Crown in the Stars (4 page)

Leaning down again, he whispered, “Listen: I’ve decided that while you and Mithqah are visiting your cousins, I’ll persuade your parents to agree to our betrothal.”

“I pray they will.” She felt herself blushing now, delighted by his audacity. How could she endure being separated from him for a year? But next month, she would depart with the Tribe of Metiyl after the tribal encampment. “I don’t want to leave you; I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Have you told your parents?”

“No. They’d listen to me and keep me here—and I’d prefer it—but my cousins have been inviting me for years. I can’t disappoint them again.”

Kaleb grimaced. “I know. And I suppose, as I’ma-Ritspah says, you should have some time to visit your relatives before we marry.” He gave her a teasing-burning look. “After that, I’ll keep you too busy.”

Embarrassed, Shoshannah started to rub at a black handprint on Khiysh’s neck. Kal stopped her. “No, leave the handprints. I like them.”

“Really?”

“They’re perfect. Others will copy them from pure envy.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “I doubt it. They’ll just wonder why you don’t clean your horse.” Her delight faded, and she looked up at him. “What else will you do while I’m gone?”

“I’ll go mad,” he said, flippant.

“No, be serious. What will you do?”

“Seriously? I’m going to start building
our
lodge.”

“Oh, Kal…” She almost looked over her shoulder to see if her father was still watching. “Don’t; it would look as though we’re rushing things. You should wait until my father formally declares our betrothal—and he probably won’t do that until I return. He’s liable to thrash you for being so bold.”

“You’re worth the risk. Anyway, I’m so much bigger than he is now; he’d just swipe at me a bit. He knows I respect him.” More softly, Kal said, “Beloved, swear you’ll never stop tormenting me.”

“We’ll see,” she murmured, pretending to ignore him now.

He smiled, measured his hand against one of her handprints—overwhelming it—and went back to rubbing Khiysh, obviously satisfied.

In the midst of a spring-green field, Keren eyed Shoshannah’s stance during bow-and-arrow practice. She could see her daughter’s impatience. “Shoulder down. Watch your target.”

When Shoshannah heaved a mute but visible sigh and pressed her lips together, Keren said, “Don’t even think that. Weaponry lessons are not a waste of your time.”

Lowering her bow and arrow, Shoshannah stared at her. “I’ma,
how
did you know what I was thinking?”

Because I have lived behind that same expression, and I remember what I was thinking when I wore it
. “Because I am your mother.”

Shoshannah straightened. “I’ma, please…” She hesitated, then tried again as Keren waited expectantly. “I
wouldn’t have anyone else as my mother, ever, but none of the other girls in our tribe have to learn weapons unless they
want
to learn them. You don’t even make Qetuwrah and Adah and Rinnah practice so much, and they’re my own sisters. Why is this so important to you—and to Father?”

You still haven’t told Shoshannah of the past, have you?

I’ma-Annah’s gentle voice echoed in Keren’s memory, chiding her tenderly. Keren glanced across the field at Zekaryah, who was teaching weaponry to their scrawny preadolescent sons, Ahyit and Sithriy. They would be busy for a while; she had time.

She motioned for Shoshannah to sit in the damp grass. Kneeling beside her, Keren summoned her courage. “I have enemies. And because you look so much like me… because you
are
so much like me… my enemies will hate you.”

As Shoshannah frowned, Keren hurriedly continued. “I’ve already told you that when I was a little older than you, I lived in the Great City. What you don’t know is that I was taken there against my will with my sister, Sharah, who is very pale and beautiful. Because she desired comfort and power above all things, Sharah married the Great-Hunter-King Nimr-Rada, though she already had a husband and a son.”

“She had
two
husbands at the same time?” Shoshannah gasped, her bright gray eyes becoming huge in her brown face. “Didn’t they fight?”

Remembering Sharah’s first husband, Bezeq, and their newborn son, Gibbawr, Keren shook her head sadly. “The Great-King Nimr-Rada was unnaturally cruel. He thought nothing of killing anyone… men, women, infants. They were less than dust to him. Sharah’s first husband, Bezeq, and their little Gibbawr would have been dead instantly if
Bezeq had resisted. And my sister loves only herself. She was happy to leave them for the glories of the Great City. She rules there now, with our eldest brother, Ra-Anan, who controls her every move, I’m sure.”

“But…” Almost stammering, Shoshannah asked, “Why… what happened to make you leave? I mean… if your own family rules there now, why can’t you return?”

