“Shaleer?”
He looked up at her voice. At once his face split into a lecherous grin.
She had always felt uneasy around Shaleer. He was Ejelano’s life-brother, and yet she could not bring herself to let down her guard around him. It was the looks he gave her, the appraising leers that Ejelano always dismissively told her were in her head. She had tried to convince herself that of course Ejelano was right, and that Shaleer would never disrespect his friend. So, she tried to put her suspicions in the back of her mind, and go on as if everything was normal.
She had been able to do this successfully until two seasons ago at the harvest celebration. Shaleer had approached her while she sat near the bonfire that evening, and she could still remember the foul reek of the fire drink on his breath. At first he’d been courteous, humorous even, and for a short time she’d even relaxed in his presence.
As their conversation had gone on, however, he’d become suggestive. Lewd. He’d sidled closer to her, and his leg and shoulder had brushed up against hers unpleasantly. The fire had danced in his eyes with something far more sinister and lustful that night, and she’d recoiled from his brash advances.
She remembered standing and telling him firmly that she recognized what he was doing, that she belonged to another, and that if he had any love for Ejelano he would never again approach her in that way. Shaleer’s anger had been palpable at the mention of Ejelano’s name, and he had spat that she had chosen her man poorly, that he was five times the man Ejelano was. Lena had told him he was only five times the drunkard, and that he should return to his house to let the morning clear his head.
Before stomping off, he’d thrust his face in hers, and had told her gravely that he was not to be sent away like a dog, and that he could make her appreciate him, would make her appreciate him. The next day she had told Ejelano all that had happened, which had penetrated his disbelief and vexed him tremendously. He confronted Shaleer, who had placated that he didn’t remember anything that had happened the night before, but that if he had somehow crossed the line of their friendship he begged Ejelano’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of his woman. Ejelano had, of course, forgiven him, but Lena would never forget the menace she had felt from Shaleer that night. Their interaction had never been the same, and she’d avoided him as much as possible ever since.
And now here he was, in Ejelano’s home, on their day of Joining of all days, alone with her. It was sacrilege. Forbidden.
She saw the same fire in his eyes now that she had seen that night at the bonfire, and all her senses became alert.
“Lena,” he said softly. She couldn’t tell if it was a greeting or a curse.
“What’s wrong? Where is Ejelano?” she replied.
“He is no doubt dragging back the biggest stag the world has ever seen for the feast,” Shaleer sneered. “I hope he doesn’t taint the meat with his conceit.”
Lena lost all pretense of being civil. “Your words are empty and petty. Your envy of him knows no boundary, and it has poisoned your mind. This is my house now, too, and I demand that you leave. Scurry back to your hole.”
“Sending me away again, eh, Lena? You still delude yourself that you hold my leash.”
At this he leaped to his feet quick as a cat, catching her completely off guard. He grasped her arms and pulled her into the room, while he stood in front of the door, blocking any exit. She barely kept her footing, and staggered around to the other side of Ejelano’s massive carving stone, instinctively putting it between her and her apparent captor.
“I remind you again, Lena, I am not your dog. That’s twice I’ve had to tell you.”
“You may be no dog, but you are surely no man, either!” she screamed at him defiantly, mockingly. “No true man would have to resort to force to keep a woman! You are...no...man!”
She could tell her words bit into him deeply, for his eyes flew wide with rage and his nostrils flared. The veins on his neck bulged with the force of his anger, and he clenched his fists until the knuckles turned stark white. When he spoke, his teeth were clenched.
“You are wrong. I am every bit the man your beloved Ejelano is. I will teach you this lesson, and you will learn it.”
Lena shuddered. She understood now why Shaleer had come. He’d been waiting for her.
Shaleer crouched, and approached her slowly from the other side of the carving stone. Lena knew he was expecting her to pick a direction and flee, so she waited him out, all the while never breaking eye contact with him. She would force him to make the first move. He grinned wickedly, and she spat at him, striking him on the cheek. He flinched, wiping the saliva off his cheek with the back side of his hand, and with a roar threw his body at her.
