Crown in the Stars (54 page)

Kuwsh covered his face, humiliated beyond words.
To begin again
. And everything he might gain from this time onward would come from whatever he was given by this son, who loved the Most High.

Shoshannah and the others rode into the Tribe of Metiyl. They were greeted with an enthusiastic, unintelligible outpouring of joy—though Shoshannah’s cousin Yelahlah and her husband, Echuwd, fearfully retreated into their circular mud-brick home.

Shoshannah watched them hide, and she listened sadly as the others talked. Half of what the boisterous Metiyl and his Tebuwnaw said was garbled, but many of their
words made strangely intoned sense. Communication was possible. Barely.

Though Metiyl, Tebuwnaw, their son Khawrawsh, and his beloved Tsinnah were all grieved by this complication, they didn’t seem entirely surprised. They finally settled inside Metiyl’s restfully cool mud-brick home—with a host of Metiyl’s cousins, children, and grandchildren—for an afternoon feast.

As they visited, Shoshannah enjoyed Tsinnah’s dimpled, busy toddler, Tavah, and half listened as Metiyl repeated the words “Akhood” and “Yawlulaw” over and over.
Echuwd and Yelahlah
. Surprised, Shoshannah turned, listening hard.

With emphatic hand motions, and much nodding and shaking of heads, Metiyl, Tebuwnaw, and the others described Echuwd and Yelahlah’s loss of plain, understandable speech. “Upsat… tarrible… bad,” Metiyl explained, motioning that Echuwd had seemed about to lose his mind in despair.

Shoshannah understood completely; Echuwd’s trading skills would be severely hindered without his gift of speech. Echuwd was probably devastated.

Nodding his wild-curled head at Shoshannah, obviously pleased to see her safely returned to her family, Metiyl grinned at Kaleb. “Akhood… Yawlulaw… fray, ah?”

He had to repeat himself before Kaleb understood, laughing, nodding. “Yes. Echuwd and Yelahlah are freed.”

But when they went to see Echuwd and Yelahlah, the pair babbled frantically, pleadingly, waking their young son, Rakal, howling from his nap. At last, Shoshannah handed Yelahlah one of her gold rings—given to her by that murderous Rab-Mawg in the temple. Yelahlah wept
and hugged Shoshannah, accepting her peace offering. That same day, Echuwd and Yelahlah packed their belongings and departed, obviously knowing they were safe from pursuit and retribution.

“How like the two of you to create such a commotion,” Noakh teased Shoshannah and Kaleb as they walked ahead, leading his horse and I’ma-Naomi’s into their home settlement, the Tribe of Ashkenaz. Kaleb grinned. “The commotion is for you and our I’ma-Naomi, O Ancient One. They love you! If it were just Shoshannah and me, they’d chase us away with spears.”

Shoshannah swatted him, and he laughed.

The entire Tribe of Ashkenaz had been forewarned that Father Shem, I’ma-Annah, and the Ancient Ones would be visiting to celebrate Kal and Shoshannah’s wedding. Now everyone in the tribe rushed from their homes, fields, and stables, whooping, laughing, clapping, and uttering raucous, tongue-rattling cries of welcome.

“Huh!” Naomi feigned irritation. “Such a fuss! Didn’t I teach these children to behave? You are too noisy, son of my sons,” she scolded Ashkenaz, who had come to lift Naomi off her horse.

Ashkenaz beamed at her, undeceived, his eyes crinkling warmly above his long, rough, dark beard. “If you’d come to visit us more often, I’ma-Naomi, we wouldn’t carry on this way! Father of my Fathers”—he bowed his head to Noakh fondly—“we have all your favorite foods prepared, and you’ll have my lodge for tonight! Come and rest!”

“See,” Kaleb pretended to grumble to Shoshannah, “we don’t matter at all.”

But even as he complained, their families charged at them—Shoshannah’s siblings, Adah, Qetuwrah, Ahyit, Sithriy, Rinnah—all shrieking and laughing, joined by their grandparents, Meshek and Chaciydah, who had been summoned for the celebrations. And Kaleb’s parents, Regem and Pakhdaw, also came to hug them, jubilant.

Just behind them were Kal’s eldest brother, Ozniy, and Mithqah, who was radiant, holding a baby in her arms—a solemn, husky miniature of Ozniy, with Mithqah’s lovely, bristly dark eyelashes.

“I want one like this,” Kaleb told Shoshannah. “Actually quite a few more than one.” To his brother Ozniy, he said, “A boy? Well, he can’t be yours—he’s too good-looking!”

“He is, isn’t he?” Ozniy agreed, admiring his small son.

