Pillar of Fire (Book One-The Whale Hunter Series)

by Karah Quinney

  “I do not know where to go exactly, but it will come to me. Be patient.” Talon spoke to Sunflower even though he knew that she couldn’t hear him. She touched his back in order to feel the vibration caused by his words.

  His thoughts returned to Hetol’s angry stare and he could only hope that their departure had gone unnoticed. The moon was high and full and he was relieved to see that the shining orb had captured Sunflower’s attention.

  Talon would be embarrassed to admit that he walked in the direction of the streaking light that traveled across the night sky at the outset of their journey. He couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful spectacle that danced high above. The pillar of fire was like an omen leading the way to their future. His mother had often said that the Great One of All Things was a sacred being that watched over the world. Perhaps now was a good time to start believing in something greater than the strength of his hands.

  Sunflower knew that her steps created sounds by the way that Talon winced visibly when she tread upon sticks or twigs. Once they were outside of the sheltering trees, the light from the moon allowed her to carefully place each footstep.

  Talon could no longer see the trail of fire in the sky but the light that hung near the moon remained in the same direction that they walked. It was this light that he used as a guide during their journey. If Hetol had not become suspicious over their long absence then they had a chance of escape.

  Talon reasoned that false hope was better than no hope at all. His sister clung trustingly to his hand as he led her forward with his hunting spear poised to strike.

  Sarnom grunted as consciousness returned. He couldn’t remember why he was alone in his lodge and stretched out over his sleeping furs. As he blinked, he caught sight of a rock covered with blood. His blood.

  “Sunflower!” He gasped, as he forced his body into a sitting position. Just as he managed to regain his senses, he realized that Sunflower was gone and Talon was nowhere to be found.

  His chattering wives entered the lodge without announcing their presence. They stared at him in stunned silence as he pressed a meaty fist against his head.

  “Where are Talon and Sunflower?” Sarnom’s question was met with silent stares and he cursed his wives as he rose unsteadily to his feet.

  “Chumal!” Sarnom shouted to the man who sat by the central fire with several of the other warriors.

  Before answering, Chumal took in the sight of Sarnom’s bleeding head and wild eyes. “Yes, Sarnom.”

  “Where is Talon?”

  “I will ask one of the other men.” Chumal waved Situ over with a harsh command.

  “Talon was not at the evening meal.” Situ responded as he glanced at his wife and sent her a reassuring nod before turning his full attention back to Chumal and Sarnom.

  “Search Talon’s sleeping place. Immediately!” Sarnom wondered for a moment if Talon would be foolish enough to return to the first place that he would look.

  “Yes.” Situ immediately left Sarnom and went to the lodge used by their hunters. He was surprised to see that Sarnom remained at his heels. He didn’t understand why the man wanted to speak to Talon at such a late part of the night.

  “Where is she? Is Sunflower here?” Sarnom tore through the hunters’ lodge like a man possessed by some otherworldly force.

  “You are seeking Talon and Sunflower?” Situ couldn’t understand why Sarnom’s eyes bulged with a mixture of fury and hatred. A few of the men gathered nearby as they watched Sarnom search the lodge.

  “Where is Umati?” Sarnom grabbed one of the men and commanded him to go and find his brother.

  Sarnom felt the eyes of the villagers upon him, but he refused to back down. He had no doubt that Umati would stand with him if he chose to pursue Talon and his sister. Only one person could soothe the hunger inside of him. He needed the girl. He needed Sunflower.

  He strode to Talon’s sleeping place and at first glance, everything appeared normal. The pair had very little to call their own and Sarnom didn’t see anything amiss. No one responded to Sarnom’s question as he stepped outside.

  “Where have Talon and his sister gone?” Sarnom’s voice rang out in the silence that ensued.

  “Talon went with Sunflower, just as he always does each night.” Sarnom turned at the sound of Hetol’s voice. It was customary for Talon to walk with Sunflower into the bushes once darkness had fallen.

