‘Well, this is sent by the gods—I’m sure of it. They must listen when we tell them that.’
‘What about the Boar?’
‘These two are not for the Boar Clan.’
‘They are our clan.’
Umniga snorted in disgust. ‘Do you think Shahjahan thought of that when he killed Juhangir? Our loyalty is to the old ways and Lore, and to those who honour it. The Boar stopped doing that a long time ago. Besides, they won’t know.’
Asha nodded; although she could not dispel her unease, she trusted Umniga and was overjoyed to see the return of a hitherto long absent spark in the old woman’s eyes.
‘Don’t you want to tell the others?’
‘After last night, I don’t think I can just yet.’ A look of concern flicked across Asha’s face. ‘Come on girl. Get a move on. Call Fihr to you and let the others know. I’d get comfortable first if I were you. It’s a long flight and then they’ll just gab a lot at the other end.’ Asha rolled her eyes melodramatically. Umniga chuckled as she made hastening motions with her hands.
‘Yes, yes I know.’ Asha’s gaze became vacant briefly as she searched for Fihr. ‘He’s coming.’
Umniga was grinning like a child as she stood up and jostled Asha to her bed. ‘Lie down.’
Asha began to laugh, carried away by her effusive energy. As she drew open the curtain that separated her alcove from the rest of the room, then laid down, an enormous sea eagle landed in the entrance to the cabin and crossed the floor to stand beside her bed. He had intelligent, dark eyes set amidst the snow white feathers of his head, along with a wickedly curved beak. Fihr puffed up his white chest and stretched out his dark wings as he settled beside her. She reached out her hand and he made a soft, deep sound as she reverently stroked his head and gazed intently at him. Asha was still. Fihr looked briefly at Umniga, then was gone. Umniga gently placed Asha’s hand on the pallet and gave her forehead a kiss. ‘Gods go with you, little whelp.’
* * *
Fihr’s powerful wings pulled them rapidly higher, away from their little stone cabin nestled into the leeward side of a bluff that overlooked the ocean. To the east lay the delta of the Bear River, known simply as The Paw. The Bear River flowed from the lake at the base of the jagged, snow-capped, grey mountain range known as The Bear’s Teeth. It was to this lake that they were headed. The area around The Paw was highly fertile and there were many small farms surrounding it. The small village of Galatan lay on this side of the delta, and on the other side, closer to the coast, lay Parlan. At this time of year, the crops having matured and been harvested, the ground was a nearly uniform brown, with the exception of the edges of the river and the small patches of household gardens.
Fihr levelled his flight, effortlessly working his way between air currents as they journeyed. Asha revelled in their connection.
Umniga had warned her of the danger of immersing herself too deeply into the world of her guardian. There was a captivating lure there, she’d said, in the brutal simplicity of their lives; those bonded with them could glimpse the harmony and power of Rana and Jalal. The danger was that some lost themselves in the bond. With Fihr, Asha was the master of the skies, powerful, graceful, strong—she loved it. From the moment Fihr had come to her as a child, she had not felt small or helpless.
Asha came from a remote farm near the lower part of The Divide, the large river that split Altaica in two. Her size, coupled with the poverty and lack of status of her family, meant that her clan had shown only disdain for her martial training. Traditionally, each child, with the help of the Kenati and the village elders, commenced education in Lore and martial training in many weapons. Sastravidya schools had existed in larger towns and training was conducted each week, or more often when work allowed. In the small villages and remote farms, this task was left to the families. The Kenati regularly visited and the clan lord was meant to routinely send a Silahtar, an older warrior who was a weapons master, to supervise training. Between the Kenati and these warriors, the local populace had access to the ears of their lord. This was how it was supposed to be. This was how it was not.
Umniga and Juhangir, frustrated and angry at this neglect, began sending the children of those families who still practised the old ways to the other clans for their training. Slowly and discretely the influence of Horse and Bear grew, as they provided the aid that the Boar Lord had neglected. Finally, they took over all the land north of The Divide; war with Faros had ensued.
