Sometime, months later, when they were all sat round the table Patxi, turned to his wife and said, “Mother, I think it’s time we had a union in this family.”
Inaki and Olatz looked at each other and smiled, then broke into laughter.
“The sooner the better,” Olatz said to her father with a smile.
“It is the custom for a father to receive a gift for his daughter.”
Inaki looked stunned. “I have nothing to give unless you accept my working for you?”
“No, that is not acceptable.”
“Father! How could you be so cruel?” Olatz exclaimed.
Patxi had held up his hand and silenced her. “There will come a time when I shall ask something of you. Will you grant my wish without question?”
Inaki nodded.
“I have your oath,” said Patxi.
“You have my oath,” said Inaki solemnly.
“So be it, you may have my daughter,” her father said, returning to his food.
Inaki wondered what Patxi had seen to make him take such an oath. It had to be something serious or he would not have asked, but what could it be? He could not think of anything and anyway, the thought of wedlock with Olatz filled him with happiness and any unease that he felt was soon banished from his thoughts.
The next day preparations began. The pagan wedding would take place on Midsummer’s Eve. The messages were sent and over the coming weeks the guests began arriving. The first to arrive were Inaki’s mother and uncle. There followed many members of Olatz’s family: her seven uncles and their wives and children. Grandparents, aunts and friends. Finally, Aguirre Aguirre who none had seen for so many years in the village. With him he brought a dog, nearly sixteen months old, and as black as a moonless night. He had called it Roka.
“You left me with a present when you had gone,” he said to Inaki. “Or to be more correct, Storm had.”
Inaki looked at the dog. There could be no denying it. It was the spitting image of his father.
“How many puppies did she have?” asked Inaki.
“Five, three bitches and two dogs. I sold the bitches and kept the dogs for some reason. He’s just about trained.” Aguirre’s face shone with pride.
The young dog had gone over to his father and licked his face. Storm stood stiffly and sniffed the dog.
“Well, seems to recognise his offspring. Otherwise he would have killed it,” Aguirre observed.
Olatz came over to Inaki and took his arm. Inaki looked into the dark eyes, like forest pools. She spoke.
“I think Storm gave Aguirre something greater than anything he could have wished for.”
“So do I,” Inaki said pressing her arm. “Roka the second, is a very fine dog.”
On Midsummer’s Eve in the year 775 AD, the pagan wedding of Inaki and Olatz took place. Inaki was sixteen, Olatz just fourteen. The wedding feast that followed lasted two days, by which time many of the guests could hardly stand. The whole village had turned out for the wedding. Over the following months, the villagers helped Inaki build his own house in the tradition of their own houses. The bottom half was of stone, with stables for cattle and sheep, the living quarters were on the second floor and on top a slopping roof made of wooden beams and planks, topped with earth and grass. For the first time in his life he felt he had found a place were he was truly accepted. The following year was the happiest of his life.
There passed two years in absolute happiness and tranquillity. Then on a May morning of 777 AD, Inaki was in the hills hunting. The air was full of the scents of summer and the hunting had been good. Dog and man were in high spirits as they made their way back to the village, four rabbits and some partridge all tied with a piece of leather and hung over his shoulder. They passed through a small wood of cork oaks. Storm was moving steadily, quartering the ground ahead of his master, lingering to smell the ground or a tree as an interesting scent caught his attention. Suddenly he stopped, head upright and alert. For a moment Inaki thought that he had seen something for him to shoot with his bow. For a time neither of them moved. Inaki searched the area ahead of him, trying to identify the animal or bird that had caught the dog’s attention. He could see nothing. Slowly, the sound of two drawn-out whistles penetrated his consciousness. From somewhere in the mountains the message was being passed on and on. ‘Zutik! Zutik!’ Each time it was clearer and more urgent. Inaki put his fingers in his mouth and turned towards the village. He blew hard and long, repeating the signal. He broke into a run with Storm ahead of him. In the distance, when they could see the village, he could just make out people running in all directions. Beyond the village he could see the sea. The boats were making their way home after hearing drums. Soon the whole village would be gathered under the village oak.
