Chapter 14: Winter

The smoky haze in the lodge burned Seth’s eyes as he and Leana entered. “The wind blows the smoke back inside,” he said. “It has been blowing like this for three days now. Does this happen often here?”

Jord rose to greet his visitors, wincing as he turned to address them. “I have seen it before, yes, but not often.” He went to the flap covering the door and looked out. “The storm will blow itself out soon,” he said, “and it is well that it does. The cooking lodge is nearly buried in snow, and Meta says that firewood grows scarce.” He moved slowly to grasp their hands in greeting, and directed them to seats near the fire. “It is good that Dann thought to gather more from the river camp.”

Lowering himself down with a grunt, he settled again on the cushion of hide-covered dry grasses and indicated the containers of water and the heating stones in the fire. “There is drink to warm you, my friends. Jona is not here, so I am afraid that you must make your own.”

“We saw her not long ago in the cooking lodge,” said Leana as she moved to that task, “and she said that she will be here shortly. Would you like some of this wild honey in your drink? And do you need something to ease the pain now?”

“I thank you but no,” replied the huge black man. “The pain is nearly gone,” he said, “but the weakness holds me yet. Still, it is better now than it was. Perhaps when the storm ends I will be able to go out and walk about.”

“Perhaps you will, my friend,” said Seth.” You journeyed far from us in your fever, and you have come far since the fever went away. Now your body is tired, and must rest. But if you do not use it, it will fail you. A bit of a walk will clear your head and strengthen your limbs.”

“And what of Rand? Is he healing?” Jord’s concern for his son was plain to see. “I have heard that he has been less than gracious to our guests, and I will have words with him about that.”

“I think that will be unnecessary, my friend,” said Seth, “Rand learned much on his last hunt, and he and Dann have become fast friends. They, and Aard, have moved into one of the smaller huts, and they are spending time together learning new skills. Even Meta and Tia have become involved, teaching them herbal lore.”

“Learning from women?” Jord smiled wryly, “My friend, we have indeed changed from the old ways!” He looked at Leana and hastened to add “And I, for one, think that it is a good change!”

Leana smiled mischievously, “We are not finished with you yet, Jord, just wait till you see what we have in store for you!” She handed him his hot drink and continued, “And yes, your son is healing well. He may walk with a slight limp for the rest of his life, but I think it will not hinder him much.”

“At least he does have the rest of his life,” replied Jord, “and we will be ever grateful to your son for that.” He shuddered “If he had not stood fast...”

“And as he says, if the spear shaft had not held, and if they had not been backed by a stone wall,” countered Seth, “too many ‘ifs’. Just take comfort in what is, my brother, and do not dwell on what might have been.”

“Good counsel, Seth,” said Jona as she entered the hut. “I have been trying to tell him the same thing, although I admit to the same feelings. We look on your son and daughter as our own, and are grateful that you came. It is as if you were guided here.” She accepted the cup of tea, “Thank you, my sister. Seating herself beside her husband, she indicated his most recent scars, “How is the pain today?”

“I feel well, Jona, and anxious for the storm to end so that I can get out of this hut into the clean air.” He grimaced as he moved, “But I fear I must leave the hunting to the younkers for a time.”

He looked at Seth and Leana for a long moment, then voiced a long-unasked question. “Why did you come here, my brother? I have felt the same as Jona; it is as if you were guided here, and it was not mere chance that led you.”

Seth leaned forward and stared into the fire for a time, then looked up. “I, we,” he looked at Leana, “all of us, have felt drawn in this direction since even before we were driven out of our own Group home. Some have not felt the pull as strongly as the rest, but all agree there is an attraction, a calling, as if there is a task we must complete together. Or something we must stand against. We will know it when we see it.”

“I dream of it, sometimes,” shuddered Leana, “and it frightens me, though I do not know why. In my dream we stand, Seth and I, among huge structures, like huts stacked upon one another. And we call out. But there is only the sound of our own voices answering us, and then a sound like great swarms of bees, growing loud and louder, and I wake with the sweat running off my body.” Leana shivered again, “I fear it, but I do not know what that sound is, or where it comes from.” She moved closer to Seth, and he put his arm around her as she continued. “And I think I do not want to know.”

Jona moved closer to Jord as well, and shivered as if a cold draught had passed through the hut. “I think it is not bees, Leana, but I still cannot think what could be causing it. Leana looked at her with renewed interest. “Yes,” she continued in their shared mind-speak, “I have dreamed this as well. A row of huts as if built for giants, and from them comes a humming sound like the deep sounds from Aard’s flute, only lower. At times I can barely hear it, but then it grows louder, until it drowns out all other sound.”

“And it seems to be drawing you to it.” They all turned to Jord in amazement, and he nodded in confirmation to their unasked question. “I had thought it was only a dream as I lay there in a fever, but my mind traveled out from me, and I, too saw and heard these things.”

Seth shifted uncomfortably, “At first we felt the pulling, the dreams, and feared them. Especially since others in our group did not feel the same, and resisted. At first it was myself and Leana, but then Tia, then Dann and Aard said some of the same things. I spoke, as if in jest, about it to Toll and Doe, but they did not act as if they knew what I spoke of.

“Then we found we could shut the dreams out, and they did not bother us as much.” He turned to Leana, “But it was not the two of us that I saw in that strange place.” He shuddered and said no more.

“Perhaps you are stronger than we, Seth, and can resist it better.” Jord looked at his friend, “At times I have felt that there is a power or a force behind this that will be difficult to deny. And I must admit that at times that frightens me as well.”

A sudden flurry of motion distracted them, and they looked to see Meta coming in through the flap. “It looks as if the weather is changing,” she cried, “the sun is shining, and the wind has dropped! Some of us were going down to the stream to see if we can break through the ice and catch some fish, but we have discovered some strange tracks in the snow.”

There Are Caves

“Tracks?” Seth and Jord both started at this, but it was Jona who asked, “And where did they lead?”