Grail Quest Read online

  Well I had to move anyway. Then Leahna said, “More than skin in shoulder hurt. We make arm tight. You not use for while.”

  Moyock helped me to sit up. Leahna brought a piece of deerskin which she looped under my arm and fastened with a cord around my neck. She’d fashioned a sling such as I’d seen physicians apply to battle wounded. “How did you know to do that?” I asked.

  “Make sense. You must keep arm still until flesh mend. It must heal. After, you move a little until strength come back.” She’d make a good doctor and certainly was a good nurse. Moyock helped me to my feet. I felt light headed. Leahna brought some kind of poultice and smeared it on my wound. “It bleeding again. Don’t use arm. We help you move.”

  For better than a week I wasn’t much use for anything. In bad weather I mainly sat around in the cave, and when it was nice, just outside. My two companions carried on with the daily chores of living.

  Moyock came across a party of Natural hunters, including the one with whom he argued with over the doe that both shot. Rather than make contact with them, he slipped away into the forest to the west. He hoped they didn’t spread out that way. Not taking any chances, he made his way down to the river before cutting back to the cave.

  “We must have eyes and ears open for visitors,” he said. “No way can I hide all tracks on beach. Not good if they come here and white spirit is sick.”

  Yes, if the star performer is laid up, the audience might not be impressed. I wondered if they knew about the red-haired girl witch? If they came, maybe we could stall them with her act. If we had any warning at all, I suggested Leahna should then climb the east side of the hill. At a spot overlooking the west wall she could put on her banshee act. With her flaming hair, pale skin and wrapped in some strange wool cloth, she’d look and sound scary. “Ha, that maybe much fun for me!” Leahna said.

  An hour before dusk, Moyock said, “They coming. I hear bird calls not made by birds.”

  As Leahna scrambled out to find her spot, I said to Moyock. “She may not scare them. Reload my pistol. Find a place where you can hide and watch the wall. If Leahna is in any danger, shoot over their heads. The loud noise alone might frighten them off.”

  “Why not shoot to kill?”

  “We don’t know they are enemies. Killing one makes foes for sure.”

  I stood near the cave entrance and listened. I heard bird calls, and then excited voices. I waited. Then I heard Leahna scream in a strangled voice. Then she affected a deep voice screaming and then rising to a high pitch. Now I heard strange panic stricken voices followed by the crash of the pistol firing. Damn! I cursed Berserk Beaver again. I should be out there taking care of things. Now silence. What the hell was going on? I grabbed up a hatchet in my left hand and stepped out of the cave. If Leahna is harmed, those Naturals will think a real spirit has arrived.

  A noise behind me. I spun and fell on my ass. “Squire! Get back in cave.” Leahna dropped her cloth robe to help lift me up. “First they scared but not run. Gun set them off. Set me off. I not know gun thing make big noise. I slide back down hill. Run here.”

  Moyock returned a little out of breath. “Hah. Much fun. Five men. They stop when they see, hear Leahna. Make them tremble, worry. Stunned. I see they need push. I shoot over enemies head. Then they run. Not wait to see anymore. I follow short distance. They still going.”

  “Big noise scare me too. I not hear gun noise before,” Leahna said. “I know you have little gun and big gun. You carry much to make big noise?”

  Moyock said, “I say to people, iron stick means Squire is big White Chief. I hide little gun. Not show. Guns have much power, much medicine.”

  Leahna looked puzzled. She had proved to be our friend. No longer was there any reason to hide the purpose of the guns from her. “They don’t just make noise,” I told her. “The guns are weapons. When you hear the noise, it is shooting a bullet, like a little round arrow. It can kill anything the bullet hits. The bullet can fly a long way.” I proceeded to show her how the pistol was loaded. “Rifle same way. It shoot much further. Because we have only a few of these bullets, we do not shoot the guns until it is very important.”

  Moyock broke in, “When I shoot pistol to scare enemies, they not see pistol. I hide it. They only hear noise. Maybe hear bullet.”

  “Yes. We don’t want potential enemies to know the power of guns until we must use them. We must maintain a certain air of mystery and superiority. If enemies thought we were weak, they could attack in force and take guns. My strange appearance; white skin, size and beard help, I think.”