Shoshannah hugged her dear friend, then glided a fingertip over the baby’s tender nose, making him blink and stare. “Mithqah, he’s beautiful! And you look wonderful! I’m so glad for you—didn’t I say you’d marry Ozniy?”

Mithqah seemed about to laugh and cry. “You’re really here! I’ve been praying for you since the day you were taken, and we’ve been tending your lodge—though we’ve built our own… We hoped you’d return months ago.” She looked over Shoshannah’s shoulder at Demamah, who approached shyly. “Now, who’s this?”

“Mithqah, this is Demamah, another cousin. She’s much too serious, but you’ll love her anyway. Demamah, come meet my dear friend Mithqah, and her little one.” As she spoke, Shoshannah lifted the hefty baby from Mithqah’s arms, jostling him playfully until he smiled a toothless grin.

“Kaleb! Shoshannah!” Father Ashkenaz yelled at them. “Get over here. Let’s have the marriage blessing, so we
can feed our guests!” Loudly he asked the ancient Noakh, “Do you think it’ll improve those two wild ones at all—blessing them?”

“They aren’t completely hopeless,” Noakh answered warmly. “Come here, my children. Let us pray the Most High continues to protect you from your recklessness.”

“Such a marriage blessing!” Kal protested to Shoshannah beneath his breath.

She laughed and hushed him softly, taking his hand.

“Wait,” I’ma-Annah said. “She’s had no time to make wedding apparel. Child, if you wish, you may borrow this.” She offered Shoshannah her ancient, carefully protected veil.

Shoshannah felt her throat constrict with unshed tears as I’ma-Annah draped her lightly with the soft, fragile mesh, then hugged her in silent affection. A marriage blessing… more than she could have ever desired. And for once, her beloved rascal Kaleb had nothing to add. Together, surrounded by their grateful families, they stood before the ancient Noakh.
We are truly blessed… Thank You, Most High
.

After an evening of feasting and stories, the entire Tribe of Ashkenaz danced to the thunderous rhythm of drums and flutes, laughing, singing, shouting in celebration before the Most High. Stars glistened in the darkness above a massive, almost frightfully huge bonfire that sparked and crackled loudly, seeming to exude a life of its own.

Jubilant, Shoshannah danced with her sisters and Demamah and Mithqah, following each other’s steps in
tempo. And for the first time in months—since they’d departed from the Great City—Shoshannah heard Demamah laughing.

She’s enjoying herself
, Shoshannah thought, pleased, turning to look over her shoulder. But before she could glimpse her cousin and sisters, someone snatched her, scaring her. Kaleb.

He grinned roguishly and swooped an arm beneath her knees, lifting her off the ground, making her laugh.

“Kal!”

“We see you, Kaleb!” Mithqah’s father, Uzziel, bellowed. “Don’t think we don’t!”

“I’m taking my wife home,” Kaleb yelled in reply. “Perhaps you’ll see us again in a few days!”

“You’re very bad,” Shoshannah scolded him beneath her breath as he carried her away from the bonfire, though she was delighted.

He tossed her slightly, making her gasp and cling to him. Grinning, he argued, “Bad? I’ve waited for you longer than any other man has ever waited for his wife beneath these heavens; I’d say I’ve been amazingly patient. And, if I were truly misbehaving, your father would give me a thrashing—but I don’t see him following us. Do you?”

“No.” Shoshannah peeked over his shoulder; the dancing had continued despite their departure.

Kal shifted her now, nudging the door open with his foot, carrying her inside their small lodge. Mithqah and her sisters had cleaned everything and decorated the walls with garlands of leaves and vines. Ozniy, in gratitude for Kaleb’s loan of this place during the past year, had made them a storage chest, a low bed, and a weaponry rack, which was pegged into the wall by the door.

Still holding Shoshannah, Kaleb pushed the door shut, saying, “There’s a leather loop hanging up there on the door frame; pull it down over the first plank in the door—there’s a slot to hold it.”

Shoshannah obeyed, fastening the door by touch—she couldn’t see in the darkness. Finished, she said, “You can set me down now.”

“I’ll set us both down now.” Kaleb edged his way through the darkness, colliding with the bed unexpectedly, dropping her into the fur coverlets. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

She laughed at him. In return, he kissed her, apologizing, almost smothering her in an embrace that made her forget everything.

Two months of hiking through the eastern mountains had honed Ra-Anan’s temper to an edge. They were now descending from forests into grasslands, and the quarreling amid his small tribe hadn’t stopped. Tabbakhaw’s attempts to control Ormah had failed. Ormah refused to be treated as a maidservant now, because they were all walking the same miserable paths, eating the same dull food, and carrying the same tiring loads. Her rebellion made Tabbakhaw furious.