Ejelano had spent some time teaching her the ways of the warrior as well as the hunter, so she was not defenseless. She’d provoked Shaleer deliberately; he was now so far inside his fury that his mind would betray him. She let her body roll downward and away from his lunge, so that when he came down from his ill-conceived leap, she was no longer there. He crashed into the hard dirt floor, and she heard him let out a grunt from the impact. She struggled to her feet, her body tensing to sprint out the door.
She was fast, but he was faster still. He had recovered from his error quicker than she expected, and before she could take a step he’d regained his feet and seized the crook of her arm with an iron grip. She spun around instinctively and raked at his face with her nails, clawing at his eyes. He gasped as she drew blood, and for a moment his grip on her loosened.
Lena brought up her knee toward Shaleer’s groin like Ejelano had taught her, but Shaleer twisted his body at the last second, so the only thing she struck was his thigh. Reasserting his grip on her arm, he used her momentum against her, swinging her around his body and hurling her on the bed with his superior strength. He advanced upon her, his face bleeding in little rivulets from where she had scratched him. Paired with his bared teeth and wild eyes, the blood made him look positively grotesque.
“Whore!” he screamed. “I will show you how much a man I am!”
She still kicked at him, but he had her cornered. He descended upon her, and then all she could smell was the sickening mixture of his drink, sweat, and blood.
* * *
Chapter 26 – Ejelano
“Perhaps I should carry the spear, also?” Ejelano asked Dwelo, trying to hide his grin and keep his voice serious.
Ejelano’s spear was much larger than Dwelo’s own, and much heavier. The youngling (man, Ejelano had to correct himself) was dragging it along behind him, and had done well for most of the trek back to the village, but now he was obviously faltering. It was a good thing that they were almost home.
“No, I can do it,” Dwelo wheezed. He sounded determined. “I am a man, now. I can handle a man’s spear.”
“As you wish, brother.”
Ejelano was careful to address Dwelo properly, as an equal. He had technically proven that he deserved that much by passing his hunting trial, but it would be some time before the rest of the men truly accepted him as one of their own. It was a phenomenon that annoyed all new initiates, and Ejelano remembered well what it was like. He would not insult Dwelo with his condescension.
Ejelano shouldered the carcass of the boar, which had been properly cleaned and prepared for the feast. The moment was pregnant with the excitement of the night to come. He wondered if Lena had returned from her preparation in the woods, or if the women still were droning on about what it meant to be Joined and the woman’s duty and all that extraneous puffery. Ejelano knew how little she was looking forward to that particular tradition, and was more than relieved that he didn’t have to be subjected to anything quite as mind-numbing. Still, without the blessing of the women, he and Lena wouldn’t be accepted as a true, Joined couple, so it was a pain she would have to bear for them both. He would make it up to her later.
He led the hunting party to the fire pit in the center of the village. A great, flat stone had been pos
itioned near the pit and washed clean. The boar meat was to be placed upon it to be prepared for the cooking fires. Ejelano strode over to the stone and carefully laid his kill down, taking care to treat the animal with respect. He then turned and faced his hunters and threw his arms in the air, once again raising his voice in triumph. They echoed his chanting, honoring him and singing him praises. Even Olhando was getting swept up in the sweetness of the moment and showing his respect by adding his song to the group. After they’d spent the moment, they fell silent.
“I see you have again graced us with a great gift from the forest, Ejelano,” said a deep voice behind him. “You still command its favor, I see.”
Ejelano turned and, seeing who had addressed him, bowed deeply.
“If that is true, it is only because you have guided me well, Banoro,” he replied with proper reverence.
“Bah! Keep your bows and homage to yourself, or use them on another if you see fit,” Banoro said with a dismissing wave of his hand. “I’ll have none of it from one such as yourself.” He grinned widely and extended his arm while Ejelano straightened himself. Ejelano immediately reached out and clasped his forearm, and Banoro returned his grip.
