Karah
Quinney
THE LAST SUNDANCER
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Copyright © 2012 KARAH QUINNEY
All rights reserved
The Last Sundancer is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual or fictional events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States by Kennedy Publishing.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Quinney, Karah
The Last Sundancer: a novel/Karah Quinney.
Cover Art: www.brookegillette.weebly.com
Kennedy Publishing
Titles by Karah Quinney:
Series
The Keeper
THE GUARDIAN
THE CHOSEN ONE
DREAMKEEPER
The Whale Hunter
PILLAR OF FIRE (Book One)
SACRED FIRE (Book Two)
The Great Land
SHADOW OF THE MOON (Book One)
LIGHT OF THE SUN (Book Two)
Sundancer
THE LAST SUNDANCER
LEGEND OF THE SUNDANCER – Coming soon!
License Statement:
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Thousands of years ago,
in the land of sand and elusive canyons…
The first thing that the boy felt when he awoke was the absence of his brother. Kaichen opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.
Above him was the wide open sky. In the distance, he could make out the peaks of the red rock canyons. Kaichen felt his eyes burn with the yearning to return to his village but he quickly pushed all feeling aside.
Grandfather seemed to sense the moment when Kaichen cast his thoughts toward home. A swift blow from Grandfather’s walking stick would come soon after Kaichen showed any weakness. He had learned how to mask his feelings behind a face that was expressionless and devoid of any emotion.
The night before, Grandfather had taken them to a sacred place. He built a fire and burned aromatic dried grasses as he spoke to them of their purpose. Kaichen felt his stomach flutter with unease as he remembered Grandfather’s words.
“You were born to fulfill a special purpose.” Grandfather’s eyes were vacant and misty, looking off into the distance. The boys sat with their legs crossed and their heads raised, they were watchful and alert.
“Your father was a great man and one of you will follow in his footsteps. Our people need your help. You must fulfill that which you have been born to do.” A fit of weeping had overcome Grandfather as he wiped his tears away.
“Grandfather, why do you weep?” Kaichen had found the bravery needed to ask after his grandfather’s welfare but he immediately wished that he had remained silent.
Grandfather’s eyes grew hard and angry. “Do not interrupt the ritual that I hold sacred!”
Kaichen felt his right hand grow numb and it was only then that he realized that he clasped his twin brother’s hand so tightly that he had lost all feeling. Before he could issue an apology, Grandfather started to mumble and then to chant. Both boys remained silent.
“Long ago, men of great power came to our village. They fell upon us like insects upon a lush field. They took captive our men, women and children. I was amongst those that were taken. We toiled in the burning sun under the hand of a cruel master. Our lives were forsaken, our hope was lost.”
Kaichen and Siada grew tense as Grandfather stared at them with knowing, probing eyes. They knew better than to look away as he continued his inspection.
Kaichen felt the vibrations from his brother’s trembling form and he knew that he shook just as much as Siada. They had every reason to know fear.
Both boys watched as their grandfather bowed his head low until his chin reached his chest. They took in the sight of his weathered face and white hair, which had been tied into two plaits. He wore one feather over his right ear as a sign of prominence and his status as a hunter. The sound of a night bird interrupted their grandfather’s musings and he slowly lifted his head.
“The people of our village are fools. They think that they are safe within the protected place of the red rock walls. They know nothing! We are not safe, we will never be safe until you stand in the place of your father and fulfill your purpose!” Grandfather’s shouting was fearsome and white flecks of spittle flew from his mouth. He gnashed his teeth and stared hard at the two boys that watched him from across the fire. “Mark my words, one day our enemy will come and they will take all that you hold dear if you do not stand and fight.”
“What did they do to you, Grandfather?” Kaichen did not ask the question because he wanted to, but he did so because he knew the consequences for remaining silent when a response was required.
“I was beaten night and day, because I was too weak and feeble to be of much use to the men that had claimed us as slaves. I served as an amusement to them. I carry the lash of their whip upon my back even now.” Their grandfather’s head snapped up and his eyes were dark and wide as he was drawn back into the past.
Kaichen and Siada breathed a sigh of relief as their grandfather stared with vacant eyes and his focus turned inward, to the aching place of the spirit.
A sound in the distance caught Kaichen’s attention, bringing his mind spinning to the present. The noise that he heard did not come from the animals of the land or from falling rock. Kaichen was not fooled. He knew in his heart that an enemy had drawn near.
Suddenly, he realized that Grandfather had been right. Those that hunted them had finally found them and they would not hesitate to cause harm.
If they were discovered they would all be killed. But first, they would be tortured in unimaginable ways. Grandfather had promised them that it was so. Each day, they walked with thirst upon their lips as they hid from their enemies.
