The Last Sundancer (25 page)

Kaichen walked a far distance until he was surrounded by the sounds of the night.  He carried his spear with him and his hunting knife.  The evening was cool as the wind swirled around him.  In the distance, he could hear the late night sounds of his people.  They were settling in for rest, content in the knowledge that the one that would save them was near. 

It was wrong to allow the people to believe in a lie.  Kaichen’s heart twisted in turmoil.  He thought about returning to his people and calling them together, crushing their hopes once and for all. 

It was madness to remain in this place where they had made their home.  If the land continued to flood then they should logically move on, but his people were stubborn and they were also hopeful. 

There were enough of the older ones that still lived to remind the younger ones of times long past.   When Kaichen was a boy
, the crops had been bountiful and their harvest was full of rejoicing.  He and Siada had run and hidden from each other.  They had laughed until tears fell from their eyes and their bellies ached. 

The cherished memory brought a swell of pain along with it and Kaichen closed his eyes, leaning upon his spear to steady himself.  Moonlight pooled around him and he felt the illuminating warmth of light
caress his skin.  He could not deny that he felt power swell within him when he danced. 

It was like touching moonlight, gossamer and ethereal.  Kaichen could not remember a time when dancing had not allowed him to reach out to the world around him.   It released the wildness in his spirit, the part of him that was more animal than man.  When he danced there was no thought, reason or passage of time. 

It was almost as if he moved between worlds while his feet and hands kept rhythm and his arms and legs found the angles and stance of the dance.  He could become a warrior, a hunter or a cultivator of the land. 

Through the motions of his dance he could become a young man seeking a mate or a proud father receiving his first child.  He did not know how to still the dance inside of his soul, but he did know that he could not call the rain or tell the sun to stand still.  

The light notes of a flute came to his ears and he found that he was drawn forward without thought or question.  Amara was near. 

He told himself that he needed time alone, away from those that needed him and sought his help.  Amara awakened feelings inside of him that he would rather deny. 

His footsteps brought him to rest outside of the dwelling where Amara knelt beside the fire that Antuk had built.  Antuk was nowhere to be found at first glance, but when Kaichen allowed his eyes to lose focus he easily caught sight of his friend’s hulking shadow.  

Kaichen
drew breathtaking sound from the flute. Her fingers moved over the small holes, creating a harmony of sound that commanded his attention.  He could feel the beauty of her song and he responded to it with every fiber of his being. 

He stood in rapt fascination as she weaved a story born of sound into existence.  The melody brought
to mind days filled with sunlight and clear blue water.  Kaichen thought of the desert mule deer that ran through the mountain forests.  He could feel the pounding of hooves upon the ground, through the song called forth by Amara’s clever fingers and the wind that carried through her pursed lips.  Her eyes were downcast, though they were not closed and the intense look of concentration on her face captured Kaichen’s attention completely. 

She was the personification of femininity.  Her body swayed slightly and Kaichen was entranced by the gentle motion of her small waist and hips where she knelt upon the ground. 

He could not bring himself to interrupt Amara, though he knew without a doubt that she had drawn an audience.  He remained perfectly still as he stood facing her across the fire.  Her song danced over him and swirled around him, never ceasing as she wove her story for all to hear.  

Aching loneliness stole over Kaichen and he knew that it was drawn forth from the deepest recesses of his heart.  If he were to ask the heavens for a blessing, he knew that it would not be a request for the flooding to cease. 

If a blessing was promised to him then he would ask to be joined with this woman for the rest of his days.  Amara spoke to his heart with her song, but it was the woman that wielded the flute that filled his spirit with longing.

Amara
trembled from the intensity of Kaichen’s stare.  His dark gaze was unreadable and she lowered her eyes, hiding her thoughts from him. 

She hoped that he enjoyed her song.  The music soothed something deep inside of her being.  She had fallen into a fitful sleep only to be awakened by fear of the unknown.  She needed the music brought forth by her flute to calm her beating heart and set her mind at
ease.  Kaichen was the only thing that remained familiar.  Everything else had changed.

“You will come with me tomorrow, along with Antuk.” Kaichen realized that his words were a
n order instead of a question.

Amara raised her luminous eyes to his face eagerly.  It stunned him that she wanted to be with him, just as he wanted to be with her.  Amara saw him as he truly was and Kaichen knew
he had been given a special gift when Azin had joined them together.  Amara saw the man beneath the facade. 

“I will go with you, Kaichen.” Amara
felt the urge to say more, but she remained silent as Kaichen told her that he would journey to visit the nearby bands.   They did not have far to travel. 

“I hope that
these men that were once friends of your father will be glad to see you.” Amara wished the best for Kaichen. 

His ho
mecoming had been difficult for him, whereas it should have been full of joy.  Amara thought of her own home and lowered her eyes.  It was unlikely that she would ever return to her people but she also knew that she was not welcome here amongst Kaichen’s village.

“Have you eaten?” Kaichen settled himself near the fire
as he spoke to Amara.  He could see that her face had grown tense with some hidden memory. 

“A woman came with food and water to drink.  I wish to thank you.” Amara spoke truthfully though she had not been able to eat the food that was presented to her.  Fear and anxiety had stolen her appetite.  She drank enough water to quench her thirst and set the food aside. 

“Madra.  She is my mother’s closest companion. I have known her since the earliest days of my childhood.” Kaichen provided the woman’s name, sensing that Amara had not been received well, particularly amongst the women.  

