Heavens Before (12 page)

Catching sight of Annah, the mother of her beloved gave her a warm, welcoming smile and walked downriver to stand across from her. She motioned to Annah and patted her own face to convey her thought:
Your face looks better
.

Annah nodded agreement, then pressed both hands to her heart and extended them, smiling gratefully:
Thank you
.

The mother of her beloved nodded and flicked her hand in a genial, self-depreciating manner. Suddenly—as if remembering something—she lifted her hand, requesting Annah to wait. Hurrying to her husband and sons, she spoke to Annah’s beloved. He had just emerged from the water and was dripping, but when his mother spoke to him, he kissed her, obviously thanking her. She shooed him off, pretending irritation that he had gotten her wet.

Amused and mystified by this exchange, Annah crept closer to the bridge. Her beloved was rummaging through a small heap of tools and supplies. Triumphant, he found a small leather packet and waved it at Annah, his eyes telling her:
This is for you
.

Before Annah could respond, he waded into the water and tossed the packet to his brother on the log platform, who called to the youngest brother to gain his attention. The youngest brother took the packet and grinned mischievously, waving it just long enough to cause his entire family to scream at him to throw the packet to Annah. Turning, he winked at Annah, then shook the packet at her, shouting, “Catch it!”

Fearing that the contents might be fragile, Annah ran. In her haste, she dropped her veil and bag, and almost tripped as she caught the packet. Her beloved yelled at his brother, clearly annoyed and worried—until Annah straightened up and smiled at him. She felt accepted now … and a little embarrassed, as they were all watching her. Uncertain, she glanced over at her beloved.

He pointed to the packet:
Open it
.

Self-conscious, she sat on a low, grassy bank to pick at
the knotted leather cord holding the packet together. Inside she found a broad comb of fragrant wood—patterned in the same manner as her precious shell carving—and a second leather pouch. Opening it, she found an assortment of small tools for her handwork: flat wooden threading needles, tiny metal piercing awls, and a diminutive cutting blade cleverly fitted within a slip of wood to prevent mishaps.

The fragrant comb was from him; she could tell by the carving. But the tools? She hesitated, lifting them toward his mother, questioning:
From you?

His mother nodded and smiled. Annah thanked her, delighted to have tools of her own. And the comb smelled wonderful, like spices and sweet oils. She tested it shyly in a strand of her hair, then beamed at her beloved, gesturing to her bag:
I’ll hide it in here
.

By now he knew that she had been forced to conceal her precious shell carving. He nodded:
Yes, hide it
.

After inspecting her new treasures once more, Annah tucked them safely into her grass bag. Her beloved and his brothers returned to their work on the bridge, and their parents lingered, watching them. It was now late morning, but Annah did not want to return to the settlement—to her own joyless, chaotic family.

I’ll wash my veil, then I’ll go
, she decided.
It definitely needs to be cleaned now that I’ve dropped it in the sand
.

Taking her veil, Annah started toward the water. Suddenly she felt tremors and heard the sickening groaning beneath the earth. She lunged toward the grass again and clutched at it, terrified. The river churned violently, and the bridge rocked back and forth beneath the motion of its supporting trees. The brothers of her beloved clung to the ropes of the bridge while he and his parents crouched
on the opposite shore and waited for the tremors to end. Annah was surprised by their calm acceptance.
It’s as if they expect this to happen
, she thought, staring at them, openmouthed.

When the tremors ended, his mother smiled, waved a farewell to Annah, and calmly departed. Equally calm, her beloved grinned at Annah, then went back to work. His youngest brother let out a whoop of celebration, apparently pleased with himself for not falling off the bridge. Despite her fear, Annah smiled.

After finishing her evening meal, Annah crept into the shadows of the lodge where she could watch her family unnoticed. They were all on edge. Haburah was visiting the wives of Naham, while Naham roamed through the settlement with Yerakh. Annah suspected that Naham’s wives had invited Haburah to their evening meal to warn her that Naham planned to marry her.

