Authors: Jess Allison
At night, lying on her cot, Ja'Nil could look out and see the stars clustered like magic lanterns, winking and watching over the sleeping world, ready to report to the Lord of the Circle if anything seemed amiss.
There was plenty amiss tonight.
It seemed to Ja'Nil that all the inhabitants of the village were packed into the lodge. Everyone in the village was an Earth Person. Occasionally people of other races would pass through. Ja'Nil had seen several Cloud People, and once a troupe of Sky People acrobats had come to the village during market day and put on an amazing performance. The other races fascinated Ja'Nil. It was almost hard to think of them as real people. She preferred the way her own race looked. Earthers had rich, smooth, pale brown skin and green eyes. Except for the old people, they all had dark glossy hair. Most had straight hair, but some, like Ja'Nil, had curly hair. She wore it short. Earther’s ears had small lobes and pointed tops. Ja'Nil’s clung neatly, close to her head unlike Sildy’s. Sildy’s ears stuck out like little pointed jug handles. She tried to hide them with her hair, but then they stuck out through her hair.
Earthers were generally not tall people although Ja'Nil’s daddy had been tall and so was she. She was self-conscious about her height. Unfortunately, it was not something that could be hidden, and she was still growing. She also had big feet. All in all, not a good prospect to be someone’s first wife, or even a second wife.
It was just turning spring, so the evenings were still cold. Usually, at night there was a fire in the hall, but tonight, with so many people crowding in, the hall was positively hot. The only ones not present were the injured woman’s family. Even Aunt M'eer was there.
Her aunt wore an ankle length dress with a rich looking red and green over-tunic, belted loosely with the best grade eller hide. As usual, she was glaring at everyone around her. People were careful not to catch Aunt M’eer’s eye. Her mostly white hair hung in a long messy plait down her back. Her skin was sun burned and tough looking. She had the usual Earther pointed ears, but the right one sort of slumped over.
Ja’Nil, being careful to keep out of her aunt’s sight, stayed at the back of the room. Everyone in the hall was trying to speak at once. They were angry and scared, some were despairing. For her part, Ja'Nil was mostly hungry. Neither she, nor Sildy nor Rog had eaten dinner. The families they usually ate with were all present, clamoring to be heard. After the meeting, it would be too late; the families would return to their homes, close their doors and forget about the pesky orphans.
Ja'Nil was trying to sidle around the edges of the crowd. She had a quarter loaf of black bread in an old wooden box that was pushed under her bed. Bread and water would have to do tonight. If she could get to the bread before Sildy saw it, she wouldn’t have to share.
“We have been abandoned,” sobbed one woman.
“We should petition the Queen,” someone else said. This was at least the third time since the meeting started that someone had said that.
Elder Jo’Oner cleared his throat. He always cleared his throat before he spoke. Ja'Nil could see his little green eyes narrow even smaller with annoyance.
“That has already been done, Fisherman Ty’Ner, he said. “As you know, we have sent three missives to the Queen’s representative. There has been no reply.”
“What sort of Queendom is she running anyway?” muttered another one of the villagers.
Some people edged away from the speaker, not wanting to be associated with any statement that might be considered treasonous. Others grunted agreement.
“Maybe we should send a messenger directly to the Queen’s Palace in Cordia,” said Fisherman Sam’El.
Ja'Nil was astonished. All the way to Cordia? Who would make a trip like that? She herself had never traveled beyond the village. To her, Cordia, the capital of the country, was like one of the fairy tales mothers told their children. It was peopled with imaginary creatures like Queens and Nobles and Princesses.
Thank the Lord, she didn’t have to go. Ja'Nil never intended to leave the village. Most of all, she never intended to get into another boat ever again. Not even a rowboat.
“Go to Cordia?” said Elder Jo’Oner. He looked appalled. The room grew silent.
Ja'Nil, who had almost reached the door to the sleeping room, found herself wedged against the wall by Fat Thom’m. She couldn’t fit behind him. She would have to go around in front.
Fat Thom’m was so startled by the idea of going all the way to Cordia that he stopped leaning against the wall and straightened up. Ja'Nil quickly slipped behind him. She could almost taste the waiting bread. Her stomach growled loudly enough for Fat Thom’m to hear. He looked at her. She ducked her head shyly. His gaze raked her up and down then turned away, uninterested.
Fine, with me, she thought. Even to be a first wife, she wouldn’t marry Fat Thom’m.
