Legends of Belariath

Salina Kyle

The Warrior’s Dance Part Two

At sun high, we reached their camp. The warrior took my arm and led me through the children that surrounded us. Many touched my hair, or hand. They spoke in a rush of sounds I didn’t know. Frightened, I pressed closer to my holder, who chuckled softly. We stopped in the center of the camp with voices and hands still surrounding me. I heard him speaking with someone of deep voice making several comments. My attacker said something nasty that brought everything to a stop. After a moment of silence, the new man spoke again making everyone step away from me. My protector let go of me step away as well, panic springing into my mind. What was happening? Someone took hold of my arm to pull me away.

“No!” I screamed. At that moment, I didn’t want to be separated from my protector, my body struggling in a blind panic. More hands caught me trying to restrain me. Suddenly, I heard my protector’s voice. He slapped me sharply growling something into my pale face. Shocked back into silence, the other hands took firm hold of my hands to lead me away.

They took me into one of the dwellings. My bonds fell away with the flick of a dagger. I began rubbing life back into my bruised wrists. The blindfold fell as well. My eyes blinked for several minutes. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around me feeling my mouth fall open. The hard packed earth floor had several hides to one side. The hides of a different animal made the walls and ceiling. A fire burned in the center of the structure. Smoke drifted up and out through a vent in the top. In a moment, my stunned mind took in the strange women that stood around me. They wore clothing of soft leather. It looked like dresses that came just past the knee, and some sort of pants underneath. Their skin had the same hue as the warrior I had seen. Their white hair was done in braids. Feathers, stones, and other trinkets decorated the braids. Their violets eyes showed to be as amazed by me. One reached out to touch my flame red hair. Another touched her eye, and pointed to my new green eyes. Even my skin seemed strange to them. The fold over the opening moved aside. Another woman entered the dwelling. My mouth truly fell open. She stood a head taller then me. The woman looked to be in her fortieth turn of the Great Wheel. She didn’t look like the other women. Her hair was gray, and I felt she must be Tayan. A people who lived near the mountains, I saw the men when my father did business for ore. She smiled at me.

“You are Hashian of the lower valley?” she asked, smiling in a bold manner.

“Yes, are you of the Taya people?” I returned cautiously. She smiled, again.

“A spirited lass,” she said, “Yes, I was Tayan once, but that was long ago. What turn are you in?” Her response startled me. What did she mean by once? Her personal question gave me pause. Why would she want to know that?

“I’m in my thirteenth turn,” I said, proudly. She just nodded.

“Have you laid with a man?” My face turned red.

“What business is it of yours?” I hissed in outrage. Her eyes remained amused.

“I know the ways of your people,” she said, “It is not uncommon for your girls to lay with a man before she has reached her thirteenth year. I ask you again, have you been with a man?” My rage grew more intense. She asked a question that she had no right to ask.

“You have no right to ask me such a question,” I growled, “I don’t have to tell you that.” She shook her head in regret.

“You give me no other choice,” she said. She turned to the other women. At her nod, they forced me to the ground, and held me. I struggled, but the women proved to be stronger. The Tayan knelt at my side. She took her knife from its sheath, and showed it to me.

“Since you won’t tell me, I’ll have to check,” she said, “I suspect your refusal to answer means you have been with a man.” My face went white. She started to cut my breeches apart.

“No!” I cried, “I am whole. I swear it.” She looked into my frightened eyes.

“I must still check,” she said, “Your people are known to hold no respect for the truth.”

“Why you-!” I stammered. Her smile only served to anger me more. Carefully, she cut away my clothing. My face turned a bright red. No one had seen me without clothing since I was a young child. I fought the hands that held me down.

“Let me go!” I screamed in fear and rage. The Tayan tapped my nose with her blade.

“I’ll tell you how it is in this place,” she said, without malice, “You’re a slave, and will be treated like one. You should keep this in mind. I’m Winter Flower, and I keep charge over the Sheyka camp slaves. You should keep that in mind as well. You may belong to one of the warriors, but I’ll also have command over you. Now, I will see how you should be marked. Used or not used. From there you’ll be bathed and fed, and allowed to rest. You won’t be sold till sunset tomorrow.”

“Sold?” I gasped with shock.