How much should I tell her?
Keren wondered.
Do I tell her that the Great King slaughtered my beloved Zekaryah’s family? Or that he murdered one of my dear friends, then nearly destroyed another—my sister-in-law, Revakhaw—before smothering his own newborn son and passing the infant’s body through the fires of the Temple of Shemesh in that horrible tower …

Haltingly Keren said, “My family members who live in the Great City followed Nimr-Rada. They called him He-Who-Lifts-the-Skies. He pretended to be the Promised One—the ‘man born of woman’ who will return us to harmony with the Most High, as it was in the Garden of Adan, before that Serpent tempted our Havah. Nimr-Rada craved the worship of everyone on earth. But worship belongs to the Most High alone—which is why I resisted Nimr-Rada. Do you see this scar?”

Lifting her chin, Keren indicated a thin raised weal on her throat. “Nimr-Rada cut me here when he made Sharah and me swear to follow him and the god he created—Shemesh. Not long afterward, Ra-Anan and Sharah conspired against me with Nimr-Rada’s father, Kuwsh, because they believed I was a threat to their power. Ra-Anan’s followers poisoned me; I almost died.”

Shoshannah stared at her, shocked.

Reluctantly Keren continued. “Your father was my guardsman then. He managed to get me out of the Great City and returned me to my family and to the Ancient
Ones. After I recovered from my illness, I sought revenge against Nimr-Rada because he had killed or devastated so many people I loved. I confronted him at a council of all the tribes of the earth. When he scorned the Most High and threatened further evils, our First Father Shem put him to death an instant before I could release my own arrow. Our Shem executed Nimr-Rada for the sake of justice on behalf of the Most High. But I… I had merely sought revenge.”

There. She had told her daughter almost everything.

Shoshannah watched her beautiful, loving mother and listened to her faltering voice.
How can this be true? It’s not possible. My I’ma has enemies? And she tried to kill a king? No
.

And yet, didn’t her father still act like a horseman-guardsman? Hadn’t he taught all the young men, particularly Kal, to hunt and ride and fight, sometimes ferociously?
And he’s so protective of I’ma. And of me. Because I look like I’ma …

Moreover, Shoshannah had often rummaged through her mother’s wooden storage chest, fascinated, because Keren had more gold and treasures than anyone else in the Tribe of Ashkenaz. Her mother also had face paints—which she never used now, but which had inspired Shoshannah to paint the unfortunate Khiysh. The paints, gold, fine linens, carved weapons, and gemstones were undeniable evidence of status and power. Her mother possessed all these things. And enemies.

My enemies will hate you
.

No, they won’t, I’ma. Because I will never go to the Great City.

Never
.

Shoshannah sat in the Lodge of Noakh, contented, feeling as young as Rinnah, while the dear, ancient I’ma-Naomi combed her hair and talked. I’ma-Naomi’s voice was so pleasant and soothing that Shoshannah could have dozed while listening to her. Almost. How many girls could say that the most ancient woman in the world had combed their hair? She nearly laughed at the thought. Truly, these visits with the Ancient Ones were always precious—and too brief.

Unable to restrain herself, Shoshannah said, “I’ma-Naomi, I wish you would come visiting with me.”

“Humph!” Naomi sniffed kindly. “You don’t need an old woman like me fussing over you, child. You’ll have Mithqah for company.”

“You don’t fuss at all. You know about
everything
. And we’d have such fun—it would be an adventure.”

Naomi’s combing stopped. “I’ve had enough adventures for my lifetime, Shoshannah-child. And I don’t know about everything—it would frighten me if I did! I’ll leave that to the Most High. But you’re good to consider me. Even so, all the children of my children know where my dear Noakh and I live. If we leave the highlands, they’d have a terrible time finding us.”

Shoshannah laughed, flinging I’ma-Naomi a delighted look over her shoulder. “As if we’d ever misplace you!”

Chuckling, I’ma-Naomi shook her silvery head and resumed combing Shoshannah’s curls. “Bah! You go play with your little cousins, child, and enjoy yourself.” In a subdued voice she added, “The year will go quickly; you’ll see.”

“Not quickly enough.” Shoshannah sighed, facing forward. Lowering her voice, she added wistfully, “I’ma… I love Kaleb. I don’t want to leave him.”

“You should tell your parents,” Naomi said firmly.

“That’s what Kaleb said. But then Father would keep me here, and my cousins would think we hate them—or that I’m a coward.”

“Let someone try to tell
me
you’re a coward,” Naomi huffed. “Their ears would burn with the truth!”

Encouraged, Shoshannah said, “I do feel I should go. Anyway, while I’m gone, Kal’s going to persuade my parents to approve our betrothal.”

“He should speak to his mother first and ask her to speak to your parents—it’s only proper. But if anyone could
happily
argue your parents into submission, it’s our Kaleb.”

Shoshannah peeked back over her shoulder, cautious now. “He’s also going to start building our lodge.”