Hartmut capped the bottle and put it back in the saddle bag. “Surrey, just remember thou hast a serpent by the throat. If thou shouldst ever release thy grip, prepare for him to twist around and bite thee.”
* * *
Long Swan’s Log: It is Ullr’s Day. A day we Herewardi celebrate the bow and archery and venerate the yew tree. Lord Sur Sceaf stopped by my tent to inform me that he has found the way to place Fromer, the Quailor dissident, in checkmate. It would seem Hartmut revealed a law to him written in the Book of Martyrs which gives him clear control over Fromer’s thus far incorrigible actions.
Lord Sur Sceaf did not enter the archery contest as he is the known champion and wanted others to have the opportunity to win the Magnolia Leaf Crown. The Crown went to the young Herewos, son of Pyrsyrus, a young blood of great promise who shall likely soon be made a lore master.
After his victory he poured libations of thanks on the roots of an ancient yew and gave his oaths and vows to the gods.
Redelfis the firstborn of Mendaka was so impressed with Herewos’ skill as an archer that he was going to make a longbow from one of the branches of the yew and I intervened in time to stop him. I explained that he may make a bow of yew in the Dark Moonth, but that no one may harm a yew in this, for it is the Moonth of Ullr and Weyland.
I quoted the Law:
The Yew tree is the Creatrix, Ilmatar’s ship,
Folks say.
Destroy it not in any way
Upon it lies a dreadful curse,
Whosoever plucks a leaf
Will need a hearse.
Chapter 21 : Dealing with the Muckenschnabel
It was afternoon and the day had a biting wind blowing in from the north. Sur Sceaf deliberately chose to circle around and steal upon Fromer from behind in hope that the surprise would set him off guard psychologically.
Fromer’s old wooden wagon was loaded with his household goods and canvased over tightly. Away from the main Quailor encampment, it was parked up on a small hill from which he could espy all the encampments. Sur Sceaf had noticed that unlike most Quailor wagons there were no children playing nearby.
Fromer was sitting on a crooked wooden chair by his campfire, drinking some coffee berry with one hand and stirring coals with a stick in the other hand. Even from the rear, Sur Sceaf could see his face was screwed into some sort of frown, as though he were wrestling with some tormenting thought.
When Sur Sceaf was within three paces, he called out, “Hail Fromer the dycon.”
Fromer gasped and almost fell backwards in his chair as he struggled to regain equilibrium. “Hail, Sur Sceaf! What...What bringeth thee up here?”
“I’m sure you are aware that a problem has arisen in the Quailor Camp.”
Sur Sceaf was pleased to note the look of a cornered animal in his eyes.
“Problem, well, yes,” Fromer spit out. “Thou must mean all the transgressions. Thou must mean that Judas Goat, Elijah, who misleadeth our community.”
“Fromer,” Sur Sceaf said in his most commanding voice, “don’t game me. I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to destroy Elijah and I am here to tell you it is not going to happen. You agreed to support the decision of the three tribes to join and function as one body. Now you’re going back on your word because you are furious that Elijah chose some one else besides you to succeed him. We can’t have the rift you are causing among the three tribes.”
Fromer dropped his stick to the ground and he stood up. He slowly placed his tea cup on the seat of his chair. “Me? Why, I was just trying to keep all running smoothly. I didn’t mean for it to come to this.” He attempted to look Sur Sceaf in the eyes, but quickly averted his eyes to the campfire. “I just wanted to give Elijah a warning about his letting his flock scatter.”
Sur Sceaf took a step closer. “Look me square on when I speak to you, Fromer.”
Fromer took a half step backward before timidly looking up at Sur Sceaf’s eyes as he twisted his head. “It is not your place to give the chief high priest a warning or to upbraid him in any manner. That is not how the Book of Martyrs set up the government of your people. If I have an ox that is not pulling with the team or holding that team back in any way, then I will have that ox butchered and eaten. I am the chief of all three tribes. The authority granted to me by the Council of Three Tribes is absolute, and unconditional. If I tell Elijah to remove you as head of the Dycon’s Quorum, he will and no one can gainsay. If I order him leave you behind, he will have no choice, but to do as I bid.”
