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

by Karah Quinney

  Miche walked forward and held up a bowl that contained a red paste; the color was like that of fresh blood. Kahm faced Talon and spread the paste over first one cheek and then the other.

  “You wear the sacred color of the hunt. Know that as a man you walk as a hunter. Only when the lives of your woman, your child or your band are threatened does the hunter turn into something that he was not meant to be. A warrior!”

  “It is a curse to take the life of another man, but it is a blessing to be able to protect your loved ones from harm.” Miche intoned as he met Talon’s gaze.

  “Remember the stories told to you this night. Remember the sacred ways of this ceremony and one day you must share it with your own son. Sing our songs to him so that he will remember us all the days of his life.” Kahm revealed a drum that he had made with painstaking care, before extending the instrument to Miche.

  While Kahm related the story of their people, Miche played the drum. Talon felt the words stir a fire in his bones and he knew that he would never forget what was spoken between them.

  He would always remember the sacred promise that he had made as he stood before Kahm and Miche as a man of his village and finally, as a proud warrior.

  “I can no longer delay the inevitable.” Kahm grimaced with the need to act before it was too late. “We must find help for our village before the Mingha can do further harm to those that have survived. Miche, if you are with us, now is the time to speak.”

  Kahm walked deeper into the forest as he gathered wood. He added another log to the growing pile as he noticed that Miche looked everywhere but at him.

  “There is something that I must tell you first. Perhaps then you will not want me to join you.” Miche clenched his jaw against the need to say more.

  “Tell me.” Kahm grabbed another log and knocked it against a nearby tree, sending insects and debris scattering. A part of him recognized that his brother had finally decided to confess whatever poison ate away at his soul. For a time, Kahm wondered if the Mingha’s poisoned weapons where to blame for the darkness that shadowed Miche’s gaze. Now he would know the truth.

  “I am the reason that our village was overtaken. It was my fault alone that the village was unprepared for an attack.” Miche took a deep breath as the dreaded words were finally spoken aloud.

  Kahm placed the armload of wood upon the ground as he struggled against the instinctive urge to interrupt his brother with questions.

  “I went on a long journey after you left us. I walked for days upon days and many nights. I sought wisdom. Your betrayal of our father seemed too immense for me to comprehend. I wondered if I had ever truly known you.” Miche said.

  Although Kahm had come to understand that he had lost control during battle because of his ability to see things slowly that were happening at great speeds, he felt no relief.

  He had almost been the cause of his father’s death and it was after that fateful day that Kahm had cast Oi’yan aside as his future lifemate. He had not needed to hear his father tell him that he was unfit to lead his people. He had condemned himself by his failure to act.

  Banishment was the only alternative that was available to him. Kahm couldn’t bear the look of betrayal that never left his father’s eyes. He felt that he could never again walk amongst the people of his village after word of his disloyalty spread.

  “I asked myself how you could betray our father the way that you did. Now I know that you froze not because of disloyalty, but because of the battle fever that affects your senses.” Miche grimaced ruefully over his brother’s discovery. Kahm had turned into a mighty man of war, more powerful and deadly than any warrior the Chimar Village had ever known.

  “It was several days later that I stumbled upon a great village. I cannot describe to you the majesty of the place. They had dwellings that were made of stone. Great, towering temples where the people went to worship.” Miche winced slightly under Kahm’s penetrating stare. Soon his brother would look at him out of hate-filled eyes.

  “They welcomed me.” Miche had no other way of describing the reception that awaited him when word of his arrival reached their leaders. “I didn’t know that they would later become our sworn enemy.”

  “The Mingha.” It was the first time since Miche began speaking that Kahm interrupted.

  “Yes, the very same.” Miche closed his eyes for a moment and looked deep inside for the strength to continue speaking.

  “I remained with them for several days and never once did it occur to me to be wary. Never once did it occur to me to hold tight to the trust that I placed in their words.” He shifted so that he could look his brother in the eye. Kahm stared back without flinching.

  “I wore the customary dress of our people.” Miche referred to his ceremonial garb that bespoke his place as the future leader of the Chimar Village.

  His moccasins were adorned with turquoise beads that had been carefully fashioned by their people. His waistcloth was of the finest animal hide, softened by the hands of many women as they worked the material into something fit for only a leader of their village.

  The same could be said of his parka and leg coverings. The breastplate that Miche wore was made of whalebone and it was an ornate symbol of his status within his village.

  “The leaders of the Mingha asked me many questions and I held nothing back. I told them everything. I boasted about our village even though I knew that it was as nothing in comparison to theirs. I talked of our mountains and the sacred whale, along with our great forests that run plentiful with game throughout the seasons that come and go.” Miche placed his hand over his eyes and then grew still.

  He needed to tell Kahm the rest so that his brother would know the full extent of his treachery.

  “When they asked me if I wanted an alliance, I thought only of myself. I thought of nothing but the glory an alliance with such a prosperous village would bring me in the eyes of our father.” Miche released his breath on a sigh. “I have always believed that our father favored you. I knew that worst of all he wished it was me that was struck with sickness and not you.”

