Witan Jewell

by Russ L. Howard

  I do not wish to wait three moonths to meet them. I had initially expected Sur Sceaf to return by the Mud Moonth and had expected he could bring them to Witan Jewell with him, but now that I have word of him possibly staying throughout the Skipping Moonth and probably past Yster and maybe even up unto the Eve of Albespiene. I have instructed Surrey in another dispatch to cut his mission on the coast short so that the two of you can lead them here with all due haste.

  In full appreciation of your hardships.

  Affectionately,

  Your own father,

  Sur Spear, King of the Seven Kingdoms.

  After carefully placing the letter back in the dispatch tube, Long Swan went over to the water basin and washed up, toweled off, then combed his long hair and secured the two long braids in the back of his head with a carved swan hair claw.

  The gulls raised their cries outside as the fishmongers dumped their scraps in the gutters. He closed the window and now understood why his sister protested the tossing of fish scraps in the street.

  As he left his room and walked down the hall, the sweet essence of hot cakes and maple syrup tantalized his nostrils. Already dressed in his work clothes, Surrey was seated at the table. Turfrida was scraping a fresh hot cake from a pan onto his plate. Her sister-bride, Ruth, was cooking up some dried blueberries to add to the syrup.

  Surrey acknowledged him with a smile. “Good morning, Brother. I hope you had ample rest. I’m sorry the sea was so mean to us yesterday. My stomach feels like it’s still rocking. Pyr assures me, we will adjust.”

  “Oh, I doubt that. I don’t think I could ever take that much bobbing up and down again. The land feels so good under foot.”

  “I trust your dispatch from the lord Sur Spear says pretty much what mine said?’

  “If you mean about the Pitters wiping out a Herewardi settlement from the Kanarra Creek to the Virgin River, then yes. What yours probably did not mention, is that Fa wants us to lead the Mexus and Citriodoran merchants to Witan Jewell.”

  Ruth scooped a couple of buckwheat cakes onto his plate. “If the news of the havoc the Pitters are wreaking doesn’t inspire us to greater labors and preparedness, I don’t know what will.”

  “I’ll have a green beetle sent to the Citriodorans and the Caballo Blanco, telling them that we will be leading them to Witan Jewell in two points of the medicine wheel.”

  Ruth placed a hand on Surrey’s shoulder. “Do you think we’re ready for them, Surrey? I mean, no one expected this many legions this soon.”

  “Of course we are not ready yet.” Surrey admitted, “Even though the Rabbi and I have most of the settlements laid out, we don’t have any real defenses built here yet. We are at an extremely vulnerable point in the development of the three nations. We may need to start raids and attacks on them to keep them at bay until we are properly fortified here. At present they could easily sweep through here and force us to abort our ideas of a city-state altogether.”

  Turfrida walked over with a skillet full of warm blueberries and scooped them over the pancake on Long Swan’s plate. “In all your preparations at sea and teaching the Jywdic men to be warriors, I hope you won’t forget that newly betrothed bride of yours, nor neglect her afterwards. Zeru-Herewardi said you didn’t even mention her this whole week.”

  “I’d never forget her.” Sur Sceaf said with a surprised look on his face. “But the one thing I almost forgot is that I have purchased a betrothal present for her.” He pushed his chair back, swiftly walked down the hall to his room, and returned with a large package in arms.

  “What is that?’ Turfrida asked.

  He unfolded it and revealed a full length otter fur coat. “It’s for Taneshewa.” He said with a smile.

  “Surrey,” Turfrida said, “she’ll love it,” as she ran her hand over the smooth fur, “I know because I’d love it myself!”

  Long Swan imagined how much he wished he could have showered Faehunig with lovely gifts such as this. Perhaps that would have kept her faithful.

  Chapter 15 : Mendaho Meets Her Match

  Mendaho had just come from a meeting with Milkchild early in the morning where they had gone over the Sharaka and Herewardi histories. She had shared some of her Mountain Scrolls and Milkchild was wild with the joy of being able to fill in some of the gaps of the past which the Scrolls provided.

  As she stepped off Milkchild’s front porch, she ran into Hartmut. “I thought you were at the coast, Black Hatter.”

