ICE BURIAL: The Oldest Human Murder Mystery (The Mother People Series Book 3) (19 page)

“
There is one among you who has remained pure of heart,
”
she said then, looking toward the back of the clearing.
“
Though hardly more than a child herself, she had the courage to remember the Goddess when others had forgotten. Let her come forth now and take the infant, return him to his mother.
”

Brulet came slowly from the trees and made her way across the clear
ing
. She did not look at those around her, only at the figure behind the platform. Gently, lovingly, she took the child from
Zena
’s
arms and bore him away. All eyes followed her, and when the people looked toward the platform again, they saw that the white-draped figure, with its winged arms and fiery hair, was slowly disappearing. Down and down
the figure sank
, seeming to melt away, until all that was left was the crown of feathers, starkly white against the dark cloth that covered the place where the infant would have died.

CHAPTER
TEN

The villagers milled about the clearing uncertain
ly while Niva went to see what had happened to
Korg and the Leader
.

Korg
’s
head came up
as she
bent over him.
“
Leave!
”
he shouted
.
“
All of you must leave and do not come back!
”

Niva hesitated but decided she had no choice but to obey. Korg would be furious if she did not. Herding the others ahead of her, she returned to the village. Behind her Korg shook his fist, then he collapsed against his brother
as unconsciousness claimed him once
again
.

Lief
watched from the trees. As soon as everyone had left he darted in to make sure the two men were still
immobilized
but were breathing as they should, and that no one was watching. Then he helped
Zena
to crawl unseen from her hiding place beneath the cloth-draped platform into the thick trees. Her legs were unsteady,
her breathing ragged. He
supported her tenderly, understanding what it had cost her to play her role. She had been magnificent, inspired, but now she was only
exhausted.

When
they had gone the clearing was empty once more, save for the fallen men.

The sun was high before Korg stirred
.
He pulled himself slowly into a sitting position and rubbed his forehead. What had happened to him? Something had hit him, had hit the Leader first, and then him. After that, he remembered nothing, except for a vague impression of seeing something white behind the platform, something unexpected.

His features contorted with rage. Someone had betrayed him. That much he did know, and that was what mattered.

Beside him the Leader groaned and sat up. Korg took a deep breath and wiped the rage from his face. He could nurse it in his heart but he could not show it to Mordor. Once Mordor became angry he was hard to control. Better to soothe him, keep him focused on the familiar path.

“
I do not remember what happened,
”
the Leader said, frowning in confusion.

“
Nor do I,
”
Korg answered.
“S
omeone threw stones perhaps.
”

Immediately Mordor was inflamed.
“
To interrupt our ceremony shows no respect for the Great Spirit!
”

“
Indeed that is true,
”
Korg replied, his tone placating.
“
But do not worry. I will find the guilty party and make certain this does not happen again. Your task, as
ever,
is to continue to speak for the Great Spirit, to lead the people. You must not let yourself be distracted.
”

“
You are right, my brother, as you always are. I must be strong, not allow myself to become aroused by these problems. Still, I feel in need of a restorative,
”
Mordor added, looking up at Korg with still unfocussed eyes.

Korg considered. Normally, he tried to restrain Mordor, but now the restorative might be good. It would keep his brother away from the village for a time while he decided what to do next.
Gurd
, the
man
who had accompanied them
from their old home
in the north
and
who
always attended to their needs, would look after him.

“S
ome
of the restorative,
but not too much
,
dear Leader,
”
he answered finally.
“
The p
eople depend on you.
”

“
Of course.
”
The Leader nodded solemnly, but Korg knew he would take more than he should. The need always
over
came
Mordor
when something unusual happened.

“
Let us go to the hut in the woods,
”
he said.
“
I have the restorative there.
”

A
hut was
always
provided for them in the
village
s where they performed their ceremonies, but Gurd
also
built a small hut for the three of them deep in the woods
. To
have a private place to prepare for ceremonies or conduct special rituals, or to speak to people without being overheard, was essential.
The
Leader
also
needed a
secluded
place
to which
he could retreat when that was necessary.
Gurd
was always there to watch over him
since he
never left the
cover of the thick trees.
Gurd did not like
any
contact
with other people
.
As a result, few people
knew of his existence, and that was useful too.

“
What is that?
”
the Leader said, as they helped each other to their feet. Korg followed his pointing finger and saw white feathers glistening against the dark cloth of the platform. He went close to examine them. They were fashioned into a sort of crown, he saw. Who had put them there, and why?