The holder of the current Cycle of leadership was still an imposing presence, despite his age. He stood half a head taller than Ejelano, who himself was already a large man, and although Banoro no longer accompanied the hunting parties he had retained much of his polished physique. The pressure that Ejelano felt on his forearm was still as strong and solid as any tree in the forest.
What Ejelano was to the students he taught to use the spear, Banoro had been to him. Before he accepted the Cycle, he’d been much like Ejelano, and had led the hunters and warriors in the village by example with his skills. Ejelano could only hope that he would be as natural a choice for the next Cycle as Banoro had been for the current one. Appraising the mountainous figure that stood before him, Ejelano was reminded what made a true leader of men.
He had learned from Banoro that the difference between true and false leadership is merely a question of who serves whom. Lesser leaders seize power by force, wresting it from their predecessors like a prize to be won and displayed for all to see. These men do not believe in serving; they are only concerned with reaping what they can from the garden of their subjects. True leaders are chosen by the people to sow the seeds of prosperity from their own bodies, and irrigate them with their own blood and sweat. They hold the people close to their own heart, and sacrifice any and all things to keep them safe like a father or mother would do. Banoro had been a great father to them all, and had shed much blood for them. When his Cycle was over, he would be able to look upon the faces of his children and see their love and gratitude for all he had given them.
Banoro released his arm.
“Now that you have made sure that our bellies will not be wanting at the feast, Ejelano, I believe that you have another duty to perform. If there is one thing that I’ve learned from many seasons of being Joined, it is to never keep your woman waiting! The chill from the eyes of a woman wronged will freeze your heart; I have felt the touch of that ice, and there is nothing for which I have a deeper fear.”
“Perhaps you are wiser than you look, you old fool,” a good-natured, feminine voice said. Banoro’s wife, Elhadra, came into view. Just as Banoro had retained his strength over the years, she had retained her beauty. Her smile was radiant. “I knew there was a reason I chose you. I just regret it took so long for you to show me what it was.”
The strength of Banoro and Elhadra’s Joining was even more admirable, given the inner sadness that they shared. Despite many years of trying, they had failed to conceive any younglings of their own. They had known great pain in coming to terms with their barren house, but it hadn’t been enough to drive a wedge between them. A Joining was for life; once two members of the village passed beyond that veil, there was no returning, no breaking of the oath they had made to one another. Banoro and Elhadra shared a great devotion to one another above and beyond the vows of their Joining. Their love transcended the realm of the laws of the forest itself, to a spiritual place which many who claim to love rarely caught even a glimpse. It was immensely comforting to Ejelano to possess the confidence that his Joining would be as enduring and invincible as Banoro’s.
As Elhadra stepped into the clearing, Banoro’s eyes lit up and he let out a chuckle. “You see, Ejelano? A perfect example. This one can kill you with mere words.” To her, he said, “I take it your presence here means that all the secret preparation and prattering on have come to a close, and you’ve finally released the poor girl?”
“Banoro!” Elhadra shot at him with a look of genuine reproach. “Do not invite any ill fate from the forest on this day of Ejelano’s Joining. You should know better.” She drew up close to him and slipped her arm through his. Turning to Ejelano, she said, “Lena has been prepared, and no doubt waits for you in your home. You are now free to go to her.”
Banoro winked at him as Ejelano’s heart leaped. “Then, respectfully, I will take my leave,” Ejelano said. He began to bow again.
“Oh, for love of the forest, just go!” boomed Banoro, exasperated. He took a step and gave Ejelano a great push. “Cease your blathering and go find your woman!”
Reeling from the shove, Ejelano deftly caught his footing and sprang forward with his feet, speeding off to find his beloved. He was followed by the cheers of his brothers.
