The Mask of Tamirella Read online

  “No. She was involved in special circumstances.”

  “I see.” Drew eyed Cait again.

  She held the young healer’s gaze but felt her face become hot. She had the sudden feeling that this woman told the truth and wasn’t about to harm them. That tales about mutants were grossly exaggerated.

  A small gang of women and girls brought fruit and drink to the group, but Ian eyed the offerings with reserve.

  “If I wanted you dead,” Drewemily said to him, “you wouldn’t be here now.” She pointed to the bowls. “Choose something,” she said to Cait.

  Cait glanced at her primary and the woman nodded. She chose a bright red apple and gingerly held it in her fingers.

  Drew took the apple from her and admired it before turning to Ian. “Poison is too slow for my taste. Even the strongest.” She bit into the fruit, letting juice dribble down her strong chin. One hand motioned Ian to the fruit.

  The warrior tasted a berry and seemed pleasantly surprised. “Very good.”

  Drew chuckled and shook her head. “It’s a wonder anyone trusts enough to breed these days.” At that, a little girl about three or four came prancing toward her and she scooped the child up.

  “P-Drew,” the girl chimed, kissing the young healer on the cheek. Her skin was as dark as her primary’s. Her black hair had been put into two braids and tied together with a colorful strip of cloth.

  “My little love.” Drew gave the apple to the child.

  “I caught a fish today.” The little one had dirt on her tunic and leggings but she looked like any healthy child.

  Cait searched but couldn’t see anything wrong with her. The child’s clothing must have been hiding her mutancy.

  “That’s wonderful.” Drew placed the girl on the ground. “I need to talk to some full-growns. You go and play.”

  “Yes, P-Drew.” The little girl skipped off to a group of children.

  “Is she your blood daughter?” Marjordan said to the young healer.

  “Yes.”

  “And she’s a healthy?”

  “Of course.” Drew studied Marjordan’s astonished face. “You didn’t know, did you?” Her voice held anger now. “You just keep throwing your children to the forests without a second look. We have healthies in all of our generations here.” She cursed. “My mother was right about you. You’re frightened of us. And not because of the sacrifice rumors. You think keeping us from your sanctions will stop the diseases, the deformities. Well, let me tell you that it won’t. We have many healthy children here and none will be given to you simply because they’re born healthy.” Her voice caught. “How can you throw away your children?” Those black eyes grew moist and she wiped angrily at them.

  Cait studied her primary and the woman seemed at a rare loss for words.

  “I knew your sister,” Drewemily said with sadness. Marjordan narrowed eyes on the young healer. “She was a good woman and a good warrior. But she couldn’t get over the fact that her parents had abandoned her, separating the two of you. She remembered that day and her need for revenge eventually drove her mad.” Her eyes studied Marjordan a moment. “I’m sorry we had to kill her, but she and those with her threatened all of us. They were just too unstable. You were twins, weren’t you?”

  Marjordan nodded. “I remember the day she was taken from me.” Her voice grew soft and her eyes moistened.

  Drew moved to Marjordan’s side and placed an arm around her. “I’m sorry. You were just a child. I shouldn’t blame you for this. We’re all at fault. Generations of us. You fear us, we fear you, and we fuel that fear to keep distance between our sanctions. That’s not the way things should be. Fear causes battles, wars. You’ve seen the devastated city of our ancestors.”

  At her words, images of Rotted City filled Cait’s mind and she absently nodded.

  “And were you afraid to venture through the destruction?” The young healer’s mouth crooked up on one side and her eyes were bright.

  Cait cocked her head in astonishment. “There’s no ancient disease, is there?” Everyone’s eyes fell on her and she fought the urge to grab her tools and start digging just to avoid the attention. Instead, she focused intently on the young healer.

  Drewemily smiled. “Oh, there used to be. Centuries ago. But I’m afraid we are guilty of keeping those rumors alive. We’ve found useful information from the ruins.”

