Heartache swelled inside her, split between her loyalty to the People and her role as Healer. The Second Law expressly prohibited contact with the Outsiders. There was no other way to interpret it. If she did not leave it there to die or dispatch it herself, the other alternative was to take it back with her, directly violating Sacred Law.
Adia made her decision. She could not abandon this offspring to its fate, nor bring it quickly to an end by her own hand. Second Law or not, you’re coming with me. The moment she made the decision, the pull which had drawn her to come was sated and the feeling of darkness lifted.
Adia turned her satchel over and pressed the Goldenseal down far enough to make room for the offspring. As she picked it up, she noticed it was a male. Not only an Outsider but even worse, a male.
But it was too late; her heart had won. She placed him carefully on top of the plants. In the corner where he had lain, she saw a bundle that looked as if it were meant to resemble a brown, stuffed bear. The Brothers had playthings of this type, fashioned to resemble animals in the natural world. She scooped it up, along with one of his blankets and put it in with him, which seemed to please him.
As she picked up the blankets, a small bag of toughened hide fell out and clinked to the floor of the structure. She turned the bag over and emptied it into her other hand. The thing that had made the noise was a shiny, thick, oval shape, made of a hard substance the White Man forged. It was hinged and had broken open from the fall to the floor. Inside was what she took to be a likeness of the man and the woman lying dead outside—before they had lost their scalps. A strong sense came over her that she should take it, so she tucked it into a corner of the satchel under everything else.
Adia started off with her precious cargo, and a heart at peace with her decision—for the moment.
She considered returning directly to Kthama but realized the offspring would soon need to nurse. It was not crying now, but that would quickly change if she did not find it nourishment. I will have to hope the Brothers have a wet nurse who will be willing to feed the offspring. Ithua will be getting a bigger surprise today than just the Goldenseal, she sighed.
As Adia closed the distance between herself and the Brothers’ village, the gravity of what she had done started to seep into her consciousness.
Oh, Father, how I wish you were still here with me. Though he had been the Leader of a neighboring community, the People of the Deep Valley, her father was remembered and revered among all the People for his kind, yet wise reign. He had kept her close, and she had learned a great deal from him about strength and forbearance, and how to yield one without compromising the other. Father, how did you manage to find such a balance between the tenets of the First and Second Laws?
Unfortunately, her mother had died giving life to Adia, her first and only offspring. She was raised by the other females of the People of the Deep Valley but did not have that one, close, mothering relationship which others enjoyed. It had made the death of her father harder to bear, and she cherished her friendship with Nadiwani, as well as with Ithua, Medicine Woman of the Brothers, all the more because of it.
Adia entered the Brothers’ village later than she had expected. Ithua saw her and rushed forward while the others stood transfixed at her approach. A visit from one of the People was rare. Ithua saw them staring at Adia, and scolding, turned them all away.
“Welcome, Adia!”
“Do not welcome me yet, Ithua, until you see what I have done. I have committed a terrible crime, and I desperately need your help.”
Just as she said it, a cry came from the satchel she was carrying.
“Is that a child?”
“It is a hungry child, yes. Can you help me? Do you perhaps have a new mother with more than enough milk right now? I do not know when he last nursed.”
Ithua did not ask questions but turned instead to a young maiden standing nearby, whom Adia did not recognize. “Honovi. Close your mouth and fetch Arina. Quickly!”
Ithua ushered Adia inside her shelter. Adia immediately sat, so she would not tower over Ithua.
“May I see?”
“Brace yourself, Ithua.”
Ithua gave Adia a quizzical look as she opened the satchel.
“Oh, Adia. What have you done?”
“What I had to, Ithua. I did what I had to.”
Ithua lifted out and held up the baby. He was crying now, suddenly both tired and hungry. Ithua handed him to Adia to comfort just as Honovi returned with Arina in hand. The eyes of both women widened at the sight of Adia, the Healer of the largest Sasquatch tribe in the region, holding a Waschini child.
The Brothers were much closer to the Waschini in build, and though it was terribly pale, the offspring’s appearance was less off-putting to them than it would be to the People. Arina reached for it immediately. While the he nursed, Adia explained how she had come across the fresh massacre and discovered the infant unharmed. The women listened intently, all realizing the severity of the crime she had just committed.
Though it had not always been so, the Brothers and the Sasquatch had an interdependent relationship. These women knew the laws of the People, and also knew of their Leader, Khon’Tor. His wrath was going to be considerable.
After a while, Adia decided she needed to get back. It would be well past twilight when she returned, and Nadiwani would be worried.
“Do you want Arina to accompany you?”
Adia looked at Arina, confused, not understanding if Ithua was proposing the woman bring her own infant with her to Kthama.
“My baby was stillborn, Healer, but my milk has not yet dried up. I would be glad to accompany you if you wish.”
Adia reached out to comfort Arina, who instinctively pulled back.
“I’m sorry. I forget our appearance can be alarming. Are you sure you would be willing, Arina? Kthama is filled with People of my kind.”
“I want to help if I can.”