  “How long ago did they leave?” Sarnom demanded even as he ignored the sullen expression upon Hetol’s face.

  “They certainly should have returned by now.” One of the men spoke from his place beside his family.

  Sarnom entered the hunters’ lodge as he looked again at Talon’s sleeping place and he saw it with new eyes. A sleeping fur had been laid out, but there were not any weapons nearby.

  He had not thought to check his lodge to see if the girl’s carrying basket was still there, but he didn’t see Talon’s moccasins and cold weather parka. Many of the villagers went without foot coverings of any kind until the cold season arrived. It was still warm enough outside that they had not seen their first frost. These thoughts spun through Sarnom’s mind in an instant, followed by an oncoming rush of fury.

  “Gather our warriors!” Sarnom raised his hand for silence as he looked around him. Umati had finished his hand bone game and he approached the lodge with a concerned expression.

  “What has happened that you should call the men that guard our village?” Umati’s jowls shook with anger as he placed his hands around a waist that was far too thick. His large belly shifted with every footstep as he waited for Sarnom’s answer.

  Sarnom lowered his voice so that no one else would overhear their conversation. “Umati, the girl that I took as a servant was stolen away by her brother. This is why we should have killed Talon, long ago. You said that if we kept them close that everything would go well for us, but look at what has happened, they fled our village in the dark of night!” Sarnom fumed.

  “You have every reason to be angry.” Umati agreed as the brothers shared a veiled glance.

  “Just so.” Sarnom answered.

  Umati called forth their war leader, Chumal. “Whatever it is that my brother tells you to do, you must honor his word as if it came directly from me.” Umati left the matter in Sarnom’s hands as he returned to his lodge.

  Sarnom shouted orders as he glanced at his brother’s retreating figure. Several men scrambled to do as he bid and Hetol stood before him with his head bowed. Sarnom wanted to take his anger out on someone and Hetol was his target. When the youth looked up at him defiantly, Sarnom struck him twice across the face in rapid succession.

  Sarnom roared with raw fury before turning his attention to Chumal. “Find Talon and Sunflower! By their own choice, they have become something to hunt and we will send out our hunters and run them to ground!”

  CHAPTER THREE

  After another sleepless night, Talon’s eyes were red with fatigue. They had battled stinging insects and swarming flies until their bodies were riddled with bites and stings. Sunflower stumbled at his side and Talon knew that she was weary beyond measure, but he couldn’t allow them to rest. Not yet. His only thought was to evade the Hokum warriors that Sarnom would send out to search for them.

  The morning sky was streaked with vivid colors of palest azure and wafting clouds that belied their dire circumstances. As Talon glanced at Sunflower it suddenly occurred to him that he was free to use hand signs to communicate with his sister. There was no one to stop him or call such an act forbidden.

  Talon turned to face Sunflower and he saw fatigue etched upon her face. Her eyelids were heavy with sleep and her lips were parched and dry. They needed to find fresh water urgently. Their waterskins were already empty and the sun threatened to burn throughout the day.

  “Did Sarnom hurt you?” The question had plagued him throughout the night. Ordinarily his sister was thrilled to see him use the forbidden hand signs to communicate with her, but instead of responding, she
turned her head away.

  “Sunflower.” Talon gave up his attempt to use hands signs to communicate. “Did Sarnom hurt you? Did he…”

  His voice trailed off as he tried to find a way to ask his sister if she had been violated. His eyes landed upon a bruise marring her arm and he clenched his teeth as he stifled the urge to shout. Anger over his inability to keep his sister safe surged through him.

  He quickly inspected her legs, as she stood still and unmoving. He would have to be content with the absence of blood and bruises. Bile rose in his throat as he thought of the harm Sarnom would have caused his sister.

  Sunflower pointed to herself and then made a quick sign that burned his soul. Evil.

