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

by Karah Quinney

  Matiye’s face took on a pinched expression and Hetol saw that he had guessed correctly. He knew something that he had withheld from Sarnom in an effort to protect Talon and Sunflower.

  “If you tell me what you found, I will stand with you if Sarnom makes an accusation against you and the other warriors.” Hetol lifted his chin proudly as he turned to stare at Matiye.

  “There is nothing to say.” Matiye glanced around to make certain that they were not overheard. “I searched along with the other men and we followed their tracks deep into the forest, but we couldn’t find them.”

  Matiye spoke carefully, but worry weighed upon his chest. If Sarnom accused him of acting falsely, it wouldn’t only affect him, but his entire family.

  “Was there ever a time that you thought, even for a moment, that Talon and Sunflower could have been hidden nearby? If the answer is no, then you have nothing to hide.”

  Matiye struggled to form a response, but Hetol simply waited. “There was a moment, when I stood beside a place of fallen rock and stone. I remember thinking that perhaps it was a place that Talon would choose to hide.”

  Hetol was thrilled to hear Matiye voice his doubts aloud. “You cannot be condemned for your thoughts.”

  Matiye shook his head as if waking from a trance and his eyes glinted with suspicion as he watched Hetol.

  “If Sarnom mentions the matter to me again, I will tell him that you are loyal to our village and he would do well to place his trust in you and the other men. I will speak to Chumal and tell him that you are a fine warrior.” Hetol looked into the forest that rimmed their village as he dismissed the young man sitting next to him. He had the information that he needed and Matiye was no longer of any interest to him.

  He moved away from the firelight so that no one would see the calculating gleam that lit his eyes and it was a good thing. Hetol could no longer hide his growing resolve to seek out Talon and Sunflower. He would succeed where the other men had failed and then Sarnom would no longer hold him in disdain.

  Talon threw surreptitious glances at Kahm and Miche. They spoke in low tones that didn’t carry to his ears. Kahm’s gaze was direct, while Miche’s was shadowed by the deep circles under his eyes.

  Sunflower didn’t interrupt the pair; instead, she focused on sewing a new parka with Oi’yan. Talon whittled a sturdy branch into a form that was only now taking shape.

  In the Hokum Village, such things as carving and capturing images upon stone were not allowed. Even to write upon the ground was forbidden. Talon had never questioned why this was so.

  Always before, he was told that if he did such a thing he would offend the gods and there would be no animals to hunt. Talon had always thought that it would be best to travel as the animals of the forest traveled.

  Talon closed his eyes and for a moment, he could clearly see the animals of the forest before him. Deer, rabbit, wild boar, bear, and others called out to him. His fingers traced their shape in the air and a slight gasp from Sunflower broke his concentration.

  Oi’yan looked at Talon and tilted her head slightly as she tried to understand what she was seeing. It appeared that he drew shapes in the air. When Talon met her gaze, his eyes lit with surprise. It was clear to Oi’yan that he didn’t expect to see understanding or even kindness when he looked at her.

  “What is it that you draw?” Oi’yan asked.

  “Animals of the forest.” Talon’s voice was so low that Oi’yan had to strain to hear him. Without showing any surprise, she went back to her weaving.

  “Do you know how to make their images?” Oi’yan hoped to encourage Talon to talk to her, yet her words seemed to have the opposite effect. Silence was her only answer.

  “Did you know that Dyami drew many things upon the rocks of our village?” Oi’yan saw the moment she captured Talon’s interest. She didn’t need him to ask her to say more. “In our village such things are not forbidden, but I would imagine that they were forbidden by your people.”

  “Dyami was a man of some fame, for his work was like nothing I have ever seen before. He used color in a way that made images come to life. If he could imagine it, he could draw it. If it lived and breathed, he could capture it with his hands and fingers upon any surface.” Oi’yan glanced up and saw that Talon’s eyes were wide with wonder.

  “You destroy the carvings that you make, before anyone can appreciate their beauty.” Oi’yan met Talon’s steady gaze. “Have you ever considered keeping the carvings or sharing them with others?”

