“I am Ayolt, the eldest of Tamol’s sons and you are now my brother.” Ayolt clasped Kaichen’s wrist with strength born of grief, but there was respect and the offer of friendship in his strong grasp.
Kaichen could not speak. He could not find his voice in the face of the unexpected acceptance given to him by Tamol and his sons. He could not find words to express his appreciation for Pele’s sacrifice.
“The men that have fallen in battle will be honored by several days of mourning. Even now, they have been prepared for the journey ahead. The men that died will rest with their ancestors, soon their songs will be sung over the fire, never to be forgotten. However, the time for grief is not now.” Antuk’s words brought all eyes toward him. “We have defeated the old enemy by standing together. Have you no victory dance to show honor to those that have fallen?”
A feeling of overwhelming victory surged through the throng of men. Kaichen was swept up in the celebration that came from those that were reunited with their families.
He took in the natural progression from joyful singing, to the thrilling beat of the drum which stirred the blood and called to each person. Soon the men began to dance, the steps were known to all, given to them by their father’s and the men that had walked before them. Kaichen’s spirit grew restless and he could no longer deny the fire that burned within him.
All eyes turned to Kaichen as he took up the steps of the dance alongside those that he called brother and friend. Tamol and his sons were the first to dance in thanksgiving and victory. They swept Kaichen along with them. Only Antuk’s words drew Kaichen away from the fire.
“I placed the bundled of dried grass exactly where you asked.” Antuk’s voice was solemn as he addressed Kaichen.
Kaichen simply nodded as he slapped Antuk on the back. He had asked Antuk to place a bundle of dried grasses at the base of the spire that stood above the place where their people had taken shelter.
He told Antuk that he would have preferred to have the dried bundles in place on top of the spire, but he did not expect Antuk to make such a climb. The spire was similar to the one that he had once climbed with Azin and he knew that few men had enough skill to reach the top.
Amara kept step with Kaichen as he led her toward a high spire that overlooked the ground below. From the location that he had selected every eye would be able to see him atop the spire.
“Your mother and I made this for you.” Amara handed the garment to Kaichen as her eyes swept over him. She was unashamed of her tears and she did not look away. “Antuk braided the belt himself.”
Kaichen was touched by the gesture though it had not been necessary. He knew that his mother cared for him, more than words could say.
He understood the bond of friendship and brotherhood that could not be broken where Antuk was concerned. He was well aware of the newfound love that existed between himself and Amara and yet, once again, they had all shown him that he mattered.
Kaichen knew that though he bore the burden of the title handed down to him by his father, the people that loved him as a friend, son and lifemate truly saw him as he was, not as they wished him to be. It was this thought that gave him the strength necessary to see the task ahead through to the end.
He quickly shed his clothes, removing the leggings that Amara had washed with her own hands. Kaichen was not embarrassed to stand naked in front of his wife as she helped him fit the loincloth through the braided belt that hung from his waist.
Kaichen was entranced by Amara’s loveliness as she bit her lower lip in concentration. She was delicate and fragilely made and it was for this reason that he called her his little one. For her, Kaichen would face all that he feared and that which he had always denied.
“How fast can you climb?” Kaichen turned his face toward the rising sun. He needed to reach the top of the spire before the sun reached its place in the heavens.
Amara pressed her hands to her flute and then she stood ready for Kaichen to lift her up so that she could reach the first handhold. Even as her hands felt the comforting touch of stone, cool against her palm, she knew that Kaichen would have allowed her to back away from that which he asked of her.
If she hesitated or showed any sign of fear, he would urge her to return to the others. It was enough that he had joined the men in their dance by the fire. He hesitated to lift her up so that she could begin climbing.
“I will gift you with the music from my heart. I will call sound from this instrument made of hollow wood and you will find the rhythm of the dance.” Amara’s words were a solemn vow and then she lifted her foot and looked to her husband in expectation.
Kaichen’s decision had already been made and he realized that the land called to him, urging him onward. Yet, he lingered under the intensity of Amara’s gaze and then he lifted his wife up until her fingers touched the red rock long known to his people.
The time for words had passed. He communicated all that he felt by the urgent press of his hands against Amara’s warm skin. When she settled into a high place where she could sit comfortably, Kaichen pressed his face against hers and then climbed higher.
Amara watched Kaichen move swiftly up the side of the spire. His fingers found the handholds that revealed themselves to him. Several times Amara watched as Kaichen hung from the spire in a display of lithe grace until he found another handhold.
Though her heart trembled inside of her breast, Amara did not show fear. She kept her features carefully blank. Kaichen had become the epitome of the warrior’s way. Down below, the others watched the display of strength and will as Kaichen climbed the spire and gained access to the top of the rock mass.
Amara watched as Kaichen knelt upon the flat surface of the spire. She was high enough that she could see the stillness of his body and the reverence that he displayed. Power shimmered in the air and Amara inhaled the essence of the dawn and pressed her flute to her lips as she called the music forth from the depths of her soul.
