Keeper of the People (Book One)

by Karah Quinney

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Taikiuu approached Jon’lan and signed to him that she needed to speak with him privately. His brow knit with concern as he regarded her troubled expression.

  “What troubles you, little one?” Jon’lan was quick to ask his wife as he walked at her side. He noticed that Kii had not returned to the group with his wife, but he thought that perhaps she needed a little more time to herself. They had traveled without stopping for most of the day.

  “My husband,” Taikiuu licked her lips as she tried to find words to express herself, “Our daughter has become a woman this day.” Taikiuu quickly lowered her eyes but not before seeing Jon’lan’s surprise and then concern.

  “How is she?” Jon’lan asked carefully, he wasn’t aware of the mysteries of a woman’s body. He knew only what his mother and sister had deigned to reveal to him over the years. He also knew that all life bearers were deserving of honor, especially during the first moon when they were made a woman. But Kii’s becoming a woman could not have come at a more difficult time for the band. It was taboo for a bleeding woman to be near the other members of the band. Just as he thought of this he realized that his wife had never told him that she was having her own moon flow. He counted the time that they had been married, thinking that surely she should have bled by now.

  Taikiuu’s eyes sparkled as her husband whispered his thoughts aloud, almost as if he were speaking to himself. It was true, she was already with child. She had known for sure during the last two moons when her bleeding refused to come. Jon’lan would be made a father again but she had not wished to reveal her secret so soon and at such a crucial time. Kii’s need had been her undoing, yet even now she knew that Jon’lan felt the weight of her unspoken words.

  “Are you carrying a child?” Jon’lan asked his wife, as he stared at her lowered head. She lifted her gaze to his when he touched her chin gently and he noticed that she was surprised by the pleasure that was apparent on his face.

  “Yes, my husband, I carry your child.” Taikiuu answered although her voice was a mere whisper. He pulled her to him and kissed her for one moment that was belonged only to them.

  “Lifegiver.” Jon’lan breathed the word reverently as he held his wife in his arms. He set her back from him and stared at her ethereal beauty as the icy wind whipped her hair so that it came loose from its braid and streamed out behind her like a beautiful silken cloud.

  “What shall we do?” Taikiuu asked, waiting to hear the words that her husband would speak next.

  “Kii will need to remain separate from the rest of the band. It is the way of the people. We cannot break with our traditions even in this dire circumstance.” Jon’lan looked steadily at his wife and was startled to see her chin lift in defiance.

  “I cannot leave her.” Taikiuu spoke softly, trying to cushion her words to her husband. She did not wish to defy him. But she could not deny the mother’s heart that beat in her chest anymore than she could deny the child that grew in her womb.

  “I would not ask it of you. Kii will be tethered to Anaay and he will keep his distance from her during her moon time. They cannot touch and if they do, he will need to purify himself for three days. Later, we will find a mate for our daughter, if she is willing.” Jon’lan cupped his wife’s chin in his hand and smoothed his thumb over the sharp cut of her cheekbones. Her eyes were like golden embers as she watched him and he knew that she approved. He also realized that although she had grown used to his touch and affection it was still very difficult for her to express her feelings.

  He helped her along by pulling her close until she was nestled against his chest. He held her for a few more moments before kissing the top of her head and releasing her. Taikiuu felt her face heat with pleasure as her husband kissed her gently again as if she were a meal that he wished to sample. He caught her eye and gave her a mischievous grin and she realized that her thoughts mirrored his own.

  “I will go tell Kii,” Taikiuu whispered breathlessly, “Thank you husband, you have found a solution that everyone will be pleased with.”

  “I will go tell Anaay, he will want to hear this news. He has waited for this moment for many moons.” Taikiuu turned and raced back the way she had come, her movements were nimble as a young fawn. Jon’lan marveled at her effortless grace as he watched her return to their daughter. Finally when she was out of sight he turned his feet toward the others that awaited his return.

