LAKE OF THE SWANS
Book 2 of 3
Chapter 48
It had been a day of putting the campgrounds back in order after the big celebration. Everyone had lent a hand while the elders concluded their annual meeting in the big tent. What needed to be done had been done. The campgrounds lie quiet. The summer sun lingered in the west. The lake shimmered under its light. The Emerson family’s camp, alive with the voices of songbirds, would soon sit abandoned.
At present, however, Harley stood with an arrow at the ready while Cody and Rowena cleaned out Weya’s pen. The pen was to be cleaned once in the morning and once in the afternoon—a task assigned to the younger members of the family. They rotated on a schedule. And none entered the wolf’s enclosure without following specific precautions which, although arguably no longer necessary, were nonetheless rules laid down by the Matriarch.
Just then, Jessie came walking down bachelor row with purpose, a lone figure with a sober look on her face.
“What’s up?” asked Harley.
“I wish I knew,” Jessie replied. “Mom sent me to fetch you. We’re to have a meeting in the longhut.”
“What about?”
“It appears that a Skraeling has been captured,” she whispered.
So quickly did Cody appear beside them at the fence, he seemed to come from thin air, “I hope they haven’t killed him yet.”
“Cody!” Jessie protested, astonished not by his words but rather the extraordinary sharpness of his ears.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I couldn’t help but overhear.”
“You are not to speak a word of this to anyone, do you understand?”
“Yes,” nodding.
“So, he hasn’t been killed?” asked Harley.
“I don’t think so. As I understand it, he’s a runaway slave.”
Cody’s expression drained of hope. There would be no torture or killing, for as everyone knew, runaway slaves had to be returned to their owners.
Rowe, meanwhile, stood with poop basket in hand, a curious look on her face.
Looking at the teens, struck by their innocence, Jessie suddenly feared to let them out of her sight, lest the word slip out—
“Finish up here. You’re both coming with Harley and me.”
Not a half-hour later, sixteen Kasskatchens sat in an oval inside the Emerson longhut. Rutin and Emma, Jessie and Harley, Mia and Anders, John and Laureal, Carl, Black-Spear, Mr. and Mrs. Timmerman, Mr. Fisher, the brothers Kale and Levi, and Julian. Also seated there, the runaway slave Onak received an introduction from the Matriarch, who instructed the family in no uncertain terms: they must show him the same respect as would be given to any other guest. Cody and Rowena, meanwhile, sat on the front porch watching over the twins playing in the yard. For supper, a quickly assembled but tasty assortment of smoked meat, nuts, and fruits had been set out on reed mats in the middle of the oval. All bowed their heads while Mr. Timmerman led a prayer.
Rutin Elkhart then began, “No one here planned this meeting, and yet, it is no coincidence that this gathering has come together away from those that would betray our confidence.”
Standing up, Rutin stepped back and leaned out the door, his icy blue eyes fixed on Cody and Rowena, “Should you betray the confidence of this meeting, the lives of your mother and father will likely be forfeit. Do you understand me?”
At a loss for words, the teens only nodded, their mouths fallen open in shock and wonder, whereupon Elkhart, having achieved the desired effect, immediately pivoted back into the doorway—
“What is about to be said here must not leave this room. And looking around the circle, “Does everyone understand?”
Satisfied with what he saw, Rutin took a box as a short stool and seated himself so that he might be elevated just enough for everyone to see and hear him. “The location of what Mr. Summerfield calls the Data Block has been discovered.”
Such looks of surprise and amazement went around the circle, one could easily recognize those who already knew from those who did not.
“Mr. Summerfield, Mr. Fischer, and the Elders were made aware of this yesterday,” Elkhart continued. “Soon, the High Council of Elders in Grandal will know. None of them, however, will know what we speak of here, and therefore, none of them will know that we have changed our plans. In effect, there are now two sets of plans. The first is now only a decoy. The second, being the true plan, is the secret that brings us here. But before going any further, we need to bring everyone up to speed,” and turning to the Inuk, “Mr. Onak, would you please tell us again how you know of the monolith’s location.”