“Yes, the warriors will hold an auction to see who will own you,” she said, “I hear Raging Boar wants you very badly. You must’ve angered him really bad. You’ll find life in this camp much harder then your pampered raising.” Her hand went to my thigh. I flinched as she touched me with gentle care. Her eyes had a look of surprise. I was whole. She spoke to the women, and they strengthened their hold. One went to the fire. Why didn’t they let me up? In truth, their grips only tightened. I remembered she had said something about being marked. My eyes widened in horror. She wore strips of leather wrapped around her hands. The woman brought a strange thing from the fire, a pair of red-hot pliers. My thighs were forced further apart.

“What are you doing?” I screamed terror tainting my cry.

“It is custom to mark a girl child at birth,” Winter Flower said, “This assures her mate that she is clean. You’re clean so you too must be marked. I didn’t think it would be necessary. You’re sure you are Hashian?” As I tried to sputter an answer, fire engulfed the junction of my thighs. My shriek thundered around the dwelling. The women held me still making soothing sounds. Cold water splashed down onto me. The pain lessened. Winter Flower poured water between my thighs.

“You did well,” she said, “You did very well.” Tears ran down my cheeks. The women let me go, and I curled into a ball. They let me cry for several minutes. Dirt covered my face. It stuck in globs to my legs. Small bits of mud slid down my back. I held my intimate area in my shaking hands. What had they done to me? Slowly, I lifted my hands. My mouth fell open in horror. A silver ring hung in my private flesh.

“What have you done to me?” I whispered hoarsely.

“You’ve been marked as being pure,” Winter Flower said, “Unused, your value is much greater. Only a pure woman can mate with a warrior of the Sheyka. You’re very lucky.”

“Lucky? I can be raped now,” I hissed, “I should feel lucky?” The Tayan sighed as pity lighted her face.

“The time of taking is eighteen turns,” she said, “You won’t be ‘raped’ till you’re a woman. Mating with girls is punishable by death in this tribe.” I looked up at her seeing truth in her eyes. Several buckets of water were brought in. The water was heated over the fire for me. I looked around the dwelling, bathing slowly. My thighs were sore, and chaffed raw. Winter Flower gave me some food, and combed my hair for me.

“Flaming hair. Your hair is so beautiful,” she said, “I wish my hair had been this color.”

“My father told me that it was a mark of my spirit,” I said, “He was very proud of me. He-“ Tears sprang into my eyes. Winter Flower held me as I wept bitter pain. We rocked together late into the night.

The time came to quickly. Winter Flower came into the dwelling, and looked at me.

“It is time,” she said taking up several strips of white leather backing me up a little.

“Why must I have a blindfold?” I asked, trembling.

“You’ve seen the face of a warrior,” she said, “You must not see any warrior till you have been bought. When you’re bought you become a member of the tribe, if only as a slave.” I stood still as she wrapped the leather about my face.

“Can’t I have something to wear?” I squeaked.

“You’re a slave, do not forget,” she said, “Your master will clothe you as he sees fit. No one will speak to you in this tongue once you have left this place. You must learn to speak the language of Sheyka.” She took me to the opening. My body shook against her.

“Please don’t do this,” I whispered.

“You’re a slave now,” she said, softly, “Do not try to fight. It’ll be over quickly.” She pushed me through the opening.

Hands were waiting to take me from the little comfort that Winter Flower had given me. I was grabbed, and dragged through a crowd. Despite Winter Flower’s advice, I fought the hands with all my strength. Someone tied my wrists behind my back. They threw me into a shallow pit. As I knelt there, I could hear them all around me. Male voices shouting in a language I didn’t know. Trying to stand got me struck with a rod on the back. I cried out in pain, and stayed on the ground. Someone dropped into the pit near me. Another dropped in behind me. I found myself held while my legs were forced apart.

“No!” I screamed, horrified. It was over in a moment. They let me go. I heard several more shouts. Finally, they began to grow quiet. The two in the pit pulled me to my feet. A third man dropped down in front of me. To my shock, he calmly threw me over his shoulder. There was some laughter. He jumped out of the pit, and carried me away from the crowds.