Fihr dived suddenly, plummeting toward the ground. Then, when impact seemed inevitable, he swooped wide and low, extended his talons and snatched a rabbit as it attempted to flee. A fierce joy pierced Asha. There was nothing more exhilarating than the hunt, this silent-winged death. She could sense Fihr’s satisfaction with his kill. He sat in the nearby grass using talons and beak to tear into the rabbit, its soft grey fur no barrier to his fine natural weaponry. Together they feasted, glorying in the soft juicy flesh and innards. When his appetite was sated, she felt a gentle push against her presence as he disentangled her from their deep connection. Asha could not tell Umniga about this; she would not approve. She suspected this was the kind of ‘dangerous’ deep connection she had warned of.
However, Asha knew she was in no danger; she had never been in any danger. From the time she was a child, Fihr had shared the hunt with her, but it was he who initiated this and then released her. Travelling with him, within his presence, was like being home in a warm, welcoming, comfortable room, filled with affection. However, when he went to hunt or fight, he would open the door on the room and she could almost glimpse and feel an immense space and power, just before the sensations of the hunt overwhelmed her. All her attempts to fathom that initial vastness or hold any detailed or lasting impression of it were futile. Fihr protected her, he always had.
* * *
Fihr glided over Bear Tooth Lake through the glare of the last rays of the setting sun. Many tents were set up around the lake and members of the Horse and Bear clans mingled freely with those Boar Clan members who lived north of The Divide. Smoke from a myriad of small cooking fires rose into the twilight air.
The war between the allied Horse and Bear and Faros had not really ended—an informal truce existed. Or rather, the clans of Horse and Bear simply, boldly stated that they did not want any further land and would not seek more south of The Divide, but they would kill any trespassers.
The Boar Clan saved face by saying that they would not wish to rule a territory where the members of their clan, albeit sparse, had proved so treacherous and disloyal. That said, the celebration of the harvest festival in great numbers by Horse, Bear and their newest subjects was an affirmation of the change of rule and clearly showed the local’s support of their new lords.
Asha and Fihr could see many warriors in the camps below, and had spotted a number of patrols along their journey. Throughout this crowd they searched for the other Kenati.
Eventually they located Anil and Suniti seated around a fire with Hadi and Munira. Perfect, all together, thought Asha as they swept low across the campsite to land near them.
Munira, the youngest apart from Asha, greeted them with a bright smile. ‘Fihr, Asha, welcome.’
‘Asha, why have you come? What is wrong?’ Anil asked.
Asha could feel Fihr concentrating, then a slight surge of energy entered her as she projected herself before them. Knowing only the Kenati could see or hear her, she related Umniga’s findings and decision. The other Kenati looked shocked; for many minutes no one spoke.
Finally Suniti said, ‘Umniga is not prone to rash decisions, but …’
Hadi, the eldest after Umniga, silenced her with a wave of his hand. ‘If she thinks this important then we must trust her and help her.’
‘Umniga believes the hands of the gods are at work here,’ Asha added defensively.
Lost in his thoughts, Hadi nodded. ‘I’m sure she does, but we must talk to Lords Baldev and Karan.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Karan put a restraining arm on his friend. ‘Tell us again, Hadi. Help us understand why the Kenati view this as so important, for neither of us can see why the fate of a group of strangers should be our concern. Our “truce”, ’ he grinned at this, ‘is still only new and you tell us Umniga would bring these strangers into her clan lord’s land, without his knowledge, and smuggle them to us. Why?’
Hadi raised his hands in a placating gesture. ‘According to Asha, she does not want to bring all the people—just the boy and the girl—and she waits upon your permission to do so.’ Karan snorted in disbelief at this. ‘Umniga plans to sail out with a fisherman named Deo, retrieve the two and bring them back. She intends to smuggle them here under the guise of her regular rounds. The fate of the rest is in the hands of the gods; most likely they will die. I gather they are still some way out, without water and in no state to make shore.’
‘Even if they do, Shahjahan will finish them when he finds out,’ Karan concluded. ‘You still haven’t told us why.’