“Madra.” Amara tried the name out on her tongue.  “Does it have a meaning?”

“It means old mother.  It is a name that bestows honor.” Kaichen met Amara’s eyes as he stared into her upturned face.

“You are tired.” Kaichen had not meant to voice his concern and Amara lowered her head. 

There had been very little room for privacy or time alone when they had traveled together over the desert sand.  “Your music makes me feel the first bloom of the warm season and the first chill of the cold season.  It captures my mind and calls forth memories of better times.”

Amara had never received such a heartfelt compliment.  She smiled with gratitude as the small fire crackled and Kaichen added more wood. 

“Do your people wish to see you bring forth the sun?” Amara could not hide her curiosity.  She could see at once that unlike her own village which was nestled near a small river, Kaichen’s village was threatened by the life-giving river that overflowed its banks. 

“
My people have always relied upon the land for their food.  The men hunt, but it is not our way to rely solely upon the meat from animals of the land.  During seasons past, we had a variety of produce that seemed never ending.  My people seek an answer.  They seek security and hope for the future.  They wish to know that all will be well with the birth of a child, the health of their loved ones and the success of their next hunt. ” Kaichen did not want to think about the plight of his people any further.  He did not like the way that his words echoed those of his mother.  To his ears it sounded as though his people sought the impossible.

“Do they worship the sun?” Amara’s question drew Kaichen’s full attention.

He could hear the fear in her voice and he understood the cause of it.  Amara feared the leader of the raiders.  Kaichen thought carefully about how he should answer. 

“Do you see the fire?” Kaichen’s question took Amara off guard and she stared into the fire until her eyes grew bleary.  When she nodded
, Kaichen held his hands over the blaze as if seeking warmth.  “What if I were to bow low to the ground before the fire, ignoring the one that caused the blaze to grow? What if I ignored the one who worked the wood until the smoke expanded and fed the sparks with finely gathered tender?  Would I show gratitude by my actions?”

Amara did not answer.  Kaichen captured the essence of the actions taken by their enemies and those that worshipped the blazing orb in the heavens. 

“My people do not worship the sun.  They seek hope.  They do not sacrifice their children or offer animals to the heavens.  They simply wish for life to return to the way that it was before the river began to flood its banks and threaten their harvest.  My people are not warriors, they are men that hunt and women that work the land in hope of a blessing.” Kaichen knew that his answer had satisfied Amara and eased her fear but there was more that he wanted to say.  “I will never let anyone take you away against your will.”

He did not know where that promise had come from but he could not call it back.  Amara glanced up at him with appreciation shining from her tear brightened eyes.   “You have already done more for me than anyone that I have ever known.  I will find a way to repay you for your kindness.”

“I would never accept it.” Kaichen tore his gaze away from Amara and stared over the fire into the darkness beyond. 

“Did you tell your mother about the raiders? Did you warn her?” Amara’s hands twisted together in anxiety as she waited for Kaichen’s answer.

“My mother already knew.  She worries that the band of raiders will attack our village shortly after the first harvest.  She is concerned that their crops and the food that has already been harvested will be taken.  I could not burden her further.” Kaichen knew that his words were the wrong ones as soon as he finished speaking.  Amara’s eyes sparked with indignation and outrage. “Perhaps the raiders that attacked your village are not one and the same as the men that my mother fears.  Our villages are a vast distance apart.”

“It is possible, but not likely. I believe that they are one and the same.” Amara’s voice was solemn and tinged by fear.  “Kaichen, you do not know the damage that they will bring like I do.  They will come, they will find this cavern of red rock. 
The raiders will follow the river and find this village.  Perhaps they were not as strong the first time that they raided this village, but they have grown in strength.  They will slaughter and take until there is nothing left.  You must warn your people.” Amara’s voice was vehement and her shoulders were rigid with tension. 

“I will not speak of it and I ask that you do not speak of it either.  My people have enough to worry about.  There is no indication that the raiders that attacked your band will ever find our village or harm the people here.” Kaichen knew that Amara was angry and he was sorry to have disturbed her hard won peace.  But he would not burden his people further.  “Right now their primary concern is the harvest and storing enough food for the time of long cold.  I will seek out
the bands that dwell nearby and we will try to find a solution to the problems facing our people.”

Amara remained silent.  Kaichen looked at her
but she turned her gaze away.  He should feel relieved that she did not plan to argue the point any further, but instead he felt as if he had greatly disappointed her.  The night sounds around them created a harmony that was soothing and familiar.  But it could not compare to the music that Amara had called forth from her flute and it did not change the fact that they were both weighed down by the fierce battle to survive in a hostile land.

Denoa backed away from the fire circle where her son sat with the woman that he had claimed as his own.  She was secretly pleased.  All around her people murmured over the beautiful music that had drawn them from their dwellings to gather in the darkness outside of Kaichen’s dwelling. 

Who was the young woman that called powerful music forth from her instrument? Denoa recognized that she had witnessed something exceedingly different from any other musician’s performance.  The wide eyes of her people were upon her and Denoa stiffened her spine.  She would not show even a hint of uncertainty when so many eyes were upon her. 

“My son needs rest.  Return to your homes, we have much to do tomorrow.” Denoa had learned, at great cost, to speak with authority even if she was truly uncertain. 

“You do not know
the woman that your son has brought to our village.” Madra’s calm voice was like a balm to Denoa’s soul.  Her friend had always stood by her side, even when the outcome was uncertain.  Madra was a few season older than Denoa, but that only strengthened their friendship.