  Anaay was waiting when he arrived back at the small camp. He studied Jon’lan as he approached and then scented on the wind, catching a whiff of Kii’s yellow flower, that she still carried, it was faint but still present. Jon’lan spoke to Roark and Star Feather as he approached and he included Mar-ee and Yaa in the conversation. Giad sat nearby Anaay as he tried to pry information from him about the path that lay ahead. Jon’lan approached the two of them and stood staring at Anaay for a moment before he gathered his thoughts to form words. “Kii has come into her time as a woman. We have another lifegiver in our band.”

  Jon’lan’s words were not at all what Anaay had been expecting and he was shaken to his core as the enormity of the message became apparent to him. Suddenly he wondered how Kii would continue to travel safely with them but Jon’lan was quick to explain the new traveling arrangement. Giad was full of questions but he did not interrupt his uncle or band brother as they discussed their plan. It was clear to Giad that Kii was a woman, she was much taller than Yaa, slightly taller than him, although over the last few moons he had started to catch up to her with height. She was curvy, where his sister was still flat.

  Giad did not understand how Kii had suddenly become a woman from one day to the next. He was pretty sure that yesterday she was only a girl, yet today she was a woman. He shook his head in confusion as Anaay and Jon’lan carried on with their discussion. Most of their talk was beyond him, as Jon’lan explained the various taboos and the consequences of breaking them. Anaay swore to protect Kii with his life as he grasped his father’s arm, while Jon’lan did so in return.

  “Remember Anaay, you will need to remain with Kii for the entire time that she has her moon flow, but you may not touch her. Remain at a distance, although you may talk to her when necessary.” Jon’lan spoke sternly but a part of him marveled at the boy that he had found alone in the forest. Anaay had turned into a man under Jon’lan’s watchful eye. Even now Anaay appeared to grow as he contemplated the task ahead of him.

  “It will be as you say.” Anaay responded after giving careful thought to Jon’lan words.

  “So she’s a woman now?” Giad finally asked unnecessarily. Both men looked at him in surprise and then smiled without answering him.

  “Yes,” Jon’lan patted Giad on the shoulder as he tried not to laugh at the boy’s confused expression. “Kii is a woman just like your mother and my wife.”

  “Yes, this is so.” Giad said with a nod of finality, “Now can we talk about what lies up ahead?”

  Both men laughed boisterously at the workings of Giad’s young mind.

  Taikiuu spoke to Kii for a short time as she assured her that everything would be well. She gave her several pads made from the soft leaves which were good for absorbing moisture. She also talked to her about cleanliness and the need to rest whenever possible, but she encouraged her to walk as well to help relieve the cramps that even now made their presence known to Kii. The pain was not bad, only a dull ache, but Kii would be willing to endure much more for the chance to be made a woman, a lifegiver.

  Jon’lan approached with Anaay and stood at a distance. Anaay appeared to be carrying a long rope of some kind and he stared at Kii in rapt fascination. She didn’t look any different to him, except that her cheeks were flushed slightly and she was smiling demurely.

  “I will tie you to Anaay.” Taikiuu informed Kii. She had already warned her daughter of the need to keep her distance from the band until the end of her woman’s flow. Kii’s chin had trembled slightly but Taikiuu had whispered to her that all would be well.
Under ordinary circumstances this would be a joyful time, with much rejoicing. For now they must make the best of the situation until times returned to normal. Kii nodded because she was unable to speak over the lump of tears in her throat. She did not want to shame her mother by crying on a day where she should be happy.

  “Anaay will watch out for you daughter, he will protect you and you must look to him to provide protection while we are away from you. I am still the Ada’na and the normal restrictions that apply to others do not apply to me in this instance. I will not need to purify myself like the others will if you break with tradition. Be safe, may blessings be yours and remember please, all that I have spoken.” Taikiuu signed some of her words and spoke the others, she did not realize that she whispered her blessing in the words of the ancients but Kii stared at her in rapt fascination. Her words were like nothing she had ever heard before, but they struck a chord inside Kii’s heart that she would cherish for as long as she lived.

