Chapter 7 - Trouble in the High Pass
“Here, Tyke, throw it here!” Chalice shouted to Tycho as she strained and kicked to keep her head above the water. It was midsummer and they were playing a game of keep away with a small ball fashioned from bear hide that Papa had made for her. The water was cool and felt refreshing given the noonday sun that beat down upon them from directly above. It lit up the entire cove that was usually shaded by the surrounding maple trees.
A beautiful aquamarine color, the small cove formed a current that swirled in a delicate whirlpool created by the inflow of water from the Créonar. It was while fighting this current that she struggled for the ball. In the water, Jeremiah was too quick for her. Working his strong shoulder muscles, he slipped past her and seized the ball. She felt her head go under as she tried to block him, pulled down by a combination of his slipstream and the undercurrent.
Holding onto the ball, Jeremiah turned back to find her. A few moments passed and concern tightened his face. He plunged into the water. At that instant, however, she came up gulping for air, coughing and spluttering. He was right behind her.
“Ha! You’re it again, Chalice!” Kirna exclaimed.
“Dang it! I keep losing. This is so unfair!”
“What’s unfair about it?” Tycho asked.
“He’s bigger than I am.”
“He’s bigger than all of us!”
“Oh whatever!”
Jeremiah was still a little shaken from her disappearance under the water. “Why don’t we take a break?” he suggested.
“That’s a great idea! I’m starving!” Tycho said and set out toward the bank. He was the first one there. “Chalice, did your Grandma pack those sandwiches again?”
“Yup,” she replied, pulling herself out of the water. The wet soil squished between her toes as she moved. Regardless of the slippery mud beneath her feet, she was happy to get her footing back. She was much better on land.
They sat down on the bank and she removed the tomato and cheese sandwiches from her pack that Grandma Naelli had handed her before they left that morning. “Have fun but be careful. I want you two back before dusk. And don’t dally home,” she had said as they scampered out the door to meet their friends. As Chalice reflected on Grandma Naelli’s instructions, she handed the sandwiches to the others and they ate hungrily.
That’s right, she thought. I didn’t finish my chores this morning. That’s why she wants us back early. She looked out into the sparkling cove and her thoughts returned to the water.
“I’m just a lousy swimmer. That’s all it is. I can’t keep my head above the water.”
“That’s no excuse to try and pull down my swim trunks!” Jeremiah retorted.
“Well, it’s the only way I can get the ball from you.”
“Cheater,” he grumbled under his breath. All the same, a slight smile perked his lips.
Tycho was sitting to her right; his dark brown eyes examined her shoulder as he ate. “You fure dat birfmark iv real?” he asked with a mouth full of food.
She smiled at him. “Yeah, it’s real. I know. It’s strange. It looks like a tattoo, but it’s not. Papa said I was born with it.”
“Hmm.” He crammed the last half of the sandwich into his chubby cheeks and stood. She was always amazed at how much food he could stuff into his mouth at once and still be able to chew. Tycho was unlike any of the other kids at school. He was shorter and darker than the rest and a little pudgy around the middle. He insisted that it was still baby fat he hadn’t grown out of yet.
Kirna, who had been sitting to his right, looked over at her with her emerald eyes that shone brilliantly in the sunlight and contrasted loudly with her raven black hair glistening with water.
“He’s going to show us his new move,” she said.
“This oughta be good.” Chalice smirked.
Tycho stood sideways a few paces in front of them. “Okay, here goes,” he said as he stepped forward swiftly with his left foot, balancing his weight on it. He pivoted and brought his right leg up, swinging it through air in front of him to attempt a roundhouse kick. Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell backward, his left foot sliding out from under him as he crashed down into the soft sand.
Chalice almost choked on the last bit of her sandwich. They were all laughing hysterically. No one else in the world could have done that and made it look so incredibly hilarious.
“Smooth move, Tyke! You should try that one in class tomorrow. Shaunta Nym will love it!” she said, as he pulled himself from the ground, brushing sand from his swim trunks.
“Well, I tried.” He shrugged. “I’m still a better swimmer than you.” He was right. He was an excellent swimmer, even better than Jeremiah.
“Yes, you are,” Kirna said warmly to him as he retook his seat next to her. She put her arm around his shoulder. “You alright?” she asked and he nodded. Then, she looked over at Chalice. “Are we going to Marie’s later?”
Chalice gave her best friend a rueful look. “No, Jeremiah and I have to be back early,” she replied. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I didn’t finish my chores this morning.”