  “I was inspecting the materials for building and cruising timber for Sur Spear on the Coast and have returned to report my findings to the king. Why art thou here?”

  “I was learning from Milkchild and Redith some of the early histories of the Amerikans, sharing the Mountain Scrolls with them, and learning how the Pitter race got started.”

  “I’m curious, what didst thou learn?” He said as he drew near her, his deep voice so soothing to her.

  “Milkchild and Long Swan could not figure out what happened to make the Amerikan civilization fall so fast. We read where there were prison riots, race wars, and class wars in parts of the country, but nothing seemed monumental enough to bring down the entire civilization in just one generation. Then it dawned upon me, I had read in the Mountain Scrolls how a burning star crashed near the Klamath tribe. The writer Whistling Wolf said a fire rock fell from the sky and leveled every tree for two miles after which nothing grew where the rock had slid. Then I remembered, my father, Burnt Tobacco said, he saw strips cut out of a mountain side where no trees would grow, like some giant bear had ran its claws over the mountains, and in every case there was a large rock at the end of them. I thought, that’s it, the Amerikans were destroyed by the fire rocks that showered the earth.”

  “I don’t know, Meny, rocks don’t come out of the sky.”

  “Long Swan says they do. He said, Govannon taught him that the burning stars are rocks often with valuable metals from which he makes the best blades. At any rate, it allows us to piece together just what would have burned down all their buildings and Long Swan said, if some of the burning stars were big enough they could have melted the ice mountains in the Snow Lands and broke them so that they filled the sea and thus caused the waters to rise.”

  “I shall give this some thought. The Heilige Schrift doth say that Gott opened the windows of Heaven and sent down water and there is a passage that mentioneth raining fire down from Heaven. I suppose thou may be right.”

  “That is not all. Milkchild was trying to ascertain what this document was that was so often referred to, called the Constitution. Well, I found a definition of it in the Mountain Scrolls. Red Horse of the Cheyenne recorded that before the fire fell from the skies the Constitution was a holy document that granted the citizenry those rights which nature and God bestowed on every individual. But he added that the Amerikans rejected it and degenerated into what he called a corporate police state. We figure that this was at about the time the Pitter race was created by Ish and Vardrop to control the rebelling of urban populations which the turmoil of nature’s god had brought about.”

  “Created! Only Gott can create. Art thou saying the Pitters were created by the cunning of man?” Hartmut frowned. “I’ve always thought they were just demons come out of Hell to afflict us for our sins.”

  “I don’t know about this sin business. Redith believes, from the scraps we found, that it was through the use of drugs and performing the grafting of wolf and rat seed code into prisoners that Vardrop was able to form the race of transhumans we call the Pitters. They emerged only after the burning stars had ruined the rest of the earth and that was at a time when racial and ethnic wars were raging throughout the Land of Panygyrus. The Pitters came to be seen as the bastion of law and order, but they imposed that order at the expense of freedom and under the banner of their religious ‘peace,’ Pax Pittorum, where in they went forth conquering and subduingand thereby built confinement camps for all those who opposed them.”

  Hartmut was intrigued,
but misbelieving. “Mein Gott! This is so interesting to me. Mendaho, I always thought thou wast keen of mind, but now, I see, thou art a very intelligent girl.”

  “What do you mean girl? How young do you think I am? You don’t think women are smart enough for these things? Do you?”

  “I don’t think that at all, but to me, thou seemest quite young. Maybe thou art on the edge of, say, twenty-four.”

  She laughed. “I’m twenty seven winters, Hartmut.”

  “Thou shouldst know, my wife, Evangeline, hath shown me how intelligent women can be, it’s just that, I’m sorry to say, in the Quailor community women have been conditioned to cover their intelligence by neutered men like Fromer. Suffer me to say, thy intelligence impresseth me.”

  “Well, I’m never going to put a basket over my light and I sure as hell won’t cover my opinions by covering my face or hiding in the shadows of any man.” She winked at him. “I gotta go now, Hartmut. We girls are going to do our wash down at the river this afternoon. Honestly, I never thought to enjoy chores so much. But when you have company, it’s all so much more fun.”