There was a commotion at the large entrance doors. “She died,” a woman screamed out. Someone started sobbing.
“Cho’s dead. My mother is dead,” screamed Lee-Uno.
Ja'Nil shivered. Death again. At least this time there was a body to consign to the flames. The dead Cho’s spirit would be able to rise easily with the help of the cleansing fire and smoke; her ashes would be buried deeply in the comfort of Earth mother. Still, too many of the Fisherfolk were dying.
Ja'Nil’s Aunt M'eer moaned. Then she raised her arms to the ceiling and screamed. There was a shocked silence.
“It’s your fault,” Lee-Uno screeched at the Elders.
“My dear, woman!” Elder Jo’Oner was shocked.
“Nonsense,” said Elder Ban’Et. “You’re overwrought.”
“She would still be alive if we had a healer.”
Ja'Nil doubted it. Cho’s chest had been caved in when she fell between the bow of her boat and the dock.
“What good are you,” demanded Lee-Uno, “if you can’t even get a healer for our village?”
The Elders were silent. Everyone was silent except for Aunt M'eer, who was moaning softly and rocking back and forth in grief. Her hands were crossed over her stomach as if she had the mother of all bellyaches.
Lee-Uno pushed through the crowd to get to Aunt M'eer. “You foul bitch!” she screamed at the rocking woman. Aunt M'eer turned away, still rocking back and forth. Little short grunts were coming out of her as if someone was punching her in the stomach, forcing the air out.
“Perverted beast!” Lee-Uno began to pummel the older woman. “You stole my mother away from us.”
“For the Circle’s sake, that was ten years ago,” muttered one of the villagers.
“You murdered her, didn’t you? Admit it. You killed her for her trade goods.” Lee-Uno was screaming now. “Well, you’ll never get one single bronze. It belongs to me.” She was pushing, kicking, and hitting the older woman.
Several men grabbed her and pulled her off Aunt M'eer.
“We will have none of that,” squeaked Elder Jo’Oner. He was truly shocked. “We do not fight amongst ourselves. We are all travelers in the Lord’s Circle.”
Apparently, Lee-Uno didn’t want to travel anywhere with Aunt M'eer. She fought to get away from the restraining hands so she could get back to beating the woman who had enticed her mother away from her family. Meanwhile, Aunt M'eer was coming out of her grief-stricken daze and she looked back with equal anger at the younger woman.
Ja'Nil thought it was lucky for Lee-Uno that they had her restrained. In a fight, Ja'Nil’s monies would be on Aunt M'eer. She wouldn’t put it past her aunt to slice the younger woman into fish bait.
Suddenly Lee-Uno burst into tears. Several women surrounded her, clucking sympathetically, and urged her out of the building.
It was very quiet in the hall. Carefully, not looking at Aunt M'eer, people started filing out. There were things to do. Cho’s body must be cleansed and a fire built in a great circle. As the last man left, he stopped in front of Elder Jo’Oner.
“Elder,” he said. “Too many of our people are dying that could be saved. Perhaps you are getting too old for your job, senile perhaps. I advise you to get a healer for our village even if you have to go to Cordia yourself.” Then he left.
Now the five Elders, the grieving Aunt M'eer, and the orphans were the only ones left. Elder Ban’Et spotted Ja'Nil and Sildy. Rog had snuck off with the villagers. “You children go to bed,” she ordered. “Immediately.”
Sildy scurried into the sleeping room. Ja'Nil followed.
Inside their room, Sildy plopped herself down on her bed. “I’m hungry,” she whined.
With a sigh, Ja'Nil knelt, pulled out the box from beneath her bed and opened it. Aside from a spare set of clothes, it was empty. Ja'Nil looked up at Sildy.
“I ate it yesterday,” said the Sildy. “Well, it was going stale.”
* * *
Ja'Nil couldn’t sleep. Between the hunger, Sildy snoring away in the next bed, and the loud voices of the Elders and Aunt M'eer arguing in the next room, Ja'Nil was wide-awake. Anyhow, lately she found sleep more and more…unpleasant.
“I want that self-righteous little prigger censured by the council.” Ja'Nil heard Aunt M'eer say in her rough voice.
Ja'Nil shifted nervously in her bed. Aunt M'eer always made Ja'Nil want to be somewhere else – somewhere far away.
“Now Fisherwoman M'eer,” said Elder Ban’Et, always the peacemaker, “Lee-Uno may have been a little, uh, rude.”