She leaned back onto the soft ground to bask in the sunlight. The others followed suit, except for Jeremiah who sat up peering out into the water, apparently in deep thought, as always. Chalice closed her eyes and rested, soaking in the heat and loving every minute of it. Moments passed and when she re-opened her eyes, her friends and the cove were gone. It took her a moment to realize what she was seeing. Above her was grey stone, veined with silver light that shone down on her face and warmed the room. It was the heat that woke her.
Oh right, I’m not at home anymore, she remembered.
She pulled herself out of bed and dragged her feet into the sitting room, where she found her clothes on the divan, freshly laundered. Jeremiah was sitting down at the table, eating breakfast. She sat down with him. There was hot tea and warm bread with honey and fresh fruit.
“Good morning.” She smiled. “Did they bring all of this for us?”
“Yeah, isn’t it great? It almost makes me want to stay here.” He smiled, thinking about the two little Chinuka. Chalice pulled a note from under the breadbasket. It was covered with Chinukan letters.
“What does this say?”
“He wants us to stop by his hut before we set off.”
“Yeah, we should say goodbye and thank them before we leave,” she replied, filling her plate with food.
After a healthy breakfast, they washed, dressed, and packed their belongings. Jeremiah took a last glance at his notebook before stuffing it into his bag. Chalice let him do the honors of opening the doors on the way to the stable room as she still hadn’t learned the trick of how to work them. Once under the dome, she immediately noted the change of light, simulating the morning sunlight.
Working silently, they bridled and saddled the horses and attached their saddlebags. Chalice found an extra bag in the tack room that Bunejab had filled with fruit for the horses. Jeremiah strapped it to the back of his saddle. Then, quietly, almost reluctantly, they led the horses out to the gateway.
As the doors opened, Chalice’s hair and coat flap flew forward as a rush of warm air blew past them and she immediately felt the cold, biting chill. On the road again, she lamented silently. They led the horses down the path to the Bea’s hut and Jeremiah knocked softly on the frozen crystal of the window. Bunejab’s little face appeared and he smiled at them, chittering something that they couldn’t hear. In a flash, he was out the door, rucksack in hand and sporting a hooded, leather coat with thick fur on the inside to add to his own.
“I think he wants to come with us,” Jeremiah said to Chalice.
Bunejab just stared up at them as if they should have known that that was what he had intended all along. He motioned toward the horses. He seemed to be in a hurry to get going. Just then, the door of the hut burst open and Quinta st
ormed out. Bunejab’s little beady eyes widened with fear. He turned slowly toward his wife who jabbered at him so furiously that Chalice thought she was going to explode. Chalice looked a question at Jeremiah.
“She doesn’t want him to leave,” he said.
“Well, that’s understandable.”
After delivering her husband a long-winded diatribe, Quinta stomped back into the house and slammed the door. They looked at Bunejab, who stood there glancing back and forth in indecision. He appeared torn and worried. Moments passed and he still couldn’t decide what to do. Chalice felt badly for the little Chinuk and was about to tell him to stay with his family when Quinta emerged again from the hut with a small bundle of food in her hand. She gave it to her husband and kissed him on the cheek. Then, she returned to the warmth of her home.
Bunejab stuck the bundle in his sack and whirled around on the spot. He was smiling. He ran up and raised his arms to Chalice who took that to mean he wanted to ride with her. She leaned down and picked him up, placing him in the spot just in front of Sunny’s saddle.
“Women!” Jeremiah exclaimed, placing his foot in the stirrup of his saddle and swinging his leg over.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Nuthin’.”
“Yeah, right!” she said with a sassy sniff and mounted.
As they strode back down the path toward the cliff, Chalice glanced back toward the hut. Quinta had stuck her head out of the door and was watching them leave. Chalice wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought that Quinta had a knowing look in her eye. Then, she turned back around in her saddle and listened to Bunejab, who directed them to the left at the base of the cliff. Passing the gateway in the rock wall that led to the green room, they rode out onto the trail that led up the mountain.
Five more days passed before they reached the crater ridge at the top. During the ascent, the trail proved treacherous. It narrowed in places and was littered with hidden fragments of ice and sleet that threatened to send them tumbling down the mountainside. The air also grew increasingly colder, producing a fierce, blistering wind that forced them to pull up their hoods and don their gloves. Chalice and Jeremiah even had to swath their faces in scarves for protection from the frost, which covered almost every part of them.
Each night, they found a suitable place sheltered from the wind, near a water source, even if semi-frozen, in which to clear the snow and set up camp. This time, while preparing the bedding, Chalice dug a shallow depression into the ground for each set of blankets. More knowledgeable about the temperature of the land, she realized this would keep them warmer at night, which became crucial to their survival the farther up the mountain they climbed. She also found that the tea they were given proved indispensable in order to fight off the altitude sickness and the cold. Their food, however, was running dangerously low.