“I’d wager they’re discussing her marriage portion,” Iltani announced, taking another serving of honey cakes and nuts.

Chathath sneered. “Dear elder sister, how little you know. The wives of Naham have nothing to say about anything. And the only reason Yerakh would ever give Haburah a marriage portion is because he’s afraid Naham will crush his skull—as I hope.”

“Monster!” Iltani cried.

“Serpent-Lover!” Chathath retorted, adding, “It’s not helped you, either, kissing those snakes.”

Glaring, Iltani flung a nutmeat at Chathath. “Shut up!”

“When you do, elder sister,” Chathath answered,
tossing the nutmeat into the fire.

Parah lifted her hands wearily. “Stop fighting, both of you. I’m tired enough bearing this child; I don’t need you two arguing all the time.”

Iltani glared at her in pure hatred. “The child again!” she snapped. “You should just spit in my face because you’re bearing one and I’m not!” Throwing down her food, she arose and stalked out the back of the lodge.

“Nothing has changed,” Ayalah complained. “K’nan is becoming impatient. If I don’t receive a marriage portion soon, he’s going to give up on me. And
you
, I’ma,” Ayalah confronted Parah. “You’ve heard nothing from Tseb-iy at all since that meeting. You should go after him.”

“I have no wish to marry Tseb-iy,” Parah answered evenly. “One man is like another, and I’ll be too busy to care about anything in a few months.”

Brooding before the fire, Gammad said, “We should have crushed Tseb-iy into submission. You’d have been married long before now, I’ma.”

All you ever think of is violence
, Annah thought, watching Gammad’s dark, self-absorbed face. She could not remember the last time she had seen him smile.

Parah frowned, her lovely eyes severe. “Listen, all of you. I will not marry Tseb-iy, so just forget him.”

“You say that because he won’t have you,” Chathath responded scornfully.

Annah caught her breath at Chathath’s insolence.

Parah’s lips tightened. “You are wrong, my son, and I won’t discuss him with you.”

Iltani reentered the lodge, stalked into the storage area, and came out again with a cup of powdered herbs and a piece of honeycomb. They watched as she poured water into a small copper cooking pot and thrust it into
the coals of the fire. “This is what you have reduced me to,” she told them, scowling as she waited for her water to simmer. “I’m taking remedies to settle my stomach.”

Chathath snickered, and Ayalah rolled her eyes upward in disgust. Parah looked down at her hands, folded over her fully rounded belly. Gammad, glaring into the fire, ignored them all.

Ayalah began to whine. “I’ma, please, won’t you at least try to speak to Yerakh? K’nan doesn’t expect a large marriage portion; Yerakh could afford one small field. Anyway, you’d think that if Yerakh’s planning to marry Taphaph sometime soon, he’d prefer to have us all out of his lodge before then, so he could have Taphaph all to himself. You should mention that to him and see what he says.”

Annah blinked, unable to believe that Ayalah had said such a thing in front of Iltani. But Iltani scowled, repeatedly testing the water in the cooking pot. Finally she snatched a leather mitt, lifted the pot out of the fire, and dumped some water over the herbs and honeycomb.

As steam wafted from the cup, Parah inhaled.

Iltani saw her and slammed the pot back into the coals. “I suppose you want some too. Well, if you’re going to be staring at me the whole time I’m drinking it, you’d better take this one. I’ll just go get my own. After all, you are bearing a child, and I’m not!” She plunked the cup in front of Parah and stomped back into the storage room.

Parah protested, “I didn’t say a word, Iltani.”

“Oh, stop!” Iltani hissed, returning from the storage room with another cup of herbs and honeycomb. “It’s too late now.”

“You’re beginning to sound like a serpent, elder sister,” Chathath taunted. “Why don’t you go live with the
Nachash and save us all these scenes?”

“Someone should cut out your tongue!” Iltani fumed, pouring hot water over her herbs and honeycomb.

Ayalah leaned forward. “That does smell good.”

