ICE BURIAL: The Oldest Human Murder Mystery (The Mother People Series Book 3) (9 page)

She smiled up at him, unafraid.
“
I
do not
think he will mind,
”
she answered
gently
.
“
I have been happy here, and he likes me to be happy.
”

“
Perhaps, but still I think we must
leave each other
now,
”
Durak said, wondering at her innocence.
“
Others may look for you
, too
.
”
His thoughts were on Korg, who seemed to see everything, but he
did not
say the name to Rofina lest he alarm her.

He stood slowly, scanning the field and the woods beyond for faces, but no one was there. They had been lucky.
 
Rofina sighed as he helped her to her feet.
“
I
do not
like Korg,
”
she remarked abruptly, as if she had heard his thoughts.
“
The Leader says he watches me for my safety, but I still
do not
like him.
”
  There was no alarm in her voice, only resignation.

“
I
do not
think he is a good man,
”
Durak answered.
“
You must be careful not to anger him, Rofina.
”

Her answer surprised him.
“
He cares for me,
”
she said slowly.
“
I
do not
think he would harm me.
”

“
He cares for you?
”

Rofina
did not
answer, only smiled at him and took his hand as they walked back across the field. The gesture felt familiar to Durak, as if all their lives they had been joined in this way.

When they reached the woods, they separated. Durak
’s
heart contracted with pain as Rofina walked away. Rofina belonged with him now; he knew she did, and to part from her was terrible. He turned away, unable to watch her disappear from view, and forced himself to walk in the opposite direction.

Rofina walked until he turned, then she slid behind a tree and watched him. With each step she saw him take, some of the feeling she had liked so much drained out of her. By the time he disappeared, there was nothing left inside her at all, nothing to hold her up or give her strength. Exhaustion took possession of her. She stumbled through the woods into the Leader
’s
hut and fell onto the pallet that had been placed in one corner for her to use. Within moments, she was asleep.

A short time later, the Leader entered the hut. He stared down at Rofina
’s
still form. She looked different, older somehow, he thought. That was a good sign. Soon, perhaps, he would be able to approach her. He longed for her, had always longed for her, but he
did not
want to force her. Rofina was special, one who had been touched by the Great Spirit, and he must be patient. Still, he
did not
think it would be wise to wait much longer. A woman could not remain a child forever.

He watched her lips curve into a slight smile as she slept and felt a pulse of desire that almost made him gasp. What would happen if he took her in
to
his arms? Would she be afraid? He
did not
think so. She trusted him, and there was a languorous quality to her
now
that he
had not
seen before, as if she was finally becoming aware that she was a woman.

He was about to
lie down beside her
when Korg entered the hut. The Leader sighed. There were times when he wished Korg w
as
not quite so attentive. Still, he must n
ever
forget how important Korg was to him. Without Korg, the tribe
could not
function in the way the Great Spirit wished; without Korg, he sometimes thought the Great Spirit might not come to him at all.

Korg
’s
voice interrupted his thoughts.
‘s
he is weary,
”
he said dryly.
‘s
he has been picking flowers in the fields.
”

His eyes raked the hut.
“
It is strange that she
did not
bring them with her,
”
he added as he turned and left.

The Leader frowned. What did Korg mean? The question left his mind as Rofina slowly stretch
ed
out a hand, as if searching for something in her sleep. The gesture was sensual, enticing. Perhaps he should try after all. Impulsively, he knelt, ready to stretch himself out beside her, but Rofina suddenly moved again. This time, she pulled her body into a tight, defensive ball, and he knew the moment was lost.

Another moment will come, he assured himself as he rose reluctantly to his feet. He would make sure it came, for Rofina
’s
sake even more than his own. For her to make the transition from child to woman was essential, and he was the one was best suited to help her in that process. He had helped many
young women
before her, and they had always been grateful
.
Rofina would be grateful too; of that he was certain. He smiled down at her and moved away, leaving her to her sleep.