  Kahm flinched as Miche spoke the words that had always stood between them. Their father had been absent most of their lives, yet when he turned his attention upon them, it was with the intention of dividing his sons. However, Miche and Kahm refused to allow anyone to break the bond of brotherhood that existed between them.

  “I wanted to see his eyes light with favor when he next looked upon me and most of all, I wanted to forget you.” Miche whispered the words brokenly as emotion clogged his throat. Kahm’s eyes sparkled with anger, but he didn’t speak.

  “There was much feasting and celebration when I agreed to the Mingha’s request for an alliance. There were women that wanted to be with me and the people actually bowed low to the ground when I walked past. I stayed for several days basking in the glory of my success.” Miche shook his head mournfully as he spoke.

  He realized only now that the feasting and celebration had been a ruse to slow his return to the village of Chimar. It had given the Mingha warriors just enough time to use their planked canoes to travel the distance that had taken Miche several days journey to walk.

  “When I returned, triumphant and excited to share my journey with our father, it was just as I have already told you. I encountered many of our warriors lying dead outside of our village. I stopped Oi’yan and her parents from returning out of fear for their safety. And I knew without a doubt that it was the Mingha that had arrived before me and attacked our people.” Visions of that fateful day flashed behind Miche’s eyes.

  He saw the distinctive Mingha weapons buried in the bodies of men that he had known since childhood. When he had stealthily approached their village and saw those that he loved bound and gagged, tied like animals together and working as captives under the Mingha, he had almost come undone.

  It was only out of the need to get Oi’yan and her family to safety that he had not run forward in an attempt to slay as many of the
Mingha warriors as he could. It was only after seeing the fallen body of their father, pierced by a Mingha spear that Miche had recognized the death of all that he had ever known.

  Kahm looked into Miche’s eyes and he saw his brother’s thoughts so clearly that it was as if he was reliving the destruction of their village with him.

  “I can only speak for myself…” Kahm cleared his throat twice before he could force the words out. “I forgive you. It is clear that you didn’t know that you invited an enemy into our home.”

  Miche was stunned. He had expected anger, revulsion and even hatred from Kahm, but never once, not in all of his imaginings had he expected forgiveness.

  “How can you offer me your forgiveness?” Miche kept his voice pitched low when he really wanted to shout violently at Kahm.

  His brother was slow to answer and Miche stood, ready to do violence if this was a trick meant only to torture him, though he had never known his brother to be cruel.

  “Tell me, did you intend to betray our village to the Mingha?” Before the words were even out of Kahm’s mouth Miche responded with a tortured groan of denial.

  “How can I blame you for the actions of others? The Mingha decided to make war upon our people. They decided to betray your trust and take our loved ones captive. You were also betrayed, brother, by those that you called friend.” Kahm reasoned with Miche as he saw that the calamity that had befallen their people weighed heavily upon his brother’s spirit.

  The burden of guilt that Miche carried was not foreign to Kahm. Had he not berated himself time and time again for almost allowing the death of his father? If he had not gone through such anguish perhaps he wouldn’t understand the battle that now raged inside of Miche, but because of what he had suffered, he understood.

  “You do not blame me?” Miche couldn’t seem to comprehend the words spoken by his twin.

  “I blame those that sought to steal and pillage. I blame the Mingha for their actions.” Kahm spoke with force as Miche’s eyes widened and then narrowed in turn. He knew well the self-loathing that grew inside until it was as toxic as poison. Now that they had identified the reason for Miche’s angst, perhaps his brother would begin to heal.

  “We will speak more tomorrow, but first I must know that I can count on your support. We will free our village from the vile grasp of the Mingha and together, we will salvage what we can. We will live free again, but first we must seek help from the nearest village.” Kahm held out his hand to Miche. His brother had fallen to his knees next to the pile of wood and he hung his head in sorrow.

  Miche stared at Kahm’s outstretched hand for many moments as his brother offered him a ray of hope for the first time since their village had fallen. Kahm grasped Miche’s hand and then held tightly to his brother’s wrist. They were united as only brothers could be and while their bond had been damaged, it had not been severed beyond repair.

  Sunflower knew that she must hurry if she was to gather the roots and plants that she needed before anyone noticed her absence. A niggling thread of doubt crossed her mind as she considered whether or not it was wise to stray away from the cave entrance.

  Talon slept deeply as his body sought to restore itself. It was only because her brother was uncommonly tired that she had been able to leave the cave just as the early morning light graced the forest.

  Wolf remained behind only because he would have made too much noise if she took him with her. Sunflower moved on silent feet to the place where she had seen three rare plants that she wanted to add to her healing pouch.

  “I will be very quick.” Sunflower promised herself, surprised that she would murmur the words quietly despite her inability to hear.

  There had not been any sign of the Hokum warriors for more days than she could number. She assured herself that if there had been any sign of danger, she would have waited asked one of the men to accompany her.

  A shadow stood in the place of the sun for a moment as Sunflower struggled to free the plants from the hardened ground. She turned her head to see what blocked the sunlight and as her eyes took in the sight before her, she shrank away in fear.

