The entrance to the cave had just come into view when the longing to hold and stroke Hare came strongly on me. And Hare said
"I want to feel your arms round me too."
I hurried as much as I could in all my winter clothing and ducked through the entrance to the main cave. For this visit I intended to keep all my clothing on because Hare and I were going north. It was cold here and we could only expect worse the further we had to go. We could take nothing with us, but I had brought fuel and tinder and some honey seed cakes for when we got back and left them by the entrance to the passageway. Thick clothes made getting along the passageway harder, I had to be careful not to rip them and let cold air in. At the widening I wanted to look around for the carving of an eider that was Ikaseraz’s route into spirit-world, but the longing to be physically with Hare stopped me. I could find it when I came back. After using my lamp to light the trancing pipe I blew it out and put it carefully where I could find it again easily. As I smoked the glow from the pipe lit up my hare carving and it was easy to think that it moved. When the carving was slowly becoming Hare I put down the pipe and stepped into spirit-world. Hare jumped into my arms just as in the nest and we nuzzled our greetings.
"I’ll carry you until my arms get tired, shall I?"
"Yes, that’s a new luxury for me."
"Which way is north?"
"That way." Hare pointed with a long elegant paw. I should have been able to tell, a cold wind blew in my face as I started walking. My lemming fur hood was very good but eyes and nose must be out in the air. Every so often I snuggled my numb nose into the fur on Hare’s back. It was white winter fur of course, Hare told me that it had been white continuously for several years now, though as a young hare it used to turn brown in summer. We both appreciated its density and warmth.
We had been walking for some time when the snow started. Beautiful as we thought the snowflakes we did not welcome them. I had not been able to carry Hare very far but it was an advantage that we were walking in air. With no ground at least the snow could not accumulate or drift. But the weather got worse. The snow came on thicker and the wind increased. We both called it a blizzard when we were forced to stop. We could not see anywhere to shelter, and had not been able to even before it became a white-out. I picked Hare up and put it inside the front of my coat, then crouched down with my back to the wind. We knew we didn’t dare stay there long, but a voice came out of the storm.
"You are not welcome here. Go back where you came from."
I rose and turned to face the speaker, there was no doubt it was Ice Giant Spirit. I bowed in greeting to whether he, she or it I could not tell at all. Its face was very unusual, to my eyes anyway. Ikaseraz had described to me a large wide nose and prominent brows but I had not imagined anything this different. And it certainly was a giant, made even larger by thick fur clothing all over. I wondered if its feet were really that big or if they wore thicker boots than we did. The style of clothing was similar to ours, what best keeps out the cold in both cases I supposed. The decoration did look foreign, but not much more than that of other groups amongst us.
"I am Kizkur, an enchanter from the south, and this is the Spirit of the Hares."
"Hare is more than welcome, but you are not."
"Have I offended you in some way?"
"It is nothing personal, I don’t know you. But you surely do not expect that I would want to speak to any of you newcomers after the way you have treated us."
"But our group has not treated you in any way, we have never met you."
"You benefit from the good lands your ancestors pushed us from."
"How did that happen?"
"The newcomers killed our prey and used our resources, we had to move to where we could continue to hunt. They kept coming, more and more of them. And they lived in larger groups than we did, so in any area we were always outnumbered."
I could think of nothing to say, much less do. Hare took over.
"All are suffering now. We were hoping that you would agree that all would be better off if it were warmer. Though hunting methods might need to change, there would be so much more prey for all that you, as well as we, would have easier lives."
"We had easier lives before these others came here and took them from us. I will do nothing to help them. We are alright as we are. It was hard at first to adapt to the cold places we had to go to. But we have done it. If these newcomers cannot adapt it is nothing to me. If they have to go back where they came from it will suit us fine."
"If you could let the past go, your own people would benefit."
"That may be so, but it is a benefit too dearly bought. I do not want to see our oppressors flourish, at any cost."
"I have not oppressed anyone." I said "Nobody I know has ever oppressed any of your people."
"As I said before, you have the good lands. With that you must expect the opprobrium of the displaced."
Hare and I agreed silently that we were not getting anywhere.
"Thank you for your time Ice Giant. We will not agree. We will go now, please think of us kindly."
"Your visit is appreciated. Our visitors are few."
The wind was behind us as we returned and we made better speed the more southerly we got.
"Though we think it cold and harsh at Gabillou, the Ice Giants live in much worse." I thought aloud.
"Yes, I hope he is right and they have got used to it and are really alright."
"But we couldn’t move now. Where could we go? And leaving the cave is not to be thought of."
"No, there is nowhere to go even if anybody would, which they wouldn’t."
We didn’t want to part at the cave wall, but neither had I wanted the mission to fail. Back in the passageway I relit my lamp and went up to the main cave with no energy left for searching out Ikaseraz’s eider. I could see windblown snow through the entrance and decided to light a fire and warm myself before setting out in that. The honeyed seedcakes were welcome too. I sat by the fire and thought through our embassy to Ice Giant Spirit for a long time. But even by the end I couldn’t think of anything else we could have said to persuade him.
