[Alaskan Quest 03] - Whispers of Winter (6 page)

She crossed the yard and went to where Jacob’s inne stood. There, much to her relief and surprise, were Helaina and John. They’d just returned.

“I was coming over as soon as we secured the dogs,” Helaina said, embracing Leah. “John bought several new dogs while in Nome. They’re good, solid animals. I think Jacob will like them.”

Leah cocked her head. “You have news, don’t you?”

Helaina smiled. “Well, some news. Not exactly the news we want, but it’s good. There’s a revenue cutter already searching in the north for the men. I got word while in Nome, and we headed home as soon as we were convinced we’d done everything we could to aid the cause.”

“Do they have any idea where the
Regina
might have gone?”

“Just what we’ve sent them and what the sightings encourage,” Helaina declared. She pulled her jacket away from her body and shook her head. “I need a bath.”

“Come to my house—your things are there anyway. I’ve got lots of hot water. I’ll get more on the stove.”

Helaina glanced at John. “Do you have everything under control?”

“Sure. Go on.” He was a man of few words, but he was clearly happy to dismiss the women. “I’ll bring those things you wanted after I get the other items packed in the store.”

“It’s flooded in the inne,” Leah said. “Maybe you should just bring them to my place.”

John straightened. “We never did before. Not much sellin’ goes on in the summer, anyway. Not when the hunting is good. We’ll be moving up north pretty soon.”

“You make a good point,” Leah replied. “Just do it the way we always do.”

“I’ve brought home some new material. There was a nice shipment brought in just before I left,” Helaina announced as they walked toward Leah’s house. “I think you’ll really like what I have.”

“What I’d like even better is to hear everything,” Leah said as she pulled Helaina along. “What did you find out? Was there any news at all?”

“There was one other report. Apparently a couple of Russian fishermen spotted a camp in the distance on one of their islands. The Coast Guard services feel confident that it will prove to be the men of the
Regina
.”

“Oh, I pray they find them soon. Summertime is so fleeting in the Arctic.”

Helaina nodded and followed Leah into her house. “They’ve been out working their way north even before the ice was gone in Nome. They may have had to wait it out here and there, but they’re trying to reach them.”

Leah heard the excitement in Helaina’s voice and felt hope surge anew. “I pray they hurry. I can’t bear to think of what those men have endured.”

“But they’re smart. Smart and strong and they trust in the Lord. At least our men do.”

Leah smiled at the way Helaina claimed Jacob as her own. She prayed her brother’s love for this woman had not faded over time. “You’re right. It’s been hard at times to remember that God has always known where they are—even when I didn’t.” The thought offered comfort for the first time in a long while.

“The twins are asleep in their room, but I’ll have your bath ready in your old room. Go ahead and start undressing. There are fresh towels and soap in the drawer.” Leah turned to go, but Helaina stopped her.

“They’re coming home, Leah. I just know it.”

Leah felt her enthusiasm. “I know it too. I feel sure of it now. Even if I didn’t before.”

Chapter Five

O
n the eighth of June the village celebrated the first birthday of Leah’s twins, and the children reveled in the attention. Wills went from person to person, never staying very long in any one place. He appeared to enjoy being the life of the party and laughed and clapped so much Leah was certain he would wear himself out. Even Merry was more outgoing than usual. She smiled shyly and accepted the gifts and food people offered.

There were several native dances offered to honor the twins. Both twins tried to mimic the steps, causing the adults to laugh at their efforts. Leah thought it all quite nice, but she couldn’t help thinking about how much Jayce would enjoy the babies. She wondered if he was safe, if he had food to eat. Here they were stuffing themselves on all sorts of goodies, and Jayce and Jacob might well be starving.

When would Jayce come home? When could their lives move forward together?

Time was passing by, but Leah felt as though she were frozen in place. Only seeing the twins grow from babies to toddlers proved to her that the calendar had truly changed dates.

