ICE BURIAL: The Oldest Human Murder Mystery (The Mother People Series Book 3) (13 page)

“
I thank you. Perhaps I will,
”
Zena
replied, and decided she would, except that she hoped no one would know she was there.

The rain had almost stopped, and she stood, anxious to leave before the women began to ask questions she
did not
want to answer.
“
I will go on now
and find my
companions
,
”
she said.
“
I thank you for giving me shelter.

“
Perhaps we will meet again,
”
she added, looking at Brulet and holding her eyes. The girl nodded slowly
and did not look away
.

Deep in thought,
Zena
walked slowly back to rejoin
Lief
.
The infant was already on the way, and the ceremony would take place in a few days. She did not have time to
talk to these people,
to try to make
them see that kill
ing
an innocent baby was wrong. Many might not listen anyway, like the dark-haired woman. She would be stalwart in her support for the Leader. What, then, could be done?

Lief
had tried to protect himself from the rain with his tightly woven grass cape
as well as the trees
, but he still looked wet and very cold.
Water dripped from every part of him.

“
Fire,
”
Zena
said.
“
We must build ourselves a fire
to get you warm. We must not be too close to the
village
, though
. The Leader is coming soon, they say, and I
do not
want him to know we are nearby.
”

Lief
nodded eager
ly
. They went deeper into the woods where no one was likely to come, and
built a small fire
in a cave beneath
a sheltering
rock ledge
.
Zena
related what she had heard while the blaze warmed them, and
they tried to think what could be done.

“
Perhaps we can steal the infant soon after it is born,
”
Lief
suggested.

Zena
looked
doubtful.
“
We would have to find someone to feed it if we did that. A newborn infant cannot go too long without food
.”

“S
omeone in Mara
’s
tribe might feed it,
”
Lief
said.
“
But
then
the Leader or Korg
would hear of it, and the child
would be killed anyway,
”
he added with a sigh.

“
Yes. And it
is not
easy to keep an infant quiet,
”
Zena
agreed.
“S
till, we will do that if we must, but
I am
sure there is a better way, if only we can think of it.
”

Lief
made another suggestion.
“
We could speak to the mother of the infant, see if she will help
us
. She cannot want her child to die.
”

“
I
am
not sure she understands,
”
Zena
answered,
“
but even if she does, she may be too
afraid
to help
us
. Mara said they make certain of that.
Besides, t
hey
will probably
give her
a
potion so she
does not
know what is happening.
”

Later that night, the moon came
out
and they decided to use its light to watch the village
and
see if they could find the hut in which the baby was being born. The task proved easier than expected - all the huts were dark and silent save one. There, they heard voices, saw a brightly burning fire.
Zena
was wondering what to do next when Brulet emerged from the hut and walked toward them with a jug in her hand.

“S
he comes for water, I think,
”
Zena
whispered excitedly.
“
The stream is just behind us. I can speak with her.
”

Brulet
’s
mouth opened, ready to scream, when
Zena
touched her arm; then, recognizing
Zena
, she clapped a hand across it.

“
I am sorry to startle you,
”
Zena
said
softly
.
“
I
do not
wish to be seen.
”
She stopped for a moment, thinking what she should say,
before she
continued
softly
.
“
Brulet, I thought you
were not
happy about your friend, about returning the baby. Is that true?
”

The girl nodded.
“
It is a beautiful boy,
”
she said, and tears started from her eyes.

“
I would like to save him,
”
Zena
said.
“
That is why I am here
, and my friend
.
” She pointed to Lief.

Brulet’s face lit up. “I will help,” she said eagerly.

“Thank you, Brulet. The best plan would be to take Pila and her baby away before they can perform the ceremony, and you could help with that.
Do you think
she
would
be strong enough after the birth to travel with us to
a safe place?
”

Brulet looked doubtful.
“
I
do not
know. She is
brave but so tired, and also very weak. I
do not
know if she c
ould
walk. There was much bleeding. She was too young, the women say.
They also gave her many potions
to make her sleep
.
”

Zena
sighed.
Even if the mother agreed
to leave, she might not be ready to travel for many days. That would be too late.