‘There were too many coincidences that led to their discovery. Normally, they would not fly out over the sea, nor for so long. Umniga hints that she felt a compulsion to do so. On the verge of returning, she saw the boat, investigated and was about to leave when Devi noticed the girl and boy. The latent power in the girl was evident and unheard of in someone whom we believe is untrained. We are unanimous in our agreement; too many things aligned to bring this to our attention.’ Hadi deliberately paused. ‘There is something else—the figurehead of the boat is a horse. The gods have a hand in this.’
A scowl flicked across Karan’s face. A horse! It could just as easily have been a fish. Karan looked toward Fihr, who sat patiently awaiting their decision, then motioned to a servant, speaking very quietly. Shortly the servant returned and gave Karan a bowl of raw meat. Fihr ruffled his feathers and moved from side to side in greedy anticipation. Rather than simply put the bowl down and let Fihr help himself, Karan grinned at him, his momentary anger forgotten, and hand-fed him tidbits, all the while talking to him quietly and praising his long, important flight. Karan pondered the problem before them, as he fed Fihr the last of the meat.
‘Leave us,’ Karan said quietly. The Kenati quietly departed.
Baldev frowned as he sat and stared at the fire. ‘She can’t possibly just smuggle out the two. How can she take the boy without his parents? Not if they are alive. To separate them … he’d remember. How can he be expected to grow up loyal, to trust us, to understand?’
‘Agreed.’
‘And the girl. They’ll know. Killing … letting the others die is nothing, but if the gods have a hand in this, then how can we kill any of them? They may all have some part to play.’ Silence. ‘Karan?’
Karan shook his head in disgust. ‘Correct. We have no choice but to save them all.’
Baldev nodded. ‘But we will only take the two and their families.’
‘Agreed—and we have no choice but to tell Shahjahan.’ Baldev stared at him in surprise. ‘There is no possible way to smuggle all of them overland without detection. I would not risk the peace for their sakes.’
‘Aargh!’ Baldev exclaimed. ‘Peace exists because of our grace, not Shahjahan’s. He’d never win.’
‘I know, but neither of us wants control of his territory, so let’s maintain the peace.’
‘Damnation!’
‘Exactly.’ Karan had been reviewing strategy and tactics since the Kenati had told them this news. If Umniga thought these two were important, then so be it, but in her excitement she had not thought through the ramifications of her plan. He could not blame her. In fact, he was pleased to hear of her enthusiasm and hope. Her clan had all but abandoned their Lore, and her clan lord had arranged the death of her fellow Kenati, Juhangir. She’d had little to hope for and it had slowly eroded the old woman’s soul.
Karan shook his head. ‘Umniga should have come north. She will not be safe if Shahjahan finds out we knew of this first.’
Baldev nodded. ‘You and I have both asked her. While there are members of her clan in the south who still respect her teachings, she will not abandon them.’
‘We must contrive a way that he does not discover she told us first and yet we must still get the two.’ They sat for some time in silence. At last Karan continued, ‘Perhaps we can manipulate him. They will land in the territory of the Boar, but the arrival of the strangers is important to all of us. We are all clans of Altaica. They are sent by Rana and Jalal, who do not discriminate between their children. For the greater good, at the will of the gods, we should unite as one and face this new event.’
‘Or threat.’
Karan scowled. ‘They present no threat, but why are they on the boat? No one would pack so many people on a boat—entire families, with enough possessions to start again—without good reason. What are they running from?’ Baldev sat up, listening intently. ‘We need to find out all we can from them, all the clans, to prepare. Rana and Jalal may be sending us a warning.’
‘And Shahjahan can’t ignore the gods.’
‘Precisely. Also, we would be the vulnerable ones by walking into his territory; he will look like a coward if he doesn’t let us in. He will look like a poor ruler if he ignores something that could hold such importance for all the clans.’
‘Do you think he’ll fall for it?’ Baldev asked.
Karan shrugged. ‘The old girl might be right, but we will make this work for us in other ways.’
‘As long as Shahjahan believes it. Appealing to the minuscule love he may have for clan Lore may help.’ Baldev continued, ‘But I think, even if he doesn’t believe it, he won’t want to lose face when confronted with our noble intentions.’