Grandfather repeatedly tested their skill and knowledge of the land and when his eyes became distant and far away, both boys would tremble in fear. Next, the blows would come and the beatings seemed to go on forever. Yesterday, Siada had been hurt badly. Grandfather did not seem to notice or care. Often, he would fall into a stupor and stare off into the distance.
During the bad times, they knew better than to make a move but yesterday had been different. Siada had cried and cried and he would not cease. Kaichen promised his twin that they would find a way to escape. They could no longer remain with their grandfather, not after yesterday.
Kaichen knew that their enemies sought to do them harm, but it could not be worse than surviving day by day without enough water to quench their thirst. Grandfather said that one of them was the Sundancer. Kaichen knew that it was not him. He hated the sun and the burning light that never ceased.
Siada had not spoken in several days. Not even when grandfather beat him, not even when grandfather begged him to speak. Kaichen knew that Siada’s words were locked away. It was the only way that Siada had learned to stop begging for their mother.
The sound of shuffling footsteps brought his mind back to the present. Instinct made Kaichen roll to his side just as a blow from above landed in the place where he had been. Grandfather stood o
ver him. His face was a mask of hatred and confusion. Kaichen waited.
Either his grandfather would strike again or he would expect Kaichen to flee. It was always the same and the only difference was that Siada was not at his side. Kaichen searched his surroundings for some sign of his brother.
They had sworn to stay together and they had sworn in blood that they would flee but Kaichen did not see any sign of his brother’s presence.
“Quickly! Move quickly! Our enemies have drawn near and now they will devour us.” Grandfather reached down and jerked Kaichen to his feet.
The boy knew better than to protest, even as he felt his arm stretch under his grandfather’s strength. Kaichen knew that his grandfather was still strong, even though his hair was white and his face was wreathed with age.
Grandfather’s body was made of bone and muscle, there was no fat on his thin frame. They had very little food and sometimes none at all. Grandfather did not hunt often and he did not allow Kaichen or Siada to hunt alone. They were never allowed out of his eyesight.
Kaichen had grown used to his grandfather’s strange ways, but Siada had not. Kaichen did not hesitate to run as Grandfather urged him forward. Loyalty to his brother made him ask about Siada but his grandfather only told him to remain quiet. He did not hear any sound of pursuit and he did not see their enemies, but Grandfather’s eyes told him that someone was near. Kaichen held perfectly still.
Grandfather signaled that he should lie flat on his belly and Kaichen knew a moment of hesitation. If he fell to his stomach then he would be vulnerable. When his grandfather lay flat against the ground, Kaichen did the same.
He glanced around but he could not find any sign of their enemies. Where was Siada? His brother should have been with them. Siada was in danger.
“Grandfather, where is Siada?” Kaichen waited for as long as he could before speaking. His grandfather stared at him with wide eyes and then slowly moved his head back and forth.
Ice-cold tendrils of fear uncoiled inside of Kaichen’s belly. Kaichen felt shivers take hold of him and he breathed out of his mouth steadily.
It was possible that this was a test of some sort; he knew that Grandfather always tested their knowledge and skill. Yet Kaichen had no doubt that he would have heard Siada return to their fire, he always awoke instantly whenever anyone drew near.
He knew with certainty that his brother had not returned. Grandfather had beaten Siada and left him far from their small shelter. He told Siada that he would have to return by morning or suffer worse. Kaichen did not want to leave his brother behind but he was not given a choice.
Kaichen knew that the land could sap strength and will from anyone that walked unprepared. How many times had grandfather taught them this lesson?
“Where is Siada?” Kaichen knew that the sound of his voice would anger his grandfather, but he could not hold the words inside any longer. He had learned that it was better if they did not speak or draw attention to themselves. Perhaps that was why Siada did not use his voice any longer. Grandfather roughly clamped his hand over Kaichen’s mouth as he pulled Kaichen to his feet.
“Run!” Grandfather’s voice cracked with old age and Kaichen felt his grandfather’s fear as if it was his own. “Do not look back!”
Kaichen’s feet pounded against the rough sand and rock as he fled. Fear gave his feet wings as he ran.
When his breath hitched in his lungs he looked back. Grandfather stood over a form huddled upon the ground. Kaichen’s heart seized as he saw Grandfather raise his walking staff and bring it down with all of his force.
Kaichen fell to his knees. It could not be and yet it was. Suddenly, he understood what had taken place with terrible certainty. There was no enemy that came in the night to steal the souls of little boys.
Grandfather was the enemy.
Siada had returned to them by crawling upon his hands and knees. It must have taken him all night. Grandfather had beaten Siada until the boy could not walk.
He must have pulled himself over the dry land with strength of will alone. Siada had done everything to reach Kaichen and tell him, warn him, that Grandfather’s soul had come undone. Kaichen could not scream. He could not speak as he saw his brother raise his hand to shield his head from Grandfather’s killing blow.
