“Your problem is you’ve ridden a mean horse that bit you and gave you a bad ride. Now you’re thinking all men are just like Standing Bull. I assure you, Surrey is the noblest man you will ever meet. Ahy, they don’t come any better than this. His quiver is full of the best traits of all men. I may not know much, but I know him, and I would be honored to have him as my man.”
“Suit yourself! But I do have a question that’s been niggling me, Meny.”
“Sure what is it?”
“When I was naked and Sur Sceaf took off his shirt to cover me, he wore the most beautiful golden amulet I’ve ever seen. In its middle was a green jewel and it was all of very curious design. What was that?”
“It was the Eye of Hrus inside the Golden Hyrwardi Knot. It’s the mark of any man who passes through the rites of the White Swan Order, an honor equivalent to having a medicine belt. They call the green jewel, ‘the strength of the eye.’ It sits in the center of the Hyrwardi Knot by which all the generations of Hyrwardi are bound under the Forty-Four Laws of Howrus and represents the knot by which all bride-sisters are bound to their swan lord.”
Ahy sank down on a pile of skins. “Why do they have all those wives? It just seems so incredibly selfish to me?”
“Ahy, they are a warrior culture just as we are. But they fight everywhere and many more battles than we do in far off places, so more of their warriors get killed. If their men didn’t take many wives to wife, there would be too many spinsters like me with no place to lay their head, and no man to share their tipi with.”
“Oh, Meny, your man shall come. You’ll see.”
“Do you realize it’s been ten moons since I even kissed a man? I squeeze my pillow every night, and cry out in loneliness, but every man I would marry is already married and the ones that aren’t, I don’t want. I crawl around my fire at night and pray that Grandmother God gives me a man I can love, but all I hear is the beating of my own heart and lay there night after night waiting for the answer. Sure, there are a few who would share my bed with me anyway, but then that would be a lie. When I was young I thought I had plenty of time to marry. I was too caught up in my books and scrolls to pay attention to any serious men. Then, by the time I was ready to marry, the good men were all taken. Honestly, Ahy, there are only mud holes left to drink from once you reach my age of twenty-eight winters. You’d die of thirst before drinking from one of them. But in the Hyrwardi Tribe, it’s different. I could marry any married man, and have it openly accepted, acclaimed, and celebrated. Then I would have my dearest wish, to bear children and watch them grow like Shining Moon and Little Doe. Here I could only bear a child in shame like Lightning Fawn, who has to live with her grandmother, has no friends, a
nd is utterly miserable. So being a seventh wife to a man is to me far better than enduring the shame of loneliness. Yes, I could endure a little jealousy over a lot of loneliness any day. I can no longer afford the luxury of the pride you have, young Lady.”
She had never known Meny to be false. For the first time Ahy saw her way was not the only way of living. Maybe Meny was even right about her pride getting in her way. “I’ve never heard you talk like this before, Meny. You seemed to be so happy, so teasing with the boys, but never getting serious with any of them.”
“It is because I want an exceptional man. Sur Sceaf is my type as was Mendaka. I’d much rather share one of them than settle for a man I cannot respect, and admire the way I do Surrey and Dak. Unfortunately, Little Doe had already enchanted Dak, so that’s over, but Sur Sceaf is not limited to whom he can choose. It’s open season on him. At the first moment I saw him riding into camp, he’s been in all my fantasies. It’s like my life is somehow strongly tied to his. Ahy, I hope you won’t judge me, but I’ve given this much thought, and I believe I could be much happier in their culture as one of many wives than I am as a spinster in ours.”
“I will never judge you Meny, and I am so sorry you have to bear the emptiness of a tipi without man or child.”
Meny’s face brightened. “Then you won’t mind if I do my best to become bride number seven, will you?”
Taneshewa was a bit taken aback, even felt some reserve and a tinge of jealousy. “Go for it. If he chooses you I will be happy for you. But I can’t live like that. I just couldn’t.”
* * *
Taneshewa did not have time to ponder on the words of Mendaho, she had to gather the materials for the practice.By the time she’d reached the bridge the morning sun had broken through the trees and the morning mists had lifted revealing the stately snow-capped mountains that surrounded the lake. Redelfis had already hung the rings on the high truss that stretched between two large denuded dead hemlocks. Blooms Alone had brought the girls and Going Snake. The rings were large enough for a man to stand in them spread-eagle, and had been newly constructed from sapling branches as well as blessed by the Thunder Horse. Redlfis raised Taneshewa in her ring suspended above the forest floor. Going Snake was next. Sur Sceaf had just arrived and the girls were running up to him to greet him.
Redelfis was below Ahy, describing to Surrey what he was to do. Once Surrey stepped into the ring, Redelfis raised him slowly. As Sur Sceaf glanced up, she thought she saw a moment of panic on his face. He seemed uncomfortable in the ring and clung to it like a cat on a thin branch. When he looked towards her she could hardly suppress both a smile and a laugh. Once he reached her height, and Redelfis had tied the thongs to stakes, she called out, “Try to swing into me,” as politely as she could.
She watched his awkward moves. Just as he positioned his ring near her, he slipped and caught himself before falling. The expression on his face was of utter shock. He even uttered, “Son of a bitch!”
She suppressed another laugh and said, “Try it again and try not to fall out of the ring this time.” Once again he set the ring to swinging. Each time he neared, he reached for her only to almost tumble from his perch twice. She found it amusing to see such a dignified man so entirely out of his element. Even the children found it overly funny and had no compunction to hide their laughter.