  Still confined to the cave, I tried moving my right arm a little within the sling. I didn’t want the arm to become stiff. Common sense told me not to provoke bleeding, or to tear the wound. While I couldn’t do much to help with only my left hand, time passed on snail’s legs.

  Probably it was a good thing that my movements were curtailed. One day Leahna adjusted the straps on my sling. She stood very close in front of me. With her hands, she worked at my shoulder, absorbed in her task.

  I bent my neck and kissed her full lips.

  Leahna jerked back. “Huh? What you do Squire? Why you do that?”

  “Didn’t you like it?”

  Leahna looked puzzled. Not finished with her tying, she still had her hands on my shoulder. “That …feel funny.”

  “But, did you like it…kissing?”

  Now she couldn’t be still. Her feet tried to leave…one side and the other. “You play with me, Squire. Don’t play with me. I must tie sling.”

  I kept looking into her big black eyes. She couldn’t look away. Then, without letting go of the cords she got behind me to tie them. When she was through, I turned to face her again. “Did you like being kissed?” She jumped up and down again. She didn’t know what to do with her hands. “I don’t know. Why you do that…kissing?”

  “It felt good to you, didn’t it?”

  She hadn’t moved away from in front of me. “I don’t know.”

  “Come close to me again.”

  She tried to turn away from me, first right and then left. With a slight benign smile I looked into her eyes. Suddenly she stepped back up to me. She put her face up to mine. I wrapped my good arm around her. Softly and then deeply I kissed her. Her head jerked back. Her eyes wide, her heart beat wildly against my chest. She pressed her lips back against mine. She experimented with her own kiss. Just as suddenly she pulled away from me. She sat down on her pallet. Her face twisted in an agony of confusion.

  I hadn’t noticed Moyock return until he said, “I think you loco, Squire. Maybe make her loco too.”

  Maybe he was right. I knelt down near Leahna and tried to take her hand. She pulled it away. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  “Go away, Squire. Don’t talk.”

  Time to retreat. I stood up and stepped away. “So, what is going on outside, Moyock?”

  “I think rain come.”

  Inside, there was no thawing of Leahna’s reserve towards me. She wouldn’t come near me, and told Moyock to look after my wound and sling. He did so while chuckling to himself. “I think wild girl have you in cold water. She not same as English girls?”

  “No she isn’t…Yes she is! …I think all girls the same. Man can not win. Man cannot understand girls. Man can only be in love with girls…and hope for the best.”

  Leahna’s knowledge and ability puzzled me. She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. Living alone, how had she gained so much sufficiency? I used the pretext of our inside time to improve our understanding of each other’s language…and to calm the waters. I asked Leahna about her family, about her youth.

  “I have much family. Mother, Aunt’s, Uncles, Cousins. My father dead long time. Now all gone except Leahna.” She broke up again and I thought perhaps I’d made a mistake. Then she rallied and continued. “All people good to me, teach me many things to live. I good worker. Learn everything. Think I will be good mate for hunter. He go hunt. Not come back. May
be killed by enemies, maybe killed by animal. We not know. Girls, my younger sister, her friend, go pick raspberries. Not come back. Trail gone in rocks. We not know.”

  Leahna sniffled again. I wanted to put my arm around her shoulder where she sat. Somehow Moyock did the right thing and patted her hand. She straightened up. “My Uncle say we have many enemies because we different. Have red hair like me. Have blonde hair like Moyock. Not many black hair like Squire. Have blue eyes, green eyes, gray eyes, black eyes. Not many brown eyes. Many have skin like Moyock. No dark red skin. Some other people say we witches. They say mound is place for witches.”

  She has me bewitched. “Is not Coyote a witch?”

  “Yes. Coyote real witch. He not my clan. I not know who Coyote is. He come after Uncle die. Maybe from far place.”

  “You didn’t know about witches before? There are no other witches around here?”

  “I not think so. Coyote first I know.”

  “What has he told you about himself or his people?”

