It had been generations since the People were engaged in physical battle. But the People learned from history. Though there might not be a present need for an organized defense, having acknowledged roles for protection was still wise. There were defined roles of watcher and guard, all under the command of the People’s High Protector, Acaraho. However, the long periods of peace allowed these males often to turn their focus to organized hunting parties, scouting expeditions, and maintenance of the caves and structures. Once his guests were taken care of, Khon’Tor made the long trek through the curved stone tunnels to his quarters. He released a sigh of relief that Hakani was still asleep. It was just as well, as he only wanted peace, and theirs had turned into an uneasy union over time.
Khon’Tor looked at Hakani resting and reflected on how he had chosen her to be his mate.
Above all the ranks within the community, including the Leader himself, was the High Council, a combination of Leaders and Chiefs from the tribes in the area who came together to discuss matters of mutual concern. Unless specifically called to settle a dispute within a community, the High Council seldom met with the general population, with one exception. These meetings were a time of coming together, reunification, and pairing—the Ashwea Awhidi.
At the times of Ashwea Awhidi, the High Council shared information of general interest, granted requests for specific pairings by couples who felt they were called to be paired, and made the Council’s pairing announcements. Any other high-level business affecting that community would also be conducted then. At the end, the Leader of the community was given the platform to make any summary comments or announcements to his people.
All pairings were planned and approved by the High Council, except those of the Leaders. In the ancient days, this was not the case; however, the dwindling population of the People mandated that new blood had to be brought into the communities to ensure the health of the generations to come. They had learned that over time, breeding that was too close weakened the future generations.
Only Kthama could hold such a large gathering, so members from neighboring communities traveled there. Those who could used the pathway that ran parallel to the Mother Stream, below in the underground world of the People.
Benches of large rock slabs and boulders were brought in for seating on those occasions where bigger numbers gathered. The ground at the highest end of the chamber had been intentionally raised so the People attending could see the High Council members and speakers more easily. Females and offspring took time bringing in flowers and other adornments to add to the festive atmosphere; others spent time beforehand in preparatory meditation, raising the energy in the chamber as high as possible.
As Leader of his people, not being under the jurisdiction of the High Council in approval of a pairing, Khon’Tor had the right to choose his own mate. He knew the importance of a good match and had taken his time in making his selection. He had met the maidens from the nearby communities, but none of them had caught or held his eye for long— Except one.
The truth was, he could not get his mind off her. He had been watching her, studying her, every chance he had. He had seen her when he had traveled to a neighboring community to meet with its Leaders because they shared similar challenges in their underground living.
She was exactly what he wanted in every regard; strong, beautiful, with the deepest large dark brown eyes, intelligent, and high spirited enough to spark and keep his interest. The fact that she came from a respected line herself was a tremendous attribute and could only add to his influence; a point not at all lost on one as ambitious as Khon’Tor. Lastly, he was confident she would give him many fine offspring from which the next Leader would be selected.
Khon’Tor was excited to announce his selection. Traditionally, the maiden concerned had no idea she had been chosen. It was a great honor to be picked as the Leader’s mate, and as it was known that such an announcement was coming from the great Khon’Tor himself, the anticipation in the room was practically crackling.
The High Council Overseer made his announcements, approved two self-directed pairings, and had one other matter to decide before Khon’Tor could take the floor. He knew exactly where she was standing in the crowd. At every chance, he let his eyes linger over her figure, following every curve and imagining the time when he could finally run his hands over them—and more.
His heart was racing as the time approached. He hoped no one was aware of his excitement. To Khon’Tor, it was unseemly for a Leader to be so undone by a female—even more for a male with as much pride as he had.
Though he knew he should be paying more attention to the other business, as this was a critical time for his people, Khon’Tor’s mind wandered to his favorite anticipations; her reaction when he revealed her name, and the overwhelming support from the People at the wisdom of his choice. Lastly, and which he probably spent too much time imagining, his anticipation of the shared intimacies between them that would soon follow. Khon’Tor was a robust male, and he had been waiting to be paired for what felt like a very long time.
Only one more piece of business stood between him and his taking the stage. In reality, this was as important a turning point for his people as for him, though not as personal. It was time to announce the new Healer of the People of the High Rocks.
A terrible tragedy had befallen the previous Healer. With her loss, the Healer’s Helper had taken over all primary responsibilities. She was a talented chemist, well versed in the herbs and plants in their area, and their uses. She was good-natured and amiable, and Khon’Tor had no qualms about her being selected as the next Healer, second in command under him. He was confident Nadiwani would not present a challenge to his authority because he could easily assert his domination over her, which would give him almost full control of the People. This piece of business was just a formality, just something standing between his claim and his ultimate enjoyment of her.
His mind’s wanderings were abruptly ended when he heard the High Council spokesman call her name. His head snapped up, and he looked around, confused. He spotted her moving forward to the platform.