  Anaay barely heard the words that Taikiuu whispered to Kii, but by her stance and bearing he could tell that it was some secret known only to women. Taikiuu raised her hand over Kii’s head for a moment as she spoke in a guttural language that he had never heard before but seemed to remember. For a moment the wind seemed to calm as if it too were listening to a language long forgotten. Kii’s eyes seemed to shine with a fierce light of their own and his hearth mother made a striking figure as she stood with her back to them and the wind whipping her hair which hung loose to her waist.

  Star Feather rejoiced in her heart for Kii and she knew that Roark did the same. Yaa seemed confused by the entire change of events, but Star Feather decided that some things needed to be experienced. Not everything could be explained with words. Yaa marveled at the shy look of happiness on Kii’s face as she came within viewing distance of the band. Anaay preceded her by several feet and he did not turn to face her, yet Yaa was certain that he was aware of Kii’s presence. The others in the band made ready to travel and Jon’lan waited patiently as everyone gathered their possessions. Anaay suggested that they continue on as far as possible and he had already scouted out a place up ahead in which to make camp.

  Anaay led the way with Kii walking behind him. She stumbled a few times since she would not raise her gaze to look ahead. Anaay noticed that she was stumbling every few steps and he tried his best to slow his pace to match hers. But at this point it was a race to get to their next camp well before the sun set. Anaay was tasked with the well being of the entire band, not only himself and Kii. They had only traveled for a short while when he stopped suddenly and turned to Kii.

  “I need you to do your best to hurry.” Anaay paused as he studied Kii’s troubled expression. “What’s wrong?”

  “I worry that I will somehow taint the wellbeing of our band, by my presence alone.” Kii spoke so softly that her words would have been lost to the howling wind if not for Anaay’s keen sense of hearing.

  “Jon’lan has proclaimed that we will stay apart from the others and as long as you and I do not touch, I will not need to go through a purification ceremony.” Anaay explained his reasoning carefully but he saw that his words had little effect on Kii. She was still troubled and he needed to make things right, already he could see the rest of the group cresting the rocky hillside on the slope behind them.

  “Kii, we must hurry.” Anaay implored holding her gaze directly, “By slowing your pace, you may cause the situation that you already fear.”

  Kii thought his words over as he turned and led them further ahead of the rest of their band. In a few words he simplified things and made them clear. His tone of voice had been kind and he did not seem to be bothered or overburdened with the duty of being tethered to her. Perhaps she had let her fears take over and it was as Anaay said, by slowing her pace she could put the entire band in danger of not reaching the next resting place before dark. Kii nodded to herself as she began to hum softly, soothing herself with a new song. Anaay took the soft melody as a good sign even as Kii’s song lifted high above them where her voice echoed from cliff to cliff.

  “It is a good thing.” Jon’lan whispered as he heard the haunting melody of Kii’s new song.

  Taikiuu walked directly behind her husband, carrying Mar-ee for a time so that the child could rest. “Yes, husband, it is a good thing.”

  Star Feather grabbed Yaa’s hand as her daughter came abreast of her instead of walking single file. With an admonishing gaze she sent the child to walk directly behind her. Star Feather smiled to herself when Yaa snapped out of whatever dream world she inhabited and did as she was told. Roark could only marvel at the gentle way that his wife dealt with the daughter of their hearth.

  Star Feather did not scold and lash the child with her tongue. Instead she seemed to understand Yaa and wished only to keep her safe, not to break her spirit. Their youngest son was strapped to Star Feather’s back and for now he was covered from head to toe in a warm wrap as he slept. But Star Feather could easily adjust the sling that carried Mantiloff so that he lay in front of her body, cradled near her heart. She seemed to sense the direction of the wind and knew when it would be best to move the baby lay in front of her body or behind it. Roark’s love for his wife grew even as he marveled over her actions.

  Anaay sighed in relief as they crested the final hill that would lead them to their camp for the night. The trek had taken more out of Anaay than he realized, every muscle seemed sore and painful. But he was grateful for his hunting, tracking and scouting skills, even now his hearth mother and aunt marveled over his forethought in laying out a place to make their evening fire.