CHAPTER SIX

The owl
’s
hoot came sooner than
Zena
had expected, not long after dusk. She slid out of the hut and stood perfectly still until her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Carefully, she scanned the area, seeking movement, even the faint glint of skin or eyes. There was nothing. She took two small steps and waited again. No one must see her, the young woman had said
. To be sure
no one did
, she had
darkened
her pale skin with soot from
the fire. The moon had not yet
risen either
, which also helped.
Perhaps that was why the owl had called so soon. Later, the moon might come.

She moved further along a route she had memorized earlier, toward the nearest bushes. She had even cleared the way so no twigs or branches would snap underfoot and give her away. Again, she stopped and stared into the gloom; then she ducked into the bushes. There she waited for what seemed a very long time. Lief wa
tched
near
by
, but she never knew he was there.

Should she wait any longer? The owl
had not
called again; perhaps it had been a real owl, not her signal. Before she could move, a figure materialized beside her and a hand gripped her elbow. There was no sound, only the firm pressure that urged her out the other side of the bushes, then along what felt like a track. There were no obstacles, and she and her companion moved in complete silence. After a while, the hand pushed her to the right, and now the way was rougher, through trees. She
could not
really see them, but she could feel them pressing all around her. Without the guiding hand, she was certain she would have bumped into them.

And then suddenly the trees were gone. She
must be in a clearing. It had a soft gr
ound cover that muffled the sound of their feet.
Zena
felt
movement near her face.
“
Wait,
”
a voice whispered, directly into her ear.

Again, she waited, an even longer time, though it
did not
seem so long now that she knew something would happen.

Another form materialized beside her. She knew immediately that this
was not
the same person, though at first she
was not
sure why. Then she realized - the smell was different. On the first person there had been a faint suggestion of baby, of milk. On this one, there
was not
. Was it Mara? Or was someone else out here?

A hand clasped hers, and she had no choice but to follow, back into the trees. They were denser now, so thick that the person ahead had to weave between them. This time, however, they
did not
go far.
Zena
sensed rather than saw something solid in front of her, and then the guiding hand drew her into a shelter of some kind. A heavy cloth dropped over the entrance, and she heard a scraping sound.

A voice came, so low
Zena
had to strain to hear.
“
We will be safe here. Even Korg
does not
come to this place.
”
  A moment later, there was light, and she saw Mara. The relief was indescribable, and
Zena
heard the breath go out of her chest with a small whoosh. She
had not
realized how tense she had been, not knowing.

“
First, you must tell me... the little one, how is he
?
Is he all right
?
”
Mara
’s
voice shook with intensity
, and her eyes were
dark with anxiety
.

“
He is fine,
”
Zena
answered quickly
.
“
He is healthy and happy and he has many mothers to feed him and guide him. He tries already to crawl and to stand.
”

“
We call him Mara-sun,
”
she added,
‘s
o we
do not
forget.
”

Tears came into Mara
’s
eyes; they glimmered in the dim light.
“
That is good,
”
she said brokenly.
“
One day... one day, I will be his mother again. Except
first
you must help...
”

“
Tell me what I can do,
”
Zena
replied eagerly.

A deep sigh came from Mara.
“
There is so much,
”
she said
in a rush
,
“
s
o much to relate. You know already a little of the Leader and what he says. You must learn more, for you are the only one who can stop him, stop Korg. The people will listen to no other, only to one called
Zena
. Once, long ago,
before the men from the north came,
many of the tribes in this area were Mother People
.
Some of us
secretly returned to Her ways after the violence stopped. We were one of these. Then the Leader came, and he has changed us all again. You must undo what he has done. He
does not
even mean harm but good, and that is why it is so hard not to believe him, why it is so easy for him to change people. Even I once believed
…”

She broke off but continued quickly. Her voice was urgent.
“
I must say the most important part first. There may not be much time. I think no one comes here - this is the place where the women come during their time of bleeding
. The men are not
supposed
to come
here,
but
Korg has eyes and ears everywhere.

