The Last Outpost
Page 22
"Is it one of your customs?" she asked, smiling coyly. "I should like to learn."
"I'll teach you all about it," Scott promised.
***
Jerry and Zoe were married shortly after, in an improvised ceremony that took place in the Chapel of the Snows. The chaplain, who was just preparing to leave for New Zealand with the delegation, was a little flummoxed at the request to conduct wedding rites before he embarked on his flight, but complied with good grace. The cooks provided a surprisingly lavish wedding brunch, including a three-tiered cake decorated with sugar flowers, and volunteers decorated the church with many bunches of colorful balloons and an enormous banner that said, 'Jerry and Zoe - Congratulations!'
The bride wore a scrupulously ironed white gown, which she had brought with her to McMurdo to be worn at special events, and which had lain unused for years at the bottom of her closet. She also had a veil, ingeniously made from a mosquito net that Petri Karhu had brought with him – heaven knew why – when he first traveled to the station.
Tahan, Egan, Omrek and Manari were present at the wedding. Dan Braam was quite enthusiastic about promoting the mingling of the Anai with modern society, and looked complacently at the unusual guests who, in their sealskins and ivory beads, attracted almost as much attention as the bride and groom.
"Scott," Tahan said in a whisper, just as the chaplain launched into the recital of wedding vows, "I have talked to elder Ne Riorag about – about us, our joining and you becoming the man of my hearth and father to Egan."
"Yes?" Scott's arm sneaked around her waist.
"He is happy for us, but said that with me being chieftainness, and Egan due to become chief after me, the Anai people won't approve my choice unless you are an Anai man as well."
Scott frowned. "Well, I am not... but can I be? Can one become Anai?"
"I asked Ne Riorag just that. He didn't know what to say at first – the Anai have lived so long without seeing any other people, that making a foreigner one of us was never a question. But he said that, as you are a friend, and respect our customs, and as the people know you and like you, it can almost certainly be done, if you agree... do you agree, Scott? Would you become a man of the Anai?"
Scott looked at her with a rush of feeling. "I would become anything to be with you," was on the tip of his tongue, but he realized it wasn't strictly true. The Anai had become almost kin to him, and he had lost his home – his homeland would never be the same. He could put in roots in the strange, beautiful, fertile valley, and become one with its people.
"Yes," he said, "I will be very happy to become one of the Anai."
When Scott came over to accept a slice of wedding cake from the hands of the bride, he didn't mean to slow down the queue of well-wishers and friends, but Zoe's voice made him linger. "Scott," she said, "I have been meaning to tell you... Jerry and I are leaving."
Scott stared, a plate of cake in his hand. "Leaving?" he repeated.
"Well, not quite right now," Zoe went on apologetically. "We'll wait until the station is in proper shape. But we've discussed this, and we both really want a change. We won't return to the States, though. There's nothing there for either of us. We plan to get some land in New Zealand, if we can, and start a nursery. Jerry is itching to get his hands into some real soil, not artificial potting mix," she concluded with a smile.
Scott swallowed. This was a harsh blow, but he wouldn't let selfishness take over at this moment. "Congratulations, Zoe, and good luck," he said.
Epilogue
The union of Scott and Tahan took place at the spring equinox, which the Anai considered a lucky omen. Just before Scott was led to the carved ivory bench on which all Anai couples were seated during their wedding celebration, however, another ceremony took place – that of adopting Scott as one of the Anai.
Feeling very self-conscious in his new embroidered tunic of grass fiber, and a new long sealskin cloak, Scott stood in front of the Anai villagers, holding a long ivory-head spear in one hand and a stone hammer in the other. A beautiful ivory bow, the gift of Omrek, was resting at his feet. Prompted by Ne Riorag, who was conducting the ceremony, Scott said the words he had been taught:
"I hereby swear to protect my hearth and home, and all the people of the Anai if need be, with this spear, and this bow, and this hammer. I swear to build and sow, and work to obtain the food to nourish myself, and my family, and my clan, according to the law of the Spirits and the First Anai. I swear to be thankful for the gifts the Spirits give, and to waste neither game, nor fish, nor land, nor water, without need."
Ne Riorag nodded in satisfaction and raised up his arms. "Well spoken, and we ask for the blessing of the Spirits as this man becomes one of the Anai. Your name now shall be Arahak, which means the one who came from afar, and you shall belong to the clan of Ki, as you join the hearth of your chosen woman. Now come, Ki Arahak, and sit upon the bench with your bride."
Putting the spear and bow and hammer aside, Scott walked over to the ivory seat and joined Tahan, who was resplendent in a new grass fiber dress, in alternating stripes of dark red and violet blurred together at the edges. The front of the dress was covered in an intricate bead pattern, and the hem was heavy with beads as well. She also had on a new fur-trimmed cloak, a gift from Manari, and sealskin slippers. Her hair was arranged in two long plaits, interwoven with strings of beads, that encircled her head like a crown.
Ne Riorag began the rite. "We call upon the blessing of the Spirits to join this man and this woman..."
Out of the corner of his eye, Scott noticed Ne Tarveg, who stood with an impassive face and folded arms a little way off. Upon catching Scott's eye, he didn't smile, but gave a grudging nod. He did not wish to attend the ceremony at all, Scott knew, but his father convinced him that absence would be a seen as a slight.
Omrek and Manari, who occupied a place of honor next to the new couple, beamed and waved. Egan, seated on his uncle's shoulders, was clapping enthusiastically to the rhythmic sound of the drums. Not far off, their friends from McMurdo were standing – Jerry and Zoe, Petri and Stanley.