Fromer’s face went from red to white and he began to quake. Sur Sceaf almost felt sorry for the little man.
“What happens next, Fromer, depends entirely upon you. Either you are going to pull as a team or be in my soup. You can take this as my last warning or believe me the high priest will rule you excommunicant.”
* * *
As Sur Sceaf walked back through the camps, he passed by Elijah’s wagon. Two of his older grandsons were busy stocking his wood supply while three little girls were making corn dolls under the direction of one of his older granddaughters. As soon as they noticed him approaching they all shouted at him a Teutsch “Wellkommen.” Although his command of Teutsch had been somewhat shaky while in Salem, it had greatly improved under Lana’s tutelage since. He returned their greeting in kind ‘auf Teutsch’. Sur Sceaf tossed a couple of handfuls of candy, which Lana had baked up and wrapped individually with waxed paper. The children scrambled for them. They had come to expect it from him over the moonths.
After accepting the children’s thanks he went to sit by the campfire with Elijah and Habraham. Habraham greeted him around the stem of his pipe. As he puffed, Sur Sceaf detected the sweet cherry-like scent of the Hickoryan tobacco which they proudly asserted was the best in the world.
When Elijah saw him, he asked, “Lord Prince, did thy talk with Fromer go well? When Hartmut brought me some venison, he said thou wert going to Fromer’s wagon to strangle the serpent by its neck.”
“More like stomp on a worm.” Habraham puffed out a laugh. “You can thank Hartmut, he’s the one who called my attention to the passage in the Book of Martyrs. ‘No one may contest the words of the chief high priest without an unanimous vote from the Quorum of the Seventy.’ Since ten members of the Seventys remained behind there can be no quorum.”
Habraham blew out some smoke and said, “We failed to consider the solution was in our own laws.”
Elijah said, “As many laws as I memorized, I never thought that one would be applicable. Thank God, Hartmut remembered it. Seemeth like the old boy’s getting back into the ring.”
“He really is quite the politician,” Sur Sceaf said. “Imagine the worm choking on his own bile.” They laughed. “I’ve given him a warning and told him if he didn’t uphold his original commitment, I would have him replaced. I’ve told him that the counting begins today.”
“Good idea, Surrey, now’s the time to test his obedience to the reins.”
“This must be dealt with here and now. We don’t want to be doing this sort of thing in Witan Jewell.”
Habraham’s wife called out. She approached from around the other side of the wagon. “Haby and Eli, supper’s ready. We women folk have made some chipped beef gravy to sop your bread in. And then there’s going to be some puddin and pie, made by Miriam, if Master Surrey wisheth to stay.”
“I thank you Sarah Beth, but Lana will be expecting me and my usual appetite.”
Habraham said, “We’ll be there directly, dear. Please, give us chust a little more time to conclude and we’ll be there.”
As Sarah Beth left, Elijah smiled. “I agree with thy plan. We will most likely know very soon whether Fromer is intending to keep his end of the deal. I’ve noticed, that once he getteth a goad from anyone in authority he moveth on it.”
Sarah Beth called out, “Haby and Eli, don’t let it get cold.”
Elijah winked at Sur Sceaf and he and Habraham went to sup.
* * *
He passed down a winding, rocky path through the Scotch broom and ceanothus that grew on the gravelly banks. She looked so warm and beautiful in her wet buckskin dress. Because he knew the roar of the rushing waters would keep her from hearing his approach, he made as much noise as possible by loudly singing a Sharaka chant his mo mo had taught him.
She spun around in alarm, then stood up immediately to face him. Her usual doe-like eyes took on the piercing glitter of a raging panther, impaling him with a warning stare.
“I know you don’t want me here, Taneshewa.”
In her fist she held the dripping cloth. “That’s an understatement.” She said coldly.
He raised his hands displaying his palms. “Give me just five minutes to explain myself and then, if you want me to go, I will leave and never trouble you again.”
She was silent behind those watchful eyes. Finally, just when he thought she wasn’t going to answer she asked, “What is it you wish to explain? It was all clear enough to me.”