“Very well. It is within my right to bring you to Kthama. The trick will be to keep him from crying before we get to my quarters.”
Ithua spoke, “You can stop and let Arina nurse him again just before you get there. And I can give him a bit of chamomile. Let me get some small wraps to keep him warm as that will also help.”
The females fussed, readying Adia for her journey home, and before too long the Healer and Arina set out.
The two walked together in silence. Adia’s thoughts turned back to the seriousness of what she had done and what the repercussions might be. Bringing the offspring was bad enough, but she was also starting to second-guess her decision to take the offspring’s personal items with her. Bringing an Outsider in is transgression enough. But these other things; they have something to do with who he is. Might they be able to lead the Waschini to us? There are no laws against it, but still—
The laws had been written long ago, before the White Man, so the items were not explicitly forbidden, but she knew Khon‘Tor well enough to know they would only inflame the fire of his anger, which would be considerable to start with.
When they were almost there, she turned to Arina. “Here is a good place for you to nurse him again. I need to take care of something and will return in just a few moments.”
Diverting from the main path, Adia took a turn and headed through some heavy underbrush, making her way to the Healer’s Cove. This was a place sacred to her and each of the People’s Healers before her. Nadiwani had brought her there when she first came to Kthama. It was where they connected with their heritage; their sacred role to the People. All the People’s Healers had come to this quiet, hidden, protected place to sit on the soft mosses and seek the counsel of the Great Mother who guided them.
At the back of the cove and partially recessed into a jagged rock wall that ran probably eighty feet almost straight up, stood a massive boulder caked with the dirt and debris of the ages and covered in Bittersweet vines. Other than its size and its peculiar placement, the rock itself had no other outstanding physical q
ualities.
Standing with it looming over her, Adia felt small and humble; connecting more easily with the Great Mother. To Adia, this was more than a place of refuge. To her, this place held the secrets of the ages; it seemed to whisper to her that there were stories here—mysteries locked away, waiting to be told.
She paused in front of the Healer’s Stone and set down the satchel, which had been a gift from Ithua, Medicine Woman of the Brothers, and was woven of sturdy reeds and skins. Unlike much of the Brothers’ work, this did not sport the bright colors the Brothers favored. The natural colors of the materials had been unaltered—letting it blend in easily with the natural surroundings; a fact Adia appreciated.
She retrieved the hard, round object with the likenesses of the offspring’s parents in it; the locket. Perhaps I should fling it into the Great River instead.
But something had told her to bring it, and she had come this far. Wrapping the pouch in leaves to protect it from the elements, she pawed out a small hole and buried it, memorizing its location at the base of the looming rock. And there she left it, in its shallow grave for safekeeping should the time ever come when it was needed.
Then she paused for a moment, remembering the blanket. Perhaps I should go and bury it and the bear too? But they are the only things he will have to comfort him. I do not see how it can hurt to keep them.
When Adia did not know what to do, she refrained from making irreversible decisions, trusting instead that the right choice would come to her eventually. It was a movement of restraint her father had taught her long ago.
She made her way back to where she had left Arina, and with her continued onto the main path to Kthama, trying to enjoy the smells and sounds of their land, which usually gave her pleasure.
A sound of footfalls ahead gave Adia pause, and she found a nook to duck into with Arina while they waited. She suspected it was one of the High Protector’s watchers, most likely the one named Akule, returning at the end of his watch.
As they waited, Arina cuddled the offspring while, thankfully, he slept off his meal, and Adia gave thanks that Khon’Tor was away. She knew she could depend on the guidance of the Great Mother, but she would have more time to prepare what to say, and how to say it. Khon’Tor was not an easy male to deal with under the best of circumstances. She had clearly broken the laws by bringing the Waschini offspring there—there was no way to avoid his anger. He would have no sympathy for her or the Outsider offspring. But with a careful approach, she might be able to soften some of his reaction. Perhaps her role as Healer would carry some weight in her responsibility to rescue the helpless creature.
A Leader of the People, or Adoeete, held First Rank, and in addition to setting direction and guiding the community members, was responsible for enforcement of the First and Second Laws, the focus always the ongoing well-being of the community.
The challenge with Khon’Tor came from his natural Alpha personality, coupled with his strict interpretation of the First and Second Laws. Adia believed he did have the best interests of the People at heart and was committed to their well-being. But she found Khon’Tor sometimes overly stringent in administering the First and Second Laws, unlike her father.
Adia’s position as Healer, the Second Rank, was in some ways more important than that of the Leader. Healers held the profound knowledge of the People, not only in areas of medicine but also in their connection to the Great Mother.
The Great Mother was one of the three aspects of the Great Spirit, the One-Who-Is-Three. Healers were chosen from the female offspring who showed a stronger seventh sense than most. Because of the Healer’s connection to the Great Mother, by balancing the Leader’s more practical, more detached perspective, her leadership was crucial to the guidance of the community.
This fact would potentially only make her involvement with the Waschini offspring more devastating for the community, and Adia would be relieved when they were finally able to slip into her quarters unnoticed by anyone.