  Talon’s brow furrowed as he considered Oi’yan’s words. “This is something that I must consider.”

  Momentarily distracted, Oi’yan turned away and when she glanced up, she was startled to see that Talon’s place by the fire was empty. She hadn’t heard him leave. He was gone, but his efforts with the piece of wood were clear to see.

  He had created the image of a woman and man wrapped in a loving embrace. Oi’yan gasped as Sunflower handed Talon’s work to her. It was beautiful! Never before had she seen anything to rival it in beauty, except for the work done by Dyami.

  “Your brother creates life.” Oi’yan had no way to explain her words to Sunflower, yet Sunflower’s eyes sparkled in delight as she turned the image in her hands reverently. There was nothing to rival the beauty of the man and woman that held each other so passionately. Except for the people that they represented, Oi’yan and Kahm.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The sun rose the next day and bathed the forest in light. Oi’yan and Sunflower took up their customary positions outside the cave on the large rock that had become their resting place. Wolf rested nearby while Kahm and Talon were away hunting.

  Miche remained inside the cave and he had ignored their attempts to draw him outside. Oi’yan gently touched Sunflower’s shoulder to draw her attention. Sunflower looked up at her out of shining dark eyes that still took Oi’yan’s breath at times.

  “You are beautiful.” Oi’yan pointed to the sun and then back at Sunflower.

  They didn’t have a hand sign for the word beautiful, but Sunflower often gazed at the heavens and the sun held her rapt attention.

  “Can you tell me about your mother?” Oi’yan’s question took Sunflower by surprise and for a moment, sadness filled her eyes. “I do not mean to bring you pain. My own mother and father have been taken captive by the Mingha. I wish to know of your mother so that I may honor her memory.”

  Oi’yan was not certain how much of what she signed was understood by Sunflower. The girl studied Oi’yan’s lips just as closely as she did her hand signs.

  “She was a healer, she was our mother.” Sunflower verbalized a few of the sounds that she remembered.

  The words were simply phrased, but they meant so much coming from the young girl that signed with her hands so fluently. So bravely.

  “What of your father?” Oi’yan asked, not for the first time.

  She felt that there was a mystery surrounding Talon and Sunflower. She wanted to understand their past, not out of curiosity, but in an effort to protect them from harm. Oi’yan knew that Kahm would have already done the same, if he were not preoccupied with the capture of their village and the illness of his brother.

  “Dyami.” Sunflower spoke her father’s name and Oi’yan nodded in approval. “He left our mother and Talon is still very angry. But our father left so that we might live.”

  “How do you know this is true?” Oi’yan wondered if Sunflower had ever shared such knowledge with Talon.

  “Our mother told me many stories of our father. He was a great man and should have been the leader of the Hokum Village. But the leadership was taken from him by deceit.” Sunflower pursed her lips in pain as she remembered her mother’s anguished expression even as she shared this hidden knowledge. “Talon refused to hear the stories of our father and I have never had the words to tell him, until now.”

  “Were you in danger?” Oi’yan struggled with a new sign for the word danger.

  “Talon would k
now.” Sunflower replied as a sound to their left drew Oi’yan’s attention.

  Talon stood like a shadow of the forest with a portion of a freshly butchered kill strapped upon his back. It was obvious that he had overheard every word spoken between them as he held Sunflower’s gaze for a long moment.

  “Miche!” Kahm’s voice broke the silence. “Did you plan to leave without telling us?”

  Miche had emerged from the cave with his weapons, only to be intercepted by Kahm.

  “I must return to our people and do what I can to help them.” Miche had no doubt that Kahm would trust him even less after interrupting his attempt to leave.

  “Did you think that I would let you go alone?” Kahm’s voice brimmed with anger.

  “This is not your battle.” Miche knew his words were unfounded as soon as they escaped his lips. Kahm was not ill, as they had first suspected nor was he incapable of fighting as a warrior.

