Killbird

serviced for the purpose of making child. So says the law. So says the Seer, for this family has, indeed, come to disaster.» «And the dangers?» I asked. «Are the laws of blood then repealed in time of disaster?» «I have made a study,» the Seer said. «The law, as I can remember it…» Would that we had all our laws written on the eye, I thought to myself, there to be permanent and not to be trusted to the frail memory of a Seer. «… allows no coupling of sister and brother, parent and child, nor the coupling of sons and daughters of brothers and sisters. Thus, Cree the Kite would be banned from servicing two widows, who are daughters of his mother and father's sisters and brothers, Yorerie of two. Of the family, you alone, Eban, are not so close by blood, your father having no brothers or sisters and your mother coming from another family by capture. Since there are but three hunters, thus, you service the widows not serviceable by Cree and Yorerie.» «Gods of man,» I said. «We beg our rights,» said one of the widows, prostrating herself in the cleared area beside the campfire. «Arise,» I said. «And how say the pairmates of Yorerie and Cree?» I asked. Roden, pairmate of Cree, stood. «We like it not,» she said, «but we abide by the law, provided that it is over when the widows are with child.» «That is the law,» the Seer said. «When the widows are with child the family returns to normal until the new children are walkers, and then—» «Again?» I asked, awed by the idea of fathering so many children. «Until the balance is repaired and the boys of the family begin to reach age,» the Seer said. «This is for the family,» I said. «A vote.» The widows voted, save Yuree, who was silent. The old voted and then the pairmates, Mar grinning at me with mischief in her eyes. That left only the hunters. Yorerie, clearly red-faced, said he would do his duty, his eyes on the pleasing form of one of his appointed widows. Cree said yes. «So be it,» said I. «Honorable father,» Yuree the Slave said, prostrating herself. «You may speak,» I said. «I beg forgiveness,» she said. «If it is still your will to give me another chance to be a member of your family, I beg your blessing.» «Gladly,» I said. «Slave Yuree, arise.» She stood. «Welcome, sister,» I said. «As family head, I make Yuree the widow a member, and all are to treat her as such.» «Honorable father,» Yuree said, a little smile on her face. «Am I not a full member?» «I have granted it.» «I claim my right,» she said. «As a family member you have all rights,» I said. «Both Yorerie and Cree are sons of sisters of my mother,» Yuree said, with that funny little smile. I realized the import and looked quickly at Mar. She was no longer smiling. «The family has spoken,» I said. «So be it.» «Honorable father,» the Seer of Things Unseen said, «here are the widows to be honored by your seed. Young Til, who was childless, having only this summer come of age; Fanan the widow of Bloc; now that she is no longer a slave, Yuree widow of Logan; and, lastly, the daughter of Bla, Ouree the Unclaimed.» «Does the Unclaimed have the right of disaster?» «Clearly,» the Seer said. «So be it,» I muttered, looking at Yuree with a strange feeling of anticipation surging in my blood. Thus it was that the winter passed. I will not speak much of the events, for such things are private and, except in times of disaster, kept within the hidehouse of pairmates. Let me say only that Young Til was shy and sent me away quickly when my duty was done, she being the first of my duties, the times chosen by the moon as interpreted by the Seer, and that Fanan was easily pleased, begged me to stay—I did, on two occasions until the sun was a redness, Fanan pleasing as well as being pleased; and that Ouree the Unclaimed was so grateful for my attentions that it made me feel ashamed. I found her to be untouched, of course, and it was the work of two nights to penetrate her tightness, and then she was tender, loving, grateful, and brought gifts of pretty red berries to Mar to thank her for allowing me to present her with child, for she was the first to miss her moon period. It was Yuree who was a puzzle. I went into her house with sinful anticipation, feeling very much as if I had, in my mind, joined the honorless inbreeders, to be so able to find joy in thinking of coupling with her. She was ready for me, allowed no preliminary play, but guided me to her quickly and was quickly done with me. However, of the four to whom I gave service, she was the last to miss her moon period, and thus after all the other three were finished with me I was still visiting the house of Yuree after two winter moons, much to Mar's disgust. So. It was, I must admit, an interesting winter, one which saw me out of my cave many nights, leaving me no time for the game. When I went back to it, having only Yuree left to service, I was slow to follow the lights, and we had to begin all over again. In view of later events I must depart from my honor and speak of my last night with Yuree. I went to her house, as was my duty, prepared for a joyless coupling quickly done and quickly finished, wondering if I was fated to spend my virile years servicing two women who could not, apparently, conceive. She awaited me. The fire was stacked with green wood, the house was warm, and she was in her couch, covered by her sleephides. I removed my clothing and joined her. I lay beside her, not speaking, waiting for the heat of her desirable body to prepare me. She touched me. It was something she had not done before. Her hand was warm and soft, and I responded immediately and started