Chapter Seven
Zutik!
As he entered the village, the men were rushing in from all directions. Some came from the fields where they had been working others came from the beach or their homes. All made for the oak tree at the centre of the village. Near the tree, two men were beating on a hollow log, vigorously with sticks, furiously relaying the message. It was just one word over and over again, ‘Zutik, Zutik,’ the word was echoed. In the distance other drums could be heard. ‘Zutik, Zutik, Zutik,’ they repeated. That single Basque word which would gather the Basque nation. ‘Arise! Arise!’ Patxi was already there and Inaki made his way to his side. Men stood in groups talking sombrely, waiting for all to arrive before the meeting started. Finally, when all the men had assembled, Patxi moved under the oak.
He raised his arms, and said: “You all know why we are gathered here. You have for many months heard the rumours and the stories that have come from the east. You have, this day, heard the battle cry: Zutik. The waiting is over. We must elect a leader.”
The men murmured in consent and agreement.
“I propose Inaki,” said Patxi
There was an astonished silence. Then a voice shouted out.
“Why not you? He’s too young and inexperienced.”
Many voices shouted their approval. Inaki looked at the ground.
Patxi lifted his arm for silence. When the noise had died down, he began to speak.
“He may be young, of that there is no question, but he has a shrewd head and he is the best pupil I have ever instructed into the hidden arts.”
The discontent was still evident in the men’s faces. Other names were put forward; some names were met with cheers.
“All right, all right,” said Patxi, “let me make another proposal and my reasons for it! He is young, therefore, I will act as a counsellor for him, but he has the gift and he will need the authority, when the time comes, to lead us in the plan that the Gods put before him.”
The men fell silent, but the discontent was still there.
“Take your time; it is important that you come to the right decision.” A black cloud had descended over the men. Patxi said: “As for me I will follow no other and if you wish to go to battle without a Nagusi and your Gods, so be it!”
“That’s blackmail!” Inaki whispered.
“I know,” Patxi winked.
For over an hour the discussion raged backwards and forwards. In the end a vote was taken and Inaki elected by the narrowest of majorities. After more talk it was decided to bring in the flocks from the surrounding hills. A hundred sheep and goats would be taken as food by the men; the rest would remain with the women and children. The men would leave at dawn the next day. The meeting slowly broke up. Some of the men remained talking, others left to collect weapons and prepare for their departure at dawn. Patxi and Inaki left together and walked to Patxi’s house. Olatz was already there, waiting at the doorway. She ran to meet them.
“What does it all mean?” she asked breathlessly.
“We don’t know yet,” said Patxi, “but its war that’s for certain.”
“Against whom?” Olatz said.
“Don’t know.”
; “So you men are frightening us to death and you don’t know who the enemy is, or where he is!”
“That’s about right,” her father smiled.
“Typical!” Olatz said, stamping her foot.
“Tonight we eat together, it maybe a long time before we can eat together again, and what makes you think there is only one enemy Olatz?” There was a wicked look in Patxi’s eyes as he spoke to his daughter.
That night the whole family gathered at Patxi’s house. Patxi’s seven brothers were there together with Inaki and Olatz. The talk began slowly at first, everybody avoiding the subject uppermost on everyone’s mind. Finally, Olatz’s quick temper got the better of her and she burst out: “Why are we not talking about the call to war?”
Everyone fell silent. Patxi eventually broke the silence, speaking softly and choosing his words with care.
“It has been a long time since the Basque clans have been called to rise as one. It can only mean that we face the most pressing danger. Many will die. Some of the men you know and love will not return. In the face of such danger, men prefer to keep silent and not worry their families; also, they need all their courage for the trials to come.”