From a distance, Kaichen looked into his brother’s eyes. The moment seemed to last for an eternity as he saw the fear and despair mirrored in his brother’s gaze.
“Run!” Siada let loose a war cry as his breath shuddered from his body. Kaichen heard him and still he knelt in the sand.
Grandfather’s walking stick came down upon Siada’s body with a sickening crunch as it shattered flesh and bone. Kaichen felt the emptiness that hovered around his soul take hold of his breath and spirit. Siada did not move again. Kaichen’s breath hissed between his teeth as Grandfather looked up at him and smiled.
“I have killed the enemy Kaichen. Do not fear.” Grandfather beckoned him closer and Kaichen moved forward as if drawn by an invisible string.
His body was numb. He could not hear, he could not see, he could not feel. Siada was dead. Grandfather had killed him.
“He was not the Sundancer after all. If he had been the true Sundancer then I would have known it.” Grandfather slowly shook his head from side to side as he looked down at his fallen grandson. Kaichen’s ears rang with sound as he trembled. Siada!
Grandfather lifted his walking stick and Kaichen saw that it was bloody and covered with gore. His stomach threatened to revolt and he stumbled back one step after another but he was not quick enough.
He saw his death confirmed in the narrowing of his grandfather’s eyes. He watched as his grandfather raised his walking stick and swung it toward him.
Kaichen did not move. He welcomed death. There was no longer any reason to live. Siada was gone. Kaichen did not close his eyes. He looked into the watery eyes of his grandfather and tensed as the walking stick made a whistling sound even as it approached.
“Die!” Grandfather’s scream reverberated inside of his skull.
Kaichen waited. But the killing blow never came. Instead, he watched as red blossomed from his grandfather’s chest. The stain quickly grew and spread over the front of his sleeveless deerskin parka. Kaichen could not comprehend what he knew to be true.
Grandfather’s eyes widened in shock and then they went blank as he gasped and fell to the ground. Sound gurgled up from his throat as Kaichen stood looking down upon the man that had tried to kill him.
Long moments passed before Kaichen was able to pull his head up and look out across the flat land. A man stood with his hand still resting upon his bow. Kaichen heard the man call his name but he could not respond.
Grandfather had fallen, never to rise again. Siada was dead. Kaichen felt that all hope was lost, even as he screamed and screamed without cease.
The sound of digging drew Kaichen’s attention. He heard the scrape of stone against dirt as he stared into the fire without seeing.
The man had given him water to drink and then handed him dried meat from his carrying pack. Kaichen did not drink and he did not eat.
The digging continued for a long time as the sun rose higher into the sky. Kaichen felt his skin begin to burn.
He had been sitting in the same place for far longer than he could remember. The sound of footsteps came to his ears. Kaichen flinched as the man’s shadow fell over him.
“I took this from the boy. Perhaps you can keep it and remember him.” The man’s voice was hard and grating, but there was also sorrow to be found within his tone.
Kaichen tried not to hear. If he kept his head bowed and did not look at the man, then perhaps this day would not have happened. Perhaps Siada would still be alive.
“I could not find you in time. I followed your tracks for many days. I looked everywhere for you.” The man moved to the fire and placed green branches upon it. Immediately, dark smoke filled the air. “Your mother has been looking for you from the day that you we
re taken until now. She never stopped looking.”
Kaichen raised his eyes to look into the familiar face of the warrior standing before him.
Cohtzen stared back at him.
Grief was etched into the shadows under his dark eyes. “You must know that what happened was not your fault. Your grandfather was not a bad man. But his spirit left long ago. It was taken from him. The man that hurt Siada was not your grandfather in truth.”
Kaichen simply stared at Cohtzen without speaking and when Cohtzen ran out of words Kaichen looked away.
From a distance, he saw the lone figure that drew ever nearer. Kaichen did not want to know the taste and feel of hope but it rose within him even still.
He knew the woman that walked toward them and his heart sped up when her careful steps changed and she started to run. When the woman fell to her knees in front of him Kaichen refused to look at her. It was only when he heard the sound of his mother’s grief-stricken wail that he looked up.
“Siada!” His mother screamed his brother’s name as Cohtzen tried to offer her words of comfort.
She did not stop screaming for a long time.
Kaichen remained still and silent even though he wanted to find comfort in the circle of his mother’s arms. He recognized that something had been torn from his chest with the death of his brother. His heart had been taken and he was no longer a boy.
When he raised his eyes to look at his mother he knew that she stared into the eyes of someone she did not know. Kaichen had become a man. He was twelve seasons of age.
“What will I do?” Denoa turned to look at Cohtzen with eyes that were devoid of light.
Cohtzen lowered his gaze. He could not bear to see Denoa bowed low with grief. In that moment, Cohtzen knew that he would have done anything to keep the terrible grief from her heart.
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