ICE BURIAL: The Oldest Human Murder Mystery (The Mother People Series Book 3) (30 page)

There was n
o further sign of the travelers,
and as the days and then the weeks passed,
Durak
slowly
began to relax. So did Pila. Her wariness disappeared and she seemed genuinely glad to
be with him. Each time
he returned to the hut after one of his forays for food
, she looked up eagerly and smiled
a greeting
, and once her ankle
improved
she began to go out with him on bright days
. Her cheerful face brought a glow of satisfaction Durak had never experienced before, and he relished it. Already,
he realized,
he and Pila were completely comfortable together, as if they had known each other forever, and he supposed they had even if Pila did not
remember. Each night, he
told stories about
their
village and
the people in it
, and
Pila
listened avidly.
It was as if she knew all about what he was saying but at the same time did not know she knew.
One day he was certain she would remember. In the meantime, they were content.

If he really thought about it, Durak realized, he felt at peace for the first time since Rofina
’s
death. Mostly, though, he thought only of today and the pleasure it would bring. For the moment, that was enough.

CHAPTER
SIX
TEEN

The winter months passed quietly, and the problems Lief and
Zena
had faced with Korg and the Leader
began to seem
very far away.
Lief spent many peaceful hours in the woods observing animals, occasionally taking one for food, while Zena spoke with Larak or climbed to her Kyrie, which was where she felt most at peace. Their joy in being together during the long evenings and nights was boundless, and they wished they could live this way forever.

Then, with the coming of spring, their peace was shattered with a jolt.
One morning
Zena
sat looking at the high
pass beyond her Kyrie, wo
ndering if she and Lief
could one day climb over it.
Sun sparkling on the ic
e
hurt her eyes, and she turned to look toward the valley below. The edge of the village was visible from her high perch, as w
as
a long section of the path between Runor’s village and her own
.

As she watched, a figure emerged from the trees and came onto the path.
Zena
’s breath caught in her throat. Korg; the figure had to be Korg, No other man walked with that springing stride.
Abruptly, his steps slowed. Eyes on the ground, he went back and forth along the path, peering nervously into the woods on both sides. His movements were
furtive
now,
as if he
was afraid of being seen. Raising his head, he stared in her direction for a long time. Then he turned and strode rapidly along the path toward Runor’s village.

Zena felt a prickle of
fear
.
Why
had
Korg act
ed
so strangely and why was
he g
o
ing to
Runor’s village
?
Whatever his reasons, they could not be good…

Without warning
,
her
f
right
crystallized into an overwhelming sense
that
Runor was in danger
. Running
down the steep hillside
, she
burst into the village.

“I must go to Runor!” she called out breathlessly to Lief. “I saw Korg, from above, in my Kyrie. He was on the path
, heading for her village.
”

“You are afraid for
Runor
,” Lief stated
, and felt the fear invade him, too.

“I must go to her right away,”
Zena
answered, and ran to the hut to gather supplies for the trip. Lief helped her in silence, then he went to
tell
Larak
of their plans.
Feeling unaccountably afraid herself, Larak followed him back to the hut.
Zena
already had her pack on her back, the supplies stuffed into it.

“I will look after her,” Lief promised, correctly interpreting Larak’s alarmed face. “I have never seen her like this before
,” he added as Zena ran back to the hut to get something she had forgotten. “
It is as if she knows something I do not know
.”

“S
he does,” Larak agreed soberly. “That is always the way with those who speak for the Mother. I feel it often myself. I feel it now,
a
terrible apprehension, only I do not yet know from where it comes.” She sighed. “The Mother will tell us, but She does not always speak when we wish Her to. If only we knew now…”

“I thank you, Lief, for all you do for
Zena
,” she interrupted herself, and saw his eyes light up with pleasure at her regard.
The next instant, a
nxiety filled his face again
. Giving Larak
a brief, bleak smile
, he ran
to help
Zena
finish
the packing. Their time of peace was over.

Within moments, he and
Zena
were
on
the path that led to Runor’s village. Larak watched them, her heart heavy
.
Runor might be in danger, but she felt strongly that
Zena
was, too. If only she knew why.

“Please, dear Mother,” she said aloud. “Do not keep me in suspense. I must know, for only then can I act.”

Lief and
Zena
moved fast, and by the
second
day they arrived on the high ridge overlooking Runor’s village. Driven by
u
rgency, they
greeted the villagers quickly and then
went straight to Runor’s hut
.
To their astonishment, they
found
the old wise woman dozing peacefully in the sun.
Zena
felt embarrassed to have been so afraid but Lief was baffled.
Su
ddenly to have no reason for
their
apprehension was disquieting. He felt
exactly
as he did when a stranger approached and he knew instinctively that the man meant to harm him. His instincts were seldom wrong, and he did not think they were wrong now.

Runor’s eyes opened immediately when she heard their footsteps, and when she saw who they were, her lined face creased into a wide smile.

“Greetings, my child
ren
,” she said as
Zena
and Lief
knelt to embrace her. “The Goddess has indeed blessed me, that I should see you again so soon.
”
Reaching up, she took
their hands and
pressed
them
warmly.

