Into the Wilderness
Page 191
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Made—of—Bones pushed the air out through her nose. Nathaniel squeezed Elizabeth's hand, and she returned the pressure.
"It is true that Hidden Wolf is now Nathaniel's property, but that is only true because the laws of my people do not allow women to own property when they marry. I would not hand over what is mine simply because I am a woman, if not for the law."
Made—of—Bones snorted again, whether out of displeasure or agreement, it was not clear. Two—Suns spoke up in a surprisingly hoarse voice.
"The O'seronni call us backward," she said. "They do not see themselves."
"It is not the Kahnyen’keháka way," agreed She—Remembers.
"The O'seronni are a nation of fools," pronounced Made—of—Bones with a dismissive chop of her hand. "Do you need to be reminded?" She considered Elizabeth for a moment, one corner of her mouth turned down.
"Did you take anything from Cat—Eater which is his?"
"No," said Elizabeth slowly. "I have taken nothing of Richard's."
His voice came, not unexpectedly. "Except my good name," he said. He was feverish with agitation, sweat pear ling on his brow.
"You have your name," she answered calmly. "And it is as good as ever it was."
"Enough," said She—Remembers. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "By our law Cat—Eater has no claim to you or what is yours. My sisters will agree with me?" Two—Suns nodded quickly; Made—of—Bones responded with a jerk of her shoulders.
"But we also cannot make any judgments based on your own laws, which are mysterious to us. We can only advise you."
Elizabeth felt Nathaniel relaxing beside her, but she could not do the same: the expectant look on Made—of—Bones' face made her shift uneasily from one foot to the other.
She—Remembers said, "Cat—Eater tells us if he cannot have the mountain, then he would claim the child of Sings—from—Books as his daughter."
Elizabeth grabbed onto Nathaniel's arm. Her face inches from his, she watched all the color drain from him, felt the coil of his muscles. Her own knuckles were white where her hands gripped his forearm. "Nathaniel," she hissed, shaking him. "Nathaniel!" He glanced down at her, his face ragged with anger. Seeing her distress, the wild look in his eyes eased just a bit.
"She is not yours to claim," he managed finally. in a voice that was almost his own.
"I say she is," said Richard.
Elizabeth's heart thundered so that her vision seemed to throb with it. Hannah. Only once had she ever heard Richard mention her name, on her first night in Paradise at her father's Christmas party. He had looked at the little girl as if she were a stranger, and an uninteresting one at that: nothing more than a half—breed female child, and no good to the world.
"You have no interest in Hannah's welfare," she said to Richard in English.
Nathaniel said, It is not about Hannah." And looking at the clan mothers one by one, he said: "Cat—Eater is consumed by envy and will take from me whatever he can get."
Richard put his fist against his chest, so that the livid gash of his half—healed wound flared. "I take what is mine."
"Wait," Elizabeth said, holding out both hands in a pleading motion. "Kahnyen’keháka children belong to their mothers, is that not so? Then what claim could Richard possibly have?"
"I would bring her here to her great—grandmother," Richard said, looking at Made—of—Bones. "But she would be brought up in the knowledge that I am her father."
"You are not her father." Nathaniel's voice filled the long house "Sings—from—Books was my wife when she bore the child."
"Sings—from—Books put you aside and took another," said Made—of—Bones.
"Did he tell you that?" Nathaniel asked. "You believed him?"
"My daughter falling—Day told me that," said Made—of—Bones. "I believed her."
Richard shot Nathaniel a triumphant look.
A wave of nausea washed over Elizabeth, and she swallowed it back down, ruthlessly.
"You cannot take the child from the home she knows and loves," she said. own "Away from her family."
"We are her family," said Made—of—Bones. "Her grandmother and her uncle and aunt can come with her, and live here at the hearth where they belong."
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed in Richard's direction. When he spoke again, it was in English. "I see it now. You'll give the old woman back her daughter and her daughter's daughters, and then you've got the Kahnyen'kebaka out of Paradise. Do they know that's what you want? To get the last of their people out of your sight? You claim her as your daughter." Nathaniel's mouth twisted in disgust. "If you could you would gladly kill every one of these people in their beds."
"That is not true," Richard said, hoarsely.
"You watched that happen before, at Barktown."
"What happened at Barktown was not my doing. If they believed that it was, I would be long dead." There was no sign of emotion on Richard's face, no movement at all, but every line in his body vibrated with tension. The clan mothers were watching him, but he seemed to have forgotten them. Elizabeth was suddenly struck with a memory of her brother, interrupted at cards when he had his last shilling on a wager, consumed by the game and his own desperation.