What is going on?
Grateful that all eyes were on her, he took a moment to regain his control. Though his mind and heart were racing, with effort, he controlled his body language so as not to betray his confusion.
He watched her step gracefully onto the platform and stand next to the Council spokesman, who took her hand and raised it in his own. At that moment, a spontaneous response of approval arose from the crowd, and shock finally cleared the fog from Khon’Tor’s mind.
The High Council had chosen her as the Healer for his people. He had been so confident that Nadiwani, the Healer’s Helper, would be selected as the next Healer. That another might be chosen had never occurred to him, least of all that they would choose her. He had not considered that she could be snatched from him before he even had a chance to claim her, but here it was; she had been chosen as the next Healer. Adia was now lost to him forever.
Healers were not established by lineage but were selected based on attributes such as character, honor, compassion, empathy, intelligence, and most importantly, the strength of her connection to the Great Mother. In fact, many present were thinking it was a shame Adia’s lineage would end with her—because Healers could not mate. It was a tremendous loss to the People that there would be no part of her passed on through her bloodline to enrich the community.
Khon’Tor could not move. She is now Second Rank to my First. I will have to work side by side with her. She will be part of Kthama now. I will have to see her every day, knowing I can never have her. Ever.
The High Council Overseer was looking directly at Khon’Tor, waiting for him to approach the platform. The word had already leaked out that he had made his selection for a mate.
I cannot back down now. If I do, enough of them will work it out. And what if she works it out? Even worse.
If he did not think quickly, he risked losing face among his peop
le, and frankly, he would rather be dead than suffer that. He remembered the Overseer trying to speak with him earlier; was this what he had been going to say—that they had selected Adia as Healer to his people?
After the commotion had quieted and Adia had stepped down and taken her place back among the crowd, the High Council Overseer nodded to Khon’Tor to approach. His thoughts were in turmoil; he had not considered a second choice. He walked slowly, methodically placing his feet one after the other. He had only seconds to make a decision that would follow him at the most intimate level for the rest of his life. He quickly reviewed the parade of maidens from the other communities. He could remember only one, a female with no particularly stand-out qualities but who seemed to be good-natured, even-tempered, and of good, healthy stock. Since he had lost the one he truly desired, at that moment it did not seem to matter who he now chose.
He had only a fraction of time to look out over the crowd before speaking. He saw the other maiden there and breathed a sigh of relief that she was at least in attendance. Khon’Tor gritted his teeth, pushing down his anger at himself for not seeing this possible outcome. He made a few opening statements and then announced his choice, “Hakani of the People of the Little River.”
The People all looked around to see who this female was, the choice of their Leader. It took them a moment to find her in the crowd.
Hakani looked up toward the front at hearing her name. She froze. Khon’Tor has chosen me? I did not know he favored me. I never noticed him giving me a second look.
She was taken aback, and it took a moment for it to hit her. She had been chosen by the Leader to be his mate. I will be Third Rank of the largest community of the People in all the known regions. I will be the one he turns to, the great Khon’Tor, for counsel, support, comfort. I will be the mother of the next Leader of the High Rocks.
Yes, she would have to leave her own community, and she felt a pang of loss for the day-to-day contact with her family and the comfort it brought; but this was a high honor—an opportunity to be grabbed and ridden for all it was worth.
Hakani collected herself and realized all eyes were on her. She took her time going up to the platform, relishing the attention and the honor. When she stood beside him, now the intended mate of Khon’Tor, Leader of the People of the High Rocks, she could not believe her luck and good fortune.
The two stood next to each other, while the second round of excited commotion moved through the crowd.
Khon’Tor took a moment to deal with his inner turmoil, trying to resign himself to a lifetime with this female of whom he knew very little, and reeling over the loss of his beautiful Adia. He spotted her in the crowd, watching him being paired with another, not knowing she had slipped from his fingers at the last moment due to his arrogance and unpreparedness.
This is inexcusable. I am Khon’Tor of the High Rocks. It is my duty to be prepared for all outcomes. I should have made time for the Overseer. Perhaps I could have changed their decision, and she would be mine now instead of lost to me forever.
And at that moment, he started to shift his disappointment and grief to something else. At that moment, unable to bear his self-recrimination for not having foreseen this possibility, and unable to handle the loss of everything he had imagined with Adia as his mate, he began to turn all this muddled churning mass of pain into something else, something easier to live with. Something he felt to be more becoming of a great Leader.
It is beneath me to let a female get to me so strongly. Adia must never know she was the one I wanted at my side, that she was my First Choice. She is just a female, he told himself. One is as good as another. He did not believe this lie, but right now, he needed the lie more than he needed the truth.
Using all his will, Khon’Tor took his longing and desire for Adia and started distorting it into something easier to live with—he began to resent the new Healer as deeply as he had wanted her.
