ICE BURIAL: The Oldest Human Murder Mystery (The Mother People Series Book 3) (23 page)

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

Durak hurried over the pass. He had not meant to be so long, but he had met
Zena
and the others and had stopped to tell them what had happened since they had left. Frantic now with worry about Rofina, he sprinted ahead of them toward the lake. It glittered in the sun, almost blinding him with its brightness.

A fragment of pale color floating in the water caught his attention. Shielding his eyes with a hand, he peered down.

“
Rofina!
”
he screamed.
“
Rofina!
”

His legs shook under him as he careened down the slope. What he saw could not be Rofina; it could not be, but the light hair floating in the water, the slender arms and legs...

When he reached the lake he plunged in without stopping to look again.
Some part of him
knew already, had known all through the night. He had dreamed of Rofina, had heard her calling,
and seen
her frail figure moving across a darkening field....

The coldness hit his chest with such force that he could barely breathe.
Gasping with the shock, he
struggled to
wade
toward Rofina. He took two steps, then another two, but then his legs would not move any more. They were too heavy, to
o
numbed by the icy water. He forced them ahead anyway but now he could not feel where they landed, only that they ached so intolerably he wanted to scream.

One of his legs
went
out from under him; then the other went. He lunged
ahead,
reaching out with both hands to grasp Rofina. Water poured into his mouth;
retching, he
tried to stand again, but his feet felt nothing. The feeling had gone from his arms, too
. He
willed them to reach out, watched as they moved through the water. They had almost reached her fingers, and then they had grasped them, were holding on with a strength he did not know he possessed. He tried to pull her toward him but she would not come.
Her
fingers were slipping away; they would not come closer and he could not hold on much longer
..
. He was too cold, too numb...

His head began to sink, and he snapped it up again. He was afraid now, afraid of the icy water that would take him as it had taken Rofina. He tried to go back, to pull her back with him, but his legs were not there at all, he could not find them...

Shouts penetrated his consciousness, and he turned his head. Behind him, figures were racing toward the water. He looked at them for a moment and then looked away again. He must get Rofina out; that was all that mattered.

“
Durak, come back! Come back!
”
Hular shouted, racing down the slope. The others sprinted down behind him.

“
He is too cold,
”
Lief
said grimly when they reached the lake.
“
We must get him out. We will hold onto each other and see if we can reach him. It is the only way.

“
Leave your packs and clothing here,
”
he added. Throwing them off himself, he waded slowly into the icy water. The others did the same. Hular came behind
Lief
, holding fast to his hand, after him came
Zena
and then Mara and Brulet, all holding tightly to each other. Stretching out his free hand,
Lief
tried to grab Durak but could not.
“
One more step,
”
he grunted.

All of them moved forward a step;
Lief
lunged toward Durak and managed to grab his pack.
“
Pull
!
”
he gasped
.
“
M
ove back and pull.
”

Slowly, the chain of people moved back toward the shore. One after another they tumbled away from the water, gasping with shock from the cold, and hurried to wrap their garments around them. Durak
came last
, dragged behind Lief and still holding tight to Rofina
’s
hand. Lief bent to examine her and knew immediately that they were too late. They must concentrate on Durak. He had collapsed against the ground, too cold to stand. His face was so pale he looked already dead.

“
Fire!
”
Hular called out, and ran for wood. Brulet had already found some and was yanking it into a pile.
Zena
pulled out her flint but her hands shook so badly she could not make them work. Mara, less wet
,
took it from her and after a few moments managed to get a small fire going. The others piled on more wood and the fire began to burn strongly.

Pulling Durak close to it, they stripped off his wet clothing.
“
We must warm him with our bodies,
”
Hular
said.
“
Get dry furs from the packs and we will lie all around him.
”

“
Lief
, too!
”
Zena
cried out.
“
He is too cold.
”
He was shaking so hard that he could not stand, either. She took him into her arms and pulled him down with her against Durak; the others surrounded them and after a time, warmth began to creep back into their bodies.

Zena
peered down at Durak.
“
He has more color, I think,
”
she said, and grabbed his wrist to feel for the pulse.
“
His heart beats,
”
she added.

Mara rose abruptly.
“
Rofina,
”
she said, and the anguish in her voice brought stillness into all of them.