“This is all my fault. I beseech you not to blame Lana, for she warned me more than once to tell you the truth. But in my great stupidity, I ignored her wise warning. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In my desire to not hurt you, I ended up hurting you even more. My heart has ached for you these past two days. I cannot think of life without you.”
Her gaze flickered. “It was worse than stupidity, Lord Prince Sur Sceaf. It was thoughtless cruelty. Damn it, Surrey, I’m not sure I want you to leave forever, but I am mad as Hell at you right now. By all rights I should tell you to go to Hell and never speak to you again. I don’t understand why I can’t.”
Sur Sceaf’s hopes were raised. “No Ahy. It was not thoughtless and it was not meant to be cruel. It was my ignorant attempt to be thoughtful and careful with your feelings, and it turned out to be just the opposite of what I wanted for you. For that I am deeply sorry.”
He heard voices and laughter approaching. He turned and saw two women walking down the trail carrying baskets piled with clothing. Once they spied him and Ahy they did an abrupt about face and walked back from whence they had come.
As soon as the women were beyond hearing, she said, “Well, it made me feel like you think of me as a child rather than an equal. And you’re right, I did think Lana was playing me for the fool. So I was angry and rude and I said things to Lana that might have hurt her as well. Now, that time has passed, I realize that Lana truly wanted to be my friend.”
“Nothing could have been further from our hearts. The last thing I would ever do is think of you as a child. The first time I saw you, I knew I loved you. It was an immediate imprint. I love your fierce woodland spirit, and the fire you possess. You are so enticingly desirable that I wished that instead of just meeting we were on our honeymoon and that we were ready to join mind, soul, and spirit. That day is marked on my heart as one of the greatest days of my life. You are as an elfin queen in my eyes.” He stopped and stared into the warm pools of her eyes framed by inky black lashes and thought he caught an ember of warmth re-kindling in their depths. “I cannot conceive of living without you, Ahy.”
She looked across the rippling river as she twisted the wet cloth in her hands. He took her silence as a sign that she really heard what he had told her and that it had some how opened a door between them.
The look she gave him was full of emotion and honesty. “Sur Sceaf, I have tried to follow the rope of my love through the maze of our cultures. But instead of getting easier, it’s getting more and more painful. Now that I’ve drawn close to you, you are no longer a mysterious forest whose secrets I want to explore. I am starting to see the individual trees and some of the devouring beasts that inhabit the forest that is you. Frankly, I’ve got to tell you, it’s a haunted house.” She shivered and stepped up on the bank, the hem of her dress still dripping. “True some are magical beasts but others threaten to utterly devour me. Soul and all.”
“Well, you are right to blame me, but Lana and the others were truly not complicit save what I imposed upon them. They recognized the love I had for you and the love you had for me, so I asked them to support me and bade them all be silent. They all knew what you had gone through and how when you were with me that darkness left and you seemed to be happy again. And Lana kept warning me that I was making a grave mistake and she wanted to tell you, but I forbade her to. She is a woman totally without guile. And now she is very upset that her actions contributed to your feeling betrayed.”
“But don’t you see, Surrey,” she blurted out, “this is part of the problem I have when I think of the other wives. They are some of the beasts that scare me. I have a great fear that I would always be an outsider or the target of their displeasure. They could all gang up on me, or even worse they would absorb me until I was no longer myself.”
He knew whatever he said next could turn fate one way or the other. He realized there could be no more secrets or hedging. He was also aware that perhaps she was right, perhaps he had thought of her as a child in some ways. But now he realized she was in her own way as thoughtful and in depth as himself.
“I can tell you, if I had the slightest doubt that you would not be welcomed with love and consideration, I would never think to make you my bride. Once you meet my first wife, Paloma, who in the customary ways of the Herewardi, acts as confidant, teacher, and if you like, mother-figure to the other wives, you will see how many rights you have. Herewardi men go to great labors in choosing their first wife. She is called the faery-queen of the bride-covey and is accorded enormous respect. I guarantee, you will like Paloma very much. In many ways, she is very much like Sagwi. I fully understand that this is all overwhelming to you, which is why I wish you would share your fears more with Lana. She was just your age when she joined our culture and I suspect she entertained many of the same fears that you do. As a matter of fact, she’s asked you to come to dinner in hopes that you will ask those questions. You can ask any question you want of her.”