Finally, midmorning, on the fifth day, they arrived at a deep pass that was sharply cut into the top of the ridge. From the peak, they could see the entire valley of the caldera, the center of which cradled a great frozen lake dotted with small Chinukan camps of ice-fishers going about their daily work. The white valley and trees that surrounded the lake sheltered small villages, which resembled almost perfectly that of the Beas. The sky was a dark and cloudless blue. A few of its brightest stars sparkled like diamonds through the thin atmosphere.
The savage wind whistled loudly through the pass in an attempt to knock them from the mountain. Chalice turned her head eastward from the windswept volcanic peak to peer wide-eyed at the low cloud cover that blanketed the Auramont Vale. Beyond it extended an almost limitless expanse of blue ocean stretching out toward the horizon. The majesty and grandeur of the view was awesome. It was both beautiful and terrifying.
What being could have even imagined much less created something so magnificent? she wondered.
“I never believed I would ever see the top of Mt. Vaassa!” Chalice shouted excitedly at Jeremiah, who could barely hear her due to noise of the wind and the scarf around her face that muffled her words.
He shook his head. “Me neither!”
She was about to heel Sunny forward when Bunejab shook her arm and pointed to a small path, carved into the side of the ridge, that wound around the inside of its steep slope.
“But this is the way across the top, isn’t it?” she asked him, motioning forward and down the pass. Jeremiah drew his mount closer to the Chinuk. Bunejab chittered something at them and Chalice turned to Jeremiah.
“Did you get that?”
“Yeah, he wants to show us something.”
She reined Sunny to the left and they proceeded along the narrow ridge. Jeremiah, being as chivalrous as ever, insisted on riding nearer the edge, blocking her from the dangerous precipice. She could see the fear in his eyes, though, as he kept glancing sideways anxiously. She knew he was afraid of heights and had to smile at his courage. Mindful of their unsafe position, with the wind still whipping their cloaks, they traveled carefully along the path.
Finally, after a few minutes, Bunejab pointed toward the top of the ridge and they saw them. They were huge, deep, lava caves that dotted the snow. They were naturally molded into the ridge wall by the constant melting and re-freezing of rock during eruptions of volcanic magma when the mountain was active. Bunejab turned away from the ridge to look at Chalice and Jeremiah. He was sad and his eyes sparkled with tears. He chittered at them loudly.
“He says their friends used to live here, but they’re gone now.”
“Which friends?”
“The ones that protected them from the wolves, I think.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, nodding slowly. She gave the little Chinuk a small hug. “Don’t worry Bunejab. They’ll come back someday.” She had no idea who or what she was talking about, or even if they would come back, but it was the only thing she could think to say. All the same, it seemed to cheer him up. This made her feel better. Turning back in the opposite direction, they vigilantly found their way back to the main pass.
As they descended into the valley, Bunejab instructed them to be alert and keep a sharp eye. It reminded her of what Jeremiah had told her before about the Chinuka and their policy of protecting the mountain. As they entered, they found themselves crossing through the thicket of sequoias that wrapped around lake Cancha. The trees were almost completely covered by the snow, frost, and ice. Only a few brown and green patches could be seen as they rode. Fortunately, the wind did not follow them into the trees, which allowed them to lower their hoods and scarves. Hours passed and they found themselves very near the opposite side of the valley as daylight was fading.
Chalice was just breathing a sigh of relief that their passage over the mountain was progressing peacefully, when suddenly, out of the trees from all sides sprang a band of Chinukan guards. They were dressed in thick, dark fur cloaks and brandished spears and crossbows at them, forming a tight circle around the horses. Chalice froze, not moving a muscle. The largest of them — a dark, rough-looking Chinuk who held a crossbow — chittered angrily at Bunejab.
“His name is Grogan and he wants to speak with Bunejab,” Jeremiah told her.
With a little help from Chalice, Bunejab clambered down Sunny’s side and approached the Chinukan guard. Bunejab appeared to be explaining to him what they were doing and why they were there.
After several minutes of listening to the two Chinuka argue, Jeremiah said: “Grogan wants us to turn back and return down the east side of the mountain. Bunejab is trying to reason with him, but it’s not going well.”
Chalice groaned. After all of the effort it took them to get there, the last thing she wanted to do was turn back. She considered dismounting and walking over to help, but then she mentally kicked herself.