“
You
can get your own! I’m not waiting on someone who thinks Yerakh should replace me with that Taphaph. Oh, how I’ll laugh at you when K’nan takes another woman—and don’t say he won’t.” Iltani slurped her hot drink noisily. “As much as you whine, K’nan will need a dozen wives to drown you out.”

“You’re one to talk!” Ayalah cried, indignant.

“Hush, all of you!” Parah screamed suddenly. “I’m sick of this fighting!”

“But I’ma …” Ayalah began, and Parah slapped her. Ayalah started to cry. “I’m going to stay with Haburah.”

“Do it!” her mother snapped. Ayalah fled, sobbing. Defiant, Parah took her steaming cup and marched off to her pallet to prepare for sleep. Astonished by their mother’s vicious outburst, Annah and the others silently followed her lead, preparing their sleeping places for the night.

Annah was just dozing off when she heard her mother groan, then shriek.

“I’ma?” Chathath called from the far corner of the main room. “What’s wrong?”

Parah sucked in a ragged breath, then screamed again in agony.

Iltani came rushing in from the partitioned sleeping area she shared with Yerakh. “She’s having the baby!” she cried. “But it’s too soon! I’m going to get the other women.” Highly excited, she ran from the lodge.

Trembling, Annah crept toward her mother. Parah was writhing. She shuddered, then stiffened up as if all
her muscles were seized and paralyzed. Chathath and Gammad hurried outside, unwilling to be anywhere near a female in childbirth.
But this is not right
, Annah thought, terrified, gazing at her mother’s rigid, mottled face. Parah could not seem to catch her breath, and the pain did not ease. Annah had seen women in labor before. Her mother’s seizures and paralysis were not natural.

What should I do?
Hearing women’s voices, Annah retreated to a shadowy corner.

Haburah dashed into the lodge, followed by Ayalah, Iltani, and the wives of Naham. The wives of Naham had each miscarried before, and they questioned Iltani about Parah’s contractions. Parah could no longer speak, or scream, or breathe, or even move.

Haburah turned ashen, and Ayalah began to sob. In her corner, Annah pulled her veil over her face and wept silently, watching as her mother delivered a stillborn son in mute, mortal agony.

Realizing Parah would not survive, Haburah, Ayalah, and the wives of Naham lifted their voices in high calls of mourning. They did not see Iltani’s triumphant smirk as she took the body of Parah’s stillborn son. But Annah stared through her veil as Iltani pulled a knife of stone from inside her tunic and cut the umbilical cord. As the lodge of Yerakh filled with mourners, Iltani sadly showed them the dead infant.

Later, Annah saw her pick up the infant’s tiny, leather-wrapped body and sneak outside.
What is she doing?
Enraged, Annah snatched her grass bag and followed Iltani into the darkness.

Eight

HARDLY DARING to breathe, Annah crept through the fields, seeking Iltani. With every step, her rage grew. She could not think of her mother’s death. Not yet. Pulling her veil away from her face, Annah listened to the sounds of the darkness, the croaking and rasping of hundreds of frogs and bugs and the faraway yipping of canines. She stopped.
This is not happening
, she told herself, swallowing hard against tears.
No. This is true. And I’m afraid. Why did you do this, Iltani? Why did you take my infant brother? He doesn’t belong to you!

She started out again, determined to learn Iltani’s motive. She had to stay far enough behind her quarry that Iltani wouldn’t sense her presence.
I’ll risk being caught
, Annah decided.
I can’t let her escape. She gave that drink to my I’ma; she wanted I’ma to die
. Maddened, Annah quickened her pace.

Iltani was moving south, away from the settlement, cutting through Yerakh’s fields. Annah knew the Nachash lived just beyond these fields. She also knew that Yerakh—the bully—inexplicably feared the Nachash and her followers. He refused to drive them away during harvests when they helped themselves to portions of his grain.

How hateful, Yerakh
, Annah thought to her brother.
You let strangers—whisperers and Serpent-Lovers—help themselves to grain from your fields, and you never demand payment from them. But if your brothers and sisters ask you for anything, even fields that are rightfully theirs, you threaten to kill them
.