17 Stones

by Paul Telegdi

  Slowly Chaiko rose, drawing all eyes on him. He looked levelly at them all, then up at the sky, including it with a dignified gesture of his hand. “As you can see, it is a beautiful day. So I can stand here all day and claim it is dark but it cannot make you blind to the brightness that is.” He turned and faced Corrigan and said in an even tone, “Just because someone claims that injustice was done, likewise, does not make it true. An accusation is not evidence. A charge is not proof.” He let the import of the words sink in then continued, “I will answer all charges. I did not steal the idea. Indeed I made Falcon with my own hands from my own ideas, no one else’s. I have made many more since, which you call l’bow. You will find my mark of a falcon’s claw incised in many of them. I did not drive Tael away; he stole away in the middle of the night, abandoning his mate. We later heard that he claimed that he had invented l’bow so we corrected that falsehood, and so declared we to all the clans that he lies. He stands accused by the lies from his own mouth.” Chaiko then hardened his voice and turned fully on Corrigan. “Let him who would accuse, prove his case!”

  “Nay, rather prove your innocence!” Corrigan barked back.

  “I shall if you bring my accuser to face me! Let him hold a gourd high in his hand at twenty, nay, thirty paces. Falcon will speak for me thus: I shall shoot talon after talon at the gourd and will not harm him for Falcon obeys me, recognizing its creator. I command the talons, they know my voice. For the things well made know their maker.”

  “A trick, a trick,” the chorus protested, then died out.

  “If you do not let Falcon be my witness, then call the mate he abandoned, and let her testify.”

  “Tael is not on trial, you are!” Corrigan interrupted harshly.

  “And you, Corrigan, will you be my accuser and sit in judgment over me at the same time? A man who has opened his mouth to accuse has already made his judgment; his heart is filled with condemnation so he cannot deliberate in good conscience the innocence or guilt of any man. That is the code as taught!”

  “Good, then, I will accuse but not be a judge,” Corrigan threw back venomously, not pleased to be so robbed of power. “Tordar, you sit as judge!” Tordar nodded, his mouth a thin line. He was an old crony of Corrigan.

  Still Chaiko had the burden of proving his innocence. But how? “If truth be true at all it must be true throughout. There are no shades of truth, only the overall brightness of it which will pierce the darkness and rebuke the shadows.” The shamans stirred uneasily; these were high words for one so young. But Chaiko was burning with passion; in a moment of need, the words simply came to him. “You see truth cannot be divided! Truth cannot be compromised!” He took a big step back to signal a coming contrast. “Falsehood, on the other hand, mixes truth with error and lies and misdirection: all tricks to make you accept the falsehood as true. But only a naive man, an unlearned man, is taken in by it, for though a good liar can perhaps make you think that a lie is true, he still cannot change truth into a lie, for truth is witness of itself. As the sun bears witness of itself, its light blazing, its heat warm, every man can see it and feel it on his skin, so is truth, self-evident!

  “Let’s talk of falsehood then. A pool of pure water from a mountain stream is pure indeed, but add a drop of blood to it, and the two will mix and the water is no longer pure. So it is with truth and lies. He who lies in small matters will lie in big ones. You will not find me lying big or small. But Tael’s life is a lie from beginning to end. Everyone who knows him can bear witness to it. Ask them.” Chaiko again turned to the shamans and addressed the last to Tordar directly, “The truth I speak will exonerate me. The lies Tael speaks will condemn him! Judge me then in the light of it.” Chaiko sat down, finished.

  Tomakon patted him on the arm, congratulating him on a fine speech and Lefay whispered loud enough to be overheard, “That is telling them, just so! An honest person is exact about the truth; a liar is only interested in the efficacy of his lies.”

  Tordar then turned to Corrigan and said, “It seems that we had best look for this Tael, hear the words from his mouth and measure for ourselves what is and is not true.”

  Corrigan did not appear to be pleased with this development, but in his haste to accuse, he had given control over to someone else. He sent someone scurrying to fetch his witness. The rest tried to unravel Chaiko’s speech. “He is right about truth, that it must be true in all of its parts...”