“
It is too late,
”
Lief said gently, but Mara did not hear. She walked to the edge of the lake, where Rofina still lay. Her long pale hair hung limp against her cheeks, and her outstretched limbs were as white as newly formed ice. Mara knelt beside her and touched the frozen face as tears poured down her cheeks.

“
I should have,
”
she screamed suddenly.
“
Why did I not do it, why did I not! It was in my power to do it, my hands were on the knife and I did not....
”

Slump
ing
down against Rofina
’s
body
, she began to sob,
huge,
tearing sobs that shook her body in painful spasms.
Zena
went to her and stroked her back, waiting. What did Mara mean? What was it she should have done?

A sound
made her turn. Runor was calling Rofina
’s
name from the field below and trying to run toward them.
“S
he has gone,
”
Runor cried,
“
Rofina has gone...
”

Her legs would not take her any further and she leaned over, panting.
Lief
and Hular ran to her. Together, they helped her up the steep hill.

“S
he gave me the sleeping potion,
”
Runor gasped, trying to get her breath.
“
Rofina did. She took mine and I had hers...
”

Lief
stood still. He must tell her before she saw Rofina. Not to speak would be cruel.
“S
he was in the lake,
”
he said gently.
“
Durak found her in the lake. The water was too cold.
”

Runor looked up at him, her old eyes searching his face for truth.
“
Rofina is dead,
”
she said simply.
“S
he is dead.
”
Her body sagged for a moment and then she straightened her shoulders determinedly.

“
I must see to Mara,
”
she said.
“
I heard her voice.
”

Lief
and Hular helped her to Mara, whose head still rested on Rofina
’s
cold body. Runor knelt beside her. With gentle fingers she pushed aside Rofina
’s
tangled hair and looked into her face, saw that it was peaceful.
“
Perhaps it is better this way,
”
she murmured.
“
Perhaps, after all, it is better so...
”

“
It is not better!
”
Mara screamed, rising to her knees to face her mother.
“
They have done this to her, Korg and the Leader. They have killed her as surely as if they had put a knife in her back, as I should have put my knife in theirs...
”
With a savage gesture, she thrust out with an imaginary knife; then she buried her face in her hands.

“
Look at me!
”
Runor commanded. Shocked by her mother
’s
tone, Mara slowly took her hands from her eyes.

“
But you did not,
”
Runor said, and there was a terrible tension on her face, part fear, part
anxiety, part
hope.

“
I did not,
”
Mara said bitterly.
“
I should have and I did not.
”
Runor
’s
eyes closed, and relief flooded her face.

Mara rose suddenly.
“
I must go back,
”
she said,
“
and this time I will not fail.
”

“
No!
”
Runor
’s
voice was shockingly loud.
“
No, you will not. That is not for you to do.
”

“
Then who will do it?
”
Mara stared defiantly at her mother.

Runor did not answer the question.
“
Why did you not do it?
”
she asked instead, watching Mara
’s
face carefully.

Mara looked away; then she raised her eyes to
Zena
.
“
Because of the Mother,
”
she said slowly.
“
I listened to
Zena
and I thought that
H
er way is better, to bring the people back to the Mother, to live by Her ways, that if we did that, the Leader would not have power any more
…
”

Her voice broke.
“
But now Rofina is dead; they have killed her and they will kill others the same way.
”

“
No,
”
Runor said again, this time more quietly.
“
They will not. The Goddess Herself has told me this.
”
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what she had said, and knew that it was true. The Goddess
had
told her. That was why the picture of what she must do had come to her so clearly. The Goddess Herself had given it to her, had chosen her to do Her will.

“
The Goddess Herself has told me they will be stopped,
”
Runor repeated, to make sure Ma
ra had understood and would no longer seek
revenge.

Mara seemed not to hear. Her eyes were far away, as if she saw something no one else could see.
“
He was just a man,
”
she whispered,
“
a big snoring man who lay there. He did not even know I was standing
over him
with my knife above his chest. And when I leaned close I knew why, from the smell
…
”

She broke off and began to laugh hysterically.
“
He was drunk!” she said loudly. “
The Leader had drunk too much mead! Can you imagine the Leader unable even to speak? The Leader who is so fine and grand?
”

Zena
felt as if she had been punched in the belly. For a man such as the Leader to be brought so low seemed unspeakable. And yet she
was not surprised. Perhaps the fondness for mead was part of the other reality
Lief had seen lurking
behind the façade
.