Onak gave his account the same as the day before, and after a few questions and answers, Rutin once again took the floor—
“Earlier today, with Mr. Fischer acting as our scribe, we elders drew up a letter to be delivered to the High Council in the Great Hall of the People. Mr. Fisher also made a copy for us to hold in record. Weisel Wheeler of the Wheeler-Dealer Clan and Bailey Vogel of the Brinks and Vogel Clan will carry the letter to Grandal and personally deliver it to the High Council. The letter tells of our intention to form an expedition to retrieve the treasure. The letter also tells of Mr. Onak and our need for him as a guide. It includes a purchase price for Mr. Onak, in gold, based on the fair market value of a thirty-year-old slave in good health, plus an additional one-quarter value of goodwill payment to be delivered to his former owner as compensation. The letter states our intention to bring the treasure back and deliver it, in full, into the hands of the High Council. The letter tells of our hope that, by the High Council’s wise and just deliberation, the treasure may be used for the good of the realm. And I will add here that, myself knowing Weisel, it is my firm belief that he will seek to cover his tracks by cautioning the council. In other words, he will tell them not to trust us, which the council would not do anyway. Weisel and Bailey will downplay the affair. They will state their own belief that there is no treasure. They will call it a wild goose chase. And this is exactly what we want them to do.”
Pausing, Elkhart shifted and squared himself on his stool, “Now for the part that must remain unknown. Today, near the end of our meeting in the big tent, Mr. Onak was brought in. And as he was made aware of that part of our plan that concerned himself and the crossing of the barren lands, he saw in our plan a flaw of fatal consequence. However, being a man of some discernment, he wisely kept it to himself until after the meeting, at which point he spoke in confidence with Black-Spear, Carl, Emma, Mr. Fischer, and me.”
Turning to the Inuk, Elkhart continued, “Mr. Onak, with his unique understanding of the barren lands, prevailed upon us that we should take an entirely different course of action from that proposed in the letter to the council.
“Mr. Onak,” Elkhart continued, “would you be so kind as to repeat what you told us not two hours ago?”
Onak looked around the circle, his dark eyes meeting those he hoped would see him home, “Beyond the forest, there is only one path across the barren lands. Only one path by which one may keep their life. Not a path like a trail on the ground, but a law written in the wind. A law that orders the hunter and seamstress to combine their skills. There is no exception to this law, and yet, the present plan for an expedition does just the opposite, and, if gone through with…will end with many a young man lost to the frozen waste.”
Laureal turned to John, the fear of him freezing to death once again filled her eyes—the sword of Damocles, lifted only the day before, had returned.
In the silence, Mia, having the same initial reaction, then went further in her mind and put two and two together: she and her sisters were the ‘seamstresses’ of which the skraeling spoke! “I have small children,” her eyes suddenly filled with worry.
“My wife is pregnant,” John added, having also come to understand.
“All the more reason to work together and survive,” Onak countered.
Fischer, visibly nervous, spoke abruptly, “Excuse me, but there’s something tied to this…something that must be faced.” And turning to John, “I am terribly sorry that I hadn’t previously thought of it.”
“Well,” looking at Fischer, “Whatever it is, it can’t be any worse than what Mr. Onak has said.”
“If you go on this expedition, and you leave your wife behind, it is entirely possible the High Council will take her to Grandal. Mind you, she would not be mistreated. And there would be some truth to the High Council’s claim that the measure was taken for your wife and child’s protection. However, when you look under the veneer, it would still be kidnapping. Your wife and child would be the council’s hostages…their way of making sure you bring the treasure to them.”
“I would rather die than be taken to Grandal!” Laureal exclaimed, her eyes going straight to the source of her knowledge, for she had never been there herself.
Her grandmother gazed back before turning to them all, “We are here so that all might consider the ramifications of a new plan which, as of yet, is only a proposal. A proposal that would change the course of our lives in ways that none of us can presently know, save to know that, should we stand by and do nothing, chances are high that we will come to regret it. So let us use this time wisely, whereupon we may then retire to private deliberation before meeting again tomorrow.”
Mia turned to Mr. Fischer, “Would the council come after me?”
“It is highly likely.”
“Not if you come with us.” All turned to see Cody’s head poking through the doorway.
Elkhart thought to reprimand the boy, but his desire to stay on point prevailed. “If we are to do this,” returning his eyes to the group, “we must make a wholehearted effort to appear all-in with the original plan as agreed upon by the elders in the council tent today.”
“Whatever the real plan is,” Anders began, a grimace on his face, “it appears we are to begin with something more than trickery…something more like treason, on which we could be staking our lives.”
“Skullduggery,” Mia put in, frowning. “That’s what I’d call it.”
Elkhart trained his eyes first on Anders, “You, sir, are no friend of the High Council. That much I know. Therefore, I ask that you hear me out.” Then, turning to Mia, “Perhaps you would do better to wait until you know the plan before choosing such strong language to defame it!”