The day after the birthday celebration, a large number of the villagers packed up their tents and supplies and migrated to the north. Many birds and ducks had been sighted, and the promise of eggs and meat other than seal and dried salmon beckoned. Leah had gone on several of these bird-hunting excursions and had been amazed at the proficiency some women had with a bow and arrow. In fact, she remembered a time when Qavlunaq had been just a girl of eleven and had wanted to prove to her father that she was capable of hunting as well as her brothers. She accompanied her family as they hunted and managed to climb onto a ridge where she waited for the geese. As they flew by she took her bow and arrow and shot the largest of the birds. Her father had been quite proud of her that day. Leah still pictured the little girl grinning proudly and holding up her goose. Now that girl was a grown woman with a child of her own and another on the way.

Two days after the first group of villagers headed off, another group prepared to go. John and Oopick were among those who planned to leave. A part of Leah wanted to take the children and follow along for the sake of company and something to do, if nothing else. But the hope of Jayce and Jacob being rescued and returning to Last Chance kept her in place. After all, what if they came home to an empty village, with no one and nothing to celebrate their survival?

The day dawned bright and clear, but by nine o’clock a heavy sea fog rolled in without warning. One minute Leah could see across the open sea, and the next she couldn’t see more than ten feet in front of her. She was used to these fogs but hated them nevertheless. They were terrifying out on the open trail. Once when she and Jacob were returning from Nome, a fog came in fast and thick. Jacob had been wise enough to hold up and wait out the fog despite his knowledge of the trail, but Leah would never forget the isolated feeling of not being able to see. She kept expecting someone to reach out through the fog and grab them. Jacob, sensing her fear, had told her stories of Colorado and their childhood. Stories Leah had forgotten.

“The fog is bad,” Oopick said, entering Leah’s house unannounced. The village was like a large extended family, and no place was considered closed to them.

“Will you still go today?” Leah asked, pouring Oopick a cup of tea.

“John says we can wait until tomorrow. He sees it as God telling him to take more time.” The older woman smiled.

“I’m glad you’ll be here at least another day,” Leah admitted. Oopick took the tea. “It’s not too late. You can come with us. You could return early.”

Leah weighed the suggestion. “No. I wouldn’t want them to come back and not have me here to greet them.”

Oopick lowered her gaze. “It could be months, Leah. Maybe until the ice comes again. You … well …” She took a long drink from the cup as if to silence herself.

“Oopick, you speak the truth, and that’s never wrong. I’ve thought of the possibility that they won’t be found until late in the summer … maybe not even then.” Leah had to force the words. “Still, I want to stay. There will be a few of the oldest people here, and they may need my help. Plus, Emma and her family will be here. I just feel like it’s the right thing to do.”

“What’s the right thing to do?” Helaina questioned, coming from the back room.

“Staying here instead of going north with everyone else.”

Helaina exchanged a look with Oopick. “I think she’s right. We’ll be fine.”

“I have a lot of good seal meat thanks to John and Kimik, and soon the salmon will run in full. I’ll venture out to catch as many of them as we can get from the river,” Leah promised. “You’ll see. I’ll have the drying racks full before you even get back.”

Oopick smiled. “You always work hard. I know you will do as you’ve said, but we’ll see who brings home more fish.”

Leah grinned. “That sounds like a challenge. I accept.” She knew Oopick and the other women would gather far more fish, but it didn’t matter. She liked the lighthearted banter; it helped to put her mind on other things. “Besides, it won’t be long and you’ll be back. Don’t forget we’ll have a lot of berry picking come next month.”

“We’ll have good pemmican,” Oopick said, nodding.

“Jelly and jam too,” Leah added. “I’ve ordered extra sugar for just such things.”

“John will like that. He thinks that’s a good treat. He likes to spread jelly on the salmon sometimes.” Oopick laughed. “I tell him he better be careful or he’ll turn into a white man.”

Leah had never known a white man to put jelly on salmon, but she laughed nevertheless. So did Helaina, who quickly added, “I’ve never tried that, but maybe I will. Sometimes even the best food gets old.”

“John says we’ll come back to check and see if you have news.” Oopick finished her tea and handed Leah the cup as she turned to go. “He wants to know about Jacob. I want to know too.”