It was with morose thoughts that I made my way home through the snow.
"Shake it off before you come in here." came Ikaseraz’s voice. As if I would not have.
"Eider told me you looked bedraggled and woebegone. Tell me all about it." He put a hot drink in my outstretched hands.
I did and asked him if he could see where we could have done better.
"No. What could you say? Nobody can do better than you two, remember that." That was consolation and I began to wonder what to do next.
Never did I think that three years later we would be in the same position. By then we had done everything, really everything anyone could think of.
We held a petitioning ceremony every full moon. Hare’s powers were strongest then, and many spirits expressed support but the weather got colder and colder. Each spring, before the reindeer returned, there were more deaths from starvation as the winter food stores failed to last again. We all got thinner and the weakest died.
Starling was enlisted on our side. Hare said he became highly agitated and they had to soothe him before he went off to see Ice Giant Spirit. But that failed too, it sounded as though it had turned into an exchange of screamed insults. It was probably counterproductive if that were the case. Starling’s reporting was confused. But the one clear thing was that Ice Giant was adamant in his intransigence.
The traders from the sea in the south came and Ikaseraz persuaded the Elders - with Father’s vociferous support - that we should be allowed to spend a lot on power objects from hot places that they had visited.
Dried dates and figs, olives and olive oil were distributed among the thinnest and weakest. Ikaseraz was given some, I didn’t like the implications but he certainly was too thin. Our only hope was to please the spirits in every way we could think of. We bought spikenard and frankincense to send through the air to Sky Father. Two pieces of a translucent fabric, one yellow piece to sacrifice to Misumena because the threads were like her spiders’ webs and yellow was the colour of the spider she had sent to us; the other piece was for Anaxa because it shimmered many colours like a dragonfly’s wings.
For Earth Mother we bought a large and beautifully patterned snake’s skin to bury in the cave. And for my own devotions I bought some red shining wood to make a more sophisticated harp for myself.
Ikaseraz and Eider arranged a joint ceremony with Ukitu and her spirit-guide (a wisent, bison, vizin, there seemed to be many names for it). It was held at the same time in Gabillou and the Horse Cave, begging help from every spirit we could jointly name. All the Ancients appeared for it. Even Ikaseraz said it was the largest ceremony he had ever been involved in. It tired him greatly.
It was perhaps ten days after the ceremony that he returned with terrible news.
"Sinotsu has been caught stealing food."
"No. Anything but food. How could he be so stupid? He can’t survive as an outcast. How old is he seven? Eight?"
"Seven I think. He’s over five anyway. They can’t get away with saying he’s too young."
"Who’s helping him? His father… well he wouldn’t have done it if his father didn’t spend all their food on drink. That sister is no use either."
"His mother’s family would have helped but there’s only one old man left now, and he has to be looked after himself."
"They probably couldn’t have done anything anyway. The Elders are getting more rigid. So… we’ve got to take him as an apprentice?"
"I think it’s that or he will quickly die as an outcast. I was really too old to teach you, Kizkur, it is beyond me now. He would have to be your apprentice. So, it’s up to you."
"I hadn’t even thought about an apprentice yet. But, well… in these circumstances… yes, what else could we do? I can’t say I want to." I gave him a wry grin. "We brought him into the world. He was my first. We can’t abandon him now."
We looked at each other. I could see he did not really want this either, though he had always said that he thought Sinotsu had the potential to be an enchanter.
"Being an enchanter can be a form of redemption for some. You spend your life helping the group, it can make up for past transgressions." He looked away for a while and then said
"He’ll have to have a separate shelter of his own. It would not be seemly to have him sleeping in with you." I was surprised but quite ready to agree. I didn’t want him cramping my space either.
"He can eat with us of course." Ikaseraz added "But his father will have to give us some food for him at least."
"At the next meat division we’ll have to claim his. That will be more reliable."
"Yes. You’re right. I’ll go and arrange it with the Elders then. It will save them having to organise a trial."
When he had gone I sat looking into the fire and wondering what I was going to do with an apprentice. The only answer of course was what my teacher had done with me. I was sure Ikaseraz would help, whatever he said now. In my mind Hare offered help and that was a comfort.
The next few days we spent building a shelter for him, near ours but not so near that he could hear us speaking. We wanted to be able to discuss him. He got no say in the arrangements as the Elders would not allow him to go out of his father’s shelter. And his father was also confined there to watch him, which we thought was a good thing, though he probably had his drink in there. He might drink less if not in company. When the shelter was finished his father brought him to us carrying his few bits of things. He handed him over formally as if he were a prisoner, which he was in a way. Sinotsu greeted us politely though he only scowled goodbye to his father.