  * * *

  The rays of a warm spring sun shone bright in the afternoon as Mendaho, Lana, and Taneshewa strolled down the path by the river to Weland Rapids. Cottonwoods and alders were just popping out their tender leaves, and birds chased their mates through the riparian brush. Bees worked the mustard and holly to the point that the very air hummed. Floral perfumes flowed from the Daphne that lined the hedgerows.

  They were following the path on the banks of the Umpqua River, when they came upon Weland Beach by the rapids where Herewardi young bloods and maidens were frolicking in the water, swimming, splashing, and tossing leather balls at one another. Many of the youth had spread out blankets on the beach. Some had packed food. Some read books, others played cards, and a few just talked, sat, and chatted on their blankets.

  Meny took a moment to enjoy the masculine beauty of the young men’s bodies, clothed in only single loin clouts across their man parts. On the beach many maidens laid out in the sun in their skimpy two piece chamise garments, but a few girls sported what looked to be colorful silk garments especially made for swimming, presumably to get as tanned as Meny was naturally. Meny had brought a book to read, but kept it tucked in her tunic pocket, enjoying the sights and sounds much better. They gradually made their way out to a clear stretch and laid down a blanket. Lana set down a picnic basket while Ahy smoothed out the blanket. After settling on the blanket they removed the bowls and dishes Lana had packed for them.

  “Lana,” Taneshewa said, “I finished the last beads on the buckskin robe I made for Sur Sceaf. When I saw how much he was pleased with the silken embroidered robe Paloma made him and learned it was a custom to wear a different robe in each brides’s home, I knew I must make him one of durable brain tanned buckskin, whiter than a sun drenched cloud.”

  Lana smiled, “I can’t wait to see it. I can chust imagine Surrey wearing it in thy home. Oh, how I miss him.”

  “I hope he likes the design. I beaded a large ram’s head on the back, two ravens on the shoulder, serpents down the arms and twelve bees across the chest for the twelve princes he shall beget. Paloma said I am to present it to her so that she can give it to him during the Rite of the Veil.”

  Meny was confused. “Why should Paloma give Ahy’s robe to Surrey? Why can’t Ahy give it to him herself?”

  “Ahy, will be alone and naked in the Daleth Tent and Paloma, acting as the haeligaewica, which means a high priestess, will place the robe on a trestle table for Ahy to present to him.”

  Meny inquired, “Why is it called the Daleth Tent?”

  “Daleth chust means the doorway to Heaven, death! And only two more days on the eighty-eight.” Lana said with a grin. “Art thou sure thou art not having any second thoughts?”

  “None at all. I mean there are questions like everyone has. But I can’t sleep at nights thinking we’ll be married on the Fifth Sabbath.”

  They passed around the bread, and Meny’s smoked salmon while Ahy cut chunks of cheese.

  “If only someone could find a husband for me,” Mendaho said as she uncorked the flask and started pouring the Hrusburger Wine. “All these young bloods and their braid-heads are out frolicking and dallying with one another in this warm weather, I could sink my talons into anyone of them, but none are paying me the least attention.”

  “Well,” Lana said, “We’ll chust have to work on that.”

  They laughed. Screams of girls laying on beach towels echoed over the waters as a group of boys ran up to them and shook the chilly water from their hair over them.

  “Even if we did find her one, she’d drive them all away.” Taneshewa said, “She has a way of scaring men because she’s too forward, but I think she does that on purpose because she feels unworthy.”

  “For goodness sake, no one hath a purer heart than thee Mendaho.”

  Mendaho could feel the spring weather working its magic in her soul as she watched the lambs skipping in the nearby fields and watched the playful encounters of the young bloods. She envied Ahy, who was about to be married to a man that could make any woman forget the trials and tribulations of mortality.

  It’s been too long, she thought, Poor me, I’m nine years older than Ahy and I still have no man of my own. It’s been too long. For the past four years, I’ve secretly made baby clothes. Maybe it’s time I realize I shall die an old maid. I should probably give the clothes to Ahy.

  After they drank their second cup of wine, Taneshewa looked directly at Lana across the blanket.

  Meny thought, Oh no, I know that look.

