My Enemy's Son (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 2) (20 page)

Chapter 13

Rekah

My cousin, the MaKennah, came to us from
across the stars with a Spacewoman.  My grandfather knew about this and waited
for them.  People from all over Karupatani knew about this and had camped
outside our little village for days.  All of the elders were assembled and the
grand hall was decorated.

Grandfather ordered me to see to the young
warriors.  I was to make certain everyone was dressed in their finest and would
present themselves proudly before the MaKennah this night at the feast.  No one
would listen to me though.  Most of the warriors from outside our village
didn't know who I was or didn't care.  Even my friends were busy watching the
skies and then when the MaKennah came, they wanted only to see him and his
Spacewoman. 

The horses were anxious too.  Tirikla, the
MaKennah's old stallion, must have known that his master was near.  He galloped
wildly around the fields and caused all the mares to scatter.  I could not
control the young men and they could not control their horses and I was tired
from yelling.  We put our horses to pasture and snuck back into the village
which was filled with our people.  Then, we hid behind my mother's house and
waited and watched.

“Will he remember you, Rekah?”  Turak
whispered as they came up the street. 

The people grew quiet as they approached
and many bowed as they would before my grandfather, even though the MaKennah
was still just a prince.  My grandfather stood proudly up on his porch.

“I don't know,” I whispered back, anxious
to see them. 

I was four years when the massacre
happened and my memories from that time were confused.  I remembered how he let
me sit upon Tirikla and how tall I felt when I was up there.  I remembered how
he would bring me feathers from the black eagle that lived in our skies.  I had
them still and wore them on important occasions.  I remembered how I loved him
and missed him more than I missed my father after they both were gone.

“Oh, he's so beautiful,” my sister Lookah
sighed when they finally came in to sight.  She had snuck out of the back door
of our house and was crouched down between Turak and me.  “I am in love.”

“I thought you loved me,” Turak declared. 
“Did you not just say so?”

“Shut up,” I hissed.  They were passing
right in front of us now going up on the steps to my grandfather’s house.

“She looks Mishnese,” my sister
whispered.  “She does not look like a Spacewoman.”

“She is fair.”  Turak nodded, prompting my
sister to hit his arm and pout.  “If you like that sort of woman,” he laughed
and grabbed my sister.  “I prefer this sort.”

I stared at the MaKennah’s woman and
decided I preferred her.  She was fair with pale skin like a Mishak and hair
that sparkled like gold in the light of the sun.  Her eyes were a deep blue
like the ocean and her lips were red like ripe berries.  I watched her as they
approached and for the briefest of moments, she glanced at me and smiled.

My grandfather stood regally before them
with his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking very old and very wise. 
He wore a crown of feathers in his hair, his finest dress robes and the ornate
gold necklace that had been passed to him from the great father Karukan.  He
looked down upon the Spacewoman and frowned while the MaKennah made obeisance
at his feet. 

The woman remained standing and watched
the MaKennah curiously.  My sister tittered behind her hand at this woman’s
brazenness but I admired her spirit.  Grandfather held his hand out to the
MaKennah and my cousin kissed the firestone ring that was also handed down from
Karukan and would be his someday.  Then the MaKennah rose to his feet and spoke
to the woman in her language. 

He must have told her to make obeisance
for she glared at him with narrow eyes before lowering herself to her knees. 
She would not lower her head though and she frowned as she watched my cousin. 
My sister giggled again into her hand.

“Welcome Sehron,” my grandfather said.  “I
welcome this woman who has come to us from across the stars.  Is this the woman
you spoke of when last we met more than a year ago?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“You have abided by the conditions which
were required of you as decided by the King of Mishnah and myself?”

“Yes, Sir, I have done so.”

“Are you certain that you wish this alien
woman to be your wife and the people of Karupatani should recognize her as the
MaKani and Crown Princess?”

“Yes, Sir.”

