Ember of a New World (32 page)

“Do-people, look
different, where ever you-go?”
Ember said.

“I-do not know
,
”
Kis’tra
said, “But-it seems so.”

The troop
split into four groups of five to six people to share the houses. Within the house that Ember,
Kis’tra
, Zhek,
Ena
, and Borjk entered
,
was the odd dark haired man from the true south as well as another such man and woman. All three had dark hair, tanned skin, and the same rich features. Their clothing was similar to the people of this tribe, other than the colorful designs on their clothing of dye made
with reds, purples, and blues.

Ember was taken
aback
by the beautiful colors of their clothing and longed to journey to the true south. What wonders would await her if she did? But also, what dangers? The mountain passes were dangerous, and the trip could prove deadly as many had learned. The group set mats into place and laid out furs to make beds. They would all be living here for an entire sea
son, perhaps nine ten-days!

That night, there was no trading or celebration, which took Ember by surprise. The customs of the village dictated that travelers would be given a few nights to acclimate before any such events. This was absolutely the opposite custom of her people and really difficult for Ember to understand, but these people were also accustomed to much greater numbers of travelers than her tribe. Perhaps the number of frequency of travelers made this practice of some importance. Either way, Ember figured that she would spend those first few days exploring this large and beautiful village. Ember took the time, otherwise mostly sitting around in the
huts,
singing her songs, or making final tweaks to trade wares, to explore the villa
ge and meet some of its people.

The next few days were cool, but Ember and
Kis’tra
walked around each day observing the people and scoping out potential trades for later. The village people were inviting and even offered Ember and
Kis’tra
occasional treats, such as cooked meat on a stick or a reed wrapped salted tuber. The village was also very busy, with people working all day and children running this way and that way. Each of the houses contained at least one full extended family, by Ember's reckoning, perhaps twenty individuals. Most of the houses were single floored, but Ember noted that a few had smaller caverns dug beneath them or smaller hut-like structures built on top of the their roofs, specia
lly supported with heavy logs.

After a while, Ember and
Kis’tra
came upon a burned hut with a wooden fence around it. On the ground beside it were long extinguished torches. Torches were used for light or to scare off animals. They were only carefully used within a village as they could burn down huts. When a hut burned, there was a risk of secondary fires
forming from the primary fire.

Who would use a torch to burn
down
a hut, in a village
, Ember
thought?
This seemed quite odd indeed. Ember approached a warrior, one of about ten who seemed to be very good at merely walking around looking tough,
and inquired about the house.

“Hello. Why, this, house-burned
?
”
she asked.
Ember hoped
he under
stood her trade language.
The warrior gave Ember an in
quisitive look before answering.

“It, the-sickness
. People, in-hut, sick. We-burn
,
”
plainly stated.
After giving Ember an odd look, he walked off to protect a less talkative area. Ember was not satisfied by the odd and featureless answer. Further inquiries w
ould be
required. By the end of the day, the two friends had spoken to many and had learned that two harvests ago a group had come to the village from the extreme far north west. The group had been three men and two women. They had been traders of exotic dyes and beads. Not long after
coming
to
the village they had become ill with something called the “sweating sickness”, and had been confined to this building. Several who came into contact with them had also died. Apparently the High Priest of the village had used his magic to bless some of the women of the tribe and had sent them in to care for the people, and they
too
had died. The five were kept in the building until only one of the women lived.
Whatever
evil spirits had killed the people, they seemed to have spared on
e
girl. She seemed to not become ill and after a short time was removed and placed in another building. The building the people died in had been burned. No one knew what the sickness was, but that being close to someone with it could be deadly. Perhaps the spirits became angry at
those who aided their victims.

The only survivor from the trade group had been accepted, barely, into the tribe and now worked in the fields as a widow. She was quite young and had only been joined with her now dead husband for a season or two. The whole story was quite sad to Ember and
Kis’tra
. The young woman was obviously not well thought of, and it was even rumored that she had somehow cheated their death God and brought bad luck. No one would say more, but Ember got the feeling that something else had happened. Ember decided that she would eventually have to meet this woman. She was from the far
North West
, the place where Ember was “fated” to go. Perhaps she could provide some insight on wh
at Ember could expect to find.

On the fourth day in the village, the elder came and informed the group that the time for celebrations was come. The day was chilly but warmer than any other had been and the Elders felt that a celebration could occur before a day of trading. That evening, Ember and her friends prepared for the celebration. They painted their skin with the black soot and the streaks of the Tornhemal people. Each adorned their hair with feathers and some beads. The three traders from the true south wore colorful skirts and shirts featuring horizontal stripes of color. Their necks sported colorful and heavily beaded necklaces. Each painted their face with a deep red paint. Ember and the girl from the true south, Napana, each pointed at the other and laughed. They were more amused by the differences in the way people decorated themselves than any humor at how each looked. After the laughing had ended and everyone was fully garbed and ready for a good time, the group left the guest huts to join the festivities.