Kaichen knelt with his arms spread eagle and his legs tucked underneath him. He felt the energy of the high place that he had chosen to perform the sacred dance. His father had once stood on this very steppe as he overlooked the land below.
Shale had danced here and if Kaichen believed as his father believed, he danced here even now. Kaichen closed his eyes and inhaled the clear, crisp air. He took in the scent of rock, sand and wind. He leaned into the memories given to him by his mother and then for the first time in as long as he had lived, he heard his father’s voice.
“Time is like a line, imagine that my walking stick draws a line in the sand. I am here and you are there, our children are in the future. We live in multiple streams of time blended together. I am alive in the past. I climb to this same place where you now stand and my heart beats in time with yours.”
“One day our sons will stand in this place and in a different time I will stand beside them. If they believe that time resides only in the mind, then they will know the touch of my hand upon their shoulder and the approval shining from my eyes.”
His brother, Siada was not here, but who was he to say that Siada was not alive inside of his heart. If he chose to believe that Siada and Shale were here with him, then that was what he would believe. Who was there to say that it was not so?
Kaichen opened his eyes as he settled into the spirit of the Sundancer. He folded his hands as he braced them against each forearm. He felt the armband given to him by his mother, the only token left over from his father. To his right, stood a man, his face was familiar, his eyes were dark and knowing, his smile was the smile of a father as he looked upon his sons. Sons.
Kaichen turned his head and to his left stood a man that had the same face as him, though slightly different. He recognized Siada, the man that his brother would have become, had he lived.
“Light the fires.” Shale spoke with a solemn voice as he waited for his sons to obey.
Kaichen felt the air around him grow still and silent. He was aware of the faces of his people
, turned up to watch his every movement, his every step. These were the same people that had fought the grip of fear brought about by Ni’zin and Tonaka, sons of Sakyma.
“You are the grandson of that man.” Shale’s voice was loud, calling Kaichen’s attention back to the task at hand. “But you are the son of my loins. I claim you, Kaichen, remember who you are.”
Kaichen lit the first band of dried grasses and then the next and the next. When a circle of fire rimmed the spire, Kaichen stood, feeling the first rays of sunlight heat the skin upon his back. He looked down at hands that had been trained to hunt but had been forced to learn the warrior’s way from the time of his childhood until now.
Kaichen knew that the fire bundles should trigger some memory, but his entire focus was on listening to the words of his father.
“You have danced before and your dance was one born of joy, the touch of moonlight upon your skin during the night. In private, away from prying eyes you denied the gift given to you, the gift remembered by your blood. Do you still deny that which is yours to claim?” Shale’s eyes were hard, searching orbs that were filled with concern, so as to almost appear black.
“It is a right that should have been reserved for Siada.” Kaichen did not know that he would speak the words that poured forth from his mouth. He had expected to answer his father with an affirmative response.
“Siada does not begrudge you the right of firstborn. Siada is at rest. You are the son born first of your mother’s womb. You will be the last Sundancer to walk amongst our people, Kaichen. It was always you.” Shale’s words were solemn, benevolent and seeking.
“Father, I accept the honor given to me by our shared blood.” Kaichen relaxed his arms as the bundles of grass smoldered and burned.
“Shared blood has nothing to do with the gift you have been given. You are the only one that can dance beyond your shadow. You were chosen because of who you are. My son, tell me once more, who are you?” Shale’s voice shook with hues of power, golden rays that bore down upon Kaichen and engulfed him in light. Brilliant light.
Kaichen raised his palms to the sky as his eyes closed and the people below began to point in wonder. From below, he was illuminated by the rays of the sun.
“I am Kaichen, the last Sundancer of my people. Hear me!” Kaichen’s voice was lifted and carried away as he was illuminated by the blazing sun.
He could not know that the sight of him caused his people below to catch their breath and hold it in anticipation. The fires that smoldered at his feet made it appear as if he stood upon a blazing inferno, yet he did not burn.
The first tender notes of music floated up to Kaichen and with his hands leading the way he began the first steps of the dance. Kaichen reached down to the ground at his feet, allowing one arm to arch toward the rising sun.
He grabbed hold of a fist full of sand, that which was cursed by men, but necessary for life upon the desert and he lifted it swiftly and then cut it with his unclenched hand. His movements were carefully controlled, centered from within, striking in their intensity.
Swiftly the flow of the dance fell upon him and he shuddered as that which was Kaichen receded and the Sundancer took his place, revealed before his people once and for all.
Kaichen’s body contorted into the steps of a dance that was almost too beautiful to behold. He moved as a hunter moves, stalking close to catch an animal unaware. His body was a study of strong lines that described the hunt and the need to become more than a hunter, more than flesh and blood. With a deep breath, Kaichen stepped further into the dance.
When he leapt high above the burning steppe, the song of the flute leapt with him, calling to bear every bit of the skill and dexterity needed to pull the music forth. Amara bent low over her flute, never taking her eyes away from Kaichen, as the instrument became an extension of her arms, hands and fingers. The music was a rich melody, the sound of a bird’s call, the sound of a running river, and a cause for rejoicing. It spoke of freedom, it spoke of life and yet it held a warning.
