Death in the Time of Ice (28 page)

The snow and sleet of yesterday were gone. Sister Sun had smiled today for a brief period. And Brother Earth had remained mostly calm, giving off just a few minor shakings.

Bahg wished the meeting would start so it could finish. He knew he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to the proceedings. All he could think about—he must cloak this thought tightly in the most dusky hues of night—was stealing away with Tog after the meeting.

But now, before it even started, the meeting halted. The mental chattering stopped and all fell silent. Once again, their Hama had not shown up. Memories of the dead Aja Hama filled everyone. The vision of her bloody, lifeless body haunted their minds. This time an Elder should go to her wipiti.

Cabat the Thick, who had been sitting as far from Panan One Eye as he could, lumbered to his feet and ambled to the largest wipiti. Bahg tried to peer into Cabat’s mind, but he could not. After Cabat lifted the flap and entered the dwelling he opened his mind wide and let everyone see that the wipiti was empty. Hama was not there.

Bahg joined Cabat and the others in sending vibrant scarlet thought-shouts out to her, but they all went unanswered.
Hama! Answer us! Come!

Where was she? Had the Mikino sneaked in and taken her? Had she been right to suspect them?

Cabat stuck his neck out and sniffed outside the wipiti.
A recent scent trail leads toward the Sacred Hill. Bahg Swiftfeet and Tog Flint Shaper, go, follow this trail.

Bahg gave his mate a private signal of trepidation, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. Fee Long Thrower, their infant cradled in a sling hanging from her shoulder, replied with encouragement.
You will find her. And she will be alive. I will send hopes that she will be alive.

The two males left the circle of firelight and headed toward the hill. They sniffed the air. Yes, she had come this way. Maybe she had wanted to visit the Holy Cave. Sometimes Aja Hama used to do that. She would often sit and try to receive the thoughts of the Spirits. This Hama had not been known to do that, but maybe she had decided it might help the tribe.

The path up the hill seemed alien in the dark. The familiar shrubs and trees assumed sinister shapes, seemed larger than they were when Sister Sun was out. They knew the daytime animals were asleep and night predators roamed. Bahg and Tog stayed close together.

They tracked Hama to the Holy Cave, as Bahg had expected they might.

Let us go in together
, thought-spoke Tog.
Let us discover whatever there is to discover with each other.

Bahg agreed and they entered side by side. The permanent fire burned just inside the overhang. The crackle of the fire was the only sound. The Holy Cave seemed empty. And warmer than usual.

Bahg walked to a side wall and felt his way around the edges, but was halted just beyond the ring of firelight when his knuckles brushed rock that shouldn’t be there.

There was a new wall of rubble. Half the cave was gone!

Tog read his alarm and ran to his side.
The tremors of Brother Earth have collapsed our Holy Cave!

Bahg stood speechless, thoughtless. Then he looked down and saw her hand. Hama’s hair bracelet encircled her wrist. The males sprang into action, throwing aside rocks and debris until they uncovered the rest of her. They grabbed her shoulders and pulled her free. Dragged her beside the fire.

Look! She breathes.

Bahg leaned down and saw it was true. Her chest rose and fell. But her eyes remained closed and no thoughts came from her. She lay as Fee had lain for many suns after Doon’s attack.

They hoisted her up and carried her back down the hill to the waiting group.

Zhoo of Still Waters came running and tried to summon her son Jeek, but could not get a response.
It does not matter,
she thought-spoke.
There is nothing much I can do for her. She will either awaken or she will not. We can only keep her warm and trickle water into her mouth, like we did for Fee Long Thrower, and hope she will come back to us.

Bahg and Tog carried her to the Healer’s wipiti. Despair covered the tribe like a shroud.

Chapter 25

After Bahg and Tog brought Hama back and reported the condition of the Holy Cave to the others, Panan One Eye had tried to lead a Song of Asking for the healing of Hama. But with only Panan on the flute, the Hamapa chanting was feeble. Bahg feared the song did not reach to the ears of the Spirit of Healing.

