Walks with Spirits by Edale Lane

Author:Edale Lane [Lane, Edale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Past and Prologue Press
Published: 2022-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

Weemay Village

Whale with Teeth had pulled himself out of his slump with a fresh purpose. Some may call it revenge, but to him, it was justice.

“Scallop, is my tea ready?” he asked as he climbed down from his sleeping bench.

“Yes, Chief Whale with Teeth.” The girl poured steamy liquid into a hollowed-out cedar cup and rushed it to him. She held her hands together and twisted nervously, an anxious expression on her youthful face. The house slave desired to please him, since she clearly had no future of her own. The poor Sushinti child from upriver had been born with a cleft lip and missing half of one foot, which had formed with only a heel and no toes. She could talk (with a lisp) and walked (with an uneven gait), but the deformations were detractions. Shamans and Old Ones taught the people a reverence for all life, but some clans and individuals believed that birth defects were a curse sent as a punishment or accusation of wrongdoing. If the birth defect was severe enough, some midwives would claim the infant was stillborn or died immediately after birth and do away with the unfortunate child at once. Scallop had been lucky; her parents kept her until she was old enough to care for herself before trading her to travelers for some fine furs. Whale with Teeth won her in a wager.

Whale with Teeth sipped his tea discerningly before giving her a nod. “You got it just right this time,” he praised.

The young woman—and yes, she was a woman now—smiled brilliantly, almost to the point of glowing. “I have steamed clams for you and mashed your favorite berries into a paste to spread on your dried kelp crisps the way you like them.”

As if from thin air, she produced a plate of hot clams and kelp squares with jam.

“I will eat them as soon I get back from relieving myself,” Whale with Teeth assured her.

“Oh, it is cold and rainy outside,” she warned with dismay. “You can use a wastebasket and I will go out to empty it for you.”

If only she wasn’t so homely, he thought. My wife was never so eager to please. But what else has she to live for? I’ll give some consideration to bedding her; poor thing will never know pleasure unless someone is generous to her.

“That is thoughtful, Scallop,” he replied. “I have an important Chief’s Council meeting this morning. How are you at remembering things?”

She handed him a deep, watertight basket and turned her back, facing out into the longhouse. “I am good at remembering,” she chimed.

Whale with Teeth filled the basket as he spoke. “I want you to go to each hearth in our longhouse and ask if any family has a grievance or request for me to present to the council.” He tapped her shoulder, and she turned back, collecting the wastebasket.

“Yes, honorable chief. I will return soon, and I won’t forget any.” She gave him a solemn nod and rushed away to do his bidding.

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