* * *
The following morning Karan and Baldev addressed the waiting Kenati. Baldev began, ‘We will help these two and their families. The rest are nothing.’
‘But,’ Karan continued, ‘they will not enter our homelands until we are satisfied they pose no threat and will assimilate.’ He held up his hand, forestalling any interruptions. ‘It is highly unlikely that they will speak our language or understand our ways. You must educate them. We must be able to communicate. Neither Baldev nor I will allow them into the Horse or Bear unless they understand the laws they are to abide by if they wish to remain with us. You know once they enter the clans there is no going back. They cannot leave. We will not allow them to betray us in any way. They will not take any information to our enemies.’
Baldev added, ‘They will remain in a camp here at the lake, under guard, until we are satisfied with them. We prefer they are kept at the coast until we know more about them—they may bring disease, so the further from our main homelands, the better.’
‘It is your task to see to their education.’ Karan outlined part of the plan he and Baldev had conceived. ‘We will meet Shahjahan at The Four Ways; the early autumn rains have made Hunters’ Ford impassable. Asha, you must tell him of the portentous news of the strangers’ arrival. Make sure that he thinks we have all been told at once, and that he understands the deference we are showing him as a clan lord by meeting him at The Four Ways to seek his approval to enter Boar lands.’
‘Why Asha? Why not Umniga?’ Hadi asked.
‘Asha is young, pretty and appears harmless.’ He grinned at Fihr. ‘Sorry, Asha. Shahjahan has no love for Umniga.’
The Kenati departed, leaving Baldev and Karan alone as they seated themselves near the fire.
‘Do you think she can do it?’ Baldev asked.
Karan shrugged. ‘Asha? Easily. My spies tell me Shahjahan has ignored Umniga since he killed Juhangir, even though he hates her. Thinks she is a crazy old woman who few listen to—something she encourages, so he leaves her alone to do her work.’
‘Cunning old girl. It’s wise to keep her out of his sight.’
‘Mmm. Getting into his lands will be one thing, getting out may be another.’
>
‘Good thing we think ahead then.’ Baldev laughed deeply as he clapped Karan on the back. ‘We’ll avoid the hornet’s nest that’s about to land on our heads, don’t you worry.’
* * *
Umniga looked at the piles before her, making a mental tally of what she had gathered. Wicker baskets and sacks held foodstuffs, and she had several gourds filled with water. Her medical kit was full, as was Asha’s, and a wooden box contained extra supplies for their kits. She had spent the day preparing for their journey, completing as many tasks around their little cottage as she could. She’d visited the local farm and asked them to tend the few goats and chickens they had while they were travelling. These were all the usual preparations she and Asha would perform before setting off for their regular rounds.
Umniga attempted to calm herself with the knowledge that no one would suspect her. All was as it should be. However, she had a tightness in the pit of her stomach, a sense of excitement and anticipation, which she felt sure must betray her secret. Gods, you are a daft old woman, carrying on as if you were some silly young girl!
She shook her head at her own foolishness, pushed herself to her feet, and proceeded to carry the provisions to the wagon. The covered wagon was a gift from Baldev and Karan to make her rounds easier as she grew older. It was sturdily constructed, with four large wooden wheels and solid timber sides which, when she was standing in it, reached to about her waist height. Bracketed into these sides were regularly spaced willow rods that bent over the tray of the wagon to form a domed roof. Further willow was woven across the centre of the dome and midway along its sides for several hand spans to strengthen its construction.
The Bear Clan was renowned for its carpenters and they had excelled themselves in this cleverly designed wagon. All the timbers were strong and light so that the wagon could be easily pulled by one horse. The interior featured cupboards, in a honey- coloured finely grained timber, which were intricately carved with a pattern of intertwined oak and willow branches. In the centre of each door, inlaid in many small pieces of variously coloured wood, were the images of either a bear, horse or boar. These cupboards came to only half the height of the wooden sides, creating narrow beds along the sides for Umniga and Asha. At either end was a small door, enabling dual access. The willow roof was covered with tough leather that was regularly waterproofed using a mixture of animal fat and beeswax.
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