“First, I must know of Mara and the little one. Are they both well?”

“They are well, and Mara is sorry not to have come but Lief and I left so quickly there was no time to prepare. She sends you greetings and her love and w
ould like you to know that
she
has a new infant.
She will come with Mara-Sun and the new baby later, when the air is warmer.”

“That is good to hear.” Runor’s eyes twinkled. “I imagine the father of the child is Hular. Am I not right?

“Yes,”
Zena
agreed. “He and Mara are very close.”

Runor nodded. “He is a good man for Mara and I am pleased.”

Lief thought of Durak. In their concern for Runor they had almost forgotten about their old friend.

“Is Durak here?” he asked. “He told us he would spend the winter in your village, but we did not see him when we came in.”

“Durak passed through the village,” Runor replied
, “but he
went on, telling us he wished to be in the mountains and live alone for a time. He finds peace there.”

“
Do you think he is
safe?” Lief asked bluntly.

Runor considered. “I believe he is. Neither Korg nor the Leader have been seen anywhere in these parts, and I do not sense that harm has come to Durak.
”

Lief nodded. For the moment, Runor’s answer had to suffice, but he determined to look for
Durak
anyway, to make sure.

“Now, you must both sit beside me so I can
tell
how you are,” Runor
said.
“What my eyes can no longer see, my hands can feel.” One at a time, she looked carefully into their faces, and then she examined them with her gnarled fingers.

“You have changed,” she said to Lief. “That is good. I feel purpose in you, and courage. The Mother has made you one of us
.
”

She turned to
Zena
. Her fingers explored
Zena
’s face, then her hands, lingering on her wrists. “The life force is strong in you now,” she said quietly. “This I can feel. It flows steadily but it is different, too. Yes, is different now.
”

“But you must tell me of all that has happened since we last met,” she continued eagerly
, “and
why you have come here
so early in the season.
”

Collecting her thoughts,
Zena
told the old wise one of their visits to the villages last summer and related her concerns about Korg and the Leader. “Each time we left a village, I had the feeling that Korg and the Leader
had come
just
before us or
after us to convince people
not to listen to
what I say about the
Goddess.
”

Runor was instantly alert. It was as she had thought. Korg and the Leader had
followed Zena all summer and stayed near her village in the winter.
That was why no one in these parts had seen them - and why the Mother had kept her alive, she thought with an inward smile, though that could soon come to an end.

“Did Korg and the Leader follow you here as well?” she asked, suddenly aware that if they had, her time of waiting might be almost over
.

“I saw Korg
from my Kyrie just before we left. He was
on the path
heading this way, and I
was afraid he
was coming here to harm
you,”
Zena
answered. “That is why we came so quickly. We wanted to warn you.”

Runor’s heart quickened with anticipation, and excitement coursed through her
body.
From the moment
she had seen
Zena
and Lief
,
she had suspected that their
appearance was
an omen. Now she knew she was right about that, too
.
Already, the two men could be nearby.

She must prepare for their arrival. She must also make certain that when they came,
Zena
and Lief were not here. How she would manage that she did not yet know, only that she must.

“Korg has not
come
here, nor would he harm me if he
did,
” she answered cheerfully. “He thinks I am just an old and helpless woman. So does the Leader.”

“But if they do come here,
I do not want you to deal with them alone,”
Zena
persisted. “I
am very afraid that
Korg will harm you,” she repeated stubbornly. “I do not understand
why that is so, but I am certain it is.
”

Runor kept her face calm. To deceive
Zena
was terrible, but the alternative was worse. “Do not worry,” she reassured her. “
The villagers will
wa
rn me if Korg and the Leader come. I will
be well protected, even if you are not here.”

An idea came to her
about how she could make sure Zena and Lief left before the men came
, and for a moment amusement shone in her eyes. “
Since you have come this far, it might be good
to go
on
to Brulet’s
old
village
,” she suggested. “There have been many changes as a result of Zena’s performance.”

Zena was too surprised to answer, and Lief spoke
instead.
” We
could do that,” he answered hesitantly, puzzled by both the words and the unexpected flash of humor in Runor’s eyes. “What has happened in Brulet’s village?”

But Runor would not elaborate, saying
only
that she wanted them to see for themselves. “You should go right away,
” she urged, “
while the
sun is still strong. If you
leave now, you can g
et
almost to the pass before darkness.
You may also find
Durak
as you travel. H
e
said he would stay near the small lakes up there.
”

“We will
look for him,
”
Zena
agreed, but she was aware that
her apprehension was as strong as ever.

Runor
sighed and lea
ned back against the pallet that supported her back. “Now, my children, I must rest. I fear I tire easily these last years.” Taking their hands into her own once more, she stroked them lovingly. “I thank the Goddess for bringing you here. To see both of you again has brought me great joy, more than you could know.”

Reluctantly, they rose. To leave Runor still seemed wrong, but the old wise one seemed so certain - and so tired. Perhaps it was best this way. And the others in the tribe would look after Runor, as she had said.

“We will see you soon again,”
Zena
said, leaning down to press Runor’s frail hand one more time. Runor reached up to touch her face and did not answer.