Olatz fell into Inaki’s arms sobbing uncontrollably. Inaki’s eyes filled with tears. He knew that the time was short and they had had such a short time together.
“Don’t leave me!” Olatz cried, her arms clasped around Inaki’s neck.
“Olatz!” Her father’s voice was sharp. “Don’t ask your man to disgrace himself. In a fight, he and that Devil’s dog are worth ten men!”
Storm forced himself between Inaki and Olatz, so that they looked like a body with three heads. Olatz drew away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
“You are right, Father.” She made an enormous effort to compose herself. She was pregnant, but it was not the right time to burden Inaki with the knowledge of their first child.
“He must go,” she said simply.
*
At dawn, forty fully armed men set out for Guernica. At the back of the column a flock of a hundred sheep and goats. At their head was Patxi and Inaki, Storm ran on ahead, his tail high in the air. The women watched them go; black shawls around their heads protected them against the cold morning air.
The next day the men marched into Guernica. They stopped beside the sacred oak of the Basque country. Many men where already there and over the next few days more arrived. From the province of Vizcaya, were swordsmen with two-edged short swords and small round shields. At the front of 200 strong columns, twenty Txistularis with their flutes and side drums played as they marched into the town. From the province of Alava came spearmen, slingshots and archers, 500 men in all. Navarra the largest province sent a token force of twenty axe men and some important news. There would be a thousand more waiting in Navarra. From the Basque French provinces of Labourd, Basse Navarre and Soule, small numbers of men with disturbing stories of the gathering forces of Franks in France. Altogether over the following days, 6,000 fully armed Basques gathered in the town.
Just outside the town a group of twelve Nagusi made camp. Inaki and Patxi joined them. Next day the seven captains came to see them, each elected from their own province.
“We have disturbing news,” Zumalacarrequi said. He was the most senior of the captains.
“What might that be?” Larraga replied, an old and wise Nagusi from Alava.
“You will be aware of part of it, ancient one,” said Gorka the captain from Avala, smiling.
“No doubt, bad news travels fast, but don’t treat us like children and tell us all you know.”
Zumalacarrequi began. The Visigoths had gathered under Palayo, 600 strong, together with an unknown number of Asturians. Marching to face them were 20,000 Moors. To the east 60,000 Franks, under Charlemagne, were gathering to march into Spain through the Basque province of Navarra. All were battle-hardened veterans of many campaigns and by far the most dangerous. The men of Labourd had raised the alarm when Charlemagne and a great army had joined with Roland, his favourite nephew, in northern France. Rumours were that Charlemagne was making for Zaragoza, where he had made a pact with the Moslem governor of the city.
“We are like a nut between two rocks,” Zabala said, interrupting Zumalacarrequi.
“I see,” said Larraga. “What do you propose to do?”
“Nothing, for the moment,” said Zumalacarrequi, “until we have a better knowledge of what we are facing.”
Patxi spoke for the first time. “You cannot keep all these men here. How will you feed them?”
“Oh, we do not intend to stay here. We will deploy them. The question has to be to where?” said Zabala.
“That’s why we have come to see you. We need you to use your arts to predict were the greatest danger lies.”
“We will call you when we have the answer,” said one of the Nagusi. The captains left.
Next day, Inaki’s uncle and mother arrived. The Nagusi built a round structure of wood and covered it with sods of grass. That night, fifteen Nagusi filled the building and a powerful brew of the magic mushrooms and other things were prepared. After they had meditated, said prayers to the Gods and prepared themselves, the mixture was passed around in a large wooden bowl. Inaki sat between Patxi and his uncle. He took a large drink of the mixture and closed his eyes, summoning his guardian. When the Sacred Octopus had appeared in his mind, he opened his eyes. The flames of the fire at the centre had changed to blue. A blue light illuminated the whole building. Several of the Nagusi appeared to have changed shape. To his surprise his uncle was now a great grey bear, Patxi an oak, another was a giant wolf. Two others were birds: one was an eagle, the other a black crow. These two flew into the air and disappeared through a hole at the top of the structure, flying eastwards.