“
There is a village near this one,
”
she went on
hurriedly
,
“
a few hours across the ridge to the west. An infant will soon be born there, an infant they say was fathered by the Great Spirit. You must save it; the mother cannot. She
will not
understand until it is too late, or she will be too afraid. They make certain of that.
”

“
Understand what?
”
Zena
was bewildered.

“
Understand that they will take it.
”
Seeing that
Zena
still did not understand, Mara pushed out another word.
“S
acrifice,
”
she said with terrible emphasis.
“
The baby will be killed, sacrificed to the Great Spirit
on the altar
.
”

Horror rocked
Zena
. So that was the meaning of the word. No wonder it had made her afraid. But how was it possible for anyone to kill an innocent child?

“
Only that will placate the Great Spirit, they tell us,
”
Mara explained patiently
, seeing her confusion
.
“
Unless we
return the child the Great Spirit will be angry and then the horrors will come again – the ice, the violence….But you know this, you heard the Leader
’s
warnings -
”

She broke off again and when she resumed her voice was bitter.
“
It is for the Goddess too, they tell us, who brings death as well as life. That is how they change the Mother People. They tell us we have never understood before that we must give Her what She demands if we are to forestall the
disasters
that befell our ancestors.
”

“
But that is horrible
!
How could anyone think such
things
of the Mother?
”
The words burst from
Zena
before she could stop them.

Mara shook her head
in despair
.
“
I
do not
know. I know only that we must stop it.
You
must stop it.
”

“
Is that what would have happened to you?
”
Zena
whispered, aghast.
“
Would they have taken Mara-sun?
”

Mara nodded grimly.
“
The Great Spirit came to me, and to my sister before me. Her baby is gone; mine was saved because of you. If you
had not
come
and
taken the little one, I
do not
know what I would have done. I
could not
hide forever. They would have come to look for me if I
had not
returned, but I
dared
not
bring the baby
.”

She stopped abruptly and moved closer to
Zena
.
“
The Goddess has sent you to us; I am certain it is so,
”
she said forcefully.
“S
he sent you to help us, not just myself but to help all the Mother People. That is why you are here.

“
The people will not listen to any other, only the one called
Zena
,
”
she said again insistently.
“
Only you can help us.
”

Zena
looked up at her trusting face and felt the familiar apprehension fill her. How could she alone stop the Leader, stop Korg
,
stop this terrible sacrifice?

You are not alone
. The words came unbidden into her mind, and she felt her sister
’s
soothing presence.
There is much you need to know
, the inner voice continued,
and you had better ask now, while Mara is here
.

Zena
’s
panic subsided. As always, her sister was prompting her to deal with practical issues first.
The rest would follow.

She took a deep breath.
“
If I am to help, I must understand more about this Great Spirit,
”
she said carefully.
“
First, how is it possible for a spirit to father an infant?
”

Again, Mara shook her head.
“
I
do not
know. I know only that the Great Spirit came to me, but I thought it did to me what a
ny
man does to make a child. Still, I
do not
think it
could have been
a man.
”

“
Why was it not a man?
”

“
No man could be covered with fur as it was, or be so large, and the face was not a man
’s
but an animal
’s
, with a muzzle. It had claws, too. And yet... And yet I thought, just for an instant, that I saw a man
’s
face, a man
’s
face that was also an animal
’s
face.
”

She looked at
Zena
with anguished eyes.
“
I
do not
know how that can be,
”
she finished helplessly.

“
I
do not
either, but I intend to find out,
”
Zena
answered, and was surprised by the determination in her voice.
“
You must tell me everything you can remember.
”

“
I cannot remember much
because I was given a strong potion
,
”
Mara began apologetically,
“
only that the creature was huge, much bigger than any man could be.
”
She gestured with her hands to indicate the creature
’s
enormous width and height.
“
It was covered with fur all over except for the face I thought I saw for a moment, but that was
also
dark, but then it became an animal
’s
face again. Its arms and paws were covered with fur too. More than that
,
I
do not
remember.
The potion I was
given made me sleep - or perhaps it made me see what was not there,
”
she added thoughtfully.