to mount her, to do my duty quickly. She would not open for me; instead, she began to use her lips on mine, to cling and love as the others had loved, and as she had not done. And it was good. I allowed her. «There is a change,» I sighed, as she kissed and clung and fondled. «That is because this is the last night,» she said. «How can you say?» «I know. I feel it,» she said. «Tonight I will conceive, and your duty will be finished, and I wish to make it memorable.» «Yes,» I said. For foolish moments I dreamed that the killbird had slept, leaving me to win Yuree, and that this was our first time and I was warm, and then I felt a pang of disloyalty. «I want to show you, Eban, what a woman can be,» she whispered, and continued to do things to me until, with a roar of need, I mounted her and she was alive and responsive and loving, and then it was ended. «Was it good?» she whispered. «Very good,» I said. «I wanted it to be good, so that you would remember,» she said. «There will be other times,» I said. «When your child is a walker there will be other times.» «No,» she said. «You will never touch me again.» There was something in her voice. I withdrew my slackness from her and cleaned myself, wondering. «But,» she said, «when you are with your skinny and ugly hag of an inbreeder, you will remember and lust for Yuree.» So much malice? I was stunned. But I spoke. «Mar is neither skinny nor ugly,» I said. «She is my pairmate by choice, Yuree. And although you were sweet, until this malice which I did not suspect came out in you, you are not the woman Mar is, for she knows delights which you have not imagined.» Her face darkened. «The art of love is hers,» I said, «and she uses her lips and her hot tongue in such ways as to make other women seem passive. So, Yuree, you have not hurt me. I will not lust for you.» «Killer,» she spat. «Know, then, that I have already missed my moon period and am with your child and that it is so for one reason and one alone. I will bear a boy. He will live and grow to kill you, killer, and be family head.» «Yuree, your hate has poisoned you. If it be a son, he will be a family member and have as much chance to win family head as the others. But do not poison his mind against me or I will try you for disloyalty.» «I hate you,» she said. «I'm glad your sickly infant son died.» I struck her across the face heavily, sending her head back against the couch, and then I left her to her own hate, much disturbed. Chapter Eight During our long periods of being alone, having no one in the world save ourselves, Mar and I had developed the habit of sharing every thought. Indeed, she questioned me closely when I returned from each of my duty periods with the four women I serviced and often laughed at my accounts. After my last visit to Yuree I was troubled and waited a day to speak with Mar. «The sickness of hate is in her,» Mar said. «Perhaps a child will change it.'» «She has right to hate me,» I said. «For I brought death to father, mother, family, pairmate.» «I'm sick of your blaming yourself for all of that,» Mar said. «Think of the good you've done for these people. Look at the love which is given you, with honor, by all save the soured one. Do you actually think she hates you?» «Are you saying she doesn't, when she told me she did, and promised to rear her son to kill me?» «She loved you, fool,» Mar said. «She has always loved you. She sent you to get the dragon guts. But she loved you. She thought you dead and took a weak man, and this has soured her, for she sees you with me and thinks it is her right to be at your side in your sleep couch.» «Wrong, wrong,» I said. «She hates me because of the death I brought into her life.» «Ha,» Mar said. «Go to her, then, tell her you are tired of the inbreeder and will be her pairmate, and see how quickly her frown changes.» «Mar,» I said, shocked. «Oh, I know you wouldn't,» she said. «You're much too honorable. But it is true, what I speak.» «Mar, have you ever doubted my love for you?» She smiled, came to me, pushed me back and put her sweet weight atop me. «Never,» she said. «My only regret is that I cannot give you babies.» «We have Margan.» «With the sickness, as you tell me, in her bones. Promise me one thing, Eban.» «Of course.» «Keep that our secret.» «The sickness?» «Yes.» «So be it.» «You will have children. Sons and daughters by all of them. The four.» «They will not be ours, but theirs.» «No,» she said. «We will make them ours, even the offspring of Yuree. You are family head. You can speak. You can demand the right of the father.» «All would give it gladly, save Yuree.» «And you will force it on her, or you will raise the thing you fear, a killer, in your bosom,» Mar said. «You are wise, as always,» I said. So we watched with interest as the spring came and a summer of joy began, the family happy, well fed, eager, industrious, together. Even Yuree seemed resigned. Bellies fattened with summer. We had come to share food, especially the sweets which came from our magic cave, with all. Huge and noisy gatherings took place in front of our cave, and Mar served the sweets and all grew fat and the looted wealth from the dragon of the hole kept us in arrow heads and hard axes. Rich in food, clad in the finest skins, swimmers for the harvesting, fruit on the trees, we prospered and swam together in the cool waters of the stream, and we hunters began to teach the boys and the women taught the females and suddenly summer was over and bellies were huge, all seven of the widows with child and all to be delivered within two moons. The time of the color of leaves came,