ICE BURIAL: The Oldest Human Murder Mystery (The Mother People Series Book 3) (28 page)

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Durak felt almost happy as he trudged up the path that led to the high pass. Finally, he would be able to do what he had longed to do ever since Rofina had died. Night after night he had dreamed of this moment, when peace would finally come to him. There was no one to watch him, to urge him with well meaning pleas to forget what had happened, to try to cheer him up. Now he could do as he pleased. In a short time, he would go peacefully into death, as Rofina had.

When the first snow came, he decided. That would be the signal that it was time to go into the lake, as Rofina had. The others would understand; he was certain they would, but he had no desire to burden them with his intent. To do so would be cruel.

When he came to the lake, Durak settled down to wait for the snow. The wind at the top was strong, so he decided to go down a short way to the place where he had sheltered with Rofina and wait there. The
overhanging
rocks had protected them from gusts of wind, he remembered. He built a small fire and made a kind of tent with
the
extra furs the others had insisted he take. Now, he was glad had them. It would be good to take some time alone up here to remember Rofina, to dream of her waiting for him…

The images came immediately. Gritting his teeth, Durak thrust them away. It was wrong to think of Rofina like that during these last days, terribly wrong. Underneath, Rofina was not as she had been then and he must not sully her memory. He must think of her as he had seen her before that terrible night when she had taken the Leader into her…

But he would not even say those words even in his mind. That too was wrong in these last days. Instead, he must think of Rofina as she would have been if Korg and the Leader had not corrupted her. That would be best. Think of Rofina as she might have been, he told himself over and over each night as he prepared for sleep. Almost to his surprise, he succeeded. Rofina came to him pure and unsullied, night after night, in his dreams. Sometimes, the bad images came, but as soon as he reminded himself how wrong that was, he was able to push them away.

Pleased with this small success, Durak decided to set a few traps in the bushes to see if he could catch rabbits or any other small animal that might live up here while he waited for the snow. By morning, his first trap had yielded a rabbit. He blessed it in the Mother
’s
name; then he skinned it, cooked it over his fire and ate ravenously. He was amazed. He had not been hungry for a long time. More days passed, and he was content, with his thoughts of Rofina, with the peace that seemed unexpectedly to have filled him.

Two days later, the first snowflakes drifted gently past him and settled on his clothing, then disappeared like phantoms, leaving spots of wetness where they had been.
More
flakes
came, and then more.
Durak watched them for a long time, fascinated, before he remembered what they meant. The time had finally come for him to do what he had longed to do…

For a moment
he
could not move. Then he forced himself to his feet, stamped out his fire and pulled the extra furs down from the tent of long sticks he had
built
for them. He left them where they lay and started slowly up to the pass again.

The wind was even stronger now, and he wondered if it had been that strong when Rofina had trudged up this slope. Had it stung her face, her eyes, as it stung his? Poor Rofina, she must have been so cold, so frightened and anxious, and he
had not been there to help her
…

Durak shuddered. He must think about the flowers instead, the lovely meadow where they had met and spent so many hours together. That would be better. Except it was hard to think of the warm meadow, with snow and wind blasting into his face. There had been no snow when Rofina had come, only the cold and the wind.

The snow was falling thickly now, heavy and persistent, as if it meant to keep snowing for many days. Soon, it would be hard to see, harder to travel. But he did not need to think of that, only of the peace that would soon come to him.

He had almost reached the lake. He
looked
ahead for a moment at the path that
wound between
Runor
’s
village
and Niva’s
, remembering how he had stared at it when he had been with Rofina and wondered fearfully who was coming. He had been so afraid for her until he recognized Sorlin and Hular. How kind they had been.

Durak frowned. Someone was coming now, too; a figure had just appeared over the crest of the pass above the lake. How strange. It was almost as it had been before except that this time there was only one figure, a woman, huddled over against the cold and snow. She held a small bundle in her arms. Why was she alone? And why was she climbing the high pass at this time of the year? Perhaps he could help.

He took a step forward, meaning to intercept her and then checked himself. That was not his purpose here. But she might need help, another part of him argued. He must offer it at least. Besides, he did not want her to see him go into the lake. That would be unkind, and she might try to save him. That would be worse.

Persuaded by these arguments, Durak began to lope toward her. The woman was bent over against the wind and the snow, and did not see him until he was almost upon her. When she did, she started violently in fright and began to run the other way, clutching the bundle closer.

“
It is all right,
”
Durak called after her.
“
I will not hurt you. I only wish to help.
”

The woman kept running as fast as she could, but within moments she stumbled and fell. Durak went to her and placed a gentle hand on her back.

