ROAD TO CORDIA Read Free

by the idea of going all the way to Cordia that he stopped leaning against the wall and straightened up. Ja'Nil quickly slipped behind him. She could almost taste the waiting bread. Her stomach growled loudly enough for Fat Thom’m to hear. He looked at her. She ducked her head shyly. His gaze raked her up and down then turned away, uninterested.
         Fine, with me, she thought. Even to be a first wife, she wouldn’t marry Fat Thom’m.
         There was a commotion at the large entrance doors. “She died,” a woman screamed out. Someone started sobbing.
         “Cho’s dead. My mother is dead,” screamed Lee-Uno.
         Ja'Nil shivered. Death again. At least this time there was a body to consign to the flames. The dead Cho’s spirit would be able to rise easily with the help of the cleansing fire and smoke; her ashes would be buried deeply in the comfort of Earth mother. Still, too many of the Fisherfolk were dying.
         Ja'Nil’s Aunt M'eer moaned. Then she raised her arms to the ceiling and screamed. There was a shocked silence.
         “It’s your fault,” Lee-Uno screeched at the Elders.
         “My dear, woman!” Elder Jo’Oner was shocked.
         “Nonsense,” said Elder Ban’Et. “You’re overwrought.”
         “She would still be alive if we had a healer.”
         Ja'Nil doubted it. Cho’s chest had been caved in when she fell between the bow of her boat and the dock.
         “What good are you,” demanded Lee-Uno, “if you can’t even get a healer for our village?”
         The Elders were silent. Everyone was silent except for Aunt M'eer, who was moaning softly and rocking back and forth in grief. Her hands were crossed over her stomach as if she had the mother of all bellyaches.
         Lee-Uno pushed through the crowd to get to Aunt M'eer. “You foul bitch!” she screamed at the rocking woman. Aunt M'eer turned away, still rocking back and forth. Little short grunts were coming out of her as if someone was punching her in the stomach, forcing the air out.
         “Perverted beast!” Lee-Uno began to pummel the older woman. “You stole my mother away from us.”
         “For the Circle’s sake, that was ten years ago,” muttered one of the villagers.
         “You murdered her, didn’t you? Admit it. You killed her for her trade goods.” Lee-Uno was screaming now. “Well, you’ll never get one single bronze. It belongs to me.” She was pushing, kicking, and hitting the older woman.
         Several men grabbed her and pulled her off Aunt M'eer.
         “We will have none of that,” squeaked Elder Jo’Oner.  He was truly shocked. “We do not fight amongst ourselves. We are all travelers in the Lord’s Circle.”
         Apparently, Lee-Uno didn’t want to travel anywhere with Aunt M'eer. She fought to get away from the restraining hands so she could get back to beating the woman who had enticed her mother away from her family. Meanwhile, Aunt M'eer was coming out of her grief-stricken daze and she looked back with equal anger at the younger woman.
         Ja'Nil thought it was lucky for Lee-Uno that they had her restrained. In a fight, Ja'Nil’s monies would be on Aunt M'eer. She wouldn’t put it past her aunt to slice the younger woman into fish bait.
         Suddenly Lee-Uno burst into tears. Several women surrounded her, clucking sympathetically, and urged her out of the building. 
         It was very quiet in the hall. Carefully, not looking at Aunt M'eer, people started filing out. There were things to do. Cho’s body must be cleansed and a fire built in a great circle. As the last man left, he stopped in front of Elder Jo’Oner.
         “Elder,” he said. “Too many of our people are dying that could be saved. Perhaps you are getting too old for your job, senile perhaps. I advise you to get a healer for our village even if you have to go to Cordia yourself.” Then he left.
         Now the