  “Lana,” Ahy said, “Paloma said we are supposed to work out all our bad feelings before the eighty-eight day waiting period ends. So I have to ask you, why would you have cast a lot against me? Even if your son behaved inappropriately, you showed no faith in me. You were the last person I thought would ever vote against me. It felt like such a betrayal. A betrayal of loyalty I thought I had earned. I thought you would have come to me first rather than just casting a nay vote.”

  The hurt on Lana’s face was wounding. Ahy could tell the woman had no guile and felt great guilt over what Ahy perceived as a betrayal.

  “Ahy, I was torn in three directions. I had thee to consider, my husband to consider, and my son to consider. I thought Aelfy’s obsession with thee would be unbreakable and I did not wish to see my house divided and shipwrecked. Maybe if I had had more time before the rite, but thou art correct I should have gone unto thee and Paloma first.”

  Meny debated whether she should be brutally honest or not. “It seems to me you are both at fault. Ahy, you told me you were going to discuss this situation with Lana, but you didn’t.”

  “I suppose you’re right Meny. I was afraid it would cause a bigger firestorm if I did.”

  “I don’t ever anticipate being in a bride-covey, but both of you need to express your concerns openly to one another.”

  Lana nodded, “That hath always been the case. I’m sorry, I failed thee.”

  Ahy took Lana’s hand. “I accept your apology. Please trust me to do what’s right in the future.”Ahy took another sip of wine and asked, “How goes it with Aelfy now?”

  “Thank Gott, Sur Spear understood and had the solution.” Lana said, with a look of relief on her face. “Aelfy hath always been a horsey sort of person and it was a great honor for him to be placed over the horse farms of Powers at such a young age. Sur Spear told me the same thing happened unto him when he was Aelfy’s age. His father had chosen a beautiful young bride, Ilfwin. He solved the problem by removing himself from his father’s house where he felt temptation toward Ilfwin, and became a beard in the East.”

  Ahy had to ask, “A beard?”

  “I’m sorry, a beard is a spy.” She continued. “It was very comforting to Aelfy when his fa fa confided that he had undergone the self-same temptation and overcome it.”

  “You do know,” Taneshewa said, “there wa
s no temptation on my behalf.”

  “I knew that,” Lana said, “but young flesh is strong and weak moments come to us all. Especially in close quarters like we live in. After all, we do everything together. It is not that we don’t trust our youth. It’s that we don’t trust their bodies. The flesh has a way of overpowering any reasoning and propriety and takes complete maturity to subdue.”

  “Tell me about it,” Mendaho said, “I’ve been resisting so long that I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth it. Especially, here and now with this corral full of studs playing on the beach, naked enough for me to run over there and lift a couple flaps to see what they’re really packing underneath.”

  “You are as frisky as ever Meny,” Taneshewa teased before inquiring. “So, Meny, have you really given up on Hartmut?”

  “It’s a lost cause,” she lamented. “I think he thinks I’m too young, and that he would just be after my body. I’m about to give up on the Black Hatter.”

  “Oh, Meny, don’t give up.” Lana explained. “Courtship is not done that way in the Quailor culture. When I knew him, he was a staunch believer in chastity. So I think he’s looking for a lot more than just thy body. My mother told me that Hartmut stood up against Fromer when he called thee a witch.”

  “Then why hasn’t he even given a hint at marriage.”

  “Among the Quailor, we don’t say anything until it is absolutely certain. For once it is spoken it is a binding contract. There’s no eighty-eight days of reflection. It’s all over the moment the word betrothal is spoken.”

  As they washed their dishes in the river, Mendaho looked over at the splashing and laughter coming from the beach. Glancing up once more, she saw Yellow Horse and Xelph throwing a ball back and forth, and Ary was busy making a weir to catch fish in, while occasionally picking up a crayfish and tossing it in a nearby wooden bucket. All three boys waved at her. She thought about how the skins her people wore were much heavier and how in her culture the males and females swam separate from one another. She found herself intrigued by the braid-heads in their very short tunics with what appeared to be tied by silken cloth crisscrossed over their breasts. The suits did look very comfortable and she was tempted to try one on some day. She wished she could join them.