  “But nothing grows there,” Cait objected. Part of her was angry as she thought of the incident with Graypony and how upset she was to think that he might die. Ian nearly punished her for that, too.

  “No, nothing does,” Drew said, thoughtfully, as she moved across from Marjordan and sat on the boulder again. “That’s still a mystery to us. We think all the nutrients were permanently burned out of the soil somehow. Our ancestors had powerful weapons, appalling weapons. But the ruins don’t carry the disease anymore. The city’s safe. Few creatures dwell there because there’s no food and that’s helped keep the ancient tales alive. Keeps many travelers from coming this way.”

  “Why’re you telling us this now?” Marjordan said. She leaned toward the young healer. “When others find out, they will travel through here.”

  Drewemily let out a sigh. “My mother long believed in combining our people. At the time, the Elders here would have none of it. With each generation, we have more healthy babies but life isn’t easy out here. We lose babies, mutant and healthy. Mothers die in childbirth. Our Elders are becoming younger and younger with each passing season. Bodies give out early from such a harsh life, especially the winters. We’ve survived by breeding young, and our healthy children give us hope, but we need tools and medicines.”

  She motioned to the mutants who were going about their activities nearby. “As you can see, we have mainly young people here now. You have information from our ancestors that allows you to build sturdy houses and create potent medicines. We have only what we manage to steal from you, which isn’t much, and what we gather from the ruins and abandoned dig sites after most have been plundered.

  “We have plenty of wood to build sturdy homes but not the necessary tools. Our dwellings are often damaged by storms and floods. We want to survive. And we believe healthies want us to survive, or else, we would’ve been killed, not abandoned to the forests.”

  Marjordan studied her silently.

  “There’s more,” Drew said. “We know about The Mask of Tamirella.”

  Cait started to tell the woman that the Mask was really a doll’s face but Marjordan placed a restraining hand on her arm.

  Drewemily must have seen because she chuckled. “We know about the dolls,” she said.

  Ian pulled straight and eyed her with curiosity and anger.

  “Tamirella,” the young healer continued, obviously ignoring the man, “lived in this forest most of her adult years.” She narrowed black eyes on Ian. “She was a mutant.”

  At that, the warrior jumped to his feet. “You lie!”

  “Sit down, Ianandy!” Marjordan stood and faced the man with a healer’s authority.

  “She lies to us, Healer,” he said in a strangled voice.

  “We have proof,” Drew said softly.

  She had gotten to her feet and held her cane in front of her body. With a snap of her fingers, a young man trotted to her and handed her a leather pouch. She sat again and leaned her cane against the boulder. One hand fished into the bag and pulled out a copper sphere. The sphere was divided into three sections and had symbols and letters carved into it. It looked exactly like Paulucas’ TAD.

  The group stared at the mutant healer with disbelief, and Ian slowly sat. Marjordan took her seat again. Paulucas narrowed eyes on the woman and the sphere.

  “No, this isn’t your decoder,” Drew quickly told the man. “One of our warriors found this TAD on a dead man several years ago and took it before he buried the body. We also found tablets in a burial site in this forest.” She placed the TAD back into the pouch. “We know how to use this to decipher the ancient
languages, just as you do.”

  Caitlanna studied the pouch then the healer.

  “Please,” Drew added with moist eyes. “I think this is important for all of us. I wouldn’t have brought you here, otherwise. Our children, your children, have a right to longer, productive lives. I know this will take time. But if we begin by at least exchanging knowledge, perhaps by the time my daughter is a full-grown, she and the others will be welcomed home.” Tears broke free from her eyes and trickled down dark cheeks. She didn’t wipe them away.

  Marjordan studied the young healer. “Our Elders will take convincing. And you’ll need the proof you claim.”

  Drewemily nodded then slapped her deformed leg. “This is what frightens you. But our ancestors had ways to rid their children of mutancies, didn’t they? At least, those are the stories we’ve heard. Are they not true?” She looked very much like a small child asking a question of a primary.

  “I’ve heard them, too,” Marjordan said.