If only for a few moments, an uncomfortable silence lingered until Rutin once again picked up where he had left off—
“Emma, Carl, Black-Spear, Mr. Timmerman, and I propose to continue with the plan adopted earlier today inasmuch as it serves our purpose. That is, the plan we adopted in the council tent will serve as a decoy. It calls for an expedition of approximately twenty men. As of this meeting, only a handful know it to be a decoy. The young men of the expedition will not be told until after they have gotten underway, and because they are our warriors, we can rest assured that they will understand and do their part to faithfully continue the ruse. Of course, in order to be a believable decoy, the expedition must include Mr. Summerfield, Mr. Onak, Mr. Fischer, Mr. De Champs, the Emerson brothers Kale and Levi, Carl and warriors from his group, Black-Spear and warriors from his group, and warriors from my group. I will remain behind on the assumption that my duty remains, as always, to watch over and work for the welfare of the frontier. In this way, all will appear as expected, an expedition composed of men loyal to the interested parties. Together, these men will depart here and go north by canoe up the east shore of the lake. They will leave here with measured urgency, not with fanfare but as men intent on getting to the treasure first. In this manner, people will see, and word of the expedition’s departure will spread to Grandal, where it will reinforce the message of our envoys, and throw a wrench into any plans the High Council might make to control the hunt.
“From here, the decoy expedition will leave a trail of cairns and campsites, standard procedure for any party that wishes to find its way back from unknown territory, and conveniently easy for other treasure hunters to find and follow…of which there may be many. Meanwhile, the Emerson family will depart the campgrounds just as they had previously planned. I will go with them, supposedly on account of not being in the western reaches of late…and, for any other reason that folks may wish to assume and gossip about,” he concluded, shooting a smile at Emma.
Elkhart placed his hands on his knees, his expression one of wheels in motion, “So, when we depart, all will appear as expected. Two old folks, a few mid-life adults, a mother with her little children, an expectant mother, a teenager, a workhorse, some dogs and a gaggle of puppies, all traveling around the south end of the lake by canoe and land trail…all perfectly normal. Then, having moved to the west side of the lake, they, being we, will continue southwest on the newly made Emerson trail towards home territory. Congruently, John, Onak, Fischer, and Julian will depart from the decoy expedition at the north end of the lake under cover of night. They will then canoe, again under cover of night, south down the west side of the lake to the same Emerson trailhead. There, they will weight and sink one canoe in deep water. They will then portage from lake to river with the other canoe southwest on the new Emerson trail. They must do this before our arrival. That way, their tracks will be erased by our tracks, including fifteen dogs and a horse. We in the Emerson family group will also portage one canoe, and meet up with John, Mr. Fischer, Mr. Onak, and Julian at the old river crossing. Now, at this point, if John’s crew has made it without detection, the chances for our plan to succeed will be good. No one will know that we have come together, and as we advance from there, the chances of being seen are slim, what with the crossing being on the fringe of the settled frontier. Not to mention, it is believed to be haunted since the disaster that befell the Emerson Clan, and even far-ranging hunting parties tend to avoid it. In fact, it had been abandoned for years, until the family opened it this winter. So, what I’m saying is, if John’s party can make it to the crossing without detection, then chances are good that, after we come together, we’ll be able to disappear without a trace...in a place, if I may add, that is already viewed with superstition. That said, we cannot control everything. Young hunters are known to venture into the outer realm not only for game hunting but also for wanderlust and adventure. Carl and I, along with a handful of others, did that very thing in our youth.
“I know those outlands. I know a natural route into them. From the old river crossing, we can travel north-by-northwest while the decoy expedition simultaneously travels north-by-northeast. Like us, the decoy expedition will also disappear intentionally. Without leaving a trace, they will camp off the edge of the frontier and hold up there over the winter. This should give us a head start in what may become a race to find the treasure, beginning with a manhunt for Mr. Onak.”
Mia looked around the circle, “What in the world are we getting ourselves into?”
Emma turned to Rutin, “Mia will speak her mind, but as I’ve said, you can be certain she will never betray our confidence.”
John also looked around the circle, “Here’s a possible option. Mr. Onak has assured me that, by using the stars to hold a northerly heading, we are certain to find a place where the ocean at the top of the world reaches into the land like the hand of a mighty giant, with five rivers extending like fingers in every direction. The greatest of these rivers runs west to east while paralleling the ocean coast," referring to what had once been known as the Burnside River. From that river, a small tributary will lead us towards the coast, to a lake shaped like a crescent moon. At the north end of that lake lies a monument in the shape of a spearhead. The spearhead points to the monolith, by then only a day further north, and only fifty miles from the ocean coast where Onak’s people make their home.