Cabat the Thick and Panan both agreed the tribe should meet at first sun.

The dark time was long and anxious. Hama still lay unseeing and unhearing in the Healer’s wipiti. One by one each Hamapa had gone to her to try and elicit a response, but none was given.

Now Sister Sun, veiled in thick, cold, gray garments, had barely greeted a pale Mother Sky. It was strange to start the council with no singing, but Lakala Rippling Water could not be found. Sannum Straight Hair was absent also. Bahg Swiftfeet feared the missing Hamapa might have perished in the jerkings of Brother Earth.

Panan One Eye began telling a Saga.
The quaking of Brother Earth is frightening to behold. He must remind us, at times, that he has wondrous powers. Shaking is only one of them. He can also push the top off a mountain and blow it to Mother Sky. Our Ancient Ones saw this happen and handed down the tales. The anger of Brother Earth is so fierce when this happens that the rock melts. He becomes angry when the Hamapa are not living in harmony.

Bahg sat with his tribe and received Panan’s broadcast picture of scarlet, liquid rock flowing down the sides of a mountain. A black plume of cloud lifted to Mother Sky and the daytime was dark. Sister Sun and all of Mother Sky hid from the wrath of Brother Earth.

This shaking is a warning. Brother Earth is angry with us. We must determine what we have done to anger him. And what we can do to appease him.

Young Gunda, sitting very near Bahg, broke into his thoughts.
Bahg Swiftfeet
, she thought-spoke, directly to him.
Have you seen Jeek? He is not here.

He looked around. She was right, Jeek was absent.

Do you think he was injured in the shaking? I fear for him.

Bahg could tell she was on the edge of tears. He reached over to pat her hand.
Have you tried to reach him with thought-speak?

Yes, but there is no response. Do you think he is asleep like the Hama?

I do not know, little one.

He looked up as a dim shadow passed. As Vala Golden Hair stood and watched with worry on her brow, Stitcher hurried from the gathering and disappeared into the woods.

A vibrant scarlet announcement startled Bahg.

Panan One Eye and I have made a decision
, declared Cabat the Thick.
It is best that we have three to make official decisions for the tribe. But now we are two, so we must make a decision without Hama. We need someone to take the place of Hama while she sleeps. Panan and I appoint Roh Lion Hunter as Hama.

Bahg stiffened. There was to be no discussion? No election?

But only until Hama awakes
, continued Cabat.
She will be the temporary Hama, Hama Dy.

Is this a good thing?
wondered Bahg. One thing was good, though. The two Elders had agreed on something. Maybe they could stop their feud now. Would that appease Brother Earth?

But Bahg was of the opinion that the Hamapa’s bad fortune had started long before these two began to quarrel. He thought it started with the death of the Aja Hama. Or maybe with the election of Nanno Green Eyes.

Ongu Small One jumped to her feet.
No!
Her thoughts screeched.
I should be the Hama Dy. I was the other one voted on in the election. If Nanno, I mean Hama, is not able, it should be me!

A few Hamapa nodded their heads and sent out their agreement with Ongu.

Roh Lion Hunter is the birth daughter of Hama
, explained Panan.
That is why Cabat the Thick and I gave her the position. If anyone can get thoughts from Hama it should be Roh Lion Hunter.

It is because she can slay a lion and I am too small to hunt
, argued Ongu.
Just because she is a mighty huntress will not make her a good leader.

Cabat gave her a withering look and she sat, tears dashing down her cheeks. Bahg saw Panan give her a look of pity.

This had not helped the tribe. Now some of them were in favor of Roh as Hama Dy, and others would prefer Ongu. The tribe was still split. Bahg feared the bad fortune would continue. Brother Earth would remain angry. Maybe the other Spirits would become angry, too. Mother Sky had pelted them with hail tears earlier. He knew she could do much worse.