“
I do not know,
”
he answered,
“
b
ut I will find out.
”

He pick
ed
up the crown to take it with him but changed his mind. Someone would undoubtedly come to retrieve it
,
and when he
found out who that person was,
he would know who had betrayed him. He would ask Niva what she knew of the crown, too. She was loyal. He debated whether to ask
Gurd
, who saw and heard a surprising amount
despite his isolation
,
but decided
not to.
Gurd
was almost too loyal
.
When
he thought
Mordor
was
threatened he
became unpredictable
. T
h
at
was
dangerous.

A movement at the back of the clearing caught his eye. Was someone coming for the crown already? Then he saw that it was only old Krone. She seemed always to be lurking somewhere.
“
Get away from here,
”
he shouted,
horrified
that
anyone,
even someone as useless as old Krone
,
should see
h
im lying helpless on the ground.

Krone ducked behind a tree and watched Korg and the Leader
stagger
into the woods. She smiled to herself. The others would have to listen to her now
.
They would soon see that she was right. She hurried toward the
village
but checked herself. First, she would retrieve the crown that had been left behind. She would keep it
safe
in her hut
and give it to
Brulet
when she came by later.
It was fitting that the child should have it. Had not
the
Goddess Herself spoken to Brulet, chosen her to take the infant back to its mother?

Carrying the crown into her hut, Krone laid it next to her pallet.
Then
she
joined Niva and th
e other villagers
where they
had
gathered to talk about the ceremony.

“
Now you must listen,
”
she exclaimed excitedly, squatting beside them.
“
Long ago, I knew them, Korg and the Leader, except then he was called Mordor. We lived in the same village, but they have forgotten. I have not. I know what they were like then, and
they were
not good and wise, as they pretend to be now. No indeed. In the end, they were banished because...
”

Niva interrupted before she could say more.
“
Old Krone does not know what she says,
”
she told the others harshly.
“
You must not listen to her!
”
Grabbing Krone by the elbow, she hustled her away.

“
I
do
know what I say,
”
Krone protested,
struggling
to free herself from Niva
’s
strong grip.

“
It is not good to upset people further,
”
Niva said angrily, pushing Krone into her hut. Really, the woman was becoming a nuisance with her stories of Korg and the Leader! Was it not enough that they had been attacked, knocked unconscious?

“
It has been a tiring day,
”
she added in a kinder tone, seeing Krone
’s
distraught face.
“
Perhaps you should rest for a time.
”

She led Krone to her pallet, noting with interest the white crown that lay beside it. Briefly, she wondered why it was there but forgot the question
.
She must get back to the others
and
explain, so they would not believe old Krone
’s
story.

After she had checked to make sure the old woman had food and water so
she would not need to
leave the hut again, Niva hurried
back to reassure the
villagers
, then she set off to
find Korg and the Leader
in their cabin in the woods.
They should know
right away
what old Krone had said
,
even
though
her words
were meaningless
, and they
should know about
the crown
. She needed to make sure they were all right, too
.
The tribe could not afford to lose them now.

Krone shook a frail fist at
Niva’s
retreating back. As soon as she could get away, she would try again, and next time, she would not let Niva stop her.  She was telling the truth, and it was important for others to know.

Still, she was tired. In that, Niva was right. A good rest might help her to speak better when she tried again.

She sank down on her pallet, thinking of the ceremony. How wonderful it had been to hear again of the Goddess, to know that She had returned. Best of all, the infant was still alive, just as her premonition had told her. And she, old Krone, had helped. After all, it had been her cloth, the beautiful white cloth she made for burials that had draped the one who spoke for the Goddess.

Brulet had already returned it, she saw. It was folded neatly beside her,
lying just where it
had been before. She was a good child, Brulet.
She usually came by in the evening to make certain her old friend was all right. Then, Krone thought happily, she could give Brulet the crown.

Krone yawned, and her eyes slowly closed. Just as she was about to sink into sleep the name of the third b
oy
came into her mind.
Gurd
;
that was it! She wondered what had happened to him, but the thought slipped away as sleep overcame her. She slept for a long time, much longer than she had intended. Darkness was just falling when she heard the quiet footsteps.

“
Brulet, is that you?
”
she called out, and then realized it was not Brulet. The shadow was too large. There was no answer, and Krone did not speak again.

*********************

When Brulet came by
that evening
she saw immediately that the white cloth, which she had returned earlier and
folded
in a neat pile, was sp
illed
carelessly
in the dirt beside Krone
’s
pallet. Krone would not like that. She
had made
the
burial
cloth and she was very proud of it. When Brulet had taken the cloth for
Zena
to use in her ceremony, she had promised to take great care of it, and now look!