The Tower of Il Serrohe (26 page)

“
Knowing they would meet more resistance and increased ferocity at the villages, the Soreyes suddenly stopped their onslaught and set up camp at the three arroyo entry points. Salvaging supplies left in the arroyos by the Valle people, the Soreyes now had
their own
conduits that lead safely all the way back up their trail to the mesa top.

“
With lookouts up on the mesa, those conduits were safe from desperation attacks by the Valle people.

“
Still there was no word from Teresa. Even Pita and Pia had no contact with her at night.”

forty seven

“
The people of the Valle were in an uproar. How could such a thing have happened? The bats swore nothing as big as a Soreye could have wandered about at night spying on the operation in the arroyos without being detected by their powers of echolocation and body heat sensing. Yet, surely it had not been just a good guess on the Soreyes’ part.

“
The Soreyes knew
there were three branches of the arroyo system through which the people were moving supplies and would eventually include moving warriors into position.

“
The Nohmin did not trouble themselves with these questions but hid in their tree, Nohome, and refused to come out. They barely consented to sending a representative to yet another council of the Valle Abajo.

“
Two days after their raid the Soreyes moved more supplies and contraptions of war through the arroyos. They would, no doubt, soon overcome the hastily constructed barricades at several clans’ farming villages. As for the Nohmin, defeating them would be a process of assuring they couldn’t leave Nohome while slowly starving them out.

“
The tree began to seem less like a place the Nohmin would depend on in the future while the value of individual root homes grew. Upon reflection, the Nohmin realized it would be easier to devise ways to dig small escape tunnels from root homes scattered over a larger area than to dig a larger and longer tunnel or even several tunnels from a single massive tree.

“
The Soreyes surrounding the Nohmin tree were spread far enough that a mass exodus through tunnels would be hard to miss.

“
The morning of the second day after the raid also found Pia and Pita passing through the Portal making the long trek to Peralta to find Teresa. The two sisters loped like flashes of lightening south along the edges of the Rio Grande bosque in the moonless night.

“
Being late summer in the Valle Abajo meant it was early March in the Rio Grande Valley which suited Pia and Pita fine since their running dramatically raised their body heat.

“
Reaching Peralta by midnight, they soundlessly paced their way up to the high narrow window of Teresa’s room in her parents’ home.

“
Pita called out mentally.
Teresa? Teresa, it’s us, Pia and Pita. We need you in the Valle. Disaster has struck and the entire Valle will be taken as slaves.

“
A sad voice cut into their conscious minds.
Go away! I can only make things worse. I thought I had a good idea. And I tried to think of a way to get something through the Portal that would help, but I’ve failed.

“
Pita thought back,
But the Soreyes have swept down killing many and surrounded the villages of the clans and the great tree of the Nohmin. We don’t know if they plan to attack or starve them out. Only our own Piralltah Steeples is not surrounded, but we can’t approach the valley villages to help with the sick and injured.

“
How did they overcome you so easily and so quickly since I was there? 
The low voice inquired, much of the sadness gone now.

“
We don’t know. They couldn’t have seen what the people were doing, but somehow they knew
and attacked at a vulnerable time of day before the Valle warriors were in place.

“
So what can I do? My so-called magic even in the Valle can only help heal those who are mauled by the Soreyes. I’m obviously not smart enough no matter what you say, and I’m not a fighter. I’m not a man.

“
So what? You must be able to bring something from here that could help us—

“
I told you, I tried to think of something.
An uncharacteristic anger underlaid Teresa’s ‘voice,’ almost audible in its fury.
Man-made objects like my knife or my brother’s gun will not pass through the Portal. I know because I tried to take them with me. And I can’t get natural poisons through. I thought poisons could coat Valle weapons to make the Soreyes sick or even die. And, of course, I realized you must have poisons there in the Valle, yet they haven’t worked, or it is too hard to infect the Soreyes with them.

“
There was a pause; Pia and Pita could hear Teresa crying out loud just behind the closed window.
I can only take my miserable naked body through. What good is that?

“
Come back anyway! Perhaps the bats can help us—

“
Oh sure, the bats! Those cabróns don’t want to help anyone. They are creatures of two worlds and are shunned in both. And for good reason. What do they contribute?”

Nightwing paused for a long, uneasy moment. “I’m only repeating what she said. Obviously, we’re better regarded now. At least,
somewhat
better. Even Teresa herself spoke more kindly of us in later years.”

“
Whatever,” Don sighed. “Just go on. I’m still hoping this will put me to sleep.”

If a bat could clear his throat, that’s what Nightwing did at that point before he continued.

“
Pita replied,
Will you settle down…

“
Why? Why should I help you? I am of no use. I thought I could help the people of the Valle Abajo, but it’s turning into a nightmare. I already feel guilty for all the trouble I’ve caused. I have failed all of you, especially you two—the two kindred souls I craved in this world but was denied, and now…

“
Pia touched Pita’s shoulder gently and, with a deep look, urged her to try to remain patient. Pita went on,
Then what do you have to lose by humoring us and coming back? If you’ve already made things as bad as they can get, can’t you try to make things better? Can you handle that?

“
This is all nothingness! It is less than a wind that blows through my foolish brain. I need to marry the man my parents have selected for me and forget the girlish caca…

“
Wait a minute! That’s it.