  “Then perhaps we can one day discover their secrets. But we can’t do it alone.”

  Caitlanna had heard all she needed to. “We have to help them,” she said as her eyes fell on several children who tried to keep hidden behind trees and huts but still listen to the conversation.

  “That’s not your decision, girl,” Ianandy said.

  She didn’t back down from his tone. Not this time. In less than three years, she would be a full-grown and she’d already been given duties no other child was allowed. Instead, she stood and faced him, hands planted on her hips. “These mutants are our blood, Ian. P-Marj’s own sister lived among them. If they can have healthy babies then the diseases don’t work the way we thought.”

  Ian’s neck was deep red now and his jaw muscles pulsed. Cait’s heart raced but she kept his gaze. Barely. Perhaps she’d said too much. Perhaps the next thing she experienced would be a beating for her insolence but she believed Drewemily. Something in her gut said the woman spoke the truth. Ian took a step toward her but his attention was quickly averted.

  “Healer Drewemily!” a man called. He and another were dragging a third from the forest. “This man needs your services.” The two dropped the third to the ground and he fell onto his hands and knees. His tunic had been removed and there were bloody stripes just below the slight hump on his shoulder.

  “What happened?” The young healer retrieved her cane and stood.

  Marjordan quickly got to her feet and made her way to the man. “He’s been whipped,” she said flatly. That’s when Cait recognized him as the one who had grabbed Nat.

  “Brad ordered him punished for disobedience,” the mutant man said.

  Drew nodded. “Take him to my hut.” The men obeyed. “Healer Marjordan, I could use some assistance.”

  “Of course,” Marjordan said. “I’ll get my bag.” She glared at Ian. “Keep the young ones close.” He nodded and leaned against a tree. She turned to Cait. “You keep out of trouble. We’ll finish this discussion when I return.” Without waiting for an acknowledgment, she started toward the horses, but a mutant warrior stepped into her path with his hand on his sword.

  “Let her pass,” Drewemily said in an agitated voice. “She’s our guest.”

  The warrior nodded and stepped aside, allowing Marjordan a path to her horse. The two healers soon disappeared into a nearby hut.

  Cait studied her silent group as her mind raced. This was wrong, making them live this way, even if they were mutants. “Ian?” she said after a long moment.

  He narrowed hard eyes on her. “Don’t believe everything you hear, girl.” The scar on his chin was pink from the sun. She could see it even beneath his new beard, which was mostly white.

  “I think Cait’s right,” Whithelen said. Her gaze rested on a nearby mutant warrior, who was as tall as any person Cait had ever seen. “If they wanted to hurt us, they would have.”

  “I don’t trust them.”

  “Well, Ian, you can’t expect to dispel generations of distrust in just a few moments. But we need to give them a chance.” She caressed her stomach.

  “They forced us here at sword point.” Ianandy’s face and neck reddened.

  “Would you have agreed to come if they’d simply asked?” Paulucas said, eyeing the older warrior. He no longer had an arm around his sister’s shoulders.

  Ian shook his head. “Of course not. But that doesn’t excuse what they’ve done. The Elders will hear of this, I assure you.”

  “Then the Elders should hear the entire story,” Cait said. “Don’t you think?”

  The warrior didn’t answer. He simply watched the activities of nearby children and rubbed at his cropped hair. But his anger subsided, leaving a very pensive look on his face.

  Chapter 25

  A New Trust

  The next morning, Marjordan chatted with Drewemily about all of the illnesses and mutancies that had afflicted the forest people in recent years. The two seemed to get along quite well.

  Cait sat near her primary, holding one of the tablets that Drew’s people had found in a nearby cave. The language was that of Tamirella’s day, but an older Tamirella had carved the letters. They weren’t shaky like the other tablets, though a few words were still misspelled. Healthies took pride in schooling their children. Tamirella’s parents had obviously taught her the best they could, considering. Paulucas had deciphered a few of the words and agreed that they seemed to be from the ancient girl, but they would have to decipher more just to be certain.