  “Not much. Talk of things he do. How he pleasure girls. How he change shape. As bird he fly many places. See many strange things, place where smoke come from rock. Tell how one girl fool him…melon slice between legs. He say she taste so sweet he want make her his witch-mate…change mind when bone-thing bruised on melon rind. Make me laugh. Pleasure me, go. Come back Coyote-Dog. Not talk.”

  “Do you feel bad you are not his only girl?”

  “No. I not his mate. Not want witch mate.”

  “How did he come to be with you?”

  She paused, looked around flapped her hands a little. “I think I dream. I dream much pleasure. Never feel pleasure like that. More and more pleasure. I wake up. Still pleasure. Eyes shut. I feel hair, feel head between my legs. Feel ear nick. I scared I will die. I not care. I not want pleasure to stop.”

  Both Moyock and I froze. My heart pounded. I could hardly breathe. Finally, “What happened then?”

  “When pleasure stop, maybe I asleep again. Wake up, strange man hold me. I very scared. I want scream, cannot. He say he not hurt me, only pleasure me. He say he will come back. Then he gone. Still dark. I don’t see face. Not know who he is. I think whole time is dream.”

  “I dream…of you. Three times on the way here, I dream of red-haired girl. I dream of you.”

  Leahna trembled. “How you can do…dream of me? You not see me before you come here. You play with me.”

  “I’m bewitched…by you. Maybe you are a witch too.”

  “ NO, NO, NO! I NOT WITCH! YOU NOT SAY LEAHNA IS WITCH! ”

  Leahna collapsed onto her pallet and sobbed. She rocked on her back with her hands over her face. Moyock said, “Ohhhh, something bad wrong. Something bad wrong for her.”

  Now I didn’t hesitate to wrap her in my good arm and whisper in her ear, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was only playing again. I know you’re not a witch.”

  Leahna sobbed for a long time but she didn’t reject me holding her. Moyock said, “Squire, she not troubled by your teasing. Something more hurting her.”

  I continued to hold her with her head on my good shoulder. I kept mumbling, “everything is all right. Moyock and I are your friends. We look after you. We want help you. We do anything to help you. Tell me why you feel so bad. We help you feel better.”

  Eventually her pain subsided to choking gasps. “Coyote-Man say he want witch mate. He say if he first with bone-thing in girl, she be witch, be his mate. He say when he come back he make me witch. Make me his mate. I NOT WANT BE WITCH MATE! ”

  Leahna broke down again. I kept reassuring her we would not let Coyote make her his mate. That we would stay with her and protect her. If I found a way to kill Coyote I would. “Maybe gun can kill witch. Keep cross around your neck. Never take it off. That alone may protect you.”

  For her added protection, I told Moyock to find or fashion two straight limbs, one about a foot and the other about a yard long. After he notched the longer, I explained how I wanted him to tie the smaller limb against the notch. He planted the end of the long stick, opposite the notch, just past the fire pit. I said, “Coyote is afraid of her crucifix. If he tries to come in here again, maybe this cross will slow him down.”

  Then Moyock and I moved our pallets to close on either side of hers. We kept a hatchet handy beside each of us. I might be awkward using my left arm but with Moyock’s two arms, I figured we were match for any interloper. If Coyote only came back as a man at night, we were ready for him. If he came back as Coyote–Dog during the day I didn’t think he could do any harm. Even so, when the two of them went out of the mound area, I told Moyock to stay close to Leahna, to not let her out of his sight.

  Two days later while they were gone, As I sat in the cave mouth, I heard unusual noises from the thicket. It sounded like someone was clumping through there without any regard for the brush. Had someone overcame their fear of spooks, and intended to invade us? Keeping my eyes foreword, I backed cautiously into the shadow. With only one good arm I couldn’t load my flintlock, much less fire it. I grabbed a hatchet and cussed myself for not practicing to throw it with my left hand. If the interloper was coming to the cave, he didn’t care who heard him. Taking his time to get here, he crashed about in the thicket.