“Beware the man that comes against the Sundancer. He is the last of his kind, especially blessed by the heavens and no man can stand against him.” These words were communicated to all who heard the lilting call of the flute as it echoed against the red rocks and carried to the ears of its listeners.
Kaichen heard the shouts from below as if from a distance. For a moment, he stayed within the dance, eager to share this time with his father and brother, reluctant to return. With his hands and feet he swept aside the flaming bundles of grass until the fire was no more. He remained lost in the dance as power hummed inside of his soul.
His body moved fluidly through the motions that were nothing more than forgotten memory, gifted to him by the shed blood of his father. With power, he thrust his feet against the surface of the spire, bringing forth the sound of booming thunder. His hands slashed through the sun’s light, causing flashes of lightening, carried along by fire that fell from the spire.
He spun in a circle of fire, faster and faster until he resembled the sun, until he danced beyond his own shadow. With the last steps of the dance, he became the burning orb in the sky, until there was no more breath left within him, until there was no more doubt of the victory that had been won by his people.
A lone tear trailed over the sharp plains of his face and he released the pain that had always been with him. At long last, the weight of the burden that he carried was lifted from his shoulders and taken away.
With one last twist of his limbs, Kaichen flung his body into the air. He moved through the heavens that whispered around him, sliding through time, only to land at the edge of the spire.
With a final flick of his hand and a shout of victory that was heard by all, he released all doubt from his mind and leapt into nothingness.
“You took many seasons away from my life when you jumped from the spire.” Denoa’s voice was filled wry amusement. Stunned surprise and shocked whispers had erupted as the people took in the sight of their Beloved Woman standing beside the Sundancer and Cloud Bringing Woman. Kaichen had descended the spire with the use of a rope and everyone was relieved to see him stride toward them, unharmed.
Kaichen grinned without shame as Denoa placed her palms against his face. “You have the look of a person that is not here to stay.”
Denoa’s eyes were insightful, even as she flashed a welcoming smile to Amara. Kaichen walked hand in hand with his wife. Denoa had been eagerly awaiting their return. Kaichen and Amara had taken three days to themselves as was customary of a newly joined pair. It was just as it should be.
“I must go and seek a high place for myself.” Kaichen was welcome in his mother’s home and she opened her arms to Amara just as any mother would for her daughter.
“It is good that you took time to share the good fortune of a newly joined pair with your wife. Go and have no concern for her wellbeing. She will be safe here amongst her family.” Denoa’s hand was gentle as she touched her son’s face.
Kaichen pressed his lips to Amara’s ear and then left just as suddenly as he had arrived.
Amara and Denoa both stared in startled surprise at the place where Kaichen had been standing. Though Denoa was his mother she did not fully know her son as the man that he had become. Amara was coming to know Kaichen as the lifemate that she had chosen for herself, but he still surprised her at times.
“He touches power, even when he does not seek it.” Denoa’s face beamed with motherly pride. Shale had been much the same as Kaichen was and she was not surprised to see the same wondrous display in her son. Her heart had stopped beating when she watched her son throw himself from the rock spire after completing his dance of victory. Thankfully he appeared quickly, hanging from a length of rope that easily bore his weight. Her people still praised Kaichen’s dance of power and she knew that they would never forget what they had seen.
“What are you making?” Amara asked, as she settled close to Denoa’s small fire.
She took in her s
urroundings and immediately noticed that Denoa’s dwelling was well stocked with items that spoke of a long life. Colorfully woven blankets were carefully folded and stacked in one corner. A few clay vessels and pots hung from the poles that held up the roof of the lodge. Dried herbs and various grasses adorned the walls and a set of weapons were in place beside the fire.
“You look upon the weapons that belonged to my husband and you wonder why they are not buried with him.” Denoa’s words were a statement of truth instead of a question.
Amara nodded shyly, embarrassed to find that Denoa’s wise gaze took in every nuance of expression and emotion. “It is good that you are curious. If my husband was here, he would approve of the daughter that sits before me, just as I approve.”
Denoa was not one to apologize, unless she was forced to do so, but she regretted her reaction to Kaichen’s initial arrival with Amara at his side. She firmly believed that it was because of Amara’s presence in their lives that Kaichen had become all that was needed to safeguard their way of life.
“Shale had many weapons. He was often weighed down by them when he walked, but he was never without several knives, a long spear, a short spear and his bow and arrows. I often teased him that if he could, he would wear a boa around his waist to hold up his loincloth.” Denoa chuckled at the memory. “He is buried in a secret place along with many of his weapons. I kept these so that I would always remember the wonderful, protective man that I was joined with. He was the father of my sons and I miss him very much.”
“I fear that I will lose Kaichen even now.” Amara admitted her worst fear to the only woman that could possibly understand.
“Daughter, such a fear would be there, even if we had always lived in times of peace. You cannot hold on to the fear or allow your life to be guided by it. You have given your heart to Kaichen and it is just as it should be between a man and woman. Never forget that what you have is special and rare. That is all that you can do.”
The Last Sundancer Page 37