  Tomakon was curious too, “Where do you get these ideas of yours?”

  Chaiko turned to him and replied, “By thinking, mostly at night. It is obvious though, to everybody, no?”

  “Not to everybody,” both shamans murmured, shaking their heads; it was clear to very, very few. “And when do you sleep?”

  “Between thoughts,” Chaiko replied with a grin.

  After a substantial wait, Corrigan’s man finally returned and whispered something to his master. It was not good news, but for whom?

  “It seems that Tael cannot be located in this crowd,” Corrigan had to admit. A stir of dissatisfaction went through the assembled. “But that should not hold up the proceeding any, as eventually he will be found.”

  Tordar leaned forward and said decidedly, “In this the accused is correct, accusation alone is no evidence. You must find your witness or withdraw your charge.” Corrigan nodded and again sent his servant to search for Tael.

  Corrigan then repeated, “It is charged that Chaiko has abused his power. As a consequence, it is alleged, Tael had to flee for his own safety into other lands. Far from abandoning his mate and child, he was forced out of home and clan. Tael therefore asks that his mate be returned to him, to be reinstated in their union, and that restitution be made for his dead child.” There was a quiet that greeted these words.

  “Your request is so noted. But again, we must hear this from Tael himself,” Tordar repeated without yielding.

  “I further request that if these accusations be proven true, Chaiko be stripped of his position as shaman so he has no further opportunity to repeat his offence.”

  “Noted.”

  The word of the proceeding had leaked into the general Gathering and soon a large crowd collected nearby to hear all the details. There was nothing in the whole camp that could compete with the drama of this. A shaman on trial! No one had ever heard of a shaman stripped of his status. A Standing-Rock contingent with Dawn and Baer to the fore stood in a compact huddle. The crowd grumbled its displeasure and a few were very vocal. Archer, the best l’bowman of all, proclaimed loudly, “I have seen this Tael and he does not know which end of l’bow is which. He lies, then lies about his lies, whereas every l’bow testifies of Chaiko, for it fits his hand, for it is in his hand the idea was born. There can be no doubt of that.”

  Chaiko smiled reassuringly at his family. They all waited, some patiently, some less so; time seemed suspended. The crowd grew and tidbits of information mixed with a lot of conjecture, all hotly debated. Several times Tordar asked, “Where is your witness?” And Corrigan answered, “He will be here soon.”

  More time passed, and some more, then finally the errand-boy returned and whispered anxiously into Corrigan’s ears. The Head-Shaman turned livid with anger, spun on his heels and left the Council, disdaining even an explanation. It remained to the errand-boy to inform all assembled that, by all accounts, Tael had fled.

  “In light of Tael’s further flight this proceeding is terminated. The accusation is expunged and all presumption of guilt is lifted from the one accused,” Turbold pronounced and the shamans quickly dispersed, but the crowd remained hugely disappointed over being deprived of such riveting entertainment.

  Tomakon and Lefay pounded on Chaiko’s back vigorously, but Chaiko himself was disappointed. He would have liked to show what a liar Tael really was. As it was, in spite of the facts, nothing had been proven, so some of the accusations would still stick to him. He said, “Corrigan will not let it stay that way.” Glumly the others nodded in agreement. Chaiko went to j
oin his family and they all went home.

  Baer congratulated him warmly as did others, touching him, grasping his hand, patting his back. As they withdrew toward camp, Baer mentioned that he thought that the election of a Chief was likely to come fairly soon. The race was too close to predict, as people switched support back and forth, and the leaders freely stole votes from each other. Baer was only sure it was not going to be himself. But even as he spoke, a messenger arrived summoning him to Council.

  “Why did Tael run?” Dawn asked her mate when they were alone with just their children. Dawn was still worried, remembering all too well the ugly mood that Chaiko faced in the Council.