“
What’s it?
Pita asked.

“
Only natural things of earth, air, fire, and water pass through the Portal, but not even creatures of the earth pass through except for us and the bats. Some spiritual quality makes it possible for us to pass where others cannot. I don’t know what allows the bats’ passage without change except for their apparent size, but that doesn’t matter.

“
Plants are the same,
Teresa continued.
Possibly all plants cannot pass through. After all, does a plant have a soul?

“
Well, maybe.

“
I’ve never sensed any such thing, but who cares? How long would it take to find the plants that could pass through? And then, would they be useful?

“
Teresa’s mind was racing.
But there is a possibility with something else…

“
What?
Pita demanded.

“
There’s not time. We must get back to the Valle Abajo. I’ll explain on the way. I don’t know what else to do except quit.

“
Then we must try something! Come on!
Pita insisted with Pia’s agreement.

“
The window flew open and Teresa, still in her nightgown of flour sack material and a heavy felt overcoat, squeezed herself out.

“
She quietly hitched one of her father’s horses to the wagon and led it several yards away from the house. Pia and Pita jumped on and Teresa whipped the horse into a fast trot.

“
A few curtains in the village of Peralta were pushed aside to see who, in the middle of the night, was storming past. But they only saw a young woman in a runaway wagon, her long black hair flying, and two figures hunkered down in the back desperately hanging on.

“
Teresa couldn’t concern herself with her parents or the town’s reactions to her midnight escape. Perhaps the occasional craziness of a young curandera?

“
Pia and Pita were excited and scared at the same time. It was hard for the Pirallts to follow every step of Teresa’s reasoning as they barreled along empty dirt roads that took them north to Isleta to cross the river.

“
Nearly three hours later, they reached the Portal. It was a calm night.

“‘
What can we do?’ Teresa said out loud almost in tears. ‘How long will we have to wait to see if this will work?’

“
Moving close to Teresa, the sisters touched her hands. Nudging up against her gently, they sought to calm her.

“
Pita responded,
Even if it takes a long time, we can’t afford to try and fail the first time. It has to be right the first and only time. The people of the Valle can give themselves up to the Soreyes to avoid any more bloodshed and just wait it out. They can be ready, but the Soreyes won’t know what hit them!

“
Teresa leaned close to the sisters’ faces. ‘But you must not explain to the Valle people how we’re doing this! The existence of the Portal, how we pass through… If our plan works it must not be told. The Soreyes would eventually hear about it and they could destroy the Portal or something. I don’t know.’

“
You are right. We will not talk of it and, if need be, we will swear the bats to secrecy. Surely they will figure out what has happened or they will see it happen since they use the Portal all the time.

“
Teresa nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yes. So then you must go back to Piralltah Steeples and I will stay here. I will tell my parents I have had another vision and I must come back here in a tent for a meditative retreat. I don’t think they’ll completely understand that, and they certainly won’t approve, but they do trust my special spiritual gifts. Pedro, my brother, will go along with me. He has no choice. I have no time to explain now.

“‘
We will stay in daily contact through our dreams as when we first came to know each other. I promise to keep my mind open and not closed off as I have for the last several days.’

“
That’s all right. We understand now why you closed your mind from us. Make sure it’s a good hard… 
Pita’s mental voice was suddenly choked off as if she had been strangled. She looked at Pia as something passed to her from the silent sister.

“
A frightened look filled Pita’s large luminous eyes. Finally, with Pia’s support, her thoughts then became coherent.
But we really won’t be able to move back and forth through the Portal to keep it open. Pia just realized that—

“‘
Look we can’t anticipate every problem. When the time comes, we’ll just do our best. Me, on this side of the Portal, and you two on the other side.’

“
No, our young foolish one! How can we face it if it’s too strong? We have to try this on a small scale first. I don’t know… Think about that and we’ll do the same. Your idea may not be physically possible after all.

“
Teresa slumped. ‘You’re right. We will have to come up with something. I will sleep on it, also.’

Pia and Pita exchanged meaningful looks.
“Sorry, but if we hadn’t thought of this sooner… Anyway, we’ve made up our minds. Good-bye for now.

“
Teresa got back to her parents home by daybreak to find them waiting in stony silence in the kitchen. The atmosphere was that of dark anger and repressed relief that she was whole and alive.

“
Teresa reprised her performance of a spiritually possessed young lady and provided almost no details that could probably come back to haunt her.

“
Her father stood up from his chair at the kitchen table as if he were pulling himself up the tallest and most sheer cliff on the west face of the Manzano Mountains. ‘This crazy behavior is at an end! You are to make preparations to marry Juan Chavez as you had promised when all this foolishness began. I will not be disobeyed!’

“‘
That will have to come later, Papi and Mama. The Madonna is insistent, even more so now that I have gone and spoken to her in the last few days. I was frightened and returned home too soon—’

“‘
No!’ her father roared. ‘I have already agreed to much more than what any sane man would. I knew I should have never agreed, but the priest… your mother… Cabron! You are to marry—’

“
But Teresa wouldn’t back down, staring at him with a rudeness not normally permitted a young woman of Peralta in the early 1900s. His harangue continued for another five minutes, then she quietly bowed her head as if she were to demur to his demands. She left the room in icy silence. Sitting in her room alternately crying, praying silently, then seeming to be in fervent conversation with the Virgin.