"It is true that Hidden Wolf is now Nathaniel's property, but that is only true because the laws of my people do not allow women to own property when they marry. I would not hand over what is mine simply because I am a woman, if not for the law."
Made—of—Bones snorted again, whether out of displeasure or agreement, it was not clear. Two—Suns spoke up in a surprisingly hoarse voice.
"The O'seronni call us backward," she said. "They do not see themselves."
"It is not the Kahnyen’keháka way," agreed She—Remembers.
"The O'seronni are a nation of fools," pronounced Made—of—Bones with a dismissive chop of her hand. "Do you need to be reminded?" She considered Elizabeth for a moment, one corner of her mouth turned down.
"Did you take anything from Cat—Eater which is his?"
"No," said Elizabeth slowly. "I have taken nothing of Richard's."
His voice came, not unexpectedly. "Except my good name," he said. He was feverish with agitation, sweat pear ling on his brow.
"You have your name," she answered calmly. "And it is as good as ever it was."
"Enough," said She—Remembers. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "By our law Cat—Eater has no claim to you or what is yours. My sisters will agree with me?" Two—Suns nodded quickly; Made—of—Bones responded with a jerk of her shoulders.
"But we also cannot make any judgments based on your own laws, which are mysterious to us. We can only advise you."
Elizabeth felt Nathaniel relaxing beside her, but she could not do the same: the expectant look on Made—of—Bones' face made her shift uneasily from one foot to the other.
She—Remembers said, "Cat—Eater tells us if he cannot have the mountain, then he would claim the child of Sings—from—Books as his daughter."
Elizabeth grabbed onto Nathaniel's arm. Her face inches from his, she watched all the color drain from him, felt the coil of his muscles. Her own knuckles were white where her hands gripped his forearm. "Nathaniel," she hissed, shaking him. "Nathaniel!" He glanced down at her, his face ragged with anger. Seeing her distress, the wild look in his eyes eased just a bit.
"She is not yours to claim," he managed finally. in a voice that was almost his own.
"I say she is," said Richard.
Elizabeth's heart thundered so that her vision seemed to throb with it. Hannah. Only once had she ever heard Richard mention her name, on her first night in Paradise at her father's Christmas party. He had looked at the little girl as if she were a stranger, and an uninteresting one at that: nothing more than a half—breed female child, and no good to the world.
"You have no interest in Hannah's welfare," she said to Richard in English.
Nathaniel said, It is not about Hannah." And looking at the clan mothers one by one, he said: "Cat—Eater is consumed by envy and will take from me whatever he can get."
Richard put his fist against his chest, so that the livid gash of his half—healed wound flared. "I take what is mine."
"Wait," Elizabeth said, holding out both hands in a pleading motion. "Kahnyen’keháka children belong to their mothers, is that not so? Then what claim could Richard possibly have?"
"I would bring her here to her great—grandmother," Richard said, looking at Made—of—Bones. "But she would be brought up in the knowledge that I am her father."
"You are not her father." Nathaniel's voice filled the long house "Sings—from—Books was my wife when she bore the child."
"Sings—from—Books put you aside and took another," said Made—of—Bones.
"Did he tell you that?" Nathaniel asked. "You believed him?"
"My daughter falling—Day told me that," said Made—of—Bones. "I believed her."
Richard shot Nathaniel a triumphant look.
A wave of nausea washed over Elizabeth, and she swallowed it back down, ruthlessly.
"You cannot take the child from the home she knows and loves," she said. own "Away from her family."
"We are her family," said Made—of—Bones. "Her grandmother and her uncle and aunt can come with her, and live here at the hearth where they belong."
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed in Richard's direction. When he spoke again, it was in English. "I see it now. You'll give the old woman back her daughter and her daughter's daughters, and then you've got the Kahnyen'kebaka out of Paradise. Do they know that's what you want? To get the last of their people out of your sight? You claim her as your daughter." Nathaniel's mouth twisted in disgust. "If you could you would gladly kill every one of these people in their beds."
"That is not true," Richard said, hoarsely.
"You watched that happen before, at Barktown."
"What happened at Barktown was not my doing. If they believed that it was, I would be long dead." There was no sign of emotion on Richard's face, no movement at all, but every line in his body vibrated with tension. The clan mothers were watching him, but he seemed to have forgotten them. Elizabeth was suddenly struck with a memory of her brother, interrupted at cards when he had his last shilling on a wager, consumed by the game and his own desperation.