The worse part had to be over I was sure of that. He carried me to his dwelling. I was dropped to the ground. The leather was cut away from my face. I found myself staring at a curious warrior. Gently, he touched my hair. His hand went to my face, and turned my head from side to side. He seemed pleased. His long white braids were decorated with the feathers of predatory birds mainly night hunters. The warrior had a scar on his right cheek that looked like white lighting against his ebony skin. Looking closer I got a shock. He saw me trying to look at his hair, and grinned. He leaned into the light. Blue stains marked some of his braids. My eyes widened. Laughter sparkled in his eyes.

“It was you I hit,” I whispered. Frowning, he put a finger over my lips. He didn’t want me to speak. Winter Flower had told me that my language would not be allowed. She spoke the truth. I nodded my understanding, and he smiled. His eyes were kind. He gestured to a spot near the fire. In a moment, I went to the spot and knelt. He nodded his head in satisfaction. I watched him look around the tent. As he searched, I took in my surroundings. I knelt in a six-sided tent-like structure. The opening flap was tied shut. About the same size as the dwelling I spent my first night, this one had firs on one side. Near the fire the ground had a small depression for cooking I’d have guessed. His weapons lay in easy reach. He had room to stand and move about. The warrior straightened drawing my attention. He came back to the fire with some hides in his hands. Setting the hides down, he went behind me, and freed my wrists. My hands tingled. I tried to rub life back into them. In a moment, he dropped a leather pouch by me. The warrior went to sit on the firs. Looking down, I touched the soft leather wondering for a moment what to do. He watched me intently. The leather pouch held needles and sinew. He wanted me to make something for me to wear. It looked like there was enough leather for me to make a garment. As the woman of my family, sewing came as a daily job. I was pretty sure I could make it, but what? Looking at what he wore, I decided that I would do the best I could. The warrior sat back and observed my work.

It turned into a short leather dress, and leather leggings. When I felt I had done all that I could, I held them out to him. He came over. His hands went over my stitching. He held the tunic out, and snorted a little. It looked like the warrior liked the leggings I had made. They were laced up either side. He went back to the tunic. He definitely didn’t like it. He tossed it back at me, and shook his head. I had to change it. After several minutes of thought, I decided to try something a little risky. The stitches tore out and I pieced the leather together in a different way. He smiled. Much shorter, this tunic would cling. I used the same lace up the side design I had used with the leggings. He looked it over and nodded. The warrior handed the clothing to me. I pulled the leggings up and tied the laces. The tunic slipped over my head. Dressed, I looked down at myself. It showed more flesh then I would have liked, but it pleased him to no end. Walking around me, the warrior touched my shoulder. His hand went to my thigh. Frightened, I pulled away. He didn’t chase me. Instead, he went to the fire, and sat down. His hand gestured me to come to him. Still afraid, I went to kneel by him. He touched my cheek, gently. What would he do next? Looking me straight in the eye, he tapped his chest.

“Lighting Hawk,” he said. He looked at me expectantly.

“Lighting Hawk,” I said. It made him grin. I tried again.

“Lighting Hawk,” he said, very slowly.

“Lighting Hawk,” I said, trying very hard to copy him. I was getting better. He had me repeat his name several times. Smiling, he tapped my chest.

“Flaming Spirit,” he said. My eyes widened.

“Flaming Spirit?” I asked. He nodded.

“Flaming Spirit,” he said. I had a name. He made me repeat it several times. He continued the lessons. From his name, and mine, Lighting Hawk taught me the names of things in the tent. In the end, I could name such things as fire, wood, fir, and cooking pot. He started on names for the food he had, but I yawned. It had been a long hard day. My tired body could sleep on a rock. He banked the fire for the night. Going to the firs, he held his hand out to me. Suddenly, I felt very scared. What could he want? He must have recognized my fear. He took my hand, and brought me to the firs. I wanted to fight, but I didn’t. He lay down, and pulled me down beside him. I thought sure he was going to take me, but he didn’t. Lighting Hawk pulled another fir over us. His arms wrapped around me in a firm but gentle hold. That was it. He didn’t touch me in any way or try doing anything. His warmth spread over my shivering body. The smell of his leather somehow comforted me. For the first time since this nightmare had begun, I felt safe. It didn’t take long for me to drift off to sleep.

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