My grandfather watched the MaKennah’s face
carefully.  He looked down upon the Spacewoman and held her eyes for still she
refused to lower her head but stared defiantly back at him.

“Why, Sehron?” Grandfather whispered with
a shake of his head.  “Why this alien?  There are many beautiful women of
Karuptani who will bear you strong sons and see to all your needs.”

The MaKennah’s face grew hard and his eyes
flashed behind his dark glasses.  “You shall have to go back to your book,
Grandfather.  All the answers you seek are written therein.”

Grandfather’s brow furrowed.  He sighed
heavily.  “I will not challenge you, Sehron.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Come, let us finish this,” Grandfather
said and waved to me to come forward. 

Turak punched me in the arm as I rose to
my feet.  He did not know I would play an important part in this ceremony. 

The Spacewoman watched me as I came from
behind my mother's house and mounted the steps to my grandfather's side.  Her
eyes meet mine again as I stood above her and my heart twisted.  My head felt
heavy and my neck warm.  I looked at my cousin and the silver light was shining
upon my face and for a moment I could not breathe.

“Rekah!” Grandfather commanded and I was
jolted from my daze. 

Taking the ceremonial urn from the shelf
near the door, I returned to my grandfather’s side as he chanted words of
prayer and thanksgiving.  We thank our Heavenly Father that the MaKennah had
taken a bride and we wished him peace and harmony in his marriage to her.  If
the MaKennah was satisfied, then we of Karupatani and all Rehnor would be
content.  The Spacewoman did not understand grandfather's blessings and she
fidgeted on her knees.

Grandfather bid the MaKennah to hold out
his arm.  My cousin did so, showing to me his right arm with the palm up.  I
saw there was a thin pink scar running across his wrist as if he had recently
been cut in the same manner that I was now to do.

“Rekah,” Grandfather nodded and handed me
a small blade with a gold hilt covered in jewels. 

I was to take this knife and cut along the
pink line on the MaKennah’s flesh and as the blood began to seep, I was to hold
this urn below to catch it.  Though I had hunted, killed and skinned many
animals, I had never cut myself or anyone as this, let alone the MaKennah!  My
stomach twisted and my hands shook so that I feared I would drop the knife. 
The Spacewoman spoke as she watched me and then she rose to her feet.  I looked
at her as she snatched the knife away.

“Rekah!” Grandfather scolded me but an
instant later, the knife was in the MaKennah's hand and he cut the line
himself. 

The woman made a noise, an intake of
breath, and then spoke harshly to the MaKennah as his bright red blood poured
into the urn.  The sight of it made my head swim and I felt for a moment as if
I would fall to the ground.  When the urn had filled enough, the MaKennah held
his left hand upon the cut and the blood slowed. 

My grandfather gave me a cloth with which
I had to wrap the MaKennah's wrist.

“Make it tighter, Rekah,” the MaKennah
said, under his breath as the cloth stained. 

I tied it as hard as I possibly could
though my hands still trembled and then I stepped back.  I had finished my
tasks, the duty my father would have had were he here and not dead. 

I did not like this responsibility.  I did
not wish to be the High Priest of Karupatani in my father’s stead.  I wished
only to ride my horse and tend to the fields, to watch the wheat grow and wave
about in the wind, the corn to pierce the ground and rise in stalks higher than
my horse’s head. 

The cloth turned darker still and red
droplets ran down my cousin's arm and fell to the ground below.  Grandfather
reached for the Spacewoman's hand.  He dipped her finger in the urn and showed
her to take the MaKennah's blood upon her tongue.  She pulled away from my
grandfather's grasp, her face red with anger. 

The MaKennah was holding his bound wrist
but turned to her with his silver eyes upon her and spoke to her in her
language.  She shook her head back and forth and tried to walk down the steps.

"Kari-fa!" my cousin said and
grabbed her. 