The Sacred Octopus left his mind and hung above him. It grew in size, until it was the size of three men. The tentacles reached down and plucked him into the air. They disappeared in a westward direction. Upwards they flew, higher and higher. Then suddenly they plunged towards the ground, stopping above a range of mountains. Then came a sudden descent. They slowed down until they hovered above a cave in a mountainside. The Sacred Octopus placed him gently on the ground, covering him in a dark inky substance. Inaki stepped into the cave. Once inside the cave, Inaki became aware of a rhythmic chanting. He moved deeper into the cave, until it opened into an enormous cavern, the size of St Peter’s Basilica. From the ceiling, huge stalactites came down to meet stalagmites, which had, in places, fused to form white glistening pillars supporting the massive roof. Candles of various shapes and sizes lit the whole cavern. Braziers burnt in several places. In the centre a group of forty black-cloaked hooded figures moved slowly around a central altar. They each held a long black candle and chanted in Latin as they moved.
Their movement revealed that they were totally naked underneath their cloaks and that they were all women. At the stone altar a single figure, dressed like the others in black, displayed the most exquisite silver jewellery on her neck and arms. In her hand a silver handled dagger was raised. To her left a young woman stood totally naked with two attendants, who were covering her body with a red liquid substance. They applied the substance by dipping long horsehair brushes into a silver bowl. At the front of the altar was a boy, tied hand and foot. By his dress Inaki could tell that he was high ranking and a Moor. On the altar was a naked man. The dagger came down and with a few expertly executed strokes, his heart was cut out. Several other bodies lay on the floor with no hearts. The priestess took the heart and squeezed the blood into the silver bowl. She then began to eat the heart. Inaki gasped. They turned towards him. The priestess pointed at the inky darkness and gave the most eerie scream, which turned his heart to stone. Inaki felt the darkness around him enveloping his mind. The next thing he became aware of was that he was outside. The Octopus had picked him up and he was rushing into the night sky. Inaki lost consciousness. A sharp slap across the face b
rought him to his senses.
“Nice trip? Have no fear, your body remained here guarded within the circle of Nagusi,” Patxi said with a smile.
Inaki could not speak. He sat in a daze. His mind tormented by what he had seen.
*
What each of the Nagusi had experienced in their dream’s, was discussed until dawn. Finally, it was Inaki’s turn. They all sat in silence as he recalled his trip to the Sisters of the Moon.
“Interestingly, it would seem that the Sisters have a captive, and one of some importance,” said Larraga, “but before we take this matter further we must all rest.”
Inaki slept for the rest of the next day and night. It was a restless sleep from which he often awoke in a sweat.
Three days later, at dusk, the Nagusi were ready and a meeting was called. They met the captains under the Sacred Oak, as was their custom.
“The Gods have many needs,” Zumalacarraqui, the most senior captain said, raising his arms.
“Blessed be the Gods,” 2,000 voices replied.
“You have something to tell us, oh wise one?”
“We have,” replied Larraga, a wise Nagusi, “some of which we understand, some things are not so clear. I will start with what we know and let you judge the rest.”
Larraga explained that the Nagusi had travelled far and wide. After much consultation amongst themselves they had concluded that the threat to the west was perceived and real, as was the threat to the east. They cautioned that action of some kind would have to be taken, to meet these two threats. That they, all agreed, was clearly understood. Then he told the meeting of Inaki’s experience and their interpretation of what it meant.
“We believe that there is danger in Aragon, but of what kind we cannot judge, however we would suggest that provision be made for it. Clearly, they have, or will have soon, a Moor of some importance. We need to know who he is and why the Sisters have decided to keep him alive. He could be the reason for the pact with Charlemagne,” Larraga sat down.
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