His spirit was as light as his feet, and he did not as much run as soar past the homes of his people on the way to his own. Again his bountiful future flashed into his mind, showing him all that he yearned and dreamed of. It would all begin when he returned home to his woman. Life...would begin.
His joy was so complete and blinding that he did not notice the concerned looks of the women who had emerged from their dwellings. They looked up in the direction of Ejelano’s simple house at the edge of the clearing, having just moments before heard something coming from that direction, something like a caged animal; a muffled, mournful sound that struck sharply at their hearts. They gazed around at one another, as if to confirm that what they’d heard was real, and not something conjured from their minds or a trick of the forest. They saw Ejelano, a blur among them in a full sprint, and could only wonder what was going on. A feeling of dread swept through them in a wave, and no one was spared its touch.
No one, save Ejelano. He had heard nothing, so lost was he in reveries of his glorious future-to-be.
It was not until he was before his own door that his ears were opened to the world around him, and he caught a cry of boundless suffering that vibrated off the walls of his home. The sound seized the world, his world, and it shook his bones when he realized why it sounded so horrifyingly familiar. Suddenly, the only thing he knew was panic.
He flew through the door, and into madness.
* * *
Chapter 27 – Ejelano
Shaleer was on his bed, twisting and writhing with Lena trapped beneath him. She had grown so fatigued from her struggles that she could only emit the moans of anguish that Ejelano had heard outside. Shaleer was grunting, thrust after vicious thrust, pinning her arms to the bed and baring his teeth in primal spasms of ecstasy while blood and sweat streamed down his contorted face. Lena’s ceremonial dressing hung from her body in a ragged version of its former self, the leaves and flowers torn where Shaleer had wrenched them free, just as he had wrenched free her virginity, now equally tattered.
A spidery crack raced down the center of Ejelano’s sanity. Something exploded in his heart, shocking him from his core to every square inch of his skin, carrying with it a paralysis that rooted his feet to the ground and ate at his soul. His legs turned to water, barely holding up his own weight. He was beset by a weakness that dominated his limbs and numbed his brain.
“No....”
Lena weakly turned her head toward him and said his name, in agony, before a wave of shame came over her face and she looked away. Shaleer, however, loo
ked at him squarely and sneered in triumph. He rolled off of her and stood up, his engorged member mocking Ejelano with Lena’s maiden blood.
“Did I not tell you, brother,” Shaleer panted, his voice full of venom, “that you would understand everything upon your return? But, no. I see that even now you cannot grasp the obvious. How could I do something so despicable, so deplorable, to one whom I’ve declared myself a life-brother? Yes, I can see your brain reeling, desperately searching for reason, for an answer. But I know you’ll never come to the correct conclusion, so ignorant are you of your transgression.”
Shaleer’s words drilled into him. They split his skull open.
“I’ll spare you, then, and give you the answer. This day became destiny the moment you cheated me out of that first hunt, all those years ago.”
“Please...no...not her....”
“It had to be her!” Shaleer went on in a fevered pitch. “You thought that you’d delivered to me the right to call myself a man that day, when all you did was wrench it away, so that all I could do was grasp uselessly at the air! I remember the cheers of the hunters when I finally limped back to the village with the deer, your gift,” he spat the word from the very peaks of sarcasm, “thrown over my shoulders in a mockery of conquest. I remember the embrace of my mother when she ran to me, and the pride in my father’s eyes. My father, Ejelano! That was the only day I ever saw his cold face warmed by anything I had ever done! And yet I could not feel his praise! It fell through me that day, never touched me for I knew I had not earned it. I could never and would never feel it again, because of you!”
With the stinking weight of Shaleer off of her, Ejelano saw that Lena had drawn herself up into a ball on the bed, rocking herself gently. She looked smaller, soiled. Broken. Everything she was seemed to have been diminished by Shaleer’s violation. Still, Ejelano could not pull himself out of his prison of a body, and remained fused to the ground. He tried to comprehend what Shaleer was saying, but his overloaded mind was failing him.
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