What could I do? I don’t even know the language! Just then, another Chinuk, who looked very much like Bunejab, almost exactly in fact, ran up an
d seized Grogan’s arm. Grogan turned to face the newcomer and listened to what he had to say. Then, he nodded. They turned to Bunejab and said something in unison. Bunejab nodded and Jeremiah’s eyes widened.
“What?” she asked.
“That’s Mooky, Bunejab’s brother.”
Bunejab has a brother?! she thought. There is another one just like him?! She would have laughed at the thought if their situation hadn’t been so serious.
“They’re taking us to King Futhark and Queen Svati.”
“Why?”
“I think so he can plead his case to them. We’re lucky Mooky is here. Grogan doesn’t seem to like Bunejab.”
Walking in front of Grogan and the other guards, Bunejab and Mooky motioned to Chalice and Jeremiah to follow. They complied. Chalice gave a furtive glance backwards. She had a feeling they would be escorted as well, and sure enough, the other guards remained behind them, crossbows and spears aimed in their direction.
“Geez, they mean business,” she said to Jeremiah, giving him a sharp look and he nodded.
“Yes, they do.”
They passed a small village and soon arrived at the rock face of the caldera ridge. Chalice and Jeremiah dismounted and handed the reins to one of the guards. Here we go! she thought and shot a nervous look at Jeremiah. He patted her back to reassure her. They turned to follow their escort to a large gateway in the rock that Grogan opened using a vella embedded to the right. The warm rush of air blew past them as the doors opened outwards revealing a long hallway with a bright light at the end.
As soon as they had walked the length of the hallway, they entered an interior dome and could see a congregation of Chinuka positioned on both sides of a wide, red carpet that stretched from the entrance to the throne of the King and Queen, several spans down. Apparently, they had been waiting for them.
How did they know? Chalice wondered.
“A scout came before us to tip them off,” Jeremiah whispered, seeming to read her thoughts.
“How do you know that?”
“I heard Mooky say it.”
They entered and Chalice saw that the dome was just like the one in Bunejab’s village, except along the walls at intervals, there were tunnels that led to other rooms in the mountain. A tiny drumbeat like music could be heard faintly from one of the passages.
All the beady little eyes in the room were glaring at them as they passed and it seemed like hours before they reached the end of the carpet. Chalice felt as if she wanted to run and hide under a table somewhere. It was unnerving.
The throne rested upon a raised stone platform, which brought the Chinukan King and Queen to eye level with Chalice. They appeared no different from the other Chinuka except for their cloaks, which were fashioned of a dark blue, silky material, striped with white and grey fur. She expected the King to stand and address them, but instead it was Queen Svati who stood. Then, Chalice remembered what Jeremiah had said during their trip up the mountain. What’s interesting about Chinukan society is that it is largely matriarchal. It was the Âwásötah who governed them. That’s right, she thought. I forgot.
As the Queen rose from her chair, she did not as Chalice expected, appear to be angry or hostile. This may have had something to do with the twenty or so guards that stood watch behind the throne. They held finely worked Chinukan weapons.
I thought that the Chinuka were peaceful and yet they seem to have all these weapons, Chalice wondered. Well, I suppose they need to protect themselves.
Queen Svati gazed warmly in their direction and addressed Bunejab slowly. Bunejab bowed low and slowly responded to her, carefully choosing his words. Jeremiah listened intently to the discussion.
“What are they saying?” she whispered.
“She wants to know why he brought us here,” Jeremiah whispered back. “He explained to her that we were in danger in Branbury and that he wanted to see us safely to the other side of the mountain.”
“What did she say?”
“She told him that the problems of humans are no longer the problems of the Chinuka.”
Chalice looked up. Bunejab had paused and appeared to be deliberating over something. Then, he spoke very loudly and slowly, so that he was clearly audible to all in the room. As he spoke, there were loud gasps from the crowd. A low buzz of Chinukan murmurs issued from among the congregation. Everyone stirred and some of them stomped out of the dome angrily. Even the Queen had an expression of shock on her face.
“What did he say?” Chalice asked eagerly. She was frustrated. She wanted to understand the language.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what all the words mean, but he said that you are the child of the Elîn’Mörá who will end the Rôi’Státchèn and bring about a return to the First Time and a return of the Naezzi.”
“A return of … what? The Elîn’Mörá? What is the Elîn’Mörá?”
“I have no idea,” he replied, shrugging.
A child of the Elîn’Mörá? She wondered if it had something to do with her family. Does Bunejab know something about my family? What else does he know?
Just then, the Queen clapped her hands and a guard came running. She muttered something to him and he rushed out of the room. Then, she descended the steps and placed herself square with Chalice, peering up and studying her.