As they returned to the path, Adia looked up at the emerging stars and shook her head. Darkness was almost upon them; but that had now worked to her advantage, though Nadiwani would probably be beside herself with worry.
Soon they entered and passed through the Great Entrance, and then through the Great Chamber beyond it. Though there was only a handful of females left cleaning up from the evening meal, Adia still kept to the side walls, trying to stay in shadow and hoping the offspring would not make a sound. Somehow, they were able to pass unnoticed and slipped into the tunnel that led to her quarters. She was especially grateful she had managed to avoid Khon’Tor’s mate, Hakani.
Everything at Kthama was on a huge scale and the Healer’s Quarters were also of considerable size. Dried hanging herbs, piles of ground spices, sorting areas and the like filled the space—giving it a more outdoorsy appearance than it really was—a rock room buried underground. Sunlight brightened her quarters thanks to sloping tunnels poked up through the roof; the openings up top cleverly constructed to allow the light, but not the elements to enter.
Nadiwani heard Adia arrive, and already on her sleeping mat, propped herself up on her elbows. Seeing one of the Brothers with Adia, she hauled herself up and padded over to greet the visitor properly.
Adia held up her finger to her lips. She immediately switched to Handspeak, not wishing to make any sound that might wake the sleeping offspring.
After greeting Arina, Nadiwani asked Adia in Handspeak where she had been. The Helper’s hands flew, her brows knitted together in perplexity, “What happened? Why are you so late? And why is your satchel still full? Were you not able to deliver the Goldenseal to Ithua?”
Even as Nadiwani was assaulting Adia with the flurry of questions, on seeing Arina, she was once again reminded of the differences between the People and the Brothers. How short and frail they were, and their features so delicate by comparison. Lacking physical strength of any measure, they were fortunate to be intelligent and could compensate for their physical handicaps through innovation. Their small hands and fingers allowed them to fashion weavings, thread bowstrings, and sort and manipulate smaller items in far more intricate ways than the People could.
Before Adia could answer any questions, a movement from the satchel caught Nadiwani’s eye, and a small sound escaped from within. Her head snapped toward it. The sound was not exactly familiar, not the right pitch or volume, but it was close enough. Something—or rather, someone—was inside the carrier.
“Oh, Adia,” signed Nadiwani, her shoulders dropping, looking to Arina and then back to the Healer. “What have you done?”
As Healer, Adia did not need to explain herself to her Helper. But Nadiwani was more than the Healer’s Helper; she was her friend, and the sister she never had. Their relationship was one of mutual respect, concern, and goodwill. And right now, Adia needed Nadiwani’s support and not her condemnation.
“Nadiwani, that is the second time someone has asked me today. Think with your heart before you speak. I need your support now, not your judgment,” signed Adia.
The Helper was already kneeling on the cold rock floor, peeling open the satchel. The moment she could see inside, she stopped. She turned and looked up at Adia. “Are you out of your mind?” Her hands were sharp, harsh, and hard; all slicing angles and swift movements.
“Do you know what he is going to do to you?” her eyes flashed.
Adia knew there was nothing Nadiwani could be thinking that she had not already grappled with on the way home. She had played out Khon’Tor’s wrath many times in her mind. She could bear his anger, but her stomach was in knots worrying about how severe her punishment would be; and what might be the fate of the offspring—her instincts to the contrary.
Adia did not answer Nadiwani, who stood from her kneeling position and walked away, dropping her hands at her side and letting out a huge sigh of exasperation. She turned back to face Adia, shaking her head. Then she lifted her hands in front of her as if to ask again, “Why?”
“Why would you even think to do this?” and turned away once more.
Adia waited for Nadiwani’s emotions to work their way out. Despite their friendship, she was not going to apologize because she knew in her heart that she had made the right decision. Regardless of her inability to take its life or allow it to perish by neglect, she knew this offspring was somehow important to her people. It was not a clear vision, as others were, but it was not uncommon for information to be obscured when your own path was involved. But whatever else was to be, she knew it was not an accident that she had stumbled across the place of his parent’s massacre. And when she had decided to save the offspring, the darkness had left her.
With softer eyes, Nadiwani turned to face her friend again. She sighed. “I understand. I do. This was why you had to go. This—offspring.”
She bent over and lifted the Waschini from the carrier. His blanket, almost the same color as his eyes, was dragged out with him. It was so finely woven, so soft, with much finer workmanship than anything they or the Brothers had ever produced. It was decorated with little swirls on one corner. From within the satchel, Nadiwani pulled out the brown toy. ”What is this supposed to be? Surely not a Sarnonn?”
“Oh no, Nadiwani. The Waschini do not know about us, let alone the Sarnonn. I am sure it is just meant to be a bear.”
Relieved, Nadiwani held it up to the offspring, wiggling it back and forth, and he smiled.
Adia spoke again. “Arina will be staying for a day or so until we can arrange another wet nurse. It is late to make a place for her; let us take from my mat and the spare one you use. We can fix them back and make her a proper one tomorrow.”
So, the females prepared a makeshift place for Arina, and with the offspring now sleeping, also turned in.
Khon'Tor's Wrath Page 2