Leah nodded. They all felt the misery of not knowing the men’s fate. John had been worried enough to consider a trip north on his own; it hadn’t been that long ago that he had said he might put together a search party. Leah had almost encouraged it, figuring that somehow—some way—she, too, would go on the search. But then reality set in, and Leah knew it wasn’t wise for either of them to try such a thing. There was no way for them to be sure where the
Regina
had ended up, and they might only find themselves stranded in similar fashion. And, of course, there were the children.

Leah knew she could never leave them that long. It was one thing to make a trip to Nome—that was quite far enough when facing a separation from the children she loved. Considering that a search team could easily spend all summer looking for the missing ship, Leah knew the role of rescuer did not belong to her.

Helaina had agreed, encouraging Leah to trust the government to go after them. She had further stressed that should the ongoing war in Europe keep the government from searching, her brother, Stanley, would arrange a private search out of Seattle or San Francisco. Helaina’s healthy bank account could afford such a venture. This comforted Leah to some extent.

The fog cleared around two o’clock, presenting a beautiful landscape that looked as if it had been freshly washed. Leah decided to leave her napping children with Helaina while she went to gather some herbs on the mushy tundra hillside not far from their home. To her surprise, she found a ship docked out in the deep water. There were already launches heading into shore. She held her breath and watched—hoping, praying that Jayce and Jacob might be among the men coming to Last Chance.

Shielding her eyes against the light, Leah studied the forms as they drew closer. No one looked familiar, and given the way some of the men were holding up bottles, Leah knew her husband and brother would not be among their numbers. These were whalers who unfortunately added to their business ventures by selling whiskey to any native who would buy it. Leah turned away in disgust. She hoped Emma’s husband, Bjorn, would dissuade the remaining village men from giving in to the temptation. Furthermore, she hoped he would encourage the whalers to move on.

Leah lost track of time as she searched through the vegetation. There were a great many plants that were useful to the village’s medicinal needs. Leah often found that natives who were Christians sought her out to help with particularly bad cases. Others, who held no use for the white man’s faith, went to their shaman. Ayoona had once told Leah that such superstitions were difficult to let go of when you had been taught all of your life that they were true. She told Leah to think of how hard it would be for her and Jacob, should someone come declaring that Christianity was wrong—that everything they’d learned all of their lives was nothing more than a collection of stories perpetuated by a group of people who were ignorant to the truth.

This single statement, perhaps more than anything else, had taught Leah great patience and tolerance in living with the Inupiat. She often remembered Ayoona’s words and knew that it would be quite impossible for her to accept any other beliefs as truth. Why should it not be equally as hard for the natives of Alaska? Emma and Bjorn had agreed with such thoughts and told Leah that living an example of Jesus’ love was the best way to encourage the people to believe. When the natives saw the hope and joy that the whites had in life— especially in adversity—they would become curious and seek answers. This had proved true over and over.

Realizing that she needed to get back to the twins, Leah gathered her sacks and started back down the hill. She had no idea what the time was but figured it was probably late in the afternoon. With the summer in nearly continual sun, it was always hard to gauge the time.

Leah heard her stomach rumble and was glad to know that she’d left a stew simmering on the stove before heading to her gathering task. She hoped that it would be an appropriate time to set a supper table and enjoy her efforts.

Leah reached her small catalogue house, smiling as she imagined Jayce’s reaction when he set eyes on the place for the first time. The house seemed quite out of place in the village. Except for Emma’s house, everything else was built partially underground in Inupiat fashion. The Kincaid house was a pleasant enough sight, but it did stick out as a rather strange anomaly on the seacoast. She knew Jayce would like it, but even this would pale in light of seeing his children.

His children. The old thoughts trickled back to haunt her.
Are Wills and Merry truly Jayce’s flesh and blood? Why can’t I just let this go? Why can’t I just be glad for what I have and stop worrying about the past?
She shuddered and pushed the memories aside. There was nothing positive to be gained by remembering those terrible things. There was nothing good to be had in asking questions for which she could not give conclusive answers.