  “Where is Sunflower?” Talon splashed water over his face and ran his hands through his hair as he spoke to Kahm and Miche.

  “She is not sleeping next to Oi’yan?” Kahm’s eyes softened as he thought of Sunflower.

  “No. I already checked the cave. Oi’yan remains inside with Wolf, but Sunflower is not with her.” Talon turned in a circle as concern for his sister seared his thoughts.

  “Perhaps she didn’t want to wake Oi’yan.” Miche was the first to step into the forest and call for Sunflower.

  “She cannot hear you.” Talon’s shoulders knotted with tension as he spoke to Miche.

  Miche winced as he realized his error. “Of course not. I will help you look for her.”

  “Talon, there has not been any sign of danger. I will check the opposite side of the forest and we will meet back here.” Kahm didn’t wait for Talon to give his agreement.

  He entered the cave and quickly explained his concerns to Oi’yan. Despite her fear for Sunflower, there was no time to reassure his wife. He ran through the forest as he kept his eyes trained upon the ground for Sunflower’s tracks.

  A short time later, he returned to the cave to find Talon and Miche standing together with their weapons in hand.

  “We could use Wolf to track her.” Kahm wished that he had brought the wolf along with him as soon as he realized that Sunflower was missing.

  “There is no need.” Talon’s desperate gaze moved to search their surroundings. “The Hokum warriors are able hunters and skilled trackers.”

  “What are you saying?” Miche stared into the forest with a look of dark loathing. He didn’t need to hear Talon say the words in order for him to understand what had befallen Sunflower.

  “Someone knew of our place in this cave. That same person has taken my sister back to the Hokum Village. They have taken her back to Sarnom!”

  Talon turned toward the forest that had sheltered them for so long as he struggled to contain his overwhelming concern for his sister. He didn’t feel Kahm’s hand upon his shoulder and he didn’t see Miche step forward as if to brace him should he stumble. Time seemed to slow down as he lifted his voice in a feral cry as if to disavowal what he knew to be true.

  “Sunflower!”

  “I will help Talon find Sunflower and then I will see to the wellbeing of our village.” Kahm quietly assured Oi’yan as she looked up at him out of shining eyes.

  They had only a few moments before they would begin their journey. Oi’yan would need to remain behind with Wolf as her companion. It was not what Kahm would have wished, but she assured him that it was best. Her time of childbirth drew ever nearer and she couldn’t travel several days distance swiftly and expect to remain unaffected.

  “We have a little time before the child arrives.” Oi’yan rubbed the mound of her belly as Kahm pressed his lips against her taut flesh.

  “I will return in time to welcome our child into the world.” Kahm swore vehemently.

  “Do you not wish for a son?” Oi’yan had never asked Kahm what he hoped for in the child that would be born of their union.

  “Talon and Sunflower have each taken a place at our hearth. This child will bring us joy, whether it is male or female.” Kahm replied as Oi’yan pressed her cheek into the hollow of his neck.

  She felt his arms close around her and marveled at the strength possessed by this man that she called husband. Fear took up a staccato rhythm in her heart because she knew that Kahm was not indestructible, he could bleed, and he could die, like any other man.

  Yet, the gift given to him by the Great One of All Things had been bestowed for a reason. Oi’yan had to believe that the safekeeping of Sunflower and the rescue of their people was that reason. If she didn’t believe such a thing then terror would consume her every breath and her power would be scanty.

  “I will tell you one thing that you
must take with you on this journey, husband.” Oi’yan pressed her fingers over Kahm’s firm lips when he would have spoken words to stymie the tears that filled her eyes. “Use the gift given to you without doubt or question. Trust your instincts and let your soul guide your actions. You are capable of this task and it is for this reason that it has been set before you.”

  Oi’yan’s voice choked over her last words and Kahm sipped at her tears as they trailed down her face. Time was short and she knew that Kahm stole precious moments that he couldn’t afford to waste in an effort to console her. Even now, Talon and Miche prepared their weapons and carrying sacks.

  She inhaled sharply as he kissed her adoringly, lovingly and worshipfully. Oi’yan reveled in the touch and feel of her husband, a man that was both good and strong.

  “Find Sunflower, keep Talon safe and no matter what happens, you must return to me.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Talon ran. Kahm and Miche were right behind him as they moved silently through the woods. They had already spoken at length about how the Hokum Village would view Talon’s return. He had taken Sunflower from Sarnom in an act of utter defiance. It was possible that the Hokum warriors would try to kill him on sight.

  Kahm believed that the Hokum warriors would allow Sarnom or their leader, Umati, to decide Talon’s fate. He remembered well that the Hokum warriors had searched for them day and night for several days. He believed Talon when the young man explained that Sarnom meant Sunflower great harm. Kahm trusted Talon’s judgment. He had no doubt that Talon believed that the threat to his sister was so severe that he had to abandon his village for the dangers of the unknown. A cold shiver traveled over his backbone as he thought of Sunflower in the hands of Sarnom.

  The men rested at midday out of necessity. They ate a small meal of dried meat and some of the nuts and berries the women had gathered. They didn’t speak. Words were unnecessary.