“
Has the Leader come?
”
she asked abruptly.

“
He comes tomorrow, I have heard. Some of the men have gone over the ridge to meet him.
”
Brulet shuddered.
“
I
do not
like what the Leader says as the others do.
”
The words burst out, as if she had never before dared to say them.

“
This I understand, Brulet, and I believe you are right,
”
Zena
assured her.

She looked into the girl
’s
small, courageous face.
“
Have you heard of the Great Mother, of those who worship Her?
”

Brulet
’s eyes
brightened again
.
“
Once, we were Mother People. I liked it better then. But the Leader came and we changed.
”

“
One day, you
may
be Mother People again,
”
Zena
told her.
“
You can help that to happen.
First, can I trust you not to tell anyone, even your friend Pila, that I am here, of the words I spoke?
”

Brulet nodded
seriously.
“
I will not tell,
”
she promised.

“
Also,
”
Zena
said, thinking fast,
“
you must not let your face show that you have spoken to me, that there may be a chance the baby can be saved. You must act exactly as you did before.
”

“
I can do that,
”
the girl said.
“
I will be sad as I was before, and afraid, and no one will know that I now have hope.
”

Zena
hugged her.
“
I thank you, Brulet. The Mother Herself thanks you. I have one more question, and then you must get the water before they miss you. Do you know when the ceremony will be performed?
”

The eagerness left Brulet
’s
face.
“
Only a few days after the Leader arrives, I have heard. There
is not
much time.
”

“
I promise we will do our very best,
”
Zena
told her.
“
And surely the Goddess will help us as well.
”

“
I hope it is so,
”
Brulet replied soberly, and turned away.

“S
he is very brave,
”
Lief
said, watching
Brulet trudge back to the hut, her
small figure bent under the weight of the jug
.

“
Very brave. I hope I can do what I have promised her I would do!
”
Zena
’s
voice was anguished.

Lief
took her hand.
“
We can do no more here,
”
he said firmly.
“
Let us go back to the fire and think together.
”

For a long time, they traded ideas, but always they faced the same problems - there
was not
enough time to convince the villagers that what they were doing was wrong, not enough time get help, and no way to be sure they could keep the infant alive if they decide
d
to take him. And when they went to look at the hut to see how that might be done, they realized it would be almost impossible. Three people stood guard at the entrance. Korg and the Leader were taking no chances.

“
Perhaps we could hide and then snatch the infant away during this ceremony,
”
Lief
said hopefully as they returned to the fire.
“
Or maybe we could stop the Leader from coming, and then there would be no ceremony.
”

Zena
brightened at the thought
and
then shook her head.
“
He would come back and we cannot stop him every time.
”

“
But perhaps we could take the infant just before the ceremony, when they carry him out,
”
she added thoughtfully.
“
They might not be so watchful then.
”

Lief
shook his head.
“
The whole tribe would be watching. They would soon take him back - and take us as well.
”
Gloomily, he rose to get more wood for the fire.

Zena
sat brooding. The infant had to be taken; that was clear. Maybe the best time would be during the ceremony when everyone was watching Korg or the Leader and they were watching the people. But if she did that, she would have to grab the infant before anyone had time to react, even to think, and that meant whatever she did must be fast - and dramatic. Then maybe either she or
Lief
could hold everyone
’s
attention just long enough for the other one to get away
with the baby
.

She clenched her fists in frustration. That
would not
work either. Even if one of them got away, what would happen to the other?

Lief
threw the wood on the fire and sat down beside her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder.
Zena
leaned against him, wishing that she could forget the problem and just relax with him
for a few moments
, maybe fly with him in Akat as they had before...

Abruptly, she sat up straight. Something
Lief
had told her on the mountain was stirring in her mind, pulling out an idea that had been buried there. There was something else he had said, too,
that
the Leader
’s
ceremony was not real…