Voadicia whirled on him. “Be careful what you say, lover,” she grated. “My patience wears thin.”
“Without children, the Council would never allow Alstrom to declare you as first wife, only clan women have that right.”
Voadicia’s eyes narrowed and her mouth became an ugly red slash. “I am clan by right of my father. Alstrom will do what I say when I tell him to.”
Kellach mulled over her words. “Has Alstrom become so weak during my absence?”
“Alstrom has always been weak where a beautiful woman is concerned,” she mocked. “I had but to smile at him and show him some small interest and he was mine.”
Kellach was mystified—this was not the man he followed. Alstrom was a formidable adversary and ruled with an iron hand. He became Chieftain because of his prowess and ability to lead, not by birthright. It made no sense that he would allow this sorceress to hold sway over him and rule in his stead.
“I see no reason why Alstrom would invoke the wrath of the Council to appease you.”
“The Council wavers daily. I believe they can be convinced to allow a slight change in my position.”
“I think you see what you wish to see. The Council is many things, but unwise they are not.”
“You have been gone a long time and things are not as they were. There are those who fear the raiders from the north and I and my priestesses have made many sacrifices to the Goddess and their fears are lessened by the good omens I bring.”
“Sacrifice? You would bring back the old ways?”
“There are many who still follow the ways of the Goddess and soon we will step forward and take our rightful place.”
Alstrom entered the hall. “What place do you speak?”
Voadicia turned to him, a false smile wreathing her face. “My love, we were speaking of my place at your side, were we not?” Her eyes dared Kellach to disagree.
“We spoke of many things, my Lord. Her place was only one of them.”
Alstrom smiled and pulled Voadicia to him. “Is she not beautiful, my new wife?”
Kellach allowed himself a mere whisper of a smile. “Aye, my Lord, she is beautiful.” Beautiful like a snake! “Her beauty would confound most men.”
Alstrom laughed and nuzzled Voadicia. “I find myself barely able to think when she is near. I fear I act like a fool where she is concerned.”
Voadicia pushed him away, her face betraying little emotion. “You stink of wine and harlots. I cannot bear the smell. Do not come to me with such a stench on you.”
Alstrom’s good humor fell away. “You do me dishonor to speak to me thus in the presence of others.”
“The dishonor is not yours, my Lord,” disdained Kellach. “None has the right to disgrace you, much less a second wife.”
Fury blazed from Voadicia’s eyes as she whirled and stalked from the room.
“I regret her words, she is young and still needs to learn her place,” Alstrom apologized. He studied Kellach carefully, his eyes troubled. “Mayhap I made a wrong choice when I took her to wife.”
Kellach hesitated, searching for the right reply. “Your choices are your own to make, my Lord, we but seek to serve you.”
“Ah, Kellach, ever the statesman. I have sorely missed your company. Come, let us join the feast and you can enlighten me with tales of your adventures in the land to the east.” He slapped Kellach on the back as they stepped from the great hall into the sea of revelers.
Seven
Kellach arose early the next morning. Provisions were needed for the journey to the eastern settlement and he wanted everything in readiness to leave in three days’ time. The feasting last night had lasted well into the early hours of the morning and he doubted any of his men would be willing or able to aid him. He had left before the feasting concluded, his meeting with Voadicia still sour in his mouth. Kellach searched out Durlach. Mayhap he and a few of the others survived the night.
Durlach was nowhere to be found. A smile widened his lips. Durlach had been buried in the bosom of a strapping wench last he saw him and he had no doubt that it would be sometime before Durlach surfaced. Cyrnan’s face came to mind. He was young and eager. Perhaps he and his other young friends would be willing to help. He had no problem locating Cyrnan and a group of his friends accompanied him.
The marketplace was crowded with vendors and hawkers and almost everything he required could be purchased here. He moved quickly through the vendors of trade goods and moved on to the food vendors. Dried fruits, smoked meats and hard flat bread were to be had from merchants keen on attracting the strolling patrons. Kellach searched out those he had dealt with in the past, known for being evenhanded and, in no time, he was haggling on prices. Kellach drove hard bargains, the merchants even harder, but in the end, all were content. Cyrnan and his friends were soon laboring under the weight of his purchases and it was time to deliver them to his storehouse.
“Will you let me join you this time?” Cyrnon asked hopefully as he stepped up beside him. He was anxious to prove his manhood and Kellach was his best hope. His own father had died when he was very young and he looked to Kellach to fill that need. He was not disappointed.
Kellach considered his request. “Not this time. My mother still has need of help and it will be some time before I am able to fully take on that responsibility.”
Cyrnon’s face fell. “I will be an old man before I have the chance to do anything important,” he complained.
Kellach laughed. “You will have your chance soon enough. Don’t be too eager to give up the reins of youth. You will be a man soon enough.”
“I am already a man,” Cyrnon objected. “It’s just no one has taken notice.”
“I’ve noticed,” Kellach said fondly. “In no time, you will be out on your own with a wife and ten children to feed.”
“I don’t want a wife. I want to see what lies beyond the rim of mountains to the east and taste the pleasures to be had there.” Cyrnan drew himself up. “A wife and children are for when I am too old and ugly to enjoy life.”