  The wood was dry and Anaay and Giad laid down various twigs and sticks that they gathered on the walk to this camp for the sole purpose of having enough fire wood to burn all night long. The wind began to howl in a way that made each person cringe inwardly, it was as if the entire mountain was screaming in agony. Taikiuu looked around at the tired faces of her band and although she had never walked as hard and for as long as they had recently been forced to do, she was grateful that she was here with them.

  There was no privilege as wonderful as the freedom granted to each person at birth. It was the each person’s right to fight for freedom when necessary and in a way that was what each of them had done.

  As the fire blossomed into a warm blaze Taikiuu stood with her walking stick so that the fire highlighted her from behind. Each person took their place around the fire, gathering into family groups. Roark took the time to gather Yaa close and snuggle her against his wife and son. Giad sat near Anaay although he kept his distance from Kii who sat away from them all. Jon’lan held Mar-ee who struggled to stay awake, even as her eyes closed again and again while she fought sleep.

  “I would speak.” Taikiuu’s voice rang out in the silence of the mountain and she looked to Jon’lan and then Roark. Both men nodded their approval, although each member of their band was welcome to speak at anytime, Taikiuu showed them honor by requesting the men’s permission first. She raised her hands palms up to the heavens and each person was reminded that she was the Ada’na, as their eyes caught sight of the tattoo imprinted on her right palm.

  “We are all tired, but today is a day of rejoicing. With each step we walk closer to our own freedom and away from the enemies that seek to pursue us. They will not succeed. We have something that they do not have on their side. A weapon of great power that if wielded properly can be used to survive and to thrive.” Taikiuu met each person’s gaze steadily and each one felt as if she spoke to them alone.

  “We have the gift of an enduring love that focuses our efforts on the welfare of each member of this band. There is a Creator in the great above that cares for each of us. We know this by the feel of the wind whether cold or warm. We know this by the taste of the water, whether it is from a water skin warmed against the body or from a clear pool. We will believe in the love that has brought each of us from a place that we never wish to return to. The love that is in our hearts will carry us th
rough any trial.” Taikiuu raised her staff as she gestured and signed her words with one hand as she spoke. As the Ada’na she had never once spoken, now as the First Woman of this band, she used her words to communicate with each person.

  “I am thankful,” Jon’lan was the first to find his voice after his wife’s stirring speech. It was the most he had ever heard her speak aloud and he marveled at her command of words that were foreign to her tongue, though natural to her hearing. “I am thankful for my wife, my daughters and my hearth son. I am thankful for my hearth brother, Roark and for his wife and children.”

  “I am thankful, for the same things.” Roark spoke around the lump that formed in his throat.

  “I am thankful for family.” Anaay spoke next from his place nearby and he looked at Giad who flushed slightly before speaking. “I am thankful for the same things.”

  “Yes!” said Yaa, who was caught up in the feeling of joy and refreshment that the words brought to her tired limbs and body.

  “Then let us remember that we have come this far and know that we can continue, not on our strength alone, but on the wings of the feeling that we carry inside. Know this and all will be well.” Taikiuu raised her walking stick above her head as everyone let out a cheer which startled Mar-ee who had begun to doze in her father’s arms. She made such a face of surprise that everyone laughed, which only made the normally precocious child smile, before snuggling back in to sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Taikiuu made her way to Jon’lan’s side where he touched his forehead to hers, thanking her without words for using the last of her strength to strengthen them all. She slumped toward him and he steadied her, helping her to rest upon the sleeping furs that would keep them warm. He did not forget for a moment that she carried a child close under her heart, secure in the safety of her body. As she snuggled into him he placed Mar-ee into the circle of her arms and she nuzzled the downy soft hair of their daughter. Mar-ee and Taikiuu both sighed as they settled into their resting place, where Jon’lan watched them in the flickering light of the fire, until he too drifted off to sleep.