  “You are not evil.” Talon struggled and failed to keep his voice steady. “Sarnom’s soul was twisted long before you were born.”

  Sunflower kept her face turned away and Talon sighed with deep regret. There was not enough time to comfort his sister and their communication was limited at best.

  He took hold of Sunflower’s hand and led her deeper into the forest. He searched for a concealed place where he could leave her for a short time. After carefully examining their surroundings, he found a rocky escarpment that would serve his purpose.

  Talon laid out their only sleeping fur in the crevice of a large bolder after confirming that the ground was firm and dry. Sunflower immediately sat down and pulled her legs against her chest before resting her head upon her knees. He knew that she was hungry and weak from their ordeal and as he watched, she fell asleep within moments.

  Talon hated to leave his sister alone and defenseless, but he had no choice in the matter. He knew that she would be afraid if she awoke and he was not within sight, but he urgently needed to backtrack and check their trail for signs of pursuit.

  He removed the only adornment that he wore, a woven necklace made of animal hide that held a multi-colored stone tied in place. The stone itself was infused with natural hues of pale gray, yellow and various shades of green. He carefully placed the necklace in Sunflower’s cupped palm. If he was not at her side when she opened her eyes, he hoped that she would see the necklace and know that he was nearby. It would have to be enough.

  He was bone weary and the panic that had fueled his limbs had dulled to a fatigued sense of numbness. He wanted nothing more than to sit down and rest, but he recognized that he was also their only source of protection.

  He was their only hope. There was no question that he needed to remain alert to any form of danger.

  Deep in the forest, a man walked with the sun at his back and his eyes ever forward. The animals of the forest knew him well for he dwelled with them as if he was one of their own. His build was muscular and strong and his hair flowed freely in ebony strands that skimmed his shoulders.

  Kahm took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The forest was different in some unknowable way. What had changed? He wasn’t certain, but he knew in his bones that the peace found within the shelter of the towering trees had been altered irreparably. Whether the shift would bring good or bad he couldn’t say.

  Kahm returned to the cave that he had claimed for himself, but he kept his spear poised to strike as he slid through the entrance. He looked around for any sign that his things had been disturbed and he saw nothing to draw his interest. Everything was the same as he had left it, just as it should be. For a moment, he thought of his brother, Miche and he thrust his spear into the ground, embedding the chiseled tip deep into the soil.

  Kahm turned his thoughts away from Miche with careful control and scented the wind even as the wolf that followed him everywhere did the same.

  “You seek to assure me that no one else is near.”

  Several moons ago the wolf’s mother had been killed by a trap that he set to capture smaller prey. When he buried the female wolf, he couldn’t help but notice that she was a mother and he knew that she wouldn’t have strayed far from her den. Kahm cursed his own trap for catching a wolf within its snare and then he methodically began searching for her den.

  He would have walked right past the hidden lair if not for the growls that came from the entrance. One wolf cub guarded the carefully concealed den with ferocity. He saw that the young wolf was weak with hunger and shivered in the early morning dew that coated the forest.

  Kahm methodically reset his snare and his footsteps were even and unhurried as he left the growling wolf cub behind without a second glance.

  Out of habit, he returned the next day and found that his snare not only held the half-eaten remains of a squirrel, but the young wolf had managed to tangle one large paw in the densely woven twine. Kahm saw that the only remaining part of the squirrel was the tail, which he was certain that the wolf would have eaten if given enough time.

  The wolf cub had managed to devour Kahm’s next meal while effectively becoming trapped. Hunger pains gnawed at is belly, but as he watched the growling wolf cub he considered the animal’s usefulness. The wolf could learn to alert him to the presence of others and he could be useful in hunting larger prey. Despite the animal’s initial reaction to his presence, Kahm worked throughout most of the day to gain the young wolf’s trust.

  It was not the way of the Chimar people to reside with animals, but Kahm was without a band or a village and he needed to use the tools at his disposal for survival.