Chalice glanced around the room nervously. She didn’t know what to do, so she just stood there and waited. Finally, the guard returned, panting tiredly as he handed the Queen a small, ornate box, hand-crafted of dark, polished wood. Then, Queen Svati turned to Chalice and proffered it. Bowing her head, Svati muttered: “Aukâwá,” and something else that Chalice didn’t understand. Chalice looked at Jeremiah.
“She wants you to take it,” he said.
She complied, opening the golden latch on the front and lifting the lid. Inside, on a cushion of cream silk, lay a sharp dagger and a beautifully shaped gem that sparkled in the light of the dome. They were cut of the same material as the utensils she had used while cooking with Quinta. She closed the box and addressed the Queen, bowing her head.
“Thank you,” she said while deliberating carefully. What the heck am I supposed to do with this? Why is she giving it to me? I hope she doesn’t expect me to cook for her. She didn’t dare ask about it or say anything else. She just wanted to leave and return to their passage down the mountain.
Queen Svati addressed Chalice once again and once again Jeremiah translated: “She has invited us to dine with them in the hall. There is music and dancing.” He motioned to the passage from which the drumbeat issued.
The memory of spiced fish in vegetables they had enjoyed with Quinta and Bunejab darted through her mind. She was tempted to accept the offer, but she still felt uncomfortable among the Chinuka, particularly among those who continued to scowl in their direction. She directed a face at Jeremiah to express her thoughts and he understood.
Jeremiah turned to the Queen. “Thank you very much, but we really need to pass over the mountain as soon as we can.” Bunejab translated his words.
The Queen nodded, bowing her head with respect to Jeremiah. “Hâjyàh zûnlàkû, Státtèkráj.” She then turned to speak to Grogan.
Shrinking, he bowed defeatedly. Bunejab and Mooky smiled at each other, bowed to the Queen and King, and then turned to leave. Ignoring Chalice and Jeremiah, they spoke to each other in rapid Chinukan as they strode the length of the red carpet.
Jeremiah looked at Chalice. “I guess that’s it! We get to go.” They paid their respects to the Queen and King, then followed Bunejab and his brother down the carpet and out the door. They did not look back, not even to see that the Âwásötah was watching them keenly as they went.
While Jeremiah untied the horses, Chalice stuffed the small box into her saddlebag, remarking that there was barely enough space left in it for anything else. After gathering provisions, that Jeremiah stuffed into his bag, and saying goodbye to Mooky, they r
emounted. Bunejab rode with Jeremiah this time as they headed back to the pass from which they had come.
When they arrived at the trail, Chalice suddenly realized why little Chinuk had been so intent on traveling with them. They would never have made it without him. She looked over at him, nestled in the pommel of Banner’s saddle.
“Bunejab,” she said and he turned toward her, letting out an incomprehensible squeak. “What is the Elîn’Mörá? Does it have something to do with my family?”
Bunejab paused for a moment before answering. When he was finished, Jeremiah translated, glancing down in suspicion at the little Chinuk. “He says that he made all that up because he had to tell his Âwásötah something that would persuade her to let us pass through.”
“Hmm,” she murmured to herself, staring at him through narrowed eyes. She knew this couldn’t be true. Why would the Chinuka have reacted in such a way? Why would the Queen have given her the box? She was beginning to notice that there was more to Bunejab than she had previously believed.
He is tricky, she thought. And he knows more than he is letting on. For the moment, however, she decided not to press him with any further questions. After all, they had the mountain to descend and their survival depended on staying alert. She would try again later.
“Jeremiah,” she said, glancing over at him.
“Yeah?”
“What was that the Queen called you and me?”
“You mean, Aukâwá and Státtèkráj?”
“Yeah.”
“The are the feminine and masculine form of the word steward, if you are addressing someone in a general fashion. They also mean caretaker or caregiver.”
“Steward? Why would she call us stewards?”
His cheeks turned slightly red. “Well, to the Chinuka, we are all stewards … caretakers of each other, of other creatures, and of the land around us, but I don’t think that is what she meant just then.”
“Then what did she mean?”
Jeremiah cleared his throat before answering. “The names can also mean Master and Mistress … or …” He paused, hesitating.
“Or?”
“Or they can mean Husband and Wife.”
Then, it suddenly dawned on her. “You mean, she thought we were married?”
“I think so.” He didn’t look at her and was too embarrassed to say any more on the subject, although he knew in his heart that they would be someday. So, they traveled on in silence, all of them happy to be on their way once again.
The crater ridge was steep, but their journey proceeded virtually uninterrupted. Once they breached it, Chalice’s worries of having to turn back disappeared and they spent the next seven days descending the mountain.