He made her put her fingers in the urn and
then take them in her mouth.  She spat at him and his blood dribbled down her
lip.  She wiped at it with the back of her hand and turned away, her eyes
glassy with tears. 

Grandfather closed the urn and handed it
to me, rolling his eyes and shaking his head though only I could see this.  The
urn would go to the ceremony this evening where all the men of standing would
be allowed to dip their finger in and enjoy the MaKennah's blood. 

The MaKani coughed and made a noise as if
she were about to retch.  She held her hand over her mouth and swallowed hard.

“It is done,” Grandfather declared and the
MaKennah immediately turned and left.  He walked down the steps and headed out
across the fields behind the village, disappearing into the trees.  The MaKani
coughed again and then made a step to follow but my mother quickly intercepted
her, taking her arm and leading her back to our house.

That night, the MaKennah came to our
services but he was late.  He was dressed like us in leggings, tunic and dress
robes but his hair wouldn’t hold plaits.  He passed me on the way to the dais
and two long black eagle feathers fell at my feet.  I picked them up and tied
them into my hair.  The feathers were new and fresh even though the black eagle
had not been sighted in our skies in many years.

Later that evening, we had a celebration. 
I had tasted the MaKennah's blood on my tongue and for a few moments, I felt
powerful.  I felt strong and when the wind came, I felt like I could have
lifted my arms and flown upon it.  I wondered what it would be like to be full
of this blood and feel like this all the time.  I would need someone to put a
rein on me to keep me on the ground.

When we came into the Great Hall, the
women were already there.  They had filled trenchers of meat for all of us and
the young girls were holding platters of fresh bread and bottles of wine.  The
MaKani was sitting on a cushion next to my mother, dressed in a white skin dress
that my sister had thought was being saved for herself.  They had covered it in
beads and shells and the MaKani sparkled in the light of the great fire
whenever she moved.  Her hair hung loose about her shoulders and sparkled too
as if it had a fire of its own.  I wanted to put my hands in this hair and feel
it against my skin.

“Rekah,” my grandfather called.  “Get your
men in order.”

Now, I had to leave to organize our
procession.  It was never easy when we had to bring horses into the Great
Hall. 

When I returned, the MaKennah was sitting
down on the floor in front of his wife as my grandfather sat by my mother.  My
grandmother was long dead and my mother had no husband so she fulfilled the
role of my grandfather's daughter.  My sister had a trencher of meat for me and
I suspected one for Turak as well since she had set her sights on him.  She was
only 15 years though so Turak was just the first of many fools I would have to
fend off.

Our performance went reasonably well.  Everyone
was sufficiently awed by the MaKennah that there was no cockiness and we all
did exactly as we should have.  Even the horses were well mannered.  Perhaps
they were afraid of the MaKennah too.  Afterward, when the young girls started
to dance, I sat next to Grandfather and ate my dinner. 

The MaKani smiled at me and showed me her
thumbs.  I thought it meant that she liked what I had done.  I wished I could
speak to her.

The MaKennah was quiet and said nothing as
Grandfather told him about the goings on in Karupatani.  My cousin was wearing
dark glasses even though the hall was lit only by the great fire and candles. 
He did not eat what the MaKani had brought him but smoked a Mishak cigarette,
starting another as soon as one was finished.  He did not seem to have any
interest in the girls dancing.  I liked watching them.  I liked to see their
soft bodies move in their dresses.  I wished I could see the MaKani dance.  I
would have like to watch her breasts move beneath the white skin of her dress.

The chiefs of our people came forward when
the dancing had finished.  They made obeisance before Grandfather and the
MaKennah.  They introduced themselves and spoke of the goings on in their
villages.  Grandfather made conversation with them.  The MaKennah smoked his
cigarettes and looked like he was in another world.  The MaKani smiled at them
when they nodded their heads to her.  Then, there was an interruption in the
hall and all conversation stopped.  Someone was speaking from the back of the
hall and his voice was carrying forward as he approached.