  “I will fight for our people, but I will do it the right way.” Kahm replied as he waved his hand dismissively. It was not his way to argue with a senseless person, even if the person was his own brother.

  “And how would you accomplish this great thing?” Miche couldn’t keep the scorn from his voice. It was not his brother that he hated, but himself. His words carried traces of anger and defeat that were unmistakable to one so close to him.

  “We will need strong men to fight at our side.” Kahm kept his voice pitched low when other men would have shouted.

  Talon took a small step forward to stand beside Kahm. He sensed that both men were ready to fight one another. Yet, he knew that Kahm didn’t want to fight Miche. There were undercurrents that he couldn’t see and he sensed that there was much that went unspoken.

  “Where would we get such warriors? Our warriors, great hunters all, have fallen by our enemy’s hand. Those that didn’t fall are now captives of the Mingha. They are powerless.” Miche spat upon the ground and raised dark eyes to clash against Kahm’s steady gaze.

  “Talon has the blood right to become the leader of the Hokum Village. There are warriors there that would help us free our people.” Kahm’s words caused Talon to snap his head up in surprise.

  He had told Kahm everything that he knew of his father and mother and he shared his suspicions regarding Sarnom and the vile things he might do to Sunflower if he was ever allowed near her. Talon wanted to fight for those that were at the mercy of Sarnom, but he had never imagined that the opportunity would arise.

  Kahm had listened intently, yet he had not responded until now. It was clear that he had also overheard Sunflower’s conversation with Oi’yan. Talon studied Kahm and Miche as he considered those in the Hokum Village that needed a true leader.

  His village was starving, little by little, though they denied it. If Umati and Sarnom had their way, they would remain cut off from the other villages and bands until they perished. Everything inside of Talon urged him to fight.

  “Is this true?” Miche turned to Talon and noticed that his eyes were bright with unspoken determination. He thought of the carving that Oi’yan had shown them and the power within those images. Perhaps Talon was more than what he seemed. Yet, he wondered if Talon’s determination would be enough to win over an entire village and then convince the Hokum warriors to challenge the Mingha.

  “Do you doubt my husband’s word?”

  This was the first time that Oi’yan had spoken since the men faced off against each other. Her words seemed to hang in the air for a moment before it faded.

  Miche and Kahm turned to face Oi’yan and she was a sight to behold. Her long hair blew around her face unfettered by braids or ties. Her round belly seemed even more pronounced as she awkwardly gained her feet and waddled toward them.

  “Now you have made her angry.” Kahm spoke in an undertone so that only his brother and Talon could hear his voice.

  Oi’yan tilted her head up to look Miche in the eye. “It appears that I do not know the man that stands before me with eyes that are cold and uncaring. It is not my place to interfere in the dealings of men, this I know well, but I will not remain silent while you question my husband’s integrity. Must I repeat myself or do you continue to doubt Kahm’s words?”

  “No.” Miche spoke in answer to Oi’yan’s question and he knew that she misunderstood his meaning. “No, I do not doubt that Kahm speaks the truth.”

  Miche heard a suspicious cough and he knew that Kahm held in a grunt of laughter. He asked himself what man wouldn’t fear the small bit of a woman who stared at him with eyes filled with undisguised fury.

  Even as Oi’yan narrowed her eyes, he felt a chill shiver down his neck. He was cheered by the thought that Oi’yan was now his brother’s problem. If he had ever wondered whether or not she was the woman for his brother, he would cease wondering. Kahm met Oi’yan’s fire with fire of his own.

  “Good.” Oi’yan’s tense face relaxed into an expression that melted away the stormy glare that had stopped Miche in his tracks. “Talon’s father is most certainly Dyami. Do you not remember the man that came to our village many seasons ago?”

  Talon gave Oi’yan his full attention. He had always feared that his father was a traitor as Sarnom claimed.

  “What happened to my father? Was he taken captive?” Talon voiced his question bravely, yet he feared he already knew the answer.

  “I am sorry, Talon. He died many seasons ago. I know he would have returned for you and Sunflower if it were possible.”