  “A liar can’t confront the truth as lying does not add courage to a man but robs him of it. He hides behind the lies and is afraid of being discovered, yet he can’t help himself but lie again. Besides, a liar grows to believe that everyone else lies, and can’t believe a straight word, in himself or in others.” But Chaiko was also much disconcerted by this recent experience. Why was it that he had to defend the truth nearly by himself? The lies were obvious to all, yet Corrigan, notwithstanding, exploited the circumstances to get at Chaiko. That Chaiko had again withstood his attacks, must have doubtless inflamed the Head-Shaman against him all the more. Good, then let us fight it out, Chaiko decided. It is you or me, then.

  Later on he was still considering his choices; he had not been intending to say anything to Dawn so as not to burden her further, but then decided against that; it would be best to warn her that Corrigan could be capable of almost anything and consequently, they both needed to take some precautions. He talked at length with Dawn, sketching out the problem of their situation. Her face became composed and calm; he recognised it as the mask she used to try to hide from him how upset she really was.

  “The good thing is that we can depend on our friends,” Chaiko said. “We also have allies on both Councils. We are not alone in this. Corrigan has been heavy handed for years and there is a great deal of opposition to him under the surface. But we need to show them some assurance of success before they will be willing to rise against him. I think Corrigan himself should be careful for he could loose an avalanche of protest that could easily swamp him.” His face had grown stone hard, remembering the River of Rocks that had severed his leg.

  Later, Dawn tried to deflect Fire-Dancer’s questions, but her very reluctance aroused her sister’s suspicions and Fire-Dancer picked and picked until she had the whole story. “It seems the leadership here is also full of conspiracies, just like among the Ekulan. If it is not one thing, it is sure to be something else.” But then she quickly recovered and tried to be sensitive. “Don’t worry, Chaiko can handle it. I have not met a person half as effective in everything as your mate.”

  “Really?” Dawn asked, pleased in spite of her worries.

  The sun stood high when a shadow fell on the shaman. Tikki was there, looking at him shyly. “Perhaps this is not the right time...” the man began, but Chaiko seized upon him, needing some distraction from the storm of thoughts raging within. “No. Please stay! This is exactly the right time.” He bade Tikki to sit, then minutely examined the man’s stump. Chaiko stuffed the cup-end with extra moss. The fit was excellent, perhaps needing just a little more adjustment as the stump would strengthen from use, from once again supporting the weight of the man. Chaiko tied the rest of the bindings and stood up to help him to his feet.

  Tikki stood, uncertainly, weaving about, and Chaiko had to hold firmly to steady him. The man was missing the leg at mid-thigh, without the knee to give him some flexibility. The wooden leg remained straight under him, unbending. He wobbled, then moved around a little, Chaiko still holding onto him. They practised taking a few steps this way then that, but in his eagerness Tikki often staggered. Several times he trod on Chaiko’s good leg with his wood, not realising the pain he caused the shaman. Finally Chaiko let him go, but had to jump to break his fall as he stumbled, the two legs under him working against each other. Finally Chaiko bade him just to stand, but even that proved difficult. Tikki’s body had gotten used to the solid support of his crutches.

  By the end of the session, Tikki ached all over but could stand erect—unaided. There he stood with a big smile on his face, holding up his hands to show that they were free at last. Chaiko returned his smile but then told him, enough for one day— they would practice again some other day.

  Tikki left smiling, reconciled that he would have to learn to walk all over again. Chaiko collapsed gratefully by the fire. He was stiff too, perhaps out of sympathy. Seeing his father free, Yael crawled into his lap and claimed him. “You see, my son,” Chaiko said to the squirming boy, “A shaman has to be many things to his people but above all else he must be a teacher and an... example. You will see.” Yael jumped in his arms and his head hit his father on the nose, filling his eyes with tears, stopping any further flow of wisdom from him.