He looked depressed. We tried to tell him that learning to be an enchanter was a good thing that he would enjoy. But he did not think so, he just wanted to run about with his friends. I think he knew that it was better than the only other alternative, being cast out of the group, everyone feared that. I gave him that day to settle in and started his lessons early the next day. Needless to say I overdid it at first and tired him out, but I soon got used to how much he could learn at once. He was sulky at the beginning - I silently sympathised - but after a while he became interested and worked hard if I let him help in deciding what we would do and when. Ikaseraz thought he helped by reminding me about things that I had not forgotten. So the three of us rubbed along alright. Ikaseraz and I were not great disciplinarians but deep down Sinotsu knew we were his last chance, so he never became unteachable. I was able to get away sometimes to be with Hare and to play my new harp, without putting too much strain on Ikaseraz, because Sinotsu and Oskol had become friends. Oskol had only really cared about Wolf in the past but he took to Sinotsu. He taught him hunting skills and could really show off later that year when he was initiated and then went on his first hunt with the men. I was sure Father had kept him and Wolf out of any danger but Sinotsu was very impressed. He had been afraid of Wolf at first but soon treated her as casually as Oskol did. And all my family were surreptitiously watching Sinotsu to prevent any trouble before it began, I hope he didn’t notice.
The following winter was the worst we had yet faced. But the one after it was even worse. The north wind scarcely ever relented and though there was less snowfall the ice reached everywhere, the Vezer froze way further down than it ever had before and we often felt the low temperatures to be unbearable.
Ikaseraz coughed and coughed and his breathing was often strained. Every morning I woke up wondering if he had died in the night. Sometimes he was unable to speak at all and just smiled at me. And when he did speak he was so mild and gentle I was wishing he would be brusque and tell me off like he used to. I think he spent a lot of time speaking to Eider. I hope so anyway, that is easy and a spirit-guide is so comforting.
Sinotsu spent most of his time by our fire. We couldn’t afford the fuel and kept the fire in his shelter smoored during the day as well as the night. He was an expert in the lung disease and other age problems by the time Spring came. We held a healing for Ikaseraz each morning and tried courses of every drug we had. It warmed quite well that year and he very slowly got some strength back. I took Sinotsu out as much as I could, both to teach him outdoor things while it was possible and to give Ikaseraz some peace. He was a clever boy and learned easily when he would, which was not always. Once the reindeer came back and there were frequent hunts there was no holding him. He had to be with Oskol to find out every detail. I didn’t mind, it was important for him to learn that too. It was certainly an area where I could do with improvement as a teacher and as an enchanter. I knew herbs well though and repeated his lessons on those until he was proficient. I gathered many too that were only for flavouring. Ikaseraz’s teeth hurt him if he tried to chew, so I boiled all his food into soups, nearly pulverising the meat first, but all the flavour was lost. So I became quite skilful at finding new and strongly flavoured herbs to try to get him to eat more. It worked to some extent, though he perhaps ate more than he wanted in order to please me.
Summer came, such as it was, and everyone was preparing for the Lazcux festival. Everyone wanted to go if they possibly could, but it had been obvious for a while that Ikaseraz could not and a few days before we were going to go he went down with the lung disease again so I would not be going either. We arranged for Sinotsu to go with my family. It was important for him to learn what he could even if we weren’t there to teach him, and Ikaseraz needed a rest from his boisterousness. I arranged for Mother to take a message to Ukitu to ask her to explain anything to Sinotsu that would be helpful to him. I knew she would be glad to help us out. Then the day before they were going to set out for Lazcux Mother went down with vomiting and diarrhoea. She could not go either. But she insisted that between bouts of it she could look after Ikaseraz. Father agreed with her and Ikaseraz was not strong enough to object even if he would have. So it was agreed that Father and I and Sinotsu, Oskol and Eraminpe would go together, and Wolf of course.
We felt the absence of Mother and Ikaseraz on the journey as well as when we got there. Ukitu came to greet us and was worried to hear about Ikaseraz. She and I and Sinotsu held a healing ceremony for him in front of the bulls. They moved their heads in the torchlight to agree to intercession with the Great Spirits on his behalf.
Ukitu admired Esonde’s skill at tattooing my arms. She painted my face for me as we discussed possibilities for its eventual tattooing. She advised a feather-based pattern as Owl and Eagle had helped with my initiation. No reference could be made to Hare of course. I mentioned that it might be the right thing also because of Blackbird, but she seemed unconvinced by his obscure prophecy. We went through it again together, but nothing seemed to make any sense.
During the big Sun Ceremony more than one person mentioned to us that their groups had discussed moving south if the weather got any colder. It had not occurred to me that any groups would leave either their own caves or move out of travelling distance of Lazcux. Nobody in our group liked the idea and I couldn’t believe that the other groups were seriously considering such a radical move. Ukitu said she would certainly speak against it in the Horse Cave. But the increasing cold seemed to weigh on everyone’s minds and there wasn’t the joyful mid-summer spirit of earlier years.
The journey back was slow with none of the invigoration we usually felt.
As we approached Gabillou I saw that Mother was out to meet us. It could only mean one thing. I ran to her and just fell into her arms.
"I wasn’t here. I wasn’t here." I wailed to her.
"He would not have known if you had been." she said gently and just held me tight.
Father walked back telling everybody who had not realised that their Enchanter was dead and the whole procession started to ululate with grief. Mother and I joined in.