The tribe had created five massive fires in the courtyard outside of the large decorated building. Four of the fires burned at the four corners of the court while one burned in the middle. The result was an area relatively warm, regardless of the chilled wind. Around the fire, many costumed dancers danced intricate dances. Most of the people of the
local
tribe wore ocher paints and danced topless with large amounts of beads and feathers around their belts and around their necks. Men and women alike wore skirts of flax, reed, leather, or bead-work. The oils on their skins and the five large blazing fires allowed for such free dancing even as the cold season began to fill the lands with cold winds. At least two hundred people had gathered for dancing and food. Near the dancing, food was prepared and much merrymaking was at hand. Ember and
Kis’tra
danced into the group while drums were beaten, and singing was heard. Festivals were one of the most important activities of any tribe and any
possible
reason
to have one was often enough.

After a while, the dancing and the music slowed, and a path was made in front of the large hut. The wood frame door was opened and a tall man whose body was painted intricately in rich black lines from head to toe emerged. He wore a long beaded loin cloth apron in front of his breechcloth and a fine flax shirt which hung to just below his waist. In his hand, he held a staff with complex designs carved into it and the body of an extremely heavy-set woman with exaggerated fea
tures on the top.

“He is Priest Duruth. He sp
eaks for the Gods of this land
,
”
Nor'Gar, not far away from Kis’tra and
Ember, whispered to his people, in his native tongue.
Ember understood most of what Nor'Gar had said and
Kis’tra
translated the rest for her. A man who speaks for the Gods? In Ember's tribe
,
a woman, Morning Dew usually, would interpret the God's will, never a man. Ember reflexively rubbed her hands on Blossom's Goddess necklace as Duruth walked forward and theatrically observed the entire spectacle. He looked serious as he pronounced something in his language to the people. He walked a little forward and continued speaking. Nor'Gar translated as best he could, using the trade language for
Ember's sake, in a hushed voice.

“He-say, the-Gods are-angry, and more-dancing, needed.” Suddenly Nor'Gar looked shocked, “He-say, another-man, found-dead, today! He, just-learn. He-say, the-Gods kill-him, because they-angry. He-die, no wound. A-man, name Aris.”

Beside Ember, a man from the tribe said something hateful under his breath and Ember gave him a curious look. The older man looked like a farmer with curly brown hair and a simple leather skirt wrapped around his waist with leather shoes, much like many of the other men. At first
,
Ember thought he was outraged by the idea that someone was found dead
, just
as other people around him who were also muttering in disbelief, but the look on his face was more menacing. He almost looked like he was hatefully looking at Duruth. Ember thought this very odd, but assumed that more complicated affairs wer
e in play than she understood.

After the pronouncement, the dance was slightly less fun taking on a more religious demeanor. These people had apparently experienced recent and unexplained deaths and were appealing to their Gods for help. With the death announced, the festival had become an important ritual event. Interestingly
,
the high priest seemed under the impression that th
e Gods were killing the people
.

What Gods are these who take lives at random, but then again, don't people die all of the time?
Ember was quite confused by her own thoughts as the night wound on.
In her tribe, the Goddess of the snow was known to kill people at random, as well as the God of fertility, but this sounded more like a murder.

Towards the end of the event, Priest Duruth stood and held out his hands to silence the crowd. Once everyone had stopped, he motioned, and a woman was brought into the view of everyone. She was bent over with her hair obscuring her face. Her skin had been covered with black soot. As she passed by Ember, she could be heard whimpering and sobbing as she was led by several elder women. Ember glanced around and found that the events, as the
y
unfolded, were obvious to those from the tribe and apparently expected. Ember and
Kis’tra
each had little idea what was going on, so they
simply
watched. The sobbing woman wore a simple leather tunic and no decorations. Ember supposed that she might
be the widow of the slain man.

The elder women slowly walked
the ash-covered woman
around the main fire, the opposite way everyone had been dancing. Towards the end of the first circle, the woman began to wail a mournful sort of song, or perhaps appeal to the Gods. Ember was not sure, bu
t the words sounded like a song
.
She sa
ng her
words off key and in between sobbing fits. Her words were foreign to Ember, but she could feel this young woman's pain. Memories of the slain people at the raided village returned to Ember, and she became moved to tears her
self.

After a short time, the woman gave in to her emotions and was helped away from the festivities. Duruth spoke to his people in a short and low manner, simply turning and walking back to his hut. Everyone appeared moved by the display. Ember supposed she had just witnessed some sort of death ritual, though she couldn't imagine something like this occurring in her tribe. Ember wanted to help find out why the men were being found dead and she simply could not believe that the Gods of this land were killing
people for an unknown reason.

The next day
,
the trading started in earnest. Wares were laid out on mats and hides for inspection. Men and women stood around making deals and talking about the quality of wares. The mood had improved a little, but in a hut not far away a woman could be heard crying every now and then. She was the wife of the now dead man. Ember had watched many older women enter the hut, seemingly to console her. She moved closer to the trading to take her mind off of the death.
Kis’tra
was sitting with Zhek and four others striking deals on quality deer and rabbit pelts.
Kis’tra
was wearing
dark
rabbit mittens as she showed the
dark
rabbit pelts she had to sell. Ember recognized them as her mittens, made by
Kis’tra
and
sat down beside her.