  Chaiko looked at his son more closely. The boy had put on weight and spoke now in short sentences. But the most noticeable aspect was his curiosity, his eagerness to explore and not be afraid to try anything. Twice he burned himself taking a flaming twig from the fire and drawing patterns in the darkness of night. He regarded the twins with amused interest and tried to play with them. When he was a bit rough, Chaiko had to step in to distract him with something else. Yael was eager to learn and Chaiko spend more time with him, playing, increasing his dexterity. When Yael fell asleep, Chaiko checked on his weapons. At this point he didn’t trust Corrigan not to try something underhanded. Not an outright attack, but it was prudent to be prepared... for anything. He checked his Falcon and his stock of talons. On quick inspection, they seemed all right. On checking his spear, however, he noted with some irritation that the flint head had shattered. When did that happen? The blunted tip was quite useless. He went and found Kray, and asked him to fix it.

  “No problem...” Kray said examining the shattered tip. “It looks as if someone smashed this on purpose.” Corrigan’s name flashed through the shaman’s thoughts; more of his conniving! Returning to his fire, Chaiko examined his Falcon more closely. He wasn’t surprised when he found the string halfway cut through: at first draw it would surely fail. Someone had sneaked in here and done this! What else would Corrigan dare to undertake to make sure that he won at all costs? Chaiko frowned deeply as he changed the string and carefully checked all his talons.

  Baer returned from a hastily convened Council of Leaders, his mouth set in a grim line. “We had a round of votes in Council. Of the eleven votes needed to win, Turbold received six votes, Solinex five and Taeko also five. I got four.”

  “That is good!” Chaiko exulted. “The sides are nearly even and we hold a good balance of power.”

  Baer flicked his hand dismissingly. “But don’t you see? Five didn’t vote... they are still up for grabs. We then had a second round. Turbold now at seven, Solinex still five, but Taeko climbed to six and I dropped to three. That is how we left it until tomorrow.”

  “Oh,” that was disappointing. “How secure are your three votes?”

  “The three I have are sure. Laars swears he is behind me and he holds another firmly in hand.”

  “Then we should stay put and see what the next vote brings. Eleven votes are needed to win, and presently it is all pretty even,” Chaiko calculated, feeling some resurgence of confidence. This thing was not over yet.

  “All right, but stay by me!” Baer said urgently. “We can expect the parties to descend upon us like flies on honey trying to buy our votes.”

  “I can’t, but I give you Ushi. He has a very fine nose for such things and loves to mix and deal. He should really go back to trading.”

  Baer shrugged. “I just don’t like all this back and forth tugging. Perhaps we would be better off with a Chief and save ourselves this nit-picking.”

  “Uhum,” Chaiko muttered sympathetically. He too preferred choosing a clear course and staying with it. All this reacting was disconcerting and kept one c
onstantly on edge. Chaiko already had been in one fight today; he was not up to the cat and mouse game of bargaining for votes, offering instead Ushi for that purpose. The shaman then withdrew into himself, went over the events of the morning and reviewing his speech, thinking of what else he should have said. He again came to the conclusion that Corrigan and he were locked in a fight, and that this time neither would let go.

  Before turning in for the night Ushi came and wearily sat down beside the shaman to report on the various negotiations.

  “Everybody came. Once, twice, some three times. Begging, pleading, cajoling, promising... all wanting our votes. Forward and back we went and even sideways. It has been a while since my ears have welcomed so many words into its shell and my tongue has shaped so many words and said farewell to them.

  “I am sorry if the others gave you so many problems,” Chaiko said sympathetically.

  “The others?” Ushi said in mock surprise, “The others were no problem! Baer was the difficulty!”

  “Baer?”

  “Oh yes! He just wanted to stay solid with his vote and it took me a long time to convince him that we must adjust and adapt depending on which way the votes swing.” Ushi was again growing excited by the intricacy of the balancing strategy. “For example we have to watch Chisan, Corrigan’s man: whichever way he goes, we have to swing the other way to maintain the balance. The word is that the Head-Shaman is quite willing to switch his support away from Taeko if he can get the proper concessions. The rest are scrambling, looking for ways to put together eleven votes. I know that Turbold and Solinex have made a deal to keep Taeko out at any cost, and both of them would gobble us up, if they could. There are only four running but there are at least twelve separate deals made, all depending. And there are still people who haven’t committed themselves. They are sitting it out until something firms up. If for example...”