Hakani and Khon’Tor could not be further apart in their reactions to this turn of events. Khon’Tor was at one of the lowest points of his life. He looked at Hakani standing next to him, beaming with pride at being chosen. He consoled himself that at least this was an even-tempered female; she would be easy to manage. She was healthy and of sturdy build. She did not possess the physical beauty Adia did, but she was pleasant enough. Most importantly, she would give him the offspring he needed. Leadership could only be passed to a blood heir.
Khon’Tor and Hakani had one thing in common; neither of them could have been more wrong about what their relationship would bring.
Khon’Tor left his painful reminiscing and again looked down at his sleeping mate. She turned out to be nothing of what I assessed her to be. She is not even-tempered. She is not wise, though she is clever. She was once a help to me in the mechanics of our union but nothing more. She is more a detriment than anything. Her heart is filled with discontent and resentment—even hatred. I do not even know the reason for her vile disposition toward me.
He had done his best to hide his disappointment at losing Adia. Just as he had vowed Adia would never know she was his First Choice, Hakani would never know she was not his First Choice and had been selected by default in a moment of immeasurable pressure—thrust upon him by his own failings.
All in all, it was worse than an unsatisfactory union. It was a debilitating one. In the beginning, he had taken the time to try and develop a satisfying relationship. He was gentle with her, putting her pleasure before his. He knew it was the male’s responsibility to make the female come to him. But despite his attentions and patience, after a while she suddenly stopped responding to him at all, ignoring his signs that he wanted her. And on top of all that, she had not yet borne him any offspring. Based on the infrequency and dissatisfaction of their matings, he feared she never would. They were young, and the Leader had time, but he did not have forever.
Hakani awoke to the presence of her mate sleeping beside her. Her initial feeling of disappointment that he was back was immediately replaced with recollection of the night before, and anticipation of the turmoil about to ensue. It was all she could do not to wake him and tell him immediately what Adia had done, but she didn’t, of course. She wanted his reaction and Adia’s rebuke to be as public and as much of a shock as possible.
If Hakani had any remorse or a tweak of conscience at what she was planning, it was beyond her awareness. In her mind, they both deserved it—and more.
Hakani rose and tended to the tasks of the day, waiting for Khon’Tor to awake. She did not try to move quietly; she was anxious for the day’s events to unfold. Finally, her noisy preparations caused him to stir.
“Welcome back,” said Hakani. “How was the Council meeting?”
Khon’Tor propped himself up on one elbow and frowned at her. He was not sure why Hakani was even speaking to him, as they usually ignored each other and went about their own business.
“There is much I have to share, Hakani. Great challenges are facing our people. I will be calling a general meeting this afternoon. Ogima Adoeete stayed and rested here with us last night, and I want to speak with him beforehand. I might even ask him to attend the meeting with us as a show of the continued cooperation between our tribes,” he told her.
It was the longest conversation they’d had in some time. Hakani smiled to herself on getting the information she needed. With Khon’Tor calling a general assembly, everyone in the community will be present. Whatever his announcement to the People, it will have to wait. This is my chance to deal Adia a blow from which she will never recover.
This was her opportunity, and she intended to use it to her fullest advantage.
Back in her quarters, Adia had not heard that Khon’Tor had returned, but she had felt it. The minute he stepped into the Great Entrance, she was aware he was back. As a result, she spent a fitful night. However, she had been glad for the opportunity of a few days’ preparation before his return. The support of the circle of females she had assembled, and the fact that a wet nur
se from their community would be able to provide the essential nourishment Oh’Dar needed, had gone a long way toward equipping her to deal with what was coming.
It did not take long for word of his return to spread. Khon’Tor had set the general assembly for just after high sun. Ogima Adoeete and Is’Taqa would continue their journey to their people after the meeting. The relationship between the Brothers and the People was a comfort to both tribes, and Khon’Tor welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate the continued alliance by their attendance, especially knowing the hardships they might all face in coming times.
Because the leadership of the People was shared, Khon’Tor felt obligated to invite Adia and Hakani to his meeting with Ogima Adoeete the High Chief and Is’Taqa, his Second. In addition to being Second Chief, Is’Taqa was the brother of their Medicine Woman, Ithua; the one to whom Adia had been on her way to deliver the Goldenseal roots.
Khon’Tor felt he needed to share with them what he was going to tell the People. Once Ogima Adoeete agreed they should meet that morning, Khon’Tor had word sent for the Healer.
He hoped Hakani could control her dislike of Adia today. As it was, he was taxed almost to his limits with what was at hand.
Khon’Tor, Ogima Adoeete, Is’Taqa, Hakani, and Adia sat together in a private area set aside for just such purposes. There were several located throughout the corridors, almost all on the first level. Of varying sizes, their cool rock walls lent themselves well to the hosting of meetings. With no openings other than the doorway, words were muffled from the outside, and Handspeak could not be seen.
Khon'Tor's Wrath Page 5
