The Dragon's Wing Enigma (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 3) by Wikarski N. S

Author:Wikarski, N. S. [Wikarski, N. S.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2014-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28 – Hex Marks the Spot

Ortzi maneuvered his sedan through the streets of Bilbao and onto the open highway of the surrounding countryside. He had insisted that the Pythia take the front seat. Fortunately for her two companions, the back seat afforded a good deal more legroom than Thea’s tiny electric car.

Cassie observed the green valleys and grey mountains that rolled past her window. At regular intervals, a succession of large buildings dotted the landscape. They all seemed to follow the same pattern—boxy design, three stories high, gently sloping red tile roofs. Their facades were a combination of whitewashed stone and painted wood.

“Is there a name for a building like that?” Cassie asked the trove-keeper, pointing to one of the distinctive structures as they drove past it.

“Yes,” he nodded. “That is a Basque farmhouse—what we call a ‘basseri’. Some of them are quite old, going back many centuries. The farmhouse can be inherited by a man or woman. If it is a man, he is called the ‘etxekojaun’ or, in English, ‘the master of the house’. If it is a woman, then she is the ‘etxekoandre’ or ‘lady of the house’.”

“Isn’t that what you called your Aunt Ochanda?” Cassie asked. “You said she was the etshe... etshe—”

“Etxekoandre. Yes, she is the lady of the house though she will retire soon.”

“The term ‘lady of the house’ is deceptive,” Griffin observed. “In practice, the etxekoandre is something more like the matriarch of the family. She governs all matters related to the kin group and its ancestral home. She even leads some of the religious ceremonies. Basque culture has a long-standing tradition of female authority. Strabo, the ancient Greek historian, said that the Basques practiced a sort of ‘woman-rule’ which he concluded was most uncivilized.”

Ortzi glanced at Griffin in the rear-view mirror. “You know much about the Basque people.”

“It’s what he does,” Cassie remarked. “Whenever we go on a field mission, he reads up on everything he can find about the places where we’ll be travelling. Not only that, he remembers everything he reads.”

“It is useful to have such a person with you, yes?” Ortzi asked.

“Absolutely!” Cassie agreed. “Griffin’s the best.”

The Scrivener blushed at her enthusiastic endorsement.

Apparently feeling left out, Erik decided to demonstrate what he knew about the region. “The Basques don’t automatically pass property from father to eldest son like overlord cultures do.”

“Also true,” their guide concurred. “When the etxekoandre and etxekojaun are old and wish to retire, they decide which of their children will inherit the farm. It will be passed down to the one most capable whether it be a daughter or a son. Sometimes it is the youngest daughter who will inherit the property. The basseri is never supposed to be divided or sold out of the family.”

“So it’s more like being a trustee than an owner,” Cassie commented. “The one who inherits, manages it for the family as a whole.”

Ortzi nodded.

Cassie studied another basseri passing by the window as they drove on. “Those buildings are huge. Basques must have really big families.

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