  It wasn’t someone. It was whatever. A large black beast ambled into the clearing. It stood on hind legs and surveyed its surroundings. Upright it was taller than a man. Its paws displayed huge curved claws. It’s wicked looking fangs could tear a cow to pieces. I had never seen a bear before, but from descriptions, I was sure that is what faced me. It sat down and seemed to study the cave, With tongue lolling, it examined our drying racks. His posture reminded me of the first time we saw Coyote-Dog. I remained motionless.

  Getting down on all fours he ran to the drying racks. He stood up. Then he swung his massive paws in great sweeping arcs. He scattered our drying meat. He smashed the frame about. He let out a yelp… backed away from the fire pit. Back on all fours he sniffled about…didn’t eat any of the loose meat. Was he more interested in live game? Now he peered into the cave…didn’t seem in a hurry to enter. Was his eyesight deficient? He could smell me.

  If he came in, I was trapped. He hesitated. I didn’t. Screaming like a wounded hyena, I ran right at him. He stood up. I stopped out of his reach…picked up a burning stick…threw it at his eyes! Stooping, I grabbed another brand. Screeching, I waved it at his face. Two burns must have been enough. He backed off and sat down. Then he got up and turned. Wagging his tail end at me, he took his time strolling out of the clearing. I grabbed some of the broken rack poles and put ends in the fire. If he came back I wanted to be ready. I watched him as his size shrunk until he became a raven and flew off.

  When Moyock and Leahna returned they approached warily. I waved them forward. Moyock said. “From the edge of the thicket we followed bear tracks in here. We feared for you, Squire.”

  “I’m all right. Not hurt. I scared him off with fire brands. He ruined our racks. Leaving the clearing he turned into a raven and flew away.”

  Leahna gasped, “Coyote!”

  “Yes. The bear had a notched left ear. I don’t know what his game is.”

  “He want to kill you, I think,” Moyock said.

  “Perhaps, but he didn’t try very hard. Maybe just testing me. If he’d been a real bear and hungry, I probably couldn’t scare him with a little fire. The wooden cross didn’t bother him. He seemed more intent on ruining our meat supply.”

  “Hah. We can save most of it.” Leahna said and set about doing it.

  During the next few days, while my shoulder healed, and I regained my arm strength, time dragged for me. I wasn’t satisfied with my recovery until I could shoot an arrow almost as far as Moyock, and I could carry and maneuver my flintlock with ease. I practiced paddling a canoe until I was satisfied I could manage one again. It was time for us to move on.

  Time to face the rapids.

  “Leahna, now I am strong e
nough to paddle. We want to move west to hunt for your people. We don’t where or how far we need to travel. Also…we are searching for the ‘Holy Grail’…among your family. You might think of that as the White Mans totem.”

  “Why you want Holy Grail?”

  “A very big chief sent me here to find it…to return it to my home. It has very strong medicine for White Men. It has magic powers for good.”

  “Why you tell me?”

  “We want you to come with us. Just so you know, not just to find your family, but to get the Holy Grail…from them.”

  “I not care why you go. Take me with you…away from Coyote.”

  While busy around the cave or forest, Leahna usually wore her hair in two whorls, one on each side of her head. Before we embarked I asked her to let her hair down. “Comb it out to flow around your shoulders. “When we are among other Naturals, hold your head high. Do not do any of the work. You must make them think you are the mate of a big chief. Can you do that?”

  “Am I mate of a big chief?”

  Moyock chuckled. Gadzooks! My face burned. Having stepped in my own mouth, I coughed to delay answering. “You will be the mate of a big chief. Now you must play the daughter of a big chief.”

  Leahna ‘humphed’ and Moyock chuckled again. Smart-alec kid.

  “Why I must play mate or daughter of chief?”

  “Some people think you are a witch. We know you’re not!” Would appearing to be a witch give her greater protection? I didn’t know “If people think you are powerful they will fear to hurt you. If you act aloof and above the crowd, they will know you are powerful.”

  “How I do?”

  “Wear your dress and let your charm hang in front of it. When we come in sight of the Unilah, drape a piece of that colorful cloth around your shoulders. The Unilah haven’t seen it. Perhaps it will make you look more regal. I know it will be hot over your dress. After everyone has good look at it, set it aside in the canoe.”