* * *

Enga Dancing Flower returned from the edge of the village, where she had spied on the council, to the glade a short distance off the trail where Ung Strong Arm, Lakala Rippling Water, Sannum Straight Hair, and Jeek all huddled, waiting.

The thoughts of the tribe are open and plain
, she told them
. I could read them with no difficulty.
I was able to use very dark masking colors to hold in my own thoughts. I do not think anyone detected me. Several things have happened. The back of the Holy Cave collapsed and Hama was injured. I could see this in the mind of Bahg Swiftfeet most clearly. I could even see into the mind of Tog Flint Shaper in a dim way. Before this his mind has been closed to me. It was they who found her.

Enga gave this picture to the others. Sannum began to weep. Enga did not know if he wept for the cave or for the Hama.

They have just had a daytime meeting. Cabat the Thick and Panan One Eye appointed Roh Lion Hunter as Hama Dy so the tribe will have three Elders. But some think Ongu Small One should have been given the position.

The dissention troubled her. She could tell it also worried the others squatting with her under the sheltering branches of dense willow shrubs. Mother Sky hid behind capes of dark clouds, making it dark and cold. The tears on the leathery cheeks of Sannum, running into his grizzled beard, were joined by the tears of the others.

I did overhear Gunda talk about you,
she thought-spoke to Jeek.

He sat up straight and a spark lit behind his eyes.
What did she say?

She is worried about you. She has been trying to contact you.

The ember in his eyes went out.
I had better not let her. We are in hiding, are we not?

Yes, that is correct
, answered Enga.
It is the only way we will get the information we need. But the minds of the tribe are not on the murder now. Besides being very hungry, they are all worried about Hama. I will return and see if I can find out more about that.

But, my birth sister
, thought-spoke Ung.
Jeek has trapped all those musk ox. Surely I could kill some for the tribe and at least alleviate their hunger.

Without a spear?
asked Lakala.

Ung had forgotten she had no weapon.

I may be able to get one
, put in Jeek.

The others asked how, but he just replied,
Leave it to me.

* * *

Spear practice was usually noisy. The girls gave shouts to encourage each other and gave pitying sounds when the throws went wide. This practice, however, was quiet. When Jeek peered between the fern branches that hid him, he could see a hard, serious look on Gunda’s face. She was consumed with her task. Her spear did not hit the target often, though. She was the oldest student, and the others did even worse.

Jeek pondered what to do. He could do it two ways. He could steal their spears when they took a break. Or he could contact Gunda and appeal to her for help. Roh Lion Hunter had been made Hama Dy and Roh was the birth mother of Gunda. He did not know if that had influenced Gunda or not. Or if it had changed her feelings about him. Although he wasn’t always sure what her feelings were for him.

He squared his shoulders with decision. He would not confide in anyone. He would do this himself.

Fee Long Thrower called a halt and told them to follow her to the stream to get a drink. The girls laid their spears in a pile in the middle of the clearing and departed.

This is perfect
, Jeek thought to himself. He stepped out of the ferns and started for the pile. Then he heard a set of footsteps returning to the clearing. He could not make it back to the ferns. He flattened himself onto the ground. Gunda’s youngest sister dashed to the place where the throwers stood and picked up a carved toy. Jeek could not see what it was, but it looked like something Stitcher had carved for her. She didn’t glance his way, but skipped away, leaving him to snatch some spears and run back through the woods.

Jeek had reached the place where he had practiced throwing Gunda’s spear at the softberries when he smelled someone ahead of him. He stopped and slowed his breathing. He had been running hard and his panting was loud. Surely whoever was ahead would have smelled and heard him. But no thoughts came.

He set the spears down and crept forward. Stitcher knelt beside the softberry bush, reached into it, and pulled something out. Jeek remembered then. This was the bush he had hidden his stick in, the one that sheltered a pile of antlers. These antlers belonged to Stitcher. He watched as Stitcher selected one, stuck the others back, and left to head toward the trail.

That is strange
, Jeek mused.
Why does he keep them all the way out here? Why not closer to the village?