Kellach roared with laughter. “A wise man. Perhaps I have become old and ugly. I have been thinking on taking a wife soon, myself. Do you think any of the single maids would be willing to overlook my obvious old age and ugliness and take my hand?”
Cyrnon snorted. “All you have to do is look in their direction, and they swoon. Did you not notice how many of them pressed near you last eve? None of the other males even had a chance with you there. It was good you left so soon.”
Kellach grinned. “And were you one of the males eager for my departure—did you wish for some winsome young maid’s company?”
Cyrnon grimaced with disgust. “I but told you that so you would know there are plenty who would take you to husband. I have no need of a female yet, most complain and say silly things. I do not know how to talk to them or what it is they wish me to say or do.”
“That is the problem most of us lonely males face in the company of women,” Kellach sympathized, ruffling the youth’s hair. “They are like the wind, changing directions daily.”
The trip to his storehouse was made in short order and his purchases stacked and ready for the trip. He paid his youthful workers and they ran off, eager to spend their hard-earned wages in the marketplace.
It was time to visit his parents’ house. They had not been at the feast last evening and he was anxious to see them. Their dwelling rested on the northern-most corner of his property as did his sister, Tanith’s dwelling. He accepted the duty of caring for his family easily and enjoyed the closeness they shared. Family and home were all important to him, even though his wanderlust had taken him far in years past. Time to grow his roots deeper and step into the life he wished to make. His mother opened the door, her face brightening when she saw him.
“Kellach,” she exclaimed. “I knew you were back and have been awaiting your visit.” She took his hand and led him in. Of the five children she bore, only Kellach and Tanith grew to adulthood and bot
h were very precious to her.
His father sat in a chair by the open fire and regarded his son with no small amount of pride. “You grow taller each time I see you. How long will you stay this trip?”
Kellach leaned down and hugged him. He could feel the thinness of his father’s body and felt his weakness. His father had ever been a strong and robust man and it saddened him to see his father’s health waning. His face was wrinkled and lined, like old leather.
Nuala, his mother, hustled him to the table. “Have you broke your fast yet?” With that, she busied herself setting food and cups on the table.
“Tanith came by last eve. She had Machar with her. The child has grown since last we saw him, he is not a baby anymore,” she said sadly. “Tanith suspects she is with child again.”
Kellach nodded. “Siran will stay home with her this trip. She has not been herself since she lost the last baby on the journey. I would not want to cause her to lose another so soon.”
“It will be good to have her near,” she agreed.
Secretly, Kellach acknowledged that it would be good for him to be home now as well. His parents had need of him.
Eight
Fiona spent the next few days resting and allowing herself time to heal. She slept a good deal, but was conscious of the fact that people came and went in a steady stream. She had the distinct impression that many were there just out of curiosity. Most of the time, when she woke up, more than one person would be standing over her bed. On the second day after arriving at the settlement, a wizened little Asian man arrived and spent a good hour poking and prodding her and chattering away in what she suspected was some form of Chinese.
He didn’t act like any doctor she had ever worked with or been treated by, and then there was the curious fact that he made house calls. No doctor made house calls these days. He left some small pouches with the woman, who proceeded to brew various forms of tea, totally disgusting and tasting like boiled leather, but the woman forced her to drink them anyway. The woman also kept her on a light diet of broth and watered wine, and was unfailing in her care. Not everyone in the nursing profession was as devoted as this woman appeared to be.
Her arm was feeling better and the color was improving, although it was still stiff and sore to the touch. Under the current circumstances, she felt her arm was doing well. She had performed self-examinations several times and the bones seemed to be aligned well. Hopefully, her arm would heal straight and surgery would not be needed later on. Her face had very few areas that were still sore to the touch, but the woman still clucked and made soothing sounds whenever she examined Fiona’s face. Given that she wasn’t receiving any professional care—or professional care within her meaning of the word “professional”—she felt fairly certain her prognosis was good. She was still confused at the primitive conditions and her confusion grew stronger as she became more and more conscious of her surroundings.
****
Kellach spent the last two days preparing for the trip to the eastern settlement and avoiding any untoward confrontations with Voadicia or her lackeys. Rations were packed and the pack animals were sufficiently rested to begin the journey. He would only take a small contingent of men this time, as most were content to spend time at home with their families. The majority of the men selected to accompany him were younger men with no wives or children and the prospect of the journey did not cause them concern.
Kellach had visited with his sister a number of times, and was advised that the crone was healing. An unwelcome vision of the crone flashed through his mind—what was he to do with her? He doubted she would be able to take over the work performed previously by Etain, but Siran and Tanith insisted she was his to care for. He found her, true, but it was Tanith’s idea to bring her along! Perhaps they should have just left her in the desert where they found her. He felt guilty for his unkind thoughts, and decided he would leave the decision of what to do with her until he returned. Until then, he would think of her no more.