Ne Riorag went through the rites and, after ensuring the consent of both man and woman, pronounced them as joined around one hearth for a lifetime, with the blessing of the Spirits. Holding hands, Scott and Tahan got up from the ivory seat to receive the congratulations of their friends, relatives and well-wishers, just as the sun disappeared beyond the mountains surrounding the Anai valley. The festivities now began in earnest, with a lively, rhythmic dance, and a great feast spread out for all.
"Congratulations," Jerry approached and clapped him on the back. "You've made quite a dashing bridegroom, Scott – or should I now call you Arak? I didn't catch what the old man said, but Pete told me they're giving you a new name."
"Oh, shut up and go get something to eat. And drink. I think they've brought out the stronger stuff tonight."
"Yes, everything's looking so good. What should I have first, whale steaks or seal stew? Or maybe a nice barbecue of roast penguin? Zoe will have a fit when she finds out what they're serving." And, guffawing, Jerry held out his cup to have it filled. "So what are you going to do now, Scott?" he asked, sounding more serious. "Take up your stone hammer and bone spear and just live the life of a stone-age warrior in the valley?"
"Not quite. I'm still going to be at McMurdo a lot, for my private research and some side projects. But I'm resigning from the position of overseer. Let the kiwis supply a new one; they are taking over the station and enlarging it. I think that, with so much land contaminated after this war, Antarctica is going to become a more viable option for a permanent settlement, not just research."
Jerry frowned. "How can New Zealand take over? McMurdo belongs to the States."
"With the condition the States are now in, I doubt McMurdo is going to be bumped up the priority list anytime soon. To tell you the truth, Jerry, I'm not much of a patriot anymore."
"Well, no. Neither am I. Zoe and I are mainly thinking about our own f
uture. Hey, now that I'm looking closer, those steaks don't look too bad. Excuse me while I grab one, will you..."
Tahan, having disentangled herself from the women of her extended family, came over and linked her arm within his. "Arahak is a good name," she said, "but I think I will keep calling you Scott. I am too used to it."
"Yes, I'd prefer that," Scott nodded, and bent to kiss her. This time she responded without any awkwardness. They've had plenty of time to practice.
As flatteringly lavish as their feast was, with the good food and drink and music and dancing, Scott longed for the moment when they would be able to quietly slip away, and his heart gave a happy thud when Tahan took him by the hand and started leading him off. "Omrek and Manari are taking Egan for the night," she said with a sly smile. "That is very nice of them, don't you think?"
"I hope Egan doesn't mind. He has never slept away from you before, did he?"
"No, but I'm sure he will be fine. It's only for a few hours, and he is so happy to have you as a father. When I explained to him that you will now belong to us always, he was beside himself with excitement."
Scott had thought they would be going home, but now he noticed Tahan was leading him away from the village altogether. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"You will soon see," she said, lowering her face, and he heard the smile in her voice.
A little while later, Scott caught the faint scent of sulphur, and realized Tahan is taking him to the hot pool. "Nobody else will come here tonight," she said. "Right now, it is all ours."
Once they reached the pool, Tahan stood in front of him and, her eyes never leaving his, shrugged off her cloak and her dress, and kicked off her little slippers. She reached out and cupped his cheek, and Scott leaned into her touch.
"Your turn," she whispered. And there, on the edge of the steaming water, under the foreign stars, Scott took off his foreign garments and felt complete and whole and untainted as he hadn't felt in years. Their arms around each other, they slipped into the hot pool, and Scott knew that he was home.
Later, they made a bed for themselves on the mossy bank, under a blanket made of both their cloaks. Tahan leaned on one elbow and looked into his face. She touched his chin and grazed her fingers on the makings of his day-old beard. "Do you know what Omrek told me?" she said. "On this season's first hunting party to the bay, some men swore they saw the giant ice beast in the distance. It was flapping close to the surface of the water, and then it dove in."
Caressing her upper arm, Scott felt that it was covered with goose prickles, and he guessed it was not from the cold. "Don't worry about that, Tahan," he said. "It was never seen close to land, was it?" Inwardly, though, he made a mental note to tell Petri. Pete will go crazy with this news. He'll row out to sea single-handed in search for this creature if nobody stops him.
Tahan shook her head. "No, it hasn't hurt anybody, but... just the thought of it out there – there's something troubling about it, isn't that so? And what if there are more?"
"It likes the sea," Scott said. "The sea is vast. The world is wide, and there is plenty of room for everyone. For men, and beasts, and for you and me," he finished, and tenderly pulled her towards him.
He was not afraid. From his experience, humans were far more deadly than ancient sea dragons – and humans, he hoped, had nearly exhausted their capacity for self-destruction... at least for a while. The danger had passed. All was well, and safe, and secure in this little corner of the world that had become his home.
Tomorrow, he would start digging in the rich dark earth to lay the foundation for a new extension to Tahan's house. Hopefully, they would need it soon, with the arrival of the children they were both hoping for. The crops would grow. The land and water would continue to yield their bounty of fish and game. And the cycle of life would continue.
The End
Disclaimer
Writing this book has involved a great deal of reading and research on the geography, topography, climate, ecology, flora and fauna of Antarctica in general and Ross Island in particular. For a while, I virtually lived at the McMurdo research station, wishing to make my setting as realistic as possible. It is important to remember, however, that this book is a science fiction novel, and as such, there are some things I naturally bent to fit the plot and premise.
I cannot conclude without expressing my admiration of all the brave men and women living and working out there on the edge of the world.
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