  Sunflower edged closer to Talon, but he turned away and Wolf trailed behind him as they walked into the forest.

  Oi’yan gathered Sunflower to her side and despite her advanced pregnancy, she fully embraced her. “Talon has just learned that your father is no longer living. This has saddened him.”

  “Yes, I knew that it must be so.” Sunflower didn’t seem surprised, but resigned. “We have been blessed to sit at the hearth that belongs to you and Kahm. It is my hope that Talon will come to the same realization.”

  Oi’yan felt her heart swell with emotion, she only hoped that Talon would fight his dark feelings and allow himself to grieve.

  “How do you plan to request the help of men that you do not know? These men are not already loyal to Talon, are they?” Miche spoke with his mouth full as he devoured the meal prepared by Oi’yan and Sunflower. “Oi’yan is watching me.”

  “Then I suggest you learn to chew your food before choosing to speak. Women are particular about such things.” Kahm glanced at Oi’yan, before turning his attention back to Miche. “We will need to make the journey to Talon’s village and request their help. The Hokum Village will have to see that the Mingha will turn their attention to all the surrounding bands. It is only a matter of time.”

  Kahm emphasized the need for Miche’s involvement. He couldn’t accomplish all that he purposed without his brother’s help.

  When Talon returned to the cave, Sunflower spoke to her brother in low tones, without interruption. She told him, in no uncertain terms, that she hoped he would set aside the anger that he had carried for far too long. After a time, Talon took his place by the fire as the others included him in their discussion.

  “Talon will need to stake his claim as the rightful leader of the Hokum Village.” Oi’yan added her thoughts when Kahm inclined his head toward her. Sunflower’s eyes widened slightly as she interpreted the words spoken by Oi’yan.

  “I cannot ask Talon to do this thing.” Kahm grimaced with distaste. “It will be for him to decide. Whether he agrees or not, I will still appeal to the Hokum Village for their help. No other village is capable of defeating the Mingha. We are all aware that appealing to the Hokum Village is our only choice.”

  “The injustices in my village are prevalent.” Talon held Kahm’s gaze as he spoke. “The people that are too weak to defend themselves are in need of help and Umati is more interested in his own pursuits than the wellbeing of our people.”

  Kahm noted the burning fire in Talon’s eyes and he saw the
way that his chiseled features tightened with anger when he mentioned those that needed protection.

  Talon thought of his sister who had not been allowed to use hand signs to communicate. He thought of his mother who had died too early from a chest sickness that wouldn’t dissipate and he thought of the shame that his grandmother had endured until her dying day.

  He had always believed another healer could have helped his mother, but the Hokum Village didn’t have any dealings with the outside world. Instead, they remained alone and nothing was as it should be.

  A fragmented memory danced before his eyes and Talon remembered a large man with ruddy cheeks and kind eyes.

  “Remember me.” Dyami. His father.

  Suddenly, the few things that his mother had told him about his father came back to him in an onslaught of thought and emotion. His father had been a brave man, a great hunter and fierce warrior, but his downfall had been his love for his family. Early on, his mother had tried to keep the memories of Dyami alive for him but he had met each story with anger and sullenness. His mother had tried to spare him from pain, by sharing the stories of Dyami with Sunflower.

  He focused his attention upon what was best for the Hokum Village. The women were not treated well by the hunters. That was something that could be changed.

  He knew that a few of the villagers were truly content, but he asked himself how long such contentment would last after the next season of cold came and the hunting grew scarce. He had no doubt that the women would be forced to watch their children die of starvation or give them to the wind as a sacrifice. He silently asked himself what his father would have wanted him to do if faced with such a dilemma.

  “After all that I have learned, I wish to honor my father’s memory and the only way I can do that is to return to the Hokum Village. My people need a strong leader or they will perish. I will challenge Umati for the right to lead the Hokum Village. I will finish what my father started, so long ago.” Talon spoke in forcefully as he stood up for what was his and he didn’t look away from Kahm’s steady gaze.