Taneshewa wanted to be annoyed, but found his clumsiness way too amusing.
What was it in this man that stirred the worst and the best in her? He was so damned handsome, so male, but no, she would not go there. He was simply too strange and that’s where she’d leave it. But she found his clumsiness both cute and amusing and couldn’t restrain a laugh or snort from time to time.
“What! You take delight in my almost breaking my neck,” Sur Sceaf called as this time he determinately swung towards her.
Taneshewa allowed her smile to break through her studied restraint. “I can’t help it. You look so ridiculous hanging there.”
Going Snake joined in the mockery, “He looks like a cat that’s fallen out of a tree.” The girls on the tule mats below giggled.
Sur Sceaf took a deep breath and kicked his feet out in front. Once again he managed to get the swing in motion, held on with one hand and reached out with the other.
At the same time he heard Ahy shout, “No! No! No!” Once again he had misjudged the distance. Dammit, I hate heights, he thought. This time he was determined to not look down while swinging. When he had regained his balance, he saw that Taneshewa was stifling another laugh.
Redelfis shouted, “Alright, you buffoons, we’ve got to get this right. There’s going to be thousands of people watching this performance.” Directing with his hands, he said, “Taneshewa, perhaps if you could swing a little more into Surrey’s direction, he wouldn’t have to reach so far and nearly break his neck. And you, little chipmunk of a brother, don’t encourage her in her recklessness. Show them how this is done. Come on, I want to do this right.”
Taneshewa shouted, “Come on! I’m going to make it happen this time.” As they swung high up above the forest floor in the rings, she could see Sur Sceaf was making a very sincere effort to learn his role and she decided she would be more cooperative. The coordination of the rings required she look into Sur Sceaf’s eyes for alignment. Finally, after many tries, Sur Sceaf managed to get the rhythm down and they were able to perform the feat with sufficient ease and harmony. With her ring inside his, they stood side by side. She noticed he was dripping with sweat from all his efforts. “I’m not surprised you slipped so much with all that sweat pouring off you.”
“I guess this is not the time to tell you, I don’t like heights.”
“Yeah! I noticed.” She couldn’t help laughing at the sheepish look on his face.
Redelfis yelled, “That’s enough for today.”
Ahy said, “You have to separate the rings now, so they can lower us.”
As soon as the rings were apart, she signaled to Redelfis they were ready.
Redelfis and his crew gently lowered them down and said, “Well done! Now that the two of you are working together, tomorrow we’ll work on the two of you harmonizing with Going Snake so that you will be flawless at the Rite of the Eclipse.”
Taneshewa watched as Sur Sceaf lit on the forest floor first, then he ran over and helped her out of her ring. She could feel energy flow between their fingers as he guided her safely to the ground. He grinned, “I have a feeling Rolling Thunder could have done better even with his arm in a sling than I did.”
She laughed, “Not bad for a white man. Once you ignored the height, your strength did the rest.”
“I have to admit that I kept being distracted by how lovely you looked framed by the ring of the branches.”
Lightning like, once again she realized he had drawn her in like the powerful winds of a tornado. “Stop flirting with me.” She ordered. “It’s not going to do you any good.” Turning on her heels she stalked off, but even as she pondered the anger she kept remembering the power of his touch when he had helped her from the swing. It was nothing. It had to be nothing.
* * *
As Sur Sceaf helped gather the rings and assist in preparing for the morrow, he contemplated what would it take to make this woman, Ahy, soften up towards him. True, she had been warmer towards him during practice, but there was still that biting edge of suspicion in her demeanor. According to Redelfis she had that same suspicion of all men, but he seemed in particular to arouse it the worst in her.
Redelfis tied the rings together while Sur Sceaf smiled at Going Snake, who was whispering something to Blooms Alone. He noticed her eyes go big, and she shifted her focus from Going Snake and sharpened her eyes on him. “Going Snake says you have three wives, and some Hyrwardi even have more. Isn’t that a lot of trouble?”
“In point of fact, Blooms Alone, sometimes it is. And sometimes one wife can be trouble too, but in truth, I actually have six wives.”
The girl’s eyes widened fu
rther. “Why do you have so many? I heard Ahy tell Meny that you probably treat women like horses, lift their lips up to examine their teeth, then smack them on the ass to watch their horse flesh move. But Meny said she wouldn’t mind being your pleasure horse one little bit.”
“In our culture no one ever asks why we have many wives, for most Herewardi men have more than one. One man I know has seventy-two. That man had twenty brothers who were all slain in the Taxus Hill Country and took their wives to be his in order to provide for them and their children. I suppose the main reason is because we are a warrior race, and far too many of our men have been killed in battle. So that leaves us with many women and never enough husbands to go around. So that everybody can have a father and a husband, we try to take all our women in marriage. That way no one is left alone unless it be of their choosing. We want every girl and boy to have a daddy.”
“How many children do you have?”
“I have thirty-three children at last count, but my wife Faechild is close to due.” Sur Sceaf watched the eyes of the girls pop wide open.
“How can you tuck them all into bed at night?” Dancing Feather asked.
“Oh, I just roll them all up in one big tule mat at night,” Sur Sceaf said, as he grabbed Going Snake and started rolling him up in one of the nearby tule mats. Everyone was laughing and giggling. “Actually, my wives and children all live together, work together, and play together like sisters and brothers.”
“Sur Sceaf,” Going Snake said, “roll us all up in a tule mat. I want to see how you do it.”
The Sire Sheaf Page 16