Early in the morning of the third day, Kellach and his men departed the confines of the settlement for the journey east. A jovial mood prevailed and the expectation of a quick passage was high. A few dogs chased them for a distance and then returned to the settlement. They passed numerous patrols that saluted and shouted as they traveled by. It was a clear day and the omens were good for a safe crossing. No carts traveled with them this time, it was to be a short and fast trip to the eastern settlement and the trip home would be spent driving the sheep they would purchase there. All his men were farmers and herders as well as fighting men and he had no doubt they would be able to handle whatever the Gods in their wisdom deemed necessary.
It was a good day to travel and he looked forward to starting his new life when he returned. His men fanned out, taking up defensive positions naturally and without direction. They were ever on the lookout for marauders and bandits and at the merest sign of trouble, would group together in a fighting stance. His mind wandered back to his meeting with Voadicia. That would be a problem to attend when he returned. His position as a Lord of the tribe would provide him the means to sway the Council, should that be necessary. Voadicia would never be allowed to gain any further control if he had any say in the matter.
****
Fiona slowly returned to consciousness, people were moving about and the smells of cooking filled the air. She opened her eyes and the small child was again pressed nose-to-nose with her. The young woman came into view and picked the child up.
Tanith pointed to herself, “Tanith,” she said, and then pointed at the small boy. “Machar.”
Fiona looked confused.
“Tanith,” she said again as she pointed at her chest. “Machar,” she said and pointed again at the little boy.
Okay, Fiona thought, that’s their names. I get it. “Fiona,” she said. “Fiona Sutton,” and pointed at herself. The blonde woman smiled, “Fion?”
“No,” Fiona replied. “F-e-o-n-a.”
The blonde woman chuckled and nodded her head. “Fiona,” she said.
Fiona knew her mother would be frantic. “Do you suppose I could use your telephone,” she asked the woman. “I’ll pay you for the call.” The woman shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Fiona held her hand to her head and mimicked using a telephone. Tanith shook her head “no” again and shrugged. “T-e-l-e-p-h-o-n-e,” Fiona tried again. Again, no response. Okay, Fiona thought, perhaps they use another term here, “Cell phone?” she questioned.
“Sel fon?” Tanith replied. She shook her head again.
Don’t tell me she doesn’t know what a cell phone is, Fiona thought, everyone knows about cell phones.
She was getting nowhere fast. It didn’t appear that the woman Tanith understood anything she was trying to say. It just didn’t make sense. She was near the city in the United States of America when she crashed her car, and almost everyone in the United States spoke English. Maybe she had been kidnapped and while she was unconscious, she had been taken to some place far away from her home and left out in the desert to die! That made even less sense. Why would anyone kidnap her just to abandon her?
She didn’t have any money and didn’t know anything important about anything or anyone. Her entire life had been relatively unexciting and her only crime to date involved jaywalking when she felt like living on the edge. She had never even shoplifted like some of her friends had done when they were younger. The woman before her certainly didn’t act like a kidnapper and none of them made any attempt to hide their faces or prevent her from knowing who they were. Of course, she couldn’t understand anything they said, so that probably wasn’t a problem for them anyway. To the contrary, Tanith and her family had only shown her kindness since finding her.
The woman, Tanith, brought her a plate of food, which appeared to be some sort of flat bread and cooked meat, no eating utensils or even a napkin. Smiling, she handed Fiona a small very sharp knife, and made signs that she was to eat, saying something like “que” or “kew.” Fiona
balanced the plate on her lap and sampled the flat bread. It was coarse and unfamiliar, more like rye bread or something along that line, but quite good all the same. She sampled a small taste of the meat, “keu,” the woman said again and smiled. Well, she had learned her first new word—no, wait—third, she already knew “Tanith” and “Machar.”
The red-haired man came into the dwelling carrying the child. He sat the child at the large low table and then grabbed a large piece of meat and bit off a huge chunk. He came over to the bed and chewed noisily while he stared at her. These people certainly didn’t stand on convention or worry about table manners. Tanith pointed to him and said, “Siran. Siran.” Fiona nodded and repeated his name. He laughed and jabbered something to the woman.
“She looks like she’ll survive,” Siran said. “Give her another week and the bruising will be almost gone.”
Tanith nodded. “It’ll be awhile before the arm heals. Just don’t scare her. She isn’t used to our ways and you can be intimidating sometimes.”
“Me? Intimidating! You think I’m intimidating? When was I ever intimidating?”
Fiona listened to their chatter. In terms of being able to comprehend what they said vocally, she understood nothing. But in terms of body language and facial expressions, they were teasing each other and he appeared to be defending himself. The language was unlike any she had ever heard. She knew a few words of Spanish, French, German and Italian, but this sounded nothing like any of them.
“Habla Espanol?” she tried. “Sprechen de Deutsche?” “Parlé vous Francais?” Both stood there with blank looks on their faces, then looked at each other and shrugged. Tanith shook her head “no” and chattered something to the man again. Fiona gave up, it was frustrating to want to converse but not have the language to do it. She slid her legs off the side of the bed and attempted to stand up. Her legs were weak and she almost collapsed but managed to grab the side of the bed and steady herself. Fiona took a few minutes to center her balance while she looked around the room.
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