Ahy frowned thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it, but I’m going to need time to sort this all out.”
He nodded. “I understand. We’re going to be staying in Glide Garth for a while longer, at least a fortnight, maybe until the Dark Moonth. So take your time. I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
Long Swan’s Log: It is the thirtieth day of the Blood Moonth. 583 H.S.O. It is also the Sharaka Day of the Owl Spirit, a day in which people are permitted to inquire of the gods those things which are hidden. Many seek to know the future, and what the dead wish to communicate. Many came to the Great Council Oak to celebrate it. They burned sage wands, smoked sacred tobacco blessed by the spirit chiefs, and offered deer blood on the fire, while shamans did the Owl and Snake Dance around the fires. They obtain communication from the Spirit World by gathering fire wood, hunting and then mingling at a feast precisely when the sun goes down. I have participated in this ritual several times before and found it to be most enlightening and opening to my spirit.
Both Lord Sur Sceaf and I were pleased and surprised to see many of the young Quailors observing with keen interest and asking questions of the Sharaka youth with whom they now mingle more freely.
At the same time the first day of the Blood Moonth was the official beginning of preparations for the winter among the Herewardi. Usually it is a time for slaughtering the excess livestock, but that was not needed here. Sur Sceaf had come up with the idea of combining the celebrations of all three tribes, as he hoped they would do when they reached the coasts.
People were inclined to
show one another their skills. The Sharaka showed the Quailor how to catch fish in weirs and to salt them for the winter. Herewardi tanners showed how to prepare hides. Metal workers from the Quailor shared their talents of making winter shoes for the oxen and horses and the making of good studded tires for winter travel. Sharaka hunters brought many deer, boar, and elk in for curing, and showed the techniques for identifying where animals were to be located.
Once the rituals had all been performed, they all mingled, culminating in a grand feast with dishes from all three cultures, the Herewardi put on plays, the Sharaka danced, and the Quailor sang their beautiful hymns of praise. Bequemlichkeit, it was a cozy time.
* * *
The time to go to Witan Jewell was near. Sur Sceaf rode White Fire up the hill in the savannah lands. While White Fire grazed, Sur Sceaf looked out over the familiar landscape pondering how to determine whether harmony was coming to the three tribes.
It was a strangely warm day for the approach of winter. He had no doubt that things were going well with the Sharaka. Wagons loaded with the supplies Sur Sceaf had requested began arriving immediately after the runners reached Witan Jewell. First to arrive were the blankets for the Sharaka for which Onamingo, Mendaka, and Snake Horse had expressed their appreciation, as they were not used to the wet cold and fog the valley offered.
He was most encouraged because so many of the Quailor had participated in the celebrations and seemed to be quite happy to be mingling now. Lana’s family and Hartmut had expressed they thought all went well. He looked off into the western horizon and noticed a green hue in the skies, the token of gathering rain storms. He remounted White Fire and said, “Time to get back to camp before the rains strike.” When he reached camp he decided to make his round before the rains struck.
Upon reaching the Sharaka Camp, Onamingo hailed him from his campfire. After they exchanged greetings, Onamingo turned serious. “Sur Sceaf, many of my people have expressed great pleasure at making acquaintances. Dancing Rabbit was quite taken with Elijah’s wife, Miriam. They were so busy talking about ways of making bread that Elijah barely got her to leave when it was time. We’ve invited them back for dinner tonight. But, I must warn you, Surrey, about that man, Mosquito Beak and his renegades. I have seen the same look on a pack of coyotes about to attack a sheepfold. These men separate themselves too much from what is natural behavior. In my experience that usually creates misfits and trouble-makers, like Standing Bull. I do not trust these unnatural behaving men. Anyone who betrays their true nature will ultimately betray mankind in one form or another. Just beware!”
The Frightful Dance (The King of Three Bloods Book 2) Page 37