  Once again, thoughts of his brother brought a flash of pain to his chest. Kahm shook himself out of the dark mood that swamped his senses. Again, he listened closely for any sound that was out of place even as he scented the wind.

  The towering trees gave him a sense of security that no other place could provide. He would never return to the Chimar Village and he would never see his heart’s mate, Oi’yan, again.

  His brother had won their father’s approval and he would one day become the next leader of the Chimar Village. However, he also possessed something of untold value. Miche had taken Kahm’s woman as his lifemate. Oi’yan.

  He couldn’t imagine her as his brother’s mate, though he had been the one to make Miche vow that he would provide for her. Thoughts of the woman that held his heart in her hands brought pain to his chest so severe that he stumbled. Heart of the forest. Oi’yan.

  His strong legs threatened to give out and Wolf growled deep in his throat in concern. Kahm laid a reassuring hand upon Wolf’s tense shoulders. He should not think of Oi’yan, she was forbidden to him, just like the village of Chimar. He wouldn’t allow himself to think of his brother with the woman that he had claimed for himself.

  The forest was now his home. Kahm needed to remember this truth even if it brought bitterness to his soul.

  Perhaps Oi’yan would be better off with Miche; he was the favored son of their father. Miche was Kahm’s twin, but he was also firstborn and therefore privileged in ways that Kahm could never hope to be.

  They were twins, but they were also vastly different in personality. Kahm was quiet and often brooding and he avoided confrontation when possible, but he was not afraid to delve deeply into a matter, if the need arose. Miche was jovial, light hearted and had a spirit like the wind, drifting here and there. He enjoyed challenging himself and the other men in mock battles of strength and might. Despite their similarities in appearance, their inherent differences bound them together as lifelong friends. Early on, their father was often absent from their lives and so their bond of brotherhood grew stronger each season.

  Their father had many responsibilities as the leader of the prosperous village of Chimar. He began to pay more attention to his sons as they reached the age of manhood. Miche favored their father in personality greatly and the villagers called him by their father’s name, Uton.

  Their mother died in childbirth and their father never spoke of her. She was called Citlali; it was a name that meant light in the sky in her own language. His mother was not of the Chimar Village, she had come from the Nahu people, a roaming band. Kahm wondered how a son that had never known his own mother could still miss her, for there was an em
pty place in his heart that belonged solely to her. If he felt this way, did that mean that Miche and his father felt the void as well?

  Such thoughts were not for today.

  Kahm steadied himself against the cave wall and then strapped on his hunting knife. He needed to leave the cave that had given him shelter these many moons. The walls felt like they were closing in on him, his breathing was rapid and his hands were wet with moisture from clenching his fists so tightly.

  Kahm felt the beginning of one of his dark moods surfacing. This was what had driven his father to choose Miche as leader over the Chimar Village, excluding Kahm from any role of service. As a second son, Kahm had hoped to serve his people in some way. Perhaps by joining the village council or leading the band of hunters that provided food for their people. Yet, these things had been snatched from his grasp and placed far outside of his reach. He had lost everything that he cherished because of the dark moods that overtook him and were outside of his control.

  There were rumors that his mother had been a witch. It was said that she bewitched his father and that was why he took a foreign wife. Kahm and Miche were scrutinized closely all of their lives by the people of their village and it was Kahm that was found to be lacking. It was Kahm that was banished from his village, never to return.

  He remembered looking at Oi’yan’s beautiful face as it crumbled in despair. She fell to her knees as he walked away without looking back.

  “Do not leave me!” Oi’yan pleaded as her father and mother pulled her away.

  They were foreigners to the Chimar people and couldn’t risk being cast out of the village, no matter the passionate bond that existed between the young couple. Kahm knew that Miche would claim Oi’yan as his lifemate, not out of jealousy or spite, but because he loved his brother and wanted Oi’yan to have the life that she deserved.