“Now, somewhere between here and there,” John continued, “the northern edge of the forest lies a considerable distance from where we are now, and well, I believe it would be advantageous to build a forward base of operation there, at the end of the forest. A safe place, just within the forest’s edge, protected from the north wind and concealed like a needle in a haystack. We could build it after we find the caribou on the fringe of the forest. From there, some of us would follow the caribou north across the barren lands while the rest remained in the forest cabin. Those who continue would have the task of retrieving the treasure from the Data Block. Those who remain at the cabin would use the summer to build up food stocks while awaiting our return in late fall. Those of us who cross the barren lands would need to build cairns and make maps as we go, that we might find our way back to the cabin. Then together again, we could either winter there in the cabin, or load up our sleds and head for home at once.”
“If that were to be our plan,” Onak began, “those of us who continued into the barren lands would still be subject to its laws. No one can survive there, save by the skill that hunter and seamstress may together combine.”
“What about a pregnant woman?” and not waiting for an answer, Laureal turned to her husband, “John…you and your damned obsession!”
John’s mouth fell open, for not once had he ever heard a curse word leave Laureal’s lips.
“Laureal,” Jessie began, but Laureal cut her off, “I want to have my baby at home!” And turning back to her husband, “Yesterday, you told me your safe return was all but guaranteed. You said we would build our home…as planned!”
“Laureal,” Jessie began again, “I only wanted to remind you that John helped us to get this far, and now it may be our turn to help him.”
“Mom,” with a grievous sigh, “you always side with him!”
“Oh, that’s not true!”
Laureal turned back to her husband, “Tell me, John, what have I done that would cause you to be kidnapped?”
Emma leaned into Rutin, “Laureal will speak her mind, but she will never betray us.”
“Mother,” Jessie began, “what say you?”
“In my heart, I am certain God has chosen us for this task.”
In the silence that followed, all could hear the voices of children playing in the front yard, along with the birds singing in the forest. Fisher, unable to hold back any longer, threw his hat into the ring—
“Count me in!”
“I’m all in!” Julian exclaimed, following suit.
“Everyone knows I’m in,” John boldly stated.
“Needless to say, I’m in,” said Onak.
John turned to Laureal, “We can build a cabin on the edge of the forest. Our child can be born there, and on my return, we will go home together.”
Laureal had only opened her mouth to speak when Cody pushed his head in the doorway, “I’m in!”
Rowe’s face appeared next to Cody’s. “I want to go too.”
“We’ll have to discuss it with your mother and father, dear.” Jessie smiled at the pretty picture the two teens made, backlit by light reflected from the lake.
“Kale and I are still in if you want us, Emma.” And turning to his cousin Laureal, “Your grandma originally sent for Kale and me to go with John on his mission, that he might return safely home. Obviously, that was before all of this happened.”
Taken off guard, Laureal turned to Emma, “Grandmother?”
“I was going to tell you as soon as I had my ducks in order.” And smiling kindly, she added, “I didn’t want to give you false hope.”
“Grandma,” Laureal uttered in realization, her voice like that of a little girl.
Wishing to keep the group on track, Carl turned to Black-Spear, “First thing in the morning, we’ll get to organizing.” Then, looking to the others, “We need to have the decoy expedition ready to depart in two days, three at the most.”
“I will assist you in any way I can,” Mr. Timmerman put in.
“Yes, we will,” Mrs. Timmerman seconded, looking first to her husband, then to the rest of the group.
“Mom,” started Jessie. “Harley says he’s in, and I want to go in your stead.”
“Oh, I’m going!” Emma stated, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
“As am I,” Rutin put in with conviction. And glancing at Emma, “Us old folks may need to remain at the cabin, but whatever the case may be, of this we are certain…the Great Spirit has called us to this endeavor.”
Anders, who had been in conference with Mia, spoke up, “Mia and I had hoped to return to the Emerson summer home and renovate an abandoned cabin there. But, as the Matriarch of the Emerson clan believes this to be God’s will…we are in, at least as far as the cabin that John spoke of.”
All eyes turned to Laureal.
“You don’t have to make a decision tonight, dear.”
Laureal looked from her mother to John, to her grandmother, and finally to Elkhart before returning her gaze to her husband, “Well,” with a dreadful sigh, “we’ve come this far together.”
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