  Cait handed the tablet to Sam, who sat nearby with Nat and a couple of young mutants.

  A woman with no legs showed Paul her diary translations but he insisted on checking for himself. “We thought you might,” the woman told him. She seemed amused at his distrust.

  “Would you believe everything I tell you?” he offered calmly.

  “No,” the woman admitted.

  Someone patted Cait’s leg and she looked down to see the little girl with the missing arm. The child grinned up at her and blue eyes sparkled. “Ho there,” Cait said. The girl held a dirty arm up, and Cait looked to the woman whose cheek was the color of berries. The woman smiled and nodded so she lifted the child onto her lap. “What’s your name?” She kept her voice soft, so as not to startle the girl. When she got no response, she looked to the woman again.

  “My daughter doesn’t hear.” The mutant woman stepped close and knelt in front of the two. Then she touched the little girl on her arm and waited. When the child focused on her mother, the woman made several gestures with her hands. The little girl gestured back with her single hand and looked expectantly at Caitlanna. The mother smiled. “She’s telling you her name is Ali.”

  The girl gestured again and pointed to Cait’s chest.

  “She wants to know your name.”

  “How—“ Cait started, but she wasn’t sure just what she wanted to ask. She had so many questions pulsing in her head right now.

  The woman smiled. “Alishara speaks with her fingers. Like all of our non-hearing.”

  Marjordan moved closer. “Did my sister speak this finger language?”

  “Yes,” Drewemily said. “That’s how we communicate with those who can’t hear.” She gestured something to the little girl. Her fingers moved so rapidly that Cait couldn’t get all the movements. “I told her your name, young Cait.”

  Ali giggled and reached her dirty hand up to Caitlanna’s face.

  “She likes you,” her mother said. “And she’s very choosy about her friends.” The woman was older than most of the others with small children, probably an adoptive parent.

  Cait smiled warmly at the child on her lap. Suddenly, she wanted to speak to Alishara. “Can you teach me finger language?” she asked the woman.

  “Of course. Anyone can learn.”

  “I want to learn, too,” Nat blurted.

  Cait glanced around and noticed that all of her group had gathered. They watched the exchange with interest. Even Ianandy, who still showed his blatant distrust of the
se mutants, seemed to have mellowed slightly. Drew and the others had treated Cait’s group very well. They’d even given up one of their huts. The young healer had apologized for not having more room but Marjordan assured her that one hut was enough.

  The young healer had also given the group the option of leaving but had begged them to stay for a few days. Ian and Marjordan had squabbled back and forth until she convinced the warrior to stay. He reluctantly agreed when she pulled out the beaded necklace that had once belonged to her twin sister. He’d grunted something about unfair tactics but agreed to remain for a few days. Though Drew had assured him of her own warriors’ abilities to defend the area, he still kept the group on night watches.

  Whit had compared her pregnancy with two mutants who had growing bellies. Nat listened with interest to their conversations, and Cait guessed she was thinking of her own future children. Quin and Jenellen spent most of their time with several scouts who raided abandoned sites. Cait still felt jealous of the two but pushed her feelings down and concentrated on the tablets and other artifacts from Tamirella’s burial site. Sam seemed just as interested in the artifacts, and the two had spent most of the previous evening looking them over.

  Each and every one of her group now stood nearby, watching, waiting.

  “I’ll teach any of you who wish to learn,” Alishara’s mother said, bringing Cait’s thoughts back to the little girl. “Finger language isn’t that difficult but you’ll have to practice.”

  Cait glanced down at Ali, who was now snuggled against her. She wondered what the little one would tell her once she learned the special language.

  “I wish to learn, too,” Marjordan said. Her eyes grew moist.

  Cait placed a brief hand on her primary’s arm and smiled.

  Drewemily seemed genuinely pleased and a broad grin spread across her full lips. “I wish my mother could’ve seen this,” she said softly. Suddenly, the young healer burst into tears and headed for her hut.