“
I will not harm you,
”
he repeated.
“
I am a friend. I would like to help you.
”

The woman moaned, seeming unable to move, and Durak realized she was near collapse.
“
It is all right,
”
he repeated.
“
I mean you no harm.
”

She turned to peer up at him, her round dark eyes filled with terror but also a kind of desperate determination. Her face was pale and strained.

Durak stared.
“
Teran,
”
he breathed. The woman looked at him, perplexed, but some of the terror in her eyes diminished when she saw from his face that he really did not mean to harm her. He did not think she recognized him though, which was strange. They had played together as children, he and
Zena
and Teran. Perhaps she did not wish to let anyone know who she was and so was concealing any signs of recognition
.
She might have had terrible, frightening experiences that made her wary of revealing anything about her past. He would not press her.

“
I would like to help you,
”
he repeated.
“
I had a fire in a place just below, where the wind is not so strong, and some extra furs. I will build the fire up again so you can get warm and then we will see what you wish to do.
”

The woman, who was shivering violently now, made no objection or perhaps she could not through her chattering teeth.  Durak took her silence for assent and helped her to her feet.
“
I will carry this for you,
”
he said, reaching for her bundle. Snatching it back, she clutched it to her chest. Durak
wondered what it was to bring such a frightened reaction.
He was not long left in doubt. The bundle began to wriggle and a thin wail emerged from it. A baby!

“
We must get the baby warm,
”
Durak said, urging her along.
“
I am sure both of you must be very cold. I will make a fire for you.
”

When they reached the place where he had sheltered, he propped up some of the furs again so the snow and wind could not reach them and wrapped the woman and her child in the others. Then he took a big bundle of wood from the pile he had collected earlier and found some still dry tinder in his pack, which to his surprise, was still on his back. He had forgotten to remove it when he had gone to the lake. Soon, the fire had begun to burn. Carefully, he placed the woman and her baby near it, not too close for the sparks to harm them, but close enough for warmth. She held out her hands, one at a time, to the blaze. With the other, she held on to the child.

“
I thank you,
”
she said, and her voice trembled. She was like a terrified animal, still suspicious of him. Durak was certain that if he made any move to take the baby from her she would fight him with all her strength, despite the fact that she could hardly stand. What had she been forced to endure during her long absence?

“
I am called Durak,
”
he said.
“
My village is not far from here. Perhaps I could take you there after the snow has stopped, with your child.
”

“
Or we can stay here
for a time until your strength returns,
”
he added quickly when he saw terror in her eyes. She looked relieved, but still wary. At least, though, her shivering had receded.

“
I am called Pila,
”
she said after a moment, but Durak knew she was not. The
thick
brown hair, straggling from beneath her head scarf, the round brown eyes… This was Teran, he was sure of it. But was not Pila the name of the young woman whose infant
Zena
and Lief had saved?

“
I come from the same village as the woman,
Zena
, who saved your child,
”
Durak told her, hoping that might reassure her enough to give her real name.

“
Zena
?
”
The young woman frowned.
“
I know that name. The others talked about
Zena
. She came to the village… I seem to know…
”

She interrupted herself to ask a question.
“
Was it she who saved my child?
”
The round eyes were anxious.
“
I do not remember. I was not well…
”

Durak nodded.
“
Zena
will want to see you,
”
he said gently,
“
if you are willing to come to her village with me when you are stronger.
”

“
Perhaps,
”
she said, but Durak saw that once again she had withdrawn. He tried to remember what
Zena
and Lief and Brulet had said about Pila, but he could not, only that Brulet had said Pila did not talk very much. He had been so engrossed in his own misery, he realized, that he had not seen or heard anything else.

Surely, though, if
Zena
had seen Pila, she would
know right away.
But she had not
seen Pila;
he
r
emember
ed
that. The woman called Niva had not permitted
Zena
to go into Pila
’s
tent. Had she known
or guessed
the girl
’s
true identity and wanted to keep it from
Zena
? But how could
Niva know who Pila really was
? He did not think anyone in his tribe had ever been to
her
village until
Zena
and Lief had gone there.

Was it Niva Teran feared, or Korg and the Leader?
Durak wished he knew but
did not ask.
If Teran really did not remember who she was,
he must
go slowly with
her
, not make her anxious
by asking questions.
He remembered Sorlin, who knew more than anyone about ailments of the mind as well as the body, saying that
some
people did not remember who they were if they had been knocked on the head, and that memory must not be forced.

M
oving slowly so he would not alarm her,
h
e tucked the furs more firmly around
Teran and
watched as she suckled her child. Her face was soft now, filled with love. How she must have suffered when the infant had been taken from her! Like Rofina, he thought, and began, almost without thinking, to speak of her.

“
Rofina, who lived in the village on the other side of the pass, had her child taken from her as yours was taken, only hers was not returned. It was
a
cruel
act
,
and she suffered terribly. I wonder at those who can commit such a sin against the Mother.
”