“Rude!”
“But do remember she has just lost her mother and…”
“And she accused me of murder. Me! Cho was my…” Her voice sounded almost tearful.
“We all know what Cho was to you,” said Elder Jo’Oner.
Ja'Nil could just imagine Aunt M'eer’s heavy brows lowering, her jaw jutting, and her posture ready to pounce. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Her voice was low and dangerous.
Elder Jo’Oner backtracked rapidly. “Just that we all know she was your… ah, Special Person. We realize how deeply committed you were to each other. I for one, certainly sympathize with your grief.”
“The question is,” broke in Elder To’Tol, “who will take the trading goods to Market City now that Cho’s dead?
Their voices grew lower and then became a soft rumble. Ja'Nil’s eyes grew heavy. The last thing she heard before she finally drifted off was Elder Jo’Oner’s voice. “We must have a healer. It’s the only way to be sure.”
Finally, sleep overtook Ja'Nil. And she dreamed.
CHAPTER 2
She dreamed she was on her father’s boat, The Ta’Serc, In her dream, she is ten years old again.
The same beautiful day. Her family safe and happy around her…and then the wave, twice the height of the Ta’Serc, a monster thrown up from the deep.
Frantically, Daddy spins the wheel, trying to turn the bow in to the wave. But the Ta’Serc is just a fishing boat; speed of response has never been required of it. The wave is horribly dark, its crest a sickly yellow. It looms over them, blocking out the daylight as it crashes down.
Tons of water snap the mast, tossing the massive oak timber about like a kindling. It falls across her father’s chest, pinning him to the sea-swept deck. The steering wheel is shattered. A spoke of the wheel, broken off into a razor sharp point, is sticking out of Daddy’s side. Bright red blood pumps from him to mingle with the rain and seawater.
“Can you move it?” yells Mama.
“What?”
“Move the mast.”
Ja’Nil tries. God of the Circle knows she tried. She claws at it, pushing and straining. Nothing.
“Use your gift,” Mama yells.
Ja’Nil closes her eyes, pictures the massive timber lying across her Daddy’s chest. She tries to “see” it floating up and moving gently away. Nothing is happening. It won’t budge.
The storm is still crashing against the Ta'Serc, rocking it dangerously. Now there is thunder along with whipping wind. Lightning flashes across her closed eyelids. She can’t concentrate. She can’t concentrate! She can’t “see” it.
“Ja'Nil,” Mama calls out, trying to be heard over the sound of the storm, over Yonny’s screaming. “Get in the lifeboat. You and Yonny. Tie yourselves in.”
Ja'Nil just looks at her.
“Do it,” orders Mama.
“But Daddy…”
“I’ll help him. You do what I say.”
Just before Ja'Nil reaches Yonny, the boat gives a peculiar lurch.
“Mama,” says Yonny, his voice filled with horror.
Ja'Nil looks back in time to see another wave catch Mama and carry her off into the hungry sea. All the while, Mama’s eyes are locked on Ja'Nil.
Did Mama scream? Of course, but Ja'Nil can’t even hear her own screams over the sounds of the storm.
“Stop all that noise,” said someone.
Something grabbed at her. The sea was reaching out to drag her down, too!
“No!”
said Ja'Nil. She struck out wildly.
“Will you stop that moaning, you useless brat.”
“Er, Fisherwoman M'eer, perhaps a little kindness.”
“Oh, go blow yourself, you old fool. She doesn’t need kindness; she needs a good kick in the ass.”
Ja'Nil opened her eyes. Elder Jo’Oner and Aunt M'eer were standing beside her bed. In the next bed, Sildy was lying very still with the covers over her head. Ja'Nil knew she was awake, because she wasn’t snoring. Also, she could see Sildy’s beady eyes peering out.
“Are you awake?” asked Aunt M'eer.
Ja'Nil sat up and nodded.
“Good, get your stuff together. We’re leaving on the morning tide.” Aunt M'eer turned and started for the door.
“Leaving?” Ja'Nil’s voice came out as a croak.
The only answer was the slam of the door.
* * *
Ja'Nil was dragged out of bed when it was still dark, and given a hasty breakfast of hot chocee and a sausage roll. The roll was only half eaten when Aunt M’eer came for her. The terrifying woman marched right up to the bench where Ja’Nil was sitting, grabbed her by the neck of her tunic, and pulled her to her feet.